After our lunch in Hoofington , my household boarded our train for Manehattan in my Equestria dreamscape. As the train rolled on through the night we had fun talking about all things we’d see and do during the trip. However elsewhere in the kingdom other ponies weren’t having as much fun.
 
Click! Click! Snake Eyes repeatedly worked the trigger lever of his now empty pepperbox in desperation as his opponent silently approached him from the shadows. He’d been in a headlong flight for the last hour as he tried to escape his relentless pursuer. His journey had ended with him now huddled in the corner of an unlit closed cafe kitchen. The only illumination was from a couple windows which allowed some of lights of the city outside to leak in.
 
Finally realizing that his weapon was empty the earth pony let go of the pepperbox. It made a heavy clunk as it fell to the tile floor of the kitchen. Panting heavily he called out to his tormentor.
 
“How can yu be here! Yu can’t be here! Yu can’t come back! I saw it with my own eyes! Yer dead! We killed yu! Yu hear me! WE KILLED YU!”
 
Stepping out of the shadows Phoenix walked up to the stallion. Stopping a couple of feet in front of the terrified pony she silently stared at him. The only sound she made was the steady stream of blood dripping from multiple, fresth gunshot wounds.
 
“That’s right we killed yu!” The trembling pony raised a front hoof and pointed at the mare-in-waiting. “Yer nothing but a ghost! Yu can’t be real! Nopony could’ve survived that! Yer, Yer just in my head! Yer not real! Yer not –”
 
His ramblings were cut short by a hoof across his face. Stunned he looked up at the mare. For several seconds he stared her, then tears slowly started trickling down his face.
 
“That’s, that’s not fair! Yu, yu can’t come back! Once yer dead, yu, yu have to stay dead! I saw yer head get cut off by Double Edge! Yer fucking head came clean off ! Yer…” His voice trailed off as he noticed for the first time the deep scar encircling the bone white unicorn’s neck.”
 
As Snake Eye’s looked on in horror the mare’s body suddenly shuddered. There was a soft squishy sound followed by a dull, moist thunk sound as one of the bullets he’d recently fired was expelled from the mare’s neck onto the floor. A few seconds later there was sound like snapping melon rind as another .31 caliber bullet that had struck Phoenix between the eyes was also ejected. As the earth pony watched bone and tissue grew to cover the hole.
 
A maniacal grin slowly spread across the mare’s face. Lowering her head she stared at the terrified stallion with icy, carmine red eyes. “Yes Double Edge cut my head off. Neat trick she pulled off embedding those booster crystals in her horn to mask when she was doing magic!”
 
Phoenix’s on horn flared and from a pouch on her harness 4 slim, blood splattered crystals floated front of the stallion’s face. “I had to relieve her of those a few hours ago. She’s alive. But I imagine she’s going to have headaches for some time to come!”
 
The mare-in-waiting returned the crystals to their place on her harness. With a soft, raspy voice she continued speaking. “But I wouldn’t worry Double Edge if I was you. You’ve got your own problems.”
 
Raising her left front hoof Phoenix slammed it into the stallion’s rib cage knocking him to the floor. Gasping for breath Snake Eyes looked up as once again the unicorn’s horn flared. From several locations around the kitchen numerous knives, forks, tenderizers and a large pair ice tongs floated into view. The mare’s grin grew larger.
 
“Now. I’m looking for Blind Eye. He’s one of last remaining senior Manehattan Association members on the loose. And Princess Celestia really, really wants him captured. He’s supposedly fled to Fillydelphia and word on the street is you and your friends know where to find him. Double Edge told me everything she knew. Well at least until she blacked out, but it’s always wise to verify one’s sources. So Snake Eyes. Do you know where Blind Eye is?”
 
The stallion frantically started nodding his head.
 
To be continued.