The train came to a halt, waking Silvermane who was busy dreaming of the old days when he and his crew had their run of manehatten. anything they wanted was just a call away and free. Now here he was at the bottom again.
He got up and lamented about his lot in life, how the moment one thing goes south everything does, but most of all he hated being broke. normally he was calm and collected but nothing made him lose his cool like losing money. Messing with his money gained you a bitter enemy for life and Silvermane was not known for his forgiving nature.
When he stepped off the train a lot of the mares turned to get a good look at him. Silvermane was big for a unicorn, real built like he had a lot of time to workout. His coat was tan, his mane and tail were bright silver. He wore a casual blue suit with his hair slicked back and had a cut on his left ear. His eyes seemed innocent but had a glint of malcontent in them.
Everything about him screamed danger, everything but his smile. He had a smile that put ponies at ease, it seemed to say forget your better judgment and trust me. His cutie mark kind of threw ponies for a loop, a big five point star with a red and black color scheme. He usually told everypony it was because his special talent was astrology.
As he tried to make his way out of the train station a pink colored pony made her way to him. "Hey you're a new comer, which means you're new here right?" the pink mare asked with so much sweetness in her voice. Now Silvermane loved mares like this. the ones with a cheery attitude, which usually meant they were naïve, and maybe not to bright.
With his silver tongue he had little trouble getting them into bed. "Why yes I am," He replied in his calm and cool way. His voice was smooth but with a slight accent. "and who might you be sugar flank?" The mare just laughed at him and started bouncing around. "My name's not sugar flank it's pinkie pie and I'm your new best friend." She gave him a giant smile that, to be honest, kind of scared him.
"Sorry little lady but I've already got friends in low places and I don't think you'd fit in." He tried to push past her but she just popped up in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere. "But I'm friends with every pony in ponyville, there's nopony I don't know." Silvermane stopped and thought for a moment, if she does knows everypony then maybe he could use her friendship.
Before he could set up shop and get a racket going he needed connections. "Ok than pinkie pie I guess we're friends, my name is Silvermane." He held out his hoof to shake with a sinister grin on his face. "Great I just know we're going to be great friends and if you need anything I'm the pony to see." She added with big eyes that sparkled at him.
"Well that's great to hear because I need a new suit this one's just about done for." He showed her how his suit was faded and torn it was also a little to small.
This suit was one of the few things he still had to his name and the few things in his saddle bags. It was what he had with him when he went to jail and all they gave him back when he got out.
"Ooh, I know just the pony to see my friend Rarity come on follow me." Pinkie bounced outside and Silvermane followed her. He choose to keep his jail time secret, nopony needed to know and he didn't want to talk about it.
As they made their way through the town Silvermane surveyed his surroundings getting a feel for what rackets he could get into. He saw plenty of shops to extort, no casinos, no bars, and most important no cops.
'Yeah', He thought to himself, 'I'm going to like it here, this place is ripe for the picking.' All the ponies here seemed happy and complacent, strong arming them would be easy.
On the inside Silvermane did feel a little bit bad about what he had in mind for this town but when he remembered who he was and what he had he quickly push such thoughts from his mind. It was time to get back on top it was time to... just then he was torn from his thoughts when he saw a bright multicolored carousel shaped boutique.
Now Silvermane had seen some strange things but this was a little of kilter. "Come on in you can't meet Rarity out here silly." Pinkie said bouncing into the boutique.
The last time he walked into a strange house he almost got wacked but then he remembered that Pinkie wasn't a Mafioso, or at least he didn't think she was.
Normally you could tell a Mafioso from the way he walked ,talked, shook hoofs, and carried himself. "Ah, I'm just being paranoid," He thought to himself. "she's a sweet harmless mare right?" He walked in not knowing what to expect of this girl Rarity; some nerdy shy little pony who more than likely never been alone in the same room as a stallion like him, it should be fun getting in with her. He was thinking to himself when he heard the most angelic voice he'd ever heard.
"Oh, hello darling what can I help you with?" She was absolutely stunning, Silvermane couldn't take his eyes off her. Now he had marefriends before but they were nothing just fillies compared to this elegant mare before him.
Silvermane adjusted his tie and ran his hoof over his mane. "Time to work the old charm." He trotted up to her and came along side Pinkie pie. "And this is my new friend Silvermane." pinkie introduced him "Nice to meet you darling." Rarity said batting her eye lashes.
"Hey there sugar flank," Silvermane gave her his trademark smile but Rarity was unimpressed. He strutted over to her sure of his ability. "How about me, you, and a bottle of fine cider what do you say hot plot?"
With that last part he lightly slapped her on her plot. "Why I never!" She slapped him so hard that sweetie belle heard it the next room.
Silvermane was encased in Raritys aura and began to levitate. "Get out you rude little pig and don't come back till you learn some manners." She threw him right out the front door in to the street.
Silvermane sat unable to believe what just happened, that was the first time he'd ever struck out with a girl. "Wow what a mare," He rubbed the spot where she slapped him. "She likes me, boy am I going to love it here."
A few days after Silvermane got settled in he came back to the room he had rented tired from running around with pinkie pie. "That girl knows she's hard to keep up with." She took him all over town. Showing him around to all her friends, which is everypony in town, but it did let him get a feel for the place.
Taking over ponyville would be quick and simple, all he had to do was extort the right ponies and set up the right rackets. First things first he needed to get on the good side that sweet little piece of plot Rarity.
His thoughts were broken by a knock at the door. He slowly walked over the door. His horn glowing ready to fire if the pony on the other side was a foe. He opened the door and let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was Lucky Hoofiano, an old friend of his from manehatten, giving him a sinister smile on the other side.
Lucky was a tall maroon colored pony with black hooves, black freckles, and a cut on his left ear like Silvermane had. His mane and tail were black with dark gray stripes. His cutie mark was a dagger wrapped in barbed wire.
"How's it going old friend?" The maroon earth pony asked as he gave his saddle bags to Silvermane. "It's about time you got here, you were suppose to be in town before me." Silvermane scolded his friend as he check for any ease dropping ponies. Lucky pushed his way in to the room, plopped down on the bed, and made himself at home. "I got side tracked on my way here sue me why don't ya."
Silvermane used his magic to push Lucky off the bed as he went through the saddle bags. "Did you bring what I told you to?" Lucky sat up rubbing his head from the fall. "You know you cold really hurt somepony like that."
"That's the idea some times you need to be hurt." That was one lesson he learned growing up in the bad part of manehatten. Half the ponies in ponyville wouldn't last five seconds on those streets. both Silvermane and lucky had scars as a testament to that.
"Ah, here it is," He had finally found what he was looking for and got the biggest smile on his face. "My lucky charm, never commit a crime with out it." He pulled out a pendant that was a red and black eight point star, kind of like his cutie mark, with two swords thought it. "My grandpa's old war medal."
Silvermane kissed it before putting it around his neck. Lucky gave him a sideways look. "You know you've worn that thing for years but I can't figure why." Lucky looked at the relic from the ponies war with the griffins.
"It's been passed down as a family heirloom" Silvermane stated reminiscing of how many times the magic his family believed it had saved his life. "I mean grandpa was a war hero, that's why he was given this medal." Lucky rolled his eyes and said "yeah he was a war hero alright, for the griffins."
Silvermane just scoffed at him and tried to change the subject. "Anyway, Have you heard from star-dust?" Silvermane asked moving over to a table in the room and took a seat. The only reason he wasn't already up to his plot crime, was because he needed his full crew.
" Yeah he got pinched in Cloudsdale," Lucky went and sat opposite Silvermane. "he has court date today; he'll be here as soon as he's done." Nopony was worried about star-dust beating whatever charge it was. He went to law school and was one of the best lawyers they knew. He even got Lucky off on a murder charge not to long ago.
"Alright, you wait here for him," He grabbed a pair of brass horse shoes off the table. "I've got to go see a shopkeeper about some protection money." As he made his way to the quill store to offer his "protection", he saw Rarity sitting outside at a restaurant. "Here's my chance to get in good." He rubbed his lucky charm and slicked his mane down.
Rarity saw him trotting up to her and turned her nose up at him. "Hello Ms. Rarity how are you this fine day?" She refused to acknowledge him as he sat down across from her. She was still fuming from their last encounter.
"Ok, Ms. Rarity I know I was a struntz last time we met I know, but at least let me make it up to you." She breathed heavily and finally looked at him. "Let me guess if I don't go out with you, you'll never leave me alone am I right?" He just gave his usual smile.
She had admit that smile was some how growing on her just that fast. "Just one date if you don't enjoy it I'll leave you alone." Rarity finally gave into him; he could see it on her face plain as day. He'd made plenty reluctant ponies give into his will.
"Alright just one date that's it." Rarity still thought he was slime but she still just had to return his smile. "Great, I'll see you tomorrow at eight." He jumped up and strutted his confidante strut. He rubbed his necklace as he walked away. "Thanks grandpa you always come through when I need you." He looked back to see Rarity still smiling. "Life is good, real good."
In a dimly lit waiting room three ponies awaited being called into an office. A large earth pony came into the room and the three stood. "The Don will see you now." They all piled into the room and the door shut behind them. At the desk in front of them sat Don Dapper Hoof, the godpony of manehatten. He was a big and imposing Unicorn with a deep brown coat and snow-white mane.
His cutie mark was two crossed white roses and the mafia cut on his left ear. He placed his hoofs on the desk, looking at the three in front of him. They had a hint of fear in their eyes, just the way he liked it. They didn't know why they were called in front of the stallion that controlled the city. You never know when you might have crossed him; maybe you looked at him funny or he had heard a remark you made.
Finally he addressed them, "You three are among my top hitters and I am in need of you." The three relaxed a little. Being called by the Godpony himself for a job was big, whomever they need to kill must have screwed up big time.
"It saddens me to say this but my son Silvermane has crossed me in such a way that he must be taken care of." Silvermane did the unthinkable, he took out a made pony without permission. When Silvermane went to jail it was hard to get to him and when he got out he seemed to drop off the face of equestria. "My sources tell me he is in a place called ponyville, whoever takes him out will become a made pony.
One of the hit ponies spoke up, "What about his crew?" The Don waved his hoof, "I'll pay a million bits for the each of them now go and do the job." The three walked out and set out on their mission. The Don turned to face the window in his office, a tear came to his eye knowing his son would be dead the next time he saw him.
Meanwhile in ponyville, Silvermanes' date with Rarity was going well. He took her to the best restaurant in ponyville, it wasn't the most high-class place but still top rated. He almost felt bad about how he and lucky had beat up the owner earlier that day, but how else was he suppose to get a good table? Anything he did was worth it to see Rarity smile.
Despite how she calmed to feel about him, she still dressed her best for tonight. After they ate they sat and talked. Rarity seemed very interested in his life in Manehatten and what made him come to ponyville.
He tried his best to avoid the parts about how he had intimidated and extorted half the ponies he knew. Then the big question, "What is the meaning of that medal you're wearing?" He was afraid she would ask. The moment mares hear the story behind it their view of him changes for the worst. Still he never lied about it, he would tell them the truth, no matter what happened. "It's a medal my grandfather was given during the great war, It's been handed down as a good luck charm."
"Really, I studied equestrian military uniforms for a friend and I don't recall seeing that medal in the book I read." She leaned in for a closer look. She had seen equestrian war medals in a catalog but this one was unfamiliar to her. Silvermane rubbed the back of his head. "It's not equestrian, it's from the griffins, I'm part griffon."
Rarity raised an eye brow trying to figure out how this was possible. "My grandpa was a traitor, he fell in love with a griffon, he deserted his post for her, then gave up his unit to her general father." Silvermane went on to tell how his father was born in Griffonstone but then moved to manehatten and married a unicorn.
When he finished he waited for her to get up and leave. When she didn't he couldn't believe it. "Oh my, that is a touching love story." She said not quite looking with a slight smile. "Wait what, you mean you liked the story of how my grandpa was branded a traitor?" Rarity covered her mouth and giggled. She put her hoof over his and looked closely into his eyes. "No what I mean is while I don't agree what he did but I understand why he did it."
No pony had ever said that before, most just condemned his family. Of course ponies who did that came up missing. Silvermane smiled, "Rarity do you ever stop being amazing?" He met her half way across the table, he couldn't look away from her azure eyes. Before he knew it she was kissing him.
Rarity quickly pulled back blushing and covering her mouth. "I'm sorry I don't usually kiss on the first date." Silvermane just laughed, "It's ok you still have more class in the tip of your horn then most mares have in their whole body." After he walked her home, Silvermane made his way to his room. He was floating on air nothing could spoil this, everything was coming up Silvermane.
