Chapters The Devil of Hell's Kitchen
Hero Dressed Like the Devil
It was pitch black. Six ponies and a dragon all woke up from an unaware slumber, unable to see a single thing. They were left scrambling, hoping not to bump into each other. And they all had no memory of what happened, where they were at, or how they ended up in this small space.
"T-Twilight? W-Where are we? It's dark..."
Twilight gulped, unable to see, but hear Fluttershy, "I-I'm not too sure, Fluttershy. Is... Is everypony else here?"
"Twi? T-That you?" slurred Rainbow, "Everything's pitch black right now. Where the hay are we even at?"
"I have no clue... What happened?" Spike asked, the dragon unable to stretch in the small space they found themselves in.
Quiet mumbles and voices were heard nearby, it sounded like they were inside a tightly locked room. Applejack shushed her friends, trying listen in, "I think ah hear whoever did this..." she did her best to find a wall and planted her cheek on it, hoping she would be able to listen in.
"I'm just saying, these horses could make us a profit. No one's ever seen anythin' like 'em."
"Yeah, but what about the boss? What's he gotta say about this?"
"As long as we're still makin' money, I say we're good."
Applejack gulped, "Girls... I t-think we're bein' sold to somepony,"
"Sold? For what reason?" Twilight tilted her head. That didn't make any sense. There has been no sign of pony enslavement in Equestria in recent times. Unless it was a secret ring that even she was unaware of until now. But all she needed to do was teleport them out, but she cringed, feeling a pain in her side, halting her thougts for the moment.
Pinkie gasped, "I can't sold! I don't even know how much I cost!"
"Pinkie, dear. This is serious." Rarity whispered.
"I know," the pink mare sighed, "I wanted to lighten the mood."
Twilight responded, "And I'm grateful, but I don't think now's-- Eek!" she yelped, hearing something shake in front of her. She paused, "Okay, everypony... Stay calm and stay quiet..." she ordered, wondering if she was even turning to her friends.
A glimmer of night light was seen shining into wherever the ponies are at, finally allowing them to see, albeit very little could be seen from where they were at anyhow. But it didn't last long. Two bipedal creatures clad in black looked inside. His jaw was open, "Sunova bitch. They're awake. Now, don't go causin' a ruckus now. Or I'll have'ta whip ya into submission ya hear?" he ordered, cocking back whatever weapon he was holding in his hands.
"W-What are you?" Fluttershy squeaked in fright, tears threatening to run down her face.
The figure blinked, "Holy shit... you can talk. I thought the horn and colors were fer show. Heh, our buyer's gonna have a lot of fun with ya." he taunted.
"Hold on!" shouted Rainbow, "What do you want us for? How did we get here?"
"No clue." the criminal replied, "Found ya unconscious, thought we could get a little more extra moola by sellin' yer freakish features as well. Guess we were right in doin' so. But we put a little somethin' in ya to make sure you don't get so rowdy anyhow." he pointed to the darts stuck to their sides.
"A little tranq darts. Enough to keep ya unconscious longer than expected." he chuckled.
Spike gulped, "Twilight? Can't you use your magic?"
The alicorn closed her eyes, suddenly finding herself drained. She exhaled, "Sorry, Spike. I think whatever they did with these darts... blocked my magic for now..." she panted. The darts weakened her body, and she couldn't properly focus her energy into her horn for a mass teleportation spell.
"What?!" Rainbow yelled, "Why I oughta!"
The figure chuckled, "Have fun with that." he slowly closed the door, slamming it so loud it created an echo within the container and lightly shook it, frightening the ponies slightly. They ha no idea what was happening, but they needed to find a way out.
Perching on a red freight container was a man clad in red and black armor, a cowl with horns was worn on his head. He was the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, or Daredevil as he was called in the media and newspaper. He was watching the shipment from a high enough spot as not to be spotted underneath the pitch black night sky of New York. He crouched down slightly, and out a hand to his knee, positioning himself properly.
Matt wondered if he should be out tonight. It had been a while since he put on the cowl. Not since the Hand attacked and he told Karen his secret. That was the night everything changed for him. Now, he was alone with no one to go to, and this was all he had: To protect the city he called home.
He had caught sightings of a suspicious event happening in the docks and decided to seek it out.
Hearing voices, Daredevil turned his head, tuning his senses so that he could listen in better. Even though he lacked eyesight, he made up for it with his other senses.
"I'm just sayin', these are livin', talkin', creatures." one of the goons said, leaning on a green container.
A man crossing his arms shook his head, "I'm still saying you're spewing bullshit."
'Two guards near the box. Possibly a few more nearby; around five or six.' deduced Murdock in his head. 'The docks should be closed at this hour. That means this is something else entirely. Might be more drugs for all I know, but they mentioned talking, living creatures. I can't take that risk and hurry.'
Footsteps, Matt noticed. The sound was near him. Now was the time to act. Without hesitation, he dropped down behind an unknowing goon, who had no weapons at hand. Quietly sneaking, Daredevil used both his hands to grab the man by the shoulders and threw him into the shadows, where no one could see him.
Daredevil punched the unwitting man's face until it was bruised, bleeding red and he was unconscious. He had no chance to fight back and was left in the shadows, where Matt stepped out for a moment, leaning on a box for cover.
Slowly turning his head, Daredevil sensed two armed goons, wielding bats and hammers. He knew he had little time to react and so he sprinted forward. He reached another corner to cover in and saw the two goons coming in his direction, unaware of his presence.
The mook with the bat was the closest to him and he pulled him into the shadows, surprising the thug with the bat, "H-Huh? Who's there?" silence was his answer, "A-Answer me!"
Muffles were heard in response as well as the sound of something hitting flesh, the bat rolled into his view, completely clean of blood or anything, meaning it wasn't used. Daredevil revealed himself to the hammer-wielding. In a mix of fear and rage, he tried to swing at Matt, having his arm grabbed. Daredevil casually bent it in the opposite direction, earning a snap and a loud scream which the Devil of Hell's Kitchen attempted to muffle out with his palm. The man's eyes widened, letting go of the hammer.
Unfortunately for Daredevil, once he turned his head upward from punching out the man in the face, he saw the remaining guards surrounding him. He exhaled sharply, now annoyed that his cover was blown.
One of the guards charged after Daredevil, grunting as his fist collided with Matt's face, making his head reel back in pain. A second man came forward and kicked Murdock straight in the chest, pushing him back as he panted. With a yell, Daredevil punched the second goon in the fsce, leaping in the air slightly and performing a tired-looking spin-kick to his face while stunned, knocking him down on his side with ease.
A third mook came forward and gave the vigilante's hip a right jab. In response, Daredevil gritted his teeth and punched the man clean in the face, kicking the other man while he was still down, making him wheeze and hold his stomach. The first person that attacked Daredevil tried to deal another blow, but Matt held his fist and spun his arm around, making the man move around confusingly before receiving a kick to the back, pushing him to the floor. A loud grunt was heard as his face planted onto the concrete floor.
Daredevil suddenly found himself kicked so hard that he fell on his back before suddenly taking a bat to the face. The last of the guards had blindsided him for the moment. He coughed a little, blood drooling from his mouth after two whacks to his exposed mouth and chin area. He got kicked a little more and was even stomped on. Having enough, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen rolled his body and crouched, performing a sweep kick that sent one of the men tripping.
The vigilante panted as he stood up, holding his aching sides. One of the goons tried to whack him with a bat again, but he held it, dropping it to the floor. His fist met the guard's face as hard as he could, leaving a bruise there instantly from his armored hand. He spun his body around and elbowed the last thug in the nose, breaking it. The man held his nose as he charged forward, receiving a right hook directly to his hip, making him collapse in pain.
The man Daredevil tripped beforehand attempted to get up, and the viiglante leaped, planting his foot directly in his face, making him fall back with a thud. Now, there was no resistance left, and Daredevil now went to finish the job he started.
The grunts and muffles the Equestrians heard ceased in an instant, worrying them. "W-What happened out there?" Fluttershy gulped.
"I'm not too sure, Fluttershy..." Twilight whispered, truly unsure of how to process this situation.
They heard talking beforehand, but that got replaced by sounds of cracks, snaps, muffles and grunts of pain. But what awaited them outside? Surely, they would have to know at some point.
The sound of creaking made the ponies and dragon each take a step back in fright, hoping that they weren't going to get hurt. But they didn't see anyone step inside. "Huh?" Spike blurted out.
"It's alright." they heard a gentle whisper, "You can come out now."
"A-Are ya sure?" Applejack called out, hoping his words were true.
"Yes." he assured again,
With trepidation, the seven Equestrians all emerged from the cramped box and found themselves on a dock in an urban city. The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing. They had no idea how they even ended up in this world, but it was certainly not Equestria, looking for their savior, Twilight found him standing next to the box they were just in, a surprise look on the features of a seemingly emotionless cowl. Even the ponies were surprised to see him.
The girls can't believe they were saved by a man dressed like the Devil.
Daredevil couldn't believe he rescued group of talking colored ponies and a dragon.
New York was stranger than he wished to remind himself.
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen
No Doors Can Hold Him Back
Daredevil knew his enhanced senses were right, despite not believing it at first. Standing before him were six horses and a dragon and not kids or women like he initially predicted before the small fight. Never before had he seen something this bizarre since 'The Incident' , where aliens invaded New York.
But this... Matt knew that something was definitely wrong. They replied to him mere moments ago, which meant that not only could they understand him, but are able to talk as well, which concerned him a little. But he ignored his need to question their purpose in being here and instead decided to check on their wellbeing beforehand.
"Are you okay?" he asked through a quiet pant, still a little tired from his small fight.
Twilight gulped, "Y-Yes, I think so." she eyed the darkened dock, seeing the unconscious bodies of their supposed kidnappers. "W-What happened here?"
Matt looked down, "That's not important. What's important is that we get out of here before you draw the wrong kind of attention." he whispered to the seven. "I'm going to have to find a way out of here without you causing a citywide panic."
"Who do you think you area anyway, dressed in a costume like that and telling us what to do?" Rainbow asked.
Rarity raised a brow, "It looks rather... strange."
Daredevil scowled, "I don't give a shit about the costume. You're a group of talking horses in a world of humans. You're not... normal. We need to get out of here before something even worse happens. And given how I found you, you're already in deep shit as it is."
"Where are we anyway?" Spike asked.
Turning his head, Matt tuned his senses as best as he could to see if anyone was nearby, "New York. Hell's Kitchen to be exact. But I'm wondering how the hell a bunch of talking horses wound up in a shipping crate to be sent off to God knows where." he held his knees and wiped the remaining blood off his face.
Twilight let out an exasperated groan, "That's just it. We don't know. One minute we were all standing near the magic mirror, then the next minute we find ourselves waking up in... that, apparentally drugged, I can't use my magic either."
Weakly flapping her wings, Rainbow groaned, "Whatever was in that stuff must've made my wings numb as well. It'll probably take a few before I get feeling back into them."
Putting a palm to his head, Matt sighed inward, 'Of course they have magic. No wonder they were nearly kidnapped.' he folded his arms, "Now, it's a matter of why these people wanted to ship you off in the first place. Other than to make a quick buck for the circus."
"Hey!" Pinkie yelled.
Tuning the ponies out for a second, Daredevil moved his neck, hearing noises nearby. Footsteps. Murdock looked back at the ponies and shushed them. "Listen to me. I don't care if you trust me or not. Believe it or not, I'm your best option in finding a way back to whatever you come from, so just... Hide back in here for a moment until the people leave." he ordered with a whisper.
"What? B-But it's scary! W-What if you're lying?" Fluttershy whimpered.
Daredevil held out his billy clubs, "Either take the risk, or actually stay getting kidnapped. You're safer in there until whatever did you in goes away. It may be horse tranquilizers. It won't last for long. Just... listen for now."
Hearing the footsteps and seeing the armed figure as well, the ponies and dragon silently nodded and walked back into the crate, where Daredevil slowly closed it enough to leave a small crack of light to shine itself through. The Equestrians remained silent as they awaited Matt's next course of action. They didn't even know him, yet he was helping them. Especially since he had apparentally not seen them before.
On the outside, Matt hid behind the crate, hoping the incoming mook didn't see him. He could hear their footsteps get louder as he got closer. The goon looked and saw the unconscious bodies of his men. "Aw, shit. Not again." he groaned, before taking a billy club to the face, making him stagger back.
While he was stunned, Daredevil ran forward and held him onto the ground, his neck being held down by Daredevil's elbow and his arm being held back with his other hand. "What's happening here, Turk?" he threatened, moving his arm, quiet cracks heard, making him whimper in pain.
Turk Barrett bit his lip, "The hell you talking about? Aaahh!" he screamed, feeling Matt move his arm a little more, threatening to break it. From their hiding spot, the Equestrians could hear every word and even cringed at the painful noises coming from the outside.
"I want answers, you want to keep your arm. I'll be simple and direct. Why are there talking horses here, and what do you have to do with it?" Daredevil asked simply in a loud whisper, his teeth gritted.
"A-Ah! Horses? I-I wasn't told that! I thought it was weapons!" Turk admitted. Daredevil narrowed his eyes, checking the man's heartbeat. It was erratic, most likely from his interrogation methods, but besides that, Matt noticed that he was actually telling the truth in this instance and picked him up by the back of his jacket, pinning his stomach to the side of the shipping crate. "Seriously, dude! I thought I could get some survival gear! Honest! I didn't think something as bats-shit crazy as talking horses were here!"
Once Daredevil let him go, he dusted himself off, "Man, what kinda greeting was that? You vanish for weeks and suddenly I'm your punching back again?" he quipped, slightly annoyed now and his arm sore, but luckily not broken.
"Is that why you are here?" asked Matt, clenching his fists.
"Yeah! But talking horses? I'm not sure what I was expectin' to come from your crazy-ass mouth." Turk responded with a growl.
"Now who sent for you?" the vigilante then asked.
Turk shrugged, "Some thugs mentioned they found somethin' here. They said they worked for some gangster type in a nearby location. I ain't got nothin' to do with them, so I don't give a shit what to do. I was hopin' to make a quick trade off."
Seeing the crate doors creak open, the Equestrians got a closer look at what was happening, much to the Devil of Hell's Kitchen's annoyance. "I told you to stay! The less people that know the better." he nearly shouted through gritted teeth.
"Who the hay is this guy?" Applejack asked.
Turk's jaw was agape and he inhaled, "God damn it. I should'a stayed in Harlem. This shit is getting to crazy for me. First that asshole Cottonmouth, Luke Cage and now talkin' ponies?!"
Before any other comment could escape Turk's mouth, Daredevil knocked him unconscious with a clean punch, making him fall to the floor. "Now. Care to explain yourselves?"
"We're not just gonna sit around and hide the entire time! We have to do something!" Rainbow told the vigilante. "We don't even know your name! Trust is kinda low right now."
"But can we at least get a name from you now that everything appears to be clear?" Rarity inquired.
"...The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Daredevil." Matt introduced.
"Ooh. I like that name! Catchy." Pinkie admitted, rubbing her forelegs together.
"I don't think there's any choice in this matter for your sakes. You're all going to have to follow me until I can figure this whole thing out. I'm sure the last thing you want is for this to happen again." muttered Matt. "And trust me, I'd rather not involve myself with talking ponies. But you're lucky I found you when I did."
Spike folded his arms, "Yeah, no kidding. I say we go. What other option is there? That Turk guy?"
"He's a lowlife criminal. You're better off, trust me." Matt said. "Unless you can scour all of New York on your own. Not that I'm against it. Maybe that so-called Spider-Man vigilante could help instead?" he offered.
Daredevil was thinking of sending them to the Avengers, but considering their current state and the Sokovia Accords he heard about, he was better off leaving things on his own and not drag himself or these ponies into that mess. He felt more comfortable in his city, away from the robots, powered terrorists and the aliens.
Twilight put a hoof to her chin, and weighed their options, "Spike's right. There's no way we can handle all this on our own. If what Daredevil said is true, then we're the only equines here, possibly more people like Daredevil instead. We can't draw too much attention to ourselves until we have a definite way to get back home. That could lead us to more trouble."
"Fine..." Rainbow rolled her eyes.
The alicorn cleared her throat, "I'm Twilight Sparkle by the way." she introduced herself, "And my friends Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy."
Now that sudden introductions were out of the way, Matt turned his back to the Equestrians, "...Just follow my lead and don't get lost. I'm taking you somewhere you can rest. Then, I'm finding whoever put you in there and find out why and how to get you home." he discussed, 'Trust me. You do not need to be around me for long.' he thought, 'For your sakes.'
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen
After a difficult journey in the shadows, Daredevil led the Equestrians across the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen to a door. The door led to an enlarged room, an apartment. His apartment to be exact. Making sure he wasn't being followed, Matt slowly guided the ponies and dragon inside once he knew things were clear.
All of them were in awe over what they were seeing. They just snuck around an entire city that looked to be larger than Manehattan and now the Daredevil figure was allowing them refuge until they could arrive home.
It was dark inside, which was to be expected. The only source of light came from the outside through the windows. Twilight had to muster a little energy to light up her horn to see a what was indoors as the lights outside really did little to lighten things up. They saw a couch, a kitchen, tables and a bed. Around them was a television and even a laptop.
Daredevil slowly closed the exit and sat down on the couch, removing his cowl and revealing his face. Nothing was said among the group. Nothing needed to be said at the moment. The only sound was Matt's panting as he dropped the cowl to the floor, clearly worn out from his little travel and brief fights. His eyes wandered about, not focused on anything in particular, not even the ponies.
The vigilante dropped his cowl on the floor, it making a small sound as it hit the ground. The sound caused Fluttershy and Pinkie to flinch, the silence breaking. Twilight was the first to break the silence at last, "Are you... are you alright, Daredevil?" she asked calmly, reaching a hoof to the black and red cowl.
Matt quietly nodded, ignoring the slight pain he felt on his arms and legs. Bringing the ponies silently was a challenge, the last thing he needed was to find himself in Avengers affairs because of this, he leaned back on the couch, lying his arms out. "Hey, Daredevil...?" Spike muttered out, the man didn't move his head but gave him a solemn nod as well, allowing him to continue speaking.
"Are you sure you're alright. Your eyes are all... not moving. No offense." the drake pointed out. "You haven't looked at us since we got in."
Standing up, Daredevil looked to the dragon, his eyes still unfocused, "That's because I can't." he muttered, walking away to get out of his costume. A few minutes later, he came back to the group, wearing a plain white t-shirt and black sweatpants. He also wore sunglasses and had a cane in his arms.
"What do you mean?" Rarity wondered, "You were able to fight off those goons that dared to hold us captive after all. And why do you need that cane?"
"You actually kicked flank out there." Rainbow added, looking over the table.
With a sigh, Matt sat back down on the soft sofa. Rainbow and Applejack looked at some of his appliances, examining his remote. The man spoke up, "You don't need to know the details." was all he whispered, the eerie silence of the room allowing his voice to be heard despite his hushed tone.
Matt's head raised up, despite his glasses, the Equestrians could tell he was observing them. "I can't see. All I can see is a world on fire." he murmured, his tone stern.
Twilight raised a brow curiously at his choice of wording, "A world on fire?" she repeated, "That makes no sense."
"Yeah! Nothing's on fire." Pinkie commented.
Matt inhaled sharply, "That's..." he paused, "...That's not what I meant."
"Then what do ya mean?" Applejack asked.
Matt refused to budge, but Rainbow prodded him, "C'mon, Daredevil. You agreed to help us. I think the least you can do is talk about yourself a bit. We won't spill anything. Pinkie promise." she assured.
Pinching his temples, Matt answered with silence, his breathing heard in the room. The Equestrians all looked at one another, unsure of how to continue. Murdock was not known for opening up to strangers like this, least of all talking horses and a dragon he just met. It took a lot out of him to reveal his secrets to Foggy and Karen, and it was a huge mistake he felt. "Alright..." he relented, patting his knee, sitting up properly.
Murdock looked around, able to sense the otherworld residents' presence, "If you must know, my name is Matt Murdock. An accident enhanced my senses at the cost of my sight."
"Oh my." Fluttershy said, "But why... dress up like that and do all those dangerous things if you... can't see?"
"Hell's Kitchen needs someone. A guardian in the night. But I'm not an angel." Matt explained, resting his hand on the armrest of his chair, a frown seen on his features. "There's not a lot of us here. And this city, after the Incident , needs a protector with the crime that is running rampant. That's why I'm here, wearing that armor you saw. My senses give me a slight advantage." he folded his hands, hoping to stop elaborating as he didn't want to. "That enough?"
"Incident?" Twilight asked, "What happened?"
A sharp exhale escaped Matt Murdock, the lawyer rubbing his forehead with him annoyed by the constant questions, "A few years ago, the skies of New York opened up. It was an alien invasion. That was when they showed up, the Avengers. Once they saved the day, they built a tower here. But they're unaware of the costs down here. While they're off fighting robots and aliens around the world, New York is still recovering and that allowed some... bad people to take advantage of this desperate situation. More vigilantes like me also stepped,put of the shadows as well."
Rarity bit her lip, "Oh dear."
"That's why I'm so hesitant in having you all involved with me. I made enemies and they want to stop the Devil of Hell's Kitchen at all costs." Matt revealed. "I don't want anyone of you getting hurt. This isn't your battle."
"We appreciate the concern, Mister Murdock. But we need to get home soon. This was unintentional." Twilight began.
Matt folded his arms, "How did you end up here anyway?"
Twilight put a hoof to her chin, "Well... I was testing another spell from Starswirl the Bearded with everypony here and fell unconscious somehow. When we came to, we woke up in that crate you found us in. There must've been a screwup in the spell somehow and brought us here by mistake. I'll need time to figure it out. But thank you for helping us, Mister Murdock."
Matt nodded earnestly, "You're safer here than anywhere else in Hell's Kitchen."
"Is there anyone you can trust in this city?" Applejack wondered, "No way yer the only one goin' out like that."
"Yeah, don't you have any friends?" Pinkie wondered, tilting her head.
The man didn't say anything and instead looked for a different answer, "There are others in the city. I've heard of a private investigator with a unique gift, Luke Cage is in Harlem, and reports of a guy called Spider-Man in Queens. This is my territory though. And I don't know if we should get anyone else involved with this. This must stay as discreet as possible." he warned.
Spike agreed, "I think we can do that." all the girls nodded at Matt, who gave them a thin smile.
"We'll rest for tonight. You have to stay here once morning comes. Once it sets... That's when the city needs Daredevil." Matt declared, standing up as he made his way to his kitchen, "Now... I think I have to feed you something if you're to stay here." he suggested, moreso to himself. "Like I said, I'll do my best to make sure you get home safely."
"Got any hay?" Rainbow asked.
Murdock shook his head, "No. How about a salad?"
"I think we'll like that." Twilight said. Hearing her friends respond the same as well. Matt didn't say anything and reached for his cabinets, grabbing the necessary ingredients.
