“You could have saved us at ANY FUCKING TIME!?” I barked in a harsh whisper as I searched the bank for my things. Annoyingly, the only thing that I found remotely big enough to hold them was a locked hooflocker in the corner, so here I was waiting for Storm to finish attempting to pick it open.

Of all the times Caltrop could have been useful…

“What? And robbed you of this valuable lesson?” She snapped back from around the screw driver in her muzzle, torquing the bobby pin in her hoof enough that it broke. She gave out a sigh and pulled the broken pin out. “I knew you weren’t ready to go back out, so I followed you when you left. Had to call in a quick favor from some old friends to blast that railway, but it gave me time to catch up.” She smiled in a way that made my eye twitch in rage. “You should know me better than this, PC. You aren’t stupid, just… dim? Short sighted? Moronically Inclined maybe?”

“Thanks, so much for that.” I knocked the screwdriver from her muzzle in anger. “You know what happened on that fucking train?” I shoved her back as I leaned in close. “I almost ended up like mom. If it weren’t for Caltrop…”

“What, and you think that was my fault?” She laughed to herself. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to blame me. If you’re looking for somepony to pin it on, try a mirror.”

“You don’t get it, do you? They took Caltrop and shipped him off to some slaver camp.” She clenched her jaw as I reached out and prodded her sharply. “Because of you and that dolt, I have it in my head that I need to have him around, and that he’s my friend. So you know what you’re fucking going to do? You’re going to shut the fuck up and help me get him back, because you wanted me to find a friend, because I’m not losing him.”

“Well we aren’t going anywhere as long as this box stays shut!” She shook her head and pulled out a cigarette. I pulled one up to my horn in my magic and watched as she flipped open her lighter. We lit the sticks and inhaled deeply, both relaxing together.

“Are you a dangerous pony?” The squeaky voice of Sandy came from the vault, her bright pink eyes staring from the corner of the door. I deadpanned as Storm let out a soft laugh.

“Another friend, PC? There may be hope for you yet.” She gave me a pat on the shoulder and smirked. Turning to Sandy, Storm softened her gaze and spoke in a caring tone. “We’re trying to get her things back, but have hit a bit of a snag with this locker.”

“I… can open it, if you want that is...” Sandy held up her hand and spread her claws out. “Even though my brothers and sisters tell me I’m useless, I know I can be super helpful! I even helped her!” She pointed to me and I could only let out an embarrassed sigh.

“I thought I told you it wasn’t safe here.” I facehooved. Seriously, this kid has ears twice the size they need to be and she can’t hear a word I say. “You have your trophy, why don’t you go home where it’s safe.”

“Oh come on PC, can’t you see she wants to help?” Storm stepped up to the hoof locker and tapped at it. “Think you can crack this open for us, little one?” Something about the way Storm sounded made me grind my teeth. Maybe it was because she never spoke to me that nicely, even as a foal. Some part of me thinks it’s because she’s just trying to show me up again, but the way she spoke was just so… genuine.

Sandy quickly bounced her way over and sniffed along the edge of the locker. With little more than a rap of her claws near the top and bottom of the thing, slicing through the hidden hinges. Her spiked club like tail wagged erratically as she smiled, while Storm reached over and gave her a few pats on the head before hoofing the door from the locker. Sadly, my things weren’t inside, but there were three old, cut down, double barreled 20 gauge shotguns, along with a box half full of shells.

“It’s easy to smell the hinges on boxes like these, so they’re not hard to find.” She opened her eyes again and beamed in delight at the old firearms. “Cool! That would be a much better trophy than any ring!”

“What? No, guns are both dangerous AND valuable. I can't let you just go running off with one of these.” I shook my head and pointed back to the vault. “Besides, you need to get back home. I bet your mother is really worried about you.”

“Oh come on, let me take one!” She whined at such a high pitch it made a spike of pain shoot through my horn. “You can't even use all three!”

“Unicorn.” I simply stated, enveloping them in my magic and floating them up to me. I opened each one in sequence, inspecting their barrels. They aren’t in the best of shape, but they’ll get me some answers. “Now take something else for your trophy if you want and go back. In five minutes time, it's not going to be safe above ground.”

“Fine, I’ll go.” She hung her head and gave up. “I guess this is goodbye again.” She looked to me with her, round sad eyes that felt like they clawed directly into my soul. “It was nice meeting you Friend. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime?”

“I hope so, Sandy.” I felt myself smile through my sigh, rubbing at my hoof with a fetlock. “Now go on and get home safe.” I nodded toward the vault and she turned away, slowly walking into it. “And don’t let anypon… anyone push you around down there, you hear!” I shouted, making Storm smack me in my bad leg.

“Keep your voice down and let’s go.” She pointed towards the door.

I loaded each gun with two shells from the box, and slipped the rest of them into Storm’s pack. Now that there was nothing to distract me from it, my leg ebbed in pain as I stood on it. Walking quietly became an agonizingly annoying process, needing me to hobble quickly when it came time to use that leg. Hopefully we could just get the information we needed and kill them all without needing to run.

This is how I know I’m a pessimist. Even with as much hot air as I blow up my own ass in an attempt to feel good, I know we’re still going to be screwed over. That’s just how my fucking life goes.

Finally ready, we had reached the door and opened it just a sliver. The sun had started to set when I came into the bank, but now the sun is already peaking above the horizon to the east. This was not good. That knock to the head kept me out for hours, which meant that the caravan with Caltrop in it could already be down from the mountains by now!

“The Streets are clear. We’re going to head straight for the Saloon. On my way to rescue you, I saw one of them head in there.” Storm whispered.

“How do you know it was one of them?” I asked as she slowly swung the door open, the two of us cringing in unison as it let out a few sharp creeks.

“Trust me on this. I know it’s him.” She snapped back, heading out before I could say anything further. If I had any other choice in getting Caltrop back, I wouldn’t be following her. Every damn time Storm is around, things go from bad to worse, and that’s on top of all the unsavory ponies she seems to get crawling from the woodwork. As we crossed the street, I glanced at the Marehouser building.

Maybe I shouldn’t press my luck by talking about woodwork in the middle of a timber farming town…

There were eager shouts coming from the Saloon, and the thick snaps of what sounded like a whip on flesh made me jump as we snuck up beside the door. I took my place on one side, as Storm set herself against the other, holding a hoof up for me to wait. The heavy whines of a stallion broke the silence between muffled screams and whip snaps. I looked to Storm as she lowered her hoof.

“Alright PC, there are five hostiles inside, and one neutral.” she whispered so low, I almost couldn’t hear her speak. “You should be able to handle them with ease.” Stupid cheating pipbuck, seeing through walls and shit. It just isn’t fair that she gets to use it, and I can’t even cast any spells close to being that good.

“What?” I did my best to contain my volume, almost dropping the shotguns in surprise. “Aren't you coming in to help?”

She deadpanned as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. “What did I tell you about surprise fights in the wasteland?” She had taught me everything on how to survive out here, and I can’t believe I forgot one of the basics. Never show all your cards when you only have to show a few. Maybe I have gotten lax over the last year or two. With the contracts from filly being so simple and plentiful as well, I never really had to try.

“Woah there Augs, slow down on the stallion.” That voice… “We don’t need him passing out on us, that takes away all the fun. We’ve got a few more hours before the boss get’s here for PC, so lets make sure to enjoy it.”

I growled and stepped up to the swinging door, kicking it open as hard as I could before stepping through the doorway. The room was a fairly standard layout for a bar. With the place being closed normally at this time, there were no patrons or staff about, and the only inhabitants stood in a semicircle around a table smack dab in the center of the room. The three leather coated stallions closest to me turned and spread out, funneling the asshole who put the contract on me into the center of my vision.

“Shit!” Was all Ash could get out before I opened up with two of the shotguns. One of the stallions heads exploded as the buckshot removed his face, and the stallion opposite of him dropped to the floor from a hit to the chest. Ash and a large framed mare flipped the table they had the bleeding and crying form of Brightshine’s brother on, hiding behind it as I took aim with the third shotgun.

The stallion from the middle disappeared with a flash, confusing me as to where he was when I was bucked sideways. The suddenness of it all broke my levitation as I prayed none of my ribs were broken. I let out a whine as I tried to stabilize myself with my bad leg, giving up before slamming into the worn wooden floor. Gasping for air as my already bruised side stung all across where the manticore had struck, I reached out with my horn and secured two of the dropped shotguns.

I spun one and fired at the stallion attacking me, liberating most of his throat from his neck and dropping him to the floor in a bloody heap. There was little time to pause, as the one I hit in the chest returned to his hooves. His reinforced armor, although shredded, had stopped the shot. And he wasn’t happy.

He bit down on the handle of a rusty logging axe he had set on his back and charged at me. I fired with the other shotgun and managed to tag him with one of the pellets, but it didn’t slow him down. Scrambling to my hooves, I was forced to parry his attacks with the two empty guns. More scooting and rolling than actually dodging, I was doing a fairly good job at keeping his aim off just enough that he would nick the ground with each swing.

My flank pressed up against the wall, and I was out of time. I went for broke and threw both guns at him. In the moment it took for him to avoid getting clobbered in the face, I pushed myself up, slamming myself into him with a scream of anger. He went down and rolled onto his back for only a moment, allowing me to follow another one of the lessons Grandma ingrained in me. With as precise of a jump as I could, I hopped onto the stallion, making sure that if anything, his family line ended with him.

The clunk of him dropping the axe was followed by the breathless scream that I would expect came with most geldings, but just for good measure, I stepped onto his throat until he stopped moving.

“Bravo, PC. Absolutely top rate badassery.” Ash clapped his hooves from behind the table. I looked around quickly, finding the last shotgun with ammo on the ground. “I bet you’re wondering why I put out a contract on you.”

“It’s a good place to start before I kill you.” I snarled, bringing the gun up to my side. There was still that other mare behind the table with him, so I couldn’t make the first move without knowing that I could take them both. “It’s simple, you were costing my employers too much. There are only two reasons they put out the bounties in the first place. One, is to remind the slaves that running is a big waste of time. Two, is so that the most bloodthirsty and skilled mercs in equestria have something to do other than overthrowing the current establishment due to the highest bidder.”

Ash let out a laugh as there was a metallic slam from the other side of the table, the rattle of a pill bottle made me wonder just what he was up to. Brightshine’s brother had his eyes clenched shut as he pulled against his bindings. If there were some way that I could get him to roll the table forward, I’d have a clear shot.

“That doesn’t explain shit, Ash.” I yelled, wondering just where the hell Storm was. Yes I didn’t need her help, but it would be appreciated!

“Unfortunately for you and Bluejay, you just happen to be the cream of the crop, the best of the best.” He yelled back, just taunting me to come at him. But I was smarter than that, and if I couldn’t get Brightshine’s brother to flip the table, the very least I could do was get him out of the way. “Bluejay has deviated from hunting and has gone and grown a soul. She’s wrecked more slave caravans in three months than even the Filly freedom fighters have, and it’s become an issue to the ponies I work for.”

“Once again, I don’t see why I was dragged into this.” I focused my magic on the ropes that held Brightshine’s brothers legs to the higher half of the table, slowly unbinding them. “Big Shot said that if I paid off my debt to him, I could come back.”

“Big Shot’s out of the game now, theres another in his place now who is much more efficient.” He spoke back starkly. Could that be true? Could they have just outright replaced one of the most ruthless stallions I’ve ever worked for? “As for you. You were the top contract clearer for north Fillydelphia, and remarkably hard to find if you’re looking. Now that you’ve been barred from working for my employer, there is a certain… concern that you might take up a job to kill him. So this is simply my way of ensuring that doesn’t happen.” He gave a small chuckle. “It’s fantastic, isn’t it? Me, a fellow bounty hunter, sending bounty hunters after my only rival?”

“Yeah, but you made a couple of mistakes.” The first binding came loose, with the second one only moments away. “You sent Caltrop off to slavers, and you assume I came here alone.” I undid the other strap and Brightshine’s brother dropped to the floor with a thud. I waited for the table to fall over with him, but it must have been heavier than I thought, because it didn’t budge an inch.

Now would be a really good time for Storm to join me.

There was a pressurized hiss from the other side of the table before Ash’s voice came it. “Quick thing now that we’re just getting things out in the open, I never wanted a relationship with you, seeing as I’m already with this amazing mare.” As he spoke, the Silver coated mare rolled out from behind the table, setting herself on her hooves as she tensed. I fired a shot at her, hitting her dead center in the chest. As the blood drained from the wound, it started to close, and she gave me a smile. “PC, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Auger.”

I fixed my aim and fired again, hoping that a shot to neck would down her like the previous stallion. She let out a gurgling scream and charged me, the only thing I managed to catch as she slammed against me was the red of her mane before she was trampling over my body. I let out my own scream as the blades she wore on her hooves gouged troughs of flesh from me. Before I could do anything else, she reared her hind legs and bucked against my back.

I flipped over and tumbled along the floor as everywhere hurt, stars flooded my vision and the only thing I could see clearly where the thick blood stains I had left. She didn’t even have to charge over as I struggled to get to my hooves, simply and calmly walking over to me before she growled and hit my horn with a haymaker. A breathless scream was all I could mutter as the pain in my head overwhelmed me, my body falling to the floor again as I passed out for only a moment.

“Auger, wait.” Ash spoke up. “Don’t kill her just yet.” It had been one of the shortest fights I’ve ever fought in my life, and he didn’t want to just end it even though I was way out of my league. If I had any of my guns, this never would have happened. If Grandma had just helped out already, this would have never happened. If I didn’t care about Caltrop’s friendship...

“But sweetie, just one little flick and she’s dead!” She spoke back, putting a hoof on my neck. The cold steel blade pressed against my flesh so tightly that I was sure that if I moved a muscle, I would slice my own throat open. It was then that I noticed that Auger’s hoof was entirely steel, the robust cybernetic leg had been painted the same dull silver as her coat to make it less noticeable.

“Call off your attack dog, Martial.” Storm spoke up as she entered, finally deciding that now I was in need of help. If we make it out of this, I was going to shoot her a few times with her own damn rubber bullets. Storm stood on her hind legs and propped herself against the doorframe, leveling her rifle. “Sorry I never told you about this PC, but the first day Martial here showed up in town, he tried to kill me. He wanted revenge for what I'd done, and I could see it the moment he laid his eyes on me. Ever the son of the last Mustangia Ruffian whore.”

“Ma told me how you spared her because she was carrying me in her hooves, but you murdered my father, my brother, and everypony else in my camp, so you had to pay. You ruined her life, caused her to take up drugs and drinking to cope with losing them. So what kind of son would I be if I didn't carry out my mother's last wish for revenge?” Ash’s voice had changed. It no longer bled with the smoothness that angered me, but instead was sharp and harsh.

“I stomped that whole clan to dirt for what they did to your mother PC.” Storm spoke up before he could continue. “Martial here was just trying to get back at me the only way he could. Through my family. When he took on the name of Ash, I thought he decided to put what happened in the past, but I always knew he would try again.”

“Then this has nothing to do with me.” I groaned out, trying not to shift my weight under the steel hoof. “I don't fucking care about your grudge, tell me where you sent Caltrop and you two can fight it out.”

“Your colt friend? He’s on his way to U-Cig for Re-education, I mean really PC, I would have assumed you overheard one of the guards or something.” He sighed in disappointment. “But that won’t matter now. I can’t just let you go when I can knock my biggest rival out of the game, can I?”

“What waystation are they using? Who hired you?” Storm spoke up. “Seeing as if you win, the information won’t matter, and if you lose, at least you die knowing I’ll kill everypony in your whole fillydelphia operation.”

“See? Look at that PC, you just have to ask the right questions!” He let out the same laugh he always did, and even as I bled out on the floor, it still made me want to get up and kick the shit out of him. “I’m not going to tell you my employer, but I guess you’ve earned a little info. They're stopping at summer camp for a few weeks holding, good luck getting them out alive.”

“You just leave that to me.” Storm flinched, turning her gun faster than I ever could. Under the helpful spell of SATS, she unloaded four shots into Auger faster than the mare could react. The large mare stiffened and fell over, her bladed hoof slicing into my throat as she did. I gasped and felt the gurgling wound along my neck suck in air as a pool of crimson grew around my head. My body felt cold, and I couldn’t even find the strength to whine as I slumped down on the wood.

Great, I was going to die here on the floor next to the half headed wife of my rival. Thinking back to my list, maybe I put things like tetanus up a bit too high. Dieing by the fact that my grandmother’s shots caused my neck to be sliced open, was now my least favorite way to die. Why did it have to be now though? Caltrop actually had something to live for when I was around, and in a way, so did I. It’s just that I was really hoping I could at least save him.

Storm’s quick hoofsteps towards me came to my ears as I heard Ash’s drift off into the distance. “Hold on PC, don’t die on me now.” She didn’t sound worried. Her fucking granddaughter was basically dead on the floor and she didn’t sound worried. This was all her fucking fault and she DIDN’T… SOUND… WORRIED.

There was the thick pop of a bottle as my vision darkened, and a warmth filled the core of my body. I closed my eyes and tried to take one last deep breath, struggling to get my lugs to move at all. As hard as I tried, my body had already given up, and finally I got the simple fact through my head.

Fuck it. I’m done.

The sound of softly flapping curtains and the slow patter of rain was the first thing to come to me, followed by the feeling of warmth and pain, mixing together in separate ebbing waves. I opened my eyes and pushed myself up, looking around to find that I had been tucked into a large bed on the second floor of a house. Through the open window, I could barely see the side of the Marehouser building in town through the hazy rain that came down.

Pulling the sheets off of me, I looked down over my coat, seeing that my injuries had been healed. The bruises that I got, along with the pain in my leg were non existent, but several crescent shaped scars coated my body in various places, and the long one down my leg still sat where it had before.

“Fuck.” I sighed.

“Oh come on.” Storm’s voice startled me, and I scrambled out of the bed as best I could. “That’s it, shrug it off. We both know I’ve come back from much worse than that.” My best wasn’t good enough as my rear hooves got caught in the bedsheets and I flopped onto the floor.

“You know what Grandma, you’re fucking impossible to please, so with all due respect, fuck you.” I untangled myself, picked myself up, and turned around to find the barrel of her rifle pointed right at me. “You wouldn’t.”

BANG

I guess I was just destined to spend all of today on the floor in pain. As the ringing in my ears dropped off, I heard quick thumping hoofsteps running up a flight of stairs towards us. I clutched my chest in pain as the door flew open and Brightshine’s brother looked around in a panic.

“Tha hell are y’all doin?” His voice was a lot deeper, rumbling through the floor even as he yelled. “Ah brought yah here ta ask a favor, not ta let yah kill each otha.”

I groaned out at that. “If you're asking me to save your sister, you can fuck right the hell off.” Yeah, it sucks that she was taken as well, but she’s the reason Caltrop was gone. She deserves worse than she’s got.

“Ah know it was you who killed Burst Flare. Now, Brightshine might hold a grudge, but I don't.” He held out a hoof to me, giving me a stern look. Just because he’s shown me the courtesy of not killing me for murdering his sister, did not mean I was going to save Brightshine. “I knew Burst would get herself killed sooner or later, but even so, you owe the two of us more than you can ever pay for taking her away from us.”

“No, your sister hates me.” I took his hoof, finding myself pulled to my hooves in an instant. There was no doubt about it, he was damn strong, and if I refused, I hope Storm doesn’t wait as long as last time to shoot him. This although is also true for Brightshine if I agree as well. “The second I free her, she'll kill me. You may be fine, by my word isn’t going to mean shit to her.”

“She won’t kill you because you'll give her this.” He reached back into the dusty saddlebag he wore, pulling out a faded striped cap with a small flashlight on it. “This is the hat I got when I inherited the job as lead puller from our father. Show her that and she’ll know that I gave it to you.”

“Fine. But if she still tries anything, I won't hesitate.” I tried to grab it in my magic, feeling a sharp twinge as I did. Quickly depositing it into my bags, I kept my eyes locked on him. I didn’t want to do this, not at all, but part of me remembered something. I don’t want to do it, but this was a debt I had to pay. I was glad that I no longer had to pay Big Shot, but now I was in a different kind of debt, and there was no outrunning this one.

“Brightshine is her own mare, but I only ask that you try.” He sighed and shook his head as he turned around. “I've lost enough family members already, I just don’t want to mourn another.” He walked slowly down the hallway, his heavy steps creaking down the stairs as I turned back towards Storm.

“Martial left these in a locker in back.” She tossed out my coat, hat and guns, along with Brightshine’s rifle and heavy leather jacket. “Get ready to go, because we’re already at almost a full day behind.” She got up from her side of the room and walked to me, looking at me with sad eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened in there, I should have acted sooner.”

“I don’t care.” I winced as my magic enveloped my coat. I opened it beside me, creating a makeshift curtain. “For once, maybe instead of watching me fail your tests, you should actually help me.”

“Yeah.” She sighed sadly and walked out. “I will.”