Unlikely Hero

Tim, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all stood on the lawn in front of the library as Twilight Sparkle paced around them, constantly checking her watch and looking towards the sky. With a stomp of her foot, Twilight stopped in her tracks and shot both her arms down at her sides with a grunt.

“Ugh! Where is Rainbow Dash? She is three minutes late and is interfering with my schedule! She knows how much it annoys me when my schedules are interrupted!” Twilight shouted, gaining the attention of her traveling companions who were standing around holding their packs and gear; the only exception to this was Rarity who stood next to her four designer suitcases while holding a cosmetics bag in front of her with both hands. As the group of women looked towards their overly-stressed friend, Tim turned from the group rose a brow in interest. A faint whistling sound had caught his attention, and it sounded as if it was getting closer. He took a few steps in the direction he thought the strange noise was coming from, turning his head from left to right, scanning the street just past the library. Suddenly the faint whistle grew sharp and seemed to be coming from directly overhead. Tim tilted his head back to look above him and saw a multi-hued blur speeding towards him.

Tim shot one had to his hat and the other to the strap of his pack and launched his body out of the way just as the technicolor object struck the ground almost exactly where he was standing. His shoulder slid across the ground before he rolled his body and got up on one knee, planting the boot of his opposite leg firmly in the dirt behind him. With one palm flat on the ground under him supporting his torso, he instinctively brought his other arm back, fist balled and loaded for a punch, waiting for the dust to clear. A large flap from a set of cyan colored wings cleared the air and Tim could only grit his teeth and punch the ground below him.

Rainbow Dash was standing in his spot, a large duffel bag thrown over her shoulder and her wings spread wide behind her back. Just as Tim began to rise, Rainbow Dash turned towards her friends, wings still spread and knocking his hat off his head to the ground. He stood up tall and spit to the side, glaring at the back of the athlete as she then decided to fold her wing in and dissipate them. Adjusting the pack on his shoulder, he stooped down and picked up his ball cap, slapping it on his thigh before placing it back atop his head. He walked back towards the group and stood next to newly arrived woman, turning his head to face her.

“Oh, wassup, hayseed,… Didn’t see ya standing there,” the woman said with a passing glance in his direction. Again, all Tim could do was grit his teeth and spit onto the ground, cutting his eyes at Rainbow Dash as he slowly walked away from her and to the other side of the group, standing next to Applejack.

“Easy there, pard’ner,” the southerner drawled out to him as she patted his shoulder, “just let it go,… Aint the time nor the place…” Tim looked to Applejack and gave a single nod to her, readjusting his pack again, more out of frustration than for comfort. Just then Twilight pushed through the pair and rushed up to Rainbow Dash and held her wrist up, tapping on the face of her watch.

“Four minutes! We are now four minutes behind schedule thanks to your tardiness, Miss Dash!” Twilight said with a scowl, pushing the watch closer and closer to her friends face with each tap of her finger. Rainbow Dash smirked as she brought her own hand up to push Twilights watch away from her. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her multicolored hair as she began to laugh just a tad.

“Woah, slow down, Twi… it’s just four minutes- that still leaves us with twenty-six minutes to walk ten minutes across town to the train station. That still leaves us, like, fifteen minutes to get our tickets and board the train,… Heh, we could even stop and get a snack along the way-“

“What if there is a line? The amount of time wasted waiting in line is a variable I cannot accurately estimate nor precisely schedule!” Twilight interrupted, jumping at the athlete before her. Rainbow Dash backed up a step, raising her hands in defense. With that, Twilight closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She relaxed her stance and exhaled slowly, her face visibly relaxing before she opened her eyes. She looked back at her friend and smiled before turning to face the rest of the group.

“Ok, then,… now that were all here, Let’s grab our things and head to the train station. We now have,” she looked down at her watch, causing her left eye to twitch for a split second, “twenty-five minutes before the train departs.” She walked up to the door of the library and grabbed a rather small backpack and large book, shouldering the bag and tucking the book under one arm. “Now, on to the train station, girls!” She said, walking back through the group, almost stumbling over her own two feet as she stopped in front of Tim. “…. And Tim!.... Girls, and Tim…. Sorry…” She timidly smiled at Tim before continuing on her way. Tim cracked a small smile as he felt a hand lay upon his shoulder. He turned his face to see Applejack smiling at him, a slight smirk on her face.

“C’mon girls,” she said mockingly as she winked at Tim, “Let’s get this show on the road.” Tim could only smile at Applejack as she walked past him and the other girls grabbed their belongings- again the only exception being Rarity who merely enveloped her stylish luggage with a light blue glow and floated it in the air beside her. Tim fell in behind the group as they all started their walk to the Ponyville Train Station.

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The seven travelers found themselves walking down the narrow hallway of one of the train’s passenger cars. Upon arriving at the train station, it was little surprise to Tim to see that the train, as well as the station itself, was painted with the same pastel scheme as the rest of the town was decorated in. The inside of the train wasn’t much better; giving Tim the brief thought that the place looked like the Easter Bunny threw-up everywhere… that, or exploded violently. The group of girls began filing into a compartment with a bench on either side of the small room. The girls were talking amongst themselves as they each started placing what bags they chose not to put into the train’s luggage car under the bench seats or in overhead storage bins. Taking notice that with three women on each bench of the small room there wasn’t going to be room for him to have a seat; Tim silently walked on down the hall and found another unoccupied passenger compartment. Looking back up the hall and seeing that no-one had noticed his disappearance, he stepped into the room and pulled the sliding door shut behind him.

Tim had decided to keep the lone pack he brought with him in his possession and now laid it down on the window end of the long bench. He stretched his arms over his head and heard a series of satisfying pops come from his back as he twisted his body from side to side. He had yet to go to sleep and he intended on doing just that as he lay down on the bench with his pack. Rolling the thing around, he found a suitable soft spot to rest the back of his head on. He got as comfortable as he could and pulled the brim of his cap down over his eyes.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Tim pushed the brim of his hat up with two fingers and squinted at the small, frosted glass window in the center of the room’s small door. He stared for a moment, trying to tell if it was one of the women from his group on the other side of the door. Not being able to recognize the blurry form, he pulled his cap back down and covered his eyes.

“Occupied,” he called out, figuring that would be a clue to whomever was on the other side that he wasn’t expecting company nor were they welcome. Seeing that there were so few people at the train station to board this particular train, he knew there were plenty of empty seats and compartments available, so he didn’t think twice about not wanting to share his sleep time with a stranger.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“OCCUPIED!” Tim called out again, this time a little louder and a little more forceful. He then rolled over onto his side in an attempt to get a little more comfortable. Feeling confident that the person outside his compartment had no choice but to have heard his last shout, he relaxed and attempted to get some long overdue sleep. Just then, he heard the faint ‘click’ of the latch and the sliding of the door in its track as it began to open. He opened his eyes and scowled… he really didn’t want to have to start this trip off on the wrong foot with someone, especially someone new to him. He shook his head as started to roll over onto his back to sit up…

“Look, I know damn good and well there are more seats out there, so if you would kindly get the fu-“

Tim shot up into a seated position and grasped the back of the bench with a white knuckle grip. His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at his guest and the door to the room slowly shut behind them. As the white-clad individual sat down on the bench across from him, Tim slowly turned in his seat, letting go of the cushion and putting both of his booted feet on the floor. He put his arms out to his sides, each hand splayed open and flat on the seat beside him. A single tear started to form in the corner of his right eye as he opened his mouth to speak.

“…… Ann…..”

Tim swallowed hard as his wife was now sitting directly across from him with her legs crossed and wearing a simple, off-white dress. Ann rested one hand on her knee as she brushed her flowing, blonde hair behind an ear with the other. She then pushed her glasses up on her nose slightly with her index finger before staring at Tim with a deadpan look on her face. Living with the woman for years, Tim knew that face. That face meant he was about to get a serious conversation thrown his way, or a serious ass-chewing… he was hoping it was the former instead of the latter.

“Yes, honey, it’s me.” Ann said, a slight hint of a smile tugging the corners of her mouth upwards. “Looks like you’re doing a lot better that you did when you first got here. How are you getting along?” She relaxed her pose a bit, now leaning back into the bench’s soft, purple cushion. She looked around the room as she waited for her husband to answer. Her brow furrowed as she studied the colors of the room. Tim smirked just a bit, knowing that Ann favored more neutral or deep colors when it came to decorating instead of the “Easter Extravaganza” she was currently frowning at.

“I guess I’m getting along alright… A little concerned about a few things…” Tim scratched the back of his neck and looked to the floor. The truth was he was he was sick on his stomach with worry about the trip he and the girls had just set out on. He looked back at his wife who was now smirking at him and shaking her head while rolling her eyes up toward the ceiling. Tim looked around the room before bringing his gaze back to Ann. “So, I’m guessin’ I’m asleep or-?” he asked, trying to piece together exactly what brought this encounter on.

“Out like a light as soon as your head touched your bag.” Ann said to him, nodding as she spoke. “And I can tell you’re stressed out, you always worried about everything… too much so, if you ask me. How many times did we talk about this way back when?”

“All the time…” Tim said, a slight smile coming to his lips. “You know I can’t help it… Especially when it pertains to other folks. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve done anything like this. I gave up this kind of work for a reason,…” His smile quickly faded as he looked into his wife’s piercing, blue eyes. “I failed you… and our kids… I don’t know if I can face the fact I’m probly gonna fail again…”

Ann uncrossed her legs and brought her foot down to the floor with a stomp. “No! You did not fail me, you did not fail the children, and you are not going to fail this time!” She was now pointing a finger directly at Tim’s face, her eyes still locked with his. “You cannot prevent everything happening to everyone, it’s just not possible! You know that, why can’t you accept it? Do bad things happen? Yes. Do they happen to good people? Yes… The thing is, you just do what you can to protect and help those who need it and pray for the best. That’s all you can do. You can’t blame yourself for the past and wallow in it, or it’s going to eat you alive and cause you to ruin the future. That’s the last thing you need to happen here with all these people depending on you now.”

Tim could only return Ann’s gaze as she continued to stare at him. She lowered her finger and reclined back against the cushion of her seat, resting her hands on her lap. He nodded once and then turned to look out the window, collecting his thoughts. The two sat in silence for a minute or two as Tim took to heart what his wife had said. He knew she was right- he had to put the thought of failure behind him and do what he could for these women. He had to help them on this journey to discover who had kidnaped their royalty and protect them along the way. He turned and looked at his pack sitting on the bench beside him. He reached into one of the smaller pockets and pulled out his old leather wallet. Flipping it open, he stared at the two things facing him- the photo of his wife and his old badge. Ann spoke to him as he noticed the shine on the golden metal shield.

“For someone who quit working in law enforcement so long ago, you sure have held onto that old badge. I remember how proud you were of that thing when we first met… You toted it around with you everywhere. You loved your job almost as much as you loved us…” Ann smiled as Tim looked up from the black leather wallet and into her eyes. “And you were good at it- damn good. And you know you were.” Ann’s smile grew a touch wider as she looked into her husband’s eyes. “And I know you still are. You can’t let what happen to us all those years ago make you think otherwise. You always did everything you could to keep us safe and I don’t blame you for what happened to us. Remember that.”

Ann stood from her seat and walked towards the room’s small door, Tim following her every movement with his eyes. She opened the door but remained standing there, turning her head and looking down to Tim with tears welling up in her eyes.

“I love you, Tim, and even though I’m not there beside you anymore, I’m still with you every day. You need to continue on- you’ve been away from duty for long enough, and these women need you. Protect them now as you once did for me. You can do it… we all have faith in you.” Ann stepped through the door and turned, slowly pulling the door shut. “Take care, dear. Please be careful,” she said as the door shut with a click.

Tim’s eyes shot open as he rolled over on the bench and searched for his wife. The room was empty and now the light of the moon shone through the window and spilled onto the floor. He slowly sat up and brought his hands to his face. Seeing his deceased wife again had rattled him deep down inside- he had never had visions of her like this in all the years he was alone in the wilds of Alaska. This made twice he had seen Ann since he met Twilight and learned he was needed in this world. The first time he saw her, he just chalked it up to the weird energies of the soul-folk’s magic and the near-death experience of teleporting to Equestria. This time, though, he could wrap his mind around it. Was he that stressed out over assisting these six women to find their missing rulers? Was the magic of this place messing with his head and causing to hallucinate? He was so lost in thought on the matter with his face in his hands that he didn’t even notice that the door the compartment was slowly sliding open.

“Tim, darling? Are you awake?” Rarity slid the door open with one hand as she knocked lightly with the other. She peeked her head into the room to see Tim sitting there, his face still in his hands and one leg rapidly bouncing. The fashionista slipped into the room and stood before the man, bending slightly forward at the waist and politely tapping Tim on his shoulder. She withdrew quickly, taking a step back from him as he brought his face up from his hands and looked at her.

“Tim, is everything well with you? Applejack came searching for you after we got settled in our seats and found you here asleep. She told us you were up through the night and we should let you rest, and I hope I am not disturbing you, but I wanted to inform you we are nearing our destination.” Rarity clasped her hands together in front of her waist, a look of concern on her face as she stared down at Tim.

“Yes, Miss Belle, I’m fine…” Tim said, looking around the room once more. Rubbing his face, he turned back to Rarity who remained standing there across from him in the small room. “Just had a weird dream, is all. How long have I been asleep?”

“Just shy of three hours, darling. We just entered the city limits of Canterlot.” Rarity began, stepping toward the window and gesturing outside. “Look in the distance, you can see Canterlot Castle from here…” The woman then moved to the side of the window as Tim got up from his seat and approached the window. Looking toward the front of the train, he could see the tracks leading around a bend and to a large, brick train station. Behind it, maybe a mile or so farther, Tim could see a large castle built of white stone jutting out from the side of the mountain. A waterfall could be seen behind the multiple gold and purple topped towers that were stretching upwards toward the night sky. The brakes of the train started to screech as the locomotive began to slow down. The surrounding city was immense; the lights from hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and businesses casting a glow across the mountainside.

“Beautiful, is it not?” Rarity said, as she put a hand on Tim’s shoulder and leaned in beside him, looking out at the city of Canterlot as the train got closer and closer to the station. Tim nodded in agreement before backing away from the window and grabbing his pack. Rarity left the window as well and made her way back to the door. “Well, I shall go make sure the others are collecting their things and you can meet us back at our room. Welcome to Canterlot, darling!” she said with a wink as she exited the room to join her friends.

Tim shouldered his pack and went back to the window. He looked out onto the town as the train continued to slow its speed. His view was interrupted by the wall of the train station coming into view as the train pulled inside the brick building. Tim inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. Taking a moment to clear his mind, let his breath out slowly as he felt the train come to a stop. “Well, this is it…” he said, opening his eyes and looking out onto the deserted platform. He shifted the weight of his pack, pulled his hat down tight on his head and exited the small passenger compartment to make his way down the hall to catch up with the others.