//------------------------------// // Happy Endings? // Story: Adventures in Apple-achia // by Cold Cuts the batpony //------------------------------// Blood dripped from my brow, blurring my vision. I galloped frantically down the street and dodged behind the corner of a general store. Panting, I took the precious moment to rest. Peeking around the corner I could see Dan and his two lackeys checking potential hiding places on their way down the street. I brought my rifle to bear and blew the kneecap out of lackey one, he fell to the ground screaming. Not waiting any longer, I took off again, desperately trying to make my way to the pecan grove, where Dusty was hopefully waiting. "C'mere boy! I got somethin' for ya!" Dan called out, "Somethin' I shoulda gave ya long ago!" Preferring to not find out what this was, I kept moving. I could easily slip him and get away, but I needed to keep drawing him on. That was the hard part, keeping him close enough to still follow me, but far enough he wouldn't catch on. I made it to the edge of town. Now a wide open field of oats stood between me and the grove. Waiting a moment, I listened. They were close. I took to the air, flying low over the field with an exaggerated limp. Landing behind the cover of the first row of trees just as Dan and company plowed into the field, I swung my rifle up and fired four successive shots. The first found its mark in flunky's shoulder and the next three, aimed at Dan, caught nothing but air and a few wisps of Dan's mane. Now it was just me and him. I wiped the blood and sweat from my eyes once more and began to search for Dusty in the labyrinth of trees. I stopped to listen, becoming hyper-aware. In the matter of milliseconds, I saw the faint impressions of hoofprints, the churned earth at the base of several trees, the thin wires running from them, and the direction in which they all ran, like a spider's web. I wove my way through the trees towards the focal point. FWIP! Bark exploded from a point on the tree next to my head. I ducked behind another tree, chambering a fresh round in my rifle. Tracing the trajectory of the shot, I located its source, and cursed. "Dusty! Its me! What the buck are you doing with that peashooter?" I hollered stepping out. "Crackshot? You scared me," the other pony said, emerging from his hiding place, "I was just finishing tying everything in when I heard gunshots." "Is it ready?" I asked looking around warily, I hadn't heard from Dan in a while. Dusty held up a single wire, "This is the last one and it'll be ready to blow." I nodded, "Hopefully we won't have to. Where is the center?" It was almost time to end it all. "Hundred yards due east of here, there's a scriggly little tree that I rayed it all around and the dynamite extends for three hundred yards in every direction from it," his jaw set, "the detonator is on the edge of the grove, I'll be safe if I have to blow it, but what about you?" "Don't worry about me, I'll take care of myself. Just get that finished and get into place," I stood watch as he twisted the final connection then headed north. It was time for me to find Dan again. Loading my poisoned bullets, I trotted towards the tree that Dusty had described and flitted into the air to hover above it. "Dirty Dan! I'm calling you out! Let's finish this! Here and now!" My voice echoed in the unnatural stillness. I heard something rustling to my right. Dan emerged from the trees. My heart stopped. He had Dusty hostage in front of him. The unicorn smirked, "You wanna finish this, let's finish this." He threw the limp and bloody pony to the ground where he lay groaning. "So what was your big plan? Use yourself as bait and blow me up?" Dan sneered, "I thought you didn't kill anymore. But wait, that's what he was for," he kicked the fetal Dusty, "push your dirty work off on someone else, just like me." My brow furrowed. Dusty groaned and twitched on the ground, rapid and repetitive. "You came to be a real thorn in my side Long Shot," Dan went on, circling the clearing, "even now I have a hard time believing that a single pony was able to tear apart everything I built." Dusty's convulsions continued, "that wasn't at all a nice thing you did to Brawn." Suddenly I realized what Dusty was doing. Scraped in the dirt was a faint "X" with a single wire running from it. Smart boy. I landed, "You took everything I had and made me who I am first Dan." I sidled towards the x, keeping my attention on Dan, "I can't believe you're surprised." The unicorn spat, "It was me that saved you from Wildcard and his crew! You should be thankful!" I had made it to the x, "And I am, but maybe next time you'll be more careful on what you teach your protégé." I kicked through the dirt and felt my hoof connect with something solid. The device scittered across the ground right into Dusty's waiting grasp. Dan's coat stood on end. "What did you do?" The fear in his voice was palpable. "The entire grove is rigged to blow in a quarter mile in every direction," Dusty coughed from the ground, "You're bucked." Dan turned to run first one way then the other. "Make it stop!" He cried, "It's too much! Too much!" I raised my rifle and took aim on the quivering pony. I inhaled deeply an pulled the trigger. The slug creased down his flank, leaving a long shallow cut. Dan stared in bewilderment before falling to the ground, convulsing. The spasms lasted a few minutes and the unicorn foamed at the mouth. At last he was still. "What did you do?" He panted, "I can't sense anything. Where's my magic?" I reached into my vest and pulled out the dry stem and leaf of the Hornbane plant. "Do you know what this is?" "No. Noooo!" He waled, jumping to his feet intent on sticking me with his now useless horn. I was to fast. I clubbed him with the butt of my rifle and he fell again unconscious. "It's done," Dusty said, rising unsteadily to his feet. "It is," I said, helping him up. Together, we made our way from the grove back to the town. As we reached the town there wasa great explosion behind us and the pecan grove was flattened. "I guess he took the coward's way out," Dusty stated. "I s'pose so," I agreed looking on. "My trees!" Another voice cut in. We both turned to see a cream colored mare with a nut brown mane, staring on in horror as her pecan grove burned. We put our heads down and tried to limp into town as inconspicuously as possible.