And the Winner Is…..
Chapter 1: Applebloom’s Surprise
(Sweet Apple Acres)
Applebloom paced anxiously in the living room of her family's home, checking the window every so often. School was out for the day; the yellow filly invited her two best friends over to see what surprise Applejack had waiting for her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders’ service of helping other fillies and colts within Ponyville had picked up very quickly. It didn’t surprise Applejack, Rainbow Dash, or Rarity if their younger sisters were preoccupied with a client after school was over for the day. In fact, after an almost disastrous Cutie Mark Camp thanks to a disgruntled Rumble about being stuck with a cutie mark he may not have liked, the CMC had been as busy as ever, save for today. Luckily for Applebloom, her sister hinted that she wanted to reward her for how much hard work and dedication the young filly had put into help others around town. And that reward was supposed to come today. All day at school, Applebloom literally shook within her seat, ready to explode after her sister hinted that she had a special treat waiting for her at the end of the day. "Uh, Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked as Applebloom jumped onto the sofa, standing on her hind legs and leaned forward on her forelegs, peering out of the window.
"Yeah?" She replied, not looking away from the entrance to the Apple family farm. Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged looks with each other, feeling a tad uneasy about their friend.
"Don't you think talking to us or hanging out in our clubhouse would make the time go by faster?" Sweetie Belle joined Applebloom on the couch, failing to get her friend to look away. The white Unicorn looked back behind at Scootaloo, shrugging her shoulders.
"AJ told me that it'd be ready by the time we got done with school," Applebloom explained, keeping her eyes fixated on her older sister that was putting away the farming equipment she had used that day. "Ah'd rather wait in here for when she's ready 'n not risk the chance 'o missin' her."
"Look, I'm sure whatever surprise Applejack has in store for you is worth the wait," Scootaloo fluttered her wings, trying to get Applebloom's attention. "Besides, Ms. Cheerilee didn't give out homework tonight. Why don't we go outside and play catch with your hoofball to pass the time?” she leaned over and waved a foreleg near Applebloom's face. Much to her growing annoyance, Scootaloo received no response from her friend. The orange pegasus gently smacked her own face and ran her hoof over her eyes, peering over at Sweetie Belle for help. The small unicorn quickly gave a small shrug in return, unsure of really what else to do to snap Applebloom out of this. Biting down on her lip, her green eyes scanned the living room for signs of something to change the subject or something to do besides waiting for Applejack to head inside.
"What do you think the surprise is anyway?" Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up as somepony entered from the kitchen. It wasn’t Applejack, but Big Macintosh seemingly coming inside for a quick breather. Sweetie Belle could only hope he could give them something, anything to take Applebloom’s mind off of her treat. "Did Applejack tell you anything, Big Mac?" she asked as the only male of the Ponyville Apple family walked in through the living room.
"Nope," he replied, downing a glass of water that was in his hoof before heading back into the kitchen and presumably outside to resume the rest of his chores. Sweetie Belle immediately frowned, her ears drooped down as if they were melting as she let out a frustrated groan. Applebloom, still fixated on the outside, didn’t seem to notice either of her friends’ irritation or her big brother’s brief appearance.
"Ah spent all day thinkin' about what Applejack could have gotten for me," Applebloom said giddily.
"Is that why you only got a 'D' on the math test?" Scootaloo grumbled. Feeling exhausted, she rolled her eyes and crossed her forelegs on top of the couch, making a spot to rest her chin. She loved being able to spend time with her friends whenever they could, but this was their first day off from helping their classmates and other ponies their age in almost a week and a half. And with no homework, the antsy pegasus wanted to take advantage of the time they had. Spending it just sitting and waiting was something she wouldn’t wish on Queen Chrysalis!
"What if she, Rarity, 'n Rainbow Dash all pitched in for tickets to the Crystal Empire for all of us?" Applebloom asked hopefully, ignoring Scootaloo's question.
"Rarity has a huge order to fill in this weekend at her Canterlot store," Sweetie Belle dryly shot down the idea. However, the thought of visiting the Crystal Empire filled the filly with excitement. "Though that would have been the best reward ever!" She squeaked, sending a few green sparks out of her horn. Suddenly, Applebloom stood up further on her hind legs, alerting her friends.
"Oh, my sweet Celestia!” Applebloom gasped. "What if she had Twilight pull some strings 'n got Sapphire Shores ta have lunch with us?!" She spun around with an excited gasp, accidentally bumping into Sweetie Belle. The poor unicorn lost her balance and fell backward onto the floor on her flank.
"Oof!" She exclaimed before picking herself up.
"Oh my gosh!" the Earth Pony exclaimed, scrambling down from the sofa. "Ah'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle!" Her yellow hoof got to work brushing off her friend's white coat.
"Eh, it's cool. I've let my excitement get the best of me in Rarity's boutique plenty of times," the unicorn filly chuckled. Sweetie Belle didn’t exactly enjoy being knocked off a sofa from the strength of an earth pony, but hey, at least it was something else that was happening.
"And I hate to burst your bubble like Sweetie Belle, but Sapphire Shores has a month-long tour in Las Pegasus," Scootaloo interjected, only making Applebloom grumble to herself. Rainbow Dash’s surrogate sister swore she could hear Applebloom mutter the word horse-apple under her breath. “Didn't Applejack at least give you a hint?"
"No!" Applebloom exclaimed. "All she told me was that she had a surprise for me 'n that it's somethin' Ah've never gotten before," she trotted over to the coffee table and let her face plant right onto the wooden surface. Having seen her do this before during their experiment with matchmaking for Ms. Cheerilee and Big Mac, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle swiftly yet gently lifted their friend's head off the table and helped to support her.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Applebloom, but I think you're going just the teeniest bit crazy over this," Sweetie Belle forced an uncomfortable chuckle out of her muzzle. “Take it from me; Rarity’s gone a bit loco plenty of times in the past over the stress of her job. But if you want some advice, to me, the best part about surprises is the actual surprise. If you take your mind off it, then when Applejack does come in with your treat-"
"It'll feel and taste that much better!" Scootaloo interrupted, thinking that’s where Sweetie Belle was going.
"Do ya think maybe she had Pinkie Pie bake us another cake? Ah had my fill at our Cutie Mark Camp’s farewell supper a few days ago," she held her stomach in her hoof, taking a few steps ahead of her friends. The orange Pegasus and white Unicorn nearly wanted to pull their manes out at how frustrating their friend was becoming.
"How about we go draw up plans to help Pip get his cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle threw out an idea just to get out of the house. "Maybe we could help him be a royal guard for Celestia or Luna?"
"Pip has a hard time staying up past nine," Scootaloo retorted, "I don't think he'd qualify to be one of Luna's guards,” she shook her head.
"Maybe you girls are right," Applebloom admitted. "Talkin' bout helpin' others get their cutie marks does make me feel a bit better," she reached for the door handle of the living room. Suddenly, the door burst open, sending all three fillies flying into the wall near Granny Smith's favorite napping chair. "Ugh, now Ah don't feel so much better," Applebloom groaned.
"Applebloom?" AJ called out with a box on her back. "Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle?" She added. "Oh, there you three are," the orange mare chuckled. "What are y'all doin'?" Applejack asked as the trio untangled themselves from each other.
"Just learning how strong your doors are," Scootaloo groaned, shaking her head back and forth. Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle had her horn stuck in the wall, forcing Scootaloo and Applebloom to pry their poor friend out.
"Sorry girls; Ah just got Applebloom's surprise in the mail. Derpy was just runnin' a bit behind schedule," she explained, placing the box on the floor in front the three fillies. Applebloom gasped, dropping Sweetie Belle's leg and spun around to face her sister.
"Hey!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, still trying to pull her horn out of the wall with only Scootaloo to help now. The Pegasus yanked as hard as she could while Applebloom danced giddily in front of the brown box.
"What is it, what is it, what is it?!" the southern filly continuously asked. Applejack couldn't help but laugh at her little sister's excitement, placing a calming hoof on her back.
"Oh, just somethin' you've wanted ta do for quite awhile now, little sis," AJ winked. "Ah went ahead 'n ordered these about a day after ya came home from your Cutie Mark Camp,” she ruffled Applebloom's mane. Wasting no time, the excited pony ripped the tape off the box and ripped the lids off as if it were a Hearth's Warming present.
"Huh?" She asked when she saw nothing but the bottom of an empty box. "What gives?"
"Hehe," Applejack chuckled, "keep diggin', Applebloom." Confused, Applebloom pushed down on the bottom, feeling it give way.
"Very funny," she said sarcastically, rolling her orange eyes. She then got her hoof underneath the false bottom before yanking it out and throwing it behind her. Applejack actually felt just as excited as Applebloom for what was to come; the present was for the both of them to enjoy.
"So, what is it?" Sweetie Belle asked, still facing the wall with her horn stuck. Scootaloo had one of her rear hooves on the wall while both front hooves were pulling Sweetie Belle's leg as her wings flapped like crazy for extra strength.
"A new Checkered Flag hat!?" Applebloom revealed a white ball cap with black and white striped designs embroidered all over the surface. The filly lightly traced her hoof over the stitched signature of the racing pony on top of the bill. "Ah love it!" She removed her pink bow and placed the hat on her head.
"Didn't ya check inside the hat?" Applejack chuckled again at her sister's enthusiasm. Letting out a curious hum, Applebloom took the hat off her head and dug around the inside with her hoof. She felt pieces of paper and pulled them out, only for her orange eyes to grow to the size of wagon wheels.
"E-E-Earth Pony Racing League tickets? T-t-t-to the Appleoosa Derby!?" Applebloom stuttered, biting her lip excitedly.
"Eeyup," Applejack replied like her big brother, "Ah got one for each of us. They're front row seats too, right next to the start-finish line," she added, grabbing her sister close for a hug.
"Ah'm goin' to my first EPRL Derby! This is the best week o' my life!" Applebloom threw the tickets into the air in celebration just as Sweetie Belle was freed from the wall. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Unicorn saw the two tickets floating toward her face and seized them within her magic.
"Ugh," she groaned while rubbing her horn. "Well, I guess ponies bumping into other ponies is right up your family's alley," Sweetie Belle joked while she levitated the tickets back over to Applebloom.
(Appleoosa)
The intense roar of a pumped-up crowd combined with the thunderous rumble of dozens of galloping hooves could be heard from every end of Appleloosa as the Appleloosa Derby was coming to a close. Hundreds of Earth Pony Racing fans crowded the humble western town for a day of an action-packed and heart-pounding race. Proudly sporting gear in support of their favorite racer, numerous ponies pumped their hooves in the air every time the twenty racers circled the packed raceway. Applebloom put her hoof in her mouth and whistled as the pack of pony racers zipped by her seat on the front stretch. Her brand new Checkered Flag hat was sitting tightly atop her head in case the wind the racers generated accidentally ripped it from her red mane.
"Three laps to go, race fans!" The race announcer decreed. "As it has been all day, four-time champ High Velocity finds himself leading the pack with the seven-time legend, Checkered Flag right on his tail. But don't count out the rookie sensation, Slipstream, who is looking for his record-breaking fifth victory in his rookie season!" The announcer’s voice echoed all around the track, only to be drowned out by near glass shattering cheering.
"Come on, Checkered!" Applebloom cheered as the three leaders crossed the start-finish line once more. The flag-pony in the flag stand held out his front hooves above the track, indicating that there were just two laps left for one of the leaders to make a move and decide who would hoist the trophy. "Get number 98!" the filly added, beginning to hop up and down in her seat.
"Hate ta say it, cousin," Braeburn Apple leaned over to his young relative, "but ya better stick a fork in yer racer there; he's done. High Velocity's gonna take a trip ta Victory Lane here today," the stallion patted Applebloom's back. On his working vest, the Appleoosan had stitched in a few High Velocity emblems and logos to show off his favorite racer, and to also playfully annoy Applebloom. Rolling her eyes with a teasing scoff, Applebloom elbowed her cousin in the ribs.
"How many championships does High Velocity have again?” She asked with a facetious tap to her chin. When Braeburn refused to answer, the energized filly chortled. "That's what Ah thought! Checkered knows when it's go-time," she said confidently. Applejack sat back with a smile and sipped an ice cold Colta-Cola, enjoying her sister and cousin bonding together. They didn't get to see each other very much, but their love Earth Pony Racing was something that certainly brought the duo together more than anything.
"WHITE FLAG IN THE AIR! ONE LAP TO GO!" The announcer declared over the speaker system. The entire grandstand shook with a cacophonous rumble of the crowd as High Velocity, Checkered Flag, and Slipstream crossed the finish line where the flag pony waved the white flag.
"Just hold on there, Velocity!" Braeburn cheered. "Don't look back!" the stallion added. On the track, the blue stallion leading the race frequently checked his left and right flank for any movement behind him from either of his two closest competitors. Even with the amount of dust the racers kicked up, limited visibility was never a problem. As High Velocity entered turn one, the light grey stallion behind him moved a lane over to the outside of the first place pony. Since the inside line was blocked by the leader, the outside line was Checkered's only shot to get a run down the backstretch.
"Uh-uh, Checkered!" High Velocity taunted as he moved up to block the light grey pony, slowing down his momentum. Checkered forced himself to run even higher in the groove on the track, completely opening the door for the red rookie in third place to make a move.
"Keep an eye on both lanes, buddy," Checkered winked as he pulled neck and neck with High Velocity in the middle of turn two. Looking to his left, the leader saw a red splotch of fur and a yellow spiked mane easily gaining on them.
"I'll just take this!" Slipstream grinned as he pulled ahead of the two older racers. The trio exited turn two and entered the backstretch three abreast, not giving either competitor an inch. Applebloom started to bite her hoof a little, feeling anxious about the chance to witness Checkered Flag getting a win right before her eyes. Applejack got up from her seat and snuck her head underneath her little sister, propping her up on her head so she could get a better view.
"Getting a little tired, there old fella?" Slipstream chuckled, narrowing this eyes at the near exhausted High Velocity.
"Don't count me out yet, young blood," High Velocity replied in between breaths whilst the trio entered turn three for the final time. Slipstream inched ahead a little further with Checkered giving it all he had to keep up with the rookie. With as much room as they had, the tight turn of the corner squeezed the blue stallion in the middle so close to Checkered and Slipstream that he had to slow his pace or the three would've gone for one nasty tumble into the wall of hay bales.
"It's been fun, old-timer!" Slipstream looked back to his left and called to the now fading veteran racer. Gritting his teeth as they rounded turn four, Checkered dove to the middle to fill the now open spot thanks to Slipstream’s momentary loss of momentum to avoid High Velocity and pulled ahead, surprising the rookie. Checkered Flag had successfully usurped the lead and focused solely on the finish line ahead, even if the young racer was still side by side with him. “No!" Slipstream cried, regaining his concentration and moved up, bumping the older racer slightly with his shoulder. The bump didn't knock him down or make him stumble, but it didn't help the exhaustion that was setting in. Despite twenty-three years under his belt as an EPRL veteran, Checkered knew that he couldn't keep going as fast for as long he used to.
"COME ON CHECKERED, YOU GOT IT!" Applebloom jumped up and down on Applejack's back. The excited cheering and stomping of the crowd overpowered Applebloom's cheer as Slipstream and Checkered neared the finish line. Both competitors looked at each other one last time before putting it past high gear. Checkered inhaled every ounce of oxygen that he could and inched forward as much as his legs would allow him. They were throbbing and on fire, but the thought of making his fans happy and the thought of getting his 98th victory drove him harder than before.
Everything happened in slow motion. Checkered drew closer and closer to Slipstream's lead, cutting it down inch by inch, second by second. It was only a matter of time before-
"AND IT'S SLIPSTREAM BY A NOSE!” The crowd erupted and jumped, nearly drowning out the announcer who began to run down the finishing order for the race. Slipstream had managed to pull off a literal last-second pass on the legendary racer, preventing him from collecting his ninety-eighth victory by about an inch. While the racers slowed their galloping to trotting, and their trotting to walking around the track before entering the infield, Slipstream began his post-race celebration. The young stallion grabbed the checkered flag from the flag pony and hopped on top of the front stretch’s infield guardrail, performing his signature backflip in front of the fans.
"Darn Slipstream," Applebloom hopped off Applejack's back while the fans swarmed the fence for pictures of the race winner. The yellow filly adjusted her cap, picked up her long empty soda cup and chucked it into the garbage with a disappointed sigh.
"Whoo-wee what a race!" Braeburn exclaimed, still feeling fired up. Applebloom trotted her way down to an empty spot in front of the fence, crossing her hooves that Checkered Flag would stop by and hopefully sign some autographs.
"Thanks again for joinin' us again, Brae," Applejack thanked her cousin and gave him a hearty slap on the back. Chuckling, the stallion rubbed his back, feeling the force of his cousin's slap through his leather vest.
"Don't sweat it none, Applejack. Why would Ah miss an opportunity ta see my two favorite cousins and an Earth Pony race on the same weekend?" He asked rhetorically, showing off his trademark goofy smile.
"So, did ya enjoy your first live race, Sugarcube?" AJ noticed Applebloom with her hooves pressed up against the chainlink fence. When Applebloom's only response was another sigh of discouragement, Applejack joined her at her side and placed a soft hoof on her back.
"Yeah, Ah guess," the filly finally replied. "Ah just wanted ta see Checkered win a race so bad!" She exclaimed, never moving to look at her big sister as she pressed her face into the fence. Checkered Flag was busy chatting with both a newspaper reporter and his trainer. Applebloom’s already sunken heart due to the loss was beginning to sink lower as her hopes of an autograph seemed to be fading like Celestia’s sun on the horizon.
"Ah know; Ah would have liked to have seen that too, Applebloom. Hey, at least he finished second 'n beat eighteen other racers; that's somethin' special right there," Applejack tried to cheer up the somewhat crestfallen filly. "Second place is nothin' ta be ashamed of," she added.
"Maybe if Checkered were closer ta Slipstream's age," Braeburn joined the duo on the other side of Applebloom, "he would've had some extra energy ta win," he joked. Applebloom pulled her face away from the fence and jerked her head to the left, staring right into Braeburn's face.
"Hey now!" She exclaimed in a tough voice. "Checkered may be 43, but he's got a good, six, seven, heck, maybe even eight years left in him," she defended her favorite racer. Braeburn threw up a protective hoof, trying to fizzle out Applebloom's outburst.
"They're openin' up the gate," Applejack pointed out, garnering her sister's attention. "How 'bout we go see if we can find Checkered?" She suggested, pushing Applebloom over toward the direction of the gate. Not wasting a second, the yellow pony burst from the grandstand, weaving in and out of the crowd of ponies with Applejack and Braeburn having a bit more of a difficult time getting through the sea of ponies that surrounded Slipstream's victory circle.
"Hold on there, Applebloom!" Braeburn pleaded, bumping into just about every single pony on the track.
"Ah found him!" Applebloom's shrill voice pierced through the air, alerting Applejack and Braeburn of where she was. Applejack had to wait up for Braeburn to escape the gaggle of racing fans before he could rejoin her and get to Applebloom.
"Ah'm comin'!" the stallion squeezed his way through the last few ponies before gasping for air. "Next time we're goin' around the crowd," he wheezed. Applebloom stood near the inside guardrail, next to a hooffull of other fans, waving her sister and cousin over.
"Wait for a second, is that really who Ah see?" Applejack blinked several times in disbelief. As a small pack of newspaper reporters stood around a sweaty Checkered Flag, one pony stood off to the side, waiting for him to get done. This pony definitely stood out more than anypony at the raceway.
"Princess Luna!" Applebloom called to the midnight blue alicorn. Hearing her name being called, Luna looked over to see the three members of the Apple family standing on the other side of the guardrail. With a smile, she trotted her way over and opened up a small hole to allow her friends to enter the infield.
"Why Applebloom and Applejack, what a pleasant surprise!" Luna exclaimed. "And which Apple are you again, sir?" She looked in Braeburn's direction.
"Braeburn Apple o' AAAAAAPPLEOOOOOOOSSAA!" Braeburn replied, braying his town's name loud and proud on his hind legs. "Yer majesty," he finished with a bow.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Braeburn," Luna smiled again.
"What are ya doin' at an Earth Pony race 'o all places?" Braeburn questioned before either of his two cousins could ask. The other two Apples nodded in agreement, intrigued to see an alicorn princess at a race.
"Lemme guess, it's a charity event?" Applejack hunched.
"No," Luna replied with a warming chuckle. "Earth Pony racing happens to be one of my favorite hobbies to watch actually," she explained. "It's rather hard to explain," she added as all three Apple ponies dropped their jaws. "I guess I just admire how physically strong and agile Earth Ponies are and how they can push themselves to the limit without Unicorn magic or Pegasi wings," she shrugged her shoulders.
"Wow," Applebloom grinned. "So, is Checkered Flag yer favorite racer too?" she pointed from the racer and her own cap.
"Ever since he invited me to a charity race in the Crystal Empire," Luna retorted. "How could anypony not admire a pony who gives so much back to the Equestrian community?" She questioned. "Not to mention he won the charity race as well."
"Which is why I've donated my own winnings toward getting the track built in Canterlot," a new voice introduced itself to the conversation. The black and white mane and tail colored racing pony bowed his head graciously not only to Luna, but to Applebloom, Applejack, and Braeburn as well.
"Ch-Ch-Ch-" Applebloom stuttered.
"Well, ain’t this a treat!" Applejack exclaimed, extending her hoof out. "It's nice ta meet ya Mr. Flag."
"And it's a pleasure to meet one of the Elements of Harmony, Ms. Applejack," Checkered replied, shaking her hoof with pride. His blue eyes then slowly drifted down to the shaking yellow filly standing at Applejack’s side. "Well now, who's this little super fan you brought with you?”
"A-A-Appleb-bloom," Applebloom stuttered nervously. The racing pony knelt down on one of his forelegs to be at Applebloom's eye level.
"Did you enjoy the race, Applebloom?" He asked kindly.
"Mmhmm," was the only thing Applebloom could say with a nod, becoming just as shy as her big brother. Applejack, Braeburn, and Luna all chuckled at the filly's reaction to meeting Checkered Flag. "Ah think yer the best racer ever," the filly gulped.
"Aw, thank you, Applebloom," Checkered's hoof ruffled her red mane, making her shake even more. The stallion reached around and produced a permanent marker. "Would you like me to autograph your hat?" he offered. "Just a real one to go below the stitched one," he chuckled, eyeing the bill of the cap.
"YES!" Applebloom burst excitedly, making the racer jump a bit. Feeling embarrassed, Applebloom quickly covered her mouth with her hoof; a small blush exposed itself on her cheeks.
"Always enjoy talking with the fans, don't you, Checkered?" High Velocity let out a friendly laugh, trotting away from the newspaper reporters that had swarmed him. Checkered quickly signed Applebloom's hat and stood up to greet his fellow racer.
"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" Applebloom cheered, forgetting her momentary chagrin and latching herself onto one of Checkered's forelegs, hugging him tightly.
"Applebloom!" Applejack scolded.
"Oh it's fine," Checkered grinned. "That's definitely not as bad as what other fans have done," he laughed as the once again embarrassed filly let his leg go with a blush.
“S-sorry,” she squeaked an apology.
"High Velocity!" Braeburn proclaimed. "Ah was hopin' ta meet ya!" The farming stallion grabbed the blue racing pony's hoof and shook it enthusiastically. "How are ya enjoyin' AAAAAA-" Braeburn found Applejack's hoof plugging up his mouth and preventing it from making any noise. She shook her head before releasing his muzzle. "Are ya enjoyin' our humble little town?" he rephrased his question.
"I always love coming to tracks in smaller towns," the more gruff racing pony replied. "The Salt Lock is my favorite part of Appleoosa," he explained.
"Hmm, how about we all journey toward the Salt Lock for an after race supper?" Luna proposed. "My treat," she added, folding one of her wings over her chest.
“Wait a second, ain’t Ah too young?" Applebloom asked, not wanting to miss an opportunity to actually have a meal with Checkered Flag. Having High Velocity there was just the cherry on top.
"The owner's pretty lenient as long as yer with an of age guardian," Braeburn cooled her worries. Applebloom had to grip the dirt below with her hooves to keep from jumping around again.
"Plus, I think having one of the Canterlot princesses with us can't hurt," Checkered added with a grin, respectfully bowing to Luna. All six ponies looked over as the crowd erupted in cheer while Slipstream popped the top off a cider bottle, spraying himself, his trainer, and the fans with the drink.
"YEEEESSSS!" He cheered, tossing the bottle to his trainer, and grabbed the golden apple tree trophy. The red rookie hoisted it into the air, pumping it up and down. The rumbling of hooves pounding the ground followed suit, only irritating Applebloom.
"Ugh, can we go? Slipstream's ego is fillin' up the place," she groaned as the rookie's doused trainer exited the crowd with a box of racing equipment for the weekend on his back and Slipstream's horseshoes in his hoof.
"Aw, he's just a rookie kid," High Velocity patted Applebloom's back. "He's got plenty of time to learn how to be a little more humble," he advised. "Now, about that dinner invitation..." he licked his lips. Luna chuckled and gestured with her wing, prompting the ponies to follow her.
"Aren't yer trainers gonna come?" Applejack questioned High Velocity and Checkered.
"Trust me, we'll meet them there," Checkered replied. As the six ponies exited the race track, Applebloom kept an eye on Slipstream's own trainer as he loaded up the racing pony's wagon to bring to the train station.
"Hmm?" She asked when she noticed the trainer tossing the horseshoes on top of the wooden box. What was strange to her was she didn't quite hear the metal clang of the horseshoes thumping against the wood bottom. “Eh,” she shrugged and trotted a little faster, trying to keep pace with Checkered Flag. Even though her least favorite racer stole a victory from her all-time favorite racer, she wasn’t going to allow that to ruin a once in a lifetime dinner with her family, two of her favorite racers and Princess Luna, right?
End Chapter 1