Wellp I did this against better judgement but as a cowgirl and a fangirl and someone who has seen practically every true Western out there I had to do this… plus some fans prodding didn't hurt. I have created the Western AU for Strange Magic. Somebody stop me…

Marianne Fairchild gritted her teeth as she fanned herself politely in the church. God, she hated how hot it was here in the summer. She sighed as she twisted in the hard wooden pew as a bead of sweat trickled down her spine between the nonexistent space between her corset and her flesh.

It wasn't helping that the pastor's sermon was dragging on into mid-afternoon. She was all for a good old fashioned fire and brimstone sermon, especially ever since her two timing son of a snake fiancé was caught cheating on her with some hussy at a whore house by none other than Marianne herself.

Of course all her accusations meant nothing when people found out a respectable lady like her, daughter of the Mayor of Rio de Hadas, who had studied back East and even a year abroad in England. By all rights she should be a proper lady of high breeding and respectability, so what was she doing anywhere near a saloon in the first place?

The answer?

It was complicated.

She was just so excited about getting married to the eligible handsome perfect man in the west. At least that's what she thought. She had heard that he was drinking with some buddies in the saloon and she had gone to bring him a little gift and token of her undying affections… at least they were undying until she found the sorry dog and that hussy draped all over one another.

To make matters worse he acted like it was no big deal, and kept trying to gain her affections after she declared the wedding off. Her sister, Dawn, was flabbergasted but knew her sister enough to know that she had her reasons.

As a matter of fact he was sitting right beside her in church today. But he wasn't listening to the pastor. Instead he was trying to make another move to get Marianne back in his good graces. He kept moving closer and his shoulder was brushing hers now.

Marianne's teeth were grinding together in rage and the straw that broke the camel's back came when his hand brushed over hers and lighted on her heavily skirted knee. Marianne's fan snapped shut drawing some looks from the people around her, and before Dawn could stop her, once she recognized the look in her sister's eye, Marianne had punched Sheriff Roland in the mouth.

Without another word she stood and stormed out the church, vowing to pray extra after this. She gave a huff and knew she would hear it from her father as soon as they got home. She didn't care. He had pushed it too far. So Marianne hiked up her skirt a little, none too scandalous, and started through the barren streets, everyone was in the chapel, save the drunkards still swimming in their swill from last night.

Marianne stormed down the streets and straight to her house. She slammed into her house and started upstairs to her bedroom. Sitting down at her vanity Marianne huffed, pulling the fancy pins from her fancy hat and unbuttoning her fancy dress to change into her riding outfit.

Nothing made her feel quite so much better, so healed, so free, as a good long ride out on the ranges. She slipped her secreted gun belt around her waist. She had bought the pearl handled colt and the matching dagger from a trading post on her way back out west to Rio de Hadas. She had started practicing with it in secret whenever she took her long rides out to the ranges and she was a damned good shot if she did say so herself, able to, intentionally, shoot a single barb off a cactus from ten feet away.

Marianne wove her long brown curls into a braid and went out back to saddle her horse and take off. She had just hefted her large saddle onto her gelding's back when she heard a voice behind her.

"Miss Marianne," she spun hand flying to her chest in surprise.

"Oh," she gasped. "Sunny, I thought you were at the church."

"You sorta stunned the old pastor to silence with that punch. Course you sorta stunned everybody with that one. Don't worry. Your father and sister aren't home yet. Need some help with Gunner?" he asked holding up the bridle. The horse dipped his head and took the bit from him as he slipped the leather headstall onto him.

"Thanks, Sunny," Marianne said, planting a foot in the stirrup and pulling herself up into the saddle, taking the reins from the farm hand. Yes, her father was the mayor, but her father owned a good sized patch of land, no sprawling ranch but a decent little farm.

Sunny smiled at her and opened Gunner's stall door. Marianne gave a shout of thanks and took off like a shot out of town, leaving a trail of dust like she was an outlaw hightailing it to her hideout. She just had to get away for a while.

000

Meanwhile on the other end of town a gang of outlaws known as Los Duendes gathered, their boss a long, thin, imposing figure, clenched the reins of his horse tighter in his leather gloved hand. His free hand reached to his hip and unlashed his hog-leg. He turned to his right hand man, a goofy little man with an overbite who was none too bright and obviously hadn't got much further than the first grade in grammar school, and the rough and tumble rotund woman who was more brains than the first but not near as much as she thought.

"Look at all those rich suckers coming out of their Sunday meeting," chuckled the gang boss darkly. "All those baubles and jewels look rather cumbersome in this heat. What say you boys we relieve these good folks of their burdens."

He received unanimous shouts of agreement from his posse. He grinned a smile brimming with crooked teeth and eyes were dark with glee.

"Let's ride!"

Well here's the first chapter! Goooooooodddd this is going to be my brainchild! I thought that was going to be Shilo's story noooooooo heart-of-the-dragon on tumblr and 50% of the rest of the Strangerverse said otherwise…. Thanks guys. :P