The next day, Rapid Transit was called in to work, covering some trips his granddaughter Silver Strider would normally do. As a result, it wasn’t until after dinner that he was able to resume the story. The twins didn’t mind, because they got to spend time with Great-Grandma and checking out her side of the story.
They gathered in the yard, where they made themselves comfortable, Soaring Heart joining the group. “Now, where was we?” he asked.
“Gramma just gave you your name, and you got Doctor Coppertop!” Silver Spiral supplied.
“Okay, I remember now. We’re almost done with the tale.”
We spent the night there, cleaning Coppertop off, showing him some of our lessons on being a pony, and most especially feeding him- he was truly desperate for some real food. Sara (who wanted to be called Soaring Heart) gave him her bed and we shared mine. The boy was definitely hungry for affection and caring from us, his real parents not showing him much, if any. We did. By nightfall, Coppertop was now truly one of the family, as if he had been born to us.
Coppertop showed he definitely had skills with the computer. He showed me some features my old laptop had, and I had it for a year plus. Of course, I had to show him how to manipulate the keys with a pen between his teeth, but he picked up on it quickly enough.
The next morning, after some topping off of tanks and showing Coppertop how to do so, we set off on Interstate 44, destination Paris. The boy salvaged only a few things from the van, his computer, game console, portable DVD player, DVD’s, and his Bluetooth headphones. I had to fiddle with the headphones some so they could fit his pony head, but we improvised something that was reasonably comfortable for him to wear.
One of Coppertop’s few faults was that he just did not like the music Sara (pardon me, Soaring Heart) and I enjoyed, which made the headphones welcome. Honestly, we felt the same way about his. We went about twenty miles up 44 before something came to mind that could help him. In fact, all of us. I pulled Puck over and parked. Excusing myself, I headed outside and telegated back to Phoenix. Once there, after saying hello to the dogs, I went inside and found six Bluetooth enabled wool caps, along with the batteries they required. I had known about them, but I could never figure out how to get them to work.
“WE like your music, Grampa! It’s fun!” Silver Spiral said with a smile.
“It is, ain’t it? That’s why I like it.”
“More like WE like it, love.” Soaring Heart added, giving Rapid Transit an affectionate nuzzle.
I telegated back and presented the wife and kid with my haul. After pleased hugs and kisses from the pair, Soaring Heart took the wheel while Coppertop and I got the headsets working and doing a bit of trimming to the hats, making them headbands. They were definitely more comfortable to wear than the headset.
Once we managed to get three headbands working, Coppertop looked at me with his golden eyes shining happily. “Thanks, Dad.” he said to me while giving me a head hug.
I head-hugged him back. “You’re welcome, son.” I told him, meaning it. He felt it, and so did Soaring Heart.
“You’ve been more of a dad to me this past day than my real one was to me these past three years.” he whispered into my ear as we hugged.
“All I can do is the best I can do, and the best I can do is all I will do.” I whispered back.
“Love you, Dad. And Mom, too, but she’s driving.”
“Love you too, big fella.”
Later that day, after a fuel stop and driver swap, we were on course approaching Fort Leonard Wood when we saw something we were not expecting. A red flare in the sky, followed by two more. Surprised, I pulled Puck over to the side of the road. Sara got out to do an aerial search while Coppertop and the dogs also got out, but staying on the ground. I looked around, fixing the site in my mind in case we had to do a getaway. I wanted to make sure I could get back.
Sara returned about twenty minutes later. “I found another pony!” she called down as she was landing. “She saw us on the road and sent up the flares! She’s been alone now since November.”
“Is she heading this way?” I asked once she was firmly on the ground.
“She should be here in about ten minutes. She wanted to get her act in gear first.”
“Not like we’re in a real hurry, right?”
It was more like fifteen minutes later when a hummer pulled up in front of us, coming the wrong way down 44. It was driven by a green and brown unicorn with a cutie mark that resembled a four-way lug wrench I had stashed inside Puck, who managed to get out while making it look easy. She came up to where we were waiting and saluted us as best she could.
“Sergeant Amelia Rastor reporting, sir!” she snapped out.
“You brought Grammy Amy here, too?” Silent Flight said.
“That I did. Her grandson is your father. Fine fellow he is. I’m glad her stiffness didn’t get passed on to him, though.”
I returned the salute in best Hawkeye Pierce fashion before saying, “At ease, please. My Navy days were thirty years ago.”
Visibly, Amelia relaxed. “Thank you, sir. You are the first people I have seen in several months. I’ve talked to a few on the radio, but I’m not much of a radio tech. I’m a mechanic, keeping the motor pool up and running.” she explained.
“Good! Can I get you to check over the RV? I never was much of an auto mechanic, my time at sea was spent as a mechanic on a submarine.” I said, then smiled. “The one time I tried to change the oil in my truck by myself was hell’s own mess.”
“Sure!” Amelia said with a smile. “Just follow me and I’ll take you there. It’s about ten miles from here. I go there every once in a while to refuel and refresh, but I have been spending much of my time monitoring the freeway. Looks like my guess was right.”
“Let’s do this. All aboard!” I called out. Amelia got into her hummer, my family into Puck, and I followed the hummer to the motor pool. The gates to the fort had been pulled down somehow and moved aside. I followed her to the garage area, and followed her directions pulling Puck into a bay.
We all got out while Amelia did her checks, except Sethra. After twenty minutes, she came up to where we were waiting. “Good thing you found me. You got a small oil leak somewhere. Don’t you know anything about car maintenance?” she asked me.
“Yeah. Take the truck to Gruelich’s garage once a quarter for an oil change and checkup.” I answered.
“Well, hope you’re not in a hurry. I can fix this up, have it all running better, but it will take me until tomorrow. Maybe less, if you’re willing to help and do as I say.” Amelia snapped back.
“By your command.” I droned like a Cylon warrior. Everyone got a laugh out of it, even Amelia.
“What’s a Cylon, Grampa?” Silver Spiral asked.
“A character from an old TV show that spoke like this.” Rapid Transit droned, to the amusement of the children and his wife. They liked it when he did his funny voices.
The next day, we pulled out, back on the road to Paris, Amy driving Puck. We were loaded with some car care products I never thought we would need, but that’s what I get for thoughting on my own, right? Amy was indeed a better driver than I was with the massive vehicle, I never really liked driving anything bigger than a pickup truck.
Amy told us about herself while she drove. Originally from Florida, she joined the Army right out of high school, asking for mechanic training. She was good with wrenches and such to begin with, her family running a full service station and repair shop since before she was born. She decided to stay in and make a career out of it, because she liked what she was doing, and few men ever hassled her twice. She had done several tours overseas, but would not say much about it. After ten years in the Army, she was a sergeant, having passed the next rank tests twice, but getting busted shortly after because she would not stand for any harassment.
We, in turn, told her about ourselves and where we were heading. Amy liked the thought of being around others again, having been alone for months. We did compare notes about using our horns as hand replacements, finding out she was much more coordinated than I was, but I could do things she couldn’t, like the lock pick spell, the find-it spell, and most importantly the telegate spell.
“Too bad you can’t look ahead with that. Would save drive time.” Amy commented as we neared St. Louis and I-255.
“I can’t go to where I don’t know, only to where I have been. The first trip is the hardest. After that, it’s easy.” I told her in reply.
“Let me tell you of the first time he drove through the gate.” Sara said. I decided to head aft and prepare some more bread dough. When girls get to talking like that, I know to go someplace safe. Since I could not gate to Timbuktu, and didn’t want to try opening the gate at highway speed anyhow, the back of the bus was safest.
“Girl talk…” I muttered as I broke out the flour and dough mix.
“Yeah, girl talk can get boring.” Silent Flight said.
“Does not!” Silver Spiral shot back.
“Does too!” Silent Flight responded, not at all silently.
As Silver Spiral went to give a heated reply, a loud cough from Rapid Transit silenced the twins in their tracks. “Sorry, Grampa.” They chorused as they sat back down.
“MUCH better, kids.” Grampa snorted before settling down to resume his story, said settling down interrupted by a wing slap from his wife. “Hey!”
“Girl talk, eh?” she snorted.
“Got that right, Dad.” Coppertop said from the bed, where he was trying to read a book. I knew the boy was smart, and he just proved it to me. We shared a smile of companionship as I got the dough made up and poured it into the bread maker. Sara closed the curtain between the drivers seats and the rest of the vehicle, so she and Amy can engage in girl talk.
By lunchtime, we had made it to St. Louis. We stopped and picnicked at the Gateway Arch before setting out again, I taking the wheel, Coppertop moving to copilot, the girls claiming the back of the coach to keep on talking.
“Another four to five hours to Paris, and a community. You looking forward to being there, son?” I asked as I drove.
“Yes, I am, Dad. It sucks being alone. I just hope I can learn more about being an earth pony. I can’t fly like Mom or move things around, like you.”
“I know there are earth ponies there. The lady I talk to, Alex, she is one. She’ll know where to put you for schooling.”
“Good. I like school. I just hope my appetite settles down, now that I’m a pony.” He told me as he munched on a granola bar.
“I think you are. You ate a lot more yesterday than today. Time will tell. Time, and a good doctor. They have one there, an earth pony named Oliver. We’ll all go see him for a checkup. We all can use it.”
“Sounds good to me, Dad. I just hope they don’t ridicule me.”
“If anyone does, just look them in the eye and say ‘is that the best you can do?’ and leave them be. You like yourself, right? If you want to change, you’ll have our support. If not, you’ll still have our support. You won’t have to worry about that.” I told him, giving him a playful poke in his soft barrel.
He caught my hoof between both of his and held it gently. “I won’t ever forget it, Dad. You and Mom don’t try to force me to change, like my human parents did. You like me for me.” He said so earnestly, it touched me deeply.
“I do, Coppie. One thing you’ll learn about me is that I’m not in the habit of spewing a line of bull to people. If I know something, I’ll teach it. If I don’t know something, I’ll admit to my lack of knowledge and do the best I can. You deal straight with me, and I’ll deal straight with you. Start feeding me a line of bull, and I catch it, the punishments will not be forgotten. My parents raised me that way, and it worked. I hope I can see my dad again.”
“Do you think he will be a good pony?”
“Once he recovers from the shock of it and gets his wits back under him, I think he’ll do just fine. He is very wise, kind and generous. Cross him, and the butcher shop may have some mystery meat on the shelves.
“I learned a lot of being a man from him, and how not to be a man. These past years he’s been a drunk, had intestinal issues, had glaucoma hit so hard he had to give up driving. His only entertainment is the weekly poker game, and any treats I get for him.
“Hopefully, his Return will fix many of the illnesses he has, and make him sensible again. I do miss him a lot, despite his increasing stupidity. I promise to make a safe, loving place for him to return to, in time.” I managed to wind down, releasing emotions I have kept in me.
“Could you teach me to love you as much as you loved yours?” Coppertop asked innocently.
“It will take time, but, yes, I can. We have to do it together, okay?”
“You got it, Dad!”
“You really miss your daddy, don’t you, Grampa?” Silent Flight said quietly, both foals picking up on Rapid Transit’s grief.
“I sure do, kids. Those last five years, he drove me insane as his health declined. Many’s the time I hated him, but I would not go back on my word to care for him. I still won’t.
“I got this feeling he’ll be back in the next fifteen years. He’s stubborn and perverse enough to come back on a special anniversary day of some sort, like his birthday, his anniversary, or something else significant to him. That’s why I had the old trailer rebuilt, cleaned and restored as best I could, in the hope he will come back. I also left a recording crystal there, with an alarm signal, for when he does. Knowing him, he’ll probably come back as a jackass!
Rapid Transit sighed. “Almost done with the tale, then off to bed with you two.”
“And you as well, love.” Soaring Heart added. “You’ve had a busy day.”
We arrived in Paris a few hours later, getting to meet with the little lady on the phone, Alex. She helped get us settled in for the day, showing us around the town, where the ‘housing tract’ is, and gently quizzing us on what our talents are. She told us to visit the hospital for a checkup the next day (it being almost dark when we arrived) and where to meet up with everyone after lunch, for assignments. The start of a new life, one where we felt like part of a whole, not just isolated ponies.
“It’s been a busy hundred years plus, but as they used to say in my day, ‘What a ride!” Rapid Transit said before he looked at his twin great-grandchildren. “More stories at another time, kids. It’s time for bed for you two.”
The twins got up and hugged him close between them. “We love you, Great-Grampa.”
The old unicorn hugged them both back, sniffling a little. “Love you both too. Come on, let’s have some of Great-Gramma’s oatmeal cookies before bed. Deal?”
“Deal, Grampa!”