Pinocchio goes to Tombstone:

Featuring the Fantasy Characters;

Geppetto, Pinocchio, Lampwick / Romeo, Stromboli, John Worthington / Honest John, Gideon, The Blue Fairy.

And the historical characters;

Virgil Earp, Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, John Henry "Doc" Holliday, Mary Katherine "Big Nose Kate" Horony, Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Billy Claiborne, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Johnny Ringo, Frank Stillwell, Pete Spense / Elliot Larkin Ferguson, Johnny Behan.

Cameo appearances in the first chapter by;

Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck and Doofus McQuack.

Chapter 1 - Bad News From Duckburg

Pleasure Island, Collodi, Tuscany, Italy, 1882:

Within a month after Geppetto's return Pleasure Island was back in the business of boarding and schooling the orphans and unwanted children of Tuscany as well as being an amusement park for both them and paying customers. Lampwick's popular sling shot shooting gallery was back in business as was the roller coaster. This time as an open air ride built to more spectacular specifications than it had either originally or as a boy to donkey conversion machine. The school was rebuilt to its original specifications and no sign that had ever been stables for selling boys into slavery as donkeys remained. Pinocchio and Lampwick reverted to their old habits from before the Ringmaster took over the Island of attending their regular schooling there and going to the Duckburg side of the connection to attend Junior Woodchuck meetings. Pinocchio and lamp wick also added some new things to the Duckburg side the most important of which was meeting place for a Chickadee troop that adjoined the Junior Woodchuck meeting house. This was because girls were included in the children to be boarded on the Pleasure Islands again and Pinocchio and Lampwick saw them as wanting to be a part of a Junior Woodchucks like organization as well. There were also special parts of the Child Boarding areas of both Islands dedicated to the needs of girls. However for most Pleasure Island residents operating the rides and games and being part of the island's shows became more fun for them than merely riding and playing them and park operation became a part of their schooling.

However once again bad news hampered this otherwise happy scene. Usually when Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck and Doofus McQuack came to the Collodi side it meant some Junior Woodchuck function or simply that they wanted to visit their new found friends from 1882 Tuscany. But not this time.

"The Coachman broke jail!" Huey announced. "He seemed to have been helped by some kind of Giant Scorpion conjured up magically by another man in what looked to be a marching band uniform with a yellow coachman like top hat."

"That man you describe as having helped the Coachman escape is the Ringmaster" Pinocchio returned, "The adopted son of the Coachman and the one who took over this Island for a time last month."

"So that means that we have two creeps that can turn boys into donkeys on the loose and one of them can also conjure up Godzilla sized scorpions!" Dewey said. "Isn't that wonderful !" he continued sarcastically.

"Well we knew that this was coming for at least a month." Pinocchio showed the duck boys one of the new wanted posters now placed all over Pleasure Island and also over Italy as well bearing the photographs of the Coachman and the Ringmaster. As these posters were in Italian the duck boys had to resort to the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook to read them.

"That's a rather big reward in both Lira and Dollars that they are putting out for them." Doofus said. "I never wanted to ever see them again and now I would like to be the one to capture them."

"I think Everybody would." Pinocchio returned. "But they are nowhere to be found in the Italy of this time."

"Perhaps they are in Duckburg." Lampwick returned. "Maybe the Junior Woodchucks or the Duckburg police should set up posters with a big reward all over the place like this."

"I doubt that they are in Duckburg either." Pinocchio returned.

"What makes you think that?" Louie asked.

"A month ago I had a dream in which I was fighting their scorpions at the same time as another mortal fight was occurring on the end of a street opposite where the scorpions and I were in a place called Tombstone in the Arizona Territory of a world a few months younger than this one where this version of Tuscany is only known as a fairy tale." Pinocchio answered.

All of a sudden the sky a blue light showed up before the boys. It materialized into the Blue Fairy. This was the first time the fairy ever showed up like this in the daytime.

"You don't have to tell me that another trip is coming." Pinocchio told the fairy. "I knew it was coming for at least a month now."

"You should." the fairy returned. "I was the source of that dream you had. However I felt you should have a break from your journeys for me until the Coachman and the Ringmaster proved themselves to be a danger again. Well they have. They have built an amusement park designed to turn boys into donkeys on outside Tombstone in the Arizona Territory of America in the 1881 of a timeline where your timeline only exists as a fictional children's story. Because of this your trip there wont violate any causality laws relating to your previous existence here in the year 1881."

"There is another thing about this new ride through the Wishing Star." Pinocchio said. "In the dream I was a living puppet again. Why is this necessary for this trip."

"That is for your own protection." The fairy returned. "The only thing the Tombstone of the Earp Brothers and the Dodge City of Matt Dillon have in common is that they are both 19th century Western American towns. Tombstone is much more dangerous because it is inhabited by people like "Doc" Holliday and the Clanton, McLaury gang all of whom specialize in giving you an extra navel by the most expedient means possible. Also "Doc" Holliday has Terminal Consumption and can easily spread it to your boy form should you come across him."

"But I will be dealing with the giant scorpions that the Ringmaster is capable of popping up if the dream is completely true."

"That is why for this trip you will be armed, but NOT against people." the fairy said. "I'm authorized to give you a weapon similar in form to the western "Peacemaker" but one that will only be effective against creatures of magic like the Ringmaster's enlarged scorpions or any other monsters he might "pop up" as you say."

"Will I be allowed to have anyone accompanying me on this trip?" Pinocchio asked.

"Yes," the fairy answered. "You may take your father Geppetto and your adopted brother Romeo, Stromboli should also accompany you because of his experience with puppets and his wagons which you will definitely be needing for transportation and you should also consider taking John Worthington and Gideon along with you. As for the Huey, Dewey, Louie and Doofus, I would like you four to get some Junior Woodchuck leaders to come over to this side and help them hold the fort here while Geppetto, Stromboli, John Worthington and Gideon are gone."

"You mean you don't want us for Tombstone?" Huey asked rather sadly.

"As I said before I think that place is simply to dangerous for non native flesh and blood boys weather duck or human. That's why I'm insisting that Pinocchio re assume the puppet form for this trip. And anyway even with the help of Junior Woodchuck leaders I think you will find running both parks and child care centers to be excitement enough.

Even though the prospect of another trip was known for a month Geppetto was still not prepared for it. However as soon as Pinocchio told him of the Fairy's appearance Geppetto got the new assignment's participants organized and waiting at the great oak doors of Pleasure Island. These Included Pinocchio, Lampwick, Stromboli together with his puppets, wagons and horse, John Worthington and Gideon. Both of these took special pains to dress themselves so that they would look like humans in accurate animal like theatrical costume rather than real anthropomorphic animals. The arrangements trip would have the participants pose as a puppetry and theatrical troupe looking to perform in Tombstone's famous Bird Cage Theater.

The Blue fairy then placed one of her transport bubbles around the group. At this point all of its members were armed with Colt SAA Revolvers but with hollow glass cylinders replacing the regular bulleted cartridges in them and Pinocchio became a puppet again this time voluntarily and not at the behest of a wicked sorceress like Magica De Spell. "Those glass cylinders do not kill but will capture within them anything using magic to take advantage of you when the hammer falls on them." The fairy said. "They can also be used to capture the Coachman and the Ringmaster and transfer them to the appropriate police authorities in Duckburg and Collodi respectively. This time we will capture and imprison the both of them for sure. Remember however we're not using them as such these are still firearms and ammunition under the law of Tombstone in the period of 1881 that you will be going to and will have to be "checked" at one of the entrance corrals to the town. You should also have one of the Coachman and Ringmaster wanted posters with you as maybe the Earp brothers can help you with their location when they are actually in town.

"We have one." Geppetto said. "It's under Pinocchio's hat with Jiminy."

"So you are still seeing Jiminy as a part of your family even though you have your own conscience now." The fairy said to Pinocchio. "More proof that I have chosen right for both him and you. Now we must get going." The fairy lifted the transport bubble into the sky toward the wishing star.

Tombstone, Arizona Territory, 1881;

Once the transport bubble landed outside of town the group took assigned positions in the wagons. Stromboli and Geppetto took the front wagon with Stromboli being the driver as only he could handle the horse. John Worthington, Gideon, Lampwick and Pinocchio took the last one. Their first stop in town was the Marshal's office. Like in Dodge City this was a brick and plaster building designed to contain a secure jail. Its front office contained three desks each occupied by a man with dressed all in black except for their white shirts and silver Marshall's badges with rather large moustaches. One of these men had a moustache of a very long handlebar type. This was the one that Geppetto addressed. "Is this the place where you check firearms if you aren't going to any of the corrals according to your local Ordinance number 9.

"Yes," The handle bar mustached man said. "You can check them here, leave them in your wagons if they are going to be your place to stay while you are here or check them at any hotel you are going to be staying at. You simply can't carry them on your person on the public streets that fall within the town limits."

"I'll just check them here for now." Geppetto said. "We are simply a puppetry and theatrical group interested in getting an engagement at the Bird Cage Theater because we heard that it is the best theater in the western territories. We are not interested in bringing any violence against people into your town. You will soon see when I bring the rest of the troupe in to check their firearms." Geppetto left the office and came back with Pinocchio, Lampwick, Stromboli, John Worthington and Gideon.

"Well," the handle bar mustached man said. "You are an amazing troupe indeed. I would swear that the ones costumed as a fox and a cat were actually a fox and a cat if I didn't know any better and that the younger boy in the Tyrolean outfit was really a marionette puppet without strings. Now come on, this perfect level of costuming doesn't happen in a simple theatrical troupe. Tell me the reason you are really here."

"Well, if you must know we are somewhat lawmen ourselves and after a couple of criminals wanted in our home country that are believed to be here." Geppetto said. "Pinocchio, give this man the poster you are keeping under your hat."

Pinocchio gave the handle bar mustached man his poster being sure not to reveal the matchbox containing Jiminy Cricket which was also under his hat. Even though the handle bar mustached man could not read the Italian its words were printed in he knew all too well what the poster was. He had seen plenty of similarly formatted posters in English in his years as a lawman. It was a wanted poster."

"Have you seen either of them here." Pinocchio asked.

"Yes," the handle bar mustached man answered. "They are the ones building the amusement park outside town."

"That's bad news." Geppetto returned. "Their criminal activity in the old country always involved a special method of kidnapping and selling children into slavery that I'm not at liberty to go into at the present time through the use of amusement parks. By the way what is your name if we should have to meet on this again.

My name is Geppetto, the boys are my sons Pinocchio and Romeo, The ones costumed as a fox and a cat are John Worthington and Gideon and the one dressed as a Gypsy is our puppeteer Stromboli when we do function as a theatrical troupe."

"I'm Wyatt Earp." The handlebar mustached man said. "The older man is my brother Virgil and the younger one is my brother Morgan."

Virgil Earp was looking at the guns that the group surrendered. He found that the firing pins were filed so that they would never touch the primer of a real cartridge and that the cartridges in them and in their cartridge belts were made of some glass like material. "It is not necessary to check these Mr. Geppetto." Virgil said. "From what I can see they have been modified into harmless stage props and Ordinance Number 9 only applies to fully functional firearms and knives. Just keep these in your wagons or your hotel room until whatever performance you intend to put on with them and they will be okay."

With that Geppeto and his group left the Marshal's office for the wagons. There he locked the guns up in the cage that Stromboli used to lock Pinocchio up in during his second change into a puppet. He then returned to the marshals office and asked Vergil Earp "Where would the Bird Cage Theater and the New Amusement park be?"

"The Bird Cage Theater is on Allen Street," Virgil answered. "For the amusement park which is called Pleasure Town just follow Allen Street or Freemont Street to the south and out of town. However I strongly recommend that you don't go there looking for any theatrical engagements."

"Why not," Geppetto asked.

"There was a very unusual death of a prospector near Pleasure Town about a week ago." Virgil answered. "I mean, I've seen people shot, knived, swung, scalped and drowned but this guy was digested from the inside out, like it was the work of some giant spider or scorpion that did the job.

"I can tell you right now it was a scorpion that did it." Geppetto said. "These people I'm after are quite adept in turning normal animals and venomous vermin into monsters. I can tell you that is the absolute truth because either I or my sons had to deal with three of their monsters already two overgrown sperm whales and one overgrown scorpion."

"Then it would seem that you are as ready to deal with your destiny as I am mine." Virgil said as he noticed a middle aged bearded man walking the sidewalk in front of the Marshal's office. "That's Ike Clanton and he would sooner give you an extra navel as look at you."

"If he doesn't walk too far out of town in the wring direction and the Ringmaster's scorpions don't give him one first." Geppetto said.

"Ringmaster," Virgil said. "Who is he?"

"He is the younger African man on Pinocchio's poster." Geppetto returned. "The older British one is known simply as the Coachman."

"Well, I'll be seeing you at the Bird Cage Theater if you ever attend shows there." Geppetto said as soon as he could see that Ike Clanton was well out of the way and then left the Marshal's office. He then got on the driver's seat of the first wagon with Stromboli. "We have to find a street called Allen Street to find the theater." Geppetto told him.

Next - Pleasure Island in the Desert.

Pinocchio and Lampwick spy out the Coachman's and the Ringmaster's latest amusement park from a safe distance. (Remember those monster scorpion guards.)

Note - The reason I'm using scorpions rather than whales at the newest park's monster guards in this story is because they fit the new park's and Tombstone's desert surroundings better than whales do. ;c)