The capital city of the Kingdom of Unicornia lay in the steep, rocky foothills of the Northern Mountains, built at this high altitude with the idea of being closer to the celestial bodies its inhabitants controlled. Here the weather was chilly and the landscape harsh, but the city had been ingeniously built on a south-facing slope that basked in the sun’s rays while the sheer cliffs that framed the towers of the palace protected the city from the arctic winds that blew from the north. As travelers left Unicornia and proceeded to the base of these cliffs they would enter an alpine forest which stretched for miles, the terrain gradually becoming softer the further south they went. Eventually the tall pines would give way to stately oaks and the craggy terrain to lush meadows and forested slopes, which in turn gave way to the grassy plains and gently rolling hills that typified the Mane Valley, named for the great river that ran along its base.

The Mane Valley, the domain of the earth ponies, marked the center of the known world. To the south lay the Southern Peaks, a mountain range even more spectacular than the Northern Mountains, with the highest altitudes known to ponykind. The domain of the pegasi lay in the clouds above the eastern portions of the valley and the headwaters of the River Mane, which flowed west through the multitude of earth pony villages and out to the uncharted lands beyond.

It was on the banks of that river, near one of the many villages that dotted the central region of the valley, that there sat an earth pony stallion with a chestnut brown coat, a long mane of blond hair and a cutie mark of an oval-shaped rock that was a dull grayish-brown color. While a group of young fillies and colts laughed and played in the tall grass of a nearby field, the stallion sat quietly with his back against the thick trunk of a stately cottonwood, a straw hat atop his head and lowered over his eyes as he sat facing the wide River Mane. It was a beautiful early summer day, the kind that hinted at the heat to come; the weather was warm, the hazy golden sunlight filtered through the leafy trees and the river flowed strong and beautifully, if a touch brown from the fertile soils. With his morning chores finished, he was taking a rest in the shade of the tree, enjoying the quiet solitude before he had to return to his farm for the evening chores.

Still, for quiet solitude, he hadn’t expected things to become this quiet. His ears twitched when the sound of the young ponies playing nearby abruptly died out. The mighty flow of the river became the dominant sound in his ears, a steady rhythm that was broken only by the rustle of leaves in the wind. The stallion’s ears swiveled about, wondering why the children had gone so quiet so suddenly, but he didn’t see it necessary to look up from his resting spot or otherwise disrupt his relaxation; that is, not until he heard a new noise and his curiosity got the better of him. Over the rush of the river he could just make out the faint jingle of bells.

“Is that…no, it couldn’t be…” the stallion thought as he raised his head and lifted a hoof to push his hat up. Immediately he spotted the reason why the children had gone so silent – a unicorn was strolling down the road that paralleled the river, pulling a small wooden cart which held a pile of personal belongings. The sight of a unicorn in this locale would in and of itself be unusual enough were it not for this unicorn’s bizarre appearance. He had a dark grey coat and a long, flowing beard of the purest white hair while wearing the strangest (and quite frankly most ridiculous looking) outfit any earth pony in these parts had seen. He had a long cloak and a pointed cap, both colored like the night sky and decorated with stars and moons with small, golden bells attached to the fabric.

“Star Swirl?!” the stallion exclaimed, rising to his feet as he called out to the newcomer. The unicorn stopped in his tracks and looked across the field with surprise.

“Humble Pie!” Star Swirl called back. “Good heavens, you were just the pony I was coming to see!”

“Well, naturally. Who else would a unicorn like you talk to in a place like this?” Humble Pie laughed, trotting through the tall grass towards the unicorn. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the group of young ponies hiding at the edge of the field behind a tree or huddled in a dry irrigation ditch, watching the unicorn with fright and not a little wonder.

Humble Pie beamed as he walked up to Star Swirl and shook his hoof. “It’s good to see you again, old friend.”

“It’s been far too long,” Star Swirl agreed, giving the earth pony a wrinkly smile.

“Good thing I spotted you too,” Humble Pie said, cracking a sly smile. “You seem to be frightening the children,” he added, jerking his head to the side to gesture towards the young earth ponies who were warily eyeing the pair of stallions and whispering among themselves.

“You know, for somepony who wants to make friends with us earth ponies, you don’t do your cause much good,” Humble Pie chuckled, much to Star Swirl’s annoyance. “Especially going around dressed like that.”

“My reasons for my outfit are my own,” Star Swirl grumbled. “And I grow weary of these young ones seeing me as a threat.” He removed the harnesses attaching him to his cart and took a few steps toward the group of fillies and colts. “Children!” he proclaimed, billowing his cloak slightly to look all the more impressive. “There is no reason to fear me! Come out where I can meet you and see your smiling faces!” Far from being assured, the children merely shied away from the unicorn even more.

“Oh yeah, you’re a real master with children, I can tell,” Humble Pie deadpanned, visibly trying not to burst out laughing. “Let me handle this, old-timer,” he said before clearing his throat and calling out to the young ponies. “Hey kids! Help me! You have to come save me from the big scary unicorn!”

“What are you doing?” Star Swirl hissed. “That is the exact opposite of the message I’m trying to convey!”

“Oh no!” Humble Pie cried theatrically, waving his hooves in the air. “He says he’s going to turn me into a toad! You have to help me fight him off, kids!”

“Stop that right now!” the unicorn growled under his breath. “Besides, I would never turn you into a toad. That’s absolutely preposterous!”

“Oh, lighten up,” Humble Pie chuckled. “Look,” he added, nodding his head towards the group of children. Star Swirl turned and saw the kids were now urgently whispering among themselves and seemed to have started a quiet but furious argument.

“I’m not afraid! I’ll go save him!” a young filly suddenly hollered, loud enough for the two stallions on the road to hear. She pulled herself out of her hiding place in the ditch and began slowly making her way across the field towards them, looking terrified but absolutely determined. She walked onto the road and gulped before putting herself in between Star Swirl and Humble Pie. “You…you leave Mr. Pie alone, you…you big meanie!” she shouted before cringing in terror, waiting to see if this horned menace attacked.

Before Star Swirl could utter a response, Humble Pie danced around the filly in joy. “You did it!” he whooped to the young pony as he put a hoof around the unicorn. “See? You melted his cold, mean unicorn heart and made him friendly! I’ll bet now he’ll do a magic trick for you! Won’t you, Mr. Unicorn?” he prodded, winking at Star Swirl.

“Wha-oh, yes, of course,” Star Swirl muttered, bewildered at this turn of events.

“Really?” the filly exclaimed, looking incredibly excited at this prospect. “Hey everypony!” she yelled, turning back to her friends. “Look, I made the unicorn nice!”

“Really?” several of the children shouted back, their expressions showing their surprise.

“Hey, maybe that’s your special talent!” a filly called back.

“Maybe it is!” gasped the filly standing before the two stallions, who immediately whipped her head around to see if a cutie mark had appeared on her flank. When no such mark appeared, she gave a groan of disappointment.

***

It took about an hour for the two stallions to pull themselves away from the now eager group of children, who kept wanting to see the apparently tamed unicorn perform magic for them, particularly anything involving sparks and fire. Eventually Humble Pie was able to shoo the fillies and colts away and lead Star Swirl down the road and along a short side path to the earth pony’s modest farm and abode. His house was a simple stone structure with a thatched straw roof, a style that was typical of the region, sitting behind a small field of freshly-cut grass. Stacked heaps of drying hay, still lightly green but quickly browning, dotted the field. Individual strands of drying grass littered the ground, waiting to be raked or collected.

“Sorry for the mess,” Humble Pie apologized to the unicorn. “I only just managed to finish up the harvest this past week.”

“Oh?” Star Swirl replied, raising an eyebrow at his friend. “I seem to recall the hay harvest being earlier in the year than this.”

“You would remember that,” the earth pony chuckled. “Seeing as you were the one who saved our harvest from that swarm of crickets all those years ago.”

“Ah yes…” the unicorn replied, stroking his beard as he wore a fond smile on his face. “You were lucky I was passing through at the time. And that I happened to know a spell for summoning seagulls.”

“Seagulls!” Humble Pie cackled in laughter. “I tell you, the ponies in town had never seen a seagull before and haven’t seen one since. I bet you most of them are still convinced it was some sort of divine intervention. And maybe it was. After all, you showed up in our time of need,” he added, giving his friend a grateful smile.

“Coincidence, I assure you,” Star Swirl muttered. “Anyway, you haven’t yet explained why the harvest is late this year.”

“Winter was wrapped up later than usual,” Humble Pie answered. “Oddest thing too; the weather just would not warm up, even after spring normally arrives. Ponies in town started grumbling that the pegasi weren’t holding up their side of the bargain and clearing the skies – and frankly, I wouldn’t put it past them – but those pegasi claimed the conditions weren’t right and they couldn’t start moving the clouds just yet." He glanced up at the sky, a thoughtful frown crossing his face. "Maybe it’s just the paranoia of a farmer, but I could swear it seems like winter just gets longer and longer each year.”

“Hmmm,” Star Swirl murmured, processing this information.

“I mean, pegasi have a way of stirring up trouble,” Humble Pie continued. “But I can’t see any reason why they would halt the growing season. After all, we have all the food.”

“Hmmm,” the unicorn murmured again.

“Alright then, don’t tell me,” Humble Pie laughed, eliciting a chuckle out of Star Swirl. “But you’re all about bringing unicorns and pegasi and earth ponies together; you probably know whether or not the pegasi are planning to declare war on us.”

“The pegasi do certainly have…territorial ambitions,” Star Swirl replied, pausing to find the polite term for ‘a desire to take over the world.’ “But as far as I am aware, they have no interest in mounting a campaign for the Mane Valley. I think they realize they are dependent on earth pony production, even if they are unwilling to admit it.”

“That or they think we’re too stupid to be a worthy adversary,” Humble Pie replied with a dark chuckle. “Or that taking over the Mane Valley would instantly mean open war with the unicorns, since they’re dependent on our food as well.” Star Swirl didn’t reply; much as he didn’t want to agree, there was a deep truth to both of these statements.

“So what brings you to the land of us simple-minded farmer folk?” Humble Pie asked with a chuckle, lightly thumping the unicorn on the shoulder.

“I am on a mission to the Southern Lands,” Star Swirl explained. “And I have a favor to ask of you. You see, I am to meet with a group of ponies for this endeavor here and I need a private setting for us to discuss our plans and relax before we begin our journey.”

“Say no more,” Humble Pie said, idly waving a hoof. “I’ll cook up a dinner for them, set up a proper feast, and you can all talk over your business afterwards.”

“I should warn you, you might find them a bit…intimidating,” Star Swirl said uncertainly. “However, I think you will be interested in what we have to discuss.”

“Then think nothing of it, it would be an honor,” Humble Pie assured his friend. “Bring your friends over this evening, and I’ll have everything ready for them.”

***

Several hours later, Humble Pie was cursing his generous offer. At the moment he was hurrying about his modest but well-stocked kitchen, trying to finish dinner before his guests arrived but knowing that he was fighting a losing battle against time. He narrowly avoided tripping over the sack of flour he had left on the ground as he navigated over to the wood stove. He lowered a spoon into a bubbling pot of stew to take a sip of the broth and after smacking his lips for a second, he decided it could use just a tad more salt. He cast an eye over to the oven, making sure the pot pie he was baking wasn’t burning. Cooking and baking may not have been his special talent, but Humble Pie nevertheless fancied himself a competent chef.

Still, he wished he had thought to ask one of his family members for help. Any one of his four siblings, all of whom lived nearby, would have been suitable. Of them his youngest sister would have been the best in this situation, as she possessed an uncanny ability to keep a level head and an ordered kitchen in the midst of the chaos of making a large meal. Of course, she already put those talents to good use in taking care of her many children, so maybe she wouldn’t be the best to call on short notice. But that still left three other perfectly capable siblings, not to mention all the locals who Humble Pie had given favors to over the years, which had earned him a considerable amount of respect within the community. 'But nope, I just plunged in without even thinking to ask for help,' he thought, cursing himself for it.

A sudden knock at his door broke Humble Pie’s concentration, and he dropped the spoon into the pot, splashing some boiling water on himself. He yelped from the pain and took a step back, catching the sack of flour with one of his hooves and tumbling over on to the floor.

“Just a moment!” he yelled as he stood up, grumbling under his breath. He set the sack of flour back in its proper place in the pantry before galloping over to the front door.

“I’m coming!” he shouted as he reached the door and started to pull it open. “Sorry, dinner is going to be a little longer, but I hope that-“ The rest of the sentence got stuck in his throat as he opened the door and saw who was standing in front of his house.

Star Swirl the Bearded was standing in the middle of a group of half a dozen pegasi, some hovering and some standing upon the ground, all different colors and all adorned in full suits of armor in the style of the Pegasi Empire. Even without the armor, Humble Pie would have been able to tell from their strong physical builds that they were all military ponies. And each one of them was staring at the earth pony, who was standing in the doorway with his mouth agape.

After a silent moment, a sea-green pegasus mare in armor much more elaborate than the rest of her fellows stepped forward until she was face-to-face with the earth pony. “Humble Pie?” she asked in a commanding voice.

“I…yes?” Humble Pie answered uncertainly.

The pegasus frowned before drawing herself up on her hind hooves, using her wings to hold herself aloft in mid-air. She used her front hooves to remove her ornately-decorated bronze helmet and held it in one of her front hooves as she thrust the other hoof forward, holding it stiffly upright and parallel to the ground.

“Star Swirl has told us of you. I am Commander Tempest, requesting permission to enter your abode,” she proclaimed in a loud, carrying voice, keeping her hoof raised as she did so.

Any pegasus of the time would have recognized Commander Tempest’s hoof gesture as the official civilian salute of the Pegasi Empire, used by all military personnel as a form of greeting and respect to other military members and, on rare occasion, to ordinary civilians. However, Humble Pie was not a pegasus nor had he grown up around pegasi, so he was not familiar with the salute. He looked at the outstretched hoof in confusion for a moment before coming to his own conclusion about what this odd gesture was.

“Um…how do you do?” Humble Pie asked, smiling awkwardly as he grabbed Tempest’s hoof with his own front hooves in a stiff hoofshake. The other pegasi in the group audibly gasped while Commander Tempest raised a stiff eyebrow at the earth pony. Behind her, Star Swirl chuckled heartily.