Author's Note

Don't expect consistent uploads.

And for those out there complaining...

Enjoy the story.

A Night in the Slums

I strode through the dark and damp stone paved streets of the Canterlot underbelly. These streets are paved with crime and you're liable to get stabbed, mugged or raped here, maybe all three. The cold breeze of the wind and the light sprinkle of water that fell from the sky was hitting my face and caused my purple overcoat to flap around in the wind, revealing its velvet red insides, my fine blue and green suit and a small gold chain loop from my belt to my pocket, which housed my pocket watch. A group of five thugs caught sight of this and began trotting some distance behind me.

'It seems I've got some paparazzi.' I thought. If you went out dressed like this out here, you were either brave, stupid or insane.

Good thing I was all three.

I stopped walking, but they continued to walk towards me. I reached into an inside pocket of my coat and grasped a rubber grip. I could tell from their hoofsteps getting softer that they were trying to sneak up on me. They got quieter and quieter until there was no sound of hooves anymore.

'3'

'2'

'1'

I whipped the large combat knife from my overcoat and slashed out the throat of the pegasus that was using its wings to hover behind me. Blood sprayed over the paved stone street and on me, the crimson liquid shining bright in what little moonlight there was. She fell to the ground, gargling and thrashing for air. An earth pony charged me, only to get a shoe to his jaw sending him into a pair of trashcans, knocking them over and making quite a ruckus. The sickening crack that was made when my purple shoe connected made the other three thugs visibly flinch. A unicorn tried to power up its horn for a shot, but he didn't have the chance to fire. I covered the few meters that separated us at lighting speed, my blood soaked coat violently flying behind me. My knife sliced through the unicorn's horn like a hot knife through butter, sending it clattering to the ground. Before it hit the ground, I had already slashed out the other earth pony's eyes, blood and yellow goop flowing from his eye sockets. The unicorn fell to the ground in pain as the earth pony wailed in agony. To shut him up, I stuck my blade in his throat, twisted the blade and ripped it out, leaving a hole of torn flesh and blood. He fell and choked on his own fluids. I looked up to see the last pony running away, scared beyond recognition.

"Coward." I thought out loud.

I heard a rush of hooves, turned around and got winded by a pair of hooves smashing into my stomach. I staggered back and began laughing hysterically. It had been a while since someone was able to land a blow on me and for once the pain actually felt good. I looked up through my matted green hair at the earth pony who I had knocked through the air earlier. His face was one of pure horror, which was slightly skewed by his shattered jaw.

I laughed because I knew the he was going to leave this street in a body bag.

I laughed because he knew that too.

I laughed because they thought they would get the drop on me.

I laughed because no matter what...

...none of them would leave here the same, dead or alive.

I laughed because...

...

...

...

...because it all I could do now.

It was all too quick for even me to see. I slowly stopped laughing as my blade slid out of the earth pony's eye socket as his lifeless body fell to the cold wet stone road. I stood up straight and took a deep breath. I turned myself around, looking at the massacre that I had committed. Blood flowed freely through the cracks in the paved stones that made up this dark empty street. The body of the pegasus had long since stopped struggling and the other earth pony had also drowned in its own blood. However, the unicorn was still laying there in pain and holding his hooves to the stub of his horn. His eyes were shut tight and tears were streaming down his face.

"Now now there, that's nothing to cry about." I said to him as I lit a match and held it up to my face. He looked ever so slightly up at me and immediately had an expression of disgust and terror. What he looked at was my face, caked in white, red and black paint. My green hair was wet, messy and long. But my most striking feature were the large scars that ran from the corners of my mouth and went up to the side of my face, giving me a permanent grin.

"W-what are y-you?" The unicorn said in a shaky and weak voice.

"Oh, me? My old name has long since been lost, but my new name..."

"...is Joker" I said as I began laughing a high pitched cackle. I took my knife, placed in beside his mouth and prepared to carve a masterpiece. But before I started I said something.

"Whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger."

Many heard his screams, but none came to make them stop.

Tomorrow

Celestia had just gotten another report of a group of muggers being brutally murdered in the edges of the red light zone in Canterlot. It had been the third this month and it was scaring her, even if she chose not to show it. A string of murders was extremely rare, especially in Canterlot. There were always a survivor from each group murder and they were always grievously deformed by the murderer. They all had a smile cut into their faces by the killer and they were sent with a message carved into their chest.

'WHY SO SERIOUS?'

Rumours had begun to spread in Canterlot about the killings, some plausible, like about how he's a vigilante and only goes for thugs. Others were just outrageous, like how he was actually a demon who escaped from Tartarus's fifth circle of wrath and is now seeking all who stray from the purity of heart. She wouldn't lie, that would probably put Canterlot as a whole in the killer's sights. The public has dubbed the murderer 'The Clown Killer' for his way of leaving his mark.

The survivors always have the same description of the murderer. A tall, biped creature who wore fine purple clothing. But the newest victim had an extended description of the killer. Celestia, along with Luna, was going to see this victim.

The two sisters walked over the cold stone floors of the dungeon towards the interrogation room. Two guards stood watch outside the dark wooden doors of the room that held the victim. The stood aside when the princesses approached and then Celestia and Luna entered the room, gazing upon a unicorn chained to the table with a look of horror.

His horn was cut off, revealing an empty hole where that mana pool should be. His face was completely brutalized though, far more than the others. He had a smile carved into his face like the rest had, but the area around his eyes along with his eyelids had been cut off, leaving a place for dried blood to fall down his face like crimson tears. His eyes were dried up and bloodshot, most likely making it hard to see . But instead of a message on his chest, he had a playing card sewn into his skin. It was a joker, showing a picture of a jester, who had blood over his mouth, creating a sinister smile.

The unicorn visibly flinched when the door slammed shut.

"Hello? I-Is anybody there?" He said with a shaky voice. He was shivering.

"Yes, we are here to ask you about what you witnessed in the murder that you were subjected to." Said Celestia.