PROSPERITY
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
This is my take on the first season episode "Hard Time" which was the episode where Kid got arrested on trumped up charges and sentenced to work in a field. This is an alternate universe story in which Kid never joined the Pony Express and Jimmy was the first to find out Lou was a girl. The others as well as Jimmy know Lou's real identity, though Teaspoon doesn't. Young Riders belongs to MGM Studios, Ogiens/Kane Company, and ABC. I only own the plot and any unknown characters. I know in the regular series, Emma called Teaspoon "Mr. Spoon", but I'm going to have her call him "Mr. Hunter".
"Rider comin'!" William F. Cody's voice rang out and the others exited the station house as Ike McSwaine came galloping up. Ike gave a pouch to Buck Cross, who marshaled his horse which took off. Teaspoon came out, followed by Emma Shannon, and the other riders came to attention.
"Boys, I need someone to go into a town called Prosperity. A package was supposed to come in but got delivered there by accident," the man told them.
"I'll go," Jimmy and Louise "Lou" McCloud chorused. They looked at each other and laughed. Shortly after joining the Pony Express, Jimmy and Lou had been on a ride together when Lou had gotten shot. Jimmy had then taken her into a house to check her injury, discovering that she was a girl. At first, he had been enraged, shouting at her for risking herself in such a way, but he had nevertheless promised to keep her secret.
"Shoot for it?" Jimmy asked with a grin.
"Waste of lead. Let's just go," Lou answered. Jimmy nodded and they both got their horses and then took off. Buck, Cody, and Ike shook their heads.
"You know, sometimes I still can't believe she's a girl," Cody muttered.
That's because she rides, works, fights, and shoots just as well as any man. Maybe better, Ike signed.
"I'll say," Buck agreed.
"Just think, if we hadn't followed her and Jimmy when she went after her brother and sister, we still wouldn't know she was a girl," Cody said softly.
"Those two work rather well together, don't you think, Mr. Hunter?" Emma queried.
"Yes, I reckon they do," Teaspoon answered. Then, "Don't you boys have other work to do?" Grumbling, Cody, Ike, and Buck went separate ways. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Lou were riding at a leisurely pace.
"'Prosperity'. I have a good feeling about a town with a name like that," Jimmy commented.
"I don't know, Jimmy. Things ain't always as they appear," Lou reminded. Jimmy looked at her. This wasn't the first time he had heard the girl talk like this and he gathered that she had seen some pretty horrible things, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what. After several hours, they finally reached the town entrance. PROSPERITY: The Friendliest Town in the Territory read the sign. They rode in, hitched their horses to a pole, and then headed off. As they walked towards the post office, the two riders noticed instead of looking at them as they walked by, that the townspeople merely looked at the ground. Jimmy and Lou looked at each other. This place is weird, Lou thought. Okay, I think I have to take back my good feeling, Jimmy thought to himself.
"This place gives me the chills," Jimmy stated, subtly moving closer to Lou and putting his hand on his Pear-Handled Navy Colt.
"Let's just get to the post office," Lou said.
"Right," Jimmy agreed and then continued until they found the post office. Then, they walked in.
"Can I help you?" the man at the desk asked.
"You accidentally received a package meant for Teaspoon Hunter," Lou replied.
"We've come to retrieve it," Jimmy responded.
"Ah, yes. It's right here," the man said, reaching underneath the desk and then placing the package onto the counter.
"How much?" Jimmy questioned. The man gave them the total and the boy pulled it out and gave him the money.
"All right. I guess we can go," Lou said.
"Yeah. The sooner the better," Jimmy agreed. Just then, they heard someone crying out in pain and fear.
"What the heck?" Lou asked, turning around. That doesn't sound good, she thought.
"Beats me," Jimmy replied, as he un-holstered his gun. They rushed out and to their surprise; a boy around their age was being dragged through the streets, tied to the back of a wagon and a team of horses.
"What in the world?" Lou asked and they immediately unfastened their horses and chased after the boy. The boy whimpered in pain as the horses continued down the street.
"Come on, we gotta hurry!" At Jimmy's urging, Lou encouraged her horse to go faster. Then, she pulled out her gun and aimed at the rope tied to the wagon. The boy grunted as he was suddenly stopped. Ow, he thought. This was definitely going to leave a mark. Jimmy bent down, grabbed the boy, put him on the back of his horse, and started off. The boy grunted in pain with every trot even though Jimmy tried to be as gentle as possible. Suddenly, there was a shot!