Chapter 81 Surprise Revelations

The negotiations restart the next day on a better hoof. I have just arrived there when I hear Anthracite Coal tell Purple Haze and Brush Fire, “Before we sit down to negotiate our joining the NCR, perhaps we should have you come to Harness and see what, and who you are negotiating with for membership.”

I see Purple Haze bulk at the offer at first, then her assistant Brush Fire asks, “How can we be sure of our safety?”

Milo clears his throat and stares him in the eyes as he tells him, “First your safety is guaranteed by myself. I give you my word. Second, you are under the Lieutenant Colonel's care. If anything were to happen to you, she will make sure it is never forgotten, and if she was not able to, the rest of her troops would do their damnedest”

I see a look of surprise in their faces and she asks, “Security Chief Milo, what do you mean I am under her care? I am able to take care of myself.”

Milo gives a half-grin as he tells her, “Madam, as soon as you entered her territory you became one of her herd. She does not handle losing members of her herd well.”

She looks at him then at me and asks me, “Lieutenant Colonel, do you ensure my safety?”

I look her straight in the eyes and I tell her, “Ma’am, the results of you not returning would be as dire for Harness as if I had not.”

This seems to reassure her and she tells the representatives from Harness, “Ok, I think your offer of our observing this town is worth consideration. However, I would like to have at least one escort if you do not mind.”

Milo smiles and tells her, “I will do better than that Miss Haze. You may have two escorts of the Colonel's choosing.”

When he says this, I have to hide a smile. I already know who to send. I watch as she considers this and then Purple Haze tells me, “Lieutenant Colonel, I agree with this proposition.”

I nod my head, and turn to Milo, “Sir, I will need a bit of time to get one of the escorts I have chosen from Bare Withers to the camp here. How soon do you intend to leave?”

Milo then turns and addresses both groups of negotiating parties and says, “That depends upon when our representatives want to depart. However, I would suggest in a day or two.”

I nod my head and we all agree to meet again tomorrow morning. After I leave, I send for Bailey Bridge and send a message to Broken Hills telling him to have Woodrow from the 1^st squad ready to be picked up by a sky wagon as soon as possible.

I soon receive a message back from Broken in which he states, “Colonel, he is not due back for two days, he is with the 1^st platoon on patrol.”

I respond by telling him, “I will pick him up with a skywagon if I must. Send me his platoon leaders PipBuck tag.”

A few minutes later, I receive it and am on my way to the Scouts platoon. I first see their 1^st sergeant who directs me to the Lieutenant. I find her sitting in her office in the Scouts bunker reading. I knock on the door and she looks up startled and is about to say something until she sees who it is.

“Oh, Good afternoon Ma’am,” she says as she scrambles to her hooves and asks, “What can I do for you?”

“Sorry to bother you Lieutenant, but I need a skywagon to go pick up a trooper.”

“Ma’am is it another Dust Off mission? Standing orders are for medical to just call for him and his team if they are needed.”

I smile, “No, not this time. I just need a trooper that is in the field for a special assignment.”

I see her nod, “Ma’am, why not just have one of the other troopers take care of it?”

I shake my head at her questioning my orders, but I know she means well, no need to kick her yet. So, I explain to her, “This trooper has a background in mining, and right now, I need that experience as soon as possible.”

I see her eyes go wide, “I am sorry Colonel, I had not thought it would be something so, so specialized. What is the trooper's name and where is he? I will personally escort the wagon.”

I nod my head, “Actually that makes it easier, I will give you his platoon leaders tag on your PipBuck.”

I then send the tag to her and tell her, “There you go,” I see her look at the map on her PipBuck and she nods her head. “So how long until you have him back here?” I ask.

She smiles as she is thinking and tells me, "The travel time is a couple of hours, plus gathering my team and harnessing up. Say four, five hours tops.”

“Ok, you have your orders, take care of it,” I tell her with a smile and I leave her behind to get her troops set up.

I am just leaving the mess hall with Epona and my staff when I see the Lieutenant and her troops returning with the sky wagon. I nod at Paper Work and tell him, “If you would please, bring Trooper Woodrow to my office.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says and heads towards the skywagon yard, while myself and the rest of the staff head back to the command bunker. Next to me, Epona asks, “Ma, can Tater sleep in our quarters tonight?”

I am surprised, but tell her, “Yes dear he can, but why is he not staying with his parents?”

Tater then tells me from my other side, “Colonel ma’am, I just want to give them some time alone. I know my birth parents would do that sometimes and it always made them happy the next day, so I want to make my pas’ happy too.”

This makes me smile, but it also makes me aware of how much I miss mine and how I wish I could have time with my spouses. “That is very good of you Tater, your fathers are lucky to have such a good colt as you.”

He practically beams at me as he says, “Thank you, Colonel.”

Once in my office, the foals are outside playing and I hear Woodrow telling Paper Work, “I know she loves flying, but why does she think the rest of us do? I am a mule; I am not meant to fly. If I was, I would have wings.”

Now there is an image I had not imagined before. A winged mule. I wonder if that can even happen. I am still thinking about this when Woodrow knocks on my door, and says, “Reporting as ordered Ma’am.”

“Come on in Woodrow and take a seat, but close the door behind you,” I tell him.

He closes the door, takes a seat next to my desk, and waits. I then tell him, “Woodrow, I am sending you and Lieutenant Bridge to escort the NCR representatives into Harness.”

I see his head move back some when I say this and he asks, “Ma’am, why me? That little town is nothing special.”

I nod my head and tell him, “No, the little town up top isn’t, but down in that valley. That is another story. I want you and the Lieutenant to analyze the place. I know you know mines, so if they take you into it, I want your opinion.”

He nods his head, and asks me, “Colonel, you know I joined the CDF to keep out of the mines, right?”

I nod my head slightly and reply, “Yes, why?”

He gives me a half-smile and says, “Because when I am with you, I now keep getting sent underground. Ma’am, I would almost rather fly and I am not too keen on that.”

I laugh lightly as I tell him, “Ok, I will try not to send you underground again if I can help it.”

I see him sigh in relief as he says, “Thank you, Colonel, I really do hate going underground. I know far too much about what can go wrong. Is there anything else I can do for you, ma’am?”

I smile at him and tell him, “Woodrow, go take a hot shower and get some chow and some sleep. I want you ready to go with the reps in the morning.”

He salutes me, “Yes Ma’am, will do,” and he heads out with a light trot.

The next morning instead of Paper Work bringing me my morning tea, Chain lighting does. Once he sets the tray down, I smile at him and tell him, “Thank you very much. Sergeant Major.”

He smiles back at me and tells me, “No Ma’am, thank you. It meant a lot to Tail and me, you watching Tater for us.”

I wave a forehoof and tell him, “Believe it or not, it was Tater's idea. He asked me if he could stay with us so you two could have some alone time.”

I see the look of surprise come over his face as he says, “He really is something. But thank you for being willing too also.”

Then he shifts subjects, “Ma’am do you think it is a good idea to send those two with the Reps instead of the Rangers?”

I smile at him and tell him, “Chain, I am sending my top engineer and a former miner in with them, do you really think the Rangers can make a good estimate of the mine conditions as well as how played out they may be?”

I see the look of surprise in his eyes when I tell him this and he tells me, “Honestly ma’am, I had not thought to do something like this, but remind me to never play dice with you, I am sure you would have them loaded somehow.”

I sigh when he says this, "Sergeant Major, I do not cheat at games, however, this is not a game and I am willing to do what I can to give us a hoof up.”

He smiles at that and asks, “Even Milo?”

My smile fades and I tell him coolly, “No, while I am attracted to him, my family is closed to having those types of relations with others.”

I see him shake his head, “Sorry ma’am, I didn't mean to insult you. One of these days I will figure out how that relationship your family has works.”

I sigh and tell him, “When you figure it out, let me know. Thanks for the tea Sergeant Major, now I need to get back to work.”

The next day, I watch as Milo, the Coal Brothers and the NCR reps leave along with Bailey Bridge and Woodrow. Yesterday I saw Milo talking quite a bit with Woodrow and I even heard him suggesting they go into town for a few drinks.

Before they leave Milo quietly tells me, “I should have known you would send a miner. Really Colonel?”

I nod my head, “Of course wouldn’t you have done the same?”

He smiles, “Yeah, but that is me, I expect better from you.”

I laugh lightly and tell him, “Take care and if you have any problems, let me know.”

He smiles and replies quietly, “You mean in general or with the Tenpony Tower pair?” Then he gives me a wink as he tells the others in a commanding voice, “Ok, let’s get moving.”

They are gone for three days. But Bailey contacts me via a PipBuck text message each day so that I know they are safe. The morning of the last day I receive a message telling me, We are on our way back. Good call on who you sent. Will talk more later.

I send back, Thanks for the heads up, I hope all went well.

Then I continue on my normal business for the day as I wait for their return. During that time, I run into Doc Treacle coming back from town with Specialist Osteotome.

The specialist does not look overly happy and I stop them to ask how things are going.

Doc smiles and tells me, “Not to bad Colonel, just got back from the weekly check-up at the Flying Cow. So far, no unwanted pregnancies and nobody had any indications of illness, but I did tend to a few bruises and rope burns.”

I raise an eyebrow at this and he tells me, “They are an interesting lot. We both took them aside and made sure they were not being forced into it. Most of them are just doing it for quick and what they thought were easy caps. There are a couple though who seem to enjoy it.”

I turn to the specialist and ask, “You seem bothered are you ok?”

She shakes her head and looks at me, “Ma’am, I am ok, it's just I had two of them try to get me to work with them. Another tried to seduce me and a third challenged me and told me I could never handle their line of work.”

I nod and tell her, “Well I figure once we return home you won’t have to see them again, at least unless we deploy back here.”

She shakes her head, “That is where you are wrong, most of them plan on going home with us when we leave. I guess your daughter has been talking up White Cloud to the Others ponies in town and even some of the Other cattle have begun to talk about it. I even heard a brahmin customer say he and a couple of others are thinking of heading up to White Cloud.”

Oh, that is interesting. I had not known Epona was talking it up that much I think to myself. I smile and tell her, “Well you can always avoid White Cloud if it bothers you that much I guess.”

She looks at me and then tells me, “Ma’am, that is easier said than done. My fiancé lives there. He is now running one of the small stores in White Cloud.”

“Ah, I see. Sorry Specialist, I was hoping it would be easy for you. Why don’t you do like I do and just be friends with them? Treat them like anypony else. Besides, it's not like you have slept with any of them.”

I see her blush a bit before she answers me, “True ma’am, but I know them all a bit more personally than I do most others.”

I nod my head, and tell her, “I can see that, but just try to keep that part separate from your personal life. And yes, I know it is easier said than done.”

She nods her head, then she asks, “I have heard your family lives on a farm out that way is that true?”

I nod my head and reply, “Yes, why do you ask?”

“Well ma’am, how would you feel with them living so close to your farm?”

I smile as I tell her, “Actually, I would consider them my neighbors and ask some over for tea sometime or for a barbeque.”

I see the look on her face when I say the last part and she says, “I forgot, your family are omnivores.”

I look her straight in her eyes and I tell her, “Most of us are yes. I wasn’t before the Expedition. But I did what I had to, to keep my foal alive. The one I should not have been carrying on such a campaign. The one that would have been detected before it began, had I been tested properly. But I digress, and while I do not eat meat often anymore, I do still have a taste for it due to my previous experiences. Perhaps you should try it sometime to see if it agrees with you or not.”

I watch as her face turns green and I can tell she is about to get sick, I then tell Doc Treacle, “It was nice seeing you again Doc, when we get back I plan on having a radhog cookout, you are invited if you would like to come.”

I see him smile as he glances at Osteotome and tells me, “I do believe I would enjoy that ma’am. If you would please excuse us, we still have a few things to do back in medical.”

I nod and tell him, “Of course Doc. I will see you later sir.” And I watch as they both trot away, and I silently laugh to myself as I watch Osteotome fight not to be sick.

Once back to the command bunker, I stop and I am looking over the map when I hear Dull Beak come up to me. “Whatcha thinking ma’am?”

I am surprised and jump slightly but quickly regain my composure and tell him, “I was just looking at the size of our area and how much of the old Equestria the NCR now covers. I was also thinking about how far we are from Manesville and wondering what is happening back home.”

I see him tilt his head as he looks at the map and tells me, “Yeah, I understand, I am really looking forward to getting back home to White Cloud.”

I smile when he says that as I knew he had begun to spend a lot of time there, but not that he considered it home. So, I ask, “Have you talked to Epona about White Cloud?”

“Yes, a bit. I have also told her about those who have settled it. She was really enthused about it,” he tells me.

Well, that explains that I figure. “You know she has been talking up White Cloud to all the Others to the point I just heard from Osteotome that one of the brahmin customers at the Flying Cow said he and some others were considering heading up that way.”

I see him shake his head as he tells me, “Ma’am, I hope the town doesn’t become too big. I like the charm of the place.”

We then head into my office and are joined by Chain Lighting as we continue to talk a bit about home and about the upcoming operations we are considering.

As we sit there suddenly, we hear two sets of hooves running into the HQ. Then I hear Tater ask somepony, “Where is the Sergeant Major? Where is my pa?”

I guess they pointed because I then hear Tater and Epona say, “Thanks,” and their hoof steps are coming closer to the office.

Once they reach my office they burst through the door. Epona says, “Hi ma,” excitedly.

Right after this, I hear Tater yell, “Papa Chain, I got it! I got it!”

Chain smiles at his son and says, “What have I told you about the Colonel's office?”

We both watch as the foal comes to attention and formally says, “Sorry Colonel ma’am, I am just so excited, I finally got my cutie mark.”

I stand up so I can look at him better and tell him, “I understand Tater, congratulations, it is a fine one too,” I tell him as I see what appears to be a carbine with a wrench and hammer next to it.

His father then says, “Let me see young stallion,” and as he looks at it, I can see the pride of a father on his face as he asks, “So how did you get it?”

Tater swells with pride and tells him, “Pa, I was waiting for Flechettes to get back to the weapons shop, he told me I could help him today. Well, one of the engineers came over and said he had a problem when on the range this morning and that he had three misfires in a row.”

Both Chain and I nod. Misfires could be either a problem with the weapon or the ammo, so I am really interested now.

Tater then continues, “Well since Flechettes was not back I asked the trooper if he had the rounds and if I could look at them. I noticed that the primers had been barely struck so I thought it had to be the weapon. So, I disassembled it and when I looked at the bolt, I noticed it was fouled so the firing pin had problems striking fully. I told the trooper and I took the bolt apart to clean it and I found the firing pin was cracked too. I went to the bin and got a new one and after I cleaned it and was putting it back together, I got it.”

“Right after that Flechettes came in and I told him what I did. He said he could not have done better Pa.” Tater says with some pride.

I see the smile on Chain Lighting's face and he tells Tater, “Well let’s see if we can have a small party to celebrate tonight son. But first, I want you to tell Papa Tail and let him know too, ok.”

Tater is still smiling brightly as he nods his head, “Ok Pa, I can’t wait to show him.” Then I watch as he and Epona both tear off out of my office to look for the visiting Ranger.

Chain has just told me he needs to head into town soon to buy a cake or something special for Tater when I hear Bailey Bridge’s voice asking, “Is the Colonel in her office?”

I hear one of my staff members tell him yes and then I hear him approaching. He knocks three times on my door and I tell him “Enter.”

He comes into my office, I see his eyes sweep it and he notices the others here. He then salutes me and says, “Reporting the results of our mission Ma’am.”

I return his salute and tell him, “Have a seat, Bailey,” then I ask, “How did it go?”

Once seated he removes his softcover and tells us, “Better than you would expect. When we first got to the wooden village at the top of the canyon the representatives were their normal selves. Milo let them know we were only stopping there for lunch and that it was just an outpost for Harness, not the true town.”

I nod my head and ask, “So what happened then?”

He smiles as he tells us, “Well, once we began to go down the trail into the valley Purple Haze's attitude began to change as she saw how narrow the top of the gorge is and how far we had to go down. Brush Fire also pointed out a couple of their defensive points to her which got her attention,” he pauses and shakes his head before continuing, “He missed most of them though. Once we got there that really changed her attitude when she saw the buildings carved into the cliff sides. She also noticed how busy they seemed. We met the board of the town soon after that. She did not seem too impressed at first, but when she found out they had an unofficial stable her jaw dropped.”

Dull Beak has a raised eyebrow at this and asks, “So how did she find out about the unofficial stable?”

I am curious about that also as I did not remember to put it in my official report.

Bailey smiles and tells him, “Well as we were walking by Brush Fire noticed the doorway to it off to the side and asked what it was and Anthracite told him, Oh, that is just our old company stable. You can tour it later if you would like.”

“So, did you all get to inspect the stable?” I ask.

He nods his head, “Yes ma’am, I got to meet many of those who still live in it too. Ma’am, it is not much like stable 48 believe me. There are only a few individual rooms, most of the living accommodations are open bay barracks. Some of the families have sub sectioned areas off using furniture and boxes. But most are just in the open. But that also led us to the first mine tour. In this one, we were shown a seam of sulfur that they had been mining. Trooper Woodrow later told me that this was a good find, but not surprising due to all the sedimentary rock we could see in the valley face as we came down.”

Chain Lightning looks bored at this point and asks, “So why is sulfur a good thing, sir?”

Bailey looks at him and says, “Well besides being able to be used for fertilizers and to make acid, it is also a component of black powder. Sergeant Major, if they make charcoal at all, they have all the necessary components to make their own explosives.”

I see Chain Lighting paying more attention as he says, “That is interesting news.”

Bailey then tells me, “Ma’am, Woodrow let us know that could happen sometimes in coal mines. But when we toured the coal mines, his eyes bugged out. Once back above ground, I overheard him telling the reps that these were the largest coal deposits he had seen and that it looked like the mines were well built.”

I nod my head and ask, “So what do you think?”

He smiles as he tells me, “Ma’am, they have a very strong security force. They can make up their own explosives and know how to use them. I think they would be a good addition to the NCR.”

I smile and ask, “Anything else?”

He smiles at me and tells me, “One last thing. Sending in Woodrow was a big boon as he gave us an in with their security bunch as well as many of the miners. Ma’am, I do not think it would have gone as smoothly as it did without him with us.”

“Thank you, Bailey, I will have to thank him myself then,” I tell him.

Bailey then asks, “Ma’am, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No Bailey not right now, but how about a written report about your time there, and also if you think he deserves it, how about writing up a citation for Woodrow to go into his service record.”

I see him nod his head, “Will do Ma’am, I need to get back to my engineers and make sure they are still on track with the improvements I discussed with them before I left.”

I nod my head, “I think they are; I know Tater helped repair one of their rifles that malfunctioned on the firing range this morning.”

I see his eyebrow raise, “Interesting, I had not known any were going to the range. Thank you, ma’am.” He tells me.

Then I notice he is still waiting. I remember, “Dismissed lieutenant.” He finally leaves then to head back to his troops.

I see the other two looking at me, “Well I guess I best go find the envoys to see what is going on. I will talk to you later. Oh, and Chain, let me know if I can help with the party for your son. This really is a big deal for him.”

He smiles brightly, “Thank you, ma’am, I need to go find him and Tail and see what we can set up. I will let you and Epona know.”

“Thanks, Chain.”

After they leave, I go over to the barracks to find Purple Haze and Brush Fire. Once there I soon find them sitting in the common room talking. I knock on the door to let them know I am there.

“Good evening Lieutenant Colonel,” Purple Haze says to me, “Can I help you with anything?”

I step in and tell her, “Actually I was going to ask you the same thing. I also wanted to see how it went.”

I see the look on Purple Haze’s face of indignation, but then I notice Brush Fire raise a hoof to her to tell her to stay silent. Brush Fire then begins, “I am sorry Colonel, please excuse my associate, she has had to wrap her mind around quite a bit lately. It seems she was not expecting them to be quite as, how shall I put this, business-aware, but culturally different.”

I nod my head and wait for him to continue. When he does, he tells me, “We both appreciate now the fact of who you sent with us. We had not thought you would be so astute in matters as to send both an engineer and a miner with us, but they proved invaluable to us. Particularly your former miner, who is also a mule. It seems they were very interested in hearing how he was treated by the NCR as well as what this Manesville area you come from is like. This brought onto the table the need for additional food supplies for them as well as perhaps lessons on reclaiming larger areas of farmland. We can use all of that for negotiation points.”

“Well, I am glad they were of service to you. I had thought they may be. That is why I sent for Trooper Woodrow by Skywagon.”

I see Purple Haze snicker a bit. Then she says, “He even told them this story of you being in a polyamorous marriage and they believed him. That helped us to open the doors to them considering joining the NCR as it seems many of them have that type of arrangement, including that uncouth Security Chief of theirs Milo.”

At this, I feel my face go tight and my ears start to go back. When I next speak, I fight to keep my voice calm and level as I tell her coldly, “Miss Haze, I will have you know I have two husbands and three wives. Currently, we have two adopted fillies and four foals. But before you begin to think so highly of your Tenpony Culture, I will give you a bit of my family and the Co-op’s history. When our stable opened up a century ago, my Great Grandmare was among the first to do so. Later she led a team that made the trek to Tenpony Tower in Manehatten. I have used the memory orbs; I have seen what she did. I also know that while at Tenpony Tower she was drugged and raped by one of your distinguished citizens who abandoned her naked in a back corridor. This caused marital problems for her when she got back and was pregnant. It destroyed my family, so please, do not think too highly of where you come from, as I know just how unseemly it too can be.”

I see both of their jaws drop in shock. Purple Haze stunned, just stares for a minute then she says, “I have never had anypony talk to me that way.”

I look back at her coldly and tell her, “You never insulted me, my family or friends, before. Now is there anything I can do to help these negotiations progress.”

She is still sitting there stunned as I hear Brush Fire tell me, “No Colonel, nothing other than letting Milo and his team know we will begin negotiations again in the morning.”

“Ok, I will do that, I hope you two have a good evening,” I tell them.

From Purple Haze I hear her quietly ask, “Was, was the rapist a unicorn?”

I nod my head, “Yes. According to my wife Magpie. She experienced that memory orb and told me about it. She would not give me details, but she still has issues from it. I am sure you can understand. However, if you ever doubt me and want to verify it, please feel free to ask to see that memory orb. Magpie knows where it is, as she is the stable historian as well as the Manesville librarian.”

I see she looks paler as she asks, “What became of the foal?”

I sigh and I tell her, “My grandsire wanted her to abort it. That is where the problems began. She insisted on keeping it and convinced Oatie into allowing her to give it up for adoption. They thought she gave them up because she did not want them. It was not until last year that the truth came out,” I tell her, then I ask, “Why do you ask, would you like to use it?”

She shakes and then tells me, “Colonel, I am much older than I appear. This is possible through the wonders of magic. However, I would be afraid to use it as I fear I might see somepony I know. They could have been friends or family.”

I nod my head and ask her, “Are you old enough to have been there?”

She shakes her head, “Not quite, I was but a foal then,” She closes her eyes and then tells me, “Thank you for your assistance Colonel. I need to get some rest now. Have a good evening.”

I nod to them both and tell them, “Have a good evening,” then I turn and head back to my headquarters. I really need to think about this.

After I leave her, I see Chain Lightning and he asks me if he can have the cooks bake a cake for Tater. I gladly authorize it as we are so far from home and it is not a normal situation. “Thank you, ma’am, I really mean this, it means so much to us to be able to help him celebrate this.”

I smile again and I tell him, “Chain, he is a special young buck and I completely understand. On our last deployment, Xochitl got his glyph. Xavier held a special ceremony for him. When we got back Ginger got her mark and we celebrated that night both her mark and his glyph. It is a special time for a pony.”

He smiles, “I know I will never forget mine; I was only 11 years old, a bit late, but it was worth it.”

I smile at him, “Chain, nopony told you I was a very late bloomer?”

He looks confused, “What do you mean by late ma’am?”

I laugh lightly, “Chain, I was in service when I got mine. The squad members took me drinking to celebrate.”

I see his eyes go wide, “Are you kidding me Colonel?” he asks in wonder.

I shake my head in amusement as I tell him, “Nope, now I would say, I was a late bloomer.”

He chuckles lightly and tells me, “Well I would have to agree. I don’t feel so bad now.”

I then see Epona with Tater and Tail Spin and ask her to go with me into town. Excitedly she tells him, “I will see you later Tater, “

He smiles as he says, “See you later Epona, thanks again.”

As we are walking into town, I am curious and ask her, “What was Tater thanking you for dear?”

“Ma, he was ready to give up and just wait till we got to Manesville to try and figure out his special talent. I just encouraged him to keep learning as anything we learn can help us in our futures.”

I nod my head, “That is very wise young mare. You know you have a good head on your shoulders.”

“Thanks, Ma, I just remember you telling me that on the other side too.”

“Well, I think I might have liked the other me too then. She was a lucky mare to have you for a daughter for so long,” I tell her.

I see her blush, as she asks, “Do you really think so ma?”

I nod my head, “I know so. I know how lucky I am to have you in my life now Epona.”

Once in town, we go back to the resale shop. I hear a small bell ring as we enter. From the back I hear the pony that was here last time call out, “I will be with you in a minute. Just so you know I am closing for the night soon.”

“Ok, I was wondering if I could look at your books again,” I call back.

Suddenly I see her head pop out from around the door frame, her visor is kicked back as she says in surprise, “Oh it's you, ma’am, please do come on back. I was just going through them.”

When we go into the back she asks, “Any particular books you are looking for?”

I tell her, “Well I was going to see if you had any books on gunsmithing or mechanics.”

I see her look at me funny, “Huh, that seems strange for somepony of your position to be looking for.”

I smile at her, “Well a friend of mine's young colt got his cutie mark today and I wanted to give him something special that he can learn from.”

She nods her head, “I guess I can understand that. I am still not used to ponies giving gifts like that. Sorry if I seem surprised by it.”

I nod my head, “That is ok, that seems to have been the way of the wastelands for a long time.”

She nods her head, “Hopefully that can change. But ma’am, honestly, I do wonder sometimes.”

I sigh, “So do I sometimes, so do I,” I tell her.

As Epona searches through the books I see conflicting emotions on Scrap Pile’s face, like she wants to ask something but is afraid to. So, I ask her, “Is there something you want to asks me ma’am?”

She looks down at the floor and laughs lightly at this and says, “Nopony ever calls me ma’am.” Then she looks up at me and asks, “Ma’am, those raiders over in the jail, what are you going to do with them?”

I sit down and I tell her, “Well that is up to them. If they are willing to change their ways, then I will let them free and they can learn to live as good citizens.”

Then she asks, “And if they refuse or return to being raiders?”

I sigh again and tell her, “I have thought long and hard about this. If they refuse, I will follow my orders from Junction Town and hang them. If they go back to being raiders; well, let’s just say they better pray they never see me again.”

I see her eyes get wide when I say this. Then she quietly, almost embarrassedly asks, “Ma’am, how do you do it?”

I am slightly confused when she asks this and asks her, “Do what?”

This time she sits down and looks at the floor and sighs. Finally, she looks up at me with the beginning of tears in her eyes as she tells me, “Keep from going back. I mean, I hated living as a raider, but sometimes it seemed so much easier. Especially when I have to deal with those who have never been there. I can tell by your scars and I have heard about your family. How do you as a former warlord keep from going back?” she all but begs.

I sigh as she says this and I notice that Epona is staring wide-eyed at us.

I put out a hoof and set it on Scrap Pile’s shoulder as I look her in the eyes and I tell her, “I never was a raider. I have always fought them, but I am a military mare. So, I do understand in part what you are saying. What I will tell you is what keeps me from going bad like so many others, is that I remember what DJ Pon3 used to say Security would say, Do Better. I keep trying, I am not perfect but I do try.”

I see her eyes go wide in almost terror when I say this and she starts to sputter, finally, she says, “Oh my goddesses, I, I am in so much trouble, I, I, forget I said anything please, I did not mean anything.” As she says this, she backs away from me.

She has her back against the wall and looks terrified, so I calmly and quietly say to her, “From what I understand ponies go raider for many different reasons, I guess why is not the question to ask. What we need to ask is Do you want to be a better pony, and how can I help if you do?”

I see her jaw drop and trembling, she asks me, “You mean you do not hate me automatically?”

I shake my head, “No, but it seems to me you are trying to leave that behind, to be better. If I can help you, I will.”

She seems stunned and she tells me, with tears in her eyes, “I, I thought no pony would ever forgive me, they would all hate me if they knew the truth. I came here for a new start. But sometimes it is so hard.”

I nod my head and again I extend my hoof and she all but leaps toward me and puts her head against my shoulder sobbing. I wrap the hoof around her and let her cry herself out. When she is done, I let her go and I ask her, “Scrap, how old are you?”

She sniffles a bit and replies, “17, why?”

I am stunned. She looks about ten years older than that. I tell her, “Dear, you are still younger than I was when I got my Cutie mark. You still have a whole life ahead of you. But if you ever need to talk while I am still here, come to the base and ask to see me, ok?”

To the side, I notice Epona has watched the whole episode and I tell her, “Epona, her secret stays between us dear.”

She nods her head. Then she tells me, “Ma, I found a couple while you were busy.”

I smile at her change of subject and I go over and I see she has chosen one that is an old Equestrian army manual entitled, Small Arms Maintenance and Repair, next to it are two more, one is entitled The Civilians Guide to Gunsmithing, and then I am surprised when I see she has a copy of Cloud Seeders book. It is in very rough condition; the dust jacket is long gone. Some of the pages are stuck together and a few are missing even. But It would give me a copy to take into the field with me.

I nod at her and tell her, “We will get all three. But how did you know I would want the third one?”

She smiles at me and tells me, “I was thinking with you being part pegasus ma, that you would like it.”

I nod my head, “Dear, do you realize that the author was my ancestor?”

I see her jaw drop, “No ma, I am surprised you don’t already have a copy of it then,” she says in surprise.

I smile at her and tell her, “I do, but I left it at home to protect it. Now I will have a field copy. By the way, I think the other two are good choices too.”

By now Scrap Pile has recomposed herself and is in the front so we carry the books out with us to her. Once we set them on the counter I ask, “How much?”

She looks at me and tells me, “Ma’am, for your free.”

I shake my head, “Scrap Pile, I really appreciate it, but you can’t afford it, and I want to help you too.”

She then says, “How about we make a deal then, you pay 4 caps each for the gunsmithing books and I will give you the third book for free seeing as it is from a member of your family.”

I smile at that and hold out a hoof to shake and tell her “Deal,” then I get her the caps I owe her. As we are leaving, I turn to her again, “Remember I am here for you if you need me. Failing that, remember Security’s words, Do Better.”

I see her smile weakly, and with a tear in the corner of her eye she says, “I will, and Ma’am, for what it is worth, thank you.”

After we leave the shop Epona quietly asks me, “Ma, did you just adopt her?”

I smile sadly as I tell her, “No dear, not really, though she may have adopted me. What I did was what she really needed. I welcomed her into the herd.”

As we walk back to the base all I can think is how sometimes we all need to know that our past can be moved past and our misdeeds are forgiven as long as we keep trying to improve ourselves. Soon we are back on the base and we head to the command bunker for a few minutes before heading over to our barracks for the party.

Once we get there, I see all three of the rangers are there as well as most of the staff. I also see a couple of the Others who live in town now, foals and calves there. On the table is a big cake along with a case of Sparkle Colas. I see the foals and calves all looking wide-eyed at it, and all I can think of is the caffeine and sugar high they are going to have later.

The party goes really well with us playing music on the radio and I have to smile as I watch some of the youngsters trying to dance. After the party has died down and most of the others have left, Epona and I approach Tater and his dads.

Epona then tells him, “Congratulations Tater. Ma, and I wanted to give you a present to go with your cutie mark,” then she pulls the books out of my saddlebags to give to him. When she does this my book of poetry falls out onto the ground.

Tater is very enthused about his new books. However, I notice Chain Lightning looking with surprise at the book on the floor. He looks up at me and smiles as he tells me, “I used to read a copy of this from the Thunderhead Library when I was younger.”

I smile back and tell him, “Well this will be my field copy, I have a copy at home too, so you can borrow it sometimes if you like.”

He nods his head, “Yes, I would really like that. When I read him before, I always tried to see what the world was like before the final day through his eyes.” Then he snorts slightly and blushing he looks up at me and tells me, “I always wondered what happened to him on that day. His picture on the dust jacket showed such a cute buck, but so many were lost that day.”

I am surprised when he says this and smirks a bit as I ask him, “Chain, you know I have pegasus blood right?’

“Yeah, I do ma’am, but what does that have to do with Cloud Seeder?” he asks.

I smile at him, “Well he and his friend Winter Wind somehow ended up in Stable 48 on that last day. I am descended from both of them.”

I see his jaw start to drop and then he starts to slowly shake his head, “Colonel, why am I not near as surprised as I should be.”

I shrug my shoulders and tell him, “Maybe you are just getting used to me.”

With that, we both break out laughing. I turn my head just in time to see Tater give Epona a hug and a kiss on the cheek and I hear him say, “Thank you so much Epona. These mean so much to me, just like you and my pas.”

Dear DJ Pon3,

My life has seemed to be going in the direction I wanted it to. However, recently my past has come back to haunt me. A secret I should have told long ago has almost been fully exposed to me, and my failure to act then has had the consequences shown to me. What was once done to me, was done to another and I kept silent and it destroyed a family. Tonight, I sit here drinking and ruminating on how the truth will find us. With this in mind could you please play The Truth Comes Out.

Thank You,

Purple Haze

There are several revelations that are brought into the light in this chapter, however, we will see them built more upon later as well. Often times when we hide our secrets they can catch us off guard completely when they are brought back to the surface. But what is important is they we remember who we are and that it is not the secrets that define who we are, but how we handle them.

For those who would like to listen to this chapter's dedication song, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EljkIvHAfWc