Third person, early morning:

Charlie sat on his horse and watched the group head towards the fresh town. One of the gang members trotted up beside him. “Charlie… we could’ve taken them numerous times on the way here… why in the town? There’s law there.”

Charlie looked to him with a dissatisfied look. “There’s five of them… three of us…” Charlie replied before looking back through the sights of his binoculars. “Don’t worry, I got a plan…”

John’s perspective:

“YOU GAVE HIM HIS GUN?!” Daring almost yelled. I sighed then groaned as I buried my face in my hooves. “What if he had’ve just turned around and shot you!? John!” She kept bickering.

Jeeze, this is the first time we bickered since… before I fell off the waterfall. “It was… I just…” I stammered, trying to figure out why I had given him the gun.

“He trusted me.” Mane replied and I shot him a cold glare.

“I don’t trust you, especially with my back to you.” I scowled but he simply chuckled. The horses entered the town and immediately a mare trotted up to us.

“Are you the group? The one with Mr. Mane?” She asked before taking a pause and looking to Black Mane who simply smiled and tipped his hat. “Indeed, follow me.” She told us.

By the looks of her, she was a railway company security officer… or perhaps she just carried that revolver around for looks.

“The marshal in El Paso called a few weeks ago… frankly I was a little scared you might not have made it past Baltimare.” She stated as she led us around the back of a nice building that looked like a mixture of a boutique and a hotel mixed into one.

“Come upstairs, I’ve gotten you all a private suite while you wait for the train… and I’ve called the sheriff for some reinforcements in case anything goes wrong.” She told us as we hitched our horses.

Mane whispered something to his horse and I saw that he didn’t tie the horse very tight to the hitch. Perhaps he just liked to let her have a bit more head room.

As we entered the hotel, I noticed several dresses of top quality, along with tuxedos and various other posh looking clothes. I smiled as I figured I’d rather my duster coat. Nopony was in the store but the front cashier who gave us a nod as we passed by.

As we arrived to our room, the mare leading us stopped. “I’m Clover Field, but you can just call me Ms. Clover.” She told us and we nodded before trotting in and settling down.

Mane crossed the room in a few short strides then flopped down on the bed before taking out a scratch book. I watched him as he looked out the window. It let in the morning sun glare which illuminated part of the room before it was drowned out by the lights which Brixie turned on. Mane’s face reflected the sun and gave him a gleaming look.

“You know John… it’s not nice to stare.” He chuckled and I realized that he had noticed me looking at him. “You know… you are always kind of cute when you blush.” He laughed then continued to illustrate a picture.

Daring trotted over to me and sat on my lap. “So after this… what happens?” She asked. Everypony went silent then there was a ripping sound that made us all look to the origin. Mane looked back to us with a raised eyebrow and innocent look as he slowly set down a piece of paper that he had ripped from the book.

On the paper was an illustration of the morning sunrise over the horizon. He turned his chair to us then began to draw again, probably drawing all of us together. Elijah was by himself, Brixie sat with her head resting up against Billy’s right shoulder, and Daring sat on my lap, her head resting against my chest.

Soon there was a knock at the door and Elijah stepped up to answer it. “Who is it?” He asked in a stern tone.

“Clover, would you mind letting me in? I have the sheriff and his deputies.” She responded. Elijah looked to us and Mane smiled faintly.

“How do we know you don’t have a gun to your back?” Elijah replied. Suddenly a sheriff star slid underneath the door and Elijah picked it up, took a brief look and then opened the door.

Clover, two deputies and a sheriff stood in the doorway for a moment before entering. The two deputies had Winchester 1894 lever action rifles but the sheriff had a Winchester 1897 pump action shotgun.

“How much is Ms. Clover Field paying you gentlecolts?” Mane asked in a snide voice.

“Our business is none of yours Mr. Mane.” The sheriff replied as he stepped over to a nearby window and peered out. He looked back to us then spoke. “We’ll need a watchpony and…” He began but I cut him off.

“I’ll be the lookout.” I offered and he simply nodded. I gave Daring a peck on the check before rising and heading downstairs to the boutique. I had something I needed to do in secret.

I began browsing the store then found what I was looking for and brought it to the cashier, paid for it then placed the box into my inner coat pocket before trotting outside and onto the dusty streets.

Ponies trotted along carelessly and freely, some a little faster than others. I began trotting down the street and accidentally bumped a record player and the disc scratched, making an irritating noise.

The owner of the record player looked to me with a raised eyebrow then to his scratched record. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to…” I began to apologize but he interrupted me before I could finish.

“Hey… how’d you do that?” He asked in a casual voice. I raised an eyebrow. “Could you do it again is what I meant?” He asked. I nodded. “Show me… please?” He asked. I have no idea why in Celestia’s name he’d want me to scratch his record but…

I placed my hoof on the record and spun it in the opposite direction the record disc was supposed to travel. Once again it scratched the disc and the microphone spat out a horrifying tune. The owner nodded with a creepy grin on his face.

“Cool man… that’s hip… name’s Record Scratch by the way…” He displayed his hoof for me to shake which I promptly did.

“The Lone Ranger… but ponies just call me John.” I told him. He nodded then began to scratch the record, making irritating noises but kept smiling all the while. I guess some ponies have different interests in life.

I smiled to myself as I kept trotting through town. The morning sun made the dew on some of the grass patches gleam. Sometimes I would trot through the grass just to wet the tips of my boots.

I kept smiling until I reached the end of town, which was only a few dozen yards away from the hotel. I looked to the morning sun but then caught a glimpse of a few riders galloping down a hill and towards the town.

I watched for a moment longer before I recognized the leading rider. “SHIT!” I hissed before racing back to the hotel. Dirt was kicked up behind my heels as I burst through the front doors of the hotel.

As I slammed through the hotel room door, everypony looked to me with a shocked look. “We’ve got company. Looks like Mane’s gang.” I told them. The sheriff and his deputies started cursing and swearing.

“How many?” The sheriff asked. I tried to think back to how many there were but could only visualize Charlie.

“Three or four.” I replied unsurely. The sheriff rolled his eyes.

“Well which is it boy, three or four?” He asked as he racked the slide on his shotgun.

“Three.” Elijah stated as he watched from the suite window. We all looked out to see three gang members disembark their horses and step out onto the streets. We hid behind the walls to avoid being seen but somehow they noticed us.

“HEY BOSS… BOSS!” Charlie yelled. The sheriff looked to Mane and gave a small nod. Black Mane trotted over to the window then slides it open. I snuck a brief glance to see Charlie look up to him. “Boss.” He called out and Mane smiled.

“Well howdy Charlie… how have you and the boys been?” He asked and Charlie simply nodded. “Indeed… well… I was just sitting here with my new friends and we were chatting about all the great times we’re going to have in Canterlot.” He said.

“That’s enough!” The sheriff hissed. Mane simply shrugged.

“Well Charlie… while you wait, why not have a drink over at the saloon with the boys.” He told his friend. Charlie nodded as Mane stepped away from the window and flopped back down on the bed. “Ooh, you’re gonna get it now.” He muttered to us.

I looked back down to the street to see Charlie rummage through his saddle bags. The sheriff looked to us and shrugged. “There’s only three of them. Me and my boys can handle it if you…” He began but Charlie interrupted him before he could finish the offer offer.

“LISTEN UP!” Charlie yelled, gaining the attention of several ponies in the crowd. “That’s Black Mane they have up there… BLACK-MANE…” He stopped for a moment and several ponies began to mutter to each other, surprised that a notorious outlaw would be in their town.

“Now… the law ponies…plan… on putting him on a prison train to Canterlot… to hang him.” He stated. More murmuring could be heard throughout the crowd. “We will give… two hundred cash bits… to anypony… who shoots one of his captors… TWO HUNDRED CASH BITS!” He yelled. The offer perked the ears of several ponies and made a few step forwards.

A lot of the stallions began asking for the money strait up. Charlie smirked. “Well… you gotta shoot em first.” He chuckled. Ponies rushed back to their homes and began grabbing any type of firearm they owned.

Within minutes, the streets were filled with at least four or five dozen armed ponies. I let out a defeated sigh and looked to the sheriff who was already heading out the doorway with Clover trailing close behind, pleading for him to stay.

“SHERIFF!” Elijah called out and the law stallion stopped and turned to the big grey stallion. “You forgot your badge… the one you earned when you pledged your allegiance to the law.” He stated, making an ass out of the sheriff. He tossed
the star over to the sheriff who caught it then pinned it to his chest and continued on downstairs.

Elijah just chuckled briefly before looking back outside. Mane stood up and headed to the washroom. “Now you see John… pretty much everypony… wants to live.” He began as he started washing his face and neck in the washroom.

“And that means Ms. Clover too…” He continued and I could hear Clover arguing with the sheriff and his stallions. “She’s gonna walk out on you, just like the sheriff… probably offer you the money to just… trot away.” He chuckled to himself then sighed as he turned to Daring and I.

“Now the question John… is... would you put Ms. Do’s life in danger for some hell bent crusade.” He ended his comment and I looked outside to see the sheriff and his two deputies surrendering their firearms.

They stood up with their hooves in the air but no sooner had they stood, then Charlie and his two remaining gang members unloaded on them. In moments, the law ponies lay in puddles of their own blood. Mane just sighed. “Because I wouldn’t.”

Author's Notes:

Ahhh, the mystery box... John you sly bugger... wonder what it is?