//------------------------------//
// Desert Rat. 
// Story: Time to hire some extra teachers 
// by Light Heart101 
//------------------------------//

Twilight was busy mopping up a mess that was left in the hallway. Apparently a food fight ended up spreading out to the hallway. Twilight really wished that they didn't serve carrot sandwiches and grape juice that day. There were small, cut up bits of carrots and purple stains all over the floor. Even though the students had a lot of fun Twilight had to make them clean up the food court. She should have specified that she meant the whole mess

As Twilight finished cleaning the last stain she saw a strange pony walking down the hallway. He wore an old Calvary hat over his brownish blonde mane which had a couple of griffin feathers tied to it. He had a brown coat and had several faded scars all over his body. The most unique things about him were these marking under his eyes and the buffalo horns sticking out of his head, not to mention the strange devices strapped to his back and his chest. He was also a bit taller and bulkier than most ponies.

Twilight recognized him from one of the applications. "Excuse me, are you Desert Rat?"

The pony turned to face her. "The one and only. I'm guessing you're Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes. It's nice to meet you sir. May you please follow me?" Twilight said as she shook his hoof.

He nodded and proceeded to follow her to the office. There was a tall stack of paperwork on top of her desk. Twilight sighed as she thought about spending another late night going through all of those papers. As she took a seat at her desk she noticed Desert leaning back in his chair. 

Twilight took a deep breath as she started going through the files. "Alright. According to your file you are the half breed of an earth pony and a buffalo."

"Actually I'm from Las Pegasus. We all have these horns there." Desert said sarcastically. When Twilight rolled her eyes he decided to get somewhat serious. 

Twilight focused on his file. "According to your file you're an explorer. You also say that you have some combat skills. You mentioned a couple of "Guns"?"

Desert Rat's eye markings glowed as he magically unholstered his guns. "This is my basic sawed off shotgun for group situations and this six shooter here is my personal favorite." He looked up to see a concerned look on Twilight's face. "Um, I don't really use them anymore."

Twilight sighed. "I see."

Desert's eyes widened as he saw a file marked "Classified" appear from under her desk. "And here we go. Most ponies don't have that file."

Twilight's eyes didn't shift from the file. "You can thank Luna for that. Also as a princess I'm allowed to have access to this information. You aren't the first pony who has a file on them. The whole "Buffalo magic" thing is easier to understand than some of the other forms of magic I've learned about recently, even though there's almost nothing written about it. You fought in the Equestrian civil war about a thousand years ago. After that you were a famous bounty hunter. You disappeared one day without a trace. Unfortunately Luna decided to black out the part about how you leaped ahead in time. Now I understand that Equestria and the surrounding lands were not as civil as they are today. With this file I'd expect you to want a more "military" job. So, why would you want to join my school?"

Desert slowly went from leaning back to slouching forward. "Things have changed after a thousand years, but I can still remember the war vividly. My life has been defined by violence and vengeance. After years of fighting you start to wonder if that's all there is to you. I'm tired of it. I've seen more violence than most ponies see in a lifetime. I want to find a bit of peace. I don't want to keep fighting for the rest of my life. This is a world of peace and friendship and I want to be a part of it. I want to leave my old world behind. I don't want to keep fighting this war that isn't here anymore. Maybe I'd make a better student than a teacher, but I don't want to see this next generation end up in the same place I did. I want them to have lives ten times better than mine was."

Twilight noticed the few tears going down his cheek. She looked into his eyes and saw more pain and heartache than she's ever seen from anybody. Twilight slowly looked through his file again. "Well, this wouldn't be the first time I helped a pony adjust to a new time era. So, how do you plan to teach friendship to the next generation."

Desert Rat pulled out a worn out scroll from his bag. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. While wondering around the world I ended up becoming a bit of a pioneer. With all of the settlements I've met I learned about what makes these newborn towns grow into thriving cities. Teamwork and community. I know I'm not exactly the best when it comes to friendship, but maybe this could help open the doors."

Twilight placed both of the files back into her desk. "Alright. I guess this could be an interesting topic. I'll give you a try, on one condition."

Desert raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

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All of the students made their way into the new classroom. It seemed to be filled with old antiques and blueprints for some rather basic buildings. There were all forms of old building and farming equipment set up inside. As the students found their seats Desert walked in. This time he wasn't wearing his signature guns.

Gallus gave him a weird look. "Is there a race of you ponies with horns like those now?"

Desert sat down in his seat. "Yes, we're known as Sitcha."

Gallus eyes widened. "Really? What does it come from."

Desert gave a snarky grin. "It means Sitcha flank down and pay attention!"

While the other ponies there chuckled at the joke Gallus blushed and lowered his head. "I think I'll stop trying to be a smart alec to the teachers."

Desert kept his grin. "Good idea. Now how many of you know about the old pioneers?"

A handful of students raised their hooves. Smolder was confused at the idea of learning about this outdated knowledge. "Excuse me, but what does that have to do about anything today?"

Desert rolled his eyes at her. "One who doesn't learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Please, don't interrupt; that's my job. Now these brave ponies who wondered across the world never worked alone. Even when planning such expeditions they needed to have dozens of like-minded ponies to go with them with the right skills. A good party would need scouts, navigators, farmers, builders, and that's just the start of it. They all had to pull their weight and help each other as much as possible. If only a few ponies refused to help the whole colony would collapse. Trust, hard work, and teamwork were the foundations of many of the major cities you see today. Lets get into some of the details of what went into such places."

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Desert spent the rest of the day talking about the early pioneers. He told stories about the early years of several cities. No one believed him when he talked about how humble and generous the people of Las Pegasus once were. After the class Desert was busy cleaning up the room.

He turned around when he heard Twilight walk in. "Hey Twi, you could have just watched inside."

Twilight raised her eyebrow when she found out about about his knowledge. She still was trying to understand Light Sparker's methods. "Alright, how did you know."

Desert finished filling the waste basket. "I saw you when you peaked inside. I have a pretty good sense of my surroundings. So, how did I do?"

Twilight smiled at a simple answer. "Pretty good. You had them at the edge of their seats." 

Desert grinned. "Good, I have plans to take them out to my style of camping. Nothing but knives and rope."

Twilight quickly tried to block such an idea out of her head. "I shudder at the thought. Do you mind if I ask you about any alternative motives for joining my school?"

Desert nearly dropped the waste basket. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Twilight sighed as she pulled out a new file. "I was curious if you'd have any descendants. Apparently your wife ended up taking your children to what was Zebra territory. After a thousand years it seems that your descendants are mostly Zebras. The only ones that I found out about in Ponyville are Zecora and her cousin Trail Dancer. It just so happens that Trail Dancer is a student in my school. Would you mind telling me more about this?"

Desert sat back down in his seat. A part of him wanted to keep this heritage secret. "When I was cast into the future I knew that I would never see my family again. I wanted to know about what happened to them so I asked Celestia about my lineage. She found a couple of them here. She said that it wouldn't be a good idea to confront them with this knowledge, so I decided to take a hidden part in their lives. I just want to make sure that they are safe. In a way they are the last bit of family I have left. Is there a problem with that?"

Twilight watched as he placed the rest of his notes into the closet. Twilight took a deep breath. "Alright. You can stay here. I hope you can figure out how to deal with this new world. By the way, at least talk to me if you plan on making a hidden safe in my school."

Desert nearly knocked over a mop when she said that. "What made you think I did that?"

Twilight walked up to the closet. "I'm not perfect, but I do know that I had all of the closets made the same way. Now about what's in the safe..."

"My guns." Twilight was shocked by his quick admittance. "I know you said you were uncomfortable with me carrying them around the school, but frankly I've heard about the treats that have attacked the school. I do know that I'll have to find a less violent approach, but you also hired me to protect these kids."

Twilight had to think about it for a moment. Finally she spoke up. "Fine, but remember that this is a school of friendship. Talking should always be the first option. If you can find something less deadly that can stop an attacker I'd like you to use it. Whatever you do DON'T let the students find it!"

Desert gave her a slow nod. As Twilight started walking out she noticed a somber look on his face. It was almost like he was hoping that he'd never have to use those weapons again. Twilight sighed as she started writing to Luna. She started to think about this fallen warrior. "I hope you find some form of peace Desert."