The Upper West Side of Manehattan was quite extreme; the occasional hooker, drugee, or a gang member wearing his colors would be standing on the sidewalk, waiting for some kind of action, relief from the vandalized concrete prison around them. The Upper west Side was the most crime infested part of Manehattan, and a gunshot or two could be heard every night there. But that was normalcy in the Upper West Side, a pony died every night or so, that was life. That's why the Upper West Side went by another, more appropriate name, Coffin.

Blue Thistle had around three granola bars in her large mitts, one of which she had half-eaten. She insisted she was hungry, and stopped at corner store during their investigation. It was eight by the time they got into the thick of Coffin, and the world was dark and little quiet. Blue Thistle followed Shadow Dancer closely; she wasn't sure where she planned on going, but the deeper they went into Coffin, the sketchier it got. Windows in the very heart of Coffin were barred shut, sidewalks were worn or cracked. In fact, the only thing in Inner Coffin that was remotely well kept was the street lights— kept stable for the odd passerby driving through Coffin (though, who knows why they'd be doing such a thing). Coffin sort of gave Blue Thistle a rude awakening— reminded her of the slums in Rukaria before the uprising. Ponies went about their existences in fear, fear of death and the powers that be, fear of losing one's family or reality in a mere moment.

Shadow Dancer looked back and saw Blue Thistle hang her head for a moment as she put her hood up. "Blue, are you alright...?"

"Da..." Blue Thistle nodded once, pulling up her hood and putting on a brave face. "I'm okay."

"You know, you don't have to hide that kind of stuff from me, Blue. We aren't strangers anymore, remember?" Shadow Dancer smiled to keep Blue Thistle's spirits up.

"Ah, yes... sorry," Blue Thistle sighed as she shook her head. "This place... it reminds me of ghetto in Rukaria, before rebellion."

"I wasn't around then— still was in a tank full of chemicals. But I did hear what happened there from a Rukarian pal of mine when I worked in Las Pegasus. I can't imagine what you went through there, Blue." Shadow Dancer sympathized with her slightly uncomfortable comrade, who twiddled her thumbs and glanced from side to side, trying her best to occupy her mind with thoughts not related to those awful times in her homeland. "Sorry... if I'm overstepping a boundary."

"No, no... it's fine. You show concern, and I'm grateful," Blue Thistle pasted together a crude smile on her face, one layered with fear and regret. "I don't know what it would be like either— being a somepony like you who was created in a lab. You must feel..."

"Lonely..." They both said together, snorting a bit at the corniness of the situation.

"That was cliché, yes...?" Blue Thistle asked; her smile was genuine this time.

"Sort of. The whole, 'telling each other your story and finishing each other's sentence in sync as if you understand one another'. I've seen it a few times in the odd romantic comedy," Shadow Dancer said as she began counting the cracks on the sidewalk. "But... I suppose clichés are clichés for a reason. They might have some truth behind em'."

"I suppose..." Blue Thistle said as she took a bite of her granola bar. "Where are we headed to?"

"A club down the street. There are some ponies there who can give us some answers about our mystery mare," Shadow Dancer turned to Blue Thistle, giving her a wink. "The Kage Mob."

"Kage? What do you know of them?" Blue Thistle wondered as she finished off the snack in her hand, opening the next one.

"I know their inner workings— how they get their shit done. Back when I was a hitpony in Las Pegasus, I killed some of the meanest in the bunch. I'm not proud of it, but... my experience will help." In the distance Shadow Dancer saw a neon red sign, 'CLUB AKA'. "That's the place."

The neon sign adorned the entrance to a very large and expensive looking night club, around three stories. It appeared as if the wealth of Coffin flooded in through Club Aka— a congealing of criminal finances into one block. The exterior of the club was a little cleaner and painted jet black to make the other red neon decorations displaying dragons and snakes stand out. Two very large and rough-looking stallions guarded the entrance. Though, they were both an inch or two shorter than Blue Thistle; somepony as tall as her was rare. One carried a clipboard, checking off ponies on the list one by one as they lined up outside. Shadow Dancer could tell the other one was armed; a pistol was poking out of his pocket.

"Alright, we gotta think of something to tell em', something that'll get us in," Shadow Dancer whispered to Blue Thistle as they both got in line, moving up every three seconds or so. "Any suggestions?"

"Why not pretend to make deal with Kage?" Blue Thistle postured. "Tell them we are gun runners, yes?"

"Yeah, I think that could work, you've got the look of a gun runner," Shadow Dancer nodded.

"Wait, what is that supposed to mean?" Blue Thistle crossed her arms in an offended manner.

"You know... uh, in secret agent movies there's always that Rukarian smuggler or bad guy or some shit? Listen, you're tall and you've got a hot accent. That's basically all you need," Shadow Dancer explained as they inched ever closer to the entrance.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you should have made plan." Blue Thistle said frantically as she tried to revise their idea.

"Let's just go with it. If it doesn't work we can always sneak around through the back," Shadow Dancer insisted as they stepped to the front, coming face to face with the two guards.

"Name?" The guard with the clipboard asked.

"Penumbra Midnight... and this is my associate, Indigo Mist," Shadow Dancer introduced herself and Blue Thistle to the guard in the most polite way possible. "We've come to... do business with the Kage? Are there any here?"

"What business?" The guard wondered.

"We're here to supply you with supplies... if you get my meaning..." Shadow Dancer hinted to the guard; he didn't appear very bright. "That's why we aren't on the list..."

"Uh... let me check with my buddy for a sec..." The guard turned around and spoke into his walkie-talkie. "Hey, I got some mares tellin' me their our suppliers for the week. You know anything about this?"

"Uh, uh... yeah! Yes, I know about this! They're our girls!" The stallion on the other end seemed out of breath, almost panicked.

"Hey, pal, you okay...?" The guard whispered into his device.

"What? Yeah, I'm-... I'm fine! Fine! I'm good! Just let em' in and the big boys upstairs'll seal the deal!" His voiced became slurred together and rushed.

"Um... okay," The guard shut off his walkie-talkie and stepped aside to usher them inside. "Go on ahead, girls."

"That worked?!" Blue Thistle whispered to Shadow Dancer.

"Yeah... too well," Shadow Dancer grew suspicious. "Convincing ponies of a lie like that takes a long time. That was too easy."

"Do you think somepony is expecting us?" Blue Thistle wondered.

"Yeah... though I'm not sure who," Shadow Dancer replied in a low and serious tone of voice.

"Okay... okay... I was quiet and I said everything you wanted me to say! Can you let me down? Please?" A security guard pled for his life as he dangled off the edge of the roof of Club Aka, held up over the alleyway by just his right leg. "Please?"

"Very well..." The Raven said as she lifted the guard up with one arm, tossing him back onto the roof. Then, without a word, she slammed her elbow into his neck, knocking him out cold.

Club Aka was pristine, and the whole establishment was very modern. The two primary colors of the interior were red and black, much like the exterior, and there were various large paintings of abstract art that dominated the walls. The main area of the club was semicircular and had two levels— built as an entertainment area that was constructed around the thrust stage in the center. On stage was a zebra singer; an older stallion. He had a gravely yet smooth voice, and he sang a slow and rhythmic blues song along with his band of three others.

*Zebra band sings 'St. James Infirmary Blues' by Louis Armstrong*

It was dark, as expected of most nightclubs, and tables were gathered all around the stage chalked full of pale-furred stallions with dark hair— common traits of those in the Kage Mob. Accompanying them were their mare entourage, who all sported short-cut dresses and copious amounts of makeup. Shadow Dancer was eyed up by the odd stallion as they walked by, but Blue Thistle was met with shocked expressions and whispering. As they sat down at a table on the far side of the club, Blue Thistle ducked her head, wary of the stares she was getting.

"Hey, Blue... you're fine. Who gives a shit about what they think of you, right?" Shadow Dancer tried to get Blue Thistle out of her shell, but she didn't seem to budge. "Let's just focus on the task at hand, okay? Eyes up, see if you can spot a Kage with silver hair."

"Why?" Blue Thistle asked.

"That's one of the big bosses in Manehattan, Tamashī Kage. He's responsible for drug trafficking and arms dealing throughout the entire city. The guy's untouchable— gotten out of shit countless times. Nopony's ever been able to nail him outright." Shadow Dancer explained as her eyes danced about, on the lookout.

"I see him." Blue Thistle gestured up to the balcony overlooking the stage on the other side; a stallion in a white suit stood at the edge, watching the singer with a cold look on his face.

"Okay, that's our guy," Shadow Dancer said as she got out of her seat along with Blue Thistle. "Follow me, I'm gonna plant a bug on me and record our conversation with him. Hopefully I can get him to talk about The Raven, and moreover, hopefully, he'll willingly fess up to some other crimes as well."

"Do you wish to initiate a fight?" Blue Thistle wondered as she followed her partner upstairs.

"Perhaps... if I make a scene our mystery mare will most likely appear." Shadow Dancer replied as they came to a door guarded by another two stallions with assault rifles. "Hello, boys..."

"VIP access only, get lost," The guard on the left grunted.

"Hey, hey... I was here to do business with Tamashī Kage? I'm the gun runner?" Shadow Dancer reminded them.

"You don't look like a gun runner..." Said the guard on the left.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Do you want me to go home and change into my gun runner outfit?!" Shadow Dancer bellowed sarcastically as she threw her arms up in an outrage; a long, awkward silence followed. "So... you gonna let me in now?" Without another word, the guard on the left opened the door and guided them inside. "Thank you."

Blue Thistle trailed behind Shadow Dancer as they made their way towards the balcony on the second floor, approaching the fairly short stallion who was enjoying the entertainment by himself. He turned to Shadow Dancer as she made her steps audible, and he grinned excitedly, motioning towards the booth behind him. "Please sit."

"You are Tamashī Kage, right?" Shadow Dancer inquired as she sat down at the table.

"I am the one you seek, Ganran'nā," Tamashī proclaimed; he had an odd accent, one typical of those in the Kage family. "Tell me... why have you come here on such short notice?"

"We heard you were buying, so we came knockin'. You know how business is..." Shadow Dancer said as she leaned back in the cushioned booth.

"Indeed I do," Tamashī nodded slowly as he took a sip from his whiskey-filled glass on the table. "Now... let us get down to business."

"Hang on a sec. I just want to check for something..." Shadow Dancer took a look around the area, feigning concern.

"Oh? What is worrying you?" Tamashī asked.

"Nothing, nothing... I'm just a little paranoid— what with this mare in a mask jumping around taking down some of my high profile customers." Shadow Dancer began to pry. "I just wanna make sure this deal is safe, you know?"

"I understand well. The Raven has been nothing but an issue for my organization. But do not worry, my security is the best in the business," Tamashī reassured her as he took another sip.

"The Raven has been an issue for you? The Kage family?" Shadow Dancer questioned him.

"Although it brings me great shame to say it, yes. The Raven stopped one of my gun shipments last week— apprehended four of my best crew members. If I saw that blasted mare I'd have her shot dead on the spot-!" Tamashī froze as he saw the glass window above him shatter into a million pieces.

Shadow Dancer and Blue Thistle dove to the side, avoiding the black mass that fell through the window and onto the table with great force. As they got back on their hooves, the black mass became clearer. The mare in front of them was tall, only about four inches shorter than Blue Thistle , and she wore a highly advanced, black combat suit, complete with a ballistic face mask that took on the likeness of a black raven. Her cape and hood shrouded most of her upper body, and it was very hard to make out any other distinct features besides her empty white eyes. She rose up over an injured Tamashī with glass in his arm, who began pleading for his life the very second he bared witness to the hooded figure before him.

"Raven!" Shadow Dancer shouted to the hooded mare as she stepped off the table and chased after Tamashī, who fled the scene in a panic, jumping off the balcony into the audience below.

The Raven unfurled her cape like a set of wings, gliding down to the lower level. The band stopped playing, screaming began quickly, and within a couple of seconds, the whole club evacuated, leaving the guards to deal with the issue. Security entered the room through the back doors, eight of them, with submachine guns and assault rifles close at hand. Shadow Dancer jumped off the balcony as well, falling into a dive roll just before she hit the ground as a means to soften her landing. She found cover behind a support pillar near the entrance, and she grabbed the revolver sitting snug in the inside pocket of her leather jacket, loading it with ammunition from her jean pocket.

Blue Thistle simply jumped down, causing cracks in the ground as she landed on her hooves. The guards fired blindly at anything moving, assuming that they were a part of The Raven's assault. However, they appeared to only be a mild irritant to Blue Thistle, and with ease, she walked right up to each one of them, bullets ricocheting off her as she did so. She flicked one on the forehead, sending him flying back into the stage. Blue Thistle then gave another a light backhand to the jaw, launching him sky-high onto the second floor. With every guard she eliminated, she snapped their gun in half with her bare hands like a toothpick. The Raven was a proficient hand-to-hand combatant, even better than Shadow Dancer. She disarmed three guards in a heartbeat, throwing a wide kick that sent them all reeling. As they staggered, The Raven went in for the kill, taking two guards by their heads and slamming them down into a table. However, before she was able to move another inch, another guard not preoccupied with Blue Thistle stepped out from behind his cover, firing wildly.

Shadow Dancer took a deep breath as she gripped her revolver, waiting for the right moment. The Raven ducked behind a table, holding an odd gadget in her right hand. As Shadow Dancer stepped out of cover, she fired two shots, both landing on each shoulder of the armed thug. As he grimaced in pain, The Raven stood up, firing a handheld grappling gun at the staggered thug's, shin. The projectile shot forward, piercing the gang member's flesh. She then grabbed the thin cable attached to the harpooned tip and tugged on it, tripping the injured thug, causing his head to crash down onto the floor as a result. As The Raven realized the others were occupied, she ran out the door after Tamashī, using her grappling hook to boost her onto the roof of the next building over.

"Blue! She's getting away!" Shadow Dancer shouted to Blue Thistle as she kicked a thug back into the bar, shattering the whole wine display behind the table.

"Come, I'll catch up with them," Blue Thistle carried Shadow Dancer outside as she finished off the last guard, using her tremendous strength to lift both of them high into the air with a single bound onto the rooftop to their right. From the skyline, Blue Thistle spotted The Raven pursuing Tamashī, who was cutting through alleyways in a desperate attempt to flee. "There she is!"

Blue Thistle and Shadow Dancer landed on the next rooftop over with a 'thud', rocking the whole structure, and they leaped from building to building together as they chased after The Raven. The Raven was well aware of this, but her tunnel vision demanded that she apprehend Tamashī before dealing with her own pursuers; luckily Tamashī had run into the middle of the street, right where she wanted him. In her hand materialized a boomerang-like object in her hand— constructed from light pink magical energies originating from her long horn. She tossed the projectile forward, and it whirred as it barrelled towards Tamashī. The boomerang plunged into Tamashī's leg, felling him in the middle of the street.

"Ah! You fucking whore!" Tamashī cringed in agony as he clutched the open wound that leaked profusely as the arcane object evaporated. "You bitch!"

As The Raven landed beside Tamashī, she grabbed his collar and lifted him high into the air, her eyes narrowing. "Tamashī Kage! You have blood on your hands! Innocent blood! Who hired you to kill that philanthropist and his family three years ago?! In that alleyway in the Upper East Side?!"

"Should we-?" Blue Thistle was shushed by Shadow Dancer atop a nearby roof; she wanted to listen.

"I will say nothing, you-! Arraggh!" Tamashī howled as The Raven dug retractable claws on her gloves into the muscle between his shoulder and neck. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you!" Tamashī slowed his breathing, trying to recall his memories. "It's-!" A bullet whizzed through the air and passed through his skull before he could even begin his sentence.

"Sniper! Get behind me!" Blue Thistle shouted as she jumped off the roof and stood in front of The Raven, a bullet ricocheting off her back. "Shadow Dancer, did you see the flash?!"

"I didn't see shit!" Shadow Dancer replied as she laid in a prone position on the rooftop, shuffling backward towards the ledge. As she fell off, she grabbed the knife from her pocket, shoving it into the concrete wall, halting her rapid descent. She then hid behind the corner, gesturing to the two mares to retreat into the alleyway. "Come on!"

The Raven and Blue Thistle jumped behind cover, taking a moment to catch their breath before they said another word. As Shadow Dancer looked around a corner, another shot zoomed through the air and glanced off the pavement nearby, prompting Shadow Dancer to duck behind the corner once again. The Raven spoke up first as she sat down, pulling up her hood and revealing her long, pale pink hair done up in a ponytail and her white coat, riddled with scars around her neck area. Her face still remained hidden by her mask, however. "Damn... he was my one lead."

"You have some explaining to do, girly," Shadow Dancer said in an exasperated tone as she turned to face The Raven. "First off, who the hell are you?! What's this talk about a philanthropist and his family? Why the hell do you want to know something like that?"

"It's complicated..." The Raven sighed as she stood back up, dusting off her suit.

"Oh, well it's about to get a lot less complicated! You're gonna give us some answers! We've turned this city upside down looking for you!" Shadow Dancer growled at the tall masked mare as the humming of an engine could be heard in the distance. "What's that?"

"Our ride." The Raven said as a heavily armored, high-tech black car pulled inside the alleyway. It's large cockpit window opened up like a lid, revealing four seats on the inside. "Get in."

"Where are we going?" Shadow Dancer asked as she and Blue Thistle hopped inside.

"To The Nest," The Raven replied as the cockpit lid secured itself onto the vehicle, activating the holographic HUD in front of her. With the press of a button, The Raven backed the sleek armored car out of the alleyway and drove down the empty street. "We'll talk there."

Author's Note

Meet Equestria's equivalent of Batman! The Raven! As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!