Chapter Six
"I think that's a good spot to leave off from! Nuthin' like a little suspense to keep you on the edge of yer seats." Ballad joked as he got up from chair. "Now let me show you kids to yer sleepin' quarters."
Both of Ballad's grandfoals got up from their seats and began to stretch. "Why do you have to subject me to this Grandpa! Now I'm gonna have a hard night's sleep, all because of you." Sugar Sap grumbled.
Ballad let out a chuckle as he opened his study's door. "Sorry youngin', I usually wouldn't leave y'all hangin' like that, but you know how it is bein' my age 'n what not." The old stallion motioned for Sugar Sap and her cousin to leave the room first. "Tell you what, I'll try 'n wrap up this tale next morning. We'll start right after breakfast, does that sound good to you?"
The unicorn filly let out a sigh of defeat and nodded her head. "Good, now follow me." Ballad led his grandfoals down a small hallway to his spare guest room.
The elder pony flicked a small switch on the door and a single light bulb in the middle of the room came to life. The room was decorated with various black and white photographs of ponies in old fashioned clothing and two large bookcases across from the large two-pony sized bed that dominated most of room's space.
Sugar Sap hesitantly eyed the single bed and flashed an annoyed looks at Dusty.
"Sorry about havin' only one bed for y'all, but look on the bright side it will be just like when y'all where still little foals." Ballad joked as he placed a hoof on the small wooden armoire situated next to the door. "This will be where yer clothes will be goin'. I'll stop by the post office when yer luggage comes in. So that's pretty much it, y'all youngsters need anythin' else?"
"No we're fine Grandpa." Dusty chimed in. Ballad waved goodnight to the two young ponies and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
The two young ponies hastily looked over their new accommodations. "You want the left side or right side?" Dusty quietly asked Sugar Sap.
"Gah! I can't fall asleep whilst agonizing over what happens next in Grandpa's story!" Sugar Sap droned as she began to pace around the room.
Dusty let out a small laugh as he watched his cousin's anxious antics. "The only time I've seen you like this was when you had no bits to buy that new Fallout:Equestria game a couple years back." Sugar Sap flashed a frown at the laughing pony. "If you're not gonna go to sleep then what else are you gonna do Sap?" Dusty asked.
Sugar Sap sighed and continued her pacing. Dusty rolled his eyes and headed for the large bed, before he could properly tuck himself in the sound of books being pushed around flooded into his ears.
Dusty slowly groaned to himself as he lazily got out of bed before trotting towards his cousin. "Come on Sap...It's getting late and I'm feelin' pretty tired myself." The young colt tiredly stated as he watched his cousin rummaging through the bookcases.
Sugar Sap's horn began to shimmer with a faint golden glow as she began to gloss over the shelf's contents. "What the hay are you even lookin' fo-for." Dusty yawned whilst rubbing an eye with a hoof.
"I'm trying to see if there's any books that have Grandpa's story in it!" Sugar Sap hastily replied. "I've enjoyed Grandpa's story so far, but isn't this a bit obsessive?" Dusty hesitantly asked.
Sugar Sap ignored her cousin and continued to search the shelf. "I think I found what I'm looking for!" The unicorn excitedly exclaimed as she levitated down a large worn book with the words Frontier Fables & Western Tales inscribed onto its spine. Sugar Sap quickly blew off the dust covering the book and opened the book's roughed up cover.
Dusty quickly got next to his cousin and watched the unicorn flip through the book's stained pages. Sugar Sap eyes lit up as she finally came to a page with a crimson inked heading. Frontier Legends: The Gunslinger & --- "Oh what in the hay!" Sugar Sap levitated the book to her hoof and tried to scrape off the hardened wax that censored the section's full title.
The filly let out a snort of frustration as the dull wax refused to come off at the touch of her hoof. Sugar Sap decided to give up and began to breeze through the section's pages. "Already pass that, yeah...Here we go!" Dusty quickly trotted back to the bed and threw the two pillows that were on the bed to Sugar Sap.
Sugar Sap thanked her cousin and sat herself down upon the pillow and waited for Dusty to do the same. Sugar Sap began to read the book's contents out loud. "Okay, let's begin..."
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Regard Highcrown slapped his claws in satisfaction whilst getting up from his seat before offering to escort his guest out of the room. "Will you be needing anything else Mister Thistle?" Regard elegantly asked as he opened the door for the pony.
"Will I be gettin' some sort of guide to help me find this town?"
"I figured my description was a little vague. So I've arranged for someone to guide you, he'll be waitin' out front. I hope to see you return successfully Mister Thistle."
Thistle acknowledged Highcrown’s words and took his leave of the plump gryphon. The earth pony made his way back down to the gaudy parlor room and trotted by the pair of griffins that lead him to Highcrown’s estate, standing guard at the opened doors. Thistle saw a small uncovered carriage pulled by a stocky brown coated donkey waiting on the dirt road.
The donkey watched his intended cargo load himself up and quickly set off once Thistle banged his hoof upon the carriage’s wooden flooring. The gunslinger slumped his back across the carriage's wall and watched Regard's estate slowly fade away.
"Can you tell me anything about this town yer bringing me to?" Thistle called out to his guide. The donkey let out a strained grunt as he began trotting uphill. "Sorry senor, I only know the route." The carriage driver answered in a heavy accent.
Thistle let out a frustrated groan and resumed his relaxed posture. The pony watched the hilly countryside slowly pass by and soon the monotony of staring at the seemingly identical hills caused the stallion to doze off.
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"Before we discuss business, pull up a seat and make yourself comfortable Mister Thistle."
"I'd rather you just tell me what I buckin' need to do."
"You're quite curt, I admire that in a potential employee, no need for silly questions to bog you down."
"Don't assume that I'm gonna be some blind-eyed lackey!"
"It would be downright foolish of me to do so. Now let's get down to business, something of mine was recently stolen from me by an employee of mine and I want you to get it back for me. You will be paid an honest amount of bits if you succeed in doing this for me. "
"This some kinda joke? You might as well just send me out to bring back a buckin' glass of whiskey for you!"
"I assure you this job is easier said than done, you see I've sent out four of my own to hunt down my missing belonging. It's been four days since they left and they haven't reported back since."
"Maybe they're just too busy lookin'."
"I do not appreciate the joking tone Mister Thistle. I tracked where this thieving bastard fled off to, some backwater north of here called Blanco Roca and it's only a two hours trip through the hillside. So I'm positive my boys made contact with...whoever this is."
"So, what makes you sure whoever this thief of yours is still there?"
"I had one of my pegasi keep tabs on the four I sent out just in case I had anymore turn-coats in my midst. My informant hasn't been able to get close enough to see who this thievin' rat was, all he was able to get from the townsfolk was the name Paz."
"I woulda guessed you would have more than just the name considerin' this thief of yers was someone working for you."
"Look, I am an extremely busy gryphon Mister Thistle and I rarely have the time to take notice of every new hired hand my subordinates pick up."
"Whatever. Do you care what happens to this thief when I find 'um?"
"Personally, I would love nothing more to see the bastard responsible pay with their life, but as long as you get my belonging back to me consider the job finished."
"This still seems too damn easy. You holding out on me?"
"You forget this is job is also about testing your skills Mister Thistle...If I told you everything it would defeat the whole purpose of this exercise."
"Just have the damn bits ready when I return."
"Such enthusiasm! I can tell you'll make a perfect fit for what I have planned..."
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The gunslinger let out an abrupt yawn as he woke up, shielding his eyes as he looked around his surroundings and still sighted the same rolling hills. "How much longer till we get to Blacno Roca?" The stallion shouted. The tired carriage driver paused for a break and began to scan the rugged countryside. "One last stretch of hills before we get to the small valley where the town is tucked into."
"Mind tellin' me how long in minutes?" Thistle asked with a hint of annoyance. The strained donkey ignored his occupant's disguised complaint and continued pulling the carriage. "Ask for somethin' simple and you get the stiff shoulder..." The stallion quietly muttered to himself.
The afternoon sun was beginning to take its toll upon the carriage driver and his occupant. Thistle cursed to himself and sorely wished the carriage had a canvas awning to offer a small respite from the blazing sun overhead. The earth pony fished out a small white handkerchief from one of his bandolier pouches and began to wipe away the beads of sweat accumulating on his head.
As he was wiping his forehead down Thistle eyed his sidearm's dirty grip and sighed. The pony un-holstered his dirt covered revolver and held it up to the sun. It's usual pristine shine was replaced by a lackluster glint. "I really need to clean this damn thing more often." Thistle groaned as he balanced his firearm on one hoof and then proceeded to wipe it down with the handkerchief clenched in his teeth.
The small carriage began to descend from the hills and soon entered into a small desert valley. From his vantage point Thistle saw the vague silhouette of a town sprouting out of the valley's south east wall. After pulling the carriage for several more miles the donkey halted at the town's outskirts.
"This is as far as the boss told me to go senor." The donkey stated as he turned his head to face the lounging earth pony. The stallion holstered his revolver and got off the carriage with a simple jump. The carriage driver waved a hoof in goodbye and began to trot off in the same direction they came from.
The sun was at the right angle to allow the valley's eastern earthen wall to cast a shadow across the entire town. The earth pony slowly trotted down the town's only road and soon took notice of the town's strange layout. Every building in Blanco Roca was constructed out of white bricks and half of the town's buildings were directly built into the valley's wall; a complex system of wooden support beams and walkways connecting the buildings together as well as to the ground below.
"Never seen anythin' like this before..." Thistle pondered as he continued trotting down the town's empty road. Taking the time to look around the stallion noticed the town was devoid of any noise or activity. Haven't met any townsfolk yet...knew that buckin' gryphon was up to somethin.
Thistle's gut reaction was to leave the dead-silent town, but the pony forced himself to press on into Blanco Roca. The stallion trotted up to a nearby building and looked through a window and noticed a still lit candle resting on top of a table with half eaten food surrounding it. There has to be somepony 'round here....As the pony shied away from the window he noticed a flicker of movement at the edge of his eyes.
The stallion immediately hugged the building's wall and slowly trotted towards the wall's edge; his whole body tensed and ready to spring into action. Thistle swiftly darted out from his hiding spot and instantly adopted his two-hoofed stance; his left fore-hoof already gripping his revolver.
In front of the aggressive stallion was a single black coated donkey standing between two white bricked buildings flaying his hooves in surrender. "Ay! Don't shoot, please!" Thistle let out a faint breath before holstering his revolver and slowly returning to all fours.
"Sorry 'bout that. Can never be too careful when you come to a town for the first time and see nobody 'round." Thistle quickly apologized.
The cowering donkey began to visibly calm down. "You mind answerin' a few questions for me?" Thistle asked. The donkey's head began to dart around, satisfied with seeing no other strangers creeping around the donkey slowly nodded his head.
"So what the hay is goin' on here? Is everyone in this town hiding from somethin'?"
"Somethin' like that senor, you see Blanco Roca has been goin' through a spat of trouble for a couple of days now..." The donkey lowered his head as his voice trailed off.
"Mind elaboratin' 'bout this trouble of yers?" Thistle egged on.
"Our town used to be nice 'n quiet till we offered shelter to these two newcomers. We didn’t know one 'um had a major bounty on her head and now we've been subjected to bounty hunters shootin' up our town and dying in our streets tryin' to collect!" The donkey exclaimed. "So the whole town just hunkers down in their homes whenever a stranger shows up."
"Mind tellin' me who the hunted is?"
"The pony's name is Paz. You'd best stay clear of her senor, she's a dangerous one! Two days ago she took down a group of four by herself!"
"That's mighty impressive, you know where she is right now?" The gunslinger interjected.
"Didn't you just hear what I sai-" The donkey cut himself off as he slowly became aware of the earth pony's intentions. "You're another damn bounty hunter aren't you?!"
"Not exactly, but I'm still lookin' for this Paz pony."
"If you're keen on wantin' to be buried here. You'll find the mare in the last house on the road's edge." The donkey quickly answered before immediately galloping away, leaving Thistle to himself.
Acting upon the donkey's words, Thistle headed back onto the single dirt road and made his way to the last white stoned building located at the edge of the road. The stallion arrived in front of a small house with grime crusted windows and a decaying wooden patio. A small neglected rocking chair was the only piece of furniture that adorned the dusty porch.
Thistle trotted onto the patio and with a hoof knocked upon the building's tattered wooden door. The sound of muffled hoof beats emanated from behind the door and was soon followed by the soft clicking of the door's locks being unhitched. A young, pale orange earth pony with a dark green mane poked his head out from behind the door and quickly looked over the poncho clad pony.
"Um, can I help you with anything sir?" The colt quietly asked from behind the door.
"I'm lookin' for Paz. Is she 'round here by any chance?" Thistle calmly asked.
"She isn't in right now, mind tellin' me who you are first?"
"I'm a friend of hers and I heard she was in a spot of trouble, so I figured I'd come down here to lend a hoof. Mind fetchin' her fer me now?" Thistle lightly pressed before flashing a small smile at the colt.
The young pony slowly nodded his head and closed the door behind him the faint clicking of door's locks followed suit. Seeing the small chair a few feet away, Thistle sat himself down and began to wait for his quarry. After being seated for half an hour; he let out a groan of frustration. Kid must have been wise to why I'm here. Thistle got up from his seat to stretch and noticed two figures slowly heading down the town's single road. As the two figures grew closer; he eyed a dark gray coated earth pony and a black feathered gryphon heading straight for him.
The pony and gryphon halted several paces from the house’s patio and the duo exchanged looks as they inspected Thistle. The gunslinger matched the pair's examination and noticed the gryphon was adorned with small throwing knives strapped to the various bandoliers that wrapped around his upper body. The gryphon's counterpart had a copper colored mane and had no visible weaponry, but saw the earth pony had a picture of a broken bone covering his backside.
"Oi! You know 'ere we could f'oind sum pony named Paz!" The earth pony shouted through a rough accent. Thistle quickly noted the two newcomers were still young enough to be considered teenagers.
"Aren't you kids a little bit young to be playing bounty hunter?" The gunslinger jabbed.
The pair both flashed Thistle looks of indignation and the gray earth pony took an aggressive step forward. "Listen ‘ere ya' bloody wanker, me 'n my friend ‘ere are gonna show you wot ‘appens when yo-" The pony was cut off by sharp laughter emanating from the seated stallion.
Thistle quickly calmed himself down and reclined further upon his seat. "I suggest you kids drop the act and return back to yer mothers, you'll live longer that way." The stallion strongly suggested.
"Bloody 'ell! You ‘earin wot this ass is gabbin' on 'bout?” The gray pony let out a braying snort and pointed a brass covered hoof at the seated stallion. "Come on Wedge, let's show dis bastard whose ‘e buckin' dealin' wid!" The black gryphon nodded his head and with both talons drew two keen daggers from his waist belt.
The stallion shook his head in disappointment as he watched the young pair slowly edge towards him. Whilst still seated; he drew his revolver in a series of fluid hoof movements and aimed his gun's barrel straight at the arrogant pony’s chest. "You've got ten seconds to sheathe those letter openers before your pal winds up with a new hole." Thistle coldly asserted; his right hoof inches away from his firearm’s hammer.
Wedge hesitated for a second as he saw the serious expression embellished across Thistle's face and the look of terror that dominated his companion's entire face. The gryphon slowly belted his knives and stuck his talons up in resignation. Thistle holstered his revolver and the young pony buckled down before beginning to visibly shiver.
"I warned you..." Thistle muttered as he watched the gryphon try to comfort his friend. "If it makes ya feel better I would of just grazed your friend's shoulder or somethin'." Thistle nonchalantly stated. Wedge shot the callous stallion a grimacing look whilst helping prop up the now sobbing earth pony with a wing.
Thistle felt a pang of remorse but quickly shoved it aside. "Look, just take your friend and get the buck outta here." The stallion growled. Not wanting to further test the gunslinger's temper, Wedge prodded his friend with his beak and the two quickly began to kick up a cloud of dirt as they sprinted back the way they came from.
"The things I go through..." Thistle slowly complained.
"I've been through worse." Answered a soft voice behind the stallion. The distinct noise of a firearm being primed followed suit. "Now turn around, no sudden movements."
Thistle let out a small sigh and faced his unknown assailant, the stallion’s eyes were greeted by two gray steel barrels leveled at his face by an odd looking unicorn mare.
From head to hooves, the unicorn had a mixed coating of brown and white spots covering her entire body. A short two-toned mane of red and pale gold and three small copper piercings adorned her right ear. Thistle looked over the cold steel and saw the unicorn was wearing a brown rawhide vest and a rolled up white long sleeved shirt underneath.
The stallion's eyes wandered towards the mare's lower body and took stock of the small red flower with white tips emblazoned onto her coat. The unicorn raised an eye in response to Thistle’s imprudent search. "Eyes up front, pal." The mare snorted.
Thistle broke eye contact with the mare's flank and instead fixated upon her dark brown eyes. Tension filled the air around them as the two ponies tried to match each other's stare. The unicorn became a little unnerved as she saw the stallion's cold eyes bore into hers.
"I was wonderin' when you would show up." The stallion calmly stated, breaking the stressful silence. "You know, with a name like Paz I was expectin' to come face to face with a donkey. Not a breath takin' mare aimin' a sawn-off shotgun at my face."
"Flattery won't keep your ass alive for long pal." Paz responded with an equally leveled tone.
"Just makin' a simple observation ma'am." Thistle quickly answered as he continued to maintain his composure.
"Look, I know you're here for the bounty on my head and yet you're just standin' here nice 'n calm like, whilst havin' two loaded barrels aimed at your head! What the buck are you up to?" The unicorn demanded.
"I ain’t up to anythin’ bad. Heck, I ain't even here for your bounty ma'am, I'm just here to simply find an item you stole and restore it to its owner." Thistle droned in the same slack tone.
"What in the..." Paz quickly realized what the stallion was talking about and jabbed her firearm's barrels into Thistle's forehead. "You're directly workin' for that sack 'o shit Highcrown aren't you?!" The unicorn fiercely asserted.
Thistle's eyes darted between the shotgun coated in the mare's dull yellow magic and her quaking eyes. "What of it? I know you won't shoot ma'am." The stallion easily declared whilst remaining unphased.
Paz let out a half-hearted laugh. "I have two barrels full of buckshot leveled at your head and you think I won't shoot? You must be madder than a polecat in heat!"
"If you wanted me dead you would have just shot me down when I was waitin' for you or when I was dealing with those two clowns that showed up early." Thistle nonchalantly answered as he brushed the mare’s firearm away with a hoof. "Let's face it you need somepony's help and I'm the only one around." Thistle confidently stated as he stared straight at the unicorn's face once more.
Paz hesitated before finally reining in her firearm. "You've got a quick sense dontcha'?" Thistle simply nodded his head and offered the only seat to the mare.
The unicorn let out a sigh and accepted the gunslinger's offer. "Now that we're actin' nice 'n calm like, how 'bout we get to makin' this arrangement?" Thistle proposed.
"Fine by me."
"You first ma'am."
Paz flashed a small frown at the earth pony. "Can you quit with the ma'am? I ain't some old 'n withered mare."
"Well seein’ as how you've got a foa-" Thistle cut himself off when he saw the unicorn swiftly shake her head. "Brother?" Paz nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I don't really see a family resemblance."
"We ain't blood related...Look I don't really feel like discussin' personal matters with a complete stranger." Thistle decided to drop his next question as he saw Paz's irritated expression. "Fair enough, let's get back on track shall we?" The gunslinger replied.
"Alright, I'll keep this curt as possible. Highcrown has it out for me ever since I stole one of his trinkets. The bastard is plotting somethin' and I know it has to do with the dozen or so mercs that have been stampedin' across this valley."
Thistle’s mind briefly took a pause before focusing back at the task at hand. "I didn't see anyone runnin' 'round the valley when I made my way here."
"Well trust me when I say there are, his men have been parading themselves on the town's outskirts ever since I gunned down the initial four trackers two days ago. But the real problem is I still haven't figured why they haven't just trot in and be done with it all..." Paz became silent as she began to contemplate the current state of affairs.
Thistle's mind began to race as he soon figured out the answer to Paz's question. No way in Tartarus the gryphon could have planned this in advance! The stallion broke his chain of thought and began to hastily explain to the unicorn the true purpose behind Highcrown’s job.
"Buck! So are you tellin' me those boys of his are gonna be marchin' straight on through here any minute now?" Thistle slowly nodded his head. Paz immediately bolted into the house and before Thistle could object the mare was back in a flash, levitating several large burlap sacks with her horn's magic.
Paz placed the bags down and drew a weathered lever-action rifle from one the bags. "Buckin' hell! Look once this whole entire mess is sorted through, me 'n you are gonna have a little talk!" Paz barked out before continuing to swear under her breath as she sorted through the various supplies.
"Fine by me. Now, I haven't properly introduced myself have I? The names Thistle, ma'-." Paz flashed a disingenuous grin in response to the stallion's catch. "Thistle huh? I was expectin' somethin' a lot more grandiose like Dead Eye or Iron Nerves. Not some prissy name like that!" The mare joked.
Thistle responded with a bitter snort. "Easy pal, no need to get mad. Look, sit tight for now. I need to go check on my brother." The unicorn headed back into the house and left the stallion by himself. The earth pony took a quick look around and began sifting through the bags Paz brought out.
Ah hay! Nothin’... The stallion ceased his search and spotted a massive twister of dirt and sand beginning to form upon the valley's western edge. Buck me with the damn sun! The stallion let out an annoyed sigh and slowly made his way towards the building’s entrance.
The sand storm began to slowly creep its way towards Blanco Roca; its howling gusts of winds consuming everything in its path. "What's goin' on? You see anypony?" Paz instinctively questioned as she opened the tattered door for Thistle.
"No, but we've got a buckton of dirt headin' straight fer town." The unicorn pushed passed the stallion to get a better glimpse of the storm raging off in the distance. Thistle’s poncho began to flutter at his side as a burst of wind edged its way through the open door. "Just our luck! You think Highcrown's boys are gonna make their charge when this storm reaches us?!" Paz shouted as she struggled to ease the door closed.
"Seein' as we won't have the advantage of us bunkerin' down in one of those houses overlookin' the entire town 'n road. Yeah, bet on them showin' themselves when the storm hits us." Thistle answered.
The stallion stepped into a small living room with dust covered furniture. "By the looks of that storm it'll blow into town within an hour or so." Paz calculated as she trotted by Thistle.
"Your brother gonna be safe when this storm hits?" Thistle questioned as he wiped down a dusty stool. Paz's stern expression was replaced by a look of genuine surprise. "A pony sent here to basically kill me is worrying about a colt? You're one confusin' fella." The unicorn candidly stated.
"I ain't some heartless bastard you know." Thistle calmly answered. "I guess scaring those two youngsters with a loaded revolver is showing your caring side?" Paz snidely declared. Thistle feigned a pained expression in response. "Hey! The gryphon had some pretty sharp knives on him!" Slowly the air of hostility between the two ponies began to deteriorate as they continued to chat.
"...From what I've heard so far from you've been takin' care of your brother ever since he was a foal?" Thistle questioned. Paz simply nodded her head in response.
"Must be quite a burden on you."
"You have no idea, Thistle." Paz answered with a hint of sadness to her voice. The two ponies grew quiet as they eventually ran out of things to chat over.
"Somethin' the matter?" Thistle asked as he noticed the unicorn inspecting him.
"Just tryin' to make head or tails 'bout you, is all." Paz casually answered. The stallion rolled his eyes and let out a small sigh. “I don't really enjoy havin' ponies eyeing me." The earth pony griped.
Paz ignored the stallion's complaining and continued her inspection of the seated pony across from her. "You must have a lot of weight on your shoulders as well..." The mare slowly stated as she pulled up a dusty chair.
Thistle ignored the unicorn that was mere inches away from him. "What gave you that idea?" The stallion dryly answered.
"When you first looked at me with those eyes of yours. They had the same intensity and drive I had when me 'n my brother lost our parents..." Paz quietly concluded. The stallion lowered his head and let out a small sigh. "There a reason for all this?"
"No need to get all flustered, I'm just curious 'bout your story is all." Paz softly replied. An uneasy air soon enveloped the living room as both ponies sat quietly, the only noise being the muted wails of the nearing storm.
"You said you lost your parents?" The unicorn jerked up, startled by the silence finally being broken by Thistle's voice. "Yeah..." Paz answered, her voice slightly wavering as she uttered that single word.
"How'd you lose 'um?" Thistle quietly enquired, the stallion’s voice barely audible above the roaring storm’s din. "For somepony who doesn't like sharin' his own story, you're awfully nosy." The mare hastily objected. Even though the stallion wasn't looking directly at Paz; he could feel her eyes judging him.
Thistle let out a massive exhale and looked up from the ground. "It's a sore subject isn't it?" The stallion pushed before locking his eyes upon the provoked unicorn. Paz looked into the gunslinger's eyes once more and noticed fierceness of the Thistle’s eyes were gone, replaced with those of a beaten and weathered stallion.
The unicorn felt a shiver run across her back as she maintained eye contact with Thistle. "How do you cope with the pain?" Paz quietly asked before looking away.
Thistle let out a deep exhale as he got up from his chair. "I don't." The earth pony coldly stated as he trotted by the seated mare. Thistle placed himself in front of the closest window and elected to keep himself focused upon the looming sand storm.
Time passed by as Thistle remained silent and concentrated on trying to see any glimpse of Highcrown's men within the sea of dirt and dust; his counterpart spending the time inspecting her weaponry.
Paz let out a sigh and made her way next to the still earth pony. "See anything yet?" Thistle kept his attention on the chaotic scenery outside. "I might have, but not sure if it was just some more dirt bein' tossed around."
"So what's our plan when they do show up?" Paz asked as she examined the window.
"I've been thinkin' 'bout that, and the best idea so far is we trot out into that storm and try 'n pick them off one by one." Thistle calmly suggested.
"What? How the buck is that your best idea!" Paz snorted. "Wouldn't it be better if we just wait for them to come to us? We do have walls protecting us you know!"
"Even with the house's protection, having fifteen or so mercenaries surrounding us on all sides isn't somethin' I'd like to avoid." Thistle interjected.
"I still think stayin' in here is our best bet." The mare insisted.
"Look, what if those bastards might be packin' sticks of dynamite? One stick is all it will take to finish us."
Paz let out a sigh of resignation. "Fine, we'll do this your way."
"You know anything 'bout the kinda folks Highcrown employees for these kinda jobs?" Thistle questioned as he looked through the window once more.
"I've only see him use ponies and griffins, least this storm is gonna keep those with wings grounded." Paz quickly answered.
Thistle made his way to the front door and began to check his gear. "Most likely Highcrown's men are gonna ignore the road 'n enter Blanco Roca through the town itself. Best way to go 'bout this is we intercept 'um and then split up from there."
"I see the angle you're gettin' at, split their attention between us and use the town's layout to our advantage. " Paz replied. Thistle nodded his head in response. "You sure your brother will be safe throughout this whole thing?" The gunslinger scrutinized.
“He’s a smart colt, he’ll know what to do if anythin’ goes wrong. For now just worry ‘bout Highcrown’s boys.” His companion responded.
"Alright, let's get goin'." The stallion opened the door with his hoof and the pair were immediately greeted by a fierce gust of wind. Thistle grabbed with his teeth a pair of tassels on his poncho and tightened his garb. The unicorn and earth pony trotted out into the storm and made their way into the sand swept town.
Paz and Thistle eventually pressed through the storm and arrived at the town’s center and the two ponies quickly darted behind a nearby building. "I'm gonna assume most of the townsfolk are still cowerin' inside their homes. So any folks you see wanderin' out is most likely gonna be one of Highcrown's!" Thistle shouted over the storm's wailing.
"So what happens if we accidentally bump into each other!?" Paz exclaimed.
"I haven't thought of that." The earth pony went silent for a few seconds. "How 'bout this, we'll divide the town amongst us, you take the western side 'n I'll take the eastern portions!"
"Fair enough!" The mare answered.
"When this storm is over let's meet up back at the house!" The two ponies shook hooves and went their separate ways. The gunslinger hugged the walls of nearby buildings as he slowly snuck through the dirt covered town’s eastern section. The stallion paused when his ears picked up a braying voice cutting through the storm’s wailing.
"Who's the idiot that thought goin' into town during this damned dust storm was a bright buckin' idea!"
"Look on the bright side pal. Once we find 'n kill that thieving bitch n' the pony Highcrown sent in, we'll be swimming in bits!"
"What makes you sure they didn't leave town under all this damn dirt!"
"Well we can always just loot this town if they ain't here!"
"Oi, both you quit jabberin' 'n help me look for our bloody marks!"
Thistle inched his way to the edge of his cover and poked his head out to get a better glimpse of his would be attackers. The stallion muttered out a curse as he was only able to see the vague silhouettes of a gryphon and two ponies. Hope there ain't more lurkin' nearby.
The unaware group of mercenaries were oblivious to Thistle's presence and made their way towards the stallion's hiding place. The earth pony immediately leapt out from his cover and in a flurry of moves, Thistle let loose a deadly volley of lead. The flashes from his revolver were all the mercenaries saw through the raging storm.
The gunslinger’s actions were rewarded by the three figures slumping over before finally hitting the dark brown dirt. Thistle returned to all fours and trotted towards the fallen bodies, prodding each limp figure with a hoof to double check his hoofwork. Satisfied with the results, Thistle went through the motions of reloading his weapon before continuing his hunt.
Thistle wiped his brow as he stood over the slain bodies of two more of Highcrown’s mercenaries. Soon, the dust storm began to dissipate and the dust cloud that enveloped Blanco Roca slowly faded away. The desert sun’s rays began to shine through and blanket the town in its light. Five picked off so far and the storm is clearin’ out. Wonder how Paz is doin'... Thistle thought as he dabbed at his dirt encrusted face with the end of his poncho.
The stallion continued to stick to the walls of nearby buildings as he retraced his steps through the quiet town. He eventually arrived at Paz's house and found it void of anyone. Thistle let out a small sigh and began to search the entire house for Paz; he immediately cut off his impromptu search when the muted crack of gunfire broke the uneasy silence.
The stallion bursted out of the house and onto the town's single road and was instantly met by the sight of a black and yellow gryphon gagging a bound unicorn with a single talon. "What in the-Shit!" Thistle blurted out as he quickly registered the scenario playing out several meters away from him.
The earth pony’s reflexes instinctively kicked in and he quickly adopted his two-legged stance. The gryphon's face held a devilish smirk as he watched the earth pony's movements. "Draw that gun of yours and I slit the mare's throat!" The mercenary boldy shouted. The gunslinger's left hoof slowly relaxed as he adhered to the gryphon's threat.
"That's a good little pony. You know when Highcrown gave me n' my boys this assignment we weren't really expecting much! Just a simple smash 'n grab he said, bastard didn't mention you two knew how to fight!" The yellow headed gryphon spat. "Now I want you to fork over the thing Highcrown sent you out here for!"
"I don't have it. The mare hasn't told me where it is yet. So I suggest you let her go, then we can come to a nice 'n calm solution." Thistle stated with a stone faced expression; his eyes darting between his holstered firearm and the taunting mercenary.
The gryphon let out a piercing laugh. "Is that so? You know what, to Tartarus with that! The way I see it you two owe me plenty for killin' my boys." The gryphon declared as he slowly pressed his knife into the mare's neck, a small spurt of crimson beginning to form on the blade. "You know what, I think I'll collect right now! Once I slit this bitch’s throat I'll still be able to collect the bou-" Before the gryphon could finish a thunderous crack emanated from Thistle's revolver; its smoking barrel sending a single bullet shrieking pass Paz’s head.
Paz felt the gryphon's entire body jerk from the bullet's force and soon his grip on the mare's mouth immediately fell limp. She saw the still standing pony with smoking gun in hoof make his way towards her. The unicorn spat out the lifeless gryphon's talon and quickly began to frantically shout at the gunslinger.
"I didn't get 'um all!" The mare frantically cried.
"What are you goin' on about?! I got him, no need to worry now!" Thistle yelled back. The earth pony got back on all hooves as he bent down to undue the binds encasing the agitated mare. "Sheesh, you need to calm do-" Thistle’s voice was immediately drowned out by a deafening crack; his mind began to rapidly process what was going to follow afterwards.
Paz let out a piercing gasp as she saw a bullet rip through the stallion's poncho and it easily bored its way into the stallion's vulnerable neck. Thistle's entire body buckled under the impact and soon the earth pony's senses began to fail one by one. No, not yet... The blurred images of a faint yellow glow surrounding his body were the last thing Thistle saw before his vision gave way to nothingness.