As Windy is consoling me I feel a small hoof taping on my leg. I open my eyes and I look down. In front of me are Millie and Moon Lily. I see the stains on Millie’s face where the tears have run down her cheeks. Moon looks very morose and I hear her sniffle slightly and she tells me, “Mama Mollygirl, we already know. It’s Ok, she was with Papa when they went down.”

I am confused and I tell her, “I know Pages was with him.”

She shakes her head and tells me, “No Ma. Mareigan. She told me a little bit ago. Ma, she said he said to tell us goodbye and he will be there to see us all again when it is our times.”

I sniffle and Millie hugs me and tells me, “Ma, I saw her finally too. She told me the same thing.”

Finally, Millie whispers to me, “Ma, you have your regiment to attend to. We can cry more later, but you have to get moving.”

I nod my head to her. I wipe my tears away and I tell her quietly, “Thank you Millie. You are right.” I begin to pull myself back together.

I begin to issue orders again to secure the area and to assist the wounded and to take care of the remains of those who have already passed over. It is these ones that I notice Tek takes extra time along with Moon Lily in giving the blessings to.

As I am working, I notice that Millie is being comforted by her friends. The other members of the flying foursome. As I am walking by them, I cannot help but hear Frost Glitter say, “Don’t worry Mills, our dad can be another one for you. After all, someday you are going to be one of my sisters.”

As she says this, I see Snow Song nod her head as well and agree with her sister. Then I hear Snow say, “After all Rain has already told us that someday you two will be married.”

I see her sniffle some, then I hear her reply, “I know, but I really miss Rain too right now. I wish he was here to hold me.”

I watch as her friends and sister all take her in their wings and hooves to comfort her. As they are doing this, I see Sutures approaching, she looks exhausted. Beside her, I see a string of civilian medics who look to be in the same condition she is in.

As I watch them approach, I see her notice the youngsters and I hear her ask me, “Mollygirl, what’s wrong? Why are they acting like that?”

With tears still in the corner of my eyes, I simply hoof her the unopened letter. She looks at the name on it and I see the horror in her expression as she shakily asks, “Is this what I think it is?”

I nod my head, “Yeah, yeah it is, Badger didn’t make it love. They told me most of the first wave didn’t survive.”

I see her close her eyes and tears begin to slowly run from them. “Damn it, damn it all to hell. Why? Why did this have to happen?”

I take her in my hooves and hold her as she cries like I already have.

Soon afterward I hear Band Width telling me, “Ma’am, word has come across the wire, it seems General Cloud Chaser from the Enclave has been legally arrested by Winter Breeze's security troops. Hostilities are officially over ma’am. Our Regiment has been ordered to fall back to our campsites from last night. The Baltimare Brigade is to support the Enclave security forces for now.”

I nod my head and tell him, “Thank you for letting me know. Pass the word for our battalions to reform.”

He returns to his radio unit and begins to give the orders. Sutures then gives me a quick kiss and tells me, “Millie and I will be along as soon as we can. I need to find out if the followers want us to help here or if we are to return with you.”

I nod my head and kiss her on her forehead, just below her horn. “I understand my love. Please be careful, just in case.”

She tries to smile for me and then calls out, “Millie, we have to get moving.”

“Ok, Mama Sutures.” She calls back as I watch her trot over to my wife.

I then look over and see all four of my couriers forming up with my staff including Moon Lily, our daughter. It makes me realize how fortunate I still am. Now I just hope we still have a husband and that Archer is ok.

I watch the general and his staff march by first. Soon I give the word and we begin to march through Flankton and down the supply ramps past the entrance gates that we had passed only hours earlier. In the distance, we can see the wreckage of at least three airships. As we make our way towards our previous camp, we begin to see the wreckages and detritus of what was the 2^nd Regiment. I hear a mumbling in the ranks.

Soon I hear one of my troopers begin to sing,

When you honor in song and in story

The names of the patriot mares,

Whose valor has covered with glory

Full many of mountain and air,

Then others, including myself begin to join them.

Forget not the fillies of the heather

Who rallied their bravest and best

When Equestria was broken in Manesville

And looked for revenge to the West.

I give you the gallant old West, mares,

Where rallied our bravest and best

When Equestria lay broken and bleeding; Hurrah for the Mares of the West!

I recognize the song but notice how we have changed the old Trottish song, We continue to sing as we march down the fields we crossed earlier, To the side, we can see the graves registration units going about their business. Behind us we hear the 4^th Regiment join us.

The hilltops with glory were glowing

'Twas the eve of a bright harvest day,

When the airships we'd been wearily watching

Sailed into Manesville that day.

And over the hills went the slogan

To awaken in every breast

The fire that has never been quenched, Mares,

Among the true hearts of the West.

I give you the gallant old West, colts,

Where rallied our bravest and best

When Equestria lay broken and bleeding;

Hurrah for the mares of the West!

Soon we are halfway back to camp, the brigade flowing behind us. We are then joined by the remnants of the 2^nd Regiment. They begin to sing along with us. I hear many of the voices crack while they sing. Mine among them.

Flankton was ours by the midday,

And high over Emporia town

Our banners in triumph were waving

Before the next sun had gone down.

We gathered to speed the good work, mare

And history can tell how we routed

The Enclave through Coltlumbia fair.

I give you the gallant old West, mares,

Where rallied our bravest and best

When Equestria lay broken and bleeding;

Hurrah for the mares of the West!

Our troops keep singing after they finish this one, moving on to the Minstrel Colt and even the Mare I left Behind me. I hear their voices ringing and as we sing and march, I feel almost as if a spell has come over us as we sway and strut together.

When we reach the base of the mountain, each regiment turns towards its campsite. As we begin to fall into our battalions’ sites, I stand by the side of the road and salute them when they pass. Once my last units have passed, I watch as the 4^th comes by. I can see the number of missing troopers they have. As their Scouts pass, I see Xavier with a bandage wrapped on his head and his helmet hanging from his battlesaddle.

Right behind the scouts, I see the alicorns marching as well, Unlike the rest of the troops, they march in rows of three rather than four, and they try to have one of each color in their ranks. When they see me, I see several of them nod in my direction. I even catch Quick Frost giving a quick smile our way. Then I see another one of them smiling and am surprised to realize it is Blue Star. When they see Moon Lily fly up beside me, I see them all brighten up and smile. Walking with a more spirited step as if trying to impress my daughter.

The General and I watch as the battalions march by several of the companies are smaller than they were before. I see Thrust Vector look down several times and shake his head. Then the 2^nd regiment approaches. I am stunned to see it is no longer any larger than a battalion. After we watch them pass by and they are no longer nearby I watch as he sits down hard and begins to silently cry. Most of his staff back away. I however go over and put a hoof around him. As he weeps, I tell him, “I understand sir. I feel the same way.”

After a bit, he pulls himself back together. Then he looks me in the eyes and tells me, “I can’t do this again Colonel.”

I nod my head in understanding. Then he tells me. “Colonel, I was ordered to send them in like that. I wanted them to go in on the ground with the rest of us. I begged our Division Commander and was denied.”

I nod my head again. I understand as I have been there before myself. I think back to the retreat from the expedition where I was told to go to Serenity Valley instead of falling back home. I look at him and tell him, “Once we are back sir, I will be putting in my retirement papers. I had already decided before today.”

I see him nod, then he says, “I think you have a good idea there Colonel. I always have liked White Cloud. Maybe I should look at settling down there myself. And Mollygirl, thank you for helping me there.”

“Sir, we all have those moments. To me, it just showed how much you really care about those under you. You are one of us and if anyone says otherwise, well I will correct them quickly.”

I see him smile. “Thank you again. I need to get back to my headquarters area and the Services of Supply troops. After that, I need to visit the hospital.”

I nod my head. He then tells me, “Perhaps I will see you there. Colonel, if you still drank, I would offer to share a bottle with you.”

“I hope to see you there then. And while I would have to say no, I do appreciate the offer. Perhaps Sirocco. Or you could always share a nip with some of our wounded. Kind of like the old 1^st Regiments tradition. But sir, if you do, remember to toast our fallen comrades.”

I see him close his eyes and nod, “Colonel, how could I ever forget them.”

I close my eyes and nod in understanding. I still remember everyone I have lost under my command. I can only imagine how he is feeling right now.

We both turn and go back to our staffs and then our camps.

As I walk through the camps I stop and chat with some of my officers and their subordinates. I notice so many faces that are missing. I find it interesting though that when I get to the Manehatten volunteers that while they have taken heavy casualties, they all seem to be in good spirits.

As I am talking to one of their officers he tells me, “Colonel, many of us were afraid we would be treated as outsiders and either ignored or used as cannon fodder. What we experienced was being treated the same as everyone else. To you, we are just your troopers, and that is why we feel so positive.”

I put a hoof on his shoulder and tell him, “That is because, to me, you all are my troopers. You’re my herd, and I care about each of you, even if I don’t know you. You are one of Mine, and that makes a difference.”

That is when I hear Lieutenant Broadway Nights approach us and tell me, “But Ma’am, while we heard you say that before, experiencing it is something different. It is a rare thing in the wastelands.”

I sigh and I tell him, “Hopefully this will help to make it more common.”

I see him smile sadly and he answers back. “While I hope so, I do have my concerns. But this is the closest I have seen to the old ways of working together on this large of a scale since The War.”

I sit and chat for a bit more then I make my way through my other two battalions. Finally, I reach the 3^rd Battalion and their headquarters.

As I enter her headquarters tent Laura Lee jumps up, comes over to me, and gives me a hug. Then she asks me, “Have you heard from Archer?”

I shake my head, “No, not yet,” I answer.

Then she asks, “How about Badger? Is he ok?”

I feel the tears begin to come on and then I hear her say, “Oh, son of a buck. No, I can’t believe it.” Then she starts to cry and I take her in my hooves and hold her as we both share our grief.

After a bit, I tell her, “Dear, we need to tend to our troops. They are hurting too. I am heading back to the hospital in a bit if you would like to join me.”

She wipes the tears from her muzzle with her real forehoof and sniffles some. Then she nods her head. “Yeah, yeah I would. I need to visit my wounded too,” she tells me.

Together we head back towards the brigade’s mobile hospital with its wide assortment of tents and wagons.

Once we arrive, we begin to visit the wounded from her battalion. I am surprised at how many of her wounded are happy to see me, much less remember me from my deployments to the Hackamore region.

I smile when one of her troopers tells me why, “Remember Colonel, you and your family are part of our community too. Especially those youngsters of all of yours. Besides, we all know how y’all are one big family with the Colonel’s family too. That makes you, even more, one of us.”

“Thank you. I do consider Harness and Hackamore as part of my home too. I do miss it so.”

He grins and tells me, “Besides, half of us jumped to come fight alongside of ya. Ma’am, most of us were too young to fight during the Battle of Harness. But we never forgot it. That bound our herds together. When Manesville needed us, we were ready to help.”

I turn to Laura Lee with a raised eyebrow and she simply smiles and nods. Then she says, “He is telling you the truth dear. All of it.”

“Well then, Thank you trooper. It has been an honor leading all of you into battle. I am just sorry you got hurt.”

Soon we move on and continue our rounds of her troops. Stopping to chat with the ones who look like they could use a bit of encouragement.

After her troops, she joins me as we visit those from the other battalions in the 3^rd Regiment. When we get to the ward for the 2^nd Regiment one of the first ponies we see is Colonel Storm Cloud. I notice that he is missing his front left leg. As we sit down, I see he is sullen and not very talkative. Then I ask, “I know you are hurting Storm, but something more is bothering you, what is it?”

He holds up his stump and tells me, “This is Mollygirl. This!” Then he asks, “How can I continue my career like this?”

I don’t really know how to answer and before I can answer Laura Lee holds up her artificial hoof to his face and says, “Colonel, what does this look like?”

He moves his head back and says, “A hoof. A fake hoof. Why?”

She lets out an exasperated sigh and says, “Because I lost this hoof ten years ago. I was only a captain back then Now if I can still have a career and make it all the way to Lieutenant Colonel then what is stopping you? For Luna’s sake, it is just a friggin hoof. Get over it stallion. Get yourself fitted for a new one and keep going. Don’t be a whiny little colt.”

I see his face turn slightly red and he begins to get angry. Then she says, “You're angry. Good. Use that anger to prove to me and the rest of the world that you aren’t done yet. Show us what you can do.”

Finally, he says with his teeth gritted. “Lieutenant Colonel, your point is made. That will be enough.”

She nods her head and tells him, “I am glad to hear it sir because you are somepony these others look up to. I know how rough it is to experience. Let me know if you need to talk, I will be here sir.”

He unclenches his jaw and quietly tells her, “Thank you. I do appreciate it.”

We talk with him a bit more and before we leave, he tells us, “Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, for what it is worth, while I do not understand how your family works, I would like to offer my condolences on your loss of Captain Badger. He was a good officer and I know he will be missed.”

“Thank you, Storm, I really do appreciate it,” I tell him.

Then Laura Lee tells him, “Sir, you do not know how much that really means to us. Thank you.” After she says it, I hear her sniffle a bit. “Sir, few accept our family outside of Harness.”

I see him try to smile through the pain, “I do understand. Like I said, it is not how I was raised, but it works for all of you from what I can see. Mollygirl, thank you for sending your fliers when you did, you allowed some of us to escape who wouldn’t have otherwise.”

I put a hoof on his shoulder and I tell him, “Storm, while I am glad we could, to tell the truth, once you called Broken Saber, I could not hold them back even if I had wanted to. Goddesses, I was stunned to see them form on the move as quick as they did.”

He smiles, “Mollygirl, why do you think Chappy and I supported those games of Pegasus tag as much as we did when they started. Our people were training and not even realizing it. That saved more lives than you realize also.”

Laura Lee then asks, “Storm, if I may, I mean, if you are able to tell us, what happened?”

I see him sigh, “Besides them knowing we were coming? Laura Lee, they began to target the pullers for the sky wagons. When they wounded them or killed them those carts just could not keep flying. I never wanted to do a combat assault like that against a fortification for a reason. We were bait up there to distract them. I only hope it was worth it.”

I look up at the top of the hospital tent and close my eyes. I take a deep breath through my nose and slowly let it out through my mouth. Then I tell him, “Despite what I lost today, yeah, your sacrifice was worth it. Winter Breeze is back in charge of the Enclave for now. Those who ordered the attack on our homes, well they are either dead or have been arrested and will stand trial. We have peace again for now also. So, yeah, I would say it was worth it, but it was a hard and heavy cost Storm. But with the odds, you did good.”

I see tears in the corners of his eyes but he keeps them in check and tells me, “Thank you Mollygirl. Knowing what you lost today, that means a lot to me too.”

We talk a bit more then we head out again. As we are making our way across the hospital camp, we see Archer. He is walking stiffly and I see he has a bandage on his side, but he is still alive and that is all that matters.

He walks sorely over to Laura Lee and me, and I hear him say, “Thank the Goddesses you two are, ok?” Then he asks, “Any word on how the others are?”

I then tell him, “Archer, Badger didn’t make it. His sky wagon was knocked down.”

I watch as he sits hard and I see him wipe tears from his eyes. “Damn it, damn it all to Tartarus, I was afraid of that, but, but I am going to miss him so much.”

“I know you will dear,” I tell him as I put a hoof around him.

From his other side, Laura Lee tells him, “We all will.”

I hear him sniffle and he says, “He was more than a brother to me. I loved him like no other stallion. We shared so much.”

I know what he means. Both he and Badger were straight, but there has been such a strong bond between them for all these years. In answer, I simply nod my head and tell him, “I understand.”

I watch as he chokes off his tears. Then he looks up at the sky and quietly says, “I will see you again brother.” Then he kisses both Laura Lee and me on our cheeks and asks, “Can we go see the others?”

I nod again and I tell him, “We can go back to my HQ and see Moon Lily, but Millie and Sutures are still in Coltlumbia with the Followers, helping with relief efforts.”

He looks towards the cloud city in the distance then I notice him looking at the graves registration units and he asks, “I wonder where they will bury him?”

Laura Lee tells him, “With his troops, I would think.”

I see Archer smile with a tear in his eye. Then he sniffs back another as says, “Yeah, he would have really liked that.”

“He always told me that if he died with his soldiers, he would want to be buried beside them.” Laura Lee tells him.

Then I ask him, “How did it go for you and your battalion?”

He shakes his head, “Mollygirl, I lost three more guns and most of their crews. They hit us hard after we started to interfere with the airship battle.”

I nod, “I can believe that. I am sorry to hear it though.”

“So am I, we would fire a few rounds and shift. It was really hard to coordinate that way, but we were doing it. Even caused the one to lose control so that it rammed the other one.”

I smile at that and tell him, “I wondered what caused that. I was really afraid it was simply fanaticism.”

He shakes his head, “Mollygirl, if it was, you would still be in that city fighting room to room.”

When he says this both me and Laura Lee shake involuntarily.

“Sorry mares, I did not mean to bring up bad memories.”

“Archer, you have to understand, even today we went room to room. My battalion took heavy casualties just trying to clear out two apartment buildings that were next to each other.”

I see concern on his face as he asks, “How heavy is heavy casualties for you?”

She looks down then back up at him, “Not near as heavy as the 2^nd Regiment, but dear, we took nearly 10 percent casualties within those two buildings alone.”

He shakes his head, “Goddesses that is horrible.”

As we are walking back along the road towards where my HQ is we look up and I see the flying foursome coming in our direction. Moon Lily begins to head towards us and the others follow. She barely slows down and throws her hooves around his neck as she grabs him and stops her flight, rocking him back enough his front legs come off the ground and allowing him to bring them up for a hug.

As she does this she yells out, “Daddy, thank the Goddesses you are ok!” Then as he hugs her and holds her, I hear her begin to weep. I watch as he tenderly kisses her on her forelock and I hear him whisper, “It’s ok dear, your ok. Papa is here.”

She nods her head and then says, “I know, but we lost Papa Badger and I was so afraid that I would lose you too.”

As he holds her and snuggles his daughter, I hear him tell her, “I was worried for you too Little Mare. I saw you from the ground.”

Her friends are all with her and finally, Slip Stream says, “Hey Moon, we need to get going to see all of your aunts. Remember they told you earlier they would be waiting for you.”

Moon draws herself slowly from her father’s embrace and tells him, “Sorry Pa, I almost forgot about them. I promised when I got off duty, I would come to see them and tell them about my meeting with the Princesses.”

I see him laugh lightly and he tells her, “Ok, sweetheart, I will see you later, ok?”

She grins, “Of course Pa.” Then she trots away and begins to fly again with the others right behind her.

He shakes his head, “You know, I don’t know if I ever will get used to her having wings now too. But it sure explains a lot when she was younger,” then he turns to us, “Well, shall we go to your HQ and visit. I have some friends there too I want to see.”

I finally smile again as I tell him, “Sounds good love.”

It is two days later before the Follower’s team members return to our brigade. As they approach, I can see Sutures and Millie have Sugar Glider with them, and Millie is grinning widely. As she gets closer, I can see she is scrapped up and has a few cuts on her. Then I see it. Her followers' barding slips and I see she has gotten it. Her Cutie Mark. I wait till they are close and when they come over to me, she tells me, “Ma, Ma, I finally got it. I got my Cutie Mark.”

She turns to show it to me and my staff more clearly and as I look, I see the Enfield on a pile of debris sniffing. I am curious as to what it means and I ask her. She beams at me and tells me, “Ma, I got my cutie mark as an Enfield Search and Rescue handler. Sugar Glider and I found over a dozen ponies who were trapped and got them help.”

“Well, I will be,” I tell her. Then I move closer and give her a hug. “Congratulations dear. I am so very proud of you.”

Beside me Sutures gives a half-grin, “Mollygirl, you should have seen the pegasuses' attitude change when Millie would tell Sugar Glider to find some ponies and point her in the direction of some ruins. Then once Sugar found some pony, she would let out that enfield half howl, half squeak, and point her nose with one paw up at where a pony was trapped. By the end of the day, she would crawl into tight spots and if she howled, we knew she found somepony and would begin digging. No one ever saw the likes of it before.”

“Well, I’ll be. Seems like now we know how come it took so long for you to get it.”

She smiles sadly and tells us, “I can’t wait to show it to Papa Archer. I just wish Pa was able to see it too.”

I put a hoof around her and hug her as I tell her, “Dear, I am sure he can see it. And I am sure he is just as proud of you for it as I am.”

I hear her sniff back a tear and she asks, “You really think so Ma?”

I nod my head, “My darling daughter, I am sure of it.”

I see her smile as I look down at her. “Good, then I am glad he got to see it too. I just wish he could tell me so.”

“I wish he could to dear. I wish he could too,” I tell her as I give her a gentle squeeze.

She then grins and says, “I can’t wait to show Papa Archer, Mama Laura Lee, and Moon either.”

I laugh and tell her, “Soon dear, soon. Moon is back with the others talking to the alicorn volunteers.”

I see her smirk. “You know Ma, for some reason that just seems about right.”

Soon we are back in camp sitting around the campfire. Millie joins me and my staff for tea, Sugar Glider lying next to her to scratch when she can. Then when we are almost finished, she says, “Oh, I almost forgot. One of the ponies we rescued gave these to me as a reward. They were in her shop.”

Then she places the bag on the ground in front of us and we all stare in amazement at the large bag of peppermint hard candies she has there. She smiles and says, “I would like all of you to have one with me.”

Spit Shine then asks her, “Millie, do you know how much those are worth?”

She smiles more widely and nods her head as she says, “Yes, and if I just horde them then they are worthless. I want to share them with people who will enjoy them.”

We each come over and take one. It is so rare to find these that we are just stunned. Each staff member politely thanks her. There is still more than half a bag left when we each have our treat. Then as she holds one up before putting it in her mouth she says, “When we have lost so much, we need to remember that sometimes life can still be sweet too.” Then she pops it in her mouth and begins to suck on it and the rest of us all follow her lead. As we all enjoy our candy, I realize that she has not only made a toast but one that is very profound. Again, I realize how much pride I have in my daughter. A part of me regrets that I will only have one foal that I carried to raise. But I have to say she sure is a special mare.

After that evening’s regimental battalion commanders' call, I begin to hear music around the fires in the various camps. Soon I see some of my staff begin to pull out a few instruments and I hear them begin to tune them up. Before I know it, I can see some of them dancing. Then I notice the flying foursome has returned and they are taking turns dancing with Millie and each other. Right after I finish dancing with Sutures, Laura Lee and Archer show up.

I almost laugh out loud when Laura Lee says, “Remember Sutures, I need you to check me again.” What makes me want to laugh is not her saying this, but the shock on Archer’s face as he realizes what that means.

Sutures just grins and tells her, “Well, if you are ready, we can find a quiet tent and I can check you really quick.”

As they wander off to do that, Archer asks me to dance. As we sway to the music together all I can think is how grateful I am that he survived too. Losing Badger hurts so bad, but I cannot imagine how I would have handled losing more than one family member. As we dance, he tells me, “You know, I really do miss him. I hope you don’t mind me saying that.”

I quietly reply, “No, he has been family for how many years now for you. You were there for each other through so much. So, no, I understand love.”

“Thank you,” he tells me, then rest his head on my should and I his.

Before too long I see Laura Lee and Sutures coming back towards us. Laura Lee has a big smile on her face.

Once she is close enough, she wraps a hoof around Archer and tells him, “I guess lightning can strike the same place twice love. Thank you so much.”

While he was not quite as dower while we were dancing as he was earlier. I notice the expression on his face has now changed to one of wonder and joy. He looks from her to Sutures, who only nods her head, then back to Laura Lee and tells her, “Sweetheart that is some of the most wonderful news I have ever heard. Thank you.”

I then give her a kiss on her cheek and tell her, “Congratulations dear. You are so fortunate.”

She grins widely at me then she says, “Thank you Mollygirl. By the way, Archer and Sutures both told me about why you have only had one foal. Have you thought of having one of the embryos from Site Paddock implanted? Especially if you are going to actually retire from the army.”

I feel myself rock back on my heels some in surprise. I had thought of it briefly some time ago, but now, maybe now I should seriously consider it. I smile at her and tell her, “I entertained the idea a while back, but never thought seriously about it. Maybe I should.”

Sutures and Archer both look at each other and nod, and finally, Sutures says, “Maybe you should dear. If my body could support a foal, I would too.”

I look at all of them and smile. Then I tell them, “Well let’s wait till we get home to make a decision, alright.”

They all nod their heads in agreement. Now that is something I will have to think about, I tell myself.

It has been almost a week since the battle and we finally get the word at the Regimental Commanders call. Tomorrow we begin our trek home. Today we are authorized to visit the graves we will be leaving behind. My family and I are getting ready to go visit those we have lost one last time when I look up and see Cloud Seeder, as well as a mare and two youngsters coming in our direction.

He waves a light green wing to us and he looks at those around me and says, “Colonel, I wanted to try and introduce you to my family before you leave.”

I smile and tell him, “Excellent, that will give you a chance to meet some more of mine.”

Beside me I see Millie looking with curiosity toward the two young pegasi, one is a little mare who is reddish with a bluish-green mane and tail. The little colt next to her has a matching mane and tail but has a slightly pinkish coat. My daughter slowly makes her way to the other filly and says, “My name is Wind Mill, but everypony calls me Millie.”

The little filly says, “That is my name too,” and holds out a hoof to her. Then she says, “This is my brother Wind Shear. We just call him Wind normally.”

My Millie then says, “Over there is my sister Moon Lily and our friends as well as my pet enfield Sugar Glider.”

I see both a look of revulsion and curiosity on the other Millie’s face as she asks, “You have one of those as a pet? I thought they were disgusting.”

My daughter answers, “Naw, they are not disgusting, just misunderstood, want to meet her? Come here Sugar.”

Once Sugar Glider lands next to Millie, she begins to pet her. I watch with a grin as Cloud Seeders children begin to pet the enfield and soon are giggling as they play.”

Then I hear the young colt ask, “Are there a lot of them where you come from?”

By now Moon and the flying foursome have joined them and I hear Moon answer, “There are a few, but not enough to be pests yet. Millie has begun to train them too.”

Soon I hear Cloud Seeder say, “Well I guess we need to get used to them then.”

I look at him with a raised eyebrow and he answers, “Our home was destroyed and, well, because I led the troops that helped yours get in, I am under question as to my loyalties. So, we are leaving. In fact, most of my company of troops that survived will be coming with me.”

I am surprised to hear this but before I can answer, I hear General Threat Vector's voice say, “Really Captain? If your troops do not desire to stay here, they have a place with us. Especially if they want to serve. But either way, we need to rebuild at home as well.”

I see Cloud Seeder look at his wife and they both nod at each other in silent agreement. Then he says, “Thank you, sir. I will consider it.”

I look at the General then back to Cloud Seeder and I ask, “Captain, not to sound like I don’t welcome your troops, but I did not think they could resign before their end of service.”

He shrugs and answers, “Normally they can’t. But because of what we did, and how we did before our superiors ordered us to work with the alliance, they too are not considered trustworthy. If Winter Breeze were not in charge, we all would be wearing the brand right now. Instead, we were all told our services were no longer needed or desired.”

I am absolutely stunned by his answer. I never imagined such a thing. “I am very sorry to hear that.” Is all I can say.

“Thank you. Now Mollygirl, I would like to introduce you to my wife, Sunny Horizon. I have told her about the family connection and what you and your troops have told me about Manesville.”

I reach out a hoof and we shake. Then I tell her, “It is very nice to meet you.” Then I formally introduce her to my spouses that are here.

She then cautiously asks, “I thought Cloudy had said you also had a husband named Badger here?”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath and reopen my eyes before answering her, “We did. Unfortunately, we will be leaving him here when we return home.”

I see her put a hoof over her muzzle and her eyes are wide as she says, “I am so sorry. I did not mean to upset any of you. I had no idea.”

Laura Lee answers for us by approaching her and telling her, “It’s ok. You couldn’t have known, but thank you for caring enough to not want to upset us.”

I see her look at Laura Lee and then the rest of us. She smiles slightly and nods.

I then tell them, “Please excuse us, we are just getting ready to go say goodbye to my husband and our friends who are buried here.”

That is when I hear their Millie ask, “Could we, would it be ok if we went with you?”

I nod my head, “If you really want to, please do.”

Soon we are at the cemetery for those who died in the battle here. We find the marker for Badger, which is directly next to Pages. I feel tears in my eyes as we each go up and say our last goodbyes.

Millie goes last. As she sits there, she says, “I know you got to see it Papa, but I still wanted to show you, I got my cutie mark finally. I also want to show you something that Woodrow taught me before we left.

She digs out a small bag with seeds in it. I watch as she digs a small hole in his grave and puts some seeds in it. I also see she has a small bag of dirt, and before I can ask, she says, “It’s soil from our farm. I always wanted to have a bit of home with me.” Then she plants the seeds in the hole and covers them with our farm's soil. I watch as their Millie asks, “May I help water them?”

My daughter nods her head and I watch as a small cloud forms over the grave and a bit of rain moistens the soil. After it stops, I hear Millie begin to sing Red is the Rose and I watch as the seeds she has planted begin to sprout and grow. Then I see them begin to flower. As she sings, others begin to join in around the grave and while I still have tears in my eyes, I have to smile at the growth of flowers on his grave. When the song is finished my Millie with a tear in her eyes says, “I love you daddy and I will miss you every day. I will be back to visit when I can. Oh, and I look forward to seeing you again someday.”

With that, she comes over and hugs me and I feel her tears on my side. Then I am stunned as I watch Cloud Seeders children both go over to the grave and I hear them say, “Thank you Mister Badger for helping us. We won’t forget what you did for us.”

After this we say our goodbyes to the others we are leaving here. Then we return to our camps. As we walk back to my HQ I see the shadow of George on the ground near us. Then I hear her asks, “Colonel, would you like to take a flight?”

I look at my family and all of my spouses tell me, “Go ahead, take Millie with you.”

Soon we have our harness on and we are slowly flying upward. I hear Millie giggle and when I look back, I see not only the flying foursome but also Cloud Seeder and his family have joined me. Soon I start to see all of our fliers that still can join us. Sunny flies next to me and yells, “It is good to have you up here with us Colonel.” Then he flies off to the side as Choo Choo next approaches along with her two sisters, behind them are the other surviving alicorns with us. Near them and forming up with the flying foursome are three of my batpony scouts.

We form a large loose formation and together we fly over the city of Coltlumbia. Many of them performing maneuvers as they go. Then we put on an airshow that reminds me of the days when I first flew with George, Sunset, Dodger, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

We do roles and dives and loops and all manners of maneuvers for those on the ground. Behind me, I hear Millie giggling and screaming in joy as we perform the maneuvers. Soon I see Threat Vector is next to me and I see him nod his head and then he peels off and reforms with some others. It is a strange, adhoc event, where we are just all celebrating being alive and enjoying flying together. I have to laugh when I realize that every so often Sugar Glider lands and briefly rests on George's back next to Millie. Soon I begin to hear Choo Choo sing

When family cannot be here

Havin' journeyed far and wide

We sing a song to honor them

To remember days gone by

Then I hear Blue Star, Quick Frost, and Sirocco join her

So take your cup and raise it high

Just as surely I'll do mine

And laugh we will at stories told

As we smile at days gone by

As we smile at days gone by

Soon all of the fliers begin to join them in singing Days Gone By, myself and George included,

I feel both sorrow and joy as I sing with them. Finally, we all dive at the ground in a large group, and then about a thousand feet above it we all twist to the sides and start to climb again until finally we are all going up and we then scatter our flights like a giant firework going off. After this, the small groups begin to reform and we all go our own ways.

It is a month later when I look at my wife and our daughters on the railing of the S. Glimmer along with the rest of my staff. Ahead I can see Manesville coming into view. In the distance, I hear the whistle of one of the locomotives returning my other battalions to Manesville with us.

As we approach the waterfront, I can see the remains of several buildings that have not yet been salvaged or repaired, but I also can see the efforts that occurred during our absence to rebuild. As we return, I see the ponies on the docks waiting for us to arrive. As we pull along the dock, I watch the monkey fist being thrown with the smaller lines behind them for the pier side ponies to use to pull the larger mooring lines across. As the first mooring line is put on the quay’s bollard, I hear the words “Moored, shift ships colors,” called out, and the NCR flag on the mast is lowered and the one on the stern is raised.

I look up at Rough and I see him nod at me and I notice that like the rest of the members of my family with me, he too is wearing a black ribbon on his right foreleg. I nod back to him and begin to make my way to him.

As I am making my way to him, I feel the engines shut down and I watch as the brow begins to move. When it is done, Rough Water begins to approach me. Once we meet, he tells me, “Mollygirl, it was great to see you again. Give my condolences to the rest of our family for me.”

“I will do that, Rough. Be careful out there.”

He smiles, “I will. Oh, if you don’t mind, after this next run, when I get back, I would like to come out for dinner with you and the family.”

I place a hoof on his shoulder. “Sounds good, Rough. I look forward to it.”

For the first time that I can remember we exchange a quick hug and as an afterthought, I give him a quick peck on his cheek. “Take care cousin,” I tell him, then I head to my cabin to grab my gear so I can meet my staff on the pier.

Once formed, we begin the march back to Camp Rice Paddy-Tenderhoof. We pass by the stable and I wave to Sunset as I watch him fly over. I see he too is wearing a black ribbon on his sleeve. The news of our losses has preceded us and I feel sorry for Padre for having been the one to have told so many families of their losses.

Finally, we reach our camp. As we form up for the final time of this deployment. I see Paper Work and the others who we had left behind to maintain the base for us watching on the porch of the old Headquarters house.

Once the Troops are formed, I give them a quick speech to let them know how well they have done and how much I appreciate their efforts. Finally, I give the command, “Battalion Commanders, take over your troops. I turn and go inside to my office. I put my helmet and tack on their hooks on the wall. I sit down and I begin to pray to thank Sweet Cream for bringing us home safe and to bless those we lost.

In the main area, I hear the voices of my staff as they come in, including my daughter and the other couriers. I look at the maps we had left there and just stare at how far we journeyed and I think of all of those we meet while out there.

As I am sitting there Paper Work brings in a cup of tea and tells me, “Ma’am, it is good to have you back. And for what it is worth, my condolences on your loss.”

I smile at him, “Thank you Paper Work, and you know, it is good to be back,” I tell him with a sad smile on my face.

Dear DJ Pon3,

Once I craved adventure and excitement. Today I have returned home, and while I have seen and experienced so much, I realize I am no longer that young mare who left here only a few years ago for the first time. Could you please play for me The Skye Boat Song?

Thank You
Moon Lily, Manesville NCR.

I apologize for the brief delay in publishing this chapter. Both unfortunately and ironically my own sire had an emergency situation that required surgery. Being as I was closest of my sibling and me, I had to make the drive to him. While things worked out in real life, it did cost me several days of writing as the hospital was several states away.

In this chapter, we say goodbye to those who we lost in the Battle of Coltlumbia. Some of them have been with us since the start of the story, and while it hurt to say goodbye to them, it was not without cause. However, we also have gained some more characters to finish out the story as well. We also got to see Millie gain her cutie mark and her love of flying as much as her mother's.

For those who are wondering about the song The Mares of the West, I ponified the Irish song, The Men of the West. I imagined it to the beat of the Clancy Brothers version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9EexsZhJEQ

As for the song that was sung by the fliers it is taken directly from the series Xmas Album as seen here in the YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4AicZdPS0M

Finally, for those who would like to listen to this chapter's dedication song, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V0VEOILsik&list=PLDisKgcnAC4Smi3YhuznqE24NFYtM5Yx8