//------------------------------// // The Mistmane Auction House (The Niriks Strike) – Part 1 // Story: The Power Princesses // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// A week has passed and over time, Ken has gotten accustomed to his suit's abilities and his duties as Hum Drum. Together, with the Power Princesses, the crime rates of Maretropolis were taking a large nosedive. No matter how big or extreme trouble may be, the heroes were always there to save the day, to ensure peace, and find the times to live their lives as normal people. Everywhere in the city, praises can be heard from the people's love and support for their favorite heroes. However, like their corrupted Mayor Verko, not everyone were willing to see the heroes in positive lights. At the Daily Mendacium "Who are the Power Princesses and Hum Drum?" A grumpy man asked. "THEY'RE CRIMINALS! That's what they are." With a huff, he slams the paper he was reading down to reveal he's an old man with a flattop haircut, a toothbrush mustache, smoking on a cigar. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Buried Lede (a.k.a Maretropolis's J.Jonah Jameson). "They're vigilantes, public menaces. What're they doing on my front page?" Buried Lede demanded to know. "In case you forgot sir," An intern of the Daily Mendacium, a thin boy, with brown hair and a gap in his teeth, began. "Our 'beloved' Mayor Verko had placed a huge reward for anyone to uncover their real identities." "For once, something the mayor and I can agree upon," Buried Lede nodded. "They're wearing masks, and flashy costumes, then they're hiding something. What've they got to hide, hmm?" "I think the whole purpose was so they can keep their secret identities...well, a secret, so they wouldn't risk endangering their loved ones." "Ha! Classic scapegoat. Or maybe they're just wearing them so as to not answer for the consequences of the destruction they leave behind. Look at that. They're fleeing the scene." "They're not fleeing!" The intern retorted. "They're obviously going to save someone's life! They're heroes! They SAVED the glamorous fashion model, Flower Knight, from the supervillainous, the Mane-Iac!" "Sure, it's a classic damsel-in-distress scenario so they can get lots of public attention. I've seen plenty enough of that in movies." "They stopped that armed robbery from the Diamond Dogs!" "It was clearly orchestrated. It's not a coincidence a superhero would arrive in the nick of time, at the scene of a robbery in progress." "They saved a little girl, and the firefighters' dog, from a group of terrorists!" "Which makes it obvious that they're in cahoots." Deciding to change the topic to something his boss wants to hear, the intern revealed, "We've sold out four printings." "Sold out?!" Buried Lede exclaimed, with a look of interest. "Every copy," The intern emphasized. It didn't take long for Buried Lede to compromise, "Tomorrow morning, the Power Princess and Dum-Dum–" "Hum Drum." "Whatever. Put them on page 1 with a decent picture!" "That's the problem. We don't have a decent picture. Gwen Gryffindor's been at it for weeks, she can barely get a glimpse of them." "Aw, what're they shy?" Buried Lede scoffed. "If we can get a picture of Verosika Mayday in a thong, then we can certainly get a picture of these weirdos! Put an ad on the front page. Cash money for a picture of the Power Princess and Rumble!" "Hum Drum." "Whatever. They don't want to be famous?" Buried Lede grumbled. "I'll make'em INFAMOUS!" It was another busy day in Maretropolis. The streets were bustling and packed with traffic. After another long day in school, Ken suited up and was doing his daily patrols as Hum Drum, when the built-in phone on his wrist rang. “Huh, it’s Phoenix!” Ken exclaimed as he answered the call. "Hello?" "Hey Ken!" The girl called. "It's Phoenix Dawn. I just wanted to let you know we needed a little extra time to get set for your cousin's party – I'm afraid the cake delivery's stuck in traffic." "Oh, sure thing," Ken answered. "Just let me know when you're ready and I'll come by." "Great. Talk to you soon," With that, Phoenix ended the call. "Okay, got some time to kill. Maybe I'll patrol the city more and maybe swing by and check some places out...Hmmm." An idea came to Ken like lightning, as he begins to hop and glide across the city, until he arrives at a secluded section in the park, where a large amphitheater stands. Ken glides down until he landed on the stage and walks around, taking a trip down memory lane, envisioning a large festival surrounding the stage. "I remember like it was yesterday," Hum Drum sighed nostalgically. "Though it was what? Maybe seven years since I've been to the Music Fest. I'd come down here every year, with my parents, my cousins, and my friends, Gwen, Thor, Kara, and May. We were so happy together." Seven years ago Twisted Sister – I Wanna Rock! "ROCK!" The audience chanted along with the band performing on stage. Seven year old Ken was bopping his head to the beat of the band's song, standing beside Kara. Then, wanting to capture the moment, Ken held out his phone and tugged on ten year old Kara's sleeve. Together, the both boy and girl got together for a selfie, holding up signs with their fingers, and stuck their tongues out, as they capture the moment. Later, after the Twisted Sister band had ended their performance, both Ken and Kara walked hand in hand through the festival, looking for their friends and family. "Well, this has been a rock and roll music fest," Kara began. "So, Ken? Do you like it?" "For sure!" Young Ken smiled. "I'm glad you invited me and our friends, Kara! This has been a real blast!" "Anything for my favorite little guy," Kara smiled as she picked up Ken and gave him an affectionate noogie. "AH! No fair! Let me go!" Ken squirmed himself free, before he holds out a red ribbon. "Here, I got you this." "For me?" Kara took a closer look at the ribbon Ken had given her. "What is it?" "I got it from a lady at a stand that sells ribbons here," Ken replied. "You wear it on your wrist. I told her I wanted to get you something special, and she says it really brings out your eyes!" "Aw, thanks Ken," Kara smiled, with a faint blush, and wears it on her wrist. "I'll wear it and I'll treasure it for as long as I live. Uh, you know, as a keepsake of our friendship, nothing more," She huffed, trying to look tough, but Ken knew she really cares. Present Ken was suddenly snapped back to the reality of the present, when his built-in phone rang again. "Hey, Phoenix!" Ken greeted. "What's up?" "Hey Ken! We're all set for the party, whenever you're ready." "Awesome! I’m on my way." With that, Ken turned in the direction of the homeless shelter, Kirin’s Care. “Hey Hum Drum!!” A voice called, to which the boy turned his head to see Zapp, surfing his way, on a lightning bolt. “Hey Zapp!” Hum Drum greeted the lightning girl. “You got the call too?” “You know it!” Zapp replied. “The others are already on their way, but I thought I’d surf by and check up on ya.” “Well, I’ve been doing great. Thank you for asking.” Hum Drum grunted as he rolled across a rooftop to ease his landing. “Though, I wish I could fly as fast as you, or even be as fast as Mary.” “Here, hold on tight,” Zapp said, reaching out to pick up Hum Drum. “No, wait, Zapp! DON’T—“ But it was too late. Upon picking the boy up, and flying off with him, Zapp electrocuted poor Hum Drum nonstop, until they arrived at their destination, where they regrouped with the rest of their teammates, on the rooftop. “Zapp! Hum Drum!” Masked Matter-Horn exclaimed. “About time you...” “Whoa!” Mistress Marvelous exclaimed, noticing how charred Hum Drum looked. “What happened to you?” Kirin's Care After managing to clean himself up from his recent shock with Zapp, Ken slipped into his civilian appearance, along with his super heroine friends. Once that was done, the heroes walked into the shelter, passing through the gym until they arrived in the cafeteria, making their way to the kitchen, where they happened to find their friend and schoolmate. "Hey Phoenix," Ken greeted. "So sorry we're late..." "You're right on time," Phoenix whispered, before she pointed to Megan, who was overlooking production. "Just keep her distracted while we get everything ready." "You got it," Ken nodded as he and the girls went to work. "There's my favorite cousin!" Ken greeted Megan, who turned around. "Hey Ken!" Megan smiled. "Nice of you to come!" "Well, Danny and Molly told me they couldn't come, so I was wondering if you need any help here?" Ken said. "Uh, yeah sure," Megan began, as she walks away to direct her cousin. "Uh, there are some heavy boxes–" "NO!" Ken panicked, as he quickly turned Megan away, just moments from seeing a large party banner for her. "I-Uh, I mean, I mean, not yet," He stammered nervously. "I...I mean...I just wanted to talk to ya." Though taken aback by Ken's strange behavior, Megan nodded, "Okay? Well, sit down, and let's..." Megan nearly turned her head to look, but Ken quickly stopped her, by handing his hand up. Ken looked behind his cousin, seeing Molly and Danny were working fast with Mary to get the balloons up, as well as the confetti with Spruce and Green. Aurora and Dallas were helping some of the staff to keep the banner secured from the ceilings. Trot was overseeing the entire production, but she turned around and waved her hand in a circular motion, urging Ken to keep going. "Ken!" Megan shouted, snapping her cousin's attention onto her. "What's wrong? You're acting like you've seen a ghost!" "Well, I...I uh, I've got a lot on my mind," Ken stammered. "What with schoolworks, house, Delilah, all that. It's all crazy, you know?" He chuckled nervously. "Uh-huh, well, if you want a crazy lifestyle, you're in luck," Megan smirked, as she begins to turn around. "I can't tell you how–" "WOW!" Ken shouted, stopping Megan from seeing Phoenix going off to fetch the cake. "Ken! What is your problem!" Megan exclaimed in frustration. "What's gotten into you? As of late, I...I feel like I don't know you anymore! You're always fidgeting, like you've got something to hide from me. You're always running off, or running away, without even letting me or your parents know! Don't you know how worried sick we are, because of you...galavanting off?! What's goin' on?" Ken was silent as he took everything Megan had vented to him and processed them. He had no idea the stress he was putting on his family. Realizing she might've lost her temper, Megan took a deep breath and calmed herself, "I'm sorry. I...I lost my temper. Let's try this again," She calmly sat down and begins to talk to her cousin. "Ken. Is there something wrong? Please, tell me. I want to help." "I know, and I'm sorry," Ken replied, as he decided to be truthful about his feelings. "A lot has changed...in such a short amount of time. It's a lot to process, and...there's a lot going on that I don't have the words to say, or tell you. And...if I have to be honest Megan, I wished I could...could just be someone like you." Megan's eyes softened and were widened with shock to hear what Ken just said about her. "All these years, you had to work for a living, looking after both Molly and Danny, running your own restaurant, sacrificing so much and asking for nothing. I just wish there more people like you in the world." "He's right," A voice spoke, revealing herself to be the founder of Kirin's Care, Rain Shine. However, that's not the only thing that surprised Megan. She looked around to find herself and Ken, surrounded by all the homeless people they've fostered in the shelter, the staffs, along with their friends and families. "Five years ago, you came here and told me you were inspired by my mission to help others," Rain Shine began. "Now it's you who had inspires me. Thank you, Megan Williams, for everything. Here's to many more years of service." With that, everyone all showered Megan with praises and applauses, who was beyond happy. "You deserved it, sis!" Danny smiled as he and Molly ran up to embrace their big sister. Time to Come Together – Equestria Girls Soon after, the party was underway as everyone all exchange happy talks and enjoyed themselves to a piece of the cake. Megan was sitting at a table with Molly and Danny exchanging their appreciation and love for their sister. Mary Allen was entertaining the guests with an assortment of party tricks she learned, juggling some eggs, before she made them disappear into her hair. Then, she walks over to one of her audience and pulled an egg out of their ear, much to their amazement. The rest of the Power Princesses, and Ken, all exchanged smiles as they enjoy the loving sight of family and friendship before them. They turned to look and see Phoenix and Rain Shine, standing in front of a wall, with pictures of herself, her mom, and all the people they've helped out over the years. “Thanks for making this all possible,” Ken thanked the girl and woman. “But of course, your cousin deserved it for all the wonderful things she has done,” Rain Shine smiled. “We only wished we could do more,” Phoenix smiled sadly. Ken nodded, before he lectured, “Well, Megan did say, if you help someone...” “You help everyone,” Phoenix chuckled, "Maybe your cousin should go to city hall, and have a word with the mayor..." “Now, Phoenix, sweetie, we’ve talked about this.” “Sorry mom. I...I’m still...Sorry if I've dampened the mood,” Phoenix apologized. “Oh, it’s fine,” Ken reassured. “I’m not a fan of Verko either.” “Right...” It’s clear as day that Phoenix is no fan of Mayor Verko. Though, for some reason, Ken and the girls can’t help but get the impression the girl takes it personally. Nevertheless, everyone resumed the party. Though, wanting to open up with the fiery girl, Trot decided to ask her some questions. “So, Phoenix,” Trot began. “I know you don’t like the mayor. But any reason why?” “His idea of a ‘better’ Maretropolis, leaves behind the kind of people we helped at Kirin’s Care,” Phoenix frowned sadly. “It breaks my heart to see people being left to fend for themselves, without anyone speaking up for them, let alone listen to them.” “You don’t say...” Trot nodded in acknowledgement, though Dallas couldn't help but find it suspicious, as if there's more than what Phoenix is letting on. “And...how was Kirin’s Care founded?" Trot asked. "And how did you became a part of it?” “Mom’s always had a heart,” Phoenix smiled fondly towards Rain Shine, who was talking to Kisara. “Only it’s ten times bigger. She founded Kirin’s Care because she sees a lot of us, as her children, and wanted to help make the world a better place.” Phoenix’s expression turned sad, as she continued, “I was orphaned on the streets, growing up in Japan, until mom saved me. So I know what it means to need to help... and I want to provide that help.” Trot nodded as she placed a loving hand on Phoenix’s shoulder, “For what it’s worth, Phoenix. We need more people like you.” Suddenly, Ken felt his phone vibrating and he looked to see a notification from an app his father used to communicate with his officers. “Thanks again, for everything,” Ken said as he and the girls made a hasty exit. “It really means a lot.” “ どういたしまして。 良い夜を！(You’re welcome. Have a good night!)” Rain Shine waved, along with Phoenix. Once outside, in the night, Ken suits up into Hum Drum as he relays the notification from his father to the Power Princesses, standing around him. On the app, his father had texted: Captain Heathspike: “Hey! Silent alarm’s been tripped at the Mistmane Auction House on the Storm Estate. All available units in the area, please investigate for any disturbance.” “I don’t think there’re are any officers down there at this time of night,” Ken stated. “Let’s go and check it out.” “Affirmative,” Trot agreed. “So where is it? Is it far?” “Yes, it’s on the other side of the city,” Ken explained, before he pointed in a direction. “Storm Estate is this way, follow me!” With a spring of his boots, Hum Drum super jumped across the city as he leads the Power Princesses to their destination. Ken would use his spring boots to super jump himself off of rooftops, building ledges, and on top of lampposts, while using his cape to glide and slow his descent. Other times, he would activate the sticky paddings on his gloves, enabling him to stick onto building walls, and climb like Spider-Man, until he is at a desired height and fly off. On the way, Hum Drum took occasional glances to see the Power Princesses traveling beside him in their own ways. There’s Zapp, surfing through the air on a lightning bolt, surging from her unsheathed sword, Thunderer. Radiance was engulfed in a bubble of pink aura, as she levitates herself, Mistress Marvelous, and Spruce Spanner through the air. On the ground, zipping through the streets in a blur of pink, too fast for the naked eye, is Fili-Second. And lastly, flying beside him, keeping him safe, is Masked Matter-Horn. RING RING Hum Drum’s built-in phone rang, which he looked to see it was Megan calling. “Hi Megan!” He answered. “Hey Ken! I lost you and your...girlfriends back at the party. Where are you now?” Thinking up an excuse, Hum Drum answered, “I...have a test to study for, and Trot is helping me prepare for it. Sorry, I left in such a hurry.” “No need to apologize, Ken,” Megan replied. “In truth, I’m actually touched by what you’ve just told me. I had no idea you see me that way.” “Well, anyone with eyes can see what an amazing person you are, Megan. So of course we all wanted to be like you!” “Hehe, thanks Ken. But you don’t have to be like. You just have to be you. The best you can be. You know?” “Right! Okay.” “Anyway, I’ll see you later. Don’t stay up too late. Oh, and tell uncle Kenny and aunt Wysteria I said thanks for the flowers.” “I will Meg! See ya!” With a tap of his ring finger, Hum Drum ended the call, until he and his teammates arrive at their destination. Mistmane Auction House Hum Drum and the Power Princesses crawled through the air ducts, before they came across a vent above several group of masked gunmen surrounding a woman – probably the manager of the facility. "I am losing patience," one of the masked thugs said venomously behind his mask. "Where are the files?" he asked, pointing a gun at the woman. “There’s someone else here,” The manager quivered. “They must’ve taken it.” “Whoa, check out the details on those masks,” Hum Drum commented. “Who are they?” Zapp asked. The heroes watched as the seriousness of the situation took a turn for the worse, when one of the gunman picked up the woman by the arm and pointed his gun at her, threateningly. “There’s no one here, but us!” The gunman, most likely the leader, growled. “We will find the file, or you will die!” “This is bad!” Hum Drum exclaimed. “They’ll kill her if we don’t stop them.” “Then let’s stop ‘em!” Zapp said, already reaching for her sword, but was stopped by the Masked Matter-Horn. “No! We can’t risk alerting them, or they’ll kill her,” The lead super heroine explained. “We need to pick them off silently.” With that, the heroes proceeded to crawl through the air vents, before they came to a room, where a lone gunman stood, guarding. “Now, how do we take that guy out, without alerting the others?” Ken asked. “Leave the heavy work to us,” Zapp replied. “You work on finding something to distract him, and get him to let his guard down.” “You got it,” Hum Drum replied, as he analyzed the situation. He and the girls are perched on the metal beams, near the ceilings, above the lights. So the gunman can’t see them in the shadows. Down below, the gunman was standing in the center of the room, close to four glass containers in the four corners of the room. Getting an idea, Hum Drum reached into his pocket and took out a rubber band and a single coin. With that, he slingshot the coin at a nearby glass tank, creating a sound that caught the gunman's attention. "Nan desu ka (What was that)?" Whipping his gun out from his vest, the masked man proceeded towards the source to investigate. "Get 'em now!" Hum Drum whispered, to which Mistress Marvelous reacted by whipping her rope and ensnaring the unsuspected gunman by his leg. The masked thug was given such a fright that he dropped his gun and was pulled into the air, where Masked Matter Horn quickly froze him into an icy cocoon of icicles. “One down,” Fili-Second counted, before the heroes entered another vent and crawled to the next room and find another lone gunman. "Gotta take this one down from the vent," Hum Drum suggested. With that, Mistress Marvelous whipped out her lasso, onto the unsuspecting thug, and pulls him up into the vents, where the heroes knocked him out cold. Seeing they have arrived at a dead end in the air vent, Hum Drum and the Power Princesses took their leave and landed entered the room beneath them. They were about to walk down into the hallway, but stopped to see another of the masked gunman, standing guard. “Whoa! Careful!” Hum Drum cautioned. “Pfft!” Fili-Second scoffed. “I got this.” In a blur of pink, and in a heartbeat, Fili-Second ran circles around the gunman, knocking him out, and draw a silly mustache on his intimidating mask. Unfortunately, Fili-Second’s takedown didn’t go unheard. “ 何か聞こえます。(“I hear something!”)” A voice barked from outside the doors. "Someone's coming!" Hum Drum alerted. "We gotta hide before they see us! Up there!" with that, the boy and girls all made a mad dash, up towards the balcony where they hide and wait for another masked gunman to enter the room. The gunman turned his head, before he spotted one of his down comrades. “ なに？ どうしたの？(“What happened to you?”)” He exclaimed, walking over to investigate. Before the gunman has a chance to alert the others, Mistress Marvelous immediately whipped out her lasso and pulls him up in to the air, where he was knocked out, with a shock from Zapp, and frozen solid by Masked Matter-Horn. “Sleep tight,” Hum Drum commented as he and the Power Princesses entered another air vent. “Good work everyone,” Masked Matter-Horn said. “We’ve got four of these villains. But I’m afraid there’re still some more to be dealt with.” “Then let’s get to work,” Marvelous replied. As the heroes crawl through the airway, they overheard the conversation between the woman and several thugs holding her at gunpoint, "My patience is wearing thin," the leader of the squad snarled. "Give us the files!" he demanded. "I told you already! I don't have it!" the woman pleaded. "Someone else was here! She must have the files!" Suddenly, several rounds of shots rang through the air, followed by the woman's scream, to which Hum Drum and the Power Princesses quickly doubled back to see the woman was on the floor, alive, and covering her head with her hands. "If they're here, then WHERE are they?" "I don't know! I just don't know!" "Uh oh, we better hurry!" Hum Drum said in fright. "She doesn't have much time! Whoever these guys are, they're getting ready to kill her!" The heroes quickly scurried onward through the vents, until they arrive in what appears to be the storage room, where two of the gunmen were talking, engaged in smiled chit-chat. Planning on a distraction, Hum Drum pulled out his rubber band and slingshot another coin, close to the gunman. The coin rang, upon impact with a crate, catching one of the gunmen’s attention. “ 何(What)?” One of the gunman exclaimed, as he walks over to investigate. Without warning, Zapp dropped down on the first gunman and electrocuted him into unconsciousness with her sword, while Mistress Marvelous used her lasso to reel in the second and knocked his lights out with a strong punch. "Hey, what's that?" Hum Drum asked, walking over to a stand, where a photographer's camera was hanging by the ledge. "Hey, I know this camera! This totally belongs to–" "Don't move!" Ken held his hands up as he turned around to be met at gunpoint by another masked man. “Hands up. Now!” In response, Hum Drum held his hands up, as he slowly turned around, with the gunman, until they stood face-to-face with the Power Princesses. “Give up, now, or I shoot him dead,” The gunman threatened. WHACK The gunman was knocked out, after he was attacked from behind, by a large metal rod. Holding the rod, is a girl around Phoenix Dawn, and the Power Princesses’ age, by earthling standards. “The Power Princesses and Hum Drum!“ The girl squealed in a loud excited voice. “I can’t believe it’s really really you!” “Mei Ling?” He gasped quietly. In appearance, Mei Ling has moderate azure eyes that are framed by a pair of purple pointy glasses. Her hair is a strong cerulean with moderate arctic blue streaks, with the bang cut straight, and the back of her hair done up in two long pigtails. For attires, she wore a purple shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, a blue-and-green juniper leaf decorated on the collar, black skirt, long white knee socks, and purple shoes. "Ok, ok, keep it together," The girl calmed herself, composing herself, before she introduced. "Hi! I'm Mei Ling. But my friends call me, May, like the month. And it's an honor to meet you all!" "Greetings, May," Masked Matter-Horn returned the greeting, shaking the girl's hand. "On behalf of my friends, we are..." "Oh no need. I know who you are," Mei Ling politely interrupted. "You're the Masked Matter-Horn. You're Radiance. Zapp. Fili-Second. Mistress Marvelous. And you're Saddle Rager! Though, with all due respect, why do they call you Saddle Rager?" "You don't want to know," Saddle Rager whimpered. "And who am I? Chopped liver?" Hum Drum grumbled, feeling ignored. "Oh, right," Mei Ling turned to Hum Drum. "You're...Wonder Boy. Right?" "Actually, I'm Hum Drum, the Maretropolis Boy Wonder!" Hum Drum said as he does a heroic pose, which didn't exactly impress Mei Ling. "Humdrum..." She said with a neutral expression. "Yeah, you're kind of a humdrum." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Uh, nevermind that," Masked Matter-Horn began, getting everyone back on topic. "So, if I may, what exactly are you doing here?" She asked Mei Ling. "It's dangerous for a civilian like you to be here." "Oh, I'm not a civilian per say," Mei Ling replied. "I just moved here with my dad. He's a police officer who got a job transfer here. I'm a journalist for a blog I'm running. I'm sure you've heard of it? The Gossip Column?" "You're a journalist?" Radiance asked, to which Mei Ling answered with a nod. "Then I take it this belongs to you?" Masked asked, handing the camera to the teenage girl. "Yeah, thanks!" Mei Ling smiled, taking back her camera. "And...does your dad even know you're covering a break-in for your blog?" Mistress Marvelous asked, with a look of concern. "Well, dad doesn't technically know I'm here," Mei Ling answered. "And it wasn't a break-in until a few minutes ago." "What do you mean?" Hum Drum asked. "Let me explain..." Mei Ling began.