Author's Notes:

OH MY GOD THIS CHAPTER IS SO LONG

This morning, it was Rarity who awoke first, the light of dawn brushing her eyelids and causing them to flutter open. She yawned, stretching out and noting with annoyance that she'd forgotten to take off her saddlebags last night. They were currently weighing down her hindquarters, and had given her a slight cramp. The white unicorn glanced through the grass in front of her: Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sleeping around the burned center of a fire pit, the sky-blue pegasus rolled over on her back, the orange earth pony snoring gently, curled up, her hat tipped over her face. Rarity thought that she looked extremely peaceful, free of worry and care.

She rose to her hooves. She had had a very interesting dream, involving a fashion show and Nightmare Moon. What was it about this journey that was making her dream? She was doing it much more than she normally did. Perhaps it's all the changing scenery, she thought. It's stimulating my imagination. Her stomach gurgled. It certainly seems to have stimulated my appetite. Rarity turned away from the fire pit and began to wander through the tall grass, experimentally nibbling on the tips of blades as she went. The white unicorn had not gone far when a scent wafted through her nostrils. Is that... She waded through the grass, which was becoming taller. Cattails suddenly sprang up amid the grass around her, and the ground became spongy.

Rarity parted a curtain of grass and found what she had smelled: a small pond, lonely and smooth amid the tall grass. It seemed to be filled with rainwater, as there was no stream feeding it. She walked to the edge, bent down, and gave it a sniff. The water was quite clear. A smile curled her lips. I haven't had a bath in days! It was no hot tub with lavender bath salts, but it was better than nothing, and she had sweated horribly yesterday. Applejack would never have allowed it- too much wasted time, she would say- but Applejack was asleep, wasn't she? Slipping off her saddlebags, the white unicorn waded into the water, which came up to about mid-fetlock. Sitting back in it, she began to splash it across her body with her front hooves, delighting in the feel of the clear water across her coat. It was somewhat chilly, but with the sun already warming the fields, not unpleasantly cold. She started humming softly to herself, growing louder and louder as she moved across her body, dunking her hair in the water as well. In little time, she was singing:

The road goes ever on and on,

Down from the door where it began,

Now far ahead the road has gone,

And I must follow if I can.

But before she could sing more:

Pursuin' it with eager hooves

Until it joins some larger way,

Where from many paths I will choose

One that will lead me home some day.

Rarity turned around. Applejack was standing at the edge of the pond, smiling at her. A small sprig of grass was between her lips, making her resemble her brother. The unicorn waved her hoof at her. “Good morning, darling! Come on in, the water's fine!”

“I'll pass, thank ya kindly,” she said. “I didn't know you knew that song.”

“Applejack, every pony knows that song. I learned it in school from some colt on the playground.”

“Welp, you look like you're about finishin' up, so come on back,” said Applejack. “I'm gonna go wake Rainbow. We gotta get a move on.”

“All right,” Rarity sighed. Just as she had suspected- Applejack wanted to be on the move. Walking out of the water, she gave her mane and tail a shake; with no towels, she would have to settle for an air-dry. Slipping her saddlebags back on, she opened the right one with magic and removed her hairbrush, using it to work on her mane as she walked back through the grass.

Rainbow Dash was on her hooves when Rarity arrived at their fire pit, chewing energetically at the grass around her. “Morning,” she muttered in between bites of grass.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity replied. She was feeling quite chipper; her bath and a good night's sleep had done wonders for her mood. “I'm terribly sorry for falling asleep on you two; I was just so exhausted.”

“It's okay, Rarity,” said Dash. She and Applejack had decided not to tell Rarity about the howl they had heard in the night. The sky-blue pegasus returned to her grass. “It just means you'll be ready for more galloping today!”

Rarity frowned. “And are you going to be joining us in the galloping again?”

“Maybe,” Dash said in a noncommittal voice. “I might fly today- somepony's gotta keep an eye on our surroundings.”

“I don't see why you would need altitude for that,” Rarity replied. “Things around here are pretty flat, in case you haven't noticed.”

“Doesn't hurt to be able to see far off, though,” Dash said. “In case something's coming!”

Applejack winced.

“Something?” Rarity repeated, a note of suspicion in her voice. “Like what?”

The sky-blue pegasus quickly realized her mistake. “Oh... you know... like maybe Gildedale ponies! We wouldn't want to surprise them if they're supposed to be so afraid of strangers, right?”

Rarity fluttered her long eyelashes, pondering this answer. There's something she's not telling me. She gave her mane another good swipe of the brush. “All right, then,” she said. “It's not up to me- you decide. But I suppose it might be a good idea to have eyes in the sky.”

“Well, I'll start off on the ground,” Rainbow Dash said, her mouth still full of grass. “Maybe switch to flying as we go.”

“Welp, I've already eaten,” Applejack said, slipping her saddlebags back on and tightening the straps with her mouth. “Are you ready, Rarity?”

“Just a moment,” she said, using her magic to open her saddlebag. Her mirror floated out, and she examined herself in it. Her mane was a bit unkempt, but for how little work she had been able to do it still looked pretty good. “Hmmm.... mm-hmm! All right, let's be on our way!”

With that, the three of them set off, using the rising sun behind them to ensure they remained on a westward course. Rarity was pleased to find that she was keeping pace easier today. Perhaps the long night's sleep had really done her that much good. Or I'm getting more muscular, she thought. She frowned at that. Bulky is not in. Most decidedly not in. She did her cardio thrice weekly to stay trim, of course, but she wanted no part of the muscles that wrapped up Applejack's legs, to say nothing of Rainbow Dash's lean, almost angular body. But when she thought about it, she realized you couldn't get bulky muscles from running, of course not. So perhaps it was just her endurance that was improving? Whatever it was, at the moment she was just happy not to feel worn out. But then she remembered that muscle fatigue always hits hardest on the second day. Drat. A shadow wheeled overhead. She looked up- an eagle? Something beautiful and dark and decidedly birdy, that was for certain. It gave her an idea for a new dress. I shall have to remember to sketch it when we stop for lunch, she thought. My, these wandering thoughts do make the time pass more quickly.

The plains rushed past them as they galloped. The grass was gradually getting shorter, seeming to be worn by more wind and- perhaps- more frequent hooffalls, until it lowered to about mid-fetlock. Even now, there were no signs of development or civilization, the golden fields appearing as wild and untamed as they had from the trio's first glimpse of Gildedale. Perhaps the stone marker from before was a bare land claim? Perhaps the Daleponies didn't actually live in the eastern portion of their country. It would help explain why they never seemed to venture into Equestria.

The sun traveled rapidly across the sky, taunting them with its swift pace. Rainbow Dash glanced up, seeing it already approaching its zenith. We're not making good enough time, she thought. She and Applejack weren't racing today, just galloping as fast as they could with comfort, and they seemed to be covering less ground. It was what she had feared from the beginning: even at a relatively swift pace, their running was no match at all for flight. She had known that from the beginning, but this potent reminder of just how much time traveling on the hoof wasted was grating at her. She couldn't calculate how much time it would take to reach the Archback Mountains at this pace- math was never her forte- but she knew it was too much time for her liking. They were on the fifth day since Twilight Sparkle had been stricken with Horn Rot. They had nine days left, and that was if they wanted to push their luck. Just remember, in five days, if we're not close, you're going on alone, she told herself. She was committed to the idea now. It made her run a little faster, because as much as she wanted to get the job done, she didn't like the idea of leaving her friends behind. She wanted to give Applejack and Rarity a chance to get there in time, and maybe they would. She hoped they would.

By high noon, they decided to stop for lunch. The grass was still at mid-fetlock, so they had to do a bit more reaching and grazing to fill their bellies with the coarse golden blades. Applejack roamed north, away from the others, nipping grass as she went. Then she bit into something that was most certainly not grass- it was too feathery and thin. Looking down more carefully, she saw a short stalk protruding thinly from amid the grass. It, too, was golden, but slightly browner than the grass that surrounded it. There were more like it, and as she looked further ahead, they crowded out the grass, and grew taller and taller. It was... “Wheat!” the orange earth pony exclaimed. A tall outgrowth of wheat... actually, a field of wheat, stretching away in front of her, springing abruptly from the middle of the rolling plains of grass. It wasn't quite the wheat she was used to- wild and rough- but it was wheat, and there was too much of it concentrated here for it to be an accident of the wind. Somepony had planted this!

“Y'all!” Applejack exclaimed, turning and running back through the fields. “Y'all, come here and look at this!” She had wandered farther away than she thought, but they were in a shallow between a few low hills, and she had a clear line of sight at Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They looked up at her approach. “Y'all won't believe what I-” She broke off. A low rumble had begun to vibrate in her chest. “Do y'all feel that?”

The rumbling was getting stronger- and it was no longer merely felt. “I hear it!” Rainbow Dash said, perking up an ear.

“What do you suppose it is?!” Rarity said in a panic. She glanced all around her. “An earthquake?”

“Rainbow, go up and take a look,” Applejack said. She was worried; what if the owner of that howl was coming?

The sky-blue pegasus blasted up into the sky, stopping in a hover high off the ground. Rarity and Applejack watched her twist this way and that, turning south, west, north- and then they saw her draw back in the air, body splaying spastically in evident shock. She bent over at the waist and dove back toward the ground, plummeting so fast Rarity worried she would crash. At the last moment Dash pulled back into a hover, swirling the air around the two grounded ponies; a few more flaps brought her to the ground. Her rose-colored eyes were wide.

“What is it?” Rarity asked.

“What's wrong, Rainbow?” Applejack said. “What did you see?”

Rainbow Dash took a few deep breaths, then on the last breath, puffed out: “Ponies!”

“What?” Applejack said, dumbfounded.

Before Dash could clarify, the rumbling rose dramatically in volume, a pulsing thunder through the air. It was coming from the north. The three ponies turned toward it, where a shallow hill crested. For a brief second, they saw a line of thin stalks appear over the hill. Then they appeared, bursting over the hilltop, powering through the grass.

Ponies!

A steady, thundering stream of earth ponies came galloping over the hill. They were a neat group arranged in orderly rows, five ponies to a row except in the front. At the head of the procession was a row of three ponies, and ahead of them, a whole body's length ahead, two ponies galloped side-by-side: a dark red pony and a medium gray pony. The group was enormous, at least a hundred strong by the time the last row cleared the hill. It took the three traveling ponies a moment to realize that the large group was headed their way.

“Easy, girls,” Applejack said. “They're probably not lookin' for trouble.”

“Didn't you notice their spears, Applejack?” Rarity replied with worry in her voice.

Applejack looked again. Sure enough, each pony had a long, stout spear mounted to a harness on their flank; as they advanced the sight was like a moving forest of thin trees. As the ponies drew closer, Applejack also noticed that they all wore armor of dark red leather, stitched with red thread and streaked with the occasional trimming of gold; they were protected from head to neck to flanks to rump, with greaves around their lower legs. The leather cruppers protecting their flanks were emblazoned with the same spreading bundle of golden grass Applejack had seen on the stone marker.

“They're headed right for us!” Dash cried.

“Do you think they see us?” Rarity wondered.

The two ponies at the lead, the dark red and the gray, slowed their pace to a trot. The ponies in the columns behind them parted around them, like a river parting around a rock, streaming in two channels at the same brisk pace. The streams rumbled around the three ponies and curved, and then all of them slowed to a trot, then a brisk walk as they bent more sharply around. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash realized as the earth ponies stopped that they were surrounded, encircled by two rows deep of armored ponies. Just in front of them, the dark red pony and the gray pony trotted through an opening in the circle, then slowed to a walk as they drew closer to the three travelers. The dark red pony appeared to be a colt, about a head taller than they; his eyes were deep blue, his mane and tail were light gray flecked with streaks of charcoal. The gray pony was a filly; her mane and tail were white, and her eyes were green. Looking around at the assembled ponies, Rarity noted that they seemed to all be earth colors, or neutral shades: brown, white, gray, black. Orange and red seemed to be the most vibrant colors present, and even those were muted. There was none of the pink and yellow and blue and green and more that she was used to seeing in Equestria. It gave the whole gathering a more serious feel than she was accustomed to with congregations of ponies. The fact that they're armed and armored isn't helping matters, of course, she thought.

The dark red colt and the gray filly drew to a halt just in front of them. Still keeping her eyes open for details, Rarity noticed the colt's champron had a crest on it, between his ears: a golden circle, evidently supposed to be a compass, with markers for the four directions. The device had a silver arrow pointing to the right. He was evidently a leader, and he addressed them in a sharp, clear voice, slightly accented: “Unicorn, pegasus, earth pony of Equestria, what is your business in Gildedale?”

The three Equestrian ponies were dumbfounded for a moment. Rarity gathered herself first. “Ah, when new ponies meet for the first time, introductions are generally the polite way to begin.”

“You are mistaken in assuming this meeting is a polite one,” the dark red colt said more sharply still. “What is your business? Be quick about it!”

Rainbow Dash snorted, frowned, and stepped forward. “Hey, jerk,” she said, “why don't you tell us your name? Then I can tell you mine, and maybe more.”

The gray filly at the colt's side stepped forward. “I don't think I like your attitude, pegasus.”

“Oh yeah?” Dash retorted. “What are you gonna do about it?”

The gray earth pony bent at the knees- then whipped her head to her flanks. In another eyeblink the sharp, cold steel of a speartip was vibrating gently an inch from Dash's eyes. The sky-blue pegasus reared back in shock, stepping rapidly away from the weapon in the gray pony's mouth. In another moment, she was angry again- more angry than before. She flapped her wings and lifted off the ground, then began to beat them in wide circles. A light breeze was whipped up inside the circle of ponies.

“Hold on, now!” Applejack cried, coming quickly between them. She sat back on her haunches; with one free front hoof, she pushed Dash back to the ground, and with the other she lowered the gray pony's spear. “There ain't no need for us to get unfriendly. We're all ponies here, ain't we?” She smiled desperately at the two Daleponies. “I think introductions are a fine idea, and bein' as how we're the guests in your land, we'll go first. I'm Applejack, this here's Rainbow Dash,” she nudged the sky-blue pegasus with her hoof, “and that there's Rarity,” she used her other hoof to point at the white unicorn. “Like you figured, we're from Equestria; specifically, we hail from Ponyville, just on the other side of the mountains over yonder,” she motioned back to the east.

The dark red earth pony seemed to chew on his own teeth for a moment. Then his face lost some of its grim tightness. “I cannot see any harm in introductions,” he finally said. “I am Ashtail, Captain of the Dale Guard and Marshal of the Eastern Quarter. This is Shield Maiden, my lieutenant.” He nodded toward the gray filly. Shield Maiden gave the three Equestrians a glare, but she pulled back her spear and returned it to its harness. Ashtail nodded again. “Now, tell us your business.”

“We're on a quest!” Rainbow Dash said.

“A quest?” Ashtail repeated.

“What Rainbow means is that we are on a very vital journey,” Rarity said. “One of our friends in Ponyville has become dangerously sick, and the only cure that can help her in time is a plant that grows only in the Archback Mountains. Which, of course, means we have to cross your kingdom.” She finished with a simple, toothless smile and a flutter of her eyelashes; anything more coquettish was liable to annoy this very grim pony.

Ashtail furrowed his brow. “We were not informed that any Equestrian ponies would be passing through Gildedale.”

“It was kind o' spur o' the moment,” Applejack said.

“'Spur of the moment' is not what I want to hear,” the dark red earth pony said. “We do not allow Equestrian ponies to cross our land without our consent. Why were we not informed of this journey? A pronghorn should have been sent.”

“A what?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Ashtail huffed. “A message should have been sent,” he said, “from your ruler to ours. Trespassers are not permitted in Gildedale.”

“We ain't tresspassin'!” Applejack insisted. “We just want to cross to the Archback Mountains! Our friend really needs it!”

“Be that as it may, I cannot simply take your word for it,” Ashtail said. “Without permission from the Lord of the Dale, no Equestrian pony is allowed in Gildedale.” He narrowed his eyes. “And even if you had permission, two-thirds of your party would not be allowed in under any circumstances. The pegasus and the unicorn are not welcome.”

“What?!” Dash yelled.

“Good heavens, what have you against unicorns?” Rarity asked.

“We don't want your magic here, most of all,” Ashtail snarled. “No more than innate earth pony magic is wanted in Gildedale. The magic of the unicorns and the pegasuses-”

“PEGASI!!” Rarity shrieked. Ashtail and Shield Maiden drew back. Around the circle, some of the Dale Guard bent their necks back, ready to grab their spears. The rest of them stared wide-eyed at Rarity. She smiled toothily and looked around nervously. “Heh heh, oh my, forgive me! Just being a Grammar Nightmare. Carry on, it's no worry.”

“The magic of the unicorns and the pegasi would overwhelm our kingdom and our way of life, so we do not permit it. That is part of the treaty we made with the Sun Queen.”

“You mean Princess Celestia?” Applejack asked.

“We did read that there was a treaty of friendship between Equestria and Gildedale,” Rarity said.

“It is a treaty of allegiance- not friendship,” Ashtail said. “And it was modified about a hundred years ago. The Sun Queen wanted to claim the Drackenridge Mountains as Equestrian territory. We agreed, on the condition that her two more magical breeds of subjects be banned from Gildedale. And she agreed in turn. We honor her for raising our sun each day, but that is the extent to which we need her land and its magics.”

“There's nothing wrong with pegasuses!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Rarity's eye twitched, but she held her tongue.

“Not in your country, perhaps,” Ashtail said.

“How do you get your rain? What about your snow? What about your wind?”

“We take what the world gives us, and we endure it; that is our freedom,” Ashtail said. He shook his head. “I'm wasting time debating this! You can go no further. Turn back now and we won't take you into custody.”

Applejack's temper suddenly triggered. “We ain't goin' nowhere but forward!” she snarled, stepping forward. “Our friend needs this plant or she might die!”

“You have no way of proving that to me,” Ashtail said.

“We have dragonfire!” Rarity said. She used her magic to open her saddlebag and pull out the glass bottle with Spike's fire. She noticed that Ashtail's eyes widened as she did. He was clearly unused to telekinesis. “This was given to us by a dragon on royal retainer from Princess Celestia herself. It can transmit messages instantly to and from the dragon that breathed it. Why would we be carrying it if we didn't need to send something back home quickly? Good sir, we are not liars. We are in desperate need.”

Ashtail trained his eye on the bottle of swirling purple-green fire. His lip curled, as though he were tasting something unpleasant. “This... might prove your case,” he said slowly. His blue eyes grew hard again. “But it just as easily connotes sinister motives. We do not write much down in Gildedale, but we do send communication back and forth between the Quarters, especially concerning the Dale Guard. A single slip of paper could contain the linchpin of our Guard's movements throughout the kingdom- and you could send it to your Sun Queen with a flicker of flame, you say? A fine device in advance of an invasion, cloaked in a story calculated to play our heartstrings.”

Applejack reached a level of rage she hadn't experienced in years- not since her parents had died. The image of Twilight suffering and dying because of this colt burned into her mind and drove her temper to towering heights. And he thought she wasn't telling the truth- she, who held honesty so dearly! “We ain't lyin'! I can't believe y'all think we're lyin'!” she snarled, her voice thick and feral. “I keep tellin' ya, this is a matter o' life and death! So y'all have two choices: get out of our way or get out them spears!” She launched herself forward a single step, snorting thickly from her nostrils. Ashtail flew back a few paces at her ferocity. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were almost equally shocked, but the sky-blue pegasus summoned her own anger: she rose into the air again and again she beat her wings in a circle, whipping up a breeze that tousled the manes of the assembled ponies.

Ashtail collected himself quickly. His blue eyes softened- he blinked. “Please calm down,” he said to the furious Applejack. “I did not mean to inspire such fury.” He tilted his head to the side a bit as he looked at her, his eyes now keen and calculating. “My mother once said to me that one can take the true measure of a pony if one sees them in a rage. Your anger is real- and it can't have come from our rudeness.” He walked a few steps closer to Applejack and said very softly, “You are genuinely frightened, aren't you- frightened for your friend.”

Applejack closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. She really didn't want to fight. But she so desperately wanted Twilight to be all right... “I am,” she said. “I'm so scared we won't be able to help her in time.” Her green eyes gazed intensely into his blue ones. “Please let us cross. Please let us help her.”

Ashtail cast a glance to his right, toward Shield Maiden. She had remained still and neutral through the whole exchange, the image of a cool and calm number one, in stark contrast to her initial outburst. However, her green eyes, so much like Applejack's, were wavering with emotion. She gave Ashtail a sidelong glance, and her stern face eased a bit.

The dark red earth pony sighed for what seemed the thousandth time. “You at least deserve a chance to state your case,” he said. “Please forgive our shortness; we are all on edge. You have come at the most dangerous time of our year. The komagas have begun their annual run.”

“What's a komaga?” Rarity asked.

As if on cue, a long, rolling howl flowed across the plains, chilling the spine of every pony that heard it. Ashtail saw his Dale Guard begin to fidget. “Steady!” he called over the heads of the Equestrian ponies. He fixed Rarity with a gaze. “That is a komaga,” he said. He turned sharply around and addressed a black pony with an orange mane. “Sharp Sound, how do you reckon?”

The pony narrowed his violet eyes and swiveled his unusually long ears every which way. “From the east,” he said a few seconds later, “about twelve miles away.”

“Let's hope they don't head our direction,” Shield Maiden muttered.

“Dale Guard, Assemble!” Ashtail shouted. The ponies circling the three travelers broke apart, lurching to the left and beginning to form back into rows. Ashtail turned back toward Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. “I want to believe you're telling the truth, but the decision to allow you passage is not mine to make. Here is what I can offer: you will come with us. You will follow us to my fastness of Grazezeld and there you will pass the night. In the morning we shall escort you to Thatchholm, our capital. There amid the Timbered Court you may plead your case to Lord Hammer Hoof. If and only if he permits it, you will be allowed to cross the remainder of Gildedale. If he denies you passage, a legion of the Dale Guard will escort you back to the Drackenridge Mountains. That is your only hope for forward progress,” he concluded. “I suggest you take it.”

“It sounds like a long trip out of our way,” Rainbow Dash growled.

Ashtail shook his head. “The Archbacks are beyond our western border,” he said. “Grazezeld is to the west of here, and Thatchholm is further west still- it lies in the center of Gildedale. You will travel the same direction you were going to travel to begin with.”

“I-” Rainbow Dash began.

Rarity quickly jerked the sky-blue pegasus' neck around. “Do give us a moment, sir,” she said over her shoulder. She used her other hoof to corral Applejack.

“Hurry!” Ashtail said.

“It seems to be our only choice,” Rarity said in the huddle. “Unless either of you have a better idea.”

Dash snorted. “Well there's too many of 'em to fight...”

“I don't want no fightin'!” Applejack said, stomping her hoof. “I don't like bein' ordered around... but if we're still gonna be headin' west, I don't see no harm in goin' with these ponies, at least for a while.”

Dash looked like she wanted to argue, but seeing the minds of her companions made up, she lowered her head and grimaced. “Fine,” she said. “Even though there's no way these groundbound ponies could hold me... I guess we can follow your boyfriend for a while, AJ.”

Applejack gave Rainbow Dash such a glare that the sky-blue pegasus nearly jumped into the air. “Don't ever let me catch you sayin' that again, Rainbow Dash, or I will clip you.”

“Okay, okay, sorry!” she said. “Just having a little fun- you know, that thing we used to have but apparently don't anymore?”

The three of them turned back to Ashtail. “We'll go with y'all,” Applejack said.

Ashtail nodded. “Thank you,” he said. He and Shield Maiden were the only ponies left near them; the rest of the Daleponies had reformed their orderly rows. “You'll ride up front with Shield Maiden and I. Our pace will be brisk, so keep up; we won't slow down for you. We must clear this area quickly before the komagas arrive.”

“Come,” Shield Maiden said, twitching her head. The three Equestrian ponies fell into line behind her and Ashtail. They trotted along the lines of Dale Guard to the head, where they slotted themselves in front of the front row of three ponies.

Rarity was beginning to feel nervous; she had no idea how fast these Daleponies typically traveled. It can't be faster than Applejack and Rainbow Dash's pace yesterday... can it?, she wondered.

“Dale Guard!” Ashtail called over his shoulder in a loud voice. “Move out!” With that he began to gallop, Shield Maiden right at his side. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity followed suit, and behind them each row began to move in its time. In short order the enormous procession was galloping swiftly across the golden plains. Thankfully, the next sequence of howls they heard were further in the distance, behind them. They barely perceived them over the thunder of the hoofbeats around them.

Rarity galloped as fast as she could. The ponies around her moved nearly as fast as Applejack and Rainbow Dash had moved at their fastest, and her muscles were starting to finally feel the soreness they'd earned the previous day. An hour into the journey, she found herself falling back from her friends, only to bump into the nose of a brown earth pony. “Keep up, unicorn!” she barked at her, with such ferocity she was frightened back to a faster pace. Stupid nasty Daleponies!, she thought. Why couldn't we have just been ignored! How did they know about us, anyway?

Applejack was on the left side of their small row, Rarity in the center, and Rainbow Dash on the right. Ashtail was also on the left, and the orange earth pony picked up her pace enough to break her row and come up alongside him. “Can I ask you a question?” she called over the thundering hoofbeats.

Ashtail didn't look at her. “I'm listening.”

“I saw some wheat a ways back there-”

“Did you touch it?!” he snapped, suddenly glaring at her.

“No!” she cried, deciding not to tell him she'd bitten off a stalk. “Is it yours?”

“It is,” he said. “There are fields of wheat all across Gildedale- along with patches of potatoes, carrots, and many other plants amid the grasses.”

Applejack smiled. “So y'all do farm! I'm a farmer myself- apples, mostly, and-”

“Don't slacken!” the dark red earth pony snapped at her again. “Keep up! We have a ways to go yet and we must reach Grazezeld before sundown!” He turned his head back to the front and said no more.

Applejack raised her eyebrow at him. Just then, she had glimpsed something beneath his harsh demeanor- something proud without being brash. And she had learned that at least they farmed in Gildedale, though not the sort of farming she was used to. That made her feel better. She was convinced she could reason with a pony that knew the earth and growing things.

“Dale Guard!” Ashtail called a little while later. “Heel!” At his command, the century of earth ponies began to slow its pace, like a gradually decelerating train, until it finally stopped, still neatly arranged in rows. “Silence!” he barked again, and what little chatter there was stopped completely. The dark red earth pony raised his ears and swiveled them; Sharp Sound, one of the three ponies just behind Applejack and her friends, did the same. Ashtail turned around. “Sharp Sound, do you hear anything?”

The black earth pony didn't answer immediately, focused as he was on listening. But he soon looked his captain in the eye. “No, Captain. We appear to have passed them.”

“Captain,” another Dalepony said; it was the brown one who had chided Rarity earlier. “I believe that's Aeleroth up there.” She nodded past Ashtail up into the sky.

Ashtail looked in that direction, as did Shield Maiden, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. Amid the increasingly orange-streaked sky, a dark shape swooped in long, large loops. “So it would seem,” Ashtail said. “Birdspeak, go get his report.”

The brown earth pony galloped away from the Guard, beginning to whistle strangely as she did so. The dark shape in the air banked to the right and flapped its wings, headed in the pony's direction. When it was close enough, Rainbow Dash saw that it was a hawk, dark brown with a golden beak. Birdspeak halted and held up a front leg; the hawk gently descended and perched itself upon the earth pony's foreleg. Birdspeak bent her head toward the great bird of prey.

I suppose that's how they spotted us, Rarity realized. If they can talk to the birds here, they have eyes in the sky.

In a moment, Aeleroth flapped his wings and took off, pumping into the late afternoon sky. Birdspeak trotted back to the Guard. “The way is clear for miles yet as Aeleroth sees it,” she said to Ashtail when she was within range of them again. “There are some komagas to the southwest, but they are not headed anywhere near our direction.”

“That is good,” Ashtail said. “Fall in!” Birdspeak retook her place in her row behind the three Equestrian ponies. “Move out!” Ashtail yelled, and they began to gallop again.

Evening wore on quickly. Applejack kept her eyes on the horizon, and as the sun turned orange the relentlessly empty landscape was finally disrupted. At the edge of her sight, she saw a small protrusion from the fields, a slightly pointed speck. As the evening wore on, it grew larger, taller, broader. It began to resemble a house. “That thing out there,” she called to Ashtail, “is that your home?”

“That is Grazezeld,” Ashtail replied over his shoulder. “We're almost there. Dale Guard! Double time!” and the earth ponies quickened their pace. Even Applejack had to struggle to keep up with the swift gallop, which was almost a full run; Rarity was breathing hard, sweat streaking off her white coat. Rainbow Dash did a bit better, being lighter and having more stamina, but she wished she were flying now.

The speck on the horizon rapidly grew larger. It swelled dramatically as the minutes advanced, and suddenly it wasn't a speck at all- it was actually a barn. It sat on an enormous raised foundation of heavy gray stones which spanned more than a dozen acres and rose high off the ground. At the top the platform was flat, and the barn there was equally enormous, dwarfing the red barn at Sweet Apple Acres; it was at least ten times larger, towering over the fields. It was constructed of thick, rough-hewn timbers, sturdy pillars of full tree trunks built into the sides to hold up the walls and support the enormous wood-plated roof. At least a dozen chimneys sprouted from this roof, a few here and there emitting tendrils of smoke. The barn even appeared to be two-storied: there were platforms protruding from the roof, and a large round window of thick, leaded glass seemed to reveal an upper level as the dying light shone through it. There was a ring of copper around the window, and a copper trim around the edge of the roof like the fringes of grass turned upside-down. At the front and back of the roof, thin poles rose, and on each a flag flew, a triangle of dark red with the bundled golden grass in the center.

The sun had nearly set by the time they reached the large wooden gates at the base of the barn's foundation. Two Daleponies in full armor stood at attention on either side, wearing iron collars attached to thick ropes that were in turn tied to one of the gate doors. “Dale Guard! Whoa!” Ashtail called over his shoulder, and the ponies in his wake slowed to a trot. When they were closing in on the gates, Ashtail yelled again. “Grazezeld Guard! The Marshal of the East returns!” The posted earth ponies began to advance away from the gate on the left and the right, pulling hard at the collars around their necks. The two gates yawned open slowly, revealing a stone ramp leading up to the level foundation. “Heel!” Ashtail called over his shoulder, and the Dale Guard halted just before the opening gates. When they were fully opened, Ashtail addressed the gate guards. “The fastness of Grazezeld is retired for the evening! Grazezeld Guard, retire and bar the gates of Grazezeld! Dale Guard! Advance!” He trotted forward, Shield Maiden at his side, the Equestrian ponies and his Dale Guard in his wake. They pounded up the stone ramp and emerged atop the foundation of Grazezeld, which provided a grand panorama of Gildedale's golden fields around them, now turning dull in the darkening night. As the last of the Dale Guard passed the gates, the two guarding earth ponies came up the ramp, pulling the wooden gates shut behind them. Applejack winced as loud twin bangs signaled the barring of the entrance for the night. There would be no going out that way, not without permission.

“Dale Guard! Heel!” Ashtail said when they had all emerged on the grounds of the fastness. He and Shield Maiden turned to face the rows of armored earth ponies. “The day's patrol is done! Dale Guard! DISMISSED!”

At this, the Daleponies finally broke their rigid formation. A number of them began to trot toward the large open doors of the barn. Some of them gathered in groups of three or four and began to talk amongst themselves. A few wandered toward the edges of the foundation, gazing out across the plains as stars began to appear in the night sky. “Oh my goodness!” Rarity wailed, bouncing on her aching legs. “I am absolutely exhausted!”

Ashtail raised an eyebrow. “I suggest you get some sleep tonight, then,” he said. “We must ride just as hard tomorrow to reach Thatchholm.” He turned to Shield Maiden. “Shield Maiden, our guests have traveled far and ridden hard. See that they get something to eat.”

“Yes, Captain,” the gray earth pony said.

“Oh, so now we're guests,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.

“Rainbow!” Applejack hissed.

“I'll check in on you a while later; I have duties to attend to.” With that, the dark red earth pony turned and trotted into Grazezeld, quickly lost in the milling of the ponies around him.

Shield Maiden stepped up to Rainbow Dash. The sky-blue pegasus tensed, unsure how to take this sudden closeness. But her green eyes were bright. “I apologize for my brusqueness earlier,” she said. “It is my duty to protect the Captain from threats, and from slights. I could not let an offense to his honor go unchecked.”

Dash chuckled awkwardly. “Er... sure, that's okay. I guess it's okay, anyway.”

Shield Maiden turned back toward the doors of Grazezeld. “Come. Dinner should just about be on; let's see what the cooks have for you lot.”

She trotted toward the double doors; the three Equestrian ponies followed. The interior of Grazezeld was a vast, open space, thick pillars of dark wood holding up a tall ceiling that stretched over a great communal hall. In the middle, a large fire burned in a raised pit of stone; there were rough cloth couches gathered around it, on which Daleponies lounged. There were similar couches scattered randomly throughout the commons, clearly meant to be moved at will. The pillars they passed were decorated with striking abstract carvings, stained dark green and dark red and gold. The floor beneath them was stone, though it was frequently covered with carpets and mats of every shape, size, and pattern. At the very back of the hall, two great doorways led off to the left and the right. Between them was a raised slab of stone, upon which a couch reinforced with wood backing was placed. Behind the couch was a pillar of wood, at the top of which was a larger version of the golden compass with the silver arrow that Ashtail wore on his champron.

Shield Maiden led Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash to the right, past the dais and through a short, twisty hallway. They emerged in a large mess hall, where long wooden tables were laid in boards, with long benches on either side. At the back wall, an open window offered a glimpse of a large, dimly lit kitchen, where wood fires burned both in ovens and open pits, and large iron cauldrons bubbled with something sweet-smelling. There were already many Daleponies gathered around the tables, eating from stone bowls, talking, laughing. Shield Maiden led the three Equestrians past them toward the kitchen window. “Kit Cauldron!” she called over the general din. “I have three hungry ponies here; what have you for them?”

“Carrot soup!” a lean, angular earth pony with a white coat replied, an apron wrapped around his body. “We got plenty of fresh grain in today, so I have bread aplenty as well.”

“Bread!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, shooting past Shield Maiden with a burst of her wings. She hovered in front of the kitchen window and pounded her hooves eagerly on the kitchen counter. “I am craving some bread right now!”

Kit Cauldron's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Many of the nearby Daleponies were likewise astounded at the pegasus and her flight. And some were annoyed, given that Dash had jumped ahead of a long line.

“Rainbow!” Applejack called. “Get back here! It ain't our turn yet!”

Dash glanced to her left, noticed the line. She smiled sheepishly, waved a hoof at the ponies in the que. “Sorry, everypony, didn't mean to cut,” she remarked. She flapped slowly back to her friends. Shield Maiden was gazing with a smaller level of amazement, but amazement all the same. “Sorry about that, Shield Maiden.”

“Rainbow can get a bit impatient when it comes to food,” Applejack said. Dash stuck her tongue out at the orange earth pony.

Shield Maiden smiled slowly. “I understand,” she said. “No harm done- and you put on a bit of a show.”

“What, me?” Dash said.

“Most of us have never seen a pegasus pony before,” the gray earth pony informed her.

“Oh, you thought that was a show just now?” Dash asked. She grinned. “Trust me, that was nothing. I'll put on a real show sometime!”

Saying nothing, Shield Maiden led them to the end of the line for food. It moved quickly, and in little time they took up wooden trays in their mouths, upon which bowls of soup and loaves of bread were placed. Rarity opted to carry hers with her magic, which produced another outbreak of wide-eyed staring. The white unicorn brushed back her curled violet mane with a hoof and fluttered her long eyelashes. This earned her a shove in the rump from Applejack with her tray. “Come on, Rarity, don't be a showoff!” Rarity huffed and followed Shield Maiden to the end of one of the tables, where they sat on the benches.

“You all go ahead and eat,” she said. “I need to get my armor off; I'll rejoin you in a moment.” She trotted off and out of the mess hall.

“More bread?” a Dalepony with a tray on his back asked as he passed by; the tray had several large, brown loaves on it.

“Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash cried. She was already slurping up her soup. The Dalepony set the large loaf in the middle of their trays, and instantly the sky-blue pegasus picked it up with both hooves and shoved one end of it into her mouth.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped, using her magic to yank the loaf out of Dash's mouth. “I will not have you or any of us forgetting our table manners, especially not now that we have a table at which to exercise them!” The white unicorn focused her magic and tore off a chunk from the end that had been in Dash's mouth. “We don't appear to have a bread knife, so tearing is acceptable, if regrettable, etiquette. Trying to swallow the bread, that is meant for everypony, in one gulp like a snake is not polite in the least.”

Dash crossed her legs childishly over her chest. “Fine,” she muttered. She picked up the hunk of bread and shoved it in her mouth, chewing with her mouth open.

“Uugghhh,” Rarity groaned, laying her head on the table. “You are hopeless, Rainbow.”

“You know,” Dash said with her mouth full, “if you spend so much time worrying about how to eat the food, you don't enjoy it.”

“That is not true at all!” Rarity replied.

Applejack rolled her eyes at the exchange. She took off her hat and picked up her soup bowl between both hooves, tipping it toward her mouth and beginning to sip. This is great!, she thought. The soup was sweet without being too sugary, hearty without being too thick. The bread, which she bit a chunk off of moments later, was equally satisfying. Not fancy, of course, but simple and delicious and filling.

Rarity agreed. “Mmm, my, this is wonderful,” she said. “And such a lovely break from all that grass we've been eating. All things considered, and setting aside the fact that we were brought here against our will, I think we've had a stroke of good luck.”

“These Daleponies are bein' hospitable enough, that's for sure,” Applejack agreed. “But I don't like our chances at makin' this Lord Hammer Hoof see our side o' things.”

“That Ashtail pony seems like he could be reasoned with,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, I agree,” Applejack said. “He seems a decent fella once he stops bein' gruff and mean. But like he said, it ain't up to him. And if this Lord Hammer Hoof is the one who set up the rules about trespassers, he's gonna be hard to convince.”

Rainbow Dash finally swallowed her bread in one massive gulp. “Well I think we should be prepared to make a break for it- if these ponies won't let us go, we gotta be prepared to force our way out!”

“Easier said than done, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “Not all of us can fly.”

Rarity sighed. “I wish I could teleport...”

“Rarity, none o' that! We'll figure somethin' out. If need be, Rainbow can go on alone.”

Dash's rose eyes widened. “I thought you said-”

“I did,” the orange earth pony said with a nod. “But that was before all o' this. If things get desperate... desperate measures may be needed.”

Dash set her mouth in a grim line. She looked Applejack straight in the eye and saw the seriousness there. She nodded. “Okay. But let's hope we don't need to do that, right?” Now that she was confronted with the reality of what she had thought in her head, she liked it less than ever. She didn't want to leave her friends behind!

“Let's hope,” Applejack remarked.

“Enjoying the food?” a voice came from their right. Turning, they saw Shield Maiden. Without her armor, her gray coat gave off a fine sheen, surprising for the ruggedness of her country. And on her flank...

“You have a cutie mark!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. There was an image of a heater shield on each of her flanks, colored gold and dark red.

“Of course I do,” the gray earth pony remarked. “I am a pony, am I not?”

“I... er...” Dash stammered.

“We weren't sure if ponies in Gildedale got cutie marks,” Rarity said. “I must say, I'm surprised as well. It is a bit... magical, I think, for your kingdom's sensibilities, is it not?”

“Oh, no,” Shield Maiden said. “It's a magic all ponies share- natural. Not every Dalepony gets a cutie mark, but most do. Actually, we don't even get proper names until we have our cutie marks.”

“So what are you called when you're young?” Rarity asked.

“'Filly' or 'colt,' and then described by our color,” the gray Dalepony said. “Of course, if a pony doesn't get their cutie mark, they're usually allowed to choose a name by the time they start their first growth spurt. When we do get our marks, though, we usually name ourselves with the counsel of our parents and our Quarter Marshal; it's our duty to ensure that our name is both satisfying to us and informative to the ponies around us, so they know in what capacity they can rely on us in the event of trouble.”

“So your name, 'Shield Maiden,' means that you are...” Rainbow Dash began.

“A warrior,” Shield Maiden finished. “I am a defender of pony and plot. I strive to be stout in the face of danger.” The three friends recalled her ferocity toward Rainbow Dash, and could easily believe it.

There were a few beats of silence, but then Rarity said, “What about Ashtail? His name doesn't say anything about his talents. It just describes his hair coloration.”

“The Captain is... distinct,” the gray earth pony said. “He can tell you more about it if he chooses.” She trotted off. “I'm keeping you from your food- and me from mine! I'll go get some soup and be back.”

“So, what,” Dash said when she was gone, “do they just call their foals 'hey you'? That's so lame.”

“I can see it makin' a kind o' sense,” Applejack said. “But I don't think it's right to not name a foal.”

“They seem to be just fine with it, if the fillies and colts we've met are any indication,” Rarity said.

“Shield Maiden's the only one we've really talked to, and she's barely said anything about herself!” the sky blue pegasus said. “Plus, I don't buy her apology- she stuck a spear in my face! That filly is nuts.”

“Rainbow Dash, be fair,” Rarity said. “We've all had less-than-glamorous moments. You've no right to judge a pony by how she behaves when she loses her temper.”

“That's not what Ashtail says,” Dash remarked. She slurped another gulp of her soup.

“Well, I don't know how much I care for Ashtail,” the white unicorn said. “Even if he is putting us up for the night.”

“You just said he was reasonable,” Applejack remarked. She felt compelled to defend the dark red earth pony, if for no other reason than his hospitality.

“Reasonable, yes. Right? That remains to be seen,” Rarity said in turn.

Shield Maiden chose that merciful lull in conversation as her moment to reappear, carrying a tray in her mouth. She sat down beside Rarity and took a long pull of her soup. She blinked her green eyes and smiled apologetically. “I”m sorry- I didn't know if you Equestrian ponies gave thanks to any gods...”

“I suppose we could,” Rarity remarked. “Do you?”

“Sometimes,” Shield Maiden said. “We do give thanks to the Sun Queen for moving the sun and the moon.”

“Actually, Princess Celestia doesn't move the moon any more,” Rainbow Dash said.

“She doesn't? Then who or what does?”

“Her sister, Princess Luna,” Applejack said. “She's been... gone for a while, but she's back now, and the moon was originally hers to begin with, so she's doin' it again.”

Shield Maiden's eyes went wide. “Great green earth! I didn't know the Sun Queen even had a sister!”

“It's... a long story,” Dash said. The three Equestrian ponies shared a glance.

They spent the remainder of the meal telling Shield Maiden a few things about Luna, without going into the details of their quest for the Elements of Harmony. It was an unspoken agreement that their status as Bearers of the Elements was better off not being revealed. They needn't have worried- what they did tell Shield Maiden was enough to keep her engrossed as she ate. “That explains something that has puzzled us for more than a year,” the gray earth pony said, chewing the last of her bread. “On last year's summer solstice, the night was much longer than it should have been. We even woke up to darkness! And it was caused by this dark moon goddess?”

“That's right- Nightmare Moon,” Applejack answered. “But she's all gone now. Princess Luna's right as rain again.”

“I would love to hear more,” Shield Maiden said. She pushed herself back from the table and rolled off onto her hooves. “But we can't tarry- I suspect there's more to do before we bed for the night. Please take your trays back to the kitchen window with me.” She picked up her tray in her mouth, and the others followed suit, Rarity even opting to do the work manually.

When they exited the mess hall, they found Ashtail waiting for them. He had discarded his armor as well, and his gray-dappled mane fell thick across his neck. “That was a long supper,” he said. He was not quite as imposing without his armor, but he was still tall, and his muscles were on better display.

“Forgive me, Captain,” Shield Maiden said with a nod.

“No harm done. There's a common bed on the upper floor that's currently not in use- sixth room in the left wing. You will be sleeping there tonight. But first,” his blue eyes hardened, “I point out again that tomorrow we must ride long through land where the komagas are running. So, Shield Maiden, if you would, take our guests down to the armory and see if there is anything available for them to outfit themselves with.”

“Yes, Captain,” she replied. “Follow me,” she told the Equestrian ponies.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack passed Ashtail and headed across the hall, to the doorway on the left side of the stone dais. As they walked past him, Applejack glanced to the side. His flank wasn't bare- but for a moment she was confused. It seemed as though he was still wearing his armor, and not just because his coat was nearly the same color as the dark red boiled leather: on his flank was a design of branching golden grass cinched in the middle by a band. The same symbol was on the cruppers of every Dale Guard pony's armor. It took her a moment to realize that that was his cutie mark! His cutie mark is the symbol of Gildedale?, she wondered. What did that mean?

Turning through the doorway, they went down a short hall that descended on a stone ramp, cutting into the foundation of the great barn. They shortly emerged in a large room with high stone walls. Numerous shelves lined the walls, along with a vast number of chests, a few heavy drawers, and toward the back, a great number of small stalls. Applejack trotted toward them. In each stall was a wooden shape on a pole, with a body roughly like a pony's torso. It took the orange earth pony a moment to realize what they reminded her of: they were like cruder versions of Rarity's mannequins, harder and less complete.

“I'm afraid all our armor is currently in use,” Shield Maiden said. “We have none to spare. But as for armaments...” She trailed off and trotted to the other side of the ramp. She sat back on her haunches and used her front hooves to open a large wooden chest. Digging through it briefly, she dunked her head in and came out with something shiny and sharp in her mouth. “You there, earth pony- Applejack, was it?” she asked.

“That's right,” Applejack said.

“You mentioned you worked on a farm. Have you ever used a hoof-axe before?”

Applejack started. “Er, sure- for choppin' wood.”

“Here,” she said, flinging her head at Applejack. She tossed something that fell at Applejack's hooves: it had a leather binding wound with cord meant to tighten around a pony's foreleg. Attached to the other side was an axe blade. Applejack was quite familiar with hoof-axes, having used them often for farm work. But this was made of stouter leather and had a much thicker head than anything she was used to back home. The steel appeared to be denser, and the edge was noticeably sharper. “You may need to chop something else tomorrow,” Shield Maiden said.

Applejack stepped back sharply from the weapon. “I don't go in for killin',” she said.

Shield Maiden gave her a grim look. “It's not a matter of what you want,” she said. “The komagas are vicious and bloodthirsty. If you're not prepared to defend yourself you will be easy prey.” She looked at Rainbow Dash. “You, Rainbow Dash... do you need anything?”

“Uh...” Dash started. “Well...” she wasn't used to thinking about this at all. She quickly put on a brave face. “Nope! I'm a pegasus, you know. We can control the weather! Anything messes with me, I'll hit it with a tornado!” She thumped her chest.

Shield Maiden gave her a look. “I forgot,” the gray filly finally said. “You could just drop a lightning bolt on something, right?”

Dash's ears flattened against her head. “Uh... I can't actually do lightning,” she said. She immediately made herself look confident. “But I can do wind and rain, no problem!”

“Fair enough,” Shield Maiden said. Her green eyes turned on Rarity. “You- unicorn. I suppose you have your magic to defend you.”

Rarity's mouth fell open. She took a few steps back. “I... I... I...” her mouth worked uselessly for a moment. “Um... that is... my magic isn't terribly...” she squeaked out, “aggressive.”

Shield Maiden sighed. “Then let me see if I can find something that will fit you.” She rummaged through the chest again.

Rarity's blue eyes went wide. “That's... please, that's not really necessary,” she said softly. “I have no interest in taking part in any fighting.”

Shield Maiden said nothing. Pulling out of the chest, she went to a stack of shelves and began to peer deep at each level, standing on her hind legs to reach the highest shelf.

“Please,” Rarity said. “Shield Maiden... darling... don't go to this trouble on my account.” She laughed weakly. “I wouldn't know the first thing to do with a weapon!”

Shield Maiden moved on to the second batch of shelves. She rummaged through them with hooves and mouth, the noise of shifting instruments making it plain that she was finding things- but not what she sought.

“Now, Miss Shield Maiden,” Rarity said, more forcefully. “I must insist-”

“Oh ho ho!” the gray earth pony exclaimed excitedly. She had reached her head deep into a lower shelf. She was tugging hard at something. “What have we here?” With a sharp pull, she yanked her head out, and with it something long and brilliant. “Here's a pretty jewel of death for a fancy battle maiden!”

She dropped it from her mouth to the ground. It was a blade, about a foot and a half long. It had a gracefully curved edge, heavier at the tip than at the mount. Leather straps extended from the base, long and supple. The base seemed to be hollow. And it was clear- translucent. It wasn't metal at all. It rather appeared to be made of glass, or crystal. Graceful lines of gold filigree stretched up its sides, like the thin tendrils of infant vines. Even Rarity was momentarily transfixed by its elegance.

“I don't know what this is doing here,” Shield Maiden said, her voice full of surprise. “Perhaps it was a gift to some ancient Quarter Marshal. It's clearly meant for a unicorn- see how it's supposed to fit over a horn?” She turned the base toward them with her nose, displaying its hollowness. “Moreover, I don't think it's pony-make- it looks deerish.” She grinned at Rarity. “It's perfect for your delicate sensibilities. Go on, try it on.”

Rarity stared unblinking at the horn-blade for a moment. Then she jerked back as if she'd been struck. “No!” she yelped. “Absolutely not!”

Shield Maiden gritted her teeth. “My orders are to arm you all. Please take it.”

“No no no!” the white unicorn cried. “I am not about to strap a blade to my horn and go swinging it about like some... blood-stained... barbarian!”

“If you are not prepared to fight tomorrow, you open yourself to death,” the gray earth pony said sharply. “We cannot protect you in the chaos of an attack! You must be able to fend for yourself!”

“I don't want to kill anything!”

“What if you have no choice?!”

“I! Am! A! Fashion Designer!” Rarity shrieked. She was panicking, beating her front hooves rapidly on the stone floor; her eyes were wide. “I make and sell dresses! Dresses!” Tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Please don't ask me to kill! Please don't! I can't! I can't!”

Applejack ran a hoof down Rarity's withers, but the white unicorn flinched away from her touch. She lowered her head and began to sob, her tears spattering the floor. Rainbow Dash felt powerless to help her. Applejack knew she should say something, but couldn't find her voice.

Shield Maiden did not flinch. “Then why are you here?” she asked.

Rarity sniffed. “Because... because my friend is hurt!” she sobbed. “She was hurt trying to help me! I have to help her- I have to! Even if it means going on this beastly journey! I don't want her to die!” She was crying harder now.

Shield Maiden tilted her head gently to the side. With the softest of hooffalls, she stepped slowly toward Rarity. She was very close when she reached out a hoof and stroked the white unicorn's cheek. “Shhh,” she softly breathed. “Shh.” Her green eyes lost all their hardness. “Dry your tears. Can I tell you a secret?” She lifted Rarity's chin with her hoof, making Rarity look into her eyes. “Come now, let me tell you a secret.” Rarity sniffed loudly, blinking hard to stop the tears from flowing. She worked to get her breathing under control. Shield Maiden smiled gently at her. “I hate blood. I hate it. So does the Captain. So do all of us. If you enjoy the spilling of blood, you don't get to be in the Dale Guard.” She moved right against Rarity, leaning her head against the white unicorn's. “We're ponies. We're not wolves; we're not griffins; we're not dragons. We are not meant to enjoy the taking of life.” She leaned closer against Rarity. Rarity began to unconsciously match her breathing to Shield Maiden's. “But in this land there are forces that would destroy the ponies and the places we love. And because we love them, we are willing to sacrifice for them- even to do things that repulse us. Even to give our own lives for theirs.” She pulled her head away and looked again into Rarity's eyes. “Do you love your friend?”

Rarity sniffed. “If by love you mean-”

“Does it make you happy to know that she lives?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes... it does. I do love her.”

“Then trust your love for her. Let it guide what you feel. Love will give you courage, Madam Rarity. It will give you all courage,” she said, glancing at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The sky-blue pegasus was fighting back sobs. “Love will let you do what you think you cannot do. It does for me.”

Rarity sniffed again. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof. Using her magic, she levitated the horn-blade up onto her horn, slotting the hollow base around the base of her horn. It fit snugly; indeed, it seemed to tighten as she wore it, as if by magic. Yet it easily loosened when she pulled it off again. “It fits,” she said softly.

“Pray to your Sun Queen and your Moon Princess that you don't have to use it,” Shield Maiden said. “But if you must, fear not.”

Rarity smiled. She laughed with nervous giddiness. “That seems to be what I learn every week,” she said softly. “I suppose the lesson takes a while to stick.” Tilting her head to the side, she focused her gaze on Shield Maiden's white mane, flowing in a wave across her neck. When the gray earth pony had nuzzled her close, she had felt it against her coat and been struck by its softness. “Shield Maiden, your mane is lovely,” she said. “It's so thick and full-bodied. Do you braid it?”

Shield Maiden looked slightly ashamed. She glanced away. “When I have time,” she admitted. “It is a vanity, I know-”

“Nonsense!” Rarity said. “Looking good is as important as fighting for those you love! Really, deep down, it's quite similar. And since you don't seem used to magic,” she smiled devilishly, “I'm guessing you've never had a unicorn braid your hair?”

“No,” Shield Maiden said.

“Well you must let me at it!” Rarity said. “Do you have anything more to do tonight?”

“My duties are finished when you've all been armed.”

“Well then, I shall take this,” she levitated the horn-blade into her tail and snared it with the curled violet hair, “and consider myself armed. Now come on, let's find a couch and a mirror and get to work!” She trotted around the corner and up the ramp toward the main hall.

Shield Maiden chuckled. “Will you two be all right?” she asked the other Equestrian ponies.

Applejack nodded. “I'll be just fine, Miss.” She tipped her hat. “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. It's not the first time I've given that talk. And you, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head vigorously. “You are awesome,” she said.

Shield Maiden nodded, and parted from them. She trotted back up the ramp just as Rarity cried, “Shield Maiden, darling, are you coming?”

Applejack smiled. “I reckon I like that Shield Maiden gal.”

She and Rainbow Dash ascended the ramp. When they returned to the main hall, they found a small congregation of Daleponies clustered around the central fire. “I'm gonna go lay down for a bit,” Dash said.

“I'm gonna go wander around outdoors,” Applejack said. “If I'm permitted, anyway. I've been wonderin' about the grounds o' the barn, and what's out there.”

The orange earth pony trotted off into the now dim space through the pillars. The sky-blue pegasus trotted toward the fire; the earth ponies turned their heads at her approach. “Any room to pull up a couch?” she asked.

A dappled orange pony scooted to his right to make room for her, and she plopped down in their midst, her pastel coloration a striking departure from the rich earth tones of the Daleponies. A few minutes passed in silence before a chestnut Dalepony said, “Are all pegasuses like you?”

Dash thought for a minute. How do I answer that... She decided to brag. “Well, all pegasus ponies can fly, sure,” she said suavely. “But not every pegasus is as fast or as cool as I am.”

“'Cool'?” the chestnut colt repeated. “What does 'cool' mean?”

“It means... um...” the sky-blue pegasus searched for the best answer. “It means you're really good at what you do best and every other pony knows it just by looking at you!”

“Ah,” he said.

“So how much cooler are you than a typical pegasus?” a cream-colored filly asked.

“Well...” she thought again. “I'd say the average pegasus is about... eighty percent as cool as me.”

Applejack found she had been allowed outside rather easily; there weren't even guards at the gates of the barn, though they had been closed and it had taken a bit of work to open them. The moon shone brightly overhead, casting the fields around Grazezeld in brilliant silver. She looked out, and for miles all she could see was silver rippling in the wind. It was beautiful in that same stark, lonely way that all of Gildedale was. She did like the place a lot more now that she knew its inhabitants had a high level of civilization, even if it was concentrated in this one place. Wandering along the foundation, she noticed small gardens of plants, neatly arranged in rows or curling up little ladders. She bent close to one and sniffed; it was a pungent odor, and a familiar one.

“Herbs,” a voice said over her shoulder. Turning, she saw Ashtail, standing patiently nearby. “All of them medicinal. We grow them here because we can't out on the fields; they need more attention and care.”

Applejack smiled. “Y'all are a lot more sophisticated than I gave you credit for, that's for sure,” she admitted. “I didn't know what to expect when I came here.”

Ashtail began to walk past her. She fell in at his side. “I've never been to Equestria,” he said. “I'm told there are... 'cities' there? Places where there are many buildings gathered all together.”

“There's plenty o' cities,” Applejack said. “Big cities, small cities, lil' towns, huge castles- we got the whole package.”

The dark red earth pony glanced out across the fields. “I would love to see it someday.”

“Well what's stoppin' you?” Applejack said. “We ain't like you folk- we don't ban anypony from travelin' through Equestria. Unless y'all are banned on this side?”

“We are not banned from leaving Gildedale,” Ashtail said. “But Lord Hammer Hoof has decreed that we should avoid it as a matter of courtesy and honesty.” He looked sidelong at her. “If we forbid Equestrian ponies from traveling across our land, but travel across theirs with impunity, are we not hypocrites?”

“Maybe that rule about travelin' needs to be changed,” Applejack said gently.

“That is not my decision to make,” Ashtail said. “It has been talked of before. But Lord Hammer Hoof is wise, and has ruled us well for years. There are few left who question his judgment.” He narrowed his eyes. “Even though he can be stubborn for all his wisdom.”

The orange earth pony sat down on her haunches. After some hesitation, Ashtail joined her. “Why don't you talk to him about it?” she asked. “You seem to do a great job as Marshal and Captain. I bet he'd listen to you.”

“I couldn't... I wouldn't presume to correct him,” Ashtail said. There was a hitch in his voice.

Applejack recognized that hitch. It was the hitch in Apple Bloom's voice when she had done something wrong and Applejack made her tell what it was. And Ashtail's cutie mark- the symbol that announced his defining skill- was the national symbol of Gildedale. It all suddenly clicked. “Lord Hammer Hoof... he's your father, ain't he?”

Ashtail narrowed his eyes. “I do not allow anypony to address me as 'prince.'”

Up on the second floor of the barn, in the sixth room of the left wing, Shield Maiden lay on a rough cloth mattress stuffed with grass. A mirror floated in the air nearby, while one last tress of her white mane was twisted and woven into itself. A few minutes later, Rarity cried, “And there we go!” She used her magic to float the mirror at an angle, permitting the gray earth pony to see her mane's six new braided tresses. “What do you think?”

Shield Maiden smiled. “It's beautiful!” she exclaimed. She ran a hoof through the braids. “Much tighter than I've ever managed to get it.”

“Magic, my dear,” Rarity said proudly. “Though I can't take all the credit. You really have remarkable hair. And you don't even shampoo it! It's a miracle of cosmetology.”

“Oh, my daughter is going to love it,” she said.

Rarity's blue eyes widened. “You have a daughter?”

“Oh, yes!” Shield Maiden exclaimed. “I have a picture of her, hold on!” She got up and left the room. Rarity waited, struggling mightily to process this new information. Shield Maiden had a daughter? She seemed so young! But it would explain why she had handled Rarity's... cowardice... so well. The gray earth pony returned, her green eyes bright, clutching a folded piece of paper in her mouth.

“Oh, it's a drawing?” Rarity said. “I thought it would be a photograph.”

“What's a photograph?” Shield Maiden asked.

“It's... well, it's very complicated,” Rarity said. “But is this a good drawing?”

“The best!” Shield Maiden exclaimed. She was almost bubbly with excitement. “One of my friends from Grasreichen- that's the Southern Quarter's fastness- sketched it in charcoal; she's the best artist I know. Here!” She unfolded the paper. It was a drawing in thick black lines of a young foal with a twist in her tail and a spitcurl in her mane. She had a light gray coat and dark gray hair, while her eyes were brilliant orange. “Isn't she wonderful?” Shield Maiden gushed.

“She's lovely,” Rarity said. “She looks about the same age as my little sister.”

“Does she now?” Shield Maiden said. Her eyes drifted over the white unicorn. “Speaking of ages... now that I think on it, we're about the same age, aren't we?”

“We are?” Rarity asked. “When were you born?” Shield Maiden told her. It took them a moment to figure out ages, because Gildedale's calendar was not quite like Equestria's. But it was close enough, and they rapidly determined that the two of them were mere months apart. “My goodness, we are!”

“Kind of interesting, isn't it?” Shield Maiden said.

“Oh... yes,” Rarity said softly, looking away. In truth, it made her feel a strange sadness. Shield Maiden was Rarity's age, and she already had a foal- and presumably a husband. Perhaps they did things earlier here in Gildedale? It made sense, given how much less settled everypony seemed to be. Ponies were probably encouraged to grow up faster. Or, Rarity thought with some bitterness, I'm just getting old. “So who's her father?”

“Oh, you met him today; or at least you saw him today. He-”

The long, rolling howl was muted by the thick wood of the walls, but it still cut straight to Rarity's spine. She winced as she heard it. Shield Maiden stiffened. “Close,” she said.

“Those things... they can't get in here, can they?” Rarity asked.

The gray earth pony shook her head. “They don't seem to understand the concept of a gate,” she said. “As long as it's closed, they see Grazezeld's foundation as a solid stone wall too high to scale- and none of them have ever tried.”

Outside, Applejack and Ashtail were on their feet. “Not far,” the dark red earth pony muttered. He scanned the fields intently. “I wonder if we can see them...”

“So... what are they?” Applejack asked.

Ashtail swiveled a blue eye at her. “According to our legends, they were dragons once,” he said slowly. “But long ago when the world was young they committed some terrible sin. As punishment, the dragon gods stripped them of their wings and their fire, and condemned them to wander the earth. Eons of wandering have made them mindless, slavering beasts.”

Applejack arched an eyebrow. “That's what your legends say?”

He nodded. “It's about all we have,” he admitted. “There is much we don't really know about them. Every spring, for one month, they run across the length of Gildedale, from the south to the north. We don't know where they come from; we don't know where they go; we don't know why they seem to make a single yearly trip- why they don't come back the other way in the fall or winter. All we know is that they are large, stupid, and savage. They race across the fields, and they will tear apart anything- and anypony- in their way.”

A single month of pure destruction. Anything in their way destroyed? “So that's why y'all don't have no cities,” she said with dawning comprehension. “It ain't just that y'all don't want to build- y'all can't.” Ashtail said nothing. “So how big are they?”

“At least ten times a typical Dalepony's size- they are enormous. It's difficult to put into words unless you have seen one.”

“But if they're so big, how do y'all fight 'em?”

Ashtail smiled fiercely. “We are smarter than they are. We are faster, more maneuverable. We have weapons and they do not. And,” he lifted his head proudly, “we can stand firm.”

Applejack did not respond. She blinked a few times.

“You know,” Ashtail said. “Stand firm.” She still said nothing. Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. “Does that... mean nothing to you?”

“Er...” the orange earth pony started, completely at a loss.

Ashtail shook his head. “I don't believe it. All the magic you experience in Equestria- everything we have banned here- and you don't know about the one kind of magic we permit- the magic common to all earth ponies.”

“Well,” she said, “I know earth ponies are real strong- and I'm mighty proud o' that! And we're all good at workin' with the land and the plants-”

“And we can stand firm,” he repeated. “When an earth pony digs their hooves into the earth and stands firm, they cannot be moved and they cannot be broken. We draw strength from the land around us and remain steadfast against our foes. Just as the mountains do not crack against the wind and the snow, we do not break against assault.”

Applejack's eyes went wide. “Really?” She had never heard about this!

Ashtail nodded. “Here, I'll show you,” he said. “You said you were strong, yes?”

“Mighty strong!”

Ashtail dug his hooves into the dirt, grinding them as far as he could into the packed soil of Grazezeld's foundation. “Try to push me over. Give me a shove.”

Applejack shook her head. She wasn't entirely sure she believed him. She reared up on her back legs and pushed him- only to be pushed off him herself, sending her staggering back before she could regain her footing.

“Try again! Harder!” Ashtail exclaimed.

Applejack backed up a few paces, pawed the earth with her hoof, and charged. She leaned her withers into a great forward push- but she bounced off of him, sending her tumbling to the ground.

“Buck me!”

Applejack reared forward on her front legs, tensed every muscle in her body, and bucked. She bucked as hard as she possibly could- harder than she ever bucked during Applebuck Season, because bucking this hard could actually crack her apple trees at the trunk.

Her back hooves sprang off of Ashtail's side, and she flipped once through the air at the sheer amount of force repelled back onto her. She rolled twice in the dirt before she stopped, and swiveled back around. Ashtail had not been moved an inch. He grinned at her. “I didn't even feel it. Was that the best you could do?”

Applejack snarled. But she forced herself not to take the bait; he had proven his point. “So all earth ponies can do that?” she said, getting to her feet.

“Every one,” he said. “At least here in Gildedale. I don't know if Equestrian earth ponies can do it.”

“I bet we can!” Applejack said. “Could you teach me?”

Ashtail looked her up and down. “I don't know... do you think you're up to it?”

Applejack grinned. “I stood up to you, remember, boy? I made you blink.”

“I blinked because I wanted to,” he retorted.

“Sure you did,” she said.

“But you have the strength of spirit for it, that's for sure,” Ashtail said. “Standing firm is about channeling that strength. Making what's in your spirit come to your legs.”

“I'm ready to learn,” Applejack said, digging her hooves into the dirt.

“It could take some time,” Ashtail said.

“We got all night, don't we?”

The dark red earth pony laughed sharply. “So we do! Let's begin.”