//------------------------------//
// Origin Story I: The First Hero 
// Story: Sometimes They Call Me Super 
// by KorenCZ11 
//------------------------------//

The streets of the most populated metropolis in Equestria were bustling today. Ponies traveling from one building to the next, vendors selling their wares on the sidewalks. The high skyscrapers stood proudly in the midday sunlight. On cue, at the stroke of noon, smoke could be seen in the center of the city. A loud percussion boomed throughout the city, reaching the ears of those out in the suburbs of the artificial island. In Manehattan square, the heroine known to the citizens as Marevelous Red could be seen opposing a large suit of mechanical armor in a broken garden.
“Look, big guy, Ah don't think it's a good idea for ya ta be runnin' around in that thing. Ya already broke a fountain, Ah don't need more collateral damage on my tab here! How about ya just-” Marevelous was quickly shut up by an incoming piece of rubble. She smashed through it by reflex, shattering it into pieces. 
Well. That didn't work. At least nopony can say Ah didn’t try ta talk him out of it. With her red spandex covered body and bright yellow hoof covers, she dug her back legs into the concrete and tightened all her muscles, showing the truth of her bulk underneath the suit as chunks of rubble, concrete, and blacktop continued her way.
“Marevelous Red! I'll get rid of you, and then none of the heroes will be a match for my genius! Die!” shouted the dark gray pony hidden inside the metal suit. He picked up another large piece of rubble and flung it at Red. It wasn't until he had a clear look at her that he realized the mistake he made. For such a shapely mare, you wouldn't think she was really that bulky, but now she looked like a coiled spring ready to jump at the slightest movement. 
The boulder came flying, and just as it reached her, Marevelous bounced the boulder of rubble into the air with her left fore hoof, almost like the concrete-blacktop rock twice her size was as heavy as a tennis ball. Before it had started to come down, the armored pony realized his mistake and started to make a run for it. With an arc that high and the hero's legs ready to bounce from their spot, he knew what was coming next.
“Now, how dumb do ya have ta be ta run away from me down an empty street?” the heroine sighed. She watched as the boulder hit the apex of its flight and then Marevelous released the tension she'd built in her legs, flying to meet it. She twisted her body around and reeled back her front right hoof. Quick as a whip, she threw her punch at the boulder and like a cannon, it shot after the suit of armor.
“No, no, NOOO!” he screamed, just before the boulder landed on top of him. The sheer blunt force of rock on metal dented his armor suit inward rapidly. He was surprised to realize that he could still open his eyes afterward, signaling that he wasn't dead from the impact. The armor, thankfully, had done it's job. At the same time, he realized that his power supply had been damaged, and the suit turned off. He struggled desperately to try and jump start the suit again, hoping that against all odds he might be able to escape the hooves of the famed hero. 
Suddenly, a new weight landed on his suit. He could feel the heavy thump of hooves simply walking over top of his depressed armor, only to let the horror of what his eyes were telling him sink in. Standing right on top of him was Marevelous Red. He flinched as he saw the Power Pony reel her front left hoof back for a punch. The thought of a quick, painless death ran through his mind as he cringed at the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass.
“Aw, come on now. Ya didn't really think Ah was gonna kill ya, did ya? Ah wouldn't get paid if Ah didn't have somepony ta turn in.” She picked the masked troublemaker up by the scruff of his collar with her hooves and started to get to work tying him up. “Look at this mess. Ya destroyed a good portion of the park, damn it. They're gonna make me pay fer that.”







So, y'all might be wonderin' just what exactly is goin' on here. Maybe even a little confused too. Ah'm gonna clear that up fer ya, and start this story off right. 
My name is Jaquline Apple, but most ponies call me Applejack. However, that isn't my only name. Every now and again, ponies know me as Marevelous Red. Sometimes they call me super, other times they call me a hero. Then again, a lot of the time, they call me both. Ya see, Ah was one of those blessed, or cursed, born inta a world filled with ponies that have crazy powers, or Power Ponies as most call them. And fer one side of the coin or the other, Ah just so happen ta be one of the Power Ponies.
About thirty years ago, a strange outbreak of some kinda incurable virus hit Equestria. Who it affected and what it caused was completely random. Anythin' from horribly morphin’ a pony's body into that of some kinda other creature or thing, even just givin' them parts that they ain't supposed ta have. That however, was just the obvious changes. 
Others would gain abilities of some kind, like super strength, or bein’ able to shoot lasers outta their eyes, or makin' fire just appear outta thin air. Really, just about anythin' could happen. One of my parents had the same power Ah do. A kinda ‘super strength’ if ya couldn't tell from that little snippet of my daily life up there. Of course, Ah didn't know about it for a long time, but we'll get there.
After some ponies started ta pop up doin' whatever they damn well pleased, the Princesses put out an ordinance ta all ponies who wanted to make a livin' out of their new-found powers. The Vigilante-Bounty Trade Act. For every villain one catches, they're awarded bits based on how much said villain's bounty is worth. As with every law, there are rules associated with it though. 'The offender must be alive, and not harmed ta the point that information can’t be extracted from them.' Or, ta make that last one simpler, ya can't break their jaws or give 'em a brain injury. 
For whatever reason, the second part was added later ta the act though. Of course, there are some special cases where that ain't possible. Not everypony is willin' ta comply with society down to their last breath, and those ones make sure ta get there. When that happens, the VBT Agency offers compensation for 'Collateral Protection,' which is really just a fancy term for savin' lives.
It's not easy work, but it's really the only way Ah can put my crazy power to use, just like most of the others in this line of work. Those that can't, or just flat out don't want ta... well, they just do whatever they please. For every new hero that pops up, another three Power Ponies start causin’ trouble. They call us freaks of nature, and other nasty names like mutants, but we learn ta get over it. Ta really get ta the beginnin' of my story though, we're gonna have ta go back ta where it all began, with the first famous hero. 
They called him Red Hoof.
This story begins way back when Ah was a filly. Ah'm twenty years old now, so this all started when Ah was maybe three years old. While givin’ birth ta my little sister, Ma passed on. It was up ta Pa ta feed me, my sister, and my big brother on his own now. It didn't help when Granny passed a year later, and Pa lost the apple farm we lived on ta my cousins, as he wasn't an Apple. 
Furious with the Apples and nowhere else ta go, we moved up to the big city with his younger brother, Blood Orange, in his hometown of Manehattan.








Citrus Root








“I hope you can find a job soon Citrus,” Blood said.
“You and me both, Blood…” Citrus sighed. His brother was sympathetic, but they both knew the prospects of finding a job in Manehattan this time of year were slim to none. “I'm going out. Macintosh, Applejack, You kids be good for yer Uncle, ya hear?” Both colt and filly nodded their heads rapidly in reply. The older stallion patted each of his kids on the head, then went to check on his foal in her crib. 
“Don't cause any trouble while Ah'm away, little Applebloom.” He kissed his baby on the forehead and headed for the door. He grabbed his old leather coat, his brown Stetson, and threw his saddle bags on with all his work history in it. Citrus Root hadn't been back in the city since he married nearly twelve years ago. It wasn’t as happy a return as he’d have liked, but anything was better than being on that damned orchard.
“Damned Apples. My kids are yer kin too, but the minute Granny passes, ya bastards jumped on the chance ta grab the land right out from under my hooves. Now Ah… have ta start all over.” In truth, Citrus owed the last decade to the miracle of stumbling upon his would-be wife just around the turn of the century, but now that she's gone, so was everything. 
Everything, but the reminder of their union, and those three still needed somepony to take care of them. Even if it took another miracle, Citrus was going to do it. He rounded the corner off a lesser street in the central district of Manehattan and then made his way to the largest street in the city, Main Street. As it always was, the big city was bustling with ponies from all over.
“Ah might as well get this over with,” Citrus sighed. He had a little background in doing the finances for the farm, and if nothing else, his brother was an accomplished accountant so he figured he'd start with the banks and go from there. Office to office, one rejection after another. One more failed attempt, one more shot lower. 
The sun had reached the horizon when his fifteenth application had been rejected after hours of applying and interviews all day. “Damn it all!” he yelled as he tossed his hat into the concrete. Shaking his head, he sighed. Careful now. Rosie made that. If you’d put all your strength into that, you might’ve destroyed it. He shook his hat, trying to dust it off, and then started on his long walk back home.
Manehattan was a big place. One could walk straight from one end of the city at the beginning of the day, and only be halfway through it at the end of the day. Citrus, however, was no normal pony. In fact, Citrus was a Power Pony, unbeknownst to his family and anyone else. Huh. Maybe Ah should try construction. Havin' somepony as strong as Ah am would help move equipment and material. Ah could even pretend like it's hard for me ta do it alone. The stallion was only in his thirties after all, and with his powers he had a real shot at physical labor... provided it doesn't go the way it did the first time he left the city. Ah should... make sure nopony remembers me if Ah do head back toward the docks.
“Ha ha... Well, it'd be better than nothin' anyway. Maybe Ah'll look inta that tomorrow. Today’s only the first one anyways, they won’t all be bad.” As he continued walking, the sun had all but left the horizon, leaving the streetlamps to guide his path home. Something odd caught his ears, and finally, he realized it was silent. In Manehattan. 
Oh, crap, this ain't Ponyville. Ah'll get mugged just walkin' around at night. Better keep ta the shadows. Ah might be bright yellow, but anypony can hide in the dark. Following his train of thought, Citrus flipped up the collar on his jacket and adjusted his bag to better hide his flank. The silence continued for a while, but just as he approached a street crossing, he felt something cold on the back of his neck. The minute Ah forget ta look down the alley, the one time!
“I want ya ta drop the bag and get the hell outta here, you understand me?” Citrus rolled his eyes. Geez, who am Ah dealin' with here, some teenager?
“Sure. Take it. There ain't no money in it, if that's what you're lookin' fer,” He replied to his robber.
“Yeah, likely story, you fancy hat wearin', leather jacket havin', outta towner. Now drop ya bag!” Citrus lowered his neck, removed his hat, and let the bag slide off his shoulders and onto the ground.
“There. Can Ah go now?” If Ah just turned around and clocked this kid, he'd be out in an instant. Hmm, but if Ah do that, it might kill 'em. Damn. Oh well, as long as he don't do anythin' but take my bag, it's not really that big a deal. Nothin' but records in there that don't mean nothin' ta nopony anymore. 
Citrus turned his head to look at his assailant as he dug through his bag. It was just some gray coated pony wearing a long coat, a belt that covered his cutie marks, and a ski mask. Nothing that stuck out to make him look like a Power Pony, and sure enough, he wasn't quite tall enough to be an adult. “Few...”
“Alright, what is this? Where's the money old man?” he said, pushing the gun further into Citrus' neck.
“Are ya daft? Ah just said Ah didn't have any.” The barrel started to shake.
“No, no, no, ya gotta be kiddin’ to me. Pl- please old man, ya gotta have somethin' somewheres?” By the sound of it, this kid was desperate. 
Oh boy. This kid's no killer. He's just in trouble. Citrus turned to face his assailant, slowly to make sure he didn't get shot in the process. “Look, kid, put yer gun down. Ah'm not one too quick ta anger, so Ah'll hear ya out. Just who do ya owe money to?” When finally face to face with the 'kid' in question, Citrus was about twice his size, and probably about twice his age. The colt wasn't more than sixteen at best, and was now in more panic than he was before.
“He- HEY! D-don't move! I'll shoot!” He said, trembling with the gun on his hoof. The model was some kind of revolver with a strap that held it to his right leg. 
Where did he even find that old piece a junk? Ah haven't seen a hoofgun without a magazine in almost twenty years. Those things were fallin' outta style when Ah was a kid. “Come on now, Ah ain't got all day. My kids are waitin' ta see their papa at home, and the more time ya waste of mine, the less chance ya have of me helpin' ya out. Put that thing down, you're gonna hurt somepony with it.” Citrus reached for the gun, and the colt closed his eyes. 
Citrus preempted the bullet, grabbing the colt's hoof and ripping off it off his hoof and knocking the trajectory off, hopefully not hitting somepony in the process. Thankfully, nopony came out of their windows looking for gunfire and the empty street didn’t have any onlookers in either direction. 
The terrified colt had fallen back on his plot, tears rolling out of his eyes as he stared helplessly at the stallion he tried to rob. “I-I... I'm so sorry... I-I didn't want to hurt nopony, I swear! He... he's got my little sister, man! Please, don't hurt me!” 
Citrus sighed. Well. So much for gettin' home early tonight. Ah can't just abandon this kid. Ah know what it feels like all too well. Citrus picked up the colt with relative ease and threw him over his back like he was carrying a bag of sand. And a light one at that. He wondered if this kid had been eating right... or at all for that matter. 
“H-hey, what are ya doin’? Where are ya taking me?” he asked, unable to struggle due to the incredible pressure Citrus was putting on his body.
“We are goin' ta talk on the park bench across the street. As it turns out, Ah'm not the out of towner ya think Ah am, and Ah just so happen ta want ta help ya out.”







After what seemed like an hour of interrogating the colt, whose name was Star Slate, Citrus learned that his younger sister was abducted by a local mob boss who went by the name of Shark Tooth. Shark was one of the ponies that had caught the virus fourteen years ago in 2000 during the initial outbreak, like Citrus had. Shark however, ended up with greater changes than he did. 
The mobster lost all his fur and grew rough scales that were strong enough to stop bullets. His tail became thick and grew fins, and his teeth were sharp enough to bite through stone, as Star could attest. Star and his sister, Brightness Slate, got caught up with Shark's gang after their parents were killed in an attempt to make off with Shark's money. Now it was Star's job to pay Shark back, or his sister would never see the light of day again. 
Citrus was skeptical about the truth of this story, as all the gangsters he used to know would never let family off the hook for something like that, not with just a slap on the forelegs anyways. There was more to it, but Star seemed honest enough to trust for now. Either way, Shark Tooth probably wasn’t a great guy.
“So, ya decided that tryin' ta mug ponies in the street was a better idea than goin' ta the police?” Citrus asked.
“Wha- are ya out of your damn mind!? This is SHARK TOOTH we're dealin' with here! The fuzz can't touch him, much less win a fight with him! And if I did... oh, Goddess, they'd kill her...” Star let his head fall into his hooves. “Sweet Goddess, Brightness is gonna die...” 
After removing his mask, Star was revealed to have a pure white mane and deep blue irises. He was just a boy barely growing facial hair with a camera on his flanks. This kid was never meant to shoot anything but pictures. What kinda parents put their kids in this kinda situation? This ain’t right. As Citrus scratched at his beard, a thought popped into his head. It was dangerous, but today hadn’t been a good one, and the future didn’t look bright either. He could blow off steam, take care of Star’s problem, and maybe even figure out a new direction if he went through with it. Yeah… Why don’t we blow off some steam?
Leaning back against the bench, Citrus casually asked, “So uh, what if Ah… took care of this fish guy?”
“Do what!?” Star exclaimed, “This guy has a friggin' huge bounty on his head, and even the vigilantes don't bother tryin' ta catch him! There’s no way you could do that!” The yellow stallion couldn't help but let a grin spread across his face.
“Well, maybe the right one just hasn't showed up yet...” Citrus got up from the bench and started walking away.
“Wha-? Y-you're not serious are ya? Ya can't just... hey! Wait up, old man! You don't even know where to go!”
With Star complaining along, the two made their way further into the depths of eastern Manehattan. Broken windows and abandoned buildings littered the streets in the once prosperous industrial side of the city. Graffiti covered every other wall, but one specific mark stood out to Citrus more than the others. The shape of a jagged tooth on a string was appearing more and more as they approached Shark Tooth's lair.
“Ah assume that we're gettin' close, huh?” Citrus said, as he took in every detail around him. Not a single tag was free of the shark tooth's influence. The easiest way to tell who owned what turf were the tags that covered the walls. The untrained eye might just pass it off as some hooligan's graffiti, but those in the know knew better.
“L-look, old man, y-ya don't have to go through with this. I-I'll just find some honest way to pay Shark off...” Citrus stopped Star and pulled him into an alleyway. “Hey!” Citrus jabbed Star in the side, then covered his mouth.
“Be quiet. Somepony's comin'.” They watched as a group of three ponies dressed like thugs walked around a corner. One was an orange earth pony, but he had horns just behind each of his ears, and one on his nose. He looked like his head was half dragon. Another was a dark blue pegasus, who didn't look like anything special. That is, until Citrus saw that the thing he thought was a flashlight casting light around the group was actually a pair of fireballs floating above each wing. Finally, they were both being followed by a unicorn mare wearing all kinds of makeup and particularly... seductive clothing. Ah bet Ah know what her day job is. Other than that, Citrus didn’t see anything special about her.
“Alright kid, Ah want ya to give me that mask of yours and hold my stuff,” Citrus ordered as he started to remove his jacket.
“Oh, goddess, you're actually gonna go try and talk to them?” Citrus took the mask out of Star's hooves and put his stetson on Star's head.
“What? No. Ah aim ta beat 'em up. You said there was a bounty on this guy right? Ah bet his gang is at least worth somethin'. And if not, then hey, at least there's a couple more thugs in jail right?” Citrus smiled, then pulled the mask over his snout. He grabbed the belt that Star was using, hid his tree stump cutie marks with it and then put his jacket back on. The less of me they can see, the better. 
He quietly trotted out from behind the alley without being seen by the gang members and then called out to them once he was sure he was far away enough from Star. “Excuse me!” 
The three thugs immediately turned their attention to him. The dragon-like one replied. “Who are you? This is Shark Tooth territory! Beat it or get beat!” he said with a deep gravelly voice.
“Well, Ah'd planned ta ask where yer boss was. Could y'all tell me that?” Citus asked politely through his thick accent. He only lived in Ponyville for fourteen years, but that was certainly long enough to pick up their way of speaking. The three thugs looked at each other, then charged at Citrus.
The first to approach was the dragon-pony. He reared his head back and started to spew flames from his mouth. Citrus was quick to jump out of the way and threw himself into the wall of a building. After his momentum had stopped and the dragon-pony looked at him in awe, he shot off the wall and head butted the dragon-pony in the side, cracking his ribs in the process. The dragon-pony crumbled like a sand castle, and Citrus stood tall, motioning for the others to come at him.
The challenge accepted, the other two came at him from either side, the unicorn firing off light beams at him while the pegasus coated his wings with fire and charged. Citrus simply shook his head and stood on his hind legs, dodging the untrained attacks with ease. Well, Ah appreciate y'all makin' this easy fer me. 
As the pegasus slowly became a flying fireball, the masked stallion twisted his hind legs in preparation for his approach, now just simply taking the rather underwhelming laser hits. Yeah, Ah’d bet gold bits that she's better with her mouth than her magic. He let go of the spring like force he'd gathered and pushed his foreleg into the burning pegasus' ribcage, knocking the wind and fire out of him.
Two down, and one ta interrogate. Perfect. Wide eyed, the unicorn mare halted her assault and turned tail to run. Unfortunately for her though, Citrus could move half across the city in about thirty minutes when he really wanted to. He jumped, then landed on and then pinned the mare, making sure not to hurt her too badly.
“So. Now that Ah, 'got beat', are y'all gonna tell me what Ah want ta know?” The mare nodded her head as quickly as she could. Geez, this is uncomfortable. How old is this mare? A few years older than Star at best. Maybe fifteen years ago, but Ah'm old enough ta be her father. Ah need a better way ta do this.
After deciding that keeping a young mare restrained wasn't the greatest idea in the world, Citrus and Star found an abandoned trailer. The masked stallion ripped several steel poles out of the ground and bent them around his collection of incapacitated thugs. It's not like anypony uses these old beat up street signs anyways. Couldn't get a car through here if ya tried. 
They tossed the thugs in their trailer and moved further into Shark's territory. For every twenty steps they made, another two guards showed up. Eventually, they'd racked up a good number of ponies, half of whom had powers of some kind. Strange that they've got so many power ponies around. Ah thought we were rarer than this…
“I mean, wow, old man. What even are ya? Ya gotta be one of these freaks, right?” 
Citrus glared at Star, but then shrugged. “Ah don't appreciate ya callin' me old man, and even more so 'freak'. Ah'm not that old yet. But yes, Ah'm a Power Pony, just like some of these others. Ah'm just lucky that my powers came out subtle, unlike dragon face over there.” He said gesturing to the trailer.
“Oh, uh, sorry man. But for real though, ya got some kinda crazy strength or what!? That was amazing! I ain't never seen nopony do somethin’ like that!” Citrus could only smile at Star's enthusiasm. It'd been a long time since Citrus got to fight and this time he knew how to control his powers. The money he makes off turning these guys in might be nice too, provided they're worth anything. Speakin' of...
“So, what do ya know about this 'bounty' thing?” Citrus asked.
“Bounties huh? Ya ever heard of the VBTA?” Star replied.
“No. What's that?” Citrus asked.
“The Vigilante-Bounty Trade Act. The two Princesses signed this into law less than a year after the first wave of fre- uh, Power Ponies showed up. It was basically a giant application that said, 'if you're willin' ta play hero, then we'll pay ya for puttin' bad guys away for us,'” Star replied, spreading his front hooves as if the words were in front of him.
“Is that so? How many bounties are up for this city?” Citrus asked, his wheels turning now.
“Are you kidding? This place has the highest concentration of Power Ponies in Equestria! There's bounties for days here! Ya couldn't ask for a better place ta start your career!” 
Citrus turned his head. “My career? What are ya on about now?” 
Star nodded with enthusiasm. “Maybe ya forgot, but I'm a photographer by trade. Well, maybe only in my spare time now, but that can change! I can promote ya! We can be a team, you an' me!” Star attempted to wrap his hoof around Citrus' shoulder, but simply wasn’t big enough to do so. Citrus was no giant like some of Rosie’s family, but he was very bulky after working the orchard for more than a decade.
“Well, that does sound appealin', but Ah can't just have my face all over the news when Ah'm tryin' ta get work done. And Ah have a family ta think about. They can't know that Ah'm runnin' around like this all the time. Ah don't need my kids or my brother worryin' about me.”
Star waved a hoof at him. “Oh, don't you worry about it. I’ve got all of this planned out. I already know the answer to all your problems.” 
Citrus raised a brow. “Oh? And what might that be?”
“Spandex! It'll be just like a comic book! You can be the hero!” Citrus was confused to start with, not exactly knowing what spandex was, nor ever reading a comic book, but the word hero stuck out to him. Me, the hero huh? One hell of a job title, if nothin' else. It was around this time that the two had made their way into a dark area, and all of Citrus's senses went on alert. 
Four bright lights turned on all around them, like they were in some kind of stadium. Upon further inspection, it was a city basketball court built into a little nook between a factory building and a few apartment complexes. The area looked lived in enough, the garbage around supported that at least, but the factory looked long abandoned. Why that was the case was clear enough. Everywhere the eye could see, the shark tooth tag was sprayed.
“What in tarnation!? Who’s there!?” he shouted to the empty darkness around him.
“You know, that's the same question I had in mind, Mister Mask. I see you've been quite hospitable to my employees,” said a deep voice from somewhere. 
Citrus’s shock turned into a grin. This is where the boss is. “Well, yeah, Ah think Ah have been. Now, why don't y'all just come on out so Ah can get a good look at yer face?” Citrus looked around, trying to find the source of the other voice, when he noticed a box on a set of bleachers built into a wall. A door on its side opened, and out stepped one of the strangest things he'd ever seen. A blue-gray and white stallion, no mane, no hair on his tail, which instead sported fins like a fish. He had bright orange irises and was wearing a black pinstripe suit with a matching fedora. This guy looks old school. He's been doin' this fer a while.
“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Mask. Now, pardon me if I'm wrong here, but you seem to be with another employee of mine who isn't in your cart. Why is that?” The stallion smiled with every word, revealing his very sharp, pearly white teeth to the world.
“Oh, that. Ya see, this here boy came ta me askin' fer help, sort of. He said he was desperate, so Ah took a listen. Apparently, some Power Pony named Shark Tooth kidnapped his sister after some parents of his made a dumb decision. Y'all wouldn't happen to know where Ah might find such a pony, now would ya?” Citrus couldn't tell if it was the air, the sheer menacing vibe that this stallion gave off, or the adrenalin from the earlier fight that was getting him so excited, but he was ready for whatever was about to happen.
Turning his gaze on Star, Shark smiled again in a way that was even more intimidating than before. “My, my. Have you been telling lies, little Star Slate? You see, my good Mister Mask, that boy and his sister are under my custody due to a previous arrangement. His parents were in a terrible accident around this area when a building scheduled for demolition collapsed on them. I simply took it upon myself to... look after them until they could take care of themselves.” 
Finally, the trembling gray colt spoke up. “You didn't ‘take care’ of anypony but my parents, ya freak! Now gimme back my sister! She's all I have left...”
“Sounds like ya did a mighty kind service fer the boy based on that statement. So, Ah'll give ya few options. One; y'all can just give me the girl and leave the kids alone. That way, Ah can get some cash fer your goons, the boy gets his sister back, and nothin' happens ta you. Or, option two. Y'all can try and take me on. Now, if that happens, then you're just gonna end up like them employees Ah've taken 'good care of' so far.” Shark tilted his head until a loud pop echoed through the stadium. He calmly removed his hat and jacket, then set them down on the bleachers to his right, perfectly folded.
“Hmm... now that first option does sound quite intriguing, Mister Mask. But the second one, that just sounds like a threat. Quite frankly, I personally don't enjoy hearing threats from others.” Shark started to walk down the steps to the stadium floor. The muscles underneath his white button up growing thicker and just about ready to burst through his shirt. “Do you know how hard a shark can bite?”
“Nope. Ah've been pretty land locked fer the better part of my adult life. But if you’re willin' ta show me, then Ah guess Ah'll find out.” Citrus removed the harness he was wearing and tossed Star in his trailer. He then kicked the cart to the upper bleachers of the visitors side, destroying most of the ones they landed on, but keeping the trailer's axel intact. Oh. Well, that wasn't the smartest thing Ah've done today.
Shark laughed. “Now it all makes sense! You're not quite normal either, now are you?”
“No, not really.” Citrus started toward Shark.
Finally at the bottom now, Shark’s lips peeled back far further than a pony’s should to show all of his dagger-like teeth. “Perfect. Then there's no reason to hold back... when I show you how hard I can bite!” Shark's body started to grow in size, his muscles tearing through his shirt, just about ready to burst from his skin. He lowered his legs, his hooves sinking into the blacktop, and then the big ball of bulging flesh shot toward Citrus.
“Kick his ass, old man!” Star cheered from the sidelines. Shark approached Citrus with about as much speed as Citrus could muster. He slammed a heavy hoof into the ground, just narrowly missing Citrus, but making a crater in his place. Citrus took the opportunity to counter, landing a hoof square in Shark's ribs, sending him back past the free throw circle from the center of the court.
“My my, aren't you something! I haven't had a real fight in ages!” Shark exclaimed as he picked himself up. He scraped more of the ground off the court as he dug his hooves in for a charge. Shark shot off again, this time looking to ram Citrus. He was faster this time and clipped Citrus on the side as he ran. Citrus felt a sharp pain run up his side and grabbed at it with his right hoof. Damn, bleedin'. This guy ain't no joke. Kid wasn't messin' around when he said rough scales. Like his skin is made of hard sandpaper. Ah'll have to end this quick if Ah want ta keep up with my mouth. Citrus decided he needed a weapon to fight with when he noticed the goal basket on the opposite end of the court. 
Shark had stopped himself and turned around for another charge when he noticed Citrus running. “What's this? Mister mask is running away? No, no, that just won't do! You can't run from me!” Shark dashed from his spot, charging at Citrus again with full speed. 
Smiling, Citrus turned. “Huh. Maybe ya are just as dumb as ya look!” Using the little effort it took to rip the metal out of the ground, Citrus loaded up like a batter, and swung at Shark as he came close. Too late to stop, the back board collided with Shark's head, making the metal ring through the stadium, stopping him in his tracks. “Now, Ah know this court is fer basketball, but Ah think Ah'd rather play baseball!” 
Rearing the pole back again, Citrus dug his hooves in for a home run. All Shark could see before the impact was the freshly dented back board rapidly approaching his face. Shark was sent flying into the commentator box, destroying it when he crashed. He didn't get up. Oh, crap! Ah hope he's not dead! Citrus dropped the goal post and rushed to the box to make sure Shark was still alive. When he arrived however, Shark was not only alive, but conscious too. 
The hybrid stallion grabbed Citrus' neck with his hooves and began to squeeze. “Well, Mister Mask, it's been fun, but I think I've had enough of you for one lifetime.” Shark started to press into Citrus's neck with all his might.
“Gah!” Citrus struggled against Shark but to no avail. The massive pony had strength to match his stature, and in a couple seconds, Citrus wouldn't have a wind pipe anymore. Damn it! Ah can't let it end like this! Ah've got ta do somethin'! Rather than try and escape, Citrus decided that attacking was the only thing he could do. With all the energy he could gather in one hoof, he punched shark in the jaw. Pointed teeth shot out of his mouth, and blood started to pour from his face. Shark released his grip and tried to put his jaw back in place. Citrus wasn't quite done yet though. He was angry now. Punch after punch, Citrus threw all his might at Shark's joints, making sure he wouldn't get up again. Again and again, red sprayed with each slam of his hooves against the scaly stallion, until finally, something grabbed his foreleg.
“Good goddess man, it's over, it's over! If ya keep goin', you're gonna kill 'em!” Finally returning to his senses, Citrus stopped punching and started to breathe heavily. He looked over his work, realizing that his whole right front leg had been covered in blood, none of which was his own. Shark had reverted to the size of a normal pony and was now a bloody mess. Luckily, he was still breathing at least. Citrus managed to calm his heart down and took a seat on the bleachers. After a few minutes of silence, Citrus remembered what his original goal was.
“Oh! Uh, do ya know where yer sister is? Ah don't think we'll be findin' out anythin' from this guy any time soon.” Citrus said.
“Holy crap, you're right! I'm coming Brightness!” Star shot off to the far end of the court and disappeared. After taking a few minutes to rest himself, Citrus went to work turning the remainder of the goal post into a rope for Shark. He may not be at full strength now, but Citrus had no idea whether or not he could heal quickly too. Better safe than sorry. 
After he finished loading Shark into his cart and carrying his pile of thugs back to the court floor, Shark started to come to. “Ugh... where am I?”
“Ah thought ya were gonna be a fast healer. Ya remember what Ah said about option two?” 
Memories of the last conversation he had started to come back to Shark. “Ah, I see.” Shark felt something scratching his mouth, then spat out another tooth. “Well, that will take a few days to grow back.” Silence lasted for a good while, but eventually, Shark spoke up again. “So, what exactly is your stake here, Mister Mask? You know, I could use a stallion like you. I have quite the fortune, you see, I could pay handsomely. It has been a very long time since I ran across somepony who could rival me for strength. We could accomplish much and more together.” 
Citrus tilted his head to think. “Ah'd say the same ta y'all, but Ah've still got young kids, and my wife made an honest stallion outta me. Wouldn’t be right ta spit in her face like that and go back ta… this life.” Citrus motioned at Shark and his goons. “Ah guess, Ah'm gonna try and make a job out of catchin' criminals like y’all. Ya see, Ah'm recently a widower, and her family kicked me off the land we lived on, so Ah had ta move in with my relatives. Ah was lookin' fer a job today when that boy tried ta rob me. 
“As it turns out, nopony is lookin' fer new employees. Down on my luck, not wantin' ta go home empty hooved, Ah decided Ah might as well help the kid outta whatever trouble he was in. Ah didn't even know that ya had a bounty until he told me about it.” Citrus figured he might as well be honest with Shark, seeing as there was no way he could really do anything in that position. Even if he heals quickly, a broken leg or two isn't just going to reform in a minute.
“Hmm. Well, that is quite the commendable disposition you have. I can only hope my own son turns out like you. It's too bad, though. I feel as if you would have made an excellent partner to my business. As you have seen, it is difficult to find good help these days.” Shark flicked his head at the rest of the cart.
“And do what? Help y’all steal and traffic ponies and drugs?” Citrus shot back. 
Shark shrugged as best he could, wincing at the pain of his broken legs. “Sure, it's not a necessarily honest business, but it is quite the profitable one. Can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, right?”
Citrus shook his head. “Makin' money by doin' wrong is no way ta live.” At least, not any more. It was then that Star came back with a little pegasus filly. She had a bright white coat and a myriad of colors in her mane ranging from yellow to blue like a gradient. She looked like she was malnourished, even worse than Star. “Yeah. In yer care, my ass,” Citrus shot as he went to meet Star.
“Look Bright, this is the guy who saved us. Go tell 'em thanks,” Star said to the frail little filly. Her nervous walk made Citrus take a look at himself. Oh, geez. Come on now. The first thing ya do is show this filly a stallion half covered in blood? Ah'm gonna need ta make sure Ah'm clean before Ah see my own kids.
“Th-thank you for saving me, mister Red Hooves.” Citrus frowned at first, but then an idea popped into his mind. Red Hooves huh? If Ah'm gonna keep doin' this, it might be a good idea to make sure nopony knows my real name. Ah suppose there are worse things ta be called... 
Citrus wiped his hoof off as best he could, then patted the filly on the head. “Don't worry none little one. You're safe now.” He rustled the filly's mane and then turned to Star. “Here. Take this and go get her some food and a place ta sleep. Meet me by the park tomorrow afternoon, and don't forget my hat. If ya think that guy was bad, just see what happens if ya lose it. Ah'm gonna go turn these guys in ta the police. Don't forget, ya hear?” Citrus took a small bag out of his jacket pocket and placed it in Star's hoof. He loaded up his trailer once more and started walking away. 
Star wasn't sure just what he'd been given until he poured the bag out into his hoof to find three silver bits. “You piece of- You had all this the whole time!? Ah, whatever, you'll see me again mister Superhero! I'll make a star outta you yet!”