Deus Ex: Cosplay Revolution

Train stations never appealed to me. Lots of people, lots of luggage, little kids, and trash all over the place. Never much liked traveling on a train, either, but oh well.

The one I was standing in was nice, but not my favorite. Wooden floor, decorations out of a Western movie, and a single flesh-and-blood ticket pony-person, that was it. I was standing by a column with brochures and maps, rifling through them. The mask was on my face, shades too, and I didn't want to risk anyone seeing my face.

I'd decided that I needed to get out of town before the natives started asking questions. Book on the species and history said that ponies, the particular inhabitants of this village, were skittish little bastards when something didn't jib quite right. Meant a tall guy in a longcoat and mask was going to get a couple stares, especially if he had been there for a real short time.

Very, very hard-to-get-punished-with death penalty, though. Don't think I'd get it, tapping someone on the head and nicking some fabric, but best not to push the envelope in an unfamiliar situation. What interested me was the "Helements of Armory" or whatever they were called. Six fucking powerful rocks that could... shit, do damn near anything with what the book was telling me.

Could seal someone in the moon, seal a god of chaos in stone, or whatever other bullshit needed to happen. Honestly, I wasn't asking questions because I'm at a very real risk for my life. But, if they could combat supernatural, superpowerful entities... hm, maybe they got enough bullshit quantum mechanics power to rip an asshole in the universe and send me fucking off into someplace like home.

That'd be nice, but I'd need to get to this Canterlot place if I wanted to see them.

"Sir?" I heard.

I turned, looking down at the pony who interrupted my musing. "Ye?"

"A-Are you looking to buy a ticket?"

Might as well take a chance. "Canna'lot. 'Ow long's da ride n' 'ow much is it?"

"Fifty bits, sir. The ride is six hours."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Any'ay I cou' get there fasta?"

"No, no sir."

Was almost tempted to grab him by his scrawny throat, but I squashed that violent thought like a bug under a boot. "When's it leave?"

"In a couple minutes, sir."

"How long'sa cuppa minu's and 'ow long's it stay in da station?"

He gulped. "Half an hour, sir. It stays for fifteen so ponies can get on."

I grinned underneath the mask. "I don't have that kind of time." And with that I walked off the platform, plan already forming.

Barely thirty minutes later, a train ran on time for once in my life. Big, pink, and hideous is how I'd describe it, flowery patterns and pastel rainbows defining damn near everything about it. Honestly wanted to toss a log on the tracks just to see it derail, but that'd take too long and I'd get attention. Attention was never good.

I waited, right up until the whistle blew and all the natives were on. I was a mile up the rail, crouched by a bush, my coat folded up so that it'd not billow and get in the way. Would've been nice having a cigarette to smoke,

Chug-chug.

Tense. White knuckles. Sweat beading on forehead.

Chug-chug.

Steam rolled off the smokestack. Acceleration, Doppler effect slowly raising the pitch. Started passing me, but I waited. Would be easy to catch up to it, considering the dated tech on it.

Stood up, burst into dead sprint. Jumped, got a grip, pulled myself onto the side of a freight cart, held on for dear life.

I was on.

Hard to go unnoticed in an empty train cart. Especially when you were tall, dark-haired, and handsome in the minds of some.

Honestly, I wasn't that pretty. Fairly certain I had a nasty bruise going up my face from the impact on the car, hidden by the mask. I'd taken off the head covering, let my messy hair fall loose. I'd like to say I dyed my hair, but if you looked close you'd see it was more natural than wanting to piss all over a vegan's plate. Think I had the darkest hair of the family, me.

One of the doors opened. I hid my face in the collar, watched from behind my sunglasses. A woman or mare or whatever the term was, she was walking into the carriage. I'd say she was a seven out of ten if she was my species. Nice tits, great hips, but the odd transition between pony-like face and humanoid body, tail, and all-around dissimilarity to the human form almost made me wish I was back with the neckbeards at the con.

Neither of us spoke. I rummaged around in my pocket, almost jumped when my hands landed on a carton of cigarettes. Didn't have a lighter, though.

She strutted past me, probably going to the half-full cart behind.

Odd that she stopped right at the door and set a shoebox-sixed container down on a seat. i ignored it for now, watching as she popped open the door and crossed the divider.

The second she was out, I stood up, walked over to the box, picked it up, and took it back to my seat. It was heavy, that much I could tell. Looked like a shoebox, too, no markings on the cardboard though.

I shrugged, popped it open, and looked at the little thermos-sized cylinder on the inside. Tied to the outside was a little note, like you'd see on a cheap Christmas gift, the "From:" part unlabeled and the "To:" part with my initials on them.

Carefully, I unfolded the note.

Think of this as a gift, William Darrell Mays. Hopefully it will help when you get to Canterlot.

-I

I rolled the cylinder in my hands. It matched, to a T, the one I'd thought about buying at the con. The little display was on, and two lines of text greeted me:

SPEED ENHANCEMENT

RUN SILENT