CHAPTER 2

Hey everypony. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I had family business to attend to, and couldn't work on it. It really worked out for the better anyhow. I hadn't even thought about writing a chapter such as this in Volume 7, but because I had some time to think it out, I decided to change the story up a little from what I'd initially planned, and add a little extra that I think is gonna make this one of the more emotionally and psychologically poignant episodes of Drake's life now. It's probably not gonna be as fun and exciting as some of the previous fics, but this story has a surprise buried within it that I'm sure all of the long-time Drake fans may have been waiting for. So without further ado, here is chapter 2. Enjoy.

We were nearly alone in the train car as we traveled west to the quartz mine where some mysterious something had stopped the mining operations and scared the Hell out of the workers. I looked around the train car. Dashie sat beside me, and in the next seat, my sister was laying on the seat asleep, one leg hanging off the edge of the padded bench comically. Near the front of the car, two other ponies, a mare and a stallion sat together. Dashie was fully engrossed in an adventure novel she had packed for the trip. I gazed out the window. We had entered the western territory long ago, and the lush green fields and forested hills had given way to dusty grasslands and rocky outcroppings. I sighed. The terrain was all too familiar to me, despite the fact that I hadn't seen this part of the country in three years. I guess it never left me.

The train slowed to a stop at a station in some small frontier town. The couple got off, and a few passengers climbed aboard. Among them was a stallion wearing a gray shell jacket and a slouch hat. I saw by the yellow chevrons and rockers on his sleeves that he was a quartermaster sergeant in the cavalry. The cavalrypony spotted me sitting there in my slouch hat and saber belt, and cocked his head slightly, probably surprised to see another soldier. He walked along the aisle and took a seat behind me and Rainbow Dash. The train shuddered, and began to creep forward. Soon, we were gaining speed. After a few minutes, the soldier finally spoke.

"Hey. Sergeant Buckle." He greeted. "7th Cav. How are ya?" I turned my head to the stranger.

"Alright I guess." I replied. "Where are you headed, sergeant?" Dashie looked at me a moment, smiled, then went back to reading.

"Fort Defiance." He answered. "Coming back from leave. Bet they ain't been able to count the beans and taters since I've been gone, either."

"Hehehe..." I had to chuckle. It had been a while since I'd been able to have a casual conversation with a military pony. I sort of missed it.

"What outfit you with?" Buckle asked.

"Oh. Sorry sergeant. Lieutenant Drake, 12th Cavalry, but I'm currently assigned to CID, Military Police Division as a detective."

"Oh shit." Buckle gasped. He stood up from his seat and saluted. "Sorry Lieutenant. Didn't realize I was addressing a superior officer, sir." I grinned.

"Oh...at ease, sergeant. If I cared about being saluted and stuff, I'd be in my full uniform." I said with a halfhearted salute. The sergeant sat down with a nervous chuckle.

"So where are you headed, lieutenant?" Buckle asked. "Somepony getting court-martialed? Hope it's nopony I know."

"Heh. No...official business from Princess Luna." I said. I thought of the best way to phrase it without giving too much away, or having to talk about ghosts and devils. "I was sent to investigate some problems on some Equestrian land out here. I guess the Interior Department couldn't handle it themselves. Either that, or the Interior ponies and the Mines and Minerals guys got into an argument over whose jurisdiction it was, and they decided to solve it by sending the cavalry. Ain't that how it always is?" It was all just witty soldier talk, and Sergeant Buckle knew it. It was obvious that I wasn't able to divulge anything about my business out here, and he as an NCO knew not to press.

"So, what's been going on out here on the frontier?" I asked. "I've been out of the regular cav for a few years."

"Ah well...not much." Buckle explained. "It's been peaceful out here for the most part. There was a bit of trouble up north in Appleloosa between the Buffalo and the townsponies a couple a' months back, but they came to an agreement. Cavalry didn't even have to get involved."

"That's good." I said thoughtfully. I was more than happy that the bloodshed was finally over. Maybe it took one great, horrible, bloody disaster to be the turning point. As bad as it had been, the massacre of my squad had been the turning point in the Buffalo wars, and now both races lived together in poeace. That didn't make me feel much better...even knowing that the awful things that had happened to me and the troopers under my command had finally brought peace to this land didn't undo the pain and death I had been part of. I realized that it would be best not to dwell on it too much.

"What's Fort Defiance like now?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Well, with things getting peaceful out here, there's less of a military presence." Sergeant Buckle explained. There's still a garrison at Defiance. Couple companies of the 7th, some grenadiers, and a company of the 8th Cav and their Buffalo scouts. That's about it. Your old outfit got transferred a couple of years back when the frontier battalion was disbanded."

"That's what I heard." I nodded.

"Now half of the old forts are closed down, sold to civilians who use 'em as trading posts. Defiance is turning into a regular little city. Another five years, and they'll probably take the 'Fort' off the front of it. Hell, another ten years, and the Wild West won't be wild anymore."

"Hm." I mused. "That's civilization for you." I was silent a moment. "What forts were shut down?"

"I don't know all of them." Buckle answered. "I just know that Sweetwater and Mesquite were permanently closed when the 1st Frontier Battalion was disbanded. A couple more were decommissioned last year. The only reason I know is because I had to handle the equipment and supplies coming back in when they vacated those places."

"Right..." I said. I had to ask the next question. I had to know. "What about the settlement of Rawhide. They um...they ever build that town back...after what happened?"

"Ugh...sad thing that happened to those folk." Buckle commented. "It's a ghost town now. Nothing there but burnt out buildings and a graveyard. Nopony would move there after what happened." I looked to see Rainbow Dash looking at me with a thinly-veiled worried expression. I gave her an unsure look and heaved a sigh. We all sat in silence a few minutes more, before Buckle spoke up again. "Your um...your family, sir?"

"Yeah, sergeant...this is my marefriend, Rainbow Dash. The filly over there passed out on the chair is my little sister, Budder Sabre."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Sergeant Buckle said, tipping his hat to Dashie politely. "You got a nice-lookin' family, sir."

"The best I could ask for." I said proudly. Dashie smiled and nuzzled me affectionately.

"They goin' with you...on your investigation, I mean?" Buckle asked.

"Yeah. Dashie here is a detective too. My partner, as...unorthodox as that is." I nodded toward Budder. "My sister too. Believe it or not, she's acting under the authority of Princess Luna right now. She's a little genius...when she can screw her brain in right."

"Heheheh..." Buckle laughed. "You're a lucky stallion, Drake. Get to spend that much time with your family and get paid for it. My wife lives back east, and I only get to see her when I go on leave. Nothing I look forward to more than rotating out and getting home." I smiled. We all sat in silence, listening to the rhythmic clackety-clack of the train's wheels on the rails. Soon, we reached a populated area, and the train began to slow.

"Well lieutenant, this is my stop...Fort Defiance." Sergeant Buckle stated, standing from his seat. "Best of luck with your business."

"Good talking to ya." I nodded. "Oh, and sergeant? You wouldn't know if Fort Mesquite is still standing, would you?"

"Well, I don't see why not. Probably just an empty fort now, unless the termites and jackrabbits moved in. Why?"

"No reason. Figured I might show my family some old forts, you know?" I lied.

"Well, enjoy your work and your free time out here." Buckle returned. He started up the aisle as the train came to a stop. "Ma'am." He said, tipping his hat to Dash again. He looked down at my sister, who was still unconscious. "Younger ma'am." He said, tipping his hat, and shooting me a grin. "Take care, lieutenant."

"And you, sergeant." With that, the NCO left the train, and I reclined in my seat. We had another two hours to go, and this trip was already turning out to be a trip down memory lane I hadn't counted on.

And so ends chapter 2. I hope you all enjoyed it. Drake not only has a mystery to solve, but it looks like he's about to face down a few elements of his past as well. Will this journey west prove to be the catharsis he's always needed, or will the strange case he's on much everything up even worse? Stay tuned to find out. I'll try to have chapter 3 up soon, unless more unforeseen events prevent me from doing so. Until next chapter, thanks for reading, everypony!