//------------------------------// // Stormtotter // Story: Power Ponies: The Storm Unleashed // by Darksonickiller //------------------------------// Power Ponies: The Storm Unleashed Chapter 6: Stormtrotter By Darksonickiller and Izangi “Fili-Second, hurry up ahead and let us know what you see,” the Masked Matter-Horn ordered sharply, currently in a gallop with Fili-Second, Hum Drum, Saddle Rager, and Mistress Mare-velous down the white-walled corridors of the electricity wielding supervillain that had been the focus of their entire day. “Make sure we’re not about to blunder into some kind of obvious trap.” Fili-Second gave off a salute of sorts before darting off ahead of them in a rapid blur of movement. “Radiance, can you hear me?” Mistress Mare-velous asked into her earpiece urgently. She grumbled to herself. “I shouldn’t have let her go on alone.” “But she’s found Zapp!” Hum Drum breathed. “Of all the things to stumble into in this madstallion’s base, she stumbled into Zapp!” “I can’t believe it, after so long…” Saddle Rager mused. “I wonder what condition she’s in?” Fili-Second returned and fell back into stride with the others. “Chamber up ahead is currently empty of anypony but Radiance and...yeah, it’s definitely Zapp. But uh,” she shook her head in disbelief. “you’re going to have to see this for yourselves…” The others said nothing to that, and instead only increased their speed, until they finally reached a large entryway leading into the chamber that Radiance was still inside. When the inequinely fast earth pony and the others made their way into the cavernous room, Fili-Second found that Radiance was rooted to the same exact position as she had been half a minute ago. Having barely moved at all, Radiance’s eyes were focused on something in the air, and were wide with shock as she stood statue still, evidently unable to utter a full word. “Radiance, where’s Zapp...oh, my...” The Masked Matter-Horn’s voice trailed off as she finally registered what it was that Radiance was gawking at. All the rest of the Power Ponies followed their gaze upwards, and a chorus of horrified gasps emerged from each of them like birds flying out of their cages. Still attached to the massive reactor-like machinery by a webwork of electricity-conducting cable, suspended in the center of the room, was the missing superhero, Zapp. The pegasus’ eyes were open wide and glowing white with channeling energy that seemed to surge in and out of her body from head to tail every second. “Gods! How, w-why…?” Radiance uttered in a gasp, finally managing to find her voice. She lifted a shaking hoof up and pointed at Zapp. Arcs of white-hot electricity shot between her and the machine every couple of seconds, making Zapp resemble some bizarre form of living lightning rod, stuck in the midst of an endless thunderstorm like some old mythological nightmare. She still wore the original suit that she’d had equipped the night that Mane-iac had raided the Maretropolis Museum, its fabric slightly tattered and its colours faded. “She...looks like she’s barely even alive!” Saddle Rager whimpered, unable to contain her anguished disbelief. Matter-Horn, managing to maintain a grip on her own cauldron of emotion, regarded a particular characteristic of Zapp’s current appearance with an air of intense outrage. “That hole in her costume, where Mane-iac impaled her, the wound’s turned into scar tissue. Somepony must have stitched it closed at some point after her disappearance!” Fili-Second decided to give voice to the obvious. “Her presence here is no coincidence, not one bit!” “Dammit!” Mistress Mare-velous cursed. “The lunatic that runs this freakshow of a laboratory must have been who that late Silhouette fellow was going to tell us about! I wonder…” “Wonder what, my fairest guests? Oh wait, wait. Don’t answer that, it’s purely rhetorical!” A refined voice answered back with an echo and a somewhat friendly tone through the cavernous room. Once again, the Power Ponies’ combined attention was drawn to a single point, as they all turned from Zapp to look up at a smiling silver-coated pegasus situated on an upper balcony, one they could largely recognize even without his black-gold bodysuit as he scarfed down the last bites of what had to be a doughnut. He was joined by dozens of scientists, armed henchponies, and robotic equines all across the upper peripheries of the chamber. The minions collectively regarded the Power Ponies with a mixture of scorn, curiosity, and wariness. “You again! Who are you, why have you kept Zapp here for so long!” the Masked Matter-Horn snarled at him. “My, my, so hostile! Is that any fitting way to introduce yourself? Thankfully, at least some of us in this room have some modicum of manners. I, am Stormtrotter; Storm for short, if you prefer. I am the owner of this fine...” Stormtrotter turned to a robot beside him with a questioning face. The robot shrugged helplessly, and he turned back to the heroes with a thoughtful sigh. “...establishment.” “Stormtrotter, huh?” Fili-Second replied derisively, her eyes boring into the villain. “Nice, now we can put a name down to the lunatic we’re about to flatten in their own secret base!” “What is this place, all this machinery? What are your designs with Zapp?” Radiance demanded. Stormtrotter simply smiled down at them with a twinkle in his scarlet eyes as he removed his spiky headgear and ran a hoof through wavy violet hairs. “Yes, of course. I was anticipating that you would have many questions.” “Speak, then.” the Masked Matter-Horn growled. The supervillain’s eyes scanned across from Zapp, to Hum Drum and Saddle Rager, and onto the rest before continuing. "Now, to tell you the truth, ladies and gentlecolt, I’m not much of a fan for lengthy explanations or pretentious speeches, but I am a supervillain, am I not? There's certain...etiquette, I suppose you could say...that demands recognition in situations like this." “Spit it out,” Mistress Mare-velous retorted. “Fine, fine. I’ll get the obligatory spiel out of the way first, then on to superhero fighting.” Stormtrotter sighed in exasperation as he leapt off the balcony and began hovering close to Zapp, who seemed to give little indication she sensed his presence, or anyone's, for that matter. He pointed at the reactor and its arcing electrical light. “You see this mighty conglomeration of bolts, copper, and technological wizardry? You dearest friend Zapp here is vital to its operation.” He lowered himself in the air a bit, and gestured his hoof as if pointing at an invisible blackboard. “To put it carefully for the slower types that may be in the room: pegasi plugs in like battery, battery kicks on machine, machine connects to the array, array spawns meteorological monstrosity under my control, said meteorological monstrosity holds world hostage for whatever I may desire, and fin.” His smile returned. “Zapp is, as stated, vital to the machine and cannot safely be removed without killing her in the most painful way equinely possible. Now, any further questions?” “What kind of ‘meteorological monstrosity’?” Hum Drum inquired, preparing to reach for his stasis beam emitter on his belt. “Ah yes, my most favorite weather phenomena, actually. The majestic hurricane!” Stormtrotter gushed, waving at his machine affectionately. “A sustained Category Six!” There was a rustle of murmuring amongst the scientists near him at that, expressing their lingering astonishment that their and Stormtrotter’s combine work could now possibly generate such a titanic monster of a storm. The facial expressions of the Power Ponies only darkened. “No, I’ve heard enough,” Matter-Horn replied flatly, appraising the massive pulsating machine with a grimace, her eyes avoiding the pegasus that was currently powering it. “This machine will be turned to scrap, and you’ll be going away soon to where all your ilk do. Having landed just in front of the machine, between its looming mass and the Power Ponies, Stormtrotter nodded thoughtfully, and rubbed his forehooves together as he sat on his haunches. He cracked a smile to the armed pegasi henchponies who landed beside him, then adopted a scowl in a little longer than the blink of an eye. “Ah, very good. Superhero fighting time it is, then!” “Power Ponies, engage!” the Masked Matter-Horn shouted. The Power Ponies readied themselves and scattered into separate positions, preparing their attacks. In the span of a second, the central chamber of Stormtrotter’s base turned into a warzone. On the balconies, mobs and orderly files of electric weapon-wielding henchponies and robot ponies stormed to the lowest level firing arcs of electricity at the superheros, while scientists were quick to make their getaway from the place altogether. Stormtrotter, for the moment, remained in place as the battle unfolded, closely watching the methodology of each Power Pony as they dealt with his staff. One of the first to interest him was the youngest, Hum Drum, who seemed to utilize a varied arsenal of gadgets to stun or take down his opponents, and whose physique seemed augmented by the armor he donned. The stallion darted about in the air with his rocket shoes, surrounding pairs, and sometimes even trios of minions in a violet beam that completely immobilized whatever it touched in a field of energy. Stormtrotter observed as, with the flick of his pastern just above the hoof, Hum Drum slammed two separate groups in stasis fields together, collapsing both fields and leaving all involved with the air completely knocked out of their bodies and defenseless. That’s something that Stormtrotter would have to deal with quickly, lest it over-complicate matters. As for the others, their techniques, equipment, and tactics - of which Saddle Rager’s was the least robust - were nothing new to Stormtrotter in his long studies. As the tally of defeated henchmen and destroyed robots began to reach an unsightly number for him, Stormtrotter decided now was the time to intervene in the fight. Hum Drum noticed him approaching immediately as the younger stallion floored a hench pony with a kick, and obliterated the torso of another robot with a pulse laser from his armor. As expected, Hum Drum prepared to bring his stasis beam back to the fray hoping to stop the pegasus in his tracks, and Stormtrotter took what he felt to be the necessary response. With his eyes lighting up briefly, Stormtrotter completely short-circuited the internal components of Hum Drum’s suit with lightning from his own body before the Power Pony could trigger his device, rendering the armor dead weight and stunning Hum Drum to the ground. Stromtrotter seized the stasis beam for himself, leaving Hum Drum where he laid. “Hey, get back here with that!” Hum Drum shouted, struggling to get back up. Stormtrotter ignored him and moved on to his next target. One of his henchponies stood in his path, fiddling with his arc rifle. “Sir, my uh...my battery’s dead.” Stormtrotter gave him an annoyed grin that was a borderline grimace. “Maybe it wouldn’t be, if you fools actually practiced with your accuracy, for once!” Before the embarrassed stallion could reply, a beam of energy struck him in the head, knocking him out cold. Stormtrotter stepped over the stallion’s body. “What in Tartarus am I even paying you ponies for? Dear Matter-Horn,” he turned to her. “at least somepony in this place is a decent shot. The equine form really isn’t all that difficult to hit, is it? Or is there something I’m missing, here?” He hovered in the air with the stunned stallion’s rifle and recharged it, aiming down the sight casually at Matter-Horn’s glaring face. “You erm, got a bit of oil on your face from one of the robots, my dear.” The Masked Matter-Horn answered back with nothing but a growl and another beam attack. Stormtrotter drifted out of the line of fire as the beam singed off part of his mane and spiked headpiece. “Ohh, not the helmet! All well…” the villain shrugged, then aimed and fired back, augmenting the shot with the power of his own body. Matter-Horn put up a point-defense magical shield, but gasped in surprise as the single electric bolt split into seven smaller ones that arced straight around the unicorn mare’s shield, shocking her and producing a pained yelp as the shield collapsed. She then attempted firing different beams at him, forcing Stormtrotter to channel a great deal of energy to deflect them with his own hooves as he slowly approached. One final zap of electricity, and Matter-Horn was down for the count. Before Stormtrotter could register her defeat, he felt something rough circle forcefully around his hoof, yanking him forward. It was Mistress Mare-velous. Snarling, Stormtrotter seized the golden lasso with his free hoof, and channeled a charge down the rope, right back at its owner. Mistress Mare-velous screamed as several volts stunned her, giving Stormtrotter an opening to seize control of the lasso, taking to the air and hefting the mare with him. He bared his teeth against her weight as he swung her about towards Radiance, interrupting her engagement with several robots and catching the attention of Fili-Second. “Mare-velous!” Fili-Second shouted, watching as her fellow earth pony collided into one of Radiance’s constructs - a large hammer - before she could dispel it. Mistress Mare-velous slumped to the ground, apparently too winded to get back up. Fili-Second sneered and shot out, bounding off several walls to gain momentum before aiming a jab straight at Stormtrotter’s face. The blow connected, and Stormtrotter reeled violently back from the mare’s force, rubbing at his rapidly swelling muzzle. “Gah, a fine strike! Think you can land another?” Fili-Second went bipedal, her hooves raised offensively in a martial arts stance. She glared defiantly at him. “Try me!” “You have bite, don’t you? I’m happy to oblige.” Stormtrotter aimed a kick at her, the air cracking from the swiftness of the movement. Fili-Second dodged it easily, and threw another punch his way, which he managed to catch mid-flight with his own hoof. Making contact with the Power Pony’s own hoof, Stormtrotter quickly sent a barrage of lighting outwards as Fili-Second’s eyes widened. “This is way better then any joy buzzer, I must say,” Stormtrotter chuckled as his eyes lit up again. Seeing Fili-Second fall to the ground incapacitated by Stromtrotter’s relentless electrical attacks, Radiance attempted to put up a small cube around the supervillain in hopes of containing him long enough to regroup. Hum Drum, Fili-Second, Mistress Mare-velous, and the Masked Matter-Horn were either unconscious or currently too dazed to rejoin the battle. Unfortunately, the energy construct was eventually overloaded after several seconds by Stromtrotter’s seemingly limitless stream of electricity, which also soon found its way inevitably towards Radiance herself. Finally, only Saddle Rager remained. The twisted metal of over a dozen crushed robots littered the ground around her, their CPU’s having not received proper programming for self-preservation. Their organic counterparts were doing well to keep their distance from the hulking mare. Stromtrotter quickly noted that the electric shots from his henchponies’ arc guns were only serving as fuel for Saddle Rager’s power, and decided that an alternate course of action would have to be undertaken to defeat this final Power Pony. Shocking her with his usual method of attack would be most unwise. “STORMTROTTER, FACE ME!” Producing the stolen stasis beam emitter, Stormtrotter found his solution for Saddle Rager. He put it around his hoof and triggered it as the Power Pony charged furiously at him. “I am staring right at you, does that count?” Stormtrotter inquired with his brow raised. The beam hit Rager in the chest, surrounding her in a purple field of energy and turning her into essentially almost a weightless statue. Trapped within the field, Saddle Rager eventually reverted to her normal form, and the battle was over. Taking a deep breath and releasing it with a huff of satisfaction, Stormtrotter glanced around the chamber. All of the Power Ponies were now either dazed, knocked out, trapped in a field of energy, or otherwise incapacitated in one way or another. “Alright, mares and gentlecolts, let’s get this show started!” “Yessir,” the henchponies chorused loyally, as many of them got to work gathering the superheroes together. Some robots appeared and began methodically assembling what appeared to be a cage just large enough for hold all of the Power Ponies. When the minions tossed them into the cage and Stormtrotter surged more power into it to electrify the bars, the Power Ponies gradually began to came to, and Saddle Rager’s field dissipated as Stormtrotter destroyed the emitter and brushed a hoof against his black-gold fabric. “Mmm...need to kidnap a dry cleaner in the near future...and an interior designer, this place is too drab in places. Sterile white, of what was I thinking?” He cleared his throat and took to hovering again. “Stormtrotter!” Mistress Mare-velous shouted. “Yes, what is it? That is my name, should I start charging you a toll each time you utter it? It’d make me a very wealthy stallion. Oh, wait...” Stormtrotter chuckled to himself. “I already pay everypony’s salaries, and have quite a substantial family background. I’m sure you can relate, eh Mistress Mare-velous?” “Get away from Zapp, or I’ll…” Mare-velous stopped mid-sentence, cursing the apparent futility in trying to talk to the madstallion. “Tsk-tsk, so hostile! You’re just like Matter-Horn here; I bet you too must butt heads quite frequently, am I wrong? Nevermind,” Stormtrotter reached out to Zapp, and patted her gently on the head. “We have other important business to attend to, after all. Isn’t that right, my dear Zappara? The gang’s all here, we’ve gone and had that reunion I’m sure you no doubt desired. Now, its time to get to work.” Stormtrotter moved his hoof down to her forehead just below the forelock of her mane, removed his spiked crown-like helmet, and his own eyes began to light up like hers. The Power Ponies below watched with confusion, worry, and begrudging amazement as the machine energized substantially, producing a loud whirring and forcing some to have to squint from the increasing brightness. Some of Stormtrotter’s researchers had returned to the chamber to see the results of their many months of work. Donning oversized goggles that were much like Matter-Horn’s but tinted, they looked every bit the part of the mad scientist. Electricity surged between the two pegasi and the machine, until the energy build up within the reactor reached a critical mass. A single beam of white-hot energy fired from the weather machine’s array and through the aperture opening above, up and out of the chamber and the base itself. Crying out from acting as a vessel for such intense power, Stormtrotter relinquished his hold on Zapp’s forehead, tearing his wild and excited eyes away from the now fully active to machine only briefly to inspect his hoof. The silver fur was now singed black where it had been in contact with the superhero. His laughter reverberated all throughout the massive room. “We’ve finally done it, Zappara! You, and me working together, even after choosing such radically different paths through life. Finally, we will have power over the world that our family once had but lost!” Stormtrotter rubbed at his chin in thought. “I admit, we had to fly through quite a few rings, tragically step on many hooves and change many lives, yes, but now we’re here. Victory, almost within our grasp,” he mused. Stormtrotter wasn’t fully sure if he was expecting a reaction from her or not after finally activating the machine, given her circumstances. To his disappointment, she continued looking on into oblivion, her originally blue eyes still as glowing as ever. He turned to address his minions, keeping his burning eyes fixed on the Power Ponies impassively now as he cleared his voice to give instructions, one foreleg behind his back as he hovered, the other gesturing with the precision of a military general’s swagger stick. “Staff, the array is no doubt primed, by now. Please bring up our monitors. Give our dear guests here a front row seat to the fruits of of your diligent toils.” “Yessir.” “Yes, milord.” The Power Ponies glared at him, many of them running multiple possible scenarios in mind of how they could possibly free themselves and take control of the situation. Several large holographic screens sprung up above the control consoles that lined the upper levels of the chamber, and forced their attention away from the supervillain. Displayed on screen were live video feeds from several cameras perched in covert locations all around the city, from the skyscrapers all the way down to street level. The heroes gasped at what they saw unfolding. Maretropolis’ sky was rapidly darkening with powerful stormclouds as the white shaft of light Stormtrotter’s weather machine was projecting up to the heavens disturbed and agitated the atmosphere around it severely. As the clouds began to form the usual revolving walls of what would normally be a tropical storm, new additions to the city skyline cropped up. White spires, of the same architectural style as Stormtrotter’s base, began emerging from the harbor and deepwater rivers that surrounded the city, having been submerged and undetected by the city at large for quite some time. Though their otherwise pristine surfaces were somewhat covered in river algae and barnacles, they still bore sweeping, cloudlike designs. Their majesty belied the true danger they posed. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped. The artificially generated stormclouds were beginning pick up an electric charge as they gained increasing strength. With at least a full Category One hurricane now dumping hail and heavy rain in a region of the coast where hurricanes are typically encountered about only once every century, the whole of Maretropolis had long since broken into a mass panic as commuters urgently sought shelter. Inside the cage, the Masked Matter-Horn cursed to herself as she prodded experimentally at the bars and reeled back, wincing from the shock. Meanwhile, Saddle Rager was staring intently at Zapp. “Saddle Rager, what’s your thought?” Saddle Rager didn’t answer, and instead began hollering, “ZAPP!” To the Masked Matter-Horn’s surprise, the rest of the team began echoing her. She decided to join her voice with theirs, hoping it might have a chance of stirring Zapp awake from whatever state she was in and possibly distract Stormtrotter. Stormtrotter himself looked down at them as their shouting broke into his thoughts while he watched the monitors with many of the others, and arched his brow at them. “If you all can do the impossible and wake her up after all that has happened, then I’ll gladly agree to a full gender change once I’m undisputed emperor of the world. She hasn’t said a word in over three years, you know, ever since you held that memorial for her.” “Zapp!” “I thought it was just the machine myself for a while, personally. But now, I know better.” “Zappara!” Matter-Horn ventured, deciding to add her comrade’s birth name to their repeating chorus. “Wake up old friend, we need your help!” By now, the shouting had caught the attention of some of the base staff, who looked down at them as if they were zoo animals, or escaped mental patients. Their expressions were short lived, however, for a noticeable change overtook the room. The electricity seemed to ark about the storm-generating machine in a different fashion from the usual, and all eyes were drawn to the pony above. “Quiet down, won’t you? You’re all starting to make a sc-” Stormtrotter finally looked up as well. “Oh, my.” Zapp had shifted her head, and was now staring right at him with her glowing eyes. “S-Storm,” the pegasus managed, her voice barely more than a raspy whisper after so many years without use. For the first time today, Stormtrotter seemed almost at a loss for words. His bewilderment tentatively shifted to the ghost of a smile. “Zapp...dearest Zappara. I wonder when it was next you would speak, sister.” Zapp’s expression was unreadable for the moment as she seemed to stare right through him. He brought a hoof to his chin. “Can...can you even understand me?” “You’re her brother, and you did this to her?” Mistress Mare-velous snarled with disgust. “Mane-iac was one piece of work, but this...this is on a whole different level!” “I said quiet!” Stormtrotter snapped, breaking his default composure. “Family business far beyond you, metapony,” he hissed. “Zapp? How lucid are you, can you hear me?” Zapp slowly raised up her head and looked into Stormtrotter’s eyes. “Brother mine, what a fool you are,” she murmured faintly. “What did you say, sister? I cannot hear you over the din of our machine…” “You attempt to....harness great power, but do not fully understand it. It was always beyond your ken,” Zapp replied, slowly getting a grip on her own voice, which felt nearly alien to her. “You will not be an emperor like our ancestors, you will only destroy yourself, and this city.” “How can you say that, Zappara?” Stormtrotter asked, blinking with puzzlement. “These three years most have addled your mind. Another price we must pay for our victory, I lament.” “Even if the machine functions true, your plan to seize the world by ransom is doomed.” Stormtrotter’s features darkened. “How would that be, exactly?” “I will not allow you victory, Storm. Mother and Father had always...always been right to fear for your sanity.” “You would do what, then? Strike down your own twin brother? With what?” Stormtrotter flew backwards, holding out his forelegs with mocking incredulity. “Whatever powers you may still have command of, strike with it now. I’ll match you, bolt for bolt, and more!” Zapp shook her head almost apologetically, as her voice was rapidly threatening to give out again. “You forget...the power in your machine...in you...is mine.” With a pained cry, Zapp tapped into the machine, drawing a stream of energy straight out of the primary array of the weather machine. Stormtrotter’s eyes grew wide as the charged particles were re-directed straight at him. The beam struck him in the chest, straight through to his heart. The pegasus was flung back from the force like a ragdoll, coming to a crash against one of the control consoles. Stormtrotter’s body spasmed a bit as electric current continued to flow through him and down into the ground. Without hesitation, Zapp then directed her right hoof at the electrified cage containing the other Power Ponies, absorbing the energy back into herself and shattering the metal apart in the process. The Power Ponies were finally free, and glared dangerously at the henchponies surrounding them. With Zapp’s attack still burned into their retinas, they were quick to drop their weapons, and a loud clattering briefly filled the vast cavern of a room. The Power Ponies ignored all of them, and made their way up a set of stairs Radiance summoned that lead up to the catwalk that sat directly beneath where Zapp was still suspended. “Zapp, we finally found you!” Hum Drum all but shouted, nearly out of breath. Zapp looked down at him with a faint smile. “You’ve grown,” she croaked. She turned to regard the others. “My friends…” “We thought you dead for sure,” Radiance said, on the verge of tears. Saddle Rager actually burst out bawling. “You’ve been here the whole time…groups like H.O.R.N. are searching the world for you, and you’ve been here all along!” “Right under our noses,” Mistress Mare-velous muttered with distress. “If only we’d known sooner…” Fili-Second lamented. “But here we are,” the Masked Matter-Horn concluded, almost at a loss for what to say. The unicorn was more focused on Zapp’s physical condition. Her skin was pale beneath her white-silver fur, her violet and mauve mane was matted and disheveled, and her wings appeared jagged and almost withered with so many feathers missing. Matter-Horn bit her lip as she finished surveying her old teammate’s condition. “Zapp, how did all this happen to you?” Zapp looked slowly down in thought, and tried to regain her voice once more. When she regained the desired level of strength she sought, she looked back up to each of her fellow supers, and parted her lips to speak. “I’ll tell you…”