“What were you two talking about?” Sky Stinger asked when Vapor Trail got close enough to hear him.
“Just… talking about our plans for Hearts and Hooves,” Vapor Trail said, only speaking half the truth. She didn’t know if Rainbow Dash did have anything special planned for Hearts and Hooves, but that was not important to Vapor Trail. As she looked for a hole in the cedar, Vapor Trail asked, “What about you, Sky? Have any mare on your mind for Hearts and Hooves?”
“Any mare is a candidate for me,” Sky Stinger boasted. Even though his thoughts were on every mare in Equestria, Vapor Trail was glad that she was eligible for her friend. “But as I said earlier this morning, if I asked any mare to be my special somepony, they will leap into my arms.”
Vapor Trail wanted to shoot down any candidates she could from Sky Stinger’s mind. “What about Spitfire? Or even Rainbow Dash? Neither of them seem interested in a relationship.” Vapor Trail didn’t want to be harsh and tell her friend they want nothing to do with him. But she did want to kill two birds with one stone, or in her case, two pegasi from Sky Stinger’s flirtatious and boastful nature.
“There are many fish in Equestria, Vapor Trail,” Sky Stinger said. “Two mares is nothing compared to the many who live in Equestria.” Vapor Trail began to frantically look for the tree hole before she begins to seek out a fishing pole to remove the world of its fish.
The hole was eventually found, but it was high in the tree. Vapor Trail did not want to fly and get her pretty mane frizzy by the wind; or worse, a tree branch getting caught in her mane. But step two, part one was in effect, and Vapor Trail knew she had to be the one initiating her confession. She flew up to the hole, cautious of every twig and leaf as the mare ascended. In the hole was the box of chocolates resting delicately, waiting to be delivered.
Vapor Trail grabbed the box and descended to her friend, the grass crunching as she touched down. Her cheeks were flushed and so was Sky Stinger's. “Vapor Trail…” he began but was at a loss for words. Sky’s eyes kept glancing between the red heart and Vapor Trail, not sure what or who to pay attention to more.
Vapor Trail noticed Sky Stinger was not quite in the beam of light and said, “Take a few steps back, please.” The stallion creased his brow slightly but did what he was told. At last, part of Vapor Trail’s daydream had become real. “There!” the mare beamed, “Now you can shine in the spotlight again. Just like you always have.”
Sky Stinger looked up and saw his convenient placement of himself and the sunbeam. “I do look good in the light, don’t I?” Sky Stinger smiled.
“I’ve always enjoyed seeing you in it, after all,” Vapor Trail said. “Perhaps more than I would like to admit.” It was a rare sight to see Sky Stinger blush. Normally, his ego would always be higher than the stratosphere with nothing able to faze his demeanor. But perhaps the dolled up Vapor Trail was more than he could take and his ability to wear facades grew slippery.
“I know you said there are many fish in Equestria, Sky,” Vapor Trail began, her gaze at a single flower nearby. A bee crawled about it, collecting pollen for itself. “Well…” She pointed a hoof at herself, “...this angelfish wishes to speak a few words to you.”
Sky Stinger managed to keep his eyes on Vapor Trail, “Lucky for you, angel fish are my favorite.” He gave a nod, “Well, speak those words.”
Remember, Vapor Trail, there is no need to be all romantic yet. Even though your angelfish bit might have been a little too obvious. Vapor Trail swallowed, forcing any nervous lumps that may interrupt her compliments back into her stomach. “I got you this gift and set this scene for you because…” A lump started to crawl up the mare’s throat like an octopus escaping a poorly knit net. Again, she swallowed, and the lump was pushed down. “...because I wanted to tell you how much of a great friend you are.” A smile rose Sky Stinger’s cheeks, but he remained quiet, waiting to be complimented some more. “I always enjoyed seeing you happy, glowing in the spotlight. Your joy means a lot to me, Sky. A-and I appreciate you always being there with me. When we fly, you always want me beside you. To glide with you.”
Vapor Trail took a step forward toward the stallion, his face still flushed. In a slow gesture, Vapor Trail extended her arm that held the box of chocolates, “Please take this Hearts and Hooves gift for being such a sweet guy to me.” She turned her attention to the flower she was staring at before, too embarrassed to look upon Sky Stinger. The bee was no longer attending to the flower, perhaps pleased with the pollen it had collected.
“Clever pun,” said Sky Stinger. Vapor Trail felt the gift leave her hooves, a transaction complete. The flower quickly lost its beauty and Vapor Trail needed to gaze upon a stallion instead. The moment her eyes met Sky Stinger’s, he gave a friendly wink.
“I hope you like the simple gift,” Vapor Trail said, her heart pounding in her ears. All he had to do was open the box and read the note prepared for him.
“Don’t worry, I will enjoy every bite.” As if suspense had it out for Vapor Trail, it told Sky Stinger to slowly open the box. Vapor Trail sucked her lips into her mouth, awaiting Sky Stinger to react to the note. She thought of all the steps and parts she had to go through. Vapor Trail prettied herself up, had a scene made for Sky Stinger, words were said, and the box of chocolates was in the stallion’s Hooves. No steps were missed. Everything was about to change.
A nasty buzz came close to Vapor Trail’s head before something bumped into her ear. The moment she flinched, a bee came close to her peripheral. Vapor Trail squeaked before retreating a few steps backward. “What is it?” Sky Stinger asked. When he, too, noticed the black and yellow pest, the stallion had a much more hysterical reaction. “BEEEEEEE!”
One quick blur of turquoise later and Sky Stinger hid behind the cedar tree, scared like a colt. Vapor Trail couldn't blame him for his reaction. Bees were a common crowd disperser. Not to mention, nopony wishes to be stung by one. But for once in her life, Vapor Trail was more angry with the bee than scared of it. The box of chocolates was parted open and the bee was crawling about the contents. From her perspective, Vapor Trail could see the pink note peeking out the side of the box. The key to unlocking a possible happy future was being guarded by a small bee.
Vapor Trail wasn't going to have it. All of the things she had to go through was not about to be in vain. She was frightened about the possibility of being stung, but a little poke may be the only sacrifice the mare had to endure.
Her shadow loomed over the bee as Vapor Trail walked over to the box of chocolates. Behind her, the mare heard Sky Stinger say, “What are you doing?”
“I'm getting your Hearts and Hooves gift,” Vapor Trail answered. The bee looked up to the large pony, no fear upon its little face. It leered at Vapor Trail and made sure its stinger was in sight. Wings buzzed in a loud hum, a warning that it will strike if it continued to be threatened. Both pony and bee glared at one another, wondering who would make the first move.
As sweet as the bonbon was, the bee didn't believe that it should stay put and be threatened. The bee leaped into the air, its small spearhead set to sting. Vapor Trail shrieked and stumbled back to dodge the insect. But her legs fumbled over one another and the mare fell onto her flank. Angry wings buzzed above Vapor Trail as the bee hovered over her like a lion who had felled its prey.
A voice spoke from behind the angered bee, “The only Stinger she wants is me, not you!” In his hooves, Sky Stinger used the box of chocolates to clamp down on the bee, trapping it inside. He gave the box a harsh shake before running over to the cliff side.
Vapor Trail watched in horror as her Hearts and Hooves gift was pitched off the cliff before it disappeared from her sight. The mare didn't know if she was either more angry with Sky Stinger and the bee, or more upset that everything she had prepared for Sky Stinger was gone with a simple toss.
Sky Stinger turned toward his friend and immediately saw her distress. He walked toward her, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry about your gift… I didn't want you to get stung.”
And at that moment, Vapor Trail had given up. Fate was not allowing the reality of Sky Stinger being her special somepony to exist. He didn't even turn Vapor Trail down, but it felt like it was rejection for the white mare.
She got onto all fours and said, “It's fine…” before walking away. Sky Stinger called her name but she didn't hear him.
***
A rock splintered into pieces as Quarter Hearts swung his pick in an angry fit. And yet every time his tool struck something, the stallion’s headache seemed to only get worse. At least his fury managed to cause the rock he had just hit spit out an emerald.
The cave around him sparkled with life. Gems of many colors flashed in their clear bodies, some even projected magical light. But Quarter Hearts was not cheered up by their natural beauty. Not with Epona on his mind.
His wagon sat at the cave’s entrance, not full enough to the point gems were poking out the top. Quarter Hearts wanted to step outside and try to get his crush off his mind. Quarter Hearts lobbed the emerald into the cart as if it's value was that of a bit. A rock intercepted the stallion’s path and was immediately kicked away. A larger rock stuck out of the ground in the shade, much too large to be moved by a mere kick of the leg. It looked like a nice place to rest, so Quarter Hearts went over to the stone, placed his pick on the cliff’s wall, and sat on the rock.
Quarter Hearts bit down until his jaw began to cramp. The stallion rubbed his forehead with a hoof, still angry how he forgot the Hearts and Hooves gift for Epona. The gift: a ruby in the shape of a heart. Through his endeavors of trying to seek out the largest and rarest of gems and crystals, the one Quarter Hearts cherished the most was his cherry-colored ruby. It was a beauty, naturally shaped by the earth into a heart. When Quarter Hearts found it in some dark cavern, the pony felt like he had unearthed an organ from a natural being. And just like most of his ventures into caves, Quarter Hearts had to fight off a massive monster before hauling off his treasure.
Quarter Hearts knew he was not a stallion of many words. In fact, he rarely spoke at all. But with the cherry ruby, he may be able to muster up the courage to face Epona and tell her how he feels about her. It made Quarter Hearts laugh at the fact that he has faced many monsters, creatures, and angry chickens with very little fear (except for the chickens). But when it came to Epona, Quarter Hearts couldn't even mutter.
The worst of what made Quarter Hearts’ Hearts and Hooves experience even worse was how he promised Epona something after he was done working. What was Quarter Hearts going to do when he shows up to Lon Lon Ranch, and arrives with hooves empty? The worry was too much for the upset earth pony.
An object from the sky hit the dirt ground in a puff of dust. Quarter Hearts brandished his pick, naturally ready to be attacked for no reason. However, nothing followed the sudden fall. The stallion walked over to what fell from the sky, and noticed the thing that hit the ground was a red box. Quarter Hearts picked up the heart-shaped box, giving it a few sniffs before smelling the sugar from inside. It was a box of chocolates.
In a fit of joy, Quarter Hearts spun around and held the Hearts and Hooves gift above him. I found a Full Heart (of Chocolates). I can use this as a substitute Hearts and Hooves gift for Epona. Sure, it may not be the Cherry Ruby, but this will do for now.
Curious about the contents inside, Quarter Hearts opened the box of chocolates. An aggressive insect jumped out of the gift, nearly missing Quarter Heart’s cheek. Part of the stallion was not surprised that something tried to attack him. Whenever he took something that was not his, Quarter Hearts had to fight for it; not that he was a thief of any sort. What did surprise Quarter Hearts was that his attacker was a bee. A very… small… normal bee.
Quarter Hearts chuckled at his opponent, not intimidated in the slightest. But he knew that underestimating it may cause him to end up with a swollen nose. The bee pointed its stinger and darted at the stallion. Quarter Hearts ducked to avoid the attack before running over to his pick. He placed down the box of chocolates so that it won't be damaged in the conflict.
With his pickaxe in hoof, Quarter Hearts prepared for another strike from the bee. Sure enough, the bug came back around for Quarter Hearts. Again, the dodge was easy for the pony. However, this time, Quarter Hearts had a weapon and he swung the tool at the bee.
The insect managed to avoid being hit with a quick spin. The bee stuck out its tongue in a mocking manner before darting back at Quarter Hearts. The stallion remained still, knowing very well what he had just done. All he had to do was stand still.
With all its might, he bee pounded its flank into Quarter Hearts’ cheek. But instead of a yelp of pain, the earth pony only smirked. The bee looked at Quarter Hearts with confusion, not sure why its stinger had no effect. Then Quarter Hearts pointed to the bee’s stinger.
The bee was in shock when it noticed its stinger was clipped. Its once-sharp cone was nothing more than a harmless stub. Quarter Hearts was kind enough to locate the stinger and hoof it to the bee. The insect was flushed as it snatched the other half of its stinger before flying away.