And NO!!!! This is STILL not the end. As I said before I am putting a solid cap on this story. Probably more solid than the well caps BP used to seal off that damned gulf oil well.
"So Spitfire," the reporter said, "This is the longest we've ever seen you with one person before."
Spitfire laughed and moved a lock of her hair out of her face and crossed her legs, "Well, uh, like I've said before, this person is different."
"How so?"
"Well you've heard all the other reasons I've given so I'll give you all a new one this time."
"We certainly have, you gush continuously about them. So what's this new reason?"
"The sex is AMAZING," she grinned leaning back in her chair.
"How so?" the interviewer asked.
Spitfire turned and glanced at someone outside the view of the camera, "Well being different in many ways helps. We do new things, experiment in ways not possible to the rest of the general populace."
"Really? How so?"
Spitfire turned, "Jett, come on out here."
A person stepped in front of the camera and took a seat next to Spitfire. But something was different. They were a centimeter shorter than her and... they were a she. SHE had shoulder length moppy black hair that fell in front of her gaze causing her to have to push it out of the way. She had an attractive face with brilliant sapphire blue eyes. A metallic hand trailed across Spitfire's leg. The girl wore a diamond patterned black shirt with jeans and sneakers. A maniacal grin flashed across her face as she spoke with a cool, smooth, feminine voice.
"Yes dear," Jett sighed, "I still cannot believe you had me come out here still configured this way."
The interviewer reeled back, "T-this is... him?"
Spitfire laughed, "What can I say? We like to have fun, don't we Jett?"
"You know, I'm naturally a bisexual," Jett replied, her voice fulfilling the fantasy of every boy in range of it, "But it never really crossed my mind that you were as well. And I hope you know that my brother will never stop bothering about this whole fiasco."
"I know," Spitfire grinned, "But you still love me."
She sighed, "I do."
The two girls shared a kiss in full view of the camera, letting the public's imagination run wild.
***
The world appeared in a flash. Or an expansion is more like it. There was hardly any light so it more or less appeared as a rapid expansion. The ceiling was the first thing he saw. The fan slowly spun above him.
Jett groaned and rubbed his head before looking to the right of him. Spitfire lay calmly sleeping beside him, her arms wrapped around his and one of her wings draped over his body like a blanket. A happy smile was upon her face.
Jett smiled and slowly turned his head left and glanced at the clock. It was six. The sun hadn’t made it up just yet.
He sat up ever so slowly and removed her arms from his first before slowly sliding out from under her wing and onto the floor. He looked down at himself and sighed with relief. He had at least slipped some briefs on. He slowly pushed himself onto his feet and again almost fell to the floor. He sighed. Dumb leg. He tapped the implant behind his ear. It gave a dull beeping noise; charging still. Oh yeah, power was reallocated to the night’s… other activities. It’d be at least another two hours before he could use the implant again.
He moved across the wall over to the couch and grabbed his cane. He glanced back at Spitfire. She was still smiling, however she was snuggling the blanket now and had thrown one of her legs over the covers. Jett smiled and moved towards the bathroom. He glanced at himself in the mirror.
“Holy shit,” he muttered.
Scratch marks were all along his upper chest, mostly from Spitfire’s finger nails. There were even a few bite marks on his shoulders and neck. He never figured Spitfire would get that into it but apparently she did. Oh well, what’s done is done.
He washed his face and looked himself over again. Hopefully Dane wouldn’t notice any of the love bites and rag on him over it. He knew he would though.
Suddenly he felt a pair of arms wrap around him as well as an accompanying pair of wings drape over him.
“Good morning, lover boy,” Spitfire yawned. Fortunately she’d pulled on some underwear beforehand.
“Morning to you too, love bird,” he replied rubbing her hands with his, “Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” she yawned again, “I only woke up because my cuddler suddenly wasn’t as comfortable.”
“Sorry. Woke up a little early.”
“Oh I don’t mind,” she said grabbing his shoulders and turning him around so he was facing her. She leaned forward and kissed him. She felt those ever pleasant tingling electricity run through her body as she kissed him good morning.
They finally separated. Spitfire stared into his eyes…
…
“Will you still love me?” she asked quietly.
He frowned, “What?”
“Will you still love me when I don’t… when I’m… no longer beautiful?”
“What do you mean? You’ll ALWAYS be beautiful.”
She sighed, “No… I won’t. One day I’ll lose my looks, my youth, I’ll grow old and I’ll become more and more grounded. Will you, will you still love me? Even then?”
Jett growled, “Of COURSE I will! I fell in love with you for your personality. Your looks were just an amazing bonus to it. You’ll always be beautiful, sexy, appealing, hot, whatever vocabulary word you want to use, to me. Even when you’re older.”
“But… I’ll look different. I won’t be like this. I won’t be worthy of being with you.”
“That’s where you’ve got it wrong, love,” he cupped her face in his hands, “I’m not worthy of being with you. Beauty isn’t just skin deep you know. You’re beautiful because you’re funny, smart, kind, confident, and just fun to be around. I know I’ll reach a certain point and I’ll stop aging, I know, but… I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. And that will never change.”
Her eyes met his and she gave a small smile, “Thanks. I needed that. I love you.”
“I love you too,” he smiled back and kissed her, “And, if you getting old and “losing your beauty” bothers you that much, I can always fix that.”
She cocked her head, “What?”
“Well,” he said nonchalantly, “I’ll never get older. My aging algorithm only works until I’m about 45 years old so that’s where I max out. However with you… if you’ll allow it, I can just give you a Nanite supplement that will maintain your body. Keep all your ligaments strong, connective tissues, etc, etc, pretty much keep you looking nice. Of course you’ll have to work to keep your muscles and other things like that but… if you keep up with what you do now, you’ll be able to keep your “body” as you called it for as long as you like.”
She grinned, “I think I’d like that.”
“Figured as much,” he laughed before gripping his cane and moving out of the bathroom. Spitfire assisted him out. The sun was starting to rise.
“You know, if I do this for you, the Nanites will be able to work on other things in your body if you’d like.”
“Like what?” she asked throwing her arms over him again.
“Well, uh, what we just did last night would be nothing compared to what we COULD do with just a little tweaking.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well I’m limited by a battery right now, but if you, say, allowed me to construct a VR matrix all throughout your body and brain, the fun wouldn’t have to end there. In fact, it would only be the beginning…”
“The beginning?” she asked intrigued.
“Yes. In fact it would barely be foreplay with what I could show you.”
“Oh really?” she challenged.
“Yes. Back on Earth, you could get a VR rig installed in your house for a price. The rich could have them installed in their bodies and hooked up to their nervous systems. But since I’m me, I could do it for free. And the difference would be night and day. The feelings would be stronger, last longer and they would all be real. More real in fact. And best of all, they wouldn’t be limited to just the programs. You want to feel things in the real world? You could do it.”
“Hmm,” she smiled, “Sounds interesting. But really sell me on it.”
“How about this? Tell me your fantasies,” he whispered.
“What?” she whispered back.
“Tell me your fantasy. I’ll make it a reality. What have you always wanted to do that you could never get anyone to do? I’ll do it. Nothing is off limits,” he grinned, “What fantasy of yours have you always wanted to experience? I can make it real. Things that couldn’t be real in the real world. Things that are impossible. Whatever you can dream up, things you couldn’t dream up, I can make real. I can give you all the fun with none of the dangers. So… tell me your fantasy, and I can make it a reality.”
She let out a laugh, “You already have.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She felt him laugh.
“But… there are a few things I’ve always wanted to try that… well I just could never hope to fulfill in the real world,” she whispered seductively in his ear, “You sure you wanna hear this?”
“I’m your boyfriend,” he replied, “Only for you; I can keep you young forever and show you pleasures beyond belief.”
“Alright,” she said. She leaned over and whispered a series of things into his ear. She watched his face turn red and giggled.
“Well, uh, I figured you had some fantasies you wanted to live out but… I never would have guessed things like that.”
She blushed, “Well, uh, if they’re too, uh, you know, we don’t have to.”
He turned around and gave her a cocky grin of confidence that almost blew her off her feet. She saw his tongue run quickly across his lips and shuddered.
“Oh, don’t worry. We’re gonna do this. Hell, I’d be insulted if we didn’t.”
Spitfire smiled, “Sounds wonderful…”
“So… what do you wanna do now?” Jett asked flexing his fingers.
“The sun’s coming up soon. It’s going to be a beautiful day. Spend it with me.”
“With pleasure.”
He turned his head and met her with a kiss as the star came over the horizon.
***
Three Years later.
Jett nervously entered his boss’ office. He shouldn’t have been nervous. Hell the entire organization, program, and mission were all his idea and yet… he needed his boss for this last thing. Atlantis Seven would be launching in a few months and would take another three to get to its destination and another four to get back. Still, Jett was excited. It was the one of the first spacecraft ever developed by anyone on the planet. And what made it special was that it had a destination in mind.
His boss looked up. The director who would be watching him and his team’s back while they were away.
“Ah, Captain Halsey,” he smiled. He was wearing black pants and a white dress shirt with a head of sandy brown hair, “What can I do for you?”
Jett was 21. He shouldn’t be too nervous about this but… if this one thing fell apart then…
“I need to make one last request sir.”
“I’ll see what I can do depending on what it is.”
“It doesn’t change the mission in any way. Just how the public perceives it.”
“What do you need?”
Jett blinked and glanced nervously around the room, “I need you to lie.”
***
The suit had been designed by Jett. In fact, everything he and his crew was wearing had pretty much been designed by him. Including the shuttle they were about to take up to their craft that was waiting in orbit. The tower and the supports that connected to their rocket would soon be separated as the ship launched itself into the sky. The seven manned ship was one of the first space craft Equestria had ever seen.
“Captain Halsey,” A reporter asked as Jett and his crew sat at the hastily set up conference table before they headed off into the final frontier. “What motivated you to start up this program as well as captain the first mission to another world?”
Jett rubbed his head, “You mean besides my girlfriend?”
The crowd laughed.
“Uh, well as set of things actually. Spitfire’s been very supportive of it all. She already lives an interesting life and that was part of it. I always had a hard time finding my place in the world; never knowing my true worth. But spending time with her made me realize one thing: I would never settle for a less exciting and ordinary life. I wanted to be destined for something better; something special. And this is it.”
A barrage of other questions followed. Personal questions for his best of the best crew, some for him about the tech and nature of the mission, all things he and his crew answered. Finally there was just one left.
“How long will the mission take?” one reporter asked. Film Reel was her name.
Jett smiled, “Well, uh, that’s the kicker. This is a bit of deep space assignment so, uh, we’ll be gone for sixteen months.”
Finally one of the mission control guys stepped forward, “Sorry folks but I’m afraid that’s all the time we have. These guys still have to say goodbye to their families and such.”
Three men and four women stood up and filed out from behind the table. All of them were hand selected by Jett based on a variety of factors. All of them were volunteers who had filed applications to be on the first mission of this kind and be immortalized. He had narrowed it down to those who were actually qualified. A certain girl named Twilight Sparkle kept showing up however before he even had the chance to accept her Celestia pulled her application citing other factors. Something to do with her latest princess having to take a trip to the Crystal Empire for some random thing Jett didn’t care about. He narrowed it down further to those who were there for the chance to explore another world, to push the boundaries, to transcend all known limits, and to advance the cause of science. Then he had to get even pickier and narrow it down to the best of the best. Then he had to pick people who he felt would get along with each other and could handle living with each other for such an extended period of time. Finally he was left with his six.
And each and every one of them was ecstatic to hear they had been chosen. After that it was all about fitting them with suits. With the two Earthers it was easy enough to fit them. The two magic users had to have a system that allowed them to use their powers while still inside the suit. That wasn’t too hard to work out either. The two pegasi had a larger problem. He needed to have a system that would keep their wings safe as well as keep them comfortable if they were going to be spending extended periods of time inside the suits. In the end, he went with something similar with what he had worked out with Spitfire during her stay on Earth. They would have to scrunch their wings down but not to the extent she had to. In the end, it looked like they had a rigid form of a cape extending off their suits. He purposefully made them as small as he could as to limit tearing in the zero g environment. Needless to say he and his two compatriots were happy with the results.
Then it was all about training. Easier said than done. However by the end of it they were all ready for their extended stay in space.
The seven scientists and engineers walked off the makeshift stage towards a waiting bus that would take them to the launch pad. Their families were waiting in a special waiting area behind a velvet rope.
He turned to his first officer Andromeda. She was chosen simply because she was the one jack of all trades he needed. Smart, she had her PhD’s in physics as well as environmental science and terrestrial biology. Her background in the guard came in handy too. She was bit of a hard ass like Spitfire but also a bit more socially awkward than his love. Still, she got along well with the others.
“They have five minutes before we have to board the bus. Make sure they’re all ready.”
One arm held her helmet. She used her free to give him a salute, “Sir, yes Sir.”
Jett sighed, “For the love of- Andy I told you to stop calling me that a month ago!”
She cringed, “Sorry si- Jett. Sorry. I’ll work on it.”
“Ah, whatever. Go see your family. Your father looks like he really wants to see you.”
She nodded and moved to join her family. Jett turned. Spitfire’s face was hidden behind her aviators. Dane, Gin, Blaze, and Fleetfoot were all there as well as the rest of the team.
Jett smiled, “Hey girly.”
Even her sunglasses couldn’t hide her tears. Spitfire leapt at him and embraced him tightly. Jett gasped but soon wrapped his arms around her as well.
“I’m gonna miss you!” she sobbed, “You’ll be gone for over a year!”
Jett smiled sadly, “I’m gonna miss you too my little angel girl.”
“Who’s gonna keep me company at night? Who am I gonna talk to when I need it most? Who’s gonna cheer me on at our shows?”
Jett pulled away and held her shoulders, “Hey, we’ll still be able to communicate. Daily if you want.”
“Yeah, but they’ll take hours to get to you! Why couldn’t you just give them your Ansible tech?”
“The same reason I can’t give you weapons tech. It’s still beyond you at this point.”
“What about us though?” she asked tearing her sunglasses off exposing her blood shot eyes, “I know this is what you want to do, and I know I’m the last person in the world who should be holding you back like this but… I love you. I’m gonna miss you so much.” She stared at the ground.
Jett smiled sadly at her, “I love you too. I know this is gonna be hard at first but… when I get back I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
She looked back up at him, “Promise? Promise me you’ll come back?”
“Promise,” he pulled her in for a hug before turning to Dane, “Take care of her, alright?”
Dane gave a cocky grin, “Who do you think I am?”
Jett frowned, “I saw what you did to your PhD students last week.”
Dane turned red, “Fair enough. Between Fleet and me, I’m sure we’ll be able to keep her together.”
“Thank you.”
Fleetfoot glared at Jett, “You do realize I’m gonna hate you until you come back right?”
He sighed, “I know.”
“Hey, she’s gonna be lost without you! So you better make it up to her when you come back!”
Jett gave her a simple look. One simple look that said it all to her before mouthing one sentence.
“You’ll keep me updated?” he asked her.
Echo’s face cracked and she gave him a grin, “Oh yeah. Just hold up your end of it.”
“I will.”
He had to pull Spitfire off of him. She let out a sad noise as he did but managed to release him. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss. As he did she slipped a small booklet into his hands. Finally they separated.
“Dream of me,” she whispered.
Jett stared into her eyes, “I will. Take care of the team.”
She gave a choked up laugh, “Take care of yours and I’ll take care of mine.”
He smiled at her before turning and heading over to the bus. The rest of his team was waiting for him.
“I swear if any of you say anything,” he said as they boarded.
Andromeda laughed, “Whatever you say Captain’s boy.”
“Stop it.”
“I mean, she was just counting your teeth with her tongue there.”
“Keep it up. Remember in space no one can hear you scream.”
They all shared a laugh as the bus headed over to the tower. Once there they exited and boarded an elevator that sent them up to the capsule that would rendezvous with their craft. They entered their craft and sealed the door before strapping themselves in.
“Mission control to Atlantis Seven,” a voice said, “Radio check.”
“Got you Cloudsdale,” Andromeda said.
“System’s check.”
“Everything’s functioning perfectly on our end.”
“Same here. Captain Halsey?”
Jett stared up through the cockpit windows of the ship, “We’re all good here. The word is given.”
“Alright.”
Jett stared through the window of the ship watching the clouds go by overhead. He felt the book in his hands and opened it to a random page. A dirty picture of Spitfire stared back at him, giving him a sultry look. He blushed and quickly pocketed the book as he became vaguely aware of a countdown going on in his head.
“Seven…”
“Six…”
“Five…”
“Four…”
“Three…”
“Two…”
“One…”
A heavy rumbling could be heard as vibrations ran up through the ship.
“And we have liftoff of the Atlantis Seven craft off to chart the new horizons on Aquarius and her moons.”
Outside Spitfire and the others watched as the rocket shot up into the sky, pieces of ice falling off its hull as it rose. Soon it broke the sound barrier and was beyond her sight.
***
One Year later.
Spitfire gripped the camera nervously. Again it was the last show of the season and yet another glorious anniversary for her and Jett. Still… she was sad. The most important thing about this day was missing and she wouldn’t get to see him for another four months.
Jett was literally worlds away though this time it was a more understanding kind of separation. The new Space Program he’d introduced to the country a few years ago had taken off spectacularly and now Jett was off exploring another planet. It was still in the system though communication took a while through tightbeam. Conversations at these distances could take anything from minutes to hours depending on the time.
She reached into her pocket and felt around for the small box inside. Still there. Good. Even though he was so far away, she could still make the day special. And this was something that couldn’t wait.
Soarin’ groaned, “Man I think I pulled something in that last maneuver.”
Fleetfoot sighed, “Soarin’ that was our last performance this season. And we still have one last show to do.”
Blaze frowned and rubbed her throat, “Can’t believe you made us take those singing classes just for this.”
Fire Streak frowned, “Well I for one am happy with the results. I like being able to sing now.”
“Yeah, that disappointment you called a voice is finally something tolerable,” Lightning Streak laughed.
Spitfire turned and looked back out at the stage. Dane approached.
“So… you ready for this?” he asked.
“Yeah… I think so. Nervous, but I think I’m ready for this,” she laughed.
“Oh come on girl, he’s not even on the same planet as you anymore.”
“Exactly. We’re going to do this and then send it to him. It’ll take us almost an hour to hear back from him.”
“Just do your best. I’m sure he’ll love it,” Dane grinned, “Though I do have to admit, I haven’t really seen a girl propose to her boyfriend before.”
“Well… it’s different I’ll admit. But… I want to do it.”
“Well then let’s get out there. You’re supposed to send him a message at 1300.”
“Alright.”
Dane tapped his earpiece, “Alright, we’re all ready in here. Open it.”
The curtain lifted and the bright stage of the Canterlot Aerodome awaited. The stadium was packed to the brim. Eager fans with signs, posters, hats and all sorts of merchandise cheered as Spitfire and team emerged on stage followed by Dane leading a small band. The sun was beginning it’s slow decent down. Soon it would cast a shadow as it passed over the stadium’s walls.
Spitfire walked to the edge of the stage and picked up the microphone. Her voice echoed through the stadium.
“Ahem, as you all know,” she began to the cheering crowd, “My longtime boyfriend Jett or Captain Halsey as he’s currently known, is away on a deep space assignment on our closest neighbor, Aquarius. Now… He won’t be back for another four months but… ”
She removed a small box from her bomber jacket pocket.
“I want to propose to him.”
The crowd cheered. Everything was going perfectly.
“And I want you guys to help.”
The crowd of fans cheered again.
“Now… I’m going to do something really stupid,” she laughed pulling out her camera, “I’m gonna show a little something something we put together. If you listen closely, you may hear some of us sing. Now when we’re done, when I give the signal, I want all of you guys to scream ‘say yes’. Can you do that for me?”
“YES!!!” the crowd responded.
“Alright then.”
Spitfire held up the camcorder. Her face was projected up on a large screen on the stage behind them for all to see, “Hey robot boy, now you’re probably noticing that I’m not where I normally make these. That is because as you know, it’s our Anniversary today. And today I figured I’d do something a bit special.”
Up on the screen, a homemade video began playing. It was a collection of things captured by home cameras as well as memories Spitfire had converted for the video. The video began with a familiar face staring into the camera.
“Okay, so here’s what’s been going on,” Spitfire giggled, “Our two year is coming up and Jett’s been trying to practice some singing for the night to serenade me. He hasn’t been very good at keeping it a secret.”
The video moved to show the closed door to the Sunroom at the Wonderbolts Summer Retreat. Behind the door the sound of a guitar could be heard. The clip cut to a view inside of a certain dorm room at a certain high school. The background music that began to play was the Wonderbolts themselves singing a few songs brought over by Jett and Dane.
“Put that thing away!” a voice called out, “I’m getting dressed in here!”
Giggling followed, “Don’t be such a stick in the mud. I’m just having some fun here.”
The screen showed a certain skinny android frowning at the person behind it. He was missing his shirt and only wore a pair of jeans. His arms were crossed over his chest.
“Ooh, sexy,” Spitfire giggled.
Camera Jett visibly shuddered and turned red, “Shut up.”
“So whatcha wanna do today hot boy?”
“Don’t call me that,” he replied pulling on a white long sleeve shirt with a V striped pattern on it.
“Well don’t just stay here all day. It’s gonna be a beautiful day, why don’t we catch a transport into town?” She asked.
“We live in space, the weather doesn’t change too much. Every day is a beautiful day.”
The video cut to a mall. Racks of clothing were nearby, windows led to a brilliant starscape with a nice view of Jupiter in the background.
“Are you gonna film everything?” Jett asked.
“Maybe,” Spitfire said.
“Why? And where did you even get that thing?”
“To remember the good times,” she replied, “And I got this last week at the TX Electronics thing that visited.”
Jett and Spitfire walked through the store. Every now and again something caught the android’s or Spitfire’s eye. More Spitfire’s than Jett’s.
“Where do you get your stuff?” Spitfire asked, “I never see anything like it at any of these places.”
“They’re all custom made,” He replied, “Why?”
“It’s just that- ooh! Hold this!”
The camera was chaotically thrust into the android’s hands as Spitfire hastily grabbed something off the shelves.
“Wait! Where’re you going!” Jett called.
“I’ll be right back!” she replied.
Jett sighed, “Girls.”
The audience laughed. Spitfire herself smiled. A few seconds later Spitfire’s voice called.
“Well? How do I look?” She asked.
The Camera turned, “Oh my…”
Spitfire was wearing a magician’s costume. She tipped her hat to him and gave him a cocky grin. Suddenly they both burst out laughing, their giggles echoing throughout the store.
“Oh my gosh! You look ridiculous!” Jett laughed.
“I know!” She giggled pulling the hat off her head.
They both continued as the video clip changed back to the Wonderbolts Retreat. Spitfire carefully opened up the door to the sunroom and peered in it. Jett was practicing with a guitar. His voice synced up perfectly with the background music of the video…
The video cut to a forest. A camp site was visible. Two tents and a circle of rocks positioned to hold a fire. Two logs were around it. A few packs were visible. This time the view was one from Spitfire’s memories.
“Sit still! Jeez,” Gin yelled.
“I can’t help it!” Dane replied, “This log isn’t doing my gluts any favors.”
“Cut it out you two,” Jett sighed, “We’re trying to take a picture here.”
Spitfire’s happy giggling was heard.
“Dane if you don’t sit still I swear I’m gonna beat you up,” Gin said.
“Only thing you’re gonna be beating is that-”
“Oh really?! That’s it.”
Gin had Dane in a headlock and began grinding her knuckles into his scalp. He cried out in half delight half pain. Suddenly Spitfire’s view was jarred a little as Jett pulled an arm around her and laughed at Dane’s plight just as the camera snapped the picture. With the flash the video changed again. This time it moved back in time a few months, there being no real coherent order to things. Again it opened to the musical giggling of Spitfire.
“Spitfire!” Jett yelled.
The android was running down a street at some kind of small zoo. The setting was a little bit odd as there was no sky, only a wall patterned with balconies and other resort like things. Behind the robot trotted a rather agitated hippopotamus. Spitfire’s view was one of a person sitting atop a tree branch above it all.
“Oh Spitfire?”
“Yes?” she giggled.
“Would you mind helping me?!”
Spitfire laughed again. In reality, the whole situation was a rather comedic mess that in spite of surface details wasn’t really that dangerous. The hippo chasing the robot was far too slow to ever have a hope of catching him. And even then, Jett had certainly survived worse than a rabid hippo.
“Only if you say it!”
“Say what?”
“You know what.”
Jett sighed as he ran under her again, “Fine. You’re a far better athlete than I am, not that I even care!”
“Finish it,” she taunted.
“And I’m a girly princess,” he muttered sarcastically.
“Good enough,” she laughed and leaned back so she was hanging off the branch by her legs. She held her arms out just as Jett passed by, picking him up and flipping him onto the branch with her. A few seconds later the hippo plowed by.
Panting, Jett turned to face her, “I hate you.”
“No you don’t. You love me,” she giggled.
The view changed again. This time it was back at the academy. Jett was red faced staring at the camera. It was a camera this time.
“You never told me that you could sing!” she laughed, “And here I thought you were just a nice piano player!”
Jett gritted his teeth, “I swear if you tell ANYONE!”
Spitfire started laughing, “Why would I ever do that?”
“I know your modus operandi. You love to aggravate, embarrass, and disturb me.”
“That’s not all I like doing.”
“Flying?”
“No. Well I do love flying but that’s not the only thing I like doing. I do enjoy our time together. I like it when we hang out. I only bother you because you’re my friend.”
“Humph.”
“I’ll tell you what,” she grinned, “I won’t tell anyone here your dirty little secret if you sing for me.”
“What?!”
“Might wanna keep it down. People are sleeping still.”
“Why?” he asked again, this time quietly.
“Because; you sound nice.”
He sighed, “Fine, what do you want me to sing?”
“Hmm, how about that song you were doing when I came up here?”
Jett sighed and sat down at the piano again, “Just this once.”
“Just this once.”
“Alright, here it goes.”
The beautiful notes flowed from the Fazioli like silk as the android closed his eyes as his fingers magically danced across the keys with the precision and care of a caring lover. Spitfire gasped though it was barely audible on the camera as the android played the instrument. Soon he began to sing the first verses of the song he was so expertly playing. A song no one in Equestria could possibly know but one that would forever be engraved in its memory soon after.
His fingers increased their pace. Even his metallic prosthetic carefully struck the keys with expert precision. He opened his eyes and looked down at the piano as he played before looking up at Spitfire and giving a confident grin.
Spitfire could see it and grinned. As much as he said he hated this, as much as he was irritated by her, he was enjoying himself. She watched as Jett closed his eyes and fell into the song again, getting lost in the music. She suddenly felt an arm on her shoulder. She turned to find Dane rubbing his eyes and smiling at her. She smiled and turned back to watch the android.
By now Spitfire had become aware of more and more students showing up atop the lounge listening to the android sing. A few girls were even rubbing their eyes staring at him. More importantly, a certain football player didn’t look too impressed. She grinned. Good.
With the last gentle strike of a piano key the song ended. Jett was still smiling as he opened his eyes and turned to stare at Spitfire. Thought it was out of view for the camera her jaw was on the floor.
“Happy nooww…. Oh,” he said when he saw the crowd of people around him. Suddenly they all broke out in applause.
“Dude that’s amazing!”
“You never said you could sing!”
Jett glanced at Spitfire and gave her a pleading look of ‘help me.’ Spitfire just laughed. The video changed views again. Jett, Dane and Spitfire were all sitting around a table in cold weather garb. A large platter of shrimp looking creatures sat before them. Jett smiled. Behind them was a city with large walls of ice extending up to form a domed ceiling.
“Well? Dig in,” he grinned grabbing one of the ‘shrimps’ by the ‘tail’ and taking a bit. It gave a satisfying crunch. Dane joined him and began munching away on the crustaceans.
“Uh,” Spitfire poked one with her finger, “Are you sure about these?”
“Yeah,” Jett said with a mouthful of the sea food, “They’re delicious. Only kind like them in the entire system. Just be careful, they got a little bit of kick to them.”
“Should we bring the boss some?” Dane asked.
“I wouldn’t. She hates it when we track food through the back like that.”
Jett picked up one of the shrimps and held it in front of Spitfire, “Open up for the airplane.”
Spitfire huffed, “I’m not five you know.”
Jett gave a devious little grin, “Could’ve fooled me.”
“You’re a jerk.”
“Please,” he scoffed, “Now come on. Open up.”
She smiled, “Alright.”
She tentatively took a bite and heard a satisfying crunch. The crustacean had a spicy flavor to it, like dried Chilly pepper. It was pretty good she had to admit.
“See? Not bad, huh?” Jett grinned.
Spitfire burst out in a wide grin, “I hate you sometimes.”
Jett gave a cocky grin, “Your voice says you hate me but your smile says otherwise.”
“Keep it up wise guy,” she blew him a kiss. He jumped lightly and turned a certain shade of red. Across the table Dane burst out laughing.
“That’s just the beginning of payback for that disastrous activity you call driving you naughty boy.”
Jett opened his mouth to say something just as Dane and Spitfire burst out laughing. The view changed to a back to the academy. Hearts decorated the dorm rooms. Couples were enjoying each other’s company, the usual shebang. February 14th: Valentine’s Day.
Dane was the camera user this time. He rotated it so it was facing him. He grinned as his piercing green eyes gleamed in the light before turning it back around.
He quickly found Jett who was in his normal pissy mood. His hair had grown out during the winter months and was now left a moppy black mess.
“Damn I need a haircut,” he muttered as he walked by.
“Hey Jett!” Dane called, “Got any plans for today?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“No, not me. Spitfire,” he grinned.
Jett stopped and pulled his hands from his pockets, “What? You know how much I hate this holiday.”
“Well SHE doesn’t.”
“Fine. What do you want me to do?”
He grinned and suddenly jumped up and grabbed his brother before wheeling him towards the elevator.
“Ah! Hey what’re you taking me?!”
“You’ll see. Now shut up.”
Once inside the elevator and the doors closed he hit a red icon on the controls and watched the elevator stop and the lights dim.
Jett sighed shaking some hair out of his eyes, “What’re you doing?”
Dane dropped a bag in his hands and pulled out an outfit. It was a maroon suit without the tie.
“Here, change into this.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you know? You, my Commander of the British Empire, have a role to fill.”
He sighed, “And what is that?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. You were unconscious for it. Crap. Well, uh, anyway, the rest of the school knows what your job is so… Get up there.”
Jett sighed, “Will you at least stop bugging me about the Christmas party?”
“Sure, whatever you want,” he grinned.
Jett sighed and grabbed the suit and pulled on the white button up and the overcoat.
“Whatever you’re recording this for, you’ll shut that damn camera off if I have to take my pants off in front of you.”
Dane sighed and turned around. The sounds of unzipping and a few grunts from Jett and the pants and shoes were on.
“How do I look?” Jett asked.
Dane gave him a thumbs up.
“You’re paying for my haircut too you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” he said smacking the red icon on the elevator. The lights returned and it started to rise up to the mall level. The doors opened and Jett was swiftly pushed out. The mall was decorated for the holiday as well. Little holographic hearts floated about the room.
“Ah! Hey! Watch it!”
Dane stepped out and gave a cocky grin. Jett straightened his coat and looked around.
“Alright, where’s your poorly coordinated attempt to set us up this time?”
“What? Poorly coordinated? Why I never! A lot of effort goes into these endeavors, not that you would notice, but still!” he grinned, “And I never said I was setting you two up. Are you sure you don’t have a dirty secret you’re not telling us about?”
Jett cringed and turned red, “I don’t even know how I ended up in this situation.”
He glanced towards one of the station’s restaurants. Spitfire was sitting at one idly twiddling a lock of her hair with her finger. Two strawberry milkshakes sat in front of her. She was wearing her normal outfit. Leather bomber jacket, tank top with dog tags, skinny jeans and a pair of black combat boots.
“What is your obsession with this?” Jett sighed.
“Hey, I’m just doing my job! You’re filling a role the entire school knows about and expects to be filled. So go do your job.”
Spitfire looked up and noticed him before flashing him a smile. He sighed and grinned back at her before strolling over and sitting down at the table across from her.
She smiled at him, “Happy Valentine’s Day robot boy.”
She slid a milkshake over to him before taking a sip from hers.
“Oh, uh, Happy Valentine’s Day,” He smiled and took a sip of his. They sat in silence for a little simply enjoying each other’s company. Every now and again a person would walk by and give Jett a wink or a thumbs up. Some of Spitfire’s friends giggled at her and yelled messages of congratulations.
Spitfire finished her milkshake rather quickly. Jett still had the remaining two thirds left. She simply shrugged and took her straw and stabbed it into Jett’s.
“Hey! That’s mine.”
She winked at him, “Well I was still thirsty, and plus I paid for them.”
He sighed and slid it over to the middle of the table while they both enjoyed the treat. Dane watched from a distance.
“Come on, do it!” he whispered.
Spitfire gave a light sigh of content and stared into the android’s sapphire orbs. He noticed and quickly looked away with a blush on his face. Suddenly someone from the school newspaper walked up to the table with a camera and snapped a picture. Though neither Jett nor Spitfire could see it, the picture came out as the two of them enjoying their frozen treat with one of the station’s holographic hearts floating right behind them. Jett looked up. One of the freshmen boys was standing before him with a small camera in his hands.
“May we help you?” He asked.
“Oh, uh, sorry. Just, I’m supposed to be taking pictures for the school newspaper. This week’s edition is centered on Valentine’s Day. I haven’t really been able to find any couples that really… you know, accentuate the holiday. All the others are just,” he sighed, “Locked away in their dorms doing Vishnu knows what.”
Jett rolled his eyes, “Don’t I know it. We didn’t get a wink last night.”
“I was just wondering if I could get some pictures of you two. You seemed pretty into the moment there and so far you’re the best example I’ve found. Would you mind?”
“Yes.”
“No, not at all,” Spitfire smiled.
“Eh what?” Jett said.
“Oh good! Now, can you just, uh, get closer? Like all that couples stuff you were doing earlier,” The freshman smiled.
“Oh, uh, you got it all wrong. We’re not dating, we’re-”
“Sure!” Spitfire laughed moving her chair closer to Jett’s.
“Spitfire…” Jett whispered.
“Shut up dummy! Just go with it!”
“What?! Why?”
She sighed and glanced over at him, “Please? Just do this for me?”
He sighed, “Fine. Jeez. I can never say no to you.”
“Good,” she grinned.
The boy finished setting up his camera. Spitfire wrapped an arm around Jett.
“Alright, now, uh, all I need you to do now is something romantic and I think I’ll have the front page,” the boy smiled.
“Like what?” Jett asked.
“Uh, I don’t know. Kiss or something?”
“We’ll figure something out,” Spitfire smiled, “You just get behind that camera and get ready. You’ll know when to take it.”
Jett stared ahead into the lens, “I think we should’ve discussed this more.”
“Oh shut up you,” she giggled and suddenly pulled him close and kissed him just as the camera flashed. His surprised reaction as well as Spitfire’s blushing cheeks as she kissed him would forever be immortalized in that one photograph.
The boy grinned, “Got it.”
The footage changed to show the front cover of the paper. One it was Jett and Spitfire. Spitfire was happily kissing him on the cheek while the android gave a gasp of surprise. Behind them three hearts floated by. The page turned to reveal a little picture of Spitfire and Jett sharing a milkshake with the caption "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."-Albert Einstein. Jett sighed and read the article.
“It seems the angel of C.L.A.A.S. has finally found her Valentine,” he read, “Jett D. Halsey.”
He turned and stared back at the Cameraman. Dane just laughed.
“Do you see what you’ve done to me here?" he asked, “I hope you’re happy. I really do. Because you’ve basically tied us together like a red thread of fate!”
Spitfire giggled, “Oh it’s not so bad. I think it’s kinda cute.”
Dane flashed a cocky grin, “There are things far worse than being seen as her lover. Personally, I think you should be honored that the school thinks so highly of you.”
He bowed.
“Please!” Spitfire laughed, “I’m the one who should be honored here! After all, I’m dating the Ace of C.L.A.A.S. now.”
She walked up behind him and threw her arms around him and leaned over his shoulder.
“Marry me?” she laughed.
The video ended and the screen faded to the shot of the pair sharing their milkshake as Spitfire took the stage and began speaking.
“So robot boy,” she said nervously, “If you haven’t noticed I kinda have something special planned.”
She gulped and felt her pocket for that small object that would lay her intentions out for the entire universe to see and more importantly, for HIM to see. This was it; the perfect moment. The one that would make it all. She was ready. She took a deep breath just that one special song began playing. A happy blush danced across her face for all to see.
The captain of the most prestigious flight team in the world was now being brought to one knee by a boy literally on another planet. She reached into her pocket and removed a small black box and cracked it open revealing a beautiful silver ring. It had a beautiful circuit pattern carved into it. Inside the circuits were little diamonds carefully inserted by the best jewelers in Canterlot.
“Jett Daniel Halsey, I love you more than anything in this entire universe. I love you so much,” she breathed, “And… I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the very first and the very last person I will ever love and you’re my entire world. I’m sure you know what’s coming next and it would make me the happiest girl in the world if you said yes.”
She gulped, “Will you marry me, Jett?”
“SAY YES!” The crowd and her friends all yelled. Spitfire laughed. There was only one thing left to do as Dane wrapped it all up and sent the massive transmission to the android. All that was left to do was wait. An agonizing thirty minutes passed before a transmission finally came in. When it did it was displayed up on the screen for all to see.
Jett was sitting in front of a screen with a variety of consoles and tech behind him. Above him on another floor of the craft was a science lab.
“Ooh, I wonder who it is this time!” Andromeda said as she bounced by in the lower gravity.
“Sixty bits says I can figure it out!” Another voice said. Celsius, chief science officer for the mission; geologist and oceanic biologist. He swung down, hanging by his legs right behind Jett.
Jett sighed and turned. His hair bounced oddly in the lower gravity, floating up and then drifting back down.
“Don’t you two have something else you could be doing?” He asked.
Andromeda laughed as she bounced by behind him again, “Oh this is so fun! And no not really! Gears and Gadgets are still outside working on the Gremlin and Arty and Star Gazer are setting up that telescope to study that gas giant. Wahoo!”
Jett sighed, “Fine. Oh and happy anniversary darling!”
His fingers danced over the console as he opened up the file to view it. The beginning of the transmission could be heard playing in the background.
“Hey robot boy, now you’re probably noticing that I’m not where I normally make these. That is because as you know, it’s our Anniversary today. And today I figured I’d do something a bit special.”
He smiled, “Alright.”
The everyone watched his reactions as he began watching the video. Andromeda and Celsius stopped goofing off and started watching the video with him.
“Ooh, Captain. You never told us you could sing,” Andromeda laughed.
“Quiet, I’m trying to watch this here.”
The three continued to watch the video. Every now and again Jett would crack a grin or laugh. When they got to the part with the hippopotamus Jett’s smile got even larger.
“Oh no she didn’t!” he laughed.
“What? What’s going on?” Celsius asked as the video continued playing.
“Holy… Oh my gosh!” Andromeda laughed, “Look at that hippo!”
Jett covered his face and laughed. They continued on with the rest of the video. Jett laughed at a few of the moments, face palmed at some other but always kept a smile on his face. Finally the video came to an end and Spitfire took the stage and said her message.
“So robot boy,” she said nervously, “If you haven’t noticed I kinda have something special planned.”
Jett watched intently as she continued. Spitfire gulped as she watched his reaction.
“Jett Daniel Halsey, I love you more than anything in this entire universe. I love you so much. And… I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the very first and the very last person I will ever love and you’re my entire world. I’m sure you know what’s coming next and it would make me the happiest girl in the world if you said yes.”
“Will you marry me, Jett?”
She watched as his mouth fell wide open as the crowd and her friends screamed for him to say yes. Behind him his team all laughed and patted him on the back with congratulations. But he stayed wide eyed with his mouth on the floor before he cracked a smile and laughed.
“Excuse me a second,” he said to the camera as he turned away and wiped his eyes, still grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh, man. I wasn’t expecting that,” He laughed. Suddenly, however, he became incredibly serious and his waterworks stopped as if a switch was flipped. He gave devilish grin to the camera, his attention focusing on Spitfire as if he knew exactly where she was.
“I know just what you’re thinking my little angel girl,” he said with so much confidence that Spitfire swore he could have said anything he wanted and it would have happened, “You put on quite a fine show there; really enjoyed the part with Valentine’s Day. I bet you think you got me and you got me good, don’t you?”
“While I’ll admit to myself here that I’m flattered beyond all belief, there are still some things that I need to do myself. You made all the moves in this relationship. But not this one,” he grinned and blew her a kiss, “I love you my little angel. Now… do me a favor. Turn around.”
What? Spitfire frowned. Turn around? What for? Slowly she rotated herself. Slowly ascending the steps up to the stage was a certain black haired android. He cracked his neck and gave her a cocky grin. His hair had grown out a bit but overall he was the same. He soon reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the stage. The entire stadium was silent as his steps echoed through the torus. A light beeping was heard as he tapped the implant behind his ear and discarded his cane. It fell to the ground with a dull clatter.
He grinned, “My dearest Spitfire, my most sacred treasure: “In melody divine, My heart it beats to rapturous love, I long to call you mine.”-Unknown.”
The dull thump of a camera hitting the floor echoed to the top rows as Spitfire covered her mouth with her hands and began to cry. With one powerful flap of her wings she shot herself across the remaining distance into his arms. She cried into his shoulder with an ecstatic shout as she felt his arms comfort her in their warm embrace. Slowly she encased him in her wings. After a minute in silence, enjoying each other’s company, they finally separated.
Jett laughed and rubbed the back of his head before taking her hands in his and staring into her tear stained eyes. She smiled warmly at him.
“I’ll paint a sun to warm your heart
Knowing that we’ll never part.
I’ll draw the years all passing by
So much to learn, so much to try.
I’ll paint my mood in a shadow blue,
Paint my soul to be with you.
I’ll sketch your lips in shaded tones,
Draw your mouth to my own.
I’ll trace a hand to wipe your tears
And trace a look to calm your fears.
A silhouette of dark and light
To hold each other oh so tight.
I’ll paint the stars in the evening sky,
Draw the light into your eyes,
A touch of love, a touch of grace,
To softly fall on your moonlit face.
And with this ring our lives will start,
Let nothing keep our love apart.
I’ll take your hand to hold in mine,
And be together through all time.”
He looked down and let out a choked laugh, “William Shakespeare.”
The crowd let out a cheer and began applauding. Spitfire managed to tear her gaze away from her love and glance at the scene around her. All her friends and even her family had stepped up onto the stage and had formed a circle around them. She even found her mother and father, accompanied by her sister who wiped her eyes and gave her a thumbs up. Her father gave her a simple nod of approval accompanied by a grin.
“As we stare out at that endless sea, I ask you this:” Jett gulped.
Spitfire, still crying cracked a smile as he slowly got down on one knee and removed a small black box from his pocket and cracked it open to reveal a beautiful ring. The gem stone was an orange diamond precisely carved in an almost impossible way into the form of a phoenix holding two sapphire lightning bolts. The craftsmanship put into it was amazing.
“Will you marry me?”
The crowd of fans all screamed out with one voice a simple phrase.
“SAY YES!”
Spitfire laughed and began wiping her eyes. In all her years she had never been happier to have been played. And played she was. Her brilliant plan, her masterful scheme, in the bigger picture had really just been a part of his. She couldn’t be angry even if she wanted to. Looking around she soon realized one simple fact. They’d all been in on it. It suddenly dawned on her the sheer amount of effort that had gone into this one moment, right here. Years of planning, everyone keeping quiet, people quietly passing the android information as he was off on his adventures. Hell he’d even gotten his crew to play along. She’d even glimpsed the six of them sitting in the front row. She returned her gaze to the nervous android down on one knee proposing to HER. She felt so happy that it seemed like she was invincible. All those years together, those experiences, the simple moments together; from that very first day up till now, it had been one hell of a journey. And she wouldn’t have changed one damn thing.
There was only one thing she could say. This one word had to escape her mouth before any other phrase could be uttered. Her body felt like it would go up in armed rebellion if she held back any longer. With a sense of joy that bordered orgasmic, she said it.
“Yes,” she whispered, “Yes.”
“Wha?” he asked.
A smile burst across her face like a supernova, “Yes you dummy! Yes! Oh GODS YES! Of course I’ll marry you!”
He breathed a huge sigh that came out as half a laugh as he pulled himself to his feet. Spitfire happily jumped into the air and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close so their foreheads bumped together.
“All I’ve ever wanted was you,” she sighed.
For the first time in over a year, their lips connected accompanied by the familiar flash of electricity just as Dane pulled a small remote from his pocket and tapped a button. Fireworks shot into the skies and lit painted the blue with red and pink hearts. Spitfire moaned with happiness before disconnecting from her lover.
Jett removed the ring from its case and slipped it over her ring finger as she did the same for him. The metal band fit perfectly over his prosthetic finger, magnetically locking into place. Spitfire happily began showing off her new ring to as many people as she could before turning back to Jett. Tears were still streaming down her face.
“I love you so much,” she breathed.
“I know,” he smiled back, “I love you; eternally past the end of time.”
***
“You know I was preparing to propose to you but I guess you know that already,” she laughed, “I thought you were on Aquarius and wouldn’t be back until New Year’s.”
They were back in their room at the HQ simply enjoying each other’s company. Every now and again Spitfire would glance at the ring on her finger while playing with her necklace.
He smiled and rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah, well, uh, this is where my complex plan began. I asked my boss to lie and tell everyone an exaggerated time scale. As for the rest of it, all planned and adapted according to what you picked.”
Spitfire stared at the ring now adorning her finger. She stood up and walked over to couch where he was sitting.
“I know what marriage was typically like in your world,” she said, “I’m surprised you were so open to the idea to begin with.”
Jett gripped his cane and leaned back, “Well back on Earth you’d be flipping a coin to see if it would even last. But… I quickly realized that this isn’t Earth.”
She sat down next to him and fell into his warm embrace.
“Oh? And what is this, robot boy?”
He sighed and closed his eyes, “Home.”
Spitfire gasped, “I think this is the first time you’ve ever called this home.”
“Nonsense. I’m pretty sure I’ve done it before.”
She rolled over and seated herself on his lap, “Still, it means a lot. That you finally see this place as home.”
“Home is wherever you are.”
She shoved him, “Don’t be so cliché!”
He cracked a grin, “My entire proposal was cliché! You’re gonna complain now?”
She sighed, “No, I guess not. What made you decide to propose in the first place?”
“I got to thinking, before I left; how I was gonna survive a year away from you.”
“How touching.”
“And I kinda realized that… I wouldn’t be able to live without you. So I decided to propose. After all, you don’t marry a person you live with; you marry the person you can’t live without. And… I can’t live without you. I don’t love you because I need you. I need you because I love you.”
Spitfire laughed and wiped her eyes, "What did I do to deserve you?"
"Only you know the answer to that."
"Yes but, why are you so good to me? I know I can be annoying sometimes, I know I have some bad habits, I know I'm not perfect, why are you so good to me?"
He grinned and glanced at the ring on his metallic finger, "Simple. I love you and I want to enjoy all the time we have together, however long it may be. I don't want to waste a moment of it complaining about stupid pointless things that have no merit in our relationship. What you may consider to be annoying or a bad habit of yours, I see as just a piece of who you are. Remember, I love you for being who you are. Just... don't ever change that."
She smiled and wiped her eyes, "Y-you really are perfect."
He gave her a light kiss on the nose, "I love you so much."
“And I love you. Let’s stay like this forever. Together.”
“Together," he smiled.
The shared a kiss as an early snow began to fall outside the windows of the HQ just as the rest of their friends and family burst into the room to drag them off to some party unknown. Snow began to accumulate as the sky rained perfect crystals of geometry. Off in the distance, far away towns and settlements glowed like diamonds among the darkening sky. It was then everyone realized one thing; the best was yet to be…