//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Scootaloo vs. Spitfire // Story: Scootaloo's Race // by RushingWind-01 //------------------------------// Whinnyapolis, later that day... Now that Scootaloo survived the last race and was relieved that her recent nightmare didn't become reality, she felt way better and ready for the next race. Rushing Wind took her to Whinnyapolis, where Race 6 of the Pro Tournament took place. "This track. Remember when I told you it might be a bit tougher? Well, tougher isn't the right word, but this track is half high-speed and half technical. This is actually the GP variant of the renowned 'Horseyard Speedway', known for some of the most important races in Equestria.", Rushing Wind explained. Whatever track would await her, Scootaloo was ready to tackle it. "Bid me good luck!", she said to Rushing Wind and went off to the starting line, where she ran into Spitfire again, who looked brought down. "Scootaloo, I need to apologize.", Spitfire said. "What for?", Scootaloo asked. "About Soarin. He was wrong about you. You are way better than I thought. And way faster than he thought you would be. I guess it's all training with our best flyer, wasn't it?", Spitfire asked. "It was.", Scootaloo said, "Also, how is he doing?" "Soarin? Oh, he won't be flying more for today. The injuries he suffered from the crash were too heavy. But he'll be back in the action tomorrow. Though I doubt that he'll catch up if we keep racking up points like that. Especially you, since you won the last three races.", Spitfire said. "Have you... at least talked to him... About what happened two days ago after the race in San Pranciscolt?", Scootaloo asked. "I did. And I should tell you from him that he's awful sorry and that he just wasn't thinking. Poor guy must've been desperate because he was losing to a filly of your age.", Spitfire said. "Was Rainbow Dash there as well?", Scootaloo asked. "Just when we left Soarin's room, she came in and had a word with Soarin recently.", Spitfire said, "And you can just tell how mad she was by how much Soarin winced back when she yelled at him. You really mean a lot to her, am I right?" "You got that right.", Scootaloo said, "Well then, let's do our best in this race!" And then, the contenders went to the start, with Scootaloo once again starting from the Pole Position and Spitfire and Fleetfoot behind her. Looking at the standings table, Scootaloo was just 2 points ahead of Spitfire, with 83 points, so whoever wins the next race will take the lead. Scootaloo knew, there was almost zero room for mistakes. But she knew that winning was not impossible anymore. She took a launching stance and waited for the green light... The green light came and Scootaloo took off. Since the Start/Finish Line is on the straight line leading to the technical half, Scootaloo made sure that she tried to keep up with Spitfire's speed before taking turn 1. Then followed the technical half of the track that Rushing Wind mentioned. The track featured a lot of tough and tight turns, but nothing Scootaloo can't handle thanks to several techniques she already learned. After one short straight line and more technical turns, the contenders came into the high-speed half which featured the half of the Speedway Oval, allowing Scootaloo to just boost forward and see how fast she could get. Spitfire was close, but she could only approach slowly with her slightly higher top speed. As they entered Lap 2 and came into the technical half again, that was Scootaloo's chance to get more ground again. Repeating her flying line and perfecting the moments to turn in, Scootaloo was able to get through some turns faster and was able to get some more fractions of a second to Spitfire, who is still close by as they entered Lap 3. With Soarin out of the race and Spitfire being slightly faster, she could become a fierce rival for Scootaloo - even fiercer than Maverick. On the final lap, both rivals did the best they could, but still, Scootaloo was able to stay ahead and finish 0.2 seconds in front of Spitfire. As the two came to a stop, Spitfire said to Scootaloo: "I gotta give it to you, I don't know what kind of training Rainbow Dash did with you, but considering that you placed first four times in a row, I can only assume it's was helpful." "It sure was!", Scootaloo responded in excitement. "Today's races are done. The last two will be in Baltimare and Las Pegasus. Try to get some rest before the next day. Fleetfoot and I will stop by the Vanhoover Hospital again to check on Soarin.", Spitfire said. "Alright. See ya tomorrow.", Scootaloo said and went away from the track. Rushing Wind came to Scootaloo. "Hey, I see you made it. You used your advantages in the technical sections and always gained a bit of time to Spitfire. But I see it was close in the end.", he said. "Ha, it sure was. But it was also really thrilling having someone almost as fast as me behind my tailwind.", Scootaloo said. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came flying and asked: "Hey there! What did I miss?" "Only the most thrilling battle between Scootaloo and Spitfire, in which Scootaloo was the winner.", Rushing Wind said. "Nice!", Rainbow Dash said. "By the way, Rainbow, how was your session of 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' with Soarin?", Rushing Wind asked. "It was rather 'Bad Cop, Rainbow Cop'. Trying something like that to hurt a little filly, that's just low and dishonorable and could've gotten her killed!", Rainbow Dash said upset. "Spitfire already said that Soarin just wasn't thinking about what he was doing. He was just afraid of losing to me.", Scootaloo said. "That's still no excuse for what he's done!" Rainbow was still heavily upset, but Rushing Wind just said: "Hey, just calm down for a bit. How about we get some sleep now and watch Scootaloo in the last two races tomorrow?" "Sure thing. I'd love to see those races!", Rainbow Dash responded. Baltimare, the next day... Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind returned to the track where the final race of the Rookie Tournament was held. It looked like the same track, but just to be sure, Rushing Wind flew up and took a look. "There are no changes this time, though I can imagine that the higher speed WILL get problematic, especially with those hairpins.", Rushing Wind said. "So you're saying it just takes faster reactions to get through the track with ease, yes?", Scootaloo asked. "Exactly. You've been here before, so show us that you still got it.", Rushing Wind said. "Yeah! You can do it, Scoots!", Rainbow Dash cheered for her. Filled with enthusiasm, Scootaloo went to the starting line, to the Pole Position. She started in front of Spitfire. "Hey, Scootaloo!", Spitfire called out to her. Scootaloo turned her head and saw the Wonderbolt behind her. "Good luck for the race!", she called out. "You too!", Scootaloo said back, "By the way, how's Soarin?" "Better. He's just at the far end of the pack. He's gonna have a lot of ground to cover if he wants to mess with us!", Spitfire said. "We'll see how it goes for him!", Scootaloo said. Then, she faced forward again and waited for the signal to take off... The green light came, and Scootaloo took off. Since she has been on this track before, she knew the way it went, but like Rushing Wind said, now she was a lot faster, and so was the competition. In Lap 1, Scootaloo had slight trouble to get used to the higher speed on a track she used to race when she was slower. She got passed by Spitfire and Fleetfoot, ending the first lap in third place. However, amidst Lap 2, Scootaloo was now way faster throughout the entire race and even utilized the technique she always mastered where she would race through the hairpins without losing too much speed. At the end of the second lap, she was just behind Fleetfoot, so she knew that she could pass her. In Lap 3, on one turn, Scootaloo had the inside line and Fleetfoot had to slow down a bit, putting her in second place. Scootaloo was thrilled because of this, but there was still one contender to catch - and one lap to go. Scootaloo tried her best in the final lap, and while she always got closer to Spitfire due to her amazing cornering speeds, Spitfire always got away a bit with the straight lines. In the end, Scootaloo was just behind Spitfire, who won the race. The two came to a stop, and Spitfire said: "Whoa, you really were close behind me. I think if it wasn't for that trouble in Lap 1, I'm sure you would've won this." "Yeah...", Scootaloo said, "I guess I was trying to get used to racing on this track with higher speed, so I was kinda sloppy at the beginning." "Well, but you still got me.", said Fleetfoot, who just joined the two, "And look at the score - there's just a difference of two points between you two!" "Heh. Seems like this is going to come down to the last race. I see, we're gonna make it an exciting final to a championship, don't we?", Spitfire said. "Ha, you can count on that.", Scootaloo said, "By the way, where did Soarin place?" "Eighth. This was not his best race, seeing as he got held up by a lot of traffic on his way back to the top.", Fleetfoot said. "Well, you can't win a race every time. There's also times where it's just enough for the top 10. Or sometimes, a race completely blows and you just end up at the back of the pack.", Spitfire said. Scootaloo couldn't put her hoof on it, but why did all of this what the two said sound very similar to the stories Rushing Wind told her? But she couldn't think about that. First, there was the last race of the Pro Tournament to cover. Las Pegasus, later that day... This was it. The final race of the Pro Tournament. The decision about the fastest Pro Flyer would come soon. And so far, it looked like it would come down to either Scootaloo or Spitfire. Scootaloo, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash took another stroll through the lively city. Once again, the race takes place at night, so this was kinda familiar territory to Scootaloo, but the fact that she was flying faster didn't make things better. After a whole 30 minutes of sightseeing, they went to the track. Rushing Wind took a look at it from up above before he returned to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. "Seems like this track got a little upgrade in terms of length. Unlike the Amateur Course you raced on, the former turn 5 now has a section which is a long 270 degrees circle leading onto the straight line to turn 8. I have seen such changes in other tracks. And the end section is also a bit extended.", Rushing Wind explained. "The perfect venue for a final race.", Scootaloo knew. "Don't forget, Scoots - you already raced at night before, and we also trained at night. Remember all of that, and I'm very certain that you can win the race!", Rainbow Dash said. "And also the championship. It's either you or Spitfire. If you finish before her, you win.", Rushing Wind said. The thought of beating a Wonderbolt, an elite flyer, in a race filled Scootaloo with determination. Determination to race, and determination to win. She had a determined look on her face as she went to the starting line. Scootaloo started behind Spitfire, on Position 2. The adrenaline built up in her veins, and she was ready to win the race. When the green light came, Scootaloo took off. But this time, it was a different launch. It felt a bit faster than before. As she made her way through the first few turns, she knew that she needed to play riskier to get past Spitfire. Soon, they reached the circle. Scootaloo tried to find the best speed to race through the circle with ease, but she realized that she could just try and race through it as fast as she could without touching the wall. She just needed to find a speed in which she wouldn't drift to the outside when turning, that would be possible. The rest of the track was basically the same, except for the end section, which received a little technical section, which Scootaloo also had to get used to. But, by the end of Lap 1, she was just behind Spitfire, so catching her was not out of her reach. Scootaloo repeated her flying line up until the circle. Now, she tried to find the speed she wanted. In the end, she found it, and on the straight line, she was right next to Spitfire. But something was different... Was she actually slightly faster than her rival was? It may be a very slight speed difference, but it was enough to pass her on the straight line! On the next few turns, Scootaloo had the inside, causing Spitfire to slow down. Seeing that she was actually able to pass Spitfire and even get in front of her made Scootaloo believe even more that she got what it takes! She just needed to fly perfectly. One mistake, and it was all over. A second shot at the technical section at the end, and Scootaloo got through it way faster. But Spitfire was right behind her, ready to pass her if she blows one turn. Lap 3 - now, things got serious! Now that she got used to the track, Scootaloo went through every single turn with ease, and even hit the circle with the same speed again. And every technical section that she went through, she always gained a slight amount of distance to Spitfire, but every time they hit a straight line, that was Spitfire's call to slipstream her. But Scootaloo still remained in the lead, even with a worthy rival in her tailwind. The final lap - everything had to be perfect... After three laps, Scootaloo knew the pattern to every turn and took it with the least speed loss possible. Even the circle was no big deal. But closing in to the technical section at the end, Spitfire was right behind her. Both of them took it with the same speed and ended up next to each other as they headed for the finish line... But Scootaloo was slightly faster! And with mere split seconds to spare, Scootaloo won the race! "Yes! Yes! I did it!", she yelled out to the crowd, and everypony cheered for her. She looked at the table. She was just 27 milseconds ahead of Spitfire, so this was a very close race. At the award ceremony, Scootaloo stood on top of the podium, with Spitfire to her right and Fleetfoot to her left. "I need to hand it to you, Scootaloo. Not only did you recover after the first two races, but you did so well that you actually took the win in the tournament. You are the fastest flyer I have ever seen aside from Rainbow Dash.", Spitfire praised her rival. "Aw, thanks for the praise.", Scootaloo said. And then, the three best flyers happily took their trophies. "Hey, now that you're one of the Pros, how about you take on the Elite Tournament? Word has it that the winner of that one will get to face Rushing Wind. And so far, none of the winners of that tournament could beat him.", Spitfire said. "I already heard that Rushing Wind is the reigning champ... But is he really so undefeated?", Scootaloo asked. "Trust me, I saw this stallion race, and every time it ends up 2:2, it's always the final track that grants him the win. From what I've seen, only Rushing Wind survived that track.", Spitfire said. Scootaloo was unsure. Knowing that Rushing Wind always won the Showdown, and considering he's the only one who survived the final race, she started to imagine what the final track must be like and where it was held... But she would find out someday... When she wins the Elite Tournament. After the award ceremony, Scootaloo went to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, who were eagerly awaiting her. "Hey! I see that you made it! Very well done, squirt!", Rainbow Dash said. "Thanks! It was a very close one.", Scootaloo said. "I saw that. Just 27 milseconds ahead, that's almost a photo finish.", Rushing Wind said, "Thankfully, with digital timers, we can measure the time of racers on the milsecond. Like I say in my homeworld - You think you're fast? Numbers don't lie." Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo laughed. Then, Scootaloo asked: "Say, Rushing Wind, can I ask you something?" "Sure. What is it?", Rushing Wind asked. "Spitfire claims that you are an undefeated champion, and that there is a track that only you survived so far. Is that true?" "Yes. I truly am undefeated. Every winner of the Elite Tournament challenged me, and everyone failed to beat me. And every time it ended up 2:2, we raced at this track only I survived. Trust me, it may be the toughest you'll ever see.", Rushing Wind said. Scootaloo turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow? I could use some training before the Elite Tournament begins. Maybe you can show me some more tricks to fly faster?" "Of course. I can show you everything.", Rainbow Dash said. "And I can give you another enhancement for your wings as well as another shot in the Zone Simulator.", Rushing Wind said, "Also, I think that Hanzal wants to know how it went so far. I think he'll hardly believe that the little filly he knew as a flightless Pegasus is now the winner of the Pro Tournament, and maybe soon, a rising star in the Elite..." End of the Pro Class...