Phoenix

by Lemon Pegasus

Warm Welcome?

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I was outlawed from a town for killing a stallion." Phoenix thought to himself, as we wandered through the vast, empty wasteland that was the dessert. Nothing but the occasional cactus here and there, mountains in the distance and rocks that littered the sand. Phoenix was a red unicorn with an orange and yellow mane, he also wore a hat which he stole from Appaloosa before he was chased away. His torso was covered by a black coat, holsters in it for guns and also a pouch for money.

The pony sighed, and he opened up his pouch using his magic. He grinned as he pulled out a beauty of gemstone, must have been at least 40 carats! The gem glistened in the sunlight, making it's yellow face seem brighter. He placed it back into his pouch and removed his gun from it's holster, he opened up the chamber to see if he had any bullets left. "Only two" he said to himself.

When you're wandering around in vast emptiness, any sign of pony interaction would stick out like a brony at a wrestling match. Sticking out of a sand dune, was what appeared to be the back end of a chariot. Phoenix approached the object for a close look, it WAS a chariot! The wood looked black and burnt, the window at the back was smashed and was now caved in with sand. The wheel was lopsided and was missing many rods.

Phoenix didn't want to miss an opportunity for some loot, he started to dig away at the sand that filled the window. Through a small gap, he could see a table, upside down. It seemed like every time scooped away some sand, more just replaced it. Not wanting to waste energy, he used his magic to tear a plank away from the chariot. The whole thing fell down slightly with the change of weight, but it stood dormant again before anything major could happen.

Using the plank of wood, Phoenix dug again at the window. It was much quicker with his newly acquired tool, and soon enough he could squeeze through. Inside seemed... chaotic! Phoenix could hardly move because the floor was hidden under a mess of what should have been upright, a cupboard, a sofa, a table...

What caught Phoenix's eye was a corpse that lay completely still at the opposite end of the chariot. He lay against the wall, a bullet hole that seemed completely dried of blood in his torso. Phoenix approached the body and looked into it's pocket... nothing. Other pocket... nothing."But what's this?" He said as he looked under the pony's leg, a gun, just like his own revolver. Phoenix flipped open the chamber looking for bullets.

"A full house!" he announced to himself, very pleased that he now had more ammunition. He removed the bullets and placed them in his pouch. Phoenix then gave a sudden "urgh" of disgust as he realized the stench this corpse was giving off, and he made quick haste back to the window so he could exit. "Oh my Celestia, that was disgusting..." he coughed a few times and continued walking.

He then saw, behind the dune the chariot was stuck in, a trail. It was not clear exactly what it was a trail of, there was turned up clumps of sand and neat lines close together. He followed the trail out of curiosity. Suddenly, Phoenix collapsed as he placed a hoof forward and found no ground beneath him. He groaned and ouched as he rolled down 10 feet of rock. He landed with a hard thud, and looked to see he fell from a small rock cave. Hold on, there was water in there! He got to his feet when he felt something cold and hard press against the back of his neck.

"Not... a... move..." a female voice said to him.

"I'm just a traveler, miss... I don't mean no harm..." Phoenix replied, making sure to speak clearly, he didn't want this woman to think he was afraid.

"What's your name, son?" the lady asked, gun still pointing directly at the back of Phoenix's head.

"Who's asking?" Phoenix chuckled, and there was a great burst of pain on his head. He collapsed to his stomach and looked up. This girl before him had hit him, he could tell by the way the gun was suspended by the pony's magic. This pony was orange with a brown, straightened mane, the occasional black streak. She was wearing a ten gallon hat in white and pointed a rifle at Phoenix.

"I'm not here to play games, my town and therefor my family is at risk! Now who are you!" She said firmly, she sure was aggressive.

"My name is Phoenix, okay, Phoenix!" Phoenix replied, clutching his head. "And how are you at risk?"

The pony lowered her rifle. "I've never seen you before... you a traveler?" Not going to talk, ay?

"Yes, I travel a lot, now how are you at risk?" Phoenix asked again. The lady pony just glared at him.

"What's your trade?" She asked again, by Celestia, what was this pony's problem. Phoenix got back to his feet.

"Why are you avoiding my questions?" Phoenix wanted answers, "What's going on and how it is endangering your town?"
The pony looked at the ground and took a deep breath to explain. But... she didn't.

"How 'bout I explain back in town? I imagine you must be tired. Oh, and, how is your shot?" Phoenix was about to protest, but hey, maybe he could sell off this gem of his.

"Alright, lead the way.... actually, wait, what are you doing out here?" Phoenix asked before he and this new girl set off.

"I'm searching for rattlesnakes, their skin sells good."

"And.. you brought a rifle, for rattlesnakes?"

"The rifle is in case I come across bandits," the pony used her magic to remove a machete from her jacket, "this is for rattlesnakes."
Phoenix was silenced at the sight of a pony that A: was a little over-aggressive, B: had a rifle AND a machete, and C: was on high alert in case of bandits. Phoenix decided it was probably for the best that he shouldn't say he WAS a bandit..

Comments

[null_name5656]

Dirt, a simple yet large town.

Sure your talking about MLP? Sounds more like a certain movie that came out a few years ago.

[epicn00b]

Dammit, why did you have to give the pony on the cover a tiny little moustache? I can't take this story seriously; I'm too busy laughing at that.