When we returned to get our things from the brothers, we were pleased to find nothing had been touched. With the bag of gold still ripped, however, I figured it would be a good idea to see if the local general store or train station happened to have a luggage carrier—they didn't, but luckily the store owner was kind enough to offer what he had... a potato sack.

You make do with what ya got, and I'm not ashamed to say we took that potato sack.

The mayor caught my eye as we passed by the Sherrif's house on the way to the train, and when I gave Steel a funny look, he rolled his eyes.
"Weren't you listening yesterday, you fool? Sheriff said he's his neighbor."

I sighed rather than facehoofed, and shook my head slightly. "No, I suppose you're right and I wasn't listening."

He shrugged his shoulders and kept moving.

Once we were on the train, Steel put the sack of 'potatos' in an overhead luggage compartment and took a seat across from me. The train was relatively empty, which was good, since we could talk a bit more openly.

I must admit, I was surprised we didn't get any funny looks for actually using a potato sack to transport our 'luggage'. But hey, we just got on board out of hicktown. Next stop, Ponyville.

Ponyville...
I sighed deeply, closed my eyes, and pressed the side of my head against the window.

"Hey," Steel's broad voice had me opening my eyes to look at him.
"Something the matter?"

I closed my eyes again. "Nothing's wrong."

The feeling of him moving to sit next to me was an annoyance, because I could feel a talk coming on.

"Don't lie to me."

"You wouldn't understand-" I tried to push the topic away, hoping he'd leave it, though I knew he couldn't.

"Bullshit," He interrupted. "You've got something on your mind that you aren't telling me."

"It's Rose." I said abruptly, and he went quiet for a minute.

The sound of the train trudging along, lightly passing over the tracks, was the only sound to be heard, save for the slight discussion of ponies in the background. Until, suddenly, he sighed too, and I opened my eyes to look over at him.

Steel was leaning against the rail to his left, with his knee bent and his hoof raised to support his head.

"I know how you feel," He said. "You're right. I definitely don't understand it on the same level as you do, but I can't help but feel useless, and I hate that."

"We'll get her back, Steel. Princess Luna surely can't be so daft as to fully blame me for what happened, right? Maybe I just need to write to her."

Steel inhaled sharply and sat up. Turning to me, he said, "You know we can't do that, you told me the possibilities of it; what Twilight had said."

"Something has to be done, I've about had enough."

Right where we sat was where Rose and I had the pleasure of enjoying our first ride to Ponyville. It seemed like a long time ago, but it hadn't in fact been all that long. Not even half a year had gone by...
I had wanted to bring her someplace where she wouldn't feel afraid anymore, where we could live happily together, and now she's off in Canterlot with a deranged princess and I'm defenseless to it: like I'm nothing, because I can't really do anything.

A familiar voice from the past came back into my mind, replaying itself.
"No, you're not. You mean everything to me, Cross. You're all I've got."

Before I went to speak, I had to take a quick, deep breath just to ensure that I wouldn't get emotional.

"Or maybe if I just open up to Celestia instead, and let her know the whole truth.. We could all work together to catch Dwight and put him on trial."

Steel thinks on it for a moment, contemplating the idea.

"That could work—but what if it doesn't, and it goes straight down the shitter instead?"

I shook my head. "Twilight said she'd back me up all the way, and she's proved it before. I'm confident that if we play this right, we can make it work."

The unsure look in Steel's eyes that had come with my suggestion fades away and is soon replaced with determination.
"If you think this'll work, well, you've given me no reason not to trust you so far."

"Alright then," I smiled a little at him. "Then when we get to Ponyville we'll talk with Twilight about it.. though we should probably let Applejack in on it too, since she had agreed on going with us to face Princess Luna and directly talk it out, with reason."

He nods again, moves back to the seat across from me, and relaxes a bit.
"No need to explain that one, I get it Cross. Family is family."

"There's nopony I trust more right now than you and those two mares, Steel."

He rolled his eyes and pressed his head to the glass. "I told ya, I get it Cross."

With nothing else to discuss, I closed my eyes once more and drifted off to sleep.

Rose snugly lay with her side leaning against my body for support as she slept.
With a smile, I carefully turned my body towards her a bit, and gently put an arm around her back. In response, she buried her head into my chest.

"I believe it's time we talked." A regal voice, one I instantly recognized, came from the seat across from me.

Not wanting to look up and give her the satisfaction of facing me, I swallowed the lump in my throat and said straightly, "You saw me with Twilight, that night we were at town hall. Correct?"

There was silence, just long enough for things to start feeling uneasy, when Princess Luna spoke up. "That is correct, yes. I did bare witness to all that was said that night between you two."

I grit my teeth lightly, and spoke through the fire that had begun to ignite inside. "Then you should know I've been trying to make amends, paying back the money–" The realization hit me that she had also heard the entire talk about why I did what I did, and why I couldn't just simply get away.

"You should already know my story. So why'd you do it? You took her. Told me to "find you." Yet here you are, you came and found me."

"If you want answers," She began impatiently, seeming to avoid the question. "It would be favorable for you to go find some of your old 'friends', get a new gang, and come to find me like I asked you to do."

Still impatient about how she was being greeted, despite the impression she had previously left on me, Luna cleared her throat in the hopes that I would have the decency to finally look up at her.

I clenched my teeth tightly and nearly hissed my words, but Rose's sleeping body stared back at me. The thought of her, and the thought of her alone, was the sole reason that I continued on with a (apprehensively) respectful tone. "Spare me the chatter, I've done you that much at least. And, I believe I've asked you a question... your highness."

"I'm afraid it doesn't matter why I've taken her, because you won't be seeing her back until you have handled this... mess. Besides, do you think I'd hurt an innocent mare with foal?"

I had to stop and take a mental step back to avoid lashing out at her from the sheer ignorance of that statement.

Feeling less hot headed, I shook my head slightly and asked, "Could you be more specific? Dreams don't last long."

"You know what you have done. You're capable of much more than you let show. Prove it. Get a crew, find me, surrender any and all past loyalties you have, and aid in helping me. Otherwise, your young one will grow up without a father."

When I looked up, the same mocking smile from our last encounter was staring back at me. I took immediate satisfaction in seeing her jeering smile fade away into a straight face, upon noticing that I was glaring daggers back at her. It was short-lived though, since I woke up right after the two of us had made eye contact.

I jerked my head from the window and began to search the clear, starry sky for the moon. Even though it was nowhere to be seen, I still drew the window drapes closed before I stood up and opened the overhead luggage compartment.

I had to feel around a bit, but I eventually found the rolled up tent that contained everything but the revolver–that was tucked inside the duffel bag, which I gave to Steel back at the prison so that he had someplace to store his items.

After a few minutes of carefully sliding my journal out of the side of the tent, I sat back down and flipped it open.

When the pen slid down the bindings of the journal, I picked it up with my teeth and began to write.

Life fucking sucks.
You think things are going good, and then you remember you're a killer, a criminal.
My life isn't a good one, it's tale of blood, murder, theft, arson, and armed robbery..

You may not really know me yet, what I'm capable of, but you will soon. I'm unknown to everyone, yet hated by all who have been accept by the crimes of the members within my former posse.

By the time I had finished revising everything and cleaned up the structure, it was early morning and we were approaching Ponyville station.

Sensing the slowing of the train, Steel stretched and sat up.

"How long have you been up?" He asked with a yawn.

"An hour, maybe two?" I responded.

He nodded and waited for the locomotive to come to a stop before grabbing things out of the compartment, and heading off the train.

"Let's head over to the house, first. Might as well drop off this weight."

Upon walking in the door and sitting down the sack of gold and duffle bag, Steel looked down at me and asked, "We plan on staying here for a few days? I just don't know if I'll be able to sleep in this house, nothing against you, but something about it just wouldn't feel right."

"Sure, I can pitch the tent up against the side of the house for you." I said with a shrug. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Thanks, Cross." Steel smiled a bit and started to look around.

When I was heading back outside with the rolled up tent, I said, "Hey, I'm pretty sure Applejack oughta be awake by now, if you'd like to go and let her know we're back."

Steel followed me out the door and went down through the orchard while I pitched the tent, which was set up in a matter of minutes.

Still waiting on Steel, I went and drug a coffee table and a chair out into the tent to sit and finish writing my letter, but after a minute of just sitting and staring I realized that I had come to a halt, not sure what needed to be said.

Think back on what she said, Cross. Draw on it. "Do you think I'd hurt an innocent mare with foal...Get a crew, find me, surrender any and all past loyalties you have, and aid in helping me. Otherwise, your young one will grow up without a father."

"Oh, I've got a crew, you bitch." I mumbled to myself and opened the journal once again to finish where I left off.

This may come as a surprise to you, Princess Luna, that the one pony, out of a whole gang that you want help from, is addressing you directly. Writing to you from an unknown place.

I chortled at that last part, poking fun at her for not being able to snoop around during the day. But, I digress.

Well, Princess of the Night, don't get to thinking that I like you or that this is a surrender. You've done something with my family and I shall figure out what, even if it means having you imprisoned in that moon for another thousand years.

This isn't a threat. It's a reminder, as to which one of us has more to lose.

Before ripping the page from it's bindings I made sure to sign it, and I did so with the intent of making myself very clear.

I could hear a set of hoofsteps making an approach, when Steel came into the tent.
"We don't have all day Cross, hurry up writing," This coming from his bold voice behind me, as the light from outside shined in slightly upon his entry.

"Actually, I was just finishing up," I quirked, and as I stood up without the slightest glance, shouldered past him.

The sun had come up without my noticing, and it shone brightly into the tent through the tree gaps as I made my exit.

"Ah've seen the paper y'all sent me. How in the hay do these things jus' keep happening to y'all, Cross?" Applejack smiled and adjusted her stetson.

Pretending to be oblivious, Steel remarks with obvious sarcasm, "I can't for the life of me seem to figure it out!"

"Maybe trouble just follows us." I said with a playful grin.

"Uh-huh," Applejack rolled her eyes. "I'm beginning to think that y'all jus' go around huntin' for it like a pair of foals on a treasure hunt."

"Let's head over to Twilight's," My grin faded as I spoke, getting serious. "There's something we should all discuss, and the sooner the better."

Steel groaned. "We just got here, Cross. If Twilight's still asleep–"

I stopped him when I looked up at his face with unrelenting eyes. "Something has come up. We need to figure out how we're going to go about it. The sooner we make a decision, the sooner we can consider spending a day on just taking a short break."

With a huff, Applejack said, "Stop bein' cryptic. Y'all know better than anypony that with that young colt, Twilight could use the rest, and we don't wanna risk wakin' neither of 'em. So y'all come on back to the farm, an' tell us what's goin on Cross."

Defeated, I tucked the journal to my chest and we made our way down through the orchard to the farm, following Applejack into the barn.

She pushed a barrel over, and seeing this, both Steel and I went to assist her by bringing two more over, when Applejack started laughing. "Cider, ya fools! Not fer' sittin!"

"Good call, it might help." I said while moving the barrel back to where I found it.

"Right, lemme go get some glasses," Applejack sighed, then left.

We sat there in silence with Steel looking like he was trying to place something, and judging by the fact that the look intensified, it seemed as though he was failing.

By the time Applejack had returned, the look on his face had faded, but I could only assume it was because he had given up on whatever it was he was mentally struggling with...

None of us spoke until we had drinks on standby, and even then, it was Applejack who broke the silence.

"Is it really that bad?" She looked concerned, a change from the playful attitude that she had had about her earlier. Though how quickly she would engage once matters became serious was nothing new to me. But it seemed to be new to Steel, and the pegasus took note of it.

Realizing the question she had asked, she added with a sigh, "Forget ah' asked that, ya wouldn't be bringin' it to mah attention if it weren't."

"Luna's trying to make me her pawn. She wants me to get a group together to go and hunt down Dwight. We'll only be getting Rose back once that's done." I responded rather quickly with a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Shit..." Steel took a drink from his glass and shook his head slightly. "I don't like this, not one bit."

Applejack was silent for a second. Then, "Ah mean, that don't sound too bad. With tha Princess's resources at our disposal? He don't stand a chance."

"Applejack," I responded, giving her a condescending look. "Have you ever fired a gun?"

"Well, no, but ah'-"

"Dwight is a criminal mastermind. There's a very high chance that any one of us could die, and I don't want the responsibility of your death on my hooves, should it come down to it."

She slammed a hoof down, resonating through the barn. "Ah can make mah' own damn choices Cross!"

"I never said I was going to abide by her demands." I said, simply looking at her. "Dwight's been my priority since before she had even known his name. At the end of the day, this isn't your call, Applejack."

Guiltily she looked away from my gaze, feeling the weight of my words and the look in my eyes. "Ah know it ain't my call... but I'll put my own life on the line if it means that the bastard gets what is comin' to him and you're reunited with Rose."

Steel looked between the two of us, from me and then to her. I ignored the possibility of his doubt.

"I'll let you come along on one condition," I picked up the glass she had brought me and lifted it to my mouth for a second. "If something goes sour and we're in a bad situation, I need you to listen to me and to trust me, no matter what. I can not risk this, Applejack, and neither can you."

She nodded and Steel downed his glass, already aware that we were about to be going.
"Right. Let's go see Twilight, then." Applejack adjusted her stetson and got to her hooves.

I cleared my throat as I stood up with her,
still holding my journal to my chest.

Author's Note

It's been awhile between this chapter and the last, and I'd like to apologize for that. I hit a writer's block, it seems the last one never really went away and I've got no other excuse for it.