Chapter 9: Wrapping Up

Silverstar sighed as he heard the last of the story. Braeburn had come up to the house now, while Nurse Redheart and several orderlies were carefully loading the badly scarred Smokestack into an ambulance. Braker was bound in the corner of the kitchen, all four hooves cuffed and with one of Granny’s kerchiefs wrapped around his muzzle for good measure.

“Hell of a story,” he pointed out. “But now that y’mention it, Mac, it is a mite queer Ah didn’t see any hoofprints leadin’ away.”

“Ah swear, Sheriff, Ah didn’t even know Lead was dead until Applejack an’ Mac were talkin’ about it,” Braeburn said, crossing his heart with a hoof. “Ah just reckoned I’d be best off gettin’ out of town afore anypony else came after me like he did.”

“An’ Ah believe ya, Braeburn,” Silverstar promised. “Ah just couldn’t think of anypony else, ‘cept Smokestack, an’ that was mighty thin. Sure, he’d been foalin’ around with Sundancer, but he weren’t the only one. Just wish the damn fool filly hadn’t pointed ‘em at you in the first place. Thought she had more sense than that.”

“Ah reckon ah know why she did,” Braeburn muttered. “Reckon she just told Lead t’talk to me, figured Ah’d be able t’talk him down. Too scared t’say who the real sire was.”

“She should’ve sent ‘im t’talk to the real Daddy,” Silverstar pointed out, planting a hoof hard on the table. “Ah told’er as much!”

“Reckon things might not’ve worked out too well fer the real one,” Mac pointed out. “She didn’t know about Brae?”

“Aw hay no!” Braeburn snorted. “Silverstar’s the only pony who did, an’ that counts the fillies Ah did hook up with!” All the Apples there looked at him incredulously, while Silverstar just laughed.

“Ah’ve never asked, reckon Ah didn’t wanna know.”

“Creativity,” Braeburn shrugged, leaning back with a sigh. “Sheriff… Ah don’t think Ah can go back t’bein’ yer deputy now. Not right away at least.”

“No… no, Ah reckon’ y’probably can’t,” Silverstar admitted. “Still don’t think anypony’d go lynchin’ you, but… Deputy’s a different story. Ah’ll try talkin’ with ‘em though. Appleoosa won’t be the same without ya,” he said fondly.

“Nope… but who knows, right?” Braeburn smiled uneasily. “Maybe they’ll decide they miss me enough t’realize they want me back no matter what sorta pistol Ah’m packin’.”

“Well, maybe if’n Ah hire Salt Lick as mah new Deputy,” Silverstar winked. “If th’thought of givin’ him a badge don’t scare some sense into ‘em, nothin’ will!”

“Hell, Ah’m thinkin’ it might scare me int’takin’ mah chances with comin’ back after all,” Braeburn murmured. Mac leaned over and gave him a light nuzzle.

“Eeenope. Make ‘em beg,” he said simply.

“’Cause if y’don’t, he’s gonna, is what the big galoot ain’t sayin’,” Granny observed wryly. “Applejack, when y’see yer sister next, tell ‘er t’get the guest room made up.”

“She’s off crusadin’, Granny, prolly won’t be back until dark,” Applejack pointed out. “If Mac can go out an’ actually get some work done today, Ah’ll go git it fixed up. Reckon the day’s pretty well shot anyway.”

“Lousy choice of words, Cous,” Braeburn winced. “This it, Sheriff? Gonna take him back an’… well, you know?” He asked, nodding towards the bound Braker.

“Take him back an’ try him, at least. Reckon he might just get a prison term, dependin’ on how the judge looks at it. Near ‘bout defendin’ Smokestack from gettin’ killed, given Lead’s temper,” Silverstar pointed out as he stood up.

“You frontier ponies,” Granny tsked. “Always handlin’ things with yer hooves.”

Silverstar looked back at the pony who’d probably scarred Smokestack for the rest of his life, raising an eyebrow dubiously.

“Reckon all you Ponyville ponies really are nuts,” he observed, shaking his head. “Well, Ah’ve gotta be off t’round up Big Iron an’ make sure he doesn’t try anythin’ stupid himself. Though ah reckon when he gets the full story, he an’ Red’ll help lead Braker back with me.”

“If he doesn’t, you’ve got a Princess an’ guards ready t’back you up at the library,” Applejack promised. “Just look fer the big tree with the door in it.”

“An’ ponyfolk wonder why Ah quit the Manehattan force t’head up the settlers,” Silverstar murmured, grabbing Braker’s lead in his mouth and giving it a yank before he started back towards town with his prisoner.

“Still reckon y’want to stick around Ponyville for a while, Braeburn?” Granny asked him, just a little bit testily. “With all the crazy folk?”

“Ma’am, ah am a cowpony at heart,” Braeburn said solemnly, taking off his hat and holding it over his heart. “An’ if Ah couldn’t tame me a wild bull or two, Ah would have to hang up mah hat. Yer stuck with me, as long as you’ll have me,” he grinned shyly.

“Just don’t go givin’ Apple Bloom no funny idears about mares an’ colts,” Granny snorted. “That wingy friend of hers goes blurrin’ them lines enough!”

“Deal,” Braeburn promised. “Mind if Ah help you clean up? Reckon it’s mostly mah fault such a mess got made in the first place,” he pointed out.

“You kiddin’?” Granny smirked at him. “That’s mare’s work. Now git goin’, help Applejack clean up that room o’yours so she an’ Mac can git out t’the fields ag’in!”

“Yes’m,” Braeburn said politely. Applejack smiled and led him upstairs, leaving Mac and Granny alone in the kitchen.

“Thanks, Granny,” Mac said, leaning over to nuzzle her gently.

“Y’kin thank me by helpin’ clean up this damned mess,” Granny told him, cuffing his ear lightly. “An Macintosh? Ah swear, if you end up wearin’ frills an’ ribbons, Ah’m gonna up an’ bury m’self. Things change fast enough round these parts these days! You understand me?”

“Eeeyup!” Mac chuckled, heading back into the bathroom to fetch the cleaning supplies.