Once they arrived in Fillydelphia, Twilight and Venom got off the train and surveyed the city. Skyscrapers stretched in every direction and it was bustling with activity. Twilight wasn't too familiar with this city, so she just chose a random direction and started walking. She got a lot of interested looks, ponies nudging each other and pointing her out, and she began to wonder if she should have worn a coat. She always seemed to get attention when she went places she didn't normally visit. Then again, she supposed she was a minor celebrity these days. She cast a smile at a group of giggling ponies that walked by her, waving at them.
Then she said to Venom, Alright, so here's the plan. We’re just going to walk around Fillydelphia until something happens.
Sounds good to me. This place seems great on the surface, but looking at your memories, it’s a hotspot for criminals. I guarantee that if we stay here long enough, we’ll run into some kind of crime we can stop. Ohh I can't wait to sink my teeth into some juicy ponies.
I can't believe I'm basically becoming a cannibal for you.
You have such a weird aversion to this, on my planet cannibalism is perfectly normal. I mean we usually only eat dead symbiotes but still.
Twilight’s stomach rolled. Oh, lovely.
They browsed some shops, and paused to look at a newspaper. There was nothing about the Life Aura Center yet, but she had no doubt Blazing's arrest would make tomorrow's headline. She kept walking.
Hey, you hungry? Venom asked.
Not really, we just had lunch-
Let's get food! A little appetizer before the main course, haha.
Alright, I'll grab you something.
She headed for a convenience store, much to his delight. You are so good to me.
Yeah, yeah. Twilight noticed the moment she walked in this place was dingy, a few of its lights broken and several of its products dented. She considered going to a different place, not liking how the mare at the counter stared her down, but Venom gave her confidence and she moved along to the snack aisle.
As she was picking out some chocolate raisins and a bag of trail mix, she heard the bell over the door ding, and heavy hoofsteps.
There was a small gasp from the clerk, and Twilight froze, ears perking as whoever entered spoke in a low voice.
“You got our money?”
“Please, sir…” There was a sudden thunk of metal on wood and a small squeal.
“No more excuses, where’s our money?”
Twilight slowly peaked over the shelf and saw a large pegasus stallion with a knife buried in the counter, as the clerk hurried to get the register open.
“The boss is getting tired of your excuses,” he said, retrieving the knife and digging the tip against the mare’s cheek as she fumbled with the register. “If I gotta come down here and ask you again, you won’t get another chance, bitch.”
Twilight’s blood boiled as he reached into the register and began sweeping bits into a bag.
Food? Venom inquired.
Twilight took a breath, and set down the bags of food, crossing the room. Maybe, but let me try and talk this out.
Lame.
“Excuse me,” Twilight said firmly.
The stallion whipped around, pointing the knife at her. Then he paused, looking her over. “Y-you’re… Princess Twilight.”
“Yeah, I am,” she said, spreading her wings as she advanced toward him. “Who are you?”
He swallowed, then narrowed his eyes and said, “None of your business. This is between me and Doll here. Go back to your prissy little castle.”
Twilight glared at him. “I have just as much a right to shop here as anypony. Now, you better drop that knife, give her back her bits, and get out.”
“Or what?” he challenged.
Twilight’s horn lit up, and she wrenched the knife away and yanked him toward her, slamming him on his back and shoving a hoof into his chest. “Or I’ll do things to you that will make you wish you had never been born!” Some of Venom’s roughness slipped into her voice, and the stallion flinched, before scrambling to get away.
“Y-yes, Princess, of course!” He tossed the bag of bits down and ran out, not even taking his knife with him.
Twilight sighed, composing herself, and Venom whined, Oh come on!
Well, being a princess has its perks. She picked up the bits and returned them to Doll. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, thank you,” she said, shakily gathering the money and sorting it into the register. “They come here nearly every week, saying I need to pay if I want their protection, but I don’t want it! The only thing it’s protecting me from is them. It’s how they work, they go to new businesses asking if they want to buy insurance, and if you say no, they wreck the place. So then you do pay them just to keep them happy. It’s… it’s extortion is what it is.”
“I’m so sorry.” Twilight levitated her snacks over, setting them on the counter. She also grabbed a bottle of water from a fridge. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Short of taking down the entire gang of Fillydelphia Gutbusters, I’m afraid not, Princess.”
Gutbusters? Great idea, let’s bust their guts!
“Gutbusters? Bleh, what a crude name.”
“Most of the gangs around here have names like that. Oh, no charge, you can have whatever you like.”
Twilight shook her head. “No, I want to pay. If those guys come back, I want you to be able to pay them.”
“Well, alright. That’ll be ten bits, please.”
Twilight paid and leaned in, whispering, “Though if you could tell me where I might find the Gutbusters, I’d really appreciate it.”
Doll looked nervous, checking her surroundings before saying, “Well, I’m not too sure if they have a particular base, so to speak, but a lot of them seem to hang out at the bars near Seventeenth and Willow. You can’t miss them, they all wear some kind of bright purple bandanna or wrist band or something, and usually have knives on them. For, well, cutting guts open.”
“Explains the name. Well, thank you.” Twilight put the snacks away and headed for the door.
“Thank you, Princess.”
Twilight nodded and stepped out, going to find a bench to sit on so she could eat.
Are we going to take down a gang? Venom asked excitedly.
Something like that. Twilight tossed a few of the chocolate-covered raisins into her mouth and felt her symbiote’s delight.
I love chocolate!
Heh, so do I, Twilight replied. She let him share control, finishing off the raisins and then digging into the trail mix between gulps of water.
You should buy me chocolates more often.
Twilight smiled. She had no problem with that. Once they were done eating, they got up and threw away their trash, and got back to walking. They made their way toward the intersection Doll had mentioned, ears perked and alert for danger.
They began to notice fewer pedestrians as they got closer to the area. Those who were around moved quickly and didn’t make eye contact with anyone. Many were dressed in coats and kept their faces hidden.
I don’t trust this place, Twilight thought.
You’d be a fool to. Keep your eyes out. You’ve probably already made yourself an enemy of the Gutbusters.
Twilight nodded. She glanced down every alley she passed. At one point, she thought she saw movement, but then she looked back and saw it was only a bird.
You’re being a little too jumpy. Calm down.
Twilight took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. She didn’t want to look skittish, but this part of the city gave her bad vibes.
I see what you mean. It looks fine at a glance, but it just feels wrong.
Twilight stopped to examine the street signs. She was only a few blocks away from Seventeenth and Willow when something made the fur on her back rise.
What was that?
Easy, Princess. Don’t look now but we’re being followed. Just keep walking, and I’ll keep an eye on things.
So she kept going, but glanced around often, not wanting anyone else to sneak up on her.
A few minutes later and she was checking out the row of bars, many of which were open despite it only being a little past noon. The buildings here were marked with graffiti and neon lights shone from the windows, some of which advertised rather unsavory services.
Hey Twilight, want a massage with a happy ending?
Uh… pass.
She began notice ponies wearing purple like Doll had said, and avoided their eyes as she walked down the sidewalk.
They are definitely following us.
Don’t tell me that.
She kept a lookout for anything that could be a base of operations, determined to find the gang’s leader and… talk to them.
I don’t think you plan on talking. I think you plan on shooting them with magic. Or choking them. Possibly stabbing. Eating, if I’m really lucky.
She gave a sly smile. I’ll see how I feel.
Okay, but better think quick because we’re about to be ambushed.
What?
Something hard suddenly collided with Twilight’s head, and everything swirled wildly as she fell onto her side. She grunted, and quickly pushed herself back up, but a ring was clamped around her horn and suddenly she was unable to use her magic. She growled and flared her wings out, stomping a hoof as she faced the several ponies who had surrounded her.
“You’re outnumbered, Princess,” a stocky mare said, jabbing at her with a knife. Twilight immediately kicked her, knocking her into a light pole. She groaned, and Twilight got ready to fight the others, only for them all to tackle her, slamming her to the ground with their weight. She started to push herself back up, Venom’s strength filling her, but then a bag was put over her head, distracting her long enough for them to flip her over and tie her legs together, before picking her up.
“Hey!” she shouted, struggling. She tried to kick, but the way they tied her legs made it impossible to get a good angle. She thrashed, charging up her magic, but it felt like it just couldn’t get past her horn. “Let me go! Do you know who I am?!”
“We know exactly who you are. A princess who messed with the wrong squad.”
Several of them beat their hooves against her ribs, making her wince. They just laughed in response.
“So we’re taking you to have a little chat with the boss.”
“Who?”
Pain exploded across her muzzle as one of them punched her in the nose. She grunted, sniffing as blood streamed from her nostrils.
“Shut up, you’ll find out soon.”
Venom’s skin covered Twilight’s nose, and she took a slow breath through her mouth as he healed the damage. The pain faded, and she gave some curious sniffs. Thanks.
Don’t mention it. You know, we can easily snap these ropes and kill all of them.
Tempting, but… they’re taking us right to their boss. I say we wait for them to take us right into wherever their base is… and then we kill their boss and everypony else.
Laughter rang through her head. Excellent! I love it! Then let’s put up enough of a fight to make them think they need everyone to restrain us. And once we’re surrounded and they feel all safe and secure… we raise hell.
So Twilight put up a fight, but always stopped short of actually breaking free, and she heard more and more hoof beats as more of the Gutbusters came to keep her subdued. She wasn't worried about being outnumbered. She knew she and Venom could take down all of them. Though she did ask him why he let her get caught in the first place.
I knew they were coming but I thought the same thing you did, we could use them to find their leader. Though I'll admit I didn't think they would manage to hit us that hard, and suddenly there were a ton of them I hadn't heard, and I definitely wasn't expecting the magic blocking... thing.
...Thanks.
Twilight stopped talking to him when she heard a door open, and the temperature changed, growing warmer as she was carried into a building. Even through the bag, it smelled musty, and she wrinkled her nose.
They seemed to go through a few more doors, and then she was dropped roughly to the floor, and several of them stood on her to keep her pinned while another yanked the bag off.
She looked up, blinking and letting her eyes adjust to the dim room. She was surrounded by gang members, and right in front of her, lounging in a recliner behind a table, was a unicorn mare with countless scars all over her body and stormy gray eyes. She was picking one of her hooves with a knife, those dark eyes staring at Twilight.
“What is the meaning of this?” she said quietly, looking away to glare at the others. “Why did you bring a princess here?”
“Thunderclap, ma'am, this is the one who threatened Scourge,” one of the gangsters said.
“Is that so? Well, that changes things, doesn't it?” The mare sat forward, embedding the knife into the table and surveying Twilight. “Hello, Princess Twilight. I'm Thunderclap, leader of the Gutbusters.”
I'd find it hilarious if Thunderclap's goon squad was involved in the removal of the symbiotes from Manehattan.
Oh shit just got real
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I know right.
I doubt the gut busters would have been any trouble for an alicorn
Second, let's start preparing for thunderclap's funeral
Oh, yes, crime rates in Fillydelphia are about to drop... dead on a floor.
I just wander if Twilight and Venom will clean up after this bloody feast. I mean if she will leave evidence, sooner or later someone who knows about symbiotes will connect the dots and lynching is not appropriate for princess, even in absolute monarchy. Also several gangs just disappearing over the span of the week is much more intimidating than bloody corpses left - criminals are prone to violence against each other, so fear of unknown will have much more effect on them rather than slaughter hause.
HAHAHAHAHAAA
THEY SHALL EAT HER PANCREAS!!! and her head
A feast is upon us, bring your appetite
Oo this is gonna be GOOD! I love this story!
Welp, this is going to be a bloodbath. On the bright side, I don't think the Fillydelphia police are going to have much to clean up. Or bury.
9314028
Well she wasn't putting them to good use anyway, and a symbiote has to eat you know?
Hello Thunderclap want to meet venoms stomach? No? To bad your about to meat it any way this isn't a offer you can refuse.
“You are not a pony. You‘re dinner.“
Great chapter again. The situation is going to go nuts!
How about they leave one alive, to send them tell the other gangs their days are counted?
"Nice to meet you, Thunderclap. We... are Venom."
I figured the leader would be a fat stallion. Not a mare.. Still won't matter. Look out Gutbusters. Here comes Venom!
Also the voice I think of when I hear Venom speak is this one.
Don't know why
so twi...... venom...... ready for some fun?
"No, you're dinner."
There’s something behind Thunderclap I know it. More electricity based Magic kinda like a pony Electro? Can’t wait to find out, probably wrong
Let's hope none of them can use pyrokenises or sound based magic. Cause I doubt she might get a feast that easily, you gotta really work for it. Though being punched, bagged and restrained definitely counts for something.
This story makes me wonder what horse meat tastes like.
9314498
Supposedly like a cross between beef and venison, it's also pretty lean and can be gamey.
...wow that doesn't sound so bad actually, is it bad if I wanna try horse now
"Eyes. Lungs. Pancreas. So many snacks, so little time."
F**k you and your cliffs.
9314829
Jk, though you make me want to cry.
The best complaint you can ever have of a story is that its too short. :)
9313927
That would be so dumb.
Hello fresh meat.
Kidnapping and Alicorn, stupid on so many levels. Most ponies believe them to be gods, so top marks for dumassery right there. Alicorn with a Symbiote, yea you don't live to regret that level of stupid. Not that street thugs are know for smarts.
Well, she sure will bust her gut out eating them all.
........
I'll see myself out
I'm all out of obscure references sorry "come back later- tomorrow!"
These goons aren't very bright are they? Kidnapping the third highest authority in Equestria, especially if she was murdered there, would invariably bring down an ACTUAL Guard presence as well as unsweepable investigation.
Of course, with Venom's involvement there won't be any need for that.
Of course, this means absolutely no survivors. Her bonding with a symbiote and becoming wildly violent becoming common knowledge could affect Blazing's trial and would definitely paint a bullseye on her friends and family. Never mind the PR disaster that the princess of friendship eating somepony's face would be.
She really should have gone with a disguise.
9315611
Well, if she leaves noone alive in that hideout... noone will give her away.
9315619
Except for the store clerk. Or any of the dozens of ponies that saw her waltzing into Gutbuster territory. At this point, it would be just wild conspiracy theories/rumors, but if this becomes a pattern...
I am just saying that Twilight seems to be failing at keeping her crime fighting alter ego separate from her normal existence.
Oh man the next chapter is gonna be AWESOME! ...and BLOODY! XD
9315649
Without direct proof, how is anypony going to believe/convince that a young princess slaughtered a gang?
9315772
You think this is the last time this is going to happen? Obviously the first time only the kooks would believe, but if the story is repeatedly " Twilight comes to town, Twilight starts asking around for gangsters, Princess waltzes into gangland, gang vanishes" ponies will start connecting dots. Especially if her publically aggressive behavior continues. Though it'll probably be a secret police type theory rather than aliens.
She's new at this and her partner in crime reduction is not a subtle person, but hopefully someone other than Blazing's crew is going to point out the flaws in her procedure.
9315825
Unless she thinks more carefully after the first time, and avoid being seen in suspicious areas, and only shows her disguise to the gangsters.
But well, only the author knows if this first time will go smoothly and how this will go from there.
9315925
NEVER UNDERESTMATE THE POWER OF CAT VIDEOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NEVER!!!!!!
9315913
By "this" I meant the vigilante justice gig. I can only judge her on what she has done, and my current judgement is that her MO for delivering justice is flawed at this time.
9316303
Ehh... True. >3>;
9316303
I agree!
You are also about to be a snack.
To quote from a certain comic book, "You don't need protection from us. You need protection from us!"
Venom definitely needs to get trained in magic. Can't keep getting blind-sided like that...
9317310
media.tenor.com/images/0fff5033b9181f94c850c685c6c200c0/tenor.gif
All I can think of when reading that name is unfortunately this:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Gutbuster_Brigade
9456222
Man here I was thinking I had an awesome name and it turns out it's been used. Ah well. Those guys look pretty intense
9456222
The heck? Thibbledorf Pwent looks just like Rhino! With Wolverine claws! Could Marvel sue for breach of intellectual property copyright?
And you're about to be dead.
9977223
Nope, Lunch. Mmm Mm Gang leader.
10060920
I was talking about the gang leader.
Yesss! Badass time incoming ♡