Power Ponies: The Shadows of Power Collection

When The Shadows of Power crew returned to the safe house they were hailed by a standing ovation of thousands of ponies.  Standing in the middle of the group was their leader who greeted them as champions of justice.

“Welcome back everyone, congratulations on a successful mission.”

“I don't know if we can call it 'successful'” hissed Terror Two-Hoof.

“Did something happen?” Inquired their leader.

“I just...made mistakes...”  Terror's head sank.

“You did the best you could.” Comforted Siren.

“Guess I just need more practice.”  Terror confessed.

“If that's the case, then how about we get you a bit more?” Suggested the leader.

“What did you have in mind?”  Pondered Thunderstep.  Madam Encre shot him a look.

“Star Horizon, what have you got?”  A purple colt in a dark blue coat turned from the computer screen he was staring at in the corner.  His eyes were bloodshot, like that of a pony who hadn't slept in years.

“You guys could always rob Maretropolis International.  They house a ton of unmarked bits that don't belong to anyone; so we wont be stealing from other ponies.”

“I don't like this Thunderstep.”  Protested Encre.  “We're here to take revenge on the Power Ponies, and knock them down a peg.  We're the balancing factor for the ponies, not a crime syndicate.”

“She's right.”  Everyone turned to face the leader as he spoke.  “We are not criminals.  However the Power Ponies don't know that.   We can use that to our advantage.”

“I don't follow.” Responded Encre to the notion.

“We pretend to rob the bank.”  Terror explained.  “We're not actually doing anything except luring the Power Ponies to us.”

“Exactly” praised their overseer.  “Make an entrance, make it loud, do whatever you can to get the Power Ponies attention, and the attention of as many people as you can.  When you beat those super heroes at their own game the ponies of Maretropolis will know that the Power Ponies, are not so powerful after all.”

The four agreed on this plan and split off to prepare.  Thunderstep headed back to his workshop while Terror and Siren Silence headed off on their own.  Madam Encre remained in the meeting area and began to paint in her book.  She created a likeness of Radiance as accurately as she could; then one at a time painted tiny bubonic rats who jumped and bit at the construct as it shrieked in horror and suffered.

As Thunderstep made his way to his quarters he was stopped by Star Horizon.

“Hey! Got a moment?”  The overly excited pony asked.

“I suppose.” Answered Thunderstep.  “What's up?”

“I just wanted to say that I'm a big fan.”  The jacketed pony admitted.  “Your technology is really amazing, and I LOVE those tricked out glasses of yours.”

Thunderstep wasn't about to pass up a chance to stroke his ego.  “Well, why thank you.   You're too kind really...Star wasn't it?”

The colt nodded.  “Star Horizon.  The eyes of the Shadows as the 'big guy' calls me.”

“Why's that?”  Quizzed Thunder.

“I-it's because of my special talent.”  Star Horizon brushed back his long coat revealing a cutie mark of an oddly shaped eye and hourglass.  “I try to know as much as I can about as many people as I can.  I'm always watching everything and everypony, and if something's not my business I make it mine.”

“You're a stalker?” Thunder asked rather bluntly.

“According to the police I am.”  Horizon confessed.  “I got arrested when my neighbors found the spy camaras I installed in their house.”

“Not gonna lie, that's creepy.”  Thunderstep admitted.

“I know, I know, but I can't help it.  I'm always craving information.  To the point that I don't even sleep.”  As he spoke the shaky jacket pony picked up an energy drink with his hooves and swigged it down.  “The leader dude recruited me because he believed I'd be able to find out the true identities of the Power Ponies.”

“Have you?”  Questioned Thunderstep with renewed interest in the crazy colt.

“Not yet, but I'm close!  I have quite a few leads.”

Thunderstep looked around to make sure no one else was listening in on their conversation.  Then he leaned in to address Star Horizon in private.

“Do you know the identity of our leader?”  He asked the boy.

“The head honcho?  I sure do.  It was one of the first things I found out.”  Star boasted.

Thunder's eyes widened.  “You have to tell me!”  He demanded.

Star shrugged.  “Sorry man, I'm under a NDA.”  He made a motion with his hoof over his mouth like he was zipping his lips shut.

“Is there any way I could get you to D the NDA?”  Bargained the impatient tech pony.

Start thought to himself then nodded.  He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small chip-like drive.  “Plug this into one of the cameras so I can watch the bank.”

“You want to watch us fight the Power Ponies?”  Buzzed Thunderstep.

Star nodded.  “That, and I want to find any openings or exploits in the bank, in case we do decide to rob it later.”

“Fat chance” muttered Thunder.  “I may be willing to give the super villain shtick a try, but the others are only in it for the Power Ponies.”

“I don't blame them.”  Star admitted.  “We're told when we're recruited that we're not the bad guys...but sometimes I don't know.”

“Society in Maretropolis is dictated by the will of the Power Ponies.”  Thunderstep explained.  “They're the ones who decide who the 'bad guys' are.  That's what we're aiming to change.”

Star Horizon seemed satisfied with Thunderstep's resolve.  “And I'm sure we will.  Sorry to bug ya.”

Thunder shook his head.  “Not at all.  Nice talkin' with ya.”

~~~

Siren Silence entered Terror Two-Hoof's room and found him pacing around in a circle.  She had temporarily swapped out of the black latex body suit she had been wearing during the museum raid into a large purple dress.  Siren huffed as she awkwardly maneuvered.  Due to her augmentations as well as the cords that ran through and around her body Siren no longer fit into her favorite dresses.  Instead she had to buy dresses that were a size higher just to fit in them, but because her body never actually got any bigger they dresses always seemed to sag.  Like the convict ponies in Maretropolis Capital Prison who intentionally wore prison outfits that were a size too large.

“Hoof what's wrong?”  She asked her pacing partner.

“Nothing.”  He hastily answered.  “I'm just running through how we're going to exicute this mission.”

“Boss already told us how we're running it.  We go in.  We make noise.  We wait for the Power Ponies.”

Terror Two-Hoof ceased his constant walking and held up his front hoof.  He examined the hole in his leg the blew through it as if in disbelief that it was there.  Sure enough he felt nothing as his breath passed through the hole.   “I know he said to run this loud, but I don't think that's the best course of action.  Going all in from the start has too many risks.”

“Like what?” Siren raised an eyebrow to Terror, convinced he was simply over thinking this whole thing.

“If we go in guns blazing right away the cops will get involved long before the Power Ponies do.  If that's the case we might have to resort to hurting them.”

“So what?” Buzzed Siren with a hint of annoyance in her tone.  Though truth be told she wasn't actually annoyed.  Siren wanted to see if Terror could stick to his guns and keep his rationality when challenged.

“Our bout is with the Power Ponies.”  Terror explained.  If we lash out at random cops not only will our group look even more bad than I'm sure it already does, but we could potentially turn the entire city against us.  Is that worth revenge?”

Siren cringed a little.  “I'm honestly not the pony to ask that.  I've done a lot of things in the past few days for revenge.  Lots of extreme and probably terrible things.”

Terror sighed and trotted to the end of his room.  He stared at the blank gray wall as though looking out of a window, but a window would have been a pointless luxury in an underground hide away.  After a pause he turned back to Siren.

“Where do we go after this?”  He asked her.

Siren gave him no response so Terror continued his philosophical rant.

“Encre and Thunder's reputations are completely destroyed.  I've been turned into a monster, and you...”

Siren Silence's head sank as she removed her dress.  As it fell to the floor Terror for the first time got to see her fully exposed body.

~~~

“Okay Spike that's enough.”  Twilight snatched the grey scaled comic away from the dragon faster than he could huff out a small flame in protest.

“Twilight what gives?!” wined the small dragon.

“This comic is clearly for older ponies...er, dragons.  I'm sorry Spike, but I'm afraid I'm just gonna have to hold onto this until you are older.”

“Twilight come ooon”  Spike pleaded.  “For Celestia's sake her entire body is covered in technology and metal.”

Twilight turned to the next page of the comic, sure enough the only thing still resembling a pony was Siren's head, mane, and tail.  Almost every other part of her body appeared to be either made out of metal or wrapped in tentacle like cords.

“Alright fine.”  Twilight huffed, as she handed the comic back to spike.

Spike turned to the page Twilight was just looking at.  “Besides it's not like any of the ponies in Ponyville wear clothes.”  He mumbled.

Twilight awkwardly scoffed in response.

~~~

“I'm.  Sorry.  I'm at a loss for words.”  Terror Two-Hoof confessed.

“It's okay.  I was too at first.”  Siren admitted.  When the surgeries were finished I could hardly believe I was starring at a mirror, but after practicing on my own in my room, and after that massive shriek I let loose during the museum raid I've come to terms with my new powers....and the burden I have to bare as a result.”

There was a knock on Two-Hoof's door, and soon after both Madam Encre and Thunderstep entered.  Without Two-Hoof's permission.

“She's a piece of work ain’t she?”  Coxed Thunderstep who immediately noticed Terror admiring his work.

Siren huffed and quickly shoved herself back into her dress.  “You two could at least show SOME amount of consideration for privacy.”

“Buuut, this isn't even your room.”  Thunderstep rebuttaled.

“The notion still stands Thunderstep.”  Terror affirmed.  “Why are you in my room?”

“Because it's go time of course!”  Thunderstep declared.   “I was sent to round you all up, I just happened to grab Encre first, and saw that Siren wasn't in her room.  Are you two ready to go? Or do you need a minute more to admire my brilliance?”

Siren looked back at Terror who shrugged dismissively.

“We're ready, but we're not doing this how we were instructed.”

“What do you mean Terror?”  Encre asked.

“Terror want's to avoid police involvement as much as possible.”  Siren explained.

“So I'm proposing we go in quiet and take hostages.  We can avoid police involvement using captured civilians as a deterrent, and at the same time can use them to negotiate a fight with the Power Ponies.”

“Get the Power Ponies, and get no one else involved.”  Thunderstep pondered the notion then emitted a laugh of satisfaction.  “I like it!  Alright Terror Tactician we'll go your route!”

“Terror Tactician?”  Echoed Two-Hoof.

“I like it.”  Teased Siren.  “It's a fitting name for you.”

“I'm not changing my name.”  Terror croaked.

~~~

The Shadows of Power made their way to Maretropolis International.  The largest bank in the city.  However they informed no one of their change in plans.  Just like the museum heist Siren Silence, Thunderstep, and Madam Encre laid low while Two-Hoof scoped out the area.  Donning the appearance of a security guard Terror made his way around the bank until he found the room which housed all the cameras.  He gave the door handle a tap of his hoof.

Locked...He knocked on the door, and soon after a different guard wearing the same uniform answered.

“I'm here for your lunch break” Terror bluffed.

“I wasn't suppose to get a lunch for another hour”  The guard contested.

“We had to change the schedule around.  A lot of ponies called in today.”

“What do you mean?  There are only three guards that work in this branch...and come to think of it, I don't-”

The guard was interrupted by Terror who shoved him against the wall of the camera room.  The guard faded out of consciousness as Terror locked the door and took the guard's place at the monitors.  Chipping Star Horizon's drive into the bank's network as he did.

“Star, are you in?”

A voice buzzed in over Terror's com-link.

“Ye-yeah I'm in!  Finally I can start observing this place.  So many ponies taking out money, putting it back, OH! A safety deposit room, who knows what secrets ponies stash away in there.”

Terror rolled his eyes.  Horizon was more excited than a filly on Hearth's Warming, and three times as jittery.

“By the way, what's with this ninja approach? I thought you guys were blazing it loud and proud.”

“We found a better way to do this.”  Answered Terror modestly.  By we he meant he, but he was never one for taking all the credit.

“I can respect that” Star claimed.  “Besides this gives me more time to lo...hang on...Terror check this out!  Camara 2 in the lobby.”

Terror peered at the camera, but all he saw was a bashful looking green pony talking to a well oversized colt bank teller.

“What exactly am I looking at Horrizon?” mumbled Terror.

“You see the mare talking to the teller?”  prompted Star Horizon.

“There are only two ponies in this shot Star” Terror pointed out.

“Yeah-yeah-Listen!  I cross-reference on the feed from your heist at the museum the other day, and that pony has a 9.958 point match on Saddle Rager pre-supper-angry-ragey mode.”

“Someone wanna translate that?” Interjected Thunderstep.  “Cause all I heard was something about Saddle Rager.”

“I'm saying your job, AND your chance of fighting the power ponies just got a LOT better!”  Star Horizon explained.  “Because Saddle Rager is in the bank!  Right now!  Alone!”

“Sounds good to me.”  Terror hummed with a smirk.

Thunderstep mimicked the smirk as he suited up his tech, face mask, and golden glasses.  “Let's go make us some money.”