PONIES IN ARMS-3. MARECENARIES

DATE- CLASSIFIED
TIME- IRRELEVANT

I was going to ask him about any information about Detrot had just how the city had fared in all of this I knew some friends of mine that were from there and wanted to ask him if the city was ok along with the ponies in the city, he told me that everything was fine and that they had driven out a small force of n.l.r with no problem. Harmony asked him if it was a band of raiders that were in the city but Buckshot said that it was not them but a force of new recruits for the n.l.r, I wanted to ask him why it seemed that anytime the n.l.r was anywhere it was always a band of new recruits and not any real threats.and he was wandering the same thing.

"It seems as thought them n.l.r higher ups just don't get what real combat is if they did then we would at least get to see some real action with them every now and then, but nope they always send the new ponies with no experience and we end up in a stale mate not wanting to kill any of them due them just giving up and joining the resistance. I will never get it but i just hope to Celestia that they eventually give us a real fight one day, we are all a bit rusty to be honest and could use a real fight to hone our skills in combat."

I told him that we often would hold training sessions when we had down time and he looked at me in agreeably and shook his head. "We do that also and to be honest it really helps us out a lot, we will hold target practice and other events anytime we have down time as well. We did a lot in Detrot when we got done driving out the n.l.r but that was our last time doing it, that was almost a month ago though and we haven't done it recently. I was going to have my rangers do some before we left today but this wind is just not cooperating with my plans, damned wind."

"Yup this wind is a pain in the flank for sure i can't disagree with you on that Buckshot, we were going to hold a pt test today but this wind just wrecked our plans, it's fine though we just came up with a plan to pony nap the leader of the n.l.r in town while the wind was blowing so that we had the upper hoof on them, our plan should be put into action here soon enough and we can move on to other missions." Just as i got done telling Buckshot all of this Grey Hoof trotted up to us and asked me to talk to him outside so i excused myself and trotted outside to talk to Grey Hoof.

"Do you realize just who you are talking to Ruby or are you blind? Haven't you asked him why he is keeping his right shoulder pointed away from you? I saw it when he first entered the dining hall, he is an n.l.r stallion Ruby, more than likely counter intelligence by the look of it. They aren't just passing through either they are the brainwashing detail of the raiders and that can only mean one thing, that feeling we all got last night was correct, they are planning to make their move soon and we aren't ready for it at all gather every pony together and dont make it obvious that you now know just who Buckshot is ok, we will meet at town hall as soon as we are all gathered ok.

I was in complete shock at this, i hadn't noticed that he in deed was keeping his right shoulder pointed away form me yes he was in black but i figured it was just their uniform not the uniform of the n.l.r. DAMN IT RUBY HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID, YOU SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT SOMETHING WAS UP BUT NO YOU WERE OBLIVIOUS TO THE OBVIOUS, IT'S OK JUST GATHER YOUR THOUGHTS AND CALM DOWN" the thought in my head was absolutely right i had to calm down and think clear right now. "Well Buckshot i hope all goes well for all of you and good luck with all your future endeavors, watch out for the n.l.r they are everywhere these days." I said with a slight chuckle knowing now that he in deed was with the n.l.r after coming up to him from the right side and seeing the distinctive moon patch on his shoulder. He looked at me as though he was about to either shoot me, or say something to me so i stayed to end anything that might happen in the dining hall unbuttoning my holster to my colt.45 and getting ready to draw in if need be. Then he spoke, "i take it you now know what and who i am don't you? but what he didn't tell you was this, yes we do wear the uniform but that means nothing these days. If i wanted to kill you and your units i would have last night while you all were at the diner, however that is not what i want. We all have chosen sides in this war we are in yes, but to be honest we are the best of the best the n.l.r can give you and we have a favor to ask of you all. While we do serve Luna we don't all like the fact that Blood Flanks raiders are still active and making us all look bad. Don't get me wrong we are enemy's and you can tell me to buck off if you like, but this will be mutually beneficial to all of us if you do this for us. I didn't lie to you when i said we hunt the n.l.r down ok, we are hunting the same ponies to be honest, those raiders have gone way to far in their ways and must be stopped that is where I and my rangers come in to the picture. We hunt them and kill them simple as that yes the n.l.r is strong and we more than likely will soon face each other in combat, I hope not because to be honest i have nothing against any of you and wish we could have met in another life or time and been friends, i mean your friend Dinky will be crushed if she finds out the truth about us and to be honest I am hoping to still have that dinner with her if you don't mind. Anyway about the favor, we would like it if you in deed do kill the leader of the n.l.r in town don't waste your time on pony napping him the group he is with aren't the new recruits you have dealt with in the past, they are highly trained and are a splinter cell of the n.l.,r as are all the raiders and that is why they all must die, either by our hooves or yours doesn't matter to Luna as long as they die she will be happy her own words not mine."

I wanted to kick the living shit out of him right there in front of every pony there but thought better of it, yes Luna had started all of this but the raiders were a threat that needed to be dealt with and if Luna saw it then that must mean that she in some strange way that she cared for Equestria and so i pressed him for any and all he was willing to share with me as Grey Hoof came to sit with us due to me motioning for him to do so. "So let me get this straight, Luna the leader of the n.l.r and reason for all of this even happening in the first place is actually saying that she in some small way cares for Equestria but is still hell bent on it's destruction am i getting that right so far?" Buckshot looked at Grey Hoof in shock and simply said this to him. "Look to be honest i don't know what Luna's plans are she is very secretive on such things and second if things hadn't of happened the way they have yes a lot of ponies would still be alive today, but the fact remains the past and the future is the future if we allow those raiders to continue to do what they are doing in towns across Equestria there won't be an Equestria left for any of us to live in. Do you realize that all the nukes that went off during the second anniversary of the end of the war with the e.l.f were all set off by Blood Flank and his troops and that Luna was against the idea from the start but was talked into it happening by Blood Flank himself? Luna was shocked and thankful for his death at your and Major Reads hooves and made it a goal of hers to have you help her personally get rid of the raiders once and for all and tasked me with finding you and delivering this message to you in person for her. She in fact wishes to meet with you and your entire group of ponies and have a meeting to see if we can end all of this once and for all, what would you say to a meeting at Shattered Hoof Ridge with her and her commanders Ruby and Grey Hoof?