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.