Canterlot Noire

by Israel Yabuki

Rating: mature
Tags: Gore, Dark, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Equestria Girls, Mystery, Science Fiction, Somnambula, Main 7 (EqG), Profanity, Violence, Sex, Death, Narcotics
Length: 49472

Prepare for a time-traveling experience as our two heroes fight to save a war-torn Canterlot City in the past.

Israel Yabuki and Inferno Blaze have an essay to write for history, but don't know who to write about, so they take a break and have a little lunch with the girls. But later on, when they're having a little walk, Equestrian Magic interferes again and this time, it's giving our heroes a blast from the past... literally. Join them as they take on crime with new names and a whole new set of adventures as Noire Detectives.

Props to symptom99 for making the cover art

Follow TheShadowKnight for helping me with this story, too.

Published 2023-03-09 03:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-06-29 05:56:54 UTC

Welcome to the Past

Author's Note

Hi guys. In case you're wondering, this story was inspired by the classic crime game L.A. Noire where you play as a police detective named Cole Phelps and solve cases. I wanted to make my own rendition of the game by turning it into an Equestria Girls fanmade story.

Anyways, follow TheShadowKnight for helping me with this. And as always, thank you for all of your patience and support and remember to stay tuned for more chapters and stories to come in the near and far future and remember to always keep on bronying on, everypony.

Welcome to the Past

History has many stories to tell, both good and bad, fake and real. Non-fictional stories which shaped the world into what it has become today and the struggles that over 7 billion people had to face in order to survive. Many great kingdoms fell and new ones arose. Some stayed standing, yet most are now just tourist attractions for the public eye.

And in this case, there's a story about two brave, young upstarts who rose against every challenge thrown at them and made their names in Canterlot History. And at this moment, a couple of students have been tasked with a big class assignment.

Israel Yabuki, Age 20, 3rd year student at Canterlot University and his best friend and partner in crime, Inferno Blaze, age 21, also a 3rd year in the same school, are both tasked with doing a 10 page essay each on historical figures. They were allowed to help each other out since this was a 2-person project. And they both had the entire Spring Break to finish it.

Currently, they were in their dorm room, trying to figure out who they wanted to write about. But so far, neither of them had a clue on who came to mind.

"Ugh… This is so boring! Who the hell's gonna be part of our essay?" Israel groaned, lazing on his bunk bed.

"Dude… I have no frickin’ clue.” Inferno responded.

"We could always just pick one of the presidents, but it's so… boring! So… common! We gotta go for somebody unique! But with this writer's block getting in the way, I don't think we're gonna get anywhere." Israel stated.

"Well, we better think of something, or otherwise our grades are gonna go kaput.” Inferno exclaimed.

"Hmm… alright then, let's think. Who or what kind of people are lacking historical tales?" Israel asked, stroking his own chin. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his stomach making a loud growling noise.

“Aaaaaaaaand snack time!” Inferno said out loud as his stomach was also making growling noises.

"Heh, alrighty then. Come on, let's stop by the Sweet Snacks Cafe. I'll buy it this time." Israel said, getting out of bed.

“Ok, but I'm driving.” Inferno proclaims while showing his car keys.

"Fair enough." Israel nodded. So, both boys exited their dorms and made their way out of the building and into the parking lot. There, they both entered Inferno's car, which was a 1967 Chevrolet Impala.

Inferno had gotten this car as a high school graduation present. While Israel only has a driver's license, he only uses it whenever he needs to drive his friends home if they're too drunk.

But since both are sober and hungry, Inferno drove the two over to the restaurant.

Upon arrival, they got out and headed inside and were surprised to see their friends, the Rainbooms, were already sitting at a big table.

"Girls, hey there," Israel said.

"Oh, why hello there, you two! Come, have a seat!" Rarity chimed. And the boys did so, Inferno sitting next to Sunset, his beloved angel. And Israel sat next to his cute little nymph, Fluttershy. Both couples shared a kiss on the lips.

"So, how was your class today? Another boring lecture?" Rainbow asked.

"That's not the half of it," Israel shook his head.

"Oh? Is there something wrong that we should be concerned about?" Twilight asked.

"Thing is… Inferno and I are tasked with writing 10 page essays on historical figures from long ago and we have to get our assignment done by Spring Break or it'll cost us 70% of our grade. And because we've got writer's block and empty stomachs, we dropped by here." Israel explained, resting his head on the back of his hand.

“To put it in simpler terms… we’re screwed.” Inferno bluntly said.

"Don't say that. You've got plenty of time before the Spring Break ends and it's just barely starting right now." Sunset pointed out.

"She's right! No need to belly-ache over this right now. Y'all got all the time in the world to start, so try an' relax an' get yer minds fixated on somethin' else," Applejack pointed out.

“I’ll relax once you pony up some apple cider, AJ.” Inferno responds.

"Hey, don'tchu go demanding her like that! Show some manners ya ciderholic!" Israel scolded.

"Careful, Izzy. Remember the last time you got up in his face about AJ's apple cider?" Fluttershy pointed out.

"The guy was on his 15th cup, all I did was swat it away and told him he's had enough!" Israel shrugged at his sweetheart. "How was I supposed to know he'd turn all nutsy-coo-coo like Hulk when he's under Scarlet Witch's spell?" he asked.

“You never touch a man’s cider, dude. Never.” Inferno exclaimed.

"Ah appreciate the way ya stood up fer me, Izzy, but it's alright. Ah find it flatterin' that Inferno likes mah family's apple cider." Applejack stated.

"Okay, but it wouldn't hurt for him to show some manners." Israel shrugged.

Moments later, one of the maids came over on their rollerblades with a notepad. "So, is everyone ready to order?" she asked.

"Yes, I would like a caesar salad, please," Fluttershy said.

"A tasty banana split sundae with chocolate syrup," Pinkie said.

"I would like some alfredo pasta with a side of salad, if you please," Rarity politely asked.

"Ah could go fer a triple decker burger supreme with a side of' chilly cheese fries." Applejack said while rubbing her stomach.

"Two jumbo hot dogs with mustard, ketchup and a side of garlic fries." Rainbow said.

"I'll just have a grilled cheese sandwich," Twilight said.

"I'll have three crunchy taco supremes please." Sunset added.

"I'm having the nacho platter with extra cheese." Israel said.

"I’m havin’ a grilled cheese as well, with a side of fries please.” Inferno stated his order.

"Alright and would anyone like any drinks?" the maid asked.

"Ooh, a tall glass of water, please," Fluttershy replied.

"Some iced tea would be lovely," Rarity chimed.

"Hit me with a bottle o' apple cider," AJ said.

"Ooh! Me too!" Pinkie added.

“Count me in, too!” Inferno blurted while raising his hand up excitedly.

"Slide me some apple cider, too!" Rainbow also chimed in.

"I'll have some orange juice," Twilight said.

"And me, I'll join the others for some apple cider." Sunset added.

"And I'll have a large cup of Coke, please." Israel said.

"Not a problem. I'll have your orders ready momentarily," the maid said before heading back.

“A triple decker burger supreme? Two jumbo hot dogs? Man, Rainbow, AJ, you two are the active people I know, but you two sure eat a lot.” Inferno asked the two. “Well besides Pinkie, but nobody dares to risk their sanity to question her biology.”

"And why bother questioning her? We love it when she's being her natural, cute, unpredictable self all the time." Israel said.

“Twilight, you remember when you tried to question Pinkie, and then you had all those wacky situations happen to you.” Inferno brought an event where Twilight tried to make sense of Pinkie. Spoiler alert, it didn’t work out well.

"Ugh, please… I had just put that part of my past behind me!" Twilight groaned, slumping her face down on the table.

“Hey, wasn’t there some smart guy at Canterlot High that also tried to question Pinkie’s craziness?” Rainbow asked, recalling someone else doing the same thing Twilight did.

“Oh yeah, he sure was funny.” Pinkie giggled, remembering the person Rainbow recalled. “Gee, I wondered what happened to him?”

“Last I heard of him, he got sent to the psychiatric ward,” Inferno stated.

"That poor sap should've just quit while he was ahead." Israel bluntly stated. "At least Time Turner knew when to back off."

"You mean Mr. Whooves?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, but lately I haven't seen him around either. He's been gone for almost a week now." Israel said.

"Darling, I'm sure he's probably fine. He might've just caught a cold or something and needs some time off." Rarity brought up.

“Maybe he got bored of the students that were lazing off from his lessons?” Rainbow suggested.

"I doubt it. Mr. Turner was always enthusiastic about his work. So, wherever he is, I'm sure he'll be back soon." Sunset said.

And so moments later, the maid on rollerblades comes back with the group's meals and drinks. Of course, she had to take a few trips back and forth due to such a tall order.

Eventually, the waitress managed to bring everyone their meals, and once she had, she left them to their food.

"Mmmm, looks delicious! Well, time to dig in!" Pinkie chimed before slamming her face into her sundae and munching away.

"Really now, Pinkie, we're in a restaurant!" Rarity said sternly.

“What?” Pinkie asked with such innocence and obliviousness, with the lower half of her face covered in ice cream.

"Uh, Pinkie, you got a little ice cream right here," Israel chuckled, gesturing to her entire chin by rubbing his own. "Here, I got it." He grabs a few napkins from the dispenser and wipes Pinkie's face clean before booping her on her cute little nose. "Now use a spoon instead of burying your face in it."

"Okie dokie lokie." she chimed before grabbing a spoon from her hair and got to munch on her ice cream the right way. As does everyone else as they get to eating their meals.

30 minutes later, after finishing their meals and paying for the food, the boys planned to head back to the school, until…

"Wait, boys!" Sunset called out, making them turn back. "If you're having trouble with your project, I learned that taking a nice walk helps clear the mind and empties your negative thoughts quite well."

"What do you say, Inferno? It's better than straining ourselves to find an idea, right?"

Inferno did some thinking in his head and shrugged his shoulders in response. “Eh, it's not like we have anything else important to do. So why not?” he said.

"Thanks for the advice, Sunset." Israel said.

"Anytime. And if you boys need a quick jump starter, well… you know where to find us," Sunset winked flirtatiously at both of them. Little does anyone in Canterlot know, all the members of the Rainbooms are in an open relationship with these two guys.

But Sunset is always gonna be Inferno's top gal and Fluttershy is Israel's top gal. They worked out a compromise to share their lovers in case they were interested in some action.

Anyways, taking Sunset's advice, the boys take a walk through the city, taking in the sights and sounds of their surrounding environment.

"You know what I think, Inferno?" Israel asked. "How easy it'd be for us if we were to visit someone in the past and ask them about how they impacted our country."

"I hear ya, but let's be real. Messing with time is a complete no-no. Remember the Starswirl Festival with Post Crush?" Inferno asked.

"Yeah, but they kept repeating the same day over and over just to get their gig perfect. I never said I wanted to change the past, I just wanna hear a story from the historical horse's mouth." Israel specified.

"Well, keep on dreaming, Israel. Because despite all the magical events that occurred a few months ago; we live in the most boring city in the entire world. Nothing exciting happened here way back then. The only things that drew slight excitement here were a bunch of night clubs that settled here in the late 1940s. So pretty much, this town’s history… is dull.” Inferno exclaimed.

"That sucks. But then again… the only kind of excitement we can get nowadays is through online gaming or streaming movies and TV shows. Or listening to lively music." Israel said.

“Or driving around in your car all day, or testing all the antique firearms I collected over the years.” Inferno said before he turned to look at Israel, who gave him a blank and serious expression on his face; which made Inferno sidestep a bit. “... uh, ok that’s mostly me.”

Eventually, the boys made a stop over at town square where they decided to take a seat by the fountain in the center.

"Regarding those antique guns of yours, do they still even have the ammunition for them? Those things have been around for… over half a century now." Israel mentioned.

“Well for some, I had to forge the ammunition, but for the ones that date back to WW2, I ordered them online. Also… I know a guy.” Inferno answered.

"And yet, he wishes to remain anonymous?" Israel asked.

“Hey, it's the motto; ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’, besides he’s never let me down… Except that one time he sent me a pineapple grenade by mistake.” Inferno muttered that last part.

"Uh… pineapple grenade?" Israel asked, confused. "How was it a mistake?"

“Well to be honest, I ordered a 3rd Thompson gun, but instead he sent me a package that was supposed to go to someone else. But don’t worry, I disposed of the grenade ‘safely and properly’.” Inferno said with an innocent grin.

"How?" Israel asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Nothing…” Inferno said, while he also kept the truth in his mind. ‘Well except I used it to blow up Iron Will’s car.’ he mentally thought.

"Hmm… you know what, I'm just gonna not ask anymore questions." Israel shrugged.

Right as he said that, the time square clock struck 2PM. And all of a sudden, without anyone looking, a piece of Equestrian magic had shot into the clock, causing it to shine brightly and the toll seems to be getting increasingly louder, quicker even.

Some of the people who are watching wind up panicking as the bell toll gets faster and faster until… it resonates in a deeper, slower, almost demonic-like tone. With each toll, a shockwave hits the city and the people around the two boys all clear the area.

"What the hell is going on?!" Israel asked, standing up, wanting to do something, but wasn't sure what to do.

“If you want my honest opinion… I have no f-” Before Inferno could finish his words, both he and Israel were overtaken by a very bright light.

Before they both knew it, they're dragged into the light and then it disappears like the lightning, leaving no trace of the boys whatsoever.

[ Canterlot City, 1945, 2:01 P.M. ]

The streets were filled with people walking or driving to their destinations when all of a sudden, a light appears in a random back alley and it spits out Inferno and Israel before fading away.

"WHOA!!! OOF!!!" Israel grunted, falling stomach first.

“OW! GODDAMNIT!” Inferno shouted in pain as he tumbles a bit before he crashes into a couple of trash bins.

"For crying out loud, someone's gotta fix that hole in the statue." Israel groaned, getting up and rubbing his head. "You okay, man?"

“I swear to god, when I find out who caused that, there will be no mercy I tell ya!” Inferno shouted while rubbing his head as it was aching in pain.

"First, we need to find out where we are. Weren't we just in Town Square just now? Why are we in an alleyway?" Israel asked.

Inferno gets up onto his feet and as he did, he has his back against the walls of the alleyway as he looks towards the other walls of the alleyway and he sees something that had him confused. On some parts of the wall, there were a bunch of old, worn-down, and shredded WW2 propaganda posters that looked about a year or 2 years old. But from his perspective… These posters were too young. He’s seen posters like these on the internet or in semi mint condition… in museums.

“Uhhhh… Why are there WW2 posters on the walls?” Inferno asked in confusion.

"What? Lemme see that," Israel said, checking the posture. "Wha-- this can't be right. World War 2 supposedly ended in 1945 on September 2nd. And it's too early for it to be Veteran's Day, since it's Spring, right?"

As Israel rambled, Inferno soon looked down towards the trash bins that he had crashed into, and he noticed something; a bunch of old newspapers that piqued his interest, he reached down and grabbed one of the newspapers and observed it.

Inferno first reads the old newspaper, and it caught him by surprise when he read the headline: “PEACE! WAR IS OVER! Japan Surrenders.” And the date on the newspaper was… September 2nd, 1945!

“Uh, Israel! You might want to see this!” He urged Israel to come look at the paper.

"Oh boy," Israel said, checking the paper as well. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets upon reading the headlines. "WHAT?! That's impossible! Unless…" he paused, putting two and two together and looked even more shocked. "Inferno, you know what this means…"

“Yeah…” Inferno said right before he screamed so loud that it would make Pinkie proud.

“WE’RE IN THE FUCKING 1940s!!!!!!” He screamed loud for any of the bystanders nearby to hear him.

Yup, our heroes were in quite the predicament. How will they ever find a way back to their present time and how will their girls react to them missing? Only time will tell. Let's just hope for their sake, the future isn't altered.

Trouble on the Road

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait. Here's another chapter to my story. Remember to also follow my good friend TheShadowKnight for helping me out with this chapter and as always... thank you for your patience and support, stay tuned for more chapters and keep bronying on.

Trouble on the Road

"I can't believe it! You mean to tell me that we're not in our present time anymore and we're stuck here in the goddamn 40's?!" Israel asked in shock and disbelief

“The f**king 40s! Are you f**king kidding me!? This is horses***! WHAT THE F***!!!” Inferno curses repeatedly for several minutes. He was shocked and pissed at the same time. “Why the f**k did this had to f**king happened?! Why the f**k does this have to f**king happen with motherf**king Equestrian magic?!? F**K YOU MAGIC!!!!” He screamed out towards the sky.

'Damn… talk about venting out your frustrations.' Israel thought, backing away a bit. "Inferno… I know you're pissed off right now, but if we're gonna have any chance of going back home, we're gonna have to keep our wits together." Israel explained.

“I am f**king calm! This is my calm face!” Inferno snarled. Then he soon receives a smack across the face by Israel, which immediately snaps him back to reality. “Thanks, bro. I needed that.” he said while rubbing his face to numb the pain.

“You’re welcome, man.” Israel said in reply.

“Ok so… What do we do now?!” Inferno asked.

"For starters, we gotta change our names. Otherwise, it might mess up the present time." Israel stated as he stroked his chin.

“Ok then, you first.” Inferno said.

"Alright then… let's see… how about… Straight Arrow?" Israel suggested.

“Mmmm, alright that sounds good, that’s very good.” Inferno commented as he now takes his time to come up with a name for himself. “Uh… Ooh! How about… Shadow Knight.” He suggested.

“You’re gonna use your gamer tag?” Israel asked.

“Oh c’mon, it's badass. Plus video games were never invented in the 1940s, so no one will even know.” Inferno proclaimed.

"Oh, alright, what the heck. It is your alias. Now then…" before he could continue, Israel's and Inferno's pockets, where their wallets were hidden, started to glow for a brief moment.

Inferno soon took notice and said: “Yo! What’s with the light show in your pants?” he asked his buddy while pointing towards Israel’s pockets.

"I could ask you the same thing. You got some sort of pocket dimension to Narnia in there?" Israel retorted, pointing at Inferno's glowing pocket.

Inferno looks down towards his pant pockets and he sees them glowing as well. And as soon as it came, the glow eventually disappeared. Fearing something happened to his wallet, Inferno reached into his pockets and checked his wallet.

Israel also checked his own wallet and found out that for some reason… his identity was different from his real one. On his Driver's license, it showed his alias name; Straight Arrow. And Inferno's ID read "Shadow Knight." On top of that, the few hundred bucks they had from the present had changed to look like money from the 40's. It's as if Equestrian Magic had been used to make them fit in.

"Well, what do you know? Seems like we won't have to worry about tall stacks of paperwork in regards to changing our names." Israel said in surprise.

“Ok, now that little problem is out of the way, now what else do we do?” Inferno asked.

"We're gonna have to find a place to stay. And on top of that, find some work. Something tells me we're gonna be stuck here for quite some time. And I think I might know a spot where we can crash for the time being. The bad news… this might be the longest cardio walk." Israel said, looking down the sidewalk.

“Aw f**k,” Inferno groaned in annoyance until he realized one other problem. “Wait! We can’t go walking around town dressed in our current clothes. If we're gonna be stuck here in the 40s, we’re gonna have to blend in.” he stated.

"Shit, you're right. But how are we gonna find a place out here without having to stick out like a couple of sore thumbs?" Israel asked. And then… something else caught his eye. Inside one of the boxes in the alleyway, he found what looked like a couple of trench coats. Both worn out, but still just as functional. "Hmm… if I didn't know any better, I'd say someone or something planned for this to happen."

“Well whoever they are, I’m gonna kill them when this nightmare is over.” Inferno exclaimed as he picked up one of the trench coats, he sighs in defeat. “Until we can afford better clothing, these will have to do… for now,” he commented.

"Well, we've got a few hundreds in our pockets, so judging by the economy right now, buying clothes won't be that much of a problem." Israel stated. "How much did clothes cost back in our time… Shadow?"

“Well, after hearing fashion lessons, constantly, by Rarity. I say they would likely cost around… 50 bucks in the 40s?” Inferno claimed.

"That's the average cost of clothes back in our present time. But normal clothes here in the 40s… let's see, from what I gather, it's at least $1-$5. But… yeah, $50 would be enough for a fancy suit." Israel agreed.

“Ok then, here’s the plan. We’ll use these trench coats to blend in as much as we can across town, and once we find the nearest clothing store, we go in and buy ourselves some clothes.” Inferno suggested.

"Good plan." Israel nodded.

“Alright,” Inferno then places on his trench coat, concealing as much of his present clothes as he could. “Let's do this.”

And so, the boys dressed up incognito style and strolled through the town, looking like a couple of homeless bums. They can only hope they won't have to live in this era too long. On another note, they wonder how the girls are reacting.

[Canterlot - Present Day]

Back in the present day of Canterlot, the Rainbooms were all having a sleepover in Sunset's dorm room, but weren't looking too happy at the moment. Sunset was on the phone, trying to get a hold of Inferno, but it kept going to voicemail.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sunset asked in frustration.

“He still hasn’t picked up his phone yet?” Rainbow asked her bacon-haired friend.

"No, and I've tried like 20 times already! I even tried calling Israel and he's not picking up his phone either."

"That's odd. He always picks up on the first or second ring." Fluttershy said.

"Maybe their phones died," AJ suggested.

"No, that can't be right. They always charge their phones before they leave. And not to mention, they don't stay out this late." Pinkie pointed out.

"Well, what do you think could've happened, darling?" Rarity asked.

"My guess, Inferno and Israel had a run-in with a complete douche and got into a fist fight. Pow! Pow!” Rainbow suggested while throwing air-punches. “And then got arrested with proud smiles on their faces.”

“Rainbow Dash! That sounds utterly ridiculous, they would never get themselves in trouble.” Rarity exclaimed.

“Never stopped them before, remember that time one scumbag got a little ‘too friendly’ with AJ; pissed Inferno off so much that he knocked the guy’s teeth out. And Israel stepped in when the guy’s friends tried to jump Inferno.” Rainbow reminded the fashionista.

"Ah'm still crossed that someone other than mah two favorite boys wound up touchin' mah fresh apples back here." AJ said, rubbing her big booty cheeks.

“It was two against five, the battle was ferocious, but our brave heroes prevailed in the end.” Pinkie spoke like a narrator from a fantasy movie.

"If they weren't magically-enhanced with their powers, they'd have gotten creamed and we'd have to step in," AJ pointed out.

“Hey, can we all not talk about that right now and stick with the present?!” Twilight reminds them of the situation at hand.

"Hey, speaking of present, look at what I found on my news feed," Fluttershy said, gesturing to the news on her phone. The other girls huddle in and check the news feed on her phone while the butterfly beauty reads. "Hmm… Town Square or Town Scare. Mysterious light show shakes up all of Town Square as the clock tower makes an ominous ring while glowing abnormally. Results of this caused no casualties, save for two missing young men." She reads through the online news feed.

Upon reading the last six words, all the girls’ eyes, besides Pinkie, widened with horror and concern, believing that the supposed two missing young men could be Inferno and Israel.

“Aw, I hope those two boys are okay, wherever they could be.” Pinkie commented.

“Pinkie! The missing boys could be Inferno and Israel!” Rainbow informs the party gal.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh…” Pinkie said in realization, before she immediately starts to panic. “OH NO!” she exclaimed.

“Now, now, hold on a minute, we don’t know for sure.” Applejack attempts to calm all their minds, including her own.

"Applejack's got a point. We'll have to look into this matter thoroughly. Tomorrow, after breakfast, we ask around town to see if anyone saw our boyfriends when that mysterious light show took place earlier." Sunset explains.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go and talk with the news reporters who caught it all on camera, see if they might have any clues." Twilight added.

"Hey, why not use that new magic detector you invented? You know, the improved one." Rainbow pointed out.

"Good thinking, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy praised.

"Okay. I'll bring that with me, too. Hopefully, we can discover if there was magic involved, we can alert my pony counterpart about it." Sci-Twi mentioned.

"Alright then. Our plan's set. Meeting adjourned." Sunset said with determination.

With that, the girls decided to hit the sack and get some sleep, all except Sunset, who looked out the window of her dorm and bore a concerned and sorrowful expression on her face.

‘Oh Inferno… Israel… I hope you two are safe out there somewhere.’ She thought to herself before she too went to sleep on her bed.

[Canterlot - 1945 8:52 P.M]

The day went by faster than either boy could've anticipated.They managed to find a clothing store and bought themselves a whole new wardrobe to blend in with society.

“Now this is how you blend in with society,” Inferno said with confidence. He wore a black trench coat, black vest, gray long-sleeved shirt, dark-gray pants, a black fedora hat, and a pair black shoes. Yeah, the young man loved wearing black.

Israel walked beside him wearing a midnight blue suit with a silver necktie and matching midnight blue fedora, wearing black shoes and a grey, button-up shirt underneath his midnight blue business coat.

"These'll do quite nicely. At least we'll look presentable for a job interview." Israel said. He then checks his wallet to see how much cash he has on hand. "Hmm, not too bad, still got about $350 leftover. How about you?"

Inferno checks his wallet to see how much he has. “Uh… About $610 left over?

"Okay. Not too bad. Now let's… OH!!! I've got it! Shadow, I know how we can get to our destination without walking." Israel winked. "Ahem… TAXI!!!" he shouted out loud, waving his hand up in the air.

A taxi was approaching before it passed by the two, despite Israel trying to flag them down.

“What the heck!?” Israel shouted.

“It's because I'm wearing black isn’t it!” Inferno added, which earned him a ‘bruh’ expression from Israel.

But before the two would start up a conversation, a taxi pulled up next to them which caught their attention. The window of the taxi went down and the driver looked up at the two.

“Going somewhere, gentlemen?” The driver asked.

"Yes sir. Any chance you can drop us off at… Sweet Apple Acres?" Israel asked.

"You mean that famous apple farm just a little ways outta town? Sure, hop in." the driver said.

With that and their course set, the boys got into the taxi and once they were inside, the taxi car drove off and made a heading towards the edge of town, where Sweet Apple Acres is.

The drive there was nice, as Israel and Inferno took in the sights of the city. So many buildings they had never seen before. One of the biggest changes is the street where the mall should be. Instead… there was a run-down, old performance theater that was due to be torn down in a month or so.

“Huh? Never thought there was a theater there?” Inferno quietly said to Israel.

"Neither did I. I wonder how long that thing's been around before," Israel quietly replied.

"So, gents, what sort of business you got for wanting to visit the famous apple farm?" the cab driver asked.

‘Well we’re from the future, who got sucked into a time vortex and landed in the 40s with no shelter, no jobs, or a damn car!’ Inferno thought to himself in a sarcastic manner before he spoke to the driver, saying: “Well we’re new in town, and looking for good, honest work.” he said.

"Good, honest work? Heh, if only there were more guys like you, this place'll be real peaceful-like, see?" the driver said.

"What do you mean?" Israel asked.

"Well, I'mma tell it to you boys straight. Canterlot's not exactly what you would call an ideal tourist attraction, not since the town’s crime rate skyrocketed even after the Great Depression came to an end years ago. Even more so during the war.” the driver explained.

Both Inferno and Israel looked at each other in a brief moment, surprised and disbelieved that Canterlot had a high crime rate in the 40s; something that they never heard about or learned about in school or any education.

“Uh… We had no idea,” Inferno responded to the driver. “So… how long has it been going on?”

“Well, like I had stated before, it's been going on for a long time. Even though you boys saw differently back in town, but trust me, that is just the town putting on a happy face. The town is run and controlled by a few mafia crime families and gangs who moved in during the Great Depression, and made profit off the town since, especially with the war going on. And once they settled, the town officials and law enforcement couldn’t drive them off.” The driver explained more of the town’s crime history.

"Sounds to me like we need to put these mafia families back in their place. Hey, Shadow… I know it's not our ideal career choice, but… how's about tomorrow morning… we join the Canterlot Police Department?" Israel asked.

Before Inferno could respond, the two could hear laughter coming from the taxi driver. The man was laughing hysterically, while trying not to run off the road. The two young men in the back look at him with confused expressions.

“Oh, you two boys are really funny. And crazy!” The driver commented while laughing. “What makes you two think that you could take on the mafia?!” He asked before laughing once again.

This went on until the taxi arrived at its destination and soon the two were dropped off at the ranch gate of Sweet Apple Acres. Inferno then pays the driver for the ride and after that, their taxi drives off, and they both swore that they could still hear the taxi driver laughing.

As they watch the taxi disappear upon the horizon, Inferno takes this time to give his old buddy a smack to the back of his head.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Inferno asked his best friend. “Our plan is to get ourselves some jobs, make money, and have ourselves set for a little while until we can find a way back home. Not go playing ‘cops and robbers’ with the mafia!”

"And how are we gonna get home with no magic? If you hadn't noticed, Inferno… or Shadow, as you would prefer, there's no magic portal to Equestria in this era, nor are there any other portals in this world like on that one island we found during Spring Break in high school. For all we know, we could be stuck here for years!" Israel rambled on.

“While I'm not arguing against that! But I advised us to keep out of trouble and stay alive while we’re here. And taking on the mafia, is pretty much asking for trouble! I wanna live and not be remembered as the dum-dum who stupidly took on the mafia and died! So at this point forward, we need to set ourselves up first, and then we’ll discuss what to do next.” Inferno points out. “Sounds fair?”

"Fine," Israel sighed. "I guess taking on the mafia at the start is kinda suicide. But you know… we could always tip off the cops with clues to finding goons on wanted posters. They're always willing to pay top dollar for those kinds of punks."

Inferno plants his hands on his face and groans in annoyance. “Man I wish Fluttershy was here, she knows how to keep you on a tight leash.” He said silently to himself. “Fine! But only if we keep our names secret while we’re doing that kind of business, we don’t want to have ourselves tracked down and killed on the first level.” Inferno gave in to Israel’s brief plan for a side job.

"Sheesh, if it bothers you that much, then fine. Guess I should've stuck with farm work, such a goddamn downer," he uttered silently.

“Hey, I’m trying to survive here. Look, let's talk about this later.” Inferno replied.

Then the two walked through the gate and made their way along the dirt path to the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse and barn. As they were walking, they noticed some differences about the place than it was in the present. There were less apple trees; but it was still a big acre of apple trees, but nowhere near the size of the plantation than it was gonna be in the future. Perhaps the farm was still in its growing years.

"I wonder if you-know-who, actually lives here." Israel whispers.

"Only one way to find out," Inferno replied.

The boys then approached the front door of the farmhouse and knocked on the door.

"Hmm? Now, who could that be at this time o' night?" a female voice asked. The two boys backed up and the door opened up, revealing a VERY young and VERY beautiful Granny Smith, only, she's not a granny, far from it. "Oh, howdy there, boys, what can Ah do ya fer?"

Both boys were paralyzed and shocked from what they saw in front of them. The old woman they remembered from the present, Applejack’s grandmother, is standing right in front of them… as a younger, well-stacked, more voluptuous, attractive woman. Looking at her, she has to be about 19 years old; about the same age as her future granddaughter.

"Oh, uh… hi, miss. Umm… My name is… Straight Arrow and… this is my friend, Shadow Knight. And we're.. kinda new in town and we're looking for a place to stay. If you don't mind, could we spend the night here? We'll even help out around the farm if you'd like." Israel offered

“Uh… y-yeah… wh-what he said…” Inferno added, while still in his shocked state, much like Israel.

"Gee, that's awful nice o' ya, but are ya sure y'all wanna stay here? Why not stay at yer homes or with yer families?" she asked.

That had the boys stumped, cause they didn’t think they would get that far in the conversation. After being silent for a while, Inferno, reluctantly, stepped up to speak.

“W-Well, madam, you see… Our family had gone through cruel hardships during the Great Depression. And unfortunately, we… each other… are the only family we have left.” Inferno spoke, while also wrapping his arm around Israel’s neck. “And nowadays, we wander the country, searching for work as much as we can to support ourselves, and our last job… our employer was an ass and he fired us with no reason. And so we decided to visit your majestic ranch to hopefully find a job that is more honest and welcoming than our last one. And surely a… uh, lovely, and… charismatic lady such as yourself can help poor souls such as us in our dire situation.” He explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear. Ya know what, if yer that achin' to help out around here, who am Ah to turn you two good souls away. Come on in, make yerselves at home.'' She invited me.

“Why thank you, ma’am, that’s very- AH!!!” Inferno cuts himself off when the younger apple farmer turns around to walk inside the house.

Which gave both Inferno and Israel full view of her ‘backside’. Now they know that the big ‘junk-in-the-trucks’ tradition runs in the female side of the Apple family.

‘THAT’S A HUGE ASS!’ Inferno and Israel’s inner voices shouted in their minds.

Not wanting to be rude to their host, the boys shook themselves out of their shocked state and entered the farmhouse, following directly behind her

"Please, no need fer the whole "ma'am, bit. The name's Marie. Marie Ann Smith. Ah'm the proud and sole owner o' Sweet Apple Acres.'' She introduces herself. 'Heh, git a good look at these apples o' mine, boys. 'Cause yer gonna be seein' these fresh apple gals all day tomorrow when ya work.' she thought.

“Well, now we know that AJ gets her beauty and curves from both her mother and grandmother!” Inferno silently whispered to Israel; which luckily, Marie Ann didn’t hear.

"No kidding. When we get home, I'm gonna show AJ a whole new kind of love and appreciation for her." Israel whispered quietly to Inferno.

“Oh no no, you had your turn last weekend and the weekend before that, let me have a turn for once.” Inferno silently protested. “Though I can't argue with ya, all Apple gals are queens.” He said, though he didn’t realize that he said that at a volume for Marie Ann to hear it.

"Ah heard that!" Marie Ann called out, while spooking Inferno. "So, you boys like apples that much, don'tcha?" she asked teasingly.

The boys tried to explain themselves, but it all came out as mumbles and gibberish, or spoke too fast in a way that almost made them sound like they were speaking in a different language.

"Heh, tell you boys what. You two get up bright an' early, put in a hard days work, an' maybe… just maybe… Ah'll have a special reward fer the both o' ya." Marie replied with a wink.

Both young men felt immediately flustered and paralyzed at the same time. Their faces lit up like red Christmas lights. Their emotions were conflicted at the moment.

Inferno once again becomes the first to speak as he clears his throat and asks; “U-Uh… D-Do you mind showing to your guest rooms?” He asked Marie.

"Sure thing. Follow me right up these stairs," Marie replied, heading up the flight of stairs. The boys followed Marie as instructed, then came to a slightly long hallway. She then directs the two towards the furthest doors on the left and right side. "Y'all boys can take either room. The beds got a blanket and two fluffy pillows fer extra comfort."

"Thanks, Marie. You're very kind," Israel smiled.

“Yes, we both owe you our deepest gratitude.” Inferno added.

"D'oh, now you hush up now, y'all're gonna make a gal blush. Ah'm just happy to help," Marie replied, hiding her pretty face with her stetson hat.

“Well, we’ll definitely try not to take advantage of your generosity and pull our weight around here.” Inferno proclaimed.

"That's what Ah like to hear. Now, hurry an' carry yer tired haunches off to bed. Tomorrow, ya start bright an' early." Marie-Ann said. She then moved past the two and went back downstairs to turn off all the lights.

With that, the boys head into their separate bedrooms to get the rest they need. Moreover, they also couldn't wait to see what kind of reward Marie might have in store for them, should they do an extra fine job farming. Only time will tell.

[The next morning; Sweet Apple Acres - 1945]

Inferno was sleeping soundly and peacefully in his bed, dreaming that he was back in the present and going on a date with Sunset, getting on his knees and then…

*Rooster call*

Inferno is jolted awake by the annoying sounds of a rooster crowing outside of his bedroom window. He rolls out of bed and he crashes onto the floor of his room.

“Fuck…” he grunted in pain.

Inferno soon gets up from the floor and he stretches out his arms and rolls his head around to relieve the tension in his neck.

Israel, on the other hand, who grew up with farm animals, woke up with a yawn, sitting up. He hops out of bed and heads out the door.

"Well, here's to day 1." he said to himself. He walks down the halls and checks which door has the bathroom. He finds it in the center on the right and opens up the door. It was up until now that Israel realized… "Ah, crap. We should've bought some toothbrushes before we came here last night!" he then let out a sigh. "Whatever, I'll just wash my hands. Maybe that'll help."

So, he does just that and then walks out of the bathroom before heading downstairs. "Hurry your lazy ass, Shadow. You don't wanna be late." Israel called out.

On cue, Inferno walks out of his guest bedroom and he looks at Israel with a grumpy expression.

“What do you think I'm doing? Trying out pilates? I just had my ass awoken by a goddamn rooster!” Inferno responded as he then headed towards the bathroom and entered. Then a second later, he pops his head out of the bathroom. “Fuck! We don’t have toothbrushes or deodorant!” He said.

"Yeah, I just realized that, too. Today, after work, we can head back into town to buy some… And some body wash and shampoo, don't wanna be smelling like a wet dog 24/7, especially in front of a classy lady." Israel called out. "But first… breakfast!"

“Ok, ok, breakfast. Don’t get too excited or else you might trip down the stairs.” Inferno responded as he followed behind Israel as the two headed down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

As soon as they were about 10 feet from the kitchen, they were hit by the delicious smells of bacon, pancakes, eggs, etc. Then they could hear humming coming from the kitchen.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's got all the natural qualities of a housewife,' Israel thought to himself.

‘I’m now wondering who might be her future husband and AJ’s grandfather?’ Inferno thought to himself.

Soon the two boys walked toward the kitchen, following Marie-Ann’s humming. As soon as they halted by the arch way, they both saw Marie-Ann cooking it up in the kitchen. Wearing a floral print dress, with an orange plaid apron on as well. And her dress really hugged her posterior, like the dress didn’t bother hiding it.

"Wow, look at you, cooking up a big, hearty feast. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you wanted us to stay here for a long time," Israel winked.

"Oh, hush you. Ah just wanna make sure you boys're filled up nicely fer today's hard day o' work on the farm. Now, did y'all remember to wash yer hands?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Israel nodded.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Inferno added.

"Good. Ah’ apologies if there weren't any toothbrushes other than mine. If Ah had known Ah'd be havin' guests over, Ah'd have run down to the store an' bought some extras." Marie-Ann spoke to the two.

“Oh no, the fault is mostly ours. We kinda caught you by surprise. But we appreciate the kind gesture. And we’ll be the ones to purchase our own toothbrushes, so that we won’t bother you further… Unless we need to ask you for directions.” Inferno responded to the young lady. ‘Mostly because we have no idea what the map-out of this town is back in the 1940s.’ He thought to himself.

"Ah’ understand. Now then, all y'all take a seat an' get to munchin' down," Marie said.

The boys did as obliged and they sat down at the table. And as they did, they could still see Marie-Ann by the kitchen stove, preparing their plates, with her back turned to them.

Inferno couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering down and looking at Marie-Ann’s firm apple tush. He shield his eyes with his hands while blushing red like a tomato,

“Oh god, I can’t believe AJ’s grandmother was a hot babe in her youth. I can’t stop staring at her butt. What about you, Israel? Uh. Israel?” Inferno asks his buddy.

"Mmmm, how I'd love to plow them huge apples," he said quietly to himself, staring hungrily at Marie Ann's huge apple booty.

“Oh wow, he’s gone feral… *sigh* As expected. Now we’re both under her spell.” Inferno silenty commented. ‘Great. Where are the girls when we need them?’ He thought to himself as his eyes went back to Marie-Ann’s ass; and he didn’t even struggle to fight it.

Soon the trance that the boys are on have been eventually broken when Marie-Ann turns around with the boys’s two breakfast plates, which forces the boys to pretend that they were inspecting the entire room and whistling to themselves.

But Marie-Ann saw through their act. 'Ah’ recognized those hungry looks anywhere. An' Ah bet it ain't the food they're hankerin' fer. Ah’ wonder… should Ah give them what they're hankerin' fer… or do Ah make 'em work their butts off fer it?' she thought. Then she gets a evil idea. ‘Or even better, Ah’ll just give ‘em a small taste while they’re workin’, that’ll get ‘em eager to work harder… And make ‘em eager for the full course too~’ She planned in her head.

30 minutes later, after finishing up their breakfast and washing the dishes, the boys went and got to work out on the farm, helping Marie harvest some apples. Although, since there's not many apple trees, that part of the job was taken care of swiftly and precisely. Soon after, Marie-Ann has the boys with individual chores, such as having Inferno chopping up firewood and Israel feeding the animals.

The two pulled off their chores with a breeze, with Inferno having chomped through many firewood; and Israel, with animal knowledge he learned from Fluttershy, tended to all the farm animals.

Then she has the boys do another important chore for her by loading up the pick-up truck with the crates of fresh apples and apple cider, which were to be delivered to a few of the market stores in town.

They quickly help her out, loading up the truck with the food and drinks. "Alrighty. Now that the goods are ready to be shipped… who's gonna drive this thing?" Israel asked.

“Dibs on the wheel” Inferno shouted.

“Huh?! What! No, I’m driving!” Israel exclaimed. "You're not the only one with a driver's license here, ya road hog!"

Inferno turns to him and then raises his one hand up towards Israel, curled up in a fist. Marie-Ann witnessed and slightly worried that the two would fight. But in reality, Israel already knew what Inferno had in mind; settling this like they always did… with a good ole’ fashioned… Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Israel then raised his fist up towards Inferno and soon, both boys threw down thrice. Then the boys threw down and made their move: Inferno threw down scissors and Israel threw down paper.

Inferno chuckles in victory while Israel lightly grunts in defeat.

'FUCK!!!' Israel shouts in his head. 'Why God? WHY NOT ME FOR A CHANGE?' He sighs. "Alright, fine."

“Heh heh, ah don’t worry, I'll let you drive on the way back.” Inferno tells his best friend.

'It ain't the drive back I'm pissed off about. Mr. "I always win at Rock Paper Scissors." ' Israel thought to himself. "Yeah, fine." he replied before climbing into the passenger seat.

Inferno gets in the driving seat and starts up the truck, but before he drives off, Marie-Ann stops by the driver’s seat window to see them off.

“Ya boys better be safe out in town, ya hear. Heard some things goin’ on down there and don’t want both of y'all gettin’ caught up in that trouble.” She informs them both.

“We won’t, Marie-Ann. We’ll be sure to keep out of trouble and have the deliveries done before you know it.” Inferno responded.

"Eeyup." Israel added.

“Good. Ya two be safe now.” Marie-Ann said as she slightly turned around to walk away before she spoke again. “Oh and boys…”

The boys turned to face her to hear what else she would say. A BIG mistake on their part as Marie-Ann turns around and then opens up her blouse to reveal her big ‘chest apples’ to the young men. And she did it with a devious and prideful expression on her face. Their faces it up like red Christmas lights and their eyes widened with arousal and deep shock.

“Hurry back now~” She said to them, while sticking her tongue out teasingly, before she buttoned up her blouse and then walked away.

"E-E-Eeyup!" Israel stuttered.

“W-W-Will d-do!” Inferno stuttered as well.

Then Inferno drives the truck up towards the front gate of the ranch and then makes a direct line for town. And along the drive, both boys remained speechless for a while.

Seeing Marie Ann's huge chest candied apples looked so good and so squishy. Heaven only knows how she hasn't thrown her back out; guess strong backs run in the Apple family too. But now they had something REALLY good to look forward to after the deliveries were done.

For the first delivery, it was pretty easy. Israel and Inferno unloaded about ⅓ of the supplies off the truck and brought them to the back entrance of a local fruit store. The owner was nice enough to thank and paid the two boys before moving onto the next location.

The 2nd location was this shopping center and… well, there's never been a more tough crowd than a husky man with glasses, holding a clipboard. He had light grey skin, a huge black beard, wore teal green overalls and a yellow shirt underneath.

"Just what the hell took you so long? I've got shelves in need of stocking and you're just barely arriving with the shipment?" the man asked.

“Dang, and I thought Abacus Cinch was a total bitch.” Inferno silently mutters to Israel.

"You're telling me. Plus as far as time is concerned, we're 10 minutes early." Israel whispered back silently.

“Well, sir, we’ll just drop these off and we’ll be out of your hair for today.” Inferno responded to the store owner.

"Tch, yeah, the sooner the better," Israel remarked.

So, the boys quickly got another shipment unloaded from the truck and placed the supplies into the warehouse of the store.

"Okay, one more stop to go and we're golden," Israel said.

“Yep! Okay let's see where to…” Inferno looks at a small piece of paper that Marie-Ann had given them before they left Sweet Apple Acres, which lists all the places where the shipment needs to be delivered to. And as he looks down to the final name of their next destination. “Uhhhhh… HAH! It says here that our final delivery for today is 4 crates of apple cider that are to be delivered to… uh… a nightclub?” he said with confusion.

"That's a new one. I thought nightclubs only served alcohol, not apple cider. Which night club are we heading to?" Israel asked.

“Maybe the people there like the real good stuff,” Inferno responded to Israel’s first statement. “Well it says here that the nightclub we need to head to is called… The Tune Tavern? Never heard of that?” Inferno stated.

"Maybe it's one of those fancy nightclubs people go to wind down and listen to jazz." Israel replied silently. "Come on, let's go before we have to hear ol' fat lips' bitching and complaining more and more."

The boys look back at the store and they see the store manager arguing or more like yelling at one of his apprentices. Then the boys look back towards each other with blank expressions.

“Agreed.” Inferno said.

So the two get back into the truck and Inferno starts up the vehicle and drives away from the grocery store. As they were driving along the streets of town, Inferno handed Israel the town map, having him give directions to their final destination. Israel reads the map and gives his bud the directions needed.

The two drove for a long while until they were able to arrive at their destination at the beginning of dusk. The two parked in front of the place and they took a moment to observe the joint.

"This must be the place. Damn, this place looks even fancier than Sweet Snacks Cafe back in our time." Israel commented.

“Indeed. None of the other nightclubs in our time period has this much of a fancy look.” Inferno added.

"Well, we don't wanna keep the customers waiting." Israel said before getting out of the truck.

“Yep.” Inferno agreed as he too got out of the truck.

The two then each grabbed a crate of apple cider before they then headed into the nightclub. As the two enter, they are blown away by how the place looks on the inside.

Neon lights decorated the walls, colored in blue-ish green and yellow, fancy tables spread out throughout the club by 10 feet, a big bar with all sorts of liquor lined up in the back. And to top it all off… a large stage with a band and a lovely performer on stage. And boy, was she one hell of a looker. She had bright purple skin and long, silky, crystal blue hair with matching crystal blue eyes, dawning a lovely silver dress with a ruby necklace around her neck. And she was even singing for her performance, and wow! Her voice was the most beautiful sound the boys ever heard; besides the Rainbooms.

Both boys had their mouths dropped by the look of the place, the woman, and her performance.

“Damn!... If this is what the 40s are like, I’m okay with it.” Inferno commented.

"What a woman!" Israel added. "Makes me wonder why we weren't born in this era," he uttered quietly to his partner. However, he glanced at the beauty singing on stage once more and noticed a ring on her left hand… on the 4th finger. "Aww… well, can't have all the dames."

“What?” Inferno asked his pal before he too observed the woman on stage and saw the ring on her finger. “Oh, she’s married. I wonder who’s the lucky guy who asked for her hand?” he said.

"Not sure, but if she weren't married… ooh, just imagine the SWEET music we'd make together on a moonlit night," Israel said.

“Don’t you already do that with Fluttershy?” Inferno asked while quirking his eyebrow at his best friend.

"True… heh, anyways, shall we deliver these beverages?" Israel asked.

“Oh yeah.” Inferno responded before he then turned towards the rest of the nightclub and then loudly announced: “HEY FRESH CIDER DELIVERY FROM APPLE ACRES!”

"Over here! I got an empty shelf over here waiting to be stocked!" the bartender shouted. The boys quickly go over and help set up the shelves. "You boys got here just in time. The folks around here love a fresh bottle o' cider, especially if it's from Sweet Apple Acres."

"Folks here have good taste. This stuff is to die for. Take my buddy here, he's a cider-holic." Israel pointed out.

“And I'm proud of it.” Inferno responded, not denying what his pal said.

"Whatever you say. Anyways, thanks for the shipment. Give my regards to the Apple family." the bartender said.

"You got it," Israel said. After signing for the shipment and receiving the payment, the boys then went and made their exit… Well not before Inferno stopped to buy one of the bottles of apple cider from the bar.

As soon as the boys exited the place, Inferno popped open the cider bottle and took a sip from his first apple cider from the 40s.

“God… DAMN! This stuff is good!” Inferno proclaimed, excitedly. Then he takes another sip. “Dude… I’m letting you drive us back, cause I'm gonna be busy.” he said while tapping on the bottle as he said that.

"Works for me," Israel shrugs. The boys then head back to the truck and this time, Israel hops into the driver's seat and Inferno in the passenger seat. Strapping themselves in and igniting the engine, Israel shifted the gears and drove off back to the farm.

As the boys were driving back to Apple Acres, they would soon learn that they were almost out of fuel, so they had to stop by at a gas station to pump for gas. And lucky for them, they would soon come across a gas station up ahead and so Israel drove up to the place and then parked the truck.

The two young men got out of the vehicle, with Inferno having some difficulties, due to the fact that he was drunk from drinking the one apple cider bottle he bought. Guess the 1940s brand is stronger than the ones in the present.

"Bruh… seriously? How do you get drunk off ONE bottle of apple cider? I've seen you hold down 5 to 7 bottles before," Israel brought up.

“I *hic* don’t know man… *hic* Guess the 40s cider… *hic*... are stronger stuff than the… *hic* modern stuff…*hic*” Inferno started while chuckling and grinning like a drunk idiot, which he was. “Man, I love the 40s… *hic*!”

Israel gave his pal a blank stare before he gave Inferno a harsh smack across the face. SMACK! Inferno crashed against the trunk and was now forced out of his drunken state.

“Fuck, man!” Inferno groaned in pain, now no longer drunk, but now was irritated.

“Voila, you’re cured!” Israel said with a smile as he walked towards the gas pumps to start pumping gas into their vehicle.

Inferno was holding his jaw as he groaned in pain from the smack he got. “I wish Rarity didn’t give you that advice back in CHS.”

“Hey, she said it worked on you when you last got cider drunk. She pretty much suggested it to me and the rest of the girls.” Israel proclaimed.

“Sunset didn’t do that with me.” Inferno responded as he recovered from the pain in his face.

“That’s because she doesn’t mind it, because it leads you two to have ‘fun’ in bed.” Israel reminded his pal.

“Who told you about that?!” Inferno asked.

“Rainbow did.” Israel answered with a smirk. "And I repaid her with a little fun of our own."

“I swear you two are the worst.” Inferno stated.

“And I love you too, bud.” Israel responded jokingly. “Now can you at least go and pay for our gas so we can get back?” he asked.

Inferno sighs in defeat as he then walks over to the gas station building. “Fine,” he said. As soon as Inferno was just a few feet from the place, the owner of the gas station exited through the front door of the joint and spotted Inferno approaching.

“Good evening, feller. What can I do for you?” The owner asked.

“Oh nothing, sir. Just paying for gas.” Inferno said as he reached into his pockets for his wallet and paid the owner $5 for the gas fee.

After paying for the gas, Israel took the gas pump and hooked it onto the truck before pumping the gas into the truck. Inferno came out and Israel leaned against the truck, waiting for the gas to finish.

"This might sound silly, but this place feels more like Radiator Springs than Canterlot." Israel uttered to himself.

“Oh hey, I loved that movie,” Inferno responded with nostalgia. “But yeah, It's surprising to see our hometown so much… smaller compared to the present.” he added. “And you wanna know the damndest thing too?”

“What?” Israel asked.

“That nightclub we went to, the Tune Tavern?” Inferno reminded his pal. “Well, I didn’t realize it at first. But after sobering up, I think I recognized that club in history class back in our senior year at CHS. Apparently back during the mid 1940s, the Tune Tavern was a hot spot for crimes and murders. And then in 1947, the nightclub had a huge fire, burnt the whole place to the ground. No one knew how the fire started, so the law enforcement deemed it an unsolved case.” Inferno explained his thoughts.

"A fire… two years from now." Israel said, thinking about it. "And no one talks about it back in our time either because… they had forgotten about it… or they don't wanna remember that fateful event."

“Well a lot of major events happened in this town in the 1940s, buddy. And the strangest thing is… we were sent back during a time before they all happened. I can’t help but wonder if it's a coincidence or not.” Inferno voiced his suspicions.

While unbeknownst to the two young men, a car had pulled up to the gas station. The driver, who appears to be a middle aged man; and another passenger, who appears to be around the same age as Inferno and Israel. Soon the young man got out of the car and headed towards the gas station building, likely to pay for gas, while the driver remained at the wheel.

Back with Inferno and Israel, the two continued their conversation about their current situation.

"Coincidence or not…if they're left unsolved… maybe we can find out the truth somehow. But… no, what am I thinking?" Israel sighed. Just as he brushed it off, the gas pump locked after reaching its paid limit. Israel put the pump back in its place and sealed up the gas tank.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll discuss more on the drive back to Sweet Apple Acres. Speaking of which, we should probably get going; don’t wanna have Marie-Ann worried sick.” Inferno suggested.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Israel agreed.

But just when the two were about to get in their truck….

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sounds of a gunshot echoed in the area, startling both Israel and Inferno.

"What the fuck?!" Israel asked, jumping in shock.

Inferno quickly observed his surroundings, searching for wherever the gunshots came from. Until his eyes stared over at the gas station building, as he saw a young man, who he immediately knew that he wasn’t the gas station owner. He witnessed the young man, looking to be shoving a handful of cash into his pockets. And when Inferno looked at his other hand, his eyes widened when he saw the young man carrying a revolver.

And his fears grew worse once the young man turned towards their direction.

“Israel… Get in the truck… NOW!” Inferno shouted in panic, just as the young man over by the gas station raised his revolver and fired at them.

The two boys ducked for cover as they scrambled into the truck while keeping their heads down.

"WHOA!!! Why that cowardly, shitty-fucking, son of a--" but Israel's cut off as the young man fires another shot while he's still taking cover.

Luckily for the two, Inferno’s knowledge of firearms allowed him to know that revolvers have only six shots. And eventually, the mugger ran out of shots and was forced to reload his gun.

With that, Inferno and Israel saw this as their chance to get in their truck before the mugger had time to reload.

“Start the car! Start the car!” Inferno shouted at his best friend in fear and wanting to get as far away from there as possible.

Israel got into the truck and started up the engine. He then shifted it into drive and glared daggers at the mugger. "You're mine you fucking DICKSHIT!!!" Israel shouted, flooring it. The truck took off at high speed and he gunned it at the mugger.

“Wait! Wait! WAIT!” Inferno shouted in panic as he realized what the hell was Israel planning.

Out of time, the mugger tried to jump out of the way, but was hit face first and slammed into the ground hard in a bloody mess. Israel did not stop the truck, but he DID add fuel to the fire. "Shove that up your fucking blowholes, you fucking dick bags!" he yelled out to the dying mugger, flipping him off.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?!?!” Inferno shouted at his best friend with a furious tone of voice.

But before an argument would ensue, more gunshots were heard as the boys looked out their windows and they soon saw the 2nd mugger, who had peered out of his car window and firing his revolver at the boys’s truck.

“GET US OUT OF HERE!!!” Inferno yelled at his pal.

"HOLD ON TIGHT!" Israel shouted, going full speed away from the 2nd gunner until they were out of sight. But just to be safe, Israel took a few detours around the city before making his way back to the farm. "Okay… we should be out of their sight."

“Good… Let's… not do that… again!” Inferno exclaimed as he’s breathing heavily.

However… Little did he know, Israel's actions would soon light a fire that would be next to impossible to put out. A fire equivalent… to the flames of war.

Passion and Danger

Author's Note

How's it going everybody? You thought I was done? Well guess again! Here's another chapter that TheShadowKnight and I have made just for you and as always, thank you for your patience and support, remember to stay tuned for more chapters and keep bronying on!

Passion and Danger

The dead of silence fell over the farmhouse on Sweet Apple Acres. After having almost gotten caught up in a gas station robbery and escaped with their lives, Inferno and Israel hadn’t spoken a word on their drive back to the apple farm. And when they had finally arrived back, with Marie-Ann waiting for them on her front porch, the two young men waited until they were inside the house before they explained everything to her.

Hearing about the traumatic experience they had gone through tonight, Marie-Ann had the two young men sit down in the family room while she would fetch them some apple cider to help calm their nerves. Soon she returned with two bottles of apple cider and handed them over to each of them.

"Thanks, Marie-Ann. Hey, I just wanna say sorry for… you know, using your truck as a battering ram on that guy. I just… I get so angry when I see guys using guns that… I lost it and wanted to teach him a lesson. I feel like an idiot right now," Israel said, facepalming himself.

Instead of words of comfort, Israel soon felt a light smack in the back of his head, which likely came from Marie-Ann, as she was standing behind him, while he was sitting on the couch.

“Yer darn tootin’ that y'all were foolish to get yer’selves involved in such trouble. The next time you two find yer’selves in another mess, ya get as far away as ya could. Ya don't go flyin' off the handle like that, fan-danglin' around tryin' to be a hero! The city streets are cold and ruthless!” She sternly scolds the two for getting involved in a situation they could have gotten killed. Once she calmed down a bit, she then tilted her body downward and hugged Israel’s neck from behind, with her bosom pressing against the back of his head, which made his eyes shrink at how big and soft it felt. “But Ah’m just glad ya boys came home safe. Ah’ don’t wanna have to bury more folks that I care about.” she said.

'God DAMN, I fucking love busty-ass country girls!' he exclaimed in his mind

Of course, as his best friend was internally freaking out, Inferno was a bit confused about what Marie-Ann said. "Uh… bury more?" He asked.

"Sorry, but Ah'd rather not talk about it. Too painful," Marie-Ann looked away, eyes filled with sorrow and grief.

"We understand. You don't have to tell us unless you feel like getting it off your chest," Israel replied in understanding.

"Thank ya, dears. Now go on an' get yerselves cleaned up. Ah'm gonna fix up some dinner. Tomorrow, Ah want y'all to wash off them bloodstains on mah truck. Don't want no rumors spreadin' about no Sweet Apple Massacre." Marie-Ann said.

“Well, don’t worry, our fair lady. We’ll clean it up spotless in the morning, that we promise you.” Inferno proclaimed.

"You have our word," Israel replied, winking at her with a thumbs up.

"Good to know, dears," Marie-Ann winked back at the two gentlemen. The sweet apple belle then made her way into the kitchen, swaying her hips and making her sweet, plump, juicy apple ass jiggle, as if to tease both boys.

Inferno was starting to sweat profusely as he tugged on the collar of his shirt, feeling as if the room got hotter. But in actuality, it was just him being weakened by the ancient power of the country gals.

"Makes you wonder if she's just begging for a good "apple bucking" if you know what I mean," Israel whispered quietly to his buddy.

Inferno couldn’t reply, for he was utterly speechless. He always had a soft spot for beautiful country gals. When Applejack discovered it, she never let him live it down. In fact, on every chance she gets, she would always tease him senseless. Guess he now knows that she got it from Marie-Ann. What’s next?! Does he get teased by Pear Butter as well once he gets back to the future?! What’s with these Apple family gals tormenting him?!

"Well, if you're done drooling over our hot and sexy host, I'mma take me a nice, warm shower." the silver-haired wonder said. He drinks a small waterfall of his cider before giving it to Inferno. "Here ya go. You can have the rest… "Cider-holic." he chuckled, leaving.

Before Inferno could get up and grab him, Israel quickly bolted up the stairs before he could.

“I wish you and Rainbow didn’t come up with that nickname!” Inferno exclaimed, right before he chugs down the rest of his cider bottle.

After finishing the rest of the cider, Inferno then walks into the kitchen and heads out the back door to toss away the empty bottles in the trash bin. After doing so, he heads back inside and into the kitchen, where he stops and looks at Marie-Ann, who is currentlyy in the middle of cooking dinner.

And of course, there was something he wished to ask her about; it wasn’t about what she meant earlier; no he knows he shouldn’t pry. But rather it was more something that he thinks might make her a bit comfortable, but he hopes she understands once he explains it to her.

And so after taking a deep breath, he walks up behind her and he reaches out to her shoulder and gently taps on it.

“Uh excuse me, Marie-Ann?” He spoke softly to her, not wanting to startle her.

"Yes, sugarcube? Something the matter?" Marie-Ann asked.

“Uhm, sorry to interrupt your cooking. But there’s something I need to ask you, and it's very important.” Inferno responded.

“How so?” Marie-Ann replied with curiosity.

“As in… it could possibly… one day… save me and Straight Arrow’s lives if we get into another… trouble.” Inferno explained.

Marie-Ann looked at him with confusion, but also with suspicion as to what he could mean.

And finally, with a deep breath, he finally asked her the BIG question. “Marie-Ann… does your family… own a gun by chance.” he asked.

Marie-Ann was a bit speechless and shocked that Shadow would ask such a question. But soon she would come to understand his concern. After what he and Straight Arrow went through a while ago, she could see why he would ask for at least protection so they both could avoid Death’s cold grasp. With some hesitation, Marie-Ann eventually responds.

"Two, actually. Both belonged to mah’ pa b'fore he died. Ah have 'em stashed away somewhere just in case," she replied. "But like Ah told ya, don't go throwin' yer lives away tryin' to be heroes. Yer are too young to be fightin' them city demons," Marie-Ann reminded.

Inferno places both hands on each of her shoulders, as a means of comforting her or assuring her they're not that reckless.

“I know. And I assure you, I have no intentions of getting myself or Straight Arrow into any sort of danger. Now, I’ll only require one gun, and I promise that I will be responsible with it. I just want to make sure we’ll be able to defend ourselves. And I promise we won't be getting into any trouble from this point forward.” He explains it to her while also taking his right hand off her left shoulder and placing it softly on her cheek, as an extra means of comfort.

Marie-Ann stared deeply into his eyes, her eyes glistening with hope, but also concern. She really didn't want to go through with it for their sake, but… he did have a point, as there will be a time when trouble might find them.

"Oh, alright. As long as you keep yer word. Follow me an' Ah'll show you mah pa's bedroom, he keeps ‘em in his gun cabinet." Marie-Ann said. She turned off the stove and then took Inferno out of the house and over to the barn.

There, she led him to the left-hand side of the back of the barn where a secret door had been, and inside it led to what looks to be a small bedroom, with a small furnace, a small window, and a gun cabinet in the corner.

“Your dad’s bedroom is in the barn?” Inferno asked in confusion and disbelief.

“Well, back then, we’d always had pesky varmints like wolves or coyotes coming by the farm and snatching up our chickens and hens. An’ there was one time a scoundrel snuck onto our property and tried to steal our horses. So my pa decided to build this bedroom in the barn and sleep here at night, to keep an eye out for any varmint who trespasses on our property.” Marie-Ann explains the story to Inferno.

“Huh? So it's basically a lookout post. Your dad was smart.” Inferno complimented.

"He sure was. Anyways, here. Y'all take one o' these. Yer friend can use the other," Marie-Ann then grabbed two guns from her dad's gun cabinet, showing them to Inferno. One was a Colt Model 1873, U.S. Artillery Model. And the other, an M1887 lever-action 10-gauge shotgun. Inferno almost geeked out seeing the latter, for he had always dreamed of seeing a legendary shotgun like this one for himself. And here it was, right in front of him.

He first takes the M1887 and further inspects the weapon, even testing the lever-action system in the gun to see if it was fully functional. And boy, it sure was functional. Then he takes the M1873 colt revolver from Marie-Ann and also inspects it for a bit. He clicks back the hammer of the gun and brings it up to his ear to hear the clicking of the cylinder rotation in the gun. And it sounded like it was well kept.

Marie-Ann’s father really did keep good care of his guns.

Then Inferno decided to get a little cocky and he spins the revolver in his hands, like those gunslingers in wild western movies. And he did it with great proficiency. So much that it even impressed Marie-Ann.

“I would very much appreciate that, Marie-Ann. But I’m sure we’ll only need one with us. Don’t wanna scare our business partners if me and Straight Arrow are both armed. Also, between me and him, I’m way more experienced with guns.” Inferno stated as he decided to keep the revolver and hands the shotgun back to Marie-Ann; even though he wanted to take the shotgun, he knows that a revolver would be easily concealable and easier to use in a small space, like inside a car. “Besides, I would feel much better if you at least have something to defend yourself while me and Straight are away. I don’t want any varmint to come around here, harassing ya.” He stated, while also speaking with a southern accent with his last words.

"Oh? Well, aren'tcha sweet, thinkin' of this lonely gal, carin' 'bout mah safety. Although, is there any reason why yer usin' mah accent?" she asked, grinning and quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, uh, well, let's just say… I was a big fan of gunslingers and wild west stories as a kid, so much so that I would always pretend I was one of them; you know, pretending I was in a western shootout, mimicking a western duel, and talking with a southern accent. And the strange thing was, I kept doing it so much that… I… I…” Inferno was gonna say that he picked up the southern accent after speaking it too much, but suddenly he started to feel a little drowsy. In fact, he felt like the room was starting to spin. And all of a sudden, he started mumbling a bit.

‘Oh shit…’ Then it hit him before his mind began to blur… He was drunk. He was surprised that it took this long to kick in; especially after he drank 2 bottles of hard apple cider of the 40s.

"Uh… you alright, sugarcube? Yer wobblin' funnier than a dancin' Arabian snake." Marie-Ann said, slightly worried.

"I'm… I'm fine. Just… Just realized that… I… *hic* …have a soft spot… fer cute southern belles an' YOU… are by far… a bon-E-fied, bootiful, southern belle," Inferno said in a drunken stupor, chuckling like a doofus.

“Wha-What?!” Marie-Ann responded in shock and was flustered by Inferno’s drunken words, as her face was turning red a bit.

“Y-Ya heard me… *hic*...You are… the… the most… beautiful southern gal… *hic* ...That I ever… laid eyes on. Y-Your hair is… *hic* …beautiful. Your… *hic* …eyes are… beautiful. And… *hic*...” In his drunken state, Inferno pulled Marie-Ann close to her in an embrace, causing the country gal to blush even more. But soon she would be caught by surprise when she felt Inferno’s strong hands clamp and grip onto her massive posterior. “... Y-your applicious b-booty… *hic*... is 2nd to none…*hic*.” He proclaimed, drunkenly.

"Ah’… Ah’ have no idea what to say! O-Other than, Ah’ think y'all had a bit too much cider to drink… or maybe Ah’ made it too strong!" Marie-Ann said in astonishment.

“Oh… *hic*... Perhaps. Or… maybe *hic*... I want ya, Marie Ann…” He proclaimed, just before he planted his lips onto Marie-Ann’s. She yelps in surprise by his bold actions and tries to push him off. However, he stiffens her up by groping her luscious apple booty some more, even spanking it. She jolts and gasps in the kiss, then feels his tongue enter her mouth and dance with her tongue.

He might be drunk… but he was still trying his best to not be too forceful. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that his good side was active underneath his drunken side, trying not to do anything rash. But either way, he still knew how to make her feel good. So much so, her body began to weaken and give into the sweet pleasure.

She shivered in ecstacy before finally kissing him back, locked in a heated make-out session. Her arms wrap around him tightly, tugging on his shirt and wrapping one of her legs around one of his own legs.

One of Inferno’s hands then traveled upward along Marie-Ann’s body; with his other hand still showing love to her large booty; and then his other hand cupped and groped her big bosom. Marie-Ann moans into the kiss and brings one hand and shove it inside his pants, grabbing his hard, throbbing shaft, jerking him off.

Her eyes widened in shock and arousal as she felt his size. He was packing a HUGE monster inside his pants. While she had never slept with another man before, there were times when some rascal would try and bed her; but they would never get the chance because her pa would chase them out of the farm with an axe. And a few instances, she saw all their peckers, as a way to get her eager to bed them; which failed.

And even though she has not seen Inferno’s manhood with her own eyes… She can feel that his… his… cock! Was twice bigger than any man she had come across. And with a kind and chivalrous man like Inferno, how could she pass up this opportunity?

“Why don’t we… *hic*... put this bedroom… *hic* ...to good use?” Inferno suggested drunkenly, but eagerly.

"Ya took the words right outta mah mouth, suga'," Marie-Ann replied in a sultry tone before playfully pushing this drunken hunk onto the bed. She then shuts the door behind her by kicking it closed. She acts quickly in giving Inferno the show of a lifetime, slowly stripping out of her clothes, starting with her small shirt that tugged at her bosom.

Upon removing it, her large boobs bounce freely and magically, now being able to breathe a lot more easily. She sways left and right, wiggling her boobs like soft, jiggly pendulums. Then she grabbed the hem of her skirt, slowly pulling it and her panties down, revealing her gorgeous thick thighs and her humongous posterior. And with all her clothing discarded, Marie-Ann stood in front of Inferno, bare naked in all her majestic glory.

"How do ya like me now, sugarcube? Do mah big gals turn ya on?" she asked, showing off her huge assets and blowing a kiss.

Inferno stares at her with a drunken smile and blushing red cheeks as he mindlessly replies: “It's like… *hic*...I’m looking at… *hic* …a beautiful Apple goddess… *hic* in front of me.” He proclaimed. “And… *hic* …would ya… *hic* …hold it… against me if… *hic* …I tell ya… I’m… *hic* …a sucker for… *hic* … big booty.” he added.

"Hmm… nah. Because it's you, Ah'd take that as a compliment. An' since yer so honest…" She paused and then crawled onto the bed and over Inferno, then pressed her massive boobs into his face. "...How's about ya take a taste of mah… special milk?"

Inferno didn’t hesitate on that ofter, and so he grabbed her huge milkers and began sucking onto her nipples, causing Marie-Ann to feel extreme arousal and send a chill down her spine. As he sucked on her nipples, he could soon feel her breast milk pour out of her nipples and into his mouth. Upon tasting it, it was the most delicious substance he had ever tasted.

Aside from the obvious apple flavor, he could also taste a hint of honey in it as well. Guess that goes to show how sweet she is. He sure hopes that AJ would inherit this trait in the future.

As Inferno continued to drink her breast milk, Marie-Ann was overwhelmed by the heavy amounts of pleasure she was feeling. She could feel her body losing control, then started grinding her hips against Inferno's. Her pussy leaked juices all over the confinements of his pants. But it was only a small stain.

Inferno then let go of her bosom and sat her back up so he could show off some skin, too. Didn't wanna keep the lady waiting.. Of course, he was still drunk, so he had trouble for a bit, so Marie-Ann helped him out of his shirt, and after taking it off, she could barely contain her arousal, fanning herself, when she saw how muscular he was.

But she soon gets a grip on herself as she moves on to removing Inferno’s pants; and releases her desired prize. As she pulls down on Inferno’s pants, she gets the shock of her life as the young man’s cock sprung from its prison and slaps directly against her face. Marie-Ann's eyes changed to hearts at how girthy and long his thing is. He had to be at least… 15 inches long and 2 inches wide. A cock this size could either mark a woman for life and/or destroy her.

Either way, the thought of being impregnated by this cock brought a wave of dirty thoughts to Marie-Ann’s mind. She almost drooled at the sight of it, panting heavily like a dog as she soon brought her tongue towards the shaft and gave it a long, wet lick. The taste was addicting and the scent coming off it was… intoxicatingly musky.

“I… *hic* …see that you… *hic* …like the goods.” Inferno proclaimed.

"Like? Oh no… Ah LOVE it!" Marie-Ann said with an added sultry growl. She couldn't stop herself as she opened wide and took about half the length, sucking on it hungrily, bobbing up and down on it. She even captures the bottom half with her boobs and begins to tittyfuck him. Marie-Ann kept on growling as she sucked and jerked his cock.

Inferno lets out a series of groans and moans from the surprise combo attack that Marie-Ann had made. She was really skilled with her mouth and tongue, and her breasts were really soft and firm. It was like she was a pro. ‘Man, her… *hic… future husband must be… *hic*... a very lucky man’. He drunkenly thought in his mind. Though he is unaware of what situation he’s in, would… Well, you all get the point. But hey, that’s future Inferno’s problem.

'Ah’ ain't gonna ever find a man quite like Shadow Knight. Ah'ma make the most o' this moment an' if Ah’ wind up carryin' his kin… well… Ah'm gonna carry 'em with pride and joy! Now, to milk him fer all he's worth!' she thought to herself. She speeds up her actions, rubbing her boobs together up and down more rapidly. She also sucked harder and bobbed faster, slightly gagging from his girthy length.

Soon Inferno had finally reached his climax and when letting out a loud moan, his manhood had released its essence, straight into Marie-Ann’s mouth and down her throat. Marie-Ann’s eyes widened with shock and disbelief as her cheeks puffed up from her mouth being overfilled with semen.

She gulped as fast as she could to avoid choking or suffocating. She barely manages to take it all and slurps up the remaining residue on Inferno's cock before pulling out, panting heavily.

"Whoa nelly… y'all must've been real pent-up, weren't ya?" She pointed out teasingly.

“Well… With a plump booty like yours… teasing me all day… I was like… an active volcano… building up.” Inferno replied between his heavy breathing. “And… I still have more… energy left.” He added while his erect manhood stiffened up again.

Marie-Ann giggles seductively, "Well, big boy, so does this horny farm gal. Care to take some responsibility and… scratch this ol' itch down here?" She moves her hand down towards her womanly area, rubbing it softly and giving off soft, sensual moans, staring up at Inferno with her gorgeous, seductive, half-lidded eyes.

Inferno gave her a smolder look, along with a smug smile. “Well… I can most certainly oblige.” He responded.

Then in a quick flash, Inferno got up from the bed and he lifted Marie-Ann onto the mattress with ease; with the farm girl surprised by his physical strength. Then he gently forces Marie-Ann onto the bed, pinning her into a doggy-style position, having her massive apple booty presented to him fully in all its glory. Inferno’s hands caressed and squeezed her massive cheeks, they felt soft and firm. Then the young man gave the farm gal a light, but hard, smack on her posterior.

"Ahh! Yes, spank me again, daddy. Ah've been such a bad apple gal. Punish me more," she pleads, shaking her massive booty.

Inferno accepted her pleas and he continued to smack her huge ass, and with each strike, her ass jiggled and shook every single time. He kept at it for a few seconds until he stopped with Marie-Ann’s butt nearly turning red. Then Inferno decided… It was time for the main course.

And so the young man aligned and nudged his big manhood up against Marie-Ann’s womanhood, with the tip of his cock brushing and rubbing against her pussy lips, making the farm girl gasp and moan from the pleasurably feeling.

Not wanting to tease her any longer, Inferno then digs his manhood deeper into Marie-Ann’s pussy about a quarter in. And once he was in, Inferno then thrusted his hips forward and shoved his whole cock deep into Marie-Ann, stretching her insides and destroying her virginity.

"Ahh!!! So big! Ah’ love yer massive dick!" she moaned.

Then what followed was Inferno delivering powerful thrusts into Marie-Ann’s pussy, his hips slamming into the soft and thick cushions of her ass; causing them to ripple and jiggle even more. The farm girl felt her whole body shake and shiver with arousal and pleasure as she continued to take his poundings more and more.

Marie-Ann moaned like a bitch in heat, having her insides being drilled and plowed by this handsome man's massive dick. Her inner walls grew wetter, allowing him to plunge deeper into her love canal.

"Sweet mother o' hayseeds, this feels so good! Fuck me harder! Ram it deeper, hun! Rough up mah pussy more, daddy, please!" she pleaded through her moans.

Inferno continued to appease her demands and he increased the power in his thrusts, and he also wrapped his arms around Marie-Ann’s body from behind and groped her huge breasts. His hands gripped and squeezed them, feeling their softness and firmness which only added on more to Inferno and Marie-Ann’s lust.

"Mmmm, yes. Grab 'em, honey! Do mah girls feel good? Squeeze away! Play with them all you want, they're all yours!" she moaned.

Inferno then has Marie-Ann stand up straight on her knees on the bed, while still having his hands on her huge melons and his cock still deep inside her, never ceasing his powerful thrusts. Inferno also gave kisses along her neck. Marie-Ann lolls out her tongue, gasping and moaning even louder, having the time of her life. Her goofy smile made it all the more obvious.

“Like how your beautiful massive ass is mine? Huh? Is it?” he spoke into her ear with a sultry tone.

"Yes, mah ass… mah boobs… they all belong to you, baby! Use 'em any way ya like!" Marie-Ann moaned.

“Well, you’re quite thirsty, aren’t ya. Well… I promise to give ya the good pounding ya want.” Inferno responded as he quicked his thrusts more.

Soon the young man could feel his biggest load about to release. And at the same time, Marie-Ann could feel Inferno’s cock growing inside her, stretching her insides more, which hinted that he was ready to burst. And it made her feel extremely eager.

“Well my precious lil’ apple… Get ready to get… FILLED!” Inferno shouted loudly as he gave his final thrust and released his massive load of cum deep into her womb.

Marie-Ann lets out a loud scream of ecstasy as her stomach starts bloating and swelled up. Inferno’s loads kept pouring into her, wave after wave, till her belly had swelled to the point where she looked to be pregnant with quadruplets.

"Ahhh… so much… cum." Marie-Ann uttered. Her body twitched in ecstacy, cumming hard on Inferno's body, staining the bed and part of the floorboards.

Eventually Inferno ran dry and soon he pulled out of Marie-Ann and then flopped onto his back on the bed. And of course him pulling out, allowed all the cum supply in the farm gal’s bloated belly pour out like a river, causing Marie-Ann’s belly to revert back to what it originally started.

Inferno laid on the bed, breathing heavily while bearing a satisfied look on his face.

“You… are… incredible… Marie-Ann.” He commented on her performance before his exhaustion and his unwavering drunkenness finally took hold and soon the young man passed out and fell asleep.

Marie-Ann giggled when she heard his compliment and then she turned around to look at him while responding back to him. “Well, thank ya, suga’. Glad that ya like mah’...” But when she finally turned to look at him, she saw the young man had passed out from the fun they had. "Rest easy, suga'. Y'all were great, but this gal's still rarin' to go. An' Ah’ know who else is dyin' to buck mah apples." she said to herself, heading back to the house.

Meanwhile, inside her home, in one of the guest rooms, Yabuki was laying in bed, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs while he stared out the window.

"I hope the girls are doing alright. Who knows how much time has passed since we left." Israel said to himself quietly. He just couldn't get the girls out of his mind. By now, they're all probably scared stiff and wonder if he and Inferno are alright. But then, his mind drifted off towards Marie-Ann's curvy, hourglass body. His face turned bright red and he jolted upwards.

"How does a foxy-ass apple farmgirl wind up with a bode THAT sexy?" he asked loudly.

"Oh, so Ah'm a foxy-ass apple farm gal, am Ah?" said the certain sweet southern belle.

Israel jolts a bit when he heard Marie-Ann’s voice, which prompts him to look towards the door of his bedroom and he sees the voluptuous farm gal standing in the doorway, wearing a bathrobe and her hair looking a bit damp; in his eyes, it seems that she had just gotten out of the shower bath. Her bathrobes hugged her hourglass figure tightly, doing a poor job of concealment. In fact, her nipples could even be seen slightly in the cleavage opening of her robes.

"Holy… hoppin'... HOOTERS!!! Uh-- I mean… Can you blame me? You're practically built like a southern belle goddess, how could I NOT admire how beautiful you are?" he stuttered, still blushing a bit.

Marie-Ann lets out a giggle from his response, until she stops to stare at him with a seductive expression as she steps into the room, swaying her hips and her bosom bouncing at bit, then she halts at the end of his bed.

“Well now…” She spoke before she removed her bathrobe and let it fall to the floor, presenting her naked, hourglass body to him. “... What do ya think of me now, Suga’?” She asked in a seductive tone while swaying her body a bit, rocking her massive tits in front of him.

"Praise the lord for bringing you into our lives, your gorgeous work of perfection!" he said in awe, feeling his boxer briefs tighten up from his boner poking through the fabric. He got up close to her and hugged her from behind, groping her massive hooters and stroking her beautiful hair. "Sorry for my sudden actions, but… I just can't resist."

“Oh, Ah’ don’t mind, suga… After all…” She then whispers to him something has him blushing red like an apple. “... Ah’ want ya to fill me up with yer cum~” She said, in a sultry tone.

It took little to no time for him to pull off and kick his boxer briefs out of the way before spinning her around to face him. He holds her close, their naked bodies touching each other and he whispers in her ear.

"I'mma rock you so hard, baby girl." As he said this, he pulls her in for a kiss and sits down on the bed, bringing her down with him, allowing her to straddle his lap. Her massive bosom squishes against his bare chest. His hardened, throbbing cock trapped between her massive butt cheeks.

For a brief moment, they parted lips. "You ready for this, my bountiful apple bumpkin?" he asks, stroking her soft, wet cheek. He teases her by thrusting his meat pole between her huge butt cheeks, getting her all horny and thirsty for a filling.

"Put it all in, suga," she urges. Israel nods and lifts her up a bit before guiding his hardened manhood into her wet, tight love chambers. She lets out a moan and rides his massive cock, holding onto this gentleman. He leans in once more, their lips connecting again. His hands roam around her body, caressing and treating it with tender love and care. Her ass, which was still sore, is now being massaged and kneaded, getting her to moan beautifully.

His hips thrust in sync with hers. His cock plunges deeper into her love canal. Marie-Ann felt a whole new different pleasure altogether. Israel’s manhood reached all the way deep, just like Inferno. Marie-Ann’s mind was filled with arousal and happiness for she had hit the sex goldmine with these two young men.

One could subdue her into submission through force and turn her into a masochistic bitch in heat while the other pleasures her out of pure romance, treating her body mind and soul with the utmost care. Both sides which she feels go together perfectly, like light and darkness.

Marie-Ann felt like the happiest woman alive. She deepens the kiss with Israel, laying him on the bed and takes full control, riding him nonstop and moaning beautifully. A beautiful, adorable blush bridges across her face.

"Nnngh!!! Wow! Someone's finally decided to take control!" Israel groaned with a smile. His hands latched onto her thunderous thighs, keeping her steady while she kept riding his cock.

“Mmmmmmmm~! Ahhhhhhhh~! Ya sure know…. AAAAAAAAHH~! How to… make a girl feel… So fucking good~!” Marie-Ann proclaimed while moaning and gasping in arousal and ecstasy.

"What… Can I say? This ol' hard headed doof… has a soft side!" Israel winked, groaning. He tries to keep it together, but her constant movements are driving him closer to a climax. All he could do was lay there and thrust his hips and let it all out when the time came.

Marie-Ann's tight walls clamped down onto his massive meat stick like a vice grip, feeling her own orgasm getting closer. Israel moaned and groaned from feeling the tightness squeezing around his manhood. Which made the experience even more good.

Just then, he jolted upwards, hugging Marie-Ann and burying his face into her bosom. He sucked on one of her nipples just as his cock finally flared and shot his large wave of cum into her sweet love chambers. Marie-Ann let out a pleasurable scream, hugging tightly onto this young man who filled her with his love. She felt his massive load filling her up inside, bloating her belly to maximum capacity.

Unbeknownst to Marie-Ann… Yabuki's cosmic magic, which lay dormant within his very being, was transferring into Marie-Ann's body. Whatever effects it'll have on the young lady, no one really knows. But if it's from Yabuki… the results will definitely be beneficial to her.

Soon the two fell onto the bed, breathing heavily and both had satisfied looks on their faces. Marie-Ann’s belly bloated up the same way Inferno filled her up, she definitely knew that these two were very fertile; and she was looking forward to having more fun with these two.

She snuggles up against Israel’s body, while also kissing Israel on the cheek while the young man caresses the southern belle's body and returns one more kiss on her lips.

"I'm never gonna forget this night, Marie-Ann. You were astounding," he said softly, stroking her beautiful hair.

“Mmmmmm… me neither. Ah’m definitely gonna be keepin’ ya and Inferno fer now on.” Marie-Ann replied exhaustedly.

Israel chuckled a bit before he soon realized what Marie-Ann had said. “Wait… What?” He asks but he soon sees that Marie-Ann had fallen fast asleep, with the last of her Apple stamina spent.

“Mmmm… My two hunky studs…” She muttered in her sleep with a smile.

'I feel kinda bad, though. It pains to say that I wish I could stay with Marie-Ann, but… I'm not so sure we can keep that promise,' he thought to himself as he held her close and let the fatigue take over, causing him to fall asleep.

[Canterlot - Present Day]

Meanwhile, back in the present timeline, Applejack was going on her usual walk around town to clear her head. The young southern apple belle looks at a mirror which shows the inside of a store… a store which Inferno and Israel loved to visit from time to time.

It was a game store, but games weren't the only things it sold. It had props and toys and other kinds of knick-knacks related to games.

The boys would spend a quarter of their day here, and the girls would tag along with them sometimes. AJ remembered one time that she tagged along with the two and she and Inferno would play on one of the demo games in the store. And that time he played dirty by touching her posterior, which caught her off guard and she lost. She then returned the favor by using her apple butt and hips and bumped Inferno to the ground. Israel laughed hysterically at the situation and soon she and Inferno laughed as well.

"If only we'd been there to get 'em outta there. Ah swear, we'll git them back, somehow," Applejack said. But then… suddenly, she felt something within her, like a massive pulsation within her entire being changing her, yet she still looks and feels the same. "What in tarnation was that?"

But before she could find out what that was, her phone went off in her pocket. She takes it out and answers it. "Hello?"

"Applejack, it's me, Twilight. I'm with Sunset. Meet us back at the dorms, we have something we wanna discuss with you all." said the bookworm.

"Please tell me it's 'bout Inferno an' Israel," AJ hoped.

"It is. Now please, hurry," Twilight urged.

"Alright, Ah'll be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail," AJ replied before hanging up and running back to the college dorm.

Meanwhile with the rest of the girls, who all sat around in Sunset and Twilight’s dorm room, meeting up there once again for there was something important they needed to discuss about.

After a few minutes of waiting, the door to the room opened and AJ walked in.

“Ok, Ah’ came as soon as Ah’ got yer call.” AJ said as she walked into the room and sat down with her friends.

"Good, now that everyone's here, we've got some news to share." Twilight said.

"Supposedly, what happened earlier today was the result of a time-related spell. Twilight told me it was called the Timezone Warp spell." Sunset explains.

"You mean like… time travel?" Rainbow asked.

"That's right. Supposedly, this is a forbidden spell because it acts as a one-way gateway that sends you into any random timeline in existence with no way of getting back to the present. In short, Inferno and Israel might've gotten absorbed in the Timezone Warp spell." Sunset explained, getting the girls shocked.

"So… you mean that our dear boys could be very well lost in time?" Rarity asks.

"That's right. They could be anywhere and any timeline. They could either be in the past or the future, but… according to Princess Twilight, the spell doesn't take them to a time when they already existed." Sunset clarifies.

"Oh no, then… that means…" Fluttershy implies, tearfully.

"Calm down, Fluttershy. I actually already have a plan ready, with the help of my trusty pony counterpart in bringing the boys back." Twilight stated.

“And that’s the easy part of the plan, the hardest part is to find out when and where did the boys get sent.” Sunset added on to the situation.

“Really!? Well that’s just great! For all we know they can be anywhere in time.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“What if they ended up during the worst events in history? Like the Dark Ages, or the Civil War, or worse the day plaid was invented!!!” Rarity said, panically.

"Uh… say, Applejack… did you do something with your hair?" Pinkie called out in confusion.

"Huh? What're you talkin' 'bout?" AJ asked.

"Mmmmmm… Nothing! I thought you used a new hair moisturizer.” Pinkie responded with a smile.

“Oh okay then, and glad that ya notice, Pinkie.” AJ said in reply, while she stroked her long blonde hair… with blood-red streaks in it. And if you look closely, there's a tiny bit of hazel brown in her emerald eyes. "So, what's the plan here, Twilight?"

"The plan is this; We're going to try and build a time gate." Twilight said.

The rest of the girls, besides Sunset, all stared at her as if she grew a second head.

“Come again, darling?” Rarity asked in confusion.

“Princess Twilight has given us instructions, incantations, and requirements needed to perform the Timewarp Zone spell again. And our Twilight here has figured out a way, with the help of science, to contain the spell and keep it controlled so that we can keep the gateway open for Inferno and Israel to return back to our present and cancel it once they are through.” Sunset explains the plan more clearly in detail.

"So… what is it we need to do in order for it to work?" Rainbow asked.

"First things first, we'll need to gather some supplies to build the machine that holds the gateway as well as… a hint of DNA of the people who are lost in time." Sunset instructed.

"That's easy regarding Israel. His hair's long enough that small strands of it sometimes fall off. I'll go and check his room," Fluttershy said.

“But what about Inferno’s DNA?” Rarity asked.

Then the girls soon had a tiny thought about that and, in an instant, they all turned to look at both Sunset and Applejack.

“Why are y’all lookin’ at us?” AJ asked.

“Well you two are always in his bedroom right before college curfew…doing the dirty.” Pinkie teased while raising her eyebrows up and down.

“PINKIE!! IT’S NOTHING LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME!!!” Applejack responded in her and Sunset’s defense.

"Wait a minute… I think I know!" Sunset said. Sunset then rushed towards her drawer and pulled out a little box containing a tooth with dry blood on it.

"Hey, ain't that Inferno's wisdom tooth?" Applejack asked..

“Well… it's one of them. Do you all remember a few months ago when Inferno had to get 4 of his back wisdom teeth removed.” Sunset explained.

In an instant, they all winced in unison from that excruciating event.

"How could we forget? Poor guy went through hell when it was all over. All that blood from the back of his mouth." Rainbow said with a shiver.

"Please… don't remind me," Fluttershy said, trying not to get queasy.

"Dentists are no fun, but they do help with restorin' teeth an' keepin' them clean… IF we take good care of 'em." Applejack said.

"Still, I think you might be right about using his wisdom tooth. After all, it is part of his DNA." Rarity said.

"Rarity's right. They could be just what we need to bring back our boys. We've already got the weekend off, so if we work hard together we should have the boys back before Monday," Twilight estimated.

“Well, here’s ta hopin’.” AJ commented.

“Now that we have everything planned. I call this meeting adjourned and let's all get some sleep.” Sunset stated.

"Ah hear ya," AJ said.

And with that, the rest of the girls got up and left the room to return back to their dormitories , leaving Sunset and Twilight alone in their dorm room.

Twilight turned off the light in their room, but turned on the lamp on her nightstand and climbed into her bed, looking a bit sad.

Sunset, after having climbed into her own bed, noticed her friend’s expression and felt a little concern.

“You alright, Twi?” Sunset asked.

"Sort of… I'm just worried. I just hope the boys aren't trapped in a very dangerous time. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they were severely wounded." Twilight said, slightly tearing up a little.

As Twilight’s statement sank in, Sunset would soon feel saddened by such revelation. Which made her question if wherever or whenever the boys were sent was dangerous and they could be hurt. Such thoughts soon made Sunset tear up a little as well.

“I… I’m sure Inferno and Israel are fine… They always are…” Sunset claimed, trying to make her friend feel better. Then the bacon-haired gal got under her covers and tried to drift off to sleep, but not before she said: “Goodnight, Twilight.”

“Goodnight… Sunset.” Twilight responded.

As Sunset had fallen fast asleep, Twilight remained awake for a little while, as her inner thoughts and fears continued to fester in her mind.

'Inferno… Izzy… please be alright. I don't wanna lose either of you,' Twilight thought before turning off her lamp with tear-filled eyes and began crying herself to sleep.

[Canterlot - 1945]

The sun was beginning to rise over the hills and the roosters’ crows woke up Inferno, Israel and Marie-Ann from their slumber. Last night's apple-bucking sessions REALLY tired out the boys, but it was well worth it.

Now that morning has arrived, the two boys and their host all wake up and get themselves dressed up. Inferno, having been cider-drunk last night of course, woke up with a serious hangover in the barn. And Israel woke up with Marie-Ann smothering his face with her massive bosom; a pleasant way to wake up.

After having gotten fully dressed up, all three residents of the Sweet Apple Acres farm met up in the dining area for breakfast. With Inferno’s hangover being a continued nuisance, Marie-Ann prepared some peppermint tea for the young man, which helped a lot.

Right now the two boys were sitting at the dining table, while Marie-Ann was preparing breakfast for the 3 of them.

“Hey, thanks for the tea, Marie-Ann.” Inferno calls out to her in gratitude as he feels his hangover finally going away.

"Yer mighty welcome, Shadow. Judgin' from how drunk ya got last night, somethin' tells me mah fresh batch o' cider might be too strong. Ah'm still tryin' to find a way to mellow it out," Marie-Ann said, scratching the back of her head.

“Well that won’t stop me from drinking it… Especially your apple milk, Marie-Ann.” Inferno replied, while also quietly muttering his last sentence.

"Ah heard that, mister, but Ah'll let it slide since yer too cute to be mad at. Now, y'all go and wash yer hands while ah git breakfast up an' ready." Marie-Ann said.

“Yes, ma’am!” Israel spoke proudly, while saluting to her like a goofball. Which ultimately makes Marie-Ann giggle loudly.

As the two young men get up and head up to the bathroom, they have a brief conversation on the way out.

“Dude, how do you do that?” Inferno asked in disbelief.

"Do what?" Israel asked.

“That goofy charm of yours. How does it work? Everytime you do, its funny and cute. When I do, I screw up big time.” Inferno exclaimed.

“When you spend your childhood watching lots of looney cartoons and picking up their impressionable personalities, it all comes naturally to you. But you know, everyone's got their own natural charm, I'm just one of the more… zany types." Israel proclaimed.

“That’s not what you and Pinkie said when you two pulled that confetti bomb prank on me back in senior year.” Inferno reminded him.

Soon the two boys were up the stairs and out of sight and earshot of Marie-Ann, who giggled at their funny dynamic; while she did not hear what Inferno said last since he and Israel were walking further away.

As she’s continuing to cook breakfast, she is soon sidetracked a bit as she recalls last night’s events; which made her have so many horny thoughts. "Inferno's" rough and dominant nature and "Israel's" soothing, gentle and passionate touch. It was the best of both worlds for the young apple gal.

And as she remembers the ‘fun’ she had last, her hands move slowly on their own and one hand was groping her own breasts while the other was rubbing in-between her thighs.

"Mmmm, it felt so damn fine, mah body wants more," Marie-Ann says, still playing with herself.

But before she could go even further, she soon heard the boys coming back down stairs and also calling to her.

“Hey, Marie-Ann! We got our hands washed and ready to brunch.” Inferno spoke loudly.

"Oh, okay boys." she called back.

Upon hearing them, Marie-Ann quickly moved her hands away from her breasts and privates and resumed back to, or pretending to be cooking breakfast. And just in time too, as the boys had finally arrived in the kitchen and sat down at the dining table.

“Oh, breakfast isn’t ready yet?” Inferno asked the farm girl.

"Nope. Sorry 'bout that. Guess Ah'm still a bit tired after… well, last night," Marie-Ann replied.

“Really, after you had put me to sleep, I figured you had endless stamina or something?” Inferno commented. ‘You know, like Applejack.’ he thought in his head.

"She certainly rode me through cloud 9 and back," Israel added.

After the two gave their statements, the two young men sat quietly for a few seconds before a lightbulb went off in their heads, causing them to abruptly turn towards each other with wide eyed expressions.

“Wait… YOU SLEPT WITH HER TOO!?!?!” They both shouted towards each other.

"Now now, boys. If Ah’ may say so, Ah’ do not regret havin' you two buckin' mah apples. Shadow Knight, was it? Y'all have no idea how much Ah’ like it rough from time to time. Such power from that there beefy sausage o' yers… Ah felt mah mind breakin' from how good it felt. And Straight Arrow, hun… y'all know how ta make this lady feel special. Ya worshiped and loved every inch o' mah body. Made me feel like a queen. Ah’ was in heaven!" she swayed her hips saying all that.

The two boys were both silent and flustered when Marie-Ann proudly talked about all the things they each did with her last night; and how she had enjoyed every bit of it.

"Uh… s-s-sure, anytime." Israel replied, chuckling embarrassed.

“Y-y-yeah… n-no problem,” Inferno added, while also looking like he was embarrassed.

Marie-Ann found it cute how she could make the two boys flustered just by praising them for fucking her brains out. Moments later, she eventually got breakfast ready and served the two boys and herself a fair portion.

For today's breakfast menu, she prepared a stack of waffles with whipped cream and strawberries and a ham and cheese omelet. And to wash it all down, two big cups of delicious apple juice.

The two boys were literally drooling at the sight of this delicious food they were given.

“Yo if this is all we get to eat for the whole day, i’m all on board for it.” Inferno commented.

"Mmm, time to fuel up and get ready for a hard day's work!" Israel said, rubbing his hands together, ready to eat.

"Dig in fellers," Marie-Ann said.

With no hesitation at all, the boys got to eating their food, gobbling it up like hungry lions. Marie-Ann giggled at their antics as she went on to enjoy the meal she made. Inferno was savoring the taste of her delicious food while Israel's cheeks were puffed up like a chipmunk's when they stored food in their mouths, making him look adorable.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, the three then went on with their day, doing and completing their morning chores. Then after that, Marie-Ann asked the boys to do another delivery run into town, so Inferno and Israel loaded up the truck with the delivery supplies.

And as a precaution, Inferno went inside the barn and loaded the colt revolver that he received from Marie-Ann, engaged the safety notch in the gun, and concealed it in his jacket. He kept the revolver secret from Israel, for he hoped that today, they wouldn't have to use it.

After loading the gun, Inferno walked outside of the barn and met back up with Israel who was standing by the truck, waiting for him. Then the two young men got into the truck and

"Hopefully, today, we won't have a repeat of what happened yesterday. And… I take full responsibility for adding fuel to the fire, so no need to scold me," Israel said to Inferno.

Inferno gave his reassuring smile while patting on his shoulder. “No, you won’t get a scolding from me, buddy. I’m sure this day will be a lot smoother than yesterday.” He proclaimed.

"Right. So, what are our stops for today?" Israel asked.

“Oh right, let me see…” Inferno reached into his other pocket (cause the revolver was in his other one) to find the list of places that they were supposed to deliver to, but it wasn’t in his pocket. “Crap! Marie-Ann still has the list. Do you mind going and asking her for it?” He asked his pal.

"Not a problem, be right back," Israel then opened the door to the truck and unbuckled his seatbelt before climbing out and closing the door. He jogged back to the house and entered through the front door.

"Hey, Marie-Ann!" he called out.

“Yes, suga?” Marie-Ann responded back as she peeped out from the kitchen.

"We forgot the list of places to make our deliveries. Do you have it?" he asked.

“Oh yes, Ah’ think I left it on the table in the family room, follow me.” Marie-Ann said as she walked passed him and headed towards the family room, to which Israel followed behind her.

Meanwhile, Inferno waits in the truck while humming to himself and tapping on the steering wheel. And as he was waiting, his eyes wandered a bit, looking out through the driver seat window and out to the rest of the ranch. And when he did, his eyes soon caught something in the distance.

With curiosity, Inferno slowly got out of the truck and walked a few steps away from the vehicle as he squinted his eyes a bit to see what it was a bit clearer. And what he saw had him confused and concerned.

He sees two… no, three cars, which looked to be 1942 Lincoln Continental models, driving through the gate entrance and along the dirt path, heading straight towards the house.

This made him feel a little bit cautious and on edge.

Soon he hears the front door of the house open, which prompts him to turn around, and he sees both Israel and Marie-Ann walking down the front porch and walking towards him, with Israel having the list of deliveries in hand.

“Hey, Inferno, I got the list!” His buddy called out to him.

However, Inferno didn’t reply back. Instead, the young man looked back towards Marie-Ann with a concerned expression.

“Hey Marie-Ann? Were you expecting any visitors?” He asked the farm gal while pointing out towards the cars driving closer to the house.

"No, Ah’ hardly have time to keep in touch with distant relatives. And none o' mah cousins own cars that fancy," she denied, pointing out the biggest hint.

"Then who are…" Israel then pieced it together with a look of panic. "Oh no… Marie-Ann! Get inside… NOW! YOU TOO, SHADOW!!!" He then grabbed her and ran back inside the house.

Inferno stood where he was, looking up at the three cars as they finally drove up to the house and halted in place. Inferno stares at them in silence for a while before he makes a decision.

“God what am I doing?!” He muttered to himself as he reached his hand into the pocket where the revolver is, clicking back the hammer and disengaging the safety notch, and with a deep breath he took a few steps forward towards cars as the drivers and passengers in the cars opened their doors and stepped out to reveal themselves.

From Inferno’s count, they’re were about 6-8 of them. They had black and white suits and black fedoras, all wearing gloves which made them look like they belonged to a gang. And to Inferno's horror, a couple of them were holding Thompson machine guns. Just his luck.

“Good morning gentlemen, sorry to ruin your visit. But this is private property and I have to ask you to leave.” Inferno boldly stated to them; to which he received no reply back.

Looking through the curtains, Israel was getting worried. "Shit! Those bastards must've traced us back! And it looks like they're packing some serious firepower. Inferno won't last out there all by himself, I have to do something!"

"Ah’ think Ah’ I can help. Quick, follow me!" Marie-Ann said.

The two ran up the stairs as they made their way towards a bedroom, which once belonged to Marie-Ann’s parents. Reason why she led Israel there? It was because she had placed something there when she woke up this morning.

As they enter the room, Marie-Ann immediately approaches her parent’s empty wardrobe, opens it up and reaches both her hands in. And to Israel’s surprise, Marie-Ann pulls out the M1887 shotgun that she showed to Inferno last night and a small box with shotgun shells.

“Whoa! Marie-Ann, that is a shotgun! Now I'm definitely gonna keep treating ya like a queen from now on.” Israel stated, while feeling a bit scared but also having more respect for her than he already has.

"Flatter me later, we got some unwelcome varmints to git rid of!" Marie-Ann said as she loaded and then cocks her shotgun, ready for battle.

"What can I do to help?" Israel asked.

"Unless you can handle a gun, you'd best keep yer head down low 'til the heat dies down," Marie-Ann said. “Now c’mon.”

"Right!" he nodded, following her lead.

Meanwhile, outside, Inferno has a silent stand-off with the 8 gangsters in front of him. All of which were staring at him with cold-gazes while Inferno kept cool and collected, while not taking his hand away from the revolver in his pocket.

Seeing that they were not budging, Inferno makes one last attempt to get them to go away.

“I said this once, and I will not say it again. Get in your cars and drive away. Do that and nobody will get hurt.” Inferno spoke to them.

"Not a chance, farm boy. Your friend went and done made us look bad and offed one of our men. The boss has orders to set an example here," gang member 1 stated.

"Might as well just accept your death like a man and we'll make it quick and painless," gang member 2 added, taking aim with the Tommy gun in his hands.

Inferno stares at the gangsters with calm and stern eyes; he sees the rest of the gangsters, besides the two who had the tommy guns, pull out colt m1911 pistols from their coats; an attempt to show him that they aren’t messing around.

Then with a deep breath, Inferno swiftly pulls out the colt revolver in his coat pocket; his quickdraw faster than any of the gangsters, and he immediately opens fire on them. Killing 3 of them in the process. And as he spent all his bullets, he made a quick dash towards the truck and immediately jumped behind it as the rest of the gangsters opened fire.

With their attention focused on Inferno, Marie-Ann took her chance to peek out from her house and open fire on the remaining trespassers. She got one of them in the first shot, and shot another one in the leg, causing them to fall to the ground and clutching their bleeding leg.

Soon the other 4 standing gangsters all got to cover behind their cars and then turned their fire onto the house. Marie-Ann and Israel quickly got down as bullets tore through the walls and obliterated the windows of the house.

"Yikes! These limp dicks are really beginning to piss me off. NO!!! Keep it together… gotta find a way to turn over the odds into our favor!" he said to himself. He peeks through a tiny crack in one of the broken windows and his eyes land on one of the gangster’s cars. "Hmm… I wonder if it's possible…"

While back outside, hiding behind his cover, Inferno quickly reloads his revolver. After he had reloaded his gun, he took a quick peek at the gangsters, who were still firing at the house. Then he gets back to cover as he takes a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and get his mind clear.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he spots his friend, Israel, sneaking around the sides and behind the gangsters.

Inferno’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What the fuck is he doing?!” He said in disbelief; but of course, he should have expected this from his pal. If there was one thing Israel was known for, it was his unrelenting bravery and stubbornness. And only Fluttershy was the one that would override this on a few occasions; but since she’s not here… or more preferably, not born yet… That was out of the question.

And since they were in a dire situation, Inferno has no choice but to go along with Israel’s insane plan… whatever it is.

‘I hope you know what you’re doing, pal!’ Inferno thought to himself as he peaked out from his cover and he opened fire on the remaining 4 gangsters. While he did not get any of them, he had to keep their attention on him so Israel could go unnoticed.

"You might as well save yourselves the trouble and take it like a man. You'll run out of bullets eventually, boy." one of the goons said.

Then the said good gets shot right between the eyes and he drops dead to the ground. Now there were only 3 remaining gangsters alive.

“Sure looks like I still have some left!” Inferno responded loudly to the gangsters from behind the truck; while bearing a smug look.

"An' y'all done picked the wrong farm to come trespassin' into!" Marie Ann then blasted one of the goons in the head, leaving only two remaining.

“If I were you two boys, I would give up now! There’s now two of you and 3 of us! You’re clearly outnumbered here!” Inferno called them out.

“Says you, boy! You’re the only one out here with us and the other two are in the house! Once we kill you and your friend, and we take the lady for ourselves! We’ll be on our way out of this crappy ranch and getting our money!” One of the remaining two gangsters responded, mockingly.

As Inferno kept the gangsters preoccupied and talking, Israel quietly snuck up from behind and approached one of the gangster’s cars; with his eyes staring at the two remaining gangsters who didn’t even know he was behind them.

Unbeknownst to the goons, Israel quietly opened up one of the back doors to their car and swiped something that'll help gain the winning edge.

"Y'all need to find a better profession, because that money yer hankerin' for is dirty money! Y'all should be ashamed o' yerselves!" Marie-Ann scolded, taking aim with her last bullet.

“Ah shut it! You whore!” one of the gangster’s screamed in reply… right before his head was blown off by Marie-Ann.

“You really should not have said that!” Inferno responded to the now-dead gangster.

"Hey, Baby Dickshit!" Israel called out. As the last goon looks back at Israel, he aims his weapon… which happens to be a freaking Musket and fires it, getting him straight in the head and ending his life there.

However, the aftershock from pulling the trigger caused Israel to get blown back and land on his back with a thud. Hearing the gunshot, Inferno immediately got up from behind the truck and he ran over to his best friend.

Once he got over to him, Inferno saw Israel laying on the ground, with an old musket in his hand; which had Inferno, at first, puzzled that the gangsters had an old flintlock musket with them, and loaded. But Inferno shakes off that thought as he gets down on his knees and checks his pal to see if he’s injured.

He gives Israel light pats on the side of his face with his hands to see if he was awake.

“Hey! You good, buddy?” Inferno asked his friend.

"Yeah, but… shit, that gun had some kick." Israel said, getting up. "No way I'm using this thing ever again." He sets the musket down on top of the car and looks down at his hands, still shaking from having pulled the trigger.

Inferno could see the effects that Israel was having and he looked at his pal with a quirked eyebrow.

“First time shooting a gun? Muskets have a stout, but manageable, recoil.” He asked him.

"Was it that obvious?" Israel chuckled.

“Eh, don’t worry. We all have those.” Inferno assured him, while patting on his shoulder.

As the two young men were sharing a moment, Marie-Ann fastly approached them after having exited the house and she wrapped them in a quick embrace before pulling back.

"The important thing is we're all still alive. And you boys did a fine job defendin' me and mah home from them varmints." Marie-Ann praised.

"Yeah… but this won't be the last time we hear from them. They're bound to come looking for us and won't stop until they've put our heads on a platter. We need to take action," Israel said.

“Straight Arrow, we had enough excitement for one day. Alright. Besides, you had already played the stubborn hardcore hero for one day.” Inferno commented while patting on his friend’s shoulder. Then he turns towards Marie-Ann. “Marie-Ann, do you have a phone in the house?” He asked.

"Yes, follow me. Ah'll show it to ya. Come along, now. You too, Straight Arrow." the ranch gal stated as she led the boys back to the house and she showed them to the rotary dial phone; which surprisingly survived the gunfight. It was sitting on one of the small tables in the living room. "There ya go, Shadow. I reckon ya might be callin' the police now."

“That’s the plan.” Inferno replied, as he spun the finger wheel to call the telephone operator so they could patch him with the police. He waits for a while until he receives a reply. “Hello? Yes, operator? Can you patch me through to the police department? Thank you…” He then waits for the operator to connect him to the police. And after a few seconds, he was now patched through with the police. “Yes, Is this the police department?” He asked.

"Yes sir. What's your emergency?" a policeman asked on the other line.

“Yeah, I'd like to report a disturbance. I’m at the Sweet Apple Acre ranch, just outside of town; a gang of 8 men drove up in front of the house and they were heavily armed. They threatened to kill me, my friend, and the owner of the ranch. We had no choice but to defend ourselves. All of them are dead. Could you please send some of your officers up here to look into this? Also the mens’ cars are left behind in front of the house, can you send someone from the tow company to come pick them up?” Inferno reported everything to the policeman on the line.

"Understood. We'll be sending a few on-duty officers out there right away. Stay indoors in the meantime." the man replied.

“Thanks, we’ll be waiting.” Inferno responded just before he hung up the phone and turned his attention on his pal and Marie-Ann. “Well, the law is on its way. They advised us to stay inside the house until they arrive.” he informs them.

"That's reassurin'. Ah’ ain't ever had that much excitement since the ol' Apple Family Reunion back in '39." Marie-Ann commented. “By the way, Shadow. Ya said ya was good with a gun, but Ah’ never expected ya ta be that good.” She complimented.

Inferno rubbed the back of his neck while looking flustered. “Hehe… Well… I was a two-time state champion where I’m from… Till I was banned.” He answered.

"Yeah, back then, you were known as "Dead-Eye… Shadow!" Israel said, carefully revising his friend's name, almost blowing his cover. "No matter the distance or angle, you manage to hit your mark."

"And you, Straight Arrow, got some beginner's luck. Ya managed ta take one of them varmints heads clean off with a single gunshot. Though, ya might wanna work on yer balance." Marie-Ann advised, patting him on the shoulder… and her bosom brushing against his arm.

"Yessiree, ma'am," he said, his eyes shrinking and a big, goofy smile appeared on his face. "With that kind of motivation, I could learn to shoot within a week or a few days!"

Marie-Ann looks down and sees what caused his goofy behavior, then she playfully giggles at the young man’s goofy antics.

“Yeah, I have been meaning to teach him or show him the ropes when It comes to firearms… But I didn’t have the time to do so.” Inferno replied to Marie-Ann’s statement; but that wasn’t the entire truth. ‘Actually, Fluttershy said she would kill me if I ever did teach Israel how to use a gun… Threatened to rip my stomach intestines out and strangle my neck with them.’ He thought fearfully in his mind.

"Well, maybe after the police get here and finish their investigation, y'all can teach him how to use a gun properly." Marie-Ann said.

'Yeah, lucky for him, my little Flutter butter isn't here to tear him a new one. Seriously, I love her and all, but she needs to chill the fuck out. It's not like I'm gonna misuse a gun. Even though I prefer to use my bare hands.' Israel thought.

“Uh, ok. I’ll see to it beforehand.” Inferno responded.

A night of passion and pleasure turns into a day of excitement and horror as our two stranded heroes ward off a group of angry gang members. How will they survive against the next onslaught that is yet to come? Will the girls be able to bring them back home? Will our young heroes have to live in fear until that day comes? Find out next time on the exciting episode… of Canterlot Noire!

Making Waves

Author's Note

Here's another exciting chapter of Canterlot Noire. Be sure to follow TheShadowKnight for an outstanding job helping me edit this and as always, thank you for your patience and support, be sure to stay tuned for more chapters to come and as always, keep bronying on.

Making Waves

The police eventually arrived at the scene and even called a transport for the bodies to take to the morgue. At the moment, the cops had Marie-Ann and the boys in the living room getting their statements about the incident.

"Alright ma'am. Can you tell us everything that went down," the detective asked, holding a notepad and pen.

"Sure thing. Ah’ had gotten up early this mornin' to make some breakfast fer me and the boys. We ate and soon as we finished, they were 'bout to head on out fer some farm work. Suddenly, Straight Arrow, here, told me to get inside mah house when those varmints in their fancy-schmancy cars pulled up on mah front lawn," she explains.

"What was their reason for coming here in the first place?" the detective asks.

"They can tell ya. They were there," Marie-Ann gestures to the boys.

"Shadow and I were making apple cider deliveries yesterday and our last stop was at a gas station, which was getting robbed." Israel said. "Because we saw the criminals' faces, they fired at us. I acted on instinct and… I ran down the crook with the truck before we escaped."

“And following after what Marie-Ann told you, these men showed up and they threatened to gun us down. So I went to have a nice talk with them, to try and deescalate the situation. But when they refused to cooperate… I shot first. And a big shootout began.” Inferno explained what went down.

"Ah’ wasn't gonna let him do all fightin'. After all, those varmints were trespassin' on mah property an' threatened our lives, so Ah’ had to defend mahself an' the boys. So Ah joined in on the shoot-out. Ah’ dunno where he learned to shoot, but Shadow put them hoodlums in their place with his gun skills," Marie-Ann said.

"Me, on the other hand, I only shot one guy and even though I killed him… I could barely keep my balance because I couldn't even hold a musket tight enough." Israel added.

“Wait, you shot one of the suspects with a musket?” The detective asked.

“Yeah, we believed one of the gangsters was a civil war nut.” Inferno commented.

"That's right. I found it in one of their cars. I'm not good with big guns like that, so I've had little time to practice." Israel replied.

“Uh, I don’t know if that’s necessary to know in this conversation, but ok.” the detective responded back.

“No, seriously, it's important. I mean, he could have busted his shoulder by the recoil of that rifle. It's important to be aware of the gun’s recoil.” Inferno added, defending his pal’s comment.

“You speak as if you have experience with firearms?” the detective asked.

"He's had some practice back in our hometown. His father was a retired hunter. He taught Shadow the various types of guns and how to use them. They even shot down poachers who came after their cattle out in the countryside." Israel said, covering for Inferno.

“Oh yeah, I have a total body count of 12.” Inferno commented, reminiscing that memory.

"I see… well, the important thing is, you're all safe and no innocents were killed. But we will need you to come down to the station later on. Just so we can get confirmation on what transpired here," the detective said.

"Of course. And, by the way… one more thing." Israel said.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked.

"Just in case… is the Canterlot Police accepting new applicants?" Israel asked. Inferno turns towards him with a “what” expression.

"Heh, son, at this rate, with the way the city is barely holding together, we'll be lucky if we get ANY applicants this year." the detective said.

"I see. Well then, thanks for telling me." Israel said. The detective then puts his business card on the coffee table.

"Here's my card. You give me or the CPD a call should any more incidents arise and we'll do what we can to help." he said before shaking their hands.

Soon the police and the detectives exited the house and left the ranch in their cars.

"Golly, what a mess this sure turned out to be," Marie-Ann said.

"Tell me about it. There's no telling how many more of those goons will be on us like moths to the flame." Israel said.

Then out of nowhere, Inferno gives his bud a smack on the back of the head.

“Boy! Have you lost your mind?!” Inferno shouted at him.

"OW!!! What the hell was that for?!" Israel asked, turning to Inferno, rubbing his sore spot.

“For you trying to put us on the front lines! And…” Before Inferno continues rambling on, he reminds himself that Marie-Ann was in the room and soon he turns to the woman in question. “Uh, Marie-Ann. Could you mind giving us a second to talk… alone?” he asked her.

"Oh, right. Ah'll go an' put mah daddy's guns away in the meantime," Marie-Ann then left to go and do her business while Inferno kept chewing out his buddy.

Inferno waits till she’s out of sight, and when she is, the young man then restarts the conversation. “We both agreed that we don’t get ourselves into any life-threatening situations until we get ourselves back to the present!” He exclaimed.

"Hey! We're already in hot water as we speak! You think things'll die down because we offed those asshats? There's more goons out there and whoever's paying them is going to have them come after us again! We can't keep hiding forever! If we do, we'll just be putting Marie-Ann in more danger than she already is! The only way we can stop them is to take out the head honcho, or in simpler terms… the kingpin. And we can't do that unless we join the police force!" Israel explained.

“You… ack… gah!” Inferno tried to recounter with a statement. But DAMNIT! Israel had a point, in his own stubborn heroic way. It's the one thing he hates/respects about his best friend. And he had a point in one thing; they got themselves into this mess, and now they’re gonna have to clean it up. “GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! FINE!” Inferno responded.

Israel smiled with pride and victory.

“But if you end up getting shot, I am not covering for you if Fluttershy finds out!” Inferno exclaimed; while at the same time, hoping that Fluttershy will never find out. That girl may be a timid angel, but she is the devil in disguise.

"Fluttershy? Now who in tarnation is this here Fluttershy an' whatcha mean when ya said ya ain't coverin' fer him if he gets shot?" Marie-Ann asked.

The boys freak out at the same time, realizing that Marie-Ann had overheard them upon returning from the barnhouse.

"She's a girl I know. We're very close. If you saw her, you'd think she is a cute, beautiful angel sent from the heavens. But get on her bad side and… well… you don't wanna KNOW just how scary she is when she's pissed off." Israel said before shivering at the thought.

Oh, Inferno can still remember one of the times when Fluttershy had lost her temper. In fact, it still haunts him in his nightmares to this day.

(Flashback, present era, a few months back)

Fluttershy was in the backyard of her home, having put to sleep the last animal and was about to quietly step inside her house. But just as she's about to open the door…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta

Loud gunshots could be heard inside one of the rooms and caused all the sleeping animals Fluttershy JUST put to sleep to wake up in a scared scurry.

Many of the animals crashed into everything in their path, including themselves. In the process, most of them suffered severe bruising to their bodies. And to her horror, in all the commotion, her most precious pet, Angel the bunny, was severely injured when a box of animal treats fell off of the shelf and crushed the poor rabbit’s foot.

"Oh dear! Angel!!!" she screamed in panic and concern.

"That's all you got?! Take that! AND THAT!" she heard Israel shout in one of the rooms. "You picked the wrong house, fool!"

"Damn it, Israel! Why do you gotta do that all the time?! I told you I had a plan! And as always, you feel like being an action-hero like Rambo or something!” Inferno shouted at his pal.

"What? He was teabagging one of our comrades! You think I'm gonna let that chicken shit get away with that? He deserved to get put down!" Israel said.

While the boys were busy arguing with each other in the living room, the video game they were playing got turned off, along with the TV.

"Awww, what no--- uh-oh…" Israel said with shrunken eyes. He taps his buddy's shoulder and then points to the direction of where his girlfriend is.

"Uhhhhhhhh…” Inferno was speechless and paralyzed where he was upon seeing the once timid girl.

Fluttershy stood in front of the boys, her face darkened and her hair frizzing up a bit. As for her eyes, her once moderate cyan colored irises… were now blood red. And a sinister aura emitted from her body.

“H-H-Hi Fluttershy… H-H-How are you doing? Hehehehe…” Inferno spoke to the animal loving gal with a nervous stutter.

"Uh…Flutters… s-s-s-something wrong?" Israel asked nervously.

"I spent 2 hours trying to put my little animal friends to sleep. TWO hours! And just when I can finally come in to relax… and maybe enjoy a nice, quiet movie with you two… you two sons of whores caused too much FUCKING noise! That my little animal friends got scared and ran all over the place, hurting themselves in the process! And the worst of all… my precious Angel broke his leg… BECAUSE OF YOU MOTHERFUCKING SONS OF FUCKING WHORES!!!!” Fluttershy shouted with pure unadulterated rage.

"Inferno… I… think this might be a good time to--" Before he could finish, he looked to find his buddy had already turned tail and ran. "YOU SON OF A BITCH, DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"

“SORRY BUD, BUT NO WAY IN HELL I’M STAYING AROUND FOR THIS!!” Inferno shouted in response, while his voice was lowering in volume, signaling that he was getting very far away.

And good thing for him, but bad for Israel, as "Flutter-Rager" locked her arm around Israel's neck by surprise. "YOU… are coming with mommy. End… of… discussion." she said as she dragged her boyfriend upstairs.

"HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALP!!!" Israel shouted… but no one came.

Once the flashback came to an end, the two young men shivered in fear from remembering the event; especially Israel, who remembered the rest of it after that.

"My pelvis still aches just from thinking about that day." Israel said, rubbing his waist.

“Even after I escaped, she somehow found out where I live.” Inferno commented.

"I take it she milked YOU dry like she did me… all day long?" Israel asked.

“No… for two days straight.” Inferno replied with a traumatized expression on his face. “She was cruel and relentless.”

"Guess that's what you get for leaving me to take the fall. So much for your survival instincts. You're lucky my magic fixed your pelvis after that," Israel said.

“Shhhh, don’t say that in front of Marie-Ann!” Inferno responded.

Israel looked over to see their host heading into the kitchen. "Relax, I made sure to be silent about that part," he whispered. "Anyways, as soon as we're ready, we'll head out to the police station right away. They still need our final statements and lastly… we're gonna clean up this broken city," Israel said, punching his left palm.

Inferno groaned and face palmed himself when he was reminded that he agreed with Israel’s stubborn heroic idea of joining the police force. No way he was gonna take that back.

“Fine. Just… go start the fucking truck. I’m gonna let Marie-Ann know we’re heading out.” Inferno said in response as he walked past Israel and headed into the kitchen to speak with Marie-Ann.

"Alright. And by the way… sorry if I'm such a loose cannon. You probably deserve better," Israel said, feeling guilty since he WAS the one who started this whole mess. He then walked outside and headed for the truck.

Inferno, on the other hand, sighs with regret, since he was giving his pal a hard time. It was incredibly stressful for the both of them; being sent to the past and getting caught in the middle of a crime war in 1945 Canterlot.

He hopes that they both can get out of this situation in one piece and get back home to everyone. As he was thinking to himself, he was unaware of Marie-Ann noticing him in the archway leading into the kitchen and later gets his attention by speaking to him.

"Shadow… Ah’ can tell how stressed ya are. Believe me, this whole mess has gotten me stressed too. Ah'm sure yer friend is straight-up stressed too. But Ah’ think his sense o' responsibility is why he chose to follow down this here path. He knows he messed up an' didn't mean to drag ya into this. That's probably why he's willin' ta throw himself into danger. Ah'm sure ya already knew that." Marie-Ann said.

“I know. Hell, I've always known. I’m not oblivious, Marie-Ann. Believe me, I knew he would always jump into something that he feels is his responsibility. It's just…” Inferno was a bit hesitant, cause he didn’t want to accidentally reveal the future to Marie-Ann, so he decided to twist his words a bit. “... For as long as I knew him, his family would always worry about him and that one day his heroic nature would eventually get him killed. And that’s why… even when I’m against it… I would always have his back. And stand by his side so that he could get out of any situation unscathed. It's what I promised to his folks… to his friends… and to that Fluttershy gal that we told you about.” Inferno explained his reasoning. “And even though I still believe this is a terrible idea… I can’t go against my promise.”

"Ya got a good heart, Shadow. You an' Straight Arrow. Ah’ understand what y'all have to do. An' if them varmints ever come back to git me, Ah've got me a secret hidden bunker mah family dug up years ago before Ah’ was born. They showed it to me when Ah was old enough to help out around the farm." Marie-Ann said.

Inferno chuckled in response to that, but soon he bore a concerned expression on his face. “Just… Be careful, ok. Don’t want anything to happen to our lovely apple while we’re gone.” he said to her.

"Ah'll be alright. But thank ya. An' tell Straight Arrow Ah’ said be careful, too." she said. Inferno nodded and headed outside the house. He then makes his way for the truck where Israel was in and had already warmed up the truck. Inferno climbed in and buckled up.

"Well… this is it." Israel said in a serious tone. "No turning back," he added, a bit uneasy.

“Yeah…” Inferno replied. “Oh, by the way, Marie-Ann said for us to be careful or else she’ll crush our heads with her butt.” Inferno added.

“What?!” Israel responded in confusion.

And in seconds, Inferno lightly chuckles upon seeing Israel’s reaction.

“You asshole!” Israel said in response.

“I know.” Inferno added with a smug.

"OH BOYS! WAIT UP!!!" Marie-Ann called out as she ran out to the truck and hopped on the step, leaning against the window. "Ah’ almost forgot." She then pulls out three $100 bills and gives it to the boys. "This is yer payment fer deliverin' mah apple cider yesterday."

"You sure? I mean, we're happy to accept it." Israel said.

"Ah’ insist. Ah’ never cheat employees out on a pay day. And, uh… here's an extra bonus fer the both o' y'all." She then pulled Israel in for a deep, passionate kiss. Afterwards, she goes to the other side and does the same for Inferno. His whole world lights up from feeling her warm lips against his own and her tongue sliding inside his mouth.

Though it was just a brief moment, he planned to treasure that kiss for a LONG time. Soon, she hopped off the truck and waved to the boys. "Good-bye now. An' be sure to return mah truck once yer done."

“We will, Marie-Ann. And as a bonus, we’ll stop by the house to visit ya as soon as we can.” Inferno promises her.

"Ah’ know ya will. Good luck, boys!" Marie-Ann said for the final time before Israel drove off into the city. "Heh… those two are really somethin'." she said.

As the boys were at the halfway mark towards the city, Inferno decided to count the greens, see how much they had on hand. He counted up his share, along with the money from Israel's wallet and added that with the payment from Marie-Ann, Inferno came to the conclusion.

"1,260 bucks. Not a bad haul." he said.

"Too bad we can't eve-- wait… maybe we can." Israel said as he thought of something.

"What is it?" Inferno asked.

"Since this is 1945, the prices for everything here are a lot cheaper than in our present time. Which means… there's a small chance we could even afford to buy a car." Israel deduced.

“Mmmmm. Well, we did promised to return the truck to Marie-Ann. And since we now plan on becoming officers, we would acquire a fast car.” Inferno responded.

"Then we should probably stop by the dealership while we're in the city. They might have just the car we need." Israel said. "The only question is… where do we find one?"

"I dunno. I doubt our smartphones can tell us." Inferno said.

"Then, we'll have to use a phone book. Check to see if we have one in this truck." Israel said.

“Ok, let's see.” Inferno checked the glove compartment of the truck, and it didn’t take long for him to find the phone book; which upon looking at, looked nothing like any of the phone books in the future. “Damn, this is nothing like the phone books back in our time period.” He comments as he opens up the book and looks through it, overlooking some gibberish. “Ok, so what am I looking for again?”

"A dealership." Israel said. "One that sells new cars."

“Ok then.” Inferno responded as he scoured the pages of the 40s style phone book, searching for any dealerships that sell any new cars. But to his dismay, most of the new cars from some dealerships, either exceeded or took too much of their current budget. So likely new cars are out of the question. So Inferno searches for any dealerships that sold any old cars or used cars at a cheap price. And to his luck… “Bingo, found a dealership that sells old or used cars at a lower price. Sure we won’t get a shiny new car in the 40s, but at least we’ll save a lot of money.” Inferno informs Israel.

"Well, it's a start." Israel shrugged. Inferno then told him the address and Israel drove to said location, knowing how to get there.

Minutes later, the two arrive at the car dealership and park themselves by the curb before climbing out. The boys head over to the row of cars to see what they could get.

"Hmm… see anything you like that screams "speed demon?" Israel asked.

Inferno whines to himself. “I mean, none of them are an Impala, so it's pretty difficult for me!” He responded while whispering.

"Hey there, boys! Looking to buy something you like?" a man asked, coming out over to them. He wore a faded blue business suit with a white undershirt and black necktie. He had peach-colored skin and faded brown hair with some grey-ish hairs on the side.

"Actually, yeah. We're kinda looking to buy a new set of wheels, Mr…" Israel paused.

"The name’s Otto. Otto Mo. Beel, at your service. But please, call me Otto." he introduced. "And I'd be DELIGHTED to help you boys out. So, what exactly are you looking for?"

"Well, would you happen to have a vehicle that's fast, works just as good as a new car?" Israel specified in his question.

"Ah, you're looking for a fast, reliable car. Hmm… I think I have JUST the thing for you two. Follow me." Otto said, guiding the two. "You boys are in luck, I just received her yesterday. In perfect condition too. Don’t know why the owner gave her up so easily, but, hey, his loss.”

"Hmm… sounds like we might've struck gold." Israel whispered.

Otto stops and gestures to the car before them. "Behold! The 1942 Buick Super 8. She's fast, works like brand spanking new and can get ya wherever you need to go in two just two shakes of a lamb's tail."

"Wow! So… how much are you asking for this?" Israel asked.

"Hmm… considering I just got her yesterday and she's off by 3 years… I'll cut you in on a discount of $875. How's that?" Otto offered.

"I see. Well, Shadow? What do you think?" Israel asked.

“Mmmmmm… Sir, you got a deal.” Inferno spoke as he brought his hand up and shook Otto’s hand, sealing the purchase on their new car.

"Wonderful! You sirs have made a fine choice. Follow me inside and we'll sort this all out." Otto said, guiding the two inside the dealership.

After signing the papers and paying the man upfront with their hard-earned savings, the man presented the two with the keys to their new ride, along with their registration papers. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, boys."

"And thank you, too. You take care now." Israel said.

Later on, after having returned Marie-Ann’s truck, the two young men were now cruising town in their new car; with Inferno taking the wheel, wanting to get a feel of the vehicle; much to Israel’s dismay.

"Of course it's you who gets to drive this thing first," Israel muttered quietly to himself.

“Just wanna know what she’s like, ok. I’m more used to driving my car in the present, not cars in the 40s. So I just wanna get a feel of her, get used to her for a bit. Since… You know, we’re gonna be stuck here for a while.” Inferno responded.

"Alright, you got me there. Anyways, let's head for the station. They still need us to fill in our final statements before we enroll into the police." Israel said.

“Ok then. Let's ride over to the grinder.” Inferno said as he drove the two of them straight towards the police station.

The boys get there in a matter of minutes and give out their final statement to the cops about the incident earlier. With this, the cops are able to close the case with ease. And now, the moment of truth.

The boys go up to the front desk and talk with the man behind the counter. "Is there anything I can help you boys with?" the man asked.

"Yes… Do you have any applications available? My partner and I are planning on joining the police force." Israel said.

The man blinked in surprise for a moment, then put back on a straight face. "In that case…" he goes through some papers and then pulls out two applications and places them both on the counter, along with a couple of pens. "Fill these out and I'll present these over with the hiring officer afterwards." he instructed "You can fill them out here or fill them out back home."

"Thank you," Israel said before taking his application. "Come on, Shadow."

Inferno follows behind his pal, but not before he turns around to the man at the desk and gives a peace sign with his fingers before turning back around and follows Israel out of the police precinct and back to the car.

This time, Israel was the one to drive. "That was much easier than we expected. How tough do you think the police academy is gonna be?" Israel asked.

“You want my opinion? I don’t know, I’m not a cop?” Inferno replied while shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I know my workout routines, it's probably gonna be a bit merciful compared to the intense tutoring sessions with Twilight, the long-ass jogs with Rainbow Dash and the amount of muscle exercise we've experienced with Applejack." Israel listed. "And you know how those three are gifted in their own ways. Twilight's big brain, Rainbow's quick feet and AJ's super strength. Now THOSE are tough workouts on the body and mind."

“No shit! In fact, I could barely feel my legs for a week because of Rainbow’s training routine.” Inferno commented, remembering how his legs ached and were limp during that time. And he also remembered something else too. “Speaking of, despite those cruel and unbearable training exercises that Rainbow always does in her spare time, and yet she still keeps her thicc thighs and plump blue booty of hers.” he proclaimed.

"No kidding. Then again, I'm not complaining about that. Who doesn't love a babe with a bouncing, thicc booty? On top of the harsh exercising… It's AJ's muscle training that's painful to think of. I remember when after I'd finished the exercise, I couldn't lift my arms to wash myself in the shower." Israel exclaimed.

“Well fortunately, I did that exercise before you did, so I was able to build a tolerance for it… well after I nearly tore up all the muscles in my arms. It took months for the nerves in my arms to recover.” Inferno commented while he was reading over the blank application paper in his hand. “But back on topic, how the hell do we fill in this application with personal information that we don’t have in this time period!?” he asked.

"Hmm… I say we go about what year we would've been born in this day and age." Israel said.

“Oh that would be simple. And what about the rest of our background information?” Inferno asked again.

And upon asking, something strange unfolded in front of the two young men. Their application forms started to glow brightly and to their surprise, words and information appeared in the forms, as if they were writing themselves. Soon the glow began to dim and upon the blank pages; were written personal information of the two.

Getting over the shock, the two then looked over the newly written information on their application forms.

“Shadow Knight… age, 21… born, April… 1924?! Ok, either this is just coincidence, or something is itching to keep us here.” Inferno exclaimed while continuing to read his filled-out application.

"My application says… "Straight Arrow… Age 20… born in… July… 1925? Shadow… I think the longer we stay here, the more we start… remaking history." Israel said.

“I don’t wanna remake history… I wanna go home, get drunk on apple cider, and possibly cuddle in bed with Applejack and Sunset.” Inferno remarks.

"Trust me, I wanna go home and do some fluffy snuggles with Pinkie and Fluttershy, but unless we can find some magic around here, we're stuck! We'll just have to wing it out for as long as we can, and in the process, we fix up this town. Who knows. Maybe we'll bring about peace a little early in Canterlot." Israel shrugged.

“I wish Fluttershy was here to keep you under control. Lets just turn these in and get it over with.” Inferno said as he opened the car door and exited the vehicle.

“Well, unlucky for you, her main method of taming me, she and I find kinky and enjoyable.” Israel replied back with a confident smile as he also exited the vehicle.

The two then head back inside the police station and they turn in their filled-out applications to the front desk.

"Wow, you actually got these done that quick, huh?” The desk officer asked the two.

“Yeah, we’re fast when it comes to paperwork.” Inferno said, sarcastically.

"Right. Well we'll let you know when the next police academy training will be. We have your contact info, so go home and relax." the officer said.

"Got it." Israel said

"Though, I'm gonna be honest, having two greenhorns on the force is a bit much. With crime on the rise lately, we have to watch ourselves out there on the streets. No offense, but aren’t you boys in over your heads?” the desk officer asked.

“Apparently not, have a good day sir.” Inferno responded as he turned around and headed towards the exit, while dragging Israel with him.

"You do know my feet can function properly to allow me to walk on my own, right?" Israel asked.

“I know, I just wanna avoid you starting a long conversation.” Inferno bluntly said.

After exiting the police station and submitting their applications, the boys return back to their vehicle and get inside, with Inferno taking the driver’s seat again, much to Israel’s annoyance, and starts up the car.

However, they didn’t drive off as the two boys sat quietly in their vehicle, pondering on what they should do next since they pretty much got everything they needed done out of the way.

"You know, I just thought of something. Now that we're becoming the boys in blue, what do we do with Marie-Ann? Do we stay with her or move out on our own?" Israel asked.

“I… I… I don’t know, man. I mean I don’t want her to be alone by herself, especially since we led gangsters onto her doorsteps and shot them up. These past few days are putting a lot of stress on our minds.” Inferno exclaimed while resting his head onto the steering wheel.

"Guess we're sticking with her on the farm. At least until we find a 2nd base of operation." Israel said, stroking his chin.

“Well I was thinking more until we make sure she’s out of harm’s way and not gonna be targeted by gangsters.” Inferno rebutted before groaning. “I could use a bottle of cider right now.” Once he said that, a thought came to his mind. And soon he acted on this impulse, as he backed up the car onto the road and then he started to drive away from the station.

His quick action has his pal confused and surprised of what he was doing.

“Uh, dude, where are you taking us?” Israel asked.

“We had a stressful day today and honestly, I was thinking we need to de-stress and forget about the whole ‘cleaning up the city’ for one night. And have a few drinks while we’re at it.” Inferno stated

“What are you talking about?” Israel asked again while even more confused.

“My friend, we’re going to the Tune Tavern and de-stress.” Inferno finally gave the clear answer.

"Uh… dude, one quick issue. You're the only one of legal age to drink alcohol, I'm under that limit by ONE YEAR!" Israel pointed out. "So, just water for me."

“Who said I’m gonna drink that crap? Did you forget that they also sell apple cider from the good ol’ Sweet Apple Acres ranch?” Inferno points out. “Besides we can at least have one night where we don’t have to constantly get involved in things and do heroics, and just have a good time.” Inferno stated. “Besides, after seeing our applications magically write themselves, I need a bottle of cider to bring my sanity back.”

"Well… okay. But you know how strong that stuff is in this day and age. Cider-holic," Israel uttered before snickering.

“Oh ha ha ha. Shut up!” Inferno responded, which only made Israel snicker even more.

After driving around town, searching for the nightclub since they had almost forgotten where it was, the two young men soon arrived at the Tune Tavern. And just in time too, as the sun was setting down.

The boys exit the car and lock it before entering the building. They can hear the musicians tuning up their instruments. The boys go and take a seat at one of the tables partly close to the performance stage.

As they sat down, a cocktail waitress approached their table with a professional smile.

"What can I get you two gentlemen?" she asked.

"Two apple ciders, please, miss." Israel replied.

"Of course. Coming right up. Two bottles or one bottle for two glasses?" she asked.

“Make it two bottles. I need it more than he does. Thank you.” Inferno added.

After she writes down their order on her notepad, she tells them that their drinks will be out shortly and she walks away from their table.

"You better not blow whatever's left of our cash. We still need to reserve what's left of it." Israel said.

“Relax, I'm making sure I don’t overspend. Besides, we’re only ordering 2 bottles, I’m sure we haven’t spent our entire cash.” Inferno proclaimed.

"Alrighty then. I'm gonna enjoy the cider… and the sweet, soothing music." Israel said, just as the show was about to start.

As the music began, the singer of the group emerged from behind the curtains. She wore a beautiful Egyptian-style white dress. She had peach-colored skin and violet colored eyes. Israel's eyes sparkled at how beautiful she looked. Inferno was in the middle of waiting for the cider to arrive but as his eyes were drawn to the stage, his eyes widened and he was rendered speechless as if he was now in a trance.

But it only got even more magical as the stunning beauty began to sing.

Her voice sounded so divine and pleasantly, as the performer stood in the spotlight, her white dress glowing from the bathing light.

All the men in the nightclub were all fixated and entranced by her beauty. And her beautiful voice had them all under a spell that can’t be defined.

Israel and Inferno were no exception.

The two young men were starstrucked and awed by the singer’s performance. And as they were under her trance, they didn't notice the cocktail waitress approaching their table with their glasses and two bottles of apple cider on a silver platter.

“Here are your drinks, gentlemen.” She announced herself. Which fell deaf on the two, who did not take their eyes off the woman on the stage. “Ahem, your drinks!”

"Oh, right." Israel clears his throat and turns to the waitress. "Sorry about that. Thanks for the drinks, ma'am."

The waitress did not say anything else as she placed the two bottles and the two whiskey glasses onto the table. After that she didn’t speak a word and walked away from their table.

"Mmm, drinks and a singing dame. What more could two guys ask for?" Israel asked before serving himself a cup of cider.

Inferno turns his head towards Israel. “Huh, you said something?” He asked. Apparently, his mind was occupied somewhere else and soon he finally notices the bottles of cider on the table. “Oh hey! Our cider arrived.” He said with glee as he took the second bottle and decided to just drink from it instead of pouring it in a cup.

"And you must be Captain Obvious," Israel said sarcastically with a smirk before sipping his apple cider.

Inferno was in the middle of sipping from his bottle, but took the time to flip the bird at his pal.

Yep, these two sure love to talk smack. Just like a couple of old pals would.

Anyway as the two young men enjoyed their cider, they were then engrossed back into the performance that the female Egyptian singer was putting on. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to spot her, since she remained in one place on the stage since microphones in the 1940s weren’t detachable like the modern versions.

Soon her performance came to a close as she sang the last of her lyrics as the lights dimmed. A huge applause and whistles came from the audience; who were amazed by the singer’s performance and her Egyptian beauty.

"Man, she's got some sweet pipes to go along with her beauty," Israel said. He then took another sip of his cider.

“Mmhmm,” Inferno hummed while sipping from his bottle of cider before he notices a waiter walking by, who he tries to get his attention. “Hey waiter!” He spoke loud enough for the waiter to hear him and get his attention.

The waiter walks up to their table and asks; “Yes, sir. Do you need anything?” He asked.

Inferno then gestures to the waiter towards the stage while pointing at the Egyptian female singer who was walking towards the back of the stage and the curtains closing behind her. “Yeah… Who’s she?” he asked.

“Oh. She’s one of our best performers here at the Tune Tavern. A dame from Egypt. I think her name is… Somnambula.” The waiter answered.

“Ah… Anything else about her?” Inferno asked again.

“I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to share any information. Mostly because I don’t know either. Miss Somnambula doesn’t share her history with anyone, and she wishes not to.” The waiter explained.

"Well, all I can say is… What a woman! Or as they say in Egyptian… Ya laha min amurata!" Israel said.

“Or what others would say… Fi 'ahlamik ya fataa.” Inferno added with a smug.

“So is there anything else I can help with?” Waiter asked again.

“Nah, we’re good, thanks.” Inferno responded, and with that the waiter left their table.

"Shadow… you just said "in your dreams, girl." in Arabic. Do I LOOK like a woman to you?" Israel asked.

“What?! No, I said ‘boy’! Not ‘girl’! This is why I only stick to Spanish and not any other language.” Inferno remarked.

"Maybe we should stop using google translate." Israel said.

“Well that will be easy. Cause we’re in a time period where Google hasn’t been invented yet.” Inferno proclaimed.

"I mean before we got pulled back in time." Israel pointed out again before finishing his cup of apple cider. "Woo! This stuff is STRONG! Don't wanna drink too much of that good stuff."

“Speak for yourself,” Inferno replied while pouring more apple cider into his cup.

"Don't blame me if you wake up the next day with a hangover, cider boy." Israel chuckled. And as the night was still young, the two new recruits basked in their pre-celebration, listening to the sweet, jazzy tunes.

And they'll need all the celebration they can get for what's to come after that.

Meanwhile, back in the present day, it was the next morning and the girls decided to get an early start with their investigation. As of right now, they have gotten dressed and are currently outside of the school campus.

"Okay, so where do we start looking?" Rainbow asked with a yawn, shaking off her sleep.

"We're gonna start our search in the last place they might've visited, the Town Square. That's where the last magic occurrence took place." Sunset pointed out.

“The occurrence must’ve come from a source hidden in that area. If we find it, we might be able to use it to recreate the event which could bring the boys back home.” Twilight added on to Sunset’s statement.

"Hmm… yes, that would make sense. And I do believe I might know where we can narrow down the source." Rarity added.

"Well, there ain't no time like the present. Let's up an' find the source an' get our boys back!" Applejack said with determination.

"Yay! A boyfriend hunt!" Pinkie cheered.

"Oh, I just hope they're okay… wherever in time they might be," Fluttershy said, concerned.

The girls all headed out for Town Square, Twilight having all her gear packed up in her backpack so she'll be well prepared for the search. They make it to their destination in just 20 minutes.

Right away, Twilight brought out her magic radar to search for the magic anomaly. However, there was one minor hiccup when she tried turning on her device… but it stayed off.

"Uh, Twilight? Did you remember to charge that thing before we left?" Rainbow asked.

"UGH!!! Of all the things I forgot, why this?" the bookworm groaned in frustration.

"Relax, I'll go and take it back to the dorm and charge it and then bring it back once it has enough juice in it. Easy-peasy." Rainbow said.

"Thanks, Rainbow," Twilight handed over her device to Rainbow and with her geode, she dashed back to the university.

"So, what do we do now?" Sunset asked.

"Uh…" AJ said before her stomach growled. "Heheh… anyone up fer some grub?"

"We did wake up pretty early and my tummy is rumbling like crazy," Pinkie added.

"In that case, why don't we visit Mr and Mrs. Cake? I'm sure they're open by this time of day. They do make the most scrumptious treats." Rarity suggested.

"I could go for some yummy treats," Fluttershy added with a cute squee.

Sunset lightly chuckles and says, “Alright, girls. Let's go eat.”

And so it seems the girls hit a bump along the way. While they enjoy a nice tasty breakfast, life back in the past for our two time-bound heroes… has gotten more extreme.

(Canterlot City, July 1946; 9-10 months after the night at the Tune Tavern.)

The streets were lit up with the sounds of a police siren and gunfire. People were ducking for cover or hiding in alleyways or inside buildings to avoid getting shot. And at the moment, one cop car is chasing down a group of armed gunmen down the streets, trying to subdue them.

These two were Yabuki and Inferno… or more accurately… Officers Straight Arrow and Shadow Night and currently, Straight Arrow was driving while Shadow was shooting with his revolver.

"These pricks just don't know when to give up!" Yabuki said while driving. "Shadow, the moment they make a turn, shoot out their tires!"

“What do you think I’m trying to do?! Shootin’ rabbits?!” Inferno responded with sarcasm, but he followed his partner’s instructions.

As the perps were about to take a turn, with his gifted marksmanship skills, he fires a single shot at one of the front tires of their car, which causes it to become out of control and soon the perps’s car crashes into a lamppost.

Yabuki stops the car and jumps out, having his revolver ready and runs for the driver's side of the gunmen's car. "Drop your weapons! Step out of the car and put your hands up where I can see them, now!" he shouted with authority, glaring at them.

As the gunmen stepped out of the wrecked vehicle, looking dazed and injured from the crash. But that didn’t stop one of them from trying to raise their gun at Israel, but soon their weapon was shot out of his hand by Inferno, who stood by his and Israel’s car, aiming his revolver at the criminals as well.

“I’d listen to the man, if I were you. And to let you jailbirds know, I’m a better shot than you.” Inferno suggested to the perps.

The disarmed henchmen grunted in defeat. Soon, both young officers cuffed the two and escorted them to their car. "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one'll be provided for you." As soon as Israel finished reading his rights, he stuffed one of them in the back seat and closed the door while Inferno did the same for the other.

“If not, I can go for the second option.” Inferno proclaimed while waving his revolver in front of their faces.

"Good shot back there. Now then, you wanna drive or should I do the honors, partner?" Israel asked, smirking.

“You’ve done enough driving for today, you almost scratched her on that turn a few blocks back.” Inferno said as he walked up to the driver’s side and got in the driver’s seat.

"Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Princess." Israel said sarcastically as he got in the passenger seat.

“Let's just get back to the precinct.” Inferno replied as he starts up the car and drives toward the police station.

It has been 9 to 10 months since their arrival in the 1940s. In that time, they had joined up in the police academy and passed with exceptional grades.

It would usually take 2-4 years to become full-fledged police officers, but they were recruiting as many officers as they could due to the corruption and crime activity in Canterlot. They both graduated and were sent off onto the ‘battlefield’ as newly rookies.

They still stayed with Marie-Ann, who had no problems with them staying in. In fact, she even threw a small party for the three of them after their graduation from the academy. And you could imagine what she had awarded them with, if you know what i’m saying.

During those months, Inferno got himself a haircut, but let his beard grow out while Yabuki's hair got longer, nearly covering up his entire upper back and his whole right side of his face. But he liked his new look, and said it makes him look more… mysterious and daring. Inferno, on the other hand, said that Sunset and AJ were always curious of what he would look like with a beard, so he figured… why not.

Anyway, after a short drive, the two have made it back to the station. Once they entered, they handed off their catch of the day to other officers to escort them to their cells. But soon the boys were about to find themselves… well.

“ARE YOU TWO OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MINDS!!!” The police chief scolded with ferocious fury. As both Inferno and Israel sat in front of him in silence.

"Sir, we managed to apprehend the suspects, what did we do that was wrong?" Israel asked.

“You indirectly caused a shoot out on public streets, with innocent civilians in the area! YOU COULD HAVE CAUSED A FEW CASUALTIES TODAY!!” The police chief shouted.

Inferno then silently raised his hand as if asking a teacher for permission to speak. “Uhhh… In our defense… They shot first.” He said.

"And yes, while we should've waited for backup, we didn't have a choice! There was no warning on their part! If someone did die while we were chasing them, it'd break me up inside! I care about the people of this city as much as you do, chief!" Israel added.

“DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME, OFFICER ARROW!!! DO NOT MISTAKE MY ANGER FOR NO SYMPATHY!!!” The chief shouted back before calming himself down. “While your heart is in the right place, remember, we cannot rush in guns blazing everytime we see scum on the street. Now, I could suspend you both right now, but you two are our best rookies on the force, and that’s saying something. Now get out of here and fill out the reports on today’s arrest.” The chief instructed them.

"Yes sir!" both rookies said as they stood up before heading out.

Inferno then lets out a deep breath as if he had been shaken up by fear. “Holy shit! That was close, just like the last two times. Real ballsy of you to talk back to the chief, partner. And I really mean ‘balls of steel’ ballsy right there.” He commented.

"Thanks, but you know, he's got a point. We gotta step up our game. And by "we…" I mean me. I need to find a better way to approach these baddies without endangering civilians all the time. But how?" he asks himself with a serious, remorseful tone.

“Hey. It's not just on you all the time man. I could’ve stopped anytime I wanted to, but I didn’t. I followed your lead and I rushed into the fire. Because I got your back and you got mine. That’s what partners are for.” Inferno stated as a means of comfort.

Feeling a bit better, Israel flashed a smile at his buddy. "You're right. Thanks, man." he replied, adding a fist bump. "Now, let's hurry up and file that paperwork."

The two rookies followed up their report on their latest arrest. And while they did manage to apprehend their latest baddies, the road is only about to get bumpier, but the two rookies are about to step up their game like never before.

Take The Shot

Author's Note

I thank TheShadowKnight, my buddy, for helping me finish this chapter. And as always, thank you for all your patience and support and remember to stay tuned for more chapters to come in the future and always remember to keep on bronying on everypony.

Take The Shot

Canterlot City; July 1946

It was just another routine night on patrol for the two rookies and were about to finish up when suddenly, they got a call from HQ.

"Car 11k, Car 11k, do you copy? Over!" HQ said on the police radio.

"11K copies, go ahead HQ," Israel said.

"We got a code 415 at the Tune Tavern, repeat 415 at the Tune Tavern." HQ stated.

“A disturbance? At a nightclub? What else is new?” Inferno commented sarcastically and in mutters.

"Probably just some drunk-ass dipshit causing problems." Israel replied before responding back. "10-4, we're on our way. 11K over and out." he then turns on the police siren and Inferno quickly speeds over to the scene.

They drove a few blocks and it didn’t take long for the two to arrive on the streets where the nightclub was. As they were driving, the two formulated a plan of how to handle the situation.

“Ok. Let's treat this like any other. We go in, have a nice chat with the perp, hogtie him, take him to the precinct and fill in more boring paperwork.” Inferno suggested.

"Sounds like a good plan to--" before he could finish, he noticed someone running outside and into the streets. "LOOK OUT!!!" he panicked.

Inferno immediately slammed on the brakes as the tires of the car shrieked loudly of rubbing against the payment before their vehicle had come to a halt.

It was at this moment where the boys could get a good look at the person who ran in front of them, thanks to the headlights of their car.

It was a young lady.

But it wasn’t just a young lady. The boys instantly recognize her face as clear as day.

It was the lovely, talented singer they saw at the Tune Tavern several months ago. Somnambula.

She was wearing a beautiful, yet simple teal dress with gold trims on it. She also had a long, silky skirt reaching down inches below her knees. And a white fedora hat on her head.

Even without her Egyptian clothing for her showbiz, she still looked astoundedly beautiful.

But all that beauty was overshadowed as the boys got a closer look at her face. And her facial expressions were of stress and fear.

As soon as she saw them staring at her, Somnambula didn’t waste a second as she rushed over to the driver’s side of their vehicle and started tapping on the car window. Loudly and impatiently.

Seeing her behavior, Inferno quickly rolled down his window and professionally asked: “Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Please! You have to help me! Let me in now!” She responded with absolute fear in her voice. And after she said that, she kept looking back behind her.

Which was a dark alleyway that she might have come from. The boys recognize the alleyway as the route they used to take to make deliveries to the Tune Tavern.

“Ma’am, what’s the ma-” Inferno tries to ask her again, but she interrupts him.

“PLEASE! HE’S GONNA KILL ME! LET ME IN!!!” Somnambula shouted with impatience and dread.

"Hang on one moment," Israel said before hopping out of the car and helping unlock the back door and opening it. "Jump in, keep your head down and put your seatbelt on."

Somnambula didn’t fuss for a bit as she complied with his instructions and quickly got into the back seats before Israel closed the door and hopped back in the passenger seat. Her behavior and fearful expressions had gotten the two young policemen to glance at each other with concern and suspicion

“Don’t worry, ma’am. You’re in safe hands.” Inferno assures the young lady before he glances over at the alleyway she came from and then towards his partner. “Arrow, stay here and watch her. I’m gonna go check out the alleyway.” he instructed his partner.

"Alright, Knight. Should I take the wheel just in case something’s up?" he asked.

“Better to be safe than sorry. Take the wheel.” Inferno replied as he quickly exited the car and proceeded towards the dark alleyway. Meanwhile, Israel hopped over to the driver's seat and waited anxiously while keeping his eye on the lady.

Upon entering the alleyway, Inferno takes out his flashlight and turns it on to see in the dark. He took slow and cautious steps as he strolled deeper into the alleyway.

He points his flashlight side to side, trying to see if he can spot anyone. But upon seeing nothing, Inferno scoffs it off and turns around. But when he did, his light revealed something that he had missed… and it spooked him quite a bit.

“Jesus Christ.” Was all he could say at the moment.

Laid behind a couple of boxes and trash cans, there was the body of a deceased woman; laying face down in a small pool of blood.

But Inferno couldn’t take the time to inspect the body to identify the victim when he soon hears sounds of a trash can being knocked down and footsteps running.

Upon instinct, Inferno pulled his revolver out and turned to where the noise was. Shining his flashlight, he could see the silhouette of a person fleeing away from the scene.

“HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!!!” He shouted at the suspect, ordering them to halt.

Upon hearing him, the suspect turns around quickly, before they soon raise something in their hands. A sawed-off shotgun.

Seeing the weapon, Inferno didn’t hesitate and pulled the trigger.

Meanwhile, back with Israel and the panicking Somnambula; the officer in question patiently waits for his partner’s return, while also trying to help calm down the young lady in the back seat.

"Listen, everything's gonna be okay. You might not know this and he might not look like much, but my partner's the best marksman there is. If anyone can handle any gun, Shadow Knight can do it." Israel assured, patting her on her hand while holding it.

Somnambula stayed silent, but she nodded her head towards him. Feeling slightly grateful for him calming her down.

*BANG!BANG!!!*

But their moment of calmness was shattered when they heard gunshots coming from the alleyway, which spooked them a lot.

And when silence takes over once again, Israel turns his attention back over to the alleyway, and soon he sees his partner, Inferno, running out from the darkness.

Grasping his bloodied shoulder as he ran towards their vehicle, shouting: “START THE CAR! START THE FUCKING CAR!!!”

Which was soon followed by two more gunshots. *BANG! BANG!*

Israel started the car immediately and Inferno quickly hopped into the back seat of the car with Somnambula, not wasting a second to get back into the passenger seat on the other side of the car, to which Israel quickly stepped on the gas pedal and drove off.

Then the suspect, that Inferno encountered, emerged from the alleyway, with their face obscured by the darkness, raising their shotgun up and firing upon their vehicle as they drove away; but they were out of range.

After having made their quick get-away, Inferno grunts in pain as he clenches onto his bloodied shoulder. Next to him, Somnambula stared at his injury with traumatized eyes.

“Fuck!” He grunted out loud.

“Shadow, what the hell happened back there!?” Israel asked out of concern for his friend.

“The damn punk only grazed me, but it hurts like a bitch!” Inferno responded

"That's not good. I'll phone ahead to let HQ know." Israel said before turning on the police radio.

“That’s not all! We have a ‘stiff’ on our hands! Tell them we have a code 140 down in the alleyway next to the Tune Tavern!” Inferno added on before Israel could speak into the radio.

"HQ, this is Officer Straight Arrow, calling from Car 11K, do you copy? Over!" Israel asked in an urgent tone.

After some static, there was a reply back. “Car 11K, this is HQ, we copy. Over!” the operator responded.

"10-4, we got a code 140 at the Tune Tavern. Repeat, code 140 at the Tune Tavern. We're returning to base with a witness in hand and Officer Knight took a hit! Over!" Israel said.

“10-4, we read you loud and clear. We're sending in some units to cover for you. Return to base as soon as possible. Over." HQ said.

"10-4. Officer Arrow over and out." Israel then stepped on it, but also made sure not to crash into anything along the way.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before the trio managed to arrive at the station safely. Israel got out of the car and went over to the back seat, opening the door.

"Need a hand, partner?" he asked.

“Yeah! That or a bullet!” Inferno responded while grunting in pain

Following behind the two, Somnambula quickly got out of the car as well before running up ahead of the two to open the door for them.

“Here you go.” She said while holding the door open.

"Thanks. Come on inside, you can brief us on the matter later." Israel said. Somnambula nodded and followed the two young cops inside. The sensational singer then takes a seat while Israel and Inferno brief the cop behind the desk about what happened.

And the first thing Inferno said was: “Can I get a fucking doctor here!? I’m ‘bout to die from blood loss!”

"I'm on it." the cop behind the desk said before picking up the phone. He has the operator put him through to dispatch before telling them his name and badge number. "We're gonna need an ambulance at Canterlot Police HQ, an officer's been wounded with a gunshot, needs serious medical attention."

The dispatch agrees and arranges for an ambulance to arrive before he hangs up. Israel then takes his partner and sits him down next to Somnambula. Before sitting down with them as well.

Upon waiting, Inferno takes the time to then ask Somnambula: “So… What's your story?”

The lady turns to face him while remaining silent.

“I mean, you don’t have to share it immediately. You can wait until you’re ready to be interviewed. We have all the time in the world right now.” Inferno proclaimed while trying not to force her to speak.

"Thank you. I'm still a little shaken up from tonight," Somnambula said, looking down.

"I can understand that. But thankfully you should be safe here where you can't be touched. Just gotta wait for my partner to get his medical attention and then later on, once you're ready, we'll conduct the interview." Israel listed, pulling out his notepad.

“Medical attention? More like a goddamn surgery.” Inferno exclaimed sarcastically, while still feeling some stinging pain from his injury.

“So tell me again how the hell did the suspect manage to land a hit on you?” Israel asked with confusion, knowing that his friend is one hell of a shot and that someone bested him was a big surprise.

“It was freaking dark! I couldn’t see him clearly even with the goddamn flashlight. And also the fact, he had a shotgun with him. I bolted the hell out of there, but not before he grazed me.” Inferno said, with the sound of wounded pride in his voice.

“Well, did you get a good look at them?” Israel asked.

“Nope! Like I said; too dark and shotgun.” Inferno replied.

"Just our luck." Israel said, slightly frustrated.

Moments later, the paramedics arrive at the station. Two of them rush inside to get Inferno.

"Come with us, sir." one of them said.

"I'll be waiting for you, Shadow." Israel said.

"I'll be fine, you just be sure to keep our witness safe, Straight Arrow." Inferno replied as he was escorted into the ambulance. The van then took off to the hospital and Israel was left with Somnambula now.

Some time later, after she was fully calm, Somnambula was brought into an empty room with a table and soon, the interview began.

The chief had called in two of the best detectives of the precinct to interview the woman and find out what had happened

"Alright, miss. So, here's how it goes. I'm just gonna ask you some questions and I need you to answer them honestly and to the best of your abilities. Can you do that for me?" the first detective asked calmly and politely.

"Y-Yes, I understand," Somnambula nodded.

"Okay, good. First, tell me about what happened before things got heated." he asked.

"It was supposed to be a normal routine work day at the club. I would be backstage, getting ready to sing. I came out on stage that night, sang a few songs, then later, I went backstage to rest my voice." Somnambula explained.

"And what time was it when you went backstage for your break?" the detective asked.

Somnambula went silent for a bit, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves before she continued the rest of her story.

*Flashback; Tune Tavern, several minutes earlier*

After finishing her last show for the night, Somnambula was backstage, walking towards the dressing room to grab her belongings.

Standing in front of the dressing room, was a tall 6’8” man, wearing a black suit and had a stern look on his face. You can probably guess he was the bouncer/or security of the nightclub.

However, when Somnambula approached, the man gave an acknowledging smile as she stopped at the door of the dressing room.

“Calling it a night, madam?” he spoke with a gruff, but polite voice.

“I sure am, Bruce. What about you? Can’t wait to go home and see Emily.” Somnambula responded.

“Well, I’m supposed to tuck my little girl in bed. And her birthday is tomorrow.” Bruce proclaimed.

Somnambula chuckled. “Well, tell her I said hi.” She said before entering the dressing room.

Upon entering, Somnambula soon spots another woman in the room. Which was one of the dancers who had performed in a show before hers, and from the looks of it, she had fully changed into her casual dress. And soon the young woman noticed Somnambula in the room and gave her a smile.

“Ah, Somnambula! How was your show?” The lady asked.

“It went fine, Pearl. Just like it always is.” Somnambula responded as she walked towards the wardrobe closet to get her casual dress and then walked behind the vintage room divider in the corner of the room to change. “How was you and the girl’s show? I bet you had the men all hollering and cheering.” She proclaimed.

“Oh please, dear. The audience cheered and hollered for you more than they did for me and the gals. You could even make Cleopatra herself envy you.” Pearl teased as she reached for her purse that was on the dressing table in the room.

Somnambula chuckled in response to her comment.

“Oh my, Pearl. You’re such a tease!” She replied back.

“Just stating the obvious, girl. Anyway, I’m heading off. Have a good night's sleep, Somnambula.” Pearl said before she walked out of the dressing room.

“You too.” Somnambula responded back as she heard the dressing room door close behind Pearl.

And now, she was all alone.

But soon enough, she had finished putting on her casual dress and walked out from behind the room divider to put away her show dress. Then she grabbed her purse and her white fedora hat, and left the room.

Upon leaving, she bids goodnight to Bruce before walking out the back door of the Tune Tavern, and walks out into a familiar alley.

Inspecting her surroundings, Somnambula then starts walking down the dark alley, while still being aware of the world around her. She often hears stories of what happens to women out in the dark, and she definitely doesn’t want to add herself on the list.

But as she was walking, she soon stopped in her tracks as she heard sounds coming from up ahead of her. As she listened closely, she could hear faint voices or whispers of a man and a woman coming from the darkness.

With curiosity overpowering her concerns, Somnambula treaded lightly as she drew closer to the sounds. And as soon as she got close, what she saw surprised her.

She had located where or who the sounds came from, and one of them she instantly recognized.

It was Pearl! Being pinned on the brick wall of the alley by a mysterious man.

Somnambula thought that Pearl was going to be… well… you know. However, the man didn’t look like he wanted to have a ‘good time’. No. He looked like he was demanding something else from Pearl. And while his face was obscured by the darkness, he was wearing a trench coat and a fedora, which also hid his face from Somnambula. Which further proved he doesn’t look to be the kind of man wanting to take advantage of women.

Pearl was crying and silently pleading, as if pleading for her life. And while Somnambula couldn’t hear what she was saying, she could at least make out one sentence.

“...P-Please! I-I just need a little m-more time!...” Pearl spoke, fearfully.

And then the man lets go of her and steps back a few feet, but not before he pulls out a sawed off shotgun that was hidden underneath his coat. And to Somnambula’s horror, he aimed it at Pearl.

“No! NO! PLEA-!!!” Pearl tried to beg, but was soon silenced as the man fired two shots, point-blank, into her stomach and chest. Leaving two large holes in the poor woman’s body as Pearl fell to the ground, choking on her own blood and bleeding out excessively.

Somnambula gasped in horror at the sight of her co-worker and friend being murdered.

Which unfortunately, caught the mysterious man’s attention.

He turned around and noticed the Egyptian gal nearby. And it didn’t take him a few seconds to figure out that she saw everything. The man soon opens up his shotgun to load in two more shells into it.

And just seeing him about to reload, Somnambula doesn’t hesitate and runs the other way. Attempting to get as far away as she could. She didn't dare to stop as she could hear the man’s footsteps following behind her.

As she runs, her mind is plagued with mass amounts of guilt and despair, of how she did nothing to save Pearl, or at the very least, try to help.

As those thoughts ran through her mind, she didn't realize that she exited out of the alleyway and onto the streets.

And she doesn’t pay attention to a certain police car approaching her.

*End of Flashback; Tune Tavern.*

"And that's when the two officers showed up. One of them went in to investigate while the other stayed by my side and allowed me to take shelter in their car. Moments later, there were more shots fired and his partner came running with his arm all bloodied. We got out as quickly as we could and made it back here. Then later, one of the officers was taken to the hospital. That's everything that happened." Somnambula explained.

"I see. So, this man that shot your friend, did you happen to know him?" the detective asked.

"No, she never even mentioned anything about being in debt. If I had known, I'd have tried to help her. But… now it's too late." Somnambula said, looking down, sad and filled with tears. "It should've been me."

"Now don't go getting suicidal on us. You did what you had to so you could survive. Now, take a deep breath and calm down." the detective said.

The interview went on slowly and Israel just stood there and listened, leaning his head down, hiding his eyes underneath his hair and police cap. He was beyond pissed and wanted nothing more than to catch the bastard himself and book him, but not before tearing him a new one.

And while he was busy sulking, the sounds of footsteps were approaching, which caused him to turn up and to his surprise, it was Inferno. Of course, he didn’t say anything as Inferno started talking.

“Hey, sorry for the holdup. The doc managed to get four pellets out of my wound and then they tried to give me stitches, and I was like ‘hell no!’. So I stole some gauze, patched myself up and ran out of there as fast as I… Oh I know that face, what did I miss?” Inferno asked once he saw the grim look on his partner’s face. And he knew it could only mean one thing.

"A friend of hers got mixed in with some loan shark, drowning in debt. She couldn't pay it up in time and bit the dust. The suspect used a sawed-off shotgun to shut her up for good. When I find that son of a bitch, I'll paint the streets with his blood before throwing him in a jail cell." Israel said in a quiet, low tone.

“Ok ok ok ok ok! Chill the eff out before you decide to go all Rambo up in here.” Inferno responded to his partner’s desire for bloodshed, but not before he processed everything Israel said in his head about what Somnambula went through. “Fuck…. Ok, so… you’re saying that the suspect had a shotgun, right? That almost sounds like the punk that shot me. That can’t be a coincidence.” He claimed.

"Let's see… are there any gun stores in the city that sell sawed-off shotguns?" Israel asked.

“Pfft! Hell no! At least…” Inferno looks around to see if there’s anyone nearby before continuing. “... Not in this time period. Sawed-off shotguns weren't manufactured in the 1940s. In fact, any shotgun with a barrel length less than 18-inches were deemed illegal in 1935.”

"So, could that mean that our perp might've gotten his illegal firearm from overseas through weapons trafficking?" Israel asked.

“Not likely dude. Sawed-off shotguns are more-likely customized. You see, criminals take your typical regular sized double barrel shotgun and use a handsaw to cut off the rest of the barrel for the appropriate length he wanted. So that means our suspect bought his gun when it was at its regular barrel-length before he sawed it off. Which means it’ll be hard to identify the type of shotgun he bought and where he got it.” Inferno explained.

"Hmm… What about the pellets that hit you? Do you still have at least one of them? Maybe we can narrow down our search that way." Israel pointed out.

“Dude. Even if I wanted to catch this asshole and hang him up on a flagpole, we’re not permitted or assigned to investigate this. We’re rookies; the runts of the litter. Plus there is no way the Chief or those two bozos in suits will want to hand this case over to us.” Inferno said, while gesturing to the wall next to the two that lead to the room where Somnambula and the two detectives were in.

"Fuck! Then that means we're stuck while that prick roams free hiding in the shadows." Israel sighed in frustration and defeat.

“We don’t know that, bro. And besides, the chief brought in two of the ‘best detectives’ on this case. I’m sure they'll catch the guy in no time. And until then, we’re staying out of the way.” Inferno suggested.

“ARROW! KNIGHT! IN MY OFFICE, NOW!!!” The police chief shouted out for the two, which echoed across the precinct.

And after a few seconds of silence, Inferno only said one word: “Aw, fuckberries.”

'I'm starting to prefer J. Jonah Jackass over this blowhard and Jonah ain't even real.' Israel thought to himself.

The two rookies then headed over to their chief's office for what might be yet another scolding.

“Do you two mind explaining to me why I have been hearing of you two rookies trying to steal a case from two of our finest detectives in this precinct?!” The chief sternly asked the two.

“Whaaaaat? Who told you that? Was it Jeff from forensics? I bet it was Jeff!” Inferno responded.

"I don't think that's helping our case, Shadow." Israel said. "Anyways, chief, we didn't plan on stealing any case from the detectives. All we did was respond to a disturbance and secured a witness before another victim turned up ‘cold fish’."

“Don’t play smartass with me rookie!” The chief exclaimed.

“How was that being smartass?” Inferno whispered to his partner

“While I can commemorate you two for securing the safety of a witness, I must remind you both that you are not detectives or high ranking officers! You are still rookies. And do not have the permission to even take on a case. Your jobs are to patrol the streets, enforce the law, and diffuse the disturbances. So the only thing you have to do is stay out of the way of this case and go on with your duties.” the chief stated it out for them. “Are we clear on that?”

"Yes, sir." Both rookies nodded.

“Good.” The chief spoke with a less sternful tone before he looked down at the paperwork on his desk. “Oh and, one last thing. Once she’s finished being questioned, I’m tasking you boys to escort Ms. Somnambula home.” The chief stated.

The two rookie officers were dumbfounded and wide-eyed by the revelation.

“Say what?” Inferno spoke for both of them.

“Did I stutter!?” I want you two dimwits to take the young lady home and come straight back here and file the paperwork!” The chief repeated himself.

"Of course, sir." Israel saluted.

“No problem, boss. You’re a jolly good fellow.” Inferno saluted as well before he started singing ‘Jolly Good Fellow’.

“GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!” The chief shouted in annoyance and rage, which jolted the boys in fright and they bolted out of the office.

"What the fuck was that for?! You trying to get us booted outta here?!" Israel asked in a hushed tone through his teeth.

“I thought I was getting him in a good mood! Clearly I was wrong!” Inferno responded in a husked tone as well. “Anyway, let's just wait by the front desk for the lady and get out of here.” he suggested.

And so the two did just that. They walked up to the front desk and sat down in the wooden waiting chairs, while patiently waiting to take Somnambula to her home.

After a few minutes of waiting, the two rookies can hear footsteps approaching and when they look up, they see Somnambula approaching, looking to be heading towards the doors. The two goofballs of the law quickly got up on their feet and approached her before she walked out the door.

“Uh, excuse me, miss?” Inferno was the first to speak, which caught the lady’s attention.

“Can I help you, gentlemen? I was just leaving.” Somnambula spoke.

“Uh, no, actually, our chief has ordered us to escort you home. You probably remember me and my partner here. I was the one that got shot. And he’s the one with the goofy face.” Inferno said.

Israel looks towards his partner with a soft glare before smacking his hand onto Inferno’s injured shoulder, which stung for the blood-red haired young man as he held in his pained noises.

"Officer Straight Arrow, at your service." Israel said, introducing himself.

“And I’m Officer Shadow Knight.” Inferno spoke in a pitched voice.

Seeing their interaction between the two young men, Somnambula can’t help but give a small giggle at their antics. Honestly, she never thought she would laugh again especially after witnessing a murder. And soon she does eventually recognize the two officers.

“Ah, yes. You’re the two that saved my life. I’m most grateful to you two.” She said in gratitude.

"Just doing our jobs, ma'am." Israel said humbly. "Come on, we'll give you a police escort so trouble won't find you so easily."

"That would be helpful, thank you." Somnambula nodded and followed the two young cops to their car outside.

Since Inferno couldn't use one of his arms, Israel climbed into the driver's seat. Inferno opened up the back door for Somnambula. She steps in and Inferno closes the door before climbing in the passenger seat in the front.

Israel starts the engine up and looks back to the Egyptian beauty. "So, where do you live so we can drop you off?" he asked.

"I'll guide you so you'll know." Somnumbula said.

After that, they drove off into the night. Somnambula was very efficient in letting her saviors know which road to turn on while still keeping a watchful eye.

Eventually, they reached a beautiful two-story house surrounded by an iron fence and brick pillars on each corner.

"Nice place you got here." Israel said. "You live alone?"

"No, of course not. I share this house with my two other roommates. They're probably asleep by now, so I'll let myself in. Thanks again for dropping me off," Somnambula said.

"No problem. You be safe now and if you ever find yourself in a pickle, you let us know." Israel said with confidence and assurance. Somnambula felt relieved and then surprised the two rookies by rewarding them with a peck on the cheek each.

The two boys were stunned for a few seconds, before they realized that they had to let her out of the car. So Inferno quickly got out and opened the back door for Somnambula as she got out and walked up to her house. But not before she turned around to bid farewell to the officers.

Once the lady was safely inside her house, Inferno got back in the car. And soon, he and Israel sat in their vehicle in complete silence for a while.

“You know… I think my shoulder feels a little better after that peck.” Inferno commented.

"I'm definitely not gonna forget this moment," Israel commented with his eyes shrunken. But he quickly shakes his head and smacks his own cheeks. "Okay, breaktime over. We'd better get back to HQ before that hard head of a chief yells at us… again." he said, deadpanned.

“Ugh, I'd rather get shot again.” Inferno exclaimed.

"I'll gladly trade places with you if given the chance." Israel said before making a U turn and heading back to the precinct.

With the boys gone, Somnambula heads to her front door and unlocks it. She heads inside and closes the door, locking it. The house is dark… until the lights up above are turned on.

"Somnambula? Where have you been, we've been worried sick about you!" said a woman from the upstairs balcony.

The Egyptian halted and then turned to look up at the upstairs balcony, and standing there was the most beautiful young woman you ever laid eyes on. She had light-mulberryish gray skin and beautiful hair in gradient colors of moderate opal–to–turquoise, and moderate turquoise–to–pale, light grayish spring green. And the irises of her eyes were pale, light grayish cerulean.

You can say she’s the most beautiful woman in the 1940s… And she looks mad… Uh oh.

"I'm sorry, Mistmane, but I ran into a bit of trouble after the show. I… I don't know if I can tell you everything about tonight." Somnambula said, a little shaky.

“What trouble?! And why weren’t we informed of this?!” Another voice spoke from the living room.

Somnambula turned towards the living room, and standing under the archway that leads into the living room was another woman.

She had light cerulean skin, pink and moderate scarlet hair, and brilliant turquoise colored eyes. And she too, looked upset as much as Mistmane.

“Oh hi, Meadowbrook.” Somnambula spoke sheepishly while waving nervously at her 2nd roommate.

"Somnambula, what kind of trouble were you in?" Meadowbrook asked again.

"Well… it's hard to say, but… I just lost a good friend tonight," Somnambula replied in a somber tone. "And… And she…" she couldn't find the words to tell them and just dropped to her knees as the memory of her friend being shot and killed crashed down on her like a huge ton of bricks.

"Somnambula!" Both ladies exclaimed with concern. They rushed over to their friend to try and comfort her, getting her back on her feet.

"Maybe you should sit down. We'll go and make the tea," Meadowbrook said.

Quickly, but not hastily, the two women led their friend into the living room and sat her down on the nearest sofa chair. Meadowbrook rushed to the kitchen to make tea while Mistmane stayed to provide comfort for Somnambula in any way she could.

“Ok, ok, just try and calm your mind. And the best way is breathing. Breathe in with your nose…” Mistmane takes a deep breath in order to encourage Somnambula to do the same; which she did. “And out through your mouth.” She exhales which gestures Somnambula to do the same.

The two kept going with the process at a steady pace before Meadowbrook finally returned with a cup of tea in her hand.

“Be careful, it's hot.” She said before handing over to Somnambula, who carefully took the hot cup of tea. She blew on it a little before taking a sip of it and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, girls. I needed this," Somnambula said before taking another sip of her tea.

“You must’ve had a very bad night, indeed. But don’t worry, dear. We’re right here for you and you’re home safe and sound.” Mistmane assured her friend.

But the calm and quiet didn’t last as soon as the three ladies heard loud knocking at their door. They paused in silence for a moment before the knocking continued again.

“Were you girls expecting company?” Somnambula asked her friends.

The two young ladies looked at each other while having confusion written on their faces.

And after a moment, Meadowbrook responded with: “No… We weren’t.”

Meanwhile, driving back to the police station, Inferno was glancing out of his passenger window and Israel’s eyes on the road while driving. The two were awfully quiet, not because they didn’t want to talk. But something was itching at the back of their consciences.

Deciding to break the silence, Inferno turned away from the window and stared towards his partner and said, “Do you have that same nagging feeling that we’re forgetting something?”

"Yeah, something doesn't seem right here. What exactly could we be forgetting? You think we should head back just in case?" Israel asked.

“No, it's not that… well kinda… maybe. But I don’t know.” Inferno replied.

As they went quiet for only a moment, that nagging feeling they both shared kept itching in their minds. And in that moment, they came to one, single mindset.

“Fuck it!” They both said as Israel does a U-turn and drives back to Somnambula’s residence.

“We’ll just tell the chief that we had to make sure, that’s all.” Inferno said.

"Fine with me. But I'm not gonna like having him breathe over my shoulder again." Israel shrugged with a deadpan expression.

“It kinda reminds me of Vice-Principal Luna when I had detention with her one time. Except the difference is, the chief ain’t a beautiful woman and he smells like cigars.” Inferno humorously stated.

"Ya got that right," Israel chuckled.

The two boys in blue then arrive on the street where Somnambula resided, only to hear something loud coming from her house. It sounded like… multiple loud explosions… like…

"Hey… is that gunfire?!" Israel asked, his eyes widened in horror.

“Yeah… Yeah!” Inferno said as he quickly pulled out his revolver and then got out of the car before he looked back at Israel. “I’ll take the front, you go around back.” He instructed his partner before he closed the door and jogs over to the front door of the house.

"Got it." Israel then jumps out of the car and closes it before bringing out his pistol. He runs around to the back of the house as stealthily as possible, ducking under every window to avoid being spotted.

Inferno also avoids the windows, making sure whoever was inside doesn’t see him. And soon he was right up close to the front door, and upon a quick inspection, the door was left slightly opened; more like it was kicked open due to the damage of the door lock. Which made his job of getting in a lot easier. He gently nudged the door to open more and once it was wide enough, the young officer quietly entered the house.

Israel turned the corner and could see the light on over the back porch. He slowly crept towards the light and saw the back door leading into the house. He peeked through the window of the door and found that the coast was clear… at least as far as he could see. So, he carefully, slowly opened the back door and quietly tip-toed inside, readying his pistol, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be lurking nearby.

Upon entering the house, the two officers each took light steps, not to make any noises along the wooden floor. And soon the paths that both officers took soon led them towards one another. And they almost pulled their guns on each other out of being spooked by each of the two.

Then all of a sudden, the sounds of glass breaking and movement came from upstairs, and without hesitation, they both rushed up the steps with quick haste until they arrived at the hallway of the second floor.

They walked along the hallway, trying to locate which room that the noises came from. Until soon they walked past a door where muffled crying and shouting could be heard. Quickly the two young officers backed up against the wall on opposite sides of the door. Inferno uses his fingers to silently countdown to three.

One.

Two.

THREE!

In a quick fashion, Inferno and Israel kicked open the door and pointed their revolvers into the room as they swiftly entered.

“PUT YOUR HANDS UP!!!” Inferno shouted.

And what the boys saw in a room where three men looked to be in their early 30s, with two of them holding a gagged Somnambula and Meadowbrook at gunpoint, who were crying and scared for their lives.

One of the men then shouted. “DON’T TRY ANYTHING OR THE BITCH GETS IT!!!” while pointing his gun at Somnambula.

“HOW ABOUT YOU PUT THE GUN DOWN AND I’LL SAVE YA THE TRIP TO THE MORGUE!” Inferno shouted back.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a bunch of fucktard shit-pricks who think they're all hot shit with their big-ass guns, going after defenseless women! I say we off these fucking assholes, leaving us with a few less gang fuckers to worry about!" Israel ranted, pointing his gun at the creeps with a spiteful glare in his eyes.

“YOU TALK TOO MUCH COP!!!” The lead man in the room responds before he gets a bullet in his brain by Israel.

And before the other two men, who held the two ladies, could react; Inferno puts his gunslinger skills to work and swiftly takes them out with two instant headshots, while miraculously not endangering the two women.

“My partner may talk too much, but he’s a man of his word.” Inferno proclaimed.

"Are you ladies okay? Sorry if I scared you," he asked, going over to untie the ladies and ungag them in the process.

While still being traumatized, Meadowbrook responded clearly with; “Its fine, but we’re more scared for our friend.”

“Yes, there were four of them and their fourth took our friend with him to her bedroom down the hall!” Somnambula added.

“Don’t worry, your friend will be fine. Arrow, take them outside, stay with them and radio to the station. I’m gonna go find their friend.” Inferno said before he soon leaves his partner with the two ladies.

"Alright, be careful out there, Knight." Israel said before looking at the ladies. "Come on, follow me, I'll keep you safe."

With Inferno checking on their friend, Israel led the two ladies downstairs and towards the front door, keeping his eyes peeled and his pistol ready. The girls stayed close to him, making sure they're not in danger. Once they reached the car, Israel opened the door for them.

"Okay, inside, both of you. Hurry!" he urged.

Israel escorted the girls downstairs and out of the house, while Inferno proceeded down the hallway, heading towards, what Somnambula informed him, would be her friend’s bedroom.

Without hesitation, Inferno kicked open the door and entered the room. There he was met with an almost naked Mistmane crying next to the bed.

Upon seeing her, he quickly tries to reassure her.

“It's ok, I'm here to help.” He said, but soon noticed that she was looking behind him.

And then she screamed: “LOOK OUT!!!”

Hearing her words, Inferno quickly turns around and before he could raise his gun, he was tackled by the fourth thug that was hiding in the wardrobe closet, which caused the officer to lose his gun in the process.

The two men wrestled and grappled, trying to overpower the other, with Mistmane crying and screaming in the background.

Soon the thug got back on his feet, while pulling Inferno up along with him before the thug began throwing hooks at the officer’s face and kicked him in the stomach, forcing him back against the wall. Then the thug placed his hands around Inferno’s neck, proceeding to choke him.

From the thug’s perspective, he was winning the fight.

But Inferno was just getting a second wind.

The officer’s adrenaline rushed in as he raised his arms up and slammed them onto the thug’s arms, breaking the criminal’s grip on his neck. Then Inferno brutally headbutts the thug, staggering him back. The criminal tries to throw another punch at Inferno, but the young officer bobbed and weaved before he uppercuts him in the face. The young officer then delivers body shots to the thug’s torso.

Then Inferno mercilessly jabs and punches into the thugs face repeatedly, before finally he delivers one last powerful uppercut which knocks the thug into the window of the bedroom, causing him to crash through the glass and fall towards the ground screaming.

After defeating his opponent, Inferno wiped away the small trickle of blood that ran down his lip before saying: “I didn’t hear no bell.”

Then the officer turns his attention back towards Mistmane, walking towards her and kneeling down in front of her.

“Are you ok?” He asked her, while sounding a little out of breath. Well, he got into a brawl a few seconds ago.

Mistmane nodded frantically, still shaking from the traumatizing experience. "Thank you… thank you so much. I thought… I thought I was… I was gonna…" she hyperventilated, almost about to faint right then and there, had Inferno not rushed to her side to calm her down.

“Shh… Shh… It's okay. It’s okay. It's over. You’re safe now.” He whispered softly to her while gently holding her in a comforting embrace.

He held her for a while until she eventually calmed down. And with that, he lets go of her in order to look at her face to face.

“Feeling better?” He asked.

"A little, yes. But… umm," she stopped mid-sentence, having a huge blush on her face, looking away and… covering herself. "It's… kind of embarrassing."

“What’s embarass-Ahhhhh!” Inferno was going to ask, but when he stupidly gazed downward, his vision was overwhelmed by the massive cleavage of Mistmane’s covered bosom. And in a quick motion, Inferno covers his eyes with his hand, while almost stumbling backwards and landing on his ass. “Okay.. Okay, I can see why.” He exclaimed.

He looked like a total idiot at that moment.

Mistmane blinks at his reaction and slightly giggles before recomposing herself. "If you don't mind, could you wait outside while I get changed? I promise it'll only take a moment."

“Yeah! Yeah sure!” Inferno nodded frantically as he got up on his feet and walked backwards to the door of the bedroom, while still covering his eyes. “I’ll wait by the door.” He said before he turned around, expecting to walk out into the hallway, but was met with a wall; which he crashed his head into. He groans in pain before quickly rushing out of the room.

Mistmane gives another giggle before seeing him out and gets straight to dressing herself. 'Poor young man must be flustered. It's kind of flattering if he finds me that attractive,' she thought to herself, halfway through dressing herself.

As he promised, Inferno waited 3-ft next to the door, since he had kicked the door down, the door couldn’t shut all the way, so he distanced himself from the door to give Mistmane her privacy.

After a few minutes of patiently waiting, Inferno then hears footsteps exiting the room, signaling to him that Mistmane had finished dressing up. As soon as he turns to greet her, he is soon stunned by what he saw.

She was dressed in a silk white dress shirt with a minty green, glittering miniskirt. Her shirt could barely contain her beautiful milk mounds and her miniskirt could only hug her lovely curves.

"Apologies for the wait." Mistmane said.

Inferno stood there dumbfounded, staring at her with awe and speechlessness.

“W-Wh-Whoa… Y-y-You look… beautiful, ms…. Uhh, may I know your name?” Inferno stuttered foolishly.

"Oh, right. My name is Mistmane. And you are?" she asked.

“Uhhhh… Knight! Officer Shadow Knight… Uh, at your service!” Inferno responded while bowing a bit like a fool. ‘Why you bowing, you idjit?!’ He mentally screamed at himself.

She giggled again, finding him to be quite adorable for a police officer. "You're too kind. But, uh… shouldn't we get going now?" she pointed out.

“Uh right! Right! Almost forgot. Shall I escort you out, Ms. Mistmane?” Inferno responded while holding out his arm. ‘Fuck! This is way worse than how I acted in front of Sunset when we first met!’ he mentally remarked.

Mistmane giggles at his response and then proceeds to lock her arm with his while giving him a kind smile. “I think that would be nice, Mr. Knight.” she said.

Not wanting to make more of a doofus out of himself than he already has, he escorts this busty beauty out of the house and out into the front yard where his partner is waiting in the car with the other two ladies.

As he reaches the car, he hears sirens in the distance getting closer to their location. The sirens grew louder and louder until Inferno spotted a few patrol cars coming this way, along with a few vans to transport the stiffs and a transport unit just as a necessary precaution.

A few of the cops got out of their cars and approached Inferno and Mistmane.

"So, what's the status here, Officer Knight?" one of the cops asked.

Before he answered them, Inferno turned to Mistmane and whispered to her in a gentle tone.

“Why don’t you go on over and wait by the car where my partner and your friends are. I won’t take long.” He said.

“Okay.” Mistmane replied while nodding her head. And with that, she left Inferno’s side and walked towards he and Israel’s car.

And with her far away, Inferno then proceeds to give his report to his fellow officers.

“We got four stiffs here, all of them thugs. Three of them, Officer Arrow and I shot, the fourth one I threw out the second floor window, you’ll find his body around the side of the house. Our witnesses and victims: three women. One of them is a witness to a murder that happened an hour ago, and two of the others are her companions. One of the ladies was almost raped by the bastards, if I hadn’t gotten into room before he gotten all the way. Do I need to report anything else?” Inferno explaining everything that happened.

"No, we're gonna have a look and gather all the evidence we can. You and your partner head back to HQ with the witnesses. You did good out there," the cop replied.

“Thank you, take care, boys.” Inferno said as he then walked back to the car.

Upon drawing near the vehicle, Inferno could see Mistmane was sitting in the back with Somnambula and Meadowbrook; which was good to see that she listened to him. And seeing his partner in the driver’s seat.

Then he went over to the passenger side, opened the door and got in. And when he did, he took a moment to grasp and rub his wounded shoulder, while feeling a damp wetness on it. He brings his hand up to his few and he can see his fingertips covered in small bits of blood.

“Fuck.” He muttered in annoyance. His wound reopened. Likely from his brawl a while ago.

And this does not go unnoticed by his partner.

"You gotta get back to the hospital after this, bud." Israel commented.

“Wait? You’re hurt?!” Mistmane asked out of concern from the backseat.

“I’m fine. It's nothing.” Inferno responded.

“Perhaps I can help with that?” Meadowbrook volunteered to be of assistance.

“That's kind of you, miss. But I don’t think…” Inferno tried to deny his injury.

“No really, she can help. Meadowbrook is a nurse. In fact, she’s a member of the Army Nurse Corps during the war.” Somnambula vouched for her friend.

"If she can patch up my partner, then she's got my full trust," Israel said.

Inferno slumped back in his seat in defeat, knowing that he can’t talk his way out of it.

Back in the present timeline, the girls had arrived at a family diner and were currently taking their seats at a big round table in the corner.

"I feel… like such… an idiot. How could I have forgotten to charge this stupid thing?" Twilight asked in frustration.

"It's okay, Twilight. Nobody's perfect." Fluttershy said.

“Yes, it was just a simple mistake, darling.” Rarity added on to Fluttershy’s statement.

“YEAH BUT NOT LIKE THIS!” Twilight shouted hysterically before she lightly slammed her arms, crossing them, onto the table and then burying her face into them.

"Calm down, Twilight. Look, it'll be okay. Once it's charged up enough, Rainbow Dash will go and get it and we'll do some investigating. In the meantime, you should relax. You're not yourself when you're hungry." Sunset said.

"Ooh! I could give her a Snickers!" Pinkie chimes, pulling a Snickers bar from her hair.

“I don’t need Snickers, I need answers.” Twilight muffled through her arms.

"And we'll get them, Twi. Just chill out for a while, Ms. Cranky Pants. Seriously, Inferno and Israel weren't kidding when they said what a handful you were." Rainbow said before covering her mouth. But it's too late.

Twilight sat up straight at speeds that will give both Rainbow and Pinkie a run for their money, then she turns to glare at Rainbow with such fury. And it added on more to it as Twilight’s skin turned white, hair lit on fire and the color of her eyes went from violet to blood red.

Rainbow Dash, frozen with fear, had only one moment to say one word: “Uh oh.” Ok. Maybe two words.

“Why you little…!” Twilight then lunged at Rainbow and then wrapped her hands around her neck and started to strangle her and shake her like a rag doll.

"Twilight! Self control, girl!" Applejack intervened, trying to restrain her. "Seriously, Twi, we're in a restaurant, you're makin' a scene!" An’ also close ta burnin’ down the place!” She said as she tries to not get burned by Twilight’s fiery hair.

“My word, how is that even possible?” Rarity asked while also trying to pry Rainbow out of Twilight’s grip with some help from Fluttershy.

"Wow, she's all fired up just like Princess Twilight was before she became a princess and tried to make sense out of the doozy my pony self was having." Pinkie specified with a squee.

Just then, Twilight's anger is replaced with confusion… same with the others.

"What?" they all asked.

"Oh nothing." Pinkie shrugged.

"May I take your orders, ladies?" said the waiter. "I can start you all off with something to drink."

"Oh, thank you. I'll have a refreshing glass of water, if you please." Rarity said.

"I'll have some orange juice," Sunset added.

"Same for me, please." Twilight chimed in.

"Apple juice fer me, partner," AJ said, no surprise there.

“And I’ll… have the same as her…” Rainbow said in a hoarse tone, while rubbing her sore neck.

"Strawberry milkshake please," Pinkie squealed.

"Oh, umm… water please." Fluttershy chimed.

"Of course, right away." the waiter said, writing them all down before going to get their drinks.

“Well… At least that shift of the plot calmed the situation.” Pinkie whispered to the readers.

"Uh, Pinkie? Who are you talking to?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, no one." Pinkie said with an innocent smile.

“Ok, now that we all are now at ease, and no one is choking the other…” Sunset said while briefly glancing at Twilight for only a few seconds. “... Let’s go over our plan one more time and make sure we don’t skip a step.”

"Alright. After breakfast, we’ll have Rainbow Dash grab the device so we can trace the magic disturbance over at Town Square. Hopefully, it should detect the source of what caused the anomaly.” Twilight proclaimed.

"And once we do find it, we'll try to pinpoint exactly where our boyfriends wound up at. Once we know where and/or when they're at, we'll come up with a machine to bring them back home safe and sound." Sunset finished.

"And then we throw a party to celebrate their return!" Pinkie proclaims.

“That’s yer answer to all our plans, Pinkie.” AJ commented.

“Because it’ll be a fun way to ease them down after their troubles!” Pinkie responded.

“Well, I guess we memorized everything we need to do, now all that’s left is Twilight’s device to be fully charged and…”

Before Rarity could finish the rest of her sentence, the waiter from earlier returned back to their table, and he had their drinks on a large tray in his hands.

“Here are your drinks, ladies.” the waiter said, as he held the tray in one hand as he grabbed each of their drinks and placed them down on the table. Which the girls accepted with gratitude. “So are you all ready to order a meal or the drinks are fine?” He asked them.

The girls looked at each other and thought about how to answer. Soon they remember that it’ll take a while for Twilight’s magic radar device to fully charge up. And besides, they did arrive here for a quick bite before they could execute their plan.

And with that they all made their decision.

“Yeah, we’re ready to order.” Sunset spoke to the waiter.

A Heavy Spender

Canterlot City; July 1946

The two young policemen, Israel and Inferno, quickly approach the police station. It's been quite the heavy night with the ladies all shaken up from having their home broke into and one of them almost raped by those goons. Luckily, they're safe and sound now.

Soon, Israel parked the car on the curb and got out. "Alright, ladies. Follow us inside, you'll be safe there. You can give your statements when you're good and ready."

"Thank you, officer." Somnambula said. She, along with Mistmane and Meadowbrook all got out of the car and Israel then opened up the door to let his injured buddy out.

Inferno got out of the car, while also being strangely careful with his left arm, or more specifically his left shoulder. He also tried his hardest to not grunt in pain as he finally got out of the car.

And he bore a sour expression on his face.

“I… hate… stitches.” He said with a grouchy tone of voice.

Before they arrived at the police station and after learning that Meadowbrook was a nurse for the Army during WW2, they made a pit stop at a local pharmacy store to provide her some supplies to stitch up Inferno’s shoulder.

And the young man did not enjoy the experience.

“Oh, don’t be such a big baby, sweetheart.” Meadowbrook teased the young officer. “Besides it was just about 10 stitches, you’ll live.” she added.

“I feel like Frankenstine’s Monster.” Inferno exclaimed as he was rubbing his left shoulder, but soon Meadowbrook grabbed his hand and pulled it away.

“Stop that, you’ll tear up the stitches if you do that. And that wound will take weeks to heal enough for me to remove them. So, no touchy.” She informed him, while sounding like a mother scolding a child.

Inferno pouted while begrudgingly going along with what the lady requested. Unfortunately for him, his mother taught him to be a gentleman to women.

Back at the station, Mistmane and Somnambula are currently recuperating while Israel is filing a report on the incident. While Meadowbrook was checking up on Inferno’s stitches, seeing if they didn’t tear up. With the majority of the goons being sent to the morgue and their only remaining survivor being interrogated, it's gotten Israel thinking on a few things.

'I wonder… just what the hell were those assholes trying to cover up? If there's more out there, then we'd better keep our eyes and ears open. And those fuckers… they got some nerve to try and force themselves on such fine ladies.' he thought to himself.

Back with Inferno, the young man was still sour about getting stitches, but he knew it was the only means of not bleeding out more.

As he sat in the waiting lounge in silence, he soon heard the sounds of someone sitting down next to him. He turns to his side, and to his surprise, it was Mistmane.

“Hey,” Was all he could say.

“Hi.” She replied, then she went quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “Listen, I know I already said this back at the house, but… I just want to say, thank you… for saving me from a terrible experience. It was really brave of you.”

Her words wiped away the sour expression on Inferno’s face, and replaced it with a warm one.

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad nothing else happened.” Inferno proclaimed.

"Me, too. But… still, I'd be lying if I said that's the end of it. I'm scared, not just for me, but for my friends' safety." Mistmane said, looking down at the floor, her legs still slightly shaking. "I just know they'll be coming back for us."

He could say to her that everything is gonna be fine, but that would be him lying. This wasn’t like the Canterlot in his time, this was the Canterlot that is plagued with Mafia families, loan sharks, and gangsters. And if the men that tried to harm the ladies are connected to the murder that Somnambula unfortunately became witness to, then this is something big. Bigger than what he and Israel can handle.

But knowing his partner, Israel will never let this happen again and he will find whoever did this. And Inferno knows that it’s pointless to convince him to back out, and he’s gonna support his friend no matter what.

So that means that they were now involved in his game, whether they like it or not. And if they’re gonna play the game… He’s gonna have to do some ‘shopping’.

“STRAIGHT ARROW! SHADOW KNIGHT! MY OFFICE! NOW!” The two officers and the ladies were startled by the aggressive holler of the police chief of the precinct.

'Ugh!!! Does he not know how to fucking use his moderate or indoor voice?' Israel thought to himself in his head.

Inferno lets out a defeated sigh. “Ugh, great.” he said in an annoyed tone.

“We didn’t get you two in trouble, did we?” Mistmane asked out of concern.

“Oh no no no, he’s always like that with us. I’m sure he’s just gonna give us another scolding and have us do paperwork like usual.” Inferno replied to ease her concerns as he got up from his seat. “C’mon, Arrow, let's see what Chief ‘Sunshine’ wants now.”

So the two begrudgingly went over to the chief’s office. While thinking positive or trying to at least not think of any insults to throw, the two opened the door and entered.

“You wanted to see us, sir?” Inferno asked.

“Shut up, and get in here!” The chief shouted angrily in response.

Both Inferno and Israel rolled their eyes as they stepped into the Chief’s office while the former closed the door behind them.

“And make sure to lock the door.” The chief instructed.

While wondering what he meant by that, Inferno does as he was told and locks the door.

Soon the two young officers sat down in their respective seats, and awaited what the Chief had to say about them this time.

“You did it again. You disobeyed a direct order, again. Now how many is that, exactly? Mmm! Seven? Ten? The twelfth?! You were told to escort our witness to her homestead, and then return back to the precinct to fill in paperwork! But instead, you turned around and went back!” The chief exclaimed while the two young officers in front of him stared at him with blank expressions, as if they were expecting this to happen. “Now! I could hang you by your necks! I could expel you from the force! But there is only one thing I can do. But say… Good work.”

But that caught the two off guard.

“Say what?” Inferno was the first to speak.

"Oh, umm… thank you, sir." Israel added, now feeling speechless. 'Okay, aside from yelling in our faces, this is a first. Getting praised for our work?' he thought.

“I know, I was surprised to hear myself say that. But… What you boys did… was the right thing to do.” The chief stated. “Sure you disobeyed orders, but you have your loyalty to the law and justice.” Then he leans forward to get much closer to the young officers while having a serious and grim expression on his face. “And men like that are hard to come by these days.” He whispered.

The boys soon had confused looks on their faces, not wondering what he meant. But seconds later, the chief starts explaining everything.

“Those scum that you killed. Well just seconds after we handed their bodies to the morgue for autopsy, we identified who these men were. They were subordinates for the Dark Trinity.” The Chief exclaimed.

“Dark… Trinity?” Inferno asked in confusion.

“They’re a triad organization, a coalition between three mafia families. The first family, the Dark Centaurs, led by Tirek, a ruthless and power hungry crime lord that Canterlot has ever witnessed. The second family is known as the Black Mass Syndicate, they're led by someone who goes by the title of "King of Shadows”. And then there’s the third family, called themselves “the Hellspawns”, led by the head of the entire Dark Trinity… Grogar. A man so cruel, so bloodthirsty, so merciless, so inhuman… that many people believed him to be the Devil incarnate. For years, these combined families have ruled over Canterlot with an iron fist. They have control of everything; nightclubs, banks, town officials, even… law enforcement.” The chief explained.

When the chief said that last part, Inferno and Israel could now finally understand what he really meant earlier.

“I was but a rookie in the force when the Dark Trinity was in its early days. I have seen good officers, good men, corrupted by that organization. When the time came when I was promoted as the Chief of the Canterlot City Police Department, I vowed to undo everything the Dark Trinity did to this fine precinct. I fired all who was on payroll for those thugs and did everything in my power to sever ties with that terrible organization. Well… almost all.” The chief spoke with a look of suspicion and grimness. “After finding out who those men were, and knowing that they knew where to look for our witness… I have a feeling that someone in my precinct… tipped off to the Dark Trinity. One of them… is dirty. And at this point, I have no idea who to trust and believe. Which is why I’m telling you both this.” The chief stated

Israel nods in understanding. "I always knew this was way bigger than any of us… I just didn't know how big… But still, we're police officers. We serve and protect and if this Dark Trinity is holding the city hostage, then we're just gonna have to work harder to pick them apart bit by bit and take back this city. We may only be 2 officers, 3 if you're in it, but we can be so much more. I don't care if it takes us decades or even centuries, we will make Canterlot peaceful!" Israel said before taking his hat off and placing it by his heart. "I give you my solemn vow, chief."

He puts his police hat back on, keeping his determined look.

Inferno stares at his partner with a puzzled look on his face. ‘Jeez, if I had a nickel for everytime he gave a speech out of nowhere, I'd be a millionaire by now.’ He thought to himself.

“Yeah, what he said.” Inferno said, nonchalantly.

“While your heart is in the right place, rookie; however, it's not that simple. I’ve been trying to take down these bastards for years, with no victory to my record. But fortunately, these events have presented a sure-fire strategy. Ms. Somnambula is now a witness to a murder and an attempted one on her life as well as the other women with her. And if these incidents are connected to the Dark Trinity, and if our best detectives gather enough evidence; for once, this precinct can finally find an opening to deliver a mighty blow to them! It may be small, but it’ll be a start.” The chief spoke with a tone of slight enthusiasm.

“So what? You want us to gather evidence for ya?” Inferno asked.

“No. I’m assigning you two to protect our only witnesses.” the chief proclaimed.

“Say what now?” Inferno asked again.

“While our detectives are still searching for positive evidence at the two crime scenes, those three young ladies are important assets to tear open the defenses of the Dark Trinity. Their testimonies are crucial to back up any evidence we find. And it seems the crime families know also, and they’ll do anything to silence them. Which is why I’m secretly assigning you two as their escorts. You are to keep an eye on them and ensure they aren’t in any danger; until we have enough evidence to take this case to court.”

"Understood, sir. We'll keep them safe," Israel saluted.

“Yeah, sure.” Inferno saluted as well.

“Alright then. Once you leave this office, do not speak of your assignment to anyone. And just to be on the safer side, we need to find a safeplace for our witnesses to stay until things are situated.” The chief informed them both.

"I know a safe place. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Shadow?" Israel turns to his partner with a smile.

“Arrow… You know damn well I do not know what goes on in your head.” Inferno said with a blank expression.

Sweet Apple Acres; 1.5 miles outside of Canterlot City; July 1946

Chilling in the living room, after a hard day of working in the fields, Marie-Ann was sitting in her wooden rocking chair, reading a book to herself.

While also being bored out of her mind.

Ever since the boys have joined the police force, it's been getting rather lonely most of the day. Even though they do come back later after their work hours, they would be tired or be called back if they’re needed.

Honestly, Marie-Ann found it frustrating and irksome.

She sighs heavily to herself as her boredom never wavered.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Until the sounds of knocking at her front door blew it away like sand in the wind.

“Huh, who could that be?” Marie-Ann asked as she placed down the book she was reading and got up from her rocking chair, though she struggled a bit (if you know what I mean), and went to the door to see what it was.

And when she got to the door, a voice spoke out from the other side.

"Yoo-hoo, Marie-Ann, it's us. Your handy helpers." Israel called out from outside.

Hearing Israel’s voice made Marie-Ann gasp and smile as she quickly opened the door, and there standing on the other side were her two favorite boys.

“Hey, Marie-Ann. We’re back.” Inferno said with a smile.

Without warning, Marie-Ann leaped at the two and wrapped her arms around them as best as she could.

"Y'all have any idea how worried sick Ah’ was with you two gone fer so long? Ah’ missed y'all so much, Ah’ almost gave up on sleeping tonight!" Marie-Ann replied, hugging them tightly.

"Sorry we worried you so much. But we managed to make it home safe and sound. But uh… there's something we'd like to ask you." Israel said.

Marie-Ann then lets go of the two and stares at them with suspicion. “Ask me what?”

“Well, we… brought guests.” Inferno said as he and Israel each stepped aside to allow a gap form between them.

And with that, Marie-Ann could see three young women waiting by Israel and Inferno’s car. With an unreadable expression, Marie-Ann stretched out her hands, tugged on both boy’s ties and pulled them harshly closer to her face. Then her expression becomes one of jealousy and slight aggression.

“Explain… NOW!” Marie-Ann demanded.

“W-We can explain! Everything! Inside!” Inferno spoke while having fear struck into him by this woman.

Israel nodded in agreement as well, while feeling the same way as his partner.

Soon after they all entered the house and sat down in the living room, the two boys explained everything to Marie-Ann; from Somnambula having witnessed a murder to her and her friends being threatened by gangsters. Explaining how urgent it was for the three women to have someplace safe to stay.

“So we, and by that I mean Straight Arrow here, suggested that they would stay here. And the chief agreed to it. And I know this might intrude on your daily routine around the ranch. But they could really use your help and your home as their sanctuary.” Inferno pleaded to her.

"If the answer is "no," we completely understand, miss. The last thing we want is to cause you any trouble." Somnambula said.

After hearing them out, Marie-Ann sat in silence for quite a while, with an unreadable facial expression. Until finally, she gave her answer.

“Well… Ah’ suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have some company ‘round the house.” Marie-Ann said.

"Oh, thank you, Ms. Marie-Ann. I promise you, we'll be out of here before you know it." Meadowbrook thanked.

"In the meantime, we'll be happy to help you around the house, if you'd like." Mistmane added.

“Well Ah’ could use some extra hands on the ranch. Especially since ma’ last two ranch hands decided to run off to play ‘cops and robbers’.” Marie-Ann said while looking at Inferno and Israel with glaring eyes before she got up from her rocking chair. “Now then, let me show y’all to yer rooms. They ain’t much, but they sure will be cozy enough fer ya.” She proclaimed as she led the three ladies upstairs.

"Cops and robbers?" Israel whispered to Inferno.

“I think it's best not to ask.” Inferno whispered in reply.

"If you say so," Israel whispered skeptically.

"And as fer you two, go march yer stenchy asses upstairs and hit the showers, y'all done stink to high heaven!" Marie-Ann says to Israel and Inferno. Then she and the three other ladies disappeared upstairs.

The two boys stood in the living room, as still as flag poles, before Inferno raised his right arm and sniffed his right armpit. Which solidified Marie-Ann’s point, as Inferno reels his head back and drops his arm down.

Inferno then looked at his partner and nodded his head. Yep, they need a shower.

Later on, nightfall came. The three ladies got settled into their temporary bedrooms, and the boys washed up as Marie-Ann requested.

And tonight, Marie-Ann is cooking up a feast, now that they have three more mouths to feed in the house.

One particular guest in the house can feel themselves float in the air from smelling a very delicious apple pie.

"Mmmmmm, is that apple pie I smell?" Israel asked, coming down the stairs, nice and clean and with a goofy smile on his face.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“I can smell it too, partner. Follow your nose.” Inferno said as he followed behind Israel down the stairs, with a wide grin on his face.

Following after the boys, Somnambula, Meadowbrook, and Mistmane walked down the stairs, while being hit by the delicious aroma that came from Marie-Ann delicious cooking.

“Oh my! What is that savory scent I smell?” Somnambula asked.

"Yes, it's so tantalizing, I can feel my own stomach rumble," Mistmane added.

"I'm starving too and that lovely smell is making my tummy sing," Meadowbrook chimed.

"Hehe, tummy? That's so cute. I love cute," Israel commented.

As they all entered the dining room, they saw a whole buffet or feast across the table. And seconds later, they see Marie-Ann exit the kitchen with a hot apple pie.

“Ah, glad to see y’all here! C’mon sit down and get it while it's pipin' hot." Marie-Ann said.

“Don’t have to ask me twice!” Inferno said as he rushed in and sat down to eat.

The 3 ladies took their seats and served themselves a plate each. Israel also shut his yap and served himself a helping of Marie-Ann's delicious home cooking. As everyone took a bite, the ladies moaned in satisfaction from the heavenly taste hitting their taste buds. Israel practically melted from how good it tasted and Inferno…

“It's like eating the happiest moment of my life.” Inferno commented while tears fell down from his eyes.

“Aw, that's mighty kind of ya, sugar.” Marie-Ann spoke to the young man.

“Your cooking will always be heavenly, Marie-Ann.” Inferno tearfully proclaimed as he took another bite.

"Mmm, I'll say. How do you do it, Marie-Ann?" Somnambula asked after gulping down a bite.

“Well, that’s a family secret, sugarcube. And Ah’ ain’t tellin’.” Marie-Ann said with an innocent smile.

"I can respect that. But that won't stop us… or those two from gobbling it up," Mistmane giggled, gesturing to the boys. We see Israel licking his plate clean and then wiping his face clean while Inferno jugged down his cider to the last drop after having cleaned off his plate, then he went to grab seconds.

"Dang, Shadow. an entire cider down the hatch and you're not even drunk this time? I thought you'd get all tipsy considering how much of a cider-holic you are." Israel teased.

“Well, guess I finally developed an immune system.” Inferno spoke before he ate up his second helpings.

“So, how y’all enjoyed yer meals, laddies?” Marie-Ann asked her three new guests.

“Oh, it's divine, Marie-Ann!” Mistmane commented.

“Best cooking I ever tasted. Well next to my culture’s diet.” Somnambula proclaimed.

“I swear I can keep eating this all day and not care if I gain weight.” Meadowbrook boldly stated.

"And you'll be the definition of "Big and Beautiful," Israel said with a wink. "Not to mention adorable, too."

"Oh, come on now. You're just saying that," Meadowbrook giggles with a cute blush.

"No, I mean it. I have a soft spot for ladies with cute sides." Israel replied.

Inferno watches this from his seat, shaking his head but still smiling. His pal always had a way with words. He knew what to say to make the ladies feel happy or special. And there was no way he could do the same. He wasn’t that much of a talker; only when a situation needed to be de-escalated.

Sure, girls at Canterlot HIgh, in the present, would gawk at him for his looks. But Inferno never really had luck on speaking like a gentleman to a lady, even with his mother’s teachings. He was lucky that he had met Sunset and the two dated.

But here in this time period? He was back to square one.

Inferno soon gets up from his seat to go into the kitchen to get another bottle of apple cider. And then seconds later, he came back with a bottle and sat down in his seat.

"Oh, and Shadow… the only reason yer not so tipsy as easily isn't because yer gettin' used to it, Ah’ actually made a slight change in the recipe so it'll still taste good, but keep ya sober yer longer, sugarcube," Marie-Ann said.

“Well, I guess now I can drink more cider now.” Inferno proclaimed before he took a sip from his bottle.

But unbeknownst to the two, that cider bottle Inferno had, was the last of the hard apple cider that Marie-Ann missed. So he was in for another hangover tonight.

“Well… If you'll excuse me. I’m off to bed.” Inferno said as he got up from his seat, while still holding the cider bottle in his hand.

“This early? Are ya sure ya don’t want to stay around fer desserts?” Marie-Ann asked out of confusion.

“No, no, no, its just… Well, it's… been a long day and I'm tuckered out. So… Goodnight everyone.” Inferno replied. And with that, he walked out of the dining room and walked up the stairs before he was asked many questions.

"Well… I guess more desserts for us, then," Israel shrugged. But he knew about his friend's stitches and why he decided to turn in. So, for the time being, he said nothing. "Still… maybe tomorrow, we can save him at least a few desserts."

"That sounds like a generous idea." Mistmane says.

"I agree," Somnambula added.

"Well, ya don't have to tell me, twice," Marie-Ann said, already setting some apple desserts aside for the wounded hero. The rest of the guests got to indulging themselves in some of Marie-Ann's delicious homemade sweets. Meadowbrook and Mistmane tried some apple fritters, Somnambula tried some apple brown betty and the goofball in silver hair had a couple of slices of apple pie.

The moment the ladies tasted Marie-Ann's desserts, they gave satisfied moans of delight.

"So yummy!!!" Meadowbrook squealed with a cute smile and cheeks stuffed with food.

"I've tasted high quality foods before, but your desserts would put high-ranking pastry chefs to shame, Ms. Marie-Ann!" Mistmane said in awe.

"If my taste buds had voices, they'd be singing back-up vocals." Somnambula chimed.

"I wish my stomach was endless, then I could eat this forever, hehehe," Israel said before taking another bite..

“Well, glad y'all enjoyed it. Now hurry up, finish up and hand over your plates so Ah’ can clean ‘em.” Marie-Ann informed them all.

"Would you like some help in cleaning the plates, deary?" Mistmane asked.

“Some help wouldn’t hurt, now hurry up.” Marie-Ann replied.

She nodded and everyone got down to finishing their food. Minutes later, after eating their fill, Mistmane stayed behind to help with the dishes while the other girls and Israel headed upstairs to turn in for the night.

Since there weren't that many guest rooms, the ladies had to share one room. Luckily, they have ways of making themselves comfortable.

"What a night. I never thought that something like this would happen." Somnambula said, sitting down on her bed.

"I know what you mean, Somnambula. I've never been so scared before in my life. I thought our lives were over. Thank goodness for those brave young men." Meadowbrook said with a sigh, laying on her bed.

"Meadowbrook… I'm so sorry. It's because of me, I wound up putting you… and Mistmane in danger, all because… I'm a witness to a murder. I don't know how much longer we'll be staying out here before we can safely go home." Somnambula said somberly.

“Hey, it could have happened to anyone. Unfortunately, it had to happen to you. So don’t blame yourself.” Meadowbrook replied, trying her best to ease her friend’s guilt. “Besides, as long as we have the officers look after us, we should be fine.” She then giggled all of a sudden as she looked at her Egyptian friend with a teasing smile. “And between you and me, I think Mistmane might be captivated by that Officer Knight fellow.”

"Is she now? Well, what about you? Are you holding a torch for Officer Knight?" Somnambula asked in a teasing manner.

“Me? No, no… But I do admit, that Officer Arrow character sure has a charming way with words. Why… don’t you?” Meadowbrook responded in the same teasing manner.

"Hmm… to be honest… they're both equally attractive. Shadow Knight is a realist, knows how to keep calm under pressure and I just know when I'm near him, I feel a sense of security. Like… he makes me feel safe. Straight Arrow, on the other hand… he's more of an idealist. He's unorthodox in terms of certain methods, but that just means he's resourceful. That, and he's rather funny, too. So, I can't choose between the two." Somnambula said.

“Oooh… So you’re craving for both of them, you little sly kitten.” Meadowbrook teased.

"C-Craving?! Meadowbrook, that's a strong, naughty word in a sense!" Somnambula said with a slight blush across her face.

“Then why are you blushing~?” Meadowbrook asked with a devious look in her eyes.

"I, uh… I-I-I could ask you the same thing from earlier… Do you crave Straight Arrow? Do you want him to… woo you with his unique charms?" Somnambula asked in a teasing manner, trying to turn the tables on her friend.d.

“Why you… little tease!” Meadowbrook responded back loudly while blushing.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Mistmane was helping Marie-Ann clean up the dining table and wash up the dishes. The farm gal appreciated her assistance

"Thank ya very much fer helpin' me out, Mistmane." Marie-Ann said.

"It was no trouble at all, Ms. Marie-Ann. It's the least I could do since you're allowing us to stay. If you need any more help tomorrow, just let me and my friends know and we'll help you out in any way we can." Mistmane replied.

“Ah’ sure will remember that, sugarcube.” Marie-Ann proclaimed.

As they were washing the dishes, Mistmane then all of a sudden looked nervous and like she wanted to ask something. After a few seconds, she soon had courage to do so.

“Uh, Marie-Ann… Can I ask you something? If it isn't too much trouble, of course.” Mistmane asked.

"Sure, sugarcube. What's on yer mind?" the apple gal asked.

“H-How much do you know about… Officer Knight?” Mistmane asked.

"Oh, well… he's got a good head on his shoulders, he likes mah apple cider and he's also very honest, hard-working and… he's a good shot and he's very… down to earth. Kinda like how I am most o' the time. Why do ya ask?" Marie-Ann asked back.

“Just curious…” Mistmane replied, but soon she couldn’t stop her thoughts. “It's just… He saved my life today, even nearly risking his life while doing it. And he seemed to be not much of a talker or tenacious like his partner. He’s so… mysterious and yet, caring. And also, I get the feeling he seems like he’s not very invested as a police officer, yet he still does the right thing, even in the most dire situation.”

"The way Ah’ see it, Shadow is a man of action, but when it comes to danger… he doesn't show it under that calm, fixated gaze of his, but Ah’ can tell he's scared. But he's one o' those men who chooses to face his fears just for the sake of others, especially his friend. Perhaps he's been through some traumatizing experiences when he was younger, or maybe it's this city that's gettin' to him. But either way, Shadow's the kind o' man Ah’ know you can count on. He's got guts o' steel… with a heart o' gold." Marie-Ann vouched.

As Mistmane heard everything, she can feel a slight warmth growing in her cheeks. And her thoughts about this Shadow had only grown fiercer. But from what she heard, she now knows that Shadow was not a man to seek a fight or get involved in danger just because, but is always ready to do the most noble deeds when he knows it's the right thing to do.

She doesn’t know why… but it sounded rather… sweet.

“Well then, Ah’ guess that’s everything. Best ya head to bed now.” Marie-Ann’s voice spoke to her, as Mistmane soon is broken out of her trance.

“Huh?” She said before looking down and seeing that all the dishes were all done. Guess she got lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice Marie-Ann had cleaned up the rest. "Oh, right. Anyways, thanks again, Marie-Ann. And have goodnight, deary."

"You too, Mistmane." Marie-Ann replied warmly. The mistress of beauty then left the well-stacked apple gal and headed upstairs to be with her friends. One upstairs, she heard what sounded like… singing coming from one of the rooms. But it wasn't Somnambula, it was one of the guys. She leaned against the door to listen and she could hear one of them clearly.

She then tip-toed to the other room where the girls were at and opened it quietly.

"Somnambula, Meadowbrook, can you hear that?" Mistmane asked in shock.

“I sure do,” Meadowbrook replied.

"Same here, I know that voice anywhere. That's Straight Arrow. I didn't know he could sing." Somnambula said, just as surprised.

To hear it better, the girls drew closer to the boy’s room, while trying not to be heard or make a sudden noise. As they stood near the slightly opened door, they could hear Israel’s singing more clearly.

His singing is extraordinary, yet the song he's singing… it's unlike any song they've ever heard of, in fact… This particular song is new to them. No singer in today's day and age has probably ever heard such a song or even thought of it. But something about it just makes the ladies' hearts beat faster than normal. So soothing… so comforting… so… romantic.

Eventually, the song came to an end and the ladies all let out a silent sigh. But then, one of them stepped on a creaky floorboard, which startled them a bit.

"Hmm? What was that?" Israel asked himself.,

Quickly, the girls rushed to their room as quietly, but hastily as they could. By the time the young man had peeped into the hallway, the ladies were inside their rooms. They peeped through the slight opening of their door to see if he hadn’t noticed them.

"Huh… I must be hearing things." he said to himself.

Little did he suspect, he had an audience gawking at his topless figure. During his time as a cop, he managed to gain a bit of muscle mass, even though he was slightly skinny. And he had developed a nice 6 pack. For the ladies to see him like this… well, their reactions say it all.

"Oh my… I… I think… I'm… I'm gonna…" Meadowbrook couldn't finish her sentence and let out a shuddered sigh as she fainted, but Somnambula quickly caught her.

"Well, someone's been keeping a healthy, well-balanced diet to get a body like that. Too bad Meadowbrook wasn't ready for it," Somnambula said.

“Indeed. Let's just get her to bed.” Mistmane suggested, and so the two carried their unconscious friend over to her bed, and had the courtesy of tucking her in.

After tucking Meadowbrook in bed, the other two ladies decided to get into their beds and get some shut eye.

In just a few seconds after laying down in their new beds, soon Somnambula and Mistmane finally fell into deep slumber. And fell into the realm of dreams.

[The next morning; Sweet Apple Acres: July 1946]

By next morning, the bright sunrise shone upon Sweet Apple Acres, and the rooster sounded the morning alarm for any living thing to wake up and start the day.

But one individual wasn’t too pleased to hear it.

“MARIE-ANN! CAN I PLEASE KILL THE ROOSTER!!!” Inferno’s loud voice echoed throughout the farm house.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! Now quit yer bellyachin' an' git ready fer breakfast!" Marie-Ann called back loudly.

Inside the boys room, the-said-young man was laying in his head, not looking too good and sounding like something ran him over.

“Breakfast sounds nice, but why do I feel like shit?” Inferno muttered to himself. If only he knew about the hard apple cider he had last night, he wouldn’t have to experience his morning hangover.

"Maybe you drank the last bit of hard apple cider last night," Israel joked with a laugh.

“And you need a rain check when people are not talking to you…AGH!” Inferno responded to his pal before the headaches became fierce as he was getting up from bed.

"Aww, did I strike a nerve? Terribly sorry ol' chap," Israel teased in a British accent before heading to the bathroom. Inside he took care of business, brushing his teeth, combing and straightening out his hair and washing his hands before heading downstairs. "And how's our lovely apple gal doing this fine morning?" he asked.

“Well good mornin’ ta you too, sugarcube.” Marie-Ann called out from the kitchen as she was making breakfast.

"So, what's on today's delicious breakfast menu?" Israel asked.

"Hmm, Ah'm cookin' up some eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes an' some leftover apple fritters." Marie-Ann said.

"Yeeeaaah! Cook it up!" Israel said approvingly, making her giggle.

Soon the two could hear sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs, and entering the dining room where the ranch’s newest guests; Somnambula, Meadowbrook, and Mistmane.

"Well, hello, ladies. You're looking as fabulous as ever," Israel complimented.

“Why, thank you, Mr. Arrow. You’re not so bad yourself.” Meadowbrook replied.

“Y’all had plenty of good sleep last night?” Marie-Ann asked her new guests, hoping that they were comfortable in their new room.

“Oh, it was wonderful, Marie-Ann. It felt nice to sleep peacefully after the day we had yesterday.” Somnambula commented.

“Indeed it was. And even though they’re not like my bed back home, the mattresses in the guest room were quite comfortable.” Mistmane also commented and soon she noticed around the room that someone was not present. “Say, where’s Mr. Knight? Is he not joining us for breakfast?”

Before anyone could answer her, they all soon hear the sounds of groaning and heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. And soon arriving in the dining room, is Inferno; who surprisingly cleaned up and got dressed nicely despite his persistent hangover.

"Heeeeey, there he is! Still hungover, but looking snazzy, nonetheless," Israel said, trying to liven the mood.

“I’m gonna smack you silly, boy.” Inferno exclaimed. They all don’t know if it was the tiredness or the hangover talking. Soon the young man looked towards the woman of the house and asked: “Marie-Ann, would you mind making some tea. This hangover is murder.”

"Hangover? Ah'll get it brewin' but how in tarnation did ya get a hangover? Ah’ know I changed the recipe o' mah apple cider recently." Marie-Ann said as she got to prepping the tea.

"Uh… true, but… I think one slipped out of your sight." Israel said, showing her the empty cider bottle Inferno drank from.

"Oops. Heh… guess Ah’ missed that." the apple gal laughed nervously.

"Well… look at it this way. At least we now know all of the hard cider is gone for sure this time. Anyways, let's get to eating, I've got a serious case of the munchies," Israel said.

And with that, they all got to enjoy their morning meal. The ladies found it just as delicious as the dinner Marie-Ann cooked last night. Israel acted like a goofball once the tasty food touched his taste buds. Inferno was still cranky, due to fatigue and his hangover. But thankfully, the tea that Marie-Ann prepped for him helped a little, and settled his headaches at least.

"Ahhh, another delectable meal. Your cooking is phenomenal!" Mistmane complimented, rubbing her filled up stomach.

"Especially the apple fritters and fluffy pancakes." Meadowbrook said, tapping her belly, smiling all satisfied.

"You should open up a restaurant with cooking skills this good, Marie-Ann," Somnambula said before wiping her mouth and cheeks with a napkin.

“I agree. The whole town would come knocking down your door for your delicacies.” Mistmane complimented as she took another bite of the apple fritters.

"Y'all are much too kind. Ah’ could start a restaurant business, but mah true callin' is apple farmin' an' Ah’ wanna be able to start a family to continue the apple family tradition," Marie-Ann stated proudly.

"Well, Marie-Ann, if that's what you wanna do, I can respect that. And hey, play your cards right, the Apple family business will really take a huge leap over the years." Israel foreshadowed.

"Why thank ya, Straight Arrow. Now, if yer done eatin', Ah think it's time fer y'all to git to work. Y'all don't wanna keep yer chief waitin'." Marie-Ann said.

“Hey, about that. I have a… ‘personal’ errand to run. So Straight, you mind going to the station on your own today?" Inferno asked his partner.

"Uh, you do realize the chief ordered us to guard our witnesses and keep them safe, right? But I'll do what I can," Israel said before realizing. "Wait… what kind of errand are you running?"

“That… I’m keeping to myself.” Inferno said as he got up from his seat. “Not to worry, ladies. I’ll be back soon. It’ll be a quick run. Oh, Marie-Ann, do you mind if I borrow your truck?” He asked.

“Oh, uh sure, sugarcube.” Marie-Ann responded.

“Alright, then.” Inferno said as he reaches into his pocket and takes out the car keys to he and Israel's car and then tosses it over to his partner. “She’s yours for the day, partner. Not a single scratch, ya hear.” he instructs him before he exits the dining room.

"Yeah, whatever, mom." Israel rolled his eyes.

At the front door, Inferno reached for his black trench coat from the coat rack and his black fedora hat before placing them on. He then grabs the keys for the truck and then he exits the house and sets off to accomplish his ‘errand’.

"Well, there he goes. Looks like it's back to good ol' fashioned hard-working labor… at least, for the time being." Israel said. "So, what chores do you have in store for me today, Marie-Ann?"

"Y'all can start by headin' into the pig pen. Ah've got some extra apples Ah’ harvested yesterday, so go ahead an' feed 'em those." she instructed.

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted before heading out into the fields.

"He's something else, that's for sure," Meadowbrook giggled.

“A very strange man,” Mistmane commented.

“Yeah… but amusing.” Somnambula added.

A while after leaving Sweet Apple Acres, Inferno had been driving around town, trying to find something. Or someplace.

“C’mon, c’mon, where the hell is it? I know it’s here somewhere.” He muttered to himself. ‘I patrolled all over this city, how can it be this hard to find a simple…Oh. There it is.’ He was thinking to himself before he soon spotted the destination he was looking for.

He drives up the curb of the place, and then turns off the truck’s engine, before he gets a good look at the store in front of him. But it wasn’t just a regular store. No.

It was a gun store.

After having parked the truck, Inferno exits the vehicle before walking up to the front door of the gun store and entering inside. The door chimes rang when Inferno opened it, which alerted the gun store owner and his young apprentice of the arrival of a customer.

Inferno’s eyes wandered and observed every inch of the store. There were a few decorations in the shop; like some fish plaques and a few taxidermy animal heads hanging on the walls. But what Inferno was more interested in was the many varieties of firearms hanging on the walls and locked in display cases.

If Inferno wasn’t being professional and serious, he would have geeked out from the gun heaven he was in.

But it wasn’t that time.

With professional courtesy, Inferno spoke to the gun store owner, saying: “Good mornin’.”

“Can I help you, young man?” the owner replied while he and his apprentice were staring at him.

After being asked, Inferno soon reaches into his coat and he pulls out what appears to be a catalog book. And when he opened it to read its contents; it was revealed to be a catalog book for firearms, and as Inferno scrolled through the pages, it revealed that some of the weapons that were displayed on them were circled.

What Inferno hadn’t told his partner or the ladies, was that last night, he had been doing some shopping in secret. The book he had discovered in the look-out room in the barn; likely belonged to Marie-Ann’s father.

Surely, she or her late father would mind if he borrowed it for a moment?

Besides, if they were going to go up against some criminal organization that’s hunting Somnambula, then they will need some serious firepower to do the job.

And fortunately, everything that was on his intended list was all right here in this store. So, once he memorized everything he marked in the catalog book, he closed it shut and then approached the store owner behind the counter.

And finally, he begins to make his requests.

“Yeah, I like to have a look at that Thompson submachine gun. The 1928 model with the fore grip.” Inferno spoke as he pointed over to the said submachine gun displayed on the wall.

The owner nodded in confirmation as he walked over to where the Thompson was hanging. But before he could reach up and grab it, Inferno continued to list the other weapons he wanted to see.

“And the Colt Monitor machine rifle; the one up top there, with the custom pistol grip.” He said.

The store owner was a bit confused but nevertheless, he went along with the young man’s request and so he turns to his apprentice and asks him to fetch the said Colt Monitor machine rifle.

And as the young apprentice went up the ladder to get the machine rifle, the owner finally retrieved the Thompson gun and then placed it down onto the glass counter where Inferno stood on the other side. Then the store owner’s apprentice soon climbs down the ladder with the Colt Monitor and places it on the counter alongside the Thompson.

Inferno inspects the weapons on the counter before he continues shopping. Pointing his finger towards the glass counter where the small firearms were displayed.

“The Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol, and the 1917 Smith & Wesson right behind it.” Inferno stated the small firearms, to which the gun store owner obliged, as he reached into the glass display case to grab the pistol and revolver.

But then something catches Inferno’s eyes.

“Say, isn’t that the Smith & Wesson Model 27?” Inferno asked.

“Yes, it is. Just got delivered here this morning.” The gun store owner replied as he placed down the 1911 pistol and 1917 revolver onto the counter.

“I like to take a look at that as well.” Inferno requested.

And so the store owner fetches the Model 27 revolver and places it on the counter along with the others.

“And I wanna see that BAR, .30-06.” Inferno spoke while pointing to the said machine rifle.

Soon the gun store owner starts to stare at Inferno as if he’s grown a second head, but nevertheless, he and his apprentice go to fetch the rifle that he requested.

“And the ‘03 Springfield rifle, with the scope, up top there. Then the Winchestor ‘07 semi-automatic rifle, just below the Springfield.” Inferno points at the two rifles he spoke of.

The gun store owner and the apprentice fetched the 3 rifles that Inferno requested and placed them on the counter along with the rest of the firearms that Inferno had picked out.

Inferno then takes another look into his catalog book to see if he missed something and then he proceeds with his shopping.

“That Remington Model 11 shotgun, and the Winchestor ‘12 shotgun below it.” He points to the two shotguns displayed on the wall.

The store owner then walks over to fetch the two, but before he does, he turns around and asks Inferno what barrel length he wants for the shotguns. “You want the 28-inch? Or the 20-inch for either of them?”

“No sir, I want the short barrel for both.” Inferno clarified.

And with that the store owner grabbed the Remington Model 11 and the Winchestor ‘12 shotguns and placed them on the counter with the others.

“And I like to see that old Winchestor rifle you got right there, the .30-30.” Inferno asked.

The gun store owner obliged and reached for the 1894 Winchester rifle; .30-30, and handed it over to Inferno.

The young man then proceeded to test out the lever-action of the gun while listening to it closely, to hear it functioning properly. And to his expectations, it may be old, but it works like a dream. With that, Inferno places the Winchester rifle down on the counter with the others.

“I’ll need one gun that won’t jam on me.” He proclaimed.

“Would you be wanting the mag or the drum for the Tommy?” The gun store owner asked.

“How many are in a mag?” Inferno asked in response.

“20-rounds.” The store owner replied.

“Then I’ll take a dozen mags…” Inferno stated. Then the store owner went to fetch the magazines for the Thompson, but stopped when Inferno said: “... And two of ‘em drums.”

The store owner and his apprentice both glanced at each other upon hearing what Inferno had said, as they’re suspicions and curiosities kept rising by a minute.

“Along with a few more mags for the BAR and the Colt Monitor, several for the Winchestor ‘07. And about a handful of them half-moon clips for the two Smith & Wessons if you got ‘em.” Inferno stated as he was inspecting the nickel-plated Smith & Wesson 1917 in his hand, realizing that it was too damn shiny.

So he looks up at the store owner while handing the 1917 S&W to him. “Do you have this in black instead of nickel? It's too damn shiny.” Inferno asked.

“Indeed I do,” The store owner replied as he took the nickel-plated revolver and reached into the glass display counter to grab a black version of the 1917 Smith & Wesson.

Seeing everything that was on the counter, Inferno then puts away his catalog book into his pocket. And before the owner could hand him over the black 1917 S&W, Inferno then spoke in a couple of words that had the store owner and his apprentice confused.

“Alright then… that’ll do it.”

The store owner stood behind the counter puzzled as he took a quick look at the firearms on the glass counter before looking back up to ask. “Which will do it?”

“All of them.” Inferno responded without hesitation.

The store owner and his apprentice were then flabbergasted by what their customer had just said.

“All of them?” The store owner asked with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Yes sir… Along with 100 boxes of .45 lead. Same for the .30-06 and… about the same amount for each of the others.” Inferno added.

The two shop workers were so shocked by how much ammunition and firepower that this person in front of them was requesting.

“Who… Who are you going after that will require all this firepower? If you don’t mind me asking?” The store owner asked.

“No sir, I don’t mind at all.” Inferno replied with a calm and collected expression on his face.

Soon after paying the store for all his orders, Inferno, along with the help of the store owner and his apprentice, carried his newly brought firearms and ammunition (which were all placed in a wooden crate) to the truck and loaded them onto the truck bed.

Once they were all carefully placed in, Inferno turns to the gun store owner and his apprentice one last time.

“Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen.” Inferno proclaimed while tipping his hat to them before he got into his truck and drove off.

"Sheesh, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that man was prepping for a war," the store owner said in awe.

"I hear ya. This was practically our biggest sale of the day yet!" the apprentice said in awe.

"I'll say. And he knew exactly which model guns to choose from, along with the kind of ammo he needed, too. Something tells me he knows his way around guns." the owner said.

"You're telling me," the apprentice agreed.

[Canterlot City - Present Day]

Back at the present day, we turn our attention back with the girls, who have each gotten their drinks from the waitress.

"Thanks, miss." Sunset says.

"You're welcome. So is everyone ready to order or do you need more time?" the waitress asks.

“We still need more time, if ya don’t mind.” Applejack spoke for all of them.

"Oh, no worries. Take your time," the waitress replied politely before taking her leave.

"Hmm, now, let's see. Ah’ wonder what's good." AJ said, looking at the menu..

“Well, darlings, I’m gonna be dining on a healthy fruit salad.” Rarity proclaimed.

"Oh, uh… me too," Fluttershy chimed.

"Well, I’m gonna have the same order as I had last time.” Rainbow said, with confidence.

“Same here,” AJ added as well.

“Again, Darlings?! Pardon my prudish vocabulary, but you two already have ‘enlarged posteriors’ as it is. Do you both really intend to go past that limit?” Rarity asked them.

"You're one to talk whenever you seduce the boys with your big assets and chest pillows." Rainbow retorted.

Rarity gasped in response while covering her own large bosom, even though she was clothed. “How DARE you, Rainbow Dash!” She retorted.

"Hey, you started this by bringing up my awesome ass." Rainbow retorted, smacking her own massive, jiggling posterior. "Plus, I'm proud of its size, even the boys can't get enough of it. Just ask them… once we get them back home, that is."

"Ah can confirm without a doubt, Inferno loves mah big apples considerin' how hard he loves to buck mah assets," AJ replied.

“Girls! We are in PUBLIC!” Rarity explained, growing irritated by the prude words they were both using.

“Aw come on, girls. We all know that we each have super curvy and thicc bodies that the boys crave like its sugary, sweet candy!” Pinkie blurted out loud.

Right then and there, the whole restaurant fell silent and turned their attention to the girls. Some with questionable looks and others… with the most pervy looks imaginable.

"Oh great, now the entire restaurant's gawking at us," Sunset said, covering her eyes with one hand and blushing.

“LISTEN HERE, PERVS! WHY DON’T YOU TAKE A PICTURE, IT’LL LAST LONGER!!!” Rarity scolded at the onlookers in the restaurant, which frightened them all greatly and caused them all to look away from her and the girls.

"Thanks, Rarity. Things were getting a bit uncomfortable." Twilight said.

“I’m truly sorry, darlings. I don’t know what came over me?” Rarity spoke, while shocked from her own outburst.

“It feels like we’re driving ourselves crazy.” Fluttershy commented.

"I guess we're all just a little on edge because we're worried about the boys," Twilight said, looking down.

"So much so that we're reminiscing about things we recently did with them," Sunset added.

“Yep, we are sooooooooo… horny.” Pinkie spoke out of context.

“Pinkie!” The rest of the girls exclaimed.

“What? I’m stating the obvious… Or it could be just me?” Pinkie added.

"Pinkie, seriously. Stop blabbing about that stuff out loud when we're in a public place or we'll get thrown out. Keep that kind of talk private when we're back at our rooms." Sunset scolded.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie replied while zipping her mouth shut. "Changing the subject, I'll go for the triple flavored crepes with chocolate syrup on top."

"I'll go with the Happy Berry Pancake Supreme," Twilight said.

"I'm gonna go ahead and order the Belgian waffles," Sunset added.

Once they all decided what they wanted to order, on cue, the waitress returns back to their table, with her pen and notepad at the ready.

“So, you girls finally decided what meals you would like?” She asked.

"We sure have." Rainbow said.

It's not long before each of their orders are taken. The girls had better eat their fill soon, because the clock is still ticking and the boys are about to wage an all-out war against the criminal underground.

How will the outcome play out?

Tune in next time… on Canterlot Noire!

Author's Note

Here you go, another chapter done for my story. Props to TheShadowKnight for helping me out with it. And as always, thank you for your patience and support, be sure to stay tuned for more chapters to come in the future and remember to keep on bronying on, everypony