//------------------------------// // Get Set... // Story: Highway 35 // by raven618 //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash had been driving for a few hours now. She had been worried her passport wouldn’t be accepted as she crossed the border, but sure enough, they let her through. Now she was only a few miles away from her destination. Located in the southern part of Mexicolt, Rainbow was sure it had a name, but she just knew it as dinosaur death ground-zero. Up ahead was a large black cube sticking out of the desert. Rainbow drove her truck, which she had learned from the computer was called a Deora II, right up to it. A large gate opened allowing her access inside. She drove into a large room filled with cars of all sizes, colors and makes. A ring of spotlights shown down illuminating ten parking spaces around a spinning video screen. Rainbow drove up to one of the unoccupied spaces and parked. She had found a racing suit in the storage area of the vehicle and had put it on at one of the rest stops. It was a sleeveless uniform in light blue and sky blue with white trim. A wave design was printed on the front of the suit. The leggings were a little baggy, but Rainbow didn’t expect to be doing much running during this race. Two metal arm pieces protected her forearms. The seashell necklace hung around her neck. A half-dozen other drivers in varying racing suits milled about. Rainbow noticed that only a few parking spots were left open. A new car drove in just as she was about to let Fluttershy and Scootaloo know she had arrived. It was a teal car with a white roof. All in all, it looked out of place surrounded by the tougher and sleeker cars the competition was driving. More like it should be holding a family in some black and white sit-com. Stepping out of the car was a purple skinned girl with navy purple hair split down the middle by two stripes of magenta and purple. She wore square black glasses and a similar looking racing suit to the one Rainbow was wearing, only in just sky blue. Rainbow walked up to the newcomer, “Yo! Name’s Rainbow Dash.” The girl held out her hand, “Aloha! I’m Twilight Sparkle.” Rainbow noticed her handshake seemed very, practiced seemed to be the right word. “Do you know what this World Race is, or why we were asked to participate?” “Didn’t you get the message? We’re here because we’re awesome. What more reason do you need?” Twilight looked like she wanted to say more, but the last two cars drove in at that moment. One, a tough looking brown muscle truck, the other a purple car with green tinted windows. Both cars parked, the purple one right next to Twilight’s car. The entire top section of the car lifted like a beetle opening its shell, letting the driver, a white skinned girl with purple hair, out. “Welcome to the handler proving ground!” a voice echoed through the room. All eyes were drawn to the rotating screen as the same woman who summoned them appeared. “I see most of you have found your driving suits. My name is Luna, I’m one of the co-founders of Harmony Industries. I, and my associates, have invented the most advanced racing technology the world has ever seen. In the World Race, you will take this technology to its limits, and beyond.” Twilight looked back at her car, a look of awe and bewilderment on her face. Luna continued, “The driver who wins will be declared the fastest racer in the world and will win five million dollars.” That got a reaction out of the racers. “Awesome!” Rainbow said. “Ho-Doggy! That’s some good money.” A girl with a southern accent called out. = = = Some time had passed, most of the drivers were out in the desert, testing their car’s skills. An impromptu race was held between a green race car, a green low rider, and the purple car driven by the white skinned girl. Said girl had changed into her driving suit; a black under garment covered by a purple short-sleeved shirt with a wide collar. A neon green skull design was printed over her heart. During her race, she had fallen behind the other two drivers. “The cars are equipped with special Nitrox 2 boosters.” She hit the center yellow button on her dashboard. The computer informed her that the Nitrox was being injected into the engine. Her whole car glowed blue as she shot forward, her front wheels leaving the dirt as her drive wheels accelerated. Her boost left the other drivers in the dust. “Now that is what I call horsepower.” She said to herself. Back near the center, Rainbow and a few other drivers pulled into a line. “And each car has special equipment to handle a different type of terrain.” One of the cars, a long dark red car with an angular front, deployed a buzz saw out of the front grill. “Sweet!” the car’s driver, a pink girl with even pinker hair said. Her car had been classified as, Road Beast. Another of the cars resembled a formula one car, but with a more exposed engine. The driver was a zebafrican woman with a mohawk. She triggered her car’s equipment, specialized tires lined with retractable spikes for gripping the terrain. These had been called Desert Rats, but both cars drivers had asked to change the name to Dune Ratz. “Magnificent design. This Luna is truly ahead of her time.” The woman said, admiring her tires. The third car was a white sports car with black ash markings along the underside and red tinted windows. The Scorcher cars’ equipment was a large metal plow in the front of the car and shielded tires. Rainbow had received a car that Luna said was of a Wave Ripper design. She hit a button on her dashboard, charging a special set of boosters on the underside of the car. She was about to fire them, when her fellow Wave Ripper, Twilight, landed on top of the white Scorcher car. “Sorry! Sorry!” she said over the car radio. “These jump-boosters are really hard to control.” The Scorcher pulled out from under her, dropping her ’55 Nomad on the ground. The driver stepped out, she was a yellow skinned woman with short orange and yellow hair done in a pixie cut. Her uniform was a black motorcycle suit with a picture of a flaming skull and cross wrenches on the left side. Hot orange fire motifs adorned her lower legs. “What were you thinking!” She yelled at Twilight, “You always check the runway before you act! You could have hurt someone!” She got back in her car and drove off. Twilight hit her head against her steering wheel. The pink girl got out of her car and sat on the hood of Twilight’s car. She was wearing a yellow and green, motocross style uniform. A metal collar sat around her neck and an image of an open mouth with sharp teeth sat over her stomach. “Well, she was mean.” “But she’s also right. I could have hurt someone.” “Yeah, but she didn’t have to yell at you like that. Who is she anyway?” “Spitfire.” Rainbow answered, walking over to the two. “Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts. One of the most elite stunt fliers in the world. She flew a modified WWII Spitfire from Trottingham to Istanbull in one flight.” “Wow!” The pink haired girl said before holding her hand out to Rainbow, “I’m Pinkie Pie, by the way.” “Rainbow Dash.” She said taking the handshake. Pinkie Pie then rolled over, so she was looking at Twilight through the car’s windshield. Rainbow suddenly felt like she was looking at the cover of an adult magazine. “And you are?” “My name is-“ “Twilight!” A voice said through the radio. “Cadence?” Twilight said in surprise. “Well which is it? Twilight or Cadence?” A green sports car pulled up next to the group, and out stepped a young woman. She had pink skin and pink and purple hair offset by gold streaks. She wore the purple and neon green suit describing her as driving a Street Breed car. “Ma soeur!” The woman said, pulling Twilight out of her car and hugging her. “Oh! it’s so good to see you!” “It’s good to see you to, Cadence!” Twilight said, getting over her shock quickly. “Rainbow, Pinkie, this is my old baby-sitter and so to be sister-in-law, Cadence Cadenza.” “Bonjour.” She said. = = = Inside the complex, a blonde-haired girl with orange skin was examining the engine of the purple car. Its driver sat nearby observing her work. “Thank you again, for helping me, Applejack. I don’t know the first thing about cars.” “Heh, but you do know a thing or two about racin’, right?” “Of course I do. How else could I have beaten you during the Derby.” The country girl pulled herself out from under the car and stood up. Her driving suit a chocolate brown with a white skull and spine design tracing down one side. Yellow shoulder pad sat on her shoulders. She quickly grabbed a brown Stetson and put it on her head. “Uh, need I remind you, Rarity, that we tied in that particular race?” “Only because my horse stalled at the start. If we had started at the same time, I would have won.” Applejcak smirked, “Well now we get to see which a’ us is better once and for all. And once we get out on that race, you can eat my dust.” “And you can eat those words once I win.” Rarity responded with an even bigger smirk. “Oh! get a room you two!” Exclaimed a voice. On the other side of the room was a black muscle car with yellow tinted windows and flame motifs coming off the wheels. Polishing this car was a girl with orange skin and fiery yellow and red hair. “Sunset Shimmer, was it?” Rarity asked. “Canadian street racer?” “Correct on all accounts.” “Forgive me if I choose not to take the advice of someone who partakes in such, criminal activities.” Sunset just laughed, “What I do may not be 100% legal, but it’s given me more experience than your time in the stables has.” “All drivers. Please return to the main garage.” Luna’s voice came over each of the car’s radios. Sunset put her supplies away and walked off. Applejack looked like she wanted to go after her but was stopped by Rarity’s hand on her shoulder. = = = Once all the drivers had gathered, Luna began to explain more about the race itself. “I call the track, Highway 35, because that’s where it begins. But it’s older than our roads, older than human history. Built eons ago by technologically advance beings perhaps from another world.” A wave of confusion fell over the drivers, many looking at each other to see if they knew anything about what he was saying. One driver did seem far calmer than the others. A short young woman wearing the Road Beast uniform. Her tan skin bleached from time in the sun, her hair a multitude of different shades of grey. “Beings whom I call, the Accelerons.” Luna looked down at her assembled drivers and smiled, “You will understand better once the race begins. Top off your tanks and grab your helmets on the way out. The World Race is about to begin.”