In a ruined mission, not far from Appleloosa, a pegasus of light purple with a rich emerald mane sat at the head of a banquet table, a hooded figure at his side. A group of pegasi of various colors and builds entered, and the stallion stood up. His cutie mark was a ripped piece of parchment, and his name was Broken Vows, but to hide this he more commonly went by Brovo. He described himself as shifter of wealth, but a certain lawpony would just call him thief, liar, and in need of some serious dental hygiene lessons.

"Ah, it looks like you made it, mi amigos. ¡Buen apetito! I have many treats for us tonight. The Mare in the Moon, she wishes she could eat this well, eh? My friend, he's not an expert chef, but it is still good. Ah, forgive me. Let me have a bite or two first. Not that I need to. Poison? He who uses poison is... hijo de puta, and many more things I would not dare say.

Now, as you know, tonight the festival will be in full swing. Buffalo and ponies celebrating and eating and oh, I already said you know. Well, in all the fun and games, who will notice a few ghosts flying about. The townsfolk, they'd just think it was all an act. The niños will point and laugh. Who would think twice about some pegasi grouping up and putting on such a show?

They certainly won't have their minds on their houses, empty and full of valuables. Ripe for the picking. So we dress up, loose fitting sheets to hide our bodies and a good flour dusting to hide out wing colors. We'll have three of us visible at any given time, while the rest grab whatever they can carry. Our friend here will be waiting for you just outside of town with a covered wagon. Give him the loot, and once we're all gathered... Adios Appleloosa."

Several of the pegasi gave appreciative grunts to this face. It was a simple plan, but that didn't take away from the genius of it at all. Too often a good plan was ruined by depending on too many factors. They were handed the outfits by the cloaked assistant and they dusted their wings.

An electric thrill shot through Brovo as the "ghosts" took off. He grinned to his companion as they walked outside to the cart. He helped hitch the figure up, grinning wildly.

"There are two kinds of pony in this world, my friend. Those who obey the law, and those Sheriff Silver Star haven't found yet. Even tonight, on Nightmare Night, when everypony is running around in costumes, you'd have to be some foal dare to break the law in his town. But, mi madre use to say something that holds true even today.

Greed makes you stupid, but wealth can make a fool's word worth more than a scholar's lecture. They're a greedy bunch, and they think we're fools for sharing this with them. But in the end, it's us who'll be smarter than them, eh mi amigo?"

…

Meanwhile, in the Mild West town, Little Strong Heart and Braeburn were running their own apple bobbing station, and the tradition of Nightmare Night seemed to greatly confuse the buffalo.

"So, you give offering of sugary sweets to the Spirit of the Night?"

"Well, something like that. It's largely an excuse to make sure the little ones don't eat too much candy in one night. The costumes are just plan fun, but we tell them it's so Nightmare Moon doesn't know any of us are ponies to eat. So, maybe you might not be so safe."

The two grinned at each other. The buffalo was dressed as an Appleloosan stallion, vest, hat and all. Braeburn, however, was in the traditional clothing for a buffalo bride. Chief Thunderhooves had raised a bit of a ruckus about the request.

"For someone to wear the clothing and not be wed that day? Tradition say-"

He was silenced by a slice of pie being shoved in his mouth. And that was the end of that.

The pair stood around, boredom slowly taking its toll. There was a slight relief as Sheriff Silver Star walked up to greet them.

"Hey there Sheriff. Care to take a turn at bobbing? You look mighty worn tonight, the water and food will do you good."

The lawpony nodded and took several turns before he was sated. Water dripped from his mustache and made it droop, but the refreshing wash brightened his spirits.

"I just took a big of a long stroll. Gotta keep a sharp eye out tonight, who knows what mischief somepony will bring up. Those little pranks can turn into a right mess if they've been enjoying the cider a little too much."

Braeburn nodded, knowing from past celebrations he'd been to it wasn't too much to turn a simple scare, to a reflexive hoof to the jaw, to a full bar brawl. Morton, the Salt Lick's owner, always made sure to keep a few extra bodies around to help stop a problem before it started on celebration nights.

"Well, it's been quiet down this way Sheriff. This being Appleloosa's first Nightmare Night, it just seems like everybody is enjoying the novelty."

Little Strong heart gasped and pointed up to the sky.

"Oh, spirits have come! Are they heralds for the Mare of Night?"

The two stallions watched, bemused grins on their faces as one swooped down and stole an apple from the tub. The Sheriff shook his head, smiling more to himself than the buffalo.

"Naw, spirits don't eat. They're just putting on a show. Listen, you can hear the little tykes scream every time one of them dives. Well, I can see everything is going according to plan. You report to me if anything gets out of hand. Tonight is going to stay nice and peaceful if I have anything to say about it."

And with that, the Sheriff walked off, leaving the two to watch the flitting figures in the sky.

…

It was around midnight when the final "ghost" arrived at the cart. Tearing off the costume, he had saddlebags full of jewelry, money and... half an apple. Brovo looked at it with a smirk.

"Ah, I see you got a bit hungry hombre. Well, I'm glad you got something sweet. Because I think mi amigo here has something to say to you that would have made it rather sour."

The cloak was tossed in the pegasus' face, and he was tackled to the ground and hogtied. He struggled, cursing their treachery until the cloth was removed from his face. A shining badge told the outlaw who he was looking at without the need for an introduction.

"Sheriff Silver Star!"

The struggling stallion was tossed into the wagon with all his cohorts, similarly bound and gagged to prevent them from warning the others when their turns had come. Brovo winked at the Sheriff, who was bagging the spoils to return them to their owners later that evening. The pegasus snatched away the half eaten apple, taking a bite himself.

"You see? There are two kinds of pony in the world, my friend. Those who are smart enough to work with the law, and those stupid enough to think they're outside it!"

The Sheriff chuckled, tossing the pegasus his Deputy badge.

"Yeah, well your community service has just begun. You were stupid yourself, once."

Broken Vows swallowed the last bit of the apple, tossing the core into the cart. A groan of protest sounded from the prisoners.

"Si, but I never said it wasn't possible for you to become the other kind, did I?"

…

I kinda... sorta... maybe... watched some scenes from the Dollars trilogy again...

Kyle