An Outlaw's twilight

Iron Dreams sighed heavily as he sat down at the bar, and called for a double shot of hard cider. I'm not ready for my ride to be over..." He stared into his glass for a second before downing it in one go, and calling for another. He knew it'd all be over tomorrow, one way or an other. Iron , just as every gunfighter before him, knew his high noon was coming.

Bright Eyes had always been an adventurous soul, but today, she was in an entirely new surrounding.  Was she as out of place as she undoubtedly looked?  The air was dusty in Appleloosa, and she contained a sneeze as she stepped inside an old-looking building.  She saw a bar, and stallions sitting around wooden tables that seemed not to notice or care that she had entered.  She breathed a silent sigh of relief, teal eyes settling on the bar as she slipped closer, though a part of her knew that it would be wiser to exit without incident.  When the bartender looked her way, she gave an uncertain smile.  "I'll have that."  With a hoof, she gestured to a glass of liquid behind the counter, feeling entirely foolish.

Iron looked over at the new comer and after studying her for a moment, decided she was cute for a city mare. "Y'all sure 'bout that? Stuff burns like dragon fire." He spoke in a quiet and gentle voice, and a light country accent.

Without comment, the bartender gave the azure mare what she had requested as the drawl of a stranger caught her attention. Her focus turned to the gray stallion sitting close by as he gave her warning. She gave a slight shrug, looking back down to the glass before her. "Sure. I can handle it." She brought it to her lips with help from her magic, but the moment the liquid touched her tongue, Bright Eyes knew she had made a mistake. She coughed as her eyes welled with tears, managing to choke out a few words: "See. No problem."

Iron chuckled at her words, before humming in thought. "Ya ever been 'round 'ere before?" He knew she probably hadn't, so she'd never seen a desert sunset before. 'Sunsets are romantic...right?...I think they are....maybe.' He thought to himself as he ordered another drink.

She gave a wry smile, knowing that it was obvious that she was a stranger to the dusty landscape, from the way she spoke to her dark-rimmed glasses. "I'm a first timer around here, yes. I'm Bright Eyes." Her tones were soft and her Trottingham accent was faint yet detectable as she replied, the taste of the burning liquid still lingering on her tongue. She still wasn't certain what she had consumed, but the taste was less offensive now that the initial shock had faded. Almost good.

Iron smiled a bit, and got up. "Then follow meh, ah got some'tin'a show ya." He then made his way out the door.

An eyebrow arched curiously as the nameless stranger invited Bright Eyes to follow, and she watched silently as the gray pony made his way toward the door.  She was young, but she knew better than to follow a stranger, but too curious not to trail after Iron.  She felt lighter now, and her mind still pondered what the fiery liquid had been.  "Wait.  Who are you?"

"Name's Iron Dreams, but 'round here they call meh the Applelossian Devil. Bit long winded, eh?" He continued onward, before stopping at the edge of town, and sitting down. It wouldn't be long.

She followed behind, several paces back, and while her rational mind urged her to depart, she ignored it just once.  The stallion's nickname was another reason for pause, and while he sat, Bright Eyes remained standing.  Her eyes were fixed on him.  "I think I prefer Iron Dreams," she admitted.  "The other one is a little less.. friendly."  She hesitated, but she had to know:  "Why do they call you that?"

"Ah'm the most feared outlaw in all 'a Appleloosa. Ah'm know fer killin', an' stealin'." He smiled faintly, he never was one for lying. He then looked up as the sung began to dip towards the horizon. 'S 'bout ta start."

Was he joking? For a second, Bright Eyes couldn't decide whether to run away screaming or ask more questions to find out if he meant it. Instead, she just stood there, stunned. She had never met an outlaw before, had only read about them in books. Somehow, Iron didn't look the way she imagined a criminal. His attention was fixed on the setting sun, and Bright Eyes looked toward the west, as well. Slowly, she sat, but she wasn't sure if she should be watching the golden sky or the mysterious stallion.

"If y'all wan', ah can put mah guns down." Iron said to Bright as he continued to stare at the setting sun. It'd always made him question weather the life he'd chosen for himself was worth it or not.

She felt a pang of relief when he spoke again, offering to lay down his arms to make her feel more comfortable. She eyed the weapons warily before nodding quickly. This was something entirely new for a small-town pony like Bright Eyes. Slowly, her gaze returned to the western skies, where the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. "Well, Iron Dreams. It seems to me there must be more to you than what you have said. More than a 'devil,'" she stated hopefully.

He slowly levitated the guns, and laid them in the sand in front of him. "'Ere used ta be...god ah miss 'ose days. 'fore I got like 'is, but one ya do, ain't no goin' back. Ain't no use in lyin' or hidin' from what ya done yerself. Ah ain't a good man no more..." The sun began to vanish behind the horizon, it's last rays of light looked to him like a soul reachin' for heaven before being dragged to hell.

She let his words settle into her mind. The kind mare couldn't fathom what it was like to kill another pony - she could scarcely kill an insect without feeling some remorse. But as he said, the misdeeds of the past remained, no matter how much regret he had about it now. Instead of inquiring further about his crimes, she stared off into the sunset as it painted the sky shades of deep red and orange. "Well. Maybe there is a way you can make up for it. I don't think it's ever too late," she offered. Unless you're dead, she thought to herself, trying to ignore the lingering unease she felt at his side.

Iron began to speak again, his voice slow and full of regret "Ah...ah got too much blood on mah hooves...Ah can't wash 'em clean, not alone." He looked down at the revolvers before him, remembering how he ran from home, how he shot his father...he wondered if Metal had survived...

"Listen.  I don't know you or what you've done.  But maybe you could start a life somewhere else." She felt mixed feelings as she spoke.  She didn't condone violence, and this was an entirely new circumstance.  But she had always been a pony that didn't like to see others suffering. "Or you could turn yourself in.  Maybe that's the only way to abate the guilt I can tell you're feeling because of what you've done.  And remorse is a good first step.  At least you know you did wrong." She offered him the hint of a smile, but her eyes were fixed on the colorful horizon.

Iron silently picked up his revolvers, and adjusted his hat. He took one last look at Bright Eyes, before walking away silently, all but vanishing into the desert long before she'd notice he'd ever left.

She was just beginning to feel at ease when she looked from the corner of her eye. Like a ghost, he was gone, leaving Bright Eyes confused. Whatever choice Iron made would be his own, and the blue mare doubted she would be seeing the outlaw again. Appleloosa was a strange place, she decided as she turned back for the train station to depart from the dusty town.