It didn't take The Joker long to find a suitable gang of criminals. Manehattan was one of the best places to look for thugs and muggers, in fact there were lots of buildings that at night were converted into meeting places for criminals.
The group The Joker chose was a group called The Shadow Triad, identified by their black vests with purple triangles printed on them.
"Okay, let this meeting of The Shadow Triad come to order." The gang leader said, speaking to his brothers in arms. "The first, and only item on the agenda for tonight, is to figure out a way to deal with that pest known as Batmare. Does anyone have any ideas?"
Before anyone suggest anything there was a creepy laugh, and a stallion with a ghostly white face, green hair, bright red lips, yellow teeth, and a purple vest and top hat, stepped into view. "I believe I can help you." the figure said.
"Excuse me, but I don't recall seeing you on the guest list! And you know what we do to uninvited guests!" the gang leader said "Get him boys!"
"Easy now." the figure urged, pulling out a grenade "Let's not Blow things out of proportion here."
"You wouldn't dare!" the gang leader said.
"Can you afford to take that chance?" the figure asked. All of the gang members reluctantly lowered their guns. "That's right, I knew you guys were smart. That's why I came here." the figure said, stuffing the grenade back into his pocket.
"Alright, tell me. Who are you and what do you want with us? Make it quick kid, time is money!" the gang leader said "And if there's one thing I hate, it's those who waste my time!"
"Silly me, where are my manners?" the figure said "Just call me The Joker. You may not know me, but I assure you that we share a common foe."
"And that would be?" the gang leader asked.
"None other then the Dark Knight, Batmare." The Joker said "She ruined my life, and is ruining your lives. But together, our combined resources should be able to defeat her."
"You actually thinking of taking on Batmare? You must be crazy, she's an unstoppable force!" a gang member said.
"Oh you think I'm crazy do you? Well, thank you for the compliment." The Joker said, chuckling to himself.
"This guy's a real nut case." one gang member whispered to another.
"Yeah a total loon." another gang member said.
"Watch it boy, my mother's half loon." a third gang member snapped back.
"You all think I'm some sort of sociopath don't you?" The Joker asked "Well that may be, but I don't like being made fun of for it."
"Oh yeah?! And what are you gonna do about it huh?!" a gang member asked.
"You wanna see a magic trick?" The Joker asked.
"Magic trick?" the gang member asked.
"That's right. Come over here, unless you're afraid." The Joker said with a grin.
"I ain't afraid." the gang member said, and walked over to The Joker "What's this trick of yours?"
The Joker said nothing, and suddenly leaped forward, holding the gang member close to him. A knife dangling dangerously close by. "Don't try anything funny, or I'll unleash the pineapple surprise!" The Joker threatened. No one said or did anything.
"What are you gonna do to me?" the gang member asked.
"I'm gonna make you disappear, permantely!" The Joker said with a laugh "But first, do you wanna how I got these scars? It wasn't pretty. You see, my father... was... a drinker. A rather heavy one at that. And this made him into a fiend... he was abusive. He use to not only tan my hide, but slap me in the face every time I got out of line. And one faithful night, he comes home from work and he goes off... a little crazier then usual. So 'mommy' gets out the kitchen knife to defend herself, and he doesn't like that at all. Not, one, little, bit. And so, with me watching from my bedroom. He grabs the knife, and takes it over to her, laughing while he does so. Then, suddenly, he turns to me, and he says 'Why so serious son?!' Now he comes at me with the knife, and I'm too frozen in fear to move. 'Why so serious son?!' he says again. All I can do is shiver, and scream on the inside, as he jams the blade into my mouth, and says 'Let's put a SMILE on that face of yours!' Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnddddddddd........ why so serious?!" Upon finishing that sentence The Joker slit the throat of the unfortuante gang member that had angered him.
The rest of the Shadow Triad was speechless The Joker had just comitted murder without even flinching, something that none of them were capable of. Clearly, this guy didn't mess around.
"That was... something." the gang leader said.
"Thank you." The Joker said "Now then, I believe I have the solution to our little problem."
"What do you have in mind?" the gang leader asked.
"It's simply really, we uh..kill... The Batmare!" The Joker said "How do we kill her, you ask? That's easy, we just use whatever weapons we have on hoof. All we need to do is unmask Batmare, and then pump her full of lead."
"You make it sound easy." the gang leader said.
"It should be, considering you guys will be doing all the hard work." The Joker explained.
"How can we trust you?" the gang leader asked.
"You can't, but if you don't deal with this Batmare problem soon, she'll probably have you guys locked up, alongside your 'crime alley' buddies." The Joker explained "I just so happen to own a business that could provide you with the tools you need to accomplish the task. But if you don't want my help then that's perfectly fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter how stupid it may be. So, will you accept my help, or go it alone?"
"We accept." the gang leader said "And we'll pay you any amount of money you want if you can help us kill Batmare."
"Excellent!" The Joker said with a smile "Now then, let's get to work on drawing Batmare out into the open!"