Woodstock's Tools and Co.
Training took off with relative ease, after a few hiccups here and there. My star athletes were of couse Flutters and Mac, but a few others showed promise.
Lyra, for example, managed to swipe my guns with her magic so secret-like that you could swear she did it before! Her partner in crime, Bon-Bon, or as I like to call her, Bonnie, really picked up on Fluttershy's lessons. Batting her eyelashes and sweet talking me like a common escort. I gotta admit, she got me all hot under the collar, and pretty damn good at that!
It didn't take long for Mac's lessons to hold too, because Carrot Cake became less of a wimp and more of an honest work hand- er, hoof. Zecora picked up on some strength training too, becoming pretty good with a knife, if the hay dummy we made up with some of the left over food that didn't quite keep was anything to go off of. The jugular, knees, and several contact points for Pegasi that Fluttershy taught the gang were all clean cuts. I asked her about it once, and she just brushed it off as one of the skills she picked up taking care of her bird friends. Makes sense, considering how many times she probably had to make splints for them critters.
It wasn't until the third day that I realized we were behind on schedule, and that much shorter on supplies.
I just hope the rest were able to learn enough for the Trading Post. That's when the real test begins...
"Mac," Arthur gestured him over to the center tent, where he was pouring over the supplies list, his brow knitted and set with worry.
"Look at the food count-" he pointed to the figures on the small piece of paper they were both glancing at. "These numbers right?"
"...Eeyup." The red stallion sighed. "Spent too much time trainin'. What do ya think, Arthur? Should we get a move on?"
He sighed, trying to think. If they stayed any longer, they'd be past the point of no return when it came to food and water shortage, and there was no way the gang could survive around here. Plains surrounded them for miles on end; Their only options were to either turn back and maybe avoid the Law, or head towards what sounded like a one-way trip into nothing but blizzard, going back to the fork in the road and hiking up an outdated trail towards maybe the Crystal Empire. "Well, we need to move, and I don't see much options, aside from our current path." Grunting in affirmation, Big Mac alerted everypony to start packing up.
However, he was interrupted by the outlaw grabbing his shoulder. "Hold up, I gotta make an announcement." Stepping back, he made way for Arthur.
"Alright everypony, before we get all packed up, I need to update y'all on current affairs: We're behind schedule it looks like, which means supplies are reaching towards the red." He sighed, hating to rush them again, but he didn't have any choice. "We're gonna need to go faster than usual, which means anything you're used to carryin' goes on the wagon. Pots, pans, personal supplies; everything goes. Alright, now enough talkin'! We're not stopping until we hit the trading post, so let's haul 'er out!"
Taking a look at the fork in the road, then back at the worn and weathered map given to her, Trixie concluded the town was even dumber than they let on. It was different than the one Arthur got earlier, showing instead Canterlot being on the left, and an enormous clearing on the right. Taking a look at the date it was published, she couldn't believe it: the map was older than the founding of Equestria! "Stupid ponies!" She grunted, throwing the map down. It was then that she noticed something: a pair of fresh wagon tracks leading to the right, only a few days old by the looks of it. "Well, either Trixie is crazy, or the map is lying, but I don't care!" Slapping the harness back on her using her magic, the unicorn turned to the right and began following the fresh trail. "Trixie is gonna get revenge on Dusty Trails by running over this stupid map!" She then stamped all over the parchment, cackling madly.
"The great and powerful Trixie doesn't need directions! Besides, Trixie believes the kind pony that told her of the trading post over a centuries old map given by that shady mayor any day!"
A few hours later, the gang's scenery changed on the road from a peaceful set of plains to the beginnings of what looked like swampland. "Damn it," Arthur mumbled. "No way we can trek through here without leavin' something behind. Hey Fluttershy!" The timid mare poked her head out from behind the wagon.
"Yes, Arthur? What can I- oh my!" She gasped. "There's no way to get through here like this!"
"My thoughts exactly." He exclaimed. "Any chance you could peek up and see if there's another way through?"
She nodded, soaring through the canopy. Flapping her wings, the Pegasus soared high above the treetops, looking out on the horizon. It stretched for miles on end, it looked like. However, scanning through the trees revealed the trading post wasn't that far in, so maybe they could get some of the ponies there to help them. She rushed back down to deliver the news.
"Well, Shy? What'd you see?"
"The trading post is only a few steps in, at best. If we leave some ponies behind with the wagon, maybe we could go in the swamp and get somepony to help?" She suggested.
Arthur rubbed his chin in thought. "It's a good plan, but I wanna have everypony on board. What do you think, Mac?"
"Hmm..." He scratched his head. "Eeyup!" Was all the stallion spoke.
"Well, alright! It's decided: you, me, and Flutters will go in and fetch some ha- er, hooves to come get our wagon and the rest of the gang."
"W-wait, why am I coming?!" Fluttershy exclaimed, beginning to panic. "I'm not s-strong like Big Macintosh, I-I can't fight!"
"No, but you do know where the trading post is." He replied, tightening his rope hat. "I've got some more of that 'Liquid Courage' if you'd like some." He jiggled a bottle of brown hooch the outlaw pulled out of his pack.
Shuddering, the mare remembered how sick it made her last time. But at the same time, it did put a pep in her step... "Gimme that!" She swiped the bottle and downed its contents in one gulp. "Alright, it's this way. You better give me more when we get there!"
Surprisingly, it wasn't as long of a trip as Arthur thought. The only tough part was dealing with knee high swamp water almost all the way there. "Here we are, so pay up!" Fluttershy said, aggressively snatching the promised liquor as soon as it got within reach. It was out of character for the shy mare, and was definitely a stark contrast from the last time she drank a batch of the outlaw's whiskey. I warned Zecora not to change the formula... Oh well. If 'Grumpy Fluttershy' was anything like 'Bubbly Fluttershy', then she oughta pass out pretty damn quick before she could cause any real damage... Arthur thought, before hearing a sudden crash and seeing Fluttershy almost drown somepony who bumped into her. I hope...
"Mac," he pulled the stallion closer so he could whisper to him. "Keep an eye on Fluttershy. Last thing I want is an aggressive Pegasus completely ruining our plan."
"Eeyup." Big Mac trotted away, leading the angry drunk mare towards the nearest bar.
Snatching up his saddlebags, Arthur took a look around the trading post for some ponies to help out. The entryway to the makeshift docks was ramshackled and worn, barely holding together. Weathered lettering gave way to the small post's name: Woodstock's Tools and Co.
Arthur snorted when he saw the motto plastered then painted over underneath it in red:
The best
WoodMERCS money can buy, or yourrefundDEATH Guaranteed!
"Great." He sighed. "Well, let's hope our wanted posters haven't went around long enough for us to be recognizable." Spotting a couple of passing Earth Ponies, he flagged them down. "Hey, fellas!"
The bigger of the two, a yellow mountain of a stallion wearing obvious mercenary gear with knives and all, approached Arthur with a surprisingly neutral look, given the nature of this "trader's outpost".
"Somethin' ya need?" He asked, leaning down to look the outlaw in the eye.
Sizing up the pony, he chose his next words carefully. The last thing they needed was another town to chase them out. "Well, it just so happens I do! Would you ponies be so kind as to help my family move our wagon to this trading outpost? The swamps're too thick for our wheels and we've been travelling for quite a while now." He put on his trademark "humble traveller" grin.
The stallion gave a short chuckle in reply. "This ain't no Trader's Outpost. Hasn't been in years, so don't expect common decency in this place, Friend." He whistled to his friend, a small white unicorn mare wearing a Stetson and small bandolier- an item that gave Arthur pause. "Hey, Ironsights! Think we should 'Help' this here traveller?" He laughed again, this time his partner joining in.
"Well, how about a bet, partner?" The mare asked, coming down from their laughter.
"Depends, what're the stakes?" Arthur knew the game the two Mercs were trying to play- he'd seen it before, back when Dutch and him were by themselves and taking on bounty hunting. The mare smiled back sadistically, giving away he was right. a game of liars and cheats it is then...
"How about yer hat?" He stared at the outlaw's trademark headpiece, the rope still wound tight keeping Arthur's head secure. "My other one went missing during a 'trade distpute', ha-ha!" He started another wave of laughter between the two at his ironic joke.
I'm gonna have fun robbing you two blind he thought, holding out a hoof to the two. "Deal!" He smiled, the other taking his hoof and shaking it. "What's the game?"
"QUICKDRAW!" the mare yelled out in a southern drawl, sending everypony barreling for nearby cover in huts, carts, everything. Flicking on her horn, the mercenary zapped a tree just outside the outpost, it's leaves shaking and several targets dropped down, full of holes...
Bullet holes.
"The object of the game is to shoot as many targets as possible in three seconds. Here, lemme show ya-" she nodded to her partner, standing back and bringing Arthur with him.
"On ya mark!" He started counting down.
"Get set!" The unicorn's grey magic flickered to life again, grabbing the several metal bullets from her bandolier and hovering them in midair.
"DRAW!" Suddenly, the pieces of metal all flew at a lightning pace, hitting 8 targets on the swamp tree total, two others landing in the bark mere inches from their intended destination. Arthur's jaw dropped: there was another gunslinger in Equestria it seemed.
Shaking him out of his reverie, the mare spoke up. "Tell ya what, I'll give you two tries. Heck, since you're an Earth Pony like my partner here, how's about I give you a slingshot to use, to make it fair?"
He weighed his options carefully. This mare was the clever type and knew he'd only be able to get a few shots in at best, but obviously generous as well- a flawed trait ponies carry even in the most dangerous businesses, it seemed. "Okay, sure. I can agree to that." Arthur reached for the wooden tool with his hoof, and set up. Nodding to the stallion merc, he got into position.
"On ya mark!" The outlaw, quick on his hooves, slid a few pebbles to his other hoof, hoping to kick them into the other targets.
"Get set!" The outlaw drew back the slingshot with his teeth and took aim, holding the wooden part still in his hoof.
"DRAW!" He took aim for the two closest targets, hitting one clear as day while the other one veered to the right. Before time was up, he kicked the pebbles that were kept close to his hoof, hoping that they'd hit at least a few pieces before the clock ran out.
"What's the total for that one? I'm not much a shooter, so I thought it'd be alright if I cheated a bit." Arthur played dumb. He knew if it was any other pony that came here, it'd be an execution on the spot, but his act about being a lost caravan got her seeing a punching bag to torture at best.
"Well, seein' as you only hit a couple with that there slingshot, I won't fault ya for trying to pull a fast one on us. Ready for round two?"
Time for the hook He smiled. "Sure, but seein' as how you gave me a bit of fairness with this do-over, how about I sweeten the pot?"
"Ha-ha! I like this guy!" The stallion spoke up. "Well, what're you offering? Me and my 'magically gifted' associate will see if it's worth our ti-"
"Gold." Arthur threw down a bag of bits, the gold sparkling in the mercenaries' eyes. "It's why we need some help. When I said the wheels couldn't make it, I meant they were weighed down too much by all the bits we're haulin'. Care to call my bet?"
Glaring at each other with a knowing look, they called his bet with an equally large bag. "Alright," the mare spoke, smiling devilishly at the stupidity of this "wandering trader" before her. "Bet's called. Get set up, partner."
He knew it'd be asking for trouble, but the outlaw hoped the mercs had a code of honor, just like back in his world. Or, at least, to an extent. "Ready." He pretended to ready the slingshot again, as well as his guns hiding in the saddlebags with a barely noticeable jostle.
"On ya mark!" He slowed down his breath, focusing, looking for a pattern.
"Get set!" He found it! Low to high, the targets went in a zigzag- probably to make them look branched out and random, but he knew better. Squinting his eyes, the targets were the only things that remained in his vision.
"DRAW!" Suddenly, it was as if time itself slowed down. The guns burst out of his saddlebags and hit all of the targets, including the ones they thought were cleverly hidden in the leaves of the tree, but he found them. The pattern gave them away, it must have been how she could hit them every time- the two missed shots were probably for the set-up, give their mark some hope in beating their score. Shooting the last one with laser precision, time sped up for the outlaw again and everything was back to normal.
"What in the-"
"YOU CHEATED YOU SELFISH BASTARD!" The mare shoved him. "What am I to you, some kinda joke?!"
"Not at all, ma'am." Arthur tipped his hat smugly. "Just a fool who played a fool's game."
The stallion jumped up and held him in the air. "Alright, you stupid little-"
Suddenly, a piercing whistle came through the air, interrupting the fight before it started. "Enough!"
As if caught by a predator, the two mercs scrambled away from Arthur and stood,in formation, like soldiers. Stepping out of the shadows of the nearby saloon, a gangly old brown stallion with a cowboy hat and grey handlebar moustache eyed the trio. Leaning on his cane, he approached them, careful not to trip over his own hooves.
"Woodstock, sir!" The stallion merc spoke.
"We didn't expect to see you up and about today, heh heh!" The other one nervously chuckled.
"Yeah, well these two fine travellers," Woodstock pointed to a half-conscious Fluttershy and Big Mac, currently carrying her. "Have told me they need help through the swamp." Looking at the targets behind them, the stallion began to connect the dots. "Seems somepony finally beat you at your own game, Miss Abelene."
"That is not. My. name..." She muttered through gritted teeth.
Woodstock laughed heartily. "Of course not, 'Lucky Shot'! Though I prefer the name your mother gave you." He spoke kindly, despite his gruff and weathered tone and appearance. "And what about you, Buttercup? What roped you into this mess?"
"Well, to be honest sir, it just kinda ended up this way." The yellow stallion bowed his head. "I was just havin' a drink when that fella-" he pointed to Arthur. "Asked for our help, like we was together." Both he and Lucky Shot blushed. "N-not that we were- I mean, are!"
"Save yer breath, Buttercup!" Woodstock chuckled. "I'm just an old stallion, what can I honestly do to a big mean Earth Pony such as yerself?" He smiled.
"W-well you could always fire me..."
"Fire you?! BAHAHAHAHAH!" Yer a merc! You can do what you Damn well please, son. But if you do-" His eyes got dark all of a sudden. Then, with a flick of his hoof, the cane supporting his weight opened up on the handle to reveal a cylinder extending out and a magic crosshair appeared over Woodstock's left eye. Squinting, he flicked his hoof again and sent a bullet right at the dirt between the two... A bullet like a gun would have...
Arthur strapped his saddlebags tighter- a move that didn't go unnoticed by the mysterious benefactor of this Mercenary Camp. "I'm not lookin' to take yer guns, Outlaw." The lanky old stallion turned around, studying the pony before him. "Much like this cane, I think there's more than meets the eye about you. Now come on, we'll see if we can round up some more helpers INCLUDING Buttercup and Lucky Shot, don't you two try to sneak away!" He yelled over his shoulder, stopping the two escaping ponies in their tracks. "Way I see it, you broke the rules of my camp and tried to swindle this gentlecolt and his friends."
"Uh, what does he mean by that, Mac?" Arthur whispered to his friend.
"Tried ta drink me under the table. Quit halfway when I found out they were switching their mugs out for cider. Poor Fluttershy took most of the mugs." He straightened her out on his back so the Pegasus' wings wouldn't bend in an awkward shape.
"I turned her into an alcoholic, didn't I?"
Big Mac Chuckled. "Eeyup. T'be fair, she took the first mug." He pointed out.
Well, she ain't no Uncle, that I'm glad for. Still, it ain't right. It'll ruin her before it helps her. I'll ask her when she's sobered up.
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Nice work!
Fluttershy shall soon have the LUMBAGO
9857062 TERMINAL LUMBAGO, at that! Ha ha ha.
10061002
Yeah, but... how? I don't get it at all.
10061115
Sometimes it takes an outlaw to find a criminal. Not all heroes work on the side of good.
10069135
Alright, now I understand. It took like 3 weeks to process it, but I finally understood. Thank you : )
10073491
No problem bruh. I play a lot of games where morality can be a grey area. Sometimes, to do good, you gotta be bad.
10073938
We've made our worst, we've tried our best... It is time, for us, to rest...
I am literally on the edge of my seat, I'm new to this fic and read it all in one sitting, I'm so hooked! Can't wait for more :)
Pretty good so far, I just hope it continues.
Haven’t used my fimfiction account in years but this made me want to comment this story is great so far and I love how flutter shy is a alcoholic now. it been awhile since your last post almost 2 year is the story dead or is it just on Hiatus?
11222842
Im not sure, I haven’t had time to write in a while so for right now it’s hiatus until I can free up time to write again