As Sky Stinger struggles in his pursuits and desire to prove himself, him and Vapor Trail learn what their true bond as "wingponies" is, not just as Wonderbolts, but as friends... and maybe more.
Sky Stinger had always suffered the fate of being ignored, until he met Vapor Trail. Partners since foalhood, the two helped each other on their way to the top, to their dreams... to the Wonderbolts.
Now however, having found out the truth behind his "achievements", Sky Stinger struggles to get back on his feet and prove that he is special, that he is important, that he can take on any challenge. But as he finds himself falling short time after time, he will have to re-evaluate himself, his goals...
...and a particular bond with his loyal, timid wingpony.
“Oh, wow!” Vapor Trail gleefully cried as she gazed out into the view before her.
A soft woosh filled the air as the ocean waves lapped lazily against the beach. The sun sat level on the horizon, shining just enough to create a wondrous array of colors that filled the sky and tinted the water. Next to her walked her best friend and wingpony, Sky Stinger, enjoying not only the sight, but also the soft breeze that cooled his cerulean fur.
“Hope this place is as good as Spitfire says,” he mumbled, his stomach growling.
A short distance away, along the beach path they traveled, the proud fliers of the Wonderbolts chatted amongst themselves while following behind the fiery-maned Spitfire. As a means of celebrating the day’s successful joint performance between the main team and the reserves in Applewood’s Air Megalosseum, the Captain had invited the team and reserves to her favorite bar and restaurant in the area, a small pub in a town just outside the city.
“Hold on, I got this!” Vapor Trail exclaimed, brushing her multicolored mane aside as she reached into her saddlebags, pulling out a camera. Sky Stinger chuckled. His friend had recently taken an interest in photography, and upon hearing that the trainees were invited to attend the performance at the city of Applewood, she had decided to bring along her camera to capture the scenery.
She quickly recalled her lessons, sitting down to stabilize herself and adjusting the camera settings to perfectly lock in the sight of the sun and the beach. Slightly sticking out her tongue in concentration, she focused herself and aligned her hoof over the trigger.
SNAP!
“Yes!” she rejoiced, gleefully analyzing the photo as the instant film came out of the front of the camera. “This is so amazing!” Sky Stinger chuckled once more.
“Yeah, yeah, but not as impressive as my performance today! Did you see me pull off that sweet backflip near the end of the routine?” He boasted as he helped his friend up.
“Good for you, mister ‘Princess of Flight’,” Vapor rolled her eyes, smiling at seeing her friend so content with himself.
“Seriously? Rainbow told you that too?” Sky groaned.
“No. She told the whole team,” Vapor clarified, giving him a teasing grin. “I think it fits you well, though. Wait ‘till we’re full Wonderbolts, and then your nickname will be set in stone!”
“Great, just what I need,” Sky sighed in frustration.
“But seriously, it was awesome to see you in flight today! Looks like all those training sessions with Princess Twilight paid off. It’s good to see you working up your own skills, without having me to boost you,” Vapor commented, glad to see improvement in her friend’s flight abilities.
“Yeah… I guess…” Sky responded, his smile falling a little. As somepony who strived to stand out from the crowds, to be appreciated, he didn’t much like the idea of his success being dependent on somepony else. He knew her past actions were with good faith and intent, but that didn’t change the fact that he had won his accomplishment not by his own merit, but because he had been propelled, sometimes literally, by somepony else. The thought made his self-esteem ring hollow.
His mind drifted away from the present, to a much sadder time. A time where his performance was overshadowed by the achievements, both scholarly and physical, of his siblings. A time when his parents were so busy balancing work and life at home, that they hardly had time to pay attention to him specifically. He knew they loved him, he never doubted it, but it was hard to feel proud of one’s-self when there was nobody around to celebrate or share in those triumphs and successes. Reality dealt another harsh blow to him as he remembered that that last thought wasn’t technically right, since he had hardly gained any of those achievements, at least flight-wise, by himself.
Vapor noticed the look on his face, eyes widening as she realized she had accidentally opened a still-fresh wound in her friend’s ego.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean it like that, I meant-,” she hastily retracted, stuttering.
“No, no, it’s fine, I just… uh…” Sky began, but his words stopped at his tongue,, unsure of how to explain his troubles.
“HEY, YOU TWO!!!” Spitfire’s shout came piercing between them. They turned to see the Captain and the rest of the team now a considerable distance away, waiting for them to catch up. “Some of us are thirsty here! GET GOING!!!”
“Yes, Ma’am!” Both pegasi nervously replied, saluting. Though admittedly, they were both glad for the interruption that helped bring them out of their awkward moment.
As they quickly took off after the team, Vapor cast another look in Sky’s direction. His face was completely neutral, with no visible signs of any mood. His eyes, though, gave away what was not visible. Those brilliant, sea-green eyes. She could never truly put a hoof on why, but she frequently found herself observing his eyes whenever he was looking elsewhere. Those eyes had a certain gleam to them, a spark that caught her own and seemed to transfix her…
A spark that had currently faded, if just for the time being.
Vapor gave a subtle sigh in defeat.
…
The roar of the crowd intensified as dozens of pegasi zoomed past the stadium seats, leaving their flight trails and strong gusts of wind in their wake. The citizens of Cloudsdale cheered as the pegasi continued their flight around the obstacle course of the race track.
Sky Stinger was mostly oblivious to the cheers of the crowd as his vision remained locked on the path before him as he tried to maneuver around his rivals. He knew that they all had in mind but one thing; to secure a place on the podium, the triumphant stage reserved for the top 3 racers of the annual Cloudsdale Regional Invitational Circuit. The owners of the city’s Racing Colosseum had spent the year scouring the thousands of pegasi around the city, in search for young, talented racers deemed worthy of partaking in the competition, a proud local tradition of the city, limited ONLY to its residents. Hundreds of citizens and their families would come out in flocks to witness the city’s talented young fliers and cheer on their relatives and friends.
Speaking of which…
“COME ON SKY! YOU’VE GOT THIS!”
Sky Stinger’s eyes locked onto one single mare sitting in the crowd, her cyan, emerald, and yellow mane standing out in his eyes. She sat alone amongst the rows of pegasi around her. Even from far away, as he zoomed past at maximum speeds, he knew he could never lose sight of his best friend. As it was when they were kids, so it was now, him competing, her cheering, ever loyal.
He smiled.
Focusing back on the task at hoof, Sky leveled his flight path once more as he and the racers exited a corner. Remembering his training with Princess Twilight, he inhaled sharply and began to create massive wingbeats, raising his altitude. Though slightly slowed, he now had a small height advantage to the other racers, giving himself a clear path ahead. With more powerful and directed wingbeats, Sky was able to rapidly accelerate and overtake a sizeable part of the racers. With a small and calculated dive, Sky now positioned himself back on the flight line, ahead of several competitors.
Sky smirked, glad to see his training had been paying off. While endurance mattered a lot in competitions, as Spitfire constantly nagged the reserves, Sky was aware that sometimes, it took a bit more than that, which is why he had devoted time in training to his wingbeat patterns. Sculpting his wing muscles precisely, he was able to summon small, powerful bursts of speed when needed.
Endurance, my flank, he celebrated, thinking. Bet none of them expected THAT.
Perhaps not, but the sudden spike of cheering from the crowd informed him that they were more than satisfied. Cheers from the residents, claps from some of the elder, experienced fliers, and even shrieks of delight from some mares.
Sky smirked, filled with confidence and adrenaline, as the race progressed on. Snaking around poles, dashing straights, narrow tunnels, and sharp corners. An excited crowd, cheering in awe and amazement of their feats.
His feats.
This is what he lived for. And soon, he would be hearing those cheers not from the middle of a group of racers, but from a triumphant stance upon the victor’s podium.
A quick glance ahead of him told him that he was near the head of the pack, with only a few pegasi left in front of him. This was it, the last obstacle before the final sprint.
Sky zipped past the purple pegasus mare in front of him, quickly repositioning himself so as to be in the slipstream of the next racer in line, using the slight boost in aerodynamics to take a breath and relax his wings from the push he had just made. The relief was brief, however, as he spotted the unicorn-enchanted series of hoops they were about to arrive upon. The last curve of the track. His mind quickly working, he carefully aimed his approach so as to not hit the edges of the hoops, hurting his wing and breaking his speed.
His wings and speed were steady, as he easily made his way through the hoops, but another quick glance told him that it was not enough. The front-fliers had all successfully made their way through most of the hoops as well, keeping a steady pace. They were all conserving their energy for the last sprint. He wouldn’t be able to catch them in time to place, even for third. He would either have to hope that one of them made a mistake… or take a risk.
Time slowed-down, his vision narrowed, and in a split-second, the choice was made.
Focusing his body as much as possible, Sky made one last, powerful wingstroke, then clasped his wings to his side and narrowed his body as he dove full-speed into the hoop in front of him, right beside the third-place stallion.
As he felt his body dizzyingly twist through the hoop, Sky caught a look of shock, then worry, then focus as the third-place stallion realized the challenge. As they both successfully cleared the hoop, Sky was glad to see his risk proved effective, as he was now in third, just barely ahead of the third-place stallion as they straightened out into the last sprint, the checkered line clearly ahead. First, second, himself, third-now-fourth, and fifth places were all in close proximity. Their wings beat almost simultaneously as they all harnessed the last of their strength in a final frenzy toward the finish line.
Sky closed his eyes. Just a few meters left. As the meters seemed to slowly tick by, a sudden and rising stiffness spread through his wings. His risky overtakes had taken their toll, he had but a small bit of energy left. Clenching his teeth in furious determination, he cleared his mind, willed his body, and beat his wings one last time.
He felt the SNAP! of the referee’s camera as the photo-finish took place.
…
Fifth.
Sky could still feel himself numb, only able to blankly view the participation ribbon in his hoof.
Around him, celebrations were heard as the three winners took their places on the podium, exhausted, but proudly displaying their medals as their friends and family cheered. The newspaper ponies struggled to reach the front of the crowd and capture a shot or possibly victory quote from the racers. The noise simply further numbed his mind and heart.
“Sky?”
Her again. Sky looked behind to see his friend timidly walking up to him. She had her head low, looking up at him as if in search of some response. Her mane slightly blew in the wind, a small piece covering her face. Despite his loss, the display of victors, and the mess of the crowds, she had still found her way to him. The sight of her gave his heart a slight stir. A small and fleeting warmth. His defeat hung too heavy for him to pay it any mind, however, and the emotion was soon enough drowned out by his misery.
Vapor calmly tried putting her hoof on his shoulder. Sky still gave no response, looking onwards still, but not refusing the gesture either. Vapor meanwhile, grew worried as she watched her friend look up at the podium, a look of envy, frustration... and defeat.
On top of the second-place stand was a dark-coated, white-maned stallion, proudly posing for the cameras and waving to the crowd, an egotistical grin on his face. As he scanned the mass of ponies, his eyes briefly caught sight of Vapor, just as her own attention focused to him and the other winners.
The stallion’s grin changed to a roguish smirk, his eyelids lowering as he cast a suggestive wink at Vapor. The mare felt herself blush heavily, giving a weak laugh, and looking off in another direction.
Sky caught sight of the whole event, causing his nostrils to fume and his frown to intensify into a cold, hard glare aimed at the stallion. The silver-winner didn’t seem fazed, simply giving a subtle snicker as he turned his attention back to the cheering crowds and newspaper ponies.
“A-Are you alright?” Vapor asked, recovering from the embarrassment as she realized her friend was still in a troubled, now seemingly angry state, as he glared daggers at the oblivious second-placer.
“Hey Stinger! Trail! You two are able to drink, right?” Surprise motioned to the young stallion across the round table from her as she laid back against the soft plush of the circular couch at their corner table. Sky and Vapor both nodded.
Vapor and Sky had decided to take an evening off with Surprise and Angel Wings at their favorite restaurant in Cloudsdale, in a small hidden corner of the city, not too far from the academy. Having taken a liking to the timid, scarlet and grey-ish mare, Surprise had offered to take the filly under her wing as a mentor, and help train her to improve her flight capabilities. Angel, surprised, had timidly, but gladly, accepted the offer, happy to have coaching from such an experienced mare.
“What about you, Wings?”
“Well… yeah, but…” Angel answered, putting aside the strawberry milkshake she had been sipping out of. “I’m not that interested… and I’ve never actually had anything alcoholic before…”
“You’re serious?” Sky asked her incredulously. He’d had a few drinks before but nothing too serious.
“Really? Well, we’re going to have to fix that!” Surprise decided. “Stinger, go order us some drinks! Whatever their special is!”
“Me?!” Stinger’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at the yellow-maned Bolt across from him. “Why me?!”
“Because I said so, that’s why! Come on, you’re not going to leave a couple of lovely mares without a drink, are you? What kind of a stallion does that?”
“I could just-“ Vapor began to intervene, raising a hoof towards his shoulder.
“No, no, it’s okay. I’ll be back,” Stinger replied calmly as he put her hoof back down. Surprise laughed.
“There you go! That’s how a real gentlecolt treats his sweetheart!” Surprise teased as Stinger walked away towards the counter, his face reddened. Had he turned around, he could have spotted a similar look on Vapor’s muzzle.
As soon as the cerulean colt was a short distance away, Surprise shot around the couch, positioning herself right next to Vapor, who yelped in surprise.
“What do you see in him?”
“W-what?” Vapor stuttered, caught off guard.
“I said,” Surprise reiterated, a smirk on her face as she narrowed her gaze suggestively. “What do you see in him?”
“I-I don’t know… what you mean…” Vapor stammered nervously, shrinking back from the encroaching white mare.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Surprise countered, her smirk growing more mischievously. Her tone and insinuations wouldn’t be lost on the dimmest of ponies.
“What, uh, are you t-talking about…?” Vapor tried deflecting, her blush returning as she tried to look away from the Wonderbolt, causing her gaze to fall on Sky Stinger as he waited by the counter which only made her blush grow deeper. She could see even Angel beginning to giggle.
“Come on, girl! Enough with the innocent act! I can see you even now getting all googly-eyed for the colt! Spill it!”
“I still don’t know what you’re getting at. We’re just friends,” Vapor tried one last time, her confidence failing her.
“Uh-huh. The two friends, a colt and a filly, who happen to spend a lot of time together, train together, be paired up together, and go everywhere together. Should I also add how you two spent Hearts and Hooves Day this year together? A certain Angel Wings happening to spot them together at Sugarcube Corner...” Surprise recounted, unfaltering. The shock and blush on Vapor’s face marked her victory, as she gave a triumphant laugh.
“Angel!” Vapor said, her expression turning into one of betrayal as she looked at the gray-ish mare.
“What? I didn’t think it meant anything! I just happened to catch sight of you two, and mentioned it to her later! I didn’t think you two were actually together! I didn’t know you liked him!” Angel tried to explain herself, her ears laying on her side timidly as she fondled her bracelets.
“We weren’t together! I don’t like him!” Vapor’s voice cried, louder than she expected as she shot upwards from her seat, her blush refusing to retreat. She paused for a moment to realize a few of the other ponies around them were looking at her strangely, causing her to shrink back into her seat. A quick glance showed Sky still busy at the counter, indicating he, thank Celestia, had not heard her outburst. Thankfully, the bar was quite busy, so they had at least a few minutes to chat before he came back.
“Seems like you’re awfully touchy about this simple ‘friend’,” Surprise commented as the other ponies returned to their own chatter. “Come on, girl. You can trust me. I promise I won’t tell.”
Vapor considered her options for a minute. She could continue denying, which Surprise would most likely not buy, and Celestia knows what would happen if she had another awkward moment like this, especially in front of Sky. On the other hoof, she could talk to Surprise, which might help her get some things off her chest but she would have to risk revealing some of her deep secrets, and risk someone else catching wind of them. Gossip spread like wildfire at the Academy.
Still, as devilish of a prankster as she was, Surprise wasn’t one to betray her teammates or friends. She loved to indulge in tricking and messing with others, but she had never really taken it too far, and she always remained considerate of others’ opinions and emotions. Mostly.
Vapor sighed, her mind made up.
“M… Maybe… there is… something…”
“Really?! You have a crush on a colt?” Angel asked, as innocently curious as ever, her expression one of awe and her hooves up to her mouth in shock.
“HA! I knew it!” Surprise declared, the battle won. “Now, why don’t you get to answering my original question: What do you see in him? He seems like a narcissistic jerk who only cares about himself, no offense. Kind of like that other colt Rainbow brought to the academy to work one day, the one with a yellow mop for hair and the greenish-coat.”
“Huh?” Vapor asked, puzzled.
“Nevermind. Just answer the question,” Surprise decided, pushing the memory of the colt who had been unfortunate enough to anger Rainbow and receive a bolt straight to the face, with a little help from Soarin, who had promptly kicked the colt off the Academy grounds.
Vapor sighed. “It’s… kind of hard to explain… I know he seems that way to most ponies… but I’ve known him since we were both foals. I know that there’s more to him. He can be kind, too, if need be.”
Her look became distant as she began to recall their past together. “When I was a filly, I was very shy around everypony, and I hardly had any friends at school. Everypony else made friends, played together, went to each other’s houses, and had plenty of fun together. But I was an only child, so I didn’t really know how to socialize very well. My parents had recently moved to Stratusburg, they didn’t have any friends with kids for me to be around. So I was just alone, and shy, unsure how to talk to others…”
“Then you met him, right? Crash gave me some of the story, him trying to impress his parents, you helping him, and all that,” Surprise mentioned.
“Right,” Vapor confirmed, deciding to skip ahead. “Our friendship took off from there, always hanging out together, both in and out of school. He may be a bit of a show-off, but he’s also a good friend. He helped me experience things my parents would never have allowed me to…”
…
“Hey, you okay?”
A young Vapor Trail gulped as she looked up at the giant jungle of steel rails and columns, the screams of ponies clearly audible even through the background noises of the carnival. Something told her that, despite having convinced them to let her go with Sky for a while, her parents would likely not be so approving of what she was about to do.
“Y-yeah. I’m… fine,” Vapor told the cerulean foal next to her. Sky raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure? I mean, you did say you’ve never been on a rollercoaster before… don’t you want to try it?” Sky pointed out.
“It’s just… are you sure it’s… s-safe?” Vapor felt miniscule compared to the contraption that stood before her, it’s steel beams seeming to loom over her and grow into a fierce metal monster…
“'Course!” he giddily replied. “I’ve been on tons of these. They’re awesome! Just wait till you feel what it’s like to go down that drop! It’s like you’ll fall out of your seat!”
Vapor pictured the terrifying scene for a moment, horrified, then yelped, ducking behind Sky.
“On second thought… I think I’ll pass…” she began to nervously shake.
“Hey, hey!” Sky tried to assure her. “It’s alright. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But it’s really fun, and I know your parents haven’t ever let you on one, but trust me, it’ll be fun!”
He stretched out a hoof to her.
“I’ll be there with you. We’ll ride it together. Okay?”
Vapor paused for a moment, looking up at his earnest face as he waited for an answer.
“O-okay…”
…
Vapor’s trembling would not stop as the cart the two were on began it’s slow, creaking ascent to the top of the ride. She could feel her bones shaking along with the clickety-clack of the track hauling their cart up.
Almost there.
She tried to distract herself by looking at the carnival that seemed to sink below them. Colorful lights and banners adorned the event, with crowds of ponies mulling back and forth, calling out in delight as they took in the sights and sounds of the festival.
Click.
And they were at the top.
In that moment, time seemed to pause. All Vapor could see was the track swooping below her, like a mouth of steel awaiting to bite down on her. She felt light-headed. She wasn’t sure she could take it…
Then she suddenly felt something grab her hoof. Looking to her side, surprised, he saw Sky’s hoof around her own, flashing one of his winning grins as the cart tipped over the edge…
Vapor squeezed down on his hoof and screamed as their descent began.
…
“Wow! That was fun! Did you see how cool that loop was! I felt like I was going to go shooting out!”
Sky gave a hearty laugh as he looked to his friends beside him.
“Vapor?”
Her face was still, her mind was numb as she wobbled down behind him. All she could do was give a blank, distant stare.
“That…”
“…was…”
“AMAZING!”
Vapor suddenly snapped to attention, giving a cry of glee as she felt the leftover adrenaline pump through her system. She began to jump around in excitement, giggling like a mad pony.
Sky smiled. “Your welcome.”
…
“Vapor! Vapor! VAPOR!”
Vapor stirred from her attempted slumber as she heard small stones hitting against her window. The filly groggily looked to the clock near her bed.
7:00 PM
She sighed, rolling her eyes at her parents’ strict bedtime policies.
She walked over to the window, propping it open and catching sight of the young colt down below, hissing and calling out to her discreetly
“Sky? What is it?”
“Come out here! I want to show you something!”
“At this time?!”
“Vapor, it’s barely seven.”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “Okay, yeah, I know, but what is it?”
Sky frantically beckoned her down. “Just come on! It’s a surprise!”
Vapor pondered for a moment.
Who am I kidding? It’s not like I’m tired…
“Fine, give me a second!”
…
“Here?!”
Vapor looked incredulously as Sky began to march ahead into the dark woods near their village, happy as could be.
“Yeah, over here! It’ll be fun!”
“But Sky! I’m not supposed to go there! Especially not at night! My parents would freak out!”
“Your parents freak out over everything!” he rolled his eyes, still motioning for her. “Besides, this is worth it! This may be the only chance for a long time to see this! Just come on, trust me!”
Vapor sighed, not having the will to protest further. “Okay, fine…”
“…only because it’s you…”
…
The two foals carefully trekked through the forest, Vapor slowly following in Sky’s trail as he expertly maneuvered around the plants and trees.
“Isn’t it dangerous out here! There could be a timberwolf! Or snakes! Or bats! Or…!”
“It’s fine, really! I’ve been here a bunch of times, even at night! Just follow me, you’ll be okay!”
Vapor did her best to steady her pounding heart as her eyes and ears nervously scanned the surroundings. She heard a faint rustling of leaves, the distant cry of an owl. The trees loomed like a maze of wood, evil shadows blending into their branches and hiding just out of sight behind their trunks…
“Here!”
She turned back to him as the two came upon a clearing within the overgrowth, a small lake before them. She looked around. Dense wildlife, sure, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“Why are we here?”
“Shh!” Sky hissed, trotting over to the lake’s edge and plopping himself by the water. “Just come over here, and make sure you stay quiet and still!”
Vapor cautiously walked over, positioning herself next to him. For a few minutes, nothing could be seen or heard except the glow of the moon and the chirping of crickets.
“Look!”
She turned to the side and gasped as she began to see small, tiny glowing orbs of light come out of the bushes and trees. Though miniscule, they shone in an array of orange, yellow, and even green colors that helped them stand out against the night. Bit by bit, slow streams of the lights began to pour out of the forest, hovering over the lake. They began to group together in certain clusters, as if preparing for something…
“W-what is this?” Vapor asked in a hushed voice of wonder.
“The ‘Dance of the Fireflies’.”
Vapor looked on in amazement as the fireflies began to weave together in patterns across the sky. Swoops, dives, gentle curves. The lighting bugs seemed to blend into a river of graceful motion, highlighted by the glow of the bright, full moon. Their colors seemed to synchronize together into an array of flashing lights, reflected upon the surface of the lake.
Vapor simply stared in awe.
Sky turned and smiled as he saw her taking in the beautiful sight, a look of wonder upon the young filly’s face. In that moment, he felt a strange urge to wrap a wing around her, to pull her close. Something about her appearance in that moment tugged at him, yet the young colt couldn’t quite make heads or tails of the feeling.
Instead, he was simply happy to sit there, beside his best friend, enjoying the view.
…
“Ooooh,” Surprise swooned in her seat upon hearing the stories. “What a young charmer! I guess I can’t blame you too much for falling for him, eh?”
Vapor blushed. “It was… nice. Thanks to him, I was able to see and experience so many things that my parents would never have let me. He taught me how to have fun, to try new things, to have a little bit of adventure. I’d never felt so happy in my life.”
“So when was it that you actually realized you were head over hooves for the colt?”
Vapor wasn’t sure how much redder her muzzle could get.
“Uhh… well…”
Surprise snickered, putting on her best lovey-dovey voice. “Yes…?”
“Well, it was one fall, when we entered into a sky hockey competition in one of the local towns. It would be two versus two, me and Sky, against a bunch of other ponies in a tournament-style competition. The grand prize was five hundred bits! Sky might have been lacking in his flying, but he’s always been good at sports, especially sky hockey. Thanks to his scoring abilities, we breezed through most of the tournament, all the way to the finals.”
“Five hundred bits!” Surprise gave a small whistle. “Sounds like a lot of money for a pair of foals. Guess you two must have been pretty motivated, huh?”
“Maybe,” Vapor shrugged. “But there was somebody with more motivation, as I learned after our last match that tournament…”
Surprise raised an eyebrow.
…
BZZZT!
The crowd of ponies around the ice hockey field gave a cheer as the buzzer went off, signaling another goal scored.
Down below them, in the field composed out of enchanted clouds, were two pairs of pegasi in a tense standoff. One team, a dark-cerulean colt with sea-green hair and a small filly with a light chartreuse coat and an array of pastel blue, green, and yellow on her mane. The other team, an azure colt with a white mane, slim but tall, and a younger colt behind him, with a slightly lighter coat and creamy mane. Vapor vaguely recalled them from somewhere, but she couldn’t quite make out where.
“Dang it,” Sky growled as he flew back to Vapor, who stood guarding their goal net.
“We’ve only got a few minutes left! We gotta keep them away!” Vapor reminded him, pointing at the scoreboard. 7-6, three minutes left.
“I know, I know!” Sky sighed in frustration. He was not about to lose that trophy and pair of medals to anyone, especially these two posers. They were newbies to the local sky hockey teams, and yet here they were, challenging him, a seasoned player and local champion. Who were they to think they could stand up to him?
“Time to take things up a notch.”
Vapor gave a small nod. “Alright. Whatever you say.”
Sky flew back over to the center of the field next to the older colt, the two locked in a tense stare as the puck was dropped onto the clouds once more, a loud whistle ringing out.
The battle raged on furiously. The older colt may not have had the muscle that Sky had, but he was very agile. He would constantly weasel his way around Sky and strip him of the puck, expertly maneuvering his stick as he made a dash for Vapor.
Two minutes left. The timid mare was a decent goalie (the slight padding they wore helped), and was able to block most of the colt’s shots, though some made their way around her and into the goal, causing the buzzer to sound and the crowd to cheer in delight. Sky Stinger sighed, but he knew his friend was giving it her all.
That meant that the rest was up to him.
He gripped the stick harder in his mouth. His breathing was growing increasingly heavy by the second. The match had taken a lot out of him, and he didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up.
One minute, thirty seconds left. The colt got the better of Sky, quickly snatching the puck the moment it touched the ground. He tried to make another approach on their goal, but Sky continuously kept blocking his path. Wood beating against wood, like a pair of swords trading blows. He made several swipes at the ball, to no avail. On and on the two battled it out around the midfield, sweat glistening on their brows as they concentrated. In a moment of clarity, Sky looked up at the clock and made a heart-stopping realization.
Forty-five seconds. They were tied. The older wasn’t trying to score. He was trying to keep Sky busy, letting the clock run down. And given how tired he was… Sky wasn’t sure if his body could handle having to continue into overtime.
Thirty seconds. Sky began to subtly back off, letting the older brother encroach slightly more on his and Vapor’s side of the field. It was now or never.
Fifteen seconds. Sky suddenly put on a burst of speed, charging straight at the brother, taking him by surprise and stealing control of the puck.
Ten seconds. Sky stabilized himself, tightly holding the puck next to his stick as he made a dash towards the other goal.
Five seconds. Time, as it always seems to in these situations, slowed. A sudden fire of ferocity burned in Stinger’s eyes as he approached the younger colt guarding the opposing goal. The young brother trembled slightly at the speed and fury of Sky’s charge.
Sky had never felt like this before. He. Was. NOT. LOSING. He felt his mind going blank and his body charging up power as he prepared to unleash a powerful shot.
Too powerful.
Just as Sky brought down the stick upon the puck, the older brother suddenly jumped into his field of view, tackling his younger brother out of the way. The two landed on the soft cloud ring around the field with a small oomf.
Meanwhile, Sky’s puck seemed to almost ignite into flames as it blasted into the wide open goal, breaking through the net and even smashing through the cloud wall on the other side, streaking across the air to land Celestia-knows where. The crowd roared at the dramatic last shot as the buzzer sounded and the game ended.
Sky bounced across the cloud, panting. His ears slowly stopped ringing as they focused in on the cheer of the crowd, the ponies spilling onto the field, and the confetti blasting upwards. He grinned, oblivious to what had just happened.
8-7. Victory for him and Vapor.
…
“Wow…,” Surprise commented, looking genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know Stinger took sky hockey that seriously.”
“He doesn’t necessarily obsess over hockey, but he obsesses over winning,” Vapor pointed out.
Surprise rolled her eyes. “This just in, fillies and gentlecolts.” She sighed.
“So… that’s it? He won a tournament, and you were impressed by it?”
“No, it wasn’t the tournament that mattered…”
“…it’s what happened after.”
…
The crowds cheered around Vapor and Sky as they stood on the victor’s podium. Both pegasus had gold medals draped around their necks, while Sky proudly put one arm around Vapor and held the prize trophy high in another, posing for the cameras.
“Everypony, give a round of applause for your champions, Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail! And now, for the winners’ grand prize… a lump sum of five hundred bits!” the local announcer called, the ponies in the audience parting as the mayor, a grey pegasus with slightly lavender hair, came up to the two winners, smiling and carrying a small document.
“Congratulations, Mr. Stinger and Ms. Trail,” she praised them, handing them a certificate for five hundred bits.
“Whenever you want to redeem your winnings, one of you must simply sign your name here on the certificate, to authenticate it,” she informed them, shaking their hooves.
“Thank you, ma’am! We’ll put it to good use,” Vapor courteously nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, there’ll be time for that later,” Sky commented in dismissal as he took the certificate before returning to his posing, a cocky grin still on his face. “One more for the papers, eh?”
…
Vapor sighed in relief as she snuck out of the stadium and field, hugging the cloud wall as she took a moment to relax. As grateful as she was for the money and the victory, she wasn’t one for large crowds or constant yelling. Hence why she made the decision to sneak out of the field stealthily by walking rather than flying out of the rear maintenance exit.
She began to trot her way around the stadium, hoping to reach the front exit and meet up with her partner, before a sudden noise made her ear twitch. She looked around, and saw the figures of two ponies a small distance away. One was stood, the other was… on the ground?
She carefully walked over to them, hiding behind one of the supporting pillars just a bit from where they were, enough to hear what was going on. Maybe they were fine, maybe it was something private, or maybe they needed her help. She’d rather find out first.
She peeked out slightly and took a closer look at the scene, recognizing the two brothers who she and Sky had just played against. The younger, lighter blue brother was… sobbing… on the floor. The older brother stood there, trying to speak what sounded like encouragement to his sibling, but to no avail.
“It’s my fault! It’s all my fault!” The younger cried, pushing away his brother’s hoof. Vapor heart clenched in sympathy.
The brother gave a heavy sigh, glancing away to look at a flyer he had kept secretly, unrolling to view it’s contents. Looking at it, Vapor felt her heart wrench even further, a shocked look of sadness on her face.
It was an advertisement for a local carpenter’s shop. It was brightly colored, proclaiming a sale on what looked like some kind of playset. A miniature playground for foals, including a few prop toys for them to enjoy.
In that moment, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for Vapor.
Orphans, she realized, recalling seeing them both around the nearby shelter a few times. They were probably after the money prize. Not many other ways for young orphans to make money. And a playset on sale. But if they lived in the orphanage, and the older wanted to buy a playset, it probably wasn’t meant for just them two…
Vapor covered her mouth with her hooves as she ducked back into cover, sitting on her rear. She couldn’t believe it. That colt was trying to do perhaps the most selfless thing she had ever did. And they lost… because of Sky. The way he charged at the younger one. The ferocity of his shot that would have greatly injured the young colt. The way his older brother protected him, at the cost of the victory and the playset…
She immediately got up and turned around, stepping out of the pillar, determined to go over and comfort them. She couldn’t let them suffer. And Sky… what he had done, intentionally or not…
Her eyes widened and she got back behind the pillar as Sky Stinger himself suddenly came out from behind a nearby building, marching towards the brothers.
She poked her head out and observed the interaction. The older brother noticed Sky and flared out his blue wings in aggressiveness, shielding his sibling. Sky simply stood, looking at him, his medal around his neck and the certificate in one hoof.
He calmly took the medal over his head and off his neck, and tossed it aside, between him and the brother.
The azure pegasus blinked in confusion, wings still out, but his stance faltering. Sky walked slowly over to him, lowering his head as he softly spoke, his mouthing revealing his words to Vapor.
“I’m sorry.”
The older brother certainly looked as surprised as Vapor was. He stood still, unsure of what was happening as his wings slowly lowered back into his sides. Sky’s head drooped low as he slowly walked over to the brother and put a hoof on his shoulder, looking away in shame. He started to once more talk to the brother, though this time Vapor couldn’t quite make out his words.
She watched them in confusion and anticipation. She had never seen Sky like this, so humble and apologetic. Gone was that cocky grin he always wore, his boastful speech and stature. It was like she was looking at a completely different stallion. She wanted to step out and say something, but some part of her told her to simply stay where she was and watch. She obliged.
The younger brother had also noticed Sky’s approach, but he had simply broken down in tears, further reminded of his “failure”. The older brother cautiously and defensively began to speak with Sky, seeming to question him. Sky slowly shook his head, responding and avoiding eye contact with him. As their talk continued, the older brother slowly became less cold, curious to see the reason for Sky’s intervention.
Sky made a motion towards the brother’s wing. The colt looked confused for a minute, raising an eyebrow, until he found the object of Sky’s attention. The flyer. Sky gave a serious look at the brother, asking something, to which the older brother simply gave a small nod, looking away. Sky paused from their conversation, taking a deep breath and walking towards… the younger brother. The older colt hesitated for a minute, before stepping aside.
Sky approached the young foal on the ground, ducking down to meet him. The younger colt tried to cover his face with one of his wings, as Sky tried to gently grab his attention. He seemed so soft, so caring, so sympathetic. Eventually, after some soft-spoken words, the younger one slowly lowered his wing, looking at him through teary eyes. Sky gave a sad smile, speaking what seemed like another apology. He stretched out a hoof, which after a moment of pause, the younger colt grabbed onto as Sky helped him stand up.
Finally, Sky took out the certificate he was carrying with him. He looked to the older brother. The pegasus took out the playset flyer, looking at it. The younger colt gasped as he noticed the flyer, realizing his brother’s intentions, his eyes watering once more. Sky looked at the flyer and nodded, before looking at the older brother…
…and handing him the certificate for the money.
The brother was speechless. He simply stood there, looking in disbelief at the certificate he now held. For a moment, the aggressiveness in his gaze returned as he glared at Sky, growling something defiant. Sky was unfazed, shaking his head, and saying something that once more softened the brother’s gaze and caused him to go silent.
While he was paused, Sky calmly walked over to the medal he had thrown away. He picked it up in his mouth and walked over to the two brothers. He gently picked up the younger one, who didn’t try to resist. Sky hoisted the young pegasus colt onto his brother’s back. He then took the medal in his mouth, and pulled the (thankfully large) medal down over both the brother’s heads, which we in close proximity. Both finally shook off their shock and locked eyes with Sky. He smiled and happily proclaimed something.
“…real winners,” she could make out.
The two brothers finally broke down, both putting their hooves around Sky and embracing him tightly, tears of happiness trickling down their faces. Sky was taken aback, but gave a happy, hearty laugh as he returned the gesture, enjoying the feeling of the group hug.
Vapor’s eyes watered at the display. She felt a warm glow in her heart and her muzzle at seeing Sky’s actions. This was… the other him. The unspoken reason for their friendship. The reason why she liked him..
She suddenly felt a wave of fresh clarity wash over her mind as her heart and mind came to the same conclusion, causing her muzzle to further redden.
She softly closed her eyes, giving a smile as she felt these new emotions run through her entire body.
Sky…
Eventually, the brothers and Sky split apart, grateful words and apologies exchanged. Sky motioned back to the stadium, bowing as he began to back away. The brothers nodded, smiling and giving him a happy wave. The two groups split ways, the two orphans happily carrying the flyer and the certificate as they flew their way back home. Sky walked back into the stadium, to which Vapor herself eventually snuck back into.
She bumped into him later, as he was exiting the stadium. He apologized for running off, claiming he had “something to do”. Vapor kept silent about the exchange she saw, smiling as she waved off the apology. As the two began to flap their way home, she questioned him where the money and his medal was, seeing as she was still wearing hers while he only carried the trophy. Sky looked away nervously, claiming he had given it to his parents for safekeeping.
Vapor gave a knowing smile at the obvious and weak lie, saying she didn’t mind. Thankfully, he was oblivious to what she had witnessed.
Some time later, Vapor would walk by the local orphanage, happy to see a new playset on the clouds nearby, with several foals, including an azure pegasus and his younger brother, happily playing and laughing with each other. Another day, she caught Sky Stinger doing the same, simply observing, a small, content smile on his face. She flew over to him, asking what he was looking at. He shook his head, claiming it was nothing, stretching out his hoof to her, asking whether she was ready for them to fly home. Vapor blushed as she took hold of his hoof, and the two began their flight home.
…
Surprise paused for a moment after Vapor finished her retelling of the story.
“My, my, my…” Surprise simply said, looking at Stinger who had finally reached the front of the line. Thank Celestia the place was so busy today, otherwise she might never have heard this peculiar story.
“Stinger’s just full of surprises, pardon the pun, isn’t he?” She commented. Vapor said nothing, simply looking at Sky and giving a wistful sigh.
“Well?”
She perked up, looking at Surprise.
“Well… what?”
“Well, why don’t you say something?!” Surprise exasperatedly asked.
Vapor shook her head. “Because, it’s me. And it’s Sky. I told you, I’m shy about new people, let alone talking about… crushes… and stuff. Besides, Sky’s been popular with the fillies ever since school. He’s probably already talked with several, dated several, kissed several. Why would he care about me, the shy filly next door?”
“Seriously, Vapor?! What is this, some sappy teenage romance drama? You just gave the teenage filly’s dream story of the colt next door, and now you’re pulling the whole ‘too shy to confess’ story!” Surprise rolled her eyes.
“Can’t you see? It’s pretty clear he wouldn’t need or want someone like me,” Vapor reprimanded her.
“Exactly! It’s ‘pretty’ clear. It’s not certain. Have you tried anything with him? Do you actually know if he’s been with other fillies?” Surprise demanded.
“No, but why bother? It doesn’t take a genius to guess what would happen. And how do I know whether he even feels the same? Why bother, and create an awkward divide between us?” Vapor shook her head.
“You’ll never know unless you try, girl.”
Both Vapor and Surprise were surprised to hear a third voice suddenly enter the fray. Angel Wings had been so far quiet, just listening to the conversation and sipping from her strawberry milkshake as the story went on. But now, she had a thoughtful expression on her muzzle, her hoof tapping her chin as she thought and spoke.
“You’ve got to learn to take some risks in life. You’ll win some and lose some. If you succeed, you could finally be happy. If you don’t… well, you’ve got to believe in yourself, believe that you’ll do better in the future, that things will be okay. You need to learn to trust yourself, not doubt yourself for the sake of others,” Angel calmly explained.
Vapor was stunned for a few moments, hearing the deep and emotional words of wisdom coming out of her usually shy and innocent friend. Angel looked back down from her musings to see the surprised expression on the other mares’ faces.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Angel worryingly questioned, as she fretted and began to paw at her face, trying to find the imaginary intruding milkshake stain.
Vapor thought over her words for a moment. As their incident at the Academy had shown, she was used to helping others first and foremost. She never really put much thought into herself. But she couldn’t keep going like this. Not without misery. She had to start to decide: What did she care more about? Her own well-being and happiness? Or keeping a simple status-quo?
Perhaps it wasn't a matter of one or the other?
There was a short pause.
“I…”
“Ahem.”
They turned to see Sky arriving, a plate with various drinks on his back. “Sorry about that long wait. Line was ridiculous.”
“Thanks, Stinger,” Surprise chirped, acting nonchalantly, as though the awkward mare-talk had never happened.
“Here,” Sky spoke, passing them each their drink. Vapor noticed that he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her in particular, a strange, neutral look to him.
“Sky? What’s wrong?” Vapor asked, her voice and expression showing concern.
“Huh? Nothing. I’m fine,” Sky spoke calmly.
Déjà vu, thought Vapor. Sky turned to look at Angel.
“Well then, you ready for this, Angel?” Sky asked, a small, strange smile on his face. Not his usual cocky smile, Vapor noted.
“Um… well… sure, I guess,” Angel timidly answered as her drink was pushed to her. She gulped a bit, staring at the drink like it was a predator, ready to pounce on her.
“Hey, relax girl, we’re here. We’ll make sure you don’t get too ahead of yourself,” Surprised assured her, a gentle smile on her face as she gave a soft chuckle. Sky joined the laughter, but his cheer seemed strangely… superficial. Even for him.
Vapor couldn’t help but notice all these strange things about her friend as the four continued their night out, laughing, chatting, and all around having a good time (even Angel, who despite being a newbie, slowly warmed up to the softer of the alcoholic beverages). Sky Stinger happily chatted along, though he seemed to be avoiding her, both conversationally and physically, not even making eye contact.
Vapor, once more, worried.
Had she been blessed with psychic powers, the mare might have been able to see into her friend’s mind and witness the falling emotions swirling in his head, all kept underneath a seemingly cheery exterior. His laughs and smiles came out oddly, suggesting something else beneath the content expression.
The one flaw in his façade was his inability to look at the source of the problem, his wingpony next to him.
Her words and those of Surprise still rang in his ears. The words that, though the mares may have tried to hide it, he had clearly heard.
A whisper as he walked away from the table.
“What do you see in him?”
An outburst that had pierced through his attention, striking his heart.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but the anxious beating of Sky’s seemed to disagree.
…
“Trail! Got an urgent message here for you!”
Vapor was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Spitfire’s voice. She and Sky had just entered the Academy’s main building, returning from their day out with Surprise and Angel. Ever since the diner, Sky had been acting rather strange. He didn’t say much, which was the problem. Sky was almost NEVER this quiet. Surprise and Angel had talked with Vapor on the flight back, but Sky had been totally silent, slightly trailing behind the group as they flew. Not enough to stand out, but enough that Vapor could notice it. Was something wrong? Had she said something to him after they came back? Why did he seem so… off?
“Vapor Trail!”
At least she could take her mind off it for a bit. She looked up to see the Wonderbolt’s captain signaling to her as her yellow hooves perused through some of the mail she received. The fact that the letter was marked as urgent, as well as being delivered to her directly, meant that something was up.
“What’s the matter?” Vapor asked, though her mind was still distracted by Sky.
“Not my business, girl. But it looks like an urgent letter… from your parents,” Spitfire noted as she looked at the front of the envelope, handing it over to Vapor with a raised eyebrow.
The timid mare snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing those last words, her heart skipping a beat and her head straightening in interest.
“Let me see it!” she quickly said, snatching the letter from Spitfire, though to her credit, Spitfire didn’t mind the lack of manners, noting the nervous look on Vapor’s muzzle.
“What’s wrong?” Sky spoke up for the first time since the diner, his mind and troubles briefly disrupted by the look of concern in Vapor’s eyes.
She didn’t take long in finding out the answer, ripping the letter open and looking over the paper’s handwritten text. Her eyes grew wider and her breath hitched as she read on, until she finally looked up, blinking rapidly.
“M-m-my grandfather! He’s sick! Very sick! My mom says he’s been bedridden ever since yesterday, can’t even seem to get up!” Vapor said, the tension rising in her voice.
“What?!” Sky was taken back by the turn of events, his sour mood suddenly diminished.
“Yes! My mom says that the family doctor is attending to him, but they’re all worried!” Vapor’s eyes turned to Spitfire. “Spitfire! I mean, Captain! I know we were supposed to train these next few days, but I really-!“
“Save it, kid,” Spitfire raised her hoof to silence her. Vapor’s eyes grew wider in panic.
“Spitfire!” Vapor begged, no longer caring about her tone or words. “You can’t do this! I need to-!“
“Hey, hey, relax! Let me finish, girl!” Spitfire raised her voice, temporarily hushing the worried recruit. “I didn’t say no!”
“You mean…?”
“Yes, yes, you can take leave. I’m not going to keep you from your family,” Spitfire said, somewhat offended to think that they believed her capable of that. “You can catch up on your training later, we’ll make it up somehow. What matters is that you get to Stratusburg.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Vapor sighed, throwing her arms around Spitfire’s hoof.
“For Faust’s sake, get up rookie! Quit lollygagging!” Spitfire said, a hint of irritation in her voice. Vapor quickly did so, re-composing herself. “Now, do you need any kind of help going, or…?”
“No, I think I’ll be fine,” Vapor replied, shaking her head.
She turned to Sky, causing his heart to drop.
Should he go with her? She might need some support… but her words still gnawed at him… and what if-
“I’m sorry to leave you here, but I need to go see my family. Take care, okay?”
He mentally sighed in relief. Always the one to put others before her, thank Celestia.
“Y-yeah. I will. Good luck, I hope your grandpa gets well,” he simply told her, nodding.
“Thanks,” she simply said, flapping herself to a hover.
Then she wrapped her hooves around him.
It only lasted a moment, but Sky felt a wave of emotions wash over him. He had gone from being upset with her, to feeling worried for her. He had gone from being hurt by her words to being warmed by her embrace. He went from thinking about only himself to thinking about her and her troubles.
He wasn’t sure what else to say. Thankfully, he didn’t need to.
“I’m going to pack up real quick,” she said, flying over to the door and waving one last goodbye before shooting off. Done with the situation, and needing to file the paperwork for her leave, Spitfire gave her a nod, before walking off in the opposite direction, towards her office, leaving Sky alone in the hallway.
…
That had been six days ago.
Sky lay in his dorm at the academy, staring up at the ceiling as the sun finished setting and darkness consumed the room he was in. Exhausted from another day of increasingly difficult training, the recruits had been all too happy to retire to their dorms for the night. While Sky would normally have followed suit in getting some much-needed shut-eye, tomorrow would be different from most other days, creating a deep worry within him that kept him from resting.
Tomorrow Vapor was expected to return, at least according to the letter that had arrived for Spitfire yesterday morning. Her grandfather was finally recovering, thank Celestia, and after some re-assurances from her family, Vapor claimed to feel ready enough to make her return to the Academy. While such news seemed to be good, Sky’s mind nevertheless found itself worrying for a rather simple reason: he was trapped.
No more dodging the subject of her hard words at the diner. Tomorrow, she would return, and the two would be expected to fly as wingponies once more. With such a responsibility at hand, Sky knew that avoiding her and simply not talking would very quickly attract both Vapor’s inquiries and Spitfire’s scolding. The last week without Vapor had given him some time to distract himself from the pain of her biting comments behind his back at the diner, but with her back, he would have to face the music. What would he say? What kind of excuse could he make up? Or would he have to confront her about her words? If what she said that day had been true, the damage it could cause their relationship, not only as wingponies, but as friends, could be disastrous…
I thought what happened when we arrived here was a one-time thing. That she really did mean to help when she… boosted me. Maybe… not?
Or maybe… maybe it’s not so much her… maybe it’s… me…
He couldn’t bear the thought.
Sky simply lay still, staring at the ceiling and listening to the ticking of the clock as the countdown to their inevitable encounter ran on…
…
“WAKE UP ROOKIES!!!”
Sky’s eyes burst open.
“W-w-woah!” he gave a small cry as the loud voice tore him from the fragile sleep he had finally managed to achieve. His mind racing as his training kicked in, he immediately realized what was going on. He quickly scrambled off the ground and burst through the door from his dorm to the hallway, locking himself into an upright salute and ignoring the dizzying spin in his head. All the other male recruits were also out in the hallway, looking as disorientated as he, but still saluting nonetheless. Everyone gave a somewhat shaky response to the wake-up call.
“YeS MA’Am, CaPtIaN!”
“Eyes up, boys, naptime’s over. We’ve got a special day planned for you today,” Spitfire addressed them, standing at the farther end of the hallway of the male dorms’ wing. “Meet Fleetfoot and Wave Chill at the southern end of the runway within 10 minutes, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!” They all echoed the answer.
“Good. Now GET MOVING!” she punctuated, turning a corner and flying off.
As soon as she was gone, the recruits, some quite literally, crumpled from their upright salute, drowsy and disorientated.
A soft chorus of groans echoed through the hall. Once Sky was relatively sure he wasn’t seeing double, he took a breath and started to trudge towards the end of the hall, heading off for a quick shower.
“What on Equus do you think she’s up to?” a voice came from beside him. Sky turned to see his makeshift wingpony and newest friend, Cumulus, sleepily trotting behind him.
The young cadet had a yellow coat with a puffy white mane, bearing the cutie mark of a white cloud with a downpour of blue rain. A young flier from Seaddle, he was one of the many other pegasi in Sky and Vapor’s class of reserves. Sky had of course seen him practicing alongside them, but with Vapor and Angel at his side, he hardly paid much attention to the others. With Vapor’s absence however, Sky needed a temporary wingpony, a position that Spitfire had given to Cumulus. In their short time together, Sky had grown to enjoy the yellow colt’s company. He was very thoughtful and observational, though he was a bit more of an introvert, and didn’t have much of a desire to get to know others. Still, with the two in an inevitably close position, Cumulus didn’t hesitate to make an effort to get to know Sky, something the cerulean pegasus was grateful for. What with his troubles with Vapor, he was glad to have someone else at his side, apart from Angel. They had even grown close enough that Sky had invited him to become his roommate at the apartment he rented in Cloudsdale for whenever the recruits weren’t required to sleep at the academy, though of course, with their current schedule, that arrangement had yet to take place.
“No clue,” Sky answered, shaking his head to try to shoo away his drowsiness. “But I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be an all-expenses paid trip to Alpacapulco.”
“I know that, but what the hay is she planning? We’re already dying by all these physical drills, I doubt that she’s just going to give more. It must be something else…” Cumulus pondered as they wandered through the halls.
“Look I don’t care what that crazy mare is planning at this hour. You get the chance, you can get the answers straight from the horse’s mouth,” Sky grumbled, turning one final corner into the main building and suddenly bumping into something yellow that sent him down to the ground.
It was Spitfire herself, looming as she stood above him. She glared at the recruit.
“What was that, Stinger?” She growled at him, glaring daggers.
“Uh… I mean, I just…” Sky fumbled his words, caught off guard.
“You can count yourself lucky that I’m too busy for this crap right now. Just need to mention something real quick before you all go off,” she mentioned, still staring him down, freezing the usually cocky pegasus to the spot.
“Vapor Trail came back just a while ago, but I had to send her off early to where you all are going. For what we’re doing today though, I want you and Cumulus to stick together on this one. Vapor will be joining Angel’s duo on this one, they’ll help her through this.”
“Pardon, ma’am, but ah, what is ‘this’?” Cumulus tried to ask, but Spitfire brushed off the question.
“Can it, rookie. You’ll all see once you get there. All you need to know is that Wave and Fleetfoot are waiting for you, so don’t keep them waiting. And Stinger…” she turned back to face Sky, still holding a steely gaze, “one more complaint from you, and I’ll personally tie your wings together and throw you off the Academy cliffs. See if that’ll wake you up.”
“Y-yes, ma’am,” Sky finally managed, recomposing himself. Spitfire simply huffed and flew off, leaving the two pegasus confused at both what had just happened and whatever was about to happen.
…
Vapor shivered a bit as a cold gust of wind assaulted her coat. Her nerves cringed as she felt goosebumps crawling on her skin. She shuffled her feathers as she held them firmly against her side, attempting to trap and conserve as much of her body heat as possible.
The reserves all stood at the edge of a small, barren cliff near the edge of the White Tail woods, which sprawled out before them in the valley below. Though the weather on the Equestrian West Coast was usually calm and beautiful, this region was a different case today. The sky had grown cloudier over the last few hours, and a biting, cold wind had stirred up. Ominous rumbling could be faintly heard nearby, a noise that had scared away all the local fauna and given the usually gorgeous forest an unfamiliar sense of emptiness and solitude. None of the reserves had any kind of protective clothing or suits, as per Spitfire’s orders, so they were all cold in some way, as their shivering and teeth chattering no doubt gave away.
All part of the training, or so Spitfire said.
The Captain stood a short distance away from them, ignoring their discomfort and rigidness as they all nervously stood at attention. Rainbow Dash had arrived just a few moments ago, swooping down from the dark, clouded skies to report her analysis back to the Captain. Being the closest to the two, Vapor could faintly make out some of their conversation over the whistling wind.
“…so, what do you make of it, Crash?” Spitfire asked expectantly. Dash swiftly landed down in front of her and snapped a salute.
“It’s a level two, ma’am, as expected. Nothing too serious or dangerous, though it is a bit bigger than expected. The low pressure and flow is causing some cold weather, though the temperatures are a bit more balanced up in the higher layers. Soarin and the Patrol have got most of it covered pretty well, though they both say the winds in the main currents are growing stronger,” Rainbow informed her.
Spitfire nodded, content with the report, before managing a small smirk. “Didn’t take you or such an egghead, Crash. Good to have somebody with recent experience here, though. Looks like the Ponyville weather service did you good, huh?”
“Yeah, I am pretty awe-” Rainbow had begun to grin, flicking her mane aside, before Spitfire’s words registered in her head.
“Egghead?! I am NOT an egghead!” Rainbow remarked, horrified by the concept. Naturally, Spitfire paid little heed to her words, already turning to address the recruits, prompting Dash to simply sigh in frustration as she took off back into the clouds to rejoin her other teammates.
With just her and the recruits present, Spitfire once more assumed her authoritarian tone as she turned to face them, Vapor’s observations cutting off as she and the others quickly stood to attention, trying to ignore the biting cold on their bodies.
“Alright, newbies, heads up! Time for your first live-weather control exercise. Now, for those of you who didn’t bother to do the reading or already forgot, I’m going to give you ONE round of directions, so PAY ATTENTION!”
“Now, as you know, one of the Wonderbolt’s many side duties include serving as a reserve weather control team. As much as the eggheads and the workers at the factories try to keep things running smoothly, weather production is tricky, and sometimes they hit a few snags in the process. A faulty or clumsy combination of ingredients can sometimes cause a particular piece of weather to turn out different, bigger, or worse than expected. As any of you who did weather duty before may know, we call ‘em ‘bandit storms’, or just ‘Bandits’. They’re unexpected, they’re surprisingly tough, and they’re nothing but trouble. It’s each city’s weather team or local factory’s job to stop these things, but sometimes, when they’re either too busy or outgunned, it’s the Wonderbolts’ duty to swoop in and put those suckers down.”
“What we have here is one such bandit, courtesy of San Franciscolt. The local weather ponies tried to reign it in, but they couldn’t handle it, and all the other teams in the city were busy trying to manage the recent bout of rainstorms they’re having. So, they had to let it go. The Equestrian Weather Patrol were called, and the chief messaged me, knowing that I had been looking for a good chance to get your hooves dirty, so here we are!”
The Captain began to pace back and forth in front of them, talking as she looked ahead into the valley below them and sized up the weather storm that rumbled in the distance.
“Our goal today is simple, bring this sucker down. Dash, Soarin, and two of the E.W.P ops are up in the sky above the storm, keeping an eye on things and establishing a perimeter to stop it from growing too big or getting away. Meanwhile, you all are going to go in there and hit it from the center. Throw the storm out of balance, alter the currents, and do anything necessary to weaken it. Once that’s done, one last, good hit should cause it to fall apart. As for strength or what you’re up against, it’s a mixed bag. Dash and Soarin report some oddities in the storm, but nothing too bad. It’s a level two storm, not the most violent, and usually only dangerous for the stupid or reckless.”
She stopped in front of Sky, raising an eyebrow.
“You all are probably a bit of both though, so it’ll be an interesting challenge”
Really? Was that necessary? Sky thought, but kept his mouth shut, remembering her earlier threats to him.
“This is your first weather control and quarantine exercise, so be careful. You may think you’re good, but Bandits are known for their unpredictability more than their actual strength. You never know when a sudden gust of wind blast you, or a particular cloud may not be as soft as it should be. Lightning and other such reactions aren’t too uncommon either. Keep your heads on a swivel!”
“Are we sure this is safe?” Cumulus tried to discreetly ask Sky.
“It’s about as safe as I can give, rookie,” Spitfire snapped at him. “Count yourself lucky; I wanted to take you up to a low-level hurricane, but Soarin nagged me out of it. If it was up to me, you’d all be drenched in rain above the Carriagebean Sea,” Spitfire commented, glaring at the yellow pegasus, with a malicious grin in her eyes.
“One last warning, for the thick-skulled; we’re going live here. We’re trying to keep things as safe for you as possible, but don’t count on help being so easy if you run into trouble, especially due to how hard it is to see or hear into Bandits. This isn’t just a test of your weather abilities, it’s a test of your teamwork.”
“Now everypony, line up! I’m flying you into the outer currents, it’s up to you to find your way inside and stop this thing.”
The recruits all did as they were told, prepping themselves into their launch positions.
Finally, Vapor turned her head to Sky once more, who stood next to Cumulus, a few spots to her right.
She had been trying to get close to him when he and the others had arrived, but Spitfire had insisted that she stay with Angel Wings, so that she could brief her on what she had missed during her absence and the basics of hazardous weather control. Therefore, she was reduced to watching him from a distance as he warmed up, ate their MRE field meals (Spitfire had decided to forgo an actual breakfast, claiming there was “not enough time”), and talked to Cumulus and the other recruits.
I know Spitfire kept me from going over to him, but… why isn’t he at least talking to me? Not even a “hello”?
She still remembered how odd he had been acting a week ago, after the diner. She had been busy with her now-healed grandfather and family, but she did still have a nagging feeling about his strange behavior. She had hoped that maybe it was just a small thing, something temporary, and maybe once she came back, he would be back to his normal, confident self. Evidently not.
Maybe I can at least ask him if everything’s okay…
