//------------------------------// // A Shot to Remember // Story: Bulletproof Heart: Sunset at Little Longhorn // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// The crowd, perhaps forty in total, came to a stop a dozen feet away from the mares, brothers still in the lead. Crater and Charming took a few steps closer. Neither looked ready for a fight, either physically or psychologically. Crater couldn’t even stand on his own, and Charming had bags under his eyes and a distinctly miserable countenance. Seeing this, Rarity made no move for her weapons. Yet. The brothers and the crowd all stared at Rarity as if she were a viper preparing to strike. She stared right back, maintaining a calm, cool facade despite the worry eating at her insides. The sun beat down on the lot of them, unburdened by the sparse clouds above, and she could feel sweat forming on the shirt beneath her jacket. She waited on them, hoping her patience would be interpreted as a strength. Sunset remained on the ground, back hunched and perfectly silent. At last, it was Crater who spoke. “Bulletproof Heart. We need you to leave Little Longhorn.” Rarity said nothing. She only raised an eyebrow. The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Crater hesitated, unable to meet her gaze. Charming whispered something in his ear, never taking his eyes off her. Seeming to gather his wits, Crater spoke again. “What you see before you is the entirety of the Gang’s presence in Little Longhorn. It makes up about a fourth of the town.” As Rarity recalled, the actual ‘members’ of the local Gang amounted to less than a dozen, and she had injured or killed at least half of them last night. So when he said the Gang’s 'presence', he likely only meant citizens who supported their presence here. And how many of those did so honestly, as opposed to merely in fear of retaliation? Maintaining her stoic appearance, Rarity pulled out her weapons. She didn’t aim them. There was no need; merely having them in her hands was enough to make the entire crowd back off a few steps. “So what you’re telling me is that the ponies before me are all enemies of the town of Little Longhorn.” Eyes wide and pock-scarred face pale, Crater was unable to respond. That fell upon his equally alarmed brother. “No, no! You don’t understand! We’re trying to protect this town.” This should be good. Gesturing lazily with Ruby Heart, Rarity said, “I’m waiting to hear an explanation.” Crater recovered enough at this point to speak up, one hand rubbing his mane back as he did. “Listen, this has all been a big misunderstanding. We get it, we were acting like asses, but we have to. The Bad Apples check up on this place regularly to make sure we’re still in line. As long as we keep them assured that Little Longhorn is sufficiently cowed, they’ll leave us alone.” Somepony in the crowd shouted over the murmurs. “We don’t want another slaughter!” Scowling, Rarity took a threatening step closer. Everypony in the crowd tensed. “That’s your excuse? You tried to kill me in my sleep.” “Of course we did!” Charming shrank back from her glare. “You’re the Gang’s greatest enemy. If they found out we harbored you they’d come down on us again. We had to at least try!” Another, different voice spoke up from the crowd. “It’s you or all of us!” This was answered by increased murmerings, and the expressions on most of the ponies’ faces didn’t bode well for Rarity. Yet she refused to be intimidated, even if she didn’t like her odds against so many potential opponents. “If the idea frightens you so much, just don’t tell them I was here.” “They’ll find out,” somepony declared fearfully. “Somepony will talk!” cried another. “I’m not talking!” “No way!” “Don’t lie, you’re the biggest blabbermouth in town.” “I have a daughter!” “Be silent!” Rarity’s shout was enough to quiet everypony present. She took advantage of their startlement to check Sunset. The mare still hadn’t moved, her back turned to the crowd and face hidden by her long, curly locks. Grimacing at the feeble posture, Rarity turned back to the crowd. “What about Sunset? What’s your excuse for all the abuse she’s suffered at your hands?” For a split second, something passed over the faces of both brothers. As quickly as it had left, Rarity didn’t doubt her senses; it had been a look of such disgust and contempt as to make her skin crawl. Yet when Crater spoke, his voice was plaintive and reassuring, as if what he’d just revealed were still hidden. “It’s a tragedy, and I’m sorry for what we have to do. But she’s kin to the Flaming Vermillion. The Bad Apples know it. They specifically want her life to be made miserable.” “She’s a living lesson,” Charming added. “Her ongoing suffering is a message to all about what happens to those who defy the Gang.” “We’d stop if we could.” Crater put on a grim, guilty expression. Rarity wondered if he might try to shed some crocodile tears while he was at it. “But we can’t. For the sake of Little Longhorn, we can’t.” “You understand, don’t you?” Charming put on as hopeful and eager a smile as he could probably offer. Were Rarity not so filled with loathing at the sight of him she might have even acknowledged he lived up to his name. “You wouldn’t punish all of Little Longhorn for one mare.” Crater nodded, suddenly full of confidence. “The Bulletproof Heart is better than that.” Their methods were nothing short of sickening. Rarity wasn’t a killer, but even so she had half a mind to put a bullet in both of them there and then. Yet she grit her teeth and resisted the urge. Her eyes went to the others. Every time she tried to meet a gaze, the pony in question would glance away. Some went pale, others trembled or tried to hide. Cowards, the lot of them. If they were really devoted to the Bad Apples, if they had any faith at all in what they were saying, then she wouldn’t be having this conversation. It didn’t matter how good she was with a gun, their numbers were more than enough to take her down by sheer body mass. Then she sent another glance towards Sunset Shimmer. The mare’s posture remained meek and resigned. That and the graves around them were a stark reminder that these ponies had a reason for their fear. Her best hope, then, was to give their morale an about-face. So. This was all the ponies in town who ‘supported’ the Bad Apples? Rarity cast another long, slow look around at the crowd. One pony, an orange-maned and middle-aged stallion, somehow managed to not look away. In fact, now that their eyes were locked he seemed incapable of doing so. Thus it was to him she asked, “How many have you hurt?” The whites of his eyes seemed glaring in the bright morning sun. His entire body trembled. Looking around for help earned him none. “H-h-hurt?” “Yes. Hurt.” Rarity narrowed her gaze. “You support the Bad Apples, don’t you?” “O-of course!” He cast a wide-eyed look at Crater and Charming, who both nodded firmly. “I support the Gang.” He let out a faint, decidedly unmasculine squeak when Ruby Heart was suddenly aimed at his head. “Enough to die for them?” Sunset was in the corner of her eye, turning to look at her in horror. The stallion now stood alone, all the other ponies having moved out of the gun’s field of fire. He raised his hands, sputtering as the blood drained from his face. “W-wait, I haven’t— I’m not—” He kept looking at Charming and Crater. The brothers said nothing, apparently too surprised by this turn of events to come up with a proper response. “I-I haven’t hurt anypony!” “I don’t believe you.” Rarity took a step closer, her hard stare not leaving his face. Not a single pony moved to help him. “You’re with the Bad Apples. Bad Apples hurt other ponies. It’s what they do.” She made a show of looking down the gun’s sights, aiming right between his eyes. “I’ll ask you again: Who did you hurt?” He fell to his knees, eyes wet and hands still raised high. “Nopony! I swear, nopony!” Ruby Heart’s hammer cocked. “P-please, I didn’t want to die! I only took their side because they killed my dad!” At last! Rarity gestured at the still wide-eyed Sunset. “And that justifies this?” She stepped forward, and Ruby Heart moved to a different target, this time a young mare who shrieked at the sight of that big barrel. “What about you? What have you done to support the Bad Apple Gang?” Once more the crowd fled from the target, who crouched as if preparing to flee for her life. “M-me? I’d never hurt—” The retort of Ruby Heart made everypony jump. A few screamed. The young mare practically danced as dirt kicked up. The shot wasn’t anywhere near her, yet she was already a sobbing mess. She blurted in rapidfire speech, “I told Crater about how Miss Floret was hiding money so she could pay less dues!” “What?” A lanky green stallion shoved his way forward, face contorted in rage. “They beat her for over an hour because of that and tore her house apart. She’s your sister-in-law’s mother, for Luna’s sake!” He froze, all anger gone in an instant, when Silver Lining turned on him. Rarity growled out, “And what have you done for the cause, hmm?” “I… I…” He licked his lips, turning his gaze to an older stallion. That stallion stared back at him, looking more sad and weary than angry. “He broke my arm so I’d say I support the Bad Apples.” Crater stepped forward with help from his brother, his tone impatient but calm. “What’s the point of this display, Bullet—?” A small beam of energy shot from Rarity’s horn, striking his injured leg. He screamed and toppled to the ground, carrying Charming with him. It hadn’t been a strong attack, just enough to make sure he felt it. “You’re not afraid of the Bad Apples,” Rarity declared, turning to take in all the ponies in the crowd. “You’re afraid of each other. They’ve turned you against yourselves. These brutes don’t have to do anything anymore. Whispers and secrets and lies!” One of the thestrals, wings opened wide, spoke out. “But they’re the Bad Apples. They put this town to the torch once, they could do it again.” Rarity turned on him, boiling when he flinched back at her aggression. “Did you have some sort of defense?” She turned on another pony. “A plan?” Whipping around, she frightened back the elderly stallion from before. “Do any of you even remember?” That stallion, however, didn’t stay cowed. To her secret pleasure, his face grew dark and he took a step closer. His voice rose as he fired back, “I do remember. I was there!” “Then answer the question.” Idly, Rarity kicked backwards, knocking a still-rising Crater and Charming back down before they could interrupt the momentum she had going. “Was Little Longhorn prepared for an attack? From anything?” The old earth pony hesitated, losing some of his fire. “No. Why would we? We had no reason to suspect an attack.” “Well, you do now, don’t you?” She turned away, walking back to Sunset’s side. The mare was now standing fully, her attention on the seamstress-turned-drifter. Once there, Rarity turned back to the crowd. “Think about all the pain you’ve been through. Think about all the pain you’ve caused. Think about why you did it and what it was for.” She met Sunset’s gaze. “And remember exactly who is responsible.” Sunset stared back. Her wide, cyan eyes were conflicted, her lips quaking as she tried and failed to form words. Rarity met her gaze, maintaining a look of firm demand while silently pleading for the mare to let out that powerful pony hiding beneath the ashes of Little Longhorn. Seconds passed, the silence interrupted only by a cool wind blowing their manes about. Come on. Rarity grit her teeth. Come on! “They can’t do it.” Crater was on his hooves, once more leaning on his brother. “Don’t you get it, Bulletproof? The Gang has broken them.” His mistake was a simple one. A slipup. A moment of weakness. He had tried to speak in a tone of comfort, but those last three words? There was an unmistakable sound of victory in them, of pleasure, of a smug awareness that he had won. Had he not made that mistake, things might have gone differently. But it was in that moment, when his tone revealed how much he enjoyed this town’s fate, that Sunset’s expression changed. The fear and uncertainty disappeared, but the pain remained. It was powerful, and not even the fury that lit upon her face could stifle it. She lunged towards Rarity, digging into her vest. Rarity made no attempt to stop her from pulling out the gun, though she did prepare to make a move if things went wrong. Sunset turned and aimed at Crater, feet apart and both hands firmly on the grip as she glared death at him. Nopony said anything at first. Crater looked legitimately surprised at this turn of events, staring at the gun as if not sure what it was. There was no motion outside Sunset’s shaky, teeth-bared breaths and trembling arms. When seconds passed without a shot being fired, it was Charming who finally reacted. He stepped in front of his brother and smiled. It was by no means a friendly smile. “Come on, Sunset. Don’t be stupid. We know you’re not. We also know you don’t have the cojones to fire that gun.” That’s exactly what somepony told me once. Rarity kept her hand close to Silver Lining, not sure where this was going but not daring to interfere. She watched Sunset’s eyes shift from him to her weapon, uncertainty lacing her anger. Her thumb reached up to cock the weapon, but froze on contact. “Just stop.” Charming had the audacity to step closer. “You can’t do it. You’re not a hero. You don’t want to be one.” Their audience had retreated, as if they might be safe that few extra steps further away. Not a single pair of eyes wasn’t locked on the encounter. “Come on, Sunset.” Charming leaned a little closer. The barrel of the weapon was only a foot from his chest now. Sunset’s shoulders heaved with her breaths. “You can’t help this town. You’re not special.” Her eye twitched. “I… I…” “You take it because you can.” Rarity’s fingers grazed Silver Lining. Charming’s teeth flashed with his confident smile. “Because you deserve it.” Sunset’s breathing stopped. Her pupils shrank. For the span of a second, even the wind was still. She put a bullet between his eyes. They had just enough time to put his shock on display before the life went out of them and he crumbled to the ground. Sunset stood over him and fired another round, and another, and another. Again and again, one hand rapidly cocking the gun’s hammer as the other squeezed the trigger. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, every shot generating a growling grunt from her throat. Then the weapon turned on Crater. He was so shocked that he didn’t even try to get out of the way when she pulled the trigger. The hammer struck with a resounding click. Crater gasped and fell on his rump, hands clutching his unharmed chest. Sunset’s eyes widened for but an instant, and then her fingers were grappling with the release mechanism. It took several seconds for the gun to pop open. She dumped the spent shells, dug into her pockets and fought to get fresh bullets into the cylinder. She kept dropping them, over and over again as her hands shook. All along, she hiccuped and fought back sobs with hard, sniffling inhales. Unable to keep watching, Rarity stepped in and gently touched the mare’s arm. “It’s okay, Sunset. You’ve made your point.” “Sh-shut up.” Sunset kept fighting with the bullets. She only had two in the cylinder at this point. “I d-don’t deserve this. I don’t. I don’t! I don’t d-deserve–” With a snarl, she tried to slam closed the weapon, only to catch her finger in it. She cried out – in pain or fury, Rarity wasn’t sure. Maybe both. The weapon fell to the grass and Rarity caught her just as she started to lunge at the pale-faced Crater. “You bastards! You horrible, sick bastards! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you with my own— Damn it, let me go! I want them dead. Dead! They all deserve to die!” Rarity held on as tight as she could, not letting go even as the frantic mare slapped and punched and elbowed her in a squirming, furious struggle to get at the crippled stallion. She said nothing, for she knew nothing would help. Instead she maintained her grip, took the beating, and tried not to dwell too hard on the heavy feeling in her chest. “All of you!” The fire in Sunset’s eyes turned on the crowd, who all fell back at her tear-soaked viciousness. “You all have it coming! You’re all monsters! I didn’t do anything to you! I don’t deserve this, I’m not responsible! I want you dead, I want all of you dead!” The last exclamation must have taken something out of her, for Sunset’s shrieks abruptly ceased. She stumbled sideways as if drunk, the change in direction catching Rarity off guard and bringing them both to their knees. The mare seemed to collapse into herself, her body a mess of shivers and sobs. “I don’t deserve this. I d-don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve this…” On and on it went, as if the repetition was the only way to know it for certain. Still holding the quaking mess of a pony, Rarity wondered just how much she didn’t know. What could these ponies have done to turn Sunset into this? She didn’t want to even try and imagine it. So instead she chose to simply be there, a safeguard and reassurance that at least one pony would be. The townsfolk watching the scene were gradually losing their shock. Their reactions after were a complicated blend of things. Heads turning away in shame, pallid faces of dawning horror, the lost stares of those with no idea what to do. They were but a flock of sheep only just realizing that their shepherds did not, in fact, have their best interests at heart. Rarity wasn’t sure whether to feel disgusted or sympathetic. Amidst the pathetic moans and murmurs of the distraught mare came a lone, quiet voice. “C-Charming?” Crater crawled to his brother, dragging his injured leg along the ground as he did. He reached his sibling’s bloody, hole-filled corpse and shook him by the shoulder. “Bro? Bro.” He rolled the body onto its back and cupped the stallion’s cheeks in his hands. A sob escaped him as he caught sight of the hole in Charming’s forehead. “No. No, no, no. No.” Cradling his sibling’s head in his arms, he began to rock back and forth, his weeping forming a terrible chorus with Sunset’s whimpering. Rarity wasn’t sure what to think. She knew the brothers were horrible individuals, but at the same time it was difficult not to feel sorry for someone who had lost a loved one. It made the entire situation awkward, so she chose to focus her attention on the mare in her care. Poor Sunset still hadn’t stopped repeating that mantra. “...I don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve this, I d-don’t deserve this…” “It’s okay, Sunset,” Rarity whispered, bending low so she could say it in the mare’s ear. “Everything’s alright now.” She questioned if anything would ever be ‘alright’ for this pony, but she had to at least try and show some optimism. She rubbed the mare’s back, trying to emulate her mother’s talent for… for motherliness, she supposed. “You…” Crater was glaring at her, cheeks soaked with tears. “This is your fault! If you hadn’t come here—” “You have nopony to blame but yourself,” she calmly declared, her attention returning to Sunset. He sputtered, he groaned, he growled. Looking at the crowd still watching the scene, he barked, “Look at what she did! Look at my b-brother! For Luna’s sake, somepony do something.” Not a soul moved. While most were looking away in shame, a few were daring to shoot him angry looks. If he noticed, he showed no sign of it. “What is wrong with you ponies? She’s a murderer! You all saw it. She killed my brother!” The number of unpleasant looks increased, and Crater finally had the presence of mind to realize they were aimed at him. Alarm passed through his gaze. “W-what are you—? This isn’t my fault. It’s not! It’s those Discord-damned unicorns. For Luna’s sake, help me!” Unicorns. As if he expected them all to accept his racism as an excuse. Rarity’s sympathy died, but still she didn’t leave Sunset. She didn’t act in any way. When nopony moved to assist one way or another, Crater’s face broke into a vicious scowl. “Idiots. All of you, idiots! The Gang’s going to come, they’re going to kill all of you. We tried to protect you, and this is how you repay us? You’ve got five seconds to—” “Crater Face,” snarled the old stallion, “For once in your life, shut your mouth.” Now Rarity was paying attention. She listened carefully as the crowd of ponies muttered unpleasantly amongst themselves. Most eyes were now on a sputtering Crater, and the few that went her way had naught but guilt. “You dare?” Crater clutched his brother closer. “When this is over, you’re all going to wish—” A mare stepped forward, large and with eye-popping muscles. “Crater, shut your yap or so help me, I’ll shut it for you.” Some ponies were walking away. Crater appeared at a loss, clearly unaccustomed to the crowd not being on his side. He held onto his brother as if the body would protect him from what was happening. There was no longer any confidence or anger in his eyes. Rather, they displayed a gradually growing horror. It was strange how familiar that expression was. Rarity had seen it once, long ago, in the mirror. My, how the tables could turn. Then, something changed. Crater’s eyes went from the recognition of a world destroyed to the mad intent of a last, desperate opportunity. They were focused on the gun Sunset had dropped. The gun with two bullets loaded. With a ferocious snarl, he pushed his brother’s body aside and lunged for the weapon. For the briefest instant, alarm shot through Rarity, her hand rushing for Ruby Heart. Before either of them could reach their respective weapons, the crowd surged. Two ponies were on Crater, one grabbing his arm and the other his leg. Then three more joined them, then another two. Shouting and snarling, they descended upon him as a mob. He cursed them at first, but soon his anger was overwhelmed by theirs. The sounds emerging from within the mass swiftly became those of pain. Apologies. Begging. Then, only shrieks. The turn and sudden aggression of the crowd caught Rarity so off guard it was several seconds before she even realized what was going on. A sudden, panicky urge to stop them fueled her, but when she tried to stand she was stymied by a still despondent Sunset clinging to her arm like a child to her mother’s leg. Cursing under her breath, Rarity changed tactics and pulled out Ruby Heart, aiming the weapon towards the sky before pulling the trigger. Ruby Heart was a big weapon, its retort proportionally loud. The ponies collectively flinched, many ducking or jumping back. “That is quite enough,” she shouted, catching their attention once more. Bloody and blue, Crater lay on the ground amongst them, motionless save for his ragged breathing. The crowd hadn’t had him long, yet they had still managed a worrying amount of damage. The big mare from earlier stepped forward, her hands balled into thick, red knuckles. “Don’t tell us it’s enough,” she snapped back. “You saw what he was about to do!” With a sigh, Rarity returned Ruby Heart to its holster beneath her vest. She wished she could stand properly to face the crowd, but wasn’t about to resist Sunset’s iron grip on her arm. “I appreciate that you all wanted to help, but restraining him would have been enough.” “It’s not enough!” One stallion near the back gave Crater a kick in the ribs. The beaten pony whimpered, but otherwise didn’t react. “We’ve been living in a state of terror for decades because of the Bad Apples!” “They have it coming!” “We’re owed this!” “Why shouldn’t we give what we took?” “I understand.” Memories flashed across Rarity’s mind. Memories of a mare tormenting ponies, killing out of spite, fueled by a vile drive to make others hurt like she had. The images brought a familiar sting to her heart, the kind of pain that comes from old scars. “Believe me, I do. But take it from somepony who knows, vengeance won’t make you feel any better. All it does…” Her gaze went to one of the graves. The name ‘Flaming Vermillion’ brought back other memories. Of a desperate fight, a mare driven to insanity, and her endless, bloody crusade. “All it does is fester and create more vengeance.” The citizens of Little Longhorn muttered amongst themselves. A few still appeared angry, but most had the weary manner of ponies just wanting to be done with the whole ordeal. Rarity let them discuss the situation while she tended to Sunset, carefully working to get the mare back on her hooves. Sunset didn’t resist, but neither did she help; it was like she wasn’t there at all. The elderly stallion turned to them. “Well then, what would you do?” Rarity looked to their expectant faces, some still possessing simmering anger while others appeared at a loss. Then she looked to Crater. He still hadn’t moved. She wasn’t even sure he was conscious. The only sign he was even alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest. His face was swollen beyond recognition and she thought she saw a few teeth lying in the grass. One of his arms, the one that had grabbed the gun, was clearly broken. Where the gun itself had gone, she couldn’t say. Their dilemma was real. Tending to his injuries and exiling him from town would have been her go-to solution, but with Little Longhorn’s history she doubted the citizens would accept it. Even without their anger, he’d almost certainly go to the Bad Apples, and who was to say he wouldn’t return with a small army of bandits? For all anypony knew, the Bad Apples would retaliate regardless. Yet Crater had already shown his true nature, and he wasn’t likely to respond well to an offered second chance. Especially with his brother dead… There were no good options. At least, none that would satisfy Rarity’s sense of ethics and the town’s needs at the same time. She briefly considered passing the responsibility on to the pony who had suffered the most under his actions, but one glance at the tightly clenched eyes and downcast face of Sunset Shimmer was enough to remove that option from the table. Rarity was meant to be the role model in this situation. She didn’t like it, but… The idea struck, and she jumped on it. “Let the town decide. Put his fate down to a vote. Whatever happens from that point on, you share the burden of responsibility.” She looked at all their uncertain faces, trying to maintain a respectable air despite the shivering mare clinging to her side. “Healing the wounds of Little Longhorn will be easier if you all are honest with each other. Learn to work together. Protect each other. Prepare for what comes next. Don’t let him—” she nodded to Crater, “—be your future.” The ponies were calm as they took her words in. A few were speaking quietly amongst themselves, but the undercurrent of anger had safely passed. Satisfied that she had done all she could, Rarity wrapped her free arm around Sunset and turned her back towards town. “Come, darling,” she whispered kindly in the mare’s ear. “Let’s get you home.” The two of them shuffled their way out of the cemetery, leaving the locals to their discussions.