//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Dead-Eye Darling // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// One week earlier... Somepony knocked on the door of the boutique, distracting Rarity from her work. She turned her head to the sound while carefully monitoring the position of the scissors she held in her magic. “Come in!” The door opened and a purple mare came in. “Good afternoon, Rarity. I was hoping you could keep something for me.” “Certainly, Twilight.” Rarity smiled and put down her work for the moment. “What can I help you with?” The other pony opened her saddlebags and took out a finely cut diamond. While Rarity was no scholar of magic, even she could feel a slight pulse of energy that emanated from the stone. The facets of the gem seemed to glow with an inner light. It was also one of the largest examples of its kind that Rarity had ever seen. “This is a little something I’ve been working on,” the purple pony explained. “If it goes right, it should enable teleportation capability over long distances for anypony. There are still a few quirks, though. So far, I’ve only managed to get it to work with unicorns, and the process is still too unstable to be reliable.” “It’s a fabulous diamond,” Rarity gushed. “That’s part of why I wanted you to keep it. I know you have an iron safe for valuables and I was hoping I could leave it there. I’m going on a trip soon, and I don’t need this experiment causing trouble while I’m gone.” Rarity managed to pull her attention away from the gem. “Well, if you’re so insistent, then I should ask: is it dangerous?” “No, nothing like that.” Rarity’s guest waved a hoof. “It just has the disturbing tendency to teleport you on the whims of stray thought. Just don’t stare at it and you’ll be fine.” “It’s hard not to look at such a pretty diamond, but I think I understand.” Rarity nodded. “I’ll keep it safe for you.” “Thanks a lot, Rarity.” “Where are you going?” Rarity asked, taking the diamond and placing it on the table beside her. “Not far. The trip should take no more than a few days.” Rarity smiled. “Well, I’ll see you then. Have a good time.” “See you when I get back.” Rarity waved as her visitor departed. She turned around, not seeing the pony who looked like her friend Twilight put on an evil grin and slink away. Avoiding looking at the diamond too much, Rarity picked it up and headed to the storeroom at the back of her shop. There, behind a portrait on the wall, was a safe with a combination lock. She twiddled in the numbers and opened the door. The safe already contained several objects of great value. A few unique gems and pieces of jewelry were carefully laid inside. At the bottom of the lockbox was a mint condition Cowboys issue #1 comic book. To her friend Spike, at least, it held great value. Rarity glanced at the comic, still slightly off-put by how out of place it was in the safe. Colored pictures about aliens going about their daily lives on some strange planet where ponies were work animals did not strike her as ideal reading material for young Spike. Especially not the parts that were violent. Rarity shook her head, glancing at the cover of the comic again. She had to admit, the wide open vistas and terrain did seem rather scenic, almost like western Equestria. There was a blink of light from the corner of Rarity’s eye. She shifted her gaze sideways, catching sight of the teleportation gem glowing brightly. It flashed again, brighter this time. Her brows furrowed. What was—? In the next instant the gem, and Rarity, were gone. Meanwhile, on a different planet, Frank was not having a good day. He was out of a job, short on money, lost somewhere in west Texas, his horse was dead, and the same gun that had killed her was pressed to the back of his skull. “And you’re sure that’s all you have?” asked the man holding the weapon. Frank kept his hands raised and his eyes on the ground. “Hell, I’m so broke that I might actually come out of this robbery ahead.” He half expected the pistol whip that he received for that remark. It was not a bone-cracking blow, merely enough to knock Frank on his face. He rolled over slowly, staring up at Teal Jack Smith, who was still pointing a six-shooter at him. “I don’t like your attitude,” said Teal Jack. “But you sure are one broke son of a bitch. Just lay there for a few more minutes if you know what’s good for you.” He and the four men in his gang got back on their horses. Frank sighed heavily. They weren’t going to kill him, but that barely made him any happier. What little money and valuables he’d had, they’d taken. Teal Jack holstered his gun and tipped his namesake hat to Frank. Rumor was he’d stolen it from some sort of fancy circus show back east, hence its vivid color. Turning his horse, Teal Jack led his gang away, their mounts stirring up a cloud of dust. Before they got far, however, there was a blinding flash of light accompanied by an ear-piercing scream. Despite what he had been ordered, Frank jerked upright and stared in shock as a white horse and a huge diamond appeared out of thin air only a few feet from him. Teal Jack had seen it, too. Wheeling his steed, he charged back. The pale creature that had just materialized jumped back in fear and a shot of blue light knocked Teal Jack out of his saddle. He hit the ground, dazed but seemingly unhurt as his hat went flying. Frank kicked backwards across the ground, wanting no part of this hocus pocus. Teal Jack shook his head, and spotted the diamond inches from his hand. Grabbing it up and not pausing to retrieve his distinctive hat, Teal Jack jumped back on his horse and spurred it hard, casting a fearful glance over his shoulder at the creature the diamond had arrived simultaneously with. Frank curled into a ball as the horse leaped over him and galloped off down the trail with the other bandits in pursuit. As the hoofbeats faded, Frank slowly looked up and started to right himself. There was dust all over him. Glancing back, he finally got a long look at the mysterious arrival. It looked like a horse – a short one. A pony, then, but still tall enough to ride. The eyes were large and blue, framed with thick dark lashes. The mane and tail were curled much as a fancy woman would, and somehow, royal purple. The strangest part was probably the horn attached to the pony’s forehead. While Frank had never spent much time in school during his youth, stories and legends found their way around the west and he recognized a unicorn when he saw one. Actually, the strangest part, as the unicorn looked with horror at Frank’s dead horse, the missing diamond, and the dirt everywhere, was that she expressed herself with a recognizable female voice. “This is the worst possible thing!” Frank got up slowly, keeping his eyes on the white pony. She continued to fret, stamping her hooves worriedly. He took a few steps in her direction and cleared his throat. “Uh, miss?” She jerked her head in his direction, the curls in her mane bouncing. “Yes? What do you want?” she snapped. “I, uh..” Frank looked at the ground and scuffed some dirt with his boots. “What just happened?” “I was the victim of a terrible misfortune!” She swooned, putting a hoof to her forehead. Frank’s eyes widened. Equine joints were not supposed to bend that way. “Unstable magic was responsible for this.” She swept a hoof around. “Bringing me to this barren wasteland, the hot weather, the dirt!” Frank shook his head. “I’m sorry, did you say magic?” The mare paused in her rant, stopping to stare at Frank for a moment. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that you didn’t have anything like that here.” There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments while the two of them stared at each other. Shifting uncomfortably, the unicorn politely said, “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Rarity. And you are?” “Frank.” “Well, it’s good to meet you, Frank. Can you tell me where I am?” Frank considered that for a moment and pointed to the east. “I think the nearest settlement is Lubbock, a few miles that way.” Rarity frowned. “I’m afraid that doesn’t mean anything to me.” She looked around worriedly, still seeing nothing but the flat Texas land. “I’m sure my friends will come to my rescue soon. Until then, I should probably find that diamond. Did you see it?” “Those men rode away with it,” Frank told her. “Teal Jack and his gang.” Rarity turned to look in the direction he pointed. She gritted her teeth, but drew herself up primly. “Well then, I suppose I must go after it.” “Hang on.” Frank raised his hands. “You can’t just go after them all by yourself.” “And why not?” Rarity had turned to go but paused. “My friends and I have fought dragons, a draconequus, changelings, parasprites, and several other examples of evil incarnate. I must admit ignorance as to what these ‘men’ are like, but I think I can handle myself. After all, none of you seem to have claws or huge teeth, and you’ve just said that you can’t wield magic.” Frank had no idea what half those creatures she listed were, but he couldn’t just let her go by herself. Teal Jack and his crew were dangerous, and this unicorn was apparently far from home and in unfamiliar territory. It would be irresponsible to not help her. Also, he was more than a little curious. “I don’t think going off by yourself is a good idea.” Rarity cast her eyes towards the fading dust cloud in the distance, clearly longing to go after the fleeing bandits. She reluctantly turned back to Frank. “Go on.” “You’re...well, you’re a unicorn. We just don’t have those around here. People might be suspicious.” Her ears flicked a little in confusion. “Is that a problem?” “I’m just saying that some drunk cowpoke with more bullets than brains might make a mistake. You should stay away from towns, or get a disguise, or something.” “Hmm.” Rarity considered that for a moment. She spotted Teal Jack’s hat lying on the ground. Her horn glowed, and the hat floated into the air, supported by magic. Frank stared, openmouthed, but Rarity didn’t notice. She gave the hat a critical once-over, beating some dust from it before settling it on her head. Her horn was neatly covered. “How’s this? I look like an earth pony now.” “Well, uh,” Frank stammered, still recovering from the shock of seeing magic in action. “It helps, I guess. But what about the coloring? And the... whatever that is on your rump.” Rarity glanced at her hip. “It’s just my cutie mark. Honestly Frank, you seem to be making a big deal out of rather mundane things.” “Ponies around here don’t have anything like cutie marks, none of them have purple manes, and very few are so bright white.” Frank shook his head in exasperation. “And they never, ever talk. They’re, uh... just regular animals.” “Are you suggesting that I should disguise myself as a common beast of burden?” Rarity looked aghast. “Well, yes. I mean, nobody would look twice at you, and isn’t that what you want if you’re trying to catch some crooks?” Rarity considered the idea for a long moment. “I must reluctantly admit, you have a point. So what do you suggest I do?” “Maybe a saddle and some pack bags would help.” Frank looked at his dead horse, still wearing her gear. Rarity followed his gaze, grimacing at the sight. “Good heavens, what happened to her?” “She was shot.” “Shot?” Frank walked over and stood forlornly for a moment before kneeling down and starting to dig with his hands. Teal Jack had taken everything he could, but one of Frank’s saddlebags was pressed between the dead mare’s body and the ground. Frank eventually dug it out and opened the buckle. There was exactly one thing inside: a Smith & Wesson Schofield .44 caliber revolver. He held it up, and Rarity took a few steps closer with a look of curiosity. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” “It’s a pistol.” Frank flipped the latch and opened the top-break revolver. He pulled out a cartridge and showed it to her. “There’s gunpowder inside this that shoots the piece of lead at the front of the cartridge out of the barrel at high speed. Someone used one of these to kill my horse.” Rarity recoiled. “Why do you have a dangerous weapon?” “Everyone does. It’s the way of the west. After all, we don’t have claws or huge teeth or magic.” Frank replaced the cartridge and checked to make sure five of the six chambers were loaded. Leaving the one under the hammer empty was the only way to make sure the gun wouldn’t go off if dropped. Also, it was a handy place to store a rolled up bank note. Teal Jack had taken Frank’s usual pistol, so he dropped the Schofield into his empty holster. Its short five inch barrel was a little loose in the leather, and he slipped a cord over the hammer to hold it. Frank started digging again. It wasn’t easy work, even with the slight amount of soil that he had to move to reach the saddle cinch. He eventually did work the worn, dirty saddle loose of the horse. “Do you expect me to wear that?” Rarity demanded. She had been watching the whole time. Frank looked down at the heavy saddle and padded blanket in his hands and then back at her. “I thought you needed a disguise.” “Yes, but that thing is hideous! It has so many extra parts, not to mention you took it off a dead body!” “Extra parts?” asked Frank, confused. Rarity pointed a hoof at the saddle horn, curved seating surface, and stirrups. She cocked an eyebrow. “Honestly darling, who could have designed something like this? What is it for?” “It’s a working saddle.” Frank frowned. “Just what kind of saddles do they have where you come from?” Rarity shook her head. “At least let me clean it first.” Frank hastily let go of the saddle as she grasped it with magic. He had managed to get over the surprise of meeting a talking unicorn, but the sparkling blue lights and levitating objects still gave him pause. Rarity’s eyebrows furrowed and the output of light from her horn increased. Little clouds of trail dust drifted away from the saddle and blanket, shaken off by some unseen force. After a few minutes, she was satisfied and gingerly set the rig on her back, doing up the cinch. Her barrel was somewhat slimmer than the horse’s, and the saddlebags rode far enough back to cover her cutie mark. Stretching a bit to get used to the gear, Rarity struck a pose. “How do I look?” The last time Frank had been asked that, his girlfriend back in Dodge City had wanted a serious answer, not just a noncommittal grunt. That was part of the reason they weren’t together anymore. He put his hand to the stubble on his chin and gave Rarity a critical eye. “Still need to do the mane, but you’re getting there.” “I don’t know how I shall color it.” Rarity frowned. “Plenty of dirt around here,” Frank commented. Rarity gasped, her eyes opening wide. “Absolutely not! We will go to a proper store and buy some dye!” “Even if the general store in Lubbock has some, just how am I supposed to buy it? Those men that took your diamond also stole all my money. You surely don’t have any.” Frank decided not to mention his last paper dollar, rolled up in the empty chamber of his pistol. Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Fine then. Take me to the nearest river.” Frank didn’t know where she was going with that, but replied, “It’s west Texas. Good luck finding one.” Shaking her head, Rarity turned to walk in the direction of Lubbock that Frank had pointed out earlier. Frank took a moment to glance at his horse. She’d been good to him, and it was a crying shame to just leave her for the buzzards. There was no shovel to bury her, though, and no time anyway. He turned and walked quickly, catching up with Rarity. She was rather average-sized for a pony but still taller than him and her legs covered quite a bit of ground. Frank put his hand on the pommel of the saddle. “Hold up.” She looked at him, annoyance clear in her blue eyes. “Yes?” “Aren’t you going to let me ride?” Rarity stared at him for several seconds, her ears dropping back into an irritated posture. “Pardon me, could you repeat that?” “Riding is what the saddle is for.” Frank gestured to the seat and stirrups. “Also, you’re bigger than I am, and have more legs. You can’t exactly ride me.” “There’s no way I’m letting you on my back,” Rarity stated flatly. Frank sighed. It was going to be a long walk.