“Bluefeather,” Lancer called out as he looked over his manager’s shoulder, “the newbie’s here.”

Bluefeather spun on her seating pad and looked through her open office door and looked out into the hallway. She was impressed, as it was only ten minutes to nine in the morning. She liked punctuality. “Hey, Wily, I’m glad to see you made it into work.”

Wildfire smiled as she approached the grey pegasus’s office. She had intentionally flew from her townhouse to get there ten minutes early. Today was the first day that she would be working with Bluefeather following her return with Cyclone from Canterlot, and she wanted to make a good impression. “Good morning to you Ma'am,” then, she nodded to the other pony in the room, “Lance.”

“Testing day?” Bluefeather asked, happy to be back in the factory, though she wasn’t a huge fan of the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for her upon her return from the nation’s capitol. She was convinced her Cyclone had chosen the right career path.

“Yes Ma'am,” Wildfire answered quickly and smartly, standing at attention in her manager’s office, “it is.”

Bluefeather shook her head, sharing a smile with Lancer. “My factory, my rules. Downtown is a different playground. We use names here so nopony can mistake who you're talking to.” She smiled, looking around her office at the photos on the wall, and the most recent photo on her desk. Damn Cyclone was a cute mare. “You can call me Ma'am when I'm doing you at Caffy's place…”

Lancer interrupted her then, breaking out in gales of laughter. Taking the gallant way out, he decided to retreat back into his own office across the hall. It was safer there. Standing in front of her boss, Wildfire had a thoroughly intense blush as red as her cutie marks and she giggled. “Yes Ma'...I mean, Bluefeather, thank you.”

Bluefeather giggled, unable to help herself. “If you're looking for extra work, you can be the fetcher of coffee. Lance takes his black, a couple of sugars for me.”

“You got it, Bluefeather!” Wildfire smiled, coffee she could do, and she knew where the machines were in the recreation room. “Two coffees, coming right up!” she did have to have a little think though, to remember where the machine was and she trotted off with a smile.

The recreation room was unusually empty, and she quickly found the nearest machine. After a few minutes with the machine, Wildfire came trotting back to Bluefeather’s office with three mugs of coffee in a cup holder held in her mouth and she set it down on the table. “Coffee!”

Again, Bluefeather was impressed with how easily Wildfire had accomplished this little task. She knew now she could send her on errands and she’d be alright. At the call of ‘coffee’, Lancer flew through to his manager’s office. “Which is sugar free?” he asked.

Wildfire pointed to the one on the left of the holder. She had separated them on purpose. “This one is yours, Lance.”

“Thank you, Wily.” Lancer took his mug in his hoof, blowing the steam off the top.

“Yes, thank you.” Bluefeather looked up at the clock on her wall opposite her desk. “You’ve got about an hour before the test starts, just a heads up.”

Wildfire sipped her coffee. “Anytime guys, and thanks for the warning, Bluefeather.”

“No problem, Wily.” The grey mare smiled, appreciating her own hot drink as Lancer took his with him back to his own office.

Likewise, Wildfire took her coffee to her office. She found it easily, as it was one door down from Lancer’s. The little blind mare sat on the seating pad at her desk. She had everything here just as she liked it. Headset interfaces to the right, just like it was at home, coffee mug to the left and a framed photo of her mini herd to the left of that.

On the wall to the left, by the window, was the feather rack that held feathers from Airmail and Tempest. There were spaces on it for Dusk, Cyclone and Tinkerer. She sat in her office and she let out a huge squee at just being in her office. It was still new and exciting for her. “Hmmm…” she thought to herself as she sipped her coffee, wondering what she could do to fill the time. “Bluefeather did say I have an hour, hmm…” her speaking clock, set to announce the time every five minutes, confirmed this. Then, another sip of her coffee later, she had an idea and took out her phone. “I wonder if Cy's up yet?”

“Hiya Wily!” Cyclone answered her phone on the third ring. “Where you at?”

“Hey hun,” Wildfire beamed excitedly, “I'm at work! I have an office!”

Nestled away in the comfort of her playpen in Bluefeather’s living room, surrounded by her favourite plushies, Cyclone giggled. “Where is this office? The subway station?”

“No! Miss snarky feathers,” Wildfire protested with a smile, “It's at the Weather Factory for cloud delivery.”

Cyclone chuckled at that, very pleased that Wildfire was still easy to wind up. Somethings didn’t ever change. “I'm in Cloudhatten and I’m happy none of the windows look over the cloud edge.” She reached for her bottle of milk and took a long drink. “Oh, tell Bluefeather I had a talcum powder accident which was totally not accidental.”

Wildfire snickered, “You naughty little filly!” she could easily imagine that right now, her nappy wearing friend was in the middle of a powder explosion. “How's the new job going?” she asked, thinking back to the phone call she had shared with Cyclone at Caffeinated’s ranch a few days ago after Air Raid’s big race.

“Did some meet and greets,” Cyclone replied, stretching in her all over onesie. “Dad gave me a script I'm studying. Can you believe they actually have a script?” she laughed out loud at the absurdity of porn movies having a script, of all things. “I start shooting this Monday coming, should be five days start to finish.”

Wildfire couldn’t believe that, at all. “You have a script? For realsies?” she still didn’t believe it. “Don't they just tell you where to lay down and in what position?”

“That's what I thought too,” Cyclone agreed. She had thought that was all there was to her dad’s business. “Show my bits and moan at the right times. This thing has lines cheesier than Darkie’s, I swear!”

“Ooooh I need a chuckle, gimme a for instance?”

“Sir!” Cyclone out on her best voice – Bluefeather had dubbed it her ‘sex voice’, “I've never seen a rod so large. I don't know if my little cunny can take it all in!”

Wildfire burst out laughing, as much at the phoney voice as at the ridiculous lines. “Oh, oh my...”

“I said that with a totally straight face, too.” Cyclone laughed along with her friend, kicking her legs in the air like the big foal she was at heart. In the same voice, she continued, “My nipples are all chaffed, could you spread some of that stallion cream on them?”

By the time Cyclone finished that sentence, Wildfire was laughing so hard she had to clutch at her sides. “Cy, st-stop Cy please...y-y'know, I'm getting the DVD just to hear you say that, right?”

Cyclone shrugged, “That's more bits in my pouch.”

“Teehee!” Wildfire giggled, still picturing Cyclone being rutted stupid by some stunt stallion and uttering those daft lines while doing it. “Oh...” she tried hard to contain herself, then a thought occurred to her, “oh boy... hehehe...hey, what are you doing later, around lunch ish?”

“Hmmm,” Cyclone thought out loud, tapping her black chin, “I was going to practise talking with my mouth full of whipped cream, but I could do something else.”

“Why...why would you...whipped cream?” Wildfire tried to work it out, why anypony would possibly want or need to talk with their mouth full of cream. On the other end of the line, Cyclone silently counted in her head while Wildfire thought about that. The jet black pegasus had reached seven out of ten when the bit dropped and Wildfire figured it out. “Oooh...you dirty little filly!”

Just for added emphasis, because Cyclone remembered how dense Wildfire could be, she reached for the other thing in her playpen. Shaking the can of squirty cream, she sprayed it into her mouth until it was full. “My,” she slurred down the phone, “your load is the sweetest of nectars!”

Still in the early throes of her heat, Wildfire pictured Cyclone on her knees with a mouthful of stallion cream saying that and a second later her wings exploded out in a violent wingboner. “Aaah...l-lunch then? I'll call Darkie and we can have a girly catch up, y’know, stuff I've missed over the five years?”

Lunch made Cyclone interested. Gossip sealed the deal. “Do you want to do lunch in Cloudhatten or Manehatten?”

“Manehatten hun,” Wildfire answered quickly, “I was thinking we could meet up with Darkie, have a proper catch up.”

Lunch, gossip and fun with Darkstar. Cyclone was there. “Okay, what time, I'll need to get a cab.” The taxi was essential, as there was no way in the land she was going to fly down from where she was. Nope, no way at all.

“Oh,” Wildfire thought for a moment as her wings finally went back down of their own accord, “I have lunch about twelve thirty.”

“Sounds good, I can do some shopping.”

“Alrighty hun, I'll call Darkie.” Wildfire smiled, knowing full well she had her friend on the hook. “Caffeinated's coffee place okay with you?”

Cyclone snickered and again she put on her special ‘sex voice’. “I love your stipes! Could you stripe me with your spunk?”

“Cy...” Wildfire facehooved, though she did giggle, “you haven't changed a bit, have you?”

“It’s in the script!” Cyclone protested, “like my dad says, ‘Trust the script to see you through life's situations’.”

“You deserve an Oscar just for keeping a straight face.”

Cyclone giggled, “I’ll see you downtown later, Wily.” As she hung up the call, Cyclone readied the can of squirty cream at her mouth. If she was going out for lunch, she might as well get her practise in early.

Wildfire, with her wings finally under complete control, dialled Darkstar’s number. “Surely Darkie can't be as much of a tease...” she said to herself as her black tail twitched on her seating pad.

Several rings later and the dialtone switched over to Darkstar’s voicemail. “You’ve reached a star in the dark. If you’re brave enough leave a message. If you’re a star in the light. Visit!”

When the beep sounded, Wildfire left her message for her old friend. “Hey Darkie, it's Wily! I was wondering if you wanted to meet up with Cy and I for lunch at Caffeinated's shop, say twelve thirty?”

As Wildfire put her phone back in her saddlebag, her speaking clock alerted her to the fact it was nine twenty five a.m. “Huh...I have thirty five minutes before my test...okay!” an idea came to her, carried by the cold coffee in her mug. Sliding off of her seating pad, she trotted through to Bluefeather's office and she knocked her usual two knocks. “Excuse me, Ma'am...sorry, I mean, Bluefeather?”

Bluefeather looked up from her computer. Not that she was ‘working’, as such, more she was studying her Cyclone screensaver. “Yes, Wildfire, what can I do for you?”

The little blind mare entered her manager’s office with a smile all over her face. “I've just spoken to Cy. She says to tell you she's had a talcum powder accident that totally wasn't an accident at all.”

Bluefeather giggled, not looking away from her screensaver, especially as it moved onto a photo of Cyclone in her nappy bent over with a pink pacifier in her mouth and pink booties on her hooves. She stared long and hard at that picture. “She seems to think that a bit of padding will soften the blow. Silly filly. She have any other news to have you 'leak' out?”

“Only that she's getting very good at talking with her mouth full of squirty cream.”

“Ugh,” Bluefeather facehooved, “She was reading that script again. Of course, when she sprayed by nethers with whipped cream and then talked to me while munching was a...fun experience…”

At that point, Bluefeather was interrupted by Wildfire’s wings shooting out to her sides once more. Despite trying to control it, her black tail flagged as well. “Aaah, I-I bet it was!”

Bluefeather giggled, spotting the signs of heat a million miles away. She had a hunch that Wildfire and her mini herd were in for an awesome weekend. “I bet you're leaving loose feathers everywhere!”

“Go get a room!” Lancer yelled out from his office while Bluefeather broke out in gales of laughter. Still in his office, Lancer carried on, “If you keep going, you'll need a mop!” Thanks to that, Bluefeather was laughing even harder.

Wildfire, blushing a very bright red indeed, made to leave quickly, lest she make an even bigger fool of herself. “I'm ah...I think I'll just be in my office…” she trotted away, but paused at the open door. She remembered her coffee was cold. “Does um...anypony want more coffee? I'm going to the machine.”

“I do!” Lance shouted, quick as lightning, “black please!”

Bluefeather shook her head. “Nah, I'm good, thank you.”

As Wildfire left Bluefeather’s office, the destination in her mind the coffee machine in the recreation room, a young pale green pegasus mare, barely out of school, came trotting down the hallway from the planning offices. “Hi!” she greeted Wildfire exuberantly, her dark green mane bouncing over her eyes, “I'm Undercloud, and I’m the fetcher of coffee for the planning offices. I'll join you.”

“Coming up, Lance!” Wildfire smiled, making a mental note to get Lancer’s black coffee while she was there. “Hey there, I'm Wildfire.” She returned the greeting, holding her hoof out.

Immediately, Undercloud bumped Wildfire’s offered hoof. “So, you're the new kid on the cloud, huh?” she asked as she fell into step alongside Wildfire. “That’s cool, so! Do you have an in on Bluefeather's newest filly friend?” she asked eagerly, almost bouncing on her way to the recreation room.

“Yuppers,” Wildfire smiled at what she guessed was a gossip pony as she trotted on over to the coffee machine she had used before, now she knew where it was. “Cy and I go way, way back.”

Undercloud’s pale green ears shot up and her blue eyes sparkled at the sniff of gossip. “She hasn't brought her by to the office for inspection yet. Still, she is a lot happier with her around.” She prompted none too subtly.

Wildfire giggled, she knew how this little game was played. She’d been around Cyclone enough in the past. “Cy's a lot of fun, you'll like her.”

“Sure would be nice to have her drop in the office,” Undercloud grinned. She recognised the dismissive return meant to deflect the gossip hound, but luckily for her she had the perfect riposte ready. “Bluefeather hasn't even said what tribe she is from.”

“Oh,” Wildfire started as she got the coffee machine going, a mug placed in position for Lancer and herself, “she's a pegasus.”

Silently, Undercloud cheered, chalking up a mental win for her. Now she had the newbie talking, she was confident she could get her to spill even more. “Even less of an excuse, she could fly over anytime!”

“Well um...she is scared of heights.”

Undercloud blinked at the coffee machine she was stood at next to Wildfire. This was gold! “Oh, wow, that is a total bummer. Still, I hope Bluefeather brings her around sometime so we can meet up.”

At her machine, Wildfire was about to launch into a long and detailed life history of Cyclone but, as the fresh coffee poured out into the waiting mugs, she thought better of it, especially seeing as Bluefeather hadn’t told anypony yet herself. The way she saw it, it was up to her manager, not her. “Well, if you come to my office, I got a picture of her on my desk you can look at.”

“Sure thing!” Undercloud was there alright. “I just need to deliver this before the planning team riots.”

“Alrighty, I best get this to Lance too.” Wildfire smiled, getting the two mugs in the holder she had bought with her. “Feel you in a sec!” Taking up her own tray in her mouth, Undercloud giggled as they both walked out of the recreation room and went their own separate ways.

Wildfire took the turning that she knew lead to Lancer’s office and stopped there first on the way to her own. “Here you go, Lance, one black coffee!”

“Thank you Wildfire!” Lancer exclaimed dramatically, a foreleg to his head, “My life may finally find purpose!”

“Ha!” Bluefeather called out across the hall from her own office, “Not!”

“My pleasure, Lance.” Wildfire gave the stallion a polite little nod and took her coffee through to her office, where she set it down in the usual place to the left of her keyboard, where she knew where it was.

Five minutes later, according to Wildfire’s speaking clock, Undercloud announced her presence. “Knock, knock!”

Wildfire’s head snapped towards the young mare’s chirpy voice at her door. For a moment, she was reminded of Nightingale. “Hey, Undercloud, come on in.”

The young pale green mare’s voice was very low indeed as she walked up to Wildfire’s desk and stood beside her. “So,” she said, getting straight to the point at hoof, “you got a pic to show me?”

“Oh yes, hun, here it is...” Wildfire started, feeling with her hooves to the left of her computer where she knew the picture from the fun fair sat next to the one of her mini herd in its own little frame, a gift from Tempest.

Curiously, Undercloud looked at the picture that Wildfire pointed at. Straightaway, she could see her new colleague in the centre. “There's you, obviously. Which pegasus is her?”

“Cyclone is the black mare with the turquoise mane, on the far right of where I’m sat.”

Again, Undercloud looked, this time to the left, from her point of view. She saw the jet black pegasus sat next to a vaguely familiar lime green mare. “I bet she is good at hide and seek at night. Tis a cutie, and I'll suggest Bluefeather haul her over so we can gossip.”

“She's a cutie alright,” Wildfire giggled, taking a long slow drink of her coffee. “She's good at many things. I'm sure when she comes over you'll love her.”

“No doubt about that,” Undercloud agreed, taking another long hard look at the picture. She was sure she knew the lime green mare, but she didn’t know from where. “Bluefeather is rather selective and very protective.” She offered Wildfire a nuzzle, which the blind mare returned. “Thank you for letting me look.”

Wildfire’s speaking clock had just told her that it was nine fifty five a.m. A second later, a red light flashed on the wall of her office and in the hallway outside – not that Wildfire would’ve noticed, but for the klaxon that sounded as well – a moment after that, Wildfire’s cell phone rang. Over the PA system 'Two stack needed for Fire Department' was requested. “Gotta go!” Undercloud said, suddenly all business, as she left Wildfire’s office.

Very quickly, Wildfire reached into her saddlebag and she answered her phone. “Hello, Lieutenant Wildfire speaking.”

“Captain Comet.” Comet identified himself without preamble. “As soon as the factory churns out a two stack you need to get it to my location! I'm over by the Brooks Bridge.”

“I understand, Sir.” Wildfire replied as curtly and directly to her orders as they were given. “I'll have it to you as soon as I can.”

“Very good see you soon. Comet out.” Just like that, he hung up.

Lancer was at the door to Wildfire’s office as she stood up. “Knock, knock. I heard the alarm. Don't know if they showed you the easy way to the factory output port. I can take you there. If you have another beacon, may be a good place for one.”

“I have one spare, Lance.” Wildfire, now on her hooves, pulled the spare beacon from her desk drawer. “And thanks, for showing me the easy way.”

“Cool,” Lancer stood aside as Wildfire approached the door to her office and touched her wingtip to his flank. “You can walk through the maze to the factory port, but it’s a lot easier to walk out the back door and fly up there.” He grinned, even he’d gotten lost in ‘the maze’, and he could see.

Eagerly, Wildfire followed after Lancer as he led the way through the factory’s hallways to the back door. “So, I met Undercloud, she sounded nice. If a bit um…chipper.”

Lancer snickered at that. “She’s in charge of the grapevine, and monitors the water table and provides coffee to the planning offices.”

Wildfire giggled, “I guessed she was fishing for gossip on Cy.”

“Ah, Blue's new friend. I'm all for Cy as it’s making Blue happy.” Lancer chuckled. A happy Bluefeather was a happy manager. A happy manager was a happy workplace. “Turn the beacon on and let me hold it so you can follow.” He said as they made their way outside.

“Yuppers!” Quickly, as there was an emergency in progress, Wildfire turned on the beacon she carried and passed it to Lancer, who in turn took it in his hoof. “I just showed her the picture that's on my desk of my friends. I figured anything else is for Bluefeather to decide to share.”

“That won't stop Cloudy from digging,” Lancer snickered and took off, taking a wide circular route around the factory’s exterior.

“Thanks for the warning, Lance,” Wildfire giggled and took off, following behind the stallion. She guessed that the wide route was to take them far enough away from any nearby facilities so that her proximity alarm didn’t keep tripping until she neared the output portal.

At the factory’s output port, Lancer attached the blinking beacon to the wall. “As you face the wall, the opening is to your right.” Lancer said, detailing the portal for Wildfire’s benefit. “Big enough to shove out a ten stack. The factory pushers will get it outside and one will guide you to the centre for pushing. It’s up to you after that.”

“I got it Lance.” Wildfire snapped a sharp salute in the direction of Lancer’s voice. “So...I should just wait here for the two stack cloud?”

“Yes, that should only take five minutes to kick out so it won't be long.” Lancer grinned, returning the salute out of pure habit. “Good luck, Lieutenant.” He flew off, but not too far away so he could watch how she worked.

A few minutes later, a sweet older, mature sounding mare spoke up to the blind pony’s left. “Wildfire? I'm Humid, I got your cloud ready.” She brushed the yellow pegasus with her wingtip. “I'll take you to the centre. Winds are steady out of the west at five miles per hour.”

“Humid,” Wildfire stored the name and tried to remember her voice. It wasn’t a million miles away from her mum. “I’m pleased to meet you.” She moved with the newcomer to the middle of the cloud. “Thanks, for this.”

“Doing my job, now go give Comet a bath for all of us.” With that, and a laugh, Humid turned and flew back inside the weather factory.

“You got it!” Quickly, Wildfire activated her headset via the switch on the bit in her mouth. “Point Comet, Manehatten, direction and distance.” Straightaway, her flight tech calculated and relayed her request into her ear. Grinning, Wildfire set off.

Twenty minutes into the flight, she got a call from Comet over her headset. “Wildfire, distance and direction to me now.”

“Standby Sir,” the immediacy of his call leant urgency to her request. She checked with her headset. “Sir, you're one hundred and seventy degrees, thirty miles away. I'm coming in at sixty miles per hour.”

“Abandon the two stack,” Comet ordered quickly. Things had changed in Manehatten, and they’d changed Luna-damned fast. “Get back to the factory as quick as you can. They’re shoving out an eight stack. I'm moving to the Broncs and I need that cloud as fast as you can. I'm sending pushers to help you, but it will be awhile.”

“Yes Sir, right away, Sir!” Abandoning the cloud she had been pushing, Wildfire spun around and, setting her headset for the Weather Factory, she took off back the way she had come. Flying hard, she made it back a few minutes before the cloud was out, allowing her to catch a breather. She landed at the point where she collected the two stack and panted as she stretched her wings.

Wildfire shivered, she could feel the colder air as the huge cloud was pushed out to her. “Welcome back Wildfire.” Bluefeather greeted her far more seriously than she had earlier. “Something big is going down in the city. Let me get you to the centre.”

“Thank you, Bluefeather.” Wildfire allowed herself to be guided to where she needed to be. “Captain Comet said he needs this in the Broncs, and there'd be two helpers?”

Bluefeather nodded at that. “Yes, the wind’s still out of the west at five miles per hour. Okay, ponies, let’s get this mass started.” The two factory workers and Bluefeather helped Wildfire to quickly get the cloud up to twenty miles per before the workers peeled off back to the factory. “You have it now,” Bluefeather said, “I’m not sure when that help will be here, but do your best, Wildfire.”

“You got it, Bluefeather!” Wildfire gave her manager a nod and, without another word to her, she set her headset to Point Comet. Quickly, she was told the Point was at one hundred and sixty eight degrees, and forty eight miles away. Pushing as hard as she could, Wildfire accelerated the huge cloud mass from twenty to seventy miles per hour. “C'mon Wily, you can do this, girl, you got this…”

By the time Wildfire had the cloud up to seventy, her headset told her she had travelled forward ten miles. “C'mon, just like old times...” she giggled as she realised she was giving herself a pep-talk.

After another ten miles, a stallion flew in close to Wildfire and set off her proximity alarm with his presence. “Wildfire,” he announced himself with an extraordinarily deep voice, “I'm Ice Crystal.”

Similarly, a mare flew in to Wildfire’s right side. “I'm Moonburst.”

Ice Crystal, a very deep blue stallion, was impressed with how fast the little blind mare was propelling the cloud. “You really got this thing moving!”

Moonburst grinned as she dug her hooves into the cloud’s surface. “We're here to help you bring it home, Wildfire.”

“Big explosion in the Broncs,” Ice Crystal said by way of explanation as he too began pushing with his partner.

“Y-Yuppers, that's me, I’m pleased to meet you both…” Wildfire panted and, as the two helpers began to push, she found herself having to work harder to keep up. Especially when they went past seventy five miles per hour all the way to eighty. “Figured there was something big happening.”

Minutes later, Comet called Wildfire over her headset. “I want that cloud at a thousand feet and get it slowed down to stop two hundred feet in front of my position.”

“Sir, yes Sir.” Wildfire replied and she smiled to the others. “Comet wants this at a thousand feet, slowed to stop two hundred feet in front of him.”

Moonburst ran a quick check. At any other time, she would’ve enjoyed the clear blue mid-morning sky over Manehatten’s zebra district. Not today though. She could see in the distance a bright orange glow that was the fire. “We are at one thousand five hundred feet, so it must be bad to go that low.”

“How far away are we now?” Ice Crystal asked, lacking Wildfire’s precision.

A very quick check of her headset later and Wildfire had the information to hoof. “Point Comet is six thousand eight hundred feet away at the one o'clock, Ice Crystal.”

Ice Crystal nodded over at his partner. Moonburst returned the nod. “Wildfire, sink your hooves in the cloud and back pedal. Moon, get us down to altitude.”

Moonburst nodded and flew up to the top of the cloud. “On it.”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire called out, digging her forehooves into the cloud and angling her yellow wings to slow herself down.

“This thing is one thousand two hundred feet thick,” Ice Crystal informed Wildfire, knowing full well she could place the cloud on a golden bit if need be. “So, we need you to be one thousand four hundred feet from the boss.”

“Passing down through one thousand two hundred feet,” Moonburst reported their current height over the Broncs.

“Got it.” Wildfire spoke to her headset. “Point Comet distance alarm, one thousand four hundred feet.”

Just then, several more pegasi showed up to lend assistance, as the huge cloud was almost in position above the fiery conflagration below them. Wildfire’s flight tech told her she was slowing down, nearing a stop at a hundred feet away from her alarm point. “Okay!” Moonburst yelled, “we're at a thousand feet elevation!”

“Just a little further forward.” Wildfire ordered, realising that the team was waiting on her to tell them when they were in the right place. “I'll get a proximity alarm at one thousand four hundred feet away from my beacon.”

As the team followed Wildfire’s instruction without question, Moonburst chanced a glance at the ground. She wished she hadn’t. It was like the lower levels of Tartarus had opened up in the Broncs. Several grain warehouses were ablaze, she could feel the heat from up here. “Looks like the whole block is on fire. Ground ponies are trying to contain it.”

The other pegasi on the team started to push lightly to get it where it was needed. A second later, Comet’s voice appeared in Wildfire’s right ear. “Start bouncing as it comes to a stop!”

Moonburst flew up to the cloud’s top. “Comet is giving he bounce signal!”

Right then, with Ice Crystal helping her to slow the cloud’s speed to a stop, Wildfire’s headset sounded her distance alarm. “That's the alarm! Let's bounce!” she shouted as loud as she could before flying up to the top. The moment she reached the crest of the cloud, she started bucking the cloud.

Seconds later, Ice Crystal and Comet were at her sides, ready to bounce with her. “Bounce this cloud dry! It’s a losing battle down there!”

As Wildfire began to buck the cloud, she could feel the warmth even this high up as the steam rose up into the cloud she was working on. “Yes Sir!” she couldn’t see the utter chaos that was the fire scene below her, but feeling the heat at a thousand feet, she could tell it was huge. She began in earnest to bounce the cloud like it beat her to the prettiest hooves in the room. “How bad?”

“Grain warehouse.” Comet replied grimly, “bomb.”

“Buck!” Wildfire swore, that knowledge making her work the cloud all the harder. “Casualties?”

“Don't Know.” Was Comet’s terse reply.

“Captain,” a hitherto unnamed mare reported in, her voice reaching Wildfire’s sharp ears. “The cloud is at six hundred feet thickness.”

Comet nodded to his colleague. “Good pace, keep it up, ponies!”

“Yes Sir!” Though she was starting to tire, Wildfire got a second wind, adrenalin surging through her system to allow her to bounce harder and faster than before.

That same mare reported again, several long minutes later. “Captain, Rung says it’s under control, but to play out the cloud.”

“Got it,” Comet affirmed with a nod, grateful that at last the inferno had been bought under control. At least now the emergency rescue services could go in and at best help survivors, at worst retrieve the bodies of the victims. “Let’s keep the pace and finish this.”

Wildfire grinned, “You got it, Sir!”

Fifteen minutes later, Moonburst flew over to hover by Comet. “Captain, the cloud is now at one hundred feet.”

Comet glanced down and found he could see the destroyed remains of the warehouses through the rapidly thinning cloud. “Stop bouncing!” he ordered. “Fire Team One, take cloud chunks below and look for hot spots. Team Two, stand down. Wildfire, good work, let's fly.”

Wildfire saluted. “I'm with you, Sir.” Spreading her yellow wings, the diminutive blind mare took off from the remnants of what once had been a mighty cloud. As her headset was still locked in on the beacon Comet carried, she flew alongside her Captain.

As he took off, Comet surveyed the devastation below, watching the Fire Team One go low to where the ground team directed them. He wore a satisfied smile on his face. “You saved us at least thirty minutes with that cloud. I'm glad Chief Rung convinced me to take up the offer of you working the Weather Factory.”

“Doing my job, Sir.” Wildfire said with a smile, though she positively glowed with the compliment, she felt like she could fly on forever and ever.

“You've done it well, well enough I'll tell Lance to mark your delivery test as a pass.” Comet snickered at the look of surprise on Wildfire’s face. “Of course, the bridge is six miles that way, but I'll let it slide this time.”

Just then, Wildfire’s headset beeped, alerting her to the fact she had a text message. Flicking the button on her bit, the message was relayed into her ear. “Call me when you can. Saw big fire in the news. Airy.”

Wildfire giggled at that. “To be honest, Sir, I forgot all about the test.” And she had, too. The emergency had been all that mattered to her, the test be damned. She was thankful though, with aching wings, that the flight back to the factory was dull, quiet and uneventful.

As soon as Wildfire walked into her office, her first thought was to get coffee. However, when she sat at her desk and took off her headset to rest it to the right of her keyboard, her hooves brushed a hot mug. The next thing she touched was a braille note. ‘Well done, enjoy the coffee, BF’. Smiling, she instead got out her phone and dialled Airmail’s number. She had a call to return.

“Wily!” Airmail answered her phone on the very first ring. “There was a huge fire! Were you part of that?”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire replied, getting comfortable on her seating pad, “I helped deliver an eight stack to the scene of the blaze. It was a bomb blast in the Broncs.”

“It was?” Airmail’s voice, once panicked and urgent, was now curious. “The Fire and Police chiefs are being tight lipped about it. Caffy left in a hurry to get over there.”

Wildfire nodded and took a welcome sip of her coffee. “Yuppers Pretty. The cloud was a thousand feet above it and I could still feel the steam that high up, so it was a bit of a biggie.”

Airmail giggled. Once she was sure her fiancé was alright, she decided it was time for a tease. “You weren't supposed to tell me about the bomb, were you?”

“Um...I dunno...maybe not...” Wildfire trailed off, realising too late that she’d stuffed her hoof deep in her mouth.

“I'll pretend I didn't hear you,” Airmail promised, “but I'll not forget it. So, love, an eight stack. That is pretty big.”

Wildfire blushed so hard she swore to Luna’s sainted tail that Airmail could feel it over the phone line. “It felt big! I pushed it on my own at seventy miles per hour for ten miles, then I got help!”

Airmail smiled. She could tell by the inflection in her lover’s voice that she was blushing, then she heard the pride there too. “Way to go!” she cheered, for she was as proud of her as she was of herself. “This didn't mess up your test, did it?”

“Nopes!” Wildfire beamed, “turns out Captain Comet classed it as my test, and I passed!”

“Woot!” Airmail cheered a second time, louder than before, earning herself a puzzled look from Lavender. “We need to celebrate. Um, when are you meeting up with Belle and Tinkerer?”

Wildfire thought about that, taking another sip of her coffee. “I was thinking of going over sometime in the morning. I figured tonight was too late.”

“Okay,” Airmail smiled, a plan forming in her mind, “then we do need to go out.”

Wildfire liked the sound of that plan indeed. She approved, especially if there was beer involved. “Sounds like a plan, my love.”

“Excellent. Anything you would like for food?”

“Uuuum...” Wildfire thought seriously for a moment. Then it came to her. “Do you remember Lot-To-Canter? I fancy the fish from there, Pretty.”

“Yes, it is a very nice place.” Airmail agreed quickly, “You okay if the whole mare's herd is there?”

“Yuppers, Pretty, that's fine.”

Airmail giggled, “Good, because Mapper is tired of listening to Serenity talking about getting laid by Trumpet.”

All of a sudden, Wildfire’s excitement level skyrocketed. “I can't believe that's gonna happen soon!”

“Going to be fun around the house in a few months’ time.”

“You know it, Pretty.”

“Omega’s heading out to the Broncs.” Airmail said, changing the subject. She thought it only fair to warn her talkative fiancé. “He likes to be in the middle of events. This will keep me working a bit late so I'll be in the office till six later. Stormy is off so I'll let her do the reservations for seven tonight.”

“Alrighty Pretty, don't you work too hard, and if you do, I'll wear your favourite outfit to surprise you when you get home.”

Airmail liked the sound of that. Her wings and her crotch liked the thought of Wildfire’s teats in the peephole bra. A lot. “You could wear it to dinner tonight as I'm going straight there I think. May swing by the house on the way depending on what happens with this fire.”

“That's a deal. Sexy blue lingerie to dinner.” Wildfire blew a long kiss down the phone as Airmail hung up.

No sooner had Wildfire stretched out on her seating pad and lifted her coffee to her lips than her phone rang. At first she thought it was Airmail calling her back. The caller ID however told her different. “Oh, hey there, Darkie!”

“You left a message for me?” the pure white unicorn answered, “Things are crazy around here right now.”

“Yuppers hun,” Wildfire replied, draining what was left in her mug, “Cy and I are having dinner at Caffeinated's coffee shop, I wondered if you'd like to come with, have a proper catch up?”

Darkstar had to admit she rather liked the sound of that. “Yes, if I can get out of the neighbourhood. Subway is shut down and there are police everywhere.”

Wildfire knew why, of course. “Oooh yuppers, cos of what happened. I helped put the fire out. You okay?”

“Yeah, it was three blocks from my house.” Darkstar replied. She looked out of the window of her – Slate’s - apartment and saw more emergency services rushing past. “Glad I wasn't out shopping, my new favourite bakery went up in flames. So, you caused that deluge? Like old times, hey?”

“Teehee, you know it hun!” Wildfire smiled, pride in her voice, “So what have you been doing this week?”

“Theatre work. Rehearsals. Show opens on the first of June.”

Now Wildfire was certainly interested. “How's that going? Ready to storm Las Pegasus yet?”

Darkstar smiled wistfully. “Las Pegasus was a nice dream, but this is a better reality. I'm a background dancer, but I'm first dancer so I have to play every part when a dancer is off or sick.” After living this life for a few days, she had to admit her reality was better than her dream. “I'm so looking forward to getting Slate over to a bondage night at Caffy’s. You will invite me, won't you?”

“Oh...hmm...invite you, hmm should I?” Wildfire at once caught the eagerness in her old friend’s voice and she giggled. “Go on then, I will. Sooooo, how's it going with the hunky zebra?”

“Scary!” Darkstar exclaimed, “Cell phones were down with the fire and I didn't know where he was. He called about ten minutes ago. He was over in Brooks so he’s safe and sound. Wily, once you go stripes you'll never go back!”

“I'll take your word for that, hun. I'm super-duper glad you got yourself a nice stallion.”

Darkstar looked at the picture of Slate and herself on the wall that was below her certificate she got from the mayor. Her heart swelled with love for him. “Yeah, so am I. Raid was starting to look real good there for a moment, but it isn't the same with a toy compared to the real thing.”

“You looked at Raid?” Wildfire giggled, “You, Darkie?”

Darkstar blushed heavily at that. She chose not to mention she had once dated Cloud Blossom. "You are so getting your marefriends’ hooves muffled!”

Wildfire burst out laughing. This was like old times. This was what she missed. This was what she longed for. “Bring it on, white stuff. So, twelve thirty catch up at Caffy's shop, you in?”

“I will try.” Darkstar promised, “They need to get the subway up and running. If not I'll see about a taxi.” The white mare laughed, “Not all of us fly, you know, featherbrain. I'll try to be there. Slate can't make it so it will just be us mares, and the zebra.”

Wildfire heard the giggle in Darkstar’s voice. “You will be able to concentrate on lunch, right. Miss Hot-for-Stripes?”

Darkstar shrugged, making no promises. “Maybe…”

“You so haven't changed!” Wildfire snickered as she hung up the call. “I'm glad she's okay...I was worried about her…” she said to herself. Her speaking clock told her it was already ten minutes to twelve. If she set off now, she knew she’d make it to Caffeinated’s shop in time.

Sliding off of her seating pad, Wildfire left her office and trotted through to Bluefeather’s. “I'm going for lunch, I'll see you soon, boss.”

Bluefeather nodded, but she didn’t look up from her Cyclone screensaver. “Just keep your phone on you, Wily.”

“Always. I need this.” She patted her saddlebag and felt the phone there in its own little pocket. “I'll say hi to Cy for you, Bluefeather.”

“Okay, just as long as you leave the spanking to me.” she said, earning herself a laugh from Lancer who was secreted in his own office.

Turning away from her manager’s office, Wildfire giggled. “I get spanked. I don't do the spanking.” With that, she trotted through the hallways to the weather factory’s back door. When she was outside into the welcome heat of the noon day sun, Wildfire set her headset for Point Five, Stripe’s Cup of Java and, once she had the direction and distance, she took off.

Flying as fast as she could, Wildfire covered the forty seven miles in just twenty five minutes, thrilled when she landed on the sidewalk outside of the coffee shop with five minutes to spare for her meeting. As soon as her hooves touched down, she shook her feathers before entering the coffee shop.

“Wily!” Cyclone – wearing a plain and simple pastel pink dress that covered the nappy underneath - called out from her table that she had procured, four down from the doors on the right as she saw her old friend walk into the coffee shop, “I'm over here!”

As soon as she heard Cyclone’s voice, Wildfire’s ears flicked and swivelled in her direction. Sniffing the air deeply, she managed to get a bead on the jet black mare. “Ah,” she smiled and turned to the right, “I gotcha, Cy!”

“You come here often?” Cyclone giggled behind her hoof as she watched her friend turn to face her direction and feel her way down the table one by one, “I've seen worse moves on a slalom course!”

Wildfire stuck out her tongue and raspberried her as she walked over the black and white chequered floor, feeling her way past one bright red table after another, getting closer to the sound of Cyclone’s voice. “Oh ha, ha…”

“Black coffee and two, right?” Cyclone asked when Wildfire reached her table and sat down on the empty seating pad opposite her.

“Yuppers hun, thanks.” That would do her nicely, very nicely indeed.

When she was properly seated, Cyclone moved the still-steaming mug of black coffee that was waiting for the little blind mare so that it touched her hoof. “I got it for you about five minutes ago, so it should still be good. Did you manage to get hold of Darkie?”

Wildfire nodded, she had assumed that the white mare wasn’t there yet as she couldn’t smell her. “Yuppers,” Wildfire replied, taking a sip of her coffee, “but she said she might not make it with what's happened over in the Broncs.”

“My taxi driver said there was a big fire there.” Cyclone commented as she too took a careful drink of her coffee. Stains were Tartarus to shift from a pink dress. “So Fire Fighter Wily,” she said with a hint of a giggle in her voice, “did you put it out?”

“I did,” Wildfire beamed with pride, before Airmail’s voice sounded off a little warning in her head. “Well, I helped, but I don't think I'm supposed to talk about the details.”

Cyclone waved her hoof dismissively, “Good details will put me to sleep. And before you ask, no I didn't bring my script with me.”

Wildfire laughed at that, almost spitting her coffee over the table. “S-So...teehee...so...catch up. I wanna know how you've been since we hung out last.”

Cyclone’s face literally lit up. Her smile was tangible. “I'm so happy you stopped by in Cloudsdale that Tuesday!” she reached over the table and squeezed Wildfire’s hoof. “Coming out here and meeting up with Bluefeather has given me a whole new outlook on life. Even with my mom passing, I'm at least back with my dad, and I think I'm back in with mom's family.”

“How are you dealing with that?” Wildfire asked, her yellow ears drooping back to her head at the mention of Cyclone’s mother. She recalled the phone call at Caffeinated’s place a few days ago now when Cyclone had told them all about what had happened to Monsoon. “I'm so sorry for you, hun, really. I’m sorry we couldn’t have been at the funeral.”

Cyclone smiled a sad smile. “Well, now I finally know what happened all those years ago. I really don't remember her much, but…having the closure is nice. Thanks, but I understand everypony had something to do. I would have liked to have been at the race though.”

Now, Wildfire smiled broadly, her ears back up. “It was a good one, well you saw what happened. Of course, Raid won. But, if you don't mind, back up, what did you do after I was sent to the home?” she asked curiously, taking another drink of her coffee.

About to answer, Cyclone was very pleased when she saw a police car pull up and Darkstar got out of it. Saved by the unicorn, it seemed. “Hey, does Darkie work for the police?” she asked, successfully and skilfully changing the subject. Thankfully, Wildfire was still easily distracted.

“Um...nopes!” Wildfire replied, setting her mug back down on the table, “She's a dancer in the theatre, isn’t she?”

“I'm here!” Darkstar declared loudly, opening the door with her yellow magical aura and entering in typical low key style by executing a perfect grand jete. “Now the party can start.”

“A police car just dropped her off…” Cyclone said with a shake of her head, though the exhibitionist in her thoroughly admired the looks the white unicorn was getting as she danced her way over to their table. “And she’s danced her way in.”

Wildfire giggled, imagining the understated entrance she knew her friend liked to make. “Darkie...I know you said you wanted a taxi, but that's a bit much, don’t you think?”

“National hero, don't you know?” Darkstar smiled sweetly and serenely as she floated onto the seating pad next to Cyclone. Once she was seated, she waved a hoof at the barista, who was still staring open-mouthed at her remarkable entrance. “Caramel Macchiato please!”

“Wily,” Cyclone giggled, “Darkie likes caramel!” she giggled even louder when Darkstar raspberried her for her sass.

“At least we know she isn't a changeling!” Wildfire laughed, feeling straightaway like she had gone back in time five years as Darkstar turned her raspberry cannon on her too.

A few minutes later, and a stallion that Wildfire didn't recognise delivered Darkstar’s drink. This wasn’t entirely unexpected to the blind mare, especially as Airmail had told her that Caffeinated had left to go to the Broncs in light of the fire. “Here you go ma'am,” the earth pony smiled and left them to it.

Wildfire giggled at the raspberry she received from her friend. “So...I motion that this become the new Cafe Diem!” she said with a well-intentioned smile.

Darkstar shuddered, her white fur standing on end as she did so. She knew Wildfire didn’t mean any harm, but it still transported her all the way back to that day in Canterlot four years ago. “I-I don't think that is a good idea. I like Stripes the way it is…”

“Yeah,” Cyclone said quickly, she saw the immediate change in Darkstar, she knew what the last four years had cost her friend. “The zebra might resist a name change, Wily.”

“No um...I only meant between us,” Wildfire said, her voice faltering as she too noticed the change in Darkstar’s tone. “Um...what have I said?”

Cyclone rested her black hoof on the white unicorn’s foreleg and squeezed it gently, taking care to not hurt her many scars that she knew were just under her fur. “Darkie, you going to be okay?”

Darkstar looked down at the red table top, her yellow eyes clenched shut. “I-I don't know, Cy…”

Still squeezing her friend’s foreleg, Cyclone saw the evident confusion on Wildfire’s face. She felt a great deal of sympathy for her, she understood being out of the loop so long, she didn’t know what or what not to say. “Wily,” she said gently, “that place is a very, very bad memory.”

Darkstar opened her eyes. She was doing her very best to resist ‘Darkie’s’ voice that was surfacing in her head. She knew she had to take control of this quickly, lest she lose control again. “I-I'm going to use the bathroom.” Quickly, taking her bag with her medication in it, the white unicorn got up and fled to the nearest restroom.

“But...” Wildfire’s confusion was as great as ever, her yellow ears tracked the sound of her friend’s diminishing hooves as they moved across the tiled floor. “Cy, what did I say?”

“You'll have to forgive her,” Cyclone answered quietly, the humour gone from her voice. “That café is the place where she was attacked.”

“Oh...” Wildfire was stunned. Absolutely stunned. “I um, I had no idea, Cy, really I didn’t...that's kinda why I wanted the catch up, to see what we'd been doing...I'm sorry.”

Cyclone emptied her coffee, to buy her a little thinking time. Already a little cold, it tasted horrid but she didn’t care. “So am I. I didn't know how much of her back story you had since you were there when she was healed.”

“Well...not much, hun.” Wildfire admitted, feeling more than a little bit wretched at how badly she’d stuffed her hoof in her mouth. “Just what my dad did to her from you on the phone, and I was in a nursery talking foals with Octavia and Tempest when she was being healed.”

Cyclone took a deep breath. Steeling herself to tell this most vile of stories. “From what we can tell, her salted caramel donut was drugged. I think Cold Front or one of his cronies put it on her table and she ate it, of course she did.”

“Oh...” realising at last her massive error, Wildfire facehooved. “I'm so thick!”

Unperturbed by the interruption, Cyclone continued. “When she comes back to the table, it will be like you never said anything. Go with it. She is seeing some shrink that seems to be helping her out.”

“Yuppers, I understand, Cy. Um...” Wildfire took a long slow sip of her coffee. “Is any other topic taboo?”

Cyclone thought about that for a few moments, trying to decide what to tell her for the best. “I would avoid her time with Raid and Cold Front all together,” the jet black mare said finally, looking over to the closed bathroom door, “She may bring up Raid depending on how she feels about it.”

“O-Okay...” Wildfire sniffed, crying in her own way, “I am sorry...”

“Knowledge is power.” Cyclone said with a little smile. All the sorrys in the land wouldn’t change what happened to them all, and she wasn’t sat here to hear her friend apologise over and over again. “I just wish somepony had told me that a few years ago.”

Wildfire’s ears perked straight up at that, not in the least because she heard Darkstar’s hoof-steps coming back to their table. “Why,” she asked carefully, “what happened to you?”

Cyclone looked out of the window at the sidewalk and the shops. “The reason I moved to Cloudsdale.”

Like a floating leaf, Darkstar delicately sat her slender frame back down on her seating pad. “Now, that is a story that will educate the young.” She giggled when, reaching for her macchiato, Cyclone raspberried her.

Again, Cyclone took a deep breath. Wildfire was her friend, she deserved to know what had happened. She was just thankful that Bluefeather had helped her come to terms with everything. “I really got in to the whole adult foal scene and I was enjoying the simple life of being a foal. But, sometimes pretending just doesn't do ‘it’.” She explained, tears of regret welling in her blue eyes.

Just as Cyclone had comforted her, now it was Darkstar’s turn to reach out a hoof and squeeze her black foreleg. “We've all gone down the path of foolishness, Cy.”

If it was possible, Wildfire felt even worse than before when she heard Cyclone cry. “Oh um...look I'm sorry, I didn't want to dredge up painful memories. I ah, I just wondered what we'd all been up to, that’s all.” Wildfire realised then that both of her friends had lived through a lot in the last few years, just as she had.

Darkstar actually smiled. She knew just like Cyclone did that it wasn’t Wildfire’s intent to upset either of them. It was just that they both had pasts, now. Still, she did her best to put her friend at ease. “I've been seeing a shrink for years and I’m currently getting rutted by a hunky zebra.”

Cyclone caught Darkstar’s grin. “I wet my nappies!”

Wildfire giggled, feeling instantly better. “Well, that certainly sounds interesting.”

Darkstar nodded to her black friend. “You first, Cy.”

“Okay.” Again, for the third time, Cyclone took a deep breath. She was very, very grateful that she had Darkstar there for moral support. “So, I wanted to better experience what it was like being a foal. Went to a zebra shaman in Ponyville and I got some potions that do age regression. Raid was my foal keeper and we played well together.” Pausing, Cyclone let out a heavy sigh. “One day I really wanted to play for a long weekend and I overdosed on the potions. Yeah, I was a foal with no control. I hugged and kissed a little filly.”

It was only the presence of both Darkstar’s and Wildfire’s hooves squeezing her forelegs that she was able to carry on. “I was able to avoid prison, just, but I was banished from Canterlot. Still am, a bit. So I started over in Cloudsdale. Because of the overdose though I really do need to wear these nappies.” Cyclone smiled bitterly, the soft padding under her pink dress making a poofing sound as she moved. “I was working a dead end job in the Cloudsdale weather factory then you stop in and bang. I have a new foal keeper in Bluefeather. She had me reconnect with my dad and now I'm a porn star!”

Darkstar clapped her hooves together when Cyclone finished her story. “Whoop!” Wildfire cheered and joined in the applause. “And I'll bet you'll be awesomes at it too! I remember all the stuff we used to get up to way back when.”

“Darkie’s turn.” Was all Cyclone said to that, though she appreciated the applause.

Darkstar took several sips of her macchiato to steady herself. “My story is darker to be sure.” She started with a sigh. “It started when you disappeared. All of us knew it was Cold Front's doing!” she exclaimed, hitting the table with her hoof. “Tartarus if he didn't have an excuse every time. The line was, you were in Filly with family that you never told any of us about.”

Taking another drink, Darkstar almost faltered. Almost. Thankfully, her medication was taking effect. “Raid was a complete wreck after you vanished. I…I had to make myself look like you with my illusions just so she could get through a day. I swear she was going to do herself in again, like she almost did as a filly.”

Darkstar had to use every bit of Ruby Tuesday’s and Requiem’s advice, as well as thinking of Slate, to continue. “It was getting to be too much for her, but I failed to cut her off cold turkey. Then, Luna gave her a nightmare to end all nightmares. I did agree to be her filly friend though, just…I was only willing to go so far. Snuggling and kissing was okay, but not much more than that.”

Wildfire listened to all this with rapt, morbid attention. “Wait, you mean when she tried to cut off her wings?” she asked, looking at once shocked and stunned at what she was hearing. “I had no idea Air Raid would be like that. In the hospital, she was so cold...I um...”

“She's an idiot.” Darkstar said sharply, cutting across her blind friend. “I said that to her face a number of times. You remember the flowers I brought you? Raid was on the street with some crummy two bit flowers for you, but no guts to go in. I took them from her and she sped off. I left those in the trash at the nurse's station.”

“The daffodils you bought me.” Wildfire nodded sadly. “I remember, Darkie. I...I'm sorry, I owe you all such a huge apology.” She twiddled her forehooves together, “I um...I thought you'd all forgotten about me.”

“Sometimes I think it would have been better if we had.” Darkstar commented, somewhat coldly.

Cyclone again had her hoof on her friend’s foreleg. “Darkie…”

Darkstar simply shrugged her white shoulders. “It's just truth. Thing is, we didn't.”

“I ah,” Wildfire sniffed, “I get that, hun. I really didn't think I'd see or feel any of you, ever again.”

“Yeah, well Brightstar decided to hunt you down in Filly,” Darkstar continued, “but he found love instead. You know me and him were always good at languages. So he found himself a griffon and he's still there with her today. Working in the police department. Raid and I kept hounding Cold Front and one day he broke Raid's muzzle with a door. She started to back off after that.”

“What happened with you and Dusk?” Cyclone interrupted her friend as a thought occurred to her about their other friend. “After his visit to the hospital, he just dropped off the radar. He never left the palace walls and he completely shut the rest of us out.”

As she was cut across, Darkstar gave Cyclone a very withering little glare, but admittedly she was curious about it too. Wildfire, oblivious to the stares, turned her head towards the jet black pegasus. “I'll answer you first, Cy. Dusky came to see me on his own after he and his mom had been and left the reward cheque.”

Now, it was Wildfire’s turn to take a deep breath as she prepared to tell her friends her story. “He didn't know what to say, and he kept apologising to me. I...I yelled at him.” She smiled, picturing her friend’s reactions to that. She almost never raised her voice. “No...I really laid into him. I said some hurtful things. I blamed him for what Blitzwing did. See, he admitted he had given the scroll to Blitzwing to get a reaction. I said...I said...I wished it was him in the bed instead of me. He kept saying sorry and I got more and more wound up. I told him to get out and leave me alone.”

Darkstar sniffed. She remembered what Dusk had been like shortly afterwards when she, along with Cyclone and Air Raid, had encountered the royal stallion in Sugarcube Corner. “I'm sure he is still as clueless today, Wily.”

“Hang on,” Cyclone held up her hoof, “I didn't know about the scroll, what scroll?”

“I'm sure he is, Darkie.” Wildfire giggled, “You see, Cy, Dusky wanted a way to really get at Blitz. He got a scroll from his aunt saying she had written off his whole family. He effectively ruined them all. So, Blitz lost it and threw the first thing he got his hooves on, which just happened to be the acids.”

“Other than Luna,” Darkstar sniffed derisively, “I wouldn't give a barrel of horseapples for any of the royals.”

Cyclone nodded. “I can agree with your there, Darkie.”

Wildfire however, shook her head in disagreement. “I've got a lot of time for Octavia, and Dusky for that matter, since he freed me.”

“That is a story after mine then,” Darkstar said, eager to finish now that she had started.

Cyclone though, cut across her white friend again. “Wow, Dusk busted you out?” again, Darkstar gave her a glaring look. “Oh, yeah, after Darkie finishes, of course.”

Darkstar rolled her yellow eyes and levitated up her mug to finish off her macchiato. “Thank you so much for your permission, Cy.”

Wildfire giggled, “You may continue, horny pony.”

“Ha, ha, ha...” Darkstar set her empty mug down and cancelled her spell. “Well, as I said, Raid did back off the search for you, but I'm a stubborn idiot, as Cy will be happy to tell you.”

Cyclone snickered, “I am.”

“So,” Darkstar continued, “I was this close to tracking you down. I was positive you never left Canterlot, but...half a year later I wake up from a comma with Raid next to my hospital bed. She looked like Cerberus was using her for a chew toy.”

Darkstar was extremely grateful when she felt two different hooves squeeze hers. “An anti-graffiti patrol found me in an alley in the Warehouse District. I was supposed to be a dead example of what happens when you look for Wildfire. Raid stuck to me like glue and keep me from killing myself many times. It cost her Slingshot. He’s with Windcharger now, and doesn't connect with any of us.”

The lithe white unicorn smiled, “For a long time I was thinking of switching sides on the whole sex thing because Raid was starting to look really hot. Some doc in Ponyville tried to get my head on straight. She let me play with a knife in her office, but I couldn't touch one outside her office.”

Darkstar could sense the questions coming her way and headed them off. “I had...no, still have a bit of a split personality. Dangerous Darkie and Safety First Darkstar. It’s all still here,” she tapped her head, “But I have medication, and it helps, a lot.”

“Cy told us all about that, about you hurting yourself I mean. Darkie I'm so, so sorry that happened to you…” again, Wildfire reached over the table in search of her friend’s hoof.

“Well,” Darkstar smiled, “I'm seeing Requiem now, and she’s assured me I'm not crazy. I'm still not too sure about it, but I'm moving on. Got Slate, and some of the zebra's are still stand offish as I'm a unicorn, but the police like me enough to give me a ride here. Made some other friends and now I'm dancing like I always dreamed of doing.”

Cyclone made with a very, very exaggerated sigh. “I’m still waiting for tickets.”

Wildfire managed a little smile. “That's properly awesomes, Darkie! I'm so glad you're both where you wanna be.”

At that, both Darkstar and Cyclone shared a meaningful look. “Not where I wanna be,” Cyclone said, “but I'm making the best of what I have.”

Darkstar nodded. “What she said.”

“That’s all we can do, right?” Wildfire sighed, taking a preparatory deep breath. “My turn. It was Dusk who freed me. After two...it might be three, years, I don’t really know, I was Amethyst Glory's favourite. I earned myself some privileges. One was to see my mum on her birthday. That's when and where Dusk found me. He was visiting her too, with Vocal Chord.”

“The singer?” Cyclone asked, unaware that Dusk had still been with Vocal for that long.

“Yuppers,” Wildfire nodded solemnly. “He was still with him then. Well...when Dusk saw me, he insisted on walking me back to the care home. I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn't listen to me.”

“Did you get in trouble for it?” Darkstar asked softly.

Quietly, Wildfire nodded her head. “After Dusk left, Amethyst was angry. I knew she would be. She couldn't beat me then, but she did worse…” Wildfire shuddered, “Sh-She locked me in the box instead.”

Darkstar looked puzzled. “Box?”

“Oh wow,” Cyclone was awed, and not in a good way. She wasn’t affected by the pegasi’s racial fear of claustrophobia, but she knew plenty who were, like Wildfire and Air Raid to name a few. “That’s like taking your wings away without binding them.”

Darkstar got it. “Oh...”

Wildfire’s ears slicked all the way back. “It…It…It was two feet by three feet. Too small even for me. I'd be left in there for up to four days. I've never known terror like it. Amethyst used the box because it was the only thing she could do to me that got to me. I was proud of the beatings.”

“You did have a thing for that.” Darkstar said with a faltering smile.

“Yuppers, I know hun. Over the years it became normal.” Wildfire laughed, though there was no humour in the laugh. “I was proud, to be her favourite slave. Anyway, Dusk kept on coming to see me, and one time, the last time, he had a civic event over here in Manehatten opening a new hospital wing. While he was here he met Caffy and he was invited to the bondage night party.”

Unable to stop herself, Cyclone interrupted again. “I'm sort of looking forward to that. I want to get with a pony named Lavender. The gaming night was a blast!”

Darkstar rolled her eyes, playfully slapping Cyclone for her interruptions. “Says the nappy wearing pony. I'm still working on Slate to come to a BDSM night. I really, really want him to come.”

“You said on the phone the other day you got an isolation suit...” Wildfire couldn’t help but shudder at that. “Anyway, at the party it all came out. I asked to be Mistress Mapper's pet. There's a Mare's Room. I'd gotten to know Airmail and Tempest quite well...and I told them everything. I showed them my wings.”

“Yeah,” Cyclone shifted on her seating pad, making her nappy squeak under her dress, “I didn't know about your thing with a box when I told you that, honest.”

Darkstar however was curious again. “Show them what, about your wings?”

Wildfire shook her head. “Cy, it's cool, really. If that's your thing, you wierdo pony.” She giggled before turning back to Darkstar. “Well, my wings. They broke them. The wardens broke them, again and again. I had scars under the feathers from all the breaks. Just like they'd break my ribs and my legs. When one leg would heal, they’d break another, and so on.”

Despite saying it might have been better had they not found her, Darkstar felt her eyes watering. “Sounds like you got more breaks than me, Wily.”

“Oh,” Cyclone grinned in an effort to lighten the mood, “we’re comparing scars. I got a really bad nappy rash once!” Foregoing her usual eye roll, Darkstar facehooved instead.

Wildfire burst out laughing, “That nappy rash can be a bugger, right Cy? So...Tempest thundered up the stairs at Caffy's place and told Dusk everything I'd told them. He took off and rainboomed all the way back to Canterlot. He and Luna took care of the wardens.”

Cyclone nodded. “I saw in the papers a bit about some care home scandal with a big bank scandal uncovered and investigated the same day.”

Darkstar sniffed. “I wasn't reading papers at the time.”

“That was us, Cy.” Wildfire explained. “We found out that Dad had been getting money from Amethyst Glory and had cleared out my bank account for me.”

“So much for hitting you up for bits…” Darkstar said, making Cyclone burst out in a fit of giggles.

Wildfire giggled at that, “Well, later in the day, Luna and Dusk showed up at Caffy's. She...tested me, down in the dungeon.”

“Math exam?” Cyclone asked, sharing a hoof bump with Darkstar as they both broke out in gales of laughter.

Wildfire took a moment to raspberry Cyclone and Darkstar very long, and very loud, one after the other, which just made them laugh harder. “Ha. Ha.” She deadpanned. “As it happens I'm planning on doing an online night school to improve my math. No...they, Luna and Mapper, suspended me upside down and just left me there. To see if I'd use my safe word.”

“I'm going to guess you passed the test?” Darkstar asked.

Cyclone however was interested for a different reason. “Oooh, that sounds kinda cool.”

Wildfire simply shuddered at the memory of swinging, limbs and wings tied up and unable to move, upside down in Caffeinated’s dungeon. “It…it was terrifying. Just like being in the box. If...if I hadn't passed, Luna was going to send me to another care home in Canterlot.”

“Buck.”

Darkstar looked from Wildfire to Cyclone and back again. “What she said.”

“She had to do it.” Wildfire said in a very tiny voice. “I had no sense of self preservation. But...I passed. It was all good. The next day I went to Airmail and Tempest's house. Then, after an Open Mic night here in this coffee shop. Back at Caffeinated’s place, Luna healed my wings.”

“Yeah,” Darkstar shrugged, “when she healed my horn there are no scars. It’s as useful as a foal's horn, but hey, it’s better than that Tartarus damned inhibitor ring.”

“Think Luna would cure my nappy rash?” Cyclone asked with a twinkle in her blue eyes that made Darkstar facehoof again.

Wildfire laughed out loud at that. “You're more than strong enough to prank me, Darkie. You just need to work on it. So, there we are. You're both just about up to date. I asked Airmail to marry me last Tuesday, and tomorrow I'm gonna get pregnant!”

“Whoa…” Cyclone’s mouth hung open. She knew full well that was what Wildfire had always wanted. A foal was her heart’s desire. “You? Pregnant...”

Darkstar too was very interested. Like Cyclone, she knew Wildfire had harboured a wish for a foal for a long time. “Hospital or the old fashioned way? If you want, I can line you up a fine zebra.” The thought alone of just asking Slate and seeing his reaction made her giggle.

In a very good imitation of her friend, Cyclone performed a perfect eye roll. “Better than the stallions I work with.”

“The old fashioned way.” Wildfire smiled, “And while I appreciate the offer, Darkie, I'm spending the weekend with Belle and Tinkerer from the herd.”

“Belle is one of the theatre ponies.” Darkstar commented, “I've seen her with Recital.”

Cyclone tapped her chin with her hoof, apparently in thought. “I don't remember that one from the gaming night, then again I really wasn't paying a lot of attention.”

“She's super nice!” Wildfire exclaimed, “And everypony said what a well behaved filly you were, Cy.”

Cyclone’s mood dipped a little, though it was enough to be noticed by the other two mares at the table. “Just takes once and you realise how important your actions can be. Serenity made it a lot of fun, and the teenagers minding us really helped.”

“After that one idiot zebra called me a witch,” Darkstar snickered, thinking of the poor unfortunate Roast who ended up being ejected not only from Caffeinated’s ranch but from Manehatten itself to the Crystal Empire, “the night was straight up bliss after that.”

Wildfire giggled, she remembered that incident as well as Darkstar did. “So, Cy. When are you going back to the zebra in Ponyville and getting a cure or a counter for the potions you overdosed on?”

Cyclone swiped at the red table with her hoof. “Blue nags me enough, I don't need your nagging too, Wily.”

“Then she's a good pony.” Wildfire said as Darkstar giggled, “You should listen to her.”

Cyclone grunted in frustration, she shot Darkstar a ‘look’ that she knew was understood, she just hoped the sound of her voice carried her feelings with it. “You're paid to listen to her. She just spanks me when I don't.”

Darkstar just giggled harder and raised her hoof up to the earth pony barista standing in for Caffeinated during his absence. “Refills please, sweetie!”

Wildfire though, didn’t get the hint. “Seriously though Cy, what's stopping you from going back to her?”

Having had quite enough, and not trusting herself to not lose it and yell at her friend, Cyclone clammed up. “Unless you're taking over as 'mom' let it go, Wily.” Darkstar said on the black pegasus’s behalf.

“Fine.” Wildfire sighed, “I'll drop it. I'm for a refill. You want one Cy, my treat?” she offered in an attempt to make amends.

When Cyclone simply nodded, Darkstar realised of course that her friend couldn’t tell, so she reached over the table and patted Wildfire’s foreleg. “I ordered them, so I got them, Wily.”

“Alrighty Darkie.” Wildfire acquiesced, not wanting to argue. Instead, she thought hard to change the subject. “Hey, I heard you're marrying your zebra, Darkie.”

“Yeah, once we make it past their tribal dating rituals.” Darkstar replied with a deep sigh. “His mom and his sis both like me. I think I'm making inroads to the rest of the neighbourhood too.” Now, the pure white unicorn shrugged a little. “We...We're going to Canterlot. I've met his mum, so...”

“Oh...oh right I see…” Wildfire knew what Darkstar meant by that. She was taking Slate to Canterlot, to the asylum, to meet her mother Shining Star. “As for the rest of the Broncs, you got that award that you won, surely that must carry some stroke, right?”

“Well,” Darkstar shrugged, “there are a lot of tribes and they are a clannish lot. Some don't even get along with each other, let alone an outsider like me.”

“You'll suss it out.” Wildfire stated confidently. “I'm more interested in your stallion. What's he like, what kinky stuff have you done? That sort of thing.”

“Yes,” Cyclone grinned as the earth pony barista bought over the fresh round of drinks to their table, “we need details. Lots of details.”

Darkstar took a moment to blow the steam off of her caramel macchiato and took a sip of it. “He’s more vanilla than a shake. Still, I got him to get me a collar, and I was able to get him to spank me.” she smiled a very happy smile as she ran her hoof along the collar around her neck. “He’s a work in progress, but I do love him. Nothing really kinky about the sex, except he likes me on my back so he and look me in the eye and swap spit.”

“Plenty of time for that.” Wildfire smiled, lifting her black coffee to her lips. “Airy and Stormy had me in hoof cuffs and stuff pretty much straight away, but I asked them for that. I needed it.”

“What’s a threesome like?” Cyclone asked curiously.

“Awesomes!” Wildfire squeaked happily, “Just about the best thing ever. Best one was when Stormy sat on my face and we ate each other out while Airy joined in…” she trailed off, her yellow wings fluttering at the very hot memory.

Likewise, Cyclone's black wings trembled but she managed to maintain control. Darkstar snickered at her friends. “Before you go on, Wily, let me move a bit, I don't want either of you taking my head off with a wing.”

Wildfire giggled at her white friend, she decided to tease Cyclone a bit. “Oh, and having my hard clit sucked on while my fiancé went at me like a piston with the stallionator...hmmm!” not only did her wings flutter now but her black tail flagged upwards too.

Cyclone's wings gave up and sprang out from her sides with an audible *poomf!* at her side, Darkstar laughed and nodded at the barista. “Sir, I think a mop is going to be needed over here soon!”

“Although,” Wildfire continued, “the total best time ever was when Airy hoofed me.”

Cyclone trembled, her right hoof wandering under the hem of her pink dress to the front of her nappy. “GAaahhahhhhh!”

Darkstar giggled around the mug she held in her magical aura. “You and hooves.”

“Hooves are awesomes!” Wildfire giggled, with a trace of a blush on her cheeks and her tail still up high. Unwittingly she was giving the poor barista a clear view, not that she cared. “They fit inside just right. Twice even, when we were over in Vanhoover.”

Somewhat flustered, Cyclone was busy with her hoof rubbing her nappy like she was trying to start a fire. Or put one out. “They like you hoofing them, too?” Darkstar asked curiously.

“Well...I've hoofed Airy, there um...there was some unpleasantness at first, which I won't go into, but after that it was just great!”

While Cyclone now had her hoof actually buried down the front of her nappy, Darkstar giggled as her friend moaned and smiled. “That sounds so hot.” Even though Cyclone had never been hoofed in her life, she really wanted to be about now.

Darkstar looked under the table. “Well, Cy's seating pad is still dry, can't say the same for yours though, Wily.”

“Aaah...n-no...” Wildfire squirmed a little on her damp patch, her tail hiked up very high indeed. At least Cyclone’s nappy was working. “After Airy came, I pulled my hoof out of her and licked it clean. Slowly.”

“You and hooves.” Darkstar rolled her eyes and shook her head playfully. “Glad some things never change.”

“Nggggggggh!” letting out a long grunt, Cyclone filled the inside of her nappy with her ejaculate as she came. “I-I ne-never saw the allure of hooves, then you may not have seen the appeal of nappies.” She said with a pleasured smile on her face as she rode out her climax at the table.

Darkstar chuckled, noticing that the earth pony stallion had disappeared behind the serving counter. “A good horn job beats both.”

“Mmmm!” now it was Wildfire’s turn to whimper, her heated aroused state really quite obvious. “H-Horns are cool!”

“Oh?” Darkstar asked with a raised eyebrow, “In your mouth or in you?”

Cyclone giggled, “I say it's hard to beat the touch of feathers between your hind legs.”

“I've ah...” Wildfire’s own wings popped when she thought about her experiences. Some great, and some not so much. “I've had plenty of experience of both, with horns, I mean.”

“You have?” Cyclone asked, sipping her coffee.

“Do tell.” Darkstar smiled, “I know Tempest and Airmail are pegasi. Details, Wily.”

Wildfire blushed very hard indeed. “The best time ever was a week ago last Thursday,” the blind mare started. She decided to gloss over all the unpleasant times with unicorns in the care home at the behest of Amethyst Glory. “After we made a scene in this posh restaurant in Canterlot, we went back to Dusk's suite and we all had some sexy fun.”

“Pfft,” Cyclone made a dismissive sound, “Dusk is another pegasus.” She wanted to hear about horns.

“Did you do his mom?”

“N-No...” Wildfire shook her head at Darkstar’s question. “Mistress Mapper and Serenity were there too, you see...” that just bought up another memory of Mapper, Serenity and Luna. That just made her squirm a little harder on her already damp seating pad. “I've been part of an eight-way with Luna though, at Caffeinated’s place.”

Whatever Darkstar had been expecting, it certainly hadn’t been that. Her jaw hung open in utter disbelief. Cyclone shared her expression. “Tell me Dusk was there to witness that,” the black mare breathed, wishing her wings would behave.

“He was there, in the Stallion's Club room.” Wildfire replied as she sipped her coffee. “Let me see...Airmail, Belle and Snowfall preened her wings, Requiem and I tongued her hooves, Serenity licked her marehood, Mistress sucked her horn and Tempest rutted her over and over until she screamed Octavia’s name.

Darkstar looked at Cyclone. Cyclone looked at Darkstar. Both mares shared a hoof bump. “We so have to be there for your BDSM night.”

Over in the corner of the coffee shop, unseen and unnoticed by the other patrons, an orange unicorn watched and listened. Her horn glowed, muffling her hooves as they paced on the tiled floor, left then right, left then right. She drew no attention to herself, hiding in plain sight as her green eyes never once left the little yellow mare sat at the table with the other two ponies.

Her plans were going well.