“They’ll be fine.” Hummed Silk happily, measuring out an Extra-Strength healing potion into a pair of beakers. “Just a mild concussion and some minor damage to the larynx, nothing one of these shouldn't be able to handle. It could have been a lot worse if you hadn’t been there. A lot, lot worse.”

With a smile she, passed each beaker to the pair of soldiers I had the misfortune of calling a medivac for just a few hours before. The Ranger had been the first to come to, before even the Pegusi from the M.O.P dropped outta the sky with a pair of litters for them. Took a few moments for him to calm down from his controlled flailing trying to fight off an opponent who had long since fled and explain the dead bodies in his place. Was an easy enough story for him and the GI to believe, even with the perfectly decapitated Kaptein which I explained away as a fear tactic to scare away the rest of the attackers. While a bit much, even for me, they just lapped it up with admiration, awe and maybe even some fear.

“Well...what can I say? I’ve got a lot of tricks to call on when I need to. I'm a universal badass!" I laughed, enjoying the looks of respect the two of them flashed my direction.

After finishing up some work on a small, portable StableTec terminal tucked in the corner of the room, Silk turned back to Summer who was the more injured of the two. As a precaution, both of them had been hooked up to a saline drip with a few milliliters of RadAway injected into the I.V bag for good measure. Everypony in the Army knew and remembered sourly the first time they had to swallow an entire bottle of RadAway as part of basic training with the goal not to grimace (or worse) spit out the rancid bright orange liquid in front of everyone else. RadAway was like the liquified version of eating burnt rubber mixed with some battery acid and a bit of booty sweat to finish it off. In some ways, you were happy to keep the Rads if it meant you didn’t have to live with the horrible aftertaste that stuck around on your tongue for several hours. Without something strong (like my lemonade) to waste the taste out, you started to consider tearing your own tongue out after awhile. Thankfully it could likewise be administered intravenously but that came with another one of my inner phobias: needles. Truly, it was better to avoid the need for the shit altogether.

“Thanks Ranger.” Summer said after drinking his beaker of dark magenta potion. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you there.”

“Yeah...thanks.” Private Star Caster likewise responded, staring into the liquid in his beaker as if contemplating his own mortality.

“Come on Private, drink up! You’ve still got your whole life ahead of you!” Silk said cheerfully as she stuck a syringe filled with the viscous orange fluid into the I.V bag and pressed the plunger, the clear saline turning to a brilliant pale amber orange. “Well, give it a minute actually. We have to let the RadAway drip its way into your bloodstream a bit first. Thankfully this saline will extend the biological half-life of the potion while it’s in your stomach so it doesn’t lose its efficacy before you’re cleared of all Rads, if any exist that is. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“How so?” Summer asked a little concerned, eying the pale amber bag hooked to his vein suspiciously. “It almost looks like piss if I'm going to be honest.”

Silk giggled and nodded, picking up the medical file describing the ingredients and effects of RadAway.

“You’re pretty much right on the nose about that.” She laughed, flipping through the pages of the creamy yellow folder till she found what she wanted. “Acetazolamide is one of the ingredients, it’s a powerful diuretic designed to help bring the blood to a more alkaline level and flush out radiated cells.”

“Diur-what now?” Star asked, eying his own bag with concern.

“Basically means it’s gonna make you piss a lot.” Huckleberry said as she entered the room, Silk giving her a friendly smile. “But that’s only because the RadAway doesn’t destroy the radioactive particles in your system, it just binds to it like soap to dirt and dislodges them from the body so they can be carried away through the bloodstream to the kidneys. Unfortunately the excessive use of RadAway can cause kidney blockages, kidney stones, dehydration, biochemical imbalance and an excessively basic blood pH. When in doubt, consult your physician.”

“Well!” Silk said proudly, looking at her in surprise. “I had no idea you were a medical student, Captain Crisp!”

“I’m not, I just have a passion for first aid and knowing everything I can about the shit I’m putting in my body with the trust it will heal me.” Hucks said with a smile, flashing me a slightly concerned look when nopony was looking. “How is everyone? I heard about what happened.”

“Stable.” Silk said professionally, breaking protocol by handing her their charts as if testing her knowledge. “But let's pop quiz you since you sound like you know your way around the manuals. Any recommendations or suggestions based off of these results, Captain?”

As she browsed over the records Star seemed to be protesting her intrusion into his private medical records but Summer waved him off frantically mouthing something along the lines of, ‘Dude, she’s hot. Let it go!’ Star nodded balefully and both their eyes tempted fate by inching towards Silk and Huck’s flanks while they were preoccupied. I held my tongue and my hoof from giving them a verbal as well as a very physical thrashing and did my best to ignore their gazing eyes. Instead I focused on browsing through the info presented on the amber colored screen of my PipBuck, taking note I was very low on 25mm shells as well as medical supplies. The Zebs had thrown a lot of their all into the last few days' offenses and tactical retreats and I was finding myself needing to lob high-explosive shells at infantry nearly as often as I needed armor-piercing saboted rounds at enemy robots.

“Well, if these blood results are correct then he’s got hypertension and he’s got anemia.” Hucks finally said, pointing to Summer and then Star in turn. “I recommend iron and folic acid supplements for Private Caster and as for Ranger Dusk, potassium supplements and perhaps a thiazide-diuretic if the problem persists. Oh, and a change in diet too. Those blood sodium levels are much too high.”

“You saying I got a problem with what I eat?” Summer said in a hurt tone, looking at his well built frame. “I feel fine.”

“Your blood says otherwise.” Silk said as she went back to terminal in the corner of the room and started checking the Camp’s medicine stores. “I think you’re right Captain, that probably would be the best course of action. May I ask how many years of medical training you have acquired over the years? You seem fairly well versed for not being one of the Ministry's combat medics."

"Me? Oh, collectively probably six? I took every course I could but all they ever really do is teach triage shit and other base-line care. In another life, I'd have become a M.O.P surgeon were the pay better and I were allowed to carry a gun but I know how the Ministry of Peace is with its rules. Sorry guys but I need more than just a sidearm to feel happy and safe out here, even here at Camp."

"Is that so?" Silk mused with a broad smile of glee seeing my mare was so entrenched in medicine. "Indeed that is a newer rule that stands in the way of our clause to 'Do No Harm'...but...I understand why we have that rule now. When we lost that transport last year because nopony was able to defend against the ambush...I try not to think about it."

"No need to! I ain't here to stir up any more shit than what's going on outside." Hucks replied with a jovial chuckle. "Thanks for the pop quiz! It's nice to actually get a challenging question for once and not Buck Beak being an ass and asking me where babies come from."

"Oh my...yes, I am familiar with Sergeant Beak. His paw was in a right state last I saw him... I need to prepare a full report for Doctor Tourniquet and see if he concurs with the diagnosis and I will also ask him about getting Capt. Crisp in contact with some supplemental training. From the sounds of things, she would do very well with some extra knowledge!”

Huckleberry beamed in pride at herself while I stared in disbelief at how big of a medicine nerd she really was. True, I had a passing interest in medicine myself but my heart laid with weapons and armor meaning I took in only the essentials about medicine and how to stabilize trauma wounds. When it came to more advanced drugs and chemicals like the ones she had suggested, it went right over my head like the finer nuances of modern-day fashion trends. Although I suppose in a sense armor could be considered a form of fashion but that was a viewpoint not popular enough to get catwalks of its own.

“Well, you two are in good hooves.” I said as I stood up from my padded stool and gave a simple salute to Star and Summer. “Hucks and I gotta take off and get some food, I’m starving! Fight like that really gave me an appetite.”

“Thanks for the assist, Ranger.” Summer said as he saluted with his other leg that wasn’t connected to a needle. “Hope to see you around sometime. Hey, who knows? Maybe I’ll be a Veteran here too in a few years. I’ve already got three years under my belt as a Ranger so maybe something’ll turn up sometime eh? I mean, they've been letting in Rangers who make it five years for ages now so why should they stop now?”

“Hey, I was one of those five-year Vets. Even living one year in this fucking fight is a major statement in my book so by all means, hang in there another couple years. Always looking for new faces kicking ass with us out there.” I said with a smile before slipping a note to Silk and exiting the tent, the sunrise just barely peeking over the Eastern ridge casting the heavy artillery as distant silhouettes against the backdrop of the morning sky.

“What was the note about?” Hucks asked as we left the M.O.P tents behind headed for the galley.

“Oh just our personal radio frequency in case she ever wants to stop by again for some TLC.” I said with a grin, pulling out the pair of red tinted sunglasses I had ‘reallocated’ to myself from the galley earlier and sliding them onto my muzzle. “Speaking of, how did you two avoid that runner from earlier?”

“What? Oh! That.” She giggled, putting a hoof on the back of her head sheepishly. “Well, I heard my helmet beeping and I had to assume that was you sending us some kind of warning given how soon it happened after you left so I threw my PipBuck onto her leg and attached a StealthBuck to it. Told her to keep her mouth shut and, in a stroke of brilliance I might say, I yanked my panties back on and was halfway through getting my pants on when the runner opened the tent flap and caught me changing. Poor fucker was only like eighteen...but anywho, he screamed and pulled his head out of the tent and tried to shove every single apology he could into a single breath before telling me that the General was looking for you. The moment he heard me say you had already taken off he hauled ass out of there so fast you might have mistaken him for a Cheetah! Couldn't have asked for a better excuse!”

She burst out laughing and I couldn’t help but join her as I imagined the look on that poor guy’s face. Walking in on a mare changing wasn’t exactly considered taboo since most ponies grew up not wearing clothes but when there was a dress standard to strictly follow in the Army, walking in on someone putting on their pants was pretty embarrassing. If any suspicions were raised in his mind, that event would surely purge it from memory. Especially considering Huckleberry was probably leagues ahead of him in the ranks. If she wanted to have him punished, all she had to do was report him and boom, it would be taken care of quickly. Thankfully she wasn’t that kind of mare.

“Damn, that’s awesome!” I laughed, clapping her on the back as we took a seat at one of the empty tables directly beneath one of the rotating fans, the desert heat already pushing the mercury past 109. “So after that she took off and you cleaned up?”

“Yeah, Penny helped out since the guys said it wasn’t their problem so that was nice. Did you know she’s almost forty?”

“Yeah, she told me just before you guys came back from laundry. Did she tell you about her thoughts on maybe starting a family after the War?”

“Seriously?!” She exclaimed as one of the retired veterans came up to our table with a selection of MREs for us to choose from. “I mean kudos to her but sheesh...when I think of a mom, I think of your mom, not her. Ya know what I mean?”

“Mhm, Penny isn’t exactly the poster girl for stay-at-home moms but I think if that’s what she wants then why should we put her down for it? I mean, it’s not like our plans aren’t any more sensible than hers. I’ll take the spaghetti please.”

The MRE was opened and prepared right at our table like a restaurant by our attending veteran and he seemed pleased we had come back to see him. He had a happy, youthful gleam in his eye despite him missing a leg and I got the feeling he hadn’t been this close to young, pretty mares in awhile. I flashed him a big smile and smirked inwardly as he tried to grin back and his dentures fell out and onto the table with a clatter than brought attention to us. Instead of blushing or even showing any kind of embarrassment however, he just laughed and shoved his teeth back into his mouth refusing to frown even a little at his own blunder. Age truly removed certain inhibitions.

“Come back again soon, toots!” He chuckled in his comfortingly old voice before heading back to the kitchen area, hoof bumping his fellow guys who looked at us like prizes to be wooed.

“Oh boys…” Huckleberry sighed with a laugh, scooting her hot bag of black bean soup towards herself. “They never change do they?”

“Nope.” I laughed, sliding the steaming spaghetti onto my empty plate and getting out the other items in the package. “Ten bits says one of us isn’t gonna leave here without an offer for a date!”

“Twenty!” She replied, slamming the money onto the table just as a young stallion dressed in a simple green GA uniform ran up to our table, out of breath and panting for air.

“Need something?” I asked, waiting patiently for him to catch his breath and hoping he wasn't here for a date too.

Hucks winked as she nodded to the panting stallion and I immediately understood. This was the same poor sap who had caught Huckleberry earlier. He definitely wasn’t bad looking though so he had that going for him.

“I...*pant*...I have a message for Colonel Crete.” He said trying to keep a professional face while also trying to get oxygen into his lungs as quickly as possible.

“Well, considering it looks like you just ran all the way here from H.Q, it must be important.” I replied, sitting back in my chair a bit and setting down my fork. “Take your time soldier, no need to kill yourself over a message. A bullet is the faster way to go anyway so always look for that out if ya can.”

He nodded gratefully and took a full minute to compose himself, entirely avoiding the smirking gaze of Huckleberry, before he said, “A mare by the name of Colgate Minuette has sent you a private message requesting you come and meet her in Manehattan as soon as you can.”

It had been awhile since mom had sent me a message outside of our designated monthly calls so either something was up or she was just really desperate to see me.

“Message her back and tell her I will be there by tonight.” I replied, making sure to keep the message short so he could remember it after his marathon back to H.Q. “Is that all?”

“No, Ma’am.” He replied, giving a very formal salute before I dismissed him, his vigor for the return trip surprising given the state he was in when he arrived.

“Huh, wonder what your mom wants.” Hucks said through a mouthful of food.

“Hell if I know but it’s been forever since I’ve been able to see her. I mean the last time I got leave that didn’t get cancelled was what, a year ago?”

“Last August, so a bit shy of a year.” She replied, shoving more food into her mouth without any regard for manners. “You gonna talk to her about your fears and shit? Good time as any.”

The image of her as an old, greying mare hooked up to life support flashed through my head with painful results and I nodded, unable to say anything for the moment. The Elements certainly had done wonders for her longevity but they had their limits. Last time I saw her was when I had learned some of the older residents of PonyVille had passed away or were headed towards their last legs in care homes. Time was marching ever on...

After another few minutes of eating in silence, she asked, “Wait, how are you even gonna get the leave needed to do this? I mean, we’re not booked for leave till after this tour ends, right? We’ve still got four-weeks left down here.”

I felt the weight of the oak leaves on my neck and knew immediately how I was going to secure myself an early leave. Colonel Horn would most likely approve my request since he and my mother had met more than once during formal dinners and he seemed to really like her. It also didn’t hurt she had given him a complementary mouth cast for when he inevitably needed dentures like all the other bucks in his family, all paid for on the military's bit of course. All in all, my chances were comfortably high enough to secure me a temporary leave. I’d ask for a whole week since I had been denied my previous two leaves so they owed me almost two weeks in total. It was a nice middle ground compromise that I personally found hard to argue with, even with the state of the Front.

“Time to put these shiny fuckers to use then.” I said with a grin, wiggling my chest so they sparkled in the muted light of the sunrise.

“So ya wanna go see yer mom?” The Colonel said quietly as he read over my written request for leave, a mug of coffee in his hooves. “Tha’s a way betta reason than th’ last Ranger tah ask meh fer leave.”

I sighed inwardly with relief at his words. He was a family guy and knew the importance of maintaining those kind of familial bonds no matter the situation. After all, he came from a huge family himself.

“Permission granted, Crete.” He said with a smile, slamming down a rubber stamp leaving a giant green checkmark in its wake unlike the usual red ‘Approved’ stamp. “Tell ‘er I said hi will ya? She’s ah good mare.”

I pulled the request back across his desk and stuffed it into my dress uniform over my heart and thanked him sincerely for his generosity given we were on an active battlefield.

“Eh, think nuffing of it, Crete.” He laughed, offering me a drink even though he knew I would never take one. “Yer ah good apple. Ah should know, Ah farmed ‘em fer years. Have yerself a good time, ya hear?”

“Oh I definitely will, Sir!” I beamed as I gave him a salute and left his office, the sound of his small radio coming on as I shut the door behind me.

With light jazz following behind me like a live action soundtrack, I made my way across H.Q to the Requisition post to get myself a ticket on the next train out of Appleloosa to Manehattan. I had originally planned on asking for a week off but felt that would be asking a bit too much so I had shortened it to three days off effective today. The Colonel merely glanced at my request before giving me the rubber stamp of approval so it seemed in hindsight I could have gotten away with a full week. Unfortunately, Huckleberry had been denied before me on the grounds that I outranked her and I took priority for leave requests and so she was unable to accompany me on this trip. In the end, the three days was honestly enough time to go and see my mom before I got too lonely from the lack of huckleberry flavored cum on my face and the lack of a huckleberry scented mare in my arms at night. Oh, and the rest of Alpha Squad were going to be missed too I guess.

“Yo, Athena!” Specialist Dodge yelled out as I approached, a smile as wide as a mile on his face. “I heard about that shit that happened at Charlie-Horse! That was dope!”

I had almost forgotten about what had happened not even five-hours ago in the wake of my excitement to get the fuck out of the desert and back to air conditioned civility of the north. This was a lie that I was getting more and more comfortable telling considering the notoriety it seemed to earn me so quickly. Savagery was something to be rewarded now it seemed which made us no better than our opponents. Before long, I wouldn't be surprised if the EAF started introducing Necromancy as part of the Combat Sorcerer spellbook. That is, if they ever decide to send us Combat Sorcerer units in general...

“Oh, yeah.” I laughed, slapping the request form down before him. “Wasn’t that hard. The tower’s construction really played into my favor giving me space to grapple but also narrowed the playing field. I do better when they're too cramped to work cohesively.”

“Well damn straight from what I’ve heard! Word around the practice mats is you’re one hell of a flexible fighter.” He said with genuine respect. “They call you the Serpent of EastPoint you know.”

“Seriously? Since when?” I asked, taken by surprise at the unexpected title. “And why?”

“Well you can’t be held in a hold can you?” He asked, typing in the form’s information without looking at his screen. “Everypony said it was like trying to wrestle a greased up, angry ass eel! Wish I could've seen it but I could never afford a fancy Academy like EastPoint. Had to enlist like every other sad fuck in my town at the recruitment center downtown.”

“Well I guess there’s some truth to the name and legend, but since when did they start calling me that?”

“I dunno, you graduated in what, ‘68?” He asked, tossing the form onto a pile labeled ‘Fulfilled’ to his right.

“Yeah, what about it?” I asked, feeling the class ring hanging on its chain around my neck next to my dog-tags.

“The class of ‘69 and '70 are the ones talking about it then.” He replied, putting a hoof under a slot in the printer next to him waiting for the train tickets to print. “Or maybe some of the guys from your year. I dunno, I just know I’ve heard more than one person call you that while brushing up in the dojo. Just between us as friends, I sure as hell hope we don't get paired up in a practice match sometime. You'll fuckin' destroy me.”

I was strangely flattered by the title. I had loved snakes for as long as I could remember and mom still kept safe Mr. Hissy, the stuffed animal she had sewn for me well over twenty-years ago. A snake was as lithe and agile as it was strong and difficult to hold onto when angry and I was essentially the same way when somepony put me into a chokehold. I didn’t even have to try much and I would somehow wriggle my way out and wrap myself around them in a hold they could not escape, again, like a snake. The only times I had been beaten were when I was unfairly pitted against the Dragons who had muscles the size of melons and whose scales made it very difficult to wriggle myself free. Other than them though...I was a pretty slippery motherfucker. Put me in a flat wrestling match with a Zebra and I felt confident I could snap her neck before she could get to mine.

“Huh...cool.” Was all I could say as the tickets plopped out of the printer and into his waiting hoof, one from here to Appleloosa and the second from Appleloosa to Manehattan. "Well, don't worry too much on that one Dodge. It'd be unfair as hell for them to pit a GI against a Veteran Ranger, especially one who sits his ass behind a desk all day."

"Oh fuck off, Crete." He laughed, slapping down my tickets in mock anger. "But seriously...have a good time while you're way up North! It's rare for any of us to be in a region that actually has four seasons, ya get me?"

“Hey, don't I know it. Don't ya worry Dodge, Imma have a damn good old time in Manehatten. Hope to see you around sometime alright?”

“That’d be dope!” He laughed as he waved to me. “Don’t forget to tell-”

“Already did!” I replied. “He said he’ll give it serious consideration, which is Colonel Horn speak for 'done deal'. You'll be getting commissioned with a warrant in no time!”

“Fuck yeah!!!” He whooped, punching the air and knocking his computer off its stand enough to startle both of us. “Oh shit...thanks sis! I owe you big time for this!”

I gave him a parting wave and exited the tent’s double doors, walking around the edge of the tent for the train station rather than the usual path back towards the trenches. Despite the heat clawing beads of sweat out of my face like drops of blood wearing my dress uniform, I felt happy. I was finally going to leave all this behind for a few days and get to spend time with the only other mare in the world I loved more than myself and Huckleberry. It was a reunion that was long overdue and the only sour notes to plague the happy melody in my heart were the fact that Huckleberry couldn’t come and it was only a regrettably short three days that I had ahead of me. However, I wasn’t focused on the downsides. I was finally going to see mom!

“Appleloosa.” I said to the GI standing guard at the entrance to the station, a large, white ‘MP’ painted onto his black helmet. "Should all be cleared already."

“Everything is in order, Colonel.” He said stiffly after glancing down at the terminal in his workstation, pressing a green button on the podium next to him causing the pedestrian sized door to swing open allowing me in. “You are to report back here no later than 1800 hours on March the 15th, 2077.”

“I know how to read the fine print…” I sighed as I brushed past him with my stamped ticket and sat on the bench to await the next train that would hopefully be arriving in twenty minutes with a load of supplies from Appleloosa for the cooks and Engineers and so forth.

As I sat there waiting, I couldn’t help but wish we were meeting in our hometown of PonyVille rather than the bustling metropolis of Manehattan. After I had graduated high school and enrolled at EastPoint, there wasn't a point to sticking around PonyVille when it was miles away from her company holdings. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t incredibly difficult for her to leave the place I had grown up in and the town she had cleaned ponies’ teeth in for over thirty year. However, she told me herself that PonyVille had lost its innocence and comforting presence the day the Elements of Harmony had left for good to set up their respective Ministries in Canterlot. With all the better paying jobs opening up in the bigger cities and the rising costs of living, PonyVille slowly lost its place on the map as the largest town in Equestria that was not considered a city. It was still historically significant but, like most things historical, they are only important to the ponies that remember them. Everypony else focuses ahead towards the future which laid in the factories and research labs of the cities.

While all that was happening, I was sitting in classes and getting trained to be the soldier I had always wanted to be. Three square meals a day if I was lucky, none at all if I was unlucky and all the firearms training I could have ever dreamed about. Sure, the exhaustive leadership training was great experience but anyone who knew me knew I wasn’t much of a leader. At least in the cut-and-dry definition given by the Army that is. I was made a 2nd Lieutenant by graduating and earned many of my subsequent promotions by just filling a gap opened up by the death of a superior in good enough fashion. Ok...fine, I guess I was a leader but I didn’t like to think of myself as one. I preferred to think of myself as a follower who ended up doing things her way and somehow found obedient ears to listen to her crazy plans. It worked out for me so far and I didn’t see a need to change even if my methods verged on the unorthodox at times.

I was certainly unorthodox compared so some of the other military brass but then again, that’s what endeared me to the Desert Rangers in the first place. While the other Corps followed strict rules and operated within the bounds of their own codes of conduct, the Desert Rangers were the OG badasses of Equestria who did things their way. Squad leaders were often left to their own judgement when it came to battle planning and they were expected to play with the strengths each member of their Squad provided. With Squads never exceeding eight members in total, fast friendships were formed between everyone and everyone came to know instinctively the strengths of their fellows and stepped in to fill the gaps in their weaknesses. I suppose I am biased towards my own Corps since this sort of bonding happened in all branches of the military, but the Desert Rangers didn’t have a reputation as professionals of the unorthodox for nothing. We were Rangers because we were the best of the General Army and we became Veterans because we knew how to use everything in the battlefield (especially the terrain) to our advantage. That was the legacy I wanted to be a part of.

The train arrived faster than I had thought and I settled myself into the hardwood seats of the passenger car along with a small number of other ponies all headed to Appleloosa. Were they going home to see a loved one too? Nopony seemed to be eager to speak to anyone else on the train and one by one they all dozed off after we had set off North. I checked my PipBuck’s watch and sighed. It was seven a.m. and I hadn’t slept since probably six-something the day before. Plus, I had been in a bit of a tough-as-balls fight that I nearly died in and all the espionage spy stuff with Zecuro. Pulling one of the M.O.P’s blankets out of the duffle bag I had packed for the trip, I laid on the hard bench and smiled as the cooling effects of the blanket took care of the stifling air of the passenger car. Now that I had a friend in the M.O.P itself, it had been more than easy to snag one of these precious beauties out of the thousands they kept in stock. Silk was proving even more useful than as a simple butt-buddy for Hucks and I and that was wonderful as I certainly wanted her friendship as well as her ass.

The trip to Appleloosa had only lasted an hour but the much more crowded trip to Manehattan took most of the day, time I spent mostly napping when I wasn’t woken up for the periodic stops on the way. While half of the stops were at other stations like PonyVille (a nostalgic pang filled my heart the entire time we were there seeing familiar sights), the other half were mandatory stops at various military checkpoints. They were scattered about Equestria on all the rail lines and the bulk of the nation’s roads having their roots in several domestic terror incidents involving sleeper cell agents planted by the Empire. Originally they had been implemented to check the trains, wagons and other means of transport for illegal goods from the Empire or potential domestic terrorist IEDs, but now they fulfilled the duty of customs and border patrol officers under the direct supervision of the M.O.M. Lining the hastily built platforms were Steel Rangers standing stiffly, watching the train for any sign of trouble while several dozen uniformed officers would enter onto the train. One, to check the tickets of all riders to validate them with the central database and two, to check the citizenship papers of everyone on board looking for anything or anyone who seemed out of place.

The papers themselves were something everypony had to carry on their person at all times ever since Edict A-13 came into effect putting a stranglehold on free immigration. They were small booklets, usually hung around the neck, that contained such information as your birthdate, birth certificate, blood heritage and any pertinent medical or financial information that would go to further validate your existence in Equestria. Naturally it was easy to tell what kind of papers you had by the color of the cover. Gold for native-born citizens, silver for second-through-fifth generation immigrants, purple for first generation immigrants, green for members of the armed forces and red for those few Zebras who had been allowed to stay in the country under strict regulations and scrutiny. Traveling the country certainly wasn't what it used to be.

The officers coming down the car were experienced in their jobs and scanned through dozens of papers in quick succession. By the time the bored looking stallion reached me, I had already pulled out my green covered booklet and stuffed my ticket into the front page. He seemed mildly interested to see another soldier on the train and opened my booklet with the same dull enthusiasm as he had the rest, glancing over my name, rank and other personal information that he needed to know about in order to let me through. I found it very strange that one of the sections of the identity paperwork asked if I was a virgin or not (obviously a HUGE no) followed up with the slightly less strange question as to whether or not I had ever had sexual relations with a Zebra. If yes (which mine was again, no), then I was to give the name, if possible, of the individual(s) with whom I had had intercourse with and the relative date of said intercourse with any extra information I could provide on them. It was painfully obvious what they were getting at there.

I had always wondered what would happen to those who marked yes and gave the name(s) of their former lovers. Would they be taken in for questioning or even one of M.O.M’s mind rapes? Certainly the named lovers would be flushed out of the woodwork if they were still in the country but I still wondered what happened to the unlucky sap who had decided it was worth the risk to get kinky with a Zebra. I suppose I could understand the allure but all of them got kicked out before I had a chance to see their mares for myself. Well, in a situation where we weren't trying to slaughter the other.

“You’re on leave, Colonel Crete?” The officer asked dully, glancing through the pages of my booklet with no more interest than if he were reading the latest stock prices.

“Correct.” I responded, feeling it wasn’t the right place to be a bit more laid back.

“To Manehattan to visit your mother, a Dr. Colgate Minuette of Colgate Dentistry and Orthodontics?”

“Yes.”

“What is the purpose of your visit to Manehattan?”

“To...visit my mother?” I asked with a bit of confusion as he had just said why I was visiting not even a second before.

“That is correct.” He replied further confusing me as to what the hell kind of game he was playing at. “What do you plan to do during your stay?”

“I don’t know.” I replied knowing mom probably had the whole three days and more planned out for us so we got to do as many things as possible together. “I received the message from my mother to visit her in Manehattan earlier today and took the next train out of the Badlands. No time to make plans with such short notice so I guess my mom has plans. Why?”

“I’m going to have to ask you to come with me, Colonel.” He said flatly the moment I stopped speaking, his magic snapping my booklet shut with a startlingly loud snap for such a small thing.

“And why is that?” I asked indignantly as I had literally done nothing wrong and yet was getting all the questions when everypony else was just glanced over and approved without a second thought.

“We have orders to detain you.” He said flatly, motioning for me to stand while his magic gripped the 1912 pistol on his leg. “Come with me now, else I will be required to use force in order to detain you.”

With a growl I stood, ignoring the curious onlookers who craned their heads every which way to stare at me as I followed him off the train and onto the platform. I was then led into the makeshift office on the far end of the station where I was given a full body search while every single item in my duffle bag was removed and thoroughly examined. The intense scrutiny was performed by a pair of mares wearing white uniforms with pink trim around the cuffs and shoulders and a large armband with the three-balloon motif of the M.O.M that was on proud display for all to see. All the while, I complied with their demands in silence putting my poker face to use once more to conceal any sense of dread I had about the situation. They had nothing on me and this was all some sort of prank or misunderstanding. Right...?

“Colonel Crete, you are to be detained for a period of three-days until such time as it is deemed fit for you to return to your post on the Southern Front. You will be held at Shattered Hoof Detention Center until such time as you are returned to your post and are subject to the full jurisdiction of the Ministry of Morale until such time as the Equestrian Armed Forces resumes ownership of your life. Do you understand the above, yes or no?” Said the taller of the two ruby colored mares who appeared to be a set of twins.

“I understand what you’re saying but I don’t get it.” I said as I sat magnetively cuffed in my chair completely naked, my uniform and everything else laying on the table behind her. “I’ve got all the paperwork, I followed the proper procedure and obtained the approval of my commanding officer, Colonel Little Horn of the Desert Rangers Corps. I demand to know by what authority I am being held when I have done absolutely nothing wrong.”

“That information is classified.” She responded stone faced. “Further inquiries into this matter will be met with swift retribution as outlined in Section Five-A, Clause Eighty-Seven of the Royal Ministry Charter concerning the Ministry of Morale. All statements are on official record and will be used as part of your official hearing.”

“Oh this is bullshit…” I fumed, my fur standing on end as I growled at them. “I haven’t seen my mom in over a year and you asswipes are gonna detain me because I was going to go and see her? Where do you guys get off huh? Last I checked the definition of morale was the confidence, enthusiasm and discipline of a person or group at any particular time. Keeping me from seeing my mom is the exact opposite of a morale-booster. Even you aren’t dense enough to ignore that. Unless you skipped basic vocab in school which, let’s be honest, seems likely given how anti morale this dick move is.”

Her lip curled and she turned to the MP officer standing guard saying, “Inform Shattered Hoof that Miss Crete is cleared for psycho-invasive interrogation on my authorization. Full examination of the hippocampus.”

Psycho-invasive interrogation, the fancy term for ‘mind rape’.

“You know it’s pretty coincidental that you’re gonna hold me for three-days.” I said, dislocating my shoulders with as little grimacing as I could, my anger acting as a great painkiller for the moment. “That’s exactly as long as I was supposed to be on leave. You know what else? I think I know who ordered you guys to yank my ass off the train. It was General Olive Leaf wasn’t it?”

It was subtle but there was a flash of concern in her eyes that was quickly covered up with the same angry indifference of before. It made sense. The General was highly suspicious of me (for valid reasons though ones that eluded his xenophobic mind) and my sudden leave of absence from the Front where he could keep an eye on me wasn’t going to be allowed lightly. It made too much sense to all be a coincidence.

“Silence.” She commanded, motioning for her twin who pulled a syringe out of her uniform pocket, the glass filled with a milky white liquid that I could only guess was Ketamine, a popular drug and very effective tranquilizer.

The cuffs were secured tighter than a condom around my fetlocks but I had learned (in bed of all places) that they lost their magneticity when twisted and pulled in a very specific way. It was a little known design feature that only existed as a final solution to getting the cuffs off if the key was lost. Problem was...I only knew the angle from the front where I could see it, not behind my back. As I laid eyes on her horrifying needle, adrenaline coursed through my veins in a way only S.A.T.S could bringing the world to a well lit, crawling pace and I instinctually felt what to do. I wouldn't need the targeting computer for what came next. I was in my territory the moment I wrenched my goddamn hooves free.

With a hasty breath I flung my legs up from behind my back and around to my front, eternally grateful for my extreme flexibility and double joints. With a painful twist and a pull, they clunked open and I was already up and flying towards the one with the needle first. My front legs wrapped around her neck while my hind legs grappled with her stuck-up twin who stood within easy reach of her sister. In their haste or their pride, somewhere along the lines they had forgotten to lock one of the M.O.M’s horn clamps on me that negated any magical energy from flowing out of the body; it was too easy to wrench the syringe free of her grasp and fling it right into the neck of the MP as he was drawing his weapon. We crashed onto the floor, their heads providing enough padding that it didn’t hurt me nearly as much as it did them, and I took a second to stretch out my shoulders before standing up and taking a split-second survey of the room. The MP was sinking against the wall as the Ketamine flooded his veins from the empty syringe still stuck in his neck and the twins were curled up on the floor moaning pitifully, obviously not used to pain like this. When the door wasn’t blown open by a minigun toting Steel Ranger I quickly assumed I had been covert enough not to draw attention to myself over the sound of the train.

“Alright tomato head.” I said, mocking her red color though not as intimidatingly as I would have liked. “Tell me what the fuck is going on and I won’t play judge, jury and executioner on your ass.”

“G-General Olive ordered you detained for leaving the Front without his permission!” She squealed, her face slightly crushed under the forehoof that wasn’t throbbing in pain. "H-he sent word ahead to d-detain you."

“Thought so…” I sighed, stepping off her head and starting to get dressed as though nothing had happened. “I’m going to go see my fucking mom and none of you asshats are going to stop me. I haven’t done anything wrong and if I report this to Canterlot, which I sure as fuck am gonna do, all of you are getting to share my room at Shattered Hoof, not me.”

She continued to roll slightly on the floor cradling her bruised head while attempting to nod in response, her sister entirely still on the ground. I expressed a level of self-restraint that mom would have been proud of and refrained from stomping all of their heads into tomato paste. Rather, I demanded they let me pass and that I would deal with the General myself when I got back from my well deserved trip home. We could all walk away from this event and forget it ever happened.

“U-understood M-Ma’am…” She whispered as she signed a release form and checked on her sister whom I had semi-intentionally knocked unconscious. “But what about him…?”

She pointed to the MP still stoned out and unconscious against the wall.

“You’re one of M.O.M's fucking Unicorns aren’t you?” I retorted as I set my mane right using her blank terminal screen as a mirror so I didn’t look like I had just wrestled two government employees and drugged a third. “Do one of your mind rapes on him. I know that badge on your chest, you’re part of the Psychological Division. Do what you freaks do best.”

She nodded timidly and gave me the release form as well as my papers before approaching the knocked out stallion and touching her glowing horn to his forehead. I left them behind, confident I had scared enough shit out of her for her to keep her mouth shut and boarded the train that was still waiting in the station. The last of the officers departed from the caboose looking as bored as the before having seemingly found nopony else of interest on the rest of their check. I took my seat where I had been before my attempted detention and set my duffle bag on the chair beside me as a pillow for yet another nap, this one particularly well-earned. Naturally my mind was abuzz with questions about what had just happened but they could wait three days. Still...how quickly a M.O.M task force had been assembled to apprehend me was certainly pause for concern. The General seemed to have a lot more clout with the Hexagon than I had anticipated for such a detestable stallion. Of course, he had the four stars on his perfectly starched lapels to ensure that kind of loyalty but the idea he would use his power to fucking detain me when I tried to go on a three-day weekend...fuck, I just didn't wanna think about it anymore.

As I pulled my blanket back out of my duffle bag preparing to lie back down, a mare sitting in the row behind me asked, “What was that about? Seemed pretty serious.”

“A clerical error.” I replied before laying my head on my back and tossing my cap over my eyes to shut out the light.

Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Into the Dark Market Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 52 Minutes