Friendship is Card Games: 2014 Annual: Power Ponies · 1:19pm Dec 31st, 2017

New Year’s Eve. When better to do an annual? Though Free Comic Book Day would also be suitable with this one, but I don’t have nearly enough comics in reserve to delay it that long. So, let’s look at what the Power Ponies are like when they aren’t the Mane Six.

Indeed, let’s take a stop at the cover. It’s fascinating to see what these six look like when the Mane Six aren’t borrowing their costumes and getting their cutie marks all over them. I can’t help but wonder if their logos reflect their own cutie marks. Yes, that’d put a hamper on the whole “secret identity” thing, but it’s not like they ever aren’t in costume in the comic, and hiding a cutie mark the way they do might resonate poorly in Equestria’s culture.
In any case, I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed that the Masked Matter-Horn isn’t a genius pegasus who created an artificial horn, but I’ll be coming back to that point in a bit. In the meantime, I have to appreciate how Saddle Rager is original-Hulk grey, Zapp basically looks like Dash got a dye job, and Mistress Marevelous genuinely looks out for blood. Seriously, that mare scares me a little.

I always have to appreciate an earth pony breaking the fourth wall.

So, do you think those are actual undead, or does Fetlock just pay his minions well enough for them to put up with the whole “wrap yourself in bandages” motif? Do you think he offers dental? (Though if he insists on ancient Anguyptian medical practices, pray he doesn’t.) On the other hand, given their eyes, they could be changelings who he pays by letting them feed on his love of ancient civilizations, though he’d have to be an in-universe recent adversary for that to work… or they were retconned as such.

Seriously. Look at Mistress Marevelous. I dare you to tell me the others have never had to keep her from brutalizing villains past the point the of no return.

It’s a bit surprising to see Saddle Rager is in fact roughly as timid as Fluttershy, but it’s not like Bruce Banner chomps at the bit to smash face. Meanwhile, I am pleased to see Zapp employ archaic language… even if “thou” shouldn’t be used when addressing a group. Meanwhile, Filli-Second (who I’m spelling that way both aspects of her name have two Ls) appears to hail from Manehattan

Wow. Foiled by Humdrum. That’s got to be the nadir of dignity for any Maretropolitan villain.

So. Not only is Long-Face a twist on Scarecrow, what with his emotion-inducing gas… he’s also an evil mime. I love it. (Yes, I know he speaks. If he didn’t speak, that would make him a good mime. )
I’m less enthralled with High Heel, but she does still have a nice design.

Wait, at what point did the narration become the mayor’s speech? I like the transition, but I just want to make sure that Pharaoh Fetlock didn’t speak with her across time on page 1.

I admit, when I first looked at Power Ponies HQ, I wondered why the top of the tower was a giant capital B.

Nice detail with Saddle Rager’s forelimbs warping and bulging as she struggles to contain her stress.

Huh. A creepy, monochrome figure speaking about the beauty of despair in a font different from most characters’ dialogue. This issue of Sandman is getting weird, and that’s saying something.
Also, Smudge intrigues me. Is it along the lines of Venom or Carnage, if more sane? And if so, how is it being contained?

I do like the sheer number of restraints on the Mane-iac’s hair. Entirely reasonable precaution.

It must early in the Power Ponies run if we’re only now getting to the “evil team” storyline.

So… how exactly did Mane-iac recruit Shadowmane? I’m working under the assumption that the former was locked in Balkham for some time.

I have to be amused by how Pharaoh Fetlock is the only one wearing less in his costume than when he’s in his prisoner uniform. Usually that sort of thing applies to the female villains.
As for High Heel, there’s really only one thing to say…

Seriously, Smudge, if you could’ve punched through the wall this whole time… well, I have to assume the guards had some kind of countermeasure ready for it, so long as it was attempting a solo escape. That or Shadowmane brought it… something.

“League of Villainy” is a working title.

Huh. Looks like Shadowmane disabled the alarms at Balkham before rearming the others. Makes sense… though I guess that perfect plan couldn’t have taken too much time to concoct since the police never contacted the Power Ponies in the interim. Also, Radiance definitely has the same diamond-cut gem for a cutie mark as the ones that make up her bracelets.

What backup was Filli-Second going to get? Other superheroes? Conventional law enforcement? The military? This is still a woefully underexplored universe; answering this question is a golden opportunity for world building.

Masked Matter-Horn’s a bit of a wuss when left on her own, but that makes sense. She’s clearly more comfortable fighting at range with frontline fighters between her and what she’s blasting.

And now we come to the really interesting part: the power transfer. Most notably, the horn transfer. See, in this entire comic, there are only two unicorns, Radiance and the Masked Matter-Horn. None of the other heroes, the villains, or the background characters have horns. Indeed, aside from the pegasus heroes and Long-Face, there aren’t any wings either. This is fascinating to me, since it addresses how to make superpowers work in an already magical world: Adjust the tribal ratio. Granted, I can’t imagine this endears comics that follow this method to earth ponies, but it’s still an interesting tactic. All the more interesting is that while the unicorns lose their horns, the pegasi don’t lose their wings. Given all of this, I’m going to conclude that the in-universe head writer of Power Ponies is most likely a pegasus him or herself, seeing spellcasting as something exotic and external while flight is intrinsic.
Why yes, I am thinking about this too much. If you’re surprised by that, then it’s nice to meet you. Enjoy your stay.

And there’s our requisite helping of cape angst for the issue.

I’m not sure what I like more, Humdrum acting as the team’s heart or the fact that he’s inspired by a greater depths of familiar fiction.

The team bonding montage is cute and all… but aren’t the doubly empowered villains laying waste to the city in the meantime? :sweetieunsure:

This story is putting its Gilligan cuts to fantastic effect, I must say.

I do like that it’s brooding, edgy Mistress Marevelous who sees the necessity of disharmony in the plan.

Huh. Trotham is a place in this setting, yet it’s Maretropolis that has Balkham Asylum. Go figure.

The voice imitation makes me think of that one DC animated short where Mark Hamill and Mark Hamill kidnap Mark Hamill, who outwits both Mark Hamill and Mark Hamill and is rescued by Mark Hamill.
It makes sense in context.

Huh. It’s Radiance who’s the gadgeteer on the team. Never would’vbe seen that coming. Wonder if she built (or at least enchanted) her focusing gems.

Oh. Oh my. And to think, I was afraid of Mistress Marevelous this whole time. I should’ve known Saddle Rager strongest there is. Seriously, we don’t even see High Heel again. At least she’s implied to be in the police van given the shout of “Alliance!”

Wow. Fetlock has issues. I hope they actually do offer therapy at Balkham.

Certainly not the worst way to introduce someone to My Little ~~Pony~~ Donkey.

Return of the Mane-iac

Hmm. Given how the Mane-iac goes to reminisce about her destroyed doomsday device, perhaps this bit takes place before the main story. It’s certainly explain when she added Shadowmane to the cause.

Odd how the Mane-iac doesn’t transform. Maybe she’s just too crazy to do so.

I like this panel. This is a good panel. Seriously, Ben Bates really captures the dynamicity of two manic madwomen meeting.

The two tearfully commiserating only makes this better. As does their ruining people’s ice cream without even thinking about it. I assume someone’s called the cops and/or the Power Patrol by this point… though the horse Mane-iac might have understandably tripped them up.

I am 99% certain that statue is of Celestia riding Celestia, which just adds more questions. As does the last panel. Layers upon layers of fiction, to say nothing of IDW publishing the Power Ponies comic. For one, they’re seriously still called the Power Ponies? For another, IDW generally does comics for other IPs, which means there’s something else out there and this was secondary canon within secondary canon.
I know, I know, thinking too much.

In all, this was incredible fun. A wonderful expansion to this little slice of pony and an engaging comic in its own right. Now, let's light the Card Signal.

Mayor of Maretropolis 2W
Creature — Pony Advisor
When Mayor of Maretropolis enters the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target Hero.
Herocycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Search your library for a Hero card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
2/2

Innocent Bystanders 3W
Creature — Human Citizen
Prevent all noncombat damage that would be dealt to Innocent Bystanders.
Heroes would never think of harming them. Villains know that doing so would lead to excessive reprisal.
3/3

Fetlock’s Flunkies 2U
Creature — Pony Minion
1U: Target commander or creature token can’t be blocked this turn.
Embalm 3UU (3UU, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that’s a copy of it, except it’s a white Zombie Pony Minion with no mana cost. Embalm only as a a sorcery.)
2/3

Unseen Infiltration 2U
Sorcery
Reveal the top card of target opponent’s library. Until end of turn, you may play that card and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast that card.
Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)

Rejigger 4U
Sorcery
Gain control of target artifact. If it’s a Contraption, reassemble it. (Move it onto one of your sprockets.)
“This thing shouldn’t even begin to work. At least now I’ll have a chance to study it.”
—Radiance

Casual Villainy B
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, each opponent loses 1 life.
When left idle, the Mane-iac’s tendrils perform petty misdeeds of their own volition.

Curse of Strife 2B
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under enchanted player’s control, put a -1/-1 counter on a creature that player controls of his or her choice.
”No villain can get under your skin quite like an obnoxious teammate.”
—The Masked Matter-Horn

Sow Mistrust 3B
Sorcery
Target player and each of his or her teammates discards two cards.
The thing about alliances of convenience is that they can all too easily seem inconvenient.å

Mane-iac, Aspiring Tyrant 3BBB
Legendary Creature — Gorgon Villain
Menace
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Mane-iac, Aspiring Tyrant this turn dies, return it to the battlefield under your control.
Her madness bubbles in every bottle of shampoo.
5/5

Crush Underhoof 2R
Instant
Crush Underhoof deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
Ferocious — If you control a creature with power 4 or greater, instead Crush Underhoof deals 4 damage to that creature or player and the damage can’t be prevented.

Flying Tackle 2R
Instant
Target creature you control gets +3/+0 until end of turn, then fights target creature you don’t control.
”Speed and leverage always matter, no matter the size of your opponent.”
—Mistress Marevelous

Sudden Betrayal 4R
Instant
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)
Target creature deals damage equal to its power to another target creature with the same controller.
“It was inevitable, really.”

Divide the Herd 4GG
Sorcery
For each creature you control, that creature fights up to one target creature you don’t control. You can’t choose any creature as a target more than once.
”Make them stand alone, and they’ll surely fall together.”
—The Mane-iac

High Heel’s Stilettos 2
Artifact — Equipment
Whenever equipped creature attacks, choose one —
• Equipped creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
• Target creature can’t block this turn.
Equip 1

Pharaoh’s Transport 4
Artifact — Vehicle
You may tap an untapped Zombie you control rather than pay Pharaoh’s Transport’s crew cost.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
6/5

Power Converter
Artifact — Contraption
Whenever you crank Power Converter, until end of turn, target creature loses all abilities and has base power and toughness 1/1.

Through the Sewers BG
Sorcery
Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then return a card at random from your graveyard to your hand.
Dredge 3 (If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly three cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)

Conjure Biplanes 1WU
Instant
Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain flying until end of turn.
”Invisible jets? How would you even see the controls?”
—Radiance

Shadowmane 2UB
Legendary Creature — Pony Villain
Shadowmane can’t be blocked.
When Shadowmane enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a card with cipher and exile it encoded on Shadowmane. If you do, shuffle your library.
”Heh. Locks. Cute.”
1/4

Stolen Power 2BG
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature target opponent controls. Those creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
”What’s the matter, Rager? You’re looking a little thin.”
—High Heel

Pharaoh Fetlock 2WUB
Legendary Creature — Pony Villain
When Pharaoh Fetlock enters the battlefield, exile up to X target creature cards from graveyards, where X is one or the number of times Pharaoh Fetlock has been cast from the command zone this game, whichever is greater. For each card exiled this way, create a token that’s a copy of that card, except it’s a white Zombie.
2/2

Long-Face 3UB
Legendary Creature — Pegasus Villain
Flying
Whenever Long-Face attacks, creatures defending player controls get -1/-0 until end of turn.
Whenever Long-Face deals combat damage to a player, destroy target creature that player controls with power 1 or less.
3/3

High Heel 3UR
Legendary Creature — Pony Villain
When High Heel enters the battlefield, gain control of all Equipment for as long as you control High Heel, then attach them to it.
1R, Unattach an Equipment from High Heel: High Heel deals damage equal to the unattached Equipment’s converted mana cost to target creature.
3/3

The Indelible Smudge 3BG
Legendary Creature — Pony Ooze Villain
Trample
BG: The Indelible Smudge gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Whenever The Indelible Smudge deals combat damage to a player, put that many +1/+1 counters on it.
2/2

Heroes of Donkeyville 6GW
Creature — Donkey Hero
When Heroes of Donkeyville enters the battlefield, if you cast it from your hand, create a 2/2 white Donkey creature token for each non-Donkey creature you control.
”Far from the most bizarre alternate universe I’ve ever seen.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
6/6

Heroes’ Headquarters
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
(wu), T: Return target creature you own to your hand.
”I’d much rather pay for one high-rise apartment than dozens of madponies’ demands.”
—Blossom, mayor of Maretropolis

Engage the Argent Engine!
Scheme
When you set this scheme in motion, assemble a Contraption. Then you may crank any number of Contraptions you control.
”The Multiverse scoffed at Bablovia. Called it a plane of madmen. Now see how foolish you were to so quickly dismiss their wisdom!”

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Maran

Maran #1 · Dec 31st, 2017 · 1 · ·

I'm sure I'm not the only one to ask this question but why would a pony even have a high heel theme? Ponies don't wear those kind of shoes - they don't even have "heels" in the same sense that humans do. And anyway, the purpose of a high heel is to make a woman's calves pop and her back arch, in addition to adding height, all to make her look more attractive.

I'm sure it's supposed to be ridiculously silly, but this pushed it to the point of distracting from the rest of the story, at least for me.

Dustcan