Author's Note

Chapter! Yay! This was oodles of fun to write. And thank you guys for all the comments on the last chapter. I actually had a lot of ways I thought of Spitfire handling the situation, but I like what I chose, though it is a wee bit less dramatic than pulling out a shotgun or anything of the like.

Special thanks to Pip for his comments on my ideas. You are awesome. But you knew that.

Hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Once There Was A Way

For about two seconds, there was stillness in the room. Then, movement. Spitfire took Rainbow out of her lap gently and laid her back down on the pillow. Rainbow used the moment she was moved to stuff her pacifier in the sheets when it became clear that she was going to be seen. She kept looking up at Mama, and saw her expression change. The calm, tender, loving face she had on was replaced with a fierce expression. Her eyes were stone cold and merciless. She took no pity on those who disobeyed her. This was not her Mama. This was her Captain, and she knew that she was expected to respond as such.

Spitfire spun on her hooves like a whirling dervish. Her movements were very calm and calculated as she stepped forward. Fleetfoot tensed at the look on her face. She knew this could not be good, but she was not about to stop until she got answers.

“Fleetfoot.”

“Captain. I came here on official business. I have come to report that Fire Streak will be coming tomorrow to watch our practice.”

“When?” The response was terse, clipped.

“Noon, Ma’am. I was told that he would be observing practice to see what funds he would allocate to the Wonderbolts and subsequently the academy.”

`I see.”

“Ma’am?”

“What?” It was said as sharply as a dagger. Fleetfoot gulped silently, but managed to force the words out.

“Why is she wearing a diaper?”

Spitfire cocked an eyebrow. “She was unconscious. They didn’t know how long she would be out. It’s a medical precaution.” The gold pony advanced on her. Fleetfoot’s heart dropped into her stomach, but she swallowed her fear.

“That makes sense. But… Why were you holding her like that?”

While Fleetfoot had been talking, Spitfire had been multitasking. She had been listening to Fleetfoot, but she had also been concocting an excuse for that question. Thankfully, she had thought up one, and thought it up quick. “Her feathers were bothering her, and she asked me to preen her. She couldn’t do it herself because she was asked not to move her head too much.”

“She couldn’t have a nurse do it?”

“Who would you trust more? A nurse or someone you have known for years who has been through the exact same things you have?”

“Okay, okay, I get it, but… why were you holding her that way? There are a ton of ways to preen, and you could have just done it sitting up.”

Spitfire paused for the briefest moment before answering, “Because it was more comfortable for her.”

But that barely detectible pause gave her away. Fleetfoot had known Spitfire for years, and she never paused in her words unless posed with a question which required deep thought. That or she was lying. And Fleetfoot knew it was the latter. She leaned back on her haunches, and crossed her hooves. She would always respect her Captain, but she would not be lied to. Respect was a two way road in her eyes, and she would not be disrespected that way, no matter whom was speaking to her.

“Why are you lying to me?”

“What?”

“I know you, Spitfire. You are always confident. You never hesitate before you talk unless you just got asked a hard question or you’re lying. So why are you lying to me?”

Spitfire’s eyes, if it was possible, got colder, narrower.

"I asked Soarin to have everypony who comes in here approved by me, did I not?!"

"Yes, but-“

"And you did not follow orders, did you?"

"No..."

"And why is that?!"

"Because the halls were empty and the door was cracked, so I thought-"

"Well you thought WRONG!”

“I- I-I…” Spitfire stepped forward, fire in her eyes.

“You what?”

The look Spitfire was giving her made her want to crawl in a hole and die, so she avoided looking her directly in the eye. In fact, she looked almost anywhere else in the room but at Spitfire. Coincidentally, she ended up looking at Rainbow Dash, and what she saw made her pause.

She was staring at Spitfire, and most likely hadn’t registered Fleetfoot staring at her yet. But the way she looked at her… It was with such awe, such loyalty, and such adoration that it just didn’t look right on her face. The awe and loyalty were correct, for sure. That’s how she often looked at Spitfire during a demonstration of a new flying technique. But the sheer adoration in her expression just didn’t fit. At least, it didn’t fit a grown pony. It was more like the way a young filly looked at their mother. Wait… Maybe… Maybe that was…

Everything clicked into place like the last few minutes of a movie, that tied up loose ends. Everything she had seen made sense, and something sparked in her eyes. She turned back to Spitfire. Though she did not show it, the look in Fleetfoot’s eyes made her nervous.

"Are you... Is she...?"

"What? Spit it out!"

"Is she your baby?” The look on Spitfire’s face told her everything she needed to know. It was true. All of it. “It is true.” She said in a quiet voice.

That made Spitfire angry and ferociously protective. ”If you tell anypony about what you've seen, especially since you have disobeyed my orders, you will have to clean the grounds for months. And I will make sure that-"

"Mama, stop.” That was Rainbow Dash. As stunned as Fleetfoot was, she kept watching.

Spitfire turned to her. "What?"

"It's 'kay. I don't care if she knows."

"Well I do!"

"Why?"

"Because- because…” She tried to think up an excuse, something solid that didn’t make her sound so… self-absorbed. Because the truth of it all was that she was afraid for her reputation. And though she was most definitely making emotional strides, her ego was still fragile and shaky. Fortunately, it was about to be boosted.

"Relax, Captain. I don't care, and I wouldn't tell."

“What?"

"I wouldn't tell." She says. "This is between you two. Not me. Whatever you do on your time is your business."

Spitfire stared at her for a long moment, trying to decipher her motives and intent. And then, she finally relented. "Alright. I trust you. But if I hear one word from you about this, it'll be-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, barracks cleaning for a month. I heard you.”

“But, for disobeying my orders, you’re on toilet duty until further notice.” She commanded. “I’d be very careful if I were you.”

Fleetfoot sighed.

“Figures. Fine.” She grumbled inwardly to herself for a minute or so, before she spoke again. “So, do I get to meet the cutie or what?"

“Depends on if she wants to meet you.” Spitfire countered. Fleetfoot shrugged.

“Fair enough.”

Finally, Spitfire turned to Rainbow Dash. “You feeling up to this?” She asked.

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, Mama.”

Spitfire looked at Fleetfoot and made a gesture with her head, as if to say, “Go on”. Fleetfoot nodded, then went to Rainbow Dash. She’d always enjoyed kids. This was bound to be even better.

“How are you, sunshine?”

Rainbow looked at Spitfire for confirmation, and she nodded. This seemed to be enough to reassure her. She gave Fleetfoot a big smile.

“Hi Auntie Fweetfoot.” She cooed.

Fleetfoot gave her the biggest grin.

Yeah, this was definitely going to be better.