//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Escalation // Story: Smoke // by Nobrains //------------------------------// Marshal Law “You can go fuck yourself, law pony,” the unicorn spat in Marshal Law’s face from the other side of the bars, his disgust amplified through his dirty eyes. The marshal wiped the spit from his face and gave the uncooperative unicorn a dirty look. “Son, you’re going to be in a world of hurt if you don’t start learning some manners.” “Just try to do something, I dare you,” the gruff unicorn puffed out his chest and tried to look as threatening as he could. The marshal just laughed and tapped the bars in between them. “I’d be more worried about Human in there than me out here.” They both looked back to the creature sitting on the corner with his eyes to his feet. He seemed uninterested and he likely was. This was probably all just a waste of time for him, but the marshal couldn’t take any chances. The unicorn laughed and trotted over to him, giving him a poke of the hoof. Human didn’t react. The unicorn poked him again before heading back to the bars. “He’s just another without any balls, sheriff. Just. Like. You.” The marshal shrugged before suddenly bringing a hoof in between the bars, grabbing the unicorn around the neck and reeling him in, smashing him against the bars that separated the two. Marshal looked him dead in the eyes. “I’m getting a mighty bit tired of your language. In fact, innocent or not, you might just find yourself up on the gallows if you keep running your muzzle this way,” he pulled him back and smashed him against the bars again. The unicorn began to look disoriented, but still defiant. “Then you better make up your mind quick, cause I ain’t tellin’ you shit about the shooting.” With a defeated sigh, the marshal threw the mouthy unicorn back, sending him down to the floor on his flank. He looked to Human, who was still just sitting there, his gaze unmoving. “Human, can you come over here? For Celestia’s sake…” Human stood up and approached the marshal. “What do you need to ask me?” “You wouldn’t know anything about that murder, would you? Be honest with me here, I don’t need more shittalk, I got plenty of that from the charismatic fellow a minute ago.” Human’s eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to recall anything. They focused back on the marshal a minute later. “I’m afraid not, haven’t been out of the saloon for a few days.” The marshal tapped his hoof in disappointment. “Look, if either of you knows anything, spit it out, or I’ll be sure to let you rot in here until either I find the culprit, or I figure out which one of you had something to do with it.” “Whatever you feel is necessary, Marshal,” Human went back to sit in his previous place, while the foul mouthed unicorn simply began ranting on about how he couldn’t do anything to hurt him. The marshal stormed back into his office, grumbling angrily about his lack of success in getting to the bottom of this murder. Unfortunately, he had been too loud, and woke the mare who had been sleeping on the bench. Applejack looked around drowsily. “Whazzat…?” The marshal plopped behind his desk. “Absolutely nothing. Damn this town.” The drowsy earth pony seemed to be quickly regaining her abilities. “What’s the matter?” “Stubborn unicorns and whatever the hell Human is… Celestia… what’s this place coming to? All killing each other and just running off…” He really was starting to hate his job, which might have been blasphemous. This was his calling in life, afterall. He tapped his hoof along the desk, wanting to be away from all this, just for a bit. You can’t really leave a place that needed you so desperately though. He was tied here and he didn’t even have any deputies he could pass his knowledge onto. Not everypony had the makings to be a protector in this town, they were all too unique to follow in his hoofsteps. This Cutie Mark stuff was really binding, and he found himself asking what it would be like not to be tethered by that every day of his life. “Yoohoo! Mister Marshal!” Marshal Law looked up and scanned the station. It was just him and Applejack still, who was now looking around as well. Who could that be this far into the night? “Mister Marshal! Why don’t you come out here for a chat? I don’t take too kindly to law ponies taking my unicorns!” Aww Tartarus. He should have known that the little bastard unicorn with a big mouth would be having friends. Likely they had no sense of holding their tongue’s too. He left his desk and ordered Applejack to stay inside as he peered out. There was a lone filthy looking unicorn with blue eyes standing there tapping his hooves. He didn’t look none too bright. Marshal wondered why anypony would willingly be a subordinate to this meager looking one. “Something you need, colt?” The marshal asked, trotting outside to meet him face to face. “Why yes. I’m sure you were hearing me quite clearly from inside, but I’ll make it very obvious this time: I want that unicorn you got in there. He’s one of mine,” the stallion’s blue eyes grew dark. “This don’t have to end with anypony getting hurt.” “Oh really,” The marshal eyed the gun holstered at the unicorn’s side. “I’m sure you’re a very honorable fellow, but I don’t think I’ll be letting anypony out of my station until I figure out just who’s the guilty party.” “One of my unicorns? Guilty? Of what exactly?” The unicorn put a hoof to his chest, trying to look as utterly surprised and offended as possible. “Murder,” The marshal returned flatly. This was going about as well as he expected. “I can assure you Marshal, none of my unicorns would ever commit an act so… unthinkable,” he quivered his lip, as if in a mocking gesture. The marshal eyed him, thinking him strange. “Well, if you’re so confident in his innocence, then I’m sure you have nothing to worry about while I get this all sorted out,” he turned to go back inside the station, almost sure he was going to get a gun pointed at his back. Oh he heard a gun being drawn, but he wasn’t planning on how many he heard. “I hope you’ll be coming out with my unicorn, Marshal.” The marshal turned to see dozens of unicorns all with guns trained on him. They must have flooded in from behind and between the buildings of Appleloosa. This definitely was not looking well. He didn’t say anything though. He turned and bolted inside, just as a torrent of bangs and bullets bombarded the station. The marshal hopped to the ground and saw Applejack looking around confused and horrified. “Get down, dammit!” The marshal ordered, gesturing his hooves in a downward motion. She complied, falling to the ground next to him as countless bullets continued to rip and tear through the walls of the station. Marshal wasn’t sure what he was going to do against odds like this, he wasn’t even used to being shot at. This wasn’t just about him though. He had to get this mare out of here safe and sound, or he could mark himself up as a dead stallion and a failure. He looked to see how far the backroom was. It would be a short gallop over there, but maybe he could get Applejack over there. “Missy!” The marshal yelled, trying to sound audible over the flurry of lead flying in. “W-what?!” Applejack said, still suffering from the sudden trauma brought on by all the action. He pointed to the backroom. “I need you to get in there! Away from all this!” She looked at him with scared eyes. She wasn’t going to move unless she was moved. It figured he’d have to push her all the way there. Citizens. “Alright fine… but stay down!” The marshal suddenly stood up, trotting ahead and reaching back to the frightened earth pony. They locked hooves and he dragged her back, nearly falling onto his behind more than once. He swore he should have been dead countless times from how close the bullets were cutting around him. They fell into the backroom, where the unicorn inside the bars was hysterical. He was laughing and crying. “Fucking knew it! Fucking knew it! You’re dead, Marshal! Haha!” He was shaking the bars violating. What a nut case. Human propped his head up. He looked them all over and got up, moving towards the blithering unicorn. “What’s the? Keep your hooves off of me you freak! Fuck off!” He shot out a rapid bolt of weak magic, completely missing Human and crashing harmlessly into the wall. What happened next was so fast, the marshal couldn’t believe. In an instant, Human closed the gap between the two and knee’d the side of the unicorns face with a ferocity unseen. The unicorn yelped and fell to his side, unconscious. What in Equestria was this thing? He turned to the two who were still recovering from the torrent of bullets. What bothered Marshal was that they weren’t stopping in the least bit; they just kept firing. “Let me out,” Human spoke commandingly. “I won’t!” The marshal answered back quickly. Perhaps he wasn’t thinking this through. “Let me out and give me my gun,” Human’s expression was just as monotone as it ever was. “You’re with them, aren’t you?!” The marshal accused, stressed out of his mind. “I should have known! Dammit!” Human’s otherwise monotone face and overall attitude suddenly turned into something Marshal could only describe as hellish in nature. Human clenched the bars, his eyes straining. “Do you want to live or die? I’m the only one here that can save your sorry ass.” The marshal scowled at Human. He was right. Human was the only one here that could even fight back against all of this… the only one that could handle one of those guns. Their only way out. “Fine, I’ll be right back,” the marshal immediately stormed back into his office where the gunfire continued. If Applejack had called for him to stop, he hadn’t heard it. Too much was going on, and all he was looking for was his keys and the six shooter. Both were sitting on top of his desk. He dove behind it quickly. The rest of the office was already in shambles but he didn’t care anymore. He just wanted what was on the desk. He propped up, reaching both hooves over the desk, and pulling the gun and keys with him. They were almost in his possession when a bullet made contact with his shoulder. He grunted and fell back, the keys and six shooter falling back with him. Looking around, he noticed his vision was already beginning to haze. Still, he knew where he was going, and he needed to get there fast. The wound he hadn’t even looked at could wait. He staggered upwards, simply pushing the keys and gun along the floor with his wobbly hooves until he fell into the backroom again. Applejack gasped when she saw him, rushing to his aid. “No! Get human out! I can wait!” He was in pain, but what he said needed to be done. “But Marshal-” “Hush! Let the damn thing out of the cell already!” Damn all these unthinking ponies. Applejack picked the keys up in her mouth and quickly rushed over to the cell where Human was. She placed the key in the lock and turned it, releasing it and letting Human step out. “My gun?” He asked. “Over there,” the marshal pointed wearily to the ground next to him. Human strode over and picked it up, checking to see if it was loaded. “Full,” he glanced into the next room, where all the fire was taking place. “There a back entrance?” “Yes, but are you suggesting we abandon the station?” The marshal asked from the floor. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. I only got the bullets that are in my gun. It isn’t enough.” Of course. As capable as Human could very well be, he needed those “bullets” he mentioned. Without them, his little weapon was useless. “What do you want us to do?” Marshal finally asked. “I want you both out, and running away from town. I’ll keep them busy while you get the hell out of here,” Human began to walk into the front office. “Hold on!” Applejack called out. “You’re going to get yourself killed!” Human shook his head. “I’ll meet up with you where you head off later. Just give me some time. Besides, you don’t care about me.” The mare didn’t look too sure, but the marshal wasn't going to argue with what he wanted to do. “Let’s go already before I bleed out dammit,” he had taken a look at his gun wound. It wasn't horrible or deep, but it bled and he was convinced that if they didn’t find something to stem the tide of liquid life soon he would faint. Applejack looked back at where Human had went and then back to the marshal, pulling him up. Marshal wobbled around and collided with the bars of the cell. Damn it all, he was going to need help the whole way. The mare was eager enough to help though, and quickly returned back to his side so he could learn on her as they made their escape. Just as they were about to leave through the backdoor, heading to Celestia knows where, the firing stopped. Had they managed to kill Human? If so, then he hadn’t done a very fine job of holding back the tide. Still, they needed to go. They pushed out the door, nearly falling out onto the dirt that lined this entire land. As they hobbled away, Marshal Law looked back at his station. All there was was silence, but then he heard a single shot fire off, and it was quiet again. Something told him that Human was still kicking.