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.