"So.... I take it you payed your final respects?"

I look up to see a large bipedal wolf. His fur was white but what was most interesting was his eyes.  They were like fire and ice, one red and the other blue. He stood quite tall, he nearly reached as tall as me. On his hip was a sword, slightly curved but hard to tell what kind of sword it was.

"Yes," I look him in eyes and see a warrior," why aren't you afraid of me like the ponies?"

"Should I be?"

"I did just throw those two monster hunter out of Cantorlot."

"The ones that tried to kill you?"

"Yes," This guy is obviously not some street thug."knowing them they'll land in a nice patch of manure."

"I overheard, trying to defend family honor is one thing, but when it resorts to violence," He stepped forward, "One needs to know their place.."

"I defended no ones honor nor do I have any of my own."

"I was talking about them... Crash and Burn right?"

"The supreme monster hunters!" Both of us gave a short chuckle.

"Right..." He began to pull out a peice of paper from his pocket.

"I assume you want to look into the blacksmith's murder?"

"If I wanted to look into it I would have."

"Aren't you a little curious?" he stared down at me, "Or are you not one for getting into the business of the dead."

"Depends the dead I suppose," I look down at my arm," but I am somewhat curious."

"I was there last night," He was there when Iron Mane died?"but the killers got away, I couldn't get a glimpse of their faces, but I did reinspect the scene..."

It was obvious he was trying to perk my interest in this.

"....I found some interesting clues." Clues? Maybe we can find the ones that did it.

"Oh?" I ask with somewhat fake curiousity.

"And what would those clues be O'mighty wolf ?" The sarcasm dripped from the sentence.

"Drop the attitude, sarcasm may seem nice, but can irritate, unless that's your goal. How about we talk about it over some tea..." he cocked his head slightly, "or do you prefer liquor to celebrate the dead?"

Sure, I haven't had tea since I left..." I remember back to cafe right before I had came here.

He had taken me to a small cafe I had passed a few times over my days in Cantorlot. We sat down with two of his friends both of them diamond dogs. I had to turn in two criminals to get in here, how the hell did they make it in? They both seemed like your average diamond dog but it was clear they had hidden wounds.

"Why is it always TEA?" groaned one of the diamond dogs.

"You can order something else if you'd like..."

"Just stop complaining, your not helping anything." I interrupted the wolf.

"Your not the boss of me!" The pup called back at me.

"ENOUGH!"

"Short fused are we?"

The wolf ignored my comment and was staring at the waitress. Oooh maybe this wolf here got the hots for a pony waitress! I look toward the young pony. She was shaking and her face distorted by fear. Better give her, her chance to leave this situation.

"Miss," I asked in a polite tone as to not frighten her more, "can I please have some more herbal tea?"

"Y-y-y-yess sir, right away sir..." she stuttered, "and y-y-y-you?"

"Black tea...."

"Right away..." She looked at the pup that had back talked me.

"Just a glass of milk..."

"Your a growing boy aren't you?" I quiped.

"Nothing for me..." The second diamond dog who had been silent this whole time who seemed distasteful of the of the drinks they had on the menu.

The pup was shooting me a glare. I know he is trying to intimidate me but by doing so he looks so damn cute!

"You know it's impolite to stare at others, no matter how attractive I am to you."

The waitress came back with our drinks. The smell from the tea quickly filled the surrounding area. I took a quick sip of the tea letting it's calming properties take hold just enough that I won't pull the trigger of the crossbow currently pointed at the wolf's crotch if he scratchs his nose.

"So what's your name?"

"Celt and yours?" taking another sip of tea.

"Aoi" Sounds japanese, probably just a coincidence.

"And your friends?"

"Ubi..." the quiet one said.

"Eol and don't you forget it!" This kid reminds me of Naruto, overconfident and doesn't know when to shut his mouth.

"Eol, you remind me of a character from a TV...." I stopped myself from finishing the sentance, " I mean a character I used to know."

"Oh? And what character was that?" Aoi asked much more interested in the conversation now.

"Just a kid who wanted to be important despite everyones beliefs," I took another sip of the tea, " overconfidence is deadly."

Aoi shot Eol a "stand down" stare.

"Sun Tzu?"

"Art of War."

We shook hands, he was obviously somewhat worried by my arm.

"Welcome to Equestria Celt..."

"You aswell Aoi," We stopped the hand shake, "I suppose I should take my crossbow away from your crotch now."

"And my blade from yours." I stare under the table to see his sword positioned just right to have killed me if I tried to attack him. This guy isn't a newbie to killing. I put my crossbow back into my holder as he sheathed his blade.

"Now, portaining to the recent murder..."

"Ah yes, we were getting a bit off topic now weren't we?"

"Just a little. You do have quill and parchment don't you?" Aoi taking a sip from his black tea.

"Yes, I do have some." I shift through my satchel looking for ink and some parchment.

"Here you go."

"Thank you... Now, I looked around the building and noticed a couple of things..."

"Such as?"

"For one, the murder weapon was a blade, inspecting the would I found it to be laced with poison..."

"Well, aren't they clever."

"Conclusion... they're pros... but still sloppy..." he countinued.

"They have been at it for a few months mind you."

"Not enough... trust me... Ash marks were left near the crimescene, on closer inspection..."

"Magic?" I interrupted him in hopes it make me sound much more knowledgable on this situation.

"Hoof prints," Mission failed. "Being in a blacksmiths forge, one is bound to step on a coal or two..."

"Brilliant deduction sherlock, we already know their ponies"

"Ah.. not just any... pegasi, after the initial footprints none else were found..." he stopped again to take a breath, "They flew in their escape..."

"So they're a group they are bound to have a few pegasi"

"You obviously haven't investigated before... if their are pegasi, their hideout wouldn't be grounded..." his tone still calm, "They'd be in the air where no one would find them..."

"Makes sense but wouldn't the weather team notice a cloud they hide in?"

"Not if it's a cloud that looks just like anyother... high in the sky..."

"Stratus?"

He looks up into the sky and points to a single could. It was barely visible but the weird thing was it's shape. It was kinda like a star. Huh, he figured it out pretty damn well.

"Sure is purty friend." I take a sip of my tea again, letting it warm me, "one problem though."

"That is?"

"If their in a cloud how are we supposed to get them?" It was a good question and I was hoping that would trip up.

"Simple..." finishing his tea, "Up is where they are, so Up is where we'll go..." Is he seriously pausing for dramatic effect? "Or shall we bring them down to earth's level..."

He smiled widely, it wasn't a normal smile that you'd see everyday. It had a evil behind, cruelity and wanting of destruction was hidden in that smile.

"I like that look" Making my own evil smile, "It means death is near"

"So now that I've divulged my findings, let's see yours..." Oh shit, he wants to know what I know. I'll just tell him what I read off that article."

"He was killed by a group called the Black brothers" calm tone takes over my voice, "The leaders are called Black Sun, Black Star and Black Soil

"Then to me... it's just another bust.." Fuck he read the article already.

"Thats what I know"

"How well can you handle yourself?" He looks at my crossbow.

"I do just fine." Best not to gloat.

"Can you go up against 30, 50, maybe even 100?"

"Depends" Come on ask depends on what, I have the best line ever ready for it!

"Then this just might work... by the way, I need to stop by the local fireworks shop..." Damn it!

"Alright"

Ubi, Eol and I finished our tea and we headed off towards the firework shop in the industrial district. The store was called "Boomer's Boomers", and as the name suggests the pony who ran it was called Boomer. We left the store with me carrying large amounts of roman candles, Aoi with a oversized bottle rocket, Eol with a cannon with the labels danger and highly explosive on it and Ubi who was carrying a wads of sparklers. Lucky ass, getting the light load.

"Why does the pipsqueak there carry the light crap?" I roared at Aoi.

"Actually, he's 26, so he's technically not a pipsqueak," I lean in close, "And trust me... you do not want him near the big stuff..." Really? I'm more worried about Eol near the high explosives.

"Right...." Wait did he say 26? "26? I'm 16 and I'm taller than he is!"

"Don't ask, cause he won't tell."

We reached a hill that was directly under the cloud and the sun was high in the sky. We strap the sparklers to the end of the bottle rocket, the roman candles to the head, and use the cannon as the bottle. We position our newly made artillery so that it would hit the could dead center.

"You sure this will work?" Eol asks somewhat nervously.

"....Actually, I have no freaking idea." Aoi even less confident.

"FIRE ZE MISSILE!" I roared in my best german accent.

Eol pulled the cord and the cannon fires the bottle rocket into the sky. Once the bottle rocket had reached it's maxium height it lit the sparklers sending them into the cloud. The explosion ripped the cloud apart in a very colorful manner. A pony walks by us as we watch our master peice.

"Little early for fireworks don't you think?"

"Eyup" My response got a chuckle from Aoi but not Ubi or Eol since they had no idea where we got it from.

"Do you think they heard us knocking?"

"I think they need a new door."

Eol replied to my comment "Yah they're definatly going to need a new door."

A swarm of pegasi started to form from out of the smoke of the cloud and began to dart toward us.

"My god their like bees," I start to get my killing time grin again, "C'mon let's go say hi."

"Quickly Eol get the newpaper!" I say in hopes he gets the joke in which he promptly runs back into town.

As the swarm grew closer and closer we drew our weapons. Aoi sword came out from it's sheath, my arm blade extended, Ubi's claws came out and Eol came back with the press. How dafuq did he convince them to come here? Eol turns and faces the crowd of news ponies and says,

"Please take a seat, your gunna want to see this."

The swarm of angry pegasi had finaly reached us. We charged down the hill toward them. One of them tried a frontal assault fallowed by me side stepping him and cutting his wing straight off with my blade. Two more fallowed after their friend from opposite sides of me, I pull out my crossbow at one and shout

"Opprimendi vis!" a silver bolt appeared on the crossbolt and I fired.

The bolt made contact with the pegasus' head and the sound of his skull being crushed in quickly fallowed suit. His body fell as I turned to his advancing friend whom was trying to pull up from his charge. He raised over my head but met my blade as he supplied enough force for it to cut through his body. Both halves of his body fell by his friends body. Two had gone for the back of my legs hoping to get me to kneel as their friend prepared to buck me. Instead I jumped on to his friend making it look like I had fallen to kneel but in reality crushing them under my weight as the other pegasus attempted his buck on my face. I grabbed his leg with my organic and arm and crushed the bone then brought my blade to his stomach. I dropped his body to face the rest of my opponents.

One of the bulkier pegasi stepped up to face me. I charge and so did he instead of colliding I grabbed his neck and held my crossbow in my other hand. I smiled at him with pure bloodlust.

"Ignum" I said in a voice that would be children cry easily.

The fiery bolt appeared on my crossbow and I held it up to him. I squeezed his throat ever so slightly as to make him gasp for air. I dropped the bolt into his mouth. You could see the glow as it made it's way to his stomach. I dropped him, as to leave him die in pain. Wait, I'm forgetting something aren't I? I heard a explosion from behind me. Oh now I remember, they explode when removed. I turned to the six remaining pegasi all with looks of horror on their faces.

I crack my knuckles and step closer to the pegasi. Four of them got brave and charged my in another frontal assault. I grabbed two of the pegasi's wings and tearing them straight off the bodies. The other two quickly lost their heads as I slashed at them in the sky. Their bodies landed by the one winged ponies. I aimed my crossbow and fired another fiery bolt in their heads ending their pain. I turn back to the last two pegasi. One of them was one the ground, while the other looked down at him. Must have died of fright. I walked toward the last pegasi and extended my blade into his neck, decapitating him on the spot.

After the bloodshed, the press were taking pictures of us and the bodies. Resist urge to kill. Must resist the urge! Aoi approached me.

"What happens to the brother?" I asked back in my normal tone of voice.

"Do you want to interrogate them?"

"Yes and no," I look back at the reason for the bloodshed, "I wanted to find out which one kill Iron Mane and give him a little....test" I smile as I remember the test iron mane gave me.

"By all means... I only need 1200 bits of the bounty, you can keep the rest..."

"Wait there's a BOUNTY!"

"Of course, they are a wanted criminal syndicate that noone's been able to capture..."

"How much?"

"Including the 30 we just wasted, plus all their confiscated goods... 65 grand..."

"Take half, I have to go find a pegasus." My mind goes back to the single pegasus mom that had shown me kindness.

"If you insist."

"Tell the guard to send one of the bosses to the smith." He nods and signals Eol to get one of the guards.

"Have a good life, you only get one." I wave back to him as I head into the town.

I began my search at the mail post which was simple to find. Just look for the building with a huge ass letter on top of it. I had to wait in a line, to see if Derpy was around. The ponies around me kinda released a aura of worry and nervousness as I towered over most of them. I reached the front desk and asked the clerk if Derpy was in currently or where she lived.He gave me a address and I was on my way to Derpy's. I find her place about an hour later. It's a run down old place, the garden was kept in order but still was a sickly greenish brown. Some of the windows were cracked or had a peice taken out of them.  I knocked on the door and almost knocked through it with all the rot on it. The door opened to Dinky.

"Hello Mr.Monster!" The voice filled with joy even though what had happened earlier.

"Hello Dinky is your Mommy home?"

"Why yes I am." I look up to see Derpy smiling and coming down the hall of her house.

"I wanted to give you a thanks for being kind to me when no other creature was." I hand her the bad with most of the bounty.

"Oh you didn't have to." She tries to push the bag back but I remain firm.

"Please take this gift, or I will leave it on this doorstep for any to take."

"Oh alright," she looks in the bag and her eyes go wide, "h-h-how much is in here?"

"If I counted right about 30K give or take a few bits."

Her eyes begin to water and she pulls me in for a hug.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" Her tears fell on to my back.

When she let go, I said my goodbyes and began to walk to the alley where I have been living for the past days. Check list go over:

1.Meet ponies, check

2.Make friend with ponies, check

3.Find a way to get my arm back, check pending

4.???, ???

5.Profit, check.

It's been a great day. I think as I lay my head on to my pillow and allow sleep take me.

A/N This has been a crossover with Io's fiction, The Blue Stranger, The Red Curtain.

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