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Part 1: Fiesta Sunset6,851 words
Part 2: Road to Everfree7,148 words
Part 3: High Moon5,417 words

Part 3: High Moon

“Welp, that ain’t going nowhere,” Twilight said, lifting the cart’s wheel.

The axle was split, making it impossible to reattach the wheel in any useful way.

“So what now? We go on hoof?”

“Yup, let’s get ready to go.”

“You expect us to carry all this the rest of the way?” Rarity demanded,

Twilight shook her head, “Just weapons and ammo. Everfree’s not far, we’ll get there before the end of the night for sure.”

“And the cart?”

“Leave it, we’ll come back for it later.”

“What if our stuff gets stolen?” Applejack asked,

“Unless y’all brought something valuable…” Twilight frowned, “Look, do y’all wanna rescue the sheriff or not?”

“Of course, sugarcube.”

“Then this is what we’ll have to deal with. Now stock up, let’s get to Everfree and get our sheriff back!”

“Alrighty then,”

“Hoowee!”

“Yeehaw!”

Twilight nodded, “Expect a fight, so keep an eye out. Let’s go!”

She took off running, the others quickly following behind. Running up the nearest dune, Twilight was quickly able to spot the spire of a building in the distance. She turned, and ran down the slope to the next one.

Every hill they crossed revealed more and more, the spire gave way to a bell tower, and the tips of roofs began to show over the sand. Dark against the night, there wasn’t a single light in the ghost town, just the skeletons of buildings.

Twilight stopped at the last hill, signaling for the rest to stop as well. Applejack and Rainbow Dash arrived first, followed by Pinkie Pie and eventually Rarity. A few minutes later, Fluttershy shuffled up the dune as well, breathing heavy.

“Ya see anythin’?” Rainbow Dash asked,

Scanning the town with her binoculars, Twilight was only able to see shadows.

“Nope, nothing yet.”

Rarity unslung her rifle and looked down the scope. “How do we know they’re even here? We haven’t followed much of a trail since the ravine.”

“It’s logical,” Twilight answered, “We suspect Marauder Moon’s behind this, and the cart was heading North. As far as I know, there ain’t no other towns or camps in the area. There’s nowhere else to go.”

“Okay, then what are we looking for?”

“Anything out of the ordinary, a cart, a camp, anything moving or giving off light.”

Rarity nodded, and the both spent a moment watching over the town.

“I think I got something.”

“Where?”

“Center of town, just behind the left building.”

Twilight moved her view over, spotting the faint flicker of a fire emanating from inside one of the more well off buildings.

“There’s something there alright,”

Rarity lowered her rifle, “Do we know it’s them?”

“Well, I reckon we check- Look!” Twilight exclaimed,

A cart was pulled out from behind the building. A larger, four wheeled one with a tattered cover, two ponies pulled it near the center of town, and a moment later it rocked back and forth as a dark figure stepped out. Rarity gasped, and Twilight adjusted her binoculars to get a better look. They were wearing a long black coat and a wide brimmed hat, a dark veil obscuring their face.

“It’s Ol’ Darkie.” Rarity said,

“Shoot,” Twilight realized, “This was planned for a bit then,”

The rest of the group squinted in the darkness, watching as the figure strode up the road, the cart following behind them.

“What should we do?” Applejack asked,

“Look where they’re going.” Twilight pointed out, “The church. I’m thinking we sneak around, go in quiet, grab the sheriff, then get out of dodge.”

“You think they’re bringin’ the sheriff there?”

“Why else would they be taking the cart?” Twilight responded, “And if she ain’t there, then we go check out the camp.”

“How many are there?” Fluttershy asked,

“Can’t say for sure,” Twilight looked back to the camp, “There’s gotta be more, plus Ol’ Darkie and the two with the cart, maybe more.”

“And Marauder Moon’s gotta be prowlin’ around here somewhere.” Rainbow Dash said,

“I’m willing to bet she’ll be in the church too, if we haven’t seen her already.”

“You think Ol’ Darkie is…”

“It’s crossed my mind, we might have to deal with her.”

“Dealing with the worst outlaw in the West?! How do you expect to do that, sugarcube?”

“There’s six of us, and one of her. We catch her off guard, then get the sheriff.”

They all looked at each other.

“Do you really think that’s going to work?” Applejack asked,

“You got a better idea?” Twilight asked,

“I-” Applejack fell silent, “No, but how do you expect all of us to get to the church without being seen?”

“Hmm…” Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, “Alright, here’s the plan: We’re on the South side of town, we go around the outskirts, get to the church on the North, go in the back, deal with whatever’s in there, find the sheriff, get her and ourselves out, then mosey on back to Ponyville. Job done.”

“What if we get seen?” Rainbow Dash asked,

“Don’t tell me yer afraid to shoot somepony.”

“Not bandits, but if they find us…”

“Then we shoot our way out.” Twilight answered, “Speaking of, what’re yer ammo counts?”

“I’m down to five rifle bullets, but I still have twenty for my pistols.” Rarity said,

Rainbow Dash patted her bandolier, “I got fifteen extra,”

“Eleven for me,” Fluttershy said, “And two slugs.”

Pinkie Pie shook her head, several sticks of dynamite falling out of her mane along with a matchbook. She stuck her tongue out as she counted them before flicking her tail, sending three more out.

“Eight dynamites, hyuck.”

“Just Lucy and Leftie for me.” Applejack clopped her hooves together.

Twilight nodded, “Well I only got six left,” she opened her cylinder to check, “Got any to spare?”

“Mine won’t fit yer gun,” Rarity shook her head.

“Here,” Rainbow Dash passed over three bullets, “Even it out a little.”

“Thanks…” Twilight took them, “Now are we all ready?”

There were some unsure nods.

“Then let’s get going, quietly now.”

She briskly descended the hill, pressing up against the outermost building to peer up the road. There was a bit of noise as the others followed, but there was no reaction from the camp, only the faint shadows cast by the fire. Twilight then turned and motioned for the rest to follow as she slunk over to the next building.

“Deputy Twilight,” Rarity whispered,

“What?”

“Why can’t we just go around around? Not even risk being seen at all.”

Twilight moved over to the next building. “I thought about it, but if they’re taking the sheriff to the church now, then I don’t think we wanna leave her there for long.”

“What’re they gonna do to her?”

“Well, if she ain’t dead yet, then she might be. Let’s go.” Twilight pushed forward,

They snuck around the next few buildings, coming up on the Eastern road. Twilight peered down to the center again, where the camp was more visible. The top of a fire was just visible behind a collapsed wall, and four ponies were immediately visible and after a few moments a fifth and sixth wandered into view. Some wore hats, and some didn’t, but it was too far to tell anything else.

“How many?” Rainbow Dash asked,

“Six at the camp, far as I can tell, that makes it nine total, maybe more.”

“We still goin’?”

“Yeah, lemme go first, I don’t think any of them are looking over here, but I wanna make sure.”

Twilight glanced back over to the camp, waiting for a moment for most of the bandits to focus on something else before dashing across the road. When she was halfway across, the house across the road creaked, and a portion of wood collapsed into itself. She froze, watching and waiting as the plume of dust settled, her gaze whipped back to the camp, but they either didn’t hear it, or didn’t care. Twilight quickly crossed the rest of the road, ducking behind the house to get out of view.

She turned around, looking at the others and motioning for another to cross. Rainbow Dash went next, running so fast she was across in just a few seconds. With a nod, Twilight gestured for the next, and Rarity quietly made her way across, then Applejack, then Pinkie Pie.

When it came to Fluttershy’s turn, it took a bit of beckoning, but she began striding over the road. Her steps completely silent, she moved slowly and carefully, creeping her way across.

There was movement in the house. Something shifted against the floor, and a moment later a grumble came through the wall. Light then shined through the broken windows, and a clanging was heard as whatever lantern inside was moved, the beams mirroring it across the sand.

Fluttershy stopped in the middle of the road, the light stopping just in front of her.

“Come on! Hurry!” Twilight whispered harshly,

Fluttershy shook her head, her hat bobbing. The floor inside the house creaked as something moved inside, and the front door opened, only for it to fall off its hinges.

“Dammit,” A gruff voice said,

They all gestured for Fluttershy to get across, but she remained paralyzed in the light.

A figure stepped out of the doorway, took one look at the mare in the middle of the road, then reached for his side.

“Sonuvah-!”

Bang

He dropped, falling down the wooden steps and collapsing on the road. They all stared at him for a second as Twilight holstered her revolver.

“Go go go!” She shouted, prompting all of them to begin moving.

A quick glance to the rest of camp revealed the other bandits were moving as well, some already running out into the street. Twilight pushed ahead, running over to the next building, then the next, completely forgoing stealth. The others quickly followed, weaving between rundown buildings as they turned straight for the church.

Its bell started ringing, sounding throughout the whole of Everfree.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Twilight complained,

Shouts came from the main road to their side, and Twilight turned to keep parallel with it, watching as light filtered through the buildings.

“Hey Twilight!” Rainbow Dash shouted,

A gunshot came from behind them, and they all ducked, a plank of wood off to the side splintering. Skidding to a halt, Twilight turned and dove behind cover, the rest following suit.

“What?!” She replied,

“We can’t just sneak into the church now! We gotta deal with this first.”

Twilight peaked out from behind her cover, watching as multiple light sources closed in around them.

“Okay! I guess we’re shooting our way in! Get ready!”

She drew her revolver, Rainbow Dash drew hers, Rarity unslung her rifle, Fluttershy hugged her shotgun, Applejack slipped on her shoes, and Pinkie Pie pulled out a stick of dynamite.

“Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, “Cover the flank. Applejack, yer with me. Rarity, yer backup and Pinkie Pie…” She trailed off,

Pinkie Pie leaned forward with a smile.

“Try not to blow us all up.”

“Hoowee!” Pinkie Pie struck a match and lit the fuse, chucking the stick of dynamite towards the nearest light source.

A couple shouts followed by an explosion revealed it wasn’t off target. Sand rained down around them, and Twilight peaked out from behind the wall again. There were three bandits rapidly approaching, completely out in the open. She shot the first, causing the others to break away, aiming at the second, she managed to hit them before they dove behind cover.

A flurry of gunshots came from the other side, then a blast from a shotgun. More shouts filled the air, and the bandits started to fan out, flanking wider. There was a crack from Rarity’s rifle, and Twilight peered around the corner again to shoot. She saw the tip of a bandit’s hat sticking above the wall of a collapsed house and shot through the planks, a flailing pony dropping to the ground told her she hit.

Shots were returned, splintering off the wood and zipping by her head, Twilight ducked back down as Rainbow Dash unleashed another volley on the other side. Another shotgun blast followed, and then another shot from Rarity in the back. Pinkie Pie lobbed another lit dynamite over the building, resulting in an explosion that rocked the wall they were up against. Two bandits were sent flying outwards.

The ground shook, and Twilight frowned, there were large, heavy steps approaching. Turning the corner revealed a gigantic figure slowly making its way to their location. Twilight fired, only for her bullet to ping off a metal plate on the bandit’s chest. Again, aiming higher, and sparks flew from the thick metal helmet they wore.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight called out, “You still got them slugs?”

“Y-yeah!”

“Bring ‘em here!”

She pulled away from the other corner, nervously dug through her dress and pulled out two differently colored shells, large metal balls obviously sticking out the end. She broke open her gun, loaded them, stood behind Twilight and peaked around the corner, only to freeze. The ground trembled more and more as the armored bandit drew closer, his hoofsteps getting louder.

“Now would be a good time to shoot.” Twilight said,

Fluttershy nodded, then pulled the trigger, nearly falling over from the recoil. There was an audible ping as the slug hit, and Twilight peered around to see the bandit stop in his tracks, only to shake his head and continue forward.

“Again,” Twilight ordered,

Shakily reaiming her gun, Fluttershy pulled the trigger again, yet it didn’t fire. She lowered it to check.

Twilight’s ears flicked as the heavy hoofsteps got ever closer, and she bit her lip.

“Give it here!” She practically yanked the gun out of Fluttershy’s grip,

Bringing it up in her magic, she aimed around the corner, pulled the hammer back, then stopped. The bandit was right in front of her.

“Darn,”

He kicked the shotgun upwards, it fired, missing completely as it shot out of Twilight’s magic. She went to pull up her revolver, but the bandit knocked her down.

“C’mere, pretty little lady.”

Kicking against the sand, Twilight pushed herself far enough away to try again. She aimed, pulled the hammer back, and pulled the trigger.

Click

She was out, and the bandit stepped over her, raising a massive hoof to bring down upon her.

Clang

The bandit stumbled away from her, clutching his helmet as it let out a high pitched ringing. Applejack then jumped over her, practically dancing on the sand as she moved back and forth.

“Come on, big boy! Show me what you got!”

The bandit grunted, then stood to his full height, easily a head taller than all of them.

“Oh, you ain’t gonna like what I got.” He swung at her, but she easily dodged out of the way, following up with another quick hit to the helmet.

“We’ll see about that, now bring it!”

Twilight scrambled to her hooves, so did Fluttershy.

“Here,” She gave the shotgun back, “Why don’t ya go back to helping Rainbow Dash,”

Fluttershy quickly took it, nodded, then hurried back to the other corner, where Rainbow Dash shot another six bullets in quick succession. Rarity fired as well, the sound of an approaching pony falling to the ground came around the corner. Twilight reloaded, realizing she only had the three bullets left.

Plus the sheriff’s revolver.

She patted it in her vest, but shook her head and aimed at the back of the armored bandit’s head. Before she could even pull the hammer back, Applejack sweeped his legs, causing him to tip over and fall to the ground.

“I got this!” Applejack shouted,

The church bell stopped ringing.

“The sheriff!” Twilight exclaimed,

“Go get her!” Rarity commanded, she slung her rifle and brought out both her pistols. “We’ll handle the rest of them! Just git to the church!”

“Ya think-”

“GO!” Rarity interrupted,

Twilight shook her head, then ducked down as a bullet hit the wood above her. She moved away from the wall, running over to the next building and slipping through the back door. A few shots followed her, but they simply impacted the frame around her.

Making her way through the mess of broken furniture and rotting wood, Twilight stepped out the other side of the house, right as the one off to the side exploded. Screams came from within, and flames soon started licking up the insides of the building.

“That bartending, dynamite throwing, bad teeth having…”

She didn’t finish the insult, instead turning onto the main road. With the church now in view, she ran towards it. Its doors were closed, though a large hole in one and several broken windows allowed a partial view inside, not that she could see much, it was almost pitch black.

Distant gunshots at her back, Twilight pressed up against the large double doors. Peering through a crack, there was nothing but faint beams of moonlight inside. She took a deep breath, took a step back, then kicked the doors in. Entering immediately, she checked her corners, noticing a figure in the dark to her right. She fired, the bandit sprawled to the floor. There was movement to her left, and she dove behind a pew as another bandit returned fire.

Splinters showered around her, and Twilight reached up to shoot back. There was a gasp, followed by a choking sound as the bandit fell to the floor as well. She stood up, the church quickly falling back to silence as she frantically looked around. It was dark, with moonlight only illuminating the immediate entrance, a few pews, and an altar behind a lectern all the way at the back.

There came the sound of somepony clapping their hooves together, and Twilight immediately aimed towards the source. Something shuffled in the darkness, and slow steps echoed throughout the church.

“I see my sister’s been recruiting lackeys as well.”

“Marauder Moon,” Twilight said, “Show yerself.”

A single dry laugh, “And how good they seem to be. Either that, or my men aren’t as good as I thought.”

“It’s over, release the sheriff and you may be treated nicely.”

There was a distant explosion, a faint flash of light illuminating the doorway.

“Sounds to me like the fight’s still happening.” Marauder Moon said, “So why are you here?”

“Upkeeping the law,” Twilight answered, “Now tell me where the sheriff is.”

“Hmph. Sheriff, law, they are not the same, I figured even you would know that.”

“I do know that!” Twilight argued, “But the law needs a sheriff.”

“Does it now?”

Marauder Moon finally stepped into the light, her dark form appearing at the back of the church. She kicked the lectern down, standing right where it once was.

“And here I thought the law was of the land.”

Twilight aimed her revolver, watching as the shadows around Marauder Moon seemed to shift, the light bending around her. She only had one bullet left, she couldn’t win an extended gunfight.

“How’s the land gonna enforce it?” Twilight tried,

“Same way it always does, through everypony else.”

Twilight squinted, and lowered her revolver slightly. “I guess Sheriff Celestia was wrong.”

“That makes two of us.”

“She said you understood the way things work now, guess not.”

…

“What did you say?” Marauder Moon’s hat lowered, her voice almost growling.

“Ya heard me. You still don’t know what ponies want.”

“What ponies want…” Marauder Moon repeated, “What ponies want is the whole reason for all of this! Do you know what she took from me?!” She paused to take a deep breath, “Are we gonna fight or not?”

Twilight squinted even further, just barely making out deep blue fur behind the veil. She holstered her revolver, prompting Marauder Moon to rear up.

“Draw.” Was all Twilight said,

Marauder Moon froze, leveling herself again, “You serious?”

“I said draw.” Twilight affirmed,

The veiled hat twitched, and Marauder Moon seemed to flex underneath her coat.

She snarled, “Fine!” She threw her coat open, revealing an abyss of darkness underneath. “You need a count?”

Twilight stared at her for a moment, unable to make out anything in the shadow. She couldn’t see her gun, her fur, or anything for that matter. She didn’t know where to shoot. Taking a deep breath, she answered.

“No.”

Silence followed, completely drowning out the sounds of the gunfight going on nearby. Not even the periodic explosion could pierce the veil, and the two ponies stood there, staring, watching each other for any sign of movement.

Marauder Moon remained a solid black, unmoving, unshifting. Twilight realized she was shaking, and desperately tried to steady herself without making any sudden movements.

She had one shot. She had to shoot first. She had to hit something vital. But what? Where? When? How? She couldn’t even tell if she was wearing some sort of armor, anything that would give her an advantage besides the darkness.

Something glinted in the abyss.

Bang

…

Marauder Moon recoiled, a jet black revolver flying off to the side and clattering to the floor. Twilight watched for a moment, staring at the display before looking at the smoking barrel of her revolver. She inhaled deeply, then sighed.

“How foolish.”

“What?” Twilight asked, taking another deep breath, “That I disarmed ya?”

“That you think I only carry one gun.”

Bang

It hit her in the chest, all the air in her body leaving immediately. She fell to the floor, clutching the impact area and gasping for breath. Her revolver dropped to the ground, and a second later Marauder Moon was upon her, kicking it away into the darkness.

“She’s not above the law y’know,” She continued, stepping around Twilight as she writhed on the floor, “Nopony is.”

Twilight wheezed,

Marauder Moon laughed, “I’m sure she would say: ‘I am the law!’. Well guess what? So was I, we both were… Until the rest of the ponies thought otherwise.”

Twilight paused for a moment, holding her wound. Though there was a great deal of pain, there wasn’t any blood.

“It don’t matter anymore. I already took back what she took from me.” Marauder stepped away, “And now…”

Twilight patted her vest, feeling the blazing hole where the bullet hit, right on her pocket.

“Should the rest of yer friends die out there,”

She opened it, her watch falling out to the floor, a massive dent in the middle of it, shards of glass dropping from inside.

“Me, and the rest of my men will create a new law of the land! Where ponies get treated how they deserve, no exceptions!”

Twilight finally got a solid breath, then scanned the floor. Her revolver was gone, disappeared in the darkness, she couldn’t look for it now.

“And we’ll take back what they took from us!”

Of course Marauder Moon had more than one gun, fortunately, so did Twilight. She pulled Celestia’s revolver from the other side of her vest and steadied her breathing.

“I would say I’m sorry y’all got caught up in this, but I don’t think ya deserve it.” Marauder Moon finished,

“Yer wrong.” Twilight coughed, standing up.

“What the-!” Marauder Moon whipped around,

Bang

Twilight shot, aiming high. The chambers of the revolver glowed brilliantly, and there was a flash of blue on Marauder Moon’s head. Her hat flew off, revealing deep blue fur with a slightly darker mane. A piercing teal eye showed surprise, the other being covered with an eyepatch.

She laughed, "You missed again!“ then scowled, "Don’t think this is over yet!” She threw her coat open even wider, revealing a multitude of holsters and bandoliers.

The base of her horn glowed, only for the magic to shoot out into light blue sparks from the uneven tip where it was broken off.

Her eyes widened, “You shot… my horn…”

Twilight gave a single nod.

“I’LL KILL YOU!”

Marauder Moon dove forward, tackling Twilight and sending them both sprawling to the floor. They rolled around on the wood, each trying to stay on top. Eventually Marauder Moon found the advantage, forcing Twilight down and punching her in the face. She winced, bringing up her hooves to try and defend before wiggling underneath, causing Marauder Moon to lose balance. Twilight pushed her further, shoving her to the side and giving a punch of her own.

Snarling, Marauder Moon quickly got up, delivering a mean kick to her stomach. Twilight curled up in pain as she wailed on her, kicking and stomping relentlessly. She kicked back, throwing her off enough for Twilight to roll away and stand up herself, albeit a dazed.

Now both up again, they circled each other in the middle of the church for a moment. Then Marauder Moon unsheathed a knife from her shoulder, holding it in her teeth, she charged at Twilight. She took a step back, then dodged to the left as she swung. The knife just barely grazed her, slashing her vest and skin. Blood began to drip from the wound, and Twilight turned to punch again.

Hitting her lower jaw, Marauder Moon remained clamped down on the knife, and she brought it in a downward arc. This time Twilight was able to get out of the way, and she kicked Marauder Moon’s leg out from under her. She hit the floor hard, dropping the knife for a moment before quickly biting back down on it. Twilight kicked her in the head, forcing it out of her mouth again and kicking it away.

She in turn bit onto Twilight’s leg, immediately drawing blood and thrashing wildly. Gritting her teeth, Twilight wrapped around her and brought her other leg up to the first, trying to put her in a chokehold. Marauder Moon realized what was happening, and she began elbowing Twilight in the side, all the while refusing to let go of her leg. Twilight pressed further, wrapping her hind legs around her waist and squeezing her neck.

Marauder Moon bit down harder, blood pouring from her mouth as she kicked in every direction, even slamming her head back. Twilight took a hit to the nose, and she laxed for a moment. Marauder Moon took this opportunity to finally let go, only for Twilight to finish the maneuver, locking her legs around her neck and holding tightly. Marauder Moon gasped out, redoubling her efforts to try and break free, but her movements began to slow, her kicks grew weaker, and her grunts went silent.

She fell limp, and Twilight held her for a few more seconds before finally shoving her to the side. Standing up, she pressed down on the bite mark she left before checking her breathing. It was faint, but there. Marauder Moon was still alive.

Twilight grabbed the sheriff’s gun from off to the side and pulled the hammer back. Aiming it at the unconscious mare, she shook her head, lowered it, then holstered it.

She sighed, stumbling as she turned around to look at the back of the church. A jet black gun lay on the edge of the moonlight, along with the tip of a dark blue horn.

It was then that she realized something. Despite the pulsing of her heart in her ears, it was eerily silent. Not even the sounds of gunfire were present.

Twilight gasped lightly, then turned around to look out the doors, where five figures were making their way to the church. She immediately sighed in relief, then stepped out to wave them in. Pinkie Pie seemed to be the only one walking normally, as Rarity walked with a limp, while Rainbow Dash supported Applejack as she leaned against her. Fluttershy trailed behind as she usually did, but her hat was missing.

“Well?” Rarity called out, “Did’ya find the sheriff?”

“Not yet,” Twilight answered, “Come on in, I need y’alls help.”

They all hobbled into the church, immediately noticing Marauder Moon on the floor.

“Help me strip her, don’t want her to have any weapons when she comes to.”

“You mean you didn’t…?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, I didn’t.”

“Are we going to…?”

“Haven’t decided yet, I figure the sheriff should be the one to do that.”

Rarity nodded, moving over to Marauder Moon and pulling her coat off, revealing that she was covered with weapons. There were guns and knives strapped to her chest, shoulders, legs, back, sides, flanks, and thighs, there was even a blade wrapped in her tail. It took a while to remove everything, which in turn revealed a multitude of scars marking her fur.

“Do we have anything to tie her up with?”

“Not on us, no.” Rarity answered,

“Here,” Rainbow Dash said, pulling the guns out of a few holsters, she then used the straps to bind Marauder Moon’s legs.

“Good,” Twilight said, “Now somepony watch her, we still have to find the sheriff.”

“Where’s the cart? Hyuck,” Pinkie Pie asked,

“Probably ‘round back,”

“Check there first.”

Twilight nodded, then turned to the back of the church again. Lighting up her horn, a door in the corner was revealed. Going over to open it, she was greeted with the cool night air again, and right outside was a four wheel cart with a tattered cover. Twilight quickly walked over to it, opened the back and climbed in.

Inside there were a few worn down crates, a rusted barrel, a few coils of rope, and a large burlap sack.

Which was wriggling.

“Sheriff Celestia?” Twilight asked,

The sack stopped moving, and a muffled reply came back.

Quickly untying the end, Twilight opened the sack and pulled it away, revealing a dirty white mare, bound and gagged. She then untied the bonds and loosened the gag, letting Sheriff Celestia finally speak.

“Hey Twilight,” She rasped, “Long time no see.”

“Are you okay?”

“No.” She sat up, showing a large red streak flowing down her face, coming from her eye.

It was gone. The wound was raw, but the blood was dry.

“Are ya going to be okay?”

“Probably,” Sheriff Celestia said, “Thanks for coming for me by the way.”

“Did you know this was going to happen?”

“I had a hunch, didn’t think she’d go this far though.”

“Oh yeah…” Twilight said, “Yer sister.”

Sheriff Celestia sighed, “Yeah, she had it coming though.”

“Pardon?”

“I figured things would catch up to her sometime or another.”

“Uh…”

“What’d she say last?”

“Um, ‘I’ll kill you’, but…”

Sheriff Celestia nodded, “Sounds like her.”

“Sheriff.” Twilight began,

“Yeah?”

“She ain’t dead.”

She did a double take, “You mean you didn’t kill her?”

“No!” Twilight shook her head, “I just knocked her out.”

“Is she still here?”

“Yeah, in the church with my… friends.” Twilight realized,

“Did you just say friends?”

“Um, yeah?”

Sheriff Celestia stared at her for a moment before smiling. “Good on ya.”

“Thanks…?”

Twilight looked away for a moment, her view landing on her holster.

“Oh, here.” She pulled the revolver out and presented it, “You dropped this.”

Sheriff Celestia gave the gun one hard look. “Keep it.”

“What?”

“You’ll get more use out of it than me, so keep it.”

“But... Okay.”

Twilight turned it in her magic, inspecting it more closely. It was the same immaculate gun she always saw the sheriff carry. Opening the cylinder showed five cartridges left, and turning it around revealed each bullet had a different colored tip.

“What’s in this thing anyway?”

“The Bullets of Harmony.” Sheriff Celestia answered bluntly,

“The what?”

“Magic bullets.” She clarified, “They tend to hit things better.”

“Oh…” Twilight looked at the one that was spent, “Are they expensive?”

“They come back,” Sheriff Celestia explained, “Takes time though.”

“Ah, then…” Twilight trailed off,

“What?”

“Well…”

“Spit it out Twilight.”

“What do we do now?!” She blurted out,

“Say again?”

“It’s just that you gave me yer gun, yer sister’s still here, yer down an eye, the fiesta’s over, Spike’s still in Ponyville, I’ve got friends now, and…”

“Twilight, calm down,” Sheriff Celestia thought for a moment, “Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

“What?”

“I said, don’t worry ‘bout it. You should take a break.”

“Right now?!”

“No.” Sheriff Celestia shook her head, “Look, I’m assuming we’re in Everfree, right?”

Twilight nodded,

“Then let’s git back to Ponyville, rest up, and go from there.”

“O-okay.”

“Good, now as much as I want to meet yer new friends, I am parched. Do ya have any water?”

“Not on me no, there might be some ‘round camp, but we left ours outside of town.”

“Darn.” Was all Sheriff Celestia said,

The End.

Author's Note:

It's over. It's finally over.

Sorry to say again, but I never intended for this to go past the first two episodes. Once again, I'll leave the rest up to you guys, if you want.

For those who may know of my other works, and are wondering where this came from, I will be elaborating more in a blog post, but for now just know that I had this idea, saw it as a break, then it went on too long, and now it's done. Back to your regularly scheduled program.

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