Chapter 3
“Camp”
“Who coulda done such an evil thing…?” Braeburn said as we walked among the corpses of the buffalo. “This ere’s a massacre”
County tilted the head of one of the buffalo. She shook her rust colored head “They’ve all been shot with battle saddle ammo…them bandits did this”
“But why?!” Applejack shouted gesturing around to the dead buffalo everywhere. “Why kill em all!? We ponies don’t eat meat so why kill all them buffalo?!”
“They didn’t kill them for their meat…they killed them for their fur” I said as I closed the eyes of the fifth buffalo I’ve come across. At least two dozen of them littered the fields like giant brown boulders. Some smaller buffalo that had to be children were among them.
Braeburn bent down to close the eyes of a smaller buffalo “I hope Little Strongheart didn’t get caught…”
I looked over at Applejack “A friend of his?”
The orange cowpony nodded “A friend to all of us, she’s Chief Thunderhoof’s daughter, and it’s thanks to her and Braeburn that the town’s at peace really”
I looked over at the yellow stallion as his head was bowed before the little buffalo. “Looks like she is more than just a friend to Braeburn…”
Applejack nodded and went to comfort her cousin. I looked over to see Twilight digging graves with her magic. I walked to her and looked at her work “You’re going to bury them Twilight?”
She nodded but didn’t stop digging with her magic. “They may not be ponies but they don’t deserve to be left out here for some vulture to pick at them…”
I nodded and we spent the entire afternoon burying the Buffalo in graves. Braeburn used some old sticks to set up grave markers for them. All ponies with hats took them off as Twilight prayed over the graves of these murdered creatures. I wasn’t a terribly religious stallion but I prayed that they find solace wherever their hooves tread now.
Braeburn simply kept his head bowed as Twilight finished her prayer. The stallion looked up and his green eyes looked at each individual grave “Them bandits are gonna pay fer this…”
County walked and put a comforting hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “We’ll find em Braeburn; ya can count on me and Private”
Braeburn nodded and put his hat back on his head. I turned to the rest of the group “We’ll stay here for tonight, the bandits might come back and I wanna make sure nopony comes around to do grave robbing”
_______________________________________________
Twilight managed to get a fire going with some wood we brought along and a simple fire spell. Applejack began cooking some stew for dinner mostly to distract herself from the fact that we didn’t sleep far from the resting place of a herd of murdered buffalo.
I sat on a nearby rock looking up at the stars. Out here in the desert you can see entire galaxies in the night sky. I understood why Twilight loved astronomy so much. I wondered what worlds await us beyond the endless stars?
I then heard somepony climbing onto the rock beside me. It was County, she smiled a little at me “You’ve been up here a while city boy”
I nodded “I’m just trying to occupy myself…Braeburn back yet?”
County sat up and looked at Braeburn who was sitting where the buffalo were laid to rest. “He’s back at the graves again…this really tore him up inside”
“I can imagine…he was a big advocate for peace between the buffalo and settlers. This must feel like a slap to the face”
County nodded somberly “Ah hope we can solve this…them buffalo didn’t deserve to have their skin ripped off like that”
“Fur trade is highly illegal because of this…” I said knowingly “It’s no wonder why the buffalo don’t come around to Appaloosa anymore”
“Ya think that the bandits aren’t really bandits but are actually ponies from town”
“I think so, that would explain why they would have battle saddles”
County got up “Well, Ah’m gonna get a drink…care to join me?”
I shook my head “The last time I had a drink with you I ended up on a stage, wearing a top hat, and singing Ponny Cash way off key”
“Ya did have a funny rendition of Celestia’s Gonna Cut You Down” She laughed as she walked off. “Private, Ah’m glad ya came. Things just ain’t as much fun without ya around”
I smiled as she walked to camp. I got up and looked down at Braeburn. His head was bowed before the graves. I walked over to Applejack who was pouring some stew into bowls. She looked past me at Braeburn “Could ya try and convince him to come and eat?”
“Why me?” I said looking at the cowpony “He’s your cousin”
Applejack shook her head “Ah…Ah know this sounds bad but Ah don’t wanna go back there…Ah don't wanna go near where them buffalo are sleepin...”
I nodded “I understand, stay here and try and convince County to not drink so much”
Applejack nodded as I carried a bowl of stew with my magic. I walked out to meet Braeburn and I set the bowl next to him. “Braeburn you need to eat something”
Braeburn looked at the bowl then back to the graves. “Thank ya kindly but Ah’m not hungry…”
“Braeburn, I understand how you feel…”
He suddenly turned and glared at me with those green eyes of his “Nah ya don’t! Ah just had to bury friends! Ah recognized some of them kids! Kids Private! They didn’t deserve tah be shot up like this!”
“I never said they deserved it Braeburn” I said calmly
“How can you stay so calm in all this?! How can you stand there and just take all this?! Do ya not have a heart at-“He was cut off when I delivered a fierce left hook to his muzzle. He fell to the ground like a ton of bricks. I looked on calmly even as he glared up at me.
I simply gazed at the stallion “Braeburn you need to calm down yourself…this isn’t helping”
“Neither is punchin me ya damn fool!” Braeburn tackled me and both us started wrestling. Braeburn was angry but he didn’t have the combat training I did. I flipped him onto his back with my hind hoofs and pinned him on the ground. He struggled and squirmed but I held my weight on the stallion “Get off me!”
“Only if you promise me that you’ll listen to me!” I shouted down at the stallion while keeping him down “You can’t sit there wallowing! We have to be strong for them!”
“Fer who!?”
“Applejack, Twilight and County! We’re the guys Braeburn! If we break down then they breakdown! Now quit acting like a colt and start acting like a stallion!”
Braeburn soon stopped struggling and I let him go. He got up and wiped off blood coming from his mouth. He then looked at me his eyes apologetic “Ah’m sorry…Ah don’t know what came over me”
I wiped some blood off my muzzle “You just needed some sense knocked into you”
“Ah think Ah understand…ya needed me to start acting like a stallion”
I nodded “Braeburn you and I are the stallions here. We can’t breakdown; we have to show we can handle things like this. They need us to be strong…” I gestured back to the camp. “We’re all alone out here; we need to make sure the group stays strong”
Braeburn nodded “Ah understand Private…ya have a funny way of leadership ya know”
“I’m just here to make sure you eat…” I levitated the bowl of stew to him. He took and looked at me. Then he began to eat out of it. I walked back to the camp. I didn’t take pleasure out of punching Braeburn like that. But I needed him at his best if I was going to keep this group going.
I never asked to be the leader of a group. But if nopony stepped up to take the task, we’ll end up dead in the desert.
____________________________________________
“Ow!” I yelped as Twilight dabbed a cloth to a bruise on my muzzle “Easy!”
“Sorry, I still can’t believe you and Braeburn fought each other” Twilight said as she sat next to me at the campsite.
“He needed some sense knocked into him…I just couldn’t stand seeing him like that”
“So you hit him?” Twilight said as she dabbed at my bruise again “Private…are you sure you’re doing okay?”
“I’m fine Twilight, I keep telling you that” I said as she put a bandage on my bruise.
“I don’t mean to sound like a worry wart but…” Twilight put a hoof on my cheek “It’s just every time we go on a case you put yourself in so much danger”
“It’s part of my job Twilight…” I said leaning into her hoof. I liked the way it felt when she did that. It made me forget how much my face hurt from the little brawl with Braeburn. “I have to put myself in danger so that others don’t have to…”
Twilight scooted closer to me and I felt her coat press against mine. She felt warm despite the desert’s cool breeze at night. Her violet eyes glittered in the starlight as she looked at me. “You know you don’t have to face all of this alone…I’m here to”
“I couldn’t risk you Twilight…” I shook my head but couldn’t break eye contact with her. “It’s better if just one of us shoulders all the burden…”
“Private, you are always trying to face every challenge alone…” She reached with her hoof and turned me so we sat face to face. “I learned a long time ago that you can’t shoulder all of the burden”
I just stared at Twilight. She had been my shoulder throughout this whole thing and all the other cases. She was right in a way…I couldn’t shoulder all the burden of this. I needed to be strong for the whole group. But right now…I just had to prove myself to this one mare. “Twilight…I can handle it…”
Twilight shook her head “The last time you tried to handle it alone you almost died. I had to rescue you remember?”
“I’m glad you were there…” I said simply gazing at her.
Twilight blushed a little “Well…anything for you Private…”
“Twilight…”
“Yes Private?” She said her face turning even more scarlet at all of this. I’ll admit I felt my own face turning scarlet while looking at her. My heart was suddenly beating fast like a drum.
“I never really got to tell you" I fumbled for the right words. Luna I was sounding like an idiot "Twilight what I realized when I asked you to leave…”
“Private you don’t need to talk about that…”
I shook my head “No, I feel I should. Because in that one moment when you were gone I realized that…Twilight I…”
Twilight’s eyes looked at me eagerly…desperate to hear what I have to tell her.
“I’ve…fallen…for…”
Can you feel the love tonight?!?!
“The hell!?” We both looked over to see County with a whiskey bottle in hoof. She was leaning on one hoof and holding the bottle in her other hoof while smiling at both of us. She was obviously drunk… I glared a her ”County what the hell?!”
“Ah don’t mind me *hic* ya two go on with what ya alls were doin!” She said her words slurred
Twilight glared at her “You’re drunk!”
“Nah Ah’m not drunk!” County said while swaying a little “Ah’m just singing ya two lovebirds a love song!”
“Oh Celestia no…” I said my cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment. County always sang while she was drunk. Song quality ranged as vast as the desert.
Can ya feel the love tonight?
The peace the evenin brings fer ya?
*hic* the world for once, in *hic* perfect harmony!
With all it’s Celestia damn thangs!
Twilight started laughing and I prayed for Celestia to strike me down with any form of lightning bolt. County began butchering love songs left and right. This had to be the biggest blunder I ever had with a romantic confession in my life. I got off the rock and took the bottle from County.
“Hey city boy!" She shouted trying to take a punch at me that missed completely. "Ah need that *hic*!”
“I think you’ve had quite enough County…” I said keeping the bottle out of hoof’s reach.
“Give me the Celestia damn bottle!” She started reaching for it and my horn glowed a soft grey. Suddenly County’s golden eyes closed and she dropped like a rock.
“What did you do to her?” Twilight said looking at the now snoring County.
“Aesthetic spell, used to knock ponies unconscious. I learned it before we came here”
“What are you going to do with her?” Twilight said hopping down as I lifted County onto my back and started walking back towards the campfire.
“Put her to bed like a good girl” I said as County began snoring song lyrics. I thanked Celestia that Twilight couldn’t hear them. They involved us…well you can probably figure it out.
___________________________________
“That’s right Priv…” She said drowsily as we made our way back to camp “Spank me like a bad pony…”
I set her down on a bedroll that we laid out earlier. Applejack and Braeburn were asleep in their own sleeping bags. I put a blanket over County as she drowsily went on. I left a bucket next to her in case she threw up in her sleep.
Twilight looked down at her “Was she always like this?”
“Drowning herself in Alcohol? Oh yeah, she’s been drinking since she was sixteen…” I sighed “Been trying to get her off the habit but she’s attached to the bottle”
“How sad…” Twilight said looking down at County “When she’s sober she’s not all that bad of a pony”
“Yeah, she was a great partner when I was on the force”
“You two really work well together…” Twilight observed “Have you two ever…you know…”
I shook my head “No way! She’s not interested in unicorns at all”
“What is she into?”
“Pegasi believe it or not” I said “She’s always liked how they can fly”
“How long will she be out?” She said changing the subject to the sleeping County
“Till morning probably, you should probably go to bed as well. I’ll take first watch”
Twilight nodded and started walking to her bed roll. Then she turned and kissed me on the cheek. I blushed a little at this sudden display of affection but then she turned and fell asleep on the bed.
______________________________________
I sat on top of the rock as Luna’s moon was reaching its zenith. I held my revolver in my front hooves in case anything came out of the desert. My four companions were sound asleep on their bedrolls. It was already past when I was supposed to wake up Braeburn to have him take over.
I felt he needed some sleep after what he had been through. It was then my ears perked up as I heard a howl. I pulled out a pair of binoculars and saw a strange sight out on the desert sand.
There was a wolf…a beautiful mottled brown wolf who was howling over the bodies of a bunch of wolves around it. The wolf couldn’t have been older then adolescence. I always liked wolves for some reason. The other foals in class always thought it weird that I liked a predator animal. I thought there was some grace to behold among these pack hunters.
Then the wolf looked over at me, its eyes were a bright yellow. I walked down the path from camp and walked towards the wolf. It kept its gaze on me and didn’t make a move to attack or growl. I noticed it had blood on its leg as I approached it.
I didn’t know how to approach the creature but I felt compelled to speak to it “You’re hurt…”
The wolf made a show of licking its leg. It was as if it could understand that I was concerned for it. It then started limping towards me. I’ve never seen a desert wolf approach a pony like this before. It sat down in front of me and held out its hurt leg.
“You want me to help you?” I said looking at the leg. I bent down to examine the leg, the wound looked like a bullet wound. But the bullet was like the one in my gun not a battle saddle one. “Somepony shot you…hold still…”
The wolf obeyed and stood as still as possible. I used my magic to telekinetically remove the bullet from its leg. It let out a whine of pain but didn’t make a fuss. I then reached into my trench coat and pulled out a bandage. I wrapped the bandage around the wolf’s leg. In the process I learned that the wolf was male.
I looked around at the rest of his pack. “The rest of your pack get shot up to?”
The wolf simply stared at me with those yellow eyes as I finished bandaging up his leg. I guessed this wolf was probably hit by bandits as well…this was another victim of the bandit’s selfish greed. I tied the bandage and nodded “There you go”
The wolf walked around a little to get used to the bandage. Then he looked back at me. My grey eyes met his yellow ones. “Well go on, you don’t want to stay here” I said waving my hoof for the wolf to leave.
The wolf stared at me for a long time then turned and began walking away. I looked as it walked away. It stopped just then and howled at Luna’s moon. I smiled at the beast and raised my own muzzle. I howled along with the wolf to sort of play along.
It looked at me for a long time then howled again. I howled back at it and we began to howl back and forth for a full five minutes. Just then I turned to walk away. The wolf also turned and walked away.
For some reason…I felt something special formed between me and the beast of the moon. Something that I could never explain to anypony even if I tried, it was like…we were kin. I helped him, he accepted me as a wolf. I guess we were just a couple of loners really…just hoping to find a home.