//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Hang 'em High // by aceotaku //------------------------------// Twilight, along with the still paralysed Rainbow Dash, had been pulled into a building by a panic stricken Flim and Flam, leaving the still damaged wagon behind. Before she could ask them anything or demand they go back for her father and the Mayor, the building began to shake and rattle around them. The Twins paled and held each other in fear, only for the floor to spin and send the four of them underground. This happened within a span of minutes, and not a moment too soon as the building was torn asunder. Of course, now that they were underground, they weren’t quite aware of all this. To Twilight’s eyes, where once was a wooden house there was now a dark, musty room filled with a few lanterns and several scared looking ponies. “U-Umm hello!” Twilight held up a hoof in greeting, smiling as she got her bearings. “I’m Twilight Sparkle of the Sparkle Family Farm from Ponyville, here on request by Deep Roots of Appleoosa to see why you have ceased your correspondence with Appleoosa!” Her smile drooped slightly. “I...I guess your sheriff was behind that.” One of the locals, a large minotaur, nodded. “Yep, that’d be Hangem High. Everytime newcomers’d come in, he’d paralyse them with that weapon of his and then...subject them to the fate of everyone else he deems ‘guilty’.” The minotaur looked over at Rainbow Dash. “Seems he got one of ya with them.” Twilight nodded, frowning. “He managed to capture my father and...” She gulped. “The Mayor.” The ponies, griffons and minotaurs turned to the ground with downcast eyes as the minotaur speaking to Twilight sighed sadly. “I told him he needed to get down here, but he refused...wanted to make sure he could warn any other messengers and couriers Appleoosa sends...you’d be the fifth group sent here.” Several unicorns laid Rainbow Dash onto a makeshift bed, looking her over, clearly local doctors. “Don’t worry, it will take a while, but we can cure the paralysis. Just hang tight and we can help her.” Twilight frowned worriedly over her friend, but her thoughts were interrupted as she was pulled to face the twins. “Twilight what in the name of Luna’s moon is going on!?” Flim asked worriedly. “W-what WAS that thing!?” Twilight frowned. “From what we gathered, he is a ghost...the spirit of this town’s sheriff who was...punished for awful crimes.” She went green but swallowed and regained her normal, though hesitant, composure. “H-he seems to be punishing ponies for crimes...though what these crimes I cannot ascertain...and I have no idea why he would take my father....” The brothers paled. “He’s...He’s after...criminals...?” “Do not be fooled by his words.” The minotaur spoke from behind. “He is a coward and a liar by nature; he only harms those weaker than himself and when he is certain he can win, to boot. He only took on the role of sheriff because he enjoyed lording over us and indulging in his sadistic tendancies. The ‘crimes’ we all committed to deserve being roped up and pulled into...Celestia knows where? Anything. Forgetting to pay for candy as a foal. Not tipping ponies for their services. Any lie or minor misdeed you did: its all the same to him. The Mayor may have sugar coated for ya, but let me tell ya: NONE of his victims deserved being hung, way back when, and it ain’t no different now.” Twilight nodded sadly. “Yeah. Rainbow has a strong sense of justice, she believes in the system, I doubt she was willing to believe that someone like that was capable of doing such awful things...but...its clear he isn’t a nice person...” the purple mare began to tear up. “You were all driven down here so he couldn’t hurt any of you, weren’t you? I am so sorry...” “Now ma’am it ain’t your fault...” “I know...” Twilight sniffed. “I just wish I could do something...give anything to appease him, make him stop whatever he is doing...” “Trust me miss.” The minotaur stated with a serious gleam in his eye. “There is nothing you can do that will make that...monster stop.” Flim and Flam looked at Twilight, then at Rainbow Dash, then at the huddled remnants of the town, and finally turned to each other. They gave a swift nod and turned. Twilight blinked and ran to them as the pair trotted off. “Where do you two think you’re going!?” “There is nothing you can do Twi...” Flim said. “But...we might be able to try something...even if it’s just a slim chance, even if it doesn’t work...we still gotta give it a shot.” “What are you talking about!?” Twilight exclaimed. “W-why do you look like your going to your...why do you look so grim!?” Flam sighed and spoke this time. “Miss Twilight...we...we haven’t been honest. That...spirit...monster...whatever, it was right about us.” “What...? What are you talking about!?” Twilight stomped her hoof, looking incredulous. “We lied. We stole. We hurt a LOT of ponies.” Flim continued. “We were con-men Twilight, and no matter how you slice it, we’re bad ponies. The only reason we aren’t in prison right now is cause of your dad...” “He found out what we did, what we were like.” His brother nodded. “We only began working for him due to our own idiocy.” He chuckled and smiled. “But...that only taught us how much our old lifestyle was a waste, and we even thought about turning ourselves in...but your father...he knew, and he protected us.” “Y-You’re lying!” Twilight weeped. “Y-You were the first friends I ever had! Th-there’s no way you hurt anypony!” “it’s true!” Flim snapped, crying. “We are no better than bank robbers! Heck, we DID rob a bank once! We’re scum! The only reason we even changed was cause of ponies like you, and your dad! But the truth is, we deserve to be punished, and if it means we can get our jsut desserts whole trading ourselves for the safety of you and this town, we’d gladly make that sacrifice!” “Y-you can’t!” Twilight whimpered. “I-I won’t allow it.” The brothers chuckled. “What’s this? Twilight Sparkle acting selfish? Twi, you’d sacrifice anything for anypony, what kinda friends would we be if we didn’t do the same, after everything your father did and taught us?” Twilight whimpered. “B-but...I’ve known you since I was a filly...” “Twi, you know when a pony does something bad, they have to be punished for it, otherwise it isn’t fair.” “But this isn’t even a proper punishment!” Twilight yelled. “You’re sorry! If you’re sorry then you should be forgiven!” The brothers turned away, erect a wall with their magic to stop Twilight. “Even IF we had been forgiven, and we hurt too many ponies for that, we cna never forgive ourselves. Sorry Twi, but at least this way, we can help someponies, even if only for a brief moment.” “No! You don’t have to!” Twilight cried, slamming her hoof on the wall of magic, but was silenced as the minotaur grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with his hand. “You idiot! He might hear you!” The pair froze and everyone else looked up as the ground rumbled above them. “No...” The minotaur breathed. Suddenly bullets began flying into the tunnel, the minotaur grabbing Twilight and ordering everyone to evacuate, Rainbow Dash being carefully but hurriedly carried up by the doctors as everyone else used nearby tunnels to dash away from the bullets....and onto the surface, in the middle of the town’s street. “Ya’ll though you could hide from me, that I didn’t know where you were?” Everyone looked up, seeing Hangem High hover above them. “Like I couldn’t still grab ya whenever I wanted? Hah...you all are idiots.” Twilight stared as a pair of ponies stood under Hangem High: Flim and Flam. “Sir, we have a deal we’d like to make.” The ghost raised a brow and lowered himself closer to the ground, in front of the twins. “W-we...we offer ourselves to you!’ Flam continued, pale. “Do whatever you want to us, but in exchange, you will leave these good folk alone!” “’Good’?” The former sheriff tilted his head. “What does that MEAN exactly? Let me tell ya, there ain’t no one GOOD in this world. These of mine...they show me things. The sins of, the smallest piece of guilt within ya, or the hatred of those you have wronged. EVERYpony has done something they ain’t proud of, from stealing to hurting a small insect or even picking up some money off the ground, it’s all a crime.” He chuckled and grabbed the twins by their necks, making them choke and squirm as he lifted them up. “So tell me...what makes ya think I would ignore the crimes of so many...just cause a couple of really bad eggs asked me to?” “Let them go!” Twilight exclaimed, running forward. “And what will you do, hmm?” Hangem High snorted. “You gonna fight me for them!?” “No...” Twilight sighed. “I...I will make a deal of my own: I challenge you to a duel. I’ll use my horn, you use your...weapon.” “Gun.” “Duly noted. Anyway, we’ll have our backs together, and take five steps away from each other. Once we reach those five steps, we’ll turn to face each other and fire. The first one to be hit loses. If I win, you will release EVERYONE you captured and leave, never to return, if I lose....y-you can have me, in exchange for Flim and Flam, a-and the rest of the town, but free to ask for anything else otherwise...” The sheriff thought, a skeletal finger to his chin. “Now...first of all, that seems mighty favourable towards yourselves more than anything.” “No...y...you can keep everypony you already took...i-if you win...y-you’ll just release Flim and Flam and leave the town alone...I’m sorry but nopony else needs to suffer...” “Second of all, how ya know I didn’t just KILL my quarry?” Twilight gazed at him, steely. “It’s true we have no idea as to what happened to the others...b-but if you did want to kill them, wouldn’t you hang them like you did when you were alive? There is a reason you drag them away and pull them inside yourself...” “And you’re willing to sacrifice yourself, to whatever whims I have, to a fate you admit to not knowing ANYTHING about, just for these two con artists?” “They AREN’T con artists!” Twilight asserted. “They are my friends, and good ponies, no matter what they used to be in the past, they have changed.” Hangem High chuckled and threw the brothers away, a few ponies managing to catch them and cushion them bodily. “Fine! I accept your terms! We’ll duel. But only the two of us, no one else, pony or otherwise, may try to help or interfere. ” He smirked. “Fair and square. No cheating. And...if I win, I keep everypony I took, AND you.” Twilight nodded, gulping. “Fair enough. I accept your terms.” “Twi wait” Flim started, but was interrupted by a gunshot, a smoking bullet hole inches from where he stood. “No interruptions.” Hangem High stated coldly. “If you break any part of the agreement, the deal is null and void, and I take EVERYONE, town and all.” Again, Twilight nodded. “It’s okay, guys, I know what I’m doing.” Rainbow groaned, giving Twilight a worried glare as she was laid on a blanket and surrounded by ponies. Twilight and Hangem High turned, their backs as near together as they can while being of different statures. “1!” they took a single step forward in the opposite direction from each other. “2!” They took another step. “3!” another step...and Hangem Highs arm twisted behind himself suddenly and fired a shot at Twilight. “Twi!” Flim and Flam cried out. Rainbow jerked and fought against her paralysis, trying to drag herself over, groaning unintelligibly. However, Twilight stood, one of the many wanted posters near her now sporting a smoking bullet hole, a bubble of magic surrounded the unicorn. “You cheated!” Hangem High shouted, firing several more times, however Twilight’s magical shield deflected each shot into a another poster. “You cheated first though.” Twilight pointed out. “You were the one who fired before we finished counting, and you used your unusual form to ensure your victory. You had no intention of honouring our deal at all, did you!?” “Don’t call me a cheater!” The sheriff shouted. “Of course I had no plan to honour a deal made with a cheat and an accomplice to two...no, three criminals!” “We had a deal and you broke it!” Twilight argued. “You lied and you cheated, I was perfectly willing to give you whatever you wanted as long as everyone else was safe, but you didn’t even honour that!” twilight glared. “I dislike greedy cheaters and liars.” “YAAGHHHH!!!” Hangem High screamed in rage, firing hundreds of bullets, but they continued to be deflected into the surrounded wanted posters. “This is the strongest spell I can muster.” The purple unicorn said. “It was taught to me by somepony I once respected, though no longer. This spell requires surprisingly little magic to use, and anything that touches it I can deflect in whatever direction I choose....at least, as long as what hits it is magical. Physical objects will just be stopped.” “Shut up!” The ghost continued to fire, glaring. “Stop talking! How dare you call me a liar and a cheat!” Twilight uncharacteristically smirked. “Why? Because , by your twisted logic, that makes you a criminal too?” “I am not!” Hangem High snarled...then his eyes shrank as he looked around himself. “I...Oh no...” Everypony (and otherwise) else looked around as the pictures on the wanted posters began to burn away and change....revealing the cruel grin of Hangem High in the place of the fearful features of his victims. The air grew cold within the town, the cruel spirit looking around and cowering in fear. “I-I did nothing wrong!” He shrieked, backing away....as firey lassos flew from the posts and deep into his ribcage. A tearing, cracking sound filled the air as every pony, minotaur and whatever else he had captured was pulled out of his body and the spritit collapsed to his knees, visibly weakened. “LIAR!” a deep, terrifying voice resounded, everypony looking around in fear. “No!” Hangem High got up, turning to run, only for the flaming lassos to return and tie themselves all around him. “I-I ain’t going back! Let me go!” “YOU KILLED COUNTLESS INNOCENTS TO SATE YOUR LUST FOR POWER, TO PROVE YOU RULED THE TOWN!” The voice continued, its source unseen. “JUSTICE? YOU CARED NOT FOR ANY OF THAT, MERELY LIES TO HIDE THE TRUTH: YOU JUST ENJOY HURTING OTHERS! THAT WAS WHY YOU WERE SEALED AWAY WITHIN TARTARUS, EQUESTRIA’S GREATEST PRISON, THE MOMENT YOU DIED! YOUR SINS WERE TOO GRAVE TO ALLOW YOU FREEDOM, EVEN WITHIN DEATH!” Hangem High screamed as his skeletal body was torn to pieces, the orange eyes within his skull flying out into the horizon from the sheer force. His errant pieces shook, trying to pull themselves together. “I DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU DID THIS, OR WHAT FORCE GAVE YOU THE POWER, BUT YOU WILL NO LONGER ESCAPE, AND YOU WILL NO LONGER USE THE LIVING TO FOOL US ANY LONGER! NO LONGER SHALL YOU CAPTURE OTHERS TO TAKE THEIR PLACE FOR YOU! YOU WILL RETURN TO YOUR CELL WHERE YOU BELONG!” Hangem High screamed as a massive, black, clawed fist sprang from the ground and wrapped itself tightly around him, a three headed giant of a dog, glaring angrily. “HANGEM HIGH, YOU ARE HEREBY SENTENCED TO THE GRAVEST SENTENCE OF ALL: AN ENTERNITY IN TARTURUS, UNTIL THE IMPOSSIBLE DAY YOU REFORM AND REDEEM YOURSELF!” “No! NOOOOOO!!” The cruel minotaur screamed, struggling from under Cerberus’ fist, trapped. “NOT BACK INTO THE PIT! IT BUUUUURRRRNNNNS!!!” His scream echoed throughout the town as Cerberus pulled him back down, deep beneath the earth, the ground sealing itself as if nothing had happened, the wanted posters burning into nothing, as if they were never there. Twilight stared, unsure what to think of what happened, everpony else hugging their returned relatives as the sun rose over the town, signalling the return of peace. -------------------------------- Rainbow glared at the doctor looking her over. “I’m fine now, really.” The doctor gave her a stern gaze. “You look alright...but we just can’t be too careful with magic, you know?” The Pegasus rolled her eyes. “I’ll have myself looked at later then, at a proper hospital, but right now I just wann see how my friend is doing.” The doctor nodded. “Alright, you check out fine anyhow, just be careful.” Rainbow nodded and ran out of the clinic, looking around for Twilight...only for Flim and Flam to walk up to her. “You...heard what we said, didn’t you?” Flim said. “About...our past.” “Yeah, I was paralysed, not in a coma.” Rainbow nodded. “Look...I can’t claim I’m fine with the idea that you guys were conartists, or that you haven’t gone to jail or anthing, but....you don’t seem like bad guys, and you were willing to give yourselves up to help the town, not to mention how much Twilight cares about you too...look, I’m not gonna hold anything against ya, as long as you don’t do anything wrong in the future.” Flam chuckled. “Look, that part of our lives is over and done with, we’re much happier helping build machines for the farm. That being said, I think these folks can handle themselves fine without us now, so we should get ready to go, right?” Rainbow shrugged but nodded. “Yeah I mean, I don’t really see much more we can do here right now, so I’ll go wait in the wagon....you guys really did fix that thing up really fast though.” The twins smirked and stood proudly. “Well, when it comes to mechanical repairs and construction, we’re your stallions.” The Pegasus rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I’ll let you guys know if I ever need anything like that in the future.” She started walking towards the wagon. “You guys think Twi will be alright? I mean...this is the first time she had to really fight something, by herself, and with her dad...” “Don’t worry, Twi’s stronger han you give her credit for.” Flim stated. “Her dad too. They’ll be fine.” Rainbow sighed. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it....I just worry sometimes, ya know? Especially since I was sorta useless for this.” “You’re here for Twilight, and that’s all that matters.” “Yeah.” Rainbow snorted and smiled. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” -------------------------------- “Zat vas very dangerous!” Night Light scolded his daughter in the back of the wagon. “I know dad but...things looked desperate, it was the only thing I could think of to save Flim and Flam...” the unicorn mare lowered her head, whimpering. Her father sighed and gently wrapped his hoof over her shoulder. “I know, but...you must understand, sometimes you can’t make a deal to solve a problem, and you CERTAINLY shouldn’t sacrifice yourself, that is no way to protect others.” “I’m sorry dad...” He smiled and nuzzled her softly. “It is alright dearheart, I was just concerned, I am proud of you all the same...just remember to think about yourself ever once in a while.” “Maybe...” “I was surprised you resorted to your brother’s spell,howezer.” He continued. “I zought you hated him.” Twilight scowled. “I do...he abandoned us so he could focus on his career, and then thinks that sending us some token handouts will solve everything. He’s no better than the rest of those snobs!” “Twilight...your brozer is not as bad as you zink...” “That’s what you and mom always say! But I don’t believe it, if he really loved us so much then why didn’t he stay with us!” Her father sighed. “Not ezery family can stay together indefinitely, my child.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “You always say that too...the only reason I use that spell anymore is cause its quite useful, and its the only spell I can really use at all...” “You could train yourself...” “No.” Twilight glared. “I’m a farm girl, I have no need for studying and magic.” “You used to love zat...” “I’m not the same little filly who idolised her ‘BBBFF’ who wanted to become Celestia’s student, dad.” Twilight sighed. “Those days are long gone...” Night Light lowered his head sadly. “This is true...” Rainbow suddenly poked her head in. “Hey why so glum? You should be happy, you saved a whole town by yourself Twi!” The unicorn giggled. “Nah...it was nothing really...I barely did much...” “Look, just doing your part, no matter how small, counts if it leads to helping someone.” Rainbow smirked. “Trust me, I should know. So what were you guys talking about anyway?” Twilight looked to her father, the two of them looking back at the pegasus and speaking as one. “Nothing important.” “Alright, anything you two want to say to the locals or do before we head out?” The two put their hooves to their chins in thought. “Well...” twilight drawled. “We could go see if the locals need any reimbursements for supplies!” “And...what, you’re just gonna give it to them out of your own pockets?” “Why not?” twilight chuckled as her father nodded. “It wouldn’t be right, leaving them so suddenly. Let’s stay a while und smell ze roses.” Rainbow laughed mirthfully. “Alright, I’ll break it to the twins then. Heck, I might be able to ask the Mayor for some books on their town history and the like!” Twilight laughed and hopped out. “You and your books, Rainbow.” The Pegasus lauged and ran ahead, Twilight chuckling and chasing after her. “I may be a bookworm, but I can outrun ya!” “We’ll see about that!” Night Light shook his head, smiling. ----------------------------------- Sunset Shimmer trotted along the desert, looking down at the pair of orange eyes that lay on the ground, staring up at her. Her shadow moved forward as the eyes were dragged down and absorbed into it, a pair of threatening, yellow eyes glowing for a brief moment before vanishing. “You shall be whole.” The unicorn muttered. “And we will make them all pay for humiliating me.”