Renegades: Chapter 1

I woke up early in the morning, thinking my life was going to be the same as always. Boy was I wrong.

I got up a bit after daybreak, with the sun having just risen above the horizon, and made my way to the door. I ran my hoof through my mane, which was still confused whether or not it wanted to be roguishly handsome or a Shakeshoovian Tradgedy, and sighed. Another boring day on the farm, I thought to myself. It was true. Evey day was the same old thing, push this, or push that, plow the field, plant this, plant that. It pissed me off. Although, my brother Pro had it worse. He had to sit around all day and do the money shit. The lazy ass even liked it, and stuck me with the heavy lifting. Oh well.

I pushed the door open with my forehead, and look out unto the rolling hills that was my family's country farm. It was a huge farm, that's true, but once it got down to it, work was over at the drop of a hat. I shook off the morning grog and put on my black stetson, which was hanging on a hook on the left of my door. I did a little shake of my body, and trotted down my stairs.

So you see, my family all lives in different houses. I live in my little shanty to the west of the grain fields, because that was my area to take care of. My brother lived in his hut at the east side of the melons, as he tended to those when they needed tending. My parents and younger sister, all in one house we called the denhouse, lived in the middle of everything. My sister Double Cross tended to the pigs and chickens, my father Contrast worked the vegetable field, and my mother Vice Versa stayed inside, cooking and cleaning. I never really thought of it much, but my brother despised the fact that she was cooped up in the house all day. It got to the point where he and my father even got into a little scrap about it. Had my brother worked the fields like he used to, he probably would have torn my father to shreds, but my father was bulky and strong. He got out of it with only a black eye, but my sister had to carry Pro on her back to get him to the doctor.

Speaking of the doctor, he was over at the denhouse tending to a broken rib my sister got after she was rammed in the side by one of the pigs. I decided to head over there to see how she was holding up before getting to my chores. I cut through the wheat to get to the denhouse faster. I opened the door slowly, as to not disturb the doc. He was up on his hind legs, reaching behind my sister, wrapping bandages around her.

"Hey, sis, " I said to her. "How're ya holdin' up?"

She looked at me, deadpan and bored looking. "I'm pretty shit, if ya ask me," she drawled. "But hey, ain't nothin' like a good ol' ram in the ribs to keep ya up and runnin', am I right?"

I sighed. "Double, you're gonna kill yourself one o' these days if ya keep that outlook."

"Ain't nothin' like a little death to keep ya dead, eh?"

The doctor looked at the both of us angrily. "Will the both of you quiet down?" He looked at my sister. "You, shut up. I cant asses your ailment if you're yakking it up with your brother." He then turned to me. "You, get out of here before I need to take in another patient because my bonesaw has slipped out of my hoof."

Obviously, that was my cue to leave. I spun on my back hoof and walked out the door.

I headed back behind the denhouse, to the shed that held all the tools I needed for my field work today. I turned the wheel on the pipe that connected to our water supply, and heard the sprinkler system spatter to life. The water sprayed out of the nozzles on the long, narrow metal rods... hehe, rods... and did the tedious watering job for me mechanically. I sauntered out of the shed, grinning to myself as I saw the numerous rainbows that showed when the light hit the mist.

I watched the mist and rainbows for a few minutes, and then trotted off to my shanty to wait for the water to stop. After that happened, I would have to go and find the mature grains and reap them. I walked into the door, and looked around for a brown bag labeled "Manure," which I was sure I would not find in the first five minutes of my being there.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Con, get on with the real story already! I don't need to listen to your entire day at the farm! Well, here's where things start to get interesting.

After the first few minutes of struggle trying to find that dang manure bag, I heard hoofsteps from behind me. Heavy, but not my father's. I turned to find Pro standing in the door, with a mischievous grin. My older brother isn't one for walking the whole length of the farm just to come see me, so I figured it had to be good.

A moment passed.

"Can I... help you?" I asked.

"There's money missing," Pro started, "and I think I know where it went, Con."

I immediately knew I was busted. You see, I've got a bit of an illusion of grandure when it comes to life. The ways of bandits, gunslingers, and cattle rustlers were always so intriguing to me. Pro and I used to talk about it all the time as foals, about how fun it would be to work outside the law and do as we please. The problem was, he grew up, I didn't. Or so I thought.

A couple days ago, I figured Hell, if they can do it, why can't I? I've got the wits, just need a few bits to get myself outta this damn farm. I didn't know when I'd leave, but I guessed I could figure that part out afterward. My brother was a bit smarter than that, I suppose, and my poker face is only good when I'm not being caught red handed. Pro must've watched my face twitch, because he chuckled.

"Relax, Con, I'm no rat." He moved from his spot in the doorway to my bed. "I just figured I'd come check, is all."

He reached under my mattress(I know it's a terrible hiding spot, but hidden in plain sight, right?) and pulled out the small bag of bits that I had snagged from Double's payroll. He held it in his hoof, gauging its weight as if to say that's it?

"Listen, Pro―"

"You're gonna start a gang with this?" he interrupted. I choked on my words, taken aback by what he'd said. He tossed me the bag of money and rolled his eyes. "Pack your shit," he said, sauntering out of my shanty. "I'll get us a bit more. We leave in 25."

I couldn't believe it. Pro was going to help me start a gang? Was this really happening? Despite my disbelief, I packed a saddlebag with some essentials. I grabbed the six shooter that I had kept since my 21st birthday, from when father had decided I was old enough to own one. It took me about 20 minutes pack, and true to his word my brother met me at the front fat of the farm in another five.

"We're really doin' this?" I asked with bated breath. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," grinned Pro. It was as if he'd been waiting for this moment for years.

Just like that, we set off from the farm, our old life, and the easy road for the rest of our lives. How long it would last, we had no idea.

We also had no idea just how difficult the road ahead could be.

Author's Note

I didn't realize how much I had planned for this, how interesting. This is kinda neat though, I dig it.