Author's Note

Title explanation title is based off the song The Keeper of The Stars by Tracy Byrd you’ll see when you read

(Typedfrom my grandmothers laptop)

Keeper Of The Stars

4/19/08

Arron stared at the bottle on the counter it was clear with a black label that read Jim Beam on it filled with an amber liquid. Arron wore a turquoise work shirt, a white t shirt, bluejeans, and brown work boots his hand were placed on the side of his head as he stared at the bottle taunting in a way as if he were a cat with a piece of yarn being dangled in front of him dangling it just out of reach. Yet he could easily walk over and grab it, open the top, and down the entire bottle. Arron quickly got up, walked over to the counter, and grabbed it he then walked to his room grabbing a wooden box placing the bottle inside and closing the top locking it up. He grabbed the box holding it against his side in his left hand and walked outside and to his shop grabbing a round point shovel that was leaning next to the large barn door type entrance and walking behind his house sitting the box on the ground and sticking the shovel into the ground it was midday and the sun shone down on him as he dug humming the song Attero Dominatus to himself until the hole was 2 feet deep. He threw the shovel onto the ground it landing with a clang.

“That ought be deep enough” said Arron

He picked up the box and got on his knee placing the box gently in the hole and grabbing the shovel using it to pull himself up, he stared into the hole an angry expression on his face. He began to shovel the dirt into the hole mumbling to himself as he did, Arron jumped as the loud rumble of 3 GE U25c’s pulling a train of a single Conrail boxcar, 45 tankers, and a single breakbox the locomotives belong to the Meridian and Bigbee painted in the old paint yellow stripes on the front nose and the back, painted black, and with Meridian and Bigbee written in yellow with the road numbers below that also in yellow roaring by at 60 MPH. Arron patted the dirt on top and walked back to his shop to put the shovel up when his phone rang in his shirt pocket, he pulled it out of his pocket opening it he answered.

“Howdy howdy howdy what the hell’s good?”

“Hey uh Arron it’s me Celestia and.....I was wondering if you wanted to come to town or something?” said Celestia nervously

Arron chuckled “well.....I was fixing to head that way and see if ya’ll had a hardware store that sold that Quikrete stuff i’ll be there in maybe 20 minutes see ya then”

“Oh that’s great could you meet me near downtown at 3rd Street?”

“Sure if I can find the damn place i’ll see you in maybe 20 years” Arron laughed and hung the phone up

Arron climbed into his truck and started it up backing out of the driveway and began to head towards Canterlot. Arron arrived in Canterlot and looked at the street sign finding it said Wilson Street so he turned down this street passing by people that were looking at him weirdly he was very out of place being a Caucasian man in his 30’s with a muddy and dented 19 year old truck wasn’t very normal In Canterlot. He finally arrived where Celestia was standing after an hour of driving in circles.

“So i’m finally here it took a little less time than I thought but i’m here.” said Arron chuckling

Celestia climbed into the truck and buckled her seat belt “Hi Arron so you wanna go get lunch?”

“Eh why the hell not” said Arron leaning on the steering wheel.

As they drove Celestia’s phone rang it was Luna

“hey Luna” said Celestia in a somewhat happy voice

"Hey um Celestia can you come over?"

"Well i'm with somebody right now but I guess we can come over."

Arron looked over to her with an annoyed expression on his face before turning back towards the road.

"Good I'll see you then"

Celestia hung up her phone and put it in the pocket of her yellow shorts

"What the hell dude?" said Arron chuckling "now i'm another fucking detour just tell me where the hell i'm supposed to go"

"Just turn down this street here and its the third house on the left."

"Alright"

Arron turned down the street heading east and parked in front of the third house on his side and shut off the truck pressing down the parking break it clicking loudly as he pressed it onto the floor. Arron opened the door and pulled a box of Marlboro Blue 72 cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and a camouflage flip lighter, he pulled a cigarette out of the box with his lip and lit it he put the lighter in his pocket and put his index and middle fingers on the cigarette and took a drag from it blowing the smoke out of mouth. He placed the cigarette between his lips and walked up to the door knocking loudly 3 times.

Luna opened the door and a look of shock appeared on her face "who are you?' Said Luna confused

"I'm PearlJamFan1972 on Myspace, I'm Arron Thattchir i'm with your sister who'd you expect Tommy Wiseau" Arron Chuckled.

"Arron stop" said Celestia angrily

"What can't a guy be himself?" said Arron chuckling.

"She's my sister stop acting like that around her" said Celestia still angry.

Arron sighed and said "fine i'll stop."

They both walked inside Arron sitting in a red recliner having put the cigarette out in a potted plant at the front door.

"So what do ya'll think about me getting another tattoo looks like 2 serpents wrapping around my arm in a spiral? Cause I think it'll look bad ass."

Luna looked at him and said "why don't I get all of you a drink"

"Coffee" said Arron looking at his arm "I think it'll look pretty damn bad ass" said Arron as Luna walked away.

Luna brought Arron his coffee in a white cup with steam coming off from inside the cup, Arron sipped from the cup slowly and sat it on his leg.

"So Arron I noticed your tattoo" said Luna curiously

"Oh yeah" said Arron lifting his sleeve "that's my Marines tattoo I got it in 97 when I turned 25 I also got a cross tattoo" Arron lifted his other sleeve showing a simple red cross that was nothing fancy just a simple red colored cross.

"So you were a Marine?" said Luna questionably.

"Yep I got a few scars from the 3 on my back from tank shrapnel protecting a little Russian girl back in 2001 a couple days after 9/11 they took about 40 outta my camp to go to the middle east and sent 20 home, I was unlucky enough to be stuck in Russian territory during this time the Nazi's had control of about 200 miles along the Russian border we were marching to the Nazi territory and they attacked we were with the Spetsnaz when it happened"

"Can I see?" said Luna.

"Sure why not" Arron took off his work shirt and lifted his t shirt showing three long marks facing different directions that were a dark red. "I also got shot three times in my chest" said Arron as he turned around and lifted his shirt showing his chest were 3 indention's on his chest in an almost triangular form. Arron lowered his shirt and said "I gotta go take a piss."

As Arron walked out Luna said to Celestia "well he's a bit of a dick."

"How so?" Said Celestia questionably.

"Well you heard how highly he talked of himself."

"I didn't hear it he spoke of himself like he was just there and was no one special."

"Well he seemed entitled to me like he thinks he's some decorated war hero or something"

Celestia got really angry "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT WAR DID TO HI-" Celestia pause as Arron walked back into the living room

"What's going on here?''

"Arron we are leaving" said Celestia angrily as she grabbed him by the arm and lead him outside.

Celestia climbed into Arron's truck and Arron into the drivers seat, Arron started the truck and pulled out of his parking place and onto the street.

"So what was that back there?" Said Arron sounding concerned as he drove

Celestia was curled up in the passenger seat "n-nothing....just take me somewhere I can calm down."

"Alright i'm taking you where I go to calm down" said Arron as he turned down the street leading to the highway. as he did the song The Keeper of The Stars began to play and Arron turned it up and hummed along to it smiling as he did so.

Ten minutes later Arron slowed down after passing under a large red truss bridge with a pole between the two sets of lanes with a separate truss on each side of the pole a single set of railroad tracks crossing the structure. Arron pulled his truck over and shut it off getting out, he walked over to her window and waved his hand to signal her to come on as he walked up the slope and sat down 20 feet away from the west side of the bridge.

Celestia sat next to him and said "why are we here?"

"Well you said you wanted to calm down and since Keeper of The Stars didn't appear to help to well judging by how you just ignored it I figured it would be better to sit here and watch the trains."

As he did a passenger train lead by 3 E9's arranged in A-B-A painted in NY&C livery the top half painted yellow and the bottom grey pulling the Starliner Deluxe express passenger train passed, the train itself being 15 cars long.

After the train passed Celestia said jokingly "Doesn't seem very calm does it?"

"Well....it's an acquired taste" aid Arron with a chuckle.

Celestia didn't focus on this however she instead kept looking at him Arron however didn't notice this he was to busy looking at the railroad tracks waiting for the next train which he believed wouldn't be for at least another 20 minutes but Celestia did something crazy she grabbed his shoulder spun him to face her and kissed him on the lips. Rather than pull away Arron wrapped his arms around her and went along with it they kissed for 5 minutes before they were snapped out of it by a train horn 2 short blasts and 1 long blast the train being to P&S SD40-2's and a transfer box (caboose)

Arron pulled away and said "must be Jimmy Wilcox he always does his horn that way" Arron chuckled but Celestia just sat silently and stared at Arron as he looked at the tracks.