Equestria Girls Heroes of Canterlot City

Episode 11-Sinister Part 1

Most people who knew Capper would peg him as a fairly laid back person. He generally rolled with whatever life threw at him, including the occasional punch intended to shut him up (he never did realize when to be quiet). However, that image clashed with the teenager's current condition, which consisted of him frantically rushing through his apartment, checking under every single piece of furniture.

"Nothing," he grunted, ripping out the recliner cushion, before moving to the couch, systematically yanking the cushions out, sweeping his hand in the exposed area. "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!" He threw his hands upwards, grabbing his hair and pulling it in frustration. It was enough to make him panic, nervously scratching his arms and chest.

There wasn't a single penny in the place. He'd checked everywhere he could think of, and he didn't have anything saved up. His parents were out of town, and nobody who could help him would answer their phone at this time on a Sunday night. Capper nervously glanced at the clock again, noticing it was already a quarter-past nine.

Capper took a deep breath, settling down into a chair. He had to think clearly, find some other way out of this mess. Maybe he could get out of the house, get away before they got there. Of course, they'd break in, maybe they'd trash the place. So what? It wasn't like he had any valuables lying around. If he did, he'd have taken them down to the pawn shop by now. There was time for him to fix up the house before his parents got back. Nobody would be the wiser.

But then the logical side of his brain kicked in once more. If he ran, they'd just get angrier. They'd never stop looking for him. They'd probably be smart enough to come back to the house, knowing he had nowhere in town to hide. Capper didn't have anybody out of town he could run to, and fleeing Canterlot was probably the only way to ensure they'd never find him. It was a nightmare. Maybe if he tried—

Capper's train of thought was brought to a screeching halt by the doorbell. The teenager froze where he stood, having no doubt in his mind as to exactly who was at the door. He'd thought he'd at least have a few more minutes to come up with some sort of plan, but that had turned out to be another delusion.

Capper weighed his options one more time. Admittedly, there wasn't a lot of variety to them. It was either try to sneak out through the back door or a window, and undoubtedly get caught. These people knew enough about Capper to have some extra guards around the house. It was just common sense at this point. The other choice was to just face the music. Neither was particularly appealing.

Sighing to himself, Capper gave in, getting up and walking to the door. This was his fault, he might as well face the music. Besides, if he didn't run away, maybe they'd cut him a little slack. Like only breaking one of his arms.

Capper smoothed down his tuft of blue hair as he went to answer the door. He also removed his red coat, hanging it up on the wall hook. If he was going to suffer for his mistakes, he'd rather that thing remained intact at minimum. It was the best article of clothing he owned, after all.

Taking one more breath to steel himself, Capper grasped the cool metal of the door handle, and yanked it open.

"Verko, my main man, great to see—" Capper started, but his voice died in his throat.

He'd assumed Verko would come to collect his debt personally, given how much the guy personally hounded him. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with a young woman, who couldn't be older than her early twenties. Her skin was a dark purplish-red, perhaps orchid, and her spiky hair was a rose red. Her intense eyes were a shade of teal, with a prominent scar over her right. She wore a simple black T-shirt, on which a logo of two turquoise horns was inscribed, and blue jeans. Her right sleeve hung limply at her side, with little limb to support it.

"Hello, Capper," she said, disregarding the teenager's shock. "Lovely to see you again."

"T-Tempest?" Capper squeaked, visibly beginning to sweat. "I-I didn't think...Verko—"

Tempest chuckled to herself. "Yes, he was the one you made your deal with," she laughed, as though explaining a simple concept to a particularly slow child. "But ultimately, he works for the king, same as I. His money is the Storm King's money. And given his failure to make any progress with you, the Storm King has seen fit to place me in charge of your case."

Capper swallowed audibly. If intimidation was the goal, the Storm King had certainly secured it. If you weren't afraid of Tempest Shadow, you probably didn't have more than one functioning brain cell.

"Yeah, and besides, your place is right next to the bakery," said a voice next to Tempest, followed by a wet chomping sound. Capper looked down, finding a short and squat man in black clothes, with grey skin and a mohawk of white hair sticking out of his skull. He took another messy bite of his eclair, chewing with his mouth fully open.

Tempest groaned. "Grubber, you're throwing me off," she protested, raising her one fist angrily.

Grubber, ever oblivious, didn't change his expression at all. "Sure, whatever, boss lady. I'll go stand back." He walked off of Capper's porch, chewing away at his confection.

Tempest turned back to Capper. "Now then, to business. Where's the money?"

Capper tensed even further. This was it, the moment of truth. "I...don't have it," he admitted. "I'm getting paid this Saturday, but until then, there's nothing I can do."

He closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable blow that would find its way to his face. When nothing happened, he dared crack a single eye open. Unfortunately, this did nothing to assuage his fears, as Tempest was smiling.

"So, you won't be paying off your debts today," she said, examining the fingernails on her only hand. "What a pity. Still, at least you owned up to it. That doesn't happen very often."

She snapped her fingers. "Grubber, my tool, please." Grubber walked back into view, holding a long, thin object. Tempest picked it up, and Capper felt his stomach drop when he realized it was an electric cattle prod.

"We'll give you till Saturday, but you have to face some consequences." Tempest clicked the activator, producing a few sparks from the two prongs. "Don't worry, this'll only hurt for a minute." She smiled devilishly.

Capper swallowed.

In Miss Harshwhinny's classroom that morning, the only sound that reverberated around was the sound of scratching pens and pencils. Nobody would dare to try and raise their voice, considering the teacher in question. She'd come down on them like a freight train. At least Harshwhinny wasn't one of those who'd punish the whole class if one person was talking.

Additionally, this designated writing time was much appreciated amongst this class. The essay portion of the upcoming test was easily one of the most feared things in the academic career of these students, so any chance to get feedback on their essays ahead of time was vital. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were both breathing calmly as they halted their writing for a couple of seconds, thinking about exactly what they wanted to say. Both girls were adept at this kind of assignment, but that didn't mean they could wing it.

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened, as a noise broke through the thick silence. This sound was the opening of the classroom door, prompting Harshwhinny to turn her attention to it. The entire class instinctively followed, finding the class had been interrupted by the only student who'd been absent, Capper.

Of course, Capper's present condition was something nobody expected. One of his eyes was blackened and swollen almost completely shut, and his body had numerous white bandages covering his skin. One encircled most of his neck, another sat on his left cheek, and several dotted both of his arms. Around the white material, one could see that the skin was reddened. His left arm hung in a sling, though it didn't look like it was broken.

Even the normally stoic Harshwhinny seemed taken aback at the sight of her student, and in an out-of-character-moment, didn't reprimand him for being late.

"Capper?! My goodness, what happened to you?!"

"Fell down some stairs," said the teenager, his voice low and tired. There was none of his usual laid-back attitude in his words, or in his body language, as he walked over to his seat. Looking down at his legs, Twilight noticed that he flinched whenever he extended his right knee, like there were more, unseen injuries, though she couldn't see anything beneath his jeans. Capper slumped into his chair, dropping his backpack onto the ground with a dull thud.

Miss Harshwhinny blinked a couple of times, as though trying to process exactly what was going on before her. Eventually, she shook her head, grabbing another loose piece of paper and bringing it over to Capper's desk.

"Well, since you're here, finally, you might as well work on the essay," she said, simply. Capper shrugged, the universal gesture for 'whatever,' before taking out a pen and beginning to scribble on the page with his (thankfully uninjured) right hand. Miss Harshwhinny returned to her desk, carrying on as though nothing had interrupted.

Of course, something had disrupted the normalcy of the class. Sunset and Twilight, ever accustomed to such things, looked each other in the eyes with as much subtlety as they could, Sunset skeptically raising her eyebrows. Neither girl spoke a single word, but at this point, they could communicate without opening their mouths.

'Fell down some stairs?'

Yeah, right. Not with those bandages.

You think we should ask him?

Definitely.


After class ended, Capper retreated to his locker, having missed his chance to drop off his excess books earlier in the morning. He got the door open easily enough, but getting his backpack off both shoulders and unloading books was a pain with only one arm. His history textbook slipped out of his grasp, dropping it onto his foot with an audible thump. Capper grunted, more from the frustration than the pain.

"Here, let me help you," said a familiar voice.

Capper turned to the side. Sunset Shimmer, the owner of said voice, reached down and picked up Capper's textbook, placing it inside of his locker for him. Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, helped to re-attach the straps of his backpack, settling the lighter load on Capper's shoulders.

"Thanks, girls," Capper mumbled, apparently unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do. It wasn't like he knew either of them before hand.

"Are you okay?" Sunset asked, looking him over once again. "I'm guessing you were late because you were busy seeing a doctor for those injuries. Seriously, what happened?"

"I fell down some stairs. Besides, what do you care?" Capper grumbled.

"It's called compassion, try it sometime," Twilight snarked. "Come on, Capper, we just want to help you."

"Look, all we need to know is what happened to you..." Sunset said. Twilight instinctively turned her eyes to Sunset, seeing that her hand was reaching slowly for Capper's exposed skin. A faint orange glow began to gather around her pendant.

"No!" she protested, grabbing Sunset by the wrist. "We talked about this! No invading people's brains without permission!"

"Hey!" Sunset complained. "I was just gonna look at one memory! You know I can control it now! It's not like I was looking at his most intimate thoughts!"

"That's not the point and you know it!" Twilight snapped back. "You can't just jump inside somebody's head whenever you want! That's an invasion of privacy—"

Sunset cut Twilight off, placing a hand over her mouth. The former Crystal Prep student was about to protest, until she saw Sunset point to a spot on the back of Capper's neck. One of his bandages had partially slipped off, exposing the flesh beneath. A thin and shallow cut, barely starting to scab over, had been exposed, jutting up in a straight line and then veering diagonally right and upward. Sunset reached out and snatched the bandage away, revealing a mirror image of the same wound next to it, the two together resembling a pair of horns.

Twilight didn't recognize the symbol, but Sunset seemed to. Capper rushed to cover up his neck again, but it was too late. Sunset just stared in dull surprise at the teenager, seemingly catatonic with what might've been fear.

"Tell me you didn't," she finally said. "Tell me you didn't make a deal with him..."

"I didn't!" Capper protested, but his conviction was weak, "I just...I only borrowed a little from a guy who works for him—"

"Are you crazy?!" Sunset shouted, grabbing the collar of his jacket. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to you?!" She released Capper and clenched her eyelids shut, placing a palm against her forehead. "This is a nightmare..."

Twilight was at a loss for words. "What are you talking about?" she asked, turning to Capper. "What happened?"

"I can't..." Capper mumbled. "If I say anymore, they'll...You don't know what he'd do to me." He picked up his backpack once again, scurrying off to another class.

Twilight turned back to Sunset, but the former unicorn held up a finger to silence her. "Wait until lunch," she said. "All of the girls need to hear this." With that, she walked away, leaving Twilight to puzzle out exactly what was going on.


Several hours later, Canterlot's most magical seven friends gathered in their usual place in the cafeteria. This was something that happened pretty much every school day. This difference this time, of course, was how tense Sunset Shimmer was, clenching her hands so that the knuckles turned as white as Rarity. She hadn't even taken a bite of her grilled-cheese sandwich yet.

"Golly, sugar cube, what's the matter with you?" asked Applejack. "You look like you can barely breathe!"

"Sorry, sorry," Sunset answered, her voice remaining fairly stable, despite her appearance. "Something just...caught me off guard today. I think you all need to hear about it."

The other six girls leaned in closer. Even Pinkie, sensing the serious nature of the discussion, didn't say a word.

"Okay," Sunset began, "I'm sure you've all noticed Capper today, looking pretty bedraggled. Now, that wouldn't be cause for alarm by itself, but Twilight and I both got suspicious, so we decided to ask exactly what put him in that state. He was pretty evasive, giving us the whole 'I fell down the stairs' crap."

Twilight opened her mouth, no doubt to chime in about Sunset's attempt to read Capper's thoughts, but the other girl put a hand over her mouth.

"Not yet, Twilight. So one of the bandages on Capper's neck slipped off, and we saw that someone used a knife to draw into his skin. The cuts were superficial, but they weren't the big deal. The big deal was that fact that the cuts formed this symbol. Like a low-tech way to brand someone."

Sunset reached into her backpack, pulling out a folded post-it note. Twilight took a look, and sure enough, the note had the same image of the two horns inscribed on it with blue pen.

"Okay..." Rainbow started. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"It means Capper's been dealing with the Storm King," said Sunset, "and he somehow didn't fulfill his end of the bargain."

"The who?" asked Pinkie.

Most of the other girls had the same confused reaction, with the exception of Twilight. She flinched at the name as Sunset spoke, rubbing her upper arms nervously. Sunset's previous reaction was now perfectly clear.

"The Storm King is easily the most powerful crime lord in Canterlot," Sunset replied. "He doesn't have operations all over the world or anything, but most organized crime in this city can, in some way, be traced back to him. Drugs, gambling, loan sharks, organized robbery, you name it, this guy has his fingers in it somehow. Capper owes him cash that he didn't manage to pay back. Generally, the Storm King doesn't respond well to that."

"But wouldn't that show up on the news?" asked Fluttershy. "I've never even heard of the Storm King."

Sunset laughed hollowly. "Yeah. That's because this guy is good. Remember how I used to manipulate this entire school, turning people against each other, crap like that? This guy makes me look like an amateur."

"From what I've heard, he's incredibly skilled at covering his tracks," Twilight spoke up. "Most of the police are certain he's guilty, but they can never fully tie him to any crimes. That's why the media never reports on him."

Sunset looked surprised. "How'd you know?"

"My big brother's a cop. What do you expect?" Twilight answered. Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait, where did you learn about the Storm King, Sunset?"

Sunset shifted awkwardly in her seat. "Well...okay, back to my alpha bitch phase..."

"Darling, please don't tell me..." Rarity began.

"I swear, I never made deals with him, or his associates," Sunset insisted. "Back when I was a jerk, I used to buy cigarettes on the street, and word gets around. I actually had someone who worked for him approach me once, offering me a job, but I declined. After everything I'd learned about the guy, even I wasn't stupid enough to try and get into his business."

Fluttershy shivered with fear. "You don't mean...he could've killed you, right?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Sunset answered. "It's not like people end up chopped into pieces and thrown in the river out here, but the Storm King is ruthless. If he's had people killed, he's covered it up pretty well." She pressed her hand into her brow. "And Capper's little accident is just the latest push towards our school. I heard he lost a lot of cash to local gamblers when he bet on us to win the Friendship Games, and Crystal Prep officially won, because we didn't even care about the trophy anymore."

"Wait, criminals bet on the Friendship Games?" asked Rainbow, skepticism all over her face.

"They'll bet on how fast paint dries!" Sunset snapped. "Look, the point is that the Storm King is expanding his territory further. Up to this point, Canterlot High and Crystal Prep have both remained pretty closed off from his operations, but he's gaining ground. Capper's just gonna be the first. He's gonna start trying to get more and more from the student populace around. I bet you anything he's trying to find someone who will sell his drugs in the halls of Canterlot High. People need this guy gone."

"So what do you want to do?" asked Rarity. "Get Capper to testify to the police?"

"I doubt that'd do any good. You didn't see the way he reacted when Twilight and I confronted him. He's terrified."

Twilight's stomach dropped, seeing exactly where this was going. "No...You're not seriously suggesting—"

"Well, we can't just do nothing!" Sunset protested. "This is crime infesting our community and getting too close to our friends! Besides, we've got magic superpowers! We have to do something!"

Twilight pulled her bangs in frustration. "Okay, first you still try to read people's minds without permission, despite us having a conversation about how it's a breach of privacy, and now you want us to go into vigilantism, risking life and limb?! Are you crazy?!"

"What, you'd rather we just sat back and watched people who don't think far enough ahead and end up like Capper? Or worse?" Sunset retorted. "Look, somebody tell me I'm not the only one thinking along these lines!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow chimed in. "I can run faster than people can blink, Applejack can lift cars, heck, you can levitate things, Twilight! What could they possibly do to hurt us?"

"Oh gee, let's think about that for five seconds, Rainbow," Applejack chimed in. "We just run in, guns blazing, they see our faces, they figure out our names, and the next thing you know, Apple Bloom gets kidnapped and chained up inside some sort of torture chamber!"

"And Sweetie Belle, too!" Rarity added. "Not to mention we'd probably be breaking the law by taking it into our own hands! How do you plan to deal with that?"

Pinkie spoke up. "But Sunset has a point, too. We've fought crazy magic people, but we can't just decide this isn't our problem just because there's no magic. We have a responsibility."

The six who'd spoken were left in tense silence. Everybody had made it abundantly clear where their votes were cast. Rainbow and Pinkie had clearly sided with Sunset, while Rarity and Applejack were firmly alongside Twilight. They'd reached an impasse on exactly how to proceed. However, all flinched back as they realized who would be forced to break the tie.

Fluttershy.

Nobody dared to look at her, not wanting to pressure her into making her decision. Fluttershy, of course, was smart enough to catch on. Most of her friends would've guessed she was afraid too afraid to take such high-priority role in this debate, but Fluttershy managed to surpass their expectations. Taking a breath, Fluttershy spoke to the table as a whole.

"Okay, I think we all have valid arguments. Sunset, Rainbow, and Pinkie are right that we have the power to make a difference, and ignoring the troubles of people surrounding us is inherently wrong. But at the same time, Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack make good points. If we just dive into this without thinking, not only could we get hurt even with our powers, we're putting our families at risk. Not to mention, we can't just beat the Storm King up and bring him to the police, that would never get through our legal system. So, if we're going to do this, we need a plan. How can we stop the Storm King without running into those problems?"

Everybody looked down as they processed Fluttershy's analysis. The consensus seemed to be pointing towards actually going up against the Storm King, but there needed to be rules and safeguards in place to execute that plan. Exactly how they would go about that, nobody could say.

Yet.

Tempest Shadow always stood out in downtown Canterlot. After all, what person with one arm and a scar on her face wouldn't? Despite missing one of her limbs, she carried a presence around her that warned everyone in the immediate vicinity not to get in her way. As a result, she was given a wide berth as she made her way towards the apartments of downtown Canterlot. That was the way she liked it, stomping across the sidewalk, avoiding eye contact with any and all pedestrians. All she wanted was to go to 'work,' without having to send somebody else to the hospital.

Her destination was a rather small apartment building, only three stories tall. The building was a dull shade of red, with no pool or even anything resembling a lawn. It was a place nobody would look twice at, especially when looking for Canterlot's resident crime lord. The Storm King always preferred to remain unseen, at least by the general public. The police were aware of his existence, but there was nothing they could do about it. Even if they'd known who he was and where he lived, there wasn't enough evidence to get a search warrant.

Tempest made her way to the second floor, directly towards the familiar apartment, the unassuming number 216 facing her. Raising her single arm, Tempest rapped on the wood four times with her knuckles.

"Come in," said a deceptively chipper voice.

Well, at least he isn't in a bad mood today, Tempest thought to herself as she pulled open the door. When the Storm King was feeling less than chipper, she somehow always ended up on the receiving end of his rants. Not that he ever hurt her, it was more annoying than anything.

Storm King's setup was fairly simple, at least by the standards of a man who'd wormed his way into the majority of organized crime in Canterlot City. His desk was was broad and dark, the drawers mostly empty (it was policy among employees to shred any physical documents once they'd worn out their use, you never could be too careful). One of the 'Storm Guards' buff men decked out in grey suits with white hair, always watched the world from the window, giving the Storm King time to hide any evidence in case of approaching police. At the single desk chair sat the man himself, with that idiot Grubber standing off to the side. Storm King was busy typing away at his laptop, while Grubber continued to stuff his face with some pastry he'd bought.

The Storm King was actually rather plain in appearance. A tall and lanky man with grey skin, deep blue eyes, and snow-white hair, wearing an expensive black and grey suit. Of course, Storm King wasn't his real name, but he always insisted his employees refer to him as such, for reasons only he could say. Tempest privately thought psychologists would enjoy dissecting whatever issues led to that. Next to his chair, he had his long black cane, tipped with a shiny blue head. He was currently typing away at his computer, no doubt working on his newest scheme.

"Ah, Tempest!" exclaimed her boss, throwing out his arms and acting far more jolly at the sight of his underling than one would expect. "Punctual as ever!"

Tempest just rolled with it. She was used to this guy's antics by this point, anyway. "Capper's been taken care of, sir," she said. "Nothing permanent, but he's learned his lesson. He'll have your money by Saturday."

"Excellent," said the Storm King, clapping his hands together. "Another customer in my book. Now then, onto to the rest of my business."

He made a few keystrokes on his computer, opening up a new file. "Tempest, what's the most important thing money can buy? At least, according to the majority."

Tempest thought for a second. "...Safety?" she finally guessed.

"Precisely," said the King. "Insurance, security, medical assistance, etc. You can't reject a price that ensures a hurricane's not going to knock down your house from day to day. Or one that ensures you'll be able to get back on your feet if that does happen. And given how many...shall we say, less than lawful people in this city still refuse to join our little organization..."

Tempest's eyes widened. "Y-you want to set up protection rackets, sir?" she asked, failing to keep the apprehension out of her voice. She cursed herself internally. Showing weakness in front of the boss was never a good idea.

Storm King made eye contact with his subordinate. "Do I sense hesitation? Reluctance?" he asked, making no effort disguise exactly what he would do if the answer was yes. His hand slowly reached for his cane.

"No! No sir," Tempest insisted, standing up straight, clenching her fist so hard her fingernails dug into her skin, forcing her face to remain neutral. "No problems at all. Just a bit of a surprise. I mean, isn't this kind of risky? We could get exposed."

Storm King chuckled as he tapped his cane against the floor. "Possible, but remember what we're good at: intimidation. You just keep the pressure on them, and everybody will be so scared of us, they won't even think of ratting us out. Especially if we've got you heading that operation. Everybody who knows you in this town is terrified of you. It always works, doesn't it?"

"I can't deny that, sir," Tempest answered.

"Good, that's just what I like to hear," Storm King declared. "Go round up our best people—besides you, obviously—and get them to our bunker in the middle of town. I'll contact you there, and we'll get started."

Tempest nodded, though it was somewhat half-hearted. Storm King was too busy with his computer once again to notice.

"Ooh! Can we shake down that bakery on Elm Street?!" Grubber chimed in, sounding like an excited grade schooler. "Maybe we can get free cake and donuts, or—!"

He didn't get a chance to finish that expression of desire, as Storm King turned his chair around and gave him a well-deserved slap upside the head. Even in her bad mood, Tempest couldn't hold back a small chuckle at that sight. She turned around and began her trek across Canterlot City.

Most of her walk was spent lost in her own head. Despite all the bravado she'd shown, she wasn't crazy about her boss's newest plot. Storm King wasn't an incompetent leader, but he tended to get reckless with repeated successes. And she had personal stakes in his future, as Tempest's job was her life. What would she do if Storm King went under? Should she just get out now? Was there any other—

Tempest brought that train of thought to an abrupt halt as she looked down at the sleeve where her right arm should've stuck out. She'd had multiple chances to receive a prosthetic, but had turned down all of them. Because her stump of an arm was a reminder. A reminder of an accident, and the fallout. A reminder not to go back down that path she'd so stupidly walked before. A reminder to do what she was best at: survive. And Storm King had always made sure she was provided for. She owed him that much, and so much more. She'd never turn her back on him.

Steeling herself, Tempest continued to advance towards Storm King's biggest hideout.


Rainbow Dash's ears focused on the rhythmic thwacking noise as she bounced a fist-sized ball repeatedly against the side of Canterlot High. Off to the side, Sunset and Pinkie sat, their eyes following the ball as it went back and forth, from Rainbow's hand to the wall. Sunset occasionally ran her hands through her long hair, a sign of stress to anybody who knew her well enough. Pinkie just seemed to shut down in moments like this.

At the end of the debate over what to do about the Storm King, Fluttershy had suggested that both sides take the rest of the day to try and think through their respective positions a bit more. Considering how Sunset had brought it on rather suddenly, giving nobody any time to really think over their opinions on the subject, this seemed like a good idea. Thus, Sunset and the two who'd agreed with her suggestion to take on the Storm King were now waiting for the others to get out of their classes, and hopefully they'd come to some sort of consensus.

Sunset was far more nervous than she'd previously been. The time she'd spent in classes, thinking over exactly what taking on the Storm King would entail, had impacted her rather deeply. Sure, she and her group of friends had dealt with some dangerous situations before, but those had been magical in nature, and if she was being honest, rather silly. These were criminals, who'd kill them over something as trivial as money. Even with super powers, it was a dangerous job she wanted to take on. Sunset's position hadn't changed, and she still believed that getting rid of the Storm King was ultimately the right course of action. It was how to go about achieving that goal that was the problem.

At the sound of footsteps, the three girls turned their heads. Coming towards them were Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. The girls all had expressions that looked like fear on their faces, along with something Sunset couldn't identify. Guilt, perhaps?

"So, we've all had time to think over our problem," said Fluttershy, taking the lead once more. Sunset had to admit, that impressed her. "Now, let's all discuss this in a polite, civilized manner."

"Yeah, cause we were ready to strangle each other earlier," Rainbow sardonically muttered under her breath, but Pinkie shot her a silencing glare.

"Well, I'd like to go first," said Twilight. "Sunset, Rainbow, Pinkie, I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier at the lunch table. I guess I got scared, and I thought you hadn't considered everything that could go wrong in this endeavor, but I shouldn't have done that. It was disrespectful to you, and I'm sorry."

"Maybe I should apologize, too," Rainbow admitted. "Unlike everybody else, I didn't really think through my perspective. I was just like 'Hey, we've got super powers, what could happen?' Plus, I didn't think about your little sisters." She gave an apologetic smile to Applejack and Rarity.

"Nonetheless, darling," Rarity chimed in. "Steps must be taken to protect our families. We must not involve anyone in this affair who doesn't need to be."

"I agree," said Applejack. "So, what can we do? Wear masks, I guess?"

"I guess so," said Sunset, "but something else to consider is how we work around the law. I'm not sure what kind of vigilante laws Canterlot City has, but even if we find the Storm King, we can't just beat him up and drag him to the police station. That would never fly in court." She turned to Twilight. "Can you get Shining Armor onboard with us?"

"He knows about the whole magic thing, but I don't know what he'd think of this," Twilight answered apprehensively. "I mean, we'd be risking our lives. I'll ask him, though. If nothing else, he'll at least tell us how to get Storm King convicted without breaking the law."

"Another thing we need to consider is safety, sugar cube," said Applejack. "We may be super strong, but some of our powers ain't much good in a fight."

"Good point," agreed Rainbow. "How about this: if and when we end up splitting into groups, there's always at least three of us together. And each one of those groups has at least me, Applejack, or Rarity on it. We're the best suited to deal with thugs, or anything like that."

"Hey!" Twilight protested, levitating a small rock as if to prove her point.

"Sorry, Twi, but you're not aggressive enough. Not that that's a bad thing!" Rainbow stammered, trying to cover her tracks. "Rarity at least has no problem encasing people in diamond barriers. I just can't see you mentally throwing bricks at people, unless you were really terrified."

Twilight sighed. "Fair enough," she admitted. Besides, if she were honest, the less she had to use her powers, with or without violent intentions, the better. Midnight Sparkle was a distant memory, but still a traumatizing one.

"But how do we find the big meanie?" asked Pinkie. "You guys said Capper's too scaredy to tell us anything. Who else can we go to?"

"That...might not be a problem," said Sunset. "I know a girl, she used to work in his organization. He hates her for leaving, but her and her small gang are good at defending themselves, so he's never gone after them. Maybe she can at least give us some starting points."

"Are you sure we can trust this person?" asked Twilight, "If the Storm King hears about us ahead of time, it could put us all in jeopardy."

"Don't worry. She hates the Storm King's guts. If anybody's willing to give us the dirt, it'll be her."

"Okay, I'm going with Sunset," said Rainbow, "Who's with us?"

"I'll go, darlings," Rarity answered. "I dislike the idea of getting my hands dirty in this business, but if I must, I'd rather get it done sooner rather than later."

"Which leaves Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack with me," said Twilight. "We'll try to get some ideas from Shining Armor. And hopefully prevent him from going to our parents."

For perhaps the eighth time in her life, Sunset Shimmer was grateful that Rarity was her friend, and was so good at sewing. The ivory-skinned girl was fully on board with the idea of disguises, mostly for the purpose of keeping their identities and family safe from the Storm King. Predictably, she was delighted that it also gave her yet another creative opportunity. Thus, she'd gleefully whipped up a handful of cloth masks for the girls. Unfortunately, they'd been sidetracked for a while, as Sunset had been forced to convince Rarity not to stylize the masks, such as giving Sunset's a flame pattern, covering Rainbow Dash's with lightning bolts, etc. Eventually, Rarity had given in, creating seven ski masks, though they were all different colors.

Sunset, Rainbow, and Rarity walked down to Canterlot's smallest park, wearing their new disguises. The masks wouldn't attract a lot of attention in this part of town, given that it was a more seedy side, but Sunset refused to take chances. If anyone working for the Storm King saw where they were going, it could spell disaster. According to Sunset, this is where her contact, who could hopefully give them tips on dealing with the Storm King, tended to hang out.

"Darling, are you certain we can trust this... acquaintance of yours?" asked Rarity, still sounding unsure.

"Don't worry," Sunset replied. "Even when I was still a tool, I never did anything to her, if that's what you're worried about. And she probably hates the Storm King way more than we do. Even if we don't get anything out of this, she won't go ratting us out."

As the three passed through the trees, several men began to creep into their view, taking notice of them. They all turned their heads, focusing on the girls, their eyes never losing track of their targets as they walked. Two had skin in a brilliant shade of green, with larger, more muscular builds. One was a paler green, and appeared to have some sort of metal cast on his nose, and his tongue hanging out. One was fatter and round, and unlike her comrades, focused more on whatever mush she was eating than the intruders in their territory. All of them, even the man with the cast, had rather pointed noses, almost like beaks. They all wore brown long coats, with a logo of a skull and crossbones on the back, except the skull seemed to be from a bird. Black bandanas covered their hair.

Standing at the edge of the park was a young woman, who Rainbow guessed was probably the leader. She wore a similar long coat, but hers had gold highlights, and she wore a large, black, tricorn hat, with a red feather sticking out. Her skin was whitish grey, almost tan, and from what could be seen under her hat, she had pale green, wispy hair, almost like feathers. She had a hooked nose, like her subordinates, and her raspberry eyes stared down Sunset and the others, assessing them. Rarity shivered under her gaze, knowing this wasn't a woman she wanted to mess with.

The woman checked her watch, and Rarity noticed her nails were unusually long and sharp, but filed to an even state.

"Most people don't approach the Parrot Pirates without some sort of agenda," said the woman, sounding annoyed at the intrusion, as though they'd interrupted her routine. All things considered, they probably had. "We've got lunch in fifteen, so I suggest you state your business before we remove you." One of her minions cracked his knuckles.

Rarity and even Rainbow flinched slightly at her words, but to the surprise of all, Sunset chuckled.

"Still keeping that name, Celaeno?" she asked, pulling up the front of her mask to expose her face. "I gotta be honest, even after all this time, I still think it sounds pretty goofy. Glad to see you're still going, though."

The leader, whose name was apparently Celaeno, raised her eyebrows. "Sunbeam?" she asked. "I thought you'd disappeared from this side of town forever. What're you doing here? What's with the masks? And who're your two backup dancers?"

"Hey!" Rarity protested. "If anything, Sunset is my backup dancer! My dancing can—"

She was cut off, as Rainbow covered her mouth. "Not now, Rar—I mean, buddy."

"They're friends," Sunset replied, awkwardly twiddling her thumbs. "As for the rest, well...we didn't exactly want anyone to know we came to see you. Basically...we're looking to take down the Storm King."

It was as though she'd walked into a museum, grabbed the vase worth over one billion dollars, smashed it on the floor, and then started tap-dancing on the shards. All of Celaeno's friends flipped out, coughing and staring in disbelief. Celaeno herself actually had her feet slip out from under her, and fell on her rear.

"I'm sorry...what?!" she managed to spit out as she got to her feet. "Are you insane?! You want to take on the Storm King?! I mean, I hate the guy, and normally I'd say, 'More power to you,' but are you out of your minds?! We'd never take the guy on, even together, but...I don't...how?!"

"Okay, okay, I know it sounds borderline suicidal," Sunset admitted, attempting to defuse the situation, "but he's affecting kids around our school, and it's just a problem we can't ignore any longer. Plus, we have a couple of advantages."

She made a small gesture to Rainbow and Rarity. Dash smiled in her mask, before taking of at blinding speeds. She managed to lap the entire park several times, faster than anybody's eyes could track, before coming back to a complete stop in her original position. Rarity was equally eager to demonstrate her own powers, creating her signature diamond-shaped barrier in front of her, before moving it in through the air. If Celaeno's jaw was physically capable of hitting the floor, it probably would have.

"Okay, I'm not even going to ask," she finally said.

"Good," Sunset replied, "because it's a long story. Listen, I know you won't spread the word about us being here, and all I'm asking for is advice. How do we take apart the Storm King's empire? How do we get the law to imprison him?"

Celaeno sighed. "Sunset, I just don't know. A couple months ago, I would've been fully onboard with this, but the Storm King's still going strong after all this time. Even with the crazy super powers, I don't know how you could prove his guilt."

"Oh come on! There's gotta be something!" Rainbow protested. "A kid got the Storm King's symbol cut into his skin because he owed the guy a couple of bucks! This can't keep happening, there must be something you can give us!"

Celaeno looked at the teenager for a few minutes, as something that might've been pity slipped into her eyes. Sunset hoped it was actually empathy, considering how much was riding on this one meeting. If Celaeno couldn't or wouldn't help them, she had no idea where to go next.

"You said the kid owed a debt to the Storm King?" Celaeno finally asked. Rainbow nodded, still looking rather frustrated. "Okay, it's unlikely he would've dealt with the King directly, especially if it was his first time. Probably went through one of the guy's money dealers. In your area, he probably went with a guy named Verko. I'm sorry, that's all I can give you."

"One name? Are you kidding me? How are we supposed to—?" Rainbow started to complain, until Rarity cut her off by encasing her in a diamond dome.

"What our friend means is we're very thankful for your assistance," she hurriedly insisted. "We'll be sure to give the Storm King one for you."

Celaeno rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. "I still think you're on a suicide mission, but you do you, Sunspot," she said. "Heck, you might actually make some sort of difference."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Birdface," Sunset answered. With that, the three turned around and left the park, Rainbow grumbling quietly under her breath all the while.

"Well, that was pleasant," Rarity said as a kind of ice breaker.

"I still think it blows that we only got one name," Rainbow protested.

"Yeah, I was hoping for a tiny bit more," Sunset agreed. "It can't be helped, I guess. I hope that Twilight and the others are having better luck..."


"Are you crazy?!"

The entirety of the Canterlot Police Station all turned towards Shining Armor's desk at the man's sudden outburst. The station was a standard setup, with most officers seated at their average-sized desks, complete with whatever trappings the department could afford at the moment. Right now, that included computers that, while not obsolete, weren't exactly the latest generation of hardware, either. Shining Armor's desk was nothing special, with pictures of Twilight, their parents, and Cadence, his fiance. He did his job, like any good cop.

It was extraordinarily rare for Shining to suddenly shout out the way he had. Every person in the room turned to face the pale-skinned man, along with the three girls standing beside his desk. Twilight was easily recognized, as she'd visited her brother often enough. Pinkie, Applejack, and especially Fluttershy all flushed at the sudden onslaught of eyes staring at them.

After a couple of seconds, Shining Armor realized all the attention he'd attracted, and promptly sat back, awkwardly tugging at his collar.

"Uh, nothing to see here, folks. Go about your business," Twilight announced, trying to break the tension.

For the most part, it worked. The majority of people watching stared for a couple more seconds, before deciding it wasn't worth it, and turning their heads back. Some continued to observe, perhaps out of some hope that an interesting sight might emerge out of whatever was going on. With a sigh, Shining Armor got out of his chair, leading the four girls to the one place he knew nobody would disturb them: the old break room.

At some point, the previous break room, which was barely large enough to accommodate the five people, had been abandoned, in favor of another room in which they could actually fit the fridge. The old room had been intended to be converted into something else useful, but that plan had fallen out of the schedule for some reason. It probably had something to do with all the stains in the carpet nobody had bothered to clean up, which were starting to smell. Shining closed the door behind him, quickly claimed the only chair in the room, and faced the four girls.

"Alright, I'll repeat my question: Are you crazy, Twily?" he demanded. "Taking on the Storm King? Are you even thinking?"

"Hey, that's what she said to Sunset!" Pinkie chimed in. Applejack preemptively put a hand over the other girl's mouth, knowing she'd continue until the end of next week before wearing out.

"I don't think we're crazy," Twilight replied, adjusting her glasses (one of her nervous habits). "Shiny, we have to do something. You didn't see what they did to Capper. The things that could infect our school."

Shining Armor sighed, placing the palm of his hand against his eyes. "Look, girls, it's wonderful that you're taking an interest in this sort of thing. But even with the crazy magic powers, this is a gigantic risk. You could get killed, or kidnapped, or other things I don't want to think about. It's just not sensible."

"Believe me, Shiny, I had the exact same reaction when Sunset suggested it," said Twilight, "but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no defense against her primary argument: if we have the power to change something, but we just sit on our rears, we're as responsible as the guilty party for what happens. The whole great power, great responsibility thing won't get out of my head, cliché as it sounds. I can't just watch this happen again."

"Then get Capper to come forward," said Shining Armor. "Tell him we'll protect him. He can testify—"

"I don't know, sugar cube," said Applejack. "Capper was never the bravest sort."

"And we already know he's terrified," said Twilight. "Honestly, it was like he thought us seeing the mark on him was an automatic death sentence. I think the only way he'd ever agree to testify was if the Storm King was imprisoned."

"Yeah! And besides, the Storm King's such a big meanie, he probably has dozens of lawyer guards protecting him!" Pinkie added. "One person testifying isn't going to break through all of that!"

"Can you please tell us about the laws surrounding vigilantism?" asked Fluttershy. "We need to get this done legally if we want to Storm King to got to prison, where he can't hurt anyone."

Shining Armor groaned again. Clearly, he couldn't believe he was actually going through with this. "Look, the laws are pretty much what you'd expect. You can't just bring evidence into the station and boom, we can get him convicted. That raises all sorts of legal problems, with illegal searches and everything, it'd never fly in court. Not to mention how many laws you'd probably get thrown in jail for. Breaking and entering, theft, assault." Suddenly, a thoughtful look crossed his face, if only for a second. He quickly covered it up, but not fast enough.

"But...?" Twilight prompted, a knowing grin on her face.

"Sometimes, I think you know me too well," Shining grumbled. "Theoretically, there are ways we could work around it. I'm already working on the Storm King case. If—and this is a big if—you could come up with a believable story as to how you stumbled onto some piece of evidence, and you called me, it would just be a good samaritan giving a tip to the cops. The rest of it could just be good old fashioned police work." Shining Armor's face returned to its hardened glare. "However—"

"Shining, please," Twilight implored, holding onto her big brother's hands. Twilight wasn't in the habit of using a puppy dog face to get what she wanted out of him, but staring at her now, Shining saw deep into her eyes. Twilight was being driven by sheer compassion, hoping to ensure nobody else suffered the way Capper had. Saying no felt like an impossibility.

"Alright," he finally gave in, "but we need to establish ground rules. One, I'm agreeing to this because we've tried every trick we already knew, and we still haven't gotten the Storm King, so don't expect this to become a regular thing. Two, we keep in constant contact. You don't poke a suspect's back without telling me about it. Three, if I tell you something's too dangerous, you get outta there, no questions."

"Fair enough," replied Applejack.

The group was then interrupted by the ringing of Twilight's phone. The girl whipped out the small device, hitting the answer button upon seeing Sunset Shimmer's name. She held it up to her ear for a second, apparently unable to get a word in as Sunset hurriedly relayed the information she'd uncovered.

"Sunset says they have the name of the dealer Capper most likely borrowed from," she announced. "Verko, something. Didn't get a last name, unfortunately."

Shining Armor thoughtfully scratched his chin. "Verko...that name sounds familiar. Hold on, let me check something."

He rushed out of the break room to his desk, quickly accessing the police database. He returned minutes later, armed with a print out of an old mugshot.

"Verko Ratter. Pretty low time guy, did some time for embezzlement. I wouldn't be surprised if the Storm King recruited him right out of the prison doors. If you can find him, without interrogating him or stealing from him, or anything, maybe you can get a tip on evidence. Maybe eavesdrop on him."

Twilight took the picture. The man certainly lived up to his name. His skin was a pale pink, like a naked mole rat, and the whiskers that he apparently refused to shave didn't help the resemblance. He had a slight overbite, with two incisors sticking out above his lip. His head was completely bald. He was wearing a rather nice suit, but it seemed to add to the creepy factor rather than detract.

"Sunset, we've got a name. And an address!" Twilight announced happily. Then a small frown ended up on her face. "Wait, you're not planning to just read his thoughts, are you?"

"No way," Sunset replied. "I'd definitely get caught. No, I've got a much better idea..."

"I don't know about this, Sunset," Fluttershy mumbled as she crouched in the shadow of the building, a small rat standing at her feet. She, Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie were sitting outside of the location they'd identified as Verko's address, with Sunset communicating via phone again. Sunset had relayed her plan to get information from Verko, and Fluttershy was rather apprehensive.

"I understand, Fluttershy," Sunset replied, "but we can't go in there. None of us can turn invisible or intangible. This is safer."

"But what about Mr. Rat?" Fluttershy protested. "What if he eats rat poison, or somebody left a mouse trap in there? Or if they see him?"

"I don't know about that last one," said Twilight. "I mean, look at this place. I wouldn't be surprised if some of his relatives live in there. Though that does increase the chances of the other two."

Fluttershy turned to Mr. Rat, who spoke for a few more seconds. "He says they live under the building, but they don't go where the people are."

"Well, that means he knows the place, at least," said Rainbow, over the phone. "Come on, all he has to do is listen for a few minutes. He won't be in danger."

"Rainbow! Don't be insensitive!" Rarity scolded.

"But I..." Fluttershy protested weakly, but found she couldn't come up with a solid argument. "Okay. But I'm asking him, not telling him. And he's not taking any chances. The second they see him, he's leaving."

"I reckon we can't ask for more than that, Fluttershy," said Applejack.

Fluttershy turned back to Mr. Rat. Her pendant pulsed with yellow light as she spoke. "Alright, all we need you to do is go watch the man in there who looks like a big, hairless rat for a while. Listen to everything he says. Then come back out here and tell us every word he said. But if they see you, get back out. Will you please do that?"

Mr. Rat scratched his whiskers for a couple of seconds, before nodding.

"Great!" said Pinkie happily, as she reached into her hair, pulling out a chunk of cheese. "Here you go little guy!"

"Wait, why do you have that?" asked Applejack, as Mr. Rat messily devoured the cheese.

"I always keep cheese on me!" Pinkie replied, in a matter-of-fact manner. "You know, in case of cheese emergencies!"

All the others just stared at Pinkie, as Mr. Rat made his way inside of the building.


Luckily for the girls, Mr. Rat was rather familiar with the layout of the building. Verko was too cheap to hire an exterminator, so the rats moved freely below, only venturing out when necessary. Fluttershy had been right about the rat poison, but they'd figured out how to avoid that long ago.

Mr. Rat scurried around in the area behind the building's main wall, finally finding the exit into the living room. He slipped under one of the old chairs, poking his head out and seeing the man the girl had asked him to spy on. Additionally, there was another human there as well, a lanky grey one with white hair.

"So, I take it my orders are clear?" said Storm King, tapping his cane on the floor. "You realize how big a responsibility this is, right?"

"Of course, boss!" Verko replied, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. "Just like when I managed to sway that stupid Capper into dealing with us! No need to thank me, by the way. All I gotta do is take Tempest and some of our guys up to that place and—"

Whatever inane blabber Verko would've continued to spout is anyone's guess, but it would forever remain unheard, as Storm King's hand found its way to his face, dealing a painful blow across Verko's jaw. Storm King then seized him by the collar, pulling Verko until the distance between their faces was shorter than one finger.

"Listen, Verko," Storm King snarled, clearly infuriated, "I brought you onboard because you were good at organizing crap. I kept you around because you managed to sway a couple of new customers into our business. But at this point, I've realized that, in certain places, you're either a complete idiot, or have an inflated sense of your own importance. Or both. And you know what? That pisses me off."

He lifted up his cane, bringing the bottom point up to Verko's face, and pressing it into his neck. "Now, I'm going to give you a very simple job to do: act as our face at the Sugar Cube Corner dump. Say and do everything Tempest tells you to, considering her IQ probably doubles yours. We're gonna charge 'em for our protection. Let the guards handle the heavy lifting. Just say what you're supposed to, then sit down and shut up. Got it?"

Verko had been sweating buckets out of pure fear for the entire, one-sided conversation. Staring at the cane as it pushed into his skin, he managed to squeak out. "Yes, sir!"

Storm King pressed harder. "What was that?"

"Yes, Mr. Storm King!" Verko chirped, cursing the fact that he'd forgotten the boss's preferred way to address him. The only one exonerated from this tradition was Tempest.

Storm King released Verko with a grunt of exasperation. "If you screw this up, I'll nail you to the wall, Verko," he grumbled. "Don't think I won't."

With that, he turned on his heel, heading for the door. Mr. Rat, in the level of intelligence he possessed, decided now was a good time to return to the humans. The grey man was scaring him enough already.


Fluttershy breathed a deep sigh of relief as Mr. Rat came back out of the building, completely unharmed. Despite everyone agreeing to her precautions, she still hated the idea of sending an animal into dangerous territory. She understood where Sunset had been coming from when she suggested it, but that didn't mean she was comfortable. She reached down and patted Mr. Rat on the head, thankfully Rarity wasn't there with her pocket hand sanitizer.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" she said. "Please, tell us what you saw in there!"

The rat made a few small chirping noises, as Fluttershy's pendant glowed with yellow light for a couple of seconds. They other girls looked on as she listened intently to the rat, her expression dropping from relief to afraid as she did so. Traces of fear crept up her face as the rat continued.

"Oh my goodness...he says the Storm King himself was in the building!" she squeaked, clearly afraid.

"You mean that guy?" asked Pinkie, pointing.

The other three girls followed Pinkie's gaze, discovering the tall, grey-skinned man exiting the building, his cane tapping on the ground as he walked away. From their position, they got a quick look at his deep blue eyes, and the emotions behind them. There was frustration and greed, but what really scared them was that something wasn't there. There was no mercy or compassion in those eyes, much like there hadn't been in Demon Sunset's. Or Midnight Sparkle's.

The Storm King turned his head to the side, noticing the four girls standing behind the building. Luckily, Mr. Rat was behind Fluttershy, so he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He gave a rather annoyed expression, then continued on his way, as though they didn't exist.

"That's the Storm King?" asked Applejack, perplexed, once he was out of sight. He didn't look the part of a ruthless crime boss. Sure, there were those creepy eyes, but what kind of abilities did he have that enabled him to gain so much power?

"Don't think he's just a pushover," said Twilight. "It's not like appearance is a giveaway to how dangerous he is."

"Oh, but there's more, and it's so terrible!" Fluttershy wailed. "Mr. Rat says they're planning to start a protection racket, and they're going to start extorting Sugar Cube Corner! Tonight!"

"What?!" shouted Pinkie. "That monster's willing to shake up the Cakes just for a little money?!"

Twilight started dialing her phone again.

"Sunset, we've got a problem."


Back at the school, Sunset listened closely to Twilight's recounting of everything they'd just learned, her expression one of determination, trying not to let any fear creep into her face.

"I'll say we have a problem," she answered, putting Twilight on speakerphone. "So, apparently, the Storm King is now getting into protection rackets. What's worse, he's sending Verko and some of his goons down to try and rope Sugar Cube Corner into it."

"WHAT?!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "But there's no way the Cakes can pay safety money! Not if this guy is as bad as you say he is! They just don't make enough!"

"That's what I said!" Pinkie's voice came over the phone. "We gotta stop those guys! We gotta go full super hero on them!"

"Normally, I'd be against the idea," Twilight admitted, "but in this case, we don't have time for much else. I can call Shining Armor, we can say we just heard them talking about it outside the building by accident, but the police won't reach them in time."

"My sentiments exactly, darling," said Rarity. She reached into her bag, handing Rainbow her mask and putting her own on, "Rainbow, you'll need to get us there, and we can stop it before anyone gets hurt."

"Swing by and grab me too, Rainbow," said Applejack. "I ain't letting you two deal with a bunch of crooks by yourselves."

"You sure you three can deal with this?" asked Sunset. "I didn't think we'd actually have to get our hands dirty so early. If you don't feel prepared—"

"We don't have a choice, Sunset," said Rainbow, "It's time to act."


Tempest would be the first to admit how much she hated this particular assignment. Not because she was apprehensive about shaking down some stupid bakery/cafe, but because she had to do it with Verko, even if she was in charge. She was fairly certain there wasn't a single person in their organization who actually liked the idiot. If she had to guess, she'd say he was kept around because he'd be an easy throwaway scapegoat just in case.

Nevertheless, she followed her part perfectly, standing beside the half-dozen Storm Guards as Verko shoved his way into Sugar Cube Corner. At least Verko had enough functioning neurons to regurgitate the pitch they'd agreed upon before going in.

"Here's Verko!" announced the rat man, throwing his arms out to his sides.

Tempest groaned quietly. Of course he was showing off.

Verko marched right up to the counter, where Mr. Cake could only stare in stunned surprise at what had entered his shop. "I've heard you and the missus run this establishment, freckles," he continued, poking Mr. Cake in the chest. "Nice, nice. Now, it's your lucky day, because the Storm King is moving to offer free guards for this entire neighborhood, you included! Only one tiny catch..."

Verko gestured to the Storm Guards, beckoning them to enter, Tempest close behind. Two remained behind to watch the doors. The guards were all extremely imposing, standing as tall and broad as the doorway, wearing coats with white fur lining and black masks, and armed with lead pipes. They said nothing, merely standing in threatening stances, more like animals than people. The few customers still at Sugar Cube Corner visibly flinched, afraid the slightest movement would set the beast men on them.

"We just need a tiny little compensation for our trouble," Verko continued, dragging his uncut fingernail across the cash register. "We got a deal?"

To their credit, Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn't instantly fall to their knees in fear. They looked at each other nervously, before Mr. Cake turned back to Verko.

"What happens if we...decline your offer—" he started, but was quickly interrupted.

That interruption took the form of one of the Storm Guards bringing his pipe down in an overhead swing, smashing open the display case, sending shards of dagger sharp glass into the assembled cookies, cupcakes, and other confectionaries. Another casually flipped over one of the occupied tables, sending milkshake glasses to shatter on the floor, spilling their contents everywhere.

Verko just chuckled to himself. "Let's just say your store won't exactly be making the most profitable list, pal," he replied, the threat not even slightly concealed. "And I wouldn't recommend calling the cops, either. My associates tend to get...nervous when the authorities are involved. And when they're nervous, they break things."

Tempest smiled slightly. At least Verko was doing this part of the job correctly.

Satisfied that Verko wasn't going to lead them all to ruin, Tempest turned her gaze to the street outside, giving the guards stationed at the entrance an extra pair of eyes. As it turned out, she chose the perfect moment to look.

"...that can't be good," she thought to herself.


With Rainbow's super speed, she, Rarity, and Applejack had arrived at the shop with more than enough time, even as Rainbow was forced to slow down to carry the other two alongside her. With their masks on, the three immediately took notice of the guards stationed at the doorway, along with the situation inside, which any idiot would realize was a stickup. At the sight of the Cakes being threatened, any and all doubts they'd had about the situation vanished.

Applejack was the first to make her move, rushing towards the Storm Guards, her arms outstretched. Upon seeing the masked girl with fury in her eyes charging at them, one of the guards immediately raised his pipe for a heavy blow, only to receive a nasty surprise as Applejack caught the metal instrument of pain in one hand. Beneath her shirt, her pendant glowed bright orange as she crushed it like a piece of paper, ripping it out of the guard's hand. As both were stunned at her strength, Applejack took the opportunity to grab them both by the hair and clock their heads together, cartoon style. The Storm Guards were out like a light.

"Don't take them all, Ap—buddy!" Rainbow yelled, catching herself.

She rushed into Sugar Cube Corner, her signature spectrum of colors the only visible sight through her speed. Rainbow zipped between the remaining Storm Guards, yanking the lead pipes out of their hands and tossing them to the other side of the cafe. In less than four seconds, she'd disarmed all four of them.

"Alright, everybody," she announced, standing before Verko and the Storm Guards. "I don't know if you're aware, but this is a No Extortion Zone. So why don't you just lie down until the cops get here, and we can call it a good day?"

"I don't think so, ya freaks," Verko snarled, reaching into his suit and pulling out a handgun. "Now put your hands up or else I'll—"

He didn't get a chance to finish that threat, as Rarity immediately took action. A diamond barrier formed in front of Verko and launched itself at him, knocking him onto his rear. As Verko's gun flew out of his grip, Rarity created a second barrier and caught the weapon, tossing it into same corner as the lead pipes.

"Uncouth ruffian," Rarity scoffed. "Have you no sense of shame?"

Verko apparently did not, as he climbed to his feet, his eyes filled with fury. "A thousand bucks to the guy that snaps their necks!" he spat, saliva flying from his mouth in fury.


As the action was going on, Tempest, having hung near the back, remained unnoticed, as she slowly stepped out of the building. She didn't know who these people were, or where they'd come from, but she wasn't going to stick her neck out for Verko.


The Storm Guards weren't the bravest people, but money tends to be a pretty good motivator. Thus, they charged the three masked girls without hesitation, even without their melee weapons.

Applejack smirked as she ducked under a clumsy roundhouse punch. Careful to pull her own punch, she sprang up in a devastating uppercut, clocking her opponent on the lower jaw. Another slap to the side of his head sent him into the land of unconsciousness.

Rarity wasn't particularly found of fisticuffs, but she'd known it was inevitable from the moment they set out on this adventure. She stepped back to avoid the Storm Guard's first blow, before raising her hand. Another diamond barrier formed in front of her, and the Storm Guard immediately discovered that punching one of them was like punching a brick wall. As he reeled in pain, she sent two more barriers into the sides of his head, knocking him out.

As the two girls relaxed, Rainbow gave a triumphant chuckle as she stood over the unconscious bodies of the two remaining Storm Guards. She'd utilized her speed to grab them by the wrists and force them to punch each other until they'd passed out in the space of a few seconds, beating the times of the others.

"Ha! I took down two, you only got one! I win!" she proclaimed, her fists on her hips.

"Hey, I got those two outside, I still outnumber you!" Applejack retorted.

"Um, girls?" Rarity interrupted. "Perhaps we could save the competitive spirit until later?"

Applejack and Rainbow snapped out of their one-upping each other, finally taking notice of the Cakes and patrons who were currently staring in disbelieving shock at the three super humans, as well as Verko, who was currently lying on his rear. He opened his mouth to say something, possibly another sentence calling them freaks, until Rainbow zipped over and clocked him on the head, knocking him out.

"And that's three! Try and top tha—"

"Girls!" Rarity shouted.

"Oh, alright," Rainbow finally conceded, grabbing the others and racing out of the cafe, leaving a room full of confused individuals.


Several blocks away, Tempest stopped to catch her breath. She didn't have to be back at Sugar Cube Corner to know that Verko and the guards had been caught. There was no way they could stand up to those crazy powers. That was all they needed, super heroes.

Tempest reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. Being the bearer of bad news wasn't exactly rewarded in this line of work, but it would be worse not to tell him. She casually dialed a number, holding it to her ear.

"Boss, it's me. There's been an...interesting development."'

To be continued