//------------------------------//
// A Time Before, And The Time That's Passed 
// Story: Hunting the 6 
// by Starblazer225 
//------------------------------//

I stood there in the shack, Starblazer remained quiet in the corner he moved into when he first entered the room. He kept his eyes locked on the floor and did not break his gaze. The whole shack had a warm open feel to it. The smell of cinnamon floated up from some unknown source.

I looked at the contents inside the little gas station’s shack, in which I’m guessing Big Macintosh lived in. The walls were wood and void of paint. Some pictures hung on the wall but other than that they were blank. An old wooden table was at the far wall with two chairs seated around it and a gas lantern burning bright in the center of the table. Across from that was nice little ironclad stove with a small fire burning in it. A small counter sat beside the oven and next to that was a sink. A shelf was mounted above all of it and it contained some spices, a couple bottles of some expensive alcohol.

I stared at the pictures in the frames from a distance. Time had gone by so fast for me, damn near fifteen or sixteen years since what had happened that day-so many years ago. I trotted over to the frames hanging there. They brought a smile to my face, the tugging at the heart it brought me. They were the closest things I had to a family. A bigger photo from a longer time ago hung in the center. All of the family was there, every aunt and uncle; Big Mac was there too. He was so young then, that’s when we all were. My cousin stood right next to me, she had her hooves completely wrapped around me, she was almost on top of me. It felt like she was the sister I never had-and I was that twin brother she never had as well. Applebloom wasn’t even born yet-her mom though was there though. I forgot Auntie’s name but I just remember her upright leaving. I don’t remember why or if she left at all, she just disappeared. 

Braeburn was my other cousin, he stood to the right of us, he had a big hat on-too big for his head at least. His parents were right behind him smiling. All of us were smiling, all of us were happy then. No one ever was confused or scared, none of us had a care in the world. I don’t want to remember what happened after that.

I read books on how to repress a memory, to close it off. Everything I tried never worked, it came back once in awhile. I tried to lose myself in that photo, that beautiful moment so long ago. Those were the days I tell you.

I couldn’t help but glance at the others, the nostalgia that it brought back churned my heart. I could feel my face contorting, trying to hold back tears that were building behind my eyes as I watched how much time passed while I was gone. So much had happened, I had just seen little Applebloom when she was a baby. She reminded me of her sister in some of the pictures. It was always like every girl in the family got the charm and every stallion got the strength. I was nothing special though, I never had the build or the strength to work the farm nor did I have the intellect to do anything else. I guess I was kinda useless and kinda a nobody. Guess that’s why I chose this profession, it’s good to be a nobody.

I heard a slam of a door behind me that took me out of my nostalgic trance. Big Mac stood in front of the door-soaked and wet. 

“Car’s full.” He said walking over to one of the chairs.

“You might as well be on your way, you could stay if you want.” I looked over to Star. He closed his eyes and looked towards the floor, giving a gesture to the door. I looked back to Big Macintosh. He was staring at the lamp that rested on the table.

“I’m sorry cousin,” I said walking up to him.

“I’d like to stay, but I got business to attend ta back in Canterlot.” He looked at me with a rare smile. One that you don’t see from anypony too often, it was a smile of remembrance and of insight. Big Mac saw something that moment and that spark intrigued me.

“Whadaya lookin’ at me like that for?” I couldn’t help but unsheathe a smile that was pulled onto my face.

“Nothin’,” He said turning back to the lamp.

“You just remind me so much of your mother.” He hit a string deep down. A wire snapped in my mind. I could feel something, something hurt-a good hurt. It was strange how much that hurt deep down, not a bad hurt. Nothing was bad about it, I-I-I don’t know how to feel.

I couldn’t react to that, I think my mind was still processing what cousin Macintosh just said. I didn’t know how to take it, nopony had ever said anything like that before. 

It was kinda awkward, I just stared at the floor and nodded once-maybe twice and then walked outside into the rain. From behind me I heard one last thing.

“Stop by anytime Golden,” I heard through the rain.

“You’re always welcome here.”

I paused and looked back.

“I will!” I yelled back. As I did Starblazer was just walking out, shutting the door. The rain had loosened up since it came crashing down earlier. The fog that rolled in had gotten thicker and the grey sky turned to a different shade of black.

We both jumped into the car. Starblazer clicked the ignition and the car roared to life. I sat there, looking out over the car door out into the mist. The car jerked forward and with that we were off. I still stared into the mist. What Macintosh had said caught up with me now. I tried to hold off my emotions. I felt my face contort and twist, my throat felt closed and my eyes began to water. I had no idea why, I don’t think it was the memory of my mother that made me feel like this. 

The dense forest seemed to lighten as we headed toward a clearing up ahead. The more the forest disappeared the easier it was to think. The realization of time is overwhelming and sometimes the pain it brings can be unbearable-especially when you see everything you wanted so dearly be lost in the sands of time.

The car within seconds made it through the clearing to an open field. Ahead about ten to twenty miles was a mountain. Clinging to the side of the mountain with a trail that led down the side and poured onto the field below was a city. A castle rested at its peak and the modern city of Canterlot was in full view. 

Grey and black clouds loomed overhead as black smoke stacks from the city trailed white and black plumes skyward feeding the dull blanket covering the land. The air stung my eyes as I had just realized that I had not put my goggles on yet. The sky let a subtle soft drizzle get sprinkled on the world that I saw. The cosmopolitan city had grown as the times changed from a humble state of baroque etiquette and beauty to an industrial province of steam and gears. City streets were painted with steam powered building and pipes streaking out from factories.

What was once a beautiful open field had been wounded. That natural aura that such a majestic place had once had was gone now, torn and scarred by the hooves of civilization. It was sad that we were the ones tearing this world apart, everypony saw progress like this beneficial but in reality the aren’t looking at the big picture. That cosmopolitan lifestyle and that recognition of what beauty really was-was no longer there. I had ventured to many cities out back near Baltimare and such out eastward.

Cities were disgusting; the once classical feeling to a city had been purged of that style. The ones who lived in such places called it a “steam-powered” era. I hated the whole style of everything. It was a mesh of iron gears with leather with a hint of the brown rusted iron color. It was ugly and warped, mad at times. As we got even closer that madness rose even more, the more of the city that you saw the more it seemed to hang over you, like a ghostly presence that never left your side.

The awful scar was getting closer to us. I hadn’t even noticed that the road had changed from dirt to asphalt. The cars engine kicked into another gear and slowed. You could feel the deceleration and the slight pull forward as my body continued towards the front of the car. We passed some homes on the outskirts of the city. One by one they looked old. They looked as if they had not changed since I was a little colt, but as the road progressed so did time. The buildings changed, from brick and plaster to wood and steel. They still progressed into the madness that was the modern time. From that they dove into a madness of pipes and gears and moving parts of what looked like alien technology. The heavy mist still mixed with the steam and humidity that the city itself produced.

The car’s growl seemed to change to a loud purr as we cruised down the center road.

“So,” Starblazer said.

“I am supposed to drop the car off at a safe location, then proceed on hoof.” Star explained looking at me through water-splattered goggles.

“Do you have any place in particular you’d like to stay for your time in the city?” He asked. The car started to slow as we came to a stop sign.

“It’s been a while my friend.” I said looking out to the strange streets.

“You pick someplace, as long as it gotta bed.” I added looking back to the driver. He shrugged,

“You wanna just stay at my place up in downtown?” He asked. Honestly I didn’t care what he did, I just know it’s raining and I’m hungry.

“Sure, why not?” I stated in a kinda sarcastic tone.

“Great.” Was all I heard from him as he adjusted the stick shift forward into a new gear and the car lurched forward again pulling me back into the seat.

“I just need to run by my mailbox around this address.” I added as I pulled the letter to my cousin out of my jacket pocket and passed it to him.

“See the thing here?” I pointed at the address, He looked closely at it.

“Yeah, I know where that is.” Star said looking back to the front of the car.

“A little out of the way of where we’re going but we’ll manage.” He pointed out jerking the wheel hard to the left. From that the car turned to the left as well.

“It’s towards the outskirts of the city.” He said flipping the wheel around again going back in the direction we came front. I turned my hat down over my eyes blocking the light out and leaving a dark shadow in its place.

“Mind wakin me up when ya get there?” I asked.

“No need to worry.” I heard Star say.

“We’ll get there in no time.” I let out a breathe of air as I let the soft release of consciousness envelope me so gently, so closely. The world got tuned out, the presence of the car vanished as the whole world around me vanished as I was enveloped into a warm abyss deep within the recesses of my own mind.