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They Shoot Ponies, Don't They?

by Donny's Boy

Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

The crossbow fired.

Applejack leapt forward.

It would have been a foolish decision, had it been something she'd decided-as fast a runner as she was, not even Rainbow Dash could have crossed that empty span of street in time to stop those arrows-but it wasn't a decision at all. Applejack saw the crossbow fire, and her legs pushed against the ground. Simple as that. But even if she hadn't stumbled when her bad leg gave under the sudden strain, she still would have been too late.

Time itself seemed to slow, as Applejack could do nothing but stand and watch in horror. The arrows flew through the air with a sort of strange, cruel gracefulness, their aim steady and true and deadly straight as they crossed the distance between the pegasus and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie still had her back turned, and still she shook and shivered from snout to tail. The apple pie danced atop her head, shaking right along with Pinkie, so much so that finally it fell right off its perch in Pinkie's mane.

The pie flipped end over end, wobbling, ungainly, and Pinkie Pie let out an ear-piercing gasp. Quick as a rattler strike, she ducked her head and caught the pie tin between her teeth a split-second before it could hit the ground.

Just centimeters above her fluffy pink mane, all four arrows sailed right on by. Not a single arrow so much as grazed the earth pony.

Everyone gathered along Appleloosa's main street stared in absolute, stunned silence. Even the pegasus didn't budge an inch or utter a single syllable.

Then Pinkie tossed back her head. The pie rocketed upwards, and Pinkie darted forward to snatch the pie right out of its tin. Still no one else dared speak or stir. The now-empty pie tin hung suspended in midair, just a moment, just a second, reflecting the bright noon sun like a flaming mirror, before gravity grabbed hold of it once again.

The pie tin fell, and Pinkie grinned. Applejack could see bits of crumb and apple stuck to the other mare's face, falling to the ground as those pink lips stretched broad and wide. With a small jerk of the head, Pinkie Pie grabbed the tin again. Abruptly she whipped around, and the pie tin hurtled through the quiet desert air like a discus thrown by a champion athlete at the Equestria Games.

As the tin ricocheted right off the pegasus' forehead, the mare let out a muted whinny and reared back in surprise. Which was a mistake. The tin must have hit just a bit harder than it looked, because as soon as was up on hind hooves, the pegasus began swaying. Applejack held her breath. Slowly, so painfully, painfully slowly, the pegasus tipped backwards, and at last her legs slipped out from under her.

The quiet thud of flesh against ground rang throughout the otherwise silent streets of Appleloosa, and a small cloud of dust sprayed up into the air. The dust hung suspended for a moment, a thousand tiny particles swirling and dancing in the bright sunlight, almost like mist from a waterfall. In all her days, Applejack had never seen anything so beautiful.

"The duel is over," said Little Strongheart. Even though she spoke softly, her voice sounded like a cannon in Applejack's ears. "Pinkie Pie … Pinkie Pie is the winner."

And just like that, whatever spell had gripped the town was broken.

With a deafening cheer, the Appleloosans rushed across the street. The remaining bandits traded nervous glances before letting go of Apple Bloom and shoving her toward the oncoming mob. The town's ponies had to skid to a halt to keep from trampling the filly, and the bandits grabbed that opportunity to turn tail and beat a hasty retreat. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom made a beeline for her sister, just as fast as her little hooves would take her, and Applejack hobbled forward to meet her.

"Applejack!"

The older mare scooped up the filly and held her tight against her chest. It hurt a little, the pressure on her shoulder, but Applejack only smiled. She could feel Apple Bloom's heart hammering through her chest, and she hugged Apple Bloom even fiercer and even tighter.

"I was so worried about you," she murmured into the filly's mane.

"Well, I wasn't worried even a little bit!" Apple Bloom bragged. "I knew you and Pinkie Pie wouldn't let nothin' bad happen."

It was a brazen lie, of course. The filly's wildly beating heart showed that well enough. Applejack couldn't bring herself to care. "O' course you weren't. You're the bravest filly I ever did meet." She chuckled as she gave Apple Bloom a nuzzle. "And o' course me and Pinkie wouldn't ever let nothin' happen to ya."

A sudden shout from behind drew Applejack's attention, and she glanced over her shoulder. Sheriff Silverstar and Braeburn had the pegasus mare all tied up, the ropes coiled around the mare's torso thick as a boa constrictor, and they'd positioned themselves between the mare and the other ponies left in the street. The crowd was advancing on the now-helpless bandit with narrowed eyes and bared teeth. A low, angry muttering slowly grew louder and louder, and Applejack could practically smell trouble in the air, thick and tangy.

"The others got away," someone shouted, "but this one ain't gonna!"

The sheriff looked towards Braeburn, who was sweating bullets as he looked out over the gathered crowd. Both stallions shifted nervously on their hooves.

Giving Apple Bloom a quick pat on the head, Applejack disentangled herself from their embrace and began limping towards her cousin. Even with a bum leg, she figured she could be good for some back-up. Back-up for just what, exactly, she didn't yet know. But she'd never let down her family before, and she wasn't fixing to start now.

"Waaaaait!

Applejack froze, mid-step. So did Braeburn and Sheriff Silverstar, as well as every other pony and buffalo out there on that hot and dusty street. Even the tied-up pegasus lifted her head a little, her dark eyes wide and attentive.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie was right there, standing right in the middle of everything, her stance wide and her eyes flashing. After giving the crowd a once-over, Pinkie trotted up to the pegasus and pointed a hoof. The other mare blinked.

"We had a deal," said Pinkie, pouting slightly. "You said if I won, you'd let Apple Bloom go and leave town and not hurt ponies anymore!"

The sheriff let out a strangled noise of protest. He seemed ready to intervene, but Braeburn quickly caught the other stallion's eye and shook his head. Silverstar began grumbling under his breath. But otherwise the sheriff held his peace.

Meanwhile, Pinkie had shoved her hoof into the pegasus mare's face, close enough that it squished in the pegasus' snout just a little. "And since I won the duel, that means you gotta leave and stop robbing ponies!"

The pegasus glanced over to Applejack, still blinking, as if asking whether Pinkie was serious or not. Applejack just snorted in reply.

Braeburn, too, looked towards Applejack. His green eyes practically pleaded with her to fix all of this. "Well, cuz?" He took off his hat, twisting it between his hooves. "What d'you think? Should we oughta trust her?"

"That one?" Applejack asked, nodding towards the pegasus. "O' course not. I wouldn't trust her if she told me water was wet or apples were delicious."

Pinkie Pie frowned. "But Applejack …"

"This one, though?" Applejack continued, nodding towards Pinkie. Pinkie fell quiet. "I trust her to Tartarus and back. I've trusted her with my life and the lives o' all my near and dear, and she ain't let me down once."

A hint of a smile turned up the corners of Pinkie's lips.

Applejack smiled back. She kept on smiling even as Apple Bloom sidled up beside her. She wrapped a foreleg around her sister, holding her snug and safe against her, while Apple Bloom glared at the pegasus and stuck out her tongue.

"And since Pinkie won the duel, just like she said, I reckon …" By Celestia, she hoped this was the right decision. "Well, I reckon whatever Pinkie thinks oughta happen to the varmint is what oughta happen."

It was crazy, of course. Pinkie's suggestion for what to do with the bandit-this bandit who'd threatened all their lives, more than once, at that-was just plain crazy. But then, Pinkie was a bit of a crazy pony. Always had been, always would be. And as Applejack was slowly but surely coming to realize, so was she.

"Well, cuz, if'n you trust Miss Pinkie that much … I guess so do we." Braeburn twisted his hat a few more times before slapping it back atop his head with a decisive little nod. "All right, Miss Pinkie. What do you think we oughta do here?"

Pinkie peered down at the pegasus, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. "Um, can you untie her?"

The ponies in the crowd began muttering and grumbling again, but a pointed glare from the sheriff quickly silenced them. The buffalo still seemed ill at ease, though, whispering to one another and subtly shaking their heads. Little Strongheart broke away from Braeburn's side and approached her tribespeople, speaking to them in a low, steady murmur that eventually seemed to restore the fragile peace and calm.

Applejack really, really hoped this was the right decision.

Together Braeburn and Sheriff Silverstar undid the ropes that bound the pegasus. Once free, the pegasus slowly stood and shook out her wings. She stared at Pinkie with uncertainty and a certain wariness deep in her eyes. Applejack half expected the mare to bolt as soon as she was untied, but the mare merely stood there, silent and still.

"Hi!" said Pinkie, thrusting forward a foreleg. "I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"

The pegasus licked her lips. "I, uh … the name's Blue." Her wings rustled against her back. "At least, that's what most pony folk call me."

If it bothered Pinkie that the pegasus didn't shake hooves, it didn't show in her bright, happy grin. "Nice to meetcha, Blue! So, about our deal ..."

"I cheated," the pegasus muttered sullenly, her ears flat against her head and her wings still twitching. "I fired off a shot before that buffalo mare called out ten. And you're just gonna … you're gonna let me go?"

"Well, of course not! Don't be silly! First you gotta Pinkie promise."

The pegasus' jaw dropped-whether in surprise or disgust, Applejack couldn't quite tell-and the farmer barked out a laugh. "You'd better mean it, too, bandit," she offered up in a conversational tone, with perhaps just a hint of malice underneath. "Pinkie takes her promises real, real serious-like, y'see. Ain't nopony breaks a Pinkie promise."

Pinkie Pie nodded cheerfully. The pegasus blinked some more.

"Y'all are the craziest ponies I ever met."


Already Bloomberg looked better. Well, no. Not actually. It was too soon for him to look much different than he had the day before, but with her hoof against his trunk, Applejack could feel the tree coming back to life. Could feel the water and its nutrients trickling upwards, from his roots to his trunk to his branches and out through his poor shriveled leaves.

Was it really just yesterday that she'd been out here? It didn't seem like yesterday. If she hadn't known better, she'd have been tempted to say that years had passed since then. Or maybe she just felt years older. Years wiser, too.

"Pinkie Pie, do you really think the varmint'll keep her promise?" asked Apple Bloom, from her perch atop the pink mare's back.

"Well, sure!" The frown in Pinkie's voice was audible. "I mean, she Pinkie promised!"

Applejack bit down on a sigh. "I hope you're right, sugarcube. I really do."

She patted Bloomberg's trunk one last time before turning around. Pinkie and Apple Bloom grinned back at her. Together the three ponies walked through the orchards, side by side, heading back towards town. To tell the truth, they probably shouldn't have come down here, given how soon their train was scheduled to arrive. But Applejack couldn't quite resist paying one last visit to Bloomberg before heading back home.

Pinkie Pie had understood. Applejack had known she would.

"Just wait 'til I tell the girls about all we did this weekend," Apple Bloom began again, sounding as cheerful as ever. "They ain't gonna believe it!"

Applejack shot her little sister a quick glare. "Yeah, well, when you go talkin' to Scoots and Sweetie, you'd best also tell 'em not to go tryin' to play bandits and train robbers. Y'hear me?"

"Aww! But sis!"

"None o' that, now." Applejack shook her head as she hobbled along, but she couldn't help chuckling a little. "Last thing I need is Rarity hoppin' mad at me 'cause Sweetie Belle's all tied up and none of y'all can undo the knots."

Apple Bloom muttered something under her breath-something that sounded a whole lot like "Scootaloo's the one I was gonna tie up"-but Applejack chose to ignore it. Probably the smartest decision she'd made the whole weekend, too.

As the trio made their way down the orchard's long rows, they nodded in greeting to the Appleloosans they passed. Ponies walked among the lines of apple trees with watering cans held in their mouths, and Applejack broke into a broad smile as she watched the water soak down into the soil. She could almost swear that all the tree branches above them looked greener and fuller, that the provided shade felt noticeably cooler, even though she knew it was only her imagination acting up.

They reached Appleloosa's little train station just as the train pulled in. Braeburn and Little Strongheart were waiting there to meet them, and it was only after several rounds of enthusiastic hugs that the three Ponyvillians finally boarded the train. Once aboard, they quickly settled onto a bench in one of the passenger cars-or, at least, Applejack and Apple Bloom settled down. Pinkie Pie hung halfway out the window, calling and waving to the stallion and buffalo who remained on the train platform down below. She didn't duck back inside the car until the train was a good few miles down the track and long after Little Strongheart and Braeburn had become nothing but tiny dots against the horizon. Applejack just quietly shook her head.

To the other side of Applejack sat Apple Bloom, next to the aisle. As the train kept rumbling down the tracks, Apple Bloom proved as boisterous as usual, leaning over Applejack to chat with Pinkie, and when she wasn't doing that, Pinkie was leaning over Applejack to chat with Apple Bloom. Every few minutes, Applejack would have to shove one or the other back to her side of the bench. Otherwise, she didn't much protest the personal space invasion. Didn't have much of a heart for protesting, truth be told, considering the weekend they'd all just had.

Besides, Applejack didn't have to suffer too terribly long. Apple Bloom nodded off before they were even a full two hours out of Appleloosa, and Applejack smiled down at her little sister as the filly curled up against her side, snout buried under Applejack's foreleg as the filly loudly snored away. Poor little filly had earned her rest, and Applejack was more than happy to be a pillow if a pillow was what she needed to be. Even if Apple Bloom could snore loud enough to wake the dead.

Satisfied that Apple Bloom was comfortable enough, Applejack turned her head towards the pony still awake. Pinkie Pie grinned back at her expectantly.

"We oughta talk more," said Applejack.

Pinkie blinked at that, eyelashes fluttering, as if surprised. Her grin didn't falter, though. "Sure! What do you wanna talk about?"

Applejack gave a slight shrug, careful not to let the movement jostle Apple Bloom. "Whatever you fancy talkin' about, I reckon."

It turned out that Pinkie had rather a few things she fancied talking about. She talked about the new sugarless cupcake recipe she was working on, and she talked about next week's surprise birthday party for Dr. Colgate, Ponyville's dentist, a party which Pinkie hoped would include the aforementioned sugarless cupcakes. She talked about Rainbow Dash's newest tricks-which were the absolute biggest and very best tricks ever performed in the entire history of pegasus ponies, Applejack was assured-and about her tentative plans for building the largest, bounciest trampoline in Equestria. Then, just as Applejack was starting to wonder if there was anything Pinkie didn't fancy talking about, Pinkie Pie abruptly stopped talking and let out the longest yawn Applejack had ever heard.

Applejack glanced over and found Pinkie actually blushing a bit. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Pinkie blush or even if she'd ever seen it before right now.

No. No, she'd never seen Pinkie blush before. She couldn't have. Because with how pretty Pinkie looked right now, a bit of extra pink in her cheeks, Applejack would've remembered if she'd seen it before. She knew she would have.

"Sorry for yawning in your face." Pinkie giggled. "Oh, yeah, and sorry for saying a whole bunch of stuff without giving you a chance to say a whole bunch of stuff, too! That's rude. Twilight told me."

Applejack chuckled in reply. She felt certain that Twilight had told Pinkie Pie a whole heap of things, about a whole heap of different subjects, and it was always interesting to see what Pinkie listened to and what she didn't.

"So, Applejack! What do you wanna talk about?"

"I dunno." It was the truth. Applejack leaned back on the bench. "Ain't got much to say at the moment, really. Except that you're welcome to get some shut-eye, if'n you'd like. Got us a ways before we reach Ponyville."

Pinkie squinted at her. "Are you absolutely, positively sure? If I take a nap, then you won't have anypony to talk to, and that's super sad!"

A grin flashed across Applejack's face. "Pinkie Pie, after all you done for me and mine this weekend, it's the least I can do to repay ya."

Pinkie Pie didn't have to know that a little peace and quiet sounded pretty good right about then, too.

"Okie dokie. If you say so ..."

"Well, seein' as I just said it," observed Applejack, amusement in her voice, "I reckon I do say so."

Pinkie nodded and, apparently convinced, laid her head on Applejack's shoulder. The farmer winced a little but didn't say a word. Instead, she carefully lifted her left foreleg and wrapped it around the other mare, holding her close. As much as her shoulder was grumbling at her, Applejack felt good. Being able to feel Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie against her, to hold them and to keep them safe, even if it was just keeping them safe from the shadows in her own mind-all of that felt better than good. Even with an achy shoulder to account for.

Pinkie Pie yawned again, loud and long, and Applejack could feel the other mare's breath tickle the fur of her chest. Still grinning, she leaned down and deposited a gentle kiss in Apple Bloom's mane. Then, half on instinct, she turned and did the same with Pinkie.

Almost instantly Pinkie's head jerked back up. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "You don't mean to tell me you don't know what a kiss is, do ya?"

"Well, of course I do! I kiss ponies all the time-Pound and Pumpkin and my mom and my dad and my sisters and sometimes Gummy if his breath isn't too stinky." Pinkie tilted her head and frowned. "But you've never kissed me before!"

Applejack opened her mouth, paused, then shut it again. It was true, what Pinkie had said. She'd never given her so much as a passing peck on the cheek before. Not that it really mattered, of course. At least, it felt like it shouldn't really matter.

But the look Applejack was getting right now made her question whether or not it mattered. The pink mare was staring at her hard, still with that thoughtful little frown, those immense blue eyes keen and focused in a way they almost never were. After a few tense and silent seconds, Pinkie finally gave a little nod, as if she'd just figured out the answer to some problem she was having.

"Hey, Applejack?" She nibbled on her lower lip, a nervous sort of gesture that seemed strange and wrong coming from a pony like Pinkie. "Can I … can I kiss you back?"

Applejack licked her lips. Her throat felt suddenly dry, though she wasn't sure why it should. "Sure. Sure, 'course you can."

Pinkie Pie leaned forward and kissed her. It lasted only a moment, little more than a brush of pink lips against orange, just long enough for Applejack to register softness and the slight taste of sugar. To register how very warm Pinkie's chest felt against her own, as they pressed against one another, and how Pinkie's mane smelled a little like grass, but in a nice way.

When Pinkie pulled away, she was smiling just as brightly as Applejack had ever seen her smile. Applejack couldn't help smiling back.

She supposed she should feel bothered or upset. Or worried. Probably worried. Undoubtedly she should be thinking about all the ways she could gently tell Pinkie Pie that they were just friends, that Applejack didn't like her like that, that maybe they ought to go sit on separate benches for the rest of the train ride home. But the only thing Applejack felt was calm, a nice and cozy peacefulness that settled somewhere in her chest and spread out like the rays of the sun.

And all Applejack ended up saying was, "Go on and lay your head back down, sugar. Try to get some shut-eye."

With a happy little sigh, Pinkie settled back in. Applejack leaned her cheek against the top of Pinkie's head, burying her nose in that fluffy pink. It still smelled like grass and maybe a little like apple pie, too. It was nice.

As Applejack sat and as Applejack watched out the train windows as the sun kissed the horizon, she found herself thinking about what she'd do once they got back to Ponyville. Maybe Pinkie Pie would want to come over next weekend to help bake some apple fritters. Maybe Applejack would accidentally get a bit of flour on Pinkie's cheek and have to kiss it off. Maybe Pinkie would laugh and kiss her back. Maybe Pinkie would laugh but smudge some flour on Applejack's own face. Maybe all of that would happen, and maybe none of that would happen. Either way, Applejack felt herself itching to find out just which it would turn out to be.

And all of that was a little bit crazy, she knew, a tiny bit silly, but maybe that wasn't so bad. When it came to some things, Applejack got a little bit crazy and a tiny bit silly. When it came to her family or her trees or her friends, Applejack lost her head a little, but maybe that wasn't such a terrible thing. Not always, anyway.

Still grinning from the kiss, Applejack pulled her eyes away from the window and glanced over to the mare now snoring away and drooling on her shoulder. No, maybe it wasn't such a terrible thing at all.

After all, Pinkie Pie liked silly ponies.

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