//------------------------------// // New Metal // Story: Crash & Burn // by Cocaine //------------------------------// The air cut by her ears like swift lacerations from a knife. The sun glinted against her goggles, bright rays shining on the horizon that seemed so far, far away. She could see the hills and valleys slowly disappearing behind tall willow trees, giving way to the row of man-made dirt ramps. Rainbow’s bike touched down gracefully on the landing ramp, kicking up mounds of dirt as the engine hiked from a hum to a roar with a twist of the handle. She kept her sun-ray blurred eyes forward as she thundered around the bend, coming up to a series of small humps. Briefly she looked behind her to find a zig-zag line of bikers trailing her. That’s right, she thought proudly, sitting up from her mud-slabbed seat as she rode over the humps. Follow the champ, losers. Rainbow found such joy in gunning around turns, flying down stretches of mud and feeling it slap against her back. She couldn’t feel the wind through her thick clothes, but she definitely felt the force and heard it whipping by. It was almost as joyful as the roar of the champ’s bike. Almost. Rainbow found so much joy in her speed and adrenaline that she didn’t notice another rider creeping up until they were right next to her. A rider who, Rainbow assumed, had no idea who she was. Approaching another dirt jump, Rainbow gladly accepted the challenger - and pulled back, riding a wheelie the whole way up the mound. The mystery driver, who had donned a red and white bike and an orange suit and red helmet, seemed to know what they were doing. When Rainbow lifted off the ramp mid-wheelie, the Mystery Rider gassed it. Both went soaring into the air side-by-side before landing on the soft dirt - except Rainbow’s landing had much more wobble from her front wheel. Okay, maaaybe a wheelie hadn't been the best idea. Both lead riders stayed side-by-side as they rounded a corner, Rainbow on the inside and Mystery Rider on the out. Seeing another stretch of dirt ahead of them, Rainbow looked her opponent over once more. Their helmet and suit were old and worn, much like their bike, which had missing chunks in the fenders. Rainbow caught sight of something very peculiar: long blonde hair flowing out the back of her helmet. Then she noticed the Mystery girl was looking at her, waving her hand as she slowed down. Rainbow refocused ahead - and immediately squeezed the brakes and turned, the bike skidding on the dirt completely sideways. She stopped just inches short of safety tape wrapping around the entire bend. The clamor of bikes roared past her as all the riders finally passed the champ, the Mystery Rider in the lead. Now it wasn’t a challenge. A random girl comes to her track and takes the lead? It was going to be a fun duel, but now it was about setting an example.   Nobody messes with the champ. Rainbow pulled her bike up and kicked it back until the beautiful machine coughed and wheezed, the engine eventually firing to life. She twisted the gas before her feet even touched the bike, narrowing her eyes in concentration behind her helmet. You asked for it, bitch. I'm gonna take you down. After one jump, the champ was at the back of the line. She counted six bikes before she’d be at the Mystery Rider’s side again. Twisting the handle back as far it would let, she wheelie’d on by two. They wisely got out of her way, and her front tire bounced back to the ground just before she lifted off another ramp. As soon as she landed with a slight wobble, right back up she went. With every small jump she made, it was another bike closer to her real opponent. After the last small jump, Rainbow took the bend with seething aggression. The last rider between the champ and her backed off - good, I scared off their sorry ass - and Rainbow gunned it as fast as her dirt-machine would allow. It was plenty fast enough to tailgate the Mystery Rider, from the bottom of the huge dirt ramp, to where Rainbow’s front wheel touched her back. This time, they both landed with a heavy wobble. The champ was fast to adjust, and to her surprise (and excitement), so was the Mystery Rider. They boosted it down the dirt runway with vigor, both side-by-side. Rainbow could barely keep her elation contained - someone was matching her speed! Rarely did anyone contest Rainbow’s tyranny on the track, and she’d longed for someone to contest her tyranny. The champ had gained two full bike-lengths on the challenger, and as she approached the ramp, she squeezed and grounded her gloved hands into the handle. She lifted off into the air and let the gas back, enjoying the brief hang-time. Instead of watching the sun cast its wondrous light over the land, Rainbow chose to look back and watch the challenger. Who was this chick? Was she from out of town? What was she pointing ahead at frantically? Curiously, Rainbow looked back at the ground. Everything in her seized; arms stiff, legs clenched against the frame, eyes squeezed shut, and thought to herself, Oh. Fuck. as the bike completely missed the landing ramp and smacked hard onto flat ground. It wasn’t a good bounce, Rainbow unfortunately discovered, and she went hurdling over the handle bars head first. Her face mask skidded against the ground as mud and grime smushed against her goggles. Her body flipped several times, though she was mindful enough to brace her arms and legs for each thud. Finally, her body rolled to a stop and she laid on her back spread-eagled. Her neck was stiff, her arms and legs felt three times heavier, and her tailbone felt a little weird - but all that went through her colorful head was, I hope the bike’s okay. Then it drifted to other things. She’d just been shown up by a noobie. Some blondie from out of town probably. She didn’t feel like getting up for a while. A figure came into view surrounded by a bright crescent light. A wave of majestic yellow hair blew in the wind like a woodland stream framing a perfectly-formed face with a firm yet feminine jaw and a slightly clefted chin. A face full of freckles closed in on Rainbow as cozy emerald eyes settled down close, blinking at the champ. Rainbow could barely understand the words that came out of the magical creature’s mouth. “Ya a’right, sugarcube?” Her voice was so distant to Rainbow, and not because her ears were ringing. Her ears weren’t meant to hear something so amazing. Her eyes didn’t fare much better against her radiance. Caught in the sheer exasperation of the moment, the defeated champ nodded. When the gorgeous girl offered a hand, Rainbow grabbed it. “Thanks.” She wobbled to her feet, cringing as her back throbbed painfully. Standing before this country wonder, Rainbow saw the Mystery Rider in a new light. Her stunning tanned skin, the constellations of freckles that dotted her nose, those lush leaf-green eyes with the little golden flecks that shone in the sun, and that shining gold hair. Rainbow’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. When her freckles danced on her cheeks as she smiled, Rainbow could feel her heart racing on a dirt track of its own. Made of freckles. Because, suddenly, freckles were very, very attractive. “Ya sure you're a’right? That was a heckuva crash.” The voice that was more heavenly than a choir of angels brought Rainbow out of her stupor. Quickly, she started pulling off her goggles and unfastening her helmet, choosing to bear the pain of her hurt muscles in silence rather than lose some cool points by complaining.   “Trust me, I’ve done worse.” The defeated champ pulled her sky-blue helmet off and whipped her rainbow-colored hair about. It was a sweat-swamp, much like the rest of her body. Noticing the country-girl’s attention to her colorful head, prism-hair grinned wildly and raked her fingers through her hair, forking it up until it stood on end in jagged rainbow whorls. “Name’s Rainbow.” The new girl’s laugh shook her chest, though the sound was (sadly) drowned out by passing bikes. “Ya don’t say.” She extended her hand, freckles dancing once more across those tanned cheeks as she smiled and her eyes crinkling adorably at the corners. “AJ.” Rainbow usually fist-bumped, but this was fine. This girl's grip was tough. “Look, uh. Sorry about almost wrecking you.” Rainbow grinned sheepishly and ruffled the back of her hair. “I’m the champ around here and I couldn’t let my reputation fail me.” AJ kept glowing, like the towheaded angel she was. “Nothin’ to worry about, honey. I could tell you were the best ‘round these parts, bein’ in the front and all, so I challenged ya.” She shrugged, her freckles dancing just a tad more menacingly as she teased daringly, “And won.” A tiny smile played on her lips. Rainbow’s laugh couldn’t be contained any longer. “Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it for now, because on a good day you’d be eating mud.” AJ’s green eyes made a sparkling show that was better than any aurora borealis as she wiped mud from her goggles and gestured carelessly to the champ’s bike. “Then ya best get to havin’ a good day, else I’m gonna run laps around ya before ya can get on that piece of junk ya call a bike.” Rainbow’s eyes flashed the same spark and she whipped her goggles, the mud splashing on the ground. “You’re on.” The champ had finally found a worthy contender. AJ had the skill and talent needed to match Rainbow’s genius riding abilities. They were neck and neck most of the afternoon. While AJ was riding casually, Rainbow took corners as aggressively as ever, launched off ramps like a bat out of hell, and rode wheelies whenever possible. And when not possible. The champ kept up with the noobie despite wrecking just a few more times. For a while, Rainbow had been riding solo. She, AJ, and a few other bikers were alone on the track as dusk began to fall. Rainbow could have ridden all night if gas cost pride instead of money. When she lifted off another jump, the champ saw AJ and a very familiar guy talking, their bikes parked beside each other. As soon as Rainbow landed, she spun back around kicking mud up her back and helmet, and went around the ramp. Rainbow parked, killed the engine and pulled off her helmet as she approached them. With minimal light, AJ still looked angelic. True beauty keeps radiating at all times. “Haaay, Rainbow Crash.” The guy with short black hair and a (admittedly) handsome smile flashed her a smug grin. His handsomeness was lessened significantly by his superior tone. “You almost wrecked the noobie again. Keep it up, you’re on your way to getting kicked out again.” AJ’s friendly mile towards him changed. “She already apologized,” the country girl spoke firmly, glancing at the now-grinning Rainbow. “Ya don’t need to patronize her.” He rolled his eyes and nodded. Rainbow got to them with arms spread out. “Whaaaat? Come on, Dick. We’re all friends here, having a good time.” The champ’s rubies twinkled as she batted her eyelashes. “Besiiideess, she knows what she’s doing. Pretty good for a newcomer, right?” Dick shook his head and held up a hand, stopping her. “That isn’t the point. You endanger people with your reckless driving. Shit, I bet your recklessness follows you everywhere you go. And what’s this about you being ‘The Champ?’” his fingers made quotation marks, his face baffled. Rainbow beamed at him. AJ looked between the two confused. “Uhh...she isn’t?” She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at the faker. Rainbow beamed at her too. Seeing the country girl angry riled Rainbow up in ways she’d never thought possible. “No,” he was quick to explain. “She’s a train wreck. Every time she’s here she crashes all the time, usually dragging other people into it. You just got lucky,” he flashed AJ a smile. Rainbow narrowed her eyes on him. “Yeah, thanks Dick. Thanks for letting me explain myself.” Dick gave a thumbs up and started for his wicked black and red bike. Rainbow couldn’t hide her envy of his sleek dirt-machine. It had so much power behind that humming engine - Rainbow could feel the beast purring from a while away. “Nice meeting you, AJ. And my name is Richard, Crash.” He tipped his helmet to her and swung easily over the bike seat, kicking it to life. The purr cascaded to a roar and he drove away. Rainbow planted her hands on her hips as she looked at the blonde angel. A whole mess of thoughts were flying through her head, warning her of how bad an idea it was to look this girl in the eyes for too long. She's got a kind of magic about her. “So uh, where ya from?” “Just moved here from Manehatten. Live up at Sweet Apple Acres not far from here.” She pointed past the dirt hill they were standing by, her finger making circles for ‘that general area.’ A grin curled across her lips. “Ooooh, cool, cool. That’s cool. Apples and stuff. Nice.” Rainbow casually wiped some mud off her chin, flicking it off her fingers. I totally ride through their farm all the time. Shit. “So, um, is your name really AJ?” She blurted out the first thing on her mind.   AJ huffed a self-conscious laugh and tugged on her choppy bangs. “Uh, no, not quite. Mah real name’s Jacqueline, actually. Jacqueline Apple.”   “Posh,” Rainbow commented idly, pretending to inspect her fingernails. Internally, however, she was wondering if this girl could literally get any more perfect. Jacqueline. How goddamn adorable.   “Oh, hush,” she fired back, trying and failing to keep a faint blush from rising to those starry cheeks. “Ain't like anyone ever calls me that. When I was little I couldn't say mah name right, so mah family shortened it to Applejack to make it easier for me. And then that nickname got shortened to AJ, and AJ stuck.” “I see.” Rainbow glanced up to meet her bright gaze. “Applejack, huh? Can I call you something like that?”   Those golden brows drew together. “Depends on whatcha mean by somethin’.”   “I was thinking Crapplejack would do,” she said innocently.   Whap!!   “Okay, okay! Just kidding, geez.” Rainbow made a show of rubbing her shoulder, but she didn't really mind. “AJ is fine.” Better than fine, actually. It's cute as hell. “So,” she said with a sly grin, “do you go to Equestria High, or what?”   AJ nodded, blowing her alluring flaxen bangs out of her eyes. Apparently she'd already forgiven Rainbow her jest. “Sure do. Startin’ Monday. Mah folks think it’s a buncha horse hay, but I reckon there’s a thing'er two to learn.” Rainbow positively beamed back at her. They were going to to the same school! Frickin’ destiny. “Uh huh, they only teach you what they want you to learn. It’s a bunch of crap, AJ.” The rainbow-haired wonder waved her hand dismissively. “But it’s a damn good place to make friends.” When AJ cocked an eyebrow, Rainbow raised hers in return and spread her arms innocently. “What?” “That ain’t what I heard.” AJ expressed her distaste in her droll tone and her rapidly rising eyebrow. “Nothin’ but drama, far as I see it.” Rainbow clicked her tongue and waved her finger at the farm girl. “You just gotta know where to look, babe. Tell you what, every Friday night, me and my friends have a hangout at this girl’s house. It’s, like, the party to go to. Cake, pizza, games, all sortsa cool stuff. You should totally come tonight.” She kept a cool, collected expression on her face as she shrugged, though her heart felt like it was pounding right out of her chest. "If you want." Oh, God, please say yes. Please please please. The farm girl nibbled on her gums (something Rainbow never knew she loved, until now), and puffed out her cheeks (also something Rainbow never knew she loved), and finally shrugged. “Why the heck not?” Seeing Rainbow’s gleeful demeanor, AJ sighed with a resigned smile. “Where n’ when, sugarcube?” Mmm...that's growing on me fast. “About ten minutes from here. Here, how about you give me your number and I text you it later?” Rainbow hoped in vain that the oldest trick in the book would work. The farm girl smiled. “Sure! I ain’t got a cell yet, though. Call me.”  As AJ recited her house number, Rainbow knew that she wouldn’t have had it any other way. She had jumped straight from texts to calls! Score! It was difficult to force her big dumb grin down to a much cooler, laid back smile, but she managed. “Awesome! I’ll call you in like, an hour. Sound good?” AJ nodded. “Fair enuf. I gotta go get ready anyways.” She gestured to her orange suit plastered in mud, most of it from being behind Rainbow. Nobody wanted to ride behind a bike with no rear fender. “I’m a mess.” “Yeah, sorry about that.” Rainbow held out her hand.  “I’ll talk to ya later.” AJ took it, and was suddenly pulled in as their shoulders slammed into each other. “Ohf-” the farm girl huffed, looking at the grinning rainbow-wonder. “See ya later,” she smiled at the surprisingly strong girl. Their hands slipped free and Rainbow snapped her a quick salute, running back to her bike. As she slipped her helmet and goggles back on, her mind quickly began to process all the nuances of her day. She had just met a girl who she was quickly obsessing over. AJ was already about to be a part of the ever-growing group of friends. Her eyes were driving her nuts. Her accent was driving her nuts. Her freckles, her hair, her competitive nature - her. She, in her everything, was driving her nuts. And they had only just met. Friday nights were about to get a whole lot more interesting.