Braeburn woke up just before dawn the next morning and got himself a bagel and an orange juice for breakfast.  Before leaving, he decided to head back to his room and pick up his rifle, slinging it over his shoulder and onto his back.  He met with Lavender outside the compound, who had a similar breakfast though carried his in a faded purple magic field.

“You up to check on the construction of the farmhouse?” Braeburn asked.

“We need to make the most of what daylight we have,” Lavender replied.  “We might need to repair things before continuing.”  He motioned to the rifle.  “Extra protection?”

“Just to be safe,” Braeburn said.  “I doubt we’ll need it.”

The two set off.  Thankfully for Braeburn, the orchard itself seemed untouched and all the trees were still in place.  The trenches were also still in place and the orchard was well-watered so none of the crops were spilled.  A wall had fallen down on one side of the farmhouse, but Lavender attributed it to a poor job setting it from needing to be in a rush to complete the day’s work after the Diamond Dog warning.

“Besides the wall,” Lavender told Braeburn, “no other damage has been sustained.”

“That’s easily fixed, though,” Braeburn said.  “We could probably get it picked back up in an hour or two once the rest of the workers get here.”

“That’s true.  I’d be worried if it was the foundation or the cellar or even the main water pump, but those are all intact.  All we have to adjust is the fact that building might take a few more days.”

Braeburn and Lavender started working on the farmhouse again as soon as the other workers arrived.  The old wall was cleaned up and progress began on a new wall to replace the fallen one.  By the time the new wall was fixed, the sun was rising in the sky and Sheriff Silverstar was coming around to check on things.

“Anything to report?” he asked.

“No,” Braeburn said, tapping a nail in with his steel horseshoe.  “We had a wall fall down, but it’s attributed to a loose foundation.  We got it fixed now.”

“Good.  What about the orchard?  Any tree damage?”

“None sighted.  Looks like this plot of land went untouched.”

“Also good.  I’ll be checking around for signs of any more proble—”

A piercing shriek sounded throughout the desert.  It echoed through the ridge and caused almost all the workers to stop doing whatever they were doing to look towards the sound.

“That sounds like Romaine,” Braeburn said.

“That is one heck of a scream,” Lavender said.  “Probably found some dead animal around here.”

“I’ll go and check it out all the same,” Silverstar said.  “Braeburn, I see you have your rifle with you.  Do you mind coming with me to check it out?”

“Of course not, Sheriff.”

Braeburn set down his nails and Lavender started ordering for the workers to get back to building.  Another worker was put on Braeburn’s station as the stallion picked up his rifle and trotted alongside Sheriff Silverstar.  Wheat Stalk and Romaine’s farm was just up the ridge and down a short way, and the two were quickly meeting Wheat Stalk at the site of another construction project for a house.

The site here, however, was terrible.  Walls seemed smashed and slashed apart and broken down into tiny pieces with splinters and strips of wood littered everywhere.  There were pieces of broken glass scattered amongst the sands that caused a group of unicorns to pick up sand and sift through it with their magic to collect it.  The foundation laid down was cracked in multiple locations and a large square area that might have been the location for a barn had supplies thrashed and thrown about everywhere.

“What in Celestia’s name happened here?” Sheriff Silverstar asked as he approached a shivering, pale Wheat Stalk.

The stallion just shook his head.  “I ain’t got a clue.  All I know is I saw my wife Romaine coming through the fields and galloping towards me.  She came over and tried to explain what happened but I couldn’t understand a dang thing.  Suddenly she just dropped.  I took her back with Quick Draw, but couldn’t find out what happened.”

“We’ll go check it out,” Silverstar said.  “You head back to the compound and make sure your wife and son are doing okay.  Braeburn, get out your rifle in case we got some vandals out here.”

Braeburn took out his weapon and hoisted it over his shoulder, walking carefully along on three legs.  The two cut through the wheat fields and headed for the back of Wheat Stalk’s farm.  As they approached, the sand in places turned red instead of the usual tan or brown.

“That iron?” Braeburn asked.  “Or worse?”

Silverstar went over to and picked up some of the sand with his hooves.  “Blood.  Someone got injured around here.”

“This doesn’t seem like a normal hooligan,” Braeburn said, steadying the rifle as he followed Silverstar to another spot of blood-red sand a few feet away.

The trail of blood headed up a small sandy hill at the back of Wheat Stalk’s property.  Alongside the blood, sometimes overlapping it, was a place where it looked like an inch of sand had been worn away as though someone had been dragging a limb.  Three other sets of horseshoe prints followed along beside it and eventually descended down into a small valley filled with dead bushes and Joshua trees on the other side.  Braeburn followed Silverstar as they carefully stepped their way down into the valley.

The blood went down into the valley and over to a small cliff-face a short ways away.  Here, the sand dipped down and into a small hole made out of giant rocks stacked on top of each other.  Sticking out of the rocks was a pony’s limb, a single hoof lying completely still.  Silverstar went to a nearby tree and grabbed a stick with his mouth, breaking it off the tree.  He poked the hoof a few times though no response.

“Hello?” he called out.  “Can you hear me?”

The hoof’s owner didn’t make a response.

“Here,” Silverstar said, tossing the stick aside.  “Help me drag him out.”

Braeburn slung his rifle back over his shoulder and grabbed the hoof with Silverstar.  With three large heaves the two had pulled the pony out of the rock.

It wasn’t long before Braeburn wished he hadn’t.  The leg that the pony had pulled out seemed to be the only thing that didn’t have damage.  There were slash marks across his chest and head.  One limb seemed to be nearly torn out while another had more scratch marks and another was horribly mangled as though it had been broken.  Dried blood covered his body and there were shreds of a jade green fabric.  Braeburn hid himself behind a bush and gagged*.

“By Celestia, this thing stinks,” Silverstar said, seemingly unperturbed, picking up the stick and turning the head with it.  “Must have been attacked and came down here to hide himself.  Valiant, yet unsuccessful.”

“Is… is that what a Diamond Dog can do?” Braeburn asked.

“Hate to say it,” Silverstar said.  “But it’s even worse to admit it.”

“What do we do, then?”

“Well, we can’t let the majority of them know.  It may just be a warning, but we’ll have to be strict about making ponies get back to the compound before dark.  Once the city’s up and finished, we can invest in a wall and hopefully that will keep most of them at bay.”

“A wall can’t stand forever,” Braeburn said.  “Somewhere there will be a weak point.  We need to let them know so they can be vigilant.”

Silverstar cocked an eyebrow.  “You’re kidding me, right?  They’ll think you’re crazy.”

“They already do after I suggested talking it out with them.”

Silverstar jumped back a little out of surprise.  “You see this?” he said, pointing to the dead body.  “Do you see what happens when a pony comes across a Diamond Dog?  You’re telling me you want to end up like that?”

“I don’t see any of you trying it.”

Silverstar glared at him.  “You really are crazy, you know that?”

“I’m not crazy,” Braeburn said firmly.  “I’m just suggesting what none of you have ever even tried.”

Silverstar opened his mouth, but didn’t respond.  “You got a fair point about that,” he said.  “But I’m not letting you try.  If this is the only one and they head back to their own territory, then we won’t need to be so worried about it.  If they attack us again, I may consider sending you with some backup to talk with them.”

“Backup?  You intend to make it look like we’re coming to attack them?”

“It’s just for the protection.”

“Well, then, that defeats the purpose of trying to say we don’t want to fight.”

Silverstar sighed and shook his head.  “It’s your life.  Don’t say I didn’t try to save it.  Come on.  We need to get back to town.”

Braeburn returned to his orchard to find another wall set up for his farmhouse.  It wasn’t long before he was back at work with the others acting as though he had never gone.  No one bothered Braeburn about what happened with Romaine and Wheat Stalk or what he and Sheriff Silverstar had found, but Braeburn assumed they already knew.  The building site was hushed until evening came and the workers organized the materials for the next day before leaving.  Braeburn trailed behind the group and Lavender followed him shortly afterwards after making sure the site was clean.

“What did you find?” Lavender asked, careful to keep his voice hushed.

“I’m afraid Silverstar has requested my silence on the issue,” Braeburn told him.

Lavender didn’t follow up to that.  “You look kind of pale,” he said.

“I’m sure it’s just been my working all day in the sun,” Braeburn said.  “I just need a drink of water and a good meal back at the compound’s dining hall and I’ll be fine.”

“You know what you need?” Lavender asked.

“You talking about my sun problems?” Braeburn said.

Lavender nodded.  “I’ve got some herbs for you that help with cooling your body down.  If you come with me to my room just before dinner, I could pull a few out for you to chew.”

Braeburn turned to Lavender, who looked entirely serious about the issue with the exception of a slight twinkle in his eye.  Braeburn understood immediately what he actually meant.  “Sure.  I’ll head there with you.  Just let me put my rifle away and I’ll meet you there.”

Back at the compound, while everypony else was heading to the dining hall, Braeburn followed Lavender to building one.  Braeburn quickly stowed his rifle away under the bed and went over to Lavender’s room in the same building.  The unicorn was waiting for him, and shut the door and fired a small magical bolt on it before turning to Braeburn.

“The door’s been silenced,” he said.  “No word of what you say will leave this room.”

Braeburn sat down and began thinking.  “Silverstar and I left for Romaine’s farm and found Wheat Stalk sitting among ruins saying his wife had fainted.  His farmhouse was almost completely destroyed; there were even cracks in the foundations.  Anyways, we followed the direction Wheat Stalk had pointed us to and found a trail of blood leading over a hill and into a valley.  In a small canyon there was a hole made of rocks where we found a pony torn up.”

Lavender gasped.  “What does Silverstar think it is?” he asked, voice hushed.

“There were no tracks, but he assumes it was the work of a Diamond Dog.”

Lavender gasped.  “A Diamond Dog?  But… that sounds like you might have only gone a half mile from Romaine’s farm!  That’s pretty dang close.”

“It wasn’t a pretty sight, either.  Poor soul had damage on every part of his body.  If it wasn’t bleeding, it was broken and mangled.  That’s why I looked so pale when I returned; I saw that body and just about puked.”

“That is disgusting…  but that means those reports earlier were not entirely just rumors.”

“Yeah.  Now, Silverstar has told me to hold off for the time being, but if they attack again I’m going to go and find the damn dogs and try speaking with them.”

Lavender just about laughed.  Not out of the silliness of the idea but of the absurdity.  “You actually intend to go talk to them?  Braeburn, I know you’re just trying to help out, but this really is going among the worst.”

“Even Silverstar admitted we’re running out of options.  If we don’t try and do something fast, I guarantee you those damned dogs will come down and overrun this new town.  We’ll go down even if we do put up a fight with those things.”

“But… you really think this is going to work?”

“I’m not saying it will.”

“You’re just that confident in it?”

“I’ll admit it isn’t the best plan.  But aside from picking things up here and moving on back home, I’m not seeing anything else.”

Lavender closed his eyes for a second.  Braeburn could almost see the gears in his head whirring as fast as they could.  When he opened his eyes, there was something new in them that Braeburn couldn’t place until he spoke.  “Let me come with you.”  The words were firm and almost took Braeburn off guard.

“First you chastise me for my plan.  Now you’re saying you’re in on it?”

“Someone’s got to bring back the corpse,” Lavender deadpanned.  When he spoke again, though, his tone was softer.  “But you have a point.  Crazy as it is, no one is trying anything else.  We’ve tried fighting them back, we’ve tried building barriers between us, we’ve tried adjusting our schedules, yet they beat us on every front.”

“So what are you really coming along for?”

“My magic can place small shields around us.  And, if things get tough, I can help you out offensively.  Besides, if this town falls through, it’ll be bad for business.  Will we get another partner if this happens?”

“Silverstar might if it means solving this problem he’s been dealing with.  But for now, let’s keep things quiet.  Only when another attack happens will we actually try.”

Lavender lifted up a hoof and smacked his forehead with it, creating a small red mark.  “Ugh, he’s really waiting until it becomes a bigger problem than it already is?” he said, keeping his voice almost a whisper though an angry growl clearly shone through.  “What’s he going to do?  Wait until they attack someone in broad daylight?  It’s as though someone getting torn to pieces wasn’t a clear enough message!”

“I agree with you, but I have to admit Silverstar has a point.  If it’s just the one attack and they see we don’t retaliate, they may back off.  But I don’t care what he says afterwards.  Once someone else gets attacked, I’m not going to hesitate to see what I can do.”

Lavender nodded and cast another bolt at the door before opening it.  “Even with the delays,” he said, “your house should be done in about a week.  Then we can get started on a decent sized barn, I was thinking a few hundred meters away.”

“Sounds perfect,” Braeburn said.

The two went off to the dining hall.  No one else seemed to have heard of the Diamond Dog attack and Lavender was careful with his words when speaking with others about why they were late.  Apart from a private conversation about additions to the house, nothing more was said between the two, though Lavender did have a talk with Sheriff Silverstar, who also kept his silence about the ordeal.  After dinner, Braeburn and Lavender went to their respective rooms and talked no more during the night.

The next day came without another casualty.  Braeburn wondered to himself as they worked on the farmhouse walls if the Diamond Dogs were merely biding time to see if the settler ponies responded.  But nothing came.  Braeburn felt on guard the whole day, waiting to see if Sheriff Silverstar came running over the hills to tell him to get ready.  Two more walls were put up and the exterior was finished by the end of the day, at which point Braeburn and Lavender and the workers packed up and headed back to the compound.  The workers were uneasy, but Lavender told Braeburn he had not mentioned the incident outside Romaine’s farm to them and they were merely worried about Silverstar’s warning of the Diamond Dogs from before.

That night in the dining hall Braeburn finally managed to see Romaine and Wheat Stalk among the rest of the ponies.  He trotted over to them and found Romaine looking a more faded green than she usually did.  “How are you all doing?” he asked.

“Well,” Romaine responded weakly, “but I feel alright.”

“Sheriff Silverstar told us the Diamond Dogs might have knocked our house down,” Wheat Stalk said.  “As for them red spots outside our land, he said there’s predators like snakes and scorpions around here and one of them might have caught a mouse or something else small.”

“Maybe you should invest in a fence,” Braeburn said.  “It might help to keep the critters like that out of your crops.”

“Yeah,” Wheat Stalk said, “but I’ll probably need some sort of repellant, too.  I hear there’s a magical service that a few unicorns come down and cast a spell on the property that prevents the buggers from burrowing in and drives them all out.”

“I’m just glad none of the crops were ruined and everypony’s alright,” Romaine said.  “I was afraid with the Diamond Dogs coming that close that somepony was going to be hurt, but Silverstar assured us everything is mostly under control and the other officers are well-equipped.”

Braeburn noted to himself that Romaine was right.  Two unicorn officers standing in the dining hall keeping watch not only looked rather sturdy but also held a baton and a small knife at their sides.  It was a little extra piece of security to help the residents feel safer.  “You know, Silverstar once mentioned that I should help out with the guard because of my rifle,” he said casually as he could.

“Not many ponies with guns around here,” Wheat Stalk said.  “Damn things are expensive.  I remember saving some of my profits and adding it to Quick Draw’s odd jobs to get him a revolver after he got his cutie mark.  I swear, some of those things can cost more than a pony makes in a year.”

“Your father must have been quite successful to have a gun of his own,” Romaine agreed.  “The price Wheat Stalk mentioned was a discount since Quick Draw had a cutie mark of a gun.  It would have been almost twice as much if it wasn’t.”

“Not many need them,” Braeburn said.  “A unicorn has magic, a pegasus can fly away, and an earth pony is strong enough to buck whatever it needs, not to mention we all live in groups.  But if something like a Diamond Dogs comes around… well, I’ll just say I was glad I had it on the train here.”

Dinner continued without interruption until a long, mournful sound came settling over the compound.  The long howl settled down around the dining hall and brought everypony silent, listening as the haunting sound filled the room.  As soon as the one howl stopped, another came from another direction, causing everypony to silently turn to where it came from.  The second voice was soon followed by a chorus of howls that danced savagely around the dining hall and echoed throughout the desert.

Almost as soon as the last howl faded away, the hall turned into an uproar.  Ponies were startled out of chairs and tables and dashed for the edges of the dining hall to see if they could see anything outside.  It took the officers scattered around the dining hall at least half an hour to get everypony to back away from the windows to finish their dinner before heading to bed.  When Braeburn finally got his own chance to look out at the desert, all he could see was the waning moon shining down and covering the desert in a thin white light and covered it with shadows.

One of the shadows contained a pair of green eyes staring back at him.

Braeburn was quickly torn away from the sight by a hoof tapping at his shoulder.  Braeburn whirled around to see Lavender panting and sweating as though he’d been running to find him.

“Silverstar has a message for you,” Lavender said quietly so that nopony else could hear.  “He says his men found another down by the falls.  Looks like we’ve got to go.”

Braeburn nodded and turned back to the window, but nothing was there.

“You see something out there?”

“They’re definitely here,” Braeburn said gravely.  “And they’re definitely pissed.”

Lavender scanned the horizon.  “I don’t see anything.”

“They saw me.  They probably know I’m coming.”  Braeburn turned to Lavender.  “Be ready early in the morning, and bring your saddlebags.  We’ll see if Silverstar can lend us any supplies and head out first thing.”

As Braeburn turned around, he noticed a young colt with a tan coat and a brown mane looking at him from across the dining hall.  Braeburn watched him, noticing he might have been a little over half his age with a cutie mark of two revolvers in an X-shape as well as how intently he had been listening to their conversation.  Before Braeburn could so much as open his mouth towards him, he dashed off quick as a gunshot.  Braeburn followed him, but by the time he reached the exit of the dining hall the colt had disappeared into shadows of the inner compound.

As soon as dawn rolled around, Braeburn and Lavender walked over to the office of Sheriff Silverstar with their saddlebags.  Silverstar was kind enough to let them have a few bullets sent down from a smith in Dodge Junction as well as told them to grab some bread and large water bottles from the storerooms.  Once Braeburn and Lavender had loaded down their packs, Braeburn hoisted his rifle over his back and the two left the compound before the others were awake.

“Where should we start?” Lavender asked.

“The first victim was found in the valley behind Romaine’s farm,” Braeburn said.  “The place looked like it might have decent hiding places.  However, we might be travelling for a while, so keep track of your supplies.”

Before they could be seen by anyone else, Braeburn and Lavender shot off for Romaine’s farm.  By the time the sun had finally finished coming over the horizon, they had travelled up the small hill and were heading back down into the valley.  The bushes now appeared to be between dead and a vibrant green as they wandered through the strange grove hiding just out of sight of the developing town.

“There are probably lots of nutrients in the soil around here,” Lavender commented.  “Maybe the Diamond Dogs came down here because it means more food for them which put them in such close proximity.”

“I don’t care if they come down to find food,” Braeburn said.  “I only care if they start rampage around the town or our farms.”

The two continued walking as they passed the place where the first pony was found murdered.  The place still smelled horrible and Braeburn warned Lavender not to look as they passed by.  Braeburn began to second guess himself telling Lavender this when the unicorn put out a loud scream behind him, though he shoved a hoof in his mouth to keep himself quiet.

“I can’t believe it…” Lavender muttered as they walked away.

The two ponies eventually stopped under the shade of some small trees for a break.  The hill leading back to the town was getting smaller and smaller and was now barely a small mound in the distance.  Lavender pulled out one of the water bottles and took a long drink from it before closing it again and wiping his brow.

“We’re probably not even close to where they are,” he said.  “You really are crazy to come out all this way to chase these beasts that might be hiding from us.  It’s possible we’ll walk out into this desert and not find them, then by nightfall we’ll get ambushed and die out here!”

Braeburn, watching the desert in the direction of the hill, didn’t even turn to look at him.  “So are you going to walk back?” he asked calmly.

“Can’t now,” Lavender replied.  “We’ve gone too far for me to be comfortable going back on my own.”

“Well, you wouldn’t exactly be on your own.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re being followed.”

Lavender walked over and looked to where Braeburn was looking at.  It took him a long time to actually see anything, but finally there was a spark of movement from behind a bush.  He wouldn’t have seen the pony there if his tan coat wasn’t similar to the sand beneath him or his brown mane wasn’t nearly the same as the leaves on the bush.  What could be seen from behind it was a pair of orange eyes looking at them from a distance.

“Who are you?” Lavender called out.

The pony got up from behind the bush.  He was not so tall as Braeburn or Lavender was, but he was lithe and agile.  As soon as Lavender called out to him, he rose up and bounded over some rocks to reach them under the shade of the trees.  A quick scan of the pony revealed he had his saddlebags over his back filled with much the same things Braeburn had with him.  At his side, in a small holster that could easily be reached by his hoof, was a six-shot revolver with a wooden grip and a shiny metallic barrel and cylinder with a small trigger towards the grip.

“You’re Romaine’s son, aren’t you?” Braeburn said.

The colt nodded.  “The name’s Quick Draw,” he said, his voice a somewhat higher pitch than Braeburn’s and Lavender’s were as though he was close to becoming of age.  “You’re going after the Diamond Dogs, aren’t you?  You’re the one that wanted to reason with them, Mister Braeburn?”

“Firstly,” Braeburn replied, “don’t call me ‘mister’.  And secondly, me and Lavender are going to try and reason with them, but I can’t risk you coming out here with us.”

“I can fight.  I can use a revolver if things get tough.”

“I can’t let you.  What do you think your mother would say?”

“I’ll tell you what she said.  She said that everyone thinks you’re crazy.  But she also said she trusts you more than anypony else here.  She let me come because she thought you knew what you were doing while everypony else is running in circles like a chicken with its head cut off.”

“But, your father…”

“…is pissed, Mister Braeburn.  However, he won’t say a word against mother because he agrees with her.  Besides, I’ve been reading up on the Diamond Dogs and I think I know where they might be at.”

Lavender sighed impatiently.  “You’ve not had your first encounter with a Diamond Dog but five days ago and you’re convinced you know where they could be?”

“Mister Braeburn is going in the correct general direction,” Quick Draw responded as he turned towards Braeburn, “but unless he knows what to look for, he might not find them.  I assume it was also your first encounter with a Diamond Dog on the train five days ago?”

“Well, yes.  I merely was conscripted on the train that night because I had a gun.”

“Then why don’t you let me help you out.”

“What exactly do you know?” Lavender asked.

“I know there’s an old mine started up not far from here under a small cliff.  This was used to mine for rare gems around here.  The miners ended up digging out the Diamond Dog caves and incurred their wrath.  It was a massacre that caused only twelve of three hundred ponies to escape unharmed.  If the Diamond Dogs are obsessed with precious gems, this is the place.  There’s also water and what might be considered a decent food supply to support a pack of twenty to thirty.”

“You think there’s that many Diamond Dogs out here?” Braeburn asked incredulously.

“After the assault on the train, I’d say there could be two closely-related packs out here.  Both might have the amount I just mentioned.”

Braeburn turned to Lavender.  “How much of this do you know?”

“Not much,” Lavender admitted.  “Diamond Dog populations can cover such a large area we find it hard to actually be able to count how many there are in a certain area.  Besides, my knowledge is limited to the towns.”

Braeburn shrugged.  “Alright, Quick Draw.  Do you know where the mine is?”

“Not very far from here.  Just keep following the valley until you hit a cliff.”

Braeburn and Lavender packed their things back up and started moving again.  The three ponies wandered across the desert and through the valley, whose growth became more and more scant until it disappeared and they were left with nothing but sand in all directions.  It was late afternoon now and Braeburn hoped they would be able to find the Diamond Dogs before night came and they could use the shadows to their advantage.

Thankfully, Quick Draw quickly recognized the cliff they had been searching for.  He galloped over a little distance and stood at the edge of the cliff and motioned for Braeburn and Lavender to approach.  Once they arrived, he pointed down towards the base of the cliff.  Tall wood and steel buildings graced the face of the cliff, some looking like large machinery or mine shafts and entrances along with mine carts.  A short distance away, outside a wooden fence, stood a haphazard cluster of buildings made of wood mixed with sandstone and clay.

Not far away from where the three stood was a thin, winding path full of switchbacks that led to the base of the cliff.  Braeburn led the way with his rifle, followed by Lavender in the middle, with Quick Draw bringing up the rear.  The three carefully stepped their way down the packed sand until they came to the bottom of the cliff and a clear pathway through the buildings.

“I don’t like this place,” Lavender said as they walked through the empty town.  “I don’t like this place at all.”

“If we’re lucky,” Quick Draw said, “the Diamond Dogs will be in the shafts.”

“Probably don’t like to be out until nightfall due to the heat,” Braeburn commented.  “I suppose the mine structure is the best place to go.”

The three crept through the town.  Everywhere he looked, Braeburn could see signs of a once civilized place turned ghost town.  Bones lay scattered everywhere, often only in grey half-formed shapes amidst piles of dust.  A sign saying ‘Trading Outpost’ hung off-kilter on the side of a large building.  Within the houses Braeburn could even see a crib or two now lying vacant.

“Place is a ghost town,” Braeburn said, breaking the silence.

“Seems not even the Diamond Dogs like going here,” Quick Draw said.  “There aren’t many tracks around here from them.”

The three approached the large mine structure and entered it.  Quick Draw quickly found an oil lamp that appeared to still have oil inside it, and Lavender was able to strike a match and light it.  Lavender took the lead, holding the oil lamp inside his magic aura as they continued from the desolate structure and into the mines, following the path of a mine cart track.

“We should ride one of these things down,” Quick Draw said.  “Probably would be fun, then we’d get there faster.”

“Faster, maybe,” Lavender said.  “But safely… that’s another matter.  There’s probably track in disrepair, or debris blocking the path.  Slow as it is, we’re safest travelling on hoof.”

The three travelled down and down and down, following the cart path as it spiraled and went over a small bridge over a large chasm that they couldn’t see the bottom of.  The three traveled a little further afterwards and eventually came to a large cavern.  A hole at the top let in a pale orange light from above that was quickly fading, its remaining light lighting up the cavern and showing a large amount of holes coming from the sides.

Braeburn walked a short way into the expanse, Lavender behind him holding the lantern and Quick Draw following close with a hoof poised to reach his revolver.  “Hello?” Braeburn called out.  “Is there anyone here?”

A strange growl emanated from the darkness of the tunnels.  “It’s unusual you do not call for another pony,” came a rather deep voice from one ahead of them.  “I would have suspected you would have been looking for one of your own.”

“There are three of us, and perhaps twenty of you,” Braeburn called back.  “Show yourself since the numbers are on your side.”

“You expect me to take commands from a pony like you?”  The deep voice laughed.  “First you take our lands and come searching for our treasure, then you come and expect us to surrender willingly.  I have never seen a more foolish soul in my life.”

Braeburn took his revolver off and held it out in front of him with one hoof.

“Braeburn…” Lavender said quietly, “what are you doing?”

Without responding, Braeburn placed his rifle on the ground.  He turned around and motioned for Quick Draw to do the same.  The young colt did so reluctantly, letting the revolver fall out of his hoof unceremoniously.  Braeburn gave Lavender a fierce glare, causing the unicorn to nearly drop the lantern with his magic, before turning back around.

“Look!” Braeburn called.  “Although we have weapons that could kill you, we have placed them on the ground before us.  We are not here to fight.  We are here to talk.”

For a long time, the shadows showed no movement.  But suddenly from the back of the tunnel ahead of them, Braeburn could see a dark figure get up and begin approaching them.  At the least, he was twice the height of the tallest pony Braeburn knew, all of it covered with obsidian black fur.  His gold eyes scanned the three ponies as he approached, paws behind his back.

“You two,” he said quietly, though his deep voice reverberated throughout the cavern.  “You are the ones who killed three of my comrades on the train heading for the new settlement.  Now that I look at you and know who you are, you expect me to believe you don’t want to hurt me?”

“I only was called to duty because you had attacked the train first,” Braeburn said.  “I would not have even used the gun if it weren’t for that.”

The Diamond Dog eyed Braeburn with interest.  “Who do you suppose was here first?”

“You were,” Braeburn said.  “The mines must have disturbed you.”

“Indeed.  Since then, no more mines have been built.  We merely intend to keep it that way.”

“I can promise you there won’t be any more mining in the area.”

“You?” The Diamond Dog let out a huff.  “You think you can promise me something?  Try explaining that to the rest of my pack, those who have lost family and friends the last time we faced you.”

“He’s got a point,” Lavender said quietly.

“You were in on it, too,” Braeburn pointed out.

Lavender fell silent.

Braeburn turned back to the Diamond Dog.  “Do you have a name?”

“If you know my name, what good does it do you?”

“No one knows who you are.  If perhaps there was a name instead of just a beast, then perhaps we might look at you differently.”

The look on the Diamond Dog’s face softened.  “Indocolt,” he responded.  “In a language spoken far from Equestria, it means ‘reasoned one’**.  I am willing to listen since you have proven yourself reasonable.”

“In return,” Braeburn said, bowing slightly and waiting until Lavender and Quick Draw did the same, “I shall give you mine.  My name is Braeburn Apple, and I am a farmer in Appleoosa.  I come to tell you we have no business with your gems or your caverns.  The people of Appleoosa are above-ground folk and wish for me to tell you we plan to leave you alone.”

“But for how long will it last?” Indocolt replied.  “Your kind have pushed your influence on us and made us out to be killers.  They shall have a grudge for us.”

“That may be,” Braeburn said, “but they did not try speaking.”

“They sought it out as a last resort,” Indocolt said dismissively, becoming hard again.  “They obviously have no reason.  You need to give me a reason why you won’t pose a threat to us, or I shall have all three of you killed.  My pack has been waiting for retribution, and if necessary we shall take you as it.”

“Oh, brilliant idea, Braeburn!” Lavender almost shouted.  “You’ve gone and sentenced us to death!  What the hell do you have in mind to get us out of this one?”

Braeburn thought about it for a moment.  “I’ve told you before I should rather be torn by these Diamond Dogs than to be torn into by the residents of Appleoosa.”

Indocolt became surprised.  “You walked here knowing it was possible you would die?”

“Yes.  I care enough for the residents of Appleoosa that I walked out here and risked the possibility of death just to speak with you.  If I survive, they shall think it a miracle and would listen to what I say.  Furthermore, our resources of metals and precious gems can be found anywhere else in larger quantities.  We have rock farms that produce gems, in addition to mines in places towards the frozen Northern wastes and the Southern badlands.  It would be less expensive to ship our necessary gems and metals from there than to build a mine and hire workers to come here.”

Indocolt’s expression softened again.  “Why, then, do you plan a town out here?”

“Equestria needs outposts, places where trains can refuel and ponies can find new materials.  I have come here as a farmer, willing to work in the harsh environment to make sure that not only these ponies but ponies elsewhere may have food to eat.  So have others who have arrived with me.  Others are guards who protect us.  Still others are mages and explorers who wish to learn about the environment.  There are smiths and builders among our ranks, but they can get their material via other means.”

“Not a single one interested in the rich metals of this land?”

“Nary a single one.”

Indocolt closed his eyes, almost disappearing back into the blackness.  Before Braeburn could lose sight of him, he opened his eyes and stepped forwards.  His fur was coarse and occasionally dirty though far from mangy.  He became taller but his size did not feel so intimidating to Braeburn, though Lavender and Quick Draw stepped away and Quick Draw nearly picked up his gun though he remained steady.

“I have seen the activity of which you have mentioned,” Indocolt said calmly.  “It is true what you have said, how materials are being transported from elsewhere.  Aside from the planting of trees and crops and the development of a small area of barren soil and grass near the river, the desert’s surface has been undisturbed and no construction seems to take place of so large a building as a mine shaft.”

“Do you trust me, then?”

It was a long time before Indocolt nodded before bowing to Braeburn.

“Take this information back to your settlement,” he said.  “Tell them that the Diamond Dogs shall refrain from attacking their town so long as nothing is done to cause a disturbance to us.  This includes staying away from this cliff or the attempts to build a mine.  If you can keep that promise, we shall hurt you no longer.”

Braeburn bowed again.  Quick Draw did as well, though Lavender simply stared in awe.  “Does this mean you shall let us go free?”

Indocolt nodded.  “You are free to return.  I shall make sure no harm comes to you.  Travel back the way you came; the moon is still bright enough you should make it with no problem.”

Braeburn bowed again.  “Thank you for your understanding, Indocolt.”

“It is not often a pony wishes to speak with us,” Indocolt replied.  “I hope things shall change.”

With that, Braeburn and his two companions picked up their weapons, shouldered them, and left the cavern, Lavender leading the way back up the tracks with his oil lamp.  The others didn’t speak until they had gone far away from the caverns of the Diamond Dogs, up the cliff and back into the valley before Lavender finally spoke.

“I’m not sure whether to say I expected that or not,” he mused as they walked back across the valley.  “I mean, it was quite possible you were mad and it wouldn’t work, but it did.  It was logical, sure, that reason would work, but it was just strange.”

“You nearly ruined it,” Quick Draw said.  “If it weren’t for your shouting at Braeburn, I don’t think Indocolt would have threatened us as he did.”

“It would have happened either way,” Braeburn said.  “In the end, everything turned out alright.  So long as we bring the message back to the townsponies, I am hopeful things shall end soon.”

Back at the compound, the guards welcomed the trio in with relief.  Braeburn and the others barely acknowledged them.  Braeburn slowly plodded his way back to building one, barely noticing as Quick Draw quietly slipped into Wheat Stalk and Romaine’s room and Lavender drowsily walked into his.  Braeburn walked into his own room and closed the door before dropping his rifle on the floor and falling into bed, quickly falling asleep.

Braeburn woke late the next morning.  The sun was high in the sky and the compound had very few ponies wandering around.  Lavender and Quick Draw were both gone from their rooms along with the rest of the ponies from building one.  Braeburn walked out and went to the kitchen for food.

While he was eating, a guard came up to him and told him that Silverstar wished to speak with him in his office in the compound.  Braeburn accepted the message and finished eating before leaving the dining hall and making his way over to Sheriff Silverstar’s.

Silverstar was patiently waiting for him.  “I heard about your encounter with the Diamond Dogs and speaking with their leader, Indocolt,” he said.  “I am surprised it worked, though I suppose it was the option we hadn’t tried and thus was entirely possible.  I hear from Lavender you made it clear we weren’t searching for their gems?”

“Yes,” Braeburn responded.  “I told them we were here as a sort of outpost and that we wouldn’t want to start any excavation projects for gems.”

“Good, good.  I am hoping this shall make the settlement area a decent place to live.  For now, construction shall continue at the previous pace.  We’re expected to have the sheriff’s offices and the hospital up within the week and would gladly offer you a place in our ranks.”

“I would not speak too early, Silverstar,” Braeburn said.  “While we have received word from Indocolt, we should give him a few days to make sure he keeps his end of the bargain… and to make sure we keep ours.”

Silverstar ‘hmm’ed thoughtfully.  “I suppose you have a point.  Continue working on your farm and farmhouse as usual and we’ll discuss this more later, once the town is firmly established.”

Braeburn nodded and turned to leave.

“Braeburn.”

Braeburn turned back around.

“I know you are not exactly the founder of this place,” Silverstar said, “but because of your actions, and the memory of your father, it was suggested among the guard and some of the other members who heard of your actions that we name the place after you.”

“I don’t think my name is deserving of anything,” Braeburn said.  “You all thought me mad before anyways.”

Silverstar laughed.  “True.  Then at least we could name it after the memory of your father who started this project.  ‘Appleoosa’, the others were thinking, and I thought it suited it well for your father and your own orchard.”

Braeburn smiled.  “I think it suits it quite well.”

Braeburn left the compound and headed over to the farmhouse.  The walls were all in place now thanks to the builders and work was now starting on a roof and a chimney in the living area.  Lavender turned and saw Braeburn approaching and trotted over to meet him.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Lavender said as he came closer.  “I don’t blame you for sleeping late; we had a long night last night.  How did the appointment go with Silverstar?”

“Decently well,” Braeburn said.  “In a few days, we’ll have our answer to the Diamond Dog problem.   After that, they intend to christen the town after my father.  ‘Appleoosa’, he said they’d call it.”

Lavender smiled.  “Well deserved, I’d say.”  He sighed and turned back towards the construction.  “I’m going to miss this place,” he said.  “I’ll admit that my job doesn’t exactly have too many exciting moments.  I’m glad I was at least allowed one.”

“Could change your job to being a biologist,” Braeburn said.  “You’ve probably got some magic in you for that.”

Lavender laughed.  “Yes, I suppose.  But this one pays better.”

“At least you’re honest about it,” Braeburn chuckled.

Lavender calmed down and looked back towards the farmhouse.  “It has been a pleasure working with you and following you, Mister Braeburn.  I’ve never met a stallion who has… intrigued me more than you.  I’ll be leaving soon after the farmhouses are done, though I hope we can meet again sometime soon.”

Braeburn smiled as he shook hooves with Lavender.  “I shall be looking forward to it.”

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