A slit of light beamed into the dark closet as Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger clung to one another, swallowed by a depressing silence. Thick jackets and various other articles of clothing dangled about the ponies in the small, cramped space. The white mare leaned her head onto the stallion, listening to a sad heart thump against her ear.
From what Vapor Trail was able to see was Spitfire resting at her desk, her arms hiding the captain’s face. Vapor didn’t care about her predicament for being trapped in a closet. She was too upset to move because of Soarin’s unfortunate rejection.
Sky Stinger let out a soft sigh and whispered, “So much for that…”
“Mmhmm,” Vapor Trail mumbled with a small nod. Her grip tightened around the stallion, frustrated with how Spitfire shot down her closest friend. “It’s just not fair… He was willing to give her everything.”
“Yeah…”
Sky’s shoulders sagged a little, bringing Vapor to notice the body shift. “Is something wrong, Sky?”
With what little light the two ponies had, Vapor Trail saw Sky Stinger looking through the crack. “I am not sure how long we are going to be here in this closet. But… since we are together, I might as well give you my answer to… you know…”
The light to Sky’s nervousness was shown when Vapor listened to the sensitive organ pulse with intensity. Even her own heart began to beat rapidly; and with every thump, it inched more and more up into her ears. “Regardless of your answer, Sky, I will make sure I will keep quiet.” What Vapor Trail meant to say was, “I will keep quiet, but I will shiver with anticipation for your 'yes.'” She was bent on being given a much different ending than what Soarin was given.
“Vapor, I-” It was Sky’s turn to confess what was true in his heart, and Vapor knew how hard that was. Ever so patient, the mare waited. She looked up into his eyes, the strip of light scaring Sky Stinger’s handsome face. He didn’t look at her, his thoughts elsewhere. The sound of Sky’s heart was at a quick, consistent tempo. Vapor Trail bobbed her head very gently with every tick it made. But it didn’t take long for it to beat faster.
“To answer your question…” Still patient, Vapor Trail kept quiet. However, the anticipation was starting to slowly kill the mare. Sky’s heart began to pound louder, almost pushing Vapor’s ear off his chest with every beat. The answer was getting nearer and nearer. As if to squeeze it out of him, Vapor Trail adjusted herself, her arms getting a better hold of Sky Stinger. The stallion gasped a little louder than she would have liked. And Vapor knew that she, nor Sky wanted to be caught by Spitfire. Still, Vapor Trail’s love for her best friend was finally told. She knew that Sky Stinger would never give her anything that would have simulated Spitfire’s reaction to Soarin’s confession, and instead-
“You don’t want to be in a relationship with me, Vapor,” Sky whispered as quietly as he could.
Vapor Trail’s eyes went wide, the tears too quick to show themselves. “W-what…?” No… No no no no no no no no! Not after everything I had gone through! Not after what I just saw with Soarin and-
Her first thought was to run. Run away from Sky Stinger’s lie. Her second thought was to see how he reacted to her trying to leave. Vapor Trail started to push herself off of him and reached for the door. Sky’s hoof claimed the mare’s limb before it did anything that would get them into trouble. “What are you doing?!” Sky whispered a loudly as needed.
“Leaving, since you don’t want to be with me.” To play with Sky Stinger’s mind was not a game Vapor Trail wanted to do. But she remembered the kiss he gave her earlier. There was a deeper meaning to the simple romantic gesture. He even told Vapor that his answer heavily leaned toward a "yes." There was a lot of untold truths under the waters, and Vapor Trail was determined to fish out every single one.
Sky Stinger quickly reclaimed Vapor Trail back into his arms. The mare easily surrendered herself to his strength and body. “I never said, ‘I don’t want to be with you.’ Ever. In fact, I am… very lucky to have you consider me as somepony you really like.”
Vapor Trail flushed as well as gasp at Sky’s uplifting words. One good fish was caught. But there were fatter truths still lingering, and Vapor was determined to get them all. “Then why do you think that I shouldn't be in a relationship with you? Matter of fact…” Again, his kiss came to mind. Vapor Trail remembered Sky Stinger’s heart-filled confession as he told her how much of a better flier she was than him. And the tears Sky shed as he spoke to her. There was so much emotion he showed in one moment. Maybe there was more to Sky’s simple kiss. “Why did you kiss me?”
An itch came to Vapor Trail’s eyes, and she gave them a rub as well as wipe the tears from her cheeks. When she was finished and had a much better view of Sky Stinger. The stallion’s head was weighed low, burdened by the two questions. “I kissed you because…” The waiting game once again commenced, leaving Vapor to be patient in Sky’s warm arms. “...b-because…”
Another fish was about to be pulled to the surface, and Vapor Trail knew she could help her friend get it out. “Eye contact, Sky,” the mare said. “If you want to be confident in yourself and get the right words, then look at me directly.”
Finally, Sky Stinger was the one adjusting himself so he could get a better hold of Vapor Trail. “I never thought my advice from our little mock confession two weeks ago would go so far.” Sky then grinned, “Then again, my advice is much better than simple words of encouragement.” A giggle lightened up the dark atmosphere as Vapor Trail squirmed a little, her hold getting even better than what Sky Stinger had originally.
“A lot of things you have said are more than encouraging,” Vapor Trail said. “They are true. Especially when you told me how much of a better flier I was than you. And now, I want to know why you kissed me. I know you can tell me the truth about that.”
The small amount of light allowed Vapor Trail to see the stallion swallow. His eyes were unmovable as he stared down at the angel fish delicately placed in his hold. “You see, Vapor, for the longest time, I… I have…” A chill ran down the mare’s spine; a chill that did not mean a terrible omen. Is he…!
“...I've had a… strong feeling of emotion for you. Since, like… high school…” Sky Stinger’s face lit up with red blush. A nervous grin never before seen in the history of Sky Stinger's life sat upon his turquoise lips.
Vapor Trail blinked at him, afraid it was all a daydream. The warmth of her friend’s arms reminded her that she was awake. Sky Stinger said it! He actually said words that Vapor Trail could only dream of! “You… you mean it, Sky?” she squeaked. Vapor had to restrain her voice from being too loud. Their captain was still in the office.
“I swear,” Sky Stinger confirmed. There it was. The big, fat truth came to the surface in a wonderful appearance of a handsome pony looking at his best friend. But why would he restrain something for so long away from Vapor Trail? That was the next question that the mare thought up of next. There was also the fact that Sky told Vapor that she wouldn't want to be in a relationship with him.
Knowing that would be the best way to shift their quiet talk in the closet, Vapor Trail asked, “If you feel that way for me, why don't you want me to be with you?”
Sky Stinger broke eye contact, his confidence fading away. “Because I don’t deserve your heart. And I figured kissing you after you told me how you felt would be the only time I could do that without you asking me.”
The excuse for holding back his love for Vapor Trail only made the mare laugh a little, and she decided to add a little mare-magic to convince Sky Stinger that he can have her heart. Vapor brought a hoof to Sky’s chin to redirect his gaze onto her. “Well, since the truth is out, and we both want to be with one another, you no longer have to feel that way.” Vapor fluttered her eyes and brought her face close to the flustered stallion. “Whatever your reason is for not wanting me to be your special somepony, forget it. I’m yours.”
Despite her words, Sky Stinger did not throw away his “reason.” His blush did show that he was, indeed, flustered by Vapor Trail’s pursuit. The lack of a smile also clued in that something was still holding Sky back. “But Vapor, I… I just can’t let you be with me, no matter how much I want to be with you.”
Irritated with his resistance, Vapor Trail creased her brows. “Why are you rejecting me?” she asked, her throat letting loose a sad croak Vapor did not want to release.
“I am not rejecting you,” Sky Stinger answered with a shake of his head. “I just don’t think I am the right stallion for you.” The site of the stallion being genuinely worried gave Vapor Trail a sense of hope she could still convince her friend from not being a fool. She just had to argue against his unstable ground, even though the mare did not want to dispute with Sky.
“You may not notice it, Sky, but you are rejecting me. By saying, ‘I can’t let you be with me,’ is literally telling me that we shouldn’t be special someponies. Do not try and argue that you aren’t doing what you don’t want to do. And by saying, ‘I shouldn’t consider you as a special somepony,” is the same exact thing. You are refusing to allow me to give you what I want to give you: my affection.” With all of her quiet frustration out of her system, Vapor Trail removed the stress in her brows while she continued to frown. “Be honest with me, Sky. I promise I won’t be angry with you. Just tell me why you feel like you don’t deserve me, and I will do my best to prove you wrong. Because I know, after everything we have just said, we both want to be in each other’s arms.” Vapor Trail looked away for a moment, flustered with Sky’s and her situation. “I mean, look at how you are holding me right now.” The word “confidence” rang in Vapor’s head. It told her to look back at the stallion she loved, and show him how confident a mare can be. “How many times have you wondered what it would be like to cradle me like this? How many times have you thought about how much you truly cared about your wingpony? How many times have you daydreamed about kissing me?”
Sky Stinger looked into Vapor Trail’s eyes, his stare just as warm as his arms. “I can answer all those questions in one go.” He smiled, “I know, it is awesome that I can do that.” Sky’s little act of boasting tickled Vapor’s funny bone, and she giggled as quietly as she could. Then, before Vapor Trail could catch her breath, Sky Stinger whispered into her ear, “A lot.”
It took a moment for Vapor’s brain to remind her to breathe. “So have I,” she weakly said. In a much louder whisper, Vapor Trail asked, “Then please, Sky, tell me the truth. Why don’t you feel you deserve my love?” The mare wanted to do everything she could in order to convince her friend to not only tell the truth but to also force their friendship into something greater; which meant more powerful words had to be applied.
With one hoof, Sky Stinger placed it behind Vapor Trail’s head and began to gently pull. She knew what he was trying to get her to do, so the mare allowed Sky’s hoof to direct her head to his chest. Vapor carefully aimed her right ear to lean right onto the stallion’s heart. The moment her white ear came in contact with Sky Stinger’s chest, he took in a deep breath.
“Listen,” Sky said as he gently rubbed Vapor’s back. And she did. Every heartbeat was not as fast as before, but they were heavy and loud. “The truth is… I am scared, Vapor Trail.”
That was all it took for the mare to look up. “Why are you scared? What could possibly intimidate the proudest and most confident stallion in all of Equestria?”
A weak smile lifted Sky’s lips. “Everypony has their weaknesses. And you are among one of the very few.”
Vapor Trail made sure not to assert herself too much as she moved her head one centimeter closer to Sky Stinger. “Is it my charm?” she asked, booping a hoof onto his nose.
The stallion grunted and brought a hoof to his chest and dramatically proclaimed, “No! My weakness is on the assault!”
Playing along, Vapor Trail grinned, “Then you better not reject me. Otherwise, I may have to give you the kiss of death.”
Both ponies laughed at the mare’s comment as Sky slowly began to “die” as Vapor continued to tap his nose over and over. Before Vapor Trail could realise what was happening, she found her muzzle almost touching Sky Stinger. Never in her life has she felt so close to the stallion.
“Please… don’t kill me…” Sky whispered as he touched his snout onto Vapor’s own nose.
“I’ll do what I can to hold back my power…” Whatever Sky Stinger’s reason why he didn’t want Vapor Trail to be his special somepony, the mare didn’t care about it. She thought whatever it may be was a stupid excuse because of how Sky was behaving. Vapor Trail knew he wanted her. After all, she was Sky Stinger’s weakness.
It was impossible to control herself. As gently as possible, Vapor Trail applied her kiss of death onto Sky Stinger’s lips. Through the crack of her eyelids, she saw stallion’s ears were pointed back and his brows were at a nervous crease. Vapor took the natural action as cute. He’s nervous.
At least Sky Stinger was not too nervous. He lifted Vapor Trail up into him, their kiss becoming much deeper than the mare would have anticipated. Again, Vapor lost her ability to breath, and the mare feared Sky had a kiss of death at his own disposal. To Vapor Trail, her friend’s lips were warm and soft. Something about her first kiss was a bit underwhelming. She was expecting the feeling of love to burst from her heart, and her kisser would feel the same emotion. Still, Vapor Trail couldn’t deny the intense happiness from within herself. To give her first kiss to the stallion she loved made Vapor hope she would experience many other firsts with Sky.
Their lips parted with a light smacking sound. The two ponies gazed into each others’ eyes. Vapor Trail smiled for a short moment and awaited Sky Stinger to return the same expression. However, Sky didn’t change his perplexed expression as if the stallion didn’t know what he partook in.
“Did you enjoy our kiss?” Vapor Trail asked, her lips refusing to be let down by Sky Stinger’s frown.
At last, Sky smiled. “I did. And now, you proudly hold the best kiss and best sneeze title.” Another cute giggle infected Vapor’s heart, and she worried her light laugh would be heard by the lingering captain who continued to sit at her desk. Even Sky Stinger expressed a pang of worry, but one look to the outside world confirmed that Spitfire was still resting undisturbed.
With their alone time undiscovered, Vapor Trail returned to the situation at hoof: her talk with Sky Stinger. “So, why are you scared? Why are you afraid of being in a relationship with me?” Neither Vapor nor Sky wore any smiles. It was time to be serious.
“Can you make a guess as to why you would be afraid of telling me how much you liked me?” Sky asked. It didn’t make Vapor Trail feel any less stressed because her friend answered her question with another question. She could only assume Sky Stinger was going to make a point based on her answer. It was also not a difficult question for Vapor Trail to answer, so she wasn’t too intimidated by it.
“Well, of course, I don’t want to be rejected,” she answered.
“What else?”
“I… hmm…” It took a moment for Vapor to conjure up another response. “Well, because love may be risky, I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship. That’s why, I think, you would be just as scared as I was-” Her voice was caught as she answered Sky Stinger’s question; Sky nodded his head to confirm Vapor’s answer was the same as his.
“Exactly why I am afraid, Vapor Trail. I am afraid of our friendship, the friendship I would die for, to be broken and lost if I said or did the wrong thing.”
It wasn’t a terrible excuse. Even Vapor worried about the same thing for the longest time. But the words were already said, and nothing could be taken back. “I understand, Sky. I know why you wouldn’t want to negatively affect what we already had built.” A smile reached for her eyes. “But I cannot deny how I feel about you. You’ve been there for me ever since we were foals. And even though I want you to be in the light, I wish to be there with you. And I know you would want me to be there beside you.”
“And you are correct. I do want you with me. Always. But…” That dreadful word “but” seeped its way into Vapor Trail’s ear. A word that tosses everything that was good before it away. “...after how I reacted toward you when you told me the truth about giving me gusts of winds to help me fly, I never forgave yourself…” A hot breath of escaped Sky Stinger’s nose, though he turned his head away from Vapor Trail so he didn’t breathe on her. “I was a stubborn mule the day Princess Twilight and Rainbow Dash came to help us.”
“Is… is that’s what’s holding you back?” Vapor asked. “Do you think, that after you made one mistake, I don’t deserve me?”
“It’s more than that. But yes, that is part of the reason.”
“Then explain the rest of your reason. Matter of fact, tell me it all!” Sky Stinger’s resistance was starting to make more sense. However, Vapor Trail knew patience was the key to gaining truth and knowledge. So she bottled up every emotion other than a simple listening expression to keep herself from saying anything else.
Sky Stinger let out another sigh before speaking. “For a while now, I have… I realized how much I like you.” One emotion slipped out of Vapor Trail’s mental bottle, and the mare blushed and smiled. It was the only one she was going to let loose. Her grin distracted Sky for a moment, but he didn’t linger in silence for much longer. “But when you told me the truth about what you have been doing in secret for me, when I blew up in your face like a total jerk, and after everything between us was resolved, I knew that I could never allow somepony like myself to be your stallionfriend.” He shook his head, the past corrupting his mind like a tick sucking the blood from his joy. “I reacted so… terribly… How could I do that to the mare I care so much about?”
“You were frustrated,” Vapor Trail answered, stroking her hoof down Sky Stinger’s neck. “And I know what happens when you get frustrated. It’s just a part of you.”
“But that’s just it, Vapor! My attitude is a part of me! And that part of me is an ugly I don’t want you to see! The last thing I want for us to endure ever again is another argument.”
Vapor Trail believed she found the root of a nasty weed that had been corrupting Sky Stinger for however long the two have been Wonderbolts. “Your biggest reason as to why you don’t want us to be special someponies is because you are worried we may have another argument?”
“It’s not just that… I fear that another argument will tear us apart again!” Sky’s hooves gently gripped at Vapor’s shoulders. “That is why you shouldn’t want to be my special somepony. If we get into another fight, I will most likely end up being a jackass and ruin our friendship like I already almost did.”
At last, the absolute truth had come to light. Vapor Trail prepared herself to tear the negative weed from its roots and replace it with flowery love. “This may come as a shock to you, Sky, but I am just as at fault for what happened during the trials.”
The stallion twitched with disbelief. “How is anything your fault?”
“Because I didn’t tell you the truth. After all, Princess Twilight and Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have come to help us if we didn’t have a friendship problem.” A small anchor weighed down Vapor Trail’s heart. “I should have told you sooner.”
“But you had your reason, Vapor. You knew how I would react. And just like you feared, I became a jerk that day…” Sky’s shoulders slumped. “You were never in the wrong.”
“Yes, I was!” The mare knew she was so close to changing his mind and had to think to how Twilight and Rainbow Dash aided them. “Remember what happened when we were brought back together, and we realized that we were still friends even though we had a dispute. We were both wrong. And it happens. What we went through was our first serious argument.”
“But what if-”
Vapor trail gently pressed a gentle hoof on Sky Stinger’s lips. “No more ‘what if’s.’ What could have been never came to be. I remember earlier today how you were so worried about what could have happened. Well, let me tell you something, Sky: don’t… worry… anymore.” A grin reached across the mare’s face. “Believe this or not, we are having an argument right now.” Sky Stinger’s eyes went wide with worry, and Vapor Trail had to quickly respond to it. “It’s not that it is a bad thing. Like I said, arguments happen all the time. Don’t be held back by an error on your part. You don’t see me hating myself because I afraid of telling you the truth about me helping you outperform me.”
Sky Stinger looked down at the mare still within his arms. Since the two were trapped within Spitfire’s closet, Vapor Trail didn’t mind waiting for Sky Stinger to speak.
***
“...Vapor…” The calling of her name quickly brought the mare to reawaken from her warm nap. Vapor Trail twitched, before remembering the imprisonment she and Sky were still partaking in.
“Is Spitfire gone?” Vapor Trail weakly asked. Her body tense from her unknown amount of sleep, and her awkward positioning. At least Sky Stinger was there to keep the mare company. To answer the question for herself, Vapor Trail looked through the closet’s crack, only to see Spitfire sitting up at her desk. In her mouth was a pen, scribbling down on some paperwork. The desk lamp light beamed through the door’s crack, a sign that it was perhaps evening. Wondering why she was woken up, Vapor Trail rolled over to look up at Sky Stinger looking down at her. And he was smiling. “How come you are smiling? We are still trapped.”
“Well… Ever since you have been asleep, I’ve been thinking about… us.” Despite the small amount of light given to the two ponies, Vapor Trail saw the blush in Sky Stinger’s cheeks. At once, Vapor sat up at attention. “Woah, settle down,” Sky said with a nervous smile. However, the spirit of a wild horse burst forth, and Vapor couldn’t find it within herself to act rationally.
Vapor Trail’s nose was nearly on Sky Stinger’s muzzle. “Go on...” she whispered. “Say whatever it is you needed. I’ve also been a very patient mare, so take your time as well.” watching the stallion’s lips awkwardly smile tickled Vapor’s eager heart. Something about a nervous Sky Stinger excited the mare. Being the patient mare that she was, Vapor Trail waited for the stallion’s wonderful words.
“You see… I have to admit something first,” Sky Stinger began. Vapor Trail figured it would take a moment before the stallion got to the good stuff, so she nodded and waited for the artificial confession. “I hate to be wrong, Vapor… It really gets me down. I also don’t like to be tricked.” Vapor felt guilt creep up in her system. She had a feeling where he was going. “I think I now know why I exploded on you that day. And… hehe… like I had just said, ‘I hate to be wrong,’ but I will have to admit I was wrong about you not being in the wrong.”
Vapor Trail smiled, “I’m glad you noticed that I am not the perfect angel fish you thought I was.”
“That doesn’t mean you aren’t the perfect friend.” Sky Stinger placed his forehead on Vapor Trail’s skull, the mare suddenly taken off guard by the action. He then spoke with a low hum, “Anyways, the point I am trying to make, Vapor, is that… I… I want you to be my special somepony, and-”
Vapor Trail gasped a lot louder than she would have liked. Through the crack, she saw Spitfire stop her paperwork for a moment. The Wonderbolt glanced around before returning to important matters.
After getting a grip on herself, Vapor Trail looked up at the handsome stallion. Her nerves were shivering, but only enough to the point that Sky Stinger wouldn’t notice. “May I continue?” he smiled. Vapor nodded her head, eager for more to be said. “So, I do want you to be my stallionfriend, and I know you want to be my marefriend. The one thing I really want from you is to be honest with me. Even if I am wrong and you don’t want to upset me, tell me anyways. As for myself, I will make sure I will keep a hold of myself whenever we have a disagreement. Is that fair?”
“I think it is.” Vapor Trail’s little heart pounded in her ears. Every nerve began to quake, unable to contain themselves. It was finally coming.
“Then allow me to say the words,” Sky Stinger said as he removed his head from Vapor Trail. He held both of the mare’s hooves as Sky looked down as his mare-to-be. “Vapor Trail, you have always had a special place in my heart. And now, I am willing to show that there is still more room for you and me to grow as friends. Will you be my special somepony?”
A tiny amount of anger stung at Vapor Trail’s happiness. How dare he be able to say such wonderful and charming words with no hesitation! Vapor reflected on how she stuttered over every word during every failed confession she made to Sky Stinger. All it took was three sentences from the charming stallion to snatch up her heart, while it took numerous attempts for the fumbling mare.
Sky Stinger needed to pay!
“YES!” Vapor Trail cried at the top of her lungs and jumped into Sky Stinger. On the attack, she swarmed the stallion’s face with an endless barrage of kisses. Tears of joy gushed from Vapor Trail’s eyes, the daydream no longer a fantasy. Sky gave no attempt to resist or kiss back, but Vapor didn’t care. She was his. And that was all that mattered.
The closet door flung open, and light quickly captured the hidden ponies hiding among the jackets. Vapor Trail froze, no longer needing to resume her kiss of death barrage attack. Spitfire looked down at the two ponies with confusion, as if she was not sure how to approach the scene that was unfolding in her closet. “Care to explain yourselves?” the captain asked.