The dim light of early morning streamed past thick curtains as you pressed closer against your mare, her body soft and comforting against your back. Her stomach rubbed against you, and you couldn’t help but afford yourself a small smile.

It was early, but you knew you both had to get up soon. The Festival wouldn’t wait. You could almost feel the excitement in her body as her muscles tensed against you. She was like this every time there was a performance. Flying for the cadets at the Academy, or flying for the Princesses; it made no difference to the Captain.

It struck you that she wouldn’t be flying this time. It was almost as if her body hadn’t caught onto the fact yet.

She stirred again, nuzzling against your mane, her breath warm against your neck. “Mmm, time to get up rookie.”she murmured.

“I’ve already been up for a while.”

“Too excited to sleep? You almost have been acting like you’re going to be in the show this week.” She said.

“Well…it’ll be a little like I’m in the show. Being in the Wonderbolt’s private box, it’s a lot closer than I ever got before. And I get to help, right?”

“Of course. I promised you that at least.” Spitfire said as she draped a hoof over you.

You sunk into the sheets, looking out at the ponies flying slowly by. It would be a lot different this time though. Spitfire had been flying in the festival as long as you could remember. Every year she was always the highlight, pulling off new stunts and tricks that nopony had ever seen before.

Thinking back to yesterday, you remembered helping her fly home. The small twinge of pain she still tried to hide when she flexed her wing out reflexively on landing. You’d been careful not to even mention her loss of flight in the weeks leading up to today. It would have been cruel to do otherwise.

You caught your cadet uniform out of the corner of your eye, draped on a chair after last nights ‘modeling’ session. Spitfire had laid it out carefully for you, draping your worn goggles over the top.

“I still can wear it, right?”

“Of course. I don’t think anypony is going to question it after all the help you’ve been to me lately. You’re as good as a cadet now, as far as I’m concerned. And if anypony has a problem with it, they’ll have to deal with me.” She said. She sounded like the Captain you remembered.

Swinging hooves over the edge of the bed, you hopped onto the carpet and picked it up. Running the stretchy material across your hooves, an excitement welled up inside you. All the previous shows you watched from the stands flashed through your mind. All the stunts your mom and the Captain did; the roar of the crowd as the Wonderbolts sailed overhead at breathtaking speeds. Even if you were just helping from the flight box, you felt like you would be some small part of that.

Spitfire grinned as she rose from the bed, your smile beaming as you put the uniform on. It felt different wearing it today.

You walked over and helped Spitfire put her flight suit on, careful to ease her wing through the fitted hole. She looked amazing, as usual. You always loved the look of her body in the tight fabric. Reaching over, she kissed you on the muzzle, sending your heart racing even faster.

“Ready to go, rookie?”

Your mind was racing as you walked through the stands with Spitfire at your side. The entire stadium was alive with the sounds and sights of the Summer Festival in full swing. Nearly everypony in Canterlot seemed to have turned out. The stadium had been decorated even more elaborately than usual to welcome the three princesses; a somewhat rare occurrence. Bright sky blue tapestries flew from the cloud balconies, and the special box seats for the royals were trimmed in gold. A few wisps of thin streamers flitted through the air, a pure white studded with sparkling dust, reflecting the bright summer sun.

Spitfire led you up to the Wonderbolt flight box. Blaze, Soarin’ and Fleetfoot were already lounging on the simple wooden benches, talking about the upcoming show. Your mom smiled when she saw you walking over with the Captain.

“Well, don’t you look handsome!” She beamed, reaching out and smoothing your mane. She noticed your uniform immediately. “You aren’t actually putting him in the show, Spitfire? You promised me.”

“Don’t worry. He’s just a cadet, after all. No flying in shows until you prove yourself, right Soarin’?”

The stallion nodded. “Yep, no worries, Fleetfoot. He’s just going to be helping us out today, right kid?”

It felt pretty awesome to hear him say that. Helping Soarin’ do anything was a pretty big deal. Looking around, you realized they all were counting on you, even if it was a small part to play. Spitfire, Blaze, Soarin’, and even your own mother. You weren’t just watching from the stands today. The timing between sending the teams out was tricky. Every aspect of the show had to be carefully choreographed or teams would run into each other or large gaps in action would break the mood.

“I won’t let you guys down.” You answered, trying to exude some confidence.

“It’ll be easy. Just stick to the itinerary we laid out and make sure to give the next team notice. We all had our first time helping out at a show. The whole thing is so exciting, I bet it will be over in no time.” Blaze said.

Nodding, you glanced down at the long list of stunts and their corresponding timing. Everything was carefully mapped out to the last second, as well as the time between breaks. Hastily drawn notes littered the entire page, where various members of the flight teams had penciled in changes during the week. Substitutions were listed if needed, and even diagrams of the various stunts were included.

Simple. Yeah.

As you shuffled through the multipage program, Fleetfoot trotted over and put her hoof on your back. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, honey. We’re all a team, after all. Wonderbolts always help each other, so you’re not alone.”

She sat with you for a while in silence, the dull roar of the crowd in the distance as you scrutinized the papers. Your mother had started stroking your mane softly. It helped the nerves quite a bit. You settled against her body as you went over the last page.

“You know, I don’t mean all those things I say to Spitfire all the time. About not wanting you to be a cadet…or a Wonderbolt. I guess…well it’s just what you have to say as a parent, right? I know you can do a lot more than anyone believes. After all, I’ve seen you do the training course at the Academy.”

Your eyes widened immediately. She knew? Why hadn’t she said anything…

“Don’t ask me how I found out. And don’t worry about getting in trouble. You’re not. I was just really surprised. Some part of me knew you could fly like that…and I think that’s why I always protected you from it. But when I saw you running the course so well…I wasn’t worried anymore. It’s just…”

She paused for a while. Your mom’s voice turned sad, but she never started to cry. She caught her emotions and held them back.

“It’s just that since your father left, I guess I’ve been a little protective.”

You glanced up and gave her an incredulous look. She was understating it. Fleetfoot cracked a smile, even though her eyes were damp from fighting her tears.

“That bad, huh? I’m sorry if I ever made it hard on you. I still feel like I'm sort of new to this mother thing.” She held you closer to her as she spoke. Setting down the papers, you settled against her blue flight suit.

“I wasn’t much older than you when I had you, you know that right? I was really just a silly filly, barely out of my cadet training. It was a lot to handle. Your father tried to help, but he was just never cut out for it. It was just you and I by your second birthday. My mom and dad…well they didn’t even want me going to the Academy. And to have a foal on top of things? No. I just always told myself I wasn’t going to give in. I wasn’t going to let anypony look at me with pity because I had you. You didn’t deserve it, and neither did I. Somehow I was going to finish the Wonderbolt training and take care of you all by myself…

“Well I did it.” Fleetfoot said, allowing herself a little smile. “And I wouldn’t have done anything differently. Although I know I haven’t been around as much as I would like. I know that sometimes I don’t realize just what kind of a colt you’ve grown up into. I haven’t really told you enough how proud I am of you. You’re almost all grown up…and you can make your own decisions. I trust you, and I just wanted to say I’m here for you one hundred percent.”

Her point became more obvious as she kept talking. At first you were afraid because she knew. But as her comforting words reached you, you felt more and more at ease. She was right that she didn’t support your choices very often. As long as you remembered, your life was a scripted event. Fleetfoot’s mind being rooted in the ordered world of the Wonderbolts never had helped. But this summer a lot of things had changed.

“Then…I guess you know.” You said softly.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t be much of a mother if I couldn’t figure that much out. I had my suspicions as soon as Spitfire told me she was pregnant. And then with how oddly you’ve been acting…”

“Was it that obvious?”

It was her turn to give you the look. “Yah. It was pretty bad.” She grinned a bit, looking out to the stands.

“What are you going to do? Don’t get mad at Spitfire, okay? She doesn’t deserve it.”

“Well she and I are going to have a long talk later. I really didn’t plan on leaving my son for a summer and coming back a soon-to-be granny. I mean, I’m way too young to be a granny. It’s depressing.” Fleetfoot said.

“Sorry.”

“We’re going to have to spend a lot of time working on this. It’s not going to be easy. And I’m still not happy with what you did. But there’s no taking it back now. I just wanted to tell you, that I don’t want you to go through what I did. I’m going to be here for you no matter what. You’re my little colt, and nothing is going to change that, okay?”

Watching the blue uniformed Wonderbolts bustle around in front of you, your own vision blurred as your eyes filled with tears. A strange mix of relief and happiness swept over you. You were glad. You hated keeping anything from your mom. The anxiety of being found out and what might happen to you eased from your mind.

“There’s going to have to be some changes though. You’re moving back in with me. I’m sure you and Spitfire knew full well what you were doing was wrong…and it needs to stop. In a couple years you’ll be old enough for the Academy. We can talk about it again then, okay?”

You nodded against her, still looking out at the stands. She finally moved her hoof down and gently tilted your head up towards her. Her eyes were gentle and kind, still misty from tears.

“I can still be there for her, right?” You asked.

Fleetfoot allowed herself a small smile. “Of course you can. You both deserve that much. When the foal comes…I want you to be there for her as much as you can. She may be the Captain, but she never had a foal before. Spitfire’s going to be in for a surprise I think. She’s going to need you.”

The both of you sat there for a while, resting against each other as you watched the crowds fill the stadium. Fleetfoot pointed out when Cadance, Luna and Celestia walked into their private box, followed by the cheers of the crowd. Everything seemed numb and far away as things sunk in. You actually were going to be a father. The worries about Spitfire and what would happen with the foal vanished, replaced with a whole new set of questions.

Why was this so exciting and terrifying all at once?

“Rookie? You ready to start? We need to get the first groups prepped.”

Snapping to reality, you look up at Spitfire, looking every bit the Captain in her flawless flight suit and aviator shades. She looked over the itinerary as she waited impatiently.

“Well? Quit the daydreaming, we have a show to do!”

Jumping up and standing at attention, you gave her a nod, grabbing your own clipboard. Helping her round up the first four cadets, you lined them up and prepared to start the show. Looking around you realized how quiet and still the stadium had become. Everyone was watching. Even the three Princesses were watching in anticipation, waiting for the first flyers to leave the flight box. Spitfire grinned at you.

“Pretty cool, huh?” She said, tossing you her stopwatch. “You keep time, okay?”

“Got it!” You replied. Signaling for the fliers to start, you clicked the watch, making a silent note of the time.

The crowd didn’t make any reaction immediately. You noticed it took a few seconds. Until the first stunt, to be precise. A steep dive of four fliers at once, with all of them banking sharply near the ground towards different directions. The speed created telltale contrails behind them, making it appear as if four blue streaks banked up and rejoined in a twirling pattern.

The crowd erupted. There it was. That feeling you remembered so fondly from previous shows. But it was different now. Being in the flight box with the team changed everything. Even without flying, it was still intoxicating. You could tell why Fleetfoot, Spitfire and all the rest loved it so much.

The show went smoothly through the afternoon. You even started feeling at ease at some point, noticing that watching the timing and preparing the flights of pegasi became easier the deeper you got into it. Soon you and Spitfire had all the acts completed, barring the grand finale.

Checking your clipboard one last time, you ensured the last six ponies were all finished with their run and safely on the flight platform before nodding to the last fliers. It was time for Blaze and Fleetfoot to do their routine. The last set of the day.

It was obvious neither pony wanted to talk. Goggled eyes were steeled in concentration as they flexed their wings on in the staging area. Checking the time, you saw Spitfire clap her hoof against Blazes’ as they moved to the edge of the platform. Signaling it was time, Spitfire motioned them off. You clicked the small stopwatch as the two ponies fell like stones as they jumped off, falling to earth as the crowd watched in hushed silence. Tightly folded wings suddenly extended, catching the two as they swooped in low over the crowd as the collected ponies burst into thundering applause.

Blaze dipped a wing in low, and you swore you could see a grin as she nimbly clipped a floating balloon off of a vendor’s cart to the delight of the crowd. She met with your mom on the opposite side of the arena, feigning a collision before the two spiraled close to each other, using their speed to shoot high into the sky with breathtaking speed. Their manes created a white and orange contrail before they split, each arching off towards opposite sides of the coliseum.

You were watching Fleetfoot intently as she entered into a series of tight loops, trying to coordinate with her partner. The two old friends had no problem keeping pace with one another as the speeds increased. They seemed to become even more in synch as the two looped tighter into the center of the arena. Finally the crowd gasped as the two seemed to collide in midair, only to gracefully clip by each other, swirling tightly as they flew higher. You smirked to yourself as you checked their time. So far all the tricks had been pretty easy; merely deceptive as the fliers alternated speeds to create the illusion of close calls. The real routine was still to come.

Fleetfoot and Blaze were widening their spiral now, slowly gaining altitude as the crowd watched on in rapt attention. In the silence of the arena the two Wonderbolts finally broke away, swinging out widely to the ends of the flight zone. Without so much as a nod to each other, the two dropped as if they were one, both falling to the ground as they folded their wings back tightly. The tension could be felt as the crowd watched the pair fall towards them at startling speeds. You watched for the nearly indistinguishable wing movements as they angled themselves into a steady angle towards the walls of the inner arena. Expertly they pulled out of the dive at a sharp angle, pulling up and turning sideways into the smooth wall set up at ground level. They skimmed along it until they neared each other, the crowd on the edge of its seats as they hurtled at maximum speed towards a certain collision.

You could tell Blaze initiated the dodge. She always did. Dipping in tight against the wall at the last moment, she scooted under Fleetfoot’s hooves, narrowly avoiding the other pony. The crowd stood in shocked silence for a moment before cheering, filling the entire stadium with applause. You even noticed the three Princesses finally getting into the show, cheering gamely along with their subjects.

Blaze and Fleetfoot grinned at each other as they met in the center of the stadium, lazily circling each other as they prepared for the last trick. The pair started gaining altitude again. Watching intently, you remembered this stunt well. The two ponies climbed until they touched the wispy clouds themselves, barely specks in the blue sky. You didn’t even have to see them though. You could picture them preparing for the dive, slowly synchronizing their movements. The two dots started spiraling in tune with each other, spinning faster as they dropped.

The entire crowd was mesmerized by the fliers as they fell to earth. Their dive was accentuated by their tight spirals, giving the illusion of extreme speed. You knew better. The real test was the centripetal force. Paired with the dive, it almost made a pony black out. Learning to fight through it was part of the trick.

As the two Wonderbolts neared the upper tiers of the stadium, their spirals became tighter. The pegasi flirted with disaster as they clipped by each other several times, feathery wings touching in midair as they tried to elicit the maximum thrill for the fans.

It was almost as if you could see it happening in your mind as you watched Blaze tempt fate. It was hard to tell if she had lost her synch or if she was showing off for the fans. No, that would have been impossible. She wasn’t like that. Blaze never endangered herself or other fliers. She was the rock of the team. Always serious in the air, and always obsessing over doing everything right.

It was hard for anyone to believe even when it happened in front of you. Blaze dipped her wing too low, clipping Fleetfoot’s body. For an agonizing split second, she flipped in midair, tumbling over herself as her wing instantly crumpled under the high speed impact. Fleetfoot righted herself, but after the impact she was struggling just to stay in the air.

The crowd didn’t even have time to react as the orange mare fell like a stone towards the ground, desperately flapping her good wing to hold altitude. The sheer speed was too much, as she felt her good wing buckle under the strain, leaving nothing between her and the unforgiving reinforced cloud cover beneath her.

Out of the corner of your eye, Spitfire had acted without thinking. Jumping from the platform, she launched herself from the staging area, grunting as she spread her wings, fighting the pain of her bruised muscles as she dove towards Blaze.

It was hard to remember what happened next. For years to come, ponies would tell you about it. But you really never remembered the whole picture. All you could ever remember was seeing Spitfire dive off into the sky, wincing with pain. An image flashed by of your mother plummeting to earth all those years ago, as the Captain lunged in at the last moment and saved her.

And the next moment you dove after her.

Without goggles, you slit your eyes against the speed, catching the Captain quickly. If she was in pain, she wasn’t showing it. She glanced at you for only a moment before she locked her wings back, diving deeper on an intercept course with Blaze. Following her lead, you plunged in after her, making short, stabbing flaps with your wings to keep up.

With a swift flap, you could see Spitfire catch up with the wounded Wonderbolt, grasping her tightly in her hooves as she strained with her damaged wing to slow her fall. Blaze was near unconsciousness as the Captain struggled to pull her out of her fall. You could see as you hurdled towards the pair that they weren’t going to make it. You also knew there was no way the Captain would ever let her go.

Gritting your teeth, you collided with both of them, trying to avoid Spitfire’s damaged wing. Grasping at Blaze, you managed to catch a hoof in in your grasp, holding her tightly as you extended your wings quickly. The air caught you hard as you grimaced against the pain. Holding onto the Captain and Blaze, you gave up on pulling them out of the dive, and angled towards the ground. Instead of falling, you could feel yourself pulling into a sharp angle, slowing your speed as the ground loomed ominously below you.

It was Spitfire that ended up making the last move. You could hear her cry out as she forced her damaged wing out straight, catching the air hard as she made a last bid to slow your descent. For a brief moment it didn’t seem to be working. But you quickly realized the ground was slowing its approach. Instead of the impact you were expecting, your hooves touched down slowly on the solid cloud cover, surprising you so much you almost lost your hold on Blaze. Spitfire lost her grip as soon as you landed, immediately clutching her injured wing to her body. You laid Blaze down carefully, still in a haze as the emergency staff rushed the grounds, quickly carrying the injured Wonderbolt off on a stretcher.

It was only after the crew had taken over caring for her that you noticed Fleetfoot standing at your side. Your mother had landed almost entirely uninjured, trotting over quickly to check on Blaze. Still shaken up, you remembered Spitfire declining any help, even as she clutched her wing tightly to her body, obviously fighting back the pain.

It was hours before you could make sense of what had all happened. Nerves still frayed from the accident, you sat on the wooden bench in the Wonderbolt flight box. Blaze and Fleetfoot had both ended up going to the Cloudsdale hospital for treatment, although Fleetfoot had told you she likely would be released that night.

Spitfire had refused any help. She stayed until all the medical teams had finished, making sure all the members of the team were treated. She even wanted to return to the flight box to wrap things up before heading to the hospital.

The Captain had struggled to fly even the short distance up to the box. You had to help her even more than usual. She started gathering things up in silence, collecting Blaze’s and Fleetfoot’s belongings as she tidied up the small area.

“It’s not that unusual, you know. For a Wonderbolt to end up in the hospital after a show. It just comes with the territory. It seldom keeps us grounded for long. So don’t worry too much about those two, okay?”

She had broken the silence to try to comfort you. It wasn’t exactly working.

“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt your wing again, did you?” You asked.

“Don’t worry about me. It’s nothing, really.”

You let her go about her business, gathering all the objects left behind. She placed them all in a box, before realizing there was no way she could carry it and still fly. Spitfire sighed, dropping it on the ground, as she stood on the edge of the staging area, looking out on the empty arena in the evening air.

“You don’t have to do everything by yourself all the time, you know.” You said quietly.

“That may be. But it’s easier this way usually.”

Shrugging, you moved closer to her. Standing in the cool air of the evening, she pushed against you, resting her weight on your side in an intimate action. You returned the favor, bracing her weight with your own.

“Fleetfoot knows about us, you know. She knows about the foal. She knows everything.”

“Yah. Well that’s probably because I told her.” Spitfire replied.

You tried to be surprised, but found you just couldn’t. It seems obvious she would have told mom. The more time you spent with Spitfire, you realized more and more that there was no way she ever would have hid such a thing.

“I thought we weren’t going to tell anypony…”

“No. You said you hated keeping secrets from your mother. And I can’t really blame you there. It’s not fair. Fleets is a good mare, rookie. She deserved to know.”

“She said we can’t see each other again. Until I’m old enough for the Academy at least.” You said.

“Well…do you think that’s a bad idea? What we were doing was wrong. We both knew that.”

“Yah. She’s probably right.” You said, hiding your disappointment. “Spitfire? Remember what you said about taking care of the foal?”

Spitfire chuckled slightly to herself. “She talked to you about that too, huh? You think you’re just going to play the daddy when you’re still a kid? You think I’d let you wreck your life like that?”

“I don’t care what happens to me. I want to do it.”

“You don’t even know what you’re saying.” Spitfire said.

You sat there in silence for a few moments gathering your thoughts. Maybe you didn’t know what you were doing. But you knew what felt right. Wasn’t that all that mattered?

“Maybe I don’t. But I know that ever since I found out about the foal, I wanted to be there with you. You don’t have to do this thing all by yourself to protect me. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m a cadet now, right? I’m practically a Wonderbolt…”

Spitfire moved a hoof to your mouth, stopping you. Glancing over, you could see her smiling. “Didn’t I tell you that you’re more cute when you don’t say anything, rookie?”

You didn’t get a chance to speak. She held your muzzle to hers, leading you into a deep kiss. As your heart beat faster, your worries melted into obscurity as the mare circled your tongue with hers, locking you against her soft form as she made out with you. A strong hoof cradled your neck, coaxing you into her body even deeper as you returned her kiss.

When she finally broke away, she was looking into your eyes with a loving stare. As she gently nuzzled against your neck, you felt like everything would be alright.

“We’re going to have to figure some stuff out, okay? But if you really want to do this with me, we can try it.”

You started to speak, but in the end decided not to. It was nice to just sit there resting against her in the early evening, watching the light fade from the huge arena. This wasn’t exactly how you planned your first day in the Wonderbolt flight box to be. As you glanced sideways at the Captain, you could see a soft smile on her muzzle as she watched the groundskeepers clean up after the show.

You decided everything had turned out fine.

Author's Note

Really sorry about the delay guys. I had a lot of company over Thanksgiving and I wanted to get this just right, so I took my time. I hope you enjoy it.

There will be an Epilogue at some point soon to tie up loose ends.

The image for the chapter was some awesome fan art by Dmann.