Chapter 14

Arthur had seen some shit in his days, but today was a day that he had to reach into his satchel and almost down an entire small bottle of hard liquor.

What he thought was just another day of roaming the town he swore an oath to protect, had turned into one big crazy mishap caused by the local young dragon, Spike. Arthur could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the giant dragon rampaging through Ponyville. Just when he was about to confront the beast by pulling out his most powerful firearms from his satchel, along with a few sticks of dynamite, he was stopped by Twilight and the others who explained to him that it was Spike himself. Arthur did the best he could to try and calm Spike down and stop him from taking everything he saw, but his pleas fell on deaf ears due to Spike’s growing greed. It also didn’t help Arthur’s nerves when Spike was holding Rarity hostage in his tail. All Arthur could do was steer ponies away from him so no one would be caught in his wake and get hurt. Just after Spike had dispatched a few Wonderbolts who tried to stop him, he had suddenly returned to normal size when he noticed the necklace and went into a free fall.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy managed to break their fall by catching them in a piece of cloth, but the fabric was so torn it gave way and they kept falling. Thinking quickly, Arthur ran as fast as he could towards the falling pair and managed to brace himself as he caught both of them in his arms, making him grunt loudly as he was forced to his knees but kept his ground.

“Oof! Ugh, y’all okay?” Arthur asked Rarity and Spike as he set them on the ground.

Rarity regained her bearings and hugged Arthur tightly with a blush on her face. “Thank you for catching us, darling.”

“No problem, Rarity, I’m glad you’re safe and sound,” Arthur smiled as he patted her back. “And you, Spike? How’re you doin’, son?” When Arthur let Rarity go, he noticed Spike looking away with a shameful frown on his face.

“No…I’m not okay,” Spike said.

“Ya ain’t hurt or nothin’, are ya?”

“I…I did this, I caused so much damage.” Spike faced Arthur and held up his hands towards the gunslinger. “You can arrest me now.”

“Arrest you? Why in tarnation would I do that?”

Rarity leaned down to Spike’s level and placed a hand on his shoulder and the other to caress his cheek. “Spikey, this wasn’t your fault at all…Nopony was hurt.” She looked around the semi-wrecked town. “Well, not badly at least, I hope the Wonderbolts are okay though.” She turned back to Spike. “So please, don’t blame yourself for what has happened.”

“But I-”

“Son, as long as ya know what ya done was wrong, then that’s all that matters,” Arthur nodded. “Besides, from what I heard, ya did this due to it bein’ your birthday right?”

“Yeah, although I kinda exploited it,” Spike admitted.

Rarity simply waved her hand. “Oh pish posh Spikey Wikey, we all deserve to spoil ourselves for our birthdays,” she replied back to her dragon friend. “Besides, this is just a part of growing up…”

“I guess you’re right,” Spike smiled a little.

“Hmm, here Spike, I got something for ya.” Arthur reached into his satchel and felt around for a bit. He then grabbed something and pulled out a nicely made white hat with a colorful feather on the side and placed it on Spike’s head.

“Consider this my own gift for ya, a friend of mine made it for me some time ago,” Arthur smiled as he tipped his hat. “Happy birthday, son.”

Rarity’s eyes widened and sparkled when she saw the hat that was given to Spike. “Arthur, where in Equestria did you find such a marvellous and exotic hat?!” she inspected the hat that her dragon friend wore with ideas being formulated in her head.

“Back home, I met this feller by the name of Algernon Wasp who was a sort of collector for rare flowers. He asked me to collect some in exchange for payment since he needed them to impress some duchess or something. Anyway, he made this here hat for me as a token of thanks and I’ve kept it ever since.”

“If he gave it to you, why give it to me?” Spike wondered.

“Cause I already got a hat,” Arthur said, tipping his hat again.

“What kind of flowers did they look like?” Fluttershy wondered.

Once again, Arthur reached into his satchel and felt around for a bit more. He muttered something to himself until he managed to find what he was looking for and pulled it out. It was a piece of cloth that was delicately wrapped around something as Arthur revealed it to be arguably the most beautiful flower anyone had laid eyes on.

“This here’s called the Queen’s Orchid,” Arthur said.

Before Rarity could speak, Twilight jumped in and used her magic to investigate the alien flower. “Wow! I have never read or seen this kind of flower before. And I’m caught up on all of Equestria Botanical Marvels 1-8!” She squealed and gave the orchid a smell, which contained a sweet and citrusy whiff to it. Before she could tempt herself in taking a bite from it, she passed it over to Rarity who marvelled at it.

“It is a beauty indeed, but if what you say is true Twilight…There aren’t any others closeby to forage.” Rarity marveled at the small flower with admiration.

“Hmm, say Twilight, there anyone who might know how to grow more of these things?” Arthur asked the lavender librarian.

“Why yes, his name is Green Thumb, and he runs a flower shop in Ponyville. One of his passions is to discover and grow exotic plants from all over Equestria,” Twilight nodded.

“Then how’s about you take that flower to him and ask if he can grow more?” Arthur suggested.

“But…isn’t this yours, Arthur?” Twilight argued.

“Meh, it’s just a flower,” Arthur shrugged. “Besides, why keep it cooped up in my old satchel anyway?” Arthur then grabbed the flower from Twilight’s magic and offered it to the fashionista. “You should go with Twilight to show the flower. Once that feller has what he needs, this’ll be yours from then on.”

With flushed cheeks and an accelerated heartbeat, Rarity accepted the flower from Arthur and smiled softly in return. “We most certainly will darling,” Rarity said and safely tucked the flower away. Not far from them, Spike frowned and folded his arms as he looked away, envy written on his face.

“Well, I gotta get goin’ now so I’ll see y’all later. You take care now, Spike,” Arthur said with a friendly wave and left.

The gunslinger made his way to the local café as he straightened out his clothes and took off his hat to slick back his mane. Today was a day he was actually looking forward to. It had been a long time since he had personally spent any time with a woman on his own, and he was about to spend the day with Mayor Mare. His thoughts trailed back to the night of Nightmare Night, how they sat together under the stars and even shared a kiss with one another. Arthur certainly did not expect this sudden development, but there was something about that mare that made even his hardened heart skip a beat every so often. She was a kind and sophisticated woman who was able to accept him despite his faults. Arthur may not know what the future would entail for him and Johanna, but he was more than willing to find out for the days to come.

The gunslinger soon made it to his destination and saw the mare waiting for him at the entrance of the café. She had her mane done in a way that made her mane look smooth and elegant, her lips had a sheen of pink from her lipstick, and her eyes also had a bit of eyeliner which made her all the more enchanting to the sheriff. She wore a long dark blue skirt with flower decorations embroidered on it, a nice maroon red top that hugged her figure nicely, and she had a tan handbag over her shoulder.

“Erhem…Johanna!” Arthur called out as he took off his hat and waved to her. “Sorry I kept ya waiting, darlin’.”

Johanna walked over to Arthur, making sure that her hips swayed with each step. Once she reached him, she planted a kiss on his cheek. “You’re just in time, Arthur…” she trailed off as she savoured his musk. “Shall we be off then?” she rhetorically asked him.

Arthur nodded and she hooked her arm with his as they walked inside the café. Arthur opened the door for his date and a waitress pony apprehend them with a curt nod.

“Welcome to the Morning Roast, I’m Honey Dew, and I’ll be serving you today. Please, right this way,” Honey Dew said as she led them to a table. Arthur pulled out a chair for Johanna and she sat down before he took his seat. “What can I get you both started with?”

“I’ll start with a coffee, ma’am, some dark roast, if ya got it,” Arthur said.

“I’ll have the same, thank you,” Johanna nodded.

Honey dew nodded and left to get their order. “Today sure was a day I wasn’t expectin’,” Arthur said. “Never thought that Spike youngn’ could get that big and go all crazy-like.”

Johanna merely nodded and cast her eyes downwards. “We as ponies still don’t know much about dragons and their culture, let alone their biology,” she replied to Arthur as they waited for their beverages. “It doesn’t help when half of ponykind is too xenophobic.”

“Xeno-wah?” Arthur questioned.

“In other words…racist,” Johanna sighed.

“Ah, I can certainly understand what that’s like,” Arthur nodded.

“You do?” Johanna said, curiously.

“Well…there was a time when human men took others as slaves and forced them to work against their will,” Arthur admitted. “When people started to see how unjustly slavery was, they wanted to put an end to it. But there were those who rejected the idea of change and we ended up having a big war over it, among other things. Luckily though, the right side managed to come out victorious and slavery was abolished for good. However, just because there was no more slaves, don’t mean those oppressed weren’t still treated like shit. Especially when no one could bare to forget all the abominable acts that were inflicted on them.”

Johanna nodded as she suspended her head on her hands with her elbows on the table, taken in by Arthur’s recount of his previous life. “Contrary to popular belief, Equestria has also seen its fair share of warfare,” she replied to a confused Arthur. She giggled before she continued. “I’m sure you remember the banishment of Nightmare Moon?” she asked and was greeted by a nod from the stallion. “Well after Princess Celestia reluctantly sealed her sister away, she fell into a deep depression and locked herself away from the world who was oblivious to her pain and the pain they unknowingly inflicted on Princess Luna before she snapped.” She explained to Arthur. “Well just a year after the incident, the Griffon Kingdom thought it would be wise to attack and occupy Equestria…little did they know about the magic and combat skills of the Old Guard.”

“Selfish bastards,” Arthur scoffed. “It’s a shame there’s still people like that in both mine and this world. But that’s enough about the depressing stuff, why don’t ya tell me about you?”

“Me? By all means, ask away,” Johanna smiled.

“How’d you come to be mayor of Ponyville?” Arthur asked.

Johanna tapped her fingers together and looked upwards. “Well it was a few years ago, the old mayor Buck Stud was retiring and had to choose a successor. Instead, he decided to hold an election. In the end it was between two ponies. Me and a stallion…”

Arthur noticed a hint of bitterness in Johanna’s tone and arched a brow. “Who was he?”

“Somepony who…hurt a dear friend of mine, his name was Cider Mac.”

“The hell?! Cider ran for mayor?!” Arthur snapped, causing ponies to look in his direction and startling Johanna. “Er, sorry about that.” Arthur took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. “I know the feller you speak of, he’s the one who sent one of his goons after Rarity for a debt she already paid. I even met the bastard in Canterlot, and I could tell he was as slimy as he was well-dressed.”

A laugh escaped from Johanana. “He is a real piece of work, but he wasn’t always like that…” she muttered before she cleared her throat. “Anyway, so it was down to Cider and I…surprisingly, he was in the lead to become the Mayor, but just out of the blue he decided to drop out.”

“Drop out? Just like that?” Arthur questioned. “How do ya figure he’d do such a thing if he was liable to win?”

“Who can say, it certainly caught everypony by surprise. Buck Stud was also thrown for a loop. Personally, whatever his reasons may have been, I’m glad he dropped out when he did. If a stallion like him were in office, I shudder to think what would happen to our happy home.”

“Well I for one am also glad you secured the position,” Arthur said as he reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the opportunity and pleasure of meeting such a fine lady like yourself.”

When those words were spoken, Johanna’s cheeks burned so brightly it could illuminate an entire room. She was grateful the drinks arrived and the waitress took their order. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at the menu. “I’ll try the Walnut-Lentil Bolognese please.”

“What’s the special?” Arthur asked the waitress.

“I’m glad you asked, we have a delectable vegetable soup with a nice creamy broth,” Honey Dew said.

“Then I’ll have that, please ma’am,” Arthur nodded as the waitress nodded and wrote their orders down and took their menus before walking away. Arthur noticed Johanna glancing around and her cheeks were still a bit red. “Something the matter, Johanna?”

Johanna gasped and flustered a little. “O-Oh it’s nothing, nothing at all.” She replied and took another sip of her coffee. “So tell me, Arthur…Your old gang, from what you told me, it was more of a family than just a criminal organisation, yes?”

“Yeah, we were all family alright.” Arthur smiled as he stared down at his drink. “Each one of us had our own way of showing each other how much we cared for the gang. We were loyal, for the most part, and we had. To stick together since we were constantly on the run. Heh, I remember when Dutch sent me fishing and I came back with these three beautiful bass. I was proud of my haul, we even had a big feast and everything and everyone was toasting me all night. Only the next week, we passed by this market and a fishmonger calls out, ‘So how did you enjoy those bass?’ It was then everyone knew that I played them like a fiddle.”

“Oh you naughty little colt, you.” She giggled at the story Arthur told. “Were you ever married though? Did you ever get the chance of becoming a father?”

Arthur frowned and looked away sadly and nodded. “Yeah…once. Eliza was her name, the girl I had a son with. My son’s name was Isaac, they were both great people and I did my best to do right by them. I mean, they both knew what I was but they accepted me regardless. Only…fate is a cruel mistress, and they were taken from me too soon by men who wanted so little so badly that they killed them for it.”

“Oh my…” Johanna covered her mouth in shock, her eyes watered from Arthur’s words. “Did those murderers at least see justice?”

“Yes.” Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “I said I’d do right by them and I meant it. So I hunted the pieces of shit down and killed them dead myself.” It was then Arthur realized what he said and became ashamed for confessing such evil intent to Johanna and hung his head. “I…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Fuck…I’m such a damn fool.”

Johanna shook her head and placed a hand on her date’s hand. “Arthur, that was your past life…Whatever brought you here to us…to me…it’s a sign that you deserved to live a life free from such pain, to give you a choice in how to live your life. From what you told me, your previous life was thrusted upon you, it wasn’t what you wanted. Now you have the chance to live the life you wanted.”

“Johanna…you’re an incredible woman in your own right,” Arthur smiled sadly as he glanced at his hat he set on the table. “But do I deserve any of this? I’m a killer, a thief, an outlaw, and yet I wear this badge like it’s supposed to mean something.” Arthur touched the badge pinned to his shirt. “What’s more…these feelings of mine, and yours, are they right? What if I use my gun to kill again, would you…still accept me if and when that day arrives?”

His date merely continued to smile at him. “When a soldier goes out to the battlefield and kills an enemy or more, are they condemned as killers?” Johanna asked rhetorically. “Just because you might have to end up using your gun, doesn’t mean that I will hate you for it Arthur,” she told him and reached out to peck his cheek.

Arthur smiled at Johanna and did something bold. He scooted his chair close to hers, reached up to cup her cheek, and gently pressed his lips against hers. She was surprised by the gesture, making her cheeks burn, but she eventually closed her eyes and savored it before he pulled away.

“If you’re willin’ to look past all my faults, then what kind of man would I be if I didn’t respond to them properly?” Arthur said. “I’m not sure what the future holds, especially for an old gunslinger like myself, but…would you still be willing to be my gal?”

“Arthur, I’d be your gal along with any other gals you love.”

Arthur smiled happily again as he kissed his new mare again. Once he separated, the waitress came back with their food and they began to eat their meals. As Arthur was about to take his first bite, a realization dawned on him, making him pause.

“Uh…hon? What exactly did ya mean when ya said any other gal?” Arthur questioned.

“Well I was talking about herds, of course,” Johanna said innocently.

“Herds? What’re those?”

“You don’t know?”

“Afraid not, care to elaborate?”

Johanna giggled at Arthur’s confused face again. “Well, because of the birth ratio between fillies and colts,” she noticed her date’s tilted head. “In other words, more girls are born than boys.” She elaborated to him. “We as ponies have always since ancient times formed herds with a lead stallion having mares for wives and mothers to his foals too.”

“Hold up, you sayin’…men can have more than one lover around here?” Arthur asked, now baffled.

“Indeed,” Johanna nodded.

“Sweet hellfire, and I thought you could only do that kind of thing in foreign countries,” Arthur sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Do humans not do the same in your world?”

“Not really, we get hitched with one person at a time, depending on the relationship. Never met anyone, or even considered the possibility, of being able to have more than one lady at my side. And you and I just got together to boot!”

Johanna merely smiled at her flustered stallion. “I can already picture a few other mares who would happily be with a fine stud like you, Arthur.”

“Let’s…just focus on the now,” Arthur shook his head. “It’s gonna take me a while to wrap my head around this. I’m just happy you’re here and have accepted me.”

“As you wish, Arthur, you’re so cute when you’re nervous,” Johanna giggled.

“Please don’t call me that…” Arthur groaned as they ate.

Both ponies enjoyed their meals in peace. For Johanna, it was arguably the happiest moment in her life. She had finally found a stallion she could care for and had as much of a noble heart as she did. Despite his troubled past, all she could do is smile and look forward to whatever else the future entails for their newfound relationship.

Arthur on the other hand was also as happy to have found love once more. Of course, Arthur would not allow himself to forget about Mary, since she was the only other woman whom he wanted to be with when he was still human. As much as he wanted it, he knew it was an unfortunate impossibility since she chose to stay with her father and he chose to stay with his gang. But now, he no longer was in a gang and he was now the sheriff of a town. He met this amazing mare, made a number of friends, and continues to be a shining example of the public. All of this only fueled Arthur’s resolve to be better than he once was, and he would be damned if he was gonna squander any of it.

A Few Days Later

The afternoon sun was shining down on Ponyville and it was the gunslinger’s day off. Today, Arthur was in a good mood and decided to spend the day with a certain little colt whom he had grown fond of. Pipsqueak was with Arthur at Sweet Apple Acres and the sheriff was sitting on a stump as Pip held his lasso. Pip remembered how efficient Arthur was with a rope and requested that he show him how to properly throw a lasso.

“Now remember, boy, it’s all in the wrist,” Arthur instructed. “Don’t rely too much on the swing of your arm. Just give your wrist a quick flick as soon as ya let go of the rope.”

Pip nodded and readied himself. He swung the rope in the motion Arthur instructed him to do, only upon release it flew backwards instead of forward. “Ponyfeathers!”

“Easy son, it’s okay,” Arthur said as he stood up. “Here, let me show ya.” Arthur reached into his satchel and pulled out another rope and tied it in another lasso. “Now, do as I do. Grip the lasso like so.” Pip gripped it as Arthur said. “Raise the lasso up high and give it a twirl above your head.” Pip raised the rope up high and spun the lasso in a circle. “Then, once ya got a good momentum of the lasso, toss the rope forward with a flick!” After Arthur tossed his rope, Pip followed suit and tossed his rope and managed to fling it forward. “There ya go, son, ya got it!”

After the third successful attempt, Pip was ecstatic that he learned the lasso skill from Arthur. Just as he was about to attempt his fourth, his gaze landed on five mares that ran towards them. He recognised them as the bearers of the Elements, though one was missing. The bearer of Honesty.

“Arthur!” Twilight called out to the sheriff and she skidded to a halt just a foot away from him. She tried to catch her breath. “Arthur…Applejack…Rodeo…She-”

“Woah there, Twilight, ease up,” Arthur said, raising his hands. “Take a breather and collect your thoughts. What’s goin’ on?”

“Applejack won’t come home!” Pinkie cried.

“She what?”

Rainbow Dash beat Pinkie to the punch and pulled a letter from Twilight’s hand. “Just look!” She exclaimed to Arthur and pushed the letter into his grasp.

After reading the contents of the letter, Arthur’s eyes narrowed at the words written. “This is a strange thing she’d do out of the blue,” Arthur hummed as he scratched his chin. “I recall she entered some big rodeo competition?”

“And we had a big return party in store for her!” Pinkie wailed and leaned into Rarity as she was patted on the back by the latter. She immediately stopped and frowned as she lifted her head from the shoulder of the unicorn mare. “We need to find her and have her explain why she missed my party!” A long pause soon followed with a cricket breaking the silence. “Oh! And why doesn’t she want to come home to Ponyville!”

“Hmm, it sure doesn’t sound like Applejack to just up and leave without warnin’,” Arthur nodded in understanding.

“We were on our way to the train station to take us to Canterlot and see if she’s still there, can you come with us please? If you don’t mind,” Fluttershy said.

“Sure, I’ll help any way I can. Hey Mac!” Arthur called out when he spotted the other Apple farmer. “Ya mind if Pip stays with y’all ‘till I get back?”

“Nnope!” Mac called back to him.

“Good, Pip? You go on with Mac while I go with the mares to search for our friend.”

“Okay Arthur, and I’ll keep practicing my lasso throwing!” Pip smiled, earning a head tussle from the gunslinger.

“I’m sure ya will,” Arthur said. He looked at the mares and adjusted his hat. “Let’s go get her back.”

After a long train ride to Canterlot, the group spread themselves around the city and asked as many ponies as they could if they had seen their apple farmer friend. Unfortunately, most of the ponies didn’t provide any valuable information as to where she might be. Even Arthur was having trouble finding out where Applejack may have gone. If the rodeo was as big of a competition as he thought it was, surely someone should’ve seen her. It was as if she just up and left without another thought and didn’t want anyone to find her, which was very strange. Just as the group was about to give up hope, a mare recognized the photo of Applejack they had with them and told them she had seen her get on a train to Dodge Junction. Wasting no time, the group got on another train and headed for Dodge Junction, hopefully where Applejack was. The group all sat in a car as they contemplated why Applejack would go so far away.

“I hope this lead doesn’t turn out to be a dead end,” Rainbow said as she looked out the window. “I don’t wanna go home empty handed after promising we’d find her.”

“I don’t know how we’ll break it to the Apple family,” Fluttershy frowned.

“I don’t know how we’ll break it to Ponyville,” Twilight added.

“I don’t know how I’ll make it to the next stop!” Pinkie cried, crossing her legs in an uncomfortable way.

“Would y’all just relax?” Arthur said. “Look, for all we know, this could all be just a misunderstandin’. I mean, did y’all say anythin’ that might’ve been just a little insensitive to Applejack before she left?”

All the other mares looked at each other before Twilight spoke. “Well you weren’t present, but the last time we saw her we just encouraged her to do her best and be the best rodeo pony she could be.” She answered Arthur.

“And she said she would bring back a lot of ‘blue’ ribbons.” Rainbow Dash added in and emphasised the word ‘blue’ in her sentence. “But that still doesn’t explain why she would abandon her friends and family like this!”

“Wait, were you all expecting her to win just blue ribbons?” Arthur asked, and most of them nodded. “That seems a little presumptuous, don’t ya think? I mean, this rodeo is a competition where a lot of other folks would compete. Applejack is a talented farm mare in her own right, but maybe not as talented enough as y’all might think that she’d win the whole thing on her own?”

“Well it wasn’t exactly like that.” Twilight tried to reason with Arthur. Before any more words could have been spoken, the train came to a halt at the station. “Alright everypony, let’s fan out and try to find her.” She said to her friends, only to be nearly bumped over by Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie rushed to the nearest outhouse. “Oh pickles!” She knocked numerous times on the door. “Hurry, hurry, hurry! Hurry it up in there!” She shouted out to the occupant in the toilet, who replied with a flush and the door being slammed into Pinkie’s face.

“Sheesh! Some ponies…”

Pinkie Pie entered the bathroom, but paused when she closed the door. “Applejack!” She called out and hurried to her friends who were still at the station having questioned a few other ponies on their friend’s location. “I found her! I found her! I found her! I found her!” She jumped around her friends and guided them to where Applejack was.

“Oh Applejack, thank heavens!” Rarity said.

“We’re so glad you’re safe!” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie Pie continued to jump in joy. “I found her! I found her! I found her! I found her!” She chanted, only to pause midair and cross her legs with her eyes widened. “Be right back.” She said and rushed to the outhouse.

“Uh…hey everypony,” Applejack said sheepishly. “What’s up?”

“Where ya been, Applejack?” Arthur wondered. “We were all mighty concerned for your whereabouts.”

“Why didn’t you come back to Ponyville?!” Rainbow demanded.

“Yes, why are you here?” Rarity added.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Do you have any snacks?” Pinkie asked.

Before Applejack could answer, a voice spoke out to them. “Applejack, are these some of your Ponyville friends?” A cream coloured earth-pony mare with cherry red mane asked as she approached the group. She stopped for a moment when she spotted Arthur and a faint blush started to appear on her cheeks. “My oh my…Who do we have here?” She asked coyly at the stallion and walked up closer to him.

“Pleased to meet ya, ma’am,” Arthur greeted as he took off his hat. “My name’s Arthur Morgan.” The cream mare couldn’t help but giggle and bit her bottom lip from the gruff tone in his voice as she batted her eyes at Arthur.

“Much obliged. I’m Cherry Jubilee, boss of Cherry Hill Ranch.” She greeted Arthur and turned her attention to the other mares in question. “Hasn’t Applejack told you? I saw her compete in the Equestrian Rodeo. Never saw any mare win so many medals in all my life, if I do say so myself.”

Applejack looked away for a moment and scratched the back of her head. “Oh shucks Ms. Jubilee, you don’t have to have to go into all that.”

“Oh isn’t she so modest! I wish I had a daughter like her in my life.” Jubilee hugged Applejack for a moment and let go of the flustered mare. “So when Applejack said she was looking for a change of scenery, with my new hired stallion leaving after the rodeo, I jumped onto the chance of hiring her for my ranch here at Dodge Junction.” Everyone looked at Applejack curiously as she began to sweat bullets. “Well, I’ll let ya catch up with your friends, see ya back at the ranch!” As Cherry walked away, she glanced at Arthur and winked at him and added a sway to her step and swished her tail side-to-side.

“Well, that woman was…interesting,” Arthur shrugged as he put his hat back on but Rarity only huffed in irritation.

Meanwhile, Rainbow hovered over Applejack with her arms crossed before her chest. “Change of scenery? What the hay’s that suppose to mean!?” she questioned her friend who only shrugged.

“It’s no big deal guys. I thought cherries would be a nice change from apples, so I took the job and came here. That’s it. End of story.”

“That’s it? That’s a terrible story!” Pinkie complained.

“Well aside from all that, Cherry mentioned ya won quite a few ribbons. Care to show us the spoils?” Arthur asked, making Applejack panic for some unknown reason.

“Yeah! Show us all those awesome ribbons, AJ!” Rainbow cheered.

Applejack sweated a little and her eyes darted between her friends. “I-I’ll show you all of them later! Right now, I gotta head on to work. See y’all later!” She bid them all farewell and ran towards a lush orchard of cherry trees.

“Well that sure was a bust,” Arthur huffed.

“I’ll say, why is she being so secretive?” Rarity wondered.

“She’s obviously not telling us something, we just have to know what,” Twilight said. “Come on, everypony, let’s go see if we can get her to reveal what she’s hiding.”

“Y’all go on ahead, I’m gonna take a walk through town,” Arthur said as he walked away from the group. “Let’s meet back here in oh say an hour.”

The mares nodded and went their separate ways from Arthur. The gunslinger walked into town and couldn’t help but admire the scenery before him. The buildings around him looked nearly identical to the ones back home and all the ponies were dressed somewhat similarly to him. With a hand in his pocket, he slowly paced through the town and tipped his hat to any he passed by. With the occasional mare giving him a flirty sideways glance. Along the way, he spied a stallion leading a herd of cows through town and was using a long stick to help guide their way. When he noticed Arthur, he smiled and waved him down.

“Hey there, partner! Thanks again for showing me how to use this thing!” He called out.

Arthur was a bit taken back and arched a brow in confusion. “You talkin’ to me?”

When the stallion got a better look at Arthur, he chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, sorry mister, must’ve mistaken you for another feller who helped me at my little ranch.”

“How do ya figure?” Arthur wondered.

“He wore clothes kinda like you are, especially that kind of hat…but they were a little dirtier than yours. Also, he don’t have hair like you do, what with it being black and a messy beard.” He chuckled and shook his head. “He were also a pegasus, greyish and lanky. The kind you think a wind would blow him over. But he proved to be quite strong for his frame and size,” the stallion commented. “Especially with him winning so many medals at the Canterlot Rodeo a few months back.”

“Back up, the Canterlot Rodeo?” Arthur asked, holding up his hand. “That’s the one Applejack entered, you saying this guy won the whole thing?”

The stallion chuckled again and nodded. “Sure did. Never seen a pony perform that well in all my life! He was really modest about the whole thing though. Nervous before the event even happened, but once it did, it’s like somepony switched the lights on in a room. He went from a wreck, to an unstoppable juggernaut, with his wings restrained of all things!”

Arthur was quite surprised from the description the stallion gave him, that a stranger pony came out of nowhere and took the whole rodeo by storm. What was even more perplexing to Arthur was that this was the second time someone had compared him to said stranger. First it was with Fleur in Canterlot, now it was here in Dodge Junction. There was a part of him that believed it was a coincidence, but his gut told him otherwise.

“So you were there at the Rodeo, and you offered to bring him here to work on your ranch?” Arthur questioned.

“Well sure, it happens only once a year and I’m not gonna miss entertainment that good. When I brought the feller back with me, I offered to let him work a while before he went on his way. And let me tell ya, that colt knew his way with animals. It’s like my cows, chickens, and pigs are different creatures. He also liked to fish down by the nearby pond.”

“Fishing?”

“Yes sir, he said he learned it from his pappy.”

Those words struck Arthur in a way he couldn’t explain. “His…pappy?”

“Yep, I never questioned it, but it seemed to make him happy.”

There’s no way… Arthur thought to himself, but quickly shook his head in denial. Naw, it’s just a coincidence. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Did ya manage to get his name?”

“Arthur!” Said stallion’s ears twitched to his name being called and he turned around to see Twilight and the other mares come up to him. For a moment he turned back at the other stallion, only to see he was already gone to tend to his cows.

Damnit! Arthur cursed inwardly but sighed when he gave his full attention to Twilight. “What’s wrong Twilight?” he asked the unicorn mare.

“It’s Applejack. She’s not budging one bit on coming back home,” Twilight replied.

“Yeah! She gave us no reason as to why she bailed out on her family and friends in Ponyville!” Rainbow Dash contributed her thoughts to the conversation and huffed as she glared to one side. “Stubborn mare won’t even look at us when she’s working.”

“I see,” Arthur hummed. “Then I guess I should try my hand.”

“Do you want us to come with you Arthur?” Fluttershy asked.

“I appreciate the thought, Fluttershy, but I think I should handle this on my own. Y’all done a’’ you can.”

Arthur tipped his hat to the mares and made his way to the Cherry Farm where Applejack was. He made it to a large acre of cherry trees and looked around for the apple farmer now turned cherry farmer. He soon heard a familiar sound of a tree being kicked and followed it to find Applejack collecting cherries that fell down. The gunslinger could already tell that the farm mare was not in a pleasant mood as she kicked the tree so hard, it left a hoof print in the park.

“I’ve met some stubborn folks in my day,” Arthur said as he gained her attention. “And I’m willin’ to put you up there on the list of most stubborn folks I’ve met. Considerin’ you keep refusin’ to confess what really happened at that rodeo.”

Applejack froze in her place and her pupils shrank as her eyes darted from one corner to the other. “A-Ah have no idea what yer talkin’ about.” She replied and hurried to pick up all the fallen cherries. She placed them all in the basket and moved onto the next tree, but she noticed Arthur still followed her.

“Uh-huh,” Arthur rolled his eyes.

“Ah don’t know what your insinuatin’, and Ah don’t very much appreciate it!” Applejack snapped, abounding to look him in the eye.

“Applejack, ya didn’t do as well at that rodeo as your friends presume you did, did ya?” Arthur questioned calmly. Applejack stopped dead in her tracks.

With a scowl on her face, Applejack glared at Arthur as she marched up to him. “You have no idea what happened at that there rodeo and you have no right to judge me.” She retorted at the unfazed stallion.

“I ain’t judging no one, Applejack, and I’d never judge you for nothin’. But I can tell your beatin’ yourself stupid over somethin’ you shouldn’t be so hung up about.”

“Ah ain’t hung up about nothin’! Ah just decided to be a cherry farmer instead of an apple farmer! What’s so difficult to understand about that?”

“Maybe the fact that ya just up and left without even giving anyone a heads up?” Arthur pointed out. “I was told your family were all waiting for ya back home to congratulate you, only for some letter to explain ya weren’t coming back. I’d imagine Big Mac and poor little Apple Bloom were distraught with confusion and sadness, especially Granny Smith.” Arthur took off his hat and scratched his head. “Family is important, Applejack, I once had it and I did my damndest to do whatever I could for it. Ya don’t just abandon something like that. So whatever’s got you hung up, I’m positive that it’s not as serious as you make it to be.”

After Arthur spoke his words, Applejack’s eyes moistened a little before she wiped them away with a quick hand. She felt her stomach form butterflies and a blush burned on her cheeks. “N-nopony would understand...nopony would forgive me for breaking a promise…”

“Is that what ya truly believe?” Arthur said as he stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Applejack, I ain’t known you long, but I’ve known you long enough. You gotta be the most dependable and trustworthy woman I’ve had the privilege of meeting since my time here. Your family is a pleasure to be around, your friends are an interesting bunch, and they are all so very appreciative of knowing you.” Applejack couldn’t stop herself from staring into Arthur’s eyes. “Whatever happened at the rodeo shouldn’t define who and what you are. You are Applejack, proud and true, and the best damn Apple mare I know.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Applejack’s breath hitched and her heart stopped for just a moment. Her eyes moistened and her cheeks burned. She blinked numerously, not able to look Arthur in the eye out of shame. She couldn't explain why his words affected her so much, but she had a moment of clarity after all was said and done.

“Alright…tomorrow at breakfast, Ah’ll tell y’all what happened,” Applejack replied.

“You promise?” Arthur asked.

“Ah pinkie promise,” Applejack said, doing the gesture.

“What’s that ya did?” Arthur wondered at the strange hand movements.

“I’ll tell you later,” Applejack smiled sadly as she and Arthur parted ways.

The Next Morning

At the local hotel the girls and Arthur were staying at, the group were sitting at a table together as they were eating their breakfast. Applejack sat next to Arthur for comfort and she took a deep breath and sighed.

“Arthur told us you’re ready to explain everything,” Twilight spoke up.

“We care about you, Applejack, and whatever the reason why you came here must be valid,” Rarity said.

With one last glance of reassurance to Arthur, to which the gunslinger just nodded with approval, Applejack reached down and picked up her bag and set it on the table. She opened the flap and began pulling out a variety of different ribbons and medals and set them on the table.

“Woah…that’s a lot of medals and ribbons!” Pinkie chirped.

Applejack just shook her head. “But none of them are blue,” she replied sadly. “I only came in fourth, third, and second in all the matches…not first in any event. And I certainly didn’t win any prize money.”

“But the telegram said you would send money,” Rainbow Dash said.

“That’s why I came here,” Applejack replied. “After that big send-off Ponyvillle gave me, I didn’t want to come home empty handed. I didn’t want to come back as a failure,” she confessed and her eyes scanned the room that was enveloped in silence.

“Is that all?” Arthur asked. “So ya didn’t win some dumb rodeo, so what?”

“So what? But Ah lost every event!” Applejack snapped.

“And?” Arthur glanced at the many awards that were laid out. “Seems to me you did pretty damn well.”

“Arthur is right, Applejack, and you’re not a failure,” Twilight said.

“Yeah! And we don’t care if you came in fiftieth place!” Rainbow said with a wink. “You’re still number one in our books!”

“So…you’re not upset or disappointed?” Applejack asked.

“Does it look like we are?” Arthur questioned. “The fact you were able to acquire this many awards is more than an impressive feat alone. Although what the girls here should’ve said in the first place was to try your best and not make it seem you had to win.” Arthur gave a sideways glance at the girls, making them all look away guiltily. “Point is, we’re all very proud of your efforts and so should you.” Arthur smiled warmly at the farm mare with the others nodding in agreement.

Applejack’s eyes moistened and she smiled with quivered lips. “Thanks everypony,” she took her hat off to hide her face for a moment. “Ah’ve been a real knucklehead with what Ah’ve been doing.”

“Naw, don’t you worry none, Applejack, we all make mistakes but always learn from it,” Arthur reassured her.

“Ah see that now, and Ah also know what kind of letter to write to Princess Celestia.” The door opened to reveal Cherry Jubilee and she spotted Applejack.

“There you are Applejack, I missed you at this morning’s harvest. Is everything alright?” Cherry asked as she walked over.

“Yes, Ms. Jubilee, Ah actually wanted to speak with you.” Applejack stood up to meet the cherry farmer. “Ms. Jubilee, Ah’m afrain Ah gotta terminate mah employment at your cherry farm. Ah realize that Ah was avoidin’ mah personal problems fer no reason when there was no problem to avoid in the first place. Ah hope there’s no hard feelings, but it’s time fer me to go home to Ponyville.”

Cherry merely sighed and smiled. “Applejack, you don’t need to apologize to me for going back home to Ponyville. You’ve been a model employee for me and though I’m gonna miss you and your hard work, you’re needed more back home.” Cherry replied and her eyes landed on Arthur, whom she approached. “Just a shame you can’t leave this fine stallion here,” she purred and licked her lips as she stared hungirly at Arthur.

“Uh…” Arthur mumbled with a sheepish smile but Rarity was glaring daggers at Cherry as she shot up from her seat.

“Okay! Thank you for everything! We’ll be going now!” Rarity huffed irritability as she lit up her horn and managed to carry everyone in her magic and stomp out of the hotel.

“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Rarity, calm down!” Twilight snapped.

“Quit dragging us already, I can fly!” Rainbow barked.

“Bye bye, Dodge Junction!” Pinkie chirped as she and the others were dragged away by Rarity.

Arthur could only chuckle as they boarded the train and made their way back to Ponyville. As the girls conversed with each other and Applejack wrote her friendship letter for Princess Celestia, he thought back to the stallion he spoke with the other day. The way he described the other stallion who participated in the rodeo and how he was compared to him. Especially how he mentioned his fascination for fishing and how his pappy taught him. It all just had to be a coincidence, there was just no inconceivable way what lingered in the back of Arthur’s mind could be possible.

“After all…he’s dead,” Arthur mumbled quietly to himself as the train chugged along.

After a long train ride home, Applejack was met with her family and the ponies of Ponyville with warm smiles and welcome back hugs. She bid her friends goodbye and returned home to the Apple Farm with a content smile after she sent off her friendship letter.

“Oh, Applejack?” Granny Smith said. “While you were away, ya got a package delivered to ya. It’s in your room.”

Applejack blinked and frowned a little in confusion. “Huh?” She uttered out and headed to her bedroom. When she opened it, she was greeted with a rather large box wrapped with ribbons and a bow on it. She undid the bow and opened the gift and gasped when she saw what was inside. Money. Lots of money. She also saw a letter in an envelope and she tore it open to read the contents.

Dear Applejack,

In accordance with being the runner-up of the Rodeo Finals, we at the Equestrian Judging Council give to you the consolation prize of four thousand bits.

We hope to see you participate in the Annual Grand Rodeo again next year.

Yours, in good faith,

C.M.

P.S.
You certainly remind me a lot of your father, Bright Mac. He would be very proud of you.

With a broad smile on her face, Applejack cheered out loud at her good fortune. “Granny! Big Mac! Apple Bloom! Guess what Ah got!” She called out and ran downstairs to the confused family members.

Author's Note

It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, so long as you do your very best is what matters most.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…