High Noon At Dodge Junction

by Gpizano

Brawlin' in the Gorge

After a hard slug to the head, it was hard to know which way was up or down. It almost felt like she was floating in the air...

Applejack found out just how true that feeling was when she opened her eyes and was staring straight down a mighty big gorge. She began to struggle and tried to yell out but found herself bound and a gag in her mouth. As panicked as she was, she still looked around to take in her surroundings, finding the rope around her was tied to a branch of a tree dangling over the edge of said gorge.

"Well, well, lookie who's up." drawled a voice that made Applejack whip her head to look over her shoulder (an action she soon regretted since the throbbing in her head worsened), to glare at the large black and white stallion that was smirking at her. "Don't bother strugglin' none, mah colt Tricks knows his ropin', you ain't gettin' outta' that without deft hooves 'er a knife!" Just as he finished that he heard the rope strain, eyes widening some as Applejack's body flexed, muscle becoming more defined under the soft, supple fur the mare had as she flexed. "Think ya' can grab hold a' somethin' 'fore fallin' to yer' death?" he quickly said, causing Applejack to pause and the smirk to come back to his face "That's right, best not ta' risk it. Otherwise yer' employer might get spooked off."

That just made Applejack glare harder at the stallion, incensed that they would call Cherry here for some sort of ransom attempt! But as much as she wanted to fight back, it just didn't seem smart. She was still outnumbered hanging over the gorge, and even with the rope tied around the tree and into a stake in the cliff edge as she could now barely make out, it'd be hard to break free and grab something with how smooth this particular part of the cliff face was. So with an unhappy, muffled grunt, Applejack let herself hang there for now, praying and hoping that she and Cherry could get out of this okay.

---

The sun was high above her head as she strode into Macintosh Gorge, Cherry's usual mane-do as impeccable as always but she'd forgone anything fancy, opting instead for just a pair of saddlebags with her cutie mark on them and a rope at her side. Despite the heat and the weight of the bags on her, Cherry's determined look never faltered as she kept an eye out for the bandits. It wasn't too much longer before she ran into them and she felt her heart leap up into her throat seeing Applejack dangling over the gorge. However there was a stallion and mare standing in her way, along with a big stallion that came towards her. She recognized all three from the night before...

"Bout time ya' came. Ya' got what we want?" the big stallion asked gruffly.

"Yup. All right here." said Cherry, taking the bags off her back and kicking them so that they slid across the ground to the big stallion.

He regarded it for a moment "Seems mighty small, don'tcha think?"

"S'all bills sugar. Count 'em if'n ya' don't believe me." replied Cherry.

Grunting, he moved to undo the latch to her back and heard a small 'shck' sound that had him confused. It turned out that Cherry had rigged her bags, so that what was essentially the edge of a match book would light along a short fused piece of dynamite and light it. "DYNAMITE!" he yelped, moving to dodge and take cover as did the other two. Luckily for them it wasn't very strong dynamite, a big boom but only with enough power to leave small craters in the ground. But it was enough that it bought Cherry time as she dashed through the smoke and headed right for Applejack!

"Sugah Ah know ya' can break that rope! Do it! Ah'll catch ya'!" cried Cherry, knowing she didn't have enough time once the bandits had recovered as her mouth reached for the rope.

To do this and willingly fall would take a lot of trust in Cherry to catch her. Applejack didn't have a doubt in her mind as she flexed again, grunting and shutting her eyes as the rope groaned and began to give way. Then with a bunch of snaps and pops... she was falling. It was a strange, weightless sensation she had felt before on many adventures but never failed to get her heart racing. She didn't even want to open her eyes to see the ground beneath her that would be her doom!

But then she felt something around her midsection, something that before had been restricting was now comforting. As it tightened and she felt a tug, Applejack opened her eyes and saw her. With the sun behind her, Cherry's features were a little hard to make out but it was all clear. That determined, worried look in her eyes, the grit of her teeth, the way she flexed that muscle made from years of hard work. It was too terrifying to think about at that moment during the adrenaline rush but when Applejack looked back on it, she would hold that image as ultimately breathtaking.

The blonde mare was hoisted high into the air from that powerful tug, the three bandits still rushing towards them but the mare would turn her body so that she'd ultimately land on all four hooves, with enough force that she kicked up a dust cloud and made those bandits come to a halt! She hit them with a glare before she rushed forward, turning and hitting the big stallion with a mighty buck that sent him back into a boulder and shattered it, causing the remaining stones to cover him in a pile.

Cherry would get in on the fray as well! Landing a solid punch to the other stallion's jaw before taking the rope she used to save Applejack and wrap it around the mare's hind leg as she tried to get away, reeling the last bandit back in before both she and Applejack used the rope to tie up all three. They wouldn't leave them hanging, just to be fair, but it'd be hard to get too far before a posse was sent their way to apprehend them.

"Thanks Cherry, ya' really got me out of a situation there n' Ah appreciate ya' doin' that." said Applejack, shooting the older mare an appreciative smile as they started to head out of the gorge.

"Think nothin' of it sugah, Ah'm just glad yer safe." said Cherry, stopping and pulling Applejack into a hug, this one a little on the long side and... well, Applejack thought it was intimate. However it ended before she could return it but that cursed blush was there, so she took off her hat and fanned herself "Mighty hot out here." she said, glad that Cherry seemed to buy it.

"Guess so." said Cherry, a bit of what could be called a coy smile tugging at her lips as they headed back for Dodge Junction.

Author's Note:

Well bandits easily taken care of... but this is far from over.

Stay tuned kids!