Rolex has been wanted by half of the ponies in Wymarnic for many things he has done. Murder, ponynapping, and many other things. The only thing he said he wouldn’t do is harm children. Children are the only thing he refused to do. He killed an entire slave drive back during a war and the leader who survived lied about it. I remember I had to prove he was innocent. I don't remember at all.

I look up at the PA system and I know he can hear me.

“Rolex, are you sure you wish to end the game? The chase ain’t it all you and I have now? We have been alive for so long now and everyone around us is nothing but dust. What should we do when the game is over?’

Rolex went silent for a moment.

“Honestly detective it’s all I have left myself. Every gang member I knew was every beautiful mare I could use to get to you. Are all dead? I refuse to harm any of these new mares. They know nothing but pain and hate. For the world, they’re born now.”

He is correct that the thrill of the hunt is gone. The chase is no longer the same. Our young lives are nothing but rotting flesh and watching those around us struggling to survive. So many wars have happened and now I am ready to fulfill my final path in my final journey. This could be my final journey. I could die here for all I know.

“Think about it, detective, there is little hope left in this world. I know the sun has returned. I know some mare known as the Lightbringer has brought it all back. But…”

He went silent and I could hear sobbing.

“I have had it living like this detective. I see you and how broken you are. The strong stallion who did everything to stop me. I look at myself and see I am becoming worthless. I have nothing left to live for myself Smoke Pipe. Look at the two of us, we are too old. The world we left behind has left us behind. We never moved on detective and I doubt you ever will since your granddaughter died.”

I felt the anger fill me again. I took a deep breath trying to not get upset. I remove the pipe from my pocket. Looking at the pipe which has kept me from losing it all these years. Is it wise to let myself run into the shell again? A shell I haven’t left since I became this creature of flesh and decaying death.

“Smoke Pipe for once in your life if you won’t listen to your friends. Or even your late granddaughter listen to me. Let's end this game, let's see who finally wins the game and then our old lives will finally end. I will no longer be a gangster and I will stay in jail as long as I need to. To appease the dead who no longer live.”

I put the pipe back into my pocket. He is correct. I can no longer hide by smoking. I sigh feeling the world around me turning black and white again. A horn gently plays over the PA system. He knows the music to fulfill the chase.

“Oh, such a powerful stallion. Coming down the way, look at how he dances. How he aims his gun. He turns me on hmm oooh. Just by his stare. I would go to bed with him and drink the bourbon from his mouth.”

I go inside and the jazz music gets louder as I go inside and I see Rolex standing above the catwalk in the area he used to be. The song gets louder as a harmonica with a saxophone plays beside it.

“Oh, a mare with a lovely voice. I shall drink the bourbon from you, my dear.”

The mare sings to the stallion in the song. As the world around us turns back time and we are back in his casino as I look over at the young stallion and mare singing together. They know we are here and they won’t leave or vanish.

“Oh, Big boy you make my withers flutter and burn. OOO Hooooo.”

Rolex smirks at me as he shifts laughing as he comes down from the catwalk.

“Ah, the detective I knew you would come.”

The two of us have finally broken. We see the world as we did back then. A smile forms on my face. I look around seeing those who would join him in this chase. But he shakes his head at them and I shake my head at the police who followed me.

“I have mostly come for a hard drink. The chase is not on right now I am sure you have a good drink sitting behind that bar?”

Rolex laughs as he leads me to the bar. In my fantasy of a broken world. The bar is alive and well. The bones are those I would have seen years ago. He gets behind the bar letting the mare go on a break. He smirks at her and mixes a drink for me. The jazz around us got louder. The mare sings deeply to the stallion

“Oh oh hooo my withers are burning more for you stallion. Bop boop bop we dance as we make love tonight. Sing to me, show me that jazz!!”

The ponies around them who are in the band play their music loudly while the stallion and mare dance. The two are sweating and their eyes are full of lust. Something I have noticed happens every time a jazz song is played. They sing together.

“Our bodies heated for each other as we sang to each other. Our bodies slide along each other. As we demand our lust to control our lives and we never forget the rush of love and pleasure of our coming night.”

The song slowly ends. Rolex sets the drink down. I take a sip from it when the song ends and the world goes back to the dead world. He is sitting on the other side of the bar. Aiming his gun at me as I do the same to him.

“One last drink for us both..”

Rolex drinks down the cup. As we both set them down he fired at me and I hid behind the bar hearing the bullets go through the old wood. As he flies into the air and I fire at him with my magnum. The last moment of our chase will end the way we think?

“Come on detective, come on!! Time for this farce of a life to end! Chase me like you did before the bombs fell the pain the rush. Don’t stop putting me down if you need to. But let's end this pain of a life we left behind.”

I fire at those figments of my life the two singing turns into the bones which are left behind. The bullets hit the wall, the color flows through the hole like its blood. My vision becomes color again to show the figment is gone. The past is no longer black and white. All the color returned even if the color was never in my life.

I stood on my hooves finally rushing through the waitresses who turned into bones as I broke them trotting after him. I finally feel the last bit of my past leaving my soul. The chase of the game it’s finally going to end. The life witch was stolen from me because of the silly war. The bombs in the end came so hard and harsh I no longer wish to see them.

I break another set of bones looking down at them. I see the dress of the mare who brought me here so long ago. The mare who charmed me into coming here back then. A weak smile formed on my face. I remember the hunger for sex I wanted to do with her. Just for it all to end.

A bullet buzzes past me and Rolex laughs.

“Come on detective, your mind is too in the past to even fulfill the game. Come on bring me to justice my old foe. Try to force a win between us, try to put me in my place for once. As many times as you threatened each time you got me into court. Come on!! COME ON!!”

He fires at me more bullets buzzing past me and one hits me in my shoulder. I groan in pain. I lift my gun, firing at him hitting one of his legs and he laughs in pain. He flies on his decaying wings while I chase after him to the place it ended for us back two hundred years ago. In the sewers, I knew I would come to this path and lose myself.

Before I chase after him I go through my pocket to find more ammo tossing the box down with another old box of empty ammo from the past. I chased him to the sewer door, smelling the smoke and hearing the fire. Looking towards the sewers, the place my life ended.

“Come on detective, you can do it. You can forget the place where we died and came back.”

I look at Rolex. He pants tired from the run. I feel my lungs burning. I am amazed I feel the burn. Maybe it's because my body remembers everything from the past and how my body used to feel every time the chase is on. I quickly ran at him, firing at him and running past the rubble we were stuck under. He fires back at me with all the bullets flying past me, at least one grazing me.

We finally get to the dead-end of the sewer and both our guns are aimed at each other. The sun shines above us while we hear singing peace above us? There is singing of happiness and love? Wait, are we back to the normal world?

“Peace has come.”

We listen above us as Root sings.

“Peace has finally come to us. Come to me my friends, let's sing and fulfill our lives with peace.”

Soda pop joins in.

“I can finally remove this armor for a time. For the war is over for the time has ended. I feel the sun shining in my soul. I know it’s only a chance for peace, a time for peace. For we know it won’t last. But for now, the sun is shining to tell us it’s time to move on.”

I lower my gun hearing the words move on. But the chase the game must end, the thrill must end. I must bring him to justice. Tears fall from my eyes, my heart breaks, and finally, it all hits me. I haven't moved on once. So many around me have died since my adopted son. Diamond everyone, I knew in my past.

“No detective, it must end.”

Rolex aims the Tommy gun at me and the gun clicks. He looks around for ammo in his coat and he finds nothing. Tears fall down his eyes too as we both finally break. The two old ghoul stallions finally see we haven’t moved on at all. The next to sing is Bumble.

“If only my husband could be here with me. To enjoy this day of peace. Maybe we can finally come home together and we can sing. He has been lost his whole life yearning for the past. Yearning to see those who went before him.”

I feel those words hit me harder.

“No. It must end.”

I lift my gun and it clicks. I put it in my pocket charging at Rolex as the two of us smash our hooves into each other. Tears falling from our eyes are two lost stallions. We have no peace in our eyes. From the looks of us, we are lost souls in a dead world.

“I have taken the next path of my journey. I have taken over for Zoonie and now I wish to be as strong as she was. For this is my home I have moved on. I have found the song in my heart. I no longer wish to run.”

Rolex hits me away from him and he huddles in a dark corner sobbing hard. He finally breaks down. I feel myself breaking down as I scream in pain. It's not loud enough to ruin the song though. I cry for Diamond who lost her life because of me.

“I have found my home. The Enclave will never take me back. I am named Blossom. I have found my home, my family, and my friends. I wish to have a family. I wish to sing to my friends. We have much cleaning up to do and our hearts can sour”

Rolex stands on his hooves offering his forehooves to me. I look up at him. It seems the chase is done and I have done it. At least I think I have. I take a deep breath standing on my hooves reaching in my pockets in my coat bringing in battered rusted cuffs. I cuff his legs leading him outside while the others sing.

I feel the song finally filling my heart seeing the color in the world and the beauty returning to me. I dance with Rolex behind me and he dances as I do. It seems we have new hope in our souls and hearts or whatever is left of our souls.

“The sun is out, it's time to move on. The game has been won and I have brought Rolex to justice for once. How long shall he stay in jail till his guilt is gone? Those he hurt are all but dead. It’s time to move on.”

I take him to the old police station, opening the run-down cell and placing him inside. Looking up at him with a smile on my face. Closing the door, sighing deeply, feeling the rush of pleasure the game is finally over.

“I got a new idea for a game detective. I do my time and prove to you I can change. I will finally turn a new leaf, rebuild and open the casino again and then I shall do what I can.”

I lock the door singing and dancing with the others outside. I feel my heart sing with them for this is the only time I have ever felt this. I dance with Bumble while the mare from the bar who normally sings for us all places the system outside to sing to us all.

“It’s time to move on, the time has come. It’s time to bring forth a new sense of peace and hope in our hearts. The sun shines above us no matter what is lost. We see the hope in the light which shines upon us.”

She allows us to come up to sing our part. The first one to sing is Ace of the Black Aces. He lifts the mic in his hooves.

“The Black Aces shall go back to their job and bring peace to our community. We may have lost many but our hearts will flutter on. We shall always sing for our hearts here. Oh, it’s time for us to go, my friends.”

I shake the hoof of Ace and the hoof of his second in command as they both leave with who is left. Many of them have been taken out so they need to do a heavy recruitment tribe. The next is Lavender from the lavender crew.

“Oh oo hooo we have lost so much but we have gained as much as we have lost. Oooo oooo we have danced with our hearts and we have seen the future. It’s in the sun and the moon. We shall never allow it to end. We shall never allow the world to end us.”

Lavender gathers her gang of those who remained, she hugs me goodbye and they head back to the land they control. The next to take the mic is the yak Vona of the chain boys. She holds it in her hooves as mares with chains swinging around them dance with her. She dances and the ground shakes it hard for us to stay on our hooves.

“We have fucking won. We have fucking moved on I will get back up and sing again. This yak will not allow the world to keep down. No, this yak will not allow the world to keep her down. Come on with me my friends from the chain as we return to our home.”

Vona gives me a nod waving goodbye with the remainder of the chain boys. The last and final leader of the gang is Gem Cutter as she holds the mic looking at the zebras who survive the battle. She took a deep breath.

“I think I will sing what my mother used to sing to me before I became a mare.”

She closes her eyes singing into the mic.

“Follow your path my little filly. Never allow this world of hate to stop you from doing what is right. When my time has come you will be strong enough to follow my hoof steps and you will never be lost. The times have come when the story has ended. My story has just started. It’s time for me and the others to go back to the border.”

Gem Cutter puts the mic back coming to me. She gives me a hug smiling at me. I nod to her and she knows I am proud of her. I just wish her mother could see the end of this battle. She left to head back to the border of the land.

Soda Pop takes over lifting the Mic in his metal hoof.

“When I was lost I was welcomed in this welcoming community. When I lost my chapter and I found my way back. This is such a welcoming community but it’s time to move on my friends oh it’s time to move on. I will be returning to my base with my friends outside of town and only show up when the gardens need rain.”

He puts the mic away. He didn't sing too well but it didn’t stop him and He nods to me putting his helm. Leave with the others who came with him. Root, Bumble, and Blossom look at me to sing. I sigh softly, heading to the mic and lifting it before I sing. I need to say my peace.

“I know I haven’t been easy to get along with over the years. I know I always talk about the good ole days and tend to ignore those around me. Those only who grew in my heart like Diamond I felt it’s the only way to be myself. Now it’s time for me to sing and it’s finally going to be the end of my journey. Then back to my life as a detective and not someone trying to save a community.”

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and slowly feel the music filling my heart.

“I have been on this path for two hundred years. I watched the world around me die after the bombs fell. I watched this land try to struggle to survive after what the Blue hats did to the land. We never saw the sun again for so long.”

I offer my hoof for Bumble to come to sing with me.

“I lost my memory of those close to me. I forgot my friend Dr. Slice and what happened to him. I had my memory taken from me of the love of my life. My love, I see her beside me now and I remember the happy memories.”

Bumble smiles leaning into the mic to sing.

“I regret everything I did to my husband. I look back on our journey and what we did to our adopted child. What we did to him in old Antler. Now our journey has come to an end. I see we gather our hearts. We shall become one again in our lives.”

A smile comes over my face. Bumble backs up for me to fully sing again.

“It’s time to move on, it's time for this journey to end. I shall go back to my simple life as a detective and never become a hero again.”

Root, Blossom, and Bumble come to me and we start all to sing together.

“For once friendship has returned into our hearts. The power of friendship has returned to our hearts. The power of love, the power of friendship, and the power of our hearts shall never leave us.”

Root sings.

“The magic of my heart shall never be lost.”

Root leaves waving to us while she heads back home. Blossom leans in to sing her last line.

“I shall soar like every other pegasus while my heart sings.”

She flies off to go find a place to live or build. Bumble leans to kiss me and smiles at me.

“I shall go back to gather the Blue hats and get ready for the time to come. It’s time to move on and to bring forth our ending night.”

Bumble left and I was the last one left. I close my eyes thinking of the last verse I should do.

“The magic of friendship is back in my heart.”

The music ends. I put the mic back on the stand thanking the mare who sings for us. I go to the bar real fast to order a big bottle of wine. Moonshine nods giving my order and I head back up to my office.

Opening my desk and writing the title of my journal. ‘Mystery Mountain.’ I sat down in my chair and began to write the journey I have been on. The twist, the turns, and what I did to move on. I feel maybe the only way to remember in the future what I did is so I will never forget.

Author's Note

The final chapter is now time for the Epilogue.