Large snowflakes were drifting lazily across the sky, just as Princess Celestia had finished setting the sun to illuminate the Eastern skies with the first rays of morning.

All was quiet, except for the crunching of freshly fallen snow underneath Moonstone's boots during his customary morning walk. The gray unicorn stallion enjoyed these even more now than he did in the summer. With everypony either still asleep or unwilling to come out into the cold, the world was a quiet place, a place where he could gather his thoughts and clear his mind to let the creativity flow through him for the rest of the day.

He never set out with any specific destination in mind. As fate would have it, today he found himself in a small park in the lower city ring of Canterlot, and a nostalgic feeling took hold of him as he beheld the small, snow-covered playground.

“Have I walked this far?” he asked himself, his breath condensing in front of him. He pulled up his scarf to ward off the chill.

Of course the playground was empty. It was the middle of the week, and all the good little fillies and colts would have school. But as he looked at the swing set moving with the morning breeze, the snow settling on the slide and the monkey bars in the distance, it was as if he was back to his 13-year-old self. He could hear the laughter of his friends, see the rays of sunlight reflect off the metal railings and smell a hint of summer in the air.

“How long has it been since that day?” he wondered. “Must have been almost thirteen years ago.”

Wondering if it was still there, he approached a large oak tree, brushing the snow from the bark with one gloved hand. It was indeed still here, the crude sketch of a young pegasus filly, framed by a heart with the inscription The Hero of Canterlot, carved into the wood. It had once been carved by two grateful, young colts.

Moonstone's gaze drifted over towards the nearby battlement, beyond it the sheer cliff face of the Canterlot Mountains, a straight drop of over a mile.

He didn't mind the snow settling on his white mane and making it damp as he remembered that day, half a lifetime ago, the day he almost died.

* * *

13 years earlier...

“Explain it to me again.” Moonstone asked his friend while they sat together on a bench in that very same park.

“It means that I can analyze any situation, and see how major events would have played out differently due to minor changes.” The purple earth pony colt said smugly. “Like, for example, if Shooting Star hadn't accidentally bumped into the table during our Oubliettes & Ogres game last week, you wouldn't have a rolled a 1 on that agility check, and the party wouldn't have been wiped out by that Daring Do giant cheese wheel trap in the Temple of Gloom.”

Moonstone rubbed his temples. It was frustrating, trying to deal with Missing Nail's bragging. Then again, he probably hadn't been all that subtle himself when he had gotten his cutie mark for sculpting during a class project a month ago. “I get that. But what is it good for? We still lost. Could you have used it to make us win that campaign?”

Missing Nail scratched his cheek. “That's not really how it works. How could I have known that Star would bump into the table? I can't see the future.”

“Lame!” a clear voice called from up above them. The pegasus filly with the red coat and blonde mane, who had almost made it to the top of the pyramid-shaped jungle gym, looked down on them. “Hindsight isn't a special talent. Look, I can do it, too. If some weirdo hadn't written a cranky letter to the Princess, that thing wouldn't be up in the sky,” she declared, pointing at the purple shield of magic that was currently covering Canterlot.

Missing Nail frowned at that. “You're in no position to talk, Shooting Star. You don't even have a cutie mark yet.”

“Yeah, because mine is super extra awesome. That's why it takes a little longer. Besides, I have a feeling that today is the day,” she declared, continuing to climb.

Not having their cutie marks yet had been one of the major factors in bringing the three of them together in the first place. Shooting Star was the most adventurous of the group. It was usually her that invented their games and led the colts in new ideas to find their cutie marks.

Of course, her plans were often ill-conceived, sometimes ending in scrapes and bruises, and surprisingly often covered in tree sap. Being the only filly in the group, however, meant that the adults tended to blame the two colts for any mishaps while she usually got off scot-free. Whenever this happened, Moonstone and Missing Nail would swear never to speak to her again, and just as quickly they would go along with her latest scheme anyway, because she assured them that they'd definitely get their cutie marks this time.

Moonstone looked up at the castle in the distance. “Wonder if the ceremony is already over. Hey, remember when your sister took us to see the Canterlot Statue Garden? That was cool.”

Missing Nail nodded. “Yeah, all that history stuff was totally awesome. Too bad they wouldn't let us near the castle today.”

Shooting Star, having reached the top of the climbing frame, clicked her tongue. “Who cares about some boring, old statues or a schmaltzy royal wedding. But if it gives us a day off from school, I'm all for it. Ready down there?”

The two colts looked at each other dubiously before moving to the base of the jungle gym and spreading out the bed sheet they brought between the two of them. “Are you really sure about this, Star?” Moonstone asked apprehensively.

“Yeah, you're going to flight camp next year anyway,” Missing Nail added. “Why not just wait until then?”

The filly stretched out her arm and pointed it to the sky, no doubt in her mind the pose to strike for a grand speech. “Because the best fliers always learn to fly before flight camp. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? You two just make sure that you have enough tension.”

Before either of her companions could object again, she jumped off, flapping her wings as hard as she could. “Here I come!” Always before, the best she had been able to do was make herself fall a little slower to varying degrees. So she figured that jumping off from a greater height would give her much more time to figure this whole flying thing out. That was just logical, right?

She was slowly descending, even as the colts anxiously readjusted their position to stay underneath her for the inevitable fall. Yet she could feel that she was getting close. Gradually she got a feel for getting some purchase on the air as her wings began to create more and more lift. Likely she would have learned to fly right then and there, had it not been for what came next.

Boom! Crack!

Losing her concentration from the horrible noise, Shooting Star fell from the sky, pluncking down unceremoniously, but uninjured, into her safety net plot first.

While they did manage to avert the worst, Moonstone and Missing Nail couldn't manage to hold onto the sheet, and so the trio tumbled down into a heap.

“What the hay was that?” Star was the first to recover from the impact. After all, it hadn't been her first.

“The shield spell. It came down,” Moonstone pointed out, looking up as the last remnants of the Guard Captain's magic crumbled in the sky.

The three foals continued to watch. What seemed like tiny, black spots in the distance became larger and larger, until several bug-like beings landed in front of them, completely surrounding the group.

“They're Changelings,” Missing Nail said in awe. “I read about them in a book.”

“What do we do with them?” one of the new arrivals asked.

Another shrugged. “Restrain them. We'll see what the Queen wants done with the civilians later.”

It was only now, that the strangers started moving towards them with outstretched arms, that the three foals realized the danger they were in. A look passed between Missing Nail and Moonstone. They both nodded.

“Shooting Star! Run!” Missing yelled as he charged his would-be captor, pelting him with his fists, even though his eyes remained firmly shut.

“We'll hold them off,” Moonstone added, doing the same.

As brave as their charge was, the Changeling soldiers didn't even flinch as they took the blows from the half-grown ponies with a bemused expression, and then simply grabbed their wrists to restrain them.

When the third Changeling went for her, Shooting Star looked at him with wide eyes. Her mind told her to run. Her two best friends told her to run. But her gut told her something different. Taking an unexpected step forward, she swung her leg, hitting her enemy right between the legs with a solid kick, followed by a sickening crunch.

“Owwww!” The Changeling howled and went down.

The other two, shocked at this turn of events, took action immediately, reassessing who the actual threat was. Pushing the colts aside to draw their weapons, they hadn't realized that the battlement was right behind them. They had only intended to push them away.

Yet with screams of panic, Moonstone and Missing Nail got tripped up by the low wall and tumbled over the edge.

“No!” Once more instinct overrode her brain as Shooting Star lunged forward, missing the soldiers' drawn blades by sheer, dumb luck, and hurled herself after her friends.

“Shit,” one of the Changelings muttered. “We were supposed to take as many alive as possible. Queen Chrysalis is gonna be pissed.”

“I won't tell her if you won't,” the other replied.

“Can I get some ice over here?” the third one, with a much weaker voice and curled into a ball on the ground, asked.

Moonstone could feel the wind rushing past him as he fell. He was gonna die, and he knew it. Then he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as his arm was yanked upwards violently. For some reason his fall was over much too soon. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Shooting Star, and she looked like an angel to him.

Looking to the side, he realized that Missing Nail was also there. Shooting Star was holding onto each one of their arms while flapping her wings frantically.

“Star, you're flying!” he yelled part in surprise, part in elation.

“No shit. You figure this out by yourself?” the filly replied between clenched teeth. It was taking all of her strength to keep them in the air, below them nothing but a mile of empty air.

Missing Nail took one look at the cliff, realizing that there was no place for her to set them down and they were already descending. “Can you get us all the way down?” he asked, already analyzing the situation, even though his eyes were wide with fear.

Star opened her eye slightly to look down. “I don't think so. If I descend at a safe speed, my wings will give out before we're down.”

It remained unspoken, but they all knew that Shooting Star wouldn't be able to pull them all back up. For the moment all she could do was flap her wings and hang on for dear life.

“If only he'd have been left-handed,” Missing said with a sigh.

“What?” Moonstone asked at the strange statement.

“If that soldier who'd been holding me was left-handed, he would have shoved me into the other direction, because his weapon would have been on the other side. That way we would have crashed into each other instead of falling over the edge. Or maybe if I'd worn my track shoes today instead of ...”

“For the love of Celestia,” Shooting Star grunted. “If you don't stop with the 'what-ifs' right now, I swear I will drop you.”

There was a strange look on the colt's face. “Then drop me.”

“Are you insane?”

Moonstone caught the look and, knowing his friend's mind, he understood. “He's right, Star. You can't hold us both. If you drop one of us, you've at least got a chance.”

“No!”

“Star!”

“I said NO!” she yelled back. “How can you ask me to choose between you? I'm not gonna let one of you die to save the other. Now shut up! I have to concentrate on keeping us alive, ALL OF US!”

Neither of the three could tell how long they remained there. Shooting Star's breathing was getting heavier by the minute, and their descent gradually got faster and faster as her screaming muscles threatened to give out at any moment.

“Star, just let go and at least save yourself,” Missing Nail urged her again.

She could feel her grip slipping as the sweat ran down her forearms. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Moonstone.

“It's alright,” the unicorn said. “Just let go.”

For a brief moment, she considered it. There was still a chance that with the remainder of her strength she could at least save herself, but it meant dropping both of them. She'd already missed her chance to save at least one. She'd foolishly tried to keep them both alive, given all she had to save them, but it hadn't been enough. And now, with her inability to choose, she had doomed both of them. Was there really a point in all of them dying? Her grip on their arms began to loosen with that thought. “I'm sorry,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Then she could feel something wash over her, like a wave of powerful magic that seemed to come from Canterlot above, and it warmed her soul, ignited something within her. It felt like something she'd never felt before. There was only one thought on her mind.

NO!

Just as they were about to slip out of her grasp, Shooting Star redoubled her hold on the two colts, digging her nails into their skin, ignoring their pained outcries. Not like this, she told herself. I'll let my wings give out before I let go of them.

And then they did. Shooting Star's wings failed her and they fell. For all her renewed resolve, she'd only bought them a few more seconds before they all went into another free fall.

But it was those few seconds that proved crucial, as Moonstone and Missing Nail found themselves carried once again, by a fully grown pegasus each this time. And Shooting Star felt herself being seized by two slender yet powerful arms.

She looked up at the pony that had rescued her, recognizing the flight suit that was the same her two male companions were wearing. “Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts,” she said in between two exhausted breaths.

The mare gave her smile. “It's okay, kid. I gottcha now. Take a rest. You've earned it.”

As it turned out, the Wonderbolts had watched the whole thing, but had been unable to act due to being restrained by Changeling magic themselves. As soon as they'd been released, they rushed over to the foals. But for all their speed, it wouldn't have been enough without the crucial moments Shooting Star hung on in the end.

Canterlot was saved from a Changeling invasion by Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor that day. And a certain young filly gained her cutie mark for bravery, or as her two best friends liked to call it: 'Sheer pigheaded unwillingness to admit defeat.' Certainly it wasn't the worst special talent a pony could possess.

* * *

Present day...

Returning home from his morning walk, Moonstone hung up his winter coat and put the mail he'd just carried in on a nearby end table. Then he poured himself a cup of coffee and looked around his studio.

There were several unfinished sculptures he was working on right now, but neither one was due for delivery to their clients anytime soon. He decided to continue work on one that wasn't made to order, so he could start off the day with something that he really wanted to do. It was a clay sculpture of a pegasus mare in flight, though the fine details were still missing. It seemed somehow fitting.

As he gathered his tools, he recognized the handwriting on the top envelope of the mail stack. Curiously he picked it up and began to read after opening it.

Dear Moonstone,

how are you doing? I recently saw your piece in the Las Pegasus Museum of the Arts. You've really come a long way since I was your senior at Canterlot University.

Anyway, I've got an opportunity for you, if you're not too busy with other commissions. I was recently approached by the Wonderbolts. They have a big anniversary coming up, and they asked me to do some sculptures of famous commanders in their history. Only problem is, they want them done in stone, since they're supposed to be added to the Canterlot Statue Garden after the event.

As you know, I only work in ice sculptures these days, so I took the liberty to refer them to you. You'll find they are willing to pay quite handsomely. The contact address and everything else you need is enclosed in this letter.

Love,
Diamond Dust

Diamond Dust, Missing Nail's older sister. Her influence had been one of the major factors in Moonstone choosing his career as a freelance artist.

“The Wonderbolts, huh?” he muttered to himself. “Seems like the past keeps haunting me today.”

Opening a drawer from his workbench, he pulled out an old newspaper clipping. It had a photo of the Wonderbolts Academy graduating class from a few years ago on it. He read a passage of the article that had been highlighted with text marker a long time ago.

Giving the commencement speech on behalf of this year's graduating cadets was 2nd Lieutenant Shooting Star, top of her class and at age 19 the youngest mare to ever receive an officer's commission from Equestria's Elite Flying Corps.

“Wonder how you're doing, Star.”

Sitting down at his workbench and laying the article next to his current project, Moonstone began to run his hands along the curves of the sculpture, carefully smoothing out here, adding a little there.

He knew the shape so well, he could have done it blindfolded as his mind turned back to the day mentioned in the article. It was a simpler time, a time he wished he could go back to, a time where he could call Shooting Star his marefriend. It had been six years, but he could still remember the feeling of her body under his hands.

* * *

6 years earlier...

“Star, if you don't hurry up, the champagne will go flat!” Moonstone called, sitting on the couch in the tiny one room apartment he shared with his marefriend.

“Just a second,” Shooting Star replied from behind the closed bathroom door.

He sighed, looking at the cheap bottle of sparkly he'd picked up earlier that day in celebration of Star's graduation. He really wished that he'd been able to afford something more, maybe take her out to a nice dinner. But being a 20-year-old poor art student, this was the best he was able to manage on his budget.

“I'm ready.”

When he looked over towards her, his mouth simply stood open. “Woah.”

Obviously enjoying his reaction, she turned around slowly to give him a good view of how she looked in her new skin-tight flight suit. “I wanted you to be the first to see me in it. Much better than the cadet suit, right?”

“Much,” Moonstone agreed, admiring the effect of the blue suit with the lightning symbol running across the front as the light hit it. It was actually gleaming, since it was brand-new. And the body beneath the suit he had always admired.

As she sat next to him, he handed her a glass of champagne. “To the future Captain of the Wonderbolts,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.

“Thank you,” Shooting Star replied simply, giving him a quick kiss before taking a sip.

“Sorry this is all I could do for a celebration. You deserve more.”

“It's okay,” she told him. “As a commissioned officer, I'm due a paycheck next month. Then I'm gonna treat you for our anniversary.”

The unicorn stallion scratched his cheek, not sure how to feel about that. “Still, I wanted to give you something special, considering I haven't seen you for two months.”

Shooting Star had to remain on base for the duration of final evaluation and exams. It had probably been the hardest test for their relationship so far. But she simply shook her head. “The one thing I really wanted tonight is you.” Putting the champagne glass aside, she straddled him on the sofa, giving him a deep kiss. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Putting his arms around her waist, he leaned in for another kiss, pushing his tongue forward this time. Her lips parted easily, allowing him access to explore her mouth fully. They both enjoyed the sensation they'd been missing for the last couple of weeks.

His hands moved along her back, and, noticing the absence of a certain something, he brought one hand around to the front to confirm the suspicion. “Are you not wearing a bra?”

She gave him a look that was so sexy it made his heart flutter. “Regulations. It's more aerodynamic this way, you see.”

“No, it isn't,” he laughed, rubbing the large mound over the latex material.

“Hey, who's the expert on avionics here?” she teased right back.

“Well, that would be you, lieutenant,” he admitted. “Still I believe that things sticking out will increase air resistance rather than lower it.” Finding her nipple, he pinched it.

“Ahhh!” Shooting Star moaned loudly. “So maybe it's not stream-lined for the traditional kind of flying. But it's stream-lined to facilitate easy access.” Taking hold of his wrist, she guided his hand between her legs.

Rubbing his fingers along the outline of her slit a couple of times, Moonstone realized that she wasn't wearing any panties either. “Oh, man. Do the Wonderbolts know that they accepted such a horny mare into their ranks?”

Rather than giving him an answer, she simply picked up his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Then she leaned in again, kissing his neck before lightly biting his shoulder.

“Unf.” That was gonna leave a mark, but he didn't mind that as she started running her delicate fingers along his sensitive horn. He could feel the blood rushing from his head and an uncomfortable tightness form in his pants.

No doubt Shooting Star felt it as well, since she began grinding her hips in his lap.

“Hey, Star. Can you keep the flight suit on? This is really hot.”

She grinned at him. “Sure, but only if you can make me cum regardless. It's no fair if you have all the fun.”

Giving her a mock salute, he responded. “Yes, ma'am. I'll do my duty.”

With a giggle, Shooting Star pushed him down onto the couch, getting back on top of him in a 69 position. “Carry on, soldier,” she said while unbuckling his pants.

Lifting her tail with one hand, he used the other to rub her secret spot again. Being so close, he could clearly see the outline even underneath the latex.

“Wanna know the best thing about dating a bona fide Wonderbolt?” she asked over her shoulder while rubbing his shaft.

“What?”

“I can take you to heaven and back, whenever I want to.” With that she wrapped her lips around his tip and began to suck on it noisily.

Moonstone moaned loudly, shuddering at the feeling of his member being enveloped by her hot mouth. She didn't waste a second, moving her tongue expertly to please different spots along the way.

Then she wiggled her plot in front of his face, indicating that he better keep his earlier promise if he wanted her to continue. He pushed his finger deeper inside, although he couldn't penetrate too deeply, for fear of damaging the brand-new flight suit. But a wet squelch indicated that she was indeed wet underneath the latex.

Luckily he had more at his disposal than just manual work. Firing up his horn, he enveloped the base of her wings with the blue aura of his magic, applying gentle pressure as if massaging them.

“Mmmhh.” Moaning around his cock, she took even more of him into her mouth, moving her head up and down with slurping noises.

Even though he knew how good she was at giving head, he found himself unprepared after not seeing her for so long, the pressure at his base building up steadily. When she began using her hands to gently fondle his balls, he couldn't help but to start thrusting his hips slightly.

Feeling the heat even through the flight suit, he could tell that she was getting close as well, however. Not wanting to cum without her, he found her clit and began to rub it over the shiny material.

“Oh, fuck! I'm cumming, Star. I'm cumming.” Pushing his hips upward, he released his seed into her mouth in several large spurts. She took it all, swallowing the goopy liquid eagerly.

Even as she gulped it all down, he could feel her quiver underneath his touch, her wings standing up from the continued application of his magic, indicating that she had climaxed as well.

They both took a few minutes to catch their breaths before Star stood up. “I better get out of this suit and take a shower,” she declared, stopping in the doorway to give him a smoldering look over her shoulder. “Care to join me?”

Grinning broadly, Moonstone got off the couch and squeezed her flank playfully. “I'm getting the feeling that you're gonna make me 'stand at attention' all night, lieutenant.”

“Nothing less from a Wonderbolt, right?” she replied, grabbing his arm and pulling him along with a naughty smile.

Author's Note

This story is gonna be released in three parts, one chapter being uploaded on January 18th, January 31st and February 19th each. What's the significance you ask? Well, these are the birthdays of Darkhanos, myself and Nightmare_Shinigami.

So with the release of the first chapter complete: Happy Birthday, Darkhanos!