//------------------------------// // To (Literally) Catch a Train // Story: The Pirates of Manehattan // by Tower of 0 //------------------------------// Justin managed to climb out from a pile of wrappers with a hearty yawn, smacking his lips as he looked about to the partied out ponies around him and a snoozing Fudge at his feet. He was distracted by the filly for only a moment when he just now realized that his shoes were gone. He got up stretching and letting loose another yawn. He looked around for a bit for his glasses and nabbed off one of the snoozing pirates. Justin chuckled for a bit before he finally started to wander the ship's deck for his shoes. "One helluva party we had last night." Justin said to himself with a smile as he dug through some of the trash. "Gee, it's not like I couldn't hear it or anything." Justin looked at the still faceplanted Scarlet. Deciding to walk over and pull her tail a bit, the red-coated mare was back to a standing position that. She let out a groan of relief that was short lived as the human plopped down in front of her with a wide grin. Justin had found his shoes on Scarlet's back and just started to lace them up right then and there. He extended each leg out from under him to put the according shoe on and fold them back under him. Then just looked at Scarlet with a smile before booping her nose with his finger. "Don't touch me!" Scarlet commanded as she tried to reel her head back. "Ahem..." A voice called from off to the side, causing the two to look at a light brown stallion with the brightest of blues for eyes and a vest as he climbed aboard. Being shortly followed be a small grouping of guards. "Detective, it's so nice to see you!" Justin rose to his feet and walking over to the stallion and shaking his hoof. "Uhm... sir?" The detective pony just looked at the human strangely. "Hmmm?" Justin hummed a bit as he looked back to the detective. The guards had just started arresting the other pirate crew that were known criminals and left some others alone. Justin had been watching them as one of the guards carried over a still sleeping Fudge and two others from where Scarlet's located. "Sir, what do you want us to do about this filly?" The guard asked. "I'll take her." Justin quickly said as he took the small filly and cradle her in his arms. The other two were next to report. "We can't seem to get this mare free. She seems to be held in place by some sort of green gunk." "Green?" The detective asked before looking over at the human who seemed to already be digging into one of his back pockets. "I stuck her to her own ship with this." Justin smiled as he handed over the device that he had used. The detective just looked at him in amazement. "A changeling goo shooter? Where did you even get this?" "I found it in the cargo when I crawled back on." Justin sort of explained. The detective just looked at him. That stallion fell on his flank with his mouth wide open as the human had just regaled him with a tale of complete absurdity that all witnesses attested for. It was pretty hard to believe it all started just by him needing to use the bathroom. Justin was busy playing with the filly as he told the story, getting to last night's huge pirate party that caused the crew (even the ones in custody) to nod in agreement. "...And so now the ship is docked and you ponies showed up." Justin finished off with a smile as he caught Fudge by her tail as if he were a cat. "So, then, that filly isn't really yours?" The detective pony asked him as a hoof pointed at the small brown filly. "Not really. But I'm treating her as if she's my own and nopony's gonna stop me." Justin let get of the filly's tail and she went scampering off behind him. "Say.. you got the time there detective?" "Oh, uh yeah.. its.." The pony took out a pocket watch and flipped it open. "It's close to being 10 in the morning. Why?" "Shit!" Justin quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed Fudge, hooking her to his back like she were his own filly pack. "I'm really sorry Detective, I have a train to catch!" Justin was about to leave, but the stallion stepped in his way. "You can't just leave the scene! You're a victim to a crime!" "Yeah... I am." Justin said with a determined look as he merely just sidestepped passed the stallion and bolted down the dock. "I said I was sorry detective, but you're not stopping me now!" Justin's shoes caught to the concrete rather quickly. He dashed through crowds and through traffic. Ponies that were passed by just looking in astonishment at the sight of the human whizzing past them at a great speed. Justin mainly had to thank for that fact he had longer legs, still wasn't as fast as an earth pony galloping at full speed. Fudge eventually had the human securely hug her against his chest since she was beginning to get a bit uncomfortable just bouncing against his back. Doing what she could to see just exactly where they were heading. The human came to a skidding halt inside a station, his shoes squeaking against the linoleum. Justin panted as he was trying to catch his breath at the ticket booth. the mare at the window just looking at him unamused. "Did two.." He wheezed. "..mares come through here, One grey and one a pale yellow/almost whiteish?" "Sir, a lot of ponies come through here. Especially at this hour." The mare droned on. Justin groaned and threw his free arm up as he walked away. "Well son of a biscuitmunchingpoptartkittycat!" Fudge sat on the ground in silence as she watched the human pace back and forth behind the building. He was just muttering to himself to what she assumed was cursing himself for the entire situation he was drug in to. She watched Justin stop and plop onto his bottom with his face in his hands. "Whats ares wes goings tos dos nows?" Fudge asked as she got up and trotted over to him. "I dunno Dipp. I dunno." Justin replied as he took the filly into his arms and looked around. His eyes feel to a bunch of scraps and an idea wormed its way into his mind. The pile was a bunch of old parts to a steam engine. A smile spread across his face as he steadily got up. Fudge just looked up at him followed his gaze to the same pile of metal and parts. Justin set the filly down on the ground and walked over to the scraps, beginning to dig. "Fudge... I has an idea." Justin declared as he pulled pieces out. "Ohs boys." Fudge could only watch him as he dug into the pieces. A cart was soon barreling down the rails by a sloppily assemble steam engine pushing it. In it were two figures; Justin and between his legs hanging on for dear life was poor little Fudge Dipp. Justin was laughing his head off as his hair wan whipping back behind his head and a pair of goggle to cover his eyes. "This is insanes!" Fudge yelled out above the roar and laughing of the man she sat with. "No Dipp! Insanity is Discord standing for order! This right here is pure genius!" Justin through his arms up in the air and let out a howl. Justin wasn't really expert in steam engines nor did he know a whole lot about them, but he surprised even himself when he started slapping pieces together to make the functional monstrosity that was now propelling them down the tracks at high speeds. They were obviously making quick ground too since the caboose of the train heading to Ponyville was coming up. Then the sound of something breaking behind them halted all his excitement. Justin looked behind to examine the engine and quickly found the problem: a busted steam pump. Fudge was now clinging to his leg, Justin looked to her and suddenly had the most sane idea of his life. He stood up and grabbed Fudge and placing her against his side. "Fudge! Change of plans!" Justin declared as they were getting only slightly closer to the caboose, but within throwing distance. "I'm gonna throw up on to the train!" "Whats!?" Fudge looked up at him in disbelief. "Buts.. buts whats about yous!?" "When you get on, look for two mares. One of them's an off-white unicorn with a electric blue spikey mane, the other is a grey pegasus with a yellow mane and wall eyes!" He looked down to her and Fudge closed her mouth to silence her rebuttal, then nodded. Justin nodded back and got ready. Fudge wasn't too sure about this, it seemed like a stretch but she trusted the human. Justin swung his arm back and quickly out with force, effectively tossing the filly across the gap. "This is too much action to just be the way this is..." Justin muttered to himself. Vinyl and Derpy sat across from one another silently in the dining car. Quietly eating what breakfast they could as their minds were set on the human that they had to leave behind. The chatter of the other passengers filled the others tables as ponies ate, but not theirs. A commotion from the other end of the car caught their attention though as a small brown unicorn filly dashed under and older pony and skidded inside. Frantically looking around until her eyes came to the two mares and she scurried over. The filly took a deep breath but was quickly cut off by an explosion occurring behind the train. The car went silent as all eyes were now to the back of the train. Short lived by a loud sound towards the roof and almost everypony gasping to see a creature hanging off the side of the car. Vinyl and Derpy looked with grins. Justin just sheepishly waved as he grinned. Happy to have finally caught up to the mare he arrived with. Shortly after, he started to swing down the car in a careful manner. The three ponies following him as they all quickly made it to the side door and opened it. Justin swung in and hugged all three of them. "Damn does it feel good to be back." Justin said with a smile. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but do you have a ticket sir?" A conductor pony asked from behind the group.