Strong Hearts

Appleloosa was a quiet town. Always had been since the arrival of its first settlers in the pioneering days of Equestria. Its citizens had always been set in their ways; never bothering to change much and, by the time of the frontier movement, it seemed as if time altogether had stopped and Appleloosa had become a permanent Old West town. So yes, Appleloosa was now not only quiet but changeless. In addition, it was peaceful. Outlaws were jailed and learned their lessons right quick whether by a stern warning from the sheriff or the threat of a hangstallion's noose. Petty squabbles were few and far between, and the neighbors often settled it on their own.

What of the feud between Chief Thunderhooves' tribe of buffalo and the ponies of Appleloosa? Well, it took some time and a slice of the best apple pie around to settle that, but it was eventually just that: settled and done. At least, until that horrible Friday morning.

A group of stallions headed into The Salt Block after breakfast and didn't leave until an hour before six when the proprietor, Barrel Burn, threw them out. Sometimes hate is burrowed deep inside a pony, and it takes only a little bit of liquor to bring it out. Unfortunately, these four didn't have a little in their system, but a lot. They had also been in the minority that didn't take well to the agreement between the buffaloes. Ponies swore they heard the group shouting hateful remarks about the tribe and had been last seen heading out of the town and towards the hills where the buffaloes lived.

Everypony was asleep when Little Strongheart, a young female buffalo, came running into town, screaming and crying. They all gathered in the square to see what had happened, and Sheriff Silverstar was the first to approach her and speak.

"Little Strongheart, what is going on? Trouble in the tribe?" Silverstar asked.

Little Strongheart couldn't catch her breath; she was gasping and heaving. Cherry Jubilee came forward and wrapped an arm around her.

"Calm down, honey. Now, tell us what's happened."

Words started to come, but they were in between choked sobs, and she was still hard to understand to someponies or perhaps those someponies just couldn't believe their ears.

"Stallions...came...to...our land....they killed...they killed Chief Thunderhooves."

There was collective gasps, whispers, and murmurs. Little Strongheart finally stopped crying, her energy spent; her eyes went to the back of her head and she collapsed on the ground.

"Somepony get her to Doc Weedtumble. Anypony who has the guts is welcomed to come with me to the buffaloes' territory." Silverstar ordered.

A good majority of the town's stallions galloped away with Sheriff Silverstar; all except Braeburn who helped Cherry Jubilee carry Little Strongheart to the doc's office. They managed to get her onto the examining table and Cherry Jubilee stepped out to find the doc.

The door slammed and Little Strongheart's eyes popped open and began to dart wildly. She tried to stand,but her legs felt wobbly and she fell back onto the table. Braeburn laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't fret none. Cherry Jubilee went to find the doc. He's gonna make sure you're all right." Braburn said softly.

Little Strongheart's face which was usually bright and full of life, suddenly looked weary and pale. The buffalo turned on her side and curled all fours together into a little ball.

"I'll never be all right again. Never." Little Strongheart whispered.

Cherry Jubilee returned with the doc before another word could be said. Doc Weedtumble, an elder stallion, checked Little Strongheart for any injuries from the murder, her heartbeat,, and her forehead for fever.

"She's fine and dandy. Her heart's like the thumping of a hyped jackrabbit's paw, but I reckon that's from the fright and the running. You should have gotten an older buffalo to get help, young lady."

"The men buffalo were either injured or had a hold on the killers. The cows they...they were too afraid." Little Strongheart explained.

With a gesture of his head, Cherry Jubilee and Braeburn followed the doc to a corner of the office.

"I don't want her returning to her tribe tonight. She's exhausted and in shock; not a good combination, as I'm sure you know." Doc Weedtumble whispered.

"She's so scared, doc." Cherry Jubilee said.

Doc Weedtumble sighed. "The way I figure, she saw the murder happen. In fact, she was probably only a few feet away."

Cherry Jubilee gasped and the three exchanged sad glances before looking at Little Strongheart, who was once again curled up and mumbling to herself.

Sheriff Silverstar and the posse didn't return until dawn. The stallions that had murdered Chief Thunderhooves were being led into town on ropes around their necks. They didn't show any remorse, in fact their faces were devoid of any emotion; there was nothing but blank stares.

Cherry Jubilee had stepped outside of the doc's office and went up to the sheriff as he ordered the posse to throw the murderers into a cell. He then turned his attention to Cherry.

"How is she?" Silverstar asked.

"Doc gave her medicine to help her sleep. She's still in shock." Cherry Jubilee said.

"After what I seen, I'm not surprised. Those fellers tell me they went to the buffaloes' stead and began making a ruckus; whooping, hollering, whinnying. Chief Thunderhooves wanted them to leave, but they'd been drinking and all they saw was red. They jumped on him, started using their hooves to beat him; one of them got too carried away and grabbed an axe. He ran it straight into the chief's neck; only the chief weren't dead and he started screaming until the entire tribe was awake. Little Strongheart was the first to reach those dagburn fellers just as they were trying to shut up Chief Thunderhooves with the axe. They kept hacking and hacking, like he weren't nothing but a log. One of them noticed Strongheart and took off after her, but she got away. By the time we got there, Chief Thunderhooves was nothing but a pile of blood, fur, and flesh."

Cherry Jubilee leaned against the sheriff's porch. It was no wonder that Little Strongheart was so scared; to even picture something that terrible happening to someone you love. Cherry Jubilee brought her hoof to her mouth to keep in the rising bile.

"We're sending the killers to Manehattan." Silverstar finally said.

Cherry Jubilee swallowed. "Why Manehattan?"

"I know I always make threats about hanging outlaws and such, but the truth is...well, we just don't have a hangstallion or gallows anywhere near us. Manehattan will find better means of execution. The sooner they're gone the better; if they stay longer than a week, than I might just kill them with my bare hooves." Silverstar explained.

Cherry Jubilee knew Silverstar was not a violent stallion and didn't mean what he said; but she didn't blame him one bit. If Cherry had her way, then she would see those stallions be locked away forever with the horrid monsters of Tartarus before they ever did something like this again.