Artist’s comment:
 
Tombstone stared at the unicorn mare who’d appeared out of the dust cloud in my Equestria dreamscape. The newcomer was motionless accept for the constant rolling of a lollipop from side-to-side in her mouth. Her eyes were hidden by the brim of her broad hat of dark rust red felt. A mantle of similar color covered most of her sand colored body. Boots of browned, studded steel and leather sheathed the newcomers legs.
 
Tombstone had instinctively cocked her harmonica carbine with her horn the moment the dust cloud had flared up but she hadn’t shouldered the weapon. Tumbleweed however had drawn one of his pepperboxes and was now sitting on his haunches with it pointed at the newcomer. This didn’t seem to bother the stranger who remained silent expect for the clack a clack sound from the lollipop rolling back and forth in her mouth.
 
Finally after several seconds the newcomer spoke around candy in her mouth with a smoky voice.
 
“Greetings.” She said.
 
“Greetings to you as well.” Replied Tombstone cautiously. She narrowed her eyes and she stared at the mare. “I don’t believe we’ve met before?”
 
“Nope! This is the first time. Although I know all yer names. Yer Tombstone.” She glanced over at the stallion pointing the pistol. “Yer trigger happy friend is Tumbleweed.”
 
She lifted her head and stared at the other two ponies gathered there. Bunsen burner blue eyes peered out from the deep shadows caused by the hat brim and her black mane. The mare looked at the earth pony mare. “You’d be Gear Shaft wouldn’t ya?” She stared at the unicorn stallion with the skimmer hat. “And yer Side Step.”
 
The mare looked around nonchalantly the camp then back at Tombstone. “Ya seem ta be missing a pony? Where’s ya friend Sand Dune?”
 
“He left a couple of days ago. Headed back to Appleloosa to take care of some business.” Lied the mare. “You seem to know our names but you haven’t given yours. Who’d you be?”
 
The newcomer rolled the lollipop back and forth a couple times again. The clack a clack of the hard candy seemed unnaturally loud to everypony gathered, and the smell of the horehound filled the air. Finally she spoke.
 
“Name’s Half-cock. Said the mare.
 
“What bizniss do ya have with us?!” Growled Tumbleweed, his pepperbox still leveled at newcomer.
 
Half-cock levitated her lollipop out of her mouth and slowly pointed it at the stallion. “Ya need ta werk on yer manners there. Lest somepony takes offense ta them someday.”
 
The unicorn returned the candy to her mouth. “Now. As ta what business I have with ya.” The mare’s horn flared again and the front of her mantle parted a bit. Tombstone tensed a bit as she caught glimpse of a double barrel whippet gun weapon hanging from a rig around the mare’s neck. However it was a pendant hanging around her neck from a stout gold chain that was slowly levitated upward for all to see. Tombstone stared at the image of a scale engraved on it.
 
Half-cock slowly started swinging the pendant from side to side as she resumed speaking. “I’m a Scale Bearer fer her highness Princess Celestia and y’all have warrants fer yer arrests. Y’all have been some mighty bad ponies, so I’m bringing y’all back with me.”
 
The moment Half-cock said Scale Bearer, Tombstone whipped the carbine up to her shoulder and leveled it at the mare. “And what if we disagree with this idea?”
 
Half-cock’s horn flared and a curved hemispherical energy shield burst into existence between her and Tombstone’s gang. At same time the whippet gun slung around her neck popped from its quick detach latch. It was joined by two similar weapons that the mare had been carrying on hind leg sheaths. They flew into the air and then leveled themselves at the outlaws. Half-cock kept her weapons floating behind her shield.
 
The mare bit down on the candy, crushing it with her teeth. “I’m bringing y’all back with me. Either dead or alive. That call is entirely up ta ya!”
 
Gear Shaft and Side Step dove behind some crates. Tombstone and Tumbleweed stood their ground though. Their weapons still pointed at the Scale Bearer as Tombstone threw her own force wall up in front of her and Tumbleweed.
 
For a second or so nopony spoke. Finally Half-cock spat the stick from her lollipop onto the ground. “Well now Tombstone. What’ll it be? Ya gonna come back with me walking or as a corpse in a cart? Yer call.”
 
Out of the corner Tombstone’s eye she saw a movement on a cliff edge about 200ft away. It was Sand Dune. Even from here she could see the earth pony stallion slowly bringing his rifle to bear on Half-cock who’s shield didn’t cover her from that angle.
 
Tombstone decided to stall and keep Half-cock’s attention on her. “Well, that depends. If we were to surrender would we actually make it back alive to Equestria, and what chance do we have of getting a fair trial?”
 
From a nearby ledge Sand Dune slowly settled the bead of his rifle’s front sight on the Scale Bearer. Centering the bead in the notch of the rear sight he took a deep breath. He let it half out and then–
 
He never heard the rifle that shot him. The boom arrived after the .40 caliber bullet had passed through his brain transforming it into a red haze. 400 yards away Long Shot sighed.
 
Bad move buddy. She thought.
 
She worked the action on her rifle. The falling block ejected the fired brass shell casing. In one smooth, practiced, motion the earth pony mare stripped a fresh cartridge from the holder mounted on the side of the rifle and seated it in the chamber. Then she slammed the action close. The powder smoke was still drifting away as the mare started looking for her next target through the rifle scope.
 
Never breaking eye contact with Tombstone, Half-cock sighed as the sound of Long Shot’s rifle echoing through the canyon
 
“Well. That’s one less mouth ta feed on the way home.” Muttered the mare.
 
Seeing Sand Dune fall Tombstone dove behind a rusty cast iron cooking stove they’d found in the ruins. Unfortunately to fire her weapon she had to drop her force wall, but she figured the Scale Bearer would have to the same as well. This unfortunately left Tumbleweed with no force wall to protect him, but the stallion just stood there and opened fire with his pepperbox.
 
“Damn it!” He screamed as he unloaded the .36 caliber weapon weapon into the unicorn standing in front of him. The lead balls from his weapon just flattened against the mare’s force wall. He continued firing until both barrels from one of the mare’s levitated weapons roared. The stallion crumpled to the ground in a bloody mess.
 
Tombstone leaned around the stove and fired off 3 shots from her .44 harmonica carbine. She watched as her bullets smacked into her opponent’s force wall and fall to the ground. She dove back behind the stove as another of Half-cock’s whippet guns roared. The cast iron rang as bronze 20ga slugs punched holes through the stove.
 
Shit! That mare can shoot through her own damn force wall! Thought the gunslinger.
 
Keeping one of her weapons trained on the stove Half-cock began reloading the two empty ones. With her telekinesis the mare worked the levers and spent paper and brass cartridges were ejected. From cartridge loops on her vest fresh 20ga shells flew up and into the weapons. Then actions were closed.
 
Having retrieved her shotgun from under her cot Gear Shaft popped from behind a crate.
 
Long Shot caught her movement at the edge of her scope’s field of view. Her reticle moved quickly.
 
You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today. The thought mare as she pressed the trigger lever.
 
Gear Shaft’s shotgun flew out of her hooves as Long Shot’s bullet smashed into it shattering the stock and busting the gun’s lock. The young mare dove back behind the crate.
 
Having found the stove lacking in armor protection, Tombstone fired the last round in her carbine. For good measure she fired a couple of energy blasts from her horn. She then sprinted to a new location behind some crates. Diving behind one she worked the action on the carbine and removed the spent set of chambers. Quickly she pulled a fresh set from her harness and began reloading.
 
Suddenly she was battered again by a violent wind. Just as before the air was filled with stinging sand in dust. Tombstone dropped the set of chambers as she covered her eyes. Then as quickly as it had arrived the wind subsided. Opening her eyes the mare and started looking for the dropped chambers. Spotting them on the ground she reached out for them with her horn.
 
Blam! KaBlam! Two quick shots from above sent the chambers skipping out of reach. A violet pegasus mare with a feather festooned bowler hat and goggles plunged out of the sky and in landed in front of her. The mare leveled a pump action carbine at Tombstone.
 
“Go ahead! Give me a reason! Give me a reason ya bitch!” Roared the pegasus.
 
Tombstone hit the quick releases on the sling and dropped the carbine. Behind another crate Side Step and Gear Shaft slowly sat up and held up their front legs. The fight was over.
 
To be continued.