Failed Confessions to an Oblivious Friend

by FerociousCreation

Apprentice

Great, first I make a heart in front of all the Wonderbolts. And now Sky Stinger thinks I like Soarin. I bet a scolding from Spitfire is in order to top off everything. Vapor Trail didn’t need to move as Spitfire and Soarin came to her. Vapor Trail looked over Soarin. He was a handsome and well fit stallion, but her interests were elsewhere. Another mare was meant for him, and Vapor Trail was destined for one stallion or none at all. “Yes, captain?” Vapor Trail asked, her body stiffening. “And before you begin, I must apologize-”

“Save the apology,” Spitfire interrupted. Vapor Trail swallowed the remaining of her sentence and expected a full-hearted scolding. “I wanted to apologize to you for being so rash.” Spitfire apologizing was another thing she was not known to do, especially after when she yells at somepony.

Vapor Trail saw Soarin look at his captain with a sad look in his eyes. Spitfire gave him the same look as his and she nodded at him. “Just to clue you in, Vapor Trail, Spitfire greatly dislikes Hearts and Hooves,” Soarin said. “As to why she just does.” Vapor Trail knew that was a lie and figured there was an underlying reason for Spitfire’s hatred. What’s more, Soarin held the truth to her reason, according to Fleetfoot. However, Vapor Trail knew to not throw Fleetfoot under the horsedrawn carriage and didn’t speak of it.

“It was my fault for being distracted…” Vapor Trail muttered, her hoof pushing the blades of grass around.

“Knowing how the Wonderbolt’s very own Daydreamer behaves, this was something I should have expected,” Spitfire said. The nickname usage didn’t bother Vapor Trail. At least her teammates were not using to banter her, only to mention a common behavior. Spitfire sighed out her nostrils, “Ah, what the hay…” She faced the sky and called to her teammates, “Alright, everypony, practice is dis...missed…” Both Vapor Trail and Soarin looked to the sky, wondering why their captain’s voice trailed off. Above the three grounded pegasi, the rest of the team made a “We” out of clouds and placed it beside Vapor Trail’s heart. Beside the white heart was Spitfire’s head cloud. An “aww” escaped Vapor Trail, the message indicating, “We heart Spitfire.”

“You all better love me!” Spitfire called at them, a smile visible to Vapor Trail. “I’m the one who runs this place and holds your paychecks!” The captain faced Soarin and said, “Thanks for the talk. I can always count on you when I need the help.”

If it weren’t for his uniform, Vapor Trail would have seen the stallion flush. “Anytime, Spitfire.”

“Well, I’m off to my office. Enjoy your day you two.” At her own pace, Spitfire walked alone, nopony daring to intercept her path.

Soarin sighed as he watched his captain walk away. Vapor Trail wondered if she could try and squeeze some info out of him about Spitfire. “Of all the holidays,” Vapor Trail began, looking at Soarin, “I wouldn’t have guessed Spitfire would be so angry about a day of love.”

“I just wished for once she would give it a chance,” Soarin responded. Vapor Trail analyzed the statement, wondering if there was any clue she could try and pick at.

“Did something happen to her?” Vapor Trail asked. It was a bold question and maybe too personal, but she had already said it.

“No,” Soarin said, his tone very low. A clue, perhaps, but Vapor Trail figured his loyalty to Spitfire would yield her no clear answers. He looked at the white mare and gave her a smile, “I’m off, Daydreamer.” The stallion strutted a few steps before flying away.

Vapor Trail noticed her teammates began to fly in various directions, no longer bound by practice. The mare figured she could head for the showers and wash up before presenting her gift to Sky Stinger. As she walked, a pony landed beside her. “Hey, Vapor Trail,” Rainbow Dash said, “you doin’ alright?”

“I’m fine,” Vapor Trail nodded. “Spitfire can sure be angry when she wants to be.”

“Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash reassured. “Everypony gets a taste of her anger one way or another. Trust me, I would know.”

“Does it involve your first performance when you showboated?”

“M-maybe. But that is not important.” Vapor Trail knew Rainbow Dash wanted to get the attention off of her and allowed it to happen. “What is important is that my apprentice is all well.”

A giggle escaped Vapor Trail, “When did I become your apprentice? I don’t remember signing up for anything aside from wanting to become a Wonderbolt.”

“You can’t forget that I was the one who hoof-picked you and Sky Stinger to be trained by myself and Twilight Sparkle,” Rainbow Dash boasted.

“You also can’t forget that I was voted most promising flyer,” Sky Stinger said from above. Both mares looked up and saw the stallion hovering above them. “So, perhaps you had some helping hoof in our success.” Speak his name and he shall appear. Sky Stinger landed beside his friend and held his head high.

“If I remember,” Rainbow Dash grinned, “you were quite terrible without Vapor Trail at your wingtips. And I have yet to hear a thank you from you.”

“The word you are looking for, Crash,” Sky Stinger retorted, “is 'unlocked potential'. And thanks to some of the advice I was given, I bloomed.”

“That was two words…” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“Regardless,” Vapor Trail butted in, not wanting the quipping match to continue any further, “I am glad Rainbow Dash wanted to check up on me.”

“Thank you,” the cyan mare smiled. “Now that leaves one glaring question…”

“And what might that be?” Sky Stinger asked before Vapor Trail had the chance to say the same question.

Rainbow Dash looked at Vapor Trail, a brow raised, “What was going through your head when you made that heart?” The cyan pegasus pointed behind her as she finished her question.

Vapor Trail flushed, and answered the obvious, “I have somepony I have in mind… for Hearts and Hooves… B-but don’t tell anypony.”

“Nonsense!” Rainbow Dash beamed. “I would never let out my apprentice’s secret!” Several Wonderbolt’s passed by the loud pegasus, their gazes confused and perhaps wanting to hear a few words of whatever she was exclaiming about.

“Being a little quieter would be appreciated,” Sky Stinger hissed. His friend nodded in agreement, her cheeks puffed and her eyes creased.

Rainbow Dash’s ears fell back and gave her two teammates a nervous grin, “Sorry… Loyalty can sometimes be a little louder than somepony may want.” She gestured to Sky Stinger with a nod, “Sky Clinger might understand what I mean.”

His nickname didn’t seem to bother him, and Sky Stinger fully understood what Rainbow Dash was referring to when she mentioned it. He looked at Vapor Trail and gave her a smile, “I believe I do understand.” Vapor Trail giggled, her blush yet to fade. “But now I want to ask you a question, Rainbow Dash,” said Sky Stinger. Both mares rose their brows, curious as to what the stallion had to ask. “What did you think Vapor Trail was trying to do when she made her heart cloud?”

It was Rainbow Dash’s turn to flush and this interested her two apprentices. “I uh… thought… Vapor Trail was… maybe sorta, but not really… trying to, you know… get us… together…”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Sky Stinger smiled and gave the cyan pegasus a wink. This put Vapor Trail on edge. Worry and jealousy coursed through her veins at an unprecedented rate.

Rainbow Dash only returned a grin, “You have to save Equestria at least three times before I even consider you as a possibility.”

“Then when your so-called apprentice surpasses you and needs to save you and Equestria, I will be sure to keep that in mind.” Sky Stinger looked to Vapor Trail, oblivious to her jealous stare at Rainbow Dash. “And so will she I assume.”

“Maybe…” Vapor Trail mumbled, her brows pointed at Rainbow Dash. The rainbow-maned mare didn’t know what to make of her teammate’s aggression and figured she would ask Vapor Trail about the sudden attitude change toward her.

The three approached the bunker that housed the locker room, pool, spa, and gym. Sky Stinger started to break off when they walked by the indoor spa. “Alright, ladies, I am off to the spa and think of how I want to spend my Hearts and Hooves day,” said Sky Stinger.

“See you later, Sky,” Vapor Trail smiled, her sights set on him, ready to confess later on in the day.

Both mares went to the shower room in silence, Rainbow Dash hesitating to talk to Vapor Trail and her attitude. But Rainbow Dash managed to muster up the question, “Hey, Vapor Trail?”

“Hmm?” was all the mare did for a response and she rose a brow.

“Why were you…leering at me outside?” Rainbow Dash too rose a brow but erected a curious one. “Were you jealous when I suggested you were trying to hook me and Sky Stinger up?”

“M...maybe…” Vapor Trail admitted, despite her sentence being vague. Her pink cheeks was what gave the truth away.

Rainbow Dash put two and two together and grinned, “Oh! I get it now.” She placed a hoof on Vapor Trail’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, Daydreamer. Sky Stinger is far from me even considering him as a special somepony. My caliber of awesome is overwhelming for most ponies.”

“‘Most ponies,’” Vapor Trail quoted her tone low and on the prowl.

Rainbow Dash knew she wasn’t helping herself and needed to get the jealous teammate in a more comfortable state. “Look, if you are so worried about me, or even other mares, just…” She shuffled her head over her shoulders to make sure nopony walked in on Vapor Trail and herself. “...just tell him,” Rainbow Dash whispered.

Vapor Trail saw the concern in Rainbow Dash’s eyes and drew the conclusion her teammate had no romantic interest in Sky Stinger. Showing her softer side, Vapor Trail allowed herself to vent to the wielder of Loyalty, “That’s what I have been trying to do for a while now… But Sky Stinger, along with other mishaps, has made confessing my feelings to him very difficult.”

Rainbow Dash pounded her hoof on her chest, “Then allow me to help you!”

“You sure you want to help me?” Vapor Trail asked.

“Of course! I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Author's Note:

I was feeling generous and decided to publish a second chapter today. Enjoy.

Comments

[OmniFox]

“Of course! I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Famous Last Words?

[Sky Blazer]

What's the worst that could happen? Murphy's Law, anyone?

And of that other mare meant for Soarin, I like thinking that Rainbow Dash is his potential love mate.

[thegamerator10]

Dash, there are some words that must never be spoken. WTWTCH (abbreviation) is one such set of words.

[redmar]

Does Twilight have a checklist for things that could and probably follow such a statement? Rainbow should leave this to somepony more experienced than her.