//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 - Any Pony Who Stands Right 
// Story: Outlaw Mares 1: A Hoof Full of Trixie 
// by Digodragon 
//------------------------------//





Trixie arrived to the scene uncontested, a fact that concerned the blue Unicorn. The heat of the small fire curled upwards with a steady column of dull-gray smoke. The flames danced over a pile of split wood planks and empty barrels, consumed with a voracious appetite. The fire’s light illuminated only the forms of rocks and a bush in the vicinity. There were no guards to be seen.
The train depot consisted of four warehouses in box formation with a simple wooden fence that surrounded it. Trixie had just stepped through one of the many large gaps in that barrier, a condition that was notorious for defeating the purposes of a fence. Trixie looked at the old wear on the wooden fence. The aged cracks and well-faded paint signified the fault of poor maintenance and not a recent break-in.

The blue Unicorn turned her attention to the glow of the yellow-orange fire by one of the warehouses. She surveyed the area once more for the movement of intruders, but did not see anything more than the fire itself dancing alone. The quiet crackling of the fire seemed to almost call her forward, as if it wanted to show her something. The Unicorn approached, concentrating on the shapes the fire made.

When she was a filly, Trixie was taught that fire had a spirit much like a wild animal. It was fierce as a wolf, but it also danced gracefully as a bee, a dance that could tell a story if you were patient to listen. After half a minute of quiet meditation, the fire pointed out two large shadowy bodies that lay nearby against the warehouse wall, a wall that bore a gaping hole to the interior.

Well, Trixie did suppose that there were times the dance was more obvious than others.

Trixie nodded to the fire and then cautiously approached the unmoving bodies. They were two unconscious guards, one male and the other female. Their faces and chest were covered in cuts and bruises, the tell-tale signs of a violent scuffle were evident on them even beneath the flickering ominous shadows cast off from the fire’s light.
Trixie walked over and checked the two guards for signs of life. She felt a labored breath emanate from the nose of both guards upon her hoof, a good sign they were still alive. However, Trixie was unable to do anything for them at the moment. She committed their appearances to memory in case she was given the opportunity to relate her findings to some pony else here who could help them.

The blue Unicorn turned her attention to the large, jagged hole in the side of the wooden warehouse where the fire stood guard. The edges appeared burned and splintered as if a fist of incredible fire punched through the wall. Stranger still, the shattered remains of what is now a hole had blown outward, becoming the pile of wood that sustained this fire. This may not have been a robbery after all.
This may have been an escape!

Trixie tightened her torn cape and slowly walked around the debris into the hole.

The building was quite dark, only illuminated by the unsteady light of the small fire outside. She estimated the ceiling to be somewhere between two and three stories tall, the inside spaces lined with impressively large shelves of steel. The shelves were filled with stacked wooden crates, most of them nearly as large as Trixie. The labels of the closest crates were readable in the yellow-orange glow. They had words like Sample and Ore, along with serial numbers and the mutual delivery address of San Anponio. It seemed a safe assumption that this warehouse held the iron mined by this town.

Trixie could not see the far end of the warehouse; its shadows defied the fire’s attempt to reveal their secrets. The Unicorn was able, however, to make out what appeared to be a closed hatch that led to the roof. Trixie wanted more light, but thought against activating a light spell in case there were still thieves within the building. Instead she carefully crept along the shelves and felt her way along into the dark. Trixie occasionally glanced behind her in case someone attempted to catch her by surprise.
Assuming Trixie was able to see anything at all.

“Suddenly rock farming is looking to be a more rewarding profession,” thought Trixie. She disbelieved that she came out here alone to investigate. Why did she come out here? Was it because of Lisa’s sad expression when she said the town simply didn’t care anymore?
“Guilt trip? No, never heard of it,” Trixie muttered to herself angrily. Trixie continued to feel her way down one of the isles of shelves, her hooves stroked over rough, wooden crates.

Once she was firmly within the dark warehouse, Trixie heard the miniscule shuffling of paws a few rows over. Among the shuffles was the occasional sound of a crate being pushed along the hard, wooden floor planks. Trixie inched closer by a row and caught the faint glimpse of a lit lantern father down the aisle. The tiny, yellow light only outlined shadows of two very much not-crate-shaped silhouettes across the floor. Trixie remained hidden and listened in on the whispering voices that were speaking to each other.

“This-s-s box,” the first voice hissed.

“Yes-s-s,” replied a second voice. “Bait and s-s-switch.”

Trixie wondered if they were just common thieves. She couldn’t think of a reason to steal iron ore as it did not seem particularly valuable to her, but then Trixie wasn’t an expert on commodities. What did bother Trixie were their voices. They sounded very… feral for whatever they were.

Trixie squinted her eyes as she inched closer to see what the unknown thieves had acquired. Trixie saw the glint of a small dazzling object, something that gave off a rainbow hue like a cut diamond. Trixie couldn’t hear what was whispered next by the thieves, but she heard the faint sound of stretching rubber behind her.

Trixie turned around in time to see a slingshot fire a round steel bullet at her head. The Unicorn violently shoved herself away from the shelves and dodged the projectile by mere inches. The small steel ball punched a noisy hole in the crate Trixie was standing by just moments ago. Splinters ejected in all directions. The Unicorn rolled to her feet and with a quick flash she activated a light spell at the tip of her horn. The tiny orb of light illuminated her assailant—
A small, brown hare that wore a leather pouch.

“Seriously?” Trixie muttered flatly.

The hare blinked his eyes at the blinding magical light of the Unicorn’s horn. He quickly reached into the pouch and pulled out another bullet to aim Trixie. The steel ball was released at a blinding speed and just as quickly, the hare had pulled a second steel ball, then a third.

Trixie galloped away from the attacking hare. The steel balls chased the mare down the aisle and ricocheted off the wooden crates with the angry force of a ball-peen hammer. The shots rang out with great intensity against the wood, but not one connected with the retreating Unicorn. Had Trixie’s light spell dazed the hare’s sight this fortuitously?
The next shot grazed through Trixie’s hair and warned her that such luck was a fleeting moment.

Trixie made a hard turn around a corner and dove behind several tall crates for cover. She turned off her magical light as the ear-piercing crunch of wood reverberated on the other side of the crate from two steel spheres. Trixie shuddered to think what those bullets could do to her bones.
“This isn’t a hare!” Trixie exclaimed to herself, “It’s a compact Ursa Minor with a weapon!”

The warehouse went silent again. The bullets stopped coming, but Trixie knew that this meant the hare was moving in for the kill. Trixie couldn’t see well enough to make a run for the exit. If she crashed into a crate at full gallop she might break her leg or if the hare caught her by surprise he might… No, Trixie wasn’t going to go out like this. She needed a plan, a distraction, something to dazzle the hare for just a moment so she could run.
Of course.

Trixie removed her cape and held it half folded over her fore-hooves. With a flourish she flicked the cape out from behind the crate and into the air. A steel ball zipped through and tore a huge hole in her cape before it bounced off loudly against a metal shelf beam.
Trixie rapidly spun around and leaped out from the other side of the crate. She caught the hare in mid-reach of another bullet.

“Behold The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

What came next from Trixie’s horn was the complete and utter chaos of exploding magical fireworks in the hare’s face. The blues and greens that sprung forth from the Unicorn’s horn speckled the hare with hesitation while the reds and yellows burned its poor eyes with glaring blindness.

Trixie rushed the little rodent and with a quick sideways slide she kicked the hare square in the stomach with her hind hooves. The critter was listed off his little feet and thrown into the shelves. The hare’s head bounced off a metal beam, making a resounding fleshy clang.
Without hesitation Trixie snatched the slingshot with her levitation magic and made a full gallop towards the very breach she came in. She was able to taste freedom as the hole approached rapidly with a yawning welcome. Trixie felt her heart pound in her ears as she neared the exit.

The exit was mere feet away, but two tall and feral looking canines stepped out of the shadows and attempted to block Trixie’s way out. The Unicorn screeched to a halt before them, her hooves kicked forward to stop her speeding momentum. The flickering light of the fire outlined their sharp claws and long teeth. The semi-upright silhouettes gave Trixie the impression that they were Diamond Dogs.

Then spines unfurled from their backs like talons and immediately ruled out Diamond Dogs.

“A pony!” the first wheezed as it bared its snake-like fangs.

“S-s-seize her!” the second hissed with a forked tongue.

The two creatures clumsily lunged at Trixie. The little blue Unicorn leaped backwards and sailed out of their large clawed reach. The monster on the left lost its balance and unceremoniously hit the wooden floor with a hard thud. The other creature paused in its attack and tried to shuffle around its fallen partner.

Trixie raced around the two beings and the slingshot magically flew behind her. The still standing monster leaped at Trixie, cleared the fallen one, and landed right beside the Unicorn. It hit the floor awkwardly on its clawed hands first, the sound of a joint popped in the wrong direction. The creature howled and flailed out, rolling forward with its momentum. The sharp back spines slashed at Trixie’s rear-left leg in a stinging scrape. The pain caused the Unicorn to falter and fall. She continued to slide another two feet toward the hole, but it wasn’t enough.

“We eats-s-s the pony!” the first fallen creature hissed as it finally got up. The second monster crawled its way toward the Unicorn.

“Choke on it!” Trixie yelled. She magically threw the slingshot at the crawling monster before her. The weapon bounced painfully off the creature’s head and stunned it. Trixie let out a crazed shout, leaped at the standing creature, and slammed against its chest with all four hooves. She bounced back off with all her might and the momentum carried the little Unicorn up and through the air.

The Unicorn sailed out of the warehouse through the breech and toward the bonfire that still burned brightly in her path.

Trixie screamed as she flailed her legs to avoid the red-hot flames that reached out to her. With her remaining strength, Trixie used her levitation magic to shove herself away from the fire. She hit the sandy ground hard beside the flames and kicked up a colossal cloud of fine sand around herself. Trixie’s mane sizzled as the flames licked stray hairs, but she quickly rolled away from the fire and scrambled to her hooves.

Not caring what may still be behind her or the two unconscious guards, Trixie bolted down the dirt path back to Saddlestone. She didn’t look back once in her gallop away from the warehouse. Her heart pounded heavily in her ears, sweat tricked down and stung her eyes. However, nothing of that mattered right now. Trixie had escaped a frightening fight against the odds, against death itself!
It was an extraordinary and true accomplishment that she could brag about.

The trouble, of course, was to get some pony to believe her.


~ ~ ~


Trixie spent the early part of the morning behind the house in a cool tub of water. She had just washed the dirt and ash off her light blue coat and mane, but decided to soak for a few more minutes. Last night’s excursion left Trixie’s legs aching and further her head swam with the fatigue of several missed hours of sleep. Trixie couldn’t remember what she did once she reached Ellie’s house. She only knew that she awoke lying on the living room floor after Lisa accidently stepped on her and yelped as if the old mare had stepped on a stray dog.
That wasn’t a pleasant way to wake up this morning.

Trixie’s thoughts reflected on the events of last night. She tried to focus on the details so that she could recall everything that happened; the torn hole in the warehouse, the hare that attacked her, and the monstrous creatures digging through crates. Trixie was a well-traveled pony, but her travels never took her this fare west. She had never seen any such creatures back east that looked as those fanged creatures did. She entertained the possibility that they were Diamond Dogs who wore some frightful costumes.

After Trixie washed up, she dried herself off with a towel Lisa had given her. Trixie inspected the scrape on her leg where those sharp spines had grazed her. The only creature Trixie knew of with similar back spines were dragons, but these two were certainly not such.

Trixie sighed and hoped to just write that letter of appeal to Canterlot and then return home to finish writing her failing novel. It wasn’t a total loss however. Perhaps she could have this trip added into the novel to spice up the story.

Trixie glanced at the small shed nearby after she put the towel down. She wondered what secret lay inside that structure. Hopefully it wasn't the body of Ellie’s father. The Pegasus was a bit odd, but she didn't seem morbidly so.

Trixie heard Ellie’s sleepy voice inside the house call out to her mother. She then heard Ellie fret over her blind mother’s stumble around the kitchen, in an attempt to fix breakfast. They were close as family, something Trixie didn’t have much experience with, but they did share one other thing in common. Like Ellie, Trixie was forced to grow up without a father.

The unicorn grabbed her brush with magic and stroked it through her mane as she trotted back to the house. She glanced out at the morning sky to get a feel of today’s weather before Trixie entered the house. The aroma of breakfast invited Trixie inside through the kitchen door. She sat down across from Ellie at the table and took two slices of toast for herself.

“I suppose your mother has told you I was out last night?” Trixie asked Ellie nonchalantly.

“Uh?” Ellie replied with a mouth full of bread and jam. She looked up from her plate curiously.

Trixie glanced at Lisa. The blind mare gazed at the ceiling while she chewed on her own breakfast. Trixie set down her toast. “Last night, there was a fire at a warehouse by the train depot,” Trixie explained. “I went to check it out and… I saw some strange creatures there rummaging through the crates for something.”
Ellie and Lisa both turned and stared at Trixie as if the Unicorn had just grown a second horn; quite a feat for Lisa given her blindness. At least, Trixie was pretty sure Lisa's eyes tracked Trixie despite the blindfold. Trixie took a quick drink of milk to clear her throat.

“Seriously! Take two Diamond Dogs and give them spines and fangs!” Trixie exasperated. “Great big creatures ready to tear me apart. Oh it looked grim for me, but worst yet was a small and feisty hare that tried to shoot me down with a large slingshot and steel bullets the size of my eyes.”
Never let be said that Trixie couldn’t spin anything to make it sound more epic.

“Oh come on, that sounds like ballyhoo to me,” Ellie commented playfully at the Unicorn’s seemingly tall tale.

“Hush Ellie,” Lisa corrected. “Can’t you see our guest is all brisked-up about her story? I’ve seen some strange happenings in my day and I can tell a genuine story from a braggart. Go on dear.”

Trixie looked at Lisa and did something she hadn’t genuinely done in weeks. She smiled. With renewed steam, Trixie continued. “The hare had me in his sights, shooting straight for my throat with that deadly weapon of his. He had me pinned down behind a crate with nothing but my wits! So then, I used those wits by distracting him with my cape!” Trixie reached around her neck to pull off her cape and demonstrate the action.
However, she wasn’t wearing her cape.

“Err, I don’t seem to have my cape,” Trixie remarked. Trixie didn’t take long to remember where she last had it. It was left behind at the warehouse.

Where others were going to find it as evidence!

“Bull patties!!” Trixie cursed as she shot up from the table.

“I don’t get it,” Ellie questioned, “Did you get attacked by one or something?” 

“No! My cape! I left it at the warehouse!” Trixie shouted. “I have to get it back quick before-”


~ ~ ~


Trixie stood quietly in front of the gathered crowd at the warehouse. Two railroad workers flanked her to prevent any choice of escape while deputy Valiant finished interviewing the local rail depot owner, a female zebra named Lulu. Ah, Trixie recognized that name. This was the Lulu Gauge from the voting poster. Trixie found it interesting that she almost had the look of a politician.
Lulu wore a simple blue-gray buttoned vest, a blue cap over her long, wavy monochrome mane, and multiple studded earrings in both ears. Her vest was tidy without a wrinkle to be seen and the earrings were evenly spaced and meticulously aligned in neat rows. Lulu certainly carried herself with all the grace and presentation of a leader.

Trixie listened to Lulu’s deep voice rattle off all the damages found within the warehouse while she waited to be questioned next. Or rather, interrogated. The railroad workers, the miners, and the townsfolk were all full of gossip about Trixie louder than a stampede of buffalo. Trixie thought that perhaps the better course of action this morning was to run in the other direction and leave town.

Ellie was off by herself surveying the large hole in the warehouse and the pile of burned planks from the fire that was there the night before. The young Pegasus didn’t seem at all interested in the zebra’s discussion, captivated completely by the damage done to the building.

“Alright Miss Trixie,” Valiant spoke calmly. He brushed a hoof over Trixie’s tattered purple cape on the ground. “I found one of your effects here in the warehouse. Now, before this crowd gets all uppity from drawing their own conclusion, I’ll give you a chance to defend yourself.”

“I came to investigate the fire last night,” Trixie began, “And I had found the two guards here unconscious when I arrived. When I looked inside, I heard two big creatures rummaging through the crates.”

“Were you alone?” Valiant questioned.

“Yes,” Trixie answered. “I was alone when the creatures that robbed this place attacked me. They tried to tear me apart! Look, this scrape was from that very encounter!” Trixie held up her hind left leg and showed a scabbed cut visible under her fur. The crowd murmured some more to each other about the injury, though one stallion in the crowd catcalled at Trixie’s raised leg. The unicorn quickly put her hoof back down.

Lulu interrupted the crowd’s mutterings. “There was nothing pilfered from the warehouse, I checked it myself,” Lulu said in a husky, stern voice. “However, there are unquestionably a lot of holes left in crates and walls. The largest one here in the exterior wall could almost fit your notorious ego.”

“Yes, large egos could do that,” Trixie said sarcastically, “Did I mention I was attacked by two creatures? Big, brutish and, might I add, suffering from a severe case of halitosis?”

Part of the crowd chuckled. Valiant threw them all a dirty look. “Trixie, there are no witnesses other than two unconscious guards,” the deputy explained. “They’re currently in the care of the town doc so until I can get statements from them, it’s just your word against the evidence that you vandalized this place.”

“I don’t have a weapon!” Trixie defended. “This warehouse was attacked by two large, feral monsters and a small hare with a slingshot!”

The crowd burst into a roar of laughter. Several ponies mimicked motions that insinuated Trixie was either insane or drunk. Trixie looked down at her hooves. That statement certainly could have come out better. Valiant barked at the rowdy crowd to shut them up, but most ponies continued to banter among themselves.

Lulu waved her hoof mockingly at the blue Unicorn’s horn. “Trixie, few Unicorns live in Saddlestone. Fewer still know how to use their magic as destructively as your reputation paints. I have heard many tales of The Great and Powerful Trixie besting her opponents with spells unchallenged. Who is to say this destruction is not your own deed and you are merely whitewashing the truth?”

Trixie stamped her hoof down. “I have no reason to vandalize your stupid warehouse!” she yelled out over the crowd. “Yes, it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw! Maybe they weren’t really monsters! Maybe they were some pony in disguise! Yes, I bet it was Roxy and her pals behind this robbery! They’d certainly look feral with the right disguises and they certainly have the brutish strength to break into this place!”

“It weren’t me Valiant!” Roxy shouted from the rear of the crowd. Now every pony hushed as they parted from Roxy’s path. The Diamond Dog strode proudly up to the deputy. “I was over by the saloon last night, having a friendly drink with my lady pals.” She pointed to Ginger and Bella who were both a ways off in the back of the crowd. Ginger was still wearing Trixie’s hat and that only added insult to Trixie’s injury.

Valiant turned to the Cactus Gulp’s owner and bartender. “Is that true, Barley?”

The stallion nodded, “Yup, rowdy as usual, those Diamond Dogs were drinking at my establishment last night. They fell asleep and didn’t leave till earlier this morning. The dogs left me a big mess to clean up too.”

The crowds started to murmur loudly among themselves again. Trixie’s face became expressionless as the deputy scratched his head. “I’m mighty sorry Trixie,” he said sadly, “But I’m going to have to take you in.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes and frowned at Roxy angrily. “Fine,” Trixie barked defiantly, “But I’ll be taking back my cape!” Trixie snatched her cape by hoof and led the way to the deputy’s jail. The crowd followed as they slowly dispersed back to their morning routines. Their rumors, however, would not end so quickly.
Roxy smirked as Trixie walked by. The blue Unicorn gave the dog a long glance before saying anything. “I’ll be skipping out on that train ride today, by choice.”
Trixie picked up her pace, which forced Valiant to keep up.

Ellie trotted along with the crowd. She kept to the tail end because she had just found something interesting that was overlooked by the deputy and the workers.