Recess, a time of fun and freedom for fillies and colts that provided a break from studies and submission to lengthy lectures and work. This was what recess was meant to be, though it only felt like such a thing to those who had friends to enjoy it with; those who did not often found themselves sitting alone waiting for the next bell to ring, and whichever teacher was in charge of them at the time to call them back in.
Trixie trotted out into the playground at a leisurely pace, a book in her saddlebag as she knew she’d be spending it alone. Vinyl had a different time then her so she would be unavailable for company even if Trixie wanted it, but the young blue filly quickly found she had a different problem at hoof regarding who she shared this time with.
“Good to see you could find your way out here,” Sunset Shimmer said, suddenly walking alongside her.
“That was awful what you did! I got detention thanks to you!” Trixie protested.
“Me?” Sunset asked, mocking offense. “I don’t recall being the one who threatened custodians with rulers and set off a smoke bomb to sneak into class!”
“If I hadn’t been tardy, I wouldn’t have had to!” Trixie replied, gritting her teeth.
“I’m practically doing this place a favor. Honestly, its standards have really gone downhill with the kinds of ponies it lets in these days,” Sunset replied, floating out a book from her saddlebag. “To its credit, though, I suppose it does make me look that much better by comparison.”
“Is that your way around having no friends or anypony admiring you?” Trixie asked, hoping she could offend the other pony but Sunset just sneered.
“I don’t want or need those losers. I’m going to guess you’re the next step below that; the kind that can’t make friends and has to live in her own little world to feel like she’s worth anything,” the older unicorn said, causing Trixie to feel smaller and smaller with each cutting word. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do then hang around gullible amateurs.”
Trixie snorted angrily as Sunset turned away sat down on a bench away from the crowds, reading whatever book she’d brought with her. As she looked around, nopony ever seemed to approach the other unicorn, which made her suspect Sunset had already done enough to ensure none of the other students ever bothered her. Looking back at the playground and seeing the other colts and fillies having fun, Trixie let out a sigh; Sunset Shimmer’s words felt true in a lot of ways. She’d had no friends in magic kindergarten, and Vinyl for all she knew just befriended her out of convenience due to being in the same boat as her. Downcast, Trixie felt the desire to be alone, now, and walked over to an empty sandbox where a few crude wooden playhouses sat.
Walking around them, Trixie discovered that indeed nopony else was playing here, giving her the place to herself. “Hmph… stupid Sunset. What does she know?” Trixie muttered. “Trixie will be a great hero! Better then her! Better then anypony! She just…” she paused. “She just needs to be cool enough for everypony to love…”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
It was a time of lawlessness, out in the vast badlands of San Palomino. The sun was hot and the wind was often weak. The small, rustic towns lived in mostly isolation and thus were often under attack by bandits and outlaw gangs. Bounties were posted to catch them, for anypony brave or stupid enough to try.
One such town, will be getting a visit from a mysterious pony known only as the Wanderer; left to drift because she was too powerful and great to be a lawmare. Little did she know she would be experiencing her next adventure there…
“Hm…” a blue filly in a poncho and hat mused as she looked at the hanging sign swinging gently in the breeze outside the town gates. On either side stood several wood buildings, some of them homes, some of them businesses. Over in the distance she could see some townsponies wandering about while a few fillies and colts played outside. Tipping her hat, the filly walked past the gates and made her way to the one with the Saloon sign hanging over the double-doors.
The saloon was filled with shifty ponies of all kinds, some of them playing poker, others enjoying drinks of cider or salt blocks. Several looked back at the filly in curiosity, including the pianist who had stopped playing the lively tune that filled the place. The Wanderer looked back with a steely gaze before walking past them and to the bar table.
“Milk. Chocolate.” The Wanderer said firmly. The bartender, a heavyset earth pony stallion with a bottle cutie mark, nodded and poured her a glass, sliding it to her.
“Don’t reckon we’ve seen ya ‘round these parts,” the bartender said. “What brings you to One Horse Town?”
“Jus’ lookin’ for a quiet place for a drink an’ meal,” the Wanderer said coolly, before her eyes caught sight of a wanted poster on the wall. “Whose that’un?” she asked.
Everypony in the room froze.
“That’s Miss Sundown! She runs a buncha of diamond dogs that be bird-doggin’ this town fer ages!” One pony said from his spot at one of the tables.
“They call ‘emselves the Sundown Mob, ‘cause they always show up when the sun’s settin’,” said the pianist, a white unicorn filly with a messy blue mane and tail. “And ah reckon it’s ‘cause’a their leader’s name, too.”
“That so? Why don’t the Sheriff do somethin’ about it?” the Wanderer asked.
“He got more chicken in his background then a cockatrice,” the bartender replied. “But nopony else is crazy enough to take the job ‘cause the Sundown Mob takes ‘em down right quick, so we’re stuck with what we got.”
“Why come causin’ a ruckus around here?” the filly asked. “This town ain’t exactly rollin’ in the bits from the looks of things.”
“Oh it was, till the Sundown Mob took the gem mines. They just come here to cause trouble and act like they run the place… which they more or less do, now.” the pianist answered.
“You say the Sundown Mob shows up when the sun sets, right?” the Wanderer asked.
“Yes?”
“Then we let ‘em come,” the blue filly said, downing her drink and floating it back to the table. “Dealt with a few nasty types in my time, an’ that there price is mighty temptin’,” she added, glancing over at the bounty poster.
“Yer talkin’ crazy!” one of the ponies playing poker shouted.
“Nope, ah’m talkin’ serious. ‘Cause ah’m tougher then any mob’a thieves,” the Wanderer said confidently, smiling as she turned her hat with her hoof. “Now get me my meal. House special, what’e’er it is,” she said, floating some bits on the table. The last she had for now, but she knew soon that wouldn’t be a problem. Miss Sundown an’ me got a little business comin’ up!”
~
One delicious salad with a serving of salt lick later, and the mysterious pony drifter’s ear twitched as she heard the sound of the clock tower bell, the time the sun would set and the Sundown Mob would be arriving any minute. “Y’all wait here. Once this is over, that Sundown Mob won’t be botherin’ these parts no more!” she declared.
“And if you lose, they’ll be razin’ this here town to the ground!” the sheriff protested. The Wanderer approached, her eyes narrowing at the trembling stallion before she quietly used her magic to pluck the badge from his vest and pinned it to her poncho.
“Gonna borrow this,” she said coolly before turning to face the window. The clock tower rang once more, and the cawing of crows could be heard above. Nopony was out, now, and several of the shudders on the windows of neighboring buildings had been closed up. The town knew what to expect, but what they expected certainly didn’t.
A distant bounding was suddenly heard, and the Wanderer peered out the saloon window. Several shapes were rapidly approaching the gates, and as they drew closer she recognized them to be the reptilian canines known as diamond dogs, with two larger ones pulling a wooden chariot of some kind further back. Coming to a stop in the middle of town, the diamond dogs looked around, sneering as they began opening sacks they carried and started flinging rocks and rotten fruit and vegetables at the buildings, laughing every time something broke or fell over.
“Enough!” a female voice declared from the chariot as its owner, whom the Wanderer presumed to be Miss Sundown rose up. She was a light orange pony with a fiery red and yellow mane and tail, wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, a loose white scarf and a brown duster. As the Mob’s leader tipped her hat up, the Wanderer could see her piercing, teal eyes as she looked right at the saloon window. “I have to say, today’s been downright boring for my dogs! Barely any gems today, your town’s gonna have to find some other way to pay up for leavin’ you alone!” She looked over at one of the dogs standing behind her chariot and nodded. The dog immediately pulled away the sheet in the back, revealing a stack of dynamite.
“Anypony wanna come out with a few solutions or do we give every building a little more ventilation?” she declared.
Without a word, the Wanderer went to the door, pausing when she felt her tail caught in a magic aura. Turning, she saw the pianist shaking her head nervously. The Wanderer stared at her a moment, a stern glare as the other filly quietly released her magical grip on her and backed away. With a nod, the blue filly used her magic to open the double-doors and stepped out into the open.
“You must be new here, don’t reckon ah’ve seen your face ‘round here,” Sundown remarked with a smug smirk.
“Get that a lot,” the Wanderer replied, her firm glare not wavering.
“So that yellow-belly chicken finally couldn’t take it anymore? Gotta admit, a new sheriff who thinks they can handle me?”
“Just long enough to put you down for good.” the Wanderer said. “This town made me realize you’re… worth it.”
“Get that a lot,” Sundown answered, repeating what the other pony had said. “So that your business with me?”
“Let’s just say I’m callin’ you out, Miss Sundown,” the Wanderer answered with a smirk.
“A duel, then?” Sundown asked as she leapt down from her chariot while the diamond dogs began letting out several ooh’s and ahh’s. “I accept.”
The Wanderer looked behind her, noticing everypony in the saloon was now at the windows and door, watching her. Looking back at Miss Sundown, she quietly walked towards her, the gang leader moving towards the middle of the street.
“Much as ah appreciate a little fun every once and awhile, ah should tell ya nopony’s ever won a duel against me,” Sundown said.
“Figured as much, seein’ how you’re still standin’,” the Wanderer replied.
“The best part is, most of the ones that tried were facin’ away from me, and tryin’ their darndest to get as much distance between me an’ them as they could ‘fore I put ‘em down,” Sundown answered, turning her back and standing up against the other unicorn. “Ah’m bettin’ all the gems my dogs have pulled from that mine you’ll be no different, beggin’ for your life.”
“The price on your head’s enough not to,” the filly answered as she began to pace away from her.
“Funny, that’s what all the others said. Sheriffs an’ bounty hunters alike!” Sundown answered with a laugh, pacing away as well, the ponies from the saloon slowly emerging from the doors to get a better view while the diamond dogs watched eagerly for the outcome.
Dead silence passed for several seconds, the wind blew and the crows cawed once more. The Wanderer stood tense, counting down to the final step and immediately tossing off her hat and turning, charging her magic to fire a shot.
The chance never came as she was suddenly struck down by a blast of teal magic that sent her tumbling across the dirt road. At the other end she could see Miss Sundown sneering at her, her horn glowing as the filly felt herself lifted off the ground. The ponies at the saloon gasped while the diamond dogs cheered. Immediately, the Wanderer was pulled across the road and was slammed into Sundown’s chariot for good measure and scattering its contents before she was pulled up to only a few inches from the ruthless gang leader.
“Nothin’ but another second-rate amateur!” Sundown taunted. “This town oughta be thankin’ me for showin’ the losers that come in these here parts their place… which if you’re wonderin’ is under my hoof or right up there on that hill behind ya!” she said, gesturing to the direction of the town cemetery. “One Horse has been my town for quite some time, everypony knows that, an’ all you are to me is just another weakling that don’t belong here!”
The filly struggled to break free of Sundown’s magic aura, but to no avail. The diamond dogs were cheering and whistling loudly now, egging their boss to finish her off. The ponies at the saloon gasped and began to back away, knowing this fight was going to reach its end soon.
“Don’t!” the pianist pleaded, catching Sundown’s attention long enough to drop the Wanderer to the ground.
“Wait your turn, missy!” Sundown answered, firing a blast of magic at the white unicorn’s hooves and causing her to back away. “Now, where we?” she asked, grinning down at the Wanderer.
“Where ya give Celestia your prayers!” the Wanderer said with a smirk, casting aside her poncho and revealing a dynamite stick she’d gotten from the chariot when she’d been thrown into it earlier, freshly lit. Before Sundown could do more then stare in astonishment, the filly flung it at her and leaped behind the fallen chariot, the other ponies and diamond dogs taking cover just in time for the unicorn gang boss to be engulfed in a fantastic explosion. As the Wanderer emerged from behind the now scorched chariot, she watched as the smoke cleared, only the black hat remaining as it drifted down from above to where its former owner had once been standing.
“She took out the boss! Run for your lives!” one of the diamond dogs shouted in a panic, and immediately the entire pack fled, yelping in terror as they ran as fast as they could out of the town and out of sight.
As soon as they were gone, the doors and windows opened, ponies rushing out into the streets and cheering as they surrounded the victorious filly.
“With the Sundown Mob without a leader, ah doubt we’ll be seein’ their kind ‘round these parts anymore. We’ll get some ponies to the mines right away and see about that reward for ya!” the sheriff said as the Wanderer floated the badge back on to his vest.
“Some ponies’re so used to lookin’ down on others they just go an’ assume stuff that ain’t true about ‘em,” the filly said with a smirk, floating her own hat back onto her head and straightening her poncho.
“By the way, you got a name, stranger?” the pianist asked.
“Ah don’t give my name,” the filly replied.
“Well, that was some great slight-of-hoof tricks ya pulled back there against Sundown, so we’ll just call ya Trixie while you’re here. Just so we got somethin’ to cheer on!” the pianist replied.
“Jus’ don’t forget my pay and that suits me fine,” the Wanderer replied.
“Let’s hear it for Trixie!” the sheriff declared. The filly couldn’t help but smile a little as the cheers echoed around her.
“Trixie! Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
“Trixie!”
“Trixie!”
“Trixie! Recess is over! Come inside!” one of the fillies shouted urgently, snapping the young unicorn out of her fantasy.
“What? Oh… okay,” Trixie said with a sigh as she floated her saddlebag back on her back and began to head back towards the school.
“You’re weird,” a mint-colored filly with a lyre cutie mark commented.
“I saw her arguing with herself by the old playhouse and then she hid from a smoke bomb she set off… are those things even allowed?” a blue filly with an hourglass cutie mark wondered.
Trixie sighed again as she listened to her classmates talk. Her adventures during recess had been fun for her at least, and Sunset was wrong about her. She'd show her when she got to experience a cheering crowd for real one day!