//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Race // Story: Scootaloo's Race // by RushingWind-01 //------------------------------// The kidnapper unlocked the shackles and Scootaloo got up. "Good. Turn around.", he said. She did what he told him. Then, the metal plate was rising up. "Get ready, kid. Show me what you got..." Up on the surface, Scootaloo stood at the starting line of a race track. Suddenly, eleven holograms of young Pegasi were loaded in and placed in front and behind Scootaloo, having her to start in seventh place. A starting light came down. It had three slots, possibly for red, yellow and green. Scootaloo saw the holograms taking starting positions. FIVE... She tried to get into a launching stance as well. The moment the race would start, she would take off at a high speed. FOUR... The yellow light turned on. Scootaloo and the holograms watched the light very carefully to not miss the start. THREE... Now, Scootaloo spread her powerful wings and got ready to take off... TWO... She buzzed her wings to get a bit of a startup... ONE... At the very moment the light turned green, Scootaloo and the holograms took off. For the very first time, Scootaloo felt the rush of speed and the feeling of flying. She felt free, and started to laugh in euphoria. "Hahahaha! Awesome!!" She couldn't help but scream loud of joy. She never flew before on her own. Usually, Rainbow Dash had to carry her, but for the first time, she was able to fly into the direction she wanted. She had some starting problems, typical for a rookie in flying, but she got used to the speed and gained more control as she flew over the track. Scootaloo had no idea how fast she went, but after passing some contestants, she knew that she was flying fast enough to match up with them. Although she couldn't help the feeling that she felt like she was going faster than she thought... The kidnapper said she could fly at 82 mph max. And even though she had no idea what that speed was in wing power, she felt like she flew at a speed way higher than that. The first lap was done, and she saw three more holograms in front of her. And even though Rainbow Dash always kept telling her that winning wasn't everything, she thought to herself: "That's my first race... I want to win this!" Scootaloo flew with all the power she could and felt like she was going so fast that she would actually beat fast Pegasi in a race. She knew she would still lose out against Rainbow Dash, but she was faster than other Pegasi of her age. And then, after a quick two lap race, Scootaloo finished up in first place. She flew to her kidnapper, who, now Scootaloo knew, didn't mean to harm her in any way. "So... did you have fun?", asked the kidnapper, sure impressed about Scootaloo's sheer speed she was able to hit. "I sure did!", said Scootaloo in excitement, "I'm actually amazed myself! Can you believe that I went so super fast? I feel like Rainbow Dash all of a sudden..." "Not only did you leave the competition far behind, but you have done something only few Pegasi of your age were able to do.", said the kidnapper. "And what exactly is that?", asked Scootaloo. "You were able to smash the limit of 104 mph, allowing you access to the Rookie Class." Scootaloo had no idea what her kidnapper was talking about. "Rookie Class? What is that?", she asked in curiosity. "Well...", he started, "you may not have heard about it, but I have started a huge competition for some of the best flyers in all of Equestria. Pegasi that can hit specific speeds can access various speed classes to prove themselves and show who's best. Back in the other world, some people were actually playing a game that was just like this... It was called 'Wipeout'..." Scootaloo has neither heard of her kidnapper's origin, nor has she heard of such a video game, but she kinda knew what he was talking about... "And I want you... to take part in this racing tournament.", he finished. "Really?", asked Scootaloo. "Of course.", said the kidnapper. "You may not be able to fly this fast yet, but as you train harder and harder, you will gain more and more speed, and maybe... You might even prove yourself against me, the reigning champion of the annual Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament, EPRT for short." For Scootaloo, it felt like a dream coming true. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash landed right next to the two. "Hey, you! Hand Scootaloo over right now!", she said, while looking angrily at the kidnapper. She is soon joined by Twilight, Fluttershy, and the rest of the Mane 6 as well as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Scootaloo! Are you okay?", asked Sweetie Belle in a worried voice. "Yeah, I'm totally fine.", Scootaloo responded. Rainbow Dash checked her sister-like friend from all sides, but couldn't find any deep wounds. "So... nothing's wrong? And the kidnapper didn't harm you?", she asked, a little bit puzzled. She looked to the kidnapper. "What kind of a kidnapper are you even not harming your victims?", she asked him. "It seems like you worry way too much. And it also seems like you never heard of this..." The kidnapper handed Rainbow Dash a poster that shows Pegasi flying very fast on a race track, with a logo on top. "Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament... Starting tomorrow at 2:30 PM...", she read out. "You should know, there's a reason why I picked her.", said the kidnapper. "And that is?", asked Rainbow Dash. "I want her to follow you in your hoofsteps one day. And the best way to do this is to have her attend at a racing tournament for Pegasi.", he said. "But... But she can't even fly! How would she be able to attend a tournament like that if she's not even able to lift off the ground?", Rainbow Dash asked, not believing what the kidnapper said. Then, Scootaloo interfered, and said: "Hey, hold up! You have no idea how this nice guy helped me. Look here!" And then, she buzzed her wings and lifted off the ground with grace. Rainbow Dash and the others couldn't believe what Scootaloo was actually doing. "No fricking way!", said Rainbow Dash, certainly surprised that Scootaloo was able to fly now. She turned to the kidnapper. "How did you do that?" "That was easy. I utilized something from the Sombraverse called prosthetic wings. Your Sombraverse self had a prosthetic wing and you were able to fly fine with it.", he explained. "Sombraverse? You mean that alternate timeline Twilight went through trying to stop Starlight?", asked Rainbow Dash, flashed about the knowledge that this kidnapper knew about the Sombraverse timeline. "Exactly." The kidnapper looked at Rainbow Dash. He actually was surprised that she didn't recognize him. "Say, Rainbow... Don't you know who I am?", he asked her. "You have a mask. How would I know who you are?", Rainbow asked in return. "Look at the poster.", he just said. Rainbow Dash looked at the poster of the EPRT again. She recognized two of the Pegasi. "There's Rushing Wind... and Spitfire... but what is up with that? Why did you tell me to look at the poster?", she asked. "Well, here's the thing...", said the kidnapper. And as he took off the mask, he said: "I... am Rushing Wind." The Mane 6 gasped. "Rush... that kidnapper was you!?" Rainbow Dash was shocked because of that discovery. She never would've thought that the Pegasus who went through hellish nightmares with her would do such a thing. "Yes. It was me. But as you now know, I did this with good intentions. I would never try to harm any of your friends, you know." He had a serious glance on his face. Rainbow Dash knew he only meant well, even though she helped Scootaloo get over her flightless nature. "Oh, Rush. You always have some sweet plans up your sleeve. I never know what your next move is, and only see it if you tell me about it.", said Rainbow Dash, laughing a bit. Rushing Wind laughed a bit as well. "Thank you. That's just me." And everyone else shared a good laugh as well. "Well, Scootaloo...", said Rushing Wind, "Are you ready for your first tournament race?" Scootaloo couldn't wait to start. She would prove that she was a solid flyer and racer. And soon, she would follow Rainbow Dash into her hoofsteps...