A Second Chance

Fifteen minutes later after Fluttershy left the Waiting Room

I sit here in the corner, leaning against the wall with my hands behind my head. I think on the things I have done in the past, until I see some ponies enter the Waiting Room and then watch them for a bit until they start heading my way and say, "Evenin' folks."

Celestia stops in front of the human and looks at them with indifference and says, "Hello human, I have some questions to ask you. So rise to your feet and show respect."

I sigh in agitation at seeing how this day is going to turn out and then stand up slowly, tilting my hat downward until I fully rise to my feet. I then tilt my head back slightly and shift my eyes up to look at her face and then say, "I don't show respect to anyone that is rude to me, if you continue to be rude, I will resort to violence."

Fluttershy then taps Celestia's shoulder as she sees the look in his eyes and says, "Please don't talk to him like that, they have a short temper towards rudeness."

She then continues to look at the human with distrust and mild anger and then says, "Not now Fluttershy, I am busy with deciding if this human is a threat to Equestria or not." She then addresses the human in front of her and then says, I am not scared of you Human. If you threaten me like that again, you will find yourself in Tartarus next to Tirek. How did you find your way to Equestria, Human? What strange magic did you use to injure Rainbow Dash with?"

I then look at her and then say, "I am not going to tell you personal things like that because you aren't showing me respect right now, and that wasn't magic. It is simple mechanics that uses chemistry to make life easier where I am from."

Celestia then continues and says, "You will change your tune after spending some time in Tartarus!" She then begins to power up her horn to send them there.

I then see her horn start to glow and then use my ability and draw my revolver quickly, then point it directly at her face between her eyes where her horn just happens to be and then cock the hammer back saying, "Go ahead and try it pony, by the time you finish that spell I can pull the trigger and end your life. Do you really want to do things this way, leave this world behind as your friends and loved ones mourn your death?"

She then blinks twice and then thinks to herself, 'That was too fast, but I can not let this human get the better of me! I am a co-ruler of Equestria, how can they treat me so rudely!'

Twilight then steps in between them and slaps her former mentor's horn saying, "Princess Celestia, this is not how a princess should act! The Human did not make the first mistake, you did. The human gave you two warnings and said that if you want to be respected, you should show them respect in return. Friendship is about the balance between give and take, they reacted violently towards Rainbow Dash because she attacked first. You need to apologize to them as well as Fluttershy or this friendship mission we are currently on may fail, and I do not accept failure when it comes to making a new friend!"

I watch as the lavender alicorn stands in between us, her horn sticking up above my gun barrel in my line of sight. Her head is a few inches below the bottom of the barrel as I then think to myself, ' Fucking christ, does this pony have a death wish?'

Her spell fizzles out after her horn is slapped by her own former student, causing her to freeze in shock as what she said sinks in and then hangs her head and sighs as tears slowly come to her eyes before saying, "I-I am sorry for acting so rudely towards you, Human. I had a bad experience when I visited your world a long time ago, but I do not wish to talk about it." She then looks at her former student and then drops down to one knee and says, "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am sorry that my actions have endangered the mission you all are on. If you wish me to, I can return to Canterlot so you can finish the mission successfully." She then turns to Fluttershy and then says, "Fluttershy, I am very sorry I ignored what you said."

She then looks to her and then says, "You can stay, but you need to be respectful to others if you want to be respected in turn." She then steps aside and returns to where she was standing.

Celestia then stands back up and clears her throat saying, "I am sorry for my rude behavior Human, can you please tell me how you came to be in our peaceful world? Uhm, could you please lower your weapon now?"

I then uncock the revolver and then return it to its holster, then sigh and say to her, "One moment princess, it would be best if the pony responsible was here as well." I then take a breath and then say, "Discord, please come here for this part?"

She then cocks her head to the side and then says, "Why is Discord responsible for this, what did he do?!"

I then say, "Just wait for him to arrive and I will tell you about it."

Discord then pops up out of the ground beside Celestia and then looks at Arthur Morgan in disbelief and says, "Are you seriously going to tell her about what happened?! Do you want me to be turned back into stone or sent to Tartarus so that you can just get rid of me!?"

I then look to him and then say, "Don't worry my friend, you won't be going anywhere. Not after I tell them how you saved me from an ugly death."

They are all shocked to hear that including Discord, who then tries to figure out what he is trying to pull. After examining his face, he catches a sly smirk and then he gets what he is doing and says, "Okay Arthur, I will trust your judgement then."

I watch as all eyes turn to me, waiting for my explanation. I then clear my throat and then start by saying, "Well, before I got here I was sitting in a jail cell, waiting to be hanged for murdering several gang members that were plaguing a town. I then went to the sheriff of the town, when I got there he and a few men hit me over the head and threw me into a cell. When I came to, they told me that I was going to be hanged for killing those innocent people in a few days. A few hours from my hanging, this stranger shows up dressed all in black and in fancy clothes and started to talk to me about different things in my past. As the time continued to grow shorter, he then asked me if I regret my actions in the past and wish to get a second chance to try to make amends. So I then said sure, not really believing what he said when he snapped his fingers and I wound up here. I woke up in a pitch black cave, with only the smell of fresh air coming from somewhere to guide me to the exit. I eventually found my way to it and then found this letter..."I then reach into my satchel and nearly get up to my elbow in the bag before finding the letter, noticing that the lavender alicorn is looking at my bag with interest and then hold out the letter for the white alicorn to take and look at. I then look at Discord and take my hat off and then say with sincerity, "I thank you for bringing me to this world, Discord. Hanging is the worst way to die in the wild west, I owe you my life my friend."

They all turn to look at Discord who has tears of joy coming from his eyes as Celestia takes the letter and reads it, then hands it to her sister to read after saying something to her. He then smiles and then wipes a tear from his eye and says, "Thank you for considering me a friend, Arthur."

I then smile and then say in return, "Don't get me wrong, you really can be annoying. But even then, you are still my friend. Unfortunately those are in very short supply nowadays..."

Discord then nods and sighs, knowing the loneliness he must be feeling right now and then says with a big smile, "Don't worry, you shall make new friends as you explore and experience what this world has to offer!"

Luna then hands the letter back and then asks, "What does it mean by your TRUE second chance?"

I return my hat to my head then take the letter and return it to the satchel and then say, "There was a prank he pulled to get even for me annoying him in the past, but that is a story for a different day. So what happens now, is there somewhere that I can stay or at least set up a campsite?"

Celestia, Luna and Twilight all look at each other and talk about it for a few minutes before deciding, as Celestia says, "After some consideration, we have decided that you can set up camp outside the town of Ponyville. You can travel with Luna and I there when we head back to Ponyville through a long distance teleport spell, or you can head back with the girls when they complete their mission."

I then look to her and say, "Thank you very much, I think I will travel there myself after I take care of my partner I came here with. Can you tell me where it is so I may find it after I return to that cave I was in to see if anything else was left there that I couldn't see due to the blizzard, and could one of you tell me if paper money has any value here?"

Celestia then steps forth and says, "Very well then, the town of Ponyville is just straight South of the Crystal Empire and a little bit to the West. If you cross the second pair of tracks about 100 miles from here, you will see the mountain that Canterlot is built on. Unfortunately, cash is not used here. We can however, use magic to determine the value and exchange rate and give you bits instead if you wish."

The girls all look to their rumps and see their cutie marks flashing as Twilight smiles and says, "I guess this means that the friendship mission is complete."

I look at their flashing images that Discord told me were 'cutie marks', and symbolizes their unique talent. I then look to the White Alicorn and then say to her, "I will accept your offer, no sense in holding onto something that you can't use." I then start digging around in my satchel for the cash I have on me, finding it after going shoulder deep into the satchel. I then say, "Could one of you find something for me to set this on?" I then start to pull out two stacks in my hands as the dark blue Alicorn smiles sweetly at me, holding a large platter in her hands.

Luna then holds onto the platter she wanted to find some sort of use for and then asks, "Will this work?"

I then smile and say, "I think it will work just fine, just keep holding that plate miss while I set the rest on here."

Celestia then says, "How much more of that do you have?"

I then half chuckle and set them on the platter side by side and then say, "I'd say about fifteen thousand dollars more. I did say before that I may be a criminal and a monster, but I am trying to change my ways for the better."

Her jaw falls open and then she closes it, she looks at them with wide eyes and says, "That is a lot of money to have in your world, you are lucky you weren't robbed or killed for that kind of money."

I then reach back into the satchel and pull another two stacks out and then sigh saying, "People have tried to rob me, but they died as the result. My world is a cruel, harsh place where you have to fight to survive. The wild west won't exist much longer though, because it is slowly being tamed by humans."

Luna then watches as he continues to pull the money out and lines them up on the platter, making it a little heavier with each stack added and then uses her horn to help hold the platter as it is getting tougher for her to hold in her hands. She then looks at it and says, "That is unfortunate for those that live there, is there nothing to keep watch over the suffering of the other humans there?"

I then say, "Unfortunately, there is not. Magic does not exist in that world and neither do the Elements of Harmony like you have here, the closest thing to magic there is electricity."

Twilight watches how many bundles they are removing from the bag and then says, "How can that bag hold so much, there is just no natural way for it to hold that many bundles. What kind of magic is that bag using?"

I then finish pulling the last few stacks of cash and then say, "You got me, because I don't know. The bag didn't have this much cash in it to begin with." I then look at Discord and say, "Did you have something to do with this Discord?"

He then smirks and twiddles his thumbs and says, "Well of course I did. After all, you just wouldn't be you without that hat of yours. So I just used a little magic to bring everything that you owned with you here, I even brought your wagon here and everything that would not quite get into that bag of yours. Unfortunately though, you will have to talk to your partner about pulling it to Ponyville. Speaking of your partner, she is hungry and you need to tend to her needs."

I then look at the ground and say "Thanks frien. Any of y'all know where I can feed my partner?"

Princess Cadence then enters the Waiting Room and says, "I know of a place that has good food, it isn't far from here in fact."

I then turn to the new pony and see a pink Alicorn and then say, "Do you think you could lead my partner and I to it? I am sure she must be really hungry now after pushing our way through that god-awful blizzard several hours ago."

She then nods and then says, "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I rule the Crystal Empire alongside my husband Shining Armor. My friends call me Cadence, what is your name?"

I then look to her and then introduce myself saying, "Princess Cadence, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Morgan and I am new to this world.

The others are shocked beyond words that Princess Cadence is in the room as Twilight then approaches her and then says, "Hi Cadence I had planned on coming to visit when this mission was over, but things changed and I was delayed."

She then looks at her sister-in-law and says, "That is quite alright Twilight, sometimes things do happen that force us to change our schedules. Such as this accident for example, but we all must move on past it and try to make the best of it." She then looks to the human and says, "So then, what brings you to visit the Crystal Empire Arthur Morgan?"

I then look to her and say, "Well Princess, I had just arrived in this world in a cave. I found my way to the entrance and then noticed that a blizzard was raging outside, so I put on some warm clothes and then braved the storm to find somewhere warmer as well as some food for the both of us. I didn't come here to cause problems, I just came for food and shelter from the storm until it passed."

Princess Cadence then feels herself relax a bit hearing that and says, "It is a relief to hear that, I came to see what the commotion was about earlier for myself. You are free to wander the city, but we will be keeping an eye on you. Good day, Arthur Morgan."

Outside Flurry Heart's room, At the crystal castle

A couple of guards stand outside of Flurry Heart's room when a noise to their left catches their attention and look in that direction, when something hard hits them both over the head and knocks them both out.

A male pony searches the guards for anything useful they might have on them and says, "Ooh this one's got some bits on 'em, now let's see what the other one's got on it..."

Another male pony looks at the other one and hits him over the head and says, "How many times do I have to tell ya to not do that Clep."

Clep then looks at his friend and rubs the back of his head saying, "Ow that hurt Clack, I rob whatever I can so the gang can get outta this freezing country. I am tired of nearly losing my tail when we go outside the hideout."

Clack then sighs and nods saying "I feel ya partner, c'mon. Let's grab this foal and then disappear for awhile before we make our grand appearance and then take over the Crystal Empire."

A female zebra then steps around the corner and says, "It is time to go inside, if we draw too much attention, the boss shall have our hide!" She then walks up to the pair and says, "I shall go first, for if either of you should go, I shall fear the worst." She then opens the door and steps inside, then closes it behind her.

Flurry Heart looks at the strange pony that just entered her room and says, "Hi there, my name is Flurry Heart. I don't recognize you, are you a new foalsitter? I hardly get visitors, but my parents tell me they may let me attend my Auntie Twilight's School this year!" She then watches the zebra continue to approach her with a smile.

The zebra gets really close to her and then says, "Hello there, I am going to be your foal napper. You will feel nothing when you fall asleep, that way you won't suffer when we travel." She then raises her hands and then prepares to hit her in the back of the neck to knock her unconscious.

She looks at her in confusion, feeling a little worried at hearing that and says, "I-I don't like what you are saying, I think you should leave now." She then begins to back up and raises her arms in defense of herself, screaming for a brief moment before falling silent and collapses to the floor unconscious.

The zebra then picks up the unconscious foal and puts her into a grain sack with a hole for her to breathe, then ties it shut and puts it onto her shoulder then makes her way out the door.

Clack then watches the door open and says, "That scream may have been heard by the guards, we need to leave now before they come to investigate."

She then looks to him and says, "That action was unforeseen indeed. If the sound was heard, a distraction is what we will need to escape. If they find us with the foal here, we shall be in dungeons for many a year."

Clep then smirks and tosses his bag of bits to Clack and says, "I will keep 'em busy while you two escape with the foal, so you better get going."

Clack catches the bag and then stares at him and then says, "No, either we all get out or none of us get out. We are like family, and family sticks together."

Clep nods and then says, "Yes it does, but family members protect each other when there is danger. Let me be the one to protect you all this time."

The zebra then stops Clack from saying something else by placing her free hand on his shoulder and says, "This is displeasing to hear, but he is correct in what he says. We must get this foal out of this castle and put this empire behind us a ways."

Clack then sighs and nods sadly then says, "Just make damn sure ya make it out of here somehow, okay bro?"

Clep hears hurried hoofsteps coming down the hall a ways and then says, "Don't worry baby bro, there is no pony alive that can match my dual short sword skills. Goodbye bro, you two better hurry up and scram because they are coming in a hurry."

The two then move quickly and quietly down the corridor and around a corner as Clack looks back with a tear in his eye and says, "Please make it back somehow big bro, you are the only actual family I have left." He then catches up to her and follows her closely through the halls.

Ten minutes later, Somewhere in the Crystal Empire

Cadence leads the group of girls to a restaurant she likes and says, "The place we are going to is not really all that fancy or expensive, but I can promise that the food they serve is very good."

I then look around and don't see Lou anywhere and then whistle sharply to call her to me when I see the girls look at me in a squinting manner as they rub their ears and chuckle lightly and say, "Sorry about that ladies, that is how I let my partner know when I need her."

They grumble a little and then continue on towards the restaurant when Twilight slows down and walks beside him and then asks, "Would you mind telling me a bit more about what your life was like over there Arthur Morgan?"

I stop for a brief second before continuing to follow the girls and then look at her with a serious look in my eyes and then say, "Not right now kid, I need to be able to trust you before I can tell you things like that." Which one of you is Princess Luna that watches over dreams?"

Luna stops and then walks beside him too and then says, "That would be me Arthur, why do you ask?"

I then look at the blue Alicorn and then kindly say, "I ask because I wish to kindly request you to not enter my dreams if you can help it, some of the things I have done in my past may scar your mind if you should learn of them before you are prepared for that knowledge."

She sighs sadly at hearing that and then says, "I shall stay out of your dreams until I sense you are having a nightmare, I have to fulfill my duty in watching over my subjects. This includes those that are not from this world originally, can you agree to those terms?"

I spot Lou coming from a ways away, her Perlino coat and tall stature standing out from the other ponies that clear out of her way and then answer Luna saying, "Yeah that sounds fine to me, just make sure that I am having a nightmare before you enter alright?"

Lou makes her way to her partner at a slow canter and then circles around the group and slows to a walk as she follows them and says, "Hi Arthur, are we going somewhere to get some food now because I am so hungry I could eat a horse."

Pinkie Pie erupts into a fit of laughter and gigglesnorts, then catches enough breath to say, "Oh that was extremely funny because you are a pony, my name is Pinkie Pie. What is your name?"

She then smiles and says, "I wasn't trying to be funny really, but my name is Lou. It is nice to meet you Pinkie Pie."

I then see her moving her bit around in her mouth and then look to the other girls and then say, "Would any of you girls be able to make some alterations to Lou's bridle? She needs to have the bit removed because it is bothering her too much. I promised her I would find someone to do that for her, so I will pay what it would cost to fix it."

Rarity quickly approaches them and then smiles saying, "That would be moi darling, can you tell me a few other details so I can get a better idea of what you need changed?"

I then look at her and say, "The only thing that needs to be changed really is the piece of metal that is in her mouth right now, that piece needs to be removed. There do need to be rings on the side so the bridle still functions, the long leather straps that are fastened to the saddle also need to be attached or I won't be able to communicate with her through them using the signals we use to function as a team."

She places a finger on her cheek and her elbow on her arm and thinks for a moment before saying, "Alright, I can do that. Using leather is a little risque for us ponies because we are ponies after all, and we have evolved from four legged animals after a great many years. We still feel somewhat related to our very, very distant ancestors. Since you aren't asking me to make something out of leather, I will be able to make adjustments to what is already there. Darling, can you take it off so I can look at the way it is fashioned?"

A guard then approaches Princess Cadence at a fast jog, bows to her and leans into her ear whispering, "Princess, I must inform you that there is a skilled enemy unicorn stallion fighting guards near your daughter's room. We are doing what we can, but he is better than the other guards that he fought. Most have suffered incapacitating wounds, while others he has outright killed. Your husband, Prince Shining Armor is among those incapacitated and is thankfully just unconscious. What are your orders Princess?"

Princess Cadence's eyes widen with fear, causing her to stop in her tracks and then says, "How did they get that far into the castle, are the guards not taking their jobs that seriously?! I must find a pony that matches my Shiny's strength at least, if only I knew of some...pony." An idea comes to her out of desperation to protect her daughter and looks to the human currently talking to Rarity about something and says, "Arthur Morgan, I wish to ask you for aid in dealing with this enemy unicorn that is in the castle too close to my child's room. I shall reward you handsomely if you agree to handle this task at once!"

Everypony in the group stops and stares at her in shock as I then say, "Alright, a couple questions first then. Do the horns grow back if they are broken or damaged? Last question...Do you want the pony alive or dead Princess Cadence?"

She watches as the whole group is shocked beyond words at what they just heard and answers him, "They do grow back, but it takes a year for it to completely grow back. For the last question, my answer is that I want him alive. I could never wish for any pony to be killed for their actions in this empire, do you agree to help me with that one condition?"

Twilight breathes a sigh of relief at hearing her say to not kill him, but still is very shocked at how an enemy got into the Crystal Castle in the first place.

I then nod my head and say, "Alright then, I'll get to it immediately. Sorry Rarity, but you will have to take it off yourself. There is someone I need to stop, please try to get the changes done as quickly as you are able." I then look to Lou and say, "Please help her out if she needs to know how that goes on Lou."

Lou then looks to him and says, "You got it boss, be careful."

Cadence then looks to the guard and then says, "Guard, please lead Arthur Morgan to where the fighting is taking place so he can deal with the troublesome pony."

The guard then nods, looks at the human and says, "Sir, please come with me immediately."

I then nod and say, "Lead the way." then start jogging after them and think to myself, 'I sure hope I can turn things around for myself in this world, I...I just don't want to run away from the problems anymore. I'm tired of that destructive cycle, it would really feel nice to stay in a place for a year or two before moving on to a different location.'

The guard jogs towards the large double doors of the castle's entrance and says, "I will be keeping my eyes on you sir, I saw what you did to Rainbow Dash and I do not trust you."

I chuckle and then follow him saying, "I think that is wise of you to not trust me, I would not blame others for not trusting me right away for being a stranger in their world. When we get there, I want anyone that is not the enemy to move out of the way so my guns don't hit them accidentally."

The guard then nods and pushes the doors open and then says, "Remember that the Princess wants him alive, so do NOT kill him."