//------------------------------//
// A Little Piece of Heaven 
// Story: A Little Piece of Heaven 
// by SolidFire 
//------------------------------//


A Little Piece of Heaven



The early morning sunlight that signaled the start of every day in Cloudsdale seeped into Spitfire's eyes, slowly forcing them open. She took a moment to orient herself after she woke up. She was in Cloudsdale, that was established by that Luna-forsaken sunlight that forced her from her wonderful slumber so early in the morning. She was in the home of Rainbow's parents. An odd place for the previous night's activities, and she would have to apologize to her hosts when she got the chance. She looked over at Rainbow and smiled as she watched the gentle rising and falling of her chest.

"I love you, Rainbow."

As if on cue, Rainbow let out a particularly obnoxious snore. She then flopped over onto her back and continued her peaceful slumber, her mouth wide open and her tongue hanging out to the side. Spitfire winced and quietly rolled out of bed. She tip-hooved her way to the bathroom down the hall and enjoyed a brief shower, after which she made her way downstairs. To her surprise, Skye was already up and making breakfast for her family.

"Morning, Spitfire. I hope you and Rainbow enjoyed yourselves last night."

Spitfire winced. She had hoped Rainbow's parents would have avoided bringing that up. Well, she needed to apologize anyway.

"Sorry about that, Skye. I should've thought with my brain before my loins."

Skye whirled around with an ear to ear grin on her face.

"Don't be sorry, I meant it when I said I hoped you enjoyed yourselves! Anyway, Rainbow mentioned you're one heck of a cook, want to help with breakfast?"

Spitfire would have been lost if Pinkie Pie hadn't prepared her for any amount of A.D.D. a pony could throw her way. She smiled. "Sure! What are you making?"

"Fried potatoes and salad!"

Spitfire raised an eyebrow at Skye. "Fried potatoes and salad... for breakfast?"

Skye nodded with a cheerful smile. "Yep! We don't exactly adhere to the normal rules of which food to eat at which time of day. Those rules just mess with my head."

"What are you planning for dinner tonight?" Spitfire asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Skye replied with a shrug.

"Fair enough." Spitfire really didn't care what was for dinner, for she planned to be heading back to Ponyville by then. There were more pressing things Spitfire wanted to talk to Skye about anyway.

"Skye?"

"Yes, Spitfire?"

"I really appreciate how willingly you and Flurry accepted us into your home for the night and all, but why did you? You're a military family. I thought the military hated gays."

Skye offered a gentle smile as she set down the knife she was using to dice potatoes. She turned to Spitfire. "I remember when Rainbow first told me she liked fillies. Gosh, that was so long ago. I think she just felt safer with them after the whole deal with..." Her features darkened as she remembered the colt she still wanted to butcher for what he did to her daughter. "Sky Scraper. Ohh, if I get my hooves on that worthless piece of—"

"Umm, Skye?" Spitfire really didn't want to see the mare in front of her losing her temper. Especially when her right foreleg had been slowly reaching for the knife next to her.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, she was terrified. She thought we were going to hate her, throw her out of the house, yadda yadda yadda, whatever. But she was Rainbow. She always told us everything, although she usually went straight to her father. Oh, was she a daddy's filly. And yes, I did just give you something to tease her with." Skye winked and Spitfire chuckled. The older mare's cheer was contagious, and Spitfire welcomed it with hooves wide open. Still, questions needed to be asked, and Spitfire didn't hesitate to ask them.

"Skye? If Rainbow was a daddy's filly, why did she go to you when she found out she was gay?"

Skye chuckled. "Like you said, Spitfire, we're a military family. She felt safer going to me first because she felt I would be more accepting of it than her father would. After all, I'm still a civilian. Civilians can accept gays and nopony cares."

"Ahh." Spitfire counted herself as lucky that she hadn't grown up in a military family. Her parent’s bigotry was bad enough, and he didn't have anypony else telling him to embrace it. "How did that conversation go?"

"Well, I remember I was making dinner at the time. It was a normal dinner that night, I made a salad or something. Anyway, I was chopping carrots when Rainbow came in and said she wanted to talk about something. I opted to nod and half-listen so I could get the information I needed to hear and cross it off as teenage angst."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow was prone to teenage angst?"

Skye laughed. "Not overly, but it still happened. She was a filly in high school after all. Now quit interrupting and let me finish my story."

Spitfire was taken aback, but she nodded and continued to listen.

"Anyway, I didn't hear much of what she was saying until she asked me if it was okay to like mares better than stallions. Now I'll be the first to admit that I was just as uncomfortable answering that question as she was asking it. Not that I ever saw a problem with it, but it's not a question a parent can prepare for." Skye chuckled as she remembered the conversation. "I just wish she knew us better than to be afraid of telling us who she really is, but I guess I can't imagine what it's like to tell your parents that you're gay. How did your parents react, Spitfire?"

Spitfire immediately looked away. The pain of her recent confrontation with her parents was still fresh in her mind, and although Skye had no malicious intent she may as well have drove a knife straight into the younger mare's chest.

"They... I only told them yesterday. They kicked me out of the house as soon as Rainbow and I told them." Spitfire took a deep breath, shaking as she did so. "I'm pretty certain they're not going to try to make contact with me again." Spitfire tried to fight back her tears, but she failed, miserably. Skye wrapped her forelegs around her and stroked her mane. It mortified Skye that any parent would be able to do that to their daughter.

"There, there, Spitfire. We can be your family now."

Spitfire smiled as she pulled away from Skye's embrace. Spitfire rubbed her eyes and looked up at Skye. Her eyes still shone with tears, but Skye's words seemed to hit home with her. "I... think I'd like that, Skye."

Skye grinned. "You'd better like it, because I wasn't asking if you wanted to be a part of this family. I'm telling you that you are."

Spitfire chuckled. "I would've been disappointed if you gave me a choice, Skye."





Rainbow Dash was by no means a light sleeper. She could sleep through anything from a hailstorm to a screaming foal. But for whatever reason, the sound of her distressed lover's soft sobs from the floor below immediately forced her from her oh so precious slumber. Rainbow immediately followed her gut reaction: jump out of bed and make a beeline to the bathroom.

When Rainbow stepped out of the bathroom, she noticed that the crying had subsided. She slowly made her way downstairs and poked her head around the corner, looking into the kitchen. She saw that Spitfire and Skye were enjoying some sort of fun conversation while they cooked. The conversation was rather muffled due to the cutlery in their mouths, but anything was better than Spitfire crying. Rainbow jumped in surprise as Flurry patted her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Dad. What's up?" Rainbow forced her voice to be as nonchalant as possible to hide that she had ever been startled.

"Just wishing my daughter a good morning," Flurry responded with a hug. Rainbow returned the favor, a warm smile on her face. It had been too long since she had enjoyed the company of her parents. Flurry pulled away and looked lovingly down at his daughter.

"Rainbow, can we step outside for a bit? It's been too long since we've had time to just sit and talk to each other."

Rainbow smiled. She always enjoyed the conversations she had with her father. She could tell him anything without hesitation. For whatever reason she just felt safe with him.

"I'd love that, Dad."

"Good!" Flurry said with a joyful smile. The two ponies made their way to the back porch and sat back on their haunches. Rainbow had always been jealous of the view her parents had after she moved out. Her family never had much by way of money, but her parents were smart enough with their budget that they had been able to afford a home on the outer ring of Cloudsdale. No matter where the city was on its drift, a pony in the Dash residence could look over the back porch and see the whole of Equestria stretched out before them in all its splendor. Even the Everfree looked beautiful from where Rainbow was sitting.

"I always forget how much I love this view when I'm away," Rainbow said with a smile.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Flurry responded. He seemed to be losing himself in the sight before him. Not the view of Equestria though. His gaze was centered on his daughter.

"Yeah... it is." Rainbow was oblivious to what her father was actually talking about. Her eyes drifted to Ponyville. Cloudsdale was coming near to the small town in its drift, making for a short flight home.

"I'm not talking about Equestria, Rainbow."

Rainbow gave her father a puzzled look. "Then... what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the beautiful daughter I raised," Flurry said with a warm smile. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you right now."

Rainbow turned her head to hide her blush. Flurry laughed.

"Daaaad! You know I don't like it when you make me do that!"

Flurry grinned. "But it's so adorable! I'll bet Spitfire loves watching you blush."

Flurry's teasing only served to darken Rainbow's red cheeks. She buried her face in her foreleg, eliciting a hearty laugh from Flurry. When Rainbow finally felt her blush had subsided enough to look him in the eye again, his playful banter was gone, replaced by a proud smile.

"Rainbow, I really can't tell you how proud I am to call you my daughter. You've grown into a truly amazing mare."

Rainbow was about to let out some narcissistic quip about how awesome she was, but she opted against it. Right now she was with one of the few ponies she was willing to drop her tough tomcolt facade for, and she wanted to take full advantage of the moment.

"Why are you so proud? I haven't done anything special with my life. I'm just a weather pony for a small town."

"Who happens to be one of the six heroines that Equestria owes a debt that can't be repaid, captain of the weather team for said small town, totally self sufficient and enjoying a wonderful relationship with a perfect match for her, all at the age of twenty-two years old." Flurry added. "Most ponies your age are just now figuring out how they're going to live away from their parents, and we're having trouble getting you to come back and visit us from time to time."

Rainbow looked shamefully at the porch she was sitting on. She really hadn't made much of an effort to visit her parents as often as she should have. The worst part was that she really didn't have an excuse. There were more than enough ponies on the weather team that were qualified to fill in for a day or so (but nothing more, of course), and she was a strong enough flyer that she could easily reach Cloudsdale within a day at any point in its drift.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I really should drop by more often. I just—"

"Get so caught up with your life that you don't think about it," Flurry finished. Rainbow couldn't bring herself to look her father in the eye before he lifted her chin with a hoof. "Rainbow, that's a good thing. If you weren't enjoying life without us right now your mother and I would have failed you as parents. Don't feel guilty about leaving your old home behind. It's a part of growing up. I just want you to know that you're always welcome here, and we don't want you to completely forget about us, alright?"

Rainbow smiled and hugged her father. "I won't forget about you guys, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Flurry raised a confused eyebrow at his daughter. She giggled. "It's a Ponyville thing."

"Ahh."

Rainbow leaned against her father, and he wrapped a wing around her back. For a time, the two ponies simply sat in silence. After about five minutes, Rainbow finally spoke up.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me that I had to enlist with the military to have a shot with the Wonderbolts?"

Flurry sighed. He knew from the moment she found out that she was going to ask him that question. At least he was prepared. "Rainbow, do you remember when you were little? Before we actually settled down in Cloudsdale?"

"Yeah," Rainbow muttered as she pulled away from her father. "Moving every few months to a new post, always being stuck in an apartment on base, and never making any real friends." Rainbow seemed to spit out the words as she recalled her youth. "I hated it."

Flurry sighed, remembering every fight military life had caused in his family. "It was a harder time. Eventually your mother made it clear to me that I either found a post where I would be able to settle us down, or she was going to take you and leave. I wasn't going to lose you and your mother to my career, so I spoke to my superiors about it. Rainbow, the only reason we were able to settle down at all is because I was up for a promotion as it was. Military life and never settling down go hoof in hoof. I just got lucky."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Rainbow asked. Her tone of voice told Flurry that she was genuinely displeased with him for lying to her for so long. Flurry sighed again.

"Rainbow, one of the perks of being a career soldier is that you meet ponies in high places. I happen to be in regular contact with Commander Thunderstorm."

Rainbow's jaw dropped. "Y-you know Commander Thunderstorm?! The Wonderbolts' coach?!"

Flurry laughed. "Yeah, I do. And I can't stand him. Anyway, he took notice of your flight skills about four years ago. Told me he'd love to have a mare with your talents on the team. Ho—"

"Wait, you're saying I had a chance and you hid it from me?!" Rainbow stood and flared her wings. Flurry had always known how badly Rainbow wanted to be on that flight group, and now he tells her about a chance she never knew about?! 

Before she could speak up, Flurry raised a hoof. "You always did have a problem with interruptions, you know that? It's rather irritating."

Rainbow bit her lip. She was pissed, but she knew her mouth got her into more trouble than any other part of her. Especially with her father. Flurry smiled.

"That's better. As I was saying, it always disappointed him that at the time you became old enough to be recruited, he didn't have a place for you. As it stands, the Wonderbolts only look for talent when members decide to leave the group. Members rarely leave that group. The fact that Spitfire and Soarin' were selected at the same time is only the result of the fact that the two members they were replacing happened to be married. They grew tired of the Wonderbolts' constant touring and wanted to settle down. As—"

"Will you get on with it already?" Rainbow said with a groan.

Flurry shot a glare at Rainbow before accepting that he had been droning on about unimportant details. He grunted and continued.

"Fine, I'll give you the short version. Commander Thunderstorm was disappointed that there was a mare with your flight skill and no spot on the team for her." Flurry sighed. He felt bad for keeping his daughter from trying to reach her dreams, but it was for her own good. He needed to make her see that.

"So you're saying I never had a chance? Even if I enlisted and was better than the other Wonderbolts?" Rainbow phrased that as a question, but she already knew the answer. She lowered her head and let her wings fall to the deck. 

Flurry moved and sat down next to her. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Rainbow, I know how much you hated life in a military family. You have to believe me when I tell you that it's worse being the soldier. I didn't want that life for you, and I knew that if you ever found out that the only chance you would have with the Wonderbolts was to be a career soldier you would have enlisted without thinking. I'm sorry I kept you from chasing your dreams, and I'm incredibly sorry I lied to you all these years, but I just want you to be happy." He lifted Rainbow's chin so she was looking him in the eyes. "It's what I've always wanted for you."

Rainbow sighed. She hated to admit it, but her father was right. She would have enlisted immediately if she had known. She would have been stuck in a life she would be miserable in. Her father never would have forgiven himself if he let that happen. Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around Flurry's neck. "Thanks, Dad."

Flurry returned the hug with a smile on his face. He had been prepared to have that conversation with his daughter. He had prepared for all the worst possible outcomes. Words couldn't describe how happy he was that everything had went well.

"As much as I hate to ruin this beautiful moment, Skye and I are waiting on you two. And I'm kinda hungry." Spitfire said with a smirk. She was leaning against the frame of the door going back inside the small house. Out of nowhere, a large bear roared. Spitfire jumped back and got into a fighting stance. Rainbow fell over laughing and Flurry gave a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, I guess I could eat something myself," he said.





Spitfire was still stunned by the noise Flurry's stomach made as she reentered the kitchen. Skye was waiting with an irritated look on her face. "Flurry, how many times have I told you to get that checked out?" She scolded. Flurry rolled his eyes.

"So my stomach rumbles a little louder than most ponies’. It's no big deal. It did bite me in the ass once during boot though."

Spitfire came back to her senses as she put the dots together. She let out a hearty laugh. "Let me guess. That happened in the line-up, didn't it?"

Flurry chuckled at the memory. "Oh, yeah. Sergeant Ironshoe was NOT amused. I spent the next two hours afterwards trotting in place on the Parade Grounds shouting 'I need a bigger breakfast'. Over, and over, and over again."

Everypony laughed, especially Spitfire and Flurry. Swapping Boot stories was a popular past time among members of the military, and no story ever got old.

"So, what's your best memory from Boot, Spitfire?" Flurry asked. 

Spitfire laughed. "Probably the time Soarin' and I put itching powder in the LT's dress uniform. Spent two hours doing wing push-ups, but it was worth it. Best part was that we had a surprise visit from Princess Celestia the next day. He had to stand at attention for forty-five minutes while she inspected the camp. Poor guy was shaking the whole time."

Again, everypony in the room burst into laughter. Flurry was stunned that anypony in Boot would have the guts to prank their commanding officer. He was especially surprised that the LT had been generous enough NOT to kick the culprits out for it. After a while, hunger overtook everypony's desire to enjoy conversation and they began to dig into breakfast. Skye looked up at Flurry.

"Flurry, can you get the salt and pepper? I left them in the cabinet above the fridge."

Flurry grunted, spraying bits of potato onto his plate. He swallowed his mouthful of food. "No can do, babe. Hunger calls."

Skye was about to smack him before she got an idea. An evil grin appeared on her face and she turned to Spitfire. "Spitfire, you outrank my husband, right?"

Spitfire gave her a puzzled look. She was curious as to where Skye was going with her inquiry. "Yeah, technically. However, I really don't—"

"Which means if you tell my husband to do something, he has to do it. Right?"

Spitfire grinned. Flurry stopped eating as his mind processed what was happening. Rainbow snorted a laugh.

"Spitfire, would you kindly order my husband to bring the salt and pepper to the table?" Skye asked. Spitfire's grin grew wide, and Rainbow fell out of her chair laughing.

"Staff Sergeant, bring your wife the seasonings she desires," Spitfire ordered.

"No can do, LTC."

It was no secret that there wasn't a single soldier in the REA that respected the Wonderbolts' ranks. However, Spitfire had a natural ability to command the respect of anypony she encountered, military or otherwise. It was how she became the Captain of the Wonderbolts at just 19 years old. She stood and stared Flurry down.

"I'm sorry, did you get the impression that I was asking?" she inquired forcefully. Flurry swallowed, despite the fact that he didn't have any food in his mouth.

"Well, no, but—"

"Then follow your orders, Staff Sergeant." Spitfire said as she aggressively raised her wings.

"Y-Yes Ma'am." Flurry responded pathetically. He quickly got out of his chair and retrieved the salt and pepper.

"Thank you, Spitfire." Skye said with an evil grin.

"Anytime, Skye."

"Spitfire..." Rainbow started. Her eyes were as large as saucers and her wings had reached their full span. "That was the hottest thing I have seen in my entire life."

Spitfire chuckled. "Yeah? Maybe I should give you some orders from time to time." Spitfire said with a seductive wink. Rainbow simply trembled with arousal. She couldn't even take her eyes off of Spitfire long enough to finish her food.





After breakfast, Rainbow and Spitfire prepared to make the trip back to Ponyville. Rainbow hated to say goodbye to her parents after only being reunited for such a short time, but she had a job back in Ponyville. Being the town's weather captain wasn't a job that allowed for many days off, but she promised her parents she would come back to visit the next chance she got.

"You better keep that promise, Rainbow. If you don't you can bet your bottom bit we'll be making a surprise appearance in Ponyville sometime soon." Flurry said with a grin. Rainbow laughed.

"I think I'm okay with that, Dad. Just try not to be all lovey-dovey on me while you're there, alright?"

Flurry and Skye shared an evil grin.

"Tell you what, Rainbow. If you find time in the next couple of months to come and visit–" Skye began.

"We won't show you how many ways we have to embarrass you in front of your friends," Flurry finished. Rainbow swallowed hard.

"I'll see you in a month." She shot out. Flurry and Skye laughed.

"I guess that'll do." Skye said. She turned to Spitfire and gave her a warm hug. "And you better be with her, you understand?"

Spitfire smiled and returned the embrace. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Skye."

Rainbow smiled as she watched Spitfire bonding with her mother. Flurry put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. Rainbow looked up at her father. He smiled proudly at her.

"Rainbow, I can't tell you how proud I am of you. Of both of you." Spitfire turned her head as she was unwillingly included into the conversation. "You two are not only willing to accept yourselves for who you really are, but you're willing to risk losing everything you have for each other." Spitfire noticed that Flurry was looking her way when he said those words. "You are two of the strongest young mares I have ever met." His gaze shifted back to his daughter. He smiled and took a deep breath before continuing. "Rainbow, everypony who's ever met me knows that I'm a proud father. Nopony knows just how proud I am."

Flurry searched for more words, but found none. He didn't need to say anything more as it was. He had gotten his point across. He leaned in and hugged Rainbow. "I'll see you in a month, Rainbow."

Rainbow laughed as she returned the hug. "I'll see you in a month, Dad."

With no more words to say, Rainbow and Spitfire flew off. As the two mares soared through the sky, they didn't feel a need to race each other. It's not that they were tired, they just didn't feel like competition at the moment. For the time being they were content to just fly next to each other. Spitfire looked over at Rainbow. For whatever reason she kept feeling her saddlebags. Spitfire ignored it as Rainbow being Rainbow. She probably had some Wonderbolts figurine from her foalhood in them that she was worried about. The two mares drew towards Spitfire's home and began a quick descent. They landed on the front porch, sending small tufts of cloud away from them. Spitfire grinned as she pushed the door open. When they got inside, Spitfire put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

"Wait here." She said. Rainbow was confused, but she did as she was told. She needed time to sort things out in her head as it was. As soon as Spitfire disappeared from her view, Rainbow reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the felt - lined box that was inside. She opened the box and took a long look at the necklace. The chain was white gold, and the pendant bore Rainbow's cutie mark forged with various colored gemstones and was encrusted with gold. The symbolism was simple enough to grasp: if Spitfire put it on, it meant Rainbow was hers and hers alone. But Rainbow had forgotten to ask her father the one question that she wanted to ask him while she was with him: How do you ask the love of your life to marry you? How do you give her the necklace saying you're hers alone? How do—

"Oh, Raaainboooow!" Spitfire's voice snapped Rainbow back to reality. She quickly closed the box and put it back into her saddlebags. She would deal with her questions later. Right now she—

Rainbow's jaw dropped when Spitfire seductively stepped into view. Before Rainbow stood every secret fantasy she had ever had of Spitfire, even before she had found out Spitfire was in the military at all. Spitfire leaned against the frame of her bedroom door wearing just her beret and dress uniform coat. Rainbow's wings shot up. Spitfire giggled. The half uniform made even Spitfire's childish giggle hot in Rainbow's mind. Spitfire gave a smug grin.

"Rainbow, I have an assignment for you. Your orders are to make your way to my bedroom, ASAP," Spitfire commanded. Rainbow grinned and made her way towards Spitfire.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am."