An eagle screeched high above the desert floor where two figures stood twenty paces apart. The ground was dry, the summer monsoon having not quite kicked in yet, and tumbleweeds scoured across the dusty floor like cockroaches on a kitchen floor. Vapor Trail was not in her element, and it showed in that her voice sounded like Flint Westwood’s after all the dust and sand she had accidentally breathed in on the flight here.
“You got the goods?” She asked the other figure, somewhat obscured by by the torrential wind.
“Yeah, right here in this bag.” The bad weather had not spared his voice either. He sounded more like Buck Norris, though. The purple and green adolescent dragon zipped the bag open and took out a rectangle-shaped object obscured by the storm. “Authentic Aquapony Issue #3. Only 15 are left in existence, friend.”
“Is that so? Well, I think I got payment enough for such a rare item. How much we talking?” Vapor rustled her saddle bags.
“400 Bits and something special.”
“Something special?” The pegasus cocked an eyebrow, only to realize that the dragon probably couldn’t see it.
“A ticket to the next Wonderbolts airshow in Cloudsdale.”
Vapor facehoofed. “Just because I’m a Wonderbolt reservist doesn’t mean I can just summon up sold out tickets out of the blue. Besides, aren’t you the princesses assistant? Couldn’t you just ask her for a ticket, or Rainbow Dash, her friend, who happens to be a full fledged Wonderbolt?”
“I mean, I could, but that would be a bit rude, and it would hike the price of this here comic by a factor of two.”
Vapor realized she didn’t have that much. “Ugh, fine. I’ll get you your ticket.”
“Yippee! Oh… uh, good. Meet me back here tomorrow, with the ticket, and were talkin’.”
“Greeeaaat.”
—
“… and in other news, the Princess Twilight Sparkle is in court over an alleged attempted robbery at the Flim Flam Brothers casino in Las Pegasus. Well, that’s a surprise to say the least. What are you doing Princess? Anyway, back to the music with Sonata’s very own Drop It Like It’s Not…”
Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger had been sleeping on the couch, both having agreed the trip up to the bedroom was to much. The radio-alarms blaring noise had awoken Vapor, who found herself jammed in-between the couch and her coltfriend.
“Get off me, you big oaf.”
In response, The big oaf groaned “But your so warm! I don’t want to move…”
Vapor smiled a bit at that, but persisted in her quest to be free. “Well, honey, between you and the couch I am burning up. I have things to do today, and suffocating isn’t one of them.”
“Okay, but only because I love you with all my heart.” Sky rolled off of the couch, landing on the floor with a thud and curling back up to go to sleep. Turns out, clouds feel the same anywhere you go. Who knew?
“Charming.” Freed from her prison, Vapor flew up, landing near Sky and giving him a small boop on the muzzle. “I have business to attend to in town. You stay here and relax.”
Sky grinned, but kept his eyes shut. “I have no problem with that.”
Satisfied with the confirmation, Vapor casually trotted out of her house, shut the door behind her and screamed. “How am I supposed to find tickets that are sold out!?”
Hearing the commotion, Sky had stuck his head out the door. “You okay honeybuns?”
Vapor turned on a Bit, facing her lover with a fake smile. “O-of course I’m okay! Just… excited! Yeah, excited me, that’s right!”
Sky cocked an eyebrow, but decided to not push the subject. “O-kay. Just be safe, will you?”
“No problem, bye!” And with that, Vapor took of in a haze, leaving the stallion with a lot of questions, chiefly ‘What in the devil was all that about?’
—
Cloudsdale’s Gusty District was considered by many to be ‘The bad part of town’, but for Vapor, it was home, and a solution to her predicament, as it turned out. She flew down to her parents place, minding her surroundings (Her mother had been experimenting with hanging cloud gardens, and they were everywhere). Landing at her childhood abode’s doorway, she took a deep breath and tried to knock on the door, but it swung open before she could do so.
“Hey Vapor!”
“Hey mom, hey dad.”
“What brings ya here, daughter o’ mine?” Said her father.
“Didya come to visit for awhile?” Said her mother.
Vapor scratched the back of her neck and looked at nothing in particular. “Well, actually I came to ask-“ Before she could complete her sentence Vapor was yanked into her old home. She suddenly found herself sitting on a couch, a hot cup of tea in her hooves. Her parents had situated themselves on either side of her, prodding her for questions about the previous year of her life, as well as praising her accomplishments.
“We saw you in Canterlot, sugarplums. What a show!”
“So ya have a coltfriend! Is he a nice one?”
“That whole debacle at that fancy restaurant must have scared the dickens outta you!”
“Whats it feel like to be a Wonderbolt?”
Vapor hung her head back, letting out a sigh. This was the main reason she didn’t come home to often. Her parents talked to much, and never really gave her a break. The words eventually just melded into an incoherent mess of ‘Oh, what a cool thing, eh?’.
“Mom, Dad, calm down for a bit. I have a question of my own.” Her parents surprisingly obliged, leaning in to hear what their daughter had to say. She breathed in , trying to think of a way to ask without her parents exploding into another garage of questions.
“How… hmm… do you know where I could get tickets for the upcoming Wonderbolt’s show?”
Her parents demeanor’s shifted into a dark, almost grim version. They got off the couch and huddled into a corner, looking back at Vapor every few seconds to make sure she wasn’t eavesdropping somehow.
Okay, that’s weird. Vapor thought to herself.
Eventually her parents separated, turning to her with worried looks on their faces. “How important?”
Vapor was a bit caught off guard at the subtlety of the question. “Huh?”
“How important is it that you get the ticket?” Her mother clarified.
Vapor thought about it. “A solid 9/10.”
Her dad took a step forward, looking back at his wife for reassurance. “Are you sure about that?”
Vapor sat up in her seat. “Mom, dad, you’re scaring me.”
Her father took a deep breath. “Vapor, your mother and I have known each other for 32 long, fruitful years, and you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to us. We love ya, and we wouldn’t ever want to see harm come to you… gosh, hon, back me up here?” He looked desperately at her mother. She stepped forward to face the music.
“So it is with great difficulty we tell you this. Vapor, we know a guy.”
“You know a guy? Where is he?”
“Promise us you will be carful.”
Vapor chuckled. “Of course I will be careful, mom. In fact, I Pinkie Pie Promise.” Vapor straighten her form and preformed the ritual of the Pinkie Promise. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. It’s something Rainbow Dash taught me.”
“You talk to Rainbow-!? I mean… honey, his name is Pinstripe. He lives down the street in that old abandoned bakery Mr. Kneader used to own. Knock on the door and wait for a knock, the password is ‘E. Normus Richard’. Got that, honey?”
“I, um, yeah, I do.” Vapor felt an uncomfortable chill run down the small of her back, as if she had just agreed to do one of those eating challenges some restaurants have on a full stomach.
“Then we won’t keep you. Stay safe, sugarplums.” Her father led her out the door, handing her a big sack of Bits. “He isn’t cheap, either. Best you have plenty to spend.”
Vapor gave her parents a big hug. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Her mother frowned. “Just be safe, Vapor.”
“Okay, mom. I will see you all later. I might bring Sky, too!”
Her parent’s eyes lit up, but Vapor was already in the air before they could start up their interrogation again.
“Bye mom, bye dad!”
“Bye!” They said in-unison.
—
“Mr. Kneader’s old bakery…” Vapor stood in front of the decrepit building. Evidently, cloud architecture was not immune to degradation, just a bit more resistant. The old sign was hanging only by a single hinge, threatening to fall and take out the burning garbage can below it. “… certainly seems like an odd place to be for somepony who sells tickets.” She walked up to the door hesitantly, knocking three times. After a small wait, she heard a single knock from inside. “Hello? Oh, um, E. Normus Richard?!”
The door swung open, revealing a mean looking stallion that easily outweighed her by a solid 100 pounds, and looked like he could tear the door off its hinges if he wanted to. Not that it would be all that difficult, considering it looked like a light breeze could do the same, but the stallion was strong-looking is the point.
“Jeeze, not so loud, lady. Come inside, quickly.” She followed orders, coming inside the damp, dark space. The stallion jumped in front of her, making her cringe backwards a bit. “Were you followed?”
“Well, I wasn’t really looking, but I would say probably-“
“Who are you?” The stallion moved closer.
“Oh! My name is V-vapor Trail…”
The stallion jumped back, smiling like a giddy schoolfoal. “My daughter is your biggest fan! Can I get an autograph?” The pony pulled out a Wonderbolts hat and a marker from out of nowhere and started presenting the items as though they were holy relics from a by-forgone era.
Vapor rolled her eyes. Had nearly a year of not being on the podium not saved her from fans constantly berating her at every turn? At least the paparazzi had died down a bit. Still had to exit the back door though…
“To my biggest fan, er, what’s her name?”
“It’s Sunny Days!” The father stated proudly.
“To my biggest fan, Sunny Days. Keep on flying on! Your friend, Vapor Trail.” She handed the hat and marker back to the waiting father. “Hope she likes that, sir.”
“Oh she will, I can guarantee that! Come on, follow me.” The stallion motioned towards another door leading to the backroom of the store. Entering the room, she was surprised to find the wall had been broken down, and sloppily reformed into a hallway that led to an adjacent building.
“Cool!”
Her escort flexed his muscles a bit. “Yeah, boss said he needed a bigger base to work out of, so I built him a hallway. No biggee.”
She giggled a bit. They walked down the hallway that led to the next building and up to yet another door, this one being in a lot better condition than the previous two.
The stallion opened the door, motioning for Vapor to enter. “In here, boss’ll be with you shortly.”
“Thank you, truly.”
“My pleasure.”
She entered the room, the door being shut behind her. It then occurred to her that the room was pitch black, save for the light that came from under the door. It revealed a chair, which she promptly sat in. After a bit, she started to feel uncomfortable.
“Hello? Is anypony there?” As soon as she had said it, a bright lamp clicked on in front of her, coaxing a scared ‘eep!’ Out of the pegasus.
“Name.”
“Um, Vapor Trail? Are you Pinstripe?”
“Occupation.”
“I, uh, Weather Factory worker and Wonderbolt reservist.”
“Reason for visit.”
Finally! A question Vapor had been prepared for! “I need a ticket for the upcoming Wonderbolt’s airshow here in Cloudsdale. My parents told me a pony named Pinstripe could help me get that.”
The lights in the room clicked on, revealing four ponies, one sat in a chair opposite of Vapor, the rest preceding him in the room. They all wore pinstripe suits and fedoras.
“Hello, Mrs. Trail. Welcome to my humble abode.” The pony sat in front of her proclaimed. He spoke in a deep Manehattan accent, though she doubted he was really from there.
Vapor frowned. “I’m not married.”
“Not an issue, Ms. Trail. I, Pinstripe, have the ticket your looking for, I can personally assure you. Question is, why should I sell it to a beatnik like you?” Two ponies behind him took a hold of the one in the middle and started laying into him. “Hold on! What in Tartarus are you fools doing?”
The beatdown ceased, the two offenders and their victim looking at their leader like they had just been caught stealing out of grandmothers cookie jar.
“You told us ta ‘Beat Nick’, boss.” Said the one on the right.
“Yeah boss, we was just followin’ ordahs.” Said the one on the left.
The one in the middle weakly brought his head up, revealing a mouth with a few missing teeth and a black eye. “You know, as much as I don’t like gettin’ hurt boss, they isn’t wrong. You told thems to beat me. You should commend them for followin’ ordahs to tha tee, boss.”
Pinstripe’s nose started to bleed a bit, a vein in his head having popped. “I-I don’t even know what to say. You three are easily the dumbest, most blindly ignorant and stupid nitwit’s I have ever had the displeasure of working with.” The defeated looking pegasus slumped back in his chair, giving a ‘Get a load of this!’ look at Vapor Trail. She responded with an uncomfortable shrug and smile.
“20 years, Vapor. 20 long years of this.” He waved his arms as if to present the three stooges to his guest, wiping his nose in the process. “Whats tha point of a ticket skimming empire if ya gotta deal wit dis every day? Jeeze Louise.” The pony let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, Ms. Trail, just take tha ticket. I’m gettin’ to old fah dis anyway.” The old stallion hoofed a gold trimmed paper ticket to Vapor, which was graciously accepted. “I’m sure ya would get mo’ use outta it anyway.”
Vapor jumped out of her seat, giving the depressed stallion a much needed hug. “Oh! Thank you so much Pinstripe!”
The dapperly dressed pony recoiled a bit, but returned the hug with a pat on the shoulders. “Don’t sweat it, kid.”
Vapor practically rammed out of the door, flying past a surprised looking, now unemployed escort pony. Turning back to his grunts, Pinstripe chastised the three.
“Morons, the lot of you!”
—
Vapor once again stood with the purple-green dragon in the desert, his body less obscured now that the windstorm had died down a bit.
“Hello again. I have the ticket, and the bits.” Vapor’s voice didn’t sound like anypony’s in particular, just that she kinda sounded like she smoked 3 packs a day.
“Good. As a little bonus, I’m throwing in the first Protectors issue. It’s a reprint though, hope you don’t mind.” His voice took on the likeness of Nanny Trejos’.
“I’ll leave the ticket and the bits at my end, you leave the comics at yours. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Dropping their respective items at their feet/hooves, the two made the half circle journey to their newfound wealth. The dragon jumped up when he layed his claws on the ticket.
“Thank you!” The dragon called out, but the pegasus had already flown away.
—
“Surprise!”
Sky Stinger had not expected the sudden flash of light and streamers. From what he was told, he was going over to Vapor Trail’s parent’s home for a nice ‘get to know each other’ dinner, but was indeed surprised by the birthday party that had spawned.
“Surprise honey!” Vapor hugged the nearly paralyzed pegasus, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. “Thought it would be a nice ice-breaker.”
“I didn’t even remember it was my birthday!” He exclaimed, oblivious to his own date of birth.
Vapor just looked at him in disbelief, smiled, and hugged her oaf a bit harder. “I love you Sky.”
“I love you too!” He responded quite enthusiastically.
The night was full of hearty laughs and storytelling. Sky’s family had made the short trip to Vapor’s parent’s house, and the home was feeling a bit crowded to say the least. Nopony minded however, as they were all to distracted by the joyous feast Vapor had prepared with her parents before the arrival of the special guest. After the typical happy birthday song was sung, Vapor hoofed over the well earned (If not luckily acquired) comic to her coltfriend, which he could barely contain his excitement for.
Ironically enough though, she found that the laughter and bonding the family shared was better than any gift she could give. If it’s one thing Vapor learned, it’s that in the end, the best gift anypony could ask for is family. And she had plenty of that to go around.
FIN
