When the elevator doors popped open, Comet and Wildfire trotted out onto the Pegasi Landing Pads of the thirtieth floor of Manehatten’s City Hall. “A fitness test is part of what you really need to take care of,” the orange stallion said, speaking up a little over the wind. “If you'd like, we can call this a practice, based on the factory's location. If you touch your beacon in fifty minutes, we can consider the test passed. If not, then this is just a practice to assess your level of fitness.”

“I understand, Sir,” Wildfire replied quickly. She liked tests, as long as they weren’t math. Besides, she knew she could fly already. “I'm ready for the test.”

“Practice.” Comet corrected her gently, “We’ll call it a t est if you pass. I'll start my stopwatch when you take off, so be sure you're good and ready.”

“Yes Sir!” Wildfire flicked her tongue over her headset’s activation button on the bit in her mouth. She was nervous, yes, but she knew this was going to be fun. Besides that, she was eager to show Comet what this little blind pony could do. “Manehatten Weather Factory, distance, direction. Repeat altitude, repeat average speed.”

Comet was ready to start the stopwatch on his pad when Wildfire lifted off. A second or two later, when Wildfire had received the slew of messages from her headset confirming her instructions, she turned to face the direction of the Weather Factory and crouched low with her wings spread.

Thrusting herself into the air, she took off as fast as she could, especially as she knew she was being timed. She could practically hear the clock in her ear. Alas, it was the Manehatten Traffic Control. “Damn…” she muttered, knowing she was limited to thirty miles per hour until she cleared it.

Like a good mare, Wildfire reduced her speed and kept to thirty, paying careful attention to any collision warnings and soft / solid objects. She was ready. Within ten minutes though, she cleared the Flight Control Zone. “Alrighty,” Wildfire grinned when her headset told her she was past the FCZ. “Here we go!” putting Tempest's many hours of lessons to good use, she accelerated up to her top speed of seventy, determined to stay there.

Following behind, Comet was enjoying the scenery that was Wildfire in the skin tight flight suit. He knew she was with Tempest and Airmail, but there was no harm in looking. Besides, his cruising speed was a hundred and fifty, so this was easy at the moment.

Flying along at seventy, Wildfire was determined to follow all her automated instructions perfectly on the way to the Weather Factory. Thankfully there wasn’t any other pegasi up here apart from herself and Comet. Once she was clear of the FCZ, it was a clear run to her target. All she had to do was keep up the speed.

Nothing to it, but to do it.

Her headset alerted her to the fact that after forty five minutes, she had the factory in sight. She had just five miles left to go but her strength was starting to flag. Wildfire knew she had to average seventy five all the way to finish in time. She also knew she wasn’t going to make it. Still, that didn’t stop her putting on a huge spurt of effort.

Panting, out of breath, she landed five minutes out of time.

Behind Wildfire, Comet landed on the cloud just outside the main doors of the factory’s front entrance. “Nice placement of your beacon,” he commented, nodding to the blinking device placed to the left on the wall. “Just so you know, the real test is a fifty mile course and there is no traffic control to worry about, so I think you'll do fine on it.” He watched as she was breathing heavily, “So, how long to recover from this?”

Wildfire flexed and shook out her wings, breathing somewhat heavily before she folded them away. “J-Just...” she panted, “give...” panting again, “me a minute, I'll be fine.”

“Not a problem.” Comet smiled, putting away his stopwatch. “I would recommend some gym time, but knowing Tempest she must have you on a training program by now.”

“Un...un…derwater swimming,” Wildfire nodded, quickly getting her breath back, “there's a lake near our house, I've been doing lengths of that. We do tag, and precision flying too. You know the Narrows Bridge? I flew with her through the cables before I had this suit.”

Comet could easily believe that. “The Major is insane alright. Ready to go in?”

“Yuppers,” Wildfire giggled as she followed her Captain inside the Weather Factory, her wingtip resting on his flank for guidance seeing as this was just her second visit. “She’s crazy, but it's a good crazy.”

Comet smiled when he felt Wildfire’s wing on his orange flank. He didn’t mind in the slightest, of course. Anything he could do to make her first day as painless as he could was a bonus. “Plus,” he said, referring to her flight through the bridge’s cables, “with all the proximity alarms, it would be a lot harder to do with the suit on.”

“Huh...” that made Wildfire tilt her head in thought. She hadn’t considered that before, but she supposed, with all the conflicting alarms, it would be a sensory overload. Which alarm do you listen to? “I didn't think about that, but I guess you're right, Comet.”

“We will be checking in with Major Lancer,” Comet spoke up as he led Wildfire past the reception area and down the hallways to the offices, “as the Colonel is out of town at the moment.”

Wildfire nodded, she knew where Bluefeather was and why she was there. “Colonel Bluefeather is in Canterlot. It'll be nice to see Lance...sorry, Major Lancer, again.”

Comet chuckled, turning a corner onto yet another hallway. Rookies were all the same, standing on eggshells. “Formality has it place, and at times is quite useless. This is where your office will be and these are the ponies you will have to deal with. For me it is habit, and I've been told by some to drop the rank.” He snickered, “now I just do it to bug them.”

“I'm sorry, Sir,” Wildfire blushed, feeling more than a little silly. “I'll be sure to keep that in mind. It's just something I've been taught, that's all…” she said, thinking just momentarily of Amethyst Glory and her love of the honorific.

“Can't argue against it,” Comet commented, “though I do know the Colonel is fairly laid back.” At that, the orange pegasus hoofed open the door to the recreation area in the factory, not far from the cafeteria, and led Wildfire inside.

Following Comet into the wide recreation room, packed with couches, TV’s, stereos and even a couple of treadmills over in the corner, Wildfire was very pleased that he hadn't pursued that, she didn't really feel like discussing those dark events of her past. “She sounded pretty fun when I met her on Friday,” she offered.

“Yes, she has some interesting play ideas.” Comet grinned as he approached his friend who was sat relaxing on his favourite couch over by the newer of the three coffee machines. “Major Lance?”

Lancer opened his eyes and smiled up at his colleague, half consumed mug of coffee on the coffee table in front of him. “Yo, Comet, and hey, good to see you again Wildfire.”

“Good morning Ma...Lance,” Wildfire smiled, smelling coffee, “It’s good to hear you again.”

“I can understand that!” Lancer laughed, getting up and going over to the coffee machine to get his guests a drink each. “I love to hear myself talk.”

Comet snorted out a laugh at that, glad that Lancer was getting him a coffee. He was ready for one after the flight here. “Yeah,” he said, steering Wildfire to the seating pad opposite the couch that Lancer had been perched on, “so, this is Lieutenant Wildfire's first day on the job. I understand Major Tempest already brought her for the grand tour?”

“That she did, and it was...interesting.” Lancer chuckled as he set the fresh drinks on the coffee table, nudging Wildfire’s to touch her hoof.

Wildfire hadn’t been expecting that. “I'm a Lieutenant? That's awesomes!” she smiled, “That tour certainly was interesting.”

Comet paused for a moment, surprised that Wildfire was surprised. He had assumed that Rung’s secretary would have gone over this with her earlier. No matter. “It was in your statement of work. Eh, it’s not a big deal. Anyway, Major, the duty officer has a beacon so moving clouds from here to where it is needed should be simple.”

“This is so cool, I wish my mum could see this!” Wildfire squee’d as she lifted up her mug and took a drink of the frankly horrible vending machine coffee, though sitting there it wasn’t that bad. “Yes, I was shown where they were produced on Friday.” She smiled, remembering Dayglow’s tour.

“You want to do a trail run?” Lancer asked Comet when they were both seated on the couch.

“Yeah,” Comet agreed thoughtfully, mulling his mug in his hooves, “I was thinking of doing one tomorrow. Just off shore on the south tip of Manehatten. An easy four block cloud.”

Lancer shrugged, “Easy enough to set up. I have lunch reservations at Cloud 9 for noon, so we have about twenty minutes till then.”

“A trial run sounds good,” Wildfire commented, before thinking for a moment, she realised that clashed with meeting Airmail and Lavender down at Caffeinated’s place. Still, this restaurant sounded cool, and it was with her new workmates. “Noon? Oh, I'd better ring Airy and let her know I'll be eating over here.”

“Yeah,” Lancer laughed, “she can put it in the paper 'Firemare eats on cloud'!”

“Oh. Ha. Ha.” Wildfire stuck her tongue out and laughed at that as she delved her hoof into her bag for her phone and, pulling it out, dialled her fiancé’s number.

“Hi, Wily,” Airmail answered her phone on the third ring, “have you got lunch plans sorted out?”

“Yuppers, Lance has reservations at somewhere called Cloud 9 so I'm going there, love.”

About to reply, Airmail paused, looking down at the red cover of the journal under her hoof. Such an innocuous looking thing it was. “Sounds good, I've been there, It's a nice place.” She tried very hard to keep her voice even, to not betray her warring inner thoughts over the phone. “I'll see you at home then tonight.”

“Alrighty, oh hey, how's your morning been?”

“Very interesting.” Airmail answered. Interesting was definitely a way to describe her morning, alright. Still, she put a face on it. “Omega wound up in a middle of a riot, but he's okay.”

Wildfire was reminded of the alarm earlier that went off at City Hall while she had been there. “Is that anything to do with an alarm that went off earlier for the docks?”

“Yeah, some protesters when a bit wild, set some stuff on fire, National Guard showed up.” Airmail once more looked at the journal. Part of her wished it wasn’t there, sat on her desk under her hoof like the proverbial elephant in the room. “Omega got a lot of good pics and the Mayor is doing damage control right now.” She did manage a genuine giggle, “She cancelled my interview for this afternoon.”

“You sound pleased about that, Miss Lead Editor.”

“Yeah, it means I might take a half day once Omega gets back.”

Wildfire giggled at that. She couldn’t fault her fiancé’s priorities. Fire was bad, but half a day was good. “That sounds like a plan, sweetie....oh! Guess what?”

“You have successfully completed a coupe and taken over the Weather Factory?” Airmail asked with a snicker in her voice.

“Shhhh! not so loud, you'll give away my super-secret plan!” Wildfire laughed, before taking a calming drink of her machine made coffee. “No, I'm a Lieutenant! This job is so cool!”

Airmail laughed at that. For a moment she wasn’t thinking about Silverbolt’s, no, Fireflight’s, journal. “Don't expect me to call you ‘ma'am’ all the time.”

Wildfire finished off her mug with a little giggle, “I won't...oooh! I should call my mum, I bet Emerald would want to know too!” The moment Wildfire said the word ‘mum’, the line went silent, Airmail was for the moment speechless. Wildfire cocked her head to one side. Her fiancé hadn’t hung up, she just wasn’t answering her. “Airy? Pretty? You there?”

“Yes,” Airmail found her voice after a few moments, the last thing she wanted to do was worry her lover on her first day. “That is a really good idea, Wily. It would be good to see how she is doing.”

Wildfire however wasn’t convinced. Her trained ear could detect a ‘something’ in Airmail’s voice. “Are you okay, Airy?”

Airmail at once cursed Wildfire’s ears. “It’s…it’s been a rough day, with the riot and all.”

“Oh okay Pretty.” Wildfire certainly wasn’t going to argue with that. She could appreciate the effects of a bad day. “If you can, you should go rest up if it's that rough, love.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Airmail said distractedly, her eyes once more drawn to the journal on her desk. “You have a fun lunch, and you can tell me about your coupe later tonight.”

“Yuppers, I definitely will. I love you, you sexy mare.”

“I love you too Wily, and I always will.”

Wildfire blew several kisses down the phone before she hung up. “Guys,” she said, looking back to Comet and Lancer, who had, while she had been on the phone got her a fresh coffee, “is it okay if I call my mum real quick?”

Lancer shared a look with Comet, an uncertain look that the Captain returned. Both were clearly thinking the same thing, they were just uneasy of voicing what they were thinking. Neither wanted to be indelicate. “I though you said your mom...was...well, ‘passed’.”

For a moment, Wildfire didn’t follow what the Major meant. Then it dawned on her. “Oh, sorry! I meant my step-mum, not my mum-mum.”

Lancer shrugged, taking a drink of the second coffee that Comet had made for him. “It’s your time, just don't make me late for lunch.”

“Alrighty, I won’t, I promise.” Wildfire smiled as, with her phone still in hoof, she dialled Emerald's number. “Thank you, Lance, for the coffee.”

Seconds later, and Emerald's soft voice came over Wildfire’s phone. “He-Hello?”

“Hi mum!” Wildfire squeaked in a typically restrained ‘Wily style’ that made Comet and Lancer snicker from the couch.

Emerald was, for the moment confused. Whatever she had been expecting on the other end of the phone, it certainly wasn’t an excited mare squealing ‘hi mum’. “Who…Who is this?”

Slightly less buoyant, like Pinkie Pie’s balloons with all the air let out, Wildfire felt just like that. Deflated. She immediately regretted calling, if her step-mum didn’t even remember her. Straightaway, she wondered what she had done wrong. “Mum...it's me, it’s Wily…”

“W-W-Wild…Wildfire!” Emerald stammered, very genuinely surprised, “I'm so sorry, I j-just...I’m sorry.”

Wildfire frowned, as much as she could, creasing her eyebrows over her facial scars. “Mum, are you alright?”

Emerald felt very silly at that, she shifted her slight weight on her seating pad in her living room. “It's st-still a...surprise. Y-You...y-you d-don't have to c-call me mum.”

Now Wildfire was confused. “But...you are my mum,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. To her, it was. It was very simple. It was easy. Wildfire liked easy. “Well, a step-mum, mum, but you're still family, right?”

Emerald didn’t know what to say to that. She was amazed that Wildfire was as accepting of her as she was. “Th-Thank you. Y-You, um, you started work, yes?”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire beamed, all happy again. “I started today with the Manehatten Fire Department, they made me a Lieutenant!” the little blind mare let out a very loud excited squee that made Comet and Lancer chuckle with each other. “How are you doing, mum?”

“Th-That...that's w-wonderful, W-Wi-Wildfire!” Emerald squealed, calming herself with a quick drink of her herbal tea. There was something she had to tell her daughter too. “The bank, um, the bank has forgiven the mortgage after that...that bad bu-business. I’ve been p-putting the... the b-bits you gave me to good work…” she trailed off before her voice raised up in pitch. “I c-can send receipts!”

Wildfire shook her head, “Mum you don't need to send any receipts, we're family. Family helps family.”

Emerald reached for her tea and changed her mind, not trusting her shaking hooves and the new cream carpet. “I...ju-just...I th-thought 'he' w-was family...I’m…I’m s-sorry.”

“Mum...” Wildfire’s voice took on a very serious tone. She knew when to be serious, and this was the time. Her mother needed as reassuring a tone as she could manage. “I thought he was family too. I thought he was my dad, but...we aren't him, and our past is not today, mum.”

Emerald burst into tears, “th-he trial, the...I’m sorry!” the troubled orange pegasus mare dissolved into snivelling sobs.

Wildfire wanted nothing more than to hug her step-mum, hug her tightly from now until the end of time itself. Had she been in Canterlot, she would have, too. “Was it really bad? You didn't talk about it when we stopped over last Sunday night, and I didn't want to push.”

“It...I...I pr-pro...protected him!”

“Mum,” Wildfire tried to calm her down, again regretting that she wasn’t there to hug her. “He threatened you! No way are you to blame!”

“No!” Emerald squeaked, refusing to listen to the good sense that Wildfire was making, “He...d-didn't th-then...I...He said he was ga-gambling...I...said he was w-with me...I...I’m sorry.”

“Mum, please listen, dad was clever.” Wildfire said before taking a quick swallow of her coffee to gather her thoughts. “He knew how to get ponies to do what he wanted. He knew how to get away with stuff…” she sighed, “look at me, he beat me for years and I didn't say anything...but, but I know Darkstar. She doesn't blame you, none of us do.”

Emerald let out a long sigh. “Th-That is…is what Dr. Relook says.” She said, thinking of her new therapist in Canterlot she saw three times every week, “I...ju-just…when you first came to... to the door... I was so... so afraid.”

Wildfire wanted so much to hold her mother. “I know, because I was too. Mum, how are you really doing?”

“I...I will have some house guests in...in two weeks...to help each other.”

Wildfire knew about Emerald’s plan to turn her old house into a half-way house. She approved. A lot. That wasn’t what she meant though. “I mean you, how are you doing? Your wings, and your head? I worry about you.”

Emerald fluttered her ruined clipped wings, the tattered primary feathers that were Cold Front’s parting gift to her. “I should b-be able to fly in a...a month. Dr. Re-Relook is helping me...me a lot. Is, um, is it...it okay if...if I…I say I...I...I love you?”

“Of course you can,” Wildfire smiled, “But only if I can say it to you too.”

“I...I w-would li...like that dau-dau...daughter.”

“I love you, mum.”

At that, Emerald smiled so wide she was sure her step-daughter could hear it down the phone line. Hearing those four words spoken to her made her feel like she could fly already. “Visit...Visit me soon. I…Y-Your room will always b-be yours.”

“Well, I'm busy this weekend coming,” Wildfire thought out loud, thinking of her upcoming planned weekend with Tinkerer and Belle at their house. “But, if there's two weeks to go until you take ponies at your place, why don't you come over? Tempest and Airmail said you were welcome any time, and I can show you Manehatten.”

“I...um…” Emerald sounded very panicked indeed at the mention of leaving Canterlot. “I c-can't...Dr...Dr...Dr. Relook doesn't wa-want me t-to travel.”

“Mum, mum...please, calm down, it's okay, I promise. I'll do what I can to come over and see you.”

The relief in Emerald’s voice was palpable. “Th-Thank you, it is more th-than I could hope for. I…I love you, d-daughter.”

“And I love you, mum.” Wildfire said in such a way that she hoped her voice would hug her step-mum. “I'll let you know when I work something out to come over.”

Emerald smiled, Wildfire’s voice like a soothing balm on her frayed nerves. “Okay, y-you can call anytime. Family is...nice.”

“Yuppers it is. You call me too. I'll always talk to my mum. About anything.”

Emerald reached for her herbal tea and took a long sip, the tea calming her as much as Wildfire’s words. “Thank you, th-the p-place will be nice when you come, and...I hope to be a better mum, to you.”

“Don't beat yourself up mum.” Wildfire said as gently and kindly as she could, “We have to heal and move on,” she blew a loving kiss down the phone, “I love you, I need to go, but I'll call again.”

“Good bye W-Wi-Wildfi...W-Wily,” Emerald giggled at her own stammer.

Wildfire giggled, “You'd better call me Wily!” again, she blew her step-mother a kiss and hung up, putting her phone away in her bag before turning her head to where Lancer and Comet were sat sharing an in-joke between them over their machine coffee. “Right guys, sorry about that, I'm ready for lunch now.”

Lancer shrugged and laughed, “At least you didn't have to polish your desk before lunch!” he snickered, particularly at Comet’s quizzical look and the raspberry that Wildfire gave him. “C’mon, let's fly. I have one of your beacons, Wily, so I'll be easy to follow.”

~ ~ ~

She was about two thirds of the way through when Lavender called out to her, “Omega on line three.”

Airmail put a bookmark in the journal before she closed it. “Okay, got it.” She picked up the phone. “How’s it going, Omega?”

“The guard is locking the place down,” replied Omega. “They found out I’m a reporter and told me to move to the press pool area.”

Airmail snorted, “Where no reporting can be done.”

“Yeah,” said Omega. “Mayor is supposed to say something in about twenty minutes, so I’ll hang around for that. Never know she may say something useful.” Omega doubted there would be any chance of that. “I think I got all the info I need to scoop this event. So, I’ll head back in after the Mayor’s speech.”

“Okay,” said Airmail. “I may be taking off early, so I’ll look at your ‘final’ report in the morning before it goes to print and online.”

Omega laughed, “The boss is cutting out early! That is a story in and of itself!”

“Ha, ha ha,” said Airmail with an eye roll that traveled across the phone lines. “With the Mayor canceling my interview, I thought you’d like a low-pressure atmosphere to finish up your story before you can go home.”

“It will be nice to type without you looking over my shoulder,” laughed Omega. “I’ll email you a copy when I’m done and we can go over it in the morning.”

“Sure thing Omega, stay safe.” Airmail hung up the phone. She picked up the journal and walked out of her office. “Omega will be in after the Mayor’s speech on the riot. He will be working until his copy is done, but you don’t have to stay.”

“Okay, Airy,” said Lavender. “You’re not going to be here?”

“Nope,” said Airmail. “I’m taking an early day today. Let Omega fly on his own without me nagging him.”

“I would say, ‘Stop the presses’, but I think Omega said that as I could feel the eye roll from out here.” Lavender laughed as Airmail hung her head in shame. “I’ll run cover on any calls. Go enjoy your day.”

“Thank you, Lavender” said Airmail, “See you tomorrow.” Airmail walked out of the Times’ office and waited for the elevator. She peeked into her saddlebag at the journal. ‘I have to do something about this. I hope Stormy has some advice,’ she thought. The elevator opened and Airmail entered.

As she crossed the north shore of Stallion Island, she detoured to La Colt’s Park. There she settled down at a table and pulled the journal out of her bag. She opened it at the bookmark, determined to finish it before she talked to anyone about it.

An hour later she closed the journal and sat there as she thought about what she read. Airmail would be the first to admit she was a cold-blooded killer. Fireflight must have written it a hundred times in the journal. Regardless of what she read, there was nothing Airmail could think of changing during that battle. Fireflight was in her sights and her hoof was on the trigger. She waited for the mare to decide her fate. Fireflight sat on her cloud and called out another bug. Airmail moved her rifle and another bug’s head exploded in view of her scope. “I hope she can forgive me.” Airmail put the journal way and took wing for home.

Airmail entered the house and all was quiet. She knew Tempest was working from home today. As she left the kitchen she saw Tempest in the great room, when she expected her to be in the office. “Hi there,” said Airmail.

Tempest looked up from the book she was reading in surprise. One glance at her longtime lover ended the snarky remark she was going to make. “Hello yourself. Is everything okay?”

Airmail stood there for a few moments them moved over to hug Tempest. “No, everything is not okay.”

Tempest hugged her back and lowered both of them down to the couch seating pad. “Tell me about it.”

“I was reading today too,” Airmail led off. She looked at the book Tempest was reading and saw it was named after her lover. “I see you were reading too. The present Wily got you.”

“Yes, I was,” responded Tempest. “So, what were you reading?”

Airmail pulled the journal out of her saddle bag, “This.”

Tempest looked at the weather-beaten book and its title. Now she just had to pry the information out of Airmail. “Is this from one of your kills?” Airmail shook her head. “Then it is from the war.” Tempest nuzzled her lover, “You’ve talked about the war. I’ve seen you around others talking about the war. I’ve never seen you this… Apathetic.”

Airmail, “You don’t understand.”

Tempest looked at the cover, “Flight Cadet 359.” She kissed Airmail. “Help me understand why this pegasus’s journal matters.”

“This journal was written about me,” said Airmail softly.

Tempest snorted, “You should be honored someone took time to write a book about you.”

“Tartarus, Stormy!” wailed Airmail, “You don’t understand at all!”

Tempest’s eyes narrowed. “Fine! Is it filled with lies?”

“No, it’s filled with the truth.” Airmail broke down, “She calls me a jerk, and a heartless killer.”

“Luna knows you’re a jerk!” Tempest pushed a forehoof into Airmail’s chest. “I knew that the day you shot me! And you are most certainly a killer too! But heartless? When Mapper told me that you never miss what you’re aiming at, I knew you weren’t heartless, just a jerk.”

Airmail shoved Tempest’s hoof away. “It was written by Wildfire’s mother!”

Tempest wasn’t going to have any of that. She grabbed hold of Airmail’s shoulders with her hooves. “It doesn’t matter who wrote it! That doesn’t change who you were then, nor does it change who you are now!”

“I was going to kill her!” shouted Airmail.

That gave Tempest pause. She breathed in deeply and counted to ten. “Why are you here instead of being with Wildfire?”

“I killed her best friend in front of her. I threatened to kill her,” explained Airmail. “She hates me, Stormy. She hates me.”

Tempest hooves move around Airmail’s back and pulled her into a crushing hug, “She is dead, Airmail. She can’t hate anypony.”

Airmail countered, “But she writes…”

“Shut up when I’m chastising you!” interrupted Tempest. “I hated you when you shot me, and now I love you with all my heart. Wildfire may have to understand what you did in the war, and why, but that will not change her love for you. You’re the one she wants to marry. Don’t hide this from her.”

“Nopony wants to marry me,” complained Airmail. “You didn’t and Wily doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

Tempest when from a hug to shove Airmail to the floor. She spread her wings and stood on her hind legs. “How dare you say that! How dare you accuse yourself to be unworthy of love and marriage! You are well and truly a jerk, but I’ve always known that. There is no reason for you to gloat about it!”

Airmail’s eyes narrowed, but Tempest didn’t back down. She could easily take out this mare. No sooner did that idea form in her head then she squashed it. “Then why didn’t you want to marry me?”

Tempest lowered herself back to the floor with a forehoof on either side of Airmail. She lowered her muzzle to touch her jerk of a lover. “The same reason you didn’t ask to marry me. Serenity needed Mapper, and in truth, Mapper needed her. We had each other, but we didn’t need each other. Wildfire, on the other hoof, needs some pony, and that pony she has chosen is you. If you consider your heart you will see that you need her too.” Tempest pressed a kiss against her partner’s lips. “I will always have the four of you. Marriage isn’t a need for me.”

Airmail closed her eyes and sighed, “What do I do?”

“That is easy,” said Tempest. “You give her the book written by her mom and tell her everything that is in it.”

“I’m afraid,” whispered Airmail.

“We are herd,” responded Tempest. “You are not alone.”

Airmail opened her eyes and looked up at her lover, “I need more time.”

Tempest backed up a bit and sat down. “I’ll give you that, but you know as well as I do that these things don’t improve with time.”

Airmail nodded and then added, “Please don’t tell her about this.”

“I’ll agree to that, but only for so long,” said Tempest. “I’ll let you know when I think it has been too long. I’m leaving for Fillydelphia to push a storm front through here. You going to be okay tonight?”

“I hope so,” said Airmail. “Enough else has gone wrong today that I think Wily just knows I’m upset, but not the real reason why.”

Tempest shook her head, “Just don’t lie to her. Part of the storm is coming over this house. Just before it gets here I’m going to have every pony piss in the cloud.” Tempest giggled, “In case you want to see or feel my work.”

“Thank you for talking me off the cliff. I love you,” said Airmail.

“Love you too.” Tempest smiled, “Even if you are a jerk.” Airmail laughed and the purple pegasus headed back up to the office to do the final prep for tonight’s mission.

~ ~ ~

It was late in the afternoon of that Monday when Wildfire landed in the back yard of her house. As ever she had the old oak tree on her left. Walking up to the decking outside the back door, it was all she could do not to squeal in sheer happiness. She’d done her first day of work!

The moment she opened the back door, Wildfire could smell Airmail in the kitchen, and the kitchen was a riot of her most favourite food smells. “Airy! I'm home!” she called out, somewhat unnecessarily, seeing as the fiancé was right there not more than five feet away from her.

“So I see,” Airmail said in a much, much softer voice. She’d had all afternoon long to think about that journal. She’d read it cover to cover several times, now she was just trying to think it over. “What does your Wily sense think of dinner?”

Eagerly, Wildfire sniffed the air. All at once those beautiful scents came up her nose. Immediately she was transported to almost every diner and burger joint in Equestria. “Weeeell...it says we have hayburgers,” she sniffed, “hayfries, onion rings and brown sauce!”

Airmail giggled, very pleased that she had managed to time her cooking being finished with Wildfire’s arrival. “Impeccable nose as always. You want to eat in the kitchen or dining room?”

Wildfire, to her credit, did think about it. While it was tempting to eat there, she decided to be all grown up. “Hmm, dining room I think, my love.”

“Okay,” Airmail snickered, “but no table cloth. Not with that brown sauce.”

Wildfire kissed Airmail’s nose and giggled. “You don't trust yourself?”

“You heard my mom,” Airmail said with a roll of her brown eyes, “I've never been much of a neat eater.”

“I love your messy eating, you sexy pony.”

“You just like the way I clean up on aisle mare,” Airmail said, laying a soft delicate kiss on Wildfire’s lips. “I'll take the food out, you grab us a couple of beers.”

“Yuppers, indeed I do!” Wildfire said brightly and smiled. As Airmail carried the burgers, fries and onion rings through from the kitchen to the dining table, Wildfire investigated the fridge. In short order she found the beers and selected two. “So, how was your day?” she asked, following Airmail through to the dining room.

“Difficult.” Airmail answered bluntly as she laid out the plates on the table. “Omega ended up getting caught in the riot at the docks...” she chose not to mention the journal as yet. She was still thinking about it. “It's…been a day.”

“Yuppers, I heard about the fire at the docks,” Wildfire said as she sat at the table and gave Airmail her beer, “what was difficult, Pretty, is Omega okay?”

Airmail wasn’t really listening, if she was honest. Her thoughts were still occupied by a certain red covered book. “Hmm? Oh, yes. His shield magic isn't the best, but it was enough. Looks like some thugs came up from Baltimare to cause problems, and as a reporter he became a target.”

“Damn that kinda stinks,” Wildfire commented before taking a large bite of her burger. “I'm glad Omega's alright though.” Something however, didn’t sit right with the little blind mare. Her ears flicked towards her lover and she frowned once more. “Are you okay? You sound…distracted.”

Airmail blinked, quickly cursing Wildfire’s good hearing. “It…It cancelled my meeting with the Mayor, that’s all. It’s not been rescheduled.”

“Oh, okay…” Wildfire wasn’t totally convinced, but she decided to let it slide for now. “Sucks your meeting was cancelled.”

Not really sure what to say for the best, Airmail just stuffed as much of her burger as she could into her mouth and tried to talk around it. “Yeah…”

Hearing her slurred voice, Wildfire giggled, “Don't eat with your mouth full. I'll tell mom.”

With her mouth still full, Airmail asked, “Which one?”

Wildfire snickered, reaching for her fries and taking a big bite. “I'll tell both, that way they can both spank you for being naughty.” Once she had swallowed her fries she took a sip of her beer and had a think. “Oh, speaking of, I called mom. She's doing okay.”

With great difficulty, Airmail swallowed the huge piece of burger she had been chewing. “I feel safe, as long as you didn't call Stormy.” After that she giggled and ate some of her fries. “You're right about her though. Emerald does deserve a second chance.”

“I definitely didn't tell Honey,” Wildfire smiled, her ears twitching when she picked up on Airmail’s giggle. “It’s nice to hear that. The giggle suits you. Mom's doing okay. She's seeing a therapist, a Doctor Relook, and she starts taking ponies in her house in two weeks time.”

“Did she say she would be at the wedding?”

Now, Wildfire’s ears drooped a little. “Oh...no, no she didn't...she just said she wasn't allowed to travel for a bit. See, I offered her to come over but she said she wasn't allowed.”

“I wonder why?” Airmail asked, more to herself than to Wildfire as she took a mouthful of her beer and giggled, “If she thinks she can skip the wedding, I'll have Luna teleport her from there to here.”

“Do you think I should call her back?” Wildfire fretted a little, suddenly very worried that her step-mum wouldn’t be at her wedding. “I-I um, I didn't want to push her too much too quick.”

Airmail abandoned her fries to reach over the dining table and squeezed Wildfire’s hooves to stop her from tapping them together. “Love, calm down. She said for a little bit, right? Sorry my little joke upset you.”

“Oh…I'm not upset, as such, it's just...it’s silly, that's all.”

Giggling, Airmail gave her fiancé a brown sauce flavoured kiss. “Nice to have a worry wart in the herd.”

Smiling, Wildfire happily returned the saucy kiss, adding some of her own to the mix. “Its' just...ugh...it's been that long since I had a mom I could actually talk to, and hug, and get hugged,” Wildfire felt the need to explain herself, “I didn't want to scare her away being too 'hi mommy' too quick, y’know?”

Airmail did know. She understood all too well. She also knew how to put Wildfire’s mind at ease. “I have an advantage over you,” she said, kissing her blind mare’s nose, “I saw her face light up when you called her mum. If she can't visit us, we'll have to go visit her.”

Smiling, Wildfire felt herself blush a very, very deep red. “It'd be cool to visit, but I don't see how we can, not right away anyway.”

“Depends,” Airmail said, pleased that she wasn’t thinking about that damned journal for a little while. “Do you still have a job after today?”

“Yuppers!” Wildfire exclaimed, going all squee happy and bouncing on her seating pad, “Today was the best! Rung, Comet and Lance thought I was awesomes! I even nearly passed the fitness test first time even with traffic!”

“With traffic?” Airmail asked as they both finished off their burgers, “That sounds a lot like hazing.”

“I didn't think about that,” Wildfire admitted, though it didn’t really seem like Comet’s style. “It was still cool and almost close, I was just five minutes too slow.”

Airmail giggled as she wiped up some of the brown sauce with her fries, “I'm sure you're faster than me…” she said, running her free hoof over Wildfire’s yellow wing nearest to her. “How're your wings after all that?”

“Oooooh...” Wildfire bit her lip and she felt her wings flutter when Airmail stroked them. “Th-they were a little numb and I was out of breath, but I got over it pretty quick, Airy.”

Airmail let her lover’s wing go and she returned to finishing off her sauce covered fries. “I’ll let Stormy know her training is working nicely.”

“Definitely working,” Wildfire agreed, “But…baby, you ah...you can keep stroking, though.” She tried not to make it obvious. She didn’t think she succeeded.

With her mouth full of food, Airmail smiled, “I'll give you a proper massage after we finish the rest of this meal.” Though, she looked down, all they had left was the beers. “If I'm lucky, Stormy won't wake me when she gets home. Like she usually does.” She giggled, “Maybe she'll wake you instead.”

“Mmm,” Wildfire thought about that as she sipped her beer, “perhaps she will. You know I'm a light sleeper, right?”

“I’ll have you know, I've managed to get out of bed without waking you.” Airmail laughed, “Or hearing you say 'Just a few more minutes'.” Draining the last of her beer, Airmail nuzzled Wildfire’s cheek. “I've even heard rumours that you're up past nine and still awake before noon!

“Oh, you heard those rumours too, huh?” Wildfire giggled as she too finished off her beer, “It has been known to happen, just like I sometimes leave tops off of jars and the tops off beer bottles...like these ones.”

Airmail snorted out a laugh, very thankful that she’d swallowed her beer. “Trying to be naughty already are we? So, after the massage, how about a nice body count movie to listen too?”

“Well...I’m not 'trying', per se…I think a pony count movie is an awesomes idea, Pretty.”

“Last Samurai?”

Wildfire cocked her head in thought. “I haven't heard of that one...ooh!” she squeaked, “next time can we listen to Transformares?”

“That is one movie that Stormy will watch. We could do that tonight, or a time when she is home.” Airmail checked the clock on the wall and tried to think where Tempest would be on her shift. “Right now, I think she’s sitting on a cloud on the north side of Filly. She has a storm to push through the area tonight and won't be back till after two in the morning.”

“Yikes...I haven't seen two a.m. for a long time…” then, seeing as her seating pad at the dining table was next to Airmail’s, Wildfire snuggled up to the older azure blue pegasus. “I um...is it a thunderstorm?”

“Yes, a class nine, she said.”

As she heard that, Wildfire shivered so much that her feathers fluttered and flared outwards from her wings. “Is she okay?” she asked, panic evident in her voice. “Has she called? Is she due to call?”

“She is fine.” Airmail said gently but firmly as she hugged Wildfire tightly, “She will not call in. If anything went wrong we would find out right away,” she kissed her lips, “after all, Silverbolt is watching over her. Isn't that what you asked when we last visited?”

Almost instantly, Wildfire calmed down. “Y-Yuppers...I did, I did ask that, didn't I?” she smiled at the kisses she received and returned them in kind. “Mum said she would look out for Honey, and she's never let me down.”

“I don't think she is going to start now. Stormy loves her storms.” Airmail giggled, “You going to wake up when it blows over? You never know, she might just pee on you.”

“You know, I just might!” Wildfire giggled, feeling more at ease. “I'm sorry, Pretty, I shouldn't be so skittish should I? I know Honey knows what she's doing, and she loves it like I love firefighting.”

Once more, Airmail kissed Wildfire’s lips. “I wouldn't have you any other way than the way you are now, Wily.”

~ ~ ~

Tuesday was a dull day of learning the ins and outs of the weather factory for Wildfire, but it wasn’t at all a dull day for Airmail.

Airmail hung up the phone. Wildfire was going to eat lunch in Cloudhatten as part of her orientation day. Airmail picked the phone back up and dialed. Mapper answered, “What do I owe the honor of Manehatten’s ace reporter calling me?”

“It’s Tuesday, so I was hoping you and Serenity were available for lunch,” responded Airmail.

“As long as you don’t mind Serenity’s cooking,” said Mapper. “She is being both naughty and nice at the same time.”

“Which is the cooking?” asked Airmail.

“That would be the nice part.” Mapper added, “The naughty part is she is dancing around the kitchen to some music on her headphones.”

Airmail thought about it for a few seconds, but didn’t get it. “How can dancing be naughty?”

“I know what she is listening to,” stated Mapper. “She is loudly singing the lyrics to a Spice Mares song.”

“There is something else besides lunch that I’d like to talk to both of you about,” admitted Airmail.

“Are you sure?” asked Mapper. “You are getting married soon.”

“Ha, ha,” said Airmail flatly. “Seriously, is it okay for me to come over?”

“I’ll see you soon,” Mapper hung up the phone, and let Serenity know there would be one more for lunch.

Airmail walked out of her office. “Omega!”

The stallion turned to look at her from his desk, “Yeah, boss?”

“Great work on that dock story. Take the rest of the day off,” Airmail said.

Omega stood up, “You don’t have to tell me twice. Bye Lavender.” He hastily left least Airmail changed her mind.

“Lavender,” continued Airmail. “You need to hold down the fort till I get back. I’m having lunch over at Mappers.”

Lavender laughed, “No problem, boss. I’ll eat your portion when the zebra delivers it.”

“All part of my plan,” giggled Airmail. “See you after lunch.” The pegasus left the office and entered the lobby. “I’m off to Mapper’s” stated Airmail to Caffeinated. “Lavender will eat my lunch.”

Caffeinated nodded, “Have fun.”

Airmail left the building and took wing on her way to Stallion Island. A short flight later she landed in front of Mapper and Serenity’s house. She knocked once and then let herself in. “I’m here for the lunch special!”

Serenity walked out of the kitchen, “Madame, votre table est prête. De cette façon s’il vous plaît.”

Airmail smiled, “Merci beaucoup. Veuillez diriger sur.”

Mapper spoke up when both entered the kitchen, “I know Prench.”

Airmail snorted, “You know the language of money regardless of its origin.”

Mapper shrugged her shoulders, “Lunch first, and then we can discuss the real reason you are here.”

Airmail sat down and looked at the luscious spread on the table. “Agreed. Now I understand Serenity’s greetings. This looks fabulous.”

Once the meal was eaten and Serenity cleared the dishes. Airmail pulled the journal out of her saddle bag and set it on the table. The other two ponies gave her their full attention. “Has Stormy talked to either of you about this?”

Both shook their heads, and Serenity added, “Was she supposed to?”

“I didn’t tell her she couldn’t, and sometimes she operates on her own initiative, Airmail said. “This was written by Flight Cadet 359. She was my spotter during the changeling invasion.”

“Friend or foe?” asked Mapper.

“She did her job,” replied Airmail. “But she hated me, and that is clearly laid out in this book.”

“It would depend on a point of view as to whether some pony would love your hate your job,” said Serenity. “Why does this pony’s opinion matter to you?”

Airmail swallowed, “The pony’s name was Fireflight.”

Mapper and Serenity looked at each other. “Interesting,” said Serenity. “That is the name that Wildfire is going to name her foal with.”

Airmail nodded, “At the end of the war, Fireflight change her name to Silverbolt.”

Mapper questioned, “How long have you known this?”

“I received the journal yesterday,” Airmail responded.

“You are here because you haven’t told Middle Pet, yet,” accused Serenity.

“Ture,” said Airmail. “I’m here for advice. Stormy has already given me her input.”

“Are the contents true?” asked Mapper.

“Every word,” answered Airmail.

“You say Wildfire’s mother hated you,” said Serenity.

“Very much so. I threatened to kill her,” stated Airmail. “In the end, she wished I had killed her.”

Mapper placed a hoof on the book, “This is evidence that you did neither. Again, why are you here?”

“Fireflight, Silverbolt, calls me a jerk and heartless killer. I shot her best friend right in front of her. She watched me kill a lot of ponies that day.”

“All ponies are bad ponies, but some can only see with their heart. Others can overrule their heart with their mind,” said Serenity. “She never knew the real you.”

“That feeling is mutual. I never wanted to know FC359,” stated Airmail.

“You are a fool to not tell Wildfire about this,” commented Mapper.

“I’d be a fool if I did!” said Airmail as she raised her voice. “This journal will open Wildfire’s heart to what her mother thought of me. She will feel the same way!”

“Mistress is right. You are a fool.” Serenity said with a flat voice. “Wildfire’s greatest fear is to disappoint you. If you truly want to disappoint her, you would have to hide this from her.”

“I was going to kill her mother!” yelled Airmail. “If I had, she would have never been born.”

“If you had, you wouldn’t have any problems today,” commented Mapper.

Airmail’s eyes went wide, but before she could speak, Serenity shoved a hoof to her mouth, and said, “You are a killer, and a bad pony, but you are not heartless. If you were, the words of this journal would not be eating at your soul.” Serenity flicked her ears and Airmail could easily read she was asking permission from Mapper. She did it so Airmail would know they agreed. “You will tell Wildfire about this journal and you will hide nothing from her. I love you too much for you to let this tear at your heart and mind.”

“I have told Middle Pet that I love her too,” added Mapper. “I may love to play mind games, but I’ll not let my pet suffer for something as silly as this.” Mapper smiled, “But thank you for sharing this with us. I did enjoy your suffering.”

Serenity moved her hoof away, and Airmail said, “Why did I bother coming here?”

Serenity laughed and the musical tone of her voice returned, “Because you needed to know we agree with Stormy in this.”

Airmail hung her head in shame, and Mapper added, “Do not fail me in this, or I’ll have Serenity beat you until she can no longer stand the pain.”

Airmail knew the implications of that. “Thank you for the lunch. I need to get back to work.”

“I love you,” said Serenity.

“As do I,” said Mapper. “Now you need to do what is right. It may not be without cost, but if you don’t you will lose everything. We are herd, do not throw that away.”

That implied threat put Airmail in a corner. Her first thought was to lash out, but the truth of what Mapper said sunk in. Wildfire was herd now, and the herd protected their own. Airmail nodded, “I understand. Please keep this to yourself. I… I will do what needs to be done.”

Serenity hugged her herd mate, and was followed by Mapper who added a kiss. “Life is pain. It is pain that lets us know we live.”

A grim determination settled onto Airmail as she turned and left the house. Neither of the ponies said anything further as she left. Once outside she took to the air to return to Manehatten. She was still afraid of the outcome, but realized that she truly had no other choices. “Tomorrow,” she said out loud. “I will keep it for today and sleep on it. I will tell her tomorrow. May Luna’s horn protect us both from what is in that journal.”

~ ~ ~

By Wednesday Wildfire quickly slipped into the routine of work, though she chose to spend most of her time in the Weather Factory’s recreation room than alone in her office. She had chosen her ‘spot’, a seating pad by a coffee table. Lancer, true to his word, had gotten her several issues of the cloud production magazine in braille for her to read.

The fitness test, which she had practised on Monday, was an unbridled success when she took it for real Wednesday afternoon. Without the Traffic Avoidance system to worry about, Wildfire smashed it with eight minutes to spare. While not a record by any means, it was good enough for Comet, and for her.

As she finished the test at three p.m., Wildfire had the pleasant surprise of being told her working day was over early. She knew by now that Airmail wouldn’t be home till just after five on Wednesdays. Smiling, the blind mare knew just how to fill her time. Shopping!

It was four thirty p.m. when Wildfire landed at the back door to her red bricked town house. Weighed down by her purchases, she trotted up the decking and let herself in. Taking in a very big sniff, she was sure that Tempest was home. Mostly because the door was unlocked. “Honey!” she called out, a wide grin on her face, “I’m home!” she giggled as she walked past the kitchen into the dining room. “I’ve wanted to say that for ages!”

From the upstairs, Wildfire assumed she was in the office, Tempest’s voice came. “I have been known to be out of the house now and again, you know!”

“Yuppers,” Wildfire giggled, reaching the bottom of the stairs at the side of the connecting hallway that lead from the dining room to the living room, “but your beacon said you were home. I got good news!”

“You got more choco chips?” Tempest hollered down the stairs as she paused what she was doing on her computer. It wasn’t that important, and it would keep for later.

“Yuppers I did, but I got somethings even betterer than choco chips!”

As Wildfire walked into the living room, she heard Tempest coming thundering down the stairs and into the living room behind her. “Oh, and what news do you have?” she asked, nuzzling her way all the way up Wildfire’s flank from her ass to her neck.

Turning, Wildfire laid an affectionate nuzzle on Tempest’s cheek. “Guess which Lieutenant passed their fitness flight test?”

“Hmm…I'm sure Frost passed his….let me think...” Tempest tapped her hoof to her chin, apparently deep in thought. “Can I get a hint?” she asked around the big smile plastered over her face.

Wildfire giggled and bounced excitedly, barely able to contain herself. “She's a sexy yellow mare, about a foot away from you.”

“Hmm…is it…you?” Tempest asked after turning a complete three sixty degrees.

“Yuppers, it’s me!” Wildfire squealed before hugging a laughing Tempest as hard and tight as she could, “with eight minutes to spare, too!”

Very proud of Wildfire’s vast improvement, Tempest placed a kiss straight on her lips. “That tells me your exercises will continue, then. Well done!”

Wildfire gratefully took the kiss and returned it with one of her own. “I averaged seventy the whole way! And I was only out of breath for like five minutes after I landed! Comet said I was 'well awesome'.”

“That's great,” Tempest gave her lover another kiss, “but I'm still going to push you. Once you can average a hundred I'll lighten up just a little bit. Maybe.”

“Alrighty! But, as I was so amazing, they let me knock off early. So I went shopping!”

The mention of ‘shopping’ certainly piqued Tempest’s interest. She was only equine, after all. “Sooooooo, whatcha get, Wily?”

“Well,” Wildfire thought with a grin, running over her latest shopping trip in her mind. “I got some tasty bluebell flowers, I got some sexy blue lingerie from Coco, a yellow crop from MiAC and Kill Bill 1&2 too!” as she described what she had bought, she laid out her saddlebag’s contents on the living room table. “Oh! I didn't forget you! I got an extra jumbo large tub of choco chips and...I ordered a Princess and a Slave pony outfit from MiAC. It'll be in store next week.”

Tempest sniffed the flowers and took a cheeky nibble, finding them to her liking. “Good choice of munchies. Terrible choice of movies.” She passed her judgement on the Kill Bill movie collection. “Airy will love it. I like the crop colour, it will be easy to see against your cutie mark.”

Wildfire giggled, especially when she heard the unmistakeable sounds of a pony eating who didn’t want to be caught eating. “I thought yellow would let you know where to place the crop. What do you think of the lingerie?” she asked, her hoof feeling the luxuriously flimsy blue material, “Ms. Marigold described it to me in the store.”

Curiously, Tempest inspected the blue lingerie. “Revealing.” Was all she had to say about the corset, the split crotch panties, the peephole bra and the stockings. She giggled when she gave the bra a closer look. “I like how there are cut outs for the nipples. That is right up Airy's kink.”

“Oooh!” Wildfire let out a delighted squee, “she did say there were cut outs...I was going to put this all on and surprise Airy when she gets home.”

Tempest checked the clock. It was four forty. “You have about twenty minutes for that. I can help you get ready, then I could do some quality assurance checks on those choco chips up in my office.”

“Thanks Honey, I'd appreciate the help, I think I might struggle on my own.” Wildfire was in fact certain she’d struggle to get herself into this get up even if she could see.

“Only too happy to help my head-mate.”

Wildfire smiled, “What herds are for, right? Besides…” she said as a thought came to her about Airmail and the way she had been acting and sounding since Monday, “I think work's getting to her, so hopefully I can cheer her up.”

Tempest snickered, for she knew exactly what had made Airmail act ‘off’. She had, of course, as per Airmail’s request, said nothing to Wildfire. It wasn’t her place to do so, though she knew Serenity would say something soon. “If any mare can, it would be you.”

That just confirmed to Wildfire that ‘something’ was off with her fiancé. She just hoped it wasn’t her, or worse, cold hooves about the wedding. “I hope so, Honey. She's just sounded a little 'off' since Monday, that’s all and I…”

“Let's turn you into a pretty present ready to unwrap.” Tempest interrupted Wildfire before she could build up a head of steam.

Instantly perking up, Wildfire smiled a huge smile. “Okies!” she was just elated to get to wear the sexy outfit she had bought. “What should we put on first, Honey?”

Tempest giggled, unable to stop herself, she couldn’t resist a little tease. “Given a choice, I'd say put me on first.”

Wildfire giggled and blushed behind her hoof, “You know what I mean, silly.”

Tempest did of course know, but that didn’t stop her sniggering at her own joke. “Hmm…the breast cover,” if you could call it ‘covering’, “has clips to hold the stockings, so those first then the panties. Last on would be the corset and the stockings.”

“Got it, Honey!” Wildfire said, doing her best to help Tempest put on the various parts of the lingerie, though admittedly, her assistance was limited to turning the way Tempest asked her to turn and lifting up her wings or legs. “I feel like a Hearths Warming present!” she giggled ten minutes later when everything was on.

“You do look very,” Tempest licked her diminutive lover’s left ear, “lickable like a candy cane.”

“Eeeep!” Wildfire squeaked and she felt her wings flutter out when Tempest licked her ear. She hated and loved the fact that her herd-mates knew just where to lick her. It was almost the weekend, almost time for her heat, and her tail flagged upwards.

Wildfire’s actions did not go unnoticed by the older pegasus. Especially the flagging tail. Especially the flagging tail and her sensitive flanks when she rubbed them. “I think some filly could use some very close and sexual attention from her future wife.”

“Uh huh!” Wildfire readily agreed, “I-I think so too!”

“I love you and she loves you too.” Tempest said gently but firmly as she noted the time was almost five p.m. “Always remember that. Now, I have some chips to inspect.”

“Yuppers Honey, I'll keep it in mind.” Wildfire gave her herd-mate a kiss to the lips and, as she heard Tempest trot back up the stairs to the office that was the second bedroom, the little blind mare hopped upon the couch nearest to her. Laying over it, she reclined in what she hoped was a sultry, sexy pose.

Just a few moments later and the back door opened to admit Airmail into the house. “Stormy!” she called out, “I'm back!” When no answer came from upstairs, or from anywhere else, Airmail decided to leave the kitchen. “Stormy? Have...”

Whatever Airmail was about to say next died on her lips when she trotted to the living room and saw Wildfire laid on her side, with her back to the couch, her belly was facing the kitchen, laid in what she hoped was a provocative pose with her wingtip stroking her nipples that showed through the peephole bra.

“Hey, Pretty.” Wildfire blew her fiancé a kiss.

Airmail’s wings answered for her, far more eloquently than she ever could in this situation. The sprang out from her sides with an audible *Pomf!*, narrowly missing her saddlebags in which the journal was held. From upstairs on the banister there came the sound of hoof clapping and a cheer. “Point to Wily!” Tempest whooped, her laughter fading as she went back into the office.

“H-Hey…” was all Airmail was able to say, her eyes were zeroed in on Wildfire’s exposed nipples.

Wildfire blew her fiancé a kiss and rested her chin on her forehoof. “Like what you see, Pretty?” she asked as she flagged her tail.

Airmail's eyes never left the peek a boo breast covers. “Yeah...” she liked it alright. She liked what she saw a lot.

“Wanna come get a closer look?”

“Yeah…” Airmail breathed shallowly, slowly moving forward towards her prize, her azure blue wings still wide.

Wildfire spread her hind legs and arched her back, thrusting her teats forward. “They're all yours, Pretty.” She circled her nipples with her left hoof. Seeing this display, Airmail said no more, simply rushing forward and latching on with her lips around Wildfire’s left nipple. One of her forehooves played with Wildfire’s chest fur while the other rubbed her panties.

“Oooooh!” Wildfire felt her own wings pop, the moment Airmail began sucking. Her hips bucked the moistening gusset of her panties up to her fiancé’s hoof. “N-Not be long before they're all milky...”

“Mmmm!” was all the considered discourse Airmail could muster as she suckled like a newborn filly.

“MmMmm!” Wildfire moaned, her panties were getting very wet indeed in short order and she moved her left hoof to Airmail’s summer green mane to scratch behind her ears.

Reluctantly, Airmail abandoned Wildfire’s hard nipples and she kissed her way up her lover’s body till their lips meet. Thankfully, it wasn’t a very long journey from one end of Wildfire to the other. “You've made coming home a whole new adventure for me.”

Passionately, Wildfire kissed Airmail’s lips as they met. “You've made living an adventure for me.”

“Is this something I can look forward to every time I come home?” Airmail asked as the kiss was broken.

“Yuppers.” Wildfire smiled, “every single time!”

“I like the sound of that.” Airmail smiled, stealing another little kiss from her lover, “Of course if I get home first I'll have to take on that challenge, won’t I?”

Wildfire kissed Airmail’s lips once more. “I got some other things for us too,” she said, thinking to the other things she had bought on her shopping trip.

“I...” Airmail started, though now there was a very slight but noticeable change in Airmail’s voice. A change that was bought about by thoughts of that journal that Starbright had given her two days ago in Caffeinated’s coffee shop. “I ah, I have something too.”

Immediately, Wildfire’s ears flicked in Airmail’s direction as she picked up on the change in Airmail’s voice. She’d heard it all this week. “There's that voice again! Pretty, have I done something wrong?”

“You…” Airmail kissed Wildfire as tenderly as she could manage. “No, you've done nothing wrong. I was wondering about something though.” She wondered how best to phrase this, she knew she had to talk about it, but she didn’t know how Wildfire would react. “You wish to name your foal, Fireflight. A lovely name, but where did it come from?”

“Fireflight? Um...” Wildfire went quiet. She cocked her head and creased her brows, deep in thought. “Well...I was dreaming, one time at the care home, when it first came to me. I'd been dreaming of mum as well, so I dunno, maybe I heard it when I was younger and forgot…” she turned her face towards Airmail, “why, what's so important about it?”

Again, Airmail kissed her diminutive lover. That was starting to make a bit of sense to her. “I once knew a pony named Fireflight, but at the time I knew her I didn't 'know' her name, only her call sign.” She said delicately, building up to what she knew would be something of a reveal.

“Oh...oh!” Wildfire put two and two together in her head. “Was she a friend of yours, in your forces days?”

Airmail let out a sigh. “Not a friend, but it was back during the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot.” The azure blue mare explained carefully, “My job was to snipe the bugs and destroy the nests. Starbright was there then too, as you know he was a Captain in the Medical Corps.”

“Yuppers,” Wildfire smiled, but as soon as she heard Airmail sigh she nuzzled her cheek. “I remember the Captain from the other day,” she beamed with pride, “He gave me mum's medal that she earned for bravery.....the one dad sold.”

Airmail’s mouth went dry. “Did...Did Silverbolt ever tell you about that medal?”

“Nopes,” Wildfire shook her head. “I never knew it existed until the other day when we were at Oils’s parent’s place, Mum never ever said she was in the war, and dad certainly never said anything.”

Airmail took the nuzzle and rested her cheek against Wildfire’s and nodded. “Starbright paid me a visit on Monday,” now she was putting it into words with her fiancé it felt better. “He...He got something from a General we both knew. One I hadn't meet in twenty something years.”

“Oh?” again, Wildfire nuzzled Airmail’s cheek. “Pretty...your tone...what's happened? Has mum done something? H-Has...has D-Dad…” she went awfully quiet, “did he hurt somepony else?”

“No...This has nothing to do with Cold Front.” Airmail said as she pulled the battered red covered journal out of her saddlebag and pressed it against Wildfire's chest. “Starbright gave me the journal of a pony I knew as FC359. Starbright never knew FC359, but General Downdraft thought he should have the journal.”

Airmail took a deep breath before she continued. She knew she had to. The cat was well and truly out of the bag now. “The name of the pony that wrote the journal was Fireflight.”

Wildfire took the journal in her hooves, feeling the beat up cover, sniffing the old paper and feeling the weight, 'getting to know’ it. She didn’t know all that much about the services, but she knew a little, from school. “Um...okay...so, what's this Flight Cadet got to do with mum?”

“Fireflight was assigned to me as my forward observer. She would spot the bugs for me, and I'd kill them. She also looked for nest site and I would go in...I would kill everything there.”

“Nests...oh!” Wildfire cast her mind back and remembered her history classes with Professor Legacy in university. “That's when the Changelings would use captured ponies and use them to incubate their eggs...I hated that lesson. I threw up when the professor got to that bit.” She hadn’t been the only one either.

“Most of what I killed in the nests were ponies.” Airmail said, though there was neither pride nor remorse in her tone. She was just stating a fact. “Forty eight all together. One of the ponies was Fireflight's best friend, Rainbow Gem. She begged to be saved and I shot her between the eyes in front of Fireflight.”

“That's brutal,” Wildfire commented, though she didn't flinch like she might have at one point, thanks in no small part to her time in the home. “But, I get begging to be saved. Once upon a time I might've asked to be saved, too.”

Airmail forged ahead, not wanting to stop now that she had started. “During the invasion, Fireflight's house was bombed, the whole Residential District was overrun. She told me she was leaving to check it out. I told her if she left her post I'd shoot her for desertion.” Airmail took a deep breath. “I would have too. I looked through my scope and I saw her home was engulfed in flames. Nopony inside would still be alive.”

Wildfire shook her head. Learning about it in history had been one thing. Hearing it like this, was something else entirely. “Damn...I read in history the bugs did that, they blitzed the Residential District in order to take the fight out of the hearts of the defenders. So...again, it sucks for this Firefight, but what's it to do with mum?”

“The reason the General had FC359's journal was that Silverbolt gave it to him.” Airmail spelled it out slowly. She wanted there to be no doubt at all in what she was about to say. “The reason Starbright got it was he was Silverbolt's friend. The reason he gave it to me is because I'm marrying Silverbolt’s daughter.”

“So...” Wildfire had a confused look on her face like she was joining the dots in her mind and coming up with a wonky picture that made no sense. “So...FC359 was Fireflight...she wrote the journal, but Silverbolt, I mean, mum, she gave it to the Captain...does that mean Fireflight and mum were friends?”

Airmail swallows, her throat was dry. No moisture would come. “N-No... Fireflight was married and she had a colt named Chill Wind. Her husband got out of the house but her colt didn't. Fireflight wrote that she wished she had left so I'd shoot her. I...I would have killed Fireflight if she had left. We were at war...but I would have.”

Wildfire nodded her head in understanding at that. “So...um, Fireflight's colt died in the invasion? Damn bugs!” she kissed Airmail’s cheek, aware that she sounded a lot like Starbright right then.

Airmail sighed in frustration. Wildfire just wasn’t getting it. She knew she’d have to try again. “Fireflight's husband's name was Cold Front. Fireflight died that day and Silverbolt rose up from the ashes…” she said, holding Wildfire tight to her with the book pressed between them.

“What...” Wildfire’s wings drooped back to her barrel, her ears lay flat against her head and her black tail dropped between her legs. “You...You're saying...I, I don't know what you're saying...what, mum had a whole other life I knew nothing about and she changed her name?” it sounded ludicrous.

“Yes, I have it in this journal.” Airmail patted the damning book with her hoof. “I...I almost killed your mother before you were ever born.”

It was still the most ludicrous thing Wildfire had ever heard. “But...But that's crazy!” she shook her head, refusing to believe it. “Mum was in the civilian corps...Starbright told us that, Silverbolt defended him and his platoon - what was left of it - at Heartbreak Ridge. But...now you're saying mum, I dunno, had a colt I never knew about, a life I never knew about?”

“Fireflight was in the Equestrian National Guard.” Airmail’s voice was full of reticence, but she carried on anyway. “I...I want to read this journal to you, but, Fireflight didn't like me. She didn't like me at all.”

“O-Okay, but why would Celestia give the medal to Silverbolt when, apparently, mum's name was Fireflight?” Wildfire sighed, try as she might, none of this made any sense. “I don't get it, any of it, why wouldn't she like you?”

The scent of chocolate coming from the stairs alerted Wildfire to Tempest’s presence. “Airy is a killer.” The violet mare said calmly and coolly. “A cold blooded killer.”

Wildfire sniffed the air and her ears flicked towards the stairs. “Yuppers, I know that, you've both been more than honest with me about that...but, well, mum was in the Guard, right?” she just wanted this to make sense.

“The medal was for Fireflight, but she told Celestia her new name instead. The Hall of Records had been destroyed, so they went with it.”

Again, Wildfire shook her head, though she noticed that Airmail didn’t question Tempest’s assertion. “But why though‽ Surely there was a record of mum as Fireflight?” she asked desperately.

“There is.” Tempest stated as she walked down the stairs into the living room. “I found the document when she changed her name. I found the document when she married Cold Front. I found the birth and death certificates of Chill wind.” She had been investigating this since Airmail had spoken to her on Monday. “But if you don't know to look, you won't find them.”

“Stormy is good at stuff like that.” Airmail admitted, because she knew she wasn’t.

Wildfire’s head looked down at the floor. Eventually, finally, Airmail’s words made their way into her head. “So it's true then. Mum was born Fireflight, she married dad, they had a colt, and while working at the Weather Factory in Canterlot she joined the National Guard. Okay, I get all that, but why bury it and not tell me?”

“That’s why I want to read you the journal.” Airmail said gently, she knew the answers would be in there. “Fireflight truly died that day. Silverbolt didn't...she couldn't live with that past, and Cold Front covered for her.” Now, Airmail faced up to an awful truth. “Wily, if...if I met your mother, she would have slammed the door in my face. I'm the reason Chill Wind died. I'm the reason she killed Fireflight. I'm the reason you never knew any of this ever happened.”

Tempest snorted, caressing a wingtip over Airmail’s cheek. “And I say Airy is full of herself!”

Wildfire, in the last few minutes, had gone really rather quiet as all this at last sunk in. “Alright. So...it was you let Shining Armour’s shield drop? You told the bugs to attack the homes? You told General Downdraft to deploy along the eastern front instead of the south?” she asked, refusing to accept it was all Airmail’s fault.

“Let's...let's read this journal.” Airmail said dismissively, “hear it from the pony's mouth, so to speak. This is what Fireflight wrote. She was hurting and there was nopony she could lash out at.” Airmail said, opening the journal at a page that particularly stuck in her mind. “That part of the Residential District wasn't in my zone of fire, but I could have easily shot a bug at that distance. But there might be friendlies beyond the bug so I stuck to my zone of responsibility.”

Airmail sighed as she turned the pages, seeing the flowing mouth-written script looking back at her. “Your mother hated everything about me. From not letting her go to shooting her friend. I...I only saw it as a job that had to be done, and Stormy is right. I'm very cold blooded when I'm doing that job.”

Just then, before anypony could say or do anything else, the front doorbell rang. Tempest got up with a sad smile. “I got it.”

After some low talking in the foyer, three ponies – a pink unicorn, a teal unicorn and Tempest - entered the living room. “I'm here for moral support, Airy,” Mapper said calmly, stroking her brown mane from her eyes, “and Serenity is here to make sure you do what's right.”

Tempest shrugged at Airmail’s questioning look. “I called them upstairs. I let them know you chose today to do this. Thought you’d need the help.”

Airmail gave a nonplussed look to each of the newcomers. “Um, thanks, I think.”

“Mum was a coward, then.” Wildfire’s voice was low. She was shaking and so was her voice. It had finally sunk in to her brain. She had soaked up everything Airmail had said and arrived at a conclusion. “She had a bad day and threw everything away because she decided she couldn't cope!” there was anger in her voice, and rightly so. After all, she had endured five years’ worth of bad days and she was still here.

“All ponies are bad ponies.” Serenity said, her melodic voice a distinct contrast to Wildfire’s as the teal unicorn walked over and nuzzled her little herd-mate’s cheek.

Mapper, true to her nature, was somewhat less subtle. “I guess your mother must have neglected you because you reminded her so much of her dead foal.”

“Wait...what?” Wildfire lifted up her head, having ignored Serenity’s nuzzle, she turned her head towards the sound of Mapper’s voice. “Mum never neglected me! She was amazing, nothing was too much trouble. Same with dad, until mum died, that is.”

“Really?” Tempest added her voice to Mapper’s. “Maybe I was sleeping in the cemetery that day, but I don't remember you calling Silverbolt a coward.”

“But...But…” Wildfire turned her head from Tempest to Mapper to Serenity and back again, she could feel herself getting more and more flustered by the moment. “S-She wasn't...at least, I don't know!” she exclaimed, throwing up her hooves, “That was before all this!” now, she didn’t know what to think.

Airmail still held Wildfire, though it was a struggle. “What changed?”

Wildfire shrugged, feeling suddenly very helpless and not liking it in the slightest. “I get she had a couple of bad days, alright? I get that it must've sucked, but why couldn't she tell me?”

Again, Serenity nuzzled Wildfire’s cheek, her soft voice like a soothing balm. “What would the knowledge gain you then that you haven't gained now?”

“Well...um...nothing, I guess…”

Mapper was, as ever, the blunt instrument to Serenity’s more delicate touch. “More to the point, what would you have lost with that knowledge if you had it growing up?” she asked, though she did of course understand Wildfire’s dilemma, she was the Mistress. She had to appear as such.

"I guess...I suppose...mum wouldn’t have been the mum I knew, would she?” Wildfire asked, more to herself than to the other four members of her mini herd. “Things…Things would've been different.”

“Life is always changing.” Serenity said, though it was Mapper’s words, given to her via the mental link they shared between them.

Tempest carefully caressed Wildfire’s cheek with her hoof. She knew they were turning the corner with Wildfire. “There is something you've gained from this, you know.”

“Gained?” Wildfire asked, her ears flicking towards the sound of Tempest’s voice, “I don't understand, Honey.”

Tempest smiled, a smile that went all the way to her voice. “Next time we visit your mum, we can visit your brother too.”

Airmail nuzzled Wildfire’s cheek now too. “I'd like that, Wily.”

“Well...” Wildfire started after a few long minutes of silence. Nopony rushed or pressured her as she wrestled with this most important of internal struggles. Eventually, she smiled. She smiled because she realised what happened wasn’t her mother’s fault, or the fault of the little colt. “I'd like that too. Did the records you looked up have a picture, is there one in here?” she asked, tapping the journal with her hoof.

Airmail shook her head sadly. “The journal has no pictures. I’m sorry.”

“The article I looked up had no pictures either,” Tempest added, “but a lot of ponies died in those few days.”

“You could check with the hospital where he was born?” Serenity suggested helpfully.

“True,” Tempest thought out loud, “I haven't dug into that yet.”

“Also, you could possibly check class yearbooks?” Mapper offered.

Wildfire nodded her head to each comment, for they were all equally valid. “I could, but...there's still something I don't quite understand…”

“He was two when he died,” Tempest interjected, unintentionally cutting across Wildfire to address the older pink unicorn’s suggestion, “so I don't think so Maps.”

“What is it, love?” Airmail asked while Mapper nodded quietly to Tempest.

“Well...we just read that journal entry, day three, right?” Wildfire asked the room as a whole, “when the shield fell and the bugs attacked the Residential District. Well...Fireflight, I mean, mum, wrote that the emergency services found Chill Wind's body in the house. How did dad get away if my brother didn't?”

Airmail was rather hoping her fiancé wouldn’t have asked that. “I don't know, as she doesn't say.”

Hearing that, Wildfire was quiet for a good few minutes before she spoke again. “Yeah, you do.” She said eventually, sighing and hanging her head as she did so. “I know how, you all know too.” In a very tiny voice, she asked rhetorically, “He left him, didn't he?”

Mapper snorted derisively, hating the very mention of the despicable stallion’s name or acknowledging that he ever existed at all. Like Airmail, she resented the fact that she hadn’t had the chance to correct his attitude. “My mother was a whore and she never left me.”

“All ponies are bad ponies,” Serenity said again, though she added, “some ponies are just evil.”

Tempest laid her forehoof supportively on Wildfire’s shoulder. “I think Wily is right,” the violet weather mare said grimly, “I know I'd rather die trying to save you all than go to your funerals.”

Anger coursed through Wildfire. Uncharacteristically, she thumped her hoof into the couch. “He ran! He saw the swarm, and he ran to save himself! He abandoned my little brother just like he abandoned me!” she yelled, her chest is heaving as she vented her angry frustration.

“Let it go.” Airmail said as gently as she could, “I have you, and you have all of us.”

Wildfire breathed through her nose, forcing herself to calm down. Deep down, she knew Airmail was right. She knew they were all right. Knowing that didn’t make it easier to stomach, though. “I'm sorry Pretty...I'm being selfish, this must be a shock to you too, right?”

“Knowing that I wanted to kill your mother before you were born?” Airmail asked sardonically, “Yeah it’s a shock.”

Smiling just a little, Wildfire nuzzled Airmail’s cheek and kissed her lips. “I'm glad you didn't do that.”

“So am I,” Mapper giggled, leaning against the couch, “Senior Pet would not be having her foal.”

Both Tempest and Airmail giggled at that, Mapper’s comment adding some much needed levity to what had been a tense situation. “Words of pink unicorn wisdom,” Tempest snickered.

Wildfire admittedly felt more than a little wretched now that her ire had expired. “I shouldn't have called mum a coward. She still earned that medal, didn't she? No matter what her name was.”

“She didn't desert her post, but...” Airmail struggled with the words she knew he had to say. They had come this far. “She would have rather had my bullet in her head than that medal on her chest.”

“Then...she was brave.” Wildfire stated confidently. “She did what had to be done at Heartbreak Ridge, even after the others ran. She fought, regardless of the choices afterwards.”

Mapper nodded and rested her hoof on Wildfire’s shoulder. “All of us cope in ways only we can understand, Middle Pet.”

“Yeah.” Airmail smiled as she hugged her fiancé tight to her. “Life is what it is and you go from there.”

“Most of all,” Tempest put in, “you don't whine about it.”

Unable to help herself, Serenity giggled. “Unless you want to be naughty.”

Feeling considerably better with her herd-mates arranged around her, Wildfire smiled. “I don't have anything to whine about. I'm here, and well, I’m with all of you, with a job and soon to be a mum.” She snickered, when a deliciously sexy thought entered her head. It was almost her heat, after all. “I am dressed for being naughty, though.”

Mapper barked out a loud brash laugh, “More like Airy's fetish fulfilment, I think.”

Serenity looked Wildfire over and admired her attire, in particular the peephole bra. “It is a nice colour on your pelt, Wildfire.”

“Thank you,” Wildfire smiled, “I got it for both those reasons.”

“At least my wings are finally at my sides,” Airmail giggled, though she hoped they wouldn’t stay there for much longer.

“Yeah,” Tempest snickered, nudging Airmail in the shoulder with her hoof, “right up until she shoves her teats back in your face!”

“I could do that,” Wildfire giggled, “see how long your wings stay at your sides, Pretty!”

Serenity nuzzled Mapper’s foreleg in order to get her wife’s attention. “Mistress?”

Mapper nodded down at her wife and submissive, “Yes, Senior Pet, what is it?”

“May I please pee?” she asked in her soft melodic voice. When Mapper nodded that she could, the teal unicorn squatted like she was going to go and pee there and then on the carpet of the living room. When Serenity went so far as to lift up her tail, Mapper’s eyes went wide and she grabbed Wildfire’s copy of The Lord of the Rings from the bookshelf.

Lighting up her horn, the pink unicorn slammed the book as hard as she possibly could manage into Serenity’s ass cheeks. Having done nothing, Serenity stood back up, a huge smile plastered all over her face. “My naughty Pet needs a good rutting,” Mapper announced, nudging Tempest with the book. “Stormy,” she said as the violet mare returned it to the shelf, “you want to come home with us? You can have the back door.”

Very barely, Tempest managed to maintain control of her wings. Just. “I'd like that, Maps. Catch up with you two later!” with that, Mapper, Serenity and Tempest all left the house, Tempest dancing on her hooves all the way.

“Well,” Airmail giggled, “that certainly is one way to give us some alone time.”

“Yuppers, I guess it is,” Wildfire said, giving her lover’s cheek an affectionate nuzzle. “Pretty, I want to thank you, for telling me about this journal.”

“It...It wasn't easy,” Airmail admitted as she returned the muzzle, “would you like me to read it to you, now?”

Wildfire nodded her head and pulled Airmail into a tight loving hug. “I can appreciate how hard it was for you, Airy. I’m willing to bet you'd shut that door a while ago, now it's open again. I'm really sorry about that.” She said, kissing her lips, “I'd like to read it with you.”

“Then let’s get comfy upstairs.”

“Good idea, my love.” Wildfire slid off the couch, lingerie and all, and with a very sly smile over her face, she proceeded to lead the way from the living room, through the small hallway and up the stairs to the bedroom. Airmail, following behind her fiancé, spent more time looking at her exposed nipples than the bit of cloth under her black tail.

Wildfire swayed her hips as she walked up the stairs, instinctively she knew where Airmail’s brown eyes were focussed in on her body. “How do they look, Pretty?” she giggled, “I can feel where you’re looking.”

“Delectable.” Airmail licked her lips, wishing they were locked on her little mare’s nipples.

“Hmmm...they'll be better when they're full and milky!” Wildfire smiled as she felt for and hopped upon their bed.

“I will have to agree with you there,” Airmail giggled, “You were a beautiful sight to come home to.”

“Good!” Wildfire grinned and laid out all sexily on the bed facing the sound of her fiancé’s voice. She held her wing over her exposed nipples, hopefully teasing the older pegasus. “You're worth looking beautiful for.”

Smiling, Airmail got upon the bed and moved up next to her diminutive mare. “Shall we read first, or snuggle first?”

“Read. Then snuggles. Sexy snuggles.”

Nodding silently, Airmail set the battered, age-worn old book in front of them both and opened it to the first page, the page that had the photograph of Fireflight posing with her best friend, Rainbow Gem. “There are no pictures,” Airmail started, not wanting to look at the face of the pony she killed in a Changeling cocoon, “but your mum's mouth writing is very neat and organised.”

“Yuppers, that was my mum!” Wildfire smiled and touched the yellowing page with her hoof. “Knowing her she'd have laid it out hour by hour, too.”

“I'm so filled with anger!” Airmail started reading out what Fireflight had written. “I bought this journal to try and put that anger on paper instead of carrying it around with me. All Tartarus broke out and they activated me! Gave me a clean uniform and some gear and assigned me to this cold hearted pony whose only joy in life is killing things...” Airmail trailed off at that. “Um, that would be me, I guess.”

“Yuppers, but...mum didn't get the chance to know the other side to you like I do, did she?” Wildfire said, hopefully comfortingly, “So...not much happened until day three then, according to this? Until the shield fell. Mum wrote she had letters from dad every day until day two.”

Airmail looked over the pages, though it was unnecessary. She knew it backwards by now. “It isn't hour by hour, but it is in some chronological order.” She looked down the page that was labelled ‘Day Two’. “A lot happened. The magical shield only covered the heart of the city. We were outside the shield when the attack began.”

Wildfire snorted. “So, dad was out of contact for a few days before the attack started...then the swarm swamped the southern defence wall and they attacked the homes.”

“Where did you get that?” Airmail asked, then immediately she put it down to the history lessons the blind mare had mentioned earlier. “Anyway, to continue. The jerk will only call me by my organizational number. I tried to tell her my name but she wouldn't have any of it. I asked why and she said she wouldn't mourn me if I died. A total jerk!”

Hearing that, Wildfire leant in and nuzzled Airmail’s cheek and placed a wing over her back. “Does that make it easier, if you just use the call sign?”

Airmail sighed a very deep sigh, a thousand ghosts seemingly leaping off the pages of the journal to haunt her. “It makes them forgettable.” Reading down the page, the azure blue mare continued. “They are everywhere. I call out a location and then I see the bug's head explode in my binoculars. I was down to dry heaving when one jumped me. I watched its head explode and I'm covered with green goo. The jerk tells me to pay attention or I’m next.”

“It...It must've been so much chaos...I can't begin to imagine what it was like. Like, the worst fire I attended multiplied by a million.”

Airmail didn’t answer. She just carried on reading. “I told the jerk some bugs went into a house, but haven't come back out. She cursed. Celestia's Butthole. It was the first time I laughed in two days. She came up on my position and demanded I show her the house…” Airmail nuzzled the little yellow mare, “It is tear stained here, Wily.”

“That...that was hers, right, Pretty?” Wildfire asked nervously, “It was mum's house.”

“Hum, no, it was on the east side,” Airmail replied as she scanned the journal page for details and continued, “It was Threefold's house. I...I know the name of every pony I've ever killed. I don't know even one name of all the bugs I killed.”

Wildfire thought on that for a brief moment. “Do they even have names, the drones I mean?” she nuzzled Airmail’s cheek, “You aren't a bad pony, Pretty.”

Airmail sniffed. “I don't care if they do. I'm not going to mourn them. So, this is a bit of a hard read, but let me get to it.” The azure blue mare knew what bit was coming up.

The nest.

“We landed and there was a bug right there. The Jerk shoved her rifle in its mouth and pulled the trigger. Green goo was everywhere. Rations taste just as bad coming up as they do going down. We went inside the warehouse and there were ponies in cocoons. That is when I spotted Rainbow Gem in a cocoon. She is my…was my best friend.”

Wildfire didn’t interrupt, but she did tighten her hug. It sounded like Airmail needed it.

Airmail read on, her voice breaking just a little. “I ran up to her and she asked me for help. She was crying. I went for my knife to cut her out of the cocoon and the Jerk slapped it out of my wing. She then pushed on Gem's belly. I watched her take her own knife and poke her in the belly.” Airmail paused for a moment. She could remember with awful clarity the green goo that was all that was left of the poor unfortunate pegasus-turned-incubator’s internal organs.

“I jumped her and next thing I knew I was up against the wall. She looked at me and said, 'If I wanted to help her I'd kill her.' I tried to attack her again, and again I'm seeing stars up against the wall. She shot Gem in the head between the eyes right in front of me. I was in shock. She then went to the next pony and the Jerk asked its name before she killed them. Some bugs showed up and she killed them without her gun. It was terrifying. She killed ten ponies in that warehouse including the owner. I asked why and she cut up one. Its belly was full of green goo and small round things. She said they were eggs. That the ponies there were already dead, but they didn't know it yet.”

Wildfire shuddered. She just couldn’t help herself. “Incubators. They...the ponies, they were incubators, weren't they? In history class we were taught about the war. The ah...the Professor kinda glossed over this bit though. It...It must've been horrific.”

Airmail nodded, it certainly had been like a scene from a horror movie alright. “There was no pain for the pony being used. They breathe and the heart beats, but they have nothing left in the gut. It’s all melted. The Changelings kill the host for food when they hatch.”

“Uuurk!” Wildfire had to slap her hoof over her mouth for a very, very long moment, breathing through her nose as she did so. “I-I'm fine. I swear. You did the right thing, the only thing, Pretty. But...I can understand Fireflight being pissed with you too.”

“Yeah...” even Airmail had to take a few deep breaths. She could see Rainbow Gem’s pleading look in her mind’s eye even now, twenty nine years later. She could still smell the obscene smell when she had cut her corpse open from groin to her chest and a waterfall of green slime and half-grown eggs had poured out.

“The shield went down. There was a lot of fighting near the castle now and we've moved closer to it. The last nest was four. I'll never forget it. The Jerk isn't a machine after all. We got a four hour break. She sleeps with her eyes partly open and doesn't snore. I really wanted to shove a hoof in her face, but I got what sleep I could.”

Airmail turned the page with her hoof before continuing to read. “Cold Front hasn't checked in today. With the shield down my house is exposed. I don't know if he and Chill Wind have found shelter or not. I hope so, the bugs are upping the terror by bombing the homes. It is total panic…” Airmail held Wildfire’s trembling hoof. “There’s a lot of crying here, Wily. I think she is upset writing this in order of time. She already knew what happened.”

Wildfire knew what was coming. Didn’t make it any easier to hear. “Mum, Fireflight, wasn't stupid, was she?” she muttered as she squeezed the hoof that held hers. “She thought...oh the thoughts she must've thought...Poor little Chill Wind, I...I just hope it was quick.”

Fortified by the presence of Wildfire’s hoof and her wing over her back, Airmail continued to read on. “I can see my house, but I don't see anypony around it. Bugs are everywhere. I call them out and they die. Then, my house is in flames. I shout out 'Chill Wind' and take wing. The Jerk says if I leave she'll shoot me for desertion. I wish I could have shot her. Then she said, 'I'm looking through my scope. Nopony is alive in there. All you can do is avenge them by doing what you're doing. I hate her. I hate her with every ounce of my being. I call out the bugs and they die.”

“O-Oh Pretty...” Wildfire sniffed and nuzzled Airmail’s cheek.

“It's over. Four days of Tartarus and it's finally over. My home’s gone. The search and rescue teams found Chill Wind. They found a charred body so small. Thank the Goddesses, Cold Front was fine. I cried on his shoulder. Our colt was gone.”

“We buried Chill Wind today. The Jerk was there. As soon as the service was over I wanted to scream at her. She was gone though. If I ever find her I might just kill her. I wish she shot me that day. I wish none of this ever happened. Fireflight has to die. It is the only way I can ever live.”

“They are hoofing out medals today. Celestia herself was doing it. Every time I look at the Princess I can only think about her butthole. The Jerk wasn't there. Not that I care. They even put my new name on my medal. Silverbolt. I named myself after the nickname Starbright gave me at Heartbreak Ridge. I really want to shove that medal up her royal butthole when she gave it to me. It means nothing to me.”

“And...” Wildfire’s voice was very quiet indeed, “that's when Fireflight died, wasn’t it? When they were passing out the medals. I...I'm so proud of mum for earning it, but she hated it so much.”

“I put my medal in a box. I can’t look at it, but I can’t throw it away either. Cold Front and I are trying for another foal. It will never know my pain. I can't find anything out about The Jerk and I guess that is good. She is like that medal. Nothing I want to remember.”

“But I don't understand!” Wildfire exclaimed, “Starbright said my mum saved lives! The lives of the ponies left in his platoon when she covered them with lightning bolts. He said so the other day...she should be proud of that medal!”

Airmail sniffed, wiping her watering brown eyes with the back of her foreleg. “You'd have to ask Starbright about that. It isn't in the journal.”

“So...what do I do now?” Wildfire asked, unsure of herself, “Should I still call my filly Fireflight?”

Airmail kissed her fiancé’s cheek. “It’s a better name than FC359.”

Wildfire reached up and kissed Airmail’s lips. “I guess it is...and...I still want to wear her medal, on my dress at our wedding.”

“I'd like to think by now she has put it behind her and she would be proud to see you wear it.” Airmail managed a very tremulous little smile, “She might have even forgiven The Jerk by now.”

“Well,” Wildfire stated definitely, “As the only family member left, and of relatively sound mind I'm able to talk on her behalf. I really think she forgives you. Remember at the cemetery she told me she liked you. Mum doesn't lie.”

Right then and there, Airmail had tears in her eyes. “Y-Yo-You did, and that made me so happy. Doubly so now.”

“Our past is not today.” Wildfire quoted the title of her own poem as she nuzzled Airmail, she felt her hot wet tears on her fur and she kissed them away. “It got us here but it doesn't lead us. Right?”

Airmail sniffed in a good imitation of Wildfire. “I-I've heard that somewhere before. That did bring back some memories I had left well behind me.”

Wildfire smiled and again she kissed her lips on the bed. “I'm with you to the end. No matter what, Pretty.”

Airmail giggled at that. “Of course you are. I didn't pull the trigger that day. I'm so very glad I didn't.”

“Me too!” Wildfire laughed, “Imagine how boring your life would be if I wasn't there for you to meet at the coffee shop that Thursday.”

“Nope, I can't see it.” Airmail said with a thankful smile as her hoof wandered down to gently caress Wildfire’s wing joint. The yellow mare’s wings fluttered under the intimate contact and, taking the cue, she slid her tongue into Airmail’s mouth. The lead editor took the challenge in the tongue war and for good measure she added her rear leg between her lover’s, lightly brushing over her nipples.

“Aaaah...” Wildfire gasped in the passionate kiss, her nipples hardening immediately at the touch of Airmail’s rear leg. “Yeeees!”

“I love you, but now it’s time for me to give you some undivided attention.” Airmail said, drifting delicate little kisses down Wildfire’s neck as she headed for a loving preen with a forehoof moving down to play with her exposed breasts.

“Oh...oooh I want your attention...pleeease!” Wildfire moaned, she felt her wings spread out and her nipples were very hard indeed. While she was no Tempest, Airmail did know how to preen. She went at her fiancé’s wings with some well-placed biting and tugging in all the right places. “MMmmmMM...oooh Pretty!”

Wildfire was dripping wet, as a result of the excellent preening and her burgeoning heat. Airmail, for her part, was very much into the preen and when she finished the second wing she was heading down to spend some quality time with her nipples. As she began to suckle hard, her forehooves played between her marehood and her black tail. “Mmmmm,” Wildfire purred, “y-you really like them huh?” she cooed as Airmail sucked on her nipples, her hooves caressing her ears.

“When you're all big and milky it will be a paradise down here.” Airmail said with a voice full of lustful desire as she moved ever southward. “These split crotch panties looks quite lovely too.” She said, lapping away with a passion.

“Oooh yes...yes it will, I aaaaaah!” Wildfire moaned in sheer ecstasy as Airmail toyed with her marehood, her intention to bring her to climax quickly. Moments later, Wildfire screamed through her climax. “AAAAAAH! Aah...aaah w-wooooow!”

Airmail giggled as she lapped up the juices and cum that had squirted from her shuddering lover. “That was milky enough for me for now.”

Wildfire turned and kissed Airmail’s lips, smiling as she tasted herself upon them. “My turn, Pretty…”