Three hours after my lunch with Windy I get the message from Sunset, “Choo Choo is ready for her oath whenever you are.”

“Thank you, Sunset, I will be at your HQ in a bit.” I send back to him.

Once I arrive, I see Choo Choo in full uniform and shifting from one hoof to another on her back end in excitement. She then asks Sunset, “Captain, could we do this in the Atrium, I would like to have George be able to see it if possible, as well as many others as possible.”

I smile at this; she is really committed to joining the CDF. I then tell them, “Captain, Trooper, I think that is an excellent idea. After you two.”

Once we get to the atrium, I see George come out of her room to watch. Then I notice ponies and cows starting to line the railing above us. Ironically, I even see Sutures’s father stop and stare. On the upper level as Sunset and I stand before her, I notice that even the Colonel’s have come out of their offices to witness it. The oath is a modified one for the Equestrian Army from the war. All the members of the CDF have sworn this at least twice. Once when they joined, and then on their first Opening Day ceremony.

I raise my right forehoof and tell Choo Choo, “Now raise your right forehoof and repeat after me. I, state your name, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the nation of Equestria and the Manesville Co-op against all enemies foreign and domestic.”

When I pause, she repeats after me, “I, Choo Choo, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the nation of Equestria and the Manesville Co-op against all enemies foreign and domestic,”

I then continue, “That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of Rulers of Equestria and the Board of Directors of the Manesville Co-op, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to law, regulations and the Equestrian Code of Military Justice, So help me, Celestia and Luna.”

I see her chest swell with pride and a bit of a tear in her eye as she repeats this last part. I notice particularly the emphasis she places on “So help me, Celestia and Luna.”

Once she finishes this, I lower my right forehoof and extend it to her, “Congratulations, you are now officially a full member of the Co-op Defense Force trooper.”

She reaches out and shakes my hoof, “Thank you Major. I truly appreciate it.”

Several of the ponies and cattle applaud her. Others nearby come over and welcome her to the fold. Above I see Colonel Chappy smile and nod, then he turns and returns to his office. After things begin to calm down, I finally tell Choo Choo, “Trooper, just so you know, when the next recruit training class begins, you will be assigned to it temporarily.”

She seems surprised and begins to protest, but Sunset stops her by telling her, “Trooper Choo, this is a perfect example of why you need to attend the mentioned training. The proper answer would have been yes ma’am. Personally, I would prefer you attend the full training, but I am making allowances for your prior service both with your sisters and with the Expeditionary Force.”

I see realization come over her face as she replies, “Yes Captain, my apologies sir.”

“Very good trooper, now let’s head back to the Scouts liar,” he tells her and leads her and the rest of his scouts back to their section of the stable.

The rest of the week passes smoothly overall. I begin to get into the rhythm of running the battalion. Things on the home front seem to be settling down overall. We all are getting used to each other still, but when a couple of us find a rough spot one or more of the others seems to always be there to smooth things out.

Tar’s trial begins this week also. The first time she goes before the judge I am not allowed into the court as I have been called as a witness for the prosecution. This also means that I will not be allowed to visit her again until after the proceedings are finished.

According to Magpie, who attended to document it for the stable and CEF archives, she stood tall before the Judge and when asked how she pleaded Tar answered, “Your Honor, against the advice of my attorney, I plead guilty, with cause.”

Magpie said this caused a bit of a disturbance among those in the courtroom as well as surprising the Judge. There is not much that Magpie noted down, but I read it anyway.

Judge: “Common Law, is this true?”

Common Law: “Yes, your honor. It is true,”

Judge: “Captain Water, do you realize what this entails?”

Captain Tar Water: “Yes, your honor, I do realize the consequences of my pleading this way,”

Judge: “Do you wish to be relieved of this client and a replacement appointed?”

Common Law: “No you honor. I will stand by my client.”

Judge to the Defense: “Very well,”

Judge to the Prosecution: “You have heard her plea, what say you?”

Prosecuting attorney: “Your honor, we would like to continue with the case, so that we may present a proper rationalization for the punishment that we will ask for.”

Judge: “Very well the case will adjourn for one week to allow both cases to prepare more fully. Court adjourned.”

I was waiting in the hallway outside when this occurred and only got a brief glimpse of her as they escorted her out of the courtroom and back to the stable jail. But in the few seconds, I saw enough to know how much she was hurting.

This week I finally begin to relax into my role as the battalion commander, but I keep getting more anxious about this week’s game of tag. It seems silly, but I am even thrown off when Choo Choo approaches me the morning of the game and tells me that her sisters Blue Star and Quick Frost will not be able to fly with us this week.

“Ok, Choo Choo, make sure you let Sunset know, as well as George,” I tell her.

“Sure Major. I really would like to know why they can’t be on our team Major, they looked so forward to it last week.”

“Same here, Trooper, but we deal with the hooves we have been dealt.”

Choo Choo sighs at this and looks off as if into the distance, “I know but it felt so good to work with them again is all Major.”

“Choo Choo, I am sure you will get a chance to again sometime. They are still invited to the party afterward though,” I tell her.

I see a look of surprise come over her face and she asks, “Major, are you going to have a party even if we lose?”

I nod my head, “Don’t tell anypony, but yes. The foals got a good-sized radhog again and we have had it underground for about 14 hours so far.”

I see I have her interest and she asks, “Will there be enough for George too?”

I laugh and tell her, “Trooper, there should be more than enough. In fact, we could have a large part of White Cloud join us also.”

I see her smile, “Major, maybe we should invite them then.” She tells me.

Not a bad idea, I will see if I can get word to some of them before the end of the day.

After lunch, I am stopped by Colonel Chappy. “Major, just so you know, in the next two days we will begin the court of inquiry concerning the expedition.”

I nod my head, “Thank you for letting me know sir. When should I appear and where?” I ask.

“Mollygirl, first thing in the morning at the Judge Advocates office. You know where that is right?”

I nod my head as I answer, “Yes sir, I will make sure I am there on time. Oh, sir, the foals got a large radhog and we have it roasting right now. If you would like, you are invited to our farm tonight for the aftergame party. We also will have some of White Cloud's best whiskey sir.”

I see him cringe slightly when I mention the radhog, but he still tells me, “Perhaps Major, at least for a bit, but I hope you do not expect me to eat meat.”

“Oh no sir, we are not expecting any such thing, just offering it if you are interested in some.”

He smiles then and tells me, “In that case, I most likely will be there. I will talk to you later Major,” He tells me as he walks away.

As the normal workday winds down I notice more and more of the troops heading out the door of the stable. I also notice all the fliers heading down to the back entrance. As I arrive with Archer, we see a smiling George waiting there with two harnesses hanging from a foreclaw.

All the first regiment fliers are told to wait here, the second regiment fliers are sent to the drill field. On the ridge I notice several civilians sitting and waiting to watch.

What catches me off guard is to see the predator-like grin on Archer's face as he walks up to grab his harness. This week he does not need much help getting it on and adjusted. Once we are finished, we both double-check each other and George crouches down so we can mount easier.

Once we are mounted, Colonel Chappy calls for our attention. Then he announces, “1^st Regiment. This week you are simulating an Enclave raid into the Co-op. 2^nd Regiment will try to stop you. Do not be surprised at additional forces that may occur to either side. Your goal is to reach the new settlement of White Cloud.”

As he is saying this, I notice at least a company’s worth of fliers from the second regiment take off from the drill field and head east. Then he continues, “If tagged, you must return to this point, wait one minute as counted by our referee here. Your opponents of the 2^nd regiment will have to return to the drill field to simulate being reinforcements from the stable. The winning team gets a 24-hour pass.”

At that I see everyponies ears go straight forward and wide grins come across their faces. Talk about a motivating factor. Then the Colonel looks at the time on his Pipbuck. He then raises that forehoof above his head and yells, “Go, Go, Go!”

With that, all of us leap into the air and form our formation on the move. I have all the fliers I did from last week, except the sisters. However, I have added a half dozen more scouts as well as another squad’s worth of fliers who are new recruits. Most of them all wear the dashites mark. Every one of them has the same predatory grin on their faces that Archer is wearing.

As we climb higher, we notice the fliers of the second regiment. It looks like three major groups. Each of them with all the fliers of the companies they are assigned to. As I look at my PipBuck I see that they are from two companies of Windy’s battalion, and one from the transport battalion. As I look down low, I notice a single black object flying very low and fast heading towards White Cloud also, interesting, but probably nothing to be concerned about.

I have my fliers divided up into flights of four. Along with George, I have Sunset, Choo Choo, and Dull Beak. We fly in a staggered formation of the one flier ahead, the next two drop back some on each of the lead fliers flank, and the final flier being off the far flank of one of the other two non-lead fliers.

We start off by our flights dividing half high and half low. George and us stay high at this point. We are just past Emerald Grove when we first engage. It begins with Windy’s troopers coming straight at George and us. I watch several of her troopers try to distract us while others swing wide to try and envelope us. Below us, I hear my other fliers calling out that they are being engaged from below and above. It is not looking good.

As Windy comes by to try and tag me George suddenly stops and drops like a rock, so she overshoots us. Then George begins to climb back up quickly and I surprise her as I reach out a hoof and call out, “Got ya, Windy,” as I tag her, while George does a barrel roll.

I see her cringe as she flies back to the drill field. We successfully fend them off but are still short of White Cloud when the last of my team as well as several of theirs are tagged and have to return to our reset points.

When we go out this time, I see them go high, so we go low and fast instead. We make it further before they engage us again. I see several of my fliers get tagged as well as theirs. We are just passing a wooded area when I look down and see movement in the woods. Lots of movement. I point it out to Archer and his eyes go wide. I see Choo Choo smile and begin to laugh.

Suddenly I see a black shape getting larger speeding towards us followed by Choo Choo’s sisters as well what has to be every pegasus in the Militia. My jaw drops as Sunny and Sirroco fly by me and wave then they begin to tag the 2^nd Regiment fliers.

All I can think to myself is oh, Tartarus no, you have to be kidding me.

As we keep playing, I see Sunny have a pegasus from the transport company chasing him and he does exactly what George did earlier so we could tag Windy. As he does this, he is laughing the whole time.

Behind him I hear Sirocco yelling to him. “Dang it Sunny, what did I tell you about leaving you wingmare!”

The surprise to the second regiment troopers is complete and we breakthrough and even though we are being chased, we are able to put up a good game against them. I am stunned at how many times I am looking at a patch of woods, or abandoned farm and suddenly there are militia players coming out of the shadows to ambush them.

Over the Pipbuck I hear Windy yelling, “Mollygirl, you cheater!”

Laughing I call back to her, “Windy, I am as surprised as you are.”

Then I hear Colonel Storm Cloud's voice come over the channel. “Major Rider, you were warned not to be surprised. She is not cheating. She received local support. Now deal with it.”

I see her jaw drop, and then she suddenly has three Alicorns hot on her tail. Her wingmare keeps trying to clear her tail by swinging back and forth trying to tag the sisters, but they work together against him.

As she is trying to dodge them I suddenly see Sunny spin from above and ahead of her and dive down, with Sirocco trying to keep up with him, as he dives down, tags Windy and then twist in mid-air as she bottoms out his dive and climbs coming up under her wingmare and tagging him also.

We continue like this for another hour before we finally make a full breakthrough. We start high and make a dive to gain speed and we fly past them in mass by scattering at high speed, going low. George, Archer, and I land on the main street in White Cloud just in front of the pub with Dull Beak. Shortly afterward Sunset lands next to us along with Choo Choo, behind us the other “survivors” begin to land. I see Fancy standing there with Specs and his radio next to her. She nods to him and I hear Specs say into his radio, “1^st Regiment has landed, with scouts in White Cloud. Game called in their favor.”

Behind me, I hear Archer yelling “YES! We did it.”

I look over and see the three sisters leaning against each other laughing. I see Sunset by them smiling as he walks over to me. “Ma’am, that was good, but we really did need the fliers from the Militia, you may want to invite them all over to the party.”

I smile at him, “Sunset, I pretty much did for the White Clouders, I will extend it to the rest of them. By the way great job up there.”

“Thank you, Ma’am, I best get moving, looks like you have company.”

“Sunset, if Pages is available, why don’t you have her come over to the party also. I already planned on having enough drink and food for all of us as well as the militia.”

As she lands next to me, Windy is shaking her head. She comes over and extends a hoof, “Good Job, I guess I can cancel the victory party for us.”

I smile at her, and tell her, “Well we have a 300-pound pig in the ground almost ready, so I was going to have ours no matter what, perhaps you should too, or you could just bring your troops and their party supplies to our farm and join us.”

Behind me I hear Archer, “Dear, don’t you think we should ask the others first?”

Windy smiles at him and tells him, “Come on Captain, with this many ponies, who will notice another company’s worth.”

Looking over my shoulder I see him shaking his head getting ready to argue the point when Sumac and Magpie come up to us along with Ginger and Xochitl. So, I introduce them all. After the introductions are finished Ginger tells me, “Ma, Stir Fry says the hog is ready, Mama Sutures and Papa Badger are helping her with it right now.”

Windy is shaking her head and then asks, “You all really do eat meat that much? Where did you get it?”

Ginger puts a hoof around Xochitl and proudly tells her, “Me and Xochitl got it. It is a little smaller than the last one.”

I laugh lightly as Archer tells her, “Well it is a good thing it was a bit smaller than the last one you two got, I would not have wanted to drag that one in from the fields.”

Windy then asks, “Ok, I’ll bite, how did you two get the rad hogs?”

Xochitl answers her this time, “Major, Ginger gets them to chase her and when they are in range, I use her SIR to take them down.”

I see her eyes go wide and she looks at me and says, “YOU LET HER DO THAT? Do you know how dangerous that is?”

Ginger laughs and tells her, “Major, after Serenity Valley, a radhog is nothing to get excited about.”

I see Windy raise an eyebrow, as I facehoof, and then she says, “Ah, so you two were the scouts Mollygirl told me about. I guess you two are a bit bored now that you are no longer scouts. Am I right?”

I am stunned as I see both Xochitl and Ginger nod their heads. Then Xochitl tells her, “It was scary back there, but at least we had a goal; we knew why we were doing things. Major while I am glad to be home, would you think there was something wrong with me for missing it sometimes too?”

I see Windy shake her head, and I notice a bit of tear in the corner of one of her eyes as she tells them, “No, no I would not. After all, I still miss my days as a scout too. But seriously, you too need to take your time to grow up. Learn to enjoy the little moments, you know like your first kiss or your first crush. Or even learning about yourself and the pony you want to be.”

I watch as they both look at each other and blush, then back at her. I then see Windy blush, “Oh, OHHH, sorry, I guess you have already had some of those. Ok, but please, don’t be in too big a hurry to grow up,” she tells them.

Still blushing I watch Ginger take Xochitls tail into hers and she says, “We won’t Major,” then she looks at me and asks, “Ma, can we have the Major and her family join us, I know you told Papa Badger and Mama Sutures that she has foals too.”

I nod my head and smile as I tell Ginger, “You are right dear, she does, but Windy may be busy with her troopers tonight.”

Windy looks at her PipBuck and then tells Ginger, “Your mom is correct. But I will have to bring my family over to visit sometime.”

Ginger has a slightly disappointed tone to her voice when she answers back, “Oh, ok, I do understand, duty first.”

Windy nods her head, “Unfortunately yes. But I do look forward to you meeting my foals Ginger. I hope you do not mind them being pegasus though.”

As she is saying this, I notice Sunny is above and behind Windy. He begins to giggle a bit and says, “No she does not Major. After all, were kin, as well as friends.”

After he says this, she nods her head and says, “Exactly. He is one of the bravest colts I know after Xochitl.”

I see Windy smile as she is shaking her head, “It figures that this little blackbird who kept tagging me would be related to all of you.”

As she says this, Sunny flies over and lands next to Ginger on the opposite side of Xochitl, as he puts a wing over Ginger in a hug, Ginger tells her, “I like that nickname for you Sunny, Blackbird. Kind of reminds me of the Mareigan.”

I see him put a hoof under his chin and think for a bit. “You know it does, and she did teach me to fly.”

I can see the confusion on Windy’s face and I tell her, “Windy, someday over a few drinks I will explain. Most ponies would have a hard time understanding.”

I still see a bit of confusion in her expression, but she answers, “Ok, I will take your word for it Mollygirl, but I do want to hear it sometime.”

“I promise you Windy, sometime. Just not today,” I reassure her.

She nods her head and flexes her wings as she tells me, “Ok, in that case, I best get going to my troops, I will talk to you more tomorrow.” Then she takes off and begins to round up her troopers.

Still smiling I tell Fancy, “Make sure everypony knows about the party, ok.”

Besides her, with one wing over her back Sirocco tells me, “Will do Major. By the way, it was great working with all of you up there.”

“Thanks, Sirocco, it was great working with all of you too. Now let’s get this party started.”

“Sounds good to me Major, we will be over to the farm in a bit.”

Before we leave Ginger and Xochitl both ask, “George can we ride you back to the farm?”

I see her look at me. I nod and she tells them, “Yes you can, now climb on and hold tight. I have not finished your harnesses yet.”

Once they are on, I let George know, we take off along with most of the other fliers and head over to the farm. I am amused to see how many of the Gypsy ponies come out to watch us all land on the road in front of the Farm. Many of them are already coming over to join the party, as I had invited them as well.

Once we land, I climb off and see Tinner coming over with a jug of something on his back. He smiles and tells me, “Is good to see you again Major. Perhaps you and your spouses would like to join me for some wine?”

Archer has just climbed down and is beside me smiling when I tell Tinner, “Of course my good Bandolier, of course, it would be our pleasure.”

I put our harnesses into bags on the side of George’s harness and watch as the youngsters run off to play.

As I get to the farmyard I notice that the pig is out of the ground and Sutures, Badger, and Stir Fry are cutting it up and putting platters of it on the table. Seeing George, Sutures picks a large leg up and carries it over to her in her TK.

“Hi George, I figured you might be hungry already and wanted to get you started dear,” Sutures tells her.

George smiles and sits on her hind legs as she replies, “Thank you so much Sutures, this is so thoughtful.” Then she takes the leg in her foreclaws and begins to slowly eat it. I can tell by the look on her face how much she enjoys it.

I look over at several tables set up fully loaded with food. There has to be over a hundred ponies and cattle here already. Off to the side, I see Dull Beak talking with Archer and eating a plateful of the roasted radhog already.

As we are eating, I also see several of the locals and some of the Gypsy ponies break out their instruments and begin to play for us as we eat and drink to celebrate our day.

After a while, I begin to notice how many of those here were involved in the expedition. It is really interesting to see how the new scouts are enthralled listening to the tales being exchanged between the old-timers and the civilians. It seems that the doubts about some of the stories are being laid to rest as the party continues.

I also see some of the party-goers begin to cross the road and visit the Gypsy camps. The flap for the dancers’ tent opens and I see they are on stage with a good-sized audience in attendance. Then I see the fortune-tellers and the games of chance both have ponies and cattle coming and going. Tinner is talking to Badger and Sumac as I approach and I overhear him tell them, “I was worried that the party might hurt our business, so I told my people they could take the night off, look at them, the best night we have had inna while. Tank you all so much, and tank you for inviting us to join also.”

Badger smiles and tells him, “Tinner, it is our pleasure. I am just glad you and your people have joined us tonight also.”

By the Barn, I see Choo Choo, Quick Frost, and Blue Star sitting together all looking very regal as one of the gypsy ponies draws a sketch of them together. As I watch the drawing progress, I hear Hardtack tell his wife Blueberry Crisp, “That is it, that is the name for our whiskey, The Three Sisters. I wonder if he can duplicate that drawing on a smaller scale so we can use it on our bottles.”

I see her smile as she says, “I am sure he can, just make sure you explain what you want, and make sure you pay him for it.”

I am also having a ball just watching all the foals from the area playing together as the adults continue to party. This time I see it is Archer and Sutures who are watching the table with the drinks on it. I notice that both Xochitl and Ginger are not trying to sneak any, but I am surprised when I see Cowlick is here with his parents and he gets caught trying to sneak some.

As I walk over to talk to Sutures, I hear him tell her, “Sorry ma’am, Xochitl warned me I should not try to. Please don’t tell my parents.”

I see her sit on her haunches and cross her forelegs as she looks at him and tells him, “OK Cowlick, but even they don’t get any, just so you know, so please don’t try to sneak any again.”

I see the young bull's head go down with his ears at the side of his head as he says, “Yes ma’am. I won’t try it again.”

“Ok then, why don’t you go and get some pie or more vegetables,” she tells him with a smile.

At this point, he smiles back at her, nods his head, and lumbers away to the food tables.

I go up to her and put a hoof around her. She leans into me and smiles as I tell her, “You handled that really well dear.”

“Thanks, it’s no big deal. Besides he was just being like all youngsters at that age. He’s curious is all,” she says with a smile on her face.

Suddenly I see her expression change to one of nervousness. I look over and see a familiar-looking unicorn mare, with a light blue coat and dark blue mane and tail approaching us. She has a serious expression on her face, but once she sees Sutures, I see a loving smile come onto it.

Once she gets to us, she gives Sutures a hug and tells her, “Sutures, it is so good to see you again. I hope you do not mind my dropping in? I was in the area looking for the new midwife I heard was working out this way. The one I work with is retiring soon.”

I see Sutures relax at this and she replies, “It is so good to see you too mother. Thank you for coming.”

Then her mother looks at me, then Archer, then back to Sutures, “Dear, aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Sutures looks embarrassed momentarily, “Mother, I am sorry I forgot my manners,” She points with a forehoof, first to Archer and says, “Mom, this is Captain Archer, one of my future husbands,” then she points to me, “and this is Major Mollygirl, one of my futures wives, Archer, Mollygirl this is my mother Doula,” she says nervously.

Sutures mother smiles at both of us, and tells Sutures, “Well at least your father didn’t lie about that. You are happy right dear?”

I see the smile on Sutures's face, “Yes mom, they along with the others of my future spouse make me feel very loved and cared about. Even our daughter Ginger does.”

I see her mother raise her eyebrows at this and she asks “A daughter even, and how old is she dear?”

Sutures smiles and tells her, “Mom, she is 10 going on 25, I swear.”

Her mother laughs at that, “I remember those days, so does she have her cutie mark yet?”

Sutures nods, “Yes, unfortunately, I was in the hospital when she got it. But she certainly earned hers the hard way.”

Doula smiles sadly at her daughter, “I just found out when your father told me he saw you the other day that you had been in the stable hospital. Dear while I am really sorry to hear it, I am glad you are still with us. It would have killed me to have lost you.”

I see Sutures choke up some, “Thanks, mom. After father’s behavior the other day and neither of you coming to visit me, I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Dear, you mean the world to me. We both know your father can be rather mulish at times, so please don’t let him get to you.”

“Ma, you do realize I am the new midwife right?”

Doula smiles, “I had hoped so, your father did say you were going to become one. But dear, I have not had the formal medical training to be a midwife, I only work with them and I have picked up what I could over the years.”

At this point Archer interrupts them, “Sutures love, why don’t you take your mother and introduce her to the rest of the family.”

“I would Dearest, but I don’t want to leave the alcohol unattended with all the youngsters running around.”

He smiles and puts a hoof on her shoulder, “I got it, take Mollygirl with you too. Besides Her comes Xavier and I figure he may want to chat with me a bit anyways.”

She kisses him on the cheek, tells him, “Thank you so much, dearest,” and leads her mother and me away to find the rest of the family.

As we approach the meat pit area, we find Badger working with Stir Fry to cut up more of the radhog, and placing it on trays that Sumac carries over to the food tables.

Badger looks up at Sutures and me and smiles. Then he sees Doula and has a questioning look on his face. Sumac sees his expression and comes back over to him, just as we get there.

Sutures then introduces them. “Mom, this is my other future spouses, Badger and Sumac. The farm here is Sumacs and her family’s. The mare you see cutting up the radhog still is our friend Stir Fry. She was on the expedition with us.”

Stir Fry simply nods and says “Pleased to meet you ma’am,” around the knife in her mouth and she goes back to stripping the meat off the carcass. Badger on the other hoof puts his knife down and extends a hoof. “It is a real pleasure to meet you Ma’am. You have a very special daughter.”

I see Sutures blush a bit at that, but Doula stands a bit taller and prouder and says, “Thank you very much. She means the world to me.”

Sumac is a bit embarrassed it seems as she extends her hoof, “Good to see you again Doula, I didn’t realize you were Sutures mother.”

Doula smiles at her and replies, “It is good to see you too. It has been a while. My condolences about your daughter and granddaughter. I am sorry I did not make it out here sooner.”

Sumac shakes her head and waves a hoof, “No need to apologize, I do understand,” she says.

As we are talking, I hear Choo Choo coming over and she is just saying “Hey Badger, could I get some more,” as she stops in mid-sentence and almost collapses.

Her sisters are next to her and I hear Blue Star say “You are right Choo, but you need to speak out loud you are being rude.”

Choo Choo slowly gets to her hoofs fully again and cautiously approaches us. Once she is close, she uses her TK to open her saddlebag and pull out some old photos. She looks at them again and I see a tear in her eye that goes down her cheek, as she says, “I am so sorry, but you caught me off guard, you look almost identical to an old mare I used to know long ago. All except your cutie mark.”

Doula is caught a bit off guard at that, and simply says, “That’s ok.”

Then Choo Choo asks her, “Would you like to see a photo of her?”

Doula nods her head and says in a soothing voice, “I would really like that.”

As she floats the photo over, I get a quick glimpse of it and recognize the photo instantly.

Doula looks at the photo and her jaw drops, as does Sutures who is looking over her shoulder at it. Then Doula asks in a stunned voice, “Who, who was she?”

Choo Choo gulps and then tells her, “Me,” she pauses and then continues “That was taken before the war ended. It is me, my daughter and her family, and my then-fiancé Sidetrack.”

I see Doula drop down on her haunches. “How?”

Choo Choo bites her lip and before she can say anything Quick Frost puts a hoof on her shoulder and explains, “We once were normal unicorns, but were changed to what you see. My sister Choo Choo looked like you in her old body. In part, because you are descended from who she was.”

I see a look of surprise come over Doula’s face and watch as Choo Choo simply nods and wipes the tear away. Then Choo Choo looks at Quick Frost and tells her, “Thank you for explaining it for me. I knew Sutures was descended from me, but I had assumed her father was the link, not her mother.”

Doula laughs lightly, “Actually Choo Choo, we had a common ancestor when the stable closed that we knew of. As there are not many unicorns in the Co-op, we tend to not talk about that much.”

At this point I ask Sutures and Doula, “Would you two like to talk to Choo Choo some more while I go round up Ginger and find Magpie?”

Sutures smiles, “Thank you, dear, that would be very nice.”

As I go off to find them, I notice that Choo Choo gets out some more photos and is showing them. I smile to myself and slightly shake my head. It is amazing the way life works out sometimes.

I find Magpie sitting on the front porch talking with Persimmon as well as several other of the mares from White Cloud. As I come up, I hear them talking about the expedition and the fight at Serenity Valley. Just the name puts a chill up my spine.

Once I am close enough, I call to her, “Hey Mags, Sutures mother is here and would like to meet you.”

I see her eyes go wide in surprise as she puts a hoof to her chest. “Really Mollygirl, she came and wants to meet us. What is she like?”

I smile as I answer her question, “Nothing like her father dear. But remember how I told you Choo Choo used to look like as a unicorn. Well, it seems Sutures ma, looks just like her. Choo Choo even broke out her pictures to prove it.”

I see a slight smile on my darling’s muzzle. She looks at the other mares and tells them, “I’ll be back in a bit. I really want to hear more about this.”

As she hops down, I ask, “Have you seen Ginger lately? I want her to meet Sutures’s mother also.”

She smiles at me and she points towards the back of the barn.

As I get there, I see She is laying on her back with her head on Xochitl’s stomach, Sunny is next to them. I hear Xochitl tell her, "As a foal, on the plantation they used to say that if you ever saw the sky, that if you make a wish upon the first star you see that night, you would get your wish.”

Sunny asks in an incredulous voice, “Really Xochitl, do you think it really works?”

I then see Xochitl shrug his shoulders and say, “Hmmh, what do I know, I am only a young zony, but try it Sunny, what could it hurt.”

I see Ginger then look at the stars that are beginning to appear in the night sky and close her eyes. Her mouth moving only slightly. I wait till she has opened her eyes again before I call her, “Ginger, come here please, Sutures’s mother is here and I would like to introduce you to her.”

I see her eyes go wide and she rolls over quickly and runs to me, “Really, she is here? I just wished it and she is here.”

I see Sunny’s eyes go wide in surprise behind her. Xochitl on the other hoof simply rolls over, stands up, and shrugs his shoulders again as he looks at Sunny and they slowly begin to follow me and Ginger.

When I get there the rest of the family is still surrounding Doula and Choo Choo. I see a huge smile on Choo Choo’s face as she hears the stories of Sutures’s family over the years. I am also surprised when I look and I see that Quick Frost has a wing over Blue Star, as they sit patiently behind Choo Choo just listening to the stories.

As we approach Ginger slowly trots up and sits alongside Sutures, who without thinking puts a forehoof around her. I see the smile that comes over Doula’s face when she sees this. When she finishes her story. Sutures then introduces Ginger to her mother. After the introduction Ginger then asks, “Can I call you Grandma, or do you just want me to call you Doula?”

I see her hesitate for only a brief second before she answers, “Grandma would be wonderful little one,” and she goes over and gives Ginger a hug.

A short time later I notice the time and tell Ginger, “Dear it is almost time for bed, you better head on in. I am going to get the others to start to wind things down out here, and I will be right in.”

She smiles at me, “Ok Ma,” then she hugs Sutures and the others of our family good night and heads inside.

Xochitl is next to me and tells us, “I guess I should go get ready for bed myself. Have a good night all. Doula, it was a pleasure to meet you ma’am.”

“Likewise you too young sir,” she replies back, then she watches him turn and trot over to his family’s home.

Doula then tells Sutures, “Dear it is so good to see you again, I still need to talk to you about a business proposition though.”

“It sounds good mother, I am here most of the time unless I get a client. Please, even come visit for tea or just to talk. Mom, I really miss you.”

Smiling a sad smile Doula tells her daughter, “I miss you too dear. I am just so glad you have so many ponies who love you now. You are very fortunate.”

I see a look of concern on her face as she asks, “Mother, it does not bother you that none of my spouses are unicorns?”

She shakes her head, “Not at all dear. That was your father. I love him but he is far from perfect. I just want you to be happy and loved.”

Sutures leans over and gives her mother a big hug, “Thank you mom, that means more to me than you can imagine.”

She smiles,” I will see you again tomorrow if you spouses don’t mind,” she tells Sutures.

Sutures looks at the rest of us, especially Sumac who only smiles and nods. “Ok mother, I will see you then.”

As she walks away, I see Sutures take a deep breath and relax. She has a huge smile on her face, even with a tear in her eye. She looks at all of us and says, “Thank you. All of you for showing my mother what a good family I have now.”

Archer comes up along her other side and tells her, “Dear, she already knew before she got here. She just wanted an excuse to see her daughter. Now she has seen them, love.”

As Archer puts a forehoof around her, she leans into him and smiles. “Yeah, but now she has seen it with her own eyes, and she accepts our crazy life. I finally feel accepted by my mother fully.”

Sumac walks over to her, “Dear, your mother has always been proud of you. She told me all about you when I had Ivy, and again when Ivy had Epona. She was there for both deliveries and kept talking about her wonderful daughter. I just had not realized you were her daughter. Now your father, your mother loves him, but as she said he does have his faults.”

I begin to excuse myself and head inside the house to tuck Ginger into bed, but as I go, I hear George ask, “There is a lot of leftovers, would you mind if I took some of it home?”

I hear both Badger and Sumac chuckle, "Sure George, we will fix you a platter to take with you,” Sumac tells her.

With that, I hear Stir Fry tell them, “Remember to leave me some, I am putting some of this on the menu for the next couple of days. Those cabbage leaves inside sure made a really good combination with some onions and carrots.”

As I head inside, I am joined by Sutures. We find Ginger already in bed. She has her stuffed pony next to her and is already half asleep, but wakes up some as we come into her room.

“Hi Mom’s,” she says when she sees us.

“Hi sweetheart, I hope you had a good time today,” I tell her.

She sleepily nods her head, “Yeah, I even got my wish. Mama Sutures mom came and let her know she was not disappointed in her.”

Sutures is sitting on the other side of the bed, rubbing her hoof through Ginger’s mane, “Dear little one, I had not realized it upset you so much about my parents.”

Ginger nods, “Sorry mama Sutures, but you are so sweet, and smart so many other things, I cannot understand how they could not be proud of you. And if your parents could be disappointed in you, you all might become disappointed in me.”

“Dear, someday we may be disappointed in something you do, but we never will be disappointed in you,” Sutures tells her.

Ginger leans into her and hugs her, “Thank you Mama Sutures.”

I am on the other side of the bed and I lean down and give her a kiss on her forelock, “Goodnight sweetheart. Sweet dreams.”

She rolls over and hugs me too, “Night Ma, see you in the morning.”

Then Sutures and I get up to leave her room. I blow out the lantern and gently close the door. As we get ready to go downstairs Sutures stops me. She puts a hoof under my chin and looks me in the eyes. She kisses me lightly on the cheek, “This is for sharing your family and your life with me,” She then kisses me on the lips, her tongue getting my mouth to open to receive hers, “And that one was for loving me and letting me love you. I hope you realize how much it means to me.”

I smile and look into those beautiful light blue eyes of hers and tell her, “Dearest one, you do not know how much you really are loved. Thank you.” As she smiles back at me, we both go downstairs to rejoin the others and to help clean up before bed.

We still have a couple of hours of work to do now, but it is so worth it. For tonight my worries are set aside and I can relax and enjoy life some. I know that things will change again, but for now, I am loved and cared about. I have friends and family that support me, and for now, for now, that is more than enough.

Dear DJ Pon3,

Today, I met my daughter’s future family. She has found her calling in life, as well as those who love her and cherish her. She now has all I could wish for her in her life. Could you please play The Rainbow Connection for her and her new family?

Thank You,

Doula

Manesville Co-op

As usual, I still want to thank Kkat for creating the world of FoE. I also want to thank so many others who have added to it, as well as continue to do so. I hope that you continue to enjoy the Co-ops part of it.

There are many versions of the song The Rainbow Connection. I tend to prefer Jim Henson's version and felt the instruments and tempo is more along with that of which the Co-op inhabitants would be used to.

This chapter's dedication song can be found at the YouTube site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNM6R6QV9vo