It was a peacefully day in ponyville. Quite the shocker seeing as the news of Mako's little visit to sweet apple acres had already spread all over town like a wildfire. However, everyone stayed quiet about it only speaking through rumor and gossip.
In town square sitting on the fountain was the young Ace. He had been waiting there since early this morning with a scowl plastered on his face.
"Were the hell is that guy at! It's already past noon and he was supposed to be here an hour ago!" Ace thought as his foot continuously stomped on the ground.
Just as he was about to leave he smelt something nasty. He turned his head to the side and saw Mako walking towards him with his usual bartenders uniform.
"Morning kiddo! Sorry about being late, I was....ah....lost on the path of life." Mako said in a groggy tone as he yawned.
"Yeah right, you jerk! You just slept in!" Ace exclaimed as Mako put his pink in his ear.
"Huh~?"
Ace felt like he was gonna blow a blood vessel. The idea of being stuck with this freak all day infuriated him to no end and not only that something else seriously bugged.
"Alright, you drunk old man! What the hell do want from me? Sister Margaret told me to come here at noon for a 'Punishment?'" Ace said using air quotes.
"Yup for stealing from that vendor for the next three months your gonna be helping the town with me." Mako explained as Ace looked back at him with a shocked expression.
"THREE MONTHS!"
"No three days........OF COURSE, THREE MONTHS YOU BRAT!" Mako shouted as everyone looked at the both of them.
"You had better get ready kid cause I'm gonna put you through hell. And trust me by the time I get done with you, I can promise you won't want to steal ever again." Mako exclaimed as Ace grinned knowing this song and dance all too well.
"Fine, where do I start?"
For the next 3 hours, Ace was forced to run all over town helping various citizens with their daily chores. Whether it be painting houses, baking pastries, planting vegetables, bagging groceries, lifting boxes, and even playing with animals.
After hours of hard work Ace was completely spent and by now he was trying to catch his breath. However, Mako had one last lesson plan in store for him.
"Congrats kid! You got past the first day but you have one last thing to do for me today." Mako said with a grin as he handed Ace a bag of coffee beans.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with these?"
"Aint it, obvious runt? Your gonna make me a cup of coffee." Mako explained much to Aces displeasure.
"What? Why should I make you a cup of coffee you old fart! Make it your damn self!" Ace said as he threw the bag back at Mako who caught it without even flinching.
"Hold on kid You didn't let me finish. If you manage to fix the perfect cup of coffee I'll let you off the hook and you can go back to doing whatever you like."
Ace turned to him with a raised eyebrow as Mako grinned at him and tossed the bag back to him.
"But if you screw up you have to try again tomorrow! And if you screw up then you'll have to make me coffee again and again until you get it right! Oh, and for every ten times you screw up I'm adding another chore to your daily list."
Ace sneered and looked down at the coffee bag. Mako and Ace walked into sugar cube corner and without a word Ace walked towards the kitchen.
"HI Mako! What you doing!?" The loud bubbly voice of pinkie shouted as Mako turned to her.
"Nothing much teaching a lesson to a brat." Mako exclaimed as he looked at Ace as he tried to prepare the coffee.
Pinkie looked towards the kitchen and saw Ace struggling to follow the recipe and tried to go help him only for Mako to stop her.
"Let the kid work, Oh and sorry for using the kitchen without asking." Mako said with a smile as Pinkie waved it off.
"After what you've done for my friends! Please!! Using our kitchen is the last thing that bothers me! Plus the Cakes are out tonight."
Mako grinned as he watched Pinkie happily bounce away and took a seat next to the window and watched as everyone went about their business.
"Funny.....A week ago this same town was in utter chaos thanks to Envy and now it's like nothing happened at all." He thought as images of his past began to surface.
"Hope you don't mind me taking a page from your book old man."
Just then Ace walked back from the Kitchen with a smoldering cup of coffee on a plate. Mako watched as he placed the plate in front of him and noticed that the coffee was literally bubbling hot!
"Here you old Fart! Take a sip so I can get out of here!" Ace proclaimed proudly as he grinned triumphantly.
Mako took the cup and slowly brought it towards his mouth. Ace watched the event like it was moving in slow motion inch by inch the cup was racing towards his lips. And just as he was about to take a sip Mako suddenly put the cup to Ace's mouth and forced him to drink it down which caused his face to turn bright red.
"DID YOU THINK YOU COULD POISON ME WITH YOUR DEATH COFFEE!?" Mako shouted with an evil look on his face while Ace, somehow, shot fire from his mouth.
As Ace ran around the store Pinkie appeared almost from nowhere and handed Ace a glass of water which he downed in half a second.
"That was your first screw up kid! Never make Coffee too hot or else you can't drink it! It has to be just the right temperature or else it just doesn't work." Mako explained with a sly grin as he reached into his coat and threw the book he got from the library towards Ace who clumsily caught it.
"Every screw up means you have to read a chapter of that book and explain what you learned to me the next day." Mako explained as Ace looked at the cover.
"Magic Studies for Beginners? What the hell!? This is a magic book? Unless you haven't check you old fart I'm a human, not some dumb pony!" Ace shouted while Mako just laughed at him.
"Maybe but I really don't care! If you don't do it I'm adding another month to your punishment." Mako explained as Ace felt his blood boil.
"So for every time, I mess up your gonna make me read from this stupid book! And every ten times I screw up your gonna add a chore for me to do!"
Mako only nodded while Ace suddenly threw the book back at him with enough force to make a loud bang when Mako caught it. Ace breathed heavily as his face began to turn red from anger while Mako looked at him with a blank and unreadable expression.
"I've had enough of your bull crap you old piece of shit! I'm done being your slave! So piss off and leave me alone!" Ace shouted as he flipped him off and began to storm out of the store.
"Jeez, no wonder you parent up and left you, kid."
Ace stopped at the door and felt his body go numb as his eyes shrank. He slowly turned his head back to Mako who only gave him a blank stare.
"What did you just say?"
"Who me? I just said it's no surprise your parents left you behind because of your bratty attitude." Mako explained as the tension in the room suddenly got a lot thicker.
Ace stared at him for a moment before he let the weight of his head turn his sight towards the ground.
"They didn't leave me behind..."
Mako raised a brow and Ace slowly lifted his head with a look of pure hatred on his face.
"No....They were killed.........By changelings! A bunch of bugs came along and killed my mom and dad Right in front of me!" Ace shouted as memories of that day forced their way to the surface.
He was pinned down by his parents as they covered his mouth with a cloth. They gestured him to be quite as they threw him in an old closet and locked it tight, however, Ace could still see them through a small hole in the door. The door was suddenly kicked in by a group of monsters with glowing blue eyes and a greenish aura.
They tried to fight back for only a moment before they were run through by dozens of spears. Ace screamed as loud as he could but the muzzle around his mouth kept him quite. He watched his vision go red as his father was hoisted in the air by the spears while his mother slowly reached out towards the door.
He saw her move her mouth but couldn't hear her speak.
"We love you"
That was when the monsters stabbed her with multiple spears slowly turning her body into a lump of meat. Ace felt tears stream down his face as a wet sensation filled his pants. Memories of his time with his parents fell on him like a heavy weight as he went limp and soon it all went black.
Ace felt his body shake with rage as the memories re-surfaced and in a fit of rage, he ran out of the store and into town. Mako watched as Ace ran further and further away.
Without warning, Mako felt someone slap him with enough force to leave a pretty visible mark on his face. He turned to see Pinkie with tears in her eyes.
"YOU IDIOT! HE'S JUST A KID! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT!!" Pinkie shouted as she slapped Mako again and again until she suddenly felt him grab her.
She looked at him with rage still clearly present until she saw his eyes. The were so empty.....Like looking into a dark ocean. It unnerved her that such eyes could even exist and she desperately wanted to get away. It was like she was drowning in a thick wave of darkness.
"Sorry Pink's.....I'll pay you back later..." Mako whispered by her ear before walking out.
Pinkie slid to the floor with the image of those eyes still deep in her thoughts. She shivered as tears ran down her face with the cold realization.
"What kind of hell do you have to see to have eyes like that?"
TO BE CONTINUED!