Chronology notes:
Stop! You are reading the eighth story in the Bonds of Eternity Series.
The first story in the series is Family found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1307/
The second story in the series is Nihil Novi Sub Sole found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1444/
The third story in the series is Friends in High Places found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1716/
The fourth story in the series is Trust found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1973/
The fifth story in the series is Domino Effect found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2151/
The sixth story in the series is To Whom It May Concern found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2465/
The seventh story in the series is Bridge Over River Rijn found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2726/
The Way of the Maneaanite
Chapter 1
Ditzy Doo held her breath, sent a quick prayer up the chain, and hit the trigger. The sound of automatic gunfire rang out through the quiet air.
Ratta-tatta-ratta-tatta-ratta-tatta!
Ditzy Doo released the trigger and looked down range; the practice target was now just a smouldering pile of broken plastic some 30 metres down the range.
‘Very good, very good’, the voice from behind her said. Ditzy Doo turned and smiled at Graham Cracker, likewise, the heavily bandaged earth pony smiled back in his own way, with his eyes.
‘How did I do?’ Ditzy asked, her voice ringing with hope.
‘You have improved much, I think it is safe to say that you are ready’, Graham said simply.
‘Oh praise God!’ Ditzy called out in thanks. ‘These are so heavy!’
‘I know, I know, not to worry, Moses is working on it’, Graham said as the two ponies began their walk back to town.
It had been nearly two months since the arrival of the nephites of Ashville, climbing out of the Divide and making their way here, the site of their new city, New Maneaan; the Promised Land that God had intended for them. Under the leadership of Graham Cracker, and Bishop Josiah Hoof, their town had nearly been finished. It had been nearly two months since Derpy Hooves had thrown off her shackles to the Princesses of Equestria, the false goddesses and embraced the one true God, in all his glory, two months since Derpy Hooves had died, and been reborn, baptised in the nephite tradition, and taken the name of Ditzy Doo. Two months since the curious incident of her cutie mark disappearing from her flank, though neither Graham Cracker nor Bishop Hoof had an answer to that. Two months after the New Maneaanite doctors had been able to get her eye condition under control; something that doctors in Equestria had said would have been impossible, shows what they knew.
And probably most important to the task ahead of her, it had been two months since she had undergone training in how to properly use firearms, specifically the nephite’s signature 12.7mm pistol, which Ditzy had become proficient in quite quickly, her newfound 6/6 vision proving to have been to good use, and more recently, the brand new Marening Automatic Rifle, or MAR.
Ditzy didn’t particularly care for the MAR, while she would prefer to not have to use a weapon at all, as did the rest of the Maneaanites, sometimes, one had to be able to defend themselves, and the group wasn’t exactly popular in Equestria.
Ditzy Doo’s main problem with the MAR was its weight. The gun was heavy; the 8x60mm round that it shot was heavy. Having one MAR, a full load of ammunition, plus all the other equipment that one needed to carry to walk through the desert, a pony was easily carrying twenty to twenty five kilograms worth of stuff. Fortunately for her, Ditzy Doo would not be carrying an MAR for the task ahead, rather she would just have her regular 12.7mm pistol, bringing an MAR was not necessary for this task.
Ditzy Doo was lost in her thoughts, and had almost completely walked by Moses Marening’s workshop, where Graham Cracker not there to point it out to her, she would have. Ditzy could only blush as she back tracked and went inside, though Graham said nothing about it.
‘Moses? Are you here?’ Ditzy called out.
‘Yes! I am here’, a voice called out from the back. Moses Marening entered the front of his workshop from the back, smiling at Ditzy brightly. Moses Marening was a grey coated stallion, who was starting to get on in his years, his mane had once been a deep black, but was now turning silver at the ends with age. Moses also had the distinction of being New Maneaan’s only unicorn inhabitant... well, except for Dinky, but Ditzy figured that she barely counted yet, because she had yet to be baptised.
Like Ditzy, Moses too had been a convert to the faith, though Ditzy didn’t know what his old name was. Apparently it wasn’t something that was talked about.
‘What can I do for you, Miss Doo?’ Moses asked with a smile.
‘I’ve come to return the rife, could you...?’ Ditzy asked turning the MAR to face him. Moses nodded and enveloped the MAR with his magic, unclipping it and the spare ammunition magazines from her storm harness.
‘What? You don’t want to carry my heavy rifle across the desert? For shame!’ Moses said with a grin.
Ditzy Doo returned the grin. ‘Oh, I would if God wanted me to frighten the Appleoosans, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t like that, no I don’t think he’d like that one bit’.
...
The train screeched to a halt, the whistle blew loudly, and Big McIntosh looked up from what he was reading. The train had arrived in Appleoosa. Big McIntosh grabbed his saddlebags and stepped off the train.
He took a quick look at the engine, and discovered immediately that the railroad company must have found a solution to their coal shortage, as it did not have a team pulling it. Big McIntosh shrugged slightly and continued on his way. He had known about the shortage in coal for the engines only through having a representative from the rail company approach him with the offer of work.
With shortages nearly a year and a half ago, the rail company had resorted to gathering up a team of draught ponies to pull their engines from place to place. The representative, the name of which, Big McIntosh could not remember, had offered him a 500 pound contract. Big McIntosh had thought about it very hard, that was a lot of money, and to be honest, Sweet Apple Acres needed the money. Big McIntosh had almost taken the job, but had decided to pass on it, while Sweet Apple Acres did need the money, and that many bits could go a long way. He simply couldn’t be away from the farm when they needed him the most.
As it turned out, it had been a very good choice, as the rail company had been taken to court in at least 30 different times over the last year, as all of the draught ponies that the rail company had hired had all suffered some kind of injuries as a result from the heavy labour. Pulling an engine was exhausting, and physically demanding work, not to mention that running through the desert without the ability to stop for a drink of water and rest. Suffice it to say, the rail company’s ‘quick fix’, had been nothing but a bad deal.
‘Hey! Big McIntosh!’ cried a voice from outside the train station.
Big McIntosh took a look at the origin of the voice, it was his cousin Braeburn. Braeburn trotted up to him and grinned brightly at him.
‘Howdy Cuz! Welcome to APPLEOOSA!’ Braeburn said rearing up in a highly dramatic fashion, causing Big McIntosh to sigh slightly. ‘What brings ya ta town cuz?’
‘Ah think ya know ‘xactly why Ah’m here Braeburn’, Big McIntosh said flatly.
Braeburn frowned and nodded. ‘Tell ya tha truth, Ah been wonderin’ when ya was gonna come out here lookin’ fer her’, Braeburn said. ‘Ah don’t think she gonna be too happy ta see ya’.
‘Thas tough’, Big McIntosh said simply. ‘Applejack’s mah sister, and its ‘bout time she stopped mopin’ ‘round out here in the Mohoofie and come on home’.
‘Well, she ain’t exactly been mopin’...’ Braeburn said. ‘She been puttin’ herself ta use ‘round these parts, helpin’ us with tha plantin’’.
‘Applejack can make herself useful at home, where her family need her. Braeburn, Ah ain’t gonna ask again, yer gonna help me get Applejack ta come back home’.
Braeburn frowned. ‘All right. Ah’ll help ya... ta be honest with ya, town kinda wants to kick her out... when she ain’t workin’ she keeps makin’ a fuss over at tha saloon, gettin’ drunk at night, gettin’ in fights. Ah don’ know ‘xactly what got her mad at her friends ta come out here...’
‘It’s somethin’ stupid she done gotten worked up over’, Big McIntosh said. ‘Ah was hopin’ she woulda come ta her senses on her own, she usually does... clearly, this time, Ah gotta bring her ‘round’.