Chapter 6

The party lasted a good while for the rest of the day. Soon most of the ponies had returned home and the four foals were constantly yawning because of how sleepy they were. The only ponies left in Sugarcube Corner was Arthur, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and the four foals. Even Mac was still around but he was still passed out form the hard liquor he drank and was slumped in a corner. Arthur glanced out the window and noticed that the sun was about to set and that meant that it was about time for him to head out. Only a thought popped in his head: where exactly was he to spend the night? He had no money, he couldn’t ask any of the others to let him stay at their place, so all that was left for him to do was sleep under a tree somewhere until he could properly find a place to stay.

“Well ladies, this little party y’all threw fer me was one fer the books.” Arthur said as he put his jacket back on.

“You’re leaving already?” Pip asked before he yawned.

“Afraid so, little man.” Arthur said as he ruffled his head and put his satchel strap over his shoulder.

“Arthur, do you have any place to stay at the moment?” Rarity asked.

“Nope, I’m gonna go find a nice spot to camp.” Arthur said as he put on his hat.

“Camp? Why?” Applejack wondered.

“Why not? I personally enjoy the outdoors.” Arthur shrugged.

“But darling, are you sure? Perhaps you could stay with one of-”

“Let me stop ya right there, Rarity.” Arthur said, raising his hand. “I know what you’re gonna say, that one of ya would be willin’ to offer me a bed to sleep in at one of your homes. Now while I greatly appreciate the offer, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to decline each and every one of ya.”

“But how come Arthur? Each of us has plenty of room at each of our homes.” Twilight said.

“And again, I’m mighty appreciative, but my decision is final. Y’all have done me a great kindness by throwin’ together this little shindig fer me and I thank y’all from the bottom of my heart. I just feel like I should do my own thing before I decide to settle in anywhere fer the time bein’.” Arthur explained.

“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to convince you otherwise?” Twilight wondered.

“Nope, afraid not.” Arthur shook his head. All the mares looked at each other to see if anyone had an idea to change his mind, only for none of them to be able to come up with anything.

“Ah guess we’ll leave ya to it then, Arthur.” Applejack said.

“Thank ya kindly, I’ll see y’all tomorrow. You have a good one!” Arthur said as he left.

“Bye Mr. Morgan!” The foals said together before yawing.

Arthur chuckled as he waved is hand over his shoulder and left the building.

Arthur made his way through the near empty streets on Ponyville with both hands in his pockets. The sun was setting and he could almost make out the stars as they were coming into view. Arthur then reached into his satchel to grab his box of cigarettes and matches. Only once he did, the inside of his satchel felt a little strange as he fished his hand inside. He was able to find the cigarette box no problem, but for some reason he felt more that just the rest of his provisions. While Arthur put a cigarette between his lips, he brought the satchel up and opened the flap. Once again, he saw just the items he first saw when he opened it back in the forest, but the bottom of the satchel looked a little strange. Arthur then decided that it was best he investigated this strange discovery once he was in a more secluded area. After lighting his cigarette, Arthur walked out of the town and towards the lake that a few ponies back at the party told him about.

By the time Arthur reached the lake, the sun was just about to pass behind the horizon and he had made it to the lake. The water was crystal clear and looked like the perfect place to go swimming or maybe even fishing in if it was the right time of day. Arthur looked around his surroundings to make sure he was alone and sat down near a tree by the water’s edge. He then pulled his satchel around again after taking a puff from his cigarette and opened the flap. The inside looked the same by most accounts, but the bottom made it seem like the satchel was deeper than it was. This puzzled the gunslinger since the other provisions he had on him were still in view and were just sitting there. With curiosity getting the better of him, Arthur flipped the bag around and dumped out the contents. The bullets, tonics, food, and other provisions fell to the ground but nothing else. Arthur arched a brow as he looked back inside to see the same strange visual as before.

“This is a tad strange.” Arthur said to himself before taking another puff.

Feeling as though his questions wouldn’t be answered with just staring, Arthur decided to reach into the Satchel to see what would happen. Only once he did, to his shock and confusion, he ended up fitting half of his arm in. Arthur’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his hand seem to dig deeper into the satchel, almost believing he’d lose his arm. Just when he was about to pull his hand out, he felt his hand brush against something hard. It felt like something metallic with two holes next to each other, but also it felt familiar to him. Without further hesitation, Arthur grabbed the object and pulled whatever it was out, making him gasp at what he held in his hand.

“What in sweet Sam Hill?!” Arthur yelped as he held it in both hands. “How’d this fit in this little thing?!”

Sitting in his hands was his Double-Barreled shotgun, in pristine condition and felt heavy in his grip. The gunslinger couldn’t believe it, how could he? It just made no sense how such a large and powerful weapon managed to fit inside such a small satchel. Arthur flipped the barrels open to see that there were already two shells already loaded within the chambers. When he shut them back, Arthur glanced at the satchel and thought of something. He grabbed his satchel and reached in to see his there was any more shells in for his shotgun. To he surprise, once gain, he pulled out his hand to see a handful of them in his grip.

“This is just gettin’ crazier and crazier by the damn minute. None of this should be possible! It’s like...some kind of black magic or somethin’.” Arthur muttered.

The gunslinger shook his head and went to put his weapon and ammunition back into his satchel. The weapon slipped in the bag with ease and out of sight, which unfortunately didn’t help Arthur’s growing questions. Arthur then gathered the rest of his provisions and put them back inside, at which point the sun had completely set and the moon was high in the sky. It was a bit of a chilly night for the gunslinger as he rubbed his hands together. Arthur then stood up and reached up to the tree he sat near and began collecting branches by cutting them off with his knife. Once he had gathered enough wood, he piled them up in a bunch and lit it with a match. The flames burned a soft glow as the gunslinger gazed within the flames and he thought about his day.

So much had happened that he never would’ve expected, all he believed was that he was surely going straight to the Devil’s doorstep and be tormented by all the lives he took. Yet, by some miracle, he was till alive and standing, despite being transformed into a horse man and in a world full of horse people. His thoughts then led back to John and his family, he wondered if John had successfully managed to escape the Pinkerton’s and reunited with his family. Arthur gave more than he cared to admit for the sake of John, his brother, and living the good life away from a troubled one. Arthur sighed as his little campfire flickered away and he gazed up to the stars. They seemed to twinkle a lot more than back home, even the moon shined more brighter and had a sort of comforting feeling to it.

“Ya better’ve made good on yer promise, John. I may be in this strange new place, but that don’t mean ya get to not be responsible in yer duty as a father.” Arthur hummed.

Feeling his drowsiness start to take hold, Arthur flicked his cigarette in the fire and reached over to his satchel after thinking of what else might be inside. To his delight, and more confusion, Arthur pulled out the supplies needed to set up his tent.

“Y’know what, I ain’t even gonna question it. If it’s magic, then its goddamn magic.” The gunslinger grumbled as he set up his tent. Once his little campsite was set up, Arthur took off his jacket and crawled in his tent. He laid down on his sleeping mat after tossing his hat to the side. Once he pulled off his gloves, he laid on his back as his eyes grew heavy and drifted off to sleep.

Wonder what’ll happen tomorrow?

The sun’s rays pierced the little tent that Arthur slept in. The gunslinger groaned as he rolled over on his side to try and get some more sleep, but it seemed like the sun had a mind of its own since its light did not relent. Arthur had little choice but to groggily open his eyes as he lifted his body up to a sitting position. Arthur stretched his arms out and arched his bak, receiving multiple satisfying pops, and yawned a loudly. Arthur looked down to his legs and saw that they were still double jointed and his feet were still hooves, which made him sigh as he rubbed his eyes.

“Guess it wasn’t a fever dream after all.” Arthur said as he grabbed his hat and crawled out of the tent with his holster clipped to his belt.

Arthur winced as he covered his eyes from the obnoxious sun that continued to shine down on him. The campfire he lit had extinguished, leaving a thin smoke trail from the ashy remains. After yawning once more, Arthur put on his hat and reached into his satchel and pulled out some apples for breakfast. He walked over to the shoreline of the lake as the sun’s light shimmered which made him smile a little. As he ate his breakfast, his ears twitched after hearing some voices behind him. Turning his head, he saw Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy walking towards his campsite. Along with the mares were two other individuals, one being another earth pony mare and the other...something that looked like a monster lizard on legs. The creature had green slitted eyes, sharp teeth and a grey long sleeve shirt and white over top and blue cut up jeans. It’s scales were purple and the spines and underbelly were a lime green. Arthur couldn’t make heads or tails what this creature could possibly be, but if it was walking alongside the mares then it probably wasn’t as dangerous as he presumed. As for the mare, she looked to be middle aged with a gray mane and tail, her fur was a grayish brown shade and her eyes were a sea blue. She wore a sort of beige formal suit with a green ascot and had a sort of professional vibe to her.

“See, I told you he’d be here.” Pinkie Pie said.

“Indeed, as you said.” The mare said.

“Mornin’ ladies.” Arthur said as he took a bite of his apple and tipped his hat.

“Good morning Arthur, I see you have settled in properly out here?” Rarity said with a smile.

“Yup, y’all should try campin’ yerselves. It’s a great way to get out more.” Arthur said.

“You could say that again, partner.” Applejack said with an agreeing smile.

“I’d rather not, I would hate to get my mane and tail messy.” Rarity said as she waved her hand dismissively. Arthur chuckled as his eyes wondered to the lizard creature. If Arthur were to guess, he looked like a juvenile boy as he looked up at Arthur curiously.

“Hello there.” Arthur said while trying to keep his cool. “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Spike the dragon, Twilight’s number one assistant.” Spike said, puffing his chest out proudly.

What the?! A damn dragon?! Like in them fantasy stories?! Sweet hellfire in hand basket, what is with this damn place! the gunslinger panicked in his head while keeping a poker face.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Spike, but what do ya mean yer Twilight’s assistant?” Arthur wondered.

“Spike helps me around the library and whatever other tasks I need assistance with. He also helps me send letters to my mentor back in the capital and has been with me ever since I hatched him from an egg.” Twilight said as she wrapped her arm around Spike.

“I see, he sure seems like a capable young kid.” Arthur nodded.

I wonder who this mentor character is she’s talkin’ about? Arthur thought.

The older mare cleared her throat and stepped forward to the gunslinger and extended her hand to greet him.

“Greetings, Mr. Morgan, my name is Mayor Mare. As my name states, I am the mayor of Ponyville.” Mayor Mare said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, ma’am, my name’s Arthur.” Arthur said as he shook her hand.

“I see your friends were right when they said you were a stallion of good manners.” Mayor Mare said.

“I try to be, especially when in the presence of a lady.” Arthur said.

“A lady?” Mayor Mare said with a small blush. “My, my, they didn’t say you were also the charmer.”

“Heh, if ya get to know me, you’ll learn more as time goes on.” Arthur said, making the others giggle a little.

“Yes well, I have come to you because I had heard about the noble deeds you did the other day for Miss Applejack and Miss Rarity. Though the local guard does their best to keep the peace, it has been difficult for the ponies to properly relax without being hounded by the group of harassers that have been turning up.” Mayor Mare explained.

“Well I just did what needed to be done.” Arthur shrugged modestly. “To be honest I was at the right place at the right time.”

“Be that as it may, I believe you are somepony dependable enough who knows how to properly handle situations such as that. When these mares had informed me what you had done and that you were to come to me today in search of employment opportunities, I took it upon myself to to come out here personally to offer you something I believe would best fit what you are searching for.” Mayor Mare said as she reached into her jacket pocket. She then pulled out a sort of badge that had a star on it. In the middle of the star was a symbol of a sun and moon. Above the star were the words Ponyville Sheriff, which made Arthur do a double take at both the badge and Mayor Mare. “I, Mayor Mare, hereby offer you the position as Ponyville’s own sheriff.”

“Uh, come again?” Arthur asked, completely caught off guard as he dropped his remaining apple.

“You want Arthur to be our sheriff?” Applejack asked, also surprised.

“Wowie! Sheriff Arty! It has a nice ring to it!” Pinkie chirped.

“I’m so happy for you Arthur.” Fluttershy said with a small smile.

“What a fantastic idea! Arthur would make a splendid sheriff for our humble little town.” Rarity exclaimed cheerfully.

“Now hold in a dang minute.” Arthur said, taking a step back. “Ya want me to be a lawma- I mean, lawstallion? Why?”

“Because it is as I said, Mr. Morgan, you acted nobly and without a second thought when most others would do next to nothing. You may deny it and say that you only acted out of impulse, but I like to think of myself as a good judge of character. This position has been empty for some time now and no pony has ever been able to either keep the job for more than a few months or just not have the courage to take it for themselves. If you become our sheriff, perhaps then those hooligans will leave us alone and be on their way. Better yet, maybe you would even be able to bring them all to justice should you accept the position.” Mayor Mare said.

Arthur was at a loss for words. Not only because this was something that would be considered the last thing he’d think of doing as a job, especially the fact that the last time he wore a badge it didn’t end on the best of terms. It also didn’t help his self doubt when he thought of the man he was back home: an outlaw, a person who fought against the law and did whatever he pleased despite the consequences. Arthur looked around to the other mares who all seemed to be very supportive of the idea, which put him at a bit of an impasse. This wouldn’t be like with the Braithwaite’s and Gray’s where he’d be pretending to be a deputy and try to swindle them for profit, Arthur would be an actual member of society and wear a real badge. His doubts plagued his mind as the mares continued to wait for a response, but maybe this might just be a good opportunity for him. Arthur would always sometimes say to his old gang that he dreamed of going straight and hanging up his gun belt for good, to which they’d just laugh at him and call him a fool. However, this wasn’t home, this was a different world entirely where his infamous past couldn’t follow him. Despite his many firefights he shared against the lawmen, he had a somewhat respect for them and what they did. After mulling it over a bit more, Arthur slowly reached out and took the badge from Mayor Mare.

“I’m still unsure this is a good idea, but if y’all think I’m good enough fer the job, then I guess I’ll give it a shot.” Arthur said as he pinned the badge to his shirt.

“Splendid! I’m most pleased you have accepted the offer, Mr. Morgan, I’ll return to the office right now to finalize the paperwork.” Mayor Mare said with a wide smile.

“Well well well, look what we got here.”

Everyone flinched and spun around to see a group of stallions march over to the group. Arthur narrowed his eyes as he stepped in front of the group of mares, who some hid behind him as the stallions drew closer.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” Arthur asked.

“Why yes you can.” The lead pegasus stallion said with a curt nod. “We’re looking for a stallion by the name of Arthur Morgan. One of our buddies was thrown in the slammer and he was supposed return to us with a nice batch of bits that was to set us up for a good while. This Morgan character was the cause of his imprisonment, and after hearing about a new stallion in town who we heard was camping out here, I can only assume you’re him.”

“So what if I am, what’s it to you?” Arthur questioned.

“So hostile.” The lead stallion mocked. “It’s quite simple really, just hand over that mare with the fancy suit and we’ll leave.”

Arthur glanced over his shoulder to Mayor Mare, who looked scared out her wits, and growled at the stallion. “Boy, you best leave now.” Arthur seethed as he held his hand out to his side. “Else you’ll end up in the dirt.”

“Hah! Listen to this guy! Go on and take him, boys, and leave the white one with the large tits and the orange one with the fat ass for me.” The leader mocked as the other stallions approached them.

“Ladies, Spike, cover yer ears.” Arthur said as he opened his palm and his heartbeat slowed.

“Pardon?” Mayor Mare said.

“Cover yer ears right now, it’s gonna get loud.” Arthur said.

The mares and Spike did as they were told and covered their ears. Time began to slow and Arthur’s heartbeat became louder with each passing moment. There were eight stallions in total approaching them, but he only needed two or three of them standing to get the message across. After marking his targets accordingly, Arthur took in a deep breath as his eyes shrunk down to pinpricks and pulled out his weapon in a quick and fluid motion.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Loud explosive sounds like huge firecrackers echoed throughout the area, making the mares and Spike either yelp or scream in fright. After a few moments of cowering to themselves, they slowly opened their eyes and looked up. Past Arthur were three of the stallions still standing while the other five were splayed on the ground, all groaning and crying out in pain. In Arthur’s hand was a strange metal object that seemed to be smoking at the end. The leader and the remaining stallions were frozen stiff as Arthur twirled his weapon with his finger and holstered it back. The leader then slowly looked down to see that there were holes in each of the downed stallions’ legs and blood was pooling out of them. The leader’s body began to tremble in fear as he looked up at him in confusion and shock.

"Wh-what did you do?" The leader trembled.

"I did what I said I'd do, I put them in the dirt." Arthur snorted. "That's what happens when ya threaten my friends and mock the new lawstallion of Ponyville."

Author's Note

Sheriff Morgan makes an explosive first impression.

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building...