Colt of the West

Chapters

Two - Of Many Names
Three - In Your Absence
Four - The Unknown Goal
Five - A Dark Tomorrow
Six - The Bird and the Worm
Seven - A New Task at Hoof
Eight - Tale of an Immortal
Nine - A Pinprick of Light
Ten - To Cross the Threshold
Eleven - A Blazing Reunion
Twelve - Braeburn and Daring Do
Fourteen - The Race Begins
Fifteen - Last Goodbyes
Sixteen - The Young and the Forsaken
Seventeen - A Roaring Flame
Eighteen - After Image
One - Peace Interrupted
Thirteen - Of Folklore and Origins

Two - Of Many Names

A cold sense of fear was the first sensation that ran through the stallion's mind. The second was bewilderment, as he wondered how in Equestria somepony had been able to sneak up on him. He was sure that he had spread his awareness to every inch of his surroundings. But evidently, he could have been more careful. Adrenaline had fueled his seemingly wary steps, a mistake that had ruined the entire plan. Despite his innate rifle prowess and infamy, Braeburn had never been in any direct line of fire, let alone held at gunpoint. He didn't know what to do. The stallion's mind simply shut down as a sense of dread dictated his limited brain activity. All he could focus on was his captor's voice; his odd, unfamiliar voice.

His tones weren't accented with a Western drawl, but with sophistication instead. His words were perfectly articulated, as if he was a professional speaker or announcer of some sort. It was a voice he had never heard before, and that was what scared him the most. But one more thing that worried the stallion was that his captor had yet to announce his catch to the bandits below, whom were out of eyesight from the upward angle of the rooftop. Was this pony working with the others? Braeburn decided to clear his throat after a silent gulp, asking the obvious question: "Who are you?"

The stallion behind him hummed a low chuckle. "Well, there's a good question," he said, his voice quiet, as if to avoid detection. "You actually know my name, but not who I am. The funny thing is, I know both about you. You are a stallion of many names, Braeburn Apple. Such infamy for such a young pony."

Braeburn's eye twitched as he formed a harsh scowl, his chin pressed into a shingle from the barrel of the gun. "Ya' didn't answer my question. Who are ya'?"

"Oh? It hasn't clicked just yet? Are you missing a piece to the puzzle?" said the stallion, chuckling once more. Clearly he enjoyed the sound of his own voice. "Rather than simply telling you, I wish for you to figure it out yourself."

"And why would ya' want that?" asked Braeburn, buying as much time as he could. He looked at the Marechester underneath his forelegs, its lever open and halfway through loading a long, .30-30 cartridge. But with the barrel of a rifle pressed against the back of his head, Braeburn couldn't think of a way out of his predicament.

"An even better question. However, it's not the one you should be asking. You had it right the first time. But don't ask me, ask yourself."

"What good does that do?" asked Braeburn, growing steadily annoyed.

"More than you think, Braeburn," said the unknown stallion. "I believe that the two of us are going to become great friends, but not at first. No, we must be rivals before we can become allies."

"What makes ya' think Ah'd be yer friend?" Braeburn growled. "Yer workin' with them bandits down there, that much is obvious. Ah don't befriend criminals."

"Hmmhmm...No, no you do not," he sighed, although not without an audible snicker. "But that's where you are wrong about me. Now, it's understandable. You've seen me do some seemingly terrible things; things that one could only describe as criminal. However, you've never stopped to think of my reasoning. Maybe I'm not just some blinded robber; taking things without paying for them merely because I'm just that evil. Did you ever stop to think that maybe I have something planned? That I was more than just some street rat?"

Braeburn chewed on that for a moment. Instead of immediately answering, he contemplated everything that the stallion had said. He wasn't attempting to instill more questions by mentioning the reasons for his deeds; he was still guiding Braeburn toward the riddle he needed to solve. His captor said that Braeburn knew his name, and that he had seen him commit crimes. One answer immediately came to mind, but it didn't make any sense. However, it was the only one that was close.

"So, I've given you all the pieces, now you just need to put them together."

"Ah already have," Braeburn grinned in spite of the block of ice that had formed in his stomach. "And now Ah have another question: How'd ya break out this time, Sure Shot?"

He could almost hear his captor's smile. "See? I knew that you would figure it out. You'll be a fine addition to the family soon enough."

"Like Ah said, Ah don't befriend the likes o' you," Braeburn growled again. He looked over to the right, straining his eyes in an attempt to find his backup plan. But at the same time, he wanted to know just how Sure Shot had escaped from a high-security vault ten yards underground. "So how'd ya' do it this time? Did ya' pull some kinda Hoofdini or somethin'?"

"Pretty difficult for an earth pony, I'd imagine," Sure Shot commented with an air of snark. "But no; just some careful planning with some friends in high places."

Braeburn winced at his words. It didn't make any sense. Why would Sure Shot tell him all of this? Why wasn't he calling out to his friends below? Surely they would want to know that the stallion they were trying to free had already escaped his imprisonment. There were far too many questions to be asked now, and Braeburn needed to figure out what to do about his current situation. He would decipher Sure Shot's reasoning later, if he didn't answer the question immediately.

"So then, what's the plan?" asked the beige stallion. "And what d'ya plan on doin' with me? What's stoppin' me from turnin' 'round and shootin' 'ya?"

"Even if you were somehow faster than me, you wouldn't dare, Braeburn Apple," he replied, confidence in his answer. "I know your kind; brave, tenacious...but weak. You have rules, Colt of the West. I need to change that about you. How will I do that? Hehehe...in time, that's how. But first, I have a little errand to run, and you're not going to stop me this time."

At the end of his sentence, Braeburn heard the signature sound of an enormous cartridge riding along a metal carrier and into its chamber, accompanied by the snap of a lever finding its home. But it didn't come from the rifle pressed against the back of his head, but from the right, perhaps ten yards away. Nopony would have had time to react to the sound, for a deafening bang resounded over the rooftops immediately after. Before he knew it, the cold metal of the barrel had disappeared from his head as a loud crack rang in his ears. Only vaguely aware of the event unfolding around him, Braeburn rolled over, swinging Thumper around as he finished loading the round. But before he could find his target, it had already leaped directly over him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Braeburn could see a short-barreled rifle skidding across the rooftop, a mangled hole cut directly through its thick steel receiver. But he didn't have time to gape in awe. The riflepony rolled to his hooves, Thumper's iron sights immediately finding the purple stallion falling to the ground below. To his surprise, Sure Shot was aiming a second rifle directly at him, already drawn from one of the two scabbards on his back. His mind went into overdrive as he pointed his rifle's barrel in the general direction of the stallion, unable to get a clear shot so quickly. Braeburn hoped to Celestia that it wouldn't be a lethal impact as Thumper shook the roof underneath him, barking as a lightning-fast tongue of flame lashed out of the end of the barrel. But the round never struck its target.

In the middle of his fall, Sure Shot flipped over and fired off a single round. Between the shooters was a small explosion of sparks, followed by the whizzing sound of ricocheting bullets. Braeburn's eyes flew open in disbelief as his opponent landed perfectly on the ground, grinning up at him victoriously. The riflepony froze, completely dumbstruck. The purple earth pony had deflected a bullet with his own, and in the middle of a twenty-hoof fall. Not only that, but he landed without a single misstep. Judging by the smug look on his face, Sure Shot hadn't done any of that on accident.

The group of bandits down below gasped at their leader's sudden presence, a few of them grinning like mad. Braeburn racked a new round as his father skidded to a halt next to him, ejecting a shell of his own. Despite the fact that their location had been revealed, the ponies below hadn't done a thing about it. Instead, they all seemed to gather around Sure Shot, elated that their leader was free once again.

"What the hay? Who let ya' out, Shotty?"

"Who cares? He's free and we can get outta here!"

"Not while Ah'm around," Braeburn declared over the street, catching their attention. The black stallion still held Aerial's parent's at gunpoint, but still snarled at the sight of the beige riflepony. His eyes gleamed with hate, and Braeburn returned it with a determined glare. A few of Sure Shot's friends emerged from the depths of the destroyed building below, forming a loose circle around their leader. None of them moved, but none of them looked afraid either. In fact, they all wore the same stupid grin on their face, as if Thumper were a squirt gun. "All y'all with guns, drop 'em on the ground!"

Another chuckle was shared by the five stallions below, Sure Shot's voice more prominent than the rest. "What did I tell you, Braeburn? You aren't going to stop me, because you simply cannot. In fact..." he trailed off. The purple stallion threw aside his rifle, standing up on his hindhooves and spreading his forelegs wide. "...If I'm wrong, then prove it! You and I both know that no cell in Equestria can hold me, so taking my life would be the only option, wouldn't it? So go on! Do it!"

Sure Shot's grin was that of an insane pony, his eyes daring Braeburn to pull the trigger. "Come on! Kill me!"

"Braeburn," said Bullet's voice next to him. "That last shot Ah fired jammed my rifle. Ya' have to do it. Jail won't hold a pony like him."

"What?!" Braeburn hissed out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes momentarily darting to the rifle in his father's hooves. To his horror, he found that Bullet had been all too right. The lever of the gun was halfway opened, allowing the bolt to slide backward, revealing the innards of the receiver. A large, spent .45-70 cartridge was lodged midway into the chamber, the rim of the brass chewed by a damaged carrier. It was indeed a heavy-caliber rifle, but one that clearly wasn't made to last such as a Marechester.

"Don't worry 'bout yer shakin' hooves," Bullet continued. "Yer shootin' a .30-30, remember? That bullet will kill him no matter where ya' put it."

With that thought, Braeburn gasped inwardly. Despite the obvious reason for the gun's name, he had forgotten about the sheer power of the round that Thumper fired. It didn't have the force of a .45-70 like his father's weapon, but it was still deadly in its own right. Even if he were to hit the purple stallion in the leg, the impact would kill him from blood loss alone...and he had already fired one of those massive rounds at him. Braeburn felt another ball of ice form in the pit of his stomach as a terrible revelation dawned upon him. It didn't matter what Sure Shot had done, Braeburn could have killed him, and he couldn't bring himself to deal with such a horrid deed. Taking a criminal's life was not his job, not by any stretch of the imagination.

"What are you waiting for, Colt of the West?! Show your worth and take me out!" Sure Shot bellowed, his voice echoing across the town.

Braeburn gritted his teeth, rage building inside him as his mind struggled to face the decision in front of him. He didn't want this; any of this. He didn't ask to become the vigilante that he was forced to be. But in the face of a criminal such as this, Braeburn didn't have any choice. Silverstar couldn't take him down with his phobia of weaponry, and his father's rifle was out of commission. It all came down to him; the once gentle and jubilant farmer. Thumper's sights were set between the purple stallion's glinting yellow eyes, and his shaking hoof was wrapped around the trigger. It wouldn't be difficult, even with the other four ponies below. The riflepony would be able to take them all down before any of them could blink an eye. So why wasn't he doing it? What was so difficult about pulling the trigger?

Guilt. Pain. Morality. Braeburn couldn't take another life, and the bandits knew that now. Sure Shot grinned once more, falling back to all fours and sheathing the discarded rifle on his back. He chuckled, casting aside his matted black mane with a hoof. "Like I said, you're still weak, Braeburn. But I will change that about you, in due time," he said before turning to a short, blue stallion behind him. "Get us out of here, Sparks. Oh, and Gun Powder? Leave those two. We have no reason to kill them."

The large black stallion grimaced with a grunt, disarming his rifle and nodding. The blue pony known as Sparks removed his large cowpony hat, revealing a long, thin horn separating his teal mane. Sure Shot turned his head back up to Braeburn and Bullet Tyme, giving them a sarcastic wave. "Well, we're off. But I'm sure you and I will see each other again."

Just as he uttered his final goodbye, Sure Shot and his allies disappeared in a violent flash of azure light. The spell was bright, forcing the two stallions to shield their eyes. Braeburn blinked a few times, his vision returning quicker than he expected. He looked down to the charred spot of dirt road below, anger flooding his veins. His blood boiled, forcing the beige stallion to vent his rage by slamming the butt of his rifle against the rooftop, being rewarded with a fine crack through the shingles underhoof. Braeburn fell to his haunches, his head and forelegs supported by Thumper. He rapped his forehead against the damaged wooden forestock, clamping his eyes shut in anger. "Darn it!" he growled, disgusted by his own weakness.

"Braeburn, calm yerself!" his father exclaimed next to him. "We ain't gonna make no headway if ya' sit here mopin'!"

"What d'ya want me to do?!" he retorted. "That pony is free again, and Ah couldn't do a thing to stop him! Ah had the chance, right in my hooves...but Ah couldn't do it..."

Braeburn's anger faded into something more somber as he finished his sentence. His grip on the rifle supporting him faltered, and his torso slouched forward. But his bout of self-loathing only lasted the briefest of moments as he felt himself being dragged back to his hooves by the collar of his duster. Bullet Tyme forcibly turned his head to his with a hoof, glaring straight into Braeburn's eyes. "Did ya' ferget 'bout Coltwell, boy?! It's obvious he's workin' with those bandits, now let's get back to the range and nab him already!"

"What?" came a new voice from below. Both stallions looked down from the rooftop to find Sheriff Silverstar emerging from the alleyway that they had previously hidden away in. The fur on his face looked ruffled, as if he were in some sort of altercation. "Is that why he just disappeared all of a sudden?"

Braeburn felt his teeth snap together in a spasm of anger, but his father was the first to respond: "What d'ya mean he just disappeared?!"

"As soon as y'all took off, Coltwell's horn lit up and he just...disappeared!" Silverstar explained hurriedly, his voice strained with worry. "He must'a used some sorta spell or somethin'!"

"So he's not entirely incompetent with magic. Figures," Bullet Tyme growled, more to himself than anypony else. "Is everypony back at the range alright?"

"Yeah, o' course," the sheriff replied before looking back to the alleyway he had appeared from. "Come on out now, everything's safe now."

Braeburn watched as a small, white pegasus filly emerged from the alley, her rifle secured on her back in a scabbard. Her bright blue eyes immediately found her parents, whom were still getting to their hooves in front of the demolished sheriff's office. The riflepony sighed inwardly, berating himself for forgetting about the two former hostages.

"Mom! Dad!" Aerial Ace cried out in relief as she darted over to her parents, immediately accepted into a tight embrace. The three other stallions watched for a moment, taking in just how lucky the pegasi were to be alive. Braeburn snarled inwardly at himself, taking no solace in the fact that they were able to save their lives. He couldn't explain it, but the riflepony simply could not stop hating himself for not taking the action he needed to. Because of his hesitation to do what was right, they now had a dangerous enemy free and out to reap havoc wherever he pleased. Objectivity was a lost virtue at this point as agitation filled his mind.

"Silverstar," said Bullet Tyme, catching the attention of the ponies below, and not just the sheriff's. "Conners is still in yer office. Ah reckon ya' might wanna see if he's alright. We got work to do."

The beige stallion remained silent, even as his eyes were caught by the bewildered gaze of the white filly below. Her eyes grew wide as she identified him in the middle of her parents' embrace. On any other day, he would have given her a kind smile. But today, he couldn't even bring himself to feign a grin, or even a simple nod. Instead, Braeburn turned away and followed his father off the roof and back down to the dirt road below. Both stallions sheathed their rifles before descending. Bullet Tyme quietly led his son away from the scene, wearing the most subtle of scowls.

But as fate would have it, Braeburn heard somepony call his name. Before he could turn around completely, his eyes had landed upon Aerial and her parents trotting after them. The stallion sighed through his nose as they approached him, all wearing appreciative looks. The filly's eyes were bright with awe, as if she were meeting her idol or somepony similar.

"Brae-oh! I mean, Mister Apple?" she started her voice excited and nervous. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my parents."

Bullet Tyme made a covert motion for Braeburn to keep it quick, to which he nodded slightly in response. "Ah didn't do nothin' but what was right. If Ah were y'all, Ah'd get on the next train outta here. T'aint safe 'round these parts fer the time bein'."

"We plan to," said the filly's mother, her voice smooth and elegant. "But we just wanted to make sure that we thanked you two first. If you weren't around, I'm not sure if we would be now."

Braeburn couldn't so much as look any of them in the eye. Despite the fact that he had accomplished his goal of keeping them alive, he still felt guilty for not being able to pull the trigger. For all anypony knew, Sure Shot would return to Appleloosa at any time.

"That's real kind o' ya'. Ah hate to be rude, but we gotta go and make sure this doesn't happen again. Make sure y'all get outta here as soon as possible."

The riflepony turned around with a meek wave of his hoof, following his father away from the scene. Braeburn could hear the pegasi murmur something from behind, but he didn't care enough to cast his ears back. He simply walked in Bullet Tyme's wake back towards the desert, the barriers of the firing range in the distance. Before he knew it, the gruff stallion stopped suddenly, turning around to face his son. Braeburn looked at him curiously, the expression on his haggard face unreadable.

"Look," he started, grabbing his attention. "Ah get it, Braeburn; ya' couldn't bring yerself to do it. Ah ain't mad at ya'. If anything, Ah'm actually a mite proud. But fer now, we gotta push our own problems aside and find out what that maniac is plannin'."

"Don't mean to be rude or nothin' Pa, but...since when d'ya care about upholdin' the law? Ya' always told me to let the sheriff take care o' that," Braeburn asked.

"Yeah, when it's somethin' small like a pickpocket or somethin'," Bullet countered flatly. "But somepony like Sure Shot out and about on his own undeserved freewill? Silverstar ain't doin' nothin' that could stop the likes o' him, and you know that."

"But what about the farm?" Braeburn argued, more to fuel his curiosity about the well-being of the family business. "Aren't ya' worried 'bout-"

"Braeburn!" Bullet snarled, pushing his face directly in front of his. "The most feared bandit in the West just escaped a maximum-security underground vault, reunited with his inner circle, which included a unicorn fer Pete's sake, and just disappeared! So why in the hay are ya' thinkin' 'bout the darned farm for?!"

Bullet Tyme backed away a mere inch, glaring at his son. Braeburn was taken aback, unaware of what to say. The older stallion paused for a beat, continuing after a snort of hot air: "Look boy, Ah didn't wanna do this, but yer not leavin' me any choice. Yer judgment is still foggy from mopin' 'round as much as you've been. Ah'm goin' off to make sure everypony at the range gets home safe and sound, but yer gonna take some time off."

"What?"

"Ya' heard me, boy," Bullet confirmed. "Go home, take a walk, whatever ya' need to do to get yer darned brain workin' again!"

"Pa, Ah can't do that!" Braeburn retorted, the slightest note of anger rising in his voice. "Ya'll need help trackin' down those-"

"Yeah, yer right," his father interrupted again, his overall demeanor resolute. "We do need help, plenty of it. But right now yer not the help Ah'm lookin' for. Ah need ya' to get back to yer old self so ya' can be."

The riflepony went to open his mouth, but found himself biting his tongue instead, his gaze falling to the dry ground between them. As much as he hated to admit it, his father was right; Braeburn was not in a stable mindset right now. He was conflicted, confused and even a little scared. His forehooves were still shaking from the encounter with the purple earth stallion, weakening his ankles. Braeburn had been acting with his emotions, and not his brain. Bullet Tyme had a mind for everlasting objectivity, no matter how dire the situation. His son, on the other hoof, was not so confident in the idea. In times such as these, his title as the fastest shooter in the West simply didn't matter with a faltering mindset behind it.

In Braeburn's silence, Bullet Tyme exhaled a breath and concluded in a calmer voice: "After Ah get back to town, me and Silverstar are gonna investigate what's goin' on. Ah know that yer a full-grown stallion Braeburn, and that you can make yer own decisions. But fer right now, just listen to me. Go, do whatever it is ya' need to do to make yerself right before we meet up again. But if Ah were you, Ah wouldn't leave town. It's obvious Sure Shot left fer a reason, and Ah don't want ya' runnin' into him until yer ready fer it. That pony has some sorta' plan on his mind, and we need to figure out what it is before he hurts somepony."

The sand-colored stallion didn't leave any room for a reply as he turned around and walked away, leaving Braeburn to solemnly stare at the space of ground he once occupied. The beige earth pony sighed through his nose, wondering what in Equestria his father wanted him to do. He watched Bullet Tyme depart, falling to his haunches in uncertainty. It was true; Braeburn was now twenty-six years old, and fully capable of making his own choices. However, a part of him had grown used to his father's direction, after living under his roof for the majority of his life. Not only that, but he was still under Bullet's employ as a farmer.

He didn't ask to become an upholder of the law; it just happened. For reasons unknown, ponies just expected him to be some sort of vigilante for when Silverstar was overwhelmed. As much as Braeburn enjoyed the sport of shooting, he hated to think that his next target was a living creature, let alone another pony. He realized that it had been a few minutes since his father's departure, and decided that no good would come from sitting in the middle of the desert in the hot sun. With a huff, Braeburn stood to his hooves and headed back toward Appleloosa.

Three - In Your Absence

Ponies littered the streets of Appleloosa, clamoring to get back to their homes quickly and safely in fear of another attack. They couldn't be blamed, for their knowledge of the event was limited to rumor. All they knew was that the front end of Sheriff Silverstar's office had been completely destroyed, and that they had been told to stay indoors for the time being. Some immediately fled home, while the less fearful retired to the saloon instead. Braeburn, however, decided to take refuge just outside of town, away from the onlookers and ponies asking questions. It only took a minute or two for somepony to demand knowledge of what had transpired in their absence, only to be ignored by the beige stallion. He merely paced directly through the center of town and out the other side, heading North toward the high orange mesas overlooking the small town.

When in a sense of doubt or distress, the ponies of Appleloosa would always look to Braeburn and Bullet Tyme for guidance. Very seldom would the citizens of the dusty town depend on their sheriff when times were tough, for he simply wasn't the veritable symbol of swift justice that they seemed to represent. Some ponies would give a lot for such an honorable position in society, but Braeburn just wanted it to end. A part of him wanted to simply sell Thumper and leave town, just to avoid the reputation he had inadvertently gained. But when somepony found evil in their heart and decided to steal and plunder, Braeburn couldn't watch while such injustices occurred. Who else would be there to stop these horrid deeds, when the criminal in question was armed and ready to take innocent lives?

It wasn't bravery, regardless of what ponies called it. Braeburn was a proud stallion, but by no means did he consider himself brave. It was just something that arose in his mind whenever he saw somepony break the law; something that subconsciously told him to act, to move in the way of their plans. He hated when it happened, but there was nothing the stallion could do to prevent it. His mind would tell him to run, but his heart was the one his body seemed to listen to the most. Perhaps that was why Braeburn was constantly thinking with his emotions, rather than objectivity like his father. It was a mindset that made Silverstar want to put him in his place as the sheriff of town when he retired. However, Bullet always made the same argument: that he was simply too old.

Braeburn had always thought that was odd. His father wasn't a stallion one would call 'old,' for he was still in his fifties. He had guessed that it was simply because of the farm. As talented of a riflepony as he was, the Apple Family depended on his business savvy out in the West. If he were to retire from farming, Braeburn imagined that Granny Smith would take the first train to Appleloosa to deliver Bullet a swift buck to the jaw. The beige stallion allowed himself a brief smile at that thought, knowing full and well that it was a valid theory as to what would happen in such a circumstance.

After what only felt like a few minutes, Braeburn had circled the range of mesas and settled himself atop a high plateau, about a half a mile outside of town. The sun was midway through its afternoon passing, not quite as sweltering as normal. Not many outsiders would be able to tell when autumn was on its way out West, except maybe if they were to step a hoof in the apple orchards to find the changing colors. But ponies like him could simply feel it in the weather. Cool breezes weren't as seldom, apples were reaching the peak of their season, and ponies all over town just seemed to be in a fair mood most of the time. Every one of them, except Braeburn.

The riflepony took a moment before falling to his haunches atop the plateau, facing the outskirts of Appleloosa. From this high up, the sun's rays were starting to become an issue. He lowered the brim of his cowpony hat, shielding his eyes from the light. With an inward sigh, Braeburn removed the scabbard from his back, allowing his duster to flutter in the light breeze. He laid the sheathed weapon on the ground next to him, unwilling to even look at it for the time being.

"There you are!" said a voice. Braeburn slowly turned his head around, unsurprised to think that somepony would be looking for him. However, the source of the voice wasn't a pony at all. The stallion's eyebrows lifted a little at the sight of a small, female buffalo. Unlike her kin, she was short with thin, nimble legs. She had a head of curly orange hair, adorned with a tribal headband with two long white and gray eagle feathers tucked into it, standing up on end from around the back. Slung around her thin shoulders was a brown messenger bag, only arousing Braeburn's curiosity for the briefest of moments. The buffalo wore a bright smile at the sight of him, her small eyes glinting in the sunlight.

"You seem to grow harder and harder to find with every passing season, Braeburn," the buffalo smiled, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, howdy Little Strongheart," he replied, although halfheartedly. "Why, were ya' lookin' fer me?"

"Only for about a week!" she answered with mock exasperation. "Where have you been? Not out in Dodge Junction risking your life again, I hope."

"Nope, only here," he said simply, instilling an odd look from the buffalo.

"Wh-What? Did something happen while I was away?" she asked worriedly. Braeburn sighed before retelling the events of the past hour or so, briefly covering his failure to stop Sure Shot. He didn't stop for Little Strongheart's gasps or looks of concern. When he finished, she had a small forehoof over her mouth, her eyes wide. "Braeburn! What are...why...why are you doing this to yourself?! You know how dangerous that stallion is!"

"O' course Ah do," he said. "But it's like Ah told you: nopony else was in the position to do anything about him. There was only me...and Ah still failed."

Little Strongheart went to open her mouth, but closed it instead, staring at the stallion to her right. Something was on her mind, but it was clear that she didn't know how to put it. After a few silent moments, she finally spoke up: "I'm sorry, Braeburn. I just don't know what to say. I know that you and your father are really the only ponies who can truly protect Appleloosa from dark times, but at the same time...I wish you didn't have to."

"Can we not talk about it any more?" Braeburn asked weakly, unable to continue thinking upon the matter. The buffalo paused for a beat before nodding with a small smile.

"Well, alright," she started, changing the conversation as quickly as she could. "So...aside from that, where have you been? What have you been up to?"

"Ah've been around, just not goin' outta my way to be found is all," he said, perhaps more seriously than he intended. The buffalo cocked an eyebrow at him, recoiling her head back slightly.

"Oh, did I offend you or something?" she asked in an apologetic tone. Braeburn sighed through his nostrils.

"Naw, Ah'm sorry Strongheart," he said softly, looking back to the town below with unfocused eyes. "Things have just been stressful is all."

"Oh, I apologize," she said. "I just wanted to see if I could find you. I kind of wanted to catch up, considering how long it's been since I've seen you."

Braeburn smirked faintly. It had indeed been months since any pony in Appleloosa had even sighted a buffalo in the area. But judging by Little Strongheart's sudden appearance, her tribe had returned to their stampeding grounds.

"Am I bothering you by being here?" she asked meekly, curling one of her knobby forelegs to her chest.

"Naw, yer fine," he said in almost a whisper. "Ah'm just..."

"...still waiting for her?" Little Strongheart suggested, catching Braeburn off-guard. His eyes snapped back toward her, although still lidded halfway.

"Well, yeah, there's that," he agreed with a melancholy sigh.

"Braeburn," she started, her tone soft. "Forgive me if this is none of my business, but don't you think that it has been long enough?"

Braeburn snapped his gaze back to the buffalo once again, his eyes glaring unintentionally. "What d'ya mean by that?"

"W-Well...it's been over a year now," she replied, her voice shaking as if he were to holler at her. "and it just doesn't seem like she will come back. I mean, you still read the papers, right? Being as well-known as she is, don't you think a sighting of her would have been mentioned, at the very least?"

He had indeed thought of that, many a time before. But hearing it come from another voice struck a sorrowful chord in his heart. "Ah'm...aware o' that."

"Then why do you keep thinking about her?" she asked. "Do you not see how much pain you are putting yourself through?"

The stallion did his best to push his agitation aside as to not unleash it on the innocent buffalo. "Don't ya' think that Ah'd love to just be able to do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yer right, my life would be a mite easier if Ah just forgot about her. But ya' know somethin'? Ah can't. Yer not the only one who's told me that, Strongheart," Braeburn said, his volume rising with every word. He then looked back to her, easing his expression as best as he could. "So lemme ask you somethin'; why d'ya want me to just forget her so bad?"

Little Strongheart took a moment to contemplate her answer, but when she did, he could tell that she meant every word of it: "You used to be so...happy, Braeburn. Every time I saw you, you were so energetic and full of life. You always had a smile on your face, and you were just so much fun to be around. I remember the days when I would come by your farm for my tribe's pies, and we would just talk and laugh while you worked, and sometimes I would stay to help. I just...I just miss those days, and I hate seeing you so sad and lonely like this. Has that mare truly made you like this? Has her absence really broken your spirit in such a way that you can't even smile anymore?

"Ah..." he started, but couldn't think of how to finish the sentence. Braeburn looked his friend straight in the eyes, uncertainty etched into his face. Little Strongheart looked like her soul was weeping for him, as if the word 'sympathy' wasn't enough to describe her emotions. He couldn't be mad at that face, she simply didn't deserve his anger. Instead Braeburn let out a short snort and looked back down to the ground in front of him. "Ya' really do care, don't ya' Strongheart?"

"Of course I do," she answered simply. "It...it hurts me to see you like this. It's just not you, Braeburn. I know that you haven't truly changed like that."

"Are ya' sure 'bout that? 'Cause it sounds about right," he replied solemnly. He felt a small hoof rest on his shoulder, a gesture that he could just barely ignore.

"But she's not the only problem, is she?" Little Strongheart asked, lifting her hoof from his shoulder. Braeburn saw out of the corner of his eye that she was now gesturing to the sheathed Marechester between them. The stallion nodded slightly, subconsciously watching as the buffalo withdrew the rifle from its scabbard, curiously looking it over in her hooves next to him. She regarded Thumper with an expression torn between wonder and uncertainty, her eyes drifting along the length of the weapon.

"It's also what you have to do to protect others," she concluded in a small voice. Braeburn nodded once more.

She knew well of his disdain towards fulfilling the role that ponies had made for him since that day in Dodge Junction. The one shot that put the infamous purple stallion back behind bars, that one bullet that came from out of nowhere. It was the event that started his unwanted career; his undeserved title.

"But this...I cannot think of a way to avoid it," she said sympathetically.

"And Ah can't think of a way outta the other one," said Braeburn. "So Ah guess that Ah won't be right again until Sure Shot is gone and she comes back...if either of those things happen. Ah reckon that Ah'm jus waitin' fer a day that'll never come."

A warm breeze broke the momentary silence, ruffling Braeburn's long mane and tail, the lapel of his duster fluttering slightly. He opened his eyes again and looked up to the sky. It was another cloudless day, the vast expanse of cyan blue normally the source to an uplifted mood. He simply didn't know what to do anymore. Did he shove his morality aside and shoot the next pony to cross the lines of the law, or just remain there atop the mesa, moping about his horrid luck? He felt no energy to move, or even keep his eyes completely open anymore. A full night's rest had been a seldom occurrence for the past year. Many hours of sleep had instead been spent lying awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling solemnly. He would pray to Celestia that the mare he couldn't stop thinking about would just do what she promised and return.

At this point, did she even plan to? Perhaps she found somepony else in her travels, and simply forgot about the simple farmpony. What did he have to offer her that nopony else could? Braeburn couldn't think of a single thing. The pegasus mare had left to find herself; to make sure that her heart truly beat for him. Perhaps she realized that it was nothing more than a crush, manifested by her distraught past and hardships. It made sense, and it certainly conformed to the stallion's current streak of hard times. He hated feeling sorry for himself like this, but the shroud of sorrow veiling his thoughts seemed all but impenetrable at this point.

Little Strongheart said nothing, but merely held Thumper in her small hooves and stared at him. He could feel her gaze, but did nothing to return it. "What will you do, Braeburn?"

"Ah..." he started, ultimately stumped. "Ah dunno..."

"Well, I-oh! I just remembered!" the buffalo exclaimed, eliciting a quirked eyebrow from the stallion. She excitedly dug her hooves into her messenger bag, withdrawing an envelope from its largest pocket. Braeburn took it, looking over the folded parchment to find only his name hastily scrawled across the front. "A stallion in Dodge Junction caught me on my way back here to ask if I was headed to Appleloosa. I said yes, and he requested that I gave this to you. Do you know anypony by the name of Gunmetal Grey?"

"Yeah," he answered. "He's actually the gunsmith that Pa and Ah go to. What would he want with me?"

Curious, Braeburn adjusted his grip on the envelope and tore one end off with his teeth before turning it over. Another folded piece of parchment fell out, which he caught in his hooves. Little Strongheart poked her head over his shoulder, reading along with him after he unfolded the letter:

Braeburn,

I'm not sure when you'll get this, or if it'll fall into your hooves before it's too late. Something bad happened in Dodge this morning; Sure Shot broke out of his cell outside of town, and he was running amuck through town before I started writing this to you. I didn't know what was going on until I saw him barge out of an apartment building on the edge of town. I don't know what he's up to, or how he broke out of his imprisonment, but I wanted to write this to you as a warning. Not ten minutes ago that bandit got in a gun fight with Sheriff Goldstar and just took off. The sheriff's hurt real bad Braeburn; he took a bullet in the leg and is now being treated by a doctor in his office. For all I know, Sure Shot's on his way to Appleloosa. Be careful, Braeburn.

It's a good thing he got his guns from somewhere else, because I was working on a new weapon when he broke out. It's a rifle I've been crafting for some time, and I think now of all times that it should be in a lawpony's hooves. Listen, Sure Shot is more than likely rallying his allies right now, and I'd bet my flank that he's in a foul mood after being behind bars again. That pony is dangerous, and you need a weapon that can keep up with you. Thumper is a great rifle, but it chambers a large and clumsy round. The fact that you can cycle it as quick and accurate as you do is quite a feat, but you need an edge on those bandits. Whenever you can, I need you to come to Dodge Junction so I can give you this new weapon. The West needs a hero, Braeburn. I know you're not a certified pony of the law, but you were the only one to take Sure Shot down before. I implore you, please take the next train to Dodge and come see me.

-Gunmetal

"He what?!" Braeburn exclaimed as he finished the letter. As he read of Sure Shot's doings before arriving to Appleloosa, his brain immediately shot from melancholy to borderline anger as his thoughts raced to decipher just what the bandit was doing. To the inexperienced mind, his deeds would merely look like the senseless trail of an enraged criminal. But to Braeburn, this was something much more. All of the events that had transpired that day happened for a reason. "He's plannin' somethin', Ah know it."

"What makes you say that, Braeburn?" asked Little Strongheart worriedly as she watched him rise to his hooves.

The earth pony tucked the letter away in the inner pocket of his duster before throwing the sheathed Marechester over his back again, adjusting the strap to better fit him at a full gallop. "Ah dunno, but somethin' 'bout it don't seem right."

The small buffalo seemed to sigh inwardly as her chest deflated, giving Braeburn a look of solemn concern. "So I guess this means you're going to Dodge Junction."

Her tone of voice made the stallion feel his ears sag to the sides of his head. "What else am Ah gonna do, Strongheart?" he replied in a tone that begged for her to understand. "If Ah stay here-"

"Braeburn, it's alright," she interrupted with a raised hoof as she stood up again. "I know that you are going to do what you are going to do. But just let me say this: Ever since that pegasus left, you have always told me not to worry about you. But the problem is that no matter how many times you say it, I am of course going to worry. You are a good friend of mine, more than I can say about most ponies or even buffalo. But I know who you are...you're the stallion the West looks up to, the pony they depend on. I know in your heart that you cannot run from that or your heartbreak, for it is simply not you."

She stopped for a moment, casting her gaze over Appleloosa below the towering mesa they stood upon. "You are a good pony, Braeburn. Good has always been in your heart, and I understand that," she continued. "But please, just be careful out there. I don't even wish to think about losing you."

It had been a long time since any pony or buffalo had said something like that to him. Braeburn felt his tense muscles ease into a more relaxed state, his racing mind starting to follow suit. He took a step toward Little Strongheart, wrapping a single foreleg around her neck. The buffalo recoiled slightly before returning the embrace. "Don't worry now. Ah'll be back home safe and sound."

"Thank you Braeburn," she whispered before letting him go. "But what shall you tell your father about your sudden absence?"

"Well, he said that Ah shouldn't leave Appleloosa," he reflected aloud. "but Ah don't see a better thing to do right now. Heck, maybe Ah can even scrounge up some clues as to what's goin' on here. But uh...one thing."

"Yes?"

"If ya' don't wanna give my Pa a conniption fit, then this conversation never happened," he said in a serious tone. "He's busy workin' with Silverstar right now. In fact, don't tell anypony where Ah'm goin'."

"You really don't want ponies on your tail, I assume?" she asked with a smirk.

"Pff, o' course not," he replied, returning the grin. The stallion adjusted the collar of his duster, making sure that he was armed with plenty of ammunition in the cartridge loops on the inside of the garment. The ride to Dodge Junction wasn't overly long, but anything could have happened there or on the way. He turned to walk away, but stopped to turn his head back to Little Strongheart, wearing a reassuring smile. "Take care o' town fer me while Ah'm gone, would ya'?"

"Oh I'm sorry, that doesn't sound like my job," she sneered. Braeburn had no answer for her sarcasm, and instead started back down the North side of the plateau at a steady trot, hoping to Celestia that Appleloosa would be alright without him.

The ground was hundreds of hooves below, the blue sea growing farther and father away. The water sparkled in the dying sunlight, reflecting its distorted rays. The horizon glowed with a bright orange light, unfiltered without the presence of a single cloud. The droning hum of whirling propellers vibrated the small room in the center of the craft, a sound that had become nothing more than background noise to its passengers after only ten minutes of flight. The ship ascended into the sky as the day drew closer to its end, the start of what would be a long flight.

The cabin of the aircraft wasn't lavish by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't makeshift either. Two rows of comfortable seats lined the front and rear walls of the room, situated on either side of a long coffee table. The surface of the table was covered with an assortment of maps, inkwells and quills. A single, large compass was set into the wood, its needle indicating their Southern trajectory. The walls were completely bare, the only things breaking the monotony being two long windows on either side, sealed to prevent mid-flight pressure differences.

On the front end of the room sat a bright yellow pegasus mare, her large ruby eyes transfixed on an ancient map unfurled on the table in front of her. The long lashes of her low eyelids swayed gracefully up and down with every seldom blink, focused on the drawings. Crimson and pink bangs dusted her brow, the two tones clashed together in the vague shape of a lightning bolt. The top of her wild mane swayed carelessly to the side and back, while the rest hung splayed over one shoulder, a similarly-colored tail flicking restlessly next to her. Just barely visible from her sitting position was an orange sunrise upon her flank, veiled by the feathers of a furled wing. The mare wore a tired, annoyed sort of expression. With a quiet groan, the pegasus simply gave up on whatever she was trying to gain from the maps and slumped back into her seat, crossing her hindhooves atop the surface of the table, forelegs tucked lazily behind her head.

"Ugh, I can't make heads or tails of these old things," she sighed, her voice low, but not without its own feminine tones. "I don't see how you can decipher these."

Another pony sat across from the yellow mare, laying on her stomach with her forehooves tucked underneath her chest. The other pegasus had a coat the color of dark sandstone, offset only by her bright rose eyes. Her mane and tail were a veritable spectrum of grays and black, messy and unkempt. Around her torso was an olive-green pocketed shirt, its sleeves rolled-up to the knees of her forelegs. She wasn't listening much to her friend, but more to the dull ringing in her head. Her eyes were half-lidded and staring unfocused out the window to her left, her overall expression that of mental absence.

The bright-yellow mare furrowed her brow, glaring at the pony across the table from her. "Oi, Daring Do! You there?"

The other mare's eyes snapped completely open, her gaze finally focusing and landing on her friend for the first time that day. She cleared her throat silently with a hoof to her mouth before answering: "Oh, um...sorry Day Break. What's up?"

It was almost difficult for her to even speak, for her voice hadn't been used much as of late. The yellow mare didn't move an inch from her relaxed position, only quirking an eyebrow at her. "I asked you how you're able to make sense of these blasted maps," she repeated, gesturing an irritated hoof toward the tattered parchment between them. Daring rubbed her itching eyes and looked at the maps she was indicating. They were Mesoequestrian illustrations of a tomb she had uncovered years before. The maps happened to be only a single piece of the many findings she and her old team had discovered.

"Those are ancient blueprints, Day Break. I'd be surprised if you could read them without years of archaeological study," she remarked, although lacking the level of snark she had been aiming for. Her dull reply instilled another cocked eyebrow from the yellow mare. Her focus darted to Daring's sunken eyes, their lower lids sporting a dark shade of purple.

"Daring, are you okay?" she asked, a mild touch of concern in her voice. "You look like you're gonna hurl out the window."

"I'm fine," the archaeologist immediately replied, only a fraction of a section between the question and her answer. Her haste seemed to arouse suspicion in her friend.

"Okay, no," said Day Break flatly. "You're lying to me again. Is this about that-"

"No, it's not," Daring spat, her answer containing no sort of tact. In surprise to her retort, the dark mare immediately wiped the scowl from her face, replaced by an apologetic expression. But before she could repair the damage, her friend pointed a hoof at her face, her eyelids low.

"That...that's how I know you're lying," she said matter-of-factly. "The bags under your eyes and the quick and angry responses I've been getting for the past couple of days. You haven't slept at all, have you? Just take a breath and talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said, casting her eyes back out the window. It was indeed another lie, but it was better than admitting to her pain and spending the rest of their flight in an awkward silence.

"Daring," Day Break interjected, her tone level. "How long have we been friends? I know when something's bugging you. Just cut the charade and talk about it."

"I...we don't have the time for that."

"We have a night-long flight ahead of us. We have plenty of time. Now come on," she continued, speaking as if she were prodding a disobedient foal to bed. "What is it?"

Daring cursed herself for not thinking before attempting the ruse. Her mind was too busy racing over their destination, clouded with dread and regret. She looked back to Day Break, whom was still laid back in her seat, her forelegs now crossed in front of her. To somepony that hadn't known the yellow pegasus like Daring did, her expression may have only radiated apathy, true to her almost constant demeanor. But she knew better. Behind those half-lidded ruby eyes was a level of true concern for her friend, a pony she had known since her teenage years. Daring cursed herself once more, this time for lying to one of the only ponies she could confide in. Day Break didn't deserve that, she was only trying to help.

The archaeologist sighed quietly as the other pegasus waited patiently. Daring collected herself, her eyes tiredly looking over the coffee table as if to distract herself. "Yeah, you're right. I haven't been able to sleep at all the past couple of nights. And no, before you say it, it's not about...you know..."

"If not him, then what is it?"

"I'm..." Daring started, loathing the word she was about to use. She even made a subconscious twitch of her jaw to physically bite her tongue, but eventually pushed past it. "I'm...ugh, I'm scared alright?!"

She looked away from her friend as soon as the words escaped her lips, unaware of how she could extrapolate her meaning. But sure enough, Day Break asked: "Scared? Scared of what?"

Daring expected a scoff, maybe even a little teasing laugh from the pegasus, but was shocked to hear nothing but a desire to learn just what she was talking about. She raised her head a little, meeting the other mare's gaze once again. "Of where we're going, Day Break. I've been dreading this trip all darned year. Every day it grew closer, and for the past week my hooves haven't been able to stop shaking. The past two nights my fear has kept me awake, tossing and turning in my bed. Do you have any idea what it's like to be afraid to sleep, as if that...that monster is going to kill you in your dreams?"

With every word, Daring's volume and intensity had risen. It took a few sentences for her to realize it, but eventually she cut the flow of her emotions short before she started hollering at the yellow mare. She bit her lip, staring at Day Break's unchanged expression. The pegasus remained relaxed, despite the small emotional outburst that Daring had almost lost control of. The dark mare coiled her forehooves together in a feeble attempt to cease their quivering.

Day Break let her head fall back, supported by the back of her chair as she stared at the ceiling. She let a small chuckle vibrate in her throat. "That's funny, actually. I remember a certain somepony reassuring me that this monster was securely imprisoned by a group of powerful unicorns. Not that it would have steered me away regardless..."

"If you had a clue of what he is really like, you'd understand," said Daring gravely, her face somber.

"Oh yeah?" her friend replied, wearing an amused grin. "Okay then, what's the difference between him and the storybook character?"

The archaeologist narrowed her eyes at Day Break, her expression that of utter seriousness. She paused before answering, her tone heavy, as if her next sentence held the weight of the world. "The difference is that Ahuitzotl is real."

Four - The Unknown Goal

Night fell over the blue expanse of sea below, Luna's moon overtaking the setting sun. A pale azure light graced the water, a vista that finally brought a sense of calm over the monochromatic mare's rapidly beating heart. Daring Do continued to stare out the window, even after her grave statement. Silence had fallen for a moment or two while the yellow mare mulled over what her friend had said. Even in her attempt to play off Daring's fear as a mere formality, Day Break seemed to have nothing to respond with. The bright pegasus laid back in her seat, her limbs still crossed but now lacking their relaxed demeanor. She frowned toward the ceiling, her head leaning on the wall behind her.

Daring sighed, rising to her haunches and picking up the white pith hat from the hook on the wall next to her. She held it in her forehooves, looking the item over with a sense of longing. It was a gift from long ago, a hat left to her in her father's passing. His death was by Ahuitzotl's design, although inadvertently. But even if the trap hadn't been specifically made for her parents, Daring still felt a rage she had put away long ago; a need for vengeance that she could never satisfy. His imprisonment had indeed been her doing, but was it truly enough? Did that monster not deserve to die for his crimes against her family? Their deaths were nothing personal, but it sure did feel like that to the mare that had been forced to live without them.

"Ya' know, you're gonna have to elaborate on that last comment sometime this century," came Day Break's voice, her tone exasperated.

"He's real, that's all there is to it," Daring replied flatly, her eyes still on the pith hat in her hooves.

"Okay, yeah, I get it. Ahuitzotl isn't some storybook villain trying to take over the world with some sort of blundering scheme or something," the yellow mare said, waving her forehooves around sarcastically to emphasize her words. "But you need to give me details as to why you turn into such a scared little schoolfilly at the mere mention of his name. I've been trying to get this outta you for years, so spill it already!"

Daring immediately tightened her grip on the pith hat, more to steady her hooves than anything. She looked up to Day Break, her rose eyes half-lidded with fatigue. "I am afraid of him because of what he is; a beast-"

"Alright, but-"

"Darn it! Will you just shut up and let me talk?!" the dark mare snapped, her voice cracking on the last word. The yellow pegasus' brow flew up in shock. Daring scowled at herself for losing control again, biting her lip to keep her anger at bay. "I'm sorry...I...I'm just..."

"No, it's alright, Daring," Day Break replied, her voice softening instantly to a much warmer tone. She shifted her position on her seat, laying on her stomach with her forehooves draped over the edge of the chair. She looked at her friend with large, caring eyes; a complete contrast from only a moment earlier. "You don't have to tell me now. I'll find out when we get there. But for now, you really need to sleep."

"I told you that I can't," she said, her voice lowering as well. It was true; despite the fact that it had been days since she was able to rest, the pegasus simply couldn't find her mind at peace long enough to sleep through a single night. For hours now, Daring had been on the verge of passing out, her eyes heavy and her brain nauseous. If she had been able to eat anything, she was sure that her body would be rejecting it by now.

Day Break wore a sly smirk. "Would it help if I bopped you on the head so you could?"

"I'd like you a lot less," Daring remarked, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"I'd be willing to risk that," she said matter-of-factly, as if her sarcasm were false. The monochromatic pony's lips curled into a genuine smile, something her muddled mind was elated to feel. Her heart finally slowed down a few beats, and her hooves stopped shaking. Her friend seemed to notice her change in demeanor, sighing through her nose.

"So how are you gonna tell him when we get back?" she asked.

Daring went to react with confusion, but knew that it wouldn't throw her perceptive friend off in the least. "Which part? That I'm sorry for leaving for so long or that I'm still confused?"

"Chuh! Confused my flank! Every time we talk about that stallion you go redder than a...look! You're doing it now!"

The pegasus' eyes widened as she was forced to notice a sensation of heat rise to her face. Daring quickly looked away out of pure reflex, much to Day Break's amusement. The yellow mare burst into a small fit of giggles, instilling a facetious scowl from Daring. "Okay, okay, fine."

"Wow," Day Break laughed, wiping her eye with a hoof. "this pony sure must have quite the hold on you. Why haven't you told me about him yet?"

Daring exhaled, knowingly beaten. She let the blush on her cheeks remain, looking back to her friend. "Because I knew you'd make fun of me for it."

"Well, yeah. That's a given." Day Break smirked with a shrug. "But seriously, what's this Braeburn like? I've never seen you so flustered about another pony like this before."

The archaeologist smiled at that. Perhaps she let too much of her feelings show. Either that, or the stallion from Appleloosa simply brought it out in her, even after not seeing him for so long. She remembered all too well of the emotions that he seemed to stir in her, even just by smiling at her. "There's a million things about him that I could name off," she finally started, fondness in her voice. "But the one thing about him that stands out the most is that he's...well, different."

"Different?" Day Break repeated, genuinely confused.

"Yeah," Daring smiled. "Everything about him can be traced back to that one word. He's nothing like any pony that I've ever met before. He's kind, caring, brave, sincere, completely selfless..."

She trailed off, her voice cracking slightly as her sentence dwindled out into silence. She could have spent an hour reciting all the words that described her memory of Braeburn, but it still would never compare to simply meeting him. The simple farmpony could have been perceived as nothing special; a workhorse that lived on an apple farm. However, Daring Do was lucky enough to know him very well before they were even properly introduced. She would never forget the day when her life was saved by the beige earth pony that came out of nowhere. The pegasus had stared down the barrel of a rifle, her entire being merely accepting death then and there. What else could she have done, with nopony else around to help her in time? But of course, Braeburn Apple was the one to stop her attacker.

That was but one of the slew of memories that Daring Do treasured the most, the rest based around the farmpony as well. She allowed her mind to drift off into a trance, dictated solely on her longing to see the stallion once again. Day Break seemed to grow weary of her silence, and impatiently tapped a hoof on the coffee table between them.

"Why you daydreaming little schoolfilly," she remarked, grinning at her.

"Alright, fine," the dark mare admitted. "Maybe I was daydreaming...a little."

"Uh huh," Day Break agreed with a slow nod. "It's amazing that you only hung around him for about a week, and yet you're all mushy every time I mention his name. Did something happen that you haven't told me yet?"

Daring laughed at what her friend could have been insinuating, but simply answered: "Sometimes all a pony needs is a few days to make such a profound impact on you."

"Okay, one more question," Day Break asked, sidestepping the other mare's seemingly prolific statement. "Don't take this the wrong way here, but...how do you know that he still feels the same way about you? I mean...it's been a really long time, Daring."

The dark pegasus could only smile wearily at that; a question that would have normally knocked her off the narrow line of equilibrium she was currently teetering on. It was a somber thought, yes, but ultimately one that definitely needed an answer. It had been over a year since she had last seen him; more than enough time for either of them to simply move on. But for whatever reason, Daring Do simply couldn't forget about him. She had left to find herself; to accept her past and see what kind of pony she really was. She had even told Braeburn to wait for her; an utterly selfish thought in hindsight. The pegasus hadn't planned to be out of touch for so long. While the amount of time was never defined, she had only expected to be gone a few months at the most. For all she knew, the stallion could have found somepony else in her absence. She couldn't have imagined it being difficult; Braeburn was a handsome stallion. It wouldn't take much for some mare to trot over and show interest.

Daring shook that unpleasant thought from her head, her subconscious trying to simply focus on her feeling for him. It was truly awe-inspiring, even to her, just how prevalent her infatuation for him still was. Her feelings had never faltered in the time of their separation. In fact, they had somehow strengthened even. Like she had told the pegasus across from her: it was simply the impact Braeburn had made on her. She knew that she would never find another pony like him, and that she wouldn't even want to try a relationship with anypony else.

"Well...I don't know," Daring finally said, the small smile still on her face. "I guess I'll just have to keep to the code of the archaeologist."

Day Break grinned, although incredulously. "Faith, huh?"

"It hasn't let me down yet," the archaeologist said simply, exhaling a deep breath through her nose. The mare felt her chest loosen, her nerves calming down as fatigue finally took its long awaited course. Her heavy eyelids had started to flicker downward, her brain activity slowing. "We'll just get to the ruins tomorrow, help the unicorns perform the Sealing Spell, and get back on the airship and go home."

"Nothing to worry about, right?"

"Nothing at all."

At Daring's confirmation, the bright yellow mare climbed down from her seat, stretching once she stood up straight again. She extended her long, nimble wings, cracking them in a few places after relaxing for so long. When she was satisfied that her limbs were loose enough, the pegasus strode over to her friend, pushing her forcibly off her seat with her forehead. Daring complied, although not without a disapproving glare. Day Break guided her to one of the two fold-out cots on the other side of the cabin, silently directing her to take one. The darker mare crawled atop the bed on the right, wearily removing her shirt before slouching underneath the thick layers of sheets and blankets. She tossed the garment haphazardly next to the bed, atop the overflowing bag of clothes and supplies.

After she was comfortable on her side, Daring let her head fall to the soft pillow, looking up at the other pegasus. Day Break was in the middle of walking away, but noticed Daring's thankful expression. The yellow mare nodded once with an understanding grin, turning off the lamp with a click.

Braeburn trotted up the shallow steps and onto the rickety floorboards of the platform, sighing in relief to find that he hadn't missed the train quite yet. In a rush, the stallion clumsily gave the ticket pony ten bits for his pass, galloping into the car just as the conductor bellowed out the last call. He was immediately greeted with several odd looks as he skidded on his hooves into the car, almost colliding into an older mare trying to take her seat. Braeburn grinned bashfully, attempting to hide his face with the brim of his hat. The cabin was half-empty, only holding a couple of ponies here and there. One or two gave him a polite smile, while the rest looked at him with extreme caution and worry. It took a moment for Braeburn to realize that they were all staring at the weapon on his back; Thumper's rear stock protruding from behind his left shoulder.

But before he could say a word to quell their fears, a heavy prod was felt on his shoulder. The riflepony turned to his right, finding a tall, foreboding stallion. He wore a blue vest; signalling his employ as a security guard. "Permit," he said simply, holding out a hoof. Braeburn nodded quickly, digging into the inner pocket of his duster and withdrawing a yellow slip of parchment that bore his name, address and weapon ownership details. The stallion nodded once, gesturing for him to take his seat. Braeburn pocketed his permit, pacing down the aisle toward the rear of the car.

Most of the passengers were obvious out-of-towners, a few of them cradling rifles in their laps. Braeburn sighed inwardly. He felt bad for the ponies unable to finish the competition, as well as the ones that lost early on. He didn't recognize anypony as he trotted down the aisle, and merely gave them a polite smile as he passed. But when he came to the end of the car, Braeburn was spotted by a face that he definitely remembered.

From a booth on the left came a small head of brown pigtails, bangs swaying carelessly across the brow of a white filly. Her large blue eyes widened at the sight of him, a small grin forming on her face. "Oh! Mister Apple!"

Braeburn snorted, allowing himself a smile at the filly. He approached her booth, finding that her parents were occupying it as well. The three pegasi beamed at the riflepony, their smiles large and their eyes bright.

"Why hello there, Miss Ace," he replied, his tone brighter than with their previous encounter. He tipped his hat to her parents, for their names were unknown to him. Their luggage was stuffed into the overhead compartments, save for Aerial's rifle, leaning on the wall in the corner of the booth near the window. "Ya'll are off to Dodge?"

"Yeah," Aerial answered immediately. "there isn't a line that goes to Los Pegasus until Wednesday, but there's one in Dodge Junction that we're hoping to catch tomorrow."

"Either that or we fly through the San Palomino Desert," her father chimed in, "and that's not exactly ideal."

"Everypony take your seats, please," came the security guard's gruff voice from the front of the train car. Aerial's mother scooted toward the window, opening a seat in their booth.

"Why don't you sit with us?" asked the mare, gesturing to the seat she had opened up. "It would be nice to get to know the stallion our daughter won't stop talking about."

"Mom!" the white filly hissed, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Braeburn chuckled to himself, thanking the pegasi for their generosity. He sat down next to the light-beige mare, whom took his saddlebags for him, placing them in the corner. Thumper, however, leaned on his other side in its scabbard. Aerial seemed to shake the tinge from her face as her eyes focused with wonder on the Marechester.

"So what's in Dodge for you...um, Mister Apple?" asked Aerial's father.

The riflepony smirked, holding out his hoof to the stallion across from him. "Ya'll can call me Braeburn."

The pegasus smiled in return. "Nice to meet you, Braeburn. I'm Vapor Trail, and this is my wife, Autumn Breeze."

Braeburn nodded and shook both of their hooves. Minding his manners, he removed the Stetson from his head, placing it on the back of the booth. The doors to the train car closed with a loud thunk, and he felt the cabin shift around him. Slowly but surely, the locomotive lurched forward, the cogs below driving them forward. The passengers settled into their booths as they departed the station, the buildings of Appleloosa crawling by as they accelerated. When a few moments passed by, Braeburn realized that he still hadn't answered Vapor's question. The stallion snapped to attention, putting aside his worries for the time being.

"Oh, right," the earth pony chuckled, deciding to keep his next words vague. "There's just a few things Ah need'ta take care of in Dodge."

"Oh? Does their sheriff need help too?" Autumn smiled, her facetious question clearly not intended to offend him nor Silverstar's job. The pegasus, however, did not know of Goldstar's serious condition. She couldn't be blamed, so Braeburn merely grinned as if he knew nothing.

"Heh, hopefully not," he said meekly, brushing his bangs from his eyes. He noticed that the entire time they exchanged pleasantries, the filly's eyes had been drifting between him and the sheathed Marechester on his right. Braeburn smiled, asking what was on her mind with a quirk of his brow.

"Um, Braeburn?" she asked, sitting on her haunches, fiddling with her own forehooves. "Is that really...Thumper?"

"Ya' know its name?"

"Well, yeah," Aerial answered. "I've read a lot about you, and...well, I've always wanted to meet you."

"What she's trying to say, is that she's your biggest fan," Vapor Trail interjected with a smirk, receiving a "Dad!" in response. Braeburn could only hold his smile, flattered that even ponies from outside of town praised his good deeds, let alone somewhere far off like Los Pegasus. "Ever since she read an article about you, it was nothing but competition shooting."

"Well, I just wasn't interested in Weather Patrol," Aerial said.

"No, you weren't," her mother replied with only a halfhearted smile. Braeburn glanced around the booth, spotting the couple's weather-related cutie marks. It appeared that particular line of work ran in the family, and Aerial Ace seemed to defy that. Her cartridge-emblazoned flanks proved that. It warmed his heart knowing that his deeds had inspired this filly's special talent. "But it seems that you've found your own path."

"Ah reckon so," Braeburn agreed, looking to the white pegasus across from him. "Ya' sure out-shot everypony to the end there, Aerial. Ah've never seen nothin' quite like that. You've got a real talent, ya' know."

"There you go, honey," Autumn chimed in, her elegant lashes fluttering. "Even the Colt of the West thinks you're talented. Now that's something to be proud of."

Aerial Ace was speechless. Her face had flushed again, her eyes wide with bewilderment. She smiled, meekly rubbing her foreleg with a hoof as her gaze fell to the floor. "Thank you," she said quietly, instilling a chuckle from her father. Vapor ruffled her mane, her brown pigtails flicking behind her head.

As the evening drew on and the moon grew higher, the conversation had become more comfortable. The family of pegasi had proved to be very warm and quick to accept a new friend. They spoke of their life in Los Pegasus, and asked about Braeburn's in Appleloosa. Aerial Ace seemed to be a veritable fountain of questions, all about the riflepony's shooting prowess. She seemed to look at him like some sort of superhero, as if everything he said carried a divine weight to it. He even allowed her to hold Thumper, after he unloaded it of course. In return, Braeburn took a look at her own rifle.

It was unlike any Marechester he had ever seen before. The receiver was a normal size, the blued finish still fresh from the evidently recent manufacture. But the barrel, as well as the rear stock had been shortened dramatically, more than likely to accommodate a smaller pony such as Aerial. He noticed a fine line between the front of the receiver and the base of the barrel; indicating that it was a takedown model. From what he learned in the past year from his father, such features were incredibly rare and expensive. Another thing that he learned was that Oliver Marechester never made a Model 1892 chambered for the .357 Magnum. Braeburn voiced his queries of the gun, after he failed to spot a serial number, model or even a manufacturer stamp.

"Well, that's because it's not a Marechester," said Aerial matter-of-factly. "They tend to be...expensive. Dad's friend is an up-and-coming gunsmith. Ponies nowadays want to get their hooves on a Marechester, but not everypony has the bits for them. So he decided to make not just remakes of them, but ones chambered for a whole slew of rounds, including ones that they didn't originally come in. Same goes with the features, so we were able to get a takedown model so when I'm older, I can put a longer barrel and butt-stock on it. Palo is a smart pony; he charges about two thirds of the cost of the original Manchesters."

"And your compadre makes these guns?" asked Braeburn, his bewildered gaze directed toward Vapor.

"He's a friend from college, actually," Vapor replied. "His name is Palomino Auberti. He was an Equestrian History Major, fascinated with the Old West. So since then he studied, built his company and boom; gave little Aerial here one of the first 1892's from the prototype production line, hence why it doesn't have any manufacturer's stamp."

"Must be worth quite a lot th-"

Braeburn's sentence was cut off by the gasps of the passengers near the front of the train car, attracting his full attention. Aerial and her parents whipped their heads around as well, attempting to find the source of everypony's evident fear. It only took a moment before Braeburn's ears pricked up to a pounding sound coming from the ceiling, traveling toward the rear of the car. They were hooves, galloping at a steady pace. The beige earth pony grimaced, dread creeping in his veins. His eyes immediately found the large security guard, whom was investigating the sound with his head out one of the booth windows toward the front. He arched his thick neck upward, unable to see the speeding blur of dark blue, darting through the air outside.

Braeburn cried out a warning as he got to his hooves and galloped over, however in vain. The blur caught the muscular stallion by the neck, tearing him out of the train car through the small window. Overtaking the cries of fear and outrage from the passengers was the agonized scream of the security guard. Before anypony knew it, his large form was tumbling in a shadow-covered ditch to the left of the tracks, quickly disappearing into the darkness of the night. From the booth that the earth pony previously occupied came a high-pitched gasp from Aerial Ace. Braeburn scowled as he immediately whipped his body around, taking Thumper's scabbard by the strap and throwing the sheathed rifle over his back. All eyes were on him now; the riflepony about to take control of the situation.

"Braeburn, wait!" came Aerial's voice. The earth pony gave her a sidelong glance as he filled Thumper's tubular magazine to capacity. The filly jumped to the floor on hindhooves, reaching over for her Auberti rifle. Braeburn stopped her before her parents could, catching her hoof with one of his own.

"Ya'll take cover down here. Ah don't want any o' ya' to get hurt," he demanded, repeating himself to the rest of the passengers: "Everypony hunker down in yer booths and stay there! Hooves and heads inside and nowhere else!"

Without so much as a backward glance, Braeburn galloped toward the back of the train car. He grabbed the handle of the rearward door and slid it open with a grunt. The cold night air hit him instantly, the sound of the cogs and the engine ahead growing louder. In front of him was the caboose, its end platform only mere hooves away from their car's. Throwing all caution to the wind, he turned on a hoof and climbed the ladder next to the door. He kept his ears up, defying the wind that was blowing his mane back. As he ascended the upper steps of the ladder, he slowed his pace and allowed his eyes to sweep the skies above.

He saw nothing but the stars and the moon, illuminating the vast expanse of desert that the train was speeding through. To his disdain and fear, he couldn't pick up the thump of hooves nor the fluttering of wings. Braeburn stopped with the top of his head nearly level with the steel roof of the train car. The attacker was waiting for him somewhere, ready to pounce when he came into view, if he wasn't already. Unable to find another choice, Braeburn heaved himself upward, rolling onto the crowned expanse of metal. But not even a second after his ascension, the wind was knocked out of his lungs.

Something very fast and very powerful caught him by the chest, throwing the earth pony bodily through the air. With a heaving cough, Braeburn flew over the gap between the two cars, landing at a tumble across the roof of the caboose. His reflexes screamed at him to roll to his hooves, but the howling winds and vibrations of the steel shook him from his stance, only lengthening his distance of faltering. His limbs flailed, forehooves digging into the top of the caboose as he spotted his rifle flying away from him. The impact threw his weapon to the front of the car, the strap of the scabbard hooking around a smoke-billowing steel cylinder protruding from the corner of the rooftop.

He wearily stood to his hooves, throwing his mane from his face as he spotted the pegasus land on the passenger car ahead. The stallion didn't have any discerning features, save for his dark colors and dull-toned eyes. He wore a short, black mane, ruffled by the cold night air. He wielded no sort of weapon; only four heavy-duty boots strapped around his hooves and legs, a thick layer of rubber on their undersides. The earth pony's breaths came in short, haggard bursts, his chest throbbing in pain. His weakened right foreleg threatened to buckle underneath him, but he locked his elbow to prevent faltering.

"Where is the book?!" the pegasus bellowed over the wind, his gray eyes narrowed on him. Braeburn cocked an eyebrow through his scowl, as if he hadn't understood what the pegasus had said.

"Yer workin' for Sure Shot, right?" he asked. "Where is he?"

"That's none of your concern," the other stallion barked, anger arising in his barely-visible expression. "Tell me where the book is, or I'll do to you what I did to that last stallion."

Impatience coated the pegasus' words, which were quick and loud, as if he were in a hurry to accomplish his goal. Braeburn, however, was completely unaware of what he was talking about. A book? What kind of book would Sure Shot want? He was certain that he was working for the bandit leader, that much was obvious. That alone was enough for the riflepony to stop the pegasus, not to mention that he may have just killed the train's security guard.

Thumper had slid down the chimney as the caboose hit a bump, distracting him from his attacker. Even in that fraction of a second, he never saw the swift movement of midnight blue in front of him until the very last instance. His reaction time had been put to the test as Braeburn dipped down to the roof of the caboose. However, he didn't have enough time to completely dodge the attack. The earth pony's shoulder was clipped by the speeding pegasus, throwing his body into a horizontal spin above the steel rooftop. His vision blurred as the world spun around him, taking a moment to find himself skidding across the top of the car on his hooves. He couldn't tell if his landing was mere chance or reflex, but didn't have the time to speculate as he spotted the pegasus recovering in the air above, darting toward him with a mighty flap of his wings. But this time, the earth pony had time to plan his next move; to counter the attack. The blue stallion bolted downward, his forehooves outstretched and his eyes narrowed. Braeburn's mind only had half a second to react, but it was more than his keen reflexes needed.

Braeburn tightened the muscles in his legs, attempting to push himself backward into the air. However, he neglected to take the slippery metal underhoof into account. His hindlegs slid out from underneath him, causing his evasion to be compromised. Once again, he felt the air leave his chest as he was struck with what felt like the business end of a wrecking ball. His body flew through the air like a rag doll toward the front of the train, taking what felt like an eternity for him to strike the roof of the second-to-last car. The earth pony's vision and hearing were momentarily taken away, amplifying the pain coursing through his torso. A metallic taste filled his mouth as blood flew from his lips. His shoulder collided with the steel of the roof, his body sliding against the cold wind. Time seemed to slow down as his limbs refused to move, fresh with shock from the impacts. Another bump in the tracks rolled him to his back just before two solid thumps resounded on either side of his head. Braeburn opened his eyes, spotting the pegasus' anger-contorted face inches from his own.

"Last chance, Apple," he growled. "Where. Is. The. Book?!"

The earth pony coughed, speckling the blue stallion's face with crimson. "Ah don't know what yer talkin' 'bout!"

A blaze coursed through Braeburn's mind, filling his body with a second wind. His anger negated the pain, and now fueled his movements. Before his attacker could so much as blink, Braeburn bucked his hips upward, throwing his body into a backward roll. He tucked his hindlegs close to his frame, only to let them loose on the pegasus' head. Braeburn's hindhooves exploded upward, crashing into the side of the stallion's skull with a triumphant roar. The blue pegasus was thrown toward the front of the car. Without looking at the condition of his attacker, Braeburn darted to the opposite end of the car, leaping over the gap and landing at a skid atop the caboose. He dove forward, his forehoof threading through the slack of his weapon's scabbard. In one smooth motion, he threw the sheath over his back as he stood to his hooves once again. He had no choice now: either he did what needed to be done, or his opponent would.

The riflepony tore Thumper out of its scabbard, racking the lever-action with a familiar flick of his wrist. As he reared onto his hindhooves, the gun's fractured forestock fell into his right hoof. He spotted the stallion flying toward him once again, this time through the iron sights of a powerful weapon. He had no decision to make this time; only action to take.

Two brass shells flew out of the top of Thumper's receiver, following two resounding explosions of gunpowder. Blood and feathers burst from either side of the speeding pegasus, eliciting a cry of agony and a compromised trajectory. The blue pony hit the top of the caboose, his momentum carrying him forward at a blinding pace. Braeburn sidestepped his body, hooking a foreleg around the pegasus' neck. The riflepony brought him up, slamming the pegasus onto his back with all his might. Thumper whirled around his hoof once again as he chambered a new round, engaging the hammer. The barrel of the weapon came to a halt, pressed into his attacker's neck. The pegasus grunted in pain, his face contorted with rage. Small pools of blood formed around his body, underneath what remained of his wings. Braeburn didn't look at the damage he had caused, but focused his unyielding gaze into the eyes of his victim.

"Where is Sure Shot?!" he roared into his face, his hoof wrapped around the trigger. "What's his plan and what book is he lookin' for?!"

"I don't know what he sees in you," the pegasus growled, his throat vibrating against the end of Thumper's barrel. "You ask such stupid questions, you know that?"

Braeburn pressed the rifle further into his neck, adrenaline still fresh in his mind. "Answer the question!"

The broken stallion wheezed, his eyes half-lidded as he teetered on the edge of consciousness. "Figure it out...yourself...Colt of the West..."

With a swift hoof, the blue pony swatted away the barrel of the rifle, rolling out of Braeburn's grasp. Before he could stop him, the pegasus rolled off the side of the roof, falling to the ground and tumbling into the darkness. The riflepony stared at the spot where he disappeared, his expression grave as he sheathed the rifle on his back. Braeburn let out a grunt, wincing as the pain returned to his chest. He stared into the darkness for a moment or two, his mind racing as he tried to put the pieces together.

"What're ya' after, Sure Shot?"

Five - A Dark Tomorrow

“Keep going.”

“What? Sir, I can’t do that!”

“Well that’s too bad, because you have to.”

“I-I don’t have any magic left!” stammered a light blue unicorn. Sweat matted his disheveled teal mane to his forehead, his yellow eyes dark with fatigue. Even under the pale moonlight, Sparks’ exhaustion was all too visible. His words were accompanied with heavy panting, his entire form swaying back and forth. The unicorn felt his eyelids grow heavy, his muddled mind working on minimal capacity. He winced as a small spark of light erupted from his horn, fizzling into nothingness before it could even come close to the ground. However, his anguish didn’t seem to deter the dark purple earth pony approaching him.

Sure Shot walked over to the unicorn as slowly as possible, his previous haste gone from his narrowing eyes. He stopped before the shorter pony, tilting his head slightly as he brushed his careless black mane from his brow. Before placing his hoof back to the ground, he dusted the dirt from his black vest, chuckling softly. His laugh was enough to instill an almost visible shiver from Sparks, the earth pony’s voice full of menace. Sure Shot watched with disinterested eyes as the other stallion’s horn discharged another pinpoint of azure light, fizzling down to the train tracks underhoof.

“It seems you still have plenty more,” he said plainly, his lips tilting into a small smirk. He turned his head back, lifting a hoof to point to his object of focus. Protruding from the tree line miles away was a modest skyline, a few of the buildings brightly illuminated. "Baltimare is right there, less than ten miles away. Teleportation is your specialty, is it not?"

"Nopony can keep doing this," Sparks retorted. He gestured to the three other ponies around them. "Appleloosa to Dodge, then to the Eastern Rail Line, and now you want me to take us to Baltimare?!"

"You knew the plan."

"But you didn't say anything about getting to Horseshoe Bay from Appleloosa in a single night!" Sparks shot back, desperation in his voice. His sentence was followed with a hacking cough, his chest heaving. None of the earth ponies around him seemed to even notice his plight, least of all their leader.

Sure Shot turned his unwavering gaze back to the unicorn, exhaling calmly through his nostrils. "Things have changed. You were there when Coltwell told us of the archaeologist's destination after our meeting in Appleloosa. Did you not get the memo?"

Sparks' face contorted with an angered confusion. "What does some mare have to do with any of this?"

"Now, now," the purple stallion started, his tones almost soothing. "Don't think that you don't know of her significance. You know what that pony found; the book we're looking for."

"Wait, this is about some old journal?" Sparks questioned, bewildered. "What-"

"What did you think I was doing in Dodge Junction before I met you all in Appleloosa?" Sure Shot asked, his smirk slowly disappearing. "The clues we have found all point to Cunning the Colt, and he depicted his entire life in a book, one that Daring Do has a copy of. I told you before; that book was nowhere in her home, meaning that she must be keeping it on her or somewhere else. Meaning that we have to head her off and take it. Are you getting it now?"

A few chuckles were shared between Gun Powder and an earth mare, whose name hadn't been known to Sparks as of yet. The unicorn paid them no further attention, nor the other pegasus stallion hidden behind Gun Powder. Sure Shot inched his head forward, his expression inquisitive.

"Alright, I understand," the unicorn answered, doing his best to keep his fatigue from becoming anger. "But that doesn't change the fact that there isn't a way in Equestria for me to teleport us all the way to Baltimare tonight. I'm sorry sir, but-"

"When I took you off the street, before I went to jail..." Sure Shot interjected, his voice growing more and more dangerous with every word. The purple stallion's demeanor shifted, his stance hostile. Sparks felt himself gulp involuntarily, his weary mind starting to panic. "...I warned you that this job required the best from you. I told you that there wasn't such a thing as 'giving up,' and that there was only progress. I told you that when we succeed, your efforts would be rewarded. However, without the effort, you are useless to me. Now I will tell you once more: take us to Baltimare, or I will show you just how disposable quitters are to me."

Sparks' immediate reaction to anger was retorting with either sarcasm or even more anger. His dwindling reserves of magic reflexively darted to his horn, as if to defend himself against the other stallion's threat. But he knew what could happen; what would happen if he even tried. Sparks wouldn't be the first unicorn that Sure Shot would have taken down. He had witnessed the riflepony do amazing yet terrifying things in the short time that they had been around each other, and he wasn't about to be on the business end of his weapon. Despite his frustration and exhaustion, he needed to keep going. If he didn't, he wouldn't gain the money and freedom he was promised.

The blue unicorn exhaled, starting to gather his composure. "This could kill me, sir."

Sure Shot's malevolent grin returned, sending a chill down Sparks' spine. "I assure you that it won't. From here to Baltimare, that's it. No more questions; just actions."

Sparks grimaced as the rest of their group gathered around him, forming a close circle. Sure Shot never took his gaze away from him, furthering the unicorn's stress. On top of his dwindling consciousness, he couldn't take his mind off the many eyes staring expectantly at him. But the nagging thought of the riflepony taking his life drove his mind forward, rousing his limited magic to his horn. His ears folded back, blocking out the murmurs of the ponies around him. He clamped his eyes shut in concentration, surrounding them with a circle of energy. The unicorn grunted as a spark of pain shot through his head, splitting his skull in agony as he began the spell.

An azure light surrounded them as Sparks focused on the city of Baltimare; a place he had only been once before. He grunted in pain once more as the spell took its toll on him. With a flash of pale blue light, they were gone from the railroad tracks, reappearing elsewhere. The unicorn couldn't open his eyes to confirm the success of his spell. He merely fell forward, landing ungracefully on something cold and hard as concrete. He felt himself flicker in and out of consciousness, his brain alight with an oncoming migraine. He heard muffled voices above him, as if he was hearing them from the other side of a closed door. It felt like an eternity before their words became audible and coherent, his ears daring to lift from the sides of his head.

"Come on, unicorn," said a low, gruff voice. Sparks felt the sensation of being lifted from the ground, being placed on a veritable mattress of solid muscle. The unicorn allowed his limbs to go limp, depending on the stallion to carry him where they needed to go. Judging by the hushed voices around him, the blue stallion's spell had succeeded, although he wasn't sure just where in Baltimare he had brought them. But no sooner than when he relaxed atop Gun Powder's back was he prodded roughly on the forehead. Sparks opened his eyes wearily, startled to find himself still alive, let alone awake.

Sure Shot's dark purple face came into his blurry vision, his eyes gleaming in what he guessed to be a streetlight. "Look at that, Sparky: we got here in one piece," he smirked before patting him on the head like a dog. "Good on ya' buddy. You can just lay down and relax for now. We'll need you again in about twenty minutes."

Sparks grimaced, groaning quietly as his forelegs and head draped over Gun Powder's back. Unable to say anything more, the unicorn let his head fall, giving in to his fatigue.

Hooves galloped behind the riflepony, advancing toward him along with the sound of worried voices. Braeburn wheezed with every breath, his chest heaving in pain. His forelegs still shook with adrenaline, blood coursing violently through his veins. The earth pony barely acknowledged the two pegasi approaching him, his eyes staring unfocused into the darkness. A hoof turned his face around by the cheek, forcing him to look into the large amber eyes of a mare.

"Braeburn, are you alright?" asked Autumn Breeze, her expression dreadful. Her husband came into Braeburn's vision, his face mirroring hers. The riflepony shook his head, unaware of why his focus had faltered to such a degree. "We heard gunfire and then nothing, so we were worried."

"What happened, Braeburn?" Vapor asked impatiently, poking his muzzle into the earth pony's face. "Who was that?"

"Don't worry 'bout that," he replied quickly, taking a look behind him. The train had been traveling at full speed for the entire altercation. "Somepony needs to go back and find the stallion that got pulled outta the window!"

"The security guards know already," Vapor said, "they sent a pegasus to fly back and make sure he's okay."

Braeburn grit his teeth once more before allowing himself a sigh of relief, the adrenaline finally starting to die out. But in its absence, his chest was free to throb. He could still feel the pegasus' hooves, which heavily bruised the skin underneath his coat. He placed a subconscious hoof to his chest, attracting unwanted attention from Aerial's parents.

"Oh no, you're hurt," Autumn whispered, barely audible over the wind. She cast a wing over him as her husband guided Braeburn toward the front of the caboose. "Come on now, let's get you back inside."

The earth pony grimaced as he felt a sting of pain in his pectoral muscles, preventing him to walk at a brisk pace. With a nod of agreement, he allowed himself to be guided off the roof of the train car. Despite his smaller frame, Vapor Trail was able to fly him down to the lower platforms, carrying him by the shoulders. Braeburn closed his eyes during the descent, his mind dull with fatigue. He felt his hooves land on the end platform of the ahead of the caboose, his ears only catching the sound of cogs spinning and air blowing by. This wasn’t right. Something was going on beyond his understanding.

However, he didn’t have the time to think about it before his attention was caught by the pegasus that had carried him down to the platform. Vapor prodded him on the shoulder, forcing him to open his eyes. Braeburn complied, finding himself being wrapped into a hug by the two pegasi. The riflepony recoiled in response, unaware of what instilled such an action in the ponies that barely knew him. In his fatigue, the earth pony only chuckled humbly, unable to return the embrace. Vapor let him go only a second before his wife did.

“Thank you so much, Braeburn,” said Autumn, sharing the same appreciative smile as her husband.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for you, this night could have turned out a lot worse,” Vapor agreed. But before he could continue, Braeburn put up a hoof to stop him.

“Ah appreciate yer kind words, Ah really do,” he started, his breath slow and ragged. “But that stallion wasn’t after the train; he was after-”

“Braeburn, why don’t you tell us in our booth inside? It’s kind of chilly out tonight,” Vapor interrupted, although not without a smile. Braeburn exhaled through his nose, nodding in agreement as the other stallion slid the door of the car open.

Unlike before, the previously half-empty train car was now filled with curious and fearful ponies, their heads snapping over to the trio entering the threshold. Most were passengers, including some that were evidently from other cars. Others were employees of the line, all wearing the blue vests and caps. Aerial Ace popped out from her family’s booth, relief in her wide eyes at the sight of them. She fluttered her tiny wings, flying over the crowd with surprising speed. The filly landed in front of her parents, receiving a quick hoof through her mane from her father.

Aerial turned to Braeburn, her expression bright. “Did you do it? Did you get that bad pony out there?”

The earth stallion smiled, although halfheartedly. “Yeah, he won’t be coming ‘round here no more.”

“Now just what in the hay was all that about?” came a low, angry voice. Wading through the crowd was an older unicorn mare, possibly Bullet Tyme’s age. She had a coat of dull pink, complemented by her maroon conductor’s jacket. Her mane and tail were short and blonde, combed backward to give her an intimidating look. Her small olive eyes were glaring directly at Braeburn, whom recoiled slightly at her hostile expression. The train car went silent as the middle-aged unicorn approached the riflepony, looking him over with evident judgment. Braeburn only smiled politely, nervous under her gaze despite the drastic height difference.

“What kind of trouble have you caused on my train, boy?” the conductor almost yelled at him, craning her neck to glare up at him.

“Whoa, Ma’am! Ah didn’t cause no trouble here!” Braeburn replied reflexively.

“That’s right!” Vapor chimed in, instilling nods from the other passengers around them. “This stallion just saved this entire train from some bandit! If he wasn’t here, who knows what could have happened.”

Braeburn wished that his Stetson wasn’t across a small sea of ponies, for all he wanted to do was hide his eyes from sight. He felt a sheepish grin form on his face as the ponies around gave him an appreciative smile at Vapor’s words. The conductor, however, was not so easily turned. She never took her suspicious glare away from the riflepony, her beady eyes looking right into his.

“Ma’am,” came a new voice, belonging to an approaching stallion. “He has his permit. Graves took a look before he was...well, dragged out the window. Sapphire went after him. Now I didn't see just what happened up on the roof, but I see this earth pony and not that pegasus anymore. With all due respect, put two and two together, Ma’am.”

“Is that so?” she said in a low voice. “Well, I’ll make sure to have my staff keep an eye on you."

With a huff of disapproval, the conductor turned on a hoof, pacing back toward the front of the train as the crowd filed well away from her path. Only one of the members of the train staff followed her, leaving the stallion that defended Braeburn to oversee the car. When the hot-tempered mare closed the door behind herself, the small crowd stomped their hooves, as well as voiced their approval of the riflepony's deed with sparse cheers. Braeburn allowed himself a small, proud smile at their appreciation, but ultimately held up a shaking hoof to quell their scattered applause.

"Now, now, Ah thank ya'll fer yer gratitude and whatnot, but Ah think Ah need some rest," he said with a smile, thankful to see them immediately obey. The ponies that had arrived from the other train cars exited through the doors, while the rest settled themselves back into their booths. As Braeburn and the trio of pegasi returned to their seats, he spotted a few curious passengers covertly turn their heads back, trying to get a final look at the stallion. The earth pony ignored their momentary gazes, and merely settled down in his previous seat, although painfully. His chest did take some heavy bruising, but he knew that they would heal within the week. He just hoped that it wouldn't slow him down in the future.

"What happened, Braeburn?" Aerial Ace chirped, standing on her seat next to her father in excitement. "Are you okay? Is that bad pony really gone? Oh! Did you...kill him?"

"Aerial!" her mother hissed in disapproval.

"What?" the filly asked, purely confused. "I'm just asking."

"That's not something for you to ask," Autumn spoke firmly, although not without her motherly tones. "And I'm sure Braeburn needs some sleep, as do we all."

"Aw, but Mom, I can't sleep now!" she argued, despite her blue eyes bearing dark circles underneath them. When her parents hesitated finding an answer, Braeburn leaned forward toward the filly, catching her gaze.

"Now Aerial, ya'll have a long trip ahead o' ya'," he said with a smile. "And Ah'm not gonna be around once ya' head toward Los Pegasus. If somethin' happens, don't ya' wanna be able to defend yer parents with that gift o' yers?"

"Of course!"

"Well ya' won't be able to do that with no sleep, will ya'?" Braeburn smirked.

"Alright..." Aerial sighed, knowingly beaten.

It wasn't long before the filly, as well as most of the passengers, were slumbering quietly in the booths of the train car. A few strangers bid Braeburn good night, thanking him once more for his deeds before falling asleep. As the hours drew by, the earth pony watched as the lucky passengers around him were able to almost instantly fall into a deep sleep. Braeburn snorted quietly, lying down in his seat with his chin rested on his foreleg, the majority of his body covered by his warm duster. His eyes felt heavy, half-lidded and unfocused. He hadn't rested in an unknown amount of time, the events of the day preventing such a privilege. Even when talking to the family of pegasi in the booth around him, his mind wouldn't stop racing.

The pegasus stallion found Braeburn with a goal: to find a book. He spoke as if the earth pony knew what he was talking about, as if this book held some sort of deep meaning. But even hours after the altercation, he knew not of the bandit's meaning. Braeburn wasn't much of a reader, aside from his old obsession with the Daring Do series. So why would the bandit think he had some sort of tome of any significance? As he could recall, his bookshelf only bore two novels, both telling the tale of the monochromatic archaeologist, along with a few folders holding his financial records and other miscellaneous papers. Other than that, Braeburn only had his personal journal, as well as a copy of...

Braeburn shot up to a sitting position, his pupils shrinking to mere pinpricks in realization. He immediately dove his hoof into the inner pocket of his duster, pulling out the folded letter from Gunmetal Grey. He scanned the first paragraph for a moment, his eyes fixating on a single sentence:

I didn't know what was going on until I saw him barge out of an apartment building on the edge of town.

The earth pony winced, remembering only one apartment building on the edge of Dodge Junction's borders. Daring's name had been made public over a year ago, along with the information of her copy of Cunning the Colt's diary. His copy, however, wasn't something that needed to be mentioned. Evidently Sure Shot was looking for it, and getting it from Daring would be easier than the museum in Canterlot. But what would he want with the diary? As far as Braeburn knew, it was just a written record of Cunning's life, and nothing more. Was there something in those pages that would help Sure Shot's unknown cause? But none of that explained why that pegasus was sent to retrieve it from Braeburn. Nopony knew of his copy of the diary, except for maybe Daring, Gunmetal Grey, his father and Little Strongheart. Perhaps Sure Shot thought that Braeburn knew of the archaeologist's copy and maybe even its whereabouts.

Braeburn put the pieces he had together, his brow furrowed in thought. If he sent a pony to track him, then that meant they couldn't find Daring nor her copy of the diary. So why hadn't they just stolen the real one from the museum? Fueling his curiosity, the stallion stood up and trotted quietly up the aisle, finding a map of the Equestrian railroads pinned on the wall next to the front door of the car. Using the moonlight from the window on the left, Braeburn found the dot marked 'Canterlot.' Even with the lack of scaled distances, he knew the capital to be much farther than his location from Dodge Junction. Not to mention the two towns and a mountain to climb in between. Even for a pegasus, Canterlot would be an extensive journey without the use of a train.

So that meant that Sure Shot and his bandits were unable to find Daring's copy of the diary, and instead sent the blue pegasus to see if Braeburn knew of its location. Daring must have been somewhere far off to not be found by anypony, even the bandit leader and his gang. Braeburn's exhausted mind hit a wall at the thought of her, unwilling to be objective anymore. His thoughts swam through memories of the pegasus, fueled by his lack of rest. His brain only wanted to think about what was ailing him now, and nothing more. The stallion swore under his breath, his forehead resting on the wall as he closed his eyes.

"If you were here right now, you'd figure this out in a right hurry, wouldn't ya'?" he whispered to himself, his mind clouded and unable to think any longer.

"I hate to intrude..." came a hushed voice, causing Braeburn to whip himself around in fright. He found Autumn Breeze, her tired expression also carrying a sense of worry. She lacked her previous floral-patterned shirt, exposing her flawless off-white coat. Her dual-toned auburn mane and tail were only slightly disheveled, as if her beauty knew no down sides of sleep. "...but are you alright, Braeburn?"

"Y-Yeah," he whispered back, careful not to wake any of the passengers around them. Autumn cocked an eyebrow, tilting her head as she approached the stallion.

"You don't seem fine, if you don't mind me saying," she replied, concern in her voice. Braeburn exhaled through his nose, casting another glance around the car.

"It's nothin', really," he said reflexively, pacing around the mare toward the rear of the car. He heard her turn around, and almost felt the worry on her face increase.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Just gonna get some fresh air," he answered plainly, approaching the door and sliding it open. As the cool air hit his face, his eyes instantly opened and awoke his dreary mind. "And Ah imagine that yer not gonna let this go, so we might as well talk where we won't wake anypony."

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Autumn nodding with a small amount of surprise on her face. The mare followed him through the open door, closing it behind them. Braeburn reared up, draping his forelegs over the guardrail of the train car's rear dock, his eyes looking toward the vast expanse of desert flying by. The cold night air whipped through his mane, the lapel of his duster cast to the left side of his chest. It was almost relaxing, watching the moon's light cast a pale blue glow over the land. He momentarily played with the idea of another one of Sure Shot's bandits finding him, but cast it aside in his fatigue.

Autumn Breeze shook her flowing mane from her eyes, mirroring his position to his right. She gave him a sidelong glance, as if she wasn't sure if speaking first was a good idea.

"You and yer husband sure are keen on makin' sure Ah'm alright," Braeburn thought aloud, his gaze still on the shadow-laden horizon. "Now Ah appreciate kindness in any form, but ya'll don't really know me all too well."

"You are a good pony, that's all we need to know," Autumn said matter-of-factly, as if it were common knowledge.

"And where d'ya get that?" he snorted.

"I'm fairly certain that what you did tonight is explanation enough, not to mention what we have read about you. But then there's also you saving our lives in Appleloosa," she explained. "Now I have to be honest with you; my husband and I were quite skeptical when we heard about you in the papers. Our daughter, of course, immediately idolized you. We didn't think that there was really a pony out here related to the mythical Colt of the West, not to mention one that stood for good, not bad. However, it was truly inspiring to see that we were vastly incorrect. Not only were the papers accurate, but compared to what you really are, the articles are humbling by comparison."

"Oh?"

"Yes," she continued. "You are something they failed to see in you: a symbol of justice. You are certainly a rarity to pony society, Braeburn."

"Ah was just doin' what was right, is all," he said, repeating himself for the umpteenth time. "Ah wouldn't quite say anything like that."

"Do you who does things like that?" she replied with a warm smile. In his silence, she answered: "A hero."

"Ah hate to disappoint ya', Autumn, but the stallion that attacked the train wasn't just some bandit lookin' fer his pay," Braeburn said solemnly. "He was after me. If Ah wasn't on this train, ya'll would have just enjoyed a nice, quiet ride to Dodge."

"You?" she repeated, slightly confused. "Was he with those criminals from Appleloosa?"

"Yeah," he answered before looking back to her. "That was why Ah wanted ya'll to be far away from me. The purple earth pony, their leader, is called Sure Shot. He broke outta jail, and now he's lookin' fer somethin'. Ah don't know what it is, but he's got a whole lotta help backin' him up. Whatever he's up to, Ah don't like the smell of it. So I'm off to Dodge to meet somepony about my equipment before Ah make any more moves forward."

"So if you're not a hero, then why are you going through all of this? Why not just report it to the authorities up North?" Autumn asked.

"Because Ah..." he trailed off, searching for an answer. "...Because Ah have to. If Ah just sat in Appleloosa, who knows what Sure Shot would do before anypony could stop him."

"Do you know what his plan is?"

"No, and that's what scares me the most," said Braeburn. "But nothin' 'bout what Ah've found so far has made me feel any better about it. Every clue Ah find makes me more afraid of what he's up to."

Autumn sighed, looking back to the desert they were riding through, her eyelids lowering in contemplation. Braeburn took the silence as an opportunity to let his thoughts wander back to his heart's desire. However, he wasn't free for long before Autumn's silken voice brought him back to reality: "Ohhh...I know that look."

Braeburn turned his head back toward the mare, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, must'a drifted off fer a moment."

"What's her name?" she asked, a sly grin on her face. Braeburn only cracked a smirk in response, wondering how in Equestria he was so easy to read. "Oh, is it that mare from the papers? The archaeologist?"

"Ya' got it," he said meekly, not excited to talk about her once again. He expected Autumn to say the same thing that everypony else had said many a time before; meaningless advice that could never aid him in such a situation. At this point, Braeburn had started to think that she would never return. It was a somber thought, but one that was nothing but realistic now. However, his melancholy was broken by the mare's next few words; a simple question that knocked the earth pony off his narrow line of equilibrium.

"You love her, don't you?"

Braeburn froze, feeling his forelegs clench around the railing he was leaning on. He turned away from the pegasus, exhaling heavily through his nose. Autumn only looked at him as the stallion kept his silence for several moments. The only sounds that filled the cold night air were the chugging of the train and the seldom chirps of the birds overhead. Braeburn felt his heart leap into his throat, a response impossible to form. The word was something he had thought of only a few times before. He had never known its true meaning before, so comparing his feelings for the archaeologist to such an emotion was difficult. However, Braeburn couldn't justify confirming such a thing without being absolutely sure.

The stallion sighed once more, leaning his left cheek on a forehoof. It was a thought that made him question his entire relationship with the mare he had come to know so well; so personally. Did she feel the same way? Would she come back even if she did?

"That's a mighty strong word," he said finally, breaking the silence.

"That's not a 'no,'" Autumn replied, her smile still there.

Braeburn chuckled, pushing off the railing and landing on all fours. The white mare did the same, tilting her head at him curiously. The earth pony approached the door to their train car, sliding it open carefully as to not wake anypony inside. He turned his head back at Autumn Breeze, giving her a tired smile. "No, Ah reckon it's not."

The earth pony rested calmly that night, if only for a few hours. He would never had guessed that thinking of Daring could bring him a night of dreamless sleep, but he was surprised to find himself waking with a small smile on his face. However, he was disturbed to find his ears folding back at the high-pitched wail of the train's whistle, signaling their arrival to Dodge Junction. The earth pony wearily sat up to his haunches, cracking his back in several places as he rose. Braeburn rubbed the sleep from his eyes, groaning as he was rocked back and forth by the shoulders.

"Braeburn, come on!" said the voice of a filly. "Wake up! We gotta go before the train leaves again!"

"Aerial, let the poor boy wake up without somepony yelling at him," came Vapor Trail's voice, with a small chuckle. Braeburn opened his eyes, finding himself almost blinded by the morning sun's light through the dusty window of the booth. Around him the passengers of the train car were filing out the doors, all carrying their saddlebags and other luggage. In a half-awake hurry, Braeburn scooped his bags and rifle up from the floor of the booth, swinging them onto his back in one clumsy motion.

"But she is right, Braeburn. We'd better get a move on," said Vapor, prodding him forward and out of the booth. In a dreary state of semi-consciousness, he complied, following the family of pegasi off the train and onto the platform. Ponies filled the area, either arriving or leaving by way of the train. Braeburn yawned widely, placing a polite hoof over his mouth as he and the trio of pegasi stopped on the corner of the platform and out of everypony else's way. As he awoke, he found the family standing directly in front of him, looking solemn but content. The earth pony smirked with realization, understanding that it was their time to leave.

"Well, we all have our places to go," said Vapor, offering his hoof, which Braeburn shook. "It sure was nice to meet you, Braeburn. I hope we'll see you again."

"Yeah, we will see you again, right?" asked Aerial hopefully, looking up to Braeburn with her large, blue eyes. He couldn't say no to such a face, even if he couldn't see them again.

"O' course. Feel free to swing by Appleloosa anytime you three want," Braeburn said, giving the filly a small bump of the hoof. But before he bid farewell to the young riflepony, he bent his neck down to meet her gaze, saying in a small voice: "Oh, and don't worry 'bout that competition. Ah'm pretty sure ya' would o' won anyhow."

Aerial Ace smiled brightly, nodding in thanks. With that, the four of them said their goodbyes, along with a discreet wink from Autumn Breeze. Braeburn nodded back to her, thankful for her kind words from the previous night. As they turned around to leave, an idea came to his mind at the sight of an open pocket in Vapor's saddlebag. He remembered what his father said about Aerial's parent's, and what they had mentioned in conversation the night before. They had been incredibly nice to him; a pony that hadn't even met before. They deserved something nice to happen to them as well.

He thanked Celestia for the noisy crowd around them as he snuck up behind Vapor Trail, dropping a small bag of coins into the opening of his bag. Before the pegasus could look around, Braeburn was gone, hidden in the mass of ponies upon the train platform. The earth pony exhaled once he escaped the crowd, able to breathe again. He now stood in Dodge Junction's main street, where only a few ponies dared to venture. Even the ones that were outside seemed to walk with extreme care, as if another disaster were about to strike the town. A few of them even flinched at the sight of Thumper's butt-stock behind his shoulder, to which he smiled reassuringly in response.

Braeburn shook his tired mind awake, bringing his thoughts back to the task at hoof. It wasn't long before he arrived at Gunmetal's shop, which he found locked tight. There were no lights in the windows, but he could still see the closed sign posted on the other side of the pane. Confused, Braeburn rapped on the door with a hoof, loud enough for the better part of the street to hear. He waited impatiently upon the doormat, tapping a hindhoof against the small section of carpet. After what felt like several minutes of knocking and waiting, the stallion's head whipped up as the front door was unlocked and opened a few centimeters. In the small gap, Braeburn spotted a dull blue eye, looking him over quickly before the door was opened.

On the other side of the threshold stood a tall unicorn stallion with a coat the color of ash. He had a messy mane and tail, long and dark brown with thin streaks of gray. Gunmetal Grey sighed in relief at the sight of Braeburn, his eyes darting back and forth around the street behind him. "Braeburn, there ya' are. Come on in, quickly."

Before he could say a word, Braeburn was pulled into the dark interior of the shop by his duster, sliding across the floorboards on his hooves. With a flash of white light, four lanterns ignited in all the corners of the room, illuminating the shop. On the walls were racks of rifles, some old and some new. On the counter were a couple of piles of papers, presumably purchase records not yet organized. The rest of the shop, however, seemed clean and well-cared for, just like it always had been. As Braeburn cast his curious glance around, Gunmetal closed and bolted the front door shut behind him.

"Ah was gettin' worried 'bout ya', boy," he said, his accent as thick as Bullet Tyme's.

"Ah took the earliest train Ah could, Gunmetal," Braeburn answered.

"Right, well come on out back with me. Ah imagine yer in a right hurry," the gunsmith replied, gesturing for him to follow. Braeburn complied, trotting in Gunmetal's hoofsteps around the counter and through a threshold without a door. Gunmetal's horn flashed once more, lighting a lantern hanging from the ceiling of the new room. The workshop was illuminated, revealing a number of dismantled guns upon cluttered benches and stools. But before the riflepony could take a detailed look around, he felt Thumper leave the scabbard on his back, levitated by the gunsmith's magic. "Let's take a look at Thumper here; see if everything's alright."

The gruff unicorn winced his eyes, and the old Marechester instantly burst forth into a veritable cloud of parts, screws and pins. Braeburn recoiled, having never before seen his trusty rifle disassembled to such a degree. As soon as the tubular magazine was free from the receiver, several long brass cartridges fell into a strategically-placed box atop the bench in the middle of the shop. Braeburn watched in awe as Gunmetal worked his magic, taking apart the final pieces of the bolt and the trigger mechanism. His dull blue eyes focused on a narrow, steel rod with an ever thinner end. "It's a good thing ya' came, Brae. Yer firing pin was about ta' snap in two."

"What? What could cause that?" he asked, worried.

"Age," Gunmetal said simply. "Every part in this here '94 is original; hundreds o' years old. Yer lucky they lasted this long. The firing pin is also gettin' slammed by a heavy mainspring, which also needs ta' be replaced. Quite frankly, Ah've never seen nothin' like this. Marechesters are known fer their reliability, but havin' workin' parts after this long? Ah would'a called it impossible if it wasn't in front o' me right now."

"How much is this all gonna cost?" Braeburn asked, suddenly questioning if he needed to visit a bank or not. Gunmetal, however, only snorted in response. While the unicorn levitated the plethora of parts in the air, he used another glow of magic to open a drawer on the wall marked 'Pre-64 1894.' Floated over to the unicorn by means of a white glow were a couple of sear-springs, as well as a new firing pin and an L-shaped piece of silver metal. As quick as lightning, Gunmetal dropped the old parts and springs, replacing them with the new ones. With another wince of his eyes, the gunsmith reassembled the rifle, the parts coming together flawlessly as the screws tightened in their respective holes. With a nod, the unicorn floated Thumper back over to its owner, who couldn't wipe the awe from his face. Gunmetal used his magic once more, shoving the rounds back through the cartridge gate. Bewildered, Braeburn sat up on a stool, taking the rifle in his forehooves.

"Wow," he muttered.

"There, ya' got a new mainspring, new sears, firing pin, carrier and some fresh screws," Gunmetal explained. "Thumper's as good as new. Now, there's that other weapon Ah told ya' 'bout..."

The unicorn ignited his horn again, and a long, wooden box floated over from a bench on the opposing wall. He set it down in front of Braeburn, who sheathed Thumper once more. Gunmetal paced over, placing a hoof over the lid of the box. His expression was stern, even more so than usual. Braeburn waited patiently for him to speak, exhaling a deep breath.

"Now Brae, Ah know Ah said that this rifle was a gift ta' ya', but this gun comes with a warning," Gunmetal spoke, seriousness in his low voice. "This ain't no ordinary rifle; this here is a serious tool of destruction, in the right hooves, o' course. Ah've put my heart n' soul into this gun fer the past five years, and Ah think it should be in your possession."

"Can Ah ask a question?"

"Ah'd rather ya' did it now rather than later," Gunmetal replied.

"If this thing is as important as ya' say it is, then why give it to me?"

The gunsmith cracked a thin smile. "'Cause Ah know that ya' won't rest until those bandits are either dead or in jail. Now, d'ya have any more stupid questions?"

Braeburn laughed aloud, replying with a shake of his head. At that, Gunmetal removed his hoof from the lid of the box before settling himself on a stool on the other side of the bench. The riflepony felt his muscles tense with apprehension as his hooves made contact with the lid of the long box. It was as if the crate contained some sort of long-forgotten relic of divine power, something he didn't feel worthy of. He entertained the thought of how Daring Do must have felt whenever she uncovered a priceless artifact. Perhaps it was something similar to this excitement. After a short moment of hesitation, Braeburn slowly opened the box.

His eyes immediately flew open at the sight of reflective brass shining brightly in his face, causing him to recoil slightly. Before him was a rifle unlike what he had ever seen before. Instead of blued steel, the long receiver was made of brass, tinting his reflection with a bright gold. Unlike Thumper, the new rifle's receiver was fitted with a brass access plate on each side. The cartridge gate was shorter than a .30-30, indicating the use of a different round. As if the beautiful center of the gun wasn't enough, the hoof-carved stocks were glossy and tinged a bright burgundy, the grain wavy and even somewhat reflective under the coats of fresh wax. At the end of the forestock was a brass endcap, contrary to Thumper's steel band. The barrel of the new weapon was also different. It was octagonal, as well as a few inches shorter than what he was used to. Behind the cartridge gate was a sliding lever, its purpose unknown to Braeburn. He figured that Gunmetal would explain it to him.

But what caught his attention the most was the lever of the rifle. Instead of the dual-looped lever that a Marechester had, this one bore a single loop that worked the entire action, and even acted as the trigger guard. Braeburn picked up the weapon, reveling in its unrivaled pulchritude. He gasped as he turned the face of the receiver away from the lantern's light. Etched into the reflective brass was a multitude of rolling scrollwork, the ends of the lines swaying upward in graceful curls. The newer style of the engraving almost filled both sides of the gun, but not enough to make it look too cluttered. It didn't even look like a gun meant for practical use, but simply for show. He even felt a little uncomfortable holding it, like a prized museum piece out of its case.

"Gunmetal..." the earth pony breathed. "Did you really...make this?"

"Naw, Celestia was in town and did it herself," said the gunsmith, heavy with sarcasm. "What? Ya' think Ah can't build a nice gun?"

"Ah had no idea that ya' built guns in the first place," said Braeburn, amazed.

"Ah don't like ta' advertise it," said Gunmetal flatly, folding his forelegs. "If Ah did, Ah'd have ponies comin' from all over. Not into that kinda' attention."

Braeburn shook his head, looking back to the articulate rifle in his hooves as the gunsmith continued: "Now before ya' run off with that thing, there's a few things ya' need'ta now 'bout it."

The unicorn floated a small cardboard box over to the bench from the other side of the room, along with a wallet-sized metallic box, a latch keeping the lid shut. He then pointed to the rifle's brass receiver with a hoof, starting a steady flow of explanation of its workings: "Now ya' haven't seen a rifle like this fer a reason; the shape of the receiver takes the design of a Marechester Model 1873, but it's made o' brass like the 1866 Yellow Colt. Inside ya' got yer toggle-link action, with a short-stroke kit fer quicker cyclin'. Up front is yer octagonal barrel. It'll be more balanced, more heat resistant, and most important of all; more accurate."

As Gunmetal listed off the features of the weapon, Braeburn tried to comprehend his words. He may had learned quite a lot about rifles in the past year and a half, but he still wasn't a scholar in the field. Feeling as if he were pressed for time, the earth pony only tried to understand what he could. He could only assume that it was all for the good.

"Whaddya call this kinda' weapon then?" asked Braeburn, unable to take his eyes off the ornate scrollwork.

"Unique, if anything," he chuckled.

Gunmetal dragged the larger box of the two in front of himself, flicking it open with the edge of his hoof. He turned it over, carefully dumping a single cartridge in front of Braeburn. "This beauty takes two different kinds of ammunition. Yer primary is the .45 Colt. Not quite what Thumper's .30-30 can deliver, but it'll still take down a pony without a problem. And then...there's the other ammo this lil' devil takes."

The unicorn levitated the smaller metallic box in the air, flicking open the latch to reveal ten rounds of glossy, burgundy cartridges. Braeburn's eyes lit up at the sight of the abnormal rounds, noticing that they lacked a bullet on their ends. But before he could ask, Gunmetal explained what they were: "Meet my other creation: the .45 Dragon's Breath."

Braeburn's eyebrows shot upward, the very name of the caliber throwing him off-guard. "Dragon's Breath? What in the hay is that?"

"The kinda round Sure Shot only wishes he could get his hooves on," said Gunmetal smugly, folding his forelegs again. "Unlike a normal rifle cartridge, these lil' devils don't fire bullets."

"What do they fire, then? Hopes and dreams?" asked Braeburn sarcastically.

The gunsmith, however, did not seem in a joking mood. "These here rounds are what makes this gun more dangerous than others, Braeburn. Ah want ya' ta' take this seriously. The .45 Dragon's Breath is a tool only meant to raise heck. Lemme warn ya', boy: do not use any o' them unless it's absolutely necessary. These are a last-ditch effort to keep yourself or others alive."

Braeburn exhaled. "What do they...well, do?"

"What d'ya think the name is for, Brae?" Gunmetal chided. "It's not somethin' you can explain; it's somethin' that can only be shown. Unfortunately, showin' ya' would spend one o' those rounds. And those are the only ten Ah made. They're darned expensive ta' make."

"Are they what this slidin' lever is here for, then?" Braeburn guessed.

"Well look at that, yer not as dumb as ya' look," Gunmetal chided. "This gun's got a revolving carrier system in it, meaning that it can load rounds into the chamber from two different magazines in the gun. The .45 Colts go in the normal tubular magazine up front. The Dragon's Breath rounds go through the rear stock. Ta' change yer ammo, ya' slide that bolt there. Frontward loads the Colts, rearward loads the Dragon's Breath rounds. But again; ya' don't pull back that bolt without it bein' absolutely necessary. Do ya' understand?"

"Yes, Ah understand," Braeburn breathed. "Gunmetal…Ah don’t know what to say, but…thank you."

“Yer welcome. Just remember what Ah told ya’ ‘bout that thing.”

Braeburn nodded. “Ah promise.”

“Alright, that’s outta the way,” Gunmetal said. “D’ya know what yer gonna do now?”

Braeburn paused, not knowing how to answer that. He placed the rifle back in its box, keeping his unfocused gaze on the engraved receiver. “Ah dunno. Ah have no idea what Sure Shot is up to. Ah have clues, but not enough to tell me what his plan is."

“How d’ya know he’s even got a plan?”

Realizing that the gunsmith hadn’t been told of the recent events, Braeburn recalled his encounters with Sure Shot and his gang from the previous day and night. He went over every detail that he could remember, hoping that Gunmetal could provide some helpful advice.

“So he’s after Cunning’s diary, huh?” the unicorn repeated, rubbing his chin in thought. “You let me read that, and Ah don’t recall nothin’ outta the ordinary in those pages.”

“Ah think he’s looking for somethin’ in those seemingly ordinary pages,” Braeburn commented, crossing his forelegs. “But if Ah’m right, he’s after Daring’s copy. It’d be a might easier to get her’s rather than the original one in Canterlot.”

“Maybe Sure Shot sent that pony after ya’ ta’ see if you knew where she was; where the diary was,” Gunmetal suggested.

The earth pony froze, a chilling theory forming in his mind. “So then…d’ya think he’s goin’ after Daring?”

Gunmetal exhaled, a grave look on his face. “If he needs that diary so badly, then Ah couldn’t imagine him not findin’ her. D’ya know where she might be?”

“No…” he replied quietly, leaning his cheek on a hoof. “Ah have no clue. What do Ah even do now? Sure Shot just teleported away and Ah haven’t seen Daring in over a year. Not to mention nopony knows where Coltwell is…”

“What about your father? Is he doin’ anything about all o’ this?”

“Him and Silverstar are in Appleloosa tryin’ to figure it all out too. What they’re doin’, Ah don’t have the faintest,” answered Braeburn. “What do Ah do now?”

Daring Do awoke in her temporary bed, a small smile remaining from a night full of blissful dreams. She shook her head, amused by her own vivid imagination. Mentally preparing herself for what was to come, the mare rose into a sitting position, the blankets still covering her hindlegs and lap. After a long stretch and a yawn, she found her olive-green shirt on the side of her bed and pulled it over her torso. However, it was a daunting task after such a restful slumber, and she received the help of another pony. The pegasus found Day Break behind her, finishing the job with her teeth. The yellow mare wore an expression of exasperation, practically dancing on her hooves with evident hurry.

“Finally! I thought you were going to sleep all day!” Day Break exclaimed before pointing a hoof to the window behind the bed. Daring turned around to find the sun clear over the horizon, which was no longer an expanse of sea. Now flying past their view was a vast forest, broken up only by a few lakes and rivers down below. They were still high in the air, but Daring knew that they were approaching their destination. She swallowed hard, keeping her thoughts off the creeping dread in the back of her mind. She shivered once, thankfully unnoticed by the other mare, who was trotting over to the other side of the cabin. The yellow mare took the white pith hat off its hook, tossing it to her friend. Daring instinctively caught it atop her head, adjusting it with a hoof.

“I forgot how early you wake up,” she said, giving Day Break a facetious look of annoyance.

“It’s my job to wake up early,” Day Break retorted, approaching Daring once again. “Otherwise Fillydelphia wouldn’t have such nice dawns to wake up to.”

“Right, weathermare. Forgot about that too.”

“I’d prefer to call myself an artist,” replied the yellow pegasus with a sarcastic flair in her voice. “And yeah, you tend to forget a lot of things about your friends.”

Daring raised her eyebrows. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t seen you in years!”

Day Break smirked, waving aside the apology. “Will you learn to take a joke? Come on, get ready so we can get this over with and get back to Equestria already. I’m dying to meet this stallion of yours.”

The dark mare furrowed her brow, scowling at the heat rising to her face. “Ugh, fine.”

“You sure did have a big smile on your face all night,” Day Break said with a chuckle.

“I slept well,” Daring agreed, sitting straighter now, her voice perking up. “I had a nice dream.”

“Well that makes sense. I think I heard you muttering a certain somepony’s name in your sleep,” the yellow mare teased, before stopping what she was doing to whip her head around at Daring with a mock look of disgust. “Ohhh…you had one of those dreams, didn’t you?”

Daring quirked a brow, confused. “What do you mean?” she asked cautiously. A beat later the pieces came together in her mind, and Daring rolled her eyes with a scowl. “Oh come on.”

“You weird little filly,” the yellow mare teased. “When did you become so filthy-minded?”

“Day Break!” Daring exclaimed, her cheeks growing hot again. “Will you stop that already? Geeze…”

Her friend only laughed heartily, covering her mouth with a hoof as she cackled. “Oh my gosh. You are so much fun to mess with.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” the darker mare huffed. "Bright and early with the jokes. Perfect."

Daring Do rubbed the sleep from her eyes before throwing the covers off herself. With a tired huff, she rolled out of the bed and onto her hooves, stretching her limbs once more. She rolled her neck a few times, feeling well-rested for the first time in years. She smiled to herself, silently thanking Celestia for a great friend like Day Break. They had known each other long enough to get into the other’s head, and sometimes even change their mood with a simple conversation. The yellow mare had proven herself savvy in the field the previous night. All she had to do was talk about what made Daring Do happy, and that was enough to let her sleep well through the night. Daring checked the clock on the wall to find that it was already eleven in the morning. She hadn’t expected to arrive at the landing sight so soon, but didn’t complain in the slightest. As long as she could return to Dodge Junction as soon as possible, she was content.

The dark pegasus tightened the grip her hat had to her head as she opened the door to the front of the cabin. While she crossed the threshold, Day Break was busying herself by packing her bags with supplies. Daring nodded toward the distracted mare once before entering the cockpit of the airship.

The front room of the craft was in the shape of half a circle, the round wall made almost entirely out of thick panes of glass. Two large chairs were bolted into the wooden floor, both facing forward. Daring walked around the chair on the right, plopping herself down into the empty seat. The chair on the left, however, was occupied by the pilot of the aircraft. He was a taller stallion, with a coat of gray and a mane of jet-black, short and slicked backward. He gave the mare a quick smile before returning his attention to the controls in front of him.

“Morning, Artemis,” Daring greeted, followed by another yawn.

“Guess you slept pretty well then,” the stallion replied, his forehooves on the large, wooden wheel. “We’ll be landing in a few minutes. Just gotta find the…Ah! There it is!”

Daring leaned forward in her seat, peaking out through the glass to see what her godfather was pointing at. Just ahead was an interruption in the veritable sea of treetops. A large clearing in the forest came into view, the ground flat and the rocks lining its perimeter covered in moss. It had been a long time since their last visit to this rainforest, a day that had haunted her for years now. The pegasus scowled at the sight, unwilling to let the past affect her mood today. She kept her brow furrowed and her eyes sharp, searching the trees for any sign of activity. After a moment or two, she was satisfied that nothing was amiss and stood up from her chair.

“I’m going to help Day Break get ready,” she declared, her tone serious. “Do me a favor and make this landing quick. I don’t wanna be here longer than I have to.”

Artemis snorted. “Well okay then, Captain,” he answered sarcastically, clearly giving her sudden change of demeanor no thought. Daring was appreciative, for she was in no mood for talking about it. She was focused now; determined to arrive and leave in a timely manner. Without another word, she circled the chair once more and exited the cockpit, closing the door behind her. She found Day Break standing to the right, her nose practically against the glass as she peaked out the window. Her wide, ruby eyes traversed the rainforest below, clearly wondrous over the sight. Evidently packing her things had been a hurried chore, for her saddlebags were already slung over her back, her wings furled around them.

Daring didn’t bother to interrupt her sight-seeing, and instead found her already packed bags next to the bed. She quickly slung them over her back, adjusting the small sheathed knife fixed to the strap around her chest, making sure it was within drawing distance before she was satisfied. It certainly didn’t hurt to venture out into the rainforest prepared. She knew full and well that Ahuitzotl was secure in his enchanted imprisonment, but he wasn’t the only predator lurking in the trees out there.

She joined Day Break in front of the window, watching the treeline of the clearing draw closer to the bottom of the craft. Daring found herself shaking on her hooves, unable to wait any longer. The landing was taking too long. At this rate, the apprehension would kill her. "That's it."

Daring Do broke her gaze from the ground below, biting down on Day Break's bag. Ignoring her friend's cry of shock, the monochromatic mare dragged her friend toward the back of the cabin, only letting go to open the back door.

"What in the blue heck are you doing?" Day Break snapped, before being dragged down the narrow hallway on the other side of the threshold. "We'll land in a few minutes!"

"Too long," Daring stated flatly, pulling down a lever on the right wall. Several clicks echoed throughout the short hallway, and the floor ahead opened up like a door, forming a ramp leading to a hundred-hoof drop. The sound of the propellers grew louder, forcing Daring to yell over the noise: "We're going now! Follow me!"

The archaeologist let herself fall forward after running down the ramp, the wind whipping through her mane as she fell. She heard her friend make the descent right behind her, calling out her confusion. Daring paid her friend no attention as she came closer to the ground. Both pegasi threw their wings open just before they made impact, leveling out just above the dirt. They circled the left edge of the clearing, skidding to a halt on their hooves in front of the descending aircraft. Daring spotted Artemis' confused face through the cockpit window above, giving him a short salute. They only watched the large ship land for a few moments before Daring pulled her friend toward the path behind them.

The rainforest was just as Daring remembered it. The trees were tall, plentiful and teeming with life of all kinds. Even after only a few seconds, she was able to spot a few primates traversing the high branches above. The air was moist and full of the many sounds of the wild. Birds chirped, crowed and even screeched along with the cries of a plethora of varying species. Day Break had to stop, her neck craned upward and her eyes attempting to take in the many views. Daring remembered her first time outside of Equestria, and allowed her friend to enjoy her new surroundings.

"Wow...I didn't think it would be so...beautiful," she said quietly. Daring allowed herself a small smirk, temporarily slowing down her impatience. "A little humid, but still pretty."

"Yeah, and watch your step," Daring warned, starting back down the wide path. "Keep your ears and eyes sharp. We're in the wild, not a national preserve."

"With working wings, this time," Day Break commented with a short chuckle, following the archaeologist closely.

"Yeah, fortunately."

The path was never straight for long, for it had plenty of obstacles to bypass. Daring's old team had made it years ago, so she knew all of its curves and quirks by heart. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find a clearing closer to the temple, making their trek take the better part of an hour. Neither of them dared to take to the skies, saving their strength just in case of any sort of emergency. That, and the canopies of the treetops prevented them from finding their destination. While the archaeologist had a certain knack for direction, she was limited by the parameters of the forest.

The sun started to travel toward its apex for the day when the two pegasi arrived at the bank of a large stream. Day Break trotted off the path and toward the water, peaking at her reflection like a small filly seeing a natural body of water for the first time. Daring rolled her eyes impatiently, tapping her hoof on a rock with a scowl on her face.

"Day Break, I wanna get this done. Now," she stated flatly, her tone serious. The yellow mare turned her head back, her brow furrowed but her playful smile still curling her lips.

"Oh come on, Daring. I never get out of the city. This is huge for me," she argued, almost pouting. "Can I just have a few minutes to enjoy the outdoors?"

Daring snorted, adjusting her pith hat. "You're like a foal, you know that, right?"

"And you're like a grouchy old mare," the other pegasus mused. "It's like you said; we have all day. And resealing Ahuitzotl will only take half an hour anyway."

"Maybe you can sight-see after we're done with that?" Daring suggested, taking a look down the path ahead. "It's right down the..."

Daring trailed off once her eyes snapped to an interruption in the bushes to the right of the trail. She had an idea of what it was, but dreaded the very thought. She ignored Day Break's fascination with nature and trotted over to the anomaly in the forest floor. Every step felt like an eternity as she was slowly able to make out the details of what she was focused on. The mare shivered as she felt a bead of cold sweat roll down the side of her face, trepidation creeping up her spine. As she approached the spot of dirt, Daring Do gasped aloud. Between two halves of a crushed bush, was a deep indentation in the dirt. It was perfectly formed in the moist soil, as if it were dug by hoof as a work of art. But art, this wasn't. Art didn't instill a sensation of cold, absolute fear into a pony like this.

"Daring? What is it?"

The dark mare felt her pupils constrict as her forelegs began to tremble. Pressed into the forest floor was an enormous rear paw print, one that could only belong to one creature in the rainforest. It was twice the size of a stallion's head, pressed six inches into the ground. Dug even further into the earth were the sharp claws that protruded from the toes of the paw. Daring had been on the receiving end of those deadly razors only once before; an event she was keen on forgetting.

"Daring! Hey!" came Day Break's concerned voice once more, still not catching her attention. That print could have only meant one thing, and the weathermare seemed to grasp her fears once she saw the paw print. "What're you...oh my gosh...th-that's not..."

Daring Do threw her gaze in all directions, her mane tossing back and forth. Her tiny pupils traversed both ends of the trail, searching for any sign of movement. Her breath quickened to short bursts, her heart beating in her throat. She kept her head low, her mouth close to the knife strapped to her chest. The sounds of the forest disappeared, replaced by the eerie ringing in her head. She felt Day Break huddle close to her, unable to hide her evident fear.

"Day Break..." Daring whispered. "Don't...mo-"

"Daring look ou-"

But before she could even flinch from Day Break's sudden cry, Daring Do felt something quick and powerful collide into the back of her head. The world spun as she flew helplessly through the air for what felt like several minutes. The archaeologist cried out in pain as her right cheek hit the dirt, the rest of her body grinding against the jagged trail for a few yards. Disoriented, the pegasus slowly picked her head off the ground, a warm moisture flowing down her cheek. Before she could roll to her hooves, a powerful grip wrapped around her neck. Daring let out a choked yell as she was slammed against a tree, a clawed, paw-like hand only giving her throat enough room to breathe. The mare fought to keep her head, her chest heaving with panicked breaths. She opened her eyes, her eyebrows set at a fierce angle. However, her expression changed once her fears were confirmed.

Directly in front of her face was a long head with a pair of bright lime-colored eyes, leering directly into hers. The beast was larger than a manticore and cover in a dark purple and blue coat. His colors were heavily accented by a heavy, scaled gold necklace, falling over his broad shoulders. The arm that held the pegasus in place was enormous, bulging with rippling muscles. The monster parted his lips, displaying two rows of long, sharp teeth in a malevolent grin. It was the face that had haunted her dreams for years now, an expression that sent chills down her spine. The long ears on the back of his long head darted up as he uttered a throaty growl. The archaeologist dared to take a brief look to the left, finding Day Break's limp form against a tree, a trickle of blood rolling down her forehead. However, the mare couldn't find it in herself to be angered; only scared out of her mind.

"Daring Do..." Ahuitzotl purred maliciously. "...it's been a looonnng time."

Daring winced at the familiar, accented voice. She failed to hide her quivering form in his grip, her heartbeat rising with every second. “H-How…” she choked out. “How did you escape…?”

Ahuitzotl sneered, chuckling heartily. “Oh, anything is possible with a little help, my dear Miss Do.”

“So now what? Are you gonna kill me?” Daring asked, pleading for something to come out of the trees and free her from the monster’s clutches.

“Kill you? Well, that is very tempting,” the beast purred. “In fact, I haven’t quite decided yet. However, I know that I will make you pay for having the audacity to imprison the likes of me. Oh yes, you will be punished dearly. I will make you want death; need it even. You will beg for your life to end, Daring Do…but for now, you will sleep.”

Daring panicked as she saw her captor withdraw a small pouch as if from nowhere with his free hand. A long tail came into her blurry vision, another hand at its end. The tail untied the string, and the pouch fell open. But before she could see its contents, they were blown directly into her face by the monster. Her senses immediately started to die out, her lowering ears only hearing:

“Rest well, my prey…”

Six - The Bird and the Worm

The weight of two rifles was cumbersome, at first. But once the new dual scabbard was fitted to his body, Braeburn felt a little more comfortable. He imagined that if he hadn't been raised as a workhorse, then he wouldn't be able to carry the large amount of equipment. With two completely different weapons on his back now, he was forced to carry two different types of rounds. Aside from both tubular magazines being filled to capacity, he was given two boxes of ammunition to hold in his bag. Despite Gunmetal's protests, Braeburn filled the rear magazine with all ten Dragon's Breath rounds. He knew that they were dangerous, but nopony knew if and when he would need them.

The riflepony rolled his shoulders and neck in an attempt to comfort himself under the weight of his equipment, finding it rather difficult in the first few moments of donning it. Gunmetal Grey frowned at him, more so than usual. "Ya' sure it's a good idea ta' carry all that?"

"What else am Ah gonna do?" Braeburn smirked, adjusting to the new weight with a shift of his back. "Ah can't exactly leave Thumper behind."

"Yeah, Ah reckon yer gonna get yerself in a situation where both of 'em are needed," the gunsmith replied, walking over to the front door and opening it with a flash of his magic. Sunlight poured over the threshold, bright in comparison to the soft illumination of the lanterns. "So yer off ta' see yer Pa again? Ah can't think o' him not bein' a might cross over you leavin'."

"There's nothin' else Ah can do right now," the earth pony admitted. "Ah don't know where Sure Shot is, or even Daring. Pa and Silverstar might have a clue. It's a long shot, but it's my only option fer now. Ah'll tell ya' one thing, Ah ain't fond of the scoldin' Ah'm gonna get from Pa."

"Ah wouldn't be either," Gunmetal replied. "But go on now, ya' got things ta' do."

"Ya' sure ya' don't want me to pay fer all this?" Braeburn asked, raising a hoof toward the inner pocket of his duster, only to be shooed away by the unicorn.

"Ah imagine that you'll pay me back sometime in the future. Fer now, get on outta here," he said, waving Braeburn out the door. The riflepony complied with a silent smile as he was practically shoved out the door, which was locked behind him. He shook his head, wondering just why the gunsmith was so keen to make him leave all of a sudden. He could only guess that the unicorn wanted him to get on Sure Shot's trail as soon as possible.

Braeburn sighed, taking a look at his surroundings. The small main street was still bare, save for the few ponies that dared to walk outdoors. It was odd, considering that no danger was present anymore. Now alone with his thoughts, the earth pony was forced to face a decision: what move to make next. He considered going over the clues he had once more for a brief moment, only to realize that they still didn't help him in the least. All he knew was that Sure Shot was looking for Daring Do and her copy of Cunning's journal. He was thankful that the bandit leader knew not of his own copy, but also wished that he did. If Braeburn knew that they would be going after Daring for the diary, then he would have sooner given them his rather than put the pegasus in any danger. A small part of him wanted to panic over the very thought, but without knowing what was going on for sure, he didn't know how to feel.

He stood there in the middle of the empty street for what seemed like an hour, knowing that he only had one option at this point. With a huff, Braeburn turned to his left, galloping back toward the train station.

No light was found by the mare’s eyes, nor did any of her other senses seem to send a trace of information to her brain. Her consciousness was a question, not a determined fact. She tried to move her unresponsive limbs, but to no avail. She tried to make a sound, only to hear nothing but a dull ringing in the back of her mind. The mare felt nothing, she thought nothing. For all she knew, her life could have been taken away, replaced by an abyss of semi-consciousness. It took what felt like an eternity for her mind to fully comprehend her body’s condition, but when it did, Daring Do had regretted it.

Pain spiked within every nerve of her head in what would make a migraine seem like a mere dizzy spell. Once her muscles started responding again, the mare screwed her eyes shut in agony, feeling as if she were forced to live through somepony putting a bullet in the back of her head. Her sense of touch came soon after, revealing the cold, rough texture of a stone floor underneath her. Her shoulders ached as if she had climbed a mountain, finding her forelegs tied painfully behind her back. She weakly struggled against what felt like rope, but was as hard as steel. In her current state, however, a mere string might as well have been solid iron to her weakened muscles. She attempted to move her wings, only to find them pressed against her sides by another bond. For a moment or two, Daring fought for consciousness, feeling more and more nauseous by the second.

Her eyes opened, finding the area around her darker than the insides of her eyelids. Her right cheek was flat against the floor, the rest of her body face-down on the cold surface. The air was cool and dry, along with a dull scent of mold. She felt no physical energy to move, but her brain activity couldn’t have piqued quicker. Daring panicked within herself, remembering the events of an unknown amount of time ago. She immediately thought of Day Break, praying inwardly that she was okay. However, her rational mind concluded that Ahuitzotl would have taken or killed her for sure. At that thought, her panic quickly brought her the energy to move.

Daring Do grunted, attempting to find her hindlegs. They were working, although not without a heavy throbbing sensation. It was like a large boulder had been placed on her back, for the effort it took to make herself rise was enormous. The mare gasped with dry breaths as she forced herself upward into a sitting position, her hindlegs stretched out in front of her. Panting, she let her head fall forward, her body exhausted even from such little work. Once her eyes fell shut, Daring kick-started her objective mind to life with a wave of senseless determination. In the midst of darkness and uncertainty, the archaeologist still knew but one fact: she needed to escape. But first, she needed to figure out how.

But she had no more time to think as a faint sound echoed from the darkness ahead of her. Somewhere in the abyss not too far away from her, she heard stone grinding and metal clanking for a brief moment, before she was blinded by an azure flash. The mare clamped her burning eyes shut, quickly turning her head away from the new source of light. The sound of hoofsteps followed; slow and calm. She cast her senses outward, surprised not to hear or smell the beast that captured her. Her eyes flickered open, slowly adjusting to the light of many flaming torches lining the far stone walls around her. As her eyelids and ears rose, they were welcomed by a low, humming chuckle. The mare furrowed her brow in concentration, recoiling slightly at a stinging sensation from her right temple. It was a stallion, that much was certain. But that didn’t explain why a pony and not Ahuitzotl had entered the room. Daring Do forced another wave of panic aside, looking up to see who it was.

It took a moment, but as the mare recognized the other pony, her brow twitched with confusion. He had a coat of dark purple, a jet-black mane and tail and the blue eyes that had been somehow etched into her memory. On the earth stallion’s back hung a sheathed rifle, strapped around a black vest. It had been around a year and a half since she had seen him, but there was no mistaking the riflepony.

“S-Sure Shot,” Daring managed in disbelief, her throat dry. “H-How…”

“I thought you’d be surprised,” the stallion smirked. “Glad to see I was correct.”

Daring grunted as another wave of pain washed over her skull, her racing thoughts splitting her skull. “Wh-What is this? What are you doing here?”

She expected a smirk, something to show his dominance in the situation. However, Sure Shot tilted his head with a quirk of his brow in what seemed like genuine confusion. “Oh? You don’t know? I would’ve expected somepony of your wit to break it down by now. I must say, I’m disappointed.”

“Stop playing,” Daring grunted, wading through the crashing waves of pain in her head. “Tell me what you’re doing out here and not behind bars.”

Sure Shot frowned, a small sigh escaping his lips. He cast a slow glance around the room, pausing to stare at the high ceiling at the edge of the lanterns’ illumination. “A bit ironic, isn’t it? For you to be imprisoned in your old enemy’s cell, while I on the other hoof, am standing before you; a free stallion…”

“Answer the question!” Daring almost yelled, her fury rising in her words. She went to continue her demand, but was cut off as the purple stallion lurched forward. Before she knew it, Daring’s head was pushed back to the stone by a forceful hoof, her fixed gaze away from Sure Shot. The mare grunted as her skull screamed in agony, barely able to feel the cold breath of the stallion against her lowered ear.

“…and as a prisoner, you are in no place to make demands,” Sure Shot whispered, applying consistent pressure to her temple.

The rational portion of her mind begged Daring to be quiet and obey without question, but the majority of her thoughts were focused on defiance. “What does Ahuitzotl have to offer you? What is the reason for this?”

The bandit laughed aloud, softly and mischievously into her ear. “It’s not what he has to offer me, but what I have to offer him.”

Without warning, Sure Shot retracted his hoof before walking a few paces away, his back to her. Daring coughed as she rose to her haunches again, a metallic taste in her mouth. It was with a divine degree of will that she quelled another bout of panic at his confirmation. If there was another more crippling fear in the back of her mind, she had not come to realize it yet. The two beings that frightened her the most, working together. It was a thought that couldn’t be true, an idea too horrifying to exist in the real world. But there she was; captured by a beast that wanted nothing more than her blood on his claws, and an infamous riflepony that led the most feared gang in the West.

There had to be a reason; a goal for Sure Shot to make such a journey all the way from Equestria just to torture her like this. Even though it didn’t matter anymore, she couldn’t help but wonder how the riflepony escaped his cell, much less travel outside of the country and free Ahuitzotl from his enchanted prison. This couldn’t have been a spur of the moment idea; this was something that was planned, something that Sure Shot intended to carry out to the end.

“Judging by your silence, I’d say that you’re starting to put the pieces together,” the earth pony sneered, turning back around to face Daring. He regarded her expression with a sense of calculation, evidently trying to extrapolate something. “But it seems like you’re still missing a few details. Either that, or you have a brilliant poker face.”

“What are you talking about-”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Sure Shot interrupted, his jeering voice suddenly dropping a few octaves into something much more serious. Daring grit her teeth behind her lips as he approached her, his head lowering down to her level. “The journal, Daring Do. What else could you have that I would be interested in?”

The pegasus fought her reflexes and pushed aside the twitch in her eye. Instead she glared right into his piercing blue eyes, her brow furrowed with determination to keep the secrets safe. “What good could an old museum piece do you?”

Immediately following her question, the stallion thrust his face into hers, barely an inch away. Daring exhaled through her nose, fighting every urge to recoil or show any sign of weakness. However, her shields didn’t see to matter to the piercing gaze of her captor. “Then why is it not in the museum anymore? Why is your copy no longer taking occupancy in your home? If it were just a mere artifact, it would be displayed like the rest of your alleged findings, Daring Do! I know for a fact that you had them hidden for a reason! You found something in those pages that nopony else could see, that nopony else would even think to find!”

“What makes you think there’s something to find?” Daring growled, determined to hide as much as she could. “What makes you think I would even find any sort of secret if there was one to be found?”

“Because you found the diary in the first place,” Sure Shot growled in return, slowing raising his head away from hers. “Because you knew that Cunning the Colt existed, despite the fact that he was known as a myth, and nothing more. Now if I made such a prolific discovery, I would be very curious about the secrets a secret would hide. And before you ask, yes, I know a fair amount about you. Your track record is astounding, to say the least, meaning that there is no way in Equestria for you to have slipped-up on what I can only assume to be an incredibly nagging curiosity! Now enough with your lies, and tell me where you hid the diary!”

Daring Do kept her expression defiant, but on the inside, she was helplessly beaten. Somehow, this bandit found out about what she had hidden for over a year now. How he did, she simply couldn’t answer. This wasn’t just some observant journalist looking for an interesting headline; this was a stallion that had brought to light something she hadn’t. While she had sworn to herself to keep Cunning’s secrets a mystery, she couldn’t think of a way to further deny their existence. Sure Shot simply had enough information to corner her, and there wasn’t another thing she could do to delay the inevitable. But on the other hoof, there wasn’t a way in the world that she could allow him access to such dangerous information.

The pegasus swished her monochromatic tail from one side to the other, gathering all of her courage. She looked back up to the purple earth pony, her expression relaxed. She knew she was in for a lot more pain, or maybe even death, but she couldn’t risk such a power in the hooves of this stallion. “That’s too bad, because there’s nothing you can do to get that information.”

At her sneering gaze, Sure Shot snorted in response. He turned on a hoof, slowly walking away from the mare. As he approached the large stone doors on the other side of the cathedral-sized room, he called back one last thing to her, his voice echoing off the walls: “That’s unfortunate. I was hoping to keep such a brilliant mind sane.”

Daring Do winced inwardly at that. She watched as two towering stone doors creaked open, allowing a narrow line of light to show through, as well as something bluish-green. The mare squinted her eyes in an attempt to focus on the blur. The opening in the doors was slim, but she could still make out a single, somber yellow eye looking at her from under teal bangs. She furrowed her brow as the doors closed again, only a second before the torches illuminating the enormous room extinguished themselves. Just as quickly as it disappeared before, the darkness washed over the pegasus, leaving her cold and alone. Or so she thought.

Three things happened in a fraction of a second. A foul stench grazed Daring's nose, followed by a low, devious purr. The mare didn't even have time to think about gasping before a force comparable to a wrecking ball threw her through the darkness. The jagged stone floor ripped at her exposed coat as she tumbled through the abyss, the wind taken from her lungs. Daring wheezed, gasping for air before she was hit by another swipe from the back of a large paw. Without vision, it was difficult to determine her trajectory. But Daring felt like a mouse being swatting across a room by a hungry house cat. As she made impact with a wall, the mare cried out in agony before crashing to the floor. She hit the stone in a broken heap, gasping in an attempt to fill her emptied lungs. A dull ringing occupied her ears, the rest of her senses alight with pain. Her head spun, forcing her throat to convulse with dry heaves. Nausea overtook the mare, and she wished she had something for her stomach to reject, anything to make the feeling go away.

"Oh, how I've waited for this day," came a jubilant, accented voice. "Year after year, the want became a need; to make you suffer for your deeds."

Daring felt herself being lifted up by her right hindleg, her hoof wrapped in the tight grip of Ahuitzotl's paw. She hadn't the strength nor the breath to free herself, and merely hung limply upside-down. The beast's breath was hot against her contorted face, his grin almost audible. "You have been an enormous problem for such a small worm..."

Daring felt herself being flipped around with what she assumed was a flick of his wrist. Before she fell to the floor, his paw shoved her broken form into the wall once again. The pegasus felt her wings crumple underneath their bonds, her shoulders screaming in pain, forced too far in the wrong direction. She couldn't speak, she couldn't think. All she could do was try and breathe, anything to keep herself alive. "...but now, the bird you have evaded for so long finally has your pathetic little head in its talons, and there is no soil for you to escape in."

"Th-This isn't...just about me..." the mare panted, hot blood dripping from her lips. "Sure Shot...what is he giving you for th-this? What is his p-plan?"

"I am not the one who should be talking," Ahuitzotl sneered. "I am the one who is going to make you talk. Tell us where the diary is, and this will be much easier for you."

"Easier?" Daring repeated, her eyebrows arched in a furious angle. She may not have been able to see him, but she knew that Ahuitzotl's feline eyes could see every inch of her face. "By 'easier' do you mean death?"

"You'll find out," the beast cackled, his grip tightening around her torso. "But I can tell you that it will be easier than this!"

The world spun again, and the pegasus felt herself impact with the floor on her back. She arched her back upward, screaming as her spine cracked in several places. Her cry instilled a deafening laugh from Ahuitzotl, who wrapped his claws around her right hindleg once again. She expected to be thrown bodily across the room again, but found the beast hesitating. She shook with creeping dread, panting quickly and heavily. Even if she wasn't tied by steel cables, her ability to move had been taken away by the fall. Her spine felt broken, preventing any ideas of escape. She could only lay there, quivering like the worm she was described as.

"Now talk," he said, his grip cutting off the circulation in her leg. Daring cried out once again, every nerve in her body screaming at her to sing like a canary. However, their pleads slammed themselves into the mental wall that was her tenacity.

"Do what you will, you giant blue fur ball," she hissed through her teeth. "I. Will. Not. Tal-"

But her final word was cut off by a loud, echoing snap. Her lungs burned as she screamed, her leg alight with pure, mind-splitting agony. Her cry was long and high-pitched, her voice cracking before dwindling into nothing more than a pathetic whimper. Ahuitzotl snickered, his touch gone from her broken leg. He only continued his chuckling as he departed the room, barely noticed by the semi-conscious mare. She laid on her side, cringing with every haggard breath. However, her thoughts weren't focused on herself, but the friend she had let down; the friend whose life she had wasted.

Daring Do felt hot tears of pain trickle down her face, feeling lower than she ever had in her entire life.

Seven - A New Task at Hoof

Sleep had always been something that the farmer always either struggled with, or simply welcomed like a warm apple pie in the middle of a snowstorm. Some nights were easy, usually after a hard day’s work accompanied by a fatigued body and mind. But when his brain was filled with uncertainty, anxiety and even fear, Braeburn found rest to be a lost virtue. The background noises of the train and the moving environment didn’t help either, preventing even a wink of sleep.

Braeburn sat alone that night, unfocused but tireless in yet another uncomfortable booth. He was tired of doing nothing after waiting hours for a train to depart to Appleloosa. He sat on his haunches, scooted up against the back of his seat, looking down at the weapons before him. In the small space that he didn’t occupy, both of his rifles were laid out in front of him. They both pointed toward the window as a safety precaution, more to quell the worries of the few passengers nowhere near his seat. None of them cast the earth pony a single glance, something he was thankful for after the previous night. He hadn’t the patience for others asking questions or thanking him at the moment, for he needed peace and quiet to mull over his racing thoughts.

His gaze had been set on the reflective brass receiver of his new rifle, mindlessly tracing the lines of the engraving with his eyes. It was odd owning a weapon with no name after wielding Thumper for so long. He played with the idea of giving it one, more to distract himself than anything. But what would he call it? Did he name it something to reflect its unique look and beauty, or simply reference the allegedly dangerous secondary ammunition that it fired? It wasn’t made from any well-known manufacturer like Marechester or even Auberti, so he couldn’t even call it that. He wondered just what the Dragon’s Breath rounds did, as well as what they were capable of. But with the risk and his extremely limited supply of them, he didn’t dare waste one over mere curiosity. Due to the name, he imagined fire; a large tongue of flame similar to what a real dragon could produce. But without ever witnessing a fully grown dragon display his firepower, Braeburn had nothing detailed to visualize.

The stallion entertained his mental procrastination for a few moments before he returned to a place that he was all too familiar with. His thoughts returned to Daring Do, but this time the theme wasn’t of depression, but of worry. If it was true that Sure Shot was tracking her down, then would she be able to evade them? If she was caught, would she be killed? He may not have known what her situation was for sure, but that didn’t stop his heart from beating in the pit of his stomach. He had noticed that happening more recently as well; his soul panging every time he had the audacity to think of her. Like everything else these days, he wasn’t entirely certain, but Braeburn was starting to think that Autumn Breeze was indeed on to something. Perhaps her question wasn’t so farfetched, for she did seem to know what she was talking about. Not only that, but she suggested a word that Braeburn found to truly define his emotions. He couldn’t imagine worrying about somepony else this much, not without the warmth that Daring’s mere existence brought him.

Hours trekked by as slowly as possible; at least that was what it felt like. Eventually the exhausted stallion watched the moon disappear, replaced by the vista of the rising sun. Finally he arrived in his town, which was quiet to say the least. No other ponies joined him to step onto the platform, nor did anypony depart it either. With every step his eyes fluttered, attempting to close. But even when they did, Braeburn couldn’t sleep. His tireless mind prevented such privileges as always, forcing him to walk on down the small town’s main street. Nopony was awake at this early hour, even though the sun had finally cleared the horizon. He imagined that his father had been awake for at least an hour now, and that he would be scolded immediately.

Braeburn lost track of the time it took to reach the apple orchards on the edge of the settlement, but knew from experience that at least ten minutes must have passed by. He walked up the pathway through the modest wooden arches, spotting one of Bullet Tyme’s workers in the fields to the East. He didn’t take the time to exchange pleasantries, and was thankful that the farmer hadn’t noticed him either. Instead, Braeburn pressed on to the front porch, noticing the lights shining through the curtained windows. Just as he expected, his father was never one to disappoint.

The earth pony went raise a hoof to knock on the door, but was interrupted as it was opened for him. On the other side of the threshold, Bullet Tyme stood without his usual vest and hat. His long mane was even free of its usual tie, draped over his shoulder. His expression looked torn between a scowl and relief, more than Braeburn had expected. But what surprised him the most were the other two ponies in the living room behind his father.

Braeburn’s eyelids flew open at the sight of two mares standing with parted lips, staring at him with looks of worry. The one on the left was a violet unicorn, her straight mane and tail a deep purple with a thin line of bright pink separating the strands. On the right was an orange earth pony, who Braeburn immediately recognized as his younger cousin. Her blonde mane looked frayed in several areas, her usually wafting bangs disheveled. The unicorn looked to be in similar condition, though not as much as the orange mare.

“There ya’ are,” Bullet Tyme grunted, pulling his son into the home by his duster. Braeburn reflexively shook him off, growing weary of ponies handling him in such a manner. “Where in the hay have ya’ been?”

“Yeah cuz, ya’ had us darned near sick with worry!” Applejack joined in, her voice with more obvious concern than Bullet’s. Her friend, however, remained silent as she seemed to find the floorboards particularly interesting.

Braeburn placed a hoof to his temple, closing his eyes as he felt a headache approaching. “Now just hold on a second. Ah had a rough night and-”

“You had a rough night?” Bullet interjected, appalled. “How ‘bout ya’ think o’ yer family fer a second? Ah told ya’ not to leave Appleloosa ‘till we figured out more ‘bout what’s goin’ on! Fer all we knew, ya’ could’a been dead on the side of a road!”

“Well Ah’m not, alright?” Braeburn retorted, opening his eyes to glare at the stallion before him. “Ah knew there wasn’t a thing we could figure out ‘round these parts, and Gunmetal sent me a letter ‘bout this here rifle. And guess what, Pa? Ah found out-”

“Don’t you take that tone with me, boy.”

“Will you listen fer one cotton-pickin’ moment?!” Braeburn almost yelled, his annoyance climbing. “Ah found out what Sure Shot is after!”

Bullet Tyme recoiled, and there was a still silence in the living room for a moment. Braeburn took the opportunity to cast a quick glance over to the two mares on the right, finding both wearing similar looks of shock.

“S-Sure Shot?” Applejack stuttered, taking off her notched Stetson as if it would help her take the information in. “Are ya’ll sayin’ that he’s outta jail again?”

“Isn’t that the pony you put away last year, Braeburn? Is he what caused all of this mess?” asked Twilight quietly, her curiosity evidently outweighing her awkward silence. The riflepony exhaled through his nose, only answering the question with a furrow of his brow.

“AJ, what’re you and yer friend doin’ here? These ain’t exactly good times to be visiting,” he asked, attempting to calm himself down. But it seemed that his father was still cross with him.

“AJ’s here ‘cause she was worried ‘bout ya’,” Bullet said. “She sent a letter askin’ how we were doin’, and after Ah replied with the news, she and Miss Twilight here got on the first train to Appleloosa.”

“I didn’t want Applejack to go alone,” Twilight chimed in, still looking guilty as if she had done something wrong. “Not after hearing what was going on around here.”

“They were up all night worryin’ about ya’,” Bullet grunted, much to his son’s dismay.

“Well Ah’m here now, alright?” Braeburn snapped, looking back to his father. His increase in volume instilled a slight recoil from Twilight and Applejack, which he immediately felt guilty for. Bullet Tyme didn’t reply with anything, but seemed to be holding in his anger. The beige earth pony sighed through his nostrils, closing his eyes for a brief moment. “Look, Ah’m sorry. But me leavin’ fer Dodge ended up bein’ a good idea.”

He then went on to explain the events of the previous day and nights, not skipping a beat even to avoid their looks of shock and worry. When he was done, Braeburn walked around his father and took a well-deserved seat on the couch. The other stallion followed suit as his son stripped himself of his equipment, duster and hat, laying them all out on the table between them. Twilight and Applejack, on the other hoof, merely stood to the right of the table, keeping an eye on the exhausted stallion. Braeburn rubbed his eyes with his hooves, sitting upright on his haunches. His body needed rest, but his mind was having difficulty even contemplating the word.

Bullet Tyme took up the new rifle and inspected it, an impressed look on his face. “Cunning’s journal, huh? Ah guess there was more to our ancestor than we thought.”

“What d’ya think it could be? Another treasure?” asked Applejack.

“I don’t know, but it seems important if that bandit escaped from prison to find it,” Twilight joined in, evidently very interested in the subject.

“It could be treasure or even some sorta’ artifact or somethin’,” Braeburn replied. “But if Sure Shot wants whatever it is, we can’t let him get a hold of it.”

Twilight moved closer to Braeburn, coming into his vision. “Weren’t there copies made of the diary?”

“Yeah, fer Daring and Ah,” he answered. “And Ah have no clue where she or her copy is. Ah’m thinkin’ they’re goin’ after hers, or the one in Canterlot.”

“But the original was taken out of its place in the museum. It was locked up and everything,” said the unicorn. Braeburn’s eyes widened at that, his head whipping around to gape at the violet mare.

“Was that public information?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you go there and find out fer yerself or was it in the newspaper?” Braeburn demanded, perhaps a little louder than he meant to.

Twilight looked uneasy, taken aback from his volume. “Oh, yes. There was an article about it a while back, maybe a few months or so.”

Applejack’s pupils shrunk, rivaling Braeburn’s as she seemed to grasp the nature of such a fact. “Th-Then that means that Sure Shot knows about it!”

“And without access to the original, Sure Shot would have no choice but to find Daring’s,” Bullet concluded gravely.

Twilight gasped, placing a hoof to her mouth. Braeburn fell back into his seat on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling with wide eyes. Then it was true: Daring Do was in danger, and nopony in Equestria knew of her whereabouts. If he wasn’t awake before, he certainly was now. The stallion felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach, quickening in pace as dread overtook him. His body screamed at him to suit up and find her before it was too late, but without a clue of where she was, he was useless. Braeburn groaned aloud, sitting back up and placing his face in his hooves.

“Can’t we get a hold of the Guard and have them deal with this?” asked Applejack before turning to her friend. “Can’t ya’ tell Celestia ‘bout this?”

“Well yes, I could try. But if we don’t know where Sure Shot or Daring Do are, even the Princess won’t be able to do anything about it,” Twilight replied hopelessly.

“We can still get the word out!” Braeburn said, desperation in his voice. “Maybe they were spotted somewhere. We can’t just sit around and not tell nopony!”

Twilight nodded, although halfheartedly. “You’re both right. Bullet Tyme, do you-”

“Parchment’s in the den. Down the hall and to the right,” he replied, receiving another nod before the unicorn darted out of the room.

As the conversation died, Braeburn allowed himself to breathe as he sat up straight once more, his gaze fixated on the cluttered table before him. Applejack took the opportunity to sit next to her cousin, placing a brief but reassuring hoof on his shoulder. He glanced at her to find a small smile, despite the deep concern in her emerald eyes. “She’ll be alright, cousin. Celestia wouldn’t let one of her subjects down.”

“But what if the Guard doesn’t find them in time?” Braeburn replied quietly. “What if Sure Shot finds her first? Daring would know if there was somethin’ hidden in Cunning’s journal, and would never respond to threats. What if they killed her, Applejack?”

“Ya’ can’t let yerself fret now, boy,” came Bullet’s voice, much more understanding than before. “Fer now, all we can do is hope fer the best.”

“But Ah can’t help but worry,” the riflepony whispered.

Before anypony could respond, there was a flash of purple light from the hallway, accompanied by the tell-tale sparkling of magic.. Twilight trotted back into the living room shortly after, receiving expectant looks from the three earth ponies.

“Alright, I wrote the Princess a letter explaining the situation. Celestia is usually very quick to reply, so we should expect one in-”

Her words were cut off by a quick burst of white light, followed by a tied scroll landing on the floor in front of the unicorn. She pursed her lips with a somewhat unsurprised look on her face, floating the letter in front of her face as it was untied. “How in Equestria does she do that?”

“What does it say?” Applejack perked up, contrary to Braeburn’s pessimism.

Twilight cleared her throat as all eyes fell on her. She read the letter aloud, quickly and calmly:

“To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle: I have indeed been made aware of the bandit named Sure Shot and his escape. The Royal Guard has been told as well, and have been instructed to arrest him on sight. As for his current whereabouts, he seems to be well hidden, for he’s been wanted throughout Equestria since the day of his escape, and yet still he seems to have evaded us.”

Twilight cocked her head back, quirking an eyebrow. “That’s odd. Something like that is usually on a need to know basis.”

“To the public, not to her personal student,” said Bullet Tyme, gesturing for her to read on.

The unicorn complied: “To answer your question of Daring Do's whereabouts, I apologize, but I am unaware. Ever since her finding of Cunning the Colt's tomb, I haven't heard anything more. Truth be told, it doesn’t seem that we know any more of the situation than you do. However, I can assure you that I have some of my best ponies on the case, and that we shall find this bandit and his followers so that they may meet justice.”

Braeburn failed to suppress a quiet scoff from escaping his lips. Applejack responded with a hushing punch to the shoulder, which he ignored. Twilight continued once more:

“I would advise you and your friends to be extremely careful for the time being. Considering that we know not of Sure Shot’s location, it would be unwise to stay outdoors after dark. Keep your wits about you Twilight Sparkle. I will send word with more information the minute we obtain it. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.”

“Well, at least the Princess is tryin’!” Applejack perked up in an attempt to lighten the mood. Twilight seemed to be on the same page, or at least the same chapter. She wore a halfhearted smile, her eyes switching between Braeburn and Bullet Tyme.

“Yeah, at least there’s that,” the riflepony sighed, his gaze unfocused. The same went for his thoughts, for they didn’t seem to have any one point of focus other than the general thought of Daring Do. “So what now?”

Twilight looked as if she wanted to answer, but was cut off as Bullet Tyme bolted upright in his recliner, causing the rest of them to flinch at the sudden movement. The stallion’s brow was lowered and his ears were lifted straight up, twitching as if to pick up some sort of low frequency. “Hear that?”

“Hear what?” Applejack asked, pricking her own ears up as well. “Frankly Uncle B, Ah’m surprise you can hear anything after decades o’ shootin’.”

Bullet shushed her quietly as he climbed to the floor, walking toward the front door to Braeburn’s right. “Sounds like propellers.”

“Propellers?” Applejack repeated uncertainly. “Like on a boat?”

“Why would a boat be out here in the desert, AJ?” Braeburn scoffed.

“Ah’m not sayin’ there’s a boat out there-”

“Then why’d ya’ say it?”

“Will you two shut yer pie holes?” Bullet Tyme hissed from the door. Braeburn rolled his eyes, distracting himself with a look out the window behind the couch. His irritation immediately disappeared at what he assumed to be the source of the sound his father was hearing.

In the distance over the buildings of Appleloosa was a large ovular balloon, with a long wooden craft on its underside. It had short wings on either side of the body, with what looked like turbines spinning two large propellers. The balloon was a dull shade of green, with a single stripe of off-white down the side. Overlapping the color scheme was a picture of a golden compass rose situated toward the rear of the balloon. The craft was in the middle of a turn, its assumed front end pointing directly toward the farm. As Braeburn stared out the window, the other three ponies joined him to gape at the sight.

The beige stallion started to hear what his father was talking about; the quick and heavy fwump fwump fwump of the airship’s propellers. His eyes were drawn to the golden design on the balloon. It was familiar, something he had seen before. It took a moment, but Braeburn finally remembered just where he knew the symbol from.

“Th-That’s Daring’s cutie mark!” he stammered, pointing at the compass rose.

“She has an airship?” Twilight almost gasped. “And here I thought my hot air balloon was nice.”

But Braeburn was no longer in the mood for pandering. His heart rose to life, beating hard against his chest. He sprung away from the window and off the couch, throwing the brass rifle over his back and leaving Thumper behind as he darted for the door. In his excitement, Braeburn ignored the calls from his father and his cousin, opening the door and bolting through it. He sped down the dirt path and through the wooden arch at a steady gallop, his eyes fixed on the airship ahead. It was still far above the town, but was descending at an alarming rate toward the orchards. Pushing aside his elation, the stallion came to a halt directly in front of the farm’s borders. He could hear Twilight, Applejack and his father approaching him from behind, but he didn’t care.

All that was on Braeburn’s mind was the aircraft, and the mare that had to be inside of it. Finally, after a year and a half, he would see her again. He could hold her; tell her everything that he felt about her, regardless of how she felt in return. He had his hopes, but the stallion only wished to see her bright rose eyes light up at the sight of him again. Braeburn kept his eyes on the windows of the cockpit, attempting to make out the pilot with a grin he couldn’t seem to get rid of.

“Hold on now, boy,” came his father’s gruff voice as the other three caught up to him. “Ya’ don’t know if that’s her or not.”

“Well that’s definitely her cutie mark on the balloon,” said Twilight, catching her breath from the run.

“Ya’ sure ‘bout that?” asked Applejack skeptically. “Ah don’t really remember what it looked like to be honest with ya’.”

Twilight prodded her temple with a hoof, wearing a smug grin. “Photographic memory. It never fails.”

“Either way, Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen ya’ so excited in my life, cousin,” said the orange mare with a chuckle. Braeburn didn’t answer for lack of coherent thought. All he knew was that he was finally about to see the mare he couldn’t stop thinking about.

The airship was closing in, reaching a point just above them as Braeburn spotted something bolting out from behind the wooden cabin. His eyes deceived him momentarily, making him think that the object was a dark yellow and gray. But after a few blinks, he noticed that it was in fact a pegasus, although not the one he was hoping to see. Even from the distance, he could see the mare’s bright yellow coat, complimented by a mane and tail of two shades of red. Twilight and Applejack made noises of confusion behind Braeburn, who noticed the pegasus turn around to make a bee-line for them. As the airship began its landing process in the fields just to the North, the mare gained an enormous amount of speed, hurtling down toward the ground at a shallow angle.

Before either Braeburn or his father could draw their weapons out of uncertainty, the pegasus hit the ground ten yards in front of them. Her momentum put her into a long skid, her hooves digging into the dirt as she quickly slid toward Braeburn. He made no motion to draw his rifle, for it didn’t seem like this mare came to pick any sort of fight. Once her momentum was depleted, the yellow pony trotted up to the four of them, her large ruby eyes looking Braeburn over with evident haste.

“Are you Braeburn Apple?” she asked, her voice quick and laced with desperation. Her eyes looked bloodshot, with dark circles underneath them. She couldn’t seem to stop shaking either, as if something terrible had happened. As quick as it came, Braeburn’s excitement died away, replaced by a creeping dread. His smile disappeared as he looked back over to the landing airship, and then back to her.

“Y-Yes. Yes Ah am,” he replied, his voice shaken. “Do Ah know you, Ma’am?”

The mare let out a quick sigh of relief before rearing up to place both her forehooves on Braeburn’s shoulders. “Thank Celestia I found you! Braeburn listen to me, I need you to come with me right now!”

“Ah’m a might sorry Miss, but Ah don’t-”

“Braeburn, it’s Daring! She’s in trouble and she needs your help!”

There was a gasp behind the beige stallion, followed by a murmur of shocked confusion. Braeburn only stared at the mare, his heart slowing down to a dangerously slow pace. He searched her eyes, looking desperately for any sign or tell of a lie. But when he found none, Braeburn inhaled a shaking breath as every last one of his fears were confirmed. The pegasus let herself fall from his shoulders, although not backing up one step. She looked up to him with large eyes, waiting for him to say something.

“Wh-What? What happened?!” he demanded. “Where is she?!”

“I’ll explain everything on the way there. But for now I need you to get on that airship so we can get to her,” the mare said, her words quick and faltering as if she had been crying.

Bullet Tyme walked over to Braeburn’s left side, looking down on her with a suspicious look on his face. “Who are ya’? How do we know yer not lyin’ to us?”

The mare cocked her head back, appalled. “We don’t have time for this, sir!” she said, turning back to Braeburn. “Braeburn, please! I need you to help us right now! Daring might not have much time left, and if we don’t leave right this second she could be killed!”

Braeburn’s eyes shot even further open as his entire body seemed to freeze on the spot. He was dreaming, he had to be dreaming. He may have only hesitated for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for the impatient pegasus in front of him.

“Braeburn, it’s Ahuitzotl alright?!” she screamed, her desperation starting to turn into anger. Another gasp was heard behind him, but this time Braeburn didn’t hesitate. The riflepony dug a hindhoof into the ground, turning around to dart back toward the barn home. “What are you doing?! Where are you going?!”

The beige stallion turned his head back to holler over his shoulder: “Keep the ship runnin’!”

Braeburn focused on nothing but what the pegasus had said, as well as leaving as quickly as possible. Daring had once mentioned Ahuitzotl; a monster that was much more dangerous than how he was perceived in the books. But she had said that the beast was locked away, kept away from the world, so just what happened? He knew that he would be told in a few minutes, but the stallion wanted answers now. He wanted to know if they had enough time to save her; he wanted to know if she was even alive.

Braeburn leaped over the front porch and through the door, skidding to a halt next to the table cluttered with his equipment. But before he could start to dress himself, a glow of violet light erupted from his clothes and his weapons. He forgot about Twilight’s magic, thanking her with a nod as she came into her vision. The riflepony reared up, balancing on his hindlegs with his forelegs spread wide. The unicorn floated his duster over first, followed by his dual scabbard and hat. The three items fitted themselves around the stallion, the coat draping over his tail in his bipedal position.

“Are you sure about this?” Twilight asked. However, it was more of a confirmation than a question, the level of her seriousness defined by the look on her face. Braeburn stared her straight in the eyes, his expression stern. “This could be dangerous. We don’t know what the real Ahuitzotl is capable of.”

“It doesn’t matter what he can do,” said Braeburn flatly. “If he has Daring, then Ah’m not waitin’ ‘round fer the Guard to find him.”

“I imagine you’re going to tell Applejack and I to go back home and wait for this all to end,” she replied, receiving another nod in return.

“Ah’m not involvin’ anypony that Ah don’t have to.”

“But we can help!” Twilight tried, although to no avail. “We can gather the Elements of Harmony and-”

“If what that pegasus out there says is true, then we don’t have time fer that,” said Braeburn, falling back to his hooves as Twilight finished by sheathing both rifles on his back, along with his bag of previously-packed supplies. “Ah’m sorry Twi’, Ah know ya’ll wanna help but Ah can’t let anypony else get hurt ‘cause o’ this.”

At the end of Braeburn’s sentence, Bullet Tyme reentered the house, walking straight across to the hallway behind Twilight. “Well that’s all well and good Braeburn, but there ain’t a thing you can do to stop a father from bein’ there fer his son. Ah’m goin’ with ya’.”

Braeburn went to open his mouth to reply before his father exited the living room, only to find himself biting on his lower lip in hesitation. To his annoyance, he realized that the older stallion was right; he couldn’t keep Bullet Tyme from worrying, much less stop him from accompanying him. As Braeburn grunted, Twilight took a single step forward, her previously-awkward demeanor switching to something more confident and determined. She furrowed her brow, tilting her head up to look at him.

“I understand that you don’t want us to risk our lives like you’re doing, Braeburn, but me, Applejack and the other bearers of the Elements are grown mares. We can take care of ourselves; we’ve done it before.”

The earth pony pursed his lips, tapping a forehoof on the wooden floor. In his impatience, he couldn’t justify having this argument right now. He needed to get on that airship and leave as quickly as possible. “Look, Ah’m not gonna tell ya’ what to do or not to do, but it’s just too soon to know if we’ll need the Elements. This isn’t just Ahuitzotl; this is also Sure Shot and his gang too. When we find out more, Ah’ll do what Ah can to let ya’ll know, alright?”

Twilight didn’t seem completely satisfied, but dropped the matter regardless. “Alright. Applejack’s outside with that mare. I’ll make sure to tell her not to try and go with you. I know she’ll try.”

And with that, the unicorn disappeared in a spherical flash of purple light, reappearing outside next to Applejack down the path. A beat later Bullet Tyme returned into the living room from the hall, a new rifle strapped to his back along with a saddlebag of his own. “Ah’m not gonna hear no argument from you, am Ah?”

“Like ya’ said, Ah can’t stop ya’,” said Braeburn, gesturing to the door with his head. He led his father out the front door and down the path after Bullet Tyme locked the barn home. They galloped down to the air ship, finding the three mares waiting impatiently for them to approach. The propellers of the large craft were keeping the balloon a few hooves from the ground, the rear of the cabin opened to allow a ramp to touch the ground. Artemis was nowhere to be found, and was assumed to be in the cockpit. Applejack gave the two stallions a look of irritation, to which Braeburn replied with a solemn expression. He withdrew his keys from his pocket with his teeth, tossing them to Applejack, whom caught them around her hoof.

"My copy of the diary needs to disappear, alright?" he asked, his tone indicating the importance of the request. Applejack nodded along with Twilight.

“You two better come back in one piece, ya’ hear?” she said in a demanding tone, rearing up to wrap them both in a brief but loving hug.

“O’ course we will,” Bullet grunted as they were released. “And you better keep yerself safe.”

“You too,” said Twilight and Applejack quietly.

With a simultaneous nod, Braeburn and Bullet Tyme followed the silent yellow pegasus up the ramp of the craft, waving what very well could have been their final goodbyes.

She was left alone in the dark, bleeding on the cold stone floor. It could have been five minutes or even an hour, it was all the same to her. She laid on her front, her bleeding cheek to the floor with her eyes closed. The pain in her head had dulled, but the rest of her body seemed to be picking up the slack in that department. Daring was immobile, her spine flaring with every minor movement or wince. She couldn’t feel her hindhoof anymore, but the fractured joint was enough to make a young filly bawl her eyes out relentlessly. The lack of light prevented her from looking at it, which was the only thing she could be thankful for. She tried every mental trick in the book to block out the pain, but with absolutely zero success.

Daring breathed slowly, valuing every inhale as if it were her last. But she wasn’t fearful for herself, but for yet another friend she had endangered. For all she knew, Day Break was facing a similar fate somewhere nearby, a thought she couldn’t bear. The last time Daring saw the yellow mare, she was unconscious on the side of the trail. But for how long was she asleep? Was she able to make a run for it, or was she dead by now? The monochromatic mare choked on her own breath, clinging on to a pinprick of hope for her fillyhood friend. Daring Do had let her down, in the worst way imaginable. She just wanted to wake up in the airship and realize that it was all a terrible dream. But by now, there was no mistaking it: this was real, and the archaeologist had no foreseeable means of escape. Even if she wasn’t bound by the steel cables, there was no hope of movement in her crippled state.

The insides of her eyelids lit up as the sound of the lanterns igniting filled the silence of the large room, followed by a long grinding noise. Daring allowed her eyes to flicker open halfway, panting in agony as she turned her head to spot the visitor. She had expected Sure Shot to enter, but found a blue unicorn instead. It took a few moments for her to make out the details, but eventually the blur was close enough for her to see. The unicorn was male, with a short, unkempt mane and tail of a bright teal. He was short and had a thin frame, but looked to be almost Daring’s age. On his back was a single saddlebag, obscuring his cutie mark. He looked down to her with solemn yellow eyes as he approached, but still instilled a look of hate from Daring Do.

“Whatcha’ got there? More things to torture me with?” she grunted, her voice haggard and low.

“Not quite,” the unicorn replied, his tones as somber as his expression. “That’s not my role here.”

Daring arched her eyebrows, wincing as confusion washed over her dreary mind. “Then what are you here for?”

The unicorn looked to his right, floating the bags off himself and placing them on the floor. With another azure spark, he opened the magic and began laying out an array of medical supplies. “To heal you.”

“Wh-What?” Daring stammered, her voice cracking slightly. “Are you here to break me out or something?”

The stallion frowned, looking down to the supplies he had finished unpacking. “No. To quote my boss, ‘I am to prepare you for your next round.’ I assume that means so Ahuitzotl can come back in here again.”

Daring squinted her eyes at the stallion suspiciously, watching him uncork a small vial full of violet liquid. Healing the pony being tortured didn’t make sense. But she knew that Sure Shot wasn’t stupid. There had to be a reason for it. “Wouldn’t making me suffer with a broken leg be more likely to force the answer you want out?”

“It’s not an answer I want,” he answered hotly, as if he was insulted. However, he didn’t continue on to answer the question.

While he kept a solid exterior, there was something else in his yellow eyes, something contradicting his actions. Before she could ask another question, the stallion placed the vial down and walked around to Daring’s hindlegs. She made a quick instinctive move away from him, only to be struck with a tidal wave of pain through her leg and spine. The mare could only bite back so much of her scream, resulting in a broken groan through gritted teeth.

“How can I fix your leg if I don’t know how bad the fracture is?”

“Why should I trust you?” she seethed. “How do I know you’re not going to just make it worse?”

The unicorn didn’t reply with words, but instead with a flash of his horn. Daring immediately flinched at the touch of his magic around her broken leg, grunting with her face contorted in pain. He released it almost instantly, letting it fall a few inches to the floor.

“Alright, you’re going to have to drink that fluid,” he said, floating the opened vial to her lips. Daring reflexively backed her face away from the small glass. “This is going to hurt quite a lot. Either you drink that or deal with the pain.”

The mare furrowed her brow in confusion, squinting her eyes at the vial. None of this made sense to her. Surely in their minds, Daring deserved to be put in as much pain as possible until they got what they wanted, so why would this pony save her even this much? However, it didn’t matter in the long run. With no foreseeable way of escape in her mind, Daring knew she would only be put through a divine amount of agony very soon either way. But that didn’t mean she had to deal with any of it at the moment.

Daring leaned her neck forward, allowing the unicorn to press the opening of the vial against her lips. She expected it to taste foul, but was surprised to find it flavorless. The small amount of alleged medicine took only a second or two for her to consume, and she gasped as it instantly took effect. But instead of the effects of the everyday painkiller, a warmth spread over her leg and spine. They weren’t numb, but a sense of calm seemed to tingle in her damaged bones.

“There, all set,” came the stallion’s voice as he came into view. He didn’t look at her, but to the supplies he started to repack. Daring winced an eye at him, catching his attention. “So are you going to try and move that leg or not?”

“Wh-What?”

“It should be healed now,” he replied in a low tone, looking determined to keep his face apathetic.

Daring slowly bent her body forward on her side, looking down to her right hindleg. Her eyes flew open as she watched herself move it freely without so much as a pang of discomfort. It was as if it were never broken, save for the slight swelling just below her knee. She tested it further by pressing her hindhoof against the floor. Again, there was zero pain. It was like the time it took for the leg to heal had been speed up to an impossible degree. Daring looked up again, keeping her bewildered eyes on the unicorn as she rose to her haunches. “H-How...”

The unicorn let out a short burst of air through his nostrils, throwing the bag over his back and turning to walk away. Once he reached the towering stone doors, he stopped to give her a final sidelong glance. “One more thing, Daring Do: that vial never existed.”

With that, he left through the stone doors, and she heard him lock it a moment after. Daring stared with wide eyes at the spot the unicorn had previously occupied, her jaw agape. She waited a few moments to find the torches still lit. She didn’t notice it at first, but a short smile played on her lips.

Eight - Tale of an Immortal

Braeburn watched as Twilight and Applejack shrunk to the size of house cats as the craft ascended into the sky, their solemn expressions becoming more and more indistinguishable as they rose. The yellow mare pulled a lever on the wall of the small bay room, and the ramp slowly lifted upwards and leveled-off with the rest of the floor. For a moment, the bay room was pitch-black until a door was opened, allowing them to see again. The yellow mare stood in the threshold, gesturing for them to follow with a motion of her head. Bullet silently complied, his son right behind him.

They walked into what looked like a living room. There was a pair of small couches on either side of a coffee table to the left, with two cots on the right and another door directly across from the bay room. Before Braeburn could take a more thorough look around, the entire cabin shifted violently upward. The turbines roared to life as they climbed upward, forcing Braeburn's legs to stiffen out of reflex. He closed his eyes as nausea started to rear its ugly head. The stallion shook it off, swallowing as a precaution.

"Never been on an airship, forgot about that," Bullet mused, who looked as if he was still planted comfortably on the ground. Braeburn winced, distracting himself with only his immediate surroundings. He kept his eyes off the windows lining the side walls, looking back to the pair of temporary beds on the right. Both were unmade, the covers and sheets bundled loosely on the ends of the cots. Braeburn couldn't help but stare at the bed closest to the bay door, spotting a single long, dark gray hair on the imprinted white pillow. He let out a breath of air through his nose, grinding his teeth with anxiety.

"Yes, that's where she slept, in case you're wondering," came the mare's voice, breaking him out of his stupor. He looked to his left to find her at his side, staring at the empty bed. Her ruby eyes were half-lidded and unfocused, still bloodshot around the edges. Braeburn watched her closely, finding the corner of her mouth twitching ever so slightly. "I'm sorry that we came by so suddenly. I-I just couldn't wait for anypony else t-to...to..."

The mare's low voice broke and faded away, her eyes closing as she choked back a small noise of despair. Braeburn sighed, his compassion screaming at him to lift a foreleg and wrap it around her. Being a complete stranger he expected to be pushed away, but Braeburn was glad to find her lean into the embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder, her own convulsing as she quietly choked on her tears. The stallion held her close as if she were a long-time friend, resting his chin atop her swaying crimson mane.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry," she whimpered.

"Don't be sorry, Miss," Braeburn whispered. "Ah'm glad ya' came to us. But right now ya' need to tell us what happened."

"And just where we're going. That be a mighty fine thing to know," said Bullet, who had seated himself on the rearward couch by the window, his bag and rifle leaned against the wall next to him.

The mare withdrew her face from Braeburn's shoulder, wiping her eyes with a hoof. "She was right; you are kind."

Braeburn smiled at that, although briefly. "Ah'm sorry, but if you could tell us-"

"Right, right, I'm sorry. Come on over and sit and I'll explain everything," said the mare, sniffing back her sorrow and walking over to the coffee table, sitting across from Bullet Tyme. Braeburn nodded, dropping his equipment on the floor against the wall before he sat next to his father on the couch.

“Ya’ might wanna start with yer name,” Bullet started, a small smirk of his face. “Or else Ah’m just gonna call ya’ ‘Sunshine’ with that mark o’ yers.”

To Braeburn’s surprise, the mare actually smiled, if only for an instance. Otherwise he would have scoffed at his father’s rudeness. He didn’t notice it before, but her flank was adorned with a bright sunrise, almost invisible against her yellow coat. “I can’t tell you that I’d enjoy that too much. My name is Day Break; I’ve been friends with Daring since we were foals.”

“Nice to meet ya’,” said the older stallion. “Obviously ya’ know my son, somehow. But Ah’m Bullet Tyme.”

“Oh yeah, my sister in Appleloosa knows you. Odd that she never talked about you, Braeburn,” said Day Break, looking back to him.

Braeburn thought for a moment, taking a wild guess when he said: “Yer sister is Smolder, right?”

Day Break snorted. “I take it the bright coat and mane colors tipped you off.”

Braeburn nodded with a polite smile. While he was anxious to know about Daring Do, he also needed the mare to calm herself before explaining what happened. He needed to know every last detail, even the ones that could have been difficult to remember. Judging by her change in mood, it seemed that he had been successful.

Day Break took a breath, evidently feeling that she needed to start talking about what had transpired. She cleared her throat, looking back to both stallions across from her. “Artemis will be out in a moment. We just need to get on course before he can step away from the cockpit.”

“Artemis?” Bullet asked.

“Daring’s godfather,” answered the pegasus. “He’s pretty much her means of transportation, whether it be by land or air. But he’s…not in the best of moods right now.”

Day Break went to open her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by the front door of the cabin opening. A tall gray stallion stepped into the room, his face gaunt and emotionless. Braeburn remembered his black mane to be neat and slicked back, but now it was messy, a few bangs falling on either side of his face. There was a noticeable lack of life in the stallion’s eyes, as if a piece of him had been taken away. Braeburn tried his best to give him a reassuring smile, but didn’t know what it ended up looking like. He didn’t properly regard Braeburn or his father, but simply paced over slowly, eyeing the beige earth pony with a level of familiarity. Artemis stopped next to the table, not bothering to sit down in the free seat next to the mare.

“I’m glad you could make it, Braeburn,” he said slowly, his once joyful tones now dark and grave. “And you too, Bullet Tyme.”

“Ah take it Daring told you about me too?” Bullet smirked, unsurprised. Artemis only nodded once. “Well, Ah’m sorry ‘bout yer goddaughter. Braeburn’s told me ‘bout yer family situation. We’ll get her back, partner.”

“I certainly hope so,” Artemis replied, nodding to Day Break to continue the conversation.

“Right, well, I’ll explain what happened,” the yellow mare started after a long exhale. “As Daring might have told you, Ahuitzotl isn’t just some storybook villain.”

“Ah apologize to cut ya’ off already, but just who or what is Ahuitzotl?” asked Bullet quickly, as if the question had been burning in his mind. Braeburn had never thought to bring it up in his recollections of his and Daring Do’s last adventure, for the creature had only been mentioned to him briefly in conversation once before.

“Right, you probably haven’t been told,” Day Break acknowledged, sitting up straighter now. “Ahuitzotl is…well, a monster; a beast that I didn’t take seriously until I saw him for myself. From what Daring has told me, he’s…”

When Day Break hesitated, Artemis finished the sentence for her: “An immortal.”

Braeburn’s eyes flew open in disbelief, his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach once again. Daring had never mentioned that, nor had the books, even. He had always thought Ahuitzotl to be of the same league as a dragon or a manticore; powerful, but not unable to die.

“What?” Bullet exclaimed. “So he’s like the Princesses?”

“No, not quite,” Artemis answered. “Celestia and Luna are of a superior type of immortal. They are goddesses, while Ahuitzotl merely cannot die by natural causes. He has lived for hundreds of years, too powerful to be killed by another.”

“Then how come Ah haven’t heard o’ this ‘Ahuitzotl’?” Bullet asked. “Wouldn’t a thing like that be public knowledge?”

“Technically, he is,” said Artemis, becoming more vocal now. “If you read the books, you would know more about him. But again, they are merely tales for fillies and colts. He was treated as a mere fictional antagonist, not the ugly beast that he truly is. Not only that, but Ahuitzotl has remained outside of Equestria’s borders, far beyond the awareness of our government. Daring and I are the only ponies that have trekked the foreign land and lived to tell the tale.”

“Alright, so then he has some sorta grudge with Daring, then?” asked Braeburn, trying to learn as much as he could as quickly as possible.

“Not just a grudge,” said Day Break gravely, putting heavy emphasis on her words. “After Daring recovered the Sapphire Statue, she escaped the tomb and fell right into Ahuitzotl’s trap. You may remember that from the first book, Braeburn.”

The riflepony nodded, able to recall the scene quite clearly, as he had read it quite a few times before meeting the real Daring Do. Day Break continued on:

“Well, Ahuitzotl wasn’t exactly thrilled to find somepony stealing what he built a tomb to protect.”

“Wait, Ahuitzotl built the Tomb of the Sapphire Statue?” Braeburn asked, bewildered. “So…that explains why he built the trap that…”

“…That killed Daring’s parents, right,” the yellow mare finished for him. “But she didn’t know that, at the time. This was years later after their death. But she was told once she met up with Ahuitzotl himself. She wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that, of course. There was a struggle, one that almost killed her. But in the end, Daring was able to buy enough time for the Keepers to use their magic and seal him in a stone prison underground.”

Braeburn quirked an eyebrow, holding up his forehooves in a slowing-down sort of gesture. “Whoa, now hold on just fer a minute. Who are the ‘Keepers’?”

Day Break cocked her head back, her brow furrowed with evident confusion. “Wait…Daring never told you about them?”

The stallion shrugged. “If it had to do with Ahuitzotl, then we kinda skipped over it. She only mentioned him once fer about a second.”

“Oh, then I guess all of this is brand new information,” said Day Break, turning to look up at Artemis. “You wanna tell them? I only know so much from what Daring told me. She was sorta vague.”

Artemis nodded once. “The Keepers are of an ancient civilization native to Mesoequestria: our current destination. They have a name in their own language, but that’s just the Equestrian term we have for them. You see, ever since Ahuitzotl was young, he has fueled his greed by stealing every valuable gem and artifact from the Ancient Mesoequestrians, even sometimes building temples to safeguard them. But unfortunately, he was never one to sneak in the dark and avoid detection. While he is indeed intelligent, he is still a beast of incredible power. He terrorized ponies in ancient times, destroyed villages and even killed many. Eventually, the ponies of Mesoequestria responded by gathering their most powerful unicorns to keep their treasures and secrets safe, protecting them from the likes of Ahuitzotl. Ever since those times the Keepers have been of the same bloodlines, and are now made up entirely of their descendants.”

“So if that’s their job, how was Daring able to take the Sapphire Statue?” asked Braeburn.

“Because Daring was the one that stopped Ahuitzotl, remember?” Day Break answered almost impatiently. “In return for being able to finally seal the monster that terrorized their lives for centuries, Daring was able to bring the Statue back to Canterlot.”

“And since that day, Daring and I have been friends with the ponies of Mesoequestria, as well as the current generation of Keepers,” Artemis continued. “But now it seems after all this time, Ahuitzotl found a way to break free of his seal. Unfortunately, we don’t know how. He couldn’t have done it himself. Day Break came back to our landing site yesterday and just told me to fly to Appleloosa. But I wasn’t about to leave my goddaughter behind.”

“Then why did ya’?” asked Bullet Tyme.

Artemis scowled, opening his mouth to answer but was cut off by the yellow mare: “Because he would have died if he went after her.”

“I could have at least tried!” the gray stallion exclaimed, although quietly as he glared at Day Break. “If you would have let me go-”

“Then we wouldn’t have a chance of saving her,” she replied, her tone calm despite Artemis’ anger. The stallion snorted, turning around and walking toward the windows on the other side of the cabin.

“She’s more right than ya’ know, Artemis,” said Braeburn, slumping off the couch and standing up, taking a step toward him. “Ah think we might know who let Ahuitzotl free.”

Artemis turned around, his dark, unreadable expression unfaltering. He looked Braeburn’s face over, clearly attempting to extrapolate his meaning. The gray stallion searched his eyes, his own flicking from side to side in concentration. “Sure Shot.”

Even though he had expected Artemis to guess correctly, he was still surprised at how certain the other earth pony was. “How’d ya’ guess?”

“There’s a roaring hatred in your eyes, Braeburn,” he said simply. “It tells me all I need to know. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

The gray stallion quickly walked around Braeburn, crossing the threshold into the cockpit and closing the door behind him. The cowpony didn’t look back, but merely stared at the spot where Artemis previously stood, his eyes half-lidded. For whatever reason, his mind couldn’t stop playing back what he had said. ‘A roaring hatred.’ The words jarred the stallion’s mind, unable to shake the thought free. Hate wasn’t a word that Braeburn had ever even thought to use. It described an emotion he had simply never felt. But if there was ever a pony that made him think about the word, it was Sure Shot.

“Braeburn?”

The cowpony put a hoof to his temple as something rose to life inside his head. He recalled his first personal encounter with the bandit leader. Something he said was set aside at first, regarded as nothing but antagonistic banter.

I believe that the two of us are going to become great friends, but not at first. No, we must be rivals before we can become allies.

“Are ya’ there, boy?”

“So that’s how he’s gonna do it…” the riflepony breathed, turning around to find Bullet Tyme and Day Break sitting on the opposing couches, staring at him with evident concern. His father winced at him, standing up to approach him.

“What’re ya’ talkin’ ‘bout?” Bullet asked.

“Ya’ remember what Sure Shot said to me on that rooftop in Appleloosa? ‘Bout how he wanted me to become part o’ his gang? Ah reckon Ah know how he’s tryin’ to do it.”

Bullet’s answer was quick, as if he had read his son’s mind. “With hate, boy. Ah know. Ah didn’t need Artemis to tell me.”

Braeburn blinked, his head cocking back an inch or two. “How’d ya’ know that?”

His father looked away from him, casting a brief glance back to Day Break. He then lowered his voice to a barely-audible whisper, his words almost nonexistent. “That’s somethin’ we’ll talk about in the future.”

Braeburn furrowed his brow, his eyes widening. He looked his father’s face over, searching for the answers to the many questions that sprung to life in his head. Unfortunately, Bullet Tyme provided no hint or explanation with his unreadable expression. He looked away from his son, taking a step to walk around him as Artemis had done only moments before. However, his pacing was halted by a loud crack that lifted everypony’s ears in shock.

The sound was quick, but definitely existent. Braeburn was certain that his ears hadn’t deceived him due to the sheer volume of the noise. His suspicions were then confirmed at the sound of another sharp crack coming from somewhere outside. Braeburn spun his head around to his father, who looked to be recognizing the noise as well.

“What the hay was that?” Day Break asked worriedly, standing in her seat with her nose pressed against the window. But before either stallion could reply, the pegasus mare shrieked as she spotted something outside. Braeburn darted over to see what instilled such a fearful noise from her, only to grit his teeth in anger as his eyes fell upon a pair of pegasi flying parallel with the airship, brandishing short-barreled weapons.

“Can’t Ah take one darned trip without somepony tryin’ to kill me?!” Braeburn exclaimed before turning around to throw his rifles over his shoulder and onto his back. He looked back to Day Break, pulling her away from the window by the tail with his teeth. She fell off the couch and crouched low to the floor, making sure she was below the window sill’s level. “Tell Artemis to keep the ship steady so we can get these bandits outta our manes!”

“Right. Take the back door to the bay and use the hatch on your left. Use the ladder to get to the maintenance dock on top of the balloon,” she instructed. The two stallions nodded, removing their Stetsons and throwing them on the couch, for they would only be lost outside. He dug in his back with his muzzle, withdrawing his lasso and throwing it around his neck. It had helped him before in a similar situation, so it only seemed right to take the precaution.

“Alright, now go!” Braeburn demanded. Day Break immediately complied, kicking the front door of the cabin open while Braeburn and Bullet Tyme exited out the rear.

“Fer a pony that wants me on his side, he sure is keen on tryin’ to take me out,” Braeburn said. He expected some sort of reply from his father, only to receive a curt nod in response. Regardless of the danger of their situation, the beige earth pony couldn’t help but wonder what his father was thinking. Something just wasn’t right with Bullet Tyme, but this was not the moment to pursue any more questions.

They found the steel hatch that had been unseen before, and Braeburn immediately pushed the metallic lever down for it to open. The door instantly swung around to the right, banging against the wooden craft from the high winds. On the other side of the threshold was a metal landing leading toward the front of the ship, which rattled lightly under their hoofsteps. At the end Braeburn found a ladder, curving outward and around the large balloon that hung a few hooves over their heads. The younger stallion kept his eyes off the shores far below, as well as the vast expanse of ocean they were heading toward. Braeburn gulped, to which his father replied with a firm push forward with his head.

“No time to chicken-out now, boy! If they put one hole in that balloon then we’re pushin’ up daisies by sunrise! Move!”

Braeburn nodded once, summoning every last bit of his courage to mount the ladder and climb, Bullet Tyme right behind him. He didn’t bother letting his fear make slow work of his ascent, but instead climbed the rungs of the ladder as if a fire had been lit underneath him. The wind whipped his mane aside, almost cancelling out all other sounds around him. He gripped each step tightly as the ladder bent outward, his body set at a rough forty-degree angle from the metal landing below. In his ascent, Braeburn kept his eyes on his surroundings, searching for any sign of the two aerial bandits.

“Pegasi…why does it always have to be bandits that can fly?” he cursed aloud.

Fortunately for Braeburn’s nausea, the balloon wasn’t gargantuan, and they reached the top of the curved ladder within a moment or two. The two rifleponies instantly unsheathed their weapons as they dismounted the final rung and stepped onto a flat, wooden surface atop the balloon. It was tied down by many cords around the airship, presumably meant for maintenance of some kind, for it ran the length of the entire balloon. Braeburn spotted the two bandits flying a circle overhead, like a pair of vultures waiting to attack their prey. Now that he could get a closer look at them, Braeburn could make out more details of the pegasi.

One was a male with a small frame, his coat turquoise with a similarly shaded man and tail. The other was a rather muscular female, with a shockingly-bright coat of pink offset by a dull blue mane, blown back in the wind as well as her partner’s. The two pegasi cackled from above, working the bolt actions of their weapons as the two earth ponies racked the levers of theirs. Braeburn couldn’t think of a better time to test Gunmetal Grey’s work.

“Ya’ll got one chance to leave!” he bellowed over the wind. “Otherwise we’re shooting ya’ outta the sky fer good!”

But unfortunately, the pegasi didn’t seem to take his words as more than an idle threat. The female laughed aloud as they continued to idly circle above, speaking to the male. “Hear that, brother? No wonder Boss wants his head so badly!”

“He certainly has some fire, he does,” replied the pegasus stallion, his tones higher pitched than his sister’s, but not quite as animated. “And he even brought us another pony to die, he did. What kind prey, he is.”

Braeburn went to aim his rifle, but stopped as his ears pricked up to the sound of his father’s rifle chambering a cartridge. He looked over to see a brand new Model 1886 Marechester clutched under Bullet’s foreleg, looking remarkably better than the one that jammed in Appleloosa. The older stallion snorted as he spotted Braeburn eyeing the weapon.

“Upgraded to a .45-90 while you were gone,” he said. “Yer not the only one packin’ a little extra firepower nowadays.”

In his adrenaline, Braeburn allowed himself a brief grin at that, turning his gaze back to the pegasi overhead. They ceased their predatory circling to hover high above them, keeping up with the low speed of the airship. He hoped that their rifles were of a lower caliber and not enough to completely pass through the wood beneath their hooves and penetrate the balloon. For whatever reason, they had not simply fired through the enormous weak point of the airship. If they wanted to simply kill Braeburn, then that would be a much simpler route than taking him on in a gunfight. Whatever directions they had from Sure Shot were evidently very specific.

“What do you say, brother?” asked the mare. “Is it time to follow our orders?”

“Yes, I think idle conversation would be inappropriate now, it would,” the male bandit replied. Almost instantly the two flew away from each other, readying their weapons to engage their targets. But they weren’t as quick on the draw as the earth ponies below. Braeburn and Bullet Tyme immediately rose to their hindhooves, crouching as they aimed their rifles.

The turquoise stallion fired first in Braeburn’s direction, who reflexively sidestepped the predictable shot. The wood underhoof cracked, the bullet sending splinters in all directions to his left. Braeburn lined up the brass rifle’s advanced iron sights with his target, and unleashed the weapon’s fury. Without the necessity of switching his hoof between two loops of a single lever, his firing rate was instantly doubled as he unloaded a dangerously-quick three-round burst at the pegasus. The riflepony’s eyes lit up as he worked the smooth action, shocked at the lack of heavy recoil to his shoulder. His target acquisition was now perfect without the blowback, but the stallion above still managed to barrel-roll out of harm’s way.

“Lead yer shots, Braeburn!” he heard Bullet Tyme holler over the gunshots and wind. “Haven’t ya’ ever shot at a movin’ target before?”

Braeburn silently took his father’s advice as both of them dodged respective shots from their opponents. They kept either pegasus engaged, preventing them from switching their focus to the other earth stallion. The beige pony aligned his sights again, this time a few hooves in front of the soaring male bandit. He fired off two rounds, the brass shells flying out of the top of the receiver. The shots were too quick for him to know which one hit, but Bullet’s advice seemed to work as he clipped a single feather on the pegasus’ left wing. He faltered in his trajectory, but still returned fire with a single shot. Braeburn had predicted the attack, and sidestepped again to the left, but still a white-hot pain seared in his right shoulder as the bullet whizzed by his head.

The riflepony grunted in pain, his adrenaline rising as he felt warm blood trickle under the mantle of his duster. The pegasus stallion dove toward him, his wings tucked back and his rifle aimed for Braeburn’s head. The earth pony ducked his head down, throwing his body forward in a roll and out of the way of another whizzing bullet. He finished the somersault in a short skid on his hooves, rearing back up to aim at the ascending bandit. In his peripheral vision, he saw that Bullet Tyme seemed to be having a similar experience with the sister. However, it didn’t look like the older stallion was allowing his age to be a factor. Braeburn was momentarily distracted by his father, who was weaving left and right to evade his opponent’s shots, wood splintering directly where he would only be for a fraction of a second. His speed was extraordinary, and so was his return fire.

Braeburn tore his gaze away from Bullet Tyme, finding the turquoise stallion recovering high above. The earth pony swore under his breath as his target flew to the left and into the sun, blinding Braeburn. He knew that maneuver to be the pegasus’ intention, and held the rifle in his maw as he bolted forward toward the front of the balloon. Small bits of shrapnel exploded behind him, and he kept his head low and out of the way. Braeburn galloped at full speed past his father, evading the slow but consistent shots from above. He knew that it was only a matter of time until he would also start to lead his shots, so the earth pony dove forward, tucking his head down close to his body. He rolled out of the way of a round almost nicking his right hindhoof, responding with a shot of his own midway through the somersault.

This time Braeburn hit his mark, and a tuft of feathers blew apart on the pegasus’ left side. The bandit struggled to keep himself aloft, only to falter and tumble toward the top of the airship. Braeburn kept his iron sights on the stallion as he fell, standing back up on his hindlegs. For reassurance, the riflepony fired off another round aimed at the stallion’s remaining wing, but was surprised to watch him recover in the air with a quick motion of his body. All Braeburn saw was a turquoise flash before the wind was knocked out of his lungs. His body flew back as a result of the high-speed tackle, the brass rifle flying out of his hooves. When Braeburn opened his eyes, he realized that he was falling.

He had been shoved bodily off the front end of the balloon, with an enormous amount of force for an injured pegasus. Time slowed down for a moment as his gaze snapped from the blue sea below to the airship he was still level with. The wind rushed in his ears as he spotted something that could save him, if the earth pony kept his mind straight and his eyes focused. Braeburn bit down on the end of the rope around his neck and jerked the length free. As he fell past the windows of the cockpit, as well as a wide-eyed Artemis behind the wheel, the beige stallion focused his eyes on a short wooden tie-down point on the front end of the balloon’s maintenance dock. Praying that this would work, Braeburn throw the lasso upward. He held the other end in his teeth, bracing himself for the snap in the rope that would save his life.

Braeburn didn’t have to wait more than a fraction of a second before his prayers were answered, and the length of the rope straightened out and snapped tight. He held on with his teeth, grinning like mad as he began a long but blindingly-fast swing. He wanted to yell out in fright at the incredible momentum he was building, but couldn’t release the rope even for a second. At the lowest point of the swing far below the cabin of the airship, Braeburn threw his hindlegs forward to keep his speed up, his duster billowing loudly behind him. The roaring winds made his eyes moist, making it difficult to keep them open. The riflepony grunted when the wind pushed him toward the left side of the ship as he rose in the second half of the swing. He hoped that he could return to the top without breaking a limb. However, a lack of momentum and speed weren’t the issue. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

The rope was still tight as he rose to the level of the left side of the craft, his body now upside-down in his ascent. He panicked but for only a moment at his remaining speed, until he saw something that would return him to the maintenance dock as safely as possible. His eyes found the turquoise stallion, flying clumsily into his trajectory without even knowing it. Braeburn ignored his fear, and focused on the dangerous amount of adrenaline pumping in his veins. With what Braeburn could have only called a battle-cry, he released the rope with his hindlegs tucked in, ready to lash out at his target. The pegasus never even saw the flying earth pony until the very last instance. Braeburn unleashed all of his strength into a bone-shattering kick, a sickening crack echoing high over the balloon as his right hindhoof collided with the cheek of the male pegasus. His body went to follow the direction of his head, but not before Braeburn was able to wrap his forelegs around the turquoise pony’s neck. The two of them fell toward the top of the balloon, only struggling for a moment before they made impact with the maintenance dock. Braeburn was able to keep his opponent on the bottom of the struggle, but he was still thrown into a long tumble across the wooden surface. The earth stallion rolled back toward the front of the ship, this time skidding to a halt on his hooves before he got too close to the edge.

Braeburn found his brass rifle only a few yards away on his right, galloping over to pick it up and reengage the bandit. But when the iron sights of the weapon found the pegasus stallion, he was curled into a ball on his side, moaning and grunting in agony. The fall was more than enough to break a few bones, not to mention Braeburn’s weight strengthening the impact. His short bolt-action rifle was nowhere to be found, and the earth pony assumed it to be thrown overboard in the fall. But before he could even look over to check on his father, a high-pitched cry split Braeburn’s skull:

“Brother!”

He had no time to turn and look before his left ear was deafened by the piercing wail of metal ricocheting right next to his face, an explosion of sparks forcing him to reflexively shut his eyes and look away for a brief moment. When he looked back to his left in search of what ignited the sparks, he found the bandit mare and his father both pointing their weapons at him. Bullet Tyme wore an expression of relief, while the pink pegasus’ was that of utter shock. Braeburn’s eyes widened, his body freezing momentarily as he figured out just what happened. He had only seen a pony do that once before, and he almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

Bullet Tyme quickly turned on a hindhoof, snapping the barrel of his Marechester into the sky. With an enormous bang, he fired a single round straight through the right wing of the pink mare. She cried out in pain, immediately plummeting toward the dock at a sharp angle. The female bandit tucked her limbs in, and rolled across the wooden surface, landing only a few paces away from her brother. Braeburn shook the bewilderment from his head, sheathing his rifle and trotting up to the injured duo along with his father.

Bullet took his Marechester back into his left foreleg and shoved the end of the barrel into the stallion’s chest, who glared back up at him with utter hatred.

“You two better start talkin’!” Bullet demanded, his tone fierce. “Tell us what Sure Shot is up to!”

Braeburn, meanwhile, paced around to the other side of the two grounded pegasi, kicking the mare’s weapon off the edge of the balloon. He stayed in that one spot, not wanting to repeat what happened on the train to Dodge Junction.

“And what will you do if we don’t?” the stallion growled, seething through his teeth.

Bullet Tyme pressed the barrel of his rifle further into the pegasus’ chest, causing him to grunted aloud in pain. “Ah have the largest-caliber rifle in Equestria pointed at ya’. What d’ya think Ah’m gonna do?”

The pink mare moved her head toward her brother, but Braeburn didn’t move. He only kept one eye on their attackers, and the other on his father. “Brother…just tell them. We don’t know enough t-to endanger Boss’ plan, anyway.”

“We know enough, we do.”

“Do you wish to die, brother?” the mare asked, pleading in her eyes. But still, the stallion stayed resolute, even as Bullet Tyme racked a large .45-90 round into his weapon’s chamber. The female bandit gasped, throwing up a hoof in a stopping gesture. “He’s looking for something!”

The older stallion furrowed his brow, keeping his eyes on the turquoise pony below him. “We know that. Has to do with Cunning the Colt, right?”

“Yes, it’s an artifact,” she answered, ignoring her brother’s protests. “We weren’t told anything other than that, I swear!”

Bullet snorted, drifting the end of his rifle down to the pegasus’ hoof. “Ya’ know, Ah think Ah’ll just start with a leg. It’ll be gone in one shot-”

“Please! I swear to Celestia that we know nothing more!”

“A likely story.”

Braeburn looked down to the fretful mare, studying her face. She was just saying words to keep Bullet from shooting her brother; she was spilling her heart out, pleading to be allowed to live. Her eyes were glazed over, wincing with every painful movement. Her pink form quivered in fear, a few of her muscles shaking sporadically. Before, the two pegasi had been confident in their abilities. But now, when faced with death, the mare was realizing the result of their choices.

“Pa,” Braeburn interrupted, looking his father in the eye. “She’s tellin’ the truth.”

His father glanced across his prey, checking Braeburn’s expression. “What makes ya’ think that?”

“Trust me. Have Ah ever been wrong ‘bout a pony tellin’ the truth?” the beige stallion answered. “They ain’t flyin’ home with those wings. But at the same time, we ain’t keepin’ them on this ship.”

Braeburn paced around to his father’s side, bending down to grab the male bandit’s injured wing in his teeth. The pegasus screamed out in pain as he was dragged by his damaged wing, the horrid noise only intensifying as Braeburn tossed him off the side of the maintenance dock. His cries faded away after a moment, overtaken by the high winds atop the balloon. Braeburn spit out the taste of bloodied feathers before turning his head to the pink mare. At the sight of his morbid expression, she rolled to her haunches and immediately dove off the edge after her brother without another word.

“An odd couple o’ ponies,” Bullet muttered, sheathing his rifle on his back.

“Ya’ got somethin’ ya’ wanna tell me, Pa?” Braeburn asked, his voice barely audible over the wind. Bullet looked back to him, his expression confused. “’Cause there’s only one pony Ah know that can shoot a bullet outta the air.”

“Well, now there’s two. Come on so we can get inside already-”

“What aren’t ya’ tellin’ me?” Braeburn asked flatly, demanding an answer. His father was in the middle of turning around, only to stop with his eyes unfocused on the wood beneath his hooves. He looked back up to his son with an irritated expression.

“The hay kinda question is that? Son, I took a shot and it saved yer life. There’s a reason they call me Bullet Tyme after all. Now come on, let’s get back inside before a flock o’ griphons comes along to try and kill us too.”

Nine - A Pinprick of Light

Sparks walked the dimly-lit hallway, keeping his head down and his eyes alert. It was a dark place, the moist air cold despite the tropical outdoor weather. Even for an ancient ruin, the prison had a fairly simple design. There were a few interweaving hallways, two different stairways and a hoofful of torches dotting the walls. In the particularly dim corridors, Sparks was forced to use his horn to light the way. His mind, body and magic were severely exhausted, but if he didn’t follow Sure Shot’s every last order, he would face a punishment no pony would be able to recover from. The promises the purple stallion had made drove the unicorn forward, and he hoped that all of this would end soon. However, there was something that had been bothering the stallion; a question that he was on his way to have answered.

The unicorn turned a dark corner, doing his best to pass two large doors under the ascending ceiling. But he couldn’t help but flinch when he heard a crash, followed by a muffled scream. He winced, telling himself to move forward and ignore it. Just keep walking, just keep walking, he thought to himself. Sparks lifted a forehoof and forced himself to trot on by, closing his eyes momentarily at the sound of another agonized cry.

“That’s it,” he said under his breath, breaking into a full gallop away from the sounds and the doors. His quickened hoofsteps echoed off the stone walls, and he opened his eyes to turn another corner at the other end of the hall. He skidded to a halt in front of an open threshold, looking into a small room with nothing but a single makeshift table. Sparks remembered being ordered to craft it with his limited supply of magic, using only the sticks and vines he could find in the jungle surrounding the temple.

Around the table were three ponies: Gun Powder, Sure Shot and the earth mare that had done well to keep herself quiet. The black stallion shot him an annoyed glance, snorting a breath out of his nostrils. The green earth mare gave him the briefest of looks, her expression similar. Sure Shot, however, raised his eyebrows, quirking a small grin as he gestured for the unicorn to walk in.

“Sparks, there you are. How are you enjoying our current accommodations?” the riflepony asked jubilantly, as if they were about to start opening gifts on Hearth’s Warming Eve.

“They’re…dark, to say the least,” he replied uneasily.

“You’ve got a horn, don’t ya’?” Gun Powder scoffed, rolling his eyes. If Sparks had anything left, he would have entertained the idea of telling the stallion just where to shove his moronic remark.

“I need to talk to you, sir,” said the unicorn, dodging the gazes of the other two ponies in the dimly-lit room.

Sure Shot nodded, gesturing for Gun Powder and the mare to leave. Neither of them said a word as they complied, obediently exiting the room. The black stallion, however, didn’t leave without intentionally bumping into Sparks, who could barely keep himself standing as it was.

“Take a seat, Sparky. Tell me what’s on your mind,” said his boss, pointing to the stool that the mare previously occupied. The unicorn obeyed, thankful to sit down after such a long day. He slumped atop the stool, resting his forelegs on the tabletop in front of him. “Still tired, huh? I do apologize for having to utilize your talents so often lately. But I assure you, it was for the best.”

Something about the purple stallion made Sparks lift his head to attention, quirking an eyebrow at him. “You seem rather happy tonight.”

“And why wouldn’t I be?” Sure Shot smirked, leaning back and folding his forelegs. “We are mere hours from obtaining the information we came here for. Not only that, but I am very satisfied with our new ally. He has proven to be quite formidable.”

“Hours?” Sparks asked worriedly. “H-How do you figure that?”

Sure Shot snorted. “Let’s be realistic here; Daring Do is a strong, intelligent mare. But what pony can honestly deal with much more of this pain? I’m willing to bet that she’ll be singing like a canary soon enough and we can take our next step.”

Sparks cringed at his words, praying to Celestia that the other stallion didn’t see it. Thankfully, the earth pony seemed to be more interested in his rifle, which leaned against the table next to him. He adjusted its position slightly with a hoof before looking back to the unicorn.

“So,” Sure Shot continued. “What did you need to talk to me about?”

His unusual jubilant attitude was almost frightening to the exhausted unicorn. He chose his words carefully, hoping that the riflepony wouldn’t snap without warning again. “I-I was curious about something. You want Braeburn Apple on our side, right?”

“You’re wondering why I’ve been sending ponies to kill him if such a thing is true, correct?” he replied, the unicorn unsurprised by his deduction. Sparks simply nodded, sitting up straighter now. “Well I’m glad that you have been observant. It tells me that you are not a mindless pawn like most of my recruits. But I digress. Yes, one of my goals here is to have Braeburn Apple shooting for me. However, he is not a pony one can simply bribe or threaten. He is a pure stallion, so I need to take an alternative method of action.”

“So…having him killed is the way to go?”

“No, telling my soldiers to do so is,” Sure Shot corrected. “There is indeed a difference. I have my confidence in the Colt of the West. He wouldn’t be taken out by such incompetent grunts.”

Sparks snapped to attention, his spine cracking as he rose. His eyes widened as he furrowed his brow, realizing what the riflepony had done. “You…You sent Blue Streak and the Windburg pegasi to their deaths…on purpose? Why in Equestria would you do that?!”

“Calm down, Sparky,” Sure Shot chuckled, as if his horrid deeds were no worse than a frivolous shoplifting. “As I said, they were mere pawns in this little game of ours.”

The unicorn’s bravery rose to life in his appalled state of mind. “What is the purpose of killing those who have sworn their loyalties to you? Especially if you’re trying to recruit the pony you sent them to kill?”

“Have you not been paying attention? I do believe that I remarked upon Braeburn’s integrity. He will not be won over like Blue Streak or the Windburgs. No, with a pony like him, I need to utilize the art of psychology. In a similar manner to how dear Ahuitzotl is extracting information from Daring Do, I will need to break his spirit for him to do my bidding. It’s actually quite simple once you break down the process. He knows who is sending these ponies to quote-unquote ‘kill’ him, and with every one he takes down, he will hate me a little more.”

“And in the case that one of your ‘soldiers’ accomplishes the task you set for them, what then?” asked Sparks.

“They won’t,” Sure Shot replied confidently, brushing a hoof on his black vest. “And in the highly unlikely case that they do, it would just mean that I would have to work a little harder to find what I am looking for. It wouldn’t be the largest inconvenience in the world.”

“Okay, fine. So what happens when he finds you filled with the hate that you instilled in him?”

Sure Shot smirked. “I will turn that hate against him, and tear his spirit in two. You shall see in time, my friend.”

“More secrets, huh? Is there a reason that you haven’t trusted any of us with the knowledge of just what we’re doing?” Sparks demanded, his dreary mind unwilling to allow him to control his emotions. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the makeshift table.

“For the pay everypony will be receiving, and the freedom that you will be granted, what does it matter what the goal is? Or do you wish for me to dump you back on the streets to be immediately placed on death row?”

“No, no that’s-”

“Or I could just kill you now,” the purple stallion interjected, placing his rifle on the table between them.

“No, really it’s not-”

"I mean, it would be much easier.”

“Please, I’m not-”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I mean no!” Sparks stammered, looking around to find himself on his hooves, backing away from the table like a frightened dog. “I mean…I’m on your side, sir. I didn’t mean to make you think otherwise.”

“Well good,” Sure Shot replied, sheathing the rifle on his back again. “Now I’m fairly certain that Ahuitzotl is almost done. Make sure you’re ready to heal our guest.”

The blue unicorn nodded meekly, turning around to exit the room with his tail between his legs.

As if he didn’t have enough unanswered questions buzzing around his mind like a veritable cloud of angry hornets, Braeburn now faced even more just from the past few hours. His life had indeed been saved, but at the cost of an overwhelming thought bearing down on his already withered thoughts. He had hoped, even wished to be able to sleep that night, but with his brain constantly running on overdrive, it was next to impossible. To his surprise, he never even cast a single thought to the ponies they threw overboard, without so much as a hope to return to shore safely. Even when he recalled the event, Braeburn felt uneasy realizing that he found no compassion for the brother and sister.

Over a year ago, Braeburn would have been physically sick over bringing any sort of harm to another living creature. It may have been better if he had been through some kind of traumatic event, but that simply wasn’t the case. Even though his life was on the line, the once kind stallion wouldn’t imagine pointing a weapon at another pony. But now, it was different. He didn’t feel anything but apathy for those that once threatened him, and that alone was enough to frighten him. What was he becoming? Was he even comparable to the Braeburn that once was? Change was one thing; simple and easy to adapt to. This, however, was something completely different. Braeburn liked who he was; humble, kind, compassionate, although easily frightened at times. He was comfortable and happy, even if his life was monotonous at times.

But in the end, he had nopony to blame but himself. He made his own choices to arrive in the place that he was, even if the world around him threw Braeburn a curve ball. He had no control over what Sure Shot did, but it could very well have been somepony else worrying about it. It was a pipe dream at best, but one that he wished was reality. All in all, it wasn’t exactly an apple farmer’s job to thwart a bandit leader. But then again, Braeburn wasn’t so much a farmer anymore, but a riflepony. Braeburn opened his eyes again, anxiously throwing aside the right side of his duster to peak at his own flank. He let out a long sigh to see the same old red apple contrasting against his light tan coat in the pale moonlight.

“What, you think your cutie mark ran away or something?” came a low, female voice. Braeburn didn’t need to turn around to see Day Break pacing to his side, her wild dual-toned crimson mane blowing in the cool night air. She stood aside him, looking forward and off the front end of the airship’s maintenance dock.

“These days, Ah wouldn’t be surprised,” he replied solemnly, returning his gaze to the moon high above.

“Word of the wise: cutie marks don’t change after they appear,” she said, her lips tilting into a small grin.

“Duly noted,” said Braeburn flatly. “So why are ya’ up here? Somethin’ wrong?”

Day Break lowered her eyelids in a humorless expression. “You’re standing on top of a darned airship at night in the Fall. You’ve been quiet all day, and now you’re up here. I don’t know if you know this, but it’s kinda cold outside.”

Braeburn only blinked, looking down to the splintered wood beneath his hooves. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the entire day flew by in his somber contemplation. After the shootout, he hadn’t done a thing save for a quick nap and a short, uncomfortable conversation with Artemis. The rest of the day had been devoted to melancholy silence while his father conversed with Day Break as if nothing had happened.

“Did something happen after that…well, altercation?” asked the mare, tilting her head at him. “You and your father didn’t say a single word to each other since.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Braeburn immediately responded, ready for the question before it came.

Day Break recoiled slightly at the speed of his reply, furrowing her brow. “You seem pretty set on not talking about it.”

“And you’d be right.”

“So why’s that?” she countered, inching her head toward him in interest.

“Fer a pony whose best friend might be dead, ya’ seem to be in a pretty good mood,” Braeburn replied gravely, doing his best to evade her questioning.

“And for a pony that survived being pushed off an airship, you seem to be in a pretty bad mood,” she returned with a smirk. “Now tell me why.”

Braeburn exhaled through his nose, raising a forehoof to rub his temple, pushing his Stetson to one side. He pushed the hat back onto his head, and turned to face the curious mare next to him. “Day Break, Ah appreciate yer concern, Ah really do. But Ah’ve done a whole lotta talkin’ and not enough actin’ lately. Talkin’ won’t help me, you, Daring, or anypony else.”

“Well you and your father did a lot of acting today already.”

“Yeah, and we got even more to do once we get to Mesoequestria,” he said flatly.

“Is that what’s got your tail in a twist?” she replied with a dash of snark. “Look, with you two rifleponies on our side, there’s no way Ahuitzotl-”

“It’s not just Ahuitzotl,” Braeburn shot back. “We told ya’, Sure Shot has to be there. If Daring knows somethin’ ‘bout what he wants, then Ah can’t imagine him not doin’ anything he could to find out about it. And if Sure Shot’s there, then his gang is there, too. So not only do we have an immortal to fight, we have the most feared bandit leader and his followers to boot. So yeah, Ah’m a little bit edgy right now.”

“’Edgy’ isn’t really the term I’d use for you right now,” she chided.

“Fergive me, Day Break, but ya’ seem awfully calm right now,” said Braeburn, sidestepping her sarcasm. “S’pecially considering the state we met ya’ in.”

“Oh, so you’re a detective now,” Day Break mused. “No wonder Daring has the hots for you.”

“Day Break,” he replied, his tone resolute despite his heart throbbing at her words. “Do me a favor, and please don’t dodge the question.”

“Says the one dodging all of my questions.”

“Day Break,” Braeburn repeated, growing more and more impatient. He said nothing more, and simply allowed his level expression to do the talking. The pegasus in front of him shivered in the cold, but thankfully didn’t use the climate to parry his question once again. She pursed her lips, keeping her eyes on his. After a beat or two, she looked back toward the dark expanse of moon-washed sea, her usual snarky grin replaced by a genuine, wistful smile.

“I grew up in the poorest district of Fillydelphia. It was a place where dreams and aspirations go to die. Even the foals had a hard time grasping the idea of life goals. A long time ago, I had a dream that I knew I could never fulfill. I was a young filly, only eight years old at the time. I wanted to have adventure in my life, to uncover ancient secrets and the like. In short, I wanted to escape the poverty-stricken city that I grew up in. Even then I knew it was a stupid dream, but there was another filly that had the same dream, but was a lot more hopeful than I was. I met her and her parents when they were visiting the historical sites of the downtown district. She was a lively young filly, full of hope and a longing to learn everything.”

“There a point to all o’ this?”

“Hey, pipe down. I’m trying to open up here,” Day Break huffed, not pausing before continuing her story: “Her parents were kind enough to let me show them the city. While we walked around the usual tourist attractions in the nicer parts of Fillydelphia, I immediately made friends with the filly. It was amazing to me. I didn’t exactly have any friends to speak of before her, so I enjoyed every second I could with her. She was friendly, kind, intelligent, and funny. Her parents were just the same; a mother and father that cared more for their daughter than anypony else could. They were ponies that I didn’t have, and I couldn’t handle them leaving at the end of that amazing day. I tried not to beg for them to stay, but it’s pretty hard for an eight year old to hide her feelings.”

“Ya’ didn’t have yer own parents to get home to?” Braeburn asked sincerely, delving himself into the story.

“None that cared,” she scoffed. “But anyway, her parents pulled me aside so their daughter couldn’t hear, and asked me if I was homeless. I told them I wasn’t, but that I wasn’t exactly a fan of my home either. Smolder was too young to venture out on her own like I did at the time, but she had similar feelings. But even as a filly, I was too proud to let others pity me over my own problems. I left before any of them could say another word, and locked myself in my room when I got home. I woke up the next day to hear somepony knocking on my door. I opened it to see the filly from the day before, wearing a bright smile.”

Day Break paused for a beat, her eyes unfocused and her lips curled into a contemplative smile. “Her parents had such large hearts…they took me for a flight in this very airship, saying it was ‘the least they could do for such a good tour guide.’ Neither me nor my new friend could fly just yet, so it was nice to be able to be in the air as if we could. They showed me an incredible day; one that I’ll never forget.”

“Ah’m sorry, Day Break. But…why are ya’ tellin’ me this?” asked Braeburn.

The mare looked back to him again, still wearing that wistful smile. “Because that day the filly and I talked about our dreams, and the goals that we shared. She told me that she was going to become an archaeologist like her father, and that they had an expedition outside of the country that weekend. To me, it was like that filly was living my dream. I was a little jealous, and I admitted it to them. And do you know what her father asked me?”

Braeburn only tilted his head ever so slightly, now fully engaged in her recollection.

“He smiled at me like I was his own daughter, and asked me a question that changed the way I looked at the world forever: ‘what is the most important attribute of an archaeologist?’ And when I didn’t have an answer, he said-”

“Faith,” Braeburn finished for her, almost under his breath.

Day Break snorted. “Seems like that same filly gave you something to think about too.”

“Yeah, Ah guess she did,” he replied simply.

“So do you understand me now?” she asked, her hopeful expression unwavering.

Braeburn nodded once, squinting into the darkness to find a black mass on the horizon line. It was wide and flat, only rising in the center. He watched it grow steadily larger with every passing moment. They were getting closer to the island, and the sun hadn’t even begun to rise yet. At their current rate of speed, they would be arriving at their destination within the next few hours. “Ah can understand yer way of dealin’ with all o’ this, but Ah have my own way right now.”

“And what way is that?” asked the pegasus, her wings flapping once as if to keep themselves warm.

Braeburn turned on a hoof, walking back toward the rear of the maintenance dock. He stopped before he approached the top of the ladder, turning his head to take a sidelong glance at Day Break.

“With a whole lotta anger.”

Ten - To Cross the Threshold

Daring Do was glad to not have the torches left alight for her this time, for more reasons than one. The darkness shrouded her battered form, and hid what felt like a small pool of blood under her cheek from view. She wouldn’t have been able to look at herself without falling apart, and thanked Celestia that Ahuitzotl hadn’t thought of such a thing. Before the lack of illumination had struck a small sense of lasting fear in her heart, but now she welcomed it as if it were home. At this point, it wasn’t just physical torture, but psychological as well.

The fury that she felt was tearing at her insides like a cancer, spreading through her veins with no sign of stopping. Her stomach burned from hunger, but the mare knew that it would reject any sort of sustenance from the stress of the situation alone. The first round had been frightening, but this time it brought her to the brink of giving up. The most horrific part was that if Ahuitzotl had been in the room for another moment longer, she would have considered telling them everything she knew about Cunning the Colt’s diary. It had only been half an hour since he left the room, but she feared the next time he would come again.

Her throat was dry as a bone, not having any sort of liquid since her arrival to Mesoequestria. She wondered if they would feed her, or simply let her die from dehydration or starvation. There were several things to fear in her situation, but the uncertainty was the most prominent and looming factor.

“Hey.”

Daring almost screamed, but her voice seemed to be lost. Her eyes flew open, wincing reflexively at the sudden light of the torches. She hadn’t even noticed them being lit, or the sounds of the doors or hoofsteps. The mare found herself on her uninjured side, her broken right wing and foreleg curled close to her body. Daring turned her half-lidded eyes up to find the cyan unicorn again, his expression torn as usual. The pegasus choked on her dry throat, almost instantly finding a glass of water levitating in front of her lips. If she lost the only shred of pride she had left, Daring would have wept in appreciation. She closed her eyes and allowed the unicorn to pour the contents of the glass into her mouth, gulping back every last drop.

The stallion said nothing as she gasped for air once she was done, and simply floated the glass down to the floor. Daring kept her eyes away from her own body, but found that the warm puddle had come from her broken nose, which stung with every movement of her face. The blood had coated the fur on her cheek, but she didn’t care as she let her face fall back down to the wet stone. The simple task of lifting her head and neck had taken the wind from her lungs and she closed her eyes again, panting wearily.

“I knew his claws were sharp, but those were pretty thick cables,” she heard the unicorn mutter. Daring checked her shoulders and forelegs, realizing that his statement had been true. Ahuitzotl must not have realized that he had freed her of the steel bonds, but it didn’t really matter. Even if she had the will to move anymore, her broken bones and sore muscles wouldn’t take her very far. In the end, she could only lay there, bloodied and broken on the stone floor once again.

The unicorn poured another small vial of the unknown medicine down her throat, and immediately began healing her again. The powerful sedative was like a knockout punch to her dreary state. Daring faded in and out of consciousness as he worked, unaware of how much time had passed before feeling a dull prod against the side of her head. The pegasus groaned in a voice unlike her own, opening her eyes and sitting up with the assistance of her caretaker. Most of the pain was gone just like before, but she still felt exhausted beyond comprehension.

“Are you alright?” said the unicorn, sounding as if he were trying his best to keep his tone measured and apathetic.

Daring Do swallowed, finding her voice again. “What do you care…?”

“It is my job to ensure your health once Ahuitzotl is done with you,” he stated simply. Daring only scoffed, unable to look him in the eye.

“Then why have you left the lights on for me? Why give me a sedative that takes away the pain when you set my bones?” she asked, her voice cold and suspicious. The unicorn didn’t seem to have an answer for that, but he didn’t turn around to leave either. With a scowl, the pegasus looked up to him as she sat on her haunches, searching his yellow eyes for an answer. His gaze was unfocused on the floor between them, his face still torn between expressions. “How come you’re the only one besides me that doesn’t seem to want to be here?”

At that, the cyan stallion shot his head back up, quirking his brow. “I am here because of what I was promised, and nothing more.”

“And what was that?”

“None of your business,” he replied, walking around to her side. Daring went to flinch, but almost fell over in her fatigue. “I’m just taking care of the gash under your right wing.”

The pegasus frowned, looking him over with a calculating expression before lifting her wing, revealing the wound through her tattered shirt. The stallion ignited his horn again, floating over a damp washcloth with a spool of thread and a needle close behind. She raised a brow at the tools as he started to scrub the wound clean.

“You can mend a bone in seconds but you have to stitch a flesh wound?” she asked.

“My medical training wasn’t exactly of the traditional nature,” he replied, almost sounding annoyed.

“There’s a lot under that mask you’ve made for yourself, isn’t there?” she prodded, her voice cracking as the needle poked through her skin. The unicorn didn’t seem to miss a beat, and continued working without answering the question. “Can I at least know your name? Not that it would make me hate you any less.”

“I was not the one who decided to keep you here,” he said quickly, making Daring sense a need for him to provide closure for such an idea.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you still work for Sure Shot,” said Daring, summoning her limited amount of bravery.

“I told you, I’m here for one thing and that’s it.”

“So you’re not after what Sure Shot is after?” she asked, feeling herself get closer to an answer. The unicorn passed the needle through her skin a few more times, this time with a little more force than necessary. The mare bit the corner of her lip, careful not to show any sign of pain.

“If he gets what he wants, then I get what I want,” he said finally, giving her more information than he may have realized.

“So no; you’re not after what he’s after. I didn’t think so,” Daring smirked, the answers she wanted now within her sight.

“What are you smiling for?” he scoffed, halfway done sewing her skin back together. Instead of immediately answering, Daring took a peak at his flank, observing his mark for the first time. Upon first meeting of the unicorn, she expected to find something referencing a talent in the field of rifles. But after getting to know him only a bit longer, she realized that even this unicorn wouldn’t have any interest in such things. Against his light blue fur was a simple violet arcane circle, with two symmetrical starbursts in its center. With her knowledge of the arcane based mostly on its ancient practices, Daring could not immediately identify just what his special talent was. However, she could infer that his cutie mark had to do with one of the basic fundamentals of magic. However, she did have a vague guess as to what it was.

“Teleportation?” she asked, focusing on the stallion’s eyes as she made her guess. His pupils twitched, looking as though they were about to shrink.

“Well, that is the first time a non-unicorn guessed my talent,” he admitted, maintaining his neutral demeanor. “So, you think you know me now?”

“A little more than you might think,” Daring started smugly. “Let me just start by saying that you really need to work on your poker face. You’re not exactly an actor. You come in here looking worried about a prisoner that you shouldn’t have a single feeling toward, treat me better than you should, and also save me the pain of healing my broken limbs. I don’t have to be a mind reader to see the compassion in your eyes when you come in here. Not to mention how much you wanted me to know that my imprisonment wasn’t your fault. Obviously you aren’t evil like Sure Shot or Ahuitzotl, but then again, you’re still here working for them. Sure Shot must have promised you something that only he can give you once he accomplishes his goal; that much you admitted yourself. It couldn’t be something as simple as money. No, you wouldn’t need a feared gang like Sure Shot’s to obtain that. Heck, you could even get that by yourself, being so talented in such a useful field of magic. So that just leaves me one last hole in your story to fill: what has he promised you?”

“I don’t care how cunning you think you are, that’s still none of your business,” the unicorn countered once again, growing more and more flustered with every evasion. The pegasus ignored the pain caused by his rather hurried stitching, hoping that it would be worth the information.

Daring Do looked back to his focused expression, finding yet another confirmation to her theory. His yellow eyes bore no signs of hate or malice, but of fear. Daring would never have thought any of Sure Shot’s followers to be easy to read. This unicorn, however, seemed to be tearing at the seams just to maintain the thin veil over his thoughts.

“You’re running from something, aren’t you?” she said quietly, the idea dawning on her as she spoke.

“Stop talking.”

“Something you can’t hide from by normal means.”

“Stop.”

“And only an outlaw like Sure Shot can provide a safe haven for you,” she continued, empathy starting to lace her words. His next retort was unheard as realization washed over her mind. All the pieces came together with one simple thought. “If Sure Shot obtains what he’s looking for, then he will have the power to cease what you’re running from; the law.”

With that, the unicorn immediately ceased his work, thrusting his face into hers. Daring kept her stance, looking him right back in the eye. “I told you to stop talking.”

But Daring would not be intimidated so easily. “There’s fear in your eyes, but zero regret. You didn’t do whatever they think you did, right?”

“Shut up!” he yelled, his horn sparking with light.

Daring shoved her forehead against his, her eyes alight with courage. “You had nowhere else to turn when he found you; a unicorn with such a scarce talent, one that would prove useful enough for him to make you a deal!”

“I will get the location of Cunning’s diary out of you right now if you don’t shut your mouth!” he yelled again, his voice cracking under the pressure as his horn displayed an unstable discharge of magic.

Daring pushed her head forward again. “I’ve been taking a beating from a freaking demi-god; how much do you think a scared little colt like you is gonna do?!”

The unicorn blinked at a single word in her exclamation, and the mare took the opening. Daring ignored the searing pain in her limbs and stood up on all fours, separating their foreheads but still showing her dominance in the exchange. “That’s right, you’re scared,” she repeated, her voice lowering in volume. “Scared of what he’ll do if you slip up in the smallest way; scared of him keeping his promise to make you a free pony. But that’s not it, is it? No, you’re scared of the world he might create with the power he’s searching for. What is freedom really worth if the world is torn in two?”

This time, the stallion had no words for her, only another torn expression somewhere between anger and shock. Daring said no more, knowing that she had cornered her prey with the powers of inferring and deduction. She took a moment to silently pat herself on the back, considering her weakened state of body and mind. The mental exercise helped her maintain her sanity, while also taking another step toward a possible ally. With no other means of escape, the mare was left with only the unicorn.

The blue stallion took a long breath, never breaking his gaze with her. He finally spoke with a calm tone, but not without an edge of anger. “It would be better than an undeserved jail cell.”

Daring grinned inwardly, not wasting a second before replying. “I can help you.”

“No, no you cannot,” he said simply, his horn lighting up once again as he floated the severed lengths of steel cable over to her. Daring didn’t resist or struggle in any way, simply allowing herself to be bound once again. If she was found untied by Ahuitzotl or Sure Shot, then her only way out would be compromised.

“I have a lot of connections; I can make you a free stallion,” she said, her words growing desperate as the cables were mended and tied around her once again.

The unicorn snorted, his eyes growing weary as he ended the spell. “It doesn’t matter. Even if you were Celestia herself, the charges placed against me will never be dropped by Equestrian law. This is my only chance at freedom, and I’m taking it.”

Without another word, the cyan unicorn packed his medical bag and walked away, leaving Daring to watch in defeat. But as he approached the towering stone doors, he called back to her: “The pony that was with you when you came here… her whereabouts are unknown to us. Ahuitzotl trusted that the jungle would take her before she could wake. It was a foolish move.”

Daring’s eyes widened with fear, but then she relaxed upon hearing his last sentence. The world seemed to lift off her shoulders just knowing that her friend and her godfather were alright. But then another pony came to her mind; one that she had a feeling Day Break would call first in such a situation.

“And what do you know about Braeburn Apple?”

The stallion stopped dead in his tracks before the doors, keeping his gaze in front of him. Daring started to panic as second after silent second ticked by. He let out a long sigh, barely heard across the enormous room. Daring went to reply, but couldn’t voice her question before the stallion exited the room.

He knew something, and it wasn’t good.

The black silhouette of the large island ahead grew in size as they made their approach. For the better part of an hour, Braeburn could only sit beside Artemis in the cockpit and stare at their destination with a scornful look. He felt his forehooves shake in apprehension, anxious to let loose on the ones that had brought Daring Do pain. He felt his sense of morality waning, but no longer felt scared of it. Instead, the riflepony embraced it, knowing full and well that he would need any extra edge to take on the monsters that stood in his path. If his tool was anger, then he planned to utilize every last ounce of it.

In the back of his mind, Braeburn knew the reality of the situation. This very well could have been a suicide mission, for he knew didn’t know how many foes they were about to face. It certainly didn’t help that he wasn’t exactly experienced in the field of combat. The stallion had indeed been involved in his small share of gunfights, but evidently the number of events was miniscule compared to his father’s experience. In the long run, Braeburn was a hopeless colt with a cap gun against an army of cannoneers. But even still, the stallion knew no fear.

He had a mission; a goal that he had no choice but to accomplish. Before he had been uncertain, but after what Day Break told him, there was no way he could hang his head in self-doubt any longer. The odds simply were not a factor, for only the mare he swore to save mattered to him. With her well-being put into question, Sure Shot had made this personal, and that burned in the earth pony’s soul more than anything else.

“We’re getting closer,” announced Artemis. “We’ll be landing in about fifteen minutes.”

Braeburn couldn’t have been more ready to hear those words. “Good, get us there as quick as ya’ can.”

“Are you sure that you won’t be requiring my assistance?” asked the gray stallion, looking to Braeburn with a sense of needing in his tired eyes.

“S’not that we don’t need ya’, Art,” Braeburn replied, repeating himself after only an hour of saying so.

“Yes, I get it,” Artemis grimaced. “Without being able to help combat those ponies and Ahuitzotl, I’m a liability.”

Braeburn folded his forelegs, keeping his gazed fixated on the moonlit island. “Ah wouldn’t wanna bring Daring back with her only family remaining dead. Plus, if we want this to work, we need ya’ to keep the turbines runnin’ in this thing.”

“Uh-huh,” Artemis replied, his frustration almost palpable. “Just… promise me one thing, Braeburn.”

Braeburn looked to the other stallion, his ears pricking up at the pilot’s sudden change of tone. Artemis’ entire demeanor had shifted abruptly, his words now holding a considerable amount of weight.

“That mare is like the daughter I never had. You promise me that you’ll get her back in one piece.”

Answering immediately would have made anypony think twice about his commitment to the mission ahead. So Braeburn sighed through his nostrils, letting down his emotional guard to give Artemis a reassuring nod, his expression level. “Ah promise.”

The gray earth pony furrowed his brow, the only sign that he had trusted the beige stallion. Without another word, Artemis grabbed a hold of a large lever, shoving it forward with a grunt. The cabin lurched as the turbines engaged into full gear, the airship picking up a shocking amount of speed. As they accelerated, Braeburn felt himself being pulled into the co-pilot’s chair, his eyes now completely open and alert. He cast a worried glance over to the pilot, finding the gray stallion’s face etched with determination.

“If Sure Shot is really there, I’d bet anything that he has lookouts posted. We need to give them as little reaction time as possible, right?” he asked, his volume rising to overcome the roaring of the engines.

Braeburn felt an insane grin spread across his face, elated to see a more reckless side of Artemis just when they needed it. “Right.”

“Get your father ready. We’ll be getting there a little early.”

The riflepony nodded, summoning a surprising amount of effort to lift himself from the chair. Once he got to his hooves, he walked to the back of the cockpit and opened the door, finding Bullet Tyme and Day Break backed against the far wall from the sudden increase in acceleration. Braeburn entered the central cabin, closing the door behind him.

“The hay is goin’ on up there?” Bullet exclaimed, adjusting his flat brimmed Stetson.

“I think Arty got a little excited,” Day Break attempted to answer, spreading her hooves to maintain balance.

“Yer darned right,” Braeburn replied, trotting over to throw his rifles over his back along with a satchel of .30-30 and .45 Colt ammunition. “Get yer things ready, Pa. We got a fight to start soon.”

Bullet Tyme nodded without any sort of question or complaint, mirroring his son as he equipped himself with his own weapon and satchel of .45-90 rounds.

“Can I get a run-through of the plan?” asked Day Break, standing awkwardly to the side as the two earth ponies adjusted the straps of their equipment. “I wanna make sure I got all of it.”

“Ya’ show us the way that you remember, and then fly back to the ship. S’all ya’ need to worry ‘bout,” Braeburn explained once he was satisfied with how everything fit. However, the mare wasn’t too excited about her part in the plan.

“Wh-What?!” she exclaimed, crestfallen. “You two told me that I could help!”

“Right, yer showin’ us the way. Ah reckon that’s a mite helpful,” said Bullet.

“Can’t rightly find a place quick enough without havin’ been there ourselves, ya’ know,” Braeburn agreed, his words hurried by his impatience.

“But I can do more than that!” the pegasus objected, putting a hoof to the floor. “You two don’t seriously think that you don’t need help, do you?”

Braeburn went to reply, but found that his father had the same concerns on his mind. Bullet Tyme finished what he was doing to stride over to the mare, his expression looming and grave. “Look, this is too dangerous to begin with. If we can only have those of us that are armed go, then that’s what we’re gonna do. We can’t be worryin’ ‘bout ya’ while we’re in there. Ah’m sorry, but that’s the safest way to do this.”

“No, the safest way would be to let me come along!” she retorted, looking the middle-aged stallion right in the eye. “You need every hoof you can get right now, even if some aren’t holding a rifle!”

Suddenly the cabin tilted forward, nearly throwing the three of them off balance. Braeburn looked out the windows to see a vast expanse of forest below them, the airship rapidly descending down toward the trees. He was nothing but shocked to witness just how quickly they were about to arrive, realizing that time was starting to become an important factor. Braeburn turned back to other two, finding that the drop had quelled their argument. He approached them with a huff, starting to accept Day Break’s tenacity.

“Ya’ wanna go with us? Fine, just make sure ya’ follow every direction we give ya’ once we get there,” said Braeburn firmly, his tone unwavering despite the uneasy feeling in his stomach. His father quirked a brow at him, to which he replied: “Arguing ain’t gonna save Daring any quicker, and Ah reckon it’s better to have another set of hooves come along with us, not to mention she’s a pegasus. We might need her, Pa.”

Day Break joined him to stare at the older stallion, who looked conflicted. But after the cabin leveled out and the roar of the turbines died down, he seemed to come to terms with the decision. Day Break nodded appreciatively before zooming over to the windows, spotting the tree line becoming parallel with the balloon above them.

“Open the hatch and go!” came Artemis’ voice, muffled by the door between them.

Braeburn froze for a moment, torn between offering him one last gesture of reassurance and simply leaving without another word. But as he watched Day Break and Bullet Tyme bolt for the bay door, he realized what the more prudent option was. He ran after them, crossing the threshold and instinctively closing the door behind him. The small room was pitch-black for a moment, until he heard the lever to the floor snap downward. The length of wood ahead of them cracked open, revealing the lunar-washed forest floor about ten yards below. The chains rattled as the ramp lowered itself, growing closer and closer to the ground. At that moment, Braeburn’s racing thoughts came to a screeching halt as he stood between the pegasus mare and his father.

Something turned the dial in his mind a few notches backward, forcing him to take in every last detail of the moment. They were about to plunge into a forest full of unknown dangers, aside from what they knew already. His previously unwavering confidence started to crack, sending a dreadful chill down his spine. He knew what they had to do, but it couldn’t have been more terrifying than in that one moment. His body wanted to shake, but Braeburn summoned the courage to quell his bout of jitters. Despite the staggering amount of variables that waited for them in the rainforest, he had to stay strong; he had to save Daring Do.

Finally the ramp was only a few hooves above the ground, and Day Break led the way off the ship. She spread her wings and bolted out of the bay, Braeburn and Bullet Tyme right behind her on the ground. The pegasus hovered above them, pushing the ramp closed before taking to the dark skies above. The earth ponies, however, took a moment to observe their new surroundings.

Braeburn nearly gaped in awe at the foreign environment, the massive clearing around them perfectly visible under the full moon. The canopies above were shrouded in shadows, the rest of the area washed over with a tint of calm, light blue. Massive, jagged boulders lined the outer perimeter of the clearing, casting looming shadows across the soft dirt beneath their hooves. The sounds of hundreds of nocturnal animals filled the air, none of which Braeburn had ever heard before in his life. The air was warm and humid despite the late hour, making him feel uncomfortable. He was used to the dry desert, not the sticky jungle air.

The two stallions took a few steps forward to clear the way for Artemis to land the airship, looking up to find the yellow mare hovering directly above them. “Trust me, sight-seeing around here is a very bad idea. Now let’s go!”

Day Break flew off, heading toward a break in the perimeter of stones protruding from the ground. Braeburn and Bullet Tyme galloped after her, their eyes wide and their ears lifted. The pegasus landed between two enormous boulders, standing at the beginning of the only pathway leading out of the clearing. Once they approached her, the mare started down the trail at a quick but paced speed. Braeburn did what he could to keep himself focused, but found it difficult surrounded by such a new place. Never before had he seen so many trees, let alone the life they were teeming with. Even the trail itself was lined with the overgrowth of the forest. The three of them had to keep their eyes alert for vines and other forms of vegetation, careful not to trip over them. The path was only straight for short distances at a time, curving around boulders, large trees and bubbling brooks. After a few minutes of galloping, Braeburn couldn’t help but break his focus to cast his eyes around and take several glances at the scenery.

But just as he looked away from the path, he felt his right forehoof stop moving forward, caught by something protruding from the ground. Braeburn felt his body fly forward for only a second before he caught himself, catching right back up next to his father. He must have made a noise of fright, for Day Break turned her head to look back at him with an agitated expression.

“What did I just tell you?” she barked, a slight echo of her voice carrying out through the trees.

“Lower yer darned voice, would ya’?” Bullet hissed, panting as he galloped behind her. “D’ya want us to be heard before we even get there?”

Day Break winced. “Right. Come to think of it, it wouldn’t hurt to quiet a set of hooves,” she whispered back, spreading her wings to fly a few hooves over the ground. While the two stallions in the rear still had to gallop, Braeburn noticed that the lack of her hooves did in fact make a significant difference in the sound they were making. But ultimately, they were still making their fair share of noise. He just hoped that nopony would hear them before they wanted to be heard.

“Brae, what’s up?” asked Day Break quietly, tearing his focus back to reality. Braeburn looked up to find the mare soaring up to his left, a look of concern in her eyes.

“What? Oh, a lotta things. But don’t burden yerself with me. Let’s just-”

“Yer thinkin’ ‘bout what yer gonna have to do, right?” said Bullet to his right, catching the younger stallion’s attention. “’Bout how ya’ won’t get away with just woundin’ these ponies.”

Braeburn grunted, now faced with yet another worry he hadn’t considered until now. His father smirked smugly at his own perceptibility. “Yeah, Ah thought as much. Listen, these bandits don’t deserve any sort o’ mercy. If ya’ have to, kill ‘em. It’s just how it has to be.”

“Yeah, Ah just wish it wasn’t,” Braeburn replied quietly. “Ah don’t wanna have to, but nopony is standin’ in my way tonight.”

“That’s how ya’ need to see it,” Bullet nodded, leaping over an exposed root. “These ponies have a price on their heads, anyhow. The world won’t blame ya’.”

But Ah will, thought Braeburn solemnly. With a determined grunt, he doubled his speed to keep up with Day Break, returning his focus to the winding path ahead. “Ah understand what we might have to do. And when we cross that bridge, Ah won’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Sure Shot and Ahuitzotl started a war when they took Daring Do; a war that Ah intend to fight. Ah promised Artemis that Ah would get his goddaughter back, and nothin’ in this world is gonna stop me from keepin’ that promise. And when the time comes fer Sure Shot and Ah to shoot it out, Ah’ll make sure that he will take his last breath that day.”

There was a silence among the three of them for a brief moment, until Bullet Tyme snickered next to Braeburn. “Well Braeburn, Ah sure do hope you can keep that promise.”

“O’ course Ah will,” he retorted, looking back to the older stallion. “And when we get outta here, Ah expect to know everything about yer ability to shoot a bullet out o’ the air.”

“Boy, Ah told you already-”

“Everything,” Braeburn repeated, placing more emphasis on the word than before, accompanied by his stern expression. Bullet Tyme may have immediately shaken it off, but the beige earth pony could tell that his words had indeed stayed with his father. Bullet only galloped on, keeping his gaze forward and away from Braeburn.

None of them spoke another word after that, merely keeping their steady pace as they galloped through the rainforest. Only twice did they allow themselves a short moment to stop and catch their breath. While it was still early in the morning, Braeburn preferred to be cloaked by the darkness. Without any of them knowing the layout of the temple, or even what it looked like, no articulated plans of attack could be made. Everything their intentions were made out of were based solely on assumption and educated guesses. It was risky, but it was their only shot. For all they knew, Daring could very well have been dead already. But Braeburn knew that she was a strong mare; one that was unwilling to simply give up despite the situation. For that, he had faith.

After the better part of twenty minutes, the small group stopped dead in their tracks as Day Break backpedaled in the air. The earth stallions skidded to an abrupt halt, obeying the mare’s gesture to keep quiet. It appeared that she had seen something they hadn’t, for Day Break flew straight up into the air, crouching in the branch of a high tree. She covered her brow with a hoof, squinting her eyes ahead through the high canopies of the forest. For a moment, she merely searched until her eyes widened with a victorious grin across her face. The pegasus dismounted the branch and flew back down, landing next to Braeburn.

“I think we found it,” she whispered.

“What did ya’ see?” Braeburn whispered back, elated.

Day Break pointed in the direction of whatever she spotted from the branch above, saying in a hushed voice: “There’s some sort of small ruin, almost like a stone hut in the trees about twenty yards down the trail. It looks really, really old, and it’s got two dumb-looking stallions guarding it with guns.”

A small part of Braeburn wanted to pump his hoof into the air, but settled for an accomplished grin. Bullet Tyme, however, seemed to keep his relief in check. “Just two? That don’t sound right.”

“In comparison to what, exactly?” Day Break asked, quirking a brow. “Look, who cares! There are only two grunts that don’t look like they know their flanks from their hooves! Easy, right?”

“She’s right, Pa. Don’t complain when the orchards give you a good harvest fer the season,” said Braeburn, instilling an odd look from the mare next to him. “What?”

“You really are a farmer, aren’t you?” she snickered, briefly placing a hoof over her mouth.

Braeburn only rolled his eyes. “Well, Ah was. Anyhow, what d’ya wanna do ‘bout those two guardin’ the ruin?”

“Uh, take them out, I would hope,” the pegasus replied with a touch of sarcasm.

“How ‘bout this,” Bullet Tyme started before pointing to Day Break. “You stick out like an apple in a banana tree with those colors o’ yers. Fly over and catch their attention, and Braeburn will take ‘em down from there. His .45 Colt is the quietest gun here.”

Day Break lowered her eyelids, her expression tired. “I’m gonna be hearing a lot more apple-related analogies in the future, aren’t I?”

“Filly, are ya’ gonna help us or not?” Bullet Tyme hissed, making the mare flinch in response. He threw up a hoof toward the sky, to which Day Break obediently followed. She spread her wings and bolted into the treetops, followed by the two stallions on the ground below.

“Why do we have to shoot ‘em?” asked Braeburn. “Can’t we just sneak up behind and-”

“No, we can’t, it’s too risky,” Bullet replied, keeping his voice low.

“Alright, fine. But is there any reason we need to distract them when we can just shoot ‘em?” Braeburn whispered, following his father off the trail and through a thicket of bushes and low-hanging branches.

“If we have the opportunity to take some o’ these bandits down safely, then we take it. Ah don’t wanna take no chances we don’t have to,” Bullet answered, lowering his volume even more as they approached the area the pegasus had pointed to. Up above, Braeburn spotted Day Break flying over the tree line, keeping a slow pace for them to keep up with. They kept their eyes on the ground, stepping over thorns and other questionable looking plants. It only took a few minutes before Bullet held up a hoof to stop his son, looking out of the trees at what they were looking for.

While Day Break’s description had indeed been vague, there wasn’t much more detail she could have gone into. At less than a story high, a small rectangular hut of stone stood in the exact center of a modest clearing. It looked to Braeburn like some sort of ancient tool shed, perhaps a bit larger. The ruin was covered in green vines and moss from the bottom to its almost triangular roof. Facing to Braeburn’s right was a small, open threshold, guarded by two rather plain-looking stallions. They both cradled a rifle in their left foreleg, their beady eyes wide and alert to compensate for the semi-darkness of the rainforest. This certainly had to be where Sure Shot was hiding, and where Ahuitzotl was keeping Daring Do.

It seemed as if they had arrived at the edge of the clearing just in time, for the yellow pegasus burst out of the treetops with a mighty flap of her wings. For the briefest of moments, Braeburn felt a pang of worry for the mare, up until he saw her work. Day Break immediately caught the attention of the two guards with a loud whoohoo from above. She dove toward the ground, almost grazing the bandits before ascending back into the air. Just as the two guards did, Braeburn drew his new rifle, aligning the advanced iron sights to take aim at his foe.

“Shoot to kill.”

Braeburn froze, his entire body locking up for a moment as the words were processed in his head. He lowered the barrel of his rifle a few inches subconsciously, turning his head as slowly as possible toward his father. He gave Bullet Tyme a look of pure shock, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed. He couldn’t have just said that. “What… what did you just say?”

“We don’t want these ones screamin’, do we? Anything that’s not a kill shot will make more noise than we need,” his father explained, although it was nothing the riflepony took solace from. “What d’ya even care, anyhow? Didn’t ya’ just say that this wouldn’t stop you?”

The younger stallion went to reply, but spun his head around at the sound of a mare screaming in fright amongst firing of guns. He looked up to find Day Break frantically dodging a flurry of shots in the air, looking as if she were seconds away from being struck. Braeburn grit his teeth, hating the world for forcing him to do such a thing. The riflepony aligned the sights of his weapon once again, aiming for the closer bandit’s temple.

“Don’t think about it, Braeburn,” his father whispered next to him. “Just do it.”

Despite everything he had said before, nothing could have prepared Braeburn for what he was about to do at that moment. He ignored everything else in the world, and simply did what needed to be done. The riflepony exhaled, whispering two words that he meant with every fiber of his being:

“Ah’m sorry.”

Author's Note

The character Sparks was mainly created for the scenes revolving around Daring Do's imprisonment, along with a few other reasons. Originally, Sparks was nothing more than a unicorn assisting Sure Shot in ways that an earth pony or a pegasus simply couldn't, especially with his special talent for teleportation. But as the story went on in its earlier chapters, more and more ideas arose to give Sparks more of a personality; to "fill him out," as it were. I wanted him to be more than just another pony Sure Shot recruited onto his team like Gun Powder or the Windburg Pegasi.

So eventually I decided to give Sparks his own character, background and personality (again) mainly for the scenes with Daring in Mesoequestria. Instead of chapters going by with just her reflecting on her actions and feeling sorry for herself, I wanted to place somepony there that interacted with her a little more than Sure Shot or Ahuitzotl. The idea was to give Daring somepony to talk to; to get to know as time went on. The other intent was to give the reader hope for Daring, as well as give the character herself a little bit of hope in the midst of such a dire situation.

Eleven - A Blazing Reunion

“A curfew?! What in the hay is this?!”

Several ponies were gathered around a newsstand in the center of downtown Ponyville, murmuring words of distaste and confusion toward a large, bright yellow flier set in the center of the bulletin board behind the salespony. Nopony seemed to know the reasoning for the notice, and simply demanded an answer from the owner of the stand. Two mares in particular, however, merely situated themselves in the middle of the small crowd. One stood on the ground, while the other hovered in the air to see the flier over the heads of the other ponies. The poster bore only a few words in a black, bold font:

ATTENTION! Until further notice, there will be an 8pm curfew set to all cities and towns of Equestria, effective October 20th.

“I apologize, everypony!” the stand owner yelled over the many voices, quelling them momentarily. “But I don’t know anything about this! A messenger from Canterlot just dropped it off a few hours ago for me to post on the board!”

“Well, what did he say?” asked a young colt. “Did he say why?”

“No, he did not,” said the salespony, his tone becoming irritated. “Now if you would excuse me, it’s time for me to close up shop for the night! It’s already past midnight and I should have been at home asleep hours ago!”

Unwilling to hear another word from them, the proprietor slammed the wooden doors of his stand shut, cutting off the disgruntled citizens of Ponyville. The small crowd slowly dispersed, grumbling as they walked away. The hovering mare flopped to the ground, sitting on her haunches with her forelegs crossed, a scornful look on her face. With a snort, the mare blew her multi-hued bangs from her face, casting them aside and out of her eyes.

“Now when am I gonna practice my new moves? Ugh, this has been the worst month ever!” said the cyan pegasus, defiantly looking away from the orange earth mare standing next to her.

“Now Rainbow, don’t ya’ think yer over-exaggerating a bit?” she said, giving her friend a reassuring smile. The cowpony nudged the pegasus to her hooves forcibly, receiving a shake of the head in return.

“I’m not exaggerating period, Applejack!” said Rainbow Dash, fuming. “I haven’t been able to train since I got all these hours of overtime thrown onto me! How am I supposed to get into the Wonderbolts if I’m working so much?”

“Ah don’t think Ah heard you complainin’ when ya’ saw how much more money you were rakin’ in ‘cause o’ that,” said Applejack in a calming voice.

Rainbow Dash groaned once more, rolling her eyes as they started to walk through the nearly empty town square. “Yeah, I guess…”

“And with all those extra bits, Ah reckon you can afford to buy yer good ol’ friend Applejack a late night bite to eat, right?” the orange mare smirked, prodding Rainbow with a hoof between steps.

The pegasus rolled her eyes, although not without a small grin. “Geeze, AJ. Don’t bother to be shy about it or anything.”

“What can Ah say? All that hard work gives a pony an appetite.”

“Yeah, I’m starving too,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Go figure, I help you on the farm all night on my only day off this week, and I’m the one buying dinner.”

“And you’ll be gettin’ a whole lotta free cider this season, don’t you worry yer colorful little head about it,” Applejack reassured, bringing a wider grin to the blue mare’s face.

There was something soothing about Ponyville at night. All that illuminated the downtown district was the moon and a few street lights lining the edges of the town square. The streets weren’t bustling with busy ponies and shoppers, but were still alive in their own right. The town was bathed in the pale blue moonlight, bringing a sense of calm to the few that walked the night. A cool autumn breeze whispered through the air, barely heard amongst the sounds of echoing hoofsteps and hushed voices. Even in a small town like Ponyville, the late hour didn’t stop a few of the stands and shops from keeping their doors open for business.

However, Applejack knew little of the town after hours. At this time of night, she was usually in bed resting, preparing for the next day of work on the farm. But tonight, she didn’t feel quite ready to sleep. It had also been a few weeks since anypony had been able to see Rainbow Dash, so the orange mare was appreciative that she got the chance to see her. While the extra work was indeed good for the labor-reluctant stunt flier, her friends couldn’t help but miss her company, perhaps Applejack most of all. She looked over to her blue friend, nearly wincing once she took in the pegasus’ face. Rainbow’s magenta eyes bore dark semi-circles under them, their corners bloodshot and her pupils unfocused.

The poor mare looked to be running on fumes at this point, and the farmer was astonished to see her walking still. Even her mane looked to be displaying her larger workload. Her disheveled bangs now hung lazily past her eyes, dusting her left cheekbone before she could shake it away. The rest now draped over one shoulder, reaching the lower half of her chest.

“And speakin’ o’ yer colorful little head, ya’ mind if Ah ask what’s goin’ on with yer mane nowadays?” Applejack asked, quirking a brow. “I’ve never seen ya’ wear it so long.”

“Not like it’s my choice or anything,” Rainbow snorted. “I haven’t even had the time to get it cut since Cloudkicker’s old hours got dumped onto me, along with lazy Thunderlane’s!”

“Remind me why she’s been outta work?”

“She has a relative in Baltimare that got hurt in some sort of accident or something. So she’s been on leave,” the pegasus answered bitterly. “Kinda stinks for her, but it’s been exhausting for me. The only time I’ve been able to practice lately is at night, but I guess I can’t even do that now. Since when do we need a country-wide curfew anyway? Sheesh.”

“Well…” Applejack started, wondering whether or not to voice her suspicions of the curfew. It was possible that Twilight’s letter to the Princess had sparked a fear prominent enough to take action upon. But then again, it seemed foolish to do such a thing without solid evidence of a threat. Did something happen to give Celestia reason enough to take such a precaution? “… Ah guess Ah don’t rightly know. But hey, at least we still got tonight to be outdoors.”

“Yeah, I guess. Oh! Here’s a good place,” said Rainbow, stopping in her tracks to point out an open shop on the corner of two side streets. Applejack recognized it to be the town’s local doughnut shop, its large windows showing a predictable lack of customers. “Yeah, I think this’ll do just fine.”

“Ah wouldn’t mind a cup o’ joe myself,” the farmer admitted, following her friend into the modest store.

Rainbow pushed open the front door to the sound of a bell ringing overhead, attracting the attention of the few customers sitting with their food and beverages. The place bore the warm, wonderful scent of baked goods and coffee. One pony near the back of the restaurant, however, seemed completely focused on a small stack of books on her table. Rainbow Dash and Applejack took a few moments to recognize her in their fatigue, but eventually the pegasus called the mare’s name across the shop: “Twilight? Hey, Twilight!”

The violet mare’s head shot upward in surprise, her neatly-cut bangs bouncing from the sudden movement. Her eyes widened with glee at the sight of her friends, who trotted across the store to sit at the unicorn’s table.

“Rainbow? Applejack? What are you two doing here?” asked Twilight, her expression bright despite her tired looking eyes.

“Ah’d ask ya’ the same question, Twi’,” said Applejack, climbing onto the stool across from the violet mare’s, Rainbow taking the one next to her. The farmer gestured to a steaming cup of black coffee, wearing an odd expression. “And Ah thought ya’ hated coffee. And what’re ya’ doin’ readin’ yer books here instead of at home?”

“Kinda unlike you, Twilight,” Rainbow agreed, leaning her elbows on the round table.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” the unicorn started, grimacing at the half-empty mug next to her opened book. “I think this stuff is bitter and disgusting, but I need it to stay awake tonight.”

“You can’t sleep until you’ve filled your quota of books for the day, huh?” Rainbow chided, leaning her cheek on a hoof for support. Twilight looked up to retort, but froze as she took in the pegasus’ new look. Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “What? Oh, right. Darn it.”

Twilight giggled as Rainbow Dash scowled at herself, attempting to throw her mane aside but to no avail. With a scowl, the cyan mare gave up as her prismatic bangs returned to the left side of her face. The unicorn quieted the rest of her laughter, placing a hoof over her mouth. “Don’t let Rarity see you like that. She’d have a field day with that mane.”

“Can’t ya’ just imagine cute little Rainbow Dash all fancied-up and ladylike?” Applejack teased, much to Rainbow’s displeasure. The farmer then took it a step further, wafting a forehoof through the blue and purple in her mane. “Ah can see Rarity puttin’ all kinds o’ products and other nonsense in here to make ya’ look like a real catch, RD. Maybe you can even borrow Applebloom’s bow-”

“Will you quit it?!” Rainbow exclaimed, frantically waving Applejack’s hoof away from her head. The other two mares shared a stifled chuckle, while Rainbow merely folded her forelegs with a cross look on her face.

A few minutes later, a waitress took Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s orders, returning promptly with two cups of coffee and a small plate of plain doughnuts. For a moment or two, the mares silently ate to their hearts’ content while Twilight poured herself into the large tome in front of her, occasionally flipping through pages as if to seek something specific.

“Anyway, what’s so important that you to need to be up all night reading about it, Twilight?” asked Rainbow Dash through a mouthful of pastry.

Twilight answered after scowling at a sip of black coffee from her mug, setting it back down scornfully. “Ugh, never again with this stuff. Oh, right; the books. Actually, I’m trying to find information about Cunning the Colt.”

“You mean AJ’s cousin’s ancestor?” asked the pegasus before washing down her bite with a long sip of her own steaming mug. “Wasn’t his diary or whatever recovered? Why don’t you just read that?”

“Because I already read Braeburn’s copy of it cover to cover, and I can’t find what I’m looking for,” said the unicorn, not bothering to tear her eyes away from her book.

“Would Daring know anything about it? I mean, maybe she knows more about the diary since, you know, she found it and all.”

“Well I can’t do that, considering…” Twilight trailed off. She slowly looked up to Rainbow, frowning in evident confusion. She then turned her gaze to Applejack, who stopped eating on reflex. “Applejack, didn’t you tell her what happened?”

“Uhh… well, we were kinda busy on the farm all day. Ah didn’t quite get the chance,” the orange mare explained, starting to wish that she had recounted what happened in Appleloosa.

“Tell me what happened?” the pegasus repeated, also staring at Applejack.

“Uhh…” she stalled again, taking a brief look at their surroundings. “Maybe this ain’t the place to talk about it.”

Rainbow Dash, however, did not look to be so easily deterred. Her eyes were wide with worry, her forehooves clutching her mug of coffee on the table. “Did something happen to Daring? Darn it, Applejack! Don’t keep me in the dark like you two did last year! Tell me what happened!”

“Alright, alright! Keep yer voice down fer pete’s sake!” the orange mare hissed, lowering her voice to a loud whisper as she made a calming gesture with a hoof. “This isn’t somethin’ you should be spreadin’ around. D’ya promise not to flip a biscuit right now if I tell you?”

With that, the cyan mare took a short but deep breath, nodding a little calmer. “Yes, alright?”

Applejack motioned for her to move closer, to which Rainbow complied, allowing the farmer to whisper: “Now we don’t know much, but me and Twilight were in Appleloosa the other day when we found out that Daring Do had been taken… by Ahuitzotl.”

“Wh-What?!” Rainbow exclaimed, her voice cracking as she hollered in the middle of the shop, attracting startled glances from the other few ponies that were eating around them. “By… he’s… what happened?! Where are they?!”

“Rainbow! Pipe down already!” Applejack hissed through her teeth, grasping the pegasus by the shoulder to keep her on the stool. “We don’t know nothin’ else! Braeburn and my uncle went after them already, but we don’t know where.”

“Well then let’s find them and kick Ahuitzotl’s butt already!” Rainbow replied, trying her best to keep her voice down.

“It’s not that simple, Rainbow,” Twilight joined in. “It’s not just Ahuitzotl we’re dealing with, here. We’re pretty certain that the bandit leader Braeburn put behind bars last year is behind all of this…”

The unicorn then went on to explain every last word that she, Applejack, Braeburn and Bullet Tyme had exchanged in Appleloosa. There were a few instances were Rainbow needed elaboration or reminders, but it didn’t take long for her to catch up.

“… And that’s why that curfew is being put into effect tomorrow, because of Sure Shot’s gang running amuck. It’s also why I’m up this late at night pouring myself into these history books. Evidently there’s something hidden in the pages of Cunning’s diary, but without somepony with a knack for deciphering hidden codes, I can’t figure out what it is. So I’m reading up on everything I can to see if I can find even a clue as to what it could be. Do you understand now?”

Applejack watched with a concerned look on her face as Rainbow Dash slumped atop her stool, leaning her elbows on the table with her head hung low. “Yeah, I get it. But at the same time, I can’t just sit here in Ponyville while my friend is in danger. Argghh, I feel so helpless!”

“We all do, Rainbow,” said Applejack softly, placing a warm hoof on her shoulder. “Honestly, standin’ ‘round while my family left has been eatin’ me up inside, but there ain’t nothin’ Ah can do to help either. Ah know it’s hard, but fer now the best we can do is wait fer our chance to help. Ah’m sure those two know what they’re doin’.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Rainbow. “I mean, I know Braeburn and Bullet Tyme are awesome shooters or whatever, but are you sure they could take on a beast like Ahuitzotl?”

Applejack smirked proudly. “My cousin and my uncle may be stubborn and even a little foolhardy at times, but if there was ever a pair o’ earth ponies that could take a beast down, it would be them. Besides, Braeburn didn’t get that title just because o’ his heritage. Naw, Ah reckon with all things considered, he has every right to be called the Colt of the West.”

A few seconds of sobering silence hung over their table. Rainbow and Applejack returned to their late-night breakfast, while the unicorn kept her eyes on her book. After a moment or two, Twilight raised her head to take a brief glance at Rainbow Dash, throwing a hoof over her mouth again to keep from laughing hysterically. Applejack immediately found the source of her humor, starting to snicker as well.

“The bow thing?” she chuckled.

“The bow thing,” Twilight confirmed before the two doubled over in laughter while the pegasus scoffed, rolling her eyes.

It wasn’t long after the unicorn had left that the doors of the prison were thrown open once again. As expected, the tall, midnight blue form of Ahuitzotl trudged in, his scornful eyes locked on Daring Do from the other side of the enormous room. But when she expected the doors to be closed behind him, she was surprised to watch three ponies enter in his wake. Behind Sure Shot was a large black stallion, his bulky muscles rippling with every step. He had a short mane and tail of striking orange, similar to that of a blazing inferno. Behind the two stallions was a dark green earth mare. She was shorter than usual, but looked to be a few years older than Daring. She had cold, pale blue eyes, half-lidded in an apathetic expression. Her dull blonde mane and tail weren’t cut short, but looked as if she kept it at a certain length for practicality. Her swaying bangs dusted her brow, partially obscuring her left eye.

While Ahuitzotl was expectedly unarmed, all three ponies had one sort of weapon or another on their backs. The bulky stallion’s surprisingly-ornate blunderbuss hung lazily at his side, swinging precariously with every step. Atop his back was a parcel of some sort, wrapped in a beige fabric. He carried a black box with a small speaker by a handle in his teeth. On its side was a smaller box connected to its base by a coiled wire. The green mare, however, carried two completely different weapons. Across her back was a long-barreled bolt-action rifle, with a single wooden stock painted black. Sheathed at her hip was the exact opposite; what Daring knew to be a Mare’s Leg rifle. It was a lever-action like Braeburn’s Marechester, but with a short, octagonal barrel. The rear stock had been cut down as well, converting the rifle into a hoof-held weapon. The pegasus had only seen a Mare’s Leg rifle once before, for they were a rare breed. Judging by their choices of weaponry, Daring didn’t need to see their cutie marks to take a fair guess at their particular talents.

The four of them stopped halfway across the prison, all glaring at the pegasus in their own respective ways. Daring pushed aside the creeping sensation of fear rising up her spine at the sight of Ahuitzotl, trying not to flinch at the pure hatred in his eyes. He was crouched halfway, as if considering whether or not to pounce on his prey. The corners of his mouth twitched open and closed, revealing his gritted teeth. Sure Shot only confirmed her theory when he and his two bandits took position in front of him.

Daring Do chuckled, making sure it was loud enough for the feline beast to hear. “What’s wrong, Ahuitzotl? Did Mommy take away your playtime?”

The blue monster snarled, digging his claws into the stone floor. “Just you wait, you tiny mortal.”

“For what? For you to smack me around some more?” Daring shot back, her chide carried with a breeze of loathing. “Chuh, you need to come up with a better game, you simple-minded chimp.”

Ahuitzotl went to open his mouth to retort, but instantly went silent as Sure Shot lazily raised a hoof. He smirked casually, taking a few steps forward toward the bound pegasus. “As much as I enjoy such an intelligent back and forth, I’m going to have to move this conversation along toward something a little more… productive.”

“Where’s the party?” asked Daring quickly.

Sure Shot tilted his head slightly, opening his tired-looking eyes a bit more. “Excuse me?”

“Obviously you guys have somewhere you need to go with your things all packed up like that. It’s not like you need your weapons with me tied-up and a demi-god with a grudge standing behind you. So I’ll ask again: where are you all off to?”

The purple stallion found his sly grin yet again, taking a long blink. “Coincidentally, that brings me back to the topic I intended to discuss. You see, we’re growing tired of this humid place and it’s about time that we left. However, you know very well what we require in order to depart.”

Daring flinched inwardly, dread clawing at her brain. This was a tactic; a mere scheme to get her to talk when all else had failed. Time didn’t seem to ever be a factor to them before, so why was it now? The answer was simple, frighteningly so.

“So, in the midst of all this pain and melancholy you’ve been forced to live through for the past couple of nights, I’ll offer you a token of my appreciation,” Sure Shot continued, his animated tone growing darker with every word. “Tell us where your copy of Cunning the Colt’s diary is, and you will face no more pain, no more agony and most important of all; no more worry.”

This time, the pegasus couldn’t hold back the wince in her eye, her mouth growing dryer by the second. “Now why don’t I like how you worded that?”

“I can assure you that not a single one of my words has been untruthful in any way,” the bandit leader said, his voice as calm as ever.

For the briefest of moments, Daring had considered simply telling him everything about the diary, even the more complicated details that she had already figured out. But after what he said, there wasn’t a way she could have left the world knowing that a pony like Sure Shot would have the means to obtain a power like the one he was searching for.

“Well, I guess you lose then,” Daring exhaled, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

“Oh? Do I, now?”

“Yeah, you do,” Daring repeated, looking back up to the stallion. “It looks like you’ll just never know where I put it. Too bad, you were so close.”

But never did that insane, lopsided grin ever leave his face. Sure Shot snickered, throwing aside his matted bangs from his eyes. “I’m much closer than you think.”

The riflepony turned his head to the black stallion, giving him a covert gesture with a nod of his head. The large bandit smirked, as if he had been waiting for the signal. He reached his head back, biting down on the parcel on his back and dropping it in front of him. Whatever it was clanked against the stone beneath its wrapping, taking a moment to become still after impact.

“Are you absolutely sure that you don’t want to tell me?” said Sure Shot as the black stallion bit down on the end of the fabric, apparently waiting for another signal. “You may not wish to see what’s underneath that sheet.”

“You can show me anything you’d like. I’m still not telling you,” Daring stated, hoping that she wasn’t about to regret her decision.

Sure Shot sighed, almost sincerely. “Alright then. Go ahead, Gun Powder.”

The pony called Gun Powder grinned toothily, ripping the fabric away and immediately kicking its contents toward the pegasus. Daring Do scoffed inwardly upon viewing the item. It was nothing more than an old rifle; a Marechester, by the look of it. It was indeed rare to see such an older model in such pristine condition, save for a clean slice taken out of the forestock as well as the surface of the barrel. She tilted her head at the weapon, her eyes darting to the receiver as the torchlight flickered over the bluing. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, her pupils constricting as horror washed over her exhausted mind.

It was an engraving, etched masterfully into the steel of the receiver. Delicate yet simple scrollwork curved lightly over the cartridge gate and around the edges. But in the center of the artwork was the source of her dread: an apple. Her eyes darted back to the front of the rifle, remembering just how the damage to the forestock had been done. Her heart kicked into overdrive, pumping blood faster and faster through her veins.

It all happened in slow motion; the impact, the blood, the sudden gasps of last breaths and then the horrific falls as two bodies went limp, hitting the ground with heavy thuds. It couldn’t have happened; there wasn’t a way in Equestria that such a kind pony could have done a terrible thing like that. The riflepony clung to the thought of the past few seconds being a part of some horrid nightmare. But when he opened his eyes, Braeburn Apple was forced to face the result of his actions.

Both stallions lay silent and unmoving on the ground ten yards away, their eyes half open and lifeless. Two pools of blood had started to form underneath their respective heads, staining the grass and dirt a sickening dark red. It would have been one thing to see a pair of corpses, even if the beige stallion was the one to reduce them to such a state, but seeing two matching holes struck directly through their temples was an entirely different issue. Braeburn only stood there crouched on his hindlegs, gaping in horror through the iron sights of his weapon. It only took a moment of frightening realization for him to be completely infected with what felt like a sickness; something dark and looming that terrorized his entire being. He felt tainted, as if his soul had been mixed with one of a serial killer.

Braeburn had never felt anything like this before, not even after throwing an injured pony off an airship and into the ocean miles away from land. There was no confrontation here; he hadn’t even been sighted. It was nothing more than cold-blooded murder.

“Come on, Braeburn,” came his father’s voice, barely heard to the shaking stallion. “We gotta get movin’. We gotta save Daring Do.”

The riflepony slowly sheathed his weapon, fighting to control his quivering limbs. “R-Right.”

Braeburn forced his eyes away from the bodies of the two bandits as he jumped over the bushes and out into the clearing. As he approached the ruin, Day Break landed somewhere off to his right. He heard no words from her, nor his father behind him. He was thankful, for nothing they could say would have done any good for his racing mind. Braeburn found himself in the lead as he walked between the corpses, careful to avoid stepping in their pooling blood before crossing the open threshold of the stone structure.

The moon’s light did not reach any part of the inside, but a flickering, orange glow deep down seemed to just barely illuminate what was ahead. What could have only been assumed to be a torch lit the edges of a descending stairwell, leading what looked like several stories underground. Braeburn took a deep breath before carefully walking down the steps, finding them to be narrow and steep. They made a point of being cautious while still in a hurry as the three of them descended the odd stairs. The sound of their hooves echoed throughout the wide stairwell, only accompanied by Braeburn’s heavy breathing. It was immensely difficult not to dwell on his actions, but he found that keeping his thoughts focused on Daring encouraged him to keep moving.

The source of the orange glow came into view as they descended to the smooth, stone floor. As expected, the light came from a torch bracketed to the wall on the left, its flame licking at the surprisingly high ceiling. Ahead was a long hallway, twice the width of the stairwell they entered from. The walls were lined with several more evenly spaced torches, illuminating the area enough for Braeburn to wince his eyes in momentary discomfort. At the end of the long hall, he could just barely make out two other tunnels; one leading to the right, and one to the left.

“Wow… Daring said this place was big, but I didn’t think the tunnels alone would be this large,” whispered Day Break, soft enough for her voice to avoid echoing.

“Whatever ya’ do, Day Break, just make sure ya’ keep behind us. Bad enough yer down here in the first place,” said Bullet Tyme, his voice hushed as well. However, it seemed as though their whispers were for naught.

Braeburn cringed as he heard the far-off echo of quickened hoofsteps, growing louder with every passing millisecond. It was coming from one of the two hallways ahead, but he wasn’t sure which one. Braeburn felt a hoof nudge his shoulder, finding it to be his father attempting to grab his attention. He made a silent gesture with his own gun, as if he were loading the tubular magazine. The beige stallion took the hint, hurriedly shoving a hoof into his satchel to withdraw two cartridges. He balanced them on the bottom of his hoof, shoving them through the cartridge gate of his brass rifle. It was indeed wise to keep his weapon full to capacity whenever they weren’t firing. In a brief moment, Braeburn took a mental note of his weapons and their ammunition.

Both of his rifles were filled to capacity, with different amounts due to the vastly-different sizes of the cartridges. Thumper’s magazine could only hold six rounds of .30-30 ammunition, but would cause more damage and be more accurate at a longer range. The brass rifle, on the other hoof, could hold ten rounds of the smaller .45 Colt. All around it was much easier to use it as a primary tool with Thumper as a secondary. In the back of his mind, he recalled the extremely limited supply of last-ditch ammunition he also carried.

Braeburn felt the pegasus mare take a step backward, placing herself directly behind both stallions. Her breath was silent, along with everything else save for the galloping hooffalls that were increasing in volume. Both rifleponies crouched onto their hindhooves, their weapons raised and their eyes focused. They had to work quickly, for it wouldn’t be long until more gunshots were heard throughout the tunnels. Braeburn’s horrid actions from only a few moments ago felt like taking a lollipop from a foal in comparison to what he knew he was about to face.

“It came from down there! The entrance!” growled a deep voice from the hall on the left.

“Just remember one thing, Braeburn,” Bullet Tyme whispered. “These ponies threw their lives away when they accepted Sure Shot as their leader. Not a single one of ‘em deserves one ounce o’ mercy. Take ‘em down, but don’t lose yer focus.”

“Don’t worry,” Braeburn said aloud, all emotion lost from his face. “Ah’m all outta mercy.”

Two ponies rolled into view, quick enough to catch more than most off-guard. Their weapons were drawn, snapping to attention toward the intruders. But unfortunately for them, Braeburn and Bullet’s rifles were already engaged. The father and son fired, the sound of the massive .45-90 round bellowing throughout the tunnel. The two stallions dropped mid-roll, their lives taken in the blink of an eye. The second they hit the floor, the three intruders bolted forward. Braeburn and Bullet Tyme kept their rifles in their jaws, biting down on the forestocks. Day Break took to the air behind them, only flapping her wings occasionally to maintain her speed.

“Daring didn’t say much about the inside of this place,” she started, not bothering to whisper anymore. “All she mentioned was that Ahuitzotl’s holding cell is huge.”

Unable to speak coherently, Braeburn merely nodded to show his acknowledgement. They came to the end of the tunnel, and the beige earth pony led them down the left hallway.

“You sure you wanna go this way? I mean, this is where those two came from,” she said worriedly.

“Thaff’s feh foint!” Braeburn replied, speaking through the obstruction in his mouth. Day Break thought for a moment, nodding once she grasped his meaning.

“Oh... Fantastic,” Day Break said, sighing on the last word.

Braeburn led his father and the pegasus around the bend, panting heavily as fatigue started to take its toll from lack of proper sleep. As he turned the corner into the next hallway, he was met with a bright flash of azure light. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as his body was thrown through the air. The wind was forced from his lungs in one painful instance as his back made impact with the far wall. He clamped his eyes shut and his teeth gritted, his ears folding back. His duster hung low below him, along with his tail. A tingling sensation flowed throughout his body, something strange and foreign forced his legs apart, pressing him against the wall. Braeburn’s eyes flickered open, widening once they focused on the scene in front of him.

All four of his hooves were enveloped in separate auras of green magic, securing him in a spread-eagle position. In his peripheral vision, he found his father pointing his rifle down the hall, supposedly at Braeburn’s attacker. However, the beige stallion was more concerned at what was directly in his face. His eyes focused on the end of a gun barrel inches from his nose. He cocked his head back out of reflex, noticing only one buttstock behind his shoulders. He looked down the outside of the gun to see the reflective brass of his own weapon, scowling at his carelessness.

“Put him down!” Bullet demanded, racking the action of his rifle.

“Put your gun down or I will shoot your son with his own weapon,” said the unicorn, his retort loud but shaking. Braeburn looked around the rifle to find a familiar face, one he hadn’t seen since the explosion in Appleloosa.

The unicorn stallion had a coat of light blue, and a mane of vibrant teal. His bright yellow eyes were wide and his brow was furrowed, but his angry grimace couldn’t hide what Braeburn spotted. His small frame was shaking violently, like a frightened colt alone in a dark alley. His left cheek twitched occasionally, his eyes fixated on Braeburn. The earth pony noticed what looked like a small radio slung over his shoulder, hanging at his side.

“Boy, don’t think Ah won’t blow yer head off right now,” Bullet growled, his hoof wrapped tightly around the trigger.

The unicorn bared his teeth, the corners of his mouth twitching between a toothy grin and a scowl, as if he didn’t know how to feel about the situation. The aura of his horn flashed, and the lever of the brass rifle racked a new round into the chamber. “Step away.”

“S’alright, Pa. You can put that down fer now,” said Braeburn. Bullet Tyme cringed, flashing a glance to his son.

“The hay are ya’ talkin’ ‘bout?” the older stallion snapped, tightening his grip on his Marechester.

“Sure Shot wants me on his side, right? This pony won’t shoot me voluntarily, but he might flinch if you do,” Braeburn explained. As soon as he finished his sentence, the barrel of his rifle was shoved against his brow.

“Don’t th-think I won’t!” the cyan unicorn stammered, his forelegs quivering with evident anxiety. He grimaced as a pale blue spark erupted from his horn, floating gently down to the stone floor. Feeling curious, Braeburn attempted to move his right forehoof. His assumption had been confirmed as he found himself able to work against the unicorn’s holding spell, as if a pony around his size was simply wrestling his hoof back.

After coming this far, Braeburn couldn’t believe that he had forgotten about the unicorn working for Sure Shot. Something erupted in the pit of his stomach, roaring and tearing at his insides. All of his fear, all of his anguish and all of his hate boiled in his chest. There was no way he was going to get this far only to be captured by this small, insignificant colt. The unicorn was afraid, and Braeburn was going to take complete advantage of that.

“You, unicorn,” he growled, his eyes closed. “Are you the only one o’ yer kind here?”

“Wh-Why would I answer that?” the cyan pony’s quivering voice replied, causing an insane grin to spread across the riflepony’s face.

Braeburn bared his gritted teeth, opening his eyes wide. “So that’s a ‘yes.’ Heh… perfect.”

“Boy, what’re ya’ plannin’ here?” Bullet asked, only to be ignored by his son.

Braeburn shoved his forehead against the barrel of his own rifle, looking directly at the unicorn. “If ya’ think ya’ have what it takes to shoot me, Ah’d recommend that ya’ do it right now.”

“B-Brae… what are you doing?” Day Break asked desperately, a trace of fear in her voice.

“Pa, just make sure ya’ don’t shoot him.”

The beige earth pony took in a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly before unleashing everything he had. Braeburn flexed his shoulders, pushing all four of his legs against the magic binds around his hooves. To his elation, the blue auras gave a few inches before pushing back. Sparks erupted from the unicorn’s horn as he fought back, wincing an eye with a pained grimace across his face. Braeburn braced his shoulder blades and spine against the stone wall, grunting with effort. He ignored the confused glances from his father and the pegasus mare, keeping his eyes delved into his opponent’s.

“St-Stop! I’m warning you!” the unicorn barked, taking a step back with a forehoof raised.

Braeburn watched the aura around his rifle flicker, his confidence building. His felt his hooves lift from the stone, his muscles burning from the strain. A high-pitched wail filled the hallway, the unicorn’s magic waning and tiring. With a final roar bellowing from his throat, Braeburn snapped his muscles into overdrive, throwing his legs forward.

A flare of pale blue light flickered from the cyan pony’s horn as the magic bonds broke, allowing Braeburn to fall back to the floor. The unicorn recoiled violently, as if he had been struck with a heavy hoof to the forehead. The riflepony gave him no time to recover, grabbing his weapon from the weakened hold of the magic aura with his teeth, bolting forward. Before the unicorn knew it, he was tackled by the earth pony, skidding across the floor on his back. Braeburn stomped on his chest with a hindhoof, pressing him to the stone before striking his cheek with the buttstock of his weapon. With a rumbling growl, he then shoved the barrel of his rifle into the cyan stallion’s neck, his hoof tight around the trigger.

“WHERE IS SHE?!”

“N-No…” she whispered, a cold bead of sweat trailing down her cheek. “This isn’t… this couldn’t be…”

“Ahh… But alas, it is,” Sure Shot confirmed, approaching the pegasus slowly and calmly. “It was indeed difficult, but numbers always win wars, I guess.”

Daring gritted her teeth, baring them in a vicious snarl as her dreary mind awoke, her soul roaring to life for the first time in over a year. She looked up at the purple stallion, glaring with an enormous amount of hate. “What did you do to him?!”

“Nothing, yet,” he answered, stopping a few hooves in front of the pegasus, looking down on her with a malicious smile. “But it seems that he was very eager to save you, only to be captured. Such a sad tale this could become. That is, if you still wish to be defiant.”

The dark mare scowled, seething through her teeth. Never before had she wanted to strike back as much as that moment; to make him pay for what he had done. Before it was just her life in danger, but now it was also the pony she cared for the most. “You low-life scum…” she growled, her hooves pushing viciously against their bonds.

“Now, now. Your opinion of me isn’t going to change the situation you’ve put yourself into,” said Sure Shot. “If you would have just told me in the very beginning of this mess, you and your little friend would have lived. Unfortunately, you have forced me to take this horrid action. I’m not exactly proud of this decision, you know.”

In the background, Gun Powder and the green mare exchanged an unseen look, while Ahuitzotl merely grinned toothily at the peril his nemesis was facing. Daring’s insides boiled with rage, wishing to lash out at all of them, even if she were to die in the process.

“I must admit, I did not foresee such a dramatic change of face from you because of this,” Sure Shot continued. “You must truly care for him. A part of me wishes to point out the irony of the circumstances. It is just too bad.”

“Fine!”

“Excuse me?”

“Fine, alright? I’ll tell you where the book is!” Daring yelled, her scornful voice echoing off the walls. “But you better let him go the second I tell you, and anypony he might have come here with.”

If the riflepony wasn’t grinning before, he certainly was now. Sure Shot hummed a small chuckle, giving her a short nod. “But of course. Now, go ahead and tell-”

A sharp wail resounded in the large room, effectively silencing the purple stallion and temporarily deafening everypony in the room. Daring’s ears folded back on reflex, her eyes scanning the room for the source of the odd shriek. She looked up to find Gun Powder at the end of a frightened leap away from the black box he had carried in. Before anypony could make a sound, a voice emanated from the radio.

“Sir, are you there?”

Sure Shot flicked his head to the ceiling, rolling his eyes with a long sigh of annoyance. With a crack of his neck, the riflepony turned around and returned to his followers’ side, glaring at the radio. He wrapped his hoof around the microphone, lifting it to his mouth. “You’d better have a good reason for this, Sparks.”

“Yes, I think somepony… wait…” the voice replied, trailing off before becoming eerily quiet.

A few moments of silence went by while Daring merely hung her head, staring unfocused on the floor. Her eyelids drooped low, almost completely closed. Her monochromatic bangs obscured her eyes, veiling her from the world. She paid no attention to the odd transmission, deeming it nothing more than a miscommunication of some sort. Her anger quickly fizzled out into a dark melancholy, berating herself for what she was about to do. She prayed to Celestia that Braeburn was okay, but ultimately could not feel happy that his presence was near. In any other situation, Daring would have been beyond overjoyed to simply be near him. But with his and her well-being in question, she couldn’t bring herself to be happy about her decision. For all she knew, Braeburn was dead on the side of a road somewhere.

Daring scowled at herself as her eyes burned with the threat of tears, sniffing reflexively. She sat there for what seemed like an hour as the hushed voices of her foes echoed on the edge of her hearing. The pegasus paid no attention to the lack of feeling in her shoulders and forehooves, but merely slumped forward, allowing every bit of self-loathing to eat away at her insides. Once again, she had endangered the lives of her closest friends with her pointless adventuring. It was indeed her line of work, but this trip hadn’t been that of archaeology. She had been forced to come here, and never expected the string of events that had occurred. But still she felt a sickening pool of guilt boil in the pit of her stomach. She mourned for the assumed deaths of the Keepers, feeling a significant lack of anger in her depression.

“Should we try contacting him again?” said a low, vaguely female voice. Daring guessed it to be that of the green earth mare, being the only other female in the room.

“It seems to be a simple accident, nothing to worry about, Sure Shot,” came Ahuitzotl’s growling voice.

“I am nothing if I’m not thorough,” said Sure Shot.

Daring then heard the click of the microphone’s transmitter button. But before he could respond over the radio, another voice bellowed through the speaker, one that shook every fiber of Daring Do’s being. It was loud, loathing and utterly familiar.

“WHERE IS SHE?!”

Daring’s magenta eyes brightened, slowly widening to their maximum capacity. Her lips parted as she sucked in a short, breathless gasp. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end as a ray of light shined brightly in the darkness of her heart. Something attracted her eye to the rifle lying abandoned on the floor in front of her. Her gaze traversed the old Marechester, looking for any inconsistency in comparison to her memory. It took a moment or two, but she felt her eye twitch when she found it.

She remembered exactly how Braeburn’s rifle was scarred from a flying blade deep in Cunning the Colt’s tomb. She could recall every last detail, right down to how he had blocked the trap. Braeburn had reflected the blade with the left side of his Marechester. This one, however, was scarred on the same side as the cartridge gate… the right side. This rifle was a fake.

This rifle wasn’t Thumper.

Braeburn’s roar struck visible fear into the unicorn’s eyes, causing him to flinch in response. The earth pony seethed, gritting his teeth and doing all that he could not to sever the pony’s neck with a slew of bullets. A round was loaded and the hammer was engaged. All it would take was a mere twitch of his hoof for the lightened trigger to pull, and at that moment, Braeburn was not above making such a mistake.

“A-Assuming that she’s s-still alive,” the blue stallion grunted, his entire body trembling.

“You’d better hope to Celestia that she is,” Braeburn snarled, his hooves threatening to tremble with fury. “Because yer gonna get on yer hooves and bring us to her.”

“And have Sure Shot kill me? I don’t-”

“Ah won’t just kill you myself if ya’ don’t show us the way; Ah’ll make ya’ suffer first,” the riflepony growled, hatred dripping from his lips.

“You don’t understand-”

“Oh, Ah understand,” Braeburn interrupted, unwilling to listen to any excuses. “Anypony can tell how scared ya’ are to be here. That, and the fact that Ah need yer help are the reasons why yer still breathing. If ya’ help us, Ah won’t end yer life.”

“Yeah, but then Sure-”

“Ah’m giving you a choice! Be thankful fer that!” Braeburn hollered, pressing the rifle further into his throat, something he was becoming uncomfortably familiar with. “Either die now, or take a chance and fight with us!”

“Braeburn, think about this!” came Bullet Tyme’s voice from behind. “Who says this low-life won’t kill any o’ us in our sleep?”

“Because he doesn’t wanna follow Sure Shot,” the riflepony answered simply, keeping his eyes locked with the unicorn’s. “Do ya’?”

“It was a choice I was forced to make, yes,” the cyan pony admitted, his brow furrowed. “You and that mare… you’re both just detectives or something, aren’t you?”

Braeburn winced at that, slowly taking his hindhoof away from the unicorn’s chest, stepping back to let him stand while he cradled his weapon in his foreleg. The cyan pony tentatively stood to his hooves, cracking his neck but never taking his eyes away from Braeburn, as if to gauge him on some level. The riflepony stared back, not giving him any ground.

“You’re being serious…” the unicorn asked, his face stern but his eyes pleading. “You would actually… trust me?”

“Trust’ll come when ya’ earn it,” Braeburn remarked, opening his mouth to continue when his father stepped over, pulling him aside. Day Break flew over, joining the huddle. “What?”

“What d’ya mean, ‘what?’” his father retorted, his voice low. “Yer just gonna team up with a pony that just two seconds ago tried to kill ya’?”

“It’s not exactly my place to say here, but I agree with your dad, Braeburn,” whispered Day Break. “How do you know he won’t try to kill you again?”

“Because he didn’t try to kill me in the first place,” said Braeburn, not bothering to lower his voice. Instead, he kept his eyes on the unicorn; his words directed more to him than the pegasus. “There’s enough good in him fer me to give him a chance.”

The riflepony stepped past his father and Day Break, who only stood wordless in the background. He approached the unicorn, who seemed to have trouble looking him in the eye at the moment. Braeburn raised his chin, looking down on the shorter stallion with a level expression. “Now, where’s Daring Do?”

The cyan pony immediately gestured to the wall behind him with a nod of his head. “That’s the rear wall of the prison. But right now Sure Shot and his two most skilled followers are in there, along with Ahuitzotl. That pegasus has always situated herself about five yards from this wall on the other side.”

“Alright, then blow it down,” Braeburn said simply, turning around to approach the opposing wall. He stepped between his father and Day Break, ignoring their looks of shock.

“Did you not just hear me?” the unicorn said hotly. “There’s a highly-skilled killer and a demi-god in there!”

“We’re here to save Daring. If we have to fight to get out with everypony alive, then we will,” the golden stallion answered, bending his knees and scraping a forehoof on the stone floor like a bull ready to charge.

“But that wall is at least a meter thick!” the unicorn objected.

“So does that mean ya’ can’t do it?” asked Braeburn, stretching his neck and flicking his tail.

“Well… no. It’s just gonna take a lot out of me, as well as some time.”

“Wait, hold on,” Day Break chimed in, waving a cautionary hoof. “If Daring is where you say she is in there, won’t the debris from you blowing down the wall hit her?”

“Not necessarily,” said the cyan stallion. “I would just have to be careful and only clear out a hole large enough for us to get through. Regardless, I can control the blast and avoid hitting Daring Do.”

“That won’t be good enough,” said Braeburn. “Blow in as much as ya’ can, with as much force as ya’ can. Make a mess of it. Send the stone flying in all directions. Ah want this to be as much of a shock to Sure Shot as we can make it.”

“Taking advantage of the element of surprise? I like that,” the unicorn agreed, nodding. He turned to face the wall, at the center of the hallway. He lowered his head, closing his eyes in concentration as his horn blazed to light.

“Now hold it, Braeburn,” Bullet Tyme interjected, approaching Braeburn once again. “What exactly is yer plan here?”

An azure glow enveloped a large section of the opposing wall again, at about three meters wide, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. At that sight, Braeburn’s heart rate increased dramatically, adrenaline reigniting in his veins.

“The second that wall goes, Ah’m goin’ in and raisin’ heck,” he started, keeping his eyes on the light piercing though the large stone bricks. “Day Break; you go in after me, scoop up Daring and get outta there. Pa; you go in once Daring is outta harm’s way and help me.”

“Braeburn, that’s the most foolhardy plan Ah’ve ever heard!” the older stallion exclaimed, utterly appalled. “You’ll get yerself killed in there! And Ah’m not about to lose my only son over somethin’ so reckless!”

“Ah know, and ya’ won’t.”

“This ain’t gonna work, boy!” his father hollered right next to his face, desperation lacing his words. “Ah’m not lettin’ ya’ do this-”

“Father!” Braeburn yelled right back. He finally looked at Bullet Tyme, who recoiled at what his son had called him. “Ah’m not a foal no more, alright! Ah’m a grown stallion, and Ah’m not just gonna stand by while the mare Ah can’t stop thinkin’ about is in danger! This is what Ah’m gonna do. If Ah die tryin’, then the least Ah can do is save her. We didn’t come this far just to stop and backpedal. If you don’t wanna help, fine. Either way, Pa, Ah’m doin’ this. Ain’t nothin’ you can do to stop me.”

To Braeburn’s left, Bullet Tyme took a moment before letting out a long sigh. “You fool. You dumb, hard-headed fool.”

“Yup. That’s me.”

“Then Ah guess yer gonna need my help,” Bullet said, drawing his rifle once more, cradling it in a foreleg. “’Cause Ah ain’t letting ya’ do this without cover fire.”

“And you know I’m not leaving,” said Day Break, walking around to stand on Braeburn’s right. She took a similar starting position, flaring her wings toward the ceiling with a large grin.

For the first time that day, Braeburn found a sincere smile raise the corners of his mouth. The riflepony nodded, crouching low in preparation as the unicorn grunted with effort ahead. With a sharp crack, the wall split down the middle, a fraction of a second from being completely demolished. The cyan pony growled, his voice rising into a full roar as his blue aura flared.

Braeburn Apple dug his hindhooves into the floor, and launched himself forward.

“Well, it seems that we have an uninvited party guest,” said Sure Shot, his previous calm demeanor tearing at the seams. Daring looked up through her elation, finding the purple stallion nearly seething through his teeth. Gun Powder and the green mare stared at their superior with questioning looks, as if to seek direction.

“Alright, I’ll be the one to ask,” growled Ahuitzotl, his tail waving back and forth, the hand at its end curling into a fist. “Just who was that, Sure Shot?”

The purple earth pony closed his eyes, an odd grin spreading across his face. He placed a hoof over his eyes, chuckling softly. “Well, I do have a guess, but it is indeed a long shot,” he said, taking his hoof away to wrap it around his other foreleg.

On the other end of the room, Daring Do was barely listening to the conversation. Her entire body was shaking from head to hoof, her ears perked straight into the air. She couldn’t breathe nor blink, but merely quivered on the spot.

“Alright, I guess it’s time, then!” exclaimed Sure Shot out of nowhere, finally catching Daring’s attention. The purple stallion started toward her at a quick trot, unsheathing his rifle with his teeth. He had an insane look in his eye, causing the pegasus to flinch and scoot herself away on her haunches. However, Sure Shot stopped dead in his tracks.

A low rumble resounded throughout the walls, sending a high frequency of vibrations through the floor. Before she could ask herself anything, Daring noticed a faint shadow of herself appear on the floor. She turned her head, uttering a short gasp as her vision was filled with a bright, azure light emanating from the wall behind her. Her shaking increased in frequency as a high-pitched wail resounded throughout the room, forcing Daring’s ears down. Goosebumps formed underneath her fur, waiting only a moment to see what would happen.

There was a blinding flash, followed by the deafening roar of detonation. Large blocks of stone flew outward, a cloud of dust and debris billowing around the mare as she was struck with a blast of air. She clamped her eyes shut, her mane blowing wildly in the wind. Her ears rang from the pressure, just barely able to hear Sure Shot and his allies shouting in alarm. She cracked her eyes open again to find herself lying down on her side, facing a gaping hole in the previously solid wall. Through the dust, she saw nothing but darkness, but was able to pick up the sound of galloping hooves. Her vision was blurry from the blast, seeing two of everything, including a dark brown and tan blur charging toward her.

Daring Do gasped in fright, sitting back up to her haunches in a feeble attempt to move. However, her fatigued body refused to move on command, and merely sat there gaping at whatever was approaching her. As the blur came closer, vague details started to come into view. It was a pony with a coat of dull gold, wearing some sort of dark, billowing garments. Time seemed to slow down as a thought came to the pegasus’ mind, one that send a jolt of electricity through her skull. The pony crouched low in the middle of his gallop, launching himself directly over Daring Do in a horizontal flip. The shocked mare watched his trajectory with wide eyes, picking up the finer details as her vision quickly returned, along with a rush of pure emotion upon identifying the pony.

He was tall and lean, his lustrous mane and tail two shades of blonde. Atop his head was a dark brown Stetson, matching the long duster around his torso, billowing behind him. A coiled lasso hung loosely from his neck, ready to be lashed out at any foe. Strapped to his back were two crossed rifles, Thumper’s ancient rear stock peeking from behind his shoulder. His bright, emerald eyes were alight with an indescribable fury, their pupils shrunken down to mere pinpricks. It was him, the stallion that made Daring’s heart race; the pony that changed her entire outlook on life; the only being capable of inciting a true smile on her face.

In the apex of his arch, Braeburn Apple tore one of his rifles from its scabbard, bellowing a challenging roar as he landed on Daring’s other side at a sideways skid across the stone, disappearing through the cloud of gray dust. Before Daring could say a word, a flash of bright yellow appeared before her, accented with two shades of burning crimson. To her utter astonishment, it was a pegasus mare she knew all too well. Day Break circled around the monochromatic mare, stopping dead in front of her in a crouch with all four of her legs bent low. Daring felt another gasp of shock escape her lips as she was tackled by her friend, carrying her backwards through the air at a blinding speed. Before she knew it, they were through the hole in the stone wall, stopping in the middle of a dimly-lit hallway. The archaeologist’s back hit another wall, slumped against it on the floor.

The yellow pegasus let her go, sitting her up straight by the shoulders. Her ruby eyes were glazed over with a threat of tears, looking her over with an immense amount of concern. “Daring, are you hurt? Oh geeze, they freaking tied you with steel cable? Don’t they know forelegs don’t bend that way? Hey! Are you okay?!”

Daring only stared at Day Break, her lips parted and gaping. She panted slightly, her mind racing with varying incoherent thoughts. “D-Day Break…? Was that… Did B-Braeburn just go in there?!” she stammered as her heart pounded against her chest with worry. “Doesn’t he know who’s in there?! We have to get him out!”

“He ain’t goin’ alone!” said a slightly familiar voice. Daring looked to her right to find an older stallion she remembered to be Braeburn’s father. “You three just sit tight! We’ll be back!”

With that, Bullet Tyme galloped out of the hallway and into the cloud of dust, leaving Daring utterly speechless. She then vaguely recalled what he had said, wondering how he counted three ponies. She didn’t have to look long to find yet another familiar face.

The cyan unicorn she had come to know was panting heavily to her left, slouched over with exhaustion. Sweat poured down his face, his yellow eyes focused on the dark yellow pegasus. Daring lifted her head slightly, feeling the ghost of a smile appear on her dumbstruck face.

“When you said you had connections…” he panted. “… You better not… have been lying…”

Never before had his heart pumped so vigorously against his chest. Never before had his mind been so alight with adrenaline. Never before had he put his life in such perilous danger. Never before had he felt so purposeful, as if his actions were about to define the outcome of this war.

Braeburn Apple landed on the other side of a pony, keeping his focus ahead and on his objective. The stallion prayed that it wasn’t a hostile, but the mare they had come to save. He held his breath as he slid through a thick, opaque cloud of dust. His momentum carried the earth stallion far in his skid, racking the action of his brass rifle. Through the veil of debris, he was able to spot the orange glow of several torches illuminating the prison. Judging by the faintness of some of the lights, the room was evidently large.

Before he knew it, Braeburn emerged on the other side of the cloud, facing an enormous midnight blue blur hurtling toward him. All he saw were long, razor-sharp claws raining down upon him from above, along with a pair of fierce, pale green greens. The riflepony acted upon pure reaction, driving his right hindhoof into the floor and throwing himself to the left and out of the way. Braeburn tumbled across the stone, ending his roll in a crouch to find what he could only confirm to be Ahuitzotl. In his adrenaline, the finer details couldn’t be taken in. All his eyes found were a tall, muscular beast with a long head and bared teeth.

Ahuitzotl quickly recovered, turning on a paw to lash out again at the riflepony. However, Braeburn had already lined his sights and unleashed a lightning-fast three-round burst directly into the monster’s chest. Ahuitzotl faltered in his attack, quickly sidestepping into the gray cloud. Keeping his awareness around the prison, Braeburn turned his weapon to the other side of the massive room. To his left was a large black stallion he immediately recognized, galloping at full bore with a blunderbuss in his teeth. He had no time to stop Gun Powder in his tracks with his rifle, and immediately thought of a familiar route to take him down.

Braeburn rolled out of the way, sheathing his rifle at the end of the evasion. He quickly bit down on the free end of his lasso, ripping the rest of it from his neck. With a snap of his head, the beige stallion whipped the loop of his rope outward, yanking it tight as the lasso wrapped around his foe’s thick shoulders. As he had expected, Gun Powder wasn’t about to allow himself to be captured so easily. The bulky earth pony braced his legs and yanked back with staggering force, more than enough to throw Braeburn bodily through the air. His trajectory led high above Gun Powder, who directed the riflepony in an arch from below. Braeburn braced himself, landing directly on his hooves with a resounding thud. Before he made impact with the floor, he used his momentum as a boost of strength, yanking back on the rope with all of his might. The black stallion was forcibly torn from the ground, finding himself in the same circumstance that he had previously put Braeburn through.

From the floor, the riflepony rolled onto his back, unsheathing Thumper and aiming at the flying form of Gun Powder. He racked a long .30-.30 cartridge into the chamber, pulling the trigger with zero regard for the bandit’s life. With an echoing shot, the round made impact with the black stallion’s chest in the apex of his arch. He tumbled across with stone with heavy thumps, sending small shocks through the floor. Satisfied with his work, Braeburn rolled to his hooves and took a look ahead. At the other side of the room, he found two earth ponies. One was a purple stallion, standing behind a green mare pointing a short lever-action rifle right in the riflepony’s direction.

Before he could react, Braeburn heard Sure Shot give the bandit an order: “Immobilize, don’t kill.”

The beige stallion went to sidestep the shot, but found it intercepted in a flash of sparks in the middle of the room. In his peripheral vision, Braeburn watched his father burst through the dying cloud of dust, racking a new round into his rifle. But what Bullet Tyme didn’t see was the four-meter tall form of Ahuitzotl, his enormous jaws wide and descending upon the older stallion. There was no time to call a word of warning; no time to push him out of the way. Instead, Braeburn took action.

The riflepony aimed Thumper directly for the beast’s massive skull, firing two heavy shots, the weapon bucking his shoulder relentlessly. Two flashes of dark red erupted from Ahuitzotl’s head, the force of the impacts throwing his skull into the wall to Bullet Tyme’s right. The blue demi-god faltered once again, his furious eyes now focusing on Braeburn. He had a brief moment of frozen panic as Ahuitzotl bolted toward him in a vengeful rage. On the other side of the cathedral-sized room, Sure Shot and the green riflemare were about to engage his father in an open field. Braeburn had to help his father, but couldn’t do so with a demi-god bent on his demise. It seemed impossible, but even Thumper’s heavy rounds had next to no effect on the beast. Somehow, he doubted even his father’s massive .45-90 bullets would do much more damage. Braeburn could only pray that his last-ditch attempt would at least slow the feline beast down.

Braeburn sheathed his rifle and galloped at full speed toward Sure Shot and the green mare. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ahuitzotl making a hard turn in his direction, feeling the stone underhoof shake as the monster leaped toward him. The riflepony drove his forehooves into the floor, ceasing his gallop and jumping backward, keeping his head low as Ahuitzotl leaped directly over him. The large blue creature skidded to a halt in front of his allies, interrupting the firefight just as Braeburn intended. The stallion rolled to his hindhooves once again, ripping the brass rifle from its sheath to spin it around his hoof. In one smooth motion, a smoldering .45 Colt shell flew from the top of the receiver, and the riflepony caught the forestock in his free hoof. Before he closed the action, Braeburn grabbed a hold of the sliding lever on the side of the gun and yanked it back forcibly. He watched the carrier revolve vertically and slide backward, a reflective crimson cartridge ready to be loaded into the chamber. To his surprise, the front of the brass side plates jutted outward, pointed forward at an angle. With a grunt, he slammed the action shut, taking aim at the demi-god. He had no idea what would happen, but hoped it would be enough to take Ahuitzotl down. Braeburn roared with a divine level of hate and pulled the trigger.

There was a flash, just bright enough to make the riflepony squint his eyes before the wrath of the .45 Dragon’s Breath was unleashed. The barrel of the rifle erupted with a lance of orange flame, embers spreading wide around it. The maelstrom of fire lashed outward, making contact with Ahuitzotl’s evading form. The beast let out a high-pitched wail of agony as his long tail erupted into a blazing torrent of flame. Upon firing the round, twin jets of hot pressure billowed out of the opening the side plates had created. Everypony stopped and abandoned their positions instantly, leaping out of the way of the thrashing beast. Ahuitzotl tumbled to the floor, rolling across the stone in a blind fury as his tail was incinerated in the blink of an eye. Braeburn was forced to his haunches after the blast, the force of the recoil driving him to the floor. He held his bruised shoulder with a grimace, fighting through the pain. He watched for a moment in complete awe of what Gunmetal Grey’s work was capable of, along with the three other ponies in the room.

Ahuitzotl writhed on his back, opening his maw to its fullest extent to unleash a torrent of howling wails. His long tail was no more, leaving behind a charred, smoldering stump at the end of his spine. Braeburn quickly tore his gaze away from the creature, turning his focus onto the bandit leader across the room. Sure Shot had his eyebrows raised in a vaguely-impressed expression. He pursed his lips, nodding almost respectfully. The green mare kept her apathetic gaze fixed on Braeburn, who finally stood to his hindhooves once again, taking aim at the two of them along with his father. He pushed the sliding lever forward to its original position, and loaded a .45 Colt round into the chamber. The side plates on the receiver closed again with a light clanking sound, no longer needed to relieve any pressure. In his peripheral vision, Ahuitzotl returned to a standing position, his furious eyes looking between Braeburn and Sure Shot. It was clear that he was hesitant to let the purple stallion die, so he remained stationary and merely clawed at the stone floor and ground his teeth.

“You okay there, big guy?” asked Sure Shot plainly.

“Sure Shot, let me kill him,” Ahuitzotl growled, his eyes twitching with evident rage.

“Oh, I can’t have you do that,” said the purple stallion. “You kill him, then I kill you. Nopony wins there.”

“He took my tail!” the beast roared, hissing viciously at the end of his sentence. The bandit leader rolled his eyes, ignoring Ahuitzotl and looking back to Braeburn.

“Well… it looks like you’ve gained some unusual firepower since our last meeting, Colt of the West,” Sure Shot sneered, a small grin forming on his face. “And you as well, Bullet Tyme. Oh, it has been too long since we last met. How have you been?”

“This ends now, Sure Shot,” Braeburn called across the room, keeping his iron sights between the purple stallion’s eyes. “Surrender or die.”

“I apologize, but I won’t be able to make either of those decisions,” Sure Shot replied confidently, as if Braeburn hadn’t just unleashed a blazing inferno that floored a demi-god. “And wouldn’t you know it. Not only did you bring yourself to take the lives of others including one of my favorite rifleponies, but you also turned one of my best. I do hope you know that he will be killed for his treachery.”

“Ah can guarantee one thing,” Braeburn started. “If he is killed, it won’t be by your guns.”

The riflepony realigned the iron sights of his weapon, and cycled three more rounds at the bandit leader. In the blink of an eye, Sure Shot unsheathed his rifle and immediately deflected the shots, a flurry of sparks igniting between them. While the purple stallion was distracted, Bullet Tyme fired a single shot from his veritable cannon of a weapon, only to be deflected by an unseen shot. Braeburn’s eyes flew open as he saw the green earth pony holding her Mare’s Leg rifle up, smoke drifting from the end of its short barrel. His father seemed to be equally shocked.

“Oh, did I forget to mention that one little detail, Bullet?” Sure Shot smirked, speaking to the older stallion with a certain level of familiarity that sent a cold chill down Braeburn’s spine.

“Pa!” he called to his father. “Ya’ wanna tell me what the hay is goin’ on right now? How come those two can shoot a bullet outta the air like that? That should be impossible!”

“Oh, he never told you, did he?” Sure Shot cackled, while his accomplice merely watched Braeburn and Bullet Tyme with zero emotion on her face. The only move she made was to chamber a new round into her weapon. “It’s simple; I taught her how to do it. Eagle Eye here is quite the fast learner. But that does indeed leave the question: who in the world showed me how to do it? However, I am going to ask you a question instead, Braeburn…”

“Shut yer mouth, Sure Shot!” Bullet Tyme yelled, a surprising amount of desperation lacing his words. However, the bandit leader continued.

“Who do you think taught me how to do it?” asked Sure Shot, taking a quick glance toward Bullet Tyme.

It took a moment for Braeburn’s exhausted mind to contemplate what Sure Shot had just said, but when he did, the riflepony’s world fell around him. His eyes widened, instantly turning in the direction of his father. He searched desperately for something in his father’s face to say otherwise, but to his horror, all he found was anger and guilt. Bullet Tyme bared his gritted teeth, something breaking in his eyes. There wasn’t a way that was true. Bullet Tyme was Braeburn’s father; a brash but ultimately good pony.

“Pa…” he said quietly, his forehooves shaking. “You tell me what he just said was a lie… you tell me that right now…”

Bullet Tyme winced, slowly turning his gaze toward his son. “It’s not what ya’ think, Braeburn.”

“Judging by the look on his face, I’d say it’s exactly what he’s thinking,” Sure Shot interjected, an amused look on his face. “As much as I’ve enjoyed this little visit, I’d say it’s time for us to make our leave.”

“Yer not goin’ anywhere!” Braeburn bellowed, his emotions running wild as he fired off another shot at the bandit leader’s feet, only to be deflected by another bullet from the green mare’s rifle. His aggravation turned quickly into a blind fury, and the riflepony reloaded another crimson cartridge, taking aim and ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder. He didn’t know if his body would withstand another blast from the powerful Dragon’s Breath, but he didn’t care. Braeburn pulled the trigger, and fired another lance of white-hot flame as the reopened side plates allowed another jet of pressure to escape from both sides of the receiver. He expected the bandits to dodge the attack, but growled in anger as a flash of blue light came between the blast and its target. The inferno roared, spreading around a bright, translucent barrier of pale blue light. Sparks of red and azure flew in all directions from the impact, a wailing sound of magic energy forcing Braeburn’s ears back to block out as much as he could.

The riflepony growled in furious confusion, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out what had happened. As the inferno burned out, Braeburn spotted a white, opaque gem on the floor directly underneath the dying barrier. It emitted a few sparks of residual energy before the magical wall disappeared with a loud crack.

“Huh. For a moment I was doubting Sparky’s spell gems,” smirked Sure Shot. “I guess that traitor had one last gift to give us. I figured it would be a good idea to keep a little bit of his magic in case of something like this. Too bad we still have to kill him.”

Sure Shot then reached into his bag, withdrawing another gem. Unlike the first one, this new crystal shined with a bright azure, the same exact shade as the unicorn’s mane and aura color. “Unfortunately, Colt of the West, this is not the day where we shoot it out like you seem to want us to. My offer still stands, by the way.”

Before either Braeburn or his father could make a move, the bandit leader threw the pale green gem onto the ground between himself and Ahuitzotl. In another flash of light, the three of them were nowhere to be found.

“N-No…” Braeburn uttered under his breath. He sheathed his rifle and bolted toward the spot where Sure Shot had disappeared, throwing his eyes around in desperation to find them. Unfortunately, their presence was gone from the temple. The riflepony stomped a hoof to the floor in aggravation, seething through his gritted teeth. As his hoof made impact with the stone, his bruised shoulder screamed in agony, causing him to falter and almost collapse. “Darn it!”

“Braeburn, come on,” came his father’s voice, the sound of hooves slowly approaching him from behind. Braeburn whipped his head to his right, finding Bullet Tyme attempting to hold him up. The riflepony stepped aside reflexively, glaring at the older stallion. Bullet sighed through his nose. “Look, Ah made some mistakes in the past, and Ah owe you all the explanation in the world, but we’ll talk about it later.”

Braeburn just stared at his father, searching his face for any sort of answer. But just like before, all he found was guilt and sorrow. “How can Ah trust you?”

“After what ya’ just heard, Ah don’t blame ya’ fer not wantin’ to,” Bullet admitted, placing a careful hoof on his son’s uninjured shoulder. “But fer right now, just be content that we did what we came to do. Also… Ah reckon there’s somepony that wants to thank you for it.”

For a moment, Braeburn was confused, letting it show on his face with a quirk of his eyebrow. Bullet Tyme snorted, turning him around by the shoulder. Across the enormous room, standing in the threshold that the cyan unicorn had made was the pony that had occupied his mind for a year and seven months.

The mare stood aside Day Break, who smiled brightly at the look on her friend’s face. The first thing Braeburn saw were the pegasus’ bright, magenta eyes; the ones that he had always gazed into with a sense of wistful awe. Her monochromatic mane and tail had grown an inch or two from what he remembered, unkempt but still beautiful against her sandstone-colored coat. Shreds of her trademark olive green shirt still hung from her shoulders, a single length wrapped around her torso. Daring Do stared at him with wide, glazed eyes, her expression breathless.

In a fraction of a second, Braeburn’s mood shifted dramatically from furious to that of pure elation. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head, a wordless breath escaping his lips. His heart beat against his chest, his stomach fluttering with a rising sensation. From the other side of the room, the archaeologist stepped forward, building speed into a full gallop. Braeburn took a breath, breaking himself out of his stupor to do the same. It seemed like an eternity for them to reach each other, but when they did, the beige stallion threw his forelegs around Daring Do, holding her as tight as he could. He felt the pegasus wrap her hooves around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. Everything about her was just as he remembered, right down to her warm, caring embrace. He felt both of their shoulders convulse with overwhelming emotion, allowing a few tears to run down his cheek.

“Y-You came for me…” Daring choked, her raspy voice cracking under pressure. “You d-dummy… how could y-you put yourself in danger like th-that? You could’ve been k-killed, you moron!”

“O’ course Ah came,” Braeburn whispered back, placing a hoof to the back of her head. “There ain’t a thing in this world that would’ve stopped me from comin’ here…”

Instead of responding, Daring broke away from the embrace, holding his cheeks in her forehooves. Tears streaked her blushing, quivering face, reminding the stallion of her natural pulchritude.

"Ah’m so sorry Ah worried you,” Braeburn said softly, sniffing back another wave of tears.

“You shouldn’t be sorry,” she whispered. “I sh-should be… I should’ve come back a year ago, but I was scared…”

Braeburn gave her a warm smile, placing his own hoof on hers. “And what d’ya feel now?”

Daring sniffed, smiling back brightly. She gripped his face in her hooves, pulling him toward her. Braeburn’s heart soared as she pressed her lips to his in a heartfelt embrace. He felt his eyes flutter closed, holding her cheeks in his hooves. The world around them melted away, their troubles simply nonexistent in the midst of Daring’s warmth. Nothing mattered except for her warm, soft lips against his. After what felt like several minutes, the two slowly broke apart, their eyes meeting each other with a sense of fondness. The mare leaned her forehead against his, wrapping her forelegs around his neck once again.

For the first time in his adult life, Braeburn didn’t feel like half a pony. With Daring Do, the first true friend he had ever acquired, he felt whole. It was nothing short of overwhelming, having his heart beat the name of the pony he had wanted to be with for so long. Even if his life were seconds from ending, that one moment they shared would forever be the highlight of his life.

“That a good enough answer for you?” whispered Daring, choking back another flow of emotion.

Braeburn replied with another lingering kiss to her lips, hearing the sound of her wings ruffling in response. But before either of them could say another word, they were wrapped in a tight embrace from a third pony. Braeburn opened his eyes to find Day Break, embracing the two of them.

“Gah! Day Break, you’re hurting me!” Daring yelped, although to no avail. The bright yellow pegasus smiled brightly, squeezing the new couple with all her might. “W-Wait… are you crying?”

“N-No!” Day Break replied into her friend’s shoulder. “…Maybe. Shut up, I’m happy for you guys, darn it!”

Braeburn snickered, bringing up a hoof to hug her in return. “Thanks, Day Break, but yer kinda hurtin’ the both o’ us.”

“Oh! Okay, sorry,” the yellow mare replied, breaking away from them. She sniffed, wiping her ruby eyes with her forehooves.

From behind, Bullet Tyme approached his son, offering a hoof to help him up. If it weren’t for his sore shoulder, Braeburn would have stood up himself. But ultimately, the riflepony allowed himself to be assisted to his hooves, Day Break doing the same for Daring. Braeburn noticed that she had much more difficulty standing, which aroused an immediate concern in his mind.

“Are you alright?” he asked worriedly, taking a painful step forward. Daring winced at first, her forelegs quivering from the strain of standing.

“Her front legs were tied behind her back,” Day Break answered for her. “I’m guessing they’re sore in some places and numb in others.”

“I’m fine,” Daring retorted right before faltering in her stance. Braeburn shot forward, catching her with a foreleg.

“Yer wings work?” he asked, his question answered by the yellow mare once again. “If not, Ah’m carrying ya’ outta here.”

“Doesn’t look like it; they were tied pretty tight too.”

“Seriously, Day Break, I’m okay! I can walk!”

“Nope, you’re letting your coltfriend carry you,” Day Break smirked. Daring went to reply, but seemed to linger on her friend’s last word. Braeburn took the opportunity to dip under the mare, scooping her onto his back. She yelped in surprise, holding onto his neck for support. Luckily, Daring was light even for her small frame.

“Oof… that was a dirty trick,” Daring said, a facetious scowl on her face.

“Is that a complaint?” asked Day Break.

Braeburn could practically hear Daring’s eyes roll. But instead of another retort, she merely wrapped her forelegs around Braeburn’s neck, her face burying into his mane. “No… not at all.”

“Well this is lovely and all, but Ah’m already sick o’ this place,” said Bullet Tyme. He gave his son a small grin, ruffling his mane with a hoof.

“Bullet Tyme?” said Daring, turning her head to face the stallion. “I heard and saw everything; we all did. Please just tell me that we can trust you.”

“Yes. Yes ya’ can,” said Bullet, speaking as sincerely as he could. “Like Ah told my boy here; we’ll talk about it later. Ah know Ah have a lot to explain.”

“Good,” Daring sighed, relieved. She returned her face to the back of Braeburn’s neck, allowing herself to relax. “Now can we please get out of here?”

Braeburn nodded, turning back to the end of the room they came from. Leaning against a large chunk of stone was the cyan unicorn watching them approach with a small smile on his face. Daring looked up wearily from Braeburn’s back, grinning at the short stallion.

“You really did it… you took my advice,” she said softly. The unicorn slowly rose to his hooves, raising a forehoof bump Daring’s.

“Not just yours, but Braeburn’s as well,” he said, giving the beige stallion a nod, which was returned. “I figured that if you could help me, it would be better than submitting to Sure Shot’s rule. Thank you, all of you.”

“No, thank you,” said Braeburn, giving him a light shove to the shoulder. “You could have killed me and ended this entire thing, but ya’ couldn’t. That’s how Ah knew you were good on the inside.”

“Say…” Daring started, her voice exhausted. “I never did get to know your name. What is it?”

“Well, ponies have taken a liking to calling me Sparks.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Daring replied.

The unicorn tilted his head in what looked like a brief moment of bewilderment. He then smiled, as if he was honored to be asked such a question. “Well, as you could probably understand, my full name is Azure Spark.”

“Azure… I think I like that name,” said Day Break. “It seems to fit you a lot more than Sparks.”

“Okay, again, I appreciate all of you, but for the last time can we please get out of this place!” Daring exclaimed out of nowhere, nearly deafening Braeburn. The rest of them nodded silently, and walked at a brisk pace out of the prison.

Author's Note

Originally, Treasure in the West was supposed to be a single story, focused more on the romance aspect than the search for Cunning the Colt's tomb. But just as most things involving creativity, the idea blossomed into something more as time went on. During chapter four of Treasure in the West, I realized that I wanted to do a sequel. The breakout scene of this chapter was actually the first solid idea for Colt of the West, and was immediately saved as a plot point that I wanted to include. From there on out, the planning for this story started. Little did I know that it was going to be around twice the length of its prequel.

Twelve - Braeburn and Daring Do

Braeburn followed Day Break, Azure Spark and his father down the main hall of the temple at a slow pace. His left shoulder and foreleg burned, still sore from the might of the Dragon’s Breath rounds and their excessive recoil. Even with Daring’s slim build, it still pained him to bear her weight. However, he wasn’t about to let the injured mare walk on her own. It certainly helped that Day Break had offered to carry Thumper and the brass rifle, even if she looked to be uncomfortable with them strapped to her back.

Ultimately, it didn’t bother the beige stallion for even a second to carry Daring. Just to have her so close after so long was enough to make him ignore the pain. Since they left the prison, she had never once loosened her grip around his neck, nor did she remove her face from his long mane. Occasionally the stallion would feel a slight vibration coming from her stomach, signaling her evident malnourishment. The pegasus was a magnificent source of warmth in the cold underground tunnels, both physically and emotionally. Braeburn couldn’t find it in himself to wipe the contented smile from his face, nor the calm sense of mind despite the vast sea of fears and uncertainties plaguing the back of his thoughts. All he could think about was Daring and the kiss that they shared. He simply couldn’t believe that even after a year and seven months, the affection was still there. It was as if nothing had changed; as if no time had passed since the day Daring flew away from Sweet Apple Acres.

Nopony said a word as they approached the dimly-lit staircase leading to the surface. Whether it was due to fatigue or just a lack of anything to say, there was nothing but silence throughout the group as they ascended the stairs. Every step sent a pang of agony through Braeburn’s shoulder, each one more difficult than the last. But when he felt like his body was about to give in to exhaustion, Daring would give him an affectionate nuzzle or squeeze around his neck, instantly reigniting his drive to keep moving. After a moment or two, they were hit with a light breeze of cool early morning air. The moon was in the middle of its descent over the tree line above, while the other end of the sky had lightened a few shades from its previous dark blue. Braeburn’s ears were instantly reintroduced to the plethora of varying sounds of the rainforest. But just as he had felt with his sore shoulder, the mare of his dreams quelled his sense of insecurity with her warmth.

“Braeburn…” the mare whispered, her voice strained and shaking. The stallion slowed his pace, giving them a little more room from the rest of the group. He tilted his head, turning his right ear in the direction of her mouth. “I… Thank you. Thank you so much…”

Braeburn felt something in his soul break as he heard her words. She sounded nothing like the courageous mare he knew, but one that had undergone something truly terrifying. The stallion had dreadfully pictured what Sure Shot and Ahuitzotl must have done to her on his way to the island, but nothing scared Braeburn more than the desperation in her voice. All he wanted was to take the mare aside and hold her until she could breathe again; to let her know that everything was alright. But with her godfather anxiously waiting for them, the stallion settled for what he could get.

“Ah reckon you’d do the same thing,” he replied, rubbing his cheek against hers. She hummed a swoon in response, giving him a lingering peck on the temple.

“One thing, though,” she said.

“Hm?”

“Your hat still smells funny.”

All the stallion could do was smile at the comment, remembering a simpler time the two of them had shared. He was thankful to hear a bit of snark from the mare. Braeburn kept his distance from the rest of the group, more to pace himself than anything. Up ahead, he spotted Day Break and Azure in the middle of a quiet exchange. His curiosity made him watch the two for a moment. It was difficult to see in the moonlight, but they seemed to be talking about something interesting. While the unicorn spoke, Day Break looked to be wearing a small smile. It made Braeburn chuckle inwardly, for the mare was against trusting Azure only half an hour ago.

At the lead of the pack was Bullet Tyme, keeping his head forward and his pace brisk. Braeburn couldn’t help but sigh, his thoughts drifting back toward his father’s past. In the long run, the riflepony was torn between far too many things after saving Daring Do. Even in the elation over his mutual affection with the mare of his dreams, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat betrayed by the older stallion. Bullet Tyme, his father, had somehow been involved with the pony they were trying to thwart. How could his father have done such a thing? Was the bandit leader once a good pony, or did he simply deceive Bullet Tyme? Regardless, Braeburn could do nothing but trust his father and try to move on, but not before hearing everything about Bullet’s past.

“Oh, hey! Daring, look!” said Day Break. She extended her wings, throwing them down to fly over Azure Spark and toward the left side of the trail. Everypony came to a stop, watching her stick her head into a bush. Braeburn approached her, Daring propping herself up onto her elbows to get a better look. The yellow pegasus withdraw her face from the bush, something held between her teeth. It took a moment for Braeburn to identify the object in the shade of the trees, but the mare on his back seemed to immediately recognize it.

Daring sucked in a long gasp before launching herself from the stallion’s back, flying over to snatch her white pith hat from her friend’s grasp. Smiling brightly to herself, she placed the hat atop her head, completely disregarding the dirt it was spotted with. “Ohhh, there you are, little guy! I thought you were gone for sure! Did you miss me? I missed you-Ow!”

As expected, Daring’s right foreleg buckled underneath her. Day Break assisted her up and back onto Braeburn’s back as he snickered quietly to himself. “Yer really attached to that thing, aren’t ya’?”

“Pro-tip, Braeburn,” said Day Break, raising a hoof of warning. “Never make fun of the hat.”

“Ah wasn’t about to!” he replied.

“Gotta make sure,” the yellow mare said, turning to walk aside Azure again.

“She’s awfully protective of ya’,” Braeburn said casually under his breath, catching Daring’s attention.

“Oh? How do you figure that?”

“Just seems like it. S’not a bad thing; just somethin’ Ah noticed. One thing Ah wouldn’t mind knowin’ though. She seems like a really good friend o’ yers, so how come Ah never heard ya’ talk about her last year?”

“Well, there are reasons for that,” the mare replied wistfully, as if she was recalling a memory she was rather fond of. “When we met, you didn’t seem like you… well, had any friends to speak of, so I kind of made a point to never really speak of mine unless you asked. Normally I wouldn’t have put so much thought into such a thing, but you were just so nice and fun to talk to. I didn’t ever want to ruin the mood.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal, you know,” he said reassuringly. “Ya’ didn’t have to do that.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have if I never saw that look on your face,” Daring replied, her tone taking a few steps down toward something a little sadder. “Remember when we were in my train car on the way to Dodge Junction, and I asked if you had anypony around that was close to you? I couldn’t stand seeing that expression on your face, so I never brought the subject up again.”

“Seems like a lot to spare the feelings of a pony ya’ didn’t really know,” said Braeburn, although not without a fair amount of appreciation in his voice.

“Well… I dunno. Maybe there was just something about you,” said Daring, nuzzling his cheek briefly. “You know, other than you being really cute.”

Braeburn already had a self-destructive remark loaded and ready to go, but it was immediately shot down by her comment. He felt an unfamiliar heat rise to his cheeks; a small, silly smile playing on his lips. “Ah, um…”

“What? Has nopony called you attractive before?” Daring mused.

“Um… Not especially,” he smiled, finding it difficult to string words together.

“Wait… are you being serious?” she almost exclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised. “Really? Brae, you are so good-looking it’s stupid. You’re seriously telling me that the mares in Appleloosa never tried to catch your eye?”

“Ah’ve always been on the farm. Never really had time for anything like that,” said Braeburn, finally able to speak properly again.

“Excuse me if I don’t believe a word of that,” the mare chuckled, wrapping her forelegs around his neck once again. “So, does that mean that… you’ve never had a marefriend?”

“Nope.”

“Coltfriend?”

“Once.”

“Wait, really?”

“No,” Braeburn laughed. “Why are ya’ so fixed on this?”

“It’s just a shock is all. That and it’s just… it’s kind of adorable,” Daring admitted, her last comment lowering in volume as she spoke.

Braeburn did his best not to snort. “Well, thank ya’ kindly… Ah think.”

“Well, either way, things are finally starting to look up,” said Daring, a sense of hope in her voice.

“Yeah, Sure Shot and Ahuitzotl got away and are free to do as they please. Sounds great to me too,” said Braeburn sarcastically, his own words pressing him back down into a brief moment of melancholy.

“Hey, you and your father came back for me, we got Azure on our side, the two of us are together, and I have my hat back. Yep, I think that for now, all is right in the world,” the mare replied before tapping Braeburn on the head with a hoof. “Yeah, things in the future look bleak, but right now we have those things to raise our heads and smile at. We’ve won more than we’ve lost, and that alone is enough to keep me looking up.”

Braeburn exhaled through his nose, turning his head to glance at his marefriend. Just as they always were when she had hope, Daring’s rose eyes were as bright as ever, inciting a sharp rise in his spirits. It seemed that no matter how dark the world around her became, the archaeologist would always find some reason to grin as if nothing were amiss. Whether it was bravery or sheer defiance, Braeburn had always found her smile to be truly awe-inspiring. He felt himself grinning right back at Daring, her expression almost contagious.

“Ah don’t think you’ll ever know how happy Ah am to have had you knock on my door that day,” he said quietly, his tone sincere. Daring’s smile became much softer, her eyes loving.

“And you’ll never know how happy I am to have had you save me that day in Dodge Junction,” she replied, giving him another kiss to his cheek.

“Ugh, finally!” came Day Break’s voice, laced with exhaustion and relief. Braeburn and Daring Do looked up to find the moon’s light shining over the large clearing at the end of the path, the airship landed perfectly in the center. The riflepony had never seen the craft completely on the ground before and was momentarily confused to see the wooden cabin suspended a couple of meters in the air. As his eyes focused, he found the airship to be standing on four straight metal poles, protruding from opened compartments on the bottom of the cabin. Each one of the thin shafts flared outward toward the bottom like a cone, keeping the ship from tipping over upon landing.

Toward the rear of the cabin, the entrance dock was deployed. Braeburn spotted Artemis laying down on the ramp, looking up at the stars with a cigarette between his lips, its smoke drifting lazily toward the sky. When he didn’t seem to notice the five of them down the trail, Bullet Tyme found it appropriate to announce their presence.

“Delivery fer one cancer stick-suckin’ earth pony!” he called out with a hoof next to his mouth.

Daring’s head shot up from Braeburn’s mane, staring over the heads of the group to find her godfather, bolting up to his haunches and instantly spitting the cigarette from his mouth. He stood to his hooves, his eyes widening when they fell on his goddaughter. Braeburn continued forward, trotting as quickly as he could to close the gap between them. Thankfully, Artemis met him halfway, galloping around to the stallion’s side to throw his forelegs around Daring, who returned the favor with glee.

“Oh thank Celestia you’re okay,” he sighed, hugging the mare as tight as he could. “I was so worried; I didn’t even know if you were alive in there!”

“I missed you too, Arty,” Daring replied, his voice strained from her godfather’s hold.

Finally letting her go, Artemis got back to his hooves, looking at her position atop of Braeburn. “The guy saves you and now he’s your transport service too? Poor fella.”

“Well, uh… it’s kind of difficult to walk or fly right now,” she admitted, settling back down on Braeburn’s back. “And what about you? Why in Equestria are you smoking?! How many times do I have to preach how bad that is for you?”

“Ah’ll tell ya’ one thing,” Bullet started, walking between them and onto the ramp of the airship. “In the position you’ve been in tonight, Artemis, Ah don’t blame ya’ one bit. Now come on, Ah reckon we’ve all had enough excitement fer one night.”

“Alright, fine,” Daring sighed, letting the matter go. Artemis, however, seemed to have a new topic to bring up. He tilted his head toward the back of the group, looking around Braeburn to spot their new ally. The gray pony’s relieved demeanor shifted on the spot at the sight of Azure. He slowly approached him, looking the unicorn over with a calculating expression. Everypony else watched Artemis survey the newcomer as if he were a stray dog brought into a new home. Azure merely followed the earth pony’s gaze, his yellow eyes unable to hide his trepidation.

“Okay, I’ll butt in here and introduce you two,” said Day Break, who had been standing aside the unicorn. “Azure, this is Daring’s godfather, Artemis. Arty, this is Azure Spark. He helped us save Daring.”

“Did he?” Artemis asked suspiciously. “Tell me, Spark: do you work for Sure Shot or Ahuitzotl?”

“N-Neither, sir,” said Azure, striving to display his manners. “Admittedly, I did work for Sure Shot, but not on my own accord.”

“I’m not hearing anything that’ll get you on my ship,” the earth stallion replied curtly.

Bullet interjected Azure’s response, still standing halfway up the ramp. “There’s a lot to explain, Artemis, Ah know. If Ah were in yer position, Ah’d be askin’ the same questions. The good thing is that you can trust this one.”

“And how do I know that?” Artemis replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the unicorn.

This time, it was Day Break’s turn to defend their new ally. “Because he could have killed Braeburn, and your goddaughter would be dead right now,” she said flatly. “He had the chance, but he didn’t do it. Instead, Azure worked with us and we were able to save her and get out of there alive. He openly betrayed Sure Shot just to do the right thing.”

As the yellow mare spoke with such a serious tone, Braeburn and Daring merely watched with a slight sense of bewilderment.

“I was actually gonna say all that,” Daring said under her breath into Braeburn’s ear.

“Didn’t take long fer those two to get friendly, huh?” the riflepony whispered back out of the corner of his mouth.

Azure visibly recoiled at Day Break’s words, glancing awkwardly between her and Artemis. The gray stallion’s expression seemed to soften a bit, but the suspicion never left his eyes.

“Look, sir, I understand your hesitation to trust somepony like me, but I would be lying if I denied anything Day Break just said,” said Azure, gathering his courage. “However, I won’t force myself on your ship.”

“My ship,” corrected Daring simply.

“Your godfather is the captain of your ship?”

“What? Yes, just keep going! You were doing so good!”

“But you were the one who interrupted me-”

“Okay, alright, enough already,” Artemis spoke, holding up a hoof to silence the two of them. “Fine, you can join us on our way back to Equestria. Just be aware that I will be keeping my eye on you.”

Azure sighed with relief, a small smile on his face. “Understood.”

Daring didn’t let a moment pass before groaning weakly atop Braeburn’s back, pushing her torso up with her forelegs. “Okay, for real this time. Does anypony else have anything to say? Can we get out of here now?!”

There was a sickening crack, and Daring yelped before falling back down atop Braeburn. Everypony winced, nodding and moving quickly up the ramp of the airship. Due to the dark mare’s haste, it didn’t take long for the six of them to pile into the cabin. Unfortunately, none of them thought of just how tightly-packed they would be into the small room. Braeburn was forced to weave through the cluster of ponies to approach the closer bed. Daring braced herself to be gently lowered onto the cot, being assisted to her haunches with a push of Braeburn’s head. She smiled warmly in response, her eyes staring fondly into his own for the briefest of moments.

Braeburn gave her a quick grin before tearing his gaze away from her adorable look of affection. Everypony else seemed to take a few moments to position themselves comfortably in the confinement. Azure, being the odd pony out, merely stood awkwardly by the closed bay door. Bullet Tyme and Day Break sat across from each other at the table, while Artemis sat in his chair to prepare the aircraft for takeoff in the other room. Braeburn noticed that his weapons had been placed by the door, still in their respective scabbards along with his father’s Marechester.

“Azure, are you gonna stand there all morning or sit down and relax?” asked Day Break, casually gesturing to the seat next to her. “I’m willing to bet you’re exhausted after all that.”

“Well, yes, I am fairly tired,” the unicorn admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He slowly walked over to the couch and sat aside the pegasus, settling himself far back into the cushions with a sigh of comfort.

“Okay, now this is just plain old unsettling,” whispered Daring, leaning her head toward Braeburn. “I’ve never seen Day Break warm up to anypony so fast, let alone one that worked for a criminal.”

“Maybe she’s just tired. We’re all tired,” the stallion replied quietly. “Ah reckon she’s just grateful fer what he did. Nothin’ to get yer tail in a twist about.”

However, Daring seemed unconvinced. “I dunno… it kind of bothers me. It’s just so unlike her.”

“We have plenty o’ sayin’s in the Apple Family,” the riflepony said, giving her a reassuring look. “And one o’ the most important ones we have is ‘leave well enough alone.’ Trust me; S’better than her lookin’ at him like a criminal. We can’t afford to have any distrust in our ranks if we’re gonna stop Sure Shot.”

Daring made a noise of uncertainty, but ultimately ceased verbalizing her worries. Instead, she closed her eyes and gave him a small smile. “You always were wiser than you gave yourself credit for.”

“Whatever ya’ say, beautiful,” Braeburn grinned, giving her a sleepy gaze. His comment took the pegasus off-guard. She flinched slightly at the word, her tired eyes widening slightly. A bright pink washed over her cheeks, her gaze dropping down to her own forehooves as she smirked bashfully.

“You know… you’re the only one that I’ve ever liked calling me that…” she whispered, the upturned corner of her mouth twitching ever so slightly.

As Artemis started the turbines, there was a silence that everypony seemed grateful for, especially Braeburn. For the first time in what seemed like months, Braeburn felt at ease. There he was, safe in the warm cabin of the airship, with his new allies and no immediate danger lurking in the shadows. Here, he could finally breathe, and not dwell on the horrid actions Sure Shot had forced him to take. To his astonishment and utter relief, Daring hadn’t said a single word about the lives he took, nor did she seem to look upon him any less. He was beyond grateful, but a small part of him still refused to believe that it justified what he had done. His infatuation seemed to negate his melancholy, if only for the time being. In the long run, not much mattered to the stallion, for a week ago he would have given anything to be with Daring Do. Now that he had her, it was nothing less than overwhelming to see that his dreams had become reality.

Soon the engines roared to life, and the aircraft gently lifted from the ground. The cabin swayed momentarily, almost instantly turning the limited contents of Braeburn’s stomach. He bit down on his lip with his eyes screwed shut, waiting impatiently for the slight turbulence to cease. As the craft cleared the tree line, the erratic movements came to a stop, and eventually Artemis was able to fix the controls in place and enter the main room with the rest of them. To everypony’s relief, he came bearing a cardboard box full of food, balancing it on his back before setting it down on the coffee table. Artemis and Bullet Tyme both took a sandwich and a bottle of water, while Day Break grabbed an apple for herself and a couple for Azure Spark, who looked uneasy about taking food from them. The gray stallion then turned to Braeburn and Daring, gesturing to the box. “What’ll it be, you two?”

“As much as you wanna give me,” Daring grinned. Her godfather smirked in response, tossing her two sandwiches in plastic bags and a bottle of water.

“And you, Brae-Brae?”

“What d’ya think?” Braeburn replied sarcastically, nodding in appreciation as he was thrown a trio of red delicious apples. The stallion sat up properly on the floor and practically inhaled the first sweet fruit. His stomach would have wept with gratitude if it could. He was shocked that he had gone so far without any source of sustenance, let alone the near impossibility of his mind still being intact. Braeburn had guessed that somehow, his goal had driven him all by itself, without any form of assistance. He looked back up to Daring from his spot on the floor next to her bed, smiling softly at the sight of her eating with fervor. She ate without any regard for manners, like a foal at her high chair.

Once again, nothing was said for a few moments as they ate, and everypony seemed to welcome it at first. But after twenty minutes, the silence became forced and uncomfortable. Even Daring Do looked to be apprehensive to say the first word. They all knew why everypony was quiet, save for Artemis. However, he didn’t seem to want to ask any questions. Occasionally he would cast a glance around the room, searching for anything that would give him a clue. Just when it looked like he had enough, the last pony Braeburn expected to speak first broke the silence.

“I apologize, but where exactly are we going?” asked Azure Spark, looking between Artemis and Daring Do. The gray stallion looked over from his place on the couch next to Bullet Tyme toward his goddaughter, along with everypony else.

“That’s a good question, actually,” he said. “I have the autopilot set toward Equestria, but I’ll need a destination by tomorrow at the latest. We’re low on fuel, not to mention we’re pushing the weight limit with six ponies in here. So I’m hoping you at least have a clue of where we’re going.”

Daring cleared her throat, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “Yeah, I actually know exactly where we’re going,” she said, looking back up to the rest of the room. “Art, can we get to Ponyville with what we’ve got left?”

Artemis blinked, sucking a sharp breath of air through his teeth as he folded his forelegs. “That’s… pushing it, to be honest. But I think we should be able to do it. You know, risking a crash landing if we run out of fuel before we get there, of course. Can I ask why Ponyville, of all places?”

“Because I hid my copy of Cunning’s journal in the Everfree Forest,” Daring answered. “And I need to get a hold of it if I want to finish this puzzle.”

“Alright, let’s put the brakes on this fer a moment,” said Bullet Tyme, leaning forward to peak around Artemis and look at Daring. “What exactly is this puzzle yer talkin’ ‘bout? What’s in that book that’s so darned valuable?”

Daring bit her lip, looking down to the blankets she sat upon. In her hesitation, Braeburn searched her unfocused eyes to guess what was on her mind. They were tired, as was to be expected. However, the dark as night circles under her eyes were unnoticeable compared to the look they were expressing. The mare looked torn, as if answering the question wasn’t such a good idea. Braeburn sighed, turning to everypony else in the room.

“Alright, look; we all have a lot o’ questions, s’pecially after what we all just went through. But it’s lookin’ ‘round three in the mornin’, and Ah reckon we all need our sleep before we can take on any more stress. It’ll be quite a while before we get to Ponyville, so we can get everything outta the way tomorrow. Fer now, let’s just sleep so we can all have a clear mind.”

Thankfully, it took no amount of convincing for everypony to almost instantly agree with Braeburn’s proposal. Day Break flew over to her bed next to Daring’s, while Bullet Tyme and Azure Spark took to the couches on either side of the coffee table. Artemis retired to the cockpit, closing the door behind him to pilot the aircraft.

“Oh, Braeburn,” said the unicorn suddenly, sitting back up. “Did you want the couch? I can sleep on the floor if you want.”

Braeburn cocked an eyebrow. “Ah appreciate yer willingness to be nice, but Ah need ya’ to get yer strength and yer magic back up. No tellin’ when we might need yer help.”

“Are you su-”

“Ah’m a farmer, Azure. Ah’ve slept on worse,” the beige earth pony replied.

Azure nodded in thanks before curling himself into a ball atop his couch, while Bullet Tyme seemed content to stretch out with his hindlegs crossed and his forehooves behind his head. He covered his face with his black Stetson, keeping the moonlight shining through the windows out of his eyes.

The beige stallion let out a long sigh as he lay down on the floor on his front, resting his chin upon the mattress. Daring chuckled quietly, removing his Stetson and setting it aside. She then began the affectionate task of running a tender hoof through his mane. It was almost as if she were petting him like a dog, but Braeburn certainly didn’t feel like that. Her touch was warm, caring and lovingly slow. The stallion smiled in appreciation against the soft blankets of her makeshift bed, his eyelids drooping low as his fatigue started to take its toll. The mare lay down on her front as well, her face inches away from his. He didn’t know long they stared at each other before the stallion could no longer stay awake.

Through the windows of the cabin, the sun was starting to rise. Across the deep blue ocean, a bright orange bump protruded from the horizon line, casting its light over the vast expanse of water. A pair of thin, wispy clouds veiled the sun’s rays enough for Bullet Tyme to safely gaze into the vista. Around him, four ponies slept peacefully, while he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. He knew that he should have been asleep hours ago, but it seemed like a virtue he simply couldn’t grasp. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know why, for he knew exactly what the issue was. In the end, the stallion knew all too well that he wasn’t going to achieve any sort of resting state until his worries had ceased.

Bullet Tyme sighed quietly as he replaced the black Stetson to his head. He slid off the couch and approached the door on the front end of the cabin, giving it a couple of knocks before opening it. Inside the cockpit, Artemis was sitting up straight in the chair on the left, his forelegs crossed as he gazed over the orange-tinged ocean. Bullet walked between the chairs, taking the seat on the right.

“I’ll say it again, Bullet,” grinned Artemis. “It’s still going to be a while.”

“Not why Ah’m here,” he replied flatly, unconsciously mimicking the gray pony’s sitting position, his forelegs crossed as well.

"Well you’re not here because you can’t sleep,” said Artemis, making Bullet twitch an eyebrow.

“Ah can’t think o’ any other reason, partner,” the riflepony replied with the slightest hint of retaliation.

“Not consciously, anyway,” the pilot said, flashing him a smug grin. Bullet only gave him an inquisitive look in response. “You know, Bullet Tyme, when I first met you, I admit that I wasn’t in the best of places. The only pony I can rightfully call family was in the middle of the jungle by herself with a demi-god that wanted her dead, so you can only imagine what every last one of my thoughts was focused on. Because of which, I wasn’t able to gauge you very well upon introduction. All I saw was a brazen, hard-flanked farmer with an affinity for rifles. No offense, of course.”

“None taken.”

“But now that we have Daring back, I’m able to get a more accurate read on you,” Artemis concluded.

“Now why would ya’ want that?” Bullet asked. “Ah’m only here to make sure my boy doesn’t get himself killed, nothin’ more. Ah shouldn’t hold no more importance than any other soldier in all o’ this.”

“You’re on this ship, so you are by default,” the gray stallion countered. “Besides, something tells me that there’s a lot more to you than your outward appearance.”

“Ponies don’t need to know no more than that. Wouldn’t do nopony no good otherwise,” Bullet replied dryly, stretching his body to cross his hindhooves on the slanted wooden dashboard.

“I can understand that,” Artemis nodded. “So that brings us back to why you’re in here. You’re worried, aren’t you?”

“’Course Ah’m worried; we’re all worried.”

“Not about Sure Shot,” the gray pony said, slightly adjusting the wheel to steer the ship to the left. “You, Braeburn and Day Break went into that place with one look in your eyes, but came out with something completely different about you. The three of you got Daring back in one piece, without so much as a single scratch. So what’s going on? Did something happen down there?”

Bullet Tyme grunted quietly, pausing for a moment or two. He suspected that it may have been his lack of sleep, but the stallion briefly considered telling the pilot. As soon as the thought arose, however, the riflepony immediately shook it from his head. “A lotta things happened down there. We won the fight, and like ya’ said, without a scratch.”

“Sounds like somepony has a secret,” Artemis mused.

“Sounds like somepony’s pushin’ his luck in this here conversation,” Bullet scoffed.

“Heh, perhaps,” the gray stallion admitted with a nod. “Maybe I am being a tad intrusive.”

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. To Bullet Tyme, the silence was comforting. His mind wandered over the events that had taken place in the ruins while he watched the sun rise out of the corner of his eye. In his peripheral vision, he also spotted Artemis leaning back in his captain’s chair as he rested his eyes. For whatever reason, he wore the most subtle of grins, as if the expression had been plastered on the end of his muzzle. His short black tail swept lazily from side to side every now and then, hanging from the edge of his seat. Bullet wondered what exactly had him so content in such a time of uncertainty, but never put too much thought into it. Instead, Bullet merely returned his gaze to the rising orb of orange light, wincing once it cleared its veil of clouds.

The tan earth pony sighed, realizing that one of them would have to speak eventually. “Ya’ seemed a mite happy to find out ‘bout Daring and Braeburn. Usually it’s different with the mare’s Pa.”

“Well, I’m not exactly her ‘Pa,’ am I?” Artemis smirked.

“No, but Ah reckon ya’ might have the same kind o’ sour feelin’s toward the idea,” said Bullet.

“Are you kidding me? I’m relieved,” the pilot chuckled, finally opening his eyes to look at the other pony again. “Daring has been miserable since the day we left Ponyville. It was truly rare to see a smile on her face for the past year and a half. Problem with her is that she’s a stubborn mare. She’d never just let herself be talked to about the matter until it was too much to bear. It definitely got a little better once she got back in touch with Day Break, but being away from Braeburn for so long was still killing her.”

“How come she didn’t just come back to Appleloosa earlier then?” asked Bullet.

“Again, because she’s stubborn,” Artemis replied. “Actually, the plan was to go to Appleloosa once this business with Ahuitzotl’s prison was done. But of course, it didn’t go exactly as planned.”

“S’funny ya’ mention all o’ that. Dealin’ with Braeburn was pretty much the same,” Bullet Tyme said. “If he wasn’t mopin’ locked up inside his house, he was mopin’ ‘round workin’ on the farm.”

“Reassuring words can only go so far.”

“Agreed.”

“But of course, we wouldn’t be a father and a godfather if we weren’t there for them, right?”

“Right,” Bullet said, cracking a slightly amused grin.

“But… as happy as they look together, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s still something wrong with them,” Artemis mentioned, looking to Bullet Tyme inquisitively.

“Ah reckon Ah know what ya’ mean.”

“Oh?”

“Those two both left somethin’ behind in that temple; things that a pony can’t get back,” Bullet started, shifting the mood of the room. “Braeburn’s got the blood of a riflepony in him, so it was no surprise what he could do once Ah put Thumper in his hooves. Boy was a natural from the start. He’s always been a good stallion; one that nopony would look at twice out o’ suspicion, but a few hours ago he did somethin’ that would change anypony forever. He took a life, and then three more after that in a matter o’ ten minutes. He knows that he had to do it, but Ah’m sure it’s gonna stick with him fer the rest o’ his life.”

“I would imagine so,” Artemis replied in almost a whisper, slowly shaking his head. “While it’s necessary in such a circumstance, I wouldn’t want to be in Braeburn’s place.”

“He’ll push past it, but it’s gonna be a long road.”

“I think I’ve seen the same thing in Daring,” Artemis said, his tone becoming more grave. “I don’t even want to think of what she went through in there, especially with those bruises and her foreleg the way it is.”

“Ah’ll say one thing: thank Celestia they have each other,” Bullet grinned. “’Cause Ah ain’t good at playin’ therapist.”

Both stallions shared a laugh, and began a more casual conversation as the dawn of a new day began.

Fourteen - The Race Begins

As far as any member of the Apple Family was concerned, there was no better way to start the day than with an apple fritter and a tall glass of cider. But today, the juice was replaced with a mug of steaming coffee, free of any cream and sugar. Applejack yawned widely, her mane in complete disarray over her half-lidded eyes. Her notched Stetson lay haphazardly atop her head, tilted to one side. All that was on the mare’s mind was sleep; a virtue lost before the long day of work ahead of her. She ate and drank slowly, scowling at every sip of black, unsweetened coffee.

“Coffee cold yet?” asked a large, red stallion across the table. Applejack looked up wearily, her eyes seeing two of everything in front of her. The mare shook her head violently, trying to focus on her brother. He wore a crooked, relaxed smile, his lips around a long reed. In front of him was an empty drinking glass and a single fritter.

Applejack rubbed her tired eyes, doing everything she could to keep her head off the table. “Oh, right. Guess it’s too late now.”

“Where were ya’ last night, anyhow?” asked Big Macintosh, his deep voice cheery.

“Hangin’ ‘round with Twilight and Rainbow Dash,” Applejack replied wearily. “Guess we lost track o’ time.”

“Forgot ‘bout work today?” her brother asked, his tone carrying a sense of friendly scolding.

“Yeah, yeah, Ah know. It ain’t gonna affect my work, don’t ya’ worry,” the orange mare replied, waving a dismissive hoof as she stood up from the table, readjusting her hat. “Alright, let’s get on out there before Granny comes down here.”

“Aren’t ya’ fergettin’ ‘bout somethin’?” Big Macintosh asked, nodding toward the hallway behind him. Applejack stared at the open threshold for a long moment before his meaning hit her. The mare groaned, rubbing her brow with a hoof. “Ya’ gonna go wake her up fer work?”

“Yeah, Ah guess Ah’ll go do that.”

“There a reason she ain’t sleepin’ at home?” the red stallion asked, taking a sip of his cider.

“Poor thing has been pickin’ up the slack of two other ponies lately,” Applejack explained, pausing to utter a loud yawn. “She pretty much passed out in the doughnut shop last night. She wouldn’t wake up, so I brought her here. Go on and get out there, Ah’ll meet up with ya’.”

Her brother smirked, rolling his eyes before standing to his hooves and walking out the front door. “Eeyup.”

Applejack watched him go, feeling her head grow exceedingly light as the early morning sunshine hit her face from the opening door. Her body leaned forward on its own accord, nearly falling over before the mare regained her balance with a forehoof. She shook her head once more, turning around and heading in the direction of the hallway. Come on, Applejack. It’s cider season, and ponies from all over will be comin’ ‘round tomorrow. Get yer eyes open already, she berated herself, pounding her temple a few times as she continued down the hall. Applejack wobbled her way to the guest room door, knocking a few times before opening it and walking in.

The guest room was far from lavish, but it did hold the necessities for a pony to stay the night. There was a single window, shining a wide ray of sunlight upon a twin-sized bed. The sheets and blankets were in a pile at the end of the mattress, doing nothing to cover the slumbering mare. Rainbow Dash lay on her side facing the window, her long multi-hued bangs veiling the majority of her face. Her limbs were curled close to her body, her muzzle tucked between her forelegs. The pegasus snored loudly, the corner of her mouth stretching open with every audible breath. Applejack stopped dead, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

If the pegasus had been working her usual schedule, Applejack wouldn’t have hesitated to flip the mattress over to get her out of bed. But after seeing her so fatigued the night before, the farmer had to consider whether or not to wake her. Rainbow deserved to sleep after being forced to take on two other shifts in the clouds, but Applejack knew that her friend would only be angry if she let her sleep in. However, the orange mare couldn’t help but feel an extraordinary amount of guilt for what she had to do. The farmer sighed as she strode over to sit down atop the unoccupied portion of the bed. Instead of rousing the pegasus with her usual haste, Applejack prodded Rainbow’s upturned side, but to no avail. Dash merely grunted, twitching her tail in response to the attempt. The earth pony rolled her eyes, not willing to do this for the next hour.

Applejack reached a hoof toward Rainbow’s shoulder, shaking it relentlessly until the pegasus shot to her haunches in a fright. She threw her head in all directions, her magenta eyes wide. “Whoa! Hey, where am… Applejack?”

“Heh, sorry RD,” the earth pony said, straightening her hat. “Yer at my house. Ya’ done passed out last night at the doughnut shop and wouldn’t wake back up. Ah figured Ah’d carry ya’ here so you could sleep.”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “What?! What time is it? Did I oversleep?!”

“Hold yer horses there, Sugarcube,” Applejack replied, holding her forehooves up in a calming manner. “It’s still early. Y’ain’t gotta punch in ‘til eight o’ clock, right? It’s only seven!”

The cyan mare slumped forward, letting out a long sigh of relief. Her flared wings drooped low to her sides, her ears following suit. “Oh… Good…”

Applejack smiled, thankful that her friend didn’t berate her for waking her up too early. “Ya’ still look like a raccoon with those eyes o’ yers. Are ya’ sure ya’ don’t wanna take the day off or somethin’?”

“Believe me, I wish I could,” Rainbow groaned, stretching with a long yawn. “I used the rest of my sick days for the year before I got this extra work.”

“Don’t they know they’re overworkin’ ya’?”

“Hey, are you saying that I can’t handle it?” the pegasus retorted, cocking an eyebrow with a flick of her prismatic tail. Applejack rolled her eyes, wishing that her friend wasn’t as stubborn as she was.

“Ya’ know Ah ain’t sayin’ none o’ that,” the farmer frowned. “But this ain’t healthy! Is the extra pay really worth it if yer just gonna spend it all on a hospital bill?”

Rainbow Dash stood up on the mattress, taking a moment to stretch her hindlegs and wings. Her limbs cracked audibly, instilling a few satisfied groans from the pegasus. “Sheesh. Could your guest bed be any more uncomfortable? My wings are killing me.”

“Rainbow!” Applejack scolded, striving to keep her heavy eyes open. “Stop dodgin’ this and listen to reason here!”

“Ugh, fine! Geeze, AJ, what’s with the concern all of a sudden? Last time I checked, my mom was a pegasus!” Rainbow exclaimed, rolling her eyes again with an irritated flap of her wings. Applejack watched her walk out of the room, a satisfied smile on the earth pony’s face. Somehow, the farmer knew that her brash friend would respond with an attitude. However, Applejack knew that the pegasus was only hiding her appreciation. With an enormous amount of effort, the orange mare tore her gaze away from the temptations of the bed she sat upon and leaped to the floor instead.

After Rainbow Dash helped herself to a fritter and a mug of coffee, she and Applejack went outside and walked into the apple orchard. In the distance to the left, the orange mare spotted her older brother effortlessly bucking a hail of apples from a tree with a single hindhoof. She caught his eye, nodding her head toward the pegasus. Thankfully, Big Macintosh bowed his head in acknowledgement before returning to his work.

“He uh… he looks like he could use some help,” Rainbow commented.

“Don’t worry, Ah’ll get to it. First Ah gotta make sure ya’ don’t fly off to work,” said Applejack, stopping once they reached the middle of the East fields. The pegasus’ head dropped low as she uttered a long groan.

“Look, I’m not gonna lie, but I’m heading for a cloud to wash off and then to work. See ya’ later,” Rainbow said flatly, stretching her wings to take off. But as her hooves left the ground, Applejack stamped a forehoof on the end of the pegasus’ long tail. Rainbow yelped and hit the ground with a heavy thud, growling audibly as she pushed her torso up from the ground with her forelegs. She whipped her head around, staring daggers at the farmer through her long mane. “Hey! What is your problem, Applejack? Why can’t you just let me go and do my job?!”

“In any other situation, Ah’d be a mite proud o’ ya’ fer all this sudden work ethic and whatnot, but yer health is more important than some job! Since when d’ya care so much ‘bout work, anyhow?”

“I’m fine, alright! How many times do I have to-”

Something to Applejack’s right flashed with an incredible amount of light, briefly casting the two mares’ shadows far across the field. Applejack reflexively screwed her right eye shut in fright, flinching violently. The two of them threw their heads in the direction of the anomaly, their eyes bulging and their lips parted in shock. They stared at where they assumed the source of the flash to be, but found nothing but a vast expanse of grass and apple trees. Rainbow Dash pushed herself from the ground with a flap of her wings. She hovered next to her friend, whipping her head in all directions to search for what caused the strange light.

“Uh… Ya’ saw that too, right?” Applejack said under her breath, unaware of why she was whispering.

But before the cyan mare could respond, a flicker of pale blue electricity zapped a hoof or two above the grass from the right, sending a wave of dread through the orange mare. In her fatigued state, Applejack feared the worst, but nothing would have prepared her for what happened next.

A spherical flash of blue light erupted where the anomalies had occurred, accompanied by the high-pitched sound of magic. An invisible shockwave of energy roared through the air, ruffling the grass and blowing back Rainbow’s and Applejack’s manes. Immediately following the blast, three figures flew from the middle of the spell, hurtling in all directions. The figures were screaming in fright, forcing Applejack to realize that they were ponies. One tumbled away from them, rolling across the grass with painful grunts. The other two flew toward the same tree. One disappeared in the leaves and branches above, while the other slammed into the tree’s rather thick trunk with a loud, sickening crack. The pony’s spine bent backwards around the robust bark, and he let out a sharp gasp of agony.

The stallion hit the ground, arching his back upward with his elbows supporting his torso. “GAH! Why is it always the back?! Fer the love o’ Celestia, Azure! What did ya’ do?!”

Rainbow looked to her friend, her head tilted to one side with a raised eyebrow. “Am I still asleep right now?”

The sound of heavy, galloping hooves shook the ground behind the orange mare, signaling her brother’s arrival. Applejack and Rainbow Dash merely stood there in disbelief as they identified the earth stallion. Over to the right, a unicorn with a coat similar to Rainbow’s lifted his face from the ground, his eyes clamped shut. He had a mane of vibrant teal; short and messy like his tail. “You gave me a map of a place I’ve never been before and asked if I could teleport us halfway across the darned country! I told you it was risky!”

“Will you two stop your whining and get me down from here!” said a third voice, this one female and oddly familiar. A dark sandstone-colored hoof poked out from between two branches, waving helplessly.

Big Macintosh raised his eyebrows as he appeared at Rainbow’s other side. “Cousin?”

Applejack took a step forward, her expression that of pure confusion. “B-Braeburn? What in the hay… who’s that over… Where’d ya’ll just come from?!”

Braeburn whipped his head around, blinking a few times as he took his cousin in. “Oh, uh… Howdy there, Applejack! And Big Mac too, look at that. Guess we made it to Sweet Apple Acres alright.”

The riflepony attempted to roll to his hooves, only to grunt in pain before falling back to his side. The orange mare galloped over, Big Macintosh close behind. The two of them assisted the stallion into a standing position. “Ack, thank ya’ kindly,” he grimaced, cracking his spine in several places. He turned his head in the direction of the blue unicorn, calling over to him with a hoof next to his mouth: “Hey Azure! Y’alright?”

“Oh, just peachy!” the pony called Azure yelled back sarcastically as he slowly rose to his shaking hooves. “Let’s do it again sometime.”

“Oof, he ain’t too happy,” Braeburn snorted, holding back a grin.

“Nevermind, guys! I’ll get outta this tree myself eventually!” came the voice in the tree again, sounding just as displeased as the unicorn.

“Hold on,” said Rainbow Dash, cocking a suspicious eyebrow and staring up at the dangling hoof protruding from the leaves above. “I know that voice! Daring, is that you?!”

“Not thinkin’ ‘bout work no more, huh?” Applejack said quietly, only to be ignored by her friend.

“R-Rainbow Dash?” stammered the mare in the tree in disbelief. The branches moved from side to side, shaking a few of their leaves free until a familiar face poked out of the tree. The mare’s mane bore a spectrum of grays and black, contrasted against her large magenta eyes. Atop her head was an off-white pith hat, a portion of its brim wrapped in green fabric. When Rainbow Dash spotted her, she didn’t waste a millisecond before taking to the air and tackling Daring Do out of the tree. She stopped high in the air at a hover with her forelegs wrapped tightly around the archaeologist, who returned the favor with glee.

“Oh my gosh, you’re alive! What happened?! Did Ahuitzotl hurt you? Did you defeat him?!”

“Hey Dash-ow-I missed you too!” Daring grunted in pain, although not without a large smile.

As the two pegasi practically yelled at each other in high-pitched voices of excitement, Braeburn looked down to Applejack with a smirk. “Good news; we found Daring.”

The riflepony was caught off-guard as the orange mare threw her forelegs around him, holding him as tight as she could. Braeburn chuckled, wrapping a single foreleg around her in return. “Y’alright, AJ?”

“Ah’m fine,” said Applejack quietly, her voice muffled by his shoulder. “Ah’m just happy yer okay.”

Braeburn laughed aloud, wrapping a single foreleg around the mare’s neck. Big Macintosh walked up to them, giving the riflepony a friendly hit to the shoulder. “S’good to see ya’, cuz.”

“You too, Big Mac,” said Braeburn.

“So ya’ mind tellin’ us what’s goin’ on here?” asked Applejack, letting go of her cousin. She turned her head, glancing at the unicorn named Azure, standing awkwardly in the background. “And uh, introducin’ us to yer friend?”

Braeburn blinked, looking over to the cyan stallion. He waved a beckoning hoof, a wry grin on his face. “Azure, come on over here, would ya’?”

As the unicorn approached, Daring and Rainbow Dash landed aside Applejack, who gave her a friendly bump of the hoof. The farmer then turned her eyes to the unicorn, who didn’t seem to be comfortable in this particular setting. Braeburn was the one to start: “Applejack, Big Mac, this is our new friend; Azure Spark.”

“Glad to meet ya’, partner!” said Applejack, taking one of the unicorn’s forehooves and shaking it vigorously.

Azure’s head cocked back at the sudden enthusiastic hospitality, doing his best to shake her hoof back and smile. His yellow eyes seemed to avoid her, evidently taking more interest in the grass below. “H-Hello, and you too.”

“So what exactly brings ya’ll here of all places?” asked the orange mare, now more awake than she had been in days.

“Yeah, sorry to drop in like we did,” said Daring, giving Applejack and her brother an apologetic look. “We’re actually on our way to the Everfree Forest. We would’ve just teleported there, but this was the place Braeburn and I were able to sketch out the best for Azure.”

“Wait, so where did you guys come from if you teleported here?” asked Rainbow Dash, quirking an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Baltimare,” answered Azure, lowering his head in exhaustion.

Applejack and Rainbow’s jaws dropped, shock written over their faces. “Baltimare?!”

“My airship ran out of fuel before we thought it would,” Daring said, rubbing the back of her neck. “My godfather’s taking care of it in Baltimare before he makes his way here.”

“Hope ya’ don’t mind, but we asked him to land in the South fields o’ Sweet Apple Acres,” said Braeburn, giving Applejack a bashful grin. “There still ain’t too many trees out there, right?”

“Naw, Ah reckon that’d be alright. Might scare Granny somethin’ fierce if she ain’t expectin’ it, though,” Applejack grinned. “Anyhow, Ah ain’t no scholar in the likes o’ magic, but isn’t teleportin’ ‘cross country… uh, impossible?”

“Not if you have an awesome unicorn like Spark with you!” Daring grinned, giving the unicorn a sidelong glance.

“Well, teleportation happens to be my specialty,” said Azure, rubbing his horn with a painful wince. “But even so, that spell completely drained my magic. Sorry Braeburn, but I’m afraid I won’t be of much use for the time being.”

“Are ya’ kiddin’ me?” Braeburn chuckled. “You’ve been more help than any o’ us could ask for.”

Azure blinked once, staring at the beige stallion for a beat before wearing a small smile, looking back to the ground.

“But anyway,” Daring continued. “We really do need to get to the Everfree Forest. We’re kinda short on time.”

“Can Ah ask what’s in there fer ya’?” asked Applejack, confused.

“Well it’s a long story, but I need to get my copy of Cunning’s journal. Like, now o’ clock,” the archaeologist spoke hurriedly.

“Cunning’s journal? Ya’ know Ah still have Braeburn’s copy, would that help?”

There was a second of silence as Daring’s left eye twitched, slowly turning her head to glare up at the riflepony. Braeburn slapped a hoof to his forehead, wearing a self-loathing expression. “Confound it! Ah completely forgot ‘bout my copy!”

“You mean yours was… we… Ugh, it doesn’t matter. Actually, it’s great!” Daring said, her tone going from aggravated to elated in a few seconds. She turned back to Applejack. “Could I ask you to get it for us, AJ? It’s really important.”

Applejack looked up to her brother, asking a question with nothing more than a single inquisitive look. When he nodded, the mare smiled in agreement. “S’alright, Sugarcube. Now why don’t ya’ll come inside? Braeburn said there was somethin’ hidden in that book. Ah reckon ya’ might wanna sit down and get a good look at it.”

Daring sighed in relief. “Awesome, thanks!”

“And hey, maybe I can help!” Rainbow Dash chimed in, hovering beside her idol as they all followed Applejack and her brother toward the barn home.

Braeburn allowed himself a breath of relief, finally able to allow his tense muscles to relax. He walked behind Daring and Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be unable to get enough of each other’s stories. He smiled, comforted knowing that his marefriend could put her mind at ease if only for the moment. The two pegasi hovered a few hooves above the ground, laughing and grinning like two sisters seeing each other for the first time in years. After hearing the archaeologist’s chilling promise of vengeance, her being happy again was a welcomed sight.

Azure walked beside the beige stallion, giving him a sidelong glance every five or six steps. At first, Braeburn brushed it aside as a nervous tick. But after the unicorn kept looking at him, the riflepony looked back to the shorter stallion, offering a friendly smile. “Somethin’ on yer mind, partner?”

“What? Oh,” Azure snapped to attention, his yellow eyes continuing to scan the ground. “Well, I’m just a little… overwhelmed, I guess.”

“Overwhelmed?”

“Yes,” the unicorn answered. “I’m not exactly used to such… kind words and hospitality, as you can imagine.”

“Nice, ain’t it?” Braeburn agreed with a grin. “But hey, don’t expect us to be a thing like Sure Shot. Yer not a tool to us; yer a friend and an ally, so get used to it.”

“But why?” the unicorn asked hastily, lowering his voice to a loud whisper. “I’ve been branded as a criminal by Equestrian law! If you all are found harboring me, then you’ll be put behind bars too! Not to mention what I’ve done under Sure Shot’s orders!”

“Hey, calm down fer a sec,” said Braeburn, making a downward gesture with a hoof. “Did any o’ yer actions get noticed by the law? The things ya’ did fer Sure Shot?”

Azure blinked, cocking his head back an inch or two. He took a moment to chew on the question, holding a hoof over his mouth as he walked with the other three. “I… I don’t think so… We were exceptionally good at keeping ourselves unnoticed. Sure Shot was the only one that wasn’t afraid to show his face. Most of my job was to transport our allies, whether it was for travel or just to confuse the enemy. I think that one time in Appleloosa was the only instance when I was out in the open.”

“Good, then just make sure ya’ keep all o’ that to yerself,” said the taller stallion nonchalantly. “If Daring said that she could help ya’, then Ah would trust her. Fer now, yer safe here at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah just hope ya’ like apple-related treats. Ah reckon yer gonna have yer fill ‘round here.”

“Well… I think that sounds great. Your family seems to be very welcoming,” said Azure with a grateful smile.

“Only if ya’ don’t tick nopony off, the Apple Family will always be good to ya’.”

“Seems so,” Azure started. “Your cousin is… well, especially lovely.”

Braeburn skipped a step, nearly falling forward. He furrowed his brow, pursing his lips as he glanced over to the short stallion. It looked as if he wanted nothing more than to go back in time and take back his comment, for a light pink had started to surface over his cyan cheeks. “Ah’ll tell ya’ one thing, Azure: that mare will buck yer teeth out before doin’ whatever yer thinkin’.”

“Wh-What?! Oh, no, that’s not what I-”

“What’d Ah say ‘bout calmin’ yerself down?” Braeburn chuckled, giving him a friendly hit to the shoulder, almost knocking the unicorn over in the process. “But in all seriousness, that’s not a venture Ah would recommend.”

“I understand, I’m sorry,” Azure stammered. “I guess I was just… thinking aloud…”

Braeburn shook his head, the corner of his mouth upturned in a wry grin. They walked on, approaching the barn house. In front of Braeburn, Daring and Rainbow Dash finally took to the ground at a brisk trot. Up ahead, Big Macintosh opened the front door, holding it ajar for everypony to cross the threshold. They all piled into the humble dining room, all eyes falling on an elderly, pale green mare sitting in a recliner in the living room nearby. Her wrinkled eyes widened as they walked in, her forehooves ceasing production on a small article of crocheted clothing. Her gaze darted between them all, lifting a single eyebrow in confusion.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on ‘round here?” the old mare shrieked, slowly dipping down from the chair to stand wearily to the floor. She grabbed a thin wooden cane from a nearby end table, leaning a shaking foreleg on it. She hobbled over to the small group, her eyes finally centering on Braeburn, who was standing aside Big Macintosh near the door. “Braeburn! Ya’ finally show up to visit and yer bringin’ weapons into my home? Didn’t that father o’ yers teach you better than that?”

Braeburn blinked, sucking in a guilty breath through his teeth. “Ah’m a mite sorry, Granny Smith. But this is kind of a-”

“I don’t care what it is! Do me a favor and put ‘em somewhere they won’t hurt nopony,” Granny Smith scolded before looking to her granddaughter. “And Applejack, you and yer brother know better than to shirk off work! How in tarnation are we supposed to get ready fer cider season if yer roundin’ up yer friends fer some kinda social get-together?”

Nopony in the dining room expected such a scolding from the old mare, not even Applejack or her older brother. Rainbow Dash, Daring Do and Azure Spark looked as if they had turned to stone, for none of them dared to neither move nor blink. Something must have really gotten under her skin this morning, for Braeburn had never seen his great aunt so livid before. Applejack tilted her head in confusion, a worried expression plastered on her face. “Granny, are you alright? Ah mean, Ah’m sorry fer all o’ this, Ah wasn’t expectin’ any company today, Ah swear!”

“It’s our fault, Miss Smith,” Daring chimed in all of a sudden, wearing a humble look. “We kind of dropped in out of nowhere. We’re only gonna be here for a minute. I promise that we won’t distract your grandchildren any longer.”

Granny Smith took a step forward, her cane clacking on the wooden floorboard underhoof. “Make sure ya’ don’t, Missy. If anypony needs me, I’ll be finishin’ mah knittin’ upstairs. Applejack, Big Macintosh; I hope to see you two in the fields in the next five minutes.”

With that, Granny Smith turned on her cane and hobbled out of view from the dining room. Everypony held their breaths for a few moments, listening to her cane clack up the staircase until the sound of a closing door echoed throughout the home. Braeburn exhaled heavily, shooting his cousins a frightened gaze. “What in Equestria was that?!”

“Yeah AJ, since when is Granny Smith so snappy?” Rainbow agreed, cocking a reproachful eyebrow.

“Granny’s uh… Granny’s been pretty gosh-darned stressed fer the past few months,” Applejack answered slowly, staring at the spot that her grandmother previously occupied.

“Understatement of the century,” the prismatic mare replied, rolling her eyes.

“It hasn’t exactly been an easy ride, but Granny’s never been like this,” Applejack continued. “Usually she can deal with us bein’ underhoofed durin’ cider season, but she hasn’t been too keen on havin’ to hobble ‘round on that new cane o’ hers.”

“Did something happen to her?” Braeburn asked, dreading the answer.

“Age,” Big Macintosh answered plainly, a sad look in his eye. His sister nodded gravely, mirroring the red stallion’s expression.

“Poor thing ain’t takin’ it well, either,” said the orange mare, gesturing for the rest of the group to sit around the dining table. Everypony sat, save for her and her brother. “Ah’m sorry if she’s comin’ off a little harsh. Ah’ll be back with that book o’ yers real quick. Big Mac, you can go back outside. Ah’ll be there in a minute. Don’t wanna stress Granny out no more.”

Applejack exited the room then, leaving the rest of them to watch Daring place her saddlebags on the table in front of her. Rainbow paid close attention, her rose eyes full of wonder at every little thing the archaeologist did. It was funny to Braeburn in a small way, like a small fanfilly in the presence of her hero. As Daring extracted her notepad, quill and inkwell, the beige stallion noticed Big Macintosh staring at him from the other end of the table. The large red pony tilted his head at him, a covert look of concern on his face. His expression seemed to ask the question for him, and Braeburn understood it completely. The riflepony didn’t need to answer with words around his cousin; he never had. Whether it was a bond between stallions or cousins, they had always been able to communicate through expression. Braeburn gave him a sidelong grin, accompanied by a curt nod of reassurance. Just as always, Big Macintosh understood, confirming his reply. The red stallion stood up and left, resuming his work outside.

“Ooh, what’s this?” came Rainbow’s excited voice, and Braeburn looked over to find her pointing at Daring’s notes. “The ‘Fyre of Tar’? Is that some kind of secret code to unlock an ancient temple or something?”

Daring slowly turned her head to the cyan mare next to her, cocking an eyebrow. Rainbow had her elbows on the table, her forehooves holding up her awestruck face. “You’re really into those books, aren’t you?”

“Of course!” Dash exclaimed, her eyes fixated on the notepad. “Now come on, what is it?”

Daring couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm to help. “It’s a really long story, Dash. I’m not sure it would interest…”

The dark mare trailed off, noticing Rainbow’s large, wonder-filled eyes. “Or maybe it would interest you greatly.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Okay, I’ve got an idea,” Daring grinned. “Here’s the deal: I tell you everything and let you help me, and you teach me a few moves while we wait for my airship to get here.”

Rainbow’s grin couldn’t have become any broader. “Hay yeah! Alright, let’s do this!”

The cyan mare’s timing couldn’t have been better, for a tall stack of papers was suddenly dropped between her, Azure, Braeburn and Daring. The top slip of paper bore the words Diary of Cunning the Colt: Copy Two.

“Welp, Ah sure hope ya’ find whatever yer lookin’ for, Daring,” said Applejack. “Now feel free to help yerselves to anything in the ice box if need be. We’ll be out workin’ on the farm.”

But before the farmer left, Braeburn held up a hoof to stop her, his head turning to Daring. “Hey, y’ain’t gonna need me or Azure fer this, right?”

“Um… no, I don’t think so,” she said before wrapping a foreleg around the pegasus sitting next to her. “Just Rainbow should do it!”

“Well then, cousin Applejack, looks like ya’ll have got yerselves two more workers fer the day!” said Braeburn happily, standing up to shrug off his weapons and duster. He left them under the table near his seat, only keeping his cowpony hat on. The stallion pulled Azure Spark to his hooves, much to the unicorn’s surprise. “Come on, Azure. Yer helpin’.”

“Wh-What? I don’t have any magic left!”

“Do any o’ us look like we have any such thing?”

“I don’t know how to buck apples!”

“Well then a crash course seems to be in order!”

Braeburn dragged Azure out the door, followed by an appreciative-looking Applejack. As they exited the barn home, the orange mare trotted alongside her cousin, finding Big Macintosh already bucking a tree full of apples in the fields ahead.

“Oh, Ah can’t believe Ah forgot to ask,” Applejack started, rolling her eyes at herself. She then leaned her head in toward the beige earth pony, giving him an inquisitive look. She lowered her voice a little to keep her words out of earshot of the unicorn a few paces behind them. “So did you and Daring… uh, get together?”

Braeburn smiled, knowing full and well that the question would be raised eventually. “Yeah, yeah we did.”

Applejack stopped for a moment to rear on her hindlegs, crying out a short yeehaw of celebration. “Thank Celestia! Ah was afraid o’ what woulda’ happened once you two saw each other again! Can’t say Ah’m all too surprised, though. You two always looked sweet on each other since the day we met her!”

“Heh, if ya’ only knew.”

“Well either way, it’s nice to see a smile on yer face again,” said Applejack, giving him a sincere smile. “Now why don’t we teach this here unicorn how to get his hooves dirty!”

Daring Do found herself staring with unfocused eyes at the spot where her coltfriend had left, a small, silly smile playing on her lips. She knew not of how much time had passed as she drifted off into space, simply sitting at the table with her forehooves resting on her knees. Suddenly, a bright blue hoof waved in front of the mare’s face, breaking her out of her stupor. She blinked a few times, looking to the pegasus on her right. Rainbow Dash wore a wry grin, lifting her brow knowingly.

“So I guess everything went alright in the end, huh?” she chuckled. Daring blinked once more, surprised that she was able to pick that up so easily. She may not have known her long, but Daring had already noted the cyan daredevil to be less than attentive.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah it went… really well,” Daring said softly, unable to shake the smile from her face.

“Heh, well that’s cool,” said Rainbow, not looking too comfortable about the subject. The archaeologist noticed this, and decided to dig a little further on the matter.

Daring leaned her cheek on a hoof, giving her friend a teasing grin. “So… any special somepony in your life?”

“Wh-What?” Rainbow stammered, fighting to save face. “P-Pff, I don’t have time for things like that. I’m too busy training for the Wonderbolts! I can’t have somepony dragging me down from my dream.”

“You sound like me when I was younger,” Daring replied. “I always thought that having some stallion following me around would be nothing but a bother. But it’s great once you get used to the idea. You never know; maybe instead of dragging you down, somepony can lift you up and help you accomplish anything you set your mind to.”

Rainbow looked as if she wanted to roll her eyes, but evidently decided not to. “What Hearts and Hooves Day card did you take that from?”

“The one they give you once you’ve experienced it,” Daring countered with a grin. “So here’s the million-bit question: if you’re not looking for a special somepony, then why did you grow your mane out so-”

“I haven’t had time to get it cut and I hate it,” Rainbow groaned quickly, as if answering the question had become an annoying routine.

Daring laughed aloud. “Well, you should keep it like that. It’s cute.”

Ignoring Rainbow’s snort, Daring pulled Braeburn’s copy of Cunning’s diary toward herself, flipping through the pages to find where she had left off in her own copy. “Now let’s get down to business. I won’t go on about why, but we don’t exactly have a lotta time here.”

The morning went on as Daring continued to decode Cunning’s journal, with the assistance of a few cups of coffee and a surprisingly helpful Rainbow Dash. While she didn’t exactly emanate an aura of brilliance, the cyan pegasus occasionally chimed in with a few useful observations. Daring Do read every last sentence with extreme care, hoping to Celestia that she didn’t miss any oddly-placed words and therefore misspell the message hidden within. The work proved more and more tedious with each page, growing more difficult to find anything that raised a red flag. There were even a few instances when the archaeologist paused for minutes at a time, trying to decide whether or not certain words could have been part of the code.

As excited as she had been to assist Daring, it only took an hour for Rainbow Dash to lose her focus and drift off to sleep, her chin resting on the tabletop. The other pegasus didn’t mind, for it had taken her a while to realize that her friend had fallen unconscious next to her. Daring could only smile, mouthing the words I told you so to herself. Even when she ran into a roadblock in the book, she never once considered waking Rainbow up. She had already looked to be exhausted, as if staying awake was a monumental chore. Sometime before noon, Daring gave the cyan mare’s long mane a light, playful ruffle, more to momentarily distract herself than anything.

Once the morning had ended and the sun was at its apex for the day, Braeburn, his cousins and a fatigued Azure Spark returned inside for lunch. Daring, however, was far too poured into her work to even consider eating. Her coltfriend had tried to give her a sandwich multiple times, but Daring wordlessly refused every time. She would eat when she was satisfied with her results; a sentence that she played in her head whenever her empty stomach growled desperately at her. Even Granny Smith ate with them, looking much more content now that their guests had been able to help in the orchard. Eventually they had returned to work outside, leaving Daring to continue her arduous work of reading and writing.

It wasn’t until hours later that the pegasus was able to utter an enormous sigh of relief, letting her forehead fall atop the closed copy of the diary. The impact forced Rainbow Dash to wake with a fright, subconsciously gasping something about a tortoise. Daring inhaled and slowly pushed herself upright in her chair, her eyes half-lidded and bloodshot. She cast a glance toward the window, finding the sun to be growing close to the treetops in the distance.

“Whoa, okay, I’m up,” Rainbow said, rubbing her eyes. “Hey Daring, I’m sorry for falling asleep… Hang on, did you get that done already?!”

Daring looked to the notepad in front of her, finding the page full of scrawled notes and letters surrounding a single message. She had difficulty focusing on it long enough to figure out what it meant, but the mare was convinced that it was the message that Cunning had meant to leave behind. “Heh, I guess I did, didn’t I?”

“Are you okay? You look like you’re gonna hurl.”

“I’m… okay,” she replied, finding herself hesitating before answering. “Do me a favor and go get everypony-”

But her sentence was cut off as the front door opened, allowing Azure and Braeburn to reenter the barn house. The two of them paced in slowly, their coats shimmering with perspiration. Braeburn looked relatively pleased with himself, while the unicorn did not. His head was hung low, his unkempt mane matted against his brow with sweat. Daring couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Azure’s fatigue, remembering his face when Braeburn dragged him outdoors to work. Apparently Applejack and her brother were still wrapping up outside.

“Okay, nevermind,” said the dark mare as they sat at the table across from her and Rainbow.

“Daring, are ya’ alright?” asked Braeburn, his expression turning from tired to concerned in a flash. “Ya’ didn’t take a single break, did ya’?”

“Not that I can remember,” Daring replied, her words slow and quiet, her body gently wobbling forward and backward in her chair. “But hey, I just got this thing figured out.”

She pushed the notepad across the table to the beige stallion, who leaned over to read it. He cocked an eyebrow, looking between the message and Daring with a confused expression. “If you were hopin’ Ah’d get what this means, Ah hate to say but yer gonna be disappointed.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

“Thanks.”

“Shoosh, you know what I mean,” Daring replied, rubbing her temples in a failed attempt to rid her eyes of the throbbing pain they were causing her. She then grabbed her notes and slid them back over to herself, reading them aloud. “’I am one of many. We safeguard the Fyre of Tartarus. I alone hold one of three: the Thief, the Hero and the Spellcaster.’”

“How’d Ah know that message wasn’t gonna be straight-forward?” Braeburn muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“What, did you expect the Fyre of Tartarus to be at the end of a dotted line?” asked Daring. “Now I won’t pretend to have an immediate answer to its meaning, but I think I have a few ideas.”

“So does that mean you know what our next step is?” asked Azure, picking his head up from the table with a hopeful look in his eye.

“Not until I figure out who the Hero and the Spellcaster are,” Daring replied, supporting her head on her hoof.

“Here’s a question,” said Braeburn, leaning his elbows on the table. “Ah’ve been wonderin’ since this mornin’; why would Cunning of all ponies be a part o’ this group that protected the Fyre, and why would they leave behind a note tellin’ where it is if it’s so dangerous?”

“Good question,” said the dark mare, hoping somepony would inquire about such a thing. “Well, look at it this way: if you were a part of a secret group that kept an item of divine power such as the Fyre of Tartarus safe and out of the hooves of evil, wouldn’t you wanna make sure it stayed that way even after you all were dead and buried? These guys couldn’t let that happen, so they left behind a trail of breadcrumbs for the ones they thought to be worthy enough to safeguard the Fyre if need be. Evidently, Braeburn, Cunning thought his descendants to be perfect for the job.”

Braeburn blinked, cocking his head back. “What? What makes ya’ think that?”

Daring exhaled, attempting to wade through her impatience. “Think about it, Brae. Thumper was once Cunning the Colt’s personal weapon and it was kept in your family for generations until it was used by you to unlock his tomb. In that tomb we recovered his diary, and in that diary was the message about the Fyre. He wanted somepony of his blood to protect the Fyre if it was ever threatened to be obtained by the likes of evil.”

“Hang on,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “Wasn’t Cunning the Colt some kind of bank robber or something?”

“Yes.”

“Then why would he care about keeping this really powerful thing out of the wrong hooves? It just seems weird to me,” the cyan mare concluded.

“That part I still don’t know yet, unfortunately,” Daring sighed, her gaze shifting to the copy of the diary in front of her. “I’ve read that thing twice now, and nothing points to why a criminal like him would try to keep the world safe, but evidently, he did.”

“I wonder if Sure Shot knows all of this,” Azure pondered aloud. “Or for that matter, where he went and what he’s doing.”

Something sparked in Daring’s mind then. She had nearly forgotten about the bandit leader in the midst of her work. “Wait… Azure, Sure Shot escaped using your magic in that gem thing, right? Do you know where that teleportation spell could have brought them?”

“No, not really,” he replied. “He forced me to make quite a few of those gems, with various amounts of magic.”

“Great, now that maniac’s got more o’ those?” Braeburn groaned.

“I’m sorry, but yes,” Azure answered sincerely, looking especially guilty. “I know that three of them were teleportation spells; two short distance and one long distance. I think it’s safe to say that he used the long range spell to get himself, Ahuitzotl and that riflemare off the island and back to Equestria.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Daring muttered. “Not to mention when he left, Sure Shot didn’t seem all too mad about not getting the diary’s location from me. Maybe… maybe he thought that getting a copy from me would be easier than breaking into the museum and stealing that one. So without knowing of Braeburn’s copy and being unable to find mine, he would be forced to take the original.”

Everypony else’s heads shot up, their eyes wide.

“Then he’s headin’ for Canterlot,” Braeburn realized aloud. “And with Ahuitzotl with him-”

“He might get it,” Daring finished gravely. “It wouldn’t be hard for him to steal the diary with a demigod on his side.”

“What about the princesses?” Rainbow asked frantically. “Won’t they be able to stop him?”

“It wouldn’t be a problem for a mind like Sure Shot’s to obtain the diary without them knowing,” said Azure. “He may be borderline insane, but he’s not stupid enough to take on an alicorn, let alone two. However, that doesn’t mean that innocent ponies couldn’t die in Sure Shot’s wake.”

“Then that’s our next step!” Braeburn exclaimed, standing to his hooves. “We’re the only ones that know this, so we gotta stop him!”

“Right,” Daring agreed, turning to Rainbow Dash. “I don’t know when my ship will arrive, and we’re stuck here until it does. Rainbow, can you find your friend Twilight and have her send a letter to Princess Celestia?”

“Faster than a bullet!” she confirmed confidently. Daring nodded, grabbing her quill with her teeth and dipping it in the inkwell. She turned the page of her notepad and began scrawling a message, finishing it with her signature. She folded the note and gave it to the cyan mare, who wasted no time in taking it and bolting out the door.

“Okay,” Daring sighed, allowing herself to take a breath. “That way the Princesses will at least have a warning before we get there.”

“If there’s a bright side to this, Ah think that it’s the fact that we’re ahead o’ the game,” Braeburn said optimistically. Daring furrowed her brow at that thought, finding her lips slowly curling into a malicious grin. Her coltfriend took notice of her sudden change of expression, wearing a look of worry. “Uh, Daring? Ya’ sure yer alright?”

“You just made me realize something, Brae,” she grinned, feeling more awake than she had that day. “Every expedition I’ve ever been a part of has always been just that; an expedition. But now… now there’s another pony looking for the same thing; looking to find it before we do. Never before have I been working against somepony in this field, and it’s… exciting. This is a race, and I plan to win.”

“So, that went well.”

“It went well?! Have you completely lost your mind?!”

The morning sun shone brightly through a long row of foggy, dirty windows high above. The light was dim, barely reaching the concrete floor two stories below. The moist air of the open interior smelled of mold and soaked wooden floorboards, emphasizing the abandoned state of the harbor. Three large bay doors were sealed shut on the other side of the large building, holding back their respective pools of stagnant water. The ocean winds howled outside, muffled by the thin, creaking walls surrounding them. On the edges of the interior were old, broken metal stairwells leading to a catwalk above. From the high ceiling hung a plethora of chains, dangling from a number of inoperable crane systems. Every bit of metal in the harbor was rusted, and every length of wood seemed close to withering away. The floor, thankfully, was solid enough to accommodate two ponies and a four meter tall demigod.

A large wooden spindle presumably used for storing chains had been flipped onto its side in the middle of the harbor, serving as a makeshift table for a purple stallion and a forest-green mare. Sure Shot looked past Eagle Eye, giving Ahuitzotl his lazy gaze. The beast was positively seething, baring his long rows of razor-sharp teeth. “Not only did I lose my tail to that simpleton riflepony, but we were outgunned and forced to flee! If it went well, I would still have all of my limbs, and we would be on our way to the Fyre by now!”

Sure Shot tilted his head, his eyelids half-closed. He uttered a large yawn, briefly holding a hoof over his mouth. “You speak as if we have lost everything. Did you really think that business in Mesoequestria was my one and only plan?”

“Then would you mind sharing your plan with your allies?” Ahuitzotl growled, his left eye twitching violently. His enormous shoulders were hunched, his sharp shoulder blades peaking over his thick neck. The riflepony allowed his eyes to flick down to the beast’s long claws, finding them tearing thick gouges into the moist wood.

“If I may, sir,” said Eagle Eye, her androgynous voice low but prominent. She flicked her long blonde bangs from her face, revealing her cold, pale blue eyes. Her expression was unreadable, chillingly so. “We may prove to be much more useful to you if we can know the rest of the plan.”

Sure Shot rolled his eyes with a grin, leaning back on a crate as he crossed his hindhooves atop the makeshift table. “Yes, I would imagine you two to find that to be a good idea. All you need to know is our next step.”

“Yes, we are to wait for your ponies to meet us here in this wretched shack,” Ahuitzotl scoffed. “But that tells us nothing.”

“It tells you what you need to know, and nothing more. I withhold information in case something like Sparks happens again. If I told everypony working for me the whole outline of my plan, then that unicorn would have told Braeburn everything. This would not go so well if that happened,” the purple stallion sighed, suddenly taking a vague interest in the bottom of his forehoof. “We may have lost the chance to obtain the information we need from Daring Do, but in return, we learned a fair amount.”

“Such as?” the feline demigod snorted, his voice annoyed.

“We learned just what we’re up against,” Sure Shot answered matter-of-factly. “More importantly, we learned that and were able to walk away with it. It seems that Mister Apple has acquired some extreme firepower, as well as a few helpful allies. I’m not sure what exactly he fired, but if it was enough to incinerate an entire limb in a matter of seconds, then his weaponry will prove to be quite the bonus once he joins us.”

“Alright, I am afraid that I’ll have to interrupt you here,” said Eagle Eye, interjecting with a raised forehoof. “Just where do you see an outcome in which Braeburn Apple works for you? I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but that stallion attempted to incinerate you in a raging inferno. I apologize sir, but I don’t see him joining you willingly.”

“I didn’t say it would be his first choice,” the riflepony smirked confidently. “As I said before, sharing any step of the process before we are about to take it would prove to be dangerous. In any case, we were also able to… well, trim the fat, as it were.”

“Oh?” asked Eagle Eye, lifting an eyebrow ever so slightly.

“What, did you seriously think that Gun Powder was a necessity?” the purple stallion asked. “He proved to be useful in the past, but do you really consider us to be hindered by the loss of his life? Recently, my needs have not included dead weight such as him. No, I need ponies like you, Eagle, and allies like you, Ahuitzotl. And going back to the subject of Sparks, it was good that he betrayed us now rather than later. ”

“Make sure that you don’t say that in front of the ponies meeting us here,” the green mare replied. “Or any other of your bandits for that matter.”

“They’re only working with me for the pay. How I feel about them doesn’t apply in their case,” said Sure Shot.

“If you’re certain.”

“Indeed I am.”

A moment passed before somepony knocked on one of the side doors of the old building. Sure Shot grinned, satisfied with their timing. Eagle Eye promptly stood up from her spot across the table and strode over to the source of the sound. Ahuitzotl watched intently as the riflemare cracked open the door, starting a short, hushed exchange with the visitor. As soon as she was convinced of their identities, Eagle swung the door open and stepped aside, allowing two stallions to quickly wheel in a large crate on a moving cart.

Sure Shot smiled with glee as the two ponies brought the box to him, keeping their eyes away from his. The crate was nailed shut, its top covered with many warning labels. Along the side, the words Equestrian Royal Guard: Ground Division were stamped into the wood in bold letters. The bandit leader rolled to his hooves as the two delivery ponies set the crate down next to him. One of them wheeled the cart out from under it, while the other’s horn lit up, his magic floating a claw hammer over to begin freeing the nails from the wood.

“Impeccable timing, you two,” Sure Shot smirked, his orange eyes fixed on each nail being pried free. “I do hope that nothing went amiss.”

“It was almost like security took the night off,” laughed the unicorn as his pegasus partner approached the crate.

“Sure Shot, what exactly is this?” Ahuitzotl asked, leaning his head over the makeshift table to get a better look. The pegasus delivery pony looked to be shaking, his wide eyes flickering between the box and the enormous feline beast. When Ahuitzotl spoke, Sure Shot heard him attempt to stifle a yelp of fear.

“The next step in Equestrian technology, my friend,” the riflepony chuckled, growing visibly excited. “Its existence is not yet known to the public. One of my insiders was able to tip me off about this.”

The unicorn smiled to himself as he lifted the last nail from the top of the crate, setting aside the hammer and focusing his magic on the wooden top. He lifted the large expanse of wood, floating it behind himself and letting it drop to the floor with a sharp bang. Everypony leaned their heads over the edge of the crate, their eyes widening at the sight.

“Sure Shot…” Eagle nearly gasped. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Ohoho, yes,” the riflepony grinned maliciously, dipping a hoof into the box to graze it along a length of reflective steel. “Alright, load her up. We’re off to Canterlot.”

Author's Note

Here's a shocker: Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were not supposed to meet in Treasure in the West. Heck, I wasn't even sure if they would see each other in Colt of the West. Originally, Daring mentioning her slight idolization of Rainbow Dash was meant to be nothing more than a sidelong wink of sorts... until I read the comments. It wasn't until then that I said to myself: "Wow, I really do need to have them meet, don't I?" From there on out, I did my best to weave Rainbow Dash further into the series. In all actuality, writing these two characters together turned out to be one of my favorite parts of telling this story. Seriously, it's really fun.

Fifteen - Last Goodbyes

“She’s in... hold on, repeat that for me. I think I might have heard a location that wasn’t Canterlot.”

“Well, she’s not in Canterlot. She’s at Neighagra Falls.”

Daring Do’s jaw dropped, her expression crestfallen. She stared at a guilty looking Rainbow Dash from across the dining room table, whom read from a letter in her hoof. The archaeologist rubbed her forehead, scowling at the table in front of her. Braeburn placed a warm hoof on her back, sitting next to her. Azure Spark and Applejack had seated themselves at either end of the table, looking between Rainbow and Daring. “Does her letter explain... well, why?”

The prismatic mare looked back to the letter, furrowing her brow as she read. “‘To my dearest student, Twilight Sparkle,’ blah, blah, blah... Oh, here it is. ‘I am currently at Neighagra Falls to meet with Shining Armor about the security of the Crystal Empire under these uncertain times. However, if this warning is correct, I shall head to Canterlot immediately. Sure Shot has already proven himself to be quite a threat, and we shall take every precaution available. The information of his partnership with Ahuitzotl is indeed troubling, but I am certain that neither Luna nor the Royal Guard will allow either of them to bring harm to anypony should they arrive before I do. Please let Miss Daring Do know that I am overjoyed to hear of her safety, and that I greatly appreciate her warning. However, I will have to order her and everypony else to abide by the current eight o’ clock curfew. I assure you, it is for your safety. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.’”

“She’s ordering me to stick to that curfew? As in... forbidding me?” asked Daring, folding her forelegs with a cross expression.

“Certainly sounds like it,” said Azure regretfully, fiddling with his forehooves atop the table.

Braeburn groaned softly, letting his face fall into his hooves. “Somehow, that just seems like a really bad idea. Ah mean, what if Sure Shot’s been plannin’ fer Celestia bein’ there?”

“I would bet anything that he has,” the cyan unicorn answered with grave confidence. “Sure Shot doesn’t just throw himself face first into a battle; he plans every step carefully before he even considers engaging a target. He certainly did with you, Braeburn.”

The riflepony blinked, finding himself surprised. He looked back down to the old wooden table top, his forelegs hanging uselessly between his knees. “How can we just sit here and take Celestia’s word that she’ll take care o’ this?”

“Probably ‘cause she’s literally the most powerful being in Equestria,” said Applejack dryly, leaning a single elbow on the table. “Ah’m sorry, but Ah just don’t see the issue here. If Celestia says that she can take care o’ somethin’, then Ah definitely trust her.”

“It’s like I said: Sure Shot is a genius. I would be more surprised if she thwarted him rather than the other way around,” explained Azure. “It’s not just about power here; it’s about strategy and preparation. But without us being there, I am not sure if-”

“And just who said that we weren’t going?” Daring Do interjected, effectively silencing everypony in the dining room. They all stared at her with cross looks, lips parted in confusion.

Braeburn hesitated for a moment before slowly bringing a hoof up to point at the letter in Rainbow Dash’s hoof, keeping his eyes on the dark yellow mare. “Ah’m sorry, but were you not a part o’ this here conversation? The Princess ordered you to-”

“I’m sorry, but are you new here?” Daring shot back, looking to her coltfriend with a grimace. “I don’t care what the Princess said. She doesn’t know what kind of ponies are going after her city. If she wants to throw me behind bars for keeping Equestria from a bloody apocalypse or whatever the heck Sure Shot wants to do with the Fyre of Tartarus, then I would love to see her try.”

Braeburn already had his mouth open to reply, but was ultimately silenced by the mare’s last sentence. He closed his lips, pursing them as he stared at Daring Do. He remembered the look on her face all too well. It was defiant, but not lacking good intentions in the slightest. The riflepony couldn’t argue with her if he tried, especially not after what he did to free her from her imprisonment. He knew what it meant to break the law, as well as his moral code to do what was right. The stallion’s face fell, looking to the floor between their stools. Out of the corner of his eye, Braeburn saw her shift on her seat, turning to face him.

“So tell me why Twilight couldn’t just come on over and deliver that letter herself?” asked Applejack. “Ah would’a thought that she’d wanna see Daring again.”

“I don’t even know if that message got through to her,” said Rainbow. “I got there to have her send Daring’s letter and she had her face stuck in one of her books again. I tried to tell her what the letter was about, but all I got was ‘yup’ and ‘uh-huh.’ At least she sent it.”

While the others delved themselves into their own conversation, Daring brought Braeburn’s face up with a hoof, resting it on his cheek. “Something’s on your mind, isn’t it? Don’t worry, we’ll talk about it when we can get some privacy for more than five darned seconds.”

Braeburn chuckled, flicking his eyes to the left to make sure the other three ponies weren’t listening in. “Pretty unfortunate way to start somethin’ like this, huh?”

Daring grinned, her eyes softening on him. “Hey, I’ve had worse. But listen, we have to do this. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, but that ain’t the problem,” he whispered back.

Daring blinked, her rose eyes searching his with a curious look on her face. Braeburn smiled inwardly, knowing full and well that he was being broken down and analyzed. It only took a moment for her to frown, evidently coming to a conclusion. “No... no it’s not. You’ve got a lot more plaguing you, huh? Yeah, I get that. It’s not like I didn’t notice the little mess you made when you carried me outta that ruin.”

Braeburn removed her hoof from his cheek, holding it between his own. “Look, Ah ain’t gonna get anything outta talkin’ ‘bout it, at least not now. Let’s just ferget about everything and busy ourselves until yer ship gets here.”

The mare frowned again. “Are you sure about that?”

“Don’t worry, Ah’ll be fine,” he said, offering a small smile. “We got a lot ahead o’ us, so we might as well try and distract ourselves before we leave.”

“Yeah... Yeah, okay.”

Daring Do stood atop a small cloud, her body crouched low like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey. She kept her right hindleg further back than the other, her left ready to kick off the imaginary starting line. Her eyes were fixated on a series of clouds formed into thin rings ahead, situated at varying heights and distances, but still conveying a visible course. In the distance to the right, the bright setting sun had been veiled by a large wall of clouds, keeping the blinding rays from hindering Daring. The air was perfect for flying. The temperature was cool, carrying the familiar smell of apples and the autumn season. The mare stretched her wings, her feathers reveling in the cool air. Her shirt and pith hat were gone from her body, sitting on the table back in the barn below.

Aside the archaeologist stood Rainbow Dash, her mane tied back in a tail under a red and white cap, a silver whistle slung around her neck. She held a stopwatch in her hoof, ready to start. She had indeed gone out of her way to create the course, including the shroud in front of the sun. But Rainbow Dash looked nothing but excited to see what her friend could do in the sky. The cloud they stood upon floated high in the air, making the barn home below look like a filly’s dollhouse. It had been far too long since Daring used her wings in such a way, what the cyan pegasus had called ‘the proper way.’ If she was going to do what she had set her mind to, Daring would need every last second of practice she could get.

Using awe-inspiring tricks and maneuvers to impress a crowd was one thing, but using them to get the upper hoof on a demi-god was another thing entirely. Daring wasn’t learning to show off or win any medals; she was learning to combat the monster that tore her life apart. If she had one tool to fight Ahuitzotl with, it was her wings. She needed to be able to move flawlessly through the air; to be able to dodge a flying set of claws with nothing but reflexes. Up to this point, the archaeologist’s flight skills were nothing to speak much of. She needed to change that.

“Ready, coach,” Daring declared, giving her wings and tail a challenging, simultaneous flick.

“On your mark, get set… GO!”

Daring Do threw all of her strength into her wings and left hindleg, shoving them back with all her might. As her body left the starting cloud, she extended her forelegs forward and her hindlegs backward. The first ring was simple, set up level with the starting point and only five meters away. With a powerful flap of her wings, the mare ascended to bolt through the second. The first two loops were simple, something even a filly could accomplish. However, the difficulty curve of the course presented itself immediately after that. Her preconceived notions were instantly thrown aside as she emerged from the other side of the second ring. The third was set at an upward angle, at least ten meters below her.

The pegasus grit her teeth in determination, tucking her wings in and diving for the ground. She knew that gravity would accelerate her speed, but she hadn’t guessed it would assist her so much. Daring’s confident expression faltered as a small bout of panic rose in her chest. She threw her wings outward, slowing her down, but not quite enough to make the third checkpoint. The pegasus rocketed past the cloud ring, not able to stop herself until she was far below it. Daring groaned, slapping a hoof to her forehead. Knowing that the mistake would cause her ending time to be far too high, she decided to shamefully fly back to the starting cloud.

A part of her expected Rainbow to look disappointed, but was surprised to find her chuckling. “Hehe, yeah, that third one gets everypony at first.”

“It didn’t look that hard from here,” Daring muttered, digging a hoof into the fluffy cloud. “Wait, ‘everypony’? Have you set this up for other pegasi?”

“A couple,” said Rainbow. “I’m the head of Ponyville’s Weather Patrol, so I have to make sure my workers are the best fliers they can be. But sometimes I have ponies that want to really better themselves, so I’ve made a few of these courses to help them out. I mean, if this one’s too difficult for you, I can always set up the one I use for Scootaloo.”

“Who’s Scootaloo?”

“A filly from town,” Rainbow answered, wearing a cruel grin.

Daring scowled before bolting off the cloud again, this time with more to fuel her determination. She sailed through the first two rings just as easily as the first time, now prepared for the third. She arched in the air, tucking her wings in as she dove. This time, Daring opened her wings a mere second after closing them. The pegasus slowed in her descent, finding herself nearly coming to a stop under the third ring. With a mighty flap of her wings, she rocketed upward through the loop, grinning brightly at herself. The next few checkpoints sent her further and further upward, all situated close together.

The pegasus grew confident and spiraled through the final three horizontal rings. It did nothing to affect her time, but she wanted to at least make up for her previous blunder. She was being trained by the one and only Rainbow Dash; the only pony capable of reaching supersonic flight. Daring wanted to do nothing but impress her.

She emerged atop the ascending length of rings, finding the next set heading downward before making a sharp turn and leveling out above the orchard. Daring furrowed her brow and dove once again. She tunneled through the checkpoints, her wings stretched out to the sides. At the end of her glide, the mare pounded her wings, sending her barreling around the turn, perhaps too quickly. Daring swore to herself as she felt her left wing cut through the side of a cloud ring. She knew that points would have been taken off, but she wasn’t giving up because of a small mistake like that.

However, in her acceleration, Daring didn’t notice herself flying far under the next line of checkpoints. She threw out her wings, bringing herself to a hover on the outside of the course. The pegasus grimaced, hanging her head low as she slowly returned to the starting cloud. “Darn it!”

“Hey now, that was great!” Rainbow encouraged, wearing a sincere grin.

“I flew out of the course!” Daring argued. “How is that great?”

“Daring, no pegasus has completed any of my tracks their first time,” the cyan mare explained. “In fact, nopony got through that third checkpoint until their fifth or sixth try. You did it on your second, and with decent timing!”

“R-Really?” Daring stammered, bewildered.

“Yeah! Look, you’ve got great potential; it’s just that you’re outta practice,” said Rainbow Dash. “Maybe you just need to sit back and watch a pro do it. You know, for pointers.”

Without waiting for a reply, Rainbow bolted off the cloud, her hat flying off her head. The wind of her mighty wings instantly destroyed the starting cloud underhoof, catching Daring off-guard. She fell for a few hooves before she opened her wings, catching the red and white cap with a forehoof. The mare then turned her head in the direction of the course, her jaw falling open once she spotted Rainbow Dash already a quarter of the way through. The daredevil took every turn, arch and dive with a trick of some sort, whether it be a barrel roll or a tumble through a ring. What Daring witnessed looked impossible; she didn’t know that a pony could fly so quickly with such agility and style. She knew that Rainbow would be able to complete her own course in an efficient amount of time, but this was insane.

The cyan mare passed through a series of cloud rings effortlessly before coming to the homestretch. Ahead of her was nothing but open air, a tight ring far off into the distance. Daring watched in awe as her coach paused for a fraction of a second before snapping her wings back. The pegasus catapulted herself through the air, a vibrant prismatic trail behind her. Daring witnessed no rate of acceleration, only Rainbow snapping from hovering to bat-out-of-Tartarus in the blink of an eye. The cyan pegasus rocketed over the orchard, sailing flawlessly through the tight ring on the other side before she knew it.

Daring Do hovered uselessly in the air, her eyes wide and her jaw agape as she watch Rainbow Dash fly back toward her, wearing a smug grin. “And that, my friend, is how you do it.”

Four red delicious apples flew high into the air, reaching their apex about ten meters above the grass. They were grouped vaguely close together after being tossed, remaining a mere few hooves apart. Before gravity dragged them toward the ground, three of them blew apart into large pieces, the fourth spinning wildly in the air as it was grazed by its respective bullet. What remained of the fruits fell to the ground, accompanied by the gasps of awe-stricken voices. Braeburn opened the action of the brass rifle, ejecting the last shell as well as a thin plume of smoke. He grimaced at the one remaining apple on the ground, displeased with the deep gouge taken out of its side.

Applejack and Azure Spark, however, did not reflect his disappointment. They cheered loudly, stomping their forehooves in applause.

“Woo-ee, Braeburn! That was incredible!” Applejack exclaimed, readying the next four apples cradled in her foreleg. “Ah reckon all that practice really paid off!”

“Eh, it ain’t perfect yet,” Braeburn replied quietly, loading another four rounds through the rifle’s cartridge gate.

“You can say that when somepony else can shoot anywhere close to the way you do,” said Azure, his eyes still wide.

Braeburn inwardly appreciated the compliment, but wasn’t up for verbalizing it. Instead, he crouched on his hindlegs again, holding his weapon with its barrel pointed toward the ground. “Pull.”

To his right, Applejack threw the four apples upward in front of herself, turning around to kick them through the air in rapid succession like an automatic weapon. As soon as each fruit entered Braeburn’s field of vision, they were shot clear out of the air. He entered his usual flow, pushing himself to pick up the pace. The riflepony racked the action relentlessly, tapping the ultra-light trigger with each pass. This time, the first, second and fourth apples were broken into pieces, while the third was completely missed. The whole apple fell to the ground unceremoniously, instilling a twitch of Braeburn’s eye.

The beige stallion closed the action and reloaded, calling for Applejack to send the next round of targets into the air. The eleventh time seemed to be the charm, for all four apples exploded well before gravity took its course. Finally, Braeburn was able to smile to himself as the other two ponies cheered.

“Even if Sure Shot can shoot bullets out of the air, I don’t think he’s anywhere near as quick as that,” said Azure. “Seriously, that’s your best tool if you two ever have to shoot it out.”

“If? There ain’t no ‘ifs,’ Azure,” said Braeburn, sheathing the brass rifle on his back.

“Well in any case, your speed may be the tool you need to take him down,” the unicorn went on, a hopeful look on his face. “If he can’t keep up with you, then you can overwhelm him in a firefight.”

The riflepony paused before answering, finding an odd expression on his face. “Huh… yeah, maybe. Ah ain’t countin’ on nothin’, but Ah guess yer right.”

He looked back to Applejack, who didn’t seem quite as excited about the idea of Braeburn having an upper hoof. Once he caught her eye, the mare looked down, pawing at the grass. He knew exactly what was on her mind. He didn’t want to think about it at the moment, but it looked as if she needed to.

“Azure, can ya’ give me and my cousin a moment?” asked Braeburn, who merely received a curt nod in return. The unicorn closed his eyes, his horn glowing with a pale blue light. With a flash, Azure was gone and nowhere to be seen.

“Brae, ya’ didn’t have to do that,” said Applejack plainly, as if nothing were amiss.

“Come on now,” Braeburn started, removing the rifle from his back and sitting down on his haunches. He motioned for her to do the same, and she hesitantly complied. The mare’s demeanor shifted once the matter was cornered. She was happy and having fun only a minute ago, but now the farmer wore an annoyed, even hurt expression. “Tell me what’s on yer mind.”

“Ya’ know darned well what’s on my mind,” she muttered, scowling slightly somewhere off to her left.

“You don’t want me to go after Sure Shot,” Braeburn replied, his tone understanding. He let out a short sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, AJ-”

“No, Braeburn. No amount o’ reassurin’ is just gonna make me forget ‘bout this,” Applejack cut him off, looking up to him, although not in the eye. “Lettin’ you and yer Pa leave that day ate me up inside like nopony’s business! Ah never let it show, but you goin’ after Sure Shot and Ahuitzotl is a thought Ah can’t deal with! How d‘ya expect me to just sit back and relax while ya’ll throw yerselves off a bridge?”

“We’re not throwin’ ourselves off a-”

“Ya’ll might as well be!” the mare interrupted again, her volume increasing. “Ah know you and Uncle B are good rifleponies and what have ya’, but ya’ll could die! This ain’t just dangerous, it’s plain ol’ foolhardy! Why can’t ya’ just stay here where it’s safe and let the Princesses handle everything?”

“We can’t risk that, cousin,” Braeburn replied softly, his expression regretful. “If what we found out is true, then we gotta head ‘em off. We can’t gamble here if one of the outcomes is Sure Shot findin’ the Fyre; s’not worth it. Ponies could die, Applejack. If Ah can help stop that, then Ah’m gonna.”

“But… but yer my family, Brae,” Applejack whispered, her eyes glazing over. “If you get killed out there… Ah won’t be able to… to…”

The stallion frowned as he scooted forward, wrapping his cousin in his forelegs, holding her tight. She didn’t return the embrace, her body tensing up against him. She did everything she could to quell her sorrow, choking back her tears. Braeburn knew he couldn’t convince the stubborn mare to let her feelings out, and merely held her there, hoping that she would on her own.

“This ain’t right,” she choked. “Yer not a soldier, Brae, yer… yer a good pony, the best cousin Ah c-could ask for…”

The riflepony had no answer for that, for what she said struck a heavy chord in his soul. His heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach, his expression falling dramatically. She was right; he wasn’t a soldier meant to combat the forces that threatened his country. It wasn’t a task he was born to do, as his cutie mark constantly reminded him. However, it was something the world around him was forcing him to do. He lost his option to stay in the background while others fought it out the day he fired Thumper for the first time. It wasn’t anypony else’s fault that he had been thrown into this mess but his own, and he needed to dig himself out of it.

“Ya’ know…” Braeburn whispered, his voice soft and warm. “If we were in each other’s places, Ah reckon Ah’d feel exactly the same way as you do right now. Ah don’t think Ah’d take it any better. But fer now, this is what Ah have to do.”

Applejack said nothing, but shook a little in his forelegs as she strived to hold her emotions back.

“Hey, this ain’t gonna be my life, ya’ know,” he continued reassuringly. “Someday, this is all gonna be over, and you’ll find me and Pa workin’ on the farm again. You’ll see.”

Applejack sniffed, pulling away from her cousin. Still she did not look at him, but to the grass under her forehooves. “Ya’ know, it ain’t just me who’s worried, Brae. Big Mac is scared fer ya’ too. He won’t say it, obviously. Heck, even Rainbow Dash and Twilight have been worried.”

“Ah know, and Ah’m sorry.”

“There ain’t nothin’ Ah can say to change yer mind ‘bout this?”

“It wasn’t my decision to make, you know that,” Braeburn answered, offering her a warm smile. “But like Ah said, we’re all gonna come back once this is over. Maybe you can get yer friend… what was her name… Oh! Maybe you can get Pinkie Pie to throw a party fer the occasion. Ah reckon even my Pa would like that.”

Finally, the stallion spotted the ghost of a smile on his cousin’s face. “Yeah… yeah, that’d be swell.”

“One more thing,” said Braeburn. “That curfew ya’ mentioned earlier... make sure ya’ll stick to it.”

Applejack squinted an eye inquisitively, prompting her cousin to continue: “It ain’t no secret that Ah’m part o’ the Apple Family, and the same goes fer Sweet Apple Acres. Sure Shot wants me on his side, and it seems like he’s gonna start actively tryin’ fer it. Ah can’t risk what he might do, so Ah need ya’ll to be safe and obey everything that the police and Guard tell you to do. He might try and use you and the family against me, so just stay on the edges of yer hooves.”

“D’ya see why it’d be better if Ah went with ya’?” asked Applejack.

“Then who’d stick around here and keep Apple Bloom and Granny Smith safe?” Braeburn snorted. “Besides, in case we need ‘em, Ah’d rather have the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony close to each other.”

The orange mare sighed, knowingly beaten. However, she took no solace in that. “Fine.”

Braeburn smiled, standing to his hooves. “Alright then. Hey, let’s go see how Daring and Rainbow are doin’.”

Applejack nodded, following suit before walking beside him toward the other side of the orchards. For a moment there was silence, and Braeburn noticed his cousin staring unfocused on the ground as they walked. Her cowpony hat was tilted forward, a dark shadow veiling her half-lidded eyes. As expected, she was obviously still stuck on the previous subject without something to distract her. Braeburn thought for a moment, searching his brain for a new topic. When he found one, a wry grin formed on his face. “So, Ah found out somethin’ today.”

“Daring might leave ya’ fer Rainbow Dash?” Applejack shot back, her tone dry.

“Pff, no. Similar, but no.”

“Oh?”

“Ya’ know Azure?” asked Braeburn, a mischievous look on his face. Applejack spotted his expression, her eyes suspicious.

“Uh... yeah. Seems like a nice pony. Squirrelly lil’ fella, but nice.”

“Well, he’s pretty sweet on ya’,” Braeburn said, chuckling slightly.

“Ah would hope so. S’not like Ah wasn’t hospitable or nothin’,” Applejack replied, completely unaware.

Braeburn slapped a hoof to his forehead, groaning under his breath. “No, AJ, he fancies you.”

Applejack cocked an eyebrow at him, taking a few moments before understanding his meaning. Once it hit her, the orange mare stopped dead in her tracks as her cousin continued on, laughing aloud as he walked away from her. When she didn’t catch up with him, Braeburn stopped, looking back to the mare. She had a forehoof over her mouth, looking down to the ground with a bewildered look in her eye.

“Ya’ mean like... like the way you and Daring fancy each other?” she asked flatly in what seemed like confusion.

“Well, not exactly. Ah think he’s just got a little crush,” said Braeburn, doing everything he could to hold back another laugh. Applejack recoiled, her pupils shrinking dramatically. “Should Ah tell him to send flowers?”

“You tell him that and Ah’ll buck the both o’ ya’ in the teeth,” she retorted, shaking her head as she trotted past him.

“That’s what Ah thought you’d say,” said Braeburn, walking beside her once again. “Don’t worry, he’s leavin’ with us once Daring’s ship gets here.”

“Good,” the mare scoffed, although not without a small grin. “Don’t need none o’ that nonsense ‘round these parts anyway.”

“Is that how ya’ react to this kinda stuff? Wasn’t quite what Ah was expecting.”

“It is when my family’s in danger and Ah can’t do nothin’ about it. My brain ain’t exactly got room fer nothin’ else right now,” Applejack said under her breath, although just loud enough for her cousin to hear. “Darn good thing Apple Bloom’s off at her friend’s house fer the night. Wouldn’t wanna put her through all this too.”

Braeburn sighed, continuing on across the field without attempting another word of conversation.

They crossed the orchard in silence, Braeburn giving his cousin the occasional concerned glance. Guilt rose in his chest at the sight of her unfocused, expressionless face. His unwavering compassion screamed at him to call off the whole endeavor and just let Celestia and Luna take care of it. However, objectivity had been far more present in his mind lately. There wasn’t a way around ponies worrying about him, least of all Applejack. The stallion counted himself lucky to have family that cared so much for him, but that only made it more difficult to leave. For a moment, the riflepony considered ending the matter with one last word of reassurance, but the tense air between the two suggested that the conversation was over several minutes ago.

Braeburn looked up and ahead toward the complex aerial course above the barn. He almost immediately spotted a black and gray blur barreling through the series of cloud rings. The stallion’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief as he watched her quick and efficient progression. Daring Do was a lot of things, but she hadn’t exactly displayed any intermediate skill as a flyer in the time that Braeburn knew her. But in the short span of time that they had been practicing, it seemed as if the archaeologist had grown exponentially more talented in the skies. Before, her flying had been nothing more than average, but now Daring was clearing every cloud ring with speed and precision. Over to the right, Rainbow Dash was standing on a cloud, watching her student with an aura of pride that Braeburn could feel from the ground below.

As they approached the ground below the course, Braeburn gaped at his marefriend’s prowess. Applejack took notice, uttering a nearly silent chuckle. “Was she not that good before?”

“Not even close,” he replied, breathless. “Just what did Rainbow Dash do to get those kinda results?”

“There’s a reason she’s the head of Weather Patrol here in Ponyville,” Applejack answered proudly. “She’s darned good at findin’ what it takes to push a pony to better themselves.”

Braeburn listened to his cousin’s words, but made no effort to visibly acknowledge them as he watched Daring slip through the weaving course with ease before rocketing toward the final stretch. The pegasus blazed across the sky toward a small, confining ring far off from the rest. She threw her forehooves forward, her wings pounding as she accelerated. Braeburn felt goosebumps rise under his fur, adrenaline pumping through his veins for the mare. In the blink of an eye, she cleared the last ring, her trajectory marked with a translucent trail of grays and black. He mouthed a few words of astonishment as she flew back to the beginning, starting the course again. In his awe, Braeburn failed to contemplate what Applejack had said, but as he watched Daring fly through the rings a third time, he started to think about it.

The riflepony wondered what Rainbow could have done to drive the archaeologist to dig into herself to find such prowess in a field she was so inexperienced in. As much as she wanted to learn about flying from her idol, Daring wasn’t exactly in the position to entertain a hobby. She was a pony with an objective mindset; not one to play when she had a job to do. With that in mind, the stallion pondered as to why she was choosing to pass the time with such a comparatively meaningless task. But after a moment of thought, Braeburn remembered his conversation with the pegasus atop her airship.

Ahuitzotl was the one that took my parents away. He was the one that beat the hay out of me for two days and nights. He effectively changed my life for the worse since the day we crossed each other’s paths. Because of all that, I will be the one to end that monster’s life.

Her cold words still sent a chill down Braeburn’s spine, for they were spoken as if from the lips of a killer. She had the drive to better herself beforehoof, so perhaps Rainbow had said something to make her dwell on it. That morning, Daring Do had declared that she would be the one to take down Ahuitzotl. It wasn’t just a wanting to; it was a need to. Braeburn couldn’t even begin to understand what she had went through, but anypony could somewhat grasp her need for vengeance. He could imagine himself wanting the same thing if somepony had taken his father away from him. But at the end of the day, Ahuitzotl was still a fierce, powerful immortal. Braeburn regretfully recalled his encounter with the feline beast, as well as the fear that struck him when even Thumper’s piercing ammunition wasn’t enough to take him down. He may have incinerated the monster’s tail, but that didn’t stop a block of ice from forming in his stomach over the thought of his marefriend taking on Ahuitzotl singlehoofedly.

If there was anypony in Equestria that wanted the demi-god dead and buried the most, it was Daring Do. However, that didn’t give her much more of a fighting chance than anything else. Braeburn knew that she had made up her mind years ago, and simply advising her against the idea would be comparable to bashing his head against a brick wall. But at the same time, he couldn’t let the pony he cared for the most run headlong toward virtual suicide.

“Braeburn!”

“Gah!” the stallion yelped in surprise, jumping off to one side in fright. He looked to his right to find Applejack cocking an eyebrow at him, her face free of emotion. At any other time, Braeburn imagined that she would have found his moment of fright to be hilarious. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those times.

“Ya’ looked lost in thought. Ah was gonna ask if ya’ heard that noise.”

“Noise?” he asked, coming out of his stupor.

As he looked up to find Daring, he noticed that her and Rainbow Dash were looking off to his right. He traced their gazes, sighing with relief once he spotted Daring’s cutie mark painted on the balloon of an airship. Now that he knew of its source, the stallion’s ears pricked up at the sound of turbines running off in the distance. It was coming in fast from the east, descending toward Sweet Apple Acres.

“Finally!” Daring exclaimed from above, leaping off the cloud to plummet toward the ground. Braeburn spotted Rainbow Dash uttering a short sigh, a faint look of disappointment on her face as she followed the other pegasus. Once they landed aside Braeburn and Applejack, the stallion looked behind himself to find Azure Spark and Big Macintosh trotting over from the barn, assuming that they had heard the turbines from inside. Daring Do practically danced between her hooves, her feathers fluttering with impatience. “Took them long enough.”

“Ah just hope we can get to Canterlot in time,” Braeburn thought aloud, turning to everypony else as the airship approached.

“Yeah, we’ll need to get on and go immediately,” Daring murmured, looking back to Rainbow Dash, her lips curling with a sad smile. “I’m sorry we have to leave like this, but I’m glad that we could spend some time together.”

“Yeah, me too,” Rainbow replied, shaking the crestfallen expression from her face, replacing it with a smug grin. She held up her hoof, silently offering a bump. Daring looked it over for a moment, snickering to herself as she reared up to wrap her forelegs around the cyan mare’s neck. Rainbow Dash recoiled, stunned at first. She then lifted a foreleg, returning the embrace. “Hehe. Maybe we can pick up where we left off once you get back. You know, again.”

“Of course. Thanks again for everything,” Daring replied before letting her friend go.

Distracted by their conversation, Braeburn took a moment before looking back to his own family. Both of his cousins were in the middle of bidding their own goodbyes with Azure Spark. The riflepony watched them, dreading the last words they would exchange before departing to Canterlot. His eyes were fixed on Applejack, who seemed to be forcing out her smile and kind words. Her face was strained, her left forehoof grinding into the grass as if to liquify it. A tight knot formed in Braeburn’s stomach, his throat swelling. It didn’t seem as if this was going to be a pleasant goodbye.

Big Macintosh approached Braeburn first, offering his usual wordlessness. He nodded, his eyes saying everything that he needed to. They were worried, but accepting. The beige stallion exhaled, nodding in return before bumping hooves with his cousin. The red earth pony walked off behind Braeburn with everypony else, who seemed to be watching from the sidelines as Applejack walked up to her cousin, her eyes still on the ground.

Braeburn covertly bit down on his lower lip, unaware of what to say. All he could do was stare at the top of her cowpony hat with concern, sympathizing with her hidden emotions. As the seconds of silence trailed on, the riflepony opened his mouth to speak, only able to utter an incoherent noise before the orange mare interrupted him.

“You come back...” she muttered, sounding as if the words were barely making it past her gritted teeth. Suddenly, Applejack’s head shot up, her emerald eyes alight with fire. Her brow was taut in the form of a sharp V, her eyes brimming with hot tears. Her entire form was quivering, her lips pursed to keep from quivering. Braeburn cringed, his muscles threatening to make him take a step back. “Braeburn... You come back when th-this is all over...”

“Applejack...” whispered Rainbow Dash off to the side, her voice full of sudden worry.

The farmer ignored her, along with the rest of the eyes on her. She kept her focus on her cousin, making sure that every last word buried itself into his brain. She shoved a forehoof into the lapel of his duster, holding it there with a heavy amount of pressure. “Ah swear to Celestia, you and Uncle B better live through this foolhardy plan o’ yers. Ah ain’t gonna lose any of you to that maniac, ya’ hear?! Ah won’t ever fergive you if ya’ don’t come back, so you promise me right now that ya’ will!”

“Appleja-”

“You promise me right now!” Applejack nearly screamed, her voice cracking under the pressure. Braeburn sighed, hating what the world was forcing him to do right now. He kept his eyes on hers, knowing full and well that this wasn’t something he could guarantee. For all he knew, they could die that night. But then again, they didn’t have that choice. Dying wasn’t an option, especially when they could have been the only ones to stop Sure Shot before he took a city’s worth of lives.

Braeburn smiled, slowly lifting a forehoof to drape it over hers. Applejack winced, her glazed eyes warming ever so slightly. “Y’ain’t gotta worry ‘bout us. We know what we’re doin’. If yer gonna worry, worry ‘bout Sure Shot. Ah promise that yer gonna see all of us again, the second we take care o’ business.”

As soon as the stallion finished, Applejack pulled him into another hug with a single foreleg. Braeburn exhaled, his muscles loosening with relief. He nuzzled the mare’s cheek, slowly pulling away. The farmer sniffed, wiping her eyes with her foreleg. “Daring...”

“Yeah, AJ?” Daring answered, her voice soft and understanding. She came to Braeburn’s side, waiting for the mare to continue.

“You look after my cousin fer me,” she choked, removing her reddened eyes from her leg to look at the pegasus. “He ain’t the most careful o’ ponies, and Ah know that you got yer head on straight, at least. Just make sure... make sure ya’ll get through this.”

Daring smiled. “I seem to remember staying true to that same promise a long time ago. I kept my word last time, AJ, so you can bet on me doing it again.”

A heavy gust of wind blew over the orchard, throwing their manes off to one side as the thundering sound of roaring engines echoed through the apple trees around them. Braeburn turned to find the airship nearing the ground in a clearing only about ten meters behind them, the landing gear deploying underneath the cabin. The craft turned its rear toward them, the boarding ramp opening to allow a head of vibrant crimson and pink to poke through.

“Day Break! Tell Arty not to land! Pull the landing gear back up!” Daring yelled over the roar of the engines.

“What? Doesn’t Bullet get to see his fam-”

“There’s a killer heading for the capital of the country and you wanna exchange pleasantries right now?!” the dark mare yelled back, turning her head toward Big Macintosh and Applejack, a bashful grin on her face. “Sorry, though. We’ll send your uncle your best wishes.”

“We understand,” nodded the orange mare, her brother mirroring her. “Now get on outta here before Ah change my mind about all o’ this.”

Braeburn and Daring grinned, turning around to head for the ship when the stallion remembered something. He stopped in his tracks, lifting a hoof to check his back. To his annoyance, he only found his two rifles. “Darn it, our bags are in the house still! Hold on... where’d Azure go?”

Daring groaned, stopping as well to join Braeburn in looking around the orchard in search of the cyan unicorn. To their confusion, he was nowhere to be found. As he thought about it, Braeburn realized that he hadn’t noticed Azure’s presence during his goodbye with his cousins. But before anypony could say a word, a flash of pale blue light erupted next to the riflepony, revealing Azure with two sets of saddlebags on his back. “Forgetting something?”

“I knew there was a reason to have you around!” Daring exclaimed happily, flying over to retrieve her bags. Braeburn took his as well before the three of them turned back toward the hovering airship, waving their goodbyes to Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh and Applejack.

“Ya’ll come back now, y’hear?”

“Give Ahuitzotl a good punch for me!”

“We’ll do that! Goodbye!” Braeburn and Daring called back, hurrying toward the boarding ramp that was barely an inch from the grass. The three of them leaped into the cabin, welcomed by Day Break.

The yellow pegasus looked around Daring, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. “Hold on! Is that Rain-”

“Yeah, I’ll get you a signed poster now get in the ship already!” Daring scolded, although with a slight air of facetiousness. She pushed Day Break through the bay door, followed by Azure and Braeburn.

“So you know Rainbow Dash? Why haven’t I ever heard about this?!” the yellow mare demanded as she was shoved into the cabin.

“Sorry, but if you remember we were a little preoccupied before Mesoequestria,” Daring replied flatly.

“You were a little preoccupied.”

“Well then you might wanna know that I just got through a personal flight lesson with her,” Daring sneered, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

Day Break’s jaw dropped as they piled into the main room. Braeburn smirked, walking around the two pegasi to find Bullet Tyme laying down in his usual seat with his hat on his face and all four of his legs crossed. He gave his father a tap on the leg, prodding him awake. Meanwhile, Azure set Braeburn and Daring’s bags on the floor before sitting on the other side of the coffee table.

It seemed as if Day Break had nothing more to reply with other than a jealous, open-mouthed expression. Daring chuckled, trotting over to the cockpit door and throwing it open. Artemis was revealed in his captain’s chair on the other side, pulling up a lever as the cabin shook and rose.

“To Canterlot, our gracious captain!” said Daring, a dramatic flair in her voice. “And make it snappy!”

“Canterlot?” Artemis repeated with a sidelong quirk of his brow, confused. “Are we gonna recruit the Princess, too? Need I remind you that we’re at capacity as it is?”

“Nope, we’re gonna save her city,” answered the archaeologist. Day Break, Bullet Tyme and Artemis all turned their heads to Daring. She rolled her eyes in response, heaving a small sigh. “Right, I gotta explain all this again.”

Wasting no time, Daring hastily ran over the more important details of her findings in Cunning’s journal, as well as the conclusion they had come to about Sure Shot’s next destination. Azure assisted her in the explanation, answering some of the questions that Artemis and Day Break asked. Braeburn, meanwhile, found himself tuning out the conversation as he dropped his weapons, duster and hat in a pile on the floor, flopping onto Daring’s cot on his back. He tucked his forehooves behind his head, staring at the wooden ceiling. The stallion let out a long breath, mulling over the events of the day. It had been nice to see his family once again, even under such odd circumstances. However, he couldn’t shake the thought of Applejack’s tearful eyes. He hated seeing such a strong mare break down like that, especially when it was his fault. Even if it was Sure Shot forcing him to put his life in danger, Braeburn couldn’t help but take the blame for his family’s worry. Combined with everything else, he couldn’t wait to end this war.

On the edge of his unfocused hearing, Braeburn heard Daring’s explanation of the day coming to an end. He looked downward, fixing his gaze on the archaeologist. She was standing next to the table, finishing the conversation with half-lidded eyes and a tired expression. The mare looked exhausted, more so underneath than on the surface. All four of her legs were bent slightly at the knees, her wings drooping in their furled position. Her white pith hat was tilted haphazardly to one side, her monochromatic bangs messier than usual. Daring looked as if she needed this to end just as much as he did, but Braeburn couldn’t imagine her expressing it. He smiled at that, laying his head back atop his hooves.

“Alright boy, Ah’ll be the one to bring this up,” came Bullet Tyme’s haggard voice. Braeburn pushed himself into a sitting position. As he expected, the middle-aged stallion was looking at him, wearing an unreadable expression.

“What’re ya’ talkin’ about, Pa?” Braeburn asked cluelessly, holding his upper body up with his forelegs locked behind his back.

“Well in case ya’ weren’t payin’ attention, yer marefriend just got through tellin’ us what ya’ll are plannin’ on doin’,” Bullet started, sitting up against the wall with his hindhooves crossed. He removed his black Stetson and set it on the table next to him, revealing the rest of his gray mane. “So ya’ wanna stop Sure Shot, right? ‘Course ya’ do, and Ah have no doubts that we can do it. But Ah’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout it on the way here... As much as Ah hate the idea o’ lettin’ my only offspring take on a riflepony that Ah trained myself, Ah can’t tell ya’ what to do. Yer gonna end up in a shootout with that pony, and there ain’t a thing in the world anypony can do to stop it. So if that’s gonna happen, ya’ might as well go in prepared.”

Braeburn squinted his eyes, cocking a brow. “Pa, Ah got a gun that shoots fire. Short o’ givin’ me a line o’ cannons, Ah think Ah’m pretty well-equipped.”

“Yeah, and he’s got five years on ya’, and a lot more than that in combat experience,” Bullet countered, sliding off the couch and onto his hooves. He paced over to the cot, keeping his gaze on his son. “If ya’ wind up havin’ to fight him singlehoofedly, ya’ might not live to tell the tale.”

The beige stallion scowled, sitting up properly on his haunches. “Hey now, just what’re ya’ sayin’ here?”

“Ah’m sayin’ that Sure Shot still outranks the hay outta you,” his father answered bluntly. “And maybe ya’ don’t think so, ‘cause fer some reason ya’ never asked me to help ya’ level the playin’ field.”

Braeburn sighed inwardly, completely unaware of his father’s meaning. “Ya’ gettin’ anywhere with this, Pa?”

Bullet Tyme scoffed. “Yeah, Ah am. Ah’m thinkin’ it’s about time Ah taught you bullet deflection.”

Sixteen - The Young and the Forsaken

Nopony said a word in the cabin. The only sound that rang in the air was the hum of the turbines on either side of the airship. Braeburn stared wide-eyed at his father, along with Daring, Azure and Day Break. Artemis flicked his head back for a moment before returning his attention back to the controls in front of him, turning the ship upward and over the trees of the apple orchard below. Bullet Tyme’s words were heard, but Braeburn was failing to register them in his mind. He removed his hat, rubbing his temples in an attempt to clear his muddled thoughts.

“Alright... what?” he said flatly, bewildered.

“What’s hard to get about it? There’s two ponies out there that can do it, and if ya’ wanna take ‘em on, yer gonna need to level the playin’ field,” explained Bullet, acting as if his proposal wasn’t insane.

“Pa... Just how long did it take ya’ to teach Sure Shot how to deflect a bullet?” asked Braeburn, speaking every word slowly and carefully.

“That don’t matter, boy. Ya’ ain’t Sure Shot.”

“Pa.”

Bullet Tyme furrowed his brow, exhaling through his nose. Next to her coltfriend, Daring looked between him and his father, her magenta eyes darting back and forth. “‘Bout three years.”

“We don’t have three years, Pa,” Braeburn shot back instantly. “Ah reckon we got about four hours before we get to Canterlot. And if he was as good as you said he was as a colt, it sounds like three years ain’t a whole lotta time to learn bullet deflection. So how long d’ya think it would take a pony like me?”

“I’d have to agree with Braeburn, sir,” said Azure out of nowhere. Bullet Tyme turned his head toward the unicorn, his wrinkled eyes staring the short stallion down effortlessly. Azure visibly shrunk in his seat, but evidently not enough to quell the rest of his response. “Don’t get me wrong, I think Braeburn learning such a technique would prove to be more than useful, but we just don’t have the time.”

“Not to mention, um, hello, we’re travelling on an airship. An airship that depends on a very delicate balloon to stay aloft,” Daring chimed in dryly, although not without a tone of respect.

“Ya’ think Ah didn’t think o’ that?” Bullet replied with a quirk of his brow. He motioned to Azure, looking between Braeburn and Daring. “Ya’ll have seen that unicorn pull off some pretty impressive spells. Ah reckon some kinda protection around the ship wouldn’t exactly be a problem for him, right?”

The unicorn blinked. “Um... well, no, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”

“But there’s still the factor of time,” Daring countered. “And besides, it’s gonna be dark soon. How do you expect Braeburn to learn how to deflect a bullet in four hours, let alone in the dark?”

Bullet Tyme pursed his lips, his eyes falling back to the archaeologist. “Let’s just say that Azure has a lotta work ahead o’ him.”

Azure Spark winced, his yellow eyes filling with dread. “Uhh... sir, I apologize, but I actually put in a lot of work on the farm today and—”

“Boy, lemme tell ya’ one thing,” Bullet interjected sharply, turning his head to stare the unicorn down once more. “You point a gun at my son and threaten his life, then you bet yer flank yer gonna pay fer it. Now come on; yer following Braeburn and Ah up to the top o’ the balloon.”

Bullet Tyme paced toward the bay door, picking up his sheathed rifle and throwing it over his shoulder. Without another look back, the stallion exited the room, leaving Braeburn and the others to stare at the door. Daring shook her head, looking to her coltfriend with a somewhat worried expression. “You don’t think this is a waste of time?”

Braeburn sighed, wearily rolling off the bed and onto his hooves. “Ah haven’t seen my Pa waste one moment o’ time in my whole life. Ah think it sounds as crazy as you do, but Ah reckon he’s got some sorta plan.”

“And... what if he doesn’t?” asked Day Break.

“S’not like we’d be doin’ anything else fer the next four hours,” Braeburn shrugged. “And hey, it might be better to try rather than just sittin’ ‘round thinkin’ about it.”

With that, the riflepony turned around to approach the door his father left through, only to stop at the sound of a word being cut short. He looked back to find Daring quickly retracting her foreleg, as if to hide that she was reaching out for him. Her expression switched on the fly as well, her eyes looking blankly out the window behind her mattress. The mare looked determined to hold her feigned demeanor, but her eyes had always betrayed her.

Braeburn sighed inwardly, turning his gaze back toward the two ponies sitting across the room. “Azure, do me a favor and wait fer me up top. And Day Break, d’ya mind givin’ us a second?”

They both nodded wordlessly, complying as quickly as they could. Azure trotted out of the cabin through the bay, while Day Break flew into the cockpit. They both closed the door behind them, leaving Braeburn and Daring alone in the cabin. The stallion strapped the brass rifle to his back, sitting back down on the cot. He motioned for her to do the same, but the mare merely stood there, her eyelids lowering as a frown formed on her face. “Brae, what’re you doing?”

“You know what Ah’m doin’,” he said simply.

“Really, I’m fine,” she said defiantly, although not without the ghost of a smile. “I know what we have to do and-”

Braeburn reached across the width of the bed to place a hoof over her mouth, using the other to grab onto her foreleg. He directed her onto the mattress, giving her a moment to settle onto her haunches. Daring stared at the stallion over his hoof, keeping her artificial look of understanding. He slowly took his hoof back, immediately being rewarded with more protesting. “Brae, it’s alright. Nothing’s wrong.”

The stallion ignored her, merely giving her a warm smile as he ran his hoof through her grayscale mane. Daring twitched at his touch, a bright tinge of pink washing over her cheeks. “I’m fine... I’ve just been annoyed that we haven’t been able to spend any time...”

Braeburn’s smile widened as his hoof wandered to the back of her neck, pulling her into a soft kiss. She gave a rather uncharacteristic squeak of surprise, a sound that made the earth pony’s heart swell. Her will to keep a cool demeanor faltered and died away as he pressed his lips against hers, tilting her head to deepen the embrace. Braeburn grinned inwardly as he felt the mare’s forehooves slide themselves around his neck, holding him close. Daring hummed a soft swoon, losing herself in the kiss. The stallion brought her closer, her small, now malleable frame molding to his.

Neither seemed to want to break apart, but to stay lip-locked and held in each other’s forelegs for as long as possible. Daring wasn’t the only one that had been frustrated over their situation. Ever since their first kiss, Braeburn hadn’t wanted to be away from his new marefriend for a second. Their predicament was agony, and all he wanted was for everything to be over so they could spend every waking moment with each other. For the moment, Braeburn was lost in the soft, caring touch of Daring’s lips, blissfully ignorant to the troubles of the world around them.

When his lungs burned for air, Braeburn regretfully broke away from the kiss. He hadn’t the faintest idea of how long it lasted, but evidently the embrace was enough to leave both of them breathless. The stallion leaned his forehead against Daring’s, panting lightly along with her. His face felt warm, making him guess that he was just as red as she was. After a moment, Daring opened her radiant magenta eyes, gazing into Braeburn’s lovingly. “O-Okay...” she whispered. “That’s one way to get me to shut up.”

“Pff, like Ah’d ever want that,” Braeburn snorted. “Look, Ah know how ya’ feel, and—”

“Then just leave it at that, Brae,” she smiled, stretching her neck upward to peck him on the nose. “There’s no point in complaining when there’s nothing we can do about it. Yeah, I’d much rather leave this all to the Princesses and just be with you, but we’ve got a job to do first. I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be annoyed by it.”

Braeburn nodded slowly, never taking his gaze away from her eyes. He couldn’t help but stare at her with the smallest of smiles playing on his lips. She had always been right to the point; never one to beat around the bush of any conversation. Her objectivity was yet another thing that the stallion admired about her, and her intelligence never failed to make him smile. In fact, everything she did and everything she was made him feel happy in one way or another. Despite the limited time they had spent together since they met, Braeburn couldn’t bear the mere thought of being without her. Daring Do was not only his first marefriend, but his first romantic interest of any kind. This brought a question to his mind that he had never once thought to consider: What kind of pony goes through what could only be described as clinical depression over the absence of another that he had only known for less than a month?

His forehead tensed under the pressure of a slew of abrupt, racing thoughts. Braeburn’s chest heaved as his heart pounded with emotion, begging for his feelings to be let free the second they came to fruition. A small panic rose from the pit of his stomach as another, less favorable realization washed over him. With their arrival to Canterlot quickly approaching, it was no time to relay such thoughts. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep them in.

But when Daring offered him a modest, innocent smile, the dam in Braeburn’s mind crumbled to pieces. “Daring...”

The mare tilted her head slightly, her lidded eyes staring at him fondly. “What’s on your mind, Brae?”

How was she going to react to this? Was it too soon? Was it too much? Braeburn cursed his inexperience in relationships, wishing he could simply see the outcome of his decision before he made it. For reasons unknown to the bashful stallion, his worries didn’t seem to matter to his mouth. Braeburn let out a long breath through his nose, closing his eyes and preparing himself for what he was about to do. A small part of him started to understand what the movies and stories were talking about in this unknown field of life.

“Ah’m probably about to ruin what we got goin’ on here,” he said softly, never taking his eyes off of hers. He felt his forehooves tremble with anxiety, pressing them further into the mattress in hopes of steadying them. “But Ah... Ah think Ah need to say something...”

“What do you...” Daring trailed off, her tone turning from understanding to uncertain, right before falling into realization. Her rose eyes lit up, a visible shiver ruffling the feathers at her sides. But regardless of what she seemed to be thinking, the mare simply said: “Whatever you need to say, Braeburn, don’t feel bad for saying it. I think... I think I’m ready to hear it.”

Braeburn could have cried right then and there. At what point in his life could he have possibly done something to deserve such an amazing, understanding pony? It was then where the stallion was one-hundred percent confident in his feelings. “Ah can’t help it, but there ain’t another thing in this world that could describe what Ah feel... Ah love you.”

He expected a look of horror, a disgusted scowl, anything that would lead to a lifetime of sorrow and regret. But just like the day when she walked into her life, Braeburn never expected what happened next.

Daring Do leaned forward, tilted her head upward to press her lips to his once more, this one softer than any they had shared, but vastly more passionate nevertheless. She draped her small forelegs over his shoulders, ending the kiss with a light peck to his lips. She beamed at him through glazed eyes, her petite frame quivering with emotion. “I love you too.”

The dark yellow mare let out the enormous breath she had been holding once Braeburn left the cabin. She let her head fall forward, her monochromatic bangs veiling her eyes. Daring wanted nothing more than to be alone for the moment; anything to be able to organize her maelstrom of racing thoughts. But just as the door to the bay closed, the door to the cockpit slammed open. Daring nearly leaped out of her skin, whipping her head around to find a yellow and crimson blur speeding toward her.

Day Break landed on her haunches at the end of Daring’s bed, grinning expectantly with her head leaned forward. “Alright, spill.”

“Okay, heck of a way to start a conversation off,” Daring said dryly.

“Come on! Tell me what’s going on between you two!”

“Alright, I’ve been meaning to ask this. Why are you so interested in the two of us? You barely even know Braeburn,” Daring replied, quirking a brow. “Since when do you care about things like that?”

“Since when do you care about things like that?” Day Break shot right back. “Since when does Daring Do, the lone wolf of archaeology care about relationships?”

“I did care about relationships. You know that, Day Break,” said the darker mare, her eyelids lowering as her voice followed suit. “And now I do again. I had every right to take some time to myself.”

“Woah, Daring, you know I didn’t mean anything by that,” said Day Break, making a calming gesture with her hooves. “Sorry, I guess I just wanted to see how it was going. I mean, Braeburn must be a really good guy to break through your shell, you know?”

Daring exhaled through her nose, rubbing the back of her neck with a pang of guilt. “No, no it’s okay. It’s just...” she trailed off, pondering how to go about this. She lowered her voice to a hiss, running off the sentence she was wishing to unleash as fast as she could. “Okay, Braeburn just told me he loved me and I said it back and I’m kinda freaking out right now so please help me!”

Day Break’s mouth hung open, her eyes snapping open. “Wh-What?! Wait, hold on a sec,” the yellow mare trailed off, taking to the air as quick as a gust of wind. She grabbed a hold of the handle to the cockpit door, poking her head over the threshold. “Sorry Arty, girl talk!”

“Wait, what?”

Day Break slammed the door without answering the pilot, flying back to her friend. She eagerly plopped herself down atop the mattress, leaning in with her ears pricked up. “Okay, so what’s going on with you? Shouldn’t you be happy that you too are in love? Oh, it’s because Braeburn isn’t a pegasus, huh?”

The archaeologist furrowed her brow, shaking her head in confusion. “What? No!”

“Well the only two ponies you dated were pegasi—”

“What does that have to do with... nevermind, moving on,” Daring groaned, waving the matter away. “No, it’s not his race, Day Break. In fact, it’s not even anything about him or any other pony for that matter. It’s just that I... I haven’t used that word with anypony since... well, Dusty.”

“Well... do you love Braeburn?” Day Break asked delicately.

“Yeah... yeah I really do,” said Daring sincerely. “But it’s just... it’s not easy for me to take this in. The only time I ever used the ‘L word,’ the pony I said it to died right in front of me. I just don’t know how to get used to this again without being scared.”

Day Break pursed her lips, her expression mirroring the darker turn that the conversation had suddenly taken. “Oh, that’s right, huh? I guess that would be hard to get used to again. But you look so relaxed and happy when you talk to him.”

“Yeah, that’s what’s so amazing about him,” Daring admitted, a small smile turning the corner of her mouth back upward. She stared with unfocused, half-lidded eyes at the expanse of blanket between the two of them. “Ever since I met Braeburn, something about him just made it so easy for me to just be myself and open up. Honestly, I didn’t know how to take that at first, and I got angry and threw it in his face. Then he said just the right thing that took all of my anger awa—”

“Ah guess Ah can’t stand idly by and let a friend go through so much pain’?” Day Break finished for her with her impression of an Appleloosan accent.

Daring chuckled bashfully, turning her eyes back up to her friend. “I’ve told that story, haven’t I?”

“Don’t worry, it never stopped being adorable,” the yellow mare teased, gesturing for her to continue.

“Heh, well yeah. Being around him is... incredible. I’m at ease, stress free and best of all, happy,” Daring continued, her fond grin returning. “But when we’re apart, my mind isn’t distracted by him and I start to be... well, me about it. I think like I used to and doubt everything that makes me happy; telling myself that there’s no way it could last. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that Braeburn would ever do anything to hurt me. I’m just too used to the world not letting me be happy, like I don’t deserve it or something. I’m frustrated that I can’t stop thinking like that, and I’m scared that stupid part of my brain might ruin everything all over again.”

Day Break took a moment to receive the information, cracking a coy grin at her friend. “Yeah, I think I remember this problem. It came up when you first started dating Dusty, right?”

The archaeologist recoiled inwardly, her right eye twitching ever so slightly. “Y-Yeah, it did. And I know it’s nopony’s fault but my own, but I just don’t know how to get past it. Everything else in the world is simple for me. I’m a world-renowned treasure hunter and historian, I have degrees covering every last facet of archaeology, but somehow getting over this completely unjustifiable bout of paranoia is just beyond me. I’m twenty-six years old, and my stupid brain is acting like a teenager that just got dumped at prom.”

Daring groaned, rubbing her forehead with her forehooves in aggravation. “This is just so freaking stupid. I have so many other things to worry about, but objectivity is like a lost virtue to me right now. How am I supposed to find out who this Hero and Spellcaster were, let alone find the Fyre of Tartarus with my brain focused on all this? Why is it happening in the first place?”

“Hold on there, cowgirl,” Day Break interjected, reaching over to steady Daring’s shoulders in her hooves. The yellow mare offered a reassuring smile, her ruby eyes warm and comforting. The archaeologist took a deep breath, focusing on her friend and hoping it would steady her breaths. “Geeze, Daring. I’ve never seen you pour yourself out like this. Usually when you’re like this, I only get a grunt or maybe a single sentence once in a blue moon.”

“S-Sorry.”

“What, no! I’m saying it’s a good thing! It’s just a lot to take in all at once,” the yellow pegasus replied sincerely. “You’re talking about this like it’s your mind making you dwell over this self-destructive tendency you have going on. But it’s not your brain that’s scared; it’s your heart. Look, I know habits like this are hard to break, especially for somepony with your track record. But... well, here’s an idea. Let’s look at this through the eyes of a mare with a fancy-schmancy education like yours. Maybe a clever metaphor. You like those, right?”

Daring snorted, although humorlessly. However, it sounded as if her friend was about to take a new route in an effort to find the solution to her problem, so the mare allowed her to continue.

“You pretty much just said it yourself; you’re not even thirty, and yet your name is already known all across your field of work. You’ve found treasures thought to be nonexistent, and civilizations that the most accomplished of ponies thought were lost. You’re like a freight train speeding down the tracks faster than any other, heading down the path of your amazing life. You’ve blazed through the most perilous of roadblocks and obstacles, without so much as a delay to your next stop. But then, of all things in the world, this unstoppable train is completely derailed by a pebble on the tracks. This train has never been stopped before, but now it’s letting this tiny little excuse for an obstacle get the better of it. Lemme know if I’m wrong, but that doesn’t exactly sound right to me.”

Daring Do stared at her oldest friend, confounded by her sudden wisdom in such an abstract field. The darker mare furrowed her brow, looking back down to the blanket between them. While the weather mare hadn’t exactly broken new ground in terms of Daring’s dilemma, she certainly did put it in a more understandable perspective. All in all, Day Break was right. She was better than this. How could an intelligent pony like her allow something to ail her with zero reward? “I’m letting this dumb little paranoia take up space in my mind that it’s not paying rent for...”

“Well if another metaphor is what you need, then sure, knock yourself out,” Day Break smirked.

Daring could have slapped herself. In all of the years that this issue had been plaguing her, the mare never once allowed another pony to shine the light on such an obvious solution. “There really isn’t an abstract route to take to find a solution, is there? It’s just as simple as that. I just have to realize how counterproductive this is and push it aside. There’s no easy way outta this. I just need to stop being a foal about this and let myself move on...”

“And it looks like Braeburn might be the perfect pony to do that with,” Day Break concluded for her, making the treasure hunter find her fond smile once again. Daring felt a knot tie itself in her throat, the sudden blossoming epiphany spreading like a wave of emotional inspiration in her heart. She threw herself forward, wrapping her forelegs around Day Break’s shoulders and buried her face into the mare’s crimson and pink mane. “W-Woah! Daring, are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Daring nearly choked, holding her friend tightly. “I think... I think I know how to do this.”

Before Day Break could hug her back, Daring pulled herself away from the yellow pegasus. She wiped her eyes on the back of her foreleg, sniffing quietly. Without even glancing at Day Break, the archaeologist leaped over her, flying over to the coffee table with a single pound of her wings. She could hear her friend asking a slew of questions, but they weren’t heard in Daring’s new-found resolve. She found her bags on the floor, grabbing them in her teeth and dumping their contents onto the table. The mare didn’t bother to sit down as she threw open a large tome, readying her notepad, a quill and an inkwell.

“So... do I get to hear a follow-up to that last statement, or...?” came Day Break’s voice from behind.

“This paranoia over ruining whatever I have that makes me happy has been holding me back, and I haven’t been able to focus for a second because of it,” Daring started, flipping through the pages of her book. “But if my mind is free to roam, I’m pretty darned sure that I can decode this puzzle surrounding the Fyre of Tartarus.”

“What? Didn’t you say that we didn’t have enough information to do that yet?” asked Day Break, bewildered. “I mean, good for you for breaking through your problems, but still. What makes you think you’re gonna find out who those two other keepers of the Fyre were?”

The archaeologist stopped dead, standing over the table with her forelegs supporting her torso atop its surface. She turned her head toward Day Break, wearing her most confident grin, her rose eyes alight with renewed vigor. “Because I’m Daring freaking Do.”

Every major building in Equestria had its better and worse sides under differing levels of light. Some structures shone the brightest during the day, while others could only be appreciated under the pale light of a full moon. Even fewer could be enjoyed to the fullest under the warm glow of a Canterlot sunset. One pony in particular felt like the luckiest in the world to have the privilege of viewing such a vista at every day’s end.

The tall, narrow windows of the museum poured two parallel rows of orange light onto the marble floors, reflecting the calming aura all throughout the foyer. The warm light cast thin shadows down the many ridges of the columned walls, defining every nook and cranny of the interior’s vast and articulate architecture. On either side of the wide, maroon carpet stood an array of attractive exhibits in glass cases, veiled by the reflection of the sunset outside.

There were many routes to a calm mind, and over the years, ponies had found a plethora of ways to alleviate the stress of a hard day. One mare in particular, however, found herself completely content in viewing her personal element at sundown. The Canterlot Museum of Natural History had become less of a place of work and more of a home over the mare’s time as curator. The walls of books in the massive library had always been a never-ending source of knowledge and entertainment, even after she had read each and every volume for the second time. The wax figures and miniature recreations of historical events had served as sort of silent companions behind the glass, never judging or questioning her. To any other pony in the world, her relationship with the museum may have seemed odd, but to her, it was more than home.

The dark red mare leaned on the marble railings of the foyer’s upper level, her forelegs draped over the mahogany trimming. She gazed with tired, yet wistful eyes at the sight below through her spectacles, uttering a small sigh of content. After a long day of paperwork and meetings, she hadn’t realized just how long she stayed there. Once Minerva came back to her senses, she realized that the warm glow of the setting sun had been replaced with the dull blue of lunar rays.

“Oh Minerva, when will you climb out of your hovel and meet a nice stallion like everypony your age has? You’ll go crazy keeping yourself in that museum!” the earth mare spoke aloud to herself, impersonating one of her few outside friends in a high voice. “Now, now, who needs a simple lover when you already have everything you could have ever wanted? Ridiculous.”

Minerva chuckled aloud as she dismounted the wood-trimmed railing, turning around to walk in the opposite direction of the foyer. The main hall of the museum lacked the natural light that windows allowed, but compensated with a row of ornate gaslights, their flames enclosed with glass boxes trimmed with gold. The dark red carpet shared similar laced edges, stitched with a warm shade of yellow. The wide hallway was more than a segue to the rest of the building’s grandeur; it was home to Minerva’s favorite exhibits. She stopped at a long glass case to the left, lowering her head a few inches to the level of a group of miniature pony models standing in the middle of a frontier settlement. The scene was a depiction of the founding of Dodge Junction, featuring a trio of settler ponies greeting travelers from the Saddle Fe Trail.

“Look at you all,” Minerva said to the lifeless miniatures, grinning at their happy faces. “See? I am not the only one content within the confines of my home.”

The maroon earth mare scoffed with a smile, leaving the exhibit to continue pacing down the hall. “If I am indeed crazy, then at least I am among friends.”

As the mare began to walk toward her office, the faint sound of a distant hoof tapping on wood broke the silence. Minerva rolled her eyes, hoping that her mind was playing tricks on her. She stood in the middle of the main hall, her ears pricked up and listening intently. To her dismay, the knocking repeated itself, this time quicker than before. The earth pony scoffed, grimacing as she turned around and trotted down the stairs and into the foyer.

“If it’s that blasted Trotson here with flowers again...” she trailed off under her breath, scowling as she crossed the large room. Minerva approached the door, flicking open the multiple locks with a hoof. “I swear to Celestia, Artemis, this better be impor—”

But her words of annoyance were cut off as one of the tall front doors of the museum flew open, allowing the long barrel of a rifle to be pressed against her nose. Minerva froze on the spot, her wrinkled eyes slowly following the cylindrical length of black steel to find its owner. It was a male pegasus with a coat of bluish-green, his blown back mane similarly-hued. Behind him was another pegasus: a female with a shockingly-contrasted color scheme of pink and blue. The both of them had a wing in a makeshift splint, both looking as if they hadn’t slept nor bathed in days.

The blue stallion grinned maliciously, glaring at Minerva over the iron sights of his weapon. “Hello. A nice evening to take out a book, it is.”

A large .45-90 caliber round glided through the air like a small, unfluctuating bird, surrounded by a pale blue glow. It sped over the tattered maintenance dock atop of the airship, although just barely slow enough to be easily observed by the naked eye. Braeburn only had a small window of opportunity to send his miniature target spiraling through the air; possibly no more than a second and a half. The earth pony focused, led his shot and snapped the trigger back with his hoof. The brass rifle barked, but no sparks were seen and no ricochet was heard. To Braeburn’s utter dismay, the magically-hindered .45-90 round was released, flying past the limits of the lantern’s orange glow and into the darkness of the night.

“Darn it,” Braeburn growled under his breath, opening the action of his weapon to find its tubular magazine depleted once again, smoke billowing out of the empty elevator carrier. With a grimace and an inward curse, the earth pony scooped a hoofful of rounds from the opened box on the platform to his right, loading ten of them through the rifle’s cartridge gate.

“Ya’ had this not two minutes ago, boy,” said Bullet Tyme from the other side of the maintenance dock. The older stallion let out a grunt, falling back to three hooves from his firing position, using the other to cradle his Marechester.

“Yeah, and then ya’ had Azure triple the difficulty,” Braeburn replied, racking a new round into his rifle’s chamber.

“Did you want me to slow down the next few?” asked Azure Spark, standing beside Bullet Tyme with an uncertain look on his face.

“Nothin’ doin’,” Bullet grunted. “He needs to learn as much o’ this here technique as he can. He ain’t gonna get better by goin’ backwards.”

The cyan unicorn pursed his lips, looking to Braeburn as if for confirmation. The riflepony had learned every skill he had from his father, whether it was knowing what apples were ready for harvest or how to fire a rifle. Never once did Bullet Tyme show his son any mercy in his teachings, and this was no different. While Braeburn never liked it at first, he knew that his father was only yielding the best results possible. “S’alright, Azure. Pa’s right, let’s just do this.”

Azure hesitated for a moment before nodding, almost regretfully. Bullet Tyme crouched back onto his hindlegs as he loaded a new round. “Now remember, boy. Ya’ gotta shoot before ya’ reckon yer target will line up with yer sights. This skill ain’t just about leadin’ yer shot; it’s about predicting it, too. A bullet has to travel quite a distance before it strays off from a straight line, that’s why deflection ain’t gonna happen at a long distance. Well, not on purpose anyhow.”

The unicorn focused his yellow eyes on the receiver of the older stallion’s weapon, his horn lighting up with magic. Braeburn readied himself, keeping his eyes narrowed toward the barrel of the 1886 Marechester. Bullet aimed off to his son’s right, firing his rifle. The bullet erupted from the end of the barrel, shrouded in the blue light of Azure’s spell. It soared across the width of the maintenance dock like a speeding blue firefly, effortlessly bypassing Braeburn’s intended deflecting round.

Bullet Tyme tried again, and Azure brought the round back down to the same speed, although to no avail. As the magazine of his rifle slowly depleted, Braeburn grew more and more frustrated with every shot. His grip on his weapon started to falter in his dying focus, greatly affecting his aim. Hitting a bullet even at half speed was tedious enough, but attempting it through a red-tinged veil of irritation was another matter entirely. Never before had the stallion come across a challenge he couldn’t overcome with a rifle in his hooves, and under the pressing circumstances, Braeburn’s emotions were starting to get the better of him.

“Consarnit!” he growled, bringing down the steel buttplate of his rifle down upon the wooden dock, his hoof wrapped around the barrel. The lever of his weapon stayed open, its magazine emptied.

On the other side of the balloon, Bullet Tyme sighed through his nose, leaning the 1886 on his shoulder. “Well, it’s a good thing I bought those extra rounds in Baltimare.”

“We’ve been at this for an hour now,” said Azure. “Perhaps we should take a break.”

“Not ‘til Ah see some more progress,” Bullet replied curtly. He loaded six more rounds into his weapon, turning it around his hoof and racking the action in the same motion. “We only got less than three hours, so we’re squeezing in as much practice as we can.”

Braeburn nodded with a slight grimace, refilling his rifle’s magazine and taking position again. “Right, shoot again.”

His father nodded, a faint grin turning the corner of his mouth. Braeburn took in a long, measured breath through his nose, cleansing his mind of every negative thought and idea. His left eye stared over the iron sights of the brass rifle, waiting for his target to appear. Bullet Tyme fired, and Azure took control of the round once more, allowing it to fly over the maintenance dock at half speed. The riflepony fired, scowling as he watched his target fly directly past his point of aim.

“Yer waitin’ too long,” the gruff stallion noted aloud, lowering his Marechester. “Yer not adjustin’ yer timing from the last speed we did. Just ‘cause you were hittin’ them bullets then don’t mean yer gonna at this speed. Now cut that timing in half before ya’ waste an armory’s worth o’ rounds.”

The night didn’t seem to become any easier as time went on. As much as he tried to avoid his frustration, it seemed to boil hotter in the pit of his stomach with every failed attempt at bullet deflection. He knew that the skill was going to be nothing short of insane in terms of difficulty, but he thought that he at least had a chance of accomplishing such a goal. Not one single facet of his gunfighting prowess had aided him. It was comparable to learning a new skill entirely. Perhaps there was a reason that only three ponies in Equestria were capable of bullet deflection. They were all clearly older than Braeburn, and had more years of shooting experience than he did.

It was a thought that made the earth stallion want to simply put down his weapon and rest before arriving in Canterlot, for it was looking as though he would need those extra years of wisdom before he could acquire such an intermediate skill. But on the other hoof, that fact alone was just enough for the riflepony to keep trying. They had the extra ammunition, plenty of time to pass and a chance of obtaining something that could possibly save lives and win their little war. If there was an extra edge that he could grasp, Braeburn was going to try.

But even after three hours of training, Braeburn’s hopes were all but exhausted. Even with Azure’s assistance, the riflepony simply couldn’t wrap his head around bullet deflection. While he seemed to be getting closer, not one of his bullets hit their mark. It was only then that Bullet Tyme allowed his son to rest for a moment. As much as he didn’t want to, Braeburn’s sore forelegs screamed at him to oblige. The earth pony sat down on the edge of the maintenance dock, his hindlegs draped over the edge, resting on the balloon’s thick, rubbery skin.

The cold autumn air blew lightly through his mane, the brim of his Stetson rising and falling with every gust. Thumper and the brass rifle lay in their scabbards behind him, next to the nearly empty boxes of extra .45 Colt and .30-30 ammunition. Through the darkness of the night, the full moon rose behind the silhouette of the tallest mountain in Equestria, the shadow of a city constructed precariously on its Western slope. They only had about an hour by Braeburn’s calculations. He only hoped that they would arrive before Sure Shot.

Azure Spark had left at Bullet Tyme’s request, leaving the two rifleponies alone atop the sailing airship. Braeburn kept his unfocused gaze on the mountain range ahead while his father laid his cannon-like lever-action rifle down next to Thumper. Bullet slowly lowered himself onto his haunches, groaning slightly as his tired muscles relaxed. He removed his flat-brimmed Stetson, but wrapped himself tighter in his long vest. “Ya’ seem pretty sore over not learnin’ a skill you thought ya’ couldn’t wrap yer head around to begin with.”

“Daring wants to fight Ahuitzotl all by herself,” Braeburn found himself blurting out. It wasn’t a sputtering, subconscious admittal of the truth, but a clearly-defined statement. “She wants to take on a creature that shook off gunfire like it was nothin’.”

Bullet Tyme snorted, almost knowingly. “And yer not sure if what ya’ have now is enough to save her if somethin’ goes awry.”

Braeburn only nodded, slouching back with his forelegs locked behind him, supporting his torso. His eyes never left the slowly-approaching capital city, his hopes of finding solace all but diminished before they could grow.

“Lemme know if Ah’m wrong, but that filly o’ yers isn’t the type to just ferget about things like that,” Bullet guessed, to which Braeburn nodded. “Well, there ain’t much a stallion can do ‘bout somethin’ like that. Mares like her don’t come ‘round too often, and the last thing ya’ wanna do is put a stopper on who she is.”

The younger stallion nodded again. “It’s just hard to cope with.”

“‘Cause ya’ love her, right?” his father smirked knowingly. Before his son could complete his look of bewilderment, Bullet continued: “Don’t look so surprised, boy. Ah’ve known you yer whole dang life, don’t think Ah don’t know what’s goin’ on in that head o’ yers. So tell me this: does she love ya’ back?”

Braeburn smiled warmly, his tense muscles relaxing. “Yeah...”

Bullet Tyme stood up to his hooves in one swift motion, biting onto the collar of his son’s duster and pulling him up. “Then shut yer mouth, get down there and be with her. Ain’t a thing in this world that’ll get past us, so get that chin up and be a stallion already.”

“But—”

“Braeburn, ya’ said it yerself: ya’ got a gun that shoots fire. It nearly torched that Ahuitzotl creature, and Ah don’t reckon we got no enemies that’re bigger than that,” Bullet said flatly. “Now come on, let’s get down there before we get to Canterlot.”

The younger stallion couldn’t help but smirk at his father’s abrasiveness, for he knew that Bullet couldn’t have been more right. Braeburn followed his father through the bay and into the cabin, his worries reduced to nothing more than a minimal span of thought in the back of his mind. As soon as Bullet Tyme opened the door, the earth stallions’ ears folded back at the sound of a heated argument.

“Well how could it not have been him? It makes so much sense!”

“It can’t be him because it makes no sense.”

“So you’re saying that Cunning the Colt is the only pony that could have been the Thief?”

“No, I’m saying there’s no way the Thief, one of the ponies responsible for keeping the world safe from the Fyre, could ever have been the Spirit of freaking Chaos!”

“Well why not?”

“Are you even listening to yourself right now?!”

“Uh... are we interrupting something?” asked Braeburn nervously, unconsciously lifting a hoof from the wooden floor. He flinched as Daring and Day Break spun their heads around towards him, their eyes still sharp from their back and forth. Neither of them took more than a second to wipe the irritated looks from their faces, trading them for polite smiles. They both stood at the end of the coffee table, their heads hovering over an array of opened tomes and maps. Azure Spark, meanwhile, sat in Day Break’s usual seat on the couch, huddled in the corner almost like a foal that recently watched his parents fight.

“Oh, sorry. Day Break was uh... helping, I guess one could say,” said Daring, holding on to the last of her snark. Her yellow friend lowered her eyelids with a frown, although not pursuing the argument further. “I was just doing a little research about a few notable historical figures.”

“And yer tryin’ to figure out who the Spellcaster and the Hero were, right?” Braeburn asked while his father dropped his things and took his place on the couch closest to the bay door, laying down with his hat over his face.

“Assuming the place of the Thief was actually taken by Cunning the Colt,” muttered Day Break out of the corner of her mouth scornfully.

Daring nearly did a double take as she whipped her head back to the yellow mare. “Okay, Day Break? You do know that you’re supposed to remove the ear cleaner when there’s resistance, right?”

“Now before you two rip each other’s throats out,” Braeburn interjected, holding up a hoof. “Daring, we’re gonna be in Canterlot pretty soon. Why don’t we just ask Celestia about the Fyre? Ah can’t imagine her not knowin’ anything about it.”

“That’s assuming we can get a moment alone with her. Not to mention one rather suspicious issue,” the archaeologist replied. She walked around Braeburn, removing her pith hat and hanging it on a hook above Bullet Tyme’s outstretched hindlegs. “The Fyre of Tartarus is currently classified as... well, nonexistent. But we found out that’s not true at all. If the Fyre was truly something that needed to be hidden from the world, its power must be extraordinarily significant. And if that’s true, it would have taken whole heck of a lot to cover up its existence.”

“So yer sayin’ that Celestia is the reason why it’s considered a myth?” asked the beige stallion.

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” said Bullet Tyme, his voice slightly muffled by his hat, which he neglected to remove. He crossed his hindlegs, his forehooves behind his head. “If any o’ us were the ruler of Equestria, we’d do the same thing.”

“Exactly,” agreed Daring. “I highly doubt that Celestia would divulge one word about the Fyre. So that just leaves us to find it for ourselves.”

“With one clue,” replied Bullet. “‘I alone hold one of three: the Thief, the Hero and the Spellcaster.’ Don’t see how much you can get from that.”

“Maybe more than you think, Bullet,” answered Daring matter-of-factly. “The clues that Cunning left behind to find his tomb in Dodge Junction were worded very carefully, as was his journal. Nopony does that without reason. The clue I was able to extract from his diary said that Cunning holds one of the three titles; the Thief, Hero or the Spellcaster. I don’t think that’s exactly what he was trying to say.”

Braeburn quirked an eyebrow. “So... yer sayin’ that he was holdin’ somethin’ that was called the Thief.”

“Well I’m not absolutely certain that he held the Thief, but considering the pony he was, it stands to reason why I’m labelling him as the holder of the Thief until we know more,” explained the pegasus. “If we infer from the mannerisms of his previous clues, we know that Cunning would have made his title as the Thief, Hero or the Spellcaster pretty clearly. But that’s not what his diary tells us. It says that he held one of the three, not that he was called one of the three.”

“Probably another key of some sort,” Braeburn commented, his eyes opening wider when his marefriend pointed a hoof at him.

“Not another key, but the same key,” she grinned, the excitement rising in her voice. “Remember how I explained that Cunning wanted one of his descendents to find his tomb and his diary with Thumper? Well it’s starting to look like he helped hide the Fyre behind another door with a lock that Thumper could open. Makes sense, right? That Marechester wasn’t just the key to Cunning’s tomb; it also could be the Thief!”

“Thumper was indeed the tool that the original Colt of the West used to pillage,” Azure Spark chimed in. “So maybe the other two items were also named after the things they did.”

The riflepony blinked several times, wearing an expression of shock and bewilderment. He subconsciously unsheathed the old Marechester from his back, cradling it in a foreleg and staring at the aged steel buttplate. A beat or two passed before something came to the riflepony’s mind. “If Thumper is one o’ the three things that Cunning was talking about, and Thumper’s a key, then wouldn’t that mean that the other two things are also keys?”

“See? There it is again!” Daring exclaimed, to which Braeburn gave her an inquisitive look. She answered with a brief kiss to his lips, accompanied by a hit to his shoulder with a hoof. “You being smarter than you give yourself credit for.”

“Then if Thumper is one of the keys needed to obtain the Fyre of Tartarus...” said the cyan unicorn, voicing his evident realization. “Sure Shot wouldn’t be able to achieve his goal without that gun.”

Daring Do grinned brightly. “And he doesn’t even know it.”

“That’s all well and good, but that doesn’t help the fact that the only clue we have to find the Fyre doesn’t tell us where to go next,” said Bullet Tyme, his muffled voice blunt. His statement quickly erased the grin from Daring’s face. She put a hoof to her chin in contemplation, her sharp eyes flicking between the floor and the papers on the table to her right.

“That’s true,” she muttered. “Hmm... that is weird. Every clue that Cunning left for us contained something that led us to the next clue, but not this one. I searched his diary back and forth, but found nothing coded beyond the bit about the three keepers of the Fyre.”

Daring Do kept her hoof to her muzzle, walking across the cabin and back again before repeating the process. Nopony spoke as she began to ponder aloud, but simply watched in awe as her brilliance started to unfold. “Clearly he wants his descendants to find the Fyre and protect it if need be, but his code covered the entire length of his diary. There wasn’t room for anything else... unless... Ohhhh, I’m so freaking dumb!”

The archaeologist threw up a hoof in triumph before bolting across the cabin and back to the table. She squeezed herself between Braeburn and Day Break, pushing them aside and out of her way. Daring reached across the mess of papers and books to grab Braeburn’s copy of his ancestor’s journal, throwing it open to the first page. “Without a lead to the next clue, Cunning must have hidden something else underneath his code about the Thief, Hero and Spellcaster in the same book; something that will take us another step toward finding the Fyre! I’m an idiot for not thinking about this sooner! First rule of cryptology, Daring: look for more than one layer!”

“So you think that he left behind something else in that book?” asked Day Break, instilling an array of flat looks from the ponies around her. Daring stopped dead, heaving a large sigh with a hoof to her forehead. The yellow mare blinked, looking around the room for an answer. “What?”

“Day Break...” Daring groaned. “Remember when I said that dropping out of school was a bad idea?”

“A book?”

“Yes, a book.”

“You do know that this is not a library, correct?” said Minerva, holding her ground despite the end of the weapon hovering an inch from her muzzle. “And that a library does not charge anything for such a service?”

“Oh, this one’s quite a character,” noted the pink mare with a tilt of her head. “I like her. It’s never fun when the victim cowers in fear.”

“I’ve been running the most prestigious museum in all of Equestria for decades,” said the maroon earth mare dryly, her eyelids lowering. “Do you think this is the first time a pair of lunatics have tried to steal from my place of work?”

The pegasus stallion hummed a chuckle, poking Minerva’s chest with the end of his rifle. The curator scowled, walking backwards into the foyer of the museum as she was instructed. The two pegasi followed her inside, and the female closed the large door behind her. The moonlight illuminated the scene through the tall windows on Minerva’s left, coating them with a light tinge of blue. “As much as I adore a witty back and forth, we have business to conduct, we do. Somewhere in these halls lies the diary of Cunning the Colt himself, and we are not leaving without it. Do yourself a favor and direct us to it promptly, would you?”

“Looking for some tips in the field of thievery, are we?” Minerva sneered. While she prided herself in keeping her head in such a dire situation, her sarcasm was not appreciated by the riflepony.

The blue stallion worked the bolt action of his weapon in the blink of an eye, loading a cartridge into the chamber. His smirk disappeared in a flash, replaced by fierce scowl. “Do not dawdle with us. Bring us to the journal!”

“At least you seek the appropriate tome,” said Minerva haughtily, the slightest of smiles turning her lips. “It’s almost like you’ve never done this bef—”

The blue pegasus snapped the barrel of his rifle to the side, yanking back the trigger. The curator heard nothing but a thundering crack, her right ear lighting up with a horrid pain from the sound. The old mare’s ear folded back instinctively, her right eye clamping shut as a high-pitched ringing vibrated throughout her skull. The bandit redirected his aim between Minerva’s eyes, a grimace contorting his face with anger. “Take us to the book, now!”

Minerva’s opened eye stared daggers at her captor through the sights of his weapon, her heart rate climbing with every passing second. They didn’t need her to find the book. If she defied their demands one more time, she would be killed and their search would only be lengthened, not hindered. If they wanted the journal as much as it seemed, they weren’t going to leave the museum without it. As much as it enraged the mare to comply, she did not need to die that night.

Canterlot was truly a sight to behold in the dead of night. The ambient light of the full moon washed the capital city with a tinge of pale blue, casting long shadows down its wide streets. Down below, Braeburn noticed a particular lack of late night hoof-traffic, contrary to what one would expect from such a vast city. It took a moment for the stallion to remember Celestia’s eight o’ clock curfew, realizing that it must have been far past that by now. A knot of worry tied itself in the pit of his stomach, hoping that they would be able to enter the city without objection from the Royal Guard. While it should have comforted him to find the streets bare and free of bandits or demigods, Braeburn still felt unnerved by the silence.

Surprisingly enough, the city held no landing sites for them to take advantage of, forcing Artemis to direct the airship over the fields outside the main gates, overlooking a tall cliff face. A rushing river flowed in front of the city, underneath a wide bridge that ended at the gates. As they landed on the other side, Braeburn spotted four rather large, pearly white stallions clad in golden armor, peering at their ship from the closed doors of the city.

“Are we gonna be able to get in there?” Braeburn asked, his nose almost pressed against the window on the left side of the cabin. “After the letter we sent to Celestia, that city’s gotta be sealed tighter than the lock on Granny Smith’s recipe drawer.”

“We’re getting in there whether they like it or not,” Daring snorted. “We either go through the front gates, or we make a hole right next to the front gates.”

Braeburn bit his lip, staring at the opal stallions below. He and his father had already equipped themselves with their weapons and ammunition. The beige stallion took a moment to heed Bullet’s advice and take a mental note of their supplies. On his back was Thumper and the brass rifle, crossed in their respective scabbards with their rear stocks behind his head. They were both loaded to capacity while two boxes of cartridges sat in his satchel; one of .45 Colt and one of .30-30. The riflepony’s trusty lasso had been slung loosely around his neck under the collar of his duster, its end hanging low, ready to be yanked free. Bullet Tyme had his Marechester 1886 strapped to his back, along with a bag of his own containing a box of .45-90 rounds.

Daring Do, on the other hoof, had equipped herself with a rather long, machete-like blade in a plastic scabbard strapped to her chest. Braeburn had guessed that it was a knife used for clearing tall grass and hanging vines one would find in the middle of a jungle. His imagination didn’t need to wander far to ponder what such an edge would do to the skin and muscle of any living being. Her trademark pith helmet sat tight atop her head, offering little but definite protection.

“So what’re ya’ gonna do about that clue?” asked Braeburn, looking to the archaeologist as she strapped her equipment tighter to her body.

“I’m pretty sure I got it halfway decoded, but it still doesn’t seem to say anything,” Daring mumbled, distracted. “But I’m not too worried about it right now. My mind is too busy thinking about how we’re gonna get into Canterlot without getting arrested.”

“I don’t mean to point out the obvious,” said Azure Spark, standing beside Day Break near the opened cockpit door. “But I am a unicorn that specializes in teleportation.”

Braeburn and Daring blinked, exchanging a look of worry. “Azure, we’ve already put you through a lotta work,” said the beige earth pony.

“Not to mention you’re a wanted felon,” Daring added, an uneasy tone in her voice. “If any form of law enforcement sees you in there, you’ll be chased down and arrested. We’ll never be able to clear your name once this is all over.”

“I appreciate the concern, I really do,” said the unicorn sincerely, offering a warm smile. “But let’s be realistic here. Those guards down there are already on edge. If you go down there with weapons attached to you saying that somepony is about to threaten their city, there won’t be a way for you to convince them that you aren’t the ones you’re speaking of. Not to mention we’ve all been ordered by Celestia herself to abide by her curfew.”

Daring exhaled through her nose as she listened to Azure’s words, her brow furrowed and her eyes on the unicorn’s. “Then what do you propose we do?”

“I can teleport you all in there,” Azure said as plain as day. “And before anypony sees me, I’ll teleport out of there and back into the ship. Easy as that.”

“Azure, we couldn’t ask you to do that,” Daring objected. “It’s too risky. What if you’re seen?”

“If anypony’s eye is quick enough to spot my image flash in the fraction of a second that it will be visible, then they deserve to catch me,” said the unicorn with a rare lick of smugness.

Daring sighed, looking to her coltfriend. Her eyes were questioning, looking for a second opinion on the matter. Braeburn gave her a shallow nod, unaware of another form of entrance into the city. The mare nodded back, turning back to the unicorn with an appreciative smile. “Alright, Sparky. I hope you’re right about this.”

Azure stood up straighter, a proud grin on his face. “Then it’s settled. One thing though; while they can’t see us through the windows from here, they’ll definitely be able to see the flash from the spell. Is there anything we can use to block their view?”

Daring nodded, trotting across the cabin and into the cockpit. She reappeared a moment later, dragging a large black blanket across the floor with her mouth. A few minutes later with the assistance of a roll of tape, Day Break and Azure were able to veil the windows with the blanket, allowing zero light to shine through. Content with the veil, the unicorn walked back to the middle of the cabin. Braeburn pursed his lips, mentally picking apart their plan and attempting to find any sort of flaw. He hoped to Celestia that Azure’s confidence was justified. If they were thwarted by the Guard, then Sure Shot would win.

Through the windows on the right, the ground had started to level out with the bottom of the airship. The cabin rumbled as Artemis deployed the landing gear, forcing everypony to brace themselves while the craft landed.

Once the airship came to a stop, Artemis entered the cabin, looking upon everypony with an unreadable look. After a beat, his eyes fell upon Daring, warming as she returned the look with a reassuring smile. “You all be careful in there. I’ll be waiting here where the Guard can’t tell me to bugger off.”

“We appreciate it, Artemis,” said Bullet Tyme in a low voice.

The captain nodded, turning his eyes to Braeburn. Artemis approached him, resting a stern hoof on his shoulder. The gray stallion’s gaze pierced into the riflepony’s, as if they were about to read his thoughts. “And Braeburn... you make sure you look after Daring in there. I don’t want a repeat of Mesoequestria, alright?”

“O’ course,” said Braeburn automatically.

“Alright, everypony ready?” asked the unicorn. Day Break, Bullet Tyme, Braeburn and Daring stepped forward, forming a tight circle around Azure Spark. The cyan stallion held out his foreleg, and everypony grabbed onto it.

“Good luck, you guys,” said Artemis, his eyes fixed on his goddaughter.

Daring nodded back to him with a warm smile before looking around to her comrades. “Let’s do this.”

Everypony braced themselves as Azure’s horn lit up with a pale blue light. He closed his eyes in concentration, and Braeburn followed suit. As much as he disliked flying, teleportation was another thing entirely. He just hoped that the closer proximity would stop them from being thrown through the air again. An azure glow brightened the inside of his eyelids, and Braeburn took the cue to grit his teeth and clamp his eyes shut. There was a high-pitched wail of magic, accompanied by a flash of white light. For the briefest of moments, the stallion’s body was overcome by a newly-familiar sensation of warmth, followed by a sudden shock of numbness. He held his breath, waiting for the spell to be over.

As a cool breeze wafted against his face, Braeburn allowed his eyes to slowly drift open, taking in his new surroundings. But before his eyes could observe the environment, an exchange occupied his attention.

“Woah... isn’t teleportation supposed to be instant?” came the dreary, nauseated voice of Day Break. “That felt like a few moments there.”

“Time goes by differently when you’re the one...” Daring started to answer before trailing off. Braeburn looked up to find everypony staring at Azure Spark, whom was still among them. “Azure! What’re you still doing—”

“I can’t teleport back!” the unicorn hissed back, whipping his head back and forth with wide eyes, crouching low to the ground in fright. He squeezed his eyes shut, lighting up his horn to try again. There was another orbular flash of blue light, and for a fraction of a second, he was gone. But before anypony could blink, Azure reappeared on the same spot, looking even more horrified than before. Braeburn turned around, his eyes traversing the area around them in search for any member of law enforcement.

The five of them stood in the middle of a wide cobblestone street, veiled in the shadow of the surrounding shops and apartment complexes. Every wall, rooftop, awning and doorway bore a color scheme of ivory dashed with deep purples and magnificent golds, more than accurately displaying the city’s grandeur. The last and only time Braeburn came to Canterlot, the place had been loud and filled to the brim with ponies staring at him, pointing out just how out of place he was. But with the early curfew, the citizens of the capital were forced to stay indoors. As the five of them scanned the area, Braeburn was thankful to find nopony else around them. Wherever they were in the city’s walls, the Guard looked to be currently absent.

“What’s going on, Azure?” asked Day Break frantically, keeping her eyes peeled for any other pony.

“Day Break! Keep your voice down! Do you want us to get caught?”

“Something’s keeping me from getting back out of here,” answered the unicorn, his accelerating voice laced with dread. “It was a little more difficult than normal to get us all in here, but we got in! What’s stopping me from getting out?”

Azure tried the spell twice more, both attempts creating bright flashes of light. Upon his second reappearance, Daring reached out a hoof, grabbing onto his horn with a horrified grimace. “Will you stop lighting up the block like a darned beacon?!” she hissed angrily through her teeth before letting go. “Look, I know you’re scared of running into the Guard, but if you can’t get outta here, then you’re coming with us!”

“But what if—”

“We don’t have time to be screwing around here!” Daring interrupted, her hushed voice cracking behind her teeth. “Now follow me, stick to the shadows and shut the heck up!”

The unicorn’s ears folded back at her intensity, his lips tightening as if to not allow a single sound to escape. Day Break and Braeburn exchanged a shocked look, biting their tongues for fear of receiving their own chastising. Daring let out a short breath through her nose, turning around to lead them down the side of the road, where the surrounding buildings cast dense shadows.

“So where are we, exactly?” whispered Braeburn. “Are we at least close to the museum?”

“Well, we’re on Trotway Avenue right now, so it’s only a few blocks away,” Daring answered, leading the way through the city she knew all too well. “Canterlot works on a grid, with two perpendicular main streets cutting it down the middle. The North and South road is Canterbury Lane, while the East and West one’s called Whinnshire Street. The museum’s on Whinnshire.”

“Alright, well as long as everypony keeps themselves scarce, maybe we’ll get there without gettin’ caught,” murmured Bullet Tyme from the rear of the group.

“There it is!” whispered Daring excitedly, pointing a hoof out of the shadows. Braeburn followed her gaze down the road, finding a large, purple and gold street sign bearing the words Whinnshire Street. Even from their position, the stallion would have certainly guessed it to be a main road. As they followed Daring through the shadows, the true beauty of Canterlot started to come into view. The buildings on either side of Whinnshire cast long, dense shadows over the cobblestone road, providing ideal cover for anypony trying to avoid detection.

But to everypony’s confusion and trepidation, still no guards, nor any other form of law enforcement were seen. The street was completely bare, completely devoid of any life. The only sound that brushed against their ears was the soft breeze flowing between the lavish shops and businesses. Had it not been for the dotting of lights shining through curtained windows, Braeburn would have guessed that the capital was simply abandoned. It was eerie, for the only time that the cowpony had found himself in the city, it had been full to the brim with ponies and staring eyes.

“Ah don’t like this,” Bullet grumbled as they approached Whinnshire Street. Braeburn shared his father’s suspicion, as well as a modest helping of dread. “Somethin’ tells me that Sure Shot has somethin’ to do with all the Guards missin’.”

“You think they’re fighting Ahuitzotl and Sure Shot?” asked Day Break.

“Trust me, we’d hear that,” Daring whispered as she peaked her head around the corner of a baked goods store, making sure nopony was around Whinnshire.

“Not to mention that Sure Shot’s rifle fires .44 Magnum rounds,” Bullet Tyme added. When the yellow mare, as well as Azure gave him a quizzical look, he answered with a dull tone. “Big boom. A big boom you’d hear across a silent city pretty danged well.”

“Daring, d’ya know how many guards are usually roamin’ around this time o’ night?” asked Braeburn.

“A lot,” the archaeologist answered quickly, a sense of alarm in her voice. “On a normal night, there’s usually somewhere around a hundred. But on a night when security should be heightened to prepare for the likes of our enemies, that number should be doubled. That, along with Azure not being able to teleport outta here... You’re right Bullet; something’s wrong here.”

Daring led the group Westward down the main road; five pairs of eyes scanning the area unblinkingly. They formed a line down the middle of the street, evidently no longer required to hide. Before they covered the better half of a few meters, the monochromatic pegasus stopped abruptly, throwing out her right hoof to cease everypony else’s movement. She then moved her hoof to her lips, asking for their silence. Her ears pricked up through the brim of her pith helmet as she closed her eyes. She had heard something, that much was evident. However, no matter how much Braeburn focused his sense of hearing, he failed to detect what his marefriend had.

“That’s…” Daring started, her voice barely audible. Without so much as a warning, the mare’s eyes shot open, her pupils shrunken down to mere pinpricks. Braeburn’s eyes followed suit, his mind alight and ready for anything. “That’s gunfire. Move!”

Daring Do gave a powerful flap of her wings, catapulting herself into the air. Day Break followed, taking to the air behind her friend while Braeburn, Bullet and Azure bolted into a full gallop behind them. While the riflepony heard nothing through his gunfire-damaged ears, he trusted the archaeologist’s hearing. The two pegasi above pulled ahead from the group; Daring keeping her place in the lead. They approached the marble staircase of the museum as quick as they could, speeding past every building lining Whinnshire, the sidewalks lined with closed stands and bazaars. The previously still air of the night was now filled with the sound of hooves clacking sharply on stone, accompanied by the light panting of the scrawny unicorn behind Bullet Tyme.

Braeburn’s heart pounded not from the effort of running, but from what he knew was within the walls of the Canterlot Museum of Natural History. Despite the hours of mental preparation he put himself through, his nerves still shook with the mere thought of confronting Sure Shot and Ahuitzotl again. He had the tools to hold his own in a firefight, yet nowhere near the experience needed to support such a thing as confidence. His father was right; he was out of his league. Yet still he drove himself forward, for nopony else was going to step in for him.

As the five of them approached the section of Whinnshire in front of the enormous museum, one of the towering wooden doors flew open with a resounding bang. Braeburn expected the dark purple coat of the riflepony that stood behind this entire ordeal. He expected the looming, muscular midnight blue form of a feline beast. The stallion was ready to tear the brass rifle from its scabbard and unleash a veritable maelstrom of flame upon Ahuitzotl once again. But contrary to his predictions, Braeburn watched the last two ponies he expected to gallop down the marble steps of the lavish building.

Two pegasi bolted into the street; one a deep turquoise, the other a bright pink. The male had a bolt action rifle in his teeth while his sister clutched a small tattered book tight against her rather brawny chest. Makeshift bandages covered a single wing on both of their disheveled forms, their fur unkempt and dirty from what looked like days of neglect. They both ran with labored steps, still recovering from the injuries they had suffered by the beige stallion’s doing. Braeburn’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he and the rest of his group skidded to a halt in from of the wide stoop, a gasp caught in his throat.

There was no way in Equestria these two were still alive. They were thrown off a speeding airship and into the ocean, miles from shore. Regardless of the scene occurring in front of him, Braeburn froze on the spot, his limbs rigid with shock. In the moment before the two pegasi turned their heads, the riflepony stood there, repeating the same words in his head three times: No bucking way.

The inevitable happened, and the siblings took notice of the five ponies readying themselves for battle. The blue pegasus stallion had the advantage as Braeburn and Bullet Tyme hesitated, making sure their eyes weren’t fooling them. He crouched low, dropping his rifle into his hooves and turning it in Braeburn’s direction. The earth pony raised a hoof to draw his weapon, but the pegasus’ sights were already aligned.

Just as before, Braeburn’s life was saved by a flash of sparks and the high-pitched screech of two bullets cancelling each other out in midair. Bullet Tyme ejected a spent .45-90 cartridge from his rifle, racking a new round into the chamber. The five ponies split their group, taking cover behind the empty bazaars on either side of the street. Braeburn and Daring went left, while everypony else took to the right, next to an alleyway veiled in the shadows of the night. Bullet kept his sights aimed at the bandit stallion over the counter of the stand, his eyes cold and sharp. Braeburn took the opportunity to unsheath his brass rifle, chambering a round and taking aim at the two pegasi around the right side of the bazaar.

“Just what’re you two doin’ here and not being dead at the bottom o’ the ocean?” Bullet growled. “Ah don’t recall givin’ ya’ll permission to live.”

“Then maybe you should have been more thorough,” sneered the blue pegasus. His steely eyes scanned their group, widening once they fell upon Azure Spark. Braeburn could hear the unicorn’s breathing quicken, a nervous hoof grinding into the stone street. “Why hello, Sparks. I think I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that you assisted the archaeologist in her escape. You have signed your death wish with the boss, you have.”

“Meanwhile, we have a package to deliver,” chuckled the pink mare, giving the book a tiny shake.

Braeburn’s eyes picked up a discrete movement on the edge of his focus, and he turned his gaze to find the pink mare slowly shaking loose the tattered bandages from her right wing. As soon as he witnessed her feathers twitch, he knew what was going to happen.

“Sister, go!”

Before anypony’s eyes could register what happened, the pegasus mare catapulted herself high into the air. Braeburn flicked the barrel of his rifle toward her, firing off three rounds in quick succession. The bandit rolled over in the air, dodging the shots and disappearing behind the third story of a building to the right.

Daring was quick to bark out her orders: “Day Break, get the journal back! Bullet and Azure, follow her!”

The yellow mare complied without a word, taking to the skies in pursuit of the bandit. Azure nodded once, disappearing in an orbular flash of blue light. Braeburn looked across the road, finding his father kneeling behind his cover, alone and staring back at him. Bullet Tyme gave his son a stern look, to which Braeburn nodded in response. The older stallion returned the gesture before turning around and bolting into a full gallop down the alleyway and into the darkness.

Daring and Braeburn crouched low behind their cover, panting lightly with adrenaline. “Your father had the right idea. These two might know where Sure Shot is, so don’t kill him.”

“Duly noted,” Braeburn whispered back, racking the action of his weapon. “Ah’ll cover you, go make sure Minerva’s okay in there.”

Daring nodded curtly, awaiting her coltfriend’s next move. Braeburn closed his eyes as he loaded the magazine of his weapon, grabbing the rounds from the cartridge loops inside his duster. He knew the second that he emerged, the bandit would start shooting. He needed not just to be quick, but to be difficult to shoot as well. His heart thudded against his chest, shaking his ribs and pumping adrenaline through his veins. Braeburn kicked his hindhooves against the cobblestone, throwing himself into a somersault across the street. He kept his eyes on his target, the barrel of the brass rifle snapping to attention as he rolled to his hindhooves. There was a moment when the two shooters aligned their iron sights, their hooves tightening on the trigger as they readied themselves to take the other’s life. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but it was enough for either of them to lose focus or pull the trigger. But neither of those things happened.

Sparks erupted from the street, flashes of light cracking the stone in a long, curving trail between the rifleponies. Shot after shot approached the blue pegasus, causing him to step back and falter, his eyes widening in shock. Before anypony knew it, three shots landed in rapid succession upon the thin receiver of his bolt action rifle, the final bullet throwing the weapon from his hooves. Braeburn’s jaw tightened, his lips parting in confusion as the bandit’s gun clattered on the ground behind him, smoke billowing from a trio of holes punched through its center. The blue stallion looked up, attempting to find the source of the intervention. Braeburn followed his gaze, finding the culprit almost instantly.

Braeburn’s eyes flew open, almost feeling his emerald irises constricting beyond their limit. He spotted a smoking octagonal barrel at the end of what he recognized as a down-scaled Marechester Model 1892, its wielder crouched low atop a ledge outside of a window three stories in the air behind him. The shooter’s white coat was veiled in the shadows, giving the fur a dull shade of gray. But what caught the stallion’s attention were the large, frightened blue eyes of the pony, staring unblinkingly behind a dusting of auburn bangs.

The filly shook violently, her expression conflicted between triumph and fear.

Author's Note

Whinny. Whinnshire. Winchester Rifle......... Whinnchester Ri-WHY DIDN'T I JUST DO THAT?!

Big thanks to JohnPerry for helping out with this chapter!

Seventeen - A Roaring Flame

Time to ponder had always been abundant in the gray stallion's life, although it was never something he was thankful for. It had been a very long time since Artemis could relax without need to fret or worry about his goddaughter. So long, in fact, that he had all but forgotten what a calm mind felt like. Months ago, he had imagined it to be nothing less than heavenly. But ever since Daring's most recent adventure had begun, he wondered what his brain would do with itself in the absence of worry. He guessed that he would have to take up a complex hobby or something similar to occupy his thoughts.

Artemis groaned on the edge of his captain's chair, tapping a hindhoof relentlessly against the floor with his forelegs crossed. He banged his head against the back of the chair once, craving anything that would slow his racing thoughts.

With a short breath through his nostrils, Artemis gave into the building pressure in his skull. He pulled up a small tote bag from the left of his chair, setting it on his lap. He reached his hooves into its depths, finding a small red and white box. Grimacing at himself, the stallion flicked the top of the container open, dipping his muzzle low to retrieve a short cigarette between his lips. He grunted scornfully, finding the lighter and using both hooves to ignite the tobacco. Artemis pushed open the window to his left, blowing out a steady cloud of smoke into the cool night air.

"She goes in there after the curfew, in the same walls where a demigod and Celestia knows what else lies, and expects me not to worry," he murmured to himself, his only source of relaxation gripped in the corner of his mouth.

As the nicotine took over, the stallion allowed himself a long sigh, reaching a hoof up above the viewport of the cabin. He flicked open a small compartment, finding a square of laminated paper. He flipped it over, revealing an old photograph. Artemis had no answer as to why he kept it, for it had brought more pain than happiness.

"Sometimes I wonder how you two would handle this..."

Centered in the middle of the frame was a filly, only six years old at the time. Even at such a young age, Daring's grayscale mane had been no neater than now. The filly's bangs dusted her wide, bright rose eyes, beaming upward at the two ponies cradling her in their forelegs.

The young couple sat on a large, white blanket, smiling up at the camera. One was a mare, grinning cheekily with the slightest quirk of her brow. She wore a long, thick mane of jet black, brushed off to one side and flowing over her shoulder like a waterfall. Her coat was a color not too many could accurately describe, but to Artemis, it had always looked the faintest of browns, yet not enough to be called beige. She wore a dark green pocketed vest, its collar flared upward to match her defiant personality. While she had never showed it off to the world with things like makeup or feminine clothing, Compass Rose had a beauty unlike any other. She was unique, in all shapes and forms, from her outspoken nature to her modest pulchritude. Daring had acquired a fair amount of traits from both of her parents, but it always seemed as though she took after her mother the most.

While Daring received a fair amount of her personality from her mother, she inherited her passion from her father. The stallion had a short, yet lean build, hardened after years of digging through tombs and climbing the most treacherous of peaks. Contrasting from his family, North Star had a coat of deep blue, wearing a short-cut mane of gray streaked with white. Around his neck was a black scarf, its ends hanging over his broad shoulders. The stallion's eyes were a stealy gray behind his glasses, giving off a cold and calculating air. His expression was nearly emotionless, had it not been for the subtle, yet proud smile he was wearing.

"Hehe, you'd probably be able to keep her at hoof's length with that old glare of yours, huh North?" Artemis mumbled to himself, a fond smile on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a long, slow drag of the relaxing smoke, expelling it through his nostrils and out the window. "Or Rose would distract her with another one of her grand stories of travel, studying wildlife all over the world."

With another chuckle, the stallion replaced the photo back in its compartment overhead, leaning back to enjoy the remainder of his cigarette. He leaned his head out the window, flicking the filter with his tongue to shake the ash free. "But then again, I'm not her father, and she is no filly anymore," he concluded to himself, leaning back restfully into his chair. “At least she’s got that riflepony to look after her.”

Just when Artemis felt the remainder of his tense muscles loosen, there was a hard, rushed knock on the other end of the airship. The stallion lifted his ears, alert and listening intently. There was only a second of silence before a gruff, muffled yet demanding voice came from the bay door of the cabin. “Canterlot Guard, open up!”

The airship had been landed for half an hour at this point, and they waited until now to question him? “In the words of an old friend, bullocks.”

An annoyed grimace churned the stallion’s face as he stood to his hooves with a groan, spitting the cigarette out the window. He crossed the length of the cabin, hearing a few more impatient knocks. Artemis walked into the bay and pulled the lever on the right wall. The floor ahead creaked, the far end lowering to form the ship’s entrance ramp. As the floor descended, one of the four stallions guarding the front gates came into view, his expression unsurprisingly stern. The guard was a tall unicorn with a strong build, sporting lean muscles in the parts of his body not covered by his rather ornate armor. If memory had served him correctly, the rounded metal shoulder pads meant that he was a commander. He had a deep coat of brown, his combed-back mane and goatee a dark shade of blonde like Braeburn’s, although lacking the second tone.

There was a low thud of the wooden ramp hitting something metallic. Artemis quirked a brow as he spotted another guard shaking his head, readjusting his helmet as he walked out from under the lowering ramp. He was a pegasus with a coat of deep gold, his brown mane cut short and barely visible underneath his helm. Strapped to his back over his white and gold armor were a pair of saddlebags, along with a round canteen. The pegasus’ tail had been cut short as well, trimmed at its end in a fine line.

“Oh, did I get you?” Artemis mused without sense of actual concern. “Good thing you have a helmet. Now how may I help you gentlecolts this fine evening?”

Artemis walked down the ramp. The two guards raised their brows ever so slightly at his quip, pausing for a beat before moving on. “May I ask what you’re doing outside after curfew?” asked the taller unicorn guard.

“Well I don’t know about any curfew, good sir, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that I am inside, while you are the ones outside,” Artemis said coyly, innocently wrapping a foreleg around the other with a tilt of his head.

“So you are not aware of the nationwide eight o’ clock curfew that Princess Celestia put out a notice for yesterday?”

“I’ve been out of the country,” said the gray stallion, motioning to the craft around him. “Is justified ignorance a crime nowadays?”

The guard didn’t answer his jibe, but instead took a few steps to the right, craning his neck upward to look at the side of the airship’s balloon. “Just how long have you been... away, sir?”

The calculating tone in the brown stallion’s voice sent a dreadful chill down Artemis’ spine. In their conversation, he had forgotten that the ship he was staying in bore the cutie mark of a well known pony. “Not too long, perhaps a few days.”

The taller guard looked to his pegasus comrade, exchanging an unreadable look. His horn lit up with a pale yellow light, his magic surrounding his saddlebags. One of them opened, allowing a thin, unraveling scroll to float in front of the unicorn’s face. “So you mean to say that this ship wasn’t in Baltimare yesterday at dawn?”

Before Artemis could answer, the guard passed the scroll to the pegasus, whom quickly asked a question of his own. “This ship is the Navigator, currently registered to a Miss Daring Do, is it not?”

“It—”

“And according to the registration, the Navigator’s pilot is listed as a Mister Artemis Trotson; lead conductor of Western Equestrian Line. Would that happen to be you?” asked the pegasus, holding his unblinking gaze along with the unicorn. He spoke with promiscuous, even animated tones, as if talking was an enjoyable activity regardless of the conversation. But for his next sentence, he lowered his voice significantly, adopting a more hostile tone. “If I were you, I would keep in mind that this ship sticks out like a giant green flag in the sky before I answered.”

Artemis hesitated, lacking a retort for the moment. He held the guard’s gaze, his mind racing to try and figure out what exactly they were trying to extract from him. They weren’t just hassling him; they had a reason for their questioning, but what could it have been? Everything they did that could have been considered illegal was in Mesoequestria, far outside the Guard’s jurisdiction. But in Equestria, they hadn’t done a single thing wrong. What were they after?

A grin of mirth cracked Artemis’ face, followed by a chuckle in his throat. “Yes, that is me. Now may I ask what you two need? It’s rather nippy outdoors and I’d like to abide by your new law I’ve heard so much about.”

Without answering again, the unicorn rolled up the scroll and deposited it back into his bags, exchanging it for a slip of parchment. The gray stallion watched it carefully, noticing its corners worn with age. The guard turned it around, revealing a photograph on its other side and showing it to Artemis, whom held back his reaction to wince at the sight of it.

“Good, then would you mind telling us the name of the pony in this picture?”

Artemis’ blue eyes locked on the photo, finding a fearful looking, retreating unicorn with a coat of cyan. His small form was galloping away down an alley from the pony that took the picture, his instantly-recognizable cutie mark in full view. Artemis could have sworn that he felt a bead of cold sweat form underneath his sleek black mane, hoping to Celestia that it was only his imagination.

Despite the block of ice forming in the pit of his stomach, the keen stallion merely quirked a brow, raising his eyes to give the unicorn guard an unamused look over the parchment. “I’ll go out on a limb and guess that you’re looking for this pony. Either that or you’re trying to patch up a romantic misconnection. You know you can put an ad in the paper for those nowadays.”

“I’ll ask you to be cooperative, Mister Trotson.”

“Did he give you those eyes and walk out of the coffee shop?”

“Excuse me?”

“Some ponies can be such teases.”

“That’s enough, Mister Trotson,” the unicorn demanded, although without raising his voice to a yell. While he was daring, Artemis wasn’t about to risk imprisonment further. However, he never let his facetious grin leave his face or even falter, especially after spotting the agitated twitch in his left eye. The pegasus guard, on the other hoof, didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. He merely watched the back and forth with a semi-interested expression, reaching a hoof back to withdraw the canteen from his back and taking a long swig. Meanwhile, the unicorn kept the photograph in front of Artemis, his glare hardening even further. “This pony is named Azure Spark, and he is wanted throughout the country. He is considered to be a highly dangerous threat.”

“What, this little guy?” asked Artemis, pointing a hoof to the picture. “Doesn’t exactly look like the dangerous type, if you ask me. Looks pretty frightened, actually.”

“Wouldn’t you be afraid of being put behind bars for the rest of your life?” asked the brown stallion. His previously flat tone gained a little more depth, and if Artemis wasn’t mistaken, a little more personality.

“What do you believe this pony did?”

“Oh, nothing much,” said the pegasus with an air of sarcasm, his expression that of feigned amusement. “It’s not like he burned down an orphanage on Hearth’s Warming Eve. No, this little guy only filled a room full of Canterlot Guardponies with bullets before dropping the gun and fleeing the scene. You know, just good ponies that devoted their lives to keeping the world a better place. But I guess in the eyes of ponies like you, it’s a fairly thankless job, huh?”

The brown unicorn leaned his face an inch or two forward, grabbing a firm hold of Artemis’ attention. His face was hardened, his brow furrowed and his amber eyes piercing. “In other words, my ponies; ones that I trained and served with. So before you spout another jibe or joke, think of just how fast I will throw your flank behind bars for interfering with an Equestrian Guard investigation.”

Artemis had spun webs of his share of justified lies and deceit many a time in the past, but never before had somepony pounded on his mental walls with such force. It was beyond difficult to not let one single change of expression or nervous tick slip by under the looming unicorn’s gaze. But even through it all, one part of their story raised the brightest of red flags upon reaching his ears: ... filled a room full of ponies with bullets... Bullets? That didn’t add up. Azure was a talented magician, but no riflepony.

During their flight to Ponyville from Baltimare, Bullet Tyme had recalled the events that occurred in the chambers Daring had been kept prisoner. He mentioned Azure taking Braeburn’s rifle with his magic and pointing it at him, and Bullet was very clear about the unfamiliarity he did so with. To assassinate a room full of trained Guardponies with a gun, one would have to be highly-skilled, which the cyan unicorn was evidently not.

“While I do respect and sympathize with your position,” Artemis began, choosing his words a little more carefully now. “I’m failing to see what this pony has to do with me and my ship.”

“Well then lemme connect the dots for you, Arty. A unicorn bearing a strikingly similar description was seen entering your ship yesterday at sunset. Let’s read ‘em off, shall we?” said the yellow pegasus with a thick layer of snark, opening his saddlebags with a hoof and withdrawing another slip of parchment. “Short build, light blue coat, mid-length teal mane and tail, yellow eyes and a cutie mark of twin cyan starbursts over an arcane circle of violet. All the pieces starting to fit together, Mister Trotson?”

With that, Artemis had no means of stopping the twitch in his left hindhoof, unable to keep it from grinding absentmindedly into the wood of the ship’s ramp. The pegasus watched his face with an air of what looked like pure amusement, as if the interrogation was nothing more than a joyful game that he loved winning.

“I don’t recall being summoned for questioning or interrogation,” Artemis spoke carefully, his voice stern. “The point is that I don’t know who in Equestria gave you that information, but let them know that I would recommend a good pair of glasses.”

“And I would recommend you find a darned good lawyer,” the unicorn shot back, pausing for a moment.

While the taller guard let his words sink in, Artemis’ gaze was caught by the pegasus to the left. His stance had faltered, his legs locking just in time to keep his balance. The yellow pony’s eyes were now lidded and hazy, his expression sickly. The brown unicorn stopped mid-word in a sentence that Artemis wasn’t listening to as his attention was also caught by his comrade. Before anypony else could say a word, the pegasus fell to the ground on his side like a sack of bricks, his eyes rested shut.

As if a fire had been lit underneath his hooves, the unicorn guard snapped to attention. He kneeled on his hindlegs, lifting the unconscious pegasus to his haunches and shaking him vigorously. “Hey! Come on, soldier, wake up!”

Abrupt as the scene was, Artemis was only startled momentarily before glancing down to something sparkling in the pale moonlight. In front of the slumbering pegasus was his canteen, spilled across the dirt with its contents reflecting light in a way that water certainly did not. He descended the ramp, bending his head down low to sniff odd fluid. When a familiar, subtle odor wafted through his nostrils, Artemis looked right back up to the unicorn attempting to revive his partner.

“This is supposed to be water, correct?” he asked quickly.

“What? Yes, of course.”

“And let me guess, every last one of you guards is required to take one of these canteens to avoid dehydration, right?”

“Yes, from our station in Canterlot. What’re you getting at, Trotson?”

Artemis picked up the canteen, dumping out its tainted contents on the ground. “Your water supply’s been drugged.”

Aerial Ace shook atop the ledge she was crouched upon, her quivering hooves threatening to fumble her Auberti Marechester. In the stunned silence, her short gasps could be heard, her breath visible in front of her parted lips in the cool autumn air. Braeburn froze on the spot as his adrenaline slammed into a brick wall and ultimately ceased. He thought of zero reasons as to what the young shooter from Los Pegasus was doing all the way over in Canterlot.

“You little brat!”

Braeburn’s attention turned back down the street, toward the enraged form of the injured bandit. With a sharp flap of his wings, the makeshift splint and bandages flew from his wing, revealing a dried, infected-looking wound. Daring Do readied herself, her stance wide and her wings flared in preparation for takeoff. The stallion’s face contorted with agony and frustration as he threw himself into the air, soaring haphazardly toward the horrified filly.

Attacking another stallion was one thing, and striking a mare was another. But to direct violence towards a ten year old filly was a move that Braeburn would never forgive. Every fiber in the earth stallion’s being roared to life with a red hot anger, his body working beyond his reaction time. Before Daring could move to intercept the bandit, Braeburn’s lasso was already sailing through the air. The lariat found its mark around the blue stallion’s shoulders, and its wielder tightened the slack with a snap of his neck. Braeburn widened his stance and yanked on the rope with all his might, ripping the pegasus out of his trajectory. An intense heat rose to life behind his emerald eyes, his face distorted with rage.

Braeburn roared through the length of rope between his teeth, bringing the pegasus down as hard as he could. The bandit’s shoulder collided with the cobblestone street, a sickening crack echoing throughout the entire block. But even still, his anger had yet to be satisfied. Braeburn leaped backward, allowing the length of rope to tighten once more. He leaned forward before throwing his head backward, yanking the bandit toward him by the shoulders. The pegasus screamed as he skidded across the stone ground, his trail marked with short streaks of red. His momentum ceased at Braeburn’s hooves, who sheathed his rifle to kick the stallion onto his back.

He pressed a forehoof to the stallion’s heaving chest, applying heavy pressure. Braeburn bared his teeth in a fierce snarl, growling into the bandit’s face as he dropped his end of the rope: “Unless ya’ want me to snap yer neck like a dry twig, you’ll tell me exactly where Sure Shot is.”

The turquoise pegasus seethed in agony, but still found it in him to crack a wicked grin. His injured wing was bent at a horrid angle, his side bearing several cuts and gashes from being ground against the cobblestone street. “My sister is on her way there right now. And let me tell you something, Colt of the West: you and your friends are about to face a world of agony by standing in Sure Shot’s way.”

His defiance lit a fire under Braeburn’s coursing blood, bringing it to a rolling boil. He supported himself with the hoof on the bandit’s chest, using the other to free Thumper from its sheath. He twirled the weapon around his hoof, striking the pegasus across the jaw with the rifle’s steel butt plate. When the stallion’s head was thrown to the side, Braeburn turned the barrel of the gun to the cheek of his prey, racking a cartridge into the chamber. “Where are the guards, and where is Sure Shot? Talk, or Ah’m giving Whinnshire a new coat o’ paint.”

To Braeburn’s enragement, the pegasus laughed again. He looked up to his captor with rebellious eyes, reveling in the anger he was inciting. “Your rage is truly exciting, it is! No wonder the boss wants you on his side! You draw so much power from your anger, you do.”

The riflepony felt his eyes squint ever so slightly, his ears lifting to listen more intently.

“You think that you’re some hero in all of this, do you?” cackled the turquoise pony. “You liken yourself to a source of pure light in a field of darkness, yet you are nothing more than a rook in a game of chess. You are more than a mere pawn, but you’re still just a piece in Sure Shot’s game.“

Braeburn scowled. “Why tell me such a thing?”

The pegasus’ face contorted with pure amusement, allowing himself a long, hearty laugh into the night sky. The riflepony’s ears clamped to the sides of his head, attempting to block out the sound that was sending him over the edge. A low buzzing rang throughout his head, vibrating his skull at a maddening frequency. With every millisecond of insane laughter, Braeburn’s grimace intensified, baring his gritted teeth more and more. He tightened his grip on Thumper’s trigger, pressing the barrel further into the matted turquoise fur. The bandit tamed his cackle after a moment, craning his neck to shove his muzzle into Braeburn’s. His eyes effortlessly pierced into his captor’s, grinning like a mental ward patient. “Because it is too late. Sure Shot thinks I know not of his plan, but it became all too clear the moment I met you, it did. You played right into his hooves the second you made it your self-righteous duty to go after him. All the pieces were there, and all I had to do was put them together. Don’t you get it, young riflepony? You were helping Sure Shot by throwing him behind bars! You were the beginning of the entire plan! You alone inspired Sure Shot’s way to the world he envisioned!”

The earth pony rose to his hindhooves, standing over his prey in a bipedal position, Thumper’s barrel pressed between the pegasus’ eyes. He held the weapon in a single hoof, the rear stock cradled in his shoulder. His tall, lean build quivered with rage, wanting nothing more than to keep his promise. “Enough!”

“Why, Braeburn Apple? Is the dark truth too much for Appleloosa’s incorruptible hero?!” the bandit cackled, slowly rising into a kneeling position. He stared around the steel barrel against his brow; eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “If you did not wish to hear it, you would have scattered my brain across the street by now! Listen to what your body is telling you, Colt of the West!”

“Ah said enough!”

“Aha, yes! Is that anger not ripping you apart inside?! Are you not feeling everything you knew about yourself slipping away with every passing second?!” yelled the pegasus, laughing aloud between his words with high-pitched cackles.

His pupils shrunk to pinpricks, penetrating Braeburn’s resolve like a needle through skin. The buzzing escalated into a high-pitched ring, shaking the earth pony’s eardrums and sending his heart rate into high gear. The bandit’s words ground against everything he was like a coarse stone to melting ice, tearing away until he found his core. “Remember who you came from, riflepony! Do not forget just what you are!”

“THAT’S IT!”

“Braeburn!”

Thumper’s trigger didn’t have a millimeter to go before engaging the hammer when his hoof ceased its movement. The riflepony froze on the spot, caught on the edge of his mental limits. If it hadn’t been for the desperate tone in the mare’s voice, Braeburn would have kept to his threat. His blazing emerald eyes slowly turned to his left, finding the mare he loved staring at him with large, frightened eyes. But what struck him the hardest was the small, white filly in his marefriend’s embrace, tears in her young blue eyes. The moment he looked at her, Aerial uttered a tiny squeal of fright before hugging Daring around the shoulders, hiding her face in her chest.

Braeburn stared through a blood-red veil at the two, standing fearfully at the bottom of the museum’s wide staircase. He was right there, a fraction of a second away from ending a life in front of his marefriend, not to mention the young filly that had no business being here. When the bandit’s giggling rang throughout his head once again, Braeburn snapped his attention to the stallion pressing his brow against Thumper’s barrel. While he couldn’t lift himself from the ground, the pegasus showed no fear or regret.

“Look at that. You are really clinging to that last scrap of resolve, aren’t you?” he sneered. “If you’re letting somepony like me do this to you, then your downfall will happen very, very soon. But cheer up, you can always say that you were stronger than that pathetic father of yours back in the day.”

Do it.

No, Ah can’t!

Would he do the same fer you?

He’s not me… he’s a criminal. A black-hearted, low-life scrap o’ trash.

Right, so what good are you doin’ the world by keepin’ him alive? He’s only gonna come back again if ya’ let him live!

That may be true…but Ah ain’t no executioner.

“Look at the struggle on your face,” snickered the turquoise pegasus in a slow, amused drawl. “I have never seen anything quite like you, riflepony. Let me congratulate you and your petty morality for surviving this long. But in the end, your struggle is nothing more than foalish, it is, even if it has provided me with a wealth of amusement.”

Braeburn exhaled a long, shuddering breath through his nose, closing his eyes as his weapon lowered toward the ground, inciting another drawling laugh from the bandit. In one slow motion, Braeburn fell back to all fours, sheathing Thumper on his back.

“Ohh… that’s disappointing,” said the pegasus. “Looks like I won’t get to see you walk off the edge.”

“Daring, take Aerial inside. Make sure Minerva’s alright,” Braeburn said quietly.

“Minerva’s fine, I checked on her,” he heard her say.

“Just take her inside. Please.”

“What? Brae, what’re you gonna do?” she asked, dread rising in her voice.

Braeburn turned his head back toward his marefriend, opening his eyes. Aerial still shook in Daring’s hold, hiding her face from the world. “Don’t worry. He won’t die.”

Daring hesitated, searching the stallion’s face. “R-right,” she muttered, looking down to the filly in her hooves. “Come on… Aerial, was it? Don’t worry, everything’s okay. I’ve got you.”

The riflepony didn’t watch the two depart the street, but looked back to the stallion on the ground. Braeburn leaned his head down to his prey’s level, glaring at him through emotionless, lidded eyes. He offered the blue pony a small, curt grin. “One thing you should learn about my family is that we ain’t got an edge to walk off of.” He bent his neck low, picking up the end of the lariat around the pegasus' shoulders. “You were right, Ah am the light in the darkness you ponies are tryin’ to spread… and Ah will never burn out."

The bandit cracked a smile, opening his mouth to retort only to receive a heavy blow across the jaw. Without so much as an utterance, the turquoise pony's head collided with the stone, instantly void of consciousness. Braeburn grimaced, wrapping the length of rope around the stallion. He bound his legs and wings tight against his limp form, running a length between his jaws.

Taking a quick look at his immediate surroundings, Braeburn spotted a dumpster in an alley to the left of the museum. Making a mental note not to forget its location, the stallion dragged the unconscious pegasus over, throwing open the lid and heaving him into the container. He may have had to go without a tool to combat Sure Shot with, but at least now that pegasus wouldn't be showing up again to hinder their progress. He could notify the Guard about his location once this mess blew over.

Braeburn climbed the stairs and entered the museum, taking a short breath before crossing the threshold. He looked up to find the trio of ponies gathered at the bottom steps of the foyer’s wide, grand staircase. He wasted no time in crossing the gap between them, trotting between the rows of glass cases and smaller exhibits. Daring sat on the steps next to the older mare he recognized as Minerva, pressing a small towel to her shoulder. The white fabric was stained red under her maroon hoof, but didn’t look as if it was spreading. On Daring’s right was Aerial Ace, looking fretful and anxious. On her back was her shortened rifle, sheathed and leaning over one side of her body.

“I have to go! They need me out there!” the filly whined, her tiny form still shaking from head to hoof.

“Aerial!” Braeburn exclaimed, trotting over to the group. Aerial turned around, her eyes widening with fear at the sight of the earth pony. She took a quick step back, huddling close to Daring. “Hey, come on now, it’s alright.”

Braeburn slowly approached the filly, crouching down to her level. He did his best to erase any traces of the previous altercation from his demeanor, wearing a kind expression. He briefly glanced over to Minerva with a look of worry, relieved once she nodded reassuringly. “Aerial, what in the hay are ya’ doin’ here? Where are yer parents? ”

“Th-they…” the filly started, looking as if stringing words together was a monumental task. Her large blue eyes were brimmed with tears. “My dad got a job here. W-we moved here a couple of days ago. B-But they were taken by a couple of big guys with guns! They took my parents but left me behind. I left the apartment to try and chase after them, but they were gone! I need to find them!”

“Whoa now, you ain’t goin’ out there,” Braeburn said firmly.

“But they need me!”

“We’ll find them, Aerial, don’t worry,” the stallion said, standing up to his full height as he turned his attention to Daring and Minerva. “Minerva, ya’ didn’t get shot, did ya’?”

“No, just grazed,” the older mare said with a grimace. “Once they got the journal, that blue one out there shot without looking. They were in a hurry, that’s for sure. I’ll be fine.”

Daring took the opportunity to speak next. “I hate to make this awkward, but Brae… just who is this?” The archaeologist gestured to Aerial, whom looked between Braeburn and Daring.

“Right, sorry,” Braeburn said. “Daring, this is… well, Equestria’s Best Young Shooter; Aerial Ace. Ah reckon you already got acquainted.”

“Well yeah, but I wanna know just how you know each other,” said Daring, her expression flat. “You know her parents too, right?”

“Yeah, Ah met them the day Sure Shot broke outta Dodge,” answered Braeburn, wondering where she was going with this. Judging by the look on her face, these questions had some sort of reason. “His ponies had the two o’ them held hostage.”

“And lemme guess, you saved them, right?” asked the mare. When Braeburn nodded, she continued: “So Sure Shot knows that you know her parents. You saved them once, you know their daughter… Darn it, he’s making sure you go after him!”

“What? Why would he need to do that? He already knows we’re tryin’ to stop him,” said Braeburn, cocking his head back in confusion.

“Yes, but according to Azure, Sure Shot is not one to trust things like chance or fate. He needs to be absolutely certain that you’re going to be where he wants you.”

“Then going after her parents is a trap,” Minerva concluded, joining in on the theory.

“Yeah, but we ain’t got a choice,” said the riflepony, looking down to the filly. He lowered himself to his haunches, right in front of the young pony. “Aerial, we’ll find yer parents and bring ‘em back in one piece, that Ah promise you.”

Aerial allowed herself the smallest of smiles, bringing up a hoof to wipe her eyes. “A-alright… but Braeburn… did you k-kill that pony out there?”

Braeburn shook his head with a smile. “No, but Ah can tell ya’ one thing: he ain’t hurtin’ nopony no more. Now Ah need you to do me a favor and stay here with Minerva. She needs somepony to stand guard while we’re gone, and Ah can’t think of anypony better suited fer the job than Equestria’s finest riflefilly. Can you do that for me?”

Aerial gave him a bright, determined grin. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Braeburn smirked, patting her on the head as he rose to a standing position. “Alright Minerva, yer in good hooves here. Daring, let’s find her parents and bring a stop to this.”

The mare nodded, following Braeburn toward the door on the other side of the foyer. But before they departed, she turned her head and waved with a hoof. “Take good care of her, Aerial! Minerva’s a good friend of the family!”

Minerva and Aerial bid their goodbyes and wishes of luck as they exited the museum, closing the large doors behind them. As they descended the staircase outside, Daring looked around, searching for something in the empty street.

"Where's..."

"Knocked out in a trash can," said the stallion. "We'll have him taken care of later."

With that, Braeburn broke into a measured gallop, following the path that Day Break exited the scene with. Daring followed him, flying through the air beside him. “Ya’ know, we might be running headlong into a pretty nasty trap.”

“Ah know.”

“One that could kill us.”

“Sounds about right.”

“So you’re not scared?”

Braeburn quirked a brow as Daring pulled a few hooves ahead, leading them down a narrow alley. “O’ course Ah’m scared. Ah’ve been scared outta my mind ever since this whole mess started. But we got my Pa, Day Break and Azure out there heading right for Sure Shot. That, and Ah ain’t letting that filly become an orphan, no matter what happens.”

Daring’s rose eyes gleamed in the moonlight, her trademark grin returning to her face. “Good, that’s the mindset we need to be in.”

“You needed to make sure?”

The pegasus snorted. “Brae, when a mare sees the stallion she loves show how good he is with kids, she isn’t exactly about to let herself die.” Daring looked to her coltfriend with a loving, yet determined smile. “We’ve showed the world that we’re an unstoppable team already, so let’s do it again and end this already.”

When a pegasus grows up in a city, they learn how to fly through crowded streets, cramped buildings and congested skies. Even though Fillydelphia was half the size and density of Canterlot, Day Break still felt at home in her pursuit. The lack of pedestrians granted the two fliers an edge over each other, but the fleeing mare’s vibrant coat in the semi-darkness of the night granted the pursuer an additional edge, not to mention the pink mare’s injured wing. Day Break had years of flight experience under her metaphorical belt, alongside her time as head of Fillydelphia’s Weather Patrol.

So how in Equestria was this pony losing her so easily?

The pink mare flew clumsily, yet quickly high above the streets, turning every corner in the blink of an eye. Day Break pounded her wings as hard as she could, losing her will to pace herself as the gap opened farther and farther. Down below, Bullet Tyme and Azure Spark galloped at a measured pace, making contact and teleporting every time they fell too far behind. Luckily for them, it was difficult to lose sight of the two brightly-colored pegasi above. Day Break wondered just where in the city this bandit was heading, for it had only been so long since they last met over the eastern ocean.

Several windows flew open on either side of the speeding pegasus, her peripheral vision spotting a few curious and fearful heads poking outside to catch a glimpse of what was going on. But no matter how much Day Break dared to scope the streets, not once did she spot anypony that wasn’t Bullet or Azure. The citizens of Canterlot must have been taking their new curfew very seriously, especially with the alarming lack of guards.

“Ah’m sorry, Ah thought you were a Head Weathermare!” Bullet yelled sarcastically from the street below.

“I’m trying!”

“Then catch her already!” the stallion retorted. “We can’t let ‘em get away with that book!”

Day Break furrowed her brow, squinting with determination at the pegasus ahead. She grit her teeth, throwing every last drop of her will into her pounding wings. The yellow mare bolted ahead, predicting the fleeing mare’s sharp turn to the right and around a tall clock tower. She tucked in her wings for the briefest of moments, her tail grazing the corner of the looming building. She emerged on the other side, gasping in fright as a large pink blur barreled toward her face.

A sharp ringing vibrated throughout her skull as a pair of hooves impacted with her left cheekbone. Day Break cried out in shock and pain, feeling her body fly backward with building velocity. Her eyes clamped themselves shut as she fell, her forehooves covering her face. She couldn’t think from the pain, nor could she formulate a way out of her fall. As the milliseconds flew by, the mare could only brace herself for the impact.

But Day Break never felt herself collide with anything hard. Her ringing ears heard a sparking sort of noise, like a muffled crash of lightning. In the same instance, she felt herself pulled out of her trajectory by something warm and soft. Before she knew it, the pegasus was no longer falling, but completely still, supported by something panting heavily.

Day Break cracked her right eye open, her left stinging from her swelling cheek. Her vision immediately caught a pair of large, worried yellow eyes against a coat of teal. She found her body supported in the pony’s forelegs, her legs curled close to her body. She cast her glance around to see that they were atop a roof, at least ten stories from the ground.

“Are you okay?” asked Azure Spark, his voice laced with concern.

The pegasus could only stare at him through her wide, ruby eyes. The pain in her cheek throbbed dully, but Azure’s caring hold seemed to significantly lessen the intensity.

“Day Break, say something!”

“I... Yeah, I-I’m fine,” she managed to sputter out, her mind putting itself back together as quick as it could.

Azure slowly lowered the mare to her hooves, sitting her down by the shoulders. “Stay here, I’m going to take her out of the sky.”

Before the mare could reply, Azure disappeared in a flash of light, appearing for brief instances on the rooftops ahead in a staggered trail. Day Break could only stare at the spot he previously occupied, feeling her face heat up with every passing second of hesitation. “Wow, totally not the time for this.”

The pegasus shook her head, banishing the fleeting thoughts from her throbbing skull. She spread her wings and took to the skies, wincing from the pain in her cheek. When the warm trickle of blood ran down her jawline, Day Break found her anger racing through her veins. “Alright, no more miss nice mare.”

With newfound adrenaline, she threw her forelegs out and rocketed across the night sky. Up ahead, her ruby eyes spotted Bullet on the ground below, falling behind in the wake of Azure and the pink pegasus. The unicorn darted across the rooftops, his image only visible for fractions of seconds before teleporting again. Day Break fought to close the gap, her eyes locked on the soaring mare ahead.

But before she could be reached, the pursuit was intervened.

Azure Spark leaped off the edge of a high rooftop, teleporting before gravity could overtake him. The unicorn reappeared inches above the fleeing pegasus, his forelegs lashing out to grab a hold of the mare’s neck. Day Break watched in awe as the stallion coiled all four of his legs around the Windburg, throwing his body to the right and ripping her out of her course.

The mare yelped in fright at the sudden weight as she was yanked toward the ground, the two ponies spiralling out of control toward the ground far below. Day Break’s eyes flew open with shock as they plummeted, her heart racing as she dove to follow. She turned around the corner of a tall apartment complex, her wings burning with exhaustion as she attempted to beat Azure and the pink mare to the street. She closed the gap as quick as she could, biting her lip in trepidation once she was only meters away. As she approached the two falling ponies, Day Break threw out her forelegs in hopes to catch them.

Another bright flare of blue light took the yellow mare off guard, the close proximity forcing her eyes shut. Her body acted on pure reflex, turning herself around the spell and toward the ground. While she was no Wonderbolt, the weathermare’s inner eye was keen and rather competent. She steadied her hooves, landing at a long skid across the cobblestone with her eyes clamped shut. Her ears perked up to the sound of another spell, cracking her eyes open to spot Azure pinning a grunting and writhing pegasus to the ground a mere seven yards away. His horn was glowing and at the ready, aimed down toward his prey’s contorted face.

To Day Break’s horror, the journal the pink mare had been clutching was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the area around them, finding that they had descended to the edge of a large town square, circular and lined with various bazaars and stands, all closed for the night. Before she could keep looking, Azure’s voice caught her attention.

“Enough!” the unicorn grunted, his chest heaving with heavy breaths.

The Windburg struggled briefly, up until she caught sight of Azure’s winded form above her. Her scornful grimace quickly turned into a smirk, snickering at the glowing horn aimed between her eyes. “Oh Sparky, you were always worth a few yucks, weren’t you?”

With a wicked grin, the pink mare quickly tucked her muscular hindlegs close to her body before unleashing their wrath upon Azure’s stomach. The unicorn’s eyes flew open, the breath in his lungs forced out of his mouth as he was launched a meter or two into the air. Day Break watched in utter shock as the unicorn’s limp form rose into the air before falling down to the cold stone in an agonized heap.

The Windburg rolled to her hooves, turning her head toward the frozen yellow pegasus. The pink mare cackled, flaring her wings and readying herself to pounce. Only moments before, she was confident, ready to take vengeance for the heavy buck she received to the cheek. But after witnessing the events of the past few moments, Day Break couldn’t move, her body paralyzed with fear. The bandit growled with an insane grin, driving her hooves into the ground and leaping toward her prey.

The pink mare flew no more than a few hooves before a thundering shot rang out, echoing down the narrow street and into the circular town square. Day Break’s ruby eyes flew open as her attacker’s right shoulder erupted with a horrid mist of dark red. The yellow mare’s ears folded back as quick as they could at the blood-curdling sound of the most divine level of agony she had ever heard.

She took a few instinctive, fearful steps back as the bandit hit the ground on her side, a foreleg clutched around her right shoulder. The wounded pegasus cried out into the stone ground, her face twisted beyond recognition with every horrid emotion a pony could muster at once. Day Break stood there, her limbs frozen and her breath caught in her throat as she watched a torrent of blood flow from underneath the mare’s pink hoof. Her constricted ruby eyes traced the flow of a network of tiny crimson rivers forming between each cobblestone, moving quickly toward her own hooves. She folded her ears down as tight as they would go, but nothing could block out the sound of such high, tormented screams.

As the bandit writhed face-down on the street, a tall, brooding stallion walked into Day Break’s vision, his steps slow and eerily calm. The large barrel of a Marechester hovered over the wounded pony, pointed directly at the back of her skull. “Day Break, look away.”

“Ah get that ya’ know this city by heart, but just how d’ya know which way to go?”

Braeburn galloped behind Daring Do, flying a few meters from the ground down the streets of Canterlot. She peeked around the corners of every building, searching for any clue that would lead them to their destination.

“And why in the hay are we stickin’ to the main roads?” Braeburn called ahead to the pegasus. “Ah can’t imagine Sure Shot or his ponies stickin’ around in plain sight!”

“What do they care where they are? There aren’t any guards!” Daring called back, darting back and forth to scout the intersecting streets. “Sure Shot wants you to find him, right? Well then why would he go out of his way to make that difficult? Wherever they’re keeping Aerial’s parents, it’ll be somewhere we can find them relatively quickly.”

Daring stopped in midair above a large, open intersection, her head turneding to the left to peer down a smaller road. Braeburn caught up with her, panting lightly as he stopped at her side. He traced her gaze, immediately spotting what had grabbed the pegasus’ attention. The road was a dead end, its sidewalks lined with older, worn down buildings. Unlike the rest of the lavish city, no lights were turned on behind the windows, the lack of illumination allowing their eyes to be attracted to the scene ahead.

Atop the stoop of a large abandoned manor at the end of the street were a pair of dark-colored stallions, standing on either side of something large underneath a black expanse of fabric. At only twenty yards down the road, Braeburn and Daring were instantly spotted.

Before either of them could react, the sound of magic filled the air, echoing across the surfaces of the withered buildings. Braeburn looked behind him, finding a translucent, shimmering wall of vibrant yellow magic quickly rising at the intersection, rapidly climbing a few hooves over the rooftops before finally ceasing. After only a few seconds, their only way out was blocked off by the wall of golden energy.

Braeburn looked back down the street, finding a dark yellow unicorn mare exiting the front doors of the manor, wearing a relaxed, yet cocky grin. Her mane was a bright shade of gold, long and elegant with a plethora of waves and curls flowing over one shoulder. Her horn was still alight with magic, despite having completed her spell. Braeburn was only curious for a brief moment before she walked over the wide threshold of the manor, carrying something in her wake.

Two pegasi floated behind her, bound back to back to the same plank of wood by a thick rope. While their eyes and mouths were covered by two lengths of cloth, Braeburn instantly recognized them.

“Is that—”

“Yeah, that’s them alright,” Braeburn growled, ripping the brass rifle from its sheath and taking a wide stance crouched on his hindlegs. The three bandits didn’t so much as blink as he aimed his weapon, but grinned malevolently.

“Oooooh, is that the weapon that took Master Ahuitzotl’s tail?” cooed the unicorn, standing her hostages up on the end of the stake they were tied to. Her voice was of a higher, foalish tone, yet devilishly smooth and elegant. “It’s really very shiny.”

"Just where in the world does Sure Shot find these ponies? An insane asylum?" Daring spoke in an undertone.

"Ah don't know, but it sure seems like he's got a whole lotta ponies on his side," said Braeburn, keeping his eyes locked on the scene ahead.

Vapor Trail and Autumn Breeze made no movements whatsoever, yet hung limply from their binds. As if they were a garden rake, the yellow mare floated the couple down an alleyway to the right of the manor, leaning them against the wall.

“My name is Golden Barricade, and I’ll be your... well, let’s say hostess, to our fine show this evening,” said the mare theatrically, smiling brightly all the while. Just as Braeburn went to call his warnings, Golden Barricade motioned to the two darker stallions, whom both nodded as they tore the black sheet from whatever it was concealing. Braeburn and Daring shifted their positions, attempting to take in the large piece of equipment.

A long circle of cylindrical tubes bound by steel bands stood on an axle between two large wooden, spoked wheels. At the other end of the reflective barrels was a thicker steel cylinder, a hoof-crank protruding from its side. The two stallions maneuvered themselves behind the device, angling it right in Braeburn’s direction.

“Tell me that’s not a gun,” Daring murmured to his right, her wings spread in preparation.

“Daring, she left the skies open. Get outta here,” Braeburn said, keeping his stance.

“Do you seriously think I’m leaving you here?!” she hissed. Braeburn grit his teeth, knowing that she would never do any such thing. Azure mentioned that the Windburg pegasi were sent to kill him in some kind of blinded scheme to make him join Sure Shot. So were these ponies sent in the same fashion? This wasn't making any sense. How in the world did Sure Shot expect to gain Braeburn's partnership like this? Why was he sending skilled ponies to their deaths over it? A dark sinking feeling in his chest told him that he might find out soon enough. His time to think started to run out as one of the bandits turned the crank on the rear of the device. The barrels began to turn, a high, winding noise emanating from it.

Braeburn’s heart thudded heavily against his chest, not knowing what was going to happen next. All he knew was that this struggle had gone on for far too long, and that he was going to do whatever it took to get himself, Daring, his father and everypony else out alive. If that meant his weapon would need to take the lives of those standing in his way, then he had no other options. These ponies may not have known about their leader's apathy toward their lives, but they were still his followers. Braeburn was not about to forgive their choice.

The riflepony opened the action of his weapon, pulling back the lever on the side of its brass receiver. With a sharp metallic clack, the side plates flicked open away from him. Braeburn closed the action, loading a reflective crimson cartridge into the chamber.

“Brae, what are you doing?” the pegasus grunted under her breath.

“They came to my town, raised all sorts o’ heck, harmed the ponies closest to me... all without redemption. This has gone on far too long,” the riflepony growled. Without giving Daring another look, Braeburn aligned his sights with the center of the revolving barrels. “Ah’m ending this tonight.”

Author's Note

There were actually a few scenes of this story that were replaced due to their exceedingly dark tones, the part with Braeburn and the Windburg stallion being one of them. Scenes like that as well as a few others that were replaced or taken out (for varying reasons) were originally going to be recycled into a "deleted scenes" chapter at the end of the story. Unfortunately due to an error, the entire collection of these scenes was permanently deleted without a solid backup.

Eighteen - After Image

“Well, Mister Trotson, it seems as though you’ve been entangled in quite the spider’s web.”

“Is that how you put it? I imagine that would imply my presence in such a mess to be the fault of another, not my own.”

Artemis followed the brown unicorn guard down the streets of the seemingly deserted capital, their pace slowing and quickening around every corner. Only a few lights were on behind the windows of the buildings around them, the occasional pair of eyes peering through their drawn blinds. As they had feared, not one other guard or any other pony occupied the streets or alleyways. Whenever the unicorn stopped to knock on a door, the residents of the apartments claimed to see nothing. However, their words had been quick and shaking, doing everything they could to end the conversation and return indoors.

“Odd,” Artemis noted aloud as they descended the steps of yet another home. “You’d think anypony would jump on the chance to help a Guard Captain with his investigation.”

“One would think,” the guard agreed, leading them down the main road. “But when faced with chaos behind a veil of shadows, ponykind is quick to remain in the light where certainty is right at hoof.”

“And that’s your explanation of why nopony wants to help stop these guys?”

“Oh no, it was merely an explanation for their shifting eyes and trembling hooves.”

The gray stallion quirked a brow as he walked beside the guard, eyeing him closely. “I would be remiss if I did not comment on your change of character. A dramatic one, at that.”

“If any officer of the law attempted to extract information without any sort of guise, I assure you that Equestria would be a very unsavory place,” said the unicorn, his previously stoic tone now graced with an indescribable, unconfined flair. He did not speak eloquently, but precisely, pronouncing every word as it was intended. “You were kind enough to tell me of your endeavors, and I believe you. No further questioning required.”

Artemis blinked several times, looking to the ground as he trotted. “That seems a little easy, um... Mister Guard Captain.”

“You may call me Case.”

“That sounds like a surname.”

“Indeed it is,” Case said simply. "Objectivity outweighs all in my mind. Right now I have my focus set on making sure Princess Luna is alright. If your story is true, then her life could be in danger while Princess Celestia is absent."

“I am no soldier, Mister Case,” Artemis said. “So why would you need me to tag along?”

“Because you have yet to finish telling me of Azure Spark, Sure Shot and just what is supposed to be occurring this dreadful night,” answered Case, his voice calm even as he quickened his trot, forcing Artemis to follow suit. “So pray tell, Mister Trotson, just what exactly makes you believe that Azure Spark didn’t murder my soldiers?”

“Well, let me ask you a question, then. What caliber rounds were found in the bodies of your soldiers?” the gray pony asked as they turned the corner down a main road labeled Canterbury Lane.

“.44 Magnum through the chests of every last one of them,” said the unicorn, his tone darkening and lowering an octave or two. “With no discernible marks to aid the process of identifying the gun used.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that each guard in that room received such a large round in the same place, quick enough to finish before any panic could arise?”

“We have no record of Azure Spark,” Case said simply. “His past and his experiences are unknown to us. Two witnesses testified and recalled his description. When we found him, he fled. Are you saying that he was not the killer?”

“You may know nothing of who he is, but you do have a picture of him.”

“And?”

“Azure Spark is a scrawny pony, to say the least,” Artemis continued. “When I first met him, I thought he was a teenager. You said that the bullets were untraceable, that means they were forged illegally and were fired by a gun that leaves behind no marks in the magazine, the receiver, the chamber or the barrel. Not to mention that the .44 Magnum is an incredibly powerful round; one that delivers a very heavy recoil. Are you telling me that tiny little pony took the time and the money to have such a weapon made, chambered for a cartridge that could quite possibly throw him on his flanks with a single shot?”

Case was silent as the looming, pearly white towers of Canterlot Castle came into view, its violet and yellow rooftops high above the surrounding structures. Artemis watched the guard as he chewed on his words, looking down to the ground as they trotted down Canterbury Lane. After a few moments, Case shook his head and laughed aloud.

“Tell me, Mister Trotson: just why haven’t you pursued a career in investigation?”

“I prefer the life I live,” Artemis said simply. “It may be stressful and sometimes dangerous, but it’s also exciting without being a constant burden on my brain. Plus, I get to be with the only family I have left.”

“An acceptable answer, if there ever was one,” Case nodded. “You mentioned earlier that Sure Shot fires a rifle chambered for the .44 Magnum. Do you think that he was the killer?”

“Azure Spark has a very specific, yet highly-desirable talent. Not too many unicorns excel in his field of magic,” said the gray stallion.

“So instead of taking the time to convert Spark, he took the lives of the guards himself,” the unicorn finished for Artemis. “Sure Shot framed him, forcing him to run.”

“And right into his alleged ‘protection.’”

“Horrifically cruel, yet undeniably brilliant.”

“Indeed.”

Case turned his head to Artemis as the castle gates drew closer, his bronze eyes narrowing into his. “Trotson, if what you claim is true, then expect my recommendation to the Canterlot Investigative Service.”

“Didn’t I say that I didn’t want any part of that?”

“It’s good to have options,” said the unicorn. “However, you are under my custody until this case can be verified, and my objective is to assure Princess Luna’s safety. Come now, quick march!”

The barrels of the long weapon turned faster and faster, the grin on the bandits’ faces growing as the whine of gears heightened in volume. Braeburn’s heart pounded relentlessly against his chest, milliseconds from pulling the trigger. His sights were aligned and his morality was all but depleted. Whether it was the lack of sleep and nutrition or something much simpler, he was ready to turn these ponies into cinders.

Braeburn felt his body fly through the air, the wind knocked clear out of his lungs. Something wrapped itself around his torso, carrying his body out of the street and through a closed window. The stallion braced himself an instance before his back hit the glass, shattering it without so much as hindering his trajectory. Braeburn closed his eyes as he felt himself impact with a wooden floor, rolling across its surface as the brass rifle flew from his grip. He ended up on his back, another pony holding him down as something roared to life in the alleyway.

The stallion’s ears folded back on reflex as what sounded like hundreds of gunshots fired outside at once. Braeburn cracked his eyes open, finding a lock of gray and black hair draped across his muzzle. Daring kept him pinned to the floor as the weapon kept firing; impossibly quick and devastating rounds tearing through the wall of the abandoned home. Glass and drywall flew in all directions, as if small explosives had detonated throughout the building. Braeburn’s ears were filled with the high-pitched whine of bullets whizzing through the air, ricocheting off the few surfaces that weren’t instantly torn apart.

After what felt like several minutes, the gun ceased its fire and the air was still. No sooner had the rounds stopped did Daring push herself upward with her forehooves on either side of the stallion’s head, her rose eyes glaring down at him. “Just what in the blue heck were you trying to prove out there?!”

“Okay, Ah wasn’t quite expectin’... that.”

“What were you expecting to come outta that thing, kittens and good times?!” Daring exclaimed. She reached over to his left, finding the brass rifle and shoving it into his chest. “We need a plan.”

Braeburn went to reply, but was cut off by Golden Barricade’s theatrical voice. “My stars that was incredible! Did you two see that? It was like a maelstrom of angry wasps! Well, wasps that can tear through solid concrete as if it were made of butter. If they’re alive then congratulations to them, sincerely.”

“Alright, I really don’t like her,” Daring scowled, her eyes turned in the direction of Barricade’s voice.

“Well that’s good, then ya’ won’t mind if Ah burn her alive,” Braeburn grunted. He moved out from under the mare, sitting up to his haunches when the sight of Daring’s face caught his attention. He froze, staring with bewilderment at the horror-struck look his marefriend wore. She sat on her haunches as well, forelegs curled slightly to her chest. But her eyes were what alarmed him the most. They were wide and fearful, as if Braeburn had grown a second head. “What?”

“I... Braeburn, you...”

“Look, we can’t spare them no more,” he said firmly. “They chose their paths, Daring. It ain’t pretty, but we can’t afford to let them live when they’re tryin’ to kill us. You know that. You saw what Ah had to do to get you outta that hole in the ground.”

“I know, but...” she trailed off, her eyes flicking between him and the gun in his lap. “I just... I guess I’ve just never seen you like this. That look in your eye...”

Braeburn sighed through his nostrils, his gaze traversing the devastated room around them. He leaned forward, briefly pressing his lips to hers before looking her in the eye. “Ah don’t like it no more than you do. But until this is over, Ah ain’t showin’ those fiends an ounce o’ mercy. Ah reckon you know exactly what Ah’m talkin’ about, especially if Ah mentioned Ahuitzotl.”

Daring recoiled, looking as if she were about to retort in a harsh manner. However, she closed her lips, her eyes falling back to the brass rifle. She wore a solemn expression as she bit down on her bottom lip. “Right... you’re right.”

The mare leaned forward this time, planting her own kiss to his lips. She let herself linger, their eyes falling shut in unison. When they broke apart, Braeburn was relieved to find a brighter look on her face. “I love you.”

The riflepony allowed himself a small smile. “Ah love you too.”

“Well, I guess the gatling gun was a truly revolutionary piece of equipment,” came Golden Barricade’s voice, breaking the two of them out of their stupor. “It had no problem killing two ponies through a building! Truly marvelous, if I do say so myself.”

“Oh yeah,” Daring groaned, looking as though she had forgotten their situation just as Braeburn did. As they got to their hooves, the stallion disengaged the rifle’s Dragon’s Breath function, closing the side plates along with the action. “Yeah, I’m all for shutting that mare up.”

“You two,” said the unicorn outside. “Why don’t you go in there and retrieve the bodies. Master Ahuitzotl will be very pleased indeed.”

“That’s twice she’s referred to Ahuitzotl as ‘master,’” Daring noted aloud, keeping her voice down. “If anything, wouldn’t she be calling Sure Shot that? And for that matter, just where is Ahuitzotl?”

“Ah’m more concerned ‘bout Aerial’s parents,” Braeburn replied, looking to their surroundings. To his left was a short hallway, leading to a living room of some sort. He didn’t take the time to absorb the finer details of the bleak apartment, for his attention was caught by one of the bandits outside through the window. He grabbed Daring by the hoof, dragging her into the hallway. He made a gesture over his lips, telling her to keep quiet. The stallion peaked around the corner, spotting the dark pony gazing through the massive hole the gatling gun had created. Cradled in his foreleg was a short-barreled lever action shotgun, a Marechester Model 1887 by the look of it.

“There’s only one of ‘em,” the beige earth pony whispered.

“Barricade’s smarter than she looks, then,” Daring muttered back, huddled close to the wall next to her coltfriend. “She said she would send two when she actually still has one of them behind that gun. She’s being careful...”

Braeburn pulled his head back a few inches, making sure he wasn’t spotted. The bandit cast a confused glance around the room before leaping over the broken wall. As soon as his hooves hit the floor, Daring drew the long knife from the scabbard on her chest. The stallion looked over quick enough to see the straight black blade, its silver edge reflecting the ambient moonlight.

“Brae, go after the gunner. I’ll cover you.”

Out of absolutely nowhere, Daring turned on a hoof around Braeburn, spreading her wings and bolting through the air. Before he could call after her, the deed had been done. The pegasus cried out, dashing just above the floor with her blade poised and drawn back.

With the quick, high note of flesh being penetrated, the stallion was thrown back against the demolished wall. Daring was crouched low on her hindlegs, holding the handle of her knife against her victim’s chest. The black stallion choked, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He dropped the weapon from his hoof, letting it clatter on the floor.

Braeburn was beyond speechless. He didn’t know what to think or what to do, so he merely stood there in the threshold of the hallway. Meanwhile, Daring ripped the blade from the dark pony’s chest, stepping aside to let him collapse next to his weapon. She stood up straight on all fours, flicking the blood from her blade. She looked at her coltfriend, wearing the same expression that she did when she made her promise to end Ahuitzotl’s life; the same dark look in her eye. “What are you doing? Go through the apartments and get the gunner already! I’ll distract them by air.”

The riflepony shook his head, breaking himself out of his stupor. “Wh-What?! You can’t do that! You’ll get torn apart by that thing!”

“Hey, I was trained by Rainbow Dash, remember?” Daring grinned. “As long as you don’t keep me waiting out there, they won’t be able to land a single shot.”

“Blackhoof?” called Barricade’s voice. “Did you find them? …Well, it appears those two want a little more of a fight. Let’s oblige them, shall we, Graystone?”

“Brae, go,” Daring whispered sternly. “We’re not getting out of this alive any other way. Trust me.”

Braeburn grit his teeth, furrowing his brow as he regretfully sheathed the brass rifle. He knew she was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. He nodded once, turning around on a hoof and bolting down the hallway. The stallion galloped through the apartments, each one separated by a pair of doors and a few hallways. He ran as fast as he could, pushing his limits once he heard the gatling erupt with a new hail of rounds.

Toward the far end of the apartment building, Braeburn came to a stairwell. He climbed it at a steady trot, skipping every other step to quicken his ascent. Once he reached the third and uppermost floor, the stallion burst through a metal door and out of the stairwell. He found himself in a hallway, lined with doors leading to various flats. To his right was a closed window, foggy and nearly opaque with age. Through the glass, Braeburn could barely make out the neighboring building, another window maybe a yard away.

The riflepony stepped back, rearing onto his hindhooves and unsheathing Thumper. Without needing to take aim at such a close range, Braeburn fired two rounds from the hip, shattering both panes of glass. Through his adrenaline, the stallion’s ears blocked out the majority of the thundering shots echoing off the close walls. Shards of broken glass remained in the corners of the windows, but the openings were still large enough for even a taller stallion like him to fit through.

Braeburn sheathed Thumper on his back, taking another few steps back. He adjusted his cowpony hat, tightening its fit before galloping at full bore towards the shattered window. The stallion dove forward, straightening out his body to squeeze through the openings he had created. He kept his eyes closed, trying not to look at the narrow alley he leaped over. Braeburn grimaced as he felt something sharp graze his foreleg, directly below the mantle of his duster.

Landing in a somersault, Braeburn rolled to his hooves and bolted through a new hallway. At the other end was another window, this one still not quite clear yet still enough to allow a pony to see. The sound of the gatling gun’s rapid fire grew louder with every stride down the hallway, bringing a little more peace to his mind. As long as they were still firing, that meant that Daring was still alive. The stallion approached the glass, looking through to find the large stoop of the manor down below to the right, Aerial’s parents still leaning against a wall in the alley to the left.

Down below, Golden Barricade’s smug gaze darted back and forth, following every direction Graystone pointed the weapon. The floor shook with every shot the gatling fired, freeing small clouds of dust from the old carpet and ceiling. Braeburn bit the corner of his lower lip as he unsheathed the brass rifle again. But just as the end of the barrel cleared its scabbard, the yellow unicorn’s orange eyes whipped over to glare directly at him.

Braeburn’s draw had been heavily practiced for the majority of two years, yet it wasn’t as quick as the trained unicorn’s spell. The riflepony tore his weapon from his scabbard and fired, only to have the round ricochet off a large square of golden magic after shattering the window to pieces. The stallion immediately turned out of view, standing on his hindlegs with his back against the wall to the left of the window. He expected a spell to fly through the window frame after him, but none had come.

The stallion’s chest heaved as his mind raced, attempting to find a way to take out Barricade and the gunner. Engaging a unicorn with a rifle was daunting enough, and this one seemed to have a special talent for creating defensive barriers. If she knew even the general direction from where he was shooting from, the task would only waste ammunition. Without knowing of the mare’s talent, he couldn’t depend on her running out of magical energy. Time was also an issue, especially with the mare he loved dodging rapid gunfire just outside. He needed to take action now.

Braeburn bit down on the receiver of his rifle, grabbing a hold of the window frame and leaping through. The cool night air hit him immediately, along with the eyes and glowing horn of the enemy below. As he fell from the third story window, Braeburn aimed his weapon, although with an empty chamber and an open action. Golden Barricade summoned another thin wall of magic, just as the stallion hoped she would.

Adjusting his orientation, Braeburn landed on his hindhooves, a full story above the ground. His legs buckled, absorbing the shock from the fall. Just as the unicorn’s horn dimmed, the riflepony leaped off the spell, landing in a roll upon the wide stoop of the manor. As quick as a flash, Braeburn rose into a crouch as he loaded a Dragon’s Breath round into the chamber, pointing the weapon right in the face of Golden Barricade. He grimaced as the end of the barrel pressed against a solid, translucent wall of yellow magic, glittering in the pale moonlight.

On the other side of the spell, Barricade’s horn was alight, a malevolent grin spreading across her smug face. Behind her, the pony called Graystone ceased firing the second Braeburn landed, fighting to turn the large weapon on its spoked wheels.

“From what I’ve heard, the fire from that weapon is as wild as it is deadly,” Barricade sneered. “I have no doubt that it’s powerful, but then again, so are my barriers.”

Graystone had the gatling turned halfway towards the beige stallion.

“Fire is truly a savage beast,” continued the unicorn, her confidence unwavering. “But can it be contained by my magic, I wonder? Are you willing to risk burning alive from the blowback if my shield holds strong?”

The bandit stallion had only about thirty degrees to go before the gatling was pointed at its new target, and it was closing in fast. Braeburn flicked his eyes to the skies above, his heart skipping a beat as he failed to find Daring. He looked back to Barricade’s grinning face, loathing the entire situation. His only choice was to fire, but the outcome was completely unknown to him, as well as the unicorn. Yet her confidence never faltered, even with the possibility of being incinerated in the blink of an eye. He had no time to think, for the gatling was only a few inches away from pointing at him.

Braeburn grit his teeth, praying to Celestia that Gunmetal Grey’s invention would hold strong.

“Goodbye.”

Azure Spark watched as Day Break forced herself to move, her quivering legs taking her backward a few steps and away from the wounded pegasus. Bullet Tyme pressed the barrel of his Marechester against the back of the mare’s head, tightening his hoof around the trigger. Despite his words, the yellow pegasus couldn’t so much as blink, let alone turn her head away from the scene.

The Windburg whimpered beneath the stallion, clutching her shoulder while tears streaked her grimacing face. “N-no! Please don’t!”

“Ya’ had yer chance,” Bullet hissed. He said nothing more before straightening his stance, closing one eye in preparation for the organic debris that would soon follow.

Azure flinched violently as a shot rang out through the night, yelping in shock. However, the sound hadn’t come from the empty town square they were near, but from somewhere much farther away. Only a second or two went by before a section of the cobblestone street next to Bullet’s hindhoof exploded upward at a diagonal angle. Shards of rock flew, along with a small plume of white dust.

Everypony jumped with varying degrees of shock, Azure leaping backward several hooves behind Bullet Tyme. Once the debris cleared, he spotted a short, deep gouge cut into the stone. Before any of them could voice their concern, a low guffawing echoed through the night. Azure looked up, his yellow eyes widening as they fell upon a dark purple earth stallion, his gaunt features framed by his matted black bangs. The pony walked on the edge of the open square, facing the street they occupied. Strapped to his back was his rifle, the black wood of its rear stock poking out from behind his shoulder.

Following him was another earth stallion, short and sporting a rather lean body. Every muscle under his orange coat was properly proportioned to his small frame, but was toned and looking ready to snap into action with the briefest of warnings. He wore a short mane and tail of dark yellow, combed backward in a way that emulated the wind rushing through it. Azure barely had time to take in his features, for his eyes snapped to the journal between his teeth, dread flooding through his veins. He walked with long, confident strides, looking at the three of them as if they were ants.

They stopped roughly ten yards away from them, looking past Day Break as though she weren’t there and smirked right at Bullet Tyme. “Well now, I haven’t seen this side of you in far too long,” cackled Sure Shot. “How I have missed that look on your face, Bullet. Such a carnal expression shows the truest version of a pony.”

“B-Boss!” shrieked the pink mare on the ground, using her uninjured foreleg to drag herself forward. Her now unprotected wound bled profusely onto the stone, Day Break and Azure wincing horribly at the sight. “Help me—GAH—Please!”

Bullet Tyme flicked the barrel of his rifle upward, aiming for the purple stallion. Another shot rang out through the air, soon followed by another upheaval of stone and dust right next to the riflepony. Sure Shot only grinned.

“Eagle Eye certainly is quite the shot, isn’t she?” he said jubilantly, lazily gesturing to the skyline to his right, completely ignoring his whimpering follower. Azure cast a glance in the direction of his hoof, finding a tall clock tower a block or two away, looming over the portion of the city they were in. The semi-darkness of the night, coupled with the distance, hid the position of the mare, but judging by the angle of the shots, the bandit leader didn’t seem to be lying. “Ex-sniper for the Equestrian military; given the title of ‘finest marksmare in service.’ Yet despite her efforts, poor Eagle Eye was dishonorably discharged for taking out an enemy nation’s leader.”

“Do Ah look like Ah care ‘bout yer mindless followers?” Bullet grunted, keeping his sights on the purple stallion.

Sure Shot chuckled again. “Well you should, for any wrong move will be rewarded with a .30-06 caliber round through the temple. Not to mention Burst, here.” He paused, gesturing to the silent pony beside him. “Who happens to be a world-class sprinter. And oh look, he has Cunning the Colt’s journal. How fortunate.”

The purple stallion then turned to the pony named Burst, tapping him on the shoulder twice to catch his attention. “Burst, Portare il giornale al caro principessa Luna per lei ... decifrare, vero?”

Burst nodded, and quicker than a blink of an eye, he nearly disappeared from the street, bolting around the corner of a building and out of sight. Azure’s jaw nearly dropped, blinking several times to see if his mind had been playing tricks on him.

“Ah yes, while being quicker on his hooves than anypony in our country, he speaks not a word of Equestrian. His language is a beautiful one, so I was more than happy to learn it as quickly as I could. However, there are times when I find that some of my words are lost in translation,” Sure Shot explained. “But I digress. Bullet, be a dear and lower the weapon. I don’t imagine you’d want to be killed by a pony you could not see.”

“How brave, lettin’ that misguided filly protect you from a distance,” Bullet growled. “If you were a stallion, you’d call her off so Ah could show you what a real riflepony can do.”

“Ah, but that isn’t my business here tonight,” Sure Shot replied, gesturing for the middle-aged stallion to drop his weapon, glancing up at the clock tower in the distance.

Bullet Tyme hesitated, his body frozen for a moment with his gun locked on Sure Shot. But after a beat or two, the older stallion reluctantly complied. Once the Marechester was set on the ground, the bandit leader’s piercing orange eyes fell upon Azure Spark. The cyan unicorn felt himself take a half step back, lifting an apprehensive forehoof a few inches from the ground. Sure Shot didn’t glare loathingly at him, in fact, his lopsided grin and lax stance didn’t change in the slightest. In his peripheral vision, Azure caught sight of Day Break glancing back at him, trepidation filling her ruby eyes.

“Oh Sparky, look at where your little stunts have put you now,” he chided. “Now as much as your talents would prove to be useful to me again, I did promise to kill you. Unfortunately for both of us, I am a pony of my word.”

The world around the unicorn seemed to slow down as Azure’s legs trembled with fear. He watched with wide eyes as the bandit leader’s lightning fast hoof hooked into the lever of the rifle on his back, wrenching the weapon from its sheath as he took up stance. Sure Shot’s right hindhoof slid forward across the cobblestone street, while the other went backward underneath him. With Eagle’s sights on them, Azure was defenseless. Nopony could help him again, and it seemed as though Sure Shot controlled every aspect of the situation. There was no way out, and his only option was to take the bullet and die as planned.

But then again, Bullet Tyme, Day Break, Braeburn, Daring and Artemis had done so much to keep him protected, all simply because Azure chose the right path instead of the easy one. He was not about to let that effort be in vain. Sure Shot’s draw was fast, but the unicorn’s magic was faster.

Azure Spark pulled himself back down into his own head, his horn flaring with a bright, cyan light. His yellow eyes narrowed on the purple stallion, screwing his brow with determination. With a flash of pale blue and a tinge of violet, the unicorn disappeared; a .44 Magnum round whistling through the empty space his head occupied only milliseconds before.

With a bellowing roar, Azure appeared directly in front of the riflepony, reinforcing the end of his spell with an explosion of kinetic energy. Sure Shot’s previously steady form flew backward and into the town square, mere hooves above the cobblestone. The unicorn wasted no time before teleporting again, his ears picking up a massive round penetrating the ground in his wake. He appeared with a spherical flash of pale blue light in the middle of the square, facing a recovering Sure Shot five yards away.

The purple stallion rolled across the stone, ceasing his momentum at a skid on his hindhooves. Before Eagle Eye could so much as cycle a new round into her weapon, Azure’s horn lit up, fizzling with violet and blue sparks. Overhead, the result of the unicorn’s efforts manifested itself in the form of a thin, translucent circle, growing in diameter in the air to the left and leaning at an angle. Like a raised hoof used to block out the sun, the shield hovered high over the edge of the square, placed between them and the clock tower.

Sure Shot’s orange eyes lit up with a crazed fury, the barrel of his Marechester snapping upward in the unicorn’s direction. Azure teleported again, appearing between Day Break and Bullet Tyme. Before either of them could so much as flinch, he reared onto his hindlegs, placing a forehoof to both their shoulders. In a flash of light, the three of them emerged in a ground level apartment, right in the living room of somepony’s home.

On the other side of the room were a trio of ponies, who had violently scampered out of the way. It was a young couple, both cradling a small foal behind them. Their eyes were wide and utterly fearful, the stallion taking stance in front of his wife and son.

“Who are you?! What’s going on?!” yelled the stallion, his voice shaking.

“Sir, I apologize for the intrusion, but there’s about to be a firefight outside,” Azure said back quickly. “If you have a basement, I would suggest you go there now until this all blows over.”

The mare cowered behind her husband, clutching their son in her forelegs. The stallion, meanwhile, was not easily moved by Azure’s words. “Just who in the hay are you?”

“Do you all want to die?!” Azure found himself yelling, much to the fear of the family. “I said get somewhere safe, now!”

Without another word, the couple scooped up their son and bolted out of the room, the sound of a door slamming and multiple locks turning coming from the hallway. The unicorn watched them leave, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

“Azure! What in the hay are ya’ doin’?!” yelled Bullet’s haggard voice from behind.

“Saving your lives. Now go, get out of here!” Azure yelled back, turning around to face him. “That barrier is keeping her from hitting you guys too. Stick to the alleyways and get the book.”

“Azure, don’t do this!” Day Break pleaded, although at a tone that tore at the unicorn’s heart. He looked to her, finding her expression anxious and crestfallen, her ruby eyes wide and glazed.

“Boy, that pony’ll end yer life quicker than a swatter to a fly,” Bullet said flatly. His volume and intensity then began to raise with every word. “You bring me back there so Ah can finally end that pony’s life!”

“And what if you don’t?!” Azure found himself barking back. “What if he puts a bullet straight through your head and we lose one of the only ponies we have that can help end this?!”

Bullet through his face right into Azure’s, his small eyes glaring into the unicorn’s. “Ah’m the one responsible fer that maniac, now step aside so Ah can at least try to make up fer it!”

Despite the drastic difference in height and build, Azure Spark stood his ground, his yellow eyes locked on Bullet’s. “No, I will not,” he said in a slow, guttural voice. “If that Burst gets away with that book, Sure Shot’s ponies will have it decoded it by dawn. Day Break needs firepower and offense with her, not evasive and defensive spells.”

“But if—“ Day Break started, but Azure cut her off with a raised hoof.

“Look, Sure Shot will kill you if you pursue Burst, unless he has somepony distracting him,” the unicorn said, his throat dry from yelling more than he was used to. “With my magic, I can do that far longer than either of you could. Not to mention he wants me dead anyway.”

The cyan pony offered a reassuring smile. “Braeburn and Daring Do are the reasons I was able to find the good in myself again; the bravery I never thought I had. You two are far too important to them to lose. If I can do anything to pay them back, it’ll be to keep you two alive!”

Neither Bullet Tyme nor Day had a retort to his statement, but merely stared at him in disbelief. “Thank you… for everything that you’ve done for me.” Unable to look either of them in the eye for a second longer, Azure Spark disappeared in another flash of spherical blue light.

Appearing atop the building he was previously inside, Azure only stayed long enough to make sure his barrier was still in place, along with Sure Shot. His image was only visible for fractions of a second at a time, appearing briefly on the rooftops of the buildings approaching the circular town square. He traveled toward his destination with short bursts of magic, conserving his energy rather than depleting it by teleporting longer distances. After a moment or two, Azure Spark emerged in the center of the urban clearing, ten yards away from Sure Shot.

You all showed me something I never thought I deserved, and displayed bravery in the most bleak of situations.

The riflepony smirked, baring his teeth to utter a hearty chuckle. “You can’t be serious.”

Azure widened his stance, narrowing his eyes on his enemy and tightening his brow. He looked over to the road that he, Day Break and Bullet Tyme previously occupied, finding the pink mare on the ground. Her head was rested on the ground, her cheek dipped in the pool of dark red around her front. The pegasus’ entire form was still, showing no sign of breath nor consciousness.

I think it’s time I paid you all back.

Sure Shot laughed aloud now, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. “Sparky, have you forgotten the number of far more skilled unicorns I have taken down? Do you believe your special talent gives you an advantage against me? Well as amusing as that is, I simply do not have the time to play with you. Do the both of us a favor and don’t delay the inevitable here.”

“You’re not immortal,” said Azure, mustering his bravest and most confident voice.

Sure Shot cocked a brow, his grin unwavering. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not impenetrable. You’re nothing more than an earth pony with unusual rifle prowess,” the unicorn said, his jaw stiff with mounting anger.

“Sparky, compared to you, I might as well be a god,” Sure Shot replied casually, as if the words held no weight to him.

“Then I guess it’s time to make God bleed.”

Sure Shot racked a new round into his weapon as he aimed it, still not quick enough to match Azure’s magic. With a guttural roar, the unicorn teleported out of the path of the speeding bullet, reemerging a mere hoof or two behind the riflepony, releasing another burst of kinetic energy at the end of the spell. Once again, Sure Shot flew bodily through the air, this time skidding across the cobblestone on his hooves before his body could hit the ground.

The purple stallion replied with a trio of lightning-fast shots, nearly as quick as Braeburn’s. Azure was prepared, teleporting every time his eyes fell upon the rifle pointing in his direction. His veins pumped faster than they were meant to, his heart pounding against his chest. The unicorn’s mind spun like a tornado in his skull, striving to find a way to fight back. There had to be a way to bring an offense to this game, even with the cyan pony’s finite abilities.

Azure knew Sure Shot; he knew how he fought and he knew how he defended against unicorns. However, even with all the spellcasters the riflepony had slain, not one of them had used anything but projectile magic. Azure had to be creative and use his one talent to his advantage. The unicorn knew his own words to be true; Sure Shot had to have a weakness of some sort, even just an offense that he would never see coming. There had to be something.

Azure’s reflexes took over as Sure Shot fired off another round at him, sidestepping the whizzing bullet once the barrel was pointed at him again. But when the purple stallion cycled a few more shots, the unicorn was forced to leap to the side and into the portal of another teleportation spell. He exited the spell several yards behind Sure Shot mid-jump, landing on the other side of the portal. As soon as his hooves touched upon the stone, the cyan pony’s mind lit up with realization.

“Well, look at that,” Sure Shot, his grin smaller than usual. He stood straight up on his hindlegs, digging into his vest to load his weapon with new cartridges. “Eight rounds; an entire magazine emptied. I’ll give credit where it is due. You are a speedy little squirrel, aren’t you?”

He was vulnerable, at least to the untrained eye. Most ponies were open to physical attack while reloading. However, Sure Shot was not one of those ponies. He was nearly as dangerous now as he was when firing.

As the eighth round cleared the cartridge gate, the riflepony faced him again. “While bullets aren’t a factor to me, I am not a wasteful pony. Consider this second round to be the last.”

You have means of offense now. Make it count.

Azure broke into a full gallop towards Sure Shot before he could lift his gun. By the time he did, the unicorn was building speed past a quick trot, disappearing in the wake of a thundering shot. Azure emerged in a flash of cyan light on the other side of the town square, now reaching a full gallop around the edge of the square. The unicorn dodged another flurry of rounds, building momentum with every short-distance teleportation. His lungs began to burn from the effort, but he didn’t stop.

Every spell granted him a burst of acceleration, building more and more until his hooves couldn’t keep up with his speeding form. He galloped at full bore around the perimeter of the square, narrowly avoiding every last whistling bullet. Azure then leaped into the air, ceasing to exist right before the apex of his arch. When he reformed, the cerulean unicorn flew hooves over the ground, turning over to drive his hindhooves into the riflepony’s side with a bellowing roar.

With a croaking gasp, Sure Shot skidded several meters across the cobblestone on his back, somersaulting backwards onto his hindhooves. Azure’s mind ignited with a fresh wave of adrenaline as he spotted a thin line of red streaking the ground where his enemy had slid, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. It seemed as if Braeburn’s applebucking lessons had certainly paid off. While he lacked the muscular strength to fight properly, he had the conservation of momentum to assist him.

Azure wasted no time in teleporting away from the spot where he landed before Sure Shot could even align his iron sights again. Flashes of cyan light marked his trail across the square, leading the unicorn toward his opponent in a staggered line to avoid fire. The unicorn’s horn began to burn under the rapid succession of his spells, yet he paid no attention to it. He began to build speed again as he approached the earth pony, who never fired another shot, but kept his sights on the brief images of the blue pony. Azure teleported once more and made his move.

The unicorn leaped into the portal of his spell, appearing in mid air directly behind Sure Shot. He moved to repeat his previous strike, but was stopped as a massive, unseen force collided with the side of his head. Azure cried out in pain as he was thrown clear out of his trajectory to the left, hitting the ground like a burlap sack of bricks. The unicorn rolled across the stone, his limbs flailing around him like pinwheel. Once his body finally came to a stop, the world continued to spin around him, his head feeling as if a one-ton weight was resting on his right temple. He felt a hot trickle pour down the same side of his face from under his mane, the scent of blood and sweat filling his nostrils.

He lay there on his front, his body unresponsive to the distressful signals his brain was sending it. Azure felt his heart pound against the stone beneath him as his ears picked up the sound of slow, measured hoofsteps, accompanied by a throaty chuckle. His brain screamed at him to move, yet his limbs hadn’t the strength to push past the agonizing throbbing in his skull. As Sure Shot approached him, Azure opened his eyes, finding the bloodstained rear stock of the black Marechester resting on the ground in front of him.

“Well, at least you can say you put up a valiant effort. You know, in the afterlife,” the riflepony said quietly, lacking his usual sneer or condescension.

Come on, move, move, move! Azure screamed inwardly, pleading for his body to listen. It hadn’t been long enough, Bullet Tyme and Day Break needed more time.

“I must say, it has been a long time since I’ve tasted my own blood. It is almost a little invigorating, to be entirely truthful,” Sure Shot drawled, the sound of clinking metal resounding in the unicorn’s ears. “You know, for a moment, I thought you had come up with a plan that would actually hinder me. Brilliant work, but you became predictable immediately. In the end, you just failed to realize the gravity of the situation.”

Azure’s lidded yellow eyes peaked upward, looking past the barrel pressed into his mane next to his horn. Sure Shot was on his hindhooves, holding his weapon in one hoof. The cyan pony heard him say a word that turned the slowing gears in his head, one that would buy him more time. He looked back up toward the purple stallion, grinning against the trickle of blood pouring down the side of his face.

“Gravity,” he repeated in a croaking voice, throwing his hoof out to wrap around the riflepony’s ankle. “Good idea.”

Cyan light erupted from Azure’s horn, forming a sphere of magic around them for the briefest of moments before they disappeared with an echoing crash of energy. Once the two stallions manifested again, the unicorn found himself above Sure Shot, gravity pulling them down to the square meters above the rooftops. Azure dove head first toward the disoriented earth pony, facing the stallion that brought him there.

The wind rushed through Azure’s mane, throwing his eyes open and reawakening his dreary mind. Adrenaline coursed through his body, dulling the pain in his skull and reddening the corners of his vision. He screwed his brows together, baring his gritted teeth out of the corner of his mouth. As Sure Shot swung his rifle around, Azure Spark bellowed a challenging and loathing roar right toward it.

The riflepony executed another flurry of rounds, to which the vengeful unicorn merely dodged again and again, accelerating with every teleportation. The two plunged toward the ground below, mere seconds from impact. Azure dodged every last shot until the bandit leader’s magazine ran dry. He went to make his move when Sure Shot dove a hoof into his vest, quickly withdrawing a light blue crystal.

Use it, I dare you.

Turning around in the air, the stallion whipped the item toward the approaching cobblestone. The gem shattered against the ground, a low, booming drone forcing Azure’s ears back. As if the unicorn had just conjured it, an orbular light erupted from the pieces of the spell gem, expanding to the size of a pony. Sure Shot tucked his limbs close to his body and dove into the blue light head first, disappearing along with the spell in a flash of white.

Ten hooves above the ground, Azure spotted his opponent emerging from another flash of white light, slowing his retained momentum by skidding across the stone on all fours. His horn flared, disappearing right before his body hit the ground. Sure Shot didn’t have time to bring himself to a stop before Azure reformed in a burst of orbular magic, soaring through the air toward the back of the earth pony’s head.

“SURPRISE!” he roared, turning over above the ground to throw his right hindleg out, driving the front of his hoof into the base of Sure Shot’s neck.

The riflepony was forced from his hooves, Azure’s high-momentum strike sending him flying across the square. Sure Shot hit the ground at a rapid somersault, tumbling limply as every part of his body made heavy, audible impacts with the cobblestone. The unicorn nearly tripped over his own legs as he landed, gathering balance on his hooves as he watched his enemy roll head over tail.

Once the dark stallion’s momentum ceased, he found himself crouching on his hooves, still clutching onto the receiver of his weapon. Blood poured from his parted lips, uttering sharp breaths through his gritted teeth. The riflepony snarled, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat as his piercing eyes fell upon Azure. His pupils constricted to mere dots within his orange irises, his face contorting with rage. The blue unicorn felt his adrenaline slow to a dead stop at the sight, biting down on the corner of his lip as trepidation flooded through his being.

Azure had no time to react to his fear before Sure Shot dove his hoof into his vest, withdrawing another spell gem and smashing it on the ground into a hundred pieces. The unicorn’s eyes grew wide as the bandit leader was suddenly directly in front of him. Azure only saw a blur of movement preceding another blow to the same part of his head, throwing him to the ground. He cried out in agony, rolling across the cobblestone as he clutched the point of his skull that had been impacted twice. He landed on his side, no sooner receiving a heavy kick to the stomach. Azure felt his eyes fly open along with his jaw as his breath flew outward from his lungs, blood spurting from between his lips.

Curling himself into a ball, Azure gasped for air, his brain slowing down to a stop as it pleaded for oxygen. His entire body throbbed with pain, his skull threatening to crack under the pressure. While he couldn’t move, a small part of the unicorn’s brain remembered just who was standing over him. He tried to direct energy to his horn, but recoiled as a hot, searing pain ignited within the very core of the bone. On the edge of his awareness, he felt a few small, fizzling sparks float out of the tip of the appendage. He had used too much of his magic too quickly, without the reserves to back it up. Azure bit onto his lip, forcing his eyes open through the pain.

He found himself on his back, limbs spread out as if he was lying on a comfortable bed. Above him was Sure Shot, trails of dark red running down his face and chest, his purple fur ruffled in varying places. He was panting slightly, his body recovering from the punishment it had been put through. He looked tired, his stance lopsided on his hindlegs, swaying ever so slightly. His eyes were focused on the unicorn’s chest through the sights of his rifle, holding it in one hoof just as before. Azure looked over the shoulder of his enemy to find that his barrier had completely disappeared, leaving behind not one trace of its existence. Even if Sure Shot dropped dead right there, he hadn’t the magic left in him to conjure another way to avoid the deadly sights of Eagle Eye.

The unicorn felt the corner of his mouth lift into the ghost of a smile, coughing blood onto his chest.

“You truly surprised me, Azure Spark,” said Sure Shot, gathering his composure. “However, I promised that I would take your life.”

The unicorn could only chuckle, coughing in the back of his throat. “And yet... you still lost.”

The riflepony raised a brow. “And how is that?”

Azure let his eyelids fall a little, struggling to keep them open. “I served... my purpose...”

Sure Shot eyed him for a moment before glancing up at the moon’s position high above. He shook his head a little, looking back down to his victim with an expressionless face. “That you did.”

The unicorn smiled to himself, letting his eyes fall shut as his muscles relaxed against the cool cobblestone. He felt the steel barrel of Sure Shot’s rifle press against his forehead, yet he never flinched or even worried. The blue stallion held onto his contented smile, taking in what he knew to be his final breath.

There was a flash of light, and Azure Spark knew no more.

One - Peace Interrupted

Colt of the West

Part Two of the Riflepony Series

Part One Here

By: DiveBomb

Good and Evil; such vastly different terms, defined in many a fashion. Light and Dark; polar opposites. While it is indeed a cliched notion, we never stop to look around and really think about the idea. One immediately ponders divinity on such a subject, but few open their eyes to see that these battles happen every day and on varying scales. Some are large and instantly recognized. The rest, however, aren't observed nor defined as such. But all in all, the struggle is the same. It can happen between two or even many. But every day, at least one soul in the world finds itself torn between the two. We all find ourselves at an impasse at one point in our lives, but the only thing we can do is hope that our decision will be for the best. If you haven't already, you will eventually find yourself having to make such a decision.

One can only hope that a little Good will come out of it.

Cheers of excitement and elation roared across the dry flat lands, bringing an uplifting air to the desolate outskirts of Appleloosa. The perimeter of the makeshift arena was lined with a red-painted wooden fence, bright in hue to warn passerby of the danger they could stumble upon. High in the rafters was a large audience, almost the entire population of the nearby towns. Ponies from all over the West had flocked to spectate the event, their eyes fixated on the long range ahead. Some even threw their cowpony hats into the air, unable to wait for the competition to begin. Behind the wooden bleachers and seats stood a tall announcer's box, where the mayor and sheriff of Appleloosa sat, visible from the competitors' bunker below.

The small stone alcove was filled to the brim with mares and stallions of varying age, all eagerly waiting for their names to be called. Each competitor sat upon a long bench, a few inspecting their weapons for any last-minute changes or repairs. The majority of them were young adults, ranging from their twenties to thirties. A couple, however, were barely even teenagers. The youngest was a pegasus filly, her wings looking too small to bring her airborne for more than a moment or two. She didn't seem like the type of pony one would expect to find an interest in rifles, but there she was, clutching a small lever-action in her forehooves. The stallion in the corner regarded her with concern, for she seemed to be shaking upon her end of the bench. He cast her a worried look as the filly traversed the filled room of ponies with her large blue eyes. She brought a wary hoof up to her brow, wiping a bead of sweat from under her swaying brown bangs. The stallion knew who she was, but it took a few moments for him to recognize her.

There was no mistaking who she was. Brown pigtails, a coat of white and the cutie mark of a smoldering .357 Magnum cartridge. It was the prodigy from Los Pegasus; the youngest competition shooter in Equestria. Despite her fame, the pegasus' name was mostly unknown in the desert. The stallion in the corner though, knew her name and face from the smaller sections of the local newspapers. If the articles had been correct, then he found her attendance unsurprising. Judging by the crowd of unrecognizable, mostly mediocre shooters, the filly would prove to be victorious this day.

He didn't know what it was, but something told the stallion to walk over and comfort her. He would have felt terrible if the prodigy competed with nervous hooves. The tan earth pony let out a snort, rising to his hooves and weaving through the crowd of ponies. It took a moment, but eventually he reached her. The filly didn't even notice his presence through her shifting eyes. The stallion sat aside her on the bench, shrugging his deep brown cloak to cover himself once again. At the sound of the fabric whipping around, she snapped her neck up to him, her eyes wide. She snapped her gaze to the rifle on his back, and then back to him.

"Easy now," he smiled, his voice gruff but calming. "Are y'alright?"

"Wh-Who are you?" she stammered, as if the stallion were about to shoot her on sight.

"Nopony who's gonna hurt ya', don't worry," he chuckled. "Now what's such a gifted little filly like yerself doin' shakin' like a leaf in a breeze?"

The small pegasus recoiled before exhaling a long breath, her chest deflating in an attempt to calm herself. "Oh...I didn't think anypony here would know me," she said. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"What's there to be nervous 'bout?"

"I don't know...I guess it's just weird being here alone," she said, causing the stallion's ears to prick up. She was all the way out here alone?

"Where are yer parents?"

"In Appleloosa, I guess," she sighed, looking down at her swinging hindhooves, dangling above the floor. "They're interested in the sights, so they left me here while they looked around."

The tan earth pony scowled, unable to hide the disgust on his face. It figured. This talented filly, judging by the newspaper articles, was bringing home prize money from several shooting competitions, all while her parents just collected and looked the other way. The very least they could do was simply be there for her, but apparently supporting their daughter wasn't very high on the list of priorities. Typical Los Pegasus ponies, he thought. It was a shame, really. But in the end, the stallion decided to bypass the topic. "Ya' know, just between you me, none o' these ponies here stand a chance against ya'."

The filly whipped her head back up to him, cocking an eyebrow. "What? Why would you tell me that? Aren't you competing too?"

The stallion laughed. "Naw. Ah'm gettin' on in years, and this is a young pony's sport. Ah'm just here fer the mayor to make sure nopony tries somethin' foul."

"Oh. Well, thank you sir," she said, fiddling with her rifle. The filly ceased her nervous movements and instead held out a hoof, introducing herself properly. "Aerial Ace. It's nice to meet you."

The stallion smiled, shaking her tiny forehoof with both of his own. "Bullet Tyme."

The sound of soft tapping echoed throughout the small range, emanating from the two large horn loudspeakers on either side of the announcer's box. The audience took a moment to quell their excitement, but eventually fell silent. Louder than expected, the horns reverberated a strong, prominent male voice.

"Mares and gentlecolts, welcome to the first annual Appleloosan Cowpony-Action Shooting Competition!" said Mayor Coltwell. The crowd burst into jubilant cries, eager with anticipation. "We thank you for your patience, but it's all about to pay off! Today we have twenty entries, which means plenty of shooting for you to watch!"

The crowd burst into an uproar of stomping hooves. "Considering this is the first Appleloosan competition, we're going to have to explain today's events and rules," Coltwell explained through the speaker system. "First off, we have to apologize for one thing. As you all have been told beforehoof, we have not allowed unicorns to compete in this event. This rule has been put into place the ensure that no foul play alters the shooters' prowess throughout the tournament. This is not by any means a racial matter. We only wish to keep the competition fair and uninterrupted by any means of inside or outside cheating. To safeguard the matter even further, there are magical shields set around the range to prevent any unicorn spectators from compromising the purity of this event. Once we find a way to confine a unicorn's magic, they will be allow to compete in next year's competition. Again, we apologize for this unfortunate matter."

Bullet Tyme pursed his lips and nodded slightly to himself. He had wondered how Coltwell planned to keep anypony from cheating. All a unicorn would have to do is wince an eye at a gun to jam it and therefore compromise a pony's fate in the game. It was truly an unfortunate rule, but objectively, nopony could have a viable argument against it.

"Now that we're done with the ethical mumbo-jumbo, we can move on to how things are going to unfold," Coltwell continued. "The tournament will include..."

Bullet Tyme stopped listening and started to cast his awareness to the nineteen ponies surrounding him and Aerial Ace. While a few of them kept their confidence, the majority of the shooters started to show signs of nervousness and apprehension. An air of trepidation filled the small alcove, as if some sort of apocalypse was about to occur. The sand-colored stallion chuckled slightly in amusement.

"What's so funny?" came Aerial's voice.

"Maybe these ponies do know who ya' are, and it's just now dawning on them how badly yer gonna beat 'em," he replied, his volume low to avoid any eavesdroppers. "But there might be one thing standin' in yer way."

"What's that?"

Bullet turned back to the filly, lowering his tone down to a whisper. "Ah wasn't lyin' when Ah told ya' that none o' the ponies in here stood a chance, but Ah'd feel bad if Ah didn't elaborate. Listen, there's a surprise at the end o' this here competition, and you should ready yerself fer it."

"Surprise?" she whispered back curiously. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"'Cause Ah think ya' deserve to know," he muttered matter-of-factly. "Just be ready when ya' rise to the top today. Yer gonna have a choice to make, a gamble if ya' will. Don't take it. Jus' take the prize money and be happy with it."

Aerial gave him an appreciative smile, which Bullet returned. It was a gesture that made him regret the mayor's idea of such a surprise at the end of an honest shooting match. None of the ponies surrounding him knew what they were in for, and it was really just too bad.

"...And now, we call our first two competitors up to the stands," said Coltwell's prominent voice. Bullet turned his ears to the announcer's box, his eyes occasionally flickering to the nervous ponies around him. "To start the tournament for a grand prize of one-thousand bits, we call Hot Shot and Smolder. Please approach the stands."

The crowd cheered with applause as a gray earth stallion and an orange earth mare rose from the bench a few yards away, gathering their rifles and departing the stone bunker through the wide opening. As the cheers died down and the crowd went silent, the two ponies exchanged a friendly hoof bump of respect, laying their weapons on the respective chest-high benches. Fifteen hooves away from them stood ten clay targets, each the size of a small dinner plate. Five were placed in even increments at both ends of their lanes, ready to be shattered to pieces. Bullet watched the mare with the bright orange coat, eying her stance and concentration. He went to inspect her weapon from afar, but found his attempt useless at the announcer's next words.

"First up, we have Hot Shot. Hailing all the way from Baltimare, this young and upcoming shooter has made his mark in the seldom-seen Eastern Riflepony Society with his quick and impressive shots."

"Looks like shootin' has become popular all over Equestria," Bullet Tyme noted aloud. "And not just out West where earth ponies thrive."

"It's not just about combat anymore," came Aerial's voice.

"Well, competition shootin's been around fer hundreds o' years. But it's really only been a thing out here."

"Up until the Colt of the West came around, that is," she remarked. "Ponies hear of a stallion like that and interest sparks. Common nature, really."

Bullet chuckled heartily, amazed at the young filly's intricate sentences and sheer intelligence. "Nothin' gets past ya', huh? Yer parents must be darned proud o' ya'."

"Yeah. Yeah I guess," she sighed, her previous grin fading away as quick as it came. Bullet Tyme cast her a sorrowful sidelong glance, watching the filly exhale a long breath. The stallion folded his forelegs against his chest, sitting straighter upon the wooden bench with a grimace. He may not have known of her situation, but it still pained the aged stallion to see such a talented, innocent young pony deal with such neglect. Perhaps it wasn't as it seemed, but perhaps it was much worse. Darned city folk.

"So it's 'bout yer love fer the sport?" he asked, curiously touching upon what was truly none of his business. To his surprise, the young pony immediately responded to his query.

"A little," she said, her voice soft and with a melancholy tone.

"Kinda hard to believe that such a talent doesn't have no drive behind it," said Bullet.

"Oh, there's a drive alright," she said, although without any sort of convincing tone. "It's just...money."

"Money?" he repeated, bewildered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just because I'm from Los Pegasus means I must come from a rich family. I know the drill," she huffed.

"Ah didn't say that," Bullet said quietly. "But Ah'll admit that was my thought."

Aerial scrunched-up her nose a bit in a small scowl. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you that. Can you keep that to yourself?"

He nodded, regretfully putting the pieces together. "Don't tell me that yer prize money pays fer yer family...does it?"

The filly looked away from him, folding her tiny forelegs. She looked annoyed at herself, possibly for what she had revealed. The stallion silently berated himself for his assumptions. Her parents weren't stuffy, neglectful ponies, they weren't very well off. Regardless, the least they could do was simply be there for her in the stands. With that thought, Bullet still had something to be annoyed at, and that kept his mind busy for the time being.

"My parents are both unemployed," she started, but was silenced by Bullet, whom raised a hoof.

"Ain't none o' my business, Aerial," he said. "But Ah get it."

"...and then there's the local mare, born and raised here in Appleloosa: Smolder. She's here to defend her honor as the town's fastest-shooting mare, wielding a Marechester Model 1892, chambered for the .38-40 round. She will be the first to fire. Ladies first, I always say. The clock will start when the first round is chambered."

While the stallion known as Hot Shot waited with his rifle on his bench, the crowd as well as the rest of the competitors watched the orange mare load her short-barreled lever-action. Once Bullet counted the eight cartridges pass through the loading gate, he watched the mare take up a rather interesting stance. Smolder reared up on her hindhooves, one leg outstretched forward while the other crouched low underneath her. Instead of shouldering the weapon, Smolder held the Marechester low at the hip on her right side.

"Is that normal?" asked Aerial incredulously.

"Fer her it is," Bullet noted. "Not all ponies shoot the same way, ya' know. Some can't even hit the broad side of a barn with a 'normal' stance. Just watch."

The earth mare held the weapon close to her side, blowing her yellow bangs out of her eyes. Model 1892, huh? he thought. She switched, Ah guess. Shorter lever throw, smoother action, smaller and cheaper caliber for light recoil and higher magazine capacity. Nice change o' pace, but she'd need an octagonal barrel to make up fer its short length. If she loses, it'll be because o' accuracy. That boy's .45 Colt will deliver a heavier recoil. Judgin' by his small frame, s'not a good plan, Ah reckon.

However, the first round wasn't about accuracy; it was about speed. At only fifteen hooves away, the shots weren't exactly difficult, except for when they were at speed. All in all, the task wasn't as easy as it seemed. The targets were small for a reason; to challenge the pony to hit them as quickly as possible, disregarding pinpoint accuracy. Besides, a shattered plate of clay left no discerning marks indicating point of impact. Bullet Tyme remembered all too well of his rather poor skills when it came to speed shooting in his day. It was his biggest flaw, and he had never found the skill required to practice the finite art. So when he saw a pony capable of such a thing, the stallion found them to be truly fascinating.

A warm gust of wind blew down the range, ruffling the mare's burning yellow mane from her face. Bullet watched as she exhaled a silent breath, trained to know when and how to shoot. Once her chest deflated, the mare racked the lever downward and back quicker than most, firing the first shot as soon as the round loaded into the chamber. The rifle didn't move an inch as a loud pop echoed downrange, immediately followed by four more in impressive succession. In a couple of quick seconds, all five plates broke into many sharp, splintering shards of hardened clay, raining down from their stands a few hooves above the ground. The audience exploded with applause, whistling and stomping their hooves in praise. Smolder grinned broadly, placing the rifle upon the bench and waving politely to the crowd.

"See what Ah mean?" Bullet mused. "All it takes is fer a pony to find comfort with their rifle. Not to mention what the rifle is in the first place."

"What do you mean?" asked Aerial.

"Ah know Smolder from town," he started. "She came here a month after we founded Appleloosa, and immediately took an interest in the sport. She used to fire a .44 Magnum caliber, but that's a round too powerful to fire from the hip, where she was the most comfortable. Seems like she finally found a gun that she can shoot well."

"You seem to know a lot about rifles," she replied, offering a kind smile.

"This used to be my life, little Miss Aerial," he smirked nostalgically. "So yes, Ah know a thing or two."

"Is that why the mayor made you a security guard?"

Bullet chuckled softly. "Well, that's one reason, Ah reckon."

"Just the one?"

The stallion shot her an amused grin. "Ya' sure are a curious one, ain't ya'?"

"I like to know things," Aerial stated simply.

"Ah guess so," he replied, turning his attention back to the match. Apparently they had missed Hot Shot's attempt, but the end result was obvious by his downtrodden expression. Despite his early dismissal from the tournament, the stallion still shook the victor's hoof before he departed the range.

"So if you won't answer that question," Aerial continued. "then would you tell me about the Colt of the West?"

That caught Bullet Tyme off-guard, but he held it together by not showing it on his face. He looked to the young shooter, who wore an expression of pure wonder. Unlike her previous questions, it looked as if this one meant much more to her. "And what makes ya' think Ah know him?"

Aerial pointed to Smolder, whom was returning to her seat down the bench. "You know her, and you said that you helped settle this town, so I assume that you know a lot of ponies."

Did all Los Pegasus families have such intelligent foals? Perhaps the word 'prodigy' stretched farther with this filly than most. "Why d'ya wanna know 'bout him? Ponies say he's got criminal blood in him; say he's a tickin' time bomb waitin' fer somepony to look at him the wrong way."

The white filly looked down to the rifle in her forehooves, her hindlegs returning to their previous swinging motion. "I don't think that's true...or at least, I'd like to think it's not."

Bullet Tyme lowered his eyelids, a single brow raised in interest. He let her go on, ignoring the multiple gunshots in the background. "...Ponies will always make even the simplest things seem bad, especially when it's not true. Ponies don't want to focus on good deeds, they want to focus on things that are scary; things that are bad. Again, common nature, I guess."

"Kinda young to be a cynic, ain't ya'?"

"You say cynic, I say realist," she smirked, fiddling with the lever of her small rifle. "But really, nothing in the papers said that he did anything wrong. In fact, they said the exact opposite. They said he was a hero."

"Do you think he's a hero?"

"Well, yeah. Why shouldn't I?" she replied. "I mean, he did save Dodge Junction's sherrif, as well as the lives of the town's residents. He was the reason that bandit leader is still in jail."

"Ah see yer a reader of the papers. Most fillies yer age have no interest in things like that," Bullet said, his expression impressed.

"I don't tend to get along with ponies my age. They think I'm...well, weird," she said somberly, wincing at her own words. "Maybe it's because I'm not like them. I don't like playing in the park or hanging out with friends. Oh...I'm sorry. You don't want to hear about that."

The filly rubbed the back of her head nervously, dismissing the conversation outright.

"S'alright Aerial," was all that he said.

"So are you going to tell me about him?" she asked again. However, the end of her sentence was accompanied by the mayor calling her name through the speaker system. Aerial groaned aloud, eliciting a grin from Bullet Tyme.

"Well would ya' look at that, yer up filly," he said, rising to his hooves as she did. "Just in time too. Ah gotta head on over to speak with somepony."

Aerial threw him a mock salute before picking up her rifle with her teeth and walking out to the range. Bullet Tyme grinned one more time as he walked down the line of competitors, excusing himself along the way. He walked along the outside of the red fence, casting a quick glance to see Aerial Ace bumping hooves with her opponent; a dark-green pegasus mare. Bullet didn't recognize the pony, and merely assumed that she came from another town, like Hot Shot. Give 'em heck, kiddo, he thought to himself.

Bullet Tyme circled the South perimeter of the range, behind the rafters that held the long wooden bleachers high in the air. Between the stands was the announcers' booth, its back door opened at the top of a spiral staircase. The stallion grimaced, turning his right foreleg and cracking the old joints a few times before ascending the steps despite the throb in his leg. He would never admit it to anypony, but his joints weren't what they used to be. His reactions were starting to slow, his body was following suit. Bullet wasn't by any means an old stallion, but he was swiftly approaching the hump. Years of hard work and shooting were starting to show in his body, and soon simple tasks had become a chore. His mind, however, hadn't changed a bit since his early adulthood. His thoughts were still as sharp as ever, and his memory had never wavered. He only wished that his body would keep up with his racing mind.

As he rose to the top of the staircase, Bullet was immediately greeted by three ponies. Two came from swiveling stools behind a desk full of papers and quills dipped in ink wells. The closest to him was Sherrif Silverstar, a dark-tan earth stallion with a brown mane under his tall Stetson. His face was adorned with a curled mustache, at the end of his long muzzle. He wore a navy-blue vest and a red bandanna around his neck, his sherrif's badge gleaming in the sunlight. On the other end of the desk was Mayor Coltwell, a portly mint-coated stallion. He too wore a vest, his a dark maroon adorned with gold buttons. What was left of his brown mane was combed over, as if to hide the hair-free patch atop his head. Upon the short stallion's flank was an inkwell spilled over a slip of parchment, but what it represented, nopony knew. From his forehead protruded a short, stubby horn. However, despite his race, Coltwell was known to be vastly incompetent in terms of magic. In the eyes of the public, he might as well have been an earth pony.

"Well howdy there Bullet," said Silverstar, his voice high and thick with a cowpony accent. "How're the shooters doin' down there?"

"Too nervous to have a single foul thought," he smirked. "Won't have to worry 'bout none o' them doin' nothin' wrong."

"Good to hear," said Coltwell. "Do you think that anypony down there will out-shoot our little surprise today?"

Coltwell chuckled heartily, gesturing to the other pony in the room. Invisible from the eyes of the audience on the far side of the announcer's booth, a stallion stood on his hindlegs, leaning back against the wall with his forelegs crossed. The earth pony had a coat of gold, his long mane and tail toned with two shades of blonde. Atop his head was a dark brown Stetson, its color matching the duster around his torso. The jacket had a long mantle that draped over his shoulders and down to his elbows. The stallion's eyes were a bright, brilliant emerald, their lids low and tired-looking. Aside him was a Marechester rifle, in its scabbard and leaning on the wall. At the sight of his father, Braeburn dropped to all fours and greeted him with a nod, a small grin on his face.

"Howdy Pa," he said, although weakly. His eyes were dark, and he didn't emanate his usual uplifting air. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, knowing all too well what was going on in his son's mind. The matter had been discussed time and time again, and didn't need to be repeated here of all places.

"He could ask you the same question, Braeburn," said Coltwell with a grin. "You look terrible."

"Why thank ya' kindly, sir," he replied with a sigh. "Sleep hasn't come too easily."

"Well you better not be too tired to shoot, boy. I've got money riding on you!" Coltwell laughed, although without aid from the three ponies around him. Bullet Tyme cocked a suspicious eyebrow, his thoughts conveyed by the sheriff:

"Now Mayor, Ah know yer new to the town and all, but gamblin' is illegal here in Appleloosa."

"Oh Silverstar, you're too uptight sometimes," he smirked. "Technically we are outside of Appleloosa, therefore outside of its laws. Regardless, it's just a figure of speech."

Now why do Ah doubt that it's just talk? Bullet thought, holding back a scowl of disdain. Appointing Coltwell as the new mayor of Appleloosa wasn't exactly a popular decision, but he was ultimately better than his opponent. Appleloosa wasn't a town that really needed a mayor, due to its small size, but apparently there were reasons for it. Regardless, there was just something about the green unicorn that just didn't sit right with Bullet Tyme. Perhaps it was merely his own paranoia, but for now, he would be kept in close sights.

Coltwell returned his attention to the match below, as the two competitors waited for their round to begin. The mayor turned around on his stool and stumbled on his words as he hurriedly declared through the microphone: "O-Oh! Alright! Next up we have two pegasi, both here from Los Pegasus. First up is Lucky Lane, firing the Marelin Model 1894S, chambered for the rare .41 Magnum. The round is unusual and fairly pricey, but certainly gets the job done. After him, we have the favorite of Los Pegasus, the youngest competition shooter in Equestria; Aerial Ace!" The crowd whooped and cried out in applause, mostly from finite sections of the stands that weren't from Appleloosa. "Today she also wields a Marechester 1892. However, Aerial's weapon is the shorter carbine model, chambered for the .357 Magnum. First off is Lucky, fire when ready."

"Come 'ere boy, and watch this match," said Bullet, gesturing for his son to look. Abiding by Coltwell's wishes, Braeburn took a peek from afar, as to not let any pony see him from the window. "That white filly down there has some real talent. Smart little foal to boot."

"How d'ya know that?"

"Fer one, she's all over the papers outside o' town. Ah also had the pleasure to speak with her," Bullet explained. "She might be the next big thing in this here sport."

Braeburn replied with a yawn, his eyelids flickering open. "Might just be."

"Will ya' wake up? Ya' ain't gonna win by-" Bullet stopped mid-sentence. With that thought, an idea came to the stallion's mind; one that made him feel a surge of benevolence rarely found in his thoughts. He looked out of the corner of his eye to Aerial at the range below. She was so young; it wasn't right that she had to work so hard just to live. The filly couldn't have been more than ten years old, and yet she was the one supporting her household. Bullet Tyme dropped his expression of aggravation, instilling an odd look from Braeburn. He cocked an eyebrow at his father, his tired eyes tracing his face. "Come out here fer a second."

Bullet Tyme avoided the gazes of the sheriff and the mayor, grabbing the lapel of Braeburn's duster and dragging him outside. The beige stallion wordlessly followed his father down the spiral staircase, descending to the ground below. Once they were around the corner of the fence and out of earshot, Bullet stopped.

"Pa, are y'alright?"

"Yeah, nothin' wrong at all. Just listen fer a second," he explained, keeping his voice low. Bullet gestured to the range next to them; to the white filly raising her Marechester to the targets down the lane. "Ah talked to that filly fer a bit before Ah came back out here. D'ya know why she's goin' through all these competitions?"

"Fer fame? 'Cause it's a fun little sport?" Braeburn suggested with tired sarcasm, smirking despite himself.

"'Cause she has to, boy," he answered gravely, continuing on to retell the conversation her had with the small pegasus. When he was done, Braeburn winced slightly, casting a sympathetic gaze towards the range.

"Ah got an idea," he said. Bullet raised his brow, his eyelids low. "Ya' told her not to accept the challenge, right? Well, go tell her to take it."

Bullet furrowed his brow this time, his head recoiling back. "Have ya' lost yer head out in the sun, boy? That's not what Ah'm tryin' to-"

Braeburn held up a hoof to stop him. "Like ya' said Pa: Ah'm tired. You'll never know if it'll affect my shootin'."

The older stallion went to retort, but then quickly grasped his son's idea. His chest deflated with a long snort, turning into a hearty chuckle. For the first time all week, Bullet smiled at his son. "Good thinkin', boy."

"Either way, Coltwell paid us up front," Braeburn grinned, pointing to the stone bunker behind Bullet. "Aerial's round is over, go on and convince her to take it. Ah'll be up with Silverstar and Coltwell."

Braeburn turned on a hoof back toward the staircase, but wasn't able to depart before his father called after him. The beige earth pony looked over his shoulder, his eyes falling unfocused upon the older stallion. Bullet Tyme sighed at the sight of his exhausted son, dropping the gritty veil. Berating him wasn't going to help anymore. "Chin up, boy. Things'll work out."

His son looked forward and away from him, dropping his head slightly. "Uh huh," he said, although without sincerity.

"Hey, just because ya' moved out doesn't mean that yer not still my son," said Bullet, his tone truthful. Braeburn seemed to chew on that for a moment before turning his head back to his father.

"And what's that mean?"

"It means that Ah still care 'bout ya'," he continued. "Ah know that you've got yer own thing goin' on nowadays, but yer still my son and my top worker. Are ya' gonna be alright, Braeburn?"

"Ah...Ah sure hope so, Pa," he chuckled, finally looking Bullet in the eye again. "Either way, Ah'll make sure Aerial gets her money. Ah hope this is fer a good cause."

"Darn tootin'," Bullet grinned. "And don't worry Braeburn, she'll come back."

The beige stallion offered a halfhearted smile before returning to the announcer's box above. Bullet Tyme huffed, although not without a sense of understanding. He knew all too well the pain of heartache, even if it was a different kind of pain. At least she didn't leave without giving them a gift first; a gift that not only brought their family business back from the grave, but also granted them financial comfort. Never before had Bullet Tyme felt so at ease in terms of money. A small fortune will do that. Even if it was at the cost of revealing an unfortunate heritage, it was all worth it. He knew that Braeburn appreciated the mare's parting gift, but the stallion hadn't seen his son so lonely and somber before. The ups and downs of a miracle, as it were.

Bullet Tyme shook his head, clearing his mind to return to the task at hoof. He looked up to find Aerial Ace returning to a small gathering of cheering competitors in the stone bunker ahead. A couple of them even shook her hoof or simple gaped at her in awe. The stallion smiled at the sight. At least they were being friendly. Bullet adjusted the strap of his rifle's scabbard and continued forward, hoping that Aerial would make it to the final round.

The competition had proved to be quite entertaining, to say the least. Even in his exhausted state of mind, Braeburn found his eyes glued to the range below. Throughout the many shooters, rounds and events, he grew more and more excited. While he hoped that the white filly from Los Pegasus climbed to the top, a part of him didn't care who it was. The stallion just wanted to shoot against somepony. Watching them compete stirred an adrenaline that he hadn't felt in a long time. He didn't wish to showcase his talents, for that had been done before. Despite his mild disdain toward his own fame, he was still known as the infamous riflepony of Appleloosa; the Colt of the West.

Every time that title had been uttered, Braeburn felt a grimace form on his face. He knew what he stood for, but not everypony shared the same idea. Once word had spread of his lineage, judgement had instantly fallen upon him. While some saw him as a goodhearted stallion, others saw him as some sort of threat. It was as if they expected him to snap at some point and rob a bank or something similar. Unfortunately, that was simply how ponies worked. An infamous criminal for an ancestor? Well then he must be a terrible pony himself. Perhaps that notion was just easier to take in rather than objectivity.

Braeburn tore his mind from such unpleasent thoughts, and instead returned his attention to the competition below. It appeared that he hadn't focused on anything around him for the better part of two hours. He looked to the sun through the observation windows to find it just past its apex, confirming his guess. Braeburn shook his carelessly-long mane from the side of his face, far too tired to scratch his itchy cheek. As he awoke from his melancholy stupor, his ears pricked up at the amplified sound of Coltwell's voice:

"...and now we finally arrive at the conclusion to this truly amazing competition! We've watched plenty of vastly-talented rifleponies shoot their way through this event, but only two remain to fight for the grand prize of one-thousand bits! We now call Smolder and Aerial Ace to the range. Load your rifles to capacity and come on down!"

Braeburn raised his eyebrows at the names, pleased to hear that Aerial had made it this far. He looked to his left to find Bullet Tyme, shaking his head at him. "Daydreamin' boy? Starin' off wistfully at the floor ain't gonna show ya' what's goin' on."

"Noted," he said quietly, shaking his head in an attempt to lighten the weight in his eyelids. He looked up to find Coltwell and Silverstar busying themselves with a few scraps of parchment; perhaps paperwork of some kind. Taking advantage of their distraction, Braeburn leaned closer to his father, whispering through his teeth: "Ya' think she'll win?"

"Hopin' so, or else Ah told her to take a challenge she won't have the chance to accept," he whispered back. Braeburn nodded, returning his gaze to the range below.

The benches had been removed from the long expanse of dry flatland, as well as the small barrier that separated the individual lanes. Now the mare and the filly stood at least one-hundred yards away from five red, circular targets, standing in a horizontal line thirty hooves from the ground upon wooden stands. He had previously been briefed on the challenges from Mayor Coltwell, but he still found this one to be peculiar, although interesting. The mere distance of the shots alone was challenging, but then the height of the targets was a factor worth consideration. It was a simple difference, but one that would completely throw an untrained shooter off their narrow line of equilibrium. The majority of rifleponies trained with level targets, situated only so many hooves off the ground. One would rarely think to practice with higher shots, especially at this distance.

Down below, the light-orange mare slung her rifle over her shoulder, blowing her vibrant yellow bangs out of her eyes. She sat down on her haunches, watching as Aerial Ace took up her weapon. Coltwell took then completed his announcements for the final match:

"This last round combines speed, accuracy and also dealing with unforeseen circumstances. This may seem like an easy task, but let me assure you that it's not."

"The hay kind of announcin' is that?" Bullet jibed aloud, catching the mayor's sidelong gaze. Coltwell smirked with only the slightest amount of annoyance. "Ya' sound like yer not sure o' what yer talkin' 'bout."

Braeburn and Silverstar snickered audibly, forcing fits of laughter back down their throats.

"...Up first is Aerial Ace. Shoot all five targets as quick as possible. Time penalties will be taken for every shot missed. Her time will start when the first round is chambered. Fire when ready."

The white filly reared up on her hindhooves, throwing her short rifle around her hoof, racking it in the same motion. Braeburn couldn't help but smile at that. He had thought that he was the only one who performed that trick. In the instant that the front stock of the small rifle fell into her left forehoof, the weapon barked five times in a mere three seconds, accompanied by the distant tings of the rounds colliding with the metal targets. Braeburn felt his eyebrows lift, impressed by the rapid display. At the last shot, Coltwell stopped the ticking watch upon the desk.

"Well look at that! All five shots completed in a matter of three seconds on the dot! Impressive work indeed! Next up is Smolder, here to defend her honor as the fastest mare in the-"

But even Coltwell's amplified voice didn't overcome the earthshaking boom that resounded over the desert. For a moment, time stood still, and nopony spoke nor moved an inch. Braeburn felt a cold shiver shoot up his spine as trepidation flooded his veins. He whipped his head around and looked through the door that led to the spiral staircase. To the North stood the short buildings of Appleloosa, only about half a mile away from the range. The stallion immediately spotted a cloud of dust and smoke forming above the West side of the small town, where the sheriff's office was. Adrenaline awoke his tired mind as the crowd behind him started crying out in shock. Braeburn turned back to the three ponies around him, staring at the sheriff.

"Silverstar, who did ya' have take watch over Appleloosa?!" he asked, perhaps louder than he intended.

"My brother sent his Deputy from Dodge!" he replied, his voice wavering. "Ah thought he knew what he was doin'!"

Braeburn's emerald eyes widened as realization washed over him. The sheriff wasn't aware of Deputy Conners' incompetence, and it probably just cost the inexperienced stallion his life.

The beige stallion turned on a hoof, throwing his sheathed rifle over his shoulder and bolting out the door, his father close behind. In his haste, Braeburn disregarded the height and leaped over the railing, his duster billowing in the air behind him. As the ground came closer, the stallion braced his shoulders and turned his head down. Braeburn rolled across the ground, digging his hindhooves into the sand and kicking off into a full gallop.

"Always gotta be the hero, huh boy?" came the gruff voice of his father alongside him.

"Darn Silverstar! Puttin' Conners of all ponies in charge o' town!" Braeburn grimaced, ignoring Bullet's sarcasm. "That stallion won't touch a gun but he expects to uphold the law?"

"Braeburn!" Bullet retorted. "Calm yerself, boy! Y'ain't helpin' nopony with yer anger!"

The beige earth pony growled to himself, knowing full and well that his father was right. With a snort, he shoved his adrenaline aside and did his best to focus to the task at hoof. He paced himself, slowing down to reserve as much strength as he could. Bullet Tyme huffed, seemingly appreciative at the speed difference.

Up ahead, the cloud of smoke rose higher above Appleloosa, growing larger as more black smog billowed from the town. As they reached the outskirts of the small settlement, their ears pricked up to the echoing sounds of fearful screams. What in Equestria was going on? The West finally had a year of undisturbed peace, and now this? As far as Braeburn knew, their weren't any bandits left since the fall of Sure Shot and his gang. But then again, that didn't mean that more wouldn't pop up in their absence.

The two earth stallions arrived at the edge of town, stopping in an alley between the barber shop and the local tavern. Braeburn's mind raced, searching for an answer as to what was going on. The smoke was rising over to the left, the tell-tale sign of a large amount of dynamite. He leaned against a stack of barrels, panting heavily.

"That's right over Silverstar's office," Bullet noted, pointing to the rising smoke. "Somepony's tryin' to harm him, Ah reckon."

"Ah hope Conners ain't there," said Braeburn. He stepped carefully out and into the main road, looking Westward to find the source of the smoke. His fears had been confirmed at the sight of Silverstar's office. The front of the small building was completely gone, splinters of wooden debris scattered across the dirt road. Dying flames burned around the office; remnants of the explosion. A few ponies were seen fleeing the area, taking cover in their homes and closing the shades. Braeburn felt a hoof wrap around his neck, pulling him back into the alleyway.

"What're ya' doin', boy?!" Bullet hissed. "D'ya wanna end up dead? We can't just run in there guns a' blazin'! We gotta be careful and plan out our moves! We don't know who's in there!"

"Ugh, yer right. Ah know," Braeburn growled, annoyed at his own haste. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

"Ah said on the ground!" came a low, powerful male voice. Braeburn turned his head around the corner of the barber shop, peeking out to find three ponies next to the sheriff's office. The voice evidently belonged to the short stallion, standing on hindhooves over a male and female; both pegasi. They both had coats of light beige, the mare's almost white. The stallion's mane was long and black, the other's multiple shades of brown. They wore brightly-colored, floral-patterned shirts, giving them the looks of tourists. The bandit held a large blunderbuss, pointing its funneled barrel to the backs of their heads. His coat was black as night, but still didn't hide the rippling muscle underneath his skin. His orange mane and tail were cut short, adding another level of intimidation to the bulky stallion. The couple shivered in fear under his rifle, their hooves over their heads.

Visible through the gaping hole of the office were a few more bandits, wearing red bandannas over their muzzles. They seemed to be searching for something, for they were tearing through the remnants of the building, flipping over desks and chairs in an attempt to find whatever they were looking for.

"What do ya' reckon they want?" asked Braeburn.

"They're lookin' fer somethin'...but what?" Bullet thought aloud. "Think they're workin' fer Sure Shot?"

Braeburn cocked an eyebrow. "What? Sure Shot ain't even bein' kept there any more. He's held outside o' Dodge Junction."

Bullet then finished the thought. "Yeah, and the keys to his underground cell are kept in Silverstar's office!"

"But if these ponies are tryin' to get him out, how in the hay did they figure out where we hid 'em?"

"We'll figure that out after we save those two hostages," Bullet replied, looking back out to the two pegasi laying on their stomachs. "Oh no."

"What's wrong, Pa?"

"Two pegasi we've never seen before, dressed up like they're from outta town," he growled. "Aerial told me that her parents were hangin' 'round Appleloosa."

Braeburn's eyes flew open, realization dawning upon him.

"We gotta save 'em, boy. Ah can't let that filly lose her parents."

"Right," the beige stallion said, immediately forming a plan.

Ignoring his father's words, Braeburn climbed up the stacks of barrels, jumping up and grabbing a hold of the edge of the tavern's roof. With a huff, he pulled himself up and onto the slanted shingles. The stallion looked back down to his father below, whispering: "Wait here and cover me if somethin' goes wrong."

"What d'ya think yer doin'? Get back down here!" he hissed back, his expression livid.

"Sorry Pa, but if we don't help them, nopony will get here in time," Braeburn replied, turning back around and running across the rooftop. There were three buildings separating him from the sheriff's office, and he had to cross them without being detected. Braeburn crept low over the shingles, wincing with every thump his hooves made. He cast a careful glance over the edge of the roof, finding the black stallion and his hostages grow closer with every step. He found himself stopping at the sight of the muscular pony, his mind alight with a certain memory. That black coat, his bright-orange mane...Braeburn knew the stallion, and trepidation washed over him once he recognized him.

He remembered how the large bandit struck a mare directly in the cheek, a mare that he hadn't seen in over a year. He remembered exploding into a rage, his blood boiling in his veins. This was one of Sure Shot's old followers, and that could only mean one thing: They were trying to break him out.

Braeburn gritted his teeth, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, gaining every yard he could to see what was going on. Sure, he could have easily disarmed the stallion from the opposite side of town, but then what stopped the others from taking out their hostages? That, and he couldn't simply shoot them. He had to pan his shots, and make sure that he avoided killing them if possible. He may have been an upholder of the law, but he was by no means an executioner. As he walked across the bakery next to the destroyed building, he crept low and crawled on his stomach. He silently unsheathed the rifle from his back, keeping it underneath his forehooves.

"Please! We haven't done anything wrong!" cried the pegasus mare. "We don't even live here! We were just-"

"Ah don't care what ya' say wench," the black stallion growled. "Ah'm keepin' ya' here fer insurance. Now keep quiet!"

Braeburn stopped dead in the middle of racking the lever of his weapon, his eye twitching. Insurance? The pieces started to come together now. They had to have known about the nationally-advertised competition, which gave them the best opportunity to strike. All they would have to do was take care of Silverstar, which they didn't need to do. So with Silverstar 'gone,' why would they need hostages for 'insurance'? Because of him; the Colt of the West. It only made sense to take such a precaution. To criminals, he was known as a threat; the pony that put Sure Shot behind bars. But why would they keep hostages out in the open like this? More than likely to broadcast them to any possible law enforcement, or even him.

"They're not in here!" came a voice from the interior of the office.

"Check again!"

"We've 'checked again' three times now! Silverstar must have moved them!"

The large stallion engaged his blunderbuss, shoving the barrel to the back of the male pegasus' head. "Did you two move 'em?"

"Gah! Move what?!" he cried into the dirt. "We're just visiting from Los Pegasus! We're not cops!"

Their captor snorted, a dirty scowl forming on his face. He turned his head back to his unseen comrades. "Did ya' get anything from that blank-flank pony?"

Braeburn grimaced. Conners; they had him too. At least he was still alive.

"He don't know nothin' boss," came the previous voice. "Just some stupid guard dog fer Silverstar."

"Well hurry it up in there! Coltwell only gave us so much time!"

What? What?!

Braeburn's mind spun in his head, alight with confusion. However, he didn't have time to speculate, for something cold and metallic pressed against the back of his head.

"Ahhh...Braeburn Apple, I presume."

Thirteen - Of Folklore and Origins

Braeburn awoke to a wonderful sensation of warmth and comfort with something thick and heavy draped over his entire body. His left eye cracked open to find a tan comforter thrown over his head, while a bright source of light attempted to shine through the fabric. He groaned in content as he stretched his limbs below the sheets, reveling in the feeling of the material against his fur. He found that his duster had been wrapped tightly around him, more than likely caused by him rolling in his sleep again. His ears lay flat against the sides of his head, but he was able to hear the muffled sounds of voices from across the room. For a moment or two, Braeburn questioned whether or not he was fully awake, and decided to find out for himself.

The stallion groaned in comfort once more, raising a hoof to uncover his head. He looked sleepily through half-lidded eyes around the room, taking in the details as slowly as possible. It was difficult to judge the position of the sun from his spot on Daring’s bed and therefore the time, but he felt as if he had been sleeping for a long time. Across the room, Azure, Day Break and Daring sat around the coffee table having some sort of discussion. His marefriend had apparently disposed of the tattered remains of her old shirt, for she now wore a new one identical to it. Braeburn looked over to his right to find the cockpit door open, spotting Artemis and his father seated at the controls of the ship. Evidently everypony else had woken up quite some time before him, for they all looked to be fully awake and well-rested.

Daring Do looked over toward Braeburn, smiling brightly at the sight of him. “Hey, lazy-flank. Good to see you decided to wake up.”

“I was about to think you were suffocating under there,” Day Break agreed.

The monochromatic mare hopped down from her seat on the couch, trotting over to help rouse the stallion out of bed. As she did, she asked in an undertone: “How’s your shoulder?”

Braeburn slowly rose to his haunches, rolling his shoulder in its socket. “Much better. How’d ya’ know ‘bout that, anyhow?”

“You were limping all the way to the ship,” Daring answered, busying herself by adjusting the mantle of his duster for him. “Plus, your father told me about those Dragon’s Breath rounds. Maybe it’s best to avoid using those.”

Braeburn laughed. “Yer sweet, but Ah can deal with pain. It’s letting the enemy win when Ah have a chance to stop ‘em that Ah can’t do.”

“Still as stubborn as ever,” Daring mused, climbing up on the bed to sit in front of him. “Artemis and your dad will be out in a bit. We’re all gonna sit down and make a game plan of what we’re gonna do. I was just talking to Azure to see if he knew anything about Sure Shot that would help us.”

“Get anything good?”

Daring shook her head. “Nothing entirely game-changing, just minor details about what it was like working for him. You’ll hear about the rest in a bit. I guess Sure Shot was smart about what he shared with his followers. That is to say, nothing, of course.”

“Perfect,” Braeburn sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Just as Daring was about to reply, Bullet Tyme and Artemis returned from the front of the ship. The pilot sat down on the end of the other cot, while the older stallion took his usual spot on the couch across from Day Break and Azure Spark. Daring turned around on her haunches while Braeburn scooted himself forward to get a better view of the ponies around him.

“Glad to see yer awake, finally,” Bullet said to his son, who only nodded sleepily in response.

“Well, we still have another couple of hours until we reach land, so let’s get this all over with,” said Artemis in a tired voice. “We’re going to be landing just outside of Ponyville, right on the edge of the Everfree Forest. We’ll get the journal, get back here and figure out our next step from there. Short, sweet and to the point. Well, for now at least.”

“So I guess now would be a good time for you to tell us about that journal, Daring,” said Azure Spark, once again bringing all eyes to the dark mare. “I mean, if that’s alright. Sure Shot never mentioned anything about what he was looking for. Well, except that it would change the world around us once he got it in his hooves. I’m hoping that’s not entirely true.”

Daring sighed through her nostrils, her expression turning grave. “If somepony like him gets it, then unfortunately it would prove to be very true.”

“So what is it?” asked Bullet, growing impatient.

“I’m getting to that,” said Daring. “What Sure Shot is looking for is known to the archaeological world as nothing but a myth, but then again, Cunning the Colt was a myth too. But unlike him, there has never been anything in history that would suggest this item’s existence. Heck, I never even thought about it being real until I took a closer look at that journal, and trust me, I looked everywhere beforehoof. For Sure Shot to even be actively looking for it means that he must have learned something to convince him of its existence. I would love to know what he found that I couldn’t. In any case, Sure Shot must be the world’s biggest fool to go after it.”

“Unfortunately, a ‘fool’ is something I would never imagine calling that stallion,” said Azure gravely.

“I think you’ll change your mind about that once I get to my point,” said Daring, her brow furrowing. “Cunning’s journal was, by far, the most interesting piece of literature I have ever read. If he wasn’t a criminal, he could have been a very successful writer. Contrary to the idea of the typical dim-witted robber, the original Colt of the West was extremely detailed and actually quite eloquent in his writing. He could certainly paint a picture better than most novelists today. So it was odd to find words that were… out of place every now and then.”

“Out of place? Like how?” asked Braeburn, suddenly engaged in her story.

“This pony wrote as if every single word was carefully picked to maximize every last aspect of reading his journal, from the descriptions to the flow of his recollections. I mean Cunning didn’t even make a single grammar or spelling mistake! Not to mention his flawless quillwork. So when I spotted these… well, not really mistakes, but just odd word use, they stood out like a sore hoof. After I read the journal, I went back to the beginning with a notepad and a little objectivity.”

Daring then dipped her head down to the left side of the bed, rummaging through her bag on the floor. She withdrew a dark notepad, sitting back up to her haunches and flipping through to a bookmarked page. “The first word I found that was out of place was ‘idiot.’ When describing somepony of… well, less than average intelligence, Cunning used words like ‘buffoon,’ or ‘dim-witted.’ Needless to say, this word stood out to me, so I wrote it down. From there, I would find instances just like this one, and I noted every single one. Unfortunately, I only got halfway through the journal during this process before we made our way toward Mesoequestria. But… I did manage to find something… something incredible. The first letter of every oddly-placed word spelled… well, this.”

The archaeologist took her hoof away from the notepad and held it up for everypony to see.

I am one of many. We safeguard the Fyre of Tar

“The ‘Fyre of Tar’?” Braeburn read aloud, confused. “What in the hay is the Fyre of Tar?”

“That’s as far as I got before we set out for Mesoequestria,” said Daring. “But it looks like Azure is the only pony here who seems to grasp what the rest of the sentence is.”

With that, Braeburn, Day Break, Artemis and Bullet Tyme cast a curious glance over to the unicorn, who looked as if he had seen Death himself. His eyes were wide, his face pale as a ghost. He sat wordlessly aside Day Break, his lips parted and twitching. “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”

“Now you know why I’m calling Sure Shot a fool,” Daring replied, flipping the notepad closed and setting it back down. “For the rest of you, the only thing that the rest of that last word could possibly say in such a context is ‘Tartarus.’”

Braeburn’s eyelids flew open upon hearing the name, his head recoiling back in shock. “H-Hold on. Ya’ mean the Tartarus? Like, the lowest floor o’ the Underworld? The one where the most evil o’ beasts are imprisoned?”

“The very same,” answered Daring, holding the notepad up again. “And I know somepony is gonna ask so I’ll just get right to it. The ‘Y’ in the word ‘fyre’ is not a mistake. In fact, it only helps confirm this entire discovery. Way back in the day, the word ‘fire’ was often spelled with a ‘Y’ in the place of an ‘I’ when referring to magical conjuring. And by ‘back in the day,’ I mean from when the Equestrian language was established to a few years after Cunning’s time.”

“So just what is this Fyre of Tartarus?” asked Bullet Tyme again.

“It’s… it’s a catalyst of divine magical energy,” Daring answered. “Legends suggest that it’s an item of unknown origin to any and every inscription or tome. Scholars and archaeological theorists think that it was created from the raw power of one of the Old Ones; the gods and goddesses that made the world around us. Of course, that’s just one belief. Not many theories have been made on the subject of the Fyre of Tartarus, even less than that of the original Colt of the West. Considering what it was allegedly used for, even the most eccentric of minds never put a single thought toward it.”

“It was said to have been used as a safeguard within the Underworld, right?” asked Azure in a quiet, slightly shaking voice.

“In a way,” said the archaeologist. “As some of you may know, the Gates of Tartarus are currently guarded by Cerberus; the giant three-headed dog, but he wasn’t always there. In the old days before he was around, the monsters doomed to Tartarus were kept inside by nothing but the Fyre’s power. But over time, more and more creatures were imprisoned, and the Gates needed a new form of protection to keep the monsters at bay. Once Cerberus was placed to guard Tartarus, the Fyre needed to be moved and protected. It was said that a small group of ponies was formed to guard the item; to hide it and make sure its divine power never fell into the wrong hooves. According to my findings in the journal, it looks like Cunning the Colt had something to do with this group.”

“From what I’ve heard, the Gates themselves were put under a powerful spell after the Fyre was moved,” Azure said, adding to the story.

“By who? Celestia?” asked Day Break.

“I dunno,” shrugged Daring. “Could have been her, Luna or heck, it could have been Starswirl the freaking Bearded. Like I said, not much of this tale has been theorized. All I know is what I’ve said, and I can’t even guarantee any of that.”

“Stars above,” Braeburn breathed, laughing silently in bewilderment. He closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his brow with a hoof. “Cunning the Colt… ya’ continue to surprise me.”

“You’re not the only one,” Daring assured. “I was certain that his existence was all I was going to find about him. For a moment there, I actually went against my personal archaeological code.”

“And what’s that?” asked Braeburn.

“Never stop digging, even if you’ve found what you were looking for,” she answered with a sidelong grin. “That just leaves one question, I guess: How does Sure Shot of all ponies know about the Fyre, and why is he searching for it?”

“Ya’ know, it makes a whole lotta sense,” Bullet Tyme grunted, bringing the attention of the room to himself. “Now that Ah know what he’s lookin’ to gain from all o’ this.”

“Pa…” said Braeburn quietly. “Ah reckon it might be a good time fer you to tell us just what happened between you and Sure Shot.”

Artemis blinked, his head cocking back an inch or two. “Hold on, Brae. What are you talking about?”

“It turns out that Bullet Tyme had something to do with Sure Shot in the past,” Daring started before quoting the exchange that the two seasoned rifleponies shared in the temple. Braeburn was silently hoping for Artemis to wait before expressing his feelings, but the gray earth pony didn’t seem to be able to hold his emotions back.

Artemis’ look of confusion slowly contorted into that of pure anger. The pilot jumped down from his seat on the end of Day Break’s bed, taking a few quick strides across the room. Before anypony knew it, Artemis shoved his face into Bullet’s, his forelegs standing on the coffee table. “You did this?! You were the one that trained that killer?! You’re the reason my goddaughter was beaten to near death in the middle of the jungle?!”

“Artemis!” Daring exclaimed, appalled. But her godfather didn’t seem to be listening.

“Do you mean to tell me that you were the one that gave that maniac the tools that caused so many deaths and this much destruction?!” Artemis yelled directly in Bullet Tyme’s face. Braeburn would have been infuriated at anypony attempting to engage his father, but judging by the unimpressed look on the older stallion’s face, it seemed that he had nothing to worry about. “I trusted you, Bullet Tyme, and now I learn this?!”

“Ah know all too well what yer feelin’, Artemis,” grunted Bullet Tyme, his voice low and calm. “Ah get it, yer lookin’ to strike back at anypony that could’ve been the reason fer what happened to Daring. But Ah’ll tell ya’ one thing; yer aimin’ yer sights at the wrong pony.”

Daring leaped off the bed and flew over to her godfather’s side, forcibly yanking him back down to the floor by the shoulder. She kept her hoof there, glaring into the gray stallion’s eyes. “Artemis, I appreciate your enthusiasm to take revenge for me, but Bullet Tyme isn’t the one that did all of this to me. Quite frankly, I don’t need you to fight my battles. Please just sit back down and let this pony explain what happened.”

Somehow, the tension didn’t seem to die down immediately. Artemis kept his heated gaze fixed on Bullet Tyme, who returned it without a single blink. Braeburn, Day Break and Azure Spark stared at the two stallions, completely stunned by the pilot’s sudden outrage. It wasn’t like Artemis to lash out irrationally like that. The gray stallion was usually objective and collected. But lately, he seemed to be losing his control. Braeburn was astounded by the stallion’s quickness to defend his goddaughter, especially to such a drastic point.

After a moment or two, Artemis finally broke eye contact with Bullet and sat back down in his original seat, crossing his forelegs as he waited for the riflepony to speak. Daring returned to her bed next to Braeburn, her eyes flickering between the two stallions. Bullet Tyme sat up on his haunches atop his couch, cracking his neck as he adapted to the new position.

“Ah was hopin’ to keep this between me and my son, but Ah guess ya’ll deserve to know what happened,” he started, looking to everypony in the room.

“I think that it would prove to be useful information to all of us,” Azure commented.

“Right, well… Ah wasn’t always an apple farmer, as you can imagine. What ya’ might not know is that Ah wasn’t always… well, a good pony.” Bullet continued. He then looked toward his son, his wrinkled eyes full of what one could only define as guilt and regret. “Braeburn, what Ah’m about to say might very well change how ya’ look at me. Ah should’ve told ya’ this years ago, and Ah’m sorry fer that.”

“Pa, just do me a favor and just say it,” said Braeburn flatly. “The past is the past. Ah’m not one to dwell on what doesn’t matter no more.”

Bullet Tyme seemed to chew on that for a moment. For the briefest of instances, Braeburn thought he spotted a small smile flash upon his father’s face. “Dodge wasn’t always such a nice place. Ah grew up in bad times, when good ponies were hard to come by. The West wasn’t exactly protected by the eyes of the Equestrian Guard. If there was a disaster, we were on our own. Back when Ah was about yer age, Braeburn, Ah was involved with some less than favorable folk. Ah found myself without any other choice. It was either take what Ah needed or be killed in the crossfire. Ah reckon it didn’t help that Ah was born with a special talent quite like mine. Ah could have used it fer good, maybe even start a revolution that freed the West from the hooves of the greedy and the corrupt. But… Ah was young and stupid.”

Bullet Tyme paused for a moment, quietly reflecting on his memories. “Ah did some bad things to ponies that didn’t deserve it; ponies that never did a darned thing, all so Ah could get by. One day, there was a massive firefight in the San Palomino Desert, in a small settlement at the bottom of the mesas. We were headin’ off a supply caravan comin’ from Los Pegasus, but we were expected. The sheriff of Dodge Junction rounded up some rifleponies and set up an ambush. Turned out that the caravan was a trap, and we never saw it comin’. We were cornered and losin’ ponies by the minute. But in all the chaos, my eye managed to fall on a civilian. It was a colt, hidin’ behind a crumblin’ wall. He looked at me from across a road of flyin’ bullets. Ah had seen my fair share o’ frightened ponies in my day, but never once did Ah look them in the eye. But somehow, this one got to me. Ah ran outta my cover to the colt’s side, and Ah did everything Ah could just to keep him alive. Ah’ll never know why Ah did it. Maybe it was the first time Ah ever felt sympathy fer an innocent, or maybe it was just the adrenaline. Before we were forced to flee, that boy clung to my leg like there was no tomorrow. Poor thing was in hysterics, covered in blood that wasn’t his. We had no time, so Ah got him outta there with us.”

“So was that Sure Shot?” Day Break asked, leaning forward over the coffee table.

“Are ya’ gonna let me tell this story or not?” Bullet retorted, cracking his neck again before moving on. “From there on out, that boy wouldn’t leave my side. Ah guess he looked at me like some sorta’ father figure. Ah’m guessin’ his Pa must’a died or left. Either way, Ah tried to shake him off. We couldn’t afford to have some kid hangin’ ‘round and slowin’ us down. But no matter how hard Ah tried, he wouldn’t leave. Price to pay fer savin’ his life, Ah guess. Over time, Ah kinda grew fond o’ the kid, especially when he saved my life.”

Everypony’s eyes flew open in shock, but none of them interrupted the stallion again. “One night me and my gang were camped out in the Macintosh Hills just North o’ the Badlands when somepony tried to rob us. Ah woke up to find that boy puttin’ a bullet square in the drifter’s eye from ten yards away with my gun. The shot was amazin’, not somethin’ no normal pony new to shootin’ could do, let alone in the dark o’ the night. At that point, there wasn’t a way in Equestria Ah could just abandon him. The boy didn’t have a name he liked, so I called him Sure Shot. We didn’t see it until the mornin’, but he woke up to find a cutie mark in the shape of a rifle sight on his flank. Fer years, Sure Shot was like the son Ah never had. He grew up to be the only pony that could even try to keep up with my shootin’, s’pecially after Ah trained him.”

“So… he helped you rob banks and things like that?” asked Braeburn.

“We didn’t think we had a choice, but Ah reckon that’s nothin’ more than an excuse,” Bullet replied. “One day we wound up in Dodge Junction in the middle o’ the night, lookin’ fer some place to stay. We were outta supplies, so we broke off into groups to look. Ah went off and snuck into a closed general store. Little did Ah know that there was somepony there still closin’ up shop. She flicked the light on and spotted me. It was a mare, the most beautiful Ah’d ever seen.”

Something clicked in Braeburn’s mind, causing his eye to twitch violently.

“Ah just stood there in shock, lookin’ at her like she was some kinda goddess,” Bullet went on, his tone nostalgic. “O’ ‘course, an innocent little filly like that wasn’t too keen on somepony with a gun breakin’ into her shop. Ah heard one o’ my friends lookin’ fer me outside, and Ah panicked. Before she could scream outta fright, Ah took the mare and hid both of us behind the counter. The stallion shot the door open and took what our team needed before he left. The mare thought that Ah was tryin’ to save her from my fellow riflepony, and Ah couldn’t bring myself to tell her otherwise. Long story short, that night led to me livin’ a double life: one shootin’ up banks with a mask on and the other with her.”

“What was the mare’s name?” asked Day Break curiously.

“Was it Melrose Apple?” Braeburn asked, his brow furrowed in slight anger. He glared at his father, appalled at this particular part of the story.

“How do you know, Brae?” asked Daring, tilting her head at him with concern.

“’Cause that was his mother’s name,” said Bullet regretfully, his eyelids low. “Ah’m sorry, Braeburn, but that was how Ah met yer Ma.”

Braeburn screwed his eyes shut, rubbing his temples in an attempt to wade through his disgust. “S’alright, Pa. Just… just get on with it.”

“Right,” the older stallion continued once again. Meanwhile, Daring placed a forehoof over Braeburn’s, doing her best to give him a reassuring smile. “Over time, Ah knew that eventually Ah would have to choose one life and leave the other behind. Once Ah knew that Ah loved Melrose, the choice was easy. But… Sure Shot didn’t agree with my decision. He felt like Ah abandoned him by not stealin’ alongside him and the rest o’ the gang. He was still young, but he was also a very angry pony. He couldn’t handle the only pony he could call family quitting the business, so Sure Shot left with the bandits that were still alive and not behind bars. It hurt to watch the boy go, but… Ah had my own son on the way at the time. Before ya’ ask, son, Ah did tell her everything, right when you were a foal. It was hard fer her to accept, but she never left you and Ah. Well, not on her own accord. The rest ya’ already know.”

Braeburn let his head fall into his hooves as he processed everything that his father said. He had never heard Bullet Tyme speak more than a few sentences at a time, let alone as much as he just did. The amount of information that was forced into his mind was overwhelming, and he took a few moments to think every last bit over. He felt Daring bring her hoof up to his back, rubbing slow circles along his shoulder blades.

“Ah’m sorry, Braeburn,” said Bullet Tyme sincerely. “Ah’m sorry that yer Pa was a criminal.”

“Ah know,” said the beige stallion, looking back up to his father. “And it’s in the past. Ah said that it didn’t matter no more, and it doesn’t. Yeah, ya’ made some mistakes in the past, but it seems like Ma turned ya’ right ‘round. If she was able to do that before she passed, then Ah reckon she’s a mite proud o’ ya’ up there.”

Bullet Tyme smiled, averting his eyes away from his son. “That lighten things up fer ya’, Artemis?”

The gray earth pony looked up from the floor, his previous scowl softening into something more acceptant. He let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his sleek black mane with a hoof. “So you were essentially the ‘Sure Shot’ of your time.”

“That’s an ironic spin on it, but yeah,” Bullet answered.

“Well… I guess nothing can change the past, and there’s nothing here telling me that you’re still that stallion,” Artemis admitted. “Evidently I owe you an apology, Bullet Tyme. I’m sorry for taking my anger out on you.”

“Don’t mention it, Art. Just get up front and tell me that we’re at least close to Equestria,” Bullet replied. “Ah’m getting’ sick o’ this tiny little cabin.”

“No problem,” the pilot replied with a sidelong grin. He hopped down from the cot and strode into the cockpit.

“Well, Daring, Ah guess Ah can only answer yer question with that story,” Bullet said, looking back to the archaeologist. “Sure Shot has always had a history cravin’ power. The world we live in was never quite to his likin’. So if he found a way to change it to his will, then Ah wouldn’t be surprised to see him go after it.”

“That’s a pretty… well, underwhelming answer, but an answer nonetheless,” Daring replied. “Thank you for telling us this, Bullet Tyme.”

The stallion nodded before lying back down on his couch, placing his hat over his face. After that, the cabin settled back into a sense of calm, allowing everypony to breathe. Braeburn, however, wasn’t so quick to relax. He turned around atop the bed, scooting over toward the window. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass, staring unfocused out the window to the blue sea below. He tucked his forehooves into the crooks of his legs in an attempt to cease their shaking. He tried to close his eyes, but found that they had been held wide open by his racing thoughts.

Hearing his quick breathing, Daring followed him to the window. She leaned against him, prodding his cheek with her muzzle. “Hey, Brae? Are you alright?”

Braeburn nodded against the glass, a few of his amber bangs pressed to his brow. “S’just a lot to take in.”

Daring nudged him by the shoulder with her forehead. “Come on, let’s go up top and get some air. It’s starting to get stuffy in here anyway.”

Without another word of convincing, Braeburn complied with her pushing and slid to the floor, standing to his hooves. Daring flew over to the back door of the cabin and opened it, pausing to catch Artemis’ attention with a sharp whistle. “Hey, Arty! Brae and I are gonna go get some air for a bit.”

“Alright,” he called back from his chair up front. “Do me a favor and bring one of your weapons with you. You never know if more of Sure Shot’s followers are gonna show up.”

Braeburn nodded wordlessly as he picked up Thumper and strapped it to his back. Daring went through the door first, her coltfriend close behind until somepony called after them.

“No hanky-panky, you two!” Day Break jeered.

“No what?” Braeburn asked, but was immediately pulled through the threshold by the collar of his duster.

“Day Break, I swear to Celestia…” Daring retorted, trailing off as she shut the door behind them.

Braeburn slowly climbed the curved ladder once they were outside, feeling a familiar nauseous sensation stir the contents of his stomach. The pegasus hovered alongside him in his ascent, making sure that he didn’t slip and fall. Once he reached the top, Daring landed in front of him atop the wooden maintenance dock. Braeburn walked up to her side, finding a horrified look on the mare’s face. He traced her gaze to the plethora of holes poked through the wood beneath their hooves, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth in guilt.

“Ohh… right, that,” he said bashfully.

“What did you do to my ship?” she breathed, appalled at the sight.

“Ah protected it,” Braeburn replied. “It was either that or the whole thing would be at the bottom of the ocean and we’d all be dead or close to dead.”

“I guess,” she muttered, rubbing a hoof to the scarred wood.

Braeburn allowed himself a small smirk, taking a few steps toward the front of the ship before falling to his haunches. He yawned widely, covering his mouth with a hoof. Daring plopped down directly in front of him, tilting her head with concern. However, she looked at him with a smile, her rose eyes gazing into his.

“Why do Ah get the feelin’ that ya’ took me up here just to get me alone?” Braeburn chuckled.

Daring replied by leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. Braeburn’s eyes drifted closed on reflex, turning his maw to accommodate hers. They sat there for the better part of a minute, kissing passionately as the wind blew their manes about. The stallion’s heart slowed down dramatically as his marefriend’s forehooves slid around his neck, deepening their embrace. He returned the favor, hugging her around the waist. Daring made a quiet squeaking noise, smiling against his lips as they continued. When his lungs needed more than what his nostrils could provide, Braeburn tilted his head forward, breaking the kiss. He and Daring both took a long, hot breath as they stared at each other with loving eyes. The earth pony felt a tingling sensation flow along his spine, effectively distracting him from his previous worries.

Neither of them removed their forelegs from each other, refusing to leave the embrace. Braeburn held her close, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Well, getting you all to myself was one reason, I’ll admit,” Daring panted slightly, rubbing her cheek against his. “So tell me, how does such an inexperienced stallion kiss as well as you do?”

“I dunno, Ah just think about how Ah feel ‘bout ya’,” Braeburn smiled as the two of them broke apart.

“Aww… Since when are you such a charmer?”

“Since-”

Daring stopped him with a hoof to his lips. “Rhetorical, Brae-Brae. Now did you need to talk about anything? You looked really shaken up back there.”

Braeburn sighed. “Nothin’ that ain’t self-explanatory. It was just overwhelmin’ to hear all o’ that. At first Ah thought that somehow Sure Shot had tricked my Pa into showin’ him how to deflect a bullet, but it turns out that he might as well have been part o’ the family before me. Not only that, but my Pa was the one robbin’ banks and terrorizing towns back then? Ah can’t rightly accept that so easily.”

“I know you can’t; nopony could,” said Daring, her voice soft. “But ask yourself this: do you feel like you’re tainted because of what your father did?”

“No, o’ ‘course not,” he replied. “A very wise pony once told me that Ah’m not my ancestor, and Ah reckon the same goes fer my father.”

Daring smiled brightly at that. “Just look at it this way: you’re going to take some time to absorb all of this information. But in the end, you still have a father that loves you; one that’s sticking around to make sure you’re safe. It’s obvious that you mean the world to him, Braeburn, so just… just know that you’re lucky as heck to have that.”

Braeburn’s head shot up at that, wincing at the touch of sadness in her eyes. “Oh, no Ah’m sorry-”

“Hey, no, it’s okay. I wasn’t talking about my situation,” Daring recovered quickly. “I’m not going to tell you not to feel what you should be feeling just because my father isn’t around anymore. That would be selfish.”

Braeburn winced reflexively at how casually she spoke of her deceased father. He brushed it aside after a beat, bringing himself back to the conversation. “Ah appreciate that, Daring. Thanks fer this.”

“No problem,” she replied, giving him another quick peck on the lips. “Besides, I can’t have you all mopy when I need you shooting.”

“That’s mighty affectionate o’ ya’,” said Braeburn sarcastically. He followed Daring to his hooves, brushing his windswept mane from his face. “But hey… Ah do have one question.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“Cute, but really now,” Braeburn continued, walking behind her toward the ladder. “When we got ya’ outta that temple, Ah was kinda expectin’ some sorta display o’ hate towards Ahuitzotl or at least Sure Shot. Ah mean good fer you not broodin’ over what happened, but… Are ya’ sure that ya’ don’t need to talk about it? Ah reckon now would be a good time.”

Daring stopped right in front of the ladder leading down to the cabin below the balloon. She paused, looking up to the sky while giving her wings and tail a flick. The pegasus turned around to face her coltfriend, her expression unreadable. For a moment, Braeburn was afraid of what she could have been feeling. He didn’t know if she was going to explode or break down into tears. However, Daring didn’t do either of those things.

“I haven’t expressed… how I feel about what happened because I know that my anger will be satisfied,” she said, confusing Braeburn even further. Her mouth was a flat line, nowhere close to a smile or a frown. Her apathetic demeanor unnerved a small part of the stallion, especially when she concluded her statement: “Ahuitzotl was the one that took my parents away. He was the one that beat the hay out of me for two days and nights. He effectively changed my life for the worse since the day we crossed each other’s paths. Because of all that, I will be the one to end that monster’s life.”