"C'mon, Sweetheart!"
"Let go of me!"
The sun had just set when they came for her. She'd been reading up on lunar cycles when a large man busted into her house, startling Owlowiscious. She'd been so startled herself that she'd barely struggled when he'd handcuffed, gagged, and blindfolded her, telling her that she was under arrest.
The large man shoved her roughly, causing her to stumble. He grabbed her by the shoulder and practically threw her up the stairs. The wooden floor gave slightly beneath her. Her blindfold fell off and she saw that she stood atop a trap door. A noose swung idly next to her.
A silent, judging crowd surrounded the gallows on which she currently stood.
Unseen hands removed her gag. An authoritative voice behind her stated plainly. "Twyla Eclipsis Sparkle, you stand accused of the crime of Ponydom. How do you plead?"
"What? No, I'm not a pony!" She swallowed and tried to keep calm. This was all a mistake. "Not guilty!"
"That's what they all say..." The voice muttered, before asking in a loud voice, "Where are the children, Twlya?"
This was followed by a long, tense silence.
"Where's my daughter, pony?" A man shouted from the back of the crowd.
The crowd erupted.
"Where are they, filthy horse!?"
"They take our children, they take our crops! Everything we have!"
"Our town is starving, while monsters like you fatten yourselves on our hard work!"
"I say hang the bitch! Hang 'em all!'
Twyla's eyes widened, as these townspeople she'd known for months turned on her so quickly, with no evidence to speak of, other than one man's word and their own fear. Her disbelief turned to hysterical tears as she felt a noose tighten around her neck.
"No! You can't do this! I'm not a pony!" she cried. How could they do this? Ending her life would not solve anything. It was pointless. There were still so many things she wanted to do, she'd never even kissed a boy.
"You can't do this..." she whispered.
The man who handcuffed her leaned close to her ear and replied, "I'm the Sheriff, I can do what I want."
The Sheriff stiffened and the crowd grew silent, as a pair of stilettos clacked their way up to the gallows. It was the Mayor. The broadsword strapped across her back stood out against her professional blouse and jacket. She stomped up the gallows stairs and placed her hands on her hips. "Tedi, just what in the blackest pit of Tartarus do you think you're doing?"
He stepped forward to meet her. Twyla hadn't gotten a good look at him when he was tying her up. He was tall and well-muscled. His face was wrinkled and he had a big, black mustache that matched his black hair, black boots, and long, black coat. "That's Sheriff Reaver to you, and I'm hanging a pony, what does it look like I'm doing?"
The petite Mayor met the intimidating Sheriff full force. "I'll call you whatever I damn well please, and you're not hanging anything without my say-so!"
"You gave me your say-so the same day you gave me this badge!" He snarled as he tapped said badge with a gloved finger.
Many faces in the crowd winced as the Mayor railed into him. "I gave you that badge so you could keep law and order in this town, not spread fear and chaos, and commit anyone who looks at you funny! What'd she do, Tedi? Turn you down? Remind you that every unmarried woman in this town isn't your personal whore?"
The Sheriff's hand slid to the cutlass at his belt and his voice became dangerously low. "Just what, exactly, are you accusing me of, Ms. Mayor?"
The Mayor's eyes narrowed and her hand shot to her weapon, as well.
An ear-splitting boom tore through the night. The rope above Twyla's head exploded in a shower of hemp, and the noose fell limp against her back. Every head in the square turned toward the sound. An oddly dressed young man sat astride a shadow-black horse. He wore a pair of odd, deep-grey chaps over a pair of brown trousers, and rather than a shirt, his bare chest was criss-crossed with black leather straps affixed with silver buckles. A brass hand-cannon was attached to his outstretched arm, barrel smoking.
"Sorry I'm late, Flanny." He glanced at the rope around Twyla's neck. "I guess we're all a little tied up lately."
The Mayor grinned at the sight of him. "Thank the Gods! Here I thought you weren't going to come!"
The man shrugged. "It sounded important, and it is my job, after all."
The Sheriff bared his teeth. "Just who the Hell are you supposed to be? Wait, let me rephrase that: Who the Hell do you think you are?"
"I'm surprised you don't recognize me, Tedi Bear. We used to play 'Cops and Robbers" together." The man dismounted and strode toward the gallows, folding up his cannon and clipping it to his back. The crowd parted before him, out of fear or respect. Possibly both. "You always wanted to be the robber."
"Lunar? Is that you? Can't be. The Lunar I knew was a pushover and a coward. Surely he'd have changed in eight years." He shook his head. "Where've you been off to? Chasing fairies and goblins?"
"Actually, no." Lunar stepped up onto the gallows. He and the Sheriff were the same height. "You call an exterminator for fairies and goblins. They're pests. You call me for the big stuff."
The Sheriff smirked. "A Supernaturalist, eh? Well, If you're such an expert on the subject, why don't you tell our good Mayor that this young girl before us is not a young girl at all, but rather, a pony in disguise!"
Lunar smiled good-naturedly. He had a pleasant face, with a strong jaw and just the slightest bit of stubble. His eyes were brown and matched his short hair. "Of course, Tedi Bear. Be glad to."
The Sheriff gritted his teeth at the use of his silly childhood nickname. He watched as Lunar approached Twyla. She flinched away.
"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." As he stooped to pull a few objects from his bag, Twyla noticed a pair of cross hatched tattoos on either side of his neck. "Yet. I'm just going to do a few tests."
He held a jar of liquid to her lips. "Here, taste this. I promise it's not poison."
What choice did she have? Her delicate tongue flitted out and tapped the surface of the liquid. The tiny drop lit a bonfire in her mouth. She gasped. "Whew. Spicy."
He nodded and pulled out an ordinary, unassuming seed, pressing it to her cheek. Her flesh tingled where he touched her. After a few seconds of nothing happening, he nodded again, putting the seed away.
He knelt down in front of her and looked her in the eyes. "If you really aren't a pony, I apologize in advance for this next one. It's a bit... invasive."
Before she could ask what he was doing, his head was underneath her dress, his fingers flitting over her legs. It was unexpected, if not entirely unpleasant, and she gasped. Her breath caught as he pulled down her underwear, revealing her pale, finely shaped buttocks. After only a heartbeat, he pulled them back up, clicking his tongue with satisfaction. Popping out from beneath her petticoats, Lunar unlocked the handcuffs.
"Sorry about that, Miss," He muttered. "But I had to check for a Cutie Mark. It's the one thing they can't disguise"
Then, louder. "This woman is not a pony, and she is not to blame for the Ponyville's woes. Go on home, everyone."
The Sheriff held up an arm. "Woah, wait, hold up. She has to be a pony! Look at her hair, look at her eyes!"
Lunar looked. "Yes, Tedi, what about them?"
"They're purple!"
"And a very pretty shade at that. But, while abnormal hair and eye coloring is a common symptom among disquised ponies, it is far from a defining trait. Maybe she had an incident dying clothes, maybe she suffers from simultaneous cases of purpura capillus and purpura oculus. It isn't the strangest thing I've seen in this job, which, I'll remind you, ended when I said she wasn't a pony. Have a good night."
"Wait one second, Lunar. Not every pony has a Cutie Mark. When an Alicorn disguises itself, it shows no outward symptoms!" The Sheriff grinned maliciously when he saw the anger in Lunar's eyes.
The Lunar's voice became deadly. "A good point, Sheriff, but a moot one. Everyone here knows that my father died killing the last Alicorn fifteen years ago. I'm the Pony Hunter here, and I say that this girl is just as Human as you or me."
The Mayor put her arm around Lunar again. "Tedi, you are no longer in charge of Pony investigations. You will turn any evidence you have gathered so far over to Lunar. As long as he remains in Ponyville, you will consider him your superior."
The Sheriff's brow furrowed in an expression of disbelief. "You can't do that!"
"I'm the Mayor, I can do what I want."