Reach for the Skies

Chapters

Once Upon a Time in Stratusburg
On Silver-Scented Wings
Here Comes the...
...Well, that was a disaster!
I Goofed... Again
Danger Zone
A Better World
She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)

Once Upon a Time in Stratusburg

It was a cool evening in Stratusburg, and the sun was beginning to set in the sky. Pegasi of all kinds went about their business on the ground and up in the clouds, flying and trotting about in excitement. In all, the day looked set to be one of wonder and fun.

Why am I telling you this, you might ask? Well, it sets the story up for one. For another, it provides a perfect opportunity to bring a certain somepony into the action. See that green pegasus stallion zooming down the street? That's me.

My name's Sky Stinger. Nice to meet you. I've lived in Stratusburg for all my life, and I don't intend to leave it either. Though that might be difficult with the Wonderbolt training I do these days...

Where was I? Ah, yes. I was flying down the street at speed. I love flying fast. The wind brushing past your ears and thundering through your fur really get your adrenalin racing. Flying at speed, with the world at your control, also needs split second reflexes, and up ahead was a cart that was blocking the road. Bringing my wings out to slow down, I soared upwards, banked up, rolled over, and then cleared it over the top of the cart, dropping down into my normal flight pattern.

They call that a flipping loop. Don't ask me why. I used to have real trouble with that maneuvre, but I don't know. As ponies shouted at me from the street, shouting phrases like 'show off' and 'darned Wonderbolt', I flew onwards, laughing, the sound being whipped clean out of my mouth as I hit top speed. I also hold the record for fastest flyer in Stratusburg. 250 feet per second, or 170.45 miles per hour. Confirmed! Although somepony erroneously described that as acceleration...

I keep digressing. My mind's pretty full. I imagine you want to know why I was flying so fast, huh? Well, it wasn't because I wanted to fly so quickly for fun (although I do do that. It's great fun to position high in the sky and then dive toward the ground. I'm still working on breaking the sound barrier, but I'll get there). I was running late for a date. I was supposed to meet her in the town square, at 7, but I had completely lost track of time and so had to fly fast to have any chance of getting there on time. I soared over more ponies and touched down upon a cloud, before jumping off, climbing high as I could, and diving vertically toward the town hall. My speed rocketed upwards as I dropped through the cloud layer, the ground rushing toward me at incredible speed as I smiled. I could pull this move off effortlessly. In my sleep. Seconds before I hit the ground, I spread my wings, pulled out of the dive, and soared along the ground with only inches to spare. A couple of ponies shook their hooves at me, but I didn't care. I'm a perfect flyer, and everypony knows it. Soaring though the air (he's a pretty cool dude, by the way) I set my wings to a Delta configuration, and climbed once more, before clearing an Immelmann turn and touching down in my favourite chair in my favourite cafe with two inches to spare. A perfect landing, dare I say, and relaxed in the chair. The waiter was looking at me.

"That was quick!" he said.

"I just dropped in," I smirked. Yes, I can be snarky with ponies, but that's just who I am. "My usual, please."

"Of course, sir," the waiter replied. "I must say, this is the first time you're early."

"Well, flying fast tends to get you places very quickly," I answered. "I just hope she's here soon. I do look forward to our dates."

A few seconds later, I heard a familiar voice. "Sorry I'm late Sky!"

The owner of the voice rounded the bend, and just seeing her was enough to reduce my heart to mush, as happened every single time I saw her.

A greenish grey coat, combined with a multi coloured green mane of so many colours, that seemed to float by itself, and the sweetest turquoise eyes that anypony could ever have or see. Vapour Trail, the love of my life.

Most ponies know us as the dynamic duo of the Wonderbolts. We know each other's flight skills like nopony else. If I start to bank right, she knows to bank left. If I roll one way, she rolls the other. Loops? Easy. Parallel or flying through the loop produced by the other? Simple as apple pie. Which reminds me, I must drop by the Apple farm someday and buy an apple pie. Even better, stop for lunch one day.

I spoke over to Vapour. "You're on time. I'm early." I touched the side of a glass with my hoof, and the waiter returned from earlier. "Vapour would like to order too."

"My usual, please," she told him.

"You two are so predictable," the waiter smiled. "That's two drinks, coming right up." As he trotted away, I focused all my attention of Vapour, looking through the candles sitting on our table.

"So, how was your day?" I asked her.

"Same as yours," she smiled back. "Training as usual, then some time to relax." She then looked down, and put her hoof on her muzzle. "A-choo!"

Did I mention she was voted best sneeze a few years ago? She has an adorable sneeze. I then addressed her. "There's something I'd like to do," I said.

"What's that?" she asked me, focusing her attention upon me again.

I paused, and then took out a small box. Seconds later, I opened it and showed it to her. She gasped when she looked at it. "That ring is so beautiful!"

My muzzle was covered in the widest grin I could muster. "Vapour Trail," I asked. "Will you marry me?"

There was a second's silence. Then suddenly I felt Vapour crash into me. "Yes! Yes, yes, and yes again! Sky, you've made me the happiest mare alive!"

I returned the hug as tight as I could. "You know how I feel about you, Vapour," I said gently. "Let's have the wedding as soon as we can."

"That's sounds fantast-" She suddenly stopped mid sentence, and held her forehead in one hoof. "Sugarcubes! Not again!"

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking at her concerned.

She glanced back to me. "Oh, it's nothing. Just randomly the word 'ma' flashed through my head. Probably nothing."

I nodded, but secretly I was worried. This wasn't the first time she had got one of those flashes. To be truthful, I wasn't free of them either...

On Silver-Scented Wings

For the next bit to make sense, I need to explain a little bit about myself. As you know, I am an amazingly awesome flyer, and everypony knows it. But there was a time when I wasn't. Embarrasing, I know.

Back when I was a foal, I was just one of five. FIVE! Siblings. Utterly ridiculous, and I have no idea what mom and dad were thinking when they did that. Oh well. I had the misfortune of being stuck somewhere in the middle of the pack, and when you're the third of five, very few ponies pay much attention to you. I had to fight for it, as my oldest and youngest brothers always got the most attention, and life rarely catered to those of us inbetween.

One day, we are all outside playing buckball. Dad was busy tossing the ball about and it never came my way, which got pretty annoying after a while. It was clear something really impressive had to be done in order to get them to FINALLY give me the attention I deserved. So I flew up into the air, and tried to complete a flipping loop multiple times, to no success.

When I was on the verge of giving up, I suddenly found I could do it! Didn't make them pay attention, but it was then I heard the voice that would change my life.

"Wow! That was amazing!"

I turned to look who had spoken, and there she was. Vapour Trail. We became friends that very moment, and started flying together pretty often. I thought I was a very strong flyer and capable of joining the Wonderbolts with my eyes shut.

To say I was cocky and arrogant was an understatement. Heck, I still am now. But at least I admit it, unlike a certain pegasus. I mean, come on, she busts clouds into shapes that look like her face! One day, I was moved to theoreticals away from the practical stuff by Twilight. Why an Alicorn was poking her snout into pegasus matters was beyond me, but she threw the book at me. Literally. Wind tests, speed tests, agility tests, how wings work, aerodynamics, all the stuff I already knew and was bored to death of.

Then all I had known came crashing down. Vapour flat out admitted she had been boosting me, and when I tried to pull off a loop...

...I couldn't do it. I dropped like a stone to the ground as gravity caught up. To say I was angry was an understatement. Not only was my confidence shattered, I learned that my best friend, my wingpony, had been lying to me for years. I knew from then on there was no point in trying, and just gave up.

But life wouldn't be life if it didn't chuck a few curveballs your way. I was eventually got back into my spirits by Twilight, reunited with Vapour, and passed the entry test with flying colours. Then, I was accepted into the full ranks of the Wonderbolts, flying the toughest stunts and hardest regimes with Vapour by my side. Simply going into a full dive was something I enjoy the most.

However, there is something I have been keeping secret. For my whole life, much like Vapour got that time at the cafe, I have been getting these odd 'flashes'. No, not that thing naughty mares do sometimes. This was something different, something worse. I kept getting these odd images of tall buildings that couldn't possibly be in either Stratusburg or anywhere in Equestria for that matter. Tall beings moving along kept appearing in my dreams and visions. That was how it started. It would flash up for a few seconds in my vision, then just as suddenly the interference would clear and everything would be back to normal. But then it continued to build. Sometimes they would come with audio as well, and odd snippits of words and other things. Two that constantly appeared were 'Hert' and 'Lon' for some reason. For years I had absolutely no idea what that was referring to, to be honest. What were these things? As time continued to go on, I tried to ignore it, but then I learned Vapour got them too, which were somewhat random but nontheless left me very worried. What in Equestria was going on? Were we somehow cursed or something? I has to figure that out. It kept on getting worse. I would get these flashes in flight, doing tricks, or just cutting vegetables (I don't always eat at the canteen. It's not pay, as pay's good, it's just not always convenient for me). I'm so lucky I didn't injure myself in the process or else I'd be in a real mess.

It got to its worst one night not long after I'd proposed to Vapour. I was asleep one night, as I slept most nights, and had a horrifying nightmare about a fleshy thing touching something, followed by seering pain. I pulled myself out of bed when I woke up. I was dripping with sweat and my heart was pounding in my chest like a drill was slicing a hole in it. I had only one question.

What the buck was going on?

But that was it for a few days. At long last the day I had been waiting for arrived. I had stayed at my brother's the night before, as it is unlucky for the bridge and groom to be together for 24 hours before the ceremony, and got myself down to Stratusburg cathedral at soon as dawn broke to get ready. Soarin' had agreed to act as the best stallion, and he looked hilarious in a suit, I have to say. I was a complete nervous wreck as everything that could go wrong kept flashing through my mind. In the end, I steeled my nerves and my mind, and stepped forward to the front, in order to wait for the main event to start in earnest.

Here Comes the...

As there is undoubtedly somepony out there who is wanting to know what the attire arrangements for this occasion were, I shall no take great pains to divulge them to you. I was suitably attired for the happy occasion, wearing a dark grey suit, with holes cut in the side that allowed for my wings to pop through, which almost reached the bottom of my forelegs, and opened up where the collar sat around my shoulders and neck. In addition, my upper sleeves were slightly puffed out, and and extended onto the back part, with a pair of fabric strands running around to the front of my chest, forming a nice red seal in the front. My hind legs had armour plating attached to them, and the bottom of the suit on my back legs was complemented with black boots that covered my hooves entirely. It looked good, but it was incredibly uncomfortable, I can tell you! My tail still hung free from my rear, completely unobstructed and just hanging there, really. I probably looked magnificent, but I felt utterly ridiculous, like that 'princess of flying' nonsense I keep getting ribbed about by Spitfire. I really must ask her to stop. It's getting annoying.

Where was I? Ah, yes. Several of the groomsponys had no appeared from the dressing room, some of them in painfully obvious states of inebriation as they assembled at the front of the cathedral. Why did Stratusburg need a cathedral? I have no idea. It's not a massive place! But, Soarin's face constantly shifted between varying tones of embarrassment and fury. "I told them to sober up!" he snapped. "Now they'll spoil everything!"

"Assuming my nerves don't do the job for them," I thought. "Just leave them be," I told him. "And, if you have to, stick them out back. That usually worked for my older brother."

"What one of your older brothers?"

"I don't know! I get them all mixed up!"

Soarin' nodded. "Time to get this lot in order." He trotted off to try and figure out how to get these cadets into line, whilst I noticed people were busy arriving and taking their seats in the pews, which must have been awkward as they aren't massively ergonomic! The entirety of Stratusburg and beyond had seemingly turned out for the occasion. Looking over, I saw the Mayor of Stratusburg, the entire town council, former Wonderbolts, a multitude of other people, my parents, my siblings, my aunts, my uncles, my friends and not so close friends, and even all but one of the Elements of Harmony. Twilight Sparkle, who had helped with those flight maneuvres I had had so much trouble with back at Flight Camp, had set aside the usual pomp and cricumstance that most of the Princesses favoured and had squirelled herself away on one of the back pews. The other Elements were scattered about, and the Apples were getting the catering set up and ready to go. We sure had a lot of hungry mouths to feed afterwards, I can tell you! Fluttershy had assembled a chorus of animals, and suddenly the entire building fell silent as I saw the doors at the other end of the cathedral open, letting the glorious lights of day into the otherwise somewhat dark space (stained glass windows are not conducive to letting natural light in), and in she stepped.

Vapour Trail.

And can I say she looked absolutely STUNNING, like drop dead gorgeous. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Coco Pommel had worked an absolute wonder, managing to do what I thought was impossible; make the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria look even more stunning than I had thought possible. I shall attempt to describe the angelic vision I saw, to the best of my ability, but will probably be unable to do it justice.

Her mane was done up in her usual, angelic way, and a golden crown was nestled in amongst her mane (or was it a tiara? I'm never sure). Her eyes glowed in the light, although her face was not done up in any way, letting her natural beauty shine through. Around her neck was a golden choker, and she wore a dress unlike any I've ever seen. The bodice was dark blue, and the sleeves which took up her forelegs (apart from the bottom of her hooves), although two holes were cut in the sides to give space for her wings. The skirt extended over, and covered completely, her hind legs and tail, and a white collar surrounded her neck, only accentuating her face and how stunning it was.

I know, I sound like a soppy romantic. But that was, put simply, at that moment, destined to become the happiest day of my life.

Until it started happening again. She was almost to the front, with the chorus of dawn or otherwise just stopping singing, when the flashes flared up, in far worse intensity than ever before. All the bits and pieces began to slam together in my mind, everything seeming to stop working as my brain overloaded. Then it stopped. I recognised where I was, this was the exchange of vows. Hopefully nothing would go wrong. Oh, curse you, cruel fate. Just as I was about to start speaking, I couldn't form a single word. I have no clue what it looked like to the outsiders, but I faintly recall crashing into something as my brain overheated and the last pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place.

Looking about in a complete panic and seeing everypony stare at me in a combination of shock, bewilderment, concern, and terror, I finally noticed Vapour looking into my eyes. "Sky?" she asked. "W- what's going on?"

It was then I knew I couldn't stay there any longer. My legs quivering and my wings unable to keep still, I went for it. I brushed past her and galloped into the aisle, heading for the still open doors and rushing out into the street, not hearing the voice calling after me.

Author's Note

This is what Sky Stinger and Vapour Trail look like.

...Well, that was a disaster!

I cannot tell you how long I ran for. I just seemed to keep going through the crowds that thronged the streets of Sratusburg. Although my wings were free thanks to the cut of my garments, I didn't think to use it. In my state, I couldn't have flown safely through the sky. My mind was simply too clouded.

My foalhood, growing up, meeting Vapour, becoming a Wonderbolt, falling in love, living in Stratusburg...

It was all a LIE!

I couldn't process the sheer amount of pain this revelation was causing. I was an outcast, a nothing, a total freak amongst these beings, these 'ponies'. The truth was clear now, and if that was the case, then what could I trust? I felt so much anger, so much rage, that I was on the verge of exploding, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins was the only thing keeping me going on my path. I just ran and ran and ran, until I could run no longer, and I collapsed onto a wall, my energy spent, breathing heavily and surveying the scenery. All the bright colours, the happiness, the beauty- it was driving me insane. All I knew was that I didn't belong. I couldn't stay up, and lay there babbling to myself about Faust knows what.

I was broken from my broken state (see, I did internal rhyme! Of the same words) when I heard a familiar voice. "Sky? What's going on?"

I looked over to see Vapour staring at me, concerned. Why wouldn't she be? She hadn't even noticed how mucky her gown had got. She never was the sort to worry about that sort of thing.

"Great," I said. "So nopony but me knows I'm a freak. Absolutely bucking fantastic."

"You're not a freak," Vapour answered, putting her hoof out. I batted it away, visibly shocking her.

"Don't you get it?" I asked, and promptly launched off into a long rant. "I'm not even from here! I'm human! I'm not even an American, for Faust's sake! Buck this! I was British! It was that Damned package that did this and dumped me here-"

I didn't get another word out as Vapour reached out her hooves and took my muzzle. "Sky! Calm down!" Once I looked into her eyes, I set about doing my usual routine for this sort of thing. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Deep breaths. That got my mental state at least level enough to have a logical conversation. Vapour then asked me some questions.

"Sky, can you explain what you mean? I won't judge you."

I looked confused. "Really?"

"What kind of marefriend would I be if I did?"

I sighed at that. As ever, her logic was flawless. "All right. I'll tell you everything. But this may take a while."

She sat down on the ground, and I began. "I'm not from this world. I'm not even Sky Stinger. I was a thing called a human, called Tom..."

An entire world away, I was travelling to the United States on a short trip. After a series of adventures with a few of my American friends, I had decided to go and see them again. As such, I had flown into Norfolk Airport to get a hire car and drive to Manteo, North Carolina. I had so much catching up to do with Jimmy, and I hadn't seen him in a while.

My flight touched down and I got to my car pretty quickly. I wanted to set off before the jetlag hit me like a tidal wave, and so hit the road to travel north to Manteo, getting to Roanoke Island several hours and multiple cups of iced coffee later.

When I arrived, Jimmy was out, and his house was empty. I hadn't visited him at his new home as his old one had been blown up during an incident at Halloween and hence was no longer livable. The town had got him a new one, and I stepped up to the door to see a notice taped to the door.

Hi Tom!

I hope you made it to Manteo safely. I will probably be out when you get here (something about a Kirin wandering around the town square), but I left you a spare key and some food to warm up. Enjoy!

Jimmy

I took the key from under the flowerpot, and put it into the lock, sliding the door open as it engaged in the lock. It was fairly nice in there, and I wandered around a bit. Feeling a little bored, I chose to walk into the living room and then I saw two boxes sitting there on the ground. One of them had a symbol of a lightning bolt attached to the top, and the other had what looked like a jet exhaust attached to it. I picked up the box with the lightning bolt on it, and out of interest opened it, assuming this to be some sort of delivery Jimmy was awaiting.

The box was completely empty.

Why would someone deliver an empty box? Just then it hit me, and I was hurled back by an explosion of light and energy. I crashed into the bannisters and fell to the ground, looking on in horror as I knew what was coming next.

As I watched, my shoes fell off, and I could feel my feet shrinking back into hooves. Both my legs snapped backwards, leaving me howling in agony as my kneecaps were torn to pieces, and an intense pain built up in my butt. A light green tail suddenly burst from my backside, emerging with such force that ripped my jeans open. My elbows snapped forwards, and my hands hardened up and closed of their own accords, changing to fleshy blobs that were now hooves. My neck pulled upwards, and I was forced onto all fours as my neck elongated upwards like a giraffe. My head tipped forward, and I probably looked like something out of an old horror movie, a human face attached to a pony head. Well, whatever this was soon got to work on that, as my nose and mouth merged into a muzzle, growing forwards out of my face in a strange triangular shape. As odd as this was, this at least confirmed whoever this was was male. My eyes grew in size and turned green, whilst my hair changed to a lime green mane formed in a buzzcut.

Then I felt as though I had just been pulled out of a pressure chamber. My entire body began to expand in size, my legs like tree trunks and my barrel swelling in size. My socks had been destroyed by the hooves, and as I looked about in abject terror, I heard tearing sounds as threads burst and seams gave way, my clothing falling down in a tattered heap on the floor.

Turquoise fur sprouted all over my body as a pair of bony constructs emerged from my shoulders, folding back against my sides as they become covered in skin, fur, and feathers.

Was it over? I moved forward, not used to all of these extra muscles, and then screamed in agony, in a newer, different voice, as my memories were progressively wiped and replaced.

Wait, what am I talking about? I'm Sky Stinger. I always have been.

"That's what the flashes were," I finished. "Echoes of my old life."

Vapour had a look of realisation. "I kinda have a confession to make too..."

Author's Note

I noticed that very few writers have delved into the horror side of TFing. So I thought I'd give it a whirl in this chapter.

I Goofed... Again

I tried to process what Vapour had just said to me. Was it true, that she had been keeping things from me again? Our friendship nearly didn't recover from the boosting incident, so what was it now. "Sorry?" I asked. "What did you say?"

"I kinda have a confession to make too," she repeated, looking into my eyes with a mixture of worry and sadness. "Those flashes I got are echoes of my old life, and now so much makes sense. Like when I spoke to Twilight and Rainbow about us, I called us 'kids', not 'foals'. I'm not from here either."

I was starting to lose it. "Well?" I asked. "Who were you?"

"That Jimmy guy you mentioned?" Vapour replied, her eyes increasingly pained. "I was him. Jimmy Hook of Manteo and known across the internet for various transformation related things."

"Well, how did you get here?!" I snapped. I misjudged the tone of the situation, but by this point I was too broken to even care. "I remember there being two boxes, what about the other one?"

Vapour started off on her story. "I got home after getting the Kirin into its box at about 7 at night, and noticed the door was unlocked and my note was removed. It wasn't there, so I assumed you were in and had simply forgotten to lock the door. So I opened the door and locked it behind me, and then walked into my corridor when I saw a pile of destroyed clothes on the floor, I assumed the worst and saw that there was a pair of boxes sitting in the living room. One was opened, and the other was closed.

"I went closer to it, and then an unknown voice stated that they had already got one and that the other was almost theres. That box then came to life, opened, and I was hurled through the air and onto the floor. It was then I changed into Vapour Trail and my old memories were erased and replaced with Vapour's. Or so I thought, as these flashes would suggest otherwise."

My memory was suddenly drawn to an incident at Epcot in Walt Disney World where I'd ended up as Vapour Trail's Equestria Girls counterpart. "So why us?"

"Does it really matter?" Vapour asked. She extended a hoof to me. "We still love each other, and we can still be married, can't we?"

It was then I made possibly the biggest mistake of my life. I slapped her hoof away, and when she looked horrified, I launched off into another rant. "Does this not disturb you? We literally don't belong! Don't you want to go back to your own life and be human again?"

She began to stammer a response. "S- sky-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I screamed. "To think that you want to throw it all away just to live out some power fantasty sickens me! Vapour, Jimmy, whoever the Tartarus you are, you can forget about all this!"

Tears began to fill her eyes. "I- I can't believe you, Sky!"

"Oh yeah?" I shot back. "I can't believe you either!" And I took off into the sky, not looking back nor hearing Vapour's pained sobs.

Author's Note

Will they get back together?

Find out tomorrow!

Danger Zone

The figure appeared to move about on two limbs, unlike most beings in Equestria who walked about on four. They were dressed from top to bottom (as I cannot authoritatively state whether they were dressed from head to toe or not, not knowing whether they had a head, shoulders, knees or toes, knees or toes) in black, and seemed to be trying to move as if to make sure nopony noticed them (which was failing horribly) as they went into an equally dark alleyway.

I pointed with my hoof, drawing attention to their mysterious nature. "See that?"

Vapour nodded. "They look like trouble."

"I suggest we follow them," I said, nodding my head slowly in the hope that Vapour would agree. "They look like trouble, as you said, and I think that we need to find out what they're up to."

"They look oddly familiar somehow," Vapour replied, her eyes turning to worry from concern. "Could they somehow be connected to what has been happening?"

"Given all that has been going on," I answered, "I wouldn't put it past such a theory. Let's go. Trail them from the air, and I'll follow on the ground."

With such an arrangement, trailing this being proved to be easy, as they moved slowly and sat mainly in the shadows, shadows that proved futile in conceiling them as Vapour could clearly see them from the air, and I could hear their footsteps with my hearing (this was getting somewhat annoying, as my hearing was picking up every single sound for miles around me). At long last, they went into a building, and Vapour touched down next to the door.

"Are you ready?" she asked, nervously. She seemed to be quite nervous, anyways, and truth be told so was I. "We have no idea what we'll find in there, or how to get out!"

"I'll admit to being worried about this too," I replied. "But we have to find the truth, no matter how bad it may be." We reached out our hooves together, and pushed down on the door handle, which, to our surprise, opened with no difficulty. We went in through the threshold of that door, and into the inky blackness beyond. Our eyes couldn't penetrate it, and we could not see where we were going as we advanced into the chamber.

As we continued onwards through the corridors, lights flickered on and off as if we were trotting through the set of a bad horror movie. From what we could see, this place was an old industrial facility that had lain abandoned for years until being put back into use recently for nefarious purposes. "This is like a set from the Saw films," I commented. "I sure hope we don't come across any traps." My sour joke was an attempt to ease the mood, but it did little to ease the tension.

"I would prefer if you didn't bring those up," Vapour replied, her voice quivering as it did so.

"Very well," I replied. "Why not talk about how these wall patterns are all identical?"

"It's weird," she quivered. "I don't like this at all."

Just then, another door opened in front of us, and the chamber opened, a vast expanse of machines and strange mechanisms. Standing at the centre of it all was a woman with white hair and gaunt features, dressed in a black robe with red highlights. She smiled as we trotted in, looking around in shock.

"Sky Stinger, Vapour Trail," she said, her features betraying a smile. "How nice it was of you to join me. Or should I say- Tom Haddington and Jimmy Hook?"

"What do you want?" I demanded loudly.

"Always the one in the weaker position demanding to know things he had no entitlement to," she replied. "I'll save your intelligence the bother of introducing myself, but I am devoted to spreading the wonder and beauty of Equestria- and getting as many humans there as I can in the process. You really are so easy to find. But this is the wrong way around, and does rather expose a flaw in my modus operandi."

"The wrong way round?" Vapour asked. "What do you mean?"

"You were meant to be Sky Stinger, and Tom was meant to be Vapour Trail. Just to mix things up a little. Goes to show I'll need to be more careful with the boxes in the future. Oh well. You've discovered my plan, and I need to remove the glitch in the system. Goodbye, you two. I'd say it was nice knowing you, but it really hasn't."

Moments later, strange objects in the wall began to open fire upon us. I jumped and rolled to one side, as Vapour rolled the other way. I flexed my wings, and took to the air, roaring into the skies, and zooming around the small chamber, which really did limit my possibilities for flight.

"Vapour!" I called. She was now airbone as well, flying on my 6.

"Yeah?" she called in return.

"I need you to propel me into a flipping loop!" I called back. "That will allow me to accelerate fast enough to pull off a sonic boom!"

"That's too dangerous!" Vapour called back. This whole calling back business was getting tiring to describe. "It could kill you!"

"We have to stop the Merchant from doing this to anypony else!" I shouted. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Vapour nodded, and flapped her wings. I looped immediately, next to the ceiling so close I nearly bumped my mane into it, and dived toward the ground as fast as I could, the world around me turning into a blur as I closed toward the ground, everything getting closer and closer as I dived. The fabric of reality seemed to come apart as I completed my dive, and there was a massive boom, and shards of metal and glass flew everywhere as the mess did its work. I looped upwards and clear of the messy smoke, trying to find a place to land.

Author's Note

Phew, that was intense! Join us for the final chapter tomorrow!

A Better World

I landed, and the smoke cleared dramatically around me as I looked around. There was no trace of the Merchant, or anything else for that matter. The whole place was empty of anything, except Vapour, who looked at me in amazement.

"You did it!" she cried, and galloped, throwing her forelegs around my neck. "We stopped the Merchant!"

I indicated to the ruined equipment just starting to drop from the ceiling. "Yeah," I said, "but that's busted the return portal. The machines are gone. They were the only link to our old life. It's gone forever, and we can never go back."

"But at least we have each other," Vapour smiled, and she pulled back. "And before you ask, I forgive you for what you said to me that day. Man, that infodump must have been nasty!"

"You're asking me," I laughed. I then produced the ring once more. I had kept it, as the cost of it had been the sort of thing to make me not want to throw it away. Besides, I knew at the back of my mind I was making a big mistake. "Vapour, I know I've already asked this, but will you marry me?"

Her crashing into me once again more than answered that question for me. It was most certainly a yes.

This time around, the wedding went perfectly. I didn't get any flashes (neither did Vapour), nopony was drunk, neither the groom's father nor bride's father gave awkward and embarassing speeches, nopony tripped on anything or was sick, the DJ was amazing, and the cake was cut with no difficulty.

Then came time for me and my new wife to dance. We stepped into the centre of the dance floor, the lights dimmed and all pony's attention upon us. I looked forward into her eyes, just as a tune I knew well from my old life began playing.

Whoever would have known that Carly Rae Jepsen would have suited us so well? And I suppose it was true; I really, really, really, really, really, really like Vapour.

A few months after the wedding, we got some wonderful news. Vapour had been feeling a bit off for a while, and went and got her symptoms checked with a doctor. The night I learned I was gonna be a dad was the best of my life thus far, and as I write this, we're about to head off to find out the gender.

See you all soon, and keep flying!

She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)

As I say, I soon realised what I did that morning was one of the most stupid things I could have done in that moment, and indeed ever did, but you have to understand that I was so angry and full of pain inside that I couldn't think straight. Anger controlled my emotions, and my emotions told me to cut off all ties with this clearly nuts pony who didn't want to go back, for some reason I couldn't understand.

A few weeks went by. The rain poured for days over Stratusburg as the weather ponies were doing a water dump over the region, and as we were in the mountains, we usually got the short straw when it came to weather events such as this. But everypony knew what the rain also symbolised. For my actions, I was actively shunned in public and nopony wanted anything to do with me, instead staying away. Many, I noticed, comforted Vapour in what they claimed must be an extremely distressing moment. I, for one, didn't talk to her. If they wouldn't understand my pain and what I was suffering through, Vapour certainly wouldn't. Or whoever Vapour was. It was all so confusing at that time, and my head was in a complete jumble over what was true or not.

I had heard of a unicorn who lived in Ponyville who was obsessed with my world and was desperately trying to find a way to get to my world. This was almost the same as what I was doing, as I tried any trick that I thought would work, that would break the barriers between dimensions and get me home. But nothing worked. I tried thundering through the cloud bank. I tried breaking the sound barrier. I even experimented with flying into objects that would boost my speed, like tornadoes. But nothing worked. It seemed as if fate was determined to ensure I never found my way back, and it was driving me to the brink of insanity. I was getting tired of not getting anywhere, and as such I was loosing the will to keep going from day to day, as it simply seemed like a waste of time.

I no longer lived with my parents. They were disgusted over how I had acted at the wedding, and refused to talk to me. Oh well. They had no clue what I was going through. I suffered dreadfully, and nopony cared.

One day, I sat on my crummy bed in my crummy apartment. We'd had a new home lined up after we got married, but for obvious reason that had been put on hold (the estate agent, thankfully, was willing to reserve it for us until the matter was resolved). I looked out as the rain dripped down the windows and the wind howled around the shutters like ghosts in the dark. I glanced without interest at the walls, when suddenly I heard a voice.

"Why are you so down?" they said. I looked to my left, and suddenly saw four men, wearing matching suits with matching hairstyles. A drumkit had appeared in there, and three of them held guitars.

"What?" I asked. "What are the Beatles doing here?"

"We're just projections of your mind," John said.

"But we're here to cheer you up," Paul added.

"What is there to be cheerful about?" I asked them, on the verge of despair. "My life is a joke, and I've lost everything!"

Ringo was the next to speak. "Sky," he said, "life often doesn't go the way we expect. But if we give up now, who knows what wonders tomorrow will bring?"

"If you try," George smiled, "you may not achieve your goal. If you don't try, you will not achieve your goal."

"How can I fix what I did?" I asked them, suddenly warming to the idea of talking to a band of whom two members were no longer alive. "Vapour hates me for what I did?"

"No she doesn't!" John interrupted. His Liverpudlian accent would have been almost comical were it not for the circumstances. "We've seen her earlier, and she's just as much of a wreck as you are. So we played a song to help her pull herself together, and we're going to do the same for you."

They raised their instruments, ready.

"1, 2, 3, 4!"

"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

"You think you've lost your love,
Well, I saw her yesterday-ay;
It's you she's thinking of
And she told me what to say-ay;

"She says she loves you
And you know that can't be bad.
Yes, she loves you;
And you know you should be glad!

"She said you hurt her so
She almost lost her mind;
But now she says she knows
You're not the hurtin' kind;

"She says she loves you
And you know that can't be bad
Yes, she loves you
And you know you should be glad, ooh!
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!
With a love like that
You know you should be glad!

"You know it's up to you
I think it's only fair;
Pride can hurt you, too
Apologize to her!

"Because she loves you
And you know that can't be bad
Yes, she loves you
And you know you should be glad, ooh
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!
She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!

"With a love like that
You know you should be glad!
With a love like that
You know you should be glad!
With a love like that
You know you should be glad!
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

When they had finished playing, I looked about the apartment, and they were gone. My mind was struck by a brainwave. The song had given me a peculiar sense of clarity. I did love Vapour Trail. So I had to go and find her, and make this right."

Out in the heavy rain, I galloped through the streets of Stratusburg, slipping on tiles and paving stones as I did so. I skidded around a corner, and there she was, galloping as well.

"Vapour!" I called.

"Sky!" she called back. We collided and crashed into each others forehooves.

My eyes were wet, and not because somepony was cutting onions nearby. "I am so, so, sorry," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I know you probably won't, but do you forgive me for what I did?"

I got my answer not through words, but through Vapour's lips touching with mine. It was an absolutely beautiful moment, and it is one I shall never forget in my life. She broke first, and smiled into my eyes. "I will never cease to love you, no matter what happens," she said, as the sky cleared and the sun broke down into the town below.

"That's this lot done!" called Rainbow Dash, temporarily attached to rain duty. "See you next month!"

It was just then I noticed a strange figure moving in an alleyway. I pointed with my hoof. "See that?"

Vapour nodded. "They look like trouble."