In the uncommon deserts of Equestria, The sun was the biggest threat of all.

Sure, you have your outlaws and predators that prey on unsuspecting travelers that dare to gallop on the dirt roads but the sun is the killer of the desert. If you were dumb enough to not bring water when venturing out to the wild west, Kiss your flank goodbye and consider it tanned and rugged for a coyote's taste of a rustic cave.

Hence is why the train was invented as it kept its passengers cool from Celestia's most loving but unknowingly deadly bulb in the sky.

Unfortunately, trains can't be occupied for all of Equestria, most notably for earth ponies with carts full of heavy goods.

Which is why the dangers of the desert are relevant for these travelers. But the earth ponies are a hardy group and are brave enough (or foolish enough) to journey through the wilds of Equestria!

….

…Or also stubborn enough like Applejack was, who was pulling a big but empty cart on a bleak trail with nothing but the barren desert to keep her company.

The stetson wearing, country pony was coming home from a delivery to a town called……"The town with no name."

Applejack reminded herself to ask Starlight if they could give the town a real name. They couldn't call it Starlight's village as she doesn't live there anymore.

Applejack was done delivering a buck load of apples for her strong but quiet brother, Big Mac as he had caught a terrible flu. Applejack took over his usual delivery route for "the town that needs a name" while her friends offer to help with the farm until she gets back.

The apples were for a unicorn baker named Sugar Belle, whom she remembered that had cooked muffins that made shed rattlesnake skin taste like Pinkie Pie's "Super Duper Chocolate Filling Cinnamon Frosting Cupcakes." Luckily, ever since she got her cutie mark back, Sugar Belle made treats that made traveling though a scorching desert to a lame named town worth it.

Of course, the pony herself was worth it for Big Mac.

Applejack heard of Big Mac and Sugar Belle being together from Applebloom when she and her filly friends snuck aboard his cart and helped him win her heart.

So there was a double reason for Applejack to deliver the apples. To meet the pony that her brother had fallen over hoofs for.

Applejack was eager when she arrived at "Dang nabit! This town needs a name!" to meet Sugar Belle. She was very happy that Big Mac finally found a mare. Both for wanting her brother to be happy and finally stopped being sought out by other mares back at Ponyville….She somehow doubts that it'll stop. Doggone snippers or whatever they're called she had cursed in her head.

When she arrived at Sugar Belle's shop and explained to her that Mac was feeling ill hence why she is delivering in his place. They caught up and Applejack saw the dreamy look on the unicorn's face when Big Mac is mentioned. She told her about how Big mac made her a brand new display case for her treats. After he had stopped being ridicules and did something that truly showed his love for her.

Applejack enjoyed her time chatting with Sugar Belle but midway through, she noticed how eerily similar she is to someone. Someone that belonged from Applejack's past.

She kept it to herself and helped Sugar Belle unload the apples. She then heads for home after Sugar Belle gave her a girlishly pink letter covered in hearts to give to Applejack.

After walking miles on the road, Applejack is alone with her thoughts. Troubled by pictures from happy times but somehow gave feelings of sadness.

So distracted by her thoughts, She failed to notice a strange sound. A noise that sounded like a whirling machine falling though the sky. She didn't noticed it getting louder until it was too late when the object the sound belong to painfully crashed in to her.

Painfully lying on her back, she shook her head to get rid of the flying Winonas….She then noticed that she can't move as she felt a great weight that even Bulk Biceps would have trouble lifting. She looked to see the dumb grin from the fattest pegasus that she had ever seen that sat on top of her, pinning her hooves under his giant brown fur rump.

He looked behind him, excitingly shouting,

"I got her pinned, boys! I got her pinned!" His voice clearly showing his low IQ.

Applejack struggled to look behind the possibly inbred pony as his number of teeth matched his brain level and saw two other pegasus that were in much better shape. One had silver fur with red hair and was mostly lanky while the other was very muscular, covered in fiery orange fur and a short cropped black mane. She noticed that they were clearly dressed up in desperado clothes and realized what was going on.

This was a stick up!!

"Why you no good sons of decaying vultures! Blindsiding and robbing ah mare on her way back Home!" She shouted angrily.

"Yer lucky that this embodiment of gluttony pinned me down or otherwise, Ah buck you so hard that y'all grandchildren gonna need wheelchairs." She threatened.

Said sin just gave off a brain dead look at nothing.

The way more smart ones weren't scared by the threat and laughed at the mare. Or really, the lanky one did, as the muscled one just gave a steely look that send a small sliver of unease though Applejack's skin.

He then went to the crashed cart while the lanky pony kelt down near Applejack's head and suddenly snatched her stetson hat and replace it from his own hat on his head.

"Hey! That don't belong to ya!" she yelled.

"Ya, thats why I stole it. ya know, being desperado." Teased the Pegasus, his voice an obnoxious surfer pony kind. Might've been a pony from the East coast that thought robbing in the desert was more fun.

He did a poor attempt at country dancing, clearly mocking in front of the now hatless mare, when the muscular pony came back with Applejack's saddle bags.

"There's nothing in the cart but she might have something in these bags." He said to his partner in crime. His voice matching a wendigo's cold wind.

The two outlaws rummaged through her bags. She tried to lift off the fat pony but couldn't move the dumb brute an inch.

"Hey, lookie here." The lanky criminal said as he pulled out a heart shaped locket with an apple on it. He opened it with his more intimating partner looking over his shoulder. In the locket was a old picture of a family of earth ponies. The biggest one was a pale yellow colored stallion with a matching stetson on his head. On his side was a beautiful mare with a pale tanned fur and a bright yellow mane tied in a pony tail. She was carrying a bundled filly whose fur and mane matches her father. Standing in front of the two adults were two younger ponies, one a mare and the other a colt. The colt was red as an apple with dark blond spiky mane and few freckles on his face. The mare the outlaws figure was their current victim as she had the same features but with her mane tied in pigtails.

The wannabe-outlaw surfer just kept focusing on Applejack's mother.

"Wow, thats a fine mare! you think she dig me if I had the hat instead of the loser she's with?" He asked the his partner.

He then looked over at Applejack. "Of course, you didn't fall from the apple tree yourself. Pun totally intended." He finished the painful sentence by clicking his tongue at her suggestively.

Applejack was just disgusted by his reaction and statement to both her and her mother.

The fiery pegasus was not amused but for different reasons.

"That locket won't fetch a good enough price. I say we take the mare as ransom. She could fetch a good price." Applejack was horrified by his statement.

Gluttony was still looking stupid.

The crude pegasus on the other hand was static by the idea. "Great idea! Blaze Rocker. Hand me some rope and a gag. Cant have some predators come for us when they hear her screams." Lanky ordered.

Blaze Rocker didn't complied as he looked ahead of the group. Lanky and Applejack, who had to look upside down from her position, followed his view and saw a lone figure standing on top of a small hill. The figure stood there until he slowly walked toward them. As he got closer, his features became clear. His cloths were only a red poncho that covered his upper body while on his head was an outback hat with golden cylinders on his band. He wore no boots but had black coverings with spurs on his heels. He had a belt with two holsters carrying two revolvers. Sticking over from behind his shoulder was the stock of a rifle. Applejack could barely see the carving of on the wood which was the cartoonish face of a dead timber wolf what with Xs as eyes and tongue sticking out, comically dead.

The real outstanding feature of the stranger was his race. He had military green colored scales, covered in dust and scars all over. he walked bipedal on his long legs, making him tall as Celestia, maybe even taller.

There was no doubt to Applejack that the stranger was a dragon!

Granted, he was no way the size of a giant dragon but she could tell that the dragon was no child as his green eyes were filled with hardship and firmness.

He stopped a few feet away from the group, With the two outlaws eyeing him with unease and coldness while Applejack looked with hope and yet confusion at who is this stranger.

Gluttony was licking a rock.

The dragon looked at the scene before him with calm but threatening eyes as he pulled the cigarette out from his mouth and smoothly breathed out the smoke from his nostrils.

Only the wind dared to speak over the tension of this stare-down.

Suddenly, some sheep are heard bawling in the distance from over the hill.

"Whats with the jeering thats bothering my sheep?" The dragon spoke as the sheep ruined the moment. But his voice didn't show it as it was low toned, gravelly, and firm.

"….What?" Lanky replied.

"My sheep, the noise over here is unsettling them." The dragon confirmed.

…..Lanky then laughed like a mad pony as he figured that this cowboy dragon has a herd of sheep.

"Well what do ya know. I think our luck has double with a mare and some sheep. Thank Celestia for this day." Lanky cockily praised.

The dragon's glare deepened and put the cigarette back into his mouth.

"I recommend you take fatso and the boot camp reject with you and get out of here or you'll have some a problem." He threatened.

Lacky's smile went away and replaced with a nasty scowl.

"You mean you'll have a problem when I let Blazing Rock deal with you." He threatened back. Stepping aside for him to stand in front of the group.

Blazing Rock gave off the most evil, terrifying look that would make even Tirek cower in fear, Nightmare Moon crying in terror, and Ursa Major's leap out of their fur. A look that made Applejack fear for this stranger's life.

The dragon calmly grabbed his cigarette and held it in his claws.

The Duel was set and the stranger didn't even look ready to pull out a gun, making it, to Lacky's reason, a win for sure.

Applejack watched, sweat on her face from the tension and weight from still brain dead pegasus.

CRACK!!

A sound like a gun shot echoed through the plains but the stranger didn't have a gun in ether hand. It looked as if he didn't move at all.

But Applejack noticed that his cigarette was gone.

She looked over to Blazing Rock. He also stood still like a statue until she noticed the cigarette on his eye with the burnt end on it.

Blazing Rock stood as if he didn't notice the smoking hazard in his eye until he started to shake and did something unexpected.

Run around and scream like a little girl.

The group' eyes followed him in shock at the result of the dragon's cigarette slinging skills. Blazing Rock screamed like a lunatic when tried to ease the pain by franticly rolling around in the dirt.

While he was panicking, The dragon sharply whistled. Applejack then heard thundering hoof steps that were getting closer and closer until she look into her left and saw a big, dark brown mass stampeding towards him.
Gluttony, who manage to react to his now pitiful outlaw friend by staring dumbly, also noticed the hoof stomps and looked toward where Applejack was looking but only ended up getting a face full of tusks. The blow was so strong, it made him fly off of Applejack and crashed landed on Blazing Rock, knocking them both out.

Lanky stood there stunned at what happened as look over the stranger where by his side was what only he could described as a Hogzilla.

He flew straight into air and got into a fighting stance.

"Now look here Dude-" he was interrupted as another loud bang was sounded and the stetson flew off of his head.
More bangs kept coming like a raging thunder storm and it made the hat glide through the air until it safely lands on Applejack's head. She grabs it in shock and saw that the hat was in one piece. Lanky looked back to the dragon to see that he had his winchester rifle out, smoking coming from the barrel. He lifted the barrel straight at the flying pony, clearly daring him to try something stupid. Seeing no way out, Lanky flew away like a bat out of heck. The dragon looked at the two unconscious thugs and back at the still in sight retreating pegasus. He gave another whistle and the Hogzilla charged at the down ponies and rammed his head upward at them, sending them flying. They sailed through sky until they hit Lanky and they all go down to the earth with a gigantic crash. If one would carefully listen, one could hear a faint ow.

With his work done, The dragon quickly and smoothly reloaded his rifle and placed it on his back. He turned toward the blond mare that had a look of pure awe plastered on her face.
The only question running through Applejack's head is this,
who the hay is this dragon?!
….And also how fast she can run away from the pig monster that was giving her the stink eye.

Author's Note

Howdy. To any that had come, I welcome you to my domain of insanity. I also appreciate it if you be honest about what I did right (Yay!) and what I did wrong (Aww). Polite but honesty is the policy here and those that don't follow it will suffer a fate worse then death….A viewing of the Emoji Movie! I know horrifying.
Anyway, stay tune for the next chapter of this abomination I call a story.
…..God Help Us All.