//------------------------------// // 9. Fateful Exchange // Story: Bounty On The Frontier // by MajorPaleFace //------------------------------// Darkness. That was all Ash could see, something had stirred her, something annoying. That sound - the rooster! Her eyes adjusted quickly after a few blinks and her memory returned. She was lying on the ratty bed and creaking frame, back aching, legs numb, head foggy from too few hours of unconsciousness. She got up with a groan, traipsing into the washroom to clean her face and rub the crust from her eyes.  Her ears perked as somepony came up the stairs. There was a thudding knock, three beats and then silence. She took her sabre from the wall, before removing the chair from under the latch and pulling the deadbolt. Pre-dawnlight spilt in through the crack and she let Kleo inside. The mare was unkempt compared to yesterday evening and smelled like a saloon outhouse.  “Have you been drinking?”  The violet mare sat down heavily on the mattress and sighed, “went with the Doc, one or two he said, but that's an old lie and I fall for it every time. Still, at least he was buying.” “You hungry?” Ash asked and went to get her belongings.  “Yeah, thought we could eat breakfast around the corner, little food stall the factory workers use. They make amazing black bean burritos.” She eyed the sabre as Ash stowed it and put her poncho and sombrero back on.  The mares left for the corner stall, the factory dayshift had started to the song of rooster and steam whistle. The mares rounded the district and found the food stall amongst a gathering of factory workers. All of them were Mules, not a pony to be seen. As the line lessoned the two mares stood out as clear as day. They reached the end, and Kleo said, “Dos burritos.” They ate the food while they walked. The burritos were hot, deliciously creamy and slightly spicy.  Ash stayed alongside Kleo as they wound through quiet suburban streets of cream homes, clay tiles and busy Mules as the adults went to work and kids to school - or in some cases - went to work themselves. They had crossed the canal to venture into Lecheria proper. An expansive zone of the domestic working class, they passed an Army Checkpoint, although they weren’t queried for Identification. They went down an alley and turned left across a plaza area, then into a large villa that overlooked the sweeping Mulican valley of clay-tiled homes and large parks.  The interior was a vibrantly colourful Mediterranean style that brought life to the rustic villa and sunny patio, giving Ash an old-fashioned, solid sense of family. Stucco and plaster wall finishes provided visual interest. There were also elements of many different materials, such as wrought iron, stone, ceramic pottery and copper. There was activity in the large kitchen that spread at the front of the villa, raised wooden shutters allowed an open-air view of the outside courtyard. An olive tree was stationed singularly, providing a small amount of shade to a mosaic table and iron chairs against the early sun. On the wall above the coffee table in the main room existed a portrait of a handsome Mule, he was in his mid-years and possessed hard eyes and a stern expression. As if to allow a comparison the owner of said portrait flowed from the kitchen, followed by Nerja. The artist had either taken some liberties or time had been unkind to the Mule. He looked a few years older, with greying hairs at the edges of his coat and mane. His eyes were creased from too many years spent squinting into the sun.   He carried a tray of water on his back and the two Mules went to sit at the courtyard table. Nerja gave them a nod in her direction, and Kleo and Ash joined to sit with them. “Good to see you, amiga,” Nerja said with some warmth towards the Pegasus.  She turned to regard Ash with a less-than-friendly look, she scanned her form and looked deep into her eyes. Ash nodded but she just looked at her compatriot with a disinterested expression, as if she didn’t care for Ash. Given what Kleo had told her last night about them having betrayed her position to the law ponies before, she felt a small amount of anger bubble underneath her fur. “So, Ash.” The greying mule began, “You’re the bat pony I’ve been hearing about?” “That’s right, sir. I’m here for work.” He chuckled, “Only my barber calls me sir, to everyone else I go by Padoro. And there’s always work, especially for you. I have something easy to get you started, are you ready?”  “As I’ll ever be,” she said. “Good.” He got up with a slight stutter and went back to the kitchen, she heard something scrape and then get dragged across the tiles. Soon after, he’d pulled a wooden chest half as big as Ash into the courtyard. He lifted it and set it in front of Ash with a grunt. There was a lock on it.  “So, Ash, I’ll give you an update on who you’re working for. Our operation cooks heroin, we occasionally take part in other business opportunities. We work for the Lecheria Cartel, they buy most of our product, but we need to move it ourselves. Sounds like a strange deal, I know, but it works out well. I already employ ponies to transport the product, but what I need you to be is my errand mare, I always have odd jobs that need doing, which is Kleos department, so you’ll be sticking with her so she can… what do you Equestrians say? show you the ropes?” He sat down heavily and lit a cigar.  After exhaling he spoke again, “There's another gang on the other side of Lecheria, we compete with them. They have ties to those Black Dragon Pendejos, and they’re trying to take over our turf. We had an unpleasant dealing with them already and now I want to give them this peace offering as a way to… encourage them to stay out of our business. Comprende? They already have the key that is to open this chest, so worry not, just deliver it to them at the paint factory on the corner of Clavel and Manzano in San Marcos. Kleo knows the way.” Kleo and Ash exchanged a glance, and then Podoro said, “There is a cart at the back of the house, hide the chest inside the hollowed-out barrel and pull it to the paint factory, here’s a certificate of approval that should get you through the army checkpoints, no problem. Just keep a low profile, please Mares.” Ash took the form, it was in Mulican with a wax seal on it.  “Now get out of here,” he said suddenly dismissive.  They left with a respectful farewell, picking up the chest between them and leaving the estate. They huffed the crate to the back entrance. There was a wiry dark grey Mule on watch duty, almost as tall as a pony. He had a white and red bandana around his throat, two short daggers at his hips and a thin black moustache under dark eyes that were both outwardly emotionless and bulging with crazy.  “Ah shit,” Kleo muttered.  “Oy, Kleo, who’s the new chica?” He licked his lips salaciously and looked Ash up and down with a creepy smile.  “Keep your eyes off me, asshole, before I cut that smirk off your chops.” Ash glared at him and the pretend friendliness vanished to be replaced with equal aggression.  “Ohhhh, temper, temper,” he remarked.  Kleo sighed in resignation, “Ash this is Mariposa, another helper for Podoro.”  “I’m more than a helper, chica, that’s all you’s are. Me and the jefe are practically hermanos.” “Right,” Kleo said dismissively, “we’re taking a cart to the paint factory in San Marcos. Where is it?”  “Weeeellll the thing is, chica, I had to use it for something. Borrowed it to a friend, you see. You know how much of a good friend I can be, right? So follow me, and we’ll get it back off him.”  Kleo sighed, “It’s always extra work with you, ain’t it? Boss says there's a cart, you say there ain’t. I’m sick of your stupid games, Mariposa.”  “Woah, Woah! Settle down, chica, settle down. It’s just around the corner, no sweat.” They followed the stallion, he led them through an adjoining alleyway, down a cobbled path behind a row of homes and back towards the canal. Once near the crossing, he diverted them left and they took a busy street for a series of storehouses. Ash and Kleo had the crate suspended between their bodies, ropes tied around their necks.  “So, Ash is it? What brings a pretty thing like you to Mulico?” Mariposa spoke with a slow, sly tone that made her want to slice his ear off.  “Call me pretty again, hermano, and you’ll be kissing the ground.” “Answer the question, mare, I just need to know if you're trustworthy.”  “I can vouch for her,” Kleo injected, “so hush up.” “I only accept vouchings from the boss, chica,” he said, glancing back with one disturbing eye, “how come we ain’t sure she’s not undercover for the mayor?”  “That shits a rumour, pendejo, ain’t no undercover ponies in the gangs. ‘Specially not ours.”  He faced forward, “Sound’s like somethin’ a cowardly spy would say.”  They reached the end of an intersection and the mares had to dance around a group of school kids out on some arranged trip. A pair of teachers, one a balding Mule with a gut and glasses and the other thin with stick limbs and narrow eyes. They hurried the kids onwards while glaring at the three of them.  “You got a staring problem, amigos?” Mariposa said with a hoof on one of his daggers. The teachers looked a little green at that, shook their heads, clearly afraid and moved off quickly.  “Tranquillo, Podoro said to keep a low profile. We don’t even have the damn cart and you’re trying to pick fights with the locals,” Kleo spoke admonishingly. “Look, chica, it’s not my fault those pendejos couldn’t keep their eyes off me.” Ash chuckled, “Probably thought, ‘Is that a molerat or just an ugly Mule? We don’t know. Looks like it’s been pulled out of a sewer. Better write to the department of exotic animals and have it examined.’” Kleo belted out a harsh laugh.  “Hah, hah,” Mariposa said humourlessly. “Carts this way.” He was quiet after that.  The cream and terracotta homes changed back into industrial brickwork, interlaced with crumbling stone walls from the old city and wood and iron of the newer factories and storehouses. They bypassed two with closed gates and little sign of activity as the communal Mule activity stopped altogether. The third had an open gate, a small brick compound with a tin and plank shed at the rear, centrally there was a small two-wheeled cart with the towing mounts resting on brick columns with a barrel in the back.  Kleo and Ash, following Mariposa's lead, trotted into the compound and walked through the gate. They didn't receive any greeting, and Mariposa hooked himself up after pushing the bricks over.  "Should we let somepony know we're taking it?" Kleo asked as she and Ash placed the crate in the rear of the cart.  "Nah," Mariposa said, "what's to tell? It's the boss's cart. Besides, they're expecting me to come for it. Why you think the gates all unlocked-like?"  Kleo made an uncertain sound but backed in next to Mariposa with an uncomfortable look shot at Ash and hooked herself to the cart. Ash hopped in the back and put the crate inside the hollowed barrel, then held it steady as they started to roll out.  "I'll lead, Chica," Mariposa said under his breath.  "Remember, paint factory in San Marcos." Kleo reminded.  "I know where I'm going, mare. Sound like my ex-wife."  "You were married?" Ash asked incredulously. "I can't imagine it."  "Oh," he said fondly. "She was a darlin', love of my life. She was the stars and moon to me…" he trailed off with a growl. "You give a mare your heart, give her your coin, you build her a house and what do you get? You walk in on them screwing your best friend!" He stomped.  "I don't peg you as the lovey type, Mariposa," Ash said. "Well, anyway, that's all in the past. Buried it, you could say. Or," he chuckled deeply, "buried an axe in it." She caught Kleos eyes and she could see the meaning, crazy. Mariposa was obviously a few screws short of a toolbox, even now he was jittery and always in motion, eyeing everypony with malice and bulging eyes.  Their trek south was relatively uneventful, save for a brief encounter at an army checkpoint. Mariposa switched on the charm as Kleo flashed the transport documents to a mule with a blue Cavalry hat. The three other mules didn't pay them much attention to that, although there was a fourth in a small tower who kept his eyes sharply trained upon Ash at all times. They were there for about five minutes, while blue hat did the talking and asked them seemingly innocuous questions, Ash knew from her military service it was a combination of trying to goad them into making a verbal error and boredom. Thankfully, despite Mariposa's batshit temperament, he didn't blunder and after a while, they were waved through the barrier.  "Fucking pendejos," Mariposa hushed as soon as they were out of earshot.  "Far to go?" Ash asked.  "Nah, few more streets," Kleo said. Shortly thereafter, once they'd crossed a pair of quiet intersections amongst factories and a lot of terraced brick houses, the bustle of the city had all but dissipated, bared by the waves of streets and rising semi-industrial areas. A wind breezed through and Ash had this suddenly unsettling feeling sink into her gut.  "Someponys watching us," Kleo said as if to read Ash's mind.  "I was thinking the same." "You nervous nags need to stop jawin', just worry about getting to the paint factory." They trotted by more houses and at another intersection, they could see a tin building sticking out somewhat haphazardly. There was a face in one of the windows in the opposite building which vanished as Ash let her gaze fall across it.  "You seen that right?"  "Yep," Kleo sounded off.  "I didn't see nothin'," Mariposa dismissed.  "Are you playing dumb or just blind? Feels like you're leading us into some bad shit," Ash said.  "Now why would I do a damn thing like that? It's my neck on the line too, Jefe is pissed about this whole thing."  Ash looked away from the windows, "I thought the gangs got along? Shared territory?"  "That's right, mare," he said slowly, as if to a child, "the big gangs do, publicly-like anyway, they use us and others like us to do their dirty work. So while we have our own rules to play by, the competition aren't always as lawful as us. Comprende?"  She looked back at the buildings as something moved, it was like those floaty things in your eyes that vanished whenever you tried to look directly at them.  "So the other gang, who are they?"  "We don't know," Kleo stated, "boss said their guys called Machu Pichu, some short pendejo".  "Remember;" Mariposa injected, "let me do the talking."  "Sounds like you'll have a lot in common, Mariposa," Ash said. "What do you mean to say by that?"  "I mean you're a pendejo as well. Am I saying that right? I'm trying to learn the lingo. Fit in."  "I'll be 'fitting you in' if you don't show me some respect, mare," he growled.    "I invite you to try, assflap." "Quit your bickering," Kleo said. "We're here, so could you act civil for ten minutes?" The paint factory was a rusty shell of sheet metal and old wood, the frame seemed to get ever more crooked the closer they got, with dark slate tiles caked in soot and moss and the windows that were so uneven it caused the marginal amount of OCD within Ash to scream for its demolition so she didn't have to look at it.  The door opened as they arrived and a slight breeze blustered through the street. Ash had glided to the door instinctively and met the shorter stallion, he was almost up to her chin. He had a flat wide nose and one ear was deformed, his eyes were dark and offered nothing.  "¿Qué?" He asked.  "Podoro sent us," she said.  Mariposa tried to replace her subtly but she stood her ground. The mule glanced between them with a slight shrug, "ok."  Mariposa and Kleo unlatched themselves and carried the case. Inside was a lowered concrete floor with several industrial manufacturing machines bolted into the concrete. A dusty timber staircase rose on the left to a short catwalk and some kind of observation office and creaked as a few mules moved down it. A dozen more stood around the inside, eyes on their little group. They all sported leather vests and little curved blades at their hips, very similar in style to the pair Mariposa sported.  There were another few Mules arrayed on the concrete at the centre where a larger Mule waited. Even as the door closed and her eyes immediately adjusted to the low light, she could make out a scar along his forehead and the scratchy edges of fur sticking out from his hat. As they got closer she recognised the telltale signs of scalping.  All eyes were on them as a scrape sounded overhead and a stick-thin figure trotted out of the observation booth to slowly creep down the stairs and onto the central platform. He wore a finely sewn crimson vest with gold thread and a white hat. His face was gaunt and the little goatee he sported immediately annoyed her. Don't any of these fuckers know what a razor is? "Buenos," the new arrival said. "Podoros sent more of you than we were expecting. It's no problem, except… where's our mule?"  Mariposa stepped away from Ash and into the proverbial spotlight, dragging Kloe with him as she held the other handle on the crate.  "What Mule?" Kleo asked.  He dropped to the lower level, "Our mule. The one we negotiated for?"  "What the fuck is he on about, Mariposa?" She hushed. "Beats me, mare." He faced the finely clothed mule, "Listen, hombre, Podoro sends his sincerest regards and this little… offering of appreciation."  The mule shuffled forward, a few of his gang bunching into small teams. Ash felt acutely aware of the locked door at her back and the few mules that moved into position between them and the entrance.  "This isn't what was agreed, where is our Mule?! Where is Lorca?!" Anger bubbled in his slight face.  "We don't know nothing about any damn mules," Mariposa said hotly, "but why don't we show you what's in the box and be on our way, then you and Podoro can work out whatever you need to."  Ash glanced at Kleo, she had the same look. We're screwed. The mule stiffened, looked around angrily and finally made a gesture at the box. He looked at the broad Mule beside him, "Open."  The mule complied and with one hoof on his cutlass and one eye on Mariposa, Ash and Kleo, he unlocked the crate. with the crunch of the lock setting the tension extremely high.  He lifted the lid and gasped as he pulled back with a gag, Ash bent around to see and heard the flies before she saw them. There was a decapitated head inside, tongue and eyes bloated and swollen.  The wail from the finely dressed mule was sharp and painful to listen to, he fell forward and placed both forehooves on the lid, "Mi hijo!"  He glanced up, eyes red and raw, mouth agape with shock and anger. He screamed, something loud and hate-filled. The room burst into movement, Ash saw the several Mules on either side of the box draw blades and flow forward with choppy movements. Time stalled, the air was musty and the sound of the wailing mule was all she could focus on for a split second. She didn't have time to think, Kleo screamed something, a short curved blade in each wing.  Mariposa pulled both curved swords and whirled on his hind legs, surprisingly nimble as he used his long frame to ward off the wave of Mules that moved for them.  Ash's brain was on fire with a single word filling her brain, escape, escape, escape. They had to get out of this warehouse or they'd be joining the head in that box.  She spun to meet the rear mules, they'd stayed back, blocking the door, gazes daring her to try to get through them. She swung herself, pivoting sideways and launching herself forward with a sabre drawn.  Their eyes bulged as she moved on them, that familiar rush of violence filled her legs and haunches to the point of itchy agony. She had to keep moving. The middle and left-most Mules teamed up to flank her and managed to partially dodge her mass. She threw herself at the lone mule on the right. He brought his sword up and she almost chopped through it, swinging down and then switching her stance. She ended the manoeuvre by catching the sabre in her opposite hoof and driving the blade through his neck. He fell with a gurgle.  As she turned to face the others, she heard Kleo and Mariposa fighting back to her. From the moment of the box to now perhaps ten seconds had passed.  One mule moved toward her with a cry, she jumped high over him and he skidded to change his angle, she caught him in the head with her rear legs and the snap of his skull echoed like a bullwhip.  She landed beside the other, and he thrust and met thin air as she easily sidestepped and struck him in the muzzle with a forelimb. He stumbled, tripped and dropped his sword. Ash sliced his throat and he went down in a spray of blood that missed her by a slim margin.  Kleo and Mariposa had backpedalled to the door, taking a few Mules down as they did so. Ash cut them off, bust the lock with her sabre hilt and was out into broad daylight. As her compatriots piled through after her, Kleo had a captured Mule blade and closed the door, stabbing the blade through the door and sheet metal wall to keep it sealed. A moment later and something crashed against it heavily.  "Move!" Kleo shouted. She took to the sky, flying back the way they'd come.  Mariposa hooked himself up to the cart, Ash hopped in the rear and he was off with a jerk. He raced down the street at a flat gallop, the ride was shaking her as she held on. The door burst open and a dozen Mules burst into the street, angry and seething.  "Why ain't you running mare?! You're slowing me down!"   "Shut it and keep driving, I'll keep an eye on your rear!"  "That's my line!" He said.  Kleo was overhead, gliding effortlessly, there were more Mules on the junction ahead, they had swords out and spaced themselves to cover the intersection.  Kleo dived, pulling up and scattering the group. They yelled and cursed as she made another pass, by the time the cart had gotten to the junction they were too far to hurt them. One neared the last second and Ash scared him away with a swing of her sabre.  "Left! Go left!" She heard Kleo shout.  As they hit the next junction, Mariposa swung into the turn. The cart drifted onto one wheel and nearly sent her crashing onto its side, Ash dropped her weight to counterbalance and kill the cart's tipping motion.  They kept going. She could see distant figures down the other two streets. Mariposa followed directions from Kleo, skipping through the intersection after intersection. Finally, they came within range of the busier industrial area. Mariposa slowed with a gasp and Kleo landed.  "That was close-" he managed to say. Kleo slapped him hard, he struggled against the harness. Ash got the message and laid the flat side of her blade across the top of Mariposa's back.  "Be still."  "What in Tartarus was that for?!" He complained. "What was that, Mariposa? Did you know about that? Podoro screwed us big time!"  "I swear I didn't know! Boss said take the offering and see how the new mare performed!" Kleo was face to face with him and as angry as a hornet. Blue eyes harsh and unforgiving. She could be scary when she wanted to be.  Workers and normal Mules were walking ahead and some had come near enough to glance at them with concern.  Ash sheathed her sabre, "This ain't the place, what do you want to do?"  Kleo stared hard and long into his eyes. He didn't say anything. "We go back, any funny business, Mariposa and I'll sell your hide to the Jackles."  "I don't know what he was thinking, honest! I'm as betrayed as you." Ash and Kleo exchanged uncertain glances. The journey back was quiet and fortunately, uneventful.