You really bucked up now.

But you couldn’t help it! Anon had just tried to leave, not even hinting at where he was going. If you hadn’t snuck a ride on top his cart, you would have never found out he was in this camp! You really wished they didn’t have these ropes tied so tight. They were going to scuff your amazing pink coat! But that was the least of your worries.

Somepony was probably going to have his way with you, and there was nothing you could do about it. Anon was probably captured, like you. Next time you try to sneak into a hostile area, it’d be best not to dress as a clown saying you were their ‘entertainer’ for the night.

Then it hit you like a pie to the face.

They had Anon.

Thoughts of what they were doing to him begin to play in your mind. You can feel the tears stream down your face as a wave of sadness begins to overcome you. A big shadow comes into view over the doorway. You can’t believe your eyes. Anon walks in with Billie right behind him.

“We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Closing the drapes, Billie walks away. Anon lowers himself to your face and whispers quietly.

“I have a plan, but I need you to keep quiet.” Giving him a nod, he unties the gag and ropes. You stretch out your legs and clean off the dirt from your mane and coat. He leans in again and speaks the words you dread most.

“Listen, I want you to run. I’ll keep them all busy.” Why would he do something so foolish?! Giving him your signature puppy eyes, you try to persuade him otherwise.

“Anon, I can’t just leave you here! They’ll kill you!” He shakes his head and pulls his staff out of his back strap.

“Listen, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I just want you to get as far as possible from here.” You open your mouth to convince him otherwise, only to be piped shut by his hand. Giving you a pat on your head, he gives you a sad smile. You know he doesn’t want to do this, but with the current circumstances, he has no choice. Giving him a nod, he removes his hand from your mouth. He stands up and walks out of the tent, toward the campfire.

Poking your head out, you see him try to strike Billie with his staff. The stallions run to Billie’s aid, giving you the chance to run off. You gallop outside the camp, looking back and only hoping that nothing bad will happen to Anon. Looking around, the scenery seems familiar...

Buffalo.

Chief Thunderhooves’s camp was not too far from here! There was still a chance...

As quickly as you can, you make way to the camp. It wasn’t too far, maybe a minute or two worth of sprinting. You enter the camp to see Little Strongheart sitting at the campfire. Her jaw drops as she sees you.

“Pinkie! Goodness, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” You attempt to catch your breath to speak back. Strongheart’s face begins to change from happiness to concern when she looks at you. “What’s wrong?”

After a few deep breathes, you finally are able to speak.

“Friend... Trouble... Billie... Need help...” Her eyes widen when you mention Billie. She quickly darts off into one of the tents. You can hear a loud roar inside the tent and many buffalo begin to exit their tents. Chief Thunderhooves emerges from his tent, a stern look plastered on his face. He takes a long, hard look at you.

“You’re that pink pony who helped us with the ponies from Appleloosa and sang that horrible song. What do you want with us?”

“My friend is in trouble. He’s at Billie’s camp, not too far out from here, trying to claim the bounty.” He shakes his enormous head in disappointment.

“Why would he be such a fool to attack Billie in his own abode? Does he have a deathwish?” You jump up in frustration. This wasn’t the time to be bickering about his choices! This was the time to save his hairless butt!

“No, but he needs help! I need to get him out of there. Can you help me please?” The giant buffalo raises an eyebrow, adjusting his headpiece.

“You want me to risk the safety of my people for the sake of your friend?” Little Strongheart steps out and confronts the chief.

“If it wasn’t for Pinkie and her friends, we wouldn’t have solved our problems with the Appleloosians. The least we could do is help her friend out.” The chief gives her a stern glare that he shifts back to you. He lets out an annoyed sigh as he waves his hoof.

“Alright, we will help, but understand that you will owe us for this gesture.” You pounce onto his neck and wrangle him in a tight hug. He rips you off and places you on his his back, leading a small herd towards Billie’s camp.

As you approach the campsite, you can make out the dim outline of two figures. A horrible sight comes into focus. Billie stood in near the fire, holding a bloody Anon by the neck. The giant buffalo lowers his head, sprinting full speed towards the minotaur. The minotaur is sent flying, releasing his grip on Anon, who lands on his side, screaming in pain. A spur of insanity ensues as stallion and buffaloes begin to run amok in the campsite.

Jumping off the buffalo’s back, you rush to Anon’s aid. His nose was smashed and bloody; it was almost unbearable to look at. As he continues to gasp like a fish out of water, his eyes begin to close as he loses consciousness.

“Anon! Talk to me! We’re going to get you help, okay?” His eyes shut as his head falls to the side. A quick scan of the area shows that the buffalo have driven the bandits out of the camp. Tents were flattened and crushed, boxes of supplies were smashed and destroyed, and no sign of any bandits remained except for a few unconscious ones lying on the ground. Chief Thunderhooves comes to your side, holding a broken staff in his mouth. He puts it down next to you and then proceeds to lift Anon with his limber body.

“It looks like he put up some kind of a fight,” he mutters, looking at the knocked out stallions littered around him. “But we must get him medical attention, I’m afraid. Things will be much more severe if we don’t.”

Giving him a nod, you grab the broken staff, placing it on your back with Anon’s backstrap, and begin to run towards Appleloosa. The moon illuminates the way as you both gallop towards the small town. Dust begins to fill the air as you both run at full speed, kicking it up behind you. You see two figures heading your direction.

It was Little Braveheart running alongside Braeburn. They move to Chief Thunderhooves’s and your side, panting from the running. Braeburn nods to greet you as he looks at Anon, wincing from the damage he’s taken.

“Braveheart here told me the situation. Ah got the doc waiting at the house for us. Ta be honest...” He takes a hard look at Anon before looking back at you.

“...Ah was expecting him to be in worse shape.” Shaking your head, you almost trip over yourself from not paying attention to the rugged ground.

“If Chief Thunderhooves hadn’t helped us... I don’t even want to think about it.” Braeburn sighs as you all make your way onto the main road of the town.

“He’s a dang fool fer thing he’d be able to take on Billie all on his own.” With all the commotion going on, many ponyfolk began to scurry out of their homes in confusion. As you all arrive in front of the house, Chief Thunderhooves stops at the door and blushes.

“Ahem. It would seem... I can’t fit.” Braeburn’s ears fold back from the misfortune as you attempt to suppress the laughter from the current situation. You and Braeburn carefully lift Anon from the buffalo’s back and carry him inside.

“The doc should be upstairs in the guest bedroom.” Slowly, you both drag the human up the stairs, making sure not to drop him or bang him up too badly. About halfway up the stairs, a light green aura begins to surround Anon, hoisting him into the air. You turn around to see a beige unicorn with a white jacket using his magic to lift Anon up.

“You could have just asked me to bring him up the stairs, you know.” You both turn your heads away in embarrassment as you head up the stairs. You both enter the guest bedroom where the doctor has laid Anon down on the bed, making sure he is sitting up. He looked like a lifeless doll, limp and unmoving.

The doctor begins to strip Anon of his clothing and checks out his body. Braeburns eyes widen as soon as Anon’s shirt is taken off, revealing his tight abs. You could have sworn Braeburn licked his lips, but you just ignore it. The doctor takes his horn and begins to scan his body from head to hoo- er, toe. Turning to his clipboard, the doctor writes down a few things before grabbing a first aid kit. With his horn glowing again, he begins to wrap Anon’s entire body in an aura. Anon’s jaw becomes slacked as his tongue rolls out. You can’t help but giggle at the silly face he was making, but you stop immediately as the doctor turns and glares at you.

His magic takes hold of Anon’s nose and you all wince when a large crack emanates from it. He begins to pack gauze into Anon’s nose as the blood flows out like a raging river. To finish up the patching, he places a large bandage over the nose. Directing his horn upward, he lifts Anon from the bed slightly as he wraps a bandage tightly around his belly. He places Anon back onto the bed and begins to pack up.

“Is he going to be okay?” you ask. The doctor gives a sigh as he turns to you and Braeburn.

“He’s going to be fine. He had a broken nose and sprained ribs. It looks like something hit him hard, but wasn’t hard enough to break them. I realigned his nose and packed it with gauze to stop the bleeding. I applied a sedative spell to help ease the pain as well. It should wear off in a few hour’s time, so I’ll be back later today to finish up when he’s awake.” Both of you breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank ya kindly doc. Ah’ll put the bill on my tab, so don’t let him worry about the payment when he’s awake.” The doctor gives a simple nod as Braeburn shows him out of the house. Sitting on your bed, you look at Anon. The poor guy was all beaten up and bloody, all for the sake of some money. You couldn’t help but feel guilty for giving him the idea. Braeburn returns and sees your looks of grimace.

“Don’t worry Pinkie, Anon’s gonna be just fine. There’s no need ta be upset!” You shake your head and sigh.

“I can’t help but feel this is somewhat my fault. If I hadn’t rushed Anon with his training... Actually, if I hadn’t convinced him to become a bounty hunter, this would have never happened.” Braeburn sits next to you on the bed and places a hoof on your back.

“Listen here. Anon is an adult. He can make his own decisions. Just ‘cause you gave him a suggestion doesn’t mean it’s yer fault. He weighed the options and took the risk. He can take care of himself.” He lifts himself from the bed and walks towards the doorway before looking at you. “Ya should get some sleep, ya’ve been out all night,” he mentions before leaving.

Sleep sounded like a grand idea, especially since your eyes were so heavy right now. You curl yourself up and before you know it, you’re in dreamland.

You feel completely useless while you lie in the bed as the doctor examines you. His horn glows as he scans you from head to toe.

“It seems you are in good enough condition to receive the rest of your treatment. But I must warn you, it will be painful. Do you have any questions before we begin?” You turn your head to him, raising your hand.

“I can’t really affor-” He swiftly cuts you off.

“The bill has been paid for, so payment isn’t an issue.” You raise an eyebrow as you turn your head to Braeburn. He gives you slick smirk and shrugs.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it Anon. You can pay me back whenever... or “however” you feel fit.” He gives you a wink, giving you a weird feeling of disgust.

‘It was only a dream,’ you remind yourself.

You turn back to doctor, one more question ready.

“Aren’t I patched up already? I mean, is there anything else you can really do?” The doctor rolls his eyes, annoyed that you would ask such a question.

“We aren’t going to leave you like this. Obviously I can just use my magic to fix up wounds. What kind of doctor would I be if I didn’t?” He proceeds to levitate a rolled up piece of cloth to you.

“Now, I suggest you bite on that. I would use the sedate spell, but it will counteract with the mending spell I am about to use, which could kill you.”

Well, that was nice to know.

Taking the bit of cloth, you chomp down on it, bracing yourself for the pain to come. You weren’t sure how bad it was going to be, but if he was giving you this, it was probably going to be a horrible experience. He walks up to you with his horn glowing, pointing at your nose. As his horn meets with it, you see why the cloth was given.

It felt as if you being smacked in the face with a hammer repeatedly at unbelievable speeds. Screaming into the cloth, you bite down harder, trying your hardest to withstand the pain. Pinkie Pie closes her eyes as she shifts uneasily on the bed, unable to watch. Digging your hands into the sides of the mattress, you bite down harder, resisting the urge to pull away. After what feels like an eternity, the doctor removes his horn, sweating profusely.

“Alright, you nose is fine now. Have a look.” He levitates a mirror to your face and you cannot believe your eyes. Your nose was like it used to be; normal. Lifting your hand up, you touch it, bracing yourself. You don’t feel any pain whatsoever. Placing the mirror on the nightstand, he readies his horn again, aiming for you ribs this time. You quickly place the cloth in your mouth as he chuckles.

“There’s no need for that. You merely have a sprain. This spell should help with it.” He places his horn against your rib cage, emitting a warm, sensational feeling. The tension in your side seems to dissipate almost immediately. Removing his horn, he stands back, sweat beading on his forehead. You remove yourself from the bed and stretch yourself out. God, it felt good to be able to move again. Pinkie’s smiles stretches from ear to ear as she jumps from the bed onto your back.

“Oh Anon! I’m so happy to see you’re better again!” She wraps her hooves around your neck and nuzzles the back of your head. You thank the doctor as he makes his way out. Turning to Braeburn, you shake your head.

“Why did you pay for the doctor? You know I don’t have any money to pay you back.” Braeburn shrugs.

“Ah wasn’t gonna leave you fer dead. As ah said before, ya can always pay me back later.” It was nice of him, but you felt as though there he had some kind of alternative motive. For now, you were going to go with the idea that he was just being nice.

“Well, thank you for helping me. I truly appreciate it.” He tips his hat to you before giving you a big smile. He begins to make his way out of the room when you stop him.

“Let me ask you something. Who actually ‘runs’ this town, if you will?” Turning his head, he puts a hoof to his chin.

“Well, Ah suppose the sheriff runs things, but we don’t have an actual authority figure like a mayor if that’s what ya mean. He’s right next door to the doctor’s office.” You thank him and put on a fresh shirt and pants. Pinkie follows your side as you head out of the house.

“Anon, you have an idea, don’t you?” You shrug, giving her a slight smirk.

“Maybe, but I’m not guaranteeing it will work.” As you both reach the office, something catches your eye. A small mill is across the street, being pushed by a continuous flow of water from the irrigation system around it. It was almost like it was powered by magic itself. You chuckle. Simple inventions would always make you admire the brain’s capabilities. Turning back to the office, you walk inside as a stern-looking sheriff stares back at you.

“What can I help you with?” Placing your hands on the desk, you look him straight in the eyes.

“I have a plan to catch Billie. However, I’ll need permission to use the street outside of here.” He raises an eyebrow, giving you a look of concern.

“How am I sure you’ll catch him? Many have tried, but none have succeeded.”

“Because he’s the first one to come back from going after Billie.” Everyone turns to look at the source of the voice. A small buffalo stands at the door, a look of certainty across her face. You don’t know who the hell she was, but the sheriff looks back at you, a sheer look of wonder plastered across his face.

“Well, I’ll be. If you have the balls to walk up to Billie, I see there no problem with you using the street... on one condition.” You lean in, ready to hear this condition.

“Make sure none of my citizens are hurt. That’s all I ask.” Giving him a nod, you turn on your heel and head out the door. As you make your way out, you are greeted by the small buffalo and a rather large one. She sits down and extends her hoof. You awkwardly kneel down and shake her hoof.

“It’s nice to meet you now that you’re conscious!” You turn to Pinkie, confused as hell. She giggles at your frustration.

“This is Little Braveheart and Chief Thunderhooves. If it weren’t for them... well...” She turns her head away, a frown on her face. You quickly look back at the two buffalo and bow to them.

“Thank you for saving me. I know it’s not much, but I really appreciate it.” Braveheart waves her hoof and shakes her head, trying to dismiss the subject.

“It was nothing, really.” Pinkie pokes her head in between the two of you, her eyes half-lidded.

“You could always repay her by giv-” You smack her in the back of the head before she can finish. Chief Thunderhooves steps forward and gives a tremendous huff.

“Billie has caused nothing but trouble for us all. This town shudders at the name and my people have resisted him, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to attack us. If you truly have a way of capturing Billie once and for all, we will have no problems with helping you.” Giving him a nod, you decide you will need their help.

“If you can, I need supplies. I need a shovel, a ball of twine, a knife, a box of matches, a magnifying glass, a billiards ball, two javelins, a tarp, some nails, and the longest rope you can find.” They look at you bewildered.

“What in the world are you going to do with all that?!” questions Little Braveheart. With a mere shake of your head, you reply.

“It’s not what I’m going to do, but a matter of how I’m going to do it. Don’t question it. It’ll all make sense tomorrow.” Chief Thunderhooves shrugs and makes his way towards the main road. Pinkie bounces up and down, filled with excitement.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see what you have ready! Gimme a hint Anon!” Turning to her, you give her the most stern face possible.

“A hole.” She cocks her head sideways like a confused dog.

“A hole?”

“A hole.” She pouts and crosses her forelegs as she sits down.

“That’s not funny or cool at all!” Patting her on the head, you can’t help but laugh. You begin walking towards the saloon when Pinkie stops you.

“Anon, there is no time for drinking!”

“Oh, we’re not going into the saloon for drinking.” She eagerly follows you into the saloon as you search for your target. You spot the brown pony sitting at a table drinking his cider with a mare around his arm. As you walk up to him, his eyes widen. He drops the cup and attempt to scramble away, only to be grabbed by the mane. The entire saloon goes silent. You lift him up and bring him to your face.

“You know Billie, right?” He nods and swallows a large gulp.

“I’m pretty sure if you know who he is, then you know who I am.” He nods again, his bottom lip beginning to quiver.

“You’re going to listen to me and do as I say, then.” You throw him down on the ground.

“Run to Billie. Tell him we have a score to settle. He’s to meet me in front of sheriff’s office at noon tomorrow. No one will interrupt us. Not his goons, not the townsponies. Just me and him. Got that?” He nods and scurries out of the saloon, tail between his legs. You head back out and make your way to Braeburn’s, Pinkie following close behind.

“Anon, how are you going to beat him? He’ll beat you down to a pulp if you’re not careful!” As you step up onto the porch of Braeburn’s home, you turn around and give her a smirk. A similar smile stretches across her face.

“You got something up your sleeve, don’t you?” You turn around and head into the house, shaking your head.

“Maaaaybe. Maybe not. You’ll find out tomorrow.” She before you with a puzzled look.

“But Anon, how can we be sure he’s even going to show up?” You look at her and wag your finger.

“Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie. Billie and I have different morals and lives, but we share one trait: We’re both stupid. He may think ‘Oh, it’s definitely a trap!’ but his ego will get the better of him. How would it look if your leader was called out to a challenge and he decided not to go? That’ll get to his head. Don’t you worry, he’ll show.” Heading inside, you wait until nightfall. So badly did you want to go to the saloon and have a drink, but the last thing you needed tomorrow was a nasty hangover.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

You jump up and quickly head to the door. As you open it, a certain buffalo stand in the doorway.

“Ah, Chief, did you grab the stuff I told you?” He grabs the napsack wrapped around his neck with his mouth and gives it to you.

“The other items are in a barrel outside the sheriff’s office. Little Braveheart is keeping an eye on them.”

“Okay, thanks again.” You begin heading towards the building as the chief follows you.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but it seems... crazy.” Giving him a devious grin, you laugh.

“Never said I was sane.” The buffalo gives you a look of concern as you continue towards the office. You can see Little Braveheart peeking out from the alleyway. She smiles when she catches sight of you.

“Over here, Anon!” She pushes a barrel out from the alley and runs to you.

“We got all the stuff you told us to get! The barrel has the shovel, rope, tarp, and javelins.” You nod and give them a bow.

“Thank you again for all your help. I’ll take it from here.” They both begin to walk away, whispering to each other as they fade off into the distance. Grabbing the shovel, you begin digging.

Looking over at the clocktower, you check the time again.

11:52 am.

He should be here in a few minutes. The street was completely empty. All the ponies had heeded the sheriff’s words and stayed inside their homes. The only thing left to do was take care of Billie. You tip the lucky cowboy hat Braeburn gave you over your face as you lean against the store’s front. This looked like a cliché western movie scene, but by God were you going to have fun with it. The sound of hooves echoes out through the empty street. You tip your hat back up and look to the tower.

12:00 pm.

Turning to the front of the sheriff’s office, you see him standing there. The giant minotaur stares you down as the wind quietly rolls through. Removing yourself from the post, you walk across from him.

“Good to see you didn’t chicken out.” He gives you a chuckle along with a glare.

“You’re one to talk, having the buffalo help you out.” Spitting to the ground, you raise your brow and shrug.

“An unseen event between the both of us. Anyway...” You shift your foot through the thin layer of dirt on the road. “... Are you ready to give yourself in, or do we do this the hard way?” Billie lets out a snort, which quickly turns into a maniacal laugh.

“You think I’d ever give myself up? And did you think I was that stupid?” He grabs a barrel from a store front and drops it to his side. The ground around the barrel collapses as it makes contact with the road revealing a three meter wide and deep hole. “You shouldn’t make a trap so obvious. Fresh dirt is easy to see.”

Giving him a smirk, you shake your head.

“No Billie, I don’t think you’re stupid. But let me ask you this. Do you know what a Rube Goldberg machine is?” He stares at you, puzzled out of his mind. “Of course you don’t know. So instead, let me demonstrate.”

Taking your hat off, you throw it at the roof of the store labeled ‘Smart Cookie’, barely hitting the billiards ball that laid inside the gutter. The ball begins to roll down in storm drain, shooting out towards a slanted barrel across the street. Falling to it’s side, the barrel rolls down the storefront, hitting a small pressure plate.

The plate lets go of a piece of twine hold a small magnifying glass that was hidden on the ceiling of the storefront. Thank Celestia, for if it weren’t for the clear day today, this wouldn’t have worked at all. The magnifying glass shines in the sun, generating enough heat to burn the bundle of matches wrapped around the twine holding the knife right next to it. Billie watches in amazement, wondering how this will end.

The knife falls down and splits the rope, holding the weight hidden on the ceiling of the sheriff’s front. The door of the office swings open and Billie turns to see what was happens next. Two javelins propel out of the office from the homemade crossbow inside. Both make direct contact with his knees. A few seconds pass before he realizes what had just happened. His face quickly changes from indifferent to sheer ‘oh god that hurts like fuck’ almost instantly. He let’s out a roar as he tries to endure the pain.

“OW! WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THAT?! AHHHHHHH! WHY WO-”

His sentence is quickly cut off as your foot makes direct contact with his face. Unable to stand from the hit, the minotaur falls to his side, landing head-first into the pit. He smashes through the barrel as his horns sink through into the ground, leaving him incapacitated. You grab the rope in front of the sheriff’s office and tie it around the support beam. Rappelling down into the hole, you reach the bottom and look at Billie, turning your head upside down just to mock him.

“Well, it look like you’ve hit... rock bottom!” Laughing to yourself, you begin hogtying him with the end of the rope, making sure it was tight enough to hold him down. You climb back up to the surface of the hole using the rope.

“Hey, Sheriff! I caught a big one!” Ponies begin to flood out of their homes as they witness you bring Billie up from his trap. They begin to stomp on the ground and cheer as you and the sheriff bring him up. Pinkie runs through the crowd and jumps into your arms.

“Anon, that was awesome!” You place her down on the ground and walk up to the store front. Grabbing the knife, you cut the rope and begin dragging Billie towards the town jail, with the sheriff and Pinkie in tow.

“I’m gonna be honest, boy, I didn’t think you’d catch him, especially not like that.” Giving him a shrug, you walk into the prison and toss Billie into a cell. Closing the cell, you look at Billie and shake your head.

“Don’t be sad Billie. You and me are alike, just as I told you the other night. Only difference is I’m just better.” He glares at you, still tied up with javelins in his knees.

“You watch. I’ll get out of here, and when I do, I’ll find you.” Leaning in towards the bars, you look him dead in the eyes.

“And I’ll be waiting.” Pinkie pops up and smirks.

“Hey Billie, I’m pretty sure tha-” You smack her in the back of the head before she finishes. She rubs her head, a single tear falling from her eye.

“I didn’t even do anything!”

“It’s the principle of the thing.” The sheriff walks up to you and hands you a bag.

“There you go. One thousand bits.” No more wilting cabbages for this guy! Pocketing your pay, you thank the sheriff and begin to head out. Braeburn stands in the doorway, a giant grin on his face.

“Congrats Anon! Ah knew you’d get ‘em eventually. We gots a celebration party ready for ya at the saloon!” The three of you make your way onto the main road. Ponies wave and thank you for your hard work as you make your way towards the saloon. Pinkie jumps onto your back and whispers into your ear.

“Maybe they’ll have some ‘entertainment’ for you there.” You shake your head and sigh.

“Damn it, Pinkie.”