Someone was yelling at him, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. “Just let me rest a bit more” Wild Card thought in the darkness. “I want go to the store and look at the figures in the window.” He continued to drift in the black. “Well if you get up sleepy head, we can go to the store. “ A comforting feminine voice spoke just inside the darkness. “Mom?” he thought. “But wait..”
“WAKE UP!” roared the voice of Big Macintosh in his ears. Wild Card opened his eyes. Thick smoke was licking across the ceiling; he was pinned under the rubble of the fallen floor. The room was aflame. He craned his neck to see Golden Bale unconscious behind Big Macintosh, who was using part of a broken beam to pry up the rubble. Big Macintosh was on his knees slowly wedging himself under the lever, soot and ash covering his face and back.
“Don’t be a hero Big Mac, the stairs are about to go!” Shouted Wild Card as the fire roared and hissed all around them. “You’ve got a family to go home to. Friends who’ll miss you.”
Big Macintosh didn’t reply but slow rose to his hooves, the fallen beam slowly rising along with him. Wild Card felt the weight across his withers lighten a little, then a little more. He could almost get free.
*CRACK* Wild Card watched as the staircase at the far end of the room split in two and fell into the flames.
“Piece… of…Cake.” Big Macintosh grunted, and was on his feet.
Wild Card was able to slide free, he glared at Big Macintosh. “I told you to go. Now we’re all going to die in this cellar.”
“Not just yet.” Big Macintosh coughed from the smoke made his way over to the storm cellar doors they had seen from the outside.
“You may be strong Big Mac, but those doors are solid steel, and that lock is still magically encased.” Wild Card pointed out.
“Ever build a barn?” Big Macintosh grinned at bucked hard at hinges attached the wooden frame to which the storm doors were attached. He bucked again. The wood began to splinter. Wild Card saw what was going on and began to kick at the frame on the other side. The door frame creaked and the doors feel down with a crash, the wood no longer able to support the weight. Big Macintosh pushed Golden Bale up and out into the cold night air. Wild Card scrambled up after and the two caught their breath. The house behind them continued to go up in flames.
Something came whistling through the air. Wild Card , without thinking, sprang forward suddenly to Big Mac’s side. An arrow pierced his shoulder with such force it knocked him off his feet and into Big Macintosh. He sank to the ground. “That. hurt.” He coughed. “Can this night get any worse?”
“Move and the next one’s going through YOU Big Red!” A familiar voice said from across the field. Desert Willow the red and white earth pony Bounty Hunter and her partner Arrowspate, a tall grey and white unicorn stepped from the shadows. Arrowspate had his bow magically redrawn aimed at Big Macintosh. The bounty hunters crossed the field quickly closing the space between them and the three ponies by silhouetted by the burning house.
Wild Card, slowly rose and got to his feet. “You definitely should have Arrowspate shoot him Willow.” Wincing he forced a grin. “I wonder how many years in prison you’ll get for attacking a defenseless apple farmer.”
Desert Willow wasn’t buying it. “Defenseless my hoof.” She eyed Wild Card and Big Macintosh suspiciously. “The folks back in Dodge City are still trying to figure out what kind of magic explosives he used on the back wall of the post office. Blew it clean out without any burn marks. We didn’t even hear anything on the other side. “
“He just saved the life of Golden Bale here,” Wild Card contended. “Or did you get here too late to see that.”
“One good deed doesn’t negate a lifetime of evil Wild Card.” Desert Willow countered.
“For Celestia’s sake! Just look at his Cutie Mark!” Wild Card said, frustrated. He yanked the arrow out of his shoulder, and spat it on the ground. A thin trickle of blood ran down from his wound.
Desert Willow glanced over at the large earth pony and carefully took a step forward. The ground at her feet exploded in the sparks of a bullet blast. Arrospate swiveled his bow deftly in the direction the shot had come from.
“That’s far enough Miss Willow.” A voice said to their left said. “Wild Card and anyone running with him is my kill. Thanks for tracking him down for me.”
“When it rains it pours doesn’t it?” Wild Card shook his head in disbelief. “Black Bartlett. Are you still angry about that Bank? It’s not my fault you decided to rob it the day after. Hardly worth killing for.”
“Hardly worth Killing for?” Four pear colored earth ponies crested the hill and approached. One wore a big black Stetson hat and was carrying a shoulder mounted rifle, a Bartlett Pear surround by coins shown on his flank. Two beside him had the tell-tale walk of ponies wearing retractable knives attached to their front hooves, and the forth besides them also had a shoulder mounted rifle.
“I was shot in the RUMP because of you! “Black Bartlett spat. They stopped a short distance away. “I was caught and almost sent to the Canterlot crystal prison mines! And my brother still ended up there. This here is plain old revenge.”
“Hold On now, you expect me to believe that you’re just going to let us walk away, so you can kill Wild Card?” Desert Willow looked at one rifle pointed at Wild Card and the other pointed at her.
“I wanted Wild to know who was sending him to the hereafter, you bounty hunters are merely free bits.” Black Bartlett smiled wickedly. “I heard you made quite a small sum on your last capture.”
“So you plan on killing US as well.” She said quietly.
“Give the Mare the golden bridle.” Black Bartlett and the other cocked their rifles.
Wild Card’s legs gave out and he sank back to his knees as blood splashed on the ground. “Hope you enjoy prison.” A hidden throwing knife he’d been hiding fell the ground; more blood spurted from his shoulder. “You’re going to lose this one Bartlett.”
“No, you’re going to die Wild Card.” sneered Black Bartlett, tilting his rifle down at the fallen Wild Card. “Cause you brought a knife to a gunfight.”
“I was just keeping you distracted.” Wild Card grinned. An arrow flew out of the darkness, from where Arrowspate and Desert Willow had crossed field earlier, hitting the 2nd Rifle pony square in the flank. It Spun him as his rifle fired, hitting nothing. In the same moment Arrospate let his arrow go, which sped into the tilted mounting assembly of Black Bartlett’s rifle keeping it from firing.
Arrowspate was already notching another bolt to his bow, Big Macintosh Leaped forward in front of him, and spun, Bucking his hind legs into the left of the 2 center ponies . There was an audible crack as ribs gave way under a terrible force, wheezing the pony fell.
Wild Card rolled left as he kicked his hind leg out kicking the fallen knife towards Desert Willow. Desert Willow kicked it up into the air and with a practiced skill sent it flying into knee of the other center pony. Screaming he fell atop the other.
Wild Card gained his feet and leapt towards Black Bartlett’s legs from the left side, as Big Macintosh leapt towards Black Bartlett’s body from the other. Black Bartlett’s body lurched to the right and his mouth tasted dirt as he hit the ground.
Arrowspate swiveled as Desert Willow charged the fallen knife ponies. The one with the knife in his knee was trying to extend his retracted knife. Desert Will kicked down hard driving the thrown dagger deeper into pony flesh. With a yowl, he stopped struggling. Arrowspate let his next arrow bury itself in between the shoulder blades of the other rifle pony striking nerve endings and dropping him to the ground. He had already prepped another arrow, and was taking aim at Wild Card’s body on the ground.
Big Macintosh stood up slowly and spoke to Arrowspate. ”You don’t want to do that. It’ll end badly.”
Desert Willow pulled out her own knife and pointed the tip at the red stallion, “Are you threatening us Big Red?”
“I’m trying to save the life of your friend here.” Big Macintosh nodded at Arrowspate. ”If he let’s that thing fly, he’s dead. Look for yourself.”
Desert Willow looked over all the fallen ponies and came to the cold realization. Wild Card was down, but had Black Bartlett’s rifle perfectly aimed at Arrowspate’s heart.
“You're no fun, Big Mac.” grumbled Wild Card looking up from the dust. “I wanted to see how this turned out.” Without taking his eyes off Arrowspate he asked. “What do you say Willow? Four wanted criminals instead of 1. And you and your partner BOTH get to see the next sunrise.” He playfully threatened, standing up.
Desert Willow grumbled and looked at her friend. “Let’s let them go this time Arrowspate. It’s going to be a long haul to get these 4 back to town.” Arrowspate’s bow slackened a little.
“And you should get Golden Bale to a doctor.” Prompted Big Macintosh as Wild Card motioned to him. The two began to edge away from the fallen ponies in the dirt.
“Just this once Wild Card.” Desert Willow said defiantly after them. “It won’t ever happen again. And We WILL catch you someday. You and Big Red.”
“And you’ll tie me with ropes and carry me away, I bet.” Wild Card kept the gun trained on Arrowspate as they backed over the hill into the dark. “‘I’ve had stranger dates.”
Desert Willow blushed.
Wild Card dropped the gun, and he and Big Macintosh turned and galloped away into the darkness.
As they scrambled through the darkness Wild Card spoke. “I think this is where we part ways, keep going and you’ll make it to the Buffalo lands, they’ll get you to Appleoosa.” He laughed.” But you know Big Mac, if you ever thought of being a desperado; the wild wild east wouldn’t know what hit it. But first tell me how did we escape the Post Office?”
Big Mac smiled. “Well…”