"Years ago, a large group of Diamond Dogs showed up from the east," Tweak said. He and Crimson stood on the front porch to the cabin, leaning on the wooden railing as they basked in the morning glow. "They piloted a large tank of sorts—a mining vehicle capable of carying hundreds of tons of ore. They attempted to capture and enslave several of the farmers of these lands. We put up a resistance, but as it turned out, we didn't have to try very hard."
"Why's that?" Crimson asked.
"The canines were of a particular breed. They had a peculiar sensitivity to the magical aura produced by crystal ponies in their natural state." Tweak sighed and adjusted the weight on his hooves. "It was rather obvious that they wanted to enslave us and force us to work in extracting sapphires from the earth here in Aurum. However, they couldn't stand to be in the same vicinity as us for very long."
"So they let you be?"
"As well as they could afford to," Tweak explained. "They tried threatening us—driving us out of our homes with long range ordinance and explosives. However, the entire effort proved too costly."
"The farmland you have here is very valuable to them, I see," Crimson remarked. "I can't imagine that they'd simply give up."
Tweak shook his head. "They'll stop at nothing to excavate the minerals of this land. They're sensitive to the rocks just as they are to crystal ponies themselves; that's why they've relied on enslaving the equine population. Since there are so few non-crystal ponies around these parts, their production has been slowed to a crawl, not like it was blazing much to begin with."
"Right..."
"So, to weed out the local dissenters, they've resorted to establishing bounties."
Crimson's gaze narrowed. "The Searonese."
Tweak nodded. "The price has not been cheap. Every month or so, the diamond dogs—these self proclaimed 'Killas' pay a steep bounty, and a metal mare flies in and grabs one of us off our land."
"Surely you resist..."
"Have you fought a metal mare before?"
"Yes."
"You and your entire company of fellow soldiers?"
Crimson opened his mouth again, lingered, and ultimately uttered, "Yes."
"You didn't win, did you?"
Crimson was silent.
"As you can imagine, it's been nothing but pain, stress, and heartache. Many good households around here have lost ponies close to us."
"Were your neighbors... murdered?"
"That's not the metal mare way," Tweak said. "The ponies around here have been grabbed, one by one. And only the stallions too."
Crimson swallowed. "I see..."
"Just a month ago, Fresh Cut of the south farm was snatched away from his own wife and children. Two months ago, Straight Shot of the blue ravine. Three months ago..." Tweak winced slightly. His eyes fell to the side. "Lucky Strike, my brother."
Crimson's gaze fell. "I am sorry to hear that."
"I believe you," Tweak muttered. "And I sense that you're a stallion of conviction, regardless of your fortune. But please understand..." He glanced up. "I do not tell you this so that you can worry about a bunch of perfect strangers."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"I figured that..." Tweak sighed, gazing towards the horizon as his shoulders shrugged. "That if you're heading towards the metal mare homeland anyways, that maybe... just perhaps you can be on a lookout for them." He swallowed. "Especially my brother."
Crimson leaned his head aside. "What makes you think that a three-legged unicorn with battle scars can make it to the metal mare homeland?"
Tweak fidgeted slightly. Ultimately, he said, "I'm no soldier, but I've seen my fair share of scuffles. I've battled diamond dogs tooth and nail." He winced. "I've seen their insides. I've heard their screams, knowing that I've slain them to protect my house. My wife. My children." He shuddered. "To do horrible things in order to keep the world safe: it takes strength. But it also takes strength to know when to come short of doing what's truly, truly terrible." He glanced back up at Crimson. "I think you're a very strong pony, sir. But I think you stand to remember that about yourself."
Crimson blinked.
"Maybe you'll remember it by the time you get to metal mare country. And if so, I wouldn't mind you doing something strong for my brother and two neighbors." Tweak shrugged. "Since... well... you're so hell-bent on going there anyways. What, with this Rainbow Dust..."
"Dash," Crimson corrected. "And I would be honored to find out where your friends and family are. This was a rescue mission, after all."
"Really?" Tweak's lips curved ever so slightly. "From the way it sounds to me, I figured it was a suicide mission."
"Not at all," Crimson instantly replied with a shaking head.
Tweak squinted at him. "You sure of that, sir?"
Crimson fumbled for words.
Before he could generate a reply, two teenage ponies galloped up, their crystal bodies glittering in the morning light. "Tweak! Tweak! You gotta come quick! Grab your rifle!"
Tweak spun about. "Huh? What is it?"
"In the marketplace! There's been an explosion!" One exclaimed, panting for breath. "There's trouble!"
Tweak's mouth hung open. "What kind of trouble?"
"What do you think?" the young stallion grunted in reply.
If Tweak had a coat, it'd be standing on end. With a chiseled frown, he stomped towards the cabin door. "Go get the neighbors down the road. We'll cut this one off before she grabs another!"
"Is this what I think it is?!" Crimson exclaimed.
"You lost your leg, not your brain, bucko."
"Let me help! I have experience with metal mares!"
"No, you have experience at losing to them."
"I mean it!" Crimson exclaimed. Nevertheless, he stumbled clumsily across the front porch, overwhelmed with dizziness. "At least let me lend my magic!"
"You can lend it!" Tweak said, darting in and coming back out with his rifle. "Right here!" He cocked the weapon and shouted aside. "Protect my family!"
"But—"
"Do this, and we're square," Tweak said, flinging Crimson a glare. "Consider our hospitality earned." That said, he galloped furiously down the road towards a rising column of smoke beyond a throng of blue crystals.
Crimson watched, pensively biting his lip. He turned around.
Stasia stood in the cabin doorway. Roque and Nexx clung fearfully to her limbs, sharing her same expression of pained worry.
Grinding his teeth, Crimson spun around. His eyes searched the nearby farmland, until his attention fell to the crumpled wreckage of the Ledomaritan glider, still sparking from within.