> Equestrian Judges! > by Zeno the Masked Writer > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Violence! Violence! And more Violence! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Crime.......Crime never changes." Late night at a fancy hotel in new york, a some wannabe cartel leaders were throwing a party. There was plenty of loud music, drinks, women, it was an average man's candy land. It was a big event so they invited a lot of people to the party. However......there was one guest who wasn't here for a good time. "UGH!! BARTENDER THIS STUFF TASTES LIKE HORSE PISS!!" A male voice shouted from the bar as he slammed his drink on the table. Everyone stopped and stared at the man at the bar. He was tall with blond hair wearing a bartender uniform. He turned around and looked at the crowd while placing a cigarette on his lips and taking a drag. A pair of very tuff looking bouncers walked up to the stranger and glared at him. "Sir, were gonna have to ask you to leave!" The bouncer demanded while crossing his arms. They continued to glare at him with very serious expressions. "Huh? Oh, you want me to leave?" The stranger asked before blowing smoke at one of the bouncers. He didn't flinch from the smoke and continued to glare at him, however, his partner was another story. "YOU THINK YOU CAN DISRESPECT MY BROTHER LIKE THAT!" He shouted while he brought his fist back. The bouncer threw his punch at him, however, he suddenly found that he couldn't move his arm. He tried to pull it back multiple times but nothing he could do could release this arm. The stranger held his fist in his palm with a vice grip. "Damn, You really need to calm down." He exclaimed while releasing his grip on the bouncer. The bouncer looked at him with a look of sheer terror. He got up and slowly walked over to the exit, however, he stopped at the door and walked over to the stairs leading to the VIP's room. The bouncers from before quickly moved to stop him. "Sir, I will not ask you again! Please leave now!" The bouncer asked again. However, this time, he turned around and tossed his cigarette onto the dancefloor. "Sorry guys but I gotta job to do." The VIP room was filled with loud music and even louder people as they danced on top of the tables and drank from very large bottles of whiskey. In the middle of this insane party, one man was sitting on a couch with a large cigar on his lips with two beautiful women wrapped around his waist. As the party entered its full swing another man made his presence known. Not by shouting or anything like that, but instead he entering the room with the beaten body of one of the bouncers being held up by his throat. Everyone stopped and stared at the man in dead silence as he dropped the bouncer. He stared at the group and slowly walked over to the table and picked up a bottle of whiskey and took a sip before throwing the bottle into the wall which shattered the glass into pieces. "JEEZ! DO ANY OF YOU DOUCHEBAGS DRINK GOOD LIQUOR!!" He shouted at them before spitting on the floor. "Damn.....This is just getting annoying!" He thought before someone tried coming at him with a knife only to stop after he slammed his fist into his jaw which caused him to collide with the wall. Suddenly everyone started to attack the stranger. He lazily dodged everyone pathetic attempts to kill him but had enough after one guy tried to club his head in with a bat. However, the bat suddenly stopped and which caused the stranger to cracked his neck and turn to look at the assailant. "Damn......you swing like a girl!" The stranger exclaimed as he kicked his attacker in the stomach. Suddenly it turned dead silent as everyone stared at him. The boss put his cigar out and brought out his platinum desert eagle and pointed it at the man. "You know....I don't like it when some punk ass loser! Breaks into MY party and tries to beat up MY guys!" The boss said with a grin as he got up and walked over to the stranger and pointed the gun directly at his head. "Whats the matter? Don't got anything left to say? All it takes is one gun and you get all skittish?" He asked as he clicked the safety off. The stranger stared at the gun with a unamused look and then looked at the boss. "DO YOU REALIZE WHO I AM YOU LITTLE BASTARD! I'M THE BOSS! I'M THE GUY WHO RUNS THIS FUCKING TOWN! AND YOU AINT NOTHING BUT-!" He shouted before getting cut off by the sound of bending metal. He stared in disbelief as the stranger grabbed the gun and slowly bent the barrel in his direction. "Yeah I know who you are, your name is Marcus Mossberg. Your family are multi-billionaires who run the market in pharmaceuticals. You run a drug cartel in new york by using your family's money to sell narcotics to drug attics, and by using the drug market you also can sell women on the side by offering them some of your family's products. You mostly target struggling women with small families." He explained as thug slowly backed up, however, he tripped over a bottle of whiskey and landed on his ass while staring at the stranger in fear. "H-H-H-How d-do you know that!?" He exclaimed while in a cold sweat. The stranger took out a cigarette and took a drag while kneeling down to his level. He blew the smoke at Marcus while he started to cough and tried to keep the smoke out of his face only to suddenly have the man grab his face and lift him off the ground. The stranger reached into his back pocket and pulled out a badge that read "JUDGE" imprinted on it. He stared at the badge in complete terror and looked at the stranger who was grinning. "Sorry, but you're guilty!" Police showed up on the scene shortly after everyone had left the party. The cartel walked out of the building and into a holding car. The man from before was leaning against a building taking another drag of his cigarette. Suddenly a strange woman with red hair and heavy makeup walked over to him and handed him an envelope. "Thank you so much." She said while he took the envelope and checked the contents. After confirming the contents, he nodded and the women sighed. Slowly she walked away only to suddenly feel something hit her back. She turned around and saw the man already walking away. She looked down and found the envelope she had just handed to him. She looked back up in shock only to find the man waving as he walked in the other direction. She picked the envelope up and felt tears pour down her face. "Ugh....I need a drink!" He exclaimed while taking another drag of his cigarette. In this world we don't need the law as a weapon against criminals...not when we can use real weapons to suppress them. Judges are the representations of true justice! Those who commit a crime beware! No matter where you go......No matter where you hide....You can never run from your judgment! TO BE CONTINED > Those Who Seek Justice > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Excuse me sir but is someone like him really necessary to solve the problem at hand?" A women asked over the phone while throwing down the current newspaper that read "Drug Bust! Local Detective Stops Illegal Drug Cartel". "I understand but.....fine I'll transfer the message to him." She said before hanging up the phone and taking a quick sip of her tea. "I honestly wish they would send someone else to do this kind of grunt work!" "HEY BARTENDER! MORE *Hic* WHISKEY!" The man exclaimed with a drunken red hue to his cheeks. The Bartender sighed and brought out another whiskey glass and poured it into a shot glass. The man took the bottle from him and started to drink it straight from the bottle. "Why is it nobody in this damn town knows about good Booze!" Suddenly a woman walked into the bar and took a seat next to the man and waited for the Bartender to clean up the mess his noisy customer had made in his drunken fit. "Here, maybe you should try this." She said as she handed the man a whiskey flask. He took the flask and smelled it, feeling like it was safe to drink he brought it to his lips. However, he threw the flask against the back wall while everyone just seemed to laugh at the display. "You must seriously think I'm stupid if you thought I was gonna drink that." He explained while the women only stared at him with a blank look on her face. "Even a rookie could tell you used magic on the flask so to hide the scent of the drug you planted in it. Also, you should try to be a little more inconspicuous. Walking up to someone and just offering a random drink only works in the movies....or cheesy manga!" He explained while taking a sip from another bottle of whiskey the bartender got for him. "I see......your more skilled than I gave you credit for." She said while taking out an envelope. "We would like you to help us with a case.." The atmosphere in the room changed greatly and she could tell the other patrons of the bar were getting agitated. The man didn't react to her request and just continued to drink. "Mako, please accept the request." She exclaimed as everyone in the room stood up and picked up various weapons around the bar, even the bartender suddenly held a gun to her head. However, Mako only raised his hand and everyone put down their weapons. "It's ok everyone! Let's not ruin the good feels in here!" He exclaimed as everyone slowly took their seats. "So it's true that you gave up being a judge to become this gangs leader." "Well this isn't a gang....everyone in here was once a judge themselves." He explained which caught her off guard. "Everyone here could tell who and what you were even before you opened the door!" He said with a chuckle as everyone else laughed with him. Suddenly a magical aura surrounded her and she transformed into an what many called an Anthro. She was a unicorn that had a solid sky blue coat with brown eyes. Suddenly the room livened up and everyone started drinking again. "So I'm guessing the Judges organization sent you then?" He asked as the bartender gave her a drink which she happily and eagerly drank. "Yes they did, and they picked me because-" "They choose you because I have a lot of experience with your kind, and seeing as they sent you it also means that the case is in Equestria." He picked up the envelope and opened it. After opening it, he quickly skimmed the papers and put them on the table. He lit up a cigarette and took a drag. "Its a murder case right?" "Actually a string of murders. We believe it's a group of organized criminals called the-" She tried to explain before getting cut off again. "Seven deadly sins....right?" He asked in a dark tone. Suddenly the room went quiet again, but this time, it was out of shock. He broke his cigarette and flicked it onto the floor before stepping on it. "I'll take the case....My guess is that I'll have a partner on this case?" He asked while she responded with a nod. "Please be at the Judges headquarters tomorrow at 12:00 for the briefing." She explained before using a spell to disguise her true form. "Yeah I understand." He said with a sigh before going into the back room of the bar. However, before she had the chance to leave he suddenly poked his head out the door. "Hey, I forgot to ask what your name was!" He exclaimed before she turned around to look at him. "My name is Moon Dancer." She explained before leaving the bar. 12:00 pm At Judge Headquarters Mako walked into the headquarters wearing his usual bartender outfit with a pair of sunglasses. He rubbed his greasy blond hair and walked over to the receptionist. "Hello sir, how can I help you today?" She asked as he showed his Judge license. She got up and led him to an elevator to the far side of the room. "They're waiting for you in the conference room." She explained as the elevator door closed and suddenly began its ascension. "Ugh...have these guys ever heard of stairs! I really don't like heights." He thought as the elevator slowly made its way up. Suddenly the Elevator stopped and opened up to a room with a large TV in front of a desk where a young man with solid white hair wearing a white samurai outfit with a katana resting on his shoulder. "I have the feeling that this kid has a few issues...." He thought as he took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. Suddenly the TV turned on and the image of a man wearing a solid black business suit appeared on the screen. He seemed to be observing the pair in closer detail before finally speaking. "I thank you both for coming on such short notice. Now let's begin the briefing." "As you, both have been informed, there has been a string of murders that has caught the attention of the Judge organization. We have reason to believe that those responsible for the crimes are a group known as the Seven Deadly Sins." He explained, however, Mako was quick to address the elephant in the room. "Why? Why automatically assume that the Sins are the ones responsible?" "There is no room for doubt on this matter, however, if you must know we got an eye witness report that matches one of the descriptions of the sins." He explained which only seemed to agitate Mako. "That isn't enough....if that really is all the evidence needed to issue a search warrant for two Judges, then the organization has really changed!" He thought as the other man spoke. "If you ask me.....I think the reason is because how the murders were executed, but that only leads to another question." He stated as Mako took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. "Why haven't we been given an autopsy report yet? The answer is pretty obvious if think about it for a second." Mako explained as he took a drag and glared at the man on the screen. "It's because the information isn't accessible through our government but by someone else's, right?" The other man asked. Mako nodded and continued to glare at the man on the screen, however, he only grew a big smile and preceded to clap for the pair. "I'm impressed! You both broke down such a simple explanation in just a few seconds!" "As you have already guessed we have not been given permission to investigate how the murders happened only who executed them. With such little information to go on it makes it difficult to select Judges to take a job such as this one! So in order to save time the organization decided to choose the both of you to handle the matter!" The man explained as they both nodded in understanding. "However, why us?" Mako asked which caught the other two off guard. "I already had a good idea of why I was chosen and why the place were investigating wasn't explained, however, why us both?" After a few seconds of silence, the man took a deep breath and spoke again. "Well, to be honest, The reason we chose two judges instead of three or four was-" He tried to explain before getting cut off by the white haired kid. "Because with only two of us there isn't a strong threat of information leaks, and chances of differing opinions causing misunderstandings on the case." He explained. Mako seemed to understand, however, something was still bugging him. He put his cigarette out on the table and decided to ask one more question. "You told us that we were selected to deal with this because it was too difficult to assign a level of danger to this mission, right?" The Man on the screen started sweating bullets after Mako said this. Mako was quick to catch onto his fear and went for the kill. "That was a lie, the real reason we were chosen was because we had experience with anthro's, right?" After a second of dead silence, the man on the screen chuckled and the screen turned off. Mako and the other man waited in awkward silence until the elevator door opened. While waiting to reach the bottom of the building Mako and the man stood in awkward silence, until Mako decided to break the Ice. "Whats your name?" He asked while handing him a cigarette, but the man declined his offer. "My name is Shiro, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mako." He exclaimed as the pair as the elevator stopped and the pair made their way outside. Outside the building was a single cab waiting for them, however, this wasn't some average cab. For starters, the driver looked human, however, a Judge could tell you he wasn't an average person. They both climbed into the cab which suddenly spun off faster than anyone could track. This was known as the magic expressway that had the ability to travel all over the world and even to other worlds... "Equestria....and here I thought today was gonna be boring!" TO BE CONTINUED > Those Who Seek Chaos > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Seven Deadly Sins.....They are given this title because they empathise the true evils of humanity. They are Lust, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, pride, and sloth! They are what as known as the kings of the criminal underworld. They work in a group but control different branches of criminal affairs all throughout the world. However, what most do not know about them is that all seven of them serve one man who they call god. This "God" they serve is actually their biological father who controls them. He is the true king and his children are his loyal knights. "Lust! were is Envy!?" The man known as Wrath shouted. He stood six foot tall and was, and still is, considered the strongest man in the world. He was covered in muscles that made him look like a giant tumor. He is considered the third oldest sibling. "Ugh...and Why would I know the answer to that! Also, turn back into a regular human your freaking me out!" Lust is considered the second youngest to her younger brother Envy. Lust was four foot tall and had a very shapely figure. She is considered the most beautiful women in the entire world, however, what most don't know about her is that she's only seventeen years old. "So...sleepy...zzz zzz." The Girl known as sloth said before falling asleep again. Sloth is five foot tall and has and average build. She is known as the brains of the family, however, she never uses it because she stays up all night watching anime. She is known as the second oldest sibling. "THATS ALL YOU WOKE UP TO SAY!" The man known as Greed shouted as he took a chicken wing from his younger brother Gluttony. Greed was Five foot tall with a pretty muscular build. He is the fourth oldest of all of the siblings. "GREED! Stop taking my lunch!" Gluttony shouted as he devoured another chicken leg hole. Gluttony is older than Lust but younger than Wrath, and as his name suggests he is a very heavy set man with a VERY big apatite. "Enough bickering all of you! Father wishes to speak with us! " The one known as pride explained as his younger siblings went quite. Pride is the oldest of the siblings and is considered the most powerful of them all and has more connections to their father. Suddenly a puff of smoke appeared with a large computer monitor. The siblings watched as the screen flashed and an image of a man wearing a black cloak with a mask appeared, however, the mask is what drew the most attention seeing how it didn't have any facial features. "Hello, Father!" They announced. "Were is Envy?" Father asked as everyone tensed up, however, Sloth decided to break the silence. "He went out...my guess is that he went into Equestria to have some fun." She said with a bored expression as she surfed the web on her phone. "Equestria! Why weren't we informed about this Sloth!" Wrath shouted, however, didn't get a response from Sloth because she fell asleep. Before Wrath could punish her Pride interrupted him. "It's fine.....let him have his fun, but we will punish him for this later." Pride explained as the other siblings seemed to agree and dropped the conversation. "Now then....let us start our meeting everyone." Father explained as everyone focused their attention on the screen. "Yes, Father!" They exclaimed. Yes, The Seven Deadly Sins are known as the seven deadliest people on the planet. They kill, steal, monopolize, pillage, and anything else that would be considered illegal. However, this savage group of killers work for an even greater evil. What new atrocities do they plan on committing next....who can say, however, very soon they will get a message from someone very close to them. > Party Crashers! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canterlot castle Tonight was the night! A very important night! Tonight was a night to remember! The perfect evening! These were the thoughts of everyone who came to canterlot that night. This was the night of Grand Galloping Galla! Every mare and stallion alike were dressed up and ready for the event. Not much of a party....but more like an excuse to meet royalty, as well as meeting for the high society. However, tonight was going to be much different than anything anyone was expecting. And it all started after a limo drove up to the red carpet. The door opened and two men came out of the car and walked towards the castle. One was wearing a black tux with bright blonde hair that he ran his hand through constantly while staring at the castle. The other man wore a solid white tux with matching white hair. The man from before looked very uncomfortable while his partner looked more bored than anything else. These two men were without a doubt the center of attention. "Ugh.... why....why me?" Mako moaned as he dragged himself towards the castle. Shiro didn't respond to him. Instead, he was paying more attention to those around him and the reaction to their appearance. "UGH! THIS IS AGRIVATING!" "Calm down....you're drawing too much attention." Mako looked around and noticed that everyone was staring at the pair in a mix of curiosity and fear. Mako sneered as he took out another cigarette. "Well, we do stand out here kid! Plus we're humans, we aren't normal around here." After this, the pair made their way to the entrance of the castle. Those who were attending the Galla made sure to introduce themselves to the princess and these two were no different. The princess was supposed to greet everyone as they entered the Galla, which meant she would be standing in the same place for hours on end just greeting everyone who passed through. Finally after waiting in line for at least an hour to see the princess the two were finally able to see her. She was radiant, to say the least, beautiful by every definition. She was tall with long rainbow colored hair that seemed to be in constant motion. She wore a long white dress that really showed off her curves. She smiled kindly and waited for them to introduce themselves. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty." Shiro exclaimed while bowing before her out of respect, however, Mako showed his respect in a.... different way. "Jeez, what's your cup size?" He asked before being whacked by Shiro. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" "WHAT!? IT WAS A ACTUAL QUESTION!" The two bickered for a few minutes while the princess started laughing at their childish behavior. After wiping a tear from her eye, she regained her composure and waited for the two to stop. "You haven't changed Mako." She exclaimed catching their attention "It's only been three years! Things don't change that fast!" He explained before handing her a cigarette. Surprisingly she took it and hid it in her pocket. She placed her finger on her lips and winked at them both. Shiro was speechless while Mako laughed. After that, they both made their way towards the ballroom. As they made their way into the ballroom they heard orchestra music playing and the loud gossip of other ponies as the talked about business ventures and current events. "Now we need to blend in...so make some idle chit-" Shiro tried to explain before realizing Mako had already made his way to the bar on the opposite side of the room. Mako made his way to the stool and signaled for the bartender to come over. "Well, I've never seen somepony like you before!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "Yeah I'm new around here! So what's to drink tonight?" Mako asked excitedly. "What would you like?" "Something strong! Strong enough to give me a good buzz!" He explained as the bartender walked over to one of the bottles and brought it back to him. "Dragon whiskey! This is our most expensive brand from Dragma! Sposed to taste like fire but is as smooth as silk going down!" The bartender exclaimed as he poured a shot glass and handed it to him. Mako slammed it back and felt the burning liquid run down his throat. He cheered as the rest of the bar cheered with him. After that, He took the bottle and started chugging it down. The bartender looked in shock as the man chugged the whole bottle and slammed it down on the table with a satisfied moan. "WOAH BUDDY! THAT STUFF ISNT CHEAP YOU KNOW! AND BESIDES THAT, ITS A SERIOUS HEATH HAZARD TO DRINK THAT MUCH AT ONE TIME!" Mako laughed and reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card and passed it to the bartender. "Don't worry about it! You can take it out of my tab! Now.... LETS DRINK UNTIL HEARTS STOP!" Mako shouted as the rest of the bar patrons cheered with him. Meanwhile, Shiro was idly talking with some of the canterlot nobles while explaining his species. "So you're a Judge!?" One of the nobles asked. "Yes sir, our job is to protect peace at any cost." "It sounds like a very perilous job." Another noble suggested as the others silently agreed. Shiro was paying attention to conversations all around him. Most were conversations about current events around canterlot, however, one conversation caught his attention. "Excuse me, everyone." Shiro said before making his way to a group of ponies who seemed to be gossiping about a rather grim topic. They were whispering and trying not to draw any unnecessary attention. "Did you hear about what happened in Manehatten?" "I haven't heard many details, however, it seems like it was a very messy affair." "Makes sense.....I haven't heard of a murder case in years!" Shiro listened to the nobles conversation carefully and quickly blended back into the crowd. However, that stopped when a strange pink mare jumped on stage and started singing. Everyone watched in confusion as the pink mare finished her little song and dance routine, however... "WAY TO GO KID!" A familiar voice shouted from across the room. Shiro felt the urge to grown as his partner laughed at the pink mare, who seemed relieved that at least someone laughed. She quickly climbed off the stage in a slump and walked over to the bar. Soon everyone went back to their conversations and forgot the whole thing even happened. "Ah don't worry too much about it kid!" Mako said passing her a drink which she gladly took. "Nothing but a bunch of stiffs out there anyways!" He exclaimed with laughing. The pink mare laughed a little while taking another sip of her drink. Mako was chugging down another full bottle of whiskey and by now he was visibly drunk. "So who are you anyways kid?" "M-My name's Pinkie Pie." She whispered in a defeated tone. Mako stared at her for a moment but it suddenly clicked in his head. He put his bottle down and patted her on the back to try and cheer her up. "Sorry that your Night got screwed up kid." He said which caused her to look at him with a surprised look. "H-How did you know?" Mako busted out laughing and took another big swig of his drink. "I could tell by that look on your face kid! Sheesh, you look like your puppy died or something!" He exclaimed while taking out another one of his cigarettes. "Damn last one to...gotta try and get some more soon." He thought before putting it back in his pocket for later. Pinkie started laughing and soon reached for the whiskey glass he was drinking and chugged the whole thing down. After she finished she slammed the glass on the table and licked her lips with a satisfied expression. "THERE YOU GO KID! THIS IS A PARTY! AND WHATS BETTER THAN A DRINK AT A PARTY!" He cheered before asking the bartender for two mugs to pour their drinks into. "CHEERS!" They exclaimed before slamming their drinks back. While sharing a drink, Pinkie explained how she and her friends had come to the Galla in hopes that they could have what they thought was the "Best Night Ever". "Wow, you kids had your hopes set way to high here!" He exclaimed before taking another sip of his drink. Pinkie sighed and took a sip of her own drink. "Yeah I know, but you can't blame a girl for trying you know!" "This is just a party for the rich to get richer." Mako said in a darker tone than expected. Pinkie looked at him and noticed his expression was completely different from before. He seemed more annoyed than his previous attitude would have suggested. "People like them only wanna line their pockets with as much cash as they can get their hands on.....things never change." He explained before pointing at a noble wearing a tailored blue suit. "That guy there is working as a sugar daddy." He calmly exclaimed. "What? How can you tell?" "It's the way he carries himself. He screams the kind of guy who will pay a lot of cash for his business. Plus he smells, like bad body spray!" He explained before finishing his drink. "Wow! You good!" "It's my job to be, after all, it's my job as a-" He tried to explain before a scream cut him off. They both ran out of the bar to see a circle of people around what looked like a pair of nobles arguing over something. One was a white unicorn mare wearing a beautifully crafted dress while the other was a very tall looking stallion with a tux on. He seemed rather annoyed with her badgering. "YOU ARE BY FAR THE MOST UNCHARMING PRICE I HAVE EVER MET!" She shouted at him which caused the crowd to gasp. Mako watched the mare with a very amused expression before he saw Pinkie's worried look. "You know that girl?" "Yeah, she's one of my friends!" Mako looked back at the crowd and saw Shiro watching as well with his usual bored expression, however, he seemed focused on the stallion for some reason. Mako laughed and took out his last smoke and lit it before making his way through the crowd. "How dare you! I am royalty! For a mere mare to say that is the same as treason against the crown you arrogant hussy!" The stallion shouted before bringing his hand back. Surprised by his sudden rage She shut her eye's and waited for the pain to follow, however, it never came. She opened her eyes to see a strange looking creature holding his hand away from her. "Jeez, you should really learn some manners kid." Everyone watched in shock as the man released him. The stallion stared at him with fire in his eyes, however, Mako just looked annoyed. "Who do you think you are!? You simple minded ape!" "Damn, really stings kid....might actually need a band-aid for that one." He exclaimed before blowing smoke in the stallion's face. Suddenly the stallion tried to throw a punch at him, however, he didn't even try to dodge the blow. Suddenly a sickening cracking sound followed as the stallions fist hit the side of his face. Most had thought that the stallion had broken the man's jaw, however... The stallion screamed in agony as he held his broken hand. Mako only spat a little blood on the floor and cracked his neck before making his way towards the stallion who had made some sizeable distance between them both. "You got a good right hook kid, but I think mine's better." He said in a dark tone while cracking his knuckles. The stallion bumped into the statue behind him and watched in horror as the man brought his right fist back and slammed it into the wall beside his head which sent sizeable cracks all across it. "Be careful next time you pick a fight kid." Those were his last words before bending his cigarette and flicking it at the stallion, who only stood in shock at the man's amazing strength. Suddenly everyone heard the sound of bending metal and watched in horror as a giant golden statue started to fall. Suddenly a flash of white whisked through the crowd and in the blink of an eye cut the statue to pieces. Everyone watched in shock as the golden statue fell like golden rain. At this moment, the one responsible sheathed his blade before walking over to the man. "What on earth were you doing?" Mako only shrugged before suddenly getting grabbed by the collar. "You must be very stupid because I asked you a question fool." He said with a bloodlust in his voice. Mako sneered and shoved him off while stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I really don't have to explain myself to you, kid!" Shiro sneered and felt his hand reach for his blade while Mako started cracking his neck. Suddenly the stallion from before stood up and pointed a gun at mako. "I AM ROYALTY! AND YOU WILL OBEY!" He shouted before pulling the trigger. Everyone gasped in horror as soon as they heard the gunshot, but what scared them more was what happened next. Mako turned his head and suddenly it felt like the world turned red as everyone watched his head explode. There was an eerie silence before anyone said anything. Suddenly the world returned to normal again, however, everyone remained quiet. Shiro's eyes were the size of pinpricks as he watched his partner fall to the ground, however, he didn't expect the body suddenly explode into smoke. "SMOKY DOLL" Everyone suddenly looked behind them and saw Mako completely unharmed. He waved to everyone as he made his way to the stallion who hadn't moved an inch after he shot his pistol. "Your gonna poke somebodies eye out with that thing kid." He said before taking the pistol out of his hand. After examining the gun, Mako threw it to Shiro who fumbled in catching it. "Now why would a prince like yourself be carrying around an illegal pistol?" Mako asked while the prince seemed to literally freeze on the spot. "Well that's not any of my business, is it Cele?" He said before walking past a very angry looking princess. "Blueblood.....explain.....NOW!" she shouted as Blueblood seemed to visibly shrink beneath her. Suddenly the door burst open and tons of animals poured into the building causing everyone to panic in a cartoonish manner. There was even a cake that flew overhead. Mako and Shiro watched as everyone ran in a panic. "Well, this has been a very interesting afternoon." "Indeed...." "We should leave." They both said in unison before bolting for the door. TO BE CONTINUED > Home Sweet Home > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mako and Shiro walked down the streets of canterlot. Mako seemed to be more annoyed than usual while Shiro had a more suspicious look. "Why didn't you tell me you could use magic?" "The same reason you didn't." Mako brought his fingers to his lips like he was putting a cigarette to his lips. He flinched and realized that he didn't have any more of his special brand with him and mentally cursed himself for wasting his last one. Shiro, However, was caught off guard by his words. "H-How did you-" Shiro tried to ask before getting cut off by Mako. Mako dragged him into the alley and made sure to completely erase his breath. They watched as two men walked past the alleyway, however, Something felt strange about them. "Who are they?" Shiro asked as they walked back to the street. "I'm not sure, but I noticed that they've been watching us since we arrived in Canterlot." Mako explained while staring at the strangers. After that, they continued their walk through Canterlot. Suddenly a thought suddenly came crashing down on both of them. "Ummm....Shiro, did the order.....give us a place to sleep?" "........umm, I don't know." Shiro said while Mako felt his blood boil. "THOSE CHEAP BASTERDS!" Judge organization The Judge organization is a system of justice. They control all matters of law throughout the entire world, they even control matters pertaining to the government. However, Judges aren't the only form of law. There still are regular police officers and the court of law, however, Judges are all of these things combined. Many things are known about Judges. One particular fact is that some of the higher ranked Judges have special powers. Not only that but most Judges are exempt from the law which is their greatest power. But there is only one thing that is unknown about the Judge organization and that is who leads it. The leader of the organization is hidden in shadows and is only known by a handful of people, and they are sworn to secrecy about everything they may learn about the leader. However, most who see the leader say exactly the same thing. After all, no one every expected the leader to be a- "Madam?" A butler asked as he placed a tea set on a very expensive looking desk. "Yes, Alfred?" "May I ask what you're doing?" The butler asked again. "Silly Jimmy, I'm watching my shows of course!" She proclaimed while giggling at the TV. "Yes, madam I understand." The butler took a quick peek at the TV and saw a cartoon playing with a cat and mouse savagely beating each other with all kinds of objects. "Oh Max, by the way!" She said turning her chair around showing what she really looked like. "Make me some lunch, please!" She asked with a childish smile, befitting of her since she was a child. She looked like a twelve-year-old girl. She had long blond hair with eyes in a rainbow eye color, and she wore a pink dress that went down to her knees. She laughed and spun around in her chair while her butler nodded. "As you wish madam." This is the darkest secret of the organization. The leader of such a major order is actually a child! Not only that but this child has a very serious problem with remembering names. Meanwhile, our two heroes are wandering through the streets....again. Mako was cursing under his breath while Shiro seemed to be as calm as he always is. "This sucks.....we've been walking around for hours!" Mako shouted before tripping and landing on his face. "Are you ok?" Shiro asked bluntly while Mako got back up and kicked a trashcan which seemed to fly into outer space. "NO DAMMIT I'M NOT OK! WHAT THE HELL!" Mako shouted as steam literally blew from his ears. While Mako was focusing on his temper tantrum Shiro noticed that someone was walking towards them. Suddenly a pack of cigarettes was thrown over to Mako. "Take a smoke break and enjoy what you have. Isn't that what you told me....Mako." A female voice said as she made herself visible to them. "Princess!?" They said in unison as the Celestia smiled. They made their way to a nearby park and Mako was taking a long drag of his cigarette. Celestia was also taking some time to smoke, however, she took her time with hers. "You should seriously use a better brand." "Hey, it's my favorite brand!" Mako shouted defensively. Shiro watched the two gossip and talk for hours while taking mental notes of what they talked about, however, one conversation caught his attention. "So what are you doing back here Mako?" She asked while Mako finished his smoke. "Were here to investigate the multiple murder cases." "I see." She said drearily. Celestia also finished her smoke and watched the moon in the distance. The mood seemed to have shifted to a more depressing atmosphere. "Every time you come to our world...it's always under such dreadful circumstances." Mako sighed and watched the moon with the princess. Shiro didn't understand the situation so he decided to be polite and walked away so the two could talk. "Yeah....maybe next time we can talk about happier stuff." He said while taking out a pair of smokes and passed one to Celestia who gladly took it. "I apologize for my nephews behavior earlier." Mako started laughing which caused the princess to join him. "Don't sweat it, I'm just glad he didn't do something stupid and get someone killed." She nodded and took a drag while Mako broke his cigarette and threw it away. He turned to Celestia with a more serious expression now which caused her to also get rid of her cigarette. "Princess.....our sins have come back to haunt us." This caused the princess to grow a very grim expression and nodded in understanding. Suddenly her horn flared to life and then a large portfolio appeared. "Here, this should help with your investigation." She explained as Mako took the portfolio. "Thank you, princess, however, there is one more thing I have to ask you for." "My guess is that you need a place to stay....and I have just the group to help you with that." She explained with a smile. Mako and Celestia said their goodbyes and soon he found Shiro waiting outside the park gates. "Are we ready to go?" He asked as he and Mako made their way towards the Train station. "Yeah....let's go." Mako and Shiro made their way to the small town outside of canterlot were an even bigger mystery is about to ensue. Not only that but an even bigger threat is closing in on them. The sins draw ever closer..... To their target. TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The train ride into Ponyville was calm.....almost boring at times. Mako was looking at the scenery as it passed. Shiro was reading a book called "Samurais for dummies". "I couldn't believe that someone would ever even attempt to read that thing." He thought as Shiro turned another page. Mako looked at the rising sun and felt a sense of dread pass through him. He noticed that he had felt this same feeling once before.....a long time ago. "I really hope that I'm wrong, however, I better prepare for the worst." He thought as the train whistle blew signaling their arrival in the small town of ponyville. Meanwhile, in the dark of night two figures met in what looked to be an apple orchard. Both wore dark robes that covered their faces but the man on the left carried a very strange object tied to their back, it was covered in cloth so no one could see what it was. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" "Very well sir." The man on the right said with a posh accent. "Were is the target?" "He shall arrive in that barn in exactly thirty minutes." The sun slowly rose into the sky and light covered the orchard. The two men exchanged an envelope to one another and then one of the men walked into the barn while the other walked towards town. "Now with the birth of a new day, another life comes to an end." Ponyville train station 10:30AM As the train pulled into the station Mako and Shiro took what little luggage they had and exited the train only to see everyone running in around in a panic. "Well....I guess it could be worse.." Shiro explained as they both walked over to the help desk. "Um excuse me?" Mako said trying to get the owners attention, however, she seemed to be.....preoccupied. "THE HORROR, THE HORROR!" She exclaimed in an overdramatic fashion which only seemed to aggravate Mako more than he already was. "Ugh... I have a serious hangover right now and all this screaming isn't helping!" He thought before slamming his fist down onto her desk which nearly scared her to death. "Now then, do you mind telling us what's going on around here?" Mako asked as she tried to regain her composure. "I'm sorry about that. Everyone's a little startled right now." "You don't say?" Mako asked sarcastically as they watched everyone run around frantically. "Well can you blame us.... there was a murder after all."She explained, however, this news made the two men freeze on the spot. "Can you tell us were?" Shiro asked while resting his hand on his hilt. "It's over by the Apple's farm." She explained while pointing at a barn around the outskirts of ponyville. The two men thanked her before making their way down a dirt road. They noticed a couple of pegasus guards flying towards the farm and realized that many of the townsfolk had rushed onto the scene. Guards were holding everyone back and barking orders to each other as they tried to regain some order. Mako and Shiro pushed through the crowd and tried to speak with the guards. "I'm sorry but only the royal guards are allowed inside!" One of the guards proclaimed while the others shouted threats at them. "I understand soldier, however, were Judges. We were asked to come here to investigate the crime scene." Mako explained while he and Shiro showed the stallion their ID's. "I-I see sir! My apologies!" The Guard proclaimed before letting the two inside much to the crowd's disdain. As they made their way towards the crime scene they noticed that even the soldiers seemed confused on what to do. Shiro decided to take the lead and walk over to the guards. "Listen up! I need a strict perimeter around the entire farm! I need all available guards to patrol the fields and search for anything out of place! And I need two more soldiers to help with crowd control!" He exclaimed while the other soldiers saluted in understanding and went to do their respected duties. "Nice work kid!" Mako exclaimed while Shiro stared at the barn. "You can smell it can't you?" He asked which caused Mako to sigh before taking out another one of his smokes. "How could I not? I could smell the stench of blood before we even got here." He explained while taking a long drag before walking over to the barn doors. Inside was a bloody mess. Thier was blood scattered all across the wall and at the center of the barn, nailed to the wall, was the body. The victim had both of his hands spiked to the wall as well as both of his feet nailed together. His body had been sliced open with his intestines spread out on both the left and right side of his body in the shape of short stumpy wings. Shiro couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had heard of the seven deadly sins cruelty.....but this was.....pure evil. Mako looked rather calm almost nostalgic as he observed the crime scene. "This your first time?" He asked as Shiro snapped out of his daze. "M-My first time?" Shiro asked while Mako finished his smoke and stamped out the remains. "Your first time seeing their work in person." Shiro could feel the atmosphere around him grow colder and colder as their stared at the body. Suddenly the door to the barn burst open and a guard saluted the two men. "I'm sorry to bother you both, however, I was told to send a message to all officers!" He explained as they walked over to the guard to listen to his report. "In the murder of Silver Locket, we now have the prime suspect!" "One Mrs. Applejack!" TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mako and Shiro shared a look of shock as the guard gave his report. Shortly afterwards the guard left the judges to their business. Mako couldn't believe what he had heard and Shiro felt a chill run down his spine. "W-Why?" Mako asked as he held is head in is hands. Shiro gave him a confused look as Mako pulled out another cigarette and took a drag. He seemed to be thinking of something, however, Shiro couldn't help but feel uneasy. "Envy wouldn't frame someone for a crime he committed. After all, it's against the rules of the sins." He whispered which confused Shiro, however, before he could ask Mako for details he got up and left the barn Shiro quickly followed after him. "Shiro I need to ask you a favour." "Sure.....what is it?" "I need you to call in a three-day ruling on this investigation." Mako exclaimed while Shiro stopped in his tracks and stared in shock at his partner's words. "The three-day ruling gives a judge three days to conduct an investigation and rule out all possible suspects. Not only that but we are supposed to find the real culprit or else the closet suspect will be given the death penalty." Mako explained while watching the crowd slowly die down. "I understand the three-day rule, however, are you sure it's wise to do that?" Shiro asked as he looked back at the barn. "After all, if we do this there is a chance that the real culprit would learn that were here?" He asked while Mako pulled out the envelope he got from Celestia. "I understand that, however, we can let some kid suffer from somebody else's crime!" Mako shouted as he finished his cigarette and threw the stump away. Shiro seemed reluctant at first because of fear that one of the sins might get away. However.... "Very well I'll call in a three-day ruling, however, You and I see conflicting views considering this case." Shiro explained as he and Mako squared off with each other. "So I'll be investigating the murder while you investigate the murderer?" Mako summarized with a sigh. Shiro nodded and walked off the farm. Mako watched as Shiro's figure shrank in the distance. Suddenly one of the guards from before ran up to him in a hurry. "I'm sorry sir, but do you have a moment?" The guard asked while Mako nodded. "We did an entire sweep of the orchard and we couldn't find anything out of the ordinary....except one thing." He explained which caught Mako's attention. "One thing?" "Yes sir! The only thing we found in the orchard was a wood carving knife." He explained before handing over the object in a small plastic bag. "I see......where was this knife found and were there any fingerprints found on it?" Mako asked while observing the knife for any traces of blood. "We found the knife plunged into a tree a few kilometers from the barn and we couldn't find any fingerprints on the knife or the tree." The guard explained while Mako put the knife into his pocket. "Thank you, before you leave I have a few questions about the crime in question." Mako asked while making his way back to the barn. As Mako opened the doors to the barn the guard stood in shock as he observed the grotesque sight. "What exactly was the victim's name? And what was the estimated time of death?" Mako asked while glaring at the body. "H-His name was Silver Locket and his estimated time of death was around 9:45 AM." "And when exactly was the body found and who was the first person to find the body?" The Guard felt a chill run down his spine the longer he stared at the body, however, he snapped out of his daze and realized the man had asked him a question. "T-The body was found around 10:00 AM and the first one on the scene was...." He tried to explain before hesitating towards the end. "Who was it?" "The first one to see the victim was Mrs. Applejack, sir." He explained with a guilty look on his face. Mako stared in shock. Suddenly he felt like this case just got a lot more grim. "Why the suspicion on this suspect?" The guard sighed before taking out a photo and handed it to him. "We found her prized brown stetson hat on the scene of the crime right next to the victim." The guard explained while Mako tried to understand the evidence. "A stetson hat? Isn't it possible that someone just bought a similar hat?" Mako asked while taking out a small flask. "I'm sorry sir but that isn't possible. The hat that Mrs. Applejack wears is a custom made by her late father." He explained as Mako took a swig of his liquor. "I see....thank you for your help. You're dismissed." Mako exclaimed while the guard took his leave. "Let's see if I understand everything so far..... The suspect, in this case, is Mrs. Applejack because of her appearance at the scene of the crime around 10:00 AM, and her hat found next to the victim. The only key pieces of evidence against her is the hat at the moment, however, the knife might come in handy for later. For now, I think the next plan of action would be going to see Applejack in person." Mako summarized as he put his flask away. Mako got up and closed the barn doors before walking off the farm. The guards had shortened significantly with only two or three guarding the barn. He slowly made his way back to town with the knowledge that this case had gone from an open and shut case... "To a complete shit show." "Are you sure this is necessary?" A decrypted voice asked over the phone Shiro was currently on the phone with an unknown source. Shiro was making steps to start the three-day ruling rule with someone from the organization. However, the person he was talking with at the moment seemed....strange. "Yes sir I understand the risks of this, however, we believe that it is necessary to find the sins." Shiro explained. "Very well then, the three-day ruling is active. Now then about your other investigation." The voice exclaimed while Shiro grew a darker expression. "Yes sir, I haven't noticed anything that would relate him to the sins.....at least, nothing that sticks to his profile." Shiro explained while he pulled a file out and observed the contents. "I see, continue with your investigation....even if you must use force to do so." The voice explained before hanging up. "Yes sir, I understand." TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Ponyville Precinct 12:00 PM" Mako made his way towards the precinct so he could ask Applejack a few questions before starting the investigation. However, thoughts of his past experiences with the sins raged in his mind. While he was lost in thought he failed to notice the he had already arrived at the precinct. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CANT SEE HER!?" A tomboyish voice shouted. Mako finally snapped back to reality and noticed that six mares were arguing with a sentry guard placed at the front of the precinct. He remembered seeing these same girls the other night at the Gala especially that white colored mare. "P-Please let us in! We're just worried about her!?" A timid voice asked as the others argued their opinion. Mako walked over to the guard and showed him his ID and he stood aside for him to pass. Mako looked a the girls and motioned them to follow him. Not being ones to argue they followed him inside. "Wowie mister! You must be super de duper important!" Pinkie exclaimed as she met up with her old friend. "I wouldn't say important....anyways I'm sorry about your friend." Makos words made the pink bubbly mare darken a little and caused her friend to give worried glances towards one another. Mako sighed and took out his smokes and lit one. "Your friends gonna be fine." Mako exclaimed as the girls seemed surprised by his words. "I am a judge sent by the Judges organization and rest assured that I'll do whatever it takes to help your friend." The Girls seemed a little calmer that someone was going to help their friend, however, the events of the day lingered in their minds. Mako to a drag and walked into a small room with a window. After waiting in silence for 30 minutes finally, their friend walked out with two handcuffs around her wrists and took a seat in front of the window in front of her concerned friends. They suddenly erupted into asking about how she was. mako let them ask their questions before diving into the heart of the subject. "Girls settle down! I'm fine.... and I promise that I'll be out of here soon." Applejack exclaimed with her strong southern draw and a knowing smile. "I'm sorry Applejack but the chances of you getting out of this unscathed is less than 10 percent." Mako explained while blowing a hue of smoke. Applejack suddenly snapped to attention when she noticed his presence. The Girls stared at him as he pulled out what evidence he had on him. "Applejack I am afraid to tell you this, but you are the only suspect in the death of Silver Locket." Everyone felt their hearts sink into their stomach as the eerie silence filled the room. "As things stand now..... I have no doubt that you will be given the death penalty....." Mako explained lingering on his final words. "Tomorrow." These words caused the girls to shriek in terror while Applejack seemed to lose all the color in her face. Mako took another puff of his cigarette and looked at the girl with a serious expression. "There is only one way out of this...and that is to let me have your permission to activate a three-day ruling." Mako explained as the girls looked at him in shock. "Once I have your permission I will begin an investigation to find the real culprit within three days. If I am unable to prove your innocence then your are declared guilty on the spot." Applejack's face seemed to be filled with nothing but fear as death seemed to be lingering overhead. Before any of her friends could say anything she looked at the man with tears streaming down her face. "Will you promise me that this person will pay for what they have done!" She cried as Mako's eyes seemed to deepen and Applejack seemed almost scared of them. "I promise that they will pay for this.....in blood." Mako exclaimed as the rest of the girls focused on him. "Now let's focus on the problem at hand. I need some information and who better than you to give it to me." Applejack nodded in understanding as Mako signaled for the girls to leave them alone for a while. Everyone said goodbye and left the room as quickly as they could. "First I want you to tell me what you saw when you arrived at the scene of the crime." Mako explained while she nodded. "I had just got back from the Gala from the night before and I went to bed real early. After about 9:30 I had woke up and got dressed for the day and went downstairs to see a note that said that Granny, Big Mach, and Applebloom had gone into town. So before I went out I decided to go to the barn where I found the body, and I'm pretty sure that was around 10:00." Mako listened to her explanation and noticed some parts that seemed strange. "What time did you arrive back home last night?" Mako asked as Applejack gave him a confused look. "Well, I believe it was around 11:00 last night." She explained with a raised eyebrow. "And how did you get home? I actually took the train it arrived at the station around 10:30." Mako explained as Applejack sighed. "We took a carriage to the Gala and we took a shortcut back to ponyville which only took about 45 minutes." Mako seemed pleased with what he had, however, there were some more pieces missing from this puzzle. He took another drag and waited. "Now let's talk about your reaction to the body and what you did for the 30 minutes before you stumbled across the body." Applejack grew uneasy and tried to hide her face behind her hair, seeing as how she didn't have her hat. Mako quickly noticed this and realized that he was now getting somewhere. "What did you do for the 30 minutes before you found the body?" "I-I was getting a shower!" She shouted as her face scrunched up. "You're a terrible liar Applejack, besides you had said earlier that you had gotten dressed when you woke up and went downstairs and found the note from your...family I assume." Applejack sighed and turned a deep crimson as she pulled out a card that was in her pocket. and asked for the guard to pass this note over to him, which with Makos permission was allowed. "I had got this note the night I had got home." She explained as he looked at the letter. Mako opened the letter and found what looked like.....a love letter. After reading the content, the signature is what catches his attention. "So Mrs. Applejack...did you know Silver Locket personally?" He asked as she turned a deeper shade of red. Mako took that as a yes and looked back at the letter. "My dear Applejack, It has been years since I have seen you and my feelings for you haven't changed even now. I want to see you so I plan on being outside the barn tomorrow around 10:00, please be there so I can share my feelings with you once again. Love, Silver Locket." Mako felt some sweat drop down his brown reading the cheesy and somewhat over the top tone of the letter. He looked at Applejack who was even redder now than she was before. "So were you two..." "NO NO NO! I WASNT! I WOUNDENT! I JUST KNEW HIM WHEN WE WERE KIDS THATS ALL!" She exaggerated while putting her arms out in front of her like a shield. "Ok I get it, geez kid you're really touchy you know that?" Mako took the note and put it with the rest of the evidence while Applejack regained her composure. "There is only one more thing I want to know before I go." Applejack sighed in relief knowing that this QNA session was almost over. However, Mako seemed to be tenser than he was before. "I need to know what you did when you found the body." Mako asked with a softer expression knowing all too well the trauma of seeing a sight like that. Applejack once again seemed to lose color in her face remembering the scene of the crime. Mako sighed and picked up his things and stood by the door. "I'll be back tomorrow so get some rest." He explained before taking his leave. The Girls waited for the man from before to come out for about 20 minutes and in that time, it appeared that his partner had stumbled on them. Shiro was lost in thought over where to begin his investigation when he saw the girls. Memories of the night prior rushed back to him and he remembered the chaos those girls created. Suddenly the door to the precinct opened and Mako stepped outside and sighed. "IS SHE GONNA BE OK!?" The girls asked in unison. Mako gave them a blank stare and finally finished his smoke and flicked the remains away. "Yeah, she'll be fine. For now, I want all of you to go home." Mako said as the girls glared at him. "We have to help find the person who did this!?" The tomboyish rainbow mare exclaimed as the other nodded in agreement, however, Mako glared at the girls. "No, you will all stay out of this investigation!" Mako exclaimed with a death stare. Before the girls could get another word out they saw that Mako was serious.....deadly serious. His expression proved that if they had taken any other step further than they might be in BIG trouble. "Look.....I don't want anyone else getting killed over this. So I'm begging you not to do anything stupid while we do this investigation." He exclaimed as Siro nodded in agreement. "You all have to understand that we are professionals and putting you all in danger is the least of or desires."Shiro explained as the girls slumped. Mako sighed and felt his stomach growling and he headed towards a restaurant, however, what he didn't realize was everyone following him. TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mako was thinking about the day thus far and what exactly he was gonna have to put up with soon. Needless to say, he was a little angry at the idea of getting to work so soon. He was kinda hoping to hit up a few bars around here and get plastered. But...... "Can someone please explain....." Mako said while his eyebrow twitched involuntarily. "WHY THE HELL ARE THESE KIDS HERE!" The Girls had followed Mako and Shiro to a small diner next to the mayor's office. The place was small and accessible to both humans and Anthros. "Ah stop your whining!" Dash exclaimed after stuffing her face full of hay fries. Mako felt his teeth grinding trying to hold back his anger with smoke rising from his ears. The others giggled at his mental breakdown which caused him to sneer as Shiro sipped on his tea. "So how is progress coming on the Case?" Shiro asked with an interested stare. The Girls focused in on Mako who felt like he was being threatened at gunpoint. He sighed and brought out a small document he was holding. Shiro took the folder and looked through it. "I don't know much other than the fact that Silver Locket was a member of this town at some point and that someone wanted both Applejack and Silver Locket at the same place." He explained as the girls tried to peek at the documents. "I see, well I have issued the three-day ruling. Now we have to find a way to clear Applejack of suspicion as soon as possible." Mako sighed before pulling out Applejacks hat. "I understand that much Shiro, however, what I'm having trouble understanding is how they suspect this girl of murder only based off a hat?" He explained as Shiro observed the brown stetson. "Anyways I would rather not dwell on this much longer. Let's let tomorrow handle itself... for know let's just eat. By the way, whose paying for this?" Mako asked as the entire group pointed at him with blank stares. "OH THATS REAL NICE!" After dinner, the girls, Mako, and Shiro made their way outside. It had gotten noticeably darker and by now everyone was going home to get some sleep, which reminded the Judges of one particular fact they forgot to investigate. "UGH!!! DAMNIT I FORGOT TO BOOK US A HOTEL!" Mako shouted as he felt a headache start to form. Shiro felt his eye twitch as the thought of sleeping on the street annoyed him to no end. Rarity coughed which caught both of their attention. Mako and Shiro looked at the girls who smiled at them. "Well, I do owe you for helping me back at the Gala." "I also have a guest room at the Library so one of you can stay there." The purple mare explained as both Mako and Shiro looked at each other. "Umm, who are you?" They both asked in unison. She seemed angry and clenched her fist like she was about to punch them both which kinda scared them. "My name is Twilight!" She shouted at them. Mako sighed and walked over to Rarity while Shiro walked over to Twilight. The Girls seemed content and decided to head home for the day. However, what they didn't realize was they were being watched by someone who was hiding on a rooftop. "Well then...." The voice said as a green mist surrounded him. "Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly!" Shiro walked in silence as Twilight lead the way towards her library. Shiro couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched by someone, however, Twilight was too busy asking questions about his job. "I can't believe I get the chance to talk with a real Judge! I had heard about Judges from textbooks, but I never thought I would ever get the chance to talk to one in person!!" She exclaimed with childish enthusiasm. Shiro hardly even realized she had said something because of the bloodlust in the air. He rested his hand on his blade and vanished in a flash then grabbed Twilight to make sure she wasn't in the way. "W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She shouted as they flew by different houses. Suddenly they appeared in front of the library and Shiro quickly flung the door open and threw her inside. Shiro turned towards the shadows only to dodge a group of black tendrils that nearly skewered him. He quickly regained his composure and faced his attacker. The man wore a strange outfit that covered his arms completely with sleeves and out of those sleeves were the black tentacles. Shiro rested his hand on his blade and prepared himself. "Unfortunately, you have made a grave mistake." Shiro explained as he slowly drew his sword. "Now freeze them, My frozen angel." He recited as the air grew cooler and cooler the more he unsheathed his blade. "SKALDI!" As soon as these words left his mouth the air turned icy cold and the moisture turned into ice that continued to gather until it turned into a figure made of ice. The figure appeared to be an angel with two icy wings that seemed to protect Shiro, who was currently glaring at his opponent. "Serial killer, Dark Jackel! I will take your life." Mako sighed as he and Rarity made their way back to her home. The air in the town seemed to grow really thick with magic and he knew who was responsible. He took out another cigarette and looked around only to notice Rarity's glances at him. "Is there something you need?" He asked which seemed to make her flustered. "O-Oh! I'm sorry dearie....I was just thinking about what happened today." She tried to explain while hiding her blushing face. "Yeah.....I'm sorry." Rarity turned around to see the man with a worried expression and turned to comfort him. "I'm sorry I bet you already have enough on your plate without me retelling what we already know." She exclaimed with a nervous laugh. Mako blew the smoke out of his lungs and smiled as he thought of what he would have to do next when he finishes this job. "It's cool after I'm done with this job, I'm gonna get piss drunk!" Rarity felt sweat drop her brow watching the human laugh like an idiot at the idea of getting drunk. Suddenly Mako stopped laughing and quickly rushed towards Rarity with a determined look. Rarity felt him grab her in a tight embrace and felt her heart skip a beat as she got a whiff of his smoky sent. However, suddenly she felt something wet hit her face and suddenly she had realized what happened. Mako had been stabbed by an unknown assailant. "MAKO!!!" TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shiro sprinted through the streets avoiding more of the killers deadly spear like attacks. As he dodged he noticed how his attacks seemed to get more and more ferocious. It had appeared that he was getting really tired of Shiro dodging his attacks as well. Shiro felt happy to oblige as he suddenly vanished again and appeared behind him. With a swift motion, he sheathed his sword while the air froze forming a wall of ice in front of him and his opponent. "ICE BREAKER!!" Suddenly he drew his sword and sliced through the wall multiple times. He quickly sheathed his blade and the wall in front of them suddenly began to fall apart as the slashes appeared. However, the man in front of it seemed to disappear in a puff of smoke. Shiro used his sixth sense to pick up any aura in the area and detected Jackel waiting on top of a building about a mile away from his current location. Shiro disappeared in a flash and reappeared right next to Jackel who looked almost bored of the fight. "Dark Jackel, serial killer class B. If I am not mistaken you were once a Judge correct?" He didn't answer and as a result, Shiro frowned as he rested his hand on his blade. "You were a judge 8 years ago, however, after you savagely killed your own men...... you were executed." Shiro explained as he drew his sword once more. Suddenly another tentacle erupted from underneath Shiro, however, it was frozen solid before it could reach him. He sneered as he moved towards his opponent, his sword pointed at Jackel's heart. In a flash, Shiro appeared in front of him and had thrust his blade straight through his heart. "In the end, I don't know how you're here.....and, to be honest, I don't care either." Shiro said with a sneer as he observed Jackels still beating heart on the other end of his blade. Jackel turned around and used the rest of his power to send every tentacle he had at Shiro who didn't move an inch. Before the attack reached him, time seemed to slow down and Shiro began to dodge every attack like was walking in the park. As soon as he was in front of Jackel time resumed as normal long enough for Shiro to make one last attack which severed his opponents head. Shiro tried to remove any blood from his blade, however, there wasn't any to clean. The body of Jackel began to crack like glass until it completely shattered into pieces. Shiro sneered as he sheathed his blade and jumped off the roof while heading towards Twilights library with thoughts of his quick battle still fresh in his mind. "A puppet? What a complete waste of my time..... It must have been magic from one of the sins that brought him here, but why do such a thing?" Shiro didn't realize that he was being watched again, but this time, his observer was much more cheerful than before which caused even more green smoke to pour out of his body. "Well, that was fun! That guy is gonna be a blast! Now then.....what about the other one?" He stated as he turned to where his other puppet was. Meanwhile, Rarity watched as Mako hovered over her with blood slowly dripping onto the ground. She felt the fear of death trickle down her entire body while Mako lifted himself off of her and onto his feet. "Y-You ok, kid?" He said almost in a whisper. "AM I OK!? WHAT ABOUT YOU!?" Mako laughed as he turned his head around to see his attacker who was laughing like a maniac. "Rarity I need you to run home as fast as you can and call everyone you can to tell them to lock their homes! Don't go outside! No matter what!" Mako shouted at Rarity who flinched in fear. Rarity sat there drenched in fear as Mako begged her to run. She felt like she couldn't move an inch or else the murderous intent would overtake her. However, before she let panic slip in she noticed Mako's face and felt her heart stop. "Is he.....smiling?" She thought as Mako turned to face his foe. Rarity staggered to her hooves after finally regaining her composure and sprinted towards her house. After she vanished from sight Mako let out a sigh of relief. "You can come out now!" Suddenly out of the shadows a ghost appeared in front of him. He was an incredibly pale man, almost like ash, with a smile carved into his face. He wore a white hoodie with black sweat pants both of which were drenched in dried blood from past victims. "Heh.....How's it going little Jeffy?" Mako asked with a grin plastered on his face. "You haven't changed a bit have you, Mako?" A scratchy voice said in a low threating tone. "Nope, not really!" Suddenly a knife shot towards him and into his skull, however, Mako's entire body began to turn white and then suddenly burst into smoke. "Jeff the Killer, Serial killer, class A." Jeff spun around and saw Mako smoking a cigarette behind him with a smile on his face. "So then let's have some fun...... Little Jeffy!" Meanwhile, Rarity had finally made it back home and was calling everyone in the entire town to lock their doors as Mako had instructed. However, the events from earlier played over and over in her mind and she couldn't help but be worried about the man. Suddenly there was an explosion that caused a mini earthquake that shook the entire neighborhood. Rarity ran towards the windows to see a large amount of smoke rising from the street she had left Mako. "Please, sweet Celestia! Let everything be ok!" Mako dodged another barrage of knives as Jeff continued his brutal attacks. Mako had gotten a few cuts from various attacks that Jeff had managed to hit him with. "Damn, I guess little Jeffy got a little better!" He mocked as Jeff sliced his throat open only to see nothing but smoke again. "I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS!?" Jeff shouted as he scanned the streets looking for Mako only to notice that there was a lot of smoke that had gathered around him. "So then little Jeffy, why don't we catch up a bit?" Mako said while walking out from his smoke screen. "It's been.....what? 2 years since we last saw each other? What happened? Did you finally crack under the pressure or something?" Mako asked with a cocky grin. "Well, let's just say I was given a good deal! so I took it!" Jeff sneered as he lowered his weapons. "So is that why you're working for Envy?" "Not exactly! However, he did say if I took his offer...." Jeff said lowering his gaze. "I COULD MAKE YOU GO TO SLEEP!!" Suddenly he sprinted towards Mako with murderous intent in his eyes and brought his knife towards his throat. Mako reached towards his back and took out a large revolver he kept in a secret holder and brought it to his neck to stop the attack. The two squared off with each other and it appeared that Jeff had the upper hand. Suddenly it seemed that the smoke was getting thicker and thicker until it seemed like it wasn't smoke anymore. "SMOKY ROOM!" Suddenly Mako pushed himself back and into the smoke behind him. Jeff smiled and tried to chase him down, however, he suddenly ran into what felt like a solid brick wall. Jeff touched the solid white wall and realized that he had been tricked. He tried to cut and slash his way through the wall, however, he was not successful. "What's the matter Jeffy boy! Feeling a little claustrophobic?" Mako asked sarcastically as Jeff pounded on the white walls. "What is this shit you bastard!" Jeff ordered as Mako laughed at his attempts to sound threatening. "That is my smokey room! Using my magic, I was able to create a solid structure using the smoke from around town." He explained while Jeff continued to curse and threaten him. "Heh, that was almost too easy! I noticed the bloodlust before we had even left the diner so I made sure to send a smokey doll in my place before we left. I kept a few ketchup packets to make sure Jeffy boy think he wounded me. Not only that but I intentionally lowered my guard to give him the illusion that I hadn't sensed him." Mako summarized as he brought out another cigarette. Mako realized that Jeff had stopped all his attempts to threaten him and things had turned eerily quiet. He noticed that something was off and took his pistol and aimed it at the smoky room. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him and spun around but was too late. He felt the sting of the blade as it ran through his right hand which he had brought up to keep himself from being mortally wounded. "D-Dammit!" Mako shouted as he tried to make some distance from his hidden assailant. Mako pulled the knife out of his hand and threw it away, however, he suddenly felt a wave of nausea hit him which caused him to stagger long enough not to notice his smoky room starting to fade away. "Damn I let my guard down for only a second......Guess that means Jeffy boy got better." Mako thought as he released what smoke he had left in his lungs. "SMOKE SCREEN!" As the smoke covered the streets Mako made sure to completely erase his breath and quietly made his way to a better vantage point. He felt his stomach turn as he finally found a place to rest. "I guess those blades were poison tipped." As soon as those words let his lips he felt Jeff's presence with him again and now it seemed Jeff had managed to get the upper hand. "Whats the matter old man getting sleepy?" He asked while licking his blade which caused blood to slowly drip down from his tongue. "Naw I was busy thinking about your mother so I was distracted....OH WOOPS!" Mako exclaimed as he let out a low chuckle, however, he stopped when he coughed up some blood. "Just keeping making your jokes! In a few minutes, the poison in your body will drain whatever life force you have left." Jeff explained as he slowly made his way towards Mako who couldn't lift himself off the ground. "Now....GO TO SLEEP!!!" Jeff swung his knife trying to plunge the blade through his skull, however, before the blade struck he felt something.... strange. He dropped down and grabbed his throat realizing that he couldn't breathe. He looked around to try and see what had happened only to hear laughter. "Whats the matter Jeffy boy? Did I leave you speechless?" Mako said as he stood up and cracked his neck. Jeff felt his eyes dilate as he saw the wounds on Mako start to heal themselves. Smoke rose from his wounds and he realized that something was very wrong. "You're probably confused but don't worry I'll explain everything. You see I didn't blow all that smoke for nothing! I made sure to cover the entire town in my special smoke." Mako explained as the smoke started to lift off the ground and into the air. "You see my magic is focused on illusion and misinterpretation. To be honest, If I had actually fought you with my full power......I would have killed you in a single attack!" Mako exclaimed while Jeff got back on his feet. Jeff sprinted towards him with his blade pointed at his heart, however, this time, Mako was ready and swung around and made contact with a rough surface which caused the Jeff to be thrown back from the attack. "A reflection spell. That was how you attacked me before. You made sure to distract me long enough so that I wouldn't notice you had set up a spell like that. It was a sneaky trick but now it's pointless to resist." Mako explained as all the smoke was now above them in the shape of a giant ball. Jeff stared in shock at the massive size of the ball while Mako seemed annoyed. "I had hoped not to kill you Jeffy boy but it looks like I won't get my way this time." Jeff felt his heart sink as the ball came raining down and without so much as a peep, he was smothered by the smoke. "SMOKY COFFIN!" Mako watched as Jeff struggled to free himself, however, to no avail as the smoke made its way down his throat and into his lungs. Jeff felt his body start to shake and his insides felt like they were on fire. "After all.....your already dead.....Jeffry." Those were the final words Jeff heard as his body began to break and soon disappear altogether. Mako dispelled the smoke and it slowly rose into the sky while he made his way towards Rarity's home. "I really hate doing stuff like that.... especially to kids." TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Mako made his way towards Rarity's, he stopped and turned towards a clock tower in the distance. Inside the clock tower was Envy, who was grinning from ear to ear. He laughed as he pulled his cloak off to reveal his appearance. He was 5 foot with an average build wearing a straitjacket that wrapped tightly around his body. "Amazing! He's exactly what I've been looking for! A real challenge!" The weapon on his back was beyond anything any normal human could use. It was sword longer than any blade in recorded history and sharp enough to cut straight through anything In its path. It was incredibly rusted from years of bloody battles. "Don't worry partner, you'll get to taste his blood soon enough! But for now, we have to wait until that horse gets liquified!" He exclaimed while he chuckled at the thought of cutting his new playmate to pieces. Meanwhile, Mako had finally made it back to Rarity's and knocked on her door. However, there wasn't an answer. It suddenly occurred to him that he forgot to give her a password or something to tell it was him. He sighed as he realized what he had to do. He took a deep breath and shouted the first thing to come to mind. "HOLY CRAP! IS THAT THE FAMOUS SINGER SAPPHIRE SHORES!" Suddenly the front door flew open with a very excited unicorn looking around in a frenzy with stars in her eyes. "WERE WERE!" Rarity shouted. Mako sighed and walked past her while Rarity felt her eye twitch at the thought she had been tricked so easily. "Wow! I'm seriously surprised that worked. I can't believe you're that stupid." Mako exclaimed not noticing Rarity was lifting a wooden mallet over her head with an evil look on her face. "Now then I do believe what you meant to say was, I can't believe you were so nice to open the door for me Rarity!" She explained with a chuckle while she wrapped a few bandages around Mako's head which was savagely beaten. "Y-Yes mam." He choked out while trying not to pass out. After that, Mako watched as Rarity treated each of his wounds carefully and marveled at how skilled she was. After she stitched the gash on his right-hand she covered the wound with a bandage. "I'm impressed Rarity! Where did you learn to do this?" Rarity puffed out her chest with pride, "You'll be surprised at what I know! Never underestimate the Elegant Rarity!" She Proclaimed not noticing that Mako had already fallen asleep. "THAT LITTLE!" She thought as she took her hammer out again, however, stopped when she saw how softly he was sleeping. What many people didn't know about Mako was that when he slept he slept like a baby. Rarity felt a blush creep across her face as she watched the man sleep and imagined herself lying right beside him. She quickly erased those thoughts and decided to go to bed herself. After Rarity went upstairs Mako opened his eyes and saw that the coast was clear and quietly made his way to a bathroom. He turned on the light and looked at his reflection. His messy blond hair was rough and he could see dark rings under his eyes most likely due to stress....that or late night drinking sessions. Mako unwrapped the bandages around his hand and looked at his wound that had already begun to heal. He sighed and turned around to look at his back and saw that his mark was glowing a bright sickly red. Memories of his past flashed back to him the second he saw the disgusting mark. He felt his teeth grind as the mark began to vanish. He slowly took his shirt, and what was left of his pants, and put them in a box he found. He went back to the living room and lied on the couch and Soon he let sleep take over. Meanwhile, Shiro was in Twilight's library reading a book about certain types of magic. Twilight had decided to go to bed early tonight because of what had happened the day prior. It was early morning and Shiro was still wide awake mostly due to his years of training......and general unwillingness to sleep. He casually turned the page and came across a particular passage that caught his interest. "A mark of sin is that which can never be unmarked-Crimson Lance." Shiro recited as he closed the book and looked around the library. "Crimson Lance....Now let's see here." He whispered as he skimmed across the isles of books until he came across one particular title. Shiro took the book out and examined the title which read "The Sins of Men" by Crimson Lance. He opened the book and skimmed the contents only to be disappointed by gothic poetry. "You're still up?" Shiro turned around to see a very sleepy looking Twilight in her PJ's. She seemed concerned but Shiro smiled and walked gently towards her. "My apologizes Twilight. I happened to have been captivated by your library. I couldn't stop myself from perusing your collection." Shiro exclaimed while Twilight seemed to beam at the idea of someone enjoying reading as much as she did. "Awe it's ok! But try to get some sleep! It's around 4 in the morning." She explained in a drowsy tone while making her way back upstairs. Shiro, now alone again, looked back at the book with a curious expression. He opened it and took note of everything that had been written. This continued for hours until the sun rose in the sky and Twilight had once again woke up only to find the man still reading the book from earlier. "Don't tell me you stayed up all night!" She shouted as Shiro gave her the same smile. "I'm ok...There is no need to worry about me." "After being attacked last night and having to track down a killer....I guess the stress would keep me up too." She thought as Shiro closed his book and placed it back on the proper shelf. Suddenly Shiro stopped as he felt something strange. However, under closer examination his stomach was just growling.....LOUDLY! Twilight giggled as she watched Shiro blush. "I'll go make us some breakfast!" She exclaimed while running into the kitchen. Shiro was not sure why but he felt like today was gonna be a very long day. Meanwhile, Mako was still sleeping on the couch while Rarity had gotten up early to fix his clothing. After all, she couldn't have him walking around in his boxers all day, as much as the thought excited her. While She took a few measurements her younger sister, known as Sweetie Bell, had come down for breakfast but stopped when she saw the stranger. "R-Rarity who is this guy!" She squeaked which caused Rarity to quietly worn her sister not to wake him up. Sweetie Bell walked over to the man and looked at his muscular figure. "So is this your colt friend or something?" She asked which caused Rarity's face to turn bright red. "WHAT!? NONONONO! H-HE IS JUST A FRIEND OF MINE I SWEAR!!" "Now who's being loud?" She thought as her older sister continued to justify her actions. Mako, now fully awake, got up and cracked his neck which was loud enough to catch their attention. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen. While looking in the fridge, he took out a carton of milk and chugged the whole thing. "H-Hey that wasn't very nice!" Sweetie squeaked as she pouted at the man. Mako gave a friendly smile and crouched down to her level while he reached into his back pocket and pulled out some bits that he......borrowed and handed them to the girl. "Here, go buy yourself an ice cream Kiddo." Sweetie Bell was not one to turn down free ice cream. She suddenly ran upstairs laughing playfully as Mako gave a content sigh while Rarity couldn't help but laugh. "W-What are you laughing at?" He stuttered with a blush on his face. "Well, you try and act tough but you're a big softy when it comes to children huh?" She explained as Mako sneered. Suddenly Mako noticed his clothes weren't where he had left them and looked over to a work station where he assumed Rarity was fixing them. "You know....you didn't have to fix these for me." Rarity shook her head and watched her little sister run outside. "That was payment enough for my services." She explained as she got back to fixing the man's clothing. Mako, not being one to be outclassed by someone he just meet, got to work in the kitchen cooking some breakfast, however, Rarity made frequent trips into the kitchen to watch him work. "He's handsome, he's good with children, he's strong, AND HE CAN COOK! OH RARITY YOU HIT THE JACKPOT!" She thought as she finished the rest of the repairs. After breakfast Mako and Rarity discussed what had happened last night. Needless to say, Rarity had a hard time understanding what was being explained. "So are you saying that brute from last night was nothing but a puppet?" "Yes, an image created by magic from the real killer. My guess is that the killer sent them to test whether or not we were a threat." He explained as Rarity blinked in confusion. Mako sighed as used kitchen wares and ingredients to try and prove his point. "Ok think of the salt and pepper shakers as me and Shiro. Now let's say that this plate is the town and the knife is the killer. Seeing as the killer was here first he believes this is his territory and now that were here he feels threatened by our unfamiliar power. In order for the killer to know how powerful his opposition is, he had to test us." Rarity finally put the dots together and realized the underline danger of what was being explained. "Judging by your reaction. I guess you realize what this means?" Mako asked as Rarity felt her heart sink. "If we don't find the one who ordered Silver Lockets murder TODAY......We might not get another chance." Mako explained as he finally got dressed. "W-What should I do!?" Rarity asked as Mako turned to her with a blank stare. "What I want you to do is call all your friends here. I'll be back in three hours....And by then If I still don't have any clues.....Then were in trouble." Mako explained as he took out another cigarette and walked outside. "I refuse to lose......Especially not to you Envy!" TO BE CONTINUED! > First case: Envious Apples Part 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Um excuse me, sir? But can I help you?" Mako had made his way to the mayor's office after his talk with Rarity. He was currently looking for any links to Silver Lockets past in the small town. He walked over to the receptionist who was shaking like a leaf just by looking at him. "Yes, I need any information regarding the late Silver Locket. Anything relating to his family or place of residence." Mako explained as he showed her his badge. The receptionist seemed to look sick at the mention of the name and quickly tried to find the paperwork. As she ran around her small office Mako realized something strange. Ever since he got to ponyville, everyone has done whatever he asked without even giving a single complaint. "I guess fear between Anthro's and humans is still as strong as ever." He thought as she finally found the papers and handed it to him. Mako flipped through paper after paper trying to find anything that might give him a hint on where to search next. The receptionist still looked scared, however, she gathered up courage she had left to speak to him. "Umm excuse me." Mako looked up from the file and noticed the skittish attitude of the clerk. He sighed and started to walk out of the room until she asked a question that caught him off guard. "Your gonna find the real culprit right?" Mako turned around and looked at her with a shocked expression, however, the clerk seemed to shrink the second his eyes meet hers. "So you know huh?" Mako asked as the clerk nodded. "Of course! No one in town believes that AJ could have killed Silver Locket!" She exclaimed with determination as Mako took out one of his cigarettes and placed it on the table. "My personal motto is not to let today's troubles be tomorrow's burdens. Take some time to reflect on what you have and be ready to deal with whatever comes your way. I promise you, Applejack will get out of this mess." He explained as he took the file he was reading and left the Mayors office. After 30 minutes Mako had made his way to Silver Lockets place of residence. He knocked on the door and after a few minutes, a stallion with a gray coat wearing a worn out suit came out and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the man. "Excuse me sir, but I came here to ask you a few questions about Silver Locket." Mako explained as the stallion seemed to visibly drop at the name. He opened the door and gestured the man to come inside. Mako took a seat in what looked to be the living room while the stallion walked out of the kitchen with two cups of what smelled like tea. "I'm sorry for making you wait." He said placing the platter on the table and taking a seat across from the man. "Now I believe you wanted to talk about what happened to my son?" Mako felt guilty for bringing up something like this, especially to the father of all people. After drinking his tea, Mako decided to go ahead and dive straight into the problem at hand. "For starters, I need to know everything about your family history, next I need to know about your son, and finally, I would like to know about your relation to the Apples." The stallion hesitated for a second, however, after taking a moment to think he started to explain. "Well my name Is Silver platter and us, the Silver family, are nothing but a merchant family who serve the Rich family. Technically speaking we have been a part of this town's community since its founding." He explained while Mako looked through the papers he got at the mayor's office. "So your family has been here since the beginning? Earlier you said your family served another family called the Riches, what exactly did you mean by that?" Mako asked as Silver Platter sighed. "Our family were struggling merchants in the beginning.....we wandered from town to town selling poorly made silver to whoever would buy. However, after meeting the Rich family, they were able to perfect our art of silver crafting magic." He explained as he reached over to pick up a spoon. After a second the spoon began to melt down into a liquid state and suddenly reform itself into a small statue of the man. "I see so he uses his magic to break down the silver and then reconstructs it into what he would want." Mako thought as the stallion reformed the statue back into a spoon. "At first, we couldn't use our magic properly but thanks to the Rich family we were able to strengthen our magic. As such, we of the Silver family are forever indebted to them so we allow our youngest and oldest of kin to serve them as servants." He explained with a hurt look in his eyes. "I see, so I gonna take a gamble here and say that Silver Locket was one of the few who served as a servant?" Mako asked as Silver Platter nodded. "However, Silver Locket was much more.....opinionative than he should have been. He never wanted to serve them and it created some bad relations with other members of our family. But I never could believe that one of the Apples could take his life! After all, the Apples and the Riches share a strong partnership!" He explained which caught Mako's attention. "You see....both the Apples and the Riches were responsible for the founding of Ponyville. Thanks to the Riches excellent marketing strategies and the Apple's agricultural expertise they were able to raise seed money for the town." This particular information made things a lot easier for Mako to place the pieces of the puzzle. Finally, things were starting to turn around in his favor but there was still something bothering him. "Sir, can you tell me what your son was doing before he was murdered?" Shiro had decided to go back to the barn today to inspect the body one last time before they took it down for his funeral. The ranch was completely empty with only a single guard on patrol. Shiro couldn't help but sneer at the pitiful display of protecting the crime scene. He was about to enter the barn but stopped when he felt someone's presence in the building next to it. He rested his hand on his hilt and walked into the building without so much as a squeak from the old flooring. He made his way upstairs and opened a door to what looked like a small bedroom. He noticed a small filly sitting on the bed with tears in her eyes. Shiro sighed while taking a step back and knocked on the door. The sudden noise caused her to fall off the bed in a panic and tried to find a place to hide, however, Shiro walked in and found her hiding in the closet. "Ok come out now." It took a moment but the filly walked out of the closet with a guilty look on her face. Shiro walked over to her and kneeled down and wiped the child's tears off with a handkerchief. "This place is dangerous for a child to be here. You need to go home immediately!" Shiro ordered as the filly could only stare at him. "But this is my home." She explained in a southern draw which surprised Shiro. He sighed and slowly took the child downstairs. He watched the child whimper and sob as she caught a glimpse of the barn. "If only I could remember!" She shouted in frustration as Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Remember what?" He asked as the filly turned to the man with a sad look in her eyes. "IF I COULD JUST REMEMBER WHAT I SAW THAT NIGHT! THAN MAYBE MY SISTER AINT GOTTA BE IN TROUBLE ANYMORE!" The little fillies words were so loud that Shiro felt like he had gone deaf, however, he did hear what she said. Suddenly it felt like the whole world was frozen while Shiro stared at the girl. "Your Applejacks sister, correct?" He asked with a deadly look in his eye while she nodded. "You need to tell me everything you saw that night, do you understand?" Once again she nodded and Shiro stood up and walked into the kitchen with the filly. He looked around for whatever was still edible and came back to her. "Now......I need to know everything." TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples Part 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Makos meeting with Silver Platter, he was making his way to the Rich's home. After learning more about Silver Locket, he realized that the next best place to learn more about the motive for the murder would be the last place he worked. However, after arriving at the riches private estate he felt......pretty annoyed. "Damn, I hate these kinds of people! I bet they're the type who like to throw around money like it's going out of style." Mako thought while making his way to the front gate. He pressed a button and after a few minutes, he heard what sounded like static coming from a speaker placed next to the wall. "May I help you?" A posh sounding voice asked as Mako snuffed out another cigarette. "Yes, I need to talk to someone regarding a past employee who worked here." He explained, however, there was no response. Suddenly the gate opened. Mako hesitated for a moment before walking inside. After making his way to the mansion, he noticed how the garden was well kept and bent down to look at the roses. "There beautiful aren't they?" Mako looked over to see an old stallion wearing a finely tailored suit staring at him. He had a gun metal grey coat and mane color which Mako made a contrast to Silver platter. "Yeah, I can tell they were expertly grown. However, I didn't come here to admire the flowers." Mako explained as the old stallion sighed and walked over to a bench to sit down. "You are here to ask me about my grandson, right?" Mako noticed how icy the old man's voice was the second he said, grandson. He nodded while the old man sighed and looked around at the garden. "Silver worked on this garden himself with his little sister Silver spoon. He put his blood, sweat, and tears into this garden, and I was so proud of his work to the family. The Apples have truly committed the ultimate crime." "That's funny, I had thought that everyone in town believed she was innocent?" Mako asked while the old man sneered. "Ignorant youth believe in the most convenient answers." The two sat in complete silence for a moment. Mako had thoughts swirling through his mind while the stallion stared at him with an icy glare. "Say, old man, when did Silver Locket leave?" The stallion hesitated for a moment, which Mako quickly picked up on, and after a moment, he quickly explained. "Silver Locket left for the Human world a few years ago. I can't remember exactly when he left." He explained while Mako turned towards the garden. "Well, do you, at least, remember WHY he left?" "No, and Unfortunately, I didn't delve too deep into my grandsons personal life." Mako took out his cigarette case and saw that he was down to his last smoke. Once again he cringed at the idea of how he used so many of them so wastefully. He turned to the old man with a smile on his face which caught the old stallion off guard. "I almost forgot to introduce myself! My name Is Mako Shamrock, and its a pleasure to meet you." He said while extending his hand. "My name is Silver cane and the pleasure is mine." The old stallion shook his hand and for a split moment, both of their true natures were made bare to one another. Mako laughed and let go of his hand. "Say, old man, do you mind if I take a look around the estate?" The old stallion shook his head and Mako walked off towards the Rich's mansion with a grin still on his face. "Geez, that guy has some serious issues." Two Nights Ago: Appleblooms Testimony "Well, I got up around.....I think around 7 because I could see the sun rise in the distance. Anyways I went downstairs and got myself some water. Then out of nowhere I heard this weird sound coming from the orchard." "I looked out the window and thought I had saw something moving in the bushes. So I made my way outside to make sure nobody was stealing nothing from our orchard. Thats when I saw them!" "They were shady felers! I couldn't see their faces but I could tell they were up to no good. Especially that guy with the weird thing on his back! He was.....really scary." "B-But I wasn't scared! Not a bit! Anyways I snuck up on those two, but I didn't get close enough that I could hear what they were talking about. However, I did hear one thing!" "They said, 'He shall arrive in that barn in exactly thirty minutes' And right after that, the guy with the thingy on his back walked into the barn. I wanted to go and tell someone, but I suddenly got really sleepy." "Then I woke up in my bedroom and Big Mac and Granny were calling me down for breakfast. I'm pretty sure that was around 9:20." Applebloom finished her explanation of what she saw while Shiro seemed to be thinking of everything that had been just been explained and how they fit into the time frame. "Applebloom?" "Y-yes!" She stuttered while Shiro smiled softly at her. "Thank you for your hard work." He said before ruffling her hair and walking outside. Shiro entrusted the guard to take her back to her family while he made a final sweep of the area. He walked into the apple orchard towards the place the carving knife was left behind. After a few minutes of walking, he found the tree which was outlined with police tape. He looked at the hole left by the knife and the area around it. "Well then, whoever was here last used a spell to cloud the area in an illusion. It's very powerful, I'm not too surprised that no one found this." He thought before drawing his sword and running it into the dirt. Suddenly the ground began to break like glass until it completely shattered. The area around the tree now looked VERY different. For starters, there were scars running through the trees from some kind of blade. Shiro traced his hand across the cuts on the trees and felt the bloodlust left behind by the culprit. Suddenly he felt something wet touch his fingers and found a grey liquid. After feeling the texture of it, he realized something. "This is....melted silver?" Shiro took a sample of the liquid and placed it in his pocket before walking back out of the orchard and into the barn. Shiro felt the aura of agony and hatred left behind by the killer and Silver Locket. He felt sick but continued to press on and looked around the barn for any more clues. After a few minutes of looking at the crime scene, he realized that nothing seemed out of place except for one thing. At a workbench in the corner of the room, there was an outline of a missing tool. After closer examination he realized that the missing tool was likely the carving knife. Suddenly he saw a small light shining on the table he followed the light back to Silver Locket and found what looked to be a small cross hung around his neck. Shiro sighed knowing that he now had to loot a corpse. He swiftly took the cross from his neck and examined it carefully and saw a small engraving on the back. "On wings of god we soar." Shiro recited before he put the cross away. Soon after a group of guards had come to take the body down and Shiro left without a word. Now with some more evidence to work with he made his way back to ponyville where he hoped his partner had found something constructive. TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples part 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mako was searching the Rich mansion for anything that could help in the investigation, however, he wasn't getting anywhere with the stuff he had found so far. "These people are so damn boring! Do any of these guys have a hobby!" Mako shouted while walking out of a bright pink bedroom. "Yeesh, I seriously don't wanna meet this kid! If the piles of fan-fics about her and her classmate are any indications." He thought as a shiver ran down his spine. Mako walked down the hall and found something that caught his interest. It was a corridor with poor lighting and had a sign that said servants hall. He opened a few doors leading to some of the servants rooms......and saw well furnished and well-built rooms with plenty of lighting. "WHY THE HELL MAKE THE OUTSIDE LOOK SO BLEAK IF THE ROOMS ARE BETTER THAN A HOTEL SUITE!" He shouted while grinding his teeth together. After his little outburst, he found a door with the name Silver Cane written on the front. He opened the door and found silver figures and statues placed all over the room. As Mako looked around the room he felt something was off. Suddenly he noticed something out the corner of his eye and walked over to a small pantry where something that looked like orange paint dripping out of the sides. He opened the door and found some paint cans and a jar of melted silver. Along with something that nearly gave him a heart attack. Inside the small pantry, Mako found a Stetson hat. He took the hat and examined it carefully before putting it with the rest of his evidence. After finding the hat, he looked out the window at an angle so as no one could see him and made sure Silver Cane was still in the garden. Sure enough, he was still there sitting on the bench watching the flowers like a hawk. "Well well! It looks like the old fart has a dark side! Unfortunately, this isn't enough to put him in the spotlight. My guess is, that if things went south he was gonna use this as a way to prove his innocence." He thought before closing the pantry and erasing any trace that he was there. Mako walked over to another room that had a plate that said Silver Locket on the front. He smiled as he opened the door and stepped inside. The inside was dark, however, there was a large difference in this room compared to the others. This room was three times smaller than the others almost like a closet. There was very little light, in fact, Mako had to flick a light bulb dangling above his head just to even get a glimpse of the poorly built room. This didn't just look like a closet, it was a closet! It was leaky and stained with only a small table as the only furniture in the entire room. In the corner was a small mattress placed on the floor. Mako felt his blood boil for a moment at the thought of a kid living like this for years. After a moment, He calmed down and looked through the table, however, what he found made him even more suspicious. It was a letter addressed to Silver Locket from Applejack. He examined the letter carefully while pulling out the letter Applejack had given him. He compared the two letters and found something eerily similar about them. "To Silver, it's been a while since we talked last but I haven't forgotten our time together. If you could meet me at the orchard soon it would be great! Maybe tomorrow morning around 7:00 AM? I don't wanna cause any drama or nothing with your family. You're friend, Applejack!" Mako placed the letters side by side and made a few connections to the times posted on each, however, there was one thing that stuck out the most when examining the letters. "Both letters have similar handwriting and the times match up a little too well." Before Mako left he smelt something strange in the air and after a moment, he found what he was looking for. On the bottom of the table was a piece of paper hidden underneath a silver sheet. He looked at the scrap and found the last thing he was expecting to see today.......It was Silver Locket's Will in testament. It was crudely written and it was covered with a thick layer of magic as to hide it from any prying eyes. "To those who it may concern, I have lived a life of hardship but the lord has blessed me with this last statement of my life. I leave my treasure to my grandfather, Silver Cane. He has taught me so much and I owe him my life! My treasure that we worked on for so long....I hope that he will continue to grow the roses of love he always told me about. I love you all, Silver Locket." Mako recited the words as he felt his fists shake in anger while tears fell to the floor. "In his last moments. In this jail cell.....Silver left this note for his grandfather." Mako put the note away before leaving the room and headed down the hall towards the exit. After walking back outside, he saw the old man still watching the flowers. He walked over and saw the cold and distant look on Silver Canes face and thought that the old coot had kicked the bucket, however, once he came into view the old man sprang to life again. "M-My apologies sir! I appear to have dozed off, so did you finish your investigation?" "Yeah I found everything I need to put a stop to this game." Mako explained which caused Silver to glare at him. "I see.....If your business is done then I must ask you to leave. After all, Mr. and Mrs. Rich aren't home. The only reason I allowed you inside was for your investigation into my grandson's death." He explained while Mako gave him a cold stare. Without another word Mako walked off towards the gate, however, he stopped when he realized that it wouldn't open. He turned around to see Silver Cane starring at him with an almost sinister expression. "I am so sorry sir, but anything you have taken from the premises must be returned." He exclaimed while Mako grinned and reached into his pocket and pulled out the note from earlier. Mako threw the note to the old stallion who caught it with hardly any effort. "That was your grandsons last will in testament." These words caused the air around the two to become almost toxic. Once again their auras seemed to clash with one another before the old stallion placed the note inside his pocket. Suddenly the gate opened and Mako started to walk out, however, he stopped just before passing the gate. "Silver Locket trusted you.....Remember that." And with that Mako left the Rich estate, not noticing the Silver Canes expression of pure sorrow as the gates closed behind him. Shiro waited outside Rarity's boutique for Mako and after a while, he finally showed up. Judging from the look on his face Shiro could tell that he must have gotten somewhere with his investigation. However, there was something else as well......sadness. An incredible amount of sorrow and pain. "Whats the matter with you?" Shiro heard a voice say before coming back to his senses. "S-sorry, so how was your investigation?" Mako didn't respond and only pointed at the door. Shiro nodded and reached over and opened the door causing the five mares to pile out in a heap. "Don't worry girls I fully intend to explain everything." Mako exclaimed while the girls stood up. "However, I need you to realize what happens next could most likely end with all of you getting killed." The Girls hesitated for a moment before they all nodded. Mako grinned while Shiro gave a questioning look towards his partner. The curtain has risen and now the first act of the play can finally begin! Will the Judges prevail over the darkness that hovers above the town or will they be swallowed hole by the sins? TO BE CONTINUED > First case: Envious Apples FINAL > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "EHHHHHHHH!" Mako spent most of the afternoon explaining to the girls what he had found at the Rich estate. Shiro was listening carefully and interjected only a few times to explain some of the evidence that he found. It was pretty easy to see to everyone that the real culprit to this murder was Silver Cane, however... "Even though we've found some pretty strong evidence. It still isn't enough to put that old codger on the stand." Mako explained while the girls stared in bewilderment. "B-But how! All the evidence points to Silver Cane!" Mako snickered a little as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter while Shiro sighed. "The biggest problem we face isn't establishing guilt." Shiro explained while Mako sparked his lighter. "The real problem is putting that old fart on the stand." "W-WHAT!" The girls all said in unison. "All the evidence can establish his guilt but unless we have something that actually points to him then it's only speculation." Shiro explained while he looked back at the evidence trying to see if there was something they missed while the girls seemed to squirm in their seats. "B-But I don't understand. W-Why wouldn't what we have been enough?" Fluttershy asked in her usual timid way. Mako sighed and got up to get a pencil and a notebook. After a moment, he came back and started to write something down. "The three-day ruling requires a third party. Basically, another judge has to come and play as a mediator. Most judges need conclusive evidence to prove who's guilty, and everything we have here is just proof of foul play. But unless we can safely prove that Silver Cane was the one who hired Envy than we can't put him on that stand." Mako turned the page around to show some crudely drawn pictures of animals wearing little outfits with various names printed above them. Everyone was trying their hardest not to burst out laughing at his drawing. Even Shiro was having a hard enough time trying to keep a smile off of his face, meanwhile, Twilight was trying to change the topic. "So what can we do?" Mako laughed under his breath as he turned a page in the notebook and quickly drew another cartoon animal with the word "Envy" written above it. "We need to draw Envy out of hiding." Mako explained with a sly smile spread across his face. Suddenly everyone felt the atmosphere changed at the mention of bringing out the murder even Shiro was now stone-faced. "And how do you suppose we do that?" Mako ignored Shiro's question and sparked his lighter again and the flame seemed almost hypnotizing as it danced in his hands. "The seven deadly sins have two rules they follow. The first rule is that no matter what job is, a sin must always take credit for the crime." "Umm wouldn't be the other way around?" Rarity asked while Mako grinned. "Nope! These guys are professionals and they take their job very seriously. Anyways, the second rule is that every sin must leave clues in order to prove that it was them." The girls once again looked confused, of course, it's not every day someone explains that the most wanted criminals do the exact opposite of what you would expect them to do. "Every sin must follow these two rules or else they will face punishment." He explained with a grim tone Shiro noticed how spiteful Mako's last words were, however, he decided to just take a note of it rather than bring it to attention. Meanwhile, Pinkie managed to address the elephant in the room. "Umm, Mr. Mako? How do you know about these rules?" Suddenly everyone's attention was glued on the man but he still seemed as cool as a cucumber as he sparked his lighter again. "I've studied the way the sins have committed their crimes for years, and I've also handled enough of their cases to get the big picture. The sins live by these rules and at any time are they broken not only will they lose their power and rank but......" Mako seemed to trail off as ripped the page out of the notebook and sparked his lighter again catching the paper on fire. "They will also be exterminated." All the girls seemed to turn pale at how eerie Mako explained the punishment but Shiro only raised a puzzled eyebrow. "What about those who quit?" Mako shook his head and Shiro realized what he meant. Everyone was quite for a moment until suddenly the heard the tea Rarity had set up earlier. She rushed off to get it for everyone while Mako tried to calm everyone's nerves. "Look I promise none of you will get hurt. The sins only kill who they're contracted too so none of you are in any real danger." Mako's words seemed to lift a little of the heavy mood but it still lingered above everyone like fog. Rarity came back with a plate of tea and cookies which Pinkie dove into while the others calmly ate. Shiro took another sip of his tea and looked over to Mako as he stared at his tea. "So Mako what's your plan?" Mako Smiled as he reached over the table for a sugar cube. "Well, you could say that were going to test the waters." He explained as he dropped the sugar cube into his tea. It was early morning and Mako just got up and already he had a headache. He got dressed and walked outside and saw the whole town waiting outside the mayor's office, which had been crafted into a miniature courtroom overnight. Shiro was already waiting nearby. "Are you sure your plan is going to work?" Mako laughed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his last cigarette. "Nope! It's a 30 to 70 percent chance we're not gonna make it out of this." Shiro looked over to see Mako grinning ear to ear as he placed the cigarette in his pocket. Mako pulled out his shades and put them on while Shiro gripped his blade. "But who cares! What's the point of life without a little risk! Besides, I'm feeling luck today!" The two walked towards the stage with the crowd silently judging them. On the stage was another man wearing a judges uniform with a very thick and swirled mustache. Mako felt his brow twitch at the sight of the man. "Tsk! Did they seriously have to send this joker?" Shiro walked over and shook his hand while Mako just nodded in his direction. Luckily enough he seemed nice enough to just accept this. "Ah! Mako and Shiro! It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is.......Joe!" He explained while Mako cringed at how bland his name was. Suddenly everyone turned their attention to the left side of the stage only to see Applejack walk on stage with restraints placed on her hands and feet. Mako clinched his fist at the sight of the girl, however, he did realize that he didn't get the chance to see her yesterday. He swore that he would apologize for that later. "Now then Let the Three-day Ruling.....BEGIN!" "HE! HE! HE!" Envy was currently enjoying his early morning daydreams about fighting in a bloody massacre. He felt the emotions of everyone in town as they swirled up the clock tower as he looked outside towards the mayor's office. "What a bunch of fuckin idiots! Even a drugged up monkey could find out what happened! But these ponies are so damn thick that they'd probably never figure it out in a hundred fuckin years." He yelled while laughing like a psychopath. Suddenly he noticed a shadow looming over him. "So your Envy?" A tomboyish sounding voice asked. Envy turned around to see someone hovering next to the tower. She was short with blue fur and a Rainbow colored mane with a big cheesy grin plastered on her face. "Heh....So who are you girly?" She Sighed before showing a big cocky grin while striking a pose. "I am Rainbow Dash! And I am the Hero of the people! The Pinnacle of Justice! The-" Before she could finish her sentence Envy grabbed his giant blade and pierced it through her stomach. Her face slowly contorted into horror as she felt the blade slide deeper and deeper into her torso. "You are one annoying bitch, you know that?" Envy explained in a slow and murderous tone. Suddenly he looked back to see something he wasn't expecting to see. Instead of the rainbow colored girl on the other end of his blade, there was now a barrel of cider in her place. He looked around and found her resting on a cloud nearby. Without a second thought, he vanished in the blink of an eye and cut the cloud in half but it was just another illusion. "What the fuck?" Suddenly he felt a surge of magic and turned around to see a beam heading right for him. He swung his sword and cut straight through the attack. However, he didn't notice a knife heading towards him which stabbed his shoulder. "YES! SCORE!" He heard the tomboy shout again. Envy reached over and touched the wound and watched as the blood trickled down his hand. He laughed slowly but after a while, it got louder and louder. Suddenly Dash didn't feel as safe as she was before. "So you and your little friends down there are the bait huh?" He asked with venom leaking from every word. "Fine by me.....LETS PLAY!" Suddenly the illusion Twilight created shattered as Envy landed on the ground. Twilight fell to the ground and tried to catch her breath while the girls covered for her. "Welcome to my web said the spider to the flies!" Meanwhile... "The trial of one, Mrs. Apple may now begin! The defense will now present who they believe is the culprit and what evidence to back up their claim. Once all is said and done I shall hand out my verdict dependent on what evidence has been presented." The crowds whispered amongst themselves as the judge explained the rules of the trial and needless to say they were more than upset at how unfair it seemed, however, Mako and Shiro knew all too well what this meant for them. "If we make one mistake it's all over. It's time to nut up or shut up!" "The person we believe is the culprit for the murder is.....Silver Cane." Mako exclaimed as the crowd gasped, however, no one was more stunned than Applejack. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! SILVER CANE WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THAT TO HIS OWN GRANDSON! I KNOW ALL TO WELL HOW HE FELT ABOUT SILVER LOCKET! YOU CANT JUST-" Applejack exclaimed before Mako interrupted her. "I understand how you may feel, however, what I'm telling you is the absolute truth......and I can and will prove it." Mako explained with an icy tone. "To begin we are gonna disprove the idea that Applejack is the culprit. First, let's start by destroying one piece of evidence that pointed to applejack being the culprit, the hat." Shiro explained as he pulled out to identical stetson hats and placed them on the table. "That's the piece of evidence that points to HER as the culprit?" "Yes, the hat you see here was found at the scene of the crime, however, if you couldn't tell at a glance than maybe this will help your judgment." Shiro exclaimed as he grabbed one of the hats and threw it to the judge who caught it. However, the second he touched the hat he felt the cold sensation burn his hand and caused him to throw it away. "WHAT ON EARTH!?" Mako walked over and picked the hat up with a glove and placed it on the table. "You see judge what we have here is a fake created from a certain material that the real culprit has had plenty of experience crafting." Mako explained as he poured magic into his hand and placed it on top of the hat. Suddenly the hat began to melt away into a liquid form and once again Mako used his magic to turn it back into a solid form. "The material used was silver extract and only one family has had access to this material as well as this much experience in crafting magic....and that family is, ironically enough, the Silver family." Shiro explained. "However, we know all to well that this isn't enough to prove our theory. But what we will show you next will make our claim much more believable." Mako exclaimed as Shiro pulled out the carving knife and a jar of melted silver. "W-What exactly are those?" Applejack asked only to recognize the carving knife. "These two pieces of evidence were found at the scene of the crime. The knife was found in a tree deep in the orchard while the jar or melted silver was found all over the orchard." Shiro explained while Mako looked towards the clocktower. "How exactly does this prove anything?" The judge asked with a confused expression. "Simple really if you were paying attention. For starters the scene where I found the knife had a spell cast around it so that no one could actually see what had happened. I managed to break the spell and found the orchard cut to pieces with traces of silver thrown everywhere." Shiro explained while the crowd seemed to question the point of what was being explained. "Again how exactly does this prove anything Shiro?" "Honestly, can none of you connect the dots on your own? It's simple, why was the orchard cut to pieces? And why was there silver extract scattered all over the place?" Shiro asked while everyone looked at him quizzically. "It was Envy who caused all the damage and if I was a betting man I would say the knife was used as a marker for a meeting." Mako explained as he and Shiro looked at one another than in a brief moment everything became clear. "How do we know this you might ask? Well because someone in the audience actually saw the exchange happen......In person." Mako said with a grin as the crowd gasped. "Well then who is this mystery person?" The judge asked as Shiro stood up and looked into the crowd. "That would be the younger sister of Applejack, Applebloom!" Shiro exclaimed as the crowd focused their attention on Applebloom who seemed to shrink under the crowd's gaze. "From her testimonial, she explained how she managed to see two people in the orchard late at night! Not only that but the time she found them was 7 in the morning, anyone care to guess who she found that night?" Shiro asked as the crowd began to center their attention on Silver Cane who didn't say a word. "One was Silver Cane and the other was Envy......Am I wrong old man?" Mako asked as he walked upstage to the old stallion who still watched with a blank expression. "Not a word to defend yourself? I'm not surprised really, but maybe what I have to say next will get you to open that trap." Mako exclaimed as the crowd grew eerily quiet. "Listen you old timer, I'll give you a choice here! Either you fess up to your crimes now and take your punishment like a man, or I'll tell the whole town about the Silver Family and not only will that ruin your reputation but also the rep of the Rich family as well." Silver Cane didn't budge an inch as he glared daggers at both Mako and Shiro. "We have all the evidence and after I found that hat in your room, and learning about crafting magic It was pretty easy to connect the dots. Trust me when I say.....you've lost." The crowd suddenly exploded into a fury of insults and angry comments as Mako and Silver Cane glared at one another. "DONT SAY ANYTHING SILVER CANE!" "THAT PUNK IS TRYING TO SHIFT THE BLAME ON A SENIOR! DAMN THAT HUMAN SCUM!" The crowd continued to chant, however, both Mako and Silver Cane didn't even notice them. "What's it gonna be old timer? Are you gonna tell them.....or am I?" Silver Cane remained quite much to Mako's jarring which he seemed to get more and more annoyed at by the second. Suddenly Mako heard the sound of a bell in the distance and grinned. "Shiro, it looks like our friend doesn't want to talk! It's time we start fighting dirty." Mako exclaimed while Shiro nodded. "LADIES AND GENTALMEN! INTRODUCING THE STAR OF THE SHOW!" Mako exclaimed as he pointed at the sky. Suddenly Shiro snapped his fingers and the area around the stage suddenly cracked like glass and soon dispersed completely and suddenly everyone could see five girls and a man with a gigantic sized sword stand before them all. "W-WHAT THE FUCK!" Envy shouted as he looked around at the shocked faces of the townsfolk. Silver Cane felt his blood turn ice cold as he stared at Envy and then back to Mako who had a huge grin on his face. "Well, old man? If you fess up now then you might be able to save some of your families pride! If not then what we show the crowd next will shatter your family name completely! The choice is yours!" Silver Cane felt anger grip his entire being as he shook his fists in blind anger while crowd stared at the new mysterious guest. "........It was me........" The crowd threw their attention back to the old stallion as Envy sneered as he realized that he had been tricked. "I was the one who ordered the assassination on my grandson." Silver Cane exclaimed as the crowd began to take a few steps back between themselves and the old stallion. "I KILLED HIM! I KILLED SILVER LOCKET!" TO BE CONTINUED! > Case Closed! The First Sin Falls > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Y-Your.......Your lying......I...... I can't believe this." Applejack said as she felt her body go limp and a pool of tears build up. "Grandfather? Why are you lying like this? You couldn't kill Silver Locket.......There just no way!" Silver Platter exclaimed as his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. Silver Cane didn't move from the stage an inch and it appeared to be the end of the trial judging by everyone's current expressions. "I think we've heard enough. When it comes to the trial of Mrs. Applejack it is clear to see that she's innocent, however, for the crime of murder.......I hereby sentence Silver Cane.......GUILTY!" The crowd was dead silent while Silver Cane seemed to be shaking in a furious rage. "You stupid fucking idiot......I told you after we meet in the damn apple field, that you needed to destroy that hat! It was bad enough that you tried to manipulate my blade back then, but to purposefully ignore my orders and keep the one piece of evidence that could ruin us..........well it's pretty fucking annoying." Envy walked over to Silver Cane and raised his blade high into the air. However, the crowd didn't seem to react to what they were seeing but instead they all seemed content with what was to follow next. "For ignoring the contract you have reaped what you sow......As the sin of Envy, I'll send you to your final resting place....goodbye!" Envy exclaimed as he swung the blade down on top of Silver Cane. However, before the blade could make contact a certain white-haired swordsman quickly blocked the attack. Envy tried to apply more force but as soon as he saw the ice start to appear underneath him he quickly made some distance between himself and Shiro. "I'm surprised old timer......Not everyone could do what you did. To be honest, I have a little more respect for you now....." Mako said as he walked past the old stallion only for the stallion to turn to him with tears in his eyes. "You told me that my grandson believed in me until the very end, am I correct?" Mako nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his last lucky cigarette. "Then....does he still believe in me now?" Silver Cane with a whimper as he fell to his knees while tears fell to the ground like a gloomy rain. Mako sighed as he lite his cigarette and took a long drag as he looked up to the sky with a sullen expression. "I-I was so jealous of him! He had......HOPE! He had everything that I gave up on years ago! I couldn't take it so I treated him so poorly but......somehow he trusted me! I'm an awful pony, I know that all too well! And nothing I say will ever forgive me of this sin........but.....but..." Mako reached into his pocket and handed the old man the cross that Shiro found on Silver Lockets body. "You have a long road to redemption old timer. It's true that your actions will never truly be forgotten but I don't believe they won't be forgiven." Mako exclaimed as the old man stared at the cross with tears still streaming down his face. "What a load of bull shit! That shit head over there won't ever be forgiven for what he did! You shouldn't fill his head with your philosophical shit, you dumbass!" Envy said with a maniacal fit of laughter. "Hey, Shiro? Do you mind letting me finish this guy off?" Mako asked with a chuckle which caused Shiro to glare at him. "ARE YOU STUPID!? YOU'LL GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Mako decided to ignore Shiro's advice and walked over to Envy, who seemed to be enjoying Mako's confident little speech. "Well, well! So you wanna fight little judge? Fine by me cause my sword has been begging me to cut something up today!!" Envy said with a dark grin plastered on his face. "Heh.....You haven't changed a bit Envy. You're still as potty-mouthed and blood hungry as you always were." Mako exclaimed while Envy stared at him with a cocked brow. "Excuse me? You're acting as if you know who I am! Who are you judge?" "You seriously don't remember me at all? Well, then how about I jog your memory..." Mako said before trailing off. Shiro couldn't understand what exactly Mako was talking about, however, he suddenly realized something. He looked around and saw a gigantic cloud of smoke begin to form all around them. "Well......HERE I COME JUDGE!" Envy shot towards Mako and blinding speeds with his sword raised high in the air and without any resistance he cut Mako to pieces. However, once again he realized that it was a trick and saw a fake made of smoke. Envy searched for Mako but no matter where he looked he saw.....smoke? "Wait where did this smoke come from?" Envy shouted as the smoke made a perfect dome around both him and mako. On the outside, Shiro tried to enter the smoke but every time he tried he felt his magic being sucked away. He sneered at the idea that Mako had sealed himself and the enemy together and keeping him from fighting, however, he couldn't stop focusing on the last thing Mako said. "What kind of connection does Mako have with the sins? What on earth is going on!?" Meanwhile, Envy tried to find Mako through the smoke but no matter where he swung his blade he always missed. "Damn you! Stop hiding you coward!" Envy exclaimed as he poured more magic into his blade. "You're as reckless as you were back then Envy. You're too quick to use all your magical power on your opponents....But you also have a seriously bad habit of attacking recklessly." Mako explained as he walked out of the smoke. The second Mako came into view Envy swung his blade and sent a giant magical slash towards Mako, however, instead of trying to dodge his attack Mako took the full blow without budging an inch. "Hehehehehe!!!! Take that you annoying little pest!" Envy shouted with glee as he imagined Mako being ripped into pieces. However, instead of killing him, Mako instead stood with only a single scratch on his forehead. Envy now reaching the limits of his patience quickly exploded in rage and sprinted towards Mako with his blade pointed at Mako's chest. Mako reached behind his back and pulled out his pistol and blocked Envy's attempt to stab him and the two squared off against each other as the sparks flew between their weapons. "He this reminds me of the fights we had when we were kids." Mako said playfully much to Envy's annoyance. "DAMMIT! ENOUGH WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Mako laughed as the gun's chamber opened up and smoke poured into the six bullets slots. With a click, the chamber swung back into place and Mako pushed Envy away and pointed the hand cannon at him. "I'm hurt........little brother." Mako took his sunglasses off and then began to unbutton his uniform. The second Mako's chest was in view Envy felt his heart drop into his stomach as he gazed on the star shaped scar on his left bicep. "T-That...Mark..." Envy said with a shaky voice. "Want more proof, then look at this! Admire your handiwork!" Mako turned around and showed Envy his back which was glowing a crimson red as the symbol appeared once again. "T-That................That can't be......you......You're supposed to be dead!" Envy shouted as his symbol appeared on his right hand. "SURPRISE!!! Don't worry little brother I'll make it quick, however, I won't say that this ain't gonna be painful." Mako said with a grin. Suddenly the smoke around them began to bend and change color from a solid white to a black as night. Envy prepared his sword for whatever attack was to come next, however, now with the sheer amount of magical power Mako was producing it was clear to him that this might very well be his end. "For the sins that you've committed Envy....For all the lives that you've stolen from others.......For all of the pain and agony that you've brought into this world! I Mako Shamrock sentence you to death!" Suddenly the smoke began to change it shape again and this time, it appeared that the smoke had taken on the form of a monster. Envy felt his grip around his rusted blade tighten as eight giant slithering heads protruded from the smoke all of their attention focused on him. "SMOKY HYDRA" "Dammit! I won't be made a fool of by you! You filth! You bastard! You........YOU......DAMN YOUUUUUUU!" Envy suddenly shot towards Mako with every ounce of magical power he had left in his body with the intent on running him through. However, it, unfortunately, didn't turn out the way he had hoped as Makos dragon suddenly closed in on Envy. The dragons jaws clamped down on his hands, his legs, his torso, and one dragon head rested above his head just waiting to take the finishing blow. "Envy...Look at me. LOOK AT ME DAMMIT! I want to watch as the life slowly drains from your face as the smoke goes down your throat. And then when you begin to lose your consciousness I'll give you death the same type of way you FUCKS killed the old man!!!" Without a word the final dragon head chomped down on Envy without any struggle. It was silent for at least five minutes and Envy's body began to go limp while Mako pointed the pistol at his heart. "Choke on it, you son of a bitch." Suddenly the smoke began to fade as town waited for the victor to appear. They all gasped as Mako walked out of the smoke with a bored expression plastered on his face. "WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED IN THERE MAKO!" Shiro exclaimed as he rushed over to Mako who laughed under his breath. "I kicked his ass thats what happened." Mako stated in a matter of factly tone. The town stood in utter shock as the image of Envy's body laid on the ground lifeless and hollow. Mako made sure to lay his coat over his torso in order to protect the people from the rest of his dried and decayed form. "W-What happened in their Mako.....ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!" Shiro said as his anger flared to new heights. "This is what happens to those who loses their brand of sin. Their bodies are destroyed inside and out by the sheer amounts of dark magic built up in their bodies." Mako's explanation only seemed to confuse Shiro even more. Before anything else could be done the judge from before motioned the guards to push the civilians back. As the guards made the townsfolk scarce and then after a moment they took what was left of Envy and placed his remains inside a body bag "Either way, you both performed exceptionally! I congratulate you on a job well done! Now then I will take the body of Envy back to the Judge headquarters for verification." The Judge proclaimed on to realize that Mako and Shiro weren't paying attention to him. "Mako I expect a clear explanation of these events soon. Because if you continue to withhold information from me, then I can assure you that the organization will answer my questions." Shiro exclaimed as he stormed off. Mako only stared at Shiro as he walked with the guards back to the station. Probably going there to finish the papers for Applejacks realise with the rest of her family. Meanwhile, Mako turned to the judge with an annoyed look which caught the Judge off guard. "So then why exactly did the brat send you, Siegfried?" Mako asked as he glared at the judge. "My word....You could tell it was me?" The judge now known as Siegfried exclaimed with a raised brow. "Of course, I noticed it the second I saw you up on that stage. Now why are you here?" Siegfried sighed as he snapped his fingers and a puff of smoke enveloped him. After a moment, what replaced the judge was a slightly older man wearing a butler's uniform with a gray slicked back haircut and a gray stash. "Leader thought it would be best to be prepared in case of any unforeseen accidents were to occur." Siegfrieds explanation only irked Mako, even more, knowing all to well that that bratty little girl would never send out her right hand to the front lines. "If that is all then I will take my leave." Siegfried explained as he prepared to leave only for Mako to stop him in his tracks. "Hold up.......I need a favor." Mako said with a solemn expression. "What exactly would you want, sir?" Siegfried said as he turned to Mako who looked over to the place where the old stallion Silver Cane once stood and wept for the loss of his grandson. "I want you to send Silver Cane to a rehabilitation center in our world and help him to regain some composure with himself. As much as I hate to admit it......I do feel bad for the old timer. He deserves to be punished for the way he treated Silver, however, Envy stirred his emotions to the point where he was willing to do anything to get rid of the pain." Siegfried watched as Mako's expression seemed to change before his very eyes from cold loneliness, pain, sadness, and anger in only a few short moments. "Anyways that's all I got to say.....You can go now." Mako said before trailing off and walking away. What many didn't know, was on that day the gears of fate began to turn as a series of events began to unfold. Now a new threat lingers over the rich lands of Equestria as the sins of the world lose one member of their forces. TO BE CONTINUED > Dark Clouds Gather? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "HAHAHAHAHA!" After returning to the judges headquarters, Siegfried had just informed his mistress of the fall of Envy and how Mako had been the one to defeat him. Needless to say, she found his little story.........humorous. "I should have known old smoky would be the one to do him in! But boy I'm surprised that he would ask a favor from ME of all people!!" "Yes, mistress....It is rather strange that he would ask a favor to save the old stallion after working so hard to make sure he was punished." Siegfried said with a bow as his mistress spun around in her chair. "Well Smoky does have his own weird way of dealing with cases! But whatever's! We managed to take down one of the sins so why don't we celebrate!!" She said with a giggle while Siegfried sighed. "Once again she's ignoring the point..." "Danny! Make me something to eat! HAHAHA!" "DAMMIT!!" The room shook viciously as Wrath pounded the walls with his giant fists. Sloth ignored the constant shaking as she continued to read her manga while Pride tried to read a book. "WHY IS EVERYONE SO CALM RIGHT NOW! ENVY DIED!!!!" Wrath shouted as he slammed his fist into a table shattering it into pieces. "Because Envy was a complete idiot." Lust said passively as she turned the channel on the tv to a teen drama. "WHAT WAS THAT!!!" Wrath shouted in a rage as a red mist began to surround his fist. "Wrath that's enough." "B-BUT PRIDE WE CANT JUS-" Wrath tried to say before being cut off by a vicious looking scythe was placed around his neck. "Envy was a fool.....As a sin he knew what to expect, however, he got careless and reckless. So in the end, whatever happened to him has nothing to do with us." Wrath sat down slowly as pride took his weapon away from his brother's neck, meanwhile, Greed was listening with a smile plastered on his face as he talked with someone over his phone. "I see so *He* was the one who took Envy out? Hehehe, well then I think it's almost time for a family reunion." Greed thought as he hung up the phone and slowly dissolved into the darkness. "However, what you said was true Wrath." Father said as his image appeared before the sins. "No doubt the Judge association had something to do with this. So in turn, we must return the same pain of losing a loved one." Father explained as the sins bowed to him. "Yes Father." Now with one sin gone the gears of fate are turning and the sins have begun to make their move. The Judge association, still covered in mystery, has still a very strange interest in Mako and the Sins. What side will win and which side shall lose? TO BE CONTINUED! > The Boy and The Judge > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ponyville is a town right on the outside of the capital of Equestria, also known as Canterlot, and has a reputation for attracting trouble. Recently due to an incident in the Silver and Rich families the entire town has become rather sober, however, that doesn't stop everyone from continuing with their daily routine. Especially for one mare.... "Um, Rarity? Why exactly am I carrying all of these bags?" Mako asked with a frown as Rarity strolled in front with a satisfied grin. "Well usually I have my Spiky-Wiky carry them for me but he's in canterlot on business for Twilight. So as a gentleman it is your duty to help a fragile young maiden like me." Rarity exclaimed with a chuckle while Mako felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. "Jeez if this is what that Spike kid has to put up with I feel bad for him. AND FRAGILE MAIDEN!? Tell that to the lump you put on my head!" Mako thought as Rarity handed him another bag. "Besides that, this is also for AppleJack. Ever since that dreadful trial, she hasn't spoken to anyone! We're all terribly worried about her so we decided to throw her a party to cheer her up." Mako remained silent as he remembered the events of the previous week. Memories of the Silver family and Silver Cane came rushing back to him with a wave of sadness and depression, however, he kept a stern face. "Listen Rarity I understand you want to help AJ, but maybe you should just let her handle this on her own." Mako explained as Rarity turned to him with a shocked expression. "What?" "When It comes to coping with something like this some space probably would do her some good. That way she can find her own answer." Mako explained as Rarity looked down with a solemn look. "I-I understand, however, as her friend I can't just ignore that she's in pain!" Rarity exclaimed with a determined expression. Mako grinned as he realized that theses girls had a specific bond that made them a lot closer than just friends, they almost felt like family. Suddenly Mako felt a faint magical presence and looked around, however, what he found was a boy. However, this boy wasn't a pony but a human child which caught him off guard. As he watched the boy he noticed that he was walking past a few vendors. The boy suddenly began to move a lot slower than normal, however, Mako realized that in actuality he was moving a lot faster than the normal eye could see. "Thats magic...." Mako thought as the boy strolled by a vendor and picked up an apple and a loaf of bread. As the boy started to leave with his stolen goods Mako took a deep breath and a thin line smoke came streaming from his mouth and towards the boy as he was about to take a bite out of his apple only to suddenly chomp into thin air. The boy quickly looked around only to see Mako staring at him with the apple in his hand. The boy was young probably in his teens, he had brown hair and red eyes, plus he was also wearing some shotty clothes that had plenty of holes. The boy sneered as he ran away with the bread while Mako watched as he ran away before pulling out his cigarette box. "Well, Well, looks like I just found something to pass the time with." Mako thought as he picked up Rarities bags. Meanwhile, the boy from before ran towards the outskirts of town to an older building with a sign on the front that read "Sister Margaret's Orphanage". As the boy opened the door he looked around for any danger then slowly, and sneakily, closed the door. "ACEEEEEE!!!!" An angry-sounding woman shouted as she pounded her fist into the boy's head. "OWWWW! WHAT THE HELL SISTER!?" "I HEARD THAT YOU STOLE SOME FOOD AGAIN TODAY! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU! NEVER STEAL FROM THE VENDORS!!!!" The boy suddenly froze as he suddenly saw Mako standing in the doorway to the dining room. The boy sneered only to get another bonk on the head. "Your lucky that this man covered up for your foolishness! You had better thank him!" Mako watched the Nun and the boy fight with one another for a moment and sighed before getting in between the two. "Ok, I think that's enough. How about you go get something to eat kid." Mako exclaimed as Ace gave him a confused look. Suddenly a few foals came running out to Ace and grabbing his hands. "Big Bro you gotta try some of this food!" "Yeah, it's delicious! Come on, Come On!" Ace was dragged into the dining room only to suddenly see a table covered in food. All the children were stuffing their faces, some literally so, but Ace looked over to Mako who only nodded. As Ace and the rest of the kids ate Mako stood out in the hall with sister Margaret. "So if you don't mind me asking sister, but what is a woman like you doing in Equestria? Not just anyone gets clearance to enter this world you know." Mako exclaimed as the Nun sighed and guided Mako to a separate room. "Care for a drink Mr?" She asked as she opened a liquor cabinet. "Mako, and no, I think drinking in an orphanage will probably give me bad luck." Mako explained as the nun closed the cabinet and walked over to him and took a seat. "Well to put things simply......I'm one of the few pieces of the war that still exists." Sister Margaret explained as she pulled out a dog tag from her pocket. "You were a soldier? I guess that makes since, however, why an orphanage of all things?" Sister Margaret sighed as she looked down at her dog tag while memories of the past came flooding back to her. Blood soaked battlefields with the smell of gunpowder and rotten corpses littered the lands. She remembered the cries of poor children as they clung to their parent's bodies like their lives depended on it. "That war was hell in every sense of the word. But in the end, those poor idiots who lost their lives left something behind. Whether it was family, friends, or even......children." She explained as she felt her hands tremble. "I was one of the survivors, however, I couldn't ignore those poor kids who had lost their parents. So for those few children who lost everything I decided to help them in any way I can." Mako looked around the room and saw pictures of the children plastered all over. He soon realized the real reason this place existed....Guilt. "I see I won't ask you for the details." "Thank you......Still I honestly wasn't expecting another human showing up in town. Especially two Judges!" She exclaimed with a grin only for it to turn back to a frown. "Then again there was that incident. Ugh, it's almost like anywhere we go we cause trouble, isn't that right White Dragon?" Sister Margaret said as Mako sighed. "Heh? Jeez, your no slouch! My guess is that you were a high ranked soldier to have this much information." Mako exclaimed as he took out another smoke and lit it. "To protect my children I have to know plenty of information on everyone in town, and even those far beyond it." She exclaimed with a grin as she handed him a card. The two laughed as Sister Margaret took a shot of whisky and Mako took a drag of is cigarette. "Hey, Sister? I got a proposition for you." "Oh? And what would that be?" Meanwhile, the children had just finished their dinner and were beyond excited. However, Ace was waiting for Mako and Sister Margaret to finish their conversation. Right on cue Mako and Sister Margaret walked out of the back room and into the hall where Ace could listen in on their conversation. "So tomorrow at noon then?" Sister Margaret asked as Mako nodded and made his way out the door. As soon as Mako left Ace walked out into the hall towards Margaret. "What's happening at noon?" Ace asked with a cocky grin while Sister Margaret smiled down at him. "Oh, I was just setting up your punishment, oh and don't worry it's a long one." Sister Margaret explained with an evil smile while Ace gulped. "P-P-Punishment?" TO BE CONTINUED! > Trama Drama! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ponyville library is quite the site to be seen mostly because of the mare who runs it. Twilight Sparkle the student of princess Celestia herself is a book worm and it truly shows. No one knows more about this library than her.....Well, all except for one man. "Twilight does have quite an extensive Library. But does she not realise the idea of organizing her books by content instead of the name alone." Shiro exclaimed as he placed a book titled "Quantum Magic Mechanics: For Dummies" back into a shelf. As Shiro pulled another book from its shelf memories of the previous week came flooding back to him. The more he thought about it the more it seemed to bother him. "Mako is at least an A-Class Judge, or at least, that's what he was when he was registered as a judge. But I don't understand.....How did he defeat Envy so effortlessly?" Shiro thought as he mindlessly turned the pages of the book. "When I was given the Mission to observe Mako I had my doubts, but Know I'm not sure what to think." Shiro said to himself as he finished the book and placed it back on the shelf Suddenly the door to the library opened and wouldn't you imagine it the one person occupying his thoughts appeared. "Afternoon Shiro. I see that you've kept yourself busy?" Mako asked questioningly as Shiro placed a book back on the shelf. "Well it would appear the lady of the house is gone, so I thought it would be best to re-organize some of her misplaced books. I must admit Mrs. Twilight has a nasty habit of over studying! She'll stay up late into the night reading and pass out in a slump on her desk." Shiro explained with a sigh as Mako felt a bead of sweat drop down his face as his eyebrow twitched. "Yeaah I'm not gonna ask why you know that.......Anyway's I imagine Twilight and her friends are trying to cheer up Applejack." Mako explained as he walked over to the bookshelf and started examing the covers. "Is that wise? After all, she has been through some rather traumatic events as of late." Shiro asked with a raised brow. "Probably not, but maybe it would do her some good. Besides those girls have a pretty powerful bond with one another." Mako explained as he picked a book from the shelf and looked over it. "Magic Studies for Beginners? Isn't that book a little pedestrian seeing as you mastered your magic talent?" Shiro asked as Mako waved his question off. "Well let's just say I'm doing a little.....Experimentation." Mako said as he walked to the front desk of the library and checked his name. "Oh, and do me a favor and head to Sweet Apple Achers for a while. I think it would be good to try and help Applejack as well." Before Shiro could ask him what he meant Mako walked out of the Library. Shiro quelled his annoyance and pulled out a cellphone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Can I help you?" An electronic voice said as Shiro glared at Mako's name on the page. "I need all the information on the name Shamrock that you have." "Of course sir please wait for a moment for your transaction to come through." The voice asked as Shiro waited silently. Suddenly a sharp pain filled his head as he felt a surge of magic began to flow into his brain with images of an older man with a grey beard and a smoke pipe appeared. "Ugh....Transmission thought magic....When will they ever switch back to email?" Shiro said to himself as the dull pain began to disappear. "Still this isn't enough information. Most of this I already know about....It's almost as if the data has been erased." Shiro said as he closed his eyes and cycled through the data he had just obtained. "Whatever.....I'll learn the truth. One way or another......" Shiro trailed off as he picked up his sword and left the library. Meanwhile, Mako had just made his way to sweet Apple Acres and saw that the girls had been inside. He strolled by the window and took a peek and saw the girls laughing, even Applejack, however, he could easily tell she was forcing herself only for the sake of her friends. Mako sighed as he walked to the door and knocked. Suddenly the door opened to a rather buff looking stallion with red coat wearing a very tight muscle shirt. "Umm, may I come in?" "Yup." The Stallion said with a nod as he opened the door for Mako to come inside. As soon as Mako entered the living room he felt a wave of despair fall down on him. he looked towards Applejack who was still forcing a smile but now it was much more obvious the second she saw Mako. "Evening everyone. I'm glad to see you're doing a little better Mrs. Applejack." Mako said with a polite smile which she returned. The room was dead silent as everyone looked in-between the two just waiting for something to happen. Mako sighed as he walked over to Applejack and reached out to her. "How about we talk outside for a moment?" Mako asked as Applejack took his hand and stood up. "Yeah....I wanted to speak to you as well." And with that, the two left the house and walked over to the barn. By now night had fallen and Luna's full moon rose to its peak like a giant pearl in the sky. Mako reached into his pocket and pulled out his smoke case and took out two of his smokes and attempted to hand one over to her. "You smoke?" "No, it's bad for the apples. Plus I kinda don't like the smoke." Applejack said as she slumped down and looked up at the night sky observing all the stars. "Suit yourself." Mako exclaimed as he lit his smoke and took a long drag before blowing a puff of smoke. The two remained silent for a moment as the sounds of the night filled the empty darkness. After a moment, Mako looked down to Applejack and saw her eyes......empty. "So.....Silver Cane shook you that badly?" Mako asked as Applejack flinched. "It that obvious?" Mako only nodded as Applejack held her knees like a defenseless child. Mako knew her pain all to well, however, he had no idea she had been so badly broken. "Silver Cane.....was so kind to us.....To him to." Applejack explained as mako looked up to the sky as he remembered the old stallion. "He wasn't perfect sure......But for him to kill his own grandson out of jealousy? I-I.......I have such a hard time believin that....But he was tellin the truth wasn't he?" Once again Mako nodded as Applejack felt tears start to trail down her cheeks. "Silver Locket was always a dreamer. He was always in high spirits and kept saying that one day he would re-create the Silver family. That way they could help the Riches even more! But in the end, his mouth is what got him in that much more trouble." Mako took another drag from his cigarette and felt the tension continue to run thicker and thicker. "It's funny I remember playing with Silver Cane and Silver Locket back in that Rose bed at the front of the Rich mansion........Silver Locket asked his grandfather for gardening tips." Applejack couldn't help but burst into to tears now but she didn't care anymore. Mako waited patiently for her to finish her story as he continued to smoke. "Mako?" Applejack asked as she turned to him with a face full of despair. Mako only turned to her with an emotionless expression as she laid everything bare for him. "Why......Why is it that someone like him had to die? All he wanted to do when he came back was help his family! So why......WHY WOULD THEY PETRAY HIM LIKE THAT!? What's the point!? What did he gain from any of this?" Mako covered his face under the light of the moonlight as Applejack erupted into a fit of blind rage. It was now that Mako finally understood what really bugged her about this situation. "Family" Mako thoguht as a frown formed on his face. "That's what really is wrong here. It wasnet just the fact she was close to him....It was the fact that it was his own family that punched his ticket for him. Makes since for a girl like her. After all, she believes that her family is the most important thing in the world." Mako finished off his smoke and stomped the bud out as he turned to the girl with a blank stare. "Mrs. Applejack? Do you beilieve in god?" Mako asked as Applejack shook her head. "Heh....Yeah, same here. Truely if somthing can bleed it can die. The idea of a god is just so that the fear of death dosent exsist. An afterlife is a precious thing for a lot of people. Silver Locket was just another person living in this corupt little world of ours. Morning his death will bring a temporary sadness, however, sooner or later will all forget that he even exsisted." Applejack flinched as she stood up in a rage and quickly ran over and punched Mako with all her force. Mako fell like a ton of bricks and from the house you could see some of the girls about to run to stop them until Shiro sudenly appeared. "Don't bother....Let them work this out their own way." Shiro explained as everyone stared at Applejack with worried expressions as she climbed on top of Mako and started throwing more punches. "HOW DARE YOU! SIVER LOCKET WAS SO KIND! I WONT LET YOU TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!" She shouted in a fury as Mako grabbed her hands and then brought his up. "STOP ACTING LIKE A DAMN CHILD!" Mako shouted as he slammed his head into her's. As Applejack held her brusied jaw she looked up to see Mako severly beaten and bruised while blood slowly leaked from his nose. "Live in a way were you're not burdened with regrets! MAKE HIS DEATH MEAN SOMTHING! BECAUSE WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT TOMORROW IS COMING!!" Mako shouted as Applejacks pupils shrank as a memiory began to play in her head. In a field of roses Applejack and Silver Cane played with each other when Silver Locket bent over to pick up a dead rose. "Awe that's a shame. It would have been a good lookn flower to!" She exclaimed as Silver looked back at her with a grin. "What are you talkin about! It's the most amazing looking flower I've ever seen!" He said with conviction as she gave him a confused stare. "But it's dead?" "Maybe but that dosent mean that it's life was for nothing! It had a good run but it couldnet bloom, however, it did try and thats all you can ask for right?" He exclaimed with a grin which she imitaded gladly. "YOUR WEIRD SILVER!" Applejack stared at Mako for a moment before she began to cry again this time though it was a lot louder and it felt like there was a lot more emition in this one. Shiro lowered his blade and allowed the others to rush to their friends as Mako sat down cross leged adn stared at Applejack who continued to cry. As everyone crowded around Applejack Shiro walked over to Mako, who stood up with the help of Shiro, and they both began to walk back to town until they heard someone. "MAKO!!!!" They both turned around to see Applejack, still with tears in her eyes and snot flowing from her nose, slowy panting. She suddenly sat back up and showed a determined look. "I'LL LIVE IN A WAY HE'LL BE PRODE OF! I'LL LIVE WITHOUT A SINGLE REGRET! I......I!" She shouted as she took in a step breath. "I WILL NOT FOREGT MY FRIEND SILVER LOCKET FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! I PROMISE!!!!!" She shouted as it felt like all of ponyville and towards Canterlot could hear her proclamation. Mako grinned and lifted his hand up and showed a thumbs up as Applejack erupted into a flurry of tears as Shiro turned back around dragging the beaten Mako back to town. "Hump......So was getting beaten to a pulp part of your plan?" Shiro asked with a raised brow. "Umm, no....." Mako said as he felt sweat drop down his brow. TO BE CONTINUED!! > Lessons In Humility? Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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! > Lessons In Humility? Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ace, still in a fit of rage, ran out of town and towards the Everfree forest. He stopped at the entrance and remembered the rumors of this place and all the monsters that could be found inside. "Dammit...." Ace thought as he felt something wet on his face and reached up to wipe it away. Ace clinched his fist as hard as he could and after a moment, a small trickle of blood began to drip from his fist. He remembered that day all to well and all the pain that came with it. This blood.....This crimson color.....He remembered it alright. Years back... A blood-soaked battlefield with corpses littered everywhere like trash. The smell of ash and gun powder was strong almost as strong as the smell of decay as Young Ace walked past body after body. As he walked he saw the buzzards swarm some of the bodies and saw the scene of his parents get played out once again. "I....D-Dint expect to see a child out here." He heard a woman say as he turned to see a woman with blonde hair in a soldier's uniform limp towards him clutching her broken and bloody arm. "Heh....Looks like were the only survivors. Gotta admit that sucks! I was kinda hoping to take out a few more of these pony freaks before I go but whatevs right?" She proclaimed as she sat down in front of the boy and stared up at the clouds of black smoke. "Well seeing as were gonna die anyways I might as well give you my name. Margaret Louise Roberta! Three first names ain't that a fuckin joke!? My buds just call me Margaret though, so what's your name kid?" Ace didn't answer her but instead he just continued to look at the corpses around him. Some had bullet holes carved into their flesh, others were burned alive due to magical attacks, some had spears stuck in their arms and legs and some were cut open just for the hell of it. "Don't wanna answer eh? Well, whatever....I'm pretty sure we ain't gonna make it anyways. The government isn't gonna send back up.....cause guess what? THE FUCKIN WARS OVER! Isn't that just fuckin topical!? We're still fighting on the front lines and the stupid fuckin wars gone and ended itself." Once again Ace didn't respond, however, Margaret started mumbling to herself. Best guess was that she was saying one last prayer to whatever god was listening or maybe she was cursing everything and everyone to hell. Suddenly Ace walked over to one of the soldiers and pulled out a dagger that was placed in his chest and brought it back to Margaret who stared at him with a raised brow. "What? You think I wanna kill myself? Sorry kid.....Never was the one to take the pussies way out!" She explained while Ace threw the knife at her feet. "If you're looking for pity you're not gonna get it from me." She suddenly turned to him and instantly saw his eyes.....It was looking into a void. All that was there was the faded color of darkness that seemed to smother her. "If you aren't gonna help yourself then go ahead and finish it yourself. You aren't the only person who had to go through hell today Sister...." Ace said with clenched fists while Margaret looked at him with eyes full of shock. "One day.......I WILL GET MY REVENGE ON THOSE BASTARDS WHO KILLED MY PARENTS! I'LL MAKE THEIR DEATHS A SLOW AND PAINFULL ONE! I WON'T LET MYSELF DIE UNTIL THEY PAY!" Ace exclaimed with tears and snot running down his face while he shouted into the smoke filled the sky. Margaret watched the boys helpless cry and felt tears run down her face and without a second thought she quickly embraced the child and held him with all her might so that he wouldn't vanish. "I-I......I'm so sorry." She cried as they both shed tears on that bloody field where the buzzards and the crows gather. Ace hadn't realized it but he had already entered the forest and had somehow managed to get lost. The thick tree's seemed to block all sunlight and made it next to impossible to see. Ace lifted his hand but couldn't see it, however, he could still see the red glow of crimson run down his fingers. Ace continued to walk, for what felt like hours, before suddenly coming across an old ruin. He walked inside and sat down on a fallen pillar and looked up at the moon as it shined a pale glow down on him. "Nothings changed.....I'm so damn weak I get pushed around by people like him. I even cried.....How pathetic...." Ace whispered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old pocket watch his father had given to him. Suddenly Ace heard something move behind him and he spun around only to be greeted by darkness. He let out an annoyed sigh as he turned back around only now to hear growling. Now thoroughly scared he slowly inched towards the wall and out of the pale moonlight, he saw what had come to meet him in the night. The beast had the upper body of a lion while the tale end was a goat. It had three heads one head also being a lion, a goat, and a snake. Each head seemed to bear a sharp set of fangs and piercing eyes that seemed to look through him. "Well, look who has wondered into our din." A sultry voice of the snake said with a hiss. "A human child no doubt, but what is he doing out here?" A low but very deep voice of the lion exclaimed. "It appears to be that he accidentally came into the forest." The obnoxious and high pitched voice of the goat said. "BUT WHY~?" They all said in unison as Ace sneered at them. "Tsk! Do you think I'm scared of a cat, a billy goat, and garden snake? Why don't you scurry off somewhere before you get hurt." Ace threatened as the Chimera only laughed at his lofty threat. "Such pain....." "Such anguish....." "Such sorrow....." "Such a sad child! Lost his parents, lost his future, lost his childhood." They all proclaimed as Ace's body froze. The Chimera laughed once again as it drew closer and closer to Ace who couldn't move. The beasts piercing eye's seemed to see through every flaw he had. Ace wanted to run but a part of him wanted to just accept it....accept it and see his family again. "Dammit body......move.......move......MOVE!!!" Ace shouted internally as he closed his eyes as the chimera lunged at him. Ace waited for what felt like an eternity for the cold sweeping hand of death to touch him and help guide him to the other side. But it never came....Instead, he felt a wet sensation on his face. Ace slowly opened his eye's to see Mako standing in front of him with the Chimera chewing on his arm while blood fell to the stone floor like rain. "It's ok kid...." Mako whispered as he turned his gaze towards him. Ace felt his eye's sink into the back of his head as he watched Mako's smile. It was so gentle......It surprised him that Mako even had such an expression, however, what happened next shocked him that much more. "I know you're pain kid.....Watching your family die right in front of you.......Having to watch their last expression as the life gets drained away from them. Those eyes........I never want to see eye's like those ever again." Mako said as the Chimera tried to tear his arm off only for Mako to grab the Lions head and pull him closer. "You like the taste kitty?" Mako asked in a dark tone which caused the beast to suddenly loosen its jaws and leap away from its prey. Mako lifted his broken and bloody arm and saw the mangled flesh and muscle tissue and sighed. Suddenly a dark red aura covered his arm as a faint red glow appeared on his back. Both Ace and the Chimera felt a dark and eerie sensation fill the room as the aura began to grow the muscle back on his hand and soon the flesh started to grow back. "There good as new......Now then what to do with you?" Mako exclaimed with an eerie grin as he pulled out his smokes. The Chimera charged towards Mako with intent to kill, however, in the blink of an eye Mako vanished and reappeared behind it and grabbed the snakehead by the throat and swung it back towards the wall. The beast tried to lift itself off the ground only to get kicked by Mako with enough force to lift the beast off the ground with a sickening crack and with each kick, it got higher and higher but then he suddenly stopped his kicks as the beast fell to the ground with a thud and started to walk away. "So you like to bully little kids huh? Well, then kitty-cat......It's about time for you to get house broken." Mako explained before blowing a cloud of black smoke. The smoke hovered over the Chimera as it struggled to get its balance and just as it got it's bearings back Mako began to close his fist which was covered in a faint red glow. The smoke fell on top of the beast and as it struggled to free itself Mako slowly continued to close his hand which increased the density of the smoke more and more until.... "Smoky Coffin!" The smoke seemed to come together to form a perfect dome. No noise, no struggle, no last words. This technique was slow and painful as the victim was slowly strangled to death by the sheer amounts of smoke being forced into their lungs. With the overabundance of Carbon sooner or later the lungs will completely give out while all other vital functions die off as the smoke fills the entire body. Ace watched the sheer amount of deadly power Mako's magic possessed and saw the heartless expression he had as the life drained from the Chimeras eyes. "M-Mako?" Suddenly Mako remembered where he was and turned to Ace, now completely terrified, and kneeled down with his hand out. Ace slowly reached over and took his hand as he was pulled back up onto his feet. "Let's go home, kid." The walk back towards town was a quite one. Ace was only able to keep up by looking at the dim light given off by Mako's lit cigarette. After what felt like hours of walking, they both finally managed to get out of the forest and into the pale moonlight. "Umm....Thanks, I guess....." Ace said while looking down at his feet. "No prob kid." Ace felt the awkward tension fall on them like a bad cloud. He looked at Mako who seemed more focused on the Everfree forest and couldn't help but wonder something. "Um....Mako?" "Hum? What is it, Kid?" Mako asked suddenly dropping the serious look. "How did you know where to find me?" Mako got really quite for a while as he looked back to the forest almost like he was waiting for something to come charging out of there but it never did. "I let the smoke guide me." He suddenly said while Ace looked at him with a raised brow. "What? Smoke? What smoke?" Mako suddenly pointed at his feet and Ace looked down and saw a small white string wrapped around his leg. He followed the string up to Mako's cigarette and watched as he put the smoke out which caused the smoke to vanish. "W-what!? How did you do that?" Ace asked excitedly. "Interested?" Mako asked with a grin while Ace nodded rapidly. "Well yeah! I never heard of humans using magic like that before!" Ace exclaimed while Mako grinned. Mako bent down and reached over and flicked Ace in the forehead before getting up and walking away. "I'll tell ya once you make a good cup of joe, kid." Mako explained as he casually waved while walking away. Ace frowned as he tried to chase after Mako, however, what he didn't notice was what Mako happened to be staring at. Or to be more precise.....*WHO* he was looking at. "Damn little brother! You looked like you wanted to kill me! But I guess that is to be expected....However, Your gonna need my help now more than ever." Out of the darkness a man standing at about five foot with blue hair and green eyes and wearing a muscle shirt, that showed off his rather impressive build, and a pair of blue jeans. This man was known by many names, however, most know him......As Greed. "The Sin's are making their move and now more than ever is the time for me to make mine." Greed said with a chuckle. "Oh Yes......Time to have some fun!" TO BE CONTINUED!