Mafioso scowled at Knives and Brawn as they finished explaining what had happened. He narrowed his eyes at them in contempt, struggling to decide exactly what to do about this mess they had caused. His top enforcers failed to bring him the Raven - twice, even - his most invaluable informant was compromised, and now the Raven was, without any doubt whatsoever, planning to strike him in his home the instant she found him.
‘Angry’ was too light a word to describe how he was feeling at the moment. So were ‘furious’ and ‘outraged.’ The word ‘livid’ seemed fairly tame at the moment.
He sighed as he leaned back in his seat, turning away from the two stallions and thinking about how to approach this less-than-advantageous situation. He would have to pull quite a few strings to get out of this one. Some of his goons would need to be stationed as strategically as possible, but the Raven, despite only being around for about two and half weeks, had already formed a bit of reputation. Whenever he was around his underlings, he would occasionally hear whisperings about living shadows and ponies getting swooped away without any warning or trace.
Business was crashing, and Mafioso didn’t care for his business failing.
“Explain to me,” he finally said, “why, exactly, I should let you two have another chance at the Raven when she very clearly can beat you both into the dirt like the school punching bags?”
Neither stallion said anything for several tense moments. Then, Knives stepped forward.
“Tricky said that she flinched when he turned on a light,” the red unicorn offered.
Mafioso raised an eyebrow at him, making Knives move back a step. “And what does that mean to me?”
Brawn cleared his throat. “Well… the Raven’s only ever popped at night, and in dark areas, right? Maybe she don’t like light too much. I-I mean, it’s more info on her than what we had before, right?”
The mob boss glared at the two, who backed away carefully and slowly, giving them scrutinizing looks before turning away from them again. The Raven didn’t like light? Brawn was right; that was more than what he had on her a few minutes ago. Still, it wasn’t like she would just shoot the breeze with him and wait for the sun to come up so he could fry her with that (or whatever happens when she gets hit with light). He’d need a plan.
“Pen!” he called out. A few seconds later, a bright blue, teal-maned unicorn mare tripped her way into his office, a number of pencils, pens, papers, and a clipboard held in her green magic. “I want you to send the word out to all our guys. The Raven’s coming after me, and I want to be ready for her.”
“Y-yes, Mr. Mafioso!” The mare bumbled with her belongings for a few moments before writing something down and hurrying out of the office. Quickly, she poked her head back into the office. “Wh-what about the art exhibit that’s being held downstairs, sir? There’s going to be a lot of ponies there.”
“Call it extra security,” the boss growled. Pen squeaked meekly and disappeared beyond the door again.
He walked back for his office chair, which creaked as he settled his weight upon it. He turned away to stare intently out the window of his office, glaring at a non existent Raven.
Knives and Brawn dared not to move, waiting to be dismissed. As time moved on painfully, they shared a quick look before Brawn spoke.
“What do ya want us to do, Boss?”
Mafioso scowled. “I thought I made it clear for everyone to get ready.” He whirled in his chair to face them. “That means you, too, Brawn.”
“Are we to—” Knives began.
“If she gets to me, it better be because she was dragged here by you. Otherwise, you’ll wish she had dealt with you first.”
Both thugs paled at the mention and nodded firmly. “Yes, Boss.”
-o-
Manehatten Central Park was one of the few places in the city that Swirling Line loved to visit. A scenic park of grass, trees, and ponds in the middle of a bustling city of concrete and steel. Many ponies came to the park to find a peaceful place to get away from the noise and just enjoy the scents of plant life.
Swirling rested on the grass near one of the larger fountains in the park while Summer Streams went on about the local gossip. Her eyes scanned the skyline, looking across the buildings to find the Golden Brace, where she planned to have her final confrontation with Mafioso. With any luck, she’d spot it and be able to think up a plan of action from there. With what she had in mind, she wouldn’t be able to afford mistakes.
A soft frown crossed her face; what if something went wrong? Her luck hasn’t always been the best whenever she was the Raven. There were a few times where she had slipped up and a thug had gotten the drop on her, or even got away from her entirely. Whenever she had made such a mistake, Nevermore let her know exactly how and why she had messed up. What if she messed up royally this time? Was her plan (though, it was more of an idea at the moment) really going to work?
A sigh escaped her as a steady wind blew her mane back.
She felt a nudge on her shoulder with a hoof. “You all right, Swirl? You look like something’s up.”
She looked back at her friend, who wore a concerned expression. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just… thinking.”
Summer twisted a bit at a lock of her verdant green mane. “Are you thinking about your next art project?”
“Er… yeah, something like that.” She privately hated lying to her best friend, but she knew she couldn’t tell her the truth. Summer couldn’t keep a secret to save her life.
The unicorn gave her a warm smile. “Why don’t you tell me about it? Maybe it’ll help you get a better picture in your mind?” She frowned suddenly. “That sounded silly, didn’t it?”
Swirling chuckled. “No, it made sense. It’s just hard to talk art.”
The unicorn tossed her mane back, but it quickly settled into its usual place. “Why don’t you try anyway? I always like it when you would talk about your paintings and things.” She scooted closer to Swirling. “Come on, tell me.”
‘Persistent, isn’t she?’ Nevermore chimed in.
‘You should see her when she dates.’
‘Speaking from experience?’ the spirit joked, making Swirling’s face turn beat red with embarrassment and frustration.
Summer’s eyes had grown huge and a wide smile crossed her face. “What is it? It’s not your art, is it? It’s a stallion, right? Who is he? ” Her grin grew somewhat lewd. “Is he going to let you draw him?”
Swirling blinked in confusion before she figured out that Summer had likely misread her embarrassment, and her face went from red to impossibly red. How to get out of this one?
‘Tell her you're going to see a stallion tonight.’
‘SHUT UP, NEVERMORE!’
“It’s not a stallion,” Swirling answered, trying to hide her anger with her spiritual tenant. “I just… have some doubts.”
The unicorn sighed a bit in disappointment, but put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Tell me what’s eating you.”
Reluctantly, the two-toned pegasus said, “I… sometimes, I just wonder… is it really worth the trouble? I don’t want to give up, but… I just don’t know if it’ll pay off. I mean, look at me! I’m working a dead-end job, living in a rat’s nest of an apartment complex, I sit in front of that stupid easel for hours every day with nothing to show for it, and I…” She sighed and lowered her head to the ground. “I just don’t know anymore. Maybe I should just go back to Cloudsdale. The weather factory should have an open spot in snowflake making.”
“Now you stop that right now!”
Swirling looked up to see Summer glaring down at her. “Swirling, don’t you dare talk like that! I know for a fact that you have more than enough talent to make it big, and you putting yourself down isn’t going to get you anywhere.” Summer settled beside her. “Why would you say something like that? This isn’t the Swirling Line I know.”
“Do you know what it’s like, Summer? To have dreams that you’ve had your whole life, sitting just out of reach? No matter how hard I try, I just…” She looked back up at her friend, the briefest of moisture collecting around her eyes. “I just wish, just for once, to catch a break. That’s all.” She lowered her head back to the grass, inhaling their sweet scent.
She felt a foreleg wrap around her back, and she looked back to find Summer drawing her into a hug.
“I know what it’s like, Swirling, I really do.” She hugged her friend tightly. “Did I ever tell you why I moved to Manehatten?”
Swirling shook her head as Summer let her go. That particular story never really came up.
Summer smiled. “Ever since I was a little filly, I’ve always wanted to be an actress. I’ve always had a bit of talent for it, even if this-” she motioned to her cutie mark, an image of a sun with a series of rays radiating off of it “-doesn’t obviously represent that.
“I came to Manehattan hoping to make it big on Bridleway. Whenever I catch wind of a new play being produced in town, I always make sure to attend the auditions. I haven’t had any luck so far, but I’m holding out hope.” She giggled a little. “I actually met Page Topper at one of those auditions.”
Swirling wiped at her eye. “Really?”
“Yep. He was there writing up an article about the production. We hit it off really well, and… well, the rest is history. I took it as a sign that I’d get my big break soon.” Summer faced Swirling again. “Look, the point is, if I’m not giving up on my dream, then there’s no reason you should give up on yours.” She gave a cocky smirk. “We can make a game of it. Whoever reaches their dream first wins. Loser owes the winner a hay burger.”
That made Swirling chuckle, and she shook Summer’s hoof on it. “You’ve got a deal. Thanks, Summer.” The unicorn nodded with a smile of her own. Swirling looked up at the bright blue sky overhead, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. Confidence restored by Summer’s speech, she stood up. Now seemed as a good a time as any.
“I’ve gotta go,” the pegasus said as she hovered up a bit into the air. “I have something I need to take care of.”
Summer smiled up to her friend. “I’ll see you again tomorrow, Swirling.”
Swirling waved to her, but stopped as Summer called after her.
“Swirling…” the unicorn said with a tone that she rarely ever used. “If either of us ever reaches it big, let’s promise that we’ll still be friends. You and me, we’ll show Equestria how it’s done.”
Swirling smiled warmly. “You and me, Summer. The best of friends!” The two bumped hooves, and the pegasus took off, waving back as the unicorn disappeared behind her.
-o-
‘This can only end in disaster,’ Nevermore pointed out flatly as Swirling approached the Golden Brace, where Mafioso supposedly lived. ‘We’re out in broad daylight, with no idea how many guys Mafioso has in there, and knowing full-well that our source may not be reliable.’
‘Tricky made it fairly clear,’ Swirling replied, ‘that there would be no love lost for Mafioso when we take him down. We’ll discreetly take him to the police, and they’ll take care of it from there.’
‘And if the police we bring him to happen to be in his employ? Tricky did mention that Mafioso has puppets in play.’
‘Do you want to take him all the way to Princess Celestia, then?’
There was a long silence before he grudgingly spoke. ‘Point taken. I suppose we’ll have to take our chances.’
With that out of the way, she continued down the street, thinking up a number of possible means of entry as a crowd came into view.
“Wait, what in the…?” She stared in surprise at the numerous, very well-dressed ponies gathered at the entrance to the building. Curiously, she approached a mare who had her mane done up like a beehive. “Excuse me, ma’am? What’s going on here?”
The wealthy mare glanced at Swirling, looked her up and down, and rolled her eyes in disgust. “You must be truly unlearned if you don’t know about this exhibition.”
“Exhibition?”
“Of course. Artists from all across Equestria and lands beyond are here today to display their finest works.”
Something in Swirling Line’s mind suddenly clicked, and a huge, beaming grin broke out on her face. An art exhibit? Here? Today? Right now? This was the opportunity of a lifetime! She could see countless works by professional artists from all over the world! Maybe she’d even get to see rare minotaur or griffin art, along with works by ponies and zebras! This could open up a whole new world for her! She could-
‘Line, focus!’ she heard Nevermore shout at her. She shook her head, and saw that the beehive mare was giving her an uncomfortable look of confusion. Swirling cleared her throat and made a brief apology before trotting away from the crowd.
“Okay,” she said, thinking out loud, “I think we have a way in.”
‘Sure. Just try not to drool all over the paintings and whatnot.’
“Look, we’ll go in, see a few works, then find Mafioso. We kick his butt, turn him in, happy ending.”
‘Nice to know we have a plan.’ The spirit’s facetiousness was not lost on the mare, who rolled her eyes in response. She eyed the crowd as it thinned out some, most ponies going in, while others were apparently booted away. Perhaps she could sneak into a large group and get in that way? It’d be easier than finding an entry point as the Raven.
Quick as she could manage without being spotted, she slipped into the crowd and waited. She walked whenever the crowd moved forward, and she (hopefully) blended into a group led by a tall, white unicorn stallion with an expertly trimmed, dark blue mane and matching facial hair. For the briefest of moments, she thought he spotted her, and when she realized he was looking right at her, he winked with a knowing smirk. Well, it didn’t seem he’d rat her out, so she shouldn’t have any trouble from him.
When the group she’d assimilated herself to got to the guards at the door, the white stallion said, “Fancy Pants, party of eight.”
One of the guards looked over a clipboard. “We have your group listed as seven.”
“There was a last minute addition,” Fancy Pants returned with a confident grin. “I hope that won’t be too much trouble.” The guards looked at each other, then gave reluctant nods, ushering them in. Fancy Pants thanked them and led his group in, while Swirling was careful to keep her face out of the guards’ view.
‘That worked out remarkably well,’ Nevermore commented.
‘Let’s just get this over with before they figure what’s about… to…’ Her jaw dropped as her thoughts trailed off, her eyes beholding the greatest collection of art she had ever seen in her life.
Beautifully sculpted statues lined the center of the hall in front of her, with scores of carefully brushed paintings hanging from the walls. Modern art works hung from the ceiling, stained glass held on bases and contained in tough cases to protect from curious hooves. Her body practically shook as she took in the sights. She was in paradise.
“Do enjoy the exhibit, my dear,” she heard somepony say. She turned to face the stallion who had identified himself as Fancy Pants. “Art should be witnessed and appreciated by all who are willing to do so.” She nodded weakly as the stallion and his group headed off, leaving the mare to drool over the collection of art in front of her.
‘Focus!’
She shook her head and blinked when her ally screamed at her. Right, she had a job to do. There would be time to admire these incredible works of art later. These wonderful, amazing, perfect works of art.
Once more, she shook her head. Well… maybe she could look at a few paintings before she had to start kicking flank. That wouldn’t get in the way of her plans, would it?
Ignoring a disgruntled groan from Nevermore, she immediately headed for painting of Princess Luna that was apparently older than the legend of Nightmare Moon. A plaque beneath the painting named it Mona Luna, a portrait originally made to capture the Princess of the Night’s mysterious elegance.
She cocked her head a little as she analyzed the work. The Luna in the painting looked way different than she did in photos. Was her horn really that short way back when? Granted, she had not personal experience seeing the Lunar Princess, but still, she thought it a fair question.
As she studied the painting, marvelling at the detail of the piece, she felt a hoof tapping her shoulder. A bright blue unicorn mare with a teal mane was eyeing her with a scrutinizing glare, then scanned a clipboard before speaking. “I don’t recognize you from the pictures we have on the list. Who are you, and who brought you?”
Swirling hesitated. “Er… I’m… I’m with Fancy Pants.” She didn’t want to pull the stallion who had gotten her in here in her mess, but she didn’t have much choice at the moment.
The mare raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really? He didn’t inform us that he’d be bringing someone other than his listed party.”
“He’s… sort of a recent acquaintance.”
A nervous chuckle escaped her as the mare scrutinized her closely. “Who are you again?” the mare asked her in a pointed tone.
“I-I’m…” she sighed. “I’m Swirling Line, and am with Fancy Pants’ party. I’m sure if you’d ask him, he’d tell you the same.”
The mare narrowed her eyes a moment, then shrugged idly. “All right then, Swirling Line. Please enjoy the exhibit. Also, please stay in the exhibit area. Security is tight for the duration of the event.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s nothing to be concerned about. Have a nice day.” The unicorn then left Swirling to her own devices.
‘They’re ready for us,’ theorized Nevermore.
‘Maybe.’ This might complicate things just a smidge. She saw a few burly stallions in suits standing at the various entrances and exits around the hotel. Each one was watching the collection of art enthusiasts carefully, probably trying to figure out whether or not one of them was the Raven. Perhaps a bathroom break was in order?
After a few more exhibits, she told herself.
-o-
The bright blue mare, Pen, eyed the violet and white pegasus with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. There was something… different about her, though Pen couldn’t quite put her hoof on what that difference was.
‘Swirling Line, huh?’ she thought to herself. ‘There’s something about you… very interesting.’
-o-
She pushed the door to the bathroom stall with a grumble. There were at least six more exhibits she wanted to view. The sculpture of the princesses was something that she wanted to see up close, but the constant badgering of a certain impatient, feather-brained spirit bird convinced her she’d seen enough.
“Still… I think I have enough time to—”
‘No! Swirling Line, you wanted to do this while there was still sunlight, and if you don’t do it now, you won’t have anymore left.’
‘But…’ Her lip quivered as she stared back at the exit of the bathroom.
‘Line!’
“Fine,” she groused under her breath, and stepped into the stall, locking the door behind her. She took a deep breath as her form became enveloped in shadows, the tingle of the magic washing over until her transformation was complete. She quickly peeked under the stall walls to make sure no one else present to see her.
Assured no one else had entered the room, she exited the stall, and looked around the room. She spied a grate over a ventilation shaft on the wall. “Would that work, Nevermore?”
‘Shadow travel should let you squeeze through there, but you’ll have to be careful and quick about it. Don’t tarry in there.’
“Can’t I just look room to room from the vents?”
‘Not for very long. It’s like squeezing into an outfit that’s just a size too small. Theoretically, you could hide in there indefinitely, but it’d be incredibly uncomfortable, and would eventually tax the shadow magic. If you want the form to last long enough to take down Mafioso and his goons, you’ll have to save as much of it as you can.’
Swirling nodded, taking the information to heart. She flew up to the grate and, with her enhanced strength, tore it off the wall, exposing the vent. Touching her hoof to the vent’s ceiling, she melded with the shadows there, dropping the grate with a clink and darting through the vents at mind-numbing speeds that would’ve broken an ordinary pony’s body in two. She had to remember to see just how fast she could go like this some other evening.
As she zipped through the vents, she spied numerous guards patrolling the hallways. She also peeked into rooms as she moved about. While most were empty, a few had some ponies enjoying their relaxing stay at the luxurious hotel. Some enjoyed their stay a little too much.
‘That is something I can never unsee,’ she thought as quickly turned her attention away from a pair of what she could only assume were honeymooners, while Nevermore laughed at her expense.
After some fruitless searching, it finally dawned on her. “Wait… where is the penthouse to begin with?”
‘Last I knew, a penthouse is typically near the top of a building.’ Swirling blanked when Nevermore said that. ‘Amazing how the shadow spirit knows more about modern architecture than the pony born in the modern era.’
“Shut up.” She turned towards a vertical vent and started climbing. She wasn’t sure how much further she had gotten when she felt a tightness beginning to stretch across her torso. It was like she was stuck in a taffy mixer. Or, like Nevermore said, wearing an outfit that wasn’t quite her size. She’d have to get out soon, regardless of whether or not she was on the right floor.
Stopping at a vent overlooking the floor of a hallway, her hoof materialized out of the shadows and kicked the grate out of the way, letting her sink out of the shaft and drop in the hall, startling a pair of mafia goons.
She panted a bit before she looked up at the stunned goons.
“What in the world!?” one said.
“Hello, boys,” said the Raven. “How about you run away so that I don’t have to kick your butts?”
They scowled and lunged at her.
“Butt kicking it is!” she leaped above the two goons, who at first crashed into each other, though they recovered quickly enough. Looking up, the only thing they saw before blacking out was a pair of hooves slamming into their faces.
She turned as she heard an alarmed shout from down the hallway. “She’s here! The Raven’s here!” Another goon was waving down the hallway, pointing at her.
‘So much for the quiet approach.’
“I thought she only came out at night!” another thug shouted as group of them charged at her.
‘At least you still caught them off guard,’ Nevermore pointed out.
She shoved her nervousness into the back of her mind and braced herself to meet them. “Let’s do this!”
-o-
Mafioso was busy with a crossword when one of his grunts barged into his office, panting and wheezing with a look of panic on his face. “Boss, the Raven’s here! She’s already gotten halfway up the building, and she’s beating her way up here!”
The mob leader scowled and tossed his crossword to the floor. “Then get your asses in gear and stop her! If she gets here in any way except dragged here by her hind legs or in a body bag, I’ll have all your hides!” The grunt nodded fearfully and galloped off while Mafioso sat back in his chair, spinning to look out at the Manehattan skyline.
Broad daylight. Of course she’d come in broad daylight. His guards would never have seen her coming. Of course, the theory that Tricky had shared with Knives would have to be tested with this latest development. He closed the curtains over the window. All he would have to do is wait for the Raven to get here.
“Um… sir?”
He turned to see Pen standing nervously at the doorway to his office. “What is it?”
“I heard what that stallion said. M-maybe you should consider getting out of here while you can?”
The slate grey earth pony glared at her so venomously that she took a reflexive step back. “And lose the opportunity gain a valuable resource or get rid of an irritating obstacle? Hell no. I’m sitting right here and waiting for her. You get the hell out of here. Now.”
Reluctantly, Pen nodded and left her employer to himself. Now, all he needed was patience.
-o-
Swirling ran up the stairwell as fast as her hooves could carry her. She took down the first group of thugs without much difficulty. She even had felt a weird sense of pride when the last goon turned and fled down the hallway, but when he returned with his friends, she knew it was a better idea to run for it. Twenty or more on one was not good odds at all, with or without superpowers, she told herself. The angered shouts from the pursuing stallions behind her told her that they had found more friends along the way.
‘You’re going to have to deal with them one way or the other. Better to fight here in the stairwell than in an open hallway.’
‘I don’t want to hurt them that badly, Nevermore,’ she said as she rounded another flight of stairs. ‘I’ll just lose them.’
‘And how are you going to do that?’
She burst through the door to the floor she found herself in, and looked around for a place to hide. Her eyes settled on one of the rooms nearby.
‘Shadow walk me in there.’
She felt herself slip underneath a door to the room and she quickly hid within the (thankfully) empty room. Not long after, she heard the angry shouts of the goons in the hallway. One of them barked orders to search the rooms. She pressed herself into the darkness more as the door to the room flew open, and a pair of stallions rushed in.
“We know you’re in here! Come out and fight us, freak!” one of them yelled, his eyes searching the room.
“Turn the light on, you moron! She’ll get us if we fight her in the dark like this!”
Swirling gritted her teeth as the goon flicked on the lights. Thankfully, she was hidden in the shadow of the couch, and she wasted no time in slipping fully into it’s shadow.
The goons swore as they tore the room apart. Chairs were tossed and tables flipped as they searched the room for her. She slipped into the darkness of the curtains as they overturned the couch.
“You find her yet!?” another shouted from the doorway.
“Nah, she ain’t in here,” one of them replied after leaving the bedroom.
“Then search another room. The boss’ll have our heads if we don’t stop that freak. Let’s go!”
A relieved sigh escaped her as the goons left the room. One was so kind as to turn the lights back off as he left.
Deciding now would be her chance, she zipped from shadow to shadow until she was back in the hall, which was filled with thugs shouting at each other and searching frantically for her. With a flap of her wings, she flew through the halls as fast as she could, heading for another stairwell and flying up, the goons only just realizing she had gotten past them and scrambling to catch up.
When she reached the top of the stairwell, she slammed the door shut behind her. She looked for something to jam the door, and found a janitor looking at her with a look of surprise. Next to him was a cart of cleaning supplies, which she grabbed and pushed against the door. She faced the confused janitor and said, “Please don’t move this.” before darting off.
As she ran through the hall, she could hear Nevermore mumbling to himself. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Those two you fought at Tricky’s flat,’ he replied. ‘We should’ve at least seen them by now.’
That… was a really good point. Those two stallions, Brawn and Knives, struck her as Mafioso’s top grunts. Where were they? Shouldn’t they be somewhere around…?
The sound of a pained moan caught her ear, and she turned her attention to a hall closet. Opening the door, she saw both Brawn and Knives, out cold and tied together with tape.
Her jaw dropped, golden eyes wide. “What in the world…? Okay, I’m not complaining, but who could’ve done this?”
‘I say we count our blessings and forge ahead. We can worry about those two later.’
With a quick nod, Swirling shut the door and continued down the hall until she found a large set of double doors, with plaque beside it that read “Penthouse Suite.” That was all she needed to burst the doors down and out of the way.
She stopped and couldn’t help but admit that Mafioso, for all his insane shortcomings, had really good taste in decor. She particularly liked the fireplace along the far wall, the fire burning cozily. The penthouse was decorated excellently, with not a single item out of place. He had a collection of portraits of ponies who were no doubt either “friends” of his or family members. The biggest one was of himself, acting as a testament to his blatant egotism.
“Someone’s certainly in love with himself,” Swirling commented. She looked around the room, which she assumed was a living room, judging by the arrangement of the furniture. That made things somewhat simple from there.
Another pair of doors caught her eye. Something in her told her that that was where Mafioso was huddled up. She narrowed her eyes and braced herself. This would be where his criminal empire ended. She charged and burst through the doors, entering an office where a desk sat across from the doors, a large chair turned away from her. There were curtains closed over the window, which unsettled her for some reason.
“I’m guessing my boys failed to hold you back,” came Mafioso’s voice from the chair. He spun and faced the Raven, his hooves pressed together under his chin. “So… what now?”
“What do you think?” she challenged.
“I think I’m going to make you an offer,” he answered. “One you can’t afford to refuse.” She glared at him. “I have quite a bit of money at my disposal. It’s pretty simple: you work for me, I pay you. Handsomely.”
If looks could kill, Mafioso would’ve dropped dead right there. “There’s no way in Equestria or Tartarus I would ever work for you! How many ponies have you killed all in the name of ‘business’? How many families have you broken up just so you can fill your pockets!?”
He snorted, narrowing his eyes at her. “You want the truth? I’ve lost count.” He calmly stood, pushing back his chair and walk around in front of it. “But this is where your little charade ends. I’ll give you one final chance to join me, and be part of something greater than you can ever hope to be.”
She felt the hackles rise along her neck. “I said, no!”
“Idiot mare,” he spat disgustedly. “Then I’ll have your corpse hung from the Mare of Liberty as a symbol to the fate of would-be ‘heroes’.”
She roared in anger and charged after him. He didn’t blink as he side stepped her lunge, and brought down an elbow sharply between her wings. She didn’t have time to groan in pain as he kicked her solidly upward from her bounce. As she sailed upward, he caught her with a right hook to her cheek. She bounced and crashed into another chair and squirmed in pain.
‘That was… unexpected. Watch this one. He likely knows more tricks than Brawn or Knives knew.’
She dry heaved as she pulled herself to her hooves. ‘Thanks for the info.’
Mafioso smirked at her. “Four years of muay thai. Have to know how to defend yourself in this business.” He approached the shadowy mare with that same, borderline arrogant grin on his face. “Did you really think I was some sort of pushover? You really had no idea what you were getting into!”
He grabbed her by the mane and hoisted her up. She hissed as she felt her mane threatening to rip out of her skull. She grabbed at his foreleg with her own and tried to use her hind leg to kick at him.
She saw his vicious smirk a split second too late as he caught her leg. Before she could scream, he spun and threw her into the nearby wall. The entire thing shook from the impact, the drywall cracking and portraits falling from their perches with an awful racket.
She quickly scurried away into the shadows as he tried to stomp at her, hiding in the shadows of some office furniture.
‘Thanks, Nevermore.’
‘Don’t say I never do anything for you,’ came his sarcastic response.
Mafioso scowled as he scanned the darkened room for her.
“What’s wrong? I thought you were a hero? Heroes don’t run from the bad guys.”
She huffed, bristling in anger. “It’s not you I’m running from, it’s your stench!”
He growled and shoved aside the furniture. “I won’t dignify that with a response. As soon as I find you, I’ll have your head on a plate.”
His tone was different. There was a slight edge of anger in it, rather than that boisterous arrogance he had before she insulted him.
‘Ego,’ Nevermore said simply.
‘But I… oh...’ The realization quickly dawned on her. Mafioso had the same weakness as any other criminal: his egocentric personality. Ideas flooded through her head all of a sudden.
“You want my head on a plate?” she said from her hiding place. “Why? Hungry? With a stomach like that, I’m shocked that you ever are!”
Mafioso snarled as he kicked a coffee table out of his way.
“You know, you sure have a lot of paintings of yourself around here. You must hate having to walk through here every day. If I had to see the same bad angles and poor posture, I’d be cranky 24/7.”
“You’re treading a very thin ice now, nag,” he seethed. “How long are you going to keep hiding from me? Not ver—”
That was as far as he got before she leaped from the shadows and uppercutted him on the chin. The force of the blow sent him into a wall, where he fell, groaning in pain.
She tried to follow it up with a stomp, but he rolled out of the way and lashed out with a kick that caught her in the side. Grunting, she rolled away and got back to her hooves.
If looks could kill, Swirling would have fallen over right then. He rubbed at his chin for a moment, before popping his neck. “You’ve got a strong punch, I’ll give you that, but it’ll take more than that to stop me.”
“They all say that,” she said with a sneer as she quickly melted back into the shadows of the room.
Mafioso glared around the room, briefly searching for the mare before apparently giving up and heading for a window that had the curtains over it. “My boys tell me you don’t seem to like light too much. I’m curious as to why.”
‘Wait...’ She eyed him from the shadows as he took hold of the curtains. ‘What is he…?’
‘No, Swirling, move!’
Before Swirling could react, Mafioso yanked the curtains open, and sunlight poured into the room. He might as well have doused her in oil and lit a match. The light was fire, burning away the shadows in the room, revealing her and oppressing her under a wave of pain unlike any other she had felt before.
She screamed in pure agony, a scream shared by her tenant, the sun’s light searing her flesh like an ant under a cruel foal’s magnifying glass. Heat rolled off of her body like steam. Nevermore had warned her about the sun being a death sentence for the Raven, but nothing could have ever prepared her for this.
Mafioso laughed, a gleeful sound that sharply contrasted the Raven’s shrieks of pain. “Now it makes sense why you’re never seen during the day! Vampire rules, am I right?” Swirling’s only response was a weak groan of pain, meekly looking back up at the mob boss, who grinned down at her victoriously. He kicked her in her side, knocking her off her hooves and onto the floor. “This is almost too easy, now. I almost feel sorry for you.”
She couldn’t even muster the strength to respond. It hurt so much. Her skin was on fire. Her eyes were burning. Her wings were weak and virtually useless. She was utterly helpless right now. She failed.
“I’ll relish making an example out of you,” Mafioso mused as he grabbed her left wing and bent it a way it shouldn’t have, eliciting a sickening snap and a scream of renewed pain as the bone beneath the skin and feathers shattered. He raised a hoof to strike at her. “Say hi to everyone else I’ve killed, will you?” His hoof fell toward her face.
A lamp crashed into his face, staggering him while a green aura closed all the curtains in the room. The burning stopped, and the Raven slowly got back on all fours, her body still aching.
“You!” she heard Mafioso shout in absolute shock, but that didn’t matter. All she knew was the pain she felt, the rage. She brought her hoof back and caught the surprised stallion in a brutal left hook. He stumbled back further, falling next to the fireplace, and she turned to see who had helped her.
The blue mare from the art exhibit stood in the doorway with confidence, her expression a smirk of triumph. “Finish it,” she said flatly.
‘I like her style,’ Nevermore said between raspy… breaths? How was he…?
Swirling shook her head, putting that question away for another day. She faced Mafioso again, the stallion climbing back to his hooves and returning her vehement glare with one of his own. She charged at him as he grabbed at a poker next to the fireplace, aiming its spear-like head at her. She sidestepped the desperate attack and kicked the poker out of his hooves, knocking it head first into the fire.
Mafioso responded by sending a kick to her barrel. She lurched back, clutching at her chest when he tackled her to the ground. She landed on her back and used the momentum to launch him off of her. He crashed into the wall, and the two combatants were quickly back on their hooves.
“Once I’m done with you,” Mafioso said, “I’m going to gut that traitorous nag over there and wrap your corpse with her entrails!”
“That’s an image I did not need,” she muttered to herself as the stallion charged at her again, a savage growl erupting from his throat. The two locked hooves and pushed against each other before Mafioso reared his head back and slammed his forehead against hers. The shadow magic that covered her dulled the blow, but dazed the mob leader. Instinctively, she spun around and bucked at him, both her hind legs striking him in the jaw and sending him flying.
She heard him scream when he landed, and turned with a look of confidence that became an expression of horror. She had kicked him head first into the fireplace. He scrambled out of the flames, but his mane and fur had caught. He screamed in agony and stumbled around the room, desperately batting at the flames to put them out and failing miserably as other objects around home caught fire whenever he crashed into them.
In what must have been a moment of desperation, with a mind fueled by irrationality, he ran for a window and leaped for it, breaking through the glass.
“Oh, no!” Swirling galloped for the window, but reared back as a hoof touched a ray of sunlight, searing the limb before she scrambled back and away. The blue unicorn at the door made her way to the window, looked outside, then faced the Raven.
“He’s gone,” she said. Swirling’s eyes widened, and she hung her head in shame. “Hey, no worries. There won’t be any love lost for the guy.”
“...I didn’t want to kill him.”
A sudden shattering of glass and a whoosh of heat washed over the two of them as the spreading flames found an oil lamp, spreading flames across the room. Swirling screamed, and scrambled away from the flames, her eyes wide in panic.
The unicorn raised her hooves over her face from the oppressive heat. “We’ve got to get out of here! Can you fly us out?”
“M-my wing is broken!” the pegasus replied as her limb ached, reminding her of Mafioso’s cruelty. The unicorn cursed under her breath and motioned for Swirling to follow, galloping out of the room. Swirling followed the best she could on her legs that still ached from the searing pain from the sunlight, but fear and adrenaline helped her get past the near crippling pain. As they ran, Swirling stopped at the closet where she had found Knives and Brawn, and dragged their still unconscious bodies out.
“Leave them!” the other mare said. “They’ll only slow us down!”
“I’m not letting anyone else die today,” said the Raven with conviction. “I won’t let myself fall to their level.”
The unicorn shook her head and pulled the two stallions apart with her magic, levitating Brawn while Swirling carried the groaning Knives on her back, careful not to let his body put pressure on her wing.
He groaned and opened one eye at her. “Still… don’t have the guts, huh?”
“I could still leave you here to burn,” she answered as she as the other mare made for the stairwell. “It’s better than you deserve.” Knives only grunted in response, resting his head on her back.
As they ran, the other mare said, “Name’s Pen, by the way.”
Swirling looked at her with a confused stare. “Is now really the best time for introductions?”
Pen shrugged. “With my career, this is a slow day.”
“Your career?”
The unicorn nodded with a smirk. “Who do you think knocked out these idiots?” She shook Brawn in her magic.
‘I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I like her style.’
Swirling rolled her eyes at Nevermore’s comment, pushing the janitor cart she had placed in front of the stairwell out of the way. The janitor was still there, still bewildered.
She dropped Knives in front of the janitor, who blinked in confusion. “Don’t let this guy near any sharp objects. Take him to the police.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Pen asked.
“Have to slip away. No doubt the police and fire department are gonna come running, and I don’t exactly have the best reputation with Manehattan law enforcement.” Before anyone could argue, she leaped for a vent on the ceiling, tore off the grate, and sank into the shadows within.
Pen stared at the vent where the Raven had fled, a smile forming on her face.
-o-
Slipping from the vent she had entered in the first time, the Raven reformed in the (thankfully) empty bathroom. The moment she did, she felt the ache from the searing the sunlight had given her earlier. It felt as bad as the burns she had received when she rescued Sunny Day from the burning building. How was she going to get out of here with burns like these?
Just moving sent waves of pain across her body. ‘This hurts. Nevermore, is there anything you can do?’
She heard him grunt. ‘I can give the last of the magic of the Raven for today to heal the burns, mostly, but I cannot heal the wing at the same time.’
Just the reminder was enough for her to grimace in pain. ‘I’ll have to make an excuse for it. But please, those burns hurt.’
‘I told you it would. Now, try to hold still.’
She gritted her teeth as she felt the shadows swirl around her body, the enigmatic magics healing up the majority of her burns, even regrowing her fur that had burned away.
A tired sigh escaped from the spirit. ‘That was… tiring.’
Stretching her forelegs, she was happy to no longer feel the burning. “Thank you, Nevermore.”
‘Just get out of here and get to sleep,’ he groused.
Swirling peeked out the door to the bathroom she had changed in earlier, scanning the room to find several panicking ponies, likely alerted to the fire upstairs by the goons who had come down as well. With any luck, she’d be able to slip out of the building without being noticed by anypony of significance. Gingerly, she tip-hoofed out of the restroom, pushing past other ponies and soon exiting the hotel with a relieved sigh.
At that moment, the police and the fire department had arrived on the scene, pegasi hurrying up the building to rescue anypony that may have still been up there. Swirling would have gladly joined them, but the dulled ache in her wing warned against it. According to Nevermore, he had used some of his shadow magic to heal her broken wing, but the damage was too great to fix all at once.
‘I’ll repair the damage gradually,’ he said. ‘I recommend not flying until I finish.’
She winced as she instinctively tried to tuck her wing to her side. “Maybe I should go see a doctor, I can’t let it stay like this.”
‘Probably wise.’
Swirling nodded, and slipped away from the crowd of ponies unnoticed.
One pair of eyes, however, caught sight of her. From the shadows of an alley, the unicorn mare named Pen watched the two-tone pegasus sneak out of sight from other ponies. The unicorn wore curious, intrigued smirk as green flames briefly enveloped her, her blue coat becoming a black, chitinous hide.
“Swirling Line, hmm?” she whispered. “I guess I may have found a reason to stay in Manehattan after all. Things just might get interesting around here.”
Green flames swallowed her again, her form becoming that of a pegasus mare, and she took off unseen.
-o-
The first thing Swirling Line wanted to do, she told herself as she entered her apartment, was to just fall in bed and sleep the rest of the day away, and hope that Nevermore would let her sleep through the night as well. Considering what she had gone through today, she felt like she’d earned a good, long rest.
She scratched with a hoof at where the doctor had placed a cast on her wing. She’d managed to make up a story about being mugged in an alley, and told the doctor that the other probably had it worse right now (which, honestly, wasn’t too far from the truth).
The door to her bedroom opened with a groan of wood, which was soon followed by a groan from the pegasus as she flopped onto her bed. For some reason, the usually lumpy mattress was just so comfortable.
‘I think, for tonight, I’ll let you sleep in,’ she heard Nevermore say with a touch of dryness.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Thank you so much. I didn’t ever think I’d get to sleep with you around anymore.”
‘Don’t be a smartass. For once, you actually earned a night’s rest.’
Her ears flattened in annoyance. “Hey!”
‘Have you yet thought of what you’ve accomplished today? You took down a mafia boss that likely had his hooves wrapped around countless necks in this city. His gang is broken and leaderless now, and you put those two flunkies in jail. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?’
She sighed tiredly. It did mean something to her. She was actually prouder of herself now more than she had ever been before. Taking down Mafioso was the best victory of her life, even if it hadn’t ended the way she’d planned - his screams still sounded in her head, making her shudder in her own regret. At least she could say he had it coming, and he probably deserved far worse than what he got. It was still scary to think about, though.
Swirling idly glanced around her room, her gaze drifting across the plain walls and ceiling until her eyes fell on her art easel. She perked her head up slightly. With everything that had been going on lately, she had completely forgotten about it. It was just as blank as the day this had all started. The day her life changed forever…
Something bloomed in her head. Slowly, a smile began to form on her visage, a sudden burst of energy forcing her up off her bed. She quickly gathered up her paints and brush, sat in front of the easel, and started coloring the bottom half of the canvas with varying shades of red, orange, and yellow.
‘What are you doing?’ Nevermore asked, but she ignored his question in favor of continuing her work, her hooves moving about with surprising speed as she worked to get her sudden inspiration onto the paper.
She switched to shades of black, brown, and gray, with a few shades just shy of being white, soon forming an image of a forest with the earth it sat upon lit ablaze, with a light breaking through the forest canopy, splitting the fire down the middle. The light fell upon a small, black bird that looked to be making its way out of the fire and beyond the treetops.
The pegasus grinned as she added the final touches to her piece, setting aside her painting supplies and looking over her work. It was a rough draft, really, but it was something for her to work on. She finally had a new painting that she could truly call her own.
‘I have to admit,’ Nevermore said. ‘That’s actually not bad.’
“It still needs some touching up,” Swirling replied, “but I have a good feeling about this one.” She tilted her head, rubbing her chin in thought. She smiled again. “I think I’ll call the final product ‘Rebirth.’”
‘Apt.’
With a proud and exhausted sigh, the mare turned to her bed again and climbed back into it, burying herself under the covers and being careful not to rest on her injured wing. She yawned as she rested her head on the rough lumps she identified as pillows and shut her eyes.
Today was a good day.
-o-
The Light was glorious. It banished the fears of darkness, exposed the evil of lies, the Light was eternal. It was beautiful.
The mare who stood in front of the altar in the vaulted room lowered her head in devotion as she softly uttered the sacred hymn of her faith. Her followers - her brothers- and sisters-in-faith - echoed the devotions with complete reverence. They were all joined together to bask in the glory that was the Light.
Her eyes slowly opened as the hymn came to an end, red irises half lidded. “My Brothers and Sisters, fellow children of the Light, we are the chosen ones. Chosen by the Light, raised within the Light, it protects us as it nurtures our families. All things thrive within the Light.”
“The Light is eternal,” they said as one.
“But where there is Light, there is Darkness. The vile essence that plagues our world.” Her gaze turned stern as it swept the collection of white-robed and -hooded ponies. “And we, as the Light’s beloved children, Its chosen Disciples, must stand ready to face the Darkness wherever it raises its head.”
“The Light is all!”
Her voice reached a fevered pitch. “As the Light’s Disciples, we will root out the Darkness so that it has nowhere to fester! The Light shall triumph!”
“We are the Light!” their voices easily matching hers.
She threw her forelegs out wide. “Now go, my Brothers and Sisters! Make the Darkness and those who cower within it tremble at our coming!”
As the Disciples filtered out of the room, the pony known as White Star smiled at their eagerness. Truly, the Light was with them all.
“Moving words, Mistress Star. The Light truly does favor you,” she heard one of her Disciples say to her as they approached.
White Star pushed back her hood and her pure white mane flowed freely, neatly blending with the white of her fur. “The Light favors us all, Sister. Always remember that.”
The Disciple lowered her head submissively. “Yes, Mistress.”
White Star gave the mare in front of her a brief once-over. “You are stationed in Manehattan, are you not?”
Her Sister gave a nod. “I wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t important, milady. There’s been a… development. I’m honestly not quite sure what to make of it.” At White Star’s interrogative look, she said, “Some sort of creature stalks the night in Manehattan. Those who’ve seen it claim it to be a living ghost that lurks in the shadows. It could just be rumor, but…” She pulled out a newspaper from her cloak. It bore headline speaking of being called ‘the Raven.’
White Star took the paper in her crimson magic and read through the article. Her eyes narrowed, he expression growing intense. She balled up the paper and tossed it away, turning to the altar once again.
“A denizen of the Dark haunts Manehattan,” she said quietly. “We must see to it that this abomination is exorcised before it can bring ruin.” She turned to her follower, her visage deadly serious. “Let all Disciples know of this decree. The Raven will be made to face the Light.”
The Disciple lowered her head. “Yes, Mistress, at once.”
White Star turned to gaze upon the emblem of the Disciples and a slow frown crossed her face. “It will face the Light, or it will die.”