//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Thin Man // Story: The Iron Crow // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter 2 The Thin Man “Damn trees,” An irate man said as he bushwhacked through the grove of trees. He was a tall unassuming man with a thin frame and was using a cane to steady himself on the un even root covered ground. A pair of round glasses were perched on his nose in front of his vibrant green eyes. He looked ahead and saw an opening in the thick green grove not too far ahead. “oh thank the gods, a road.” He said as he made haste towards the first road he’s see in three days. The light shined down on his shining silver colored hair as he brushed the leaves out of it and off his dark green long coat that was over a dark grey tunic and brown pants. The road was a combination of dirt and a few scattered stones along the sides. He reached for his travel sack on his back and pulled out a map to make sure he was going the right way. As he looked at the map he heard dirt and rocks being crunched under heavy boots as four men came out from the trees each with a weapon in hand; two with swords and another two with bows, arrows slacked, but knocked. “Good afternoon,” One of the men said as he got closer. The thin man looked up at the sky and adjusted his glasses. “By my count it’s still morning, not past ten.” He said as he turned back to the map paying little mind to the four men who were surrounding him. The two with swords looked at one another in surprise. Usually their prey would be begging for their lives or pull out a weapon, yet this stick of a man was as calm as a spring afternoon. “Can I help you gentlemen with something?” Three of the men were getting agitated with being taken so lightly. One was reaching for an arrow to knock against the bow, but a sharp whistle by one of the men with swords stopped him. The one who whistled had a better set of leather armor than the three and seemed to have an air of authority about him. The leader stepped forwards and his shadow was casting on the stranger’s map. “You’re in my light, do you mind?” “Now you listen here,” The thin man let out a loud groan and folded the map up before facing the man as if he were looking at a fly that kept buzzing in his face. “I’m in a hurry. I’m late as it is, so can we please just get this over with so we can both be on our way?” The thin man slung his sack off his shoulder and started to unpack his goods. He pulled out a half eaten loaf of stale bread that only the desperate of the desperate would consider eating and possibly break a tooth on. A small pouch filled with a few coins, a six inch knife that was so dull it couldn’t cut a block of cheese. A leather skin half filled with water. A wool blanket and a few bottles of ink along with some parchment. There was also a change of clothes; a simple green shirt and a pair of pants. “That’s all I’ve got on me, have at it.” He said as he sat down on the ground. One of the guards took the bag and looked inside to see it empty while the other took the pouch of coins and started counting. “There’s only five silver pieces and ten coppers.” “Quiet.” The bandit said as he started counting again, he was certainly not the brains of the group. The thin man sat in the dirt in silence as they continued to inspect the goods. The leader noticed the dark green coat around the man’s shoulders. “Let’s have the coat too.” The leader said. “Oh this old thing?” He stood up and took off the long coat and handed it to the leader. The article had several crude patches on the inside and most of the color had been washed away from extended use. “Celestia’s arse, where’d you get this thing? The stitching is terrible.” He said as he looked at the inside of it. “It was cheap.” The leader let out a low chuckle and handed the pathetic coat back to him. Once everything was laid out and inspected, the leader scratched his chin. “What’s all this ink and paper for? You a priest?” The stranger let out a laugh. “No, I’m not a priest, just an aspiring writer.” The leader grunted and left the paper and jars of ink alone. He and his crew had no use for them. The leader’s eyes sharpened as he saw the cane’s silver head glinting in the sunlight. “Surely you won’t rob a cripple of his cane, besides I’ll need the iron more than you will. “And why is that?” One of the bowmen asked with a raised eyebrow. The stranger took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses. “Because tonight there will be no moon in the sky and I’m sure you gentlemen know what that means.” All the bandits looked at one another with nervousness on their faces. They all knew that on moonless nights, creatures of the dark were more active and wandering travelers were more likely to run across them. Everyone knew there were two things worked against those creatures; light and iron. “You four gentlemen certainly have an abundance of iron swords and arrowheads, while I only have this cane and that knife.” He pointed to the dull knife laid out on the blanket. The bandit leader held up a hand. “Keep it, I’m not one to rob a crippled man of their cane.” The thin man thanked them. “George,” The other bandit with a sword looked up. “take the blanket, but leave him yours.” The bandit nodded and pulled out a blanket that was in slightly worse condition that his was in. They took his clean shirt as well, but left him the spare pants along with half his money. Over all it was the most civil robbery the thin man had ever been subjected to. He packed his knife, papers, ink and used blanket back into his bag. “See how good things can be for everyone when they’re reasonable?” “I whole heartedly agree.” The thin man said as he finished packing. He stood back up and was about to go on his way when the bandit stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Just one last bit of business.” He held up his large hand that had several scars and callouses on the palm and fingers. No doubt the result of many, many fights. He closed his large hand into a fist. “Where do you want it?” The thin man looked at the hand and then let out a sigh in understanding. “Left cheek if you’d be so kind?” The bandit nodded and cracked the knuckles on his right hand. “One moment,” He reached up and removed his glasses from his face and put them in his cloak pocket. “ready.” The bandit’s hand crashed into the left side of his face making him spin before he fell to the ground. “Nothing personal sir just good business,” The leader said before he and the other three disappeared back into the rows of trees. A few minutes ticked by and the thin man finally stood up and shook his head before he put a hand on his left cheek. He winced as he felt a large bruise forming on his skin that would no doubt leave him with a black eye. He got his things in order and continued to make his way down the road. He spent the next few hours walking down the road as the sun got higher in the sky. He stopped for a few minutes to snack on the stale piece of bread and drank some water. It was around midday when he heard the sound of hooves and wagon wheels approaching. He turned around to see a cart being pulled by two chestnut horses. He got to the side of the road and held up his cane. “Ho traveler!” As the cart approached he could make out a brown leather stetson hat atop some golden hair. The cart pulled to a halt and he looked to see it was a woman holding the reigns. She was wearing a red plaid shirt and washed out brown pants that had many stains from prolonged use. “Howdy there,” She said with a southern accent. She looked him over for a moment taking note of his ragged appearance and the bruise that had now swollen his left eye shut. “are you okay partner?” “I had an unfortunate run in with some unsavory characters on the road, but I’m for the most part intact.” The woman’s green eyes widened and she took a moment to look around as if they were about to be attacked. “Fret not, I’m sure they’ve moved on to more profitable pastures.” He said with a smile. “I was wondering if you knew how far away the closest town was.” The woman stood up and looked down the road. From this angle he could make out her muscular frame and tanned skin no doubt the result from working long hard hours in the sun. “Closest town is about fifteen miles down the road.” She pointed with a leather gloved finger. The man grimaced. It would be well past dusk by the time he got to the town, even if he ran the whole way. “Could I perhaps trouble you for a ride?” He said as he put on an innocent smile. The woman turned her head sharply and raised an eyebrow. He could feel her green eyes examining every part of him almost as if she was testing him. She let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. “Climb up.” She put her hand out and he gladly took it in his. Even through the leather glove he could feel the muscles in her hand, possibly the same amount of muscle than the bandit that gave him the bruise. He pulled himself up onto the seat while the farmer slid over to make room for him. “Thank you and I swear I’ll pay you for the ride.” He said as he sat himself down beside the farmer. She put two fingers to her mouth and let out a loud whistle. Both the horses’ heads perked up and started moving forwards. He set his bag down beside him and let stretched his arms up over his head. “Name’s Applejack,” She held out one hand to shake. “Nice to meet you Ms. Applejack,” He gave her hand a hard shake. “my name is Sterling Crane.” He said with a chuckle. He then felt a wave of pain come from his eye and he winced as he tried to open it. “Those bandits certainly did a number on you.” She said as she looked at the bruised eye. “They went easy on me because I gave them what they wanted.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle filled with ointment. He scooped a little on his finger and applied it to the bruised area around his eye. “You didn’t try to fight them off?” She asked. “That would have only made things worse.” He said as he capped the jar and put it back in his bag. “I saw no reason for things to get bloody so I let them push me around a bit.” “Now why would you go and do a bone headed thing like that?” Another thought came to the farmer. “How do you expect to pay me if you don’t have any money?” Sterling reached down and pulled off his leather boot before sticking his hand inside feeling around for something. He soon pulled out a small bag of coins. He opened it and pulled out two silver coins and gave them to the farmer. “You’ll get the other two when we get to the town.” The farmer’s eyes widened at the amount he’d given her. She was expecting a few coppers from the man. “Why didn’t the bandits find this on you?” She asked as she pocketed the money. “Because I gave them just enough so they wouldn’t get curious.” He said as he put the money back in his boot and his foot followed. The farmer looked at him perplexed. “I take it you don’t travel often?” She shook her head. “Nope, this is just a supply run for the town.” Sterling looked in the back of the cart and saw it filled with different barrels and crates. The smell of apples was quite evident among them. “Well, when you’re on the road alone you need to be mindful of bandits and highwaymen. If they stop you, it’s important to have just the right amount of coin on you. It’s best to just pay them what they want and they leave you for the most part, undamaged.” “I don’t get it.” She commented. Sterling rubbed his forehead as he thought of the best way to explain the situation. “If you have nothing of value then they’ll be angry and take their anger out on you. If you have too much then they’ll get greedy and take everything you have. However, if you have just the right amount, they’ll take it and won’t bother you. It’s actually fortunate that the bandit slugged me.” He gestured to his swollen eye. “Say what?” “When you first saw me what did I look like?” The farmer gave him a sideward glance and examined him. “You still look like someone who got the tar kicked out of them.” He gave a chuckle. “Exactly. Would a bandit go after someone who already looked like they got robbed and have no valuables left?” Applejack opened her mouth to comment, but couldn’t think of anything to say. “So why is a lone farm girl like yourself taking the backroads?” She turned to face him with a scowl. “You think I can’t handle myself?” She said with a huff. “Just saying that the main road is a lot faster and safer.” Bandits usually stick to the back roads since the main roads are usually under guard and attacking them would definitely catch the attention of the Royal Guard. “The bridge on the main road is out and the goods will spoil if I waited a few weeks for it to be repaired, so I took this way.” She said as she looked forwards. “Where are you going anyway?” “I was on my way to a small village just outside of Canterlot.” He said as he leaned back in the seat. “Some backwater town called Ponyville.” “I’m from Ponyville.” She said in a flat tone. Sterling mentally kicked himself for the comment he made. “Why are you going there?” “I was requested to go there by the Princess who lives there.” He almost fell forwards as she made the cart pull to a halt. He turned to face the farmer but all his bravado went out the window as he saw her two emerald eyes sharp as knives as she glared at him. “What business do you have with Twilight?” She inquired. Her tone was serious and he was sure she’d throw him from the cart if he wasn’t careful. “I can’t really go into detail, but just know that I’m going there to help her.” The farmer looked him up and down checking for any sign of lying. She relaxed and sat back. “Fine, I believe you for now.” She said as the cart started moving again. As the day grew shorter and they traveled they spoke of small things. Mostly about the apple farm Applejack works on. They saw no one on the road, traveler nor bandit to be seen. As the sky grew orange Sterling heard a loud splintering sound before the entire cart shifted sharply to the right and the two were thrown from their seats. The horses whinnied in surprise and halted their canter. Sterling shook his head as he got off his back and reached around on the ground for his glasses. “What in tarnation?” The farmer said as she shook her head and collected her hat off the ground. “Did we hit something?” He asked as found his glasses and rested them on his nose. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants and green cloak. He heard a loud vile curse come from the farmer and walked over to the right side of the carriage where she stood with her hands on her hips. As he drew closer he saw the front right wagon wheel was broken in half. “Just what I need.” Applejack huffed. As she looked at the broken wheel she though that a certain annoying performer was right not to trust wheels. “Do you have a spare?” he asked as he looked at the wheel. “Yeah, it’s in the back, but there’s close to four-hundred pounds of goods between it and us. No way can I lift the whole cart and off loading it is gonna take hours.” She sighed. Sterling tapped his lip and started to think before he went back to his seat and pulled out his bag. “What are you doing?” Her eyes went wide as he reached inside and puled out a long metal bar that was far too large to be concealed by the bag. He reached in again and pulled out a strange metal device that he set up under the side of the cart just behind the broken wheel’s axel. Sterling inserted the bar into one end and he started to pump the bar up and down as a rigid metal jaw rose towards the cart. As the claw pressed against the wood there was the sound of creaking wood as the weight was shifted from the broken wheel to the clamp. With a few more pumps, what was left of the front right wheel was lifted up off the ground and the still attached half hung limply like a dislocated limb. “Well, get the wheel.” Applejack shook her head and went to the back of the carriage and got underneath where the spare wheel was. As she undid the leather straps that held it to the underside of the carriage she tilted her head forwards to see Sterling inspecting the axel. “The good news is that the axel is still intact.” He called out as she took the wheel down and returned with it. “What’s that thing?” She nodded to the odd clamp as she started to take the broken wheel off. “That is,” He paused for a moment and bit his lip. “well I don’t have a name for it yet, but it’s just one of my little trinkets I made.” As she got the wheel off she looked at him in confusion. “You made that thing?” He nodded proudly. “I tinker every now and again.” Within minutes, Applejack had replaced the wheel and Sterling put the strange device back into his mysterious bag. They saddled up on the cart and continued down the road as the sky grew to a fire orange color. As they crested a hill, Sterling saw a small town with large wooden walls build around it. “Is that it?” “Yep, that’s it.” She said as a smile spread across her face at the sight of her home. That smile suddenly shattered as the sound of a loud horn accompanied by screams echo from the town.