Dust blew along the empty streets of Dodge. A tumbleweed hushed along across the street. The sun was getting ready to set in the distant horizon which gave the entire town an orange haze look.

I crouched behind a stack of barrels with Dandelion who was wielding his Lee Enfield. “ALRIGHT SHERIFF, COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!” Screamed a voice from the other side of town, which was only a few dozen yards down the road.

I leaned out the side of my cover and took a glance at the group that had entered the town. There were at least twenty of them, if not more. At the front of the group stood a pink unicorn stallion with purple hair.

He smiled as he pulled out a mean looking revolver. “Give them something to… remember us by.” He ordered his group and immediately they began to open fire on random buildings.

Dandelion looked over to me. “Show time.” He told me as he popped up from cover and fired a wild and inaccurate shot which missed the entire group, failing to hit a target. They directed their fire to us and I lept behind the brick corner of the home which we were standing in front of.

“Goddess dammit Dandy… if you get me killed I’ll come back and kill you myself.” I scowled as a bullet chipped away at a brick near my face. Gunfire began to chatter all around town as Marshal Ray and the other two deputies: Rose and Carnation, shot back at the group. The group spread out and placed a volume of fire on the three law bringers.

“Where the hell are Harry and John?!” I yelled but Dandelion simply shrugged then leaned out from behind his cover and fired another shot before ducking back to cover.

I looked around for Billy who was also missing. Where the hell did they all decide to go all of a sudden?

The group of gang members began to push their way down the street while they kept us all suppressed under a hail of lead. I got this sudden feeling that things were going to end very badly for us.

I peeked out from around the corner, looming over top of dandelion who was crouched down and reloading his rifle. One of the stallions rushed forwards wielding dual revolvers. He slid behind some crate boxes by the general store then popped up and began to fire at me.

I ducked back behind the cover of the wall as bullets chipped away at the bricks. I muttered a curse to myself then heard some sort of horn that was rather annoying. I looked down to the other side of the street just as some crazy looking contraption came barreling into town. Actually I recognized this ‘Motorized’ automobile from various news articles. Some sort of automotive transport vehicle meant for leisurely activities or something. This one was different from the ones I saw in the magazines though.

This one had grey metal plating all over the vehicle and a big box looking compartment on the back.

The group of cattle rustlers all concentrated their fire on the vehicle and the rounds seemed to ping off the armour plating that encased most of the automobile. The horn sounded again as the vehicle skidded in a complete 180 in the middle of town. Suddenly the back compartment door busted open and John unveiled the Vickers machinegun then let loose.

The machinegun chattered as it drowned out the sound of the rustler’s guns. The groups quickly dispersed behind cover as several of them were knocked off their hooves by the tremendous firepower of the machinegun. The pink stallion, whom I presumed to be their leader, ducked behind a building wall.

One of the stallions tried to run and gun but John quickly swung the machinegun his way and chopped him away with a burst of auto fire. Another stallion burst from cover and John swung the gun barrel towards the speedy stallion who soon took to the air. John shot him out of the air and the pegasus crash landed into the window of the house across from the saloon.

John ceased firing and the machinegun barrel continued to wisp out smoke. As all the cattle rustlers dispersed behind cover I heard John chuckle. “Welcome to Dodge.” He greeted in a gruffly vocie and I shook my head in disappointment from the cheesy one liner.

Third person:

John lept out from the back of the truck and quickly raced over to the marshal and his deputies. Harry on the other hand, kicked open the driver side door and lept out, brandishing his Colt Walker with a wide grin on his face.

As the cattle rustlers realized the machinegun had stopped firing they rushed back into the streets but weren’t expecting what they got. Harry laughed as he pointed his battle saddle mounted Lewis machinegun towards the group and opened up.

He swung the machinegun barrel in large arcs and swept down any-pony foolish enough to stay in the open long enough for him to get a shot on them. The machinegun quickly chugged through its entire pan magazine but that didn’t bother Harry who simply laughed again as he began to stroll down the street like a smartass. A cattle rustler burst from cover and Harry simply snapped up his mighty revolver in his hoof then fired.

The black powder revolver emitted a loud BANG and a furious muzzle flash erupted from the barrel as it spat out a .44 caliber lead shot ball which collided with the cattle rustler and kicked him off his hooves.

Several other stallions burst from cover but Harry got a wicked grin on his face and quickly fired the remaining five shots in his revolver before holstering the beastly revolver and attempting to reload his Lewis machinegun which was still empty.

The pink stallion took notice of this and quickly fired an aimed shot at the lunatic stallion known as Harry. Harry cried out in pain and fell back as a bullet collided with his front shoulder.

“HARRY!” Ray yelled out then peeked out from cover and fired several shots towards the pink stallion who ducked behind a pile of crates. Ray motioned for Rose and Carnation to go grab Harry. Both deputies nodded then galloped off towards the injured stallion who withered on the ground in pain.

By the train station sat a stallion with a Colt revolving rifle, fitted with a full length scope which optics were terribly dirtied. He was crouched and waiting for his opportune moment to strike, which had finally come.

He spotted the two deputies rushing out to save their friend and fired a single shot towards one of them. The round struck the deputy he was aiming for and the stallion smiled. Suddenly a thunderous crack sounded out and the stallion was kicked back as a 30-06 round slammed into his shoulder, failing to kill him but rendering his marksmanship abilities useless.

Atop of the cherry factory sat Billy with the scoped Springfield 1903 rifle. He racked the bolt, ejecting the spent cartridge. He had hit what he was aiming for.

Carnation grabbed both Harry, who could now stand and hobble along, and the badly wounded Rose. He dragged them along to the cover of the medical clinic and took cover.

John moved along the backside of the buildings with his double barrel Colt shotgun in both hooves. A stallion dashed around the back corner of a building and gasped as he found himself in the presence of The Lone Ranger.

John gave him both barrels and the concussive blasts kicked the stallion several feet back with a big blast hole through the stallion’s chest. John cracked open the shotgun break barrel and slid two fresh shells into the still smoking barrels then clacked the shotgun shut.

As Dandelion spotted his injured friends he quickly dashed off towards them, leaving Daring all alone. She was about to dash off with him when two stallions rushed her, keeping her pinned behind cover with a volley of shots from their lever action rifles.

Daring swore to herself. Even with everything the way it was, she still couldn’t bring herself to kill any-pony. She quickly took a glance of her immediate surroundings and decided to break through the side door of the cherry factory just as the stallions began to fire at her again.

Daring quickly took a glance to the surroundings inside. There was no legitimate place to hide. She could go through the front doors and try to find cover but might end up getting shot while doing so.

She looked to the staircase and quickly galloped over to it then rushed up to the roof access. The stallions entered the building only to see a wisp of black tail go through the roof access door. They both chased after her.

John walked along on his hindlegs and three stallions burst from cover. John triggered the right barrel and 12gauge buckshot blasted the first stallion away. John quickly swivelled his aim to another stallion and fired off the second barrel with a loud KA-BOOM.

The buckshot picked the stallion off his hooves and his limp body mass slammed into the last stallion. They both fell to the ground and John simply gave the third stallion a knockout kick which successfully incapacitated him non-lethally.

John looked over to the cherry factory to see two rustlers enter it then looked up to the roof to see Billy firing his M1903. John quickly cursed to himself as he loaded two fresh shells into his shotgun.

Daring rushed onto the roof and spun Billy around, who was shocked and surprised by Daring’s sudden entrance. “Why hello beautiful… what brings yah tah me?” he asked in a calmer tone.

“Billy, they’re coming up the stairs!” Daring exclaimed and Billy gulped. He quickly ushered Daring over to behind the roof entrance so that the cattle rustlers wouldn’t immediately be able to spot them when they entered the roof.

The two rustlers entered the roof and quickly glance around. Billy leveled his rifle sights on one of the stallions just as the two began to swear and curse about where Daring could have went.

Daring leaned over to Billy and whispered to him. “Do it already… before they see us.” Billy’s hooves began to shake and he couldn’t keep his aim on the stallion. He gulped in nervousness. The two rustlers turned around and gasped in shock as they finally spotted Daring and Billy.

Just as they went to draw their rilfes down on the duo, the roof access door burst open and the first rustler was taken off his hooves by a double blast of buckshot which sent him tumbling off the rooftop.

John held the shotgun completely sideways and crosschecked the stallion off the roof. John accidentally lost his balance at the last moment and the stallion grabbed hold of John’s duster coat flaps and pulled him down.

The rustler’s body smashed through the porch overhang of the factory and his body broke the fall for John but he still wasn’t feeling the greatest from the impact of the fall. His shotgun, luckily, hadn’t been damaged at all.

Elsewhere in the town, Ray broke from cover then slid behind cover in front of the house closer to the saloon. He unslung the M1897 pump action trench gun and waited for his opportune moment.

He was about to break from cover when suddenly a couple of shots fired at him from the train station. He ducked back behind the cover of the barrels he was hiding behind and waited for another moment. He took a quick glance to the train station before leaping up and galloping across the street. In his old age of 59, he found it rather hard to pace his fast movements while holding a shotgun. ‘Goddess, what I’d give to be young again.’ He thought to himself.

Bullets kicked up dirt and debris all around Ray’s hooves and blasted away chips of wood on the saloon building as he neared it. Ray lept through the front doors of the saloon and crashed through several gambling tables, knocking gambling chips and wooden splinters all over the floor.

The ponies of the saloon had all hidden behind the bartender counter. As they heard Ray crash through the front doors, several of them peeked up to see him. The bartender opened his mouth. “How yah feeling marshal?” he asked and Ray groaned as he lifted up his heard.

“Old.” He replied as he groaned in pain and got up.

John groaned a little as he rolled off the dead cattle rustler and quickly crawled behind cover. That fall had really done a number to him and he didn’t plan on doing that again anytime soon.

He cracked open the shotgun barrel and loaded two fresh shells then slung the shotgun around his back and drew his custom M1911. “Time for a little payback.” He muttered through a wince of pain.

He slipped out from behind the cover of the barrels then to the wall of the clinic. He peeked out into the street to see that the cattle rustlers were almost all dispatched. John quickly slipped around to the back of the building then bumped into Daring just as she exited the factory from the side exit.

“Why hello there, fancy meeting you… here.” John said through a grunt of pain. Daring rushed up to him and quickly went to support his weight.

“Oh my goddess! John are you alright? Please tell me you’re alright.” Daring pleaded and John simply chuckled.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just took a little bit of a fall is all.” He replied then took his weight away from Daring’s support. “Billy, follow me.” He ordered and the stallion nodded then quickly followed John as they both dashed off.

“Hey! What about me?” Daring asked and John looked back to her.

“Don’t worry, they’re almost all gone. You shouldn’t run into any more cattle rustlers. Just stay down.” John assured her then proceeded to dash off with Billy. Daring shook her head in disappointment.

“Pfft, Stallions.” She scoffed.

John ran around back of all the buildings until they reached the back corner of the saloon. John peeked out the side and took a glance to the train station. A train was approaching in the distance.

“Shit… if that train gets here before we finish this… then it’s gonna get real ugly… real fast.” John muttered to Billy who nodded. Billy slung his M1903 across his back and drew out his Luger.

The two dashed across the street and three cattle rustlers noticed the duo. John snapped up the pistol in his left hoof and put his aim to the group then emptied the entire magazine capacity at the group as they galloped along.

The two slid through the front doors of the train station and behind the cover of waiting benches. The stallion whom Billy had wounded earlier was still inside with his pistol drawn. The stallion began to fire wildly at the two and John looked to Billy.

“Shoot him!” He ordered and Billy simply gulped in fear. “Shoot him… Goddess dammit, SHOOT HIM!” John yelled as he slammed a fresh magazine into his M1911. John quickly leaned out with his pistol drawn in his right hoof and fired three rounds in quick succession.

Three bullet holes leaked out blood in the rustler’s chest. He gasped as death took him and simply fell forwards, dead before he hit the ground. John turned to Billy to scold him but another stallion entered through the exit leading to the stables. His rifle was drawn and ready. In shock and fear, Billy quickly snapped up his Luger and fired the entire magazine capacity into the stallion.

The rustler gasped in death as 9mm rounds riddled his body. He slumped over against the train ticket booth and slid down, his blood smearing the wood of the booth red. Billy simply sat there with his Luger still wisping out fumes of smoke from the muzzle. His hoof was shaking but John simply patted him on the shoulder and left out the front doors of the train station, leaving the shocked Billy sitting there alone with a smoking Luger.

Ray saw the pink stallion known as James Jonas burst from cover and make a run for the stables. Ray quickly subdued the muscle pains that seared in his body and made chase after the escaping fugitive.

Jonas noticed Ray and fired several rounds towards the marshal but missed terribly. His gang had been defeated so now was the time to make a getaway. He lept the fence to the stables in hopes of stealing a horse.

He found a suitable stallion and lept on its back. The horse neighed and lept to its hindlegs then began to gallop off. Just as the horse left the stables, Ray lept through the air and tackled Jonas to the ground.

Jonas had the wind knocked out of him but managed to head-butt Ray, knocking the marshal off his body. Jonas stood up, wheezing for air and tried to get a bead on Ray with his revolver.

Ray spotted his action then quickly spun and bucked the revolver out of his hooves. Jonas was knocked back from the force as his revolver was knocked out of his grip. He stumbled back then steadied himself and snarled. “You just bucked with the wrong stallion.” He cursed.

Ray was breathing heavily with a look of mild anger on his face. “You just bucked with the law.” He quoted. The two stallions charged each other and Jonas tried to leap onto Ray. Ray lept to his hindlegs and grabbed the stallion then ground tackled him.

Jonas gasped as he once again had the wind knocked out of him. Ray stood up and mused to himself. “Oh, it is on.” He commented then took a step back from Jonas. Jonas cringed in pain as he stood up then charged at Ray again.

He threw a heavy punch which Ray sidestepped then he grabbed the rustler leader and went to ground tackle him again. Jonas elbowed Ray in the back of the head and Ray fell to the ground in a daze.

Jonas went to curb stomp the marshal but at the last possible second, Ray rolled away from the stomp and kicked Jonas’ knee sideways. The rustler screamed in agonizing pain and staggered out of Ray’s range.

Ray struggled to his hooves but as he did, Jonas lept onto his back. Ray grunted in pain as the pink unicorn began to senselessly beat the back of his head with his hooves. Ray jumped and landed on his back but Jonas’ body broke his fall. The unicorn gasped in pain as Ray went to roll off him.

Jonas grabbed Ray in a headlock the proceeded to try and choke Ray to death. Ray grabbed Jonas’ forelegs with his hooves and began to pry away the death like grip from around his neck.

Jonas quickly shuffled his body and latched his hindlegs around Ray’s neck then began to squeeze with tremendous strength. If he kept this up then Ray would either die from lack of oxygen or have his neck broken. Jonas began to pivot his body and put severe strain on Ray’s neck, almost to the breaking point.

Ray grunted in pain as he clenched his eyes shut and tried to break free of the hold. Ray began to throw feeble punches into Jonas but the punches didn’t faze the unicorn and Jonas simply laughed. “Shouldn’t have fucked with us… old stallion.” He cackled as he went to finish off the marshal.

In an act of extreme effort, Ray grabbed the collar of Jonas’ shirt and stood up to his hindlegs. His neck was still under severe stress but he managed to stagger a few feet over towards a two foot high sitting bench, lift Jonas’ body above his head, then dropped his body onto the bench.

The unicorn’s back cracked against the bench and he screamed out in agonizing pain. His spine wasn’t broken but it had come very close. Ray grabbed the stallion by his left hindleg and began to drag him towards the exit of the stables.

Jonas came to and looked to Ray who wasn’t paying attention to him. He probably thought he was incapacitated. Jonas reached to his waist and pulled out a small double edged knife then sat up. Ray turned just as Jonas stabbed the knife at him.

Ray tried to backpedal but the knife blade caught his lower calf muscle region. The cut split open and leaked blood rather profusely. Jonas shuffled closer to Ray then slashed then knife across his upper leg, cutting open the front of his leg. Ray gasped in pain as Jonas slashed again. Ray grabbed Jonas’ left hindleg and attempted to drag him to make him loose his center of balance but the unicorn was too talented, though to unfocused to use his magic.

Jonas kicked his right hindleg across Ray’s face and the force pivoted Ray’s body slightly and cocked his head to one side. Ray tried to pull him some more but Jonas just kept slashing.

Ray managed to step back but not before Jonas slammed the knife into Ray’s leg, just above the knee. Ray grasped around the knife hilt which was all that was exposed, the rest of the knife was drove deeply into his leg.

Jonas stood up to finish the job. He went to slam multiple punches into Ray’s face but the marshal managed to block a few though many made connections with his face.

Finally, after several punches to the face, Ray grabbed one of Jonas’ hoofs and held it in place. In extreme amounts of pain, Ray pulled the knife out of his leg then slammed it into Jonas’ leg.

The cattle rustler leader screamed in pain then fell back, grasping around the knife hilt. Ray pulled out some noose rope then tied the rope around Jonas’ leg and the other he held with his own hoof. “You’re under arrest.” He informed the criminal then hopped onto a horse and began to drag the fugitive towards the marshal office.

Jonas tried to stand up but ended up just getting dragged across the rugged and rough dirt road, rocks digging into his skin as he cried out in pain. It was no less than what he deserved.

John kneed a stallion in the gut and the rustler doubled over. John noosed the fugitive’s hooves behind his back then began to drag him towards the marshal’s office but as he entered the street he spotted Ray dragging Jonas along the dirt road behind a horse. John smirked, “Well I’ll be damned.”

Author's Notes:

"Welcome to Dodge." "You're under arrest." "You bucked with the law." Sounds like stuff Arnold would say. Anyway I plan to get a few more chapters out before the day's done