Assembly - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
“We-ell,” Hunter said as he carefully folded the last box lid down. “That’s the last of it.” There was a faint popping noise as the grey-coated pegasus across the box from him stretched a roll of tape down the seam he had just closed.
“Not until it's taped,” she replied with a dexterous amount of lip-work given that the tape dispenser was held in her teeth. “Trust me,” she said, giving the dispenser a sharp yank and breaking the tape off in a nice long tail. “Working for the shipping company you see some crazy stuff happen. This won’t be done—“ she pressed the tail end of the tape into the side of the box hard with her hoof, “—until there’s at least two layers of tape on it.”
Hunter grinned as the pegasus mare stretched another layer of tape across the top of the box. “Equestrian Postal Service?”
Derpy chuckled and dropped the dispenser from her mouth. “I wish, sometimes I think they’re even easier on stuff then the shippers are.” She blew her bright yellow mane back from in front of her face and then, with a well-practiced ease, lifted the box in her front hooves, her wings fanning to help her keep her balance.
Hunter grabbed the other side of the box, emulating Derpy’s movement as best as possible as he stumbled backwards, guiding the box towards the door. Hopefully he was helping the mare rather than being a hindrance, but she didn’t say anything as they passed through the doorway and set the box down next to its fellows on the deck.
“Again, Derpy,” Hunter said as he pushed the box into place. “Thanks for helping me get everything set up on such short notice.”
Derpy shrugged and gave him a roll of her eyes which, given one eye’s tendency to wander, was even more exaggerated than normal. “What are friends for?” she asked as she trotted back inside. “As long as said friend keeps a box of muffins nearby, which you always do.”
Hunter followed her back into his now cleared home, the walls and floor seeming empty now that they were cleared. “No, I mean it,” he said, a bit of his accent slipping into his voice. “I’m glad for your help, especially since you did have the day off. You’re a dinkum of a friend.”
Derpy waved his words away with one hoof as she plopped down on one of the two couches, a box of muffins held in her teeth. “Like I said, no problem,” she said, the muffin box popping open, her hooves bringing out a crispy cranberry-granola muffin. “Dinky had school, I had the day off, and there was no way I was going to let you pack everything up by yourself. Besides,” she said, taking a large bite out of her muffin, which made her pause long enough to give a contented sigh. “Since you’ll be shipping your stuff with Ponyville shipping anyway, this way I can make my job tomorrow easier.” She took another large bite out of the muffin, a few stray crumbs falling onto her hooves.
“How is Dinky doing these days?” Hunter asked, dropping himself down to the opposite couch. Derpy almost immediately brightened as she began telling him all about the latest adventures of her “little muffin.”
Derpy had been one of the first ponies that he had met upon moving into the Everfree forest, a slightly loopy but kind pegasus who worked for both the Equestrian Postal Service and Ponyville shipping. Which meant that not only had she been one of the ponies that had helped him move in, she’d also been the mare who showed up the next afternoon with his mail. And the afternoon after that, and the afternoon after that. With her friendly, chatty nature—which was probably how she’d earned the bubbles on her flank—she’d managed to become his friend during a time when he’d wanted nothing more than to be left alone to his grief.
He smiled as Derpy threw one hoof up in a flourish, describing how her daughters latest attempts to cook with her still developing magic had caused a bag of flour to explode across the kitchen. Derpy’s daughter, a unicorn filly named Dinky, was an adorably young bundle of positive energy, much like her mother. Of course, that wasn’t the only similarity that he had noticed. Dinky often had a knack for accidents—both getting into and out of—that Hunter had only seen equaled by Derpy or on occasion the three fillies that called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“We got it all cleaned up in the end though,” Derpy said, finishing her story and her muffin at roughly the same time.
Hunter shook his head with a laugh, the unfamiliar length of his recently cut mane feeling odd against his neck. “So she’s going to start getting magic lessons soon?”
Derpy gave an energetic nod as she grabbed another muffin from the box. “Yup. I talked with Twilight about it and she said she can give her some books to get her started.” She shook her head, rolling her eyes again. “Although given Twilight, I think I may take a look at them first though, my little muffin probably isn’t up to reading an encyclopedia yet.”
Hunter laughed as his own encounters with the town's librarian came to mind. “Yeah, she’s a little … enthusiastic about things. Did I ever tell you that when she first showed up I signed up for that weekly book club she put on?” Derpy shook her head, so he continued. “Well, remember that one really heavy package you saw me flying with one day back then? That was for the first week.” He gave a laugh. “She’d actually included the complete History of Modern Eqestria. A twelve book set! For the first week!”
Derpy laughed. “That sounds like Twilight alright. Dinky told me Cherilee once asked her to come teach the class about Canterlot. My little muffin didn’t understand the first ten minutes of it. Apparently Cherilee now works a bit closer with Twilight now when she teaches. She’s a smart mare, but she gets ahead of herself—and the audience—pretty quickly.”
“She does tend to make pretty spot on recommendations once she figures you out, though,” Hunter said. “I think when I get to Canterlot I’m going to have to check their library for the rest of the Daring Do series.”
“Hey!” Derpy said, sitting up suddenly. “We missed something!” She pointed with one hoof at a battered old dark brown Stetson hanging on the wall, both sides of its brim faintly turned up. Derpy gave a small flap of her wings and fluttered over to it, picking it up in a free hoof.
“Actually Derpy, I left that out on purpose,” Hunter said, giving his own wings and flap and landing on the floor next to her. “It’s my Ranger hat. Well, that’s what Swift Wind called it. I used to wear it on the job, but I haven’t worn it since, well…”
“Oh,” Derpy said as his words trailed off, her face downcast as she examined the worn hat. “Did she give it to you?”
He nodded. “Yeah. She gave it to me a few weeks after we met as a birthday gift. I wore it every day from then on. She loved seeing me in it.” He let a small, half-laugh out of his mouth. “She even got in enchanted so it’d stay on my head easier.”
“But you didn’t pack it?” Derpy asked, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. He blinked a few times, his eyes suddenly feeling dry.
“No,” he said, giving his head a small shake. The momentary sadness was gone now. He reached out, taking the hat from her and feeling the familiar hard felt surface underneath his hooves. “No, I think it’s time I wore it again. After all,” he said with a smile, “three years is long enough.” The hat slid down around his ears as if nothing had changed, falling right back into the same old familiar position he’d always worn it in. It felt…right. There was no other word for it.
“Ooooh,” Derpy said, her mouth a perfect ‘o’ with the drawn out note. “She had good taste, that just fits you!” She moved her head from side to side, taking in the hat from both angles, and then walked around him for good measure. “Looks good with the new mane-cut too.”
“Thanks.” He ran a hoof across the back of his head, tousling the recently cut mane. He’d always worn it long, but he’d really let it go in the last year, and it still felt odd to have it ending above his shoulders rather than midway down his chest.
“Why’d you cut it anyway?” Derpy asked, wandering into the kitchen.
“New job,” he said back, giving his head another little toss and relishing the feeling of the returned Stetson. Now that it was back, it seemed almost foolhardy that he had gone so long without it.
“This Steel pony didn’t like it?”
“Well, sort of,” he said. “But mostly it was me. I used to never let it get any longer than it is right now, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt out here. It did get a little away from me though,” he said with a chuckle, and Derpy laughed. “Still,” he said as Derpy fluttered back onto the couch, a glass of water held in her hooves. “It's like the hat. It feels a little odd, but it’s kind of nice to have it back.” He took a quick look around the now empty home, his gaze stopping for a moment on the wall clock. “I’m going to grab my bags from upstairs,” he said, flying over to the staircase. “One second.”
The upstairs bedroom had been his favorite part of the house, an almost circular room with large, magically reinforced windows on all sides. From here, he could watch the sun rise and set, the leaves change with the seasons, anything and everything. As far as he was concerned, it was the perfect place for the cloud bed he’d set up. Which reminds me, he thought as he slid his saddlebags onto his back. He’d already received word from the Ranger Corp that his replacement would be there in a week at the most, but his replacement was an earth pony. Which meant that the wonderfully comfortable and soft cloud-mattress he’d purchased was going to be nothing more than a stray bit of cloud magic to his earthbound replacement.
“Hey, Derpy!” he called down the stairs. “Could you use a cloud-mattress?” Better that he give it to someone before he left.
“A genuine cloud mattress?” She darted up the stairs, her smile wide. From downstairs came the sounds of a glass bouncing across the floor. “Oops,” she said, giving him a sheepish grin.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, giving her and off-hoof wave. “Anyway, yeah, my replacement is going to be an earth pony, so he won’t be able to use this thing anyway.” He gave the cloud-mattress a light tap with his hoof and felt it bob slightly under his touch. “It’s a genuine Strato-sleeper, straight from Cloudsdale. It’s too big to take with me, but if you know someone who could use it or want it for yourself ...” he let his words trail off, tilting his head at the bubbly pegasus.
Derpy looked at the mattress for a moment and then hopped up onto it. “Oooh, that is nice.” She said, laying down on it and trying a few positions. “Would it sit on top of another mattress?” He shrugged.
“Well,” she said, hopping off the mattress and hovering above the floor. “I can give it a try, but I may have to pass it onto someone else, as much as I appreciate the gesture. Dinky’s a unicorn, she can’t use it,” she said with a small frown. Then her face broke out in a wide grin. “Maybe we should take that hat back off. You’ve only had it on for a few minutes and already you’re inviting a mare to see your bed!”
“Oh hah hah, you’re a riot,” he said, rolling his eyes but chuckling. “Alright, well as long as someone gets some use out of it.”
“Why not ship it with the rest of your stuff?”
He shook his head. “I have a feeling that I’m about to be sleeping on a cot again. If I need another one I can afford it.”
Derpy nodded. “Alright, I’ll have the guys help me get this over to my house tomorrow. I’ll at least get one night on a real cloud mattress again, if nothing else.”
“Alright then, that’s settled,” Hunter said, taking one last look around the room. The dresser had been emptied, the floor was clear. Even the small closet on one side of the room sat with its door open, the space behind it empty. “Probably time for me to get going if you want to swing by and pick up Dinky before I take off.”
Derpy gave him a nod. “It’s going to be different with you gone,” she said with a sad smile. “Dinky will miss you when her birthday party comes around.”
“Oh come on,” Hunter said as he started down the stairs. “Canterlot isn’t that far away. You fly there yourself on deliveries from time to time. I won’t miss Dinky’s birthday if I can help it.” He picked up the cup that Derpy had dropped and deposited it in the sink. “I will miss this place though,” he said, taking one last wistful look around the outpost. “For a Ranger post, it was pretty nice.”
“Do you want a hoof with the larger bags?” Derpy asked as he tossed two more large bags over his back and tightened the straps down.
He shook his head. “No, I’ve got these. You’ll need to get going if you’re going to pick up Dinky when she gets out of school.” Derpy nodded at him and hopped over the railing, her wings already pumping. He flexed his own wings as she flew away, making certain that the straps weren’t too tight. Everything worked. “Hey, Derpy!” he yelled after the already retreating pegasus. “Just a second!”
Derpy whipped around in the air, doing a passable imitation of the weather teams cyan colored hot shot as she did so. A few moments later she was back, hovering just over the rail. “Change your mind about the bags?”
Hunter shook his head with a smile. “No, I just wanted to tell you something now, before I met you and Dinky at the train station. Thank you.”
“I already told you,” Derpy said with another roll of her eyes, “I had today off.”
“Not for that,” Hunter said. “For—for everything you did when I first came here. I ...” He pawed one hoof on the deck idly. “I owe you a lot for helping me get through Swift Wind’s death.” He straightened his back and looked her right in the eyes. “So thank you for helping me get through it. It would have taken me a lot longer for me to get back to where I was without you helping me find my way, even if I didn’t want the help at the time. I know I was being a bit stroppy.”
Derpy floated closer and patted him on the shoulder with one hoof. “What are friends for?” she said, her voice soft and her ears low. “I’m just glad I was able to help.” She threw her hooves around him in a hug and after a moment he returned it.
“Thanks,” he said, his voice cracking a little. “I just needed to let you know how much I appreciated you helping me through that.”
“It was—well it wasn’t nothing, but, yeah, you get the idea,” Derpy said, floating back over the rail. “I know what it’s like.” Her voice perked back up. “And if you ever want to talk about it…”
“I know,” Hunter said, extending his own wings and leaping over the rail. For a moment his wings protested the extra weight, but a few moments later they settled into a familiar if somewhat more tiring flap. “You’d better get going if you want to pick Dinky up, school’s probably almost out by now.”
“My muffin!” Derpy yelled, throwing one hoof out in front of her in a dramatic pose. “I’ll save you!” The grey-coated pegasus took off through skies over the Everfree forest, leaving the much more heavily laden Hunter behind.
Huh … she thought to herself as her wingbeats ate away the miles to Ponyville. Thistle lives in Canterlot. I wonder if ... Flap by flap, the bubbly pegasus grew closer to Ponyville, grinning as her mind made plans that involved no small number of muffins, two friends who would now both be living in Canterlot, and Dinky.
* * *
“Aw, do you really hafta go?” Dinky asked as she hugged Hunters leg. Her big golden eyes were turned up at him, and he could almost feel waves of pure guilt-inducing sadness coming out of them. Where in Equestria had this filly learned to make an expression like that?
“Yeah, I do Dinky,” he said, kneeling down and giving her a little hug back. “I’ve got a new job to go do. Something really important.”
“Is that why you’ve got the really cool hat?” Dinky asked, her voice sniffling a little bit.
“Well, no, but it is why I cut my mane,” he said, giving her own blond mane a quick tousle with his hoof. “But Canterlot isn’t too far, your Mom goes to Canterlot all the time.”
“Well, yeah, I guess …” Dinky said, moments before a smile bloomed on her face. “Wait, does that mean that Mommy and I can come visit you?”
“Sure it does!” he said, giving the young filly his largest smile. Behind him he could hear ponies climbing on and off the afternoon train to Canterlot. In a few minutes the train would depart and he’d be on it. He could’ve flown, but with the weight of his bags he hadn’t wanted to wear himself out. “You come visit me anytime. I might even be able to show you my new job.”
“Ooooh! Will there be other pegasuses there? Unicorns? Earth ponies? Will I see some cool magic?” she asked in rapid-fire tones, bouncing on her hooves with enthusiasm.
“And more besides!” he said, giving her one last little hug before standing up. Derpy was standing a few feet away with a smile on her face, and he gave her one last hug as well. “I do mean it,” he said as he wrapped his forelegs around her shoulders. “Come visit me when you can, and I promise I won’t miss Dinky’s birthday party.”
“Thanks,” Derpy said, returning the hug. “I’ll probably see you in a few days anyway when we deliver your stuff to the Palace. I’ll be meeting with a friend for lunch if she’s around.”
“I ... don’t know if I’ll be there,” Hunter said, flashing her his best apologetic grin from under the brim of his hat. “Steel had a few things he wanted me to go help him with, but don’t worry, I’ll get in touch as soon as I’m settled and we can catch up.”
“You’d better,” Derpy said as they broke the hug and he shouldered his bags. “I’m friends with one of the Elements of Harmony you know. I‘d hate to have to come looking for you.”
Hunter grinned. It just felt so much more natural to do with the Stetson on. “Don’t you worry,” he said as he backed towards the waiting train cars. “You haven’t heard the last of me by a long shot.” He turned, pulling his ticket from his saddlebags as he did so and handing them to the conductor. “Bye-bye Dinky! Bye Derpy!” he called back with a quick wave, more for the fillies sake than the mothers. Dinky looked as if she was alternating between excitement to come see him at his new home, or tears at his leaving.
He stepped into the colorful train car and made his way down the relatively populated car looking for an empty seat with an unused luggage compartment overhead. Children were running by underhoof, parents chasing after them as they levitated snacks or flew by overhead. Hunter worked his way through the tangle, glad that he’d bought a first class ticket that would get him access to the more calm cars ahead.
A few cars up he showed his ticket to another conductor and was let into the first class cars. Unlike the more tightly packed economy cars, the first class cars had much more space and were more subdued in color, with more soundproofing. The first class cars tended to be for businessponies and those who wanted to throw a few extra bits around. Normally, he wouldn’t have considered a first class ticket, but he’d been up late the night before making sure that everything had been ready for his replacement. In effect, he was tired and hoping to get a little bit of extra shut-eye on the trip.
First class wasn’t nearly as crowded as Coach had been, and he quickly found an empty bench on the right side of the train with clear overhead storage and slid his luggage into it, looking up and down the car as he did. Near the back where he had come in several ponies wearing ties had flipped one of the benches around and were animatedly discussing something, while towards the front a few select ponies were lounging around or looking out the windows. Near the front of the car, in the last row of seats, was a rusty-colored feathered head dutifully facing forward. A griffon.
“Unusual,” he said to himself as he slid the last bag into place. Griffons weren’t rare, but they weren’t common either, especially on an Equestrian train. Probably a business related trip, but coming from the South? If he could get a clearer look he’d know, but it wasn’t his job to bother random travelers.
He sat down on the bench, grimacing for a second at how horribly the light pastel blue cushion clashed with the tanned brown of his coat. Couldn’t they have at least picked a more—. A light tapping at the window distracted him, and he turned to see Dinky waving happily from the boarding platform, her mother standing behind her. There was a faint whistle and the train began to move forward down the tracks, slowly but picking up speed. Dinky began to run alongside the train, hopping and waving every time she got a little too far ahead. He watched her, smiling and waving back, until the boarding platform ran out and with a sudden stop she vanished from view as the train picked up speed, pulling out of Ponyville.
He leaned back in his seat, adjusting his shoulders and pulling the brim of his Stetson over his eyes, ignoring the faint pinpricks of tears he felt in the corners of his eyes. The trip to Canterlot would take several hours, and he was going to make the most of it.
He wasn’t quite sure how much later it was when the sound of somepony pausing by his seat awoke him, but he figured it couldn’t have been too long into the trip, as they hadn’t slowed for the switchbacks near Canterlot yet. Hunter knew from experience that the motion would awaken him.
He waited for a moment, eyes closed against the light of the car but the pony standing beside his seat didn’t move. Then there was a click and a squeak from the bench in front of him. When he’d sat down, it had been facing forward, so the noise he was hearing meant that somepony was spinning it around to face him.
He gave a yawn and stretched, slowly opening his eyes. The brim of his hat filled his view, somehow while he’d slept it had tilted lower over his forehead, and all he could see was a small bit of the floor and the seat he was sitting on. Before he could pull his hat back up however, he heard the seat across from him give a faint snap, followed by a soft clack-clack that he recognized as the sound of not hooves, but talons.
He tilted his Stetson back just as the owner of the clacking noise hopped onto the bench opposite of him and gave him a wry smile. It was the griffon he’d seen earlier sitting up near the front of the car, only now that he was sitting across from him, he could see that it wasn’t a he, but a she. Green eyes looked out at him, almost hidden behind a heavy overhanging plumage of rust-red feathers that appeared carefully styled to stop just short of being in the way. Her lion half stretched out beside her on the bench, the light tan of her coat only a few shades lighter than his own. It was her talons however, the ones that he had heard softly clicking, that caught his attention. They were long, longer than any talons he’d seen on a griffin before, and very, very sharp judging by the small sheaths she was wearing over each individual claw.
“Well, it seems I have you at a loss,” the griffon said, her voice sweet as honey. “Can’t say I’m surprised. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” her beak gave a sharp clack as the last word left her mouth. “How have you been?” She looked at him, the edges of her mouth tilting upward in a smile. There was something familiar about that voice, about the color of her plumages, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“I apologize, ma’am” he said, his mind racing. “But I can’t quite seem to recall your name. You look very familiar though.”
The griffin clacked her beak a few times, an expression that he’d met enough griffins to know meant she was amused. “Well, I wasn’t joking when I said it had been a long time. Besides, it’s hardly fair,” she said with a nod towards his flank. “After all, you ponies have those cutie marks, which makes you very distinct. I wouldn’t have been sure it was you if I hadn’t seen it.”
Red, rust-red! She looked so familiar, and he racked his brains, brow furrowing. Then it hit him. Of course, he thought, who else would it be? A huge grin began to spread across his face, and he could see a welcoming smile forming on her own face as she saw the recognition.
“Blade!” he said, sitting upright and sticking out his hoof. “Blade Sunchaser!”
“Ahah!” she exclaimed, rocking her head back and letting out a laugh. “I knew you’d get it!”
“Crikey, Blade! I haven’t seen you since Junior Speedsters camp!” he said, stepping off the bench. “That was, what?”
“Oh, about twenty years ago!” Blade said. “I wouldn’t have known it was you but for the horseshoes on your butt! I gotta say though,” she said with a shake of her feathers. “You almost had me thinking I’d corralled the wrong pony there!”
“Speak for yourself. I thought the same thing for a minute.” They paused for a moment as the train clicked its way down the tracks. “So,” he said after a moment. “You, well, the last time I saw you was at the end of Junior Speedsters! You look, well … big!” It was no exaggeration either, she was clearly both taller and larger than he was, and he was by no means a small pegasus. If anything, she was almost about the size of Steel Song.
Blade let out a peal of laughter, her head rocking back as her paws slapped at the bench. “Only you Hunter,” she said, still giggling, “would make one of the first things you say to a girl you haven’t seen in forever ‘you look big.’ I mean really?” She shook her head, but then pulled herself upright to her full height, showing off the bright rust red of the feathers that adorned her head and most of her chest. “But yeah, I finally hit a growth spurt, and got my brothers to stop calling me ‘squirt’ all the time.” Hunter laughed, and before long the two of them were swapping stories catching up on two decades worth of missed time.
“—and that’s how I ended up on the Rangers,” Hunter said, finishing out his end of events several minutes later.
“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised,” Blade said, leaning back on the couch and tapping her sheathed talons on the cushion next to her. “With that cutie mark of yours you always were good in the woods.”
“How about you?” he asked. “What job did you take up?”
She shrugged. “I guess it’s kind of Ranger-like. I’m kind of a mercenary, kind of a contract bodyguard of sorts.” One of her talons began to idly scratch up and down the side of her face. “Once I hit my growth spurt and these babies came in, well,” she clacked the long talons against each other, the sheaths making small metallic pings. “I always was pretty good in a fight. So I signed up under a Blademaster—“
“You studied under a Blademaster?” he said, sitting up in surprise. Griffin Blademasters were few and far between, rare individuals of great skill with weapons of all types. To study under a Blademaster was a rare opportunity indeed.
Blade nodded. “Yes, Blademaster Typhus. He’s not a legend, but he was a pretty amazing Griffin in his time.”
“Was?” he asked, noticing the past tense.
“Yes, was,” she said with a small shake of her talons. “He was pretty old, and he took on a job that he couldn’t handle. A dragon got him.”
“Oh ...” Hunter said as he spotted a slight fall in her expression. “My condolences,” he said, pulling his hat from his head. “It’s never easy when someone we work with doesn’t make it back.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Blade said, blinking a bit more rapidly than normal. “He died with honor, just like he wanted to. Anyway,” There was a brief rustle of feathers as she reasserted herself. “I was his apprentice at the time, but I wasn’t nearly good enough to take the title.”
“It didn’t just pass to you?” he asked, replacing his hat.
She shook her head and looked out the window as the scenery rushed past. “No, in order to be a Blademaster you must defeat a minimum of three other Blademasters in trial or legitimate combat. At the time, I had no chance.” She looked back at him, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. “As of last week, I’ve beaten two.”
“In trial?” he asked, a little off-put by the gleam in her eye.
“Yes,” she said, but didn’t elaborate.
"So, that must be why there aren’t many of them around,” Hunter said.
“Nope, and they’re a close-knit group,” Blade said. “They’re all archived somewhere, but Blademasters can choose to be silent about their status. I’ve heard there’s even a non-griffon Blademaster out there,” she said with a laugh. “Like I buy that. The bıçak ustası—sorry, Blademasters—wouldn’t stand for it.”
“You don’t think so?” Hunter asked. Blade shook her head.
“No, I doubt it. You’d really need to impress them. If there is a Blademaster that’s not a griffin though, my money’s on a minotaur warrior. Those guys are tough!”
“Never fought one,” Hunter said.
“Beefy,” Blade said with a grin. “And tough.” There was a pause.
“So then what are you doing now?” Hunter asked. That gleam was still in her eye. She had a goal in mind, he could see it.
“Nothing too big,” she said with a shrug. “I opened myself up to contract work as a bodyguard after Blademaster Typhus died and I’ve had pretty steady work since then. That’s actually what I’m doing in Equestria now.” She looked out the car window again and watched as hills rolled by, gradually growing steeper and steeper as they came closer to Canterlot. Already Hunter could feel the faint shift in his balance that told him that they were going slightly uphill. “I was down in the Badlands when I got word that my contract had been picked up by some rich pony out east somewhere.” Blade turned away from the window. “I can’t tell you much except that my employer seems pretty paranoid.”
Hunter laughed. “Mine’s the same way,” he said, watching a momentary confusion spread across her face, ruffling her feathers.
“I thought you were a Ranger,” she said, trying to smooth her ruffled feathers with one scaled paw.
He shook his head and gave her a wide grin. “Was until a day ago, then I got a better offer.”
“A better offer? For you? What, did someone offer you a job tracking down Equstria’s most wanted?”
“Nope.” Hunter leaned back, putting on his best smug look. “Lets just say I’m actually feeling pretty good about it, and I really can’t say anything else. Like yours.”
“You’ve got a paranoid employer too then,” Blade said with a clack of her beak.
Hunter shrugged. “Not really, mostly just … careful.”
“Careful huh?” Blade said, leaning forward. “Just what are you involved with Hunter? You’re not turning to a life of crime are you?” She tilted her head and gave him a sarcastic smirk that brought back memories of flight camp. “Maybe you’re the one behind the train robberies.”
His brow furrowed, pushing his hat up slightly. “What train robberies?” he asked, leaning in.
"You haven’t heard?” she said, looking genuinely surprised. “I know it hasn’t been front page material, but I don’t even live here and I know about it.”
“I just spent the last three years living in the middle of the Everfree, Blade,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I think I get a little slack.” Then his voice turned curious. “So, what’s this about train robberies?”
“Well,” Blade said, her voice low but not quite a whisper that would attract attention. She surreptitiously threw a careful look around the train car, but spotted nothing. “It's only been barely mentioned in the papers but I was talking with a conductor on the way up from the Macintosh Hills, and apparently in the last few months there have been several successful thefts committed on moving trains.”
“Armed robberies? Stick-ups?” Hunter asked, keeping his own voice low. Such things were rare, especially in Equestria.
“No, not quite,” she said. “No one’s even certain that they’re thefts. Things are just going missing.”
“Missing?”
“From sealed cargo cars,” she said, a different gleam coming to her eyes, this one of interest. “The conductor wasn’t really sure that she should be telling me but it started about four months ago. A cargo car left Canterlot on its way to Manehatten with a shipment of gems. Nothing really valuable, but when the rail workers opened the cargo car several of the largest gems were missing.”
“Did they check the employees?” he asked, his mind working.
“Of course they did,” she said. “They checked everyone, but the gems weren’t found. The ERS paid out on the missing items and everything was fine until a week later when another shipment of gems ended up light. Same thing. They checked everyone, but found nothing. A week after that, a rare book. Even just a day or two ago some expensive rare vase that was being transported from the Canterlot Museum of History down to Ponyville vanished. Each time,” she said with a snap of her talons, “the cargo container is locked up tight, and even under guard.”
“What’s the rail service doing about it?” he asked.
She scoffed. “Panicking.” She began playing with her talons, sliding one sheath partially off and then back on with a faint rasp. “I guess the news hasn’t really caught on yet because they’ve been downplaying it, but the various owners are worried about what might happen if the robberies get more bold.” She leaned in closer, her voice lower. “I’ll tell you what I think though.”
“What?” he asked, leaning in close to her beak as she motioned him closer with a faint wave of her claws.
“I think that whoever it is, they’re just testing their methods,” she said, her beak so close to his ear he could feel her breath. “Whoever they are, nothing they’ve stolen is that valuable.” Outside the window the sky went dark as the train plunged into one of the many tunnels on the approach to Canterlot. “So I think it’s a test. Someone’s waiting for something big.”
“Like what?” he asked.
She leaned back and shrugged, once again relaxed against the cushioned bench. “No idea.” She said. “I don’t keep tabs on stuff like that. It’s just my theory.”
“Huh, well,” he said, leaning back and adjusting his hat. “Now I’ve got something to think about in my free time, although I don’t expect to be doing much of that in the coming weeks.” The train car brightened again as they moved out of the tunnel and into sunlight. Hunter looked to his left, out the window on the opposite side of the car. Canterlot was sweeping into view, its marble spires piercing the sky like elegant needles.
“Are you going to be working your new job in Canterlot?” Blade asked as she followed his gaze.
Hunter nodded. “And I’ve never actually spent much time here either,” he said as the train ducked back into another smaller tunnel, slowing as the track began to twist. Moments later they were out again and the city was closer. He was seeing small details on the ivory colored towers now, windows and balconies, each flying brilliantly colored pennants that complimented the golden trim. “It’s a pretty impressive place from what I remember.” His view of the city slid away as the train turned in its tracks, heading now directly for it.
“It’s a pretty impressive place,” Blade said. “If it weren’t for my clients, I’d be tempted to stop here for a day or two myself and take a look at the architecture, maybe look at some of the artifacts in the Canterlot Museum.”
Hunter looked back at his old friend. “Really?” He thought back to the years at Junior Speedsters. “I’d never pegged you as an appreciator of the fine arts.”
“Girl’s gotta have a hobby,” Blade said, clacking her beak. “I’m not all blades and sharp edges.”
“I’ll remember that.” Hunter said as he felt his body begin to pull forward, the scenery outside the train slowing. Moments passed and Canterlot’s outer wall slid by the car as the train entered the city itself. “Well,” he said as the train continued to slow. “I’d best get my stuff ready.” Outside he could see the first tinges of pink coming into the white ivory of the city as the sun began to set. “I want to get my stuff dropped off before it gets too dark.”
“I should probably go make sure my sleeper hasn’t been taken over by some wild little pony colts,” Blade said, climbing to her feet. ‘Still, it was nice to see you again.” She held out one of her paws.
“Likewise,” Hunter said, extending his own hoof. Then he leaned in close. “Junior Speedsters chant?”
Blade gave him her best grin as they both began to sing.
“Junior Speedsters are our lives,
Sky-bound soars and daring dives
Junior Speedsters, it's our quest,
To someday be the very best!”
A few minutes later, as he watched the train pull out of the station, Hunter couldn’t help but smile. So far, he thought, this is off to a good start.
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Another sweet moment between characters, this time Derpy, Dinky and Hunter. We finally get more info on probably their first case. What could possibly be valuable enough to warrant robbing? Elements are out of the question. Maybe an artifact (EGYPTIAN) that's supposedly granting some sort of power? Got a gut feeling we're going to see Blade again, though maybe on the opposite side of a conflict. Contracts and all that jazz.
Just wondering why Derpy can't get Twilight to come up with some sort of enchanted item to allow Dinky to sleep on the cloud bed. Doesn't seem too hard. Enchant a talisman with a cloudwalking spell, and feed it magic through gems or something.
i.imgur.com/cVXk9Cw.jpg
This story is awesome and nothing is even happening yet.
*squints eyes*
Chekov's Gunman?
4754079 this is my view precisely.
derpy is one of my favorite ponies and u portrayed her perfectly. sweet, caring, practical, but maintaining a little derpiness.
this embodies hunter and blade so well for some reason.
I have a feeling Hunter and Blade will end up at opposite ends of the sword, so to speak, at some point.
Are you going to tell us what happened to ,whats here name,...Swift Life i think it was? I'm guessing that it has some thing to do with Neighagra falls
I wish; sometimes I think they’re even easier on stuff than the shippers are.
hindrance
a
I eagerly await further appearances by this gryphon almost-blademaster.
Got a REALLY bad vibe from the Gryphon.
'Dinkum'
Said no australian ever.
It is a truth universally acknowledged… that shippers are very hard on everypony!
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Emoticons/misc_Bonbon_OMG_LOVE.png?wrap=true
7151155 Ahem. When half a dozen dictionaries say "this is AusE", chances are pretty good that it's actually AusE.
7151155
7245268
As a 'True Blue Aussie', I can say that it is definitely used... just that it, like much of our unique slang, has been getting swamped by other slang, mostly US slang in recent times and particularly within the younger generations. The exception to this is in rural areas. There you will find much of our rich lingo remains the same, just with a few newer additions... generally, the more remote, the stronger it remains with its individual regional variations.
In your case, though, I must say that it has been utilised incorrectly. The line, "You’re a dinkum of a friend" would actually be "You're a fair dinkum friend"... quite possibly with the word "mate" added.
Like No-one ever was?
All hail the Muffin Mare!