As I come out, I notice the courier and am slightly surprised to see Doctor Tourniquet from the Followers as well as the pegasus courier. The courier immediately salutes me and I return it, then he hands me a packet and tells me, “Your eyes-only ma’am. My Colonel says he does not know what is in it either.”

Interesting, I think to myself as I tell the courier, “Thank you. Anything else?” I then take the packet and put it inside my saddle bag.

He is just about to answer when I see him notice the rugs in the command post, one of which has slid and you can see clearly the dark stain on the wooden floor. I see him gulp deeply, then he gets himself back together and tells me, “Only that the Colonel wanted to know if you had a list of supplies that he should have set up for you to pick up in New Appleloosa when you head back.”

I nod my head and tell Paper Work, “Go get Captain Pogey Bait and let him know I need a list of supplies we need when we head home.”

He salutes and takes off out the door. As I am turning towards Tourniquet, I over hear the courier asking one of my staff members, “Are those stains what I think they are?”

The reply is lost as I hear Tourniquet say, “Colonel Mollygirl it is so good to see you again ma’am.”

“It is good to see you too Tourniquet, but I am sure this isn’t a social call, so what can I help you with sir.”

He nods his head and tells me, “Ma’am those of us in the followers have heard about Fort Hope and I was wondering if you could arrange transport for me and a few members of my staff so we can set up an office there.”

I smile as I shake my head and tell him, “Yeah, I can do that Doc. Oh the commander over there right now is Lieutenant Colonel Wind Rider. Let her know you were on the expedition with me, that should help grease the skids with her.”

I see his eyebrows go up and he asks, “I take it she is a friend of yours?”

I nod my head and tell him, “Yes, we are like sisters, so she knows the story.”

I see him shake a bit at the reminder of those days and he replies, “Well at least something good came out of those times.”

Paper Work has just returned and I look over and see him panting slightly as he tells me, “The Captain will be here soon ma’am. He is gathering a list.”

“Very good Paper Work, could you have one of the other couriers go and bring Lieutenant Solstice here for me.”

I see the relief on his face when I ask him to have someone else run this time and he tells me, “Will do Ma’am” then he turns and goes into another room of the bunker.

Tourniquet then looks at the rugs and the stain on the floor, then he looks back up at me and asks, “Do I really even want to ask?”

I half smile and tell him “Go ahead and ask the staff, but enough of it was mine.” As I say this I shake slightly as I feel a chill come over me.

He nods his head and then tells me, “Ok, I will ask them in a bit. But Thank you for even seeing me today.”

I smile fully at that and I tell him, “Doc, I will always have time for you. You are one of mine from the CEF. That makes you almost family.”

I see him chuckle slightly and he tells me, “I guess so. Shared misery and all.”

About this time Summer Solstice arrives. She looks very unhappy at the moment and when she sees the Doctor she asks, “Ok Ma’am, what have you got for us this time?”

I smile at her and tell her, “Nothing rough, just a quick flight for the doctor and his staff over to Fort Hope.”

I see her nod her head. Then she says, “Ma’am, as it is quiet right now, do you mind if I send out Dust off and his team and I will escort them?”

I think about it briefly and I tell her, “Lieutenant, I would love to normally, but how about you just send out the Dust-Off team and you remain behind incase something comes up that I need the scouts for.”

I see her frown at first then she grins slightly as she realizes I do not want her to go so that she remains in control of her scouts instead of me trying to take them over again. She then replies, “Yes ma’am, I understand.” Then I see her get on her PipBuck and start arranging things.

As she leaves, I turn to Tourniquet and ask him, “Would you like to have some tea with me?”

He agrees and soon I see Paper Work bring the tea set for us. As we are talking Tourniquet ask me, “So what can you tell me about Fort Hope Ma’am?”

I smile at him and tell him, “Well having been there when we captured it, probably more than most. In all actuality I have a trooper here whose fiancé was formally in the Legion there. I am sure you could get even more information from her.”

He sips his tea and then replies, “True, but I may not be around that long. Your lieutenant seems to be pretty efficient.”

I nod my head and tell him, “Ok, makes sense, here is what I know,” I tell him as I begin to fully fill him in on the layout of the base as well as the makeup of its population there.

I see the look on his face when he hears about the number of ponies as well as zebra who stayed there after we broke what was left of the defending forces. Then I see concern on his face as he asks, “So what is to prevent those forces from coming back?”

I think to myself about how good a question this is then I tell him, “Well, for the next several months we will be having the 2^nd of the 2^nd Manesville battalion there. They are assisting in training a new militia to help defend the post. Other than that, we have the rest of the forces that are in the region. It is a bit of a hike to get there, but I am sure if Fort Hope was in trouble that the Harness battalion would respond as well as my reliefs.

I see him relax a bit when I say this then he asks, “Ok, what is the Harness Battalion?”

So, I begin to explain to him about Milo and his troops, as well as about the town of Harness itself. I see him raise his eyebrows several times as I describe the town and its history. He finally says, “So Harness is not just the small village above the valley then?”

I shake my head and I tell him, “No, actually they pulled the same kind of stunt we did with the Co-op by running low. But if you need something and can’t find it here or in Fort Hope, my suggestion is to check with Harness.”

“Thank you Mollygirl for giving me the lay of the land. I really do appreciate it. It seems a lot of what you have brought up has not made it back to the Followers. But I really do think we can help there.”

I pause for a moment and then I put a hoof on my desk as I tell him, “Doc, a large number of those over there have been slaves. You may have to deal with some psychiatric cases.”

I see him smile at me and he then tells me, “Mollygirl, these days most of us are. I saw how you were looking at those blood stains and you saw how I was at the memories of the Valley.”

I nod and then add, “Yeah, but having been a slave affects you so much more. I rescued one of my troopers over there and he is having a hard time dealing with it. Doc, to be a slave means you have to accept you have no equine worth, you are only property and your value is determined by what you can do.”

I see him sigh, “Yeah, I understand, remember I was there when we found those slaves on the expedition. I even seen how it affected Dull Beak when he found the one griffon. Speaking of that, how is the old feather duster doing?”

I smile as I think of what to say and finally, I tell him, “Oh, he is doing fine, it seems he is going to be a father now.”

I see him nod his head then he says, “I am surprised he found another griffon out her, was she one of your troops.”

This time I smile even wider as I tell him, “Actually she is a pony. The Lieutenant you met from my scouts.”

I see his jaw drop and hear him mutter, “Bloody Tartarus, I did not think that was possible.”

I simply nod my head and realize his surprise has made my day.

Once Doctor Treacle leaves and Paper Work has cleared the tea set away I first double check the list of items he has recommended. I only decline a couple of the items as I figure we do not really need them. The rest are approved and I have Paper Work give the list to the courier who I overhear from the other room say to my clerk, “I am surprised it was this quick. I was hoping it would take long enough so I could catch a train back to New Appleloosa. That would be so neat.”

I hear Paper Work sigh as he tells him, “Sorry trooper, but you know how it is. Perhaps another time.” Right after that I hear the courier's hoof steps as he leaves.

I then tend to several other items of business before I get up and close and lock my office door. Then I finally go back over to my safe and retrieve the packet. I break the seal carefully and once I have the pages out; I begin to read them. There has been a slight change in orders. This time we are to catch the river boats and barges at the landing by the railroad bridge that crosses over the river between Canterlot and Junction town. We are then to transfer over to another set of barges and river boats once we arrive at what they are now calling the Two Step Transfer point.

I notice the names of the steamboats and barges as I read through the orders. I have to smile when I see that once we reach Two Step my Headquarters and the others from earlier will be assigned to the S. Glimmer. I am really looking forward to seeing Captain Rough Water again.

One of the surprises for me in the orders and the reason I figure it was eyes only is that when we leave here, we will be escorting ten wagons of coal divided into two caravans. One of the caravans we are to provide an escort to Junction town. The other is to continue with us to Manesville. This makes me raise my eyebrows and both ears go forward as I realize we probably have not had that much coal in Manesville in two centuries as the original railroad stock piles went up in balefire on that last day. This raises so many questions for me. Great this should be enough to keep us all on edge. And I thought we might have a quiet trip back home, I think to myself as I let out a sigh. Finally, I take the packet and put it all together again and return it to my safe before I close it up and prepare to leave my office for the night.

I give the combination lock an extra spin for good measures before I put on my saddlebags and my civilian scarf which I tuck into my uniform. It feels good to know I have this one item to hand down in my family. It is funny but after I talked with Sutures about it the day I bought it, she seemed kind of sad that her family has not had anything like that. I guess it made her feel better when I told her, “My love first your family tends to hand down a trade, you and your mother both have followed in your granddamns hoof steps as midwives. That is nothing to shake a tail at. Second dearest, you can always begin a tradition as well.”

I smile at that memory and as I head out of my office, I click the switch to turn off the lights. I am still tickled pink that Harness had an extra magical spark generator that they gave us for our main base as a thank you for helping them during the battle of Harness. I only hope my replacement will appreciate it as much as I have. Lights on demand with out using lanterns or candles. Such a small thing but it really does help morale.

I then head over to the barracks to meet with my family before we head to dinner. On my way I see Kettle Bell on her way to the officer’s barracks also. She slows her pace and approaches me as we walk. Finally, when close enough she smiles and greets me, “Good evening Colonel, how are you tonight?”

“I am doing pretty good Kettle, just really looking forward to heading home soon.”

I see her look down briefly and them back up before she replies, “Yeah, I understand that. I am too I guess, but I sure am going to miss this place too. Sure, I got four stomachs, but Mollygirl, I never thought I would have two hearts.”

I smile sadly at this and I tell her, “You are not alone in feeling that way Kettle. I have as well and I have had several others tell me the same thing. It was not like the expedition this time. Sure, we had some rough fights, but this time we got to know the populations in these towns. They became friends and, in some cases, family.”

I see her smile as she nods her head, then she tells me, “Very true Mollygirl. This time out we had the constant stress, but not the overwhelming fear of last time.”

I laugh lightly as I ask her, “Are you saying you were scared during the expedition?”

She looks at me seriously for a second and realizes I am only kidding her before she answers, “Not at first, but after the Second Battle of Two Step, yes. If you tell me you weren’t, I will call you a liar Colonel.”

I shake my head and quietly I tell her, “After the Second Two Step, I was terrified of letting everyone down. I was terrified for my unborn foal at the time,” as I say this my hoof moves to my stomach subconsciously “And I was afraid of what would happen if we did not stop that monster. Epona has told me enough that I'm pretty sure we have that answer.”

I see her nod her head as she says, “Yeah between Epona, Buttermilk, and some of the Others, I have heard the stories.”

I decide to change the subject and tell her, well in another couple of days to a week our reliefs will be here and we can do a change over. Once that is completed, we head home again. I am sure you are looking forward to getting home again.”

She hesitates in answering. Then she tells me, “Mollygirl, I don’t know. The letter I got from my husband in the last mail call kind of has me worried. He wants to add our nanny to our marriage. And while I don’t have a problem with that, I am afraid of what the other cattle will say about it.”

I nod my head in understanding and then I tell her, “You always have me my friend for support. Besides, I think I kind of broke the ice on that for you with me and my youngsters going to services at the Cattle Church.”

She smirks a bit and tells me, “Well, maybe, but honestly a lot of them just consider you a bit unusual of a pony anyways. So, they may allow you more allowances than me.”

I have to laugh a bit at that myself as it is true, “Ok, I can understand that, maybe just have her become a live-in nanny at first and once everyone is used to it, then make it official. But either way Kettle, follow your heart on this one.”

I see her smile as we reach the doorway to the barracks. She holds the door open for me and tells me, “Thanks Mollygirl. See you at dinner tonight?”

“Probably, but if not, have a good evening Kettle.”

Two days later I am heading to my office for the day and I see Milo heading in that direction also. I call out for him and he trots on over to me. “Just the mare I was looking for. Good Morning Mollygirl,” he quickly tells me.

“Good Morning Milo. I am glad to see you too, but I am sure you have more of a reason for being here than just a social visit.”

He nods his head at me and tells me, “Yeah I do. But let’s talk about that in your office.”

As we enter my office, I see him turn and look out the door then he locks it before he approaches my desk.

I raise an eyebrow at this as this is not the normal Milo but I also notice he is still very serious so I keep my mouth shut and wait for him to begin. Quietly he begins, “Mollygirl, have you gotten the update to your orders yet?” I nod my head yes, and he continues. “Ok, so you know about the caravans and their cargo?”

I nod my head, “Yes Milo I do, why?”

He looks at me in surprise, “Mollygirl do you realize the worth of those caravans?”

I shake my head no, “I, I thought I did, but I guess not Milo.”

He shakes his head and continues, “Mollygirl we are currently repainting the wagons and marking them with random civilian paint schemes. Once loaded they are going to be covered and one by one brought over here. Each will carry a cargo of ten tons of coal. They will also be drawn by a team of four mules. The caravan going to Manesville will be waiting until a suitable escort is found, but it is to return with seed stock as well as grains and hay. It was part of the deal worked out when we were there. I just had not thought that they would begin when you leave.”

“Ok Milo, so that is a lot of coal, but what is up with the extreme bit of secrecy.”

He looks exasperated when I ask that. Then he tells me, “Mollygirl, we have been selling it by the bucket only since we opened back up. A bucket is only 40 pounds and we have been selling them for 10 caps a pound.”

I quickly do the math in my head and my jaw drops, “Milo, what were they thinking? My Goddess.”

“Now do you understand why I feel this way. The only thing I can figure is that they feel that much coal being blended in to your normal movements will be less noticeable.”

I slap a forehoof to my forelock and tell him, “I hope so Milo, I really hope so.”

He nods his head and then tells me, “Mollygirl I have given the teams' permission to drop a wagon as a distraction if you are being chased. Just so you know that is an option.”

As if I did not have enough on my plate already, first my troops, then the civilians, and now this. At least the Mareigan has not shown up. I slowly shake my head, “Ok Milo, I appreciate the heads up. Now I can plan for it. Start bringing them up and I will have my senior officer briefed once our reliefs arrive.”

“That sounds good Mollygirl. I am so sorry this is all coming down on you. I did not think they would try and ship it all at once.”

I simply shrug, then I tell him, “Milo, for as long as you have known me has anything been normal for me?”

I watch the surprise come over his face and I hear him let out that mule laugh of his. Finally, when he stops laughing, I watch him wipe the tears out of his eyes as he tells me, “My friend, that is the biggest understatement I have ever heard.”

I feel myself blush a bit and I tell him, “Well we best open the door back up or the others are going to think something was happening in here.”

As he opens the door, I see Paper Work has a suspicious look on his face, then he goes and gets the tea set. As he enters, I notice him trying to sneakily smell the air. Once he is sure nothing has happened, he smiles at us both and tells me, “Ma’am, I thought you might like some tea.”

“Thanks, Paper Work. I appreciate it.” I tell him.

He still looks at Milo with a bit of a half-closed eye, but he smiles at me and quickly leaves.

I see Milo smirk as he heads out the door. Then he asks me, “Mollygirl after all this time. As well as your wife being here, why don’t they trust me?”

I sit down in my chair and I look at him smiling as I sip my tea. Then I reply, “Milo my dear, it is simply because they know both of us. Give them time and they will trust us.”

I hear him let out a breath of air from his nose and he tells me, “Now you sound like Cannel.”

This time it is my turn to laugh, and I do.

Finally, I tell him, “Milo, you are my friend and if things were different, they suspect we would be more. To tell the truth Milo, my staff are pretty protective of me anymore.”

He looks out of the corner of his eye and twists one ear toward the door and tells me, “I can see that. Sadly dear, I can understand that too.” Then he takes another sip of tea and we begin to talk about other things.

The next day I am sitting in my office when the first of the coal wagons arrives. Paper Work knocks on my door and then tells me, “Ma’am, there is a civilian wagon with a team of mules pulling it that has just arrived. They want to know where we want to put it.”

I get up from my desk and grab my softcover and have him follow me out. Once outside I tell him, “Go get Pogey Bait.” Once he is gone, I approach the wagon and its team. I am amused when the lead mule suddenly fights his urge to salute.

Quietly he tells me, “Sorry about that ma’am. Habit. The Colonel told us to act like civies.”

I nod my head and I just as quietly tell him, “Understandable sir. Thank you for being discreet. Will you be staying here until we leave or will you be heading back home until then?”

I see him smile and he tells me, “Ma’am, we are expected back but we were thinking of stopping for lunch at your chow hall first if you don’t mind.”

I nod my head and I tell him, “No problem, I am surprised that you are not going to stop in Hackamore for something to eat.”

I see him shrug his shoulders and he tells me, “Colonel, under normal circumstances we would not hesitate. It is rare to find a place outside of Harness that accepts our kind, and from what the rumor is the locals have no problem with us.”

I nod my head, “That is true, but I see your point,” I am about to say some more when Captain Pogey Bait trots up.

“Good afternoon Ma’am, Can I help you?” He asks me as he salutes.

I return his salute and I tell him, “Captain. We have some cargo that is going back with us to Manesville. I am expecting ten wagons such as this. I want them put in your supply wagon compound. Also, I would prefer if we keep an eye on the wagons, but no one, and I mean no one but myself or my designated appointees that I will personally tell you about, are to enter these wagons. Do I make myself clear?”

I see the surprise on his face when I tell him this and he replies “Ma’am, it would be easier to do if I knew what they are carrying.”

I let out a sigh and I tell him, “Captain before we leave for home, I promise I will tell you. Just assume it is a very hazardous cargo that could make a big hole in the ground.”

I see his face go pale and he nods his head, “Yes ma’am. I understand ma’am.” He rattles off quickly.

“Good, I am glad you understand, and for all intents and purposes, let's keep this between us,” I tell him with a stern expression on my face. Then I turn and walk away as he leads the team to the supply wagon park. I am now so glad I insisted on subdividing the base with fences and gates, as this will make things so much easier. For now.

I head back to my bunker and I watch in the distance as the wagon is parked alongside our normal supply wagons. The team hangs its harnesses on the side of the wagon and begin to head toward the chow hall. Then I notice Pogey Bait carefully placing high explosive placards on it. I smile to myself inside. I nod my head and then return to work.

The next day we have two more wagons arrive, both a couple of hours apart. Again, the teams hang their harnesses and begin what seems to be a normal ritual of eating at our mess hall. This at first amuses me, but then gets my curiosity up, so I decide to got ask the teams about it.

As I enter the mess hall, I see the second pulling team is just sitting down to eat. As I approach they begin to stand and I motion for them to sit, and I take a seat next to them. They all look uncomfortable at first and I decide to break the ice. “Welcome to our chow hall troopers. I hope it meets your standards.”

The one who appears to be in charge replies, “Yes Ma’am. We were told we could eat here. I hope we were not misinformed.”

I smile and shake my head, which seems to relax them some. Then I tell them, “Actually I would prefer that you did. I am just surprised that all the teams seem to be very excited to be eating here. Can I ask why?”

I see one of the other mules raise a hoof and the lead mule nods his head, “Ma’am, you have to understand, while we eat good in Harness, there are some things we just don’t get. The first team from yesterday was bragging that they got to have something called alfalfa as well as dandelion greens.” He pauses for a second then continues by telling me, “Ma’am, we never even heard of them before. So, this is going to be a real treat for us.”

I am surprised by their answer, but it makes sense when I think about it. So, I tell them, “Well, let the other teams know they are welcome also. That and we will have some of it in our rations on our trip to Manesville.”

I see all of them smile at this and then one of the others looks around and quietly asks, “Ma’am is it true that you have a foal named after a mule?”

I smile at him and tell him, “Yes, it is. If any of you have met Trooper Woodrow, my wife Magpie named her firstborn after him.”

I see one of the other mules furl their eyebrows, “But ma’am, I thought that black unicorn with the little fillies was your wife?”

I realize now that they too are getting the lay of the land, so I tell him, “She is also Trooper. My wife Magpie is back with most of the family still in Manesville. My one husband will be here any day in the relief as he is its head of artillery.”

I see several of them drop their jaws in surprise. The one who doesn’t, looks at me and tells me, “Ma’am, you are more like home than I realized. So, you really don’t judge us for our arrangements?”

I shake my head and tell them, “No, how could I? I have three wives and two husbands plus our youngsters.”

I see one of them raise a hoof to get my attention, “Ma’am, could I ask you another question?”

I nod my head and tell him, “Go ahead.”

He then asks me, “Ma’am are such relationships common where you come from?”

I sigh and tell him, “No, not really but we are not the only ones.” I realize that the entire time we were talking that they were not eating so I tell them, “Well you better eat it while it is still warm. Just so you know I am not normally this informal and during the march we will use the chain of command. But it has been good to meet you and get to know you some. I hope I have answered your questions as well as you have mine.”

They all nod their heads and as I get up to leave, I hear them begin to eat. Just before I get out of earshot, I hear one of them say, “Can you believe this chow. It really is amazing.”

My troopers often grumble about it, but I guess it is because we are used to it and they are experiencing it for the first time.

The next day we receive two more teams and I see the courier from the 3^rd of the 1^st coming back again. As he lands, he goes straight to Paper Work and drops off some packets, including what looks like a mail bag. Paper Work gives him some also and tells him something I can’t hear. Then he takes off once again.

Shortly afterwards I see Paper coming to my office with a couple of the packets. Before he can knock on the door, I tell him, “Enter.”

He approaches my desk and places the packets on it and tells me, “Just confirmation of what we pick up in New Appleloosa as we pass by. He also said they have already left there.”

I smile at the news as this means I will see Archer even sooner than I had really hoped for. I then tell him, “Thank you, sergeant. I appreciate it.”

He smiles and nods then heads back out to the main office area. As he goes, I almost vibrating with excitement at seeing Archer again so soon. I can’t wait to tell Sutures when I get off work today.

Once the day ends, I quickly shut down my office for the night. As I am getting ready to close the door, I take a look around it and smile sadly. It has been mine since it was built and I have decorated it my way. Come next week I turn it over to my relief. I take a deep breath and let out a sigh, then I close the door and head for the barracks.

As I am leaving the command post Chain Lighting sees me and he asks, “Colonel, seeing we are getting so close to leaving, should we back off on the daily sparring matches?”

At first, I am ready to tell him, yes, then I think about our special task and I tell him, “No, we best keep doing them, just maybe not so hard for now.”

I see him grin as he asks, “Getting tired of being sore everyday ma’am?”

I grin back at him and tell him, “No, just thinking of how far of a march we still have to make. No use making it worse on ourselves.”

He nods his head and tells me, “That makes sense ma’am. Sounds good. See you at chow then.”

“See you at chow Sergeant Major.” I tell him and continue to trot over the barracks so I can meet up with my family.

That night after dinner, Epona asks me to take a walk with her. Once we are in the wide open with no one nearby she stops me and looks me in the eyes and asks, “Ma, how many of those coal wagons are going with us when we leave?”

I am stunned that she asked that question, much less so directly. I then ask her, “Where did you hear that those wagons are carrying coal?”

She smiles sadly at me and tells me, “Ma, I am not stupid. They may be painted like civilian wagons, but ma, they are all being pulled by mules and that means Harness, and Harness means coal.”

“Epona, did you talk about this with anyone else?” I ask her.

“No ma, of course not.” She tells me.

I then reply, “Thank the Goddess. We need to keep this underwraps.”

I see her nod her head as she then asks, “Ma do you want me to keep an eye on them every now and again?”

I sigh as I realize she will do so anyway and I tell her, “I do not want you near that wagon park. However, if you every so often take a glance in that direction that would be fine. Just do not let anyone else know what you know, not even Tater.”

She nods her head with a serious expression on her face as she tells me, "Of course not Ma. I know how much trouble this can be. Besides didn’t Tater and I prove ourselves worthy to be Rangers when we went on the mission to Fort Hope?”

I nod my head but with a slight frown on my face. I was afraid that them having snuck in with us would bite me in the tail annnd here it is.

We then continue on our walk but with a change of subject to our conversation. I then have to ask her, “Dear are you really thinking of becoming a Ranger someday?”

I see her grin as she tells me, “Maybe, a bit at least. Who knows? But Ma, I think I could do it if I need to.”

I let out a sigh and I tell her, “Dear, I have no doubt you could. I just want a better, easier life for you and your foals someday.”

I hear her sigh, then she asks me, “Ma, what if I don’t want foals of my own. I mean I have seen how bad the world can be and maybe I am here to help make the world better for other's children?”

I stop and give my daughter a hug and I tell her, “Dear, I would be proud of you either way. Besides, why do you think I do what I do.”

I feel her squeeze me a bit tighter and she tells me, “But Ma, I see how hard it is on you. I don’t want to have to make those choices.”

I kiss her on her forelock and I tell her, “Dear, you have an entire lifetime ahead of you. Take your time and take life as it comes. Do what you feel is right when the time comes, ok.”

I feel her nod her head and then I let her go. She then tells me, “Thanks Ma, I really needed to talk to someone about that and I knew you would understand.”

“Your welcome dear. No matter what, I will always be your mother and you can always come to me when you need to.”

“Thanks Ma,” She tells me and we begin to head back towards the others.

The next day we have two more wagons arrive. After the second one arrives, I decide to head into town to make my normal rounds. Besides, Sutures is with Doc Treacle making their weekly visit to the Flying Cow. I hope I can catch her there and have lunch with her.

I first stop in and see Scrap Pile as I pass her shop. Inside I see her and Cinnamon talking at the counter and sharing tea while Cinnamon’s foals are playing with a couple of toy ponies to the side.

When I enter, I see Scrap look up and smile as she says, “Hey Ma, want to join me and Cinnamon for a cup of tea?”

I can’t help but grin, another convert to tea with friends. I quickly respond, “Sure Scrap sounds good to me.”

As she gets me a cup, Cinnamon looks at me with a slightly nervous expression on her face and she says, “Good morning Colonel. I hope you are doing ok today.”

I smile at her and tell her, “Yes thank you, and Cinnamon, you are a friend of Scraps, so feel free to just call me Mollygirl.”

I see her slowly nod her head and she says, “Are you sure Colonel?”

As she asks this Scrap is just sitting the cup in front of me and Scrap tells her, “Cinnamon, if she says it, she means it. Relax.”

“Oh, Ok then. Sorry I am just not used to dealing with high up ponies.”

High up ponies? Me? I mean I guess, but I never thought of myself that way. I smile at her and tell her “Don’t worry Cinnamon, I put on my feed bag just like everypony else,” I pause and then tell her, “I throw it into the air and dive into it.”

I see Scrap Pile accidentally spit out some tea as she starts to laugh in mid-sip. Then she says, “Ma, quit teasing her please.”

I nod my head and I tell her, “Sorry, I was not trying to tease you, I was just trying to get you to laugh a bit.”

She cracks a smile then and tells me, “I am sorry, you are just not what I was expecting. Even after all Scrap has told me about you.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I can understand that. I hope you prefer the way I really am though.”

I see her nod her head again and she sips some more tea.

I sit and talk with them until my cup is empty and I tell them, “I hate to have to run mares, but I still have some stops to make. Oh, and Scrap if you see Sutures, let her know I am in town and would like to have lunch with her.”

Scrap smiles at me when I say this and tells me, “No problem Ma. But no guarantee she will stop. She is not as regular as Tater and Epona.”

I nod my head and reply as I head out the door, “Ok, but thanks anyway. Talk to you later,” and I am out the door and heading to my next stop at the armory.

My visit here is a quick one as once again the militia commander is over at his forge, but the pony on duty tells me what I need to know and I am once again on the move.

As I enter the Marshal’s office, I smell the coffee on the stove again and I see Beach Shack sitting behind his desk with his head on his forehooves dead asleep. His head jerks up when I close the door and he suddenly says, “Oh, it’s you Colonel, good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too Beach, but are you alright?” I ask.

He nods his head as he yawns, then he tells me, “Just was up too late reading some of those Stable Tech Manuals that Taser loaned me. Ya’ know I thought I knew most of it, but I learned the errors of my ways.”

I have to smile at this and I tell him, “Yeah, I was that way as a sergeant. I learned how wrong I was once I got booted up to be a staff pony.”

I see him look at me funny and he asks, “What do you mean staff pony?”

I then explain to him how we used to advance our enlisted up to officers back during the days of the Co-op. Then I explain, “That has changed some, but we still try to use that method when we can.”

I see him nod his head, “So that is why you and your officers know so much about fighting in large numbers?”

“Exactly Beach. I not only studied but I had to use what I learned to develop plans we could use. Then I got promoted faster than I wanted, but I guess I can’t complain.”

He laughs lightly and tells me, “Yeah, I guess not.”

We chat for a bit and then I again excuse myself and this time I head for the Flying Cow as I am starting to feel a bit hungry.

As I enter, I can see the lunch crowd has already arrived. I then see Sutures talking to one of the ponies who works there. I see the pony give her a quick hug and then Sutures turns to come down the stairs. When she sees me, I see her blush, even though she is followed by Doc Treacle.

I head over to her and once close enough I tell her, “I was hoping we could have lunch together today?”

I see her smile and she nods her head and points towards a table. As we begin to move, I ask the Doctor, “Hey Doc, would you care to join us for lunch? My treat.”

He grins and tells me, “Lead on Colonel. I won’t say no to a good meal.”

Once we sit down and order I smile at Sutures and tell her, “Dear, I was a bit surprised that some of the employees who work here have become so attached to you.”

She smiles and tells me, “Mollygirl, over the last couple of months I have really gotten to know them and they realize I really care about them. That young mare you saw hug me, Dear, she wants to have foals someday, but not yet. I have been talking with her about how to prevent pregnancies for now and how to ensure her health so she can have a foal someday.”

Beside me Doc laughs lightly and takes a sip of coffee, “Don’t let her fool you Colonel. They care about her because she treats them like an equal and not someone to look down on,” he then pauses, thinks about something, and then tells me, “In fact, she has been a very good influence upon Specialist Osteotome.”

When he says this, I see her blush slightly, then from above I hear one of the cattle call out, “Talk to you later Doc, take care.”

I look up to where the voice is coming from and I see Osteotome coming down the stairs smiling. I then flag her over. When she sees me motioning to her I see a flash of fear come over her face, but she still comes over to the table. Once she is close enough, I ask her, “Specialist. The Good Doctor here has said some favorable things about your work here. I would like to thank you for it. And if you would like, please, join us for lunch.”

I see her look surprised then she looks from Doctor Treacle to Sutures and once she sees them both nod, she takes the fourth chair at the table.”

Seeing the new arrival our waitress quickly comes over with a menu for her. As Osteotome reads it I see her cringe a few times at the prices. I know the look as I remember what a corporal or specialist pay is like compared to mine. So, I tell her, “Doc, this is on me, as a thank you for all your hard work. Order what you want.”

I see her smile and soon she sets down the menu and the waitress takes her order. While she does not go overboard, she still orders herself a nicer meal than she would have otherwise.

As we wait for the food we begin to talk and I am surprised to hear Osteotome tell Sutures, “Doc, thank you for all your help with understanding how to work with the employees here.”

Sutures smiles at her and puts a hoof on hers as she says, “Oste, you have done most of it yourself, you just had to adjust your thinking and realize that they were testing you at first. They wanted to see what you really thought of them.”

I see Osteotome give her a half-smile before she replies, “Yeah, but Sutures, it was you who helped me realize it. I was a bit too tightly wound.”

I see Doc Treacle smile and nod his head. Then he tells her, “That may be true Specialist, but it also has carried over in your bedside manner, especially with those who may be having reproductive issues. I don’t know if you realize it, but the reason you get so many of those cases compared to the others is that they ask for you now.”

I raise an eyebrow because normally that is not how military medicine works. Normally you take the next one available.

We continue to chat for a while longer even as we eat. Finally, once the meal is done Sutures tells Doc Treacle, “If you don’t mind, I am going to go pick up the fillies from the sitters.”

I see him smile and he tells her, “No, not at all. But I am going to miss working with you two like this. It has been enlightening if not always a pleasure.”

I get up and pay the bill as the others finish their conversation. Once I come back to the table, I join Sutures on her walk to the sitters. As we walk up to the house, I notice several calves, as well as foals, are playing in the yard under the direct supervision of an older black and white mottled cow with red hair that is starting to go gray. She is wearing a shawl as well as an apron, and when she sees Sutures coming up the walk she smiles and waves.

Then from the yard, I hear Millie yell out, “Mama!” and she comes racing toward the gate followed closely by Moon Lily.

As I open the gate she jumps up and hugs me as does her sister. Then they break the hug and run over to Sutures and repeat the scene.

Finally, they break away the hugs and the cow comes over and says, “Ah, you're early today, I hope there is no problems?”

Sutures shakes her head, “No, Nettie, no problems, we just got done early and the Colonel and I decided to spend some extra time with the little ones.”

“Ah, good to hear, I am going to miss having all the foals and calves when ya leave. Especially these spirited two.”

“So, you have chosen to stay behind when we leave?” I ask her.

She nods her head, “Yeah I have Colonel. There is nothing really waiting in the Co-op for me and my fiancé and I have made a new life here. I hope you understand.”

I smile at her and tell her, “Nettie, I really do. Besides, I am sure I will see you around during my next tour down here.”

I see her smile as she nods her head and she tells me, “Yeah, but by then your wee ones will be half-grown and I know how the service is, I doubt you will have your wife and family with ya.”

I sadly nod my head and I tell her, “Very true Nettie, but I am sure there will be another batch by then to keep your hooves full.”

After a little more talk, I notice the time and we head over to the schoolhouse to meet Epona and Tater as they get off.

When we arrive, the students are just coming out of the schoolhouse when I hear the bell from the town hall ringing.

I quickly crouch down and have Millie climb on my back and as Sutures goes to do the same I watch Moon Lily’s horn glow and she levitates onto her mother’s back. Epona and Tater come up to us at a trot and as a group, we run towards the town hall to see what is going on.

As I get to the main street and turn east, I see a column of dust in the distance that keeps coming closer. Then I notice the pegasus courier is next to Sticky Wicket and the Marshal. So, I trot over to them.

Sticky smiles at me as the courier salutes me and he tells me, “With the Colonel’s Compliments ma’am, He wishes to let you know that the 3^rd of the 1^st will be arriving within the hour.”

I smile back at him and tell him “Please send the Colonel my compliments and let him know I will have my MP’s show him where to camp for the night and that I look forward to meeting with him on his arrival.” With that salutes are exchanged once again and I watch the courier fly away to the east.

I then get on my PipBuck and begin setting the wheels in motion for welcoming the arriving troops.

Soon after I see Taser show up with several of his MP’s and they begin to get ready to direct traffic.

As the column gets closer more of the citizens of Hackamore come out to the streets. I look over at the Flying Cow and I see several of their employees standing on the porch and balcony, just as excited as anyone else.

I smile to myself at how they cheer as the first company of infantry marches past and is directed toward our base. I notice it is F troop also known as the Fighting Fillies, they are soon followed by the Kow Kritter’s of K Troop with their heavy weapons. There is a break between the parts of the column and I hear an all too familiar voice that I have missed for too long call out, “Now let’s show ‘em how to make an entrance,“ and as the artillery battery begins to trot past, they are all singing As the Casson Go Rolling Along.

As they pass by, I can tell as soon as Archer sees us. As he jumps down from the caisson runs over to us. He quickly kisses both Sutures and me, then hugs the fillies and he grabs a gaping Epona and lifts her into the air, and tells her, “It is great to finally meet you Epona, want to join me on the caisson?”

I hear her let out a whoop and I am stunned as she runs with him and they both Jump back on the caisson before it makes it a half a block. Sutures and I both are stunned and as are Moon and Mills.

Moon simply looks at Millie and asks in a confused voice, “Papa?”

Mille giggles a bit and says, “Yep, I tink.”

Then from behind me, I feel Buttermilk put a hoof on my shoulder as she says, “Well that husband of yours certainly knows how to make an entrance, bring him by when you can dears, I really want to meet him. He seems like he could be as much fun as Milo to have around.”

Part of me wants to laugh, part of me wonders, just how much influence did Badger and Milo have on him?

I smile at her and tell her, “Will do Buttermilk, but probably not tonight.”

She smiles knowingly at me and tells me, “But of course not tonight, you two better get going though.”

As Archer's battery passes into the distance I look up and see the headquarters company being closely followed by service of supply wagons. I see Lieutenant Colonel Apple Cobbler nod in my direction as he passes by with his troops and I watch as Sergeant Taser trots over to him and explains something to him before dropping back out of their ranks.

At this point, Sutures and I decide to head back to the base. As I turn, I see Sticky shaking her head and she laughs as she says, “Well this is certainly different than when you arrived.

I look around us, at what all has changed, and I have to smile as I tell her, “It certainly is Sticky and for the better, I think.”

Then me and Sutures begin to trot back to the base with the fillies on our backs and Tater still along with us and he laughs as he says, “To think she was worried if he would accept her.”

Dear DJ Pon3,

Today I arrived at my deployment station, and not only have I met some of the members of my family, but I have met our newest family member. Could you play Where You Belong for my adopted daughter Epona to let her know how we all feel about her?

Thank you very much,

Archer

Captain, Archer’s Battery, 1^st Manesville Regiment.

For those who want to listen to this chapter's dedication song the link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfCUQtTttoQ&list=PL92N4UFPeAZD1yZBTA8D2YLBVbW4xKkBf