For the next two days following the wedding nopony saw hide nor hair of either Beach Shack or Scrap Pile. The only hint we had that they were ok was that there was a sign on the door of her shop saying they would be closed for two days and to please come again. All I could do was grin. At least Scrap had finally bagged her buck.

While at the wedding I realized we only had about a month left before beginning our trip home. That means only three weeks until Sutures and I would get to see our husband Archer again. I know how much both of us were so looking forward to it. The only downside is that we would see him for those two weeks of time when we brought our reliefs up to speed and let them take over. It also meant that we should begin to get ready both physically and emotionally to leave the Hackamore region.

One morning I notice that Sutures is seeming a bit down while we are at breakfast and I ask her, “What’s wrong love?”

She smiles sadly as she toys with her food and tells me, “Just this, I realize how much I am going to miss it. I mean it will be nice to be home, but I have made so many friends down here too. I mean even Milo has gotten better since I have gotten to know him. He has not hit on me in quite a while now.”

I nod my head and tell her, “Yeah, I understand, as for Milo. I think he has realized how much that type of behavior hurts his spouses, especially Cedar. Believe it or not, he really does love her as much as she does him.”

I see her nod her head and then she tells me, “But it’s some of the others here too. You know like Sticky Wicket and Scrap Pile.”

I nod my head and I tell her, “Yeah I do understand. I don’t see them much but some of those in charge of the outlying villages I will miss too. For example, Silver Melody from over in Founder. She was a bit gruff at first but now she is not so bad. That and she has a really beautiful voice dear. I wish you could hear her sing when she is working in their fields.”

Next to us, I see Epona leaning forward on one hoof and she says, “Yeah, I am going to miss my friends from school too. But at least I will still have Tater there with me.”

I nod my head when she says this and smile. “True, but on the positive side you both will also have more friends to make, and you will get to know the rest of our family.”

I see her nod her head and shrug her shoulders, “Yeah, but Ma’s, I am worried about meeting them too. What if they don’t like me as I am. What if they expect me to be like your guys Epona instead?”

I put a hoof on her shoulder and I tell her, “Dear, at first they may expect you to be like her, but I have a feeling they are going to love you just the way you are now. Remember the Epona from this side would have been influenced by the events that happened on this side after the incident if she had survived. Even she would not be the same as she was in their memories.”

Then Sutures tells her, “There is a reason that they used to say you can never go home again. That is because both home and you have changed. When you are there you don’t notice the changes. But when you leave, you remember what it was like before and hope it is the same.”

I see my daughter begin to smile again as she looks at Sutures and tells her, “Yeah, you are right, that really makes sense too.”

The next few weeks go rather fast for us as we continue the preparations and begin to anticipate going home more and more. I also realize that after Windy’s battalion gets extended over in Fort Hope that my own troops are worried it might happen to them.

This is made worse by accident when we only have three weeks to go. I get a priority message from HQ that required me to decipher it. This coincided with some of the Hackamore Militia and the scouts having accidentally killed a pack of radhogs when doing grenade practice over a hill.

Summer Solstice had come in that morning and told me “Excuse me Colonel, but during our training today, my sergeant did not check the range fully and well, ma’am my troops and the Hackamore Militia, they accidentally killed 12 radhogs with grenades.”

I nod my head and ask her, “Are they intact enough to be used still?”

I notice her put her hoof to her stomach and she says, “Yes ma’am. Well mostly Ma’am”

I nod my head and tell her, “Ok, then we will treat the battalion to a radhog roast. Talk to the cooks about how many of what size we should send to each outpost as well as our base.”

I see her smile a bit at this and she tells me, “Yes Ma’am, I will have them delivered with your compliments then.”

I just smile and laugh a bit at that and I tell her, “Oh, don’t forget that it is also with the compliments of the scouts and the militia. Also, don’t forget to take the proper actions to make sure such an incident does not happen again.”

After she leaves, I have Paper Work send out messengers to each of the outposts to let them know to expect the hogs so they can get fire pits ready for them. I do not want the meat to go to waste so I had two sent to each of the outlying camps to be roasted. This along with the unknown message was enough to have Chain Lightning come running into my office.

I am sitting at my desk drinking a cup of tea and going over the inventory list for the battalion when I hear him come stomping my way. I look up and see him getting ready to knock on my door frame and he is very upset looking.

I then tell him, “Come on in and close the door Sergeant Major,” once that is done, I then ask him, “Ok, what has you so fired up?”

He leans on my desk with his forelegs and asks me, “Ok Colonel, what is up with this rumor that we are being extended?”

I look at him blankly at first, confused at where such a rumor could have even started. Then I tell him, Sergeant Major, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

He looks me square in the eyes and tells me, “Ma’am, it got out you got a coded message last night from HQ, then today you tell everyone that we are having a battalion wide radhog roast. Ma’am, just throw some ice cream in there and you have the recipe for a deployment extension.”

I shake my head slightly then I look at him with confusion on my face. I then tell him, “Chain have a seat please.”

I watch him go to the nearest seat and sit down, waiting for me to speak.

I give him a few minutes then I ask him, “Chain, why would you believe a rumor like that? By now you should know I do not operate in that manner.”

He nods his head and tells me, “Well Ma’am, I would hope not, but you have not always flown straight since we have been here.”

I take a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. Then I tell him, “Chain, the message was our marching orders for when we depart. The radhogs were just a bonus from some of my subordinates not checking downrange before a live-fire exercise. I just thank the Goddesses and Sweet Cream that no one was hurt or killed.”

I see him nod his head and he then asks me, “Oh, so you were only trying to spread the wealth then?”

I nod my head and I tell him, “Yes, some of the radhog meat has been sent to Hackamore also. I guess the militia commander there plans on sharing it with those who are less fortunate in the community.”

“Ma’am, I am sorry for jumping to conclusions,” he tells me.

“I understand Sergeant Major, but please try to ask me before you assume. Have I ever lied to you?”

I see him shake his head as he replies to me, “No ma’am, you have never deliberately lied to me.”

We then talk a bit more about our movement orders and how we can put a kibosh on the rumor he ran in here to talk to me about. We then notice the time and I tell him, “After the evening officers call let's meet for tea and we can discuss some other matters.”

“Sounds good ma’am, I will see you at dinner.” He tells me as he gets up and heads out of the office.

A week later I am in town making my normal rounds and I stop by to see Scrap Pile. As I enter, I see she has some customers again and I window shop until she is done with them. Finally, after they all leave, I go up to the counter and ask, “So how is my oldest daughter doing today?”

I see the grin on her face when she hears me say this and then she tells me, “Well Ma, I am doing ok overall, but could you have Sutures come see me? I, uh, I, um.”

I stand there with one eyebrow raised and I ask her, “You're what Scrap?”

She looks down and blushes then she looks up and tells me, “I’m late. Ma, I am never late, so I think Beach and I started out having our family sooner than I expected.”

I smile at her and as I put a hoof on her shoulder, I tell her, “That is wonderful dear. I hope you are; you will make such a wonderful mother.”

She looks back at me nervously and asks, “Do you really think so? I mean I really want to be, but Ma, I never had anyone to show me how growing up.”

I gently smile at her and tell her, “Dear, I am sure of it. Besides, if you have any questions, not only can you write to me to ask when I am not around, you can always ask some of your friends in the community. I am sure Cinnamon would give you some good advice if you need it.”

“Ma, do you think she would be ok with me asking her some questions like that?”

“Scrap, remember how she said that when she was younger others made her feel like she was not good enough of a parent and you told her otherwise, well I am sure it would make her feel even better if you proved it by doing just that. Ask for advice if you need it. Even I do when I can. None of us knows all the answers.”

She smiles shyly and tells me, “Thanks Ma, I appreciate that advice too. Goddesses how I am going to miss having you here.”

“Scrap, I am going to really miss you too. Know you are always welcome at my home if you ever make it up that way.”

I see her smile sadly, “Ma, I doubt I will ever see Manesville, but if I do make it up there, I will stop to see you for sure. Oh, by the way, we got some new books in on trade the other day in case you are interested.”

With that change of subject, we go onto the next part of my visit. Before I leave, I find another book on unicorn training and I also find a history book that I think Archer might enjoy. My next stop is the Flying Cow for lunch and to visit with Buttermilk if she is available.

As I approach the Flying Cow, I see Buttermilk is outside sitting on the porch. Today she is dressed a bit more conservatively with a white lace bow in her hair and just a simple lacy robe over her back. I can tell when she notices me by her waving her forehoof at me.

I briefly stop and wave back before trotting over to see her. As I step up on the porch I smile and tell her, “Good morning Buttermilk, how are you today?”

“Ah, I am doing pretty good. Just enjoying watching the town this morning,” She turns to me smiling and says, “In a way, I am really going to miss it here. But then again, I feel we are leaving it a better place when we leave,” as she pats the chair next to her.

I take the offered seat and tell her, “Yeah, I think we are too. It’s funny my family and I have been talking about that a lot lately. During the Expedition, we never got the time to sit and make friends like this. Now, well now we know them here and we know what and who we are leaving behind. The only thing that makes leaving feel worthwhile is knowing that we are going home again.”

I see the pained look on her face when I say this and watch as she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, then she says, “Mollygirl, you and those who come from this timeline are going home. But for me and the Others, well we have to start all over again. That is why we have over 20 cattle and 30 ponies who have decided to stay here.”

When she says this, I raise an eyebrow and twist my ear a bit as I had not heard that many of them had made that decision. I nod my head and tell her, “I can understand that. But remember, even those of us who were here all along, while we are going home, we will not be returning to the place we left. By now my cousin Tar Water’s foal is talking and probably weaned. Same goes with Magpie and Sumac's little ones. Who knows what other changes have been made?”

I see her smile ruefully and she tells me, “Mollygirl, for us it is a bigger difference. We had no Stable 48. In our world it was 4B and while that may not seem like much it is a big difference. Even your stepfather on that side never existed on this side according to Epona.”

When she says this, I nod my head, “Yeah, that is true. Epona and I talk now and again about the differences. It seems that Millie left the stable and headed with her team to help Stable 4 rather than go to Ten Pony Tower. The entire Water clan from Manesville does not exist in the world you came from. But Dear, remember this is your homeworld now, and we are all glad to have you here.”

She nods her head and then tells me, “I know and I am making the best of it. While Corn Bread and I will be staying here until we leave, I will be working only until the week before hoof. Esmoorelda has bought me out and will be taking over. This will allow me to help her in the transition.”

I smile and nod my head as I rock in the chair slowly. Then she tells me, “Besides once we leave here Corn Bread and I have decided that once we leave, we are going back to being monogamous. That is unless a certain pony family would be interested in adding a couple of cattle to it, after all, we have gotten used to that…” she then winks an eye at me.

I begin to sputter and am nearly panicking as I try to figure out how to answer her. Then I see her slap her hind leg with a foreleg as she lets out a bellowing laugh and with a smile on her face and a tear in her eye, she tells me, “Got ya!”

That is when I begin to laugh also, “Yeah you did get me. But honestly, I had never thought about cattle in that way before Buttermilk. But the big thing is my spouses and I have agreed, no new partners.”

She looks at me seriously then and says, “I really can understand that, and I am sorry about the joke, but I could not resist.” She pauses then and asks me, “What about your husband Archer fathering foals with Milo’s mares? Doesn’t that violate that agreement?”

I think about it for a minute and I tell her, “That is a special case as our family has been asked to help theirs. All of us agreed to help them and if Badger was here instead it would be his honor to provide the assistance.”

I see her nod her head, “That makes sense, I guess. Sorry for asking about it, but it was something Epona brought up to me. She was wondering if that would make Milo’s family’s foals her siblings too.” She looks over at the Militia armory and we watch two ponies raising the NCR flag in front of it. She smiles and says, “Ah that is my cue, how about we go into my parlor and have some tea? Would you like some breakfast too?”

I smile at her and tell her, “Tea would be great, and a light breakfast would be pretty good too.”

As we enter, I see an easel in the corner that is covered. I begin to walk over to it to sneak a peek and I hear Buttermilk behind me telling me, “Uh Mollygirl, no peeking. It is not done yet.”

I smile sheepishly at having been caught but my curiosity is piqued. So, I just smile at her and tell her, “Oh, ok. Sorry I am just curious to see it.”

She smiles back at me and tells me, “My friend Sutures and I have already agreed that it will not be unveiled until your husband Archer is here also. Even Epona has not seen it.”

This last part really surprises me and I tell her, “Even Epona has not seen it?”

She smiles at me with those soft cow eyes and says to me, “My friend, you know as well as I do that, she would not keep her muzzle shut about it would she?”

I laugh lightly when she says that and I reply back, “No, I guess not, but still, I would really like to see it. I saw how wonderful a job he has done with Esmoorelda, and I want to see how he did with my beloved.”

I see her smile then she tells me, “Soon my friend, have patience. Besides, don’t you think your Archer might want to see it along with you?”

I sigh and I tell her, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Then I smile at her and tell her, “Ok, I won’t try and peak. But I am still curious.”

She laughs and tells me, “That is good, learn to control it and not let it control you. I have worked with your daughter on that too.”

As we sit down for tea, I then ask her, “So have you heard anything from the Stable yet?” I sent the message out recommending you a couple of weeks ago.”

She smiles at me and tells me, “Mollygirl, while I hope that they will take me, I do worry. Especially with what my profession has been since I have come over to this world. Besides, letters take time and I am sure that they will want to meet me in person before they actually make a decision. I know I would if I was in their place.”

“That makes sense I guess,” I tell her as I sit back and relax in the chair more, leaning against the chair's wooden carved arm. “I just really hope that they do so. You have a different style than Moon Pie, but I think you two would work good together.”

I see her smile. “Thank you. I really hope so. Mollygirl I will not say I hated this job, nor was it horrible for me. But it is not something I would want to do for the rest of my life either.”

I smile at her, then something occurs to me, “Buttermilk, it’s just a thought, but if the Stable does not hire you on, perhaps you could start a private practice over in White Cloud. Most of the sutlers over there when we left were civilians who were with us on the Expedition, I am sure they could use help too.”

I see her take a sip of her tea as she thinks about it. Then she tells me, “You know that is not a bad idea Mollygirl. I just had not thought of it. But I will need to get an office if I do and get the word out. There will be a lot to do then.”

I smile at her and tell her, “Talk to Sutures about it. She set up a clinic for her and her mother to work out of there. I am sure she would be glad to give you some tips as well as suggest who to talk to.”

I see her smile at that and she asks, “You really think so?”

I nod my head, “I am sure of it, Buttermilk. Of course, if you wanted to practice this profession, or maybe just open one and manage it like this one, well I am sure we could help there too.”

I hear her sigh as she looks up at me and tells me, “I sure hope so.”

We soon change the subject and begin to talk about the trip home. I have already made provisions with Junction Town about having them transported with my battalion. Ironically it made things much easier with them waiting with us to get that permission.

“They will have your people being transported on a barge along with the artillery and service or supply units. When we get to the river. Before that, you will follow in the column just like before. If you have some wagons to move your possessions let us know so we can be prepared for them.”

She becomes serious at this and tells me, “Ok, I will begin to finalize who all is going and what we are transporting. Once I find out do you want me to just give the info to you or is it ok to give it to someone else?”

“To be honest Buttermilk, if you see me first fine, otherwise contact the Sergeant Major or Captain Pogey Bait and they will make sure we adjust as needed.”

I catch myself sitting there talking with her for another hour and finally decide I should leave when Corn Bread lets us know it is afternoon. I am also impelled to leave because after he comes into the room, all I can think of is Buttermilk's joke from earlier. Before I leave though he tells me, “Oh Colonel if you would please let your wife know we should be finished in only a few more sittings. Please have her let me know when she can show up so I can adjust my schedule.”

Again, I raise my eyebrow and my ears shift forward as my curiosity is once again raised. But I behave this time and I simply tell him, “Not a problem Cornbread, I would be glad to do so for you. I just cannot wait to see the finished product.”

He smiles back and tells me, “Mollygirl, I do believe it will be worth the wait.”

From there I head over to the armory and check in to see who is ponying the front desk today.

As I get ready to enter, I see Pressed On coming out. He smiles at me and tries to salute which gets me to return his attempt. He then says, “Good afternoon Colonel. It is good to see you again.”

I smile back and tell him “It is good to see you too. You helping to run the militia here now?”

He slowly shakes his head and tells me, “No, I hear there is a settlement that needs my help, so I am heading over to Fort Hope to assist them for a while at least.”

“That sounds good Pressed On, Lieutenant Colonel Wind Rider is a friend of mine. She is in charge of the regulars over there right now, but I am sure she could use hoof setting up a militia force there to help defend the place,” I pause for a moment as I get an idea and I tell him, “If you can wait till tomorrow, I will have my orderly Sergeant Paper Work write up a letter of introduction for you to give her. It may grease the skids a bit with getting you accepted by her battalion.”

I see him frown a little as he says, “I had hoped to get started today, but I think you have a good idea, ma’am. I will stop by in the morning if that is ok with you.”

“Sure thing Pressed On. Oh, and good job with the siege over in New Colic. I think you really made a difference.”

I see his frown start to shift to a smile as he says, “Thank you, Colonel, it is nice to hear. Well, I best get going and let you get about your business. I hope to see you again sometime Ma’am.”

“Take care Pressed On and thanks again,” I tell him as we then both go our separate ways. It was good to see him again, and at least he is consistent. Going to help out another settlement, I think to myself.

Once inside I head to the front desk and see a mare only slightly younger than me sitting there. As I approach, she smiles briefly, goes to attention, and salutes me. This surprises me, but I instinctively return her salute and tell her, “As you were.”

She sits back down and then asks me, “How can I help you today ma’am?”

In reply, I tell her, “I was just stopping by to see what has been going on with the armory here as well as to see how the troops training has been going.”

“Well Colonel, Lieutenant Summer Solstice has another of our squads out doing scout training with a squad of hers. She has mentioned to Pritchel Hole having some of our members being trained by your Lieutenant Bridge.”

This gets me to raise an eyebrow, while I think it is a good idea, it is also kind of scary thinking about more disciples of Baily Bridge and his church of wrath.

She sees the expression on my face and asks, “Colonel, do you think that is not a good idea?”

I laugh lightly as I tell her, “Oh, it is not that, it is just that Lieutenant Bridge is, how shall I say this? Uhmm, creative in his ways of mayhem and destruction. Frankly, if he wasn’t on my side, I would find him scary.”

She laughs slightly herself and tells me, “Ma’am, from what I have seen you Manesvillers are a creative lot when it comes to that. Colonel Milo and his bunch come close, but they don’t have a dragon yet,” She pauses for a second then says, “Yet.”

I begin to laugh at this and tell her, “Ya know, for some reason, I can see them trying to get their hooves on a dragon now too.”

I see her shaking her head as she says, “Ma’am, the word among the caravanners is that they already are looking.”

I simply smile and shake my head, leave it to Milo. I then tell her, “Thank you for that information, is Captain Pritchel Hole available?”

She shakes her head, then nods as she tells me, “Well not here, he is in his Blacksmith shop over yonder if you want to talk to him, ma’am.”

I smile and tell her, “No, it is not that important, but let him know I stopped by if you would.”

“Will do Colonel. Have a good day ma’am.” She tells me as she goes back to her paperwork.

I leave her office and from there I head over to the Marshal’s office.

As I enter the Marshal’s office, I overhear Beach Shake telling his deputy Tumbleweed, “Really, you should consider it. Scrap was saying just the other day that Cinnamon is lonely. We both have met her foals; remember they were the ones the Colonel’s were playing with after the wedding.”

“I know, but I am not sure if I am ready for a family yet,” the deputy replies, and he then asks, “What do you think Taser?”

It is then I notice my head MP sitting there with them, and I hear him say, “Well, I don’t think it would be too bad. But I still have to find out what it is like to be a father myself. My youngster was not born until a few months ago and I have not even seen her yet.”

Then Beach notices me and smiles warmly, “Come on in Colonel and have a seat, coffee is almost ready again.”

“Thanks Beach, I appreciate it,” I tell him as I grab a cup of coffee and then take a chair.

As I sit down Taser tells Tumbleweed, “Now there is the pony to ask about stepchildren. She has three foals as well as her own that are not even school age yet and two adopted daughters that are just old enough to start noticing the bucks. She has experience aplenty.”

I smile when he says this and I reply, “Well for me it is not that hard. I always wanted foals. In our family, every partner is a parent to every colt or filly. If something were to happen to me, well Millie would be taken care of. Same if something were to happen to Sutures. Moon Lily would still have the other parents. It is not so much about blood, but love and caring. That is the important part.”

I see Tumbleweed get up and get himself another cup of coffee, then he sits back down and asks, “But what if I am not good enough of a parent? I mean I never really had any guidance in how to raise foals.”

I nod my head to this and I take a sip of coffee myself. Then I tell him, “None of us think we are good enough. WE ALL make mistakes, but what matters is that we try and do our best. Tumbleweed, I have not known you long, but what I have seen is a stand-up stallion. You are there for this town, and I am sure you would be there for her current foals, as well as any more you might have together.”

Then I see a shocked look come across his face as he says, “Colonel, do you really mean you think she would want to have foals with me too?”

I smile as I tell him, “Tumbleweed, I cannot guarantee it, but there is a good chance of it. But even if she can’t have more for some reason, that does not mean she would not love you just as much. And I know those foals of hers could use a good male influence in their lives as well as hers. My suggestion is, give it a kick and see if it moves. The worst you can say is you tried.”

I see him think about this for a bit as the conversation shifts and the others begin to tease Beach about when he and Scrap are going to have foals. I just keep my mouth shut and smile as they carry on. He will find out soon enough if she is; once we have Sutures check her out.

Before I head back to base, I make one more stop. I see the students coming out of the schoolhouse as I approach. I wait until they have all passed, well with the exception of Epona and Tater, who when they see me come over to me. When they do this, I tell them, “You two can head back to the base if you want, I just want to talk to your teacher for a bit before I head back.”

Epona taps him on his shoulder and tells Tater, “Let’s just wait for her until she is done, ok?”

Tater smirks slightly and tells her, “Ok, but I was hoping to get home early enough to talk Pa into going to the range again.”

“Ok you two, I will see you when I get done talking to your teacher. What was her name again?”

Epona smiles and tells me, “Miss Notebook, Ma.”

I nod and thank her then head inside. Once inside the single room schoolhouse, I have to smile as it reminds me so much of the one I attended as a foal. As I enter, the older mare looks up, moves her blue mane with speckles of gray from her face. Then she asks me, “Yes, can I help you?”

“Hello, I am Mollygirl, Epona’s mother. I came to introduce myself and to thank you for all you have done for her and all of the youngsters who have come with us.”

I see her smile before she tells me, “It was no problem. I will say though that I will miss them. Especially Epona. You know she is a very intelligent mare. I have had her assist me by tutoring some of the students who were having problems as well as younger ones. She really is a natural teacher.”

I cannot help but nod my head and tell her, “I know she is very smart, in fact, she has been reading to her little sisters every night now. But I did not know she was helping you.”

She nods her head and tells me, “I am not surprised she is helping. I swear she should have had a teaching cutie mark.”

I smile and look back out the door where I see her and Tater sitting and talking while they wait for me. I then tell her, “Thank you for telling me that. She has surprised me in so many ways,” Then I pause and ask, “Is there any way you could write up a brief of what the students who are leaving with us studied and maybe how they did for their next teacher back home?”

I see her cringe slightly at that but she tells me, “Ma’am, I can write up a synopsis of what I taught them, but as soon as you are leaving, I could not do a proper review for each student. I hope that helps some at least.”

I nod my head and tell her, “That should be fine. I am sorry for asking so much more. I had not thought about it.” I stop then tell her, “Oh, and I am sorry I never made it here sooner. I always meant to.”

She nods her head with a half-smile and tells me, “Yes, I do understand, and to be honest your wife has stopped by every couple of weeks to check up on her progress,” she stops snorts slightly, and laughs as she looks down and then looks back up at me and tells me, “You know in the old days before the war, I bet she would have gone far. Mollygirl it really has been a pleasure to have her as a student, now if you do not have anything more for me, I really do need to finish cleaning up the schoolhouse so I can get home at a decent time tonight.”

I realize with that, that I have been dismissed. I smile again and nod my head as I tell her, “Ok, thank you very much for your time, and have a good night Miss Notebook.”

As we walk back to the base I talk with Tater and Epona. At the base gate, Tater smiles and gives Epona a quick hug and tells her, “I’ll see you tomorra Epona.”

“I will see you then Tater,” she replies then she turns to me, “Ma, after I am done with my homework would you like me to watch my sisters so you and mama Sutures can spend some time together?”

Her offer surprises me as much as it pleases me. I smile and tell her, “Let’s see what Mama Sutures says, but I think that would be very nice dear.”

When I tell her about Epona’s suggestion she is hesitant at first, then she agrees. We pack a quick saddleback and I tell Epona, “Dear, we are going to my normal spot and will be back in a couple of hours, ok?”

She nods her head and tells me, “That is great ma, I hope you don’t mind but I want to read to them a bit before I put them to bed for the night.”

I answer her with a simple, “That sounds good, but I do not think we will be gone that long.”

I remind her where to get help if she needs it before we leave and then Sutures and I quickly head out to my favorite spot. As I lay the blanket down, she helps me get it smoothed out on the hard dirt. Finally, I lay down with her curled up next to me as we look up at the night sky in all its beauty. As we lay there simply enjoying this time together, she asks me, “Mollygirl, should we bring Archer out here when they arrive?”

I nod my head as I tell her, “Yeah, I think so, but not the first night. The first night he needs to get to know his daughters again.”

I see her look at me funny in the darkness. Then she says, “But he spent so much time with them before we left. They should still know him, shouldn’t they?”

I take a breath and slowly let it out. Then I tell her, “Dear, they are still young enough that they may not fully. Besides, I am sure he wants to spend the time with them too.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right,” she says before she pauses and asks, “Any idea how far away they are?”

I shake my head as I tell her, “No, not really. I mean they are due next week, but I am not sure how far down the river they were able to ride the riverboats and barges.”

I feel more than see her nod her head as she says, “Yeah, that makes sense. I hope he is looking up at the sky right now too. Dear, I miss him and just wish I could share even that with him right now.”

I nuzzle her cheek and I tell her, “I do understand love. I miss him too. I only wish we could spend more time with him.”

I hear her sniffle slightly as she leans against me and she says, “Same here.” Then I feel her nuzzle my neck and begin to lightly nibble there before she kisses me on my cheek then muzzle. As she does this I shift so I can hold her better and kiss her back more easily.

Later, as we are walking back to the base, she asks me, “Mollygirl, does the idea of Archer being with Cannel and Cedar bother you at all?”

I move so I am walking a bit closer to her as I tell her, “Yes, and no. Part of me wants him all for us, but more of me just wants to help them so their family can have foals too.”

She nods her head then she asks, “Mollygirl they are going to be like family, aren’t they?”

I simply nod my head and tell her, “Yes love, they are. In fact, I already feel like they are.”

She then asks me, “So if you had a chance to, you know, with Milo would you take it?”

I let out a deep sigh and I tell her honestly, “Only if you and the family said so, and then I really do not know. Dear, I really care about him, but I also care about Cedar, and I am afraid of how much that would hurt her. But then again, I do not even see that being an option on the table.”

I faintly see her in the dark smiling at me as she tells me, “Well, who knows what the future can bring. To be honest that one night before the expedition, I never thought would lead to this. But here we are.”

I laugh lightly and tell her, “Yeah, but I am sure glad it did.” Then I lean over and give her a quick peck on the cheek just as we reach the gates.

As we are laying down for bed for the night, I remember to tell Sutures, “Oh, dear, Scrap Pile needs you to check her out tomorrow or as soon as you can.”

I hear the question in Sutures's voice as she asks, “Is she ok? What does she think is wrong?”

I smile when I tell her, “Dear she is late, and she says she is very regular.”

I hear a bit of surprise in her tone as she asks, “You mean she caught this quick?”

I nod my head and tell her, “She thinks so. So please check her and if she is not, let her down easy.”

“I will dearest,” then she laughs lightly and says, “You realize that seeing she is one of your adopted daughters, that if she is, that makes you a grandma.”

“Are you saying you would not want to be with a grandma then?” I ask her in a kidding tone.

She snuggles closer and tells me, “Nah, and neither would our spouses, they all seem very attracted to Sumac and she was a grandmother already.”

This feels like a sucker punch as I remember why Sumac no longer has a living grandfoal and I sniffle slightly. I hear the pain in Sutures's voice as she says, “I am so sorry Mollygirl, I did not mean it like that.”

I smile sadly in the dark and tell her, “I know you didn’t dear, but having talked to Epona, I have a feeling that if Ivy had lived you would still have been welcome into the family. To be honest, I hope so at least, as I would never want to lose my beautiful night colored mare.”

When I tell her this, I feel her shift as she moves closer and buries her muzzle into my fur, she deeply inhales and smells my scent as she makes herself more comfortable. Finally, she sleepily tells me, “I love you too my old war mare.”

The next morning after breakfast Sutures tells me, “I will see you later dear, I better get this done for Scrap as soon as we can.” As she heads for the base gate she stops and gives me a quick peck on the cheek and I realize how much I am going to hate having to share her attention with the others and surprise myself.

Once she is gone, I return to my office to begin another day knowing our reliefs are getting closer and another day less until we see Archer again.

Once I get to my desk, I notice a stack of mail for me. Most of it is from Junction town and the regiment HQ back in Manesville. I read all of the official mail first and respond to it as I need to. Then I have to smile when I see a letter from my family back home. I know I should wait for Sutures so we can all read it, but I open it and begin to read,

Our dearest family,

It is with a happy heart I get to tell you the news that we have another member of our family on the way. It seems that Magpie is once again in a family way according to Doula. We assume it is Badger’s again and of course he is swaggering around all proud once again. We just found out the news, so Archer does not know yet either as he left only a week ago. With how irregular the mail service is I do wonder whether the letter or Archer will arrive first.

With that, Mollygirl what were you thinking letting them use the fillies for a recruiting poster? It looks great and all but now Ginger and Xochitl are both insufferable to deal with about how come those three and the colt got one, but they didn’t. It would be funny if I did not hear of it every time Ginger looks at it. Badger liked it enough that he snagged a copy from the recruiting station in Manesville and found a frame for it. It is now in the Sitting room next to the rifle rack.

In other news Kettle Bell’s husband stopped by to talk to Badger and the rest of us last week. It seems that while you all have been gone, he has ended up having a relationship with their nanny. He came over to get advice from Badger on how to deal with a relationship like ours because he is considering proposing one to Kettle Bell. I am only telling you this as I know how close you are to her and so you do not get blindsided by any fallout from it.

While we already miss our beloved Archer, we also miss all of you and cannot wait to have you all home again. Little Shadowbuck and Woodrow are missing their sisters and have asked about them. Speaking of siblings. We have already set up a bed for Epona in Ginger’s room. She knows she has to share and says fine, but she is not sharing her carbine or buckfriend. Yes, she now says Xochitl is her buck friend. This is much to the chagrin of his mother. Persimmon just wants to keep him a colt forever it seems instead of letting him grow up. Thank the Goddesses that Xavier is here to temper her.

Please be careful during your travels home. We do not need any more excitement like you had when you left. We miss you and want you all home in one piece. We cannot wait to see you all again.

Love you all,

Sumac and family

P.S. Give Archer a hug and a kiss from us when you see him. Also, tell Milo hi for us and that we hope to see him and his family someday.

I smile broadly as I finish the letter and put it down. As I do so I look up and see Sutures leaning against the door frame with a smile on her face. I look up at her and ask her, “So, what is the news?”

She laughs slightly and tells me, “While she is not far along, she is certainly pregnant. And by the levels, I would say she is either further along than she thinks, or she could be carrying twins.”

My jaw drops at the thought of poor Scrap taking care of twins and the shop at the same time. Then I realize she has seen Sutures and I work together to take care of ours. Besides, I am sure she will make a great mother and Beach will be a wonderful father.

After she tells me this news, I show her the letter from Sumac and once she sits down, I hoof it to her. She is reading it when I hear a knock on the door and I see Paper Work is there with the tea set. He smiles at me and tells me, “AH, I see you got your letter, good. Choo Choo told me about Magpie and how excited everypony is at the farm. Congratulations on your pending newest family member.”

Sutures looks up from the letter and tells him, “Thank you Paper, I really appreciate it. Oh, and thank you for bringing tea also, would you like to join us for a cup?”

He glances at me and I give him a nod. He smiles and says, “If you would like me to, I would be very happy to join you both.”

As we sit and drink our tea, we all begin to talk about home again and how much we cannot wait to return there. Paper Work grins and tells me, “I am just so glad that Choo is not one of the scouts relieving us. I have missed her so bad and I really want to spend some time with her.”

While I smile, I see Sutures reach across from her chair and put a hoof on his shoulder as she tells him, “I completely understand. We feel that way about Archer, but duty is duty I guess.”

He smiles at her and replies, “Thanks Doc for understanding. To be honest, I was bothered by hearing your husband would be in our relief, but then again, it means we won’t be relieving him our next time out.”

When he says this, I see the expression of surprise than dread come over her face as she realizes that down the line my battalion will have to rotate through the deployment cycle again. After our tea, he gets up and heads out. I look over at her and tell her, “Soon dear we will be heading home. Again, we are bringing more friends with us.”

She looks at me sadly and tells me, “Yeah, but we are also leaving friends behind this time, and to be honest, that hurts too.”

I sigh and I tell her, “Yeah, I understand that too. But at least we understand each other. Besides, think how hard it will be for Archer to leave here when he rotates back home. By then he will be far closer to Milo’s family than we ever imagined being.”

She laughs lightly at this and says, “That is for certain.” Then she gets up, comes over to my desk, and kisses me, telling me afterward, “Thank you for being faithful even when you were hurting so bad. It does mean more to me than you know.”

I look into those beautiful blue eyes of hers and I let out a contented sigh before I tell her, “Thank you for not giving up on me, and for making me see what I had to lose.”

Just after I say this, I hear a knock on the door and see Chain Lighting standing there. I then ask him, “Can I help you?”

He nods his head, “Yes Ma’am, a courier just arrived from the 3^rd of the 1^st, I thought you might want to know.”

I nod my head and tell him, “Thanks, I will be out in a minute Sergeant Major,” I then turn to my wife and I tell her, “I will see you a bit later dear.”

She smiles and heads out the door with a slight sway of her hips and a swish of her tail which makes me look forward to the end of my work day all the more. I then get up from my desk and head out into the main room of my bunker and call out, “Ok Sergeant Major, what do you have for me?”

Dear DJ Pon3,

My Pa, our friends, and I are supposed to go to Manesville soon, however, for me, it is not my home here. I am still learning to adjust due to the events that have happened around us and how some things have changed. However, I still have my best friend Epona with me, and to me, she has come to represent home to me. If you can, will you please play Home Away from Home for me to her?

Thanks

Sweet Potato, currently in Hackamore.

Home Away from Home

We continue to wind down this arc of the story. As you can see those that Mollygirl and company will be leaving behind will still have their lives moving forward as exemplified by Scrap Pile and Beach Shake. There is also the stirring knowledge that things back home have changed and they will have to deal with those changes when they get home to Manesville.
For those who have read the description of Esmoorelda's painting in the Flying Cow previously this week, I recieved a copy of it that I had commissioned a while back and I am including it here for you to enjoy without having to go back in the story to find it:

For those who would like to hear this chapter's dedication song, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGShcsFA8dE