//------------------------------// // 38. Over a Barrel - Part 2 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// Eventually, the train pulled into the Appleloosa train station. The ponies hurried out only to be met with a yellow earth pony stallion, wearing a vest, cowboy hat, his mane golden and flowing, big green eyes, a cutie-mark being a simple apple, and giving them a smile to rival Pinkie Pie as he got friendly. “Hey there! An' welcome to,” he reared up, flailing his forelimbs as he cried out, “A-A-PPLELOOOSA!” “Braeburn, listen-” Applejack tried to say but Braeburn cut her off. “Cousin Applejack, mind yer manners, y’ have yet t’ introduce me to yer compadres! Shame on you!” “Braeburn, listen, sumthin’ terrible has happened-” “Terrible is right!” Braeburn went on, “Yer train’s a full seven minutes late! That’s seven minutes less for you to delight in th’ pleasures n' wonders of A-A-PPLELOOOSA!” And without another word, Braburn started pushing the visitors all over town for a whirlwind tour. “Boggles th’ mind we settler ponies built all in just this past year, don’t it?! As y’all can see, we have all a th’ finest comforts! Like horse-drawn carriages!” He pointed out somepony pulling a carriage before he said, “Okay, you pull now.” “Aw, we jus’ switched,” protested the passenger. “And those there’re horse-drawn, horse-drawn carriages,” Braeburn pointed out some ponies painting and drawing ponies drawing carriages. “Uh, Braburn? If we could just-” Midnight tried to say but Braeburn pushed them all in front of the local saloon. “An’ here’s our local waterin’ hole, the Salt Block,” Braeburn pointed out as a pony got tossed out the swinging batwing doors, somepony, the bartender likely, shouting, “Tha’s enough salt for you!” The pony, his pursing lips flecked with salt, slurred, “Can’t Ah at least… get a glass a’ water?” The bartender gathered his dignity and headed back inside, Braeburn pushing things along. “There’s the office of Sheriff Silver Star!” he pointed to the sheriff’s office, Silver Star relaxing. “And here’s where we have our Wild West dances,” he pointed out an area full of frisky ponies in a hoedown. “And here’s where we have our mild west dances,” he pointed out ponies dancing slowly and in relaxed manners. “But Braeburn, we-” Applejack tried to say but again Braeburn got pushy. “And here’s th’ most wonderful sight in all A-A-PPLELOOOSA!” he whooped before proudly declaring, “Our apple orchard!” It was a site worthy of commendation, a tribute to hard work and tender love, to the strength of the earth pony, and any other time Applejack would’ve fawned over it but now was not the time. “Braeburn!” “First harvest should be any day now,” Braeburn went on. “Braebur-” “Good thing too!” “Brae-” “Cuz we need that grub t’ live on!” “BRAEBURN!” Applejack hollered. “Uh, yes, cuz?” “Y’ have a very nice town an’ all,” Applejack stated, Braeburn nodding in agreement, “but we have a HU-UGE problem! Some a’ our friends are missin’!” “A stampede of buffalo,” Fluttershy informed, Braburn’s eyes popping at the mere mention of the word ‘buffalo’ while Rarity cried, “They took Spike!” “Thunderlane went after them,” Midnight explained, Fluttershy adding, “And we can’t find Pinkie Pie!” “And we had an apple tree with us for yer orchard,” Applejack wrapped it up,” They took that too!” “Did you say… buffalo?” Braeburn sighed sadly, “Them buffalo, they wan’ us settler ponies t’ take every single tree y’see here off'a this land! They sure as hay don’ want any new ones added in.” “But why?” Fluttershy asked. “Dunno, but we put a lot’a hard work into this land,” Braeburn went on as he looked upon the orchard, “so we can feed our town, our fam’lies, our foals! An' now they’re sayin’ all these trees gotta go? T’ain’t fair…”’ “Hmm…” Midnight pondered. Meanwhile, out in the desert, Thunderlane was sneaking about, tiptoeing from behind rock to behind another rock, leaping to another as he whispered, “When I get my hooves on that brat buffalo- Ooh!” He rubbed the bump on his head, still sore, “Nopony makes a fool out of Thunderlane and gets away with it scot-free!” “Boo!” “YAH!” Thunderlane flapped upwards but saw it was, “Pinkie Pie?!” “Aw, ya caught me, looks like I made a fool of you and didn’t get away scot-free either,” Pinkie giggled. “You’re good!” “Shh! What are you doing here?!” Thunderlane hissed, putting a hoof over her mouth. “You’re gonna blow my cover!” “I am?” “I’m trying to save Spike,” Thunderlane explained in a low tone, while looking around from behind a rock. “Ohmygosh, so am I!” cheered Pinkie, making Thunderlane flinch at how loud she was being. “Well the more of us out here the more likely we’re to get-” Thunder thundered, too late in noticing the buffalo showing up and surrounding them. “…caught.” The buffalo snorted, pawing the ground with their hooves, showing they were ready to charge when… “Hold it, hold it!” They parted to reveal… “Spike?!” Thunderlane and Pinkie gaped at him as the little dragon approached. “`Sup!” Spike turned to the buffalo saying, “Ah no worries, I know these guys. They’re cool.” “If you say so, Spike,” said one of the buffalo, who hoof/fist-bumped with the little dragon. “Catch ya later, bro!” And with that, the buffalo ran off, Spike gesturing Thunderlane and Pinkie to follow him. Night fell by the time they reached their destination, the buffalo tribe’s camp. Spike led them to a campfire and explained, “Seems they took me by mistake, and they felt bad about it too, the poor guys. But wouldn’t you know it?” He snapped his fingers and some buffalo pushed some bowls of some kind of mush to Thunderlane and Pinkie, Spike saying, “They totally respect dragons! So they treat me like an honored guest, still don’t like ponies much though but… stick with me and you’re cool.” “Huh, well I don’t trust them,” Thunderlane snapped as he pushed the bowl of mush away in disgust. “So I say we get outta here and hightail it to Appleloosa.” “Mmm, before we finish eating?” Pinkie protested, Thunderlane making a face in disgust and frustration. “Are you loco in the cocoa?!” Then Pinkie noticed a buffalo calf bringing Spike a bowl of turquoise, so she asked, “Can I please have some more of that mushy stuff, whatever it was?” “Certainly,” the calf said with a friendly-tone. “And Mister Spike, you like gemstones, yes?” “Ooh, turquoise!” Spike licked his lips and gobbled them up. “This here’s Little Strongheart! And these’re my friends Pinkie Pie n’ Thunderlane!” While Pinkie waved real-friendly-like, Thunderlane only gave a salute but his ears perked in realization. “YOU!” “You?!” Little Strongheart gasped. “Oh we are so outta here!” Thunderlane declared, dragging Pinkie by her tail. “Wait! Please, accept my apologies for what happened on the train. We didn’t mean for anyone to be hurt!” “Uh-huh.” Thunderlane scoffed before trying to go a different way but the calf barred his way again. “We only wanted the tree! The settler ponies have overtaken the land and planted an orchard all over it! Because of their thoughtlessness, we can no longer run over our traditional stampeding grounds.” “And?” Thunderlane asked in a blasé tone. “Uh, I think it’s time they met Chief Thunderhooves,” Spike suggested, hoping to ease the tension. At a gathering of the tribe, the biggest buffalo stepped in front of the campfire, his head bearing a feathered tribal headdress. He could only be Chief Thunderhooves. “We have a long and winding stampeding trail we have run upon for many generations. My father stampeded upon these grounds, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and-” “We get it, move on!” Thunderlane snapped, and even though some members of the tribe found it disrespectful they silently agreed as a few had begun to doze off as the chief had been rambling. Chief Thunderhooves snorted but dismissed the outburst. “It is a sacred tradition to run the path every year. But this year, these… settler ponies, these…” – The chief snorted angrily – “Appleloosans!” He snorted some more but Little Strongheart calmed him down and took it from there. “They planted apple trees all over it without asking for permission.” “Well that’s not very nice, right, Thundy?” Pinkie commented, Thunderlane just scoffing. “The ponies refuse to move their trees!” Little Strongheart got passionate, “So we are stuck here and it is not fair!” Spike eyed Thunderlane nervously, and asked, “Do you get it now, Thunder? They have a good reason to be-” Thunderlane suddenly flapped up and landed with a loud stamp of his hooves, the buffalo gasping, fearing Thunderlane was about get confrontational when… “I’ll say you have a good reason! I think it’s time we had a word with some certain apple-picking Appleloosans!” The next morning, the friends and Braeburn had gathered just outside Appleloosa, all of them carrying saddlebags, as Applejack tightened Rarity’s. “Ow! Gently, please!” “Sorry Rarity, but our friends are out there, an’ we have t’ be ready fer a long hike into buffalo territory if’n we’r gonna save `em! Alright, everypony! Head `em up and move `em out!” They started galloping off and from out of nowhere did appear Thunderlane, Pinkie Pie, and Spike, forcing them all to skid to a halt. “Hi guys!” Pinkie greeted them, getting tackled by Fluttershy, saying, “Pinkie! We’re so glad you’re safe!” The others all gathered around, relieved their missing friends were not missing anymore. “How’d you three get here so fast?” asked Midnight. “We had help,” Pinkie pointed out a rock and out hopped Little Strongheart, to everypony’s surprise, Thunderlane saying, “We promised the buffalo a chance to talk.” “Oh yeah? `Bout what?” Applejack narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Little Strongheart’s here to explain to the Appleloosans why they gotta move the apple trees off buffalo land,” Thunderlane explained while pushing Little Strongheart up to Braeburn, who smiled, “Tha’ information would be quite helpfu-” “Tha’s weird!” Applejack piped in, “Cuz mah cousin Braeburn here wants t’explain t’ th’ buffalo why they should let the apple trees stay.” “That would be a useful thing to-” Little Strongheart tried to say when Thunderlane interrupted, “The land is theirs! Brae, you just planted the trees without knowing that, honest mistake. All you have to do is move `em.” “Well-” Braeburn started but Applejack was getting hostile. “They busted their rumps here! An’ now they’re s’posed to bust their rumps again, just cuz some buffalo won’ stampede somewhere else?!” “Plant the trees somewhere else!” Thunderlane insisted. “Where?!” Applejack pointed out the desert. “It’s th’ only flatland around these parts!” “The buffalo had it first!” “The settler ponies need it t’ live!” Midnight sighed as Thunderlane and Applejack argued so he had to step in. “HOLD IT!” he shouted while getting between the two arguing ponies and pushing them apart. “First off, kiss already." "HEY!" Thunderlane and Applejack snapped while blsuhing and Midnight went on. "Second, both the buffalo and the settlers have good reasons to use this land. I’m sure if we just keep cool heads and open minds we can come up with a solution that is mutually beneficial.” “Hey! I got an idea!” Pinkie popped up. “It can’t involve a cheesy musical number that sends some kind of message about the morals of sharing,” Midnight immediately shot her down, knowing her well enough. “But-” Pinkie protested, only for Midnight to go, “Bzzt!” “But-” “Bzzt!” Midnight kept cutting her off, “And that is the last ‘bzzt’ I have on the matter!” “Hmph!” pouted Pinkie as Midnight turned to Little Strongheart and Braeburn, addressing them in turn. “Go tell your chief to come to the town and you tell Sheriff Silver Star the chief of the buffalo is coming, we’re gonna have a peace summit.” “Peace summit?” Spike echoed. “A convening of at least two conflicting parties to negotiate a truce in the pursuit of peace,” Midnight explained, everypony gave him a look. “Twilight’s rubbing off on me at her lectures.” At the town square, the ponies had brought out a table for Chief Thunderhooves and Sheriff Silver Star, with Midnight presiding as the peace-maker while Braeburn and Little Strongheart stood next to their superiors. All the ponies and buffalo stood in the background, anxiously awaiting the summit to get started. “Ah cain’t believe this…” Applejack muttered, “Traditions can change, livelihoods not so much.” “Isn’t it better for there to be peace between the tribe and the town rather than a one-sided solution?” Thunderlane asked, but honestly feeling a little irritated himself. “Shh! They’re starting!” Spike pointed out. “We are here to negotiate a solution!” Midnight declared for all to hear. “A solution to bring about peace between the Buffalo Tribes and the ponies of Appleloosa! A solution that can mutually benefit both the tribe and town! Peace is the purpose of this summit so peace there shall be for as long as it is in session. Under no circumstances may either the ponies or the buffalo instigate strife or violence. As an outsider, I shall be the mediator, and so I shall invite Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strongheart the first word in explaining their plight.” “What?!” They looked and saw Applejack glaring at Midnight, “Why d’ they get t’ go first?!” “Y’know! We can just skip all this and you can all listen to my song!” Pinkie added. “Pinkie Pie, Applejack, I know some silencing spells and I’m not afraid to use them!” Midnight snapped. “One more outburst like that and you can both spend the rest of the day mute!” He looked to Thunderhooves and nodded apologetically and as a gesture for him to step up. Chief Thunderhooves cleared his throat, and called out, “Ponies of Appleloosa! I am Chief Thunderhooves of the Buffalo Tribe! We are here to declare our rights to the land you have overtaken with your orchard! For generations, we buffalo have practiced our sacred tradition of stampeding across the land every year. I stampeded across these grounds, as did my father before me, and his father before him…” “And… he’s off, fillies & gentlecolts,” Spike deadpanned, noticing everyone present starting to doze or tap their hooves impatiently. Midnight cleared his throat and respectfully said, “Uh, Chief? I think you’ve made your point, please move along?” “Oh yes, of course,” Chief Thunderhooves cleared his throat again. “As I was saying, these lands are sacred to our traditions and we demand that the orchard be moved so we can continue to practice our traditional annual stampede unmolested.” “Anything more to say, Chief?” asked Midnight. “I have had my say,” Chief Thunderhooves declined. “And this summit demands I allow you Appleloosans yours.” “Very well, then,” Midnight announced, “Sheriff Silver Star, you may step up and have your say, as representative of your town.” Sheriff Silver Star did so, clearing his throat, and yelling out, “Ah’m Sheriff Silver Star, which means it’s mah job t’ look after this here town an’ keep it safe! Tha’ also means Ah make sure mah lil’ ponies don’t go hungry, which is why we planted th’ orchard in th’ first place! It’s our livelihood! Now we understand and respect tha’ ya buffalo got traditions an’ such, but we cain’t just remove the trees! We need `em t’ live! Please understand we meant no offense or disrespect when we settled here. But we worked our hooves till they bled buildin’ this town and carin’ fer this orchard. It’s our home, and we love it!” Some of the buffalo and ponies actually shed a few tears, Midnight asking, “Anything else to say, Sheriff?” “Ah made mah point,” sheriff Silver Star declined as he stepped down. “So!” Midnight called out as he stepped up. “The problem is clear: The Buffalo have a traditional right to the lands and have lived here far longer thence the Appleloosans built their town, and the Appleloosans have made this place their home and so need the orchard to take care of themselves. As I said, the purpose of this summit is to come to a solution that benefits both sides, one that both the Buffalo and the Appleloosans can live with. We must have open-minds clear of any prejudice and reasons selfish and short-sighted. Such a short-sighted solution would simply be: Either one goes or the other. But I must impress into all of you that is not the solution!” As Midnight went on, a little colt walked up to Chief Thunderhooves, a pie on his back. “Um, mister chief, sir?” Thunderhooves looked at the little pony curiously, as he offered, “Wouldja like some apple pie while you’re here?” Seeing the sincere kindness in the little colt, the chief smiled and whispered, “Thank you, little one.” The chief took the pie and bit into it, and no sooner did he did his eyes pop. For some reason, the effect earned everyone’s attention. They watched as he suddenly tore into the pie, saying, “Yum!” They waited till he was done and he declared, “I believe I have an idea!” That afternoon, the Appleloosans cut a wide path straight through the orchard and removed the stumps, finally settling down some sod to flatten the pathway they’d made. Applejack signaled Thunderlane with a whistle and the pegasus pony galloped in the lead of the buffalo as they stampeded right through the path. Earlier, Chief Thunderhooves proposed his idea to Midnight, Sheriff Silver Star, Little Strongheart, Braeburn, Applejack, Thunderlane, and Spike. In addition to the path made for the buffalo to stampede through, the orchard could stay if the buffalo were allowed to share in its fruit, and the delicious apple pies. At the end of the path, some ponies tossed a pie to each passing buffalo for them to have, and that night, they all convened in the town square where the buffalo treated the Apploosans to a powwow, where Midnight, the Chief, and the Sheriff sealed the truce over a puff of the sacred peace pipe. There was yee-haws, whooping, laughs, good food and good times! The next morning, Applejack was happy to get her tree, Bloomburg back, and even happier to get him settled. The Chief and Sheriff respectfully bowed to each other before the buffalo stampeded off home though Little Strongheart made sure to wave goodbye to Applejack and Thunderlane. As Midnight watched them go, he decided to write his own friendship report for the princess. ‘Dear Princess Celestia, Friendship is a gift to all and can be very powerful. A common goal can unite even the oldest of foes and allow friendship to prosper. So long as you keep an open mind, and allow for understanding and compromise, you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish. You gotta share, you gotta care. Sincerely yours, Midnight Blaze’ “Hey!” Pinkie piped up. “That's what I was gonna say!"