Sam quietly sighed as she looked around the somewhat small cottage that she had been able to secure for herself, the furniture was a little dated and there was a distinct musty smell to the air, but it was warm, it was dry… Most importantly, however, it was hers. The Griffon’s had issued her the house condition that she work in the town of new Cheyenne… At least until her money could be secured from Equestrian hands. As such, she had just spent the last five hours not only looking after her daughter but also serving as an impromptu school teacher.

There had been a time when she had considered such a job, but now having worked it… Well, she just hoped that they found a way to get her money to her soon. The children screamed, yelled, and they had made it almost impossible for her to care for her daughter and look after them at the same time. With a tired sigh she looked to the small cradle she had moved to the kitchen where her daughter now looking around with curious wonder, that little girl was what made enduring every minute of hell worth it… She wiped her eyes, convincing herself that the tears were the result of the onions she was chopping for her soup.

The news was in, the war was over… At least, the one between Luna’s forces and the Griffons. Sam knew it was likely that despite that Turner would need to go and fight in the Equestrian Civil War before he could ever return home to her… Assuming he was even still alive. The woman stopped and wiped her eyes again, leaning against the counter that looked out to the front yard of the house. The village outside was small, quite, not unlike Silver Lake in that respect. The people there were kind, helpful, and considerate. A few of her neighbors had been a great help when repairing a few things around the house, tasks that Turner normally would’ve taken care of.

Her eyes rested on the truck parked in front of her small cottage, the faded paint and emblem of the ‘Evergreen County Sheriff’s Department’ still emblazoned on the doors. Sam would keep it that way, it was Turner’s truck… She wouldn’t feel right repainting it, and in a small sense she hoped that maybe… Just maybe… It would help him find his way to their new home. Such notions were silly, she knew that, but it helped her to sleep at night rather than think of what else could’ve happened.

She sighed and looked at her wedding ring, it had been scratched and worn over the past several months. Through it all, even when she had been at the end of her rope in that god awful town near the end, the ring had stayed with her resolutely. Feeling the metal against her skin, it almost felt like Turner was still with her. To say he was her only solace would be wrong, however… Before the war Sam had been far from a religious person, but now… Now things were different. Sam turned to look at Paige, the baby was watching her quietly with her big loving eyes. Such beauty, such joy and contentment, all contained in a tiny nine pound package… How could she not believe? The woman paused for a moment, listening to the almost ubiquitous motor of a Griffon motorcycle driving by, hoping it wouldn’t wake her baby.

Sam’s attention was drawn to the window when she heard the engine stop, and she could see that whomever it was had parked behind the truck out front. She sighed, probably another messenger telling her that she had yet another shift with the little gremlins at the school house. She moved away from the window and listened to the sound of footsteps getting closer to the house, and then… Three sharp knocks on the door. Sam stayed quiet, preferred when they just leave a note, it saved her the trouble of talking to someone she had come to associate with screaming children. She wasn’t a stranger to that so much, being a mother herself, but she wasn’t inclined to listen to the screaming of other people’s children.

There were three more heavier knocks, prompting Sam to sigh. She looked at Paige and grabbed a nearby washcloth, then wiped her hands clean and draped the cloth over her shoulder for the moment. She wanted to look busy. With that Sam walked to the door and briefly looked through a frosted glass window, she could see a tall man in a military uniform standing on her doorstep and once again sighed with annoyance. She gripped the door firmly, twisted it, and yanked the door open with every intent of giving them a piece of her mind.

Any anger or annoyed words died in her throat as she laid her eyes on the man standing on the other side of the door. The deep blue eyes that she knew could only be her husbands were the first thing she noticed. His once jet black hair was streaked now with grey, much like hers, and the tired bags under his eyes were also similar to hers. Despite that, however, she recognized him in a heartbeat. Dressed from head to toe in a clean and well pressed olive drab dress uniform, his chest adorned with metals and ribbons, was none other than Paige Wilson Turner.

“Honey…” He said, smiling widely while removing his peaked cap. “I’m home.” Sam felt tears rush to her eyes as the man stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. The woman hugged him as tightly as she could, crying tears of joy into his shoulder as he kissed her forehead. She could feel tears running down his own cheeks as the two embraced in the front doorway, he was shuddering as he held her tightly. “I missed you so much…”

“I know…” Sam replied shakily, forcing herself to let go of him long enough for the man to step in through the front door and close it behind him. “I didn’t know if you were alive or dead, I was praying for the best, but…” She kissed him passionately, feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl. The admittedly old shirt and long skirt she wore was not the most flattering thing she had in her wardrobe, but to Turner… She was the most beautiful woman on the planet, and she knew it.

The two walked further into the house, to the kitchen where Sam had been only moments before. Turner grew silent and still as he laid his eyes on the cradle, and fresh tears welled up in his eyes. He had been waiting for this moment ever since he’d known Sam was pregnant, and now, now he would finally see his daughter’s face. The man approached the cradle slowly, then looked at Sam, as if unsure of what to do.

“I think it’s time the two of you met…” Sam said, pressing her hands together in front of her mouth as she too continued to cry. “Paige, meet Paige… Your daughter.” Turner quietly and carefully reached down into the cradle, slowly he lifted the infant and held her in his arms, making sure to properly elevate her head. She was beautiful, a dark patch of black hair on her head, her mother’s eyes, and Turner’s distinctive nose. All this and more was greater than anything he could’ve imagined, but when she gave him a toothless smile he broke down.

“H-Hey, there…” He said, tickling her chin slightly. Paige reached up and gripped his finger tightly, staring at him curiously while maintaining her same grin. “Do you know who I am?” His voice was practically a whisper. “I’m… I’m your daddy.” He was crying full on now, there was no point in trying to hold back the tears now. “I wasn’t here for a while, I know…” He looked at Sam before looking back to his daughter. “But I promise you this… I’m not going anywhere now.” Sam stood beside him, looking at Paige with her own small smile. “There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore… I love you, even if you can’t understand a word I say… Or more accurately, when you get older, ignore every word I say…” He and Sam chuckled honestly at that, the first laugh that either of them had shared in a long time.

Neither of them would ever forget what they had experienced during the war, Sam’s lost hearing would never return, and in addition to a bullet wound in his gut Turner would never be the same as he had been before he had seen that first Griffon diving down on Isla De Barro. Equestria had been their home, they had each given up so much for that country… Sam had given her time, her money, her piece of mind… Turner had given his strength, his skill, and, perhaps most importantly, his conscience…

Ultimately, Equestria had lost the war, but that seemed unimportant in that instant of joy. Win or lose, no matter how justified or necessary the war had been, Turner knew there were millions of lives that would never be the same now that it was over. Even more millions would never know the world without war. History would ultimately show who was right or wrong in the fight, but the fact remained that it had happened, and in all likelihood might happen again. There was no changing that, that was just the nature of the world…

Author's Note

So ends another story... I had started out this story with an intention for a different ending, but, when I looked at how Equestria would likely be set up considering how they haven't had much in the way of a major military conflict in some time, their victory seemed less and less likely. That lead to a much darker place than I had thought, but I thought it made for a better story that way...

I'd like to take a moment to say thank you for reading this, and I certainly hope you enjoyed it. I've yet to decide if there will be a sequel to this story or not, but I have a few ideas should I feel inclined to do so.

If you wouldn't mind leaving a comment, I would appreciate it. I've not had much in the way of comments with this story, and it's hard for me to improve on things if I don't know what to improve on.

Now, as I say so long for now, here's one of the songs that helped inspire me while writing this. Pink Floyd's 'The Gunners Dream'.