The Biggest Racetrack

by ConArtistAlpha

Chapter 2: The Trials of Friendship

Twilight looks dumbfounded, almost paralyzed. After a good twenty seconds of standing there, staring at each other, and doing nothing except looking confused (Twilight because of the question I asked, and I because of Twilight’s strange reaction to my question), I decide to be the first to break the extreme awkwardness of the situation, “Twilight, are you feeling okay?” She shakes her head, snapping herself out of the mysterious trance that must have suddenly fallen over her, and replies with, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little shocked at the question you asked me.” “Yeah, I can tell,” I retort with a slight hint of sarcasm. “So...,” I continue, “Is it possible?”

“To be perfectly frank with you, I have no idea,” Twilight says, clearly looking for an answer in her head, unsuccessfully finding one of course. “Never in my life have I thought about actually being there,” she concludes.

“C’mon, you’re Twilight Sparkle, head pupil to Princess Celestia and the smartest mare in Ponyville; you have to have some sort of theory on how to get there!” I say, trying to fill Twilight with the urge to fulfill her potential and instigate a challenge.

Her facial expression leads me to believe my ruse worked, but then she asks the inevitable question of, “Why in the world would you want to know, anyway?”

Great. Now I have to go through this speech again. Well, it’s for a good cause. After explaining the whole spiel of, “I feel trapped in this world,” and, “I want to be free,” she seems to understand where I’m coming from.

“You’re argument seems valid to me. I understand you and your ways,” states a convinced Twilight. “But I do know one thing about traveling to space that might upset you a bit. You are not able to stay there for a great deal of time. If out in space for too long, you’re food and air supply may run short, and since actually flying into space with no source of air would kill you, you would have to stay in some kind of compartment for the whole trip, and you might contract cabin fever.”

That hit me. Hard. The whole reason I want to go to space is to be free of restraints and enclosed areas. But of course, I just had to get my hopes up, even though I knew absolutely nothing about space. Now I’m being told that there is no air in space, so I can’t roam freely. At all. Now I don’t know what to do. Part of me is saying “Don’t do it, it is way too dangerous,” but the other part, which usually wins out, is saying, “YOU ARE RAINBOW DASH. You’re not just going to let it go, are you? You started this puzzle, now it’s time to finish it. No matter the cost.” Once again, my adventurous side persuades me to continue my conquest into space.

“I don’t care,” I reply to Twilight, “Being in space has been my dream for too many years. If I don’t fulfill it, the thought will consume me, and hack away at me for the rest of my life. I need to do this.”

Twilight nods and says, “If that’s how you feel, I make it my duty to help you achieve your goal in any way possible. I will need some time to think, so be patient with me. I’ll do all of the scientific research and construction of anything you need.”
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!” I holler in absolute joy. “It’s no problem, Rainbow. I’ll do anything for a friend,” Twilight reassures me, “But there is something I need you to do in order to be prepared. “Of course, anything,” I assure her. “I know you’re in great shape already, but you need to make yourself as fit as possible,” Twilight proceeds, “That means working out for at least two hours every day until it’s time for departure into space. It’s tough out there, so strength and endurance are necessities. Is that clear?” “Crystal,” I reply.

It’s not like working out will be a problem for me. I work out every day, if you count flying as an exercise. If you ask me, this should be a cinch. I just hope this whole project doesn’t take too long. I’m a patient pony…when I want to be…okay, yeah, I’m probably the least patient pony in Equestria. But, it’ll be ready when it’s ready. I just hope I don’t die of anticipation.

“How long do you think it will take?” I ask Twilight. “I have no idea, but it will definitely take at least six months, perhaps longer.” When she says this, something in me must have broken. Not my heart, not my mind…my sanity.
“WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?” I scream in anger without thinking, “I CAN’T WAIT THAT LONG! SIX MONTHS?!? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMART! I THOUGHT YOU COULD GET IT DONE IN NO TIME, BUT APPARENTLY NOT! YOU’VE DONE SO MANY OTHER THINGS, BUT YOU CANT FIGURE OUT HOW TO SIMPLY GO UP WITHOUT IT TAKING AN ETERNITY?” I instantly regret what I said. Twilight looks immensely hurt by these statements. She starts to retreat towards her room, her head held low, and an immense wave of shame and guilt washes over me.

“Oh my gosh, I am sooo sorry!” I quickly apologize running over to meet her, “I didn’t mean that! Not at all! I just blurt things out sometimes…” Twilight doesn’t look at all convinced, but just the slightest hint of forgiveness appears in her expression, and I take the opportunity to exploit it, “Twilight, you know I didn’t mean that. You’re the most intelligent mare in Ponyville, maybe even Equestria, maybe even the world. Nobody can say you’re not smart, and I’m a fool for doing so. I can’t accomplish half the things you can! Please, you have to believe me when I say that I’m truly, utterly, and sincerely sorry! I promise I’ll never doubt you again! Ever! You’re my best friend, and I feel awful for what I just did. But please, forgive me…”

A few moments go by without a response, until I finally hear the answer that almost stuck a knife through my heart.

“No.”

Comments

[totallynotabrony]

A couple of statements:
I might suggest longer chapters, although this is a minor quibble. I'm terrible at adding length, myself.
I'm eager to find out how Dash knows about NASCAR.
I wonder why Twilight won't forgive her. As far as I can recall, this is bigger than any apology she's ever given in the show.
You've got great grammar.
Tracking.

[ConArtistAlpha]

Thank you for you're imput, totallynotabrony. To be honest, the NASCAR section was a fluke. I guess I was in a racing mood, since I literaly typed that paragraph not long after the Daytona 500. Although, an interesting idea just popped into my head that will probably make it work, however it might take a little time for me to squeeze it in. As for the apology.........well you'll see soon enough. I plan to release the next chapter no later than Wednesday. Thank you for tracking.