//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13 
// Story: Unshaken 
// by The 24th Pegasus 
//------------------------------//



The Sheriff’s Office: 35%





Kestrel has removed her exhaustion after a good night’s sleep



It had been a long time since Kestrel had slept as soundly as she did that night. Usually she slept light in case of trouble, but after all the flying she did the day before, along with carrying an earth pony halfway back to camp, she slept like a rock. It was only the smell of breakfast that roused her from her lean-to the next morning.

She wandered over to the fire after freshening up some to find that Tumbleweed had already assembled the gang for the day’s journey. She took a plate of scrambled eggs and sat down nearby while the rest of the gang prepared to head out. After discussing a few things with Wanderer and Miss Irons, Tumbleweed soon turned his attention to the more able-bodied members of his gang once he saw Kestrel had arrived to join them. “Smell the air, fillies and gentlecolts. Do you know what that is? That’s the smell of opportunity!”

“Smells more like eggs and oats to me,” Kestrel quipped between bites.

“Opportunity can smell like a lot of things, dear Kessie,” Tumbleweed said, flicking his tail in her direction. “But with yesterday’s first successful haul done in this town, we’re finally back on our hooves! And now that we know this place isn’t completely bone dry, it’s time we start lookin’ for more money to take.”

“Hopefully it’ll be better than what we got outta that wagon,” Roughshod grumbled. “We ain’t gonna get rich quick if it’s all like that.”

“That was just a fluke,” Tumbleweed assured him. “But there was more to that job than what we got out of the wagon. We got information, and information, see, that’s even more valuable than a few hundred bits.”

“Can’t buy much with information,” Kestrel said with a shrug. “Most ponies prefer cold, hard bits.”

“Ah, but as you said yourself, this Viper Gang has gold on them,” Tumbleweed said, grinning. “But that’s a bit of a ways off. First, we need to make our esteemed guest share with us what she knows. Then we can decide what to do about that gold.”

Kestrel looked over her shoulder to where Sienna was still bound to the wheel. She didn’t know if the earth pony had slept at all the night before, but she knew by her grimace that she was hungry. Who knew when the last time she ate something was—nopony had certainly given her anything since they brought her back to camp, and that was likely to continue for a little while yet, until Tumbleweed got what he wanted out of her.

“So what’s our plan?” Silver asked, tossing her tin plate aside. She fluttered up to her hooves, stretching her wings for the flight into town. “Should I do some scoutin’ ahead?”

“No need to look for things when somepony is liable to just tell us what we want without even realizin’ it,” Tumbleweed said. “You, me, Kessie, and Wanderer will go into town and see what we can find, askin’ around. We’ll meet back up at the saloon for lunch and discuss what we turned up, and we’ll figure out our next move from there.”

“I’m going to chat up the saloon anyway,” Wanderer said. “Ponies love to talk when they get a little drink in them, and they talk even more if they’re playing cards. I’ll see what I can find.”

Kestrel nodded. “I was thinkin’ of seein’ what the sheriff knows ‘round these parts,” she said. “You saw the size of that office. Must be somepony important to get a place like that, and important ponies always know the best things.”

“You’re not worried about being recognized?” Silver asked her.

“That ain’t gonna happen,” Kestrel assured her. “We had to cross a damn desert to get here. All our wanted posters are up north; nopony would have put ‘em down here if we never been to this parts before.”

“And what a blessed thing that is,” Tumbleweed said. “Now, I’m gonna see if I can talk to the mayor of the town, work some of my charm over on him. Silvie, you’re comin’ with me. I figure if we pose ourselves as, say, problem solvers, the mayor might just direct us to a problem we can solve. And if it’s easy money, well, we might just take it.”

“What do you want me to do, boss?” Roughshod asked, tossing his plate aside as well.

“You’re gonna stay here and see if you can get our guest to loosen her tongue a bit,” Tumbleweed told him. “Snapshot will also be here if you need him, and Miss Irons will, of course, keep you boys in line. But I think you can handle this yourself.”

The grin on Roughshod’s face almost made Kestrel feel sick. “Oh, I can do that,” he said, rubbing his hooves together. “I love makin’ ‘em squeal.”

“You will make sure he doesn’t get too ahead of himself, will you?” Kestrel asked Miss Irons, who was standing nearby.

The senior mare nodded. “I will keep our guest’s wellbeing in mind, assuming she cooperates with us.”

“Then we’re settled,” Tumbleweed said. “Pack up your things, ponies, it’s time we get movin’!”

[NO POLL FOR THIS CHAPTER]