SMG4 Movie: WESTERN SPAGHETTI (IF MEGGY WAS THE ANTAGONIST...) (Novel)

Chapter 3: The Legend of Meggy the Gargantua (Betrayal)

~ 12:00 P.M. ~

Tari and Mario were sitting inside of SMG4's new office. It had been a few hours since they've arrived in Western Spaghetti, and now that Tari had the opportunity, she finally decided to bring up the one and only.
Mario sat beside her the whole time, clearly just as on edge as she was.
Tari was confused.
Mario wasn't usually so serious. And before they even arrived, he was over the moon to be in Western Spaghetti. But now he seemed like a completely different person. He hadn't said a word since he'd arrived.

He never even mention food.

Tari, finding that a little unsettling, still decided to shrug it off.
   "So, I heard that Shroomy had discussed the two famous outlaws with you?" SMG4's voice had shook Tari back to reality.
   "Uhm... yeah..."
SMG4 took a while to reply again, pouring himself a glass of Whiskey. "How are the seven doing?"
Changing the subject already? Tari thought to herself, perplexed.
   "They're fine." Tari replied blankly. "We accidently gotten into a little brawl with them, but everything was resolved in the end."
SMG4 sighed. He sounded unsurprised. "Really?"
   "We didn't mean to—" Tari was trying to finish her past statement, clearly realizing that what she said was probably a mistake.
   "I know it wasn't your fault." SMG4 stopped her mid sentence. "The Miscellaneous Seven have been very restless lately, so they've been easy to attack others." SMG4 paused again. "It's been hard to trust anybody anymore. Especially ever since..."
Tari could tell that SMG4 was trying hard not to mention Meggy the Gargantua, but it was becoming a challenge. Everything he had to offer; everything he had the ability to speak about, it almost always involved her and Wren. After all, he now had to run a town that was in danger because of them.
   "I know you might not want to bring them up as topic, and I completely understand, but... I would-- we... would really like to know more about Meggy the Gargantua and One-Shot Wren. T-that's if you don't mind, of course."
SMG4 remained silent.
   "Shroomy told us that you might know a little more about them than he does."
Tari expected SMG4's expression to change, but it didn't even shift. "I know ya'll are new... and... I can't just let you two stay in this town without knowing what you're in for... so I might as well tell you now..." SMG4, exhaling deeply, walked over towards Swag's old desk, which now belonged to him.
SMG4 bent down to open a drawer that had a dusty red book inside of it. Blowing the excessive dust off of it, he placed it down gently, putting it in view for the two.
   "What's that...?" Tari asked curiously, but her voice carried an edge of fear.
   "This is an old journal that the Sheriff would always document stuff in. It has everything inside of it. Kind of like a diary. Every place, every citizen, every outlaw, every death..."
Death?! Tari's mind whirled in bewilderment. Why would the Sheriff write about death? That's such an odd and dark thing to put inside of a notebook. Even a little unnerving.
   "What do you mean death?!" She accidently sputtered aloud.
SMG4 blinked and proceeded to look back down at the book, practically ignoring Tari's lash. He looked genuinely empty. "I said everything for a reason. Everything is in this book..."
   "Is..." Tari couldn't even finish her sentence without SMG4 doing it for her.
   "And that includes Meggy the Gargantua." Stopping to flip through a few pages, SMG4 proceeded to show her and Mario one of the pages.
The page contained a torn 'Wanted' poster taped to it.

Tari's heart lurched.
She almost felt like she were going to throw up right then and there by the sight.

It was Meggy. Her Meggy; Their Meggy.

   "No..." Tari couldn't hold back her sudden waterfall of tears. "No, this has got to be some sort of sick joke..."
Even Mario looked horrified at what he saw.
So she wasn't just imagining it. It was real.
   "Is that really......"