The rush of a chase was on as a pony, clad in a black-felt cowboy hat and an old torn duster, fled from Canterlot’s bank. He heard the shouts from two deputies that were fast approaching behind him and ran harder. The pony dodged. He ducked. He slid. He even hurdled every obstacle and pony in his way, trying to break the line of sight from his pursuers. As he approached the train station, he heard the booming train whistle blow.
“All boarding to Ponyville!” yelled the conductor. He stepped off the platform and back onto the train as it began to start chugging.
The pony in the black hat looked behind him and saw the two deputies from before pull out revolvers and take aim at him towards the train. He ran up the station steps as the train blew its booming horn again and began to slowly move down the rails. The pony ran harder and at the last possible second of time, dived into the open window of the caboose. He looked out the window at his pursuers and tilted his hat to them, giving them one last smile before slamming the window of the train.
As the pony slumped against the wall of the caboose, he unhooked his saddlebags and sighed. His dark mane fell in front of his face, but he pushed it aside with his hoof. “That was a little rough, but nothing too bad,” he said with a smirk. He opened up his saddlebag and pulled out a large bag of gems and bits he stole from the bank only a few minutes ago. As he scavenged through his new belongings, his hat fell off his head and dropped to the floor. “Come on, Clyde,” he said to himself, wiping off the dust from his hat with his free hoof and placing it back atop his head, “this is no time for clumsiness. After all, you have done this for years now.”
Clyde thought himself as a youthful, yet master outlaw. He was born near Fillydelphia, where he first taught himself the art of being an outlaw, such as theft and cunningness. Since he was a colt, he and his friends, who also found love for larceny, worked their way through northeastern Equestria, robbing every town they could find. They stayed and worked around that area until the past year, where his friends began getting caught and put into jail by the county marshal one by one. Trying not to accept the same fate as his fellow outlaw friends, he hopped on a train to a nearby town and began a journey of his own. He hated to see his friends go down like that, but he knew they would have wanted him to keep their legacy going.
Canterlot was a big target he had eyed for some time. However, with a big target comes big risk, so he robbed every town in his path, not only for the rewards, but for the practice for the big games, like Canterlot, Baltimare, Manehatten, and even Las Pegasus. With all the experiences and success he had in the past year, he felt confident enough to tackle Canterlot alone.
Soon, the train began to slow down and Clyde sat up and looked out the window. He saw the train was stopping at some station. Past the station was a large mountain where Clyde could see Canterlot and the tracks that led to where he was currently at. He felt the train stop, open its doors, and shake with the passengers all rushing out of the train. “Nopony here should know who I am yet,” he quietly said to himself, “I can get another robbery done.” He smiled and equipped his saddlebags before quickly disembarking the train.
As he walked through Ponyville, or what the conductor told him was Ponyville, he kept his hat tilted to shade his eyes. Canterlot was a neighbor city to this small town, but he didn't know if Canterlot contacted them of a new outlaw in the area. He carefully scanned each building as he walked by to find the town bank. After a few minutes, he saw the small town bank and ran up to it. As he got closer to the door, he saw a disappointing sign: 'Closed'.
“It’s closed?” asked Clyde gritting his teeth. He quickly turned away and stared at the clock tower that overlooked the town. It was about to turn dusk, but shops should still be open at the time. That was, unless the bank teller was busy at the saloon and closed up earlier than normal. He scanned the area again and saw a small jewelry store that was still open and lit up with a small light in the window. He began his trot over to the store, but as he approached, the owner walked outside and locked the door.
“Sorry pal,” said the owner with a grin. “I’m heading to the saloon! It’s time to get drunk wasted!” He happily trotted away as Clyde angrily stomped the ground, dust from the barren land rising into his face. He coughed it away and sighed. He turned away from the store and stood there intrigued as he saw a unicorn mare staring at him.
“Hello, miss,” marveled Clyde tilting his hat down again to show manners. He looked back up and took notice of her elegant purple dress that matched her mane color. She was very beautiful looking to him, but he refused to let some emotion take over him. He did, however, feel nervous as her blue eyes looked him up and down.
“I want you to know something. Your outfit is hideous,” stated the unicorn with a look of disgust.
Clyde laughed and looked at her facial expression to see she was being completely serious about it. “Well, I don’t care much about how I look. I had this duster and hat for a long time.”
The unicorn shifted her glance to his face. “I’m not so worried about the hat. It matches your lovely teal eyes and dark mane very well. It’s the torn and dirty duster I have problems with.”
“Well, I can’t do anything about it,” replied Clyde, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like there’s a ‘fashion fixer’ anywhere near here. They are a rarity these days.” Clyde looked at the mare who was smiling at him. “Don’t tell me you’re a ‘fashion fixer’, right?”
The unicorn smiled even harder. “I’m not just a ‘fashion fixer’, I am fashion!”
“What?”
“Come with me,” beckoned the unicorn turning away, “I’ll show you my shop! There, I will fix and make your duster even better than before!”
Clyde shrugged and decided to follow her. Since the shops and bank were certainly closed now, there was little to nothing to do for him. After reaching a small building, the unicorn used her magic to open the door and waved Clyde in. As he stepped inside, the lights flicked on and the unicorn closed the door.
Clyde first noticed the wall of clothing to his right. There were dresses, coats, boots, hats, and anything else a pony needed. Upon a closer examination, Clyde saw most of the plethora of clothing all had a gem or few somewhere on it.
“Do you like my work?” asked the unicorn while looking at her wall. “I am not only making these for fellow ponies for whatever occupation they do, but I’m also making them fabulous, too!”
“Your work is very beautiful, just like yourself, Miss...”
The unicorn smiled and her blue eyes shimmered. “You may call me Rarity.”
“Miss Rarity...” said Clyde, “that’s a fitting name.”
“Thank you for your lovely compliment,” said Rarity sweetly. “It’s hard for me to keep dust away from my clothes and mane, but I’m flattered somepony finds me attractive.” Rarity looked at Clyde and showed disgust when she looked at his duster again. “May I take a look at it?”
Clyde froze in place and looked away from her. “I am thankful you want to help me, but I really need to leave. I have work to do in the morning.” Clyde turned towards the door, but Rarity ran in front of him, blocking him on his way out.
“Oh? What is your occupation? I've never seen you around in Ponyville before.” She looked at him with curious eyes.
“Well, I work on a ranch outside of Canterlot,” said Clyde.
“Sweet Apple Acres?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” said Clyde, squinting his eyes. He never even heard of that place before.
Rarity laughed. “That’s outside of Ponyville, not Canterlot. You’re hiding something from me.” She stepped closer to him which Clyde responded by taking steps back. She looked at his duster again and saw the saddlebags strapped to his side. “What’s in there?”
“Just some clothes,” said Clyde again in a lie. He didn't know why he kept making poor lies that she would never believe.
“You enjoy keeping secrets don’t you, darling?” asked Rarity with a sly smile. She reached for his bag, but Clyde jumped back away from her. Unfortunately, for him, as he jumped back his hoof landed and slipped on a metal pole that was used to hang clothes on and he fell to the ground. The bag of gems and bits spilled out of his saddlebag and Rarity lifted it up with magic. “What’s this?”
“Don’t!” yelled Clyde suddenly.
Rarity grinned at his reaction. “Then hand me the duster! I told you I have a distaste for poorly treated clothing. I’m trying to help you and your stylish needs!” Clyde looked at her and sighed. He stood up and began to take off his duster. He saw her smile as he stripped his coat from his body, which in return, made him somewhat flustered. As he pulled his duster from his front hoof, he heard an object crash on the floor and he sighed even more.
“A revolver!” yelled Rarity as she quickly floated it up to her to examine it. “Are you an undercover deputy?”
“It’s a long story,” said Clyde looking away from her. He took the floating bag and revolver from her and placed the small firearm against his head. “You know too much...”
“What? No!” screamed Rarity. “Don’t do that! You’ll get blood on my clothes and accessories!” Clyde looked at her and laughed, putting the revolver down to his side.
“I’m only kidding, I can’t even use this. I don’t have any ammunition. It’s just a decoy to help.” He threw it to the ground and watched it slide across the floor.
“Then what are you?” asked Rarity. Clyde took notice that her voice remained calm. “Are you a bounty hunter?”
“No.”
“A deputy?”
“No, you already guessed that.”
“A deputy who is also a bounty hunter?”
“No!”
“Then simply say it!” yelled Rarity in frustration.
“I’m an outlaw.”
“What?!”
Clyde didn't speak due to a sudden faint knock on the door. He shifted his body to carefully peek out the window near the door and saw the famously known coat and deputy silver badge. Nervously, he glanced at Rarity. “If you help me hide, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Rarity looked at him and after a quick thought, waved him to sit down. Clyde hesitated and pondered on why she decided to help him, but Rarity quickly threw a blanket on him with her horn and walked towards the door. Clyde laid down in the corner of the shop with the blanket still on him, trying not to say a word to blow his cover. He couldn't see anything, but he heard Rarity open the door and speak.
“Good evening, deputy.”
“Good evening, Miss Bonnibelle. Sorry to disturb you at this time.”
“Whatever is the matter?”
“We have just been notified about a robbery in Canterlot about an hour ago. The culprit could be anywhere, so we wanted to make sure if you see any strange sightings, let me or one of the other deputies patrolling the town tonight know of it.”
Clyde thought to himself this is where he would be captured. There’s no way a mare like Rarity would allow him to stay in her house any longer. She probably thought of him as a barbaric bandit.
“I will. Thanks for letting me know.”
“My pleasure, Miss Bonnibelle. Have a good evening.”
The door shut and Clyde heard Rarity’s hoofsteps as she walked on the wooden floor. When the elegant hoofsteps faded, Clyde froze in place. “You can come out from under there.”
Clyde pulled the blanket from him and looked up at Rarity. She had a small smile across her face, but Clyde didn't understand why. “You didn't turn me in?”
“Heavens no.”
“Why not?”
Rarity sighed. “No matter what acts you have done in the past, I still shouldn't turn my hoof away from a pony in need of shelter and a clean, repaired duster.” She lifted up her head and closed her eyes. “Besides, I know you like me.”
Clyde coughed at the sudden accusation. “What?”
“I know it’s true, darling,” said Rarity still looking away from him, letting a small smile form her lips. “I could tell by the way you looked at me.” Clyde tried to look away from her, but his gaze kept resting on her face. “Are you okay?” asked Rarity as she returned her eyes to him.
“I-I’m fine,” replied Clyde with a cough.
“I can go pour you a glass of water...”
“No, no. I’m fine...”
“Wonderful!” she replied, full of pep and energy. She trotted into the other room for a brief second and came out with small cushions. After dusting them off with magic, she placed them on the floor and hovered over Clyde’s duster. She looked at Clyde. “Now, sit down and tell me everything I need to know about my new favorite client,” she ordered.
He sat down on her newly placed cushion and strangely looked at her. “I’m already your favorite?”
“Well, every current client I have is my favorite. It’s my job to keep them satisfied and fabulous so I simply must use friendly manners towards them!” Rarity cracked a smile and floated over his duster for closer examination. “Hmm, I bet I can do something about this rather quickly. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me your name and how you became this wanted outlaw?”
Clyde nodded. “Well, my name is Clyde–”
“Wait.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is that a nickname or were you always called that?”
“Well, it's more of a nickname, but I’ve always had it.”
“Well, I think it’s a lovely name, no matter how strange it is.”
“Your name is strange, too!”
“Yes, but my name is also fabulous and pretty!”
Clyde sighed. “Can I continue now?”
“Of course! Please, go on,” said Rarity with a smile.
Clyde coughed. “Anyways, after learning how to become an outlaw with my friends–”
“Wait.”
Clyde put his hoof to his nose and pinched it. “What is it this time?”
“So are you part of a gang full of ruffians?”
“I guess I technically was.”
“What happened then?”
“They got caught and I’m the only one not in jail.”
“Seems like your gang of outlaws were amateurs.”
“Can I please just finish this story?” asked Clyde sternly.
“Oops! I’m terribly sorry, please continue! I won’t stop you again,” said Rarity with a wink.
“Alright...” Clyde tried to remember where he was in his tale before Rarity’s second interruption. He coughed again and resumed. “So, after starting my journey and gaining enough confidence, I finally made it to Canterlot earlier today and–”
“Wait.”
“What is it this time!” yelled Clyde. He realized his sudden shout startled her.
“All I was asking this time was if you wanted something to eat,” said Rarity angered and giving him a look of hatred. “No need for the hostility.”
Clyde sighed and felt bad for making her upset. “Look, I’m–”
“Wait,” said Rarity with a playful smile.
“What is it this time?” asked Clyde in a quieter tone. He was stunned on how quickly her emotions towards him changed.
“I accept your apology.”
Clyde smiled and laughed.
Rarity soon got a quick meal to eat for them both and began working on fixing the tears in Clyde’s duster. He watched her work and sat there amazed on how fast and proficient she was. He took another glance at her wall of clothing and waited until she finished.
In a minute or two, Clyde heard her get up from the chair from the sewing machine and walk over to him. “Here you are,” said Rarity, floating over the newly repaired and clean duster, “you may try it on to see how well it fits. However, since it’s yours, that’s not required.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it, Miss Bonnibelle,” beamed Clyde, tilting his hat down.
Rarity laughed. “You don’t have to call me that, you know. I told you that ‘Rarity’ was fine, too.”
“My apologies, Miss Rarity.” She coquettishly smiled at him and looked over at his saddlebags on the floor. After opening it up, she levitated up the Canterlot bank bag from before and floated it beside Clyde, giving it a quick shake. “I guess you want to see what’s in there, huh?”
“That would be lovely,” she said in a soft, almost seductive tone.
Clyde nodded and opened the bag. As he dropped the bag of valuables on the floor, he saw Rarity’s eyes shine and sparkle at the gems. She paid little to no attention to the bits. He let her pick up the gems and after a few seconds, he saw a smirk on her face.
“So, you are a thief after all,” said Rarity, still mesmerized by the gems.
“Of course,” replied Clyde proudly and confidently. “I might be the best one in Equestria.” He noticed his cockiness made Rarity laugh.
“I’m not making fun of you, Clyde, but don’t get too egotistical. I've yet to see you and your larcenous acts with my own eyes, so I can’t believe you’re the ‘best’. A simple colt could be just as good as you.”
Clyde raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying being an outlaw is easy?”
“I might be,” spoke Rarity with lowered eyes, revealing a sultry expression. “I bet I could do just as well as you.”
Clyde chuckled briefly and looked at her in the eyes. “I would love to see that.”
“Good! Looks like you have a new partner!”
“Wait, what?!” asked Clyde confused.
“You said you wanted me to show you my skills as an outlaw. That means I must travel Equestria with you!” stated Rarity excitedly. “Plus, this means I can see how good you are firsthoof.”
Clyde blinked. “You do realize this is dangerous, right?”
“Nonsense! It’s only dangerous if you aren't skilled, but since you say you are very skilled, it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, I know you’ll be chivalrous and protect me if danger ever occurs since you like me so much!” Rarity gave a playful wink.
Clyde felt his cheeks redden. “What are you talking about?”
Rarity turned away and pranced towards to the stairs. She turned back around and gave a random pout. “I guess you don’t like me after all...” she said sadly.
“W-What? That’s not true, it’s–”
Rarity stopped pouting and instantly smiled. “There is a guest bedroom upstairs that you may use tonight. Also, you are very easy to tease, making you liking me more fun and slightly romantic!” She gave a wink and pranced up the stairs. "Goodnight!"
Clyde sighed and looked at the floor. “This girl is going to get me killed one day...”
“I am not~” trilled Rarity from the floor above. Clyde shook his head with a smile and walked up the stairs and into her guest bedroom. He threw his hat on the dresser, took off his duster, and laid down on the well-made bed. It was a long time since he slept on a cozy bed, and because of the day's events, he drifted into sleep quickly.
~ ~ ~
The next morning, Clyde quickly clothed in his duster and put his black-felt hat on his head. He looked in the mirror to shake his mane away from his face before leaving the room. He looked down the hallway to see all the doors closed. Guessing Rarity was still sleeping, he quietly made his way downstairs and back into her shop lobby.
After gathering up all the gems and bits and putting them in the bag, Clyde packed up his saddlebags and put it on his back. He waited by looking at the ponies outside walking to their shops or ranch. Clyde was always an early riser, as that gave him more opportunities to get tasks and robberies done. Judging by the way Rarity acted, he assumed she wasn't a morning pony, so he sat against the wall and waited for her to wake up.
After staring at the wall for almost an hour, Clyde heard hoofsteps from the floor above. He stood up and spun his hat on his hoof until Rarity came downstairs. When he finally saw her walking down the steps, his jaw dropped.
Rarity’s mane and tail weren't curled or stylish like the past day. Instead, her royal purple mane and tail were unkempt and straight. She had a white-felt hat on her head that had three small blue diamond rhinestones on the front brim. Around her neck was a red bandana, but the most prominent feature of her new outfit, that made Clyde extremely flustered, were the leather boots on her hind legs that went to her flank and the tail bandage on the base of her tail.
“Don’t I look simply smashing?” asked Rarity admiring herself in the mirror on the wall by her wall of clothes.
“Y-You do know that a rancher is not the same as an outlaw. We don’t wear stuff like that,” said Clyde, trying to stop himself from looking at her flank.
Rarity looked over at him and smiled. “It’s practically the same thing, but since you are against my fashion taste, that’s why I have this bandana!” She glanced back at the mirror and used her magic to lift it up her neck and over her mouth, turning around quickly to wink at Clyde.
Clyde sighed again and turned towards the door. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“Not quite, you need a bandana,” said Rarity, pulling down the bandana from her mouth.
“Why? What for?”
“So we can act more like an official and posh duo!” She walked over to the counter and lifted up a small box underneath it. She opened up and began levitating different bandanas. “This black one would go with your mane color and match nicely with your gray coat color. Of course, we could always have you wear a blue one that matches my red bandana...”
Clyde let her ramble on as he saw his revolver on the floor from last night. He walked over to it and placed it in it’s holster under his duster. He turned to Rarity and saw she had at least ten bandanas floating in the air.
“I’ll take the black one,” he said after some consideration.
Rarity dropped the others back into the box and floated the black bandana to Clyde. “Lovely choice.” She packed up a few more articles of clothing in her saddlebag and walked to the door. “Well, are you ready?”
“I've been ready since last night,” said Clyde sharply.
“Well, thank you for allowing me to stay here,” said Rarity sarcastically towards his attitude. “Don’t thank the pretty girl who allowed you to sleep in a nice and comfy bed instead of some train or outside in the dirt.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop complaining.”
“No, no. Do continue.” Clyde looked at her sly smirk and he tipped his hat to her and left the building.
As he stepped outside, he noticed the quiet town was mostly dead, meaning either everyone was still sleeping or they were inside about to open their stores. He heard Rarity close the door behind him and lock it before walking up to his side.
“So, ‘master outlaw,' where are we to go now?” she asked.
“What’s the closest town near here?”
“Hmm. Well, Canterlot is probably–”
“Yeah, I can’t go back there.”
“Okay. Well. How about Appleloosa? That’s rather close to here by train.”
“Appleloosa?” questioned Clyde. “I've never heard of it.”
“I’m not surprised,” stated Rarity, “I only know of it because the ranch workers of Sweet Apple Acres talk about it all the time. I've never been there myself.”
“Hopefully they have a bank then.” Clyde lowered his hat and began walking. He didn't know if the deputies or other ponies were still looking for him and had a drawing or picture of him to go by, but he made sure not to show his teal eyes. He looked behind him to see Rarity closely following him. She even adopted his lowered hat gesture while he walked. He gave a small laugh and continued towards the train station.
After waiting for the train to dock in the station, the two of them stealthily climbed aboard and sat in the back of the train in the booth before the caboose. They sat across from each other in the seats and waited for the train to start chugging down the tracks. After a few moments, the train’s doors sealed up, the passengers sat in the front booths, and the train began thundering down the tracks.
Moments after leaving the station, Clyde looked over at Rarity, who was being quiet and watching the moving landscape out the window. He could tell she was feeling sad about something. “Are you alright?” he asked her.
Rarity glanced over at him and gave a slight smile. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“You’re quiet.”
“And?”
“Well, that doesn’t seem like you at all.”
“It normally isn’t,” sighed Rarity, tilting her hat up so Clyde could see her whole face. “It’s just, I haven’t been outside of Ponyville before. I always stayed in that small town and kept to myself in my store.”
“Are you scared your store will shut down now?”
Rarity shook her head. “No, I know some ponies who can take over as the town seamstress. I needed a change of pace in my life. It’s really dull only looking at fabric and cloth for weeks and months, you know. I need the rush of adventure!”
“I guess that makes sense,” agreed Clyde. She looked out the window again while Clyde looked through his saddlebags for a map. Judging by the landscape, Clyde assumed they were almost to Appleloosa. He looked up at Rarity once more before returning to his map.
Within the hour, the train began to slow down and Appleloosa was in sight in the approaching distance. The train faintly stopped chugging and quickly slowed to a halt. As the train’s doors slid open, the duo joined the horde of ponies rushing out of them. Clyde helped Rarity out of the train and protected her from aggressive ponies that shoved their way in or out of the train. As he stepped off the train, a pony behind him clashed into him trying to pass through the group, knocking him hard into the ground. He picked up his hat with his teeth and crawled to safety underneath the hooves of the horde.
“Are you okay?” asked a concerned Rarity as she ran up to him once he made his way to a vacant spot on the station platform.
He stood up and smacked his hat on his side to remove the dust and placed it on his head. “I’m good. Just some scratches, but I’m good.” He saw her give a smile and look around.
“Well, shall we start by finding the bank?”
“That’s what I usually do first and scan the area so I know an escape route,” stated Clyde. “Problem is, I don’t know if I’m wanted here.”
Rarity grinned. “Don’t worry, Clyde! I know just what to do!”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll ask if they know of a wanted pony from Canterlot!”
“You can’t just go up to–” He watched her walk away from him and gave a sigh. “I tell you, she is going to get me into more trouble.” Rarity heard him and turned around, sticking out her tongue and giving a wink. He shook his head, laughed, and watched her prance away.
After a quick search, Rarity walked up a deputy overlooking the train and station platform. “Excuse me, but do you know of a wanted outlaw near the Canterlot area?”
The deputy looked at her apathetically. “What’s it to ya?”
“Well, my friend and I are trying to travel over to there, but we heard some rumors about a certain dangerous outlaw. We simply can’t travel when our young lives are in jeopardy!”
“We haven’t heard anything. Just go for it. You only live once you know.”
Rarity gasped. “A deputy that doesn't care about the well-being of innocent ponies! You are truly terrible at your occupation.” She stuck her head upwards into the air and slightly to the side, giving an elegant and ladylike hpmh, and slowly walked back to Clyde.
Clyde watched her attitude-filled walk and shook his head. “So, what did you learn, Miss Drama?”
“He doesn't know about you,” said Rarity cautiously. “Also, I’m not dramatic.”
“You kinda are.”
“I am not.”
“If you’re not dramatic, then I don’t have this hat.” He took off his black-felt hat and placed it on the end of his hoof. “Oh look, it seems like I have this hat.”
Rarity pouted and tears began to form in her enchanting blue eyes. “B-But Clyde.” Before giving time for him to answer, she pulled a cushion out of her saddlebag, sat down on it, and pulled down her hat to cover her eyes and tears.
Clyde, confused on how the cushion fit in her small bag, walked over to her and lifted the brim of her hat. As he gazed in her tearful blue eyes, he smiled. “I’m not making fun of you. I'm very fond of your drama, actually. It makes this adventure more interesting.”
Rarity smiled and quickly sat up. She floated her cushion up and jammed it into her saddlebag then adjusted her rhinestone hat and looked around and up to Clyde. “Shall we walk?”
Clyde nodded and helped her off the ground.
Together, the two of them walked through the town of Appleloosa and tried to find the bank or a similar, small store with valuables. Appleloosa was smaller than Ponyville, as it was basically a station and a few buildings looking across the middle road of the town. After looking at a hat shop, Rarity poked Clyde as she saw the bank. Unfortunately, it was also located beside the Sheriff's building.
“Alright, stay here and get ready to bolt back to the train,” ordered Clyde.
“Why can’t I help?” asked Rarity with a pout.
“I need to show you how the procedure works. I can’t let you go in there and wing it.”
“That’s why I go with you so I can see firsthoof!”
“That’s too dangerous. Just stay away from the bank and make sure to run when you see me run out.”
Rarity gave another hpmh. “The train isn’t even in the station yet and since this town is extremely small, good luck with hiding.”
Clyde smiled. “There’s your first lesson.”
“Lesson? What lesson?” wondered Rarity, giving a curious look.
“I didn’t tell you this, but when we reached this town, I paid attention to the time it took to get there. That’s usually when the train returns to the station, in those intervals.”
“Okay...”
“So,” continued Clyde, “if that’s true, then the train will be there in about two minutes.”
“And you’re positive about this?”
“I sure am. It gives me enough time to go in there and run back to the train while they are disembarking.”
Rarity didn't say anything, but gave him a single nod. Clyde tilted his hat down and walked towards the bank. He opened it up the door and looked around inside.
Other than the bank counter, the only unique feature inside was the bank teller. He looked up once Clyde entered and shouted.
“Hello!” said the teller excitedly, “I’m glad I finally have a customer! Are you here for a transaction or–” He stopped as he looked at Clyde’s revolver pointed at him.
“I mean no harm, just hand over the bits and gems in a bag and I’ll be on my way.” Clyde heard a faint train whistle blow as he watched the teller nervously start throwing in bits and small gems into a bag.
“Stop right there, criminal scum!” yelled a voice from the doorway. Clyde turned around and there stood a pony with a silver star badge on his chest. Clyde looked at his mustache and stood there frozen.
“Sheriff Silverstar!” yelled the teller, “thank goodness you’re here!”
Silverstar laughed and walked up to Clyde. “You know, here I was about to ask Stacks over there if he wanted to hit up the saloon, but an outlaw showed up! This is much better!” Silverstar pulled out a rope and threw it around Clyde.
“Yeah! That’s what you get outlaw!” yelled Stacks.
“Easy Stacks, let the poor boy suffer in his poor choice of robbing this small, friendly town.” Silverstar led Clyde out of the bank while Stacks was laughing and cheering. He saw Rarity across the street give a look of worry and fear.
Sheriff Silverstar led him inside his small building and walked him into the small jail cell. He slammed the door, locked it with a key, and threw it on a table near the door. Silverstar looked at Clyde and shook his head.
“What’s the problem?” asked Clyde.
“Why this town, boy? Why not Canterlot or some other famous area?”
“I already visited Canterlot.”
“Did you manage to get caught?”
“No. I was successful.”
Silverstar laughed. “Then how come you get caught within a minute here?” He smiled and stroked his fine mustache. “Unless, I’m a master Sheriff.”
“Maybe,” said Clyde sarcastically. He wondered what Rarity was doing and hope she wasn't doing something crazy and dangerous. He wasn't too worried about what would happen to him. He only hoped Rarity wouldn't get caught or in trouble because of him.
“Well, like I said boy, I was going to ask Stacks if he wanted to grab a quick drink at the saloon, so I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Silverstar promptly left, leaving Clyde sitting on the cold floor alone.
A few seconds after Silverstar left, he heard the door of the building begin turning. Silverstar locked the door, but the knob kept shaking rapidly, trying to break it open. After a tries, the door slowly opened and the head of Rarity peeked in. “Clyde!” she happily rejoiced as she walked up to the cell door.
“How did you break in?” asked Clyde in amazement.
“Oh, that? Well, once I locked myself out of my shop so I had to pick lock the door. It’s a neat trick I learned and I’m glad I could use it to save you!”
“That’s a great skill indeed,” said Clyde. “With that, you can easily break into stores during the night.” Rarity smiled and lifted up the key to the cell door. She levitated it over to the cell but briefly stopped in front of it. “Rarity?”
“Hmm?”
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Aren't you going to let me out?”
“Well, I could.” She looked at him and winked.
Clyde frowned and sighed. He knew exactly what she was doing. “What do you want?”
“This time, and every time after, let me join you on your heist! You’re lucky I followed your command so I could rescue you... this time.” She flashed him a devilish grin.
“Alright, alright,” said Clyde. “I guess it was my fault I’m in here, and I’m grateful you stayed behind to save me.”
Rarity coquettishly smiled and put the key in the lock of the cell door. As she turned it she looked back at him. “You know Clyde, you failing was a bad attempt to impress me.” She winked again.
“A-Are you serious?” asked Clyde defensively. He felt the heat on his cheeks. "This is no time for fooling around!"
She giggled and opened up the door. Clyde walked over to her, but she raised her hoof to stop him from leaving. “Take off your hat and duster.”
“Really? You want to do it in here?” asked Clyde with a grin.
“T-That’s not what I meant!” yelled Rarity. This time, she was the one getting red.
“Two can play this game,” joked Clyde. He laughed and after all the humor escaped him, looked at her. “No, but why? Do you have a plan?”
“Just take them off and hide under the desk,” ordered Rarity looking away from him. “Trust me on this.”
Clyde took off his hat and stripped off his duster and handed them to Rarity. She placed them in the middle of the cell as Clyde ran and sat under Sheriff Silverstar’s desk. Rarity placed the cell key into the cell, left the door open, and hid behind the front door of the building. They sat in silence waiting for the Sheriff to return.
Nearly after ten minutes of waiting, Sheriff Silverstar stumbled into the building, almost hitting Rarity in the face with the door. Upon looking at the empty cell, he shouted some expletives and quickly ran inside the cell to examine Clyde’s hat and duster. While he was busy with the clothing, Clyde saw the cell door glow light blue and slam shut. The key soon glowed light blue and turned before being removed from the lock and placed back on the desk.
“What’s going on here?” asked Sheriff Silverstar nervously. Clyde crawled out from underneath the desk and grinned. “You!”
“Actually, it was more ‘me’ than him,” stated Rarity walking out from behind the door. She lifted Clyde’s clothing up into the air and above the cell, handing them to Clyde. He quickly began putting on his duster once more.
“You have abettors? I should have know you criminal folk worked in gangs.”
“Actually, I only have one and she’s my new apprentice,” responded Clyde while pushing his hoof through the sleeves of his duster.
“Apprentice? No, no. I’m much more skilled than that,” rebutted Rarity.
“My rookie?”
“That’s more degrading!”
“Ah. How about my partner?”
“Much better,” she said as she smiled at him.
“Enough of your criminal talk, you outlaws!" yelled the Sheriff. "Once I get out of here, I'll be sure to lock you two up, even if it's the last thing I do!"
“I guess I'll help in your goal as a parting gift. The name’s Clyde,” announced Clyde. He tilted his hat down and nodded with a smirk.
“And I’m–well, I haven’t figured out an outlaw name yet–but fear me, too!” yelled Rarity as she followed Clyde’s hat gesture.
Before letting Sheriff Silverstar answer, they rushed out of the building, leaving him trapped inside the cell alone. Clyde started to head towards the train station, but Rarity stopped him again. She pointed at the bank with her hoof.
“Are you sure?” questioned Clyde.
“I’ll show you how to do it since you failed,” she answered with a smirk. “Besides, the train is coming in about a minute.”
“It hasn’t been that long yet for one to come.”
“You are correct on your theory you told me, but I noticed while waiting for you and your ‘failure’, another train comes into town on a different interval that has a shorter time frame.”
Clyde grinned. “You’re not bad at this at all.”
“I know. I can’t let you have all the fun now.” She smiled at him and walked towards the bank. Clyde followed her but instead of going inside, he waited by the door so he could hear what was going on.
“Hello~” sang Rarity as she walked up to the counter. “May a pretty girl like me withdraw some money?” She batted her eyelashes to give extra emphasis.
Stacks gulped. “U-Uh, of c-course!” he nervously said. “I’ve never seen a mare like you to this bland town!”
Rarity smiled. “Well, I was just passing by...”
“H-How much would you like?”
Rarity smiled again, but closed her eyes. “I’ll have to ask my friend. Oh Clyde, darling?”
On the signal, Clyde stepped out of the doorway and smiled. Stacks screamed loudly. “No! Not you! Sheriff!”
“I’m afraid he’s not going to help this time,” said Clyde. He pulled out his revolver again and Stacks quickly grabbed a bag and began shoving bits and gems inside of it. Once the bag filled with money and gems, Rarity picked it up with her magic and placed it in her saddlebag. The roar of the approaching train was faintly heard from the station.
“Thanks for your patronage,” remarked Clyde. Rarity and him did the normal hat gesture before dashing out of the bank. As they ran through the town, Clyde saw two deputies of the town stumble out of the saloon and begin chasing after them. He got behind Rarity and told her to run straight for the train station and stop for nothing.
Upon reaching the station, the train was allowing passengers to exit and enter the train. Clyde thought to himself that in the chaos would be the best time to lose the pursuers behind him. He saw the window of the caboose was open so he rushed forward, diving into it. He popped his head out and saw Rarity looking nervously behind her. The train roared alive and began inching its way down the tracks.
“Jump towards me!” yelled Clyde. “I’ll grab you and pull you up!”
“W-What?”
“Trust me!”
Rarity gulped and quickly ran forward, escaping a deputy's grasp. She ran along the train on the platform and as the station was about to end, she jumped forward and reached for Clyde. He grabbed her hooves and pulled her up before her hind legs were about to slam against the dirt. When he successfully had her on the window sill of the train, he let go of her and she fell on top of him.
Clyde looked up at her and looked into her mesmerizing eyes and felt flustered. “A-Are you hurt?” Not only did he feel flustered, but since she was pinning him down, she made him somewhat breathless.
Rarity shook her head. He could tell she was nervous too by the look in her eyes.
“Thank goodness.”
She sat up and helped Clyde up before speaking. “That was wonderful.”
“What, the robbery today or what just–”
“The robbery!” blurted out Rarity. After a quick pause, she lowered her eyes on him again and smiled. “Although that was a nice intimate moment we had.”
Clyde smiled. They watched the sun hide behind a cloud out the window. “So, is the life of an outlaw for you?” he asked her.
“As long as you are there with me, of course! That was very fun! I didn’t know I enjoyed the adrenaline of the crime so much!”
“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy the first time. It only grows as you do more and more.” He took off his hat and placed it on the floor. “So, Miss Bonnibelle, where to next?”
Rarity’s eyes flashed as she heard her name. “Bonnibelle! That's my name now!”
“What?”
“I can’t let ‘Rarity’ be plagued with dark crimes. It’s such a pretty name. So, I will use 'Bonnibelle' when we associate ourselves with crime!”
“Bonnibelle and Clyde?” he said, stroking his chin. “I like the sound of that. It’s got a ring to it.”
Rarity looked over at him again with a playful smile. “Of course, you may still call me ‘Rarity’. I’ll only allow you to call me that.”
“I feel honored Miss B–I mean, Miss Rarity.”
“Maybe one day I can drop the ‘Miss’, too...” spoke Rarity in a soft and seductive tone.
Clyde reddened and laughed. He couldn’t help but to smile at her. Not only did he find her personality bubbly and full of energy, he found another pony to journey with him across Equestria. Someone he could enjoy spending more time with. He took out his map and looked at her. “Onto the next?”
“Of course, darling.”
They sat in the caboose of the train, looking at a map and counting their new treasures, anticipating the next adventures for Bonnibelle and Clyde.