Silver Lake

Fall was settling in on Evergreen County, the Summer Months were coming to their close and the air was taking on a distinctly crisp sensation. The trees were going through their transformation and leaves were falling in multicolored droves, at least the ones that had leaves. The pine trees, as usual, were their usual shade of forest green, which always made the county look better in Turner’s opinion.

Sergeant Turner sat in the passenger seat of the Marshal that he and his trainee had been assigned, said Trainee was in the driver’s seat tapping his hooves on the steering wheel in an oh so cheerful mood. Deputy Silver Lining was the officer assigned to Turner for additional training, and it was rapidly becoming difficult for the Sergeant to keep his calm as the sickeningly sweet disposition of his charge. Silver Lining was barely out of high school, a scrawny looking unicorn with silvery white fur and a slightly darker mane.

Most of the new Deputies were similar in regards to their age, a good portion of them had joined because there simply weren’t any other jobs available in Silver Lake. While Turner was glad to have more Deputies in the department, he was skeptical of having people involved if all they wanted was a paycheck. He saw the Sheriff’s Department as something nobler than that… That was one of the few points Silver Lining had in his favor, he seemed to genuinely care about the job rather than the money.

“Hey, Sarge?” Silver asked, it had to be the eighth time in the last twenty minutes. Turner merely hummed as he rolled down his window and reached under the seat to withdraw his lunch in the form of a sandwich and other various items in a plain brown bag. “How’re things going? Am I doing okay? I feel like I could be doing better, we’re just sitting here.”

“Look, park duty is boring by nature.” Turner replied as he reached into the bag and withdrew a large plastic baggie filled with unshelled salted sunflower seeds from his lunch. The truck was parked midway along the road that lead to the majority of nature parks and trails in the county, the perfect location for someone in need of help to find the truck if they needed it. “Usually we end up sitting out here for a couple hours, in that time we maybe see a few ponies… You need to work on your patience.”

“Yeah… Yeah… Patience, how long with that take?” Silver replied rather impatiently, Turner put one of the sunflower seeds in his mouth and cracked it open before spitting the seed’s husk out the window and eating the inner portion.

“Kid, you have it easy. When I was in your place I would’ve killed for a chance to just sit around for a while.” Turner replied before helping himself to another sunflower seed, the familiar crack filled the cab of the Marshal before he spit the husk out the window once more. “Not only did I have to do this while driving around, I also had at least seven other things I needed to do before lunch.” The Sergeant quietly popped open another seed, repeating the process again. “I’m your training officer. You may very well end up out here on your own one day, without my cherub like self to keep you company, best to get yourself accustomed.”

Silver Lining looked over at him for a second with a thoughtful expression. As far as he knew Sergeant Turner was around twenty nine years old now, but he reminded Silver of his dad in a couple ways. Mainly the way he would say things like ‘In my day’ from time to time, but if the Sarge had any idea that was how Silver felt he wasn’t letting on. The stories about the Sarge seemed true, he seemed like the kind of guy that could’ve taken down the Grave Eagle Butcher single handedly… Which Silver assumed made other rumors about him true.

“You’re right, Sarge… Sorry.” Silver replied with a nod, the stallion quietly looked out his window at the flowing fields of grass that were now starting to die off as the air grew colder and colder. Silver Lining looked back at the Sergeant as he heard the man crack another sunflower seed with his teeth followed by the familiar spit of the husk. “While you are here though why not chat a bit? How’re things going with your flying machine?”

“Fine…” Turner said with a nod. “My fiance pitched it to a bunch of developers, they’re working on a bunch of new prototypes based on human designs… Supposed to be a big success.” Turner sounded distant and rather uninterested, casually he cracked another sunflower seed and spat out the husk before leaning his head back against the headrest.

“Doesn’t sound like you’re too happy.” Silver said bluntly, Turner looked over at him with a flat expression. “What? We’re supposed to investigate stuff and question ponies, right? This is good practice.” Turner begrudgingly nodded, though he didn’t speak and merely continued to work his way through his baggie of sunflower seeds. “So… Why do you sound like someone kicked your dog when you talk about your invention thingy being successful?”

“Things in this world just seem so easy, too easy…” Turner replied simply, narrowing his eyes. “It’s been seven, going on eight, years since I left Earth… The Sergeant closed the baggie and put it back in the brown paper sack. “Still, this place sometimes makes me feel like life’s on easy mode. Like I ain’t earned what I got….” He trailed off before looking back over at Silver with a serious expression. “That shit stays between us, Deputy. Feel me?”

“You got it, Sarge. Won’t say a word.” Silver replied with a nod, the Deputy was considering asking a couple more questions though he decided against it. “So, you hear the Griffons captured the Minotaur Capital?”

“Yup… Was in the paper this morning.” Turner replied before quietly reaching into his pocket and withdrawing his harmonica from his shirt pocket. “Word of advice, son. Start stockpiling supplies while you can, ‘cause once this war kicks off and rations become a thing you’ll be lucky to find a quart of butter in the whole damn county.”

“What makes you think the war is coming here?” Silver asked, Turner briefly stretched, prompting several loud pops to echo through the cab.

“Let’s just say the Griffs remind me of a group from Earth, and the way they been handled so far don’t rightly fill me with confidence. Far as I’m concerned, ain’t a matter of if, but when.” The man explained before he brought his harmonica up to his lips and blew a few notes.

Silver quietly reflected on what the Sergeant had said, the man was pretty knowledgeable about things but could he really predict something like a war? The song he was playing was ‘Kingdom Comin’,’ one that Silver had gotten used to after a few days working with Turner as his training officer. The Sergeant had explained it was a song from one of the many wars fought on Earth, which was odd considering its upbeat sound. The two of them sat there, both watching clock and waiting for their period of waiting on the road to end.

“Unit Two, Dispatch.” The radio chirped with the sound of one of the new Dispatcher trainees. Turner looked at Silver and nodded, prompting the stallion to grab the mic and reply.

“Go ahead, Dispatch.” Silver said, briefly looking at the Sergeant who was watching him closely.

“Reports of a Ten-Sixty-Seven along the south basin road. All other units are occupied at this time.” The dispatcher stated, Turner quickly pulled on his seatbelt as did Silver. “Caller indicates the location in question is an ‘Upscale’ house in the area… No address yet. More details to follow.”

“Copy that, Dispatch. Unit Two responding.” Silver said before putting the mic down and starting the engine, in the same motion he flicked on the lights and sirens. The stallion rapidly shifted into drive and hit the accelerator, the tires kicked up dust and gravel as the vehicle did a rapid U-Turn. Now in the right direction, the vehicle flew along the road at nearly fifty miles an hour. Turner and Silver bounced around in their seats as they went over the bumpy surface, but otherwise maintained their composure.

Recently the roads in the downtown area had been paved, and as the truck came up onto the asphalt Silver was able to put the pedal down a little further. Turner was in the meantime looking out the window, making sure that anyone on the road cleared out of the way. As the town came closer into view Silver hit the brakes only a tad to allow any carts or vehicles on the mainstreet to pull over. He went past a dozen or so new shops that had opened in the past couple months, though Turner paid them much mind at that moment.

“Unit Two, Dispatch. Have one additional unit enroute. Residence is marked by several chariots parked outfront. Caller indicates the home belongs to one Octavia Melody and one Vinyl Scratch.” The radio added, Turner quickly picked up the mic and replied with a quick affirmative. By the time he’d picked up the mic and put it back down they had blown through the entirety of the downtown area and were clear on their way towards the Horseshoe Basin. The roads had been better maintained over the last year, so Silver was able to keep up the considerable speed.

“When we get there I’ll take the lead. I’ve been to this house a few times before.” Turner said sternly, Silver didn’t argue and merely nodded. “Pop quiz… What’s a ten-sixty-seven?”

“Someone calling for help or other cry of distress.” Silver replied calmly, Turner nodded and continued to do his best from smashing his head against the roof of the Marshal. Whenever they went over a hill it felt like they were floating from their seats, every pothole shook the vehicle, but it continued on regardless. “Upi been there before?”

“Once or twice, last time was a bogus home invasion call.” Turner explained while looking at their speedometer from his seat. At their current speed it’d take them approximately fifteen minutes to get where they needed to be. He gripped his seat as they went up the large hill that peaked and went down into the basin, Silver seemed to be handling the driving aspect of the Marshal easy enough. They skidded briefly when they approached the crossroads, only slowing enough to turn on the southbound road. The river that it ran along was still close to the edge of the road as usual, Turner could see pebbles and small stones being tossed into the water as the Marshal tore down the gravel road.

Within a few more minutes they passed by a few houses, at which point Turner pointed to the correct house. Sure enough there were several chariots parked outside, as if there was another party going on. Silver pulled up the driveway and shut off the sirens, the lights remained on and the two Sheriff’s Officers unbuckled themselves.

“Dispatch, Unit Two is on scene. What’s the status on that backup?” Turner said into his hand held radio while he and Silver got out of the truck.

“Approximately five to ten minutes. EMS is on its way as well.” The dispatcher replied.

“Copy.” Turner said before nodding towards Silver. “Come on, follow me.” He could see that the Deputy was nervous, the wide eyes and somewhat trembling look about him told him as much. “Deep breaths, remember what we taught you. I’m counting on you to watch my back.”

“You got it, Sarge.” Silver said with a nod, the stallion was just as scared as the Sergeant had surmised, perhaps even more so. Up until that point they had been on simple calls, trespassing, bar fights, a couple illegal campers. This was new, and far more intense… Still, Silver saw how confident the Sergeant was, which helped to calm his nerves. He and the Sergeant began moving towards the house, the human’s boots crunched the rocks of the driveway a bit louder than Silver’s hooves. Turner had his hand resting firmly on his sidearm, though he hadn’t drawn it yet.

“Sheriff’s Department!” Turner shouted loudly, his eyes panning across the surface of the upscale house and its stucco like exterior. There was no pumping bass music, but he could hear several voices from behind the house. “Silver, go around the right side of the house, I’ll go around the left…”

“Sarge I-” Silver began.

“Damn it, I can’t hold your hoof here, son! Nut the fuck up, you can do this!” Turner said in a firm tone, Silver nodded nervously and gulped before he started moving along the right side of the house. Turner meanwhile began to go around the left, as he moved along he could hear the voices in the back of the house getting louder. They sounded panicked, but hushed, as if they were trying to remain unheard. Silver was hearing the same thing as he walked around the side of the house. Every time the grass brushed against his legs he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin, but he kept his cool regardless.

“...they gone yet?” Turner heard one voice whisper, it was followed by a brief ‘shush’. The man took a deep breath and slowly drew his weapon from its holster. A million thoughts ran through his head, his heart was pounding all the way into his ears. The image of the stallion he had shot, burned forever into his mind, was at the forefront of everything. He gritted his teeth, kept his weapon pointed towards the ground, and prayed that he wouldn’t have to use it again.

He and Silver both came around the back of the house at almost the same time, the tall grass of the plains that stretched for miles was replaced behind the house by what seemed to be a fenced off area with more domestic looking green grass. There was an in ground pool, though apparently it was covered. As Silver and Turner looked at one another their eyes looked closer towards the back of the house, there was an area of paving stones which had a grill, a firepit, and an outdoor dining table with the chairs stacked up on top. In addition there were several large stone planter boxes near the glass sliding door inside. Some decorative trees and what appeared to be a cloth gazebo of some kind were also near the doors, providing decent cover to hide out of sight. As it was Fall, most of the plants in the planters were starting to die.

Silver levitated himself up and over the fence as quietly as he could, he gestured for Turner to climb over the fence next. Turner hoisted himself up and over, knowing Silver would cover him. He landed far less gracefully than his unicorn trainee, his boots emitting a heavy thud as they made contact with the paving stones. Both Silver and Turner stood still, listening for a second before Turner began to walk closer towards the house.

“Sheriff’s Department! Y’all best come out, if’n y’know what’s good for you!” Turner shouted loudly and sternly. Silver hadn’t seen that side of him before, the stories he’d heard about the Sergeant were even more true than he thought. He was one tough son of a bitch.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” He heard a voice say suddenly and loudly from between the planters, Turner gripped his weapon tightly as he saw Silver hesitantly draw his weapon as well. The sergeant took several deep breaths, both to steady himself and to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t want it to happen again, he wouldn’t let it happen again. A young earth pony stallion with bright orange fur and a yellow mane ran out into the open, prompting Turner to take aim. “Wait! Wait! Don’t shoot! Please!” The stallion dropped to the ground.

“Damn it, Carver!” Another voice shouted before there was a loud smashing sound of glass and a pair of mare’s screaming from inside. Turner and Silver closed on the stallion who seemed to be giving up, Silver Lining cuffed him while Turner examined the cause of the noise. There were more ponies, and judging by the screaming inside this was no bogus call. Turner could see, once he was closer, that the glass shattering had been from a rock tossed through the sliding door. Inside he saw three stallions wearing ski masks.

They were all unicorns, and upon closer inspection Turner recognized two of them from their coat colorings as Silver Mallot and Bronze Hammer… The two stallions that had called in the bogus call. The third was a brilliant sheen of green. Two of them had the occupants of the house in headlocks, using them as shields.

“Stay the fuck back, biped!” The green unicorn shouted angrily, his horn levitating a knife off the ground. “We’re walking out of here!” The stallion began to move towards the door, but stopped when the sound of the second Marshal pulling into the driveway caught his attention.

“Silver, call this in.” Turner said calmly over his shoulder, lowering his weapon slightly. He looked back at the stallions while Silver began to report the situation over the radio. “Son, you best put that knife down… You’re already in a shit load of trouble.”

“I swear to Celestia! I’ll fucking slice them open!” The green stallion bellowed back, Turner bit his lower lip. He was the ranking officer on the scene, it was his job to deal with this situation. “Tell your buddy to back off, you two legged freak!”

“Silver, take that one back to the car…” Turner said over his shoulder again, he could see Silver opening his mouth. “Don’t argue with me, boy. Git!” Silver nodded nervously and hoisted the cuffed stallion up off the ground, the two of them soon disappeared out of view. “It’s just you and me now, boy…”

“You go too!” The green stallion hissed.

“That ain’t gonna happen ‘slong as you have hostages.” Turner said flatly as he slipped his weapon back into its holster, Silver Mallot and Bronze Hammer looked at one another and then to the green stallion. “You two, I busted you before haven’t I?” They nodded nervously. “Your parents got you out of that mess, but there ain’t a hope in hell for this one. Let those mares go, give yourselves up, I’ll put a word in for you with the DA.” They looked to the green stallion again, then back at Turner. “Walk. Away.”

To the surprise of the Green unicorn his compatriots quietly let go of Octavia and Vinyl, who ran out of the house with tears on their cheeks. Turner couldn’t burden himself with their emotions at the moment though, he had far too much to do and not a helluva lot of time to do it in. The green unicorn wheeled around on the two stallions and grabbed one in a headlock, then levitated the knife up to his throat.

“Hey! Hey! Let go!” Bronze Hammer yelped while his friend and the Sergeant watched.

“Shut up!” The green stallion shouted back, his eyes settled on the Deputy again. “I swear I’ll kill him! I’ve killed tons of ponies!” At that he was surprised to see Turner adjust his stance to a far more intimidating one, every inch of his over six foot tall frame seemed to become as solid as iron. Turner had faced one murderer before, one stallion that had wanted to take his life, and himself after taking that life all those months ago. Countless other criminals had come and gone over his career. He wasn’t some rookie anymore, he could read that stallion like a book, even with his ski mask on.

“You got killer in your eyes, son?” Turner asked in a gravelly voice that cut through the air like the hiss of a rattlesnake. “I don’t see it.” The unicorn with the knife looked into the human’s eyes and saw something he had never expected, a chill ran down the stallion’s spine. In the deepest reaches of his mind he recalled tale of a bipedal lawman that had killed a stallion. Such news was scarce in Equestria, the odds of there being another bipedal lawman with those eyes as cold and foreboding as the Sergeants were slim. Even with his weapon holstered, the green unicorn felt like that lumbering mountain of muscle in front of him would snap him like a twig before he ever got the nerve to attack.

The knife clattered to the floor, the unicorn kicked it away from him and let go of Bronze Mallet, Turner took his radio off his belt and gave the order for the officers outside to move in. The three stallions got on the ground and held their hooves out, willingly letting the other deputies cuff and remove their skimasks them. As Turner watched them lead out he saw Silver Lining walk in, to say the trainee was impressed would be an understatement.

“Sarge! How’d you do that?” SIlver asked, Turner merely shrugged and walked towards the door behind the suspects. When they stepped outside Turner saw the occupants were sitting near an EMS vehicle that had arrived, EMTs were tending to them. The Sergeant only memorized enough about the suspects that he could use in court, at least for the moment. He was more interested in seeing Octavia and Vinyl Scratch being tended to. The relief on their faces after what had just happened made the entire day worth it.

“Now, Silver, we get to do something new.” Turner said, patting the Deputy on the back as they walked down the steps of the house towards the trucks. “Paperwork. Hours and hours of paperwork.” Silver frowned briefly, but his sunny disposition kicked right back in and he found himself looking forward to the hours of getting to learn more from an accomplished officer like Sergeant Turner.

Of course, that was until they actually sat down to do the paperwork. Wrapping things up at the scene alone had taken two hours, interrogating, processing, and locking up the suspects had taken an additional four, and taking statements from two emotionally distressed musicians about the ordeal of being held at knife point in their own home ate up an additional three and a half.

It seemed the incident had started as a simple break in, the stallions figured the house would be empty since it was fall. The screams for help heard by a passerby belonged to Vinyl Scratch who first noticed the stallions trying to break in. The suspects had intended to go in through the front of the house, but ran to the back when they heard the sirens approaching… When confronted by officers they smashed their way into the home and… Well, the rest was pretty much well known at that point.

Despite all the confusion and chaos that had come from a busy day with a shift lasting five and a half hours longer than it was supposed to, Turner still managed to find time to call Sam and let her know that he was safe.

When all was said and done, Turner was able to get up from his desk and clock out knowing that he’d done a good day’s work. The names of the suspects weren’t that important to him now that they were in custody. Best not to give the notoriety. He walked down the steps of the Sheriff’s Office towards where his Marshal was parked. Now that he was out of the office he could let himself relax, as soon as he climbed into the driver’s seat he leaned his head back against the headrest and let out a heavy sigh. His nerves were all but shot after the day he had had, he just hoped that Silver Lining hadn’t caught on. It’d be difficult to mentor him if the stallion thought of the Sergeant as a guy quaking in his boots.

With a slight sigh Turner started the truck, the radio came on playing what sounded like a slow big band tune and the air blowing from the vents began to warm up. The man activated his headlights and shifted into drive to began the drive home, passing through downtown Silver Lake as he had so many times. It seemed, despite the day’s excitement, some semblance of a normal work routine was returning to Evergreen County’s Sheriff Department. Turner decided as he drove out past the last buildings in the town that he wouldn’t mention that he had stood off with a knife wielding maniac with his gun in its holster, something told him that if he did she’d be pretty sore at him… Rightly so.

“That was Glass Filler and his orchestra, live from the Canterlot Broadcasting Service.” The radio announced as the song came to an end, Turner looked at it briefly and considered changing the channel. He shook his head though, every now and then a little different music was okay. “Now for the news… Civil Unrest in Manehattan has arisen as the first Draft Numbers were announced. Several riots came as a result of the incident, though they were mitigated thanks to a previous increase to their Police budget. This all on the same day as the mysterious and yet unseen Griffon Field Marshal Woodham marched his forces through Downtown Minos, completing the Griffon Conquest of the Minotaur Homeland.”

Normally Turner would’ve switched off the radio and just driven home in silence, but ever since the outbreak of war overseas he had been paying attention whenever he could. Sam, for her part, had taken up buying things in bulk and making preserves. There were at least three massive wooden crates in the barn filled with canned goods, preserved fruits and jams. At Turner’s request, Sam had also ordered an entire gross of Grade A wool socks. If, or rather when, he was drafted she would be able to send extra socks if he or whatever unit he ended up in needed them. The news that the draft had started already made that degree of preparation seem more the justified.

“Tensions between Equestrian and Griffon Guards on the Trottingham Rail Bridge are at an all time high, with reports of Armored Vehicles being moved via adjacent rail tracks enmass. Despite this, negotiations between the Princesses and the Griffon Government are ongoing and prospects for peace are still hopeful. In other news… It’s a bird, it’s a pegasus… It’s a… Plane? Yes, another exciting piece of technology taken from humanity’s and Equestria’s brightest minds could have the ability to make Earth Ponies fly… Without magic!-”

“That’s enough of that.” Turner said under his breath before turning off the radio and sighing, a little while later he was pulling up the driveway and driving up to the barn behind the house. He quietly turned off the engine and sighed, after a couple minutes of looking ahead at the barn. He turned off the headlights and stepped out of the truck, briefly looking towards the barn as he closed the door. He would’ve parked in the barn if not for the fact his Ford was already occupying it, and that had only made it in after he had given the ultralight to Sam’s researchers to make room. It wasn’t like he got much use out of it anyway, he was too busy with work.

Turner locked the Marshal and walked towards the back porch, his boots crunching the ground as he saw his breath forming in the chilly autumn night air. As he ascended the frost covered wooden steps he could hear music playing inside, it sounded like some sort of electronic sound or something. Turner quietly opened the back door and stepped inside, hanging his cap up on the rack near the door. The music was louder now that he was inside, he closed the door as normal but it seemed Sam couldn’t hear him.

He walked towards the kitchen, the light was on inside and the music seemed to be coming from within. Turner looked around and noted a smashed glass on the floor, but more importantly… Drops of blood. Turner’s hand slipped to his gun, he drew it from his holster and checked the rest of the living room. Wordlessly he checked the front door, it was locked tight.The Sergeant’s expression remained neutral as he quietly walked down the hall, his weapon pointed towards the floor.

“Sam?” He called out, there was no response. All sense of fear or hesitation was gone, Sam being in danger trumped every other emotion on his list. He checked the closet, then the guest room… Both were clear, no sign of forced entry. It was trippy for him, clearing his own home. The door to the bedroom was closed, slowly Turner opened it and checked the corners. He checked the closet, the gun safe was locked up tight and all of Sam’s clothing was where it belonged. The man looked to the bathroom where he heard running water, as he got closer to the door he could make out Sam’s voice cursing under her breath. Without thinking Turner stood to the side of the door and gave it a swift kick, knocking it open with a loud thud.

“What the fuck!?” Sam shouted as Turner entered the room with his gun in hand. “Paige! The fuck are you doing?”

“Are you okay!? I saw blood in the kitchen, and broken glass, and you didn’t answer when I called out.” Turner explained, upon seeing the room was empty he tucked his spellgun back in its holster. The first aid kit was open on the counter of the bathroom, and it seemed Sam had been using it for something.

“I’m fine! I dropped a glass and cut my hand, it was bleeding pretty bad so I came in here to bandage it up. I didn’t hear you because I had the music up so loud, I guess.” Sam replied, Turner let out a long sigh of relief. Sam was in the process of wrapping her hand in gauze for the cut to her palm when Turner had entered, she quickly returned to that process.

“I’m sorry…” Turner said as he looked at the floor, his eyes were drawn to her palm which had a small patch of red forming in the gauze where she’d wrapped her wound.. “Are you sure you don’t need stitches or something?”

“Positive.” Sam replied, taking a breath of her own. She finished wrapping her palm and secured the gauze with a bit of tape, then began packing away the items of the first aid kit. “How about you? Call me crazy, but you seem like you’re wound tighter than usual. Was it really that bad at work?”

“Yeah… I won’t go into details, but suffice to say I’ve had a doozy of a day.” Turner quietly scratched his head. “I’ll go clean up the kitchen, you finish up in here, then we can talk about our days if you want.” Sam nodded and quietly tucked the remnants of the gauze she hadn’t used into the kit.

“Okiedoke!” Sam replied, Turner began to walk out of the room. “Oh, Paige!” The man stopped and looked back in. “Smile!” Turner smiled right back at her before he left the room and went to the living room, he undid his gun belt and set it on the dining room table before he grabbed a broom and dustpan resting in the corner. The man turned down the volume on the radio and changed the station over to something a little slower. The big band station was the first to come up, which seemed like a nice enough choice. With that Turner began sweeping up the glass, though his mind was still on the trip home.

“Ain’t even at war yet and they’re drafting people…” Turner said under his breath before picking up the dustpan full of glass and dumping it in the garbage. After which he grabbed some paper towels and a bottle of cleaning solution to take care of the bloodstains. “Prospects for peace my ass.”

“What was that about your ass?” Sam asked from the living room, Turner briefly looked out from the kitchen and saw she had returned from the bathroom in her favorite warm floral pattern nightgown. The bandage on her hand seemed to have stopped the bleeding, the red splotch of blood was still visible however.

“Was listening to the radio on the way home is all.” Turner explained as he finished wiping the floor clean and tossed the dirty paper towels into the trash. He made sure to wash his hands thoroughly for good measure. “Might be a good idea to order some more canned goods.” Turner wiped his hands on a nearby dish towel. The man opened the refrigerator and withdrew a plate covered in foil, then grabbed a fork and walked out of the kitchen. Sam smiled at him as he came up and kissed her softly on the lips.

“I’ll stop by the general store and make the order then.” Sam replied as Turner pulled back from the kiss and walked to the dining room table. Sam followed him and sat at the seat across from him, watching as he removed the crinkling tin foil from the plate. “I’ve been doing some more checking on things for the wedding. How do you feel about May?”

“I think it’s a nice month, especially if you want to do the ceremony and everything in Canterlot.” Turner replied as he looked over his plate, Sam had made some of her signature fried chicken it seemed as well as mashed potatoes and green beans. Oddly enough, they were still somewhat warm, as if they’d only been in the fridge for a short time. “The weather’s sure to be great, Canterlot weather patrols top notch.” Turner smiled at her across the table before picking up the chicken leg on his plate and starting to eat his particularly late dinner.

“Great!” Sam said with a smile of her own. “The caterer said things would be good for then too, and the florists…” Sam trailed off. “Is there anything you want? I’ve been so caught up recently it totally slipped my mind.”

“I don’t need much, Sam. Hell, I’d marry you in a potato field if that’s what you wanted.” Turner had finished off the chicken leg and was working on his potatoes. “Though, I do have a question, something we haven’t talked about that we should. At least, it’s important to me.” Sam raised an eyebrow at him. “How do I ask this…? Uh… Best to just ask it. Do you want to change your last name?”

“Huh?” Sam paused for a second before she hummed. “I suppose I hadn’t thought about it. Let me try it out for size.” The woman leaned on the table as Turner continued to eat the food on his plate. “Misses Samantha Turner… Nah.” The woman smiled faintly. “I’m just kidding, I think it’s a nice idea.” Turner smiled back at her, then noted a slight sigh. “I used to think I’d be getting married on Earth, with my family around… Even if they did drive me nuts. The more I plan, the more I think about them…”

“I know what you mean, even if things weren’t the best between my mom and me I’d still want her there.” Turner admitted, setting his fork down on the now empty plate. The two of them sat there for a few minutes in silence, the radio playing softly in the background. Sam quietly reached across the table with one hand while she wiped her eyes with the other. Turner squeezed her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I just… Wish they were here.” Sam quietly looked at the table. “I miss them.” The woman quietly sighed and wiped her watering eyes once again. “I can practically imagine every way they’d make planning things difficult, but… I…” Turner quietly stood up from his seat and walked around the table to sit beside Sam. She leaned against the Sergeant, feeling his arms wrap themselves over her shuddering form. “I didn’t mean to get so emotional, I’m just tired.”

“It’s our house… If you want you go ahead and be as emotional as you damn well please. I know I will.” Turner said, running a hand over her head. Sam could hear a slight hitch in his voice, yet he still held her firmly. Eventually the two of them would make their way to bed, for that moment however they sat together and shared both each other’s comfort and sadness. A wedding would usually be a happy occasion, but it seemed for the both of them their upcoming nuptials would be bittersweet.