Bits are bits. (Appleloosan area)

Flame disk looked at suspicious, then at the stallion. "Okay... I'm not sure wether or not to back away from this guy" he thought.

Silver did not like the answer. His eyes were glued to Package from under the brim of his hat. Unmoving, the dust kicked up a little with the wind around Silver.

"I think you should tell me. Its not 'normal' for armed ponies such as yourselves to show up so soon after a group like this. And there is plenty of reason for ponies like you to find me...."

Silver unfurled his wings and widened his stance. He clearly was getting prepared for anything.

Seeing Silver Spur unfurl his wings almost made Wesson pull the trigger of his revolver. Calming himself, he quickly racked his brains and made a decision.

Rearing up on his hind legs and balancing, Smith Wesson stood tall. His revolver was still aiming at his target as he shouted out loudly.

"Alright Silver, don't do nothing hasty. These fine ponies just wanna go on their way, so ya better let 'em, ya hear?" he called out, pulling back the hammer of his gun with an emphasised click.

It was risky to give away his presence and position like this but he hoped that his being here would make Silver reconsider any ideas he had of attacking Package or Flame Disk.

"I think you should tell me. Its not 'normal' for armed ponies such as yourselves to show up so soon after a group like this. And there is plenty of reason for ponies like you to find me...."

Package frowned slightly as the pony in front him unfurled his wings and modified his stance. It was obviously an offensive-ready stance, and the Pegasus did not like that. He didn't like fighting, and at that time his opinion on the subject was no different. He didn't want any trouble, but everything that the strange pony had just said all added up to a very good point, one which Package couldn't really argue against.

"Alright, both very good points, but-"

"Alright Silver, don't do nothing hasty. These fine ponies just wanna go on their way, so ya better let 'em, ya hear?"

Package partially turned his head to face the voice. 'Silver' was still in his sight, but the Pegasus could now see the outline of a pony on the top of the hill he and Flame had recently descended. He could have been wrong, but if he was correct, then the pony in question was indeed Smith Wesson. Huh, that's certainly not a coincidence. Wonder how long he's been there.

(Flame disk. Please post or you will be skipped. Skip can occur in a day from now.)

(Sorry. I posted a couple days ago, but it didn't register.)

Flame disk was about to reach into his cart to grab something when smith Wesson had called out 'silver'. He looked up at the hill smith was on and then at the stallion. 'Now I'm starting to get confused.' He thought.

Silver turned his eyes to Wesson before looking again at the other two. Now things were stacking against him. Silver didn't like that. Not at all. This is just the kind of situation where he could get killed. And so far, Silver was good at avoiding that.

A million different things went through his head on what to do. Maybe if he came off nonthreatening, he could simply dash for cover from the third and shoot the other two if they got hostile. The wind was blowing just enough that idly flapping his wings while the others talked would blow away before giving him concealment. Maybe a mad dash for the two and he could use one as a shield. A lot depended on how good a shot Wesson was, and Silver had enough options to not yet put that to the test.

Putting his wings up, he moved his stance to be a little less threatening.

Then he bolted for it in the moment of feigned surrender. Right at Package and Flame Disk. Wings powering him forward, his jaw locked onto his sword. It would have to be close and personal if he was going to use this against Wesson and get out alive. If Wesson was not a good shot, there might be a hostage situation plus another dead.

Wesson shouldn't have been surprised by what Silver Spur did next. He had considered waiting to see how he would deal with his colleagues without interrupting, or to just shot the pegasus with no warning. But neither of those options were for him. Smith Wesson respected justice but also fairness. He knew it was a weakness in many respects, but it was part of his very being that he couldn't ignore.

As Silver lunged towards Package and Flame Disk, he acted immediately. There was no sense of hesitance. Wesson fired his revolver.
His target had moved quickly, and from such a distance, accuracy was a big issue. However, Smith Wesson's special talent was just this.
The bullet hit his target right in the hind leg, not too fair below his cutie mark.

Package turned his gaze back to Silver, who in turn did the same thing, looking between Wesson and the other pair of ponies. The Pegasus kept his gaze on them, observing and calculating. That was bad. It didn't take too much thought to back down, after all.

Package tensed his muscles, ready to either attack or defend depending on what the other Pegasus did. As he watched Silver, he saw the pony lift his wings and change his stance slightly. Then, only a few moment later, the already suspiciously acting stallion suddenly made a single powerful flap with his wings, simultaneously pushing off of the ground with his hooves and quickly speeding towards Package and Flame with a sword in his mouth, which he had somehow been able to draw just as quickly.

At the same time that Silver did so, two more things happened: the first one was that Smith fired his pistol, the sound of his revolver resounding throught the area. From the sudden flurry of action, Package couldn't see exactly where the bullet hit, but blood could be seen blossoming out of Silver's hind leg. The Pegasus had a vague thought about how he would have to compliment Wesson's aim later, but that thought passed by quickly.

The second thing that happened was that Package dodged the combatant's attack. Mostly. At the same time that the Pegasus had charged at the two rebels, Package used his front legs to push off of the floor with as much force as he could, flapping his wings with just as much power in order to get away from the ground once he was at a point where he was falling back on his hind legs, synchronously swinging his rifle forward with practiced percision and setting the sight on one of Silver's front legs. He wasn't able to fully dodge the attack, though. He was fast, but the other pony was, surprisingly, faster. Package could now feel pain blossoming on his left hind leg, and glancing down he could see that a new deep cut had appeared in the same leg, near his hoof.

Once he was airborne, Package's friendly demeaner disappeared completely. He had never liked violence, and right now it could be seen in his expression. The fact that this whole war had started in the first place was something that he despised.

"Silver, back down! We don't want to hurt you! We just want to head on our way peacefully!"

"Oh this is heavy." OzyManedias breathed as he watched the exchange from a fair distance.

He was in serious trouble. He was heading from the UEA safehouse to the Rebel safehouse in Appleoosa when THIS happened. He clutched his Ithaca 37 sawed-off tightly. Normally he didn't do guns, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Besides, he would never kill anypony, but its good for appearances.

He pondered his options. Should he help the gunslinger or the pegasus, or maybe find a way to satiate both parties without any more blood?

Blood.

sticky, red, salty. He hated it. or maybe he liked it? doesn't matter, dead ponies were bad for business.

Ozy hid his shotgun under his wing and waited under the carriage that served as his hiding spot to see what the two did next. If the pegasus conceded, OzyManedias would leave. if he continued to fight then Ozy would have to pull one of his... magic tricks. His neon yellow eyes darted to his bag where he kept the materials for such a feat. If need be.

His brown coat, made a lighter shade from all the dirt and dust, also concealed his cutie mark. good. nopony would recognize him if he intervened. He took out a bandanna, wrapped it around his face, and put on a drivers cap to conceal his hair. He also put on a long-coat to help cover his wings and his cutie mark. if need be.

"Right. Lets see where this goes." He whispered to himself.

Silver groaned as the bullet stuck him. His dash hobbled for a moment, using his wings to compensate. He could not afford to lose his initiative right now. Already he lost enough speed. He had survived gunshot wounds before. They often were survivable if one had the time to stop the bleeding. What was tricky was tending to it when others were trying to chase and kill you. He had a time limit now.

Pushing through the pain in his flank, he hurled a swipe through the first pony he got to. The blade connected, but barely. This is why he regarded pegasai often as a bigger threat. They could manage to keep up with him enough to survive and complicate things.

He pushed on though to his next nearest target, redirecting himself sharply into Flame Disk. The injury made the collision less than graceful as they tumbled together, ultimately ending with Silver grappeling him from behind with his sword against his neck. He locked his hooves tight to keep the pony from struggling enough to give Wesson a clear shot at his vitals.

Wings spread, he narrowed his eyes at Package. His eyes were hard to read, but it was clear he was a killer, and he would not hesitate to take them all out.

Silence fell as he held Flame hostage. He couldn't say much with his sword in mouth anyway.

At first Smith Wesson suspected Silver Spur to collapse in agony or possibly even pass out as other had before. He would later look back on it and realise how naive that was; he knew this pegasus was a killer and had probably survived worse, so his shot may not even affect him initially.

Slowly, Wesson placed his gun back in his holster, knowing he could draw it quickly if needed. As he descended from his high view point and approached the scene, He took care to be as relaxed as possible, not wanting to cause Silver to do anything rash. Flame Disk's life hung in the balance.

He stopped trotting closer at a few pony lengths away, simply observing Silver with his emotionless green eyes. Even from this distance, Wesson couldn't place a clear enough shot on the pegasus. The only good target were his wings, but that wouldn't stop him from killing Flame Disk.

"What know Silver? You just gonna wait until ya bleed out? We both know that ain't gonna work," he reasoned.

Package kept himself at the same altitude by using his wings, keeping his sniper rifle constantly trained on Silver but not wanting to risk firing at Flame Disk. Using his peripheral vision he was able to see Smith Wesson approach the trio, speaking to the enemy Pegasus as he neared them.

"What now Silver? You just gonna wait until ya bleed out? We both know that ain't gonna work."

Despite the situation, Package smirked a bit to himself as he felt blood slowly trickle down from his hind leg. Granted, his wound was not nearly as fatal as the one inflicted on Silver, but he still found it slightly ironic. The stallion didn't say anything though, still keeping his gaze on the other Pegasus while hovering in mid-air.

"Alright. too heavy. pulling out." OzyManedias muttered as he slunk out of his hiding spot. whoever that pegasus was, he was on his own. There was no way he was risking his hide for any assasi-

Ozy accidently smacked right into the floating hoof of Suspicous Package as he was backing out of the carriage. He grunted as he fell flat on his face.

"Filius turpe senex meretrix!" He coughed as he got a facefull of dirt in the dusty Appleloosan soil. He slowly craned his neck around to meet the gaze of Package. Although Package couldn't see Ozy's face, he could audibly hear a loud "Gulp."

"Er... hello there." Ozy mentally noted position of numerous concealed weapons on his person and under his coat.

Silver kept starring down the two, blood running down his leg quickly and pooling in the dust. He could already feel the effects on him. Draining him. Every second made his chances that much worse. He had to change the variables.

Fortunately, a new one showed up, and from the looks of it, a third party, or even a survivor of the raid he just made earlier. Whose side he was on was not important. What mattered is that his enemies now had more than one place to keep their attention.

He put his hoof up against Flame Disk's head, the shotgun barrel attached to his leg quiet visible now. "Drop your weapons, or this will go off by the time I bleed out dead." He looked to the new pony and spoke viciously. "And you, 200 bits for you if you if you help disarm them and keep them that way."

Wesson's eyes scanned the newcomer, his hoof having twitch in an almost instinctive move to remove his revolver from it's holster. He knew not which side the new pony was on but he cursed himself for having not acted quicker. Silver was smart, trying to coax him onto his side.

"Don't do nothin' rash," counter Smith Wesson, addressing the new pegasus. His older voice carried a certain air of authority about it. "Ya don't wanna be bought off by this one. He ain't one to keep on the right side of the law." He then turned his voice back to Silver Spur. "And Ah don't reckon much on your deal Silver. The moment we drop 'em, you're more than likely to try gun us down anyway. And if that happens, Ah don't see any of us gettin' outta here alive."

The situation had grown complicated, something Wesson had experienced a few times in his life.

"Seems we've reached something of an impasse."

"Woah Woah woah!" Ozy desperately waved his hooves, trying to calm the two soldiers.

Ozy knew exactly what would happen if he chose one or the other. He helped the assassin, and he will be shot. He helped the gunslinger,then the assassin will bleed out. Ozy cursed his horribly rotten luck. Of course the psycho Pegasus (who's name he remembered to be Silver Spur) was trying to play him, but the big gunslinger... probably Something Wesson if Ozy remembered correctly. Both very deadly.

"Now now, lets not get our tails in a tangle." He attempted to reassure both parties.

"All I want is for nopony to get hurt. That's all. Now Mr. Spur and Mr. Wesson, you both have something you want. Silver wants to leave unharmed and Smith wants his friend back. Now as we are all rational, sentient creatures I believe we can come to a rational and happy conclusion." He could feel a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. He shifted uncomfortably under everyponies piercing gaze. His wing shifted to get his shotgun to a better position. His nose twitched under the mask as a tumble weed rolled along the dusty road.

"Mgh!"

Package instictively flew a few feet backwards and up when someone bumped into his hoof. His hurt hoof. When he had adjusted his position, he could see that the newly arrived pony was a brown-coated Pegasus stallion, using his peripheral vision. He took note of the new arrival, but kept his sniper rifle's scope centered on Silver Spur, the pony who he knew was dangerous.

Not long after the newest pony had arrived, Silver Spur lifted his hoof to Flame Disk's head, showing off a shotgun that was attached to his leg and now ready to blow Flame's brains out. Package adjusted his aim towards Silver's now fully exposed leg joint, so that, in case obvious violence ensued, he would be able to reduce the dangerous Pegasus' fighting capabilities.

"All I want is for nopony to get hurt. That's all. Now Mr. Spur and Mr. Wesson, you both have something you want. Silver wants to leave unharmed and Smith wants his friend back. Now as we are all rational, sentient creatures I believe we can come to a rational and happy conclusion."

Package addressed the new pony, still not letting his gaze drift from Silver and Flame. "Well, nice to see somepony else who can think straight. Seems that the only irrational pony here is Silver. We would've been on our way peacefully, but then he decided to attack us, and now he's bleeding, outnumbered and still unwilling to cooperate."

Silver glared at Package. He didn't like him. Sure many ponies would think Silver didn't like anyone, but he was rather indifferent to many, even these ponies here. But now he especially didn't like Package. Silver may be an outlaw, but he had some honor to his words. So long as they served him. He narrowed his eyes at Package and made sure to keep an eye on him.

As much as Silver was sure he could negotiate something here for them both, he was bleeding, and his body was failing. A soft flap of his wings told him that he wouldn't be able to last enough for a fight.

Since loyalty could not be bought here, then he would have to appeal to the new ponies values. It was likely the only chance he had.

"New pony. If you want me to let this one go, I'm holding you responsible for my survival. You want nopony to die, then you see to it they don't gun me down. Or imprison me. Or let me bleed out. Promise me that, and maybe I will let him go."

Despite his history, prowess and pure natural talent at being a gunslinger, Smith Wesson was a peaceful pony. He longed for justice but hoped that his skills were never really needed in any conflict. It was a dark power he used with the utmost care and consideration.

As he watched a small amount of blood pooling at the bottom of Silver's leg, he even felt pity and sadness. Even though the pony in question was undoubtedly bad he was still a pony, meaning he had the right to live as much as any other pony.

"Ah ain't got no quarrels about not spillin' any blood," Wesson voiced, his hoof still hovering over his holstered revolver, ready to move on Silver. "If we can do this peaceful like then that'd be best for us all."

OzyManedias' eyes shone brightly under his hat and bandana.
"I promise, if you let that pony go, that I will take care of you, protect you, and deliver you to a... safe place." He desperatly glanced at Wesson and Package. "Let me go with him! He will let your friend go and nopony is going to get hurt." He turned back to Silver. Any second he was going to pass out if he continued flying. Ozy intended to fulfil his bargain.

maybe. hopefully. ideally.

Honestly, this whole thing could go south depending on the reaction of the other ponies present. And based on the reason for this whole war, Ozy was seriously questioning his already lacking faith in Equine kind. Wesson seemed sensible but Package and Fire Disk were still potential threats. He gulped audibly, his adam's apple bobbed up and down in his throat.

"New pony. If you want me to let this one go, I'm holding you responsible for my survival. You want nopony to die, then you see to it they don't gun me down. Or imprison me. Or let me bleed out. Promise me that, and maybe I will let him go."

"Ah ain't got no quarrels about not spillin' any blood. If we can do this peaceful iike then that'd be best for us all."

Package didn't move anything except his wings as he hovered in midair, but stated his opinion in his normal tone, as he would in an average conversation. "Ah'm also fine with that option."

"I promise, if you let that pony go, that I will take care of you, protect you, and deliver you to a... safe place."

Strange thing for a complete stranger to promise. Not the best person to trust, either. For all anyone knew, this new pony could have equally likely been either a candy store owner or the head of a terrorist organization. Package didn't really care if he was either of those, or anything else, just as long as he didn't attempt to hurt any one of them. The fact that he was offering to resolve this situation peacefully was just a bonus if he were to follow through what he had said.

Flame disk, trying to stay silent most of the time, finally spoke up. The was a hint of panic in his voice, but for the most part, he was calm as he spoke his mind. "I'm fine with any of these options, just as long as a make it out of t alive. I hardly know any of the people I have been traveling with, and yet I already seem to be a threat to others. I'm just a traveler, and I'm not looking for any trouble."

Silver huffed, breathing heavy now as his body demanded more out of him. Everything was feeling tired and heavy. He eyed over everyone, holding on Package a bit longer than normal before lowering his armed hoof and pushing Flame Disk away from himself.

He stood, watching the others for what was a few tense moments, and finally collapsed onto his side, groaning. A hoof struggled to retrieve some loose cloth in one of his vest pockets and apply it to his wound. Considering his weakened state, Silver was going to have trouble helping himself here. He lost a lot of blood already.

As soon as Silver collapsed onto the ground, Wesson visibly relaxed. He was still very on edge, but to see a pegasus in no state of fighting was something to be glad about. He doubted that he was faking it either, considering the extent of his injury.

Smith Wesson gestured towards Silver, speaking to the new pony with authority as he gave orders. "You, deal with him, like ya said. Flame Disk, with Package now. You two got a minute to get any gear of yours, then we're outta here."

As for himself, he didn't move, but instead simply watched over Silver.


OOC:

For those confused, posting order is currently:

Fireseeker, OzyManedias, Vinyl Dash, Flame Disk, Korenav, repeat