GSiE (3): An Apple and a Wise Investment.

>After about an hour and a half of walking, you come across a path that looks well traveled.
>You look up the path both ways, but cannot see the end of either side.
>”So Anon,”
>”Yes M?”
>”Which way do we go?”
>”Let's go right.” you say, adjusting your belt.
>”We always go right, Anon.” M sighs.
>”Well, then let's go left!” You look at M with a smile, patting his neck.
>”Naw, you're just saying left because I brought it up. I want you to go left because you WANT to go left.”
>God damn M is difficult.
>”Look, fine, go whichever direction YOU want to go, M. I'll follow you.”
>M smiles, and begins to head...
>Right.
>”Really? After all that fuss?” You furrow your brow, and stare at M.
>He turns back around, and stares right into your eyes.
>”Nah. I just wanted to see you get rustled” His smile is from ear to ear as he turns around.
>Fucking M.

>You pull out your revolver as you're walking, and spin it around, tossing it from hand to hand every so often.
>After some more distance is covered, you get bored and take your rifle off of M, and begin spinning that around, playing with the lever, and just getting more acquainted with your guns.
>You like to think that re-familiarizing yourself with your weapons makes you better with them.
>Probably isn't true, but you're having fun anyways.
>After the millionth spin of your rifle, you hear whistling in the distance.
>You stop twirling the rifle, and place it back into the holster.
>After a second, you whistle back some cheery tune from a town you stayed at.
>M looks at you with a hint of confusion in his face.
>You answer his expression.
>”If I whistle something, whoever is ahead of us won't be startled when they bump into us.”
>”Ah”
>As you continue watching, you see an orange blob in the distance.
>You let out a friendly wave towards said blob.
>The orange blob stops for a second, then continues its approach.
>As it gets closer, you see what it is.
>A p0ny. In a hat.
>A very good lookin hat, if you do say so yourself.

>”Howdy.” The orange equine greets you kindly enough, but has a look of intrigue on its face.
>This pony is much smaller than M is.
>”Howdy there. My name's Anon, and this here is M. We got ourselves a bit lost, and are lookin for a way back into town. Would you mind pointing us in the right direction?”
>Honestly, you're freaking out a bit, but you're a pretty good poker player, so you can keep a straight face when you need to.
>”Oh uhm... yeah... Town is back that a way, mister Anon.” the voice is clearly female.
>”Much obliged” M bows his head.
>”Nice hat there, ma'am.” you say as you walk past her. She has a brand that looks like 3 apples, but the branding is colored.
>”Why thank ya kindly.” She seems to warm up at the compliment of her stylish headgear.
>You walk a bit of a distance before you look at M.
>”Did you see that?”
>”Yup. I was there after all. She sure was pretty wasn't she?” his smile is a goofy one.
>”Yep, she is quite the looker.” you chuckle out loud.
>You are startled by a voice behind you.
>”Well Anon, I'm flattered, but you ain't really mah type. Your friend is a cute one though.”
>M turns to look at the voice, and quickly turns back around, blushing furiously.
>You turn around towards her.
>”Well drat, I'm afraid I'll have to find a fix for my heartbreak at the bottom of a whiskey bottle,” you smile. “Are you heading back into town, miss?
>”Yessir. I was in such a rush to get outta the house, I accidentally forgot something.”
>”Well, you're more than welcome to come along with us if'n you please, isn't that right M?” you let out a large grin.
>M, still blushing, mumbles something to the affirmative.
>”Why Anon, it'd be mah pleasure.” she smiles at M when she says this.

>The 3 of you walk for a short while, before you approach the outskirts of town.
>Look's like a nice enough place, if not a bit colorful.
>Everything in the West had a brown or yellowed look to it.
>This place is a rainbow of color.
>There's even a place that looks like a gingerbread house.
>Seriously. A damn gingerbread house.
>”Pretty interesting lookin place, if I do say so myself.” you think aloud.
>M's eyes are wide as can be.
> “Are you alright, M?” You're concerned for your friend. His demeanor was usually a cool one.
>Even when he couldn't speak, he always had an aura of cool around him, only making a fuss when he was hurt.
>”Yeah just... I've never seen some of these colors before...” his voice trails off, his eyes getting a wet, glossy look to them.
>Oh wow, he was colorblind?
>You pat him reassuringly on the back.
>”Ain't it nice?”
>”Yup” A manly (stallionly?) tear rolls down his eye as you all continue onwards.
>”So what's the name of this little slice of heaven?” you ask the orange p0ny.
>”That thar town is called P0nyville!”
>You look at her, raising an eyebrow.
>”Seriously?”
>”Yeah, seriously. What's a matter?”
>”Nothin, nothing, its just an interesting name, is all,” You glance at the town, then look back at the hatted p0ny “I didn't catch your name earlier.”
>”Well how silly of me. Mah name is Applejack.”
>So it isn't just the towns that have strange names.
>”Well AJ, it's a pleasure to meet you.”

>You get into town, and take a look around.
>This place is much more colorful up close. Not to mention all of the detail on every building.
>You all stop when Applejack does.
>”Well, this is mah stop. T'was a pleasure to meet y'all”
>”Really, ma'am, the pleasure was all ours, isn't that right, M?” You look at your gray companion.
>He simply nods, turning his head aside.
>”Well, if yer plannin on stayin for a few days, Ah'm in town almost every day, so ahm sure ah'll see ya around. Have a g'day now.”
>”You too, Miss Applejack” you tip your hat towards her.
>AJ walks down the path leading out of town, leaving you and M standing in the middle of the crossroads.
>This town is a strange place, but you still have a fist full of dollars in your coat pocket.
>Not that you ever spend your ill gotten earnings on personal effects.
>You tend to use your bank money for survival. Bullets, beans, bandages, and a bed for the night.
>Your revolver, special rifle, and that custom saddle were all payed for with money you earned through working, not money you stole.
>And no matter what town you walk into, 3 things reign supreme.
>Cash, gold and guns.
>”Hey M, you hungry?” you look to see your companion staring at a particular orange blob in the distance.
>”Uh, yeah. Hungry.” He is clearly not paying attention.
>”Well, if you're *that* hungry, how about an apple?” You snicker.
>That caught his attention.
>”I don't know what yer talking about, part'. I wasn't starin. No siree.”
>”I never said you were staring.” you put on your stone face you use when playing poker.
>”Oh.” He is staring back at you.
>After a few seconds of a staring, you both burst into uproarious laughter.

>”So let's take a look around town, and see what's going on.” You nudge your hat upwards and begin to take off towards what looks to be a saloon.
>”Scoping out the town...Just like old times?” M looks at you.
>”Yep. My duty doesn't stop just cause we aren't on Earth.”
>”What makes you say we aren't on Earth?” he asks
>You stop, and look right into M's eyes.
>”Really?” Your look incredulously at M.
>”Point taken.”
>You place your face in your palm, and continue to walk towards the saloon.
>M stands outside the saloon, you assume to keep watch.
>Good old M. Always looking out for you.
>You have to duck to get inside the bar but fortunately, once you are inside, the roof is high enough that you can stand comfortably.
>Unfortunately, everybody in the place stopped what they were doing as soon as you walked in. The piano even stopped playing.
>Last time you got a reaction like this was when you threw a bottle of watered down whiskey into the air and shot it down with your revolver.
>That was a good night.

>You tip your hat, and walk up to the bar.
>The bartender is staring at you, wide eyed. Very similar to the expression the bank teller had when you held that bag in front of her.
>”Whiskey” You say, as you place a coin on the counter.
>The bartender is still frozen in place.
>”Whiskey... please?” you smile awkwardly when you say this.
>The bartender must have been replaced with a statue when you looked away, because this p0ny isnt moving in the slightest.
>A rough female voice shouts from behind you. “What the hell are you waiting for, Chaser? Pour the thing a shot!”
>Did this p0ny just call you a thi- Oh hey whiskey!
>You can be upset later.
>Right now? Now it's drinking time.
>You grab the glass, only to have it be pulled away from you by forces unknown.
>”Are you tryin to pull a fast one on me?” You say to no one in particular, hand on your holstered pistol.
>”I could ask the same about you...” the bartender says
>You now notice the bartender's horn that's poking through his white mane.
>The horn's glowing red, and the glass has a red glow around it too.
>wat
>”I payed for my drink, and I'd like to drink it now.” A bite from a rattlesnake has less venom than your words do.
>”You didn't pay for anything, pal. You threw a piece of garbage metal on the counter and-”
>”Garbage metal? GARBAGE METAL?! Where I come from, men will kill each other for 20 pieces of that there coin.” you bare your teeth at the red-pelted p0ny.
>”Well, we aren't where you come from, are we?” his tone is low, and his eyes are merciless

>”Look, we are clearly having a misunderstanding. This here coin,” You take out another silver dollar “must be worth something as precious metal.”
>The bartender puts the glass down, and grabs the dollar you placed on the counter earlier, and begins to study it.
>”What kind of metal is this?” he doesn't look away from the coin.
>”That there, friend, is silver.”
>The bartender's eyes go wide as he drops the coin on the counter.
>”Boy, 4 of those coins could buy the deed to the place!” he stutters out.
>You cock an eyebrow at him.
>”Is that so?”
>”Yessir!”
>A wide smile appears on your face as you reach into your coat pocket.
>You walk out of the bar with a bottle of whiskey in hand.
>M looks the bottle.
>”Whatcha get this time, Anon?
>”Whiskey, as usual. But that isn't important.” You pull out a piece of paper from your inside coat pocket.
>”What's that?” M cocks his head.
>”This? Ah, it's nothing.”
>”Nothing?”
>Your grin would crack a lesser man's face.
>”Yeah, it's just the deed to the bar.”