The next day Spike and I were on the three day train ride straight from Canterlot to Sunprance. It was a nice looking train, though my aesthetic eye wasn't very keen. We had a first class cabin in the front car. One side of the cabin had a bed fit for one of the princesses, and the other had a booth with plush soft seats, and a wooden table clearly delicately carved with a fine magical touch. Every few hours a woman would knock, and Spike would answer, she’d offer to get us food and drink. We ate light meals, as I was too busy, and Spike filled up on pastries, I did order tea most times she came by. It made me wish I had brought some of my own tea leaves from my estate. What they had here was dreadful, though better than nothing.

It was the second night, and we would be reaching Sunprance the next morning. I read the files on Honest Jack and The Harlot repeatedly. I wanted to use all the time I could on the long trip to learn every detail about my targets. Spike, on the other hand, had lost interest in the files almost immediately and now just sat staring out the window. Disappointing, but at least he wasn’t interrupting me.

“Have you been this far out west before,” he asked almost as though he could sense it was the last thing I wanted, “I remember reading something about you doing a job around this area.”

“You’re right,” I stated simply, but I could still feel his eyes burrowing into me so I continued, “I was after a maniac who had an obsession with singing and sandwiches.”

“He sounds strange.”

“He was.”

“You called him a maniac,” evidently my assistant was as quick as he was quiet, “what happened to him? Did you catch him? If you did, what did you do with him?”

“Spike, I’m a bit busy at the moment.” I told him, finally looking up from the papers. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Busy?” his tone overflowed with disbelief. “You’ve been reading the same thing for days. What more can you learn?”

“I need to absorb it.”

“Absorb it?”

I didn’t understand the child. Being my assistant was supposed to be mutually beneficial, they learned from me, and I got a pack mule. Spike however, seemed to doubt me at every turn.

“Yes, any and all of these details could help me stop Honest Jack and The Harlot, as they’re called.” To his credit Spike seemed interested in my explanation, as he leaned across the table to listen closer, “this location is the only lead we have. Even the smallest clue as to where they are hiding may be the difference between catching them,” I gave a dramatic pause, “and letting them slip away forever.”

He still looked confused so I shoved the papers towards him and decided to just demonstrate. “Look at these and test me.”

“Oh, alright I guess,” he said, taken off guard, but caught on fast enough. He straightened out the papers and started to read them. “How about hair col-?”

“Blonde, and purple, obvious,” I answered before he could finish asking. “That’s easy, and not that useful as hair is one of the easiest things to change. Challenge me.”

“Primary hand?”

“The Harlot is left-handed, but Honest Jack appears to be ambidextrous.”

“Possible purchases they’d make?”

“Jack appears practical. So she’d only buy the necessities for living, and anything to help with the next job; guns, ammo, horses. Harlot however fancies herself a high class girl, and would spend their money on more frivolous things, such as perfume, make up, and exotic outfits. The more expensive the better. If we’re lucky that might cause problems in their relationship. Though those things can’t be easy to come by out here. It could stand to reason that she makes some of the products herself, in which case we’d look for places that sell needles, fabrics, thread, the works,” I said, looking down at the wooden floor of the cabin, my eyes darting every second or two, staring at nothingness as I mentally worked through my own memory and reasoning.

“How do they talk to others?” Spike quickly fired off when I was finished. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

“Jack does the talking. She’s simple, straightforward, and as far as I can tell, actually honest. Her ways of talking fits in much better to these parts than her partner, but it still seems soft, and even nice in some reports, her tone seems to be light and joking. Harlot is tricky, as she has never directly conversed with anyone besides Jack, so her manner in those situations is biased,” I said, furrowing my brow in thought and aware of Spike leaning in slightly. He was probably interested in the sudden lack of matter-of-fact confidence, but there's only so much you can get from these kinds of reports. “From what I’ve gathered she speaks softly, but her vocabulary seems to show at least a minor education, on top of that her words and tone is reported to show an affection, though this is where the biased is at it’s worst, as that affection may just be for Jack, I have no idea.”

“Okay, how about-”, Spike started before the train screeched to sudden halt, causing him to lurch forward, and into the table. I gently bounced off the cushioned seat, using my hands to keep our tea from spilling. Spike then sat back up, wincing and holding the bridge of his nose. “What was that?”

I smirked as I peered out the window. I couldn't see much because it was still the dead of night, but I could tell we weren’t at the station. “It could be that you and I are unimaginably lucky,” I told him, pouring us both cups of tea, “as it appears our targets have come to us.”

“If that’s true, why are you pouring tea?” he demanded, and stood, to go fetch our bags before I stopped him.

“It’s for the Harlot’s magic,” I said retrieving a small vial from my coat pocket and began pouring its contents into the tea. “This is a focus potion, it was all the rage when I was under Princess Celestia’s tutelage. It would let students stay up for hours to do work and study, but it should also inhibit mind manipulating spells from taking effect.”

I sat patiently finishing my tea, Spike seemed anxious but drank as well.

Just as I finished the last drop the door to our cabin was wrenched open. The conductors were right on time for their muggings. The two carrying guns were big and got real close to intimidate us. I decided it was too close. I starred the barrels down, as they shouted about putting money in the bag. My hands shot forward catching them both off guard, I quickly whispered a spell and snapped my fingers. Right before I grabbed their wrists my hands sparked, and when I made contact that spark ran through both their bodies, they immediately collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Moving across the room, I used the same spell again on the third conductor carrying the sack, he was smaller and younger than other two, and didn’t do a thing to avoid my attack, he just stood their with a horrified expression. After that was taken care of I picked up the two revolvers, they seemed beat up and cheap, but I could still get some use out of them, then I grabbed the sack and tossed it towards Spike.

“Return what’s in there to the passengers,” I told him as I marched across the room and rummaged through our luggage, “if you do it quick, you may actually get to see the fight.”

“Understood,” he said with a mock salute, and ran out of the room, bag in hand.

I found what I was looking for, and pulled it out of my bag. My pride and joy, presented to me upon graduating from Celestia’s private school for the exceptionally gifted, the Runic Lever Action Rifle, a gun capable of blending the wielders magic into the shots, also given the affectionate nickname Celestia’s Might. It had a long shiny steel barrel, the stock was a finely crafted nearly pure white maple wood, the wood even had a large sun carved into the base, as well there was a small hole right above the trigger for you to channel magic into.

I slung the rifle across my back, there was no room to use it inside the train, so I drew one of the revolvers, and quickly headed to the back of the train. I soon reached the end of the passenger cars, this was where they picked up the goods from the conductors. I leaned against the wall, so I couldn’t be seen from the boarding door, and I listened. I heard voices, an argument.

“They are taking too long, something must be wrong, please let’s just go before it gets worse,” this voice was soft and well spoken, The Harlot.

“It won’t take to long, I’m just gonna check things are fine,” and she must be Jack, “and besides, it’s like you said, the faster we make the money the better.”

I could hear the voice getting closer, as someone climbed up to the door, I flicked back the revolver’s hammer. Swinging open the door Honest Jack landed a loud boot inside the train, I grinned.

Spinning around the corner, I heard The Harlot gasp, while Jack tried to aim her own gun. Unfortunately for them the advantage was to me as I leveled the barrel at the first target’s chest, at the same time Harlot was chanting something. Just as I pulled the trigger a blue glow covered Jack’s body.

The bullet connected right in the center of Jack’s chest and the force sent her flying out of the train. Landing with a painful thud, she started breathing heavily as the spell around her faded, it appeared The Harlot cast a shield spell just in time. This is why you take out magic users first.

I stepped into the doorway and aimed at The Harlot, she was panting on the ground, that spell seemed to take a lot out of her. My eyes narrowed I needed to make sure she was taken out fast, the barrel aligned with her skull.

“No,” Jack shouted launching from the dirt. She recovered faster than I expected and was on me in a second. I decided to take the shot anyway, but now that I had to aim around someone I missed by mere inches. In response the blonde giant took a swing at me, catching me right in my wrist. I dropped the revolver and cried out in pain, bones were certainly broken.

Tumbling backwards I landed hard on my backside while Jack charged forward her eyes burning. There was no room to maneuver, matching her physically was out of the question, and there was no way I’d draw another gun in time. I had one option and the odds of it working were not in my favor, I couldn’t believe that one unlikely mistake was going to get me killed.

Only one option remained, running. Closing my eyes, I pictured a location in my brain. I could feel Honest Jack looming over me, her arm pulled back ready for a devastating punch. However she was too slow, and with a puff of smoke, I teleported away.

I found myself sitting on my cabin floor, and down the hall I heard metal crunch from the force of a deadly punch.

“Spike,” I called as I got to unsteady feet, “Spike, get your worthless hide back here, now!”

Running around the corner Spike entered the cabin panting, “yes doc-,” his voice caught when he saw my bloody hand laying limp and my side, “what happened.”

“Jack,” I said simply, “and I need your help to stop her.”

With my left hand I grabbed the rifle barrel poking over my shoulder. I handed Celestia’s Might to my shocked looking assistant.

“Doctor Sparkle,” he said looking the gun over, “I can’t, I mean I wouldn’t know the first thing.”

“I can’t either,” I snapped back, we both looked at my hand, “look, I need the extra firepower, just remember to point the right end at your enemy, and don’t shoot me.”

He nodded firmly, and it felt like some great weight had been lifted off my shoulders, or at least a portion of it. I jostled his spiky green hair, and started casting another teleportation spell.

I was standing outside the train, inches behind Jack. I had come in closer than expected but it would work just fine for me. Jack was carrying their loot, she and The Harlot appeared to be walking away, both of them had their backs to me. I guess they assumed I had run away and were making their escape.

I chanted a spell, and punched my sparking fist into Jack’s back. Electricity ran through her body and she was launched forward several feet, landing face down in the dirt. The harlot was once again fast to react, spinning around, and casting a spell.

“Freeze,” she shouted, knowing how fast she was, I needed her close and off guard so I did as I was told, “good, you aren’t that tough, just an overzealous bounty hunter, in over her head.”

I held back a smirk as she walked towards me with confidence, “if Jack let’s you live,” she whispered when we were next to each other, “you should come by Carousel Boutique in Sunprance three days from now, we might just be able to come to an agreement.”

“Why don’t I just stop you now,” I mocked, The Harlot’s face drained of colour. I drove a sparking fist right for her gut, she started glowing with a weak shield right before impact. It was enough to keep her conscious, as she landed on her back next to Jack, gasping.

I sprinted forward to close the gap, as she flicked her wrist. Hearing something to my right move, I glanced to the side and saw a safe glowing with magic flying at me. I rolled, feeling the rush of air on my back as it barely missed. Pausing for a second to regain my bearings The Harlot took advantage. Casting another telekinesis spell, three large burlap sacks launched at me. I caught one with my own magic and used it to block the second, the third however slipped past and caught me in the forehead knocking me off my feet.

Seconds later I crashed back to earth, my vision to darkening. I lay on the ground powerless, while I listened too both my enemies get back to their feet.

“I’m gonna kill her,” Jack was furious and I heard the click of a gun, “she came here to get us, no other explanation, if we let her live she’ll find us again.”

“Jack, please be reasonable,” The Harlot begged, “you don’t want to be a killer, I don’t want you to be a killer.”

“Rarity,” she hesitated, “I’m sorry but it’s gotta be done.”

There was a shot, and to my surprise I wasn’t dead. Working up all my remaining strength I raised my head and looked around. Spike was standing in the doorway of the train, rifle up and barrel smoking.

“One warning,” he shouted, and it might have been intimidating too, if he wasn’t a kid, and knew anything about how to aim a gun, “you walk away now, or my next shot won’t miss.”

“Jack let’s go,” The Harlot started after a short silence, “what are you going to do at this point, kill a child?”

Jack didn’t respond but I heard a gun being holstered and heavy footsteps fading away. They were quickly followed by The Harlot’s lighter and quicker steps giving chase. Though I was certain the fight was over my body refused to relax until I heard the distant sound of horses galloping.

“Doctor Sparkle,” Spike called over to me, “Doctor Sparkle are you okay?”

I heard Spike rush off calling for help as all the strength left my body. Me head hit the dirt, and my vision faded. Laying passed out in the dirt, blood oozing from my hand and head, this was not turning out as expected.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you thought.
I'm also looking for and editor/reviewer to help with future chapters, if anyone has advice on the matter I'll eagerly listen.