Chapter 20: A Glimpse Below the Surface

“Deception is a state of mind and the mind of the State”. James Jesus Angleton

Mega Mart, Lunar Commonwealth: Ginger Snaps

As we wake on our final morning at the Mega Mart, I am just starting to stretch and look at the building as I see Choo disappear as she flies into the air. Beside me, I hear Tater snort a bit as he says, “She is up to something, I don’t know what, but somepony is going to be unhappy.”

As she carries several cups of coffee to us in her TK Twinks says, “Ya, think? I figured you all would appreciate some coffee. I been up for a while already.”

“Did she say where she was going?”

“No, but I did see her writing a letter before she left.” Twinks says, then she tells us, “Ok Seasoning Salt says breakfast should be ready in about fifteen minutes. She and Jambalaya have been working on it for a couple of hours already.”

“What are we having today for breakfast?” I ask.

As she floats each of us our cup of coffee she answers, “Today it is oatcakes with molasses, and scrambled eggs.”

I find myself nodding as she tells us this. Then I ask, “Any idea where the eggs came from?”

“No, no idea. But they smell good.”

Next, I hear Sunny say, “Who cares as long as it is not a dragon or Griffon egg? Let’s eat.” I then see him look around briefly and he asks, “Where is Cowlick?”

Then I hear Xochitl slightly laugh as he tells us, “Don’t worry, here he comes now.”

Shortly after this, we see Cowlick approach with a smile on his face.

“So where were you Cow?” Xochitl asks.

Cow actually blushes before he tells us, “I was visiting with Clarabelle and Gertie.”

That is when I notice a patch of hair missing from his neck. As we begin to head to the chow line, I hear Xochitl quietly ask him, “Don’t you have a cow back home?”

Cowlick shrugs slightly and tells him, “Cohitl, we are a long way from home, and to tell the truth, we are not a couple yet. Sure, I am interested, but I still have to ask her out formally.”

“Oh, okay Cow. Sorry I misunderstood.”

“Oh, no problem Cohitl. I appreciate your caring enough to ask.”

As we are eating, I see Choo come out of the Mega Mart with a big grin on her face. We watch her as she visits the caravan of her descendants from the Manehattan route. Shortly afterward we hear a scream from inside the Mega Mart. We watch several of the guards running inside the market. A short time later I see Purchase Order come out the door shaking her head and laughing.

Once she gets close enough Epona asks, “What’s so funny?”

“Salvage Value is freaking out. He was talking to a customer and when he went place the caps from the sale into his saddlebags he found a letter that was not supposed to be in there. When he looked up, he saw Choo standing next to one of the guards by the door. I saw her wave a wing and smile at him and he started to scream in a panic and called security to protect him from her.”

A few hours later the weapons that we were waiting for from Salvage Value and his group are delivered. Before they leave one of his workers asks, “Heading home now?”

I just smile and tell him, “Yeah, I probably should not tell you, but I don’t think it will hurt.”

The pony just smiles and nods his head, “Well see you around then. Take care,” he tells me.

I see him laughing to himself as he walks away and I fight the urge to shake my head. I don’t want to give away the fact that we suspect them of trying to set us up for an ambush. Well, let them think we are heading straight home.

I then hear Trader Jewel call out, “Ok, people let’s get moving, we have a lot of distance to make by nightfall.”

After he says this, I watch as the Brahmin all hitch up to the wagons. Once all of us are ready we begin to leave the Mega Mart for the last time of this trip. As we leave, I see Purchase on guard at the gate again and she smiles sadly and waves to us as we pass. I smile as I remember Tek saying goodbye to us last night. I will miss him once we leave here. But we promised to see both him and Purchase again the next time we are in this area.

As we walk, we are in our normal travel order. I even see Sunny go up high to scout ahead of us. Choo is walking alongside me and I hear her laugh to herself. I curiously ask her, “Ok, Choo, what is so funny?”

She smirks as she tells me, “I was just thinking, maybe I need to fly back here tonight, just to mess with him again.”

I smirk and shake my head. “That would be pretty vicious Choo.”

“I know, but I want to keep him off guard. Ginger, I do believe he not only sells the weapons to our caravans, but I now am pretty certain he and his cronies are involved in the ambushes.”

I nod again, then I tell her, “Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same way, Choo. That is why I let slip to one of them that we were heading straight out for home. That should at least throw their timing off.”

She nods her head, “Sometimes a bit of misdirection can be very useful. By the way, when we get to the stable, I do believe I will be staying outside as much as possible. If you see one of my sisters there, do not be surprised.”

“Ok, thanks for the heads up, Choo.” I pause briefly and then tell her, “You know this is a pretty good gig we have here, but I do miss not getting or sending mail.”

She readjusts her wings and I see her ears begin to flop to the sides before she says, “I do understand. I feel the same way. I miss home and I miss my Paper Work, I am even missing my sisters.”

I hear her sigh one more time and she then says, “I am going to join Sunny for a bit, please take over those on hoof.”

“You got it, boss,” I tell her, then I watch her fly off into the clouds above us.

As we get to the point of our route where we have to either follow Equestrian Highway Three back to Hackamore or turn off to go to the Apple Jack Ranger’s stable, we see in the distance a group approaching the next crossroads and entering the buildings there. Sunny calls over the radio, Hey boss, it looks like they are setting up an ambush.

“Roger, Sunny. Thanks for the heads up,” I call back. Shortly after this, I hear a single shot and then an explosion.

As we turn toward the stable, we can hear over our radios Sunny calling to Choo, Wow, they seem a little upset Boss.

I then hear Choo say, You could say that. By the way good shot on that mine.

Thanks Boss, but I was aiming for the pony burying it.

Soon I see them both approaching the caravan again and flying ahead of us. From the back of the column, I hear Twinks call out, Cookie this is Danger, we can see them slowly trying to follow us. Do you want us to engage them?

I then respond, “Negative, until they attack us or Big Blue gives the word, only keep an eye on them.”

Only a couple of hours later I can begin to see a flag in the distance hanging limply in the still air on a flagpole. That is when I see Choo and Sunny come in to land as they rejoin us as we see an area ahead that looks like we could fit the caravan into.

Once we are close enough, I see a pony come out and stop our caravan. After a few minutes, we are signaled to go ahead and we go only a short way down slop from the flagpole and form our normal circle for the night.

Shortly afterward we have set up a campfire in the assigned locations and lay our bedrolls beside them. Then we settle in for the night. As I lay beside my love, I find myself putting my muzzle to the fur on his neck and just breathing in his scent. It so relaxes me. I realize that his scent reminds me of home. I smile to myself as I think of our families back home and how before too much longer, we should be seeing them again, as I slowly drift off to the world of dreams.

*****

Equestrian Highway Three, Lunar Commonwealth: Xochitl

I am still smiling at the memories of the night before as we leave Mega Mart for the last time on this run. Tek and Purchase Order had came and joined us again. He was smiling as he pulled a bottle out of his saddlebags.

“What have you got there Tek?” I ask with a smile in my voice.

Grinning back, he holds the bottle close to himself and quietly says, “I found this some time ago at one of the abandoned Legion posts. I know many of the shamans were very fond of it as they say it increased their ability to have visions and to communicate with the spirits.”

I nod my head, but I hear Epona ask, “I thought you were not a shaman?”

Still holding the bottle, he tells her, “I am not, but if this stuff can do that, it must be good and I want to share it with friends.”

Now Ginger asks, “So what is it?”

Still smiling he tells us, “It is called Absinthe.”

“I have never heard of that before,” I tell him.

Then I hear Cowlick asks, “What does it taste like?”

I see Tek frown slightly as he thinks and he then tells us, “I am not really sure, I have never really tried it before.”

That is when Tater steps up, puts a hoof across Tek’s shoulders, and tells him, “Well then perhaps it is time we all find out, but Tek, you must have the first taste as it is you who are sharing it with us.”

I watch as Tek takes the cork out of the bottle, he then cautiously takes a taste. He smacks his lips and takes a slightly larger one this time, then he hooves it to Epona. I watch as he turns his head slightly and then tells Cowlick, “It has a slight taste of black licorice.”

I watch as Cow turns his head slightly and puts a forehoof under his chin. Then he says, “You know I don’t think I have ever tasted black licorice.”

I lightly punch Cow in his shoulder and tell him, “Well then it is time to try it.”

We pass this bottle around the group as we laugh and joke with each other. I notice the Epona has finally put a hoof around Purchase Order as they lean against each other.

Then I hear Cowlick say, “I’ll be back, I have some business I need to attend to.”

Choo Choo has tried some and while she agrees it does taste good, she tells us, “I best leave this for you all to enjoy, as the effects of it cannot be enjoyed by my kind.”

After my final drink, I am staring into the fire and I begin to see some things, I first see a white ball of light next to me and it is almost like it is leading me in the vision. I watch as most of Ginger and Epona’s family are in Hoofington with me. I see us meeting Purchase and Tek again. I find myself smiling at these images. Then I see us running and being chased by the Enclave.

The vision disappears and is replaced by another one. This time I see home and it is on fire. I see ponies and cattle I know dead and dying. Above us I see large clouds moving quickly. I shake my head and the vision is gone. I look at the others and only Tek is starting at the fire like I was. A bit later he shakes his head and I see him smirk sadly. He looks at Purchase and smiles at her and Epona. Then he looks at the rest of us and I see he is happy.

Before he leaves for the night, he says his goodbyes and tells us, “I will see all of you again. Until then, be careful.” When he gets to me, he hugs me close and tells me, “I had a vision too. Be careful and I will see you when you get down here next time.” He smiles and then turns and walks off into the darkness with a confident walk.

I do notice that Purchase and Epona lay down next to each other and fall asleep. Cow is still gone. Tater and Twinks have pulled out another bottle of whiskey and share it with those of us still at the fire.

I shake my head and clear it as I hear over my radio set that Sunny has spotted some movement ahead, and on the route we would have taken if we were going straight home. As I get to the crossroads where we would have turned, I hear Trader Jewel remind me, “That’s right, straight ahead on this road.”

I loosely pay attention to the radio chatter as I go forward making sure we are not ambushed from this direction either. Behind me, I hear a couple of rifle shots from up high and then an explosion. I listen intently to the radio to see if we need to shift modes or keep going.

Trader Jewel nudges me and tells me, “Just keep on going.”

As we advance down this road, I can see the signs of watch posts that we cannot see. I also feel like we are being watched. Finally, in the distance ahead on a slight ridge I can see a flag pole with its flag hanging limply. As we get closer, I see a large area just beyond it that looks large enough for the caravan to camp. I see several creatures entering and leaving a cave off to the side of the flat area.

Trader Jewel holds up a hoof and the entire caravan stops. As we stand there, I see a young unicorn in a uniform that I do not know approach us. In her TK she has a clipboard and as she approaches, she says, “Good afternoon, I am Scribe Circuit Pattern, how may I and the Apple Jack’s Rangers help you today?”

Trader Jewel nods his head slightly and replies, “Names Trader Jewel, I sent a runner ahead a couple of days ago to let you know we were coming to do some trading.”

She nods her head, then I almost laugh as I see her stick her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she reads something on the clipboard. Finally, she says, “Ah yes, here we are. Thank you, sir, please continue. Oh, and as a reminder, due to the slope, please chock the wheels on your wagons and cart. No need to repeat that unfortunate incident from a while back.”

I catch myself snickering lightly as I can only imagine how much of an understatement that had to be. Then I notice Trader Jewel has an eyebrow raised and looks almost amused himself. He then tells her, “Yes, you are very correct on that. Thank you, Scribe. Is there any place else I need to check in?”

She shakes her head, “No, but once you are parked, we will have a stable representative come out and discuss our rules with your caravan. We do not often get this large of a trade group at one time.”

“Understandable Scribe Pattern, if it works out well enough for both sides, we may add ya’all as a regular stop on our route.”

She smiles one more time and tells him, “I do hope it does.” Then I notice her looking behind me and when I look, I see Sunny coming up. “I hope he will be with all of you when you do.”

As she walks away, I hear her humming under her breath. I simply shake my head and hope that Sunny behaves himself, or at least does not cause us problems here. Finally, Trader Jewel tells me, “Lead ‘em in Xochitl, and come see me once they are parked.”

I lead them forward and once I reach the position for the first wagon to bow out, I give the signal and they make enough of a turn to bow out, stopping once they have completed a circle. This time we only have one real entrance and exit and not a lot of room to maneuver, so we cannot use our normal method of making camp.

Once camp is set up its late afternoon. That is when I see one of the scribes and a page approaching our camp. Behind them, I still see several ponies and other creatures coming and going into the cave.

As they approach, I see Sunny start to smile at the one, but when he sees the other, he stops smiling and calls out, “Hey Cowlick, would you come on over here?”

I watch as he meanders over to Sunny and I see them talking quietly. As I get closer, I hear Sunny telling him, “Yeah, the scribe on the left I met her last time I was here.”

Cowlick asks, “So, what is she like?”

Sunny grins and nods his head, “She was nice, but she had some weird ideas, I guess you will see.”

Now, what did he mean by that?

Soon the scribe and page arrive and begin to talk to Trader Jewel. She is exchanging information with him about the rules for their trading post and stable. As they do Sunny and Cowlick approach them.

I see the scribe look at Sunny with a slight bit of disdain and arrogance. “Oh, it is you again.” She then asks Trader Jewel, “Is he with your caravan?”

Trader Jewel nods his head and answers, “Yes, he is, is there a problem?”

She seems to want to say something, but decides instead to answer, “No, not as long as he and the rest of your caravan obey the rules.” She pauses and asks, “Last time he was here, he was with a blue alicorn. Is she with you too?”

Trader Jewel tilts his head slightly and his ears start to go back, “Maybe this was a bad idea to stop here. You seem to have a lot of problems with my people. I want no trouble.”

That is when I notice another Alicorn, a purple, begin to approach. As she approaches, I see Choo approaching us from the other side of the caravan excitedly. When they meet, I see them looking at each other and both seem to be almost talking, but their mouths are not moving. It is almost eerie and honestly, I would be spooked if I had not been around Choo Choo and her sisters so often over the years.

Shortly after this, I hear the new alicorn say to the scribe, “Scribe Chili Bean, we are not going to have a problem again, are we?”

The scribe looks like she tasted something sour and replies, “No Ma’am. The elder can count on me, ma’am.”

“I am glad to hear that. We would hate to have our confidence in you be misplaced.”

“I would not want you or the elder to feel that way ma’am,” Scribe Chili Bean answers back.

Soon afterward I watch as Choo and Trader Jewel are accompanied by Twinks into the stable. After they are out of sight the rest of us get back down to business. Splitting the guard duty.

As it gets darker, we start campfires and settle in for the night. Only a few hours after they have entered the stable, Choo, Trader Jewel, and Twinks. I overhear Trader Jewel telling Choo Choo, “Thanks for going in with me. Honestly, I don’t know about adding this place to our route. The Elder and his marefriend seem decent enough, but I have my doubts about some of their subordinates.”

“I do understand, and I am sorry to hear that. My sister had hoped you would add them to your route as the Applejack’s Rangers are not the only ones who call this place home. But I cannot blame you at all, especially after how their one knight tried to back out of our deal.”

“Speaking of that, what exactly was your deal?”

“I am sorry sir, but part of the deal was that we could not tell anyone. But we will be receiving our payment tomorrow. After that, we will be ready to depart with you.”

He nods his head, “I am glad you brought Twinks in too. She made some good calls. Now if I do add this place I may have to try and hire on a tech just to inspect what we exchange here.” After he says this, he tells Choo, “I will see you in the morning, I have to go check on Pistachio and catch some sleep.”

Choo then rejoins us. She tells us about what happened and I watch as Ginger and Epona both squawk at how the knight tried to break the deal. I about howl though when Cowlick says, “Boss if they would have, would you have wanted me to seal the door to their stable?”

Choo just smiles with a raised eyebrow and says nothing, then from out of the darkness I hear Scribe Chili Bean ask, “You, you could not do that, could you?”

I hear more than see Cowlick laughing, then I see the light from the fire give his face an almost evil appearance as he looks in her direction and says, “Easily, the question is how to do it, and if we wanted to make it permanent. Because if I shut the door, and yes, our tech could do that, I could easily weld that door shut in minutes and make sure you never got out of it again. But hey, stables were designed for that right?”

I see her now faintly in the firelight as she gulps and then says, “Well, I am glad it did not come to that. Also, after hearing you now, I am afraid I owe you, and your kind an apology. I truly did not think your kind were intelligent.”

She joins us around the fire for a bit more, then she tells Choo Choo, “Ma’am, your PipBucks should be ready by ten in the morning for pickup.”

I suddenly feel myself begin to get excited again. I have not had one since the expedition and back then I found them so useful. I notice the rest of the team also seems excited. After she leaves, we all begin to quiet down. Finally, we return to our bedrolls, except for those who are still on watch. As I fall asleep, I feel Ginger curl up behind me. I feel her inhale my scent and I just enjoy the feeling of her next to me as I wonder what the visions I had from last night mean.

*****

Apple Jack’s Rangers Stable, Lunar Commonwealth: Choo Choo

The trip over from Mega Mart to the Applejack’s Rangers stable is actually pretty quiet considering we are still near Hoofington. The one attempt to ambush us not only was foiled just by going where we had planned, but also by Sunny’s lucky shot into the mine they were planting. I am quite certain that it surprised all of them. Especially with the shot coming out of the clouds. Hmm, maybe they will blame the Enclave for it. I shrug my wings at the thought and bring myself back to the here and now.

I am on the far side of the caravan as I see a scribe and page approaching Trader Jewel. I notice them talking and neither party looks happy. So, I call out, ({Sister are you there?})

({Who is this?}) I hear in reply.

({It is me, Choo Choo. I have returned to visit.})

({I will be right up}) she tells me.

Soon I see her coming out of the tunnel to the stable. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. It is so good to see her again. I do notice she still has a somber expression on her face. What has she gone through that keeps her so serious I wonder?

({It is good to see you again sister!}) I tell her.

({And you as well Choo. I hope that the Goddesses have kept you and your people safe.})

I feel my smile broaden some as I nod my head and tell her, “({They have. I just hope they continue to bless us and protect us on our way back home.})

She nods and tells me, ({I can understand how you feel. I know you miss your stallion there. I cannot imagine myself now without mine. I never expected one such as me and who has done what I have, would ever be blessed by the Goddesses as I have.})

({I do understand, I feel that way about my Paper Work as well. He may only be a staff pony, but he is special and we love each other and that is what matters.})

Nodding her head, I finally see the faint hint of a smile on her. Then to the side, I hear the Scribe make a somewhat snide-sounding comment to Trader Jewel. That is when my sister holds up a hoof to me and begins to speak aloud, “Scribe Chili Bean, we are not going to have a problem again, are we?”

The scribe quickly states there will be no problem. After this Trader Jewel tells me, “Ok Choo, I know you have some business to conclude in there as do I so let’s head in.”

“Sir, if you don’t mind, I would like to bring my tech in with me?”

He shrugs, “Sure no problem.” I then call to her, “Hey Danger, would you please come with me? I have some things I need you to look over.”

She looks up in surprise and calls back, “Sure, be right with you, boss.”

She finishes what she was doing quickly and then joins Trader Jewel and me as we are escorted into the stable by Scribe Chili Bean and my sister.

As we go through the tunnel toward the stable door I am mildly amused as Twinks keeps looking at everything. As we reach the door, she sees the mechanism for opening the stable door. I see her smirk and then hear her say under her breath, “Yeah, I could get through this.” Then she looks at the door and absentmindedly says, “Pretty easy to permanently seal too.”

From beside me, I hear my sister say ({What? Is she serious?})

({Yes, and no. She likes to think about problems she may encounter someday. This is just another mental exercise for her.})

I feel the relief in her thoughts as she tells me, ({Thank the Goddesses. I was afraid of what we would have to do.})

I feel my anger begin to rise and I tell her, ({They would have to cross us for us to consider it.})

({Peace my sister, I would not want to do this, but it is my home and these are my ponies. I am sure you understand.}) She tells me.

({Yes, yes, I do. These are my ponies and I would protect them as much as possible if I could.})

As we are talking, I hear the scribe called Chili Bean ask Twinks, “Really, you think so? What makes you think that?”

Twinks looks at her and smiles and tells her, “First, I have read the Overmare and Overcow’s manual with the Stable Tech override codes in it. Second, all we have to do is use a small bit of thermite grenades being placed at several points. The heat would melt the metal on both sides. Seeing we don’t care about it looking pretty we would not need to do the normal prep that is used for thermite welding.”

I see the scribe look like someone hit herself alongside her head. “You couldn’t really do that.”

Twinks simply shrugs and tells her, “Could and would are two different things.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But still not something I would like to think about.”

Twinks smiles, “Neither would I, besides, I cannot see something happening where we would have to do such a thing.”

Soon we are past the entrance of the stable and as we approach the main atrium, I again feel myself being overwhelmed by some kind of energy inside here. This time I am ready for it so it does not stun me as it did before. All I can think though is that something really wrong had to have happened here to a lot of ponies. I notice my sister looking at me through the corner of her eye, ({Are you ok, sister?}) she asks.

({Yes, I was prepared for it this time. I do not know how you can handle it all the time.})

She smiles sadly and shrugs her wings.

As we enter the main atrium itself, I look down and see the shops near it as well as all the creatures that are doing business there. Scribe Chili Bean nods to us and tells us, I need to be going to the shop. I already let Knight Crunchy Granola know you have returned.” She pauses then looking to the side she says, “Here he comes now.”

Both Twinks and I look in the direction she is and we see a suit of T45B power armor coming in our direction from behind us.

As the power armor gets closer the scribe goes to the position of attention. Salutes and says “Good Afternoon Sir.”

“Good afternoon, Scribe,” he then nods in our direction and says, “Miss Choo, and who is this with you this time?”

“Good afternoon, Knight Granola. It is good to see you again.” I reply then I use a forehoof to indicate toward Twinks and introduce her as, “This is my team’s technician and backup medic Twinkle Hoofs.”

He nods his head and we hear him say in a modulated voice, “Miss Twinkle Hoofs. Welcome to the home of the Hoofington Chapter of the Applejack’s Rangers.”

I watch as Twinks, smiles slightly and gives a slight bow as she replies, “It is a pleasure to meet you Knight Granola.”

“Miss Choo, I do believe we have some business to discuss, would you please accompany me? Oh, and if you would miss Twinks, please accompany Scribe Chili Bean.”

I then turn to him and asks, “Is that where we will pick up our payment?”

While I can not read his expression through his power armor, I can see the scribe look slightly uncomfortable. When he says yes, I turn to Twinks and tell her, “Please accompany the scribe if you would.”

I see her give a half frown, but she does not argue. Instead, she simply says, “You got it, boss.” Then she turns and tells the scribe. “Lead on then.”

Trader Jewel, silent until then asks, “Scribe, could you also take me to the merchants here so that I may begin trade discussions with them?”

She looks at Twinks and then answers, “But of course sir, follow me.”

Once they are on their way again, the Knight leads me to his office. As we enter, he moves behind his desk and I hear his helmet unseal as he removes it and sets it on a filing cabinet. Once we have both taken a seat he begins, “Ok Miss Choo, we had made a deal for you to determine who was trying to destabilize the stability of governing parties of the Lunar Commonwealth as well as to interfere with these operations.”

I nod my head in agreement. “Yes, we have. In fact, we have found the main culprits as well as which gangs, they were working with. We have since destabilized their operations, and temporally put a halt to them.”

He keeps a serious expression on his face as I tell him this then he asks, “And how did you do this?”

I then proceed to tell him what we have done since our last meeting. Then he asks, “And what have you found out about the Rainbow Dash Skyport?”

I then grin and ask, “Would you like a rough map of their facilities and a description of their operations?”

I see his eyes go wide as I pull the map that Sunny had drawn for us as well as his notes. Then I tell him, “You remember my employee, Sunny?” He nods his head in affirmation, “He did this as well as having infiltrated his way into Thunderhead.”

I see him shake his head, “Excuse me, but are you saying he has been to Thunderhead and returned?”

This time I nod my head as I tell him, “That is exactly what I am saying.”

I see him think then he tells me, “Ok, it seems that you have more than held up your end of the deal. I will let my techs know to prepare and deliver the requested payment to you and your people.”

I smile as I tell him “Thank you, that is much appreciated.”

“Ok, now I still have some things to attend to, that is unless you have more business you would like to discuss with me?”

I shake my head slightly as I tell him, “No, that is all I had. I do believe I can find my way back to the atrium and your techs shop on my own.”

“Thank you, Miss Choo. If I have any more jobs for you and your team, how would I contact you?”

I smile again. Then I pass him a business card that we had printed up on some recycled paper back home, they are cheap after all, our services, not so much. As I do this, I tell him, “We are preparing to head home as soon as our caravan returns to Hackamore in the NCR. After that, you can contact us at the address listed here.”

He looks at the card then he asks me something that almost makes my blood run cold. “This is near the village of White Cloud am I correct?”

I nod my head as he continues, “I checked into our records and it seems some of our people have met a Blueberry Crisp and her husband Hard Tack. Both are deserters from the Steel Rangers, and If I am not mistaken, at least one of them is a member of the local militia there.”

I say nothing as I consider my options. Then he tells me, “Yes, we do know they are there and who they are. Let them know that we would welcome them back to the fold as members of the Applejack’s Rangers if they are interested. Their desertion would be forgiven under the Elder Steelhooves Defense.”

“And if they do not choose to join your organization?”

He shrugs and says, “We will not pursue them. But if they are captured away from the Manesville region, they will be treated as deserters.”

I nod my head, “I will let them know then.”

“Thank you. I do appreciate it. Now I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your visit. Also, we do offer showers as part of our services to caravans who stop to do trade here.”

“Thank you, I will let my boss Trader Jewel know that.” As I get up and begin to turn for the door I tell him, “Have a good night and I do hope to see you again sir.”

“Good night Miss Choo. I will see you around, I am sure.”

With that I know I am dismissed and I leave his office to find Twinks and Trader Jewel. As I make my way through the hallways of the stable, I find myself humming quietly. The feeling of dread that I had when I entered is still there in the background, but I am now looking forward to the idea of a hot shower, and I know we will be getting our payment.

When I find Twinks I see her with Trader Jewel. She is sitting on her haunches with her forelegs crossed and shaking her head. Then I hear her tell Trader Jewel, “If she says she wants us to trust her, I say check your cap stash if she won’t let us try it. Believe me, I know how much can be wrong with something as simple as a toaster. And this thing is a bit more complex than that.”

As I stand there listening to them, I feel my sister asks, ({Is there a problem?})

({No, nothing that Twinks and Trader Jewel cannot handle. But thank you for your concern.})

({Later tonight, could just you and me sit and talk some more? I miss having some of our kind around. I could never leave my home here, but I miss our sisters.})

Smiling to myself I answer her, ({But of course, besides, we should be here another couple of days before we leave. I would like to spend more time with you. Also, if you are willing to try to exchange letters with them, I know our sisters Quick Frost and Blue Star would love to hear from you. I will give you an address that they can receive mail from, as well as myself.})

Even though I cannot see her, I can feel her slight smile as she sends, ({Yes, I would like that.})

Shortly after this Twinks gets my attention by nudging me and she tells me, “Choo, we are ready to head back up. Oh, and the scribe and her page said that our new PipBucks will be ready in the morning. You don’t mind if I come back in a bit later to assist them with them, do you?”

I smile at her and put a hoof on her shoulder, “No Twinks, in fact, I think that is a great idea. Besides, the more you get to know them, the better we can work with them if we are in the area again.”

“Kinda what I was thinking too boss.”

With that, we find our way back out of the stable and to our camp and the rest of our caravan. I have to smile when I notice that off to the side under the lantern light, I see Ginger holding a reading class with a couple of the older caravan ponies as well as some of the brahmin. She looks up at us. Smiles and goes back to what she was doing. While from a nearby campfire I hear some of the ponies singing one of the old songs. I look at Trader Jewel and tell him, “I will talk to you later sir.” Then I find myself singing the words of the Mare I Left Behind Me as I join the others at the fire and just enjoy the company of my team once again.

*****

Nightingale Military Hospital, Thunderhead, Grand Pegasus Enclave: Ball Lightning.

As I am laying in my bed reading a book my father has brought for me. I hear a knock on the door. I look up and I smile pleasantly as I see Sundancer and Alto have come to visit me again. As they come in, I sit up more and I receive a hug and a kiss first from Sundancer than a hug from Alto.

It is funny for a stallion I initially despised, I have come to like him. This leads me to ask, “So Alto, how are things going between you and Down Draft? Any luck?”

When I ask this, I see his wings rise slightly and he blushes as he tells me, “Actually, he finally asked me out last week, and we have been dating since.”

“And you are just telling me now?” I kid him.

He nods his head, “Sorry, I was kind of hesitant to say anything when Funnel Cloud was still sharing your room. By the way, we saw him on our way in and he said to give you his regards and that he hopes you return to duty soon.”

“I understand how he feels, I can’t wait to get out of here soon myself. I just wonder where I will be sent next.”

Then Sundancer speaks up, “Well I guess since our cover was blown, they are pulling our team out of Hoofington for a bit and sending us elsewhere. I am sorry dearest, but we will be gone for a while it looks like. We just don’t know where yet.”

I nod my head in understanding, holding her hoof with mine as I think to myself, I wonder if she knows, but just can’t tell me yet. “Well, hopefully, we can still see each other now and again.”

Both of them nod their heads in agreement. We continue to talk until my doctor comes in. Captain Star Shine enters holding a clipboard in her wingtips. She smiles at the three of us and says, “It is good to see you all again. However, I will need you two to step out for a bit while I talk with my patient.”

Her choice of wording makes me realize she has some things she needs to discuss in private with me. I smile and tell them, “I will talk to you again soon.”

Sundancer lets go of my forehoof and kisses me gently on my cheek before she leaves. Alto approaches me and puts a forehoof on my shoulder and tells me, “Well, we will see you again soon. I will tell Down Draft you said hello and that he needs to come to visit again.”

“Sounds good Alto. Take care and I will see you next time.”

The doctor waits until they have left before she turns to me and says, “Ok Lieutenant. Having reviewed with my team your progress we have decided that you will be released in two days and returned to duty in a temporary limited duty status. We are all pleased with your progress so far. However, I am worried that you may try to overdo it once you leave. Remember if you allow yourself to heal, you will recover more quickly and be ready for full duty sooner.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I will remember that.”

“I am sure you will Lieutenant.”

She performs another quick exam on me and has me stretch in front of her. Then she has me hover a meter in the air for a couple of minutes. I feel the strain of just hovering that causes me to start to lather up in a sweat. Finally, she says, “Ok, go ahead and land Lieutenant.”

She smiles at me and tells me, “Everything looks like you really are where I want you to be in your healing process. In two days, I will be discharging you. I will be giving you a list of exercises I want you to perform to help get yourself back up to where you should be.”

I nod my head and feel myself getting excited to get out of here. “I will ma’am. I just want to get out of here and stay out.”

I see her smile as she tells me, “Lieutenant. I am very glad to hear that. That is all I ask. I will see you again tomorrow.”

I watch as she heads out the door and I hear her greet someone in the hallway outside my room. I think I recognize the voice, but I am sure it can’t be him.

A few minutes later I hear a knock on the door and I am surprised when I look up and see a pony I had hoped to not see again. Standing in the door frame is Air Burst. He has the smarmy smile on his face that I have come to realize means he has something hidden under his wings in mind.

“Hay Ball, good to see you in such good shape. I was outside waiting when I heard your doctor tell you that you would be released in a couple of days.”

“Thanks, Air, I am really looking forward to getting out of here myself.”

He takes a seat in one of the chairs near my bed. Then he quietly tells me, “Ball, my superiors were very pleased with how your team worked my mine in Hoofington.”

I nod my head, “I am glad to hear that Air. But I am sorry your team's cover got blown.”

He swipes his right forehoof slightly as he tells me, “It happens. However, both they and I feel that your people helped make it possible for my team to survive. So, they have come up with another plan, and your team has been temporarily attached to mine.”

This almost rocks me back on my heels. I had hoped to get back to the company and my platoon for our regular duty. Part of me is disappointed, but this shows a bit of faith in me and my team I had not expected from our superiors. That realization, as well as the fact that I will be working more with Sundancer and Alto, gets me to smile.

I lean in closer to him and I ask, “Ok, let's hear it, what do they have planned for us this time?”

He now has the grin of a fisherpony that has just reeled in a big catch. He looks around the room, then he gets up and closes the door. He returns to the chair and leaning in close he begins to give a rough once over of what they want us to do and where.

At first, I am very surprised. Then I laugh, “You know Air, I think that just might work. How long before we leave for it?”

“Well Ball, they said you are out of here in two days, so let’s give you a week to heal up, then we head out and can have fun again.”

“Well, hopefully not as much fun as that last bit.”

He laughs lightly and replies, “Oh, even that was fun, up until the very end. By the way; I do owe you a big thank you for that. You did save my life. I am sure that if you had not taken that burst into your barding instead, I would have been killed instantly, instead, I was only lightly wounded.”

I am surprised as I had not even realized he was hit and when I tell him this he replies, “Ball, we both had a bit more on our mind at that time than to worry about a couple of grazes. I am just glad you pulled through. We lost a couple of others from my team and almost lost a couple of yours. Sadly, that is sometimes the cost of this business.”

“With the losses and the mission being compromised I am kinda surprised your superiors want us to work together still.”

“Overall, we had a partial mission success. So, the powers that be are satisfied with that and feel we can do even better, especially since we were able to give them so much fresh information about different parts of the NCR from the contacts you made. Oh, and also, while it is classified in your record, you are getting another letter of accommodation as we had no idea that the NCR was operating a team such as those you said called themselves the Repair Ponies.”

“Just doing what I felt was best for the Enclave, Air.”

Before we can say much more, I hear a knock on the door and it cracks open. One of the nurses pops her head around it and says, “Ok, Lieutenant, I am here to take you to your last session of physical therapy.”

With that Air Burst Stands up, lightly pats my shoulder with a forehoof, and tells me, “It was good seeing you again Ball. Take care and I will see you around.”

After he leaves the nurse shakes her head slightly and tells me, “No offense Lieutenant, but I don’t know how you can be friends with him. Something about him just does not seem right.”

I shrug my shoulders and tell her, “He is not everyponies cup of cider, but he certainly is an interesting sort, that is for sure.”

*****

I am Smooth Melody and I am playing your favorites here on FLANK radio. To all of you listeners, especially you caravanners out there, come on down to the Flank where we can get you what you really want, night or day. That includes stories you can take home and tell your friends about. Just remember to check your weapons at the stable door when you visit our main attraction site which is still run by the Finders.

In local news, it seems the Enclave military exercises in the Hoofington and Thunderhead region have concluded and a higher number than normal of the Enclave fleet ships are departing for other points in the Wastelands.

As a warning for those using Equestria Route three, there are reports of higher raider activity, with several caravans having been attacked on their way to and from the Hoof. Now our next song is for all of you out there, here is A Little Bit Off

Author's Note

For those of you who would like to listen to this chapters dedication song, The YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Zmj-w6zFo&list=RDEMvUyqYjU8NTrjsTHfMG22GQ&index=9

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