Author's Note

I understand that clop in this first chapter was not appreciated so, I've just made a censored version of this chapter and future chapters. Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you all continue to enjoy chapters to come.

Cheers!

Fonts' note: Said clop is completely removed and the story progresses without, however there are heavy implications of rape in this chapter.

Chapter 1 - The Blacker Shadow

Chapter 1

Under the pitch-black sky, the steadfast lamp post brightened the city of Canterlot, barren of the hustle and bustle of the once busy roads, the vigorously active streets being nothing more than a painting. Everything was still, being haunted by the wind that whispers in its own leisurely language. From time to time, one could hear the distant sirens of a speeding vehicle fade as it drives further away with the ambition of duty.

Stray dogs and cats battle for scraps and mice as they all come out to roam, eager to fill their bellies till dawn. In their world, it was truly survival of the fittest, and in many ways, it applied to the ones that stay out late and prey on the weak and vulnerable, the streets their dark hunting ground.

Junkies, drunks, dealers, and gangs hid in plain sight but almost always in the shadows, waiting and watching for the thrill of the night. If that meant being in a firefight, being chased by the authorities, or even just getting in a bar fight, for whatever that may be, there was always a purpose for being in the shadows of the night. One was to never trust someone at night, because they might easily end up with a knife to the throat, and who knew whatever other terrible fates awaited them?

Murder is an unheard offense but, in the day of night, the wicked come to play, and the good became are their prey.

“Hey, mama! Mama! Thank you for letting me play at my friend's house, it was lots of fun!” a cheerful young girl said, skipping and swinging her mothers arm as they held hands. “We played with the dolls, we sang our favourite songs and we even dressed up as…”

“Quiet, Dinky! Lower your voice down.” Ditzy said in a harsh whisper. Registering how she sounded, she softened her tone. “It’s nighttime now, hun, and everyone is going to sleep. You don’t want to wake anyone up now do you?”

In realization, Dinky quickly shook her head worriedly. Ditzy knew her daughter hated being in trouble and hoped that would keep her quiet until they got home. She hated to take advantage of her child's innocence, oblivious to the danger of being too loud and attracting unwanted attention.

Especially over the past few nights…

Ditzy could still remember word for word as she read the daily article that a girl no younger than her own daughter was mercilessly violated by multiple men and killed with a clean cut of the throat. A fate worse than death. In her time of living in Canterlot, she had never heard of something so terrible and egregious. Neither had the citizens. The news reached all over the city, but the worst thing about it was that the vile criminals were never found. The bastards that raped and killed that little girl were still out there, waiting, and watching. Ditzy hated to think it but, she hoped the poor little girl had died first.

Looking down at her daughter, her heart ached of the thought of her little Muffin having a similar fate. She was disgusted at herself for thinking it but, when she saw the face of the victim on the news, she couldn’t help but see Dinky's. It was an awful thought that vanished just as quick as it came, and she could only hope that they walk home without disturbance or distractions.

Then Ditzy heard something behind them. It was faint but she could make out the steady steps even though the outsole of the shoe nullified the sound on the pavement. It was confirmed a few seconds later when she heard a stone being kicked across the sidewalk, catching the young girl's attention, and her curiosity got the best of her.

Once the periwinkle girl turned to see what the noise was, she saw a hooded figure in all black walking at a brisk pace straight towards them. Dinky tugged at her mother’s arm, pulling herself closer to Ditzy in alarm. Instinctively, Ditzy turned to see what troubled her daughter to see a man five meters away and closing the distance with his long strides. Ditzy also saw something metallic in his hand. It glistened when he passed by the light of the next lamp post as he closed in, the stained red tip the grim remains of its last victim.

Ditzy’s heart raced, her mind went into shutdown and her flight or fight impulse wanted to kick in, but she just froze. She was terrified, trembling in horror as the man got closer. Why weren’t her legs responding to what her mind screamed? She wanted to move, she needed to move, if not for herself, then for Dinky. She had to make sure that Dinky got away at least.

Quickly scooping Dinky into her arms, she was finally snapped out of her trance by the thought as she suddenly found the strength to run for her life. The poor dear in her arms trembled and had tears in her eyes. She was too young to experience this, and Ditzy couldn’t — she wouldn’t — let the man lay a finger on her. She had to run, run as fast as she could, and when she thought they were safe, run a little further for good measure.

Looking back, her heart sunk as the man was no longer walking fast, but now in a full-blown sprint as he rapidly gained on them.

“HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE! I'M BEING-”

*DINK*

Ditzy’s world was rocked as something was trickling down her head and face as a pain resonated with a tremendous headache, an ear-splitting ringing the only thing she could hear. Everything was muffled out, their voices, multiple, one sounding familiar but for the love of Celestia she couldn't figure out who. She didn’t know what happened, she didn’t know where she was, she just looked up to the star-filled sky.

She remembered running with Dinky in her arms, but she couldn't focus on why. Her eyes focused in as a figure stepped into view, wearing a shark's smile. She suddenly remembered why she had been running. Her heart skipped a beat as she was dragged by her hair into a dark alleyway that promised horrible deeds. The night will claim another unfortunate victim.

Ditzy — in a daze — struggled, trying to pry open the man's tight grip around her blonde hair. It felt like he was pulling the hair out of her scalp with each second she was dragged across the floor like an animal. She screamed in agony, sobbing and pleading for help for anyone that was nearby, but it felt hopeless as she was dragged deeper into the darkness.

With a pull of Ditzy’s hair, she was tossed to the floor to be face to face with Dinky who wore a face of terror and tape strapped around her mouth as her arms and feet were tied together with rope, tears streaming down her face.

“No… NO, PLEASE LET HER GO! PLEASE DON’T TOUCH HER! PLEASE, SHE’S MY DAUGHTER!” Ditzy pleaded, looking up to her captors. She felt her whole world fall to pieces as they all three of them smirked down to her with amusement, holding knives and steel baseball bats with a twisted, inhumane confidence. Her eyes widened as she realized that there was a human and two others with their hoods up, a horn protruding from one of their hoods. Why? Why was this happening to her? Not only her, but her daughter too? She felt sick to her stomach thinking about the cruel things they could do to them in their vulnerable situation. Her mind went straight to the young girl from the news only yesterday. Were they the exact people that did this to her, that young girl? What was her name? Rosette, was it? Would she and Dinky's names become just as tragically infamous? Question after question came and none were answered. It made her circumstance even more terrifying as the three figures leered over them.

“Right, Tiger. Take the girl to the van, but make sure you knock her out first. Don’t want any unwanted attention.” An old, ruff man demanded to a younger-looking man, perhaps as young as in his teens. Tiger rolled his eyes and waved him off.

“Yeah, yeah, I get the drill, Wolf. Just make sure that slut is ready for me, I want to use her cunt first. You guys always give me the sloppy seconds.” He whined, walking to Dinky and picking her up by her throat.

“NO, NO DON’T TAKE HER! PLEASE! SHE’S ALL I HAVE! DON’T DO THIS TO ME!” Ditzy Screamed at the top of her lungs, standing up to desperately reach for her daughter. She was instantly silenced as she got knocked straight down with a punch to the side of her head, sending her reeling once again.

“Now, now, that’s enough out of you, bitch,” the third man said with a strong, foreign accent, straddling the still-dazed Ditzy. The boy from under the hood wore a smile that she didn’t like one bit. She knew what his intention was and she was terrified for her life. She struggled weakly but, a sudden knife pressed against her throat ceased all movement. The man on top of her chuckled with amusement. He found it funny how much power he could hold just with a knife. He could do anything to this woman. He knew it and she knew it.

Holding the knife to her throat, he unzipped her hoodie, brushing it aside to reveal all she wore was a white tank top underneath. Turning the knife to the blunt end, he used the other hand to rip the tank top off from the collar with a quick but forceful yank, her black bra the only thing in his way from her large breasts.

Ditzy eeped as she felt exposed as the man on top of her used his knife to split the bra in two. She wrapped her arms around her chest. The man only grinned as he started to fondle with her jeans button, undoing it as he began to pull it down roughly, making her squeak in terror as she started to wiggle. But all that wiggling helped the man take it off easier. Once the jeans were fully off, the man had a sly idea. He smiled, craving for her body still wanting something for later.

“Alright bitch, stand up nice and slowly.” The man giggled, gesturing with his knife to stand up as he got up from on top of her. Ditzy quaked under his gaze, her heart thumping in her chest as she tried to cover her exposed parts. She wanted to refuse his demand, she really did but, she was terrified of what he would do with that knife, she knew that her life didn’t matter otherwise she would have been taken with her daughter, no, to them, she was just their plaything and will not hesitate to throw her away once they are done. All she could do now is comply and hope but, at night, her hope is slowly dwindling.

“I said stand up!” he forced through gritted teeth, his mood quickly changing. She sobbed as she slowly got up onto her two feet, looking anywhere but his eyes.

“Leopard, I’m gonna see what Tiger is doing, you know what he’s like with little kids, just can’t get his hands off them. Don’t want another incident like last time.” Wolf murmured as he walked off with his bat.

“Make sure of that, virgin girls cost more and I want my fair share of doe.” Leopard said, looking away from Ditzy for a second to see Wolf walk deeper down the alleyway, losing him as the darkness absorbed him. Leopard wondered how old the girl was, the younger the better, that thought quickly disappeared when a force pushed him back to the wall, smacking his head and dropping the knife from his grasp. Looking at his assailant, he saw the grey-skinned mother, looking up back at him with determination and dread while she’d punched and punched futilely that barely pained the well-toned man. He built his body to fight, she couldn’t hurt him if she tried. He smirked, did she really think she could take him down? He didn’t need his martial arts to kick her ass.

Quickly, catching her punch, Ditzy stared with shock as she tried to pull away from his grasp but, she couldn’t move it. The man’s grip was so tight she heard and felt her bones click.

“That was a pretty pathetic attempt of punches, I didn’t expect much from your scrawny figure but, that was just sad.” He mocked, smiling cockily. “now, it’s my turn.” Suddenly, her body slumped over as all the air in her lungs was knocked out with a single punch to her gut. She couldn’t breathe, she gagged for air as her whole body felt like shutting down for the lack of oxygen. He let go of her fist and she collapsed to the floor.

But his punishment didn’t stop there…

As Leopard strangled her, she didn’t have it in her to care anymore. As he finished, Ditzy only hoped that the other two would be just as quick before ending her miserable existence. She didn’t care that he had just done it inside her, she wouldn’t be around to see if she was pregnant or not. She distantly felt him leave but was too numb to notice. Silently, emptily, she laid there on the dirty alley.

On second thought, maybe she would be missed, and somebody would notice that she was missing. She was the laughingstock after all. Every miss-step, every clumsy fall always lead to the same thing. She'd get laughed at, she'd get called names like Derpy, retard, dumb bitch, and the list goes on. She'd get picked on because of her deficiency. Something called Brown Syndrome, where her eyes go all googly and can’t move freely, like they have a mind of their own. It affected the superior oblique muscle which was responsible for pulling the eye towards the midline. Maybe that’s what he was laughing at, she can feel her eyes slightly droop. One second later, a flash went off. She turned to see the man with a phone pointing at her. Another flash.

“Damn, I really did a number on you didn’t I?” he chuckled, putting his phone back into his crumpled-up pocket. He stood over her, looming in the darkness of the alley.

“Ooow!” a young man’s voice yelped deep within the alleyway. “What was that for?”

“You know damn well why you, fucking idiot! You know not to touch the cargo in any way. She’s meant to be fresh meat not fucking used.” Wolf barked back, his patience with the pedophile running thin.

“Oh come on, it was just a taste, Wolf. You know I wasn’t going to fuck the kid.” Tiger muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

“You’ll be tasting the dirt in a minute, boy.”

“Yo, let me guess. Our lad Tiger couldn’t help but have a tickle fight with the kid and lose.” Leopard laughed, shamelessly naked in front of them. Looking down at the used woman, Tiger growled.

“Hey, I called dibs on first go. What gives?” he wailed.

“You took too long, and besides, she needed to be punished. She tried attacking me, so I just started early. Look, I got her all lubed up for you.” Leopard said, showing him his dirty work.

“Whatever. Tiger, Leopard, finish her off and let’s get going.” Wolf said, annoyed by the two’s antics.

“WHAT! I haven’t even had my turn yet!” Tiger exclaimed in shock.

“Consider this your punishment for trying to fondle the kid. Now hurry up, I want to catch more before the sun rises.” Wolf growled back, glaring at the young boy as he withered under his stare. Turning back to where the van was, the man murmured. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”

“Well, I’ll let you do the honors, considering I’m messy as it is.” Leopard said picking up the knife he had dropped and handing it over to Tiger before he pulled up his underwear and jeans and walked back to the van.

“Jeez, thanks, my favorite part.” he rolled his eyes, kneeling to face the woman. Her golden eyes were void of life, hollow. She didn’t hold any emotion in her eyes. “Damn, he broke you good, didn’t he.” Tiger muttered, putting the knife to the woman’s throat. She didn’t flinch or blink away from his eyes. For a moment, Tiger thought she was already dead.

“Well, better luck in the afterlife… might just have a quickie when your de-“ Before he could end the woman’s life, Tiger suddenly couldn’t talk, or breathe for that matter. It was strange, he could also feel something warm trickle down his neck to his chest. Focusing on the woman, it looked like she was brought back to life as she wore a horrified face as blood dropped down on her. Wait? Blood? Where is that blood coming from? He tried to look down to see but when he did, he suddenly felt an agonising pain in the back and front of his neck. He tried to scream but all he could do is gargle in pain. He dropped the knife against the pegasus’s throat and felt where the pain was. When he did, he started to lose his vision as he could just about make out the sharp tip of the blade sticking out of his throat.

Unexpectedly, he was dragged back, the cold steel missing from his neck as he fell, tasting iron as he choked on his own blood while he panicked. Who did this? Who just killed him? Looking around with tear-filled eyes, he could make out the dark figure standing over him, a bloody knife in a leather-gloved hand. The last thing he saw was someone with a hood up, looking away to the woman before the darkness came to claim it’s latest victim.

Ditzy was terrified.

She had been ready to die. She didn’t struggle as she accepted her fate. But then, she had seen a blade sticking out of the neck of the hooded boy. She felt sick to her stomach when she felt the blood drip on her face. It left her frozen and trembling, not because of the freezing air, but because of the darkness from which the knife had mysteriously attacked from.

Then, the boy was pulled away from her and she saw the standing form of the thing that had killed him.

And it was looking straight at her.

Ditzy immediately knew it was a man by his broad shoulders and tall figure. Standing over her, he wore a black, leather bomber jacket with a grey hoodie underneath for the upcoming winter. His lower region consisted of what looked like moto jeans with protective padding with black old-school trainers and a bullet belt around his waist. He looked down at her in her naked misery and she looked up to him with his intimidating presence, time must have slowed down for ditzy has she stared into the two small, black holes meant for his eyes, she had no idea what he was thinking or his intentions. For all she knew, he was a serial killer and she was her next victim. The crude wide smile on the blood-stained white mask said it all.

He was going to kill her next.

Slowly, he walked towards her with his dripping knife still in his gloved hand. Instincts started to kick in again and slowly started to get up but just as quickly collapsed back on her rear end, so she started to push herself back with her hands and feet until she hit the alley wall, all while she never looked away from his makeshift eye holes. Saying she was terrified was an understatement, she felt like pissing herself there and then but held it in to keep what was left of her pride.

With each step he took towards her, her heart skipped as she slowly began to Hyperventilate, as tears returned. Quickly when he was in arms distance, she just curled up in a ball with her legs tucked in to her chest and her head pressed against her knees. She didn’t know why she was so scared of dying when not a minute ago she had accepted death, welcomed it, but now, all of a sudden she wanted to live. Maybe she was still in shock and was confused of how she was meant to feel or as insane as it may sound, maybe it was that glimpse of hope that she had when she saw the man that was going to kill her died. Her quick response to see the man with a knife through his neck was ridiculous, she thought someone had just saved her and was going to help her take back her little Dinky. But that hope was immediately crushed when she saw the killer.

She wept quietly into the silent night for what felt like an hour, knowing full well that her end is near. With a few more sniffs and pants, she looked up more calmer than before. Once she looked up, she was surprised to see the masked man crouched to be eye level with Ditzy with her jeans and hoodie in hand. She was stunned, she didn’t know what to say but, before she could say anything, he spoke.

“You done crying?” a surprisingly young voice said, slightly hindered by the mask. Yet again, she was dumbfounded all she could do is nod. “Good. Here, take these, it’s a cold night and you don’t want to get a cold, now do we?” he said, chuckling lightly as he handed over her clothing. The suspension was running through her mind, reluctantly she reached out for her clothes and took them from him. What was his game? Why is he being so nice? Is he luring her in to lower her guard? Or maybe, just maybe…

“Oh, also, take this.” He said, pulling out a packet of tissues. “Sorry I couldn’t get here when you needed someone, it was pure luck I was passing by.” He said plainly. Luck, she was saved by luck… How ironic, must be her lucky day, she thought bitterly. Taking the tissues unconsciously, she briefly wondered why she needed them, then she realised what happened to her. Looking back to the man, she looked at him with a blush.

“Thank you, eh… Could you look away, please?” she asked, shuffling nervously. And Without a word, he got up and approached the dead man. Shamelessly, he went through the man's pockets. Taking advantage of his distraction, she took a wipe from the packet and shamefully started to wipe her leaking part, Making sure to get every last drop. After that she quickly fixed her panties and put her jeans back on along with her jacket, socks and shoes. Flipping her hood up because it started to rain lightly, she wished she had more clothing but the bastard ripped it all to be unwearable.

“Are you dressed yet? I need to show you something before I go, okay?” the man said, taking the pretty expensive watch from the lifeless wrist and into his pocket.

“Yes, I’m dressed, what is it?” she asked uneasily, finishing up her laces. Turning to show his disturbing mask, he gestured to come over. Cautiously, she approached as he watched while kneeling, waiting patiently. Ditzy was too anxious around him, he had just killed someone and now he was looting the teen and is probably going to give her a lesson on how to dissect him. She kept her distance as she moved opposite the body from him, where she can see what he’s doing.

“Right, I only wanted to show you a couple of things, okay?” he asked, waiting for her understanding. She nodded. “Good, now the first thing I want you to look out for is this.” The hooded man reached down Tiger’s t-shirt and reviled a golden chained neckless with a golden cross, not the religious cross but a x marks the spot mark. “Do you know what this is?” he asked, his eyes never leaving her own.

“N-no, not really.” she shuck her head, intrigued a bit to where he was going but also too shaken up to wonder.

“Good, the less you know, the better but, if you do come in contact with people with these necklaces, don’t believe a word they say, they are very, very dangerous people, that’s all I’ll let you know.” He replied, quickly shutting down her question.

“Oh… Okay,” she said, slightly disturbed by his warning.

“Perfect.” He cheered, before stuffing the necklace back down the shirt. This man is way too happy, she thought. “Now, the other thing is this,” he said, pulling up one sleeve to reveal the same cross that was shown moments ago but had a three-digit number below the cross. 486. “I'm just showing you this just in case you catch a glimpse of it, you never know.” He murmured, pulling the sleeve back down.

“What was with that number? Is that like a code or his serial number or maybe-”

“Like I said, the less you know, the better.” He interrupted making her slightly irritated. “Look, I’m telling you all this to let you know what to look out for, your not the first person they have done this to y’know.” He pointed out, a sharp edge to his tone making Ditzy take a slight step back. He sighed. “All I want is for you is to contact me as soon as possible when you see this symbol or any suspicious activity around these-”

“Motherfucker!!”

~BANG!~

Wolf sat in the driving seat with a cigar lit, waiting patiently for the boys to be done with the woman. Honestly, he had nothing against the woman or her child but, business is business and letting the woman go is a one-way ticket to trouble. As for the raping, he getting old for that shit. The boys can have their fun all they like, just as long as they don’t fuck something up. Getting caught is the last thing he wants. with these guys… He might just get his revolver ready to blow his own damn brains out if he ever got caught. He’s been to prison and he will never go back.

In the back of the van, he could hear the whimpering of the little girl they had just abducted from her now-dead mother. He was a monster, he was the worst of the worst and he knew it, he admitted long ago when he realised that he valued money over a living being, the Equestrians and the humans, he didn’t care just as long as his hard-earned cash was in his hand at the end of the day. He’s been saving up to go away by himself in a faraway island, devoid of everyone. Just himself and the island and hopefully die peacefully, for no one to remember his name. Sounded perfect in his ears.

Looking down the two-way alleyway, Leopard was seen walking the corner, feeling good and refreshed after having his fun. Walking with a confident swagger, patting himself down. He was the definition of a school jockey. Wolf really wanted to punch him in the nose sometimes. His carefree attitude and his carelessness in this job have nearly got them caught a couple of times. He didn’t care if he is his boss’s son, he’d have to inform him that Leopard is a fucking liability and is a loose canon when it comes to fucking a woman. He’s like a fucking animal in heat, but the heat never fucking ends, in other words, a horny teenage boy. Just like Tiger. Oh but Tiger, he sees the line where Leopard sits and goes on a mile stroll passed it.

The youngest out of the three of them is Tiger, who has this weird obsession with fucking kids, not as bad as Leopard but, he’s just an uncontrollable animal. The only reason Wolf allows him to come along is that he’s Leopard’s best friend. Not only because of that, but because the boss said so. He felt more like a fucking babysitter than deals men. But… He would be damned if he was going to deny his order. Our client is one of the most powerful, wealthy people on the planet. He has it all, connections, influence, and weapons. His gang is the closest thing to a proper Mafia and a cartel as it can get. Wolf didn’t know much about his boss, hell, he doesn’t know what he looks like or his real name. To be honest, he’d like to keep his ignorance. The last time someone got too curious, he was hanging from a tree in the Everfree Forest, his wife and kids too. The next day, it said on the newspaper that the man had schizophrenia and had killed his family before killing himself. Evidence was planned as proof. Wolf didn’t know if he had someone planted in the news department or in the police. Wouldn’t surprise Wolf if his boss had people planted all around the fucking city. The way things have been going, the city will be under his new order, then most likely move on to the next major city. Who knows, might be the next ruler of Equestria

Leopard walked up to Wolf’s window, knocking on it a few times which snapped Wolf out of his daydreaming and with a sigh, rolled down the window.

“What’s up, Leopard,” Wolf murmured, exhaling a considerable amount of smoke.

“Do we have to use these nicknames, just call me Dosh, okay?”

“Fuck me, the boss told me your fucking dumb but shit, I didn’t know you are this reckless.” Wolf rolled his eyes. Dosh chuckled.

“You do know what happens to a man that insults the most powerful man’s son? Poof… They disappear.”

“Well, there ain’t been a lot of poofing lately, it looks like youse don’t care if the world sees a dead body or two. Soon, the police will be knocking on your dad's doorstep if youse are not careful enough.” Dosh laughed harder at that.

“In time, that won’t even be a problem.” Wolf didn’t want to know, that was his family’s business and that after all these years knew when to mind his own damn business. The family is very secretive. Getting impatient, Dosh sighed with annoyance. “Where the fuck is Richie, taking too damn long?” Dosh said, saying the real name of the youngest of the three, clearly annoyed by his absence. “I fucking bet he’s having a quickie with the bitches dead body.” Walking away from the window, Wolf could only watch and sigh as Dosh walked back in search of his friend.

“Fucking kids these days.” He muttered before flicking the last bit of the cigar out his window and rolling it up.

Walking the musky alleyways, Dosh could only reminisce on the future for him and his name. The power, the freedom his family would have when they finally run this city until he wants a city of his own. One city at a time, before Dosh would know it, the government would crumble, the military will be corrupted and the world would be there for the taking. It made him grin on how easy it sounded. But Dosh knew better, his Pa always told him that things take practised patients. In a world where everything is rushed, and imperfect. Master patients and the impossible will be a minor task.

Turning a corner, his train of thought went to his mother. The one that brought him into this world, He can remember from a very young age some things she would say to him each day: take what you want, not just what you need, take what you want, and maybe a little more, take what you want, until your full. She would always start the sentence with ‘take what you want’ at the start, and it stuck with him ever since. Day by day, from a young age, he’d been using his family’s name to get what he wanted, when He wanted. It was unbelievable how easy it was, and so, he was immediately hooked like an addict to the drug called Greed.

Turning another corner, near the exit of the alleyway way, he saw a silhouette, scanning over a lifeless body. Must be Richie finishing up. Dosh was going to call out to Richie but, he felt something off. Something didn’t feel right about this so-called Richie standing over the prone silhouette. His hood was up, he rarely has his hood up when we’re out, he says it messes up his hair. The only time I’ve seen him with his hood up was when we were being chased by the feds. It was enough suspicion to have his hand resting on his pistol, as he slowly walked quietly to the figure.

He stopped when another person with his hood up moved around the body, opposite of the other person. The more bulked person showed the more slim build something shiny but, Dosh couldn’t figure out what it was or what they were saying. Moving closer, the man placed the golden object back and lifted up the lifeless arm, pulling up the sleeve… wait… a sleeve? Last time Dosh checked, the woman had no clothes on so, who the fuck is this? But, realisation hit him like a truck when he seen the the black X tattoo below his wrist. Quickly grabbing his pistol, he aimed it at the one holding his partners arm. Before he pulled the trigger, he shouted

“Mother fucker!!”

~BANG!~

Ditzy jumped back in fright as the loud bang came from her side, she watched as her saviour was knocked down. He quickly touched his wound and saw blood trickle down his hand to confirm he indeed got shot.

Ditzy quickly turned to see who shot him, her eyes only widened as she trembled, seeing the man that defiled her momentarily made her body freeze once again, she gasped as he now pointed the barrel at her. She quickly closed her eyes and waited for the bang.

~BANG!~

The echoey gun round went off and she flinched, she held her breath as she waited for the pain to resonate, in the distance, she heard the wet sound of running getting further away. She slowly opened her eyes and she was in shock of what she saw, in front of her was a hand but, the pinkie finger was missing as blood pooled out with fresh blood. She Followed the arm to the man that saved her once again. She just stared at him in awe as he pulled his hand back to inspect it. He didn’t cry out in pain, he just… sighed?

“One down, nine more to go.” He said, before looking back at Ditzy’s dumbfounded face. “You okay?” He asked, standing back up. All she could do is nod silently. “Good, I’ll be back. Just give me a few minutes.” He said and without another word, he ran to where her rapist ran off to. A sudden flash of Dinky made Ditzy remember that she wasn’t the only one who needed saving and without thinking, she blurted out.

“They took my daughter Dinky! Please bring her back!”

“Ah for fuck sake, that just complicates things!” Was his echoey response, running in a mad sprint like the masked man didn’t just take two shots. She could only hope that he would make it in time if her daughter wasn’t already gone. What was left of her life was in the hands of this mysterious man that saved her life twice, but she would be damned if she was going to sit around and wait. Slowly, she walked deeper into the darkness, the wall supporting her as she leaned against it, taking each wobbly step.

Dosh ran passed the bags of trash, passed the dumpsters with scurrying rats on the floor as he constantly looked over his shoulder to see no one behind him but, could hear the wet slaps of quick footsteps getting closer. Immediately, he resumed his mad dash to the lit streets where over the other side of the road, he could see the brandless, white van. He breathed heavily as he blindly flung garbage bags and pushed bins behind him in hopes to buy himself some time.

In a purblind sense of power the handgun withstood, anyone who didn’t know the rumours of the genocidal killer, would die by the hands of the Hollowman, the Boogeyman of Canterlot city, or the vengeful spirit from below, that are a few names he has been called but most popular and the name he has given himself is… Frank. The one’s that faced the man, barely getaway without a scar from his blade and a story to tell about him. They say the man is a fearsome dog that feels the fields of trouble and turmoil, a man with no limits to his acrimony, a man who is the most wanted by the Equestrian government.

An Equestrian man who wore a scar down his eye says, he saw Frank clear a bar of the Italia hoodlums like it was nothing, every slice had a purpose to immobilise or to kill, nothing was a mistake when it came to his wrath. He battled like the demon decked out as a man behind a white mask. There was always three individual that his papa always told him to not mess with: The Bulldogs, Frank and… Her.

Dosh was petrified, if he knew who the man underneath the hood was, he would have never pulled the trigger and blown his fucking finger off. Now he will come, not just for him, but Wolf and even the little girl. His thirst for blood is relentless, Dosh can not fight him like this, not this ill-equipped. He needs to escape, right now.

Making it out of the darkness and into the street light, he ran to the passenger seat in a cold sweat.

“What the fuck… What the fuck is wrong with you? Where’s Tiger?”

“Drive…” Dosh ordered quickly, fiddling with the seat belt.

“What? What’s going on? Where’s Tiger, boy?” Wolf said frantically, seeing a confident, pretentious bastard like Dosh turn into a spooked mess rang some alarm bells in his head.

“I SAID FUCKING DRIVE YOU OLD PRICK! BÂTARD!” he screamed desperately, splitting his words as he was teary-eyed and red in the face, holding his handgun with a shaky hand. That’s all Wolf needed before putting his foot down on the pedal, making the tire screech with smoke, only then did Dosh start to calm down as the van started to move.

~BANG, BANG~

Dosh’s heart spiked as two rounds were shot and suddenly the van started to sway uncontrollably, Wolf's brow started to sweat as he instantly knew by the way the van moved, that one or two of his tire have been shot. He tried his best to control the vehicle, but with the boss's son babbling on about dying, the girl crying and screaming her lungs out and the shooter on his tail, the only thing he could think of is whether to leave this brat to his fate and take his chance of being hunted down like a rabbit by the boss or to fight whoever this fucker is and hope for extra payment, a step closer to his dream.

He was cut out of his thoughts as the swerving car was unstably heading straight towards one of the streets lamp posts. They braised for impact and suddenly, the van went straight through the post and into a late-night store’s front door. Glass littered the dashboard from the store and the windscreen of the van, little bits of glass were lodged into the wrinkled face of the ageing man, a constant horn was ringing as his slumped form leaned forward onto the wheel, his head dizzy and dazed as blood drooled down his head. He looked to his side to see that Dosh was gone and a hole in the window screen. In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure in his side mirror in the middle of the street, slowly walking as he tucked his revolver into his inside jacket pocket, and pulled out a dripping hunting knife. His eyes dilated and his breathe was stuck in his throat, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Frank, the man that killed his friends, and partners he has known for years, was cut down by this masked man. He remembered the day very well, the way he slaughtered them, the way he killed them without mercy, even when they surrendered, he butchered them like pigs.

He clenched his teeth in smouldering anger as he reached for his Glock and opened his shattered door and met the man that started the downfall that very night. Standing twenty feet away from each other, Wolf started to look his opponent up and down while the infamous Frank stayed glued to the roughed-up criminal. Frank didn’t waste any more time and started his approach, he knew he didn’t have all day considering the gunshots he took, the smart thing would be to take out the ageing man quickly and take the little girl back to her mother, it would be for the best to go back and lick his wounds until tomorrow. It’s the most logical thing to do in this situation.

“So, after all this time you have come to finish me off, have you?” Wolf shouted, stumbling around as he tried to keep his balance. Frank didn’t waste his precious breath with this low life and started to walk. Shakily, Wolf raised his pistol at the approaching killer and fired a round.

~BANG~

The bullet flew just passed the masked man’s hood, barely flinching at the shot that was meant to kill.

“You killed my boys a couple of months ago, my best friends since kindergarten! You killed them in cold blood, you bastard!” he roared, all reason lost as he found the murderous monster after all the suffering he has endured. Day by day, he looked forward when he had the chance to kill the infamous Frank.

~BANG, BANG, BANG~

He wildly fired while still dazed, seeing multiple fantoms walking with Frank like an army of the killer. He knew it was an illusion of his sight but, the notion of there being numerous aberrations terrified him to his core. But still, his fire for revenge raged on, his will demanded his head, he will not rest until this man or himself lay dead.

Wolf began to take calming breaths, closing his eyes to regain his preoccupation. He needed to calm down, he knew this and would have to do it quickly in order to have a slight chance to take him down once and for all. He’s been bad business for the boss, and he’s made him mourn quietly, all alone with his ghosts. He must—he will bring Frank down with him to hell.

Opening his eyes, his heart skipped a beat as the knife of Frank was heading straight for his wide, enlarged eye. Instinctively, Wolf’s head snapped back as he felt the knife graze his forehead, making him loose balance. Next thing he knew, the gun in his hand was knocked from his grasp. Jumping back and touching his cut to reveal blood, Wolf growled as he grabbed a 10-inch kitchen knife from his sheath. They circled one another, sizing each other out. They both analysed each others movement, stances and each others weak points and vulnerabilities. Wolf could write an essay on this man before him: Frank didn’t take a stance, he just stood there with his knife at his side, ready to kill in a split second. The fearless aura he imitated was radioactive, even though he had a mask on, Wolf just knew this man was not afraid. The blood flickers; old and new said a thousand words about his experience. If not that, then the stories that will go down in the dark history as one of the evilest men to exist.

His analysing was rudely vanished as Frank plunged his knife forward, making Wolf take another leap back. Taking advantage of the sudden Attack, he struck back with quick thrust of his own knife, making Frank take a single step back, missing him by millimetres and the two went back to circling.

In a big lunge, Wolf aimed for his opponent’s chest in a quick dash which the masked man parried it to the side and counter attacked with a jab from the elbow, stunning Wolf momentarily and was followed up with a sideways slash that Wolf barely dodged, resulting in a deep cut on his cheek. Wolf saw that Frank was in the attack and quickly moved his body to the side as Frank missed Wolf’s jugular. Instead of letting Frank’s knife hand back to his side, Wolf grabbed hold of his wrist as he went to strike with his own knife. As he aimed for the side of the monster’s neck, it was quickly stopped by Frank’s free hand, yet again millimetres from death.

They stayed like that for a while, bodies pressed against each other as they both wrestled for dominance, the two pushing to drive their knifes into each other’s neck. Suddenly, Wolf groaned as Frank kneed Wolf in the kidney with power, the pain leaving his mouth open with a wheeze and was kicked back with a Thai kick in the same place, knocking him on his ass.

Quickly getting back on his feet again, Wolf looked back to Frank with haste to see him on one knee and breathing excessively. Only then did he notice that the little finger on his right hand where he was holding the knife was missing and there was a bullet hole in his left shoulder with an extreme amount of blood leaking out. Wolf gave a manic grin at this revelation, seeing the man's wounds gave Wolf his second wind. What? did he really think he could last long while losing that much blood? He maybe a demon but, he’s still mortal.

“What’s wrong, Frank? That’s all you’ve got? I’m just getting started!” Wolf taunted with a big grin and without another second to waste, he ran towards him with victory. Frank noticing this, quickly got up on his feet and got into a defensive stance with his blade now pointing to the bottom of his fist. It wouldn’t be the first time that blood loss would slow him down and put him on the defensive. It’s always a drag.

Swiftly ducking underneath Wolf’s wide swing, Frank had to take a fast step back as another quick swing came from the opposite flank. With the rotation of his swing, Wolf next struck with his left elbow which was blocked and pushed away. Letting the push of his arm rotate him, Wolf wildly slashed from the other side. Seeing this, Frank ducked once again successfully.

In frustration in his lack of contact, Wolf charged the clumsy Frank in to a wall, making Frank drop his knife in surprise from the brute strength, Frank was briefly winded by the blow and Wolf quickly used his body to pin Frank to the wall. Knowing that Wolf’s blade was coming, Frank blocked the knife arm from coming in from the side with a two-on-one lock hold, holding him off the best he could. But Frank’s strength started to waver and slowly the knife headed towards his neck. In a stroke of quick thinking, Frank quickly turned his left arm into a over arm hook and applied pressure down on Wolf’s shoulder in to a whizzer, taking full control of his arm. Rapidly Frank grabbed Wolf’s freehanded wrist with his right hand, now Frank had full control of Wolf’s body and movement. quickly stepping out with his left leg and curling motion, he Thrown Wolf into the wall he was pinned too with his head first. Taking the chance to step away and to pick up his knife, he took a second to breathe, Wolf however was more furious than ever. Frank played him for a fool, he’ll kill the bastard if it is the last thing he’ll do. Slowly getting up as fresh blood started trickling down, Wolf walk towards Frank who just stood ready. Quickly thrusting the knife forward to the mask, Frank quickly gave a slip of his head and caught it, quickly countering in with his own attack as he aimed to stab Wolf’s belly but was swiftly intercepted. Frank taking advantage of that, He opened up Wolf and kneed him in the side of his body causing him to step back, surprising Wolf’s momentum. Seeing this, with Frank’s knife arm he came from the outside, he took the punyo apart of the knife and with force pulled his knife aside, disarming wolf efficiently. Frank however wasn’t finish. Throwing Wolf’s blade aside, he turned his body to the side, he kicked the inside of Wolf’s leg, making him stumble, turning his body again, he threw a big left hook to the side of the face, stunning him, taking no chances, he also stabbed straight through Wolf’s right hand as soon as Wolf was given the blow, rendering it useless and finishes with a teep kick, successfully making distance. Frank didn’t want to dilly dally any longer, with a stride he walk towards the downed man, he tightened his grip on the knife ready to finish him off. Wolf got on a knee and inspected his new hole in his hand as it started to shake where the agonising pain was coming from. He looked up to see Frank standing over him.

“You… You… You kill, and kill, and kill, but for what? Money? Reputation? Fun? Or are you just a hero wannabe? Either way, it’s pointless. The Boss… you don’t understand the power he holds, the people he knows, the army he has… your making a big mistake taking out our boys. He will take over this city and the next and the next until there is nothing else but The Order, and he will hunt you down like a rabbit!” Wolf shouted in rage but Frank wasn’t fazed by his threat, instead he started to wipe the blood from his blade, inspecting it for filth.

“The Order, Mmm… I’ve heard a lot about The Order, I’ve done my research, The Order keeps their secrets well hidden but, that’s not why I’m here. One night, a little girl — a very popular girl — was fucking raped and killed… You have 10 seconds to tell me who killed her.” Frank spoke for the first time, surprising Wolf a bit. He smiled nonetheless, he had his full attention.

“Like I would tell you, BASTARD!” he yelled and like that, with a flick of Wolf’s wrist, blood was flung into the eyes of the masked man. Frank stumbled back, instinctively trying to rub his eyes and slashing his knife side to side fiercely.

Getting up, Wolf ran towards his knife, picking it up with his other hand.

Lifting his mask up slightly, he continued to slash the air as he picked the blood from his eyes. He couldn’t hear the footsteps of the man, the rain is getting to heavy, all he could here was the lashing rain. Finally cleaning the blood from his face, he first checked behind him just in case Wolf had flanked him. He was glad he did, if he didn’t jump away just in time, a knife would be sticking out from his head. Following up the attack, Wolf swiped across Frank’s mask, narrowly missing. Chaining up with the momentum of the strike, Wolf went for Frank’s bottom half which was blocked. Seeing an opening to hinder his movement, Frank bypassed Wolf’s block strike and jabbed his own blade into his knee cap, deep enough to send the old man sprawling back in pain.

Frank wanted to continue his attack but, his body said otherwise. He was reaching his limit. Despite all the wounds Frank had given this tough bastard, It went on like this for minutes, ducking and weaving the swipes of the unpredictable Wolf’s blade, viciously and with absolutely no sign of stopping until the masked man was dead.

Frank waited and waited patiently, he couldn’t get too complacent in combat, not in a situation like this anyway. Frank tried to take the upper hand but was hit back with a few cuts on the arm and chest. He needed to wait for the right moment or the prick right in front of him would take him out before the blood loss would. But, it’s getting harder to move with every second and the man in front of him didn’t let his guard down or show any openings. This old man was trained to fight with a knife or once was ex-military, either way, he’s a hand to hand specialist alright. He thinks he’s won already, Frank hoped that arrogance left an opening for at least a second to exploit. At this point, Frank was too weak to keep hold of his weapon and had let go against his will. Suddenly, a moment of weakness came for the mighty Frank as, his footwork got sloppy and wasn’t spaced out enough. Wolf seeing this, He put all his power into a swing that stabbed right in between Frank’s ulna and radius bone and knocking Frank to the ground. He laid there, muffled, heavy breathing coming from the mask.

“You know… I always wondered what made you special.” Wolf murmured, cleaning the blood off his knife. “I always wondered how you could go toe to toe with a gang of thugs and come on top looking like a butchered lion. With every cut and every shot you took, you kept fighting with twice as much ferocity as every single enemy you come across. Just like Wolverine, you never stopped no matter what. But… In the end, Wolverine died and now, so will you.” He chuckled and stood over Frank with a satisfying grin. “Any last words before I end your miserable existence?” Frank was quiet, not that Wolf thought about it, the masked man never did say anything to anyone, that was one of the rumours and he guessed it was true. Waiting a few more seconds, Wolf was going to wordlessly kill the bastard but, other than the man's breathing, he hears a low, dark laughter coming from the mask that never lost it’s smile. It shocked him that he took a step back instinctively. After the first round of giggles, he hysterically burst out into a belly-clenching laugh that made the hairs on Wolf’s neck stand at attention. The Insanity dripping from his laughter disturbed Wolf greatly. Soon, the giggles started to fade and eventually, Frank leaned up and looked deep into Wolf’s eyes and spoke.

“You can’t kill me.” Frank said in a menacing and daring tone, begging the man above to prove him wrong. Wolf smirked. After all that, that’s what he has to say. What a waste of his last words.

“Yes I can.” Wolf replied and without a second to waste, he went straight for his jugular as the finishing kill. But in the last second, Frank at full tilt moved his head out the way. Frank saw his opening. Like a cobra, he wrapped both arms around Wolf’s arm with the blade and with practised ease, he pushed up on one foot and with a liquid movement, Franks legs was around the Wolf’s neck in a perfect triangle choke hold.

Wolf couldn’t believe it, he had let his guard down to bask in his triumph and somehow, this bastard had enough strength to pull off an advanced choke hold like this? The timing, the precision, the technique, it was flawless. Who is this demon? And why has God forsaken it to him?

There was nothing wolf could do at all as he slowly suffocated from a man that was on the brink of death. One moment he was standing over him with his knife ready to kill him and the next he was being choked from — what some people call — an impossible angle. Wolf was shell shocked as he stared into the masks black hole eyes, his face slowly turning red. He tried to speak, say anything to the man that was going to kill him, But all that came out was choked gags and drool. Wolf did everything he could to struggle but Frank’s grip had him chained to him. There was no escape from this monster. In his final seconds, he could only see flashes of his friends, and there whispers to join them as he fell to the ground… Dead. Another victim of Frank.

Frank didn’t let go of his hold, he didn’t want to risk the chance that the man was faking his death. An average man being choked can only hold there breath up to 30 – 90 seconds, and it had only been a minute. He would say there for at least another minute. Once that was up, Frank went limp, almost as dead as the man he laid on. He was spent. He didn’t know if he had another punch in him. He could just about stand on his wobbly legs. Frank looked down at the blue faced man, a terrified expression on his face.

“You almost had me… Almost isn’t good enough though, now is it.” He sighed, chuckling dryly. “Hell of a fight though, I’ll give you that, old man.” He said before turning away and walking towards the van. Frank knew he didn’t have long, his sight was in and out of blur, he felt his heart slow down with each step he took towards the van, but he didn’t stop, he refused to leave a task unfinished. All he had to do was get the little girl from the van and to her mother, than that’s it. He could die for all he cared, he felt so tired that he didn’t give a damn anymore. He just wanted to sleep. Suddenly, he started to fall. Did he trip? Fall? Either way, the floor is getting too close, too fast.

Then he stopped, inches away from the floor where he could see his own blood dripping from his wounds. Looking back, he could just about see a figure with blond hair holding him up by his waist, preventing him from falling. Staring a bit longer, his vision focused in on the teary-eyed face of the woman he saved earlier. He smiled under the mask.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay? Your bleeding everywhere!” she said worriedly, as she felt the warm liquid trickle on her as she held him firmly from falling.

“Well, well, look who dropped on by?” the man said, dismissing her question. “You really saved me five dollars there, I could of fell and broken my mask but, you came to save the day. My hero.” He chuckled as she funnily enough blushed cutely. Picking himself up with his legs, he now stood back up with uncertainty, his arm wrapped around her shoulder for support. “Let’s just get your little girl to safety.” He said, taking the first step.

Finally reaching the back of the smoking van, Frank had almost lost balance again as Ditzy couldn’t wait any longer and had opened the back door with ease, swinging the two doors to the side. Inside, she could see her, her sweet little girl tied up and taped with tearing stains down her eyes as she quietly sobbed. Ditzy didn’t waste no time and jumped right in and held her up to her chest, making the little girl jump frantically as she screamed hysterically, not realising the person that is hugging her tightly was her mother. All Ditzy could do was stroke her hair softly and whisper sweet nothing in her ear.

Frank stood and watched the mother and the daughter reunite, a heartwarming sight that would make everyone sigh in relief. But for the vigilante, this was just the signal for another job done. The signal that he was no longer welcomed now that the threat was eliminated. It’s the way it is and he fully understood why. He was a murderer. He knows this and he has embraced it. It was his fate to take lives. To reach a goal. To kill the man that took the most precious thing away from him. The boss. The nameless deity. The one that got away from the devil. But tonight, the only thing on his mind was The Order… a fully organised organisation and their vial crime lord. They’ve all gone drunken mad off on lust and greed. It’s insane to bring Equestrians and Humans together to form an unforgivable evil.

So without further ado, he left without a word, and left one of many of his notes behind. On it was his number and underneath it was a list of vital instructions. This note will save her and her daughter’s life.