.
.
Act 3: The Resolve of the Big Brother
The trainride to the small town near the center of Equestria was an uneventful one. Most of the time, Crackle Pop spent with looking out of the window; busy with pondering about what happened, strategies to win the race and how he would leave the train upon arrival and explain everything to Derpy, while barely noticing the landscape that passed by as the train rode on the tracks towards its destination.
At one point, he pulled an apple and two slices of bread out of the saddlebags as his grumbling stomach reminded him on it that he didn't have a breakfast this morning, and greedily ate everything with a few bites. The rest of the trainride, though, he just stared out of the window, lying on the seat and an absent, concentrated expression in his eyes, his brows furrowed.
As the train came to a standstill with a lurch, he was thrown out of his deep thoughts and noticed that he had arrived. “Ponyville, end of the line!” the deep voice of the conductor sounded into his ears.
Quickly, the young pegasus colt stirred, snatched up Chirpy's saddlebags and galloped out of the train through the nearest exit. Having arrived at the platform, he hectically looked around for the pony he needed to meet. As he noticed Derpy at the other end of the platform, he dashed towards her.
Derpy waved at him, as soon as he came into her view. Then, she took down her hoof and a surprised expression appeared on her face.
Crackle stopped in front of her. Looking down on the ground, he gasped for breath, the saddlebags he had carried in his mouth falling down in the process.
“Crackle Pop?” Derpy asked him in bewilderment. “Why are you here? Where is Chirpy?”
Still out of breath, Crackle denied his big sister an answer for now, but by the sad expression his face took on as she mentioned Chirpy, Derpy figured that something was up.
“What happened, Crackle?” she asked another question, now sounding worried.
As he had finally gotten his breath back again, he answered Derpy's nagging question. “Chirpy is sick,” he said, the sorrow sounding in his voice.
Derpy's ears dropped as she heard the bad news. “Oh. How sad for her. I know how much she looked forward to participate in the derby for the first time.” She closed her eyes and lowered her head.
Crackle Pop nodded. “That's why I'm here. Chirpy got sick because of something I did, so I came to participate in the race and win for her.”
Derpy's head jolted up, her crossed eyes now looking at him with dismay in them. “Was it your special talent again?” she asked him.
“Mhm. It happened again. But I can't allow this. If Chirpy can't participate, I must at least get this victory in her stead. I must get her the ribbon for fastest cart, Derpy.” He looked at her intensely, a fire burning in his eyes that Derpy had never seen in them before.
Her expression turned into a determined one. “If that's how it is.....” she said. “Then we will win!” She turned her flank at him and pointed at it. “If anypony can help you win for our sister and to prevent her dream from bursting like a bubble completely, then it is the pony with a bubble cutie mark!”
The frantic expression in Crackle's face turned into a smile. Derpy grabbed her little brother and placed him on her back. “Come on! There's a race we have to win!” A spring in her movement, she snatched up the saddlebags, then turned around at the spot into the direction they needed to head. She enfolded her wings, flapped them hard and took flight towards Sweet Apple Acres in such a tempo that Crackle Pop had to grasp her neck strongly to avoid falling off her back.
As they arrived on the meadow of the local apple farm that served as the construction site for the carts of the Applewood Derby, Derpy didn't waste any time and immediately dashed for their reserved space at the far end of the site. Not intended to lose any time either, Crackle Pop jumped off her back, placed his little sister's saddlebags carefully on the ground and took the big saw, that was leaning against a massive wooden block, into his hooves. Derpy and he exchanged a determined look and a hoofbump, then both of them got down to work and began to cut a cart out of the block of wood.
To Crackle's surprise, constructing the cart went very easy and they made progress much faster than he had expected. It was something he wasn't used to. In the last two years of his participation in the Applewood Derby, his big sister Derpy's innate clumsiness caused them to need a long time for the construction of the cart, in a process that was marked by mishaps and failures. In the end, they always managed it to get a somewhat passable cart that could endure the three laps on the intersected, town-wide racing track. Though, the cart never brought him victory, and he always rolled over the finish line as one of the last racers, with only the participant who aimed for the most traditional cart behind him.
Every year, Crackle Pop had suspected that the obvious construction issues with the cart where responsible for him not winning the race, but he had never told Derpy about it or complained to her because of it. He knew very well that his big sister sometimes didn't have it easy to cope with the visual impairment she had since her birth, so he never addressed it to her. But this year was not the same. This year was clearly different. Noticing how fast they progressed with doing the first carvings that should give the wooden block the shape of a slick racing cart, Crackle Pop looked surprised over to his big sister, only to get his astonishment increased tenfold.
Unlike usually, Derpy's eyes were completely straight! During the whole construction, he kept paying attention to them. A few times they returned to the crossed state he was used to, but every time it happened, Derpy stopped for a moment with her work, squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. When she opened them again, they were as straight as before and she immediately continued with working on the cart. As time passed by, Crackle Pop noticed an increasing amount of sweat appearing on his big sister's forehead, yet she never stopped working, except for fixing her eyes, and was continuing in a tempo that was almost fanatically fast. It only took them two hours and the cart was completely carved out of the wood and equipped with working wheels and a fully functionable engine. Just a few minutes later they had drawn a big “1” surroundedy by a circle on both sides of their cart, something that should show that they will be the Number #1, as Derpy explained.
After they were finished with everything, Crackle Pop jumped into the vehicle and stepped on the gas pedal. The engine roared and the cart rolled forward a few meters at a respectable speed. A satisfied and happy smile on his face, he jumped out of the cart again.
Derpy was sitting on the ground, her face clad in sweat and her eyes having returned to their trademark crossed state permanently, something she allowed to happen again, now that the cart was finished and they couldn't cause her to put something at the wrong place or to make a wrong cut anymore. The pegasus mare panted heavily.
Unexpectedly, she felt embraced by her younger brother. “Thank you, big sis!” he exclaimed in joy, burying his face in the hairs on her neck. “I think with this cart, we can really win this time!”
Smiling, Derpy enfolded her wings and wrapped them around her little brother. “We will!” she assured him. “No way I will allow that our sister suffers more than she has to.”
The two pegasi siblings enjoyed their closeness for a few minutes, then they parted.
“So, should we make our way to the racing track?” Derpy asked Crackle Pop. The determined expression had returned into her face now.
Eagerly, the young colt nodded. Derpy got up and together, they rolled their cart to the location where the derby would take place.....
Crackle Pop looked over his opponents as he rolled his cart to the starting line. It was a classical déjà vu moment, as he already did this for the second time on this day.
So far, fate had been cruel with him again. The first race started out alright, but soon, the event spiraled out of control. First, there was this other opponent, a mare with a white coat going by the name of Rarity in a swan cart. Every time he and Derpy had gathered speed, she blocked their way by unfolding gigantic wings that were attached to her cart. She was only competing for most creative cart, yet she did her best to prevent them from surpassing her. From Derpy, he knew that the mare was an old fillyhood rival of hers, who was intended to beat her for the most creative cart since she had won this ribbon back in the days when she was a young filly. This year was the first time, though, that her rival had resorted to cheating to get revenge on Derpy for beating her. It was something that had made him mad. He had such an important reason and did his best to be faster than the other racers, and then there was this perky mare, always securing her top position by cheating with the features her car offered! More than once he was close to yell at her to get out of the way and it was only due to the realization that she wouldn't hear him anyway over the loud sound of all the engines that he didn't.
And just a few minutes later, the disaster happened. At one of the intersections, the cheating mare and two other ones, who strangely didn't allow their three younger partners to drive the carts, crashed into each other. The other carts, including their own, were close behind them and joined the collision. Fortunately, none of them or any of the other racers got injured, aside from slight bruises and a few scratches, but their cart was demolished. The race was announced to get a repeat after the accident brought it to such an abrupt end and everypony went back to the construction site to fix their demolished carts. Luckily, the damage on their own cart wasn't as bad as the damage the other carts had received and so, fixing it up and making it apt for the race again was a relatively easy task.
Now the racers were back on the racing track again, but there was a difference now. Since the accident was apparently caused by adult racers that weren't careful enough, it was decided that the foals should participate in the second race alone. It was something Crackle Pop only agreed to very reluctantly; Derpy worked so hard to build their cart and then to fix it, it was unfair to single her out now, but Derpy said it was okay. She told him that she had already contributed her part to help their sister and was fine with not participating anymore this time. Then she joined the spectators along the course to cheer him on.
And now it was almost time. The carts rolled closer and closer to the starting line and Crackle Pop observed his competitors attentively.
To his right were the three fillies who got denied to drive their carts during the first race. All of them had new carts now, as their old ones got completely destroyed. To his luck, Crackle Pop was able to collect some informations about these three competitors of him. During a conversation between them and the three mares, apparently their big sisters, that he could overhear, they had talked about the ribbons they wanted to win.
The filly to his immediate right, a unicorn listening to the name of Sweetie Belle, was going for the most traditional cart, something that would have been, by the look of her cart, easy to tell anyway, even if he wouldn't have heard her talking with her big sister. She wasn't a danger for him. Her cart was so slow that it would most likely go over the finish line as the last one, a long time after the other racers would have already finished the race.
A position further to the right was a cart designed like a phoenix, driven by a pegasus filly called Scootaloo, who wanted to get the ribbon for most creative cart. Crackle Pop guessed that this cart could still win despite its unusual design, if Scootaloo would try really hard, but knowing her goal with this race, she was probably not aiming for being the first one to drive over the finish line. Crackle ticked her off on the imaginatory list in his mind.
The filly on the far right, going by the name of Apple Bloom, though, was a problem. Her cart was slick and thin. Clearly designed for speed, there was no doubt about that. In fact, from what he could see, it was definitely the slickest one of all of them. On top of that, she seemed to have the most sturdy wheels. Crackle Pop cursed himself a little for it that he and Derpy didn't make their cart more aerodynamic, but now it was too late. And he had to concentrate now. “No time to cry over spilled milk now, Crackle Pop!” he reminded himself.
Crackle Pop squinted at Apple Bloom, who gave him a confident and determined look, that seemed to say “Come and try to beat me!”, then he turned around to the left and focused his attention there.
Four other racers were on this side. He didn't know their names, except for one, and he lacked informations about them. But judging by the look of their carts, they were most likely going for fastest cart as well. There was a cart that looked like a barber pole, driven by a slightly chubby colt; a very classical, blue racing cart, controlled by a grey colt with a dark, red mane and a cart with very round shapes, that had purple colors and a white streak in the middle, on board a filly with a long and flowy, turquoise mane.
The cart that got the biggest attention by him, though, was a modern, red vehicle, that looked very noble and expensive. Its racer, Diamond Tiara, had quite obviously a wealthy family. This meant that she could probably afford equipment and features for her cart that other ponies couldn't afford. It was a cart that definitely had a lot of power under the hood, this was something that was easy to tell. And if it wouldn't have been for the looks of their carts, the expression in the faces of two of these four racers made their intentions clear.
Diamond Tiara was wearing an expression of determination so strong that it was even rivaling his own and the turquoise-maned filly even had a look in her eyes like she was willing to push other racers of the track to win, which was further solidified by an almost malicious-looking grin. As she noticed that he looked at her, she turned around to him and, still wearing the same grin, pointed with a hoof at him, followed by clashing both of her hooves together.
Seeing this clear signal, Crackle Pop gulped. The competition was anything but easy.
Having checked out the other racers, he looked in front of him again. He now knew which racers would be the hardest to beat. “Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara and the aggressive filly with the turquoise mane.....” he muttered quietly to himself. “I must be careful with those three.”
Now the starting line was almost reached by them. “Derby racers, to the starting line! Derby racers, to the starting line!”
The voice of the organizer of the derby ringing in his ear made him realize like nothing else that it was getting serious now. He tightened his grip around the steering wheel. “I'm not going to lose, Chirpy. This ribbon will be yours. I will win this race for you.”
Now all the carts were at the starting position and the little peptalk he just gave himself made him confident now. He felt relaxed. There was no way he would lose this race. He would be the winner at the end, no matter the cost. Smiling, he looked at the racing track in front of him, his hooves at the steering wheel ready to take every sharp turn and every curve in the best way possible.
The organizer started to give the signal. “Racers, on your marks! Get set! Go!”
With full force, Crackle Pop hit the gas pedal and made his way to pass the other racers. Even though he managed a quick start, he only found himself on fourth place right now. As he had expected, Apple Bloom was at the first position right away. She was closely followed by Scootaloo and behind the two, Diamond Tiara gave her best to catch up.
Carefully, Crackle Pop steered his cart through the curvy beginning of the course down the hill. This was a maneuver that was costing him a little speed, and he almost fell behind a spot several times, but at the same time, the fact that he was driving downwards on a hill still allowed him to keep a nice pace and to hold his position.
As he had successfully steered through the last curve and was close to the foot of the hill, he became more daring and began to increase the tempo.
Diamond Tiara had managed it to get far ahead of him while he was maneuvering down the hill – her cart had indeed a lot of power – but now he was slowly catching up. Occasionally, he had to hit the brake as the track led him through two very long loops with radical curves, but still, he got closer and closer to Diamond Tiara. It was soon that he realized that her cart, while being very fast, was not very maneuverable through curves, probably through its rather bulky build. This allowed him to catch up with her anyway.
Crackle Pop licked his lips as he noticed that he was almost side on side with Diamond Tiara now. After accelerating even more, he had almost passed Diamond Tiara.
“See it, Chirpy? I'm almost third,” he began his imaginary conversation with his little sister again to encourage him. “Almost done. Just a little more and–“ Abruptly, he stopped mid-sentence as he felt a strong impact.
Startled, he turned to the left to see what had caused the impact and looked directly into the eyes of the turquoise-maned filly. Realizing what happened, he shouted at her.
“You?! Are you crazy? Don't you know that it's dangerous to ram another cart like this?”
She ignored his argument and just gave him a mischievous grin. “What's the matter? Not tough enough, buster?” She rammed his cart again, letting him almost lose control of it.
Crackle Pop noticed that he was far behind Diamond Tiara again now. He gritted his teeth.
“Finally stop ramming my cart, you..... you.....” Quickly, he bit on his tongue before he would say something that he would be regretting later.
Once more, the filly was ignoring what he said. “Oh and I'm not 'you'!” she answered. “My name is Sugar Stix. But I probably should call myself 'Sugar Devil' for this race.” She laughed out loud a few times, then she rammed his cart a third time.
And this was one time too much. Crackle Pop hit the brake and yanked the steering wheel around wildly in a desperate attempt to stay on track, but it was useless. Not reacting to his input anymore, the cart slid over the track and directly into one of the haybales at its side. He could hear Sugar Stix' laughter as she took his former position. Then, the other three carts that were behind him passed by.
Angry, Crackle Pop let his hooves come down on the steering wheel. Then he took a deep breath, composed himself and put the cart into reverse. A few moments later, he was back on the track and tried to catch up again. He knew it wouldn't be easy, though, as he was suddenly on last place and all the other racers were very far ahead now.
Crackle Pop reached for the stick to his right and determinedly, he switched it two gears higher. “Nopony is stopping me,” he said between gritted teeth.
As he noticed how much faster the cart was now, he calmed down a little. He was making progress again and as he had mastered the curve of the third loop of the race and was past the town hall, he was once again close to its center, where he noticed a familiar racer in some distance in front of him: Diamond Tiara.
As he passed her, her furious expression let him immediately figure what had happened. Like him, Diamond Tiara had become a victim of the “Sugar Devil”.
Much bigger than his surprise over seeing Diamond Tiara so far behind suddenly was his surprise as he, after he had outdistanced Diamond Tiara and could already see the finish line, saw this very Sugar Devil he just thought about in front of him. A grin flashed over his face. He had no idea what happened that the aggressive filly racer was suddenly at one of the last positions as well, but with the unfair action from earlier still fresh in his mind, he could feel nothing but satisfaction.
Once more, he hit the gas harder. As he was at Sugar Stix' side, he lowered the tempo for a moment. Turning around to the other racer, he stuck out his tongue and gave her a cheeky grin, then he increased his tempo again and left her behind.
Sugar Stix' face was distorted in anger now. She increased her tempo as well until she was at his side again. But before she could ram him, Crackle Pop had already taken precautions. He had switched to gear four now, which let him easily get ahead of her again. Crackle Pop turned around for a moment and laughed as he saw that Sugar Stix' cart was already so far away that he couldn't see more than a small pink dot with another turquoise dot on top anymore.
He returned his attention to the track in front of him again and a moment later, he raced over the finish line. The first lap was over now and finally he could see the other five racers before him again. His determination rekindled, he now floored the gas pedal and smiled satisfiedly as he got ever nearer to his competitors.
Then his heart did a jump. He yelped slightly as a red flash suddenly came from behind him and stopped right at his side. He looked to the left and his mouth gaped open as he recognized the opponent. He wanted to say something, and it was already on his tongue to ask how she did it, but he could not produce one single word from sheer shock and surprise and instead, kept gasping like a fish in an aquarium.
Diamond Tiara smiled at him smugly. The joy of being closer to the top position now was impossible to miss in her face. She winked at him. “See you later, partner!” Then the speed of her cart increased again and she shot past him. Her happy giggle was still in the air as he watched with an open mouth how she passed by Scootaloo, the barberpole cart and the colt in his blue cart as well.
Finally, he managed to press out some words, but all he could say was “What?! How?”
For a few moments, he just kept staring at Diamond Tiara's cart, his mouth widely opened. As he saw the center of the racing track coming into view again, his mind became clear. He shook his head, squinted his eyes and concentrated on the course again. “Focus now!” he called himself out. “You can't disappoint her.” He was still driving with gear four and from what he could see in front of him, this was necessary now. Even though he had switched to this much higher gear now, he still was not past the other racers, so they must have switched to the same gear by now, he figured.
Still a bit confused by Diamond Tiara's shockingly sudden return, he tried hitting the gas pedal harder, only to realize that he was still flooring it. And yet he couldn't get closer to the other racers! All he managed right now was holding his position and avoiding to fall farther behind. He corrected his former assertion. The other carts must at least drive with gear five already by now. For just a split-second, doubts overcame him if his cart could really keep up with the other carts, but he shook the thought away.
Confidently, he pulled at the stick for a third time since the race started. As he had finished switching to gear five, he felt getting pressed back into his seat. With a sudden burst of speed, he raced past Scootaloo, the barberpole cart and the blue cart, finding himself on third place from one moment to another.
A smile played upon his lips. Apparently, while the other racers were already driving with gear five before he did, they had never floored the gas pedal after switching to it so far. Now there were only Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom in front of him. If he would switch to gear six, he could make it to the first position with ease.....
Crackle Pop pondered if he should already play out this last trump card he had or wait longer for it, until his mind was getting distracted by something in front of him.
As they turned into the first loop of the racing track and swiftly approached the first, major curve, Diamond Tiara's cart accelerated faster and faster. She was now side by side with Apple Bloom and just a few seconds later, she had passed her, which made the speedster filly look after her irritated.
Seeing this achievement astounded Crackle Pop and, at the same time, gave him more confidence for his own goal. “If she can make this, I can surpass Apple Bloom too!” He reached for the stick, while simultaneously steering his cart through the curve, as he noticed that Diamond Tiara's cart started to skid.
A scared expression on her face, she bit her lip and tried to still make it through the curve properly. They were in the middle of the curve now, the hardest part, yet Diamond Tiara did not lower her tempo. Then her cart shot off of the racing track. It circled around itself a few times as Diamond Tiara frantically yanked at the wheel, then it slid straight towards a tree and crashed into it. The loud sound of the fast impact pierced through Crackle Pop's ear drums. He thought to see a bright flash at her cart as he drove past the crash site, but everything happened so fast, he couldn't be sure.
Gulping, he moved his hoof away from the stick. “Not a good idea in a curve like this,” he muttered in shock. He looked behind him, but he was already too far away to see if Diamond Tiara was alright. He wanted to turn around and drive back for a moment, but then he changed his mind as he saw the picture of his crying sister appear in front of him.
Gritting his teeth, he left the loop with the other racers and drove over the center of the track. Up until now, he had to use the brake slightly in order to not crash into Diamond Tiara, but now he put his hoof away from it and took her former position. His spirits suddenly lifted, he smiled. “It's just one step away from victory now, Chirpy!” he said.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one with this idea. The two colts behind him accelerated too now and took position at his sides. Only Scootaloo stayed behind, but she took the place right behind Crackle Pop. The other two racers looked at him with grim faces. Crackle Pop shuddered. This had long since stopped being a race, it was a fight. This dawned on him now.
With drifting through the second loop and its massive curve now, Crackle once more didn't dare to switch to the last gear his cart could offer, but he managed to hold the position. Neither he nor the other two colts could get ahead of each other and all three of them continued to drive on the same position.
In this situation, an odd thought occurred to Crackle Pop. He hadn't seen Sugar Stix anywhere since shortly before the end of the first lap. Was she still so far behind? Or was she disqualified and pulled out of the race? He reckoned with the latter. There had to be some judges here in this race and what she did was likely against the rules.
While pondering about her, they drove into the third loop. With a bad feeling in the gut, Crackle noticed the displaced haybale at the side of the track, feeling remembered on his own, thankfully small, accident because of the reckless behavior of Sugar Stix. He averted his gaze from it and concentrated on what was in front of his eyes again.
Even though he raced over the track in such a high tempo now that his surroundings were a blur most of the time, it was surprisingly easy to steer the cart through the curve. “It's too easy,” he thought. He looked at the two colts at his sides again. He was aware of it that he had to do something and luckily, the chance presented itself as they left the loop and approached the center of the race once more. He could already see the finish line again, signifying the end of the second lap. He knew there weren't any major curves now for a while. If he would switch to gear six now.....
Ready, he put his hoof on the stick, while still holding position in the middle between the two other colts. The finish line was almost in reach. “Now or never!” He put pressure on the stick to switch to the last gear available, as suddenly, a sharp pain flashed through his right hoof. The pain causing a certain impulse in him, he hit the brake of his cart, causing it to skid slightly. Panicking, he moved his hurting hoof, that was now throbbing from pain, and placed it on the steering wheel again. The whole debacle had cost him his second place and as he raced over the finish line, he found himself at Scootaloo's side, the two other colts battling it out between the two of them now.
As he was sure that he had the situation under control enough to not shoot off the racing track like Diamond Tiara earlier and that he would not fall farther behind, he allowed himself to take a look at his hoof. It looked slightly swollen. Crackle Pop grimaced in pain as another flash went through his hoof.
“Hey, you're okay?”
Crackle turned to his right where the voice had come from. Scootaloo was looking at him, a concerned expression adorning her face.
He set up a fake smile. “Everything's fine,” he answered. “Don't worry about it.”
Scootaloo's face was still wearing a frown. She looked in front of her again, but shot him a sceptical glance before fully concentrating on her own cart again.
Crackle Pop returned his attention to his cart as well.
Unfortunately, nothing was fine. He knew that he had hurt his right hoof earlier this day. After the accident, he had trouble putting it down on the ground for a few minutes, even so much that he chose to hover for a while in order to avoid having to stand. The pain vanished eventually, so he thought it was just a bruise and didn't make a fuzz about it. What he had to do today was too important to make a fuzz about it. But now, he realized in horror, the injury was probably something much worse than that.
He clenched his teeth, trying to concentrate on the hill at the start of the racing track he now drove downwards on for a third time, as, once more, pain jerked through his hoof. It twitched.
He was now at the foot of the hill again and after a few more curves, he saw the center of the race circuit in front of him.
“Not now,” he thought. “This is the final lap. I won't give up now.”
The pain was coming in waves now, but he visualized Chirpy in front of him and ignored the pain once more. “She's counting on you, Crackle!” he said. “And this is your last chance.”
In now desperate determination, he placed his right hoof on the stick. As he touched it, a feeling like somepony was cutting into his hoof went through it. Crackle flinched. But he did not remove his hoof.
He lowered the pressure of his left hindleg on the gas pedal and immediately, he was falling behind Scootaloo. But not for long. Groaning in pain, he used the stick and finally switched to gear six. He hit the gas pedal stronger again, but was not flooring it this time, not yet, and then he was pressed into his seat again by another burst of speed that was stronger than any he had ever felt.
Without effort, his cart accelerated forward and past Apple Bloom's cart now, bringing him finally on the position he needed to reach.
“Hey!” Apple Bloom shouted after him, upset and disappointed over the sudden development, but he could already not hear this anymore.
Using the opportunity, he hit the gas pedal slightly stronger, increasing his speed just a tiny bit more. His injured hoof was placed by him on the steering wheel again. It now hurt every time he moved it.
With his newfound tempo, he drove into the first loop and tried to take on the curve again without reducing the pressure on the gas pedal, but soon, he had to realize that he didn't have a choice. He would have to drive slower if he wanted to make it through the loop.
Crackle lowered the pressure of his left hindleg and his cart became slower, now drifting through the curve more securely. As he was at the spot where Diamond Tiara's accident happened, his eyes widened from surprise. Her cart was gone!
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think about if that meant that she was still in the race or brought away for medical care, because as he had successfully maneuvered his cart through the rest of the curve, Apple Bloom was suddenly at his side again. She smirked. “Guess it's just ya and me now!”
Confused, he turned around and indeed, there was no other cart behind them!
“Yeah,” he said as they entered the second loop. “Guess we outpaced them all. But I can't let you win.”
Now the filly frowned a little, but only for a moment, and her face became determined again after just a second. “Ah didn't ask for that!” she made clear.
Crackle Pop answered the determined look in her face with the same expression. “I can still go faster,” he told her. To demonstrate it, he hit the gas pedal once again a tiny bit more and was suddenly ahead of her.
“Me too!” Apple Bloom replied confidently, then she did the same and caught up with him again.
“You are persistent,” he pressed out between clenched teeth as the next painful wave tormented him.
“Ahm an Apple!” the filly countered. “And if an Apple has set her mind on somethin', she doesn't let go of it anymore!” The determined expression in her face deepened.
He wanted to reply something, but just as he and Apple Bloom reached the hard part of the curve in the second loop, his vision became blurry. The air in front of him seemed to flicker suddenly and everything started to sway for him.
Out of nowhere, he felt a strong punch in his side. “Huh?” Crackle Pop opened his eyes again, literally in the last moment. His eyes shrinking in shock, he realized that he must have passed out. He yanked the wheel around and prevented his cart from leaving the track. His vision being better now, he saw the filly that was just at his side a moment earlier driving far ahead. He stiffled a curse.
Then he remembered the punch and he looked to his left. Another cart was very close to his and the pink filly sitting inside had put the hoof she punched him with back on the steering wheel of her cart just now. She grinned at him.
“Diamond Tiara?” Crackle Pop asked in complete bewilderment. His eyes wandered over the partially demolished front side of her cart, then back to her. A scratch was on her right cheek, bleeding slightly. “How can you still participate after this crash?”
Diamond Tiara presented him with a mysterious look. “A diamond can't break.” She smirked, then she increased the tempo of her cart to catch up with Apple Bloom and left him again.
Seeing this brought Crackle Pop fully back into reality. He was hitting the gas pedal harder again and followed Diamond Tiara's example. In shock he noticed that he had almost come to a standstill as he had passed out for a second. He was already leaving the second loop in the moment of this realization. Just one more loop and the short part of the track before the finish line, then everything would be over. The thought hit him like a brickstone.
Pushing the gas pedal even harder, he increased his tempo more. Soon he drew nearer to Diamond Tiara again and with another increase of pressure on the pedal, he drove past her and left her behind.
He was facing the last, strong curve now, but this time there was a catch. With Diamond Tiara being a threat again and Apple Bloom still a good distance before him, he could not decrease the tempo of his cart now to make it easier through the curve. He was certain that, if he would to this, he would lose the race. And this would mean no ribbon for Chirpy. Seeing the sad, crying face of his little sister in front of him, this spurred him again.
“Come on, how hard can it be?” he asked himself half aloud. “If I take the curve just narrow enough it will work!”
“It has to.....” an unpleasant voice in his head added.
Crackle Pop was fully concentrated and focused now. So much that he didn't even feel the pain in his hoof anymore. The curve drew nearer.
“Just a few seconds more.....” He licked over his lips, not taking his eyes away from the point where he had to start the maneuver.
As he had reached it, he pulled his wheel further and further to the left to steer the cart through the inner side of the curve. Sweat broke out on his forehead. As he couldn't pull the wheel any further and was still not completely through the curve, he closed his eyes, hoping for a miracle.
“Chirpy,” he whispered. Crackle Pop braced himself for the inevitable impact with a tree or another haybale.
As none came for several seconds, he hesitantly opened his eyes again.
The curve was behind him! Quickly, he pulled the steering wheel into the other direction until he was securely driving in the middle of the course again. He swiped some sweat off his forehead.
Now the last challenge was lying ahead of him. He would soon leave the third and last loop, in barely a few seconds with the tempo his cart had now. In front of him he could see Apple Bloom. The distance to her was now much smaller after his risky maneuver.
He breathed in deeply. “Okay, Crackle Pop, this is your final chance.” Without wasting anymore thoughts and worries on it if he would make it, he concentrated himself on the only task left:
To hit the gas as hard as possible to pass Apple Bloom in her fast cart and make it over the finish line before her.
A last lick over his now dry lips, then he went all out. With as much force as he could put into it, he hit with his left hoof down on the pedal and once more, he felt pressed into his seat.
Two seconds later, Apple Bloom was behind him.
The distance to her grew bigger. Crackle knew there was a last bit of pressure he could bring down on the pedal under his hoof, but he needed to save this, just in case the speed-obsessed filly was passing him in the last moment when they were near the finish line.
Almost in the speed of light, at least that's how it seemed to him, he flashed over the center of the race track and his cart entered the last part of it. The finish line was in clear sight, coming closer and closer with every second.
And unsurprisingly, it wouldn't be so easy to win. Apple Bloom's cart appeared on his side. No smirk was adorning her face now. Her eyes were fixated on the track and her concentration was on its maximum.
Crackle slightly increased the pressure on the gas pedal, causing his cart to leap forward.
Apple Bloom did the same.
A constant back and forth ensued between them. Every time he put a little bit of the last speed reserves he had left into his cart, Apple Bloom did so with hers.
Crackle Pop began to wonder how fast her cart could even get and if she still had enough reserves left to outpace him indefinitely.
As the finish line was so close that he almost felt he could touch it, Crackle Pop decided to get everything out of the cart he had left now. Pushing his hoof forward, he attempted to increase his speed one last time, as his right forehoof unexpectedly tortured him with an even stronger pain in the worst moment possible.
A small scream escaped his throat and in the result of the wave of pain, it was his wrong hoof that shot forward. With force, it was hitting the brake.
Apple Bloom immediately used the situation to her advantage and hit her gas pedal all the way through. It were only a few meters to the finish line now.
“NO!” Crackle Pop's eyes widened in agitation. “It can't end like this!”
He removed his hoof from the brake again almost in the same second he had put it on it. Crackle put both of his hooves on the gas pedal with so much pressure that he thought it would break off, while simultaneously holding the stick all the way to the stop with his right forehoof and keeping the cart in a straight line using his left hoof on the steering wheel.
The engine of his cart made a horrible sound now, but Crackle Pop didn't hear it. Suddenly, everything seemed to happen in slow-motion for him, like time had decided to act in his favor.
His cart did a last jerk forward. Only a few inches before the two racers reached the finish line, it was at Apple Bloom's side again. Then both of their carts crossed the finish line simultaneously.
The spectating ponies at the sides of the racing track broke out in deafening cheers.
As simultaneously as both of them went over the finish line, Apple Bloom and Crackle Pop brought their carts to a stop now.
It was over. Crackle removed his hooves from all of the cart's instruments, resulting in an odd feeling for him, because they now felt like they were glued to them. He sank back in his seat and broke out in heavy breaths.
But there was no time to rest now. Not yet. He forced himself to get up again and looked over to Cheerilee. “Who is the winner? Who went over the finish line first?!” He was so nervous, it was like he was literally shooting those questions at Cheerilee. His breath was rattling in his chest now.
“It seems like you did it both at the same time,” she answered calmly. “But we need to wait for the picture.”
Moments passed. Moments that were a pain for Crackle Pop to endure. He sat in the seat of his cart, not taking his eyes from Cheerilee, until finally, a stallion approached her and hoofed her a piece of paper.
Cheerilee looked at it with a stern face, then her expression softened. “Everypony!” she began. “We have a winner!”
Crackle Pop's heart began to beat in a fast accord. It felt to him as it would jump out of his chest any moment.
Cheerilee cleared her throat. “And the winner of this year's Applewood Derby in Ponyville in the category of the fastest cart is.....”
Crackle Pop and Apple Bloom held their breaths.
“Crackle Pop from Rainbow Falls!”
The ponies that were present broke into another round of cheers and this time, it were the pegasi who cheered the loudest.
Now Cheerilee was turning the picture and showed it around. And indeed. The photo that showed both him and Apple Bloom with their determined and concentrated faces revealed a slight advantage for Crackle Pop in the final moment of the race. It were literally just two or three inches that separated the positions of their carts from each other, but the picture showed it quite clearly:
The front of Crackle Pop's cart was touching the finish line first!
A wave of joy and happiness was washing over Crackle Pop and all the pressure fell off of him in an instant. The broadest smile possible appeared on his face.
To his left, ponies carrying the ribbon he won and a wreath of flowers approached his cart. Right behind them was Derpy, who smiled at him proudly.
With shaking hooves, Crackle Pop proceeded to leave his cart. He did a few steps towards the ponies to finally receive the ribbon Chirpy needed so much. As the ponies had almost reached him, his legs gave in suddenly and he collapsed to the ground.
The many worried voices that suddenly rang out to him were the last thing he heard before his vision went black.....