The mood of the moment was very much a dour one, as Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie continued to follow their host, Braeburn. As they journeyed through the main street of Appleoosa, they would watch as more and more of the local ponies began to make their way ahead of them, heading for the same building. From the looks of it, it appeared to be the town hall, twice as tall as any other building in the immediate area. There was a feeling of urgency with everypony who moved there, and Twilight could not help but look more than a little worried about what it was they were going to find in there. Eventually, Braeburn reached the front door of the place, letting out a sigh before turning to his cousins and Twilight.

"Well...here we are."

And with that, he opened the door, leading to a collective gasp on the part of the three mares. For there, inside the main room of the town hall, there was utter chaos. There was frantic activity as doctors and nurses rushed about the place, tending to a number of patients that were laying in makeshift beds. However, what caught Twilight's attention first and foremost was that the patients in question were not ponies. No, these people were larger, with horns, and covered in thick brown coats of fur. Taking a step forward, she turned to Applejack.

"...Buffalo?"

The farmer nodded.

"Yeah. Ah've met em a few times before, but..."

She looked over to her cousin, her face one of confusion.

"Brae...what's goin on here?"

The stallion hung his head low, before then starting to slowly make his way inside the building, with the other mares close behind him.

"It started a few days ago. The buffalo have got themselves a small settlement just a few miles out of Appleoosa. But lately, every few nights...someone's been attackin em!"

Twilight seemed aghast at this.

"What?! But...but...why?!"

The stallion turned to her and shook his head.

"Ah don't know! Nopony does! They never take nothin. Whoever it is, they just...attack! Then they leave without a trace!"

He looked over to several of the injured buffalo, many of which were clearly in pain as the doctors looked them over.

"These poor folks have had to come over here pretty much every other day since it started. We're doin all we can ta help, but..."

He didn't finish, but even so, the unspoken meaning in his words were clear, especially when he hung his head. Twilight, glancing over to her two friends, then gave the stallion her complete attention, taking a step forward and gently placing a hoof upon his shoulder.

"Braeburn...for what it's worth...I'd like to help."

That, at the very least, caused her host to offer her a small smile.

"That's mighty good of ya, miss Twi...but ah just don't see how ya can."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to be halted when, all of a sudden, a deep and booming voice called out to them all.

"Braeburn!"

Immediately, all four of the ponies turned in unison to find, to their surprise, that the largest of the buffalo was walking towards them. He was clad in an ornate feather headdress, giving the clear indication that this was someone of authority amongst the buffalo. But what was more important right now was that he was limping badly, with one of his back legs bandaged heavily. So bad was it that one of the nurses soon rushed over to him.

"Chief Thunderhooves! You need your rest!"

But the older buffalo shook his head defiantly.

"No! I need to speak with him!"

Trotting over, Braeburn, gave a brief glance to the nurse, who silently nodded back before starting to walk off, albeit hesitantly. Then, with her gone, Braeburn now turned his eyes to the Chief.

"Chief? What's wrong? I mean...besides the obvious?"

The large buffalo glowered briefly, but the pain of his leg caused him to soften considerably.

"Braeburn...my friend...things have become worse than before!"

It was at this point that Twilight, along with Applejack and Pinkie, chose to step forward and address him themselves.

"What do you mean, Sir?"

The Chief looked to her, and was, at first, unsure of her. But, after being given a reassuring look from Braeburn, Thunderhooves sighed deeply.

"Our assailants...they didn't just inflict these injuries last night. They...they..."

He seemed hesitant to speak, almost pained to do so. But, eventually, he got his words out, with his tone tinted with rage as he did so.

"...they took my daughter!"

At that, Braeburn's head snapped in his direction.

"What?! They took Little Strongheart?!"

The Chief nodded.

"Yes. Though...for what purpose, I cannot say."

There was a pause, after which, Twilight turned to Applejack.

"Do you know this buffalo?"

Applejack nodded.

"Yeah. She's a friend."

Frowning, the orange mare took a step closer to the Chief.

"Beggin yer pardon, Chief...but do ya have any inklin where all these varmints are comin from?"

The Chief hung his head low, shaking it.

"I...I do not. They come without warning, and leave just as swiftly. It is always in the middle of the night, so we cannot see them."

For a time, the leader of the buffalo looked almost ashamed of himself right now.

"For all our strength...we have been nothing short of powerless before this foe."

The mares looked to one another, clearly worried over everything they'd learned here. But, as the silence persisted, Twilight let out a sigh.

"Chief...we'll help you bring back your daughter."

The other ponies looked to her with surprise, but the Chief himself merely regarded her with cautious optimism.

"I cannot see how...but...if you can...I would be forever indebted to you."

Twilight gave a slight bow of her head over this, but, shortly afterwards, the nurse returned, and once more started to urge the Chief to rest himself. Begrudgingly, he went with her, leaving only Twilight and her friends behind.

"Er, no offense, Twi...but how are ya gonna get Strongheart back?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight sighed again, shaking her head.

"I don't know."

Looking to her, Applejack frowned.

"Ponyville is just a day's train trip from here. Ah say we call yer brother and have him come over with a few troops to sort this mess out."

As before, Twilight shook her head.

"We can't just start calling in soldiers until we know for sure what it is we're dealing with."

She gained a determined look upon her face.

"Identifying this enemy is our first priority."

She paused, appearing deep in thought for the time being, which prompted the others to stay silent as she gathered her thoughts together. Then, a look of uncertainty crossed her face, and she turned to Braeburn.

"You said the buffalo have a settlement close to here?"

Though confused, the stallion nodded, prompting Twilight to continue.

"In that case...could you tell me where to find it?"

Braeburn nodded back.

"Sure. I'll get a map fer ya."

Twilight gave him an appreciative smile, then watched as he started to walk off, leaving her alone with her friends.

"What are ya plannin, Twi?" Applejack enquired.

The young unicorn, after giving one final glance to the still-suffering buffalo around her, gave her friend an unsure look.

"I think...there's only one thing I can do, Applejack."