//------------------------------//
// Buffalo Tales 
// Story: Deserts and Dragons 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1:
Buffalo Tales


After getting the Crusaders settled, Braeburn wasted no time leading the young fillies to a small canyon just west of town.  Inside the canyon was an astonishing sight for a desert town.  Apple trees stretched out into the valley as far as the eye could see, and each one was just as healthy and strong as its neighbors.

"Here we are, young'uns!  The pride and joy of Aaaaaaaaaaaaappleloosa: Our apple orchard!" Braeburn proclaimed.

"Whoa!  I had no idea you could even grow anythin' out here!" Babs Seed exclaimed. "How dija manage it?"

"'Twasn't easy," said Braeburn with a chuckle. "That there is the only piece of fertile land for miles.  Without it, Appleloosa wouldn't survive as a town."

"Wait.  That one orchard feeds the whole town?!" squeaked an astonished Sweetie Belle.

"You betcha," said Braeburn with a nod.

"Holy moly!  That's a lot of apples!"

Braeburn laughed. "It sure is, Sweetie Belle.  An' we make sure each and every one of those apple trees are cared for."

"Hey, I think there are some gaps in the orchard," observed Scootaloo, pointing to a dusty trail that cut through the rows of apple trees. "Shouldn't you plant more trees?"

"Nope.  We've got all the trees we need," said Braeburn. "We purposely keep that trail barren."

"But, why?"

Braeburn smirked. "I think it's better if I show you.  C'mon, let's head on down and get a better look.  I'm bettin' y'all are itchin' to see Bloomberg."

"I know I am!" cheered Apple Bloom.  With that, they all galloped into the valley below.


***


"There he is, Apple Bloom.  Still as strong as ever!"

Once in the orchard, Braeburn led the Crusaders right to a lone apple tree sitting on top of a grassy knoll.  Apple Bloom's eyes sparkled.  The other Crusaders appeared confused.

"He sure is!" said Apple Bloom, trotting right up to the tree. "Howdy there, Bloomberg!  Long time no see!  How's Appleloosa been treatin' ya?"

"Wait wait wait.  That's Bloomberg?" inquired Babs.

"Well, yeah," said Apple Bloom sweetly. "He's originally from Sweet Apple Acres, but Applejack had him replanted here in Appleloosa."

"Huh," said Babs, blowing back her combover. "I gotta admit, Cuz.  I, never knew 'bout that."

"'Bout what?"

"'Bout you naming your trees."

"Oh, that?  Well, I'm not surprised," said Apple Bloom. "It's a little tradition Granny Smith came up with.  It hasn't really caught on with the rest of the family."

"I think I can guess why," muttered Scootaloo, rolling her eyes.

"Um, Apple Bloom?" inquired Sweetie Belle. "Out of curiosity, do all of the trees in Sweet Apple Acres have names?"

"What?!  No, of course not!  Don't be ridiculous, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom giggled. "Not every tree is as special as Bloomberg here."

"Huh," said Sweetie Belle, tilting her head. "Well, you learn something new every day, I suppose."

"Stampede comin' in!  Everypony, clear the trail!"

A voice called out from another part of the orchard, and it was quickly followed by a rumbling sound.

"Well well.  Looks like y'all are in for a real treat," said Braeburn. "Stay close t'me now."

The Crusaders complied as the rumbling got louder.  Suddenly, a large herd of buffalo came barreling down the trail Scootaloo pointed out earlier.  The eyes of the Crusaders all went wide in amazement.

"I take it this is your first time seein' a buffalo stampede up close," said Braeburn.

"Y-yeah," said Apple Bloom, still mesmerized. "I mean, Applejack told me about them, but it's so much different seein' 'em with your own eyes."

"Yeah, it's an impressive sight," said Braeburn. "That's actually why we have that barren path your friend Scootaloo mentioned earlier.  It's for them."

"It is?" asked Scootaloo.

"Yep," said Braeburn. "This here is actually their sacred stampedin' grounds.  'Course, we didn't know that when we first settled here.  It was mighty awkward for a time.  We actually came to blows at one point."

Sweetie Belle gulped. "Y-you actually had to fight those guys?"

"'Fraid so," said Braeburn with a sigh. "It was not a pretty sight, as y'all can imagine.  But in the end, we managed to make a compromise and share the land.  We've been livin' in peace ever since."

"Oh.  Well, that's a relief," said Sweetie Belle, letting out a sigh.

"We like to think so," said Braeburn. "Well, what do y'all wanna do now?"

"I vote that we start crusadin'!" said Apple Bloom

"Seconded!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Um, thirded!" said Scootaloo.

"That's not a word, silly!" said Sweetie Belle with a giggle.

Braeburn chuckled. "Alright, alright.  I get the picture," he said. "Well, how's about y'all start out by helpin' us with the harvest?  We could always use a few extra hooves."

Apple Bloom placed a hoof to her muzzle. "Well, we've tried that a lot at Sweet Apple Acres, but we haven't gotten anywhere," she mused. "Then again, Babs hasn't tried anythin' like that.  Maybe her special talent is apple harvestin'!"

Babs blushed and hid her blank flank with her tail. "Y-y'really think so, Cuz?"

"Only one way to find out!" said Apple Bloom. "Let's get to it!"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Harvesters!  Yay!"

With that, Apple Bloom ushered Babs into the orchard with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at their heels.

"Hey, wait up, y'all!" Braeburn called out as he chased after them.  As he did so, he chuckled to himself. "Gotta admire their spirit, I suppose."


***


"Anything yet?"

"Nope!"

"Well, let's keep at it!"

The Crusaders had been working around the field for close to an hour, planting new trees and gathering up rotten apples that fell on the ground.  Braeburn watched and supervised them to the best of his ability, but keeping all four fillies in the same place wasn't easy.

"Don't wander off too far now!" he said. "I still need t'see ya!"

"Don't worry, Cousin Braeburn!  We won't!" Apple Bloom hollered back.

Sweetie Belle looked up into a tree full of apples and furrowed her brow.

"Whatcha thinking, Sweetie Belle?" asked Scootaloo.

"Rarity says it's important for growing unicorns to hone their magic," said Sweetie Belle. "I wonder if..."

She then closed her eyes, and a faint green aura began to appear around her horn.  At the same time, one of the apples on the tree started to glow and move towards Sweetie Belle.  She pulled and pulled with her magic, but the stem of the apple remained attached to the branch.

"C'mon, Sweetie Belle!  You can do it!" Babs cheered.

Sweetie Belle pulled with all her might, spurred on by Babs's words of encouragement.  Unfortunately, all she managed to do was bend the branch back like a catapult.

"Hey hey hey!  Careful!" Braeburn warned.

That was enough to break Sweetie Belle's concentration.  With a snap, the apple was flung from the tree and into a far part of the orchard.

"Ouch!" a voice roared.

Sweetie Belle flattened her ears, and her face became bright crimson. "Oops."

Braeburn gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm beginnin' to see why Cousin Applejack said I had to keep an eye on y'all," he said as he obscured his eyes with his hat.

"Sorry," said Sweetie Belle.

"Don't apologize to me.  Apologize to whoever you hit," said Braeburn sternly.

"I believe this is yours."

Each of the Crusaders jumped as a deep, grumbling voice made itself known.  They all turned around to see a rather large buffalo wearing a headdress.  He was carrying an apple in his hoof, and he had a big bump on his head.  Sweetie Belle's eyes welled up with tears.

"I-I'm so sorry," she whimpered. "I-it was an accident."

"Apples don't 'accidentally' go flying through the air, little one," the buffalo growled.

"That one did, though," said Babs, getting into the buffalo's face. "My friend here was jus' tryin' out a spell, and it didn't work.  Now, if ya still got a problem with her, then ya also got a problem with me."

The buffalo snorted angrily. "Is that a challenge?"

"Chief, calm down."

A smaller buffalo walked in and raised her hoof.  The larger buffalo paused for a moment and did as she asked.

"Thank goodness you were around," said Braeburn, giving the younger buffalo a nod. "Babs, y'might wanna take it easy yourself.  That right there is Chief Thunderhooves, the leader of the buffalo tribe."

"I don't care if he's the king of Prance; he's not bullyin' my friend," said Babs firmly, blowing back her combover.

"It seems we have a bit of a misunderstanding," said the younger buffalo, taking a step forward. "Now, is what you said before about your friend's spell true?"

"Every word," said Babs, not even batting an eyelid.

The young buffalo smiled. "Then we have no quarrel.  Isn't that right, Chief?"

Chief Thunderhooves closed his eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "I suppose," he said.

"Again, I'm really sorry," said Sweetie Belle. "I didn't mean to hit you."

Babs mulled it over for a while, and then sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, too.  I was just tryin' to protect my friend."

"It's alright.  No harm done," said the young buffalo. "Perhaps I should introduce myself.  I'm Little Strongheart, and of course, you already know Chief Thunderhooves."

"Nice to meetcha," said Apple Bloom. "I'm Apple Bloom, and these here are my friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and my cousin Babs.  We're stayin' with Cousin Braeburn for the week."

"It's our first time here in Appleloosa," added Scootaloo. "So we figured there must be plenty of new opportunities to get our Cutie Marks."

Chief Thunderhooves tilted his head. "I am not sure I am familiar with that concept."

"It's a pony thing," explained Braeburn, showing his own Cutie Mark. "See, when a pony finds out what their special talent is, a picture portrayin' that talent appears on their flank.  It's a sign of maturity."

"Ah.  How interesting," said Chief Thunderhooves with a nod.

"And we're tryin' to find our own special talents," said Apple Bloom. "That makes us the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"We've tried a lot of stuff, but nothing yet," said Scootaloo.

"Such as?" asked Little Strongheart.

"Oh, y'know.  Skydiving, bowling, water skiing, mountain climbing, candy making, I could go on."

"And now we're tryin' our hooves at apple harvestin'," said Apple Bloom, looking at her bare flank. "Doesn't look like it worked, though."

Chief Thunderhooves nodded sagely. "Hmm.  It seems you lack guidance," said he. "If you were buffalo, you'd probably be sent on a pilgrimage to find the Dragon Magi."

Apple Bloom perked up. "The Dragon what now?"

"It's an old buffalo legend passed down from generation to generation," explained Little Strongheart. "In olden times, a buffalo lacking guidance was sent out into the desert to find them.  That was a long time ago, though."

"What exactly is a Dragon Magi?" asked Scootaloo.

"Are," Chief Thunderhooves corrected. "The Dragon Magi are said to be a clan of wise dragons that practice magic and willingly bestow their knowledge to those who need it."

"Hey!  I know a dragon that can use magic back in Ponyville!" said Apple Bloom. "Spike uses magic all the time to send letters to the Princess!"

"So, you know Spike," said Little Strongheart. "It's been a long time since we last met, but I remember him well.  That being said, it's not the same thing."

"It's not?"

"From what Spike told me, he was enchanted by the Princess in order to send letters," said Little Strongheart. "The Dragon Magi have developed the talent on their own."

"Wow," said an awestruck Sweetie Belle. "So, where do they live?"

"They are said to live in the farthest reaches of the desert," said Chief Thunderhooves. "No one has ever seen them, though.  Not even I, and I have traveled along these grounds for many a moon; as have my ancestors before me.  And their ancestors before them, and their ancestors before them, and their ancestors before them, and..."

"They get the point, Chief," said Little Strongheart.

"Right.  I apologize," said Chief Thunderhooves, clearing his throat. "Well, we'd best be off.  Fare well, little ones."

With that, the two buffalo ran off into the desert.

"Well, that turned out alright," said Braeburn. "But y'all better be more careful, y'hear?"

"Yes, Cousin Braeburn.  We promise," said Apple Bloom.

"Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes," added Sweetie Belle.

"Good," said Braeburn. "Now, let's head back into town.  Maybe we can find something a bit, safer to do."

With that, he led them out of the orchard.  But as they left to move on to other activities, the Crusaders were still thinking about Chief Thunderhooves's story...