You don't normally get nervous about anything these days, but the crowd in front of you was making it difficult not to be.
Outside the Great Hall, ponies upon ponies had gathered for the competition. Most of them were residents of Cloudsdale, and you couldn't recognize them. There were a few you recognized from Ponyville though, including that wall-eyed pegasus. You wondered how well she would fare in all this. The crowd was enormous. There had to be at least three hundred ponies, if not more. You were beginning to feel your odds dwindle.
"Uh, Rainbow Dash?" You whisper to the pegasus at your side. She looks to you. "Are you sure about this?"
"Oh, come on! Where's your spirit?" She asks, trying to uplift you.
"Just seems like we're up the creek without paddles, here..." You can't help but feel slightly on edge at the ensemble of ponies before you.
She giggles before answering. "Lighten up, it's just a game! Well, for us it's kinda more than that, but still!" She wraps a hoof around your shoulder. "Relax, we got this!"
Why are your cheeks warm again? You shake your head. "You say that, but it still-"
"FLAGS, PLEASE!"
The two of you jump at the sudden, booming voice. Turning to face your new company, you find a blue stallion with a short cut, yellow mane and tail. On his vest is a small badge labeled "TTP."
"Do you two have your flags?" He asks again.
"Oh, uh, yeah, right here!" You pull your flag from under your wing and present it as Rainbow does the same.
"If you would, please prep your flag for the game and head to the pavilion in front of the stage. The competition will begin momentarily!" He doesn't lower his volume as he speaks.
"Oh, sure, thanks!" You respond hastily. He seemed satisfied with that response and walks away to pester some other ponies.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, you look to your flag. You don't know exactly how to put this thing on. "Uh, Rainbow-"
"It's cool, I got this!" She suddenly swipes your flag from your hoof. The next thing you know, several straps are being wrapped around your chest. She lifts your legs and pulls the straps over them, wrapping them around your shoulders. With an audible click, the clasp on the front of your chest closes, securing the flag in place. Before you could even realize what was happening, you were all set.
Rainbow Dash put her hooves on the sides of your chest, tugging the straps to ensure a tight fit. "Alright, you look good!" You couldn't help but notice that her hooves seemed to linger on your sides, and she almost seemed reluctant to pull away. You figured it was nothing.
The flag itself was a long, purple piece of fabric, decorated with many symbols. The majority of them were stars, moons, clouds, lightning bolts, and the like. Along its surface, it read the words 'Turbulence Tag.' The flag was about two feet in length, and draped along your body in a fashion similar to a cape.
"Alright, thanks!" You tell her. "Do you-"
"Nope! Got it!" Somehow in those few seconds, she had managed to get her flag on. How did she do that, you wonder.
"...Okay then." You look to where all the ponies were being told to gather. "Shall we?"
"Let's do this!"
~*~*~
Well, this is certainly uncomfortable.
You and Dash had only waited in front of the pavilion stage for a few minutes before being swallowed by a sea of ponies. Pegasai bordered all sides of you, and you were packed in like sardines. Crowds weren't really your strong suit.
Rainbow Dash didn't seem nervous in the slightest. She was switching her gaze to all the ponies around her, looking as excited as she's ever been. She was brimming with energy, ready to take to the skies and smash that record to pieces. It was kind of cute, to be honest.
You were a little less enthusiastic. You only wanted this whole thing to be over so you could get away from all these ponies. You still had no idea how you would fare in this competition. You don't doubt yourself, but the numerous ponies around you would surely make your life Hell in this game.
The stage in front of you had been barren for quite a while now. The personnel said that the game would start soon, so you wondered where the announcers and what not are. You were getting a bit anxious waiting. "Rainbow," you start. "When exactly-"
A sudden explosion of lights and fireworks from the stage gets the attention of everyone in the audience, including yours.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts!" A mare's voice over a mic exclaims. "Welcome, one and all, to the 37th iteration of Cloudsdale's very own TURBULENCE TAG!"
The crowd erupts into a flurry of screams and applause. The only thing you could hear, however, was Dash's squeals of excitement.
On the stage, an orange mare with a headset appears. "What's up, everypony! Are you ready to get started!?" Everyone in the crowd screams 'YES!' in unison. Well, everyone but you. You were just trying to not go deaf at the uproar around you. "Then it is my honor to welcome the one and only creator of Turbulence Tag, Cirrus Streak!"
The applause bursts again as a white stallion trots onto the stage. His mane is a slick grey, and his blue eyes keep a calm expression, even in the midst of the screaming plethora of ponies in front of him. He merely waves at the crowd for a moment, waiting for them to settle down.
Once the applause dies down, the stallion begins to speak. "Good afternoon, everypony. I am Cirrus Streak, creator of Turbulence Tag." His voice is rather calm, considering he's the head behind what is apparently one of Cloudsdale's biggest sports. "It is my pleasure to have so many ponies coming together to celebrate this occasion. Both those participating and those viewing at home." The crowd erupts into a more controlled applause.
"Huh. I never knew this game was so big." You whisper to Rainbow.
"It used to not be, but ever since Soarin' played a couple years ago, it got a lot bigger!" She whispers back. Does she have like, the monopoly on Wonderbolt trivia, or something? You muse to yourself.
"Before we begin the competition," Cirrus says. "I'd like to go over the basic rules for any newcomers we may have. The goal is simple." A green mare walks up next to him. On her back is a flag, much like the one you are equipped with. "Players without flags must remove the flags of players who still have one. Should you lose your flag, don't try to 're-equip' it." He punctuates his point by tearing the flag from her back. The moment he does, he holds the flag into the air. It suddenly disintegrates in his hoof, and its bits scatter in the wind.
"Players who still do have their flag must simply hold on to it for as long as they can! Protect it with your life!" He pumps a hoof as he speaks. "Now, some more basic rules. First, no roughhousing. This is a friendly game of sportsmanship."
You hear Rainbow click her tongue at that statement. "If only Thunderlane could get that through his head." Still peeved at him, I see.
"Second, no fraternizing with the enemy. If you are caught purposefully aiding the other team, you are disqualified. Some of you may be wondering how we will know. Well, this is the answer!" On cue, a small cloud came floating up next to Cirrus. In the middle was a small lens of glass. It almost looked like a puffy eyeball. "These are our CloudCams! Crafted by Cloudsdale's finest engineers, they will examine and broadcast the actions of any player they so desire. Please, do not tamper with them. Our budget is slipping as is!" He says jokingly, earning a few chuckles from the crowd.
"Wow, they really pulled out all the stops, didn't they?" You whisper to Dash. This time she simply shushes you.
"Now then, as for the playing field," He turns around, and screen drops from above. On it is displayed three different 'bubbles,' laid out in an inverted triangle pattern. "There are three fields in which players may run about. The Fair Field, the Foul Field, and the Falls Field." He takes out a small, extending wand and points it towards the 'bubble' on the bottom of the screen. "The Fair Field is where you will all start. It's right behind you, actually. This field has moderate cloud occupation, as well as some generic buildings and other structures. It is the easiest to maneuver in. In the same vein, it is also the easiest to be caught in."
He moves his pointer to the 'bubble' on the top left. "The Foul Field is for expert flyers only. It has heavy cloud occupation, and is infested with nasty thunderstorms and whirlwinds. NOT, for the faint of heart." With that knowledge, you figured it would be best to stay way from that area, lest things get dire.
"And lastly, the Falls Field." He puts his pointer on the top right section. "This is a newer area we've designed. In it are multiple rainbow falls and rivers. Along with that, we have the Multicolor Maze, a maze crafted out of solid rainbow! Be careful you don't trap yourself in it!"
"Don't worry," Rainbow whispers. "It's not too hard to get through."
"Wait, how do you know that?" You ask.
"Easy, I helped design it!"
"Wait, what!?" You ask harshly.
"After I did the Sonic Rainboom, they wanted me to help design a new part of the playing field for this game! So I helped make the Multicolor Maze!"
"Isn't that cheating?"
"Not really. Besides, Cirrus up there doesn't have a problem with me competing!"
This mare is trickier than I thought... You think to yourself.
"Now then." Your attention is brought back to Cirrus. "We are ready to begin!" He holds up a flare gun. "When I fire the flare, a clock will start and you all scatter like flies! When the clock strikes sixty seconds, I myself will eliminate one player! After that, I'll drop out, and it is up to that player to continue building the horde from there! Are there any questions?" The crowd remains silent. It was weird, seeing the crowd this quiet when they burst into applause at everything else he said. "No? Well then, don't blame me if you screw up!"
With the crowd laughing again, he lifts the flare gun into the air, pointing its muzzle upward.
"Is everypony ready!?" He yells.
The crowd shouts 'YES!' in unison.
"Here we go!" Rainbow says. You simply nod in response.
"On your marks!"
Wings flared, every pony prepares to launch, you included.
"Get set!"
And then he waits, slowly building up the dramatic effect. You can feel the tension rising in all the ponies around you. All the ponies around you were like coiled springs, ready to fire at any moment. Your heartbeat booms in your ears in anticipation. Any second now...
...
*BAM*
Time seemed to slow down for just a moment, as hundreds of pegasai take to the air all at once. Feathers scattered and ponies burst into the air, leaping from the ground and fleeting into the field behind them. It was almost like this entire scene had been rehearsed and directed, all these ponies taking to the sky in unison like this.
Time seemed to return to its normal pace as you quickly launch into the air and flee from the stage. It only took a few seconds for you to get separated from Rainbow Dash in all the chaos, but you couldn't dwell on it. You needed to get as far away from Cirrus as you could. You can only imagine Dash's disappointment if you were the first one eliminated.
A torrent of wind pushed you all around from the wings of hundreds pegasai flapping in unison. You fought to make your way out of the chaos and into clearer skies. The farther away from Cirrus you got, the better.
After several moments of furiously beating your wings, you managed to break away from the crowd. Looking back, you can see the stage. Cirrus simply waits peacefully as the counter behind him ticks down, which is currently at fourteen seconds.
What!? How was I in there for that long? You ponder.
No time to dwell on it, you turn around and keep flying, focusing on getting as far as possible. You counted the seconds in your mind.
12...11...10...
The pegasai around you were slowly growing farther apart.
7...6...5...
You still had no idea where Rainbow had flown off to. Great leader she is.
3...2...1...
A loud buzz from the stage catches your attention. Looking back, you see Cirrus shooting off the platform, quickly darting for the nearest target. Luckily, he wasn't flying in your general direction. You stop for a moment just to watch.
Some of the ponies who hadn't gotten too far from the stage at this point were quickly darting away from Cirrus. He had set his sights on a small crowd who had gathered, and they dispersed immediately. Ultimately, he had singled out a particular target.
You watch him rapidly chase down a purple mare. It's one of those mares that was accompanying Thunderlane earlier. She quickly swings to and fro, dodging him at every turn. She was graceful, but Cirrus was quickly overtaking her. She refused to give in, veering left and right rapidly trying to lose him.
Though she fought valiantly, it was all for naught.
*RIP*
You watched as her flag disintegrated in Cirrus' hoof. The look of utter disbelief was very evident in her face.
With that, Cirrus tucked his wings in and dived out of the sky, leaving his new minion to begin the elimination process. You could see the look on her face fade from disbelief to pure, unbridled rage. You can only imagine her fury at being the first one to be eliminated from the competition.
Suddenly, she looks at you. Only now do you realize you are the one nearest to her.
Oh crap...
Looks like you had lingered here for a little too long. You quickly turn around and book it. Glancing back, you see she is in hot pursuit of you. Normally being chased by mares would be a good thing, but...
You look forward just in time to see a large cloud right in your path. Pulsing your wings downward, you launch yourself just above the clouds path, your hooves barely scraping its top. You glide over it, and continue flying forward. Looking back, you see your pursuer had dodged it much more gracefully than you.
You really wish you had some sort of plan at this point. Looking around, you try to find anything that could help you get away from her. With your flag intact, that is. The cloud occupation in the area was growing, and you found yourself having to maneuver more and more to avoid crashing into one. You had no idea if these clouds were solid or not, but you didn't want to experiment to find out.
Suddenly, a young colt flies out in front of you, shock on his face at the incoming pony projectile. Twisting your body, you force yourself into a barrel roll, and barely manage to veer to the left and dodge him in time. Looking back, you see the mare immediately take the chance and rip his flag from his back, adding to her army. That colt has no idea what's going on, and the confusion is evident in his face. She doesn't stop, and continues chasing you.
You dip downward, and find the area below is even more heavily infested with clouds. Turning right, you continue to a more congested area. The clouds here are even bigger, and you are forced to take more gratuitous turns to get around them. The mare seems to have no trouble keeping up with you though.
Your eyes are darting all over the place, looking for any viable source of escape. Your options are slim, as the clouds grow more and more congested. You fear that you may end up boxing yourself in at this point. Looking around, you see a possible exit. Several, large clouds were drifting toward each other, creating a narrow opening between them. On the other side was clearer skies.
You formulate a plan. It's risky, but if you succeed, you would escape.
You kick it into overdrive and fly right for the opening. The escape route grew more and more narrow as the clouds closed in on one another. The clouds touched, and began to merge together, the opening between them slowly closing. You keep flapping. This is your only shot!
You are only a few feet away from it now! You give your wings one final, powerful pulse and tuck them in. You condense your body as best as you can, and hope you make it through.
Time slows down as the tunnel passes around you. As you pass through, your back hooves barely graze the edges of the opening. Once your body fully passes through it, your wings shoot open and you continue forward.
A rather loud thud followed by a shriek from behind gets your attention. Looking back, you see the mare was trapped. Her torso had been caught between the clouds, and she was now struggling to free herself. She pushes against the clouds with all her might, but she was stuck firmly in place. She looks to you with a less-than-amused expression. You give her a sheepish smile and shrug in return.
Flailing her limbs, she yells at you. "You won't beat Thunderlane!"
Yeesh, brainwashed or what? You think while rolling your eyes. Turning around, you fly off in search of someplace to rest and recharge.
You only hoped that taking a break wouldn't be the death of you.