Five a.m. Monday morning rolled around, following Air Raid’s big race the day before at the Manehatten Raceway stadium, and as ever it found Airmail, Tempest and Wildfire asleep in the darkness of their bedroom in the town house by the lake. As soon as the alarm went off, Airmail, the mare in the middle of their cuddle pile, woke up to shut it off. Thankfully there was Wildfire between her and the alarm clock, so she didn’t have a long way to reach.

Spreading her azure blue wings, she fluttered up and out of the bed to land by its side. Wisely, she moved the alarm clock out of Tempest’s reach. While she looked asleep, there was no telling sometimes. And Airmail didn’t want to buy a new clock. "Good Morning!" she said with a smile, noticing Tempest didn’t react at all.

Almost instantly, thanks to the fact that she was a very light sleeper, Wildfire was up and alert. “Good morning Pretty...” she smiled, for a split second later she remembered just what day it was, and what today meant. “Oh, it's morning, it’s Monday morning!” she squealed happily, fluttering her wings to land beside Airmail and the bed.

Airmail’s heart melted at the sheer enthusiasm of her diminutive fiancé. It was most contagious, especially as Airmail knew what today meant to her. It was another stepping stone to repairing her life. “What time do you need to report in?” she asked.

“Eight,” Wildfire answered quickly, “but I wanna be there a little before that, y'know, show Chief Rung I'm willing and all.”

“You wanna come to town with me and hang out?” Airmail asked, the idea coming to her mostly because Tempest was still asleep, and not a morning mare at all, and she wanted to avoid a confrontation. “Caffy's shop is open at six, but that is when I leave. Time for a quick breakfast before we go.”

In the bed, cocooned in the darkness of the thick comforter and under her pillow, Tempest mumbled, her voice muffled but distinctly annoyed. “Morning ponies leave bedroom now.” She said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Yuppers!” Wildfire giggled and nodded, trotting over to the bedroom door where she knew Airmail was waiting for her. She recognised that tone in Tempest’s voice, muffled as it was. She was grateful, as she walked, that she hadn’t drunk too much at the after party following Air Raid’s race. “I'll hang out with you.”

At the door, Airmail kissed Wildfire deeply. “I'm glad, let's go get some Oatios and coffee.”

Gladly, Wildfire returned the kiss and at the same time she got a noseful of her lover’s scent. Early morning kisses were the best kisses. “Onwards to coffee, my love.”

“One moment,” Airmail, about to walk out into the hallway, suddenly remembered what she hadn’t done. She moved past Wildfire back into the bedroom and set the alarm over to alarm two for Tempest’s benefit. That done, she walked back over to Wildfire and, with a flick of her summer green tail under the little yellow mare’s nose, she headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

Downstairs in the kitchen, safely away from anything Tempest could throw, Wildfire was bouncing on her four hooves. “I'm so excited! And nervous! But excited!”

Airmail could readily understand that. “New job, new ponies, there’s a lot to be excited about. Get the milk please. It is a job you've done, so no reason to be nervous. Just don't forget the paperwork you got from Hot Spot.”

“I so got this!” Wildfire did another little bounce as she went over to the fridge and, having felt her way to the bottom shelf on the right, she got the milk for the cereal. “The paperwork's in my saddlebag to the right of the door, I checked and triple checked when we got back from Caffeinated's place last night.” And she had too. She had checked her bags so many times that Tempest had told her to stop.

As soon as Airmail had the bowls out of the cupboard, she put the cereal into each. “I'll get the coffee going.”

“Alrighty, Pretty!” Wildfire, with milk in hoof, felt for the bowls and added the milk. “Eat brekkie, flight suit on, have an awesomes day!” she ticked off her mental checklist before giving Airmail the milk for her coffee. “What's on your to-do list? Terrorise Lavender and Omega?”

“Omega I’ll terrorise if he turns in shoddy work.” Airmail snickered, “I have learned from experience that you never terrorize the one that manages the office. Other than that, I have a meeting with the Mayor at two p.m. about the budget.”

“I remember you being deadly with a paperclip!” Wildfire laughed, recalling that time following her solo shopping trip when Airmail had held Omega hostage because lunch had been late.

Airmail giggled at that. She remembered it as well as Wildfire did. That had been a good day indeed. “Yes, that is the rumour, but I'll neither confirm nor deny it.” Still giggling, Airmail poured the coffee into the waiting mugs and, nudging the sugar bowl against Wildfire’s hoof she added the milk to hers.

“Thanks Pretty!” glad that Airmail wasn’t doing everything for her, Wildfire felt for the spoon and, after adding the necessary two sugars to her coffee, she smiled a very wide smile.

“I'm sure your day will be more boring than mine,” Airmail said as she took a welcome sip of her coffee, “unless you go to the hospital, of course.” She giggled, sitting next to Wildfire at the breakfast bar. “Only, Lavender has told me a paper cut can be quite tragic.”

“Ha, ha.” Wildfire laughed sarcastically and took a mouthful of her cereal and sipped her coffee, tapping her hooves together. “I um, I just want to do a good job, that’s all.”

Airmail reached over the bar and squeezed Wildfire’s hoof that wasn’t holding the spoon. She knew nerves when she saw them. “That should be easy. Be you, and do what you do, which is your best.” It was easy, really.

Wildfire smiled, “Can't do any more, right?”

“Right,” Airmail agreed, “and if you do any less I'll let Mapper know you’re in need of an attitude adjustment.”

Wildfire found herself actually entertaining that as a viable alternative. “Well, it has been at least a hoof full of hours since I was spanked,” she giggled, realising her nerves had all but faded away. “Thanks Pretty, I needed that.”

Several minutes later, once both bowls of cereal had been consumed, Airmail glanced up at the clock in the kitchen. “Finish up, Wily. Would you like some help getting dressed?”

“Alrighty,” Wildfire quickly threw what was left of the coffee in her mug down her throat and got up from the breakfast bar. Her flight suit was waiting in the office on her seating pad by her computer. She didn’t ‘need’ help, but she’d like help. There was a difference. “I just need to know where the legs go and I'll be fine, my love.”

“Be up in a moment,” Airmail said, getting up and putting the dirty breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.

“Okies!” Leaving her to it, Wildfire trotted through the dining room and up the stairs, though she was sure to be quiet up here lest she wake Tempest early. Even she knew that would be an extremely bad thing to do. In the office, she stood by the desk where her flight suit and headset were waiting for her.

It wasn’t much later, after she had loaded up the dishwasher, that Airmail trotted into the office. “Okay, let me help you with this tricky suit.” Airmail proved to be very hooves on in her assistance, but thankfully there wasn’t too much teasing involved. She really didn’t want to be late at the Manehatten Times offices.

“Oooh!” Wildfire squeaked, despite wanting to be quiet, she couldn’t help but jump with an 'eep' as Airmail used her muzzle to check the tight fit of the crotch of her flight suit. “I can just never get that bit fitting right for some reason,” she giggled before trying the tricky spot once more until the outline of Wildfire’s marehood could be seen.

Wildfire giggled as she put her headset on. “Might be the wetness that is making it slip, Pretty.” Back downstairs by the back door, the little blind mare felt for her saddlebag and, slinging it securely over her back, she once more went through her checklist. “Got my tablet, got my paperwork, got my phone, got my watch...I is ready, well, as I'll ever be!”

“You lead and fly as fast as you can, and as fast as the traffic will allow,” Airmail said as she too gathered her bag, “Which shouldn't be too bad this early. I want to see if Stormy's training is starting to take effect.”

“You got it, Pretty.” As soon as they were outside the house, on the wooden decking, Wildfire flicked on the headset with her tongue on the bit in her mouth. Immediately she was greeted with the start-up procedure in her ear. “Point Six, direction and distance.” Straightaway, she was gifted with the heading to Caffeinated’s coffee shop and without further ado she took off, giving her headset one more instruction. “Repeat Altitude.”

Taking up a position behind Wildfire, close but not so close that she set off the proximity alarm, Airmail was mainly looking to see if Wildfire still pulled over in to the left. She did notice almost straightaway that Wildfire ever so slightly drifted left but certainly not by as much as she was before.

They flew in the loose formation in the chilly early morning, the sun just starting to rise above the horizon, at a steady sixty miles per hour. Wildfire only started to breathe heavily once they got to Manehatten proper. As soon as they hit the main part of the city, the Traffic Control system came over Wildfire’s headset, alerting her that the speed limit was thirty.

Cutting her speed in half, slowing to thirty miles per hour, Wildfire followed her traffic instructions to the letter, again demonstrating why she was a precision flyer. It wasn’t very long before she was being directed to land at Stripe’s Cup of Java. Airmail stayed close behind her all the way and landed beside her on the sidewalk in front of Caffeinated's shop. “I think Stormy will need to take you to the Cloudhatten gym!” Airmail declared once her wings were away at her barrel, “The lake training is working your left wing enough though.”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire exclaimed, more than happy with how her wing had felt. “It didn't feel as laggy or lumpen as it did on the previous trips!”

“Let's go in and see if that silly zebra has anything worth drinking.” Airmail smirked, knowing full well as a leading member of the Coffee Tribe, Caffeinated had the best coffee in Manehatten. “There is a shower on my floor and a couch in my office if you'd like to rest before you go to work.”

Feeling for the door, Wildfire hoofed it open and stood aside for Airmail to enter the shop ahead of her. “Thanks Pretty, but I'm good, I'm way too buzzed to rest!”

Situated as ever behind the serving counter, the large orange zebra looked up from his newspaper when he heard the bell above the door ring. Straightaway he broke out into a pleasant smile. “Good morning Airy, my, you found another pony to come in this early? Good morning to you, Wily.”

Airmail smiled as she led the way to the counter and nuzzled her herd-mate. “I could be in earlier, but you don't open till six.”

“Which was ten minutes ago.” Caffeinated rumbled, looking at the large clock on the wall.

“Good morning!” Wildfire beamed, as excited as ever as she got a very tight bone-crushing hug from her favourite zebra. “We'd have been in at six, but Pretty here was helping me on with the flight suit.”

Caffeinated rolled his green eyes. He had a suspicion what ‘helping’ meant. “Yes, 'helping' I'm sure. You want a pastry, Wily?”

“She was a big help!” Wildfire protested with a snigger once the tight hug was released and she could breathe again. “Can I have a couple of cheese straws, please?” her nose, which never lied to her, said there were cheese straws behind the counter. They would be hers.

“No problem.” Smiling, Caffeinated prepared and placed Wildfire’s sweetened black coffee and her cheese straws on the counter on a tray along with Airmail's milky coffee and her morning blueberry muffin. “Wily,” he said once that was done, “Are you on Airy's tab or do you want to start your own?”

Glancing at her diminutive lover, Airmail at once saw the uncertainty on Wildfire’s face. She decided to step on it quickly. “When Tempest stops in, she puts stuff on my tab, so it’s okay if you do too.”

For a long moment, Wildfire thought about it. She honestly didn’t know what to do for the best. Eventually, she made her mind up. “I'll start my own please, Caffy, thank you. Independence, and all that.”

Caffeinated snorted and looked at Airmail. “While I do love your independence,” Airmail said gently, just wanting to help, “It’s house funds, our funds, that pays the tab. That’s why Stormy uses mine. Still, you can pay the zebra mafia their due,” she finished with a smile at the orange stallion’s eye roll, but she did note that he prepped a tab for Wildfire.

“I send a bill to herd members on the first of the month to be paid by end of month.” He explained once the cheese straws and coffee had been added to the new tab.

“I got it, thank you,” Wildfire smiled and took a long sip of her coffee, savouring the taste of the best stuff before tapping her hooves together nervously. “Pretty, should I um, should I have gone with yours?” The last thing she wanted to do was upset anypony. Or zebra.

“It's a point of view,” Airmail shrugged, “Will you use house funds for your tab? Caffy, how many couples keep separate tabs?”

Caffeinated laughed, “Thespy has her own tab, I can't afford it.” He said, making Airmail giggle, “The stallion club each keeps their own tab. Mapper of course is on Serenity's tab. Belle and Tinkerer keep separate tabs to track of how much they are consuming.”

“So it is a point of view.” Airmail repeated, but not before she took a drink of her coffee.

“Nopes I'll use my own bits...ugh,” Wildfire grimaced, not at the excellent coffee but at her own – perceived – foalishness. “I'm probably worrying over nothing, aren’t I? And, I know it's a small thing, I just want to pay my way now I can.”

“We are herd,” Airmail said, nuzzling her fiancé’s cheek for good measure, “but we can keep our independence. I might have to raise your rent by an extra kiss a month, though.”

Wildfire grinned, returning the nuzzle with one of her own. How often had she heard those words, ‘we are herd’, over the past month. She was just starting to understand it. “Deal! You can even chose where I put it, Pretty.”

“Public area,” Caffeinated spoke up, before he caught himself with a smile. “Ah, most of the time, anyway. Elevator is that way.”

“I demand kisses before you go, Pretty!” Wildfire declared after her cheese straws had been consigned to her belly.

Airmail giggled, for her muffin had just gone the way of the cheese straws, and kissed the little mare’s nose. “Not coming up with me, Wily?”

Just at that moment, Lavender walked in the front door. “Hi guys!” the tan brown earth pony mare called out, granting each pony, and zebra, a generous smile. A smile that got wider for the zebra when Caffeinated put her coffee and cheese danish on the counter. “Oh,” she said, giving her red mane a flick, “do I get to open today?”

“You might have to,” Caffeinated smirked, “I think those two are having a 'kiss off'.” He pointed a hoof over his counter to Airmail and Wildfire, who were indeed engaged in a tongue wrestling match. Airmail was winning.

Wildfire, once she lost the wrestling match two falls to one, checked her watch on her headset. “Yuppers,” she said once it told her it was just six thirty three a.m., “I'll come up now I think about it, Pretty, I got the time.”

“Don't rush on my account,” Lavender said with a smile as she headed for the elevator.

“Come on then,” Airmail grinned, “I don't want the employees to think the boss is lazy.”

“I'm right behind you, Pretty.” And Wildfire was, not only because her advanced headset was useless indoors, but because she got to follow under Airmail’s tail.

Lavender, at the elevator first, held the doors for Airmail and Wildfire to get in before letting them close. “Your interview with the Mayor is still on schedule,” Lavender informed her boss, she had the day memorised already, “Omega is going straight to the docks to cover the labour grievance, he plans on being in around lunch time.”

“Good,” Airmail nodded, “it will give him time to do a spell check before he submits his report.”

“Oooh!” Wildfire put her hoof in the air like she was answering a question at school, “I'm coming over at lunch too!” she smiled, “How are you doing, Lavender?”

“Better after a few aspirin,” Lavender replied to Wildfire’s question. “I think I had one too many red wines at the party.” Indeed, the events of the night before were very, very fuzzy. Lavender remembered the big race, and meeting up at Caffeinated’s place. She just remembered going to the beach, and the impromptu party in Caffeinated’s dungeon.

Airmail giggled and Wildfire sniggered. “I bet Raid's got a sore head too. As well as a sore ass. Amethyst was accurate with that crop. I’ve never heard Raid squeal like that. I, however, was a good little mare…”

“Oh,” Lavender interrupted her, “it must have been some other blind yellow pegasus I saw drinking from the chocolate fondue fountain, yes?” she asked playfully, and Airmail had a very hard time not laughing too loudly.

Wildfire erupted in a very red blush indeed. She was kind of hoping that her with her head in the chocolate flow wouldn’t have come up. “I um...I ah...guilty...but, it was chocolate!” she spluttered, as if just saying ‘chocolate’ was explanation enough on its own.

“Wily does like her hot chocolate.” Airmail said with a wry grin as the elevator doors popped open at the floor for the Manehatten Times. Taking the lead, the azure blue pegasus unlocked the main doors and Lavender took up her usual spot behind the front reception counter. Wildfire followed Airmail into the lead editor’s office and almost immediately the phone started ringing. Knowing she had little choice, she shrugged her shoulders and picked up the call, starting her working day as it was likely to continue.

As fun as being in her fiancé’s office was, Wildfire was quickly starting to feel like a fifth wheel. After a few moments of hearing her talk about politics or funding or whatever it was, Wildfire decided she was bored. Having already poked around the office before, she got up and trotted back through the offices to where she knew Lavender was sat. “Hey, you got a moment?”

"Sure,” Lavender grinned as she set down her all-important cheese danish, “what do you need?”

“I have a bad case of boreditis,” Wildfire explained with a playful stomp of her hoof, “and I wondered if you could tell me what some of the framed things are on Airy's wall, please?”

Lavender let out a little giggle, “Is she too busy to give you the two bit tour?” the tan earth pony smiled, “fine, I'll do it for free. What she keeps on her offices walls are pictures. She keeps her awards here in the lobby so that anypony visiting can see them.” With that, Lavender slipped out from behind her desk and moved next to Wildfire, “we can cover her pictures first if you like.”

“Yuppers, I'd like that, thank you.”

Walking alongside the little yellow mare, Lavender led her through the very modern white offices back to where Airmail was working. “She will need to update them soon,” Lavender said, albeit quietly as not to disturb her boss too much. At the door of the office Lavender made sure to keep her voice low as she wasn't sure who Airmail was dealing with on the phone.

“There is a group of photos here from Mapper's wedding,” Lavender said as she stopped at the first collection of photos on the left just inside the sliding doors. “They include the happy couple, the mini mares herd of four at the time, Serenity's parents, the whole herd, less Omega.”

“Was he taking the picture?” Wildfire asked in a low whisper, “ours will be there soon!”

Lavender leant in to her ear. She had to bend her legs a little as Wildfire was so small. “Omega has only been with the herd for about four years.”

“Oooh I see…”

“And, I'm sure you are the main reason for her to update her photos,” Lavender smiled as she continued the little tour around the sides of Airmail’s office. “There’s another group of pictures of Airy and Maps, Airy and Tempest., and the three of them. One is of Airy and Tempest covered in mud. Mapper took that one.”

Wildfire, who had been trying her best to stay quiet, burst into a fit of sniggering giggles. “I know the story behind that one.”

“Good,” Lavender nodded, “it is rather funny. Have you felt her feather rack? Yours is the third one on the rack.”

Wildfire nodded, remembering the touch of the feather collection mounted on the wall of Airmail’s office. “I have felt it, and I'm honoured it’s in such good company.”

“I offered some tail hair to put on there, but she just looked at me all funny.” Lavender giggled, “She does have the latest herd photo, the next one will include you I’m sure. I'm not sure you could hear that from over here, but Airy did an eye roll when I said tail hair.”

Wildfire covered her giggles with her hoof before she sighed a happy smile. “Everything's starting to come together, isn’t it?” she snickered, “sometimes I can feel and hear her eye rolls, Lavender.”

Once the little tour was completed, Lavender led Wildfire from the office out into the hallway. “The raising of the eyebrows does stir up a breeze,” she giggled before stopping at a heavily decorated wall. “Out here she has two Pulitzer prizes. One was for a report on the caretaker scandal in Manehatten. Then I think she said something about that.”

Wildfire nodded her agreement at that. “Yuppers, she's mentioned it once or twice. Something similar to Amethyst Glory and Helping Hooves care home in Canterlot, right?” she asked, proud of herself that she hadn’t flinched or stuttered at the use of the names that had inspired such dread in her for so long. “What's the other one for?”

“The other one got the attention of Caffeinated,” Lavender explained, “She did a story on how poorly zebra workers were being treated in Equestria. This was after Caffy got the laws changed on discrimination, but law has little effect on those that couldn’t care less. The mini herd of four joined the main herd shortly after that.”

“Cool, and look where we are now!” Wildfire said with an excited smile.

“Topper and I were the first to join the herd outside of Thespian's family.”

“Oh wow,” Wildfire commented, “so you've been in for ages then?”

“Yeah,” Lavender replied, thinking out more than anything else, “I was in a different job and different life. It was Topper that got invited. You may have seen the herd is 'theatre' heavy.”

Wildfire giggled and raised up her eyebrows. “Even I saw that. So, what were you doing before this?”

“I worked at Bank of Equestria before this, doing the books. Before that I worked for Sunburst Fisheries.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“This job is fun,” Lavender corrected her gently, “I actually get to play reporter sometimes. Over here is a citation to Airmail from Princess Celestia for the Highest Integrity in reporting,” the tan earth pony led her little tourist over to the other opposite wall. “She got that six years ago.”

Wildfire was suitably impressed. She didn’t know exactly what the citation was, per se, but it was from the Princess, so it must’ve been worth getting. “Wow...now that sounds impressive, Lavender.”

Lavender however frowned, as she always did when the citation caught her eye. “It does, sort of, then you look and it is certificate number 1839 given out, then again, Celestia has been around a day or two.”

Wildfire thought about that for a moment. Lavender had a point. “Yuppers, I suppose it matters when 1838 and 1840 were passed out.”

Now Lavender thought about what Wildfire had said, tapping her chin with her hoof. “I've never looked that up,” she admitted, though she conceded that her herd-mate had a point. “Omega has a citation from the Manehatten Mayor for his coverage of the last election debate. HIs first. I think Airy keeps all the rest of her citations in a box somewhere. “Now, these two items are of the highest importance.” Lavender said as she guided Wildfire’s hoof to two frames on the wall.

“Oooh,” Wildfire touched the frames, her interest piqued, “what are they that are more important than the other awards?”

Lavender giggled as she admired the contents of the two frames. “Crayon drawings of me and Topper by Sunset and Jasmine when they were at the age of five.”

As soon as the taller mare had explained the frames’ contents, Wildfire understood. “Well yes, of course they're the most important!” Wildfire had to agree with Lavender. “When Fireflight starts drawing I'll save each and every one.”

“Do post one here on this wall, please.” Lavender said, nuzzling Wildfire’s cheek. “I doubt that Omega has any foal plans.”

“Count on it, Lavender....ooh, what time is it?”

Again, Lavender giggled. “I thought that fancy suit of yours had a clock. It is just after seven a.m., you've had thirty minutes of boreditis.”

“Thanks for alleviating the bored,” Wildfire smiled, though she decided it was time to make a move. “I'd better get going, I don't wanna be late on my first day.”

Lavender took the opportunity to sneak in a second nuzzle, though she was sure Wildfire wouldn’t mind. “I'm confident you'll do well. May the winds be at your back and the skies be clear.”

“Thanks Lavender!” Wildfire squeaked as she gladly returned the nuzzle, standing on the tips of her hooves to do so. “I'll be awesomes, you’ll see!” she turned and waved a hoof back to Airmail who was still at her desk.

“Wow them!” Airmail called from her office, her hoof over the mouthpiece of her desk phone.

“Yuppers Pretty!” Wildfire called back, waving at her a second time, “I'll meet you for lunch!”

“Call when you're coming over,” Lavender said with a last, gentle nuzzle, helpfully pointing Wildfire towards the door of the Manehatten Times offices, “or if they have you do something so you can't make it.”

“Yuppers, I will, definitely I will!” Wildfire squeaked happily. Giving Lavender a nuzzle in return, Wildfire took her leave. In short order, she found her way to the elevator that took her back down to Caffeinated’s coffee shop. She paused, at the zebra’s insistence, to give him a nuzzle and a hug, and finally she was outside on the sidewalk.

Outside, the little blind mare flicked on her headset and requested direction and distance to City Hall. As a result of turning on her flight tech, she was informed, following the directions, that the air traffic had gotten substantially busier. Ultimately, as she had the time, she decided to walk.

“Alrighty,” Wildfire muttered to herself a little later when she walked through the lobby area, “I'm here...” after taking a moment to reacquaint herself with the layout of the City Hall lobby, she remembered where the elevators were and, thanks to the fact that all public buildings in Manehatten had braille signs, she took herself up to the seventh floor.

“I got this.” Wildfire said to herself when she found herself outside the door to Chief Rung’s offices. “I got this.” She liked how much braver she sounded as opposed to how she felt. Wildfire patted her saddlebag and made a last minute check that she had everything she needed. Satisfied, she hoofed open the door and made her way to the left, where she remembered the secretary’s desk was. “Excuse me, Miss?”

It took the secretary a moment – she had to look around her computer screen – to see there was a pony in front of her desk. “Good morning Wildfire,” she greeted the little mare with a pleasant smile, “you're a bit early. There’s a spot to your front left you can sit and wait. I have the forms you need to fill out in braille, but if you don't mind I can read them and you can give me the answers.”

“Oh no,” Wildfire replied quickly, moving over to her front left and, finding the seating pads that the secretary had mentioned, sat sown. “I don't mind, we can go through them together.”

“I'll still give you the forms,” the secretary said kindly, “but after your interview I should have a filled out copy you can go over and make sure it is correct.”

“Alrighty Miss!” Wildfire smiled, her nerves disappearing by the second. “Shoot.” Together, Wildfire and the secretary went through the standard questions such as personal history, tax ID, next of kin, did she have or need insurance, Statement of Work…all the ‘boring’ stuff. Wildfire filed it all under ‘boring’ stuff and answered each one quickly.

At a quarter to eight in the morning a bright orange pegasus stallion with a white mane and tail walked into the fire department offices. “Good morning, Comet,” the secretary greeted him with a professional smile, “the Chief is expecting you. Let me know when to send Wildfire in.”

Sat beside the secretary, Wildfire could virtually feel the presence of the other pony sizing her up, assessing her, judging her. Sniffing the air, she detected the faint waft of cinnamon, and she used her senses to ‘look’ in Comet's direction. “Good morning, Captain Comet.”

As first impressions went, Comet was suitably impressed. He had heard good things about this pegasus from Rung, whose opinion he valued greatly, but seeing was believing. “Good morning Wildfire, welcome to your first day on the job. You're with Tempest's herd, correct?”

“That's right, Captain.”

Comet chuckled and took a few steps closer to the little pony. “I would ask a personal favour of you then,” he started with a smile on his face that reached his voice. “If I ever piss you off or upset you, please come to me first or Chief Rung, before you go to Tempest.”

“You got a deal, Captain.” Wildfire replied, holding out her hoof for a bump as the secretary giggled behind hers.

Breathing a noticeable sigh of relief, for everypony was well aware of Tempest’s violent temper, Comet gladly bumped Wildfire’s hoof. “I'll let you know,” he said to the secretary before trotting off into Rung's office.

“Your herd-mate does scare a lot of ponies in this building.” The secretary said with a bit of a shudder, she remembered the last time Tempest had lost her temper in the City Hall building. “When she was in with you, it was a sight to see.”

“Stormy?” Wildfire asked, turning her head back to the direction of the secretary’s voice, “What do you mean?”

“She does have a short fuse and she isn't afraid to stand up to anypony.”

Wildfire was confused at that. “Short fuse, really?” she asked, completely and absolutely oblivious to ALL the instances of near misses with Tempest thus far. She was blissfully unaware of the times over the past few weeks that other ponies, such as Airmail and Mapper had made Tempest calm down.

“Yes,” the secretary agreed, “but you do need to ignite it. The weather team is loyal to her to a fault, because she won't take crap and is like a wall between them and bureaucratic idiocy.”

“Hmm,” Wildfire tapped her chin with her hoof, “okay, well I'm pretty sure I haven't ignited it so far…”

“She is easy going,” the secretary continued, moving back behind her desk to carry on with her work and Wildfire’s paperwork, “it is whining about one of two things that really sets her off. About something you have no control over so whining solves nothing, or something you have control over and whining isn't taking control.”

Wildfire mulled that over for a few moments. She was sure she hadn’t done either of those things. Well, not a lot, much, maybe? “Ah, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Miss. Thank you.”

The secretary smiled, “the other thing is she is very protective of the herd. That is why Captain Comet and for that matter, Chief Rung would prefer you fix anything locally, with them.”

“I got it, again thank you, but hooves crossed I won't have any problems,” Wildfire smiled, “at least not today.”

“Today will be easy.” The secretary said with a degree of assurance in her tone, “Introductions, trip to the Weather Factory. You'll like Bluefeather.” She said, unaware that Bluefeather and Wildfire had already met days before. “Lunch, and then...well, there’s a fitness test you have to take this week, but that doesn't have to be today. Oh, the physical is today though, that is at three p.m. this afternoon.”

“Oh well,” Wildfire fluttered her wings proudly, “the physical should be okay, I've been in training.”

“You can take the fitness test too, that is always at four p.m., it’s up to you…” just then, the secretary was interrupted by the buzzing of her intercom and Chief Rung’s deep reassuring voice came over it, requesting that she send Wildfire in. “You can go in now, do you remember your way to the door?”

Getting up, Wildfire nodded. “It's this way.” She turned to her left now, and pointed to the door to Rung’s office. Again, once there, she squared her little shoulders and took a deep breath. “I got this, I got this...” before she could change her mind, she opened the door.

“Welcome back, Wildfire.” Chief Rung, a large scarlet earth pony stallion with a neatly trimmed white beard, greeted his newest member of staff as she entered his wood panelled office. He was very glad to see her back. “Seating pad to your front left. Comet is on the front right one.”

“Hello again,” Comet greeted Wildfire with an easy smile, “I'm sure you’ve been filled in on all the gossip.”

“Good morning Chief Rung,” Wildfire stepped forward towards the sound of that deep reassuring voice. She was reminded greatly of Heatwave, and by extension, Hot Spot. Immediately put at ease, she reached the seating pad on her front left and took a seat. “Yuppers, Captain, the secretary and I had a nice chat.”

Comet snickered, he knew a chat with Rung’s secretary meant a sharing of gossip on all matters whether you wanted to discuss them or not. “Good, that helps to avoid surprises.”

“Do you have the paperwork and the recommendation from Chief Hot Spot?” Rung asked, sharing a very knowing smile and a nod with Comet.

Wildfire was grateful that the subject had been brought back to work. “Yes Sir, I have the paperwork here for you, Sir.” She fished with her hoof into her right saddlebag and, after taking hold of the folder she wanted, she took everything out. “Here you are, Sir.” She passed the large folder over onto Rung’s desk.

A second or two later, and Wildfire heard Rung hoof some of the papers she had given him over to Comet. The orange pegasus looked over what he had been given, then he looked it over again, just to make sure what he had read. “Wildfire, why did Chief Hot Spot put you on administrative leave for almost five years?” he asked curiously.

“Ah...” Wildfire had, deep down, been expecting a question along those lines. She wasn’t necessarily expecting it this soon, perhaps. But, at least it was out there now. Ultimately, she decided on the truth. “Well you see, Captain, after my accident there was some unpleasantness where I was effectively sold to an abusive care home in Canterlot. My father told Chief Hot Spot I was in Fillydelphia. He didn't believe him and he kept my job open.”

“I thought you'd catch that,” Rung said to Comet, the scarlet earth pony impressed that Wildfire hadn’t dodged the issue. Instead, he passed over that day’s newspaper. “Here is an article in the Manehatten times. Look at the by-line.”

Comet smiled. Now things made a great deal more sense. “Oh, another of Tempest's herd-mates. Are you part of a triad?”

“Yes Sir,” Wildfire answered Comet’s question. “Airmail is my fiancé. All that stuff with Canterlot is far behind me now, thankfully.”

Rung’s ears perked up at that. “Oh, I hope we'll get invitations to the wedding. Tempest said she would work on your stamina. The fitness test is a hundred mile course. You can take it any day this week. It is always available on Monday, but with twenty four hours notice we can do another day.”

“Of course you will, Sir,” Wildfire smiled. There was no question in her mind that she’d invite Rung and Comet to the wedding. “Your nice secretary did mention the fitness and physical. I'd like to get them done today, please.”

Comet spoke up then, passing the paperwork back to his Chief. “The biggest cloud they produce is one hundred million cubic metres, and that is only for a really big fire. If we need one you'll have to start it up I'll send pushers over to help.”

Wildfire was a little in awe at that. One hundred million cubic metres was ten times the size of the one she had used to fight the fire at Trixie’s Place in Canterlot five years ago, and that cloud had been huge! “I understand, Sir. I've done cloud delivery before when I was a Reserve in Canterlot.”

“Chief Hot Spot still had you on the roster,” Rung said thoughtfully, stroking his beard with his hoof, “Any reason you didn't want to go back to that job?”

“Yes Sir,” again, Wildfire answered her new chief quickly. “My life is in Manehatten now, with my fiancé, my herd and my friends. Canterlot would be a step back, and I'm going forwards. The only thing I've left behind is my mother's grave which I will visit.”

That was enough for Comet. He reached over and rested his hoof on Wildfire’s, squeezing it gently. “Welcome to the team, Wildfire. I'll show you our barracks room and tomorrow we’ll have an all wings call to introduce you to the team. I have an appointment with Colonel Bluefeather at eleven a.m. with lunch to follow. She did say she has already meet you.”

“Yes Sir, thank you Sir.” Wildfire nodded to Comet and bumped his hoof with her own. “I met Colonel Bluefeather last Friday at the Weather Factory…” she trailed off and giggled, “I helped to set her up with one of my friends.”

Rung let out a rumbling laugh, “Knowing Bluefeather like I do, I'm guessing she has another nappy to change?”

Wildfire giggled, for she knew Cyclone. “Oh yes, Sir, most definitely she has.”

Comet looked from Rung to Wildfire and back again. The Captain shook his head with a smile, “You must have some interesting friends, then again, you are in Tempest's herd. After lunch, you will get a tour of the production, and revisit your office. You won't have an office here in the city, but there is a common workstation for when you visit.”

Laughing out loud, Wildfire thought back to all of her friends. “Yes Sir, they certainly are 'interesting'. I really can't wait to get started.”

Rung got up from his seating pad behind his desk and patted Wildfire on her shoulder. “Comet, she’s all yours.”

“Thanks Chief.” Comet grinned and again, he tapped Wildfire’s shoulder, this time with his wing to get her to follow him as he walked towards the office door. “We may as well start in this building first, seeing as we’re here already.”

Recognising she had been dismissed, Wildfire stood up from her seating pad with a smile. “Have a good day, Sir.” She flashed Rung her best smile before following Comet out of the office.

“Along this hall with Chief Rung are the borough Chiefs from each of the other four boroughs,” Comet explained to Wildfire as he led her out of Rung’s office and onto the seventh floor proper, “but they tend to be in their borough office. Barracks are the floor above. It's coed and cotribal. There are two hundred pegasi on the team plus me and now you.” He paused as he took her up a flight of stairs. “How good are you with that suit you're wearing?”

Following behind Comet, with her wing resting on his flank, Wildfire was taking in his every word with a rapt attention that Calculus would’ve been envious of back in University. “I've learnt to use this suit very well over the last two weeks, Sir. It was tricky at first, but I can use it well.”

Comet nodded without realising that she couldn’t see him do that. “All the fire department pegasi are stationed here as City Hall is a central place. The earth ponies and unicorns are in each borough for quick response. There is always twenty pegasi in the barracks at any given time.”

“Okay, cool, Sir.” Wildfire again wanted to show she was listening and paying attention. “The biggest fire I ever tackled took the combined efforts of four Canterlot District teams.” She said, casting her mind back to the huge fire she had attended at Trixie’s Place on her nineteenth birthday.

“Here in the barracks there will be sixty ponies at any given time.” Comet continued to explain to Wildfire as they ascended the flight of stairs, “we do have other fire stations around Manehatten. I was involved in a big one in the Wharf District. All five boroughs responded along with teams from Fillydelphia. One hundred and eight ponies died in that fire.”

“Wow...” Wildfire paused at the landing at the top of the stairs. “Just...wow, that's huge!” she was suitably awed and impressed by that. There was no way she could top that, not that she wanted to, exactly. “Mine was a club fire at Trixie's Place in twenty twenty five. The cause was magical self-replicating fireworks indoors in an overcrowded night club.”

Comet had heard of that incident. That Wildfire had been at that fire was even more impressive to him. “Ah, you were there? They use that very incident in the classrooms now, in training on how to deal with magical fires.”

Wildfire nodded, “Yes Sir, I attended the whole nine hours.”

“Things have improved since that fire,” Comet said reassuringly, laying a gentle hoof on Wildfire’s shoulder. “We have mages that can enchant a cloud for extinguishing magical fire. Still your crews did a remarkable job saving as many as they did that night.”

Wildfire was very glad of the hoof on her shoulder. “Thank you Sir, that's very kind of you to say. I ferried several Class Eight Nimbostratus clouds from the Weather Factory - with help.”

“You shouldn't find this work too much different then,” Comet smiled as he opened the doors onto the barrack level. “You have a beacon for me?”

“Yes Sir,” Wildfire replied before searching in her left saddlebag for the beacon she had bought along with her. “You're number nine, Sir.”

“Actually this will always be with the Duty Officer,” Comet said as he took the beacon from Wildfire and lead her down a short hallway to the barrack common room where he knew the pony he was looking for would be waiting on her favourite couch. Turning a corner, he wasn’t disappointed. “Which for now, is Lieutenant Slipstream.”

Slipstream, a pure white pegasus mare with an ice blue mane and eyes to match, looked up from her Power Pony comic with a quizzical look on her face at the mention of her name. “Hello there Comet, happy Monday to you.”

“This is Wildfire,” Comet introduced the little blind mare with a nudge of his hoof, “she is our new factory rep. No more having Lance or Glass try to hunt down some weather pegasus.”

“Finally,” Slipstream commented, rolling her eyes. While she wanted to read her comic, this new pony was intriguing. “We've only talked about that for how long, now?”

Stumbling forward just a little, thanks to Comet’s nudge, Wildfire couldn’t help but feel like it was her first day of school and the teacher was calling on her in front of the class to stand up and tell everypony about herself. “Hello and good morning, Lieutenant Slipstream.”

Slipstream, reluctantly getting up from her couch and putting her comic down in her special ‘Slipstream-only-touch-my-comics-and-get-murdered’ pile on the coffee table, took the beacon from Comet and looked it over curiously. “Wildfire, I'll need your mobile number so I can put a label on this.”

“Yes Sir, Lieutenant, Sir.” Wildfire was quick to respond, giving the new mare her number straightaway.

Now sooner had Wildfire given her number to Slipstream than an alarm sounded over the barrack level and the common room. As he was nearest to the intercom on the wall, Comet pushed the green button below the voice grille and answered the alarm. “Control, this is Captain Comet, what’s the emergency?”

To Wildfire, the voice on the other end sounded just like an old intercom. “Some idiot protester started a fire at the docks, Local Twelve has responded, they haven't requested any cloud, Sir.”

“Thank you, Control.” Comet sighed as he flipped off the intercom. “Sorry for that, Slipstream.”

“It’s okay,” Slipstream shrugged, “that button was wearing a groove in my hoof anyway.”

“Actually, Wildfire,” Comet said after both he and the Lieutenant had shared their laugh, “about half the fires that get reported in don't need a cloud as local resources are usually enough.”

Wildfire joined in the giggles, “I understand, Sir, as long as it’s being fought that’s all that matters.”

“I'd take you into the barracks, but there’s no reason to wake anypony up since we have the all wings thing tomorrow.” Comet said with a grin as he saw Slipstream sit back down and pick up her comic. “I think for now, I'll watch you fly to the Weather Factory.”

“Yes Sir,” Wildfire bounced on her hooves, eager to show off to her captain what she could do. “I believe the landing pad here’s up on the thirtieth floor?”

“There’s only one way to find out. Please lead the way, Wildfire.”

~ ~ ~

It was just after eleven a.m. that Monday morning when an old grizzled red earth pony walked into Stripe’s Cup of Java coffee shop. Strapped into his wheelchair due to him having no hind legs, the ex-army Captain looked about and, seeing the earth pony at the counter was busy, he decided to try his luck with the guard pony at the elevator. “Excuse me, son,” he said, his rough voice like poured gravel, “how do I get to the Times offices?”

“You're in the right building Sir,” the unicorn guard stallion replied, looking Starbright over and seeing immediately his army cap, his stripes upon it and his saddlebags, “do you have an appointment?”

“I'm afraid I don't,” Starbright said, as he was straight off the Friendship Express from Trottingham. “I have a need to see the lead editor, it's about her fiancé.”

The guard shifted a little uncomfortably, this earth pony was rather intimidating. “Do you have a name, Sir? Also can I have your name, please?”

“I need to see Miss Airmail, regarding her fiancé, Miss Wildfire's mother. I'm Captain Starbright of the Equestrian Armed Forces Medical Corps, retired.”

“One moment, please Sir.” On his walkie-talkie, the guard called up to Airmail’s office and of course Lavender answered the call. “I have a visitor down here for Airmail. It is Mr. Starbright and he says it concerns Wildfire.”

Lavender’s voice was clear over the walkie-talkie. “I'll be right down in just a moment.”

“Sir,” the guard said as he snapped off the radio, “Lavender will be right down to take you to Airmail.”

Starbright coughed, his decade-long illness starting to catch up with him in his old age, the stallion more frail than he cared to admit, thanks to the effects of the Changeling War, and he nodded to the guard. “Thank you, Son.”

In less than a minute however, Lavender was exiting the elevator with Airmail by her side. The tan earth pony and the azure blue pegasus both trotted over to where the army stallion was waiting. “Starbright,” Airmail greeted him with a pleasant smile, “I didn't know you were in town. Wildfire is at work.”

Starbright spared the pony in front of him the barest of nods. She looked like Airmail, she sounded like Airmail. That however didn’t mean a damned thing to the experienced Captain. He had to be sure before he was prepared to say what he was here to say. “What did I give Miss Wildfire when you were at our house?” he demanded bluntly.

Airmail was expecting this. She knew of the earth pony’s – justified – paranoia regarding Changelings. “You gave her Silverbolt’s Equestria Star medal, the one you bought from Ebay when you saw Cold Front had put it up for sale. She has it in a box in our bedroom so she can feel it and her mother.”

Satisfied by her answer, Starbright snapped a very smart salute and smiled. “Colonel Airmail, it's you I came to see.”

“Can I treat you to a coffee and snack?” Airmail asked, very curious indeed to find out the reason for the earth pony’s sudden visit. Not that she was complaining. She rather liked him, especially after he had returned to Wildfire what was rightfully hers.

Lavender saw, quickly, that Airmail had this well in hoof. “I'll go back up to hold down the fort if Omega calls in,” she said, not wanting to be a third wheel. “I'm sure he has something on the fire.”

As Lavender turned and headed back up in the elevator, Airmail led the way over to the coffee bar. “Hello Latte,” she greeted the young earth pony stallion, “coffee and cream for me and please make this fine stallion a drink of his choice.”

Starbright walked himself over to the counter alongside Airmail, though his wheels struggled a little for purchase on the tiled chequerboard floor. “I’ll have a Celestia coffee, please Mr. Latte.”

“Be right out with those.” Latte hastened to fill the order, putting it on Airmail’s tab as the azure blue pegasus took a seating pad at a nearby table, conspicuously moving the one opposite her out of the way for Starbright’s benefit.

“Thank you Colonel,” Starbright said, walking over and nestling himself and his chair into the space at the table, “for seeing me on no notice.”

“It's not a problem, though I hope your visit isn't about a problem with the wedding.”

“N-No…” he paused a moment to indulge in a violent coughing fit. “Not at all. No...over the weekend just gone, I was visiting with an old army friend of mine, a survivor of Canterlot, a pegasus by the name of General Downdraft…”

That name caught Airmail’s attention straightaway. She remembered shooting a Changeling that was about to disembowel him, during the war. “To be honest, I didn't know he was still with the living, I haven't seen him in twenty five years.”

Starbright laughed, which just lead to a second coughing fit that was only halted when Latte bought him some water. “He's hanging on, the old buzzard's too tough to die.” He smiled, for the old pegasus was as frail as he was by now. “Anyway, we were talking, and I had Silverbolt on my mind from your visit. Downdraft didn't remember her, at all, until I described her to him. Then,” he paused, reaching into his saddlebag for the journal he knew was there. “He showed me this!”

As if he was displaying the Equestria Cup from the Games themselves, Starbright set the journal down on the table between them. It was a battered looking book with a simple red cover. In flowing mouth-written script it read; Journal, Property of Fireflight, FC359, 2001.

The very second that Airmail saw the book, and its legend on the cover, her brown eyes went very wide indeed. FC359 was a pony she hadn’t encountered since the war, when she had been a sniper fighting in the earnest defence of the capitol city. “FC359...where...how did the General get this?”

“You recognise it?” Starbright asked curiously, “Downdraft doesn't quite remember. He took a bad hit at the end of the fighting. I had him hospitalised during the medal ceremony afterwards. Silverbolt visited him and he woke up later with it in his bedside table and she was gone.”

Airmail was more than a little confused. FC – or Flight Cadet – 359 had been the call sign of the pony who had served as a spotter for her. And not a good one, either. “Wildfire's mom?” Airmail asked, her eyebrow raised, “I wonder how she got hold of it. I was the overwatch for FC359.”

Starbright understood the Colonel’s confusion. He had shared it too, until he read the book. Then it all made sense. “I was confused as well but, I had to come to Manehatten anyway to see another friend of mine,” the red earth pony smiled, “Dandy wanted me out of the way while he was busy.” Then, his smile turned sad, very sad indeed. “Forgive an old soldier Colonel, Silver was my friend, I…I, I read it on the train here.”

“I certainly can't blame you for reading the Flight Cadet's journal,” Airmail said thoughtfully, she saw nothing wrong with it at all. “I'm sure Silver left it for a reason…” she went quiet when Starbright reached for the journal and opened the red cover. Revealed on the inside was an old photograph, as battered looking as the journal it was part of. It showed a twenty something year old yellow pegasus with a cutie mark of five red lightning bolts next to another pegasus, titled 'Fireflight & Rainbow Gem, conscripts'. Airmail saw the photo and with a flash of memory she pointed her hoof at the young yellow mare. “That’s Fireflight, she never liked her call sign.”

Quietly, Starbright nodded and, reaching once more into his saddlebag, he pulled out another crumpled photo, this time of a very pregnant yellow pegasus with a red mane and a cutie mark of five red lightning bolts posing next to Cold Front. “I took that picture when Silver was heavy with Wildfire, four years after the war.”

It was very clearly the same pegasus in both photographs.

For a long few moments, awful, quiet moments, Airmail stared at the two photographs. Two photographs taken four years apart. Her brain didn’t want to believe what her eyes were telling her. Suddenly, she stood, shock all over her face. “Sweet sun and moon! No! That can't be. Fireflight had a colt, not a filly!”

Seeing Airmail’s outburst, Latte nervously set the coffees down on the table before backing away to the safety of the counter. Starbright pulled his mug closer and took a measured sip of his Celestia special coffee, his eyes never leaving the Colonel. “I suggest you turn to the end of Day Three.” He said, his voice full of sorrow.

With shaking azure blue hooves, Airmail slid the old journal in front of her and she opened it to the page that Starbright suggested. The first thing that struck her was the mouth writing was very neat. The second that struck her was the title part way down. ‘On Time’.

Day Three, four p.m.

The shield fell! Shining Armour’s shield fell! Oh Celestia the shield fell! Tartarus fell with it! There's fighting everywhere! Explosions and fighting! The Sky Trenches were overrun in minutes! Dear Luna there's so many of them! Changelings everywhere!

Hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of Changelings swarmed us. They charged straight past the defences like they weren't there.

Oh Celestia! They're attacking the Residential District! The upper east quarter is a mass of fire and smoke...my home! Chill Wind, Cold Front! I can see Hot Spot and Heatwave working the fires in the distance.

Please be okay! Please! Celestia give me this, please!

Several Changelings exploded near me as ‘On Time’ blew them away. She saved my life. Why, save my life when my house is burning? She said if I don't start spotting she has a bullet for me. I called out three targets from my thunder cloud. A second later she killed them. She thanked FC359. I've never felt less like a pony.

All I want to do is check on my house and my family. ‘On Time’ won’t let me.

Swallowing with a very dry throat indeed, Airmail read the passage several times before she swallowed again and sitting back down. She tried to speak but she found her voice had been stolen from her. She was being forced to relive memories she had worked very hard to forget. “I-I…I remember that fight like it was yesterday…” she muttered, unable to meet Starbright’s eyes. “The Flight Cadet always had her mind in a cloud. Did...did you know what happened when they turned a pony into an incubator?”

Very slowly indeed, with a haunted look that crossed his face, Starbright nodded. His usually stoic visage was in tears. He didn’t care who saw him. He hadn’t enough tears in the world to account for what he had seen. “M-My medical team and I had no choice but to administer Luna's Grace to some incubators when we found a nest...”

Airmail understood why Starbright trailed off, she understood why he couldn’t finish his sentence. “If you didn't get to them within ten minutes it was too late. They were living dead...I shot FC359’s friend in a nest because she wouldn't do it.” Airmail could see it now in her mind’s eye. She could see the violet pegasus with the rainbow coloured mane in the cocoon, her abdomen bloated obscenely as if she was nine months pregnant with several foals. They were eggs. “I cleaned out the whole nest, and the four Changelings that were guarding it.”

“You did the right thing.” Starbright said as he pushed Airmail’s coffee to her and urged her to drink. “The only thing. Sometimes at night, when I close my eyes, I can see them begging us to kill them.”

Airmail shook her head. She cursed herself when she lifted up her coffee mug that her hooves were shaking. Her hooves never shook. Like Starbright, she could still see the victims. She could hear their pleading voices. She could smell them. It was like she was there in the nest again. “Most thought I'd rescue them. They couldn't feel any pain, even though all their guts were melted to nourishing goo to feed the eggs inside them.”

“And ponies wonder why I hate the damned bugs!” Starbright shook his head and reached for his coffee. “My medical squad was on hoof to help Hot Spot and Heatwave clear out the fires in the Residential District.” He could see the house, what was left of it after the Changeling swarm had left it a smoking ruin. “We found the colt’s body, no sign of the father.”

“The Flight Cadet wanted to go to her home, but when I looked through the scope of my rifle, I knew if they weren't out, they weren't getting out.” Her voice was barely audible. “I...I did threaten to shoot her…” Airmail pointed her hoof to the crumpled photograph taken four years after the war had ended, “that has to be a different pony. It has to be. And, if that is Fireflight, then she is pregnant with her colt.”

Again, Starbright shook his head, wiping away his tears with his hoof. “I'm afraid not, Colonel. I checked the public records in Trottingham at the town hall before I got the train here. Cold Front married Fireflight in 1999, they registered the birth of Chill Wind in 2000. There was no Silverbolt in Canterlot until after the war. She didn't tell me her name until after, when Celestia awarded her the medal.”

Airmail didn’t want to believe it. Airmail couldn’t believe it. “You have a photo of this pony with Wildfire?” she asked, seeking yet more proof.

Nodding, Starbright pulled from his saddlebag another photograph, this one of a three year old Wildfire and Silverbolt, dated 2009. “That was taken on Wildfire's first day of school. She was three.” Starbright actually managed a smile. “She was so excited that day. They were both excited. He was working, Silver asked me to walk with them to the school.”

Sadly, Airmail closed her teary brown eyes. Finally she accepted the truth of it all, and she found she couldn’t look at the beaming, excited, happy look on the little filly’s face. “How do I tell Wildfire her mother was a terrible soldier?”

Reaching over the table, Starbright put his old hoof on hers. “She was never a soldier like you and I. She fought to defend her family and her home. Doesn't change the fact she saved my life at Heartbreak Ridge. She didn't run, didn't think twice, just kept hurling lightning bolts at those damned bugs.”

Disgusted, with herself more than anything, Airmail pulled her hoof away and slammed it down on the table. “I threated to shoot Wildfire's mom! And I would have too!”

“Airy,” Latte said from the counter, “do I need to turn you in to Caffy?” the earth pony quailed though when Airmail shot him a very dangerous look that made him duck down behind the counter.

“I would have!” Airmail collapsed back down to her seating pad. “I-I would have…”

“I know, Colonel. I know.” Starbright once more held her hoof. “Afterwards, after the war, when I knew them, she never spoke of it, the war, neither of them did...then again, I didn't either.”

“For me the war didn't end…”

Starbright nodded in understanding. “My opinion, for what it's worth, I don't think Fireflight could live with what she did, least of all be awarded for killing, so she buried herself away to deal with it.” He smiled a sad smile. “I've seen hardened vets at the VA not cope as well as her.”

Airmail wiped her cheeks with the back of her foreleg. “Coping is remembering every kill. Every face, every name. The reason for most fade, the rest are remembered so that they are not repeated.”

“You're right, of course. Colonel, I never knew Fireflight, but Silverbolt was a very good friend to me.”

“Wildfire has poems of her mom, many poems.” Airmail said quietly, desperately trying to get her head in order. “I came close to meeting Cold Front, but I had to leave or he would have been another unsanctioned kill.”

Starbright squeezed Airmail’s hoof to stop it from shaking. “No mother ever loved their foal more than she did with Wildfire, I promise you that....as for him...well, I hear he's got what was coming to him.”

“I do trust Luna that he has,” Airmail said grimly, well aware of what the Princess of the Night was capable. She rested her hoof on the cover of the battered journal. “What was your plan for this?”

“Wildfire should have it.” Starbright answered quickly, subduing another coughing fit. “She should know she had a brother. I think with all of you, she's strong enough to hear the truth of it all, at last.”

“Do you trust me to give this to her?”

“Yes I do.”

Airmail smiled a very sad smile. “Trouble is, I don't trust myself. I'll not destroy it, but...I'm going to need some advice from those close to me.”

“That other mare, Tempest?” Starbright said, massaging his chest to get feeling, he could feel his failing heart give a little tremor, “She had a decent head on her shoulders.”

Airmail nodded, in full agreement of the Captain’s assessment of her herd-mate. “That's the one. She’s the 'brains' of this operation. I'm instant reaction. Wily is blissfully unaware.”

“Yes...she's unaware,” Starbright smiled, thankful that his little heart massage had gone unnoticed. Last thing he wanted was to portray weakness. “But, I think she's got a good unit behind her to deal with this.”

Airmail sniffed once more, before downing what was left of her coffee. “I do need to get back to work, I'd like to take this so I can read it cover to cover.”

Starbright had no qualms about that. “It’s yours, Airmail.” He said quickly before checking his watch, ignoring the little numbers that were monitoring his blood pressure. Newfangled apps, he just didn’t understand the half of it all these days. “I've got to meet my friend at Trinity Cemetery. Oh, before I go, in four months it will be the twenty ninth anniversary of the Changeling war. I wonder, ah...if you um, would like to attend the Cenotaph in Canterlot with me?” he asked, knowing full well that it wouldn’t be too long before he joined his friend in the cemetery.

“I'll...I'll think about it,” Airmail replied distractedly, “I thank you for this. I will let you know the outcome.” She stood up from her seating pad and gave the earth pony a sharp salute. “I wish you well in all you do, Captain.”

“Clear skies, Colonel.” Starbright said, returning the salute.

Taking the book, Airmail turned and, without another word or backwards glance, she trotted directly over to the elevator. Once she was gone, Latte risked a peek over the counter to make sure that she was in fact gone. “Sir, excuse me, Sir, would you like a refill? On me.”

“I'd appreciate it, Son, thank you.”

~ ~ ~

Following the meeting with Starbright, Airmail entered the Times office, "Hello Lav," she greeted her friend, "any word from Omega?"

Lavender nodded, "He called in about five minutes ago. Mayor is on site, and nopony has figured out he is a reporter." Lavender giggled, "He does have a story though. His interviews and clues show the rioters were from out of town, and he has it narrowed down to Baltimare."

Airmail moved into her office, "Okay, sounds like he has it well in hoof. I'll be in here till he checks in again." Lavender nodded in response and returned to her work at the reception desk. Airmail was tempted to close her door, but that would have been too much out of character. Instead, she sat at her desk with the book in front of her. With a soft sigh, she opened the book to start at the beginning.