//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Unicorn Junction 
// Story: Flying With Damaged Feathers 
// by hornethead 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 10: Unicorn Junction

It was about late afternoon now. Tiran and Ruwa had stopped for a quick rest, just off the path. Ruwa excused herself to go take a short nap, as she had been up for most of the night, just as Tiran had. Tiran was also pretty sleepy himself, but he was still too wired to doze off. He had tried, propping himself up in the shade of a large oak and closing his eyes, but he just couldn't bring himself to rest.
There was simply too much on his mind. Especially since Ruwa had told him they would be coming to a small town soon, probably arrive by nightfall. She had assured him that it was an especially small town, just a layover stop for trains to refuel or repair.
It didn't do much to assuage Tiran's concerns. His last meeting with the locals hadn't gone very well. Then again, they had probably thought he was some strange animal that was harassing their friend. The very same friend that lay just a few feet away from him, peacefully curled up in the shade of the oak tree. And now she was his friend.
Tiran repeated that in his mind. He didn't make friends easily, tending to keep to himself. Li was always with him, supporting him wether he liked it or not, and that had always been enough. And then Ruwa shouldered her way into his life, leaving her own friends behind to see him safely to her county's capitol.
He hadn't liked it at first, but she had started to grow on him. Not to mention he would most likely be hopelessly lost by now without her help. There had been more than a few occasions where the path had split in multiple directions at once. Without her guidance, he doubted he would have lasted out here long.
Beside Tiran, Ruwa stirred and lifted her head, letting out an exhausted yawn, "Ugh, what time is it?"
"It is now 1538." Li announced.
Ruwa looked over at Tiran for a translation.
"She uses the twenty-four hour military format," he explained. "It's 3:38."
"I can use the standard twelve hour format if you wish." Li offered.
"No, it's fine." Ruwa said as she got up and stretched. "Sounds like it might be fun to learn."
Tiran pushed himself up off the ground as well, "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's go," Ruwa said happily as she began trotting down the path. "If we hurry, we can get a full night's sleep in a real bed!"
Tiran didn't argue with that. Sleeping in a real bed would be a welcome change from the mud and the dirt he'd been forced to endure for the past week, even if he had some apprehensions about going into a populated area.
"Unicorn Junction, here we come..."


*    *    *



The sun was dipping low in the west, plunging the slight rise they were on into the shadow of the mountains behind them. Below, a cluster of lights began to flicker on as the cluster of buildings gathered around a stretch of railroad tracks prepared for the darkness of night.
Tiran let out a puff of air and glanced over at Ruwa, "Shall we?" he asked almost reluctantly.
Ruwa smiled back at him and started off, setting the pace. "There's an inn just past the train tracks, we can stay there tonight. It can get pretty busy later on, so the quicker we get there, the better."
"If you say so..."
They made good time into the town, arriving at the edge just as the sun began to set. As he entered, Tiran gazed all around, trying to get a feel for his surroundings. A lot of the buildings there were only one floor, made of thick, sturdy wood. A few of them had ornately carved wooden signs hanging from the eaves or displayed proudly across the front of the building, loudly advertising the services or goods offered there.
The whole town gave off a rough and rustic look. To Tiran, it almost felt like he had taken a step into one of his history books as it it described to him the glory of the Old West. However, there were no bowlegged gunslingers strutting about here, just the occasional mare or stallion going about their business.
Tiran noticed some of them gave him a strange look, but for the most part they didn't give him a second glance. He also saw that many of them lacked the unique attribute Ruwa had. He asked her for the reason of this.
"What, you didn't think there were just pegasi in Equestria, did you?" she said almost haughtily.
"Well, it's not exactly like I've met many other ponies, you know,"
Tiran bit back.
"Ok then, let me tell you how it is here," Ruwa sounded like she was about to lecture him. "There are three races of ponies in the world. Earth ponies, unicorn ponies and others like me, pegasi. This town was built and founded by earth ponies, the same that helped build the railroads, so you won't really ever see any of the others unless they're traveling through.
"Aside from ponies, you can also find Griffons, Diamond Dogs and even the occasional Lotkin, but you'll usually only see them at the big markets in the cities. The last and rarest race you'll see, if you're lucky enough, are the Alicorns."
"Alicorns?"
"Yes. Basically a pony with both wings and a horn, blessed with both the gift of flight and magic." Ruwa said almost mystically. "Right now, there are only four known to the world. Their Royal Highnesses Princess Celestia and Luna, Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, and Princess Twilight. Among being members of the Royal Family, they are also extremely powerful and skilled in the art of magic."
Tiran was a little hung up, "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean by magic?"
Ruwa paused, looking at Tiran almost disbelievingly, "Y'know, magic? Wave of the horn—poof!—something happens?" Tiran shook his head. "Really? Don't they have magic where you come from?"
"No. I mean, yes, but it's all illusion. A trick." Tiran said.
Ruwa snorted, "Sounds like you do have it to me."
"But it's not the..." Tiran shut his mouth before he started an argument.
He didn't quite believe her. Magic didn't exist, as far as he knew. Then again, neither did pegasi, yet there one was, right in front of him. Even Li had agreed that Ruwa was real flesh and blood. Still, Tiran decided he would reserve his opinion until he saw otherwise.
Ruwa led him through the town and past a small train station. The station only had enough room for a platform, some benches and a small box office where ticket sales were conducted. Tiran eyed the ticket stand and the train platform, sizing it up as a possible way of transit. The whole station seemed to be deserted and he didn't think any trains were coming through any time soon, at least not until tomorrow.
Going past the train station, Ruwa turned onto a wide main street with more large windowed single story stores with quaint little homes squeezed in between them. Most of the buildings were dark, with curtains drawn closed. Their inhabitants were either asleep or not home.
After a taking in the scenery of the town, Tiran looked up to see that they were now in a large four-way intersection. Ruwa was halfway up the short wooden steps of one of the largest buildings Tiran had yet seen in the town, waiting for him with an impatient expression. The building was easily two stories tall and took up nearly the entire quarter of its block.
The up-beat notes of a piano drifted out from the open door set into the corner of the building, giving the corner a shaved-off appearance. The door and windows were bright with warm yellow light and the sound of laughter and revelry could be heard in bursts and waves.
"You coming or not?" Ruwa asked restlessly.
"Uh, yeah." Tiran responded, jogging quickly over. "But don't you think I'll kind of stand out in there? Sounds like they're having a party or something."
"Yeah, it's like that most nights. They also have a bar." Tiran perked up at hearing the word 'bar', Ruwa didn't miss it, "Ahhhh...." she cooed knowingly, giving him a suspicious look with her eyes, "Would you like a drink?"
A grin tugged at Tiran's lips, "A beer wouldn't hurt."
Ruwa giggled, "Lucky for you, they have plenty of it. Just act natural in there and try not to draw too much attention and I'll see if we can get some rooms."
"Looking natural might be a bit of a problem," Tiran said, glancing down and gesturing to his arm, the weapon clipped to his side and his overall appearance.
"Oh, right. Hold on..."
Ruwa turned her head and reached back, opening up one of the saddle bags strapped to her back. After digging around for a little bit, she tugged something out with a triumphant little cry. When she faced Tiran again, she had some rough spun fabric clenched in her teeth.
"'Ere, take thish," with a flick of her head, she tossed it to Tiran. "It'll be a little small for you, but it'll cover you up enough.
Tiran held it up and saw that it was a cloak of some sort. He had a little difficulty with just one hand, but he managed to get it around his shoulders. After he finally got the clasp at his neck secured, he found that it only came to about mid-thigh for him. But it covered up his suit for the most part and concealed his weapon, so it would be good enough.
"Thanks." Tiran said sincerely when he looked back up.
"Don't mention it. Just make sure I get it back. And wash it, too, you smell kind of funky," she added with a wrinkle of her nose. "Now, c'mon."
Tiran rolled his eyes, but she was right. He desperately needed a shower. Maybe there'd be one inside. Ruwa climbed the last step and went inside. Tiran was hesitant at first, but after a deep breath, he followed the pegasus up the steps and strode in.
A wave of sound and smells struck Tiran as he stepped inside. There was a bar over to the right, nearly taking up a whole side of the building by itself. A horde of thirsty ponies assailed it from all sides, hastily tried to quench their never ending thirst. Somewhere in the building, Tiran could smell food frying and he was surprised when his stomach grumbled. He hadn't even been aware he was hungry.
Round tables made up the rest of the room, with ponies of all kinds huddled around them like soldiers in their own little camps. Most of them were shuffling cards around, dealing them out. To the far left was a small stage where a piano player rhythmically pounded the keys, accompanied by a lone guitar player. The music was only occasionally overpowered by a burst of laughter as somewhere, a particularly well worded joke was heard. The only other features were a short flight of stairs going up to what he assumed was the second floor and a couple of doors underneath them that looked like they led to the bathrooms.
Tiran felt a tug at the hem of his cloak. "I'm gonna go see about those rooms," Ruwa said to him. "Why don't you find a seat at the bar and get a drink, I'll come get you when I'm done."
That sounded like an excellent idea to Tiran. His earlier apprehension was starting to disappear as well. Nobody had even bothered to glance in his direction when he walked in. He was still cautious though. Before he stepped off towards the bar, he pulled the cloak's hood over his head.
Finding a seat was no easy matter, the bar was packed with patrons. Eventually, Tiran found a seat on the far end, tucked away in the corner. Just as he sat down, the front door banged open and a huge two-legged creature in thick clothes stormed in. The music almost ground to a halt as it entered.
Tiran had never seen anything like it; long black lanky hair clung to its mottled gray skin, it had teeth like a wild boar and it walked as if it knew how to seriously deal some damage. The expression on its face said one thing: stay outta my way, or else. It walked over to the bar, ordered something from the frightened bartender, took it and found a solitary table to sit at.
Once it became apparent that there was to be no trouble, at least for now, the room quickly returned to its previous lively state. Tiran took one more look at the creature. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he wanted to avoid it.
"What'll it be? Hey, buddy! Buddy! You in the hood!"
"Huh?" Tiran hadn't realized anyone was talking to him.
"I said, what'll you have?" The bartender repeated.
"Oh, uh, a beer please?"
"Three bits."
Bits? Tiran didn't know what that was. He soon realized the bartender meant money and patted himself down, but Tiran didn't even know what he was looking for.
"No bits, no beer!" the now annoyed bartender huffed and moved on to another customer further down the bar.
For the first time, Tiran realized he didn't have any of the local currency. He leaned in and glanced down the bar, watching as a customer handed over a trio of small gold coins and received his drink. Tiran let out a breath of dismay and flicked his hood back to scratch his head.
"Ghengis, is that you!?" some one called out from the crowd behind Tiran. "Hey, buddy!"
Tiran sat there wondering what to do with himself. Ruwa still wasn't back yet, and he felt he would start looking suspicious if she didn't return soon. There was a little commotion behind him, but he paid no attention to it.
"Hey, hey Ghengis, you old snake!" Suddenly, Tiran felt something hit him in the arm. He turned to see what was happening. "Hey, Gheng—!"
A stallion in a cowboy hat and vest looking at Tiran cut himself off, "Oh, sorry, I thought—" Then he seemed to take a closer look at Tiran's features. "Now, hold on a minute..."
The stallion got the patron next to Tiran to move over and plopped right down. "Look, I don't want any trouble..." Tiran said, he didn't know where this was going, but he wasn't sure if he liked it.
"Oh no, no trouble at all!" The stallion let out a shrill whistle, "Hey Dusky, how 'bout a nice draft for my friend here?" he finished by slamming down six of the gold coins on the table.
Tiran put a hand up in protest, "Please, you don't have to—"
"Oh, but I want to," the stallion cut him off.
Two bottles appeared in front of them, the stallion took his and had a few big gulps. Tiran glanced around, wondering where Ruwa was. When the stallion was done drinking, he set the half empty bottle down and let out a contented sigh.
"So, what brings you 'round these parts?" He asked Tiran quite abruptly.
"Uh..." Tiran didn't know what he should say. Or if he even should say anything. Tiran was about to think of an excuse to leave, maybe that he had to go to the bathroom, when he suddenly felt the hem of his cloak rise. "Hey!" Tiran exclaimed, shoving it back down off of the stallion's hoof.
"Woowee, that's a fancy lookin' piece of ordinance right there!"
Now Tiran was sure he didn't like what was happening. In a low and threatening tone, Tiran leaned over and said, "I don't know who you think I am, but I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone."
The stallion held two hooves up in, "Whoa, now hold on there, I don't mean no harm."
"Good." Tiran turned back towards the bar and pulled his hood back up.
"But how 'bout we make a deal?" The annoying stallion continued as if Tiran wasn't trying to ignore him. "I'll tell you my name, if you tell me yours."
"No deal."
"Well, alrighty then." The stallion looked somewhat dismayed. "Then I guess you wouldn't care if somepony started telling everyone that a hu—"
Tiran suddenly shot the stallion a dangerous look.
"Ah, now we're gettin' somewhere..."
"What do you want?" Tiran asked gruffly.
"Simple, just take the deal." The stallion had a cocky smile on his face.
Tiran didn't really want to reveal his name. But he was also trying to lay low and now this strange pony was threatening to spread the word about a human being in town. Tiran felt he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes. When after another quick scan of the room, he still didn't spot Ruwa, Tiran decided to play along with the stranger's game, if it at least shut him up.
"Tiran. My name's Tiran," he finally said quietly.
The stallion suddenly looked up and away, as if in thought. "Tiran. Hmm...."
"Ok, now tell me your name."
"Hm?"
"You said you tell me your name if I told you mine," Tiran said, feeling himself becoming angry and even more suspicious of his new friend. "That was the deal."
"Oh, right. The name's Blackjack," he said with a knowing smile. When Tiran didn't respond, the stallion frowned and repeated it, as if Tiran was supposed to remember something, "Y'know, Blaaack-jaaack."
Tiran was starting to get fed up, "Ok, listen Blackjack, or whatever your name is, why are you bothering me?" he demanded.
At this, Blackjack began to chuckle, causing Tiran to raise his eyebrows. "It's just, you look an awful lot like somepony I used to know."
"I don't see how I could look like one of you guys."
Blackjack laughed again, "One of us pony folk? Naw, 'course not! However, humans are a different matter."
Tiran's face went blank, but his eyes went wide. "What do you know about humans!? Tell me!"
A sly grin crossed Blackjack's face, "Maybe I will and maybe I won't. We'll just have to see how it goes..."
"Tiran! Hey, Tiran!" Tiran's attention briefly snapped away from Blackjack. It was Ruwa. "Hey, I got us a room," she said.
"Ruwa, I think this guy used to know a human!" Tiran loudly whispered, pointing to where Blackjack was sitting.
Ruwa leaned over and looked to where Tiran was pointing. Then back to Tiran with a puzzled expression, "Who?"
"This guy, right here! His name is Black—!" When Tiran looked back, the seat was empty. Tiran searched wildly all around, but the was no sign of the stallion he'd just been talking to only seconds ago.
Ruwa wrinkled her nose and looked at Tiran as if her were crazy, "You alright? Tiran, did you drink too much already?"
"What? No! He was... he was just here..."
But where ever Tiran looked, he still could not find any evidence that the guy had been there at all. Even his drink was gone, leaving Tiran alone with just the one untouched beverage. The stranger had vanished without a trace.
"Ok then, if you say so..." Ruwa said with a roll of her eyes. "Hurry up and finish your drink, I wanna get to sleep."
Tiran took a deep breath and let it out, "Fine."
He took his drink and gave it a test sip. It was good. A little too sweet for his taste, but otherwise delicious. Tiran quickly downed the drink in a few big gulps and slammed the bottled back down on the bar before pushing himself away and getting up.
Ruwa led him up the staircase and into a long corridor. On either side were rows of doors, each closed and locked, hiding their inhabitants. Ruwa went down the corridor and around a corner, wrapping around the interior of the building.
After passing a few more doors by, Ruwa finally stopped at one and produced a small key from a pocket on the side of one of her bags. She fit it into the lock and with a sharp turn of her head, opened the door.
"After you!" she gestured with a hoof as the door swung open.
Tiran quickly walked inside, eager to get somewhere he could finally rest for a while. The room wasn't very big, but it was cozy. It had one window in the far wall, under which was a small twin sized bed. There was just one other door, it opened into a small bathroom complete with a tub and shower. Tiran smiled as he spotted two towels hanging on a rack inside, at least he would be able to clean himself up.
Tiran almost jumped as he heard the door to the room suddenly close behind him. He turned around and saw that Ruwa had closed the door and was now putting her belongings neatly in a corner.
"Ruwa, aren't you going to go to your room?" Tiran asked.
"I am in my room. They only had one left, so we're gonna have to share, hope you don't mind," she replied casually.
"Oh, no, I was just, um, I was going to shower and..."
"So go shower." Ruwa said, not particularly paying any attention.
"Uh huh... Ok then..."
Tiran plunked his bag down in a corner and retreated back into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. He didn't know how exactly this was going to work tonight, by he decided to make do. First thing's first, he needed to get the suit off. With his good hand, he gently worked the clasps along his mangled right arm. He got the glove off ok, but the upper and forearm proved to be a hassle. As damaged as it was, he had to carefully pry the twisted metal of the armored plates off his arm.
Once he had finally done that, depositing the armor in a small pile next to the sink, he began to pull the rough gauze off his prosthetic to get a better look at it. It wasn't pretty.
Though the sealant had done its job in preserving the mechanical limb, shards of metal poked out at odd angles. Here and there he could see bunches of frayed wiring lay exposed. It was a miracle Li's core hadn't been damaged, his arm had taken quite a beating. For a moment, Tiran wondered why it was his right arm always seemed to take the most damage. It was as if the universe were telling him something, like he wasn't meant to have that limb.
Tiran let out a defeated sigh, there was no way he was going to be able to fix this on his own. Moving on, he undid the clasps on his chest and sides, carefully exposing his mid section. Tiran looked down at the myriad of scars that criss-crossed his torso, remnants of a bad time in his life.
It was then that Ruwa wandered to the door, "Tiran, have you seen my— ohmygosh, I'm so sorry!" she yelped as she saw Tiran. She backed away covering her eyes with a hoof, but Tiran noticed her take a little peek.
"It's ok," he chuckled. "Actually, Ruwa, I could use your help."
"Y-you sure?" she asked uneasily.
"Yeah, I just have my top off, it's fine." Tiran assured her.
"O-ok." Ruwa hesitantly crept forward, still careful to look away. "What, what do you need my to do?"
"Since my right arm's still busted, I need some help getting it out. See the clasps at the wrist and shoulder? I just need you to undo them," he explained.
"A-alright." 
Ruwa still tried to avert her eyes as she carefully opened the clasps with her teeth. However, she couldn't help but to glance over while she did. Ruwa gasped as she caught sight of all the scars that marred Tiran's body and the mottled swollen skin at his shoulder where his prosthetic connected to the rest of his body.
"What happened to you!?" she accidentally blurted out. "S-sorry," she mumbled sheepishly as she noticed the darkened expression on Tiran's face.
"Nothing," he deadpanned, "Just a stupid accident."
When it was clear that Tiran wouldn't elaborate further, Ruwa quickly finished what she was doing and swiftly scurried out the door, embarrassed. Tiran shook off the armor on his arm and flexed his muscles, enjoying the freedom of movement. He was starting to feel cramped in that suit.
Tiran shook his head and ran his hand down his face, trying to push away the memories his scars had brought up. For a minute, Tiran wondered if he shouldn't have asked that strange stallion to order something stronger. Where had that guy gone anyway? Tiran tried to remember his name; Black...Blackjack, that was it.
The mysterious stallion had vanished quite as quickly as he had appeared. Tiran made a mental note to remember what that stallion looked like. If Tiran ever ran into the guy again, he wouldn't let him get away without giving Tiran some answers.
In the meantime, Tiran was tired. He closed the door, undid the last of the clasps on his legs and kicked the rest of the suit off. Then he jumped in the shower to clean himself up.
When he came back out, towel wrapped around his waist, he saw Ruwa curled up on the bed, sound asleep. The moonlight streaming form the window bathed her in a silky radiance as her sides rose and fell gently in soft slumber. seeing her reminded Tiran of his own fatigue as he yawned.
It had been a rough week, trekking through the mountain range and the feeling of being in an actual room in which to sleep left him feel more tired than if he had been running non-stop the entire time. It actually felt good, knowing that he wouldn't have to sleep on rocky ground tonight.
Though, with Ruwa taking up the bed, he still had to sleep on the floor.
Resigning himself to an uncomfortable night, Tiran began to reassemble his suit onto his person, piece by piece, until he was almost completely clad, excluding his arms. That was something he was going to have to get Ruwa to help with again in the morning.
That finished, Tiran put his bag up against a wall and laid his head on it, pulling the cloak up over his torso. Sleep came easily after that. Easier than it had come in a long time before.