Uncalled For

It wasn't like Thundershot wanted to be here. He glared at the large quantity of ponies, scattered across the clean, white sand. The salty breeze of ocean swept past his mane as his eyes settled on the rolling waves, crashing on the shore in white, foamy masses. He let out a sigh and slipped past the crowds of ponies, hurrying into the water. The refreshingly-icy liquid met his body with a small splash, soaking away some of the tension in his mind. He didn't like places that were so abundant with ponies. Of course, that was because Thundershot was antisocial... He shuddered at the thought of his sister at one of her many parties. How did she do it? How was it so easy for her to be around so many ponies with ease?

Speaking of his sister, though... That mare is evil. Using the newly revised edition of Tales of Neigh to convince me into coming to this stupid place... Thundershot recalled his red-maned sister bribing him with the romance novel (it was a secret that he fancied them) to "get out and socialize more".

He sunk a bit deeper into the sea-water, creating bubbles as he breathed through his nose a bit crankily. When the lifeguards turned away, he quickly dipped down, below the water, and sped off with his wings. As he resurfaced, he found himself at the edge of a small cave, the nearest pony several yards away. He frowned. Well, at least no one would bother him here.

Crystal Plunge was in the middle of a long afternoon snooze. She actually preferred this little cave over a real bed, even if it was a bit less comfortable. Something about the gentle lapping of the ocean on the tiny platform of rock in the back of her subconscious soothed her troubled soul, and she would just lay there and think for hours almost every day. It was her little sanctuary, her haven. And the loud ponies outside never came in, either; she could barely hear them. She didn't think any of them actually knew about this place.
Today, however, Crystal was not thinking. She was sleeping. She had been practicing tricks far from shore, and they were quite difficult. Not to mention the flight back; she was exhausted by the time she could see land again. She had no plans today, anyway; what was stopping her from a midday nap?
Crystal had just awoken when she noticed the pattern of the waves had suddenly become uneven; something was in the cave, or near it. What the heck, Crystal? How the hell did you even figure that out?! Seriously, you need to spend some time away from the water some days. Or at least out of this cave. She looked up, and squinted. Yes, there was the silhouette of a pony near the entrance of the cave. She rubbed the sleep out of her icy-blue eyes and started to decide whether to stay hidden or introduce herself.
No, she would stay hidden. If they took a liking to her, they might come back here. And she didn't want them to come back; this cave was the only place she could really be alone. Crystal Plunge was a solitary creature, and she intended to stay that way. She put her bright, icy mane and tail behind her as to not call attention to herself, and stayed still. Very still.

"Damn it," Thundershot cursed as he accidentally swallowed some of the salt-water, the sharp taste of sea on his tongue. He hadn't actually ingested much water, but the unwanted sting of the liquid lingered on his lips, mocking him. Shot frowned. He'd better find some sort of land to rest on; he didn't want to risk swallowing any more of this cursed ocean. He turned, scanning the mild darkness of the cave for any rock he could climb up onto. His bright, cerulean eyes found a flat platform and he swam silently toward it, pulling himself out of the water with ease. Shot shifted himself so his flank rested against the wall, which was surprisingly warm. And almost... soft? He panted lightly, growing calm in the shadows of the cave.

Until he noticed that, this entire time, he'd been pressing himself against a pegasus mare. "Whoa!" he yelled out as soon as he turned his head, cerulean orbs meeting icy blue. He wasn't quite aware of what had happened next, but he found himself in the water, mane messily matted down to his face. He must have slipped off of the rock-- it wasn't exactly dry, after all. Thundershot scowled, turning to the other pony. "How long have you been here?" he asked, voice a bit snappish.

As the pony climbed onto the rock, Crystal began to panic. If they see me, they'll wonder why the hell I was hiding! How am I going to explain that to them? As the pony got closer, she noticed he was a stallion. A pegasus, to be exact. He was a sort of dusty blue, like fog, and he had a blue mane. Crystal couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but he looked familiar. Very familiar. He kept walking towards her, and her heart beat quickened. He went right up to her and leaned against her. Alright, either I'm really good at hiding or he's a creep, she thought. She opened her mouth to say something, since at this point she was slightly uncomfortable, but he reacted a second before she did and jumped straight into the water. He cried out, and Crystal Plunge was showered with water droplets. Okay, I'm really good at hiding, she decided with a chuckle.
Deep inside, Crystal knew she should apologize for frightening him and help him out of the water, but instead, she just burst out laughing. She fell to the ground and rolled to her side, cracking up loudly. The stallion helped himself out of the salty water and irritably turned to her. "How long have you been there?" he snapped.
Crystal wiped at her eyes, where a few tears had formed. "I've been here for two hours and a half. How the hell did you not see me there?" She giggled. "Hey, you look really familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

He shook his head, trying to empty out the water that had gotten into his ears, but careful not to get the other pony wet. "Probably because you blend right in with the damned shadows," Thundershot muttered. He shrugged at the mare. "I don't know... I feel like I've seen you somewhere... were you mare on the main street? Performing?" He snorted, wringing his tail free of salt-water with his hooves. "Honestly-- couldn't you have said something when you noticed I was coming right your way? Something like, 'HEY, THERE'S SOMEPONY-ELSE HERE, SO DON'T LAY AGAINST THE WALL BECAUSE THAT'S ME--'"

Thundershot's cheeks burned a dark shade of crimson as he recalled pressing against the wall, which had actually been... Oh, crap. "Oh, Celestia. Sorry. I didn't mean to touch you," he stammered, "I didn't even want to. I wouldn't want to touch you."

He hadn't noticed (until it was probably too late) that he had said something offensive.

Crystal's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yeah! You were that stallion! I remember you now. Sorry about that, though. It's just that... when you first came in, I wanted to hide, and then you kept getting near me, and I wanted to hide still, but I knew I should have said something when you walked in." She giggled softly.
"Oh, Celestia. Sorry. I didn't mean to touch you," he stammered, "I didn't even want to. I wouldn't want to touch you."
Crystal thought over what he had said, focusing precisely on which words he had put stress on. She decided to be offended by the statement, and raised her voiced slightly. "Well, I'm sorry for forcing you to touch me. I wasn't the one who waltzed into this cave and started leaning against crap, was I? Do you think I planned all this out, that the weatherman told me you would come in here and lean against this wall in this spot?" Her voice has escalated to a shout. "Yeah, well I'm sorry about making you touch SCUM like me!" She frowned and sat down on the other side of the rock.
Crystal actually wasn't too offended by his words; she just kind of wanted to make a big deal out of something. She was a show off and a performer; it was in her nature to exaggerate situations.

Thundershot winced at the loudness of her voice, echoing in the cave, refusing to leave him alone. His ears pressed back against his skull, and though he felt guilty and slightly afraid, his face looked quite angry, his lips pulled back into a growl.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I-I didn't mean it like that. You aren't scum, you're..." He pressed his lips together. His voice was rough and harsh; it sounded as if he'd been pissed off, not apologetic. He inched farther away from Crystal, his tail hanging off of the side of the rock and the strands separating, bright blue hair streaming in the seawater. This is why you don't talk, he reminded himself irritably. It always... comes out wrong.

He swalloed. Hard. His voice softening, he mumbled, "You're pretty. And... uh..."

Thundershot scowled at what he'd said. This better not sound like a confession or anything. Great Luna, hadn't I just told myself not to speak so much? "Yeah." He felt rather pathetic and quite stupid right now.

The pegasus's voice echoed through the cave as he forced out an apology. He didn't sound sorry. Crystal, you are being so unreasonable right now. Just accept the apology and tell yourself you overreacted for no reason. He can't get his words out right and you know that. No, she wouldn't let herself do that. She couldn't allow him to think she was going to just forget about it that soon.
Then he said something that snapped her straight out of her thoughts. "You're pretty. And... uh..." there was a pause. "Yeah."
Okay, now she was confused. Where the hell did that come from? The words came out before she could think of an appropriate response. "I'm what?" she turned her head and stared at him to see that he was about to fall off the rock. She could feel her blood rushing to her face. No one ever told her she was pretty. Crystal, stop flattering yourself. The only reason he's saying that is because he wants to get out of the hole he's dug himself into. Still, she couldn't help but feel that he meant it.
There was a long silence, as both of them waited for the other to speak. What now? Of all the things he could have said, he had to say that.
"I don't know who you're kidding. I'm not pretty." she blurted out. Great, now it looks like I'm fishing for compliments. Dammit, he's just trying to make this hard for me, isn't he?

Heat pooled at his cheeks, his ears turning the same red as his flushed face. He tore his gaze away from her-- he hadn't noticed that he'd been staring, it was like she had some damned gravitational pull toward his eyes or something-- 

"I'm what?"

Silence. Shot didn't know.. he didn't know how to respond. In all of the cheesy romance novels he'd read, this was the moment where one party would confess their love to the other. But he barely knew this mare! If he liked anyone, it'd be Velra, the bright and cheerful unicorn actress, popular in the theatres of Canterlot. And besides, this was reality, not a fairytale-relationship book.

Before Thundershot could speak, a jumble of words tumbled out of Crystal's mouth. "I'm not pretty," she'd said.

"Yes, yes you are!" Shot persisted, eyes widening as he leaned toward her, honest and sincere. A long pause separated the two of them, though, and he pushed himself a bit farther away, easing into the water. Why had he told her that? Not that I don't think it's true, but... Are ponies usually so straightforward? Thundershot dipped down, beneath the surface of the water. As he rose up, he flicked his head back, his mane tossing the water droplets in the air for a second before they returned to the sea with a plip, plop. He turned to Crystal. I've already gone and mouthed off. Might as well as finish what I've started.

"You said earlier that.. that you were scum," Shot said, voice a bit uncertain. He lowered himself so his lips were barely above the ocean water's skin. "I... I disagree. Uh. You... you're not... you aren't scughhummmbbb." His last word became distorted as he let himself sink down a bit, water bubbling as he spoke. He spit out the oceanwater in the direction opposite to Crystal. 

"Yes, yes you are!" Thunder exclaimed. Crystal's eyes widened, and her ears stiffened. Shit. Shit. Shit. Nothing could have ever prepared me for something like that. What the hell do I say now? Is he going to say something? Whatthehellishappeningwhymewhymeohcelestiawhy?! Thundershot spoke again, interrupting her panicked thoughts.
"You said earlier that.. that you were scum," he said with the slightest shake to his voice. He lowered himself further into the cold, beautiful water, and the tips of his mane swirled around his neck. "I... I disagree. Uh. You... you're not... you aren't scughhummmbbb." He didn't finish his sentence before he slipped underneath the water, causing the water to bubble up and ripple. He lifted his head, now dripping with salty water, out of the ocean. She turned around to face him again, and stared into his eyes with a look that mixed so many emotions that not even Crystal knew what she was feeling anymore.
"Do... do you seriously mean that?" Crystal wanted to slap herself in the face; this all just sounded too cheesy, like something straight out of a movie. Yeah, right, and now he's going to confess his undying love for me or something. Great Celestia, you must be mentally disabled or something, Crystal.

Thundershot nodded sagely, appearing quite serious. He could imagine Velra cracking up at his sober demeanor; the thought of her sparkling fuchsia eyes brought a red tinge to his cheeks. Being with the bright, easy-to-laugh unicorn put him in the same, uncomfortable feeling that he was stuck with now, though he was often more at ease with Velra, since they were friends, and the unicorn just had a knack at curing awkward moments and making anypony feel pleasant.

"Yes," he said, "there aren't very many ponies that are scum, I... I think. Or maybe I've just met plenty of beautiful ponies-- do you remember Sarina? Sarinas, was that her name? She was very pretty as well. And another pony, I'm not sure if you know her-- Velra, that's her name-- she's just... she's amazingly... just..." Shot's voice trailed off a bit lamely and he gave up the search for words. Great, leave it to him to make things awkward. He seemed to be terribly good at that.

He shifted uncomfortably, hooves rubbing against the rock and sand beneath him, in the shadow-filled seawater. "So," he coughed roughly, trying to think of what Velra would say to break the ice, "what... uh, what is... up?"

Oh, I get it. I'm not the only one that's pretty. Crystal thought, slightly disappointed. Still, what did she expect? Nopony would just tell her she was pretty without reason, of course not. He was saying it solely because he had accidentally insulted her earlier.
Crystal found herself feeling rather... well... jealous when the stallion mentioned other ponies with pleasant appearances. He sure sounded like he liked that one mare–Verlia, was it? Yes, his cheeks had flushed when he said her name–she was probably his girlfriend or something, or at least a crush. Oh, okay, Crystal. Let's get all jealous and angry now because you find out that you're not some random guy's favorite. What, you like him now or something? You're going to be like that? Shut up. You're so hard to work with sometimes–
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Thundershot's echoed voice. "What... uh, what is... up?" Crystal giggled softly at his awkward wording. "Well, I was having a nice nap until you barged in here," She said, with a playfully sarcastic tone to her voice. She had changed moods quickly; such was the nature of Crystal Plunge.

"Well, I was having a nice nap until you barged in here," Crystal said.

Thundershot was having trouble analyzing what she meant. He blinked, rather confused. The words were of what should have been an irritated nature, but the way she projected them... it sounded like... was she joking? Shot was even further confused, being so socially inept. It's called sarcasm, his sister had once told him, voice dripping with just that. Thundershot cocked his head to the side. Perhaps Crystal was being... being sarcastic?

It was still a relatively foreign term and concept to him, as he could not begin to comprehend why anypony would purposely choose not to be honest and sincere, lest they had something to hide. But sarcasm seemed to be a common feat nowadays, and he doubted that practically everypony had a huge secret they needed to cover up by obvious insincerities.

"Sorry," he replied, still unsure of what to make of his current situation, "I, uh, well, my sister... she wanted me to get out and do something, but I avoided the crowded beach and, um, here I am?" That was a mouthful for Shot, seeing as he didn't speak much. He was rather convinced he hadn't said anything right, but he didn't quite mind. Though Crystal's presence strangely made his heartbeat quicken, it also somehow calmed him.

Crystal watched Thundershot ponder over her words, amused. He wasn't really too adjusted to common humor, was he? He didn't seem to understand sarcasm, and his apology only proved this point further. She laughed briefly, flipping her hair upwards towards the roof of the cave absentmindedly.
"I'm only kidding, I honestly don't mind too much. I never really talk to anypony, so..." Her voice drifted off, and she noticed herself getting caught up in those blue eyes once again. Taking a quick breath, her voice rose up again. "But seeing as how you said you wanted to avoid the crowded beach, I guess you're not too much of a social butterfly either, huh?" She bit her lip slightly. Why did he make her so nervous? Just the way he tripped over his words like that; she imagined his mind to be so much more intricate and beautiful than what he let show, like he didn't exactly know how to put all of it into a way other ponies would understand.

Thundershot's brow furrowed, but he managed a nod of his head. "I suppose... but... what's-- oh, nevermind." He figured that a social butterfly must have been somepony like his sister. "I'm supposed to be one, I think." Shot recalled his sister flirting at the galas with stallions he didn't care enough for to remember. Spree had laughed and chatted with them breezily, words as smooth as satin and giggles softer than silk. He frowned. Shot was supposed to be social too, being born into such a popular aristocratic family, but... Well, he hardly ever told anyone his last name unless he'd been dragged to a ball by his socialite sister--

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT THUMPING NOISE?

Thundershot scowled as it grew faster. It wasn't particularly loud, but he could hear it, muffled, increasing speed as he thought. He closed his eyes and sunk down for a bit, letting the water cool his thoughts. When he resurfaced, his eyes immediately went to Crystal-- did she have some sort of freaking gravitational pull or something?-- and the thumping resumed. Thundershot blanched when he realized it was his heart.

He let out a quiet groan and ran his hoof through his mane, squeezing some of the seawater out. "I'm, uh, I'm just gonna go out for a bit."

Silence.

What would Velra say? Probably something nice-- she always did like including other ponies in what she did, right? "You're welcome to join me if-- if you'd like."

With that he swam out of the cave, immediately bolting up, his wings creating small waves as he surged into the sky. He winced slightly as he looked down, the waves taking on the appearance of ripples. Shot hoped they wouldn't splash Crystal too much, or pull the tide in at the beach. Being the chief of storms and weather in Cloudsdale, he had a habit of forgetting his own strength.

And he was gone. She hadn't even been paying attention; she remembered he had said something.. then he turned and left. Wait, what? Did I say something stupid? Dear Celestia, what if I had a seizure or something? Crystal, what the hell did you do? She stared at the ripples he had left behind as they gradually faded out and hit the rock with gentle whooshes.
Crystal immediately felt something in her chest; like someone had chucked a rock at her heart. You know that feeling. You didn't want him to leave, did you? Stop lying to yourself; you like him. A lot. Go follow him.
Crystal rocked back on her hooves, and as she fell forward, she spread her wings, taking off out of the little cave. She rocketed upwards towards the powder-blue sky, catching his grey coat a little ways off. She caught up with him after a bit (he was fast, she had to admit) and, after catching her breath, began to speak.
"Hey, wait. Slow down. Where are you going?" The wind whipped her mane back, and her hairtie slipped out from her icy locks. Again. Crystal didn't bother trying to retrieve it; she couldn't now. She watched it fall into the azure sea with an insignificant plop.

Thundershot blinked, a familiar voice sounding behind him.

"Hey, wait. Slow down. Where are you going?"

He turned around, the wind caressing his feathers. He slowed the beating of his wings, realizing that he was creating a rather strong gust. He had never really learned how to control his strength in the flying academy-- usually pushing the rain clouds or creating storm winds would be enough to wear him down, but the recent schedule dictated no need for even a mild thunderstorm.

"Didn't I tell you already?" Thundershot quirked a brow in a similar manner to his sister-- maybe it was a Sampsonne family thing-- and pushed himself slightly higher in the air. "Fresh air. Gonna fly around for a bit."

The feeling of the sea mist cloaking his body was strikingly intoxicating. Forget merponies, he thought, recalling the cheesy romance novel he'd read about a siren and an earth pony, the sea itself is enchanting. He turned his gaze to Crystal and choked on a bit of his own saliva, the power giving out of his wings for a second. He dropped slightly, but easily regained balance and returned to his original height, swallowing rather uncomfortably. Damn her. Damn that mare for looking... looking like-- like that! Her bright blue hair whipped freely around her face, icy tendrils wildly beautiful.

That should be illegal, he cursed silently.

She watched him fly for a moment, studying the way he used his strength more than the air currents to his advantage. The crashing waves below tossed up some sea spray at the two of them, and she watched as the droplets collected in his mane and coat, like little pearls hanging on for dear life.
Crystal hesitated. What was there to say now? She could just wait for him to spark up a conversation, but... She began to think for a moment, and slowly drifted a bit off to the right, veering away from him unconsciously.
"Ah-m... so... what kind of... uh... music do you... listen... to?" She readjusted herself so she was flying parallel to Thundershot again. Well now you sound exactly like him, complete with awkward mid-sentence pauses. And congrats, you get a gold star for coming up with the stupidest question in Equestria.
Crystal's mane began to bother her slightly, and she instinctively reached over for her saddlebag to retrieve a hairtie, and discovered her back was empty. Crystal's heartbeat quickened, and she worried that it had slipped off her back into the ocean. Ah, no, she had just left it back in the cave. She calmed down, and turned back to Thundershot. Everything about him was just so perfect, in a quirky, imperfect sort of way.

Well.

Wasn't that such a riveting question? The inquiry of a century, so it should seem.

The corner of Thundershot's lip quirked upward, but he suppressed the smirk-- he was beginning to get the growing suspicion that perhaps... perhaps sarcasm was contagious?

He supposed that she must have sounded awfully like him-- stammering, unsure-- and inwardly he wondered where all of her previous finesse had gone off to. He mentally shrugged. At least it would make him feel less stupid. "I don't really listen to any music," he answered quietly, looking up into the skies. The sun grinned radiantly down at him, rays sifting through his hair. He wanted to sit here in the clouds and let the light-ripened air dry him off, but he wanted to do something first. He hadn't been very active lately, since there'd been a lack of storms in the pegasus weather schedule. Some sports would do him good.

He cocked his head toward Crystal and flashed her a rare grin. He was feeling rather invigorated, pulse rushing with excitement and wings stretched luxuriously, mane still dampened by the essence of sea. His smiles were hardly ever seen (Velra jokingly claimed them to be one of the many signs of the coming Changeling Apocalypse) and it was scarcer still that he would express such a good move. His eyes glinted rather cheekily, a shy sort of pegasus competitiveness coming onto his features. "I demand a race," he said, voice low in his challenge.

Crystal almost stopped dead in her tracks. He doesn't listen to music? Crystal listened to her radio almost everywhere she went; when she was traveling, lazing around, heck, even while she was sleeping. How could he go without it? Her eyes flicked back from the horizon where the cerulean sea met the everlasting cyan sky to Thundershot. Something was about to happen, she could tell; his wings flexed briefly and he stretched out his neck like he was getting ready for something. He faced her and showed off a smile, and at that moment she realized she had never seen him smile before. It was absolutely beautiful; the sun's rays highlighted his fog-gray face and his eyes sparkled in the afternoon light with such luster it hurt to look at.
"I demand a race," he challenged her. A devilish look played across Crystal's face, and she rolled her neck.
"Ah, you dare challenge the Great and Powerful Crystal Plunge?" Crystal cocked an eyebrow. She spoke like that one white-maned unicorn she had found performing magic tricks in Mareami, who was pretty lame, actually, but Crystal liked the way she composed herself.
Well, this was going to be fun. Agile and quick versus strong and powerful. Ah, but foolish stallion, it is I who shall win!

Thundershot's smirk widened. Years and years of being compared to Cloudspree's unmatched, raw talent and skill had forced him to hone his own ability until his wings were sore and aching and he was drenched in sweat. The flying academy had done him good-- taught him techniques and practices that Cloudspree hadn't, merely because she didn't need any of the 'extra tips' due to her born brilliance. Thundershot could remember the smugness on Spree's face, eyes glittering dangerously. He'd never won a single race against her, even when she gave him thirty-second handicaps. They'd always joked that she could give that Rainbow Dash a run for her money. Well, Thundershot thought, the bitter taste on his tongue killing the smile on his handsome features, that was impossible now. He would never be able to win or lose to Spree now. She wouldn't be able to compete against Rainbow Dash anymore.

After all, she couldn't fly.

But being pitted against his sister for so many years had helped him, along with his flying academy days. Moving the storms and the winds merely kept his muscles strong and intact.

He floated over to the nearest cloud, beckoning for Crystal to follow. He flexed his wings, then eyed the distance. A good hundred metres away, a glittering wisp of a cloud smiled at him. His speed and strength had made him well-known throughout Cloudsdale and Manehattan, but he had seen Crystal Plunge perform. It wouldn't shock him if she won.

"On three," he growled, waiting for Crystal's hooves to meet the makeshift starting line.

Crystal glanced over at his hooves and made sure that he was equal with her. She flexed her wings and lowered her head so it was on the same level as her shoulders.
"On three," Thundershot announced in a low voice. Crystal nodded. "One,"
She prepared herself for takeoff. Yes, she would shoot off the cloud, flicking her wings with power, and cut through the air like a knife. She could already see it.
"Two," Crystal's veins filled with adrenaline, muscles poised. Eyeing a cloud not too far away, she took a deep breath.
"Three." Crystal shot off like a rocket, and the cloud she had been standing on exploded into hundreds of tiny cloudlets. The wind whipped at her face, salty ocean filling her nose.

"Three."

He had barely heard the word before the mare whirred off, her tail now mere memory as Thundershot stared rather blankly. It was only a second later that he regained his bearings, though, streaking through the clouds with a loud curse. Damn him for losing his concentration right when she counted off! Even a sliver of a second's delay could cost him greatly during a professional match!

Luckily, though, this mare wasn't a professional racer-- Thundershot could tell by the hypnotic way she moved; there was no doubt that her skill was centered more on perfect, poised grace, movement, and agility rather than brute acceleration and force, like Thundershot had been trained for years-- and he quickly gained speed. The misty droplets of the sea pelted his face due to his snappingly fast pace, no longer a meek cloak of ocean breath. He squinted, cerulean eyes narrowing into slivers to keep the water from getting to his eyes.

Faster, urged his sister's voice in the back of his mind, you can do better than that, brother.

He had barely noticed the feel of concentrated wetness forming a band around his front hooves, but as soon as he did, he skidded to a halt in the air. He turned around, a couple yards from the finish line cloud-- he must have bolted straight through it. He stretched his wings and flexed for a bit, unsure of who won. Had it been the mare? Perhaps the distance had not been long enough, since he had finished so soon. Another race-- definitely longer-- would do him good. And it would be a good excuse to spend more time with Cry-- I-- what-- don't need an excuse-- what would the excuse be for?! Thundershot's cheeks burned a nervous tinge of red.

"Who won?" he yelled, looking around him for the mare. Where was she?

Crystal sliced through the cloud that symbolized the finish line like a chainsaw through cardboard. Instinctively, she folded her wings, and she aimed straight for the water–remembering at the last second she wasn't alone. She usually did that, flying as fast or as high as she could, and then she would just free fall into the ocean. It reminded her she was free, and she could do absolutely anything she wanted to. It prevented her from holding back.
Crystal hit the water headfirst without belly flopping (she needed to pay attention to the way she entered the water–she learned that the hard way) and felt the cold of the ocean surrounding her body and weaving their way in between the strands of her mane. She didn't dwell underneath, however–Crystal quickly resurfaced and took off into the air again. She rose up to Thunder's level, and ended up being behind him.
Great. Now I'm going to end up scaring him again, and he's going to yell at me. Again. Crystal giggled to herself. She barely had time to speak before he whipped around, coming eye to eye with her. They were barely a foot apart, and Crystal nearly surprised herself envisioning what he saw.

"I heard you," Thundershot said, looking down to where Crystal had previously been-- in the water. He glanced at the sliver of cloud that marked the finish line. It returned to its puffy state, no longer split apart by the speed of hooves raking through it. Thundershot backed a few yards away from Crystal and pumped his wings, creating a docile gust. His feathers quickly dried, and he shook himself slightly to get the salty droplets of water out of his mane and tail.

He looked up to the sun. It still smiled brightly down at him.

Thundershot returned his gaze to Crystal. "Gonna go look for merponies," barely slipped past his lips before he plummeted down, back facing the rippling, sun-dappled surface of the sea. Only a few inches away from the ocean did he snap out his wings, slowing his fall, waves tickling the end of his tail. He plunged down-- surprisingly this part of the ocean was rather shallow; perhaps he stood upon a sandbar?-- and stared all around him, trying to take in the sight. Flocks of multicolored fish scurried past him, crabs scuttling on the ground. The corals looked almost too soft to touch, as if a single hoof could crush the entire utopia. Orange-freckled fish darted in and out of the reef, seasnails lazily oozing on the rock.

And then Thundershot remembered that oxygen was a necessity.

He hurried up, legs kicking small strokes. As his head breached the surface, he stole a deep breath, mane pressed back and slick against his skin. He faced the skies to see Crystal still in the air, "You gonna join me anytime soon?"