That morning the flame had been extinguished and the last of the embers had been put out beneath the grey overcast sky a few days prior to this morning. I was alone again, at a local café around the corner from the train depot that I would be leaving on soon. I was tired, sore, the smell of smoke stuck to every stitch of my clothes. I hadn’t changed clothes since that night night, the farthest I got to was cleaning myself off but not much else.
This café was a hole-in-the-wall place Star had told me about, he was already on his way to the train to get a cabin ready for us, I remained back here.
I was thinking now, of that mare that I met, Colgate, her name was. I thought about her, her soft sweet voice, her glossy mane, her gentle touch. The thought was overwhelming. She had ignited something deep down, something I had never felt before.
“My name’s Ruby, I’ll be your waitress” I heard somepony ask, breaking my train of thought on her.
“Is there anything I could get you?” She asked about to start writing on the pad. I thought for a second.
“Some water, other than that I think I’m good ma’am.” I said looking away back over to the station.
“Alright,” Ruby said turning away and walking to another table.
As she walked away I started to go back to her. Now that I think about it, how will I ever see her again? How will I ever talk to her again? I tapped a hoof on the table, thinking of how I was going to ever see her again. I was lucky to even be able to meet such a mare.
I think though, after all this is done, I might just retire from this. Open up a brewery down the street from here. Good business, great location, just a few miles from the outskirts of the city, and… I could be closer to her.
We managed to meet, her and I, yesterday. We met, had a nice dinner, just a mediocre time. I remember though, telling her I had to leave. It was hard to say, not going to lie. She didn’t take it well, trust me, it wasn’t easy on either of us. I walked her home, I spent the night, stayed there for an hour or two, then wound up here. Waiting for Star.
“Your water, sir.” I heard the waitress say as she let down a pitcher and a glass.
“Mighty appreciated.” I said tipping my hat to her.
I lifted the glass and took a gentle sip. I sat back and tilted my head back staring at the grey sky. I started to notice that it had been such a long time since I’ve felt the sun, or seen the moon for that matter
“So, if what that mare said in the hotel room was correct, than Celestia is dead.” I said to myself under my breath. I brought the cup to my mouth again taking a long swill from the glass.
I pulled four bits from my duster’s pocket and placed them on the table and made my way toward the station. I was glad I got to get away from the city and all of its fools gold and silver paint. I’m torn though, I don’t want to leave her. I want to stay here because of her.
I had boarded the train and began to make my way to my cabin, located thankfully to the back of the train. The hallways of the train seemed empty, I saw maybe one or two ponies passing by trying to get to the back of the train but other than them it was empty. The hall with my cabin on the right was exceptionally quiet. I heard chatter from one room in particular, the middle one, my cabin.
I pulled the door open just to hear a bombardment of laughter.
“Did he really now, Star?” A dim green unicorn asked. The other white stallion shook his head warmly.
“Yeah! Somethin’ about a… Butterfinger Hitler? Whatever and whoever the hell that is!” As he said that they both wailed with laughter. Then I noticed the five empty bottles of wine on the floor next to them.
Star fell to the floor, gripping his sides. Emerald looked over to me.
“Oh! Look who it is!” Emerald said, the alcohol bringing out his thick accent.
“Mister Cowboy bounty hunter man!” He said, drunkenly mocking me. The smell off him was repulsive.
“No!” Starblazer said getting up from the floor surprisingly stably.
“He's a hitman, get that right!” He screamed as they both cracked up together. This did not amuse me in the slightest. Star got that off the expression I wore on my face.
“Emerald, stop being drunk, Golden is here, we gotta talk strait and good.” He managed to slur out of his mouth.
“Yesh!” Emerald said before face planting into the floor of the cabin. Star looked out him blankly with his eyes half closed.
“Is he dead?” Star asked with no emotion. Emerald let out a moan before hiccupping then leading to a snore.
“No, not dead.” Star said as he walked over to one of the benches and passing out on it. I had to laugh at what had just happened. They were both drunk off their asses and it wasn’t even ten o’clock in the morning yet but it was still a little fun to see I’ll admit.
A few hours passed by in the day. The train had rolled down the tracks, and the scenery had changed from fields stained and tainted from civilization to bustling hillside. The faint snoring from my associates melted the silence that was clinging and trying to block out the sound of the tracks and the train in the front.
I enjoyed the peace and quiet while it was there, neither did I mind the clicks and clacks from the tracks nor the heavy breaths from Starblazer and Emerald asleep in the cabin. I thought about how tired I actually was, my body is worn, no matter how young I am, I’m sore and tired of this life. It gets me some money but it’s not as full filling anymore.
Emerald struggled in his sleep a little, rolling over then stretching. He sat up slowly gripping his forehead. He lay on the floor of the room. He let out a low moan of pain in his voice rang out. He was not facing me, I was seated in the far corner closest to the door, he was facing the opposite direction towards the window.
“My word,” Emerald said harshly, looking around the cabin frantically. “Did Golden get on the train?” He asked looking around. He stared straight at me and still looked around desperately.
“What’s going on, what’s happening?” He asked. I looked at the floor below him. A pair of spectacles was resting behind him.
I grabbed Emerald's face and calmly turned his head around, placing the glasses at the end of his snout. Bright red strained eyes glared though the lenses.
“Oh,” he said, realizing what he had done wrong. “Pardon me Golden,” He said “I have this bitter headache that has just dawned on m-“
“It’s called a hangover.” Starblazer butted in, muttering while still laying down. “You’ll get over it soon.”
Emerald rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses.
“How long has it been since we left the station in Canterlot?” Emerald asked pulling himself together, now speaking in a more official tone that I was used to hearing.
I looked out the window.
“We lef at ‘bout eleven? The day's beginin ta wind down now, about seven, eight awers?”
“Pardon?” Emerald asked. I looked at him expectingly.
“Wha?” I asked.
“Awers?” Emerald asked confused.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Twenty four awers in a day? Awers.”
“Oh, hours!” He corrected.
He nodded quickly, then rose up to the bench across from me.
“Back to business.” Emerald started picking up a bowler hat off the floor and placing it on his head.
“Our next target is in the bustling city of Manehattan.” He said resting two hooves under his jaw.
“I knew her personally so I could dispose of the file now if you like, I have all the information that you need to know.” Emerald said offering a hoof out.
“Let me see the envelope.” He ordered, I plucked it from my duster and handed it to him.
“The mare you looking for is a current mail-mare and-or courier for the almost extinct Pony Express.” He said holding the envelope up and plucking a single page from it. His horn flashed for a second and the file was ablaze the disintegrated to dust onto the floor.
“She’s more than likely to be stronger than you and me combined, same goes for speed and agility, she could beat us both in those catagories.” Emerald said. “A little bit of a hot head at times and hot tempered.” He pulled a photo out of his leather vest that was hugging his torso.
“Here, a decent picture of her currently.” Emerald held the picture out using his magic. “Multi colored mane consisting of different colors as well as a cerulean blue body.”
Something in the photo caught my eye though. A tag around her foreleg’s hoof.
“How recent was the picture?” I asked.
“Two years old.” He answered. “Why?”
“Well, she probably doesn’t look like that anymore.” I said taking the picture out of the air.
“See that tag? Righ’ there.” I pointed out around her hoof.
“It’s meant fer surgery, she probably changed her appearance.”
Emerald brought the picture back to his face. He slid back in his seat.
“Damn…” Emerald said under his breath. “How are we going to find her then?” He asked.
“You said you knew her personally?” Starblazer piped in.
“Yes, but I have no idea what she looks like.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Why of course.”
“That’s all we need then.”
Star got up from the floor surprisingly quickly and headed for the door.
“Either of you require any refreshment?”Star asked opening the door the hallway.
“Sure, I’ll come withya.” I said getting up.
“Emerald?” Starblazer gestured. He raised a hoof up.
“I’m fine,” Emerald said blandly. “I need to get over this ‘hangover’, you’re talking about.”
Star shrugged and continued on into the hallway.
A thick brew of lilac scented air filled the hallway. The dim pink light filled the room as the day settled in the horizon. Star stopped in the hallway and stared at it, the empty sky that is.
“Man,” He said looking out across the plains and fields until the horizon was just peaking out, the sky beginning to darken.
“Ya know, she loved the sunset.” Star said. “She’d love to have seen it again.” I was a little confused as to who he was talking about. A warm smile crossed his face as he spoke.
“I remember one day, I found myself sitting next to her. We were still in school, in an art class.” He backed up against the wall and stared out still.
“I was so scared to talk to her, I didn’t want to say anything but I was talking and continued, such an idiot. I kept blathering about random crap like a moron” He sighed a little.
“I don’t know why I keep thinking about her, she’s always on my mind.” He looked down to the floor.
“I would take a bullet for her. Hell, I’d even choose torture over seeing her even hurt a little.” His face turned, a dismal smile crossed his face. He sighed hard and looked to his flank at his cutie mark.
“She doesn’t want me around though, I try to get close to her but every time I try I just get farther and farther away.” He ended that sighing hard and reverting his gaze to the deeply grey sky.
We both stood there in an awkward silence. I still stood in the hall staring at him as watched the clouds fade down to a light blue, then to the dark azure they were meant to be.
Star snapped out of his little trance and continued down the hallway.
“So,” I started trying to start some small talk.
“Where’d ya learn t’ fight like that?” I asked.
“Like what?” Starblazer asked with a puzzled expression.
“Back there in the hotel, the one that burned down. Where’d you learn t’ fight like that?”
Star shrugged again, I’m getting real tired of that.
“My father was a pegasus, a veteran that served in the Changling war many years before my birth and was a leading commander in the Pegasii army, I guess it’s just in my blood.”
“You’re father’s a pegasus?” I asked. Star paused for a moment.
“Yeah.” He said faintly picking up his stride again.
“So yer mother was n Earthpony then?” He stopped in his tracks once more. Something struck him hard this time though, he had this torn look on his face. That one you have when you’re not sure if you want to tell someone something or not.
“No, she wasn’t.” Star said continuing his pace going down the hall. We got up to the car jump. He slid open the door and moved through to the other car. I followed closely behind.
“Wait, how’d you end up like…” I asked pausing at the end to let him fill the gap for me.
“Long story.” He said distastefully.
“Somethin’ personal?”
“Extremely.” Star said marching off down the hallway.
The train still remained empty and hollow as we moved farther down the train to the restaurant in the mid section of the train. On entering the car we were both greeted by the warm smell of pastries and other goods they sold there. We both grabbed a table.
Star pulled a cigarette from one of his pockets and lit it up taking a drag off of it and then blowing the air up out of one side of his mouth. A single pegasus came up to us, he was tall and built. His eyes were calm and collected and his cool complexion made me wonder how he landed as a waiter in a train and not as something else.
“Welcome to the Equestria’s Line café, could I get you two anything?” The waiter asked sitting down and pulling a pen and paper out of an apron he wore over his black canvas shirt.
“Well, I can’t have anything to drink, alcohol wise, since I’m still feeling bad from earlier.” Star looked over to me. “I’ll have whatever you have,” he said.
I thought for a second.
“Just some milk, fer the two of us.”
The waiter nodded and walked away. We both sat in silence as the cool air began to rise with the sun going down.
“In all my career working as an agent for the boss, I’ve met a few very scary hitmen and bounty hunters. You though, are different. The way you do things, the way you think, just everything is different.” Star pointed out.
I wasn’t sure how to take that.
“Thank ya? I guess?” He looked to my hoof.
“It’s just strange to me.” Star said scratching his head with a hoof.
The waiter came back with two glasses full of white. Something though in his expression was different. He seemed more concentrated, more concerned and focused. He returned back to the kitchen as quickly as he entered.
“Waiter!” Star called out but it was too late, he had already made his way into the other room.
“Damnit!” Star exclaimed slamming his hoof into the table.
“I’m starving!” He exclaimed. Stars eyes flickered to the door we came through.
“Look who decided to join us?” He called out. I turned in my chair to see Emerald walking up. He sat down at our table with us but a streak of concern was worn on his face.
“Golden, I think we may have something to be concerned about.” Emerald opened with.
“What?” I asked. Emerald looked both ways quickly.
“Have we stopped at any stations on the way so far?”
“No… we haven’t.” I replied
“How many passengers do you think are on this train currently?”
“I saw three I think walkin’ in.” I said.
“Any more?”
“No.” I replied once more
“Then we need to figure out what’s go-“
Emerald was cut off by a scream of pain created from his own lips as our waiter had mashed a red hot metal plate onto Emerald’s hoof. He wailed out as the stallion pressed all his weight onto it.
Star grabbed a fork off the table and jammed it in the brute’s chest and he fell back to the floor in pain. Emerald’s eyes were wide as he stared at the brand that it left on the back of his hoof, a giant ‘AD’ was scorched into his right hoof.
“Dammit!” Star screamed leaping over the table to go after the stallion. As the waiter raised the metal again to use on Star he kicked it away and fell onto him carrying a punch with his fall, repeatedly landing blow after blow on him after the first devastating strike. The stallion refused to move after the sixth or seventh punch.
“W-W” I heard Emerald stammer.
“What?” I asked him.
“We need t-t-to get of-f-f this train,” He stuttered best he could through the pain.
As he spoke the door was thrown open and Stallions poured into the room from all directions and circled us. We didn’t move as they circled us quickly. Star still was atop the unconscious, possibly dead, stallion, Emerald was still seated at the table gripping his hoof in total shock, and I stood there waiting for the first move made by us or them.
“I warned you, didn’t I?” I heard a familiar voice call out from the mob. An orange pegasus pushed through the strong stallions and stood there trying to cut with her stare through her glasses. I t was the same one from the hotel room, she even wore the same blue badge decorated coat.
“You gone done it now.” I said moving my duster over to one side getting ready to reach for a pistol I had stowed in there.
“Don’t even try it cowboy.” With that a loud click sounded. I felt the cold steel barrel of a gun against the back of my head that halted me dead in my tracks. I had nothing else to do but slowly as I could move the duster back into place.
“You’re in some deep shit now, huh?” She asked.
“How does it feel to have a barrel to your head?” She snapped.
“Not the first time.” I fired back.
A thick smirk crossed her face.
“Shoot him.” I heard the metallic clink of a hammer drawing back.
“Not in the head though!” She ordered.
“Make sure his last moments are his most painful ones. Cap his legs first.”