Equestria Noire: The Fall of Families

[Princess Blueblood]

The Spy's Character:


Name: Rattle "Venom" Snake

Race: Unicorn
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Cutie Mark: Snake Head



Appearance: Medium sized sand colored unicorn, purple eyes, with white mane and a purple streak through his mane and tail. Side of head clean shaven, only hair on the top of his head. Usually wears a black 3 piece suit, with a matching hat and sunglasses.

Unusual Traits: Facial scars make it look like he has fangs. A long knife scar runs from the side of his head, down to near the bottom of his chin.


Combat: Head on Gunfighter: Prides himself on his ability to shoot 
Weapon Skills: Is adept in destruction magic, and his telekinesis is very strong. Works well with pistols as well as rifles and automatic weapons. His service in the Second Great Equestrian War gave him a chance to work with explosives and firearms. 
Weapons Available: Carries a 6 inch switchblade as well as a a pair of .45s with snakeskin patterned grips. 

History: Born into a poor family, Rattle Snake had recently immigrated from the Mild West, Appleloosa to be precise. His family was quickly involved with the Orchid Family, who controlled Las Pegasus. While Rattle's father did dirty work for the family, the boy himself rose through the ranks as a skilled hitpony, whom never left a trace of himself. When he was about 18 years old, he was drafted into the Second Great Equestrian War, where he was apart of a assault squad, giving him a chance to work with automatic fire-arms and explosives. When he returned, he resumed work for the Orchid family. After his family was killed in an "accident", Rattle "Venom" Snake decided to dedicate himself to the family. But, sadly, he had a moral compass, which soon made him a pain in the side of the bosses of the Orchid Family. Often seen as a prettyboy, Rattle Snake enjoys nearly bi-daily doses of sex from multiple other Orchid Family members, often the daughters or wives of the heads of the family.
Allegiance: Orchid Family
Allies: Orchid Family


Name:  Wild Card
Race: Earth Pony
Age: 19
Sex:  Female

Cutie Mark: A Joker of Spades
Appearance: A light gray earthpony, with frost blue eyes, and a short haircut. Wears a dark blue leather jacker with her cutie mark sewn onto the back, as well as grey slacks. Wears a blue bandana around her neck.
Unusual Traits: None

Combat: Little to no experience
Weapon Skills: Hand to hand, non-lethal melee
Weapons Available: Pick knife

History: Born into a middle class family in PonyVille, Wild Card was named before she was born, as the parents didn’t want to know if she was going to be a colt, a filly, Pegasus, unicorn, or earthpony. Her upbringing led her to be a well-rounded pony, with a good amount of knowledge. Missing the draft into the Great Equestrian War by mere weeks, Wild Card had never seen combat, but gotten into a few hoof fights in high school. Deciding to take a year off from school, she visited Detroit with some friends. She was celebrating victory day when her friends were killed in an explosion. Now, lost and alone in the most violent city in Equestria, Wild Card will do anything she can to get out of the city, and hopefully bring some closure to her friends families.
Allegiance: Alone and afraid.
Allies: None
Relationships: None



Arualsti's Character:


Name: Creme de Menthe
Race: Unicorn
Age: 32
Sex: Male

Cutie Mark: Cocktail glass
Appearance: https://i.imgur.com/ZEWHVf2.png

Dark turquoise coat, pink eyes, blue mane and tail. Average height and build, notably good looking. Always aims to be smart and well dressed.


Unusual Traits: Is extremely nimble with his hooves, and can pick up playing cards or glasses without the use of magic



Combat: Tries to stay out of combat as much as possible, helped by a particular magical skill that calms other ponies down. His magic is strong enough to pick up most small to medium sized weapons.

Weapon Skills: Has moderate skills in guns, small knives and whilst he has plenty of skill in administering poison (good slight of hoof and plenty of oppurtunity) he isn't skilled in making them.

Weapons Available: Small pistol and knife, kept in his suit jacket.


History: Born into a lower middle class family in rural Fancee, Creme was a charming and likeable, a skilled cook, like his mother, with his fathers wit. His family moved to downtown Manehatten when he was still a colt, and despite a rocky start with other foals his age teasing him for his accent, he managed to become a popular and balanced young stallion, neither excelling or failing at school. When he graduated he quickly utilised his charm and skills in the kitchen to become a cook at a high class restaurant. When the owners realised his skills truly lay in socialisation, he was transferred to the role of maître d'. He was extremely popular with all the customers of the restaurant, especially the head members of the Rose family, who would visit it often. He was so liked in fact, that when the family opened a Jazz club as a front for their other businesses, they invited Creme to handle the legal side of the business. He took one look at the paycheck and agreed. Throughout the years he has run the club extremely successfully, managing to use his charm to deter police investigation and infiltration from rival gangs. He now spends most of his time tending the bar in addition to running the place.

Allegiance: Rose family

Allies: Rose family




Name: Tootsie DeLore

Race: Unicorn
Age: 23
Sex: Female
Cutie Mark: None (burned off)



Appearance: 
Enlarge this image Click to see fullsize


Unusual Traits: Mentally unstable, possibly bipolar. She has no cutie mark and instead has a faint scar on each side. Excellent, if frightening, driver. Her erratic behaviour makes her nearly immune to Creme's suggestion magic.


Combat: Magic and brutal but inefficient hoof to hoof. Has a small set of spells, but the ones she can do are very, very powerful.
Weapon Skills: Next to none. 
Weapons Available: None

History: Orphaned from a very young age in Manehatten, she was 'adopted' by a group running an underground sex trafficking ring. She was used as an underage prostitute for most of her childhood. Once she got her cutie mark, they burned it off so that she would seem younger than she was and keep attracting customers. She accidentally magically blew up the brothel when she was 14. With nowhere to go she landed back on the streets and continued to prostitute and thieve. Her good looks landed her a few high profile clients, which gave her a taste of what high class could be. She was eventually arrested for prostitution, amongst other things and ended up in jail. Her erratic mood swings, smart mouth and powerful magic landed her in solitary. 
Allegiance: 'Gang Squad'
Allies: 'Gang Squad'








Name: Kaskara Alae Pinnarum
Race: Pegasus
Age: 21
Sex:Female


Cutie Mark: A blade with sky blue glowing wings
Appearance:
Unusual Traits: Her eyes tend to seem as though they are glowing at times, and her wings are very strong, allowing her to fly faster than the average Winged pony, and maneuver through tight spaces at high speeds. She is also good at blending in with the crowd, and seems to come out of nowhere at times, startling the ponies around her.



Combat: She is very agile, and can outrun any pony easily. Cascara is Sly, and fast. She would be able to take something, and not be noticed. The mare is skilled at hoof to hoof combat, and can incapacitate her enemies in an instant.

Weapon Skills: She knows her way around a sword, or any kind of blade

Weapons Available: She wears a retractable 8 inch wrist blade on both of her front legs made by her brother. They are attached and hidden under a decorated wrist cuff. Kaskara also has a small buckled pouch wrapped around her thigh containing 3 metal playing cards, a queen,king,and ace that are custom made by the head of the Clover family ,and have Sharp, knife like edges so she can throw them at her foes.


History: When the mare was young, she lived in the Everfree forest with her older brother, who taught her to fight close up, and defend herself with blades. He was a skilled welder, and made weapons so they could protect themselves against the threatening creatures that lurked in the shadows of the forest. One day, when Kaskara was just 9 years old, her brother ventured into the shadows of the Everfree to gather water, and never came back. She survived on her own in the forest until she was about 12 using the skills her brother taught her, until a pack of timber wolves attacked her house, and drove her away. She was injured, but kept running until she came upon a caravan of travelers who let her in, and dropped her off in the big city of Manehatten. The pony was not used to civilization, and was left cowering in the streets injured, and begging for food. One morning she was sitting on the curb, and weeping due to an infected slash on her thigh. A large colt approached her and offered her food and money in exchange for some favors. Since then she has been stealing for the Head of the Clover family.


Allegiance: Clover family

Allies: Head of the Clover family.

Relationships: Optional



Joe's Character:



Name: Night Weaver
Race: Hybrid bat pony, 50/50 bat pony/normal pony
Age: 30
Sex: Female

Cutie Mark: Black widow spider
Appearance: http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/036/d/2/bat_pony_cloud_by_pegabella-d758cd8.jpg
Unusual Traits: Delusive, she can trick others into thinking less or more of her and play to that advantage to succeed in her goal, has skills in the old arts of alchemy and slightly heightened hearing and vision due to her batpony heritage. 

Combat: She uses claw daggers attached to her hooves as her main form of weapon to slash at her foes with poisoned tipped blades, she uses guns only when she feels the need for it, prefer silent takedowns and working/killing from the shadows.
Weapon Skills: Claws, daggers, small guns and minor skill in automatic guns. 
Weapons Available: Her personalized claw daggers and a small hand gun.

History: Night Weaver had been left on her own as young filly, born as a hybrid in troubled times her parents didn't want to be caught with having given birth to a hybrid child. 'Weaver learned how to take care of her own quickly and when she was in her late teens she was recruited into an upcoming crime family. Her ways of working out of the shadows and only going head on when needed too was greatly appreciated and she became a favourite of the head of the family who sent her on some of the most dangerous missions for the family. 
Allegiance: The Rose family and it's allies.
Allies: Those allied with the Rose family.
Relationships: Nothing permanent yet.





Flutter's character


Name: Swiss Leatherman

Race: Earth Pony

Age: 23

Sex: M

Cutie Mark: Multitool
Appearance: http://pokit.org/get/?c3054b48859a06fb7693bf1ee0e63315.jpg

Unusual Traits: Multiple cuts on face due to accidents when making taking things apart. Has extreme dexterity in lips, can use tools that normally only unicorns could manipulate. Strong jaws from years of using tools.


Combat: Preferably behind a cement wall while waiting for his traps to be sprung or explosives to detonate

Weapon Skills: Can rig a multitude of traps and explosives. Can use most guns that can be held just by the mouth. Isn’t very stealthy. Can only use knives for takedowns, otherwise is useless with them.

Weapons Available: Old Solar Empire military knife, 9mm semi-auto pistol, and a custom 9mm “Detrot Typewriter” SMG shortened to a length to be held just with the mouth. The “Typewriter” is kept at home unless needed, the other weapons are kept in saddlebags.



History: He was born in Sadalia (a town, even smaller than Ponyville). The town offered little in the way of jobs or entertainment, Swiss turned to disassembling and reassembling anything he could find. Jackhammers, wagons, and even the rare gun that found its way into town. The ability to take apart and fix almost anything turned out to be his special talent. However, taking apart the same tool time and time again did become monotonous for Swiss, so he started reading anything he could find. His favorite thing to read was the unicorn alchemy manuals. He found that some of the most basic plant powders and herbs mixed together were not only flammable, but in fact explosive. Swiss went out into abandoned fields to test his newfound knowledge quite often, perfecting the mixtures to create sizeable fireballs.


After his youth of taking apart half the town and making fireballs, Swiss decided he needed an actual Job. He went to Manehatten to become a handyman, any large city is bound to have an abundance of things to repair for some coin. He quickly noticed something though, everything was controlled by the Rose family. The police chief was even being paid by them. The corruption sickened him. Since arriving in this cesspool of corruption, he has been looking for a way to bring it down. Though, after months upon months of searching, the most Swiss has found was a few friends in the family that wanted out. He could occasionally hear of some minor activities that the Rose family was doing.

Allegiance: None

Allies: Anyone against the crime families
Relationships: None





Final Rules and Regulations: If you neglect your responsibility to post, you shall be ejected from the RP, and your character will either die off or become an NPC at your choice. You must follow the basic plotline of the story, and you must always take into consideration your other RP'ers. At the discretion of the Mods of the RP section, you my be ejected from the RP, or be put on a temporary Hiatus. You are allowed to have one hiatus before you are ejected outright. If you are away or busy at the time, you can assign another Role Player to post on your behalf for you. I understand, especially after a recent event, that we all have our own lives, and we must all be patient with posting time. Thank you for your consideration.

[Princess Blueblood]

It happened after the First Great Equestrian War.

Thousands of dollars worth of booze, all shoved down the drain. A low point in Equestrian History. The economy topsided, as hundreds of veterans from the war came back home to find themselves without jobs, or money. The alcohol industry went down the river, and Equestria went into a depression. Everypony was jonesing for some fine booze, but the only way to get it now was to make your own.

And that is exactly what the families did.

Blooming Orchid, Rose Thorn, and 4-Leaf Clover, 3 different back-water families from all over Equestria, started making Moonshine. Of course, the Apple Family, famous for their Apple Cider, went along, but they evolved into a legitamite business, before being shut down in 1339. These families deported the only booze in the nation to the remaining clubs, raking in large amounts of cash. Soon, their booze empire became so large, they moved on from just the immediate family, to other employees. After about 5 years, the prohibition let up, and the now rich and powerful families moved from their backwater towns to bigger and upcoming cities. The Orchids, primarily pegasi, moved to the newly established Pegasus Colony of Las Pegasus, to start their new money raking empire. The Clovers, primarily rock farmers before the prohibition, moved to the nearby city of Detrot, where they created a huge blackmarket for drugs and guns in inner city Detrot. Finally, the Rose Family moved to the city of Manehatten, where they created a huge drug, gun, booze, and money laundering. This all started in the late 1330's.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the families are stronger than ever. Las Pegasus, grounded for the extra money, was the crime capital of the country: Every single celebrity who was anypony came trotting over to make some cash with the newly minted head of the Lotus Family, Black Lotus.

Detrot, a city now torn apart by war due to the severly cheap weaponry sold at the hands of the Clover Family, was a hub for state of the art weapons, and war-mongers from Griffonia to the Zebra Lands could be seen buying new and improved hardware for their next eradication of whichever minority their leader has a grudge on this time. At the head, the old Clover still lived, 4-Leaf now over 50 years old and over 50 murders under his belt.

Finally, in the spanning metropolis of Manehatten, the Rose Family thrives, seeing itself as the lesser evil of the three families. Using its wealth and fortune to "help" the local economy (by help I mean pay off every diplomat ever so they can have what they want, which somehow benefits the citizens of Manehatten) they thrive in highrises across the city, enjoying the finest music clubs and finest playpony escorts. At the head, the mysterious head of the family, White Rose, a young mare who ascended the ranks of the family with the help of a little friend called Rose Thorn Poison.

But as tension grows inbetween the family, a war starts. And those who could possibly tip the balance of the war, must be eliminated. So it was the Ninth night of June, in 1349, did the heads of each family decide those who posed the greatest threat to one another must be eliminated.

Rattle Snake.

Creme De Menthe.

Night Weaver.

Kaskara Alae Pinnarum.

Swiss Leatherman.


All of them would be thrown into a spiraling battle between each of the three families, and end each one of their influences upon Equestria.

[Princess Blueblood]

It was a warm summers eve when the heads of the families met in Crystal Fair, far north of any of their cities. They had all traveled all day to meet on equal footing, and now, they all sat around a small table, flanked by guards from their respective families. While ponies celebrated outside, dancing and playing, three ponies sat in the dining hall, laden with gold and crystal, talking quietly to one another.

"You do realize this is a very dangerous game we're playing, Rose," Said Black Lotus, doing her makeup causally. The black colored mare had vibrant colors for her eye and mane colors, just like all of her relatives, and such beauty had to be cared for. Behind her stood two other Lotus family members, their pale coats contrasted with bright fiery manes, Thompson's strapped to their battle saddles. 

"Of course I do, Ms. Lotus. Do you think I simply decided to ignore the fact that we're going to war?" Asked White Rose, her white coat shimmering the chandelier light of the room. Her blood red eyes and mane gave the unicorn the appearance of an albino, even though she was a perfectly normal pony.

"You retain your fathers intuition, Ms. Rose. I sometimes wonder how he didn't realize you were going to poison him," Said 4-Leaf, his white mane and beard bleached from age. While his green coat still retained some of its old brightness, he was an old pony, and he knew it.

"Let's not insult one another, my friends," Black Lotus said, her charismatic voice carrying through the room, seemingly soothing everypony within. There was something about the unicorn that made everypony relaxed, even though she was one of the most dangerous mares in Equestria. "We're better ponies than that."

"Of course, Ms. Lotus. Let us resume talks about our... 'problem'," Said 4-Leaf, adjusting his tie. "How shall we deal with such things."

"I am not eager to let 'Weaver and Creme go. They have been very loyal to my family," Said Rose, and Clover nodded his head in agreement. 

"It is the same with Kasakara. She has done nothing but good for my family," 4-Leaf explained, and Lotus nodded. 

"I am not happy to let Rattle Snake go. Him and I have been good friends since childhood, but if our plan is going to work, they're going to have to die," Said Lotus, putting on some lip-stick while looking into her mirror. "We cannot prolong this war and possibly make money if they are to survive. They'd tip the balances too quickly."

"I understand, but couldn't we just... improvise?" asked 4-Leaf, taking a drink of his white wine. "Lock them up or something?"

"Knowing how well each of these ponies are trained, they'd escape and end up fucking up the war anyway," Said Rose, before she covered her mouth. "Excuse my language."

"Of course, my dear," Said Lotus, before she took a sip of her water. "What about that other pony in Manehatten? The one whose been trying to get in the business of the Rose family? What are we to do about him?"

"I already have my men co-operating to get rid of him. He shan't be a thorn in my side, Ms. Lotus," Rose said, smiling.

"Well, its settled. We shall send them to the distillery tomorrow night, and we'll burn it down," Lotus said, and the other two nodded.

"To our fortune, and none other's." 4-Leaf raised his glass, followed by the other two.

"To our fortune."

------------

"Ain't that a kick, in the HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD?"


Rattle Snake sat at his desk, loading his .45's magazines with ammunition. The radio wailed in the background, as he finished loading his weaponry. Still naked from last nights little "date" with the little sister of Black Lotus, Pink Lotus, Rattle Snake still had to finish getting dressed, call a taxi, and get on a plane to Manehatten. Just last night, in the middle of nailing her sister, he got a phone call from Black Lotus herself, telling him he needed to go to a Lotus Family Distillery to deal with a mole. He didn't even realize that the Lotus Family had a distillery in Manehatten, but who was he to question such a thing.

As he finished packing his bags, he put on his three peice suit, his hat, and his sunglasses, and kissed Pink Lotus on the forehead, narrowly avoiding her horn. He then dragged himself out of his hangover stupor, and out the door of his high-rise apartment in Las Pegasus.

Rattle Snake had been a busy stallion. When he wasn't shooting people through their heads from over 500 wing lengths away, he was busy dealing with administrative duties of the Lotus Family. Perhaps since he was an old friend of Black Lotus, he had been given a higher position, which made him a tad uncomfortable. He knew his way around a gun better than he did a check book, and was a better shooter than a talker. He pondered why on earth he would be given so many administrative jobs when Black Lotus knew that he was only good with a gun. They had both served in the same squad in the Second Great Equestrian War, and knew one anothers skills well. Now, his old friend was at the head of the Lotus family, and he was on his way up. 

Of course, he could never lead the family. He wasn't of Lotus blood, but he could definitely hold a position of power. And he aimed to do so. But then again, how would a goon who had never done anything diplomatic in his whole life ever hold a position like that. In reality, Rattle Snake enjoyed his job of shooting people. It was simple, easy, and gave him good pay. And rarely was it dangerous.

"This is your stop, Mr. Snake," said the driver of the taxi. Rattle Snake passed him an 100 bit note, and got out of the taxi, adjusting his tie. 

The Las Pegasus Airport was a tad useless, as the majority of the population was pegasi, but for the mob, it was definitely a plus. Free plane parking, is what they said. Since pretty much there was a private plane for each mobster, it was a wonderful occasion when Rattle Snake got to fly first class across the country. Rattle Snake made his way to his plane, where he was the only passenger. The plane took off quickly, flying Rattle Snake what would be his intended doom.

--------


The plane landed at around 5 PM, giving Rattle Snake enough time to have a spaghetti dinner before heading to the distillery. He decided the best place to have such a dinner was at a rather famous Jazz club owned by the Rose family. He had been there before, just as a guest, but by now, the Rose family probably knew who he was. It was a risk he was willing to take though. Besides, he loved spaghetti. 

After his dinner, he took a taxi to the distillery, where a group of Lotus members were standing, Thompson M1921s at the ready. He got out of the taxi, and took one of the Tommy Guns from one of the members, checking how much ammunition it had.

"Alright boys, we're gonna do this quickly. No lollygaggin', you hear?" asked Rattle Snake, Tommy Gun in his magical grasp.

"Gotcha boss. Guy ain't here yet, so we gotta wait for a bit," Said one of the stallions, and Rattle Snake nodded.

"Then lets set a trap. We ain't letting this bastard get out of here alive," Rattle Snake said, entering the distillery.

[Fluttershy]

No matter the decision Swiss makes tonight, it will change his life. He was sitting in a dinner a few blocks away from the distillery drinking coffee and contemplating his options.

He recalled what happened a few days ago, one of his informants approached him while he was working and handed him the shift schedule at one of the local distilleries. This information is perfect, exactly what he has been waiting for since he got to Manehatten. With the shift schedule, he could sneak in and damage something important and run out before being caught.

Swiss grabbed his saddle bags, thanked the waitress for the coffee, and left. He slowly started making his way to the distillery, bags heavy with explosives and his custom Thompson which he calls his “Typewriter”. He knew what he was already doing was highly illegal, he knew he may be killed by the crime family for just planning this, but he also knew he may never get a chance like this for years.

His mind wandered to last night, how he had gathered everything he needed to make explosives. He almost forgot how, since he hasn't had any practice since he got to Manehatten and became a mechanic, but skills like this die hard after learning when you were just a colt. He didn't have to search far for the supplies, he had most of what he needed at home, and what he didn't have there he got at work.

Swiss was only about a block away from the distillery, the full reality of what he was about to do was finally setting in. Even if the guards were away long enough for him to place his bomb, the certainly would be back by the time it explodes. This will be the first time he will ever kill anypony. That thought wasn't sitting well in his stomach. He stopped walking “maybe I can just go home, forget this madness and just live my life keeping a blind eye to the crimes” he thought to himself “NO, I must go on, I've waited too long for a moment like this, anypony that dies by my hoof would have deserved it”. He started walking again.

A taxi drove past Swiss towards the distillery. “I have a bad feeling about this, maybe I should just go home, I mean, even if the guards are bastards that work for… ugh, them, do they really deserve to die, besides, maybe somepony sees me before I can escape.” He argued with himself “No, tonight IS THE NIGHT, they knew what they were getting into when they joined them, and nopony is going to see me.”

Swiss was almost at the distillery, he went over the plan one more time in his head. In about five minutes, the guards would switch, but because of poor planning skills, there would be a gap of about ten minutes for him to run in, place his bomb on one of the distillers, and run out. If everything goes to plan, he would be half way home before half the building goes up in flames.

He went to one of the rarely used side doors (according to his informant) and waited. Building up courage and waiting for the time to sneak in.

Through the cool quiet night, Swiss could barely hear the taxi, somepony got out, and he could barely hear some muffled talking, and the distinct sound of a bolt carrying forward. I thought to himself “Shit shit shit, I knew something bad was going to happen tonight, I should have just stayed home, I should have forgot this, wait, it’s not too late, I can still just walk away. No, this happens now, that was just a guard getting of duty, I’ll be fine.” He took out bomb one more time to inspect it, still just the way he made it. He put it back in his saddle bag and pulled out his Typewriter to be sure it was loaded, it was. “Now or never” he carefully opened the door to the distillery.

[Arualsti]

The sun was beginning to peak over the buildings of the Manehatten skyline as the workers of the Slippery Saddle club tiredly closed up. Creme cleaned the last few shot glasses meticulously, placing them back on the mirror backed shelves of the bar. He nodded at Candy Apple and Pink Bud as they left, manes piled in messy top knots on their head, tired eyes with lazily removed make up meeting his gaze with genuinely cheerful looks. They were both waitresses on the books, dancers in reality and strippers to the right customers. Creme always knew the right customers when he saw them, and made sure they treated his dancers with respect. There was nothing less sexy than a weepy mare with a black eye, so the female workers at the Slippery Saddle were treated much better than the majority of the rest of the showmares in the city.

They were followed out by the Bluejays, a band that'd been playing the venue all week, and proving very popular. He gave them the same friendly nod on the way out, all of the band members but the lead singers, Tootin', giving one back. Creme did not like Tootin' one bit. Sure, him and his band had brought in the crowds this week, but Creme did not like his habit of doing things behind his back. Creme was a fixer, if Tootin' wanted drugs, Creme got drugs, if Tootin' wanted a whore, Creme would get him a whore. He did not appreciated Tootin' bringing these things into his club without his know how. The cops hand been itching to rummage through the back rooms of the Slippery Saddle or years now, and suspected drug use and solicitation on the premises would give them just the excuse they needed. The Rose Family trusted Creme explicitly to keep the club making clean money and for the back rooms to be kept secure and for Creme not to question what was occasionally stored there. And he did just that. The club was popular and raked in the bits nightly, it made so much that Creme could easily muddle the numbers a little to hide his bosses ill gotten gains, and the back room was always kept locked and clean. Creme had seen many things stored in there, money, drugs, bodies, all of which he kept locked away in his mind. He didn't get to such a position of trust with the Family by giving them any reason to doubt him. And by keeping the Family sweet he had gained everything he wanted, a wildly successful club which he ran as he pleased, a swanky apartment on the east side and access to the upper echelons of society.

A young stallion whose name always escaped Creme had finished the last of the sweeping and was readying himself to leave. Creme nodded and let him go, yawning. He was always the first to arrive and last to leave work. He placed the final glass he had cleaned back onto the shelf, making sure they were all perfectly lined up and level. He made his way to the office in the clubs back rooms, a dingy little room, cold and damp. The warm plush carpets and leather seat décor of the club did not stretch this far back. The floor was bare here, the walls doubling as extra storage space for bottles of liqour and cleaning equipment. A wooden desk sat in the middle, piles of paper stacked neatly, and a worn chair pushed underneath it. A camp bed with thin woollen sheets was pushed up against one wall. He loved his lap of luxury apartment, but he loved the club more, and he was more than willing to put up with a few bad days sleep in the pit that was his office to ensure the club ran smoothly every night. He removed his suit jacket and folded it carefully, placing it into a ragged sack he called his clothes wash bag. He'd be taking everything to be dry cleaned within the next few days, but Creme was extremely appreciative of all that he owned, and did not mistreat a thing. He slid deftly into bed, barely disturbing the neat and precise blanket tucked into the sides, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Creme awoke to a fierce pounding on the clubs thick double doors. He stirred slowly, certain it was only a dream, but the knocking continued, louder than before. He kicked the blanket off him, unable to maintain the illusion of impeccable neatness throughout his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching nimbly as a cat. He slipped on a fitted shirt, and was about to continue his routine to make himself more presentable, when a voice accompanied the knocking.

“Open up assholes, this is the police” came through the club. Creme felt his innards turn to stone, frozen in fear. He gulped, a bead of sweat ran down his face. Creme never sweated, not even on the hottest days or hottest nights in the club. It was undignified. But this made him sweat a cold sweat.

“Coming” He said, trying to hide the strain in his voice.

He made his way quickly to the door, giving the most casual of glances into the other back room. The one he had to protect at all costs. It was empty. The knot in his stomach failed to loosen, he was certain there would be trace amounts of whatever had graced the hard concrete floor in there over the past few months.

The walk to the door was long. Creme noticed everything, the slightly sticky floor, each uneven tile, the tiniest smudges on the glass partitions. The door loomed ahead, the commotion of several ponies audible. He gulped again, flicking his hair back out of his eyes, placing his hoof on the worn metal handle, calming himself.

He swung the door open, a wide grin on his face.

“Bonjour officers, how can I help you today?” Creme asked, reverting to his Fancee accent. For some reason, it made other ponies feel at ease and non threatened.

“Creme de Menthe?” The gruff pony asked. He had messy hair and a tilted hat, two day stubble and a hoof rolled ciggarette drooping from his mouth. He dark brown coat was old and weather beaten, splashes of mud caked onto the bottom.

“Oui.” Creme replied “That is me” he replied, no trace of his fear in his voice.

“Care to let us in? We need to have a little chat” Gruff asked, the ciggarete barely twitching as he did.

“I am afraid that is, uhh, not possible” He said with a charming grin. Creme knew the law about the sort of stuff inside and out, and he was not letting them in without a warrant.

“Come on Creme-y” Gruff said, attempting to give Creme a tap on the shoulder. Creme side stepped it subtley “It's just a chat”

“Like I said, sir, it is not possible” Creme said, his smile only faltering in his eyes.

Gruff grimaced, clearly not expecting to face resistance.

“Alright Creme-y, I'm here looking for Tootin', where is he?” Gruff leant against the frame of the door, preventing Creme from closing it.

Creme's face faltered only slightly, a minute twitch. Any lawyer or his bosses would tell him to shut up and cry lawyer, but Creme had a smoother tongue and more charm than any lawyer. He was sure he could talk his way out of it that would avoid a trip down to the station or a phone call to his lawyer.

“Tootin'? Ah! Oui, yes, he is one of the, uhhh musicien, playing here this week. He left with the band this morning after we closed” He said smoothly, never breaking eye contact with Gruff.

“Was he with this mare?” Gruff asked, holding up a picture of young mare, her blond mane spread around her head like a halo. Her face was broken and bloody, her dress pulled up above her waist, the fabric and her inner thighs stained with blood.

Creme paused. He had not been expecting that. He did not recognise the mare. She looked like every other fool country pony that came to the big city expecting to find their fortune to turn to hustling to get by.

“Mon Dieu! I do not recognise her, no” He replied convincingly feigning shock and sadness.

“Well you see, we have eye witnesses saying he met her here. Last night. Sure you don't recognise her?” Gruff said.

“We are an extremely busy place, I don't recognise every patron that comes to my club” Creme replied, a little forcefully.

“You see, Creme-y, I reckon you're covering for Tootin'. I reckon you know this mare, I reckon you were the one that got the better acquainted. I'm sure a fine club manager like yourself is always keen to make sure your talent is properly cared for. That about right?” Gruff said, with a smug smile.

Creme gasped “Sir! I run a perfectly legal business here. I do not allow my patrons or guests to indulge in any illegal activity here, and I am always prompt to report any and all suspicious behaviour to the police. Surely there is a report or two down at the station that mentions how I have assisted in the arrests of several drug dealers or pimps trying to operate out of my establishment?” He paused, not letting Gruff answer. It was all true. Any time a small gang or ponies working solo tried to encroach on the Families business, Creme would be sure to lure them to the club, get them drunk, then plant incriminating evidence on them. Just enough to make the police think Creme was an upstanding gentlecolt, but not enough to make it seem as though these things were a regular occurrence at his club. “Hmm?” He continued “Exactly.”

Gruff grimaced at his inability to trip Creme up. “Fine. But give us a call if he turns up tonight”

“Oui, of course” he said, his grin wide as ever.

He watched them from the doorway until they had gotten into their cars and driven away. He slammed the door and made his way to his office, locking the door. He picked up the telephone, dialling in a very important number.

“Hello?” He said “We have a problem.”

==================================================================================

Creme felt warm in his coat, but he wore it more out of fashion than necessity. This part of the city was deserted at this time of night, but the sounds from nearby roads still roared. Creme felt oddly peaceful, prepared. He felt this Welrod nestled within the holster under his coat. He never felt comfortable wearing one, too bulky, even under a thick coat.

He had spent the day gathering information, mostly the polite way. He had been offered some muscle, but he turned it down. Last thing he needed was brute with more bullets than brains ruining things. He had found the identity of the dead mare from his own, trusted street girls. The name of her pimp quickly followed. Luckily, he was an independent, and had been growing too large too quickly. The family were glad to see him taken care of. The pimp in question was currently dozing in the back room of the club, and would be for several hours yet.

The harder part was finding Tootin'. He knew the police were incompetent and that ponies were much more forthcoming with information to Creme than they would be to the police, but even he had trouble pinning him down. His clues eventually led him to seedy bar on the side of town, the kind that held the washed up, downtrodden and general scum of the city. Tootin' was in there, getting drunk, missing his gig at the Slippery Saddle. Creme felt alright killing him just for that slight alone.

The sound of stumbling hoof falls came from round the corner. Creme peered round. It was Tootin', looking less suave than he ever had done. He pulled his gun from it's holster. He'd feel much more comfortable holding it in his hooves, but the trigger was far too small small for hoof use. At least this way it would be quieter and he could stand far enough back to eliminate powder trace on his hooves or clothes. Tootin' stumbled closer, not noticing the shadowy figure waiting. Creme approached him, placed the barrel to his side and pulled the trigger, never once pausing. He was not the sort to confront a marked man with fancy last words, his talent helped ponies change their minds, but Tootin' was going to die, whether he wanted it or not.

Tootin' slumped against the wall, choking and gasping slightly, hoofing the wall for support. Creme watched him until his stopped moving, face down in a puddle. A summer storm brewed overhead. Hopefully lashings of rain would fall upon the scene, obscuring Creme's existence.

He returned to the Slippery Saddle as the club was in full swing. Even on a weekday they had a steady flow of customers streaming in through the doors. His second was running the show tonight, a young stallion that Creme had taken a shine to. He was talented too, but the Slippery Saddle was precious to Creme, so he only relinquished control for Family business. He entered though the back, making his way to the room where the pimp was out cold. He was right, the sky had opened and rain began pouring down upon the city in great sheets. Creme lifted the pimp with his magic, thankful that he was skinny. He floated him out the back door and into the back of his car.

The pimp thankfully worked and lived in a very secluded area of the city, in a series of abandoned buildings. He was able to get him inside and into his squat without anypony seeing. Creme was disgusted at how some ponies chose to live. Empty bottles of drink littered every corner, ashtrays over flowing and dirty dishes piled with rotting food. If Creme had felt a shred of guilt for throwing this pony under the bus, it would have been eradicated now. He slumped the pony on a disgusting armchair, and transferred the gun used to kill Tootin' to his coffee table, after of course wiping it down his own hoof prints and applying the pimps. The rain and soaked them both, and removed any traces of GSR from Creme' clothes, and give plausible reasoning at to why the pimps had none at all. Finally he placed a near finished bottle of whiskey on his lap. He did have drugs on him to plant, but one look at his coffee table told Creme he was covered in that regard. He left quickly and silently after that.

Creme leant back in the office chair, drinking water with aspirin. Usually he would have come back and taken back over straight away from his second, but he was far too tired for that. He rubbed his temples with his hooves. He'd be okay taking the rest of the night off. He was about to collect his things and spend a blessed nights sleep in his own apartment, when the phone rang. Creme answered it. It was the boss. He had another job. Non-negotiable.

====================================================================================

Much to Creme's annoyance, the boss was insistent he take another to the distillery. It was a distillery for goodness sake, if there was one thing Creme did not need help with, it was checking on alcohol. He hoped it wasn't babysitting duty, showing one of the bosses brood how the Family business worked. Creme was usually a very calm pony, but he had to give the bosses precious daughter a job as a barmare at the Slippery Saddle. Luckily she quit before she gave him an aneurysm.

The pony that met him under the old bridge was certainly not what he had expected. She was older than he expected, about his age, and clearly not all muscle and gun. She was clearly the more heavily armed of the two, her only clothing being holsters with weapons in. Creme only had his Colt 1908 and flick knife tucked close to his body, both of which he only carried because the boss had insisted long ago he was not to go out on any job unarmed. Creme was made only slightly uncomfortable by her general naked appearance. He was an old fashioned pony, and found anything less than a suit bordering on the indecent. Still, this was a job, not a social function, he was sure he had her reasons for her attire.

“Weaver, is it?” He asked, not offering her a hoof. She looked like she meant business and he was sure she did not want to chit chat. For once, he did not wish to chit chat either. He wanted to get the job over and done with as soon as possible. “I am Creme de Menthe.”

[Cloudchaser]

1 day before the distillery night.
Night Weaver was a busy mare, while she wasn't from the Rose family she was second in command only to the Rose family's kin. 'Weaver was always sent on the most important and dangerous missions for the family, much thank due to her bat pony side. It made her able to meld into the shadows with ease, gave her heightened vision in darkness. It made her a perfect assassin and she worked silently, the police knew her as the shadow, even in the middle of a drug bust she would be able to find her target and pick him off without any trace of her ever being there.
She was also in charge of the family's many operations in the town and when competition from the other families came to town she was often picked to take care of it before the police found out they were in town. If there was one thing they hated it was when rival families decides to try and snag turf from the other, it usually ended up in a lot of brutal murders and a lot of paper work.
Sometimes she'd stick around on a brutal murder scene that she'd organized neatly for the police, it amused her to watch the cops in action and especially the police captain's reactions to finding one of her trademark corpses. 


Despite being in the drug business, 'Weaver was clean as a flower. A lot of her co-workers took drugs or smoked but 'Weaver didn't want anything to interfere with her ability to carry out her work though she didn't turn down a good drink after a hard days work. Unbeknownst to the club owner of the Slippery saddle she was a recurring customer there, she'd slip in with her usual ability of getting by un-noticed unless she wanted to be seen and then take a seat in a remote corner table where she'd watch the dancers and the band play while enjoying a drink. Sometimes she'd invite over some pretty mare and get her to loosen up a bit, tonight though would not be one of them, it was her birthday and she had invited over some of her friends and they were partying the night away. 'Weaver had made sure that no one would recognize her if they saw her, not even the club owner would though he was too busy taking order anyway to bother about each and every customer that was having a party, he probably got a lot of those each night.


Day of the distillery raid
The night went on until closing hours and they all headed home, except for 'Weaver.. She got a call from the bosses messenger, Rose wanted to see her asap and there was no debating about it. Thankfully as half a bat pony she didn't need as much sleep as the normal mare, still she cursed silently for herself, she wasn't even allowed to go home and wash herself before going and seeing the boss. While she didn't really care for making herself look pretty she still slightly hated seeing the boss after being out drinking, she sighed and took off towards the Rose family's business headquarters, whatever it was the matter was extremely important if Rose wanted to see her personally asap. 


Once at the HQ she was escorted as usual too Rose's office without much conversing, the guards knew her reputation and feared her, with all due right. When she got into Rose's office she was standing and looking out over the streets, she seemed to be a troubled mood but 'Weaver knew better than to talk before Rose did.


"'Weaver.. You've been with me for so long now and I would trust you with my life but no matter what I have to ask of you is of great importance to the family business operation, we've uncovered intelligence that some of the rival families are planning on taking over a distillery. I want you to meet up with Creme de Menthe, he owns the slippery saddle and together you two will enter the distillery at night and eliminate anyone inside that is a pony, that includes workers, no witnesses. We'll handle the recruitment of new workers after you two are done, you will meet Creme under a bridge near the distillery tonight, is that clear?" Rose said and turned around and looked at 'Weaver with the usual stone cold face.


"Yes, ma'am! If there's nothing else you want then I shall retire to my house and prepare for the night." 'Weaver responded and waited in case Rose said anything, she just nodded that 'Weaver could leave and off she was to prepare herself.


When 'Weaver had left the room, Rose made sure she was well gone before she silently said a small prayer that 'Weaver would die quickly. She had taken her in as a young mare and had practically raised her to be the perfect and loyal worker she had become, perhaps a bit too perfect but never mind that now, by tonight she'd be dead and tomorrow the plans the three families had made at the meeting would begin.
--------------
'Weaver approached the meeting place and slipped into the shadows, she was donning a leather harness with her guns strapped onto it as well as ammunition. On her front hooves she'd strapped on her trade mark claw daggers and now she waited for Creme to show up, it wasn't long until he showed up. 'Weaver made sure to slip out of the shadows so he could see her and he approached her with a determined look on his face, he didn't spare anything when it got to getting to business.


"'Weaver is it?" He said and scanned her gear instead of trying to be polite, 'Weaver nodded in response, not being much of a talker since she usually worked alone.


"Right, well shall we get going then." Creme said, it wasn't a question it was a statement and 'Weaver joined him as they made their way to the distillery, neither of them said anything as they came upon the building.


"There's someone at the back door." 'Weaver suddenly said and stopped Creme from walking any further and they watched as an suspicious looking earth pony entered the distillery with something that looked like a home made bomb.


"The fucker's gonna blow the distillery up." 'Weaver said and they rushed after him, slipping inside the distillery a mere few minutes after the earth pony but he was no where to be seen.


"We'll split up and look for him, I'll take the lower floor and you take the upper floor." She said and Creme nodded as he made his way to nearby flight of stairs. Both of them unbeknownst of that what would go down there tonight.

[Pegabella]

Smooth Jazz reverberated through the warm summer streets of Detrot as Kaskara weaved her way around the bustling crowd of night folk. She took a sharp turn into a narrow alley way, which was a short cut to her small two room abode a few blocks away. These parts of the streets were usually empty at this time of night, due to the fact that all normal ponies would be tucked tightly into their beds at this hour. Small mice scurried around her legs as she continued on, her hooves creating a slight clicking noise upon contact with the pavement.
She advanced a few steps forward, and noticed that she was not the only one in the dark alleyway . Her keen sense of hearing caught a slight disturbance in the pattern of hoof steps, which caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand in an upward direction. Kaskara surveyed her surroundings, and became hyper-aware of all the sounds and movements around her. Even the slightest shuffle of a small rodent was enough to trigger her reflexes, sending her left fore hoof out, snapping her wrist knife into combat position.


She glanced at the dim shining streetlight that flickered ever so often, and noticed the pitch black shadows behind it, which lead in the opposite direction of her flat. Shit..I'm stuck. She cursed at herself in her brain, knowing she should have taken the simple, more populated route home at this time of night. Kaskara glanced upward at the small opening between the roof tops, wondering if she should take off into the night sky, risking not only a longer route, but being out in the open, exposing herself as an easy target for the sinful ponies that dwell deep within Detrot's worst parts.
She heard the hoof steps become more prominent, and decided that her best choice at that moment was to vanish into the darkness behind the flickering streetlamp . The only setback was the fact that she was going to have to wait for the mystery pony to clear out before she continued her trek home, which may be a while considering the types that stalk through dark alley ways at this hour.
The mare opened her wings and flitted across the pavement soundlessly, sending a few loose papers adrift in the gentle summer breeze. The darkness enveloped her slender figure, and she found herself being hugged tightly by the safety of the shadows. She was never a spot-like type of pony to start with anyway.


When she was given a job by Four-Leaf, it was because she was known for her nimble ways and agility skills. She always did the job quietly, and this is why she was still with the crime family at that moment . That, and of course, the bits they provide her with. “ Enough to keep me alive…” She whispered to herself, letting her thoughts take over as she pressed herself against the rough brick building that provided her with the shadows.


She was immediately shot back into reality when a small mare darted out from around the corner, tripping over an old bottle of wine that had been discarded by some drunken pony earlier in the day. The unknown mare tumbled roughly and hit the ground hard with a loud thud. Her light pink mane was stained red by the blood that began to flow slowly down the side of her face. Right after impact,she let out a high pitched cry and struggled hard to regain stability after her nasty fall. By the look of her height, and the pitch of her whimpers, Kaskara was able to tell that she could not have been more than 16 years old. What is a young mare like her doing out here at such a late hour? Kaskara wondered silently to herself as she pressed farther into the shadows. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a large gray colt with deep blue eyes step out from the corner that the other mare emerged from. He held out his hoof to help her stand up, but she only scooted away with all the energy she had left, trying as hard as she could to get away from him.
“ Suit yourself.” the colt said in a dark voice that sent shivers down Kaskara's spine. She knew that he was up to no good. The colt picked up the pink-maned mare by her throat and threw her against the wall, causing her to squeal at the sudden urge of pain that was inflicted upon her small innocent figure. She struggled against his large frame but he was too strong, overpowering her in every way. It was too much for Kaskara. She could not simply watch this poor young mare get violated, and had to interfere.
“Let her go.” Spoke ‘Kass as she stepped out of the shadows. The mare’s eyes widened as her attacker turned around to face ‘Kass. He smiled in the most evil way possible, and spoke in an eerily sweet tone. “What makes you think I am going to do that Hun?”
Kaskara once again lifted her arm, and flicked it outwards, revealing the long blade that shone bright in the light of the streetlamp.
“ Let her go, or you die.”
The colt simply laughed, and eyed the purple Pegasus as if she was his prey. He then let the small mare down, allowing her to inhale deeply. She sucked the air in as if it was the first time she had ever taken a breath, and sat there, unmoving and stunned.


The colt then advanced toward ‘Kass in a clumsy manner, swinging a heavy hoof at her head. She ducked effortlessly, and shoved him to the ground in the direction he swung, using his own momentum against him. He hit the pavement hard, but got right back up, spitting a mixture of blood and pebbles out of his now swollen mouth. This action seemed to have angered him, for he lunged after her in a speedy manor, intent on tackling her to the ground. Kaskara unfurled  her wings and jumped in the air before he could get to her, causing him to stumble and trip over his own clumsy hooves. She landed gracefully back where she was before, wiping only a small but of dust from her shoulder.
He was furious, and barreled toward her, swinging in every direction possible, hungry for one good hit to her golden maned head, but his efforts proved futile. She dodged with ease, and jumped in the air, flapping her wings skillfully only for a brief moment so she could twist herself around, and land a solid kick to his jaw that sent him flying across the pavement. He laid still, unconscious and bloodied.
Kaskara double checked to make sure he wasn’t awake, and strode over to the injured mare to inspect her wounds. The earth pony flinched as Kassie gently brushed her soft pink hair out of the way of her neck, which was swollen and bruised from the colts hoofs. “ Its alright sweetheart. I will get you to the hospital right away.” The pony, unable to talk, gave Kass a look of thanks, which rapidly turned to horror as the colt appeared behind Kaskara with a knife. in one swift movement, Kass turned around, and sliced open the Colts throat without a second thought. His expression turned grave as he fell backwards, leaving hot trails of blood flying through the air. Too bad...She thought to herself. almost didn’t have to kill this one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The sun shone bright through the thin white curtains as Kaskara shifted about in her sheets, causing them to bundle up at the foot of the bed. The previous nights events replayed themselves as she attempted to pull the blankets back up her body. She remembered the mares face when she was re-united with her family at the police station. they had all exchanged hugs immediately, and cried together in a family group hug. Her mother then thanked Kaskara profusely, exclaiming that she was forever in debt to Kass.
The Pegasus threw her hooves over the bed, and struggled to get up. She clumsily made her way across the hallway of her small apartment to her kitchen to make breakfast and Coffee. A few moments later she found herself sitting at the table, looking out at the Detrot skyline from her tiny abode, sipping a hot cup of Joe. Glancing around she noticed something slipped under her door. It took her a few moments to gather herself together, for she had just woken up.
The mare found herself lazily trotting over to the door to pick up a small letter that had been slipped under it. Some pony must have dropped it off while I was asleep...She thought to herself. Kass picked it up, then noticed the four leaf clover that was stamped on the envelope. Immediately she woke up and trotted over to her table, opening the letter as quick as possible to reveal its contents.
“ My Dearest Kaskara,
I must inform you that I have yet another task I need you to perform for me. It is large, and will require you to kill some other ponies. They are known as some of the most skilled, so watch yourself out there. You must go to the Distillery that we talked about earlier to ‘eradicate’ these enemies, and send me a letter once you finished. I trust you, and only you for this job because I know you are the most capable.
With Love,
Four-Leaf”
After she finished reading, Kaskara dunked her last piece of biscotti into her coffee, stuffed it in her mouth, and trotted back to her room to get dressed. She went through her small closet and picked out a laced white long sleeved blouse and a gray skirt. She then buckled her weapon belt over the skirt, and pulled on a long jacket that could conceal it. On her way out the door she clipped to her thigh a small bag that contained bits and her sharpened playing cards. As the last bit to her routine, she slid her wrist cuffs under her sleeves, so no pony could see them even if they tried.
After a long day of jumping from taxi to taxi, she finally made it to her destination. It was gradually becoming darker by the minute, and she asked the driver to drop her off at least a mile away from the distillery so no pony would be suspicious. After paying him off, she flew under the cover of nearby buildings, weaving skillfully between them.

Finally, it was within sight. The large Distillery had a few doors to enter, but Kaskara chose to go for the window on the side of the building so she would not get caught easily. She slowly opened the window, careful not to let any pony hear her enter. Lets get this over with… She thought to herself. I want to be home before dinner.

[Princess Blueblood]

Rattle Snake walked into the distillery, hearing the sounds of the machines moving. A couple of the Lotus Family Body Guards planted a few Steilhandgranate bombs on the distillery pipes. Rattle Snake raised an eyebrow, getting a shrug out of one of the guards. 

"It'll make one hell of an explosion, which'll hopefully take the fucker out," Said the Lotus guard.

The squad made their rounds around the distillery, oblivious to the other 4 ponies skulking around the distillery themselves, setting up bombs. They pulled on their gasmasks, and set their positions up, Tommy Guns at the ready. 

After a small amount of time of waiting, Rattle Snake looked at his watch. The mole was supposed to have been there already. Had he been tipped off? Maybe they would have to wait just a little longer.

Suddenly, the door opened, and at least six ponies walked in, Browning Automatic Rifles strapped to their battle saddles. Gunfire filled the air, as Snake put up his defensive ward, blocking the bullets. His own weapon went off, but the bullets bounced mindlessly off the thick armor of the invaders. Within seconds, his squad had been killed, and 'Snake had been knocked out by the steel hoof of one of the invaders.

"Round the rest up! I want them all rounded up in the center for execution!" shouted what seemed like the leader, gas mask muffling his voice.
-----

Rattle Snake woke up, blood running down his face. His hat had been displaced, and he had been hoof-cuffed. Around him, were 4 other ponies: 2 ponies he recognized from the Rose family, one from the Clover family, and finally, a pony whom he had never seen before. His head pounded, and it looked like the group of invaders had been just as rough with them as they had been with him.

"Who the hell sent you bastards?" asked Snake, getting a laugh from one of the larger armor clad invaders. He pulled off his gasmask to reveal that he was a griffon, beak cracked. He simply smiled and knelt down face to face with Snake.

"I bet you would like to know that, little pony," Said the Griffon, and he ran a claw down the side of Snake's face, tracing his scar. "Shame to kill such a handsome young stallion."

"Bite me, bitch," growled Snake, getting a sneer out of the griffon, who stood up. "What are these assholes doing here, anyway? They're not from the Lotus family."

"Exactly. You've all been put under a single contract," Said the Griffon, picking up his BAR. 

"Seems a little heavy duty to take down 5 ponies, doesn't it, Bird?" 

Snake took the butt of the BAR to the face for his insult, causing his lip to split, as well as his brow and nose starting to bleed. 

"Well, seeing as how your bosses knew you were the best at what you do, I'm guessing this is a little on the light side, to be honest," said the Griffon, causing Snake's eyes to widen in suprise, along with the other Family ponies' eyes.

"Our bosses set us up?" asked Snake, getting a smile from the Griffon.

"Bingo. And now, you are going to die."

[Cloudchaser]

Night Weaver watched as Creme walked up the stairs to the top floor. He wasn't exactly the quiet type but then again the distillery looked like it had seen better days so the stairs creaked a bit due to their age and not due to Creme being careless, 'Weaver thought to herself as she began moving down a poorly lit corridor. She was having a really bad feel about this mission, the way Rose had spoken and acted during their meeting.. She'd known Rose since she was fresh into the role of head of the family and never before had Rose been in such a depressed mood, sure she'd seen her fair share of Rose in a bad mood after all she had been there when her father had been killed. 

Suddenly 'Weaver heard some gruff voices, "They can't be ponies.." she thought as she listened in on them, she couldn't see them and didn't want to risk being caught by trying to catch a glimpse of them.

"Spread out in groups of two, don't be too rough on them. Our orders are to capture them and then execute them in what will look like a gang turf claim." The leader of the group 'Weaver assumed said and shortly after that she heard them kick down a door and then a hail of gun shots came before it was all over in a matter of seconds and the leader spoke up again.

"Round the rest up! I want them all rounded up in the center for execution!" The voice was followed by foot steps that were clad in heavy armour, 'Weaver could even hear a group of two heavily armed and heavily clad figures coming her way.

Had they seen her? Had she been careless and revealed herself by mistake? No.. surely not.. She wasn't a beginner, she'd done stuff like this countless times and yet doubt filled her as she thought back on what the leader of the group had said and how Rose had acted. Was this the reason why Rose had acted so sad earlier? Was it because she knew she was sending 'Weaver to her death along with Creme? "Fuck I gotta find Creme and get the fuck out of here." 'Weaver thought and she took a quick peak and saw the two heavily armoured figures moving down the corridor, there was no way she'd be able to escape without them seeing her and by the looks of it they had way more armour and were way more heavily armed than what 'Weaver could deal with in such a small and volatile space. 

That's when she saw it, a small ventilate knob that looked like it'd come loose if something was throw at it with enough force. If she could throw one of her daggers at it then maybe the steam would distract the two figures long enough.. Without much further thought 'Weaver picked one of her throwing daggers from her weapons strap and threw it at the ventilate and steam started pouring out and the figures moved away into the direction of the sound. 

This was her time to escape, she quickly jumped out of the shadows and dashed into the air and flew as fast as she could only to come flying right into another group, she quickly averted them as they spotted her and began shooting after her, hitting her in the wing and leg. Ignoring the pain 'Weaver kept flying until she saw the figures give pursuit, they were fucking Griffons, shit this wasn't going to be easy 'Weaver thought as she tried to fly faster but her crippled wing refused to co-operate and eventually they threw a net over her as she went tumbling down right into where someone was hiding. The crash knocked the air out of her lungs and her field of view was blurry until she felt something hard hit her in the back of the head and she blacked out.

She woke up tied together with Creme and some others she didn't recognize, that's when one of the stallions that had been captured started back talking the lead Griffon as the latter revealed the plans and orders from each of the three family heads.

"Shit.." Was all 'Weaver thought as she listened silently to the conversation.

[Fluttershy]

Swiss enters the distillery, carefully looking around. Nine minutes… nine minutes until the guards come back, just enough time to plant the bomb and get out. He took a couple steps forward, looking around. The whole place looked like it has been abandoned for quite some time, but it doesn’t matter to him if the family decides to let one of their buildings get run down. He carefully proceeded forward toward the faint sound of distillers.
 
Eight minutes.
 
Swiss took the bomb out of his bag and set it on the ground. He carefully set the timer to two hours, plenty of time to get away and pretend to be still lawful. He carefully places it in a spot that should never be checked and hits the start button. This is it, definitely no turning back now, and no disarming it either. He designed it so even the redundancies have redundancies, it is almost impossible to stop now. The only thing Swiss has to do now is get out of the distillery in six minutes. “Time flies when you marvel at your own creations” he mumbled to himself. While starting to walk to the exit, he notices a pony across the room place something onto one of the distillers and move to the next one. “shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit, it was supposed to be empty now, why is somepony here, oh Luna, I’m going to die, he is going to see me and I’m going to die… wait, what is he even doing” Swiss started watching more carefully and saw the pony put a stick bomb onto one of the distillers. “Well I’m dealing with pones that have professional grade equipment but almost no idea how to use it properly, he isn’t even placing it in the right spot” It was quite obvious to him, another gang decided to attack this distillery on the same night that he happened to. He waited for the thug to place the next bomb before he moved away from the distillers and over to a crate next to the wall. “Ok, I just have to wait here until this guy is done and moves to another room, then I can leave here”
 
Swiss watched painfully as the pony didn’t even try to place the explosives in strategic locations, but then again it didn’t really matter when you are dealing with this much explosives. After another two minutes the pony was done and moved into another room. He waited a few more seconds before moving. He started moving when he heard gunfire. “FUCK FUCK FUCK” he immediately started running to the exit when two large armored figures wearing gasmasks came out of a hallway. He thought to himself “I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die”
 
“Oh look what we have here, it’s that mud pony vigilante wannabe. Grab him and take him to the room with the other pony” The two figures walked toward Swiss, who dared not move seeing the BARs strapped into their battle saddles.
 
 Well, I’m going to die anyway, might as well give them a hard time. What are they going to do, kill me twice? “FUCK YOU” Swiss ran to the one on his left that had just spoke and head-butted him with all his force. The two grabbed him with their claws and held him down. Claws… oh great, gryphons. “YOU CHICKEN FUCK BASTARDS LET ME GO” He began flailing his legs and planted one of his back hooves on one of the gryphon’s masked beaks.
 
“DAMN IT, knock him out already” The gryphon holding his front legs down let go just long enough to grab his BAR and forcefully bring it down on his head.
 
“Fu-fuck you” Swiss said while nearly unconscious. He could taste his own blood.
 
“This bastard doesn’t go easily. Just cuff him and drag him” The gryphon Swiss kicked placed shackles on his hooves. Swiss wasn’t fully awake nor asleep while being dragged to the other room. In the other room, he barely noticed the unconscious pony he was placed next to.
 
Swiss’s pain and weariness let up enough for him to utter an intellectual comment “Fuck you, you chicken bastards” The largest of the armor-clad gryphons walked over.
 
 “My my, you seem to have quite a mouth”
 
“Fuck you. Your mother is a cock and your father is a pussy” Swiss spit some blood filled spit near the gryphons claws. That comment rewarded Swiss with another kiss from the butt-stock from a gryphon’s BAR.
 

He barely held onto the strings of consciousness as three more ponies were dragged into the room. The head gryphon started talking to the first pony that was there but Swiss was dazed enough to just hear incoherent mumblings

[Pegabella]

Kaskara climbed nimbly through the window, careful not to trip over herself. She could hear the distant drone of voices, but thought nothing of it, for she was undetectable given her location. She silently leaped off the windowsill, unfurling her wings at the last second to send her into a peaceful glide, her hooves barely missing the floor. The Pegasus preferred flying even though she was only a few inches from the ground. It was not only because it was faster, but because it let her make less noise when she traveled.
She wove around the barrels, weary of her surroundings and keeping track of the locations of specific items. She did this every time she went on a mission so she could make a quick escape if need be. Kaskara came to a halt in the air, dropping to the ground and landing lightly on her hooves as a few shadows appeared in front of the shelf of barrels she landed behind. Slowly she peaked through the small cracks between the barrels, which smelled of sweet liquor and oak. Those can’t possibly be ponies...She thought to herself as the shadows grew distorted and strange. She could make out a beak on one of them, and a long, lion shaped tail. “Griffons!” She whispered to herself, watching their every move. She has seen only a few of those in her lifetime, never coming into contact with them. 
Suddenly, a bullet flew through one of the barrels next to her, causing red wine to squirt out and form a dark puddle on the floor. She watched her reflection dance in the ever-growing puddle of wine, but quickly snapped back into reality when another bullet hissed passed her, barely missing her left wing. 

Kaskara dove for cover, rolling into a somersault and placing her hooves over her head, careful not to get shot. Shit! have they already seen me?! she thought as bullets whizzed through the barrels above her, sending a spray of wine raining over her face and mane. She pressed herself close to the ground as a dark blue blur of pony flew by her head, followed by a group of griffon assassins. They all sprinted after the strange looking pony, some of them lifting off into the air in pursuit of her, while others hung around in search of something else. What the hell are they doing here? She continuously asked herself.

Surely it is some freak accident. Four-Leaf would never send Kass into a mission without explaining to her what to expect, even though she sure as hell was not expecting griffons. Could he have set me up?...He wouldn’t… Leaf basically adopted me from the streets and raised me as one of his own..teaching me the ways of the world and what not. He would never set me up… She assured herself it was not a trick by Four-Leaf, and that the griffons where only a minor set-back. She could just pick them off, one by one, which was not going to be easy given the fact they had guns, and she only had blades. “I need to enhance these things…” She whispered to herself as she prepared to release her wrist blades.
Kaskara got up and crouched behind a barrel, listening for the footsteps of a griffon to get close enough so she could pounce, and slice open their neck.  She waited for a few long minutes, listening intently for any nearby noise. Suddenly, she heard a voice laugh nearby, and flicked out her arm, extending her left blade fully so it was exposed and prepared for use. A brown griffon with Striking green eyes and blue at the tips of his feathers turned the corner, stalking silently in search for his pony-prey. Kaskara then leaped out from her cover, tackling the griffon to the ground, landing on top of him as he attempted to yell. She snapped his neck, silencing his screams to a near gurgle before his eyes glazed over.  Didn’t need my blade for this one...Maybe snapping necks is more effective. She thought as the Griffon slumped on the ground, eyes wide open, and very dead.

She got up off of him, and wiped her face, which was covered in nearly dried-up wine. She then noticed a small pistol attached to the griffon’s weapon belt, and took it, just in case she needed it later. Kaskara walked along the barrels, trying to find her way to the griffons meeting spot. She encountered only one female on the way, whose neck she snapped easily and then continued on her venture. 

Finally she turned the corner and saw many griffons huddles together, laughing and sharing smokes with each other. The odor was pungent in her nostril’s as she watched them, trying to figure out a way she could kill them all easily without any harm to herself or her cover.

“Well,well,well.” Spoke one of the larger males who had dark red eyes rimmed with circles from exhaustion. 
“ It looks like we might have ourselves a guest boys.” He spoke in a low tone as he slowly turned his body toward a dark turquoise colored Colt. The Colt looked around, surveying his options. He then bolted off in the opposite direction, followed by three large griffons carrying guns. Kassie sighed deeply and turned around, her back now to the barrels as she tried to think up a plan to kill the remaining fiends. 

“ Hey boss, I found another.” Said a male, who was staring directly at Kaskara. “Shit.” She spoke aloud as four, maybe six large griffons circled around her.
“ Well, what are you waiting for you goons?! Kill her!”
Kass quickly snapped out both of her wrists, exposing her hidden weapons as one griffon barreled towards her. She flared her wings and performed a back flip, landing gently behind the stunned griffon before she tackled him from the back, slicing his neck in one fast motion, allowing the warm fluids to splatter on her face, adding more stains to her fine lavender fur. 

She quickly twisted around and found herself still surrounded by the weird bird like creatures. Kaskara snarled at them, eagerly waiting for the next one to step up to the plate so she could kill him quickly . One of them pulled her tail from the back, and she turned to face the assailant, only to catch a claw to the face. Kass felt warm blood begin to trickle down her eyebrow and cheek, which infuriated her. She ignored the pain and felt a surge of adrenaline as her hoof made contact with the birds throat, causing her bade to puncture straight through the other side before she pulled it out, sending hot droplets of blood flying onto his comrades. 
Kaskara then found herself being attacked from all different directions, catching punches to the stomach and wing as she swung her blades wildly, making contact with wings, arms, and faces. Kaskara then caught one good punch to the face, which made her black out, and fall limp onto the ground.

The mare woke up silently and looked around. She could not make heads or tails of her location, but knew it was not where she was supposed to be. She struggled to move, but found herself tied up, unable to escape. Surprisingly she still had all her weapons attached to her, but could not flick her wrist enough to send her blades out. Shit… She thought to herself as she looked around,her eyes occasionally landing on the other ponies tied up around her.
“Our bosses set us up?” Asked one of the colts who had scars running down his face. “Bingo. And now, you are going to die.” Said the head Griffon.
Kaskara’s face immediately contorted upon hearing the news she dreaded to hear. “ No...Four-Leaf wouldn’t do such a thing .” She whispered quietly to herself, inaudible to most of the ponies around her. “ Believe it.” Whispered the strange dark blue mare across from her. No...She thought I’m not going to die any time soon.

[Arualsti]

Creme wandered away from 'Weaver at an early opportunity. He wasn't entirely comfortable about how she blended into the shadows and out of his sight with such ease. He would feel much safer on his own. He was sure the mare was perfectly nice, but he had his own way of doing things, and he didn't doubt she felt the same.

He wandered past oak barrels filled with whiskey, if the smell was anything to go by. Two years old at best, poor wood for the barrels too. Certainly not the sort of swill he'd serve at his club. Creme had neglected to push the boss the elaborate on his order of 'inspect the distillery', but he sounded in foul mood already. Creme made mental notes of everything he saw or smelled. The dozens of casks of wine, one of which was split open, it's contents sticky and spilled on the floor, the crates upon crates of empty bottles for beer, and hundreds more filled with full bottles, ready for shipping. Was the boss looking to do business with the ponies who ran he business? Rob them? Acquire them in one of his few legal transactions. Creme just hoped he didn't insist they supply the Slippery Saddle. He already had his suppliers, and he stocked some of the best stuff in town.

His eyes glazed over a strange contraption stuck to some pipes. It looked quite out of place in amongst the bottles and barrels of booze. He approached it quietly. Metal tubes, countdown, wires. He maybe know very little about explosives, but he did recognise a bomb when he saw it. He backed away slowly. He and 'Weaver we not alone in here. Maybe she had already noticed the danger and fled, if not, he should try to find her and warn her.

As he was about to turn to leave, he heard a faint click behind him. He spun round, and saw a young griffon stood there, shaking, the tip of a revolver pointed a Creme. He was barely out of his teens by the look of it, patches of down still stuck to his neck.

“Down on the ground” He stammered, his voice weak.

Creme spoke slowly, his horn glowing softly. “I don't think I will” He said smoothly. His voice had changed slightly, affected by the magic. It was smoother, softer. It reverberated off the walls in a pleasant way.

The young griffon stopped shaking, calm fogging his eyes. “Oh, that's okay” he said flatly.

“And point that gun away from me” Creme said, his voice still smooh and soft. “In fact, point it to your head”

“Okay sir” the griffon said to the simple request, pressing the gun to his own temple.

“Now, pull the tr-”

Creme was interrupted by a gun stock to the back of his head.

=================================================

Creme awoke, the back of his head throbbing with pain, a gag forced into his mouth. He was tied up, several ponies around him were in the same situation, with other ponies and griffons milling around them, armed to the teeth. He spotted the young griffon, he had been wrapped in a blanket, a blank look in his eyes, a bigger griffon with his wing around him, glaring at Creme with a deathly look. Creme glared back.

He suddenly noticed one of his fellow captives talking to someone, but from where Creme was he couldn't turn his head to see them, only listen.

“Our bosses set this up?” the captive pony said.

Creme couldn't believe his ears. Why would his boss set this up, this was a mistake. Creme had been loyal for years, besides, he was a business pony, a socialite, not an enforcer and certainly not high up on the Family's level.

“Now you are going to die” said a griffon.


“Fuck” said Creme under his breath, or, at least he tried to say through the gag.

[Princess Blueblood]

The Griffon pulled out a molotov cocktail, and grabbed a lighter from one of his friends, and lit it.

"I don't think we're just going to burn you. This distillery is pretty damn rundown, and I think it'd be a service to everyone if it were burned to the ground. You inside it." Said the head griffon, sneering.

Across the room, Snake saw one of the lotus guys laying on the ground, bleeding in a pool of his own blood, detonator in mouth. If Rattle Snake could levitate use his magic quick enough, he could blow a couple of the distillery tanks up, and give him a chance to escape. He had already undone the binds for himself, but nopony else. It would be pretty damn hard, considering the griffons had put a magic subduing device on his horn.

His horn flashed brightly, and suddenly, the tanks exploded, sending shrapnel and flames everywhere, knocking the  griffons downwards. Rattle Snake jumped to his hoofs, used his magic to yank a BAR from a Griffon who was burning alive, and aimed it at the remainders.

He pulled the trigger, releasing a hail of bullets, ripping into the griffons, their armor no match for the powerful BAR rifle rounds. When the gun ran dry, he flung it at the griffons, whom most had taken cover now. He yanked off the subduing device off of his horn, and looked around for his weapons. He found his pistols on one of the griffons, whom's head had been split open by a piece of shrapnel. Luckily the weapons weren't damaged, but his tommy gun was nowhere to be found.

Rattle Snake then looked at the ponies who were tied up on the ground, struggling to get out of their binds. Sure, they were from other families, but they were all in the same boat. In a split second decision, Rattle Snake used his magic, barely able to break their binds and gags, letting them up to their feet.

"Look, I don't know who any of you ponies are, but if we have a snowflakes chance in hell of getting out of here, we need to work together," Said Rattle Snake, pulling the actions back on his handguns. "We'll save introductions for later. For now, lets kill these feathered fucks."

[Cloudchaser]

Night Weaver looked up at the stallion that had cut off the ropes holding her down, she silently cursed herself for not thinking of undoing the ropes, rookie mistake and she sure as hell wasn't a rookie. She quickly glanced over at a nearby Gryphon and saw a modified kar 98k rifle with a suppressor attachment lying at a dead body, she went and picked it up. It was a nice rifle, though she'd have too modify the gun trigger for pony usage later..

In the brief moment before the the gryphon's retaliated 'Weaver walked back to the group who had begun arming themselves, except for one of the stallions she didn't recognize, he wasn't wearing any signs of being from any of the three families and he looked a bit nervous.

"What's got you shaking in your boots, eh?" 'Weaver went over to him and said. 

"Oh.. uh.. Nothing, just the bomb I planted.." He responded with a nervous tone.

'Weaver raised an eyebrow and then slowly asked "How long until it blows up?"

"A few minutes at most." He responded quickly.

"Well.. shit." Was all anyone managed to say before the gryphon's attacked again.

'Weaver grabbed the rifle between her teeth and flew up to a roof beam, the battle was going on down there and she quickly got the hang of the rifle, despite it's gryphon design. She had to use her tail as a trigger finger for the time being and she quickly shot down anyone that got too close to the group as they made their way up to a second floor window.

Gryphon bodies were littered all over the place and the leader of the Gryphon's was no where in sight, shame she wanted to pop a bullet in his skull for knocking her out and hurting her pride and the thing he said about the families having set them all up.. If White Rose had sent her off to die then her pretty blood would flow, no one messes with Night Weaver and gets away with it. 

She saw the stallion who had broken loose first jump out of the window and no one else remained inside except her and the rest of the gryphon's that were retreating.. Why were they not chasing the others.. Just as she finished that thought the previously mentioned bomb went off and the distillery started blowing up all around her.

"SHIT!" She cursed and flew right at the first best window she saw as the fire caught up with her and slung her crashing out of the window and out on the field were the others had gathered up. 

"Ahh, fuck that hurt, I'd rather not have to do that again. Now would someone mind telling me what the bloody fuck is going on here and why our bosses left us for dead? I want too see heads roll for trying to kill me." 'Weaver got up on her feat and angrily growled at the other ponies present wanting some sort of answer.

[Fluttershy]

Swiss’s head still was swimming and he wasn’t sure what was going on, his vision was blurry and voices weren’t clear. He saw a gryphon take a Molotov cocktail. Shit I have to get out of here. He began fidgeting with the ropes binding his legs, but it was no use. At least I get to die in an interesting way, not everyone says they have been burned alive.
 
Suddenly there was a large explosion. That dumb thug didn’t even didn’t blow my bomb with his bombs. He immediately started fighting the ropes again, possibly he could get out while the gryphons are distracted. It was still no use, until they suddenly snapped. There was an unicorn stallion yelling something but he couldn’t tell what it was through his headache.
 
With great effort, Swiss managed to get to his feet when some odd looking pegasus said to him “What's got you shaking in your boots, eh?”
 
He just fully realized if the other explosion didn’t detonate his bomb, it would go off pretty soon. "Oh.. uh.. Nothing, just the bomb I planted.." He said, fighting to stand.
 
The odd looking pegasus looks towards him "How long until it blows up?"
 
He had no idea how long he had been out, so he made a guess "A few minutes at most."
 
“Well… shit.” With that, the pony flew off carrying a rifle just as the gryphons came back.
 

Swiss quickly looked around the room for his bag and found it in the corner. He saw it in the corner and stumbled over to grab it. He wearily trotted, carrying the bag in his mouth, over to the windows he had just seen a pony jump out of. First Swiss threw his bags out, then he followed with himself. He dragged his bags and body a safe distance away and sat down to watch his handiwork. The explosion was big, but Swiss didn’t even flinch, he just lied down, resting his body from the beating, and his mind from the fact that he probably just killed for the first time.

[Arualsti]

Creme swam blindly though his own thoughts, unable to concentrate on anything else. His boss couldn't have betrayed him, impossible. Simply impossible. Must have been that dodgy 'Weaver he was after. Where the other ponies here part of the Rose family too? He didn't recognise any of them.

A sudden blast of heat filled the room, and Creme let out a muffled scream. Something had hit him in the rear. The griffons around him weren't doing so well. The young griffon lay in a crumpled body heap on the floor, the older one lay next to him, burning, his wing still draped over him protectively. Creme's bindings fell to the floor, and it took him a second to stand, the smell of burning flesh and feather causing him to gag. He spat out the fabric in his mouth and looked and the other captives.

'Weaver seemed to be alright, she was already on her feet, inspecting a weapon of some kind. Another female was nearby, purple in colour, a blonde mane flowing from her head. She reminded Creme of one of his dancers, pretty, but hard as well. There were two brownish coloured males too, though that was where the similarity ended. The big one seemed to tremble under 'Weaver's stare, even though he was much larger than her. The other one was dressed smartly, his mane, which was now covered in settling dust and a little windswept from the explosion had clearly been styled before he had arrived here. Creme could respect that. There was frankly no excuse to not be presentable, even if you were just a hostage.

Creme felt a pang in his rear, so he turn to look at the back of his coat. Embedded was a sharp spike of shrapnel. Creme dug it out with his hoof, inspecting the hole. His coat was heavy and thick, and the shrapnel had barely penetrated it, the pain simply a bruise. He felt no better though. His coat was one of his most beloved possessions. Expensive and stylish, it had been his for decades. And now it had a hole. He suppressed a whimper.

An crash caught him off guard, followed by an explosion. Creme barely had time to think before he found himself flying through an already smashed window, the muddy ground rushing toward him.

He landed surprisingly deftly, barely any mud on his clothes either, until the large earth pony landed next to him, splattering mud everywhere. Creme was about to curse him and his mother when he felt a heat on his back. He jumped forward with a yelp, explosions ringing out every few seconds. He turned, his heart pumping. The distillery was engulfed in a fiery inferno, flames licking up the sides through broken windows.

He watched the building burn for a few seconds until 'Weaver started talking.


“You tell me” Creme snapped, more angry then he had intended. The adrenaline from the fire and explosion and jumping from windows was beginning to taper off, and instead he felt unsettled and scared. “This has to be a big misunderstanding, the boss wouldn't want us...me dead. This is probably a ploy of rival gang.”

[Pegabella]

‘How could he..my first real father figure...betraying me...as if I meant nothing to him...that bastard. When I get my hooves on Four-Leaf he is going to regret ever taking me in...I’ll show him just like those Timber wolves showed me when they made a kill...Make the death as slow and painful as possible…’

Kaskara’s thoughts were interrupted as a hot blast of fire advanced in her direction. She huddled in the ropes and winced as tongues of fire slithered past her and engulfed the nearby griffons, hungrily eating at their flesh. Kass felt the ropes around her limbs loosen and slowly give out as an unknown unicorn began to speak “For now, lets kill these feathered fucks.”


She lunged forward into a dive, then rolled into a combat pose, her light golden locks falling gracefully over one eye as she flicked out her arm, allowing the blood-stained blade to slip out of its socket and into the open. “You got it” She whispered to herself as she tackled a nearby griffon, pinning his arms to the ground as she slowly traced a deep slash across his now dark red stained neck. Her blood boiled with a new found hatred for Four-Leaf, and she took it out on the surrounding griffons, sending ropes of blood everywhere as she sliced through their fragile bird-flesh.


Kaskara halted for a moment, new blood freshly splattered across her face.
"How long until it blows up?" Said the dark blue female. “ a few minutes at most.” Spoke out the large colt who had planted a bomb earlier.
‘shit. I gotta get out of here.’ thought Kass as she surveyed her surroundings, trying to remember the quickest way out of the soon to be demolished distillery. She sprinted down the hallway in attempt to break away from the remaining griffon enemies, and made a hard turn down a row of dirtied up old barrels. “Aha!” She spoke aloud as she looked up at the window she had climbed in before. Kaskara unfurled her wings and leaped into the air, flapping her wings hard to get out of the building before it explodes. She speedily flew out of the window and high into the air, intent on getting as far away as possible, or at least high enough to not feel the wrath of the bomb the earth pony had planted before.


Kaskara felt the warmth of the blast hit her lower body as she advanced higher into the atmosphere, happy to be out of the musty building and back in the crisp summer air. The wind tugged gently at her mane as she closed her eyes, welcoming the warm embrace of the late night summer breeze. She twisted around to take a look at the flaming distillery only to find two large gryphons barreling toward her at record speeds.


The first one came at her with shining metal claws attached to their front arm. Right as the griffon swung at her, she folded her wings, allowing her body to stall and descend a few feet before she snapped open her wings and came up behind the griffon, Slicing the base of their wing, which caused them to lose control of their body and fall rapidly into the fiery doom which was once the distillery.


The next one Caught Kaskara by surprise by yanking on her tail, which caused her to lose control for a quick moment, and run right into the creature, who swung successfully at her face, creating a dark welt from her eyebrow down to her cheek. “You Motherfucker!” She growled as she grasped her face, which began to bleed at a speedy rate. Kass darted at the griffon and swung her body around, so her back hooves where in front of her right before they collided with the creatures stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying upward. She then flew directly above him, and folded her wings again, which caused her to fall on top of him. Kass grabbed onto the fools neck, which brought them both to a rapid dissension toward the earth. The two wrestled in the air and she managed to get on the top and lunge her elbow into the Griffons throat, which made him choke and gasp for air. “Get back where you belong you hybrid piece of shit.” She spat at the griffon as they neared impact. she whipped open her wings and kicked the bird in the chest, saving herself before they both crashed into the ground. The sound of bones cracking echoed through the air as Kaskara glided down onto the grass, a few feet away from the other ponies.


She retracted her blades and walked toward them, quietly joining the conversation. The strange looking mare had begun to talk, and the others joined in, bickering amongst themselves as Kass stayed quiet, feeling the blood from the Griffon’s claw mark drip down her face.
“This has to be a big misunderstanding, the boss wouldn't want us...me dead. This is probably a ploy of rival gang.” Spoke a sharp looking colt with a torn overcoat.


Kass finally spoke up. “ Well, I for one believe it. I grew up with Four-Leaf...And I have seen all the shit he has done to other ponies...treated them as if they where pawn in his little game.” She stepped forward and spoke a tad louder. “ I am not going to sit here and pretend nothing just happened…” She said as the distillery collapsed completely, sending large puffs of ash and smoke into the air. “...Its our game now.”

[Princess Blueblood]

Snake's handguns went off with deadly efficiency, aiming at the heads of the Griffons. Sadly, only having 8 rounds in each magazine meant a rather short lived fight. As he shoved the pistols back into his holsters, a griffon dived at him, a ridged club in his claws. Snake sidestepped quickly, drawing his switchblade quickly. As the Griffon barreled past him, his eye was impaled with Snake's switchblade, being pushed even deeper into the skull of the bird as he slammed into the wall, and out the window. The dark blue mare was in the rafters, firing a customized rifle at the Griffons with deadly accuracy. While he was impressed, he had no time to fully appreaciate it. More griffons entered the distillery, weapons at the ready, firing wildly.

Unarmed, unarmored, and still a bit dazed from being hit in the face multiple times by the stock of a BAR, Rattle Snake knew his limits. He had to bail, with or without the other ponies. He needed something to distract the griffons though. He looked over at a Griffon he had shot, and saw a small pineapple grenade hanging on his belt. With all the still intact booze, this would still be quite devastating. He grabbed it with his magic, pulled the pin with his teeth, and chucked it at the group of enemies. A wild explosion sounded, as Snake jumped through the window, into mud. He groaned loudly, as one of his nicest suits was now covered in blood, mud, and ash. What a day.

He walked over to the griffon he had stabbed through the eye, and ripped out his switchblade, cleaning it on the armor of the griffon, and then used the griffon's own M1911 magazines to reload his own pistols. As the rest of the group left the distillery, followed by a massive, flame filled explosion, Snake lit a cigarette, puffing it lightly. As the rest of the group bickered over the fact that their bosses had just tried to kill them, Snake walked over, his eyes going back to their usual indifferent gaze.

"Everypony just calm down," Snake said, adjusting his holster. "Why don't we get the hell out of here before we start drawing up hypothesis about why our bosses killed us. I know a place we can lay low, seeing as how both the police and the griffons will be looking for us."

The group looked at one another, and then nodded. They made their way across the field, leaving behind the sound of sirens and gunshots at the distillery. They made their way up to the adjacent field, where the group rested for a moment.

"What is this "safe place" anyway?" asked the dark blue mare, and Rattle Snake put out his smoke on the ground, stomping it thoughtfully.

"Small mansion on the outskirts of town, about 15 minutes away. Lotus family used it as an armory back when they operated in their petty little turf wars before the Second Great Equestrian war, back when the families were still just hillbillies making backwater moonshine.

"You're from the Lotus Family?" asked the lavender colored pony, and Rattle Snake nodded.

"Rattle Snake, primary hitman of the Lotus Family, at your service. Let's get to the mansion, then we can talk more," Rattle Snake said, walking across the street to a small parking lot. He pulled out a small lockpick case, and smiled to himself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Black Lotus, White Rose, and 4-Leaf stood at the distillery. 4-Leaf's cigar was the only thing burning now, as the fireponies had put out the fire. Now they just stood in awe, the Griffon leader in front of them.

"So, all of this destruction, and yet... they're still alive?" asked Black Lotus, a fox fur curled around her neck. She was dressed in all white dress, and her green eyes were made extra bright by some white eye-shadow.

"Y-yes ma'am," stuttered the Griffon. White Rose stuck out her bottom lip, dressed in a simliar matter to that of Black Lotus.

"We gave you a simple task, armed you to the teeth, and yet, you still fail us?" asked 4-Leaf, half growling. "Subject for termination in my opinion."

"Please, Clover, let the ladies talk to this poor creature. He's obviously very distraught over losing his men, and our victims," Black Lotus said, her red lipstick spreading into a smile. "I am not disappointed, Ludwig. These are some very well trained ponies, especially those whom made their living off of killing or stealing. I apologize for the heavy losses, but next time, I do expect some results."

Black Lotus waved off Ludwig, and he flew off, along with the rest of his soldiers. Black Lotus sighed, and then put a hoof up to her chin.

"I have a feeling we just made things a lot more complicated."

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The drive to the mansion was quiet, as everypony was on lookout, making sure they weren't being followed. After hot-wiring a small van, they all piled in, and drove quickly to the mansion. As soon as they reached it, Rattle Snake motioned for the rest of the group to stay in the car.

"There's going to be two guards. Chances are, they're still going to be friendly towards me," Rattle Snake said, quickly styling his hair.
"If not, I know I can take care of them."

Rattle Snake got out of the van, and was approached by the two guards, Tommy Gun's leveled at him.

"Hello, boys. How are you today?" asked Snake with a smile, only getting a disgusting snort, and a spit from one of the guards.

"Boss'm said that nopony 'loud 'round here anymore, you best turn the other way," said one of the guards, and Rattle Snake's smile dissapeared.

"And what happens if I don't?" asked Rattle Snake, his voice deadly quiet.

"Ah fuck it, just kill 'em!" shouted the guard, pulling the trigger of his tommy gun on his battle saddle. Nothing fired.

Rattle Snake had removed the magazines from the weapons before they had a chance to fire, without them noticing. Now, they were screwed.

"So, who decided that I'd be better dead?" asked Snake, pulling out his pistols, leveling them at the guards' heads. 

"It was t'a Boss'm! She said that if ya came 'ear here, to wack you!" Said one of the guards, and Rattle Snake's heart went to the bottom of his chest. So it really was Black Lotus who wanted him dead.

"And she thought you two goons could kill me?" Asked Snake, half chuckling, half talking. "She must underestimate me."

Two gunshots sounded. Two bodies hit the floor.

"Alright, come on out, make yourself at home, I suppose," Snake said, holstering his weapons.


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After disposing of all the bodies, and getting used to the mansion, which was still filled to the brim with dusty guns, the group met inside the living room, where Snake lit the fire, and sat down, a new black suit on. He sat down on one of the dusty vintage sofas, and lit a cigarette, before finally speaking.

"Alright, I guess we should start by introducing ourselves," Snake said, taking a drag off his cigarette. "I'm Rattle Snake, but most ponies who know me just call me Snake. I'm the head hitman for the Lotus Family, and seeing as how most of you are from rival families, I've probably killed a few ponies who have worked with you. I served in the military for four years, fighting against the Griffon and Zebra militaries. I've been wounded in action twice on the battle field, and 16 times in the line of killing people for money. I've worked with the Lotus Family for most of my life, and I'm pretty fuckin' pissed that they've put a pretty coin on my head."

Snake looked around: A large earthpony, an angry looking turquiose unicorn, a lavender and dark blue pegasus. "What about you guys? What's you stories?"

[Cloudchaser]

Night Weaver sat in the back of the van with hew new rifle and her trademark hoof claw daggers being the only weaponry she still had left after the distillery, she watched as one of the stallions with a sand coloured coat left the van and said something about checking if the guards were still friendly or not. Eventually two gunshots were heard and then two thuds as what 'Weaver guessed was the guards bodies falling to the ground, guess the news of them surviving had already gone out. 

Typical, White Rose at the very least was very systematic in her way to work, she wanted things done quietly and nicely so her goons would know 'Weaver and Creme have a price on their head, they would have to lay extremely low that's for sure. After a short while the stallion came back and told them to get out and into the building, a mansion. Black Lotus sure didn't save anything when it came to hideouts, compared with how Rose did her business this was like luxury compared to the safe houses and hideouts 'Weaver had been in.

They snuck into the mansion quietly after disposing the bodies, 'Weaver took the time to tour the house making note of structural weaknesses and vantage points in case they would have to bunker down in here. It also gave her time to reflect on what had been said, White Rose, 4-Leaf and Black Lotus had all planned to kill them? Why? Where they afraid they'd get in the way of their plans and more importantly why were the three families cooperating all of a sudden, they hated each other or at least that's what 'Weaver had been led to believe. 

Finishing her inspection of the house and realizing she wouldn't be get any answers by mulling it over herself she decided to threw her lot with others, she came back just as the stallion who had taken charge earlier lit a fire and then sat down and lit a cigarette. He introduced himself as "Rattle Snake" and he had worked as a hitman for Black Lotus and telling a bit about his military background before finishing with asking the others what their story was. 

Since no one seemed too eager to talk, 'Weaver wanting to get this stuff over with as fast as possible so she could get back to not having a price on her head, she took the opportunity to speak up.

"The name's Night Weaver and I was more or less second in command in the Rose family, I've worked with White Rose since we were both young mares, I specialized in the art of killing ponies and other creatures silently and cleanly. I was the one who was always sent out on the most dangerous tasks, be it killing someone, escorting a high profile pony who's been promised protection by White Rose personally or anything else she deemed my skills to be needed for. I served in the great Equestrian war in a snipe and control squad, we'd take out our targets from afar and then we'd rush in and take out the rest with our special close quarters tactics. Just like you I have probably killed ponies you knew or might have cared about and I am less than joyed about this so called 'betrayal' and I wouldn't mind if we found out what's going on before they find us." 

'Weaver finished her story with a bit of an angry tone and didn't even bother to explain what she was, she had more stuff to think about than focusing on re-telling her life story. Sure she wouldn't back down from explaining if someone really wanted to know but now she didn't mind if they considered her a weird pegasus or not, all that mattered was getting to the bottom of this shit.

[Fluttershy]

"Why don't we get the hell out of here before we start drawing up hypothesis about why our bosses killed us. I know a place we can lay low, seeing as how both the police and the griffons will be looking for us."
 
Swiss realized he had no choice, he had to follow them, his survival depended on trusting these murderers. At least his head finally cleared up. The group of ponies gets to a parking-lot and the unicorn that declared himself leader pulled out a lockpick set, unlocked a van, and hotwired it. The group piled in. “oh good… lets get into the van driven by a killer unicorn and filled with murderers… if I was a mare I would be raped a lot…” he thought to himself.
 
The trip to the mansion (this is sounding worse and worse… wonder if the friendly stallion has candy for me too in the back of this van) was in almost complete silence as everyone was on lookout for any followers.
 
They reached the mansion unscathed (and un-molested) and “nice-Mr.-driver-unicorn” got out of the “totally not scary van” saying he had to talk to the guards. Swiss watched as he walked out in front of the van and over to two guards. Swiss couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he noticed the unicorn remove the mags from the guards’ guns. Cheeky bastard, I need to figure out a way to fix that problem on my guns. The unicorn levitated his pistols and executed both guards.
 
After they hid the bodies, all the ponies went inside, Swiss gave himself a private tour. He found the gun room. Crates upon crates, filled with illegal firearms from across the globe. Solar Empire SMGs, zebra shotguns, gryphon heavy machine guns, the whole nine yards. There even was a box of prototype rifles from Stalliongrad. Swiss knew he would come back to this room later and take every gun in there apart until he could do it in the dark.
 
Swiss, having his fill of admiring his new favorite room in the world, went into the main room of the mansions. The boss-unicorn lit a cigarette and introduced himself.
 
Next went the strange pegasus. Swiss finally could figure out what was different about her, she had bat-like wings and slit eyes, a beautiful combination for night fighting.
 
Swiss finally noticed one important fact about the four other ponies in the room… they all work for the families, or at least used to work for them. He stepped up in the awkward silence to tell his story, thinking of a way to avoid saying he despised their former bosses and friends. “Well… um, uh… h-hello… I-I’m Swiss Leatherman… I’m just a repair-pony that fixes odds and ends that get sent my way……… and.. um… I’m kind of good with guns”
 

Oh Luna they are going to ask what I was doing at the distillery and then they are going to kill me. Damn my lack of ability to quickly draw my gun.

Swiss backed up slightly and slouched his large body down to the height of every other pony in the room, waiting for them to either forget about him and move on, or kill him.

[Arualsti]

Creme sat as far forward on the dusty, worn chaise lounge, not wanting the dirty upholstery to ruin his coat. He sighed to himself, lamenting the jagged hole now torn in it. He sat back, relaxing slightly for the first time in hours. He had barely slept all day, and he could see the first few specks of orange light in the night sky. He would probably have fallen asleep then and there if everypony else wasn't recounting their lifes story. That and his brain could not stop whirring over the thought of being betrayed.

He had found an old sealed bottle on wine on one of the shelves in he safe house, not the best year, but certainly no swill. He worked the cork free with his magic and drank deep straight from the bottle. Usually he would ensure he used a glass, but in the present company he did not care about proper etiquette. Besides, he thought, scanning the group, most looked like this is how they were used to consuming alcohol.

Once the earth pony had finished his piece, there was silence, silence except for the steady glug of Creme's drinking. As he lowered the bottle and wiped there red stain from his lips, he noticed all eyes on him.


“Bonjour, I am Creme de Menthe” he said, playing up his accent, a habit he got when nervous. “Business pony, I run the Slippery Saddle, help keep the Rose family's money clean.” Creme wanted to flare up his horn, tell them they should let him go home, no fuss, but he knew if he wanted to get to the bottom of this he'd need more than his charm and good looks, he'd need dumb muscle and lots of bullets too.

[Pegabella]

The Van rolled into an extravagant mansion directly after the now leader unicorn took out the annoying guards. Kaskara became lost in her thoughts, but was pulled back into reality right as their van stopped. She and the other ponies jumped out and walked into the mansion, letting themselves in without hesitation.

                    She found herself trailing slightly behind the group before they entered the mansion all in unison. Although they had all worked together back in the distillery, she was still wary of them, not exactly wanting to get to close before she found out who all of them are and where they came from. Right as they walked into the mansion she quietly slipped away, completely on her own so she would not be there just in case someone decided to go rogue.

                     Alone she toured the mansion, memorizing the halls just in case she needed to find a quick escape. She pranced up a nearby staircase and walked down a long corridor with soft carpeting. Kaskara's eyes widened greatly as she examined the great paintings that hung on the walls. Although she had stayed in Four-Leafs mansion before, she had never seen such classy decorations as the ones that portrayed themselves in front of her very eyes. At that moment, she felt strangely calm, finally letting her tense muscles relax for a few moments as she toured the high class mansion. A sharp stab of pain echoed through her face as she realized that her gash had not been cleaned yet, and she made her way to a nearby bathroom. Everything was white. The cabinets, sink, bath, everything down to the towels were a dazzling shade of snow.

                     She examined her face in the mirror, and turned on the tap, letting the water flow for a few moments before grabbing a nearby towel, and soaking it. Kass then dabbed the towel over her cheek lightly, letting out a soft whimper as small traces of blood flowed down the towel and into the sink. She gingerly cleansed above her eyebrow and cheek before splashing water over her freshly cleaned face, and dried herself with another towel. She then washed her blood caked wrist blades, and watched as the dark red liquid flowed down the bright white marble sink. After everything was finished, Kaskara folded the towels and neatly placed them back on the rack.
                       
                     'Might as well go check on the others to see if they had killed each other yet' she thought to herself as she closed the bathroom door behind her, and walked gingerly down the stairs, careful not to make much noise. Kass found herself searching for the others, and finally reached a small gathering area where they all had joined together to share their stories. She hung in the doorway for a few moments before hesitantly walking over to the group, and sitting down in a lavishly cushioned seat.

                    She slowly sunk into the chair as the sand colored colt named Snake began to tell his story. Not only was he well kept, but Kass also remembered his sharp shooting skills, and respected him the most so far after he had united all of the ponies together during the fight. After him came the strange looking mare. Kass was fascinated by her looks. She had only read about bat ponies in stories, but had never seen one up close until that night. The dark blue mare had sharp fangs and bat like wings, but was quite beautiful in her own unique way.

                    After her came the brawny earth pony. He seemed to be quaking a bit in his boots...an obvious newbie to the business. Kass was a tad bit surprised, due to the fact that he was a skilled crafts pony, and would  surely be sought after from the start with skill like his. Next came the other unicorn, turquoise in color. He was a bit distracted by the bottle of wine in his hooves, but put it down just in time to speak out his story. He was easy on the eyes, and a slight accent to his voice, which was without a doubt charming. Kass then realized that all the charm must have been from years of practice in the club business. After He had finished his story, all eyes were glued on her. She gulped and looked around the room, inspecting all the ponies faces briefly before beginning her story.

            “ My name is Kaskara Alae Pinnarum... I lived in the Everfree forest with my brother after our family's caravan was attacked by wolves...Both of my parents where killed, and we ran until we found a small cave, which we gradually built into a home. We survived for a few years, and he trained me in combat and basic life skills until he went off into the forest alone to gather water...and never came back.” She paused for a moment, remembering the horrors of being alone in the Everfree. The memories of cold night's and deadly creatures tugged at Kaskara's heart, making her feel a small stab of pain deep in her soul. 
             
              She swallowed and forced herself to continue on. “ I stayed in the cave...by myself..for three..long..years...Only leaving to grab food and water before fearfully scurrying back into the darkness of my home. Then the timber wolves attacked.” She laughed quietly to herself, and then continued with her story.” I almost gave up...I basically wanted them to take me...So the fear and the loneliness could end, but then I knew I had to get up, and run, because my brother sure as hell would have been disappointed if I just sat there and let them kill me...So I ran. I ran until a group of travelers picked me up, and dropped me off in Manehatten where Four-Leaf was on a business trip or something like that...He then took me in, and I became his second in charge...Basically his daughter...” She stopped and looked up at the ponies, taking in their expressions before speaking once more. “ I don't know why he betrayed-...Why our bosses betrayed us, but I want to get to the bottom of it just as much as you ponies...”

              She shifted around in her seat uncomfortably, not knowing why she just opened up her whole life story to these complete strangers. It was silent for quite some time before she sighed, and drifted off into her own thoughts, not sure if it was a good idea to spill her identity like she just did.

[Princess Blueblood]

Rattle Snake clucked his tongue awkwardly after Kaskara's emotional moment, and then sighed. 

"Well, now that we got that out of the way," Snake said, levitating a glass and a bottle of whiskey over to his area. "I'm sure we could all do with some rest, seeing as how I'm sure we're all exhausted after our little firefight. I'm sure some of you are iching to leave, but..."

Rattle Snake looked at the bottle of whiskey, poured himself a glass, and breathed in through his nose. "Ah, Clover Bourbon. Simply exquisite. Can't buy it anymore, seeing as how the Clover family is too busy killing people to bother with their well crafted alcohols." He got a slight glare from Kaskara, and Snake simply lifted the glass, a smirk on his face. "Cheers."

After taking a sip of his drink, he set it down, and threw his cigarette into the fire. "As I was saying, I'm sure there is no shortage of goons with Tommy guns ready to tear us limb from limb out on the streets. I know for a fact that Lotus is looking for myself, and she is usually rather... free with such things. She usually believes that if a subject is skillful enough to escaped execution, they should be left alone. So this must be quite a situation if she is actually alerting guards of needing to put a bullet inbetween my eyes."

Snake looked out the window to see the sun slowly peeking over the horizon, and he sighed. "If Lotus is after us, Celestia knows that 4-Leaf and White Rose are gonna be searching for us. And I have a feeling they are far less civilized than how Lotus deals with people they are killing."

"I can vouch for that," 'Weaver said, and Snake raised his glass and nodded. 

"So the way I see it, we all have a couple options," Started Rattle Snake, putting down his glass of whiskey. "You can completely ignore the fact that our bosses pretty much tried to kill all of us, return to work, and get your brains blown out, you can lay low for the rest of your life and live off of what little money you make in whatever low end job you can pick up, and finally, this one being my favorite, we can get angry, and kick some fucking ass."

The ponies all looked at one another, each of their eyes somewhat filled with a bit of doubt, and Snake stood up, finishing his glass. "I guess I'll give it to you straight: All three options have a very high chance of getting murdered in some of the most painful ways that a pony can think of, and maybe some that you can't think of: The final option will have you fighting back against this fate."

"I can see you're all very tired, and need some rest and some time to think about such decisions, so you can all sleep on it," Said Snake, putting his glass down. "I suppose I shall see you all later in the day. Goodnig- I mean, good morning to you."

With that, Snake left the room to go to his personal room in the mansion.

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Unlike one would expect, Rattle Snake's room was not the pinnacle of class and wealth. In fact, it was a small room, no bigger than a child's bedroom, in the basement of the Mansion. It consisted of a bed, a desk with a mirror, and a closet. The closet had suits packed to the brim, as well as matching ties and hats, the desk and underneath the bed was filled with .45 and Tommy Guns, and the desk had a telephone on it, as well as a small picture. Snake sat at the desk, his coat hanging on the bedpost, his tie loosened. He frantically pushed numbers, trying to confirm what he had feared most. Had Lotus really put a price on his head? While he seemed cool and collected in front of the other ponies, he was very nearly having a mental breakdown. 

"Hello? Who is this?"


"Pink! It's Snake!"

"Snake, you really shouldn't be calling me: If sister finds out you're still alive..."


"Forget about that: Is it true? Am I...?"

"Yes, Snake, it is. I'm so, so sorry."


"Pink, what about my house?" Of course he'd be worried about his lap of luxury.

"Burned down."


"Oh fuck." 

"Snake, I have to go: If sister catches me..."


"Okay, okay, what about my suits?"

"For fucks sake, goodbye."


The sound of the dial-tone filled Rattle Snake's ears, and he put the phone down. So he had been betrayed. Everything he knew destroyed. He sat back in his chair, his eyes watering. He bit his hoof, trying to hold back tears. He hadn't cried since the death of his mother and father, and he sure as hell wasn't going to start now.

He threw himself into his bed, agonizingly groaning. He fell asleep quickly, tears in his eyes.

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Rattle Snake walked into the dining room at around noon, wearing a suit, his mane freshly styled, glass of whiskey in one magical grip, a cigarette burning in the other. The rest of the ponies had gathered in the dining room, looking out the windows and fidgiting silently with various items. Snake looked around, and sighed, taking a drag off of his cigarette.

"So, I see you're still all here, at least for now. I take it you've all come to a decision?" asked Rattle Snake, perfectly composed. On the inside, he felt like he was going to explode, but on the outside, he looked like he was on morphine. "I know I've come to mine."

[Cloudchaser]

So there it was, the ultimatum. 'Weaver couldn't say she liked it but in her opinion the other options where just worse, sure she knew her way around town and could sneak into White Rose's mansion but then what? She had lived with White Rose since they were both young, could she really kill her like that? With no regret or hesitation? Would White Rose show mercy if she handed herself in or would she be put down like a sick pet that needed to be put out of it's misery? Questions, questions and even more questions and not a single answer to be found, it aggravated her to no end. 

'Weaver wasn't showing any signs outward though and a quick glance around the room told her the others where deep in thought on the matter and for them a good nights sleep could probably help clear their mind on the matter but for 'Weaver it couldn't be more clear. She wouldn't be getting answers from sitting here on her bum, selling her ass in a strip club somewhere or charging White Rose on her own though the last option sure sounded good but she had no plans on doing a suicide run, she'd rather live and get revenge.

She sighed to herself and left the room without saying anything, where she was going right now she didn't need any help nor did she want any. This was a personal trip and she preferred if no one knew she was gone which in all honesty wouldn't be hard, though she suspected that Kaskara would notice and she hoped for the sake of the pretty mare that she didn't follow her, it would be quite a shame for someone as pretty as her too get hurt more.

She slid out of the mansion in the early morning rays of sun and for once she didn't take off into the skies, she was way too recognizable in the sky and if she was gonna reach her destination she would have to take a route through the back alleys of town that were always dark due to blocking out the sun from the roofs of the houses. She thought she saw someone take off into the sky but didn't think much of it "Probably just a large bird", she told herself and scurried along through the back allies.

It didn't take long for her to reach where she wanted to go and within a few hours she had quickly made her way to her house, it was a small dark building that didn't look like much from the outside but it was larger on the inside, heh she had always liked that phrase but she couldn't say why. Though what she found at her house was not what she expected to find, it was White Rose and a bunch of her henchmen.. What where they doing here? Did they really think she'd be so stupid to come back here directly after being hunted? Sure she was here now but she knew it was a risk and she had been very careful with making sure no one had seen her.

"Any signs of her being here?" White Rose asked one of the henchmen that came out of the house and shaking his head.
"No, ma'am, no sign o' her." He said and White Rose sighed in somewhat of a relief. 
"Proceed with the plan then, burn it to the ground. We do not want her to gain any advantage if we're too find and kill her before she finds us, she betrayed me and I do not take lightly to that. I had trusted her for most of my life and then I find out she was behind the murder of my father, revenge is best served cold after all."

'Weaver watched in shock as the henchpony threw a firebomb into her house and burst it into flames within minutes, had she just heard White Rose correctly? Was she lying about why she wanted 'Weaver dead and how could she claim that she had been behind the murder of her father? 'Weaver had loved the old man just as much as Rose had, he'd been like a father to both of them and now Rose had betrayed her.. 

"That's it, bitch, you're going to die just you wait until I get too you. I will watch you beg for your life as I slowly take it away from you, revenge will indeed be served cold but not by you.." 'Weaver hissed silently at White Rose, her former boss whom she had had nothing but love and respect for was now her number one target to kill. She made her way back towards the safe house as her house burned to the ground and with it her loyalty to White Rose.

'Weaver returned before anyone had really woken up which was good, she didn't feel like sleeping and she didn't really need much either. She heard hoof steps approaching, seems like someone had woken up already. 'Weaver stuck to the shadows of the house and watched as Swiss came walking towards where 'Weaver had noted an room full of guns where, she did need to modify her rifle and Swiss had mentioned he was handy with fixing things so it was worth a shot asking him and so she popped out of the shadow just as he walked by.

"Hello there, pretty boy." She said with a flattering tone, he was quite pretty but nothing she hadn't seen in a mare before.
"Holy mother of Luna!" He jumped so hard 'Weaver was almost expecting him to hit the ceiling.
"Calm down I'm not here to gobble you up or anything, those stories are just old mares tales. I was wondering if you could have a look at my rifle and modify it for a pony too use?"
"Uh.. S..sure.. I guess so?" He stammered and 'Weaver handed him the rifle with a smile on her face.
"Good boy, I'd like to have it done before we leave the house next." She said and walked away.

A few hours later after everyone had woken up and eaten breakfast, Rattle Snake called everyone into the living room again and asked if they had come to an conclusion on what to do. Without hesitating, 'Weaver spoke up.

"I'm in for revenge, they've just made it personal and no one fucks with me when it's a personal matter."

[Pegabella]

Kaskara stood up and decided to retire to one of the rooms, for she was done with her little speech, and frankly, did not feel like talking that much anymore. She walked over to a counter and took a glass with her so she could fill it with something non-alcoholic, due to the fact that she wasn’t much of a drinker.

Kass walked out of the meeting and down the hall in search for the kitchen. She turned the corner, and found herself in what looked like was some sort of pantry. On the shelves where a large assortment of food and drinks. She smiled for the first time in a while, and chose to take a bottle of cola and a can of soup, along with a few pieces of bread.


Kassie strode out of the pantry pridefully with all of her well deserved goodies, and went off to find herself a room to stay in. She climbed up the stairs to the top floor, and decided on one of the corner rooms, because they seemed to have the most windows. Kass felt more comfortable in a room with windows, just so she could leap out at a moments notice if she wanted to.


She opened the door to her new abode, and looked around. The room was quite beautiful, with nice thin white curtains that reminded her of her old home in Detrot. The red patterned carpet felt soothing under her aching hooves as she inspected the place. She gasped like a filly upon seeing the beautiful king sized bed in the center of the room, and smiled. She has never had such a nice place all to herself before, and was acting like a little foul. She placed all of the food on the dark brown dresser right before she walked over to the closet, which was full of untouched outfits and dresses.  Her smile grew even wider as she sifted through all of the clothes, feeling more like a rich pony with every passing second.


She trot over to another door which led into a large bathroom with a nice shower and bathtub. The whole place was made of extravagant white marble, down to the very last detail. She quickly glanced across the room to another door which she suspected to be leading to the neighboring room, and then returned her attention to the sparkling bathroom. She was in need of a nice cleaning, and started up the shower to a high temperature. Kass then stepped out of the bathroom to let the water heat up, and locked the door leading to the hallway. She would definitely not want anypony to walk in on her, and just felt like being alone at the moment. After a few moments of gawking at her newfound treasures, she walked into the steam filled bathroom, and closed the door behind her.


Kass slowly took off her cloak, and then came her blouse. She unbuckled her wrist cuffs, and placed them neatly on the counter before unhitching the belt that held her small bag which contained some money and her playing cards. It fell gently to the floor along with her black skirt, which was slightly torn up due to the struggle with the griffons. Finally, Kass took out her hair, which flowed in waves all the way down to the ground.


She stepped into the shower and let the hot water soak through her fur, allowing most of the dirt from the previous night to slide off her body and into the drain. She whimpered out loud as the hot water sizzled against the fresh cut on her face. It took a few moments for her to adjust, but then began to feel nice as she squirted some liquid soap onto a wash cloth, and began to sooth the course fur of her body with the cloth, leaving trails of white bubbles along the surface of her lavender coat. After she was covered in suds and finished shampooing her mane and tail, she let the water run over her entire body, and rinsed off all of the remaining soap. She turned off the shower, and stepped out freshly groomed and happier then she was before. She towel dried her body, and stepped out of the steaming bathroom into her room. Kass glanced out the window and saw the sun peak over the horizon. “ A perfect time to fly…” She said to herself as  she opened the window, letting the fresh air flow into slightly musty room. “ Maybe just a short flight...to dry my mane.” She spoke as she stepped onto the windowsill, and leaped out into the open air, unfurling her wings and gliding forward before she began to flap.


She gained altitude quickly, and blended into the now orangish purple sky. Kaskara found a nice wind current and coasted, allowing the strong winds to carry her body at a steady speed. She glanced below her and saw the dark blue bat pony weaving through the streets of Manehatten, and smiled to herself, knowing she wasn’t the only one who was itching to get out of the mansion. She thought about following the alluring mare, but decided against it, not wanting to infringe on her privacy. The wind flowed through Kaskara’s long mane, which was basically dried at this point. After a few moments of airtime, she decided to head back to the mansion to get at least a few hours of sleep.


She climbed back into the window and collapsed unclothed on her bed, falling asleep instantly, not bothering to get under the clean white covers.


A few hours later, Kass woke up, and jumped out of bed. She ate a few slices of bread as she went through the clothes in her closet, and decided on a light blue blouse that matched her eyes, laced with white strings. She slipped on another black skirt, and put her hair back up, right after she slid on her wrist blades and belt, and made her way down stairs to the meeting spot where all of the other ponies where. She sat down next to Weaver, feeling as though her and the mare had more in common then the other ponies. “ Im in...Let’s kill these Fuckers.”

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