Vapor Trails

Prologue

“It’s true what they say. Now you’re even cuter,” Flitter said nose to nose with her coltfriend.

They exchanged a nuzzle and settled back down for the rest of the movie, and Cinder could not have been any happier than he was at that very moment.

He was surrounded by friends, found a new home and even found love once more.

And this time, he was never letting go.

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Two months later

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Chapter I: Fast Times In The Skies

Cinder flew through the sky, the team of weather ponies following closely behind him. Rainbow Dash was at his side as they formed a “V” formation and soared to their designated location. Rainbow had appointed Cinder her assistant weather manager, and her direct subordinate, meaning that if she was away, he was the pony to talk to. This meant increased money flow for Cinder, which was a great thing. His little apartment was getting cramped now that Flitter was living with him. He loved her with all his heart, and she knew it.

He and Cloudchaser had grown very close as well, often hanging out when Flitter was away on deployment with the weather team. He had grown bolder around Ponyville, going out on nights on the town with Rainbow and her bunch of friends, which he had formed bonds with as well. He’d even befriended the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The group touched down at their destination, Rainbow and

Cinder turning around to face the group. He caught Flitter and Cloudchaser’s faces in the crowd, but kept a cool attitude, surveying the group. It was made up of Flitter, Cloudchaser, Raindrops, Cloudkicker, Thunderlane, his little brother Rumble and a couple other ponies that he did not know.

Ever since he landed this job a month ago, his life was getting better and better. Flitter was the loving mare that he had dreamed of and life was getting better with every passing day. The ash colored colt smiled, the wind rushing his through his mane. He had allowed it to grow out slightly, which Flitter loved. Rainbow was giving the listings of jobs that needed to be done for the day.

Usually, he always went with her to discuss matters or take on harder tasks, since the two were powerful flyers. Since his encounter with Spitfire a couple months back, he had been working daily to keep his wing power numbers high. The fiery mare had returned a couple weeks ago to clock him officially.

And the number was staggering.

16.6

This number meant that he considered one of the fastest ponies in Equestria, with Rainbow’s WP number being 16.5 and Spitfire’s being 16.9, which was the Equestrian record. No pony had ever beaten that number, and anypony who got close had a huge chance of joining the Wonderbolts.

Cinder’s train of thought was derailed by a bop on the shoulder by Rainbow Dash. She was smiling at her close friend, a look of love and affection was in her gentle, magenta eyes. The cyan mare had been so happy for Cinder and Flitter when they finally settled down, and she had even been happier when he finally had gotten used to Ponyville. The two had grown very close to each other, like a brother and sister. Cinder & Flitter went out often with Rainbow and her friends; to the bar, to sporting events or whatever they felt like. It warmed her heart that she could finally see one of the best friends be happy.

And happy he was.

“You ready for today’s list,” she asked, still smiling at the ash colored colt standing next to her. Cinder returned his gaze unto her, his deep crimson eyes glowing in the midmorning light. Even Celestia herself had marveled at the beauty of his eyes, saying that they were “like a pair of rubies glowing under the sun’s light.” Normally he would feel uncomfortable about this much praise, especially from a princess. Another gust of wind went through their manes, and as Cinder glanced around, he playfully bopped Rainbow on her back, a wry grin on his face.

“Always RD. What we got for today?” Cinder was confident in cloud busting and storm managing, which were his primary duties. He worked alongside Rainbow so much the two were practically one force, moving storms and cloud busting like pros.

He looked over the cyan mare, admiring the sleek physical form. This was the mare who came to him when he first arrived in Ponyville; broken, sad and alone. And she had revived his heart, guided it and helped it to come alive once more. For that, he could never repay her.

“Well, while the others are off cloud busting, I thought you and I could look over the plans for the coming storm that is supposed to happen next week. Cloudsdale gave us a doosee for this one, since autumn is in full swing and we need to keep the grounds nice and moist,” she said, her rainbow mane flowing gently in the breeze.

Although Rainbow was a practical joker and a renowned prankster, when it came to business, she was always dead serious.

“Also I want to take a look at the rain logs for Canterlot. Princess Celestia sent me a letter a couple days ago how they need some rain. I thought you and I might go up to Canterlot either later today or tomorrow,” she remarked as she reached into her saddlebag, pulling out three scrolls of parchment: one containg the order documentation and authorization for the storm of Ponyville, the second a personal letter from Celestia herself, the third the Canterlot Rain logs. The princess rarely sent out personal letters to anypony, but since Cinder was close friends with the Elements, it was obligatory. The young colt was used to getting big orders for rain from cities like Fillydelphia or Manehatten, but not Canterlot.

Rainbow put the letter back in her saddlebag, and unrolled the next two, revealing complex and intricate drawing, giving instructions for the coming storms. The rain logs showed the last month of Canterlot’s rainfall numbers, and Rainbow’s suspicions were true.

They had had light drizzles here and there, but no recent major occurrences or storms.

Cinder raised an eyebrow when he saw the numbers as well. Walking to Rainbow’s side he glanced over to his left, seeing the other ponies hard at work busting stray clouds. He caught sight of his marefriend, busting a nimbus with Cloudchaser. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes ran over his figure. Her body was dripping with sweat, almost glistening under the sun. Her wings were flapping strong and powerful, holding her gentle body above the ground. She was beautiful, and she was his. He was extremely grateful to have such a caring mare at his side. When he had nightmares about his home, she was there. When she had trouble with life, he was there for her. It wasn’t the type of love that was popular nowadays.

This type was rare.

His day dreaming was snapped out of focus by a friendly tap on the wing by Rainbow, who was smiling widely.

“She’s something isn’t she,” the cyan mare said as she walked up to Cinder, her rainbow mane blowing in the breeze.

“Yep,” Cinder replied. “I can’t thank you enough Rainbow.”

She giggled and gave Cinder a quizzical look. “How so?”

The colt turned to face Rainbow Dash straight on, staring into each other’s eyes. “You showed what it’s like to love and laugh again.

And for that I’m grateful,” he said cooly, hugging the cyan mare tightly, feeling her return his embrace. They had shared many of their darkest secrets together, often relying on each other when life got hard.

“You don’t need to thank me Cinder. It’s mutual,” she said with a smile. C’mon, we should get going.”

“Where?”

“To help the others with cloud busting! They’re looking pretty tired already. And we’ve still got an entire sky to clear,” she said with a smile, extending her wings and flying into the sky. Their wings beating in unison, flying together in almost perfect harmony.

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They rejoined the big group, catching Flitter’s attention. She smiled when her eyes met her coltfriend’s, but contained her emotions of her wanting to rush over and kiss him. Both were on the same weather team but maintained a professional sense unless in private. The couple were so madly in love that they were practically inseparable. Flitter’s eye caught Cinder’s, he saw her emotions flare immediately, popping over to them with a cheerful grin on her face, her body glistening with sweat.

So sexy … Rainbow is right. I’m one lucky colt.

His musings were cut short by a peck on the lips from his marefriend, who was looking directly at him. An “Awwww” ensued from the other ponies in the group as Cinder returned the kiss. Cloudchaser eyed the couple, a smile creeping over her face. She was so happy for her sister to finally settle down with a colt.

“Alright guys, looks like Rainbow and I are gonna join you. Hope you left some for us,” Cinder said, eyeing each of the ponies in the group, even his marefriend who blew him a flirty wink. The other ponies in the group were also dripping with sweat from the hard work that was cloud busting. Rainbow and Cinder got into formation, and set off, flying towards a bank of clouds that had not yet been touched by the group. The two ponies broke formation, each banking around the clouds, their manes and tails skirting the mass. Then Cinder broke right, soaring slightly upwards, away from the clouds. Making a sharp 180 degree turn, he headed straight first for the bank. His wings folded against his body as his speed increased.

The ash colored colt disappeared into the massive cloud bank, zig zagging through the clouds, kicking them as he went. Condensation was forming on his face with a mixture of sweat, as he worked his way through the clouds.

He resurfaced on the other side; mane and tail covered in mist from the clouds, giving his coat a shiny, glistening look to it. He was breathing moderately heavy as he approached another group of clouds, Rainbow on his left side ready for the next approach. They two ponies blew through the next batch of clouds faster than the previous. His muscles were starting to ache from the high speed flying coupled with sharp turns. Spotting a place where the group had landed on the ground to take a break, he and Rainbow descended to join them, bodies panting from the work.

As Cinder scanned the group, he caught the sight of his marefriend, relaxing in the grass. He flew to her side.

“Hiya Flit. What’s up?” Cinder trotted over to his marefriend, who greeted him with a gentle kiss followed by a nuzzle. She sat back down on the grass beckoning Cinder to come sit with her. Which he did. Nestling up close to her beloved colt, she sighed, and relaxed her wings to a point where they sort of draped to her sides.

“Hey Cinder. I’m already tired, heh. But not of watching you do all the work,” she said, batting a wing playfully at her coltfriend.

“Hah, it’s not easy babe. Stuff’s hard to bust through, even for me and Rainbow,” he replied, tossing his head to the side, flicking a stray bead of sweat from his face.

She shook her head and stretched her beautiful sleek lavender body, in full view of Cinder. His eyes wandered over her figure, from her cutie mark to her wings all the way up her back up to her eyes. She was beautiful in every way possible. Her eyes met his, faint stars twinkling in her eyes, like the night she had decided to be with him. He loved that about her. Luna herself could have marveled how the night sky seems to reflect through her.

She blushed.

“Heh Cinder, you better be careful. You don’t wanna get yourself in trouble,” she said with a wink. She was right. Rainbow didn’t mind having them on the same team, but she expected the two to remain professional as long as they were the clock.

Fifteen minutes passed and their break came to a close. With Rainbow sounding the whistle to get back to work, the group congregated around the large piece of parchment. It entailed complex instructions and maneuvers that were needed in order to create and maintain the storm. Cinder was most interested in this, although he had been cloud busting for the last two months or so, he had always wanted to create a storm, and this one that Rainbow was detailing was his first big one.

The cyan mare was rattling off instructions to the group, now separated into teams of 2. Cinder and Flitter were working together as they normally did. They were a great team and performed well under stress of weather conditions. Flitter was more than capable of holding her own against rain, sleet, or even tornadoes. She was a seasoned weather pony, and Cinder was lucky to have her as his partner, and his marefriend.

“Alright, Flitter and Cinder. I need you two to go north to the dam and make sure all the wildlife is tucked away safely. This storm is gonna be a big one. We don’t want any little bunnies getting hurt. Also, when you’re done with that, find me. I need to chat with you two about something,” she rambled on with a professional tone in her voice; she sounded very level headed, serious and down-to-earth. This was the complete opposite of what she usually was. But, Rainbow too her job as weather manager very seriously.

“Of course Rainbow,” replied Flitter, her wings fluttering next to Cinder.

The colt nodded silently in agreement.

With that Rainbow turned and set about her managerial duties, leaving the group with their assigned errands. Cinder and Flitter made for the North Dam above Ponyville. It wasn’t that long of a flight, but long enough that they would need to pace themselves. Cloud busting takes a lot out of a pony.

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The two ponies had been flying for roughly 15 minutes when the dam came into view. It was old, had many cracks in it, from various events. One which Flitter remembered all too well.

The ash colored colt glanced to his left, seeing a couple birds landing in their nest. To his right, a bear was walking away from the stream, carrying his lunch.

Everything is so peaceful up here¸ he mused. No wonder this is a renowned hangout spot.

With their destination in sight, the couple landed, and continued on foot.

The silence between them was unusual, and Cinder broke it.

“Hey babe, is there something wrong? You’re being unusually quiet.”

Flitter giggled, took a step closer to her coltfriend, and nuzzled him on his cheek. She always was one for affection, and she had no problem showing it in public.

“Oh, it’s nothing Cinder. My mind is just elsewhere,” she replied with a fluff of her tail. She paused, a sly grin coming across her face. She pounced on her coltfriend, sending him toppling along the ground, until he came to halt, her body resting on top of his.

He felt her long, mint green mane fall in his face, as she giggled and wiggled on top of him. She went in for the kiss. It was passionate and wet, the kind she loved.

He giggled as he felt her warm body press into his, her wings fully extended. Returning the kiss, he felt his heart that had long been dead and silent come alive with love and life. It beat faster as he felt he forelegs wander up his chest and around his neck, embracing him tightly. The colt’s heart skipped a beat when he felt her head slowly lower until it rested just beneath his, a sign of deep love and fondness. Cinder let out a sigh, and nuzzled his marefriend, who was now lying in the grass next to him.

“What…what was that for babe,” he said in between breaths. His heart still fluttering as she pecked his cheek once more as she smiled and stood up, leaving him panting in the soft grass.

She giggled, tossing her head to the side, letting her mane fall naturally.

She is so beautiful when she didn’t try to be, he mused, their eyes still locked.

Maybe I should tell her what I’ve been thinking about.

“What? You’re so adorable I just had to kiss you, because you’re all mine,” she said with a heavily flirtatious voice. “C’mon, we should get going,” she added, turning and trotting up the route to the dam.

The two were madly in love. Anypony in town could see that. However, it was not the “flash in the pan” type of love. It was true, honest, wholesome love. And that was rare.

Cinder chuckled, ascended to his feet, and followed Flitter up the trail to the dam.

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Upon reaching the dam, they found an assortment of wildlife, including beavers, a bear and ducks floating and bobbing around looking for food. It was a lovely sight to see, how different kinds of animals can live in harmony with each other. Cinder saw Fluttershy among the creatures, talking to them about something, what it was he could not make out. Her gentle blue eyes met Cinder’s and she smiled.

“Oh hi Cinder, Flitter. What brings you guys up here?” Her voice was timid and small, but Cinder and Flitter knew better than to make her angry. The Gala was a great example of this. Her small but powerful body was an off yellow color with her long, pink mane flowing in the breeze. She was the shyest out of all the ponies he knew, but she was a kid soul none the less.

“Hiya Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash sent us up here to make sure all the critters are prepared for the coming storm. We’ve got a real big one planned for next week,” explained Flitter. Her professional tone had returned to her soft voice, making her sound like the seasoned weather pony that she was.

“Yeah,” Cinder added. “Since we didn’t have a drizzle last week, Cloudsdale sent us a real doosee to make up for it.”

“Oh, of course!,” the yellow mare replied, her smile was as warm as Flitter was when she was cuddling him. She sauntered over her creature friends, asked them a couple questions. This was followed by an assortment of noises, chirps and chortles from them. Fluttershy nodded her head in satisfaction, and returned to the couple.

“They say they are ready to go,” she said. “But they wish to know what to be prepared for.”

“It’s your typical heavy storm,” Flitter replied. “Heavy rain and high winds. I don’t know how long it will last per say, but it will be sizable.”

Flitter’s explanation had drawn an audience of adorable critters; from bears to chipmunks, they were all listening.

“Furthermore,” added Cinder, “This storm is not to be taken lightly. Notice that we’ve had big storms in the past, and it always ends up with collateral damage. I hope you all have a plan to stay out of harm’s way.”

A chipmunk chirped and pulled at Fluttershy’s mane, asking for her attention. While Cinder could not understand animals to the extent that she could, he could make out basic behavior.

“Uh huh.. Oh I see… That sounds perfect!” She stood up and faced Flitter and the colt.

“He says that they already have a plan ready to set in motion.”

Flitter smiled widely. “Excellent! Well, our job is done here. Shall we head back?”

“Sure. We’ll see you later Fluttershy!”

The peeked yellow mare smiled back and simply nodded.

With that, the ponies turned and took to the sky, their wings carrying them back to Ponyville.