//------------------------------//
// The Arrival 
// Story: The Honest, The Liar, and The Ugly 
// by Mod On Death 
//------------------------------//

	Appleloosa: The Great Frontier. This town to the west of Equestria contains the dreams of many ponies hoping to start a new life in a new world. Whether it be a chance to live a simpler life or to make a name for yourself, this was the town where you would go to when starting out. This dream was almost destroyed before it began though, but was luckily saved by a group of ponies and other creatures who saw the need to stand up and fight. This is the story of the Legendary Sheriff Applejack.





It was the beginning of the new apple harvest season in Appleloosa and Applejack had taken the train over there to see how things were going for them. Apple Family Acres had already gotten their apples picked and Big Mac was taking care of the farm while she was gone, so she felt reasonably calm about leaving her family behind for a bit. As she got off the train, Applejack saw her cousin there to greet her.
"Hey there, cous'!" greeted Braeburn. "You enjoy the ride over here?"
"Eeyup. Definitely much smoother now. So how're things at the orchard?" Applejack lifted up her suitcases and followed her cousin, talking along the way.
"Pretty good right now. Everypony in town is busy harvesting this year it's so good. Had to make time to make sure you get here nice and cozy," he explained. "So what'll you be doing while here?"
"Just making sure things are alright for Granny. You know how she worries. I probably won't be in town for long." Braeburn wasn't kidding when he said that the whole town was busy. The two of them passed through the town, seeing that the stores closed up while the harvest was going on. 
"In case you're wondering, you'll be staying with me while you're here. Can't make family stay at an inn," Braeburn told her.
"Wouldn't have it either way," she replied. "So is literally everypony out there right now?"
"Nah. We still have the Sheriff here to make sure nothing happens while everypony's out in the fields. Here he is now. Hey there, Sheriff Earp!" Applejack turned to see who her cousin was greeting only to find an old stallion with an eye patch and bushy mustache. She thought to herself that he must be as old as Granny Smith.
"Hello there, Braeburn. This yer cous'?" he asked in a voice that was beyond distinct. 
"Eeyup! She's just here to let Granny know how things are going. She won't be here long." The Sheriff replied with an unemphatic gruff and walked on. "Don't worry about him. He's just always thinking that something's going to go down, but we never have problems in this town." The two continued on until they reached Braeburn's place. "Here we are. I'll show you to your room."
"Much obliged." He took her upstairs to an empty room with only a bed and a dresser. Seeing as she wouldn't be staying long she didn't complain about her room. She placed her luggage down and took a look around the rest of the place. "Not very roomy."
"I prefer to think of it as 'cozy'," he replied. "Anyway, I'm gonna check out the situation on the field now. You coming?"
"Yeah. Just let me get my bearings and I'll head down. I know where the orchard is." Braeburn left and Applejack went to get something to drink. It felt like it was forever since it was forever since she had anything. Just as she was taking a nice drink from the pitcher, a loud boom was heard. Startled, she dropped her glass and ran out to see what had happened.
"Get in an' get!" somepony yelled. A group of masked ponies ran into a building and then suddenly ran out again, this time with large bags on their backs. She suddenly saw the Sheriff running straight after them, yelling something.
"Get over here in the name of the law!" she was able to make out. Suddenly she realized that she had just witnessed a robbery in progress. Before she could even think about what to do next, Applejack suddenly rushed out the front door and started chasing after them.
"What're you doin'?" the Sheriff asked Applejack, surprised to find her running alongside him.
"Chasing after those bandits, of course,"  she replied as if it were obvious. "An' don't go giving me anything about needing to be a lawmare to help out. Not gonna let them get away just 'cause I don't have a badge." She noticed her accent getting more exaggerated the more she hung around these Western ponies.
"Heh. You sound like a real fighter. How 'bout I deputize you to help out here?" 
Applejack wasn't exactly sure of what he just said, but found herself saying, "Sure!" when asked.
"Fine. I hereby deputize you. Now, let's keep up!" The two kept a tail of the robbers, galloping as fast as they could. They couldn't tell where exactly they were heading, but just knew that they couldn't let up. Soon they entered a construction area, where several new buildings were going to be built.
"Hold up," Applejack said, noticing a coil of rope lying on some of the construction supplies. As they passed by she grabbed the rope and found herself lucky as one of the ends was already tied up, giving her a lasso. "Time to reel these fellas in!" she yelled as she tossed the rope, grabbing the closest of the three bandits by the neck.
"Great toss!" Sheriff Earp yelled out, lunging on the victim and hog-tying him in a matter of seconds. "Now, let's get those others." The two continued on, looking on in horror to see their companion captured. 
"Make a left! We'll lose them in the canyon!" the leader told his partner. The two went down into the crevice that led into the canyon, both Applejack and the Sheriff following behind.
"Give it up, fellas! This here leads to a dead end!" Sheriff Earp yelled out. The bandits didn't seem deterred by this fact and kept on running, the distance between the two getting smaller. 
"Wish I'd come across some more rope," wished Applejack, hoping to catch the criminals quickly. She knew that the canyon would soon lead to a dead end, but didn't know how to handle rounding up the varmints without any rope. Guess that's where Sheriff Earp would shine. While thinking about this, the bandits made a right around a corner, putting a smile on Earp's face.
"That there's the dead end," he explained. "Let me handle the arrest here, alright?"
"Alright," Applejack replied, happy to help out. As they rounded the corner, the two were surprised to see the criminals they were chasing climbing up the wall of the canyon using climbing gear!
"Con sarn it! They planned ahead!" the Sheriff yelled out, throwing his hat down. "Come on! We'll climb up after them!"
"You sure 'bout this?" Applejack was willing to go the extra mile to help out, but she thought this might not be the best way to handle this situation.
"I certainly don't see a ladder," he replied, as if his plan was the best option. "You coming?"
Applejack saw the insanity of the situation, but seeing how deep she already was, she replied, "Okay!" 
"Great! Follow closely." Sheriff Earp suddenly ran up to a wall and suddenly grabbed the nearest bit of rock, surprising Applejack. She hadn't seen anything to grab and couldn't believe how fast he was going. Trying to look good, she ran right up to the face of the rock and found herself face-planting into it.
"Uh, how 'bout I block them off from down here?" she said, embarrassed.
"Sure thing." With almost lightning speed, the sheriff managed to reach the top of the wall before the bandits, surprising the two of them. While they had prepared for the canyon, they certainly hadn't counted on the speedy sheriff. "You boys wanna just give up when you get up here? Don't have many other options."
"How's this for options!" the bandit at the head of the two yelled out, pulling what looked like a stick from his pouch. His associate, right next to him, lit a match and put it up to his partner's stick, lighting the end of it. As the stick was thrown up to the Sheriff, the two were shocked to find that the stick was actually dynamite!
"Oh hor-" was all Sheriff Earp was able to utter before the stick blew up right near his position, throwing him off the top of the canyon. Applejack could only stare in horror as she saw him plummet to the ground. Before she knew it, the two bandits had managed to get away, leaving Applejack to try and resuscitate the sheriff.
"Sheriff Earp! Sheriff Earp!" she yelled, pounding onto his chest, hoping that she could somehow save him. With a sudden, bloody gasp, the doomed sheriff uttered out his last words.
"Deputy...you gotta...take up my...badge. Become sheriff, at least till a new one comes. Catch the crooks." With that, the sheriff of Appleloosa passed away.





Applejack returned to the town with the terrible news of what had happened. The townsfolk had come back from the field and saw the destruction that had taken place at the bank. When she told them of what had happened, they were shocked and horrified. Things like this didn't happen in this town. When she also revealed that she'd be the new sheriff for now, that was another shock.
"Applejack, you don't have to do this," Braeburn pleaded.
"Sorry, cous, but I can't let a dying stallion's words go to waste. He not only wanted me to catch the varmints that did this, but also till you fellas get a real an' proper sheriff," she explained. "Now, first thing I'll need you townsfolk to do is get the doctor or mortician or whatever and help retrieved the good sheriff's body. Be prepared for a grizzly sight though. I'll also need somepony to help we carry in one of the accomplices to the crime we managed to capture. Tied him up and he looks to heavy to carry back on my own. Also...I...I need..."
"You okay, sheriff?" one of the ponies in the crowd asked. Applejack turned around to see who he was talking to before she realized that it was her.
"I'm just a bit dazed is all. Everything's happening so fast. Just need to get my bearings straight." Braeburn approached and took her to a stoop where she managed to sit down.
"Alright. Don't worry, cous. We'll take it from here. You just try and relax and we'll get things sorted out till then." Taking her cousin's advice, Applejack decided to head to her room, feeling like it was a bit smaller and a bit emptier than before.
"Guess I'll be staying for a bit longer," she said, trying to milk a bit of humor out of the situation, only to find it dry. She was only supposed to be there for a day and no more. Now she was there until she could bring these bandits to justice. She also needed to request a new sheriff or somepony more qualified than her to take over as well. She laid down and tried to figure out how this could have happened so fast, looking out the window to see the slow sunset over the white, flat desert horizon.