“Do you think we lost them, darling?” asked a lovely, feminine voice in a whisper.
“I’m not sure. Let me take a quick peak,” replied another voice, mimicking the tone. Unlike the other, this voice was deeper.
“Be careful!”
The stallion grinned at her, even though she wouldn’t see it as they both were in the dark. He slowly opened the wooden door, attempting to keep it from creaking, to check around.
The dark hallway stretched as far as he could make out with no source of light. Even though he couldn’t see anything, he could hear hooves clashing against the wooden floor downstairs. Most of the noise was from the other residents of the hotel dancing around or playing cards in the lobby. They would stay up until the late hours before calling quits. He waited a few more minutes with his head slightly sticking out of the door before slowing closing it.
“Looks like we’re good. We got in here without them seeing us. It’s a good thing this place doesn’t have a balcony to reach the second floor from outside.” He kept his voice quiet in case their pursuers were lingering around downstairs or in the hallway.
“Delightful,” said the mare, “can we please turn on a light now, Clyde? I can’t see you, nor our bags.”
“Not yet. The light might give us away since folks around here know that nopony goes to their room this early.”
The mare groaned and suddenly a small blue light appeared from the tip of her horn. Clyde angrily glanced at her, but she replied with a giggle. “Oh, Clyde. When will you learn that I will always win our arguments?”
Clyde shook his head, but a small laugh escaped him. “You do make a fair point, even though it wasn’t really an argument.”
“It was more of a petty disagreement, but that doesn’t matter! We may be partners of crime, but we are also partners. If that’s the case, you must know that I am entitled to getting what I want.” She stuck her head in the air and looked at him with a smile.
Clyde shook his head again at Rarity’s drama, but decided to let her have her fun. He may have had the majority of his outlaw career being a lone ranger, but now he had a partner, a partner that he actually enjoyed having around and cared for. He didn’t want her to get mad at him for some trivial conversation about a source of light. He walked over to the candle, lit a match, and carefully let the candle burn to light the small room.
Clyde rented out the room for the two of them hours ago, while Rarity looked around the small town. After they reunited, they quickly planned a robbery for a small store a fair distance away from the hotel. Using the crowds, they managed to sneak up to their room before any deputy could catch them.
Since Rarity joined Clyde’s side a few months ago after the Appleloosa robbery, he was able to rob stores quicker and more efficiently. Her charm and ability to use magic helped with distractions and escaping, something he couldn’t do himself. He normally let her stand away from the store or bank while he robbed so she could start running and had a better chance of not getting caught. Rarity didn’t seem to mind most of the time, but his top priority now was making sure she could get away if he couldn’t. She was more important to him than money, let alone his own safety.
Rarity extinguished the small light at the tip of her horn and jumped on the bed, floating their saddlebags off the ground to place them in front of her. She spilled the bits and gems on the bed and looked up at Clyde. “Darling, is this enough?”
“Enough for what?” he asked. Clyde placed his black-felt hat on the dresser and looked at the pile of bits and small gems. It wasn’t a huge pile, but there was enough money there to last them a week or two on food, train rides, disguises, or other things Rarity or himself wanted to buy. Even though Rarity joined him on his journey across Equestria, Clyde remained true to his tradition on stealing only enough to get by.
“I don’t know,” said Rarity with a frown, “I love being with you, Clyde, but banks and small shops are getting repetitive and boring.”
Clyde looked at his hat on the dresser and nodded. “Yeah, they are, but there aren’t that many unique shops out there. We have to manage with what we can find.”
Rarity sighed. “Oh well.” Clyde looked over at her and saw a faint glimmer in her eyes. “Could we take a break and act incognito for a few days? It’s been non-stop train rides, running, and hiding since I met you.”
Clyde stared at her. He could tell by looking at her that the suggestion was serious. He fixed his black mane by flipping his head and nodded at her. “If you want us to take a break, I’ll be okay for it, but we have to find another town to chill at. Sticking around here for too long will cause problems.”
Rarity smiled. “Of course! I checked the map earlier and there’s a small town nearby. It goes by the name of Dodge Junction and we should be able to arrive there before sundown tomorrow if we leave before noon.” She scooped up the bits and gems with one of the saddlebags and placed them both on the floor. She tossed her white-felt and diamond rhinestone hat at Clyde and hopped off the bed. After a wink, she put her front left hoof through her unkempt purple mane and smiled. “I’m getting a shower. I’ll patch up your duster when I get out.”
Clyde looked down and saw a small tear forming at the end of the coat, most likely from hopping a wooden fence while escaping from the deputies a few minutes ago. How she saw that, Clyde didn’t know, but he assumed it was her keen eye from her prior experience with clothes before he had met her. Clyde gave her a quick grin. “Fine with me. Enjoy the shower.”
“I plan to,” she purred. Rarity quickly entered the small bathroom their hotel room contained and shut the door. Once he heard the sound of running water, Clyde placed her hat on the dresser beside his and walked over to his saddlebag, taking out the map he carried with him. He sat down on the bed and looked at it.
The town they were both in now was not pinpointed on the map. However, Dodge Junction, the town Rarity talked about only a few minutes ago was. Like she said, it wasn’t far away. Clyde folded up the map and returned it to his saddlebag. A yawn forced its way out of him and he rubbed his eyes. Unable to think of anything but sleep, he quickly changed out of his duster and squirmed into the bed. He listened to the sound of water as long as he could before drifting to sleep.
~ ~ ~
When Clyde awoke the next morning, he felt a ray of sunshine burn down on him through the window. He sat up in the bed to saw the pillow and sheets other side of the bed were neatly tucked, as if no one slept there. Near the pillow was his duster, armed with a new patch of similar material to cover up the small tear. Clyde looked across the room and saw Rarity smiling at him.
“Good morning, Clyde.” Instead of her ‘outlaw’ outfit, Rarity wore a simple dress like most of the mares around the town saloons wore. Her now lustrous mane was pulled back to let her earrings shine brightly. As Clyde looked at her more, he didn’t realize he was smiling. “Are you ready to leave? I fixed your duster and even tried to alter the hue of it in case deputies are still searching for us. You should really wear something else, but it’s your choice.”
Clyde hopped out of bed and quickly got into the duster he wore since his days as a colt. There was no way he would wear something else after all he went through. He considered himself lucky for meeting Rarity who could repair it quickly and effortlessly. He looked down at the duster and whistled. “You are excellent at your craft, Rarity. Did you stay up all night fixing this?”
“Thank you, darling,” she said with a grin. Clyde could tell she loved hearing compliments about her seamstress abilities, something she hadn’t done since leaving Ponyville. “Actually, no. When I walked out of the shower, I saw you already passed out and sleeping in bed. I decided to fix your tear and patch it up.”
“So, you did go to sleep?”
Rarity smiled. “Of course! It only took a few minutes. I climbed into bed soon after!”
Clyde looked at the bed and frowned. Most of the time Clyde let Rarity have the bed herself if there was one available to them while Rarity always declined if there was room for them both. Clyde ultimately decided that was best as he could protect her more and secretly enjoy her random cuddles throughout the night.
Rarity walked over to the bed and used her magic to fix the covers and tuck them in. After a nod of approval, she turned towards Clyde and lowered her eyes. “Shall we leave this town, darling?”
Clyde smiled. “Let’s go.”
After equipping their saddlebags and making sure nothing was left behind, Clyde and Rarity exited the small hotel room and made their way down the narrow hallway, down the wooden steps, into the dead lobby, and out into the sunshine. They headed straight towards the train station.
“Why is the sunlight so harsh today?” complained Rarity, squinting her eyes and using her front left hoof to shade them. Clyde stopped and turned to look at her.
“You could always wear your hat,” he said, tilting his own upwards.
“I guess I could, but my mane would get messy and the hat doesn’t match my dress at all. Plus, I would have to dig it out of my bag and I simply don’t want to waste time doing that.” She gave a pout and began walking away towards the station. Her head was looking at the ground to avoid the sun. Clyde sighed and walked after her.
Once they reached the station, the train was just arriving. Clyde quickly paid for the seats, making sure the ticket master didn’t get a close examination of him. He rushed Rarity into the back of the train and sat down in the small seats. He sat across from her and noticed she was looking away from the window due to the sun shining through it. He got up and told her to switch seats, which she accepted instantly. As the roar of the train ran through its coaches and began slowly chugging along, Clyde looked at Rarity and smiled.
“I didn’t tell you earlier, but you really look stunning in that dress.”
Rarity snapped out of her gaze out the window and looked at him. “Really?”
“Absolutely. We don’t really have a lot of time talking to each other with all of this running and hiding. I’m glad we can take this break together. I just hope we can stay incognito.”
Rarity laughed and Clyde saw that her eyes showed happiness. “I don’t think it’ll be that easy, but I thank you for your continuous compliments about me.”
“Anytime,” nodded Clyde. “I don’t want to see my partner upset. I care about her more than she thinks.”
Rarity’s smile grew and Clyde saw a faint blush blaze across her face. She didn’t say anything, but Clyde returned her smile and looked out the window.
For the remainder of the train ride, Clyde spent his time either talking to Rarity or sleeping. Sleep was hard to come by while on the chase so he wanted to get as much as he could. Rarity spent the time reading a book she bought from a general store she had visited a few days prior.
After a few hours, the train arrived at the station at dusk, just as Rarity stated, and the two set forth to explore the small town of Dodge Junction. Just like multiple towns, including Ponyville, Appleloosa, and the town they had arrived from, Dodge Junction was small. There were the basic necessities of a town; like the bank, saloon, and shop, but Clyde saw signs around town depicting a ranch nearby that grew cherries. Rarity pointed to the saloon and with a nod, Clyde followed her inside.
As he entered the saloon, Clyde carefully looked around to see if anyone noticed him. The ponies in the saloon looked at the outlaws when they entered, but they quickly went back to whatever they were doing, seeming to not know who they were yet.
Clyde saw groups of ponies around tables talking and playing cards. There were miners covered in dirt and grime, armed with their pickaxes, traveling salesponies trying to scam an innocent mare, and even rich ponies gambling by playing blackjack. Clyde looked over at the bar and saw the bartender cleaning out a glass with his towel. He weaved through the tables with Rarity closely behind him.
“Ah. Some new folks,” said the bartender, “welcome to The Long Branch Saloon.” He looked at his glass and slid it across the bar before picking up another one behind him. As he began rubbing it with his towel, the bartender looked at Rarity, then back to Clyde. “So, what can I do for ya?”
Clyde took a seat on the barstool and saw Rarity quickly do the same. The bartender looked at her with a grin, but Clyde slid some bits across the bar. “We are going to need a room tonight.”
The bartender put his towel and glass down and gathered up the bits. “Fine with me. You gave me more than what a room costed, though.”
Clyde smirked. “Grab me a drink.” He looked over at Rarity. “Also, get her whatever she wants.”
“I will take some tea, if you don’t mind,” she said sweetly. The bartender nodded and walked away from them. When he was away from earshot, Rarity leaned towards Clyde. “Ponies don’t recognize us here,” she whispered.
“Fine with me,” replied Clyde quietly, “I guess it’s because we are getting farther away from Canterlot.”
Rarity nodded, but Clyde a faint sign of sorrow in her eyes. He could tell she still missed her shop. Before he could say anything, the bartender slid two glasses down the counter. Rarity grinned and elegantly began sipping her tea. Clyde opened the bottle of sarsaparilla and downed it within a few seconds.
“Excuse me, miss.” Clyde turned around and saw a mare looking at Rarity. She looked a few years younger than Rarity, but she wasn’t exactly a filly either.
“What is it, dear?” asked Rarity warmly.
“Your dress is really pretty!” replied the mare with a big smile on her face. “Where did you buy it from?”
Rarity patted her mane. “Well, I’ll be lying if I said I bought it somewhere. I made it myself.”
The mare looked at her in shock. “You made it?”
“I did.”
Clyde laughed and got off the barstool because Rarity was about to talk about her fashion. Clyde had sat through multiple hour long talks about fashion already. He mostly didn’t mind letting her talk, but today he wanted to explore around the town. He told her he was going to walk around town, but Rarity ignored him as she was in mid-lecture about how her dress was made.
As Clyde walked around tables of ponies, he heard a sharp voice. “Hey, do you want a hand? We need an extra player.” Clyde glanced to his left and saw a group of Earth ponies gathered around a small table. Seeing how he fit right in, Clyde shrugged and walked over.
He took an empty seat between two bulky ponies and adjusted his felt hat. A brown pony handed him some cards across the table and looked at him. Clyde felt uneasy as his green eyes examined him. “You know how to play blackjack?”
“Yeah,” replied Clyde. The pony nodded and raised his hat to wipe his slicked-back black mane. His crooked smile gave Clyde another uneasy feeling.
“So, what brings you to these parts?” asked the pony. “I just arrived here today myself. These are my pals.”
Clyde looked at each of the other three ponies at the table. The two bulkier ones seemed to not say anything, acting like bodyguards. The brown pony across the table had a striking aura of confidence about him. “My partner and I are just traveling Equestria.”
The pony looked over at the bar to look at Rarity and whistled. “She’s a fine lady, a mighty fine lady.” The pony looked back at his hand. “I wish I could find a lady like that, but my attention nowadays is towards exploring the world.” He set his cards down and looked at one of the bulky ponies at the table. “I’m standing.”
The first of the bulky stallions busted while Clyde quickly looked at his cards. “Hit,” he said confidently. When he looked at his new card, Clyde grinned and placed his cards down. “I’m standing as well.” When the other bulky stallion to his left began looked at his cards, Clyde looked across the table. “How long have you been playing, Mr...”
The pony gasped. “Ah! My manners!” He stretched out his hoof. “Call me Black Stone.”
Clyde shook his hoof. “Clyde.”
Black Stone nodded, but Clyde saw a faint smirk before he returned to his cards. After watching the other stallion bust, Black Stone and Clyde looked at each other. Black Stone turned over his cards and grinned. “19.”
“Damn. 18.” Clyde slid his cards away from him. He quickly glanced at Rarity to see she was still talking to the same mare. He returned his head to look back at Black Stone who was shuffling the cards.
“So, Clyde, where did you come from again?” he asked. “I heard there was an outlaw that came through my hometown of Appleloosa a few weeks ago. I didn’t know if you heard about that or not.”
Clyde feigned a look of shock and confusion. “An outlaw? I haven’t heard any news or seen any bounties in the towns lately. I was born in Fillydelphia and have been traveling since I was a young colt. I guess the bounties don’t come down to these areas. I’ve been around here for months now.”
“I couldn’t imagine living like an outlaw,” said Black Stone with a laugh, “running away all the time, making sure no one calls the deputies on you. It would be a hard life. It’s like throwing away your life for nothing. Living with a goal in life is more beneficial than stealing others earned wealth.” Black Stone shuffled some cards and looked back at the bar. “Is your friend over there from that area too?”
“No, I met her during my travels. She wanted to join me on my journey.”
Black Stone nodded. “Ah.” He dealt out the cards and placed the deck on the table. When Clyde looked at his two cards he smiled. “So, does that mean she’s your goal now?”
“You mean caring for her and having her safety matter the most?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Clyde glanced over at Rarity. She was listening to the same mare talk now, but when she saw Clyde look over at her, she smiled and waved. After a smile, he turned back around.
“Then yes.” Clyde flipped over his two cards, revealing the Queen of diamonds and the Ace of hearts. “Blackjack.”
~ ~ ~
Sunlight awoke Clyde the following morning. As he yawned and sat up to stretch, he noticed the absence of a certain mare. The bathroom door was wide open so his first guess for her being in the shower was incorrect. He looked at the other side of the bed and saw it was neatly tucked in. What stood out to him was his folded up duster and hat was on a pile near the pillow. Clyde picked up his hat and saw a small note that was hiding under it. He picked it up to read the elegant cursive letter aloud.
“I’ll be downstairs! Do come soon!”
Clyde was amazed at Rarity’s writing. The elegancy of cursive fit Rarity’s personality well. Clyde never learned how to write cursive as he thought it was a waste of his time, but his regular form of writing wasn’t exactly neat either. Clyde quickly put on his duster, his bags, and his hat before leaving the room and heading to the main lobby.
The lobby of the saloon wasn’t as busy as the prior day. Most of that was probably due to it being early morning. Clyde recognized some ponies in the room that were there while he was playing cards. Black Stone and his bulky pals were sitting at the same table and playing a card game. When Black Stone saw Clyde, he tipped his hat to him.
“Oh, darling~” called over a voice. Clyde turned slightly to see Rarity waving at him. She was sitting at a table with food and a big smile across her face. Clyde smiled back and walked over to her. As he sat down, he took notice that she still wore her dress instead of her normal outlaw gear. “Good morning,” she said in a warming tone. Her choker with the small diamond on it that she wore yesterday was absent from her neck.
“Morning.” Clyde looked around the table at the food. “Did you buy all of this?”
Rarity grinned. “Of course! I wanted to surprise you and take you down here for breakfast, but you wouldn’t wake up! I decided to just come down here myself so I can have this delicious tea.” She lifted the small cup with her magic and elegantly took a sip.
Clyde sheepishly looked away. “I hope you weren’t down here too long.”
Rarity shook her head in a quick movement before letting out another one of her delightful smiles. “No, I came down here not even five minutes ago. You awoke on perfect timing.” Her smile caused Clyde to feel warm inside.
Clyde nodded and looked around the table. He took some apple slices and slowly munched on them. After his mouth was clear, he spoke up. “So, what would you like to do today?”
Rarity set down her teacup and dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief. “Hmm... We could explore the town? I heard from that mare there was some nice stores around here. One of them is a craft store!”
Clyde nodded. “Sounds good with me.”
After they finished eating, the two of them got up from the table and walked towards the saloon entrance. Clyde looked over at Black Stone, who smirked and tipped his hat to him. Clyde nodded and followed Rarity out of the half-filled saloon.
The street of Dodge Junction was about as dead as the saloon. There were only a few ponies walking around, either window gazing at the shops, heading towards the station, or following the trail to the cherry farm. Rarity opened up her saddlebag and pulled out a small paper fan. She levitated it close to her face and began flapping it to create a small breeze for herself.
“Oh my. I should have wore my criminal outfit,” she said, “wearing this dress in the sunlight is too unbearably hot.”
Clyde looked over at her and chuckled. “You’ll be fine. I thought you liked that dress?”
“I do, but I don’t when I’m wearing it in blazing, warm weather..”
“I’ll let you go change if you–”
“Clyde, no. You said I’ll be fine, so I will trust you and continue wearing this until I take it off to sleep.” Her look of discomfort turned into dedication. Clyde knew Rarity enough now to understand why she refused to change outfits. She enjoyed hearing praise and confidence about herself from other ponies. He also assumed she wanted to show off her dress more.
For the next few hours, the duo spent the time walking around the town of Dodge Junction and looking through the various stores. Rarity bought herself more thread and pins at the craft store in case she had to repair any of their clothes. Seeing how Clyde’s duster ripped nearly every other day, the purchase was justified. Clyde searched around the general store, but didn’t find anything of value to him. He walked out of the store and found Rarity staring through the window of another store.
“What are you looking at?” asked Clyde, walking up to her side.
“It’s a jewelry store!” she said excitedly. “Can we go inside to look around?”
Clyde shrugged and took a look through the window himself. He could see a few glass counters and a register in the store. Seeing how there was nothing for them to do, a quick look in the store wouldn’t hurt. “After you,” he said to Rarity.
Rarity smiled and walked towards the door. She stopped before opening and quickly turned around to face him. “Maybe you should look for rings while you’re in here?” she asked with lowered eyes.
Clyde blinked and felt his face get warm. “W-What?” Clyde froze up at the sudden mention of ‘rings.'
Rarity giggled and dropped him one of her normal, flirty winks Clyde was used to and enjoyed. “I’m teasing, darling. I only wanted to check for earrings.” She took a step forward, but stopped and turned around again. “For future reference, I would much rather be surprised than knowing what the ring will look like.” She smiled, winked, and entered the jewelry store, leaving Clyde standing there still feeling warm. He quickly shook it off and entered the building.
The first thing Clyde noticed was the lack of a shop clerk standing near the register. The missing clerk made Clyde feel more at home, but he did wonder where they were. Rarity didn’t seem to mind as she bounced from counter to counter in the store, looking at the lustrous jewels, pendants, and bracelets. Clyde walked around the store, looking at the counter’s items and the decor before hearing a gleeful shriek.
“It’s so fabulous!”
Clyde turned his head to see Rarity’s face pressed against one of the glass counters, trying to take a closer look at something. Clyde couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. Rarity heard him and quickly returned her front hooves to the wooden floor.
“Don’t laugh at me,” she said sadly.
“I’m not laughing at you, it’s just the way you looked,” explained Clyde. His smirk caused a small pout from Rarity, but she recovered and propped her front hooves on the counter again.
“If you had my desire for gems, you would understand. They help bring out the best in my clothing.”
Clyde knew she had a point. He walked over to the counter beside her to see what her fuss was about. Since he was a stallion and bigger than her, he didn’t have to stand on his hind legs to see. When he looked down, he finally understood her sudden euphoria.
In the glass counter was a necklace. The entirety of the chain was made of solid gold, but the necklace pendant was the true allure of the accessory. It was a heart-shaped pendant, having small diamond studs set into the golden frame of the heart. The heart itself was composed of a large chunk of cut diamond. Clyde knew this necklace was the most expensive item in the store by a large margin.
Clyde looked over at Rarity and saw the diamond heart reflecting in her eyes. Clyde didn’t see a price tag, but he assumed it was more than all the money they had combined. Clyde looked back at the necklace and heard a rough, deep voice. “Can I help you?”
Clyde and Rarity looked up at an older stallion behind the register. Clyde wondered who the stallion was, but the door behind the register was fully open to show some type of office and storage room. The stallion himself had to have been twice as old as Clyde. His mane was a mix of gray and a charcoal color, giving his dark gray irises a matching appearance.
“Good afternoon,” said Rarity happily, “I was wondering how much this necklace–”
The store clerk didn’t look at her. “It’s not for sale.” His voice was serious and unmoving.
Rarity blinked. “Pardon?”
The clerk’s eyes flared anger. “Are you deaf? It’s not for sale!”
Clyde looked at her and saw she was shocked and afraid to speak up again. He didn’t understand why the clerk was so hostile towards them. “Why isn’t it for sale?” asked Clyde looking at the clerk.
The clerk stared at Clyde for a few moments before speaking. “That necklace was shipped in from Prance. It’s worth a fortune and I’m not selling it to plain-looking folk.” He walked back into the back room and slammed the door. Clyde heard Rarity give one of her hmphs before storming out of the store. Clyde looked back at the door behind the register to see a key on one of the hooks on the wall. He quickly looked at Rarity who was still frowning, before glancing back at the key hook. He quietly walked over to it and grabbed the lone key before dashing out of the store.
“What were you doing?” she asked him as they began walking back to the saloon.
Clyde flashed the key and quickly put it in his duster’s pocket. “Looks like we are going shopping tonight.” Rarity smiled and playfully laughed.
“I thought we were taking a break?”
Clyde smiled and shrugged. “We were suppose to, but I’m getting an itch for another quick robbery.” Rarity didn’t say anything, but he knew she didn’t mind.
When they entered the saloon, Clyde noticed Black Stone and his pals were still playing cards. Black Stone tipped his hat once more before flipping over some cards. Rarity walked to the bar and ordered drinks for them. Clyde sat down at a table and thought about the night’s heist. When Rarity sat down and slid him a bottle of sarsaparilla, he quickly gulped it down.
Clyde and Rarity sat at the table in the saloon for the remainder of the day and into the night, talking to each other and enjoying each other’s company. Clyde helped her with sewing something, but it wasn’t much. He only had to hold the fabric in place while she used magic to guide the needle. As the night grew older, more and more ponies were retiring to their rooms to sleep. Once he knew most of the ponies were in bed, the two of them left for the jewelry store.
As expected, the street was empty and there was nopony in sight. Clyde quietly moved towards the door and took out the small key. He gently inserted it and turned the handle. When he heard the door unlock, he grinned.
“Shall I stay out here for lookout?” whispered Rarity.
Clyde swiftly looked around the entrance of the store. “Hide under the window. It’s dark so ponies shouldn’t see you unless they get closer to the store. I shouldn’t be long.”
Rarity nodded and sat down on the dusty ground. She of course sat on her portable cushion so her dress wouldn’t get dirty. Clyde gave her a smile and entered the shop.
Clyde quietly walked over to each glass counter, making sure to limit his noise as much as possible. After struggling to open the counter, Clyde tried using the key he stole from the hook to open it up. He sighed in relief as the counter popped open. Clyde quickly gathered up the gems with his hoof and dumped them into his saddlebag. He continued this trend until he reached the necklace from Prance.
Instead of dumping it into his saddlebag, Clyde took a few moments to examine it. He caught the moonlight from the window and watched the diamond studs in the frame and the entire heart sparkle. He couldn’t wait to see Rarity’s face when he handed it to her. As he carefully put it in his saddlebag, he looked around to see if he missed anything.
“Ahhh! Clyde! Let go of–”
Clyde quickly looked at the doorway of the shop to see a large hoof covering Rarity’s mouth. He quickly ran outside to see her and her captor disappear around the corner of the building. As he turned the corner, he felt an object strike against his head, causing him to stumble and fall down. As he looked around on the ground dazed and confused, he saw two ponies in black walk up to him. He faintly saw Rarity pull the hoof off her mouth.
“Clyde!” Clyde only remembered the sound of her resonating voice before blackness filled his eyes.
~ ~ ~
“Let us go, you ruffians, and untie me this instant! I don’t want this rope to cause a burn on me!”
“Be quiet!”
“That’s no way to treat a lady. I can freely speak my mind. I’ll stop if you let Clyde and myself go.”
“We’ll discuss that when he wakes up, now stop talking!”
“Hmph.”
Clyde slowly began to open his eyes. He couldn’t remember exactly what happened, but he did know a pony tried to run away with Rarity. When his eyes were fully open, he noticed he laid facing the wall. The only thing in front of him was his saddlebag and his hat. He slowly sat up and turned around to see three ponies towering over him. “He’s finally up.”
“Clyde!” yelled Rarity. She was tied up and sitting in a chair in the corner of the small room. The room was bare and empty save for the ponies in the room and the chair Rarity was sitting on. The door was behind the group of ponies, but the group didn’t care about that. They only cared about staring down at Clyde.
Clyde lifted his head and felt a sharp pain. As he rubbed the spot, he remembered being hit with something and falling down before blacking out. “W-Who are you...” Clyde weakly looked back up to try and focus on identifying at least one of the ponies.
“Having a hard time seeing? Seems we must have knocked you a little too hard.” One of the ponies laughed and Clyde flinched in pain. He heard one of the ponies walk up to him and stopped a few inches away. Clyde felt the hoof of one of the ponies lift his chin up and try to stare him into submission. The familiar green eyes shocked Clyde.
“B-Black Stone?”
Black Stone laughed and removed his hoof, causing Clyde’s head to fall and hit his chest. When Clyde looked back up, he saw that the other two ponies with him were the two bulky stallions he played cards with.
“The infamous Bonnibelle and Clyde aren’t so tough now, huh?” Black Stone teased. “I can’t believe Sheriff Silverstar couldn’t capture you two.”
Clyde looked over at Rarity who remained silent. He quickly noticed one of Black Stone’s pals had a small revolver pointing at her. “So, you did know about us,” he said to Black Stone.
“I told you earlier, I’m from Appleloosa, so of course I know the both of you. Silverstar has the two of you on a bounty watch.” Black Stone looked at Clyde and gave him a crooked smirk. “Luckily for you two, we aren’t bounty hunters.”
“They why capture us?” asked Clyde. “If anything, you should have only captured me, not her.” Clyde saw Rarity smile, but only for a few moments before looking away to avoid the bulky stallion’s glare.
“If Silverstar would have put a bigger bounty on you two, then we would already be on our way to Appleloosa. He’s cheap, so the reward is only a few bits for the both of you. That’s hardly worth the effort as it costs more for a train ride to Appleloosa.” Black Stone sighed and walked up to Clyde. “You see, we are one in the same. We both left our towns to earn money. Hearing about your robbery against our bank made me want to feel that feeling as well. So, I left Appleloosa with my pals and here we are.” After lifting up Clyde’s chin again, Black Stone tapped his hoof to his head. “Unlike you, however, I actually use my brain.”
“What do you mean?” stated Clyde with venom. He wanted to spit in Black Stone’s face for insulting him, but he didn’t want to act rash and harm Rarity.
“Why rob a store when you can just wait for someone else to do it?” said Black Stone with a laugh. “I knew you two would eventually come to Dodge Junction, so I waited everyday, playing cards with these idiots to pass time. When I finally saw you walk into the saloon, I wanted to jump in joy, but I didn’t, as it would blow my cover.”
Clyde broke free from his grip and slid away from him. The two bulky stallions pointed their revolvers at Clyde. “What makes you so sure I’m going to hand over our earnings? I never let any deputy or sheriff take back my items before, so why now?”
Black Stone smirked. “Because you don’t have a choice.” He pointed to Rarity. “We have your muse!” The two stallions pointed their revolvers at Rarity again.
Clyde dropped silent and looked at Rarity. Her eyes were full of fear and he knew she wanted to be saved from the situation. Suddenly her horn glowed blue and she grabbed one of the revolvers with magic. Before anything could happen, Clyde’s eardrum exploded as the sound of a bullet whizzing by his head struck the concrete wall behind him.
Black Stone, with his own revolver pointing at the spot behind Clyde, looked at Rarity. “Stop the magic or we will shoot him.” The bulky stallion pointed at Clyde. Rarity cut off her levitation spell and the third revolver fell to the floor. Clyde saw Rarity begin crying in fear.
“Now,” began Black Stone, “instead of wasting anymore time here, pick your fate. You told me yourself her safety was everything to you. You either give up your earnings and pride as an outlaw, or you give up her.”
Clyde looked at his saddlebag and glanced at Rarity. Her lip was quivering and her eyes were filled with tears. He didn’t lie to Black Stone when he told him Rarity’s safety was his main concern. She made his adventures more thrilling than ever before and her personality could light him up anytime. Without speaking a word, he crawled over to his saddlebag.
“Clyde, you don’t have to do this!” cried Rarity, “I know how much those are worth to you! I’m only a seamstress! All those jewels are worth more than me...”
Clyde ignored her and opened up his saddlebag. The first piece of jewelry he saw was the diamond heart necklace from Prance and Clyde felt tears of his own streaming down his face.
“Hurry up!” yelled Black Stone.
Clyde continued looking at the necklace before grabbing his hat. With his back still turned towards Black Stone, Clyde shifted his glance from his hat to the necklace.
“Do you think I’m joking around?” asked Black Stone angrily, “you have two minutes or you’re losing both!”
Clyde carefully set his hat on his head and picked up the saddlebag. He crawled over to the spot in front of Black Stone and dumped the jewelry and gems, even some left over bits from other robberies, onto the floor. Black Stone smiled and called for the bulky stallions to gather them up while he kept his aim on Clyde. After dumping all of the earnings from the store into Black Stone’s saddlebag, the three ponies smiled and Black Stone threw it on his back.
“Well, I thank you Bonnibelle and Clyde for the help! Enjoy the rest of the day!” Black Stone laughed once more before he and his bodyguards fled out of the room. Daylight quickly flooded the room before the door shut again.
Clyde felt disheartened that the items he stole from the jewelry store were gone just like that. It was the first time he had ever failed. However, he only sulked for a few seconds about the jewels as he looked at Rarity and saw her faintly smiling. No amount of jewels could replace having a partner.
Clyde slowly got off the concrete floor and walked over to Rarity. He began untying the rope around her as she sat there quietly. When the rope fell down her body, Rarity lunged at Clyde, pinning him to the ground and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you, Clyde. Thank you,” she said with tears flowing down her face. He felt her hug him tighter.
“What for?” he asked. His head still throbbed, but he didn’t care about himself. He used one of his forelegs to hug her back and the other to keep his hat on his head.
“For saving me and not letting me die,” she pulled out of the hug and smiled, but tears were still visible in her eyes.
“I can’t let my partner down,” he replied with a smile of his own. “It’s unfortunate I caused us getting captured and let them steal our earnings, but right now, I only care that you’re still here. I hope you forgive me for that scary scene.”
Rarity lowered her eyes. “I forgive you, darling.” She smiled away, but Clyde still saw the sadness in her face, still fearing what would have happened if that bullet hit Clyde or if he had picked the jewels and bits instead of her.
“I wanted to give you something,” said Clyde softly.
Rarity blinked. “What is it? I thought they took everything in your bag?”
Clyde slyly smiled and took off his hat. Rarity’s saddened face turned into shock as Clyde pulled out the diamond heart necklace. It still seemed to shine brightly.
“Clyde, darling. I–I don’t understand! How do–” began Rarity, who was in complete shock and bewilderment.
“I know how much you loved this necklace, so I kept it for you. I hid it in my hat while I was turned around.” Rarity began to sniffle and Clyde grinned. He gently placed the necklace around her neck. When he leaned back to see it on her, he saw the heart and her eyes sparkle. “All the gems, bits, and gold in the world couldn’t replace you, Rarity.” He felt his face grow warm and noticed hers was reddening as well.
Rarity didn’t speak, but Clyde knew she was so confused, happy, and in love with her new necklace. Clyde resumed looking at her eyes and felt a sudden connection. Before he could think, he saw Rarity lean forward and peck his lips with hers. When she leaned back, they both lit up with smiles.
“I take it you like it?” asked Clyde sweetly.
“I simply adore it, darling. Just like I adore you as well.” Rarity leaned forward again and nuzzled her nose against his. Clyde still felt pain from the blow to his head, but Rarity’s nose made the pain subside. Not only was she his muse, she was also his remedy.
After Clyde and Rarity separated from each other, Rarity looked at Clyde and frowned. “So what now, darling? Are we going to chase after those ponies?”
Clyde looked away. “I... I’m not sure. I can’t let you get in danger like that again. It’s not worth robbing anything if you are bound to get in trouble. Let’s just get out of this town, or wherever we are.”
Clyde helped Rarity off the ground and picked up his empty saddlebag. The empty weight of the bag was something Clyde wasn’t use to, but he ignored the feeling of defeat and led Rarity out of the door. As they walked up the stairs and onto the dusty trail of Dodge Junction, Clyde saw they were behind the saloon. Black Stone and his pals had them in an empty storage room behind the building.
Rarity quickly went to their room to retrieve her bag, while Clyde stayed outside. When she came out of the saloon, he saw she was in her leather boots that went up to her flank and her purple coiffed mane was unkempt again. She wasn’t wearing her white-felt hat, but Clyde gave her a smile, to which she mimicked back.
The two of them walked to the train station and quickly embarked for a trip to another small town nearby. They didn’t have to worry about the cost as Rarity still had bits in her bag. They sat near the back of the train and looked out the window. As Clyde stared out the window not talking, he felt his hat lift off of his head. He watched the light blue aura surrounding it, float it over and rest atop Rarity’s head. She smiled.
“Say, darling,” spoke Rarity with a grin, her eyes shaded by his hat, “it seems we don’t have much money to spend. Don’t we only rob stores to get us by?” She tilted the hat up with her hoof and playfully giggled.
Clyde looked at Rarity and couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes shone like the jewels from the store and her diamond heart sparkled. He may have let the wealth get away, but he didn’t let them take his true gem. He was happy to know he made both of her hearts shine that day, so he gave a small laugh.
“That’s my girl.”