Intervene and fight off the three stallions: 46%
Kestrel’s nostrils flared as she frowned at the three stallions threatening Trixie. The unicorn may have been an idiot and a fraud, but she didn’t deserve to die for her stupidity. Well, maybe she did, but Kestrel was at least going to get paid first. And that wouldn’t happen if those three idiots killed her and made out with everything she had.
The hammers on her two revolvers clicked as Kestrel drew them back. The three stallions stopped what they were doing and turned back to Kestrel, surprise in their eyes as they stared down two powder-stained barrels pointed their way. “Let the little lady go,” Kestrel warned them. “I ain’t got no fancy magic, but I got lots of lead. Life’s full of unfortunate circumstances, friends, and sometimes we make bets we really shouldn’t. You made your bets with Trixie and lost. Now’s not a good time to make another.”
The stallions looked between each other, then glowered at Kestrel. “One against three? You must be mad, little gunslinger,” their leader taunted. “Put those away before you hurt yourself.”
He started to turn his own revolver toward her, but Kestrel fired a bullet at his hooves, making him jump back and the crowd gasp. “You point that thing in my direction, and you’re dead, mister,” she warned him, drawing the hammer back again.
“You wouldn’t shoot me in front of all these ponies,” the stallion growled.
“They know who started it,” Kestrel countered. “And I bet that gunshot’s bringin’ out the sheriff right now.”
Is Kestrel able to get the three stallions to back down? Yes
Kestrel could tell that she’d infuriated the stallion by refusing to back down to him, but he wasn’t stupid enough to test her. She knew she’d hurt his ego by proving herself tougher than him, but she also knew that he was afraid she’d hurt more than just his ego if he didn’t yield. Instead, he holstered his gun with a growl and spat at Trixie. “We’ll be back for you, bitch,” he growled at the magician. Then he brushed past Kestrel, jamming his shoulder into hers for one last parting shot. “Don’t think we’re gonna forget this.”
“I sorely hope you don’t,” Kestrel retorted. “It’s hard enough to teach old dogs new tricks, let alone vermin.”
The two parties glared at each other for a few seconds more before the ruddy stallion finally led his compatriots away. Kestrel watched them go until she was certain they were actually leaving, then un-cocked the hammers of her revolvers and slid them back into their holsters. She glanced over at Trixie, who was still lying on her side, and offered her a wing. “I don’t suppose this is a regular thing?”
“Of course not,” Trixie muttered, shooing away Kestrel’s wing and standing up on her own. She turned her focus back to the murmuring crowd and bowed. “And look at that, fillies and gentlecolts! That is how one deals with common lowlifes who think they can threaten the Great and Powerful Trixie! By being so Great and Powerful that ponies will bend over backwards to be on her good side! Let’s have a round of applause for this mare!”
She vigorously clopped her hooves together, eventually rousing something resembling confused applause from the crowd. Kestrel rolled her eyes but tipped her hat to them nonetheless. What a story she would have to tell the others later.
“Now, Trixie is going to have to call today’s show early, thanks to that rude interruption. She needs a moment to relax, and maybe a stiff drink. But she thanks you all for being a wonderful audience, and she hopes to see you at some of her future shows! She’ll be here all week… assuming there are no more incidents like this one today!” She snatched up her hat from the crowd, mildly heavy with bits, and pulled it back into the wagon as she stepped backwards through the curtain. “Good day!”
And then she disappeared behind the fabric, leaving Kestrel to stand awkwardly on the stage. The crowd began to disperse, muttering their thoughts to each other as they left to return to their lives. Kestrel saw black feathers slip back into the sheriff’s office, and she said a quiet thanks to Celestia that the stallions hadn’t started something that would put her in even closer contact with the law. Garter didn’t know who she was, but the longer she stayed on his radar, the more likely it was that the truth would come out one way or another.
Still, there was the matter of pay to attend to, so Kestrel shortly followed Trixie back behind the curtain and into the wagon. She was surprised at how spacious the interior of the thing was, at least compared to the outside. Trixie had arranged all her props and tools very neatly inside of the thing to keep as much floor space clear as possible, and she could see a hammock folded in the corner; it was likely much easier to stow and use than a bedroll of any kind, and more comfortable too. Trixie herself stood off to the side in front of a vanity mirror, trying to straighten out her appearance after the roughening up the three stallions did to it.
Trixie glanced sideways at her as Kestrel leaned against the wall. “Trixie thanks you for your assistance,” she said. “Sometimes there are… unsavory characters that frequent her shows.”
“I hope that’s not a frequent occurrence,” Kestrel said with a shake of her head. “You ain’t gonna last that much longer if it is.”
“Trixie does what she has to to get by,” the magician said. “Sometimes that means playing fools for what they are.”
“And am I a fool for helpin’ you?” Kestrel raised an eyebrow.
“Of course not! I say you’re the smartest mare Trixie has had the honor of encountering for a long time. Standing up for Trixie is a very good thing.”
“Then I expect you’re not gonna fool me out of my share of the bits,” Kestrel said.
Trixie floated over her hat and lifted a cluster of bits out of it. “As promised,” she said, dropping them in Kestrel’s outstretched wing.
Kestrel looked them over and frowned. “Ten bits?”
“A fair share,” Trixie asserted. “I was the one doing all the hard work.”
Kestrel glowered at her. “And who woulda bailed you out if I weren’t up there?”
“Oh, fine. You give a mare a gun and suddenly she thinks she’s royalty,” Trixie muttered, dropping more in Kestrel’s wing. “There, thirty. That’s practically half of what Trixie made today, so I hope you’re not asking for anything more!”
Sighing, Kestrel tucked the thirty bits away. It was practically a pittance for the gang, little more than spending money. Sixty bits a show for Trixie, however, was probably pretty good when it didn’t have to be split up too many ways.
Trixie ran a comb through her mane, putting the stray hairs back together in their proper curl. “I suppose I do owe you a little something more than money,” Trixie said. “Perhaps a drink would be welcome? I certainly am not paying you anything more, before you ask.”
1. Get a drink with Trixie. At least I’ll get somethin’ worth my while after all of this. Whiskey’s as sure as anythin’ else a good way of sayin’ ‘Thank you’.
2. Leave. I got better things to do with my time than hangin’ around with this fraud, like catchin’ ringworm or somethin’.
3. Rob her. We’re all alone now in this wagon, and if she weren’t great and powerful enough to do anythin’ to those three stallions threatenin’ her back there, she sure as Tartarus ain’t gonna do nothin’ to stop me now.
4. Make a Pass. Jackass she may be, but she ain’t too bad on the eyes. I could certainly think of a thing or two that might help cover the measly sum I got from all this shit.
(Confidence Required: 35 Votes)