//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: I.O.U // Story: Tales From The West: Grit & Lead // by Docks //------------------------------// Chapter Seven "......" "Um, Sugar Sap you okay?" Dusty asked as he noticed the young unicorn next to him grow stiff. "The rest of the s-s-section." Sugar Sap slowly quivered as she turned towards Dusty. The colt cringed as he saw his cousin's bloodshot eyes. Sugar Sap placed the book on the wooden floor with her magic and jabbed a shaking hoof at the various ink blotches that ruined the book's contents. Dusty picked up the book with a hoof and began to flip through the book's pages. "What luck. Nothin' to do but catch some z's." Dusty freely stated. "That's just not fair! First Grandpa and now this! Why!" Sugar Sap quaked. "Quit fretting! Grandpa will pick the story back up! I'm sure you can wait a couple hours for it!" Sugar Sap responded to Dusty’s appeal with an annoyed snort. "I need to know what happens next!" Her cousin simply rolled his eyes in response to her stubbornness. "Come on, we should really get some sleep." Dusty hastily responded before letting out a massive yawn. Sugar Sap let out a cry of resignation and made her way to the large bed. The young stallion let out an annoyed groan as he noticed his cousin left the book on the floor. After returning the book to one of the wooden bookshelves and turning off the room's single light, Dusty trotted himself back into bed. The two ponies shifted amongst the bed's sheets before succumbing to the enticing grip of sleep. ------------------- "Up an' at 'em!" Ballad shouted as he busted through the guest room's wooden door. The bungled pile lying underneath the bed’s sheets let out a collective groan as they heard their grandfather’s hooves moving around the room. The old stallion trotted towards the room's only window and bit down on the tassel that kept the window's cloth shutter in place. A resounding flourish of the cloth shutter rolling in upon itself echoed throughout the room. Sunlight began to flood into the room through the open window, followed by more objections emanating from underneath the bed sheets. "Hmmmmm, I know what'll sort you youngins' out." The elderly stallion quipped before quickly leaving the guest room. "If Grandpa dumps a bucket of cold water on us..." Sugar Sap grumbled as she pulled the bed sheets tighter to her body. The pony next to her let out a tired groan in agreement. The sound of plates and utensils began to echo throughout Ballad’s simple abode. "You smell that?" Dusty quietly asked as the young stallion's nostrils began to inhale the tantalizing scent of freshly toasted bread and syrup, that began to permeate through the guest room's open door. "Fresh breakfast or get more sleep." Sugar Sap openly wondered. The two ponies gradually got out of bed, stretching and yawning as they threw off the bed sheets. Dusty and Sugar Sap slowly trotted out of their room and headed for the source of the wonderful smells floating around them. The two ponies found their grandfather working at a small gray stove, throwing in slices of toasted bread into the black skillet in front him. "I knew this would get you lazy bums outta yer beds!" Ballad enthusiastically shouted over the sound of pan’s crackling. The pair greeted their grandfather with a lackluster "Hello" and shuffled to the small kitchen's simple circular table and sat themselves down on faded seating mats. The wrinkled sheriff finished his task and placed the still hot skillet at the table's center before going to a nearby cabinet and grabbing three ivory plates. Dusty and Sugar Sap eyed the skillet's contents with varying degrees of hesitation. "Y'all need to wait, It ain't properly ready yet!' Ballad crooned. Dusty and Sugar Sap watched their grandfather grab a small woven basket from a from underneath the stove. The two ponies heard the jingling sound of bottles bumping together as their grandfather placed the small basket down. "Grab a slice of bread 'n pick yer favorite flavor." The pair followed their grandfather's directions and began to smother their crispy slices of toast with various syrups. "So what do y'all think 'bout my take on Fancy Toast?" Ballad inquired as he placed several white napkins down on the table. His grandfoal's were too engorged with their breakfast to answer the elderly stallion. "I'll take the silence as a yes." The old stallion chuckled. "Now I think this is a good time to start up my story again." Sugar Sap looked up from her plate and quickly swallowed the contents of her mouth. "About that...Me 'n Dusty kinda stayed up late reading from one of your books." Ballad let out a hoarse chuckle and sat himself across from his grandfoals. "So what part did y'all stop on?" Sugar Sap groaned as she remembered how she was cheated by her grandfather’s book. "We stopped when Thistle saves Paz." Ballad let out a curt groan as he slapped his hooves together. "Shoot! That's one my favorite parts! It’s got a proper cliffhanger at the end, so why did y'all just stop there, We're y'all that tired?" The old stallion joked through mouthfuls of toast. Sugar Sap let out a small sigh. "We would have gone further but the book we found had all these stupid ink splotches that made the rest of the section basically unreadable!" Ballad let out a soft sigh before tapping his chin with a hoof. "I know what book y'all are talkin' 'bout. Darn shame 'bout that 'un." Dusty was the first to finish his plate’s worth and wiped his face with a napkin. "Any reason why that book was ruined like that Grandpa?" The young colt asked. The old stallion was contemplating of answering his grandcolt's question before noticing the annoyed look upon Sugar Sap's face. "I'll tell ya later, yer cousin of yours is givin' me that look again." Ballad audibly whispered as he saw the annoyed expression plastered across Sugar Sap's face. “I’ll pick up right from where that book ends..." --------------------------------- "No!" Thistle shouted as he opened his eyes. The stallion was immediately greeted by waves of sunlight flooding into his irises. After taking his time to adjust to the light, Thistle began to take in his new surroundings; he found himself stripped of his gear and lying on a small bed in a bare room with white stoned walls and a single window perched above his bed. The stallion began to maneuver his body as he tried to get a better look of his new accommodations. Just need to bring my head up a little..."GAWH!" Thistle let out a gasp of pain as he was swiftly rebuked by a razor-sharp pain that jolted across his lower right neck and withers. "Celestia damn it!" The stallion grunted. The gunslinger was about to launch himself into a tirade of bitter cursing before he heard the faint clicking of a door knob being twisted coming from behind him. "You know it isn't very nice to shout out the princess's name like that." Thistle tried to get a better at the newcomer, but experienced the same shot of pain at every attempt. "Easy mister, my sister said you shouldn't move yourself around like that." The new arrival quietly stated. Least I didn't get shot for nothing... The gunslinger let out a small sigh of relief as he slowly settled down. "I'm guessin' you're Paz's little brother?" Thistle heard the sound of the young colt dragging a stool across the wooden floor. "Yes indeed sir." The earth pony slightly tilted his head to his left and saw the colt place his seat next to his bed. The young pony shied away as he noticed Thistle's amber eyes focusing on him. "Sorry if I'm makin' you uncomfortable" The gunslinger stated as he turned his gaze to the empty ceiling. "No! It's not like that." The colt blurted out. "Oh?" "It's just that, I overheard your entire conversation with my sis' and then seein' you take down that gryphon that was holdin' her...I'm just a bit confused on what to think 'bout you." The young pony bumbled out. Thistle let out a soft chuckle. "I'd be confused too. Regardless, did you catch what exactly happened to me out there?" The colt bolted up to attention and quickly launched himself into a fevered retelling of Thistle’s heroic deed. "...It was amazing! I never seen an earth pony fight like you before Mister Thistle! Wish I knew how to shoot a gun like that, If I could-" Thistle let out a sharp cough as he noticed the young pony begin to daydream. "I'm more interested in what happened after I got shot if ya don't mind." The stallion politely objected. "Um, about that. You see, after ya went down I kinda got too frightened to see what would happen next. I just knew my sister barged into the house all tired like, carryin' your entire body with her magic. Sorry 'bout not knowing more..." The young pony dejectedly answered. "No need to feel sorry, kid." Thistle quickly replied once he saw the crestfallen face of the young colt. "So, mind tellin' me yer name?" "Oh! Did I forget to tell ya? My sister would be all sorts of furious if she knew I didn't show proper manners." "I'll keep this conversation a secret from yer sister then." Thistle assured. "That's pretty dandy of ya Mister Thistle. The names Snow Pea, sir. You know my sister made fun of your name, bein' based off a flower 'n stuff. But I like it." Snow Pea quietly gushed. Thistle let out a hearty laugh before gouts of pain swiftly calmed him down. "That’s...good to know...kid." The bedridden pony stated in between fits of coughing. "Mind if I ask you a question Mister Thistle?" The colt softly interjected. "I ain't goin' anywhere soon, so go ahead 'n ask." "Well when I was watchin' my sister patch you up." The young pony began to fiddle with his hooves. "No disrespect or nothin' sir but how come you don't gotta a mark on your flank. Aren't adults supposed to have 'um by now?" "Sorry kid, but I ain't up to discuss that right now." Thistle simply stated. "Oh, sorry for asking then Mister Thistle." Snow Pea quietly answered. Silence began to fill the room as the two ponies grew quiet, the only noise coming from the small breeze that wafted through the opened window. "Hey Snow Pea, you know where yer sister is at? Me 'n her need to discuss somethin' important." The young pony broke from another impromptu daydream and got up from his seat to stretch. "Paz went out to buy some food, she should actually be back right now. Let me go check." Snow Pea quickly left the room and closed the room's door behind him leaving Thistle to himself. Several minutes passed as Thistle awaited the return of the young colt and eventually tried once more to bring his head up but was met by the same shots of pain. Damn it! I Hate bein' bedridden, can't even see the damage that's been dealt! The stallion let out a frustrated grunt as he rested his head back onto his pillow. Thistle's ears perked up as he began to hear the soft clicking of the room's door being opened. "Good to see you're finally awake." Paz called out as she entered the room, balancing a small silver tray at her side with her horn's magic. Thistle grunted out an affirmative in response to the mare's greeting. "So how long was I out for?" Thistle asked as he watched the mare make his way towards his bed, noting the unicorn was wearing the same clothing as before minus the rawhide vest and noticed small dark brown spots staining her clothing. The unicorn took the seat her brother originally brought out and placed the tray on a small night stand next to Thistle's bed. "I don't think you'll like the answer." Thistle titled his body to face the mare. "Get on with it." "As you wish...You've been out cold for two days now." Paz quickly blurted out. The gunslinger let out a braying snort as he jerked himself upwards, ignoring the searing pain that flowed through his body. "Two days?! Celestia damn we gott-What the hay are ya doin?!" Thistle shouted as he saw the unicorn's magic aura begin to wrap itself around his body. The mare let out a small sigh as she restrained the feisty stallion and forced his body upon the bed's wooden bedpost. "Don't get yourself so worked up! Look, I know you're worried 'bout Highcrown's boys coming back, but I already took care of that so just calm down!" Paz assuredly stated as she released the stallion from her magic's grip. The stallion let out a solemn grunt before folding his hooves. "So what the buck exactly happened after I blacked out?" Paz let out a ragged breath as she began to slowly recall. "...After you fell, I rushed you off back to the house all the while tryin' to dodge the gunfire comin' from the last pair of Highcrown's mercs." "Hope I wasn't too heavy for ya." The stallion solemnly stated. "The only problem I had, was tryin' to figure out how that strange six-shooter of yours worked!" The worn unicorn jeered. "I almost got shot myself wonderin' why your gun was missin' a damn trigger!” "It ain't that hard to figure out! All ya have to do is cock the hammer and you're off!" Thistle fired back as he ran a hoof down his face. "Hey! You try figuring out something new whilst havin' two griffons shootin' at ya! It was a damn miracle that I was able to bring 'um down!" Thistle let out a faint sigh before running a hoof through his ruffled mane. "Sorry, I'm soundin' a mighty bit ungrateful...So let me say that I am extremely appreciative for what you've done for me." Paz let out a bitter laugh and somberly shook her head. "Don't be quick to say your thanks Thistle. The only reason why you're like this right now is because of me messing up out there." Paz quietly answered before looking away from the bedridden pony. Thistle let out a muted breath as he began to notice tears pooling at the edge of the mare's eyes. Two days ago she was pointing a gun at me 'n now she's gettin' all worked up over me... The stallion exhaled as he tried to think of up a proper response. "Alright, no need to go blamin' yourself. I'm the one responsible for my condition. I was foolish enough to ignore your warnings and I paid for it." The mare wiped her eyes with a hoof and stared straight at the ground. "How can you even consider this being your own fault?! The only reason why you're like this right now is because of my own damned mistake! If i didn't buck up out there, you wouldn't have been lying in the dirt with a bullet in your neck!" Paz cried out. Thistle was taken aback by the mare's outburst. "Steady on there...Look, both of us got outta that situation alive. What's done is done, no need to get caught up in what coulda been different." The stallion clearly affirmed. Paz looked up and fixated her stained dark brown eyes upon the reclined earth pony. "Answer me this then." Thistle raised an eye at the questioning unicorn. "Why did you save me? You could have just turned around.” "I honor my deals Paz. If someone does right by me I'll do right by them, simple as that." Thistle nonchalantly answered. The unicorn’s face remained blank as she tried to process the earth pony’s words. "Look, I was the one that got you into that situation by comin' up with that half-baked idea of fightinin' in a damned dust storm. I got ya into that mess 'n it was my responsibility to get you outta it." The injured stallion asserted. The mare let out a subdued laugh. "Most folks out here would say "Buck It" if they found themselves in that situation...” Paz flashed a brief smile at the pony across her. “Good to know you ain't one of um." The mare softly replied. Thistle let out a snort of air. "Don't get too sentimental. Me 'n you still need to saddle up on an arrangement regardin' Highcrown's item." Paz wiped at her eyes once more and let out a faint groan. "You've got a one track mind, dontcha Thistle?" The stallion responded to the mare’s jeer with a simple frown. "Alright, hold on..." Thistle watched the mare fumble with the small silver chain that wrapped around her neck and brought out a golden locket from underneath her shirt. "You've got to be buckin' me!" The stallion roared as he sprung out of the bed, landing hard upon the wooden flooring and sending shocks of pain throughout his body. "Damn it! Now look what ya gone and did you hotheaded idiot!" Paz shouted before she struggled to get the injured earth pony back onto the bed. "Buckin' gryphon..." Thistle grunted as he got on his side for the unicorn to inspect his wound. "Great! You ruined the stitching I did on ya yesterday!" Paz angrily chided. "Look, y'all just sit tight whilst I go get my kit." The mare promptly stormed out of the room and the sound of cabinets being opened followed suit. The unicorn quickly returned with a black bag slowly levitating at her side. "This is gonna be a lot harder with you awake and all." The mare complained whilst she placed the bag next to Thistle's back, and began to float out the tools she needed. "Ready?" The unicorn promptly asked as she finished prepping herself. The stallion grunted in acknowledgement and began to tense himself in anticipation. Paz levitated a small bottle over Thistle's neck wound and slowly tipped it and its contents onto his neck. Thistle let out a low grunt as he felt the liquid’s burn as it seeped into his exposed flesh. "It's only gonna get rougher." Paz interjected as she cleaned up Thistle's lower neck with a piece of cloth. "Just try 'n finish up as quick as ya can..." The earth pony implored. "Alright, here we go." The mare quietly said as she began to focus on the task before her. Thistle n bit down on his lower lip as he felt a sharp prick bite into his neck. "What-kinda-Ahhhh! Material ya usin' to stitch it?" The earth pony stuttered through clenched teeth. "Just some simple silk. Now hush up, your talkin' is makin' it a lot harder to get this done properly." Paz quickly replied. Thistle let out an annoyed grunt before shutting his mouth and enduring the pain in silence. "Half way done..." Thistle continued to grunt and groan as the needle and thread continued to slowly move through and stitch together his damaged flesh. Several minutes passed and the stallion finally let out a sigh of relief as he felt the needle leave his body. The gunslinger was about to move until he heard Paz let out a sharp cough. "Hold on still need to wrap it up." Thistle propped himself back onto the bedpost and ran hoof across the fresh bandaging wrapped across his lower neck. "Not half bad." Thistle joked. "Like you can treat a wound like that yourself!" Paz immediately quipped. The stallion let out a soft chuckle as he reached for the glass cup atop of the tray Paz initially brought in. "I'm quite curious how'd you learn to patch a pony up?" The stallion asked before taking a sip. Paz let out a sigh whilst she packed up her tools. "I learned everything from my parents..." "Oh, never mind I asked." Thistle somberly replied. "No, no it's fine. Talkin' about 'um helps me get over their passing." The mare slowly answered before taking in a breath of fresh air. "...My parents didn't have the luxury of livin' in places that had doctors 'n proper medicine, so they had to learn how to treat someone with whatever they could get their hooves on.” "Were your parents caravan folk or somethin' like that?" Thistle asked. "Something like that. I guess the closest term you Equestria born ponies have for us types would be gypsies." The mare answered. "So you 'n your family were transients. Movin' from area to area?" Paz nodded her head in response. "Yep, that's how I got my name. On the account of me bein' born down south in Burros." "Burros huh? I was wonderin' where down south you came from." Thistle openly thought. "I take it you've been in a similar situation?” The mare speculated as she sat herself down. “I can't imagine how a pony would go about teaching themselves to shoot like you." "You've got it half right." The gunslinger stated before letting out a strained sigh. "My father taught me the basics. The rest I had to learn on my own...I don't really feel like goin' into much detail 'bout it Paz, sorry." Thistle softly finished. "I won't pester you 'bout it then." The mare soothed before rubbing her eye and letting out a yawn. "Sorry 'bout that, gettin' a little tired." The gunslinger looked at the yawning unicorn and finally noticed the mare’s drained visage. "Ah Tartarus, you need to get some rest Paz." Thistle commanded. "Look, don't you go worryin-" The mare paused in mid sentence once she noticed the serious expression plastered across the earth pony's face. "Unbelievable, the pony who's recoverin' from a damned bullet to the neck is worrying 'bout somepony whose missin' their sleep. You're definitely a strange one Thistle." Paz softly teased. Thistle simply nodded his head and motioned for the mare to leave. "You sure? What are ya gonna do with yourself because you sure as Tartarus ain't gettin' up 'n movin' around." "I'm still feelin' a bit sore, so I’ll just lay my head down for a spell." The mare sighed in resignation. "Alright, we'll talk about Highcrown's trinket after we both get some rest." Thistle nodded in agreement and watched the mare exit his room. The gunslinger let out a strained grunt as he brought his head back down upon the cotton stuffed pillow. "Much better...." Thistle muttered before drifting off to sleep. ------------------- "No, no, no! Your hooves are too close together boy! Y'all need to set 'um wider apart...Consarnit! Here let me show ya how it's done." "...Like this?" "Much better, now go on 'n try balancin' your instrument upon yer right shoulder. “Alright, how’s that Pa?” “Good that's a lot better. You've been usin' the hoofstrap that keeps the bow wrapped to yer hoof when ya play right?" "Yep." "Welp, now here's the hard part. I want you to try 'n use the bow without it." "What! How in the buck do you expect me to play without it?!" "Oi! Watch the language! Boy if you wanna learn my trade yer gonna need to be able to do this easily." "Fine! Grrrrrrrrr, Come here you stupid stick---Gah! How do you consider this easy?! Wait, Pa! Where are ya goin?!" "Goin' back into the house to rest of course." "What?! How am I gonna do this without your help?!" "Boy, I know yer bright, you managed to pick up playing the violin and I'm sure you'll get the hang of this. Now I'mma go take a nap, y'all come 'n wake me up once you manage to pick up the bow and play." "But!" "....." "Alright, i'll try Pa." "Now I need my rest so take as much time as ya want boy!" "...Bloody old geezer." "Damn it---Gah!---Buckin' hay, how in the world am I gonna do this!" "Gah! If I bend my hoof---Almost---Aha! Buckin' finally! Now to make this stupid thing sing!" *SCREECH* *SCREECH* "At least it's a start." ------------------- The stallion slowly opened his eyes and let out a frustrated groan as he heard the door to his room begin to creak. "I'm pretty damn sure it’s only been two hours since I told yer ass to get some rest Paz." "Oh did I wake you up Mister Thistle? If I did I'm mighty sorry. I'll just leave ya be." Snow Pea quietly replied. Thistle shifted his body back onto the bedpost and tilted his head to get a glimpse at the small earth pony. "Snow Pea? Thought it was your sister comin' to check up on me. No need to apologize, it's fine. Why not take a seat 'n chat I ain't got anythin' better to do with my time." The stallion allayed. The colt nodded his head and quickly sat himself on the stool next to Thistle's bed. "What’s on your mind kid?" "I never properly thanked you for saving my sister...So, uh-Thank you." The young pony blustered before lowering his head. "I ain't sure what else to say sir. Just the thought of losin' my sister is makin' it hard to come up with somethin' better. I don't know what I would do without her." Snow Pea glumly answered. Thistle let out a sigh in response to the colt's somber attitude. "Showin' genuine thanks is all ya need to do kid." Snow Pea slowly brought his head up and looked at the bedridden gunslinger. "My sister taught me somethin' similar. She said our parents originally taught her it." "Your sister told me 'bout yer parents. A damn shame for anypony to go through a lost like that, especially a young pony like yourself." Thistle quietly responded. "My sister told me that our parents adopted me two months before their passing." The pale orange colt lowered his head. "Paz always tells me that our parents cared for me a lot, I was too young to remember their faces, but I know my sister is tellin' the truth." Thistle stared at the glum figure of Snow Pea and let out a dejected breath. Great goin' Thistle, ya made a little colt get teary eyed. The gunslinger began to rapidly think of something to raise the colt's spirits. Come on Thistle think! Snow Pea got all obsessive 'bout your gunfightin'... "Hey kid." The young colt took in a snort of air and wiped at his eyes before bringing it back up to face the bedridden pony. "Sorry 'bout bringin' up somethin' painful like that and I'm pretty confident your folks loved you with every fiber.” Thistle soothed. “Say, you're pretty keen on my gunfightin', so how 'bout I show ya some nifty gun tricks I know." Snow Pea dabbed at his eyes once more before flashing a small smile. "That would be really grand but my sister told me that you shouldn't be out of bed Mister Thistle." Thistle let out an indignant snort. “I’m built of sterner stuff.” The pony boasted whilst he waved a hoof. "Are you sure sir? Because Paz told me that you need your rest and I'd feel mighty bad if you hurt yourself some more just to cheer me up." The gunslinger nodded his head in response. "Are you really sure you're willing to do this Mister Thistle? Can ya even get outta bed without aching?" The colt quietly asked. Thistle let out a massive sigh and tensed his entire body as he began to sit himself up. Although the stallion's actions were greeted by the same familiar pain as before; he let out a single grunt as he fought passed the biting pain and eventually got himself standing upon his own four hooves. The stallion continued to ignore the pain that was coursing through him and concealed his anguish with a strained smile. "Kid, I'm dead set on showin' you these tricks and besides no harm no foul if your sister doesn't know what we're up to." The young colt's somber demeanor quickly brightened up in response. "You're really something else Mister Thistle!" Snow Pea giddily exclaimed. Thistle humbly dipped his head in response. "First things first, where did your sister stash my gear?" "It should be somewhere in the living room sir." The colt motioned with a hoof for the older stallion to follow him. The injured stallion flinched with each step he took as he followed Snow Pea into the same barren room that he was in two days ago. "Let me go find your things for you Mister Thistle. You should take a seat sir, it might take a while till I find 'um." Snow Pea stated. "It's fine, I need to work out the kinks in my hooves anyway." Thistle calmly answered whilst mentally spewing out vulgarities. “I’ll be quick as possible Mister Thistle.” The colt declared as he left the stallion. Thistle made his way to a nearby window and the first thing he noticed was the denizens of Blanco Roca going about their business, a far cry from the precarious situation the gunslinger was in two days ago. Business as usual...The town’s gravedigger must be rollin’ in bits now... Snow Pea returned several minutes later with Thistle's gear on his back. "You sure got a lot of stuff sir." The colt grunted as the gunslinger took care of the young colt's burden. "Thanks kid." Thistle answered as he hung his ebony dyed bandoliers on a nearby chair and placed his revolver onto the chair’s cushion. Snow Pea sat himself down upon a dusty chair and watched Thistle rear onto his hind limbs and go through the motions of strapping his holster to his left hind limb. The young colt of was oblivious to Thistle's pain as the gunslinger fumbled with his holster's straps. Finished with his task, Thistle let out a sigh of relief as he returned to all fours. Just treat the kid to some simple tricks 'n call it day. No need to go bustin' yer ass on anythin' complicated. Thistle mused to himself as he checked if his revolver was loaded. The stallion locked his revolver's frame with a flick of his hoof and spun around to face the seated colt. "Ready to see some gunplay kid?" Snow Pea nodded his head with enthusiasm and centered his attention upon the stallion. Thistle clenched his teeth and assumed his two-legged stance. The earth pony primed his body for the burst of activity about to occur; his tensing muscles sending torrents of pain across his neck as he continued to tighten his body. Just ignore the pain Thistle... The gunslinger gritted his teeth and in one fluid hoof-motion drew his revolver. "Here we go!" With an abrupt flick of his hoof Thistle sent his revolver twirling into the air. The stallion stood still and anticipated the gun's movements; his gray framed revolver rapidly beginning to descend from its arc. Thistle eyed his revolver swiftly one last time and with his right fore-hoof deftly caught it at waist-level and immediately brought his left hoof over to fire his empty gun. The firearm sounded off with a faint *Click* which quietly echoed across the room. The gunslinger's simple trick lasted mere seconds, but for the young earth colt observing Thistle’s show it was all he needed. Snow Pea's face was a mix of various degrees of amazement as he quickly applauded the stallion’s actions. "Celestia almighty! Now I really wish I knew how to handle a gun like you sir." The cheerful colt praised. The stallion flashed a small smile in return. "How 'bout you recommend what I do for my next trick?" Snow Pea's eyes quickly lit up and the young colt began to contemplate Thistle's offer. "Hmmm, how fast can ya shoot your revolver Mister Thistle?" Thistle’s face slowly contorted into a small smirk before prepping himself for another demonstration. "Pretty damn fast kid." The stallion announced as he re-holstered his firearm. With lightning speed, Thistle grabbed his revolver's dark red grip and with his free hoof rapidly brought his hoof down upon the revolver's hammer, repeating the same faint *CLICK* as Thistle cocked it in rapid succession. The stallion processed each of his revolver’s clicks and stopped counting once he heard the sixth one sound off. Three 'n half seconds?! Pa would be spinnin in his grave..."Holy moley! You're really quick on the uh-" Snow Pea took a pause as he looked at Thistle's firearm quizzically. "I guess hammer? It took ya only four seconds to empty your gun!" "Three seconds 'n a half actually." Thistle instantly corrected. "Um I have another question Mister Thistle." Snow Pea quietly asked. Now here comes the questions of how I learned to shoot. "Go ahead kid." The gunslinger replied. "Seein' as how your gun has no trigger. Would it be considered unfair if ya got in a duel with another pony? On the account that you don't have to work the trigger and hammer." The young colt openly declared. "I learn-Wait? What! Look kid just 'cause my gun doesn't have a damn trigger doesn't mean it makes it easier for me! I'll have you kno-" Thistle's rebuttal was cut off by an abrupt snort echoing across the room. "NOW WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS GOIN' ON HERE! I wake up to see two ponies disregarding my advice and orders!" The two earth ponies slowly turned their heads around to face the quivering mass of rage that resembled a pinto coated mare. Paz marched herself straight to her younger brother and promptly motioned for him to stand on his hooves. "What in Tartarus are you doing Snow Pea?!" Paz seethed whilst her nostrils flared in anger. "Didn't I tell you once you're finished packin' to work on your assignments I gave ya?!" Snow Pea lowered his head to avoid eye contact with the orenery mare. "I did sis! But I went out to get some water, and well I wanted to see if Mister Thistle needed anything!" The mare rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "A likely story! Now I want you to march your flank straight to your room and finish up your arithmetic studies!" "But sis!" "No buts! Just 'cause you're not enrolled in a formal school doesn't mean you're gettin' out of an education! Mom and Dad would be ashamed to know you ain't takin' it serious! Now get to marchin!" Paz let out an annoyed grunt as she watched her brother slowly make his way out of the room. "Sheesh, Ain't ya bein' a tad harsh on the colt?" Thistle cracked. The furious mare swiftly turned her attention upon the meddling gunslinger. "Harsh? Consider that little talk light!" Thistle simply rolled his eyes in response. "You know, I would expect a full grown stallion to know better. I'm not even that mad at you just extremely disappointed." Paz simply stated. "Now what the hay is "disappointed" supposed to mean?" Thistle retorted."For somepony that's in a rush to get back to Highcrown you didn't exactly do the smart thing of staying in bed and resting. I just thought you were a smart pony but I guess stroking your ego is a lot more sensible." Thistle let out a gruff snort before slowly shaking his head. "Now listen here ma'am, I didn't get myself outta bed just to show off to yer brother. The kid came 'n stumbled into my room 'n we decided to have a little chat." The stallion let out a brief sigh. "...In our little talk, I kinda brought up your parents." Thistle slowly finished. "Now why in Tartarus would you even bring that up with my brother?!" Paz immediately shouted back. "It just slipped out! Well, the kid got all depressed and so to make it up to Snow Pea, I promised him I'd show him some tricks with my revolver to get him to cheer up." The mare ran a hoof through her messy mane and sighed at Thistle’s gaffe. "I guess under that gruff exterior you’ve really got a heart of gold." Paz jokingly mocked . Thistle responded to the mare's backhanded compliment with a dour look. "What? Have you looked in a mirror? You don't exactly look like a pony I'd like to share a bar room table with." "Are you gonna keep up this banter or are you gonna tell me to go back to bed?" Thistle annoyingly questioned. "I ain't gonna bother lecturing an adult. So do whatever you damn well please. But, seein' as I'm awake we might as well finish up our talk regardin' Highcrown's jewelry." Paz offered. "How do you wanna handle this?" Thistle asked. "Nothin' to really handle." The mare simply stated as her horn began to glow and surround the simple silver chain around her neck with a pale yellow cloud of magic. "Take it. I still owe you for savin’ my life.” The unicorn tenderly urged. Thistle stared at the glowing necklace floating in front of him and slowly shook his head. "I'm gonna have to decline the offer ma'am." Paz was completely bewildered by the stallion's gesture. "Look it doesn't take a damn genius to know why you'd steal somethin' like this. It doesn't sit right with me knowin' the hell you went through just to earn a few bits, and then to just throw it away 'cause ya feel sorry. It ain't fair in my eyes." Thistle bluntly explained. The gunslinger got up from his seat and made his way to the chair he hung his gear on. He began to rummage through his various pouches and returned to Paz with a jingling bag gripped in his mouth. The stallion dropped the bag at the mare's hooves, sending a solid thump reverberating throughout the bare room. "I don't know the exact worth of that necklace but I've got 200 bits in this here pouch. Consider it payment for the necklace and the stitches." The mare's gaze shifted between the sack of bits at her feet and the stallion in front of her. "I really do not understand you Thistle..." Paz quizzically stated. “I-I...Thank you.” The mare slowly declared. "Just bein' fair Paz. Now I think it's high time that I mosey on outta here 'n make my way back to that snake of a gryphon." The earth pony casually stated before he rose from his chair. "Whoa! Whoa! Now just wait a cotton pickin' minute!" The pinto coated unicorn exclaimed as she got up from her seat. "No way in Tartarus you are makin' your way outta here! You've barely recovered from your injury! How the hay are you gonna confront Highcrown with the kinda injury you got?!" "Look, don't worry 'bout it." The stallion began to wave the necklace in front of the worried mare. "I've got leverage with Highcrown. I don't exactly know why the gryphon is so damn keen on this but if he hired a posse 'n me to get it back it must be pretty damn important to him." "That makes sense I guess." Paz stated as she watched the gunslinger outfit himself with his mix of bandoliers and pouches. "Thanks for everything ma'am." Thistle calmly said as he made his way to the tattered door at the end of the living room. Paz followed behind the departing pony and opened the door for him with her magic. Thistle shielded his eyes with a hoof as the sun's rays began to pour into the dim room. "You called me ma'am again." The stallion turned around to apologize to the unicorn. "Sorry 'bout that Paz.” The unicorn mare let out a faint laugh. "You must enjoy actin' the gentlecolt 'round mares." Thistle's olive-brown cheeks began to redden as stallion masked his blushing with a hoof. Luckily the unicorn was oblivious to the stallion's befuddlement as she looked him over. "Mind answerin' me one more question before you leave?" The gunslinger slowly nodded his head. "Why are you working for Highcrown?" Thistle noticed his cheeks returning to the same shade as the rest of his coat and promptly lowered his hoof. "He has something I need." Thistle dryly replied. "Does it have to do with that picture you're carrying?" Paz promptly pressed. "Yep." The earth pony stated in monotone. "Well I won't bother you 'bout it. You'd probably just brush it off with a grunt or snort." Paz jeered. Thistle let out a tired sigh at the joking mare. "Anything you need before you go?" Thistle checked himself before running a hoof through his mane. "There is one thing, have you seen my poncho?" Paz's eyes slightly bulged as she bit down on her lip once she registered the stallion's request. "I ain't gonna like the response if that face of yers is any indication." Thistle groaned. "Consider this, your poncho helped save your life." The stallion ran a hoof across his face as he realized what the mare was implying. "You cut up my poncho to bind the wound didn't ya?" "Yep." Paz simply stated. "Now don't that beat all..." "Sorry, I hope it wasn't important to ya." Thistle let out a muted groan before shaking his head slowly. "Anyway, how can I put this, it was interesting to meet ya Paz. Now I take it you 'n your brother are gonna be gettin' outta Blanco Roca soon?" "Likewise." Paz answered as she smiled at the stallion. "And yeah Snow Pea and I plan on leavin’ here soon. I was able to bribe the pegasus that Highcrown had watching Blanco Roca to tell him that you, me and his boys killed each other off in a heated gunfight. Hopefully, the gryphon bought it considerin' I haven't seen any of his thugs for the past two days." "Wait, if I go back to Highcrown, alive. Wouldn't that make the gryphon question if you're really dead?" Thistle slowly noted; his compatriot immediately let out a sharp groan in response. "Damn it all! Now that puts us back in a real bind." Paz exclaimed as she began to frantically pace back and forth, thinking of any solution to her dilemma. Thistle trotted towards the mare, before placing a comforting hoof upon her shoulder. "Easy there Paz, I'll just lie to cover your trail. Simple as that." Paz turned around and quickly embraced the stallion in a constricting hug. “That gryphon’s a wiley one, not sure if he can take your word’s at face value...” The mare let out a soft sigh before continuing. “If that gryphon finds out-” “Don’t worry ‘bout little ‘ol me. Worry ‘bout you ‘n your brother.” Thistle immediately interjected. “How can I repay you for everything you’ve done?” Paz hastily implored. "Remember what I said earlier? Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get goin'." Paz finally noticed her face was a deep shade of red and quickly removed her hooves around the stallion. "Sorry! I hope I didn't hurt you with that hug." Paz rapidly apologized. Thistle flashed a brief smile at Paz before dragging his hoof across the white bandaging. "We earth ponies are built to last Paz." "I ain't gonna dispute that claim." Paz teased. "Well, I'd best get goin' if I want to get back to Highcrown before sun down." Thistle dryly stated. Paz mocked the stallion’s bluntness with a roll of her eyes. The gunslinger let out a simple laugh as he was guided back to the door by the mare. "You're a good stallion Thistle, I don't know if I'd still be breathing without your help...I mean it when I say this, I am eternally grateful for everything you've done for me and my brother." Thistle simply dipped his head in response to the mare’s praise. "It was a pleasure ma'am." The stallion coolly stated as he trotted out through the open door. "There you go again with that damn ma'am shit!" Paz shouted at the earth pony. Thistle turned his head around a flashed a smile at the mare before continuing down Blanco Roca's single road. Paz propped herself onto the door's frame and watched the gunslinger's silhouette trot into the distance until it finally faded away into the valley scenery. The unicorn quietly stood gazing at the sun kissed backdrop until the sound of her brother's hooves brought her back to attention. "Did Thistle leave already?" The unicorn turned upon her brother and simply nodded her head in response. "Darn! I wanted to say goodbye to him...Why didn't ya tell me he was leaving?!" "Sorry Snow...” Paz answered before letting out a somber breath. "Gather up everything, we're leaving." Snow Pea looked at his sister with a confused look. "You told me we ain't leaving for another three days! Can you at least tell me where we’re gonna be heading?" "I did, but somethings come up. So we need to get a move on, and no I don't really know where we will be headin'. Just get everything you've packed ready." "Fine." Snow Pea groaned as he left the room. "I don't care what you say Thistle. I owe you for what you've done and I'm going to do everything in my power to pay that debt back."