The Night Train

by SociallyAwkwardPegasus


Night Ride

The Night Train

Darkness surrounded the lone human as he continued his trek along the abandoned train tracks. The time was well into the night as a light breeze forced a shiver from the human. The human rubbed his arms for warmth, though in all honesty, he didn’t really care at the moment.

“Damn, ponies. Friendship my ass,” the human scoffed with the click of his tongue.

“Bunch of xenophobic little hypocrites is what they are,” he added before raising the pitch of his voice.

“Oh Eric, of course we want to be your friends. That is, until I am done with my research and no longer have a use for you. But you don’t mind that do you? You said you are used to it back on Earth, so you should be able to cope with the feeling.” Eric stated in his best Twilight impression before sighing.

“Would it kill any of them to actually give me a chance?” Eric tiredly asked aloud.

The human continued on his journey for another hour or so. His destination was unknown, just anywhere that wasn’t full of hypocritical ponies. Thoughts of the past three months filled Eric’s mind, but did little to alleviate his feelings. A loud whistle soon brought the human out of his trance. Looking behind him, Eric noticed that a bright light was racing along the tracks and towards his position.

“Guess the tracks aren’t abandoned,” Eric mumbled with a sigh.

“Just another thing I was wrong about.” Stepping off to the side to allow the train to pass, Eric was rather surprised as the train came to a slow before stopping about a hundred feet in front of him. Looking around for any sort of life, Eric was suddenly startled as a large door on the side of the train opened, revealing a long metal ramp inside. Looking around once more, the human shrugged before casually making his way towards the ramp and open door.

“Have nothing else to lose. Might as well see what they want,” Eric stated aloud, before stepping onto the ramp and inside the single long-car of the train. If Eric were to say he was surprised, it would have been an understatement for the human. Inside the train car was what he could only describe as high-class. A long bar, stocked fully with high-end liquor and wines, was nestled snuggly against the right side of the wall. Near the other side of the car was a lavish red couch that lined the back and part of the left wall. Strewn about on the accompanying table were magazines of sexualized mares and stallions, forcing the human to look away with a light blush. Through the door the human had entered was another door to the right, which most likely led into the lead car that pulled the one Eric was currently in. To his left was an already set dining table for two, complete with folded napkins atop pristine white plates, accompanied with a water and wine glass.

“What do you think?” A feminine voice sounded from behind, causing the human to almost piss his pants in surprise as he jumped forward from the voice. Spinning around, Eric noticed whom the new voice belonged too. It was a unicorn-mare, most likely in her mid-twenties. She sported a dark-blue coat with black mane and tail. Her uncovered cutie mark was a pair of white dice, though the most notable feature was her red eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the mare stated apologetically as she made her way behind the bar, not before gently running her tail along the human’s waist as she passed. After passing by the human, the door that Eric had entered through closed before he felt the train lurch forward and begin to move.

“Can I offer you something to drink?” the mare questioned, already seeming to fix herself something to drink as if this was a normal occurrence for her. Feeling a bit cautious, Eric slowly made his way over to the bar, dropping his backpack next to his stool on the ground and eyeing the mare suspiciously.

“You have any watermelon-vodka and sprite?” Eric asked, watching the mare for any hint of malicious intent. The mare put a hoof to her chin in thought, as her eyes locked with the ceiling cutely.

“You know, I may just have a bottle stashed away in here,” she replied. The mare turned her back to the human before crouching down and rummaging through the bottom of the liquor cabinet, while also giving the human an unobstructed view of her nicely shaped flank. To his credit, Eric was more interested in liquor than the mare in front of him at the moment.

A minute or so passed before the mare righted herself with a large clear bottle of her magical-blue grasp.

“You’re in luck. Last bottle I had,” she added before mixing Eric his drink. During the ordeal, he couldn’t help but notice the mare sneaking quick looks at him from the corner of his eye.

“Go ahead and ask your question. You seem rather curious,” Eric stated in a neutral tone. The mare behind the bar gave him a small smile before curiosity set in.

“What sort of species are you? I have yet to see someone as exotic as you in my travels.” The particular use of the word ‘someone’ caught the human’s attention, noting that all of the ponies he had encountered so far used the term ‘somepony’.

“I’m a human. And I’m not surprised you haven’t seen one of me before, since I’m the only one on this planet.” Eric watched the mare’s expression as he divulged this certain bit of information. He noticed a faint bit of shock, though the mare quickly hid it as she nodded her head before finishing his drink.

“I see. So how exactly were you born then?” The mare slid the human his drink before indulging in one of her own as she waited for an answer.

“Probably the same way you were born. To a loving mother and father,” Eric stated with a smart-ass attitude. “Though that isn’t really what you wanted as an answer is it? You want to know why I’m the only one of my species on this world don’t you?” The mare gave a faint giggle while nodding her head.

“Exotic and smart. You are becoming more interesting by the second,” The mare added. Eric chuckled along with the mare before shaking his head.

“You seem to be one of the only ones that think that of me. Though as for why I am the only one on this world, it’s still a mystery. One day I was driving home from work and the next thing I know, I'm driving through the middle of a forest in a completely new world.” The mare across from Eric gave a confused stare as she pondered his answer.

“Do you mean to tell me that you are from another world?” The mare grew even more curious as she leaned on the counter, listening intently for the human’s response.

“Yes. I am from another world, much like you,” Eric added, while sipping his drink. The taste was sweet, though it burned his throat as the cool liquid went down. Looking up at the mare, he could see the hesitation in her crimson-red eyes.

“Trust me, I know what you are. A random train doesn’t just appear out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and offer me a ride and drink for free. Though I do appreciate it.” A moment of silence goes by before Eric takes another swig of his drink before setting it down.

“So tell me. Are you the devil, or a demon?” the human asked. The mare across from Eric gave a heavy sigh of defeat.

“Maybe you are a little too smart,” she stated playfully with another sigh. “I am a middle-class demon. And before you ask, no. I do not work for the devil.” She added before noticing a smile from the human.

“So I take it that you want to make a deal for my soul?” Eric questioned, though he showed no signs of hesitation or fear. He was pleasantly surprised when the mare shook her head.

“I’m not really that sort of pony. I am more of a gambling mare. You, of course, will be betting your soul. But if you win,” the mare trailed off before leaning over the counter and into the human’s ear. “I will grant you any desire within my power,” she softly whispered, giving the human’s ear a light nibble to emphasize that she meant ‘anything’.

“Do I have to state what sort of favor I want before we gamble for it?” Eric curiously questioned. The mare shook her head.

“You do not, though feel free if you want too. It makes no difference to me.” Eric nodded in confirmation as he downed the rest of his drink with a content sigh.

“I don’t suppose you will let me watch a few rounds before I agree to play the game. You know, just to see how it works.” The mare once again put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“Well, I’m not really supposed to allow that,” she stated before continuing. “Though since you are rather good company as opposed to some of the other ponies I’m used to getting, I will allow it. You can choose whether or not to play my game at the end of my shift, but on one condition.”

“And what would that one condition be?” Eric questioned. His glass was soon levitated off the table before the mare made him another drink and slid it towards him.

“Tell me more about your world.”

Six hours had passed since Eric agreed to the mare’s condition. Lilith, as Eric soon came to learn, was the name of the mare. Throughout the night, five unlucky ponies had sealed their first.

The first pony was a cream-coated mare along the outskirts of Manehattan. She was in her early thirties and was completely drunk out of her mind. Turns out that her husband had been cheating on her with a younger mare, which drove the older mare into a drunken stupor before she managed to find her way to the tracks. She was picked up a little after eleven. She had a few more drinks with Lilith, while also hitting on Eric in her drunkenness. She didn’t last long, as about twenty minutes after she had arrived, she had lost the game.

The second and third ponies were a couple of colt punks that had just stolen some money from an elderly mare. Their breath was laced with alcohol, which Eric could smell a mile away. Both of the colts agreed to bet their souls, in exchange for a good time with Lilith. If Eric had to admit, it was sort of satisfying watching the two teens beg for their lives as a pair of chains shot from the first train-car door and began dragging the two towards the darkness.

The fourth pony was not actually a pony at all. A female griffon happened to stumble upon the tracks a little after one in the morning. She decided to play in exchange for a large sum of money. In the end, she lost to Lilith, though she was the closest to winning out of all five ponies. In the end, she was reluctantly dragged into the first car much like the colts from before.

The fifth pony of the night was a bit of an oddity. He was much older, well in his seventies, and was adorned in a well-made suit. He had a few drinks, talked with Lilith and Eric for a while, before signing away his soul for free. No gambling or anything, just gave it away. After questioning Lilith about the encounter, Eric soon learned that while this was not common, it happened from time to time. She added that some ponies are abandoned by their families, whether because they are a financial burden or the fact that they just don’t care to take of them anymore. Either way, most of them become lonely and depressed, especially if they have outlived their husband or wife. So they wander aimlessly, looking for any sort of relief or comfort.

After hearing the story of the older stallion, Eric couldn’t help but sympathize with him. Being abandoned is hard enough, though by your very family. The human could understand the stallion’s train of thought and the reason why he acted like he did.

“So, are you ready to play?” Lilith asked, bringing Eric out of his thoughts.

“W-what was that again?” Eric questioned, not having heard Lilith the first time. Lilith rolled her eyes before giggling.

“You need to really pay attention. I said are you ready to play my game?” She asked again. Eric pondered the question for a minute or so, recalling everything he had learned from watching everyone else play.

“You know what, I think I will take you up on your offer. If I lose, you get my soul. But if I win, I get any favor I want from you.” Lilith beamed a smile before nodding her head.

“I accept your terms,” she stated, her horn glowing a dark blue before a full-size craps table appeared in the middle of the room.

“I think you already know the rules, but just for legalities sake, I will say them again. The game is played out of ten rounds. We will each roll a set of dice per round. Whoever has the higher total number will win that round. At the end of ten rounds, whoever has won more rounds will be the winner. In the event of a tie, more subsequent rounds will be played to determine the winner.” Eric nodded his head at the rules.

“Alright. Ladies first then,” Eric stated with a smirk, watching as Lilith made her way over to the craps table with more sway in her hips than she probably should have.

“Just to let you know, I am very competitive. Just because you are cute doesn’t mean I will take it easy on you,” Lilith stated as she grabbed the dice in her hoof. Throwing the dice down the table, the two pieces of perfectly formed plastic bounce a few times, before totaling out to seven. The mare smirked at Eric as the human approached the mare before grabbing his set of dice.

“Just to warn you, I won’t take it easy on you either, even if you do have a nice looking flank.”

“Oh, and here I thought you wouldn’t notice,” Lilith added before sticking her tongue out playfully. Eric rolled his eyes at the childish mare, before throwing his pair of dice towards the end of the table. The two pieces bounced several times before landing on double fours.

“Well, looks like I win the first round,” Eric stated triumphantly, though he knew better than to be celebrating.

“You may have won the round, but not the war,” Lilith responded, seeming to get a little more serious.

The two continued playing, making small talk as the time passed. Despite the odds of the game, Eric couldn’t help but playfully joke around with the mare. This was done more so for the express purpose of making her lose concentration. Eric noticed that whenever Lilith was about to lose, her eyes would glow a faintly red color. Though the human couldn’t prove it, he assumed the mare was influencing the odds of the game, allowing her to pull through at the very end. He also noticed that in order for this sort of technique to work, the mare had to be focused. A light hand brushing along the mare’s back was usually enough to mess up her concentration, though she grew resistant to this technique a few rounds in. Still, it was enough that the game was tied with four wins and four losses each, along with one tie.

“Alright Eric. This is the last roll. You sure you want to continue?” Lilith questioned. Eric scoffed and shook his head.

“I don’t think you would let me out of our deal since we are this close to the end,” Eric stated. Lilith stuck her tongue out playfully again with a nod.

“You are right, though I love to see my competition squirm,” she added before hesitating with her dice throw.

“You know what, you can go first on this one. I always love waiting till the very last throw. It adds so much suspense.” Eric eyed the mare cautiously before obliging her request.

“Suit yourself.” Throwing his dice, Eric could almost jump for joy as he totaled out at eleven for the throw.

“Hell yeah. Looks like I’m going to win the game,” the human boasted a little too proudly. He quickly toned down his celebration as the mare gripped only one of the dice in her hoof and threw it across the table with a smirk.

“It’s not over yet Eric.” Lilith stated, watching as the single die come to a stop on the number six. The sight gave the human a knot in the pit of his stomach. He knew that she was cheating, and he no longer had a way to distract the mare. As Lilith grabbed the last die, she gave a small smirk of victory.

“It was fun while it lasted Eric. But this is where I win.” As soon as the die left her hoof, Eric began to panic. There was only one way he could win this game, and that was if he distracted the mare. As if a light clicked on in the human’s head, Eric quickly grabbed hold of the mare before shoving his lips to her own. Lilith let out a feminine screech of surprise, though after a second, she was returning the sentiment ten-fold. The mare playfully wrestled the human’s tongue with her own, relishing in his exotic nature and taste. A minute passed by for both the human and mare, before the two broke from the kiss, a string of saliva connecting both their mouths.

“That was... wow,” Eric stated with a bright blush adorning his cheeks. Lilith could only smirk at the flustered reaction of the human.

“I’m surprised you did something like that. Very impulsive, though I’m not complaining. I like a stallion who can keep me on my hooves,” she playfully added before turning towards the table. Despite her earlier playful demeanor, it quickly changed to one of shock. There, lying on the opposite side of the table was her dice. In the surprise actions of the human, she had forgotten she had thrown it.

“Looks like I win,” Eric stated triumphantly, looking down at the Lilith’s six and four.

“H-how...” she quietly mumbled to herself, before feeling a soft hand on her back.

“Because, I needed to distract you. You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice your little trick with the dice did you?” He asked. Lilith looked back at her dice before looking at the human.

“W-what do you mean?” she stuttered. Long gone was the playful mare, replaced with a more cautious and worried one.

“I noticed it when you were playing against that griffon. Your eyes would glow when you were about to lose the round. And somehow every time you did that, you would get lucky and manage to win.” Lilith remained silent, whether for the fact that Eric had figured out what she was doing, or the fact that she had lost. It was until Eric clapped his hands together that Lilith snapped out of her trance.

“Now that I have won. I think I want to ask you for that favor.” Lilith let out a defeated sigh, but nodded her head.

“I’m surprised you caught that, though a deal if a deal. Any favor within my power and I will grant it.” She reiterated, though in a more neutral tone than before. It was now Eric’s turn to place a hand on his chin as he dwelled in thought.

“Hmm, let’s see. I could ask for anything I wanted to right. That means I could ask for an entire vault full of gold, or perhaps magical powers. Or maybe,” the human trailed off before looking down at Lilith with a grin. “Maybe I can make you my slave,” Eric stated aloud. He was quickly met with Lilith taking a step back from the human in fear.

“W-what? You can’t do that!” she practically yelled.

“And why not? It is well within your power to obey my every command,” Eric pointed out as he made his way slowly towards the mare. Lilith continued her back-pedaling, though couldn’t deny the human’s words. He was right and she knew it, whether she wanted to admit it or not. It wasn’t until Lilith had fallen on the couch, that Eric decided exactly what to do with the mare.

“I know exactly what favor I’m going to ask of you,” he said, practically pressing his face against the mare’s muzzle.

“Lilith, this is what you must do as my favor. I command you,” the human paused for dramatic effect, watching the mare in front of him with wide eyes. “I command you, to be my friend.”