The travel to Camp Esquivar
Red sat in a lonesome corner in the train for what felt like an eternity looking through the window out into the desert thinking about the mission ahead of her. It was the least to say that she was definitely nervous about the whole mission and her mind was going a zillion miles an hour thinking about this mission."I've never been told to do anything like this before! I never even killed a pony once in my life! What if this magical disguise the shaman gave me doesn't work and a unicorn or vampony finds out I'm a werepoyny right away! What if I get caught and I'm thrown in a cage for the rest of my life! What if I even get killed myself! What if...What if-" her train of thought would be broken when she heard the booming voice of the conductor yell throughout the train car, "TEN MINUTES UNTIL WE REACH DODGE CITY! PLEASE GRAB EVERYTHING THAT BELONGS TO YOU, AND WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR RIDE WITH THE EQUESTRIAN EXPRESS!"
Red nearly jumped out of her skin when the conductor yelled to announce that they were only ten minutes away from Dodge city, but she managed to keep her composure and not make a scene. "Okay Red, calm down, everything is going to be alright, all you need to do is get in the camp, act the part until nightfall, kill them while they're asleep and slip out into the night. Besides, the ponies going to that camp want my kind dead anyways, so basically its self defense, right? Although, I guess the ponies do have a reason why they want us gone..." Red said to herself quietly as she continued to look out the window into the desert.
After a few minutes passed, Red finally decided for once during this trip to actually take a look at her surroundings to try and focus on something else instead of worrying about the mission at hoof. When she looked around the train car, she saw a large sleeping earth pony stallion who had the color blue for his coat with no mane at all but was wearing a hat and had a very odd and non matching tail of black and yellow with a flask as his cutie mark. Also, there was a delicate looking mare sitting right next to him with an annoyed expression on her face looking at the stallion who was snoring very obnoxiously. The mare was an earth pony who had a creamed coat, mane, and tail with a green ribbon tied into a bow on her mane, her eyes were greenish-gold and her cutie mark was a four leaf clover next to whipped cream. The only reason why Red knew what whipped cream was is because in one of the small villages they plundered, she had a field day with an ice cream parlor and there was whipped cream all over the place, those were some fun times.
As Red continued to watch, the creamed colored mare started to gently shake the big stallion to wake up, and after a little bit he let out a big yawn spreading his hooves out far to stretch out his back, than after that he turned to the mare who gently woke him up with an annoyed look.
"Why did you wake me Clover Cream? I was have a lovely dream about the rivers running with all the finest of Scotch you could have!" The stallion whined in a Scottish accent.
"I woke you up because were near Dodge City now Bigsby, besides, I bet that's the only thing you dream of! So quit your whinnying and start getting our things so that we'll be ready to leave once we get to Dodge city," Clover Cream said in an Irish accent crossing her hooves and puffing out her chest.
Bigsby just grumbled and got up to get all of his and Clover Creams luggage while Clover Cream would just look out the window. Red couldn't help but to snicker a little bit at how feisty this little delicate soft speaking mare was over this big strong looking stallion. As a little bit of time passed by, the train would come to a complete stop right next to the train station and the doors would be opened by the conductor himself followed with him saying with the few passengers leaving, "Hope you all have a great day and we hope you use Equestrian Express again!"
Red made sure her dagger was on her side and looked over her magical disguise once again making sure that she authentically looked like a pony. "Alright Red, this is it, remember, your name is just Red and you were born in Los Pegasus, tragically lost your dad to the "evil" wereponies when you were very young, and that is all I need to say if this illusion magic truly is undetectable, and if i get in a pinch I'll be able to turn back into myself again and get out of the camp." She said to herself reassuringly. She took one deep breath to calm herself than said to herself, "Alright Red, lets do this," for she would leave her seat and go to the exit door.
As she left the train onto the stations old wooden platform, she would instantly shield her eyes a little bit as she was instantly hit by the humid morning sun also known as "good ol' southern weather," that Red must've heard about from the desert clan of the herd. Red would pull out a piece of paper from her pocket and look at the paper she was given for when she signed up to be in the militia's trying to taking out her herd near Tall Tale, the paper would say, "Dear Red, you have been accepted by the administration to be apart of Equestria's quest to keep the peace in the western part of this beautiful land, as were sure you know of this by now, Equestria's small western villages are being attacked by these beasts of the undiscovered west and innocent ponies are being killed by these violent beasts known as wereponies, we fear that they may begin to attack bigger cities such as Tall tale and Vanhoover, so this is why we have decided to ask for volunteers to join our cause to end this reign of terror these beast's are causing throughout the western side of Equestria. You have been assigned to the 9th militia Jagers of wereponies in Dodge City where you will head to the training camp near Dodge City and train for 2 weeks to make sure you have some experience before fighting off these beasts. Once you get to Dodge city, you will want to go to the middle of Dodge City than you will need to go north west for a mile and a half than you shall see the training camp Esquivar.The time you shall get there is on the weekend, between the 21st and 22nd, the due date of when you shall be there is at 12:00 PM, do not be late. We do encourage you bringing your weaponry so that we do not need to exhaust our materials, and if anypony gives you a problem about having your weapon out in public than please do so show them this document so that there will be no more trouble for you and they will know that you have been granted permission. Sincerely, The Equestrian Administration."
Red would put away the document and look at the stations big brass clock that said it was 10:30 AM on the 22nd,"Good, at least I still have time," she said to herself as she made her way through the some what empty train station to Dodge City. When she got to the center of town, she was shocked at how dead the dusty streets looked,"I thought that pony cities would be more lively with color and happiness with the whole town singing happy songs for no apparent reason," Red said surprised looking at the dead town with no life to it.
"Ahh m'lady, that's because all the ponies are at the finest pub in the south over there, its called The Dodger Brother's Pub," as a familiar Scottish accented stallion said right behind her.
Red whipped around, startled, to be face to face with the stallion she saw earlier in the train car sleeping obnoxiously without a care in the world. Red would look at him with a bewildered look, she was already on edge so that didn't help with her situation either.
"Ahh, sorry about that, didn't mean to scare ya there m'lady," Bigsby said with a little chuckle.
"What did you do that for ya buffoon? You nearly scared the mare to death!" Said Clover Cream,frowning, while walking towards Bigsby.
"What? she was asking a question out loud so I figured I'd answer her question as a good gesture of my kindness," He'd say sarcastically with a stupid but yet jolly grin.
Clover Cream would facehoof and moan with grief. "I'm sorry about my friend here, APPARENTLY he doesn't know the difference between manners and just being completely obnoxious," she would follow her sentence with punching Bigsby on his rib cage.
"OWW! HEY!" Bigsby yelped, wincing a little.
"Oh...it's alright, I just haven't really been myself this whole time during this trip here, I'm really on edge right now," Red said truthfully. Bigsby would look at her with a concerned look on his face. "What would be troubling you m'lady?" He'd ask with concern."Oh, I've just been really nervous about the volunteer camp I have to go to for 2 weeks, Esquilbar? I think that's what the name of the camp is called," Red said trying to remember what the name of the camp."OH! you mean camp Esquivar?" Clover Cream would say with her face lighting up a little bit.
"Yes! that's the camp I'm going to,wait... how did you know what camp I was talking about?" Red asked curiously.
"That's the camp me and Bigsby were assigned to also! YES! I'm not going to be the only mare there!" Clover Field said with glee in her Irish accent. Red's eyes would dilate a little bit and her ears pin back after hearing that they were going to the same place where Red would have to kill them. "OH! that's great! I'm not going to be the only mare either! At least you put that question in my mind to rest," Red said halfheartedly trying to smile.
Clover Cream frowned a little when she saw that Red wasn't enthusiastic about the camp at all. "Jeez, this mare is just a nervous wreck isn't she?" Clover said to herself sighing. Clover Cream walked up to Red putting a hoof on Red's shoulder,"Hey relax, I'm sure that you're getting all worked up for nothing, the way that I see it is that in the camp the only thing you have to worry about is the conditioning involved with the training and I you bet this whole werepony thing will blow over once all the other groups of militia's are done training and are commissoned to fight these furball's, besides, I honestly don't think we'll see any action since we're in Dodge city, I mean, the whole werepony problem is up in Tall Tale and Vanhoover so I honestly think that were just going to be the reserves who don't do anything at all, so relax and just think of this camp as valuable lessons to protecting yourself." Clover said comfortingly to Red in her Irish accent.
"Wow, these ponies are have no idea what they're in for do they?" Red said to herself with pity for what's about to happen to these "militia's."
"Yeah, I guess your right, I'm probably am just worrying to much,besides, I love running! so I guess I shouldn't even be worried at all!" Red said more lightheartedly.
"There ya go! that's the spirit uhh... what's your name lassie?" Clover asked.
"My name's Red," Red said smiling a little. "Well nice to meet you Red! My name's Clover Cream, and that big ol' buffoon you see over there is my good friend Bigsby" Clover pointed over to the stallion who had sneaked up on her when she was seeing how dead the streets looked. "Bigsby Scotchmen! AT! your service!" Bigsby said dramatically followed by a dramatic bow. Clover would whisper into Red's ear, "Like I said, total buffoon," Clover and Red both snickered.
"Hey lassies, I hate to break up your little game of telephone, But I think we should start heading over to the camp before it reaches noon," Bigsby said while he was pulling out a flask from one of the saddlebags. "Bigsby, really? Drinking in front of our new friend here? Where are your manners?" Clover huffed out angrily at Bigsby. "Hey! Easy there Clover, It's not like our friend here hasn't seen another pony drink some alcohol before, right Red?...Red?"
Friends. That's what these ponies think what she is, they're friend, and she's the one who was going to have to kill them while they're sleeping. Red felt nothing but guilt at that moment, nothing but guilt. Yes, she knew that they were trying to kill her kind but the ponies are doing it out of self defense. And yes these are these ponies who just called her a friend are the exact same ponies who want her kind dead but they probably had a very damn good reason after the herd's last small community pillage on the ponies and Red was really star-"RED!" Red lost her train of thought when Bigsby shook her. "WHAT! WHAT!"Red said confused and bewildered. "Jeez lassie, welcome back to Equistria , you just went blank there for a little bit, are you alright?" Bigsby asked genuinely concerned. "Yeah I'm fine, sorry about that, I guess I just got lost in thought" Red smiled sheepishly at them.
"OK...well than! Let's get going to the camp now before we waste any more time," Clover Cream said as she grabbed a saddlebag from Bigsby. The group finally set northwest to reach camp Esquivar.
When walking to camp Esquivar, Bigsby had told Red about his multiple adventures with his friends which actually had Red intrigued for the time they walked together,"And that my friends, is why you never and I repeat NEVER have unicorn's put magic in yer mouth and swallow if your not also a unicorn, ESPECIALLY after having a drinking contest." Bigsby proclaimed as he took a chug of alcohol from his flask. Red was genuinely amazed at how many crazy stories he had to tell, and of course most of the stories that Bigsby told her began with his and his friends drinking, and at the end of the stories, it was always Clover Cream who saved him and his buddies from the sticky situations that they got themselves into.
"Hey Bigsby, did any of your friends sign up for the whole werepony militia by any chance?" Red asked.
"Ahh yes, absolutely, all of my lads singed up for this, but sadly, we all got split up into different militia's and I had to end up good ol' Clover here."Bigsby said teasingly to Clover Cream. "Now what's that suppose to mean?" Clover Cream growled. "Well I mean, it's fun to be with ya and all, but sometimes you just nag like an old spinster."Bigsby said. "You say that because you know I'm right every time when I have to lecture you, Bigsby." Clover Cream shot back. "I know your always right Clover, it's just the fact I'll never listen to ya." Chuckled Bigsby, taking another chug of his flask, "Ahh, that's the stuff," Bigsby sighed delightfully. Clover Cream just grumbled and rolled her eyes continuing to walk forward.
"So why exactly did you all join the werepony hunter militia's?" Red asked. "Well because in Tall Tale, those damn buggers were just a nuisance to farmer's for many years, and when we heard that those wereponies grew more ballsy and started to actually pillage small community's so Celestia asked for militia's to be formed, we decided that we should lend a helping hoof to our communities and join the militia ourselves." Bigsby said pridefully, puffing out his chest. "The only real reasons I joined this werepony militia is that I want to prove to everypony back at home that I'm not just some little filly anymore, and to make sure that at least Bigsby or any of his other friends don't get into any trouble." Clover Cream said looking forward while they all walked.
"So Red, might I asked why you joined?" Clover Cream asked. "Well, I joined because thoose wereponies actually killed my dad when I was just a few month's old so, I think the only reason why I'm even here is to avenge my dad I guess," Lied Red
"I see, a very noble cause for a mare," Bigsby chirped while putting away his flask. "And by the way, I think we reached our destination, lassies," Bigsby said as he pointed to a old concrete building, also known as camp Esquivar.
