Hoity toity found himself held down by Silvermanes' magic while Lucky and a light blue Pegasus with a gray mane kicked his head around. "Alright now, are
you done being a upity prick," He lifted him into the air upside down. "or do my friends have to really get rough?" Hoity spat up blood, "Please I'll do
whatever you say." Silvermane rolled his eyes and dropped him. "Now it the future, when Rarity shows you a design, what will you do?" Hoity toity tried
shakingly to get on his hooves, only to have the pegasus sweep kick his legs from under him. "Did we say get up?" the pegasus asked stepping on Hoitys
back. "Easy Star dust, don't break his back just yet." Silvermane lifted Hoitys head and charged his horn. He touched his horn to Hoitys fore head. Hoity
screamed in pain and the smell of burning flesh filled the room. "So what's the score with Rarity?" Silvermane asked as he slapped Hoity toity. Hoity toity
shook as he answered," I love her designs, I want to use the in my shows." A smile crept across Silvermanes' face, "Good boy, now remember you may know
who we are but we know who you are," He charged his horn again and got close Hoitys' face. Hoity began to fight to get away. "so unless you want another
hot spot you'll keep your mouth shut, capise?" "I understand just please don't hurt me." "Good work in there boys." Silvermane said to his crew as they left.
In the short while they had been in ponyville they had cemented Their foot hold. Ponyville had no criminal underworld until Silvermanes crew, the strangle
mob, came to town. They had a casino in the basement of the quill store and sold bootleg cider. They also ran a loan sharking racket out of an office, which
was also the face of their legal business. Silvermane was the boss with Lucky as his under boss and thuggish enforcer. Star dust was consigliere, he not only
took part in enforcing but also handled all the legal stuff. Of course nopony could prove they were doing anything and the few that could loved life too much
to say anything. However, there was one thing upsetting the trio, Rarity. Sometimes it seemed like Silvermane was more focused on her than he was on
leading the gang. Lucky may be tough, Star dust may be smart, but Silvermane was the most ruthless unicorn ever born. The two knew better than to take
him lightly. "Well boys I'm off to see Rarity, I'll see you tomorrow." Lucky stopped him and worked up the courage to speak. "Look boss, me and Star dust
have been talking and um well you see." Star dust sighed and jumped in, "We think you've been spending too much time with this Rarity chick." With every
word Star dust spoke he saw the look on Silvermanes face turn to one of pure rage. Star dust knew he should have got out the way but he was too scared to
move. Silvermane was always quick with his hooves and Star dust was just reminded how quick. "If you think for a minute that I've gone soft or that you can
disrespect me or Rarity," Silvermane lifted both of them into the air with his magic. "then I suggest you get such ideas out of your head or I knock them out
for you." He dropped both of them on the ground and turned to walk off. "Don't forget why I'm in charge here." he called over his shoulder. Silvermane was
fuming after what happened,'I can't belive those two after everything I've done for them and they have nerve to call me out.' His thoughts were broken by
the sight of Rarity crying at her front door. He walked up and put a hoof around her shoulders, "Hey what's this about?" She wiped her eyes and sniffled, "My
client didn't like the dress I made for his wife and refused to pay," Her eyes welled up again as she clung to him. "but the worse part is he called my work
tacky and uninspired." Silvermane couldn't belive this, first his crew now this. What was today: let's all piss off Silvermane day? Okay if that's the way it's
going to be fine then he'll play along. "Do you know where he is now?" "That's him right there." She pointed to a stallion talking to his wife across the street.
"Right wait here, daddy's got to go to work." She didn't know what he was talking about until he pull out a heavy horse shoe. He calmly walked over to the
couple and pushed the wife out of the way. "Hey we were having a conversation rude much." Silvermane said nothing as he hit the other stallion in the face.
The wife screamed bloody murder as Silvermane beat her husband into a bloody pulp. He refused to let up as his fore leg shook with the impact. He finally
stop when heard the stallions jaw bone crack. Silvermane charged his horn, "If you have any further criticisms of Raritys dress making skills keep them to
yourself." He touched the tip of his horn right on the pony's eye; who screamed and trashed about as he was blinded. He turned to the wife. "Please don't
hurt me." She begged, tripping over her own hooves trying to back away. "Whatever she makes you will wear, I don't care if it's a bunch of paper bags sown
together understand." She shook her head as fast as she could and cradled her bloody husband. Silvermane walked back over to Rarity, who was trying to
wrap her head around what just happened. Silvermane slipped her the horse shoe,"Hide this for me, I need to wash his blood off." Most mares would have
gotten out of there the moment their coltfriend gave them a weapon to hide but not Rarity to be honest his show of power kind of turn her on. She found his
air of danger attractive, so she slipped the horse shoe into a box of ribbons in her work space and went to Silvermane in the kitchen. The two of them stood
there in silence before Silvermane spoke up, "I'm sorry you had to see that but nopony messes with my sweet flank." "First, We've discussed you calling me
sweet flank and second, I didn't know you had that in you." Silvermane let out a sigh, "Rarity I've got something to tell you about me," He had hoped to put
this off for as long as he could but now it was time to come clean. "you see I'm..." He was cut off be a customer calling for the owner and she sounded intent
on being served. "Let me handle this quickly darling." Rarity walked into the show room to greet a powder blue unicorn mare with white hair and icicles for
a cutie mark. "Can I help you?" The mare gave her a catty look before saying, "Yeah, you can tell Silvermane to come out here and face me." "Excuse me?"
Rarity asked as the mare charged her horn. The icy blast came faster than Rarity could react but lucky for her it wasn't to fast for silvermane. He levated her
out of the way but the beam still got her back hooves. The mare laughed,"Looks like your girls got cold hooves." "Icemare, it would be you." Icemare charged
her horn, before she could fire Silvermane turned tail and ran. "freeze." She yelled as a blast just missed his head as he duck out the back door. He needed
to get her away from the boutique and to a place were he could control the fight. 'I got it,' He ran for town square. "I'm cold on your heels." He heard
Icemare call out. "Don't you ever stop with the ice puns." He yelled as he fired a beam at her, missing by a hair. "Hey, my puns are ice-cold." She shot
another ice beam, which he countered with a heat beam. The two beams met head on creating a pillar of steam. Silvermane used it as a smoke screen to
disappear into the crowd in the square. When the steam dissipated Icemare looked around for Silvermane, "I know you're here and I'll ice everypony here if
I have to." To show she wasn't kidding around she froze a random pony solid. The frozen pony broke into a million pieces when Icemare pushed her over.
There was a moment of silence as every pony stood with their mouths open. Then somepony screamed and everypony ran for their lives. As the crowd thinned
out Icemare still didn't see Silvermane. "Hey, ice block over here." Silvermane called from behind the building were he was taking cover. He fired a shot that
hit right on, taking her off her hooves but not out of the fight. She hopped back up fired hitting the wall next to him. Silvermane made a bright flash of magic
to blind her. He quickly used an ice spell to create an arch in between the buildings he was using for cover. Icemare got her sight back and was so angry she
charged him without thinking. Right when she got under the arch Silvermane turned it into water. He hit the soaking wet mare with an ice spell freezing her
solid. "hey, Icemare chill out." He pushed her over, braking her into a million little pieces. "Silvermane, I heard somepony was turning ponies into ice and
thought Icemare." Star dust said as he landed next to him. "Yeah she was but I put her on ice." Star dust shook his head, "Really, an ice pun, it's bad enough
she does it." "Never mind that get Lucky and get over to the office, the rest of murder, Inc will be around." Star dust took off as Silvermane went to see to
Rarity. When he got back her friends were already there and had freed her. They all gave him the evil eye as he walked in. "Rarity are you ok?" Rainbow
dash got right up in his face,"She is now no thanks to you." Then apple jack jumped in, "What kind of stallion runs away when his marefriend needs him?"
next came Flutthershy, "Um, that wasn't very nice." Then Twilight layed into him, "And you got a lot of nerve coming back." Pinkie pie jumped in, "So what
do you have to say for yourself?" Silvermane breathed in and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Look I need to speak to Rarity alone." Before the others could
protest Rarity cut in, "Ok, in my room." once alone Rarity asked, "Who was that mare and why was she trying to kill you?" Silvermane made sure the
door was closed and that nopony was listening. "Alright, I use to be in the manehatten mob and that mare was Icemare, she's a hit pony sent to kill me." A
collective 'what' was heard followed by the mane crashing though the door. 'Great just what I needed, could this day get any worse?'