Unshaken

by The 24th Pegasus


Chapter 68

Nobody: 9 Votes

The sun had finally disappeared by the time Kestrel finished her dinner, though the western sky was still aflame in reds and yellows when she took wing. Slipping out of the camp without too much fuss, just enough to find Slip Knot and thank him for the invitation and the meal, Kestrel soon found herself flying over the Equestrian countryside with nothing but her thoughts for company. They weren’t many, but they kept her occupied for the few miles between Fallow’s camp and her own.

By the time she alighted in the middle of the camp’s clearing, the Gang had just begun to finish up their meal, dumping their tins into the wash bucket as they finished the stew. She was pleased to see that Trixie had returned with a wagon full of supplies, though the crates and sacks of provisions hadn’t been neatly sorted yet.

Did Trixie, Miss Irons, or Wanderer run into any trouble while in town? No

“There she is,” came Wanderer’s voice, and Kestrel glanced aside to see Wanderer waving a ruddy wing at her. “Tumbleweed told us you’d flown off to explore. Did you find anything?”

Kestrel nodded and trotted closer to the table, where Wanderer, Tumbleweed, Roughshod, and Snapshot were in the middle of a hoof of poker. She pulled over a stool with a wing and sat down at the corner, sizing up the stacks of bits scattered between the four stallions. As per usual, Snapshot’s unshakeable poker face seemed to be doing him well, while Roughshod’s aggressive bluffing had dug himself a hole he couldn’t get out of. “I found a whole bunch of ponies campin’ in the hills a few miles from here,” she said.

“Another camp?” Tumbleweed asked her, eyebrow raised. A minor note of apprehension crept into his voice; Kestrel didn’t blame him for that at all, though. It was better to be safe than sorry. “Please tell me they ain’t more Vipers, or whatever Hoofston’s got in their stead.”

“They’re a gang, but they ain’t gonna be a problem to us,” Kestrel said. “They were friendly enough, actually. They offered me food, and I had a chat with their leader. Stallion by the name of Fallow.”

“A friendly gang?” Roughshod derisively snorted. “Ain’t no such thing. It’s kill or be killed in the Southwest.”

“They ain’t model citizens of the law, no, but everythin’ they do, they do for survival.” Kestrel watched Wanderer draw the next card from the deck as the dealer, and the four stallions went through a round of betting, ending with Tumbleweed folding with a disgusted snort. “Fallow don’t want them killin’ ponies, but they’re a-okay with stealin’ to survive.”

“Oh?” Out of the current hoof of the game, Tumbleweed shifted his attention from the cards to his right-hoof mare. “Ain’t that interestin’, then. Why’d they form up if they ain’t willin’ to fight for what’s theirs?”

Kestrel rolled her shoulders, loosening up stiff muscles in her wings. “They’re the beaten down of society,” she told him. “Ponies who got everythin’ taken from ‘em. A family I talked with, they lost their family farm to an oil baron who burnt it down to get the land on the cheap. I bet most of the rest of ‘em got similar stories.”

Tumbleweed seemed to mull that over for a bit, his expression remaining unchanged even when Roughshod loudly shouted and cursed as Snapshot inched out his four of a kind with a straight flush. “This conference job we’re plannin’… I told the rest of the Gang about it ‘fore dinner, soon as Wanderer and the others got back. Think we’d be able to get their help with it?”

“We could, but I don’t think it’s worth pushin’,” Kestrel said. “Standin’ up to the Law ain’t seemin’ like somethin’ they do. Fallow’s just tryin’ to get them to live and avoid violence. Draggin’ ‘em into it ain’t likely gonna be an easy sell for ‘em.”

“That’s a fuckin’ shame,” Roughshod grunted, joining into the conversation as Snapshot dealt the next hoof of cards. “Boss said we’re hittin’ this thing at its busiest. Coulda used some fodder to distract the security that’s gonna be there.”

“We don’t know exactly what everythin’s gonna be like there,” Tumbleweed reminded him. “We’ll figure out more this week when we meet up with Starlight again. She was gonna scout things out, give us the rundown ‘fore we get set to crash the thing.”

“Things to worry about another day,” Wanderer said, quickly folding out of his hoof with a disappointed shake of his head at the first round of betting. “After all, weren’t we gonna have a party tonight?”

“Almost forgot,” Kestrel said. “Today was such a busy day.”

“Well, no time like the present to go crack open a case of beer,” Tumbleweed said, tossing his cards away and standing up from the table. “Wanderer and Miss Irons were kind enough to stock us with all the alcohol we’ll need while we’re in town. I say we put a dent in it tonight.”

Roughshod was more than pleased by that. “It feels like it’s been ages since we last had a party.”

“We celebrated after robbin’ that train in Rock Ridge,” Kestrel reminded him.

“Yeah, and that was ages ago! C’mon, Wanderer, get your guitar and let’s get some music goin’!”

Kestrel chuckled as the stallions all moved to the center of the camp, where Tumbleweed started setting out the crates of alcohol and snacks to celebrate. Word quickly spread around the small camp, and soon Kestrel’s fellow mares approached from different sides of the camp. With the Gang all assembled once more, Tumbleweed hopped onto the deck of the supply wagon and lifted a beer in his magic.

“Friends,” he said, looking out over his small family of outlaws and criminals. “It has been tough for us these past few weeks. It had been a hard struggle to survive. But we are makin’ progress in the world. We escaped from Rock Ridge with a wagon full of gold, and we got so many bright prospects lined up for us here in Hoofston. And now, tonight, since we’ve finally got some breathin’ room to ourselves, I say it’s time to celebrate!”

He lifted up his bottle of beer as the rest of the Gang cheered and snatched their own drinks. Kestrel could only smile as Wanderer dug out his guitar and began to play happy tunes around the fire, the glow filling the leaves of the trees around them with a pleasant orange warmth as the sunlight faded away. She already knew she wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight, but with all the beer and whiskey she could ask for, that wasn’t too much of a bother.

The only question now was who to drag over to her side to sing and dance with while Wanderer entertained them all on his guitar.

1.     Tumbleweed

2.     Roughshod

3.     Snapshot

4.     Silver Wings

5.     Miss Irons

6.     Trixie

7.     Sit it out and just watch the fun.