Wildfire: Lighting the Flame

“You did what!?” Cyclone screamed as she angrily launched herself at her friend with her black wings spread to their full span.

The black mare’s enraged scream broke the serene peace and quiet of Canterlot’s Royal Gardens. Fifty feet away a noble couple were disturbed from their walk around the edge of the crystal clear lake, the very lake where Dusk had encountered the noble stallion weeks earlier, causing the mare to raise her nose in the air; no doubt making an unsavoury comment about the four noisy ponies to her companion.

Fifteen minutes ago on this sunny late autumn Thursday afternoon the four friends had been arranged in a semi circle not far from the impressive statue of Sky Dive, the long-dead mare captured in a rearing pose, sharing a small picnic prepared by Darkstar. Her brother had chosen this spot for its privacy, not to mention beauty, given the close proximity to the lake. Cyclone, in her now trademark attire of simple red dress and pastel pink nappy, had bought the alcohol-free ciders they were drinking.

Air Raid had just helped herself to a sunflower and watercress sandwich when Darkstar, who had just eaten a daisy and wildflower one, had asked how her visit to see Wildfire had gone. Before she could answer however Brightstar and Cyclone had both said they were going to visit her tomorrow, the Friday, as that was the morning they both had free periods at the university.

Air Raid and her conscience had been hoping to avoid this topic and, at first anyway, until the white unicorn repeated her question causing the other two to look at her. Eventually after a few moment’s silence she took a deep breath and considered her reply. There was really no good way of saying what she had to say. Instead she decided on speed, like a band-aid being ripped off a wound. “I dumped her; I told her I wasn't ready to be a full time carer.”

Moments of complete silence followed this proclamation, broken only by the chirping of the birds as they nested for the coming night, and the gentle sounds of the ducks swimming on the nearby lake. Nopony spoke. Nopony made any sound at all. The three as one sat and stared with mouths hanging open in shocked disbelief. Slowly, very slowly, Cyclone got to her hooves and very carefully made her way around the picnic to stand in front of the lime green pegasus. “Say that again.” She said with a forced calmness in her tone.

Nervously Air Raid got to her own hooves, taking a step back away from her friend. "Cy, I…” she started but was quickly interrupted.

“I said, say. It. Again.” This time Cyclone took a step towards the retreating mare, causing the other two to stand as well.

“I…I dumped her, Wildfire, in the hospital. I left her. I walked out and I left her.” Air Raid’s voice was barely audible in the gardens, but the three ponies caught every word.

“You did what!?” Cyclone screamed as she angrily launched herself at her friend with her black wings spread to their full span.

“Hey now,” Brightstar said quietly, lighting his horn to catch the enraged pegasus in his yellow aura. “We should at least give Raid the chance to explain before you rip her head off.”

“Explain what?” Darkstar narrowed her eyes and stepped past her brother and the still-struggling Cyclone held in his glowing yellow magical hold to viciously jab her white hoof at Air Raid’s chest. “What’s there to explain, exactly? We all know what she did, don't we, Air Raid?”

Under Darkstar’s jab Air Raid retreated on to the closely mown grass of the Royal Gardens. She left the pebbled path with genuine fear in her grey eyes. The lime green mare couldn't remember seeing Cyclone or any of her friends with such angry looks on their faces. Angry looks directed specifically at her. Hastily she backed away until her hindquarters impacted the marble statue behind her. “Hey! I know full well what I did, alright?” She shot back, flaring her own wings in a defensive stance.

“How could you Raid?!” Cyclone continued to writhe and squirm uselessly in Brightstar’s aura. “Wily loves the bones of you, you selfish bitch!”

“Cy, I know, alright?” Air Raid snapped back, stomping a hoof into the grass. “I feel like crap for yesterday!”

Brightstar stepped beside the struggling pegasus he was currently restraining, wearing an uncharacteristic scowl. “Start talking Raid; and, make the explanation you're about to give a phenomenally good one.”

Air Raid balked under the blue unicorn’s intense gaze. Finding she couldn't retreat any further the lime green mare sat on her haunches beside the marble statue. “I um, well I ah…I panicked! Alright, I admit, I saw her and I freaked out!” Air Raid tried to defend herself against her friends, ‘well, not friends for much longer,’ she thought. “I do have a career you know!”

“You…” Darkstar took a step forward which became a full charge, her muzzle pulled back in a snarl of rage. “You heartless…aargh!” Words failed the white unicorn and she ended up screaming at her selfish friend as she ran at her.

“Stop.” Brightstar caught his sister in a yellow aura identical to the one that currently held the still-struggling Cyclone. “First of all, Raid, get away from Sky Dive’s statue. Luna catches you on it again you’ll have more than us to deal with. Second,” he said as he stepped backwards, pulling the two struggling mares with him to allow Air Raid the space to move. “Are you seriously saying to us, Wily’s friends, that you put your career above your marefriend?”

“No!” Air Raid took a step forward and away from the statue, heeding the stallion’s advice. “I'm not saying that…it, it's…look, it's complicated alright?”

"Complicated my flank!” Cyclone yelled, still fighting her friend’s magical hold, “You’d better hurry up and make it simple Raid, Brighty ain't gonna hold us forever!”

“They were talking about me being her nurse, taking care of her full time, I…” Air Raid blushed and looked down at the ground. “I was scared. I'm not ready, I can't deal with that…”

“So, when she came back from Trixie’s Place and you said you’d never leave her, that was ponyfeathers?” Darkstar snarled in utter contemptuous rage, “All those times she stood by you! Wily gave her virginity to you! Damnit Raid she loves you!”

“Wily loves you and you treated her like manure!” Brightstar snorted with a stomp of his hoof. “Get your pathetic flank back to that hospital and talk to her!”

Air Raid stepped forward, stomping her own hoof. As much as she knew she was in the wrong and deserved their ire, having her back quite literally against the wall raised her own temper. “Yeah? What if I don't?”

“If you don't I'll shove my horn so far up your ass ponies’ll think you're the new fifth alicorn!” Darkstar screamed.

“Oh yeah? You wanna come try it?” Air Raid’s lips were pulled back in a snarl, her wings wide.

“Nggh…” Cyclone could see where this was going to end, and none of them could really afford a night or two in Canterlot’s jail cells. She squirmed in Brightstar’s weakening magic. “Brighty, put me down and take Darkie home. I'll make sure Raid squares it with Wily.”

"Hmph!” Brightstar released Cyclone from his yellow aura then turned on his hooves and stalked away without a backwards glance, carrying his sister with him who directed a lewd gesture with her hooves at Air Raid as the two unicorns exited the gardens.

“Raid, listen I’m…” Cyclone flared her wings to fight the wobble of not bring held in her friend’s magic as she began, only to be interrupted by the other pegasus.

“Buck you Cy!” Air Raid yelled before turning her back on her black-coated friend and stomping off to her car, leaving Cyclone all alone in the secluded part of the Royal Gardens amidst the half eaten remnants of the picnic they had been sharing.

“Well…that went to shit, didn't it?” Cyclone muttered out loud to the marble statue next to her as she started to tidy away the paper plates, styrofoam cups and the other detritus they had left behind in their haste to leave. “Why am I always the one left clearing shit away?” She groused, dumping a small refuse sack in the nearby trash can. “I mean, would it kill them, to tidy up just once?” She looked at the inanimate statue and sniggered out a laugh. “Heh…sorry about that Sky. Hey, can we keep this argument to ourselves? Only I don't want Luna giving us nightmares for upsetting you.” Cyclone hovered a few feet off the floor and gave the rearing statue a peck on its lips. “Thanks Sky, I know I can trust you…” She giggled at her whimsy when the sound of an engine firing up and car tyres screeching shook her back to herself. “Oh…ponyfeathers!” She cursed, having little choice but to fly after the sound and try to catch it up.

Not for the first time in her life Cyclone cursed her fear of heights as she flew low, as low as equinely possible, over the Royal Gardens in search of her friend’s Fiesta. ‘Damnit…’ she thought irritably, ‘if I could get higher than ten feet off the ground I could find her straight away…’ A blur of movement (the characteristic white roof decorated with Air Raid’s cutie mark was a dead give-away too) off in the distance to her left caught her attention and she flew off after the quickly diminishing vehicle. Thankfully her friend wasn't driving very quickly and in the space of a few short moments Cyclone was able to catch up, flying alongside the driver’s side door. “Raid!” She yelled, “Pull over!”

If Air Raid heard the pegasus flying next to her she gave no sign of it, she kept looking straight forward as she wove in and out of the traffic on the road. Once she passed an electric Colt so close she almost took off the door mirror on that side, forcing Cyclone to swerve out of the way. A swerve that took her into the path of an oncoming eighteen wheeled goods lorry heading to the warehouse end of the Market District.

“Buckin’ hell!” The błack mare swore as the slipstream from the heavy articulated vehicle caught her inside wing and pulled her in towards the large trailer. ‘Shit!’ Flapping her wings she was able to fight the suction and level herself off, only to have to pull up to narrowly fly over an oncoming red Citroen. A few wingbeats and the blaring of car horns later and she was back flying alongside Air Raid’s racing Fiesta. “Raid!” She yelled in abject fear, “Pull over now or you’re gonna kill me!”

Thankfully, to Cyclone at least, her friend began to slow and she signalled to pull into a rest stop at the side of the main road she was on. ‘Merciful Goddesses!’ Cyclone gave silent thanks to the ether and landed on the sidewalk, more than happy to have all four hooves on solid ground; although she suspected she’d need a nappy change due to all the near-death misses she’d just experienced.

“What do you want now Cy?” Air Raid asked with a defeated sigh as she got out of her car and damned the door shut behind her. “You made your feelings pretty clear back in the gardens.”

“Yeah, about that. Look, I'm…I'm sorry Raid, alright?” Cyclone muttered, all of a sudden becoming very interested in her hooves.

“You're sorry?” Air Raid blinked disbelievingly at the black mare who had, barely a few minutes ago, been attempting to reconstruct her face with the business end of her hoof. “Yeah right. What’s changed in the space of five minutes?”

“Look Raid,” Cyclone muttered, still inspecting the ground, “I’m not saying I agree with what you did; but, I can kinda see why you did it, okay?”

“You can? Okay now I'm confused.”

“See, I know you told us all your mom wasn't exactly the ‘maternal’ type, and I bet it was kinda dumped on you all at once…so, yeah, I can see why you’d be hesitant to suddenly become a full-time carer. Even if it is Wily you’d be caring for.” Cyclone finally managed to look her friend in the eyes.

“Uh huh…and, you couldn't say this in front of Darkie and Bright?” Air Raid asked, the ghost of a smile on her muzzle. She had a rough idea what was behind this sudden change of heart.

“Are you joking?” Cyclone asked in reply. “And get jumped on by the angry twins? No thanks hun.” The black mare giggled before turning serious. “Like I said, I don't agree but I can understand. That said, I think you handled it about as badly as you could've ever done. From the sounds of it you were as subtle as a brick to the face. I meant what I said, Raid. You need to go back and settle things with Wily.”

Air Raid ran a hoof through her blue mane uncomfortably as she fidgeted on the pristine Canterlot sidewalk. ‘The street cleaners probably do a better job here because the castle’s right behind us,’ she thought with a grin, which quickly faltered. “Cy, suppose I go back, what in the wide world of Equestria do I say to her?”

“well, I'm no councillor, but I'd think saying ‘sorry’ is a good place to start, and then work it out from there. I'd do it real quick too, I think Darkie was quite serious on turning you into the fifth alicorn.” Cyclone sniggered at that, as did her friend.

"Alright, alright I'll go there in a sec. I'll even get decent flowers this time around.” Air Raid said, still sniggering at the younger mare’s comment. “Hey um, you wanna come with?” She asked hopefully, not wanting to face the world’s angriest and most protective nurse alone.

"Ooh…I’d love to, I really would, but I'm doing that thing for my dad in about an hour and I'm fairly sure it'll take the rest of the day hun.” Cyclone replied with a decidedly excited smile.

Air Raid raised an eyebrow. “Really Cy? You're going ahead with that?” She asked skeptically.

“Yeah, why not?”

“Because your dad wants you to pose in his filthy magazine!”

“It's not filthy, it's Playcolt, as you very well know!” Cyclone defended with a stomp of her hoof, as well as a raspberry aimed at her friend. “As an exec, dad’s promised me the centrefold for this month plus at least five other pages!” She almost bounced with excitement.

“I don't care if it is Playcolt or not. It's still filthy. And I can't believe Tropical Storm expects you to have sex, for Luna’s sake, Cy!”

“For the hundredth time, cloth ears, I'm not having sex! Dad just wants me in my foal clothes; my nappy, my onesie, the pacifier, playing with some toys…what's wrong with that?” The black pegasus demanded.

“What's wrong…what's wro…” Air Raid facehooved, “Cy, I know you’re an exhibitionist and have like, zero shame, but do you really want the whole of Canterlot seeing you like that, really?”

“Raid. It's not about having no shame. I'm doing it because it's fun. Look at those two stallions over there.” Cyclone pointed with a hoof at two stallions walking on the other side of the street. Smiling at them she lifted the harm of her red dress and flashed her rump at them, earning herself two long and loud whistles of appreciation. “See? What's wrong with it? So what I'm stood here in a nappy, it's not as if I'm beating puppies to death with a stick hun.”

“Ugh…fine.” Air Raid sighed, deciding it was best not to argue. “So, what's the real reason you flew after me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on! You don't fly into the path of oncoming traffic, especially you, so what d’you want?” Air Raid asked again.

“Well…there is something Raid.” Cyclone admitted, looking her friend straight in her grey eyes. “Tomorrow's Friday. Y’know, ‘play day’?”

"Cy..." Air Raid put her lime green hoof on her friend’s black shoulder with a genuine smile. “Cy, I know how much being a foal means to you. Whatever happened between us I'd never ever hold it over you or use it as a weapon. I'm your Nana. An argument doesn't change that.”

Cyclone sniffled, moved to tears, something which didn't happen very often. “You…you really mean that, Raid?” When the racer nodded she sniffled some more and reached a hoof into her saddle bag, pulling out two differently coloured liquids held in two glass vials. To her friend’s un-asked question Cyclone quickly explained. “Potions. The yellow one regresses my mind to that of a foal and the blue one impairs my fine motor control, things like co-ordination and balance, and it removes bowel control.” This time she did actually bounce as she secured the precious vials back in her bag.

Air Raid sat on her haunches with her mouth wide open, blinking once, twice then a third time as she processed what Cyclone had just said. “Cy…where in the world did you get those? I mean, are they safe? Are they even legal?” She asked with concern, thinking back to just a few months ago when she had been arrested at the University. “I'm not gonna risk being arrested again, Cy.”

Cyclone sat next to her friend, inching a little closer. “I got them from Zecora, you know, that zebra in Ponyville? I found her webpage on the ‘net. She makes these things, bespoke potions for any and all situations. And, before you ask, she’s totally legal. Got certificates and royal stamps coming out of every orifice.”

“I dunno Cy…you thought this through? Like, if you’re thinking like a foal, how do you know what’s safe or not?” Air Raid couldn't help but feel very skeptical about this course of action.

“Well…I don't, or I won't, that's the point Raid. You’re my Nana. You’ll have to watch me, y’know, like a foal.” Cyclone explained, somewhat nervously at the look she was getting from the green pony sitting in front of her.

“I…I dunno Cy, it's a big ask, hun…” Air Raid started, then faltered at the saddened look Cyclone gave her. “I…I’ll think about it, alright? While I go pull my muzzle outta my plot with a certain yellow pegasus.”

Cyclone couldn't help but giggle. “The great and modest Air Raid admits she has a plot big enough for her whole head?”

"Shut up you,” Air Raid smiled, before turning serious again as she reached for her door release. “Cy…what if it's too late? What if she doesn't forgive me?” She asked uncertainly, her resolve already waning.

"You won't know unless you try, will you? Just go and say sorry, Air Raid.” Cyclone said with a smile as her friend sat back in her car and closed the door. “Whatever you say just say it from here,” she leant through the window and tapped a hoof to Air Raid’s chest, where her heart lay. “Mean what you say, say what you mean. You'll be just fine, Raid. Remember, she does love you hun. Just say you’re sorry.”

"I'll bear that in mind Cy.” She smiled as she started her engine. “Enjoy your mucky photoshoot you big foal.” She smiled and pulled away before her friend could reply, laughing at Cyclone’s raspberry diminishing in her rear view mirror. ‘I'm coming Wily…I'm so sorry…’

~ ~ ~

Air Raid stood alone outside the main entrance to Canterlot Royal Hospital. For the third time in as many days the lime green mare had stood on this very spot. Apprehension and uncertainty coursed through her body, despite her talk with Cyclone. ‘Mean what you say, say what you mean’, she had said. Air Raid let loose a giggle. She couldn't help it. Ponies like Darkstar and Cyclone made it sound so easy, like the script of the latest Applewood blockbuster rom-com.

Standing at the hospital doors Air Raid deeply wished her life was a movie. It'd be so much easier if a pony off to one side of the set would holler ‘cut!’ when she was about to or had done something stupid; though deep down she suspected she'd never actually get anything done. With a heavy heart Air Raid pushed open the large double doors and entered the hospital’s reception. ‘Take two,’ she thought as she trotted over to the desk usually inhabited by Pureheart. The pegasus smiled. She liked that mare. Very easy on the eyes, all sexy in her nurses uniform.

So vivid were her thoughts about Pureheart she didn't the mare at the reception desk wasn't her. “Hey Pure, I'm here to see Wi…” Air Raid’s voice trailed off to silence as the seating pad spun to reveal not Pureheart but the stern glowering visage of the one mare she had been hoping to avoid. “Oh…” Was all she could utter.

Eirene spun in her swivel pad, diverting her attention from the paperwork she had been cross referencing and looked up at the pony that had distracted her, ready with the pleasant smile of the receptionist. A smile which very quickly disappeared as she gazed into the grey eyes of the one mare she dearly hoped to never see again. “You!” She gasped, her own eyes wide as saucers.

"Hey...um, Eirene, right?” Air Raid opened while the nurse was still too shocked to move. She still took a step backwards, in spite of the transparent window separating the two mares above the wooden desk. “Look…I don’t want any trouble…”

“You…don't…want any trouble?” Eirene was almost speechless with anger at the sheer nerve of the green pegasus to just stand in front of her at all. The earth pony nurse was very glad at that moment of the plexiglass keeping the two ponies apart; were it not there she had no uncertainty that she’d be over the desk and on top of the selfish pegasus, to Tartarus with her medical career. “Then…what is it you do want?” She asked through several deep breaths.

“Nurse…Ma’am, I just want to see Wily…please…” Air Raid reflexively took a step backwards, her hooves echoing on the white marble of the hospital floor.

“Well you can't.” Eirene snapped and turned her seating pad away from the lime green mare.

Air Raid stared through the glass for a second before tapping it with a hoof. “Please…I just need to see her for a moment, please nurse.”

“I already said, Miss Raid. No, you can't.” Eirene replied without bothering to turn back and face her.

“Nurse…just five minutes, please! You can come in with me if you want, just let me see Wildfire, please…” She begged, resting both forehooves against the glass.

This time the earth pony nurse did turn to face the desperate pegasus begging at her window. “No. I can't come in with you!” Eirene snapped, her voice rising an octave. “No, I can't let you see her. You want to know why?” She asked irritably. “She's gone! That's why!” The nurse almost yelled when Air Raid merely nodded her head.

“Gone?” She asked incredulously, “What do you mean, ‘gone’?”

"What in the name of Tartarus do you think I mean, Miss Raid?” Eirene asked as she stepped out from behind the desk and approached the green pegasus, her professional façade beginning to slide. “Wildfire is gone. Absent. Removed from her room. AWOL, vanished…and a whole load of other adjectives meaning not being here, Miss Raid. Do you understand yet?”

"Wily’s…really gone?” Air Raid said out loud, asking without really asking.

“Ugh!” Eirene snorted in frustration as she seized the pegasus by her shoulder and proceeded to drag her down the corridor, past the mirror that Cold Front had punched the day before and dumped her outside the open door of room two one four. “There!” She seethed, finally letting her go, “Do you see a pegasus in that bed?”

Air Raid looked where the nurse pointed; sure enough, the bed that previously had been occupied by her marefriend up to yesterday. Where before Wildfire had been sat there struggling to write in Braille, now there was nothing. Nothing but an empty room. The empty bed linen was pressed and ironed, her notes were gone, the ‘get well’ cards and other tokens that her friends had sent to her were all gone. Indeed, if she didn't know better absolute certain, she would have been convinced nopony had ever been in that room. “She’s gone…” She gasped, sitting on her haunches.

“Oh, well spotted, dull stone.” Eirene muttered, not entirely under her breath.

“But…but…I don't, um, I don't…she’s gone…where’s she gone?” Air Raid stammered, she finally accepted, given the evidence her eyes presented her with, that Wildfire was in fact not there.

“That, Miss Raid, is the question at hoof.” Eirene answered sternly, sparing the pegasus a sideways look.

“What d’you mean, that's the question?”

“Well, apparently yesterday afternoon, about three fifteen her father, accompanied by what the staff describe as an ‘intimidating unicorn mare’, discharged her and took her out of the hospital.” Eirene explained tersely as she turned on her hooves and walked slowly back towards the reception area without bothering to wait for the pony still sat outside the open door.

‘Her dad and an intimidating unicorn discharged her…they took Wily away…’ Air Raid thought to herself as she stared dumbly into the empty room. She only realised Eirene wasn't next to her when she turned her head to ask her a question and found she was alone in the corridor. ‘Ugh…’ she hastened to stand and quickly trotted after the earth pony nurse. “Wait up!” She called after the mare and slowed to a trot and again to a stop to stand next to her. “What did they say, anything?”

Eirene gave Air Raid a long hard piercing look, as if she was making her mind up to entrust her with national secrets. Eventually after a few moments silence she took a breath and said, “I wasn't there. This comes from Nurse Pureheart. She was staffing the reception desk yesterday afternoon. She's got the day off today otherwise I'd let her tell you.” The nurse’s stern look turned a little softer when confronted with Air Raid’s distraught look. “All I know is, Cold Front told Pureheart the unicorn was family, an aunt from Fillydelphia, and that was where she was going, to be cared for by her extended family. Pureheart said she didn't get the aunt’s name though, sorry.”

Air Raid listened to the earth pony nurse, she frowned as she filled her in on the events that had transpired since her disastrous visit the day before. Her frown deepened to a scowl when Eirene mentioned a unicorn aunt in Fillydelphia. In all the time she had known Wildfire, Air Raid had never ever heard the pegasus mention any family outside of Canterlot. “Eirene…Nurse…I’m sorry but that’s utter crap.”

To the lime green mare’s intense surprise Eirene smiled. “For once and on this subject we agree completely, Miss Raid.” She put a forehoof upon Air Raid’s shoulder. “In the two days I cared for her, Wily talked incessantly about her mother, her friends…you,” the nurse admitted the last with a shadow of a grimace. “Not once in all the time we talked did she ever mention anything about family living elsewhere in Equestria. I believe you, the question is, what do we do about it?”

“Well…” She began, returning the smile the nurse gave her with a tentative one of her own, welcoming the foreleg currently hung around her shoulder. “The first thing we do is I’ll ring the troops; Dusk, Darkstar, Brightstar, Cyclone and Slingshot. Then, we’ll all go to Wily’s place and have a chat with her dad. From there, I don’t know, to be honest. Wherever she is we’ll find her and bring her back. Then, when we have that mare back safe, I’m gonna get on my bended knees and apologise until I can’t speak anymore. After that I’ll do every single thing in my power to make sure she knows how sorry I am and to make it up to her for what I did.”

Eirene’s smile widened at the obvious passion in Air Raid’s voice. “Then, in that endeavour, I really do wish you the very best of luck,” she wrapped her other leg around the pegasus’s shoulder and pulled her into a warm albeit reluctant hug. “Find her Air Raid. Find her and bring her home.”

Breaking the hug as reluctantly as it was given Air Raid offered the nurse a determined smile. “You have my word we’ll find her…oh damn!” Her smile fell from her face and she cursed as she checked her saddle bag with her right foreleg.

“What is it, Miss Raid?” Eirene asked, curious as to the other mare’s sudden change of mood.

“About ringing the troops…” She trailed off, a bright blush colouring her green cheeks.

“…Yes?” The earth pony prompted with a raised eyebrow.

“I um, well I kinda left my phone at home…the um, ‘mustering of the troops’ will have to wait till I get back…” Air Raid gave an embarrassed smile to the nurse and started to turn to leave, only for Eirene to stop her.

“Here,” she smiled as she quickly scooted behind the reception desk and slid a phone under the plexiglass barrier. “Use mine; call your friends, find my favourite patient.”

Air Raid’s embarrassed smile turned into a wide grateful one. “Thank you, thank you so much!” Taking the slim black phone from the desk and flipped it open to reveal the number keypad. While not exactly the same as her own it was similar enough that she was able to operate it almost straight away. Trotting off to one side of the wide foyer where there were public telephone stalls the racer entered an unoccupied one and got to work dialling her first number.

“Hello?” The rich, clipped female voice on the other end of the line wasn’t the one that Air Raid was expecting.

“Lady Octavia?” She asked, the tiniest bit of disbelief in her voice; not that she’d never spoken to Octavia before, far from it, she just wasn’t expecting her to answer Dusk’s phone. “It’s Air Raid, I was hoping to get Dusk, is he about anywhere please?”

“Dusk? Air Raid thought she detected the smallest trace of reluctant reticence in Octavia’s voice as she spoke, though she couldn’t put her hoof on it. “Dusk is…’unavailable’ right now, Miss Raid, I’m sorry.”

“Unavailable? Pardon me, but how is he unavailable?” She asked, hopefully politely enough, given to whom she was speaking.

“Since he came back from visiting Miss Wildfire Tuesday afternoon Dusk hasn’t come out of his suite. Nor has he allowed anypony in, besides his coltfriend Vocal Chord.” There was a definite ‘tone’ to Octavia’s voice now, a tone that even Air Raid picked up on. “I’m given to understand there was an incident between him and Miss Wildfire at the hospital, yes?”

“You um, you could say that, yes.” Air Raid admitted. ‘Incident’ was a nice way to phrase it, from what Darkie had reported to them following her visit.

“Yes…” Sadness. Air Raid decided finally. That was the tone. A definite note of sadness in her voice. “So we gathered from Miss Darkstar on when she stopped by on Tuesday. It would have been nice to hear it from Dusk himself rather than be greeted by a slammed door of course but, Luna and I are just his parents, why would he speak to us?”

“Alright, Lady Octavia, thank you and sorry for disturbing you this afternoon.”

“You’re most welcome Miss Raid, I apologise for not being able to be of any assistance.” With that Octavia hung up, leaving Air Raid to mull over what she’d been told. That Dusk was still sulking in his suite had come as a surprise to none of them.

Air Raid smiled, offering thanks to the Goddesses that Darkie was a one-pony gossip express. Of course it’d been her that had gone to the palace after her visit. She imagined the unicorn waltzing past the guards as if she owned the place which, knowing Darkie, was precisely what she did.

Sighing she dialled her next number, only to be greeted by Cyclone’s typically exuberant voice mail message.

“Congratulations! You have reached Cyclone’s voice mail box. If you’re a hot mare, you may leave a message at the tone. If you’re one of Wily's friends, you may also leave a message at the tone. If you’re not a hot mare and not one of Wily's friends, call me back when you are!”

Air Raid couldn’t help but snigger at Cyclone’s voice mail message. By far the best five bits she’d ever spent ordering that. Of course, Cy had wanted to change it to ‘If you’re here to change my nappy, you may also leave a message,’ but they’d managed – eventually – to talk her out of it. She wasn’t really surprised Cy’s phone was switched off, after all she was doing that dumb photoshoot for her dad, still it would’ve been nice to hear a friendly voice before she rang Darkstar’s phone. Taking a deep breath she left her message, “Hey Cy, It’s Raid. We have a problem. Wily’s gone from the hospital and they’re not entirely sure where she’s gone to. Gimme a bell when you get this, we need to get together and work something out.”

Cancelling the call a second time Air Raid took a few moments in the telephone stall to steady herself and prepare for the third and final call she was about to make. Dialling Darkie’s number she was at least glad that as it wasn’t her number that would flash up on her friend’s mobile there was a very good chance she’d answer it, whereas had it been her own mobile number on the unicorn’s phone she was sure her call would be dismissed out of hoof. ‘C’mon Darkie…pick up, pick up!’

“Y’hello, who’s this?” Darkstar opened as she answered her phone.

Taking a deep breath to again steady herself she replied as confidently as she could. “Darkie, it…it’s Raid, no don’t hang up, this is important!” She added quickly, fearful that her friend would simply put her phone down.

“What exactly do you want Raid?” Darkstar tried and ultimately failed – although admittedly she didn’t try very hard – to keep the contempt from her voice as she spoke. “I’m halfway through practising a dance routine. In costume.”

“Aaahn…” Air Raid subconsciously whimpered a little at the thought of Darkie wrapping herself around a shiny pole wearing a corset and socks…the pegasus squeezed her hindlegs together for good measure, ‘just in case’, she told herself.

“Raid?” Darkstar asked, the amusement this time very evident, “Wherever you are, you’re drooling. Stop it.”

“I am not drooling!” Air Raid immediately raised a hoof and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

“So…what d’you want Raid? Keep me talking anymore I’ll have to start my warm up bends and stretches again…” The unicorn teased, her earlier ire somewhat toned down after her workout, that and knowing she was getting the pegasus hot and bothered just amused her too much to be too angry.

“I’m at the hospital, I came to apologise to Wily, y’know like we ‘discussed’ earlier.”

“Uh…aaah…uh huh,” Darkstar made the noise suspiciously like she was stretching, which made Air Raid squeeze her hindlegs together all the tighter. “How did that go, exactly?”

“I haven’t been able to Darkie…there’s a problem.” Again like she did earlier back in the Royal Gardens, she spoke quickly, verbally tearing off the band-aid. “Wily’s gone.”

“Gone?” Just that quickly the amused humour was gone. “What do you mean, gone where, Raid?”

“I got here about half an hour ago; Eirene her nurse told me she was gone…” Air Raid paused, contemplating her next choice of words. None of them liked her dad a great deal, if at all. “Apparently Darkie, Cold Front arranged for Wily to go stay with her family, in Fillydelphia…”

“Horse-apples Raid,” Darkstar interrupted, “Wily hasn’t got any family in Filly. Anypony who knows her knows that, what’s that waste of pony fur and a horn done now?”

“Darkie…I dunno, we need to get together and go see him, to get some actual answers from the drunken scumbag.”

“Well, Bright and I have Uni until tomorrow, I know Cy is at yours till Saturday night, so how about the four of us and Slingshot meet up at Café Diem on Sunday lunch time and we’ll work something out?” Darkstar suggested as she tried to get all the times right in her head.

“Four of us? We’re not expecting Dusk anytime soon then?”

“Last I checked Raid he’s still sulking with his pet pooch, licking more than just his wounds I suspect.” Darkstar sniggered, though there was very little humour in her voice. “I assume you’ve tried to ring him?”

“… Yes, I have.”

“And, let me guess, Lady Octavia answered?”

“Yes, she did.”

“Then we can discount Dusk the Great and Sulky.” Darkstar said almost matter-of-factly, “So, Café Diem, this Sunday lunch time.”

“Yeah…” Air Raid agreed, before a thought crossed her mind. “Darkie, are we cool?” She asked nervously.

“Raid…yes, we’re cool. There’s nothing we can do for now till Sunday, so get in your car, get over here and be my willing audience while I practise my new routine.”

~ ~ ~

Wildfire stood trembling in the office of Amethyst Glory. Her hooves echoed on the cold ceramic tiles of the floor, though this wasn’t what was making the small pegasus tremble. No, what caused her to tremble were the cold metal shackles secured just a little too tight around the ankles of her four hooves – unlike the hoofcuffs she had enjoyed with Air Raid and Darkstar these were definitely not padded, the bare metal already starting to chafe at the skin under her fur – these in turn were held to the tiles by eight inch chains connected to D rings in the floor, these short chains held Wildfire’s forelegs a few inches wider apart than shoulder width. The heavy bare metal collar cinched around her neck was joined to the D ring in front of her by a twelve inch chain, forcing her head down in an awkward bowing stance just to get some slack.

From her heads-down position her ears flicked and swivelled, attempting to give her some details about her current environment. Sadly from the limited auditory clues she had to go with these were few and far between. She knew from her short visit to this room on the afternoon of her first day it was a roomy office, roughly twenty five feet square, with a desk and seating pads around it. She had been allowed a few moments to walk around the office, to ‘see’ it with her hooves and the tips of her wings. That was four days ago now, and as she stood shackled to the cold tiled floor on this Sunday morning, Wildfire deeply wished she was anywhere else.

Behind and to her right she knew Amber Leaves was standing, waiting, watching her. Wildfire knew it was the unicorn mare from the way she alternated from one forehoof to the other, probably a nervous habit, when she was stationary. Silently Wildfire was glad she was stationary and pacing her hooves. It meant she wasn’t whipping the fur from a pony’s back, and Wildfire had heard the screams that attested to her skill in that regard.

To her left and again behind her was the simply mountainous form of Lotus Stripes. There was no other way to describe him; the earth pony was just huge, and every square inch of him was muscle. Mean muscle at that. His slow, deep heavy breathing betrayed him to the blind pegasus. Very quickly upon arriving at the care home and being thrown into what was little more than a cell, after a quick inspection she had discovered her new living area was a ten feet by eight feet rectangle with a shelf that she assumed was a bed at one end and a toilet at the other. Quickly though Wildfire had learned the mistake of opening her mouth, especially to these two ponies, a rough lesson she learnt first-hoof when breakfast came on Thursday morning.

Standing outside her cell, Lotus banged on the metal door to rudely awaken the sleeping pegasus from her restless slumber. “Get up!” Was the only warning she got as the door was thrust open to clang loudly against the wall.

“Wha…what th…” Wildfire uttered, raising her head from the ‘bed’, following the two successive loud banging noises.

“I said ‘get up!’ you worthless pile of feathers!” Lotus Stripes roughly dropped the tray he was holding and kicked it over to the bed, slopping the water over the crispy bread rolls. “Breakfast.”

Sliding herself off of the bed to the floor she sniffed at the tray with disappointment on her face. Nudging the bowl with a hoof she sniffed, breathing in a deep breath she tried in vain to detect any other thing on the tray besides bread and water. There was none; and she was really in the mood for her usual bowl of oats…from Air Raid’s bowl, in Air Raid’s bedroom, in Air Raid’s house and eating it from between Air Raid’s hindlegs. “Is this all there is?” She asked with a loud yawn.

All she heard in response was three heavy set hoof-steps echo loudly on the tiled floor and the very next thing Wildfire felt was a heavy punch hit her squarely on the back of her head behind her left ear, the force of which sent her muzzle first into the bowl of rolls, scattering a couple onto the floor and spilling more of the water. “Oow! What the bu…”

“Ungrateful bitch!” Lotus Stripes aimed a hard stiff kick which connected with Wildfire’s abdomen, rolling her over on her side onto the floor, coughing and heaving for breath. “Thank Amethyst for this meal! I’ll be back to get the tray, there better not be any bread left when I do.”

Shivering in fear and shackled to the office floor of the care home director Wildfire recalled with dread what happened thirty minutes later when the earth pony stallion had thundered into her cell to collect the tray. Apparently she had missed a half a bread roll that had landed in the corner of the room. Three days later it still hurt her to breathe after Lotus had kicked her repeatedly in her gut; he only stopped kicking when she had thrown up. Twice.

“Nggh…” Wildfire winced in pain from the bowed position her body was forced into, the muscles of her thighs and calves screaming as her hindlegs were stretched; she desperately wanted to lift and stomp her hindlegs to relieve the agony in her joints, or to lie down on the tiled floor, anything to ease the pressure in her legs. “Aah…” She whimpered quietly, she knew better than to stomp her hooves, especially after the ‘lesson’ that Amber Leaves had given her on Friday afternoon.

Wildfire froze as the sound of stepping from hoof to hoof ceased. “Did you say something, Pegasus?” Amber Leaves asked dangerously, her eyes narrowed.

Internally Wildfire panicked. She recognised the threat in that voice. Her ears flicked in Amber’s direction to her right, picking up on the absence of the pacing. That wasn't good, especially for the pony in front of her. Hesitantly she cocked her head to her to her left, shivering as she heard Lotus’s breathing slow and get shallower. As much as she could Wildfire braced herself for the strike she knew was coming.

"I said, ‘did you say something?’” Amber asked again when she got no reply, this time Wildfire heard her take a step towards her.

Fighting through the pain in her back and thighs Wildfire forced her body still and shook her head ‘no’. She knew the reply Amber wanted. The yellow pegasus wasn't fool enough to reply vocally more than once.

"I thought not, Pegasus." Amber spat at her, figuratively and literally, her spit hitting the cutie mark on Wildfire’s right flank as she stepped back to resume her previous stepping from hoof to hoof.

For a few minutes the only sounds in the office were the pacing of Amber Leaves and the steady breathing of Lotus Stripes. To Wildfire the sound was pervasive, almost a sentient entity. If they were going to beat her she wished they’d get it over with so she could recover in her cell. Idly she wondered if her dad knew or cared that the care home staff he had signed her over to were abusing her almost daily. Probably not.

Just as she was about to force the issue Wildfire heard the door open behind her and the next sound she heard made her shiver all the more. There was no greeting, no pleasantries exchanged, just the ominous sound of horseshoes against the tiled floor. Slow, deliberate hoof-steps walked from behind her on her left side, around to the desk in front of her and she heard the pony take to the seating pad behind it.

Again silence. That all-encompassing silence. Wildfire knew she was being scrutinised. She could almost feel those cold dispassionate eyes all over her. Still the pegasus remained still and silent. Amethyst would speak when Amethyst was ready, and not before.

After a few seconds of further quiet Amethyst finally spoke. “Why has ‘Wildfire’…”  - Listening intently the pegasus was sure she detected a certain inflection when the director said her name, as if it was forced somehow. - “Been brought before me today? Mr. Stripes, can you explain please?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Lotus Stripes took a step forward, the hoof-step making the yellow mare flinch away involuntarily. “Yesterday and today it has purposefully broken two vases due to her clumsiness. On both occasions it walked into the same table, knocking over what was on it.”

“Is this true?” Amethyst asked, looking over her half-moon glasses at the chained mare before her.

“Yes…but…” Wildfire hesitantly replied, finding her voice at last. “But, Ma’am, they moved the table! How was I to know where it was?” This time the mare actually did stomp her hindleg in indignation.

Long seconds ticked their way past on the wall clock as Amethyst looked severely at her two members of staff. While both wanted to beat the insolent pony for having the nerve to complain, the director held them both in place with her gaze, no magic necessary. “I see,” she said finally. “We cannot have that, can we?” Lighting her horn she released the shackles holding Wildfire’s forelegs and neck.

Straight away the pegasus sat on her haunches, rubbing her left foreleg around her neck where thee heavy metal collar had been.

“Mr. Stripes, Miss Leaves, kindly apologise to…to ‘Wildfire’, if you please.”

Only the stern look that Amethyst Glory was giving the both of them made the two ponies utter the apologies requested of them, reluctant given though they were.

“There, that’s better.” Amethyst smiled, somehow managing to sound more dangerous than before. “Now, I believe this belongs to you.” She lit her horn once more, levitating Wildfire’s black leather poetry book over to her.

“This…is my book…” For the first time since getting here in this damned pit of a place Wildfire smiled as she held the book in her forelegs like a precious foal, feeling the textured cover with the frogs of her hooves, running them over the embossed letters on the front. Breathing in she smelled the parchment pages and even the ink on them. More than just a mere book for the first time in a long time Wildfire felt like her mother was here with her, and the home didn’t seem that bad. “Thank you Ma’am.”

“Here, have a pen and some extra paper. They aren’t parchment but, I hope they’ll suffice?” Amethyst asked, pouring on the sugar, much to the disgust of Amber and Lotus.

“Ma’am, thank you Ma’am.” Wildfire was genuinely grateful as the pen and paper were floated over to her.

“Now then, Miss Leaves, would you be so very kind as to escort ‘Wildfire’ back to her room? Carefully if you please, we don’t want any more ah…’accidents’, do we?”

"Yes Ma'am, Warden Glory,” Amber Leaves gave the director a deep respectful bow and ushered the blind pegasus out of the office, with considerately more care than she helped to bring her into it.

Lotus Stripes approached the desk with a bow. “Warden Glory…with respect Ma’am, why so cautious with this one?”

“It’s very simple Lotus,” Amethyst smirked a devious smirk as even now her plan began to take effect. “I am the carrot, you are the stick. Understand?” Her smile widened. “This one has spirit, I’ll grant it that much. But, we will break it just like we broke the ones that came before it.”

"Of course we will, Warden Glory, it's just a matter of time.” Lotus assured her with a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Time we do not have, Lotus. I want it prepped and ready for the Hearths Warming season. Filthy has placed his usual order and, above all else, we do not disappoint him, do we Lotus?”

“No, Warden, we do not.”

"Just think, Lotus, think how much more we can make from that one.” Amethyst’s eyes gleamed with bit signs. “We can tap the vein of the stuck up rich desperate to give to charity to assuage their consciences. If it does well with Filthy we can rent it out to any of the noble families looking for some fun.”

~ ~ ~

"Oh for buck's sake, damnit!” Air Raid slammed her coffee mug down hard on the low coffee table in her great room, snapping off the handle and cracking it open, leaking the hot contents onto the wooden surface and dripping to her hardwood floor. “It’s been a month now Cy, why haven’t we found her?” The lime green mare fumed, punching the table with her other hoof and sending the tray of freshly baked chocolate and cinnamon haycakes to the floor as well. “OOW! What do you think?”

“Raid, what I think,” Cyclone smiled as she shifted her position on her seating pad opposite her friend and carefully set down her own mug, “Is that you need to calm down. Seriously babe that’s the third mug you’ve broken since I’ve been here; and I’ve only been here four hours.”

“Oh ha, ha Cy,” Air Raid reached for the roll of paper towels she kept suspiciously close to hoof. “You know full well what I meant.”

“Yes hun, I know what you meant.” Cyclone sighed and reached a foreleg down to scoop up the spilled haycakes, helping herself to one as she did so. “I think we can’t do much more than we are doing; we’ve contacted the mayor of Filly, we’ve phoned the police out there, we’ve got in touch with the royal guard barracks out there, Tartarus Raid we even got Hot Spot to talk with the fire teams in Filly. Brightstar’s skyped his aunt and uncle over there, so…what more can we do?”

“Ugh…I know Cy, I know.” Air Raid groaned as she got up and trotted with her broken mug to the trash can. “It just feels like we should be doing more, y’know?” She asked rhetorically, dumping the fragments of mug into the can. “I just can’t shake the feeling she’s in trouble Cy.”

“Now there,” Cyclone smiled thinly as she took two vials; one blue, one red, from her saddle bag. “I know exactly what you mean. I can’t shake that feeling either babe.”

Trotting back to the great room and her seating pad Air Raid eyed the two potions warily. “Do you have to drink those things Cy?”

Earnestly the black pegasus nodded. “Uh huh. I’ve got a double dose for this weekend.” Cyclone had a glint of excitement in her blue eyes that unnerved Air Raid no end.

“Um…why, exactly? Not that I don’t mind being your Nana, you know I’ll do it, but won’t a stronger dosage make you even younger or something?” She asked uncertainly.

“No you silly filly,” Cyclone giggled, “I’ve got the age set around three years old. The stronger dose just means they’ll last longer that’s all.” She smiled, uncorking the two vials and setting them in front of her.

“And, why would you want that hun?”

“Simple,” Cyclone explained. “You’re leaving for that big race in Filly mid-week right? You’ll be gone for three weeks. I want to get my bits worth for this weekend, today and tomorrow, maybe even till Monday if they last that long, before you go. Is that cool?” She asked hopefully, bouncing a little on her seating pad. “C’mon Raid, please! Pretty please with a really big cherry on top, please!”

“Hehehehe,” Air Raid chuckled at her friend’s desperate begging. She did enjoy teasing the other pegasus. “Well, seeing as my little foal asked so nicely, I don’t see why not. I’ll take you to the park I think today, for a Saturday in November it’s pretty warm, so drink up it’s already mid-day.”

“Yay!” Cyclone shrugged off her saddle bag, she wouldn’t be needing that as Air Raid had her own already made up with the necessary supplies they’d need, plus as a foal she was unbalanced enough as it was without the added weight of her bag. As was now her custom she reached for the blue potion first, which in a few seconds would impair her co-ordination and bowel control. “Ugh…” She winced as the syrupy potion slid down her throat. “It looks like moonshine but it don’t taste like it.”

Air Raid took a breath and was about to comment when her friend cut across her. “Don’t start Raid, alright? I know what I’m doing. I trust this and I trust you.” Cyclone then swallowed the red liquid, grimacing even more than she had with the blue. Air Raid paid it no mind any more. This was the fifth time she’d witnessed it and bizarrely it was starting to get normal. Outwardly there was no sign of any change; there never was. Inside was where the potions were taking their respective effects. Already the red potion was starting to block and inhibit the flow of the neurons in her brain, slowing her thought processes and dimming her understanding.

“Cy, you know that stuff is narcotic, right?” The lime green mare picked up the now-empty vial that had held the red potion and gave it a sniff, crinkling her muzzle. She’d done a little digging into these potions, and didn’t like what she had discovered.

“Na…Nar…cot…ic?” Cyclone had tilted her head to one side, processing the long word syllable by syllable as if it was the first time she’d ever said it. Somewhere in the back of her brain she knew what it meant, but like a computer with a broken link, she couldn’t access it. “What’s that Nana?”

Air Raid sighed deeply and rubbed her temple with a hoof. It concerned her that the potions were already taking effect. Five weeks ago they’d had to wait a good fifteen minutes. Now it was practically instantaneous. “Cy…it means ‘addictive’,” the green mare let out a giggle at the blank look she received. “The more you have the more you want…oh, never mind.” She shook her head, realising she was getting nowhere fast. “C’mon little filly, let’s go to the park.”

"The park, the park!” Cyclone bounced happily on the pad she was sitting on, clapping her forehooves together excitedly like, well like a little filly, which at that point she was.

Air Raid smiled warmly as she wrapped the thick padded strap around her filly’s left forehoof, securing it with the velcro end. She attached a similar band to her own forehoof, this time her right one. Between them was an extendable plastic wire linking the two straps together. Air Raid had quickly learnt to her cost that this simple device was necessary when taking an actual foal for a walk, as she’d underestimated how fast her filly could run off on her own.

‘Oh damnit!’ She thought as she juggled her house keys in one hoof while Cyclone pulled eagerly on the other. Five weeks of doing this and she still didn’t know how real parents did it. ‘Real foals aren’t Cy’s size, that’s got something to do with it’, Air Raid sniggered to herself as she finally got her front door locked. Thankfully the park was only a few streets away from her place, with only one main road to cross. “Cy! Bad filly! Walk with Nana Raid or we go back.”

Immediately Cyclone stopped pulling on the hoof strap and contained herself to a trot at her Nana’s right side. “Sowwy Nana, I be good!”

“Good filly,” Air Raid smiled and extended her right wing over her friend for comfort as they approached the four lane wide main road; she’d also learnt pretty quickly that loud noises scared filly-Cyclone.

Cyclone in turn huddled close to her Nana while she pressed the button with her left forehoof that activated the crossing point. “Cars scawy Nana…” the black mare whimpered into Air Raid’s flank.

“Hey…hey, it’s okay little filly,” Air Raid whispered into Cyclone’s ear as the cars stopped and she guided her to the central reservation. “Tell your Nana what you’re gonna do at the park.”

Distracted from the speeding vehicles in front of her Cyclone giggled and clapped her hooves together. “Imma go on the slide and roundabout and the sand-box!” She babbled excitedly, making Air Raid chuckle at her.

“C’mon then little one,” still chuckling Air Raid steered her friend over to the other side of the street. “Isn’t the slide a little too high for my filly though?” She asked with a grin.

“Um…” Cyclone mumbled, her usual boundless confidence reined in by the inhibiting effects of the potions, “Maybe Nana. I play in the sand-box. That’s on the floor. Not up high.”

“Hmm…I think that’s a good idea Cy.” Air Raid agreed, removing her wing from her friend’s back and giving her a quick feathery scratch behind her ear. “Who’s a clever filly?”

Cyclone scrunched up her muzzle, looking thoroughly adorable as she mulled over the answer to the question. “Me!” She squealed, her eyes wide with barely contained excitement. “I’m a clever filly!”

“Yes, yes you are, my clever little filly.” Air Raid tousled her filly’s mane and removed the strap around her hoof as they passed through the open wrought-iron gates of the Residential District’s East side park. Thankfully, she noted with a cursory glance around, for a Saturday it wasn’t very busy. She assumed it was due to families starting their Hearths Warming shopping. “Go play Cy!”

“Yaaaaaay!” Freed from her restraint Cyclone shot off like a rocket towards the sand-box, making her caretaker giggle as she almost tripped over her hooves twice on the way.

Happy that Cyclone was headed for the sand-box Air Raid trotted over to one of the three nearby benches, the one only occupied by a lone middle aged unicorn stallion holding a newspaper in his pale blue magic. “Hey, sorry to bother you, is it cool if I sit with here?” She asked of the dark blue stallion sitting on the bench.

Looking up from his paper the stallion folded it away and smiled. “A good looking young mare asks is it cool if she can share my bench? Oooh I think I can stand that.” He gestured with a hoof as he magically floated away the newspaper into his bag. “I’m Diamond Mint, my lovely mare, pleased to meet you.”

"Air Raid and, while I might be lovely,” Air Raid smiled, taking a seat on the bench and making herself comfortable next to Diamond Mint, “I like mares. Sorry my handsome pony.”

“Alas! I’ve been shot down, oh woe is me!” Diamond drew his lower foreleg to his brow in a dramatic swoon. “How shall I ever recover from this heartbreak?” He asked with a wink to the pegasus sat next to him.

“Well, I’m not stopping you looking, if that’ll make you feel any better?” Air Raid returned the wink, swishing her tail suggestively.

“I say, that’s perfectly charitable of you Ma’am,” Diamond replied, affecting a perfect imitation of a stereotypical Canterlot accent only usually heard in comedy clubs - or the actual very upper classes. “But, as one’s dear Mama is wont to say,” the stallion carried on with a twinkle in his blue eye, “if you can’t play with the toy then don’t ogle the box it comes in.” He finished his quote, dropping the affected accent and laughing out loud which in turn made the pegasus next to him laugh as well.

“S-so…so y-you’re a d-dad?” She asked through fits of giggles.

“Why as it happens yes I am, is it that obvious?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Hmm…no, but you do have a bag of foal supplies next to you, you reek of foal powder and you keep looking at that little light blue filly in the sand-box.” Air Raid giggled, “So, it’s just a guess…”

Diamond Mint laughed. "A proper little detective pony aren't we?" He asked rhetorically through a wide smile. “Yes, that little unicorn filly is my youngest foal, Cinnabelle; she’ll be three a couple of days after Hearths Warming. So, which one’s yours…hey…what’s that mare think she’s playing at?”

Immediately Air Raid picked up on Diamond’s change of tone and looked to where he was looking: the sand-box, now occupied by Cyclone and the actual filly. Her gut fell through her ass when she saw them there together. “Oh…um…yeah, that uh…that would be my filly.” She uttered with no small hint of embarrassment present in her voice.

“Your filly?” He asked incredulously, any hint of humour long gone. “Care to explain, Air Raid?”

“Well uh…she’s my friend; her name’s Cyclone, she’s nineteen and she attends Canterlot University. I’ve known her for about four years and she has a…well, she has a…adult foal fetish…” Air Raid’s voice got quieter and quieter until she was silent and looking at her hooves.

“An adult foal…wait…I’ve heard of that.” Diamond Mint replied, his tone softening a little. “My sister’s friend is into all that weirdness.”

“I’ll admit I don’t see the appeal of it but I wouldn’t say it was weird, mate.” Air Raid smiled, encouraged slightly by the stallion’s softer tone. “We all like different things don’t we?” She asked nervously as she watched them both playing happily together in the sand-box. “They uh…seem to be getting on alright, don’t they?”

“That they do, Air Raid.” Diamond said warily, not taking his eyes off of his filly and Cyclone busying themselves making a sand castle, both clapping their hooves, justifiably proud of their achievement.

“Yay Belle!” Cyclone clapped her hooves in celebration of their little sand castle standing in the sand-box. “You did it!” She started to press the slightly wet sand together with her hooves, fashioning a rough tower.

“You did too Cy!” Cinnabelle squealed with delight as she watched her new friend create this, in her eyes at least,  masterpiece.

"We did it both us!” Cyclone giggled as she fell backwards in the sand-box, knocking over her newly created tower.

“Aww Cy you tower!” Cinnabelle pouted at the loss of such a vital structure. What was going to keep the sand pony princess safe in her castle now?

“Nggh!” Cyclone grunted as she righted herself in the sand. “It ok, I build ‘gain.” She giggled and demonstrated her claim, pressing the crumbled sand back together.

“Ooh!” Cinnabelle gasped in wonderment and clapped her hooves together excitedly at the reconstructed tower. “You pretty clever Cy.”

Cyclone was having so much fun she didn't hear the ‘clever’ bit. The black mare heard the ‘pr’ of ‘pretty’ and looked up, smiling at her little friend. “Pwetty…I pwetty?” She asked, her eyes wide and her filly’s brain trying to process what she'd heard. Cinnabelle had called her pretty. She knew she was her friend; only friends told each other things like that. Something fired from somewhere in the depths of her mind, somewhere that ordinarily would've been tightly locked away. A spark of an impulse that connected with neurons in her head. She'd called Air Raid ‘pretty’ and Air Raid had kissed her. You call ponies pretty they kiss you. Ponies call you pretty you kiss them. The logic seemed very simple to Cyclone.

Cinnabelle had called her pretty.

Cyclone knew what to do.

“Hey!” Diamond Mint’s angry yell almost made Air Raid drop her mobile phone. Distracted from her call to Slingshot finalising details of the race and trip to Fillydelphia, she looked up and her jaw fell open. “What the buck’s going on?”

Cyclone with her lips very clearly pressed to Cinnabelle’s blushing cheek was what was going on.

‘Oh no, Cyclone! What've you done!?’ She thought, full of shocked disbelief. “Hey…Hey! Diamond I'm sure it's not what it looks like…”

“Not what it looks like!?” Diamond Mint had had shot to his hooves and in the space of heartbeats had angrily covered the distance between the bench and the sand-box. “It looks like your friend is molesting my daughter, is what it looks like!”

"Wh-what? N-no, no you aren't are you Cy?” Air Raid asked desperately, momentarily forgetting under stress that her friend had taken the potions.

“Daddy my friend did kiss me!” Cinnabelle squeaked happily, entirely unaware of the situation.

Cyclone looked up in confusion, unsure why her Nana and this stallion were shouting at her all of a sudden. “Belle says I pwetty. So I kiss her.” She finished with pride that made Air Raid facehoof.

“Yes Cinnabelle I know sweetie, I saw her,” Diamond muttered through gritted teeth, picking the filly up in his pale blue magical aura.

Air Raid put herself between Cyclone and Diamond, in an attempt to diffuse the situation. “Diamond, mate, can't we work this out?”

“What's to work out? Your pervert of a friend kissed my filly and you’re trying to smooth it over! I don't think so!” Diamond started to stomp away, Cinnabelle starting to whimper as she floated along next to him and Cyclone on the verge of tears in the sand-box as well. “You’ll hear from the police about this, Celestia help me if you don't!”

For a brief moment there was silence, a stunned silence, except for the low whimpers from Cyclone. Air Raid had one hoof to her head and the other one her friend’s shoulder. The very last thing she needed was more trouble with the police, after all it was only a few months since she’d been arrested at the University for ‘exposing herself to minors’, now to be involved in this as well? And, what of Cy? As far as she knew her record was spotless but something like this, it would follow her around for the rest of her life. “Raid? Air Raid, you there?” Slingshot’s voice sounded from the speaker of her phone however she was still too stunned to answer.

“Na…Nana…has I done a bad?” Cyclone looked up at her Nana Raid with quivering lips, her blue eyes full of tears.

“I…uh…hey ’Shot, I’ll…call you back bro, this is a bad time right now…just, carry on in Filly as you see fit, you know what you’re doing.” She hung up and squeezed her friend’s shoulder again with a thin watery smile. “Yeah sweetie, you did a bad, real bad.”

“B…Bu…But…” Cyclone stammered, starting to cry as she gave way to the tears she had been barely holding back. “I…I don’t mean to!” She howled into her hooves.

“I know Cy, I know.” Air Raid, with some considerable effort on her part, lifted the bawling pony onto her back and started to slowly walk back to her home. “Let’s get you home.” At the very least she hoped the damned potions would wear off before the police came knocking.

~ ~ ~

With closed eyes Amethyst Glory sat on her seating pad at her desk, her half-moon glasses folded in front of her on top of a small mountain of paperwork. Propped up by the elbows of her forelegs she massaged her temples with her hooves and the bridge of her nose with her magic in a vain attempt to alleviate the sheer amount of frustration she was experiencing. She let out a tiny groan, more than a whimper but less than a deep sigh, to give vocalisation to the emotions she was feeling. It wasn’t enough. Nothing she was trying was or would ever be enough.

The only other sound in the office, besides the never-ending incessant ticking of the antique wall clock was the low steady breathing of the titanic earth pony who was currently occupying the seating pad opposite the director. Lotus Stripes carefully looked up over at Amethyst in the middle of her self-calming routine, looking out of hand corners of his eyes like he was a colt afraid of being caught in wrong doing.

Eventually after roughly fifteen minutes Amethyst finally opened her eyes and ceased the rubbing of her temples, lowering her hooves and levitating her glasses back to her nose. Taking a deep breath she addressed the stallion in her usual measured tone. “Talk to me Lotus. Tell me it is finally ready. Make me smile Lotus, can you do that?”

For all his huge size Lotus Stripes found he couldn't look directly at the smaller unicorn mare sat on the other side of the desk. Studying his large powerful hooves he felt like he was back at school having his latest paper scrutinised by the teacher. He shook his head slightly, wishing he knew how Amethyst Glory did it; without even casting a spell she awed and inspired him in equal measure. “No, Warden Glory, I'm sorry to report it is still…resisting.”

“Still?” Amethyst shot him a look of disbelief. “It is still resisting? How? Explain it to me Lotus.”

“I…I cannot, Warden. She has such a strength of will and a tolerance for pain I haven’t seen in years, Warden.” He spoke quietly, though every word carried perfectly to the unicorn.

“Careful Lotus,” Amethyst cautioned him, “You almost sound like you admire it.” She balled up a couple of pieces of parchment in her magic and sent them flying into the trash can next to her desk. “You do of course realise what this means, yes?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lotus Stripes actually hung his head. Truth be told he did admire that pegasus. She had been in the care home a few days shy of two months now; he had personally beaten her several times for anything from breaking a worthless glass vase to not eating her food. The first few times she had cried and complained, which had of course lead to more beatings. Ever since she had her book back though she hadn’t even screamed; Lotus had left her bleeding and bruised in her cell three times himself, but beyond the involuntary gasps of pained breath Wildfire took it in silence. Yes, he admired her. He admired her a lot. “Yes Warden, I know what it means…”

“It means, Lotus,” Amethyst interrupted, cutting across him with ease, “That with just two weeks to go to Hearths Warming Eve, It will not be ready for Filthy’s order. That means I will not be sending the blind pegasus I promised him and that means I have disappointed him. And, when I disappoint him it means hundreds of thousands of charitable bits from his idiotic rich friends do not get sent our way.” Amethyst’s face turned hard, with a particularly nasty look about it. “When I lose money I get angry, Lotus. When I get angry a pony gets hurt.”

Lotus lifted his large head with a shiver, at once hoping that it wouldn’t be him. “There is always Winter Wrap Up, Ma’am.” He said, hoping to improve the director’s mood.

“Winter Wrap Up…Winter Wrap Up…hmm…” Amethyst tapped her chin with a hoof, the jewelled gears in her head already starting to turn, ideas beginning to form in her mind. Perhaps Lotus had a very good point. Yes they had missed Hearths Warming. It was done, it was the past, there was no point moping about it now…now they had to salvage the situation…after New Years the Winter Wrap Up ball was the first event of the year and it was still ten weeks away. “Lotus Stripes. Let me make myself perfectly clear. I want it ready for Upper Crust’s charity ball. Are we clear?”

“As crystal, Warden Glory. As crystal…” Lotus went quiet, lost in his train of thought.

Immediately Amethyst caught the change in her most trusted lieutenant. “What is it?” When he shook his head absent-mindedly she asked again, a slight edge to her voice. “Lotus, what is it? If you have something to say, then say it.”

“Warden, what more can I do to her?” Lotus asked, not catching the twitch in Amethyst’s eye at the use of ‘her’ instead of ‘it’. “I beat her. On your orders I beat her. Again and again I hit her, I knock her to the floor of her cell and every time she gets back up. She gets up and she gets up until she physically can’t stand up anymore. She doesn’t make a single sound. Beyond breaking bones, what can I do to her?”

“It!” Amethyst exploded with fury, slamming her forehooves into her desk, scattering her neatly stacked paperwork in all directions. “It! It! It is not a ‘she’ or a ‘her’, it is a thing!” Lotus flinched and cowered under her tirade, alarmed at the wide-eyed almost crazy look on her face, her muzzle forming a vicious snarl. “It is mine! I own it! You will do to it whatever you have to, is that clear Lotus? It likes to defy you by getting up? Break its leg. If it still tries to get up, break it again!”

“It would be my sincerest pleasure, Warden.” In spite of the reservations the giant earth pony had just given voice to his eyes sparkled. To be given leave to turn his full strength against the much smaller mare…it made him salivate just imagining the screams he could tear from her. He licked his lips, picturing the scene in his head. Sure she was proud of getting up, proud of not uttering so much as a whimper. That would soon change. Autumn Leaves might be proficient with her whips and crops and scourges…he didn’t need such things. A stallion of his size all he needed was a well-placed strike of his hoof and that pegasus would be writhing in pain screaming his name like a favoured lover.

“Good…good, now…that’s better.” Amethyst sat back on her seating pad, forcing herself to breathe deeply she picked up the scattered papers in her magical aura, floating them back neatly in their respective places as she regained her outwardly calm demeanour. Casting a look up at the clock she smiled a nasty smile. “One O’clock. Its celery has just been served. I think you should go and ensure Miss Hazel Rose’s labour in the kitchen does not go to waste today, Lotus. As Lotus Stripes turned to leave the director’s office Amethyst levitated her telephone to her. “Make sure it understands. In the meantime I have to call its father. Jubilee reports the white unicorn is snooping around in our business.” She turned her attention to the phone and began to dial.

~ ~ ~

“Ngghhhh…” In her tiny eight by ten foot cell Wildfire grunted in pain from the bruises along her entire right side. She was sure at least two of her ribs were cracked on that side, not that anypony here cared. She shifted on her bed…ha! Bed…that was a laugh. She shifted on the hardwood shelf that was called her bed – there wasn’t even a mattress or sheets – in a vain attempt to get comfortable. Still, after forty nine days she knew better than to complain. The yellow pegasus smiled a thin humourless smile; Calculus always called her a slow learner, yet it had taken her just twenty one days to learn to keep her mouth shut. Her smile became wider. They hated it so much when she didn’t scream for them.

“OooOOW b-bucking hell!” Wildfire cursed when she moved, slamming her right forehoof into the bed to let the pain out. Quickly she shifted again, moving the pressure from her injured ribs. “Aaah…that’s better…” She sighed with relief as the pain slowly ebbed away. This was the only time now she allowed herself to show any kind of reaction. When she was alone.

Thing is…she wasn’t alone. Not really.

Allowing herself a small grin Wildfire reached her left foreleg under the bed and felt around until her hoof nudged the side of her book. Gripping it carefully she lifted it up to the bed and stroked the black leather cover. Wildfire didn’t need to see in order to know the details of this book. She knew every gold embossed letter. Caressing it like it was her own foal she felt the parchment pages and all the extra sheets of paper Amethyst had given her. She still didn’t know why the head warden allowed her this, the extra paper and the pen. These extra sheets were sandwiched between the inside cover and the first parchment page.

Delving back under the bed Wildfire swiftly located the pen that she had been given. Just an ordinary regular run-of-the-mill everyday pen. A ball point biro, ten a bit at any ‘everything for one bit’ store. For what must’ve been the millionth time she ran her hoof along it. For the millionth time she dearly missed her gold plated re-fillable calligraphy pen that her mother had given her with the book. She caressed the ordinary pen, imagining she could feel the engraving on the side that read ‘To Wily, Love You Always, Mum’. To have one without the other, the book without the pen, was like having one wing without the other. Still, right now, Wildfire knew she shouldn’t be picky. She knew at this point she was a lucky pony just to have her book.

Turning over the thick textured leather cover Wildfire carefully removed the fifty five paper pages. Almost all of them were full of her braille writing. Unlike the rest of her book she knew the wardens couldn’t read what she was writing here; it felt like her own secret language, although she wasn’t looking forward to having to ask Amethyst for more fresh paper. Stacking the sheets neatly together she placed them to the left of her to read afterwards. Reverently Wildfire turned the parchment pages, counting in her head she turned past the Air Raid section – in truth she was sorely tempted to tear these out, but the thought of desecrating her book was too abhorrent to bear – and the sections reserved for her friends. Reaching page fifty she knew she was at the right place. She felt the paperclip with her hoof; that tiny insignificant metal shaped object that held the second most important object to her in all the world.

“M-Mum…” Wildfire winced and drew in a sharp breath of pain as she sniffled and rolled her shoulders, the movement aggravating the sore bruised ribs that Lotus had left her as a parting gift from the day before, at the feel of the old photograph as she ran her hoof over it. “Mum I miss you…” She leant forward and kissed the photo of her mother. Again, she didn’t need eyes to see the picture, so ingrained was it in her brain. Fur the yellow of the most golden rays of Celestia’s most perfect sun kissing the yellowest freshest spring daffodils, the most perfect yellow in all the world. Fiery red mane and tail the deepest crimson red, cutie mark of five lightning bolts on her flank the same crimson colour as her mane. Then there were her eyes. Those perfect, perfect chestnut brown eyes; full of life, a life cut short by a stupid dumb faulty cloud, an accident beyond her control despite her years of skill. “I…I want my mum…” Hugging the open book to her bruised chest Wildfire sniffled in despair.

Laid there alone on her bed with her book Wildfire couldn’t help but smell the repulsive smell almost every time she breathed in. It had been there almost an hour now and for once it wasn’t her, not since she had used the toilet in the corner of her cell. It was the tray of what Hazel Rose, the care home’s head cook, laughably called food. The little yellow pegasus shuddered at the thought of eating what was on the tray. She’d never liked celery. Not ever. Air Raid had given her some once as a joke. Wildfire had almost left her on principle. Then again her bruises hurt all the more at the thought of what she’d have to endure if she didn't eat it. She didn't fancy another two days of no food and a beating.

Especially not from Amber Leaves. There were welts on her hind legs from three days ago when she had whipped her repeatedly with a bullwhip for not eating her celery. As Wildfire was quick to learn, Amber Leaves was very skilled with a whip.

The rumble from her days-empty stomach spurred her on, celery or not. At this point she’d consider anything, even the tray of food shaped hate that had been left through the one way hatch in the door. “Ooow buck it!” Wildfire groaned in agony as she pushed herself of off the small bed with her forelegs, her chest, ribs and abdomen aching with every movement. Staggering slightly to her shaky hooves she struggled to draw in shallow haggard breaths through her abused ribs. Slowly she made her way to the door, especially careful to not knock the tray with her hoof as she bent to pick it up in her mouth.

Limping back to her bed she laid the tray next to her precious book and slid back on it, wrinkling her nose at the thought of eating this evil stuff – if she was honest she’d rather eat the tray and leave the celery – Wildfire lowered her head to the bowl and took a hesitant nibble. To her very great surprise it didn’t taste utterly awful, just bad. Swallowing she smiled bitterly, ‘perhaps that’s what not being fed for three days does to you’, she thought sadly as she took another bite.

Before she knew it Wildfire had eaten more than half the bowl’s contents, disgusting as they were. As she ate her left forehoof found her book and holding it in her grasp somehow made the celery easier to swallow. Pausing in consuming her ‘meal’ Wildfire raised the hoof from her book and kissed it before laying it back on the cover. “Stay with me mum…please stay with me, I’m not strong enough on my own.” She whispered, pleading with a pony she logically knew couldn’t possibly hear her.

Still…like her grandmother used to tell her when she had been sat on her lap as a filly, “Wildfire, the universe is a big place. It is a complicated, wonderful, terrifying and majestic place. Sometimes, one day in a million days, the universe grants miracles.” Recalling her gran’s words Wildfire screwed up her muzzle and pressed her hoof to the cover of her book. ‘I need a miracle, mum…please…’

She had but one stick of celery left in the bowl when the lock turned and the heavy metal door of her cell swung open. Wildfire didn’t have to look to know who it was; he was betrayed by his slow deep breathing. Slowly she removed her hoof from the cover of her book. There would be no miracle today. Unconsciously her breathing became shallow and halted as she heard his heavy-set hooves get closer.

Peering into the food bowl Lotus Stripes gave a low dangerous chuckle. “Oh dear…still eating are we? Hazel will be disappointed.” Counting to ten he waited, an evil glint in his eyes as he drew it out. He loved to keep them guessing as to when and where the first blow would come. Roughly he seized her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her easily off of the bed, lifting her up until her scarred face was level with his own. “Ungrateful little bitch!” Lotus sneered as he spat in her face and threw her to the ground between the bed and her toilet. “Don’t get up you worthless ball of fur!”

“Oof!” Landing on her already bruised ribs Wildfire gasped as the air was forced out of her weakened body. Defying the giant pony the only way she could the pegasus struggled to her hooves and braced herself as best she could for the inevitable beating to start.

She didn’t have to wait very long.

~ ~ ~

"So Darkstar is causing you problems. So what? What’s it got to do with me?” Cold Front snorted down his phone receiver he held in his magical aura, an open beer in his hoof.

“The white unicorn is not nor will she ever cause me problems, Mr. Front.” Amethyst Glory said tersely in reply. The moronic stallion on the other end of the call was as obtuse here as he had been in the hospital cafeteria. “She is snooping; no doubt searching for her friend. I want you to ‘convince’ her to cease her endeavours.”

Taking a long drink from his now half empty bottle Wildfire’s father unleashed a loud belch. “Why should I bother? I got what I want, Ms. Amethyst.”

Levitating her phone from her ear Amethyst winced in disgust as the belch rang out. “You will bother for two reasons,” she said finally, unable to keep the contempt from her voice. “One, I do not dirty my hooves with such things and two, I expect you to handle this situation, unless you feel that no further deposits are needed in your account."

“What…wait…no more money?”

Amethyst smiled like the proverbial Cheshire Cat. Ponies were so easy to manipulate when you had them squarely in the middle of your hoof. “That’s right. Resolve this situation or the instalments will cease immediately.”

“How?” He asked as he staggered, almost dropping the phone he was barely managing to hold.

“I do not care how.” Amethyst snapped impatiently. Already she had wasted too much of her breath on this poor excuse for a pony. “Far be it from me to tell you how to conduct yourself. Talk to her, say whatever you like, make her listen. However Darkstar might not want to listen. You might have to be more…shall we say, ‘persuasive?’ Mr. Front. Work it out, I am sure you do not need me to connect every dot for you, Mr. Front.” With her point well made the warden hung up, not even waiting for him to reply. Just talking to such a waste of air made her feel contaminated. Sighing deeply she massaged her temples once more. Reluctantly – and she’d certainly never say this to anypony else – she admitted to herself that the daughter was worth a thousand of the father. ‘The mother must have been utterly exceptional,’ she thought with a determined smile.

~ ~ ~

Balancing the now-empty bowl and tray on his massive back Lotus Stripes let the cell door close behind him with a resounding clang of metal hitting metal before turning and locking it with keys held in a blood smeared hoof. Hanging the keys back on his belt he bought his hoof up, looking at the smears as he started to walk away from the locked cell and the wounded pegasus within. Breathing through his nose he gave a satisfied sniff, smelling the coppery tang of the blood that adorned him like a victory tattoo. And, what a victory it had been, to get her to stay down. Next time though she wouldn’t be smiling.

Wildfire smiled. Left sprawled on the floor where she had fallen last she smiled. Blood trickled from cuts in her face where she had been punched, the crimson trails starting to pool under her chin, but still she smiled. Her victory. Through the sniffles of pain, she still smiled. The little yellow mare laid on the floor with a foreleg bent out at an odd angle; an angle a leg was never meant to bend. She tried, she really did, with all her heart she had tried, but the leg just couldn't hold her weight. The many fresh bruises and welts on her back testified to Lotus’s best efforts to get her to stay down. She had defied him to the last, getting to her hooves time after time, until the last time when he had stomped hard on her left foreleg. He left her laying there, a victory, if a small one. No pain was going to erase her smile.

As she laid there bleeding and sniffling with the pain of her broken leg, her mind wandered. It wandered to the very first poem her mum had taught her as a filly. Wildfire found that poem in her head and her smile widened as she started to recite it to the empty cell.

'Hope' is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops—at all

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm

I've heard it in the chillest land

And on the strangest Sea

Yet, never, in Extremity,

It asked a crumb—of Me.

~ ~ ~

"Hey Java, can I have another coffee please?” Darkstar asked as she reclined on her seating pad at her favourite table. Café Diem had ten outdoor tables, however this one was her favourite. Situated so no matter the time of day it caught the sun, yet the awning from the window gave her the right amount of shade – and best of all – two potted perennial plants that coincidentally blocked breezes to the occupier of the seating pad. Many years ago Darkstar had laid claim to this pad. This was her spot.

“You can, Darkie,” Java replied with a grin as he ambled over to her table with a tray on his back. “If you ask me as if I were a zebra.”

“C’mon Java I’m thirsty!” Darkstar gave the cream coloured earth pony her best sexy pout.

“Pout all you want, oh sweet young unicorn.” He smiled, wiping his deep coffee brown mane from his sparkling green eyes. “It’s February, your exams are coming up and you need to practise. So, come on. Ask me properly.” Java chuckled, taking a symbolic step backwards.

“Oh bu…fine. Here goes. unaweza…i na…kahawa…tafadhali?” She asked hesitantly, reciting the zebran phrase she had studied.

“Oooh so very close my little protégé,” he grinned a wide grin, “But ‘can I have another coffee please’ is actually unaweza i na kahawa mwingine tafadhali?”

“I wasn’t far away Java!” The unicorn pouted again at the prospect of no coffee. “You’re showing off, just because you trained with the Coffee Tribe…”

“Oh no need to pout Darkie, you’ll curdle the milk.” The earth pony laughed at her raspberry as he laid the full tray in front of her on the table. “You weren’t far away, true, but you were far enough away that Professor Rosetta would’ve marked you down honey.”

Levitating the steaming cup of coffee to her lips in her yellow aura she blew the steam away. “Thanks Java, you’re my coffee guardian angel.”

“Thanks?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Ugh…” she rolled her yellow eyes with a faux disgruntled look, “Shukuru, then.”

“That’s better. You’ll ace that languages exam yet, Darkie, you see if you don’t.” Java smiled warmly at her as he strode away to serve a family of pegasi that just walked into his café.

Darkstar watched the stallion walk off, happily trading banter with his many customers who were huddled inside the café. Granted not everypony wanted to brave the late winter / early spring sun outdoors, but to the unicorn it made no difference. This was her spot. Taking a quick sip of her hot coffee she smiled, ‘best surrogate dad ever.’ It was an unspoken thing between her and the middle-aged stallion. They hadn’t said it outright, there was no need to.

Taking a second sip of her favourite coffee – a caramel macchiato that she had not had to ask for – her iphone beeped to alert her to an incoming email. Swallowing the caramel flavoured coffee with a happy sigh she used her magic to scroll through her phone’s menu to the emails and opened it up. “Ooh it’s from Cy! No…no I mean ni kutokana na Cy!” She exclaimed with glee at hearing from her friend.

‘Hey Darkie,

It’s Cy, I’m just letting you know I’ve gotten to Cloudsdale okay. The cab ride took nine hours! I know the damn place moves but did it have to be half way to Vanhoover? I mean, come on! And, yes, before you ask I had the roof up and the windows closed. The trip was as dull as anything, but at least the cab had wifi, I was able to play that new Angry Parasprites game they’ve brought out. By the way, my highest score is four thousand. Beat that whitey.

My apartment’s okay…there’s really not a lot to it but it’s better than a hole in a cloud I guess. Here, I’ve put a few pics in the attachments. Honest opinion tell me what you think hun – don’t be too honest though, ‘kay? At least the rent is affordable, by that I mean it’s cheap.

I’ve got an interview with the head of the Uni over here in a couple of days, but I really don’t think they’ll let me in with my record now. Who knows, I’ll ask anyway. If they don’t accept me I guess I’m job-hunting.

Look…Darkie…I know we aren’t exactly neighbours but don’t be a stranger alright? Call me, Skype me, Facebook or whatever. I miss you all already. Keep in touch Darkie.

I hate being away from you.’

Darkstar closed her emails with a flash of her magic and floated her phone to the table to replace it with the now half empty coffee cup raised to her lips. Draining the remainder of the cup she licked her lips clean of the caramel flavoured drink and idly picked up her phone again, this time scanning through her downloaded photos. She flicked though them until she found several new ones that were flagged as unseen. “Ooh this must be Cy’s new place…let’s have a look…oh…oh my…” Darkstar wrinkled up her nose at the state of the cloudominium Cyclone had managed to secure. ‘No wonder the rent’s cheap Cy’, she thought as she scanned through the pictures of what appeared to be just a one-roomed studio flat. ‘Oh Cy…’

The white unicorn reclined on her seating pad basking in the few rays of sun that made it past the café’s awning and landed on her fur. It was a shame Cy had to move, but upon reflection it had been her own fault. After she had been arrested that had been the deal; leave Canterlot and the charges of child molestation will be dropped. As there had been witnesses that saw her kiss the little filly, she’d had very little choice but to move. What surprised Darkstar was the choice of location. ‘Oh well…it’s your own fault Cy.’

Sliding herself off of her seating pad and picking up the tray in her magic she trotted inside the café and down the doubled row of ten tables to the counter. “Hey Java, a refill please while I go to the mare’s room.” She turned to go having set the empty tray down but paused when she got no answer. “You hear me Java?”

“Hear what?” Java chuckled as he turned his back on his favourite customer to serve another pony. “I’ll hear you Darkie when you ask properly.”

“Oh come on Java! Every time, really?” She asked, slightly desperate both for the bathroom and for another caramel macchiato. He just carried on serving the other pony with an amused smile on his muzzle.

“You know the rule Darkstar,” Java chuckled as he gave the mare at the counter the drink she had ordered.

“Fine…um…tafadhali unaweza…i na kahawa?” She asked with a slight hint of frustration in her voice as she put the phrase together, hopefully in the right order this time. Judging by Java’s smile the unicorn had got it right.

“Oh…’please can I have a coffee’ now is it?” The earth pony smiled at her. “We have gotten polite haven’t we?” Sniggering to himself he turned and activated the barista machine. “Go take care of…whatever it is you need to take care of Darkie, I’ll leave your coffee at your spot.”

“Thanks Java!” With that the white unicorn uncrossed her hindlegs and made a dash for the mare’s bathroom, much to the stallion’s delight. She swore she could still hear him laughing as she reached the first stall and shut the door behind her.

Turning and seating herself on the white porcelain Darkstar heaved a gentle sigh at the fullness in her lower abdomen, the familiar feeling she got when her bladder was full. Spreading her hindlegs in the stall the white mare reached down and spread her labia open, amusing herself for the moment with the pretence that she was peeing for her brother’s enjoyment. ‘Brighty always did like watching me…shame he’s in Filly…’ she thought with a heavy sigh of pleasure as her sphincter muscles finally relaxed and her golden urine began to stream from her full bladder through her urethra. “MMmmm damn that feels good.” She murmured as her stream eventually started to end and with it her discomfort.

"Oooh my coffee!” Darkstar giggled, finally sliding off of and flushing the café’s toilet with her magic she re-emerged from the bathroom to see Java pointing to her spot outside.

“One extra-large caramel macchiato with chocolate sprinkles for my favourite studying unicorn.” Java grinned as Darkstar rushed behind the counter and gave him a tight hug. “Oof…it’s waiting at your spot Darkie.” The cream earth pony gasped through her hug.

“Asante Java, asante!” Darkstar yelled the zebran for ‘thank you’, virtually galloping outside to her table. The beautiful sight that greeted her made her heart melt with utter joy. Not only was there an extra huge steaming mug of coffee but there was also an amazing, gorgeous, fantastic caramel donut sitting on the tray like a queen next to a king. “Oh Java…I love you!” Sliding back on her spot she gave the donut a reverential lick, shivering with absolute pleasure. ‘Salted caramel…you sexy beast…’ she thought happily as she swallowed the flavoured icing.

Just as she was about to take a large – and thoroughly un-ladylike – bite out of the wonderful donut her phone rang. Seeing she was alone in her spot, nopony even sat next to her on the adjacent tables, Darkstar answered her call with her magic, automatically switching it to loudspeaker when she saw whom was calling. “Y’hello Raid, what’s up?” She asked, her tongue still a little heavy from the sticky caramel.

“Let me guess. You, Café Diem, salted caramel donut and a macchiato?” Air Raid’s amused voice sounded from the speaker.

“Uh…how’d you know that?” Darkstar answered with her own question as she floated the coffee to her lips in an attempt to wash the caramel from her tongue. Strange how it tasted slightly ‘odd’ this time.

“Shot, you want this one?”

A stallion’s voice came across the phone, just as Darkstar heard the sound of a powerful engine brought to life. “That’s your caramel voice Darkie.”

“I do not have a ‘caramel voice’ thank you very much Slingshot!” The unicorn tried to sound indignant and failed, so contented herself with another sip of her sweet coffee.

“Sure you do Darkie,” she could practically hear the smile on the pink earth pony’s muzzle, “It’s the same lusty voice Raid uses when she describes your dances…hey! Oow!” He grunted as Air Raid nudged him hard in the ribs with her hoof.

Giggling like a filly she set her mug down and wiped her lips, “Raid just dig you in the ribs sweetie?”

“Yes…and it totally hurt!” Slingshot whimpered like a terminally injured ninety year old.

“Aw…you poor abused stallion. Darkie kiss it better when you get back, promise.” Darkstar purred in the best sexiest ‘bedroom voice’ she could make, smiling to herself at the imagined effect it was having on the pony holding the other phone.

“Y-you’d better promise.” The semi-aroused whimper was evident in his voice, even a thousand miles away.

“Down boy,” Air Raid sniggered at the wheel of the car as she joined the freeway. “Just letting you know we’re starting back now, we should be back in Canterlot in roughly eighteen and a half hours, assuming the freeway’s clear.”

“Hmm…so one in the afternoon now, you should get back say oh…seven thirty tomorrow morning then.” Darkstar quickly worked it out in her head. “Hey…you driving now? Isn’t that dangerous Raid?”

“Nah…I got it on the hooves free Darkie,” Air Raid chuckled as Slingshot let out an indignant ‘hey!’

“I don’t think Shot likes being called your ‘hooves free’ Raid.” Darkstar laughed as she took another lick of the caramel from her donut ‘still tastes a little funny,’ she thought, but paid it no mind. “So hey, how was Filly?”

“Filly was awesome!” Air Raid cheered as she shifted up a gear, “We totally rocked it! Ten wins from fourteen races we got joint first over all in the tables!”

“Yes, I saw, very nice Raid well done and all that; I’m sure your trophy is very shiny and lovely.” Darkstar dismissed off-hoofedly, “That’s not what I meant. Any sign of Wily?” She asked eagerly, taking a nibble of the donut and not noticing the taste anymore.

This time Slingshot answered. “No Darkie, not a whisper. We thought we saw a small yellow pegasus the other week when we had some down time, but that was just a half look from our car, that’s why we called you then. We didn’t expect Brightstar to come out here as well just on a hunch.”

“Ugh…fine, I guess. What’s Brighty doing anyway?”

“He’s staying out here a bit longer hun,” Air Raid said with a suggestive tone in her voice. “He says he’s looking for Wily, but me and Shot think it’s got more to do with this sweet looking lady griffon he met while we were in this pub a couple of nights back.”

“He’s chasing a griffon?” Darkstar asked, taking another slightly larger bite of her now half eaten donut and washing it down with the last of her macchiato. “I’ll never see him again!” She exclaimed with a giggle.

“She’s nice; Moonbeak I think her name is. I got a picture of them both on my phone, I’ll get Shot to mail it you in a sec.” Air Raid grinned as she overtook a couple of slower electric cars. “Hey…how’s the search going back home?”

“Yeah…yeah it’s going alright…” Darkstar shook her head, fighting away a sudden feeling of room spinning nausea that washed over her. ‘Weird…’ she thought as she shook her head again. “I uh…I chased up that nurse, what’s her name, Eirene…well she put me onto this pegasus that works in the hospital cafeteria. I spoke to her and she described this purple unicorn that Wily’s dad met with. I did a little digging and she runs this care home in Canterlot. Raid I think I’m close, real close.”

“Darkie…be careful babe,” Air Raid subconsciously rubbed her muzzle with her free hoof while the other held the wheel, “Remember what happened to me before we left for Filly?” She asked, referencing the occasion a week and a half before Hearths Warming Eve when they had both pounded on Cold Front’s door demanding to know exactly where Wildfire was, just to get the door slammed in their faces, Air Raid getting a fracture of her muzzle as she was standing slightly closer than her friend.

“Raid…oooh…” The unicorn stumbled her words as the café spun again, “I uh…I’ll be fine…I, I got this sw-sweetie.”

“Darkie?” Slingshot asked with concern at the sudden slur in her voice, “You alright?”

“I…I think so…I’m gonna go…home I think, too many…donuts.” Darkstar found her hooves were shaking as she stood up from her spot.

Slingshot gave Air Raid a look from his passenger seat, a look of ‘what’s she into now?’ A look that did not go unrecognised as the pegasus put her right hoof down, speeding up her Fiesta. “I’ll call you later hun when we stop for a break.”

“Yeah…yeah Shot…sure thing…” Darkstar hung up the call, floating her phone into her bag with her yellow magic, which for some reason began fizzing as she tried to maintain the levitation. “What the buck’s wrong with me?” She asked aloud, shaking her head again.

“Ah!” Java exclaimed with a wide smile as he appeared at the side of the table. “I’ll just take your tray if you’re done Darkie, unless you’d like another, on me?”

“Uh…n-no, no Java…I um…I’m gonna go home I think.” Darkstar staggered like she’d had three glasses of Luna’s best moonshine. Which she hadn’t of course, not since Dusk had elected to shut himself away from the known universe.

“Hey…” the cream earth pony said gently, reaching out a hoof to steady the young mare, “You okay Darkstar?”

“Y-yeah…yeah I’m fine…” she murmured as the world spun again, making her feel sick. “I’m f-fine. Thanks for the coffee…and thanks for the caramel donut too…”

“Donut?” Java wondered out loud as he watched Darkstar stagger away, “What donut?” He gave a shrug of his shoulders and thought nothing of it, ‘probably just one of her pranks,’ he thought with a smile. Well, she wasn’t getting him this time.

Stumbling along the street Darkstar leant against the wall as the world continued to spin; she swallowed hard, breathing through wave after wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. Another step and her vision swam again, the sidewalk and the street blurring together to be indistinguishable from one another. “Wh-what…what’s wrong with me?” Taking a further step she tripped over the curb and landed in the gutter, her head in her forelegs in order to steady the world and stop it from spinning.

“Ugh…bucking hell…wh-what…” So preoccupied was she with keeping the world in the right axis and the contents of her stomach on the inside rather than decorating the street that the stricken unicorn didn't notice the white transit van that pulled up alongside her with a screech of tyres.

“B…Buck…” Darkstar gasped as she struggled to stand up, only to find that her legs wouldn't do as they were told. Somewhere a long way away in her conscious she registered a door slamming somewhere very close to her, off to her right flank, from the direction of the road. Again she tried to stand only for her forelegs to turn to jelly beneath her, unable to support her own weight. She heard two voices coming from her right…voices she’d never heard before. They were stallions though, she was sure about that. Two stallions and they were getting close to her. ‘Oh good…help. They can help me…’

“It looks like the drugs are working.” She clearly heard one say to the other.

“Yeah,” she heard the other agree with a nasty sounding laugh, “How dumb do you have to be to eat any old ‘donut’?”

‘Oh shit…oh shit, oh shit…’ Darkstar registered vaguely the menace in the stallions’ voices. Through the fuggy haze clouding her brain she caught the hint that she was very suddenly in a whole world of trouble. ‘I've been drugged…they did this to me…’ struggling with all the effort she could muster the unicorn tried to crawl away from the two stallions who immediately burst out laughing at her futile effort to get away.

"Hey!” A third stallion’s voice sounded out, a little further away than the other two, "Take all day why don't you? We don't want anypony else on the street to notice us, idiots, hurry it up!" Darkstar froze in sheer terror. She recognised that voice. If she thought she was in trouble before she certainly knew she was now. Redoubling her efforts to crawl away she made it all of two feet before she felt a heavy hoof land square on her back, pinning her to the ground.

“He’s right, come on let's get her in the back.” As soon as she heard those words she felt a firm leg hook around and under her right foreleg, lifting her roughly off the ground and causing the whole world to spin out of control as she tried to focus on what was happening. Just as she started to slip and fall another equally strong hoof caught her under her other leg and lifted her again, forcing her towards the open van doors.

Realising finally what was about to happen Darkstar started to struggle against the stallions that currently held her upright. “Let…let me go!” She aimed a kick at the stallion to her left and a punch to the right, but drugged and held as she was there was precious little sting to the blows, and she was rewarded for her efforts by a swift punch to the side of her head that made stars explode in her eyes.

"Get in there you white bitch!” One stallion yelled in her ear, easily lifting her up and throwing her bodily into the back of the transit van while the other hoped up inside with her and pulled the doors shut with a resounding clang of metal on metal.

“Oow…ugh!” Darkstar rolled over in the back of the van, tasting metal and rust as her head banged off of the dirty floor. Landing on her back she saw the hazy shape of a stallion hove into her field of vision above her. Full of fear and panic the unicorn fired off a series of bright sparks and flashes from her horn. She tried to aim but found she couldn't even see straight.

“Nice light show.” Was all she heard from the stallion before a stern kick impacted her abdomen, making her retch into the filth of the van’s oily grimy floor.

Fighting to keep herself as alert as she could, which under the circumstances wasn't very alert, Darkstar attempted another spell. Concentrating she lit her horn and in her panic cast her invisibility spell, feeling the familiar lightness take her as she faded from view.

"Oh no...where could she possibly be?” Cold Front’s voice sounded, nasty with sarcasm as he lit his own horn, sending a wave of freezing cold through the back of the van that instantly had icicles hanging from the ceiling. It caught Darkstar and made her cry in shock, interrupting her spell. Feeling for her the stallion landed a sharp jab at the base of her horn that made her squeal, cancelling out the illusion. Leaning over her Cold Front wedged his hoof against her neck, keeping her pinned down. Lighting his horn again he floated over a small golden ring.

Darkstar’s yellow eyes went wide with fresh panic as she saw and recognised the gold ring for what it was. “N-no…no please…please don’t, please…”

“You’re at University, right?” Cold Front sneered as he held her head still and floated the ring down the length of her horn and secured it with a savage twist that made her cry out. “Time to teach you a lesson.”