The blanket of night coated Manehattan under a veil of blissful indigo. Stars were sprinkled along the sky’s ever-reaching canvas, winking at the metropolis below. Piercing the thick darkness, the milky white glimmer of the moon was captivated by the whispering waves of the water surrounding the proud island. The city itself was pulsing with life, ponies always up and about, looking for something to do; be it a party, a date, or just a night on the town, the city of Manehattan never knew sleep.
“How did you like the play, honey?” Flynn Moonshine smiled at his wife, Cherry Harvest, as they exited the Bridleway theatre.
“It was great, I liked it!” she beamed, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Honestly, I don’t know how you were able to afford the tickets, but this was a great way to celebrate our anniversary!”
“That’s my little secret, Cherry.” Flynn shot her a wink, then looked to their daughter between them. “What about you, sweetheart? Did you enjoy the play?”
“It was funny!” beamed Daisy Ribbon. “Can we come back again?”
He shrugged, flashing a knowing grin. “Someday. It’s pretty expensive, so only on special occasions. Maybe we’ll go on your birthday.”
“Yay!” Daisy gleefully bounced around her parents, Cherry giggling at her daughter’s joviality.
The family trotted down the sidewalk, smiling and chatting of familiar things, when a voice called out to them.
“Fancy night for a walk, eh?”
Flynn turned his head and his eyes exploded into dinner plates. A bulky earth pony stood before the family, offering a disingenuous smile as he chewed on a toothpick.
Out of motherly instinct, Cherry grabbed Daisy and held her close.
“Flynn, what’s going on?”
“Cherry, keep Daisy close and stay behind me.” he said, not taking his eyes off the stallion staring him down. “What do you want, Shakedown?”
“How do you know him?!” Cherry hugged Daisy close.
“Mommy?” she whimpered.
“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart, just stay with your mother.” Flynn tried to sound reassuring, but the fear in his voice had already poisoned his words.
“Not much, pal.” Shakedown rested the toothpick on his hoof, then flicked it aside. “Just that you’ve been falling behind on your protection payments. Al Gazillion’s patience has run out and he wants his money, now.”
“I don’t have it right now,” Flynn confessed, “can you convince Al to give me another week?”
Shakedown shook his head. “You don’t have it? Ridiculous. You obviously had enough to go see a show on Bridleway. So, why don’t we try this one more time?”
The pony drew nearer to Flynn, the stallion shying away from his cold gaze, unable to look him in the eye.
“Hand over the money.”
“I don’t have it.” he muttered.
“You don’t have it,” Shakedown repeated, pulling back to give Flynn some breathing space. “Alright, so that’s how it’s going to be.”
Pressing a hoof against his lips, Shakedown let out a whistle. From the alley beside them, a hulking diamond dog peeled itself from the shadows, grabbing hold of Cherry in massive paw and Daisy in the other.
“Put me down!” Cherry shrieked. “Keep your filthy paws off my daughter!”
“Mommy!” Daisy shrieked, flailing in desperation.
“Take them into the alley, Bulldog.” said Shakedown.
“No, leave them alone!” Flynn moved to intercept the diamond dog, but his face was struck with a pair of hind hooves, knocking him to the floor. Two more stallions emerged from the alley, standing over their downed victim.
“Nice kick, Haymaker.” remarked the first stallion.
“It’s what I do, Coltrane.” the second cricked his neck.
The pair continued their onslaught, kicking Flynn in the stomach and face multiple times, until he was reduced to a twitching heap on the ground, blood seeping from a broken muzzle.
“Leave him alone! Stop it, please, stop!” Cherry cried out, but was quickly silenced by Bulldog’s paw clamping itself over her mouth. He did the same to Daisy when she started to sob, reducing them to muffled whimpers.
“Alright, boys, that’s enough.” Shakedown inserted himself between them and crouched to Flynn’s level. “Until you pay up, we’ll be holding onto your mare and filly for a little while. Go to the cops and Bulldog gets to have some fun.”
Bulldog’s lips stretched into a malicious grin, his eyes fixating on Cherry with lustful intent.
“N-No, don’t…” Flynn reached for Shakedown’s leg, but suffered another kick in ribs.
“Let’s get going, boys, I think he gets the message.” Shakedown chuckled.
The gang turned to exit the alley, but Haymaker was suddenly yanked off his hooves, landing face first on the pavement.
“What the hay?!” he shouted. He looked down to find a cord wrapped around his legs, which began to pull him back into the darkness. Haymaker screamed, vainly trying to fight off his attacker, but was eventually consumed by the shadows. His screams faded soon after. The rest of the mobsters had so little time to react, they barely had time to register what had just happened.
“Haymaker?!” Shakedown glanced around the alley, the black walls of darkness surrounding them like trapped animals. “Who’s out there?! Show yourself!”
His wish was granted immediately, as a figure burst from the shadows, rolling right behind Coltrane and delivering a sturdy buck to his face. Coltrane was thrown across the alley, his body slamming into the dumpster. Bulldog hurled his hostages aside and swung a flurry of might paws at the assailant, but the attack was easily evaded. He growled, clasping both hands over his head, preparing to bring down an axe-handle, until he was cut down by a blow to the private area. He whimpered loudly, collapsing to his knees, rendering him vulnerable enough for the attacker to slam her forehoof into his face, knocking him unconscious.
“Stay back!” Shakedown shouted at the figure. They turned their head, to see the mobster holding Daisy in a headlock. The filly kicked, but her efforts availed her nothing.
“Daisy!” Cherry stood on her hooves.
“None of you come near me or she dies!” the remaining mobster backed away again. In the moonlight, Shakedown could make out his attacker. They wore a dark blue mask and a largely purple outfit, complete with a cape and hat.
The masked pony advanced and Shakedown tightened his grip on Daisy’s neck.
“I’m not messing around, I’ll break her neck! I’m not afraid to do it!” he snarled.
A moment of intense silence followed, then the masked pony’s eyes narrowed.
“I believe you.”
The masked pony produced a small M-shaped projectile, then tossed it at the thug, the gadget circling around him like a boomerang and slamming into the backside of his head. Shakedown grunted, dropping Daisy to nurse his head. The masked pony lunged forward and tackled Shakedown to the floor, flipping over his body and landing a few feet ahead of him. Shakedown scrambled to his hooves, throwing a few desperate hooks at the masked pony, but none could connect. Ducking an attempted punch, the masked pony retaliated, slamming their own hoof into Shakedown’s chin, knocking him to the ground. He groaned, moving his head slightly, then passed out as his eyes rolled into the back of his skull.
“Mommy! Daddy!” Daisy rushed into her family’s hooves, crying into their chests. Flynn and Cherry barely held back their own tears as they embraced their daughter.
“Thank Celestia, you’re okay!” Flynn kissed his wife and daughter, hugging them both. The masked pony finished tying the mobsters together for the proper authorities to take in, once they arrived. They turned, only to be hugged by Daisy, giving them a startle, but their mask it.
“You saved us!” Daisy buried her head into the masked pony’s chest. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
For a moment, the masked pony did not respond. Daisy raised her head to look at her savior, then felt their hoof softly petting her mane.
“It’s alright,” she finally replied, returning the hug in kind. “You’re safe now. Go back to your family.”
Relinquishing the hug, Daisy withdrew to her parents, who stared at her incredulously.
“You saved our lives,” Flynn said, managing a smile through his bruised face, “hey, wait a minute, I know you! You’re Mare-Do-Well, from the papers back in Ponyville!”
“We owe you a great debt for this,” Cherry nodded. “How can we repay you?”
“There is nothing to repay,” Mare-Do-Well turned away from the family, “I’m only doing my job.”
She raised one of her forehooves, a gadget strapped to it shooting out a cable that pulled the vigilante off the ground and toward the rooftops, where she disappeared into the night.
