Caballeron's Prize

"How strange is it that one of my greatest enemies is the friend to my old flair's own daughter?" Cabelleron paced back and forth through his rented car parked in the nearby trainyard of the Ponyville station. The setting sun rested on Withers back from the window as he sipped coffee from a mug near the end where a small couch and table were, looking over the school newspaper his boss brought back.

"One of life's great twists. Are you sure this is a good idea? If we do this wrong we're not dealing with a washed out treasure hunter and a brainless fan. We're dealing with the law. Guards, bounty hunters, princesses." He frowned, his shades stuck to his face despite moving radically to emphasize his point, tapping a hoof on the table. Cab groaned and set himself down across, taking a drink from his own mug. A lit cigar decorating an ash tray as he pulled the newspaper to himself.

"We do it right this time. No need to keep the filly, once we have Rainbow and Daring where we want we'll end them there and then. Then we disperse to finally collect the treasures we marked. By the time anyone hears about it, we'll be on a ship off the mainland on a new island we can purchase out of pocket."

"Well that's just it. I'm worried about the filly. She'll be able to point us to where it happens, and then all the sudden we have an alicorn princess hunting us to the ends of the earth to avenge her friend."

"And what do you expect me to do? Kill my ex's daughter? My issue is with Rainbow and Daring!" He growled, crumpling up the paper in his hoof before grabbing his cigar and biting into it angrily with a deep inhale.

"No sir. I'm just saying we should take her with us until we're on that ship. Once we're in the wind we can just leave her and she can say anything she wants and we'll already have such a head start nopony will find us!" He explained calmly, making the Doctor's focus shift into thought as he nodded along, leaving his hoof on his cheek.

"Damn Rainbow just had to get involved." The aged stallion grumbled, rotating his smoke to the other side of his maw with a sigh. "We'll have to be quick. Just be sure to be on time. We can't have her friends alerting anypony before we get some distance." He huffed, putting out his light and standing up. "I'm off to put my degree to work for tomorrows lesson. I need some better coffee than this muck." He grumbled, tossing his cup into the nearby sink as he got his trademark orange and white scarf on. "Who knows. Maybe I'll find some nostalgic bliss in teaching to pass the time until we get to the desert."

"Have fun sir. I'll be here."

"So he's actually the bad guy from the Daring Do series?" Applebloom flipped through the pages of one of books Scootaloo had from the bookshelf in the clubhouse. Her eye catching a drawn picture of Caballeron when he was introduced, looking incredibly like the new teacher they saw earlier that day. "There he is! Wow he really is in here!"

"You could've just read it." Scootaloo face hoofed, leaning forward and pointing at him. "In one of the newer issues, he tried to boil Rainbow alive! He's a psycho!" She shouted, flinching as Sweetie Belle rolled over in her blanket with a yawn, looking down at the book curiously before rolling back.

"Maybe he's just retiring from crime. He's been beaten so many times he probably just gave up." She sleepily suggested. Her eyes struggling to blink in unison as she rested on her side in the discussion. "Maybe you should just talk to him in a public place. If he really did know your parents maybe you can find out if he's really changed."

"Huh. Sleepy Sweetie gives off sagely advice." Applebloom giggled, closing the book as her own mouth opened for a yawn. The sun setting over the tree line outside of the clubhouse window with a beautiful pink hue along the scattered clouds. "It's gettin' late girls. I gotta conclude this meeting since Sweetie just fell asleep again." The two warmer colored fillies looked at the loudly snoring unicorn.

"I guess I can try. I have to get my aunt to sign my slip before she goes to bed. See you guys later." Scootaloo waved, leaving Applebloom to wake up Sweetie as she lowered the ramp to the clubhouse and trotted down. She had to walk through town to get home, well not walk. She strapped her helmet on and zoomed from Sweet Apple Acres into town, passing the apple orchard and crossing the bridge. She found the place between focus and daydream rather quickly, wondering how Cheerlie could go over looney over somepony as twisted as her new replacement.

She swerved through townsponies heading home, waving to familiar faces as she passed the several shops and restaurants in the main market, slowing down from the higher density of larger ponies. She passed a nearby café Sweetie enjoyed, zooming past patrons sitting in the outdoor area. Her nose caught the whiff of smoke she had never smelled before as she passed, stopping by instinct thinking thier might have been a fire. Her pupils shrank as she spotted her new teacher himself, drinking from a tea cup while leaning over a book on the table. "Caballeron!?"

His gaze lifted to meet hers with a few blinks, just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. "Ah. Scootaloo..." He looked over at her wheeled set up and helmet with an amused smile. "Staying safe I hope?"

"Funny coming from you." She frowned, getting off her scooter and rolling it near the fenced café and taking off her helmet.

"It was honest!." He retorted, leaning to the fence he was behind and let his hoof rest on it as she decided to join him, hopping on the stool across from him. Her nose wrinkled as she saw his face lighted from the large light at the end of his cigar, blowing it politely away from the café and her. "If you came for answers to the lessons tomorrow you should know I don't give notes outside of class."

Her wings flickered at his tone as she glared at him. The older stallion gave a guttural exhale, raising a hoof to the nearby waitress, calling her over to break the tension. "Hello again sir, she's not bothering you is she?"

"No, not at all. I was hoping you could get her the chai as well, decaffeinated of course." He chuckled, lifting his near empty glass with a clear of his throat. "With a refill if you could." He smiled warmly, turning back to Scootaloo as she nodded and retreated back to get his order. "Can't have you tired tomorrow from staying up all night like your unicorn friend." He recalled, chuckling as he turned his book towards her.

"I can't give you notes but I can tell you about what we're learning tomorrow if you'd like."

"I'd like to know more why you came here. You must be planning something." She spoke, interrogating him as he closed his eyes and turned his book back. She caught the title "The Last Dragon Battle." She knew it was related to the field trip, since the Dry Bones Desert was filled with old dragon bones from over a thousand years ago, but that wasn't her interest at the moment.

"Well it seemed like a quiet enough place to read." He jested, earning a glare from his company. " Fine. I won't lie. I came to learn about treasures in the desert we're visiting." He spoke bluntly, folding his hooves in front of him. The filly noticed they were much furrier than in the book now, unshorn fetlocks decorating his limbs from travel as his rugged, fuzzy exterior wiggled from the breeze. "Legal treasure. I'm an archeologist first and foremost. I visited Canterlot before moving here to find any info on possible relics from the battle our lesson will be based on." He explained. Scootaloo seemed learned but still clearly put everything in black and white.

"AHAH! So you are stealing something!" She pointed at him, making all of the ponies around glance over before seeing it was just Scootaloo, being a dramatic wildcard as usual before going about thier business.

"I just said it was legal, Brat." He grumbled, relieved as the waitress brought a tea cup for his company and two kettles for thier orders. "It's research, much like your parents projects, except instead of animals it's historic knowledge." He explained, pouring her tea politely before pouring his own, appreciating the aroma through his cigar. He took a sip from his tea as he gazed over her. He hadn't realized just how adorably she pouted as she glared daggers at him, similar to that dreadful Rainbow Dash, though he felt something shift in his loins as he recollected her mothers stares.

"You can't fool me. You're just planning something else with the teacher thing as cover." She growled, putting her hoof on the table. A long pause filling the atmosphere of the two as her new teacher lazily blinked from her accusations.

"If I was really so nefarious why would you think it's a good idea to talk to me in person like this?" He leaned in, her head moving back as his eyes seemed to glow with a keen interest. "Do you plan to make yourself a rival to me like your precious idol and hers have?" He smiled again. She didn't know whether it was menace or amusement but the air shifted as his deep voice sighed. "It's exhausting. I'm going into teaching because I have a keen interest in the futures of my students." He grinned yet again, this one put a shudder down Scootaloo's spine. The hiss of his cigar being put out punctuated his next sentence. "At this rate, you seem bent on making yours my priority."

Scoots sat back as she felt her shoulders press down. She felt like she was out of her league being macho to this pony, and now she had his full attention. "C-can't you just not be a bad guy?" She asked, almost begging as his posture shifted back to being more relaxed.

"Well I'm teaching a class history instead of 'stealing' as you'd put it." His hooves lifted the cup to guzzle down in a more rushed gulp, exhaling with a sigh as he put his glass aside with a small pile of bits. "Who knows. I'm not close-minded to new opportunities." He lifted himself up, adjusting his scarf and putting his book away as the embers from his cigar died off. Scootaloo couldn't help but feel more relaxed from the scent, reminding her of a fireplace. "I do enjoy your company, mi querida. Even if you hate me, I do enjoy that passion you exhibit." He paused a moment, lost in thought before turning back to her. "I like to read here. You're free to visit tomorrow again if you'd like."

With that she was left staring at her cup in thought as he walked past her, suddenly feeling his tail brush her face quickly. Something that caught her off guard as her face grew bright red. It was socially flirtatious to brush a tail along somepony else, she glanced back as he trotted off before looking around, wondering if anypony else saw it. Unfortunately her earlier outburst making others loose interest in thier meet up as she wasn't taken very seriously.

She heard footsteps approach as the waitress came to see the pile of bits with a smile. "Your friend seems to have left some extra. Is this a tip or for any other orders?" She politely asked, catching the filly off guard as she looked up.

"Oh um. A tip. I'm only having the one." She stuttered. It had to be an accident right? The tail tease can happen accidentally sometimes after all. The age gap between the two was immense but she felt a bit flustered from the idea. She wiped her head of the insane idea before another related thought dropped like a ton of bricks. "Cheerlie seems to like him. Maybe he wouldn't be bad if they were together!" She jumped her hooves on the table excitedly, almost crashing the everything on the ground before the waitress managed to catch everything. "Oh. Heheh. Sorry."