//------------------------------//
// Origin Story II: Street Janitor 
// Story: Sometimes They Call Me Super 
// by KorenCZ11 
//------------------------------//




Applejack








The city of Manehattan, bein' as strange as it is now, wasn't inclined ta care when another battle happened. Few buildin's destroyed? Just another day in Manehattan. Some new crazy holdin’ up a bank demandin’ money? One of the Supers will get it. Another buildin' is trashed because a villain wanted to? One of the Supers will fix it. Somepony sets fire to the court house, again? One of the Supers will fix it. Ponies are pretty apathetic about Supers these days, but it wasn't that way twelve years ago.





Later that day, Ah had finished signin' paperwork after turnin’ in the villain Ah defeated earlier who called himself the Armored Genius. Not too surprisin', considerin' what he was runnin' around in. A whole 'exo-skele-thingy' or whatever and ya decided ta try and rob a bank in one of the most hero populated cities in the world. Who thinks that? Well, apparently everypony. As of today, this is the fourth Power Pony caught trying ta steal ta get a leg up in the world within the past three days. It’s only Sunday fer goddess’s sake. Hell, Ah don't even know if this guy was a Power Pony ta begin with. He might've just been really smart. Or really dumb, considerin’ what he tried ta do.

“Thanks for waiting, Miss Red. Here's your payment for the capture,” the counter mare said. Finally pulled outta my own head, Ah acknowledged her. The station was fairly large fer a building in Manehattan, but it had ta be, what with all the arrests that were made these days. After the first pony ta call himself a 'Superhero' showed up, the influx of prisoners ta be processed or neutralized skyrocketed in a way that the original buildin' wasn't prepared ta handle.

Because, shortly after he showed up, several other Power Ponies started ta take advantage of the VBTA, puttin’ whatever they had ta hide unique attributes on and runnin' out ta 'save the world.' Some of 'em even put on flashy suits like his. Course, that’s not to say that Ah didn't do the same. As with everythin’ though, this didn't always work. That year also had the highest death toll that the city had ever seen… at the time, anyways. Havin' a power and bein' a hero are two very different things.

“Thanks ma'am,” Ah said as Ah picked up my bag of bits. The cold linoleum floor of the station was startin' ta get ta me, so Ah decided it was best ta leave. There were three other 'heroes' there waitin' to pick up their own bounties and givin' me the stink eye. Armored Genius has been wanted fer about a week, and he had stolen a lot before Ah finally decided he was worth goin' after.

Nopony in the super community was too fond of sharin', especially when the bounties started to break the ten thousands. A lonely job at best, and one ta be ridiculed and envied in at worst. Not a world ta make friends in, that's for sure, save fer a few weirdos here and there, or the odd occasion that the police hire a group of heroes ta bring down a group of gangsters. A long time ago, supers were nice ta each other. But those were in the days of Red Hoof, and it's been a while since then.

Most ponies believe he just left the game after a big fight that ended up destroyin' half the city happened a little over a decade ago. Ah never believed that, but regardless of what actually happened, the city lost its symbol of integrity. Heroes that weren't real strong or needed help faded out of existence when nopony could team up, and eventually, the ones who could work alone refused any partnerships.

Red Hoof's disappearance hurt. Emotionally, and even physically for those that tried ta take his place. Somehow, balance was restored after a few years and some outstandin' heroes showed up, but the city will never be what it was. The world was a scarier place, ever since that day… This city is constantly at war, but somehow, it manages ta get by.

Ah walked out of the station, and just as Ah thought it was gonna be earlier, it was a pretty nice day. The sky was clear, save for a few wispy clouds. It was warm but not too hot, and there was a cool breeze. A rare day in late August ta be sure, but those are just the days that always end up in catastrophe. Ah decided that Ah should head to the rooftops ta keep watch on the ground below because somethin' about today just didn't seem right. From my usual spot in the alley beside the station, a ground shatterin' jump landed me above the eight story buildin' with a view of most of the city.

Ah hated that our apartment was so close to the station. Ah understood that Uncle Orange wanted ta move away after the accident, but right here? Really? This place is a damn target! Amidst my frustration, Ah noticed my brother lookin' out the window across the street. He looks depressed. Probably another failed interview. Or got fired again. Does he have a job right now?

Ah don’t know how he does it, but he loses jobs as fast as he gets ‘em, and he’s had a lot of jobs. Ah can't say Ah blame him for it though. In this city, ya either get lucky ta find a stable job, work in construction, or have a super power and not get killed tryin' ta earn a bit. Tough is the easiest word ta describe the economy here.

Over the horizon, out toward the sea, Ah could see storm clouds. “That's never a good sign. Ah knew it was just too good a day ta be true,” Ah said out loud, expectin' ta be alone. Ah wasn't.

“Oh? And what's so bad about a little rain in the distance? We've been in such a dry spell lately.” Ah felt my skin crawl and turned around as quick as a whip. Somepony sneakin' up on me isn't usually possible. Then Ah realized it's just Diamond and relaxed. Even if she were hostile, she ain't no threat to me.

“Uh huh. Any particular reason you're still followin' me around?” Ah really didn’t care about that, but Ah hoped it would make her leave so Ah could go home. It sucks ta live right across from the station.

“Oh, not really. I was actually in the station when you dropped off that poor stallion you had hogtied on your back.” Diamond was another hero, or heroine Ah should say, because she made it clear ta all that she was a Mare. She wore a black leather suit with pale blue diamond shape cut near her chest, and one of them fancy domino masks ta hide her face. As far as Ah knew she was a white coated unicorn with a curly violet mane and tail.

When Ah got in ta this business, Ah was always told ta make sure that nopony could tell what color my coat was, and do what Ah could about my mane and tail. Diamond didn't seem ta care all to much about that. A little while back, she offered ta partner up with me, but... ta say that that didn't end well would also be easier. Ah don't like her much anymore.

“So then, what are ya doin'? Y'all know that this is my territory, right?” Keepin’ dominance was important. Bein’ shoved out of an area, be it by force or threat, still means ya have no criminals ta put away, or no income in other words.

“This is the station building, if you haven't forgotten, and it is neutral territory. Besides, you have no reason to worry about me. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my-” I cut her off by stompin’ a hoof in the ground.

“For the last time, no! Ah don't want nothin' ta do with yer little club or whatever it is. It didn't work last time, and it's not gonna get better. Now get gone before Ah find a reason ta kick ya out.” Diamond knows better than ta make me mad, so she took the hint and started headin' in the other direction.

“Very well. But this isn't the last time you’ll hear from me, Marevelous Red!” And in a flash of pale gray, she was gone. Damn Unicorns. Powers and magic ta boot.

Ah took a few leaps across the intersection between the station and my apartment after Ah made sure nopony would see me and started to take off my suit. It's been a long night. Time for sleep.








Citrus Root








Morning had come before the capture and arrest of Shark Tooth had finally been processed. When all was said and done, Star never actually told Citrus how much Shark was worth. To his surprise, Shark was worth his weight in gold. Literally. Four hundred thousand bits were to be awarded to his captor. Shark Tooth had been accused of several counts of all forms of crimes, including murder here and there, racking up quite the price on his head. Now that he was in custody, he could finally be tried.

Based on a good estimate, Citrus thought he weighed about two hundred and fifty pounds in his non-bulky form. At the current exchange rate, that came out to a little more than his bounty, which was four hundred thousand bits, or four hundred gold. Citrus had never seen so much gold in his life. After several of the police struggled to gather the reward, Citrus simply took the sack in his mouth and trotted off happily, much to the surprise of the ponies in the station. He finally arrived home just about ready to go offer his brother drinks when he realized was still wearing the ski mask and the belt. His brother reacted violently.

“Blood, itsh mhe! Calm down!” Citrus said through a mouth full of burlap as he fought his brother off. After hearing the first name that hardly anypony knew, Blood Orange stared into the green eyes of his brother. He let out a sigh of relief.

“You should have started with that. What's with the get up? You... You didn't rob a bank did you?” Citrus rolled his eyes.

“No, Ah didn't rob a bank! Just who do ya think you're talkin' ta?” Citrus said after dropping his bag, causing gold bits to spill out of it. Blood frowned.

“Uh huh. And where did you get these, mister apple farmer? You didn't even have a job yesterday, and suddenly you show up with a whole bag filled with... Gold BITS!? Oh sweet Celestia, you did rob a bank!” Blood fell to the ground muttering about how he was going to become wanted by the police, the danger his wife would be in, and even something about running back to the old world.

“Will ya shut up fer one cotton pickin' moment? Look, Ah have a receipt fer the gold. Ah didn't steal nothin'.” Citrus reached into his jacket pocket and passed Blood a piece of paper.

“'The following bounty of four hundred thousand bits are awarded for the capture of Shark Tooth and his gang...” Blood's eyes went wide. “Capture of Shark Tooth!? You took out a mob boss!?”

Citrus rolled his eyes. “Let's just not focus on that. Look! Ah have the money ta support my family now! What's better, Ah think Ah finally found a job! Come on, this is great! Be happy fer a minute, ya damn pessimist!” Citrus stood his brother up, whom then shook his head with a sigh.

“Uncle Orange? Is papa home?” said the voice of a small filly. Out of the second bedroom walked a little orange pony with her apple print blanket, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

Citrus swooped in and collected the filly in his hooves. “Applejack, what are ya doin' up so early?”

“Papa! Ya didn't come home last night...” she said as she hugged him.

“Don't ya worry none, yer Papa just had a late night, that's all.” Citrus picked up the bag and gave it to his brother. “Count that fer me will ya? It's all in gold, but Ah just wanna make sure that everythin's there. Ponies make mistakes, ya know?” Blood was unable to reply while struggling to hold the bag that his brother seemed to lift so easily. He eventually caved in trying to lift it, so he dragged the impossibly heavy bag to the coffee table in the main room. Citrus took his daughter back into the spare room in the Orange's apartment that the Root family shared.

“Papa, Ah think ya got somethin' on yer face,” Applejack said through a yawn. Citrus scratched at the spot she pointed to underneath his eye, and when he pulled his hoof back, he realized that it was a speck of dried blood. Oh, fer the love of the Goddess! If this happens again, Ah'm gonna need a better mask. He shook it off, then put Applejack back in the large bed that the three of them shared. Her brother was still curled up snoring, and her sister was sound asleep in her crib.

“Better?” Citrus asked with a warm smile.

“Better.” She smiled back. Another yawn from Applejack, then Citrus sat with her until she finally fell back asleep. He moved silently into the main room again and took a moment to look out the window. The sun had yet to rise, but dawn was just around the corner.

“Good goddess... Citrus... they made a mistake...” Blood said from behind him.

“Well, Ah figured. Ah doubt anypony has ever seen this much gold outside a bit note.”

Citrus wandered toward the couch, but Blood shook his head. “No... no, you don't understand... this is five hundred gold bits...”

Citrus's ears stood up. “Five hundred!? How in the world!?”

Bits, the legal tender in Equestria, normally came in copper, and each copper bit is worth exactly that, one bit. After you get ten, then copper bits become equivalent to one silver bit. The next step up is when you get ten of those, which comes out to a black bit. Finally, a thousand bits of copper makes up one gold bit.

If one managed to get to the point where gold bits were too heavy (or a little beyond what Citrus has at the moment), then a bit note would be written, and could be exchanged at any bank for that many bits, or an amount to be stored there. Bit notes aren't normally acceptable tender outside of banks, so they were rare to begin with.

Common place items were never worth more than a few silver bits at most, so a few black bits were typically about a whole wage for a week. This many gold bits were something that few ponies outside of banks ever saw, but to miscount almost one hundred gold bits... Perfect. Now Ah have ta find a way ta drop a whole damn bag of bits off at the station.

“So... what do you plan to do with it all?” Blood asked.

Citrus frowned. Another thing he didn't know how to approach. It wasn't like he was 'employed' by anypony, but some of the money should at least go to the city to help repair the damages. Ah did rip up a public basketball court after all... However, one thing was clear. He needed to get out of his brother's apartment. All that Blood Orange knows is that he came into money by turning in a bounty, and that didn't need to change. “Ah don't know. But, my first thought is ta get a house. Ah can't keep takin' up yer spare room forever.”

Blood scratched at his head. “A house? Where are you going to go? You know that one in a decent neighborhood will cost just about all the gold you have here, not including the extra hundred thousand. It’s not as if you have a decent credit score or a record of income, so unless you pay in full, I doubt anypony would be willing to sell something to you. Of course, I assume you plan to return the mistake, don’t you?”

Citrus rolled his eyes. “Yes, Ah do. Ya know who you're talkin' ta, don't get no crazy ideas.” Citrus shook his head and sighed. “Ah figured that much, but Ah'm still gonna have ta look.”

Blood sighed as well. “Right. I'll have Dew ask around when she goes to her office tomorrow. For once, being a realtor might actually be convenient.”

“What do you mean for once? My job is has done more for us than yours has.” From his room, Blood's wife, Glistening Dew, had walked into the living room. Still in her bathrobe, the wet, yellow-orange coated, orange maned mare sat down on the couch. Then she noticed the gold.

“Good goddess! Where did all this come from?” she asked.

“Oh, you know. Citrus is a bounty hunter now, nothing special.” Blood replied sarcastically.

“It ain't like that! It doesn't matter either. Sorry fer wakin' ya up Dew,” Citrus said.

“Oh, I should’ve been up half an hour ago anyways. Since I only came in after Blood decided to insult my job, why don't you tell me why it's relevant?” she asked, playfully poking Blood in the side.

“Ah need a house. An actual house, not just some big apartment. Somethin' that's worth about half of this, but not somewhere that's gettin' shot up on a regular basis or has a high crime rate.” Citrus explained, trying to come up with something himself.

Dew frowned. “And how much is this? I'm sure you already know that those criteria are hard to come by in this city. At least not for cheap anyways.” Citrus scratched his head.

“Uh... this here is five hundred, but only by mistake. So Ah've got four hundred ta work with.”

Dew nearly slid off of her seat. “Four hundred gold!? You were serious!? Who did you catch!?”

Citrus shook his head. “That's not important. Can ya think of anythin', or do Ah need ta go lookin' today?”

Dew rubbed at the bottom of her chin. For a minute, Citrus thought he saw her blue irises light up. “Hmm... I have an idea, but I'm not too sure about the cost. It might be more expensive than what you're budgeting here. Do you think you could get about what you have here in total for me? I could probably find just about anything with three hundred, let alone four.” Citrus scratched at his head.

She'll need three hundred thousand just ta get me a house? That Shark Tooth guy was probably a special case, Ah doubt anyone else in the city has racked up a bounty that high... Ah need ta get a hold of Star... “Maybe... Ah'll have ta get back to ya on that. Blood, would ya mind...” Citrus yawned, “puttin' a hundred of that back in the bag? Ah need ta return it, but first, Ah need some sleep.”

His brother rolled his eyes again. “Sure, why not. I can't even lift it all at once as it is. However, I want a talk out of you later. Normal Ponies can't lift three hundred pounds without trying,” Blood’s piercing red eyes bored deep into him. Citrus' little brother may not have always been the most honest stallion around, but he could always smell when something was up, and his unique eyes made him that much more intimidating. Well, it's not as if Ah was a saint my whole life either. He was also an accountant, so gold weight was something he knew well.

Citrus popped his neck. “Ya know Ah'd rather not, but Ah guess Ah'm at yer mercy here. If the kids don't wake me up, make sure Ah'm up by noon.”

Blood nodded and smiled. “Sure. Go get some sleep, cowpony.” Now it was Citrus's turn to roll his eyes. The yellow stallion made his way to the spare room filled with sleeping foals, and as expected, Applejack had sprawled herself out all over the bed. Citrus gently shifted the filly next to her brother and took the open spot. In mere seconds, darkness took him.





Whatever time had passed wasn't much, and Citrus could feel it. That and the filly jumping on him.

“Papa wake up! Papa wake up! Papa wake up- whoa!”

Citrus rolled over, sliding Applejack off his back and onto the bed. “Go do somethin' else, yer Papa's tired.” He grumbled, putting a pillow over his face.

“But... Uncle Orange said that ya wanted ta wake up at noon.” Noon? Already? It wasn't even seven when Ah got here. This don't feel like five hours of sleep. Citrus mumbled curses under his breath and sat up. The black curtains on the window didn't let much light in the room, but the bright blue square hiding behind them showed that it was midday outside. He scanned the room with sleepy eyes. The baby was gone, and so was the colt. Aside from a pile of boxes in the corner and the crib, the room was empty.

“Well. That didn't feel like enough sleep.” Citrus sctatched at his side and noticed that he'd forgotten to take off his jacket. After a short shot of pain, he figured that he was picking at a scab. He made a quick check, noting that Applejack couldn't see it, then goat a good look at it. It didn't look good. There were three big splotchy spots of dried blood that looked like they'd been clawed at by some kind of beast. Did he use his damn teeth ta do that? Ah don't even remember gettin' bit. Did he have fins or somethin' Ah didn't notice?

“Papa, what are ya doin'?” Applejack asked.

Damn it. “Nothin’ sugarcube. Y'all go on, Ah'm awake. Ah'll meet ya out there in a minute.”

“Okay...” she said warily, keeping her eye on Citrus as she left.

Her instincts are sharp, which is good, but also makes her dangerous. Never thought the day would come that Ah need ta be careful around my own daughter... Citrus stood up and stretched. He was sore on most of his legs, and his left side hurt around where the scab was. Deciding it was best to keep it hidden, he zipped up his jacket. It was a good thing that leather was easy to clean, otherwise, he would've had to explain his sleeves being bloody earlier. Making his way out of the spare room, he was just about blinded by the brightness in the living room.

Brightness... Ah wonder if he found himself a good place ta stay? Ah only had three silver bits on me after all... Ah hope they're alright.

“Ah, he lives. Blood said he needed to go out around eleven, so he should be back soon. I was about to start preparing lunch. Take Applebloom for me, will you?” Dew nuzzled the baby, who responded with laughter before being passed off to Citrus. Applejack and Macintosh were rolling bits to each other at the coffee table, and Dew had something playing on the CD player.

How did Ah not hear all this? He sat down rocking Applebloom and watched the other two spin bits, trying to see who could spin one the longest.

Applejack slid a bit to him and said, “Here Papa, see how long ya can get it ta spin!” The rest of his haul was in an old backpack labeled 'Citrus' next to the couch, and the other bag he'd gotten from the station had the extra.

“Y'all got these from my bag right? Not the brown one?”

Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup. Uncle said we could play with those ones, but not the others.”

Citrus sighed. A whole week here and they haven't gotten their toys out of the boxes. Ah gotta give it to 'em, that takes restraint. They'll make fine adults one of these days. “Alright, let me show ya how it's done.” Citrus set Applebloom down in his lap and took the bit in both hooves. The kids managed to get it to spin for a few seconds before it started to peter out, but Citrus on the other hoof...

His shoes clinked against the bit, and he spun it, making sure not to crush it, but using enough force for it to cause a breeze. The bit spun on the level table, slowly meandering toward the slight dip in its center. The sound of the spinning metal against wood attracted the eyes of the baby and made her stare at it with her siblings.

“Wow Papa... That's so cool...” said Macintosh.

Applejack put her hoof near it but pulled back as soon as she got too close. “It's like... it's makin' wind! Is it a tornado?”

“Naw, it's just spinnin' real fast. A real tornado would suck up half a buildin' round these parts.” Citrus said, thinking back to his childhood. Years ago, Manehattan was grazed by a hurricane that ripped up most of the docks, taking out a good chunk of the east and south districts. Luckily, a state of emergency was issued beforehoof, and the Princesses repelled it, but it still claimed a few lives in the process. There hasn't been a hurricane near Manehattan since.

Only grainy music remained as the three foals watched the gold bit spin in place, mesmerized by all the forces acting on it. When the front door opened, everything about the moment seemed to fall apart, like a spell was broken.

“I'm back!” called Blood.

Dew set down the utensil she was using to stir the pot on the stove top and approached him. “Oh? And did you check on that thing I asked you to?”

Blood frowned. “I did, and it's exactly what you thought.”

Dew frowned with him. “Sigh. I figured as much. Citrus? I have a proposition for you.”

The stallion in question turned his head and saw his brother and his wife looking at him with frowns. “Let me pull the crib out, and Ah'll be right there.” Taking the baby in one foreleg, Citrus went to the spare room and dragged Applebloom's crib into the sunlight, placing it just outside the door. He set the baby down, tickled her until she laughed, then made his way to the kitchen area. Citrus took a seat at the dinner table with Blood and Dew. “Alright, what do ya got for me?”

“Well, here, have a look at this.” She took a messenger bag from Blood and pulled out a few pieces of paper with a Polaroid clipped to it. The picture showed a white house of average size, a small yard, and a brick fence. It was clean, and the sidewalk being bright white was also a good sign. However, all of these things pointed to something he was afraid of. “Three hundred twenty for the land.” Dew said.

Citrus rubbed at his temples. “Really? Just fer this? What's the acreage?”

Dew looked away. “Half... of one...”

Citrus could feel his heart twisting. The Orchard was several hundred acres, the kids had all the land they could ever dream of to play on. This was… a significant downgrade. Letting out a sigh he didn’t want to, Citrus asked, “Where is it?”

Dew sucked in air through her teeth. “It's just before the outskirts, in the suburbs, a little ways south of here.” She said through a false smile.

Ah. At least it's not too far away, still in the north district. And Ah'll have... somethin’ fer the kids ta play on. But... that leaves me about eighty gold left, provided Ah just want a house with no working plumbing, no electricity, no furniture other than a mattress, no place ta store food, and no heating. At the beginning of winter. Citrus closed his eyes and started to massage his head with his hooves. Silence struck the room as the CD scratched, skipping in the player.

“Ah'll take it,” he finally said, after one of the kids got tired of the skipping and stopped it. Blood and Dew were shocked.

“You'll take it? Just like that? You know I said that was just the land right?” Dew asked.

“Citrus, you don't even have a job. How are you going to pay for anything after you get the house? I know it's eighty gold, but that's not going to last more than a few months if you have to buy appliances and furniture...” Blood said, trying to figure out a solution. Citrus shook his head and got out of his chair.

“Ah know. Ah know all of that. But Ah know what Ah'm sayin' here, Ah promise. Yer company put this up fer sale right, Dew?” She nodded.

“Yes, we did. The only reason I knew about it is because the previous owner just sold it to us a few weeks ago. I'll see if I can't lower the base price, since you intend to buy the land outright, but I don't think I'll be able to get more than twenty off at most. And then, we can run it through my family discount, so at minimum you'll get five percent taken off here.” Citrus scratched at his head, then got up and started for the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Blood said forcefully.

Citrus looked him dead in the eyes. “Ah need ta get some more coin scraped up if Ah want ta even think about payin' fer all the things Ah'll need. So, Ah'm gonna go talk to my... er, contractor. Ah'll be back... late. Maybe even in the mornin'. Look after the kids will ya?”

Citrus then turned to Dew. “Go ahead and buy the land fer me Dew. Ah'll sign and pay whatever, as long as it gets me moved in with at least basic utilities. As long as it leaves me with fifty, Ah'll make do.” And before anypony could object, Citrus was out the door.





Ah'd better run into that kid soon. Ah need information and Ah need it fast. Fifty thousand should be enough to get Macintosh started in school again, and if Ah can start searchin' fer bounties, then Ah might be able ta get some money saved away fer everythin' else.

Citrus had been walking for a grand total of twenty minutes before he bowled somepony over.

“Hey, watch where you're-” The voice was familiar to him, a young stallion with an accent native to Manehattan. When Citrus looked down, he saw a gray colt with a white mane and tail, wearing his hat.

“Oh, thank Celestia! Ah've been lookin' fer ya!” he said as he stood Star up.

“Oh geez, it really is you. Here's your hat back, guy. I thought you said the park at noon? What happened to that?” Star asked as he gave Citrus his Stetson.

“Thanks, kid.” He put his hat back to its rightful place. “Ah ended up sleepin’ longer than Ah wanted ta. Did ya find a place ta stay last night?”

Star nodded. “Yeah. Since Shark and his gang are all locked up now, the place I'd been livin' at was free. Well, to me at least. Brightness is still there.”

Citrus sighed in relief. Well, that's one thing off my mind. “So, wait. Where is this place? Are ya up to somethin', or can we go there and talk?” Star smiled, and tried to throw a fore leg over Citrus. He failed on account of Citrus being massive in comparison, but the message was received.

“Naw, I was lookin' for you, man. Come on, I'll show ya there.” The two walked back to the intersection they first met at, and then down a string of alleyways. Each one had a new mark over the old Shark Tooth gang symbol, a cancel symbol in bright red spray paint. Ah guess Star wanted ta make it known that Shark isn't around here anymore. They passed through the basketball court, and Citrus got the chance to see all the damage he'd done.

The court itself was just about unrecognizable, save for the one goal post that was still standing. All the lines and a good chunk of the concrete toward the opposite end was missing, the goal post was horribly contorted, the entire court had Shark’s hoof prints in it, and the bleachers toward the announcers box were all smashed... and covered in dried blood. This place is a mess. Ah hope he can find me work, then maybe Ah can pay ta have it fixed. Citrus sighed.

“What?” Star asked.

“It's nothin'. Ah'm just... concerned fer the future.”

Star turned to give him a suspicious look, then carried on. “Well, a’ight. Look, we're almost there.” Star was pointing to a small building, a house that had been horribly vandalized, but with windows still intact, which was a surprise for this area.

As they drew closer, the door opened to reveal a small white filly eagerly waiting inside. “Hi mister Red Hooves!” She said, much stronger than she did yesterday, or this morning, whenever it was. Last night was a long one.

“Hey there little one. Ya get some food?” Citrus replied. She looked clean, and not completely starved at the moment, even if you could still see her ribs just underneath the skin.

“Yes sir. Come on in, Star has a surprise for ya!” The filly retreated inside, and an angry Star chased after her.

“Damn it! I told ya not to say anythin'! Come 'ere so I can pummel ya!” Left alone outside the old brick house among abandoned factory buildings, Citrus decided that he might as well go in. A surprise? Fer me? What could he have possibly done? Shrugging after he couldn't think of anything, he opened the door and followed inside. The house itself was a dusty mess. There was a diesel generator plugged into a refrigerator, dusty windows, dirty furniture, most of which was missing a piece or had stuffing showing, a ratty old radio, and newspapers everywhere. Citrus picked one up and read the title.

“Unknown citizen saves ponies from collapsing building, Applewood Times. Just when it looked like all was lost, the ponies of the Applewood Textile factory made a shocking escape when an unknown citizen zoomed through the building, taking everypony to safety one at a time, all in under a minute.” Under a minute? Sounds like a good Samaritan Power Pony. Citrus put that paper down and moved on to the next one.

“Unknown citizen performs an unusual feat, saving the day, Canterlot Daily. A freak accident in a local laboratory caused a huge chemical fire in the city, quickly spreading from one building to the next, trapping ponies before an alarm was even set off. However, by some miracle, before the fire department was even mobilized, the fires were all neutralized.

“The ponies present say that a massive wave of cold somehow came through and the fire simply died out. Reports say that the floors of most buildings were still frozen when the fire department arrived. Several eye witnesses say they saw a pale blue coated pony near all the ice as the fires began to calm down.” Hmm... Now hold on a minute...

Every paper, every front page detailed some Power Pony's act that saved other ponies, or prevented further injury. However, each one was dated at least as of five years ago, and none of them were from the Manehattan Bugle.

“Star, what is all this?” Citrus called out, not exactly knowing where the two kids went after making it inside. He looked around until he noticed a staircase at the back of the house on the opposite side. The sound of hooves on wood shortly followed, and then Star popped his head out from behind the staircase wall.

“Okay, I'm ready. Come on up.” Star then retreated back up the stairs. Rolling his eyes, Citrus followed the colt up what seemed like an impossibly tall staircase. When he finally scaled the third flight, he reached an open area that looked like a workshop with a sewing machine, pictures, cameras, newspapers, and... a printing press?

“Ta-dah!” The kids said together, holding out what looked like a vinyl suit. It was bright red along the legs and sleeves, and white for the torso. On the flank of each side, there was a symbol that looked like a hoof being swung upwards. At the neck it had a bright red cape that was about the size of a blanket, bigger than Star at least. The suit looked like it continued after the neck but was folded at that point.

“Uh... what is that?” He asked.

“It's your super suit!” Star exclaimed.

“Yeah, you can go around saving ponies like me all the time in this!” Brightness exclaimed in a much higher pitch.

“Doin' what now?” Citrus asked, more confused than he was before. Star rolled his eyes and put the suit over a manikin near the printing press.

“Look, ya said that ya didn't have a job right?” Star asked.

“Well, no Ah don't exactly have one of those at the moment...” Citrus sighed, still ashamed of the fact.

“Well, neither do I, at least now that you nixed my boss, which I'm still totally happy about by the way. So, after ya left I got to thinkin'. We could be partners, you an' me. You're a Power Pony, you've got kids, and no job. I've got my sister to take care of here, but out of the two of us, she's the only special one. And the last piece of the puzzle, this Manehattan has nopony who's willin' to try an' save it. In case ya don't know, there are bounties out there like Shark, still in the city. Shark Tooth was a big time guy, but he was one of five that are worth about the same or more.”

Five!? There are five, four hundred thousand bit bounties out in this city!?

“The problem is, the police have no way of locatin' these mob bosses, as every informant they try and send out gets bumped off, and usually left as a bloody message to tell the fuzz to lay off. Combine that with dirty cops, and you have a situation that's perfect for dealers, traffickin', and all kinds of theft. This city sucks, and there are more and more innocent deaths because of turf wars and traffickin' every year. Ponies go missin', places get shot up and robbed, and there ain't many outside of a princess herself commin' down to stop it.”

Has it really gotten that bad? Sure, the old mafia has been around ever since even Ah was a kid, but they were never this bad... Ah knew the Capo, the guy at least had some honor...

“So, wait, what happened to Franco Polo? Wasn't he the one who kept the underworld in check?” Citrus asked. Star knew a lot, it seemed. Maybe he would know something.

“Franco Polo. I haven't heard that name since I was a kid. Well, when Power Ponies started showin' up, things started to get dicey around here. About five years ago, Polo was taken down by a new gang callin' themselves the Mutants that rolled in and took the city by storm. The stallion that leads it is known as Brute Force, and he controls the northern sector of the city. I've only ever gotten one picture of him, but the dude is nastier than Shark on a good day. As much as he was a slime ball, Shark was kinda like the good Don, ya know?

“Brute looks kinda normal, save for his face is all scarred up on the left side, and ya know, he’s like twice your size. He's got a light tan coat and a dark red mane. Nopony knows what is cutiemark is though, so I've heard that when he goes out in public, he always has at least one double on him.”

Citrus frowned. The northern side? Ah live in the northern side. The house Ah just bought is in the northern side. Ah don't want a mob boss around my kids... “So uh... what's this guy's M.O.?”

Star smiled. “Oh, so you're interested in him, huh? Well, if we’re honest here, he's true to his name. Most of the reports that have him as the accused show that the victim has their head bashed in by somethin' heavy and hoof shaped. If I had to guess, I'd say that his power is about the same as yours.”

Citrus frowned again. “That's unsettlin'.” Maybe it might be in my best interest ta try and catch this guy myself. Money would be nice, especially if he's worth as much as Shark was, but more importantly, Ah don't wanna put my kids in danger just because Ah decided to move away from the safer part of the city. But somethin's still buggin' me. “Star, how do you know so much about all this?”

Star left eye contact and looked away. “Well, uh... You remember my parents? How they were caught makin' off with Shark's money?”

Citrus thought back to last night. Didn't he say somethin' about that before the fight? “Yeah, what about it?”

Star looked down. “Well, the truth is, they were cops. Both of 'em. Shark had gotten a hold of a bit note and started counter fittin' em'. The 'money' they tried to get away with were the fake notes. If they'd made it to a station, or another officer, then they would have finally had the proof they needed to put the bastard away. But he found out, and he had them trapped in a buildin' with explosives planted at the supports. The fake notes got burned, and that was worth about six million, on top of the money it took to make them. They caught me and Brightness a few weeks afterward, and you know the rest of the story...”

Poor kid. He didn't deserve this, neither of them did. Ah'll fix this. Ah'll clean this rotten city up, even if Ah have ta do it alone. Ah can't have my kids grow up in a place as awful as this, and these two shouldn't have ta either. Citrus nodded. “Ah'll take it.”

Star was confused. “You'll take what?”

“Yer suit. Ah've made up my mind. This place needs a janitor, and Ah'm willin' ta take the job. Even if it means runnin’ around in a red and white suit.” Citrus grabbed the suit off the manikin and looked for a zipper.

“Y-ya mean it? You're gonna be a super hero?”

“No, a janitor. If anypony asks, Citrus Root is a street janitor. Red Hooves, however... Red Hooves can be yer super hero.” The mask zipped off at the neck, and the neck had another zipper that ran down the side. He unzipped everything, and slid his lower half into the suit, which was surprisingly well fit. The mask, however, was a different story. It was big enough to fit his head, but it was so tight that his mane covered his eyes in it. It wasn't worth much if he couldn't see.

“Where did ya get this? Ah guess it really don’t matter, but could y'all get somepony ta let it out a little by the face?” He asked, struggling to take it off.

“Oh, uh, well, I uh... I could do it for ya... I mean, I'm the one who made it, so...”

Citrus finally the mask off and then stared dumbstruck at Star. “You made this?”

“Y-yeah, what of it? Just because I-I can sew doesn't mean...” Star stammered off.

Citrus put a hoof over his shoulder. “Are ya kiddin' me? That's amazin'! Ah can't sew worth my life, and this feels like somethin' real expensive outta some fancy athletics store! How did ya get it together?” Citrus asked.

“W-well... it's just somethin' I do. Once I see somethin' I can just kinda, make it, ya know? Even if it's in my imagination. I'm not really good with anythin' but clothes, but when Bright called ya Red Hooves, it just kinda came to me. The rest was easy. I just used that extra cash to get the materials I needed. I actually finished it this morning.” Star said, with a big bashful smile on his face and bright red cheeks.

Citrus frowned. “Ya didn't buy food? Ah thought ya needed money ta live!” Citrus was a little upset knowing where his last few silver bits actually went. He had more than plenty now, but the principle is what mattered.

“I did, but not after ya got rid of Shark! I still live here, if ya didn't notice! I had enough food for the both of us, I needed money to get Brightness back! Don't go off on me after I spent all night makin' you a gift!”

Citrus sighed and shook his head. “All right, all right, Ah get it. Thanks, Ah really appreciate what ya did fer me here. Ah guess the next step would be to figure out where this Brute guy is.”

Star shook his head and pointed at Citrus. “You what!? You literally just caught Shark, and now you wanna go after his better next!? Can't ya start with somethin' small time first?”

Citrus shrugged. “Ah used the last reward to buy a house in the northern district. Ah don't want my son goin' ta school in a mafia run area. If Ah'm gonna clean up the streets, might as well start around home.” Star put his head in his hooves.

“Sweet friggen' goddess, you're gonna get killed.” After sitting in her spot quietly for most of the hour, Brightness finally spoke up.

“I think he can do it.” The two turned to the filly.

“Listen, Bright, hon. I don't think you understand just what we’re talkin' about here.” Star said, putting his hoof on her head. She knocked it away and buzzed around him like a humming bird on her little wings.

“No, I know exactly what you're talkin' about. Don't forget, Shark Tooth kidnapped me, not you. I know what Shark could do. He beat up a damn metal post for fun just to keep me afraid! I know Mister Red Hooves is strong enough to beat him, so I think he could beat anypony!” She said, trying her hardest to defend Citrus.

“How old is she?” Citrus asked over her head.

Star sighed. “Bright is eight.”

Citrus leaned down and got her attention. “Look, sugarcube, Ah'm glad that ya believe in me. But ya shouldn't go around cussin' like that. A sweet lil' filly like y’all ain't got no place fer them words.”

Brightness put on a smug smile. “Oh yeah? How about you say that to me after I tell you what my power is.”

“Wait. Is she?” He looked to Star, but Brightness stomped his attention back to her.

“Hey! You're not talkin' to him, you're talkin' to me. I might be little, but I'm the Power Pony in the family. I'm a diviner of sorts. I can tell you the location of anything I've ever touched. I've been this way ever since I was born.”

Citrus' interest was caught. Brightness. Well, that's one mystery clear. “Alright. So, you're tellin' me you've touched this Brute Force guy?”

She buzzed up to meet him eye to eye. “That's right. I bumped into him once when Mom and Dad were on a job at a coffee shop that he owns. Their scones are really good. You bring me a map of the northern district, and I'll tell you where he is. But there's a catch.”

Citrus frowned. He didn't like where this was going. “Fine. Name yer terms, filly.”

The pegasus smiled. “Perfect. We want a cut. Star, what's the bounty on Brute Force?”

Star shook in place. “Oh goddess, she's at it again. This is the kinda crap that gets you in trouble, Bright!”

The filly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. We gotta eat, and I know that taking a little bit of his bounty is gonna be more than you could ever make workin' at WcDonalds. What's the price, Star.” She said, adding emphasis to her brother's name. Damn. This filly is scary. At such a young age too. She'll either make a terrifyin' boss, or a big company CEO one day.

“Five hundred G’s.” Star said.

Citrus almost dropped his jaw on the floor. “There we go. Was that so hard, big brother? Ten percent outta do it. I don't know math all that well, but with a number that big, it'll still be a whole lot of money.”

Citrus tried to shake the shock out of his system. Five hundred thousand? Sweet Celestia, Ah wouldn't need ta make another arrest fer the rest of the whole damn year! And ten percent is only about fifty thousand... these kids should be in good shape, but Ah'd rather them be better off than that. “Ah'll do ya one better, and give ya twenty. Ah'll be back tomorrow. As long as ya got the mask fixed, Ah'll go out and catch this guy tomorrow night. We good?”

Star was about ready to pass out thinking about all the money, and Brightness had crossed her hooves and nodded. “I'd say so. See ya when you get back, mister Red Hooves,” she said, never taking off her smirk. It sent a shiver down Citrus' spine.

“Call me Citrus out of costume. Ah think that the three of us together are gonna make this city a nice place ta live again.” He stuck his hoof out to shake hers. She responded in kind.

“That and make us a whole lotta money! We might even be able to buy mom and dad graves after this!” She said looking to Star with hopeful eyes.

It hurt a little, knowing that a filly this age was looking to purchase a tombstone. He sighed and took the suit off. Tomorrow, this would see it's first day in action. Let's just hope it holds out. If Ah get the sneakin’ suspicion that this Brute Force guy ain't gonna come quietly. If he's got a power like mine then... Ah'll either out smart him, or die tryin'. And Ah'd rather not have my own eight-year-old lookin' fer a tombstone too...