New Equestrian Railroad

by Maonyman

All Aboard

This was it.

Weeks of careful planning and not one but three risky surveillance jobs were finally going to pay off.

Anon shuffled nervously in his saddle, unable to sit still.

"Oh quit fussin'!" Applejack tossed over her shoulder, "You're makin' my back itch!"

He leaned forward to give her a pat on the neck, "Sorry girl, just my nerves."

The dirty orange pony tapped the ground with a hoof and said, "Well, how's about we go over the plan one more time. That always helps calm ya down, keep ya focused. Really can't be messin' this one up now."

Anon sighed, then nodded once and said, "Alright, 'spose you're right. So, the Baron'll come 'round the mountain in his stagecoach, probably whippin' his ponies 'til they're frothing at the mouth since the fucker just loves to beat all his—"

"Focus, Anon," Applejack interrupted."

"Right. He'll be headed for that there locomotive in the distance, where we've left some toys in preparation. Now, assuming the clerk honors the bribe I gave him, the key to the Baron's coach oughta be tucked underneath the deerskin fur in the main coach, right by the tail."

Applejack turned a side eye on him, "Ain'tcha forgetting somethin'?"

Anon grimaced, "Yeap, no you're right, gettin' ahead of myself. So before I even go lookin' for any dadgum key, you and I trot down all pretty-like and I show the operator this here fancy deed of ownership and hope it's up to snuff. If they ain't convinced, we hightail it outta there and hope there's some way to salvage the last three weeks."

The pony shuffled her hooves awkwardly, rocking Anon back and forth in the saddle, and said, "Let's hope it don't come to that, yeah? Now come on, what's next?"

"Well, once we're on the steamer, we go straight to our bunk like good little overnighters. Then I go lookin' for that dadgum key."

Applejack nodded her head and prompted, "Alright, let's say y'all find the key right where it's 'sposed to be—what next? Can't just go bargin' into the Baron's room now can we?"

Anon gave her a playful tap of the heel, "And just who's to say that I won't?"

She snorted and bounced her rump to jostle him, "Don't be playin' games now, this ain't the time."

"Right right, just teasin'. Well, once I got the key and I've tested it out real sneak-like to make sure it'll work when the time comes, we lay low in our room for an hour or two, wait 'til we're good and lost in the mountains."

Anon grimaced—he didn't like this next part.

"Aaaaand then I quietly unlock the Baron's room, hide off to the side, and let you 'stumble' through the door to get a lay of the place."

"Oh, don't sound so glum, Anon," she chided, "You're comin' in right afterwards."

"Yeah I know, just hate sendin' you in there first. Feels cowardly."

She turned to look back at him with a quiet whiny, "Come on, Anon, we've been through this! If some big burly mother hubbard with a face like yours comes bargin' in through a locked door, anyone with half a mug upstairs is gonna shoot first an' ask questions later. But if it's just lil' old me—"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. You look cute, I look mean. I get why it's gotta be done, but that don't mean I gotta like it. I'd rather kick the door down and me myself'll be the one shootin' first, asking questions never."

Applejack gave him a stern look, "And what'd you plan to do when you barge in there and he's off to the side, or in the bathroom, or kneeling, or whatever the hay happens so y'all can't get a shot off right away, then instead he gets a shot off on you! Where'd I be then, huh?"

Anon scowled and swung out of the saddle with a heavy thump and a jangle as he hit the ground, intending to stride off in a huff. Applejack never even gave him the chance. The moment his boots touched the dirt, she whipped around and hooked a forehoof around his torso, locking him to her shoulder. He grunted and wiggled for a moment, but it was hopeless. Applejack was damn strong even for an earth pony; she could overpower him without even breaking a sweat and they both knew it.

He relaxed into her grip with a reluctant sigh and muttered, "Dammit girl, I just wanted—"

"No! I need y'all to hear this, Anon!"

She turned to peer at him, forcing him to stare into her deep green eyes, and said fervently, "I'm tired a you always wantin' to rush in all gung-ho, guns-a-blazing. Don't you understand ya got people relying on you—ponies relying on you! There ain't nopony else 'round here who does what we do Anon, and I can't do it without you."

She shook her head in frustration and continued, "Don't you get it? It's already bad enough that I'd wind up right back under the whip if I lost you, but we'd be letting down all those ponies who look to us for hope, too! There's more'n yer moon-blasted ego at stake here, ya big git!"

Anon raised an arm and shoved her face away, but she'd made her point and let him go after that.

They stood there quietly for a moment before he broke the silence, "Fine, I take your meaning. But what is it you actually want me to do? What are you looking for me to change?"

Her tail swished in agitation but she kept her voice calm as she slowly said, "I want you to understand the meanin' of the word caution, Anon. Just... quit bein' so reckless all the dang time, y'know?"

He shook his head, "I mean specifics, girl. Give me examples—something I did and what you'd wish I'd a done different, or somethin' like that."

She fell quiet for a moment, but it didn't take her long to think of an example and she said, "Remember our first stakeout for this here train, an' you heard a gunshot coming from down there? You damn near gave me a bruise you dug your heels in so hard, but I refused to budge, and y'all got so dang angry ya just about jumped off an' ran the whole way yourself."

Anon scowled. He remembered alright.

"You mean when we could'a saved that poor pegasus from gettin' his wing broken if we'd've just hurried the hell up?"

He was surprised to see her actually prance in place a bit with agitation.

"No! That's exactly my point, we could not have saved him! Even if I'd a galloped as hard as I could the moment you kicked me, we wouldn't have been even close to making it in time, and our cover would've been blown to boot!"

Anon turned away in disgust, but he knew she was right and hated to admit it.

She just kept on talking to the back of his head, "One of these days your 'act first, think later' deal is gonna land one or both of us in serious shit, and if either of us falls, this whole operation goes under. I need you to get around the humans, and y'all need me to get the trust of the ponies."

Applejack trotted around and lowered her head to stare up into his glowering face and said, "If you give one single damn about what we're doin' here, then for all our sakes, please try not to get yourself killed, alright?" He averted his gaze and she stepped a little closer, "And if you don't give a damn about the organization, I know ya give a damn about me. What'd I be left with if something happened to you?"

Anon knew all too well. Without his face to keep up the front, their facade would be discovered within a fortnight, and Applejack would be right back where she started: no hope, no future, no friends, and nothing but hard manual labor until her body gave out.

Her face shoved into view again, "I see them angry lines in yer face gettin' softer, so don't pretend like I ain't makin' sense."

Anon passed a hand over his face and slumped in defeat, "Alright, AJ, you win. You usually do anyhow. I'll be more careful, just... don't be so angry when you remind me, alright?"

She visibly relaxed, "Fair enough. Ya don't know how happy I am to hear that, Anon. I tell ya, if y'all knew the half of what I've been a seein' in my nightmares, you'd be worried too. Some nights I really miss havin' Princess Luna around to—" She cut herself off abruptly and her eyes went distant.

Anon stepped toward her and gently rubbed the back of her head, just behind the ears, his voice low and understanding as he said, "Come on, girl. We'll bring it back, one pony at a time."

She closed her eyes for a moment, sniffed a little, then nodded and looked back up at him, "Right, 'course. So, anyway, the plan."

"Yep. Now where were we... ah, right: so once you go barreling through the door like a drunken donkey with four left hooves, you get him all distracted like so his eyes are off the door and then say the codeword—lets go with 'watermelon' today—then I come lumbering up behind him and knock him out cold."

"Ya make it sound so easy."

"Well, that's what I'm here for, ain't it?" he said with a wry smirk, "You're the looks and I'm the brawn."

"Now we just need to find a brain and maybe we can get some work done."

He smirked at that, then got back on topic, saying, "Once he's out, we ignore all the likely valuable goodies lying about and instead go straight for the rear cabin attached to his coach. That's where he keeps his most prized possessions."

"Right. We don't know who he's got, but we know it's somepony valuable—real valuable. Buck, the way he was talking the other night, it might even be one of the princesses! Now wouldn't that be a hoot!"

"Princesses?"

She grimaced, "Right, guess y'all wouldn't know. I'll explain later—I hear hoofbeats in the distance. I bet it's our mark."

"Even if it ain't we oughta be out of sight all the same."

She nodded and they moved sideways off the beaten trail and into the thicker brush. Applejack's coat wasn't dirty out of laziness, it was camouflage—her orange coat was so bright when it was freshly washed that it stuck out like a canary in a dung heap. Besides, it helped her look like a working horse and avoid suspicion.

Applejack's pony ears were better than Anon's and it took a few moments before he even heard anything approaching, but sure enough, Baron Luke Von Brougue himself came racing around the turn, whipping his poor ponies far more than necessary just like Anon guessed he would. He felt his whole body go rigid with rage, but Applejack's soft hoof on his shoulder kept him in check. The man would get what was coming to him soon enough.

After he passed, the pair sat in silence as they waited a reasonable length of time to avoid arousing suspicion after coming down the same path the Baron just rode through. Then Anon climbed with practiced ease into the saddle and Applejack began trotting peacefully down the road. As they approached the train, a guard and a conductor stepped out to greet them, the guard proudly displaying the large revolver at his hip. Anon hunched slightly out of reflex to mask his own weapons, then remembered he wasn't wearing any. Not that the guard had any reason to be suspicious of him in the first place, but you could never be too sure with these small town guards. Some of them had a tick up their behind something fierce and were just itching for a chance to take out their frustrations on someone.

Applejack stopped well short of the train and obediently lowered her head, avoiding eye contact as was "proper" for her position. Anon gave them a friendly tip of the hat in greeting.

"Howdy, fellas."

The conductor merely nodded sourly, but the guard gave him a cheery, "Howdy!" in response, stepping right up close to Applejack's side, both thumbs hooked on his belt as he added, "So what brings you out here all on your lonesome? We're a long way from any real town."

Anon shrugged with feigned indifference, "Ohhh, I was out tryna hunt in these parts. Thought I'd have better luck than I did back home." He pointed at Applejack's bare rump where any catch would've been strung up with a rueful chuckle, "Clearly I was mistaken."

The guard chuckled with him, then asked, "And where exactly is 'back home'? You from around these parts?"

"Oh no, I'm from out east, just over the border roundabouts that new town Oatman."

Anon and Applejack had learned this train's schedule and happened to know that town was just a few hours along its route.

The guard tilted his head and asked, "Awful long way to go huntin', wouldn't ya say?"

Something about the man's friendly demeanor was setting off warning bells in the back of Anon's mind, but there wasn't much he could do now except play along and see where it goes, so he fibbed a bit—something he was unfortunately far too practiced at.

"Well, you know. Ya see a doe, take a shot, try and chase her down, wind up clear across country without a spot of blood to show for it... repeat that a couple more times and, well, ya wind up some damn fool too far from home like me," he shrugged in a 'what can ya do' sort of way and added, "That's why I'm here, to board the train and finally get back home. Assuming this one's headed back east, that is."

The officer eyed Anon suspiciously and held out his hand for Anon's papers. Anon hesitated with what he hoped was a friendly and bemused smile and not a condescending smirk.

"Uh... meanin' no offense, sir, but ain't that the conductor's job?"

That seemed to confuse the man for a moment, then he realized what had happened and chuckled wryly, "I ain't askin' for your boarding pass, partner. I'm a wanting to check that your property's legitimate."

"Oh, right. Uh, should be in one of these here pockets... ah, here ya are. There's her mane and coat color, a copy of her cutie mark, and her name's right there: Orange Blossom."

The guard followed Anon's finger, frowning slightly, looking back and forth from the paper to Applejack and back again.

"Pull back that saddlebag, lemme see the mark."

Anon did so, revealing an orange flower in bloom, with a small serial number dyed into her skin just below it. The officer let out a sigh, "Alright, I guess you're clean. You oughta know we've been getting reports of a wanted pony seen in these parts that matches that one's coat and mane color."

"...But ya ain't arresting me, so..."

"It's mark don't match, and well, those marks these ponies got don't never lie."

Anon nodded, "That they don't. What's the mark of the wanted pony? I'd like to keep an eye out, too."

"It's three small apples in a triangle pattern. Pony's known as 'Applejack,' and if you spot it, just keep right on turning. Dangerous, that one is."

Anon scoffed in disbelief, as any rational human would, "Really officer? A pony, dangerous? Come on."

He nodded seriously, "Yeah, you heard me: dangerous. This one's already injured two people since their last escape. It's a thief, a vandal, and some say it's even a man-killer. I have orders to shoot on sight."

Anon whistled low, "Man, I didn't think these ponies had it in them to hurt no one. Figured the war made that pretty clear."

The guard shrugged, "I dunno, but at least most of them seem to know their place. Yours seems very well trained, so well done."

Anon accepted the compliment with a tip of his hat and the man stepped back, allowing Anon to finally turn toward the conductor. From the man's expression, he wanted this exchange to be done and over with as quickly as possible, and Anon was inclined to agree. After a cursory glance at his boarding pass, the conductor waved them silently along and Anon guided Applejack forward a few short trots. Then he hopped out of the saddle and gave her legs a quick brush down to get the bulk of the loose sand off before boarding.

Once inside they carefully maneuvered down the narrow hall to their little booth labeled 17B. No sooner was the door shut than Applejack was whispering fiercely, "Buckin' horse manure, I ain't done none o' that tripe! And I sure as hay ain't never killed no humans!"

Anon laid a calming hand on her withers and said, "I know girl. At least we won't be in this region much longer."

"But... shoot on sight? Really!? I ain't even done nothin' but got myself free! Sweet Celestia, you'd think I'd... well, I'd killed somepony! Thank the moon I remembered to disguise my cutie mark."

"Yeap. And good on you for not even twitching an ear in reaction. You played your part like a master."

"If only it weren't needed," she grumbled.

"If only. Now, I'm a go find me a key. Stay outta trouble, y'hear?"

She made a noncommittal grunt and Anon slid the door open again, ambling casually down the hall and nodding politely to the occasional face he saw in open doorways. He crossed over one more car and suppressed a grin as he saw the skinned deer on the far end of the floor. Then he looked around and silently thanked The Lord for his good fortune: the car was almost entirely empty, with just two tired looking faces staring idly out the window. That made his life a lot easier.

He casually strolled down the hall and scuffed the tail of the deer as he walked over it, and sure enough, he felt a little lump beneath his toe. His heartrate jumped up a bit—Hell, this plan of theirs might actually work!

He continued into the next car over, which happened to be a small buffet car, and grabbed a plate of bread rolls. Then he returned to the previous car and, just as he passed the key, he feigned tripping over his own feet with an "oop!" and a grunt, and dropped the plate of buns with a loud clatter.

"Ah shit, sorry, sorry folks. Still getting used to these damn boots..."

He may as well have not even bothered for all the attention the two passengers paid him. He stooped to pick up his plate and buns, slipping the key out from under the deerskin in the process and covertly tucking it into a small pocket he'd had sewn into the end of his jacket sleeve. Then he straightened and returned to the buffet car. It was the last car before the Baron's so, after casually waiting for a lady to finish getting her plate and leave the room, he quietly tested the key in the Baron's door. He didn't actually turn it to unlocked, just barely far enough to recognize that it would work later. Satisfied, he slipped the key back into his sleeve pocket and turned back just in time to see the train's guard stepping through the door at the far end of the car.

"You there!" he said with a glare, "Was that you causin' such a ruckus just now?"

Anon grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah... still ain't use to these here boots, stumbled and dropped my damn plate. Was it really that loud?"

"Just dropped your plate, huh? What are you doing over by that door? That's a private coach, that is."

"O-Oh. Sorry sir, must have gotten turned around. I was wonderin' why it didn't open for me."

The guard sighed and his shoulders slumped, "Well, you ain't the first one, and I doubt you'll be the last. What fool laid out this buffet car to be perfectly symmetrical I don't know, but I'd like to give him a slap for the trouble." He pointed at the table in the center, "Look, this side of the table has the plates, that side of the table has the food. You go from the plates, to the food, to the exit. Got it?"

"Yessir, got it."

"Good. The man what owns that there coach ain't exactly friendly and's a bit too quick on the draw, if ya catch my meanin'."

"'Preciate it."

The man turned with a wave of his arm and they both moved back into the previous car.

"If you don't mind my asking," Anon said casually, "That man in the coach... who is he?"

The guard waved a dismissive hand, "Ah, he likes his privacy, that one. Wouldn't be happy at all if I went about blabbin' his name to anyone who came along."

Anon nodded and shrugged, "Fair enough, I can respect that. I suppose a man of power like that needs to keep things close to his chest."

"Who said anything about a man of power?"

Oops. Anon thought quick, "Oh, nothin'. But I mean, he's got a whole coach so himself, so I assume he's somebody important, that's all."

The guard shrugged, "Coaches like that don't hardly get used out here in the boonies so it ain't as pricey as you might think."

"Ah okay, so it could just as easily be some random Johnny splurging a bit for the weekend, I gotcha."

He set his hand on the door to booth 17B; time to warn Applejack about who was out here before he opened it.

"This here's me. I didn't catch your name, officer...?"

"Jones. Officer Billy Jones."

Anon tipped his hat with a friendly grin, then slid the booth open. Applejack was sitting stock still on the floor by the window, but the guard grunted when he saw her."

"Hmph. Ya see that there dirt on the seats? Your pony's been treatin' itself to the human chairs while you were gone." Applejack's ears flipped back nervously and Officer Jones' grin turned wicked, "Yep, see them ears? It knows what it did. Y'all need a crop or anythin' to make your point?"

Anon scowled fiercely, though not for the reason Jones was thinking.

"Nah, I've made this particularly point before, so clearly I'm gonna need to use something a little more substantial. It'll regret it plenty after I get home."

Jones furrowed his brow, "Sure you don't want to punish it now? 'Sposed to be best to do it while the event is fresh in its mind, y'know, like a dog."

Anon's scowl deepened, "Oh no, I'm gonna let it stew for a few hours and just try to imagine what sort of punishment will be in store for it later. The anticipation will be nearly as bad as the discipline itself."

"Well suit yourself. Aside from that it seems well trained so you must be doing something right."

Jones shot Applejack a nasty look and she quickly averted her eyes, tension and nerves etched in every line of her body.

He laughed and tipped his hat to Anon, "Alright, I take your meaning. Toyin' with that thing oughta be fun."

Anon forced himself to chuckle in response and slid the door shut as Jones turned to walk away, then let out a long sigh and muttered to himself, "Fuckin' prick."

When he turned around to face Applejack, he was surprised to see she hadn't entirely dropped the scared pony act.

"Whoa, relax girl! You know I ain't about to whip you. Come on, hop on up."

He sat down and patted the space beside him and she hesitated only a moment before climbing up and settling in.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard, I 'spose. And y'all put on a damn good act."

Anon wrapped an arm around her neck and jostled her playfully, "I keep telling you we're equal. It's all just for show, alright?"

She nodded and sat back upright, but still didn't seem able to relax. After a few moments of silence, Anon gently prompted, "...You alright, girl?"

Her breath caught in her throat and she shook her head, then said quietly, "No Anon. No, I'm not."

He put his arm back around her neck, but this time to pull her into a hug.

"Yeah... I know."

"Why's it gotta be like this, Anon?"

"You know why."

"No I don't!" She pulled away from him and wiped her face with a fetlock, "I get we lost the war, but why was there ever a damn war in the first place? Why'd we all have to turn to hate and violence 'stead of just talkin' it out like with any other species? What'd we do wrong? What'd we do to deserve being..." her voice fell to a whisper, "...slaves?"

Anon grimaced and said, "Y'all didn't do nothing wrong, Applejack. Ponies never did nothing wrong. It was all us, the humans. We're the ones filled with greed and hate and violence. We're the ones turned what should've been a simple diplomatic discussion into a declaration of war. Y'all hardly even fought back—it was obvious from day one y'all didn't want to fight."

"Well 'course we didn't... why would anypony fight when there are friends to be made?"

"Because evil, Applejack. Some people are just plain evil, and there ain't no two ways about it."

"That don't make me feel better, Anon."

He sighed heavily, "I know, girl. It ain't helpin' me much either, truth be told. But that's just how the world works. We do what good we can, when and where we can, but on the whole... we're just gonna have to deal with all this evil around us." His arm snaked around her neck a third time and he pulled her close again, "But you ain't alone no more, alright? We're partners."

She nodded silently, then laid a head on his chest and murmured, "Thank you."

Comments

[Cold Philosophy]

Well, you've got my attention.

[Dinosaur12]

She just kept on talking to the back of his head, "One of these days your 'act first, think later' deal is gonna land one or both of us in serious shit, and if either of us falls, this whole operation goes under. I need you to get around the humans, and y'all need me to get the trust of the ponies."

Hmm, foreshadowing?

[Nez12213]

"Focus, Anon," Applejack interrupted."

This “ shouldn’t be here.

Anyways nice start. I’m gonna read the next chapter before I say anything else.