//------------------------------// // The Road to Equestria // Story: MIB: Mares in Black // by Blazing Shadows //------------------------------// MIB: MARES IN BLACK Chapter 1 Author's Note: This story takes place two years before MIB III and during MLP: FIM Season 1....Also, I'm very excited about Season 4. :3 It was a wonderful day in Manhatten. The sun was out, yet the temperature was cool. The traffic was backed up, yet nobody was honking at the person in front of them. The people were enjoying the day,...yet a battle between man and extraterrestrial being was going on in Central Park. Yep, just another wonderful day in Manhatten. "K!" yelled a finely-dressed black man wearing shades as he ran through the park, aiming a mysterious and odd-looking weapon at the trees. "What is it now, slick?" answered a finely-dressed elderly man also wearing shades as he slowly jogged over to the black man. "Where is the slimy bastard? The agency told us he was here, and I haven't even seen the damn thing yet!" "You've still got a lot to learn, cowboy. Didn't you read the file on Quizengites that the agency assigned you to read?" "Um...I-I was getting to that today...right before we got the call. Better late than never, right?" Agent J chuckled, trying to get a smile or even a small laugh out of the elderly Agent K. Unfortunately, though, just like all the other times, his only response was a stern glare. "...Fine! Alright! You got me! Just because I know it's what you wanna here, I'll admit that I put that on the very bottom of my list of things to do before I retire or die!" "That's what I thought you said." That earned a smile from K, but only because of the point proven by him. K had his own sense of humor. One of the main few things that ever got him to smile was when he proved himself right over someone,....or when he got some alone time with Agent O. "So," continued K, "As was listed in the Quizengite file that you didn't read, Quizengites are masters of disguise. Their molecules are able to change and expand in any possible way, thus allowing them to change into any form they wish." "Okay...So, what? I'm supposed to just start looking for something out of place in Central Park?" "That's the plan." "K, I don't know how much you get out, probably not a lot judging by all those wrinkles you got going on, but New York is full of things that look out of place. Fashions, items, people, I could name a whole damn list!" "Is it longer than that list of things to do before you die or retire?" "Oh, now you're gonna make jokes? Ha ha." "I'll check this half and you check the other." With that, K turned left and walked past his partner, expecting him to carry out the task assigned to him. "Ugh...Fine. But this is gonna be damn near impossible." So, J began his search of the right side of Central Park. He knocked on trees, crawled around on the ground, approached several people (with one woman responding by slapping him across the face), and did everything else he could think of to pull the alien from his hiding place. So far, though, the only thing that looked out of place was an elderly woman throwing birdseed on the ground when there were no birds anywhere around. "Man, this is bullshit, K! I've been here for like an hour trying to find this guy! I'm telling you, man, I don't see why we have to-" J fell silent as he spotted something that he believed could end the search and possibly get him a "well done" from his partner. A lone child was walking through the park unattended, holding a red balloon and wearing a big smile on her face as if nothing were wrong. "An unaccompanied minor, huh?" Agent J whispered to himself as a grin spread across his face. "Well, we'll just see about that then, won't we, J?....And I have got to stop talking to myself..." J approached the girl with caution, as he knew even without reading the file that Quizengites were among the most hostile aliens in the galaxy. He made sure that his ray gun was cocked and ready to fire if anything were to go wrong. Finally approaching the "girl", he put on the best non-cautious smile he could manage and finally broke the silence. "Hi there, little girl. What's your name?" The little brown-haired girl looked up at him with innocent baby-blue eyes, not losing the smile she had. "Hi, mister. My name's Patty." "Patty! Why, that's such a pretty name! Do you, um, live around here, Patty?" "Oh, no. I live far away from here, and I'm gonna be late for dinner. I'd love to stay and chat, but my mommy and daddy will be worried sick if I don't show up on time." "Oh, I'll bet they will be," Agent J replied as he slowly started to lose the smile. "Well, you wouldn't mind, before you go, if I took your picture, would you? I'm a photographer." "What's a photographer?" "....Why, a person that takes people's pictures, Patty." "Oh, I love gettting my picture took!" "You do?! Well, then, let me just get my camera and I'll take one of you." J's "camera" was actually a scanner that could verify non-human DNA. He was almost completely sure that she was the hiding alien, but, as Rule 15 of the MBI Handbook stated, "you have to be absolutely sure." J slowly reached his hand into his front pocket to retrieve the device. "So, um, Patty,...what do your mommy and daddy look like?" "Uh, mister, why do you wanna know what my parents look like?" "Parents? Well, that's a mighty big word for mommy and daddy, isn't it, Patty?" J's hand clamped firmly around the device. However, right as he was about to pull it out, he suddenly felt a pain come across the back of his head. Before he knew it, he was lying on the damp grass on his stomach. He rolled over onto his back, groaning and rubbing his head. An elderly woman's face came into view, blocking the sun. "AH!...What the he-?" Before he could finish, the woman slammed her foot down onto his "special area." All he could utter was a squeak as the breath was knocked out of him. "Pervert! Trying to seduce a little girl like that! Let's go, dear. We're calling the police on this sicko!" “Okay, granny,” said the little girl. “Bye, mister!” With that, the woman took her granddaughter’s hand and dragged her away, leaving J rolling around on the ground, trying to ease the pain. "Looks like she wasn't the Quizengite," replied an elderly voice from behind. "K,...j-just leave me alone right now...Cause I seriously think I'm gonna vomit!" "It's neither the place or the time for that. The agency just called. They want us back at Headquarters now." "B-But what about the alien?!" "There never was one." The silence in the air could be cut with a knife as Agent J lay silent on the grass. "Come on, Ace. Get up. I'm driving." K walked back to the car, leaving J, lying on the grass and not uttering a word. After a little bit, he got up, wiped the grass off his black suit, and started walking toward the car. He still wasn't saying anything when he opened the door, or when he slammed it. In fact, the whole car ride was completely silent, except for the cowboy music K had playing on the radio. When they arrived at Headquarters, K turned the music off and opened the door to get out, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "K?" "Yeah, slick?" "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS NO ALIEN?!!" "What do you mean by that?" "The hell do you mean ‘What do you mean by that?’ What kind of a damn question is that?!" "Look, let's just go inside and see what Zed wants. Then we can drive around all day talking about what kind of a damn question it was. That sound good?" J wanted to yell something else at K, but just sighed, knowing it was no good arguing with him. He always lost every argument, so what was gonna be different this time? He opened the door, joining his partner in closing his, and walked inside MIB Headquarters. Both walked past the silent black man sitting in the chair in front of the large fan, reading the newspaper. "How's it hanging, man?" asked J. "Oh, the usual. Garfield kicking Odie." "Yeah, good to know." The two senior agents entered the elevator at the end of the hall and waited patiently as it descended underground. It was a while before either of them said anything. "I'm still pissed at you for fooling me like that." "I didn't fool you. We were assigned to go after a Quizengite. We did...just without a Quizengite." "That doesn't matter, K. Anyone in the whole damn agency could've gone on this wild goose chase and Zed had to pick me to tag along with you to-" "SURPRISE!" Agent J jumped back, slamming into the elevator wall behind him. He had not heard the elevator doors opening. He also didn't notice the large crowd gathered outside the elevator, with a sign reading "Happy Birthday" hanging overhead. In the front of the crowd was Zed, the leader of the agency, holding a large cake with a J written in blue icing on the front. "Well, I chose you because everyone else was busy setting up your surprise party for you." Zed replied with a smile spread across his face. J turned to his partner, whose face still remained neutral, expecting him to add on to what Zed just told him. However, he remained silent as he stepped out of the elevator. "So, the old man does have a soft spot for his partner,” said J with a slick grin. "I'm just gonna ruin your day by telling you I only did what I was told, which was stalling you." The elder agent remained quiet, tricking J into thinking he was serious, until a small but gentle smile appeared on his face. "Happy birthday, slick." "Thanks, K. And thank you everyone else! This is so...unexpected." "Of course it is!" replied Zed, setting the cake down on the table as he spoke. "We don't do this for every agent." "Really?" "Well, we do, since it's required by the laws established by our founder, but I wasn't gonna tell you that until you got a little older." "Thanks, Zed. That's just the type of attitude a man needs on his special day." "Happy to help." K then walked over to Zed and began talking to him. The crowd may have been distracted by the cake that was now available for eating, but J could hear them loud and clearly. "So, Zed, do you have the files on the, um,...special case?" "Oh!...O-Of course, K. Just come with me." With that, Zed left with K to head towards the back. Now, normally, J wouldn't have been the least bit curious about anything the elder men had to talk about. But, when K's voice went into a whisper, which usually meant something important, and Zed started stuttering, which he hardly ever did, J knew something big was going down. And he wasn't even allowed to hear about it? "Um, alright, everyone, I'm really thankful for this big birthday thing y'all got set up, but, um, I gotta...attend to something in the back." "You gotta take a piss, J?" asked one of the Worm Guys. "....Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I have to do. Thank you...for verifying that." With that, the agent stormed to the back, eager to see what the two old men were up to. He knew they would be in the conference room, which is where they always went when they had to discuss something important. Usually, though, J would join them. "Listen, K, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. You know first-hand that he's one of the most dangerous criminal masterminds you've ever faced." "I know, Zed. But I have to do this. If we let him cross over into another dimension, who knows what he's gonna do? The guy's already tried to take over this dimension, and, since we wouldn't let him, now he wants to try another one!" J pulled away from the door for a moment as he thought about what he had just heard. "Who are they talking about? Whoever he or she is, they sound dangerous...And K didn't even tell me! I mean, the guy tried to take over this dimension! Wait,...dimesion? There are no such things as dimensions,...right? Pfft...Next thing I know, he'll be telling me time travel exists. I mean, seriously-" Before he could think any more about it, the door opened, causing him to stumble back onto the floor in surprise. The two elders stared him down with grim expressions. "...I-I wasn't listening in on you two. I was, uh,...looking for my contacts!.....Found 'em!" He held up his hands, pinching two fingers on each hand together like he was holding something. "I'd better go wash 'em off. You know, if I didn't, I might get those nasty-ass parasites. You know the ones, right? You've seen Monsters Inside Me, right?" The two agents didn't change their expressions at all as they continued to stare him down. Agent J merely sighed in defeat. "...Okay, you got me. I wanted to see what was so important that you had to keep it from K's partner for 13 years." "It's something he didn't want you to find out about," replied Zed. "Plain and simple." "Plain and simple, my ass! Now, look, K, I've never left you out of anything I've ever been assigned to. Whether it was clearing a cornfield of a bunch of crop circles or birthing a Zarquiznac baby, which ain't no walk in the park, let me tell you...But, beside the point, I've always told you everything!...Why don’t you do the same?" K was silent for a few moments, continuing to stare at his partner as if pondering his next move. Finally, he sighed silently and spoke up. "Zed,...would you please hand J the file?" "Oh, um...Sure, K.” J was surprised to hear his partner call him by his agency name. He was even more suprised to have him give in to something he asked for. As mentioned earlier, he never won arguments against his partner. Zed seemed uneasy as he pulled the file out of the satchel he was carrying and handed it to him. "Slick," spoke K, "Before you open it, a word of warning: not one thing this guy's got on his mind, no matter how great, is good in any way." J nodded silently as he opened the file. It had been stamped at the top with a TOP SECRET stamp. J lowered his eyes down the paper as he read silently to himself. "On March 19, 2009, Maxmillzon III, or "Mad Max," the galaxy's self-proclaimed "mad scientist," was searched for possession of stolen nuclear weaponry in his laboratory in downtown Manhatten. The lab was found clean of any types of weapons. However, on November 21, 2009, he was arrested after causing several large earthquakes in central Manhatten. He later confessed the cause of them to be experimentation with multi-dimensional transport, which he claimed would allow him to travel to different dimensions with ease. His equipment was confiscated as evidence before his laboratory was permanently shut down. However, approximately four months later, he escaped his maximum-security cell on the moon and returned to Earth, swearing vengeance on the Men in Black, as shown from security footage from the prison's security cameras. It was determined that he escaped by teleporting out of his bonds and outside of his cell using equipment that he had built into his nerve cells. He has not been sighted since and his case remains open to this day." "Damn...This guy's nuts! I mean, putting teleportation equipment inside your body can’t be easy!...But, wait,...where the hell was I at when all this shit happened?!" "Don't you remember?" spoke K, as if he had read the agent's mind. "That was when you were sent to that training facility in Taiwan." "Oh, yeah...Those were the worst four weeks of my life, by the way." "Anyways, Max was and is notorious for coming up with plans off the top of his head, so it didn't surprise us in the slightest when he made a big jump from nuclear weapons to multi-dimensional experimentation.” "But what about the nuclear weapons? Did he really have any?" "Oh, he did," answered Zed, "He just had them hid really, really well. So, we couldn't convict him...But, that was only his first little slip-up. Since he knew we were keeping a close eye on him, he knew that his plan to hold our universe hostage wasn't gonna work. So, instead, he decided to try another dimension. One without the Men in Black..." "And I know damn well he finished the technology to do so," spoke Agent K. "Nobody was suprised when they found out about the nuclear weapons...But we were definitely rather shocked when we found he had endured the pain of transplanting teleportation units inside his nerve cells. That shows the dedication he has for this plan of his...and how badly he wants to see our world pay. And that's why I'm going after him." "Wait, K!" interrupted J. "Why now?" "He was sighted downtown by one of our agents just yesterday. He hasn't shown himself in four months, so he must be up to something." "Well, why did you choose today to do it? Why not yesterday?" "We weren't for sure it was him. We had to scan the photos the agent took to make sure. Remember Rule 15? You have to-" "-be absolutely sure. Yeah, yeah, I know...Damn rule got me stomped in the balls." "But, anyhow, I'm going. And that's that." K started to walk away, but J stepped in front of him to block his path. "Look, K. If you wanna go hunt down some cuckoo scientist alien, that's fine with me. But, when the whole universe-" "Dimension." "Right. When the whole dimension,...my dimension, is in trouble, I'm gonna do what I can to help save it! I'm going with you. And that’s that!" K was once again silent as he seemed to pondering the situation in his head while keeping perhaps the best poker face ever achieved by any human. Finally, he responded. "Alright...But, I'm driving." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the two agents drove towards their destination, Mad Max's seemingly-abandoned lab, Agent K was filling Agent J in on any details he or Zed might not have mentioned. "K, I'm still not getting something. Where exactly did Max come from? And why does he suddenly decide to take over a whole universe?" "Take over a whole dimension." "Ugh, it’s gonna take me a while to get used to that...But, yes, that's what I'm asking!" "Well, he wasn't always bad. In fact, MIB had originally given him a passport and welcomed him to Earth. His planet had been taken over by one of the neighboring bands of space pirates and-" "Woah, hold up. Space pirates?" "You really need to read up on your files." "Again with the damn files! K, I....Never mind. Continue." "Anyways, he wanted to start over in life, and he figured Earth was the best place to do it, especially since it was rated the best planet in the galaxy to get a job." "Pfft...That I find hard to believe..." "But he had an overpowering interest for science and warfare. I think he took it after his father, Maxmillzon II, who took it after his father, Maxmillzon-" "Okay, I get it!" "Anywho, it became such an obsession for him that he began buying parts on Earth to build defense weaponry. He didn't want his new home to be taken like his old one, so he decided to build these weapons and one day give them to our planet's defense forces to use if needed." "So...he wanted to help protect the Earth?" "Yep...Until he found out that Earth already has something no other planet in this galaxy has: nuclear warfare." "And why don't any of the other planets have them?" "Hell if I know. But, soon, after learning that, he shunned all of his ideas and began stealing nuclear weaponry to improve their designs. We weren't gonna let the government get involved with this, so we stepped in. When we tried to talk him out of it peacefully, he took it as us, the very people who welcomed him to his new home, turning against him. He hid the weapons, as you read earlier, so we couldn't make an arrest. We left,...but not without striking fear into him. He knew we would be there to bust him if ever made even one slip-up. So, he decided to save the nuclear weapons for another time...Another dimension. And, since everyone seemed to be against him, he would use the weapons as warfare to threaten said dimension to transform it into an ideal dimension. One that would accept his ideas. And the rest, as they say, is history." "Not really, considering how he escaped and is now planning to take over a whole...dimension." "See, that wasn't so hard." "So...how do you cross over to other dimensions?" "It isn't easy. You have to make a portal strong enough to sustain a being traveling through it. One wrong move, and you could be stuck traveling between dimensions forever." "Do you think he's gonna bring the weapons through the portal with him?" "Well, that is a large part of his plan. He can't exactly threaten a dimension without having something to back up the threat....Any more questions?" "No. I think I'm fine." "So, you understand the whole dimension concept?" "Ye-....Does it cover the entire universe in space?" "Yep.” "You know, if you'd have told me all this when I was a simple New York cop, my brain probably would've exploded." "It might have just now. Just wait about two minutes. If you're still conscious, we'll know it didn't." "...Thanks, K. That put a real good visual in my head. Now, while you're driving, I'm gonna rethink my life and plan out my death." "No time for that, slick. We're here." J looked up at the building K had just droven up to. It looked like a simple two-story warehouse, stuck between an apartment complex and a parking garage. "This is his lab? Damn, that dude really needs some income." "Why do you think he resorted to stealing? He used up all the money he had brought with him to buy the parts, so he decided stealing was the only way to keep himself out of debt." "But I thought he was smart with science and weapons? Couldn't he have gotten a job with the government or something?" "I forgot to mention that he has very poor social skills. And, even though he's a scientist,...he isn't that bright." The agents got out of the car, cocking their guns as they slowly approached the front door. "Alright, slick. Here's the plan. When I count to three, I kick the door in and we find the target and lock on...And, if necessary, shoot to kill." "Gotcha." "One..." J's fingers tensed on the trigger as he readied himself for battle. "Two..." Sweat poured down his head as he prepared for what might be the biggest fight of his life. "Three!" K kicked the door open and burst into the warehouse, J following in behind him. "Hello, K. Who's your friend?" J and K came in to find a tall, slim, trembling man with very thick glasses, causing his eyes to appear much larger than any normal human being's. His hair was white and frizzed, appearing as though he had been shocked with static electricity. His face was very pale, almost as white as his hair, but his hands remained a dark tan color. As if that weren't enough, he wore a lab coat that was...white. "Man, you are the definition of white!" Agent J chuckled as he observed the scientist's appearance. Agent K glared at him for his humorous outlook at the situation. "Not the person, K. The color...I'm not that type of black man." K returned his gaze to Mad Max, keeping his gun aimed dead center on his forehead. "Mad Max. We meet again." "And what a pleasure it is to have you in my humble abode once again, Agent K. But, I must ask... what it is this time that you want from me? To criticize me for my work? To say that it was crazy to jump from building weapons to experimenting with multi-dimensional transport? I had to, K! You simple-minded Men in Black forced my hands! "And now we’re gonna force your hands to get in the air where we can see them, Max." "Fine...But, if I put my hands in the air, how will I be able to use my fingerprints to unlock the safe on the table that contains the shrunken-down versions of my nuclear warfare?" "...Fine. But, if you even breathe out of line, just know that I'll shoot you where you stand." The crazed scientist walked over to the table, K and J's guns following him with every step, and placed his right hand on the safe’s screen to begin the scan." "It's very sad, isn't it, K?" "What? How much you've changed, Max?" "No...The fact that you can't tell the difference between my latest creation and a fingerprint scanner...." "Wait...What are you-" Before K could respond, Max’s fingerprint scan was completed, which was all it took to unlock the true device: the multi-dimensional transporter (merely disguised as a safe). In a split second, the “safe” shot out a bright blue beam at the agents, causing them to fall back on the floor in surprise. However, the beam was not meant to harm, but to create the portal needed to jump dimensions. Before their eyes, a giant blue vortex was now hovering in the air, projected by the device. It was in the shape of a large rectangle, almost like a doorway. Max grabbed the device, a crazed smile on his face, and approached the vortex. "I'd like to say, ‘See you two later.’ But, where I'm going,...I won't ever see you two again." Max took humor in this as he burst out laughing, which sounded like a wheezing man with a sinus problem. Before the two agents could raise their guns, he had already stepped through the portal. "Damn it, K! We almost had him!" "No, slick...We've almost got him." Saying that, K pulled himself and his partner off the floor with surprising strength and hurried to the vortex, which was slowly closing. It had started out as the size of a refridgerator, but was now about the size of a large picture frame. To J’s confusion, K pulled a carrot from his pocket and threw it into the portal, causing it to stop shrinking. "How the hell did you do that?!" "No time for questions, slick. I'll go first." Before J could ask what he meant, his partner ducked down and crawled into the portal. He disappeared with a bright flash of light. "Aw, damn it, K! Why couldn't we just have shot the man when we came in?....And how the hell did that carrot stop the portal from shrinking?!" Right as J said that, the portal started shaking, as if it was straining to stay open. It was as though the universe was telling J to get his ass in there right then. "Ugh...Okay. But, if we make it back, I'm staying out of K's business!" With that, J cautiously but quickly approached the portal. He copied K's actions by bending down and crawling inside. Before he knew it, he felt as though his body was being pulled at the speed of light. In less than a second, J was gone in another bright flash of light, the portal closing behind him. End of Chapter 1! Author's Note: Be sure to give me your approving/disapproving comments. Message me if you think I should change something. Also, do not expect quick updates. It will probably take me at least 3 days to do so, maybe even a week at times. But, then again, you could always favorite it, so you'd always keep an eye on when the next update arrives. :3 See you next chapter!