Chapter 7:
A Peacemaker's Limits
"I do believe we're beginning to see why you required use of our transport, good stallion," Flim told Braeburn.
"Indeed," Flam concurred. "You would've never been able to catch up to these tykes on hoof. Heck, I'm surprised we haven't caught them already."
"Glad to see you two finally got the picture," said Braeburn. "Although it does beg the question as to why you ain't doin' this for free."
Flim chuckled. "My good stallion, we wouldn't be traveling salesponies nonpareil if we didn't know a good business opportunity when we saw one."
"That's all this is to ya? A business opportunity?" said Braeburn with a snort. "Haven't you two ever heard of goodness bein' its own reward?"
"We're familiar with the concept, yes," said Flam with a shrug. "However, goodness does not pay our bills. Do you know how much maintaining the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 costs, my good stallion?"
"No, and I don't care, neither," said Braeburn bluntly. "Sweet Celestia, it's like all you two ever care about is your own profit."
"Good stallion, we take offense to that!" snapped Flim. "We also care about our customers. After all, the customer is always right."
"You won't get far in the business world if you don't remember that," added Flam.
"Is business all you two ever think about?" asked Braeburn.
The FlimFlam Brothers looked at each other, and then back at Braeburn. "What else is there?" they inquired in unison.
Braeburn groaned and smacked his face with his hoof before turning to Little Strongheart. "I'm gonna level with ya, Little Strongheart. If we don't find those fillies soon, I'm gonna go crazy."
"To be fair, you're bringing this upon yourself," said Little Strongheart. "Just ignore them. That's what I'm doing."
"How the hay are you so calm durin' all this?" said Braeburn.
"It comes from my experience playing peacemaker," said Little Strongheart with a shrug. "I've always made it a point to keep my temper in check."
"Yeah, I've noticed that," said Braeburn. "But these guys jus' really get under my coat with their shady deals an' their inappropriate business talk."
"We can still hear you, y'know," said Flim indignantly.
Braeburn let out another exasperated groan. "I really envy ya, Little Strongheart. Nothin' ever seems to get ya riled up."
Little Strongheart giggled. "While that's not strictly true, I see where you're coming from," said she. She then looked ahead, and her smile widened. "Ah, it seems we are in luck."
"You found 'em?" said Braeburn hopefully.
"Well, no," said Little Strongheart sheepishly. "But I see a pair of dragons up ahead. Maybe they know where the children ran off to."
Flam's brow furrowed. "Good madam, are you certain about this? The last dragon we talked to was aiming to blow us to smithereens."
"I assure you, not all dragons are like that," said Little Strongheart. "Just let me do the talking."
"If you say so," said Flam with a shrug. "It seems they've already noticed us, anyway."
Sure enough, the two dragons in the distance appeared to be getting closer and closer. Finally, they stopped before the transport and smiled.
"Little Strongheart! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" said one of the dragons gleefully.
"Hello, Steel," said Little Strongheart with a bow.
"Wait. You actually know these two?" asked Braeburn.
"Of course," said Little Strongheart. "Allow me to introduce you to Flint and Steel. They are common guests of honor in our tribe."
"And we are most grateful for it," said Steel with a bow of his own. "Actually, you're timing is most impeccable. You see, we have a bit of a problem— oof!"
Steel was interrupted by an elbow to the gut from Flint.
"Three hundred and fifty four," Flint growled before turning to Little Strongheart. "Please excuse him, LS. You know how he can get."
Little Strongheart raised an eyebrow. "Flint, you shouldn't keep secrets from me."
"I'm not," said Flint with a shrug. "Steel simply doesn't know what he's talking about. We're actually doing just fine."
"We are?"
Flint elbowed Steel in the gut again. "Three hundred and fifty five," he said through gritted teeth.
Flam folded his forelegs and placed a hoof to his muzzle. "I'm not sure I trust these fellows, Flim."
"Nor do I, Flam," Flim agreed. "I wouldn't do business with these shady characters if my life depended on it."
"Look who's callin' the kettle black," Braeburn muttered under his breath before turning to the dragons. "Actually, we've got a problem of our own. We were wonderin' if y'all could lend a claw and help us out."
"This guy a friend of yours?" asked Flint.
"Oh, yes," said Little Strongheart. "This here is my friend Braeburn. He's from Appleloosa."
"Well, if he's your friend, we'd be more than happy to help you," said Steel. "After all, the friend of my friend is my friend. At least, I think that's how the saying goes..."
"It's 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' you dingbat," said Flint, rolling his eyes. "And by the way, three hundred and fifty six."
"What's with the counting?" asked Little Strongheart.
"Oh, Flint's just keeping track of every time I say something stupid," said Steel.
Little Strongheart tilted her head. "Strange. He's never done that before. Is that something new?"
"Kinda," said Steel, clearing his throat. "Anyway, what's this problem you have?"
"We're lookin' for a bunch of young fillies in a wagon," said Braeburn. "They ran off last night lookin' for some fairy tale. Have y'all seen 'em?"
Steel drew in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Flint, I think we're in trouble~," he whispered to his comrade.
"For Pete's sake, Steel. What kind of dragon are you?" Flint admonished, keeping his voice low. "I'll handle this."
He then turned to Little Strongheart and Braeburn. "Hmm. Actually, that's a good question. Do you know what these fillies looked like?"
Braeburn proceeded to describe each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. As he did so, sweat began pouring down Steel's face.
"Huh. Interesting," said Flint, stroking his chin. "And, you're sure that's what they look like?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" said Braeburn. "Have you seen 'em or not?"
"I can't seem to remember," said Flint. "Maybe a bowl of topaz or two can refresh my memory."
Little Strongheart gave Flint a stern look. "Don't do this, Flint. You know better; I know you do," she said. "Now, have you seen the children, or haven't you?"
"She's got you there, Flint," said Steel.
"Three hundred and fifty seven," snarled Flint.
"I actually wouldn't count that one," said Little Strongheart sternly. "We don't have time to play games. You know this desert can be a dangerous place, especially for young fillies. So tell us if you've seen them."
"Um, well. It's hard to say..." said Flint nervously.
"Yes, we've seen them!" Steel blurted out.
Flint elbowed his comrade in the gut again. "Three hundred and fifty eight, Steel."
Little Strongheart snorted. "Alright, you two. What's going on?"
Steel rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, we actually saw them coming by, and we kinda talked to them. They were looking for something call the Dragon Magi, if I recall."
"Yep, that's them," said Braeburn. "So, which way did they go?"
"North," said Flint brusquely. "Just head north, and you'll run into them. You'd better hurry, too. Like you said, the desert's a dangerous place."
Little Strongheart raised a skeptical eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of us."
"What? Wherever did you get that idea, LS?" said Flint. "Like you said, we're better than that."
"Apparently not," said Steel. "Remember? We sent those kids north to send a message to those bandits that kicked us out of our nest and that's three hundred and fifty nine, isn't it?"
Little Strongheart's eyes went wide. "You did WHAT?!" she exclaimed, leaping off of the transport and making a beeline to the dragons.
"I-it wasn't my idea! Honest!" Steel insisted.
"L-look, LS. Th-there's no need to get huffy," said Flint. "Those kids are plenty resourceful. I'm sure they're alright."
"Have you no shame?!" Little Strongheart scolded. "Resourceful or not, they're still children! I thought you were better than this! What could've possibly possessed you to send them into danger like that?!"
"H-hunger, mainly," Steel whimpered. "We haven't found a good gem deposit in days. Not since that Bull's Eye Gang kicked us out of our nest."
"Didn't we run into the Bull's Eye Gang on our way here?" mused Flim.
"We certainly did, brother," said Flam. "Truly nasty fellows."
Little Strongheart's eyes narrowed. "You somehow convinced four children to raid a bandit's hideout? What the heck is wrong with you two?!"
"Look, they were willing to do it!" protested Flint. "They were eager to find those Dragon Magi, so we told them we'd help them out if they got us some jewels!"
"So, you lied to them about helping them find the Dragon Magi," said Little Strongheart.
"No, we actually told them that we were the Dragon Magi," said Steel sheepishly. "Again, not my idea."
Flint snorted. "Three hundred and sixty, Steel. You know what that means," he said, pounding his fist into his palm.
"Actually, allow me."
Without warning, Little Strongheart charged forward and rammed Flint with all her might. Flint fell to the ground and shook himself.
"Hey, what gives?!" he snarled. "I thought buffalo respected dragons!"
"We do," said Little Strongheart. "But there's one thing you're forgetting. Respect is earned, not bestowed upon you like the sun's rays. The dragons of old have long since earned the respect of the buffalo. And you two have the gall to disgrace their good name by manipulating the naïveté of youth and sending them into certain peril! I have half a mind to tell Chief Thunderhooves to never let you into our territory ever again! I am very disappointed in you two!"
"W-we're sorry! We won't do it again!" Steel cried. "I-in fact, we'll help you get them back! Won't we, Flint?"
"You think I'm gonna let her boss me around?" scoffed Flint. "What are you, Steel? A dragon, or a pansy?"
"If those are my choices, I'd rather be a live pansy than a dead dragon," said Steel.
"Steel speaks wisdom, Flint," said Little Strongheart with an angry snort. "You may be a dragon, but we buffalo are fierce warriors in our own right. I would not recommend making me any angrier."
"Remind me not to get on her bad side," said Flim.
"Duly noted, brother of mine," said Flam with a nod.
Just then, the whole area was hit by an odd tremor. It became a chore for Braeburn and the FlimFlam Brothers to remain upright, while Little Strongheart stood her ground and remained on her guard.
"If you two are honest about atoning for your actions, you can start by helping us deal with this," she told Flint and Steel.
"D-d-deal with wh-wh-what?" asked Braeburn.
"One of the dangers of the desert," said Little Strongheart darkly. "I don't wish to alarm anyone, but we're about to be attacked by a sandwyrm."
"Um, i-i-i-if I may ask, good madam, wh-wh-what is a s-s-s-sandwyrm?" stammered Flim.
As if on cue, a large monster sprang from the sand. It appeared to be a giant tan centipede with a sand-colored body and large, powerful pincers. The creature looked over the transport below and let out a piercing screech, showing the several rows of sharp teeth that lined its mouth.
"Does that answer your question, gentlemen?" asked Little Strongheart.
"Qu-quite," said Flam with a gulp. "F-for the record, if that thing damages the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, we're billing you for repairs."
Braeburn rolled his eyes. "Oh, for cryin' out loud, does anythin' faze you two? At all?" he grumbled as he adopted a battle position of his own.
"Ha! Piece o'cake," said Flint complacently. "Nothing is a match for a dragon! Right, Steel?"
"I'm guessing the attack Little Strongheart dealt against you doesn't count," said Steel.
Flint sighed. "Three hundred and sixty one, Steel. Keep it up, and I'm feeding you to that thing."
"Both of you, shut up and look alive!" snapped Little Strongheart. "Here it comes!"
With another screech, the sandwyrm lunged forward.