After the two agents packed up and left, Liazo sped over to the living area where he picked up his saxophone case off the floor, and out of curiosity, the whole group followed the stallion on a mission. Spike watched Liazo intently as he placed his saxophone case up on the living room coffee table and opened it up. His saxophone was silver, unlike most, and it was covered in opulent engravings of angels and laurel wreaths. It glimmered faintly as he placed it on the couch-cushion adjacent to him, and Gin inspected the instrument carefully.

"Wow," Gin uttered in astonishment as she ran her hand across the sleek surface of the chrome instrument, "does this have silver in it?"

"Yep, but not a lot- don't want it to tarnish," Liazo replied as he felt the edges of the case's innards. The red velvet layering the inside looked extremely expensive, and it was so clean, the fabric seemed to have a sheen to it. "Alright, let's see here..."

Liazo grabbed a hidden strap near the middle of the case and pulled on it; revealing a secret wooden compartment filled with weapons, papers, and photographs. In one of the grooves, there was a small picture of a familiar grey colored mare sitting beside her cello that Spike recognized instantly. Upon further inspection, he noticed a faint stain of red in the corner, lipstick... it was a kiss. Right next to the kiss was a handwritten signature: "For you, my sweet Nocturne Sonata... Until we meet again..." "Hey, Liazo, this mare looks a lot like a mare I know, Octavia-."

"I'll take that, thank you very much!" Liazo huffed with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment in his voice as he swiped the picture out of Spike's hand and slid it in his dress shirt pocket. He then shuffled through a stack of photos in the secret compartment and set five pictures on the table, all were pictures of different stallions, and two of them had a red "X" drawn overtop of the picture.

"Liazo... who are these guys?"Rainbow Dash crouched down and analyzed the pictures, then looked at the photos left in the case. There were about a few dozen more, and all of them had red X's.

"Mob bosses, warlords, mercenaries, you name it," Liazo explained. "You see, before I joined the Task Force, I was an espionage agent, pretty good one too."

"He would infiltrate gangs and take out their leaders quietly," Masami added, "His nickname used to be "Shush"."

"I would appreciate it if you'd quit callin' me that, "Angreifer"." Liazo snapped back at her, and she stuck her tongue out like a foal. "Anyways, these guys are the head honchos of a big ass mob in The Lower East Side, The Catelli's. As you can see, I've already offed two guys."

"So, what does this have to do with the odd weapon shipments going to that northern district?" Winslow inquired as he looked down at the photos along with the others.

"The Catelli's are the only mob capable of supplying, and moving all those guns into the north district without attracting the attention of the authorities." Liazo went on as he starting fiddling around with his butterfly knife. "Although, I have no freakin' idea how they're getting all those weapons past the walls and the protective force-field surrounding the district. That's why we've got to do some digging, find out what shady deals The Catelli's have made, and we stop em'. Smooth as jazz..."

"Alright, so what's our first move?" Twilight chimed in as she picked up the three photos.

"See that one right there?" Liazo pointed to one of the pictures in Twilight's hand. It was a grimy-looking stallion with a sleek suit, and eyes that were akin to that of a snake about to strike. "That's Sergio Deluca- slippery bastard. He's got the know-how, and he's been out of the game for a few years now, but he still keeps his Catelli friends close by. He'll know what they're up to."

"Where do you think he is?" Evelyn wondered as Twilight passed her the photo of Sergio.

"I've got a few ideas..." Liazo grinned mischievously as he started removing the various weapons from the wooden compartment in his case. There was a baseball bat, a dozen throwing knives, and a pair of brass-knuckles.

"Wait, no guns or explosives?" Gin raised an eyebrow as she picked up the baseball bat. It was taped near the handle, and two thick, spiked steel bands were drilled into the clubbing end of the weapon. "What the hell is this thing?"

"A baseball bat- oh, right... pirates. Yeah, baseball is a sport that's pretty popular around here. I'd take you to a game, but I don't think we really have the luxury of time." Liazo joked as he grabbed the baseball bat. "I don't really use guns- never liked em'. They're too quick, they don't send a message as well as a good ol' fashioned melee weapon!"

"Also, Liazo can't aim for shit," Masami interjected.

"Says the mare who shot Charles after she forgot to turn the safety off her pistol." Liazo beaked her off; causing her face to turn bright red.

"I still have a scar on my shoulder!" Charles yelled down the hall as he approached the living area. Rainbow Dash giggled to herself; trying not to catch Masami's attention.

"C'mon Lee, I told you never to speak of that!" Masami gave the smug stallion a punch to the shoulder.

"You started it!" Liazo hummed as he tossed the pictures and weapons back into the case.

"Alright! Now that those two are gone, I believe we have worked that needs to be done." Charles fastened his tweed suit, then checked his pocket watch. "So, what is the plan?"

Twilight was impressed by Charles' ability to focus. Over course, she expected nothing less from the leader of a whole country. Hard pressed jobs call for determined individuals. However, Twilight could still see traces of doubt in his expression... even a president had the right to be nervous. Would she stare down these situations when she becomes a princess? Would she even get the chance to become a ruler? Twilight shook off such thoughts and set aside her paranoia once more. She couldn't lose sight of her goal- getting rid of Gek before it's too late, but when would "too late" be?

"I'm gonna head out and find an old friend of mine- chase down a lead regarding those gun shipments," Liazo announced proudly as he stood up, picked up his case and walked towards the door. However, he was stopped dead in his tracks when Masami grabbed his tail and jerked it hard. "Ow! What the hell?!"

"Just where do you think you're going, huh? You're just gonna waltz out of here like we don't exist?" Masami scolded Liazo, and he looked back at her nervously with a pathetic grin. "You have a team you know! Take some others with you, please!"

"C'mon Masami, you know I hate doing crap like this alone- ow!" Liazo exclaimed as he felt Masami tug on his tail again. "Alright, alright! Fine! Would you let go of my tail?!"

"Sure thing!" Masami uttered sarcastically as she let go and patted him on the head teasingly. "Choose away!"

"Okay, I want... Rainbow Dash, Gin, and Edgar... I guess." Liazo sighed as he pointed to each pony.

"Why me?" Rainbow Dash wondered as she stood up.

"Your fast, simple as that. " Liazo explained as he turned to Gin and pointed at her. "You're the mouth, you've got a sharp tongue, we can use that."

"I don't have-. Okay, you know what? I'm not going to argue with that, I do." Gin admitted as she nodded her head with a half smile.

"Edgar is the-. Well, I think you all know what Edgar is, look at him." Liazo gestured to the silent brute towering above everypony.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Edgar protested as he crossed his arms.

"Are you kidding me? Your damn forearm is bigger than my whole freakin' torso!" Liazo tapped on Edgar's steel-encased hands lightly to emphasize his point, and the behemoth grunted in response; accepting the fact that he was the obvious muscle of the group, much to his displeasure in being labelled as a talking battering-ram.

"So, what is the plan exactly?" Gin wanted clarification, as Liazo seemed to slack off when it came to details.

"Find Sergio, get answers, and bag any fuck that tries killing us while we're at it," Liazo explained as he started opening and closing his knife. "We clear?"

"As mud." Gin teased as she patted Draven on the back. "Off to work we go then."

"Watch yourself out there, this is an environment you're not used to," Draven warned Gin as he tipped his hat to her.

"C'mon Captain, it's me! I'll be fine!" Gin insisted; chuckling a little as she got up from the sofa.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way, we should get going," Liazo suggested as he put on a pair of rounded sunglasses and flicked his butterfly knife one more time before placing it in his pocket. As he walked over to the entranceway, Charles halted him. "What is it?"

"Keep them all safe, Liazo. I don't want anypony else dying on my watch." Charles gave him a stern expression, and Liazo nodded as he thought about the cheerleader the day before. "Get moving."

"See ya guys! I'll be back!" Rainbow Dash waved to the others as she exited the mansion with Liazo.

"Stay safe!" Fluttershy called out before the door closed.

All who gathered in the living area were quiet for a few seconds until Evelyn chimed in. "I might have another lead..."

"Excellent, what kind of lead?" Charles clapped his hands together.

"I believe I can triangulate the exact location of the cultist hideout using the blood samples gathered from the cultists." Evelyn proposed.

"Oh? Elaborate please." Charles said as he put one hand up to his chin with an intrigued expression.

"You see, the chemical levels in the cultists are not all the same, in fact, some are completely different. Based on atmospheric maps, I can find out just how far these cultist's have spread their influence." Evelyn continued as she tapped on a small electronic device and showed Charles the data that appeared on the screen. "My guess is that they reside at the heart of ground-zero, the detonation site. However, I cannot know for sure until I get to A.M.S building, they have the tools I require."

"That sounds promising," Twilight interjected as she looked at Evelyn's gizmo. "What a strange little device..."

"Yes, well... I believe I need a few of you to join me. If I separate from you all, they would most assuredly try to kill me." Evelyn informed the others as she put the tablet back in the pocket of her lab coat.

"Good point. In that case, Twilight, I want you and Butch to accompany Evelyn to The Ministry of Science." Charles gave orders as he checked his pocket watch again.

"I'll go too." Spike piped up as he approached Twilight, who grew uneasy as she saw the look in his eyes.

Spike had been suspicious all morning, and only then was he certain that something was indeed wrong with Twilight. What truly baffled Spike was the fact that Twilight was concealing whatever secret she was keeping, it was uncommon for her to just bottle up her feelings. Part of Twilight wanted Spike to figure it out, but the other part wanted him to leave her be, as she was unsure what would happen if he did find out.

"Very well, the more the merrier and all that," Charles said with a jolly laugh as he adjusted his glasses.

"What about us, Mr. President?" Draven asked as he took off his feathered captain's hat and gestured over to everypony else.

"You must stay here with my family along with Winslow and everypony else. We cannot leave the mansion unprotected. With you here, my family will be safe." Charles pointed out as he drew closer to Draven. "Also, I want a crib-rematch. I hate getting double-skunked."

"Alright, you've got a deal." Draven grinned as he brought out a deck of cards from his long captain's coat.

****

The Lower East Side of Ausrüstung looked like a war-zone to say the least. Down-trodden ponies walked down the sidewalks with shopping carts filled with their belongings, and beggars sat on the streets either mumbling to themselves incoherently or trying to stop anypony walking by. The stench in the air was a mixture of molten steel from the industrial district and sewage, and the sky was a hazy grey colour, it wasn't anything new to Gin- she had lived in slums for most of her adolescent life.

"This place brings back memories, not typically good ones, but I can laugh about them now nonetheless," Liazo spoke to both himself and the others.

Gin looked up at Edgar, then back to the various ponies walking by as they paraded down the sidewalk. They weren't bothered by his presence unlike in those Main Street. "You've probably heard this a thousand times, but... why aren't they bothered by you?"

"Perhaps they're too distracted by trying to survive, or maybe they just don't care." Edgar suggested, then sighed for a moment- Gin could see he was biting his tongue.

"Alright, now tell me the real reason." Gin pried as she walked alongside the giant.

"There used to be a circus act around here- a freak-show, back when this part of town was booming with business." Edgar recalled; struggling to regain the memories he tried so desperately to throw away. "I was the main attraction. "Der Zug! The Strongest Pony On The Planet!" is what they used to call me around here."

"What made you quit?" Gin asked, although, based on Edgar's expression, she could tell he didn't quit.

"The circus went out of business after Main Street was relocated to where it is now, Riker's Street, this used to be Main Street. Ponies quit visiting this part of town after that, and eventually, it turned into slums. Money quit funnelling into this place." Edgar lamented. "Soon after, Charles found me. He empathized with me and told me that he used to see the circus before it went out of business. He offered me a place to live, and I took his offer reluctantly at first, but he grew on me, and I met the rest of the team in the process."

"Did you enjoy working in the circus?" Gin inquired as she looked down at a bum on the street and tossed some coins into his hat. They were bits, but at least they were something.

"It had its moments..." Edgar paused for a brief moment as he scratched his snout with his metal hand. "I'd always light up when I saw the smiles I gave the colts and fillies who watched me lift tanks and fighter jets. But, for the most part, the parents always looked down on me, and that hit me hard. They thought I was some mindless monster, they thought I was stupid. My employers didn't even pay me and had to sleep in stables with wild animals. I was glad to leave the circus."

"That's rough," Gin sympathized, "can't say I know how you feel."

"Well, I'm glad you don't know how it feels." Edgar tried to smile with his big toothy maw as he began to pick up his pace to catch up to Liazo (which was basically a couple of long strides for Edgar). Gin followed sheepishly; knowing she had struck a nerve in Edgar unintentionally.

"So Liazo, what's this place you were talking about?" Gin queried as she caught up with Liazo and Rainbow Dash.

"Sergio's apartment building should be about a block away, you can't miss it. It's the only place without a broken or boarded-up window." Liazo uttered quietly as if someone was listening. "Make sure to check your pockets once in a while- a lot of thieves on this block."

"Hey, Liazo... how do you know Octavia?" Rainbow Dash wondered as she examined her pocket to make sure a burglar didn't pickpocket her, and to her satisfaction, nothing was missing.

"Octavia... We have time I guess, may as well make the most of it." Liazo grinned as he lit a cigarette and adjusted his sunglasses. "I was tasked with an assignment by my case officer regarding the whereabouts of a former Catelli mob boss who evaded capture by taking hopping on a ship sailing to Equestria- Mario Catelli. You see, Mario enjoyed listening to live musicians a lot, and I knew he couldn't keep away from a good show. Eventually, I found a certain symphony in Canterlot that screamed "Mario", so I signed up as a musician. I knew Mario couldn't resist, so I waited for him."

"And that's where you met Octavia?" Rainbow Dash guessed.

"Yeah... she was beautiful..." Liazo daydreamed a little as he thought about her, but kept his cool attitude. "After our first rehearsal, I invited her to share coffee with me, and she accepted. We hit it off and dated for a few months. I stayed there, even after I killed Mario. It got me fired from my job, but... I think it was worth it. After I left Equestria, I wrote to her, and even today, I still write to her. We've been dating for three years now."

"Wow, Vinyl didn't even tell me about you two! I always thought they were- you know." Rainbow Dash trailed off as she watched Liazo crack-up.

"Yeah, I can see how you'd think that..." Liazo chuckled as he tossed his cigarette bud in a trash bin as he walked by. "I actually tried breaking it off when I left, but she's a stubborn mare, and I guess I love her because of that."

Liazo and the others stopped at a tall brick building about five stories tall, barely decorated, and bland. Most of the blinds on the building were shut, and a few lights were on mostly on the upper levels. The building (while dirtier than a lot of buildings on Riker's Street) was a lot cleaner than others in The Lower East Side.

"Does Sergio own this?" Gin asked Liazo as she looked up at the top floor.

"No, this is just another shitty apartment owned by The Catelli's, they don't charge Sergio rent," Liazo answered as he pressed a button on a panel adjacent to the door. The phone rang for a few seconds, then a smooth voice answered.

"Whadda ya want, eh?" The Romean stallion demanded with a thick accent.

"Guess who?" Liazo replied with a smug grin.

"Oh, it'sa you..." The voice grumbled; obviously dreading to hear Liazo's voice. "Leave'a me alone! I don'ta want you here! I know'a nothing!"

"Hey Sergio, you still owe me two hundred, remember? But tell you what, if you let me and my friends in and give us a few answers, maybe I'll forget about that debt... sound good?" After a few seconds of silence, a buzz escaped the door and Liazo opened it quickly. He turned to the others and removed his glasses. "See? Smooth as jazz..."

As they piled into the main entrance, Edgar stayed behind. It was obvious why, as the door leading into the building was less than half his height. "I'll stay here. I don't want to fall through the floor."

"Yeah... good idea." Rainbow Dash smirked at him jokingly as she closed the door and followed Liazo through the lobby.

The lobby was deserted, and the only material items in the room were a few lamps and sofas. The plant on the absent landlord's desk was dying, and like everything in The Lower East Side, the room stunk- like rotting meat and mothballs... it was a dive to say the least. On the other side of the lobby was the elevator, and right next to it was a list of residents on a piece of paper hanging up on the wall.

Liazo ignored the paper and stepped in the elevator along with the others. "Alright... floor four..."

Cheesy elevator music played loudly as they ascended, and Rainbow Dash became extremely distressed as they were lifted upwards. "What the hell is going on?! Why are we moving?"

"Really? You've been teleported numerous times! We even teleported here just a half hour ago, and this is what phases you?!" Gin rolled her eyes as the confused pegasus ignored her and began squealing like an infant. "Bloody hell..."

As the elevator came to a halt, Rainbow Dash exhaled peacefully, and as the metal door opened, she bolted out of the elevator as if a bomb were about to go off inside the steel box. "Whew! Never doing that again!"

"Okay, Sergio's apartment is just down the hall, this way," Liazo said as he pointed to the right and started walking. "Don't make any sudden movements too, okay? He's a little jittery."

As Liazo came to Sergio's door, he knocked on it three times. After a long pause, Sergio opened the door- in his wife-beater, pajama pants, and bathrobe. He had bags under his eyes and an unimpressed look on his face as he gave Liazo an agitated glare. "Come in."

"What, no hug?" Liazo joked as he ran past the tired purple stallion and jumped on his sofa; making himself at home.

"Liazo, what are you doing here with these'a pony stranti!" Sergio exclaimed as he gestured to Gin and Rainbow Dash, who joined Liazo on Sergio's sofa.

"Relax Sergio, these guys are okay..." Liazo assured the frustrated stallion, who ran over to his oven and poured coffee into his mug.

"So what do you want, eh?" Sergio groaned as he sat down on his recliner next to Liazo and the others. "You come here, make'a yourself at home, and you want my help, so ask!"

"Alright, alright... we just wanted to ask you about some gun shipments you may know about... regarding those cultists you may have heard about on the radio," Liazo explained as he started playing around with his butterfly knife.

"I know nothing." Sergio bluntly denied as he sat back in his chair and looked away.

"Oh really?" Liazo pried.

"Yes, yes! I know'a nothing!" Sergio nervously nodded as he put his coffee on a nightstand nearby and crossed his arms. "I'm out! Fuori!"

"Okay then..." Liazo smiled as he walked over to his fridge and opened the freezer; revealing a stockpile of guns and explosives. "And these are?"

"Fonzi's'a son lived here'a for a few days. Those'a must be his!" Sergio began to sweat as Liazo glared at him. "Okay, okay! Dagli antenati! I'll'a tell you!"

"Wow, you don't handle pressure well..." Rainbow Dash felt pity for the bundle of nerves as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

"I'm listening..." Liazo hurried Sergio up as the nervous stallion cleared his throat.

"Godfather'a Fonzi, he made a deal with a powerful stallion with strange'a powers about'a three months ago, he called himself'a Father Kaiser. You heard of him, yes?"

"Yeah, he was the leader that smoke-guy mentioned." Gin thought back to her fight in the teleporting station with Ashurr.

"Well, Father Kaiser told him that he found a way to get weapons into the north district through an old'a teleporter."

"Of course! That makes so much sense." Liazo snapped his finger as he pieced it together. "Do you know where the teleporter is?"

"No, but I do'a know where the weapons'a warehouse is where they are building the firearms'a..." Sergio ran over to his kitchen and took a map of Eisen off the fridge, then pointed the location out to Liazo. "Here! The warehouse is'a here, by'a Moody Harbour!"

"Alright then, thank you for your time Sergio, it's been fun." Liazo shook his hand as he got to his hooves. "Now then, we best be off. C'mon you two."

"Wait!" Sergio stopped them just as they were exiting.

"What is it?" Liazo responded as he turned around.

"You must be careful... Fonzi has'a set up heavy security... armored security." Sergio warned them.

"Again, thanks, Sergio, I'll keep that in mind." Liazo waved as he insisted the other two go ahead.

"Um, do I still owe you that two'a hundred?" Sergio laughed timidly.

"Hmm, we'll see." Liazo chuckled as he closed the door in his face. "We'll see..."

Author's Notes:

Backstory, backstory, backstory! Action will arrive soon, trust me! As always, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a like and a comment if you did!