It began with a punch.

“Get up you orange freak. That’s what you get for missing your payment. Bring it by tomorrow,” the brute spoke, motioning to his thugs as they thrust the orange teen into the trash. Laughing at their prey, it took them exactly 13 seconds to notice the black hooded form watching them from the darkness of the alleyway.

“Who’re you, you wanna piece of us? Think you can take us on?” The brute, a thin brown pony with green hair, motioned to his thugs as they moved in front to protect their payment. The cloaked pony stepped out of the darkness, and pulled off the hood.

“Greenfinger Thrift, did you steal money from the don boss of Hoof Alberto?” Her voice was low, almost masculine in sound. Her hair was gray, devoid of any color. Her coat was also gray, but of a slightly darker shade. Her eyes opened, and red eyes greeted the group. The green haired thug who was indeed Greenfinger gasped, and began to back away.

“Uhh, no of course I didn’t Blood Eye. What would ever give you-GET HER!” Greenfinger pointed to his thugs, who moved forward, aiming their hooves at the form in front of them. Greenfinger quickly dashed into the street, fleeing. The gray pony sighed, and leapt out of the way of the thugs, leaping off their backs and landing hard on the fleeing form.

Blood Eye grabbed her target with her teeth, turning around and letting him absorb the punch aimed at her, cloak billowing in the breeze. As they widened their eyes and recoiled, she dropped her quarry and pirouetted on her front hooves, and aimed a kick at the thugs faces, knocking them out cold with one fell movement.

Finished her task, she once more picked up Greenfinger, and leapt toward the wall. With amazing speed and grace, she leapt from one wall to the other, scaling the high buildings as if it was child's play. As she vanished over the top of the building, the orange form raised her head out of the trash, and looked in the direction she had left.

Blood Eye trotted down the alleyway, and knocked quietly on the door, an eye slot opening as a guard looked at her, before closing it and opening the door. The room was filled with tables, and various waitresses were dressed in bunny suits as the men at the table began to try and schmooze the owner to ‘sell’ one for the night.

“Ah! Blood Eye, here for another room? I take it your job was successful then, have a drink, on the house.” The barkeep poured a cup of ale as she sat down at the counter, dropping a coin onto the table. Some keen-eyed ponies would have noticed it was a gold coin, and smiled. Half a piece bought you a room, but a full piece bought silence.

A few of the newer thugs suggested to their older companions about going after the form at the counter, but were quickly warned. Anyone who was anyone knew messing with Blood Eye was never a good idea. No one knew where Blood Eye came from, nor what gender she was. The one thing they did know was she had never failed a job, and she could take on a small army and not even get a scratch.

“Tommy Bucktooth was looking for someone last I heard, I’ll tell him you’re interested and slip your Job info into breakfast.” The barkeep returned to polishing a mug as he turned and looked to where the owner had finally sold a bunny, who was currently being dragged upstairs by an ugly fellow with bruises and an ugly lump coming out of his neck. Catching two coins tossed at him with his magic, he quickly deposited them into the register, secretly pulling up the compartment to put them where the money was actually kept.

All turned as the door creaked open, and a new face appeared. The room fell into silence as the orange mare with purple hair slowly made her way up to the counter, pulling the hood off her blue jacket. Sitting on the stool, she held out half a gold piece, and asked for a room.

“That’ll be room 54 then sweetheart. Breakfast is an extra bit.” The barkeep put the two pieces of coin away and quickly gave the mare a key, who took it and headed up the stairs. The room returned to normal volume, and a stallion with dark black fur and white hair stood and headed up the stairs, the look of a man about to do unspeakable crimes. Standing up, Blood Eye took the key, room 57, from the barkeep and looked toward the stairs.

Heading up the stairs, Blood Eye locked the room behind her and quickly looked around. Finished that, she walked over to the bed and sat down, laying on top of the covers as she pulled the cloak around her, closing her eyes.

Blood Eye opened her eyes when she heard muffled cries of pain from a few rooms down, and turned to the door as a plate of food was sent sliding through a small compartment at floor level. The food was rather plain, a cooked potato and a loaf of bread. she ate them both quickly and unfurled the note.

It contained two pieces of paper. The first was a roughly drawn note ordering her to find and bring this man to him, the prize being the reward money. The second was the wanted poster, showing the pony was wanted alive along with how much he was worth. Turning her eyes on the picture, they narrowed as she recognized it as the stallion who had headed up after the orange pony, and turned her head once more to the sounds of pain.

Opening her door, Blood Eye trotted outside and headed for room 54, opening the unlocked door and taking in the scene of the man on the bed, the beaten up teenager, and the rope tied up to keep her from being able to struggle as he slowly lowered himself onto the bed.

Blood Eye was over there instantly, punching the stallion into the wall, knocking him out instantly. Putting the stallion over her back, Blood Eye turned and began to head out of the room, pausing when the mare spoke up.

“Wait, you can’t just leave me tied here!” Turning, Blood Eye took in the teenager once more, before pulling out a knife and slicing the bonds with four quick swipes, returning it to her cloak and once more heading out the door. Turning to the barkeep, she saw a small stallion with a buck tooth sitting on a stool, two guards watching him sip his drink. Blood Eye dumped the body next to him, hearing footsteps behind her as the orange mare followed her down.

“I don’t know how you do it Blood Eye, here’s the bounty.” Blood Eye caught the bag of bits as she quickly put it away before any other the other customers got any ideas. Turning around, she headed toward a small noticeboard near the door, and began browsing the wanted list for an easy bounty.

“Uh, thanks for helping me back there.” It was the orange one, she didn’t turn to face her. Putting a hoof on one bounty, she saw the large number and the glowing ‘dead or alive’ words. If she finished this bounty, she might be able to afford to pay her water bill along with her rent when she returned to her home on the other side of the city.

“So uh, your name is Blood Eye?” Giving a nod, she once more ignored the mare, pulling off the wanted poster and stuffing it into her cloak. Turning around she saw the mare was very close, barely a pony away.

“Listen, I’m uh-looking for someone and I was wondering if-” Blood Eye cut the mare off and pushed her out of the way, heading towards the door. Pausing, she glanced back and narrowed her eyes.

“Then make a wanted poster like everypony else, I’m busy.”

Blood Eye walked out the door, heading toward her information broker to find out where her target was.