"You call that running? I've seen my turtle Tank move faster than you! Even Fluttershy could run laps around you! Let's pick up the pace, Matchstick!" Rainbow dashed cried, blowing hard into her whistle.
It had been a rather strenuous week for me to say the least. Having agreed to run against Hotshot McFlash, I was put under Rainbow Dash's most grueling regiment of training. I only stopped to eat and sleep; I was running for the rest of it. Rainbow Dash was an incredible coach, she seemed to know everything about pacing, breathing, stretching, dieting and even mentally preparing me to race. She was, however, trying to fit years of training into a week, and I'm pretty sure I was going to burn out before the race had even begun.
"Move it!" Rainbow Dash shouted once more; having noticed my pace slowing.
Today I was running on a track, much to the amusement of other ponies that had come to train as well, but decided to watch me instead. Having an audience did not bother me, I was used to the staring, but it was the cheering that I received from the other ponies that made me feel anxious.
"How's the training going, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked strolling up to her.
"For some pony that has never raced before, he's pretty good. Twilight said that Flame Ponies have a unique breathing pattern and makes them perfect candidates for running and, of course, breathing fire." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Do you think he'll be able to keep up with that Hotshot McFlash?" Applejack asked curiously.
"Not a chance, that pony has got years of experience doing this sort of thing. Even if Matchstick had a whole year to train he'd still be miles behind." Rainbow Dash said with a giggle.
"Then why are you making him run so much?" Applejack asked curiously.
"Cause he said he wanted to be at his best for when the race comes. He mentioned that it was important to you and Sweet Apple Acres." Rainbow Dash replied twilring her whistle.
"It sure is." Applejack muttered. “We stand to make a cartload of bits from this race.”
"Come on lets pick up the pace! I want to see some sweat, Matchstick!" Rainbow Dash hollered.
"Do Flame Ponies even sweat?" Applejack asked unsure.
"No idea." Rainbow Dash replied.
It was on the completion of my twentieth lap did Rainbow Dash blow her whistle signaling me to take a break. The whistle was my favorite and most hated sound these last couple of days. I came to a rest near the side of the track where a towel was lifted up to my face. I looked past it to see it was Spike offering me the towel, but I shook my head softly to decline.
"I guess Flame Ponies don't sweat after all." Applejack remarked.
"Hey Spike, what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked, heading over to us.
"Twilight and I were doing some research on Flame Ponies, she wanted me to come find where you ponies were, and report back to her." Spike replied.
For a moment Rainbow Dash, Applejack and I exchanged glances of utter bewilderment and looked back at Spike expectantly.
"What?" Spike asked, looking confused.
"Shouldn't you have gone back to tell Twilight where Ash was?" Applejack asked; stating the obvious to the little dragon.
"Oh… right. I guess I got distracted watching Fireball run around the track." Spike said tapping his claws together.
"You think?" Twilight asked aloud, approaching us from the entrance of the track.
"Twilight! Hey! I, uh, found him!" Spike said nervously pointing at me.
"Thanks." Twilight replied rolling her eyes.
"Alright break time is over, lets get back to it, Matchstick!" Rainbow Dash hollered.
I tried not to roll my eyes in front of her. I nodded in agreement and took off running once more. I didn't get more than two laps in when I heard Rainbow Dash blow the whistle again and motion for me to come over. I wasn’t going to complain getting another break in so soon.
"Alright Matchstick, Twilight says she might have something to help you run this race tomorrow." Rainbow Dash informed me.
"Is it a gluing Hotshot McFlash to the starting line?" I asked sarcastically.
I earned a chuckle out of Spike.
"Not exactly." Applejack replied.
"I was doing some research last night on Flame Ponies. While there isn't much to go on, I did find a letter from a Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot many years ago that had mentioned a specific battle with Flame Ponies." Twilight said showing me a piece of parchment.
"What does it say?" I asked curiously.
"She says that the Flame Ponies had charged their ranks head on, and before they could mount a defense the Flame Ponies were already on them." Twilight explained, summarizing the letter for every pony.
"So the Flame Ponies caught them off guard." I said feeling a little lost.
"The Flame Ponies had crossed almost two miles of land in under a minute." Twilight pointed out.
"That sure would give that Hotshot fella a run for his money." Applejack said leaning over to look at the letter.
"If we can figure out how these Flame Ponies were able to cover so much distance in such a short time we can maybe use it to give you a fighting chance tomorrow." Twilight said hopefully.
"You mean Flash Stepping?" I asked, figuring out the point Twilight was trying to make.
"Say what now?" Applejack asked in surprise.
"Flash Stepping, it's a technique we Flame Ponies use to… well run really fast." I said bluntly, finding no easy way to explain it.
There was an awkward silence between Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike for a few moments. Every pony stared at me wide eyed and mouth a gape. I could feel that I was about to be yelled at, if not lectured in the coming moments.
"Back up! You can do what these Flame Ponies did in the letter?" Twilight asked sounding shocked.
"Forget that! You could have been running faster this whole time? What did you think I was screaming at you when I said to run faster?" Rainbow Dash hollered right into my ear.
"Well Flash Stepping isn't something Flame Ponies learn overnight. It takes a couple of years to really use it effectively." I explained to them.
"But you can do it, right?" Applejack asked raising a brow to me.
"Well, yes…" I began.
"To the starting line mister!" Rainbow Dash yelled blowing on her whistle into my ear.
Rubbing my ear I walked up to the starting line. Every pony was now watching me with great interest. I rolled my shoulders a few times and waited for Rainbow Dash's signal. The whistle blew and I took off in a sprint. Thus far it was what every pony had already seen me do. The speed I had been running was the limit I had set to myself. Pushing myself to run a bit faster, with the wind whipping past me as it began to fan my flames.
The fire upon my mane, my tail, and from my hooves roared into a blaze. Before long I was engulfed in flames, I could feel the fire beneath me propelling me forward, my hooves striking the ground as the flames shot me forward. Digging my hooves into the track I came to a sliding stop, my flames dissipated in a wisp of smoke and I stood staring at the trail of fire I had left in my wake.
I left a sizeable trail of fire nearly halfway down the length of the track. I had elected to only run one just to prove that I could do it. Unfortunately, from the expressions of all the ponies present I was sure to be asked to do it again.
"That was unbelievable!" Rainbow Dash cried in excitement.
The fire trail quickly began to fizzle away, while the ponies looking on cheered at the spectacle I had made. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike all hurried over to compliment me and describe to me how amazing my demonstration had been.
"Ash, if you could run like that from the start why didn't you just say so?" Applejack asked in disbelief.
"When I use the Flash Step, I let the wind whipping past me to increase the size and intensity of my flames. The reason I didn't bring it up is that the Flash Step leaves behind a trail of fire, and I'd rather not be the pony who burns all of Ponyville to the ground." I explained uncomfortably.
"Well, we can have some ponies clear the path before the race. We could even have ponies from Cloudsdale watch from above and put out any of the accidental fires before it even starts!" Rainbow Dash suggested in excitement.
"I appreciate it, I really do, but I wasn't planning on using it during the race. I don't want to do anything that could make Flame Ponies look dangerous or incapable of restraining themselves." I said solemnly.
"But if you win the race every pony will be talking about how a Flame Pony beat the fastest race pony around! Everyone would want to see Flame Ponies race!" Spike insisted.
"I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk. I just can't." I said excusing myself.
"Hey! Practice isn't over." Rainbow Dash called after me.
I didn't turn back. This was going to be my first real chance to make an impression in front of a lot of ponies and I was worried that even the slightest mistake on my part would end our chances of receiving help before it had even started. I left the track to find a place where I could rest and unwind for tomorrow's race. The riverbank was my only place to go where I didn’t have to worry about setting Ponyville on fire.
That night I sat at the edge of the river bank, staring out at the mountain range separating the Ashen Fields from the rest of Equestria. My thoughts dwelled on whether I was doing the right thing, whether stealing the Elements of Harmony would have been the better idea.
A week had passed and all I had been doing was running. I would most certainly lose tomorrow’s race, Hotshot would hooves down win it no questions asked, but what sort of message would that send to every pony? Training for a race I knew I couldn’t win? Wasting time training for a week when I could have been focusing my efforts into something I knew I could achieve?
"Hey there, Smolder." A voice spoke up from behind me.
I glanced over to see Twilight Sparkle strolling up behind me. She wore a smile on her face that seemed to make me want to smile back. So I did.
"Hello Twilight." I replied quietly.
"So tomorrow is the big race then, huh?" Twilight asked sitting herself down next to me, leaving a large enough gap between us.
"Yeah." I mumbled.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Twilight asked, noticing how late it was.
"Yeah." I mumbled again, trying to keep my eyes fixed on the water.
There was a silence between us. It was very clear that I couldn't sleep and that the cause of it was my nervousness about the race. Twilight caught onto that from the start, but she was kind enough to humor me with idle chit chat.
"You know, I wrote a letter to Princess Celestia a little while ago." Twilight began, looking up at the moon that hung over head.
"Oh… really?" I said with a grimace.
I felt the bottom of my stomach drop, besides from running, I had done nothing and I was sure it would be reflected in Twilight's letter. I could only imagine Princess Celestia expecting a report on how I had learned a great many things about friendship and the Elements of Harmony, but instead she would know I was just ‘goofing’ off.
"I told her about this great new book I was reading, pertaining to the proper way to store ink wells and the temperature they should be kept in." Twilight continued.
"Sounds… interesting." I mumbled, unsure if she was joking.
"I told her about how Pinkie Pie baked a cake within a cake, how Fluttershy got a flower to bloom with just a hello, how Rarity nearly fainted over a missing button on her new coat and how you selflessly offered your help to Applejack." Twilight remarked, glancing over at me.
"Yeah." I muttered.
It took a moment, but I suddenly realized what she had said. I perked up a bit and looked over at her as she seemed to smile to herself. I was still unsure if I had heard her correctly, but it sounded as if she had praised me for my ridiculous running.
"I told her how Sweet Apple Acres was hosting the fastest pony in all of Equestria, Hotshot McFlash, to race against our very own Smolder. That you agreed to do it without asking for anything in return, that even though you were clearly outmatched you spent the entire week training with Rainbow Dash to give it your very best shot. I told her you had this amazing technique called the Flash Step. How it could give you a chance of winning the race, but how you didn't want to use it in fear of setting something on fire." Twilight went on to explain.
I could not think of anything to say, I merely stared at her, feeling dazed by the way she spoke about me to Princess Celestia.
"Call it a hunch, but I bet you were feeling pretty nervous about your time so far in Ponyville. Whether or not you were making the best of it." Twilight mentioned.
"Well… I uh…" I stumbled over my words.
"A part of having friends is that we can come and talk to each other when things are bothering us." Twilight informed me.
"I guess…" I mumbled.
I childishly kicked a few rocks down the sloping river bank into the water, pretending to be interested in the ripples. From the corner of my eye I could see Twilight patiently waiting for me to come clean, to get whatever was bothering me off my chest, and I felt myself give in.
"I guess I feel privileged to be here, to be able to do the things I do while my Flame Ponies aren't so lucky. To have met the ponies I have, to be considered their friend, and to feel… needed. All my life I have always felt unwanted, useless; like a mistake. Now I feel like I can really make a difference; when it matters the most." I confessed to her.
I could feel my insides turn, it was embarrassing to admit this; especially to Twilight.
"Thank you, Smolder." Twilight said after a while.
"For what?" I asked curiously looking at her.
"For being able to open up to me, it's a sign that you're beginning to trust me with your feelings. As a friend that is very important." Twilight explained.
Once more I did not know what to say. The best I could was just nod nervously and stare into the water. I nodded my head slowly, understanding that I did trust her and every pony else. I had no reason not to.
"Well, I'll let you get some rest for the race tomorrow, goodnight Smolder." Twilight said getting up to leave.
"Goodnight Twilight." I said still focusing on the water.
"By the way." Twilight said, stopping to look back. "Princess Celestia wanted me to wish you good luck tomorrow."
I looked over my shoulder to see Twilight striding away, her words echoing in my head. The Princess was wishing me luck in tomorrow's race. I felt a smile creep across my face, my heart seemed to flutter with excitement at the idea of racing against Equestria's fastest pony and deep down I wanted to win.