Let Freedom Ring

The sun was barely giving a peek over the horizon of the Mild West, giving off a slight red hue across the landscape. The only ponies seen awake above everypony else was a group of marshals just outside the Sheriff’s office, socializing with each other like the shiny badges that seemed to brag whichever was the most radiant.

“Rise and shine, Mr. Mac.” Cornfield monotonously cheered as he forcibly bucked open Mac’s hotel room door, oblivious to scaring him out of bed. “I suppose you’re already used to waking up this early? You are one of those farming ponies, after all.”

“I’ve waken up earlier times. But nope.” Mac groaned as he carried himself up.

“Well, get dressed with whatever you need to put on. There’s other stallions I’d like to introduce ya to, as well as some equipment.”

As soon as they exited out the hotel, two marshals came their way carrying a lassoed pony with his head covered, chucking him at their hooves.

“This obscure bag over my head is a bit much, don’t you fellas think?” The stallion muffled through the mask with contempt.

“Aw shaddup!” One of the marshals kicked.

“Dammit, Dumpling and Stone. Who is this pony and what’re you doing with him?”

“Cornfield, this is Siringo, that bounty hunter.” said the less oafish marshal. “We found him just hanging around the train station!”

“You sure are relentless, son.” He squat down to uncover Horn’s face. “You two dumbbells go back to Silverstar’s. The three of us have to talk.”

“Well thanks for that, Marshal. I thought those two would get a little more intimate tying me up like this.”

“Siringo, just tell me what in Equestria you want. Yesterday, you said you ‘know what’s going on’, and coming deep into town like that pretty much explains it.”

“Remind me again first, Marshal. How high is the bounty placed on me? It’s somewhere in the thousands.”

“Seven thousand...” Cornfield sighed.

“See, that’s a pretty high reward for killing someone. Strange how nopony has ever really dared to even lay a hoof on me, though. You can understand what it’s like.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Well, there’s no way I can afford to pay it off, even with all the other bounties I’ve earned. So I was thinking it could be lifted off my shoulders if I helped along.”

“And what do you even think you want to help us with?”

“Your folks at Dodge told me that you formed some group to put a stop to this slaving crisis that’s been going on. Also, I’d like to know why the stallion behind you has been following you around everywhere.”

“Two ponies got my little sister - and sold her.” Mac answered. “But I dunno to who exactly.”

“I promised that I’d take him, Mr. Mac that is, with me until he sees that she is free.”

“Alright, then. Here’s my compr- hold on, why am I still tied up? Untie me right now, Marshal.”

“Not until you finish your ‘compromise’, son.”

“Dammit, stop calling me your ‘son’, I’m only about ten years younger than you.” Horn retorted. “I’d see that my deal is similar to yours with Mac here: I will travel with you two and your posse, and in the meantime, I must not desert the group under any circumstances. This will continue until Mac’s sister is no longer under the chains of slavery, does that sound peachy enough? Undo me now, for shit’s sake!”

“That sounds like a deal.” Cornfield almost cracked a smile as he began to cut the ropes tying Horn. “I actually needed you for another reason, anyways.”

“What for?”

“You’re one of the few ponies who legitimately know the region of the West in its entirety, that’s why. And I was going to offer to remove your bounty after I’d come across you in the meantime.”

“There goes my corny-like speech, then.” Horn said as he stood up to shake hooves with the marshal.

“At least you speak more than Mr. Mac here. Gee, I’ve only heard you speak a grand total of thirty words since we arrived back yesterday.” Cornfield directed at Mac, who only shrugged.

“Still however, I see more courage in him than you. Wait for us back at the train station, we got more stuff to take care of at the moment.”

…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..

“Fellow officers,” Cornfield greeted as he approached the virtuous group of lawful ponies. “This is Big Macintosh, from Ponyville, and what I see as the only pony gallant enough to volunteer on this suicidal mission. Mac, these are Marshals Stone, Star, Song and Dumpling. Don’t let their ‘astonishing’ beards get the better of you.”

“You just envious because a mustache is the most you can grow.” Marshal Stone cracked. “What’d you do with the bounty hunter, anyways?”

“Uh, I’ll tell you men in a moment before we will be leaving. I have a couple of presents to give.”

…......

Cornfield swung open the metal cage doors to a weapon rack mounted on the wall. Only two guns were seen hanging onto its wooden hooks.

“These two little killing tools,” he noted as he held one weapon in each hoof. “are a lever-action rifle, and this, a double-barreled shotgun. Both, I’m giving to you.”

He laid down the shotgun, now carrying the repeater with his front hooves.

“Though this baby kicks like an apple bucker, it’s foal’s play for anypony to fire this, even if you don’t have any magic to use it.” He said as he pulled the lever down and up.

“I don’t feel like I should even explain the double. You just have to know you can blow someone a hundred miles back if you’re close enough. Maybe I can test it on Celerity right now while he’s asleep.”

“Go fuck yourself, Marshal.” countered a raucous voice from a cell at the back of the room.

“Oh, you know you ain’t worth a rat’s ass anymore, just wait for the day your brother shares that cell with you and you wait your punishment.”

“Wait, there’s something I’d like to ask my whip buddy. Mac, that’s it.”

Big Mac stepped up close to Celerity, until the only space between them was filled by a metal bar.

“Tell me, Mac. When you find your sister... will you fuck her? Cause, I mean, that’s all what you farming ponies are good fo-”

His speaking came to a quick halt when Mac slipped his hooves around Celerity’s neck to vigorously slam his face against the dense, metal bars, leaving a large cut on his snout.

“Ohoho, brother!” He laughed, laying flat on the wooden floor. “You wish you could unleash your worst on me this second. It seems I always know how to push the right buttons!”

“Mac, don’t take the piss from him.” Cornfield implored as he restrained him from getting any closer. “He will get what’s coming to him. For now, we can just focus on the target as of now.”

Without a single word, Mac snorted and stomped his way out the room, taking his two guns with him. The marshal briskly followed him, only giving Celerity a quick, stern look before exiting the door.

…......

“Mac, go and get Horn over here, I need to show him a map.” Cornfield tried to call to him as he continued to march away.

“Cornfield, you were saying about the bounty hunter joining us?”

“Ah, uh yes, Stone. Wouldn’t want to repeat myself, but he’s one of the only ponies to know all of the San Palomino desert region, so I decided to let him help us too. In return, I also agreed to remove the high bounty placed on him.”

“I still don’t trust that crook.” grumbled Marshal Star. “What if he shoots any of us in the back while we’re at it?”

Cornfield raised an eyebrow at Star with a slight grimace.

“That - was an accident.”

“Okay, Marshal. What did you need to show me?” Horn reported as he trotted over to them.

“Wait... why didn’t Mac come back with you?”

“I don’t know. I saw he looked pretty damn rustled about something, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, that Celerity boy just verbally pulled his tail is all. Anyways,” He pulled out a folded piece of dirtied paper and arranged it on the ground. “You know all about the West? Point out to me the whereabouts of the Gristle Brothers’ plantation. Showing me where the Swift twins reside can also help us, as that’s our first destination.”

“Okay, uhh...” Horn glared down at the map with a dumbfounded look.

“I... I can’t read.”

“Are you shittin-... ok, well you can see shapes, can you?!”

“Yes?”

“Then, use that to show me! I can just tell you the word if you ask.”

“Ok, ok! So there’s that gigantic mountain to the west of...”

“...Appleloosa, the town we are standing in.”

“Yes, Appleloosa. You’ll have to keep following the river around it south, until you reach the end. But between that are about two outposts several miles apart, as well as a farm halfway down, just by...”

“Macintosh Hills. Go on.”

“One thing about the farm, the ponies there are very forbidding of passersby. They’re not afraid of even me to shoot me down if they want to. And about the Swift twins’ house? It is south of Dodge city, but south enough to be several miles away from the Badlands borders.”

“Well now. That’s certainly useful info, no sarcasm used.” He folded the map back up and looked back at the marshals. “Y’know what, I think I’m only taking Mr. Siringo and Mac along with me to Dodge. Expect the other marshals from there to come in and we’ll be back at the right end of the day.”

Cornfield and Horn came back to the train station to find Mac sitting by himself on the bench. The look of frustration on his face was now replaced with worry, as how he’s mostly looked since he’s left Ponyville.

“Mr. Mac, are you feeling alright now? It’ll just be the three of us who’ll be paying a visit to Legerity.”

He sighed in response and stood up to look back at the two.”

“Eeyup. Just thinking about what AJ has gone through.”