Morning Ponyville (Concluded)

[GEffect]

Thunder Cracker must have forgotten the clues that Slipstream a strong pegasus because when she picked him up the way she did. TC had the most dumb looking expression on his face.
mlpforums.com/uploads/monthly_04_2013/post-12871-0-15181100-1367250562.png
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2056-this_face.gif. With one simple tug then off they go. Thunder Cracker was down right speechless at first. Until then he was just trying to figure out what just happened. Now the wind sucker punch was just an accident and Thunder Cracker didn't really feel anything that had possibly hurt him until he slammed into the wall. So in any case that was an illusion to any hint of Slipstream's natural strength. Now one big clue was when She nearly split TC into two pieces by her emotional hug of pain. That was a big enough sign she had strength and, you better believe TC got the message clearly since he was the pony that went through it. However he didn't suspect that she would be this strong. It didn't even seem as she did anything which made the matter worse. All Slipstream did was hover above TC, get a firm hold of him with her fore-legs, and then TC found himself floating of the ground in mere seconds. Also not to forget Slipstream of course had the nerve to remark that TC isn't really heavy. "Well that is easy to see now thank for pointing it out," TC replied sarcastically. "You are enjoying this aren't you." TC added in a brief manner of trying to state what might be obvious already. It is a cold thing to hear. The sad disappointed words of a stallion who has lost parts of his pride and ego all together in a sandwich of confusion...pitiful isn't it. May Thunder Cracker's self-esteem rest in pieces. Not peace that is long gone; so it may rest in pieces. So far the couple tally for TC and Slipstream would be, TC: lost track of any wins actually to Slipstream: on hold for future wins bound to happen later.

(OOC: This whole paragraph took me a while to type because I couldn't stop laughing when I pictured TC's face in my mind. Now I realize how sad this moment is for him because he has lost any sense of what to do with himself now XD)

Without warning Slipstream ascended further up into the sky at a fast pace. TC remained silent to let her focus and just because he had no purpose to talk anyway. With every passing second TC and Slipstream grew in height and TC was starting to feel a little uneasy about it. But the last thing he wanted to happen is that he passes out in front of Slipstream at a random moment for two reasons. Number one: It would be a long fall. Number two: odds are she wouldn't let TC live down the small shame for a while. Fortunately she had slowed down a bit for the rest of the ride in which made Thunder Cracker now cool and calm. The two ponies passed through the cloud barrier and Slipstream had set TC down on the cloud's ground gently.

The cyan pegasus had patted TC on the head in which he just ignored and trotted off a little bit to look around. Slipstream instantly asked what Thunder Cracker thought of the place, with no object named in particular. So Thunder Cracker did what most ponies would do; wing it. "It is....uh....really puffy?...yeah puffy. I don't know but the ground is soft. And.....this is a really nice shade of white. I'm sorry Slipstream but you didn't ask about any specific thing so..." TC took a moment to think about what he said. He figured that was an unneeded thing to do after she just carried him up here in the first place so he thought of a better response to help both of them. "You know what?...How about you show me around a little bit. I haven't been up here in a while so why don't we just look around together that would be nice right? A small stroll on the clouds will comfort both of us at the same time instead of just me. That wouldn't be fair for you anyway even if you brought me here."

[Dark Star]

Slipstream thoroughly enjoyed giving her little "passenger" a ride up to the clouds. "Maybe" she said coyly in response to Thunder Cracker's question on the same subject. She knew right away that the stallion's pride was just shot down at the revelation, but couldn't really do anything to stop it. Sure, she could've simply brought down a cloud like she said earlier, 'but that wouldn't be fun' as Slipstream would put it. She'd done a lot of lifting other ponies before, but in a lot of different ways; she could move them horizontally by flying passed them at high velocity, or she could allow them to ascend higher by flying around them and creating centripetal force. Either way, she could always move other ponies extremely easily. 

After touching down on the cloudy ground, Thunder Cracker managed to find some way to answer the question Slipstream had asked him, earning an airy little giggle from the younger pony. She held a hoof out in front of her face effeminately and smiled. "I was more or less looking for how you felt about being carried, and by a girl no less" she stated with a smug expression. "But the cloud-talk is just as nice though" she stated soon after. She trotted up to him and nuzzled against his side, draping a wing over the stallion's shoulder. At that time, he suggested going for a stroll through the cloudy "land"scape, to which Slipstream smiled at more. "I'd like that. Just be careful where you step though, you can walk right off the edge of one cloud and not even realize it until, too late" she warned. "N-not that it's ever happened to me, I just heard it from some-pony!" she quickly defended at the last moment. 

[GEffect]

Thunder Cracker was not shocked by Slipstream's initial response and reactions what so ever. He simply stood up on his hind legs then shrugged his shoulders and fore legs, followed by a "What are you gonna do" look on his face. Slipstream cut out her actions of humiliating Thunder Cracker and agreed to the walk he had suggested. With all that said she gladly trotted up close to TC getting comfy in the same fashion as she did before. Snuggled to his side with one warm and comfy wing on his shoulder. Kind of like a sweet and soft pillow except it is more fun to squeeze. And better yet that pillow was just for him. Slipstream was also thankfully nice enough to warn Thunder Cracker about when walking on the clouds it was important to be careful where exactly he stepped. He guessed because of the weightless air that was the problem. If you fell it really doesn't feel that different maybe because of the similar quantity. "Sure I will try to be careful where I step don't worry." Thunder Cracker couldn't help but laugh at Slipstream's self-inflicted attempt to save her own pride after she mentioned falling."Whatever you say Slipstream I won't judge...yet."TC remarked in a half playful tone with a smirk cross his muzzle.

To actually begin the adventure Thunder Cracker started trotting with his beloved Slipstream right beside him. The rythmn in hoof steps was in an average pace and smooth feeling on the cloud surface. He looked at the scenery around him but, he couldn't really tell what is what. It was a longer time away from CloudsDale then TC thought. Where exactly could he and Slipstream go if he is so clueless about the whole area. He just decided to ask her himself for a recap on this temporary foreign land. "Hey Slips..If you do mind me calling you that...I was just wanting to know what exact part of Cloudsdale are we in? Also to give just a thought I had. Is there a specific place you wanna go while we are trotting around?" It wasn't like he had a map that pictures this place very well so he should probably just visit good points of interest anyway. It would be best for Slipstream to pick them in the first place since she has a history here. Then once Thunder Cracker is done being a tourist he and Slipstream could have some fun to themselves for once.

[Dark Star]

Thunder Cracker seemed to be amused with Slipstream's warning, though he did heed it regardless. Afterwords, he began leading the two of them forward with Slipstream's wing still firmly latched onto his shoulder. Slipstream had only really this once before, and at that time, she was just acting out what she'd seen in theaters-how lovers act. She had to help the guy get passed something awful going through his life at the time and managed to get through it just wonderfully.

The little memory aside, Slipstream felt a scowl cross her muzzle at the mention of a little pet name Thunder Cracker had come up with. He had asked her what part of Cloudsdale they were in, giving a small reason for Slipstream to be slightly annoyed. "First off, don't call me Slips. If anything, I'd rather use my other nickname, 'Streamer'" she told him with a high-and-mighty tone. "And second, we aren't even in Cloudsdale. The actual thing a good 10 or 20 mile flight to the west, and we're in the east. Right now, you and I are just walking on some free-range clouds that aren't scheduled for breaking anytime soon" she explained in a much more calm tone.

While she could never remember exact coordinates, Slipstream was capable of remembering the exact location of her old hometown. If was one of the few things that she could never forget about, no matter what the situation may have been. The sights alone could explain the apparent lack of what made Cloudsdale a true city based in the clouded skies. "As for where I wanna go, I'd rather we just keep walking where we're walking. Nothing in the way, but no immediate stops to hop over to another cloud. It's a win-win" she said with a big smile.

[GEffect]

Not much to be said here. First off Thunder Cracker has two things he knows for sure he should NOT mess with when it comes to Slipstream. Number one was her ears and now number two was her name. Oh well hit and miss is how these things go. So he just let it drop and moved on. Along with the information given about what nickname should be used with Slipstream and what shouldn't. She also added where the actual CloudsDale was located. Hearing this Thunder Cracker couldn't help but face hoof himself really hard to his misguided question. "I guess that should have been obvious for me. Thanks Slipstream at least I know now." TC sighed just a little. He tries not to over think things but, for some reason he just can't be the mellow TC he usually is. If so this is probably a moment you would label "try hard". Yup that seemed to fit just right. All the laughs just faded away for awhile. If that is the case then TC was fine with that. Laughing isn't the only thing to gave a good time. Thunder Cracker is just so used to having to being the joker of a group just to get by. However when he gets into something much larger then just jokes such as a relationship he tends to forget what should be done and what shouldn't in the beginning. At the same time with all these mistakes TC learns from them and attempts to become better for any occasion. So If he just loosened up a bit and relaxed like he should have this whole time maybe he could really enjoy himself completely.

Slipstream had said she wanted to just continue walking instead of going to some random place. So if that is how it is gonna be then by all means Thunder Cracker would participate with no objections."If that's what you want. Then let the walking commence....now." Thunder Cracker was fully aware that the two were already walking but, he only said that to get his original vibes going again. He just needed to be his real self a little better than...well what ever was done in the past few hours before now. TC released the bottled up tension in his shoulders because, they have been coiled up for who knows how long which didn't help at all. His stride was a little more flexible now instead of stiff and boulder-like. He loosened every part of his body that he had all tensed up and just let the cloud beneath him act as a squishy sponge against his hooves with each step that was made. This made his whole body a whole lot softer and more comfy to be against it was almost like magic. The small streams of wind blew through his mane and tail quite calmly and just made them flow in a smooth form. TC could metaphorically feel his whole edged up mood changing into the mellow TC he really knew deep inside. Finally with a quiet long breath his facial expression changed last. His eyebrows instead of being sharp and straight became smooth and curved giving his appearance a gentle and peaceful look. His muzzle was complimented by a small smile with no teeth showing just the line between both lips curved up on one end. Then his eyes instead of being dead ahead in a 1000 mile kind of stare were just relaxed and still finalizing TC's mood transformation. Thunder Cracker's ears tilted down a little slightly instead of pointing up at space like random arrows sticking out of his orange head. TC shook out his hair just a little to let it rest in its natural position on the right side of his face.

Thunder Cracker was in a state of true calm pleasure and natural harmony. His mind was cleared of straining thoughts, his body was released of any locked up tension as his tail flicked from left to right every so often from his hind leg's strides, and best of all he had a great companion to share it all with. The sky had a mixture of light blue and a slightly darker blue scrambled in random places. Very few but some birds were soaring through the air free for TC and Slipstream to spy upon if one of them chose to. The sun was somewhere high up far off to the south-east quarters so it wouldn't be in their eyes unless on of them looked back directly at it. No sound from the wind could be heard easily unless you choose to focus your own ears to the wind passing by them. As still as its noise was the wind also had a soothing temperature to it so that is perfect for those who wanted to take a big breath to refresh themselves. If a pony were to look of the edge of a cloud they would see a variety of colors from buildings in Ponyville below them. However by the altitude no pony would hear the voice of another's down below even if they screamed the loudest they could handle while the same goes for those on the clouds also. TC let himself soak in the invisible aura of peace that filled the area within. He enjoyed being wrapped next to Slipstream as much as he enjoys donuts. Which may be an exaggeration but give the stallion a break his is calm, silent, and happy underline the silent part. TC has not said a word since he changed his mood. He didn't plan to either. No stupid jokes, no random question, just silence. If TC wanted the attention of Slipstream of vice versa then it would just happen; otherwise the noise would remain quiet from him. Thunder Cracker simply just walked along and jumped when it was time for him and Slipstream to change the current cloud they strolled upon. So in any case this was a moment to remember for sure.

[Dark Star]

The two ponies walked upon the cloudy road in complete silence. The air was calm, cool, and tranquil, everything you'd expect from a road made of clouds. It was a good thing that no clouds were scheduled to be destroyed during the day, or at least the few clouds they had weren't. If such a thing were to occur, then whole new measures of humiliation were to arise for her stallion companion. She already hurt his pride, and his spine for that matter, she didn't want to do anything to make things worse. While she didn't know much about stallion personalities, she knew for certain that a plucky young mare such as herself being stronger than he was would not be the best thing. She had to put aside her strength just to spare his feelings. 'How hard could that be?' she thought. 

The couple continued in silence over the road until they reach the edge of the cloud. Slipstream raised one of her fore-legs and stopped TC from advancing any further. "One sec, Babe, gotta move a few a couple things" she stated before leaping off the side of the cloud and flying below. She looked around and found there were a few clouds still in the air. "Weird..." she mused, and weird it was. Normally, the clouds were broken apart long before this time. Then again, it was relatively early in the morning, so it's not like all the cloud-busters were required to mobilize for their job just yet. Still, Slipstream couldn't help but tread carefully for the time being. She raised a few clouds higher and moved them in front of the path she and TC were walking on and then roosted next to her courting stallion in peace. 

"There, much better" she announced with a quick dusting of her hooves. "Just another workplace made safe by the one and only" she stated with a smug grin. 

[GEffect]

Thunder Cracker and Slipstream were strolling upon this cloud for a small amount of time. Finally they had reached the edge of it with many other puffs of condensed water and oxygen in sight ahead of them. Slipstream had moved her fore-hoof in of Thunder Cracker's chest while speaking out telling him to halt his movement; also with a small add in with the word "babe" to that sentence. TC held his ground keeping his position like Slipstream wanted as she flew down below to handle what was required. TC took another good look at the atmosphere around him before Slipstream returned with a cloud created bridge to help carry on their sky high journey above Ponyville. Slipstream in no rush resumed her position being comfy right next to Thunder Cracker to continue what was stopped. Then the two once again began their smooth walk together in unison and much loving passion for one another.

TC figured it has been way to long since he has said a word. All the peace he could absorb has already been taken in so not much can be done from that point on. So why not try and start a private conversation to make up what was lost in the park. "So then," TC began "If you don't mind me asking how many times have you been up here. Also I got to admit you were right about how I would feel being here. You are a real generous pony you know that. Even if others can't seem to get past some of the odd things you may do. I can clearly see you have a beatiful and warm heart inside." TC was still walking forward and keeping an eye out for any edges of the cloud pathway. But he spoke in a voice that should be good enough for Slipstream to hear clearly without talking directly at her. He was curious to what time it was however. The day seemed so slow it was aggravating in some ways to think of how a stallion and a mare could spend time together. TC was certain he still had some sandwiches in his bag but, if not maybe he could get Slipstream to go to a restaurant. Better yet why not go to a movie theater. No that is too cliche to try and attempt and TC disliked being cliche at times. Well whatever he thought of it should be asked when TC and Slipstream finish their cloud walk. Until then the two should just enjoy themselves.

Thunder Cracker began to trot a little ahead of Slipstream after a few minutes. He had his self-esteem back again and all his playful vibes have returned. So now TC wanted to try and lighten the overall mood a little bit more. He stuck his head up in the air a little more with his muzzle pointing diagonally to the sky. With every step he would shift his neck to one side then in a "U" kind of motion would shift to the other side. Thunder Cracker's steps were kind of regal-like as he did this as his tail flicked from side to side along with his rear. After a couple minutes of doing this TC turned his head to look at Slipstream while slightly bobbing it to keep rythmn. "Come on Slipstream join me in a "fancy" walk along the clouds no pony will see you right. It's fun!" TC boasted in a joyful tone. He turned his attention to the path in front of him. Up ahead was a drop to another cloud below however it had a ledge looking thing next to it. TC continued his rythmn and strutted to the drop hiding a devilish smile while he went of course from the cloud path. Then mimicking a form of a pony losing balance he pretended to fall off the edge but, really he landed on the ledge safely and then trotted his way down to the cloud below. He did this quietly and swiftly until he reached the other cloud. He turned around and started dancing in place similar to his strutting waiting for Slipstream to react.

[Dark Star]

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Thunder Cracker finally spoke up. Slipstream may enjoy the quiet times sometimes, but getting loud and chatting ponies up was much more her style. The words the unicorn spoke were practically out of a fairy tale; sweet, kind, something that just pulled upon your heart strings really. It completely caught her off-guard with how eager he was with the praising, but something in her heart wanted things to...slow down. "Well, gee, I...um, I-I just, well..." she stammered. For the first time since her date with Onyx Bass, she was actually speechless.

Her focus shifted from all sorts of different places in her mind during all of this. First there was the usual side of her that argued how she shouldn't be so "girly" and should take a stand against such emotions. Then there was the effeminate side that argued how a maiden such as herself shouldn't be so coarse all the time and should live the moment the way that all fillies do. The two sides of her personality were in complete conflict and threatened to to give her a panic attack unless she managed to calm down. Luckily for her, Thunder Cracker started messing around and shifted her focus onto him in the process.

He was prancing forward as if a 10-foot pole had snaked its way up his butt and created some kind of rhythmic pattern to go along with it. She also felt his tail whipping from one direction to another, sometimes striking her around her flank, which was primarily the reason she woke from her trance in the first place. He leaped from one cloud to another with a surprising degree of expertise, moving his hooves and his body like he just made up some new kind of dance craze. The whole was just odd to watch. She did remember hearing him say something along the lines of joining him, which was fun in it's own right for one thing and also the fact that no-pony would see them. She smiled and flew over to him, then started to try and follow his rhythm and even copy the way he danced, hoping that it would take her mind off her feelings for just a bit.

[GEffect]

Slipstream couldn't figure out what to say when TC had said what he said earlier. He didn't know what that meant but, whatever it was made her become silent a little; why was that? Well he may find out eventually so there might not be any need to think about it for too long. It was just an unexpected outcome to TC to witness so soon because he didn't think his words could even do such a thing. However most of all Thunder Cracker was surprised that Slipstream didn't burst out on the cloud's ground laughing or start begging TC to stop dancing around like the idiot he is. In fact she actually agreed to do the "fancy" walk with him?!! It would be a funny sight to witness indeed. Fortunately for them no pony was exploring up here like he claimed before. Slipstream smiled while she flew down to him then tried to copy his movements to figure out how exactly he is even doing that weird dance. TC couldn't hold back the wide smile in return that was spreading across his face from watching her. TC slowed his dancing down a bit so she could track it properly. "Yeah that's it! Just strut like you have never strutted before Slipstream. No need to feel restricted about it just let loose!" Thunder Cracker carried on his fun and jumped onto a near by wall then climbed it to the floor on top. The clouds are easy to grip so it was really easy to do something crazy on them without trying. With a running start TC leaped on to a cloud wall that had a parallel wall a few feet next to it. Then with a small forceful push he began to leap from wall to wall like an odd pinball trick. TC started laughing as he bounced from each cloud he found.

After a decent amount of time performing his visual example TC timed a well aimed bounce and leaped back to the same cloud Slipstream had followed him on. He landed softly with a small smile on his face as he trotted back to Slipstream. "See? It can be really fun to do retarded things sometimes you just gotta feel it with in you. Since it is just us two up here we can practically just make our own rules and have a good time regardless right." Thunder Cracker looked down at a cloud far down below theirs. He smiled because he had an idea come across his mind. TC powered up his horn and then shot a sparkling white beam of magic at the cloud below which formed a visible white aura around it. Then he looked back at Slipstream with a little grin. "Hehe...watch this." TC straightened up his stance then did a back flip off the cloud TC and Slipstream were on. Thunder Cracker had put a flexibility spell on the cloud he shot with magic. The spell lasts for just a couple hours or when the spell caster decides to end it. After that whatever the object was before the spell effected it turns back to how it was in the natural state in a bright flash like the teleportation spell. Once TC connected with the cloud with his back it expanded inward slightly to capture his falling speed. Then sling-shotted him towards the sky with a great amount of upward thrust. Thunder Cracker blasted past the cloud he jumped off of in mere seconds after launch with his mane and tail moving in a wave-like motion from the wind flowing through them. "YEEEeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhh!!! Woo Hoo!!!" TC yelled out as he rocketed high up in the air and did some spins before gravity brought him back down. "Come on Slipstream you can try it too!!," TC began to say as he fell back down going past the cloud he jumped off of and landed back on his magic made slingshot cloud with a funny "Boooooeeeing" sound sending him back up into the sky past the first cloud again. "It is really easy just leap down at that cloud I shot with magic and then let the spell do the rest!" TC continued to bounce and do air tricks many times before he started to control his jumps so he could see if Slipstream would take the chance and try to bounce up here with him or request something else she wanted to do instead.

[Dark Star]

Slipstream had managed to get the rhythm down just fine, picturing a tune that worked out with the style they were "dancing". The two continued their dance until Slipstream noticed Thunder Cracking making bolder moves, one of them being jumping into some of the cloud walls surrounding them. In spite of being a unicorn, he really knew how to mess around in the clouds. His moves were also impressive for that matter, it almost seemed as though he had done these sorts of things before. She knew it was a little strange, but she honestly couldn't think straight with the adrenaline in the air. She watched in slight worry when he had leaped off the edge and started plummeting towards one of the clouds below. It became clear why it was he had zapped that cloud with his magic before jumping off, since he had bounced back up as if the cloud were actually a trampoline. 

Slipstream was greatly impressed by how adept Thunder Cracker's magical use seemed to be. Then again, she only really had Dark Star for the magical comparison, and she only knew a few spells that she simply used all the time. The only really impressive thing she showed off was her creation of magical stars used for her little lectures about them. Sometimes, she actually tried being entertaining once and managed to make the magically-created stars spin and move in all sorts of other directions. It was actually quite the sight to behold. 

Her thought process was interrupted once again as Thunder Cracker invited her to join. For the first time ever, she actually hesitated. She knew how dangerous jumping on a cloud could be for a pegasus, since she could accidentally alter the weather it's producing and either make it rain or start crackling with lightning. Either way, jumping on a cloud was dangerous for a pegasus. But after seeing TC enjoy herself for as long as he was, she through all caution to the wind that usually guided her and leaped down. She was expecting to hear the crackle of thunder, but was surprised to feel the now-elastic surface pushing her back with just as much force as she had falling upon it. She bounced a bit and smiled, giggling to herself and joining in with the same enthusiasm TC himself presented. "This is amazing!" she cheered once she had caught up to the orange unicorn mid-air. 

[GEffect]

Slipstream surely is a dare-devil in her own right. Thunder Cracker was almost certain she wouldn't jump because of the whole pegasi being able to manipulate clouds nonsense. She had been standing on the edge like a statue for a good while. TC would understand though if she didn't want to. Thunder Cracker wasn't being a complete dork just jumping high on enchanted cloud; more of just a test of his own to see if Slipstream would do such a silly thing and go against her morals. TC had a great smile on his face as Slipstream caught up with him smiling just like him. She had yelled something as well with almost about as equal enthusiasm as TC had the first time. "It sure is.." *Boooeeeeing!* "Now that you are up here you are officially ready to get to the really fun part.." *booeeeing!* "When you bounce off the cloud and get really high like we are now.." *boooeeeing* "Just start moving your body around and do cool, weird, or even insane tricks in the air like this..." On the next bounce TC did a triple back flip then on the next one TC landed on his back sending him in a 360 spin with all four hooves spread out like some kind of four-pointed star then turned his body again to face Slipstream in mid-air like before. "Now you try; all you gotta do is shift your weight...like as if you were flying to do aerial stunts...I guess." TC tried to use a term similar to flying the best he could manage so Slipstream would understand his bad explanation or so he thought it sounded like a bad explanation.

With sometime spent jumping on that cloud with Slipstream TC wanted to change something up a bit. He thought of ideas for a while not noticing he looked like an awkward statue in the form of sitting on a park bench with a hoof on his chin. He stayed like that until his face brightened up when an idea came to him. Thunder Cracker charged up his horn again and shot a multiple other clouds with the same spell he did the first one. Soon enough a fair trail of clouds were glowing with a magical aura making a type of race course toward a large area made of clouds that wasn't effect by the spell. That uneffected area was to be treated as the finish line of the cloud course. TC doesn't give up easy and he really wanted that rematch with Slipstream from the race they did earlier so he once again challenged her to a race. This time with a modified style. "Hey babe, once you get the hang of cloud jumping, Do you wanna try and beat me in a race to that large cloud all the way over there. Every single one of this smaller ones have the spell cast on them so you shouldn't have to worry about messing them up ok? It follows that pathway down there so if one of us fall we have a soft and comfy safety pad to land on making this the perfect rematch."

[Dark Star]

Slipstream's eyes narrowed the second Thunder Cracker set up the idea of a race. Her heartbeat immediately accelerated at the sight of the orange unicorn taking a head-start. Ooh, was he ever going to pay for doing that. She tensed up her muscles and pounced down upon the cloudy trail, one after another. She had managed to catch on quick and caught up to him in seconds. She glanced over at him and smiled, then took off immediately, making certain not to use her wings to prevent knocking TC off course. 'Wouldn't wanna have an unfair advantage, after-all' she thought. She couldn't tell which of the clouds was marked as the finish line, but she could tell that the last glowing one on the lot must've been it. She tried her absolute hardest to keep her body straight as she leaped forward and landed directly on the finish line. 

She flipped onto her back and started to let out her laughter. She hadn't enjoyed anything quite like this, not even at Onyx Bass' concert. If Thunder Cracker was willing to do all of this just for her sake, then she knew right away that she was in the perfect relationship. She sat up and looked around, finding her courtship partner right next to her. She playfully tapped his knee with a hoof and smirked at him. "You really are too much" she said in a charming tone. She crossed her fore-legs behind her head and lied down on her back, relaxing on the surface of the cloud, completely contempt with the world. 

[GEffect]

Thunder Cracker knows he cheated just a little bit when he started so early. Ok it was a lot a bit but, can you blame him? Slipstream has practiced this racing thing before thousands of times. He logically had no chance against a pony with that caliber of skill. However TC is a stallion that has huge willpower and competitive spirit when it comes to good challenges especially ones he makes for himself. Could you say he is some what of a perfectionist at times. Maybe but he definitely is not at a full extent to when if one thing is a little off he will go through some unneeded mental break down trying to be a perfect pony because that is not how TC lives. What does this topic have to do with Thunder Cracker trying to smoke Slipstream in this race on the clouds? The answer is absolutely simple: 100% gain of nothing. He has no point in doing this other than giving him and Slipstream a fun time on the clouds. More importantly Slipstream because, TC can snap into the best day ever just like that but, also can become very dark, and moody. Being only one really bad insult away from wanting to cause havoc on anything in sight if he is provoked well enough for a very long period of time. Fortunately TC has great control over his darker side by constantly shining his inner happiness over all those built up negative feelings. But like every pony else he has a weak spot which has thankful not been exposed to those with bad intentions. So he figures he should be a good stallion and, please whom he is spending so much time with for the time being out of the kindness from his heart like usual.

Any hoof during the start of the race Thunder Cracker had a good pace going while he was leaping from cloud to cloud. Yet Slipstream just does not let up for one bit when in the heat of a competition and of course caught up to him very quickly. He looked at her just as she did to him but, she was smiling when Slipstream glanced over in his direction. TC lost focus for that one second and his cyan rival immediately overtook him in one swift move. Thunder Cracker flinched a little expecting a giant gust of wind to knock him all over the place but, luckily Slipstream had made sure that didn't happen again for his sake. To bad that made him lose his pace and fall way behind in the process. Struggle as he might TC just couldn't get any closer then soon enough with one triumphant leap Slipstream claimed her victory once again. TC landed on the makeshift finish line shortly after she did. As TC in a tired manner trotted up to her. Slipstream was on the ground laughing from the rush of racing on the clouds shockingly. As much as being beaten twice in a row sucked TC was happy to at least help Slipstream do as much as she was doing now. The orange stallion had no doubts she could think of these things herself on her own time but, this was just a small special gift for all the great moment she helped create till now. Man Thunder Cracker is a sucker for mares that pushed him to the edge in a good way and, Slipstream proved to be the best of all of them at this point. Her good looks aided in only the natural-type of requirements for him. As for all the more important things she seemed to have also. No wonder he was so mind broken at the park every time he looked at her. With a small grin on his muzzle TC slumped down next to his marefriend of fate. She tapped him on the knee to gain his attention then added an assumed compliment right after. With some short heavy breaths TC eventually found the air to speak to her. "Thank you...that means a lot....oh man..*huff*....I am too young for this junk." TC leaned backwards and laid his body down on the soft cloud floor underneath him just as Slipstream was. Thunder Cracker had turned his head towards her to speak when his rude tummy had interrupted with a sorta loud gurgle as a sign for wanting food to be eaten. TC rolled his eyes at this odd moment and quickly took out two sandwiches from his saddle bag that was in dire need to be remove because it was digging into TC in very uncomfortable ways. Even now the freshly wrapped sandwiches were in a tasty condition. TC poked Slipstream's own tummy with one of them to see if she wanted it for a snack.

[Dark Star]

Slipstream loved every second that she spent with Thunder Cracker. It was odd, but she felt like she could spend the rest of her life with this guy. She couldn't understand any of it herself, but guessed it would only be a matter of time before she did. 'Growing up is a bigger pain than I thought it was' she remembered herself saying after moving to Ponyville. She was a headstrong mustang from Cloudsdale that moved to Ponyville because she had the hots for a mare she followed into the forest. That same mare became a close friend and borderline family member after a small argument that stopped halfway through for some reason. 'Why did she change her mind like that anyway?' she started to wonder. It wasn't the first time she had thought back to that day all those months ago, but it was one of the things she couldn't forget about after having known about for as long as she has. She sighed and let her thoughts return to her coltfrie-'Wait, I can't just jump the gun here. I gotta find out if he really feels that way about me, but I can't tell him my feelings before him!' she thought. 

Thunder Cracker managed to catch her attention once again as the tapping of his hoof against her belly snapped her out of her mental monologue. She felt a little hot under the proverbial collar when he touched her, but gladly took him up on the sandwich he had offered. "Thanks a lot, Babe" she said in a joyous gratitude. She snatched the sandwich up and began chowing down right away. (OOC: Like it's been stated before, Slipstream does a lot of things fast). She licked her hoof clean and resumed her relaxation. "Pretty good work, if I do say so myself" she complimented absent-mindedly. 

Now that she had gotten something to eat, she was ready to find a way to convince Thunder Cracker to convince his feelings first. Somehow he had gotten her feathers ruffled and manage to tongue-tie her, and yet she was usually the one who had all the seduction plans. How this guy came in and left her flabbergasted was a complete mystery. She looked over at him with a serious expression and vowed to herself that he'd be the one to say his feelings first. "So...how would ya describe the situation with us now?" she asked. Whether it was hanging out with others or flying through the skies, subtly was not something Slipstream knew about. Most saw it as a hindrance towards any general idea of secrecy, others found it to be a unique quirk that lots of ponies had. How TC felt about it, she didn't know.  

[GEffect]

Everything seemed to come into motion at its own time now. Thunder Cracker is done doing anything insane for the time being so that freed Slipstream up for some of her own plans. TC had a feeling that he remembers being up here before with either his dad or his sister Stratosphere after her trip to the clouds as way back then. Either way he just now started to remember all the time he and his sister would take to venture up to the clouds and just relax in a world all to themselves. But now he has a new "S" named pegasi to be with that had a deeper meaning to his life and, that pegasi is Slipstream. The two ponies were just laying down on the clouds together enjoying the comfort of the surroundings. So none of them have said a word since their rematch epilogue. TC being the stallion he is got hungry all over again. Luckily he had some sandwiches to give out for now and, if Thunder Cracker and Slipstream wanted to go to a restaurant at another time TC wouldn't mind at all he has bags of bits that he has been saving up for any occasion he can think of.

When Thunder Cracker poked Slipstream's tummy with that sandwich she gladly took it. Now if the unicorn had been looking forward to a meal he recently made and, he could smell the fresh add-ons to it plus the meal itself. Then he would be bull-dozing through it then move on to some thing else like nothing happened. But in this situation he didn't have that kind of motivation to just destroy the sandwich and then move on. Nope this time he wanted to just enjoy it. Slipstream on the other hand; she didn't really care that much. She just ate the thing then made sure its remains were not roaming around some where with a useful cleaning. TC was only half way through his when she complimented on how the sandwich tasted. TC looked at her impressed how fast she could just do one thing then carry on to the next. TC finished his snack shortly after Slipstream did and, also made sure nothing was left from it anywhere on his body too. When his check was through Slipstream had asked him a question he completely forgot to expect from her. It was very important for him to answer this question in true words. Slipstream kind of threw it out there out of no where but, TC was well aware what she asked. Just a simple question on how he thought of the situation between him and her but, it has a deep value between both either way. Thunder Cracker already knew his answer because of that mental talk he had with his dad who asked a similar question then which is greatly helping him now. TC sat up on his hind quarters then turned towards Slipstream to give her his full attention. TC was completely serious when giving his answer. There was no room for joking and, no joke that he would tell cause it would be funny anyway. "I had a feeling I was going to answer something like this sooner of later; I'm glad it is sooner so I can get it off my mind. Anyway the answer to this is simple really. At first it was just like you were my new best friend. Then somewhere along the lines you became some what of a second sister which is really saying a lot for me. But then at the park I realized that I had strong feeling for you and we both know how that got revealed. So this takes us to right now. I just can't stop thinking and hoping that we won't just be two ponies dating; doing random stuff even as fun as that may be. No that isn't good enough because to me your not just "that one hot mare in town". I have that kind of in love struck feeling when you have the idea that you found your other half in life. That half pizza of a pony that has found its missing slices. Slipstream I feel like you could be that dream mare friend that I could be with for the rest of my natural life. Not many ponies think too deeply into this whole dating thing because they wait too long for their assumed one and only to just show up but, that's not how it works. Now I just want me and you to be an official colt friend, mare friend couple you know instead of "just dating". So when ever your ready for such a thing I will be here for you as I always will shall. Slipstream......it's more then me just liking you.....I think I just flat out love you completely." And no truer words could be spoken unless something was left out. Again TC explaining himself to give a full picture to whom he was explaining it to. Which this is the most important thing to him at the moment of all. So once again TC waits in silence to hear Slipstream's next words if she even says anything.