The Honest, The Liar, and The Ugly

Chapters

The Arrival
Bearings
The Mine
The Businessman

The Arrival

Appleloosa: The Great Frontier. This town to the west of Equestria contains the dreams of many ponies hoping to start a new life in a new world. Whether it be a chance to live a simpler life or to make a name for yourself, this was the town where you would go to when starting out. This dream was almost destroyed before it began though, but was luckily saved by a group of ponies and other creatures who saw the need to stand up and fight. This is the story of the Legendary Sheriff Applejack.

It was the beginning of the new apple harvest season in Appleloosa and Applejack had taken the train over there to see how things were going for them. Apple Family Acres had already gotten their apples picked and Big Mac was taking care of the farm while she was gone, so she felt reasonably calm about leaving her family behind for a bit. As she got off the train, Applejack saw her cousin there to greet her.

"Hey there, cous'!" greeted Braeburn. "You enjoy the ride over here?"

"Eeyup. Definitely much smoother now. So how're things at the orchard?" Applejack lifted up her suitcases and followed her cousin, talking along the way.

"Pretty good right now. Everypony in town is busy harvesting this year it's so good. Had to make time to make sure you get here nice and cozy," he explained. "So what'll you be doing while here?"

"Just making sure things are alright for Granny. You know how she worries. I probably won't be in town for long." Braeburn wasn't kidding when he said that the whole town was busy. The two of them passed through the town, seeing that the stores closed up while the harvest was going on.

"In case you're wondering, you'll be staying with me while you're here. Can't make family stay at an inn," Braeburn told her.

"Wouldn't have it either way," she replied. "So is literally everypony out there right now?"

"Nah. We still have the Sheriff here to make sure nothing happens while everypony's out in the fields. Here he is now. Hey there, Sheriff Earp!" Applejack turned to see who her cousin was greeting only to find an old stallion with an eye patch and bushy mustache. She thought to herself that he must be as old as Granny Smith.

"Hello there, Braeburn. This yer cous'?" he asked in a voice that was beyond distinct.

"Eeyup! She's just here to let Granny know how things are going. She won't be here long." The Sheriff replied with an unemphatic gruff and walked on. "Don't worry about him. He's just always thinking that something's going to go down, but we never have problems in this town." The two continued on until they reached Braeburn's place. "Here we are. I'll show you to your room."

"Much obliged." He took her upstairs to an empty room with only a bed and a dresser. Seeing as she wouldn't be staying long she didn't complain about her room. She placed her luggage down and took a look around the rest of the place. "Not very roomy."

"I prefer to think of it as 'cozy'," he replied. "Anyway, I'm gonna check out the situation on the field now. You coming?"

"Yeah. Just let me get my bearings and I'll head down. I know where the orchard is." Braeburn left and Applejack went to get something to drink. It felt like it was forever since it was forever since she had anything. Just as she was taking a nice drink from the pitcher, a loud boom was heard. Startled, she dropped her glass and ran out to see what had happened.

"Get in an' get!" somepony yelled. A group of masked ponies ran into a building and then suddenly ran out again, this time with large bags on their backs. She suddenly saw the Sheriff running straight after them, yelling something.

"Get over here in the name of the law!" she was able to make out. Suddenly she realized that she had just witnessed a robbery in progress. Before she could even think about what to do next, Applejack suddenly rushed out the front door and started chasing after them.

"What're you doin'?" the Sheriff asked Applejack, surprised to find her running alongside him.

"Chasing after those bandits, of course," she replied as if it were obvious. "An' don't go giving me anything about needing to be a lawmare to help out. Not gonna let them get away just 'cause I don't have a badge." She noticed her accent getting more exaggerated the more she hung around these Western ponies.

"Heh. You sound like a real fighter. How 'bout I deputize you to help out here?"

Applejack wasn't exactly sure of what he just said, but found herself saying, "Sure!" when asked.

"Fine. I hereby deputize you. Now, let's keep up!" The two kept a tail of the robbers, galloping as fast as they could. They couldn't tell where exactly they were heading, but just knew that they couldn't let up. Soon they entered a construction area, where several new buildings were going to be built.

"Hold up," Applejack said, noticing a coil of rope lying on some of the construction supplies. As they passed by she grabbed the rope and found herself lucky as one of the ends was already tied up, giving her a lasso. "Time to reel these fellas in!" she yelled as she tossed the rope, grabbing the closest of the three bandits by the neck.

"Great toss!" Sheriff Earp yelled out, lunging on the victim and hog-tying him in a matter of seconds. "Now, let's get those others." The two continued on, looking on in horror to see their companion captured.

"Make a left! We'll lose them in the canyon!" the leader told his partner. The two went down into the crevice that led into the canyon, both Applejack and the Sheriff following behind.

"Give it up, fellas! This here leads to a dead end!" Sheriff Earp yelled out. The bandits didn't seem deterred by this fact and kept on running, the distance between the two getting smaller.

"Wish I'd come across some more rope," wished Applejack, hoping to catch the criminals quickly. She knew that the canyon would soon lead to a dead end, but didn't know how to handle rounding up the varmints without any rope. Guess that's where Sheriff Earp would shine. While thinking about this, the bandits made a right around a corner, putting a smile on Earp's face.

"That there's the dead end," he explained. "Let me handle the arrest here, alright?"

"Alright," Applejack replied, happy to help out. As they rounded the corner, the two were surprised to see the criminals they were chasing climbing up the wall of the canyon using climbing gear!

"Con sarn it! They planned ahead!" the Sheriff yelled out, throwing his hat down. "Come on! We'll climb up after them!"

"You sure 'bout this?" Applejack was willing to go the extra mile to help out, but she thought this might not be the best way to handle this situation.

"I certainly don't see a ladder," he replied, as if his plan was the best option. "You coming?"

Applejack saw the insanity of the situation, but seeing how deep she already was, she replied, "Okay!"

"Great! Follow closely." Sheriff Earp suddenly ran up to a wall and suddenly grabbed the nearest bit of rock, surprising Applejack. She hadn't seen anything to grab and couldn't believe how fast he was going. Trying to look good, she ran right up to the face of the rock and found herself face-planting into it.

"Uh, how 'bout I block them off from down here?" she said, embarrassed.

"Sure thing." With almost lightning speed, the sheriff managed to reach the top of the wall before the bandits, surprising the two of them. While they had prepared for the canyon, they certainly hadn't counted on the speedy sheriff. "You boys wanna just give up when you get up here? Don't have many other options."

"How's this for options!" the bandit at the head of the two yelled out, pulling what looked like a stick from his pouch. His associate, right next to him, lit a match and put it up to his partner's stick, lighting the end of it. As the stick was thrown up to the Sheriff, the two were shocked to find that the stick was actually dynamite!

"Oh hor-" was all Sheriff Earp was able to utter before the stick blew up right near his position, throwing him off the top of the canyon. Applejack could only stare in horror as she saw him plummet to the ground. Before she knew it, the two bandits had managed to get away, leaving Applejack to try and resuscitate the sheriff.

"Sheriff Earp! Sheriff Earp!" she yelled, pounding onto his chest, hoping that she could somehow save him. With a sudden, bloody gasp, the doomed sheriff uttered out his last words.

"Deputy...you gotta...take up my...badge. Become sheriff, at least till a new one comes. Catch the crooks." With that, the sheriff of Appleloosa passed away.

Applejack returned to the town with the terrible news of what had happened. The townsfolk had come back from the field and saw the destruction that had taken place at the bank. When she told them of what had happened, they were shocked and horrified. Things like this didn't happen in this town. When she also revealed that she'd be the new sheriff for now, that was another shock.

"Applejack, you don't have to do this," Braeburn pleaded.

"Sorry, cous, but I can't let a dying stallion's words go to waste. He not only wanted me to catch the varmints that did this, but also till you fellas get a real an' proper sheriff," she explained. "Now, first thing I'll need you townsfolk to do is get the doctor or mortician or whatever and help retrieved the good sheriff's body. Be prepared for a grizzly sight though. I'll also need somepony to help we carry in one of the accomplices to the crime we managed to capture. Tied him up and he looks to heavy to carry back on my own. Also...I...I need..."

"You okay, sheriff?" one of the ponies in the crowd asked. Applejack turned around to see who he was talking to before she realized that it was her.

"I'm just a bit dazed is all. Everything's happening so fast. Just need to get my bearings straight." Braeburn approached and took her to a stoop where she managed to sit down.

"Alright. Don't worry, cous. We'll take it from here. You just try and relax and we'll get things sorted out till then." Taking her cousin's advice, Applejack decided to head to her room, feeling like it was a bit smaller and a bit emptier than before.

"Guess I'll be staying for a bit longer," she said, trying to milk a bit of humor out of the situation, only to find it dry. She was only supposed to be there for a day and no more. Now she was there until she could bring these bandits to justice. She also needed to request a new sheriff or somepony more qualified than her to take over as well. She laid down and tried to figure out how this could have happened so fast, looking out the window to see the slow sunset over the white, flat desert horizon.

Author's Note

Well, that was the first chapter. Hope you guys like the basic premise.

Bearings

The next day the service was held for Sheriff Earp. Everypony in town was there to see it, forgoing the harvest to pay their respects. The doctor and his assistant that had gone to pick up the body were glad they had a blanket with them to cover up the body when they'd gone to retrieve it. Needless to say, it was a closed-casket service.

The group of ponies sent to pick up the captured bandit fared less fortunate however. According to the group sent to pick him up, there was a pile of cut rope right around where he'd been hogtied, leading some of them to believe that his accomplices had somehow managed to come back and retrieve him and his money. The one lead that Applejack had and it was already gone. For a job that was already hard enough, this somehow managed to make it even worse.

It was about noontime before she was able to properly begin her new duties as sheriff, entering the Jailhouse with Braeburn to help show her around.

"Now, you need any other help from me before I go back into the field?" he asked, trying to help out Applejack as best as he could.

"Most likely. I can't say that I actually have any experience with working as an officer of the law," explained Applejack. "I don't really know where to start with it all."

"Well, from what I saw, most of the time he spent was out patrolling the town to make sure nothing was going on. You might wanna investigate the bank though. That's where the robbery happened."

"Alright. I'll get right on that." As Applejack saw Braeburn trotting away from her, she suddenly had an idea. "Hey, Braeburn. I'm not really sure on how all of this works, so you mind being my deputy till I get the reigns of this?"

"Sure! Anything to help out a family member. Not only that, but Sheriff Earp was a good friend of mine. Be pretty satisfying to bring his killer to justice."

"Alrighty then." Clearing her throat, Applejack declared, "Braeburn, I hereby deputize you."

Looking a little disappointed, Braeburn asked, "Is that it?"

"Well, that's all Sheriff Earp was able to say to get me deputized, so either that's it or I have no real idea how it's done." Realizing how little she knew, Applejack wanted to catch these bandits before anything else came up that would just make her job even harder. "Anyway, let's head over to the bank and check things out. But first," She went over to the coat rack on the wall and grabbed the rope holster that Sheriff Earp used to own, two coils strapped to it, saying, "We almost forgot the reason we came here. Now, let's get."

The way to the bank, Applejack noticed why her predecessor probably didn't keep the holster on him at all times; it kept falling off! She kept on having to adjust it and noticed that the buckle keeping it attached didn't work as intended and kept coming loose. She'd have to pay a visit to the tailor before being able to really use it.

The bank was still in tatters, the front entrance damaged by the explosion. What's worse was the inside of the place. The counters were blown away, glass littering the floor. The steel door that marked the entrance to the safe was blown away, resting twisted right near its former location. Inside the safe, Applejack saw that the cage where the money was stashed was actually picked instead of blown. This door was actually supposed to be opened with a key, so luckily they didn't have to worry about damaging the money with the explosion.

"So, who's the owner of the bank?" Applejack asked her cousin.

"Flintbit. He saw what happened to his place and has been in his place all day. We tried to get him out, but he's still in shock and won't talk to anypony."

"Well, guess we'll talk to him later. Right now we should look at this crime scene and try to find any evidence we can. I'll need to talk with this Flintbit fellow later on to see what exactly was taken. Make sure when we retrieve the money that it's all there. Also need to know if anything was disturbed since last night."

"I can actually vouch for nothing happening here last night," a voice said from out of nowhere. The two looked around and saw that it was a old looking stallion with large glasses and a withered mane.

"Flintbit? What're you doing up there?" Braeburn asked, surprised to see him.

"I actually escaped from my room last night and used that opportunity to sneak into my secret viewing compartment. Check if the criminals came back to the scene of the crime. Haven't slept a wink since."

"Well, guess we're lucky there," Applejack said, relieved that she hadn't messed up by not checking out the scene of the crime yesterday. "So, can you help out by letting us know what was taken?"

"Sure thing." Flintbit moved around in his private viewing compartment and came out with a ledger. He came into the safe and started looking around, looking at all the bags kept in the cage. He then looked through his ledger promptly and then closed it, immediately knowing what had been taken. "It looks like they made of with three ten-thousand bit bags. Pretty good haul for a tiny town like this."

"Geez!" Applejack and Braeburn exclaimed, the two surprised that such a large amount was taken.

"Yep. That was a good bit of the money the townsfolk put into here. We'll need to get it back before word gets out about how much was taken." Flintbit said, his calm voice betraying the dire situation he was describing.

"Okay. If that's the case, we better start checking for any other clues. Let's start with this cage door here. It looks like this was picked instead of blown."

"Indeed, Miss Sheriff. I'm surprised at how they could have done it though. This is one of the most complicated locks that I've ever seen. Just look at the key it uses." Flintbit took a large, wobbly looking key from out of his pocket, the bumps on it looking erratic.

"Well, I was there when they went and grabbed the loot. They were in an' out in mere seconds. So, whoever this is has lots of experience picking locks if they can do it that quickly." Applejack thought back and tried thinking of how else it could have been done.

"Flintbit. Exactly how much dynamite would one need to blow open the steel door to the vault?" Braeburn asked.

"Well, since it was blown off of its hinges and pretty much devastated the rest of the bank, I'd have to say seven or eight sticks." Once again the two law keepers were shocked by the information, their eyes brimming wide.

"How the hay could somepony have that much dynamite on them?" Applejack asked, remembering that the crooks had even more of the stuff on them that just what they used on the door.

"Well, they could have somehow worked at the mine and kept some of the stuff," explained Braeburn.

"Really? Is the mine still in use?"

"Nah. The gold there's been mined out for several decades. It was the actual reason why Appleloosa was founded in the first place; a town for all the miners to live. Luckily we found that the area was good for growing as well, otherwise this would be a ghost town now."

"Or maybe they're hiding out there. Seems like a place that they'd go to in order to lay low," Flintbit added. "After all, not many ponies go there because of the rumors."

"Rumors?" Applejack asked.

"Some nonsense about the mine being haunted by the ponies who died in a big accident years ago. That was the thing that finally shut it down after they couldn't find anymore gold for a while."

"Well, I'd say that we should head on over there and check things out. Might find the bandits responsible for all of this." As Applejack went out to begin her vendetta, Braeburn went and stopped her.

"Applejack, while I know you wanna go and get them as quickly as possible, I don't think rushing in a mine with possibly a gang full of explosive wielding bandits is a good idea. At least not without a plan and some backup."

"Yeah, you've got a point. You have any ponies in mind to help out?"

"Sorta. It'll be about nighttime when I'll be able to recruit them for help. Hope you can hold out for that long." Applejack felt concerned about this wait. If the bandits made their way out of the mine while they waited, they could lose their only chance at capturing them.

"Well, if that's the case I might as well be on lookout at the entrance to the place. Can't let them escape while we twiddle our hooves."

"I can handle that," offered Flintbit. "After all, I don't have anything else to do without my bank to look after. I'll just have to bring the remaining money with me is all."

"I'm certain we can get somepony else to help protect the remaining bits, Flintbit. You can keep watch while I go reach my contact. Don't want everypony knowing about our plan," Braeburn told them. "Applejack, I'd like it if you could do the thing you came here to do in the first place. That way you can also send a letter letting Granny Smith know why you aren't home yet."

"Yeah. I'll be right on that." Applejack had honestly forgotten why she'd come here in the first place. Her mind was so focused on the case she was on that she could hardly think about much else. Deciding to take a break from her new duties, she went out into the field and decided to see a friendly site.

Being among the apple trees was a therapeutic experience for Applejack. After seeing such grizzly stuff lately, it was a sight for sore eyes to see the familiar sights of home. She was glad to also see that the harvest was going well and would be up to snuff with Granny. She thought over what she'd write and came up with this:

Dear Granny,

Wanna let you know that the harvest here in Appleloosa is looking swell. They've got a mighty fine batch this year and it looks
like their isn't anything to worry about with them. Also, you might be wondering why I'm sending a letter instead of coming
home to tell you this. Thing is, through a series of complicated events, I've temporarily become the Sheriff of Appleloosa.
It's only going to be until I finish up something here and they find a permanent replacement, but otherwise I'll be here until then.
Hope Big Mac can take care of my chores until then.

With Love,

Applejack

Finishing up the letter, she saw that it was now just about time to meet up with Braeburn and his help. Hopefully, the two could end this tonight and help Applejack get home before she even needed to send a letter.

The Mine

Applejack arrived at the entrance to the mine just out of town. She had decided to put on a Duster and managed to get the holster for her lassos tightened just right before she left. She saw that Braeburn was standing next to Flintbit, who had finally managed to fall asleep.

"So, where's this help you were talking about before?" Applejack asked, seeing nopony else around.

"She'll be here in just a moment. Just wait." Applejack was surprised to hear that only one pony would be arriving. Not only that, but her cousin had apparently chosen a girl. "Mr. Flintbit, you can leave now."

"Huh? Oh. Alright. Good luck you two," he said, heading back to his house.

"Braeburn, who exactly-" Applejack's question was answered as she saw a familiar face appear from one of the bushes. "Little Strongheart? What're you doing here?"

"It's just 'Strongheart' now. I became a full adult in my tribe," she explained. "And I come here to check that the town hasn't suddenly started expanding again without letting us know. After all, we don't want a replay of last time."

"Really? Seems like a whole lot of effort to keep visiting here just for that." Applejack gave her a look of suspicion, thinking that she had another reason for going there.

"Doesn't really matter now," Braeburn said, getting them back on topic. "Strongheart, we need your help with something. We think we've cornered a group of bandits in this mine and don't want to have too many in there in case they use dynamite."

"Why don't you have the sheriff here to help out?" Strongheart asked.

"The sheriff's already here," Applejack told her.

"Really?" Strongheart said with a smile. "Congrats, Braeburn!" she said as she gave him a big hug. He gave Applejack a look of awkwardness, her returning the expression.

"Eh, not exactly," he finally said. Strongheart let go upon hearing this and looked at Applejack.

"Wait, you don't mean-"

"Eeyup. Kinda a long story, but pretty much the past sheriff died and made me the new one right before he went. The killers might actually be hiding in this mine as we speak."

"Well, what's the plan, sheriff?" Applejack noticed Strongheart roll her eyes back when she said 'sheriff'.

"I actually did find this old map of the mine before the big collapse." She took out a parchment with tunnels and rooms outlined. "Not exactly sure what areas are cut off with the collapse, but I think that they would primarily be hiding in these main areas." Three large chambers were circled while other tunnels had notes for things such as 'traps'. "I suspect that we should see signs of life while down there that'll help point us in the right direction. I want us to stick together this entire time. One of us gets separated and we become slim pickings. You ready?"

"Ready," the two replied. Lifting up her lantern, the sheriff and her posse descended into the mine shaft.

The three found the mine to be much different from what the map had originally shown them. Instead of a clearly organized system of passageways, it was a complete mess! Tunnels were either collapsed with new fissures apparently having opened up in their place. Also, they couldn't tell if they had entered any chambers, since all the tunnels looked the same.

"Twilight'd have a fit if she saw how bad this map was," Applejack said, tossing it aside. "Alright. Looks like we'll have to comb the area and set up signs so we don't get completely lost. Anypony have something like that on them?"

"Maybe. You mind putting the light over near that pile of rocks?" Strongheart asked. Applejack obliged and Strongheart started examining the pile. Picking up one of the rocks, she started making a large "#1" on the wall. "This place seems to be full of chalk."

"Huh. Makes you wonder why they didn't bother mining for that stuff instead of gold," Applejack commented, grabbing a rock as well, making marks on whatever wall she happened to pass by.

"I think they may have done that as well. I'm not really sure on all the details of this place," Braeburn admitted. "Though, to be fair, it was closed when I was just a colt."

The three continued to go deeper into the mine, noticing that passages that would have made this place a maze had been boarded up. The wood seemed to be out of place for such a decrepit setting, as if newly placed. Suspicions that this place was inhabited were confirmed when Applejack found herself just on top of a wire that, if fully pushed, would have dropped a large pile of rocks right on top of them.

"Well, looks like we've got something," she whispered, gently backing off of the trap. "Better be extra careful now. Check the floor and move slowly."

The group continued on at a snail's pace, spotting more traps along the way. The second one they encountered was a change in the pathway that opened up to four other passages. At the end of each passage was a closed wooden door. Using her senses, Strongheart warned the others before they made the folly of opening them and instructed Applejack to give her of of her lassos. Using it, she tied the handle to the door and stepped away as far as the rope went, pulling open the door with a yank and reveling a large pike that jutted out. She repeated this with the others (the traps being the same) and went through the safe passage.

"So, they seem to have put a whole lot of effort in this place," Braeburn pointed out as he avoided another one of the rock traps.

"Yeah. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you really think about it. I mean, when I said 'traps' I thought of simple stuff like string with cans to act as an alarm or something, but here we have fake doors and rock traps here. Also," Applejack stopped in her tracks and pointed to a pitfall with spikes on the floor, "it looks like death pits as well. Starting to think that this isn't the bandit's place."

"They could have just put some extra effort into it," Strongheart replied.

"These are bandits in a small town. Pretty sure that they'd do whatever they could to get in and get out of here. It's not like they could have lived here and spent the money without anypony else noticing," Braeburn explained. "It's not like they'd build something this big for such a short time."

"OoooooOOooo!" a voice seemed to echo from further within the mine. Applejack, Strongheart, and Braeburn stood completely still, trying to comprehend what they just heard.

"Is that what I think it was?" Strongheart said, starting to shiver with fear.

"I think so," Braeburn whispered, just as scared as her.

"You two are joking, right?" Applejack couldn't believe those two. Raised in the rough and they were cringing at some howling.

"Hey, I told you that this mine is probably haunted. It's not like we can just fight ghosts!" Applejack was sure that to Braeburn his logic made sense, but to her it just seemed like he was chickening out.

"Whatever. If you two are gonna be like this then I'll be going without you two." She jumped over the pit and proceeded along the passage, lantern raised in front. The more she heard the noises, the more she started thinking about what those two had said. "It's probably just a thing that somepony is doing to trick us. Probably somepony who's lived down here for years and gone crazy. Probably a cannibal -" Applejack noticed that she was starting to freak herself out and decided to stop talking. "Come on. What's the worse that could actually be there?"

"Get out!" the voice yelled out. Suddenly, to the surprise of Applejack, three white flames suddenly appeared and started to approach her. Freaking out, Applejack immediately started galloping back from where she came.

"Applejack?" Braeburn asked, seeing her suddenly galloping at them with all her might. Without a word she jumped over the pit and the two followed her. In their haste they forgot about the rock trap and triggered it. Braeburn ended up getting hit with one of them and had his leg trapped under several others.

"Braeburn!" Strongheart yelled out, pulling on him. Applejack saw what had happened and went back to help, trying to move the large rocks. The three saw the lights get closer and closer, hearing the voice calling to them.

"Hold on!" the lights seemed to yell, but at the point none of them were paying attention.

"Go on without me!" Braeburn yelled, hoping to spare his friends.

"I ain't leaving you fer dead!" Applejack told him, noticing her accent flaring up again. Seeing that she wasn't doing much good, she decided there was only one other way to help out. "I'm gonna take on that ghost!" With hopeless abandon, she rushed forward, having no idea how to fight the supernatural. As soon as she got close to the lights she tackled, hoping that something would happen. As luck would have it, something did. She felt herself tumble into another pony who had apparently attached three lanterns to his back with some contraption. She was finally able to see the old stallion now, his face covered with a thick and long beard.

"Sorry fer scaring you three like that," he apologized. "Thought you might have been ghosts."

"Wait, you thought we were ghosts?" Braeburn asked, finally prying himself free.

"Yeah. I'd been hearing odd things lately and decided to set up traps fer them and trying to scare them away from here just in case." The three stared at each other in disbelief as they heard what he just said.

"Sir, how exactly would traps have discouraged them if they were ghosts?"

The bearded stallion looked like he was about to say something when he just stopped. For a full minute he just stood there, his mouth open. He finally admitted, "Because I'm an idiot."

"Well, I guess this solves the mystery of the mine," Applejack said, frustrated at this twist. "So I guess this was just a waste of time then, huh?"

"Hey. We at least know what the townsfolk were talking about before when they said there were strange noises around here," Braeburn told her, trying to come with anything that might console her. "And at least we're all safe and sOWWW!"

"Sow? What's that supposed to mean?" Applejack realized that this wasn't some weirdly accented word, but her cousin screaming out of pain. The leg that'd been trapped under the rock was twisted in a painful manner, making it difficult for him to stand.

"Aww great," the bearded stallion said. "Looks like he may have broken it. I'll help you three up to the surface. Make sure nothin' else happens." He led them through the tunnels, explaining who he was and his history with the mine.

His name was Golden Lead, and he was the prospector who had originally purchased the area for digging and created the mine. He originally found gold in the mine and decided to settle on mining for that for several reasons apparently. The first reason was that while he knew about the other minerals in the mine, he knew that they weren't worth that much and wanted to dedicate his crews to gathering the most valuable rocks. He also didn't have any place to store the other materials. He eventually got trapped down in the mine during the great collapse and survived off of the rations less fortunate miners had on them. When he finally managed to get out, it had been several months and his company had been liquidated, his own personal assets given to the families of the other miners who had passed. This had all occurred since he had been presumed dead along with everypony else. Seeing as he had no money, family, or even a place to live, he decided to spend his days living in the mine.

"Sounds like you've had a busy life," Applejack told him.

"Yeah, well, a whole lot of it was avoiding the buffalo tribes that seemed to live around here. Didn't want them to find out about my operation." Strongheart shot him a disturbing glance. "Sorry, I guess. Anyway, yer friend should get some help. Feels like hes gettin' a fever."

"We'll get right on that, Golden Lead. Thanks fer the help. You wanna stay at our place? It's got actual beds," offered Applejack.

"I might actually take you up on that offer. It's been pretty depressing living in the mine lately. Keep on having to worry about some goop-" Golden Lead shut his mouth when he came across the entrance and saw a pack of bobcats right out there, looking at the four of them. They started growling and began to circle around the entrance.

"Think we should pull back into the mine," whispered Applejack, slowly moving back.

"Don't think we should," replied Golden. "This boy's fever is getting pretty bad fast. Don't know how long we could be in the mine if they follow. Can't be sure we'd outrun them either."

"Well, it looks like we've only got one option then." Strongheart revealed a sheathe and took out a sharp dagger, holding it in her mouth.

"Looks like that." Applejack took out one of her lassos and started whirling it around. "Might not be as effective as your thing, but just watch."

In an instant, the bobcats descended. Strongheart took the front and leapt into the heat, drawing the attention of the feral felines. Applejack lassoed one of the cats and reeled it in, bucking it as soon as it got close. The force was enough to knock it out of the lasso, sending the cat limping away injured. Strongheart saw this working and decided to go with that plan, holding off the cats with her agility and her blade while Applejack dealt the real damage.

"Why isn't Strongheart just using her blade?" asked Braeburn. "Seems like it'd be faster to just kill them."

"Because they're smart enough to know that is you show the cat who's boss then they'll back off, but if you mortally wound it then they'll fight to the death," explained Golden Lead. "Remember that they're trying to do whatever it is that makes it the fastest so we can get you out of here." Just as he was explaining this, two bobcats suddenly turned their attention to the wounded pony. Seeing as he was an easy target, they lunged forward. Golden Lead saw this and took off one of his lanterns and started swinging at them. "Back! Get back!" he yelled, the flames scaring the cats.

After a solid ten minutes of fighting the cats seemed to realize that this wasn't worth the pain and limped away, hoping to find an easier meal. By that time Braeburn was starting to feel real ill and needed to be carried the rest of the way. The clinic was closed and Braeburn ended up directing them to the doctor's house instead. Applejack yelled as hard as she could, declaring that it was the sheriff and that there was an emergency.

"Coming! Coming!" the doc could be heard saying as he opened up his door. "What is this?"

"Doc! Braeburn's leg got messed up and now he's got a real bad fever," Applejack told him. "You gotta help him out fast!"

"Alright. Place him down on the couch gently." Golden carried him over and placed him down with care. The doc approached him and touched his leg, feeling the bone. Braeburn cringed while he did this, biting down to keep from screaming out.

"How bad is it?" Applejack asked.

"Definitely broken. Needs something to hold it in place. Fetch me my medical bag from the counter. Buffalo girl, I need you to talk to him and make sure he stays awake for this. Don't want him to fall asleep and end up unconscious. Beardy, I need you to hand me my tools when I ask. Got it?"

"Right!" they yelled, performing their tasks. In a minute everything was set up for the doctor to begin.

"Okay. Sheriff, I'll need you to help hold him down. Beardy, be prepared to get me what I need."

"What's first?" Golden asked.

"First, get out my bone saw."

"WHAT?!" everypony else in the room yelled out.

"I need you to saw off a piece of wood that I have lying around. Check out my closet. Think I have enough for a splint." Following the doc's order, he found a piece of wood and started cutting it. "Okay. Bring what you have over and let's set the leg back again. Sheriff, get in position and hold him down."

"Is this gonna hurt?" Braeburn asked meekly.

"No. I just need her there so that when I- oh! Hello, Princess!"

"WhaAAAAAAA!" he yelled as his leg was twisted into place.

"Okay. Now, hand me the splint and some of the bandages there." Golden handed him the splint and bandages and began his work. Strongheart consoled her friends as the bandage was wrapped tightly around his leg, trying to keep hi from passing out from pain. Before they knew it he was finished, the bandage cut with the bone saw. "Now I'll start on the fever." He reached into the pocket on his pharmacist jacket and pulled out several pills. He then carefully selected the one he needed and handed it over. "Swallow this and get some rest. I'll have you stay here for at least the night. Might need to sleep through tomorrow as well."

"Thanks," Braeburn said, swallowing the pill and finally passing out.

"Okay. Now, all of you get out and let me get my sleep." Without letting them utter a single word, the doc pushed the three of them out and shut the door.

The Businessman

After being forced out, Strongheart went back to her tribe and Applejack went back to her place with Golden Lead following. She showed him to the couch where he immediately fell asleep. Applejack felt the same way when she returned to her own room. She couldn't help but think over the situation however and tried to figure out where the bandits could have gone. Did they simply run out of the town and hoof it to someplace? There weren't any other towns for a good thirty miles, and they definitely didn't seem packed for such a long haul across the desert. Deciding that this worrying wasn't helping, she decided to put it off till tomorrow.

"Hey, doc, you there?" Applejack asked as she knocked on his door. It was about nine in the morning, about three hours after most everypony else had gone to the field. He opened the door, his clothes the same.

"Morning, sheriff. Here to check on our patient?" he asked.

"Yeah. Is he better now?"

"Sure is. The fever was just a side effect of the broken bone. Common thing to have. He definitely won't be able to help out with the harvest though."

"At least he's getting better." Applejack felt a bit remorseful as she said this. If it hadn't been for her cowardice, he wouldn't be in this condition. "You think I can see him?"

"Not yet. He's still sleeping and I'll want to let him rest up after what he went through. You better get started on whatever it is you're supposed to be doing now, you hear? Don't want anymore bank robberies." The doc suddenly slammed the door, leaving Applejack to wonder what to do.

"Well, I guess the only other thing to do right now is give a message to the surrounding towns about the robbers. After all, I can't seem to find anymore evidence." She felt disappointed by this realization, but knew that she had nothing else to go on. If the ponies who killed Sheriff Earp were brought to justice, that'd be good enough for her.

She went on over to the Post Office and decided to send a message to the leaders of the nearby communities. In it, she described three bandits that had used dynamite to blow open a bank and steal a total of thirty-thousand bits. When she had commissioned the letter, she let them also know that the previous sheriff had been killed by them as well and they would require a permanent replacement for their town.

"Alright. Make sure this gets to whatever town are nearby. This is an APB for the bandits that robbed the bank." The mail carrier understood and made copies of the letter. Applejack, hoping that this would be enough, decided to figure out what else she was supposed to do now. "Been so busy hunting those guys that I haven't actually learned what else I'm supposed to do."

Deciding that she needed to start somewhere, Applejack decided that she'd patrol the town and see if anything was going on. She got better acquainted with locations and businesses around the town and thought that she could see who was important enough to not have to go into the field. Feeling thirsty, she decided to head over to the Salt Block Saloon.

"Anypony here?" she called out as she entered. She took a seat down at the counter and waited until somepony finally came out. "What you got?"

"Right now we've got water, Poison Joke Juice, and some really strong Cactus Juice. No Apple Cider yet. Not until the harvest is finished," he told her.

"I'll get some water, thanks." He took out a glass and filled it up.

"That'll be five bits," he told her.

"Wow. That's a lot fer just some water," she said as she paid out.

"Yeah, well, this is the desert. Don't exactly have much of the stuff out here." Applejack finished up her glass and motioned for a refill, paying out five more bits.

"True. By the way, I'm the new sheriff. Well, temporary one at least. Just sent the message for the new permanent one out. Hopefully they send one quickly."

"So I've heard," he replied, handing her back the glass. "Word travels quickly here in town, and I'm where everypony in town comes to when they're thirsty. So, any lead on those bandits?"

"I dunno if I should tell you anything yet," Applejack answered. However, she realized that this little bit of info just might be what she needs to gain a favor in the future. "Thing is, we thought that they might have been hiding in the abandoned mine, but there wasn't any luck there. Just the old owner of the place." The bartender dropped the glass he was cleaning when he heard that.

"Golden Lead?" he said, his eyes widening.

"Yeah. Apparently everypony had thought he was dead and he decided to just live in the mine. Apparently he didn't have anywhere else to turn to." Applejack was sipping her drink when she realized something. "Say, how did you know his name?"

"Just a guess," he lied. Applejack just glared at him, hoping he'd just tell her.

"You know that I'm now the law around here, right? That means that if I found out something big and you've been hiding it from me, I could arrest you for contempt of the law." Applejack wasn't sure of what she was saying, but felt that it was the right thing for this situation.

"You don't know that I know anything. It was just a lucky guess." He tried to collect himself and once again appeared to be a suave bartender.

"I better-" Before Applejack could finish her sentence, two figures entered through the saloon's doors. The first figure was a jackal wearing a derby, a white shirt with a red tie, and black pants in a wheelchair. The second figure behind him was a stallion almost double the size of Big Mac. He pushed the jackal's wheelchair forward to the counter.

"Excuse me, bartender, but my assistant and I would like a refreshment. What do you have in stock?" the jackal asked.

"Water, Poison Joke Juice, and Cactus Juice," the bartender let him know.

"Really? Seems like slim pickings for a saloon." The jackal seemed to then pull out a vial filled with a silvery liquid and said, "I've heard that mercury can bring out the gold in rocks. Can it bring anything out here?" The bartender's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of the vial. Applejack focused on it and saw that there were initials of some kind marked on it.

"Would you mind introducing yourself before the sheriff first," the bartender said, eyeing over to Applejack.

"Oh! My apologies, good mam. My name is Dr. Jackal. This large stallion you see beside me is my assistant, Mr. Clyde." The large pony bowed his head to her. "Anyway, bartender, get the sheriff and I your finest drink." The bartender, getting the okay from the jackal, went behind counter and pulled out a bottle. He then pulled out two fine glasses and poured the red drink into both of them. "Ah. A Classic Minos. Best kind of wine you can get. Drink up." The jackal sipped and savored the drink.

"Thanks fer the offer, but I can't drink while on the clock," Applejack informed him.

"Very well. I appreciate your duty to the job. I definitely feel protected while I stay here in town to conduct my business," he said, his smile revealing columns of sharp teeth.

"What kind of business might that be?" Applejack asked, interested in this strange doctor.

"I call it 'terraforming'. I essentially form the environment so it can be livable. This desert certainly seems like it could use it. I'm here to check out the area and see what can be done." The doctor took another sip and added, "It's a very fulfilling job."

"It certainly looks profitable as well," Applejack said as she examined his gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses.

"You've got that right. Maybe I can help your town out as well. I saw your orchard and believe that my work around here could make your harvests even bigger. That, or at least make it so water isn't such a rarity around here." Dr. Jackal's offer seemed to be very pleasing. Applejack couldn't tell if it was snake oil or genuine.

"Well, I hope your work goes well." She got up from her chair and said, "As for me, I've got to get back to mine. Take care, and stay out of trouble." Applejack went out the doors and continued her patrol, content with this unexpected meeting.

It was about noon when Applejack went back to the doc to check on her cousin. By then he'd woken up and was eating a lunch of beans and biscuits.

"Glad to see you up and hungry," she said as he gulped down a biscuit.

"And I'm glad that the doc's also a good cook." Braeburn was enjoying his meal incredibly, not showing any sign of pain from his leg.

"Glad to hear you enjoy it. Didn't want to leave my patient hungry." The doc came out and offered a plate to Applejack. Seeing her cousin eat gave her an appetite and she accepted it.

"So, doc, what's your real name? Keep on calling you doc, but I guess I should know how to really address you while I'm here." Applejack then took a spoonful of the beans and saw why her cousin was eating so much of it.

"My actual name is Doc. Just that. I actually assumed that everypony knew that since they always called me that."

"We actually called you that because it's a short term for 'doctor'," Braeburn explained through a mouthful of beans.

"Anyway, I just came across a couple of visitors who just came into town. Apparently one of them is a doctor that can actually change the environment to make places livable. He also had this partner with him who made Big Mac look small by comparison. Definitely an odd couple of visitors. They say they're here to check out the area and make it livable. Say they might even help out with the crops."

"Sounds like hogwash," Doc told them. "I bet he's going to charge the town money, promise something, and then try to run off at the first chance he gets."

"Doesn't seem like he came here for the town. Just sounds like he's gonna be staying here while he does his work," Applejack explained. "Wonder where he'll be staying."

"The saloon actually has some rooms that travelers can stay at," Braeburn told her. "That's where you would have stayed if it weren't for me."

"That explains why else they were there. Anyway, I'm gonna continue my patrol. See ya!" Applejack then picked up her lassos and went out the door. The next place she thought of looking around was near the bank again. See if Flintbit had gotten over the robbery yet.

Applejack saw that the bank now had wooden boards placed over where the windows used to be. She also saw a sign that told visitors to knock three times on the door before entering. Following instructions, she did just that.

"Who is it?" the shaky voice asked.

"It's the sheriff. Is everything alright?"

"It's you? Just a moment!" Applejack heard what sounded like metal clanging against the floor before he said "Come in." She opened the door to find the floor littered with bear traps, the room lit with lanterns hanging from the wall. "You like it? Improvised security system until I can manage to get our blacksmith to come over."

"Seems a little excessive," she said as she navigated the slim safe trail over to where Flintbit was sitting.

"Can't be too careful. Don't wanna lose anymore money or we'll be in big trouble. We manage to stay supplied by trade. If the townsfolk can't buy, we can't live. By the way, how goes the hunt?"

"Not too good. I sent out a bulletin to the other towns around here about the bandits. Hopefully they'll find something or at least be aware in case they come across them. Too bad I didn't get a good look at-" Applejack paused as she thought back to the robbery. She remembered that she had actually managed to lasso one of them and Sheriff Earp managed to tie him up. "Actually, I think I do remember one of them.

"Really? Can you give a description?" Flintbit hoped that whatever she remembered would be enough that they could arrest them on sight.

"I'll try. I was so shocked by the sheriff's death that it must've messed with my head. I think he had a silver coat with a grey tail."

"That sounds pretty dull."

"Yeah, but I remember something odd about the tail. It was sharp and really tiny. It almost looked like a rat's tail. I'll go back to the post office and commission a new letter right now!" With this information, Applejack finally had something to help capture the crooks.