With Tirek taken out, and the Maulers dead save for few survivors and Candy Girl. There will no doubt lead to so many other crooks, crime bosses, etc looking to take over Tirek's turf and hunt for Dragon. Brainstorm here on potential enemies and all.

Here's an idea; Tirek's death has led to a massive power vacuum within the Canterlot City underworld. His lieutenants as well as some of his old rivals would go at each other's throats.

Only eight are left and they are:

The Storm King: One of Tirek's rivals. He may come off as a bit of a goofball but he's actually one of the most feared gangsters in the city. He controls the majority of Canterlot City. His base of operations is a penthouse on top of a building which overlooks the city.

Cozy Glow: She looks ten years old but she has hypopituitarism and is actually 27. She has took control of Tartarus Industry after Tirek's passing and is her base of operations.

Chrysalis: Runs a drug and human trafficking operation. Cadance has a deep hatred for her because she tried to seduce her late husband on more than one occasion. Her base of operations is a strip club.

Sombra Von Umbrum: Another one of Tirek's rivals. He suffers from a split personality disorder, one is cold and calculating while the other is loud and arrogant. He has a girlfriend named Radiant Hope and his base of operations is the Crystal Stadium.

Abacus Cinch AKA The Shadow: The headmistress of Crystal Prep Academy. She trains students she handpicked into criminals and assassins called Shadowbolts.

King Longhorn: Yet another old rival of Tirek's and head of The Cattle Rustler syndicate. He has full access to a still running silver mine where he has placed his HQ near it.

Lavan: United most of the small time gangs in the city, including the remnants of the Dragon Gang and the Maulers, and formed the Horde. His HQ is an old abandoned junkyard outside of the city.

Verko: A Don Vito wannabe with delusions of grandeur. He controls downtown but is losing ground to both the Cattle Rustlers and the Horde as of late. His base of operations is a failing nightclub.

Feeling somewhat responsible for the condition the city is in Spike decides to put his hunt on the mystery sniper on hold and take each of the crimelords down. Though, he later finds out that each of the crimelords has an heirloom and he feels that this isn't a coincidence.

If that's not bad enough, A group of bounty hunters calling themselves Inferno Squad appears and tries to capture the Dragon, alive or dead. Their members are:

Raptor: A young man with a vicious mean streak a mile wide and the defacto leader of Inferno Squad. He has a fleet of alligators at his command and also controls one big one. He and Byakko have a bit of a rivalry.

Soundbyte: A former idoser dealer. A horrible freak accident left him mute and partially blind(he can only see things only when there making any sort of sound). despite that it also increased his hearing capabilities. he carries a sonic gun that can destroy half a building.

Wild Max: once part of the australian special forces until he got kicked out when they find out that he does poaching as a part time job. he carries a sniper rifle and a sharp edge boomerang that's not only as big as his body but can cut through steel like butter and can smash concrete with ease.

Blitzkrieg: Once part but of the German Air Force but when he got caught selling narcotics to young recruits he was intantly kicked out. But not before "borrowing" one of their experimental jetpacks which can help him travel ultrasonic speed.

Hornet: A skilled assassin with a sadistic streak a mile wide. he wears a black and yellow sweater and a stinger each mounted to his wrists reach he can retract. He is also very agile. He is also looking for another master thief named Red Demon.

Iron Matador: once smuggled ancient artifacts for the Medellin Cartel many years ago until the dragon (who was Spike's father at the time) stolen a priceless aztec mask and Matador got caught in an explosion that was in the midst on the chaos. He was giving cybernetic enhancements in order to survive. After the cartel disbanded, he roamed around the North American continent being a thug for hire over the years while receiving upgrades for his cybernetic body and slowly looking more machine than man until all that's left of his organic body is his brain and spinal cord.

When he was given the job offer to hunt the Dragon and finally get some much needed payback.

At first, Spike and the girls thinks it's one of the Crimelords who hired these guys. But they eventually learn that it was none of them.

He slowly pieces together that there's a connection between the the mystery sniper, the crimelords that have each of the heirlooms, and the Inferno Squad.

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So Wildcard, what do you think about Byakko having a psychotic twin brother?

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Would be interesting. Spike has a tough time with Byakko alone, and he's the sane one

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So here's my idea for the character;

Name: Burakku
Weapon: Metal Claws
Nickname: The Black Tiger
Bio: Byakko's twin brother, Burakku used to fight alongside him until he started to enjoy the fighting and killing a little too much. Byakko, who saw the warning signs, had to choose wither to put down his own brother or send him to a institution. He chose the latter and left his brother at Whateley Asylum, two years prior to the first story. Burakku saw this as betrayal and swore revenge on the brother who abandoned him.

Years later, when Spike returns to Canterlot, Cozy Glow helps Burakku escape from the asylum and hires him to kill both Dragon and Byakko, she even gives him a pair of metal claws to sweeten the deal. After Cozy is dealt with, Burakku joins Inferno Squad still wanting to hunt and kill both Dragon and the brother who betrayed him.

Thoughts?

Sounds like something to consider

Here's a characters I made up for Master Thief Dragon: Bride on the Run

Francesco "Franco" Russo

A mob boss from South Manhattan, Franco Russo is the head of the Russo crime family. He mainly deals in illegal weapons smuggling, protection, manipulating public officials and underground gambling. Unlike other mob bosses in the city, however, Franco Russo uses the money he gains for the good of the territory and is often involved in bettering the neighborhood and protecting the people from potential invasions from other gangs. This tradition goes back to his grandfather, Anthony Russo, a World War II veteran that turned crime boss out of necessity. As per family tradition, Franco joined the military right out of high school and did battle overseas, often gaining a reputation for his shooting skills and hand to hand combat. Franco is also known for being very violent with traitors, often having his men literally tear them apart or personally torturing them to death without batting an eye. Loved by the people and feared by his enemies, Franco Russo is a boss no one wants to cross.

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Hope you don't mind here's something you can add to it:

Franco had a very low opinion of Tirek and how he ran things. He felt the Canterlot City mob boss was too ruthless and had made one too many enemies as a result, stating that had he have showed respect just as much as he did with fear, then maybe he would have lasted a bit longer and the Canterlot City Underworld wouldn't be in the condition it's in after his death

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Raven Claw: A mysterious private military corporation who was contracted by Rafaj to help take over Saudi Arabia, but little did the treacherous advisor knew that Raven Claw had their own agendas. Their men, the Raven Trooper Corp, are equipped with high tech weapons and gadgets, and have advanced combat training. Whenever Spike fights these guys, he could barely stand his ground. After Spike and Amira foiled their plans, they decide to cut their losses by killing Rafaj in cold blood and left the country. Though this won't be the last time they would run into this shady company...