//------------------------------// // Round Two // Story: An Imperfect Paradise // by Ximer //------------------------------// “You feeling okay?” Rainbow Dash asked as she and Applejack walked me to the locker room. “I’ll live,” I replied, realizing the sick irony of what I had just said only moments later. It was death that had put me in this funk. My will and resolve to do anything just felt drained, leaving behind a void of carelessness. “Ah know you’re still down about Lean Streak, but ya can’t let that get to ya today,” Applejack said, placing a comforting hoof on my back. “Ah know ya’ve got this, Ah reckon if anypony can show that walkin’ contraption how it’s done it’d be you.” “Or me,” Dash chimed in. “You’re more than welcome to step in today,” I said, a part of me being serious with my offer. “Applejack’s right, you’ve got this,” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Besides, if I did it there wouldn’t be any challenge involved.” “You say that,” I scuffed my hoof against the floor in agitation. “I’m not sure how fast he can go, he won’t get tired like me.” “He’ll run out of steam,” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “We’ll be rootin’ for ya sugar cube, Ah know you’ll do Ponyville proud,” Applejack said motioning with her head for Rainbow Dash to follow, leaving alone for the remaining hour before the race. I held my usual racing mask in my hooves, staring into the empty eye holes as if waiting for some sort of sign or direction. This race would be different from all the others, now that our small team was a bit smaller. This was a race I genuinely felt unprepared for. “Hey,” Ike said entering the locker room I had taken to hiding in. “Are you ready?” “Not really,” I shook my head. “I feel like I weigh about a thousand pounds.” “Well shake it off, you know you you’re up against today,” Ike reminded me. “Zero,” I mumbled. None of the other racers had mattered today; before Lean Streak had passed I was looking forward to watching Impulse Spark’s creation fail again. This time it would be by my hooves though, and not some run of the mill rookie. Now that my mentor was no longer among us, all prior motivation was gone. With what felt like super pony effort, I stood up and began what felt like the longest walk I had ever taken to the track from the locker room. The growing noise above me did little to excite me today, my blood remaining at a steady flow despite the coming race. Soon, the bright sunlight graced our eyes, as did the sight of the crowd that was amped for the race between artificial pegasus and one of the best racers in Equestria. I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide, just disappear, but a part of me knew that wasn’t an option. I had to press on, I had to see today through, whether it was a good day or bad. Ike had done his best to fill Lean Streak’s shoes, but without wings he didn’t really have a feel for my limits or how far I could push myself. At times I found the training lacking, while other times I found myself over heated, there was no middle ground, and for that I partially blamed on our loss. “Straight ahead,” Ike motioned with his head. “It’s your good friend Impulse, and his puppet.” Sure enough, Impulse was on the track speaking with Zero. When I first learned that he would be allowed to race, I was pretty upset, I didn’t care now though. He was just another racer in my way, one more obstacle for me to overcome. Today, however, I wasn’t confident I could overcome this challenge. “Well, it seems somepony decided to show up after all,” Impulse commented as I took my place ahead of time for once. I didn’t reply, wanting little to do with the stallion other than what little time left he had before the race started. He furrowed his brow at me when I didn’t respond, clearly displaying the level of maturity he was capable of, not that I had room to talk. I knew I needed to put personal matters to the side, but I couldn’t find the strength to do so today. Try to win it for him, my subconscious reminded me. That would be easier said than done. I had no idea how this new Zero preformed, what his limit was, or if he even had one I could surpass. Impulse could easily take him home after the race and make him faster with no effort on Zero’s part. He did nothing to earn this, nothing at all. He was just given speed and power without the hard work involved. There was Impulse putting effort into making Zero, but magic just seemed to make things as complex as the artificial stallion appear simple. I watched from the corner of my eye as the stallion in question took his place beside me. He seemed to intimidate the other racers, presumably a instilled fear of the unknown. Even I didn’t know how Zero would perform. My mind was too occupied by other things to care at the moment, which distracted me from the tide of uncertainty. “Good luck,” I heard Zero say quietly. “Do you even know what luck is?” I asked as time continued to tick away. Zero didn’t reply, his gaze fixed towards the ground as he presumably mulled over my question. Constructs like him usually dealt in absolutes and numbers, chance wasn’t involved in any of their day to day processes. These thoughts were out of bitter distrust, which was something Harmony had touched on; as much as I hated to admit it, we were alike in how different we were from all the other ponies here today. I let out a deep sigh as the final countdown began. Oddly enough, the crowd's volume seemed to be at a steady volume, no doubt waiting to see what would happen today. The crowd had never been like this, even against Thunderlane, there had been loud cheers, rising even before the race started. For once, the lack of noise unsettled me. The blank round signaling the race was louder than before. The crystal clear sound took me by surprise at first, until I noticed Zero take off undaunted by the noise. There were some short comings and quirks that came with being a pony, a distaste for sudden, loud noises was one of them. Zero wasted little time in taking first place. I had expected as much, as I was under the impression that his artificial body didn't require the same pacing that my muscles did. There was no such thing as perfect though, meaning he had to have some sort of flaw that was exploitable. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to study him like I needed to. For now, I did something Lean Streak had always told me not to do; I decided to match him. Perhaps Impulse still had control of him, and maybe I could force him to mess up. I could only hope I was right in my assumption, and general distrust of the stallion. I sped up as we entered the first turn, easily passing Zero as he turned. This lead lasted for a measly five seconds before he reclaimed his former position ahead of me. His maneuverability was impressive, but I didn't let it faze me. I put a bit more speed behind my wings, knowing I could still keep up with him at this rate. Keeping up with him wouldn't win the race, however. I needed to think of something fast, since my wings would only go so fast for so long, but it was difficult to think while flying at such high speeds. Through the second turn things remained the same. It wasn't until the long stretch to the third turn came into view that things finally started to shift. Zero finally released the restraint he had been holding onto, zipping past me with more speed than Thunderlane. I forced my body into over drive, matching him as we quickly neared the third turn, at least that's what I remembered. I could feel my body tensing up on me, as I forced the impossible upon my wings. I could literally hear alarms sounding in my mind, warning me of the danger that I was putting myself in. You need to stop, the voice of my subconscious warned. Fuck you, I can do this! I snapped. No you can't, the voice replied. Don't tell me- I didn't even finish my thought before the world around me faded. --- Flicker smiled as he watched the stallion of interest fall to the ground. The skid mark he left was an impressive one, to say the least. Still, such a tumble wouldn't be enough to do him in, unfortunately, but that could obviously wait for now. Assuming he woke up, he wouldn't be going anywhere fast. "Is...he dead?" Impulse asked stunned by what he had just seen. "No, his neck doesn't look broken," Flicker huffed. "Zero won, and he'll still be in the news...sad really." Impulse didn't reply; he couldn't take his eyes off the fallen stallion. This is what he had wanted, to see his name in the dirt, now he literally saw him there. It didn't make sense, why did he still feel empty inside? He had strived to be better, so why, why did he feel worse? Impulse shook his head, doing his best to snuff out the feelings of sympathy he had for witnessing a stallion fall. He kept reminding himself that beneath that coat was a human, something that...didn't belong here. "You don't seem happy," Flicker said, nudging the unicorn. "He's been brought to his knees, just like you wanted." "Right, all according to the plan," Impulse chuckled halfheartedly. "You're not feeling sorry for him, are you?" Flicker asked. "I just, didn't expect it to happen like this," Impulse replied. "If it didn't he would have figured out how to beat you, and you would have become your father," Flicker said. "He did the same thing to Thunderlane, if you didn't break his spirit here, he would have come back twice as strong. He doesn't care about you, your grudge, or anything else except beating Zero." The pegasus watched as the unicorn's soft frown slowly developed into a small scowl. He knew Daniel wouldn't be out for blood, but Impulse hadn't watched him close enough to know his character. Sure he might find a way to beat Zero, but he had shown compassion when Impulse's father abandoned Thunderlane at the Crystal Empire's track. "You've overcome one of the greatest racers in Equestria, you deserve to be proud," Flicker fanned the flames of Impulse's hubris . Soon, the empty feeling Impulse had felt was nothing more than a small tug in the back of his mind. He ignored it with a fake smile, pushing the thought of anything close to sympathy as far away as possible. He had truly done it; if what Flicker said was true, Daniel was done. He observed Zero from his booth, trying his best to gauge the stallion’s reaction to accomplishing what he was designed to do. Zero remained as unreadable as ever. Even as he landed, taking note of the crowd’s strange mix of cheers and cries of horror, one couldn’t distinguish what he was feeling. Within the privacy of his own mind, however, Zero struggled with the odd sensation surging through him. It was unlike anything he had experienced before. The stallion glanced down at his own artificial limb, dwelling on the differences between his own make up and that of his pre-appointed foe’s. It was obvious he was different, better perhaps, but he always felt distant from those around him. No doubt the victory over Daniel would earn him the praise of his creator, but what about the others? "You!" an angry voice shouted from behind him, as if to answer his question. "Simmer down Rainbow," an earth pony was trying her best to calm a pegasus down. "You think this is fair, like, at all!?" the mare whom Zero assumed was named Rainbow snorted. "It was a official race, with all preceding rules and qualifications set forth by the board-" Zero started. "Don't give me that, you know what I mean," the mare said. "How is it fair if you don't get tired?" To this Zero didn't have a response. Technically speaking, Rainbow had a point; if Impulse noticed a weakness, he would simply correct it. This took a day or two tops, now that he was a finished product. "Dash, we got more important things ta worry bout, leave him be," the earth pony said, putting herself between the two of them. Rainbow Dash glared at Zero, as if debating if she should take a few swings at today's winner. Eventually, the pegasus decided against tearing the stallion to shreds and followed her friend, casting a heated glance behind her as they left Zero to his fate of being surrounded by reporters. If they said anything, or if Zero ever adequately answered their questions, he couldn't recall. His thoughts had shifted to what the mare had said. It made him wonder who was the "hero" and who was the "villain" now. As he stopped to take a look at what happened minutes ago, his questions about his own existence were only multiplying, instead of receiving the answers he so desperately needed. He had the desire to grow, but with no true limit how could he? It was a puzzle that stayed with the stallion well into the evening, even as Impulse celebrated the win over the racer he so despised. --- A steady beep slowly drug my foggy mind from the darkness, as I opened my eyes to an annoyingly bright room. I groaned and closed them quickly, not wanting to open them again until the light was dimmed in the hospital room. Shit, I'm in a hospital! the thought shot through my mind like lightning, resulting in me opening my eyes wide again, only to hiss in pain as I stupidly repeated the same action that first brought me to this realization. "Welcome back to the land of the living," I heard my sister mutter quietly. "Hey Izzy," I mumbled tiredly. "Where am I?" "You're back home, courtesy of Twilight," Isabella replied as she stood from the small chair she had been sitting in. "You done went and goofed again." "I feel like I got ran over," I said. "Not surprising," Isabella laughed lightly. "You've been asleep for two days. We've all been worried sick about you." "Well, I'm up now, I need to get up and moving again," I sighed. "That's the other thing I was going to mention," Isabella frowned as she spoke. "I told Ike and Track Pace I would keep them updated on when you woke up. I don't think you're going to this next race, Daniel." "Izzy, I'm fine," I huffed. "I just got a little overheated, that's all." "Stupid," Isabella said as a tear escaped her left eye. "You don't get it, you nearly died this time!" I didn't say anything, I simply kept my eyes fixed on her. Isabella wasn't one to fear death, for her to get worked up about it, it must have been bad, which unnerved me as to what my body had suffered while I was out cold. "Just try to rest up, and keep racing at a distance for now," Isabella said, wiping the tear away and giving me a hug. It was weird being unable to properly return the gesture of affection, given my size in comparison to hers. If I could have found the will to laugh I would have at the humor of literally being the 'little brother'. As it was, I couldn't even bring myself to smile, my thoughts doing the exact opposite of what Isabella had advised me. As my sister left, I pondered the probability of the race against Zero being my last. It wouldn't be any concern if I had the necklace. Whenever I changed, it was as if my body reknitted itself into what it once was. A cut I had suffered from falling once when I was changing back had vanished as if it had never happened. Unfortunately, I lacked that precious gift from Twilight; lost in an effort to stop Zero the first time. He had been much slower the first time I saw him, how had Impulse improved his abilities to such monstrous levels in such a short amount of time? It was unfair, and there was little doubt he would do the same to Whitefire. My thoughts are interrupted by a loud, magical pop. Given the volume I had expected Discord, but much to my surprise I looked up to notice Track Pace and the twins, Mike and Ike, both of which were now shifting uneasily on their hooves as they tried to regain their balance. "Ha! Told you I could do it," Track Pace boasted proudly. Neither Mike, nor Ike, offer a word of protest as both scrambled for the bathroom at the same time. The two comically wedged themselves in the frame for a few seconds, until they struggled free and slammed the door shut. What followed, were the sounds of two stallions wrenching. "Not fans of teleportation?" I asked, putting two and two together. "Pssh, light weights," Track Pace rolled his eyes. "Speaking of, how are you holding up?" "My pride is in pieces, but I'll live," I replied. "Mike, it's everywhere, you dim wit!" we both heard Ike shout from the bathroom. "I don't suppose you could work your magic and get me out of here?" I asked hopefully. "I'm afraid I can't do that," Track Pace sighed. "Not to add bad news to your plate, but you're probably not going to make the next race." "Track Pace, you know me, I’ve been sick and won a race before," I huffed. "You're just writing me off before I even try?" "There wouldn't be any try," Track Pace said in a firm voice. "It's already down that you forfeit." "Why would you do that?" I asked in disbelief. "I'm saving your life, that's more important than any race," Track Pace replied. "I'm not Sky Mark." I slumped against the pillows behind me. Track Pace might have meant well, but his actions were perceived as a slap in the face. Whether said slap was a wakeup call, or in the form of an insult I wasn't quite sure yet, but at that moment, I wanted to disappear. All I had worked for, all I had become was slipping through the cracks in my life. It would only be a matter of time now before everything crumbled if something wasn't done. I knew I wasn't truly prepared for Zero, but I tried to push myself to the limit anyways. "I know this will mean you'll have to work twice as hard to make up for this loss, but do you honestly think you'd be in shape to race against a fresh line up within a month's time?" Track Pace asked. I reluctantly shook my head. It burned my very soul to lie; even if I couldn't win, I at least wanted to try. I had been denied the base right to at least try. So what if I lost? I could still have more dignity in tact than I could just writing off a race completely. "I have little doubt your family will be along soon," Track Pace sighed as Ike and Mike stumbled out of the bathroom. "We just needed to know you were safe before we could plot out what to do next." "I think we should walk back," Mike suggested. Track Pace shook his head. "Rest easy Daniel, you can't win every race. Nopony's perfect, try to keep that in mind." "For once, I think that saying might be wrong," I mumbled.