//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: On the Other Hand... // Story: Something Rotten // by Boltstrike58 //------------------------------// 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."