//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: First The End Then The Awakening 
// Story: Ponyllateral 
// by It Never Ends 
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"A guy gets on the MTA here in L.A. and dies. Think anybody will notice?" Vincent weakly ask knowing he wouldn't get to hear the response. His head tilts down as he takes his final breath.

Vincent had enough strength in him to think for one last time.
"This is it. My death which shouldn't be to surprising considering my line of work. Hey since I'm dead I shouldn't feel anything anymore, but I still feel hurt." Vincent wondered. 

Vincent knew why though. His pride had been hurt because he lost to a cab driver, Max. It was not only embarrassing but annoying and frustrating that he was done in by a total amateur yet he couldn't stand to be angry at Max whom he had come to like. Instead he focused all his rage at himself.

"That's the last time I lower my game because the person I have to kill, I consider somewhat a friend!" He shouted in the void of darkness he was in. "Although I guess being dead means that will be the last time someone gets the better of me, I can take some comforted in that. 

But there was none. I was still pissed off at myself for what happened on that train I just can't understand how I had missed all my shots and Max managed to fatally wound me, was he really that lucky? But it doesn't matter anyway I'm dead and he's not. Which means he'll probably start that limo business he's been dreaming of with that prosecutor girl.

He sinisterly chuckled at the thought of impending danger that might await for Max.

"Though I can't exactly see a happy ending in stored for them. Even if that bitch manages to convince the police that Max isn't responsible for those killings and then there's still Felix. He still thinks Max is me and when he finds out that the last hit wasn't completed." Vincent laughs softly. "Watch your back Max." 

He sighed at the thought though, a small part of him really did consider Max as a friend of some sort. Besides he knew that for whatever reason the cosmos had given Max enough luck to get out of any life or death situation, he figured that one way or another Max would be alright.

"Now the real question is what's going to happen to me?" Vincent wondered. 

While I contemplated over what awaits Max I had completely forgotten about my own predicament, like where the hell am I going? I can feel my body's in the same sitting position I had died on yet I can't move, starring at the endless void of darkness is all I can do. None of this is making sense at all, I'm dead right? So why hasn't something happened yet? I know I wasn't much of a religious man since I chose to embracing the uncertainty of the universe, random chance, just taking what nature throws at you and running with it, and stuff like that but that never stopped me from believing that there might be a small chance that heaven and hell might actually exist and according to Christian mythology because of the  "actions"  I chose to make throughout my career I should be damned to hell by now. So unless God has given me a pass which I doubt I can rule that out. And since I haven't disappeared into thin air Atheism is also out the window. 

"No point in giving myself a headache over this, I'll just wait and see what the universe has in store for me." Vincent accepted. "Wonder how long I'll have to wait like this." 

Vincent didn't have to wait long as he soon heard the sound of an incoming train horn. Vincent opened his eyes, squinting a couple of times before rubbing them, then looked around at the surroundings and notice that not only was this not the same train he died on but that it looked like something out of a children's coloring book that he had seen on the floor of one of his previous target's home. Instead of the usual murky depressing no one give a shit about you feeling of the MTA trains he was getting a feeling of colorful joyful innocent kid friendly toy train come to life... He didn't like it the very sight of it made him wish that there where some cops around to try and kill him so he could spray their blood all over this disgustingly overly cheerful nightmare on wheels, at least then it would bring back some feelings he actually understood very well. After finishing his disturbingly new decorating thoughts he stood up and stretched his arms.

"I have to admit I feel like I've just had the best sleep of my life, then again being dead for a while will probably do that to you." He figured.

He examined the train again then sighed in frustration.

"To a kid this would be a birthday wish come true but to me a hitman it's an insult to my profession." He thought. "I'm not going to gain any answers just standing here though. I need to have a look around see if there's anyone else on this thing.

I looked to the back of the train then at the front deciding which way I should go, after considering both directions for about two minutes I decide to go to the front consider that was the direction the train was heading and I wasn't to far behind from where the engineer would be. He'd be the one to give me the answers I wanted and if he wouldn't I could always ask him my way. 

Vincent grinned at that thought as he head toward the front of the train. The closer he got the more his disgust for this train and what it was grew.

"Jesus Christ what the fuck was wrong with the designer of this train? Actually what the fuck was wrong with the owner of the company this train belong to? Was he blind? Maybe he's got Peter pan syndrome that or he's a homosexual." Vincent ponder.

Speaking of which what kind of a train has only one passenger on it? I wonder seeing that I was the only on this damn thing made me more suspicious as to how I got here and why. I'm sure the engineer will explain everything. In fact I could practically see him... What the hell am I seeing right now? That not a person driving it's a horse. 

"A fucking horse!?" Vincent shouted confused.

Just then the pony engineer turned his head toward the noise. Vincent quickly toke cover behind the seats, the engineer examines the area, when he sees nothing is there he puts his focus back on the train, Vincent sticks his head out a little to see if the engineer is still looking, when he sees the engineer is no longer looking in his direction he gets up and calmly walks back to where he'd woken up. He takes a seat and starts to think.

"Ok three possible answers as to what I just saw. Either I've survived my bullet wound and ended up in a coma which makes this a dream or I'm still on the train, I've been drugged up somehow, and I'm now hallucinating all this or finally by some weird unexplainable unreasonable reason I've manage to be transported to some new world that happens to look like a little girls TV show." Vincent said. 

A smile began to form on Vincent's face. He puts his hand on his face and starts to rub his chin as he laughs at the thought of the last answer. Finishing his laugh Vincent looks out the windowless view and sees the desert that is currently surrounding the landscape, he sticks his head out and looks forward he sees something ahead squinting his eyes he sees the image becoming a little clearer the image seems to be that of a town of some kind. 

"Oh great a town most likely filled with horse doing human activates. What's next their going to have the ability to talk and speak English too?" Vincent began to laugh again at the thought. 

He looks back out the to see the town far ahead.
"I know that town is more then likely our destination and judging by the view I'll be there in about." Vincent checks his watch. "seventeen minutes hmm déjà vu eh?" 

While waiting Vincent looks to the left of the train and sees something familiar he stands up and walks to it and is pleasantly surprised to see his briefcase. While he does wonder how it had gotten here he put that thought aside for the moment and looked inside of it, to find his Heckler & Koch USP45, Smith & Wesson 5906, and Suppressed Ruger Mk II Pistol he checked them and saw that they where all still loaded.

"Now how in the world did these get here?" He wonders as he picks up the Heckler & Koch USP45. "Regardless these will be very useful should I run into any trouble." Vincent said as he chambered the gun. 

I have to admit while I knew horses would be something that I could handle easily gun or no gun but there's a saying that goes. "It's always good to have a gun and not need it then need a gun and not have it."  While I put the gun back in the briefcase I had just noticed another briefcase that looked exactly the same as my was on the other seat I checked the inside of it and found ammo, looked like one for each gun how many where inside the briefcase was a good question. But just as I was about to start separating and counting the train's horn had gone off, I ran back to the right side of the train looked out and saw that I would be reaching the town in no more than three minutes. Running back to the briefcases I closed them, picked them up, and went back to the right side when I looked out I notice that the train was about to stop at the train station I also got a glimpse of what proved my not to serious guess to be true, ponies doing human things. Waiting for the train to show being one of those things. My quick glimpse was cut off short as one of the horses looked towards my way I react fast by pulling my head back. 

"The train will stop any minute now, need to think quick." Vincent looked at his surroundings again. "Hiding is definitely out the window. Wait window?" Vincent looks at the left sides windowless opening. "It's all I got to work with." He said sighing in annoyance.

Vincent knew that it may not seem like the best course of action to take but he also knew he had few to no options. Vincent starts calculating in his head the chances of having a rough landing, sustaining any injuries, and crashing into something and considering it was a desert he knew that it would most likely be a rock or cactus, even though the odds seemed against him he brushed them off and got ready to run, he looks back at the opening waiting to see the edge of the station. Once he saw a glimpse of it he started sprinting and jumped (straight forward diving style) out the opening. When Vincent saw how close he was to the ground he changed into a tuck and rolled position which made him roll forward a little bit, when he stopped he was on his back after laying there for a few seconds Vincent opens his eyes he sees the sun and quickly covers them, he sits up but quickly stops himself before colliding with a cactus he chuckle as he chuckled at the thought that some of Max's luck must have rubbed off on him.

Getting up he looks forward at the rest of the desert and sees no end to it.
"Obviously not going that way." He joked as he turned his back on the desert and faced the train again. "Let's see what I can learn by watch these horses."

As I walk to the edge of the train I heard voices two to be exact and judging by the soft tone they must have been females, but these voices weren't coming from my head, thank god, they were coming from the train unsurprisingly it sound like a lot of those horses had already boarded and two of them were coming towards the opening I had jumped out of. I quickly laid back on the train and looked up to see two muzzle sticking out one was light cerulean and the other was pale rose.

"See anything?" Lotus Blossom asked.

"Umm nope." Aloe said. " Not a thing."

"You sure?" Lotus Blossom question.

"Lotus it's a barren wasteland that stretches out for miles if anything was out there I'm sure we would have seen it." Aloe answered annoyingly. 

"I don't know Aloe I'm pretty sure I saw something, something tall." Lotus Blossom pondered. "Maybe it disappeared."

"It's tall and it disappears? Oh No!" Aloe shouted.

"What is it !?" Lotus Bloom panicky asked.

"Maybe you saw the Slendermane!" Aloe said hysterically but with obvious sarcasm in her voice.

Lotus Blossom gave her a deadpan stare.
"Not funny." She said obviously not amused.

"Oh –” Aloe put her hoof over Lotus Blossom. “– Come on I'm just playing around."

"But I'm serious I saw something." Lotus Blossom pleaded.  

"Well only you know what you saw, but I think we should be focusing on getting the supplies we need from the Crystal Empire." Aloe said trying to remind Lotus Blossom of the job they had at hand.

"Yeah you're right." Lotus Blossom said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Hey come on don't give me that sad look. Lets think about all the new beauty supplies will be able to add to our spa when we get back and how happy our customers will be!" Aloe said excitingly hoping to cheer her friend up.

"You're right! let's get these train a moving!" Lotus Blossom shouted cheerfully obviously perked up.

"That's the spirited!" Aloe said joining her friend's excitement.

Vincent couldn't take it anymore this whole situation he was in was making no sense at all it made him feel like his very intelligence, manhood, reputation, and knowledge of the world was being insulted all at once and it was starting to piss him off but he would have to hold back that feeling as he moved to the front of the train and looked over it trying find a place to lay low. As he looked around he saw that the horses where practically everywhere, on that note Vincent noticed that these horses weren't even the same size as the ones from earth if anything these where the midget versions, regardless he focused back on finding a spot after hearing the engineer yell out that the train would be moving soon. As he looks around he notice a little dark alleyway.

"That will do." Vincent said as he ready himself to run. "Just need to wait for the right moment." 

The train's horn went off as the doors closed and the ponies outside the train either gave their goodbyes to the friends on the train, busied themselves by talking to each other, or went back inside. The train's horn was loud and could block out any noise for the moment. Which is exactly what Vincent needed.

"Perfect." Vincent said even though he couldn't hear himself thanks to the horn.

When the horn sounded off again I ran as fast as I could not bothering to look to the side and see if any of those midget horses where looking my way but it didn't matter I had reach the alley faster then I thought I would, once I was out of sight I looked out just enough for my face to still be cover by the shadows, miraculously none of those midget horses had noticed me. Well that's over and done with I can focus on other things like wiping this sand of my suit, as I took of my jacket I noticed that the blood from my bullet wound wasn't on my shirt anymore, in fact the wound itself was completely gone. I saw a mirror next to a barrel, who would leave a perfectly good mirror here? I ignored that thought knowing it wasn't important. I went to it and looked at myself there was enough light for me to see myself. Now I'm not the type of guy who is shocked by something, surprised maybe, but never shocked although after seeing myself in that mirror I can say I was a little baffled for a good fifteen seconds. I was fine the wounds and blood on my face and body were gone, no scars either it's as if I had never been injured hell I looked exactly the same as when I first got to L.A. except I didn't have my black Silhouette 4048 sunglasses besides that I had to wonder how the hell was that possible that my bullet wounds where just gone, things like that don't just disappear. Jesus so many things where happing all at once that I was having a hard time keeping up. I need to get some answers one way or another but first I wiped off the sand thankfully there wasn't that much and it was only on my jacket the rest of my suit was fine. Anyway while I wiped off the side pockets I felt something inside the right pocket I put my hand inside it and what I pulled out where my sunglasses, isn't that ironic, I held on to them as I finished wiping my coat I put it back on and saw what seemed to be the center of town I sighed from the idea that this new world will practically become my home.

"Well for most people it's always same job, same gig, doing the same thing 10 years from now." He said as the acceptance of his situation started setting in. "But me, for once I don't know what I'm going to do 10 minutes from now. I'll managed though." He chuckles. " After all –” He puts his sunglasses on. “– I'm indifferent."