//------------------------------// // Not the First Time // Story: Spitfire and Wasp // by The FraudulentBrit //------------------------------// Spitfire and Wasp Part 6; Not the First Time Spitfire was busy preparing breakfast, specifically toast and eggs, for herself and her young ward when she heard the energetic buzzing of Wasp’s wings. Taking in a deep breath, she turned to face her young ward and asked, “Good morning Wasp. You sleep well?” “Wasp slept well.” Wasp replied with a massive smile on his face, or at least as close as he could smile with his split lower jaw. Spitfire couldn’t help but feel her heart soar at his earnest joy. The night before had been a busy evening for both Spitfire and Wasp. Spitfire had a rather unpleasant meeting with her social worker, the former Lunar Lancer Black Adder, while Wasp had a more blissful but no less eventful evening with Soarin. However, the high point was Wasp finally managing to grasp Spitfire’s name. All in all, it had been an eventful evening. It was a shame that Spitfire knew today would also be particularly busy. As the toast popped out of her toaster, Spitfire turned to her young ward and said, “Hey Wasp, about today….” “Is Wasp in trouble?” Wasp asked nervously as he gently landed on the floor and began to tip toe backwards. Spitfire immediately reassured him, “Oh no. You’re not in trouble. I just want to give you the game plan for today.” As Wasp sighed in relief as Spitfire continued, “I have to practice with the other Wonderbolts today. And since Black Adder is busy today and Tailwind is still sick, you’ll need to come with me.” “Wasp gets to see other Wonderbolts?” Wasp asked, his eyes growing wider with excitement. Spitfire couldn’t help but giggle as she replied, “Yes, you can see the other Wonderbolts.” She then adopted a serious expression on her face as she continued. “But there are few rules I need to tell you.” Wasp gulped as Spitfire raised one of her winged talons. “One, I may be up in the air with the others. While we’re flying, you can’t come up and join us.” Wasp nodded yes as he replied, “Don’t follow Spitfire while she flies with other ponies.” Spitfire continued, “Second, if I tell you to do something, it’s because I don’t want you getting hurt. This means if I give you an order, you need to follow it.” Wasp nodded as he replied, “Spitfire tells Wasp to do something, Wasp does it.” Spitfire then raised three talons as she finished, “And thirdly, I will be raising my voice to get ponies’ attention, so I need you to know if that even though I’ll be shouting, I’m not angry with you or them.” Wasp hesitated for a moment before he replied, “Spitfire will be shouting, but she won’t be angry?” Spitfire rested a wing on his shoulder as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll show you when we get to the base.” That was when both Spitfire and Wasp smelt the sound of eggs starting to burn. Spitfire proceeded to return to the stove and switched it off as she scooped the eggs up with a spatula and placed them on two plates. Wasp noticed this and began to hover over to the toaster and grabbed the toast and handed them to Spitfire. “Thanks Wasp.” Spitfire thanked her ward as she took the toast and proceeded to spread butter over the pieces of toasted bread. With that, she set the table with breakfast as she said, “Alright now Wasp. Breakfast is served.” Wasp sat down and proceeded to lap up the eggs with his long yellow tongue. Spitfire would have said something about his dubious table manners, but her eyes drifted to the clock and realized that, though hardly running late, they were rather strapped for time. “Better hurry up Wasp. We leave in about ten minutes.” Spitfire said right before taking a bite of toast. Wasp grew nervous before lapping up his remaining egg before stuffing his pieces of toast into his mouth. Spitfire was shocked to see this, saying, “Whoa there. We’re not that strapped for time.” Wasp gulped as he replied, “Wasp is sorry. Whenever Megaton says to hurry up, he demands we finish quickly.” Spitfire couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Wasp. She may not have known much about Wasp’s past, but what little pieces she had found made it clear it wasn’t pleasant. Still, Spitfire knew two things. She had a training session to head to, and Wasp was no longer under Megaton’s vile grasp. Rising from her seat, Spitfire trotted up to Wasp and reassured him. “Wasp, I’m not Megaton. And I will never be like him.” Wasp looked up to Spitfire and asked, “Promise?” Spitfire made the motions of the Pinkie Promise and said, “I promise.” With that, both Spitfire and Wasp resumed their breakfast before departing for the Wonderbolts’ Academy and base. Wonderbolts’ Base As the duo approached the base, Spitfire turned to face Wasp, who was nestled on her back, and said, “And here we are. Home away from home.” Wasp began to eye the structures in the distance and asked, “So does Spitfire live here too?” “Not exactly.” Spitfire replied as she soared over to the main building. “Well, kinda.” Wasp tilted his head and said, “Wasp is confused. Does Spitfire live in cloud house as well as fancy base or does Spitfire not?” Before Spitfire could reply, the familiar voice of Soarin called out from behind them. “Hey Spitfire!” Spitfire and Wasp turned to see Soarin and two pegasi mares fly up to them. One was a white mare with yellow spiky hair and dark red eyes while the other was a light blue mare with a rainbow mane and tail with magenta eyes. “Hey Surprise, hey Dash.” Spitfire called out as Wasp raised his head above her head. “Hate to break it to you guys, but Wasp here has to hang out here today.” Rainbow Dash asked, “Really? What about Tailwind?” Soarin immediately replied, “She still has the flu, and we don’t want Wasp here getting sick.” Rolling her eyes and letting out a sigh, Rainbow Dash replied, “Alright. Besides, always good to have spectators, right?” That was when Wasp buzzed off of Spitfire’s back and hovered over to Rainbow Dash until he was nearly muzzle to muzzle with her. Tilting his head with curiosity, Wasp remarked, “Wasp likes pony’s hair.” “Thanks?” Rainbow Dash nervously replied. Spitfire let out a playful sigh as she called out, “Ok Wasp, come back here.” Wasp turned to Spitfire and nodded as he hovered back to his protector. Surprise then called out, “Wait. Can I speak to Wasp for a moment?” Spitfire hesitated for a moment before she nodded and replied, “Ok. But make it quick.” Now that she had permission, Surprise gently made her way to Wasp and gently asked, “Hey there Wasp. You remember me?” Wasp replied, “Wasp thinks he remembers. Is pearl pony Wonderbolt?” Surprise giggled as she replied, “My name is Surprise, and yes, I am a Wonderbolt.” Surprise was, well, surprised when Wasp buzzed up to her and began to nuzzle her. “Wasp likes Surprise.” He gently proclaimed. “Surprise is nice pony.” As much as the sudden show of affection was awkward for everyone involved, Spitfire couldn’t help but find it endearing to see her ward so open and friendly with her teammates. Even though she wanted the moment to continue, Spitfire knew that practice had to start sooner or later. “Alright guys.” She began. “We gotta change into uniforms and get ready.” Rainbow Dash stretched her front limbs as she replied, “Awh yeah! I got a need for speed.” Soarin and Surprise could only playfully roll their eyes as they departed for the base, though not before Surprise called out, “See you in a bit Wasp!” Wasp waved as Surprise disappeared into the main building. Spitfire then said to her ward, “So Wasp, you want to see the inside?” Wasp enthusiastically began to nod yes as he replied, “Wasp wants to see big building.” Wonderbolts’ Locker Room “And this is where we keep our personal stuff, as well as rest after a good day’s training.” Spitfire said as she brought Wasp into the locker room. The young Halfling began to hover up to the lockers, testing to see if they could be easily opened. Spitfire called out, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” “Wasp wants to see what’s in lockers.” The child whined. Spitfire let out a playful sigh and replied, “Well, if the locker’s owner wants to show you, he or she will.” Wasp mumbled to himself, but didn’t press any further. At least, until he found a locker that didn’t have a visible lock on it. “Who’s locker is this?” Wasp asked out loud. Spitfire noticed which locker it was and began, “Oh, I think that is….” “It’s mine.” Fleet Foot answered defiantly. As she entered the locker room, Wasp’s many eyes locked on to her as he angrily growled, “Red eyed pony.” “Wasp, stand down right now!” Spitfire immediately called out. Wasp snapped out of his anger and, not quite knowing what to do, buzzed behind Spitfire so she stood in between himself and Fleet Foot. Fleet Foot didn’t say anything, simply darting her eyes between Wasp and Spitfire. After a few moments, she faced her commander and asked, “Will the freak here be a problem again?” “Wasp is not freak.” Wasp mumbled to himself in a noticeably gruff voice. Spitfire raised a wing to keep him back while giving him a reassuring smile. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Fleet Foot and warned, “Fleet Foot, you do not, under any circumstances, threaten Wasp. Am I clear?” Fleet Foot began to rub her neck, making the two bite marks on her neck plainly visible, as she dejectedly replied, “Yes ma’am.” despite her acceptance of the situation, it was evident that she was not happy about Wasp being on the base. Sensing the tension, Spitfire to turn to Wasp and said, “Wasp, can you wait outside for a minute?” Wasp nodded yes and buzzed out of the locker room, making sure to neither run into nor even look at Fleet Foot. Once Wasp was gone, Spitfire asked, “So, how’s your neck?” Fleet Foot, not even bothering to respond, angrily asked, “Why is that little monster here?” Spitfire replied, “Wasp is not a monster. Honestly he’s really just a little kid.” “A little kid who’s some sort of nightmare creature from that came from a maniacal dragon!” Fleet Foot replied. “How do we really know that he’s not some sort of spy or saboteur or something?” Spitfire hesitated for a moment before she sighed in resignation and replied, “I don’t know. I just know that he isn’t.” Fleet Foot could only shake her head in disappointment. The light blue Pegasus could only reply, “In that case, let’s just hope the KID doesn’t interfere with practice.” “I don’t think he will.” Spitfire replied. “I told him not to mess with practice.” Fleet Foot simply shrugged and said, “Very well.” She then made her way back to her locker and pulled out her flight suit. Spitfire sighed and made her way to her own locker, hoping that today would not get anyworse. The Flight Fields, Later That Day “Come on guys! Maintain speed!” Spitfire called out from a cloud under the rest of the team. She had since slipped on her iconic blue and yellow flight suit, and was now shouting instructions to the other Wonderbolts. For the most part, they were doing an acceptable job as usual, but they seemed to be having some trouble staying in formation. Spitfire noticed that Misty Fly was drifting off a little bit, not enough the average pony would have noticed, but hardly tolerable to a highly skilled areal acrobatic team like the Wonderbolts. “Misty, you’re breaking off!” Spitfire shouted into her megaphone. Misty Fly immediately began to edge back into formation as the group began to perform an Icaranian Sun Salutation. Rainbow Dash and Surprise began to show signs of struggling, but before Spitfire could call them out, they quickly corrected their mistakes, and soon the move was finished perfectly. She made a mental note to point it out to them later. That was when Spitfire heard a sound that made her groan out loud. That sound was the now unmistakable buzzing of Wasp’s inspectoid wings, making it clear he was approaching. Spitfire turned to face Wasp, fearing he would be breaking the rule she placed regarding interfering. She was pleasantly surprised to see Wasp was instead settling on a distant cloud, well away from her to prevent interfering with her as well as far out of the way from the team’s flight path. Spitfire certainly found his acknowledgement for the rules inspiring, as well as his surprisingly capable flight skills. It was only then that she realized that Wasp’s buzzing wasn’t only catching her attention. From right behind her, Spitfire heard Surprise cry out, “What the heck is that noise?” As the other Wonderbolts descended, they realized that they now had a certain admirer. “Oh crap.” Fleet Foot said as she approached Spitfire. “Now we have to deal with bug boy over there watching us. What’s next, us running a daycare?” “Fleet Foot, shut up.” Spitfire retorted. She then began to fly over to Wasp. As she approached her young ward, Wasp began to back away as he nervously tried to defend himself. “Wasp didn’t do anything. Wasp stayed away from other Wonderbolts.” The young Halfling begged. Spitfire simply rested a hoof on his shoulder as she replied, “It’s ok, I know. I think your buzzing is distracting the team. You mind watching from the ground?” Wasp hesitated for a moment before dejectedly replying, “Wasp will watch from ground.” The little Halfling began to descend back to the ground, a sight that made Spitfire somewhat regret her decision. However, the snickering from the rest of her team forced her to roll her eyes before ordering, “Alright, that’s enough fun. Get back up in the air!” That was when the Wonderbolts heard Wasp cry out, “No! Wasp’s wings stop working!” Spitfire turned to see, to her horror, Wasp falling down to the ground, flailing desperately as his wings were unable to keep him in the air. “WASP!” Spitfire shouted louder than any point in her life as she dove after Wasp. She was moving with the speed that only a Wonderbolt could pull off, closing the distance between herself and Wasp. But the ground was catching up to Wasp even faster. Spitfire could only watch helplessly as Wasp crashed into the grassy field, making a terrifying crack. Landing next to Wasp, Spitfire ran up to him, frantically begging, “Wasp! You alright?” Wasp wasn’t moving much, but his labored breathing made it clear he was at least alive. Groaning, Wasp replied, “Wasp’s leg hurts.” He then struggled to extend one of his front legs to Spitfire, but could barely move it. When Spitfire tried to touch it, Wasp recoiled, screaming in pain. “Grah! Wasp’s leg hurts!” The young Halfling shouted. Several of the Wonderbolts landed nearby, with Rainbow Dash walking up to the two. She asked, “Is he alright?” Spitfire sighed as she replied, “I think Wasp broke his leg in that fall.” Rainbow Dash trotted up to Wasp and began to inspect his leg. She then turned to Spitfire and said, “I don’t think his leg is broken. I think it’s only been dislocated.” Spitfire gave a confused look as she asked, “You sure?” Rainbow Dash gave a brief chuckle as she replied, “Ma’am, I know a thing or two about broken bones, and his leg here is only dislocated.” Wasp then groaned as he complained, “Ugh. Wasp hates it when leg is dislocated.” He then turned to Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts and asked, “Does any Wonderbolt have stick?” “Why do you need a stick?” Surprise asked. Soarin, on the other hoof, began to inspect the ground until he found a rather thick stick. As he picked it up, he said, “Hey I found one.” He then trotted over to Wasp and handed it over to the young Halfling before asking, “Why do you need a stick anyway?” Spitfire and the others were shocked when Wasp took the stick and proceeded to bite down on it. Biting on a stick usually meant a pony was trying to keep themselves from screaming at the top of their lungs when doing something painful, and the sheer calmness with how Wasp was doing it gave troubling implications. Spitfire asked, “Uh, Wasp? What are you doing?” Wasp then grabbed his dislocated leg with his brown arms and, taking a deep breath, screamed though the stick as he popped the leg back into its socket. The sickening crack of his leg popping shocked the Wonderbolts, especially Spitfire and Rainbow Dash. Taking a deep breath, Wasp spit the stick out of his mandibles as he muttered, “Wasp hates doing that.” Spitfire rushed over to Wasp, frantically asking, “Wasp, are you alright?” She wrapped her ward in a tight hug as she began to gently caress his head, an action she didn’t realize she was doing until she heard Surprise say from behind her, “I gotta admit, that is adorable.” After a few minutes of just making sure he wasn’t hurt anymore, Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts heard the sound of Wasp’s stomach rumbling. Groaning, Wasp weakly complained, “Ugh. Spitfire, Wasp is hungry.” Spitfire raised a hoof and placed it under his jaws as she said, “You know, so am I.” The Wonderbolts Canteen As Wasp began to tear into a sandwich, most of the Wonderbolts could only look on with a combination of amusement and horror. Rainbow Dash, slowly nursing a sandwich of her own, leaned next to Spitfire and said, “You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” Spitfire simply let out a gentle giggle as she replied, “He does have a charm. Kind of a buggy kind of charm.” Surprise trotted up to Wasp and asked, “Like your lunch I take it?” Wasp, swallowing his mouthful of food, replied, “Wasp likes his sandwich.” He then began to inspect his new guest and asked, “Does Wasp scare Wonderbolt?” Surprise hesitated for a moment before, “What? Of course not. If anything I think you’re kinda cool.” This declaration made Wasp’s spirits soar. He then asked, “Does this mean Yellow hair is Wasp’s friend?” Surprise, a warm smile growing on her face, replied, “I guess it does.” Wasp didn’t hesitate to tackle Surprise in a massive hug as he squealed, “Wasp has new friend!” Surprise couldn’t help but laugh as Wasp began to nuzzle her cheeks. Spitfire couldn’t help but feel her heart sore seeing her young ward befriend another member of the Wonderbolts. She was so distracted that she nearly missed Soarin and Rainbow Dash trying to get her attention. “Hey Captain!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Spitfire turned to her subordinate and asked, “What do you need Dash?” Rainbow Dash then proceeded to ask, “So, Soarin and I were talking, and, we noticed something.” Soarin then began to speak, “Yeah. I noticed when Wasp set his leg, he said he hated doing it. I think that wasn’t his first time.” Spitfire sighed and replied, “So did I.” She then set her sights back on to Wasp, who was trotting around Surprise as the white mare began to playfully tease, “I’m gonna get ya.” As much as she didn’t want to ruin the moment, she knew she had to ask him. “Hey Wasp?” Spitfire asked as she walked up to Surprise and Wasp, the latter of who was crawling on the former’s back. Taking a deep breath, Spitfire asked, “Wasp, I need to ask you a question.” Wasp immediately realized something was off. Climbing off Surprise, the young Halfling asked, “Is Wasp in trouble?” Spitfire raised a hoof to his shoulder and reassured him, “Of course not. I just want to ask you about something.” Wasp took a deep breath, but still didn’t show any signs of relaxing. Spitfire sighed and asked her question. “I overheard what you said about hating to set your leg. It sounded like that wasn’t your first time this happened.” As Wasp began to guiltily shrink away, Spitfire asked, “Wasp, has this happened before?” Wasp, his eyes beginning to water, didn’t say yes, but he did nod his head as he mumbled, “Wasp was misbehaving, so Megaton said he needed to make an example.” Soarin gulped as he asked, “What do you mean he “made an example?”” Wasp began to look away as he muttered, “Wasp didn’t want to run obstacle course, but Megaton demanded Wasp obey. Wasp didn’t obey and….” The tears began to pour out as Wasp wrapped his arms around Spitfire, shuddering as he whimpered. Rainbow Dash, having overheard everything, angrily replied, “That’s horrible! That monster better have a good reason why I shouldn’t knock his head clean off!” Surprise, normally a friendly and somewhat bubbly mare, found herself scowling and unintentionally growling. Even Fleet Foot, who struggled with her own complicated feelings over the Halfling, couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. But for Spitfire, the mare who found herself in the middle of everything, she couldn’t think about Megaton. She could only think about the crying child that had chosen her for comfort. All she could do was hold him tight until he released all of his grief. A Few Hours Later “Ok fillies, one more time from the top!” Spitfire called out from her post. Once again, she was standing on a cloud behind a megaphone, giving orders to the rest of the Wonderbolts. However, this time, she wasn’t alone. Standing next to her was Wasp, a gleeful smile on his face. After letting out his secret, Spitfire decided he needed something fun, so Spitfire gave him something few other ponies ever got to witness; an up close look at a Wonderbolts training session. But that wasn’t the best part. As the rest of the team flew over the two, Spitfire turned to Wasp and said, “Alright, now it’s your turn.” She then pointed to the megaphone and said, “I think Fleet Foot is breaking off.” As she pointed up to the air, Wasp noticed Fleet Foot was indeed starting to break off from the rest of the team. Spitfire, with a cheeky grin on her face, said, “I think you know what to do.” Giggling with glee, Wasp buzzed over to the megaphone and, taking a deep breath, shouted, “Red Eyes is breaking off! Red Eyes needs to get back in position!” Spitfire could tell that Fleet Foot was pretty pissed off at being called out by Wasp, but she figured that right now, she wouldn’t make too much of a deal about it. As the rest of the team finished the routine, Spitfire stepped up to the megaphone and called out, “All right every-pony! Great job! I’d say that’s enough for one day.” Blaze wiped the sweat from her brow as she added, “So, anyone want to go for a drink?” Spitfire, wrapping her wing around Wasp, replied, “That sounds fun, but I think some-pony here is a little too young for that kind of thing.” “Wasp is kind of thirsty.” Wasp innocently retorted. Spitfire quickly pulled the Halfling close to her and whispered “They’re talking about fancy grown up drinks.” Wasp would have protested, but Spitfire gave him a look that gently but firmly said ‘don’t push it.’ Soarin then added, “Don’t worry kid. How about I stop by later tonight with a slice of pie?” That made Wasp light up as he began saying, “Yes please! Wasp likes pie!” Spitfire then said, “Ok. But first, we gotta shower and freshen up.” As she led Wasp away, she leaned towards Soarin and whispered, “make sure to bring the napkins.” Soarin could only happily reply, “You got it boss!” with that, all the Wonderbolts proceeded to return to the base to shower, stretch, and catch their breaths before heading home. Soarin’s Home, Later That Night As much as he loved being a Wonderbolt, Soarin had to admit that some times, he just enjoyed a lazy night at home. Of course, right now, he had to find some the pie that he had promised for Spitfire and Wasp. Even though he initially found it odd that Spitfire of all ponies would take in a child, let alone a Halfling like Wasp, Soarin had to admit that she had taken to the task pretty well. It also didn’t help that Wasp was starting to grow on him. Soarin couldn’t figure out if he saw Wasp as some sort of nephew, little brother, or something else, but he had to admit the child had set a good impression on him. As Soarin tried to open his front door, he realized something was wrong; the door was unlocked. He may not have been the brightest pony in Equestria, but Soarin liked to think he was at least smart enough to always lock his door. Maybe he had simply forgotten to lock the door that morning? Deciding that pondering on whether or not he hadn’t left the door unlocked wasn’t important, Soarin simply shrugged and opened the door, only to be horrified by what he found. Soarin’s house had been absolutely trashed. Every door was open, every drawer was removed and the contents scattered everywhere, and in general, his house looked like someone set off fireworks in his house. But that wasn’t the worst part. That dubious honor went to the fact that everything was covered in a blue-white silky substance that resembled a spider’s web. “Ugh.” Soarin groaned as he entered his now ruined home. “What in the name of Celestia happened in here?” That was when Soarin heard the sound of someone laughing, or rather menacingly cackling. “Who’s there?” Soarin called out. There was no response, save for the cackling. Starting to panic, Soarin stepped into the remains of his living room and called out, “Whoever you are, you are in so much trouble!” The cackling stopped, and Soarin found himself surrounded by deafening silence. Sweating nervously, Soarin called out, “Uh…. Come out come out, whoever you are.” Still, there was nothing. This was when Soarin made the mistake of letting his guard down. The moment he surrendered his guard, he heard a raspy voice, one not unlike Wasp’s but a little older, shout, “Die pony!” Soarin turned to see, to his horror, a being that resembled Wasp charge him. He was so surprised by this sight that he was unable to react until the creature tackled him, forcing him to the floor. It was now that Soarin realized this creature’s head was not the same as Wasp’s. This creature had a mouth consisting of eight claw like teeth, four on each side of his mouth, a single eye that cracked across his face like a scar, and an odd bump on his forehead that resembled a pig’s nose. “Get off of me!” Soarin shouted. The creature, starting to giggle to himself, replied, “I think not. The master wants to have a word with you.” Before Soarin could ask what he meant, the creature extended his teeth and bid down on his neck. Soarin tried to scream, but he found himself feeling dizzy and tired. As he lost consciousness, Soarin realized he had been poisoned. But he could only helplessly watch as the creature picked him up and begin to pull him out of his house. After that, Soarin was consumed by the dark oblivion of unconsciousness, unaware of how much danger he was soon to be in.