Welcome to the precinct of Appaloosa.

The sign was rough and old, cobbled together from four planks of dark brown wood that had been smoothed over by generations of exposure to the elements. There was little of note about it, it simply sat at the side of the dirt road, some wild flowers springing into life at its base, but it made Rainbow Dash smile all the same.

They'd been walking for most of the day, following the road as it led out from Canterlot towards the Everfree Forest, mostly straight but occasionally weaving past fields and bridging over irrigations ditches that criss-crossed the fields. Overhead the sun was beginning to lower, the sky turning a faint burnt orange as the celestial body sunk towards the horizon. Though the evening was still early the two halves of Luna's moon were faintly visible, two crescent slashes of silver hung so far above in the cold void, circled by a vast field of debris which twinkled in the dying light.

For the entirety of the trek, Twilight had found herself deep in contemplation, reflecting on how different the world seemed down on the surface. From the ledges of Neon Heights the fields of the agricultural belt were a patchwork of gold's, green's, and autumn red's, spread out in a vast ring around the base of the city, divided up into blocks by the eight main tracks that led out from Ponyville and enclosed by the radial-road, which was in turn enveloped by the Everfree. From above, where she had been afforded a bird's eye view of the surrounding lands, Twilight had always enjoyed the strange, geoglyphic geometry of the agricultural belt, neatly segregated and ordered as if Faust herself had reached down from the heavens and imparted some minute fragment of her celestial order to the rural land.

But down on the surface, the orderly geometrics of the agricultural belt seemed to disappear entirely. Though Twilight knew that beyond her sight the fields and farms were neatly divided different precincts, each specialising in a different form of production, on the ground it was another matter entirely. Here the urban planning and controlled layout's she'd been so used to were replaced with a wild, unrestrained randomness that she had trouble equating with. For a mare who was used to her environment being carved up into housing blocks, boulevards, and grand magisterial buildings, the sudden absence of artificial structures left her feeling exposed and so very, very tiny; a moat of dust against the sheer enormity of the world. She'd considered voicing her thoughts to Dash, but held back on account that the pegasus would most likely mock her for it.

Dash herself seemed immune to the culture shock that Twilight was facing. If anything, it seemed as if being out amongst the wide, open spaces of the agricultural belt filled the pegasus with an increased vitality and newborn zest for life. Unlike in Canterlot, where she'd remained firmly grounded on all four hooves, the mare had now taken to the skies with abundant glee, unfurling her wings and rising up into the clear skies to swoop and soar to her heart's content. There was something foal-like about her actions, in her wide-spread grin as she tumbled through the air, spinning and twisting with balletic grace, that reminded Twilight of just how young the pegasus probably was.

She knew that Rainbow Dash was far from the most physically mature pony; her stature was lean, whip-cord thin, not to mention short, and she didn't look much older than roughly twenty, twenty two at a push. But the way she carried herself, with such natural, assertive confidence, and the way she'd acted over the past day or so, calm and level headed, even when firing from a high-speed cab at a genetically engineered agent of the Celestial Levels hell-bent on killing both her and her package. Macintosh's words came back to here, about the mare Fluttershy, and her untimely death even as she journeyed towards salvation. How much had Rainbow Dash truly been through, what forces had acted upon the mare to shape her thus. Life, it seemed, had matured Rainbow Dash beyond her years, possibly far beyond them, and yet even then glimpses of the young filly within continued to shine through.

Past the sign, the road was flanked on either side by apple trees, each at least more than ten meters in height and in full bloom with juicy, ruddy red apples. In the orange light of the setting sun dappled shadows slanted across the road, bathing it in an arboreal glow. It was a great difference to the endless golden sea of wheat fields they had passed throughout the day; where the wheat shivered and flowed in the gentle breeze that came in rolling waves across the fields, the apple trees stood tall and resolute against the elements, their leaves rustling only faintly. Approaching the sign, Dash came into landing, her hooves returning to the surface of Equestria.

"Well, this is it. Appaloosa's only about another half hour or so from here. If everything went according to plan than Braeburn should know we're coming," the pegasus said, giving her wings one final stretch before tucking them back into place. "No more flying from here on out, the tree's here grow thick as fuck and don't take shit from anypony; last time I crashed into a branch and had my left wing out of action for four fucking months."

Nodding absently, Twilight didn't stop her pace, Rainbow Dash falling in beside her as they passed the sign and entered the shadows of the apple trees. The trees themselves were grown in uniform rows, spread from each other with exacting precision, creating shadowy avenues that led off from the main road deeper into the orchards. The air was still and silent, save for the motion of the leaves. Overhead the branches had grown together to create an interlocking arch over the road, leaving it swathed in dull green shadows. Compared to the previous vastness of the wheat fields the sudden enclosure gave Twilight a faint sense of claustrophobia; even Rainbow Dash seemed a little deflated now that the open sky was no longer visible above.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, both mares privately adjusting to the silence of the orchard, before Twilight attempted to rouse up a conversation with Rainbow Dash. They'd spent most of the day in silence, Twilight trekking onwards whilst Dash had capered in the skies above, and in all honesty the mare had been fine with the arrangement. But now, as they were closing in with their destination for the evening, Twilight began to feel a sense of unease begin to worm its way through her mind.

Though she had done her best to disguise her true nature from Rainbow Dash, her encounter the night before with Big Macintosh had planted a nagging fear at the back of her thoughts. Twilight hadn't spoken or acted out of the ordinary, and yet it had taken Macintosh moments to figure out her true identity; what if Dash did the same? Granted, the pegasus wasn't a former cyborg who'd spent a great deal of her life fighting and killing alicorn's, but she'd already revealed herself to be incredibly xenophobic, against alicorn's specifically. Should Rainbow Dash ever discover her true identity, Twilight had the suspicion that her life would be ending shortly, if not instantly, afterwards. Of course she couldn't fault the pegasus for her opinions, she bore a terrible loss thanks to those in the Celestial Levels, a loss that had changed her whole world, but that still didn't make the mare any more keen to be the object of Dash's anger.

"So, Rainbow Dash..." Twilight began, then mentally face hoofed herself; the words had come out forced and awkward. She briefly entertained the notion that her facade had slipped before chastising herself. She was being paranoid, no way would one awkward sentence be the death of her, Macintosh had just put doubt in her and nothing more. She'd lived for nine years without anyone discovering her true identity, and besides, she'd only known Rainbow Dash for a day at the most, of course the conversation wasn't going to flow easily; she barely knew the mare. Clearing her throat Twilight began again, which was good given how it seemed that Rainbow Dash hadn't heard her the first time. "Dash, can you tell me a bit about this Braeburn pony we'll be meeting?"

"Hmm," Dash responded, lost inside her own head. "You say something, Cutter?"

"Can you tell me about Braeburn?"

"What ya wanna know?"

"How'd a farmer in the agricultural belt get involved in a criminal syndicate?"

"Syndicate's the wrong word for Joe's organisation, Cutter."

"You know what I mean."

Dash gave her an odd look before shrugging, evidently not many packages asked questions. "Braeburn's a cousin of Macintosh, or something like that, he's never exactly clear. The apple family tree's got branches in just about every region of Equestria, and they're a fucking tight knit bunch too. Most folks don't mess with the apple family; if you think Joe's a dangerous pony to cross then you do not, and I will repeat that, you do fucking not wanna mess with one of the apple family. Earth ponies, the whole lot of 'em, and fucking strong ones too. Braeburn's got a buck that'll smash your teeth to fucking bits, and Macintosh is even stronger than him if you'd believe. That's another reason Joe keep Macintosh around; whenever some dumb-fuck is stupid enough to try and cross him, he'll just round 'em up and send 'em down to Macintosh for some... dissuasion." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Poor fuckers, doesn't help that Mac usually takes it too far and has to send 'em down to Ponyville to get rid of the evidence."

Twilight grimaced, very thankful she hadn't been on the receiving end of such a buck, though it sent a shiver through her body thinking of just how close she'd come to getting one.

"Anyway, the reason Braeburn's in on this is because he does a service for Macintosh, and a pretty big one too. You see, Mac's got a sister, cute little thing called Applebloom. She used to be a cyborg like Macintosh was, but after he got exiled from his polity for war crimes, or maybe something else, Mac's never told me, he had brought his sister down with him. Of course Mac didn't want his sister living in a brothel with a bunch of whores, and I get that, I sure as fuck wouldn't want my little sis growing up with a pervert like Aloe walking about under the same roof. So, he sent her out to live with Braeburn in Appaloosa. That's where most of his cut from Joe's business goes, he sends it out to cover the bills." Rainbow Dash made a strange expression, a mix between a frown and a melancholy smile. "He's a good colt, Macintosh. A fucking ugly one, but at least he's got his heart in the right place." There was a pause. "Well, most of it."

"I see," Twilight replied, nodding. She'd seen Macintosh pass Rainbow Dash a small bag of bits before they'd left his basement abode, but she hadn't really lingered on the reason why; she thought it had just been to bribe somepony at a later point in their trip.

After that they lapsed once more into silence, the only noise being the faint movement of the leaves above them. Other than that there hung an oppressive, almost eerie silence. Twilight had seen trees before, the few small potted shrubs kept at the entrances to municipal buildings and hospitals, but never one's on such a scale as those that surrounded her now. They soared above her, tall, thick, and strong, as if nature had decided to given the word 'bulwark' a physical form. It was as if the orchard were populated by silent giants of timber, slumbering through the seasons. Even the air about them seemed stilled, as if in awe of the organic constructs.

Yet Twilight knew that by the standards of what was yet to come, these trees were miniscule. In the Everfree the calm, regulated order of the orchard would give way to true nature, in its most wild and unbridled form. There, the trees wouldn't be set out in neat rows. There, creatures of independent will and animalistic thought would prowl and stalk her, waiting for a moment to attack and seize her as prey. A shiver of instinctual fear ran through Twilight at the thought of unseen predators watching her, setting out their ambush, steadily moving closer and closer, inch by inch, until they were close enough to lock their jaws around her delicate neck and wring the life from her as she choked on her own blood and gasped for–.

"RAINBOW DASH!"                  

Twilight nearly leapt from her skin, squealing with fear as a loud, high-pitched voice suddenly disturbed the graphic revelry of her thoughts. Snapping her head from left to right, Twilight became aware that without even realising they'd left the gloomy avenue of the tree-lined road, emerging into a small, fenced clearing dominated by the hulking form of a large, red barn. Charging towards them from the barns open doors was the small form of a filly, moving much faster than any young pony her age had any right too. Though she moved at nearly a blurring speed, Twilight could make out the light, olive yellow shade of her coat, whilst her mane and tail were both a carmine red, the mane bound up by a bow of light pink fabric. Barely twenty feet away, the filly leapt into the air, aiming straight for Rainbow Dash.

The living missile made contact at full force, the young filly wrapping her hooves around the pegasus' neck and gripping tight, sending both of them tumbling to the ground before rolling into the grass on the other side of the road, a thick cloud of kicked-up dust obscuring them. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cried out, her hoof raised; unsure about whether or not the mare was in danger. But as the dust settled, what she saw surprised her. Dash and the young filly were locked together in a tight hug, both wearing grins of absolute happiness. The filly had her eyes closed, her cheek nuzzling against the mares barrel as Dash petted her hair in a surprisingly maternal fashion. They held the embrace for a few moment longer, Twilight uncertain about whether she had any right to intervene.

In short order, the filly raised her head, bright, golden eyes twinkling as she beamed up at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, ah thought you weren't ever gonna come back!" The filly gripped the pegasus again, nuzzling one more. "Ya said ya'll would be back sooner, ya were gone for so long. Ah missed ya."

Chuckling, Dash rolled over, the filly dislodging herself to stand back on all four hooves. "I've missed you too, Applebloom. Have you been behaving for Braeburn and keeping outta trouble?" The mare lifted a hoof, ruffling the filly's mane, causing her smile to broaden.

"Bein' good's no fun," the filly pouted. "And ah still ain't got mah cutie mark, ah've been workin' on it since ya left and it still ain't come out!" To demonstrate her point, the filly turned to show that her flank was completely bare, devoid of any marking.

That was when Twilight realised that the filly was missing two legs.

Both Applebloom's right fore-leg, and left hind-leg, were gone, replaced with prosthetics made of wood, just like those of her brother. They'd been immaculately carved, not simply chunks of wood bound together with bolts of steel and articulated by tensioned wires, but works of commitment and dedication. They were different from Mac's prosthetics, made of a light brown wood that more resembled the hue of her coat rather than the dark oak Mac had used. There was no hint of any visible wires, leading Twilight to suspect that they'd been hidden beneath the outer layers, whilst the surfaces of both had been engrained with intricate, looping networks of interlocking spirals, highlighted by a wood stain the same shade as her mane. In summary, they were much, much different than Macintosh's prosthetics, leading Twilight to believe that when it came to his younger sister the stallion spared no expense.

The filly didn't seem to have any issues with using them, as had been attested by both her speedy dash and great leap that had caught Twilight by such surprise, and she was practically bouncing with excitement as she chatted with Rainbow Dash. Both prosthetics were extensive; it seemed as if both the legs in their entirety had been removed, along with both her right shoulder and most of the left side of her flank. Still though, Twilight couldn't see any signs of the steam-pump that Macintosh had employed, satisfying her curiosity as to the extent of Applebloom's modification. Clearly the young foal had never been augmented to the same degree as her brother, and still possessed all her internal organs and vital functions. Twilight was so deeply engaged in an anatomical analysis of the filly that she didn't even realise she was being addressed by the foal in question until she began waving a prosthetic hoof in her face.

"Hello? Miss, are ya'll ok? Ya seem a bit... far out?"

Twilight snapped back to reality, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts before smile warmly at the filly. "Yes, thank you. I'm quite alright."

"What's ya name?" the filly asked, gazing up at her quizzically. Twilight was uncomfortably reminded of Macintosh's ability to immediately discern her true nature by scent alone, shuddering silently at the possible implications of such a thing. Surely Macintosh only possessed such a capability due to his military training; there was no way that Applebloom would be able to tell that she was what she seemed, was there? Realising that she was spacing out again, Twilight clear her throat and was about to reply, when Rainbow Dash beat her to it.

"This is Twilight, Applebloom. She's a friend of your brother's." At the words the filly's eyes seemed to brighten with curiosity, her excitement peaking.

"Wow, really?" The filly held out a prosthetic hoof, which Twilight shook. "Mah name's Applebloom, and ah'm nine years old. So what are ya'll running from, is there somepony in the city that wants to git ya?!"

Twilight found herself taken aback by the bluntness of the question. It had never even occurred to her that this filly would even be aware of activities her brother engaged in, much less actively go about collating data on it. A flush rising on her cheeks, Twilight tried to put on her most convincing air of ignorance. "I'm sorry, Applebloom. But I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." The lie was paper thin, and the filly merely giggled, raising a hoof to her mouth.

"Aw, shucks, miss. Ya'll don't have to worry about me, Miss Dash brings ponies through here all the time, ah know what's goin' on."

"Really?!" Twilight looked from Applebloom to Rainbow Dash, who wore the most devilish smile.

"Sure ah do! What were ya thinkin', that ah don't know what mah own brother gets up to?" The filly snorted, rolling her eyes. "Ah'm nine years old, Ah ain't a little filly any more. So, spill the beans, Miss Twilight. Who's tryin' ta git ya?"

Twilight was dumbfounded by what she was hearing, so much so that she was unable to even begin to formulate a response. This filly was only nine years old, but she was aware of what her brother was involved in, and even curious about it. Briefly Twilight pondered on her situation; how was she supposed to react to this? Her interrogator was nine years old, nine! How many other packages had faced this same surprise, Twilight wondered, before she reached a sudden epiphany. True it was surprising that a filly so young could be knowledgeable about a criminal organisation, but that was only from the outside looking in.

Twilight had known Joe for only seven years of her life, the first two being during the time when the rest of her infiltration team were still alive, and during that time she had only ever approached Joe when she'd needed removal surgery for her budding wings, or dropping off supplies of antizonals. The rest of the time she spent actively avoiding the spiders web of intrigue, deceit, and gang-warfare that Joe thrived upon. It was because of this outlook that she was surprised by the filly's knowledge of the underworld; she'd believed that such a young foal would have been ignorant to the seedy goings on of the Canterlot underworld, when in reality she was the one who was ignorant. Twilight had never been one to ask questions about crime in the city, and she'd certainly never asked Joe the true extent of his operations. With ignorance like that, who was she to be surprised by who was entangled in the spiders web? Armed with this sudden paradigm shift, Twilight felt the apprehension leave her body.

"Cutter here's running from the Celestial Levels," Dash informed the filly, causing Applebloom's eyes to widen. "Me and Twilight have been through some serious shit, ain't we, Cutter?"

"Is that why she smells funny?"

Twilight froze. She could tell, Applebloom could detect the pheromone scent that differed her from Pre-Equines; the by-product of a metabolism designed to flush out the chemical waste of nanotrites. Though she tried to hide it as best she could, the unicorn could sense the slight change in her posture, the way her back stiffened and her breath catching slightly. She did well enough though, as Dash gave Applebloom a curious look, one eyebrow raised. "What are you talking about, Applebloom?"

"Miss Twilight smells like an alicorn," Applebloom replied, leaning forward as she sniffed the air, a confused frown passing over her face. "Smells like blood an' metal."

"Really?"

"Uh-hu, mah brother taught me how ta sniff out an alicorn. Said they all smell like that, 'cus they spend all their time killin' foals an' eatin' the bodies!"  

"That's... interesting." Dash looked to Twilight, who did her best to look as confused as possible. "And Twilight smells like an alicorn?"

"Yeah, ya both do!"

Oh, thank Faust!

Dash's muzzle scrunched up in a disgusted sneer, raising a fore-leg and giving it a sniff. Not detecting anything, the pegasus shrugged, but the sneer didn't leave her face. "Me and Twilight had a run in with an alicorn on a train back in Canterlot. The fucker had us cornered, but thanks to Cutter's little toy we got by pretty well."

"I thought grown-ups didn't play with toys?"

"Oh, we do, just not your kinda toys. Ours are for a... special kind of fun."

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight admonished. "Not in front of a foal, please!"

Dash gave her a wicked grin, chuckling to herself. Applebloom just looked between the two, a curious look on her face.

"What are ya'll talkin' about?"

Dash chuckled once more, ruffling the fillies mane, much to Applebloom's annoyance. "You'll find out when you're old, squirt. Anyway, me and Cutter need to be heading on. Your uncle Braeburn is expecting us."  

"Really, Are ya'll gonna be stayin' for long?" Applebloom asked excitedly, once more beginning to bounce on the spot. "There's so much ah gotta show ya, Dash. Me an' a few a' the other foals made a fort outta the old wreck in the village, ya gotta see it, ya just gotta!"

Applebloom lead the way as they turned and continued on down the road, a light skip in her step that was absolutely adorable to Twilight. Like everything else she'd encountered upon leaving Neon Heights, Applebloom was so very different from the foals of her zone. She was much more vibrant, bursting with a life and vitality that she rarely saw back home. That wasn't to say the foals of Neon Heights were a drear lot; they had their concrete playgrounds and even the municipal sports stadium. But they hadn't been raised as Applebloom had, with such wide open spaces and fresh, unpolluted air. How different did she come across, Twilight wondered. Was she as alien to Applebloom as the foal was to here?

"Sorry, Applebloom, but me and Cutter will be leaving tomorrow. Cutter's gotta get across the Everfree and then meet up with some traders heading west. Besides, the Post-Equine fuckers hunting her are pretty dangerous, these guys don't mess around. Cutter can't stay for long or something might come looking for her." Dash spoke with sincerity, but looked across to Twilight, who shrugged.

The truth was that she had no idea whether the Celestial Levels would be able to send someone this far out looking for her. In all honesty, Twilight was still trying to get her head around the fact that they'd even made it as deep as Neon Heights. The alicorn's had been confined to the eyrie of the Celestial Levels for thousands of years, locked in by a combination of anatomy and tectological alignment. True, she herself was a former Post-Equine, genetically remodelled to be able to survive in the more primitive conditions of Neon Heights, and function without the presence of nanotrites in her system, but she was the result of thousands of years of research and experimentation; a one off product whose precise construction was unlikely to ever appear on the face of Equestria.

Yet still they'd managed to adapt and copy her genetic template into other alicorn's, albeit at a much lower level of efficiency, as was attested by the skeletal, freakish ghouls that she'd already encountered. Twilight had already demonstrated incredible resilience, isolated from the Levels for nine years and yet still functioning. If she was capable of such a feat, than it stood to reason that so could others. That meant it was entirely likely that somewhere out there, another ghoul was already stalking her. Perhaps he was on his way right now, following her forensic trail out of the gates at Ponyville and across the agricultural belt, stealing ever closer to his prey. Even worse still, if her hunter really was out there, it meant the alicorn's had advanced to the point where the tectology of the Celestial Levels was no longer a hindering factor. They were already capable of leaving, and surely it would only be a matter of time before they refined the process, made it more efficient, and began their mass exodus. They were already so close, they only needed one more piece of the puzzle.

Twilight herself.

That was the reason Shining Armour had fallen, she realised, stringing together for the first time the immense gravity of the situation she found herself in. She was it, the key, the one thing that stood between Canterlot and the alicorn's conquest. Twilight remembered so little about her past life, of that time when she'd soared so high above the world on the thermals of the zones below, wheeling and diving with an impetuous ease that would have put even Rainbow Dash to shame. But she remembered enough to know that she had once been an important figure in the hierarchy of Celestial Levels. A single word floated at the back of her mind: Biomancer. She knew what it meant, not consciously, but on a spiritual level, as if the designation had been bred into her. A Biomancer was a sculptor of flesh, an alicorn who reshaped life, tailored not just its form but its genetics to whatever criteria needed to be met. That was the reason she'd been assigned to the Adaptive-insertion initiative; she had been the best, and it was for her knowledge that they required her once more.

They walked for another twenty minutes, Twilight silently reflecting on her situation as Applebloom and Rainbow Dash caught up on the events that had occurred since they'd last seen each other. Applebloom expressed a great interest in Rainbow Dash's line of work, listening with wide eyes as the pegasus recanted the events of the past thirty six hours; their first meeting in the back room of Joe's Donuts, the shoot out on the train, the high-speed car chase across the boundary, and everything else, right up until they left Ponyville. Applebloom's interest piqued when her brother was mentioned, the filly eagerly asking after her brother and his condition. Dash chuckled and told the filly all she knew, but it seemed that was not enough to sate the filly's interest.

"When is Mac gonna come see me?" the filly asked as they emerged from the orchards once more into another clearing, much bigger than the previous one that housed the barn. The village of Appaloosa was situated in its centre, surrounded by a palisade wall roughly ten feet in height. The road ran right up to the wall and up to the open gate, through which Twilight could make out the main street of the two, two storey buildings flanking the trail on either side, with smaller buildings back up behind them right up to the wall. Small plumes of smoke rose from the few stone chimneys present, trailing white clouds up into the sky. Dash smiled at the young filly, a sad, melancholy smile.

Twilight suddenly became aware that Applebloom had no idea of her brothers condition, of the fact that Macintosh was permanently hooked up to a boiler that pumped the steam into his body  he required to live. How long had it been since Applebloom had seen her brother? How long had it been since Macintosh had been able to walk freely underneath the open sky, instead of being confined to the basement of a bordello with a roof permanently over his head? "Mac's still very caught up in his job, Applebloom. He has to work very hard for his bosses, so he can send money for you. But just because he hasn't visited in a while, that doesn't mean he doesn't loves you."

"Really?" the filly asked dejectedly, scuffing the ground with her hoof as she hung her head. Twilight felt something in her heart ache at the sight of the young foals sadness.

"Hey, kiddo." Dash suddenly stopped and picked up the filly, placing Applebloom down on her back between her wings. "Your brother loves you more than anything, Applebloom, that's why he works so hard. And one day, when you're old enough, I'll take you to see him in Canterlot."

Applebloom perked a little, a small smile spreading across her muzzle. "Really, ya'll take me to the big city, promise?"

Dash gave the filly a solemn nod in reply. "I promise."

They came upon the village in short order, walking through the open gates into the main street. Appaloosa was a clean and orderly community, Twilight concluded as they past the first buildings of the village. The streets were well maintained, given the conditions main road and what she could see of the smaller path that ran in a radial circle along the inside of the wall; well maintained and devoid of ruts or pot-holes. The same could be said for the buildings of the main street, each presenting a uniform facade of clean-cut timber that radiated an aura of simplistic dignity. The ponies of the town were going quietly about their business; some trotting from store to store picking up supplies, others simply taking an evening stroll before the sun fully set, and a final few gathered at the entrance to what seemed to be a saloon on the left side of the street, sat right in the centre of the through-fare.

Few ponies paid them much attention, save for the few who seemed to know Rainbow Dash, as they nodded by way of greeting as the pegasus passed. Rainbow Dash nodded in return, projecting an air of civility that was completely at odds with the mare who'd been screaming profanities whilst firing a machine pistol from the back of a speeding vehicle only two-dozen hours ago. Twilight herself received a few odd looks, it seemed that Appaloosa didn't receive many strangers, though the residents were far from hostile. It was her attire, she summarised, after a passing stallion removed his Stetson hat and bowed to her as she walked by. Out here Faustianism had a much stronger influence amongst the simplistic rural communities than it did back in Canterlot, and with her thick black coat, black hat, tinted glasses, and saddlebags, she must have across as quite the clerical figure. Maybe the populace thought she was a missionary, or perhaps a confessor sent from a priory in the city to administer to the villages spiritual well-being.

Rainbow Dash and Applebloom made a bee-line straight for the saloon, the young foal leading the way. Standing on the covered veranda by the two double doors was a pack of four adolescent colts, taking swigs from tankards of apple cider. As Applebloom trotted up the stairs they parted, greeting the young foal with easy smiles and warm welcomes, though as Dash passed their attitude became one of respect, falling silent as the mare trotted passed. When Twilights turn came to pass through the doors all four of the colts executed shallow bows, murmuring "Evenin' ma'am" in unison with low, reverential tones.

Eeyup, definitely a confessor.

The inside of the saloon was lit with the warm orange glow of tallow candles, the light emanating from a great steel chandelier that was fixed to the centre of the cavernous roof; Twilight counted forty candles in the chandelier alone, with still more located in small wall mountings around the room. To the far right a flight of stair hugged the wall, leading in turn to a thin balustrade on the level above, lined with doors of a deep brown wood.  The room was filled with round tables surrounded by stools, with booths lining the walls. At the back was a bar that ran the length of the room, with high-stools running its length. Behind it was an assortment of shelves filled with bottles, and several large wooden kegs. Most of the seats in the saloon were taken, various ponies, mostly the colts and stallions that tended the orchards, sipping on their refreshing beverages at the end of hard day of work. Dotted about were a few married mares with their husbands, however; Appaloosa was certainly too moral to allow pre-marital sex, let alone tolerate the presence of a brothel in the village.

Most paid her no mind as she threaded her way through the tables towards the bar, where her two companions had already taking their seats upon two of the high-stools, Applebloom's hind-legs kicking at thin air as she attempted to scale the edifice before Dash helped her up, taking her own place with a brief flutter of her wings. There wasn't a single individual in the room who wasn't an earth pony, Twilight noted with mild surprise, though the lack of one particular sub-species of the Equine race in a populated area wasn't an unknown phenomenon; in Canterlot there were the same differences in population demographic. The majority of the population in Ponyville and Geartown was mostly dominated by earth ponies, whilst those of Circuit City and the Cyber Polities were comprised primarily of unicorns, with Neon Heights serving as the middle ground, whilst the Celestial Levels was populated solely by alicorn's. It had been theorised that the reason for this segregation was due to the natural predilection of the earth pony sub-species to live as close as possible to the surface of the world, leaving the higher levels for those who had a better tolerance for heights, thought no conclusive results had ever been achieved.

Like so many things in Canterlot, that was just the way it was. There was no need to ask further questions.

Oddly enough, however, there was a distinct lack of pegausi in the city. Although the winged sub-species was encountered in every single zone of Canterlot, there was no single location where they formed the main bulwark, not even in the higher ledges. There was no known reason for the pegausi shortage, though several esoteric sources cited the cause as being an exodus of the sub-species at some point in the cities past, when they'd broken away to form a separate nation ruled by a governmental collective referred to as "the Flock". Whether the venture had ever succeeded or failed wasn't mentioned, but not once had Canterlot ever come into contact with the rumoured pegausi nation, meaning that in all likelihood they had failed, or such an exodus had never occurred, and the low numbers of pegausi in the population was simply a natural phenomenon.

Reaching the bar, Twilight slipped off her saddlebags took her own seat beside Rainbow Dash, resting her fore-legs on the polished surface of the counter. She sighed inwardly at the sense of relief from finally putting down the saddlebags she'd been carrying all day. She hadn't been allowed to take them off for the whole of her journey away from the city to Appaloosa; Dash had set a constant pace, insisting that being in the open as they were it was necessary for them to put as great a distance as possible between them and the city. Dash took a few moments to make herself comfortable before tapping out a short, jumpy code on the wooden surface of the bar. A small wooden door behind the bar at the left end, a stallions head popping through.

A pair of bright green eyes, not too dissimilar from the fierce emerald of Mac's though less intense, scanned the length of the bar before settling on Dash, causing a smile to creep across the stallions face. Emerging fully from the doorway, he trotted up to them, pulling a wooden tankard from beneath the bar. His golden coat contrasted well with the caramel and amber tones of his long, thick mane. The stallion's attire was typical of the farmers of the agricultural belt; a stitched jerkin cladding his body, complemented by a roughed-up Stetson hat. On his flank sat simple red apple, marking him out as a member of the Apple clan. This, Twilight concluded, must have been Braeburn.

"Well, howdy there, strangers. Welcome to Appaloosa!" the stallion greeted enthusiastically, rearing on his hind-legs to place his fore-legs on the counter. "What can ah get'cha today?" Dash rubbed her chin in mock thought, a barely hidden grin spreading across her muzzle.

"I've heard the cider out here's good."

"Good? Little lady, that there's an understatement if ah ever heard one, Appaloosa makes some a best darn cider in the 'belt; we even get ponies from the big city comin' out here for a little sip." The stallion held the tankard beneath the metal tap of one of the kegs, pulling up on the valve to allow a stream of shimmering, golden fluid to fill the mug, a thick layer of white foam forming on top. "This here beverage's been brewed by the Apple family for generations, usin' the finest apples, the best barrels, and a heart-full 'a dedication." Turning back to the counter, the stallion placed the foaming tankard before Rainbow Dash, a thin stream of the golden liquid trailing down the side. "So how about ya'll give it a taste and see if them rumours do this drink justice?"

Without a further word, Rainbow Dash picked up the tankard and brought it to her lips, throwing her head back as the liquid passed her gullet and into her stomach. Twilight watched in disbelief as the mare finished the beverage in one fell swoop, the only sound audible from the pegasus being the deep glug, glug, glug, as she swallowed. It was over in moments, Dash slamming the tankard down before wiping away the thin moustache of foam on her upper lip with the back of a hoof. Grinning, the mare nodded to the stallion behind the bar, who bore his own cheerful smile. "Damn, Braeburn, you Apple's know your shit when it comes to brewing."

Braeburn chuckled mirthfully, reaching for the tankard and stowing it beneath the bar. "Aww shucks, Miss Dash, ya'll are gonna make me blush." laughing boisterously, Rainbow Dash reached across and clasped hooves with Braeburn, the pair emitting an air of fine camaraderie. "Good ta see ya again, Miss Dash, it's been too long since ya'll last rolled into town."

"Same here, Braeburn. I'd have come by again sooner, but Joe's been keeping me busy," Dash replied, flicking her head in Twilight's direction.

"So ah see," Braeburn acknowledged, turning to the unicorn and taking his Stetson from his head, holding it to his chest. "Preacher, ya'll are most welcome here in Appaloosa. We're good folk all, and it'll be nice to hear a priestess give us all some sermons in church; it's been a mighty long time since we last had somepony who knew the scriptures in town." At that, Dash chuckled slightly, whilst Twilight felt a faint blush colour her cheeks.

"I, err, thank you for your hospitality, Mister Braeburn. But I'm afraid you're slightly mistaken; I'm not actually an ordained priestess." Twilight reached up and removed her hat, placing it down on the bar. "My name's Twilight Sparkle, and Miss Dash is just an associate of mine."

"Huh?" the stallion replied, a confused frown passing over his face.

"You're barking up the wrong apple tree, Braeburn," Rainbow Dash clarified, still chuckling under her breath. "Cutter here is the package I'm taking out of the city."

A flash of comprehension crossed the stallions face, an embarrassed flush staining his cheeks as he returned his hat to its former position atop his head. "Ah, mah mistake. Ah meant no offense, Miss Sparkle."

"None taken."

"So, ya'll are the package cousin Mac was talkin' about." Braeburn looked her up and down with a critical eye, and Twilight was suddenly hit by the frightening possibility that maybe an uncanny level of perception ran through all members of the Apple clan. "When cousin Mac was goin' on about somethin' valuable, ah thought  big-boss Joe was gettin' ya'll ta smuggle more diamonds outta Canterlot. Never thought it'd be a mare, or such a skinny one while ah'm thinking about it. No offense, Miss Sparkle."

"None taken."

"Do you mind if we head round the back?" Dash interrupted, scanning the saloon with her usual suspicion. "I wanna run through tomorrow's itinerary with Cutter before we carry on. You should see it, Braeburn, this one actually asks questions."

"Sure, no problem at all." Moving down to the end of the bar, Braeburn opened a small catch-door, allowing the two mares to slip off their stools and join the stallion behind the counter. Applebloom moved to follow, but Braeburn raised a hoof. "Sorry, Applebloom. This is private business ah gotta go over with Miss Dash."

Applebloom pouted, her ears pressing flat against her head. "Uncle Braeburn! Ah already know what Mac gets up to, and Miss Dash told me what Miss Cutter was here for! Please, can ah come with ya'll and hear the plan? Please?" Braeburn chuckled at the fillies pleading expression, but still shook his head.

"Ah'm sorry, Applebloom. But ya'll are too young for this stuff. It's mighty dangerous too, an' cousin Mac wouldn't appreciate it if ah got you hurt. Now run along, little filly. Go find Miss Jubilee, she's got a new dress for when ya got to church she wants ya to try on."

Muttering under her breath, the filly hopped off the stool, threading her way back through the clustered tables and out the double doors, where the four colts wished her farewell. Braeburn stayed long enough to make sure the filly had left the building before leading Twilight and Rainbow Dash along to the door he'd emerged from earlier, pulling it open and stepping back to let the two mares enter before following after them, pulling the door shut behind him with a loud creak.

As Twilights eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found herself at the top of a flight of wooden stairs in a narrow corridor, lit by a few candles mounted in metal holders on the wall. Pushing his way past her and Dash, Braeburn led the way down the stairs into a gloomy room that seemed to be a storage area. Rows of stacked barrels lined the walls of the large, rectangular basement, each the size of a full grown pony, with still more forming neatly stacked rows that lead all the way back to the far wall. The air was cool, the perfect temperature for storing any alcoholic beverage. Disappearing down one of the rows, Twilight followed Braeburn past lines of barrels before reaching another door, this one made of thick, darkly coloured planks, and reinforced with metal studs.

Removing a ring of iron keys from a pocket inside his jerkin, Braeburn picked out a thick iron key and slid it into the lock, unlocking the door with a heavy clunk. The door opened inwards, swinging silently on well oiled hinges to reveal another room, much smaller than the basement. "This here is where ah discuss business with cousin Mac's clients," Braeburn explained after they'd all filed in and he'd relocked the door. "Used to be we kept miscreants here, but Appaloosa ain't had a crime in years, so ah've put it to good use."

The room was well lit, a cluster of fat, half-burnt candles set in the middle of a large wooden table that dominated the space. Pulling out two stools for his guests, the stallion motioned for the mares to sit as he went over to a locked cupboard and opened it, digging around inside for a few moments before pulling out a thick scroll of dusty parchment. Relocking the cupboard, the stallion returned to the table, placing the scroll down and rolling it, a thick plume of dust rising from the inner surface as he did so. "This here's a map a' the Appaloosa precinct and the surroundin' areas," Braeburn explained as Twilight tried to swat away the dust cloud with a hoof.

The map was old, painted down on thick, yellowed, and crumbling paper that looked as if it had been stashed away in the cupboard for at least a decade. The actual map itself seemed to be hoof painted in an archaic style with the village of Appaloosa at its centre; marked out by the symbol of a red apple with the settlements name written underneath in spidery script. The village was surrounded on all sides by a long triangle of dark, greenish-brown paint, covered with stylised representations of apple trees. A thin black line ran from the village, all the way to the right of the map, were a small footnote read: To Canterlot; the last city, whilst on the other side, where the line met the left edge, another footnote read: To the Outzone, and the red wastes. Dotted amongst the trees of the precinct and the surrounding areas were small black triangles representing farms, barns, and cottages, each connected to Appaloosa by their own lines of small dashes; there were no other villages or settlements present. In the top right corner sat a stylised compass pointing in all four directions; the celestial sun, one of Faustiansim's most holy icons, dominating the centre.

"The plan for tomorrow is mighty simple, Miss Sparkle," Braeburn explained as the dust settled, placing the tip of his hoof over the artistic rendition of Appaloosa. "Ordinarily, ah'd just take ya'll down the road up to the Everfree," Braeburn's hoof followed the black line of the road right up to a thick margin of dark-green paint that sat just before the edge of the map, thick tangles of thorns denoting the presence of the Everfree. "However, since ya'll are so important to cousin Mac, ah'm gonna take ya'll through one of the orchard paths to the southern barn, before cuttin' across to the edge a' the precinct up to the Everfree." Braeburn's hoof followed one of the dashed lines to a small, black triangle at the edge of the green-brown triangle denoting the boundaries of the Appaloosa precinct, before skirting the boundary line up to the thorny mass of the Everfree. "From there, we'll head across the forest usin' and old trappers trail that'll take us past the old ruins." the colt pointed to a cluster of three towers in the centre of the Everfree band. "After that, you'll be in the Outzone, and Miss Dash will be takin' ya the rest of the way. So, what'd ya think?"

Twilight stared at the map for a few moments longer, her eyes tracing the route Braeburn had proposed. The truth was she had no idea what she was looking for, this whole area was wild-country for her. But it helped snuff out the sense that she was completely helpless, and totally reliant on the aid of those around her, and it was satisfying despite only the brief respite it gave her. Tiring with the charade, the unicorn nodded her consent. "Thank you, Braeburn, it's an excellent route."

"We shouldn't have any bother, but ah'll bring mah old' pa's repeater with us, just in case," Braeburn replied, smiling with satisfaction at his plan. "Ah'll write an armoury chit for ya as well, Miss Dash. Feel free ta take what ya need."

"Won't be necessary, Braeburn. Macintosh sorted us out before we left Canterlot. Thanks, though."

"Well, it seems that there's nothin' ta do except wait for tomorrow," Braeburn said, rolling the map back up and returning it to the cupboard. "Ya'll can stay in the saloon tonight, ah'll get a room set up for ya. Other than that ya'll are free ta have a drink with me. On the house, a' course."                                     Next Chapter: XI: Bane of the faithful. Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 23 Minutes