Power Ponies 3: Perilous

by Epicdiscord214

Cloak and Dagger

"So wait." Timberwolf said. "You're telling me that all that trouble you caused a few years ago... was just because of crush issues?"

"Hey, I already apologized like a dozen times." Starlight said. "The point is, I'm going to help you get back home. Now, where are the others?"

"We don't know." Radiance answered. "We got separated after the evil uses captured the three of us."

"Hold on." Celestia said. "The evil what?"

"Oh, yeah." Masque said nervously. "Yeah, it turns out this world is ruled by evil Power Pony doubles, and we also ran into evil Mighty Machine doubles and dumb doubles of our friends and family. You know, typical March Madness."

"What the..." Sunburst said. "That makes no sense. You ran into what?"

"We'll send you a memo!" Timberwolf said. "If you just came out of a portal back home, we need to go now!"

"Hold on." Radiance said. "Not without the others."

"Yeah." Masque said.

"GAAAAH!" Timberwolf groaned. "I hate it when you use friendship against me. But where do we go? We have no idea how to get out of here or where our friends are."

"You forget." Masque said. "We've got a princess here. We should be A-OK."

"All right." Princess Celestia said. "Let's find the others."

---

In another part of the castle, two sets of bricks separated and a group of ponies and wirewolves walked from behind. The two teams looked at each other and went their separate ways.

---

"You saw the prisoners... and you let them get away?" the Negahorn asked the Phantom Blot, who stared up at the Peril Ponies up their thrones with fear in his mechanical eyes.

"You... you don't understand, m'lady." the Phantom Blot said nervously. "There was a tremor. We were caught off balance."

"Blah, blah, blah, excuses, excuses, etc." Vile-osity said.

"As the former Element of Honesty," Ms. Fortune said, "I must say that story is as bad as a worm crawling in an apple."

"But..."

"Butts are for saddles, mutt!" Boom exclaimed.

"You want to make it up to us, Blot?" the Negahorn asked. "Here's your redemption: find the prisoners and do one of two things. Either send them back to the prison... or send them six feet under. Otherwise, you and your pack will have the latter. Am I clear?"

Shaking in his metal, the Phantom Blot nodded his head. "Crystal."

"Good." the Negahorn said. "Now, everyone, get out of my sight."

"Us?" Glamour asked. "Why us?"

"Because I said." the Negahorn growled menacingly as she lifted the Golden Apple.

"Whoop." Ms. Fortune yelped. "For those of you who don't want to see what she has planned for us, let's get back to our jobs."

"I don't know." Vile-Osity said. "I kinda want to know what she's got."

"Let's just go." Wrath said chomping on the pink villain's tail and dragging her out with the others.

The Negahorn sighed and admired the Golden Apple. She then looked out the window and down onto her kingdom. She had no idea that right above her, Bell Weather's team hung from the ceiling. The team leader gestured her hoof down signaling the Masked Matterhorn to quietly float down behind the Negahorn's throne. But as soon as the good alicorn sets hoof on the floor, the evil one detected the other one's presence and sighed once more.

"You are either just as courageous and dumber than I was." the Negahorn said. She flew down from her throne and confronted her good counterpart. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't you guess?" the Masked Matterhorn asked.

"You and I may share an identity," the Negahorn said, "But that doesn't mean I know every thought you're currently having. I don't even know how different your world is to mine. Now, what's possessing you to do something this stupid?"

"I just want to talk." the Matterhorn said. "Twilight to Twilight."

The Negahorn thought for a moment before setting her apple firmly on her throne. "Let me guess. You want me to change back to good? That's what I'd do."

"Twilight, this is not you." the Matterhorn said. "Ricky told me about the Golden Apple. Obviously, that's what's urging you to do this. This power is corrupting you."

"Is that what you think this is about?" the Negahorn asked. "Sorry, but you're mistaken. I've been considering using force long before I got the Golden Apple." She approached the window and looked out. "This world may have been granted freedom, but that only gave my enemies the right to do whatever they wanted. And what could heroes do? Just stop whatever they were presently doing just so they can do it again in the future?"

"The system works."

"For today's criminals, yeah. But every day, many more ponies and other creatures are born, and not all of them turn out to be angels. If you want them to respect you, you have to show them exactly what you can do."

"I'm not looking for respect. I do this because it's the right thing to do."

"Well, I guess that's one difference between our worlds." the Negahorn scoffed. "You're even more naïve than I ever was. Wake up. The best way to bring peace to the world, you must have complete control over it."

"Even if it means being what you've been fighting all these years?"

"Of course! It takes a villain to be rid of villains. In this case, doing the wrong thing is the right thing."

"Twilight, I understand. I tried to force villains to change, but all it did what show me what happens when one has too much control." The hero looked and saw the deep thought the villain was having. Meanwhile, the Resistance team stealthily snuck near the throne where the Apple was. The Masked Matterhorn had to keep talking and keep the Negahorn's attention away from the Golden Apple. "I know that the ends may seem impossible and this battle with evil could go on forever, but there are better ways to fight it than just doing the easy way.

"I won't pretend I understand

All the pain that you've been through

The sad tale of the Negahorn

But I can try to be there for you

I can help you out of the dark

You can make up for your mistakes

You just need to trust again

Deep down, I know, you did not forsake

Place faaaaaiiiiiiith aaaaagaaaaaiiiiiiiin

Do not hate aaaaagaaaaaiiiiiiiin

It's a fact, as ponies say, that friiiiiiieeeeendshiiiiiiip iiiiiiiiiis..."

The Negahorn looked remorseful for a second, but then changed her expression with a dark color completely shrouding her eyes. The Masked Matterhorn was confused before being shrugged away by her evil counterpart. In a sudden, Team A paused and climbed back up.

"Do you really think that I can go back to the lies" the Negahorn sang,

"Do you really think I want to remain meek

Every pony else is an enemy in my eyes

The strong survive and stand over the weak"

"You and I are one and the same" the Matterhorn sang,

"You don't have to remain dark and hide"

"All you and I share is a face and a name" the Negahorn sang,

"I say you should embrace your dark side"

"I'm telling you, you can't remain evil" the Matterhorn sang,

"I'm telling you to let go of your rage

Your broiling hatred is your own caaaaaaaaaaaage"

"You see hatred as a bad thing. I see it as a shove" the Negahorn sang,

"Don't you know it feels good to be baaaaaaad

Equestria's rotten to the core! It's no place for love

This is the push that makes me feel glaaaaaaaaaaaad"

"Please, don't let the Apple take control" the Matterhorn sang,

"You have to make the choice yourself"

"No fruit is making me claim my role" the Negahorn sang,

"And I certainly don't need anyone else"

"You've got to realize this is going too far" the Matterhorn sang,

"You're taking the happiness from everyone

I'm begging you, you need to release the suuuuuuuuuuun"

"I wooooooon't lighten the darkness" the Negahorn sang.

"WAIT" the Matterhorn sang.

"I wooooooon't go back to how I was" the Negahorn sang.

"PLEASE" the Matterhorn sang.

"Equestria will forever know darkness" the Negahorn sang,

"Because this is exactly what a villain dooooooeeeeeeees"

"I'M BEGGING" the Matterhorn sang,

"END THE PAIN! FREE THE WORLD"

"I WILL NEVER! I WON'T STEP DOWN" the Negahorn sang.

"PRINCESSES PROTECT THEIR LAND" the Matterhorn sang.

"BUT EQUESTRIA IS MY PLAYGROUND" the Negahorn sang.

"PLEASE, TWILIGHT! BE GOOD AGAIN" the Matterhorn sang.

"I'M BETTER NOW THAT I WAS THEN" the Negahorn sang.

"DOOOOON'T BE A SCORN" the Matterhorn sang.

"I'M MORE THAN THAT! I'M THE NEGAHORN" the Negahorn sang.

"YOU'RE NOT EVIL!" the Masked Matterhorn shouted.

"YES, I AM!" the Negahorn returned.

"PLEASE, TWILIGHT!" the Masked Matterhorn begged, "YOU'LL DESTROY EQUESTRIA!

"YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE I WOULDN'T WANT IT!" the Negahorn replied with great pride.

Suddenly, the argument was interrupted by the sound of something hitting the ground. They looked and saw the resistance team staring angrily at the Hair-oine for dropping a hairclip.

"Hair-oine!" Bell Weather shouted.

"I didn't do it!" the Hair-oine denied.

"So... that's your big play?" the Negahorn asked. "Well then..." Her horn started to glow.

"NO!" Bell Weather shouted as she flew towards the Golden Apple. She was close too, but the Apple flew out of her reach and towards the Negahorn.

Suddenly, as the Negahorn was close on claiming back the Golden Apple, the Masked Matterhorn blasted her away and caught the Apple with her own magic. The Negahorn got back up and glared her her double with anger.

"Give that back!" the Negahorn said. "I can't destroy you all without it!"

"Wow, you're crazier than I am if you think you need a shiny fruit to beat us." the Hair-oine said. "Why don't you use your own magic?"

"You don't understand." the Negahorn said. "Just give it back!"

"Never!" the Masked Matterhorn said. "If this is what it takes to end your tyranny then..." She was interrupted when the Negahorn tackled her.

When the Matterhorn fell, she accidently threw the Golden Apple across the air. It then fell into the hairy tendrils of the Hair-oine's mane.

"NO!" the Negahorn shouted.

"Good job, Hair-oine!" Bell Weather said. "Now, finish her off." Everyone waited for a moment, but there was nothing. "Now!"

"Actually..." the Hair-oine replied with a sinister grin. Suddenly, her hair extensions then wrapped around the other resistance members and the Masked Matterhorn. She then constricted her hair and tightened around them. "I was thinking... this could get us a good partnership with these better superponies."

"What?" the Negahorn asked as she was approaching the Hair-oine.

"Hair-oine!" Bell Weather shouted. "What's the meaning of this?!"

"Oh, no." the Masked Matterhorn gasped. "That's not the Hair-oine. That's the Mane-iac! Our Mane-iac!"

"Bingo!" the traitor shouted. "Like the ol' switcheroo?"

"So, you're on my side now?" the Negahorn asked.

"Oh, yeah." the Mane-iac said giving the Golden Apple to the Negahorn. "We both are."

"Both?" Hum Drum asked. "Wait... That means..."

"Team B is walking into a trap!" Bell Weather shouted.

---

"All right." the Serene Sorceress said. "I think we're almost there." Team B was passing through many hallways until they came across a big door with gears and chains. "The dungeon should be right through this door. Gryphon, punch it down."

"Me?" Gryphon Goodness asked. "You think I can punch down something that big?"

"You've punched down bigger in the Resistance." the Serene Sorceress said. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's just nervous." Zapp said. "Almost as nervous as the Junior Speedsters flight camp rally on our first year. Remember that, old friend."

"Do I ever?" Gryphon Goodness replied.

"Well, maybe you can tell us about it?" Zapp asked.

"What?" the Serene Sorceress asked.

"Zapp, I don't think this is the appropriate time or place to tell stories." Devastator said.

"Just tell us, Gilda." Zapp said. "You know, for the fun of it."

The gryphon sighed. "All right. There were four sets of hoops on top of each other; each one representing one of the four elements or something. Anyway, air, water, fire, or earth, Rainbow Dash and I zigged and zagged until we both finished at the same time. That was the first time in the whole day the crowd actually stood up. Of course, I was nervous, but before we got out there, Rainbow Dash reminded me that there were worse things that compared to facing failure, the coarse was nothing. Isn't that right, Zapp?"

"Yeah." Zapp replied. "That's exactly what happened..." She then replaced her smile with a suspicious look. "...Except for one difference: that didn't happen here!" Gryphon Goodness widened her eyes in shock. "Apparently, in this world, I got sick the day of the rally. But you couldn't have known about that if you were really from my world."

"What?" Filli-Second asked.

"What's she talking about?" Mistress Marevelous asked.

"Well..." the gryphon said nervously. "Obviously she... I mean that I was talking about..." She sighed. "Oh, forget it!" Her yellow claws then glowed and broke open a hole in the ground. While most fell in, Gryphon Galore and Zapp flew above it.

"So I was right!" Zapp shouted. "You are Gryphon Galore!"

"How did you figure it out?" Gryphon Galore asked.

"I first got suspicious when the Gilda in the cage (which I'm guessing is the real Gryphon Goodness) was tapping a certain pattern on the metal bars. I recognized it as the old flight school chant."

"That made you suspicious?" Gryphon Galore asked.

"Well, I couldn't just get it out of my head." Zapp replied. "Then, I remembered something. Earlier at the mission briefing, you didn't know who the Malicious Machines were. Either you have a really bad memory, or you're just a fake."

"Well, I'm guessing those are the Malicious Machines right behind you." Gryphon Galore said with a smug grin.

"Yeah, right!" Zapp said. "Do you really think I'd fall for..." She was interrupted by a swarm of evil little critters made of metal that jumped on her. The Malicious Machines really were there and, with Gryphon Galore, successfully captured Team B.

"Told ya so." Gryphon Galore gloated.

---

A few moments later, the captured Resistance teams were tied up and held by the Negahorn, who stood over them with pride. Behind her, the Mane-iac and Gryphon Galore were also proud of what they had done. There was also the rest of the Peril Ponies and the Malicious Machines there as well.

"So... what now?" Filli-Second asked.

"First thing first." the Negahorn said turning to the double-crossers. "As a reward for your sudden example of deception, the two of you have earned a place on the table."

"Woot-woot!" the Mane-iac proclaimed.

What they didn't know was that in the ceiling, Radiance, Masque, Timberwolf, Celestia, Starlight, and Sunburst hung above looking at the crowd.

"Now what?" Timberwolf asked.

"We've got to save them." Celestia said. "Masque, can you change into one of those guards?"

Masque changed. "Do you need to ask?"

"Good." Celestia said. "Now, try to get behind the heroes and untie them. Radiance, see if you can't quietly knock the Peril Ponies unconscious. Starlight, Sunburst, the two of you prepare an escape."

"Does it have to be this complicated?" Timberwolf asked. "Why don't you go after them? Also, what part will I have to play?"

"The Negahorn is unstable and with that relic, I'm not sure how powerful she is." Celestia explained. "We can't afford to be cautious. As for your part, you and I must oversee the plan. Just hold your position."

"Best part of the plan, in my opinion." Timberwolf said.

"Now, then," the Negahorn said as she addressed the turncoats, "Why don't you tell me some information? Like, where is the rebel base, and how did they manage to sneak in here?"

"Well, an anonymous tip told them about a secret tunnel that leads here." Gryphon Galore said.

"You don't say." the Negahorn said.

"And as for the base, don't ask us." the Mane-iac said. She and her partner pulled out two folded-up pieces of paper. "Just use these."

"What are these?" the Negahorn asked.

"No, don't!" Bell Weather said.

"It's some kind of magic rune that brings ponies to their destination." Gryphon Galore said ignoring the protests. "Simply place your hoof on it, and you and your friends are brought to the base."

"Really?" the Negahorn said. "Well, I'll be darned."

"Twilight, don't..." the Masked Matterhorn attempted to say.

"You know, the only reason I kept you alive," the Negahorn interrupted with the Apple glowing, "Was to see the sort of pony I'd become if I stayed good. Now... I have no regrets. Goodbye." She pointed her apple and a ray shot out.

"NO!" Princess Celestia shouted as she jumped down and landed in front of the beam. The shot struck the princess and she slammed into the wall before falling unconscious.

"NOOOOOO!" the Shadow Blot gasped in fright.

"PRINCESS!" the Masked Negahorn gasped as well.

"What the..." the Negahorn said. She looked up to where Celestia dropped down from and saw Timberwolf just sitting there petrified with fear. The Peril Ponies suddenly heard a gasp and saw Radiance right behind them. Ms. Fortune subdued her quickly. Masque was so shocked, he dropped his disguise and was captured by the guards surrounding him. No one put up another fight for the fright that she just saw.

"More invaders from the other world?" the Negahorn asked. "Seize them! Lock them up!" The Malicious Machines then dragged them out of the room. "The rest of you, get ready. We're about to end the Resistance once and for all."

"Can we help?" the Mane-iac asked. "I've been told I have quite a knack for ending Resistances."

"Told by who?" Gryphon Galore asked mockingly.

"No." the Negahorn said. "I've got a special little job for you. And trust me, it's going to be magnificent."

Outside of the room, Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer were watching the heroes taken away with an injured Princess Celestia.

"That didn't quite go as planned." Sunburst said nervously. "What now?"

"Now..." Starlight said. "I guess it's our turn to be heroes. We're saving them ourselves."

Author's Note:

Honestly, I've been in a funk lately. Like I said, I won't be uploading as much as I usually do for a little while. I just need some time before I am completely energized by the other stories I have written.

The song featured here is a parody of "Confrontation" from the stage play of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.