Power Ponies: Origins

by Epicdiscord214

The Reason

A white van pulled up behind the castle and stopped. The Mane-iac and Briny Deep walked out of the van and found their way to a wall. The long-maned villainess reached our her hair like a rope and caught the top of the tower.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights." she said before starting the climb. Briny Deep followed.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Briny Deep asked.

"Yes." the Mane-iac replied. "Just don't blow it for us. Ooh, the anticipation if making me jumpier than a pogo stick on caffeine! Oh, and don't forget our... special package."

---

An angry mob raved on in front of the Canterlot royal guard. The guards were ready to stand proud and strong while fear and worry were being made to go through with this situation. Soon, Starlight Glimmer stood out.

"Stand aside, guards! You're harboring a dangerous fugitive in that castle!"

"No, you don't understand!" Shining Armor spoke out. "Princess Luna is no longer the Dark Alicorn! It's already taken care of!"

"And you expect us to believe something as convenient as that!" Starlight Glimmer asked. "The supers lied to us! The princess lied to us! The only ponies we can trust are each other! Now, let us through so we can finish the job!"

"Sorry, but I can't allow you to do that!" Shining Armor shouted.

"Then we'll let ourselves in!" Starlight Glimmer shouted. "ATTACK!"

Without hesitation, the angry mob ran into the guards to prepared to stand their ground. Meanwhile, up above, the Power Ponies watched the attack from up above. Filli-Second paced around the room at supersonic speed in panic.

"What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?!"

"You think running in circles and asking that question over and over is going to solve our problems?" Sunset Shimmer asked. "We need to think this through. Matterhorn, where's the Asteroth?"

"I told Hum Drum to sneak it to Moondancer's house for safekeeping. Knowing him, he'll think of hiding it in the secret lab until we fix this."

No one knew it, but on the roof of that very tower, the Mane-iac overheard every word and smiled. She reached her hair back down just as Briny Deep used the last of his breath to finally make it up. As soon as he saw his crazy girlfriend start the climbed back to the ground, he groaned and followed.

"The Oracle knows how to fix this." Mistress Marevelous said. "Maybe..."

"Look, all he could tell me is I need to find a reason." the Masked Matterhorn said. "I have no idea what kind of reason he's talking about. Sunset..."

"I don't know." Sunset Shimmer said. "Most of the time, I don't understand half of what that guy says. Usually, it requires a lot of guessing."

"Better think up something fast!" Zapp said. "The mob is starting to break through!"

"A reason." the Masked Matterhorn whispered. "A reason." She thought back on a few memories.

She remembered earlier when the Mysterious Mare Do-Well's mask fell of and Sunset tried to hide her face. The Oracle told her not to and said, "The time for those is ending."

She then remembered Starlight Glimmer telling the crowd that the supers live in secrets and lies and that they never truly give the public a reason to trust them.

THAT'S IT! The Masked Matterhorn gasped when she came up with a thought. Everyone saw the worried look on her face.

"Matterhorn, what's wrong?" Saddle Rager asked.

"Maybe she's got gas." Filli-Second said.

"I... I know what he's trying to say." the Masked Matterhorn said. "I know what to do. But... it's incredibly risky."

"Look, those ponies down there may not trust you," Sunset Shimmer said, "But I do."

"Me too." Radiance said.

"All of us do." Mistress Marevelous said. "It doesn't matter what you decide to do as long as we do it with you."

The Masked Matterhorn smiled. "Good. Because this could risk all of us."

---

It was only a matter of time before the mob broke through the defenses and into the royal hallways. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched them corner the two of them. Starlight Glimmer walked to the front.

"Stop right there!" Princess Celestia said getting in front of her sister. "I will not allow you to harm my sister!"

"So you admit you've been holding out on us." Starlight Glimmer said. "All these years, there has been a second Alicorn, but evil."

"It wasn't Luna's fault!" Celestia said. "It was the Asteroth! It made Luna do all that horrible stuff!"

"And where is it?" Starlight Glimmer asked. "If you do not present it to us, I can't be held responsible for what the ponies behind me do."

"Celestia..." Luna said walking in front of her, "It's all right. They're right. I have to pay for my crimes."

"Luna, you can't!" Celestia protested. "I just got you back! I can't lose you again!"

"NO ONE HAS TO LOSE ANYONE!"

The Power Ponies ran out of a stairway and landed right between the mob and the princesses.

"Supers too?" Starlight asked. "If you're trying to talk us out of it, you're only making things worse for you."

"Everyone, can't you see what you're doing?" the Masked Matterhorn asked everyone. "You're committing treason! You're attacking the very heart of Equestria itself! And for what reason, because one unicorn told you that one pony here wants to hurt you? If Princess Luna wanted to destroy the world, she would have done it already!"

"Don't listen to her!" Starlight shouted at the crowd. "We're doing Equestria a favor! Besides, why should you hear her out after all the lies and secrets they have kept! They gave us no reason to trust them!"

"But we will now!" the Masked Matterhorn declared getting everyone's attention. "I will prove to you all that I trust you with everything about me! I give you... the reason."

The Masked Matterhorn breathed in and out. She lifted her hoof and dug it under her mask. To everyone's surprise, she quickly pulled it off. She then waved her purple mane proudly and stuck out her face to the shocked crowd.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm the Masked Matterhorn!"

A short moment of gasps later, the rest of the Power Ponies did the same. They remove their masks and revealed themselves like they weren't ashamed.

"My name is Rarity, and I'm Radiance!"

"My name is Applejack, and I'm Mistress Marevelous!"

"My name is Rainbow Dash, and I'm Zapp!"

"My name is Fluttershy, and I'm Saddle Rager... if you don't mind."

"My name is Pinkie Pie, and I'm Spartacus... I mean, Filli-Second!"

The crowd whispered among each other, and Starlight Glimmer hadn't changed her mind. She just laughed.

"You really think taking off your masks is going to change anything? Everyone, get ready to attack."

"No!" a random pony from the crowd shouted. That caught Starlight Glimmer by surprise.

"What?"

"Don't you see?" a pony shouted from the crowd. "They trust us. They are willing to give up their identities to show we can trust them."

"It's a trick, don't you see?!" Starlight Glimmer shouted. "A cunning plot! They're trying to lull you back to their side! The supers can't be trusted!"

"Why not?" another pony asked. "Because you said so? As far as I'm concerned, you're the one we can't trust. How did you even know the Dark Alicorn existed?"

Starlight widened her eyes in worry. She couldn't come up with an explanation other than the Dark Alicorn broke into her factory a week earlier. She stammered trying to think of a way out.

"I... I don't have to prove myself!" Starlight shouted. "Come on! Don't tell me you're considering supporting a team of liars with superiority complexes!"

"Superiority complex?" Twilight asked. "Wait, is that what this was all about?! Starlight, we supers don't consider ourselves above the other ponies at all!"

"BE QUIET!" Starlight snapped! Suddenly, Starlight was surrounded by spears pointed at her by the guards. "What... What is this?!"

"Starlight Glimmer," Shining Armor declared, "You are under arrest for conspiracy, disturbing the peace, radio-piracy, and treason! You're looking at a looooong time in prison!"

"No! Wait!" Starlight Glimmer shouted. "You don't understand! I'm trying to help you all! Everyone, you won't let them do this to me, right?!"

The crowd of ponies stared at her in disappointment before making a path outside. The front gate had a prison cart. Starlight tried to teleport away, but a metal clamp wrapped itself around her horn.

"This metal is made especially to cancel out unicorn magic." Princess Celestia said. "As princess, I sentence you to 20 years to life."

"NO!" Starlight shouted as the guards dragged her away. "STOP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! NOOOOOO!"

The front gate closed hard right after Starlight was brought outside. Everyone cheered. The Purifier was gone, Princess Luna was safe, and all was right... or so they thought.

---

In the secret lab, Hum Drum sighed as he rolled the Electro-Orb left and right softly.

"You know, now that you have the Asteroth, maybe you should have a new name. I'm thinking... the Dark Orb or... the Destructo-Orb. You know, maybe I should see what's on TV."

He picked up a remote and pointed it at a television set at the corner of the room. The first thing that appeared was the news. Hum Drum's eyes almost popped out when he saw the Power Ponies without their masks in front of every pony in Canterlot.

"I can't leave those girls alone for five minutes, can I?"

Suddenly, he gasped when he felt something tighten around his waist. He was lifted up by the green vine which he found attached to the Mane-iac.

"YOU?!" Hum Drum screamed. "How..."

"Now... Hum Drum, was it," the Mane-iac said, "Don't ask. That's my job. In fact, I'm going to ask this... Where is the Asteroth?"

"If you think I'm telling you..." Hum Drum said.

"Uh, honey." Briny Deep said looking at the Electro Orb on the floor. "I think I just saw a face in this. I think this has the Asteroth."

"Well..." the Mane-iac said turning her attention back at Hum Drum, "Look who just became redundant." She released her tendril and Hum Drum fell to the floor.

Hum Drum got back up and saw the Mane-iac getting closer to the orb. In a reaction, he charged toward her in a cry of battle. It stopped when the Mane-iac pulled out a spray can and shot out a pink mist that covered him. When the mist cleared out, Hum Drum couldn't move, no matter how much he struggled.

"What the..." he gasped. "How..."

"The Hair Spray Ray of Doom." the Mane-iac said. "Able to freeze any helpless victim. Evil, and stylish. Patent pending."

"How do you expect to take the Asteroth?" Hum Drum asked. "My friends and I trapped that thing and it's virtually indestructible."

"Well, it's a good thing there's a siphoning machine here." the Mane-iac shouted staring at the machine used earlier. "You should've dismantled it when you had the chance. All I have to do it reverse the settings and I'll be on top of Equestria!"

"Wait, my dear!" Briny Deep shouted. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Of course, it is." the Mane-iac replied. "I didn't come all the way from Maretropolis to just stop at the last second. And I certainly didn't do it to hear that you have second thoughts."

"Uh, Mane-iac," Hum Drum said, "Who are you talking to?"

"Briny Deep, of course." the Mane-iac said. "Oh, right. You haven't formally met."

"There's no one to meet." Hum Drum said. "I don't see any pony here besides you."

"What?" the Mane-iac asked. She turned back at her boyfriend. "Why can't he see you?"

"Hate to break it to you, but it looks like you're a little crazier than everyone else thought." Hum Drum said.

"No!" the Mane-iac snapped "I've known him half of my life! He's been there for me! He's everything I've dreamed of in..." She stopped when she had a horrible realization. She turned back to Briny Deep and his worried face. "You... really are everything I've dreamed of in a stallion. And come to think of it, I've never seen you interact with any pony else. Also, I think with my new powers, I think I would drive the van myself and not even know about it. That would explain the reckless driving. Tell me, have you always been a figment of my imagination?"

Briny Deep sighed. "I hoped you wouldn't find out this way. Green Locks, you've lived your whole life without anyone giving you the time of day. I am not called Briny Deep after the ocean, I'm called Briny Deep because that's how far in your mind I have come from. All you ever wanted was someone to know you exist, even if that someone doesn't exist himself. I am begging you, turn away from this path. Turn yourself in. You'll be happier than this."

The Mane-iac lifted the Electro-Orb and gazed upon it. She then turned back to her imaginary boyfriend. She closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Briny." The Mane-iac opened her crazed and smiled. "But no dice!" Quick as a flash, she placed the Electro-Orb in one tube while she entered another.

The glass doors were sealed shut while one tendril was sticking out. The Mane-iac used it to pull the lever and make the machine hum. She took one last look at Briny Deep's sad face before he faded before her eyes. She shook the thought out of her head while the black mist escaped the Electro-Orb and flowed through the pipes.

After a few minutes, Hum Drum was finally able to move again. He tried to dash toward the chamber, but a bright light flashed out of it. When the light dimmed, the Electro-Orb was actually brighter and the Mane-iac's capsule opened up. Afraid for his life, Hum Drum decided to escape and warn his friends.

The Mane-iac stepped out of her capsule with a flash of black flowing through her eyes. She laughed at the new feeling she had.

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

"From here on out, I'm gonna show what I'm made of

From here on out, I possess what I seemed to lack

I'm done playing Ms. Nice Girl

Now, I'm on top of the whole world

From here on out, you'll see the inner Mane-iac"

With a black flash, her hair started to gain black streaks. As she looked around, she saw new hallucinogenic ponies watching her in fear. She began to walk up the stairs.

"From here on out, everyone is going to have to love

From here on out, everything's given in a sack

No one will dare say no

Or they will all have to go

From here on out, you'll see the inner Mane-iac"

"From here on out, the ignoring will desist," the hallucinations sang,

"Her beauty's so radiant, you cannot resist

From here on out, she'll finally exist

SHE'S BAAAAAAAAACK"

The Mane-iac felt it. Her black-and-green mane burst out longer extensions and she loved it. She made it out of Moondancer's home and entered the sewer system. Upon entry, she found a large pit with intersecting pipes. She reached out her new, everlasting hair vines through each pipe while she continued to sing.

"OH, YES! AND...

FROM HERE ON OUT, EVERYONE IS GOING TO WATCH ABOVE"

"BETTER RUN AND HIDE," the hallucinations sang.

"WHO CARES IF THE FUTURE LOOKS A LITTLE BLACK," the Mane-iac sang.

"THE TRUE HER'S COMING OUTSIDE," the hallucinations sang.

"NOW, MY REACH WILL BE EVERYWHERE," the Mane-iac sang,

"NO ONE CAN ESCAPE MY MAGNIFICENT HAIR

FROM HERE ON OUT, YOU'LL MEET THE INNER

GIRL WHO'S DESTINED TO BE A WINNER

FROM HERE ON OUT, YOU'LL KNOW THE INNER...

MANE-IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC"

Author's Note:

Introducing... THE MANE-STER!
Sorry I didn't post this sooner. Thanksgiving break has been lazy.
Anyway, I expect I should be done with this story by next week. If I upload each chapter a day, I'll be done on Saturday.
The song featured here is a parody of "The Real Ludmilla" from Bartok the Magnificent.

Comments

[narusakufan]

That was a good chapter. Things are getting good. Keep up the good work.

[Hairy Konquerer]

Oh crap baskets