Chapter 23 Side Quest: Partial Mission Success

“It’s hard to sell the official story to people who can see things for themselves.”

― John Scalzi, The Life of the Mind

SS Baltimare Colt, Hoofrock River, NCR: Ginger Snaps

I feel the Colt shuddering slightly as we move back slowly against the river current. I hear the sound of wood on wood and then the movement of rope through pullies as one of the crewponies calls out, “Ok Captain, we’re clear of that snag now.”

Rust calls back, “Very good,” then I hear her call, “Epona, one half right rudders, get us mid-stream.”

I shake my head as I open my eyes and I awaken from my after-lunch nap. Across what is now considered our berthing area by the crew I see the three members of our esteemed NCR rep’s security team playing cards with Xochitl and Sunny.

As I sit up and stretch, I hear him asks, “Ok Henri, what are you going to do?”

I notice the light gray griffon shift his wings and tilt his head as he looks at the cards in his talons. Finally, he says, “I’ll fold.”

Xochitl looks at the unicorn and nods. The unicorn says, “Raise, 2 caps.”

I smirk to myself as I realize they are playing Dodge City hold-em. I remember back to that day many years ago back in JR-7 before it became Junction Town when Sunny’s dad Trouble taught us by letting us watch him play it against some of Gawd’s talons.

I finally get up and asks, “Where are the others?”

Sunny looks up from his two cards and tells me, “Tater and Epona are in the Pilot House. Cowlick and Twinks have gone topside. And Choo has gone high to try and spot for more snags. The high river level has a lot of down trees free floating again making it rough to navigate.” He pauses then says, “Ok, here are two more caps, and I raise two more.”

I smile trying not to laugh as I hear Shadow Glider, the other griffon moan as he tosses in four caps. Then he says, “The boss is still in his state room, whining about the accommodations.” After he says this, we all look at each other and laugh.

I then tell them, "I am going to go get some coffee, Be back in a bit.”

As I go up to the mess deck, I am greeted by a couple of the crew members. It is nice to know that we are getting known and know the crew now. Once I get there, I am able to relax with a nice cup of coffee as I talk with a couple of the engine room crew members. As I am finishing my cup one of them asks, “Did the captain or Bell Stand bring up stopping for fuel again?”

“No, not yet, I thought after we stopped at that refueling station, we would be good for a while more.”

He nods, “Should be, but it would be better, always best to be sure.”

“Ok Oil Can, let me know when we are going to stop and me and the others will be ready for you.”

We bump hooves as I get up and then I head to the upper deck.

Once I get up there, I notice that Double Back is up there already leaning against the rail at the front of upper deck looking toward the bow. He looks back briefly and nods to me and then scans the water ahead of us again for obstacles. Soon I hear him call out, Snag 75 meters to the port bow.”

I then hear Epona repeat the report back out loud and then hear Rust Water call out adjustments to the ship’s rudder. We carry on this way for six more hours before we approach some islands to the side. While I think I see some movement on the islands I am not sure so I say nothing. However, when I check my PipBuck I do notice the location is Thirteen Mile Island.

Once we reach the big river itself and are heading south again Rust Water has Bell Stand takes over the pilot house and their normal watch standers take over the wheel and the engine order telegraph.

I then go to meet them. “Hey Captain,” I say by greeting.

“Hey Ginger, what do you need?” she asks me.

“Not much, but I thought I saw some movement on the Thirteen Mile Island back there on the Hoofrock. I didn’t want to bother you during critical maneuvering though.”

She nods, “Thanks for bringing it to my attention as well as waiting till we were through the worst of it.” She shakes her head and then adds, “I swear sometimes I miss the old days before we got the SPP towers working again. We didn’t seem to get as many rain surges and the rivers were more predictable back then.”

This is something I had not thought about before and I tell her so. She smiles and answers back, “Ginger, most who don’t use the water highways hardly even think about such things. By the way, your sister and Tater did really well for their first time on the rough stuff. Thanks for letting us have them work with me and the crew.”

I am still smiling and getting ready to reply as I see Choo Choo land on the back end of the upper deck and begin to walk our way. Absentmindedly I say out loud, “It sure would be nice to have a landing pad and vertibuck back there.”

She nods her head and with a wry grin says, “Yeah, but two problems. The first we would have to rebuild that entire back half and reinforce it heavily. The second, where would we get a vertibuck from?”

This time I have to nod my head and I tell her, “Yeah, your right. But still a mare can dream.”

She laughs lightly, and then says, “Yeah, but should I be jealous that your dream includes my ship?”

I laugh an tell her, “No, the Colt is all yours Captain. Besides, I would never want to take her away from you, and I don’t think anyone could.”

She pats the railing lightly with a forehoof and says, “No, not as long as we both live. She is a part of me.” I nod my head. I understand how it is to be a part of something bigger than you. She then says to me, “Well, let’s go get something to eat.” I follow her down to the messdecks where we are joined by Choo. The other team members are sitting at other tables with other members of the crew. We are just discussing where to stop for fuel next then our landing at Good Doer and the old transfer point when we see Silver Tongue approaching us.

As he approaches, he still has his air of superiority. He looks at Rust Water and asks, “How much longer until I am able to leave this conveyance?”

She tilts her head and tells him, “Any time you like, you are not a prisoner. However, we still have another day before we reach the Good Doer transfer point. Why? Is there a problem?”

He waves a talon and tells her, “No, I am just ready to get done with this assignment and return to civilization.”

“Are you not happy with your accommodations Mister Tongue?” Rust asks with a bit of irritation in her voice.

He shakes his head no and tells her, “No, not at all. Perhaps you should try them sometime and you would understand how someone of my station would feel. After all, it is not like I am simply hired help who deserve nothing better than to sleep on the cargo deck.”

As he says this my ears go forward and my eyes open wide. All I can think is that he must not have any idea of what he has just said.

Rust on the other hoof has her ears go back. Her nostrils flair briefly and I can tell she is fighting to keep calm as she replies, “Sir, I usually do. I gave you my state room. I am currently hot bunking with my 1st mate so you can have your accommodations. So, I am sorry if your accommodations do not meet your exacting standards.”

I finally see the old bastard seem a bit flustered when he hears this, and he tries to say, “Well, I am sorry if I have insulted you. I failed to understand that.”

Rust just twists her head the other way and with her eyes half closed tells him, “Perhaps next time you need to go somewhere, you should try to find a different vessel. After all, we are normally a cargo transport, not a passenger transport. My brother Rough is the one who transports passengers on a regular basis.”

He then asks, “What vessel is his?”

“His ship is the S. Glimmer.”

“Perhaps I will, who would I contact?”

I see Rust laugh lightly then she says, “Contact the NCR, the S. Glimmer is now part of the 1st River Flotilla for the NCRN. Just ask for Commodore Water.”

I see him move his head back. “Humph. Well Perhaps I will. Thank you, Captain. Now if you will excuse me, I will get something to eat. At least your command has the decency to serve fresh meat.”

Without meaning to I slip and say, “You are welcome, courtesy of the Repair Ponies. We harvested two of them before we left for the crew.”

I see the surprise on his face and his back wings ruffle a bit and he asks, “Your people shot these radhogs?”

I laugh and tell him, “Yeah, Sunny, Xochitl, and I used to run a radhog hunting business before we finished school.”

He looks at me with one eye as his head is twisted to the side, and asks, “You mean, you three have an education and decided to become mercenaries?”

“No, my whole team except for Choo and Double Back went to school together. We are all educated and sir, do not use the word mercenaries. We are private military contractors. We work for those we choose, not simply whoever pays the highest caps.”

He looks at me disgruntled and tells me, “However you want to dress it. It still seems like mercs to me.”

I smile at him and then ask, “Maybe you just do not understand the difference. We were never Talons, but I am sure you once were.”

His temper starts to rise and he says, “How dare you talk to me like that. I am your boss.”

I laugh right in his face then I poke him in the chest as I tell him, “See that is what I mean. You think I work for you. Nope, our team is working for the regional office of the NCR. General Threat Vector and his adjunct are our bosses on this job. You, you are just cargo we are escorting. Now your bodyguards might be mercs, but understand something, I have no idea in Tartarus why anyone would take a bullet for you. You get killed on this job; we still can finish our portion of it. So, you are surplus cargo at that.”

“And who do you think you are to talk to me like this?” he asks me.

I look him straight in the eyes and I tell him, “I am the assistant team leader. I work directly for Choo Choo. We don’t like the job, we quit. Remember, Choo Choo is the nice one.”

From the side, I hear Choo say, “You are quite correct on that Ginger. And sir, if you talk to my people like that one more time, you will be on your own, do I make myself clear.”

He puffs up his wings and chest and tries to look intimidating, that is when I hear Sunny say, “You know, you look kinda like the griffon I took on at Serenity Valley on the last day. I thought you looked familiar. He was working for Silver Spite. But that couldn’t have been you, could it? I mean you would not have been a mercenary working for one of Red Eye’s former officers gone rouge, would you?”

Suddenly I see a look of near panic flash across his face. Then he says, “No, that was not me. I mean I have never even heard of this Silver Spite you mentioned.”

I see his bodyguards in the background look back and forth among each other and then back at him with questioning expressions. The subject is quickly dropped. Then Silver Tongue simply says, “I best get my meal while I still can, if you will excuse me.” He gets his meal and sits alone off to the side while the rest of us continue our discussion from before he approached us.

*****

Baltimare Colt, The Big River, NCR: Xochitl

So far, we have been getting along rather well with the bodyguard for the NCR Representative Silver Tongue. However, after tonight when Sunny opened his mouth after realizing that Silver Tongue reminds him of a griffon we fought at Serenity Valley, they are a bit more cautious towards us.

It is starting to get dark and we have the lanterns turned low as well as the entry to this area of our team’s area blocked off with a blanket again so that no light escapes.

We are sitting quietly with Ginger reading her copy of the Book of Daisy Joe and Epona reading an old copy of Equestrian Army today. Sunny, Tater, Cowlick, and I are all playing cards again while Twinks fiddles with an old radio she found.

It is then that the dark gray griffon Shadow Glider asks Sunny, “What is this Serenity Valley you were talking about earlier?”

When he asks this, I see Ginger close her book as Sunny and I both place our hooves of cards on the table face down. I find myself letting out a sigh as I really do not like to think back to those days. I feel a hoof on my shoulder as Cowlick nods to me and tells me, “If you and Ginger want to step out while Sunny tells him, we understand.”

I pat his hoof with mine and though I feel my pulse quicken at the memories I tell him, “No, this is my, Ginger’s, and even Choo’s tale to tell as well as Sunny’s. We were all there. Besides, we probably know a bit more than Sunny as we were scouts before that.”

Ginger walks over and we begin to tell them about the expedition. As we tell them how the Co-op had organized it and sent it out after the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, I hear Henri ask, “You would have been pretty young then, were they that desperate to use foal warriors?”

Ginger shakes her head and about that time Choo Choo enters the compartment and answers, “They were pretty young and it is my fault that they were there. I helped them to sneak into the back of a wagon as the expedition left. When they found us, it was too late to return home. So, all three of us were hired as civilian scouts.”

The four of us begin to tell our story of the expedition. As we tell the story, all of us avoid talking about going under Canterlot Mountain. However, Days End, the charcoal-colored unicorn with them asks, “What about that group of them that lead the feral ghouls into Silver Spites Rear?”

I find myself smiling as does Ginger. Choo then calmly asks, “Which were you, a soldier for Red Eye or one of his Raiders hired on?”

I see the near panic in his orange eyes. Then I hear Ginger tell him, “Don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you. We just want to know who we are dealing with, and besides, maybe we can hear your side of it.”

Shadow Glider then asks, “How can we know you won’t hold it against him?”

This time Tater pipes up, “Shadow, you are no longer raiders. You are trying to live decent lives. That makes a difference to us. The Colonel taught us that lesson a long time ago.”

“The Colonel?” He asks.

This time Epona answers, “Yeah, Lieutenant Colonel Mollygirl is one of mine and Ginger’s adopted mothers. She taught us that if raiders want to change give them the chance. If not, then we take care of them. Either way, they stop being raiders.”

They look at each other and Henri asks, “Uh, how did she handle those who would not stop being raiders.”

Epona looks him dead in the eyes and coldly tells him, “She hung them. If they had wings, the wings were bound to their sides. Tater and I saw her hang many of them, including the former mayor of Hackamore who had sold the town out to raiders. However, the mayor’s brother went clean and we still keep in touch with him and his wife and foals. We give the chance; it is up to them to take it or not.”

Finally, Days End asks, “So you will not hold it against me and the boss for fighting against you back then?”

Choo answers for all of us, “No, but just for the record, what was your position back then?”

“Choo, I was a private in Red Eyes army back then. The boss, well he was a hired merc, but he saved my life at the Valley.”

I cannot help but have a growl in my voice though when I ask, “What portion of the field did you attack at Serenity Valley during the siege?” Part of me is afraid of what I will do if he says he was on the east end where the Equestrian Rangers were. The bucking Raiders broke through the lines there and overran them. Killing everyone they came across. Only 15 of the Rangers survived that day out of the almost ninety that had started it. I remember hearing over my PipBuck how they were targeting the medics and stretcher bearers, then being ordered to escort a medic right into that inferno.

He looks at me and tells me, “I was on the west end. It was really flat on that side. I was wounded during the second attack we made.”

“Ok, so you weren’t one of the ones that went in on the east side by the burned bridge then?” As I ask this, I feel nothing but relief. It was bad on that side of the lines, but nothing like the eastern flank.

He shakes his head, “No, I was not with those animals. The ones on that part of the assault were true raiders. That is what caused me to wonder if Silver Spite was lying to us. Then one of us had a radio that we used to listen to DJ Pon3 on. I heard the recording and the interview. I wanted to desert, but was in no shape too.”

So how did Silver Tongue save you?”

“It was on the final day; I was laying wounded behind the lines. As those damn skywagons came over they were shooting at everything. He grabbed me and carried me to cover in the woods. Then we made our way out of the valley as quickly as we could with us in our conditions.”

“Where you at Targhee too,” Ginger asks.

He nods his head, and I notice him shake slightly. Then he tells her, “Yeah, the boss wasn’t, but I was. I, I still have nightmares about that place. We came in from the west side. Several of the buildings were already on fire. I had just reached some of the buildings when there were three large explosions and then you counter-attacked us driving us back west and cutting off our troops who were on the east side. I was knocked out by the concussion. I came back to just in time to watch as a tall building just north of us exploded and killed most of my squad. I saw them get crushed by that building. I, I was lucky I guess,” he looks back down, “You may think I am insane, in fact, I wonder if I am, but I swear I saw a white mare going among the dead there. She would stop to talk to the bodies and then move on. After you guys pulled out, of the town, my company was pulled off the line to try and reorganize. Then the birds came. I never saw so many blackbirds at one time and they began to eat the dead.”

Choo, Ginger, and I all nod our heads. From the side, I hear Shadow Glider say, “Bloody Hell.”

I see Ginger sitting there with her eyes wide open, but she is seeing the same town he is all those years ago. Then I hear Cowlick asks, “Was that the worst of it?”

All five of us who were there shake our heads no. Then Choo sadly says, “No, the Valley was worse.”

Cowlick innocently asks, “How did you survive it?”

Choo with a tear in the corner of her eyes looks down and says, “Are you sure we really did?”

I see the initial surprise on Cow’s face, then he looks at me sadly and nods, “Yeah, maybe you are right Choo, I know Chotil sure changed after that.”

I notice the other four of us all have that same expression on our faces, including Days End.

Ginger tells him, “I lost my birth mother at Targhee.” And she continues to share with Days End her loss.

I hear Sunny behind us suck in his breath and then he says, “I knew Targhee was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

We nod our heads. Then Henri asks, “So, Sunny, you said you saw the boss back at this valley. What’s the story on that.”

He then begins to explain how we were using the flyers to evacuate the foals and calves, and how they were attacked. Then he tells us, “I saw him chasing a mare carrying a little one who was only a week old if that. I knew most of the adults were busy so I did what I could I attacked the griffon and kept harassing him until the mare’s father arrived. I saw the griffon fall, but not what happened to him. I just assumed he was dead.”

The griffons look at each other and I can tell something is on their minds. I remember that day and I remember seeing Sunny over the river fighting that griffon. He has never bragged about it.

Finally, Days End asks, “You don’t hate me for fighting against you?”

I laugh lightly and ask him, “Do you, us?”

He shakes his head no. Then I tell him, “We don’t hate you. You were just a soldier like us. We all went through hell back then, and we did our best, but that fight is done now. Not saying we might not end on different ends of the same sight picture again. But if we do, it is just business or you crossed us.”

Ginger then asks, “Choo, do we have any Old Overmare left?”

“Yes, we do Ginger. Why?”

“Perhaps Choo we should have a drink and toast to those we left behind as we get ready to work with each other.”

I nod my head in agreement. Then I hear Days End ask, “Ok, but aren’t you afraid about me being crazy since I saw that white mare?”

Ginger laughs and I smile as I tell him, “No, we know her. And if you saw her, she chose you too. By the way, she is a spirit and her name is the Mareigan. Oh, and don’t piss her off. That is never a good thing.”

*****

Good Doer Transfer Point, NCR: Choo Choo

“Captain Rust Water, it has been a pleasure traveling with you again,” I tell her as I enter the Pilot House to retrieve my last two team members as well as to say my goodbyes.

“As always Choo, we should be back for a pickup in five or six days. Be careful out there, alright.”

I bow my head slightly and smile, Then I tell Epona and Tater, “Ok, time to go ashore.”

They both say goodbye to Rust and then begin to head out the door. As they pass, I tell them, “Your weapons and kits are still on the cart where you put them.”

“Thanks, Choo,” They both tell me and trot down the stairs.

I get ready to leave and Rust stops me briefly and tells me, “Choo, I mean it. Be careful. I don’t trust that envoy and his escort.”

My face becomes serious as I reply, “I will be. I trust Days End, the other two I am not sure about, and as for his illustrious majesty, I don’t trust him any further than Ginger can throw Cow Lick.”

“Good, I am glad to hear it. I will see you on the run back. Want me to pick you up some Sparkle Cola Rad if they have it down there in Western Landing?”

Now my face becomes more pleasant again as I smile and tell her, “If you wouldn’t mind. It is my favorite. Oh, and what we talked about concerning Bell Stand. I think you should. As a wise mare once told me. Life is short, take what pleasures you can in it.”

She smiles again as she tips her hat back slightly and tells me, “Thanks, Choo. Now you best catch up to the rest of them.”

With that, I step out the door of the pilot house and jump into the air and fly a brief circle above the Colt before I land next to my team and we begin to move inland again.

As we make our way up the trail to the top of the bluff, I can see some of the wreckage of the bridge that was once here down below. Then I overhear Ginger quietly telling Days End, “Not far from here is a dead stable, that is where we first met her.”

I twist my ears in irritation that she is revealing such information in case they did not know. I then tell Sunny, “Blackbird, fly up top and scan around.”

“Roger Big Blue,” he responds back, Then I see him jump off the trail along the bluff and soar upwards. Once up reaches the top he circles around a bit, then gives the all-clear signal.

As we reach the top of the bluff, I can see the remains of what was once the town of Good Doer. Instead, we see some rebuilt houses and a small general store. As we walk by, I notice an older stallion sitting on the porch. When we get closer, I notice he has several savage scars on his back. He tries to get up as we approach and I see him almost fall. That is when I notice his leg has been badly broken and poorly set some time ago. I truly feel sorry for the old stallion. Then I see he is standing next to a note that is nailed to the side of the porch.

I hear Ginger tell Xochitl, “I remember when Ma had that note written. That note is about Miss Text Book and the orphans from here that we rescued. It told the parents they were heading to Manesville.”

The old stallion seems to perk up at that and I hear him call out, “Do ya know about Manesville?”

Most of us turn towards him, with the exception of Silver Tongue and his guards. Ginger then answers, “Yes sir, that is where we are from. Why?”

I see a flicker of hope in his eyes as he asks, “Did, did the foals all make it to Manesville?”

Xochitl asks, “Do you mean the ones on the list?”

The old stallion nods his head yes in reply.

Xochitl then tells him, “Yes sir, they are living in White Cloud now. Well except for Two Tone, once he got old enough, he joined the 1st Manesville Regiment. They kin to you?”

I hear him sniff back a sob then he answers, “Yeah, Short Biscuit is my daughter. How is she?”

I smile as I know the young filly. This time I reply, “She is doing well. She works in the White Cloud bakery after school. I know she will be excited to see you again.”

He shakes his head, “No, no she wouldn’t. Why would she want to see a worn-out, escaped slave who couldn’t even protect her.”

I shake my head, “If they are your foal, then I know she would. They saw what was coming after us. They also saw what those of Red Eyes army had already done.”

“Perhaps, but I am in no shape to travel that far now.”

“Are any of the other parents of those foals around now?” I ask.

He shakes his head, “No. As far as I know, I am the last of those taken that day that survived. We thought that things would be bad for slaves in Fillydelphia, but we had no idea. Since so many slaves had already rebelled against the masters, they were especially brutal in breaking us.”

I nod my head again, “I do understand. We will stop by to talk to you in a couple of days. Think about what you would like to do.”

He nods his head then he tells us, “Safe travels, and be careful if you are heading to Targhee. They say they are still finding booby traps in the ruins there.”

We thank him for letting us know that and begin to make our way to New Gallop. As we leave, I hear Days End ask Ginger, “Why would you have taken those foals with you after you destroyed their homes if not to be slaves?”

She laughs and tells him, “We already told you; we did not do that. This town had already been overrun once before we got here. Soon after we left raiders did it again.”

He seems to be incredulous at this, but I also notice him beginning to think as we travel. He seems like a good stallion and he gets along with my team members well enough, even if he was once our enemy. However, Silver Tongue still has me on edge. I just don’t trust that smarmy bastard.

On the second day of travel, it is getting late in the afternoon when I can see the rusty grain silos in the distance that mark where the village of New Gallop is at. We are still following the road the rest of us took so long ago and I begin to wonder if that is why we seem to be so on edge. If not, perhaps it has to do with the complete lack of any other traffic on the road. We finally camp for the night an hour before sunset. We still have a couple of miles to travel before we get there.

As we are sitting around the below-ground fire pit that night Silver Tongue asks, “It is not much further to Targhee is it?”

I feel my pulse increase and I begin to sweat a little as the memories caused by that name hit me. I shake my head, “No, we are only half a day’s march from it as well. Why?”

He looks up into the darkness briefly and then answers, “Just a thought,” he pauses, then continues, “Perhaps after we are done with our business in New Gallop, we should make a side trip there as well.”

“Sir, my team and I will not be going into Targhee,” I tell him in a flat tone of voice.

“I SAY YOU WILL!” he says in an arrogant tone.

I almost laugh when my entire team simultaneously tells him, “Buck You!”

I see all of his bodyguards’ jaws drop. Then I tell him, “I already told you; we do not work for you. Now, if you keep pushing it, I am sure we know a whole flock of Pegasus who would like a piece of you still. That mare you attacked the last day at Serenity Valley, you know the one that was carrying the foal.” I see his eyes go wide, “Yeah the one that had first a black pegasus colt protect until her father could get there. Well, a whole lot of friends of her father are still not happy with you on that. So please, do not try to demand a single thing from us. You may be with the NCR, but you are not our boss. If you screw this mission up for us, I will personally pluck every feather off of your head and wings. Do I make myself clear Silver? WE Said no to going into Targhee now deal with it. If you and your people choose to go into there, well we may wait a bit to pick up the pieces but we are not going in.”

I watch as he fluffs his feathers in anger and looks at me with hatred. “Your kind never would do what was best for others.”

I shake my head, then I tell him, “Sadly some of your kind as with mine, could not look any further than what was for a personal benefit for them. Going into Targhee is one of those things. We were there years ago. We know what kind of things we left behind and I assume your former employer Silver Spite would have done the same or worse.”

He stops talking to me but I notice his bodyguard all seem uncomfortable now. I then tell my people, “I will be up most of the night, but I want each of you to take a turn on watch. If I do sleep and something happens wake me.” Then we all settle in for the night, the fire put out and darkness settling in.

Once during the night, I see her. It has been a while and while she does wave a hoof at me, she is not here to visit me this time. I see her visit a few of the others and then she leaves with a nod to me. As I look at her departing, I see Days End staring behind her in the darkness. He looks at me in wonder and I simply nod to him. He then closes his eyes and rolls over and attempts to go back to sleep.

Come morning we break camp in silence, then we make the rest of the trek to the town of New Gallop. Both Sunny and I going high to overfly it first. I can see that is only about the size of Dairyanne back home. As I glide silently above, I see some ponies on the street going about their business. I have to fly directly over the silos before I see it. The blast door on the ground for the megaspell launcher inside one of the silos. It is a huge metal door that slides to the side to let the magical energy pass by into the open air when it was used. The door is currently closed, as we had assumed it would be. But the top of the silo is half missing and I can see it is rusted open.

I then fly back to the main road where the rest of the team is waiting and we begin to approach the town on hoof.

Once we are about a mile from the fence around the town, I tell the others, “Ginger, you have the team. Xochitl, come with me while I make first contact.”

“Excuse me, Choo Choo, I shall go with you as well.” Silver Tongue tells me.

I shrug my shoulders and tell him, “Ok, but do not become hostile at all. Keep calm no matter what.”

He looks at me in what I am beginning to assume is his normal manner and asks, “And why is that?”

I find myself sighing and then I tell him, “Because this village is protected by several sentinel bots.”

He looks at the town and then me and asks, "What does that have to do with me becoming upset?”

I tilt my head and ask, “Do you know how EFS and SATS work?”

“I have heard of the terms, but no, I never had one of those PipBuck things.”

“EFS stands for Eyes Forward Sparkle and SATS for Stable Tec Arcane Targeting Spell. As long as you are non-hostile you show up as yellow in the indicator for EFS. When you become hostile your indicator changes to red. SATS is a spell that slows time enough so you can determine where you want to hit on a target as well as determine how much of a chance you have of hitting. Each one of the sentinel bots has both EFS and SATS installed as well as mini guns and claws. So, if you decide to get mad at the town citizens, I would prefer not to be near you.”

I see his eyes go wide and his wings rise slightly in surprise. Then he says, “I knew those things were dangerous, but I did not know they worked that way.”

I nod my head, “Yes Silver. That is the way they work. Also, the last time we came through here we watched them tear up a company of Silver Spite’s infantry.”

“I had not heard about that.”

I tilt my head as I ask him, “Did you join him before or after Targhee?”

I hear him sigh, “After Two Step, but before Targhee. I did not catch up fully until you were on your way to the Valley.”

I nod my head, “Can I ask you why you choose to fight for him?”

He looks at me with one eye and replies, “Not that it matters, but I heard on the radio what your people had done at Two Step. Killing the officers on both sides, almost killing Silver Spite as well as stealing his mare.”

“You know he was the one responsible for killing his father and the other officers. It was a coup by him to grab power.”

I hear him sigh and he answers, his arrogant exterior finally cracking, “Yeah, I know now. I heard the recording on the radio. But by then it was too late. We had no choice. He was already shooting deserters.”

Once we are only about one hundred meters from the gate leading to the town, I see several machinegun turrets that were not there previously. I also see a guard at the guardhouse. When he sees us, he calls out, “Whoa.” When we stop, he asks loudly, “State your business.”

I see Silver Tongue begin to open his beak, then he shuts it and nods to me. I then answer, “Good Afternoon. My name is Choo Choo. My associates and I have been requested by the NCR government to make contact with your leaders.”

“Wait right there,” he tells us with his rifle drawn across his chest as he goes into the booth at the guard house.

Soon afterward I see some more of the local citizens approach the gate. I then ask, "May the rest of my team approach as well?”

The guard nods his head but tells me, “Go ahead, but have them carry their weapons at the easy position.”

Once the rest of our people arrive, I see an earth pony wearing a worn-out military uniform approaching us. Once close enough I see the rank badge of a captain on the epaulets of his Equestrian Army uniform.

He looks at us with some disdain and asks, “What is it that you wish to discuss with our commander?”

This time Silver Tongue speaks, “We have come to establish communications and a possible mutually beneficial treaty with him.”

This sounds better than I had hoped so I let him speak. “And why do you think we need to do so.”

This time Silver Tongue tells him, “We do not feel the need, nor do we think that you have a need to do so. However, it may be more desirable for your people here to have some contact with the outside world and to be able to obtain that which you may not be able to do so easily yourself.”

I watch as the officer briefly thinks and he asks, “What makes you think you may have anything we need?”

Silver Tongue then tells him, “Because the NCR has access to a much wider range of supplies and materials, including food stocks, that you may not have.”

He nods his head, “Perhaps, but I will only take two of you into the town to meet the Colonel. The rest of you can make camp out here if you like. However, be aware that we will reply to any hostile act with extreme prejudice.”

I turn to Silver Tongue and he asks, “Choo, will you accompany me?”

I smirk and tell him, “Of course.” Then I turn to Xochitl and tell him, “Wait here with the others.” Finally, I call Ginger, “Cookie, you are in charge of the team till I get back.”

As we follow this officer he walks in silence, but we are able to look at the buildings around us. Most of them seem to be just standard ones we would see in any town. However, we do notice a few bunker-type buildings with metal doors on them. We also see automatic machine gun turrets scattered around the town in strategic locations.

Finally, we come to what looks like a loading dock for magic engine carriages. As we go down the ramp, I see a thick metal door begin to slide to the side. Just enough for us to enter. The officer tells us, “Please continue to follow me. Do not try to explore, as the results would be,” he pauses to find a fitting word, “Unpleasant,” is what he chooses to finish with.

I notice that the underground structure bears a striking resemblance to a stable. As we follow him, we go deeper and take an elevator even lower into the structure. Once we reach the desired level, the door opens. As I step off the elevator, at the end of the hallway I see a sign with an arrow pointing in one direction stating Operations. Below, with an arrow pointing in the other direction is another that says, Spell Cast Control.

I look at the sign pointing in the second direction and shake my head.

The captain notices me shaking my head and asks, “Is there a problem?”

I look at him and tell him, “No, I was just thinking how hard it had to have been to be one of the ponies that launched the spell that day.”

I see him nod his head, “It was. Of the twelve ponies that were required to turn the keys simultaneously to cast, seven took their lives afterward. Our history says they could not live with what they had to do in the line of duty.” He again pauses, then he asks, “How come you are not surprised at what this facility was for?”

Before Silver Tongue can answer, I do. “When I was with the CEF about nine years ago we passed here and watched as your bots tore up Silver Spites troops. Since then, we did a lot of research and eventually found out about your megaspell caster silo here.”

He nods his head and leads us into an office where an older earth pony stallion wearing the rank of a colonel and a name tag that says, Safe Harvest on his black coveralls nods to us. He then says, “I was listening to your conversation on your walk inside our facility. I could not help but wonder two things, The first is how did you find out about our facility as it was completely classified. The Second, what do you really want?”

I answer first, “We found out about it several years ago after our forces at Manesville had to fight raiders who had recovered two balefire egg launchers and their ammo from Targhee. It seems two teams of Zebra infiltrators were to have attacked your facility on the last day. From what I understand, they saw the spell be launched and gave up on their mission. They had already failed to stop it from launching, and did not want the deaths of more beings on their souls.”

He nods his head, “That explains why the attackers left that day. What became of the balefire eggs and launchers?”

I sigh as I remember that night. I tell him, “The First Regiment attacked those with it in the remains of Hereford, the Second Regiment hit the other town. The Second got off easy as the dragon with them destroyed that launcher and its eggs with its breath as they came in. For those of us in the First Regiment, well it was something we never want to see again. They got off several eggs before we got the weapons operator. The weapon accidentally discharged down into the sewage and maintenance access pipes under the town that they had been using. It destroyed all the remaining eggs as well as subsequent secondary explosions from one of the weapons stockpiles they had built. Even on the last day I never saw that many balefire burst, even if these were smaller.”

He nods his head, then asks, “That brings up my second question again. Why are you here? What do you want?”

Silver Tongue answers this time. “We would like to open trade with your facility and community.” He seems nervous as he gets ready to say the next part, but does, “Our biggest concern is that we would like to ensure that this facility is never again used to launch such an attack, this is part of what we expect in trade from you, for what we can provide.”

He looks skeptically at us, “That is all you want? Just an assurance that we will never use this facility to launch a mega spell again?”

We both nod our heads. He smiles and shakes his. “For all these years, that has been a fear of ours. That somepony would want to repeat what was once done here. Please understand, their ancestors, while they felt pride in protecting Equestria and the Princesses, they also felt shame and horror over what they did, we all did once we were required to answer that call.”

We both stand there quietly. Then he asks, “Do you know what our target was that day?”

We both shake our heads no. He sighs and looks up at us and tells us, “Roam. The spell was a particularly nasty one. But I am sure just like with the attack on Canterlot, ours was not the only one.”

As he says this, I notice his choice of words and I ask, “Colonel, you sound like you were there that day?”

He nods his head, “Yeah, I was. I am sure my adjunct told you about the suicides of the command staff. Well, I was not awake when they took those actions. In fact, I was in cold sleep.”

I am stunned as I am seeing a pony who lived before the war that was neither a ghoul nor an alicorn. I am trying to process how hard it must have been to suddenly wake up in this world. I then ask him, “What is cold sleep.”

He sits back in his chair, “Cold Sleep uses cryogenics to put a pony into a state of hibernation. I was 35 years old when I was put in stasis for the first time. I have come out twice since then, most recently just nine years ago, shortly after the skies cleared.”

I nod my head and tell him, “I am sorry you have had to experience these changes too.”

He nods his head back in understanding but I see a confused look on Silver Tongue’s face. Then he asks, “Wait, you both were alive in the old Equestria?”

We both nod our heads. “Yes Silver, the Book of Little Pip got it right on how most of us alicorns were made.”

He looks over at the colonel who simply shrugs and says, “While I have not heard of this Book of Little Pip, I did hear rumors back then of a program to create super ponies that could survive a balefire and megaspell exchange. I guess the rumors were true.”

I simply smile and bring a wing across my chest as I give him a slight bow. He smiles back and I notice the shocked look on Silver’s face. He finally asks, “Choo, how old are you?”

I smile, “Well, for this body, two hundred and nine. However, I was sixty-five on the final day. I was to retire once I got back from my run to Maripony. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.”

He then looks at the colonel who just shrugs and tells him, “Not quite as old as her. But yes, I was alive that day, and in charge of this facility.”

Silver Tongue simply nods at that, then he asks, “Colonel, our actual mission was not to negotiate the trade agreement yet, only to initiate contact. However, if you are welcome to one, I can agree to send a trade mission here to further negotiate with you and your people.”

Colonel Safe Harvest seems reticent as well as disappointed. “OK, send them. What kind of trade items do you think you may be able to provide us?”

Silver Tongue replies to him, “I am not sure, what are you looking for?”

Then I tell him, “The Manesville region has specialized in agriculture and reclaiming and recovering abandoned farms. Perhaps that as well as some food stocks would help.”

“What about help with protecting what we have here? It cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hooves. I swore on my honor to the Princesses that I would make sure of that.”

With a touch of sadness in my voice, I tell him, “I am sure we will do our best to make sure that happens. Besides, if no one has told you yet, both of the princesses died on that final day.”

I see the sadness in his eyes and he tells me, “I have long known they crossed over. I only wish I could have seen them one last time. But Choo, just because they are gone, does not mean I am relieved of my oath.”

I nod my head and I even see Silver Tongue nod his head in understanding. Then the Colonel tells us, “Yes, please go ahead and have your government send a negotiations team. Now, if you have nothing else for me, I wish you a good day and safe travels.”

With that, we are dismissed and led back to our awaiting teams. I see a questioning look on Ginger’s face and nod to her. She gives an ear flick back in response. Then I hear Silver Tongue return to his normal tone once again as he asks me, “Now Choo, will you and your team go with me into Targhee?”

I shake my head, “Sorry Silver, but that is one thing we will not do. If you insist on going into that dead town, it is on you. We will not try to stop you. Just so you know, it is 15 kilometers that way,” I tell him as I point a wing toward the east.

He looks at his team and tells them, “Come on then, follow me.”

He stops in his tracks when we all hear Days End say, “Sorry Silver. But if you go into that town, then this is the end of the trail for us. I, I just can’t go in there again.”

I see Silver have anger, confusion, and a bit of sadness all pass through his expressions. Finally, he says, “Fine, but you are not being paid for this job then. And don’t think you can come crawling back to me for work again.”

Days End shakes his head and looks at the ground sadly as he tells him, “Goodbye Silver. Thanks for saving me. Please be careful in there.”

Silver Tongue then tells the other griffons, “Follow me, we can move faster by flying.”

The last we see of them is as they are flying fast toward Targhee. I can see Days End is upset and I tell him, “If you need a job, I am hiring.”

He looks surprised and tells me “You would hire me even though we fought against each other?”

I nod and tell him, “Once we were enemies, not any longer. That is unless you choose to be.”

He holds up a hoof and tells me, “I will take you up on the job.”

I smile and shake his hoof, “Welcome to the Repair Ponies,” I tell him as I shake his hoof. Then we grab our gear and begin to head back toward Good Doer. We are only a couple of miles down the road when we experience a bright flash of green light from behind us. We turn and in the far distance, we see a greenish-glowing mushroom cloud climbing over the horizon. I must have only gone several hundred feet into the air. But even at that distance, we know what it was. I have seen them before. A balefire egg explosion. I shake my head and realize Silver Spite’s people must have found at least one more of them and set it up as an IED. More wasted lives.

I see Days End shake his head, “She was telling the truth.” He continues to walk and asks, “Boss, who was that mare last night? She warned me about something like that.”

I smile grimly and tell him, “She is a friendly spirit known as the Mareigan. You only saw her in that form because she wanted you to. But understand, she wanted you alive for a reason. Now, I know you can fight, what other skills do you have?”

*****

Manehatten to Manesville Route, NCR: Ball Lightning.

By the end of our first day of traveling with the caravan, we find ourselves on top of one of the first mountain ridges to the west of Manehatten. As the sun begins to set behind us our small caravan has circled for the night. I look down upon Manehatten and I can see where the crater that killed what was a once thriving city is. I am shaking my head as I gaze upon it. I hear somepony walk up alongside me. I look over and I see Airburst. He puts a hoof on my shoulder and tells me, “Best not to think about it. But that is why we closed the skies. Right there in a nutshell. They had already taken Cloudsdale down by the time they destroyed Manehatten.”

I am shaking my head as he says this when Miss Haze approaches us. She smiles sadly as she looks at the ruins below us. Then as she looks below us into the distance she asks, “Hard to believe anypony survived isn’t it?”

We both nod our heads. Below us we see lights start to appear in the growing darkness as ponies begin to fight the darkness of the night. I know I should not be, but I am surprised as I see the lights turn on in the skyscraper we know as Tenpony Tower. She smiles and says, “Home sweet home, I guess. The lights always go on even though ponies come and go, no matter what.”

“You sound somewhat disillusioned Miss Haze,” Air tells her.

She shrugs, “Maybe too long at Tenpony Tower. Perhaps being amongst those in a smaller, less refined community will do to revive my spirits.”

I almost smirk as I hear Air tell her, “My dear Miss Haze, I cannot imagine a fine mare such as yourself being able to be less refined.”

She smiles in a flirtatious manner at him and tells him, “Why thank you my good stallion. It is too kind of you to say such a thing.”

Behind us, a small campfire has been lit and while it is my turn for guard duty, it is not Air’s. So, he offers her a wing and tells her, “If you would like madam, I will escort you to the campfire.”

She smiles again at him and I watch them walk away together, and I hear her giggle a couple of times as they leave.

The next morning when I wake up, I notice both Air Burst and Miss Haze are already awake and both have knowing smiles on their faces as they both drink their coffee.

After breakfast, we dispatch Gunter to fly a couple of kilometers ahead of us as our caravan begins to make our way once again toward Manesville. I watch him hop from one cloud to another periodically floating along as he scans the ground ahead.

Just before we are ready to break for lunch, I hear over our radios Gunter call out, “Hey Three One, I do believe I see movement in the remains of those buildings along the road about a kilometer ahead, I would recommend moving along that small road to the north.”

“Roger, Two Four, check out that trail for us, we are turning onto it now.” Air calls back.

As we follow the trail, we put a small hill with a stunted brush on it between us and them. Soon I hear Gunter laughing over the radio as he calls, Three One, this is Two Four, Yeah, they just came out of the buildings and are running towards the ridge between you. It does not look like they will be able to cut you off.”

“Roger, keep an eye on them for us though,” Air replies, then he calls out, “At the trot everyone, now.”

After he calls this, I watch as those hauling the wagons begin to lean into their harness and those on the ground begin to jog alongside them. The civilians look bright-eyed with worry openly showing on their faces. Our team has their weapons at the ready, half of us flying low over the ground as we speed up to bypass the ambushers. After forty-five minutes we begin to slow down again and I hear Gunter call out, “Boss, you are clear for now. Looking good on the road ahead.”

With that we slow down to a normal pace once again, stopping for lunch. When we stop, Gunter rejoins the caravan and Anan takes off to provide overwatch. Lunch is not too bad with the caravan. I am surprised they have fresh cheese, and it tastes different from what I had in Hoofington. So, I ask one of the caravanners about it. “How come this cheese tastes so different from the ones I got back home?”

He grins at me, “Oh, this is cheese made from brahmin milk, the cheese you get in the Manesville area is from the old school cattle. I think it tastes better, but you take what you can get.”

I have to grin at him and I tell him, “Yeah, you’re right on that.”

He then asks, “Speaking of taking what you can get, what is the story between you and that mare Sun something, with you?”

“Oh, we have known each other for years, and have dated for a while.”

“So why are you not married? I mean I do see you both get along well with that other buck too, not that I am prying and we all know that some of you Manesville types have had some unconventional marriages.”

I nod my head, thinking about how Cookie and the one they usually called Epona mentioned they were sisters and had multiple fathers and mothers. “You know maybe I will have to ask her finally. Thanks for the suggestion.”

“No Problem, Ball, I just hate to see ponies let good ones slip through their hooves,” he then tells me.

It is a couple of days later when I am just getting ready to fly up to overwatch when we stumble into an ambush.

We have just reached the flat ground before the next hill when the raiders spring their trap. They have hidden in holes in the ground covered by debris that we pass into without noticing them until the first one flips back the top and begins to shoot at us.

I see one of the diplomatic ponies go down as they are shot. Miss Haze runs to them and I see her put up a shield around them as she helps to lift the pony to get it moving. I also hear Gunter cry out, “I am hit, Tango, thirty-five meters south of the road in a spider hole. Returning fire.”

Then I hear Air Burst start to give orders, “Caravan, run, my team, engage the hostiles and cover the civilians. Sundancer, Help the wounded if they need it.”

I hear Sundancer ask over the radio, “Gunter, do you need immediate treatment?”

“Negative, but that civilian took it hard, Help Miss Haze and him.”

“Roger Gunter will do.”

As the last element of the caravan rolls past us, we jump up and fly as fast as we can firing suppressive bursts to keep the raiders' heads down as we run past them. Finally, we are clear of the ambush zone. We continue on for a couple of miles more, when Funnel Cloud calls out from his overwatch position on a cloud, “Caravan is clear for now." We then stop briefly and assess our losses and injuries.

While our team gets off fairly lightly with only a couple of flesh wounds, the one civilian that Miss Haze rescued is in very rough shape and I watch as Sundancer fights to save his life. Not only does she have to remove the bullets, but she also has to try and stop the hemorrhaging. I watch as she franticly pours healing potions not only down the throat of the dying stallion but also onto the wounds to try and heal them more quickly. Finally, Miss Haze comes over and puts a hoof on her shoulder, and tells her, “Sundancer, enough. We have to save some supplies in case others need them later.”

I see the look of defeat appear on my beloved’s face and all I want to do is hold her and comfort her. Instead, I watch as Miss Haze says something to the stallion who coughs a few more times, then goes limp. Miss Haze closes her eyes and shakes her head, then she tells the others, “Get some shovels.”

After we have dug the grave, I watch as Miss haze lifts the body with her TK and gently lays it at the bottom. Then she tosses a hoof full of dirt on top of them. This is followed by the others, and I find myself doing the same. Once we have all done so, I take a shovel and finish burying the civilian, one last thing I can do for him. As I do this, I find it strange how I feel guilty for failing to protect an earthbound pony who trusted me and my team to do so.

That night around the fire I notice Miss Haze sitting very close to Air Burst and his wing around her as she cries into his fur about losing a pony under her. This is the first time I see her façade of being strong and brave for the others break.

It is another couple of days later as we are approaching a rather well-built-up settlement when I say to her, “Miss Haze, it looks like we are almost home.”

She nods her head, “We are getting close. Only a bit more and we should be passing through White Cloud. Perhaps we should stop there for lunch.”

I see a sign on the wall around the settlement that declares it as Donovan. The outer building of the town has been incorporated into part of the defenses with the wall going between them. What I see through the open gates as we pass makes it look like a fairly well-recovered town. I do notice several one-headed brahmin though.

As we pass by the first gate, I see Purple Haze light up her horn briefly two times. Air Burst then asks, “Why did you flash them your horn?”

She smiles, “I was told before I left to do so to let them know it was us. A way of signaling that the Tenpony Tower delegation was passing safely. By the way, we are now in the Manesville district and it should be safe.”

He nods his head, “Oh, we just never had to do that before. Sorry.”

She smiles and tells him, “Oh, it must be something new they started then, or it is just for us so they can be ready to welcome us.”

As we continue on, I can see a small cloud village in the distance. I smile as I remember Sunny and the others of his team having described it to us. As we get closer, we can see what looks like a small village that the road we are following takes us straight into.

As we pass through the town, Miss Haze suggests we stop at the pub there for lunch. I notice quite a lot of hustling of ponies, brahmin, and even one-headed brahmins. I am amazed though when I see two youngsters that look to be half griffon and half pony fly up to us. The older of the two is a female with a medium yellow coat. Her mane and tail are mixed yellow and brown and she has brown eyes that sparkle as she asks, “Howdy Miss Haze. We were heading over to see Moon Lily, are you going to be giving her lessons again today?”

She smiles and tells her, “No, not today Slip Stream. Maybe tomorrow. If you would be a dear, would you let her know I am back though?”

I suddenly have a feeling of impending doom coming over me as I realize we have been had. From the side, I hear Air Burst say, “Purple, I thought you were from Tenpony tower?”

She smiles at him and tells him in a gentle voice, “I am, but I have family here and to be honest this area has become my home as well. Now Air, why don’t you tell me why you are really here.”

I see several emotions pass over his face and he looks like he is about ready to try something when from the roof of the pub I hear a voice that causes us to look up at it. I am very surprised when I hear the voice say, “How about you drop your weapons? We can go inside the pub and talk.”

I look at Air for his response and before he can answer I hear a metallically distorted voice from on ground level that is behind me say, “Let me know what you want Sirocco,” as I hear a minigun begin to wind up on a suit of Steel Ranger armor.

I hear Air let out a breath of frustration and in an angry tone tell us, “Ok, my people set your weapons on the ground. We have been had.”

After we have had our teeth pulled per se, the one known as Sirocco flies down and lands next to us. He then tells us, “Let’s head inside, I am sure you could use a drink as much as I could.” Then he says, “Miss Haze it is good to see you again. I am sure the clan will be very happy you have returned.”

I see her smile brightly as she says, “It is good to be back. By the way, Air and his people have been very well-behaved and respectful.”

I see this Sirocco nod his head, then he tells her, “I will keep that in mind. Now if you all would be so kind, please, come on in.”

Once inside I notice the layout is that of a typical pub in the wastelands. I see several chairs and then I hear Sirocco say, “By the way Funnel it has been a long time, good to see you again. Now, why don’t you all have a seat and tell me why you decided you had to sneak into our area rather than just visit.”

*****

This is DJ Pon3 and you are listening to the news and all the hits that are still available here in Manehatten. In the news tonight we have been getting more reports of a possible full reunification of the Enclave remnants. This is in addition to further incursions into NCR territory by Enclave skyships and teams. If any of you can confirm these stories, please contact me here at Tenpony Tower.

In other news, the fighting around New Pegasus has been reported to have ended with peace being reestablished in that formally grand city once again.

The fighting in Van Hoover is reported as having quieted down temporarily with the arrival of reinforcements for the Van Hoover chapter of the Steel Rangers. Those who reported this also reported that much of the former industrial part of the once-fine city has been further reduced to rubble and scrap.

For those traveling throughout the Wastelands, there has been a surge in the reports of raiders and highwaymares attacking caravans as well as individuals on all of the major routes. We have all been through this before mares and gentle colts, remember to keep your weapons close at hoof at night and be careful of those you come across. While they may not all be after you, they can all be dangerous.

Now our next song goes out to all you wastelands travelers and warriors out there, here is Darkness Settles In

Author's Note

A lot has happened in this chapter with all of our main characters. We have even added another member to the Repair Ponies team. We also get to see a side of Aunt Purple Haze that we normally do not get to see.

As for the character Silver Tongue, he is a typical bureaucrat of the NCR. As can be seen, by his attitude, not all is perfect in the NCR government. The Manesville region is more of an exception than the rule.

The artwork is one I commissioned from Laura Sikes several months ago. I really wanted to show everyone how Rust Water looks. Ms. Sikes captured Rust exactly as I imagined her when I first created her back in Fallout Equestria: Borderlands. So a special thanks to her for it.

For those who would like to listen to this chapters song, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qssdxDQFD8&list=RDNRHGJZN5GKU&index=22