“You're all chipper,” Tempest said to Wildfire in her dining room after Amethyst, Cream and Air Raid had all gone back to Caffeinated’s ranch and the dishes had been washed and put away. They made an awesome team. “Was it nice to have company over?”

“Yuppers, it was.” Wildfire replied with a nod and with a thoughtful look on her face. “It was nice to at last help Raid over her issue.” And, while it had indeed been fun yelling at her ex marefriend, there was something bugging her in the back of her mind. Something Cream had bought up in the ice cream parlour.

“I take it you had a pleasant morning with your guests?” asked Tempest, before turning and placing a soft tender kiss on her little lover’s lips. “It was an excellent lunch to come home to also. I think I've had it before in some posh Canterlot restaurant here in Manehatten.”

‘A pleasant morning’ was one way of describing what had transpired between herself and Air Raid. Pleasant was maybe not the adjective she would chose to use, but it had turned out so, so she didn’t argue the point. “Yuppers, I'm glad Amethyst and Cream liked it.”

Giggling brightly, Tempest nuzzled Wildfire’s cheek. “Zebras live for weird foods. You've tasted what Thespian makes for Caffeinated.”

Wasn’t that the truth? She was reminded, quite forcefully, of the weird and wonderful concoctions that Darkstar would often put together while they had been at university in Canterlot as part of her zebra studies. Although, she had to admit, some of the things had been tasty. “Yuppers! Hey. Now you're here, I wanted to ask something.”

“Sure, come up to the office and we can talk. I sort of skipped work this morning, though I tend to skip work every morning.” With Wildfire following close behind her, both mares shared a laugh at Tempest’s little joke. It was well known that she didn’t operate at all before eleven in the morning. At the top of the stairs, she lightly swatted the blind mare’s nose with her tail and moved into the office.

In the office, a thought of a different nature crept into Wildfire’s head. A rather fun, sexy thought, though it wasn’t without risk. “Honey...I had an idea for some fun, if you want some sexy times?”

“Sexy times is good,” Tempest commented as she sat at her computer in the converted second bedroom and logged on, nuzzling Wildfire while the machine booted up, “What sexy times do you have in mind, Wily?”

What she had in mind was a whole load of fun, if everything went to plan, which she hoped it would. “You, me, your desk, lots of polish.”

Curiously, with gears turning in her head, Tempest looked at her desk. She could see Wildfire’s idea, and it was a sexy one, but there was a problem. “That does sound like fun, but my desk has a lot more stuff on it than yours did. Maybe we can do it on the dining room table, with table cloth?”

Wildfire had been ready for that. Here was where her plan was about to become quite radical, for her, anyway. “We-Well...ah...you see, I don't need to be ‘on’ the desk. I can be under it."

Now, that got Tempest’s attention. She looked away from her computer screen to study Wildfire’s heavily scarred face. “Wily, are you sure?”

Very hard, Wildfire nodded her head, before she could change her mind. After all, if Air Raid could get over her issues, then so could she. “Yu-Yuppers, I'm sure, Honey.”

“Well, that will be interesting. The way I sit at my desk will make access difficult,” Tempest giggled playfully, all manner of possibilities running through her mind. The violet weather mare was struggling though to see what Wildfire had in mind, beyond eating her out. “I could work standing or with my legs out on either side of you.”

“The latter might be interesting. I want to see if you can work with 'distractions'.”

At last, with an “Oh,” Tempest caught on to what Wildfire had in mind. She saw it and she liked it. “I see your game now. So, what if you don't distract me?”

“Then you're a very dedicated pony!” the little blind mare booped Tempest’s nose condescendingly with a hoof. Something she knew earned her a ‘friendly’ glare. “I'm gonna want you to cum though, because afterwards, you get to make me cum the number of times I make you, any way you like.”

Tempest was liking this game more and more. “Oh, well, that is a good challenge.” And, she was always up for a challenge.

“So, you wanna play?”

Tempest very much did want to play. There was something important she had to do though first. “Let me chase out any dust bunnies under the desk, and then yes I do want to play.” Crouching down, she cleared away any loose dust with a flap of her powerful wings and made sure the cables under the desk were not in the way. She was glad that Wildfire was so small, as there wasn't much space under the low desk she used. “All clear, Wily.”

Slowly, hesitantly, Wildfire walked forwards, towards the desk. Once there, she felt around the available space with a hoof. She was struck at just how little room there actually was under the desk. She had her head partway under, when she froze and took a step backwards. At her side, Tempest licked her lover’s ear. “Things are only fun if everypony wants to play.”

“I-I want to play…” Again, she ran her hoof tentatively around the square hole under the desk. All her old fears were coming back in force, one fear in particular. “I um, I want to, I do. It's just...no. This isn't the box. I can do this.”

Tempest could well understand Wildfire’s fear. She herself hated her wings being bound up. Not being able to spread her immensely powerful limbs sent her into a state beyond hate and rage, as Mapper had discovered that one time she had tried. “There is no door, Wily, and if you need me to move I will be happy to do so.”

Taking deep breaths, calmed in no small part by Tempest’s assurances, Wildfire said, “Can I sit under just me for a moment, get used to it?”

The weather pony thought that was a very sensible idea. “Sure, just let me get the planner started,” she tapped at her keyboard now that the program had booted up and, once that was done, she backed away. “I could get us some drinks for after. A couple of beers, perhaps?”

“Beers would be awesomes, Honey, thank you.” Wildfire said with a smile, cautiously, like one would approach a feral manticore, she took a step towards the hole, feeling all around it and sniffing inside like it would attack her at any given moment. Eventually though, she did get under the desk and she sat comfortably in the small space.

Though she didn’t linger, in case Wildfire should need to come out to breathe, Tempest was given a very good idea of the box that Wildfire had endured for days with no release at the care home. Having seen enough of that, she loudly made her way out of the office and down the stairs. For Wildfire’s benefit, she was just as loud as she returned after two minutes to give her lover time to adjust.

Not dumb, Wildfire knew what Tempest was up to, she knew why she was making so much noise. “I'm fine, honest. It's not so bad, with no door.” To demonstrate, she wafted her hoof through the open space that was in front of her. Had there been a door, she would’ve been screaming by now.

“You're not saying my big butt is like a door, are you?” Tempest smirked as she set the two light beers down on the desk with a clink of glass.

“Nopes,” Wildfire shook her head. Thanks to Tempest making a very poor stealth pony, she had a mental picture of everything going on in the office. “I didn't say anything of the sort. Stop putting words in my mouth when there are better things to put there!”

“Guess it’s time to shut you up.” Tempest giggled, settling her ass on her seating pad in what was a most unnatural position for most ponies. Somewhere in Ponyville, a mint green unicorn sneezed and almost fell off a bench she was sat on. “Moving in. you'll feel my hind legs on either side of you.”

‘Alrighty’, Wildfire thought to herself, ‘I got this. I flew through the cables. I can do this…’

Carefully, Tempest slid herself into position, effectively sealing Wildfire in place. “Operation distraction is a go!” Trying not to look down, she started looking over the plan for that night's storm front. Under the desk, the blind mare sniffed out Tempest's crotch and began to lick up her inner thighs.

Reflexively, Tempest's violet thighs squeezed together slightly and then released. A smile that Wildfire couldn’t see spread over the weather mare’s face as she checked who was off duty and the reason why. Using Tempest’s reaction and her thighs as a guide, Wildfire leant forwards, trailing slow wet kisses up her legs towards her prize.

Concentrating hard in an attempt to not moan and climax too soon, Tempest ran verification checks on the storm cloud production and testing. Wildfire though took the lack of response as a personal challenge. She snorted out through her nose and, now with her muzzle pressed against Tempest's crotch, she delivered a lick straight up her damp slit. That did it. “D-Do hmmmm, do you want to hear what I'm working on, or just my moans?”

“I'm interested!” came a muffled voice from between her hind legs as Wildfire, now with the response she wanted, went to licking and nibbling at her labia, seeing how wet she could make her older lover. She was telling the truth, she was interested. Sort of.

Strangely, the more Wildfire lapped at her marehood like a puppy lapping at a bowl of water, Tempest was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. “I have oooooh confirmaaaation that the Mayor has approved the plan. Fire aaaAAAH Deeeeepartment has been notified there will be lighting.” Damn if Wildfire’s tongue wasn’t talented! “Oh yeah. Now to see that the clooouds are moooved into place!”

“That sounds interesting,” Wildfire murmured, though she was far more interested in the cadence and frequency of her lover’s moans. Which were getting longer, louder and closer together. She found her clitoris with her tongue and blew on it before licking her button.

Sat in front of Wildfire, Tempest jerked and slid forwards, conspicuously grinding her marehood into her muzzle. “Hnnnng!” she grunted, for her tongue was working miracles. “Doing last minute line-up changes to account for sick leave!” Her prize now located, the little blind pony wrapped her lips around Tempest's hard nub and sucked hard, holding it lightly in her teeth. Enjoying the sensations, Tempest leant away from her machine, thrusting her hips forwards at the same time. “Takinnnng a break…ooooh buuuuuck!”

Snickering, and with her nose rubbing her clit, Wildfire slid her tongue deep inside Tempest sopping wet marehood, swirling it around her muscular walls. It wasn’t long after that, a few seconds at the most, that Tempest shuddered and moaned as she was taken over her edge. Riding her orgasm, she looked back at her terminal and verified all the company commanders had responded. Wildfire felt her straighten up as she sent her confirmation to the brigade. “Storm is a go!”

“Oh you went alright…” Wildfire smirked deviously as, between her quivering hind legs, she licked the cum off of her glistening slit. “Or came, whichever,” she giggled and dived back to her own work. A job she was remarkably very good at.

With a giggle in her voice, Tempest said, “If you are outside at one thirty in the morning I'll pee on you.”

“Only place I'll be at one thirty is snoring using Pretty as a pillow,” Wildfire retorted, taking a brief break from alternating sucking and licking on her clit.

“I...oh yeah...” Tempest had trouble concentrating on what she was saying as she felt waves of pleasure build up inside her once more. Sweet merciful Goddess her little herd-mate was good! She was at least on a par with Serenity, and that was high praise. “I could have them wake you with a thunder clap at one fifteen?”

“Uh huh…” Wildfire swirled her talented tongue in circles around the older pegasus’s hard throbbing clit, then she used the toe of her hoof to rub it before inserting her tongue deep into her snatch once more.

“I'llllllll have to settle for oooh…oooooh Luuuuna! For peeing on the house and hope there is a leak then!”

“There's a leak under here…” * licks as hard as she can*

As Wildfire licked her as hard as she could, Tempest reached her second orgasm. It was a long and violent climax that saw her grip the desk hard with her forehooves and clench her thighs tight around Wildfire’s head, trapping the mare in place as she came all over her face. “Not my fault!” she moaned when next she could speak.

“Not complaining!” Wildfire giggled, greedily lapping up Tempest’s ejaculate with relish.

“My job is done,” said Tempest, reaching down between her legs and patting Wildfire’s head gently, “but feel free to continue if you'd like to rack up another point.”

Wildfire would have happily continued for hours but, under the desk, she shifted her position a little to ease her hind legs and she inadvertently touched the close sides around her. That bought back rather abruptly where she was. She didn’t like it. She had to remind her self this was not the box. “I'd like to get out now, please Honey.”

Immediately, Tempest slid herself back, first getting her legs out of the way and then she rolled to stand up on her hooves. “That was wonderful!”

As quickly as she could, Wildfire crawled out from under the desk and shook herself off like a wet puppy drying herself. She was making sure she had at least a leg’s length of space all around her. “I did it!”

When she was sure her diminutive lover was alright and in no danger of panicking, Tempest laid a very loving kiss on her very messy muzzle. After all, she had made the mess. “Yeah, you did!”

Excited and elated in equal measure, Wildfire almost bounced from the kiss alone. “I was nervous, then I did the thing, and I wasn't nervous!”

Tempest’s heart broke for the overjoyed little pony. Not for nothing was she the mother hen of the herd, second possibly to Thespian. She was so proud of Wildfire, she didn’t have the words. “You were focused on your mission to success.”

“Yuppers!” standing on the very tips of the toes of her hooves, Wildfire kissed Tempest’s lips. “Shall we have an I-did-it beer?” All of a sudden overcome, the little mare reared up and stood on her hind hooves, throwing her forelegs in the air like she had just won the Running of the Leaves. “Wohoo!”

Grinning, caught up in Wildfire’s enthusiasm, Tempest took up one of the beers in her wing and passed it to the little mare’s hoof. “We shall! Here's yours.” Coming back down to all fours, Wildfire gratefully took her beer and Tempest picked up the second in her wing and lightly tapped the bottles together. “To trying new things.”

“And succeeding!” Wildfire giggled and, cracking open her bottle, she took a long generous sip. “That actually brings me onto another thing, Honey. Something Cream bought up earlier…”

Tempest laughed at that. “I can't begin to guess what a zebra might bring up.”

“It was in the ice cream shop, while we were getting Raid over her issues. She said she had a nickname for Amethyst, her Mistress. Then she asked me if I had one for Mis...Mi...Mapper.”

“Do you?”

Hesitantly, Wildfire shook her head. “No,” as she spoke, her ears slicked back to her head. “I have one for you, Airy, Serenity, even Dusky. They came easy, like I told Cream. It’s just, when it comes to Mapper, I don’t.”

As she had her beer held in her right wing, Tempest, ever on Wildfire’s right side, wrapped her left wing around her lover. “Why does this bother you so much?” When all she could do by way of reply was shrug, Tempest deftly changed the subject. “I'm for a nap. Those unicorns worked me hard, and I have a full night of weather duty ahead. Wanna snuggle?”

“Yuppers I wanna snuggle!” Wildfire, completely distracted from asking about Mapper and her lack of a nickname, was excited as a foal on Hearths Warming for a snuggle-fest.

When they had both drank their light beers, Tempest yawned. One, she was genuinely in need of a nap, and two, the mother hen in her didn’t want the newly pregnant mare to have another beer, even if it was light. “Lead the way, Wily.”

Wildfire, about to lead the way, let out a surprised and startled “Yeeep!” when Tempest snuffled her snout under her black tail and took a bite of it. Obediently she led the way from the office to the bedroom. She didn't need to feel the way, it was second nature to her. Every step, Tempest chewed on her tail working her way forward as they walked the short distance. “GaaaAAH Ho-Honey!” she was on the tips of her hooves and leaking by the time she reached the bed.

When Tempest followed Wildfire up onto the bed, she had her dock in her mouth. “Something smells nice!”

“EeeeEEK...” Wildfire gasped, well aware that she was leaking rather a lot by now, her aroused juices flowing straight into the violet mare's mouth. “That would be meeee!”

At last, Tempest let go of Wildfire’s dock and, after a moment’s respite, she shoved her nose directly under it and then used her own talented tongue to lick as low as it would reach to her nose. “Wily! It is you!”

In response to the stimuli at her ass end, Wildfire had her hindquarters up in the air and her head down, her tongue lolling out and panting hard. Tempest’s tongue was like electric fire dancing its way with unerring precision all over her marehood. “HMmmmMMM I lo-love your tongue!”

“I love it too,” Tempest commented, running her tongue all the way from Wildfire’s clit to her tail-hole in one motion. “It lets me scoop up choco chips from the table.” She delivered another well-placed lick along the middle of her lover’s moist slit. “Among other things.” She then ran her tongue in circles around the muscular sphincter of her anus. “Are you a clean little filly?”

Earnestly, Wildfire nodded her head, so hard she ruffled the bedsheets underneath her. “Yu-uuuppers! I had a long bath earlier, I'm clean, Honey.”

Behind her, Tempest giggled. “Not for long, Wily.” Carefully, so as not to hurt her mending wings, Tempest rolled her over onto her side so she could settle down for a really good feast. A feast she was determined to enjoy as she lavished her attention on both of Wildfire’s holes.

“MMmmmMAAAH Hooooney!” Wildfire panted as she felt Tempest’s tongue work alternating figure of eights from her asshole to her dripping wet snatch. When the violet mare caressed her teats with a hoof and pulled her tail out of the way with the other, she had her left hind leg raised up for ease of access, it quivering with pleasure as her holes were eaten out.

Working efficiently, Tempest didn’t bother to tease, rather she licked at just the right spots she knew in order to get Wildfire to a hard and rapid climax. When she ran her tongue along the roof of her vagina and rubbed her nose over her clit, she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Oh!” she squealed, following up seconds later with a longer, louder scream as she squirmed and squirted, her cum drenching Tempest's face and muzzle. “Oooooh Buuuck meeee!”

Tempest, positioned at Wildfire’s rear, lapped up Wildfire’s juices. “Not now, maybe another day though.” She giggled and used her hooves to get the diminutive yellow pegasus into a better spot on the bed. She went in for round two, this time she took her time with her licks, nips, and a loving, caressing hoof.

“Mmmmm de-deeeeefinately another day...” Wildfire purred, the little mare thoroughly enjoying being brought up to a second, slower orgasm. She only slightly regretted not doing more with Tempest under the desk if she was getting treated like this. Tempest did indeed take her time, but she still didn’t tease with build up and let down. Mere moments later, Wildfire let out a cute scream as she came a second time, panting and quivering on the bed.

Now that they had both achieved two orgasms each, a very satisfied Tempest crawled her way up Wildfire’s body until she was nose to nose with her. “Such a sweet mare you are. Must be the pregnancy.”

“Hmhmm must be,” Wildfire giggled in agreement, though she wasn’t a hundred per cent ‘with it’ at that moment. Not that she was complaining. “I thought you were trying to kiss Fireflight good night, Honey.”

“Don't put it past me,” she retorted, quickly laying a tender little kiss to her lips. Very important kiss taken care of, Tempest then set her alarm for seven p.m., later that evening. “I want a sleepy snuggle, but I don’t want to miss dinner.”

Smiling on the bed, Wildfire’s smile only got wider when she felt Tempest snuggle up behind her. The little mare rather enjoyed being the little spoon. She was little, after all. She proceeded to make herself as snuggly as she possibly could until, moments later, she heard Tempest snoring gently against her.

Laying there on the bed, in what she assumed was a darkened room – she had heard Tempest draw the curtains before getting into bed – Wildfire enjoyed the snuggles. She counted out the time, stopping when she had reached what she thought was twenty minutes. As nice as the snuggles were, and as nice as it was laying with Tempest, she just wasn’t tired.

Wildfire lasted another ten minutes before she decided she was bored. Very carefully, so as not to wake up her sleeping marefriend, she disentangled herself from four violet legs. Once she was out of the bed, she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. While Tempest was entertaining Luna in the Dreamscape, she wanted coffee.

With steaming hot in hoof, well, on the coffee table, Wildfire began do her math paper again before changing her mind after she had answered the seventh question. It was starting to get hard after that, and that was no fun. Wondering what else to do, she decided to give her step-mother, Emerald, a call instead.

Over in Equestria’s capital city of Canterlot, as it was midday, the dull orange pegasus with the eponymous emerald green mane was having lunch with three other mares, a unicorn and two earth ponies, who were her house guests in her halfway house. Even though there were eight rooms, she still claimed the basement as her space. Surprised by the unexpected call, it took her several rings to scrabble for her phone. “Hello, Emerald speaking.”

“Hey momma!” Wildfire responded in typical fashion, the blind mare foregoing the use of ‘step’ in her step-mother’s title, as she had promised she would.

“W-w-w-Wily!” Hearing her step-daughter’s – daughter, she had to remind herself – voice, she began to stutter down the phone line. “Is everything ok-kay?”

“Yuppers,” As she said that, she flexed her wings in their casts and winced at the pain that shot to her wing joints, Autumn’s last reminder of what had happened. “Well, yes and no,” she corrected herself, “but mostly yes.”

Not knowing what to make of that, Emerald excused herself from the dining table and took her phone through to the living room. She didn’t want her tone to upset her guests, all of whom were recovering from their own situations. “That's good?” she asked cautiously after she had sat on her couch.

“Yeah, it's been a whirlwind few days,” Wildfire admitted as she took a slow sip of her coffee. Her ears slicked back and her tone changed ever so slightly, for she was wondering how much to tell her over the phone. “Mom, is it alright if Tempest and I come see you? I need mom time.”

“Always!” Emerald answered almost before her daughter had finished asking the question. There was always room her in her house. “I have t-two spare be-bedrooms,” she giggled, getting comfy on her couch, “Though I g-guess you only need one.”

“Yuppers, we only need one. And, thanks momma, we'll be there sometime Saturday morning.”

Were it down to Emerald, they’d be there now in her house. “I look f-forward to one of yo-your hugs, Wily.”

“I promise I won't squeeze too hard this time,” Wildfire smiled, neglecting to mention that she couldn’t squeeze too hard, lest she risk popping a stitch or hurting her wings. She ultimately decided against telling her what had happened in the subway. After all, what good would it do, other than to worry her?

“Oh!” Emerald exclaimed brightly after a moment’s pause, “I can f-fly again!”

“Really? Oh momma, that's great news!”

“And I ha-have th-three guests,” she smiled in such a way that it travelled in her voice down the phone. She couldn’t help it, she was so proud of what she had accomplished in the halfway house, with Prince Dusk and Princess Luna’s help. The oldest of her guests, a sixty year old unicorn, had escaped fifteen years of domestic abuse by killing her husband. Thankfully it had been ruled self-defence and she had escaped prison. The two earth pony mares were twin sisters, twenty eight, homeless and had been rescued from a life of drugs and prostitution. “I'll introduce th-them to you, when you g-get here.”

“Alrighty,” Wildfire grinned, looking forward to feeling her mother’s success for herself. Then, she had an idea to make Emerald an even happier mare. “Oooh! Oooh! Momma, I have news for you too!”

“You're getting married?” Emerald couldn’t resist the tease, she giggled, knowing that her daughter had told her that in her last call.

“Duh...you know that already!” Wildfire giggled and, seeing as how she had been teased, she saw no reason why she shouldn’t tease in return. Fighting to control her giggles, she said, “Before I tell you though, can I ask your age, just once?”

Taken aback by the sudden question, Emerald replied, “Oh, yes, I'm thirty three. “I’ll turn thirty four on the seventeenth of September.”

As it happened, Wildfire knew that date very well. Now it was her turn to smile. “That’s something you share with mum!”

“Oh...” Emerald’s ears went straight back and her wings sagged like ton weights hanging from her body. Her sadness carried in her voice just like her happiness had done as she realised what Wildfire meant. “Oh...” was all she could think of to say.

“No!” Wildfire exclaimed quickly, though not too loudly in case she woke Tempest upstairs. The last thing she wanted was a sad momma, this was happy news! “Nonono, no sad! Momma, I need to ask you a serious question. Is thirty three too young?”

“Y-Young? Y-You-young for w-what?”

“To be a grandmare.”

Silence. Utter, complete silence greeted Wildfire’s statement. She was worried that Emerald hadn’t understood her correctly, or that the line had gone dead. Seconds, long unbearable seconds of silence passed by like an eternity. On the other end though, Emerald’s mouth was frozen in its open shocked state. Slowly, as time passed, what Wildfire had said sunk into her brain. “I'm going to be a grandmare!” she screamed so loudly that she startled her guests. “Ahem, um, when?”

“Yuppers you are!” Wildfire beamed, feeling a lot better now she knew that the phone hadn’t in fact died on her. “My filly is due in ten months, momma.”

“That is wonderful news!” Emerald gushed, the older pegasus still recovering from being told she was going to be a grandmother. The word ‘step’ didn’t even come into the equation at all. All that mattered was the grandmother bit. “Y-you little tease.”

“Guilty as charged. Sorry about that, kinda, well no, I’m not.”

Laughing now, Emerald did at least sound as happy, or happier, than when she first answered. “I know it’s too soon f-for me to feel, b-but I still w-want to touch your be-belly.”

“Of course, you must!” Wildfire sipped her cooling coffee and smiled so that her mother could hear it in her voice. “My filly needs to know her old grandmare, doesn’t she?”

“Oh hush, you, old indeed…” Emerald tried to grouse, but she was giggling too much for that to be convincing. “I'll have your r-room ready for w-when you come. D-Do you h-have something you want for dinner?”

Well now, that was a very easy one to answer. Wildfire didn’t even have to spend time thinking. “Triple fried egg sandwich with chilli and chutney, chunky fries and please, please a salted caramel donut? Pweeeeease momma?”

“I can d-do that.” There was no need for her daughter to beg all cute like that, but if Wildfire was going to be cute, there was no way in Equestria that Emerald was going to stop her. “W-We eat that about tw-twice a week. It is popular and easy to make.”

“Are you saying I'm popular and easy?”

“Y-You should ask Airmail ab-about that,” Emerald shot back with a giggling laugh.

“It was good to talk to you, momma,” Wildfire lifted the coffee mug up to her lips and felt that she had drank it all. This couldn’t be allowed to continue! She needed coffee. “We'll see you in a couple of days.”

“Okay W-Wily. I-I love you…” No matter how many times Emerald said that, it still made her blush.

“I love you momma. Fireflight loves you too.”

“Who’s Fi-Fireflight?”

Silently, Wildfire cursed herself and she had to resist the urge to facehoof on her couch. “Oh, sorry, it’s my filly's name, momma.” She didn’t feel the need to tell her then and there why she had chosen Fireflight, or the history behind the name. That was best saved for when they were together.

“Oh! That is a l-lovey name, W-Wily.”

“Thanks, momma,” Wildfire then proceeded to deliver lots of wet sloppy kisses down the phone, much to her mother’s amusement. “We all love you.”

Emerald decided that was as good a place as any to say good bye for the time being, least she start to cry like a little filly. Besides, she had three house guests in her dining room that she had to gossip with, urgently. With her phone call completed, Wildfire somewhat reluctantly went back to her math paper for the university.

She thought about calling Darkstar, Cyclone, Brightstar or Dusk, but ultimately she decided against, seeing as how she would be in their company tomorrow at the BDSM party at Caffeinated’s ranch. So, with that in mind, Wildfire got herself another coffee and prepared to immerse herself in her math work. Nothing to it, but to do it.

Hours later, at 5:30p.m., though it only felt like a few minutes, Wildfire’s cell phone rang. Quickly she reached for the coffee table and answered her call. The caller ID told her just whom was calling her. “Hey Pretty,” she said brightly, “One sexy mare speaking, how may I help you?”

On the other end of the call, Airmail giggled. “Nice to know I got the right number. Are you making dinner, or should I get something on the way?”

“Bring home something tasty.” Wildfire answered, again setting aside her math paper. She rather fancied she was done for today anyway. “I think I've done enough cooking for today.”

Airmail paused at her desk, the lead editor having just shut everything down for the day and about to leave for home. “Stormy make you cook?”

“Cream helped me cook for us all when she, Air Raid and Amethyst were here.” Wildfire corrected her fiancé, explaining what had happened during the day while she had been at work. “Honey got back in time to join us for lunch.”

“I'm sure she was smelling it from Mapper's place. You started developing cravings yet?”

“Yuppers.” She hadn’t, not really, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t tease. “I'm craving a sexy blue mare's lips on my teats. Also watermelon.”

“Check, watermelon to your teats and then suck it off.” Airmail said, bursting out into giggles when she heard a low aroused moan from the other end of the call. “Remember the fish pizza at my sis's place?”

Of course Wildfire remembered! That morning spent in Fillydelphia seemed an age ago now, even though it was just over a week past. “Yuppers, I remember, it was proper tasty!”

“I'll get one of those and an artichoke pizza. Something for everypony. See you in about forty five minutes.”

“Alrighty. I'll have a coffee ready for you love.”

A short time later, just after the clock had ticked onto ten minutes to seven in the evening, the back door opened and Airmail sauntered in like she owned the place, which she did. The azure blue lead editor for the newspaper placed the carrier bags full of pizza on the kitchen table and announced her presence. “Pizza is here!” she called out, “Where is the weather pony?”

Having decided that she would again have a go at her paper, Wildfire was seated in the dining room, just to the side of the kitchen. True to her word, there was a fresh pot of coffee made for herself, Airmail and Tempest on the table. “She's still tormenting Luna in the dreamscape I think, Pretty.”

Setting the pizza boxes on the dining room table, Airmail giggled at a joke she had just thought of regarding Tempest, Mapper and Serenity and a rather large dildo. “Maps and Ser must have really worn her out. Do you know if she set the alarm, or do you want to wake her with a tongue to the ear?”

“She said she set her alarm, but I'm not sure what time for, Pretty.” Wildfire replied, trying her best to ignore the delicious smell of the cooked pizzas as se rubbed out an answer she had just wrote down and tried again, determined to get the answer right.

Walking over, Airmail tried to focus on what Wildfire was doing. She used what little she knew of braille writing to look at the dots on the top. It took her a moment to understand what her little lover was up to. “Math...” she tried to not sound so surprised. “You’re working on math?”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire beamed proudly, so happy was she with her little self. “I got the home course from Manehatten University. I can study at home and I just need to attend to do the exam. I got Firefighting theory and cloud management, too.”

Airmail got close enough to nuzzle Wildfire’s cheek and kiss her ear. “Seems I'm marrying a studious mare.”

Smiling, Wildfire returned the nuzzle and explained, “I thought it made sense, y'know? I never got formal education regarding firefighting before, and I never graduated Canterlot University, thanks to Amethyst Glory. I thought I’d do something about that.”

Airmail’s heart melted with love and pride for her diminutive lover. “Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?”

“Mmmmm...” Wildfire tapped her chin in faux thought, “You have, but not since you left for work earlier this morning, Pretty.”

“Then forgive me. You're truly awesomes!” Airmail beamed, borrowing one of her fiancé’s many patterns of speech – some she found odd, all she found cute – and she gave her a big kiss straight to her lips. A kiss she held as long as she could.

Beaming as wide as her partner, Wildfire returned the kiss as enthusiastically as it was given. “I haven't felt the first cloud management and firefighting papers yet. I decided to tackle my nemesis first.” She patted the math paper with her hoof, “Speaking of which, I have two other things to report too.”

Curiously, Airmail moved her hoof to the start of a problem on the next page of the math paper. Not to test her unduly, she wanted to see how far her lover had come, for she knew how she felt with regards to math. “Answer that one for me, please.”

Somewhat nervously, the little blind mare ran her hoof over the raised dots on the page. “Hmm…” it was a tricky one, that was for sure. She felt the question a second and third time, just to be sure. ‘(3x + 2y = 14; 3x - y = 2; x = y = ?)’ she thought long and hard before the answer came to her. “X equals two and Y equals four.”

“Woah, you is a smart mare!” Airmail was suitably impressed. Especially as this was a mare who struggled with a far easier math problem not so long ago on the flight back from Fillydelphia to Manehatten. As a reward, she treated her to a second kiss. All of a sudden, there came the sound of an alarm going off upstairs. “Keep your books on the table, Wily, just move them aside.”

“Alrighty.” Wildfire moved her things as far over to the side of the dining table as she could, so she knew where they were. “So, guess what else happened? I think Raid is finally getting her head on straight!”

Airmail cocked her head to one side, as she was wont to do. “Which means…”

Now properly awake, from upstairs, Tempest called out, “I smell pizza!”

With her ears moving, tracking the thump of the floorboards above her head that heralded Tempest’s descent down to meet them, Wildfire giggled. “It means Cream and I eventually got through to the stubborn pony. And Amethyst helped, too.”

At last, Airmail understood. The azure blue mare even made the O face to show how much she understood. “Did she forgive herself, then?”

“Who?” asked Tempest, making her entrance to the dining room and joining the conversation.

“Air Raid,” Airmail answered, both the older mares sharing a nod between themselves.

“Yuppers, I think she did.” Wildfire put in, though at that moment the hungry little pegasus was more interested in the contents of the pizza boxes than the contents of Air Raid’s head. “She certainly sounded happier when they all left here.”

“I would agree with that,” Tempest put in her two bits worth. “She was the proverbial green cream in a striped cookie!” Airmail let out a bright little giggle at that as Tempest opened the two boxes and inspected the pizzas that Airmail had bought home with her. “Can't take the ocean out of a Vanhoovan, huh?” she snickered when she saw the fish toppings. “I get four slices of the artichoke then?”

Sitting at the dining table, Airmail passed out the pizzas onto the three plates that she had set out. “Yes, and we get three each of the fish and one artichoke.”

That suited Wildfire just fine. “My Pretty knows what I likes!” Curiously, she had a sniff of the three types of fish that topped her three slices and clapped her hooves excitedly. “Oh, you want know what else? I helped Honey do her work too!”

Unfortunately for Tempest, the violet mare had just taken a rather large bite of her pizza and was now choking. Fortunately for Tempest, Airmail was on hoof to pat her back. “True,” she coughed through watering eyes, “she did increase my productivity by at least twenty percent.”

Curiosity piqued, Airmail chewed her pizza thoughtfully. “Thinking of switching over to weather, Wily?”

“Nopes, I like firefighting too much.” Wildfire tried her best to keep her voice level and measured as she spoke, but she was fighting her giggles all the way. She was only partially successful. “I was a good helper pony though. I got under her desk and ‘helped’ until she was done.”

So uncertain was she that she had heard right, Airmail had to rub out her ears with her hoof. ‘Under?’ she mouthed to Tempest, to which the violet mare nodded with a smile on her face. When she saw the nod, Airmail repeated, “Under?”

The weather pony smirked around the piece of pizza in her mouth. She rather enjoyed watching her marefriend and herd-mate connect the dots from A to B to C. “Yes, exactly what you're thinking, Airy.”

“I have a desk.”

“True that,” Tempest all but drew the older mare a Pony Sutra diagram with the salacious wink she gave her, “and yours is roomier than mine.”

“Oh...” Not normally a pony given to wingboners, Airmail’s usually obedient wings shot out either side of her, standing very erect indeed.

In response to Airmail’s unanswered question, Tempest added, before picking up a second slice, “She did well in an environment under her control. I don't think she is ready to play with Lavender yet though.”

“No,” Wildfire muttered, her excited, upbeat mood seemingly evaporating in an instant as her ears slicked back. She didn’t like the sound of the isolation suit, regardless of how well she had done under the desk. “I um...I think I'll leave that to Cy.”

Leaning in close, Airmail nuzzled her fretting mare’s cheek. “Teasing dear. Now, enjoy the pizza before it goes cold.”

“I will, Pretty. Least it's not celery!” she giggled as she ate, savouring the taste of the fish on her palette. Whether it was a throwback to her time in the care home or not, she ate slowly, getting as much of the taste as she could. “I think I made momma's day too.”

Not for the first time, Airmail and Tempest shared a look between them. “How is Emerald doing?” asked Airmail once she had polished off her second slice.

Chuckling, Tempest asked, “How loud did she squeal?”

Airmail gave her lover a curiously dense look. “Squeal?”

“Very well. She has three house guests now in her halfway house,” Wildfire paused and giggled around her pizza flavoured hoof. “I asked her how old she was. Then I asked her if thirty three was too young. She asked for what? I said to be a grandmare. I think she squealed so loud my mum heard her.”

Rolling her eyes, Airmail, who was extremely thick when she wanted to be, facehooved and Tempest clapped her hooves. She always did appreciate a well-executed prank, and that was textbook. “You told her of our visit?”

“Yuppers. She says anytime we stop by she has a room for us, so Saturday is cool.”

“Excellent.”

Wildfire turned her ears to what Tempest had just said. “I didn't tell her about my being attacked. I know she'd only worry and I don't want that.” Having said that, she ate her artichoke pizza. “Oh! She can fly again now! Her primaries must've grown back! So that's awesomes, right?”

Airmail had to agree that was ‘awesomes’. She well remembered the sorry excuse for a pegasus with her mutilated wings that had answered the door to them two weeks ago now. “That really is good news. She will see your casts though when you get there.”

“It is something easier to take care of in person than over a phone.”

Airmail had to concede that Tempest had a very good point. “That may be true, Stormy.”

“I didn't want sad worrying momma.” Wildfire explained her reasoning, though no explanation was necessary. Both Airmail and Tempest understood and agreed. “She sounded sad when she told me her birthday - it was the same as my mum's was. I cheered her up though with grandmare news. Know what else? I think she's getting over her stutter too now she's not under dad's hoof.”

“She's getting help, also right?” asked Airmail quickly, a little too quickly.

“Not every doctor is out to get you.” Tempest snorted.

Airmail’s eyes narrowed. “Stormy.”

“What?”

Hearing not just the words but the underlying sudden tension in the tones of her lovers’ voices, Wildfire’s ears swivelled from Airmail to Tempest and back again. It was so odd for her to hear those tones in the other two pegasi’s voices. “What's going on?”

“I'm just glad that Luna came through and Emerald is getting the help she needs.” Airmail swerved the question, though internally she was kicking herself over the moon.

Wildfire however would not be easily placated. “That's not what it sounded like, what's wrong, Pretty?”

Frowning, Tempest reached over the dining table that was strewn with pizza boxes and half eaten slices of food and coffee mugs and poked her pouting lover hard with the toe of her hoof. “She is unhappy with my comment. What did you think of it Wily?”

If she was honest, Wildfire didn’t know what to think of it. So, using what little she knew of Airmail’s military past and her own misadventures, she guessed. “I think Airy's had a bad experience with doctors in the past and doesn't want my mom having a similar one.”

It was a good guess. Shame it was wrong. Snorting now in annoyance, Tempest facehooved at the sheer density of the little firefighter. She opened her mouth only to have Airmail shut it with a severe glare. Saying nothing, Tempest instead performed her breathing exercises while Airmail spoke. “Wily, I've had no trouble with doctors, but a mare I love didn't want to go to a hospital. Why was that?”

“Oh...oooooh right!” All at once the bit dropped and Wildfire understood. “You mean what happened to me at the care home, with Doctor Mindbender and stuff?”

“And Stormy was trying to prove a point in a way that wasn't nice.”

Unapologetically, Tempest shrugged her shoulders. “The world isn't nice.” If there was a shining world where there was no war, no hunger and where everypony suddenly broke out into song and danced on rainbows, she had yet to find it. The world was dirty, smelly, noisy, complicated and real.

“Yuppers, it's not. Sometimes it sucks huge buckets.” As she rubbed her right hoof along her left foreleg, Wildfire could well appreciate just how not nice the world could be. She herself was a walking advertisement for just that very thing. “I get it now.”

“I hope you get it when your physical is due.”

“Stormy!”

Again, just as unapologetically as before, Tempest shrugged as she snaffled up her last slice of pizza. “I deal in reality, and that goes double for the ones I love.” She then kissed both Wildfire and Airmail, adding just enough tongue that there was no doubt what flavour her pizza had been. “Now I have a belly full of pizza, I'm off to work. I'll try not to wake anypony up when I get back.”

Of course there was no ill feelings between the three ponies. Wildfire demonstrated this by hugging Tempest until she squeaked. “Make sure you pee on lots of ponies!”

Whatever tension there was in the room was shattered when Tempest and Airmail both burst out laughing. “I will pee on this house, maybe a bit will drip on Airy when she leaves for work.”

“I'll carry an umbrella.” The azure blue mare retorted, to which Tempest just laughed all the more as she moved out of the back door and took flight. Now that they were alone with just the remnants of the meal for company, Airmail nuzzled Wildfire’s cheek. “You okay?”

“Yuppers, Pretty, I'm fine.” Wildfire returned the nuzzle with one of her own. “It's just been a bit of a long day that's all. Raid was stubborn, and I had to shout at her. Then the math paper was hard.” Like Tempest had done, she shrugged. “Guess I'm just a bit more oblivious than normal…”

“Is the math harder or easier now compared to when you were at Uni?” Airmail asked curiously, for she had her own theory about that.

“It's a lot easier now,” Wildfire answered quickly, running her hoof over the next problem down the page as she did so. “The numbers don't move about like they used to. I was doing prime numbers when Cream came with Raid. She said they were tricky but I think she was humouring me a bit.”

That confirmed the lead editor’s theory she had made with Tempest regarding Wildfire’s math ability. “You should let Requiem know when you next talk to her.” She gave her diminutive lover a light kiss to her nose. “Is it okay for some friends to humour you?”

Nodding her head in agreement, Wildfire drank the rest of her coffee. “Oh, Pretty, it's okay. I know she wasn’t being mean.”

Airmail really had to concur with Wildfire’s assessment. From what she knew of the two zebras, she didn’t think Cream had a mean bone in her body. “Good, I don't see Cream being mean. Amethyst might be unkind, but I don't think she would be mean either. You have more studying to do? I have an article I need to edit.”

With a hoof wafting over the raised dots on the paper, she wanted to leave it alone, but it wasn’t going to answer itself, was it? Oh well. Nothing to it but to do it. “Hmm, I suppose I should do the algebra section before bed. But it's haaaaaaard!”

Walking through the dining room, Airmail paused on her way to the stairs. “Wily, you need help up the stairs with your books?” As she needed to get the math book done first, Wildfire asked the older pegasus to take that one up for her. Fortunately, with her limited braille and because it was open, she knew which one it was. “Got it!” Giving her a kiss of thanks, Wildfire led the way up the stairs, lifting up her black tail to give her fiancé the best view she could.

Behind her diminutive lover, Airmail was only too happy to take in the heavenly view that was presented to her on the way up to the first floor. She was more than happy to let Wildfire lead the way to the office. Once they were in the office, the yellow mare still had her tail up high as she felt for her desk. ‘Carelessly’, Airmail bumped into Wildfire’s rump, sending her muzzle under her tail. “Sorry, I wasn't ready for you to stop.”

“Eeeeek!” Wildfire giggled as she reached her desk and felt for the seat. “Totally my fault, Pretty.” It was particularly funny to the little mare because she knew full well that Airmail was possessed of lightning fast reflexes. The only way she ended up under her tail was because she wanted to. Not that she was complaining.

“Yes. Your fault. Totally.” Airmail giggled, and, still snickering, she moved around the office and over to her own desk. She didn’t really want to do any more ‘work’ that evening, but it had to be done. “I shouldn't be more than an hour, ish.”

“Alrighty. I'm going to get on with this,” Wildfire half sighed, half grunted as she fired up her computer. She was careful, when placing her math book, not to disturb the collection of cables that rested to the right of the machine. “How was work?”

“Nice,” Airmail answered without looking away from her computer screen. “Lavender did the coffee run. Omega got all three reports in on time, and I took care of those at the office. The one I'm working on now is an aftermath from the explosion in the Broncs. The Chief of Police finally stated it was a terrorist attack. The Mayor followed up with all resources are looking into it. She even had a letter from Princess Celestia confirming the crown's support.”

The news didn’t lift Wildfire’s spirits regarding the massive fire she had attended. “I still feel for those we weren't able to save.” Her ears slicked back to her scalp as she manipulated her keyboard, “It's like the fire won, y'know?” it didn’t make sense, she reflected, to think of it like that, but she did. She was a firefighter. It was a battle between her and the fire, one she had to win. Tracing her hooves over her keyboard and accessing the Open University section, she frowned. “Aw, each course has twelve papers! Then the big exam...”

“Fire is fire,” Airmail said as kindly as she could. “It forgives nopony, nor does it care who is hurt or what is damaged. Evil is the same, but evil did not win that day. Besides, I know a secret.”

The ears that had been angled backwards now stood up erect and pointed at her fiancé. There was excitement in her voice. “Care to share?” she asked, scanning her hoof over her math paper and getting down to where she left off in the dining room.

“Nope!” Airmail giggled. There was no way in all the land that she was spoiling what she knew was coming the next day.

“Aw...not even if I pout and say please?”

“Nope,” Airmail shook her head defiantly and used a tone that said she wasn’t to be coerced by her fiancé’s usual tactics. “And don't even try your puppy eyes on me. Do you want me to ride into town on the subway with you tomorrow, or are you taking another sick day?”

Slowly, Wildfire took a deep breath. “I can get to work on my own, Pretty. But, I do appreciate the offer, really I do.”

Very proud of her little mare, Airmail moved over to nuzzle her cheek. “I know you can, love. I just want to be sure you're ready to face the subway on your own. Some strange pony may ask for your help.” Now, she couldn’t hide the concern in her voice, not that she was trying, “I...I guess I'm acting like Tempest, huh?”

“Somepony might, you’re right.” Wildfire agreed with her partner before returning the affectionate nuzzle and kissing Airmail’s cheek. “I don't want to rush into anything, but I don't want to live afraid either…” Hesitantly, she ran her hoof along the pink collar that sat below the other blue / violet one at her neck. “I have you all with me.”

Wildfire’s gesture meant the world to Airmail. That she still wore the two tone collar blue side up meant even more. “She is a harsh Mistress, but that is to be expected.” The azure blue pegasus ran her hoof along the blue and purple collar over the pink. “We are your lovers and you will be my wife. Still we can be the lover, friend, and the Mistress you need.”

“I know Pretty. And, I know I had the major wobble in the hospital but...I want my Pretty Mistress. I don't need her. Not like when I first met you. That was the other way around, if I'm making sense?”

Airmail was sure if she smiled any brighter then Wildfire would see it. “It is good to be wanted,” she beamed, laying a gentle kiss on her lips and sighing, “Well, back to work for both of us.”

“Yuppers,” reluctantly, as she heard Airmail walk back over to her desk, Wildfire answered a few more questions before looking up from her book. She had something on her mind that had to be released. “There is a difference though, right? I want to be your pet, and Mapper's pet, because it's fun and sexy, not because it’s a crutch just to get through the day.”

Just when Airmail was sure she couldn’t be prouder or love her partner more, Wildfire went and showed her that she could. “Yes, the difference is called independence. Desire instead of need. Either can be sexy, but needy desire is sexier than just needy.”

“Yuppers,” the little mare smiled, “I'm glad that made as much sense to you as it did to me.” Seeing as she had answered almost two thirds of her first math paper, Wildfire decided to take a little break and look on the internet at the news feed on her home page.

Over at her desk, Airmail noted that Wildfire had for the moment set aside her university work. She noted but she chose to say nothing and she went back to editing her own newspaper piece. Reading her feed, she smiled. “No way...” she scanned her hoof over the keyboard and she had an ear bud headphones in her right ear. “Pretty this is so cool!”

Nervously, afraid that the big secret had been discovered, Airmail quickly scooted back over and looked at her screen. “What?” A look though told her that she was safe.

“Look!” she pointed a hoof at the screen, which displayed the big Manehatten cinema chain, the Showcase, would be showing the new movie version of The Tempest next weekend in ten days’ time.

“This is what happens when you follow politics. I had no idea!” Airmail tried her absolute very best to keep the relief from her voice, she was partially successful. “You think Stormy knows?”

Wildfire wondered at that. “I don't know Pretty. I never knew anything about it either. This news feed thingamajig on the computer told me.” She didn’t know a computer could do that. They certainly couldn’t the last time she had used one.

“Plenty of time to plan. Can you get tickets this far in advance?”

Curiously, Wildfire ran her hoof over the keys and, after a moment, she smiled at the computer voice in her ear. “Yuppers! Because I need to reserve the sight assisted headset gizmo!”

“You see,” Airmail kissed her cheek, “those pretty eyes of yours gets you to the head of the line.”

“Eeeeeeee! D’you wanna go? We can all go!”

Teasingly, Airmail giggled and nudged Wildfire with her hoof. “So what part of 'plenty of time to plan' and 'can you get tickets' slipped past you?” When the little yellow mare had done blushing, she went ahead and bought five tickets for the movie. She made a valiant effort after that to return to her paper, but she was too excited. Presently though, Airmail finished what she was doing with a yawn. “Ugh, that took longer than I thought. I'm for a beer before bed, get you one?”

Wildfire didn’t need asking twice. Airmail had successfully twisted her hoof. “Oooooh yes please, Airy!” quickly sh set her paper aside with a groan. “I'm mathed out for today. Don't want any more, unless it's paddle plus yellow ass equals fun times!”

Full of giggles, Airmail elected to get the two beers out of the mini-fridge in the office, rather than go to the fridge in the kitchen. Opening them, she passed one to Wildfire. “Here you go. I hope I don't disappoint you, but I'm for bed after this. Maybe I’ll stretch to some snogging and snuggles between entry and sleep.”

“How can that disappoint me?” Wildfire asked with a laugh as she took the beer and sighed, all of a sudden she did feel rather tired. “If I had eyelids I think they'd be drooping by now any way.”

Once Airmail gave her lover a heavily beer flavoured kiss, she said, “Your wings sort of give that away. Besides, it is fun to try and tickle your tummy with my tongue down your throat.”

Wildfire giggled and kissed, then she giggled some more. “Honey tried to kiss Fireflight good night from the other end. You doing it from the top bit?”

~ ~ ~

At midnight, courtesy of Tempest and her weather brigade, the scheduled rain started right on time. Hours later, at two in the morning, there came a very loud peal of thunder right over the red bricked townhouse where Airmail and Wildfire were both snuggled up in bed, fast asleep. Along with the cannon blast that was the thunder, there was a very bright flash of lighting that illuminated the bedroom even through the closed drapes. Turning over in bed, Airmail mumbled, “Stupid Stormy...” with that, she went back to snoring.

By Airmail’s side, Wildfire, ever the light sleeper, was immediately awake. After a moment of panic in which she was certain the thunderclap was Lotus Stripes banging on her cell door, and after several moments of deep breathing exercises where she had to remind herself that she was free of all that, she laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.

However, thanks to the booming thunder and the sound of driving rain bouncing off of the roof, Wildfire ultimately gave up on the idea of that and, deciding what she could do, she carefully removed herself from Airmail’s legs and made her way downstairs. Her destination was coffee and her Wuthering Heights book she had left on the couch in the living room.

A further two hours later, just after four in the morning, a very damp Tempest opened the back door of her house and the weather mare let herself into the darkened kitchen. As the whole ground floor was in darkness, she assumed that her two herd-mates were upstairs in bed. That assumption was proved false when, as she was drying herself off, a familiar Canterlot accent came from the living room, along with the delicious scent of fresh coffee. “Hey Honey. There's fresh coffee in the pot for you.”

Listening hard now, Tempest giggled when she heard the turn of a page. “You didn't need to wake up to make me coffee,” she said, helping herself to a much needed mug of steaming hot zebra brand coffee. It was times like this she really loved Caffeinated. “But thank you, Wily.”

“I didn't,” Wildfire responded as she scanned her hoof down the page, the blind mare wanting to get to a point where she could stop reading and not lose her place. She was getting to a good bit with Heathcliff and Cathy. “It so happens that a thunderclap woke me up. Once I'm up, I'm up. Old habit, I'm afraid.”

Tempest knew well the source of the ‘old habit’ that Wildfire spoke of. Entering the dark living room, she snapped on the lights and decided not to push the issue as she set her mug on the coffee table and sat down next to her lover. “Glad to know my work didn't go unnoticed. Did you go outside?”

“Yuppers, I did, for a little while. It was nice to feel you work.” Wildfire smiled at the memory of standing in the driving rain. She could visualise the rain, almost recognise Tempest’s signature as it were. Marking her current page, she set her book down on the coffee table beside her drink.

Giggling, Tempest said, “With your fur colour it is hard to tell if you have a 'golden' glow from my work or not,” she leant in and kissed her lips, “It is nice to come home to coffee though.”

“With you I think I'll always have a ‘golden glow’,” Wildfire giggled, returning the kiss with one of her own. “You smelled the coffee right? That's why you came back now?” She knew she was only wanted for her awesomes ass and excellent coffee making skills.

Playfully, Tempest booped Wildfire’s nose. “We let the storm go east out over the Celestial Sea. De-briefing went very well, so I'm back a bit early. I was going to show up about the time Airy's alarm went off. Until then, I was going to chill here and listen to music but, now I can chill here with you.”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire exclaimed, the diminutive mare happily snuggling into Tempest's side. Even though she had towelled herself off in the kitchen, she could still feel the residual moisture on her fur, she could smell chill of the night clinging to her. “By the way, I bought us tickets to the cinema in ten days’ time.”

Curiosity piqued, just as Airmail’s had been, Tempest raised an eyebrow. “I need to put that on my calendar then. Why so far in advance?”

“I learned there's the new movie version of The Tempest out,” explained Wildfire eagerly, “I had to reserve the sight impaired screen that comes with a headset gizmo that describes to me what's happening on the screen, what the characters are doing. It's a regular screen for you lot.”

Snickering, Tempest couldn’t resist a gentle tease. “Will I get royalties?” she asked with a giggle. Getting up, the older pegasus went to the bookcase in the living room and, coming back to the couch, she placed the book Wildfire had bought her next to her hoof. “You know, I've read this once since you got it for me, and I have started it a second time.”

Carefully, Tempest took Wildfire’s hoof in her own and moved it so the blind mare could feel the book’s title. Allowing her hoof to be moved, she smiled at the feel of the book. “My favourite bit is Prospero's Island.”

Tempest laughed at that, though she was mindful not to wake Airmail upstairs. “Before you got this for me, I wouldn't have a clue what you're talking about.”

“I love Miranda's quote, the "Oh brave world, that has such ponies in it..." It's pretty much my whole life this past month. The death of one way of life, the embracing of another.”

Considering that, Tempest had to agree that Wildfire had a good point. “Ariel is a real character,” she said after she had taken a long sip of her coffee. “Invisible to most, and always starting fights.”

Likewise, Wildfire drank her coffee, thankful that the zebra made go-juice had the ability to keep her fresh and awake. “Why am I not surprised you like Ariel, Honey?”

Once both mares had drank their fill, and the mugs were back on the coffee table, Tempest kissed Wildfire’s lips. “I would not wish any companion in the world but you. Miranda was rather sweet though. The mother hen in Tempest loved the way that Wildfire snuggled even deeper into her side and nuzzled her chest. She could happily endure that forever. “I still like Ariel, like when Prospero told him to be as free as the mountain wind.”

“Yuppers that was a good bit.” Wildfire smiled so wide that Tempest could feel it in her fur. “I had a moment like that when Mapper had me suspended in the dungeon.”

Again, Tempest lifted an eyebrow, though now she stroked her hoof affectionately through Wildfire’s straight black mane. “Being set free as long as you followed her every command, you mean?”

Wildfire spoke into Tempest’s chest fur, though her voice was clearly audible in the otherwise quiet living room. “That first time yes, but like I said to Airy earlier, I'm her pet, yours and Mapper's pet, now because I want to be, not because I need the direction just to get through the day.”

“I'm good with that.” With Wildfire snuggled up to her like she was, and with her stroking her mane like she was, Tempest couldn’t help but feel ‘motherly’. She was good with that, too. “As long as you stay yourself, and not pretend to be what you're not.”

“Remember the day after we met, it was a Friday? You had to order me to do every little thing just so I could get through the day.”

Of course Tempest remembered. She was hardly likely to forget that first week and those first few days in particular for as long as she lived. “It seems like yesterday and at the same time like it was years ago.”

“I know right?” Wildfire let out a long slow sigh. Tempest was a hundred per cent right. “So much has happened this past month and a bit it feels unreal, it’s like I'm living out a story somepony has written.”

Tempest stroked Wildfire’s mane slowly and affectionately. “I do hope the next one goes a bit better than this one.” She then took an interest in the novel that was on the coffee table. “What is that book you're reading? Wuthering Heights? I think that one missed my reading list too.”

“It's an awesomes book, Honey.” Wildfire picked up the book and showed it to her lover. “It's a sort of love story, kinda, between a mare called Cathy and stallion, Heathcliff.”

That didn’t enlighten Tempest much. “I'm more of a Stallionbock fan with Of Mice and Ponies, and Grapes of Wrath.”

The little mare vaguely remembered reading both of those at school. They had been required reading on Professor Quill’s course. “Ooooh they're both good. I read them at university. Mom liked 1984, though, the book where Celestia runs a dystopian Equestria with an iron hoof.”

“Airy liked that book,” giggled Tempest behind her hoof, “She said it was easier to run a paper with a smaller dictionary, and be an editor.”

Beside Tempest, snuggled into her violet fur, Wildfire snorted. “Come on, it's a bit farfetched though, isn’t it? I mean really, as if there's a super-secret torture room where the captive is forced to experience all their nightmares.”

Tempest was, for perhaps the millionth time, glad that Wildfire was blind. After the past month, she was almost one hundred per cent absolutely convinced that such a room did in fact exist. She was willing to stake her primary feathers on it. “It was written before Luna's return. I think ponies were a bit lost all that time without Luna doing dream duty.”

“I think you're right. I'm kinda glad I was born after her return.”

“I think she was around for a couple of years before Trottingham would believe she was really back.”

All of a sudden, Wildfire was curious about that. “What was it like, Honey? Before Luna came back? I imagine the land was essentially the same, but there must've been some differences. Then again, I wonder what it was like for her, in the moon?”

“That was a while ago, now.” Replied Tempest thoughtfully as she cast her mind back to when she was a younger mare. “I remember that mom would let me sleep with her when I had nightmares. I think I eventually grew out of that. It sort of blends together. Airy joined the Equestrian service before her return.”

“Being imprisoned for a thousand years though...” Wildfire shuddered, “I thought five years in the care home was bad…”

Tempest laughed as she drank her coffee, trying not to spill it down herself, “Yeah, well, I'm not going to be the one to ask how it was.”

“Wisdom of the oldenpony!” Wildfire giggled when the older mare playfully swatted her ear with her hoof that had been stroking her mane. She then nestled even further into Tempest's fluffy chest fur. “You know, you have awesome floof, Honey.”

“I'm sure there are scientific reasons for that, but I believe your word is good enough!” she smiled, draping her right wing around Wildfire’s little body, holding her close.

“Just because.” Wildfire said in a tone that said that was that and in a way that ended all argument on the matter. “Besides, Honey, I love you.”

“I love you, and Airy, and Maps, and Serenity, and the herd.” She leant in, intending to kiss Wildfire’s nose, then at the last moment she changed her mind and kissed her between her ears, right on her scars. “You are not alone, not anymore.” Just then, when Wildfire yawned a tiny yawn that she tried and failed to hide, Airmail's alarm went off upstairs. “Well, I'm for bed now that the early pegasus has awaken. What time do you need to be into work?”

“Eight.”

“Well, you can get in an hour of nap with me, or spend...”

Tempest was interrupted by a sleepy sounding Airmail upstairs in the bedroom calling out, “Wily?”

“It with the lead political editor of the Manehatten Times!” Tempest concluded with a giggle.

“Oh, hey Pretty, I’m down in the living room with an intruder!” Wildfire smiled as she suppressed another tiny little yawn, “Nah, Honey I'm fine. I'm up now so I’m up.” She did however pull herself away from Tempest’s embrace and give her a sloppy kiss. “There's your goodnight kiss!”

Wasting no time at all, Airmail flew down the stairs and hovered into the living room. One did not waste fresh coffee. “I smelled the coffee. Hey, Stormy, despite your best attempt to make it sound like I was sleeping next to artillery, my blanket wouldn't let me go.”

Nonchalantly, Tempest shrugged on the couch. “No matter! I got this one to taste the rain, so the mission was a success.” Choosing not to answer, Airmail instead raspberried her and went into the kitchen to get herself a much needed coffee.

Wildfire giggled and, when she tried to drink from her long empty mug, she grinned, “On that note, I need coffee too.”

Giving her little lover a kiss, Tempest let Wildfire go. Following her in, she too trotted through to the kitchen to claim a kiss from Airmail before she headed off to bed herself, not a word spoken between them. “A mare of few words.” The azure blue mare snickered now she had a mug of steaming coffee in front of her.

“It's the morning,” Wildfire offered by way of explanation, though none was necessary. “Stormy no do mornings!”

“Unless she is working,” countered Airmail, her rumbling belly prompting her to investigate possible breakfast options. Without thinking, her hoof rested on the box of oats. Quick and simple. “I'm for cold cereal this morning. You already eat, Wily?”

Wildfire agreed quickly, thanks to her own empty belly, that cereal would be good for her too. “You want I should get more coffee going?” At that, Airmail looked and saw that she took the last mug’s worth so she gave that job to her fiancé while she prepped the cereal. “Sleep well, sexy?”

“Yes,” Airmail responded while Wildfire got the coffee going. “I remember the storm, but not much of it.”

“Out like a light you were.” Wildfire laughed now she had the coffee machine bubbling and gurgling and doing whatever it did to produce the zebra coffee, “So I did some reading on the couch.”

Off to bed, Tempest was fast asleep as soon as the pillow knocked her out with extreme soft force trauma. Both Wildfire and Airmail had eaten their first bowl, so, still hungry, the lead editor made them both a second bowl of cold cereal. “Do I need to turn off the six thirty alarm?” she asked, seeing as how her lover was up.

“Yuppers, please Pretty. When I'm up, I'm up.” By now, Wildfire had no intentions of going back to sleep, even though she had been up since two a.m. “I have glorious caffeine and I'll have a wake up shower after I feel you off.”

“I could forget,” Airmail teased as she ate her second bowl, “It would be like Stormy's thunderbolt. Just be out of the house before it goes off.”

As funny as that would be, Wildfire shook her head. “And face the fury of the storm when I get home? I think some pranks are best left in the imagination, Pretty.”

“True, plus I may be out of spare alarm clocks,” conceded Airmail as she sipped her coffee and snarfed down her cereal.

“Are you looking forward to tonight at Caffy's?” asked Wildfire as she drank the last of her coffee. “I am, well, not 'looking', you know what I mean,” she giggled, “I'm looking forward to being with my friends again, as well as the rest of the herd. It'll be just like when we were young...er. Younger.”

At that, Airmail put on a terribly fake old mare voice taken straight from every cliché ever written about old ponies. “Yeap, the 1900's sure were sometum alright, young’un.”

Straightaway, Wildfire was laughing so hard that she ended up on her haunches on the tiled kitchen floor, her forehooves clutching at her heaving sides. “Oh stop...stop it please! It’s too funny!”

Getting well into the teasing, and having a great deal of fun with it, Airmail poked Wildfire in the ribs with a primary feather like it was a walking cane. “You youngsters don’ know how good ya got it with this e-lec-trickery and dem cum-putters!”

“Pu-Puh...pul-leeease...I'll pee!” Wildfire begged, still on her ass laughing fit to burst.

At last, giggling like an overgrown filly, Airmail relented. “You should do that to wake up Stormy.”

With her laughter dissolving into giggles, Wildfire slowly got up off the floor. “N-No...I still think I'll pass, if it’s all the same to you.” Stood on shaking hooves, she kissed Airmail's lips. “Do you want me to text you when I'm on the train and again when I get to work?”

“By all means text Mother Hen, but she won't know until sometime this afternoon. I would like to have lunch with you though,” Airmail could barely contain her wide snickering smile as she said that. That was because she knew about the surprise, and it was a goodie! “Call me when you're ready for that. I'll even let you pick the place where we eat.”

“Alrighty, I will do.” Wildfire was, somewhat predictably, thinking of Caffeinated’s coffee shop, purely because that was the first place she had been to in Manehatten, and where she had met Airmail and Tempest. “I'll pick a good spot, don't worry Pretty. I'll call you later.” And, with that, she kissed her fiancé good bye and left for work.

~ ~ ~

Comet was ready to greet Wildfire on the thirtieth floor of City Hall when the little mare arrived from the elevator. The Fire Captain was impressed she was back at work so quickly after her ordeal. “Welcome to the drudgery of working in Manehatten, Lieutenant. What extremely dull task would you like today? Inventory, barracks cleaning, or filing?”

Wildfire snickered, sharing a hoof bump with Comet before she allowed him to lead her to the Fire Offices. “Drudgery is cool with me Comet,” she replied genuinely, “I'm just happy to be here at all. I fancy barracks cleaning. Lay it on me.”

“Sandstone,” Comet grinned to a young yellow / brown pegasus who was waiting for them, “I got your partner for the day.”

“Yay!” the young pegasus clopped her hooves over the tiled floor, noisily announcing her approach. Had she not known whom the other mare was, she would’ve assumed it was a lost filly, she was that small. “Oh, hey, you're Wildfire, right?” It was a rhetorical question. Everypony in the fire department knew who Wildfire was.

“I’m done with the introductions,” Comet was already on the way to the door. “Have fun.”

“See ya Comet!” Wildfire, after bidding her colleague good bye, turned to face the excited new voice, a grin on her muzzle. She could tell she was excited by the way she was tapping her hooves on the floor. “Yuppers, that's me!” she held her hoof out for a bump.

Sandstone was only too willing to bump hooves with her new partner for the day. “There’s not a lot to do really. Sweep, mop, make sure the fridge has water in it for whoever is stuck here on the duty roster. Nice and easy today.” And that was just how the junior firefighter liked it.

With them working together, with Wildfire applying her recent training with cleaning the Stallion’s Room at Caffeinated’s ranch to good use and Sandstone being impressed with how easily she got around, the cleaning was done by eleven in the morning. “Done,” the young mare declared, “now to tell the boss and hope the rest of the day is 'keep it that way'!”

“Phew! That was fun!” Wildfire, exhausted but happy at a job well done, had a very genuine smile on her face, especially when Sandstone giggled. She rather liked this new pony, and she looked forward to working with her again in the future.

“Captain!” Sandstone greeted her commanding officer with a salute, “We’re done with that, ready for inspection.”

“Will it pass?”

Sandstone and Wildfire answered as one. “Yes sir!”

Comet took his time inspecting the barracks. It wasn’t really necessary. He could tell from a distance that all the surfaces were gleaming. “Inspection complete. Wildfire, I hope you don't have lunch plans?”

Wildfire, who had finally done standing at attention for the inspection, lowered the hoof she had been saluting with. “Oh um,” all of a sudden, she was unsure, being put on the spot like that. “Well, I was going to have lunch with Airy, she said I could pick somewhere.”

“Maybe another day, then.” Comet grinned. He knew what was happening in the building though, and he was fairly certain the little blind mare did not. He didn’t want her to miss it. “They are doing a catered luncheon downstairs and we will all be attending. At least that is the strongly worded suggestion by the Chief.”

That didn’t help! “Um...” Wildfire’s ears went right back to her head and indecision was all over her face. One on hoof, she didn’t want to upset Airy, but on the other, Chief Rung obviously expected her to attend the catered lunch downstairs. What to do‽

“Nopony wants Airmail on their bad side,” Comet said sympathetically, “Just call her and let her know the situation.”

Wildfire was on the verge of a panic attack, she was so struck by not knowing who to please the most. Everything was starting to spin in her head and she didn’t like it. “Could she join me here at the lunch downstairs?” she asked hopefully.

Comet didn’t mean to snicker, he certainly wasn’t being mean with it. He sympathised with her indecision and felt she needed a gentle nudge. “Like somepony is going to tell the lead political editor of the Manehatten Times they are not welcome in City Hall?”

Blushing as red as her cutie mark, Wildfire reached into her bag for her phone. “I get it, sorry. I'll give her a call.”

“What's up Wily?” Airmail asked as she answered her phone, “Have you picked a place for lunch?”

“Yuppers, here at City Hall, if you don't mind.” Wildfire couldn’t put her hoof on why her fiancé sounded as excited as she did. It was only lunch, after all, not at Caffeinated’s place like she thought, but still. “There's a catered lunch thingy going on here, Comet says the Chief wants us all to attend.”

“Free lunch!” Airmail squealed like a filly a quarter of her age. For a moment she was worried Wildfire knew what was going on, but for once she was thankful she was lovably dense. “I'm all in. Good to know you're such a frugal mare!”

Feeling instantly better about herself, Wildfire squealed, “Alrighty! I'll feel you soon then Pretty!” Just then, Chief Rung popped his head through the barracks door and announced it was time for them all to head downstairs to the lobby where the food awaited. Teasingly, he chose not to say why.

Following her fellow firefighters – and not the only one who didn’t know what was going on – Wildfire made her way down from the fire offices to the lobby on the ground floor to wait for her special pony. It quickly became apparent, due to the noisy chatter, that the lobby was very crowded. Wildfire could hear ponies she didn’t know or recognise directing others to the lines for the food and all were being ushered into the auditorium. After three minutes of feeling a little lost, Airmail walked in and saw her yellow mare turning her head in all directions, no doubt her ears were working overtime. “Wildfire?”

Instantly, Wildfire’s ears, extremely sharp from years of attending fancy hoity toity parties for Amethyst Glory and listening for her name called, swivelled to the welcome sound of Airmail's voice over the hubbub of lots of ponies like a life raft on the ocean. “Airy!”

While there were lots of ponies and noise in the lobby, very soon Wildfire could smell Airmail and Tempest. As she made her way over to her fiancé and herd-mate, she could hear more than a few murmurs from them. All said the same thing. “Is that Serenity? It is! It’s Serenity! Look, Serenity is here. It’s her! It’s Serenity!”

When Wildfire got close enough though, she heard another voice. A deep, rumbling, safe voice. A voice that belonged to an orange zebra stallion. “Hmph…” Caffeinated grumbled, “The city is too cheap to buy good coffee.”

“Drink the tea then,” Thespian quipped with a twinkle in her eye, “I know I will.”

“Where is Luna's shine when you need it?” Caffeinated groused, much to the amusement of Thespian and those members of the herd – namely Mapper - that were within earshot of him. He was still grumbling, though good naturedly, when Wildfire came up to them. “Oh, hi Wily!”

Mapper snickered beside Caffeinated, “Free food does tend to bring out the ponies.”

Just when Wildfire thought that was all there was, and she was about to greet Caffeinated, Thespian, Airmail, Tempest, Mapper and Serenity, she got a surprise when a very familiar stallion appeared at her left side with hooves on her flank. Tinkerer thankfully spoke up before she could panic. “Hey Wily! How's my other favourite bun oven doing?”

Rolling her eyes, Belle fetched her stallion a playful but well-aimed swipe upside his head. “Tink, let her have a chance with her marefriends. She looks to be in shock!”

In shock was an understatement along the lines of the sun is a bit warm. While Wildfire had followed her nose and her ears to find Airmail, and had been pleasantly surprised to hear there was all the others there too amidst the sea of voices and smells, Wildfire was beginning to get rather overwhelmed by it all. “He-Hello Mr. Caffy,” she bumped hooves with the zebra before turning to Mapper. “Good day, Mistress,” she then offered a bow to her and turned to the father of her foal. “Tink! He-Hey!”

Requiem sidled up with Longshore in tow and, as Wildfire was ‘looking’ at each voice in turn and processing each pony who spoke to her, distracted Belle and Tinkerer over to her. “Oh, it sounds like I can milk the city for some more money!”

Longshore snickered next to the red and blue painted earth pony. “I doubt it, love, they spent that on the lunch.”

Stepping up next, came Slate leading Darkstar along, the white unicorn wearing her zebra’s white and black stripped collar proudly around her neck. She had insisted on a leash, but he had refused that as a step too far right then. Smiling broadly, Darkstar moved in for a hug. “Hey Wily, it’s good to feel ya.”

Slate cleared his throat noisily and put into practise the dominant lessons that Caffeinated, Mapper and Serenity had taken great lengths to teach him. “Yes, let's go get our food and seats, Darkie.”

At the dominant tone in her stallion’s voice, Darkstar shuddered and she whispered, “I love it when he takes charge!” Kissing Wildfire’s cheek, she let go and walked obediently after Slate.

“Popular lunch date,” Airmail commented, glancing around at the packed out lobby.

“As long as they have coffee,” Tempest whined, “it isn't even noon yet!”

Taking a very deep breath, not unlike Tempest’s anger management breathing exercises, Wildfire processed who was there as it was all starting to get a little overwhelming for her all at once. “Blimey, is the whole herd here?” she asked with a smile and a nuzzle for her two lovers. “I’m glad you've come.”

“Should be, I said free food and here they are!” Airmail giggled as Sonic appeared with Trails in tow.

“Free food,” the earth pony stallion snickered, “yes, of course!”

“Mr Sonic!” exclaimed Wildfire, offering him a nuzzle of greeting and, in the process, being a good pony and remembering her manners.

Leaning in close, Airmail whispered, “Surprise.”

Tempest though, who was up and awake before noon was in no mood for playing. “Let’s do the meet and greet after we eat, huh?”

“Stormy is still sleep walking,” Airmail laughed, steering her two mares towards the buffet food table, “let's get her fed and seated.”

Slowly, realisation was dawning on Wildfire as she allowed Airmail to steer her through the seething throng of ponies. “Surprise...what...this is...” she blushed, “you intended to eat here all along?” she asked, giggling as not far away, Darkstar carried food over for her and Slate.

“Let’s get our food and take our seats.”

“Yes,” Tempest threw her head back like a petulant teenager, “and coffeeeeeeeee! Now!” The three mares, along with those members of the herd as well as Wildfire’s friends, all went to the buffet line for food and, in Tempest’s case in particular, coffee. After the buffet, they entered the auditorium. Some seats, like Wildfire’s, Airmail’s and Tempest’s at the front were assigned.

Airmail led the way through the ocean of seats to theirs at the front, while the herd and Darkstar, Slate, Cyclone, Bluefeather, Amethyst, Cream and Air Raid were in the public seats at the back as they weren’t family. “We have front row seats!” she beamed, “Did you pull some strings, Wily?”

Straining her ears above the low hubbub of noise, Wildfire thought she could hear some members of the herd, Caffeinated and Mapper especially, in the two rows behind her. “Oh, I guess my cleaning job in the barracks was that good then,” she giggled behind her hoof.

A voice off to the other side of Airmail reminded Wildfire of a pony she thought she knew, but she wasn’t sure. There was a stallion next to her that the little blind mare had never met. Unknown to her, there was a lot of ear flicking communication going on in the herd. Mapper and Sonic had taken up stations to ensure nopony bothered Wildfire, but they were being very quiet about it.

As there was a lot of noise, Wildfire focussed on Airmail and Tempest, who were as ever sat to her left and right respectively. Her fiancé and her herd-mate were her centre to keep from getting overwhelmed in a new and crowded place. “This is a big thing, huh, Pretty?”

“Packed house I'd say,” Airmail replied after casting a look about. “A few standing, and whoever is back stage. May be about five thousand here, maybe a bit more.”

“Oh my…” Wildfire whimpered. It had been a long while since she had been in a room anywhere near that full, and those times were at the charity balls she had been forced to attend at the behest of Amethyst Glory way back when. “Packed house indeed…”

“Oh,” Airmail rolled her eyes, “here comes the boring part.” For Wildfire’s benefit, she explained what was happening. “The Mayor is taking the stage. Omega, this is your assignment.”

Omega duly rolled his eyes and sighed, though that was undercut by his grin as he got ready to work for a living. “The Mayor?” Things were starting to add up for the notoriously dense Wildfire. The Mayor, a load of firefighters, the press, things slotted into place. Eventually. “Is this to do with the big fire, Pretty?”

“Shhhh, it is starting.” Airmail quieted her fiancé down. In the front row, not far from where she was sat, was an empty seat in honour of the firefighter that died fighting the blaze. There were also two firefighter stallions, along with Moonburst and Ice Crystal, the two ponies that had helped Wildfire push the cloud stack into location. Around Wildfire, the herd used their ear flicks to exchange bets on how long Wildfire would remain clueless.

“Hit the snooze button, Airy. The mayor is about to talk.” Tempest groaned, deeply wishing she had taken three extra coffees just for this eventuality. Airmail was just glad Omega had the coverage on this one. It meant she could enjoy it with her mare.

A hush fell over the assembled crowd of ponies, zebras, even griffons when the Mayor of Manehatten stepped up to the lone podium on the stage of the auditorium. “Greetings to all here in attendance.” She spoke softly, yet her voice reached every corner of the vast room. “It has been a trying time for the city, but the citizens of this city will not be detoured by the actions of a few. Today we recognise those that gave there all to ensure the safety of our citizens.” She then looked at the vacant chair in the front row. “On behalf of Sergeant Cinder, I would ask that Plum come up on the stage.”

Supportively, Airmail squeezed Wildfire's left hoof while on her right, Tempest rested hers on Wildfire's other foreleg. 'Oh wow!’ she thought, the bit at last having dropped and she realised that this gathering was because of the fire. A fire that had been a terrorist attack. ‘It IS for the fire!'

“Sergeant Cinder is awarded the Manehatten Medal of Valour for his actions during the Broncs fire.” The Mayor spoke again and it was deathly silent in the auditorium. “Sergeant Cinder entered the buildings to help direct ponies out to safety. Sergeant Cinder continued to do so, even after the situation around him became untenable. He continued to help others before himself. He gave his life so that one other might live. Sergeant Cinder left behind his wife Plum and his colt Flashfire and filly Sweetwater.”

An earth pony mare as purple as her name suggested stepped up to the stage, dabbing her leaking eyes with a hoofkerchief. “Plum,” the Mayor continued, “thank you for accepting this award. It is small compensation for the loss of your husband, but there are those here today that can thank you on his behalf because of his actions.” When she took the award, Wildfire heard a lot of ponies stand and clap their hooves.

Along with Tempest and Airmail, who were both stomping their hooves, Wildfire clapped and cheered as the award ceremony continued. The second name called out was Lieutenant Foam for his actions at the dock fire. His quick actions helped to contain the fire so that it didn't spread to the nearby warehouses, and Sergeant Lamppost for his actions at the Broncs fire. He had been with Cinder, but closer to the entrance helping ponies make it out safely through all the smoke.

Again, Wildfire joined in with the rest of the crowd as they clapped and stomped their hooves, so very proud was she of the recognition her fellow team mates received. She was partway through a whooping cheer when the Mayor effectively struck her dumb when she said, “Will Wildfire please come up on the stage?”

Leaning in, Tempest whispered, “Forward two paces, right twelve paces, left two paces. A police pony will escort you from there.”

Wildfire was absolutely and completely stunned. Not once did she ever imagine she of all ponies would get an award! Not when there were more deserving candidates. So quiet was she that she even heard Airmail’s eye roll. “M-M-Me?” she stuttered, walking slowly and carefully where Tempest directed her.

Once she was near enough to the stage, the police pony escorted Wildfire up the steps to stand beside the waiting Mayor. “I'll take you off stage afterwards,” he whispered before stepping back.

“For her actions during the Broncs fire,” the Mayor spoke loudly, “Wildfire is awarded the Firefighter's Cross. She moved an eight stack cloud from the weather factory without expectation of help and had the cloud moving over seventy miles per hour. Chief Rung has stated her actions shortened duration of the fire by over thirty minutes saving countless lives and property damage.” She paused and hung the shining medal around the little yellow pegasus’s neck. “Wildfire is new to our fire department and she shows that no disability should hinder anypony from doing what they can to help others.”

After Wildfire had received her hug from the Mayor, the police pony stepped back up and motioned her to walk with him off of the stage opposite from where she entered and helped her back to her seat. No sooner had she sat back down than the Mayor called Moonburst up to the stage.

On the way back to her seat, Wildfire was practically scampering on cloud nine, ten and eleven. She was walking on air, a huge grin plastered all over her face. On the stage, Moonburst and Ice Crystal also received the Firefighter's Cross for their actions during the fire. After that, twelve ponies were called up and they got the Commendation medal, two for the docks and ten for the Broncs, for their actions.

Both Airmail and Tempest rose to hug Wildfire as she returned to her seat. She hardly noticed. She allowed herself to be seated until the last commendation award was given. It wasn’t easy. In spite of her wings in casts, she was convinced she could fly. “I wish to thank all of those in our emergency services,” the Mayor summed up. “Regardless of your role, there is no contribution to small. My heart goes out to those that lost their lives in these two tragedies, and most especially to Ms. Plum. None of you are in this job for the glory, and we often find that life can be cut short in your line of work. Still, every one of you make the city proud by the work you do. Thank you all for attending.”

“And that is a wrap!” Airmail sighed with relief as the assembled crowd began to disperse.

“Congratulations, Wildfire.” Caffeinated’s smooth deep voice rumbled over the general hubbub of departing and chattering bodies. The others in the herd quickly gathered around them and each one joined in congratulating the little mare on her award.

“Eeeeee!” Squealing happily, Wildfire nuzzled and grinned at all the members of the herd that were in range, bouncing on her hooves like it was Hearths Warming morning. Darkstar dragged Cyclone and Air Raid over to offer their hugs and congratulations as well.

Baron, who had been a little late to the opening of the award ceremony, stepped forwards with Snowfall behind him. “There is a slew of reporters outside the building, but it is nice to see the Times get an exclusive inside the building,” he nodded over to where Omega had cornered the Mayor.

Along with Darkstar, Cyclone and Air Raid, Slate, Amethyst, Cream and Bluefeather were also there to get in their hugs and to wish Wildfire well. “Quite the fan club you have, Wily.” Bluefeather smiled sweetly once she had released the very tight Wily Hug ™.

Walking over, even Comet made sure to get in his hugs with his colleague. “Enjoy your time with your herd, Wily. Chief says you’re off till next week, so we’ll see you on Tuesday. I'm sure something else will need cleaning.”

Tempest could never resist a tease. This was no exception. “She is a fine maid, Comet.”

“Caffy,” Airmail said once Comet had excused himself and taken his leave, “let's move this to your place.”

Thespian didn’t give her handsome stallion the chance to answer. “He says yes.”

Caffeinated treated his wife to a very loud, very communicative eye roll. “What she said.”

Striding over, Mapper got Airmail’s attention with a few well-placed ear flicks. “You best take the pegasus exit, Airy. There will be less reporters up on the landing pad.”

On the way to the elevator though, Wildfire, Airmail and Tempest were stopped by a mare’s voice with a heavy Canterlot accent. “Wily?” Almost instantly, the weather pony and lead editor took up protective positions to Wildfire’s left and right, both taking no chances. “I can't think of another mare that looks like you.”

As she turned to face the new voice, Wildfire smiled. That voice. It was so very familiar. In an instant, she had placed that voice. It was a voice she hadn’t heard in five years. ‘No...’ she thought, ‘It can't be...’ However, it was. But, there was only one way to make sure. “Nothing to it...”

Eirene grinned a smile that matched her former patient’s own. The use of her quote all but confirmed who she was talking to. “But to do it!”

“Eirene!” Wildfire squealed and, though her former nurse had moved forwards for a long overdue hug, she launched herself into what was essentially a spear tackle. Where the senior nurse not an earth pony, she would have been knocked off her hooves.

Seeing Wildfire tackle hug the newcomer, Airmail and Tempest stood down, though Airmail was ever ready to act, should the need arise. Autumn Leaves remained a lasting lesson for her. “I see you've taken that advice to heart.” Eirene smiled warmly, her demeanour putting the blue pegasus further at ease, “Still the firefighter and no longer the whinny mare.”

“I'm blind, not disabled, that's what you taught me.” Wildfire smiled, still hugging the taller mare.

“I still had to prod you to take that first walk outside.” Eirene saw the casts that adorned the diminutive pegasus’s wings, but she chose not to question her about them at that moment. “That uniform you’re wearing is pretty with the black and blue highlights.”

Stepping back at last, Wildfire’s smile looked to be a permanent fixture. She still couldn’t believe she was stood there talking to her! Then, when she felt a wing touch both her flanks, she was reminded of her lovers’ presence. “Oh, introductions! This is Airmail and Tempest, my herd-mate and fiancé, Airmail I mean, and this is Eirene, my old nurse!”

“Yes, she is only marrying one,” Tempest smiled, sharing a hoof bump with the earth pony nurse, “I like my lackeys to stay together.”

On Wildfire’s left, Airmail rolled her eyes at Tempest’s joke. “Greetings to you, Eirene. She is an independent mare, but fell for my sexy whiles.” Try as she might, she was still trying to place the earth pony. She vaguely remembered Wildfire mentioning her over the past month, but she couldn’t remember in what context.

Looking over some of the others, Eirene saw two she recognised. Air Raid, who was trying to hide behind a powerful looking pink zebra mare and Darkstar, who was stood proudly with a zebra stallion. The pegasus she didn’t care for in the slightest. “You're part of a herd now, Wily?”

“Yuppers! It's been a long time getting here, but here I am, with a herd.”

Thespian stepped forwards, an easy smile on the blue / grey earth pony’s face. “We are heading over to my place to celebrate Wily's award. Always room for one more.”

“Oooh please say yes!” Wildfire squealed, clapping her hooves excitedly. “We so need to have a proper catch up!”

“Wily, I'm leaving with the hospital staff to celebrate for the same reason.” Eirene replied more reticently than sadly, a hint of regret in her voice. “Two others got awards besides myself. Now that I know you're here in Manehatten we can exchange phone numbers.”

“We must!” Wildfire squeaked happily, she reached into her bag, took out her phone and she gave Eirene her number. A whole raft of possibilities were running through her overwhelmed brain. Lots of things were all bubbling to the surface. “We need a lunch at Stripe’s Cup of Java as soon as! Oooh it's so good to hear you!”

Eirene beamed like a proud mother on her filly’s graduation day. “It's good to know you've not let a little disability slow you down. I'll give you a call next week, now go and enjoy your herd.”

“Yes ma'am!” Wildfire gave the senior nurse another hug before they parted company at the elevator and she went to re-join her own friends.

“She is the one that taught you braille?” asked Tempest and at last Airmail had the look of dawning recognition.

“Yuppers Honey. Eirene is one of the main reasons I survived Amethyst Glory.”

Airmail wrapped Wildfire up in such a tight protective hug that the little yellow pony winced. She had only just met the nurse, but already she liked her, a lot. “I'll have to add her to my Hearth's Warming card list.”

“I can't believe she was here!” Wildfire squealed happily in her fiancé’s loving embrace. If she was happy before, during the award ceremony, she was utterly ecstatic now.

Like Airmail, Tempest draped her wing over Wildfire’s back. “I'm here,” she grinned, “so I'd think anypony that is somepony would be here to. You're here, Wily.”

Airmail stuck her tongue out at her herd-mate. “So says the Trottingham pony.”

“I'm sure Stormy meant to say that I, Thespian, the true Manehatten pony is here, so the herd is here too.” Thespian giggled, at the same time striking a heroic pose and pressing the elevator call button.

Caffeinated stepped up as the elevator doors opened and he gave his wife a kiss. “And she meant to say Snowfall.”

“What they said.” Snowfall smiled at her daughter and son-in-law, the two ponies and zebra watching and waving as Wildfire, Airmail and Tempest stepped into the elevator car. They carried on waving until the doors closed and they were gone up to the Pegasus Landing Pad. Caffeinated just hoped that the BDSM party later at his ranch would be considerably less dramatic than the last one.