Dusk had never been more content, more happy and more at peace in his whole life than he was now. He was in a beautiful meadow, the sun shining high in the sky, colourful flowers in full bloom, birds singing with joy. More than that, he was here with the unicorn mare who had captured his heart, Twilight Sparkle, who was marvelling at the splendour of it all.
"Oh Dusk, this is all so wonderful," she whispered. "I feel like I could stay here forever."
"I feel the same." Dusk decided that now was the time, the best moment to tell her. "Twilight, I have something I want to say to you. Something important."
"What is it Dusk? You can tell me anything, that's what friends are for."
"But I want to be more than friends, Twilight." He touched her hoof gently. "Because I… I love you."
Her expression of bliss became one of shock. "You… you love me?"
"Yes, I really do. Do you feel the same?" he asked her.
She stared at him like she had never seen him before. Then, her face hardened into anger and she yanked her hoof away from his.
"What?! No, of course not! How could you even begin to think I would feel like that?
"B-b-but I… I thought that…" This was all wrong, it wasn't meant to be like this.
"You thought wrong." Her rage-filled face faded away, transforming into the others, who all looked equally as angry or disappointed with him.
"Dusk, what were ya thinkin'?" asked Applejack, shaking her head.
"You should have thought more about this," added Fluttershy.
"That was silly of you. Didn't your psychic powers warn you about this?" said Pinkie patronisingly.
"Do you know how lame that was Dusk? Now look what you've done!" yelled Rainbow angrily.
"Well, Dusk, it seems I was wrong about the two of you. I see it now, I don't know what I was thinking," said Rarity regrettably.
"Come on girls, I think we need to leave him alone for a bit," suggested Twilight, still furious at his confession. "To let him think about what he's done?"
"What? No!" They had already started walking away, leaving him in a white void of emptiness. "Please, don't go! Please! Don't leave me…"
They had gone, left him alone. Deep down, maybe he had known he never really fitted in with them, but… he was alone. Like before. Now, nopony would be his friend. He would be alone, forever. He did the only think he could.
He broke down and cried at how pathetic he truly was…
Dusk jerked awake, feeling cold sweat running down his face and breathing heavily. The steady clacking of the train's wheels on the track resounded in his ears. The girls were all still asleep in their beds, the sun streaming through the windows. How long had they been sleeping?
He slowed his breathing, calmed his mind. It had all been a dream, just a stupid nightmare. But… it had seemed so real. Then again, they all seemed real when experienced. It was just his mind, bits of his old fears and some new ones, creeping into his mind, to let his subconscious thoughts do whatever they felt like with them. Everypony has nightmares, Dusk, just breath… you're awake now…
But the nightmare… could there be some truth to it? Could that happen, if he did tell Twilight how he felt about her? Or was it just him being paranoid and imagining the worst-case scenario? He decided to go with the latter, and just tried to forget about it. It didn't do to dwell on dreams, especially when he had enough fears to deal with already.
Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, and that there wasn't much point anyway, he slipped quietly out of bed, placed Twilight's necklace around his neck and put his hat on his head. They were on their way to the settlement of Appleloosa, to deliver one of Sweet Apple Acre's trees, christened Bloomberg by Applejack, to her cousin there, to plant in their apple orchard. They'd all been looking forward to seeing the town and Dusk was no exception. He'd done some reading on the town, though there wasn't much, as it was only a year old.
However, it wasn't just the town he was hoping to see. As he had told Fluttershy, he was eager to see if he could meet the Buffalo tribe that lived nearby. He knew a lot about their culture, their traditions and much more besides. They were a very deep people and he longed for an opportunity to speak to one at least, to show them what he knew and to see what else he could learn. What an opportunity that would be…
At that moment, a sudden crash caused the train to shudder. Dusk fell out of his bed and onto the floor with a painful thud. Rubbing his head, he rushed to the window, the others all having woken up from the disturbance, to see-
"A buffalo stampede!" They hadn't even arrived at their destination, yet here they were.
They were a magnificent sight to behold; twice the size of any full grown pony, their bodies covered thick brown hair. He could see the points of their short, black horns, contrasting with the bright white feathers that adorned their heads. The very ground shook from the dozens of hooves that struck the ground, running together and easily keeping speed with the train.
"I just love their accessories!" remarked Rarity on their feathers.
"They're not just for show though," explained Dusk, remembering what he had researched. "They earn them, or are awarded them for acts of bravery among their tribe. It's a sign of respect and status."
"You mean like being awarded a medal?"
"Exactly," he affirmed. "The chief of the tribe has the most feathers; they adorn his headdress, just so you know who the boss is."
"They're getting awfully close to the train…" said Twilight warily. She was right, they were getting dangerously close. What were they-?
CRASH!
They smacked into the side of the carriage, causing it to rock and sway dramatically. As one mass, Dusk and the girls were sent bouncing and sliding around the room from the turbulence. Every time they tried to pick themselves up, they all went sliding around again, unable to stop themselves.
This didn't make sense. With the exception of acting in self-defense, the buffalo were mostly a peaceful people, yet they were attacking their train without provocation or reason. Why were they doing this?
"Oooh, looky! Now they're doing TRICKS!" They'd stopped attacking the train, but three of them were now standing atop each other, creating a small tower.
They watched as another buffalo, a young calf from the look of her, sprinted and jumped on top of the makeshift tower. Amazingly, they were able to remain like this while running at top speed, without falling off. But to what purpose?
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Now do a back-flip!" The calf then jumped off of the top of the tower and onto the roof of the carriage. "Or... Just jump?"
They could hear her hooves hitting the metal, as she seemed to be running along the top of the train towards the rear. What was she up to?
"Hmm… something tells me this isn't a circus act." With a gust of wind, Rainbow hurried outside, to either fight or just reason with her.
"Come on," Dusk prompted, as they followed the sounds of the hooves on metal from below. Unfortunately, they couldn't hear the exchange between Rainbow and the calf.
Whatever Rainbow Dash tried, she failed to stop her. She reached the rear carriage, uncoupled the cart from the rest and whistled loudly. This must have been a pre-organised signal, as the other buffalo broke off and galloped away, gathering around the carriage and pushing it the opposite way.
"They've got Bloomberg!" cried Applejack. But Dusk could see someone else in the carriage. A certain purple scaly someone, desperately calling for help through the glass.
"And Spike!" both he and Twilight realised.
By the side of the tracks, they could see Rainbow Dash picking herself up. She gave them her cocky smile, then flew off after them back down the tracks, obviously in an attempt to save Spike from his captors.
"Ah hope this tin can on wheels gets ta Appleloosa soon," said Applejack urgently. "We gotta tell ma cousin Braeburn what's happened, he can help us fer sure."
"But why would they want an apple tree?" asked Fluttershy.
"I don't know, but they must have some reason for taking it." Twilight turned to Dusk. "What do you think about this?"
"Well… it is rather strange, to say the least." He swiftly recalled all he knew of the bovines. "I don't think they would just want the carriage itself, what would be the point? That means they must have known what was inside. They have food of their own that they've lived off for years, so they didn't take it for sustenance."
"Do you think it has something to do with the fact it was due to be planted in the orchard with the rest?" suggested Twilight.
"Yes… yes, you might be onto something there. Hold on, let me think…" He placed a hoof on his chin, voicing his thoughts out loud as they came. "They knew what was in the carriage, because that raid must have been planned ahead of time."
"That's right," agreed Twilight. "They distracted the drivers with the initial strike, took what they came for and left."
"They didn't want to cause unnecessary damage or injury," nodded Dusk. "The only thing they could want was the tree, which was due to be planted at the orchard… did they want to prevent it, but why? What's the point?" He turned to Applejack. "I think I might be able to figure this out, but I'd need to see the orchard itself first."
"Ya should be able to, but we need ta save Bloomberg an' Spike first," she reminded him.
"I think they'll be fine. From what I know, dragons are revered among the buffalo. But, I do agree, saving him is our top priority. They also don't take kindly to trespassers on their territory, so Rainbow'll be in more danger than he is. We need to-" He stopped as he realised something. "Um… where's Pinkie?"
"Pinkie? Why she's right here." Rarity looked to see that the pink pony had indeed vanished. "Where's she gone? She was right here!"
"Right, so ta recap: we've been attacked an' robbed by buffalo, Spike's been kidnapped, Rainbow's gone after him alone inta their territory an' now Pinkie's gone." Applejack stomped her hoof in frustration. "Well, that's jus' dandy."
"We should be able to get help soon. We're almost there," pointed out Twilight. "But it'll be late by the time we get there, almost dark…"
They spent the rest of the journey fretting and worrying about their friends. The sooner they got to Appleloosa, the sooner they would be able to get help. About half an hour later, they arrived at their destination, the train pulling to a halt in the station.
Dusk saw it and was reminded of the old settlements made in the cowpony days. The buildings were all made of wood and stone, the citizens going about their businesses in wide brimmed hats or bonnets in the case of some of the mares. He supposed they were settlers only here for a year, so it made sense they start with something basic, not to mention nostalgic.
They hurried off the train and onto the station and were immediately greeted by an Earth pony, with a wide smile, leather jacket and Stetson hat.
"Hey there! Welcome ta A-a-pplelooosa!" He raised his forelegs skyward at this greeting.
"Braeburn, listen – " Applejack tried to tell her cousin, but he cut her off.
"Cousin Applejack, mind yer manners, you have yet ta introduce me to your compadres! Shame on you!" he scolded her,
"Braeburn, listen, something terrible has happened –"
"Terrible is right, yer train is full seven minutes late!" he cut her off again. Dusk was starting to get annoyed. "That's seven minutes less for you to delight in the pleasures and wonders of... A-a-a-pplelooosa!"
With that, he dragged them off, ignoring their protests, clearly eager to show them around his home town. He told them many things that Dusk already knew, such as they built the town in just a year, but had still managed to cope and provide themselves with luxuries. He showed them the watering hole, the sheriff's office. All interesting, but otherwise they were wasting time.
It was when they reached the apple orchard that Dusk decided that enough was enough, but didn't know how to make themselves heard. Applejack had been trying to get a word in, but her cousin simply wouldn't listen, as he was so excited and eager to show them around. She was now trying another attempt, close to her breaking point.
"First harvest should be any day now," he was saying.
"Braebu –"
"Good thing too!"
"Brae – "
"'cause we need that grub to live on."
"BRAEBURN!" she finally shouted. That got his attention
"Uh, yes, cuz?" he inquired casually.
"Ya have a very nice town an' all, but we have a HU-UGE problem! Some of our friends are missing!"
"A stampede of buffalo," put in Fluttershy. At the mention of the buffalo, Braeburn's grin vanished and was replaced with a look of utter terror.
"They took Spike!" Rarity told him
"Rainbow Dash went after them!" put in Twilight.
"And we can't find Pinkie Pie," added Fluttershy
"An' we had an apple tree with us fer yer orchard, but they took that too!" finished Applejack. Braeburn stood there in silence, unable to make comment. Seeing an opportunity, Dusk stepped forward.
"As you can see," Dusk said, keeping his voice level and polite, "our situation is rather dire and we need to know what's happening here. Have you been having trouble with the buffalo tribe?"
"Trouble ain't the half of it." He let out an exhausted sigh. "Them buffalo, they want us settler ponies to take every single tree you see here off this land. They sure as hay don't want any new ones added in."
"But why?" asked Fluttershy.
"Beats me. We put a lot of hard work into this land, so we can feed our town, our families, our foals! And now they're saying all these trees have to go? T'ain't fair..."
"No… no it isn't." They were silent for a few minutes, then Twilight spoke up. "Well, we still need to find out more about why the buffalo are being so aggressive. Dusk, didn't you say you wanted to investigate?"
"Hm? Oh yes," he confirmed, feeling foolish he's forgotten. "With your permission, Mr Braeburn, I would like to examine the apple orchard."
"Sure thing, jus' be careful," he warned. Dusk assured him that he would be.
"What about poor Spike and Rainbow? Are we not going to rescue them?" asked Rarity.
"Well, sure, but not now." Braeburn looked to the sun. "It'll be night soon, so we won't be able ta go after 'em till tomorrow. The buffalo know the land better than we do, an' it ain't safe ta head out when it's dark. Ya can rest up here, then we'll head out in the mornin'."
"Right, I'll be down at the orchard, if you need me." He set off down towards the trees, bidding them farewell.
"Do you need any help?" asked Twilight.
Dusk considered this, but decided against it. After the nightmare that he'd had, he didn't really feel like being alone with Twilight at the minute. He would be able to think more clearly if he was alone with his thoughts.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'll be fine by myself. You all need to get some rest; we're going to have a big journey ahead of us tomorrow and you need your strength."
"Okay then." He could hear the disappointment in her voice, but it quickly passed. "We'll see you in the morning then."
"Don't stay up too late now," advised Applejack, as they made their way back and Dusk made his way down.
He walked alone through the shades of the trees, the dirt of the ground hot against his hooves, the sun lowering below the horizon, bathing the sky in an orange glow. He was reminded of the time he watched that sunset with Applejack back in Ponyville. Needless to say, it was just as beautiful here, as it was at the orchard.
He hoped that Twilight wouldn't feel too bad about wanting to be alone in this. She was smart, as clever as he was, even more so perhaps, but he didn't want to be alone with her right now. The dream had almost faded now anyway and he could no longer feel the terror he once did. He'd dealt with nightmares before, so he'd deal with this one too. He certainly wasn't going to tell the girls… they'd say it was silly anyway…
As he stopped, he began to examine his surroundings, already noticing the difference. Further out from the orchard, the ground was harder and thicker, mostly undisturbed by anything, other than a few desert animals. Here, the earth was softer, coarser. Like the ground had been bombarded and pounded multiple times. No doubt that made it good for planting and growing, not to mention the vast expanse the land provided.
He walked around the whole orchard, everywhere he went being the same story about the earth. Whenever he left the boundaries, the harder ground of the desert met him. There were some areas beyond the orchard, however, where the ground quality was the same. Almost like a path had been forged, visible only in the tell-tale signs of the earth. The pieces were slowly fitting together, there was just one last thing he could do…
Resorting to magic, he cast a spell that would show disturbances left by hoof prints or the like. These glowed with his fur colour as he examined them. Here and there were the hooves of ponies, but far more frequently, and far older, were smaller tracks, split down the middle from the top. He checked to see that these tracks also carried on in other areas outside the orchard. By the time he was finished, the stars had begun to shine and Luna's moon was high in the sky. Deciding he had all the information he needed, Dusk made his way back to the town.
So, that was what all this was about. If he was right and he rather hoped that he wasn't, the settlers had set their orchard on the buffalo's stampeding ground. No wonder the buffalo weren't happy with them, as they'd planted on their ancestral land without permission. The settlers, however, seemed completely ignorant of that knowledge, or at least Braeburn was. He decided to let it wait until after they'd rescued Spike. At least then they had a chance of talking to the buffalo and getting their side of the story. Still… if they didn't find a solution, this would get ugly.
The girls were all sound asleep at the watering hole when he arrived, a bed already being prepared for him. Slipping into bed quietly, he soon fell into a much more peaceful sleep than the previous night, hoping he was right about what he'd said about buffalo and dragons…
The following morning, they rose up early, alert and ready to move. Dusk was asked about his findings from yesterday, but he told them he would divulge the information after they'd rescued the others. They'd conceded and made their way to the outskirts of town.
Applejack was just tying on Rarity's saddlebag, which contained a good deal of supplies. They all had their own for the hike into buffalo land. Dusk had to admit that, in spite of the situation, he was rather excited. A chance to see the buffalo up close was quite appealing to him.
"Ow! Gently, please!" the debutante requested to the farm pony
"Sorry, Rarity, but our friends are out there and we have ta be ready for a long hike into buffalo territory if we're gonna save 'em. Let's go!" She led the charge out, but they'd barely gone a few feet when they found them.
"Hi guys!"
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy tackled her to the ground. "We're so glad you're safe."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Dusk hurried to greet them, as they all rejoiced at their reunion. Dusk exchanged a hoof bump with Rainbow Dash, before they got onto the crux of the matter.
"I knew you'd be safe," he said to them. "From the way buffalo revere dragons, I was hoping that influence would be enough to keep you safe."
"It sure did and that's not all!" Pinkie gestured to a rock and out hopped the calf who had been part of the raid yesterday. In contrast to her fierce determination from before, she now looked rather sheepish and shy.
Dusk, who was surprised and elated at finally having a chance to meet one, contained himself and stood back to watch what would happen.
"We promised the buffalo a chance to talk," explained Rainbow, confirming his hopes.
Applejack had a suspicious expression on her features. "Oh, yeah? 'Bout what?"
"Um… if I may." They all turned their attention to Dusk, who tried to ignore their stares and continued. "I discovered in my investigation yesterday what I had been suspecting for a while: the Appleloosans, through no fault of their own, have planted their apple orchard on the ancient stampeding grounds of the buffalo."
"On top of things as always," remarked Rainbow proudly. "We brought our new pal, Little Strongheart here, to explain to the Appleloosians why they should move the apple trees off buffalo land."
She pushed the calf forward, so she was nose-to-nose with Braeburn, who looked rather relieved.
"That information would be quite help –" He was cut off by Applejack, who pushed him in closer too.
"That's weird. 'cause my cousin, Braeburn, here, wants to explain to the buffalo why they should let the apple trees stay."
"That would be a useful thing to – " Strongheart began, but Rainbow interrupted her.
"The land is theirs! You planted the trees not knowing that. Honest mistake. Now, you just gotta move 'em, that's all."
"They busted their rumps here!" argued Applejack. "An' now they're suppos't ta bust their rumps again, jus' 'cause some buffalo won't stampede someplace else?"
"Plant the trees somewhere else!"
"Where?! It's the only flatland around these parts!"
"The BUFFALO had it FIRST!"
"The settler ponies need it to LIVE!"
They both dissolved into squabbling and bickering, which wasn't helping them in any way whatsoever. Dusk was about to try and step in, when Twilight stopped them.
"Look! Both the settlers and the buffalo have good reasons to use this land. There must be something we can do…"
"Hey! I've got an idea!" Pinkie jumped up and fell on the floor. "Bring all the ponies and buffalo to the outside of town in about half an hour and you'll see. Come on Spike, I'll need your help. We'll need a stage, a piano and some dancing ponies!"
With that, Pinkie grabbed his claw and dashed off to prepare… whatever it was she had in mind. Rainbow Dash hurried to convey the message to the buffalo, whilst Applejack and Braeburn went to round up the settlers. They were all confused, but they had little choice and they were rather curious to see what Pinkie had in mind.
Dusk was still pondering this about twenty-five minutes later, idly shifting the sand below his right forehoof. Pinkie was rather random and unpredictable, so he didn't have the faintest idea. He just hoped that, whatever it was, it was something good.
The buffalo were a peaceful people, for the most part. If they felt their ancestral land was threatened, however, they would take steps to defend their heritage. Violent steps if necessary. He was hoping that it wouldn't come to that. Violence, with the exception of self-defense, was never the answer to anything… that much he believed.
"Excuse me, Dusk Noir?" a voice asked behind him. He turned to see the buffalo calf, Little Strongheart, who had remained with them to wait, standing there, with a friendly smile on her face.
"Um… yes, er… that's me." Quashing his initial nervousness, he raised his head high and said, "May the ground stay strong beneath your hooves."
This was a formal buffalo greeting between two unknowns. Raising one's head was a gesture of friendship and respect. Lowering your head was more aggressive and hostile, indicating you intended to ram your horns at the recipient. Little Strongheart seemed rather surprised at his knowledge of this, but she recovered herself and responded in kind, gently butting their heads together to complete the greeting.
"Your friend Fluttershy was right: you have knowledge of buffalo customs," she noted admirably. "She said that you wanted to meet one of our people, so… here I am."
"Did she? Well, I'm grateful to her." He returned her smile, glad they were getting along so far. "Yes, I do have knowledge of your people, modestly speaking. But the things I've read from books can't hope to compare with your first hand experience of growing up as a buffalo. There's so much I could learn from you…"
"You are very kind," she said respectfully. "I only wish we were meeting under more peaceful circumstances."
"As do I," Dusk said regretfully. "I'm sorry, for what the settlers have done to your land."
"It's not entirely their fault, they didn't know." At least she was reasonable, thought Dusk. "I just hope that we can come to a solution. I would much rather be friends than enemies."
"The feeling is mutual. I'm sure that you and the settlers can come to an agreement that leaves both sides satisfied."
"I certainly hope so." She looked at Dusk curiously. "What do you think the pony Pinkie Pie has planned?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," confessed Dusk. "She can be quite… unpredictable at the best of times, I think you'll find."
"She certainly can," she agreed, laughing. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like her. You ponies, you say something different, don't you?"
"Yes, er… we do. We say 'anypony' and 'everypony', things like that," he taught her. "Unless, of course, we're talking to somepony who isn't a pony, in which case we just say 'anyone.'"
"That is simple enough to understand," she agreed. "How much do you know of my people?"
"Let's see…" Dusk tried to remember the most interesting things he could. "I know a formal greeting and farewell. I know that positions in a tribe are gained through one-on-one combat with another buffalo and that calves prove their worth by participating in a stampede with the whole tribe, without falling behind. Once that's done, they are awarded their feathers, an official membership of the tribe." He gestured to hers. "You've earned yours, I see."
"Yes, just last year," she admitted proudly. "That was before the settlers moved in and planted on our land… I am most saddened by it."
"I can tell, yes." He remembered her raid on the train. "Your athletic skills are very impressive though. I watched you from the train."
"Thank you and your intelligence is equally so," she noted. There was a pause as she considered something. "I am a little curious about you ponies too. You are an… an… alicorn, yes?"
"Unicorn," he corrected politely. "Alicorns have wings and can use a magical horn. I just have the horn, no wings…"
"Ah, I see." She seemed almost nervous to ask. "So, that means you can do magic, yes?"
"Yes, it does. Would you like to see a demonstration?"
"Oh yes, very much so! If you wish, of course," she added.
He smiled more warmly, levitating some pebbles that rested in the sand nearby and orbiting them around her. She watched in wonder as they circled her, glowing as the magical aura surrounded them. He placed them back down after a few minutes and she seemed quite in awe.
It really was quite amazing how different they were, yet in some ways, they were both the same. He'd hoped that, on the day he would meet a buffalo, it would go well, but he had never expected anything like this. He still marvelled at it, as they arrived at the time Pinkie arranged. A wooden stage had been set up in the desert, Spike sitting at a piano and wearing a bowler hat.
Dusk crossed over to the girls, whilst Little Strongheart stood by her tribe leader, who she told him was called Chief Thunderhooves. The impressive bull stood next to the sheriff, Silverstar, both of them looking impatient and tense. He actually sensed that from all the participants present.
Soon, Spike started to play and the curtains opened, revealing a clam. This slowly opened to reveal Pinkie, who was wearing the dress of a saloon girl, sparkling and glittering. She wasn't actually planning to… no, she couldn't be.
Then, she started singing and all doubt was eliminated… as well as all hope.
We may be divided
But of you all, I beg
To remember we're all hoofed
At the end of each leg
No matter what the issue
Come from wherever you please
All this fighting gets you nothing
But hoof and mouth disease
Arguing's not the way
Hey, come out and play!
It's a shiny, new day
So, what do you say?
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
You gotta share
You gotta care
And there'll always be a way through
Both our diets, I should mention
Are completely vegetarian
We all eat hay and oats
Why be at each other's throat?
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do
And there'll always be a way Thro-o-o-o-ugh!
Dusk didn't applaud. Nopony applauded, except for Spike. It might just be him, but he could swear the tension between sides had increased. As creative as Pinkie's solution was it hadn't exactly been… well executed.
"It appears that Sheriff Silverstar and I have come to... an agreement," Thunderhooves said in his deep voice.
"We have."
They all leaned forward, everypony and buffalo waiting on baited breath for their leaders verdict. Would it be too much to hope that it worked?
"That was the worst performance we've ever seen," the chief said bluntly.
"Teh... Abso-tively!" agreed Silverstar.
"The time for action..." He paused to snort from his nostrils, a sign of aggression and anger, "…is upon us! Our stampede will start at high noon tomorrow. And if the orchard is still there, we'll flatten IT! AND the whole town!"
"But, Chief!" Little Strongheart tried to reason with him, but she was cut off.
"An' we Appleloosians say you'd better bring yer best, 'cause we'll be ready and waitin'," challenged the sheriff.
"But, Sheriff..." Braeburn didn't even get to finish, as both sides ran back to their settlements, to prepare… for battle.
"Oh... That wasn't the message of my song at all..." was all Pinkie had to say.
They all arrived back at town, where the settlers were already preparing for a fight. They stacked up hay bales, boarded up windows, created barricades and secured their town to withstand the coming storm
"Ah want ma kin ta have what they need ta live... But a storm's a-brewin' here. And I don't like the look of it," Applejack said grimly.
"We've just got to talk some sense into them before somepony gets hurt," Twilight suggested.
This plan, however, proved for nothing. Every Appleloosan, even the sheriff, was in no mood to consider negotiation or compromise of any kind. They were all so swept up in the anger of it all that their judgement was clouded and their hearts were ablaze with determination. Everytime they tried to talk to somepony, they were shot down and ignored.
At the end of the day, the settlers were ready with their weapons, carts of apple pies ready to fight. The pies themselves could do no damage, but they would confuse a charging buffalo and make him go off course. The resulting crash into a wall, however, certainly would hurt.
Rainbow Dash and Spike, who had been trying to talk the buffalo out of the stampede, came back and reported that it was the same story with the tribe. They weren't going to back down from this either.
"It's no use," Rarity despaired. "There's no way we can convince them to stop, let alone listen."
"There's always a way," Twilight insisted. "There has to be something, a middle ground, a compromise, anything!"
"I can't think of any," Dusk said. "What could the settlers have that the buffalo would want? All they want is their land and they will fight for it, make no mistake."
"An' the ponies'll defend their homes, no matter what," said Applejack.
"So… what do we do?" asked Fluttershy timidly.
"We wait until dawn… and hope." Dusk stated. It was all they could do. Maybe one of the sides would back down…
The next day came. None of them slept well. All was quiet. The ponies stood ready on the battlements. The buffalo stood ready on the ridge. It was one minute to midday. The time of reckoning had come.
"Come on, THINK. Think, think, think, think, think, think, think!" Rainbow told herself desperately.
Dusk also felt desperate. He and Twilight had both tried their best to think of a solution, but they couldn't come up with anything. He hung his head in despair. All of his knowledge, all of his supposed intellect, what good was it now? He felt so useless…
A hoof gently touched his shoulder. Twilight was smiling at him gently, as if to say 'at least we tried.' He couldn't help but return it and touched her hoof with his, grateful for the small warmth that he felt from her.
Then the bell chimed on the clock tower. It was noon. Time was up. But the buffalo didn't move, didn't charge. Dusk couldn't really see, but he could swear Thunderhooves lowered his head in submission.
"He's not gonna do it!" Rainbow realised. Yes! This was their one chance to-
…what do you say?
You gotta share
You gotta care
It's the right thing to do…
"No!" But that was all that was needed to set off Thunderhooves. Marvelling at how much he really didn't like that song, Dusk, even from here, could hear his fierce command of:
"CHAAARGE!" With the pounding of hooves, the whole herd stampeded, making the earth shake.
"Take cover!" Dusk hurried with the others to get out of the way of the fighting. A crash told them the buffalo had breached the perimeter and entered the town.
"Don't panic! Stay together!" Dusk's cries kept them close, as they crouched out of the way of the fighting. He could see Pinkie in the middle of it all, unable to find an opening and escape.
"You girls, stay here. I'm coming Pinkie!" His quick mind going to work, Dusk analysed the quickest route through the two warring factions to get to her.
Once this was done, he proceeded to run, duck, dip, dive and dodge around incoming pies, charging buffalo and falling debris. He reached her, grabbed her hoof and pulled her to the hiding place that they were all situated in. Her dress was in tatters and she looked a little shaken, but she was otherwise fine.
"Whew… that was close. Thank you, Mr Psychic Pony," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm sorry about all this…"
"It's alright Pinkie, you meant well. None of us wanted this…" They all looked and watched the battle unfold.
Everywhere there was fighting. The buffalo were charging, using their immense strength and sharp horns against their opponents, the settlers, throwing pies, using tricks or riding them rodeo style. When all that failed, they were fighting in hoof-to-hoof combat, fighting hoof and leg, strength and horn to gain an advantage.
All of this sickened Dusk. Both sides had been living for years in peace, rarely once resorting to violence for anything. Sometimes fighting was necessary, to defend your home or you friends, but this conflict could have been avoided… should have been avoided, if both sides had just tried to find some form of compromise. It seemed nothing would stop them… until Thunderhooves was hit by a direct shot.
Then the fighting stopped. The buffalo gathered around, weeping at the sight of their fallen leader, who lay defeated on the ground. Dusk and the girls all gathered around the body of the fallen chief too. Dusk removed his hat and placed it over his heart, raising his head high out of respect for such a noble creature. Even Spike started crying, hugging Twilight firmly.
A crust of the apple pie fell into his mouth. As soon as it did, his eyes snapped open and he licked the reminder off of his face, thoroughly enjoying it.
"Hey, I've got a much better idea!"
Dusk stood from a ridge, looking down on the apple orchard. There were less trees now, for a path was being cut through the middle of the orchard. It was near completion and the buffalo were almost ready to run. Dusk still couldn't keep the smile off his face. Even he could never have considered what had happened next.
A compromise had been reached. Thunderhooves had allowed the orchard to remain on their land, provided that the Appleloosans provide them a share of its fruit, in the form of apple pie. The two sides could now live together in peace. Incredible. That was the only word for it. A whole conflict resolved… by pie.
"It seems our best hopes have been realised," said Little Strongheart, who just arrived to stand with him. "I am quite relieved, to say the least."
"As am I," agreed Dusk. "The settlers keep their homes and source of food, you get to keep your lands and get a share in one of the most delicious baked foods in Equestria."
"Indeed." They both laughed out of sheer relief at their situation. "So, what will you do now?"
"Well, our train home leaves at eleven, so I've got the rest of the day here," he told her. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I wish to extend an invitation." She faced Dusk proudly. "I spoke about you to the chief, told him about your interest in our people. He has graciously invited you to spend the remainder of the day at our home among us, if you would like to come."
"R-r-really?" Dusk couldn't quite believe this. "You'd... you'd do that for me?"
"Consider it a sign of the new friendship between our people. Between us."
Dusk certainly hadn't expected this. She truly did consider him her friend and she had done this for him, when just a few hours ago there was fighting. Friendship truly was a powerful thing, if it meant opening the door for such opportunities and wonders as it did here. His smile becoming warmer, he offered a hoof to the buffalo.
"I would be honoured that you would do this. Thank you."
"The pleasure is ours." Softly, she pressed her hoof against his. It was amazing how much smaller it was. "I am glad we are friends, Dusk Noir."
"So am I, Little Strongheart." They butted their heads together and stepped apart. "After you."
"Very well, let us see how fast you can run." As the buffalo began to make their first stampede through the orchard, Dusk and and Strongheart ran among their numbers towards their home.
As they did, Dusk was quietly humming Pinkie's song to himself. It still had an important message behind it, one they had all taken to heart. Besides, it was catchy.