Appleloosa Gallop Into Sunset (Bellosh101 & Mojo)

[RarityDash]

Lady Luck had been quiet for far too long. Appleloosa's original outlaw mare hadn't been this close to home for many, many months now. She hadn't had reason to, not while she still had bits to her name. It was safer to stay safely across the border in her adopted home of Rockwington than risk having the law trailing after her hooves. What could she do though, when the bits ran out? One didn't just outrun the outlaw game. Getting honest ponies to cough up their hard earned bits probably was the only skill she had ever mastered.

Outlaw gangs in the west were something in a constant flux in the west, and most of them weren't much. The average outlaw was just a scoundrel who had gotten just lucky or just desperate enough at some point to get it in his head that flying in the face of the law was the way to succeed. Few of them had worked for it as hard as Lady had. Few had any sort of acumen. Most were fools just looking to get rich to it. A pony like her, who understood that there was an art to it all, was rare and worth a lot, especially to a second rate gang like Apple Dumplings.

She had been running with the Apple Dumpling Gang for right about a month. She didn't really have any ties there, she had just sort of fell in with them and, after proving herself to be cleverer than the best of them (not as difficult a task as it might sound), they had welcomed her aboard. They were nothing to brag about. A bunch of dumb muscle really. Buck E. Banes, their ostensible ringleader was only distinguishable from the rest by the volume of hot air that escaped his sorry gob. They were third rate outlaws, but they were exploitable. Through suggestion and influence, Lady could ease them toward plans that actually worked. Just weeks ago, they had successfully picked off the rail line to Trottingham on the back of a plan she had lead them to.

Of course, Lady didn't get the credit she deserved. Never. That was too much to ask for. She did get her cut of a job she couldn't pull off solo though, and that was enough for her. She rather preferred it that way anyway. Let that puffed up old blowhard be the one to have his portrait plastered up front and center on the wanted posters while her name and face stayed safely obscure. That suited her just fine.

As did being chosen by the gang to act as lookout while they idled in the old cabin they had broken into. Banes really was as careless as he was stupid. He seemed to have it in his head that he was untouchable and that the law were idiots who would never track him down. Lady had been in the game longer than to believe that. Success went to the head and the law were smarter than any of them cared to give credit. It wasn't just not impossible the law would find them before the next job, it was almost inevitable. One didn't successfully rob a train without attracting attention and resources. This was exactly the point in it all when the Apple Dumplings had to be the most cautious.

Now, in acting as a lookout, Lady had to be careful. She stood out more than she liked. Her pink coat and pale blue mane were a far cry from the more subtle earth tones that seemed to characterized most ponies on the frontier. Even draped in an old brown travellers cloak and her dusty black hat, she was far from invisible. She just couldn't risk venturing from the cabin. She stayed hidden amongst some barrels, watching the distance and the sky. She wasn't surprised when she happened to see something flying up there much bigger and differently shaped than any bird one might see out in the desert. No, it was a pegasus pony. Lady knew in an instant... and what's more it was a pegasus pony who turned back when it saw the gang loitering outside the cabin. This was a sure sign to expect something.

Slowly, Lady approached the cabin and Banes. "Don't go makin' noise about it now, Boss, but I think the law might be at our hooves," she started in a quiet voice. "I spotted somepony in the sky. They didn't get close enough to see, but they doubled back after seein' your ugly mug."

"It don't do a pretty mare well to go on worrying so much. All it does is makes yer age show," Banes said with a hardy laugh at Lady's expense. The mare stared blankly. "Ain't no good cause to go jumpin' at shadows now, miss. The law are all cowards. Not a one of 'em would dare face the feared and famed Apple Dumplin' Gang head on!"

Lady just stared at the condescending fool for a moment in contempt, wondering for a moment if she shouldn't just bail on him and leave him and the rest of his goons to their own devices. It was probably the smarter call. Her take from the train job would take her far enough... still, she saw at least a little more potential for the Apple Dumpling Gang. A gambler didn't just fold without knowing for sure all the cards on the table.

"Maybe you're right, Banes, and it ain't nothin'. But if it ain't don't you think it's worth us knowin'?" she started, rolling her eyes. "You don't have to do anything. Just let me go an' take a look. I'll see who's out there an' what we're up against."

"I ain't gonna stop ya, Lady, I just think it's a waste of yer time. Was just a bird you saw up there in the air. Ain't nothing out there in that desert but cactuses and sand," Banes said with a laugh.

"I'll be back by evenin'," Lady said through a groan.

She didn't bother wasting another word on her boss. She just made a beeline in the direction she had seen the pegasus fly. She moved cautiously and deliberately across the desert, trying to do her best to keep her presence well concealed. She was the scout here. She didn't have any interest in being discovered. Eventually she could hear distant voices. She was getting close, but she could only risk getting so much closer. She did well to stay hidden amongst the rocks and cacti, only moving from spot to spot when she was sure she could risk it....

​

[Mojo]

Sheriff Silverstar seemed genuinely stunned by Barley Mayberry's apparent lack of experience in tracking down criminals.

"That's why we need ta catch'm while they're sleepin'. That-a way, they won't have time ta think er escape. Hoofcuffs won't do with desepados like them, we're gonna use rope ta keep'm from gallopin' away."

"That's right," added Louise LaMare, "we're going to ambush them just like in my novel, 'Ambush at Equine Canyon.' Going to use the element of surprise to our advantage."

"We can't take the Apple Dumplin' Gang too lightly," Doc Holly Day said, "they are crafty. Explains why they've eluded capture for so long."

[Bellosh]

OOC: Sorry, this is going to be an extremely short post by my standards.

Barley Mayberry nodded his head, remembering the ambush scene from LaMare's novel. But there was just one more issue to discuss before any plan could be carried out. "If I remember my LaMare, there ought to be at least one pony staying awake as their lookout. I'm pretty sure I could sneak up on 'em and make sure they don't wake the others up. Yep," Barkely idly kicked a couple of loose pebbles on the ground; "I can be sneaky as a mouse when I have to be."

[RarityDash]

Lady inched closer, until eventually she spied the assembled party. There was no way she could get close enough to hear them, but from safely behind a large rock a distance away, she could get a good look at them. They were few in number, but seemed like an interesting assortment. She recognized one as the blasted sheriff of Appleloosa, old Silverstar himself. He had with him a pegasus mare and a unicorn stallion as well as another earth pony stallion. This last had a curious look to him. He didn't look or dress like frontier folk, with his fancy feathered hat. Lady studied him, wondering who he was.

Four ponies wasn't much to deal with. The gang presently counted eleven, including both Lady and the boss. They had these guys far outnumbered. If old Banes was smart, he had nothing to fear here. Unfortunately that was a big if for Banes. Moreover, she was partly concerned with the four themselves. The unicorn and pegasus were worth concerning over. The Apple Dumplins were primarily big, dumb earth ponies. They had only a pair of pegasi and no unicorns among them. If the pegasus was fast and the unicorn skilled, they might be able to make up for some of the numbers, and that was to say nothing of the other two. Now, the sheriff Lady had to admit was more clever than most of them liked to admit. The smarter outlaws like her could allude him if they were careful, but he was not somepony they could discount.

Then there was the mystery stallion. A specialist perhaps? One of those REA types they got back east or something? It was hard to say, but Lady knew that when one didn't know what to expect it was always best to expect the worst. All the same, she had confidence she could beat these guys if they got no reinforcements and Banes and his boys were prepared. She nodded at her assessment, ready to return to the house. She decided to watch them just a while longer for movement first instead.

​

[Mojo]

"Ya bring up a good point, Barley," the Sheriff admitted, "Miss LaMare, did ya see any pony on lookout while ya was up in the air?"

"No, I didn't Sheriff, but I really didn't take a good look at the area," Louise LaMare confessed. "Maybe I should go make a quit flight and have another look."

"Don't think that's a good idea, Miss LaMare," Doc Holly Day said. "Could give our own position away."

"Well, one advantage we got is that's mah old cabin so I know it inside an' out. I still say our best plan is ta wait till nightfall an' go git'm while they're sleepin'. If'n they do have a lookout, we'll need ta deal with'm first."

[Bellosh]

“Well just as long as Silverstar’s cabin doesn’t have a whole ton of secret passages and basements underneath,” Barely Mayberry supposed; “I suppose it shouldn’t be a problem for the four of us to surround the cabin. Assuming we can nab the lookout first, heh, we won’t even need ole’ lady luck on our side tonight!” Taking off his red coat and garish feathered hat, the Sheriff of Trottingham gently settled them on the ground while trying to find a suitable lying spot. It wouldn’t do to get the coat dirtied up while resting on the ground, waiting for the night to come.

[RarityDash]

Lady watched. The unknown stallion seemed ready to lie down, and most of the others seemed like they weren't planning to move just yet either. The only one of them that seemed like she might be readying herself for some kind of action was their pegasus. This was a concern. Even if she did her best to stay concealed, the pegasus would spot her in a second out there in the desert. Her coat and mane were poorly suited for blending into nature. Even cloaked as she was, enough of her pink coat was visible that she'd stand out for a mile and sure wouldn't pass for any cactus.

She had to act quick now. If she let herself get caught before that idiot Banes and his goons did, she'd never forgive herself. She couldn't stay there out in the open any longer. She needed to get back now. She decided this quickly and then, was prompt to start back. She did her best to pace herself, but she knew even still she could not let herself move to fast or they'd all pick up on the fact that there was something moving around nearby. It was a precarious thing, as she made her way from hiding spot back to hiding spot tying to get back to safety, all the while hoping she could make it back before that pegasus started her flight and spotted her.

​

[Mojo]

"I still want to take a look, I'll be careful," Louise LaMare said as the brown Pegasus mare flapped her wings and slowly moved upward.

"Not a good idea," Doc Holly Day whispered as Louise inched higher and higher.

"What do ya see, Miss LaMare?" Sheriff Silverstar asked in hushed tones.

"Uh oh," Louise said before immediately descending back to the ground. "I saw movement nearby! Could be a lookout!"

"If'n that's true, we may lose the element of surprise. Sheriff Silverstar, what do ya think? Can we take'm without sneakin' around?"

"I'm not sure, Doc. What do you think, Barley?"

[Bellosh]

Uh-oh; Barely Mayberry had finally decided on a good place to lay down when Louise LaMare raised the alarm. Immediate action was required at once, so Barely didn’t wait for any consultation before taking action. Putting on his hat backwards and his jacket inside-out within a few seconds, the Trottingham sheriff darted off without his posse in the direction of where LaMare had been looking. Barely galloped right into the open and stood still, without any regard for concealment, hoping to see the movement for himself. Since whatever was causing the movement wasn’t known, it was clear it was trying to hide, meaning it can’t travel too fast without being spotted.

“Come on, come on... you gotta come out sometime, bandit.”

[RarityDash]

Lady had been spotted. This was bad. She couldn't take all of them on at once, that much was sure. It was a problem, or at least it should have been... but her adversaries didn't quite act like her reasoned mind told her they should. No, one of them, the one with the unusual clothes, ran out ahead, out into the open all on his own, leaving himself entirely defenseless. Lady didn't understand it, but she supposed thugs in Banes' crew weren't the dumbest around in this little patch of desert.

She grabbed a black lasso which she kept at her side and quickly took to twirling it with her tail. "Have it your way, bucko! Here I am!" she called out right as she emerged then at an angle and launched the rope out across the foolish stallion's body in a large loop so that it fell around his legs. She pulled it taut with her mouth so that he was bound up and then tugged him over to her across the dry ground roughly. "Not yer shinin' moment, I'm afraid, pal," she said to him as she pulled him away with her.

She laughed as she still held the rope with her mouth, keeping him standing on his bound legs.. "Now, hop along with me a while lil' doge. Yer my prisoner now," she said as she tugged at the lasso while walking back in the direction of the house. "I"m sure ol' Banes will be just itchin' to make yer acquaintance." She wondered what the others would do, though having a hostage was some protection.

​

[Mojo]

"Barley! Git back here!" Sheriff Silverstar shouted as the impatient stallion galloped away. "Durn tenderhoof dandy! We gotta stop'm!"

"I'm afraid it's too late," Louise LaMare neighed in a hushed tone, the brown Pegasus mare had taken wing again, peeking just above the hilltop to witness Barley's abduction. "The lookout is taking him to the shack, what should we do?"

"Even though that Barley feller's a pain in the tail, we can't let the baddies have'm." Doc Holly Day said. "So much fer our plan."

"Yep! We ain't gonna sneak up on'm now. I have half-a mind ta let'm stay captured!"

"SHERIFF!"

"Oh, now I didn't really mean it," the Sheriff said with a giggle. "Reckon we best save'm."

"We best hurry before she drags'm back to the shack," Doc added as the trio made a fast dash towards their captive friend.

"Turn loose'a that pony, ya varmint!" Sheriff Silverstar neighed as Louise LaMare took flight and flew down to block Lady's path. As the brown Pegasus mare acted as a distraction, Doc's horn glowed, producing a crude saw that quickly cut the rope holding Barley.

[Bellosh]

“OOOOF!” Barley Mayberry: foiled by a dishonorable opponent! This would never stand at all. “How dare you!” the law enforcement stallion threatened even as he struggled with the lady outlaw’s rope; “It’s a felony to make offensive physical contact with a Sheriff of Trottingham!” That alone did nothing to help Barley break free of his imprisonment as the mare roughly dragged him through the unforgiving desert.

Fortunately, the rest of Sheriff Mayberry’s posse proved more effective. Doc Holly Day even had a trusty saw on hoof to cut off the entangling ropes. But before the sharp object reached its destination, Barley made an attempt to advise his cohorts; “Hey uhh, I appreciate the backup and all, but don’t you think this rescue attempt could be a little bit more quieter?” Nopony would have an easy time hearing him over the commotion though.