Chapter 31 Dark of Night, Light of Day

“Of every one-hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are nothing but targets, nine are real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one of them is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” Heraclitus (circa 500 BC)

A few hours later I awake. It is quite in the camp except for the guards making their rounds. I feel panic coming over me at first then realize I am safe as I am being held by Archer and Sutures. I laugh to myself thinking back to when I used to call her Stitches all the time. Ever since the wetting down party I have had a hard time thinking of her by her nickname, something changed then. Come to think of it, Archer has always called her by her formal name, I guess I must have picked it up there. Perhaps in the morning, I will ask her what her preference is.

My mind continues to think about so many things. Eventually, I get up and walk over to the sinks. On my way, I run across Xavier. “Evening LT, everything ok?”

“Evening Xavier, I guess, I just got a lot on my mind tonight. Some of it completely irrelevant.”

He laughs lightly, “Like what LT?”

“Like what I read back home about the Prench armies calling the sinks latrines. Seems kind of silly, I guess it is a good thing the Equestrian army never had a major force in Prance, otherwise, we might be calling them that instead.” I tell him.

“That is kind of humorous. You know when growing up I was told that when we are up late at night and our mind is racing with such things, it is often our minds way of trying to avoid something. LT, is there something you need to talk about?”

“No, Xavier there is nothing I want to talk about,” I tell him.

“LT, listen to your words, you may not want to talk about it, but you may need to,” he tells me.

I sigh, “Xavier, I am scared now. I am having a hard time sleeping. Part of me worries that with my face the way it is, nobody will want me anymore. I know it is stupid, I mean I do not even know how bad the scarring is.”

“I am going to be talking to Mollygirl now, my friend, not the LT, so please pay attention. Mollygirl, you still are beautiful. I was raised to believe that scars showed the world we have a story to tell and that we have survived something that others might not of.”

“Thank you Xavier, I really appreciate it, but I still feel ugly. The way he burned me; I will have to cover the entire side of my face to hide it.” I tell him.

“Mollygirl, you are not ugly, I may not be able to convince you, and Badger and Magpie are not here to do so, but perhaps Stitches and Lieutenant Archer should be able to. I try not to eavesdrop, but I pay attention to what is said around me, and I heard you all talking about their suggestion. Even if Badger and Magpie say no, they care for you and find you attractive enough that they would still want to be with you.”

I am embarrassed when he says that and my face turns even redder. “You heard that? Did anypony else?”

“No Mollygirl, I do not think so. Most are still talking about you expecting and trying to figure out how we can protect you and that foal of yours.”

With that, I have to smile, “I really appreciate that. I worry about the little one too.”

He smiles back, “Be careful with that one, after all, it is not every foal that is saved by a spirit,” He looks around nervously, “I try not to bring her up, but she has been on my mind lately. Trouble and I have talked and he understands too.”

Again, I smile and notice that the pain reduction spell is starting to wear off as I begin to feel the burn when using those muscles on my face. “I understand, she has been on mine also. It has been a few days since I have seen a crow, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.”

“With their ways, take it as a good thing for now. We should talk some more about this later though, you need to get some more sleep LT,” he tells me.

“Ok, hint taking Corporal, have a good night. I hope the rest of your watch goes well.” I tell him back.

I continue on my way and when I am returning, I find Ginger is awake. “Ginger, what are you doing up?”

“Hi LT. Sorry, I had a bad dream and can’t sleep.” She tells me.

I go and sit next to her, “Care to talk about it?”

She pauses, “Just the one where I get shot again.”

“Again?” I ask.

She nods her head, “When we were in the wagon coming out, during one of the attacks I decided to look out and was hit in the side,” She points to a lighter colored patch of fur on her side. “Train Wreck healed it and said it was only a graze, but it hurt so much and really scared me.”

“You realize, you had not told me about this before Ginger, I am so sorry that happened to you,” I tell her as I put a hoof around the upset filly and just hold her for a bit.

She leans into me and relaxes, after a bit she tells me, “You know auntie Mollygirl, sometimes I wish you were my mom instead,” Then she stops and says in a worried sounding voice, “Not that I don’t love my mom or want anything to happen, but she almost never does this. I miss this from home.”

“I understand. She sounds a lot like Bullet was when I was growing up. It does not mean she doesn't love you. I think she just has a hard time showing it.” I gently tell her as I run my other hoof through her mane.

After a while, she starts to get sleepy again, “Ok, Ginger, let's get you to bed again,” I tell her.

She only nods and I walk with her back to her bedroll. There I see Xochitl fast asleep cuddled up to Tweeters. I pull back her blanket and after she climbs under it, I pull it back over her. I gently kiss her on her forelock, “Goodnight and sweet dreams little one,” I tell her.

Sleepily she answers back, “Night aunt Mollygirl,” I sit there for a bit longer until I see she is asleep. Then I return to my bedroll. As I climb back in between Sutures and Archer, I hear him sleepily ask, “Everything ok?”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I guess so, I could not sleep for a bit, sorry if I woke you.”

“No problem dear, now come here,” he says as I shift closer and he pulls me against him.

I put my face against his neck and begin to breathe his scent, as I do, I wonder to myself once again, why did I never notice him before? After a bit, I feel his breathing shift as he falls back to sleep and finally, I do the same.

Morning comes and I wake to the sounds of camp. Everypony is grabbing a quick bite of breakfast, then I get a message from Paper Work telling me the Major wants to see me. I finish packing my bedroll and head over to the HQ.

“First things first Lieutenant, during the fight today you will be staying with me in the HQ. That is not open to discussion. Second, head on over to the quartermasters and get issued a new battle saddle and weapons. Let Balanced Books know I said for you to have your choice.” The Major tells me.

“Yes Ma’am.” I tell her and head over to the supply train. In the distance, I can hear the civilians in camp getting themselves ready for the day’s activities also. I watch the volunteer stretcher-bearers and medics form up and check each other over.

Once I arrive at the supply wagons, I run into Moory the 1^st sergeant for the Quartermasters. “Hey first, the Major sent me over to get refitted for a battlesaddle and weapons.”

“Hey LT. what happened to your previous set?” he asks.

“Sorry, it was lost when I was captured the night before last.”

“Do you have proof of that, if not I will have to charge them against your pay account.”

“Are you frigging kidding me?” I point to my face, “how’s this?”

“Look LT, that doesn’t prove anything. I have known you far too long and know how you are in battle, so unless you have proof or a statement from the Major, sorry, going to have to charge you for lost equipment.”

“First Sargent, is your Lieutenant available?” I ask.

“Sure, but he is just going to tell you the same thing. Sorry ma’am.”

One more thing I owe Silver Spite and his minion for. “Whatever, we can sort it out later, I need a new issue right now.”

“Ok Ma’am, this way," he says as he walks me to a set of wagons that are set up with sides open that show workshops inside. The first is a battlesaddle workshop. The specialist inside helps me find a new battlesaddle that fits well but also can be adjusted if I need to latter. That in itself takes a half hour. Then I take it to the weapons shop trailer.

I am surprised when I see Corporal Flechettes is the one in charge of it. I had not even realized he was with us. I really need to check out our service of supply troops more. He smiles when he sees me, “Hey LT, good to see you again, what can I do for you?”

“I hate to say it Flechettes, but when I was captured the other night, they got my weapons and battle saddle. So, the Major sent me over for a reissue.”

I see him frown, “Dang, I put a lot of work into that setup for you, I hate to hear they got it, but at least we still have you.” He tells me, then asks, “So do you want the same setup or do you want to change up a bit?”

“I am still interested in an Angle Bunny if you have one. I really like the combo of it with the IF-21 pistol. Any chance you have those?”

“I think so, let me look.” He tells me and then begins to root around in his trailer for a bit, He pops his head back up excitedly, “Do you mind waiting a minute LT, I want to check a couple of cases in one of the supply wagons, Be right back.”

I wait patiently for his return, well as patiently as I can, knowing that we have a fight brewing. Finally, he returns.

“Ok, LT, I know you like the pistol caliber rounds, and well, you see, we recently captured a thousand rounds, but only a couple of weapons that use it. The pistol is an old single-action semiauto. They even nicknamed the type, old slab sides. But they are rugged as all get out. Now the submachine gun is a rare version of the Angle Bunny, in the old days it was called either an IF-44B or the Death Bunny. Both are in the same caliber, .45, otherwise known as The Goddess own caliber. Even if you do not penetrate bodyarmor they are going to know they have been hit. If you hit the body, well... Their big drawback is that it has a bit more of a drop at longer range, making it more difficult to hit at a distance, however, close in it is a stallion killer.”

As I look at them both, he continues on, “LT, I am sorry to be so excited, but I spent a lot of time going over them. I made sure that they are in as near new condition as I could. I also took the time if you notice to engrave the pistol a bit before rebluing it. I also replaced the standard hard grips on it with a softer, checkered rubber grip for more comfort and to make it easier to hold onto.”

As I checked it over in my hooves, I noticed he had engraved a name onto it, Honor. I like that. “Ok, let’s see the SMG,” I tell him.

He hooves it too me and I see it too is in near pristine condition. On the receiver, I can see the name he has engraved in it, Duty. I am sold. “Ok, did you engrave that for me?” I ask.

He smiles, “No, Ma’am, I just figured whoever would use them would place those as values.”

“Ok, let's mount them on my battlesaddle.” I tell him.

He smiles again, “One last thing, would you like the silencer mounted on it? As much as you are with the scouts having the noise of it suppressed might be a good idea. It will only take me a couple of more minutes to put it on.”

I think about it for a few minutes. “Sure, go ahead, but I have to get going here soon,” I tell him.

After he has finished, I head back to headquarters with a few extra minutes to spare before officers’ call. I see the Major looking at Duty and then she asks, “Lieutenant, I really do like you new weapons combination, but don’t you think having a rabbit holding a scythe engraved on it is a bit much?”

At officers’ call, the Major informs us that we are basically performing a reconnaissance in force. We will advance until we met the enemy then engage. My scouts are to be out front on foot, and the fliers to provide air support as necessary. Ok, at least that is the plan, but we all know that awry goes the best-laid plans of mice and mares.

I let my scouts know what the plans are, Sunset again determining who goes where. I also go and tell those of the first three squads of D-troop good luck. They all seem in good spirits today and are ready to go.

On my way back to HQ I pass the civilian camp and that of the Volunteer company. The civilians are packing their gear getting ready to move as necessary. The Volunteers are fully kitted out, well as much as they can be, and are waiting for orders. They know they are our reserve today.

I also notice that the service of supply troops have prepared their equipment to move also. All the supplies are packed. It seems everyone is ready for something to happen. I arrive back at the HQ and am sitting next to the Major and Specs listening to the radio when we first engage.

I hear Xavier report first over the radio via his Pipbuck, “We have approximately 30 hostile troops ahead of our position.”

Then I hear Broken Dreams call back to him, “How do you know they are hostile?”

The reply almost has me laughing, “Because they are bucking shooting at us, sir.”

“Rodger that, on our way,” I hear Dreams reply back.

A little while later I hear Captain Oak Root call in, “Major this is E Troop, we are being engaged on our far-left flank, shifting assets to that location.”

“Very good Captain, keep me informed,” She tells him as I begin to hear gunfire to our front and front left.

Soon after I hear a call from H-troop, Its from their 1^st Sergeant Kettle Bell. “Storm Cloud, this is the Belles, Storm Cloud this is the Belles, we need support asap, two companies of hostiles coming in on our position, they are 200 meters in front of us, grid coordinates…” She calls over the radio.

In reply over the radio I hear Kicker's voice, “Belles, this is Storm Cloud, heavy weather coming your way.”

I hear the loud bark of Celestia as she fires a round, then over the radio, I hear, “Stormcloud this is Belle, you were long, drop 25 meters and right 30.”

“Rodger. Drop 25 meters, right 30 meters.”

Again, I hear a single shell fire, then over the radio, I hear Kettle Bell call out, “Storm Cloud you are on target, fire for effect.” And the crew of Celestia begins to rapid-fire. Between its outgoing rounds, I hear a thunk of mortar tubes firing in support also.

Soon I hear Kettle Bell again, “They are still advancing, drop 10 meters every minute for the next 3 minutes”

I hear Kicker repeat the call back to confirm it. Soon after I hear the call for a cease-fire from H-troop to the artillery. So far so good.

Our forces continue to work our way toward the gap. However, as we do so they have a narrower front to defend it seems, making it more difficult for us to advance. We have taken some casualties already and I watch as I see the stretcher-bearers bring the wounded back. We are almost to the gap when Suddenly we get a call over our PipBucks from Firefly, “LT, I have spotted an enemy formation come at you from the east, they have gotten behind our front lines. They are less than a klick from the HQ.”

The Major looks at me and orders, “Quick get the volunteers in position. Let them know we have company coming.”

I turn and run to the assembly area for our reserves. Once there I find Clock Work and tell him, “We have hostiles coming from the east less than a klick out, we need you and your troops on that side of the camp asap.”

He turns around “You heard the mare, now is our time to shine. Let’s show ‘em what we can do ponies.”

With that, I watch as by squads of ten they begin to move down the trail and branch off to form a line of eight squads across with two in reserve behind the others. They pass by the HQ and take over the previously prepared positions from the last couple of days.

I return to the HQ and suddenly I have another reserve made up of the staff troops as well as several from the service and supply troops except those that pull the quartermasters' wagons. Behind us, we can hear the civilians as they start to leave the area heading toward the west and hopefully safety. Then we hear the Quartermasters wagons follow them. Next, I hear a team come running towards the HQ and see Nightmare Moon and her crew deploy to defend it.

They drive the volunteers back towards us. I see several of them fall, as we make our stand. Before us is at least two hundred members of the Army of Fillydelphia. they are out for blood, it seems, and that is ok, because we make them shed it too. Just as they crest a small rise in front of us, I hear Nightmare Moon open up with her special rounds and watch as they detonate above them in rapid-fire. They seem to stop at first and waver. Then I see a familiar dirty white coat with brown mane and tail behind them. He is yelling and I see two of his troops try to run and watch as he shoots them dead in their tracks. He yells some more and suddenly his troops surge forward at us.

As they are charging at us, I look over and see Light Weight, the CEF command first sergeant draw his pistol, as he does so he yells out, “Mares and Gentlecolts, prepare to defend yourselves!”

“Remember to use your SATS for your first shots, let’s make ‘em count,” I yell, then I take aim at the charging troops and begin my familiar pattern of three-shot bursts. I notice immediately the heavier recoil but also the impact the rounds are having on my targets. Even a hit to the barding knocks them down. Sure, they get back up, but that few extra seconds allows me to target more easily my next shots.

Finally, they are close enough I just spray and pray into them. They are going down in droves it seems. Then we are back to hoof to hoof. I take a rifle butt to my already injured cheek that makes me see stars but, still I manage to spin and kick my attacker in the side of their head. I feel and hear the bones break as they go down. I then draw out my pistol just as two more try to take me. I empty the clip into them. Next, I look for the one I think could be Silver Spite, but cannot find him. It seems once they were moving forward, he fell back.

They are forced back one time, then resurge and almost take the gun. I lead a counter charge along with most of the headquarters staff and some volunteers that stops them. After they stop, they fall back to reform and are trying to build up their courage to attack again. While they are doing this, I see the Major approach me. Finally, she just shakes her head and says to me, “Lieutenant, what is it about you? I cannot keep you out of battle no matter how hard I try.”

I simply nod my head and reply “Sorry ma’am, I really tried this time.” Right after I say this, I feel something land on my back. I look back and see a large black crow looking back at me. I nod at it and then ask, “Really?” It just stands on my back for a bit longer then takes off again.

It is then that I see a heart-warming sight, all of my fliers come swooping down like birds of prey, strafing those that are left, this breaks their resolve and they begin to fall back. However, as this happens, I begin to see Members of Hell’s Belle’s have begun to fall back and take our positions. Then I see Broken Dreams leading a tired and worn looking D-troop to the rear, this is eventually followed by the Equestrian Rangers. As they pass by, I hear the Major giving orders to them to reform and deploy several klicks to the rear. Then I see why. To our front I see several more of their units forming up as well as those that have fallen back reforming behind them.

The Major orders us to relinquish the railroad tracks and we fall back slowly. When we stop our mainline is between a ridge next to the Everfree Forest to the Canterlot Mountain. Behind us, in the distance, we can see a dilapidated village surrounding a large building. From the map that my scouts have updated for us, I see that it is Glyphmark.

As we continue to dig in and prepare our positions, we can see Silver Spite’s and Bursting Star’s troops do the same. This allows us to begin to determine our loses for the fight so far. I am still at the headquarters when the numbers begin to come in. So far it looks like our forces have over fifty dead, most of these are from the volunteers. We also have another one hundred wounded, some serious, most minor, and ten missing. We also have taken another fifteen prisoners.

As the day continues, I go and talk with my troops to see how all of them are doing. It seems we lost another pony from second squad killed along with three wounded. Third squad had two killed and only one other wounded. At this point, I am nervous about what I will find when I get to the first squad.

At the first squads’ section of the line, I find my scouts mixed in with them. Duke approaches me, “Hey LT. We got off pretty light. Angel Wing took a hit in his shoulder, but Stitches was able to pull out the round and got a healing potion into him. Summer also was grazed on her right flank, but should be ok.”

“Thank you, sergeant, where is Sutures at anyways?” I ask.

He points towards the rear. “She headed back to help with some of the more seriously wounded. She said she should be back in a couple of hours,” he tells me.

“Thanks Duke, excuse me while I find Sergeant Sunset,” I tell him.

He smiles, “No problem, Feathers is over with ol’ stripes three holes south of here.

“Thanks again,” I tell him and am off.

Once I get to their hole, I hear Sunset, “I am telling you I think Train Wreck may be onto something, we need to talk to the LT about though.”

I slide into their hole with them and ask, “Tell me what Sarge?”

He smiles back, “Well it seems that Train Wreck used to run out of here back during the war. She was saying she knows the underground railyard and that if we go to the west a bit more we can enter it and then possible either bypass the gap using one of the other tunnels or even hit those sons of mules in the rear using the tunnel on their right flank.”

About then I see another pony come up to us. From the edge of the hole, I can see the white coat and wide brim of Blondies hat. She then adds, “If you can talk to the Major about allowing us to go in, we may be able to find that weapons cache also.”

I see Xavier and Sunset both nodding in agreement with her. “Ok, I will talk to the Major, but first I want to talk with Choo Choo about her knowing the tunnels. The last thing I want is to get lost under there and be trapped with some danged feral ghouls.”

I hear Trouble laugh from the other side of Blondie and then ask me, “What, you do not mind being trapped in with regular ghouls than LT?”

I reply back “While I do not want to be trapped at all, some of the regular ghouls I have met are pretty decent folk. They just had a hard time staying dead.”

Without missing a beat, I hear Ginger from my other side, “Sounds like some other pony we all know.”

While the others laugh, I can only cringe at that. “No, I guess some of us are not good at staying dead.” I eventually reply.

I fall back from the front lines and find Xochitl and Choo Choo along with Blackberry Pie and Chip. I go over to them and ask, “So Choo Choo, Sunset said you know the tunnels under the mountain, is that right?”

She smiles, “Yes ma’am. I should. I spent the last two years of the war stationed out of the railyard under there. In fact, my last run was out of there. Why? do you think we could go in there ma’am?”

I nod my head, “I am thinking so. Would you be willing to guide us?”

“Sure thing, who knows, maybe I will find somepony I know in there.” She says excitedly.

That gives me a bit of a chill as that would mean either another alicorn, or perhaps a ghoul. I just smile and tell her, “Maybe, who knows. But will you join me when I go talk to the Major about it?”

“Sure thing LT, I would love to get to meet the boss mare.”

When we arrive at the HQ, it is located this time inside an old farmhouse. I see Taser is standing guard at the front door and he lets us pass inside. Next, I see Paper Work. I am amused as his eyebrow raises and his ears go forward when he sees Choo Choo with me. “I Would like to see the Major if she has time,” I tell him.

“Sure thing Lieutenant. Let me check if she is available.” He tells me as he gets up and goes into the next room. He returns a few minutes later. “Please give her a couple more minutes. She is having some things taken care of.”

A few minutes later I see one of the medical ponies from the field hospital come out. He nods to Paper Work and then to me. I see his eyes get wide when He sees Choo Choo. “Wow, she is a tall one.” I hear him say under his breath as he leaves.

I wonder at first why so many ponies surprise at seeing Choo Choo, Then I hear Paper Work tell Choo Choo, “All this time with us and today is the first time I have actually gotten to meet you in person. You really should come around more.”

I swear I see her blush a bit. “Thank you, but I just do not want to make anypony uncomfortable.” She tells him.

“Ma’am, you and your sisters were the talk of the stable when you were visiting. Unfortunately, I never got to see any of you three in person before. But I am really glad to actually get to meet you. Please come back and visit sometime.” He tells us. Then he goes back into the office, when he returns, he tells me we can enter.

Once inside I see that the Major has her barding off and her ribs are wrapped. She notices me staring and looks at the bandages, “Yeah, got hit during the melee a few times, luckily it did not penetrate my barding, but it did break a couple of ribs. So, what do you have for me, Lieutenant?”

I lay out our idea for exploring the tunnels for use by the CEF, then I have Choo Choo explain how she used to work under there and should be able to lead us through the tunnels. I see the Major get a grin on her face. “You know you two, that just might work. Sounds good. Mollygirl take the scouts and a squad of regulars for backup. I want you to leave in the morning. Keep in touch and let me know before you enter and if you can make regular reports after you are inside.”

“Will do Ma’am. Thank you.” I tell her and Choo Choo and I leave her office. On our way out I notice Paper Work smiling at Choo Choo, I swear he is trying to flirt with her. Well to each their own, I tell myself. “Come on Choo Choo, we need to get back to the scouts and D-troop.”

I see her smile back at Paper Work and then wave a wing at him as we leave the house and head back towards the lines. Broken Dreams is going to be torqued off when I pull both my scouts and a squad out of the lines, but hey, it is what the Major wants.

Once we are back into the D-troop section of the line I tell Choo Choo to tell Sunset I want him and the rest of the scouts behind the lines in one spot. Then I go and find Broken Dreams. Once I find him, I slide into the hole with him, “Afternoon Captain.” I tell him.

I see him cringe some and then he asks, “Ok, how many of my troops do you need for a special mission now?”

I look at him and put a hoof to my chest and tell him, “I am stunned, neigh, hurt, how could you ask that? And how did you know?”

He laughs and gives me a half-smile, “Mollygirl, that seems about the only time I see you outside of officers’ call. I mean it would be nice to sit down and just chat once in a while. So how many do you need?”

“I will see about visiting more often sir, sorry about that. The Major told me to take one Squad.” I tell him.

He doesn’t even flinch, “Ok, that is better than I had hoped for. Any preference on which squad?”

“No sir, not really, but I do know that first squad and the scouts have gotten pretty tight,” I tell him.

He laughs, “Really, you think, I have seen the way that young pegasus buck is sniffing around Dusty, I would say they are tight. Well, that and the fact they keep supporting each other when they can. Go ahead and take them, Let Duke know I authorized it and he can talk to me if he has any questions.”

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.” I tell him.

“Not a problem Lieutenant, after all, it's not like you are going to be crawling around under some mountain or anything.”

I about choke when he says this and just shake my head, “No not at all sir,” and with that, I head over to Duke and let him know.

Shortly after I leave, I see him walk over to the Captain. This is followed a short time later by me seeing troops from the second squad shift along with those of fifth squad to cover the hole we have left. Then I meet with the first squad as we fall back from the lines.

Once we are all together I have them sit down in front of me. “Ok, everypony, we have a special job to do. Well a couple of them, which all require us to go under Canterlot Mountain. The primary mission is to explore the tunnels and see if we can find a way to either move the army under the mountain around the enemy, bypassing the gap, or possibly find a way to hit them in the rear, breaking their lines. Choo Choo used to work out of here during the war, so she will be able to guide us.”

I see a hoof go up, “ok, one question, for now, What Woodrow?”

“Ma’am, my family were miners before I came to the Co-op. If we are going to be fighting in tunnels, I think it is important for everypony to carry melee weapons, and No using full auto unless it is an emergency or we have very good ventilation. Every round fired will use up oxygen.”

I had not even thought of that, so many things to consider. “Ok, great point Woodrow. I think we should take that into consideration, but now that I think about it, we need to see if we can get some more suppressors. Sure, they will not stop all the noise, but at least it might save our ears some in the tunnels.” I tell them. I see both Duke and Sunset nod in response.

Then I continue on. “Additionally, we have reports of a large weapons cache being located under the mountain in an underground switchyard. We will also try and locate and recover the weapons if possible.” At this, I see Sunset, Trouble, and Blondie all look at each other then back to me. They now know we are doing this. “We will be leaving in the morning, so I want all of you to get your weapons cleaned, again see about getting suppressors if you can as well as some melee weapons. Then I want you all to get some rest, the next couple of days could be long ones.”

It is just as everypony is starting to go their own way that Sutures shows up, “Ok LT, what did I miss?”

I then tell her about the special mission we are going on, before I can finish, she tells me, “Ok, I’ll make sure we have enough medical supplies. I need to refill my saddlebags.”

“Sutures, we are not authorized a medic for this run,” I tell her.

She looks at me, “Ma’am, you are taking two squads worth of troops on a hazardous mission, you need a medic, besides I am the best-trained medic we have for pegasi in the CEF, and no one else has ever worked on an alicorn before.”

“Ok, valid points Sutures, but what about the rest of D-troop?” I ask her.

“LT, I am sure Triage can take care of them. Besides, I could not let you go like that without me,” She says, “Now let me look at your face, I see fresh blood.”

I let her take the bandage off and look at it. Then I hear her say, “Buck, it was all healing so nicely, unfortunately, you opened it back up, it is going to scar worse now.”

As she is treating it I tell her, “Sorry, I was trying to be careful. We got overrun at the HQ and I took a rifle butt to the face, ok.”

As she finishes up bandaging me, she looks me in the eye, “Sweetheart, I am not mad at you, I am upset you got hurt more. I do worry about you.”

I smile, “Thanks dear, but shouldn’t you be worrying more about Archer?” I ask.

“I already do, more than you would believe, but I worry about you and that little one too.” She tells me.

“Ok then, well we better go get those supplies then and then eat. I have a feeling it is going to be an interesting day tomorrow.”

Sutures and I then head over to the ordies wagons. I get loaded up on ammo to replace those rounds I used earlier. While waiting for Flechettes to get them for me I mention to Sutures, “You know mare, if you keep going into the hotspots with us, I may just need you to start carrying at least an Angle Bunny.”

“Mollygirl, I know you mean well, but wouldn’t that mean I have to spend more time shooting and not healing?”

“Actually, no, it would mean that if we are getting overrun you have more than a pistol to defend both yourself and your patient,” I tell her.

I see her think about it. When Flechettes gets back she looks at him, “Do you have anything in a shotgun?”

I am kind of surprised, but have to admit it is a good idea, “Sure, I have a couple what are you looking for?”

“Something simple yet powerful enough to allow me to protect my patients.” She tells him.

“OK pump or semi-auto?” Flechettes ask.

“Semiauto please, let's make it less magic to have to use in combat.”

“Ok, wait here a minute, I have just the thing.” He tells her.

About ten minutes later he reappears. He is carrying a nice looking IF-84 riot shotgun. “Here is just the thing you are looking for. I also have a scabbard for it right here behind the counter. That should make it easier to carry and you can pull it quickly if needed.” He tells her. After he helps her put it on her saddlebags, he then hands her a pouch full of double 00 buck, 12 gauge shotgun rounds. “Here, the buckshot should stop most things, and not need you to concentrate overly hard on aiming.”

“Thanks, Flechettes, I appreciate it. It was close a couple of times today, so it got me to thinking maybe more than a pistol is needed.” She tells him.

“I understand Stitches, I would not feel comfortable being on the lines with nothing more than a pistol.” He tells her back. Then he looks at me and asks, “Oh, by the way, LT, how did you like the Death Bunny today?”

“Flechettes, it worked as advertised. Thanks again, Although the Major noticed the bunny engraved on the side and gave me a bit of a hard time.” I tell him.

He laughs, “Sorry about that, I just could not help but engrave that when I realized the model it was. I had not thought anypony would give you a hard time though.”

“Not a problem, I just wished I had noticed it before. Although I will say it is a conversation starter. Well, we need to get going, we still have some supplies to pick up. Catch you later Flechettes.”

“Take care you two and I will talk to you next time.” He tells us both, as we start to turn and head to our next destination.

After we have fully resupplied, we stop by the civilian camp and I buy us both dinner from one of the mares there who is running a portable meal counter from a wagon. I do not know how she keeps stocked but she does. In part, I can tell she has some help supplying her with meat. This meal is pan stirred vegetables and radhog meat. If you asked me two months ago, I would have stuck my nose up at it. Now, well, now I have not only gotten used to it, but I am willing to pay for it.

Sutures and I eat our meal. After that, she waits outside of the HQ while I attend officers’ call and then we head back to our meeting area for the squad and scouts. As we walk, I feel Sutures tail meet mine and begin to hold it. I am very surprised at first, but I decide to just enjoy the friendship and the moment, letting go of her tail only when we get close to our camp.

Our campsite is set up around an underground fire pit. This allows us to cook and heat water on it, but keeps the flames so they are not a target source. Around the fire, the members of our group are sitting. Most of them on their own bedrolls. I notice that Trouble, Blondie, and Sunset all have theirs next to each other. Next to them is Xavier and the youngsters. Then the members of the 1^st squad, then Chip and Blackberry.

As we approach in the fading daylight, I see several of them look over and notice Sutures shotgun. I see both Sunset and Duke raise an eyebrow. “Expecting trouble tomorrow?” Sunset asks.

Sutures just smiles, “Nope, just figured that where we are going, we might need the extra firepower.”

Both sergeants nod, “Ok, makes sense. I just wanted to be ready if you did.” Sunset tells her.

That night we sit around the fire talking quietly. As the darkness deepens, the exhaustion from the day's battles takes its toll and most of them go to sleep. It is after midnight and I am off to the side talking with Xavier and Trouble when I see her. The Mareigan. I excuse myself and walk in her direction.

She slowly walks up to me in the darkness. “Good evening, MY pony. You did me proud today young mare.”

I am nervous and look down, “Thank you. And thank you for helping me to keep as many alive as I have.”

She uses her hoof to lift my chin, looks into my eyes, and smiles. Then her expression softens to that of sadness. “My good mare, I know of your plans to come. Be very careful. You will see things there that are going to be hard for you to understand or comprehend. But remember what I said about other worlds. She, whom you will see is yours, but at the same time is not yours. Do what you must, but remember your duty is to bring my ponies home safely.”

“Mareigan, I do not fully understand? And who all do you mean by your ponies?” I ask.

I hear a gentle sigh, “When the time comes, you will understand. Your friend Xavier will explain about the spirits, everything has a spirit, even some regions. The wastelands has its own spirit, Your Co-op has its spirit. In a way, it reminds me of a faraway home I once had.” She says wistfully, “But enough, you need your rest,” She says and places a hoof on my forehead and tells me, “Sleep well.” She then surprises me with a light kiss on my injured cheek. She turns away from me and walks off and I watch as she transforms into a crow and flies away.

As I return to my bedroll Xavier and Trouble both approach me. Trouble asks, “Are you Ok?”

I nod, “Yes, just tired now.” I tell him.

Xavier looks at me closely, “It was her wasn’t it?”

Again, I nod my head, “Yes, it was, how did you know?”

“I saw her earlier and ignored her, I thought she would leave us alone.” He tells me.

“Xavier, she said you could tell me about the spirits. She said something about being the spirit of the Co-op.” I tell him.

“Mollygirl, I will tell you another time. But, if she is telling us the truth, she is not the spirit of the Co-op itself, but rather of the land, water, air, flora, and fauna that make up the region. It must be important to her to be this far from there.” He tells me.

“Mollygirl, I think you need to get some sleep, you look exhausted,” Trouble tells me.

“Ok, I will, both of you have a good night and I will see you in the morning,” I tell them. I then go crawl into my bedroll, pushing Woofers to the side so I can get in, and then cuddling up to Sutures. I have a hard time falling asleep and am surprised as I see Trouble go over to his bedroll and then give a light kiss on the forelock to first Sundown, and then Blondie before he crawls under his blanket to sleep for the night. I have never seen him like that before sober. Somehow, I think they were much closer than I imagined. I hope my cousin can have his family back.

As the moon begins to rise, I see the silhouette of what appears to be a crow in a nearby tree. For some reason, it helps me to relax feeling like we have another being standing guard over us. I may not be able to trust her, but at least I am sure she still has a use for us I think as I finally fall asleep.

Dear DJ Pon3,

Today we fought another hard battle while putting up the good fight. We have lost many of our own as well as taken the lives of those we opposed. From the medical tent, we can still hear the moans and cries of the wounded. We are all missing home and wish but only to return home and for peace. With that in mind, could you please play We’re Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground.

Thank You

Triage,

Medic, D-troop, CEF

Thank you again to Kkat for creating the world of FoE. I would also like to thank the many other authors out there that have not only added to this world but demonstrated how much more can still be added to it. I would also like to thank all of you who taking your time and reading this story.

This chapters dedication song is an old one. In fact, it was is said that it was sung, in mass, by the Union Army of the Potomac on its last official night in camp, at the end of the United States Civil War. The youtube link for this song is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfLBDcMvyHM