Braeburn sat at the window of the train, watching until the last houses in Ponyville had disappeared out of sight.  The steam engine was pounding away at the rails as the train sped across the grassy plains.  Soon even the mountains of Canterlot were hardly visible from the train.  It flew through the forests and past the towns of Whitewater Ridge and Trotsworth before emerging on a long grassy plain where the grass faded gently from green to amber.  The sun set below the horizon and Braeburn went off into the dining car with most of the other passengers.

Braeburn sat across from a beige pony with amber hair, along with a young, light green mare holding a foal and a tan-coated colt with a dark, two-toned brown mane.  It seemed like a young, weathered family, the bags under the stallion’s eyes and the wrinkles at the edges of the mare’s mouth making them older than they might have actually been.

“You heading for the new settlement?” the stallion asked Braeburn as sandwiches and salads were brought to the table for the five of them.

“Yes, sir,” Braeburn responded.  “Signed up for a plot of land along the river there back in Ponyville.  I plan on starting an orchard there.”

The stallion smiled.  “Good to see another young stallion with such work ethic and willingness to strike out on his own.”  The stallion motioned to the colt sitting next to the mare.  “My son Quick Draw is going to a shooting competition in Dodge Junction later this year, but he’s still got the muscle to work on a farm.”

“That so?” Braeburn said.  “I’ve been working on my grandmother’s farm since I was fourteen.  I’m used to the hard work.  So long as I can find a couple of extra hooves to get me started, I think I’ll do just fine in Appleoosa.”

The stallion took a swig of his drink, a small glass of an amber liquid with a few ice cubes, and sighed.  “Who’s your grandmother?  Romaine here’s got family in Ponyville; they may know her.”

“Granny Smith, back in Ponyville.”

The mare’s eyes went wide and she had to steady herself to keep from dropping her foal.  “You don’t mean you’re part of the Apple family from Ponyville, do you?” she asked.  “By Celestia, your family’s renowned in Dodge Junction.”

“I know,” Braeburn said.  “My father founded it.”

Now the colt’s eyes widened.  “You’re the son of the famous gunpony Baldwin Apple?”

“The very one.”

“You ever fire one of his revolvers before?”

“Nope,” Braeburn said.  “He never let me touch them.  Said I had to wait until I was older before I could start handling something so dangerous.  Well, he died about ten years ago, and since then I’ve been living with relatives in Ponyville.”

A large glass of water was brought to the table, at which the stallion took it and drank it all down in a few gulps.  “You got a name, son?”

“Braeburn.  Braeburn Apple.”

The stallion put a hoof across the table.  “Name’s Wheat Stalk.  This here mare’s my wife Romaine and the colt at the end there is my son Quick Draw.  We’re out to start a wheat farm at this new place.  I’ve heard they’ve got a few ponies camped there but no big construction’s supposed to start yet.  It’ll start when this train gets there with the supplies.”

“Ah.  Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.  Certainly are a lot of friendly folk on this train.  I just hope it doesn’t take too long.”

“Three days to get from Ponyville to the station at the river where the settlement is,” Romaine said.  “Starting tomorrow, we have two days of desert to go through before we make it to the oasis where the settlement camp is.  Nothing but sand and red rock cliffs as far as the eye can see.”

“Still thinking about planting that apple orchard?” Wheat Stalk said.

Braeburn’s face became firm and resolute.  “I’ll do it.  No matter what it takes.  I signed up because I wanted the challenge.  And with the spot along the edge of the river, I should be able to make it just fine.”

Wheat Stalk smiled.  “You need anything at all, you can come on over to our place and we’ll do the best we can to help you out.”

Braeburn smiled.

Dinner was finished shortly thereafter, followed by a greyish-brown pony with a black mane and a handlebar mustache coming into the car.  He wore a large Stetson hat similar to Braeburn’s, but was dressed in a deep blue shirt that covered his front hooves and boasted a silver star pinned onto his front.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the pony announced in a gruff voice as he made his way to the head of the dining car.  “My name is Sheriff Silverstar.  I’d like to make the announcement that we should be reaching the settlement in about two days’ time and, if we keep this speed, should make it there by afternoon on the third day.  Once we arrive at the settlement, we’ll sort out claims to land that you signed up for and construction will begin.  There’s about five hundred ponies on this here train, and for the next three months we’ll have to work together.  After three months, we’ll give our settlement a name and be able to confirm it with the Records in Canterlot.”

There was a bit of excited talk before Sheriff Silverstar continued.  “I’m going to need our five big farmers – Wheat Stalk, Romaine, Celery Stalk, Corn Husk, and Braeburn Apple” – there suddenly started a large murmur in the dining car at the mention of Braeburn’s name – “to meet with me in the front car tomorrow to go over your plots of land, in addition to hiring help to get your farms up off the ground.  Your our food supplies, so if we can get you running, we might be able to get this town off the ground.  But I need your full cooperation with me and with one another.  Are you ready?”

There erupted a great cheer from the dining car, including from Braeburn himself.  Afterwards, there was a short dessert of a small pastry and tea.  When the tea was finished, Braeburn felt tired and excused himself back to his bunk to sort through his items.

There was one item he had not expected coming with him on the train.  It had been a package nearly as long as one of his front legs from shoulder to hoof but thin, along with a note from Granny Smith.  Braeburn opened the note and read it.

I know your father said you were too young for it, but now I think it’s time it got handed down.  I’ve got a hunch that, with you heading to Appleoosa, you might need this.

Braeburn set aside the note and opened up the package.  Inside was a sleek rifle with a bronze handle and a long black barrel with a tiny little point at the end.  Braeburn set the rifle on his shoulder and put his hoof up to it, finding himself just able to hold the rifle in place and even pull the trigger with one hoof.  It was unloaded and the safety turned on, but it came with five full cartridges, each containing six bullets for a total of thirty.

“I didn’t know you had a gun.”

Braeburn looked around for a minute before seeing Sheriff Silverstar standing in the aisle.  “I apologize, Sheriff,” he said hurriedly.  “It’s not loaded and it was simply in a package I received from my grandmother before heading off.”

Sheriff Silverstar smiled underneath the thick mustache.  “Actually, it might come in handy.  You see, we’ve been attacked by a clan of Diamond Dogs living in the hillsides around the new settlement.  We’ve been attacked once or twice by them thinking we’ve come to raid the lands.”

“Have you?”

“We didn’t even know about it until the Diamond Dogs attacked.  Anyways, I might need you on watch tomorrow night if you figure out how to handle that thing.”  Sheriff Silverstar started walking away, but turned around to look at Braeburn.  “You know, this whole thing was originally your father Baldwin’s idea, but he died before we could get it off the ground.  It’s nice to see he has someone still alive.”  Then he turned around and left the room.

Braeburn looked at the rifle uneasily.  He didn’t quite feel like using it at all.  While it was nice to have a piece of his father’s collection with him, as well as a way to defend himself, he still put it back into its package and back into the compartment above his head with the luggage just so he didn’t have to see it.

When he was sure everything was fine, Braeburn closed the sheet of his bunk and turned down his lantern until only a mild glow was left.  He laid down and looked out at the moon, letting the deep blue of the night sky and the gentle rocking of the train lull him to sleep.

Next morning, Braeburn went back down to the dining car and again sat across from Wheat Stalk and Romaine with their colts and learned a little about them.  The two had married about twenty years ago outside the suburbs of Phillydelphia, where they each had successful and prosperous farms.  A few years later, they had Quick Draw, now fifteen, and for a long time things seemed to be going fine, including buying a revolver for Quick Draw, who had gained a pair as his cutie mark.

“Until some hoity-toity Canterlot folk said they wanted to build something with our land,” Wheat Stalk said.  “Now, some of them are good folk, don’t get me wrong; the one who sold us our land was a Canterlot fellow and he did so for cheap.  But this stinking official just came down and run us off our land.  We had to come in to Ponyville and stay with Romaine’s family for a few years, during which we had a second son.  When this new settlement started being talked about, we jumped on the opportunity because it meant a chance to start again.”

“Least you managed to stick together,” Braeburn said.  “I lived in Ponyville for a while after my father died, then my mother fell ill and went to the hospital where she died.  I came here because pa would have wanted me to go off and start my own farm.”

“Have you ever been back to Dodge Junction?”

“I don’t have family there anymore.  When mother died, the only relatives I had were in Ponyville.  Still, it was a nice place and I don’t regret my times living there with them.  Besides, they helped me learn how to raise an apple farm.  I’m ready for this.”

“You’re younger than most who would make that journey,” Romaine said.  “I don’t even think I thought about starting off on my own until I met Wheat Stalk, and we were probably a few years older then than you are now.  I just hope the pressure doesn’t come and wear you down before you hit your prime.”

“You don’t need to worry about him, honey,” Wheat Stalk said.  He turned to Braeburn.  “You’ve got a good build for a pony your age.  I think you’ll be strong enough to take care of yourself out there.”

Braeburn nodded and looked out the window at the sun climbing high in the sky.  “The Summer Sun Celebration is today, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” Wheat Stalk said.  “Picked a perfect time for it, too.  We have to stay up all night and worry about Diamond Dogs attacking the train.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Braeburn said.  “Heck, we’ve only got about twenty-four more hours to go until we hit the settlement camp station.  So long as everypony stays vigilant, I’m sure there won’t be any problems.”

“Yeah, but we’ve got a night spent going through Diamond Dog territory,” Wheat Stalk said.  “Buggers around Ponyville are bad, but around this new settlement they’re even worse.  Towering beats that can reach up to nine feet high when standing straight, I’ve heard.  And they’ve got a nasty mean streak.  Closest thing I’ve heard them being compared to is Timberwolves from the Everfree Forest, and those things are vicious.”

“Don’t scare the poor dear,” Romaine cut in before Wheat Stalk could continue.  “Even you have only heard things about the beasts.  Sure, someone’s seen them, but we don’t know much about them except for rumors.”

“Rumors don’t tear ponies to shreds,” Wheat Stalk said.  “Or cut off their limbs.”

“Still, it isn’t necessary to go on about it,” Braeburn said calmly.  “We just got to make sure we stick together.  It’s like Sheriff Silverstar said; we might be able to make it if we’re united.”

Breakfast was served before the ponies were called in to meet with Sheriff Silverstar.  “Don’t worry, honey,” Wheat Stalk said to Romaine.  “I’m sure he’ll understand you not making it on account of a foal.”

“We’re married,” Romaine replied.  “We’ll sort out the details of what gets more land later.”

Braeburn and Wheat Stalk left Romaine and her two foals to meet with the other two farmers and Sheriff Silverstar, who had an office in a car at the back of the train.  The other two were already there, and Braeburn and Wheat Stalk sat down to talk things over with the Sherriff.

The meeting went smoothly.  Sheriff Silverstar pointed out the areas of land available to the farmers and discussed that there would be help coming in from Dodge Junction after a few days to help get things started; Braeburn alone was to have a shipment of apple trees that Braeburn figured would cover nearly three hundred square acres of the eight hundred he was given next to the river.

“We’ve had a few teams scout the area before while your father was still alive,” Silverstar explained.  “We’ve found some unique weather occurrences in the area.  For example, during the winter season it rains heavily enough so that the basin completely floods over in a few inches of water, so the land there is fairly fertile.  We’ve found similar areas where this occurs, so that’s where we’ve put the farms at.”

Afterwards was the issue of hired help.  There would be the group from Dodge Junction coming in to help with planting, but afterwards Braeburn could hire as much help as he needed in order to keep the farm running smoothly each year, especially during planting and harvesting seasons.  When this was over, the farmers were dismissed.

Braeburn, however, hung back a little after Sheriff Silverstar stated a desire to talk with him.  It was lunchtime by then, so the two went into the dining car where they were served cold salads and sandwiches and tall glasses of water to keep down the oppressive heat.

“I’m going to need you to help out with the guard shift tonight,” Sheriff Silverstar said.  “We have one or two unicorns coming with us, but with these Diamond Dogs I’m afraid that won’t be enough.  I would rather appreciate it if you figured out how to use that gun and helped me out with patrol.”

“What will I have to do?” Braeburn asked him.

“Oh, your job will be very simple.  I will be scanning for Diamond Dogs.  If I see one coming, I’ll point him out.  When he gets close enough to the train to be considered a threat, you can go ahead and fire at him.  Doesn’t matter where; if you kill him it’s one less to deal with, but if you injure him he’ll think twice before attacking again anyhow.”

“You sure violence is the way to solve this?” Braeburn asked.  “I mean, they must be somewhat intelligent.  I’ve heard that Diamond Dogs in some areas can even speak our language.  There must be some way to talk them into either leaving us alone or convincing them we aren’t there for the gems.”

“I wish that was the case,” Sheriff Silverstar commented.  “We sent someone before, but he came back with scratches all over him as a warning to the rest of us.”

“Perhaps your ambassador wasn’t being very clear.”

“Are you proposing to try and deal with them?”

“Let’s take things one step at a time here, Sheriff.  First, we need to make it to the new settlement.  And I will help you with the patrol tonight.  Once we get things going there, then we’ll see what needs to be done about those Diamond Dogs.”

Sheriff Silverstar smiled at Braeburn.  “It’s a good thing some ponies on this train have a little common sense.  You make it through this, I dare say you’ll be one of the most powerful ponies in town.  For now, you should head back to your bunk and try and get some sleep.  The Summer Sun Celebration sometimes seems like the longest night of the year.”

Having nothing better to do to pass the time, Braeburn went back to his bunk and slept.

Braeburn woke up to the sun beginning to set below the horizon.  Dinner was still being served in the dining car and Braeburn went to find hardly anyone there.  Braeburn was served his meal and ate by himself before heading back to his bunk and pulling out the gun and two cartridges.  Inserting one into the butt of the gun, Braeburn cocked the rifle to make sure it was loaded and went to find Sheriff Silverstar.

The sheriff was in his office in the back car where Braeburn had met with him that morning.  He stood at attention when he saw Braeburn with the gun.  “I see you’re ready for work tonight,” Silverstar commented with a nod at the rifle.  “Do you know how to use it?”

“I’m sure I could handle it on the fly,” Braeburn said.  “I’ve seen my father handle one before.”

“Alright, then,” Silverstar said.  “First, we’ll just walk around the train and make sure all the windows are shut and locked tight.  It’ll prevent the Diamond Dogs from having a handle to grab the train with.”

Down twenty cars, Braeburn and Silverstar checked locks on doors and windows, making sure there was no possible entry into the train.  Silverstar also informed the passengers of the safety precautions and informed them to stick together in groups with someone always on watch.  Lights were turned on and kept on and food was served in the dining cars to make sure the ponies were kept at least momentarily satisfied.  When the doors were locked, Braeburn and Silverstar returned to the office in the back car to find three unicorns waiting for them.

“We’ve checked for the Diamond Dogs,” one of the unicorns, a light purple one with a beige mane and a small set of saddlebags, told Sheriff Silverstar.  “There was no sign of them in the desert, but there are a lot of places where they can hide around here.  Little crevices and dips in the sand that could possibly hide them until we get close enough.”

“Thank you, Lavender,” Sheriff Silverstar said.  “You go with Braeburn and start making your way to the front.  Double check the locks and keep an eye out the windows for any sign of them.  Stick around in the car just behind the tender and keep a watch out for any signs of movement.”

“Yes, sir,” Braeburn and Lavender replied.  Braeburn adjusted the rifle over his shoulder and the two ponies made their way down the train, double checking the locks to make sure nothing was missed before heading into the lead car.

Once in the lead car, Lavender led the way up a small ladder and out a door to a small balcony that covered the top of the car.  Braeburn adjusted the hat on his head, feeling the wind of the speeding train whip his long blonde mane around.  The big black steam engine released clouds of white smoke that quickly faded away into the moonlit night.

“At least the moon is out,” Lavender shouted over the pounding of the wheels.  “This should make it easier to see them when they approach.”

“When should they start coming?” Braeburn shouted back, steadying the rifle so that he could look down the barrel.

“Any moment now,” Lavender said as Braeburn crossed the balcony to the opposite side of the tracks.  “This here is all Diamond Dog territory.  We’ll need to keep on guard.  The driver and fireman have been informed to keep watch as well and they’ll tell us if they see anything.  We have Silverstar and two others down at the other end of the train so we should be okay.”

“What should I start looking for?”

“Green or gold dots means you can see their eyes.  Otherwise, with all this sand and red-rock, their black or dark grey coats will make them stand out.  Keep your eyes out for contrasts.  Also, keep a look out down the sides of the train in case they start running alongside us.”

“What sort of magic do you know?”

“I’ve got a small shield spell to keep us safe, plus a few offensive spells.  Nothing fatal, but enough to push them back.”  Lavender looked over to Braeburn.  “Probably why Silverstar paired me with you.  You’d be able to kill them if necessary.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t come to pass,” Braeburn said, clicking the safety off and pointing the barrel to the desert sands.

For a long time, things were quiet.  Every few minutes, Braeburn and Lavender switched sides and took over looking what the other had been looking at before to make sure nothing was missed.  Every few rotations, Lavender would shout down to the driver and fireman in the cab to see if they saw anything, but for a long time they came up with nothing.

After maybe an hour on duty, Braeburn noticed a pair of green eyes staring at them from a ridge.  He called Lavender over, who pulled out a pair of binoculars from his saddlebags and stared where Braeburn had noted them.

“Yep, that’s a Diamond Dog eye alright.  Keep steady.  I’ll tell the driver and fireman to let off steam a little and slow her down.”  Lavender went over and shouted the instructions down to the driver, and soon the train was slowing down to maybe half the speed it was going before but still moving at a decent clip.

“Might take a little longer to reach the settlement camp,” Lavender told Braeburn, “but it’ll let Silverstar and the others know Diamond Dogs have been sighted and we need to keep on guard.  Have that rifle ready.”

Braeburn steadied himself and aimed the barrel out the side where he had seen the Diamond Dog originally.  It wasn’t long before a spark shot up from the opposite end of the train.

“Silverstar’s end is getting attacked,” Lavender shouted.  “Keep your guard up and watch out.”

Braeburn steadied the rifle as much as he could.  Before long, there came a hulking beast from over the ridge.  It was over seven feet hunched over and covered with a black fur.  Its muzzle was pointed much like the Timberwolves and had a full mouth of sharp white teeth.  It charged towards the train on all fours and eventually started running alongside the train a few cars down.

“We got company, Lavender,” Braeburn said.

“Soon as he makes his move, fire that gun,” Lavender commanded.

Braeburn watched the Diamond Dog intently.  Soon, it hunched over even further and kicked off the ground towards their car.  Braeburn’s rifle exploded with gunfire but the shot didn’t hit, landing inches away from the Diamond Dog’s tail.

“Hold on!” Braeburn shouted.

The Diamond Dog heaved itself towards the car and jumped into it, slamming it with its side.  The car jerked sideways, knocking Braeburn against the tower in the center and Lavender onto the rail on the other side.

“They’re coming from the other side now!” Lavender shouted back.

Braeburn steadied himself and fired a second shot at the Diamond Dog.  This time it hit one of the front paws, causing the Diamond Dog to yelp and jump backwards in pain.  Braeburn cocked the rifle again and ran over to where Lavender was on the other side, where two more had joined in the fray.

“One hit, potentially disabled,” Braeburn said, aiming his gun towards one of the Diamond Dogs running alongside the train.  “It had to make a retreat.”

“Good,” Lavender said.  “Keep steady.  They might make another pass at us.”

Braeburn shouldered his rifle again and aimed at the Dogs.  One charged forwards and rammed against the side again, jolting the car.  Braeburn was knocked backwards but Lavender managed to keep even footing and fired two magic bursts at the Diamond Dogs, causing one to recoil but not back down.  The other jumped at the car with intention to grab the balcony, but Braeburn managed to fire at the Dog, hitting it square in the chest and knocking it back from the force of the gunshot.  The Diamond Dog rolled for a little before falling down a ridge.

“Two down,” Braeburn said, picking himself up.

“Check the other side again,” Lavender said.  “We don’t want to get flanked.”

Braeburn ran across the balcony to find that two more Diamond Dogs were on the other side now.  One of the Diamond Dogs launched at the car before Braeburn had time to steady his rifle and managed to grab a hold on the bars of the balcony, jerking the car and knocking Braeburn on his feet.  The thing growled menacingly at Braeburn, who took aim and fired at the Dog as quick as he could.  It glanced off the paw but that was enough of a distraction for Braeburn to buck the thing off.

“Braeburn!” came Lavender’s voice from the other side.  “Help!”

Braeburn got up and ran over to the other side.  Lavender had been knocked over the railing and was holding on for dear life to the metal bars, back hooves dangling dangerously within reach of the remaining Diamond Dog on the side.  Braeburn shouldered the rifle and turned off the safety before running over and grabbing one of Lavender’s hooves.

“Kick up off the side!” Braeburn shouted.

Lavender kicked off the side of the car and Braeburn pulled back with all his might.  The pull wasn’t enough and Lavender continued to dangle off the side of the car.  The Diamond Dog came closer to him, licking its chops and opening his mouth wide.  The bite missed, but Lavender started swinging back and forth after being hit.

“Ah!” Lavender exclaimed.  “Braeburn, help!”

“I’m trying!” Braeburn shouted as he steadied his grip with his other hoof.  “Try kicking off again!”

Lavender kicked, but nearly kicked himself into the Diamond Dog and pulled back, just barely missing the swiping claw.  He fired a few bursts from his horn, one of which hit the Diamond Dog in the chest and knocked him backwards.  With a third kick he swung himself outwards enough that Braeburn could, with a large heave, pull him over the bars and back onto the balcony.

“Thanks,” Lavender said.

“No time for rest yet,” Braeburn said.  “We’ve still got two on the other side.”

Lavender nodded and followed Braeburn back across the walkway to the other side where the two Diamond Dogs were running.  Braeburn picked up his rifle and turned off the safety again before aiming at the Diamond Dogs.  Braeburn shot at one who was trying to hit one of the windows further down, catching him once in his back paw, causing him to trip and fall over.  The second Diamond Dog avoided his shot, but it ended up catching the other one in the head.  Blood stained the desert sand as the train sped forwards and the dead Diamond Dog faded into the distance.

“I think we’re almost through the worst of it,” Lavender said, firing a few bolts at the remaining Diamond Dog to keep it at bay.  “Once we hit the river, the attacks should be less.”

“Let’s hope so,” Braeburn said.  “I hope Silverstar and the other two didn’t have so many problems.”  With a final shot, Braeburn caught the Diamond Dog in the tail, causing it to whimper and scuttle away to try and hide or cover the bleeding spot on its back.  With that, neither Braeburn nor Lavender could see a remaining Diamond Dog near the tracks.

“You did good,” Lavender said.  “Once we hit the river, we can go and report to Sheriff Silverstar.  Seven’s a pretty high amount to take on for such a distance.  Depending on how many they encountered, we could have had nearly a third or even a half a pack taken down with the two sides combined.”

Lavender went forward and shouted to the driver.  Within a few minutes the train was picking back up speed and was soon pounding along at its normal pace.  A short while later, one of the unicorns was seen in the bottom of the car below the balcony.  Braeburn and Lavender climbed back down into the car.

“What’s going on?” Lavender asked.  “What’s the report from Sheriff Silverstar?”

“Six more Diamond Dogs taken down in the back of the train,” the unicorn said.  “Line seems to be all clear and signs of attacks have stopped.  Silverstar wants to know how many you had down here.”

“Seven attacked us,” Braeburn said.  “At least three were put out of commission, and four more were injured enough to retreat.  Aside from a few scratches, I think we’ll be okay.”

The unicorn nodded.  “Thirteen total.  Silverstar won’t like that; that’s the most they’ve seen on any trip.  The Diamond Dogs are probably getting restless.  I’ll head back and report to Silverstar.  In the meantime, he says you two can take a break if things are getting light up here, but to meet back with him in half an hour.

“Should be almost dawn by then,” Lavender said.  “Alright.  We’ll meet him in half an hour.”

The unicorn saluted and took off.

Lavender looked to Braeburn and smiled.  “Coffee and a pastry sound good to you?”

Braeburn nodded.  “I certainly could use it to calm my nerves after this night.”

For the rest of the trip, the ride on the train was smooth.  They ended up reaching the river by dawn and soon the desert gave way to thin strips of fertile land.  Green grass surrounded the river and they even went through a grove of trees.  Soon they crossed a bridge and ran along the inside of the river for a short ways before veering away.

“That river is called the Urodni,” Lavender told Braeburn as they started trekking back across the desert.  “It comes from a language outside of Equestria and means ‘fertile’.  You can go almost all the way from Canterlot to the frozen northern lands just by following the river and eating the fruit that grows along its banks.”

“Why aren’t the rails following it any further?”

“Just before it hits the new settlement, it drops down a forty foot cliff.  We have to go around so our drop isn’t as steep and so there isn’t the extra cost of leveling the land.  Anyway, we should be in Appleoosa in a few hours’ time.”

The train arrived just before noon.  A station had been built about a mile away from the river in a patch of dusty land that refused to grow anything under the heat of the sun.  Braeburn followed Lavender and Sheriff Silverstar off the train and over to a cluster of tents where a few others were waiting.  One of the ponies with a hammer and nail cutie mark came over and extended his hoof towards Silverstar, who shook it firmly.

“Good to see you made it through the deserts alright,” the pony said.  “I heard the Diamond Dogs getting riled up last night around here.  We were afraid you might be delayed.”

“We almost were,” Sheriff Silverstar replied.  “Had a goodly amount attack the train last night and we had to fight them off.  However, we’ve all managed to get here in one piece.”

“Good.  You bring the cement mix to help lay some foundations?”

“Yep.  There’ll be another train heading this direction from Dodge Junction with more if necessary.  You got any place to help keep these ponies until more gets built?”

The builder pony motioned to a cluster of hastily-assembled wooden buildings surrounded by a high wooden fence on the opposite side of the tracks.  “Enough storage space for everypony and their belongings,” he said.  “We even have a few spaces for cribs for the foals if need be.”

“Good.  We’ve got a few families on this train.  Help get them inside.  We still need to do a damage check.”

The builder pony nodded and he and Sheriff Silverstar walked back off towards the train.  Lavender and Braeburn went towards the back of the train where a porter was handing out baggage.  Braeburn and Lavender retrieved their belongings and a cart and walked across the tracks where another attendant was leading ponies to the building.  The two lined up at a door at the front of one of the buildings and waited as ponies were shuffled through.

Eventually, Braeburn’s turn came up.  The unicorn in front of him was a hardened stallion wearing an outfit similar to Sheriff Silverstar’s but without the badge.  Even so, he had a nametag on that labeled him one of the local officers.  “Need your name, sir,” he said gruffly.

“Braeburn Apple,” Braeburn told him.

The officer shuffled through his papers before nodding.  “Building one, sir,” he said, calmer and friendlier than he had before.  “You’ve got your own personal room.  If you still have any bags, a porter will be called to bring them here for you.”

Braeburn nodded.  “This settlement got a name?” he asked as he searched for Lavender’s name in the list.

“It ain’t been decided yet,” the officer said.  “There’s talk of your father Baldwin Apple having a few names, but since he’s dead…”  His voice trailed off and he shrugged his shoulders.

Braeburn took his bags to his room and found Lavender was to be in the same building as he was.  Braeburn deposited his things in his room before he and Lavender exited the compound to take a look at Braeburn’s claim before evening.

It was a wonderful plot of land.  Located at the base of the ridge, at least one square mile in a long rectangle was hidden in the shade of a cliff and surrounding hills.  The heat wasn’t so forceful down in the little hole and the grass and trees had sprung up again, not to mention the river flowing steadily beside it.

“If I hadn’t of known better,” Braeburn said, “I’d have thought it was paradise.”

“It may be once you get to work on it,” Lavender said.  “Anyway, the trees from Dodge Junction are supposed to arrive tomorrow.  We should also be able to get started on a home for you, if you had anything particular in mind.”

They turned around after a while and walked back towards the compound.  In the distance, the train gave a great puff of smoke and eventually steamed away, now heading for Dodge Junction for help with the supplies.

“I never caught exactly what you do,” Braeburn said to Lavender.

“Oh, I’m a jack of all trades,” Lavender said.  “I know a decent amount of magic, but mostly put it to work in either studying what magic can do or, my main job, a bit of construction work.  I work in land management as well as designing.  Soon as this place is set up, I’m supposed to head over to Dodge Junction for the building of a new mine.  I guess some gold was found in the hills just outside.”

“Pity you aren’t settling down,” Braeburn said.  “Decent, hard-working, able to handle yourself in a fight… you got what it takes to make it out here.”

Lavender nodded.  “I didn’t think I’d make some friends so quickly on the train ride here.  It’ll be a shame to leave them, but that’s the nature of my work.  I suspect I’ll be passing through here again, though.”

Braeburn nodded.  “Mind helping me with some ideas for a farmhouse while you’re here?”

Lavender smiled.  “My entire job is making sure you and the other farmers have your barns and homes built before moving on to the town center.  Soon as we get back to the compound we can head into the drafting offices and start planning.”

Braeburn ended up missing a few things from the train that were put in his room at the compound.  He spent some time getting them together before meeting with Lavender in the drafting offices in the same building and spoke of his plans.  The two mandatory things were a cellar to keep the apples in storage and a large barn to hold equipment in.  Braeburn’s house was quite simple: two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living area, a kitchen, a small storage closet, and a wide open room at the back with glass panels but shielded from the sun by large awnings.  Running water and electricity were preferred, especially for cleaning and storing the apples.

“Right, they’re trying to get electricity and running water up as soon as possible.  The whole town layout is already planned out so all we’ll need to do is tell them how to connect your place to the main lines.  From there, I’d wager it’ll be done in five days when the help comes in from Dodge Junction.  Let me run this design by the head builder and get it approved, then tomorrow we should be able to start work.”

Within an hour, Braeburn had his answer.  The ground was sturdy enough even the storage unit could be built underneath the home with minimal foundation needed and so the design was approved.  Construction would begin as soon as the train arrived from Dodge Junction the following morning.

The first train came in from Dodge Junction shortly after sunrise, bringing in construction materials.  Braeburn was not present at the station, having arrived at his farm and placing stones across the nearly barren landscape.  While he went about his land, he saw Lavender with another, larger pony with a reddish-brown body and a gruff face watching as timber and drywall and paint and wires made their way to land at the top of the ridge.  Almost as soon as the materials were brought to the area and organized, Braeburn saw them begin to consult diagrams and eventually begin to build his farmhouse.  By the time they stopped for lunch under the shade of the ridge, the area for Braeburn’s cellar had already been scooped out and Braeburn had finished marking his land with stones.

The second goods train from Dodge Junction arrived just after lunch was served and the first train had been unloaded.  Braeburn found it a sight to behold.  The big black engine slowly steamed into the station carrying thousands of apple trees.  Braeburn directed them where they needed to go, picking up the stones as they went.  The trees were dug into the ground and placed twenty-five feet apart from each other, giving them enough land to spread out and gain nutrients from the river nearby.  Nearly fifteen thousand trees were placed in the land by the river by the time evening had settled, and the ponies from Dodge Junction left on the next train back home.

At the end of the day, Braeburn returned back to the compound, but Lavender stayed out and supervised the construction until nearly dawn.  By the time Braeburn returned to check on the orchard the next morning, the foundation for the first floor was being laid down.  Braeburn enlisted some of the workers with Lavender’s approval to help him dig small trenches around the orchard to get them water and nutrients from upstream and soon small streams of water were flowing.  By nightfall, the trenches were complete and Braeburn had a completed foundation and cellar.  Braeburn started to help the builders continue their task with major preparations for the orchard now complete, the light of the moon overhead providing enough light to see clearly.

It wasn’t long before the outer walls were complete with electrical and water pumps going through them.  Just as the pony managing the pipes had decreed the job finished, Sheriff Silverstar approached with two other ponies, each wearing a jade green outfit with a bronze badge similar to Silverstar’s.

“I’ve got some bad news,” Sheriff Silverstar said.  “Normally, I’d let you continue working, but we’ve got reports of Diamond Dogs nearby.”

“Diamond Dogs?” Braeburn said.  “I thought we passed out of their territory once we hit the river.”

“Normally, that’d be the case,” Silverstar said.  “But I’m guessing our building projects have alerted them to our position.  We’ve made tremendous progress in the city, getting most of the foundations laid down and the residents all have a space and job of their own.”

“Perhaps all the noise,” Lavender commented, “especially with trains from Dodge Junction coming in and out of the station, has been echoing into the valleys and canyons where they live.  I bet you one Diamond Dog territory stretches for miles just so they can get something to eat in this landscape.”

“You probably have a point,” Silverstar said thoughtfully.  “In any case, I can’t let you continue building tonight.  Rally your workers together and head back to the compound.  You can continue in the morning.”

“What about the buildings, though?” Lavender said.

“Or the newly planted trees?” Braeburn said.  “It won’t be that hard for them to come in here and rip them apart.”

“I’m sorry,” Sheriff Silverstar said, “but at the moment your lives are more important than having to rebuild.  We can always send reinforcements from Dodge Junction, but we can’t guarantee getting you back in one piece if you’re caught.”

“He’s got a point, Lavender,” Braeburn said as Silverstar and his two companions galloped off to inform the others.  “We’ll come out early tomorrow to check the damage and continue working.  The orchards are ready to go, so I can help out more if need be.”

“We’ll need to push ourselves to get this thing finished,” Lavender said.  “Once that’s done, we can have a couple reinforcement spells put on it so it doesn’t break apart in case of attack.”

The two returned to the compound to find the entire place in an uproar.  Talk of the Diamond Dogs being so nearby worried everyone present.  A few unicorns were trying to get the leaders to let them do shielding spells around the encampment but were refused.

“It’s only been a sighting,” said one pony.  “It was spotted by one of the Dodge Junction trains heading up the river a short distance.  This warning is enough to let them know we are alert.  Silverstar is doing patrols around the encampment with his men, so you should be safe.”

“But they attacked us on the train!” one pony shouted.

“They rammed the cars and nearly damaged the windows!” shouted another.

“How can you expect us to feel safe if we don’t do something about them?” another said.

“Think of the lives that could be lost!”

“I can’t believe you dragged us out into this desert just for us to get killed!”

“Now, now, I assure you, we are taking steps to solve this…”

“…has anyone tried talking to these Diamond Dogs?”

The entire assembly went quiet and turned to look at Braeburn.    Braeburn looked around the room to see everyone glancing at him as though he was either mad or with sympathy as though they agreed with him but weren’t fully behind him.

“You could try,” Wheat Stalk said, though he didn’t sound convinced.  “They are defined as an intelligent species.”

Braeburn turned towards him.  “You don’t think it’ll work, do you?”

“Well, no,” Wheat Stalk said.  “No one has tried talking to the Diamond Dogs out in these deserts.  Even the folks in Dodge Junction don’t try to, and they’ve been here for nearly thirty years.  Last time somepony tried talking to them was back then, and they… well, let’s just say they were made an example of.”

The entire assembly went into quiet mumbles.  It seemed everyone had heard of the event and none seemed too pleased about it.

“I heard he wasn’t found until four days later.”

“I heard he was covered in scratch marks.”

“He was bleeding from every limb.”

“He looked starved and dehydrated.”

“There was a limb torn off of him.”

“Dodge Junction has barely kept them under control.”

“But Dodge Junction has prospered, hasn’t it?” Braeburn replied, causing the group to fall silent.  Braeburn walked amongst the group.  “It has managed to become a thriving community.  It has a working orchard.  It has a Canterlot-approved school.  It has a stable economic condition.  The people of Dodge Junction live and work – nay, they thrive in a harsh environment.  We’ll need to learn to do the same.”

No one seemed to share his enthusiasm.  Many pairs of eyes turned away instead of responding to him.  Though no one actually spoke against him, Braeburn felt the response was weaker as though they were torn between wanting to believe him and their own fear.

“Braeburn,” Lavender spoke up after a moment of silence, “what you are asking for is either suicide or a bloodbath.  No one has confronted the Diamond Dogs without having attacked and possibly killed at least one.”

“Maybe it is,” Braeburn said quietly, though his voice rang out amongst the silent crowds.  “But maybe we’ve given them the wrong impression.  We’ve fought fire with fire where we need to douse it with water.  Perhaps force is all we’ve given them when what we need is someone who can reason.”

“You can do that,” Wheat Stalk said.  “If it were me facing one of those things, I’d be making sure my horseshoes were sharp as a knife.  Better yet, I’d carry a knife with me.  All I know is I’m not getting caught defenseless or alone by one of those things.”  There was a general murmur of agreement among the crowd.

Braeburn thought about speaking up again, but at that moment Sheriff Silverstar came into the room.  “Alright, everyone,” he said in a loud voice that got everyone else quiet.  “Let’s keep things in order here.  It’s almost time for lights out.  Guard shifts have been arranged for the night.  In the morning we’ll check for damages and add a few more guards while everypony works.”

Wheat Stalk walked out of the main building and over to their lodgings before Braeburn could speak with him again.  Braeburn followed him out into the moonlight and heard Lavender trotting to catch up with him.

“You really think they can be spoken to?” Lavender asked.

“I think no one has tried,” Braeburn said, stopping to face Lavender.

“Still, pretty much across Equestria guards are instated and trained how to specifically handle Diamond Dogs in combat.  They’re a vicious bunch and I don’t think it’ll be so simple as asking them to leave us alone.”

“Don’t need to tell them to leave us alone.  All someone has to do is say we aren’t interested in the gems on their land.  If someone wants them, that’s the government’s job or some other pony’s.  But as far as the residents of this settlement are concerned, that isn’t the case.”

Lavender looked at him strangely.  “You’re not like the others here, Braeburn.  I’ve never heard a pony talk the way you do.  You’ve got a good deal of common sense, but you’ve also got some strange ideas in that head of yours.  I’d be careful around some of the others or they’d tear you to shreds.”

“If that’s the case, I’d rather that tearing be done by a Diamond Dog.  At least then it’d be over quick and you wouldn’t hear no more of it.”  Before Lavender could respond, Braeburn walked off and into his lodgings. Next Chapter: Chapter 6 - The Prospectors Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 37 Minutes