Joe’s brain pounded him back into consciousness. His body was as sore as his head. It took several moments for him to recall the ordeal he went through before being knocked out. He wondered about whether or not he just awoke from another crippling nightmare, but either way he couldn't remember if he had dreamed at all. He instinctively started to stretch the grogginess out of his body and realized that he was no longer tied to a table and there was nothing strapped to his head. Joe yawned and his outstretched jaw popped a built up pressure in his ears. He winced as the ringing stung his eardrum. He messaged his temple to lessen the pain.
“You’re finally coming around I see.”
Joe blinked awake to observe his surroundings and who the voice came from. His eyes awoke to a large pair of amber colored eyes staring into his. The face of a very beautiful mare leaned in close to his and burned holes into him with those fierce and fiery amber eyes. Joe couldn't help but crack a smile. Out of all the things Joe expected to wake up to, this surely wasn't one of them. The mare backed away and Joe was able to appreciate the full glorious display in front of him.
The mare’s coat was a golden yellow upon which sat a spiked shock of a brilliant orange mane. Her colors were co complimentary, so streamlined, that she herself was a streak of burning light. And the centerpiece of her burning features were her eyes. Oh those brilliant amber eyes that shined with passion and vigor. Her stare melted and excited Joe all at the same time.
From the neck down she wore a high grade flight suit. The suit was of an expensive, premium make. He could tell it was custom fit as the suit clung to her body perfectly, leaving hardly anything to the imagination. She was very athletic and muscular. Her muscles were more toned than most Earth Ponies Joe knew. However she was still slim. She carried herself with that petit fragility that most Pegasus mares had-- a perfect ratio of curve and shape.
Two golden wings, preened to absolute perfection, jutted out of the sides of the suit. They were bulkier at the base than most mare wings and the feathers were cut short. They looked strong, firm and juicy.
A long, messily groomed tail of the same brilliant orange color as her mane jutted out of the back of the suit which dug into and squeezed her plot tightly. Every inch of her feminine shape was perfectly proportioned to accentuate her every move. Her movements were bold, confident and demanded attention. Joe was more than happy to give the figure the attention it deserved. Out of all the pretty mares Joe has had the pleasure to meet, this Pegasus, more than any other, exuded the raw essence of sex.
the suit itself was black and purple in design. On the side of her flank was the insignia of a Pegasus skull with skeleton wings protruding from it.
“Who are you?” Joe asked as he stared mesmerized into her scorching eyes.
“You will refer to me as Lieutenant Spitfire.”
Spitfire’s voice, unlike the rest of her fire incarnate body, was ice cold. Her words were as sharp as an executioner's ax and her tone was so distant-- so military-- that Joe instantly knew this was a mare who would die before allowing herself to be dominated. Her aggressiveness only served to fuel Joe’s fire.
Joe smiled his famous charming smile. Flirting was his favorite game, and he already knew this would be his greatest challenge yet. “A sexy mare in a skin tight flight suit… I must still be connected to the dream machine.”
There was no change in Spitfire’s expression. Her eyes were still simmering with lively steam. “‘fraid not. Unfortunately for you, I’m as real as they come.”
Joe had expected offense at the very least. He wanted to see if Spitfire would keep her empowering husk while hot under the collar. Unfortunately, it looked as though Spitfire had no intention of playing his game.
“I thought I’d wake up dead.” Joe said.
“The Captain simply used the machine to put you in temporary coma. Made you easy to transport.”
“Oh yeah? Well I’m happy to be here.” Joe made a sweeping motion around the room and realized he had no idea where he was. He was so distracted by the phoenix in front of him that he forgot to survey his surroundings.
Joe had been sleeping in a very comfortable Davenport brand armchair that was bolted to the floor but swiveled. Several similar chairs were positioned around circular tables throughout the room. a mini-bar and refrigerator were attached to one of the walls which were both adorned with small, circular windows, out of which Joe could see nothing but blackness. The walls were made out of metal painted white, the ceiling looked to be polished wood and the floor was furnished with plush exotic carpeting.
Spitfire must have guessed what was going through Joe’s mind when she turned to look out one of the windows. As she walked, Joe stared at every minute motion of her athletic curves.
“We are currently 3500 hooves over the New Lunar Republic.”
Joe rubbed his temple again to try and fight against the persistent ringing of his ear. Pressure had built up again and he swallowed to pop it.
“Well that explains the humming.” he said.
Spitfire turned back to Joe. His attention was once again caught in her steaming amber pupils.
“That humming means that you are on Captain Nightfeather’s personal airship: The Nightstalker. She is the most formidable battleship in the Lunar Air Fleet. It can clear the skies of an army of Dragons in ten seconds flat. Currently this vessel is en route to Captain Nightfeather’s private estate in Cloudsdale.”
Her authoritative and routine speech sounded more like a sit-rep than a standard explanation. It sent a tingle up Joe’s spine that he liked. He wondered what it must feel like for a soldier to obey orders from her.
“Well ain't that an honor?” Joe snickered, “I didn't know he enjoyed my company that much!” He flashed Spitfire another charming smile. This time he could see a tiny spark of something in the heat of her eyes.
“I am not interested in fun and games, Commander.” she scolded him in a manner that lied somewhere between a mother and a drill sergeant. Joe actually felt some weight behind his poor excuse for a rank when she said it. “I am in charge of this ship and while you are here you will follow my orders, is that understood.”
She raised her voice with that last command. The Lieutenant’s inner fire was finally coming out, and Joe wanted to see just how hot she could become. He wanted those eyes of hers to burn even fiercer. The more commanding she became the more attractive were her eyes.
“Permission to at least have some refreshment ma’am.” Joe said mockingly. He merely said it to stoke her embers, but then he realized just how hungry he was. He had absolutely no idea when the last he ate actually was and the NLR’s eternal night had all but rendered his internal clock useless.
“Granted.” Spitfire responded coolly. So as long as she was in control as the dominating force, she was a controlled burn, Joe thought. The prospects of this mare excited Joe to no end. He wanted the Phoenix. He wanted to release the inferno. “What will it be?”
“You have any donuts? Oh, and some coffee, very black with marshmallows. Care to join me, Spitfire?”
She glowered in a serious countenance, but it was not enough to fan her flame. “Not while I’m on duty. I am Nightfeather’s second in command, Lieutenant within the NLR Lunar Guard. As such I am Captain Nightfeather’s personal confidant.”
“Oh yeah? And just how personal is that?”
Spitfire’s eyes blazed wide. Her jaw tightened and her wings flared up. “I’m a damn good flier. Period.”
Spitfire quickly turned to the mini bar and prepped the coffee. Joe smiled to himself. He finally found the match with which to ignite the fuel. Although he had to admit, the thought of her and Nightfeather burned him up inside as well.
“Well that’s good to hear. And by the way, just where is our host?”
“He flew on ahead.” she said softly and reserved. It wasn't the answer of the authoritative drill instructor. “Here’s your donuts.” The donuts were plain, with powdered sugar served on the side.
Spitfire stirred the coffee and delivered it to Joe. “Thank you very much, Lieutenant.” Joe lifted his mug. “Here’s to Operation: Moonfall.” No reaction. Her firewall was back up. “I have a feeling this will be a very memorable flight.”
And then, unexpectedly, Spitfire smiled for the first time. Joe could feel his passion broil to a fever pitch. Spitfire’s smile was anguishingly seductive. Her eyelids lowered, emphasizing their amber allure. “I know what you're trying to do.” she said with a sultry husk, “You can save yourself the trouble and turn off the charm. I’m immune.”
“What, you don’t like scruffy stallions?”
“No. I don’t like stallions.” The steamy smile faded and the facade washed away from Spitfire’s face. She was once again the drill instructor, berating Joe with her disapproving stare. Her searing eyes branded Joe like the pig she knew he was. “We’ll be flying into Cloudsdale in fifty five minutes. I suggest you make yourself more presentable.”
Joe looked down and realized he was bare coated. He grumbled in annoyance at the unusual display of his full beige coat.
“And did any of my things come with me?”
Spitfire gave another formal report, “Your artificial wing harness is in that room back there. You will be permitted to wear it in order to walk on the clouds. However, we have taken the liberty of disabling the flight mechanism and all of its defenses. Oh, and we also placed a magic dampener on your horn, so you're not going anywhere.”
Joe rubbed the tip of his horn and tried to channel magical energy through it. However, it might as well have been as real as his wings.
“How very considerate of you. Alright, I’ll go freshen up then.”
Joe got out of the chair and made his way back to the room that Spitfire directed him to. Just as he was about to open the door, Spitfire spoke out to him.
“Protocol demands that I inform you that I will be keeping an eye on you through the peephole.”
“I thought you weren't into stallions?” Joe said with extra cheek. Spitfire did not react,
Joe stepped through the door into a very small changing room and locked the door behind him. His white shirt, red bow-tie and black suit were neatly laundered, pressed and folded on the nearby table. His watch sat beside them. Thank Celestia they didn't investigate it too closely. The mechanical wings sat against the wall. Joe decided to buckle the wings on first and wear his clothes over them. He tried to unfold the wings, however they remained constantly folded against his sides.
“That firebrand stripped these wings down to the bare minimum.” Joe spoke out loud, “Doc, ain't going to like that.” Joe then proceeded to put on his clothes. “Still, a stallion could get used to taking orders from her.”
“I am listening you know.” Spitfire called from the other side of the door.
“Yeah, what of it?” Joe called back in amusement. Joe sat on a stool with his back to the door. He unfastened one of his hind horseshoes and snuck out of his breast pocket the small postage stamped sized chip that the Doctor gave him.
“What are you doing in there?” Spitfire called to him.
“Settle down, lady, I’m just polishing it.” Joe held up the horseshoe and waved it above his head for Spitfire to see. He stuck the device into the recess of the shoe and then made motions to polish it with the elbow of his sleeve. “You said to look presentable.”
Joe fastened the horseshoe back to his hoof and then approached the vanity mirror and tried to levitate the nearby brush before remembering the dampener. He did the best he could to coif his messy man by hoof but he was out of practice and wasn’t able to tame it completely. He exited the room where Spitfire was standing at attention. He gave a little twirl in front of her and strutted down the room like it was a runway.
“Now then, how do I look?” Joe heard a click and felt a round shaft pointed against the back of his head. “Apparently good enough for you to point a Wing Cannon as me.”
“ETA in five minutes.” said Spitfire, “Do you want to play it easy? Or the hard way? And I guarantee this will do more than put you to sleep.”
Joe chuckled. He turned around and calmly folded Spitfire’s wing so that the cannon returned under the fold. “Hey, hey, Spitfire! You seem to know more about flying than firearms. NLR Wing Cannons are more powerful than you think. If you fire that thing at this close range, not only will it take me out, but it will also obliterate half the hull of the ship like a Dragon trying to light candles on a birthday cake. The entire ship will crash into a fiery inferno and not even you could fly away from that. But if that’s how you want to arrive in Cloudsdale, you’re more than welcome. As for me? I prefer the easy way.”
Spitfire smirked and glanced at Joe with a hint of playful interest. “That’s very sensible of you, soldier.”
“And besides, there’s always so much fun happening around Nightfeather. Why wouldn't I accept his invitation?”
Spitfire approached Joe and stared at him with her amber eyes which were as fiery as ever. “The Captain looks forward to seeing you too.” She raised a hoof and gently stroked Joe’s cheek until her hoof was under his chin. She gave him a smoldering look. “And I look forward to spending some time with you as well.”
Joe was admittedly caught off guard. This was not the same Phoenix as before. This Spitfire was more of a slithering salamander. Sweat formed behind Joe’s ears.
“No need to get so close, Lieutenant.”
Spitfire purred and rubbed her muzzle against him passionately. Joe could feel her moist breath heating up his skin. His ears were now drenched in sweat. “you like close shaves, don’t you?” she moaned.
“Well, I…” Joe was at a loss for words. He chuckled and gave in to his burning fire. He stroked the back of her neck with his hoof and gingerly kissed the side of her muzzle.
The hoof holding Joe’s chin suddenly surged and punched him hard in the jaw. Joe was sent back sprawling several hooves. Spitfire’s amber eyes radiated with contempt.
“Just like all the others.” she scoffed, “It’s just too easy.” Spitfire tore her gaze away from Joe and aggressively cantered to the door on the far end of the hall. Joe watched as she pranced away with graceful superiority. The contours of her athletic body danced with her fierce movements. Joe couldn't help but smile and admire.
Spitfire left the room and Joe returned to finish off his coffee and donuts. He knew he ought to be mentally preparing himself for his inevitable arrival at Nightfeather’s lair, but the image of Spitfire and her great amber eyes were permanently seared into his mind.
“What have you gotten yourself into this time, Con Mane?”