!

“Russian royal family are alive and well, living in Australia, proving the rumors of their survival are true. The shocking news has rattled the Russian communist government who had stated that the royal family had been executed years before. They had been helped by the mysterious mistress of magic Sunset Shimmer during her tour around Europe. Helping them escape from the soldiers sent to execute them and setting them up in a manor in the city of Queensland. Uniting the different factions that are still fighting against the communist government to restore the Russian empire and the royal family,” Asa Sweet the leader of the Marigold Gang said reading the headline.

He then toss the paper to Mordecai Heller who is sitting in front of his desk. Ever since Sunset and her female gang made themselves home in the city, the fortunes of Lackadaisy has changed. They now have lots of liquor being smuggled in somehow and some of her girls are even moonlighting as showgirls in the club too. Sunset herself still does magic shows at different clubs around the city, getting lots of crowds to show up. Making her too big of a target to take care of the usual way, too many eyes are on her. Would get way too much attention and with her connections would get the feds to swarm the city.

“Would explain how she’s been able to laundry her money around without anyone trouble. From what I managed to gather she still has some of her girls in Europe taking care of things there. She has made friends in many high places thanks to her frame. Which of the noble houses she belongs to, she hasn’t revealed anything that could pin point it down,” Mordecai said reading through the paper.

“I need something on her, she’s taking away too much business. What about the rumor of her and her girls being a pride?” Asa ask.

“Those rumors are true. They have formed a pride, all they’re missing is a king,” Mordecai said.

“I thought that sort of thing is outlawed,” Asa said.

“No just frowned on, there are some states that do have laws against forming a pride but this state isn’t one of them. Some countries still have prides as a thing if all the rules are followed. And by the old rules of a pride, them the females are the ones who have formed it first, with it all center around Sunset their queen,” Mordecai said.

“Really now, perhaps there’s another way to stop them from supplying the competition,” Asa said as he wouldn’t mind being the king of that pride of lovely ladies.

“You would have to get all of the pride members to fall for you then. Or get Sunset to submit to you, going by the old rules,” Mordecai pointed out.

“Right and the pride isn’t all here either,” Asa said as he thought about it. “If I remember right to become king of a pride, the guy would have to be able to handle all of the females and be accepted by all of them.”

“Or be able to beat them all into submission, which is very frowned upon these days and that the other members of the pride will more than likely gang up on the male. Of course by the old rules there can be more than one king and that it’s perfectly normal for sons and daughters to have relationships or with their parents. Remember the story of the Lion King? There were only two adult males in that pride and the young prince made his childhood friend his first mate,” Mordecai said

“That killed the mood,” Asa said shaking his head at that thought. (1)

“Which is why prides are frowned upon. I’m disgusted with incest solely for the reason of what happens to the children born from such unions,” Mordecai said.

“Anyways,” Asa said changing the subject. “Can’t we use the pride angle against her?”

“They’re making it no real secret that they are a pride, that’s how I found out. My informant just walk up to one of the women and asks her. And seeing how most of her pride are from outside the country where prides are still common, using that angle will not work,” Mordecai said.

“Is there anyway to get someone on the inside?” Asa ask.

“Might but any woman we sent would have to work really hard to get into the pride, all of her operations is handled by her pride members. They have hired some locals to handle some things but it’s mostly to handle the legitimate businesses. Sunset isn’t dealing with any of the bootleggers, or any of the other gangs, all of the liquor she’s been struggling are all imported from other countries. None of the homemade or water down stuff the moonshiners have been making. The custom agent we’re paying off has found nothing in any of the shipments heading to the manor, all the shipments are of the occult in nature in his own words. The only alcohol found is being used in the preserving jars,” Mordecai said.

“She must have another way of sneaking the liquor through customs. Isn’t there anything else that she’s has shipping in?” Asa ask.

“Scale modeled doll houses,” Mordecai said.

“What?” Asa ask. “She still into dolls?”

“She has scale modeled doll houses ship to her manor, which are modeled after things like castles, forts, armories, warships,” Mordecai said earning him a look from Asa. “She has a scale model of a castle and been ordering scale modeled weapons, vehicles, soldiers, even having items like supplies and even small bottles of liquor bottles made to have more detail. Like those ships in the bottle, some people are into making.”

“Oh,” Asa said thinking as he sat back in his chair. “Seeing how much trouble dealing with Sunset would be. We should focus on our old friends.”

“I have them followed and see what they’re up to then,” Mordecai said.

“See that you do,” Asa said waving him to leave and get to it.

!

Author's Note

1 - Things turn to fridge horror when you realized that in the Lion King there are only two adult males in the pride who could had fathered the cubs of the pride.