My beloved family, by now you have probably heard rumors of what we are calling the Others. They have not told me to keep my mouth shut so I guess I can tell you about them a bit. Well to begin with our family has a new daughter. Her name is Epona.

Yes Ginger, you and Xochitl have met her before. However, she is on orphan here. She and about two hundred other ponies and cattle came through the Doorway before it was destroyed. They couldn’t go home if they wanted to. With that said, I am sure they would not want to.

Sumac, my dear, please give her a chance. She knows she is not your granddaughter, but is very similar to her. She understands that every time you look at her you may see the granddaughter you lost. This is because she has seen your body and the farm burnt down. Sutures, your double did not make it. She stayed behind to ensure the Doorway was destroyed there. However, Epona was becoming close to her as it seems their Sutures started to have a relationship with their Ivy. Go figure.

Badger and Magpie, one of the Others that may shake you up, I know I am still shaken up by her, is their Captain Abby has come through. She now commands L troop or Luna’s Lancers as they like to call themselves. There are several others that we may recognize also. Most interesting is that some of the cattle that came across are descended from those who were in Stable 4. They escaped and were met by Millie and Mootilda back then, who snuck them back to Stable 48. This is good news as it will bring in fresh genetics for our cattle.

Well I should get going for now as mail is going out in fifteen minutes. Please know I love all of you and miss you. I think of you every day. Give the foals a hug and kiss for me. I cannot wait to hold you all in my hooves again.

Love always

Your Mollygirl/ Mama Mollygirl

I blow gently on the page to get the ink to dry and then fold it and put a wax seal on it. Then I address it to my family at Sumac’s Farm, Whitecloud, Manesville District.

Next to me, I see that Epona has finished writing two quick letters. One to the parents, the other specifically to Ginger. She still has not folded them and goes to hoof them to me.

I then tell her, “You can fold them and seal them if you like. It would be good practice for you.”

She looks surprised and asks, “Don’t you want to read them ma?”

I smile at her and tell her, “Only if you want me to Epona.”

She looks uncomfortable and then says, “Ok, I will seal them and address them then. I am kinda embarrassed about my letter to Ginger. I told her not to worry about me with Xochitl and why. Ma, that was hard for me to write. He deserved such a better life on that side.”

I put a hoof on her shoulder and tell her, “Dear you all did. Now we best hurry Paper Work is taking the mail into New Appaloosa with Lieutenant Solstice and Sergeant Taser. I want them to get there before Ditzy’s emporium closes.

She smiles at this as she seals the letters and addresses them, and asks me, “Ma, did you really get kicked out of her store last time you were in this area?”

I feel myself blush as I tell her, “Unfortunately, yeah, yeah I did. Thank the Goddesses and Sweet Cream that Ginger was there to smooth that mess up.”

I notice she is looking at me funny and I tell her, “What, she did. So, what if she was still a blank flank filly. She really helped.”

I see Epona shake her head and she tells me, “No Ma, it is not that. Who is Sweet Cream?”

It is then that I realize what I have said. I then tell her, “Epona, we need to get these letters out in the mail but ask me later tonight and I will explain.”

She smiles and nods her head and replies, “Ok ma. Ya know it feels kinda weird to be treated as anything other than a little filly.”

I smile at her sadly and tell her as we walk to the HQ where Paper Work is waiting, “Epona, at one time I probably wouldn’t but I had a big awakening during the expedition with what all Ginger and Xochitl were able to do and what they experienced. I guess you could say it gave me a new respect for you youngsters.”

She smiles proudly when she hears this and when we reach Paper Work she pulls her letters out of her saddlebags and gives them to him.

He smiles and tells us. “Ok, that should be the last of the outgoing mail,” he then puts the mailbags on his back and heads on over to the Scout section and 1^st squad of the Enfields and wagons that are waiting for him to leave for New Appleloosa.

Once they leave, I see the Captains Abby, and Broken Hills coming my way. They seem to have become friends in the last two weeks since she and her people joined us. Epona and I wait for them to come over to me and I ask them, “So, what can I do for you?”

Abby then says, “Colonel, we just came over to chat and see how you were doing, honestly.”

This brings a smile to my face and I tell them, “Much better now. At least today we are not getting rained on like the last two days.”

From behind me, I hear Kettle Bell tell me, “Colonel we only got rained on because we were ahead of the scheduled times.”

I sit down and laugh as I say, “Yeah, whoever thought we would be early.”

Abby looks at them and then me and says, “Goddess knows if we had moved like that normally, maybe we would not have gotten caught at Prairie Garden.”

Broken Hills and I look at each other and smile. Then he tells her, “Between Major Quick Trot and Mollygirl’s scouts we were able to keep that good of a rate of travel most of the time. You should have seen us after the battle of Targhee on our way to Serenity Valley. Now that was a forced march for you.”

I feel myself tremble when he mentions those two places, but I also see her jaw drop open, and she asks, “Ma’am you were faster than that?”

I nod my head and I tell her, “We sent the civilian camp and the Volunteer company ahead of us. We were fighting to buy them time while preventing ourselves from being cut off. At one-point Captain Archer, had Nightmare Moon firing while it was on the move.”

Again, I see her mouth hang open. Then she tells me, “See, that is another thing that is different. Archer was assigned to the Belles. The artillery was commanded by Lieutenant Horns. I wonder what if would have been like if Archer would have had the artillery instead of Horns?”

Kettle Bell smiles at this and tells her, “It may not have mattered as much as you think. What helped us was that when most of the officers went to the supposed surrender ceremony, Mollygirl and Archer were not only left behind, but they were ready for something to go wrong. When things went bad, Mollygirl ordered Archer to open fire with his artillery once our officers were known dead. That barrage injured Silver Spite enough that his initial attacks were disjointed and we were able to rebuff them and escape as a fighting force still. From what I have heard that did not happen for you and your people.”

We sit and talk about this for another hour. Then I notice the time and tell them, “Let us continue this conversation tonight after officers call, we all need to go get some chow and make sure our troops eat.”

That night we do indeed continue our conversations. We are only a mile outside of New Appleloosa camped just west of where I had last time. A few hours after we had set up camp, the town sheriff approaches me to ask our intentions.

When he sees me, he shakes his head, “You again, and now you’re a Lieutenant Colonel?”

I nod my head, “Yeah. I am. It is good to see you again Sheriff. How is your Deputy Tin Star doing?”

He laughs at me, “He is doing fine. I think him and the other part-time deputies were a little shook up last time you came through though.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I do understand. I have an idea to keep things a bit quieter for you. If you have a few vendors who want to sell some things to my troops, give them a letter signed by you and I will let them set up a cart, or stand or whatever, that way most of my people stay clear for you.”

He nods his head. “You know that sounds like a good idea. I will do that. Now my next question is where are you NCR folks heading?”

“Actually, we are heading west about 60 kilometers, to establish points of entry into the NCR and to try and help with the raider problem. I could use some advice from someone who is familiar with the area” I tell him.

Smiling back, he tells me, “Well I have been through that area a time or two, but I would not say I am an expert on that area. I will tell you there is this one red bay unicorn they call Pressed On. I would try to avoid him. It seems every time I see him, he keeps telling me this village is in trouble, or this settlement needs your help. He is well-meaning, but a nuisance.”

I laugh slightly, “I guess every place has to have somepony like that,” I tell him.

He nods his head, “Yep, you could say that. Now remember if you need supplies when you’re out there, have your quartermasters check in with me just so I know who is coming and going,” he replies.

“Not a problem, also if you or your deputies end up coming out to one of our camps or firebases, please feel free to stay overnight, but again, just check-in as a courtesy,” I say with a smile and a nod of my head.

He nods his head, “I appreciate that Ma’am, now if you have a map I can mark where some of the local villages are for you in that area along with any suspected hostile camps.”

“I really appreciate that Sheriff,” I tell him as we both walk over to the tailgate of our HQ wagon where I have a map of the region laid out. Soon he has me marking the map and taking notes as to who is who in that region.

Before he leaves, he turns and asks me, “Ma’am, Deputy Tin Star and I have talked, and to tell the truth, I am not sure what exactly happened last time you were here, would you care to enlighten me on it.”

I nod and tell him, “Sheriff, the last time we were here, some ponies decided to collect a bounty on the wrong pony. I tried to warn them, I even tried to stall until you or your deputies could get there, but they decided to try and outdraw a full squad of combat troops who had them in a crossfire, front and back. We had a witness even tell Tin Star that.”

He nods his head, “Yeah, yeah you did. I was just verifying. I had a couple of families ask me. You know how it is.”

I nod my head, “Yeah I do. In fact, if they would have killed me or my cousin, I am pretty sure the entire Water clan would have left home just to pay a visit.”

He looks at me funny and I look back at him as I say, “Family can be funny that way sometimes. That little mare that was with me has been adopted not just by me, but by my kin, and when two stable security types roughed up another cousin of mine, I had to stop her as well as the rest of my kin from taking justice into their own hoofs. Instead, those security ponies get to make big rocks into little rocks for the next twenty years.”

He looks at me strangely and I then tell him, “My cousin was pregnant at the time and was being held on charges of treason against the Co-op. She is doing her penance too.”

He nods his head, “And you are alright with that?”

Still looking into the distance and seeing those days again, I grimly smile and put one ear towards him and the other behind me as I tell him, “Yeah, we all need to pay for our misdeeds, just it needs to be done properly and within the law.”

I see him give a short laugh and he asks, “Even you? Have you paid your penance?”

I sigh, “Even me Sheriff. Right now, I am paying it. I just had the only foal I will ever give birth to less than four months ago and I am out here already with my troops.”

He looks funny at me and asks, “So what are you paying penance for?”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath and I tell him, “We lived when most of the others with us died.”

From the area of my headquarters I hear Epona call me, “Ma, tea is ready.”

I call back to her, “I will be there in a minute,” then I turn back to him.

He then asks, “And her?”

“The same, but you would not believe her full story if I told you,” I answer.

He looks around at our camp. Then he looks at the ground and shakes his head, “Colonel, on that note I am going to go back to my town. Have a good night and I pray to the Goddesses that all of us can be forgiven for that transgression,” then he turns and I watch as he walks back to his town with a thoughtful expression on his face, his head is down and his tail tucked tight.

I look up at the sky and silently pray, “Sweet Cream I ask that you grant him and all of us peace.”

The next morning I awake early and find Epona is laying here already awake and just staring at me. I ask her, “Are you alright dear?”

She nods her head and cuddles closer. I realize we have a while before I need to get up, so I take the time to give her a gentle lick to her cheek and then I ask her, “Dear would you like me to brush your mane for you?”

I hear her sniffle and she nods her head. As I begin to brush her mane, I hear her crying lightly so I stop and ask, “Epona, am I hurting you? Do you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head no and I hear her quietly say, “It has been so long since I had this done. My mom used to do it all the time, especially after Mama Mollygirl was, was, was killed. Before that Mama Mollygirl would do it just like this. I am sorry ma; I just miss them so much. I’m sorry.”

I wrap my hoof around her and tell her, “I do understand dear. Never be sorry for missing them. Just know I love you too now little one.”

After a bit, I continue to brush her mane and soon I hear my Sergeant Major begin to wake. He comes over to me and in a quiet voice he asks, “Colonel, when you are done taking care of her, can I borrow your brush for little Tater. I think he would enjoy it too.”

I cannot help but smile at him as I see a side of this tough old buck I had never imagined. I nod my head and tell him, “No problem Chain, just give me a couple of minutes and I will bring it over to you.”

I see him smile and watch as he goes over to his bedroll and lays back down next to the young colt. I cannot help but be reminded of my bucks and our foals. Yeah, I think he will make a great parent.

A short time later I am over by our HQ equipment when my alarm goes off letting me know it is time for revile. I see Chain Lightning, brush in his mouth still look over at me with wide eyes. I smile at him and tell him, “Don’t worry Sergeant Major, I will get the ball rolling this morning. Take care of your son first.”

I pass the word over my PipBuck to the officers and NCOs to get everypony moving. Soon I see movement begin in the camp as the sun starts to climb into the morning sky. As it moves higher and I am eating my breakfast I look at it and remember this time last year. All of our comrades. I even laugh ruefully to myself a bit. Epona sees this and asks, “What’s so funny?”

Beside her, I see Chain and Dull Beak both looking at me with the same expression. I then tell them, “I was just thinking about last time I saw the sunrise from here,” I shake my head slightly, “I was worried about telling Major Quick Trot that I had gotten into trouble in New Appleloosa and been kicked out of town.”

I see Epona look at me, “Ma, why did you get kicked out of town?”

Still shaking my head, I tell her, “A group of bounty hunters had come for my cousin Trouble and tried to take him as we came out of a restaurant. They had the drop on us. But they did not know that Ginger, Xochitl, and Xaver were behind them as well as the six in front of them. I did try to talk them out of it. But they drew first and even wounded a couple of us.”

“What happened to the others?” I hear little Tater ask.

I look at him sadly and tell him, “Don’t worry, they won’t be hurting any ponies anymore.”

Beside me I see Epona’s eyes go wide as she realizes what that means. Then she asks me. “Ma, was Ginger or Xochitl shot?”

I put a hoof on her and softly tell her, “Not here, but yes, they both were shot during the expedition.”

This time I see her gulp, and I see Chain Lighting's eyes go wide.

Dull Beak looks up from his breakfast and says, “Sergeant Major, those two are tough as nails and deadly to boot. To be honest, we needed them, but many who were not there, just can’t understand.”

This makes me think, so I ask her. “Epona, were you ever shot?”

She nods her head, “Just once," she pauses and then continues, "At Prairie Garden. I really don’t want to talk about it ok.”

I nod, “If you ever do, we are here for you,” I tell her, then I notice the time. “Officers call," I tell those around me and I head over to the side so I can hold it.

After officers call, I give the troops a couple more hours to get the gear together and their camps cleaned up. Finally, I tell my HQ, “Ok, people, let’s get moving,” and we fall into the formation. As we get up, I watch Epona go over to where her equipment is and just like her sister, she swings the SMG onto her back with the practiced ease of a veteran along with her saddlebags.

Once my staff platoon is ready, I look at the rest of the battalion and give the order, “Forward, March.” And thus, we begin the last leg of our march out on deployment. The next time we set up camp will be to set up our main base of operations. Soon I lose myself in the rhythmic pace of the march and I just enjoy the feeling of being with my troops and having my little one on my back. I look over at Chain Lighting and I see he is doing the same with Sweet Potato and I notice that he actually seems happy.

We follow along the railroad tracks heading west. We are approximately 60 kilometers from New Appleloosa when we come to a small settlement called Hackamore. It has a small station along the side of the rails and buildings on both sides. I notice that the wooden water tower next to the tracks also has a guard post set up on it. When I see this, I nod in appreciation of the locals using what they have.

I have my troops stop and wait for me while I along with my staff go into town. As we approach, I see some of the locals running and many of the doors and windows being closed in the town. I realize at this point what it must look like so I raise a hoof and have most of my staff stay back and I walk forward with Taser next to me as well as Epona on my back.

Once I am to the station, I notice a small building that is marked with a sign saying Town Marshal on it. I look a bit more and then Taser sees an old battered building marked Town Hall. I nod and we begin to walk toward it. I am halfway there when I see a mare step out armed with a double-barrel shotgun. I see her faded yellow coat and gray mane and tail. She stops in the street, looks at us, and demands, “Tell me your business.”

I stop where I am, and I call back, “I am Lieutenant Colonel Mollygirl, of the New Canterlot Republic Army. We have been deployed from Manesville to establish bases and assist with rebuilding efforts in this region. It was my understanding that you had been informed we were coming.”

I see the mare look over her shoulder at the Town Hall. Then she nods her head and tells me, “Ok, you three come with me.”

We begin to follow her and as we walk, I tell her, “Well you know my name, this here young mare is my daughter Epona, and the buck next to us is Sergeant Taser, my ranking Military Policepony.

She nods her head and tells us, “Pleased to meet ya, I’m Sticky Wicket, I am a taking you to talk to Radio Shack and his brother Beach Shack. They are the mayor and town marshal here.”

Taser upon hearing this asks, “Ma’am, how come they sent you out here and stayed inside?”

She laughs, “Well, they said they were not sure if you were the troops we were told were coming, or if you were invaders, so being old, they figured I had the least to lose.”

I shake my head and look at Taser and he looks at me and shakes his head. Yep, this is going to be fun deployment alright.

As we are led onto the porch in front of the town hall, I see rifles and shotgun barrels sticking out of slits in the shutters. Then I hear the sound of wood scraping on wood as the locking bolts are moved. I stand there waiting alongside Sticky Wicket for the door to open. I casually ask her, “They normally like this?”

She shakes her head, and tells me, “Not normally but lately. Things were slow for the first couple of months after the day of Rainbows and Sunshine. But lately, we have had a bit of a problem with some groups of raiders. A few of them seem to have been from what was left of Red Eye’s army down this way. Some are from Cesar’s Legion that have drifted this way from Hoofington. Most of the time they don’t show up with more than twenty or thirty of them.”

I nod my head, “Well that explains this a bit better than.”

She nods her head and shortly after that the door finally opens. The light is dim inside. As we go in, I notice most of it is taken up by a large room. Off to one side is an office that has a barred window through which business can be conducted.

I notice ponies at all the windows. Then I see a bright pink stallion with blue mane and tail, behind a desk wearing a beat-up black derby, a dirty white shirt, and tie, along with a black vest. Sitting on the desktop next to him is a yellow stallion wearing a wide-brimmed hat and brown vest with a star inside a circle that has town marshal inscribed on it.

Wicket leads us over and introduces me to them. Once she has done so, the one behind the desk stands up, looks at me from the corner of his eye, and asks, “So what can we do for you, Colonel?”

I know the type. He doesn’t trust us, and to be honest, out here in the Wastelands, I do not blame him.

I tell him, “Well, first of all, I would like to set up an area for a base of operations near the town. If you would like, perhaps you or some of your people can assist us in determining a proper area for it. I would also like to discuss with you having my troops visit your town and spend some of the caps that have been burning holes in their saddlebags since we left Manesville.”

When I tell him the first part, he seems hesitant. But when he hears about caps, he first looks at his brother then back at me and I have their rapt attention.

“When would you like to start having your troops visit our fair village?” He asks.

“Within the next day or two to be honest. I also would like to begin to set up a temporary camp until the permanent one can be built.” I tell them.

They again look at each other and Beach Shack asks me, “As Town Marshall, I have a duty to make sure my people are safe. How many are you planning on having here and how many visiting at a time?”

I nod at him and I tell them, “Well with my HQ as well as the one heavy weapons company. The Scouts, the engineers, artillery and supply dump, I would say about two hundred.”

When I say this, I see all of their eyes get wide. So, I add, “But we would not allow more than a reasonable number to come into town at once.”

Beach looks at Radio and then back at me, “Ma’am that is a lot of ponies to bring into this area, I don’t have that many deputies to handle so many of them if they cause a ruckus.”

This is when Taser steps forward and he tells them, “That is what I am here for. As part of the Colonel's staff, I am in charge of her Military Police detachment.”

Beach lays his ears back alongside his head, then asks, “You planning on replacing me, is that it?”

Taser looks him in the eyes and calmly says, “NO. I am here to deal with military matters, not civil. That is unless things get out of hand and the local government cannot handle it, but I am sure that would not happen.”

Radio Shack then looks at Taser and asks, “And what makes you so special you think you could replace my town marshal?”

Taser calmly looks at him and replies, “First, I am fully qualified by Stable Tech training to be chief of security of a full stable. I do not think you have half the population we had in Stable 2, where I was trained or Stable 48, where I relieved their Chief of security for abusing a prisoner. Two, I have over 15 years of experience as a security officer, not counting the last year as an MP, which included being a shift supervisor for the Manesville Military Prison. Finally, if you are worried, I want to replace your people, think twice, once my deployment time is up, I want to head home to Manesville, I have two mares waiting for me and a foal on the way.”

When he says this, I see their jaws drop. Seeing their reactions, I turn my head to Taser and quietly say, “Please leave my family out of this.”

I see him smirk at that. Then I look at the two brothers and add, “Once we are relieved at the end of our deployment time, I too look forward to going home to my family. The filly on my back is just one of my foals.”

This seems to mollify them that we are not here to try and take over. Finally, the Mayor looks at Wicket and tells her, “Head on over to the land claims office and bring Back Bearing and Benchmark back along with some local maps so we can set these folks up.”

As she heads out, I send a message to Dull Beak informing him of what is going on and asking him to send Bailey Bridge up here to work with the local surveyors and determining a proper site for us.

As we sit there waiting for Wicket to return with the others, I notice they start to reopen the windows. I look across the street and I see the same going on there. I have to shake my head at how familiar they are with preparing for attacks so I ask, “Ok Mayor, how often have you been attacked lately?”

Radio Shack looks at me and cringes as he tells me, “About once a week we have a group of around fifty raiders who show up to collect tribute. Ya know, food, supplies, bottle caps. If we don’t give it to them, we have to fight, and Ma’am we are not soldiers.”

I nod my head and I tell him, “No, you are not.” Then I think for a second and asks, “How large a militia do you have?”

The brothers look at each other and Beach replies, “We don’t have one. It’s everypony for themselves.”

I nod my head, “Ok, why don’t you have one?" I ask.

Beach again answers. This time I can tell he is blushing, “Ma’am look at our weapons, a bunch of homemade and old sporting rifles and shotguns. No pony can fight well with that stuff.”

I nod my head and ask, “If I could get you the weapons, would you be willing to form a Militia. I am sure the NCR would even be willing to assist in building an armory for them when they are not needed.”

I see both of their jaws drop when I ask that. Then being suspicious Radio asks, “And how do you know we wouldn’t use them on you and your people.”

I turn my head just enough so both can see the scar on my face and my torn ear as I reply back, “Because your entire town will be close range to an entire battery of artillery as well as a battery of mortars and a heavy weapons company. Now, this does not take into account the three other rifle companies that will be stationed in other communities nearby. But being good NCR citizens, I am sure that this will not be a problem.”

I see their eyes go wide at this and they seem nervous, “And in case you are wondering almost all my troops are combat vets from the Serenity Valley last year, and all have experienced balefire detonations. So, we take our jobs and safety very, very seriously. I am sure you can understand that.”

“Uh, uh, yes, yes I can. So that many raiders are no problem for you?” Radio Shack asks.

I smile grimly at him and tell him in an even, quiet tone, “No. At Serenity Valley, we had fewer troops who held off over 700 raiders and veterans of Red Eye's army. Now I can always call for more troops from the NCRA, including our dragon if need be. So no, raiders can be dealt with.”

About this time, I see Bailey Bridge arrive and along with him is Summer Solstice. I have to laugh as she walks in chewing on some old dried radhog she brought from White Cloud with her, a piece of the strip still hanging out of her mouth.

All of the ponies in the building turn to look at her. Their eyes are wide again. She smiles, shakes her head, and tells Bailey, “See, I was right on how they would react, pay up.”

Beside her, I hear him say, “Damnit, I really thought you were full of it.”

Radio Shack then turns to me, “You have an officer who is a Dashite?”

I smile as I tell him, “Yep, we have several pegasi with us as well as some cattle, now, where were we?”

About this time, I see a ruckus on the street as ponies come out onto the covered porches next to the street staring as they watch Kettle Belle and one of her troopers come walking down the road. The trooper is carrying a heavy anti-material rifle on her battlesaddle.

As they get to the town hall the trooper goes and stands at the side of the door with her weapon at the ready.

Kettle Belle comes inside and asks, “So Colonel, am I invited to this party too?”

Wicket looks at her then me and asks, “You have one headed Brahmin with you?”

Kettle Belle shakes her head, “Cows ma’am. I am a cow. Brahmin are what happens to cows after two much magical radiation. My ancestors were fortunate enough to find shelter in a Stable.”

The locals all look back and forth from each other to us and finally, Beach asks, “Is there anything else we should know?

Bailey Bridge gives him a big smile and says, “Well now that you ask Marshal, our XO is a Griffon and Slide Rule, the commander of our artillery battery has the Town Hall and Town Marshal's office sighted in. First rounds will be on target if you try anything.”

I smile and nod my head; she is doing well filling in for Archer already. I look at them and then say, “Oh and my artillery commander is a veteran from the fighting in Fillydelphia, so, she is a bit twitchy.”

The two brothers look at each other and I hear one say to the other, “Now she tells us she's twitchy?”

Over the next two weeks, we build our main base two miles further west from the village on a rise. To the south, we can see the village of New Pastern. To the north, we can barely see the lights at night from the village of Bare Withers. After we finish digging in and building the artillery revetments and bunkers, I have Bailey and his engineers drill for water. Once we have the well, things seem to be coming along well enough that I send a squad of engineers along with L troop to New Pastern to build their base. I want them the closest so I can keep an eye on them easier. I worry about them after having heard how they were on their expedition compared to ours. However, overall, my worries seem unfounded.

I go along with each of my troops as they approach a new village the first time. This allows me to meet with the leadership and to get a feel for our area. The furthest out of our bases is by the village of Founder to the South. In the distance, I can barely see the Macintosh Hills. The head of this village is a gray unicorn mare with a light purple mane and tail named Silver Melody. When we first meet her, we hear her first, she is singing as she works with some of the others from her village in the gardens.

As we approach, I call out to them so they are not surprised, “Hello to the town.”

I see her and those with her turn quickly and several of them run for shelter. She stands firm, but I notice her horn starting to glow as she asks, “Who are you? what do you want here?”

I tell those with me to stay where they are and I go forward alone. I make sure that the bit for my battlesaddle is stowed fully so she can see I am not an immediate threat. As I approach, I tell her, “My name is Lieutenant Colonel Mollygirl of the New Canterlot Republic Army. My battalion and support troops have been assigned to this area to help stabilize things, giving you and your people more time to work on what is important, rather than having to protect yourselves all the time. Who do I have the honor of talking too?”

I see her still looking at me cautiously, her horn still charged. “I am the village president Silver Melody. Now how can I know you are not here to just take over?”

I sigh and tell her, “Ma’am, I am not going to waste either of our time trying to convince you, if you don’t want us here, I can always station my company of troopers somewhere else, that may want their protection more.”

She then asks, “How many troopers are you talking about?”

I take a deep breath and tell her, “About a hundred, give or take those that are on detached duty or on patrol.”

She looks shocked when I tell her the number of troops. Then she tells me with a nervous expression on her face, “I am sorry Lieutenant Colonel, but we simply do not have enough rooms much less food to house and take care of so many of them.”

I then smile and tell her, “Ma’am, the NCR will provide food for our troops. If you give us permission to base them here, we will discuss with you and your residents where the best position for our new outpost will be. We will build it and maintain that also.”

She then looks at me and those with me and tells me, “For this big a decision I want to talk to the village council. Can you give us some time to consider it?”

I sigh and tell her, “How about we set up a temporary camp over there on that rise for the night. Come morning you can give us an answer. Also, feel free to have any members of your community come to our camp and visit us. We will answer their questions to the best of our ability.”

She looks back at her village nervously and tells me, “Ok, set up your camp for the night. I will talk to the council and we will give you an answer in the morning.”

I nod my head and extend a hoof to shake hers as I tell her, “Agreed, it is a pleasure to meet you ma’am and I hope we can work together.” I then turn back to my troops and tell Captain Work what our agreement is for now.

Once I turn away from him, I hear him call out, “Platoon Leaders and NCOs Call five minutes.”

Soon after the meeting with his officers and NCOs I watch as the rest of the troops are led to the rise and begin to set up camp for the night.”

At first, the villagers are very cautious and do not trust me or my troops fully. However, after watching them set up tents and dig their temporary entrenchments they start to become braver and a few start to approach the members of the Enfields and talk with them.

As the evening begins to set in, and my troopers settle in for the night I hear some singing begin around the campfires. The singing is soon joined by the few instruments that are with the company wagons. I am amused as I watch the civilians begin to intermingle with the soldiers, singing and in some cases dancing. It is interesting to hear the different accents of the two groups, but the way they harmonize seems so different yet pleasant on the ears.

I settle in for the night with my bedroll by the fire closest to the village, along with the rest of the E troop HQ squad. When I awake to my alarm in the morning, I am startled to see that a group of the village elders, along with the village president are slowly walking their way towards us in the morning mist.

As I get up Epona also gets up. Soon she and I are joined by Captain Clock Work and Lieutenant Trip Hammer as we walk to meet them.

When we are close enough to them Silver Melody stops and then tells us. “Lieutenant Colonel, we have reached an agreement among our council. We will allow your troops to build their outpost at the location they are already at, however, it is with the understanding that they are to assist us in our defense and that we are not required to house or feed them.”

I then look at all the members of the council before I look her again in her eyes and I tell her, “Agreed. Thank you very much. Myself and those with me all look forward to working with you and your ponies.” And I again extend my hoof to shake it with her and the others from the village that are here with her.

From my back, I hear Epona say to them, “Welcome to the NCR Mares and Gentlecolts.”

The Doorkickers are to be stationed in Bare Withers. It is a short distance from the south edge of a large wooded area. Many of the locals tell us to stay away from the woods near there, as they are unnatural and creatures in them are not normal.

When I approach the village of Bare Withers the first time, I am greeted by several earth ponies and unicorns. A very large blue earth pony with a light-yellow mane and whitetail introduces himself right away, “Hello, I am Columbine, are you the NCR Troops we been hearing about?”

For the first time in a while, my jaw actually drops from surprise. I shake my head and tell him, “Well we are from the NCR, Columbine. I am Lieutenant Colonel Mollygirl.”

As soon as I say my name, he turns to the others with him, “Yep, this is her. This is the one Silver Melody sent the messenger about,” then he turns back to me, “Well welcome Ma’am, it is about time y’all got here. We've been waiting for the last couple of days.”

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry we kept you waiting so long. So, you understand we want to set up an outpost for the NCR army by your village?”

He shakes his head yes and then tells me, “Ma’am, we even have the spot chosen for you. Goddesses know we could use the help. We have had a problem with timberwolves lately.”

When he says this, I reply to him, “Timberwolves? I thought those only lived in the Everfree forest.”

His infectious grin gets even larger as he then says, “Y’all ain’t from around here are ya? That there is the southern edge of the old Everfree.”

When he says this Captain Broken Hills and his 1^st Sergeant Bullet are next to me. I hear Bullet say, “Oh you have to be kidding me.”

I simply turn my head and tell him, “Sorry dad, but seems not. Now let us see where they want you to set up your outpost.”

I then stand back and watch as Columbine and the others lead Broken Hills and the rest of the Doorkickers to an area they feel will be best suited for them.

From my back, I hear Epona say, “Ma, did he say the Everfree? Like in all those old Nightmare Moon tales?”

I nod my head and tell her, “Yes dear, and no, you cannot go exploring.”

It is the third week that we have our first incident with the local raiders. I happen to be in town meeting with Radio Shack when I hear the locals call out that raiders are approaching from the southwest and are in a large group. I watch as the locals start to close up their shops and homes as quickly as they can. I get on my PipBuck and call for the scouts to put up air cover for us. I also have the rapid response force of our base activated.

Then I join Radio Shack on the porch as he goes to the edge of town to meet them. As we walk out, I see the pegasi of the scouts take off from the base and I see the artillery begin to shift this direction. I hear Epona from next to me tell me, Ma, I will be behind those barrels over there. I got you covered.

The lead group of six raiders comes straight towards the mayor, the remaining thirty or forty stay back. I notice their appearance and I see not only the normal hodgepodge of cobbled-together weapons and armor, but I notice several have scalps hanging on them. One even has a jacket made of different pony skins each scrap showing a different cutie mark.

As I notice them, I begin to smile; my ears slipping half back. Oh, this is going to be fun. Over my radio headset in my helmet, I hear Summer Solstice say, "She just gave the signal, Long Bow, Prepare to fire the first round into the large group. Make it a smoke round.”

I nod my head at this and once the lead Raider is close enough, I hear him laugh and say to Radio Shack, “What’s this, you have yourself a new little filly who thinks she is tough?”

I let him get closer, Radio Shack looks at me nervously and replies, “No, she is not mine. She is from the NCR, Poison Stream.”

I hear him say this and shake my head in disgust and twitch my tail in frustration. My hoof has been forced already, and I hear Summer Solstice say "Fire spotting round," which is followed by the thunk of a mortar tube. If Radio Shack cannot believe we are here to help, he and his town must see what we are capable of.

I tilt my head and look at this Poison Stream, making sure he can see the scar on my face and my torn ear as I tell him, “No, I am not HIS filly, my husbands and wives would not sink as low as to deal with you and your like," I pause and then tell him, "Also, that sound you just heard, well that is a spotting round. I recommend you have your ponies lay down your weapons and surrender.”

I hear a commotion as the smoke round lands in the middle of the large group of raiders. He laughs as do those with him. Still laughing he tells me, “That all you got. Smoke, how about a little magic?”

I smile again and I tell him loud enough to be heard over my PipBuck transponder, “Ok, have it your way, Fire for effect.”

Suddenly I hear four mortar tubes open fire rapidly and the rounds cover the area his raiders were standing. For over thirty seconds all you can hear is explosions of the mortar rounds and the screams of those who are either hit or simply terrified as 32 rounds land amongst them.

I watch as he goes for his weapons and I quickly activate my battlesaddle. As my Doombunny comes forward I see a series of rounds stitch across his side from the direction of Epona.

As he goes down, I shift my fire to the other leaders.

I also notice some shots coming from above as one of the flying scouts’ shoots into them also.

By the time the mortar rounds stop landing, the fight is all but finished. I see Kettle Bell and the rapid response team have cut off their line of escape and I hear several quick bursts from a couple of the miniguns carried on the larger troopers’ battle saddles.

Soon, there is little left but the screams of pain of the wounded and a few who are begging us to spare them.

I walk over and look down at Poison Springs body, I laugh lightly and I tell his empty shell, “No, that was not all I had, and you should have listened to my advice.”

I then turn to Radio Shack and ask him, “Now do you understand how we deal with raiders who refuse to change their ways. Oh, and in case you were wondering, we didn’t even use the artillery, just the mortars as well as a platoon of scouts and one heavy weapons platoon, so when we provide weapons for your Militia, remember whose side you are on.” I pause briefly and call over the radio, “Make sure you pick up any weapons and ammo from this trash and have it turned in at the Town Marshal’s office.”

As I turn and walk away to meet Epona I hear the sound of water hitting the ground behind me. Epona steps out from behind the barrels and slings her SMG across her back and tells me, “Sorry about cutting it so close there Ma, but I figured I could give you a bit of an advantage.

I smile at her and give her a quick hug as I tell her, “You did fine dear, thank you.”

I see Taser and Beach Shack trotting up to me and I tell them, “Take the survivors prisoner, make sure their wounds are treated.”

Taser smiles broadly at me and replies, “Yes Ma’am, the medics are on their way, and Doc Treacle has his surgery ward prepared.” He then clears his throat and touches the side of my neck and says, “And you might want to get a dressing on the wound on your neck.”

I snicker slightly, “Dang, again, I had not even noticed this one,” and I begin to walk back toward our base.

From beside Taser, I hear Beach say, “She really is a terror isn’t she.”

Taser replies saying, “That was nothing, only a skirmish, you should see her in a real fight.”

As I walk by several of the townspeople have opened their windows back up and I see them point at me and Epona as we walk by. Soon Sticky Wicket catches up to me and tells me, “Colonel that was very impressive,” then she asks, “What if more show up?”

Epona looks at her and answers before I can, “Wicket, the same thing.”

Then Epona asks her something I have been wanting to, but was too polite to, “Ma’am, how did such a wantta be colt become mayor?”

I see Wicket first blush then she sighs and she tells Epona, “Because he made others believe he and his brother knew how to handle things best. But it seems he needed the proper support to be able to stand up to those raiders.”

Many of my command are proud of how we handled the raiders, and overall, I am also. But part of me hates Radio Shack for not having enough guts to stand strong with us. I do not trust him. The funny part is his brother Beach is the opposite. Beach was tickled pink with not only how things worked out, but his brother finally being humiliated.

I am back in my office on the base when I hear a knock on the door. I look up and I see it is Beach Shack along with Taser. Taser asks “Ma’am, can we come in and talk for a minute.”

I stop working on the paperwork I have in front of me and tell them, “Sure, come in,” as they enter, I see Beach Shack looking all over my office like a young colt seeing the world for the first time. Then I say, “Welcome to my HQ Beach. It is nice to have you finally come to see us.”

I see his eyes looking at the old map of Equestria that has been marked for the NCR on the wall. Suddenly his eyes get wide and he asks. “You folk come from way up there?”

I nod my head and tell him, “Well most of us, Taser and his family call Manesville home now, but they were originally from Stable 2.” Taser nods as I say this.

Then I ask, “So Marshal, what can I do for you?”

He turns as if surprised when I ask this and smiles, “Ma’am, I just wanted to thank you in person for both helping with the raider situation as well as putting my brother in his place. Now don’t get me wrong I do love Radio, but he always tries to bully everypony into doing what he wants. Ya know today was the first time I ever seen him so scared he wet himself. Ma’am if you weren’t a married mare, I would kiss you for that alone.”

I laugh lightly and blush when he says this, and before I can say thank you, he continues and tells me, “Don’t worry ma’am, Taser here has told me about both his and your family’s unusual arrangements.” He laughs lightly and continues, “He even said you catch some flak for it, which I am sorry to hear ma’am. But I have to say, I would love to meet the bucks and mares who can keep up with you.”

Still smiling, I shake my head and I tell him, “Marshal, who knows, you might get to meet one of my husbands, depending on how the unit rotations work out. But if you ever find yourself up Manesville way, do stop by. Now, I must ask, what else can I help you with?”

He smiles again and tells me, “Well Ma’am, I was just wondering what you wanted to do with those surviving raiders. I know there is only a couple over a half dozen, but still.”

I sigh and look at Taser and then the Marshal again, “Beach, right now if you could keep them in your jail, I would appreciate it. I want to offer them the chance to leave the raider life. Let’s let them cool their heels for a week or so. If they don’t, or they refuse to take us up on the offer we will let Junction Town decide.”

He smiles and nods his head, “That sounds fair Colonel, ya know, you really aren’t a bad pony, just tough as nails with those who go against you.”

I nod my head and tell him “Thanks, I try to be fair. But I am also honest, not everybody can be saved, and the Goddesses have mercy on them that can’t, because I surely will not.”

After that we talk a bit more about home, Hackamore, and what Beach Shack would like to see happen for the town. After they leave, I find myself sitting at my desk, staring at the map and praying to the Goddesses and Sweet Cream that we can save those few who survived today and that we can help the region with as little bloodshed as possible.

The longer I am in the position of being the Old Mare, the more I understand Quick Trot.

It is a week later before I get the first report from Broken hills from over in Bare Withers. It seems he has had a stallion named Pressed On come over and tell him that he has heard rumors that a village nearby called Croup has been having raider problems and is asking for help. He has sent a platoon to check it out and will let me know the results later. For some reason, this name sounds familiar to me and I cannot remember where I heard it before.

During this time each of the bases sends out patrols to the surrounding area and other villages that are near them. They begin to know the locals. Some of the communities are friendly and welcoming, while others are distrustful. The friendly settlements are often glad to hear about what the NCR is and why we are here.

After receiving this message, I have a security team escort me over to Bare Withers to see how things have been going. Chain Lightning is with me on the team along with Summer Solstice. Paper Work is also with us carrying the mail for the Doorkickers. We finally got our mail yesterday on the train from New Appleloosa. Not only did we get mail, but we also got some supplies.

I was pleasantly surprised to see several new settlers get off the train. A couple of which were Merchants who I met as they went to the Town Hall to see about setting up some businesses. It seems they feel that where there are army troops getting regular pay, there are caps to be made. As long as it's fair and honest I do not care.

As we arrive at Bare Withers and begin to head to the Outpost, I see Columbine out in a field with several others moving rocks around. At first, I wonder what they are doing and then it hits me, they are rock farming. That close to the Everfree? Well this should be interesting I tell myself and I simply wave to them as we pass by.

As we get close, I see the base has some fencing set up around it. I also notice a tall watchtower from which the flag of the NCR is flying, in the middle of the base, by what I assume is the headquarters bunker. Besides several other bunkers, I notice several entrenchments that have wooden roofs over them to protect those in them from rain or sun.

As I get to the gate I am greeted by Dusty and Nightshade who are standing guard. Both nod to me and Dusty tells me, “Good afternoon Colonel, The Captain is in his headquarters. Anything new Ma’am?”

“Thank you, Corporal, nothing really new other than mail came in from Manesville today,” I tell them.

I smile when I hear Nightshade ask Paper Work, “Did I get any mail Sergeant?”

Paper Work looks at him and tells him, “Honestly trooper, I don’t know, I just looked at which troop the mail was being sent to and sorted it out. But I hope you do get some, I know what it is like to wait too.”

I see Nightshade appear to blush and he tells Paper Work, “Sorry Sergeant, I should not have asked.”

Paper Work now smiles at him and tells him, “Son, if I knew I would dig it out for you right now. I know how important mail is this far from home, but if you have any your company staff will make sure you get it.”

Then I hear Dusty ask, “Nothing from Choo Choo Yet?”

He shakes his head, “No, but I am sure she is busy. You know how it goes.”

Then we continue on to the HQ, I see several others from D Troop that I know and recognize on the way. Just before we get there I am stopped by Triage. “Ma’am, I know you have Doc Treacle at your HQ, but if you need anything, I mean anything at all, let me know. Sutures would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you.”

I smile as I shake my head and tell her, “Thank you very much Triage, but I am ok for now at least. But if I do need anything, I will let you know. Also, please let me know if you need supplies or anything also.”

She smiles at this and tells me, “Nah, nothing right now, other than a partner who has more than six months of experience as a medic. And yes ma’am, I know it is not Gauze’s fault, but he is almost fresh out of training.”

I try not to laugh as I tell her, “Triage I remember hearing others say the same about another combat medic when she first joined us many years ago.”

She suddenly looks indignant and asks, “Who said that, who?”

I look her right in the eyes and I gently tell her, “My wife Sutures. And you were the one who saved her life at the Valley and we are both very grateful to you for that.”

I see her jaw drop, “Really ma’am, she used to say that about me?” she asks.

“Yes Triage, but over time and as you became more experienced, she trusted you enough she felt she could leave her ponies and cattle in your hooves so she could go on special missions. We both have full faith and confidence in you Triage. Now I hate to say it, but I need to get going.” I say as I finish heading to the HQ for this outpost.

As I duck inside, I see several of those nearby go to stand up at attention. I quickly tell them to carry on and am led by Bullet to Broken Hills’s office. I have the others take care of their business they need to do here at the HQ or in the case of Epona and my security detachment I have them wait in the main portion of the headquarters. As I enter his office, I see Broken Hills as he looks up from the paperwork he is working on and put the pen down he was holding. Once it is down on his desk he looks up and speaks to me. “Good afternoon Colonel, what do I owe this pleasure to?”

As I take a seat across the desk from him, “Good Afternoon Captain, I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to get away from Hackamore and see how things were going up this way. Especially with the platoon, you sent out to the village of Croup.”

I see him sigh as I say this and he looks at me and tells me, “That is what the report I was just signing was. It was not good. The third platoon brought back what survivors they found. The raiders left us a message too, the trooper who picked it up was a unicorn, or else they would have lost their muzzle as it was rigged to a booby trap. Unfortunately, it did wound three of my troopers.

I shake my head. “How bad were the troopers wounded?”

“Two were lightly wounded, the unicorn took a large part of the blast but was lucky and was next to a small bookshelf that took most of the damage. However, ma’am, she took some pretty bad wounds to her head and face that are going to scar. Ma’am, if you could, would you mind visiting her over at sickbay?”

I sigh then tell him, “Yeah I will. It’s just hard as a mare for us to take scars on our faces. We know what it does to our beauty.”

I see him shaking his head as he tells me, “Colonel if you don’t mind my saying so, you really are a beautiful mare still. You don’t have to believe me, you have how many spouses who let you know?”

I nod my head and then tell him, “Broken Hills, you don’t have to butter me up. You are already getting a good fitness report. But I know what I look like too, I have seen the fear in the eyes of foals and heard the comments of other adults. I also know this mare is going to need some support. But before we go see her, we need to figure out what we are going to do to catch these raiders.”

He nods his head, “Search and Destroy operations ma’am?”

I feel an evil grin come across my face as my dark side rises and I tell him, “I prefer Sweep and Clear, it sounds less messy that way. But I will be sending you reinforcements for the operations.”

“Sounds good Colonel, shall we go talk with my staff to start planning?”

I nod my head and I tell him, “Yes, and have them bring this pony Pressed On, I want to talk with him too. I want to hear his story and what he knows about the hostile forces in the area. Oh, and also, Paper Work brought your company their mail.”

“Thank you, ma’am, I know my troops will appreciate it.” He says in a dull voice.

I look at him quizzically and ask, “Don’t you have anypony back in Manesville now?”

He shakes his head, “Not really ma’am. I lost what was left of my family during the raider attacks right after the expedition. I guess I just haven’t moved on yet.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I understand how that is. I guess this whole thing with the raiders is kinda personal than?”

He nods his head and tells me, “Very personal ma’am, so let’s move on shall we.”

__________

Dear DJ Pon3

We recently had some soldiers from the NCR arrive in our town. I have seen their dark side when they were challenged. They are not from here, and I don’t think they know what the Wastelands are really all about. If you would, please play Welcome to Paradise as a welcome to them.

Thank You

Radio Shack, Mayor, Hackamore.

All nations go through birthing pains. In part, we are seeing the NCR going through that stage. When civilization tries to return to a ravaged area there usually will be someone there to oppose it as they prefer things the way they are.

For those who want to hear this chapter's dedication song, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olli9bETzXk