//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Gunsmoke // Story: Beacon in the Shadows // by Dee Bee Doo-wop Cooper //------------------------------// Beacon in the Shadows Or Cheerilee’s a Paladin Chapter Six: Gunsmoke Written by DigitDaemon ~~~~~ Braeburn squinted at the shadows that hid the figure. Stepping into the light was not one of his better ideas; while dramatic, it had left him temporarily night blind. “Braeburn?!” His eyes finally finished adjusting. “Oh Cheerilee.” he placed his revolver back in its holster, “Sorry, couldn't make you out in the dark at first.” Cheerilee walked up to the deputy and slapped him square on the face. “Oww, what was that for?” “You pointed a gun at me, a slap is the least you deserve.” she said with a huff. “But I told you, I couldn’t see anything.” “Then maybe next time you should drop the dramatics,” she said, calling his error, “And stick with being safe.” Braeburn bowed his head in defeat. “Yeah, okay. You win.” “Now that that’s settled, what vital information do you have, and more importantly how the hay did you get ahold of the Paladin Code?” “Well...about that...how bout we deal with the more current issue first?” “Okay, and what current issue is that?” Cheerilee said with an exasperated sigh, “I was told that all was good in this town.” “Well, it’s about the sheriff. A couple weeks ago she left on vacation, and when she got back she was...different.” Cheerilee’s ears perked up at that information, “How?” Braeburn stroked his chin for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, “Before she left she was very serious. For example, I am pretty sure she had a crush on me before she left, but she never would have flirted with me so blatantly. Definitely not like she did in front of you. The next thing is, when she got back, she knew exactly where a fugitive that we had been looking for was hiding.” “None of that sounds very suspicious, maybe she just gained some confidence. And perhaps she had a thought about where the fugitive was hiding,” Cheerilee said with a shrug, “Stuff like that happens all the time for me.” Braeburn shook his head, “Now let me finish, this is where things start to get weird. Sheriff Silverstar was planning on retiring and had yet to name his successor. After her contribution, he naturally named Sundown as his replacement.” “Naturally...” Cheerilee motioned for him to keep going. “The next day he was attacked by the Children of the Night.” Cheerilee pondered what the deputy had told her so far. “I see you don’t like coincidence as much as I do.” Braeburn shook his head again, “Afterwards, we gathered up a posse to find them, but she knew exactly where they were. On top of that, she was the only one who was there when Silverstar was supposedly attacked and killed anyways.” “Okay, you have my attention.” Cheerilee scratched her head for a moment, “I’ve seen first hand that the Children of the Night use mind control, and the Royal Guard believe that that wasn’t an isolated case.” “I guess that would explain the change but-” Braeburn was interrupted by the sound of a metal tin falling to the ground, and the two of them turned just in time to see a cloaked figure run from the warehouse with a clatter of hoof steps. Cheerilee turned to the deputy, “Looks like the game is up. I hope they made you deputy for more than just your hat.” Cheerilee took a step back as runes gathered all over her, and armor similar to her scouting uniform appeared. This armor did not however radiate light like her other suits, allowing her to better make use of the night’s advantages. Braeburn pulled the revolvers out of his holsters and checked the cylinders to make sure each had their eight rounds. The two of them slowly made their way to the entrance of the warehouse and exited into the night. Standing in the street, farther down towards the town square was Sheriff Swift Sundown surrounded by a group of cloaked ponies aiming guns at the pair. “Howdy there Braeburn, hope you aren’t planning on cheating on me.” The sheriff yelled out to them. Braeburn locked eyes with the rogue sheriff, “Sundown, I don’t know what's gotten into you, but quit it right now.” “What, give up my power? We can reshape this town Braeburn, make it better.” “Is that what you said to Silverstar? I’m sure he was thrilled.” “He didn’t understand, and I guess you don’t either. It’s a shame, we could have had a great future together.” Cheerilee and Braeburn jumped behind some crates that had been piled up on the other side of the street just as the hooded ponies began to shoot. Cheerilee turned to Braeburn, “Got any bright ideas, or just more showmanship?” “Don’t underestimate the value of a good show,” Braeburn turned and waited for the gunfire to ease up. “Case.” He leapt out into the open and was immediately obscured by the smoke from the resumed ballistic barrage. “And point.” When the smoke cleared again Braeburn stood on his hind legs in the center of the street. His steel revolvers had been replaced by silver, ebony handled ones. The vest he wore was no longer the brown characteristic of western clothing, but midnight blue accented by black and silver. His hat had also changed to match the colors of his vest. The crowd of cloaked ponies and the sheriff immediately ran for cover as Braeburns guns began to light up the evening air. The shots produced no smoke, suggesting that the guns were inherently magical and the shots looked like slivers of moonlight as they flew through the air. The other amazing feat, every shot the deputy fired found it’s target, whether it was a leg, a torso, or a head. At a ridiculous range, every well timed shot hit it’s mark. Cheerilee noticed that in the scramble, Sheriff Sundown had escaped down a side alley. “Braeburn, keep them busy, I’m going after Swift.” Braeburn nodded and continued his shooting. One of the gunponies had managed to sneak around and charged at the deputy with a knife. Braeburn turned one of his pistols at the charging would be assailant and pulled the trigger. The cylinder of his revolver split open and the remaining rounds fired all at once into the attacker, who was blown away from the impact. He emptied his other gun and then quickly rolled back behind the crates to reload. ~~~~~ Cheerilee turned around another corner and came face to face with a raised pistol. She put up her shield just in time to stop the round, that would have otherwise killed her. “Sundown, I know what they did to you. You don’t have to be the bad guy.” Another round hit Cheerilee’s shield, but she held it steady. “What? That they made me stronger? They helped me learn what I really wanted.” “This isn’t what you want! This is what they want!” Having decided that continued shooting at this point was useless, Sundown drew the knife from her belt and jumped on the paladin. Cheerilee’s armor stopped most of the blade, but the point of the knife had cut into her back. She gave a hard kick and sent the Sheriff sprawling. “I don’t want to fight you Sheriff,” Cheerilee reach behind her back and pulled the knife out of her armor, “But if you want to fight me, you’ll need this.” Cheerilee threw the knife into the ground in front of the prone pony. Sundown got up and approached her knife wearily. When she realized that the paladin had no intention of tricking her she picked it up in her hoof. “Why?” “Because if I have to kill you, I want to do it honorably.” The sheriff nodded absentmindedly and then took a fighting stance. Cheerilee did the same, drawing her sword into reality, but she was knocked off her feet by Swift suddenly charging her. The enhancement to her strength was clear. Cheerilee was not an easy pony to knock over. Swift Sundown had done it however, with hardly any effort. The sheriff walked over to where Cheerilee was lying on her back. “If you leave now, I might even let you live, return the favor and all that.” Cheerilee did a somersault and landed on her feet. She picked her sword back up. “I’m not done yet.” She made a sweeping strike, but Sundown caught it in the serrations of her knife. They stayed with weapons locked and making an odd buzzing noise for a second before Cheerilee shield bashed the sheriff away. Swift Sundown glanced at her knife blade. The knife had a notch in the blade where the two weapons had been in contact, as if the swirling metal of the paladins sword had ground away the metal. This time Cheerilee was ready for the surprise charge, what she hadn’t prepared for was what the sheriff charged. She threw her entire weight into the rim of the paladin’s shield. The shield, instead of rotating and tearing Cheerilee’s arm off, shattered like glass into thousands of crystal like fragments. Sundown pulled her revolver back out and pointed it at the paladin. “Sorry hun, but I already gave you a second chance.” Before the sheriff was able to fire the killing shot, a bolt of silver flew past Cheerilee’s ear and hit Sundown square in the chest. She dropped the her revolver and fell to the ground. Cheerilee took a quick glance behind herself to see Braeburn had slung his rifle back around his shoulder and was sprinting to catch up with her. From how fast he was running she could guess that he had been about four hundred yards away when he had taken his shot. She turned back to the sheriff on the ground and ran over to her side. The wound in Swift Sundown’s chest was dead center, and it was clear she was dying. She was still conscious though and she looked up to meet the eyes of the fuscia mare. “Thank you.” “Shh, I need to get you to a hospital, we don-” “Please, I know I am dying. Thank you for stopping me though.” Braeburn caught up to the two mares and solemnly approach the dying sheriff. “And you,” Sundown turned to look at the deputy, “Don’t you dare feel bad about what you did. You stopped the monster I had become.” She paused for breath, something that she was quickly running out of. “...Those Children of the Night...It’s their fault, not...not yours.” She coughed up blood violently and drew in a few more ragged breaths. “It’s a shame it had to end like this though...” She smiled wide at Braeburn, “We would have made a great couple you know,” then she closed her eyes and died. Braeburn slowly kneeled down, pushed Sundown’s mane off her forehead and placed a kiss on it. “I know.” Cheerilee silently began collecting loose wood and kindling and placing it around the sheriffs dead body until all that was exposed was her head. Cheerilee turned to the still kneeling deputy, “She deserves a hero’s burial.” He just nodded and backed away. Cheerilee’s armor began to change again. It shifted from her night time garb to a full body plate mail suit. Each plate shown as bright as platinum in the sun, and each silver piece was emblazoned by grand gold designs. On her head sat a helmet that covered her mane but left her face exposed; It too, matched the design of the rest of her armor. The armor overall was too bulky to be useful in combat and from the ornate craftsmanship it was obviously a ceremonial piece. She silently stepped forward and placed her blade on top of the sheriffs head and the wood sprang alight. However, as the flames began to consume Swift Sundown’s body, they turned from orange and red, to a bright, pure white. After the blazed died down and finally stopped completely, all that was left was a pile of ash and at the center, a single gemstone. The sapphire had been the centerpiece of a necklace that had been tucked underneath the sheriff’s vest. Cheerilee picked it up as her armor and sword dissolved and walked over to where Braeburn had kept a silent vigil. “You should have this, if nothing else to remember her by. I’m sorry.” Braeburn took the sapphire from Cheerilee’s outstretched hoof. “You’re not the one who needs to be sorry.” “I know you shot her but-” “But it’s what I had to do. What I had to do because of the Children of the Night.” Braeburn’s feature took on a vicious scowl. “They will be sorry for what they did, and if it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure that every last one of them feels my pain.” Cheerilee was shocked by the resolution of the deputy. “But won’t you be made sheriff now that she is dead?” “No. As Luna’s Champion Inquisitor, it is my duty to protect all of Equestria from threats past, present, and future.” Realization finally struck Cheerilee. She had assumed that the the change of Braeburns clothing had been the effect of the magical weapons he wielded, which was partially true. She hadn’t thought that he was the champion of the Moon just as she was of the Sun. I guess that explains how he knew about the paladin code. “I’m sure General Turncoat will be very grateful for the added support. I am going to leave for Ponyville in the morning, but you probably want to get things sorted out here first.” Braeburn nodded and began to walk back down the street towards the Sheriffs office. Cheerilee turned to head back to her room. I guess things got sorted out pretty quick here. I still don’t like how it turned out though. My duty is to protect the innocent from harm, but all that I did was tonight was fight with the victim. I suppose I am going to have to make a trip to Canterlot as well, I’m sure Celestia will be thrilled that I broke my shield. ~~~~~ The next morning Cheerilee packed up her few belongings back into her saddle bag and headed down to the train station. The atmosphere in the town was much more gloomy than the previous day. It was still busy, but the ponies lacked the enthusiasm that they had shown yesterday. No doubt that news of the shootout and the sheriff’s death had already spread throughout the small western town. Cheerilee spent the rest of her time waiting on the platform thinking about the events of last night. She felt bad enough about Sundown’s death, and Cheerilee had given her a huge advantage. Even though he didn’t admit it, the school teacher was sure that Braeburn felt awful about himself for what he had done. The train finally arrived, and after a short wave of ponies disembarking, Cheerilee entered and found another empty compartment. She pulled out her notebook and began writing down the event of last night. The general would surely get a copy of the official police report Braeburn would no doubt file. But she had dealt with the general enough to know he would want to know her story as well. ~~~~~ Cheerilee watched as a younger version of herself dutifully ran through sword drills in a clearing. At some point she must have fallen asleep while writing her report. She watched and reflected on how her life had used to be so simple. Her training had been structured and rigorous, but she always knew what she could expect. Steel Trident had first approached her soon after her mother left. He had told her a story about knights and dragons and great adventures. At the time she had been excited about having such an opportunity to train with him. Perhaps it had just been her trying to fill the void in her heart that her mother leaving had caused. Cheerilee had begged her father to let her train. He gave in to her wishes; probably because he was afraid of disappointing his daughters more than his heavy drinking, also a product of his wife leaving him, did. Steel Trident always told her that things would not always be easy. He had once even said that the hardest part of a fight was what happened when the fight was over. Cheerilee hadn’t understood it at the time, but she had figured it out eventually. A voice next Cheerilee broke her out of her revery, “It is easy to remember how naive we were back when we were young, is it not?” Cheerilee turned her metaphorical head to find Princess Luna seated next to her. “Princess! What are you doing here?” “The last time we met like this, did thou not say that comforting one another is what friends are for?” “I guess I did.” “I assure thou that what was done last night was most noble. Thou need not feel sorry for thy actions.” “I know, but it’s hard not to anyways.” “This be the truth. Even now we still feel bad for the incident we caused during our return. But it is imperative that we not linger over the past but fight to do better in our future.” “Yeah, I suppose so. By the way, why didn’t you tell me before that Braeburn was your champion?” “Ah, an excellent query. Just as the Sun clears the sky and light a path true and straight. The Moon hides the stars and shades the path of which we walk. Secrecy is nothing but in my nature.” “I’m sure that makes your sister happy.” “Do not tell her of what I speak, but for her I act in secret on purpose.” “Why?” “Tis most enjoyable.” Cheerilee chuckled at the thought that, despite their royal obligations, Celestia and Luna stilled found time to tease one another as most siblings do. “I must be off now, not many of our precious ponies sleep during the day, but some do still, and I must watch over their dreams as I would anypony else.” “Thank you Princess Luna.” “You are most welcome.” Luna’s body faded back into the fabric of Cheerilee’s peaceful dream. Cheerilee laid her metaphysical head down on top of her legs and spent the rest of her dream watching motionless as her younger self endlessly dueled with the wooden training dummy in the center of the clearing.