Advent Of A Gunslinger

With a heavy heart and a regretful frown, Axel flew off ahead of, and away from the rest of his teammates. His eyes hung low, displaying just how much he couldn’t bear to leave them alone. So much so, that he stopped for a moment to reflect on his actions.

“Should I stay… or…?”

Fleche landed next to him moments later. She could immediately tell that there was something disturbing her brother due to the way his eyes drooped. “...You wanna go back to ‘em, yeah?”

“...I dunno, sis…at first I felt like I never wanted’ta be around nobody since I thought I lost all ya’ll. But now I’m havin’ second thoughts about leavin’ ‘em behind…” Axel explained as he scratched the back of his head. “Crazy how a few experiences can change a man’s perceptions.”

“Indeed--though I don’t blame ye,” Fleche consoled him with a hoof around his neck. “Listen. I’ll be right with ye no matter what decision you make. This is your life. Yer the one who needs to choose how it goes.”

Axel turned his head towards her and asked, “Wait…what? You ain’t given’ me no orders?”

“What? Naw. Listen, I may be the elder sister, but times have changed, Axel,” she explained, “You don’t need me to guide ye anymore. Yer your own man now. Someone who’s done a lot more than I have in the last few years.”

“...Well, when you put it like that…” Axel began to reconsider.

“Like I said, I’ll follow ye no matter what,” Fleche affirmed her position as she spread her wings and prepared to take off, “But just know that everyone here is willin’ta do the same. Put yer faith in them, alright?”

“Put my faith in ‘em…”

Meanwhile, across the city near its edge…

While everyone was fighting, Zula was scrambling towards the farthest reaches of Klugetown. She had skillfully decided to put herself and Axel’s group between and all of those fighting for her to slow them down.

“It’s all gone to shit. There’s nothing left,” she muttered to herself as she raced towards a lone shed that was on a hill in the vast emptiness of desert. “I’m going to have to bring out my special little friend earlier than expected. No matter. As long as they all end up dead, it doesn’t matter. Everything is falling apart now…”

Once she arrived at the shed, she opened the door to find a large, turret-shaped item that was covered by what appeared to be a brown tarp, keeping its contents hidden from outside eyes. Then, she took a look at a briefcase that sat next to it that read: EMERGENCY ONLY. “...Time to load it up.”

Back in the middle of the city…

By now, Mio had killed a good dozen or so hostiles that refused to surrender. All of it had caused the tom to groan as he reloaded his revolver once again. “Argh…they’re like cockroaches. Stomp out one and more of them appear to take their place!” he screamed as he slit the throat of another klugetowner with his claws.

“Don’t you dare clock out on us now!” Roseanne shouted as she aimed her gun at a stack of crates that Kolasi had hidden herself behind, “We still got ourselves a bitch’ta hogtie! Ya can’t hide forever, little dogie!”

By now, Kolasi had actually tired herself out. While she was quick, she was unable to land any proper hits on the minotaur to damage her. The hide of the latter was too thick to pierce with her claws alone. “Gha…damn…I underestimated them…” she muttered to herself while tending to a few buckshot wounds she had endured over the course of the battle. With limited options, she had to figure out something quickly. “Gotta stall ‘em somehow. The boss lady should have that weapon charged up and running by n--!”

BANG! CHK-CHK!

With a heavy wooden clatter, the crates were blown to smithereens in an instant when Roseanne shot them. The minotaur gal stomped up to the hound, causing the earth around them to shake with each step she took. “I’m only gonna ask ya once. Don’t fuck around with me, ya hear?”

“W-wait! No! I…I was forced into it!” Kolasi stuttered while desperately trying to back away until she reached the wall of a building. As soon as her back made contact with it, her eyes went wide as she looked up at the large cow woman. “Y-you have to understand that I--!”

BANG!

Rose fired off a warning shot to the right of Kolasi’s head, causing her to recoil in pain from the sharpness of the noise upon her sensitive canine ears. “Where are the rest of the slaves ya’ll got goin’ around?”

“I-If I tell you, will you promise not to kill me?”

“Oh sure,” Rose replied with a roll of her eyes in an off-hand manner, “Now tell me.”

“T-they’re all underground!” the hound squealed, “All the ponies and Klugetowners who raised their paws against Zula were forced underground to the deepest depths!”

“Hmph…” Rose turned away for a moment, and started to walk off…

Moments later, Spitha, Mona, and Leona caught up with the rest of the group.

“Where’s Vido and the others?” Mona called out.

“No idea,” Rose replied, “But I think I have an idea as to where they might be headed…”