Four thirty in the a.m. of the next morning, which was a Saturday, the conductor of the Friendship Express slid open the cabin door and loudly announced to the three sleeping mares that the steam train would be arriving in Vanhoover within thirty minutes time. When Airmail, the lightest of the three sleepers, rolled over from the other two pegasi and grunted in reply, the stallion then moved on to the next cabin.

A second later and Wildfire woke from her amazing snuggle-fest of a dream, excited like a little filly on Hearths Warming Eve. “Airy!” She squealed happily, “Stormy!” Her squeals of joy were palpable even before she was wide awake. “I saw you! I saw you!” She was still squealing when Airmail grabbed the blind mare in her hooves for the first kiss of the day. “I really did see you! All of you!” With that she peppered the azure blue mare’s face with kisses.

“That you did,” Airmail beamed and returned every single kiss she was given in kind. “And we saw you too, pretty eyes.”

Now awake herself, Tempest also moved in for her kiss. Not usually compos mentis until the afternoon, it was only Wildfire’s seemingly boundless joy and happiness that roused the weather pony. “I can’t believe that happened!” Wildfire squeaked and bounced on the bunk in between kisses, “that was the best thing ever, really ever!”

“I told Mapper you wanted to really see us,” Airmail said with a very wide smile. It was hard not to, Wildfire was infectious. “I thought she might know some unicorn magic, but that was way better.”

Tempest nodded as she once more kissed Wildfire’s lips. “Luna did a very nice thing there.”

Wildfire finally stopped bouncing on the bunk bed in the cabin. Her joy was literally like a wild fire, infectious and all-consuming, and with good reason. Thanks to Mapper and Luna, her dreamscape had been merged with her herd-mates and she had actually seen them. “You all did an amazing thing. Seriously it’s beyond any words.”

Tempest didn’t know what to say, after all what could she say that hadn’t already been said? To see her blind lover so enthused was word enough. Ultimately she settled with just; “Thank you, Wildfire.”

“Let's get our stuff together and grab a coffee before we get there,” Airmail smiled, “I know Stormy is only pretending to be awake.”

“Ha, ha, ha.” Tempest replied in a snarky tone, though secretly she was glad of the subject change and she did need her dose of lifeblood. “To coffee!”

“Now you mention it, I could use a coffee.” Wildfire then did a happy little hoof dance, still very hyped up from her dream experience. “I saw my marefriends!”

“Yes, but you didn't see Airy's best part.” Tempest smiled and gave Wildfire’s ear a loving lick as she led the way to the club car in search of her much-needed sustenance.

“Well, that can be for next time.” Wildfire countered almost immediately, her enthusiasm not quenched for a second. “Mistress said there'd be a next time…” she bounced all the way to the club car. “I'm so looking forward to next time! Whoooo!” Tempest couldn’t help but giggle from her lead position. “I am never gonna forget opening my eyes and seeing you all!” The little yellow mare smiled a huge smile. “Oooh I could die happy right now!”

“No you can't!” Airmail exclaimed from the back of the line, “I need to get a policy on you before you go.”

Wildfire joined Airmail in her giggle fit as Tempest guided her to a table with a familiar mare already sat enjoying her morning drink and the violet weather pony proceeded to order coffee for everypony. “Good morning,” Willow greeted the trio with an easy smile. “I thought I'd see you off.”

“Hey Willow!” Wildfire, instantly recognising the pea green mare’s soft voice, wrapped her hooves around the earth pony for a huge hug and equally huge kisses. “Good morning!”

Willow simply smiled at Wildfire’s greeting and returned the hug just as tight – she was an earth pony after all – and nuzzled her cheek. “I wanted to thank you all again and hope that your travels go smoothly.”

“Ahem…” Wildfire pulled herself off of Willow with a deep blush. “Ah, sorry about that, I'm just super excited. And it was no trouble, I was glad to be able to help.”

“I don't mind,” Willow smiled and nuzzled the blind mare again. If there was one pony on earth who she would allow to tackle-hug her, it was Wildfire. “I hope that if you visit the Empire you look me up. I'll be sure to find you a nice place to stay instead of a hotel.”

“We'll take you up on that Ms. Willow, thank you.” Wildfire took a welcome sip of her coffee. “You looking forward to it?”

“I was looking forward to it,” Willow replied, “but now I can't wait to get there!”

Wildfire took another sip of her coffee and giggled, “we're just what Tempest needs, two excited mares early in the morning.”

That comment didn’t even register on the radar of Tempest’s consciousness. It was four forty five a.m., she downed her coffee in one swallow and ordered a re-fill immediately as the first one didn’t even touch the sides. “Don't mind me, just sleep walking here.”

“We wish you well too, Willow.” Airmail rolled her brown eyes at Tempest. “Just be careful when Princess Cadance asks you to try out her new MiAC line of items.”

“I'll take that under advisement.” Willow said with a wink at the azure blue mare’s giggle, “Maybe.”

“Her MiAC stuff is cool,” Wildfire put in, “I bought some supplies the other day.”

“What pony doesn't?” Asked Willow seriously as she drained her jasmine tea.

Airmail giggled again, “Maybe a Librarian?”

Wildfire couldn’t help herself. “What about a really sexy naughty Librarian who punishes late returns?”

“You don't need to share all of your fantasies, Wildfire.” Tempest groused as she drunk her second coffee in two swallows.

“Fine, Miss Grumpy,” Wildfire raspberried Tempest, “I'll keep my sexiness to myself.”

Tempest was about to fire off a hasty nasty retort when Airmail caught her eye and shook her head. The violet mare had to take a very deep breath and remind herself that one; it was still early in the morning and two; Wildfire was a morning pony and she had just had a very, very wonderful surprise so she was understandably excited. “I thought you were the sexy naughty maid who misses chocolate chips on the table?”

“Oh I am,” Wildfire sniggered, missing the sarcastic tone in Tempest’s voice, “and you're the sexy Mistress who aids and abets the chocolate chips by flicking them away.”

Tempest shrugged and giggled, her mood all of a sudden improved when the caffeine hit her system. “Not my fault I have a twitchy wing due to your sexiness.”

“Uh huh,” Wildfire giggled as Willow burst out laughing at the exchange. “You see what I have to live with, Willow?”

“I do, and I can understand your complaint.” Willow laughed died to a snicker. What she saw was a very loving threesome between mares who cared very much for each other. “Since you're not dealing with that right now.”

“You get used to it,” Wildfire smiled and she drained her mug, “there are worse places to live.”

“Now, that I do understand.” Willow lifted up and tapped her empty tea cup to Wildfire’s own. “To new beginnings.”

“Yuppers, I'll drink to new beginnings.”

Airmail and Tempest both joined in with the toast as the train began to slow down. “We need to get our stuff from the cabin.” Airmail smiled as she stood up from the table. “It has been a pleasure as always, Willow.”

Tempest leant in to offer the pea green earth pony a genuine nuzzle. “Happy trails to you.”

“I hope it goes well hun.” Wildfire also nuzzled Willow’s cheek. “Be awesomes!”

A very short trip back to the cabin later for their stuff was completed when Airmail and Tempest loaded up both of their saddlebags on each other’s backs and checked to make sure everything was packed away. A moment later and the Friendship Express steam train pulled into the station at Vanhoover.

When the three mares stepped off of the train to the noisy crowded station amid clouds of billowing steam into the early morning northern chill, they were greeted by a couple of widely grinning middle aged ponies. Wildfire sniffed and smelled this strange air. She could pick up a definite oceanic salty tang in the air. “Hello Airy,” she heard a stallion’s voice, “glad you made it.” She couldn’t see, but Airmail was engulfed in a hug.

Wildfire next heard a mare’s voice, as heavily accented as the stallion was. “Welcome home Airy, it’s good to see you again Stormy.” The blind mare heard the unmistakeable sounds of ponies being hugged and suddenly she wanted one too. “And this must be Wildfire!” The strange new mare then gave her a hug as well.

Wildfire smiled a wide smile. “That's me!” She said as she returned the hug to the new mare. She couldn’t tell much, but she was definitely a pegasus.

“Thanks mom.” Airmail stepped back and looked her mother and father over as they both hugged Wildfire. For sixty eight, her mother Bluesky looked good it had to be said. Her pale blue coat and feathers had streaks of white in it now, as did her father’s wheat coloured coat. Rye was seventy two though, but as an earth pony he was as strong looking as ever. “I’m glad both of you could meet us.”

Rye nodded and brushed his white streaked blonde mane from his green eyes following the enthusiastic hug from Wildfire. “The others will see you later, as they didn't want to wake up this early.”

Bluesky smiled generously, “Let’s get your luggage, we have the farm cart waiting.”

Wildfire giggled, “Neither did Stormy. It’s cool to meet you at last.”

Rye smiled as he took the saddlebags from Airmail and Tempest, the old earth pony lifting them like they were nothing. “Always nice to see a herd grow. I take it Mapper and Serenity couldn't make this trip?” He asked his daughter.

Airmail shook her head, “Serenity needs to be back to work on Sunday night.”

“It’s also awesomes of you to meet us,” Wildfire spoke up as they turned to walk off the rapidly emptying station towards the carpark – Tempest as ever leading the way with a flick of her black tail under the yellow mare’s nose, “Airy's told me all about you.”

“Nothing too bad I hope…” Bluesky smiled slyly and shot Airmail a sideways look.

“Mom!”

“Yes,” Rye chuckled as they walked in the early morning dawn, the slight northern chill not bothering him in the slightest. “She just loved farming as a filly.”

“Dad!”

Wildfire giggled, “Well, nothing really bad anyways.”

Tempest snickered from the head of the little group as she walked alongside Rye. “Nor did I say anything bad either lest Airy air my family’s dirty laundry.”

Bluesky nudged Wildfire’s barrel good-naturedly and she draped her wing over the younger mare’s side as they walked. “They did tell you how the two of them met I hope?”

Wildfire nodded with a wide smile on her muzzle. “Stormy told me how Airy took a shot at the very annoying weather pony.”

Rye laughed out loud at that. “What better way to increase the herd than to make sure they can't get away.”

Tempest snickered as they walked along. The slight chill in the air was helping to keep her awake. Celestia hadn’t even lifted the sun yet. “Helps to have a unicorn accomplice.”

In the distance behind them, the Friendship Express gave an almighty whistle and in a billow of steam pulled away from the Vanhoover station on its way to the Crystal Empire. Wildfire let out a giggle. “I'm doing well I think, Airy hasn't shot at me yet.”

Tempest couldn’t resist that. She’d been allowed a free shot at an open goal and by Luna was she going to take it. “You were lucky in that hostage situation the other day. She can be deadly with a paper clip and a rubber band.”

Airmail pouted like a filly. “Ha, ha, ha. Very funny…” she was about to explain herself when her dad interjected quickly.

“Lunch was late, I take it?”

“Yuppers,” Wildfire admitted, laughing out loud as she remembered back to that Monday when she had taken a break from her solo shopping trip to have a coffee in Caffeinated’s coffee shop. That ‘hostage’ situation had been thankfully been resolved with the delivery of food. “It was my fault Mr Rye,” Wildfire dredged the name up from her memory. “I held it up. Luckily the food was delivered and her hostage was released safely.”

Airmail rolled her brown eyes. “You've been reading Lavender's Hoofbook page.”

Bluesky giggled, her wing conspicuously still over Wildfire’s back. “It is an entertaining page.”

“Are you four going to fly back?” Rye asked pleasantly as they all reached his beaten and battered old white ford pickup truck, affectionately called ‘The Cart’, amongst the family as it was older than most of them.

“Can we Airy?” Wildfire bounced eagerly, “I'm up for a flight.” She certainly was, after hours and hours cooped up on the train, exciting as that was, she was keen to spread her wings.

Tempest took one look in ‘The Cart’s’ back seat and imagined herself sleeping while the wheat coloured old earth pony farmer drove back to the family farm. Her mind was made up for her. “I'll ride back with Rye.”

Bluesky snickered, knowing full well of Tempest and her aversion to mornings. Thankfully the sun was by now starting to rise. She knew it would be fully up by the time they reached the family farm. “Okay, let’s go!” The old pegasus took off into the lightening morning sky and as Wildfire wasn’t wearing her flight suit, Airmail flicked her with her summer green tail and lifted off too. Smiling broadly, Wildfire spread her wings and took off, flying quickly alongside Airmail’s right side. “Raindrop couldn't make it.” Bluesky said when they were in flight, “Grain is still living with us, and Silver will be in for breakfast.”

“Well, you can’t always get out of work.” Airmail commented to her mother as she flapped her wings at a steady pace. To Wildfire she explained, “Raindrop does weather work over in Baltimare.”

“Oh cool,” Wildfire started, wanting to sound like she was paying attention as she flew along, “like Stormy?”

“Yes, Wily.” Airmail smiled, she could see from Wildfire sniffing about and flicking her ears in all directions she was trying to take in every new scent and sound of her new surroundings all at once. To her mother she asked, “What about Sundown?”

“Your brother will be in for dinner tonight, Airy.”

“You still in business, Mom?” Airmail asked the question that had been burning in her brain since she had gotten off of the train.

Bluesky banked roughly twenty degrees and angled herself to show off her body to her daughter. Specifically her undercarriage to her daughter. “What does it look like?” The older mare asked with an amused smirk.

One look at her mother’s larger-than-normal-for-a-pony teats that were swollen with her milk answered her own question for her. “You're still in business,” she said with a delighted giggle, licking her lips in anticipation. “How is Grain doing?” She decided to change the subject and she asked about her other brother instead.

“He has pretty much taken over the farm.” Bluesky replied with a fond smile. “Let’s Rye sit at the coop and play checkers.”

Flying quietly alongside the two older mares, Wildfire was happy for a few moments to be silent as she was thoroughly enjoying the salty tang of the nearby ocean air, the chill of the north and the general sounds and scents out here in Equestria’s north-west. She hummed ‘Prettiest Eyes’ to herself, as was her happy habit, and would’ve stayed quiet had a thought not occurred to her. “Glad to be back home, Airy?”

Airmail nodded with a comfortable smile. “It is nice to be home and visit, yes.”

“But, farm life is a bit dull.” Bluesky let out a bright giggle.

Wildfire thought about that for a brief moment or two. At one time in her life she would’ve hated ‘dull’. Now she rather craved it. “After this past week Ms. Bluesky, I could handle dull for a few days.”

“Nothing like watching grain grow!” Airmail laughed and nudged Wildfire’s barrel with her forehoof as they flew along. She could quite easily understand where her little lover was coming from. “You can go out every few minutes to see how much taller it has gotten.”

“Hmm…now you mention it, I think I'd rather tackle a decent fire…”

“You can tackle the fireplace,” Bluesky interjected, the mother in her didn’t like the sound of the blind pony anywhere near fire at all. “But, I would recommend there is no fire in it at the time.”

“I ah, I hadn't written about your new job yet, Wildfire.” Airmail put in with the red tinge of a blush colouring her azure blue cheeks.

“That's alright, Airy.” Now Wildfire understood the tone in the much older pegasus’s voice. The ‘motherly’ tone. She remembered it from her own mother and she was sure that every mother had it in their arsenal. “I'm a firefighter, Ms. Bluesky,” she explained proudly.

“That is a very dangerous line of work.”

Wildfire couldn’t help but smile. There was that tone again, and deep down she loved it, that ponies cared about her. “I worked for the Canterlot Residential District fire team as a reserve before my accident, and I start work for the Manehatten team soon.” She grinned, “Yuppers, it is dangerous, but that's half the fun.”

“Well,” Bluesky said, “my job isn't even slightly dangerous. Rye's not much more now that Grain has taken over.”

“Not every job has to be dangerous to be worthwhile, Ms. Bluesky.” Wildfire said with a smile, “I gotta say though, dancing with the fire is a thrill, and I can’t wait to get back to it.”

Airmail frowned at her mother, and the two older ponies shared the same frown. “I think she just wants to see me worry.” Thankfully, the landscape beneath them was changing from an urban sprawl to open farmer’s fields and that took the lead editor’s mind off of Wildfire and her new job.

Wildfire giggled. She too had picked up on the changing scents around her. Along with the ‘city’ smells of car fumes and the salty ocean air, now there were other smells creeping in. Straining, she was sure there was wheat underneath her. “Airy, I know what I'm doing.”

Now Airmail laughed at that. “That's what Stormy said.”

Bluesky saw their old farmhouse approaching them from the middle distance as they flew nearer to it. “We have a thousand acres,” she announced with pride, “And the herd is up to twelve now.”

“You're not missing much, Wily.” Airmail smiled as they flew over the sprawling fields of crops and produce. “Endless fields of wheat, rye, alfalfa and corn.”

Wildfire was impressed. A thousand acres was…well, she didn’t know how big it was, but it certainly sounded huge. “That’s big! I bet Stormy would like the alfalfa,” she giggled, thinking on Tempest’s particular scat fetish.

“She hasn't complained in the past,” Bluesky commented with a wry grin, also well aware of her daughter’s herd-mate’s kink. “We're here.”

Airmail nodded and thought about her earth pony brother for a moment. “Grain's oldest is due soon, isn't she?” She asked her mother.

Bluesky nodded, “not for another month.” With that she began to descend to the old farmhouse, aiming for the space just in front of the white weather beaten wooden door. Airmail also began her descent, moving in front of Wildfire and flicking her summer green tail under her nose so she could follow them both down.

“We're here?” Wildfire asked all surprised when they landed. She folded her yellow wings away to her barrel and felt the earth and dirt under her hooves. “That was quick!”

“Looks like nopony is up yet.” Bluesky commented as she hoofed open the white door to the battered old farmhouse, which opened with an obligatory creak. “Can I get you both some drinks?”

“Could I have a black coffee with two sugars please, Ms. Bluesky?” Wildfire asked as she entered the farmhouse behind Airmail, as always following the familiar scent, trusting it to steer her right in the unfamiliar surroundings. She rather liked this old building though. The creak of the wooden floorboard under her hoof and the smell of home baking went a long way to relaxing her.

Bluesky nodded. “That’s easy to do, we put a pot on before we left.” Getting the mugs and the coffee ready, the old pale blue pegasus poured out the boiling water before turning to her daughter with a sly smile. “Like some milk in yours, Airy?”

Licking her lips, Airmail subconsciously looked down at her mother’s heavily swollen teats. “Please, mom.”

“It will be a little bit for Rye and Stormy to get here.” Bluesky giggled as she noticed where her daughter was looking and moved her hind legs so she could get a better look. “You want to help me hook up, Airy?”

“Mom!” Now Airmail coloured up in a very, very bright red blush. “I aaaaah…”

Wildfire was a little puzzled at that. It was so strange to hear Airmail so flustered. “S'up Airy?” She asked as she sniffed her out and laid a yellow wing over her larger marefriend’s back.

“Ooooh, I get it.” Bluesky snickered as the bit dropped. “Wildfire, did Airy not tell you what I'm doing for a living?”

“Um,” Wildfire shook her head. “No, I don't think so.”

Airmail suddenly found the sanded wooden floorboards very interesting indeed. “It um…it never came up.”

“Aaaah,” Bluesky teased playfully, “My Airy is blushing!”

“Mom!”

Bluesky walked over, making sure her hooves clopped on the hardwood floor so that the little blind mare could track what was happening, and lovingly nuzzled Airmail’s glowing cheeks. “I'm a milk mare, Wildfire.”

Wildfire did indeed track the movements with her ears and she smiled, “I imagine Airy's cute when she blushes,” she giggled, “Milk mare? That's cool!” The little blind mare had never met a milk mare before, but she knew of them of course, and she understood now why Airmail blushed, given her milk fetish.

“I was a weather pony until Raindrop was born,” Bluesky explained as she quickly gave Airmail a second affectionate nuzzle before moving over to the corner of the rustic farmhouse kitchen that was hers. Between the expansive aga and the counter worktops was a large padded cushion and milking machine. “And it turns out I'm more then well endowed. Of course, now I'm only producing four gallons a day. Airy helped me with my excess back then, up until she left.” Bluesky laid herself down on the cushion on her side, exposing her belly to the room. “Come on over Wildfire and have a feel. You can see why I gave up weather duty.”

“Alrighty,” Wildfire smiled eagerly. She had paid attention, and she knew where the old pegasus mare was laid now. “If it’s okay, may I have that feel Ms. Bluesky?”

“Please do and feel free to taste too,” Bluesky smiled, “just leave some for Airy.”

Airmail stepped close to Wildfire and kissed her ear. “It's mom's goal to get my whole herd to have a taste.”

“I believe Wildfire is the only one from your mare's group that hasn't,” Bluesky commented, “And you have how many now in your herd?”

“Wily makes the twenty-first.”

Bluesky nodded. “So I just have twelve more to go.”

“Alrighty, I will thanks.” Wildfire said to Bluesky as she sniffed and followed the distinct scent of home baking bread mixed with milk and when she was close to the older mare she knelt down and ran her hooves experimentally over her pale blue barrel, feeling her way down to her swollen teats and when she was there she lowered her head to where her hoof was and took a nipple in her mouth, giving it a suck.

“Mmmmm,” Bluesky purred like a kitten almost the instant the diminutive pegasus wrapped her lips around her hard left nipple and she felt her milk be drawn out and swallowed. “I still like that better than the machine.”

Sucking delicately on the nipple, Wildfire found she didn’t have to apply much pressure to get at the milk, which she found was sweet and a little nutty, with an almost vanilla-like flavour to it. After a few minutes and she’d drunk her fill, Wildfire pulled off and stood up. “That was really nice, Ms. Bluesky, thank you.”

“No problem, dear.” Bluesky smiled, she rather liked this little pegasus, a lot. She was everything that her daughter had told her and a little more besides. “Your turn Airy and then you can get me hooked up.”

Wildfire licked her lips as she stood aside to make room for her marefriend to get in, very nearly walking into the roughly hewn kitchen table. “I can see why you have such a milk fetish Pretty, that’s well nice.”

“What are you plans while you're here?” Bluesky asked Wildfire while Airmail knelt and got herself a good drink before wiping down the teats when she was finished and hooking up the milking machine and switching it on.

“While Airy was busy feeding me celery on the train,” Wildfire said, emphasising the word ‘celery’ with a definite shudder, “her and Honey did mention a harbour and a whaling tour.”

“Oh yes, this is the right time of year for that.” Bluesky grinned as she thought about that, and noticing the shudder, she asked her daughter, “Am I to take celery off the menu?”

“Peaches too.” Airmail added quickly, “Some mares are just soooooo picky.”

“Yes, thank you!” Wildfire squealed happily, “And I am not picky…except with celery and peaches.”

“She does do a better job at keeping her hooves clean at least.” Airmail commented and her mother broke out laughing at that, knowing full well of her ingrained phobia.

Wildfire giggled brightly, “As it happens Ms. Bluesky, I am rather awesomes with hooves.”

Bluesky sighed happily as the milking machine drew her milk from her teats. “I'm guessing that from my Airy's comment.”

At that moment, with the sun now risen high in the sky, two earth ponies entered the weatherworn old farmhouse. A caramel coloured stallion and a hazelnut coated mare. Airmail greeted them both with an affectionate nuzzle and a familiar hug. “Hello Grain, Hayseed.” To Wildfire she made the introductions, “This is my oldest brother Grain, and his wife Hayseed.” The azure blue mare then gestured to the little yellow pegasus, “This is Wildfire, part of my triad with Stormy.”

Grain brushed his blonde mane from his eyes and greeted the diminutive mare with an easy smile. “Pleased to finally meet you at last.”

“The same,” Hayseed smiled and offered Wildfire a nuzzle of greeting.

While Wildfire was busy feeling both of the earth pony’s faces and getting to know them, a turquoise coloured teenage earth pony colt clopped his was way yawning down the stairs. “Good morning grandma Blue…” he saw Airmail standing in the large kitchen and his sleep bleary eyes widened, “Oh, Hi aunt Airmail! Is...ah...is breakfast ready?”

“Not yet,” Bluesky answered her grandcolt with a smile as the milking machine carried on its work. “Maybe Grain will take care of that and you can help?”

Grain nodded, “Everypony okay with oatmeal for breakfast?” The earth pony farmer asked the room and Airmail giggled at the question.

“What you giggling at Airy?” Wildfire asked curiously as she finished her hooves on inspection of the two farm ponies. “I'm more than fine with oatmeal, Grain.”

“You didn't announce that your Wily sense detected oatmeal.” Airmail replied, still giggling like a filly.

“Oh well, sometimes it doesn't work as good as it should,” Wildfire blushed, “I think I'm losing my touch.”

Teasingly, Airmail giggled some more before she realised that nopony had as yet introduced the teenager to Wildfire. “The colt is River, Grain and Hayseed's foal.”

“And like any teenager,” Hayseed the hazelnut earth pony smiled, “It’s stomach first chat later.”

“That’s cool.” Wildfire turned her head this way and that as she heard the sounds of multiple ponies moving about in the farm’s kitchen. After a few attempts she gave up trying to keep track of them and what they were doing, content to sit on her haunches next to the table. “And you're cute when you giggle, Pretty.” To the sound of Hayseed’s voice, Wildfire turned her head. “That sounds awfully like Airy, River isn't going to hold us hostage, is he?”

Hayseed tilted her head to one side, a puzzled look on her face. “What?”

“Inside joke, Hayseed.” Airmail explained quickly for the earth pony’s benefit.

“Oh.” Hayseed didn’t get it, then again she wasn’t on Hoofbook so she obviously had missed Lavender’s post. “Grain thinks he is a great cook, and I'm not going to argue with that.” She grinned as her husband and her son got to fixing the breakfast for them all. “River seems to like helping out in the kitchen.”

Wildfire glanced down at the floor, “I'm not a great pony in the kitchen,” she murmured like it was obvious. “I'm alright helping out though.”

Airmail caught the self-deprecating gesture and immediately nuzzled Wildfire’s cheek to cheer her little lover back up. “She is high maintenance however. We now have a table cloth.”

Bluesky giggled at Airmail’s tone, a tone that said it was a matter of pride to own such a thing as a table cloth. “So, you finally learned to eat without making a mess?”

Now, it was Airmail’s turn to investigate the hardwood floor and she rubbed her left foreleg with her right. “No...”

She knew from the proximity of her scent that Airmail was close to her and Wildfire gave her the nuzzle she thought she needed. “Well, we haven't actually used the tablecloth yet, but it’s nice to know it’s there.”

“On other news we plan on moving soon to a bigger place on the island.” Airmail announced to the ponies in the kitchen, keen to change the subject.

That caught Bluesky’s attention. “Oh?”

“Mapper and Serenity will be joining us, and what we each have now won't fit five.” Airmail forged ahead and paused to give her little lover a tender kiss then she whispered loudly, “or more.”

Wildfire returned the kiss and squealed excitedly. “Serenity and I are going to have foals!” She burst out, unable to keep it in any longer.

“Woah,” Hayseed expressed, somewhat disbelieving of this news. “That is a big step!”

Bluesky however was immediately happy, for Wildfire and for her daughter. “That’s welcome news as the herd will get bigger.”

“I’ve been dreaming about it since forever,” Wildfire bounced happily, now in a supremely good mood and not caring who saw it and to what extent while Grain and River were busy with the breakfast. “Now it’s gonna happen!”

“I'm happy for you all.” Bluesky smiled a smile of thanks when Hayseed helped her out of the milking machine once it was finished with its work. “It is nice to have little ones running around the place.”

“Yeah,” Hayseed groused playfully, “Especially when you encourage them and I have to clean up afterwards.”

“I really can’t wait.” Wildfire giggled at Hayseed’s laugh, “I've got aunty Airy and Stormy helping out on cleaning duty.”

“Changing duty is something she is very good at.” Bluesky commented as she stood up from her cushion and made her way over to the very large table just as her son and grandcolt were serving out the freshly cooked oatmeal into the many bowls they had ready. “Grain! Are you listening?”

From the stove, his mane frazzled by the heat, Grain shot back, “Sister Airy hasn't changed my nappy in well over a week.”

“I’m gonna have to hit her up on tips for nappy changing.” Wildfire nuzzled Airmail’s cheek before she was nudged towards the table and she took her seating pad there. “My foal’s gonna be a lucky filly with all these aunts looking out for her.” During the breakfast that Grain and River served up on the table, and which the two earth ponies joined Bluesky and Hayseed in eating, Stormy and Rye eventually showed up.

Eating quietly along with the others, Wildfire greatly enjoyed her oatmeal, thankful at least that there were no peaches in it this time. “This is really nice, thanks Grain!”

Grain smiled as he looked up from his seating pad next to his wife. “You’re very welcome, Wildfire.”

“Good,” Rye beamed a wide smile as he and Tempest walked through the door and into the kitchen to be greeted by the scent of hot oatmeal. “Just in time.”

“Nothing like breakfast after a good nap.” Tempest agreed as she took the empty pad to Wildfire’s right side.

“You had a nap?” Wildfire asked with a smile, while River got up from the table and quickly fetched his father and Tempest a bowl each of steaming hot oatmeal. “You only just woke up!”

Tempest merely shrugged and made a non-committal grunt of thanks when the turquoise earth pony set the bowl in front of her. “Morning doesn't begin until after the sun has risen.”

Wildfire giggled after swallowing a mouthful of her oatmeal. “If you say so, Honey.”

“I know so.” Tempest grumped with her mouth full. “Where is Raindrop, Silver Cloud and Sundown?” She asked after the rest of Airmail’s family that were absent once she had swallowed.

“Rain couldn't make it over from Baltimare,” Bluesky answered the violet weather pony’s question. “Silver will be here for dinner and Sun will be in later today.”

Taking a welcome invigorating sip of the coffee that had been prepared for her, Tempest at once felt perked up. “Airy tell you I traded her in for a younger model?” She asked, playfully nudging Wildfire’s side.

Wildfire swallowed some oatmeal she had in her mouth and reached for her black coffee that Bluesky had prepared for her. “Aw, bad luck Airy!”

“Pfft,” Airmail rolled her brown eyes, “I got you, so together you and Stormy might be able to act half my age.”

Wildfire giggled, “No promises, oldenpony.”

“You hear that mom?” Airmail winked at her mother while the rest of the ponies at the table sniggered, “she just called you an older pony!”

“I did not!” Wildfire protested.

Tempest took a break from her coffee and playfully licked Wildfire’s right ear. “I hope you weren't referring to me.”

“Um…” Wildfire knew they were teasing her, and she knew it was all in good fun, but that hidden part of her was scared to carry on the gentle teasing and she backed out. “Maybe I meant Airy…” she grinned and hoped her cop out wouldn’t be noticed. She really wanted these ponies to like her. “Then again, most ponies are older than me.”

Thankfully, without realising it, River came to her rescue. “I'm not!” The sixteen year old exclaimed indignantly while the rest laughed.

Wildfire joined in with the group laughter, her mood immediately buoyed by River’s timely distraction, and nodded to where she thought the young earth pony was sat. “It’s nice not being the youngest for a change.”

“Thank Celestia for that,” Airmail laughed, “that is one less nappy I'll have to change.”

Bluesky spoke up once the good natured laughter had died down and the rest of the table went back to their remaining bowls of oatmeal. “If you're going to do the whaling tour, it leaves from pier six at one p.m.”

Wildfire snickered and said quickly without thinking, “Stormy should be awake by then.”

Rye, Bluesky and Grain all looked up at each other when Tempest flared her wings in a flash of temper and opened her mouth to launch a retort back at the blind mare when Airmail reached her right foreleg over the little mare’s back and stopped her just in time. Instead the violet pony just shook her head. “Dad,” Airmail said, more to just say something, “we rode back on the train with Mr. Kernel. He said things went well in Canterlot.”

Rye, along with the other ponies sat around the table, breathed out a hesitant sigh of relief as the volatile situation was diffused by his daughter. “Hmm, that is good news.”

Flicking her ears about, Wildfire picked up on the exhalations around the kitchen and she also noted that Tempest had gone very quiet. Inwardly she hoped she hadn't wound her up, but she had an inkling that she had done just that. “The ah, the journey here was fun, I’ve not spent so long on a train before.”

“You seemed to take it well.” Tempest said evenly, the flash of her temper dissipating just as quickly as it appeared. “Just a little noise yesterday, but you took it well.” Removing her blue hoof from Tempest’s shoulder, Airmail let out a very relieved giggle.

Likewise, when she realised Tempest wasn’t angry with her, Wildfire giggled. “Thank you, Honey.”

Tempest studied her bowl of half eaten oatmeal and inwardly counted backwards from ten to one in order to get her good humour back in place. Train travel has improved when you get dinner and a show thrown in.”

Wildfire sniggered around her spoon, almost but not quite, showering the table. “It was a good show, wasn't it?”

Rye looked over at his wife and shared a knowing wink with Bluesky who merely winked back. “Was it a two pony act, Stormy?”

“Yes it was Rye,” Tempest replied with a smile as she reached for her coffee and Grain and Hayseed both snickered at the thought. “And it was well worth the price of admission.”

Airmail affectionately nuzzled Wildfire’s left cheek. “I had my eyes closed for most of it.”

With the nuzzle and the round of snickers as well as Tempest’s gentle teasing, Wildfire blushed a deep beet red. “That was another reason I enjoyed the train ride. You don't get entertainment like that when you fly.”

Her mood now well and truly restored, Tempest burst out laughing. Thankfully her coffee cup was empty. Something River helpfully got up to remedy, he then went around the table and filled the other pony’s cups as well. “I'd be entertained to watch a bird try to fly with four wings.”

“Oh...” Wildfire blushed a brighter red when the realisation of what Tempest had meant sunk in.

Bluesky gave River a nod of thanks as the sixteen year old filled her cup back up. “I see you can still make ponies blush, Stormy.”

“I'm not blushing...much,” Wildfire coughed, even though she could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks she knew must be as red as her cutie mark. “Stormy just reminded me of an experiment...yeah that's it…” she really, really wanted to hide behind her wings.

“Of course she did.” Hayseed nudged Grain with her hoof and both farmers burst out laughing.

“Yes, that must be it.” Rye said evenly as the old earth pony reached for and took a sip of his fresh coffee.

“Not.” Bluesky gave her husband a seductive wink.

“She did!” Wildfire protested desperately. “Airy, you ask Air Raid tomorrow...” the little yellow mare then realised where this sentence was going and with a very quiet mumble and her hoof over her mouth said, “I think I'm gonna shut up now…” the group as a whole had a good natured laugh at Wildfire’s expense and she did get a bunch of hugs for her trouble. “It ah, it was fun though.”

“It is supposed to be fun, dear.” Rye smiled.

“Any additions while I've been gone, Grain?” Airmail asked her caramel coated brother as she too took a mouthful of her coffee.

Grain finished his oatmeal as he mulled over his sister’s question. “Just expanded the bunk house.”

“I think he plans on putting me out to pasture.” Rye snickered around his half empty cup of coffee.

Shortly after that, the hearty breakfast of oatmeal and coffee was eaten, the house phone ring from the farmhouse’s living room. Getting up from the kitchen table, Bluesky went and answered it then she returned a few moments later. “That was Ocean.” The old pale blue pegasus explained, “She said she has the whaling tour lined up for ten a.m. instead of one this afternoon.”

“That would be my youngest brother, Sundown's wife.” Airmail said to Wildfire when the blind mare was about to ask who that was.

“Cool!” Wildfire squealed like an excited filly. “I’ve never been on a whaling tour!”

“Ever been on a boat on the ocean?” Tempest asked.

“Nopes.” Wildfire shook her head. Until yesterday, she’d never been out of Canterlot in all her young life.

“We'll take the motion sickness pills, just in case, then.” Airmail thought out loud, making a mental note to raid her mother’s medicine cabinet before they left the farm for the harbour.

“I had a lot of stuff lined up to do after I left school and university,” Wildfire carried on, a little melancholy in her tone, “but y'know, stuff happened…” she waved a hoof over the acid scars on her face where her chestnut brown eyes used to be.

“Time to break out that list,” Tempest smiled a warm loving smile and laid a violet hoof on Wildfire’s shoulder. “But I think Disco is dead.”

“I'll have to make a new one.” Wildfire giggled and nuzzled the hoof that was at her shoulder. “I binned the other list when I thought it wasn't ever gonna happen.”

“Ten a.m.,” Tempest said as she looked up at the wall clock. As it was seven now, the weather pony grinned. “That means I'll have time for another nap before we go.”

“You do that Stormy,” Airmail said to her marefriend, “Want to see the farm, Wily?”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire squeaked, far too excited to even consider being tired. “Now I can cross ‘going on a farm’ off my new list!”

“I was able to cross that one off when I was born.” Rye sighed as he casually inspected his hoof.

“I have done SOME things...” Wildfire muttered defensively from her seating pad, feeling suddenly under a lot of scrutiny and a need to justify herself. She should have done more with her life, she knew it, and she blamed herself in part that she hadn’t. “Just ah…not much.”

“You have, 'been to the Capital' crossed off.” Tempest offered with a gentle stroke of her hoof along Wildfire’s foreleg.

Wildfire however wasn’t buying that. “Oh come on, I was born there!”

“I made it all the way down to Seaddle,” Rye said with a snicker, “that is closer to the Capital than here.”

“That is the point,” Airmail nuzzled her diminutive lover, “pops was born on a farm.”

“And, going with you was my first time to Canterlot.” Tempest smiled and licked Wildfire’s right ear in just that way she knew the blind mare liked the most.

“Eeek!” Wildfire squeaked as her ear was licked, “It was a more enjoyable trip home than I ever thought it would be.” She grinned a wide happy grin at the memories of the past Thursday and Friday in Canterlot with her herd-mates. Taking them all to meet her mother and Heatwave had been the highlight by far, though the less said about her dad the better. “I can cross off Manehatten, and all the sexy times we've done...ooh! I can cross off getting to see my herd too!”

River was confused. The turquoise earth pony cocked his head to one side as he tried to work out how a blind pony could do that. “See?”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire enthused, “Princess Luna did me a favour last night, she joined our dreams together so I could see them as they really are.”

“Wow,” River was amazed and awed, and justly so, “that is so cool, you've met Princess Luna. Have you met Princess Celestia?” He asked, as being a farming based family they were by nature very pro Celestia.

“I've met them both,” Wildfire said without a trace of ego or boast as she turned her head in River’s general direction. “Both before and after I was blinded. I went to school and then university with Princess Luna's son.”

River was absolutely enthralled. “I want to go to Canterlot.”

“You should go with the next delegation then.” Rye said with a smile. “Want to work that, Grain?”

“And have my colt out from under my hoof for a week?” Grain commented with a snickering grin as River pouted at his dad. “I'm on it.”

“Maybe your Aunt Wily can get you an audience, River.” Airmail suggested to the blind mare.

“Ooh I'd love to,” Wildfire smiled a wide smile at being called an aunt. She hadn’t considered all the extended family that she was now a part of. “I'll give my friend Dusky a ring, he'll show you around the castle, River. He'll take you flying if you ask nicely.”

“I like flying.” River said, “Aunt Silver and Rain took me flying and when Aunt Mapper was last here she let me do cloud walking.”

“If you like flying fast,” Wildfire grinned, “Dusky can do a rainboom.”

The ‘mother’ in Bluesky got the better of the milk mare even as River’s bright blue eyes went wide with excitement. “As long as this Dusky is careful.”

“Come on grandma Sky,” River squeaked, “it will be fun!”

“He's a very good, strong flier Ms. Bluesky.” Wildfire felt the urge to come to her best friend’s defence. Outside of Tempest, Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Wonderbolts, Dusk was the most able flier she knew. “He flew all the way back to Canterlot at rainboom speeds when Stormy told him what...um…what, ah…when he had to.”

“Yes, I'd say Dusky is reliable.” Airmail leapt in then when she saw where Wildfire was going. “If you're done Wily, I'll give you a tour while Stormy gets her beauty sleep.”

“You going to gather eggs?” Rye asked as his daughter got up from her seating pad.

“Yuppers, I'm done Pretty.” Wildfire giggled as she too got up and stretched her legs on the creaking floorboards. “I'm looking forward to feeling my way about, and there's no way Stormy needs beauty sleep, I saw her last night.”

Airmail couldn’t resist. “You must have been looking at the wrong end.” The azure blue pegasus giggled when her comment earned herself a raspberry from the violet mare.

“I'm not sure,” Wildfire replied innocently, “the end I was looking at smiled and winked.”

Hayseed burst out laughing long and loud at that, as did Bluesky and Rye, at the unintended innuendo. “On that note,” Airmail stated with a definite air, “let’s go.”

Wildfire giggled, “I think we should. Lead on, Pretty.” With the sound of the family’s laughter still ringing from the farmhouse, Airmail led the blind mare outside and began a flying audio tour with landings at the various places of interest so that Wildfire could check out stuff by hoof such as where the wheat, rye, corn, and Alfalfa was grown as well as the silos for storage, the barns where the equipment was kept and the chicken coop. Airmail even managed to introduce Wildfire to the cats Top and Tom that were the resident mousers. “This is really cool Airy, it smells so different to Canterlot.”

Airmail carried on the tour with a not too small amount of pride. “You have to go into Vanhoover for industry. Since you like fish, you should like the fishy smell.”

“I do like me a bit of fish,” Wildfire commented as Top allowed her to play with his ears.

“Vanhoover does have some of the finest seafood restaurants in Equestria.”

“It must've been really awesome growing up here.”

“It was okay,” Airmail replied when Top cat finally got bored of being played with and went off to hunt mice. “When Sky retired from weather duties though, farm life got dull so I joined the forces to escape.”

“I like your family,” Wildfire smiled as they carried on walking, taking in the various smells of the farm, some of which were more pleasant than others. “They're cool.”

“Oh yeah,” Airmail draped her right wing over Wildfire as they walked from silo to silo, with her pointing out each one to the blind mare. “I was very lucky to end up with them.” Airmail went silent for a moment while she thought on her adoptive parents and her family. She certainly had been very lucky. “They gave my life purpose and focus.”

“Hmm…kinda like you've done for me.” Wildfire paused and gave Airmail a lingering kiss unerringly to her lover’s muzzle. “It’s cool how they've all been so nice to me.”

Airmail wrapped her forehooves around Wildfire’s neck and returned the kiss. “They understand the herd life and it is what got me to want a herd to belong to.”

“I meant how nice they've been to my scars,” Wildfire explained, somewhat unnecessarily as her herd-mate fully understood what the little blind mare had meant. “Although that's well cool too. I'm glad we've both found a place to belong to.”

“You're just not used to ponies judging you by who you are instead of what you look like.”

Wildfire giggled, “I gotta admit, it is different.”

“Be nice if it was normal though, right?” Airmail smiled and she kissed the yellow mare again. “Want to collect some eggs?”

Wildfire nodded at that. It certainly would be nice, amazing even, if everypony’s reaction to her and her scars was the same or even close to being the same as Airmail’s family had been so far. “You have no idea…” then she smiled at the prospect of doing another thing for the first time. “Yuppers Pretty. I'd love to.”

As they were a few feet away from one of the chicken barns, Airmail chose that one. “They like to lay up in the loft and can get a little feisty when you collect their eggs. Fend them off with a wing and put the eggs in the basket.” Following the brief explanation, the azure blue mare hoofed her lover a wicker basket for her to carry in her mouth.

“Hmhmm!” Nodding her understanding, Wildfire took the handle of the basket in her mouth. Walking through the barn, she soon found it was an easy matter of feeling with her hooves for the nesting birds, shoving them off their nests with a wing and quickly putting the eggs there in her basket, what was tricky was climbing the stairs to get there. Giggling, Wildfire shooed off the nearest chicken with a wing, humming to herself as she feels along the row for the next nest.

The chickens, for their part, did put up quite a fuss, and took every opportunity to peck at the pegasi’s wing feathers. But, while they were enthusiastic in their defence of their eggs, the birds did no real damage, Wildfire soon found out she’d had stiffer preenings. Once she was happy her basket was full, Wildfire fluttered her way back down to the ground level and put her basket down. “Y'know, these birds aren't bad at preening, you might want to learn them up a bit though, I've had better.”

Airmail laughed at that, seeing as she was finished as well. “Yeah, I said the same thing forty years ago.”

“Way before my time.” Wildfire giggled before her tone went altogether more serious. “I know I make fun of you Airy, call you oldenpony, but it’s cool. You remind me a lot of my mum.”

“Because we're both sexy and have wings?”

Wildfire blushed. “I was gonna say your sense of humour and general awesomeness but yuppers let’s go with your answer...though I totally never fancied my mum.”

“Don't need to fancy somepony to know they're sexy.” Airmail giggled as she secured the full basket under her wing and instructed Wildfire to do the same so they could talk and walk. “Caffy and those stripes are sexy, but I'm not going to roll in the hay with him.”

Wildfire thought then back to the days not so long ago when she wouldn’t have been given the choice. Quickly she banished those thoughts to Tartarus where they belonged. “Should I paint stripes on my flank for you?”

“Of course, Coffee Bean is old enough to be my mother and she is totally hot!” Airmail giggled as they walked at a steady pace back to the old farmhouse. Suddenly images of Wildfire with sexy stripes flashed across her mind. “Let me think about that…”

“Maybe dark red ones to match my cutie mark colour?”

“You know, you'd look really cool for Nightmare Night if you paint flames on yourself.”

“Awesomes!” Wildfire let out a delighted little giggle. “I used to have a dress I wore for that, all flames and stuff.”

Airmail made up her mind on what needed doing for that. “We are getting that replaced for you the next time in Manehatten when we see Coco again.” An idea occurred to the azure blue pony then as they walked back past one of the many grain silos. “We can take some fried egg sandwiches with us for lunch.”

“You’d best get somepony else to make them,” Wildfire commented, “I don't want to be caught leaving the tops off any jars here.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Airmail snickered, “There are lots of earth ponies in this family and they can spank pretty hard.” She smiled, thinking in particular of Bluesky and Rye and the times she had required a stiff spanking growing up.

“Cool!” Wildfire paused and drooled at the thought of getting spanked. Hard. “Then again, maybe I could leave the odd jar topless…once or twice.”

“Maybe you could.” Airmail smiled and ran her free left wing over Wildfire’s right flank. “Let’s trot back and turn these in.” Sharing a wing rub, both mares made their way back to the weather beaten farmhouse. The tour that Airmail had given Wildfire had run on for two hours, thanks in no small part to the egg gathering exercise, so Tempest was by now awake, in a better mood and chatting with Bluesky and Rye.

Grain and River had left the farmhouse and were working one of the Alfalfa fields as they neared the house, and when they got back inside a very grateful Hayseed checked on the eggs they had both gathered in their baskets, relieved that they had saved her from that chore.

“Getting the eggs was fun,” Wildfire grinned a proud grin at a job well done, “I’m so doing that again the next time Airy brings me.”

“You should visit a dairy farm.” Hayseed said, the hazelnut earth pony farmer safely storing the fresh eggs away in the kitchen.

“They farm dairy?” Wildfire sincerely asked in all seriousness, her head cocked to one side. “I bet that’s easy!” In her head she was genuinely picturing farmers with herds of milk bottles.

Airmail shook her head at Wildfire’s obliviousness. A thing she tried to communicate to Hayseed with a gesture of her hoof to stop her sister in law asking about it. Tempest and herself both knew it was a side effect of her time at the home. “Sometimes those cows can be stubborn with visitors.”

Hayseed shrugged her shoulders at Airmail and instead spoke to Wildfire. “They're not bad once they get to know you.”

“Yeah,” Airmail muttered, “You kick over a milk bucket the once...”

Hayseed giggled behind her hoof. “That isn't the story Sky tells us.”

“Oh?” Wildfire asked as she sidled over to Airmail’s right side and nestled comfortingly into her. “And, what is the story Ms. Bluesky tells? I'm all ears.”

Realising she had no way out, Airmail sighed a deep sigh and prepared to tell her little story. “When I kicked over the milk bucket I told them my mom's milk was ten times better than theirs.”

Hayseed’s eyes were alive and twinkling with mirth. “And?”

“And…” Airmail felt three inches tall. “They called me a baby for drinking mare's milk, and so in temper I kicked over another bucket and then Marigold kicked me. Hard.”

“How old were you at the time?” Wildfire asked curiously.

“Nine.”

Wildfire giggled openly and nuzzled her larger lover’s cheek. “It’s not like we haven't all done something daft at some point or other,” the blind mare nudged her side playfully, “I thought it was a good idea to fly through a burning building when I was eighteen.”

Airmail smiled at that, thinking immediately of Winter, her husband and her two colts back in Canterlot. “I think there are four other ponies that thought it was a good idea too.”

“My wings and tail didn't think it was so hot...well, it was, but...oh you know what I mean.”

“That sometimes the young engage the action before engaging the brain?” Hayseed snickered, at thirty six, the same age as her husband Grain, the farmer felt justified in saying that.

“I’m guilty of that, Ms. Hayseed, twice.” And Wildfire knew exactly what two examples she was thinking of.

“We can fly into the city.” Airmail said as she noticed the clock had just ticked over onto nine fifteen a.m. and she wanted to allow them plenty of time to get to the harbour. “There is a nice shopping area near the pier.” Just then River came back in from the alfalfa field for a drink of water.

“Aw cool,” Wildfire didn’t know what time it was – she made a mental note to get an audio watch the next opportunity she got – and she flexed her wings. “I should probably take any chance to fly I can get.”

“Yes you should,” Tempest finally spoke up after finishing the coffee she had been nursing for the last few moments. “And I'm putting you on an exercise program when we get home.”

River was curious about that. “Why does she need an exercise program?”

Wildfire turned her head to the young earth pony stallion. “Because my wings aren't very strong River, I have weak flight muscles and I'll need strong ones for when I start work soon.”

“Oh,” River took that at face value. “Okay.”

“I'm ready,” Tempest announced as she got up from the pad she was sat on next to Rye and Bluesky. “You ready, Wily?”

“Yuppers,” Wildfire nodded eagerly, “as I'll ever be.”

Airmail walked over and gave her mother and father a tight hug and a smattering of kisses. “Be back for dinner.”

“Hugs!” Wildfire squeaked, “I hear hugs, I want hugs!”

“Okay, okay…” snickering, Airmail gave the little yellow mare a hug, and as soon as she released it Rye and Bluesky also closed in for a hug only to be followed by Tempest and Hayseed.

“Me too!” River exclaimed and gave his new aunt a hug as well.

“Aw River that was the best hug ever! They were all awesomes!” Wildfire grinned as the last hug from the colt was finally released. “Especially yours, Ms. Bluesky, now I know were Airy learnt her hugging skills.” She giggled, “Yours was okay too Stormy.”

“Gee…” Tempest playfully flicked Wildfire’s ear with her hoof, “I got the Wily seal of approval!”

“Trust me Wily,” Airmail giggled, “mom will still feed you without all the flattery.”

“Yes you do, Honey,” Wildfire giggled and stuck her tongue out. “Airy, it doesn't hurt to be nice.”

“That's right.” Bluesky smiled and gave the little yellow mare an affectionate nuzzle. “I may make chocolate something for dessert tonight.”

“Yay!” Wildfire squee’d and performed a happy little hoof dance. “Chocolate something's my absolute favourite!”

“I wonder how my mom knew that.” Airmail placed a delicate little kiss on Wildfire’s lips. “Let's fly.” With that, the three mares lifted off from the doorstep of the old farmhouse into the bright clear blue morning sky with the azure blue pegasus leading the way while Tempest trailed behind to make sure Wildfire didn’t lose Airmail’s scent on the wind. “It's about thirty minute’s flying time from here to the harbour.”

“Alrighty Pretty. Thirty minutes I can do.” As Wildfire flew along behind Airmail, her older lover’s scent directly in front of her, the yellow pony realised there weren’t any flight zones here like there were back in Manehatten. They hadn’t been in the air very long when Wildfire began to really smell the ocean air. She took a deep lungful of the fresh air. “Now that's a lovely smell.”

“Is it?” Airmail raised an eyebrow at that. “Stay with me, we are going a bit north.”

“Yuppers, totally!” Wildfire replied loudly, “clean fresh sea air? Ocean breeze on my fur? I'll have some of that thanks!” She grinned as she noticed the slight course change and she altered her flight to stay behind her older marefriend. “I'm with you Pretty.” Flying behind them, Tempest noticed where they were headed and she started to fall back. “So, are we headed to the boat Airy?”

“In a bit, I wanted to let you experience something first.” Airmail answered her with a wry smile and after five minutes the fresh salty ocean breeze had turned decidedly putrid and foul.

“Uugh!” Wildfire almost retched in mid-air. “This don't smell too good, it kinda reminds me of the Stallion’s Room that me, Octavia and Beauty cleaned at Caffeinated’s place the other day.” Actually, it reminded her more of her cell back at the care home when it had gone uncleaned for several days. “What is it?” She asked with a hoof held over her nose.

“It's the cannery.” Airmail explained with an amused smile. It really did smell as rank and rancid as it was possible to smell. “Stormy says it smells worse than a Trottingham hog farm.”

Wildfire retched and dry heaved as they flew overhead, thankfully leaving the smells behind. “I have no idea how bad they smell, but that was pretty damn bad, babe.” Deep down in her heart she knew that smell, like she herself had smelled after three days locked in her box.

“Okay, I just thought you'd want to experience all of Vanhoover,” Airmail giggled and corrected her flight path back left to the north-west to head straight to the harbour and the coast. “Let’s turn around as Stormy has stopped following us.”

“Gee,” Wildfire wondered aloud, a little sarcastically, “I wonder why…” she let out a little giggle. “At least I wouldn't need my flight suit to find that place.”

“Maybe not, but it is a part of the industry.” Airmail grinned as she led her diminutive lover onwards, “on the north side of town where the winds keep it downwind from the main city.”

“Well, my mum always said no job is worth less than any another,” Wildfire commented somewhat kindly as she flew hurriedly away behind Airmail. She was in no doubt whatever that there were ponies that worked in the cannery that were very proud of what they did and rightly so. “Still, I'm glad I work with fires.” A further minute of silent flying and Wildfire picked up Tempest’s scent behind her. She knew the violet mare wouldn’t take long catching them up.

Another ten minutes of silent flight, and the three mares landed at the shopping area at the pier, with Airmail still at the head of the group. She folded away her wings and straightened her mane. “Mostly souvenirs, and some local flavour here.” The azure blue mare explained the surroundings to her blind lover.

“Now, this is much better.” Wildfire fluttered her wings to allow the breeze through her wings and took a lungful of the crisp salty air. “There’s not many piers in Canterlot.”

“I thought there were a lot of peers in Canterlot?” Tempest asked as she playfully licked Wildfire’s right ear.

“N-Naaaah!” Wildfire squeaked as her ear was licked. “N-No, there really isn't,” she answered cluelessly, “oh there are a couple of small ones on the lake, but not like this one here.”

Airmail giggled at her little mare’s obliviousness. “She was making a pun love. The piers here are a dock for ships, and the peers in Canterlot are the nobility.” She saw Wildfire’s stricken expression and gave her a tight hug.

“Oh...ooooh right…” Wildfire blushed beet red for what felt like the millionth time that day already. “I’m sorry Stormy,” she shook her head with a giggle. “I am so clueless sometimes…”

“Fishermare!” Airmail then interrupted whatever Wildfire was going to say next when she saw a thirty two year old cobalt blue earth pony she knew very well and she rushed forward to greet her with a familial hug.

“That is her sister-in-law, Ocean.” Tempest explained to a puzzled looking Wildfire with a smile on her violet muzzle. “She’s married to her youngest brother Sundown. Looks like she brought all her foals too.” The weather pony’s smile only widened when she saw the two blue fillies and the burnt umber colt.

“Foals?” That got Wildfire’s attention on the busy pier. “Awesomes!”

“Wildfire!” Airmail called over, “come on over and greet my sister-in-law.”

“Alrighty…” the blind mare sniffed the air and used every part of her hearing to find where Airmail was now standing on the wooden pier. Thankfully, when she walked over, as ever using her wingtips to steer herself, she found they were all stood by the old metal guard rail that prevented her from walking off of the edge and into the lapping ocean underneath. “Hey!”

The very instant Wildfire got next to Airmail she was greeted to a traditional earth pony hug, one that was aided by muscles honed by years of working at sea, that is to say Ocean almost cracked her ribs and her spine. “It is good to finally meet you after all Airy's letters.”

“I-It’s…aaaak…g-good…” Wildfire gasped for air once the bone crushing hug was released, “t-to meet you too. I hope Airy wrote nice things about me?”

“She did,” Ocean replied quickly in her very thick Vanhoovan accent, “something about a mare half her age making her feel half her age.” Tempest laughed out loud at that. “Sundown is working, but I brought my foals.” The tall muscular earth pony gently nudged her foals forward as she introduced each one. “Seashell, she’s the oldest at ten and an earth pony like me and her brother Sand Dune who’s eight. Lastly we have little Sunrise, a six year old pegasus.”

“I do my best with Airy,” Wildfire giggled as she took a hug from each foal in turn as they were introduced to her. “I love all of your foal names, they’re cute.”

“I'm from a long line of ocean ponies.” Ocean said with a proud smile that practically shone in her voice. “The boat is at the end of the pier and we will be out for three hours. You ever been out on the ocean before, Wildfire?”

“Um, nopes.” Wildfire shook her head as the group began to make their way along the busy bustling pier to the end. “This is another first for me.”

Ocean flicked her cobalt blue ears at that. “Airy did...”

Airmail nodded, “I got the Dramamine right here. Just in case.”

“Okay,” Ocean snickered, she’d seen way too many ponies hurl on their first times on the waves. Especially the northern waves that she shipped and fished in. “I suggest you take some, just in case.”

“I think I probably should,” Wildfire agreed. She was in no way in a mood for a pretence of false bravado. One, she knew Airmail and Tempest would see through it immediately, and two, she knew she wouldn’t be better thought of for it. “Heh y'know, just in case…”

“Then you can sit up front and catch the spray, and hear the whales.” Ocean grinned with pride as they approached her boat. “Come on, I have everything set up on board.”

“Awesomes,” while she was very nervous, she was also very excited as well. “I’ve only ever seen a whale in a museum years back in Canterlot.”

“You will be getting wet on this trip.” Ocean snickered. “Let me introduce you to your ride.” The cobalt blue earth pony helped Wildfire rest her hoof on the hull of her fishing boat while Airmail pulled out the sea sickness pills. “She’s the Radiant Way. She’s a double rig beam trawler, twenty years old, eighty feet long by twenty feet wide at the beam and when I push her she’ll reach eleven knots.”

Airmail nuzzled Wildfire’s left ear as she slipped her the pills and whispered, “make that wet again, on this trip.”

Wildfire gratefully swallowed the pills, as did Airmail, and returned the nuzzle with a loving kiss to her marefriend’s lips. “I can handle getting wet.”

Once all eight ponies were safely on the boat and Ocean had cast off, Airmail steered Wildfire up front on the deck past the wheelhouse just behind the front mast. “My brother, Sundown, does search and rescue out at sea. He fell for Ocean and the rest is history.”

“Now that's really awesomes,” Wildfire stood on the gently rolling deck as the boat pulled out of the harbour thinking it wasn’t so bad just yet. What she couldn’t tell was that while the ocean was a mill pond inside, outside the harbour the waves were a good few feet high. “I can get emergency services. We'll have to swap stories.” Then she said with a smile, “I kinda like that kind of history.”

“I told him you flew into a burning building.”

Wildfire giggled as she adjusted her stance with the pitch of the deck under her hooves. She wasn’t all that sure she liked this very much just yet. “Seems like I live off that story. What did Sundown say?”

“He's done nothing like that so will talk to you this evening.” Airmail replied as Ocean worked with her stallion crew mate to navigate their way past the other moored boats and out of the crowded harbour. “He is a really good swimmer though and has his stories to tell you too.” Then, the azure blue mare whispered, “I didn't tell the family that you got the job in Manehatten. I thought you'd like to do that tonight.”

Wildfire smiled at that as she recalled Bluesky’s surprise on the flight from the train station to the farmhouse. “Your mum did sound surprised when I mentioned fires to her earlier.”

“Yeah,” Airmail smiled, “sort of like a teaser.”

Steered with deft skill by Ocean, at slack water, the Radiant Way left the relative calm of Vanhoover harbour and almost instantly the fishing boat was hit with four foot waves which sent the salt water spray high over the rail. “I'm still amazed I got the job to be honest,” Wildfire commented as she stumbled on the deck, the spray splashing on her face. “Whoa!” She gasped at the lurch of the craft. “Ugh, is this moving about normal, for a boat?”

“This is pretty calm today,” Seashell said as the cobalt blue filly moved to stand on Wildfire’s right side, the ten year old entirely comfortable on the waves. “May get a bit rougher further out.”

Sand Dune came up the front to stand next to his older sister. “I like the waves!”

“Don't let them get to you.” Airmail spoke into Wildfire’s left ear. “We're here next to you.”

Tempest and little Sunrise were stood behind the almost panicking blind mare and Ocean, who gave up the wheel to her crew stallion, also stepped out onto the deck to stand alongside her youngest filly. “Keep your knees bent Wildfire and you can ride out the movement.”

“Yeah,” Tempest snickered playfully as two four foot waves hit the boat’s prow together making it lurch upwards, “kinda like riding Airy!”

“Calm?” Wildfire squeaked to Seashell while she and Sand Dune both giggled at their auntie’s rude comment, “you mean it moves about more than this?” The diminutive mare tried to bend her knees when the first of the double wave hit but she hopelessly mistimed it and staggered like a drunken pony. “Ha, ha Honey, Airy doesn't usually move under me this much.”

“Then you’re either doing it wrong or you need more practice!” Tempest shot back straightaway.

“She hasn't complained yet, thank you.” Wildfire retorted, however it was cut short as the boat pitched downwards this time, dropping five feet into the trough of a wave. “Ugh…” she groaned, her stomach left behind her, and she extended her wings out in order to steady herself.

Airmail, still blushing profusely from Tempest’s last comment, used this opportune chance to slide her wing under Wildfire’s left and up over her back. Feeling the familiar feathers over her barrel, Wildfire inched a bit closer to Airmail and whispered, “thanks Pretty.” Now though, they were in the open ocean the waves here were six to eight feet high. Something Wildfire was suddenly aware of when one hit them.

As Seashell and Sand Dune both whooped and cheered at the waves, the stallion in the wheelhouse called out, “Whales off the port bow!”

“Looks like a pod of four.” Airmail said, looking off to the left of the boat. “Sandy and Sea, let Wily move to put a wing over the rail on the port side.”

“Uugh, you weren't kidding about these waves were you?” Wildfire moaned, and while Seashell and Sand Dune both gently encouraged her to move on the heavily pitching and rolling deck, she eventually stepped forwards until she felt the railing. She wasn’t going to lie. Right now she hated this. A lot. Still, she hesitantly put her left wing over the rail, thankful that Airmail was ever present on her left side with her right wing over her.

As soon as she stopped moving she felt ponies move around her. Seashell and Sand Dune were in front of her to her right, Tempest was right behind her and she put her left wing over Airmail’s back. Scant feet ahead in the water she could hear something blowing water like a hose.

Airmail saw which way the boat was turning. “They are going to pull up alongside the pod.”

Scared stiff, Wildfire hung her right wing over the rail of the pitching fishing boat while she held on to Airmail’s back with her left wing. “This ah…this is really cool though…” she said as she felt the cold seawater on her wing and on her fur.

“Just you wait!” Sand Dune whooped in delight, “We're going to get covered in whale spit!”

“A-Awesome...” Wildfire moaned, distinctly less enthusiastic than the excited young colt and she turned her scarred face towards the noise as the hose like sound went off next to her scant feet in front of the boat’s bow and the ice cold water fell on her from above.

“Hang on tight!” Airmail yelled when she saw the whales begin to dive. A second later and a huge splash from their fluked tails next to the boat absolutely drenched them both in water, leaving Sand Dune and Seashell shouting for joy.

Wildfire however was not shouting for joy. The diminutive yellow mare was shrieking like a filly, desperately holding on to both Airmail and the boat’s railing. “B-Bucking h-hell!” She gasped once she found she could breathe again. This was like the times that Amethyst had used the water on her, but with the added terror of the rolling deck. At least here she wasn’t hoof-cuffed upside down.

Airmail caught the concerned glance from Tempest and from Ocean, and she said, “We can move back towards the cabin if you want to stay dryer, Wily.”

“N-No...” Wildfire shook her head and refused the offer, not wanting to appear weak, especially in front of the foals that were half her age and more besides. “I'm alright, it was just a shock, that’s all.”

Smiling at her blind lover’s nerve, Airmail nuzzled her cheek and whispered, “It's okay love. I'm here with you and I will stay with you anywhere on this boat.”

“I, I know…” buoyed by Airmail’s nuzzle, Wildfire managed a shaky smile that was almost convincing. “I'm enjoying it, really.”

Airmail gave her a loving kiss. “Okay, but don't think you need to impress anypony…hang on!” Airmail cut what she was saying short to issue the warning as the whales had resurfaced and squirted the water from their blowholes.

When the gout of icy cold water blasted over the bows and soaked them all through to their skin it was obvious the young ponies in front of her were having the time of their lives. Wildfire began to smile a genuine smile as she held on tight to her marefriend and the rail. “I think,” she said, shaking her head, “that oatmeal was off earlier…” although, by now the Dramamine was thankfully kicking in. “I'm really glad you bought that stuff you gave me, Airy.”

“I take it too.” Airmail confided in her. “Stormy though is unfazed by the gale force waves.”

“Lucky for some ponies, huh?” Wildfire smiled and it was a proper smile as she finally telegraphed the pitch and roll of the Radiant Way and rode out the eight foot wave as it came in from the starboard side.

Seeing her little lover improve, Airmail gave her a second nuzzle. “Why she has that cutie mark on her ass.”

“It does suit her, that cutie mark…whoaaaaaa!” She squealed in frightened delight as a large wave washed over the starboard bow of the fishing boat. “This isn't so bad!” She said aloud, earning herself admiring glances from Seashell, Sand Dune, Tempest and Ocean. However, to Airmail she whispered, “I’m glad you're with me.”

Without hesitation, the azure blue mare whispered back, “The feeling is mutual, Wily.”

Wildfire tightened her hold on Airmail’s back. “Ocean, what kind of whales are they?”

“Caneighdian Long-finned Pilot whales,” Ocean replied quickly, squealing in delight as her boat pitched downwards following a six foot wave and the Long-fins chose that moment to expel more water over the deck. “Later in the year there are Humpback and Blue whales.”

“Sweet, the one I saw in the museum was a Humpback, and it was huuuuge!” Wildfire replied and she finally loosened her hold on Airmail’s back. “I never thought I'd be this close to a real living whale!”

“The nearest is twenty yards off the boat.” Airmail said as she judged the distance when the unusually long dark grey pectoral fins of the four whales broke the surface of the water.

Feeling rather brave, Wildfire at last let go of Airmail’s side and rested both of her forehooves on the rail as she actually started to enjoy the whaling tour. “Y'know, once you get used to the uppy-downy it’s not so bad,” Wildfire grinned a far more confident grin as the boat rode the crest of an eight foot wave. “I can’t believe they're so close to us!”

“The first mate steering the boat has been doing this for years.” Airmail giggled, “I can tell the Dramamine has kicked in. Just don't let go of the rail with your hooves.”

“Oh, don't you worry…whoooooo!” Wildfire cheered uncertainly when the boat rode out the wave, “you'll have to surgically remove this rail.”

“You having fun now, Auntie Wildfire?” Seashell asked her as Airmail and Tempest both burst out laughing at Wildfire’s comment.

“Yuppers Seashell, I was just getting my hooves used to being on a boat.” Wildfire grinned like a filly on a rollercoaster as she rode the boat, “This is cool though, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” Sand Dune agreed loudly, “this is great and the whales are so close you can almost touch them!”

“Do you think we will touch them?” Wildfire asked, “That'd be sweet.”

“I wish,” Seashell said with a note of regret in her voice, “but they won't let the boat get that close.”

“Aww that's a shame, still I'm loving this now.” Wildfire giggled, “I take it you come out all the time?”

Sand Dune nodded his sandy brown maned head energetically before he realised his new aunt couldn’t possibly see the affirmative gesture. Blushing, he said, “We come out every month for this, and mom takes us out on the fishing boat too.”

“That's properly neat,” Wildfire replied as the boat dipped again, “I guess you took to it quicker than I did?”

“Yeah, right away.” The little cobalt blue colt swelled with pride, “our little sister is still learning to get her sea legs.” He continued, shooting Sunrise a look and getting a raspberry from the little filly for his trouble.

Airmail had no small amount of sympathy for the queasy looking six year old who was nestled into her mother’s flank. She knew how she felt. “Sometimes it takes a pegasus longer to adapt.”

“Yuppers Airy, yes it does,” Wildfire sniggered, now fully enjoying herself with her wings held wide to catch all of the surf, “At least the waves aren't sneaking up on you!”

Airmail had to agree with that. She could easily understand how unnerving and scary the sea could be, especially in these waves, although growing up she had seen them twice this size in the heart of winter. Still, didn’t mean she couldn’t tease her little lover. “You didn't seem to mind me sneaking up on you.”

Wildfire giggled and got a face full of sea water courtesy of the Long-finned whales, “you have one thing in common with the waves, you both make we wet through!”

“Ohhhh!” Seashell erupted in a bright red blushing giggle fit, “I know what that means!”

“Pfft,” Sand Dune snorted dismissively, playing the bluff colt well, “Mushy stuff…”

“Mushy stuff is awesome Sand Dune,” Wildfire giggled, “especially naughty mushy stuff…wheeeeeee!” The little blind mare let out a whoop of delighted joy as the boat continued to ride the choppy north Equestrian waves.

“Mom showed me,” Seashell said, sounding very grown up indeed, “but I'm not ready to try it yet

Sand Dune thought for just a moment before passing his expert opinion. “Eww!”

“Colts…” Wildfire and Seashell shared a giggle, “I thought it was eww too, till a certain blue mare sneaked up on me in a coffee shop in Manehatten.”

“He'll change his tune one day and sing his heart to another.” Airmail said wisely, fighting off a fit of her own giggles as Sand Dune scrunched up his face and made retching noises.

Seashell reared up to her hind hooves and pointed over the railing at the pod of whales before she shouted loudly, “They are pulling away!”

“Oooh…did we turn?” Wildfire asked uncertainly as she felt the Radiant Way shift under her, the craft was being tossed from the opposite direction now, but at least the waves were distinctly smaller at just four to five feet high. “Ah…at least the waves are smaller.”

“They will search out another pod closer to the shore to chase.” Airmail explained to her blind lover.

“Not that I'm not enjoying it, of course,” Wildfire tried – a little too late – to cover her tracks. Unfortunately this tactic didn’t quite pay off and everypony except little Sunrise snickered in her direction. “It is nice when it doesn't rock so much.”

Seashell laughed, “You need to go with mom on the fishing boat in the stormy season!”

“Yeah,” Sand Dune piped up, “when dad goes he uses his wings most of the time.”

“That depends Seashell,” Wildfire asked, altogether not liking the idea of a ‘stormy season’. The only stormy season she was interested in involved the tempestuous violet pony stood behind her on the deck. “Are the waves bigger than these?”

“Yeah,” Sand Dune’s voice was way happier than it should’ve been for Wildfire’s liking. “They are like taller than our whole house!”

“We all have to wear belts and clip to the ropes when we’re on the deck!”

“You know what, Seashell?” Wildfire squeaked, her yellow cheeks turning green at the mere thought of that in spite of the sea sickness medicine’s best efforts. “Ah, thanks, but I think I'll pass on that. There's not enough drugs in Equestria to get me through that.”

Airmail giggled and held on to her diminutive lover as the boat dipped and rose through a series of four foot waves. “I'm with you there, Wily.”

“Whales off the bow!” The stallion hollered loudly from the wheelhouse.

“It's another pod of Caneighdian Long-fins.” Airmail said when she realised Wildfire was about to ask what sort they were.

“Looks like six this time, Auntie Wildfire.”

Wildfire smiled at Seashell’s comment. “I think I'll watch those waves from the shore, where it’s safe, and level. Very level.” She held on tight to the rail again when the fishing boat rolled to the right under a couple of waves. “At least I'm ready to get wet this time.”

Sand Dune grinned at the blind pony, “Okay Auntie Wildfire!”

As a burst of icy cold sea water was blasted over them by this new pod of whales, Wildfire nudged Airmail’s barrel with her forehoof. “That’s so cool, I'm an auntie now!”

“Yes,” Airmail smiled a smile that Wildfire could hear, “you now have no shortage of nieces and nephews.” The lead editor leant in real close and lovingly nuzzled her yellow cheek and neck. “You have seven just with my family and soon to be eight when Silver Cloud drops. Then there are three more on Stormy's side, and of course there is the rest of the herd as well.”

“It’s gonna be fun next Hearth's Warming Eve,” Wildfire giggled, “so many pressies to buy everypony!”

Airmail joined her in her giggles. “Socks for everypony!”

“You can never have too many socks.” Wildfire stated like she was an authority on the subject, a sentiment she knew for a fact that Airmail and Tempest agreed with. “I want some more purple and blue ones.”

“I like socks.” Seashell joined in.

“Good filly,” Wildfire smiled as she found the earth pony filly with her right wing. “Socks are awesomes.” Another spurt of water from above and a splash over the rail courtesy of the whales had the brother and sister again whooping for joy, distracting them from further talk of socks. “Wohooo!” Wildfire cheered with them and, after another hour of soaking and chasing this pod of six the boat finally headed back to the harbour. “I swear I have never ever been so wet in my life!” Wildfire squealed, “And I worked with rain clouds!”

“They do have a shower on the pier to get the salt water out of your fur and feathers,” Ocean told her, as she knew full well they’d all need it after this trip out on the waves.

Wildfire shook her head, sending salty water cascading to the deck from her black mane. “Oh, thank Luna for that.” She knew she really needed a shower.”

Ocean giggled at that, “You favour the Moon Goddess over the Sun Goddess, Wildfire?”

“Well, a bit, she's cool!” Wildfire exclaimed, “But everypony always uses Princess Celestia's name, Luna must feel left out, that’s all.”

“True,” Ocean had to agree with that. “The farmers do favour Celestia over Luna, but for me I go when the fish are about day or night.”

“Luna is pretty fun though.” Wildfire started then she caught herself. She didn’t want to be any more of a name dropper than she already was. “Ocean, I bet it's fun fishing at night, isn’t it?”

Ocean thought about that as they entered the harbour and sailed back to the pier they left from. While sure it was hard work, it was always fun. “It is very pretty out on the waves at night.”

“Yuppers, I used to love the night sky…” Wildfire commented as Ocean and her first mate moored up the boat at the pier to secure it in place. Once everypony had disembarked and had taken use of the aforementioned showers that Ocean had told Wildfire about while they were out, the fishermare and her foals all shared very tight hugs with the blind mare. “Y’know, I'll never get tired of hugs.”

“That's good,” Tempest grinned when she took her turn in the hug fest, “as we aren't going to get tired of giving them.” At that, Ocean and her foals took their leave of the three mares, with the promise that they’d all see them later back at the family farmhouse for dinner.

“And that’s why I love our herd, Honey.” Wildfire smiled as the hug from Tempest was finally released. When it was, a fun little idea crept into her head, a very fun idea indeed. Especially as she knew they were flying back to the farm. “Hey, which way's your mum's place, Airy?”

“East, young mare, east.” Airmail grinned and helpfully nudged the yellow pegasus around until she was facing in roughly the right direction.

“Cool…” Wildfire smiled a huge smile as she was turned around on the pier to face east. “Race you!” Without any further warning and without waiting for Airmail or Tempest to lead her she thrust herself up into the air and took off. Sharing a laugh between themselves, Airmail and Tempest took off behind her and followed while up front Wildfire laughed and flapped her wings as hard as she could. A few minutes into the flight she slowed a little to ease her wings.

As the two older mares were following their little lover, Airmail stayed a good two hundred yards back and tried to get Tempest to keep quiet, but the mother hen in the violet pegasus got the better of her. “On your six, Wily.”

Wildfire turned her head and grinned before she pushed a little harder to increase her airspeed. “C’mon then, Honey!”

Tempest couldn’t contain her beaming smile if she tried. Which she wasn’t. “Is that a challenge, Wily?”

“It was!” Wildfire yelled and took a deep breath and pushed herself faster, flying all the way from thirty up to fifty five miles per hour.

Tempest sniggered, while she knew she could smoke her little lover – she could easily sustain two hundred miles per hour for up to three hours and she topped out at two hundred and fifty – the violet pegasus instead accelerated and flew under Wildfire, brushing her underside with her hooves starting from between her hind legs to her chin.

“Teehee!” Wildfire giggled at the tender gentle touch along her undercarriage and she tried to go a little faster but, as she was already at her top speed of almost sixty, Wildfire realised that despite her best efforts she wasn't going any quicker so she started to slow down.

Putting on a burst of speed, Tempest overtook Wildfire and called back over her shoulder, “Watch out you're going to fly through a yellow rain cloud!”

“Yellow?” Wildfire was puzzled for just a moment until the bit dropped with an ‘ooh!’ and just in time she swerved to the right, all the time slowing a little more so she could keep her breathing steady.

Keeping up the rear – and admiring Wildfire’s shapely ass - Airmail also managed to swerve out of the way of the impromptu cloud. “Stormy!” She yelled indignantly.

Wildfire smelled a stream of urine to her left and up ahead of her Tempest was laughing hard. Giggling like a filly, Wildfire laughed and maintained her steady pace, allowing Airmail to catch up with her. “Stormy is crazy!” The azure blue mare grumped as she came alongside her.

“Yuppers,” Wildfire agreed, “but she's a good kind of crazy…” she giggled as she slowed right down to just forty five miles per hour, “It was nice winning while it lasted, Pretty.”

“How are your wings?” Airmail asked when almost immediately she caught the reduction in speed. “Just so you know, if you hurt yourself we won't let you peen anypony while we’re here.”

“They're okay right now,” Wildfire replied assuredly, “That’s why I slowed down.”

“Okay,” Airmail breathed a silent sigh of relief. The very last thing she wanted was for Wildfire to hurt herself trying to show off. “You did start at a good pace, just a few more minutes and we’ll be back at the farm.”

Wildfire giggled, “I was never a racer.”

Still chuckling away merrily to herself, Tempest circled around to fly alongside Wildfire’s unoccupied right side. “You both missed that unscheduled yellow rain!”

“Yuppers, shame that!” Wildfire giggled, this time at the mirth in Tempest’s voice. It was contagious. “In the bath next time, please, Honey.” She paused for breath while Tempest burst into a giggle fit. “Not much of a race, but it was fun.”

“It was bold of you.” Tempest commented approvingly. She wanted to see a great deal more of this Wildfire.

“Yeah,” Airmail put in, “which made it fun.” Just then, Airmail saw something on the ground and pointed it out to Tempest along with a series of complex ear flicks and the violet mare simply nodded. “Detour time, Wily. Let’s land over here…”

As she banked and descended, Airmail’s voice diminished off to the left, and Wildfire had to really concentrate to follow her herd-mate’s sounds and scents down to the ground. Especially, she noted, as neither of them waited and gave her any extra warning than was necessary. She liked that. As she hovered down to the ground, Tempest did give her feet by feet height check until she touched down though. “I got it, thanks Honey.”

Airmail walked around the edge of what had caused her to want to land. “Welcome to our own lake.”

Tempest chuckled at the sixty feet wide body of clear water. “It’s more of a big pond…”

“Details,” Airmail cut across her marefriend. “Want to go swimming, Wily?”

“Um,” having never actually swam before – there wasn’t much need or call for it in Canterlot – Wildfire really wasn’t sure about this at all. “Sure I guess…”

Tempest, ever the mother hen, studied the blind pony’s body language. “You ever been swimming before?”

“Nopes.” Wildfire shook her head. “Never too late to learn though, right?” She’d already done so many ‘firsts’ on this trip as it was, she figured another one couldn’t hurt.

“I learned to swim in this 'pond',” Airmail said with a loud giggle as she recalled all her lessons when she had been growing up. “It is about fifteen feet deep in the middle.”

“If you hold your wings out, they work like floats.” Tempest instructed, already going into her lecture mode.

“Oh okay,” Wildfire shrugged her little shoulders. “Let’s give it a whirl!” After all, her marefriends were with her, she knew she ultimately that she was safe, so she extended her wings out wide as far as they would stretch and she slowly walked out into the clear lake water. “Oooh, you could've warmed the water!”

“Silly filly,” Airmail snickered, “it isn't that bad it’s been warmed by the sun all morning.” At that, the azure blue mare took to her wings and yelled, “CAAAAAANNONBAAAAAALL!” As she folded her wings tight to her barrel and plummeted from thirty feet in the air to the centre of the pond.

Laughing fit to burst, Tempest waded in next to Wildfire as water splashed over them both. “I sort of knew she'd do that.”

“You utter pirate!” Wildfire giggled as she floated on the water. “This is pretty nice though,” she commented, treading water while she got accustomed to the new feeling of the water around her. It was kind of like a really big bath.

While Airmail was busy swimming like an earth pony, Tempest decided to carry on with her ‘lecture’. “If you fold your wings and roll onto your back and open them again, you can float with your legs in the air and the sun on your belly.”

Wildfire, as ever quick to follow instructions – another by-product of Amethyst and the care home - folded her yellow wings and rolled over to lay on her back in the water. Opening them wide once more, the blind mare found she was surprisingly buoyant as she rose up to the surface and floated “Hey, I did it!” She sounded genuinely pleased with herself. “Stormy I did it!”

Almost immediately Wildfire heard Airmail’s voice not far away chanting ‘Duun Dun! Duun Dun! Dun Dun Dun!’ The little pegasus knew exactly what she was doing, and she had always hated that movie. And sharks. And movies about sharks. “T-That’s not funny Pretty, even I know there isn't a shark in here…” she said, trying hard not to sound scared as she floated on her back. “I really should've done this sooner.” And she would’ve, if it weren’t for that move. And that shark.

As she said that, Wildfire felt a definite ‘something’ ride over her black tail and then the ‘something’ planted a big smooching kiss between her hind legs and it backed off. “Sorry Wily,” Tempest couldn’t hide the amusement in her voice, “There appears to be a Snatch shark in the lake!”

On the verge of a panic attack, Wildfire giggled like a filly. “I think I like that kind of shark,” she said, opening her hind legs a little in the water.

Again, Airmail came stalking up over Wildfire’s tail but this time she stayed in place, licking at the blind pony’s exposed marehood. Coming up on her right side, Tempest nibbled Wildfire’s ear. “Enjoying your first swim?”

“Y-Yuuupp…aaah y-yeeeah...” Wildfire moaned blissfully, “it's...ooooh...better than I thought it'd be.”

“Flutter your wings now and again so they don't get water logged.” Tempest advised her while Airmail rubbed Wildfire’s ass with her forehooves as she licked away at her glistening marehood.

“A-Alrighty…” Wildfire fluttered her wings, “d-damn Airy that's really nice!” She felt herself being slowly moved across the pond over the deep end and then to the far side where it was shallower. “Hmmm!” She whimpered at Airmail's tongue buried muzzle deep in her crotch. “N-Never knew...hmm...swimming was this much fun…”

“Bluesky stays belly down when she swims with Rye.” Tempest giggled and once the violet mare’s hooves touched the bottom she held Wildfire in place so that Airmail could put more effort into what she was doing.

“R-Rye mounts her…aaaah, in the water?”

“Yes he does.” Tempest said as she licked and nibbled Wildfire’s ears, “A real challenge for her to stay afloat.”

“Aaaah! Awesomes...” Wildfire arched her back and was very grateful for Tempest holding her afloat. “Airy, can you hoof me, in the water?”

“I can try.” Airmail wasn’t wholly convinced, but… “Let me clean my hoof first.” At that, Airmail swam over to a nearby sandy area and while Tempest kept up the attention on Wildfire’s ears and now her teats, the azure blue mare made sure her hoof was clean before she swam back. “You ready for this, Wily?”

Wildfire nodded and spread her hind legs further apart. “Oh, I’m ready!”

“Try to remember to flutter your wings or you will sink.” Tempest whispered as Airmail got into position, “it is only about three feet of water here though.” Airmail dug her hind hooves in for leverage, leaving her head above the water and she gently pushed the toe of her hoof against Wildfire’s moist entrance.

“Aaah…” Wildfire fluttered her wings in the water, “oooh yeah do it Airy…” she bit her lip at the feel of her hoof while Airmail’s other forehoof rubbed circles around the blind mare’s hard love button as she pushed in with the other hoof. “Yes! oooh yees!” Wildfire squealed happily, loving the feeling of her lover’s hoof in her, filling her up.

Tempest nuzzled and teased Wildfire’s ears and lips as Airmail slowly pushed the whole of her hoof inside the yellow pony’s dripping wet snatch and now she tongued the area above it while the other hoof began drift down to her tail-hole. Wildfire squeaked the blue hoof at the ring of her anus and she relaxed herself at Tempest’s nuzzle. “OOooaaAAAH I looove that!”

Encouraged by Wildfire’s deep lustful moans, Airmail pushed on deeper and she nipped and nibbled at her clit as the toe of her other hoof pushed against the yielding tail-hole. Wildfire let out a loud surprised ‘eep’ and took a deep breath to relax her muscles. “G-Go for...ooOOooOH...it Airy!” Airmail pushed her foreleg in deeper and then she started to pump with it in and out. While her other hoof only toyed with the other hole she moved to nibbling Wildfire’s hard nipples along with her clit.

At her front, Tempest moved from tonguing her ears to deep kissing. Her mouth full of hot wet tongue, Wildfire whimpered and moaned lustfully into the kiss, pushing her own tongue against Tempest's lips. Using the distraction, Airmail pushed with her hoof past her fetlock inside Wildfire’s stretching marehood and she continued to rock it in and out, all the while nipping and nibbling at her labia and clitoral hood. “N-NaaAAAhhh!” Wildfire groaned and mashed her lips against Tempest's as she tried to buck her hips against Airmail's hoof, her climax building within her core.

Sensing that Wildfire was so very close, Airmail pushed inside far enough to bump her hoof against Wildfire’s cervix and she started to tap it while her other hoof pushed a third of the way inside her tail-hole and she bit down on her hard nub. “A-A-AAaaAAAAAiry!” Wildfire screamed her lover’s name as she came long and hard, shuddering and clenching her pussy muscles tight around the foreleg buried inside her.

As Airmail lapped up around her leg, Tempest purred deep into Wildfire’s ear, “My, that was fun to watch.”

“F-Fuuuuuun…” Wildfire mumbled something incomprehensible as she rode out her momentous orgasm. “That...fun...woooweee!”

Tempest gave Airmail a sly look. “Airy, are you going to let me watch Wily do that to you?”

Airmail thought about it for a moment before nodding apprehensively. “Only after a hoof inspection.”

Wildfire panted, breathing very heavily. “T-That...was…awesomes!”

“I’m glad you enjoyed that.” Airmail smiled as she slowly and carefully removed her hoof and washed it off in the water. “See, swimming is fun.”

Tempest snickered. “A lot of fun.”

“I really like swimming,” Wildfire gasped weakly and Airmail moved up under Wildfire’s outstretched fluttering wings to kiss her lips. “I thought you were gonna hoof my ass there for a second.”

Tempest laughed out loud and clutched her sides as Airmail let out a definite ‘ewww’. “Okay,” Tempest breathed through her snorted giggles, “Okay, now it’s exercise time. Dive and use your wings to push you forward like you’re flying. Just drag your hooves along the bottom.”

“It’s sixty feet side to side,” Airmail added, “and you can come up any time you need to.”

“Alrighty,” Wildfire sounded far braver and more confident than she felt. “Here I go…” the blind mare took a very deep breath and dived under the clear lake water and spread her wings and she began flapping her wings as if she was flying under the water, going along a few feet before surfacing and taking a breath and diving under again.

Tempest and Airmail had a bet between themselves as to how many laps Wildfire could do. Wildfire smiled to herself under the water as she swam along. She felt exactly like a penguin, flapping her wings and dragging her hooves on the bottom. Wildfire surfaced for breath before diving again, this time turning and ‘flying’ back the other way hard against the water resistance.

Eventually after fifteen minutes Wildfire realised she wasn’t going to get any further and, worn out with tired flight muscles, she surfaced for breath one last time with a whoop of celebratory joy. “Phew…I-I don’t think I can do another length…sorry…” Over on the bank, Wildfire heard Airmail and Tempest hoof bump each other and then they each came over and nuzzled her cheeks.

“Well done Wily!” Tempest cheered as her nuzzle evolved into a full on kiss-fest by the lakeside. “It’s not as easy as you'd think.”

Airmail looked over at her family’s old weather beaten farmhouse standing just over half a mile away. “Let’s walk back and air dry.” She knew in this sun, they would all be dried by the time they reached the building.

Wildfire gave the two older pegasi many excited kisses. “I did two whole lengths! I did it! Did you see? Is that good?”

Tempest had to try really very hard to not laugh. Not that it would’ve been a mean laugh, more one amused at Wildfire’s sheer excitement. “After the flying and floating, I think you did really good, Wily.”

Airmail noted the state of her little lover’s feathers as they walked along. “We can do some preening back at the farmhouse.”

“Awesomes!” Wildfire cheered herself, “I did good!” She shook her wings and giggled, “I think I could use some Airy preening.”

“I think I could use some Wily preening.” Airmail grinned, and Tempest giggled, fully intending to get herself some as well.

Exhausted, Wildfire set off at a steady walking pace. “I'm not racing you this time…”