Failed Confessions to an Oblivious Friend

by FerociousCreation

Time Trial

In a fast blur of colors, Sky Stinger jumped into the air and dashed through the first ring, then dropped quickly for the second. He rose to another high resting ring and needed to turn sharp for it. Sky fanned out his wings in order to break hard before entering the loop, then accelerated immensely after exiting his turn. Sky Stinger wove himself in a succession of loops that went high and low. However, the pegasus had a difficult time maintaining his velocity because each ring got smaller as he went on. Despite the course’s challenges, Sky Stinger pushed himself hard until the very last ring.

Sky Stinger dashed through the last obstacle and went over to Spitfire, trying not to breath too hard in front of the mares. “How was that?” he asked with his eyes on the captain.

“I think you did great Sky,” Vapor Trail complimented with a smile. The flight was very impressive, despite his lack of speed toward the end of his flight. She remembers running the course during the trials in entering the Wonderbolts academy. The key to the course was to get through as quickly as possible. But the main focus was to not touch the borders of the rings. If a ring was clipped, a one second penalty was added. Vapor believed her time was around twelve seconds. As for Sky’s current time…

“I agree with her,” Spitfire nodded looking at her stopwatch. “Your time was 9.79 seconds.” The captain’s expression yielded no look of approval. “However, you are nowhere near Rainbow Dash’s.”

“And what is her record?” Sky Stinger asked before taking a deep breath of air.

“7.33 seconds.” Spitfire pressed a button on her stopwatch, restarting the device back to zero.

Sky snorted out of his nostrils with a smirk, “Only by two seconds? Wow! I am surprised nopony has an even better time.”

Spitfire turned her head, “Think you can beat it?”

“Easy!” The two smiled at each other before Sky Stinger made his way back to the first ring. The exercise was interesting to watch, but Vapor Trail did not know if Spitfire remembers what she was trying to do in the first place.

“Umm, Spitfire-”

“I know what you are going to say, Daydreamer. Don’t worry, I will get to it.” The captain was more sharp than her pen clipped on her clipboard. But the reply didn’t make Vapor Trail any less tense. She tried to imagine how Spitfire will go about telling Sky Stinger her feelings toward him, but Vapor Trail couldn't understand the captain's method.

“GO!”

Vapor Trail payed no attention to her friend’s second attempt at the obstacle course; her thoughts were elsewhere. The mare’s first guess at Spitfire’s method was that she was going to casually tell Sky Stinger that Vapor Trail loves him. However, that did not seem like a plausible act. Despite the captain’s blunt attitude, she did not dislike others’ emotions. Spitfire did genuinely care for her teammates. She just liked to yell at them more.

Sky Stinger touched down, now finished with his second run. Vapor Trail flinched, unaware of her friend’s completed flight. He had to catch his breath before he said, “How was that for ya?” Spitfire took a glance at her stopwatch and rotated her device toward the stallion. Sky Stinger chuckled as he noticed his time loss. “9.12 seconds.” The stallion shook his head, “I think after a few more runs, I will have a time impossible to beat.”

“Shouldn't you take a break?” Vapor Trail suggested, her attention more on Sky’s exhaustion.

“But I got a plan all laid out in my head,” he pointed his hoof to his skull. “Wouldn’t want my idea to be forgotten if I tried another time.” Back at the starting line, Sky Stinger called to Spitfire, “Let's go!”

“BEGIN!” Not clinging to her imagination anymore, Vapor Trail watched the stallion again. As Sky was at the end of the course, his speed was too quick, clipping his wing on the second to last ring.

“Let’s… try that again.”

“Sure thing.” Spitfire clicked a button on her stopwatch and reset the timer, while the stallion had to ready up. “GO!”

This time, Sky Stinger sped at the corner turn ring and missed it entirely. “Alright- I… I got this.” The pegasus started taking deep breaths, tired from his consistent fast flying. However, he didn't want to stop and make himself look bad in front of the captain.

Vapor Trail held her tongue as she watched her friend struggle with his composure. She knows what happens when Sky Stinger gets frustrated. And she knows her words won't reach him so easily.

“GO!” Instead of running the course as fast as he could, Sky Stinger stuck to his roots and performed the course as he did before. Once he finished, the pegasus landed hard in front of Spitfire. His torso expanded and contracted, sucking in more oxygen.

Spitfire shook her head, “You were 10.27 seconds this time. One second slower than your current record.” Vapor Trail heard Sky Stinger grumble in his throat.

“Just… give me a few more tries. I can… do this…” Sky darted back to the start, but at a much slower speed and Vapor Trail noticed it.

“GO!” As the stallion made his next attempt to better his time, Spitfire spoke to Vapor Trail, “Watch how he handles the fourth ring; the one where he has to turn sharply.” Both mares watched Sky fan out his wings to break before entering the loop and then Dash once the obstacle was cleared. “You see what he did wrong?” Vapor Trail nodded, seeing the error of her friend’s flight. When Sky Stinger entered his turn, he was breaking too hard, which not only strained his wings, but also losses a lot of speed.

“Now watch how he handles the shrinking rings.” Being the observer, the white pegasus witnessed her friend slow down more and more as he weaved into each ring.

“I see,” Vapor Trail muttered. “Instead of using the momentum of his fall for the lower rings, Sky slows down for them and then has to climb for the higher rings.”

Spitfire chuckled, “Good eye. Perhaps you should help Fleetfoot with her time trials when derby season kicks in.” Before Vapor Trail could remark to the statement, Sky Stinger landed hard in the grass, panting hard. Trying his best to stand tall, the pegasus straightened his posture; it didn't help him catch his breath any better. Spitfire looked to her stopwatch and said, “10.79. You’re getting worse for some reason. Perhaps you should rest.”

“No, I need to-” Vapor Trail couldn't take her friend pushing himself too far.

“Sky!” She stepped forward, her brows slightly creased. “You need to rest and breath. Also, I know what you are doing wrong.” The stallion was about to speak against her, but took his friend’s advice and started to take in deep breaths.

“Then what do I need work on? Give me this advice that will help me become a better flier,” Sky Stinger asked with a serious stare, trying his best to not bob his head too low and keep his eye leveled with Vapor Trail. The pegasus explained how he was breaking too hard on his turn and his error with slowing down on the low rings.

“Instead of breaking, don't take the turn with too much speed,” Spitfire instructed. “Maintain a moderate velocity when approaching the ring. That way, you can push out of the turn with more speed in your wings. As for the final part of the course, I advise that you use your descent to the lower wings to your advantage; as you dive, use your falling speed to enter the rings. And as you rise, you can flap a little to regain a slight amount of speed. That way, when you are at the peak of your slowness, you can assess the size of each ring and adjust your body accordingly.”

With his breath now caught up, Sky Stinger paced in the grass, a hoof to his chin. “So, don't go too fast on the sharp turn while not breaking. And as for the shrinking rings, dive down for the lower rings, but use my momentum from my dive to rise to the higher rings.” He paused his movement and grinned, “Alright, now with an outside perspective of my flying, I think I can use… some of the advice.” It was obvious to the two mares at how hard Sky Stinger was trying to act like their advice was not that important. Vapor Trail was doing her best to not giggle at his pride, while Spitfire openly rolled her eyes.

“Alright,” Spitfire spoke, looking to both Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger. “Now that Clinger has his advice, I think we could improve his odds even more.” She hooved her megaphone to Vapor Trail and gave her a hard stare. “Hold this and don't drop it. If you do, you are off the team.” Not sure what her captain was getting at, the pegasus clutched the amplifier close to her body like it was a child made of glass.

Spitfire flew into the air and began pulling a cloud toward the end of the obstacle course. “Is she adjusting the course?” Sky Stinger asked, but didn't expect Vapor Trail to answer. The cloud Spitfire was using is now slightly below the final ring.

Flying back to the two pegusi, Spitfire took back her megaphone. “Alright, so here is the plan: Daydreamer, I want you to fly above that cloud I just moved, say, fifty feet. When I say go for Clinger here, I want you to fall toward it; just stop flying and let gravity do the work.”

Sky Stinger raised a brow, “And how would this better my time? If she falls right in front of the ring as I finish the course, I will collide with Vapor Trail.” Vapor Trail nodded in agreement, but was curious with Spitfire’s tactic and kept silent.

“I want you, Sky Clinger, to pretend Vapor Trail was zapped by a rogue thundercloud and was knocked unconscious. That cloud, though it more of a safety net, is the ground. Fly through the obstacle course as fast as you can and catch your friend before she crashes to the ‘ground.’” Spitfire was noticing how her words were getting to Sky Stinger as he was looking at his friend with determination. “Think you can beat Rainbow Dash’s time and save your friend?”

“The moment you say ‘go,’ Vapor Trail wouldn’t have a chance to descend.” There was no cocky grin on the stallion’s face for once, though his statement was.

Vapor Trail was beginning to see through Spitfire’s strategy. The captain was attempting to rile up Sky after exhausting him at the obstacle course. Now with Vapor Trail in the picture, Sky Stinger will have to desperately push himself through the obstacle course with his newly obtained strategy, and save the mare from the “ground.” And after this role play, the stallion’s heart will be soft enough for him to hear Spitfire’s words about Vapor Trail’s emotions for him.

...Or at least, that is how Vapor Trail was picturing it.

Looking to her stopwatch, Spitfire spoke, “Alright you two, get into your positions.”

Before Vapor Trail could fan out her wings, Sky Stinger placed his hoof on her shoulder. “I promise,” he said in a warming voice, “you won't hit that cloud. I swear it.” He wore a half smile, but Vapor Trail could see the fire in his pupils.

“And I believe you can,” the white mare nodded, her mane bouncing a bit.

“Hey Clinger, you gotta let her go if you expect her to participate.” Spitfire stood still with a slated expression, as if wanting to get on with other important matters.

“Yeah, yeah…” Without another word, Sky made his way to the starting ring. Vapor Trail turned to speak to her captain, but Spitfire held up a hoof to cut her off. Then winked.

Vapor Trail smiled, having full confidence in Spitfire’s plan and flew above the cloud as instructed. She looked down at Sky Stinger who stared up at her, giving her a nod before looking up at the first ring.

“GO!”

Comments

[OmniFox]

Something that doesn't screw up.