Chapter 79 Sweep and Clear

”If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.” – David Hackworth

Come morning as I get up at reveille, I look outside and see that the rain is falling as scheduled. It is a heavy downfall and it will affect when we can begin our next set of operations.

As I get up from my bunk, I see Epona staring at me and I ask her, “What you thinking about dear?”

She just smiles and tells me, “How lucky I am to have found ya again ma. I was so afraid of what I would find on this side of the Doorway.”

“I feel lucky too dear, I am so happy to have you here with me also,” I tell her.

As she gets up, I begin to stow my bedroll and I hear her asks, “Ma, what is it like to have such a big family? I mean back home I only had you and mom and Granny and Millie. Ginger would sometimes visit.”

I smile at her, “Well before the expedition on this side, you lived most of the time with Granny Sumac. Ginger spent a lot of time there too. Your mom was single and only the month before you both died did she and I admit we had feelings for each other. I was already with Badger and Magpie and we all were going to be a big family. We all loved the you from this side so much.”

I hear her sniffle a bit, “On my side, I felt very loved by you and mom both. I missed you and Millie so much when you were killed. It still hurts some. Ma, do you think the other parents on this side will like me?”

I nod my head and give her a hug, “Dear, I am sure they will. As will all of your siblings.”

Then she asks me something that stuns me, “Ma, when we get home, can I visit their graves? I mean of Ma and the me from this side?”

I nod my head and tell her, “Of course. If you want, I will be with you when you do. I tend to go see them every once in a while, also.”

She nods her head and pushes against me into the hug more and says, “I would like that Ma. I need to say goodbye and thank you to them.”

After we break the hug, we go to the mess tent and grab a quick breakfast. This is followed by another dash through the rain back to the HQ Bunker. Where we are greeted by Broken Hills.

“Good Morning Colonel I hope you slept well. Also, Congratulations on the newest addition to your family. Paper Work let us know this morning. If you could also forward our happiness and congratulations to the rest of your family. Especially Specialist Sutures and Captain Archer.”

I am slightly taken aback and tell him, “It will be my pleasure to, but Sutures is no longer a Specialist, she has been medically retired.”

When I say this, he looks at me like I had told a joke and laughs lightly, “Colonel, she will always be a Specialist or Doc to us. Several of us still owe our lives to her. We are just glad she got her chance to be a mother.”

I can understand how they feel so I tell them, “Ok, I will write to her tonight and tell her for all of you. And thank you also. Now, what have you got for me?”

Broken Hills and staff brief me on plans for the operation I have ordered. They will leave one platoon behind at the base while the other two will make a sweep towards the area where the raiders are believed to be operating from, based on the information we received from Pressed On.

To assist them I am assigning one platoon from the Lancers as well as one from the Belles. One squad from both of the engineers and scouts will also be directly assigned. Finally, I am having one section of the mortars transferred temporarily to Bare Withers for closer fire support.

We have operated against raiders plenty of time over the years, but I do not remember us ever having gone after a built-up base of operations. So, I am going in heavy and with everything. The artillery battery is also on standby with their guns. I am somewhat concerned though that their max range is just over 11 Kilometers which may prevent them from providing effective support. Well, it is field artillery; we may have to move it for a bit.

Once we are finished, I tell them, “Ok, we jump off in two days. I want you to make sure your people are ready for this. Remember how nasty Raiders can be.”

Broken Hills then looks me straight in the eyes, “Ma’am, after the valley we know how nasty raiders can be. I saw darkness there I never want to see again. I think we got this.”

“OK Captain. But remember I will be listening on the radio, so if you need more assistance let us know.”

He smiles at me as he says, “If I do, I will Ma’am. Believe me. I want each of my troopers to come home with me.”

I nod my head, “Very well Captain, I will leave it in your capable hooves. Now I need to get back to the Firebase. I look around and see Chain lighting and tell him, “Gather everyone and meet me at the gate in ten minutes.

Once back at camp we begin our process there of preparing for the anti-raider sweep. I call the officers of the firebase together and tell them what the plans are.

Long Bow is the first to raise a hoof and ask me, “Colonel do you want me to accompany the section that is going to be assigned at Bare Withers?”

I nod my head, “That should be a good idea as long as you are sure those back here can handle business while you're gone.”

He snorts a bit, “Ma’am, my mortar teams are professionals, besides, Slide Rule and I have been working with each other so we can cover for each other.”

I look over at Slide Rule and she nods her head in confirmation. Next Baily Bridge asks me, “ma’am, do you want me to lead the engineers assigned to this sweep?”

I shake my head, “No Bailey but I want your best squad to be assigned.” I then stop and turn to Summer Solstice. Lieutenant same goes for your scouts. I want you here in case I need to send out more troops.”

She nods her head and asks, “Colonel I would like to have my fliers that are staying behind be on standby to provide air support if needed.”

This time I nod in agreement and tell her, “That makes sense, go ahead then.”

I then look at Slide Rule. “Slide, I am not sure how far those troops may have to go in their sweep. If they move out of our range, I may have you take two of your guns forward some along with an escort to provide fire support. We may need to be careful of our fire as these raiders may have taken some local villagers as slaves.”

I see an almost feral grin come across her face, “Ma’am, you had my interest when you mentioned taking my guns into the field, but now that you have mentioned possible slaves taken by these raiders you have my full attention.”

I smile the same type of grin back at her. “Oh, I do understand Lieutenant. One of the things we hated most in the old Co-op was slavers. We treated them as lower than raiders.”

Beside her, I hear Kettle Bell tell her, “Believe her, we tried to give no quarter when we could. I am still laughing at what the Colonel did to the first slave caravan master that we captured from Red Eye’s Army.”

Slide Rule then turns to her and says, “So she killed him some fancy way, big deal.”

That is when Kettle Bell smiles and tells her, “Oh, no, worse, she let him live. She wrote a note to his commanders describing how he failed them and how much it cost them. Then she pinned the note onto him and we left him tied up like that.”

Slide Rule shrugs her shoulders and says, “So what, she let him live.”

Kettle Bell being patient then informs her, “Lieutenant, the officers in Red Eye’s Army that made that major of a mistake were financially liable and were forced to work it off. However, before being sent to Fillydelphia, he was first made to be part of an equine shield that charged us at the First Battle of Two Step. We later found out he was wounded but survived only to be sent to Filly.”

At first, she seems to not know what to think, then she realizes something and asks, “So he was responsible for all the slaves he lost?”

Kettle then tells her, “Oh, and the wagons and equipment he lost as well. What we couldn’t take, we burned, so they found him quicker.”

For the first time today, I see Slide Rule joyfully grin from ear to ear. She then looks at me and I see more respect in her eyes toward me rather than just my rank. We both keep a serious expression on our faces as we nod to each other.

After the meeting breaks up, I head out to find Epona to spend some time with her. I find her over by medical playing. They have a small bag filled with what Doc Treacle calls desiccant, that they keep knocking into their air with their hooves and even heads. When I see this, I am happy she is having a good time and I see Chain Lightning sitting there smiling watching them. Finally, he turns to me and says, “Colonel, why don’t we go do some work and just let them play. We can both spend some time with them later this evening, but I get the feeling they need this right now.”

I realize he is right so I head to the HQ. Once inside I go to my office and begin to work on the paperwork that was sent to me from Junction Town as well as Manesville. I am only interrupted once when Paper Work quietly comes in and gives me a cup of tea. I continue to drink it, but it does not seem to run empty so I guess he just fills it without my noticing.

Then I notice one of the messages from the NCR. It tells me that under no circumstances are my troops in the field supposed to fire their weapons without my authorization first. It seems that the NCRA has had a few incidents of troops just going in and opening fire when it was not necessary. Wonderful, another way of binding our hooves in a fight.

When I am finished for the day, I find Epona has come to my office and is reading a book quietly to the side. When I ask her what she is reading she shows me the cover. Mare Do-Well. I have to smile and tell her, “She is one of my favorite characters.”

I see her smile when I say this and she looks up at me and tells me, “I hoped so. It was on the other side and, well you used to read it to me all the time, and I was, uh, um, wondering if maybe you would read to me again some?”

I nod my head and I tell her, “I would be more than happy to. On the expedition, I got into the habit of reading Daring Do to Ginger, Xochitl, and whoever wanted to listen.”

I see her smile as she thinks about this. Then she tells me, “I would have loved that. The you on the other side used to read to me and Millie whenever she could. I have really missed that.”

“Would you like me to read to you now?” I ask.

I see her nod her head, and I get up from my desk, walk over to her and I sit down next to her. I feel her move even closer to me, she chooses a story and I begin to read to her.

The next day and a half go quickly for me as I continue the normal operations as well as getting my units ready for this field operation. I sit in my HQ most of the day listening to the radio. As they pass through the remains of two of the villages nothing occurs. It is when they come close to the third that things begin to change.

Over the radio, I hear, “DK1 this is DK 3, I think we are getting close.”

“Dk 3 this is DK 1 what makes you think that?”

I hear the mike click on and in the background I hear a pony vomiting. Then I hear “DK1, we have found the bodies of several ponies hanging in the trees. What they have done to them is a nightmare.”

“DK3, do not move those bodies, I am sending up the engineers to help make sure they are not booby-trapped.”

“Roger that DK1, I will advi…” I hear an explosion in the background and then screaming. Over the radio, I hear “DK1 we have three ponies down, I repeat three ponies down,”

The broadcaster leaves his mic open and I hear, “Quick get Gauze and Triage up here.”

I then begin to hear gunfire, followed by Triage in the background yelling, “LT, we need to medevac this one asap or he is not going to make it.”

I then hear “Dk1, this is DK 3, I need fire support and an ambulance asap.” Again, he forgets to toggle off the broadcast as I hear, “On the left, I want that squad to swing in behind them in that building. Ok, you. Cover them with that heavy mg.”

From behind me, I hear Summer Solstice tell me, “Ma’am, if they need an ambulance that bad, I can have one of my scouts grab a sky wagon and go get them.”

I nod my head, "Ok, but I want an additional medic in the sky wagon and at least one of your other scouts as a gunner. I get the feeling it is going to be a hot landing zone.”

She nods her head and as she turns, I hear her on her Pipbuck. “This is Scout 1, I need a team to go into a hot LZ to pick up wounded. “Dust Off, you are up, go grab a sky wagon. Grab Spit Shine with his MG and I want Hawes Carry to go with them, now. Move it. Sergeant, I also want Cloud Cover to escort them and provide air support.”

“Roger Ma’am, making it happen as we speak.”

I continue to listen to the combat progress over the radio. I hate this part, the not being able to be there. I look over and I see Dull Beak listening also. I can tell he hates this as much as I do.

Several minutes later I look out the window of my command bunker and I watch as a sky wagon with two ponies in the back takes off with a blue pegasus who is wearing a combat saddle with a light MG escorting it.

The battle is still raging 15 minutes later when I hear, “DK1, this is Dust-Off, mark me a landing zone to pick up wounded.”

“Dust Off, we are marking it with a smoke grenade, wait one.”

“Ok, I can see it DK 1, coming in to land,” Then I hear a burst of gunfire, “We are taking incoming fire, Cloud Cover, to the south, in that stand of trees.”

I hear a different voice I had not heard before. “Going in hot,” followed by the several short bursts of fire from a light machine gun.

“Ok, that should keep their heads down for a bit Dust Off.”

Soon after I hear again Doorkicker 1’s voice call out, “Gun Bunny 1 I need fire on target location twelve as preplanned.”

Soon I hear an artillery piece fire one round. A few minutes later over the radio, I hear, “Shot long Gun Bunny 1 drop range 50 Meters and fire for effect.” This followed by the four artillery guns of the base all opening up at once on the designated coordinates.

A short time later I hear, “Gun Bunny 1 this is DK1, cease-fire.”

Soon after this, I hear, “This is DK3, Village Clear Captain,”

This is followed by “DK3 this is DK1, resume patrol.”

I decide to step outside for a bit of fresh air at this point and Epona points towards the northwest and says, “Look Ma, here comes Dust Off.”

I look into the distance and I see the sky wagon flying as fast as it can. When I look towards the medical bunker, I see Doc Treacle and his staff are waiting. As soon as Dust Off lands stretcher-bearers are carrying the wounded into the Bunker and the medical staff begins a long day for them.

From my PipBuck I hear, “MG1, this is DK 1, the village is clear of hostiles. We have 20 dead raiders. No living civilians or slaves found. We have two dead troopers and three more wounded, request a second ambulance pick up. We will continue the sweep southwest toward the hamlet of Harness.”

I shake my head and call back, “Roger that. I will send them back out.”

I look over and see Summer Solstice with a grim expression on her face as she nods her head and goes back over to the recently landed sky wagon, which takes off again with its escort.

Summer Solstice fly’s back to me, she seems visibly shaken, “Ma’am, I have never seen Dust Off like that before. He was in tears and said he had never seen anything like it in his life. Those raiders have butchered the villagers.”

I close my eyes and shake my head and think back to Hereford on that day so long ago, and I tell her, “I know the kind of ponies that do such things. We have to stop them.”

She looks at me with her eyes wide and asks, “What do you mean ma’am?”

“Lieutenant I saw that type of behavior before from a pony named Silver Spite. I pray we are not going against another of his ilk.” As I say this, I feel Epona shudder on my back.

What I want to do and what I can do are two different things. What I want to do is pull up the roots of the entire battalion and hunt these monsters down. But my orders are to defend the local villages. My hooves are tied. I can send out my sweeps to clear the area but if they run, they can always come back.

As I go back inside, I see Sweet Potato come over, Epona hops off my back and they run off together. Chain Lightning comes over to me and asks, “Well ma’am, what do we do now?”

I sigh and I look at him and say, “Make a clearing pass and then have the troopers return to their bases. If the villagers call for us again, we go help them, but if we find out where their main base of operations is, we hit them hard. I may even call for George to see if she can fly down here.”

I see his eyes go wide as he asks, “Ma’am, do you really think they might send George this far?”

I turn to him and look sadly into his eyes, “I can only hope so.” Then we both turn and go back to the map tables and begin to exam it again. I really need to talk to Pressed On again.

That night the sweeping force spends sleeping in the field. I go and talk to the scouts who flew on the medevac mission and thank them. They are are all shook up a bit, however, Dust Off asks me, “Colonel, after seeing how much our little section of scouts was able to help get them to the Doc here, we were wondering if you could maybe assign us to work as part of the medical team normally during combat? I mean, it is not that we are afraid of going into combat, but I can tell you for a fact that two of those ponies we brought back would have crossed over if we were not there.” Behind him, I can see the Scout’s unicorn medic nodding her head.

Then I hear the one whose voice I recognize as Cloud Cover tell me, “Ma’am, as for me, I can’t let those three go into a hot LZ without cover fire. I am quick enough that I can dodge ground fire normally, and with my coat, well ma’am, it can make it difficult for the mud bounds, Uh, I mean ground ponies, to see me.”

I look at all of them and tell them, “Talk to your lieutenant about your proposal. IF she says yes, then I will. For what it is worth, I think it is a good idea to have you as a ready team but it does take away a section of her scouts.”

This seems to make them all happy. Finally Dust Off says, “Thank you, Colonel. I will ask her.”

As I walk away, I am starting to think of how to write up the proposal of a dedicated section of skywagon ambulances for each battalion’s aid station. Goddesses, I can almost hear Chappy popping his cork when this crosses his desk. Screw it, if it saves the lives of my troopers than it is worth it.

I then go over to medical and visit the wounded who are recovering there. Doc Treacle is still in surgery. The one pony who we were originally called out for has lost one whole foreleg. his other one is torn but will heal. When he sees me, his eyes tear up and he tells me, “I am so sorry ma’am. I know we should have waited for the engineers, but after what I saw was done to those ponies, I just felt I had to do something. I, I never thought this would happen.”

I sit down next to him and I feel tears in my eyes and I tell him, “It is ok Trooper. I am sorry you got hurt, but my wife Sutures lost a leg too so I know that they can make good prosthetics.”

I see an agonizing look on his face, “Ma’am, it's not that, it is the fact I wish I could stay in service and get those who did this to me and those villagers. Ma’am, it's not right. It was right up there with what happened to some of our wounded at the Valley.”

I shake my head at the memory. Then I tell him, “Son, we are going to be sending you home to Manesville. However, let them know what you want and why. I will write a letter and perhaps, perhaps mind you, we can get you one of those cybernetic legs that are out there.”

He nods his head, sniffles a bit, and then tells me as he looks up, “Thank you ma’am. I really appreciate it.”

I then sit and talk with both of the other two who are already lying in bed after having been treated. They both will be returning to duty as soon as their wounds finish healing.

As I am leaving, I hear Osteotome talking as she asks the trooper who had lost a foreleg, “How are you doing trooper?”

I hear pain, but also a smile in his voice as he tells her “I am doing better now that Ma has visited me and told me she would recommend me for a cyber leg.”

I hear the question in her voice, “Ok, who is Ma?”

Then I hear one of the others I had talked to earlier tell her, “Doc, Ma is what the troopers in the Door Kickers and Enfields are calling the Lieutenant Colonel nowadays.”

I am almost out of hearing range when the first trooper tells her, “But we would never call her that to her face, we just know she is there for us when we need her, but if we screw up, she will land on us like a ton of bricks.”

With that, I feel a smile on my face that I sorely needed. Besides, if I was going to have a nickname it could be a lot worse. Then I hear Epona call me, “Hey Ma, ya ready for chow yet?”

Smiling I shake my head and call back “On my way dear.” As I realize Quick Trot has her children, and I mine.

When I catch up with Epona we are accompanied by most of my staff as we all head to dinner at that same time. Funny thing is, it is like a family, even with the foals playing at the table as I watch Epona and Tater making faces at each other and hear them talking to each other. Even though Tater is younger by a year than Epona, they kind of remind me of Xochitl and Ginger, which does make me smile.

After they are done eating Tater and Epona come up to Chain and I. Then Epona asks, “Ma, Sergeant Major, can Tater and I be excused, we want to go check out the empty shell casing from today. Tater thinks he can make a bell out of one and I bet him he can’t.”

I look at Chain Lightning and he nods his head, then I turn to them, “Ok, but stay away from the big guns, and if they get a fire mission, I want both of you back to the command bunker right away.”

They both say “Ok,” and try and render a salute to me, then they turn and run off giggling.

As we are sitting there talking and finishing our meals, we are Joined by Kettle Bell, Summer Solstice, and Slide Rule. We continue to talk and I notice that Slide Rule and Dull Beak keep talking to each other. Soon I overhear her telling him about her family, and he tells her about Guerre Faucon.

I am startled to hear Kettle Bell ask me. “Colonel, you know that with the arrival of the Others we had some who were descended from Stable 4, I was wondering if you think I should ask my husband if perhaps we should add to the genetics of the cattle population?”

I am at a loss at first and then tell her, “If you think he would not mind, sure. But remember the others are planning on going back to Manesville with us, so it could quickly dilute the genetic diversity you are looking for.”

I see her smile at that, “Makes sense Colonel, but here is the kicker, both him and his wife, are talking about staying here when we rotate back. She heard about our plight and even offered his services. It seems they have talked to Radio Shack and Beach Shack about opening a brothel and have been approved. They even have a cook for the kitchen already hired.”

I sigh at this and ask, “Please for Sweet Creams sake tell me that they are all volunteers.”

She nods her head and smiles, “Actually yes. As are the ponies that are working there. That brings up another question though.”

I have to fight the urge to facehoof, but I succeed and instead ask, “Ok, what is the question?”

She pauses then says, “Well seeing their biggest customer base will be members of the NCRA, they were wondering if they could get weekly checkups from our medical department.”

I do not even know what to think of this development and I nod my head and tell her, “You may want to ask Doctor Treacle if his staff will be able to handle it. But it does make sense.” Inside I want to say no, and ban the troopers from going there, but I also realize that will just make matters worse. Who knew, I have a bit of a prudish streak.

While we are having this discussion, I see the expression on Dull Beak's face when he hears what we are talking about. Chain lighting seems amused by both the subject and my reaction to it. Finally, I hear Dull Beak ask Kettle Bell, “Are you serious, a brothel with cattle?”

She nods her head and tells him, “Sure, why not, haven’t you heard, once you go Moo, nothing else will do.” At which point she gives him a smile and a wink.

I watch as his beak falls open and his eyes wide. I also see Chain Lightning begin to cough on the bite of food he had just taken. Beside us, I hear Slide rule howling in laughter which is soon accompanied by Summer Solstice when she sees that I am blushing. The whole situation is topped off when Paper Work returns from refilling his glass at the dispenser, stops, and with a confused expression on his face asks, “Ok, what did I miss?” Which causes the rest of us to begin to laugh too.

In the morning I am in the command bunker when I hear the radio squawk as Broken Hills calls me, “MG1, this is DK1, I have arrived outside the village of Harness. I am requesting your presence here to meet with their leadership here.”

I go over the radio and Specs hoofs me the headset, “DK1, this is MG1 is there a problem?”

I hear him sigh and he tells me, “Ma’am, really, you need to come here to understand what the problem is.”

“Understood DK1, I will be there shortly, Do I need a full Escort?” I ask.

I then hear him say, “No Ma’am, but perhaps bring Captain Kettle Bell and the Sergeant Major with you.”

“Ok, give me a couple of minutes to round them up and we will be there,” I tell him.

I look over at Chain Lightning and tell him, “Would you mind going and getting Captain Bell for me. I have a few things to grab before we depart.”

“Yes ma’am, I will go get her. Where do you want us to meet you Colonel?” he asks.

I think for a few seconds and I tell him, “Over by the Scouts bunker. I think I will see if I can bum a ride for us.”

He nods his head and is trotting out the door when I see him suddenly stop and shake his head. Then I hear him say under his breath, “I hope she is not going to do what I think she is.”

I then grab my battlesaddle and weapons. I call over my PipBuck for Summer Solstice to meet me at her Bunker. On my way out of the command bunker, Paper Work tells me, “I got the foals ma’am, last I saw they were carrying an old shell case over to the quartermasters’ metalworking wagons.”

I nod at him and tell him, “Thank you, Sergeant, I know it is not in your official duties.”

He smiles and tells me, “Ma’am, right now it is the closest I will probably come to having my own youngsters, so I am enjoying it.”

Once I get to the Scouts area, I see Summer Solstice is waiting for me along with Dust Off and Cloud Cover.

As I come up Lieutenant Solstice smiles and shakes her head as she asks “Are you sure you want to take the sky wagon Ma’am?”

I nod my head and tell her, “Yes I am sure,” Then I ask Dust Off, “It will not be too heavy of a load will it?”

I see him shake his head no as he tells me, “No Ma’am, I have hauled more back in Thunderhead. Just not one of her kind.”

As he says this, I see Chain Lighting arrive with Kettle Bell. She looks somewhat concerned and asks, “Ok Colonel what up?”

I tell her, “They need us out at Harness as soon as possible so...”

As she asks, “So what Colonel, how are we?” I see her eyes get wide as realization hits her, and she says, “Colonel seriously, please no. I am a cow, all four hooves on the ground.”

I just continue to smile at her as I tell her, “Sorry, but this is the quickest way. You can keep your eyes closed if you want, but please do not make me order this, or I will.”

She looks me straight in the eye and tells me, “Fine, I will do it, but I am not going to like it.”

I grin at her as I see the skywagon being hooked up to Dust off, and I tell her, “How do you know if you never even tried it.”

She turns her head and with an expression of horror says, “Mollygirl, I have never been eaten by a dragon, but I do not think I would enjoy it. Sometimes you just know.”

Once Dust Off has the wagon ready he pulls it over to us and says, “Ready when you are Ma’am.”

I jump up onto the sky wagon excitedly and put a hoof out to help Kettle Bell up. She looks at me with some disdain and slowly climbs on. Once aboard she closes her eyes and I turn to Dust off. “Ok, ready Dust Off. Let’s go.”

As we take off into the sky Chain Lightning is on one side of us and Cloud Cover on the other. I cannot help but smile. I look out at the horizon leaning on the side of the wagon. From beside me, I hear Kettle Bell say, "Well it is not as bad as I had thought it would be.”

I smile at her and reply, “See, and look at the view.”

She looks out around us and I see her put her hoof over her mouth. Then she quietly says, “Will you look at that. It does not seem so bad from up here.”

I nod my head and smile. Then she sees something on the ground and points it out to me. “Hey Colonel, look, there are the Doorkickers and the others, by that run-down village.”

I look and I see them at what looks like the mouth of a canyon that is going underground, beyond what I would consider a typical wasteland village. I then call over the radio to Dust Off, “Go ahead and land near the opening.”

I quickly hear him reply, “Roger that, preparing to descend.”

He then takes us in for as smooth a landing as we could ask for. As I get out of the wagon, I walk over to him and tell him, “Thank you, that was one of the smoothest landings I have seen yet.”

He smiles and then tells me, “Your welcome ma’am, but it is a habit now, I have to make it as gentle as possible for the wounded.”

I nod my head in understanding and then head towards the cave opening with Kettle Bell next to me. As we walk up she seems somewhat disturbed, then she quietly asks me, “Mollygirl, I know you are a believer too, so, I, Uh, I was wondering, do you think I could have been a pegasus in a past life? Because I really enjoyed that.”

I have to smile at that and I quietly reply, “Perhaps, but we can talk about that tonight. Business first.”

I see her smile, “Ok, sorry about that.”

As she says this we come up to Broken Hills and his command group. At first, I think nothing of this until I take a closer look and realize what the issue is. In all my days, I never expected this. The leader of the village of Harness is standing next to him. He is also the tallest mule I have seen in my entire life.

Upon seeing him, I ask Broken, “Where is Woodrow?”

He laughs at me and tells me, “Ma’am they already have met him. Pearl is having a fit for some reason too.”

I nod my head and tell the mule, “Good afternoon sir, I am Lieutenant Colonel Mollygirl of the NCR Army, who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

The mule seems very surprised and I hear him let out a bray of laughter. When he stops laughing, I see him wipe his eyes and he tells me, “I am sorry, but you have to be one of the few around here that has ever called a mule sir.”

When he says this, I turn my head to look at Broken Dreams and he simply turns red and looks down. I return my attention to the mule and tell him, “My apologies for their ill manners.”

The mule nods his head and then tells me, “No offense taken, we are kind of used to it. But you can call me, Milo.”

I extend a hoof and as he takes it to shake, I tell him, “It is a pleasure to meet you. Now, what can I do for you that my Captain could not?”

He smiles and tells me, “Ma’am, the only reason we are even meeting with all of you instead of shooting on sight is we met that soldier of yours, Woodrow. Now he tells me you respect Mules as equals. I had to see it for myself, to decide if I could trust you, folks.”

I nod my head in understanding. Then I ask him, “Did he tell you one the foals in my family is named after him.”

I see Milo turn his head quickly at me and he asks, “Are you telling the truth?”

From beside me, Kettle Bell speaks up, “Yes sir, she is, I can attest to that. The foal’s mother is her wife Magpie, and the father is their husband Badger.”

I see him raise an eyebrow and twist an ear in her direction as he asks her, “Ok, next question is, what is up with all the one headed brahmin?”

I see Kettle Bell facehoof as she says, “Why does everypony ask that?”

I fight off the effort to laugh and then listen to her explain about cattle and how so many survived in Stable 48. The whole time he looks at her with his head tilted slightly and then he finally says, “Ok, I believe you. Now if you two, and only you two would please follow me, I will take you to the Board of Directors.”

I am surprised and tell him, “I thought you would be the mayor or part of a village council.”

He smiles at me, “I understand Ma’am, but I am only the head of security and what you see here is what most see,” he moves his hoof around towards the buildings of the village and then tells us, “This is just our trading posts and interaction point with outsiders. The real Harness is inside The Canyon.”

I am led down a very steep and narrow trail into a deep canyon, which has a narrow river flowing through it. As I walk, I notice that there are several choke points that we could not get past easily. In fact, I also notice that each chokepoint has several equines with weapons targeting it.

As we get to the bottom of the trail it opens up and I am stunned. I see a city that is carved into the rocks. This is no simple village. Everywhere I look I see mules, donkeys, and ponies walking along and doing business. I also notice evidence of what I would guess is a large militia force.

As I walk and am looking around, I notice Kettle Bell has come up next to me and says, “Colonel, this kind of reminds me of the Co-op.”

After she says this, I see Milo’s ear twist then he turns and asks me, “Ok, so what is the Co-op?”

So, I begin to tell him about the Manesville Co-op including the Stable and how we worked with the survivors when we opened up our stable.

I see him nod his head as we talk then we turn and go toward one of the stone-carved building fronts. As we enter it, I notice to the side that there is a cave with what appears to be a stable entrance. I stop and stare for a few seconds and shake my head. Maybe they are from a stable?

As I follow Milo, I notice that above the two-story carved building front is carved, Harness Civics Office.

When the door opens, I see a wooden desk with a computer on it and with what appears to be a secretary behind the desk. I also notice that the Mule jenny has an IF-9 combat shotgun next to her. Behind the desk, I see a sign that says Harness Mining Corporation. In a smaller text, I read; an Ironshod Industry Subsidiary.

Now, this has my attention. The mare nods her head as we walk past her into a large meeting room. In the room are several other equines, including two unicorns, four earth ponies, three donkeys, and several mules. Most of the mules in the room are lining the sides and are clearly security.

I nod my head at this and can understand. Especially as they have not taken away mine or Kettle Bell's weapons.

Once we are there Milo stops and addresses those who are seated, “Mares and Stallions of the board, I present to you Lieutenant Colonel Mollygirl,” he points at hoof at me, then shifts it to Kettle and continues, “And Captain Kettle Bell of the New Canterlot Republic Army.”

I see most of them nod slightly and a few just stare coolly at us. Then an older unicorn stallion stands up and comes forward and speaks to us, “I am Site Foreman High Grader. We do not normally receive guests here so please excuse us for not being more,” he pauses and puts a hoof to his chin and says, “More welcoming. Now, what may I ask, are you here for?”

I look around at the security and the board, I have to smirk as I answer, “Well, I was sent to offer assistance to the local communities here in dealing with raiders and other hostile bands. But it seems you are doing very well yourself.”

I see High Grader nod his head then he asks, “Yes, yes we are, now, that you have seen what we have here, what are your intentions?”

I turn only slightly so I can see the full board more directly, “Mares and Gentlestallions, I am offering you all membership as citizens in the New Canterlot Republic. You seem to be doing very well for yourselves. In which case I ask for your assistance in helping the rest of Equestria.”

After I finish, Milo then steps up again and tells them, “Before making any decisions, I ask that the board first ask them about where they come from and its history. I do believe it may have some relevance.”

At that point, I see them all nod their heads in agreement. High Grader than looks at me and says “Go on.”

At this point, I begin to tell him about the Co-op and its history. I even tell him about what our guidelines for membership into it used to be. When we finish I exam their faces to try and judge what they are thinking.

Finally, High Grader tells us, “Thank you. Milo, if you would please escort them back to the village. During your departure, you may tell the Colonel and her escort the history of our mine and the town.”

I see a look of relief come over Milo’s face and wonder what would have happened if they had chosen otherwise. While it would not have been good for Kettle Bell and me, I am certain it would have been worse for them. Now we wait to see what their answer is for the town concerning joining the NCR.

After we leave and begin to follow the trail back to the village Milo begins to tell us the real story of Harness.

“Colonel back during the war some miners found coal in the valley here. Well, the Ministry Mares decided that we needed to keep our supply sources of coal secret so the Zebras could not attack it. Once the mine was in full swing, we built the village of Harness up on this end for the company workers to live in, so it has almost always been here.” Milo tells us.

I nod my head and then Kettle Bell asks, “So what is the story about the vault back there?”

I hear him laugh and he tells her, “You don’t miss, much do you? Well, that was an incomplete stable. It was to have been 106 supposedly, however the only thing in there that had a number on it was the Stable Door. Other than that, well you could call it a fixer-upper. On the last day, the Harness CEO and other big wigs were supposed to have come here to hole up. Unfortunately for them, they never made it. Instead, we brought in our mining crews and their families. We started digging and improving the place right away. We had to use berthing areas instead of individual stalls because of the number of ponies and donkeys that were here.”

Both I and Kettle Bell nod our heads and I ask, “Not to be impolite but may I ask how come you have so many mules in your population?”

He smiles and tells me, “Well ya have to understand, with the living arrangements the way they were, well most of the social norms went by the way and we began to have group marriages. Many of which included mixed couples of donkeys and ponies. That is why It did not phase me when your captain mentioned your wife and husband. I was just surprised that an outsider would name their foal after a mule. Is all.”

I nod my head as I say to him, “Yeah, I can understand that. So, are you married than Milo?”

He looks at me and tells me, “Well I am, but we are always open to more partners? Why would you and your family be open to adding mules to it?”

I immediately blush and start to sputter. “Uh no, that is not what I meant. Not that I would mind, or the others a partner being a mule. It is just we put a stop to it after we added our sixth spouse.”

I see him smile at me and then he asks, "Well, would you be up for some casual company then?”

When he asks that I catch my self-looking him over and I tell him, “Really Milo, that offer is more tempting than you know, but unfortunately, while I am polyamorous, I do not cheat. But just so you know, Damn are you tempting sir.”

I see him smile, “Ma’am, I will take that as a high compliment then. Just wondering though, why did ya put a limit on the number of spouses?”

I then frown and just say “Badger.”

He looks confused a bit and then Kettle Bell tells him, “Her husband Badger’s behavior. While on our last deployment the Colonel fell in love with our artillery Lieutenant and one of our medics. She was remaining faithful to her spouses but wrote for permission to add them to the family. When we finally reunited with the Co-op Defense Force, well, it turns out Badger had gotten their now final partner pregnant shortly after we had departed.”

He looks at her and I can tell he is thinking of something. Then he asks, “There is something special about that final mare that ya’all have not said yet. What is it.”

I look at him and I tell him, “Well she was the mare who was like a mother to me since I was a filly. The worst part is my wife Magpie walked into the kitchen on the while they were still superimposed.”

I hear his braying laughter at this and then he tells me. “I am sorry about that ma’am. It is just not something ya hear about all the time.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I can understand that. I would have laughed too if someone told me a story like that. In fact, I did when he told me.”

Once we get back to the village Milo tells me, “Well ma’am come on back in a couple of days and we will give you an answer.”

I smile and nod my head as I tell him, “Ok that sounds good.”

Before he turns away, I see the sergeant for the engineers' squad trot over to me. “Good to see your back ma’am, I was a might bit worried.”

“Thank you, sergeant, but everything turned out ok,” I tell him.

Then Milo asks him, “Besides Sergeant, if it hadn’t what do you think you would have been able to do?”

The sergeant smiles an evil smile and replies to Milo's, “Well sir, you have to understand I have already talked to our Lieutenant Bailey Bridge. He reminded me of our training sessions with the former ghoul sapper from the war. Sir, I already took on observation flight and found what was your former exit for the canyon. I then discussed with him over the radio what I had seen and since the Colonel made him promise no balefire eggs, he told me to consider using explosive charges to bring down the tops of the canyon so it was more easy to access with artillery or maybe even a thermobaric explosive. That old sapper swore by them. Said they were better than balefire eggs because they had no magical radiation. But when they detonated those that were in the area often had their lungs dragged out their mouths.”

My jaw drops as does Milo’s. Then Milo looks at me with wide eyes and back at the sergeant, “I am really glad things went well then,” he pauses and asks, “Is that what you would do to us if we refuse to join the NCR?”

I shake my head and tell him, “No Milo, we would leave you alone to your own devices. We do not force others to join us.”

Milo looks at the sergeant and asks, “So why would he mention those berothermic thingies?”

I smile and tell him, “Because my troops do not take lightly anyone hurting me or our troops. Also, just so you know, almost all of my troops are Balefire Egg Veterans. We have seen them used in combat, so that is why I do not like them.”

I see him slowly nod his head and say, “Yeah, I can see that. Well, ma’am, I will see you again soon.”

I nod my head in agreement and turn to walk back to the sky wagon with Kettle Bell. As I walk, I catch myself swinging my tale a bit more than normal, and I smile to myself. It was tempting but not worth what I would lose.

I am almost to the sky wagon when I see Broken Hills. He comes over to me and I tell him, “Captain, please have the troops return to their bases. You have done well.”

He then tells me, “But Ma’am, we did not get all of those raiders yet.”

I nod my head, “No, but I will talk to Pressed On and see if he can tell me their suspected location. Then I will let you know and we will do it all again.”

I see the frustration in his face and I tell him, “I understand how you feel, but if we find where they are operating out of, we hit them like a hammer on an anvil. I will talk to you again soon Captain.”

“Yes Ma’am. Have a good flight back.” He tells me and then nods towards Kettle Bell who has already gotten into the skywagon and is leaning against the side.

I am amused as we fly back how much Kettle Bell is enjoying this flight. I see her looking all over, then she tells me, “I bet it would be so wonderful to do this at night.”

From over the radio, I then hear Dust Off say, "Captain, it is absolutely breathtaking doing this at night.”

We are soon back at the basecamp outside of Hackamore. As we approach to land I see Epona and Sweet Potato waiting outside and waving to us. Kettle Bell then asks, “Colonel, could we make one more flight around the base and town, I want to see our set up from up here. I have a feeling I may see a few things I have missed.”

I then tell Dust Off, “Dust Off, would you please make a circuit around both the base and Hackamore.”

“Of Course, ma’am,” he replies and we make a slow circuit first around the base, then we proceed to fly to and around Hackamore. From below I see several of Kettle Bell’s troopers as well as civilians coming outside. They lookup and point at us and then I notice Kettle Bell leaning on one hoof against the side of the wagon and waving with the other. She also has the largest grin on her face I have seen in a long time.

When we come back to the base and land the foals come running to us. Then I hear Epona yell, “Wow Captain Bell, you looked like you really enjoyed it. Is flying fun?”

I turn and see Kettle Bell laughing and she smiles as she tells Epona, “It sure is for me,” Then she turns to Dust Off and tells him, “Thank you Trooper. I never knew I would wish I had wings.”

He grins back and tells her, “I am glad you enjoyed it, Ma’am, it is nice to be reminded sometimes how lucky I am to have my wings.”

From the side, I hear Bailey Bridge laughing as he tells her, “In all my days, I never thought I would see a flying cow.”

Suddenly she gets a grin on her face and tells me, “Ya know, that would be a great name for a bar.”

From beside me, I hear Chain Lightning say under his breath, “Or for a brothel.”

I can tell Kettle Bell hears him as she quickly tells him, “Sergeant Major, I have to say I do agree.”

We all share a laugh about that and continue on.

The next morning, I am up doing my normal hooftacuff stretches and motions as Xavier taught me. I am Really missing having him to spar with when I notice Epona watching me. After a bit I see her begin to go through the motions copying me, and I begin to give her pointers to help her improve her form.

It is so nice to have her share this with me and I am enjoying it so much that I had not noticed that Sweet Potato was watching us. I find out when I finish and Chain Lighting approaches me and asks, “Colonel, what exactly are you doing and where did you learn that?”

I have to smile at him as I answer, “My old scout and family’s hired hoof Xavier taught it to me. He says it combines several different fighting styles together. Part of the style he said is Reed in the Wind, He learned it as a foal on the plantation he was raised on.”

I see the question on his face and then he asks me, “Colonel, would you mind teaching Tater too? He has been watching and he wants to learn it. And to be honest, I think it is a good idea. I mean I could teach him MoAMAP, the old Ministry of Awesome Martial Arts Program style, that was still common in the Enclave, but yours seems a bit more unique and I really think it could help him to know more than one style.”

I smile at this and I tell him, “Chain, I would be more than happy to teach him, but one, I need him to understand that this is a serious commitment. When we get home, I want him to visit Xavier with me to make sure I have taught him well enough. The second is I need you to teach me MoAMAP, and when we spare, ranks are off. I need a really good work out.”

“Ma’am, I would be more than happy to teach you. There was a point that I was training our new recruits in it back in Thunderhead. Just remember though that it may hurt some.” Chain tells me.

When he says this I start laughing and from the side, I hear Specs tell him as he comes out of the HQ, “Sargent Major, have you met the Colonel yet? I have seen her and Xavier exchanging blows as they practiced almost every day we weren’t running during the expedition. I think she lives for it.”

Then I tell him, Chain, "If I teach Tater, please understand that he will walk away with bumps and bruises. I won’t hurt him on purpose, but just like for Epona, I want them to learn it so they can survive.”

He nods his head, “Ma’am, that is the only way to do so, especially when it comes to hoof to hoof. Now when do you want me to start to teach you the MoAMAP style?”

I smile at him and tell him, “How about this evening I want to finish this lesson with Epona before I get cleaned up and if Tater wants, well he can start with me tomorrow morning.”

After I say this Chain Lighting smiles and tells me, “Sounds good Colonel, By the way, maybe we should start some of this type of training on a semi-regular basis for some of the other troops, especially the scouts.”

I think on it for a bit and tell him, “Chain, I like the idea, but let’s talk to the other officers before I make that call. I do not want to overwhelm them.”

I see him nod his head with a closed mouth smile, then he tells me, “Sounds good ma’am. Best to find where we can improve and then decide what method is best to take care of it, Like the old earth pony saying goes if all your problems look like nails, then all your solutions will look like hammers.”

I nod my head, “I have always liked that saying. Part of why I try to have my company commanders talk to ponies like Pressed On. We find out what the problems are, and can tailor our toolbox to the job.”

He nods his head, “Yes Ma’am. But sometimes it just seems we adjust the size of the hammer.”

I smile at him and ask him, “Is that how you fell about our dealing with Harness?”

I see him make a weird face as he tries to figure out how to say what he wants to next. Finally, he says, “Ma’am, basically we threatened them ponies pretty hard if they did anything to us.”

I nod my head and tell him, “True, but I also told them that if they choose not to join us, we would not attack them, but leave them to their own devices, unless they attacked us. This showed them we are willing to let them be, but if they attack us, we will then hit them with the sledgehammer of friendship alongside their head.”

I see him laugh and then he says, “I like that. I guess that is what we did when the raiders visited us here that day eh?”

I nod my head, “Oh yes, we made sure of that. Which reminds me, I need to check to see if any of those survivors decided to leave the raider life.”

I see him shake his head, “Ya know we could just hang ‘em like Junction Town told us we could.”

I nod my head and tell him, “Yes we could, but that would not give them the chance to be better.”

He shakes his head and then asks, “Ma’am, what if after we let them go, they run away to rejoin the other raiders.”

I smile at that and my ears begin to pin back as I tell him, “If they decide to do that, we waste no resources trying to capture them, instead we track them to the others and we clear them out. Just like we would a nest of rats.”

He nods his head and questions me again, “So how are we going to do that?”

I smile and tell him, “Transponders and scouts. Who knows, either they become good citizens or they help us eliminate the problems. Well, I best get cleaned up for now. I will catch you at the HQ and I look forward to sparring later this afternoon.”

I see him grinning, “Me too ma’am, me too. It has been far too long.”

The day passes fairly quietly. At one point I go into town to visit with the Shack brothers and discuss the needs of the town and the soon to be arriving weapons and body armor for the militia. I am in a good mood and have just passed the schoolhouse for Hackamore that we have helped to build when Epona taps me on my shoulder.

She smiles and points to a sign, “Look Ma, that business over there, it is called the Flying Cow.”

I turn to look and I see a pretty cow sitting on a bench outside of the Flying Cow. Her coat is a mottled light brown and white and she has a patch of yellow hair on her head and at the end of her tail. I do not know her, but I think she is one of the Others. So, I go over to introduce myself.

As I approach, she smiles at both me and Epona then she says, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Colonel. I’m Buttermilk, my husband Cornbread is inside still, he is with a client.”

I see a questioning look on Epona’s face and before I can say anything to her, she asks, “Misses Buttermilk, what do you sell?”

I am embarrassed and blush immediately. Buttermilk catches this and smoothly answers by telling her, “Well young filly, we have a restaurant and pub downstairs, but for those who need it, we can rent a room for an hour or so. He is assisting one of those clients right now.”

I see a look of thought come over Epona’s face and then she says, “Huh, I thought this was a whore house?”

I am mortified and I watch as Buttermilk's facial expression changes to one of surprise,then laughter as she says, “Well that is a bit cruder of a way to put it, but yeah, your right. Young filly, may I ask where you learned to talk like that?”

I am glad she asked that because I was going to also.

Then Epona stands up straight and tells her, “I discussed it with a couple of the troopers from the Belles as well as the base artificer and blacksmiths when Tater and I were working on his bell.”

I raise an eyebrow at that and ask, “Dear why would you be bringing up such a question to them?”

This time I see her turn red, “Ma, I overheard some of them talking and I wanted to know what it meant. They were not going to tell us,” I see her look down embarrassed and she then looks back up at me and continues, “But I told them that I would tell you they were talking bad around us. So, they explained it.”

I take a deep breath and sigh as I tell her, “Dear, do not ever threaten my troopers like that again. I love you, but that was just wrong to do.”

I then turn to Buttermilk and apologize for my daughter’s crude language. She laughs and tells me,

“Ma’am, I do understand, besides it was an honest question on her part, I also want to thank you for not getting too upset about us setting up business here or for Captain Kettle Bell being our business partner.”

I am stunned to hear this and raise an eyebrow. Buttermilk then tells me, “Colonel, we were hungry and jobless. So, really, unless we want to head back to Manesville on our own, we are stuck here with no farm or family. She helped us set up the restaurant and pub. We don’t mind the work and who knows perhaps we can move to Manesville someday.”

I nod my head and I tell her, “That or you could always move up to White Cloud. It is a new settlement in our area. It is in between Manesville and Donovan.”

I see her smile, “Perhaps, but what will they say about me and my husband, especially after our trade down here?”

I smile and tell her, “Buttermilk, they already have one restaurant and pub. But that does not mean they can’t have more. Besides they have some brahmin as well as some cattle that have bred with brahmin and their mixed calves that live there. I am sure you would be just as well accepted as the pegasi were.”

As we are talking, I see that Epona has noticed a bull calf and a couple of colts and fillies playing to the side and has gone over to talk with them. Once she is far enough away, Buttermilk smiles at me and tells me, “Just so you know, your tab is always half price for any service you desire.”

I am surprised and tell her, “Thank you, but my spouses and I are staying faithful to each other.”

She smiles at me when I say this and replies, “So you really do have more than one spouse?”

I smile and tell her, “Yes, I have two husbands and three wives. We also now have six foals, counting Epona and her half-sister Ginger.”

She smiles at that and then she looks around and quietly asks, “I heard a rumor that you are a believer in Sweet Cream, is that true too?”

I smile at her and put a hoof on her shoulder as I tell her, “Yes I am. I actually miss going to services back home.”

She then quietly asks me, “Is it common on this side for ponies to be believers?”

I smile back at her and tell her, “No, I am the only regular attendee that is a pony there. Sometimes my family members also go with me. My daughter Millie just assumes its normal. Ginger rather enjoys it and goes with me more than the others.”

I see her nod her head, “Colonel, you are certainly a pony of a different sort. Even if you do not care to partake of our special refreshments upstairs, please come in and have something to eat or drink now and again.”

I sigh and tell her, “Buttermilk, how about some time I just come and visit and we have tea now and again.”

She smiles at that and tells me, “That would be fine, Colonel.”

I think for a minute and then tell her, “If we are going to be friends Buttermilk, how about you just call my Mollygirl when we are alone.”

“That would be fine Mollygirl, I look forward to getting to know you better.”

I smile back at her and tell her, “And I, you Buttermilk. Now I best get going, I have to talk to the Mayor and his brother. Thanks again.”

As I step off the porch Epona trots over to me and asks, “Ma, could I go to school here? I mean until we head home.”

I smile and tell her “If you would like to, I have no problem with it. I will talk to the teacher this week.”

The meeting with Radio and Beach Shack is next. Epona waits outside of the office and talks with Sticky Wicket while I discuss business. I do have to say I prefer the attitude of Beach Shack.

Beach Shack welcomes me right away as I enter the office. He stands up and shakes my hoof, “It is good to see you again Colonel. What would you like to talk about today?”

Behind his desk, I see Radio Shack scowl at me and he asks, “Yes Lieutenant Colonel, what would you like to talk to us about today.”

I take a seat across the desk from the mayor as does the town marshal. I then tell them, “We are to have a shipment of small arms as well as barding and helmets for a platoon of militia arriving tomorrow. Beach, If you don’t mind I will set up a bunker in my camp to keep them secure until we can get the armory finished. Depending on what Harness decides, I may see if I can get some rocks from them for the walls of it as well as the floors.”

I see Radio Shack look funny and he asks, “Why would you want to use rocks for the floor.”

I smile and tell him, “Mister Mayor, the rocks would make it all but impossible to dig into the armory from underneath if they are properly mortared into place. I want your armory to be as sturdy as a castle if I can make it so.”

He looks stunned and asks, “But why would you want to do that?”

I see Beach smile as he tells his brother, “Radio, I keep telling ya, they are looking at the long run. Eventually, they will be leaving us to take care of ourselves. They want us to be able to do that.”

I see a scowl come over Radio Shack's face and he asks, “And why would they want to leave if they can run the place?”

I laugh lightly and ask him, “Mister Mayor, have we tried to run your town at all? I have tried to keep a hooves off approach to it, haven’t I?”

He still is scowling and says, “Yeah, but what about that time with the raiders, you endangered us all with your reckless use of force.”

I watch as Beach gets up from his chair, leans across the desk, and looks his brother in the eyes, “You frigging idiot. The only one in danger was you, and that is because you did not want to stand up to them, you stood there like a gelding.”

I see a look of hate cross Radio’s face as he looks first at his brother, then me. He then says, “And once you are gone, how will we protect my town?”

Beach sits back down and tells him, “Radio, I keep telling ya, they are not going to leave until the danger is passed, and once they do, they will leave us the means to protect ourselves.”

Radio swipes a hoof through the air and says, “Bah, I will believe it when I see it.”

We continue to talk for a bit after this concerning when the Engineers will begin to build the new armory as well as when, where, and who will train the members of the town militia. Once done I head back to the base.

I meet the Sergeant Major at the HQ and we both drop off our holsters and harnesses. We also both remove our blouses and he begins to teach me the style of self-defense he knows as MoAMAP. As we begin, he explains to me, “Ma’am, this style focuses a lot more on using your firearms as well as effectively defending against multiple attackers. It is also a lot more basic than what I watched you doing earlier. Today, we will begin with some of the basics of it.”

I nod my head and he begins to show me the basic defensive moves as well as what he calls the pain stance. As he is teaching me this stance, he tells me, “I want to teach you this one first as it focuses more on avoiding injury than inflicting it. I have already talked with some of the others as well as watched your practice to tell you are already pretty adept at inflicting damage.”

We are already an hour into training and we are beginning to spar; him using MoAMAP, me using what I know from Xavier and what Chain has taught me so far. We are doing a good job of exchanging blows and counter blocking them, when I hear Taser call me, “Colonel, you have a visitor.”

I look over in time to see Milo standing there, just as I take a left hoof to the jaw. Without thinking I sweep my hind legs around and catch Chain off guard, knocking his legs out from under him. Once he is down, I tell him, “Ok Chain, time for business again,” as I give him a hoof to get up.

I turn and walk over to Taser and Milo. I see Milo has a look of surprise on his face. I stick out a hoof and ask him, “Good Afternoon Milo, what can I do for you today sir?”

He takes the offered hoof and shakes it, I hear a bit of shaking in his voice as he says, “Good afternoon Colonel, I was just coming to see about sending some representatives to this Junction Town you talked about so we can talk with the muckity mucks. The board was more than willing to consider dealing with the NCR, if not possibly applying for membership someday.”

I nod my head in understanding and tell him, “I think we can do that. I will send out a message to Junction Town and Manesville when we get inside.”

He then tells me, “Ya know Colonel if I thought you were making up stories before, I certainly can tell you are not now. Between this base and its troops and catching you and your Sergeant Major over there beating the tar out of each other for fun, you really can be a rough bunch.”

I smile at him when he says that, “Ahh, that was nothing, just some light training, and sparring.”

I see him raise an eyebrow at that, then I hear rapid hoofbeats behind us and I turn to see Epona and Tater running up to us. Then I hear Epona say, “Wow mister, you have to be the biggest mule I have ever seen.”

I see him smirk and he asks, “Well I am sure you have not seen too many have you.”

She shakes her head, “No, not really, mainly just Woodrow from the Doorkickers. He is in the same squad as Grampa Bullet.”

Milo looks back at me, “How much of your family do you have with you?”

I smile at him and tell him, “Not much. Bullet is my adopted father. He raised me after my ma was killed by raiders. Then there is Epona here, and finally, there is Dusty, who is a corporal in Bullets squad, she is my adopted adult daughter.”

He shakes his head and laughs lightly, “Ma’am, you are impressive. Now how about we go to the gate and I introduce you to our two proposed representatives,” as he leads me in that direction.

Dear DJ Pon3

I have been sent far from what was my home. It felt a relief to leave there and put my past behind me. But this week while performing my duties I came upon those who have done to others what was once done to me and that had led to my soul already being condemned. I paid them back as best as I could but still more retribution is still owed. Tonight, I ask that you play Hell Awaits for myself and those with me who also know this pain.

Thank you

Broken Hills,

Captain, D-troop, 3^rd of the 1^{s t} Manesville’s NCR regiment.

I have often wondered where Equestria continued to get coal during the war and realized that while they may not have as much as the Zebra nation they probably had some smaller deposits. Much like how some states such as Michigan will have smaller deposits of lower grade coal compared to Pennelvanyia or Kentucky. Harness is just one such site. Speaking of Harness, imagine the current city of Harness along the lines of Petra in Jordan.

For those who desire to listen to this chapters dedication song, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiqXKJOzcyI&t=160s