//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: It Started With a Race // Story: Requiem For The Flesh // by Astral Sketch //------------------------------// (Author's note: I apologize for any grammar errors, comments are appreciated) Chapter 2: It Started With a Race "OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! an old friend Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy this is amazing" said Pinkie Pie. She then surprised Wind Burst by zooming right up to her face "What's your favorite kind of cake? is it chocolate, vanilla, strawberry wait don't tell me". Pinkie Pie started to run away from the group but before she could get too far she fell on her stomach. Wrapped around Pinkie Pie's waist was the lasso Applejack used to catch her. "Hold on there sugar cube that can wait till later" said Applejack. After Pinkie Pie was settled they all looked back to Wind Burst, Twilight walk up to the green Pegasus. "Well Wind Burst, it's nice to meet you I'm Twilight Sparkle". "Right Rainbow Dash told me all about you" said Wind Burst. "Really?" Twilight asked. "Yup she says you're the biggest egghead she knows" Wind Burst replied. Twilight's ears lowered she looked right at Rainbow Dash who was chuckling nervously. "She also said you're the personal student of Princess Celestia, that's really cool you must know some awesome spells right?" said Wind Burst. Twilight's face turn red "well I don't know about that but I guess I do know some pretty impressive spells" Twilight said with a grin and her hoof behind her head. "Careful there Twilight your starting to brag there" said Rarity humorously. Twilight snapped out of it "ah any ways this is Rarity". "Charmed" said Rarity. "This is Pinkie Pie" continued Twilight. "Hi!" said Pinkie Pie. "And this here is Applejack" finished Twilight. "Howdy there partner it's not every day we meet an old friend of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash" said Applejack. "Well there was that griffon Gilda that one time" said Pinkie Pie. The memory of that day gave a sour look on Rainbow Dash's face. "Huh I think I've heard of her" said Wind Burst. "That's the past Wind Burst here is nothing like Gilda and I know all of you are gonna like her, right Fluttershy" said Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "So Wind Burst how long have you known Rainbow and Fluttershy?" asked Twilight. "Well like Rainbow said we go way back, we meet as fillies in Cloudsdale and we've been friends ever since, but even though they both moved to Ponyville we've stayed in touched" said Wind Burst. "So how exactly did you meet Fluttershy And Rainbow Dash?" asked Rarity curiously. Rainbow Dash and Wind Burst looked at each other and smiled. " well... it all started with a race" said Wind Burst. "like I said we were fillies back then in Cloudsdale, I meet both of them for the first time when I overheard Rainbow here going on about how she's going to be the greatest flyer of all time; even becoming a Wonderbolt" said Wind Burst. "Really now" Rarity said sarcastically. "yeah anyways I was thinking, who does she think she was saying she's going to be the greatest flyer of all of Equestria? nopony is a greater flyer than me. So I went up to her and said There's no way you're gonna be the greatest flyer there is unless you can beat me in a race, then she said you're on!"continued Wind Bust. "WOW, that sounds so amazing what happens next" asked Pinkie Pie. "Hush now Pinkie Pie she's getting there" whispered Applejack. "Please continue Wind Burst" said Twilight. "Sure" said Wind Burst "So after I challenged her we agreed on ten laps and we'd use the clouds as obstacles that we have to go around of. The obstacles were no problem because while Rainbow Dash was going on about her speed, I knew that going fast was only part of racing and that maneuverability was just as important. So with Fluttershy holding the starting flag me and Rainbow Dash were ready to go". Wind Burst And Rainbow Dash were both eager to prove who the greater flyer was, all they were waiting for was for Fluttershy to wave the flag for the race to start. As soon as Fluttershy waved the flag both pegasi zoomed past her with enough force to leave her spinning on the cloud she was standing on. At first both Wind Burst and Rainbow Dash were moving at the same speed but then Rainbow Dash slowly began to gain the lead. Before she knew it Wind Burst was behind in the first lap but that didn't worry her, she was just pacing herself for the last few laps and then they reached the clouds, Rainbow Dash was just about to make the first turn. However at the speed she was going and combined with the sudden turn caused her to spin out of control and Rainbow Dash crashed into the other cloud. By the time Rainbow Dash stuck her head out of the cloud she can see Wind Burst smoothly maneuvering around the same cloud she just missed and now she was passing her by and continued on. Rainbow was getting annoyed and got out of the cloud to continue the race. But Rainbow Dash didn't consider how tight together some of the clouds were and because she spent most of her time working on her speed her maneuvering skills were sloppy and she had trouble flying around each of the clouds. By the time Rainbow Dash got out of the obstacle course she saw that Wind Burst had gain the lead. So she pushed forward trying to close the gap between the two but before she could reach her opponent Wind Burst had just completed the first lap. As the race went on both pegasi continued on; each one taking the lead for a short time before passing the other. Rainbow Dash was improving on her maneuverability as she passed around the clouds, while Wind Burst started to push her speed. By the beginning of ninth lap Wind Burst was done pacing herself and was going at full speed however she was now getting worried. She was correct that Rainbow Dash would have trouble maneuvering the clouds but she did not think Rainbow Dash would adapt so quickly. But to her surprise Rainbow Dash zoomed past her, Rainbow unleashed her full speed the force of which caused Wind Burst to spin momentarily out of control. When she regained control see saw Rainbow Dash pass the starting line into the final lap. But what Wind Burst also saw was that the force in which Rainbow was moving knocked Fluttershy off of the cloud she was standing on. At first she thought it was not a problem but when Wind Burst noticed that Fluttershy was not flying back up she got scared. "Rainbow Dash wait your friend Flutter-something is falling" yelled Wind Burst before she went down to catch her. "That's a cheap trick there Wind Burst" Yelled Rainbow Dash turning around now flying back wards. But when she saw both Wind Burst diving down and Fluttershy falling, she knew Wind Burst was telling the truth and she dive down also. Wind Burst was trying to reach Fluttershy but she could not catch up, Fluttershy was falling too fast. She pushed herself harder than she ever had and was able to close the distance between them. But Fluttershy was flailing around too much for Wind Burst to get a good hold of her. Wind Burst was finally able to catch Fluttershy, but she was moving too much causing Wind Burst to lose control and she began to fall with her. Rainbow Dash pushed her speed to the limit and she was able to catch both Fluttershy and Wind Burst, then she flew up to the nearest cloud and set them both down. Wind Burst was too exhausted to continue the race and so was Rainbow Dash then Wind Burst said "that... was...awesome". "DID YOU FINISH THE RACE , WHO WON" asked Pinkie Pie. "Weren't you listening Pinkie Pie" said Rainbow Dash "we were too exhausted to keep going". "So you three have been friends ever since right?" asked Twilight. "That's right" said Wind Burst "and we've been racing each other every once in awhile since then, right Fluttershy?. "That's right" Fluttershy said. "So did the two of you ever find out who's the best flyer?" ask Applejack. "Yeah me" said Rainbow Dash with pride. "What?!" said Wind Burst "if we're going in a straight line maybe, but you seem to forgot that I won some those races not only that I'm a lot faster now than I was then". "Yeah well you seem to forgot how awesome my maneuvering skills have gotten" said Rainbow Dash "plus three words Sonic...Rain...Boom". Wait, isn't that two words? thought Twilight. At those words Wind Burst looked angry, Twilight did not like where this was going. "Hey now does it really matter who the better flyer is" Twilight said. Both Rainbow Dash and Wind Burst glared at her when she said that and after a moment's pause she continued "I mean arguing about it isn't going to solve anything". Both pegasi looked at each other and smiled "your right Twilight" said Rainbow Dash. "I am?" asked Twilight "I mean a course I am". "Yeah arguing about it won't solve our problem" said Wind Burst. "So what do you say we settle it like old times" said Rainbow Dash. "Your on" Wind Burst said with a smile. "girls its you're lucky day we're going to have our self a race" said Rainbow Dash. The two had decided that they would go one big lap around Ponyville. To have the best view of the race Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity rode on a hot air balloon. Before the race started Applejack noticed Twilight was working on a contraption she rigged up onto the hot air balloon. "hey Twilight whatcha doing back there" asked Applejack. "Oh, I'm just working on this propeller so we can keep up with Rainbow Dash and Wind Burst. I read about it in a book and although it won't be as fast as them, we should still have a good view of the race" said Twilight. "Hey Applejack don't you and Rarity have some important thing to do?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Big Macintosh said he has the farm covered and besides how often do we see a race between Rainbow Dash and an ol' friend of hers from Cloudsdale" said Applejack. "what about you Rarity, you said you had a big order to finished?" Asked Fluttershy. "Oh please darling, I've pulled over night miracles before and besides this is something I cannot miss" said Rarity. When Twilight was done setting up the propeller she then signaled Rainbow Dash that they were ready. "it's about time, ready Wind Burst?" said Rainbow Dash. "Oh yeah" said Wind Burst. The two pegasi were ready and when Fluttershy waved the starting flag the two flew out at high speed starting the race. The moment the race started Twilight activated the balloon's propeller and with their binoculars ready they followed the two racers. Elsewhere outside of Ponyville, in an area where there are no trees or grass only rocks and dirt were three creatures digging through the side of a mountain. They were a species of dogs that could talk and their oversized arms which they used to dig made them look gorilla like. These three called themselves "The Diamond Dogs", and they have been digging the same tunnel now for days looking for jewels. "Rover how long do we need to keep digging" asked the largest. "When do you think you idiot?, till we find more jewels" said The middle sized one. "but we've been digging for days, when will we find the jewels" said the smallest. "Quit complaining Spot and keep digging, you to Fido!, we dig till we find the jewels" yelled Rover. The three dogs kept digging until the wall caved in revealing a huge cavern. When they walked in they were shocked at what they saw inside. They were mesmerized, drooling from the mouth at the sight of jewels everywhere laying in massive piles that almost reached the ceiling. Rover the leader was so excited that he jumped into a pile of jewels. Fido and Spot joined in and they cheered throwing hands full of jewels into the air. "JEWELS! PRECIOUS JEWELS!" cheered Rover. "ITS OURS, ALL OURS" said Fido. "GGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHGGGGG" "What... was that?" said Spot. The Diamond Dog searched the cavern for the sound that they had heard. But as the sound continued they also began to smell smoke, it did not take long for them to find the source of that noise. To their horror they see a massive creature with yellow scales, spines that ran down from head to tail and large wings. At that moment the dogs realized that they had accidentally borrowed into a dragon's hoard. "Its a...a...DRAG-" Spot almost screamed until Rover quickly covered the small dog's mouth. "Shut up you idiot" Rover whispered "you're going to wake it up". "What are we gonna do?" whispered Fido hiding behind the other two shaking in fear. Rover let go of Spot to think, he looked at the sleeping dragon, then he looked at the mound of jewels, then back at the dragon and again at the jewels. They had dug for days to get these jewels, they can't just leave empty handed. However the risk of awaking the dragon was too high. Rover tried to think but the light from the shining jewels was too much for him, and so he gave in to his greed. "Fido, Spot take as many jewels as you can carry, we're leaving" whispered Rover. "But the dragon? " whispered Fido. "It might awake up" whispered Spot. "Not if we are quiet, now grab what you can and lets go" whispered Rover. While the dragon slept peacefully, the three dogs stuffed as many jewels into their vest pockets as they can. When it was time for them to leave, they snuck out with jewels in their hands. Rover and Fido were already at the entrance of the tunnel they had dug. Spot had not caught up with the other two yet. He stopped when he saw something from the corner of his eye. It was a large diamond, the size of his head laying in a pile of gems.That was the one he wanted, so he abandoned the smaller jewels he was carrying and went for the diamond. Spot struggled but he was able to pull the diamond out. As Spot hurried to the exit tunnel, the pile that he pulled the diamond from collapsed. Soon other piles started falling over causing multiple loud crashing sounds that echoed inside the cavern, then the dragon woke up. The Dragon did not like waking up in the middle of his nap. Nor did he like the mess his treasure was in, he had spent hours arranging the piles of gems just the way he liked it. Then he noticed that there was scent he did not recognize multiple ones, Intruders Had Been In His Cave!. The dragon frantically searched his horde for anything that might be missing. Just as he feared some of his treasure was stolen, the dragon was enraged. He searched the cave to see if the thieves were still there. But all he found was a small hole that was not there before, this must be where they escaped thought the dragon. Angry the dragon rushed out of his cave and found the other end of the tunnel The Diamond Dogs had made. He searched again but the there was no one around, the intruders had escaped. He was furious that the thieves had gotten away with some of his jewels. Especially his diamond, he was saving that delicious treat for a special occasion and now its gone. Then the dragon saw something in the distance, he took a good look at it and realized it was floating in the sky. It was a hot air balloon and it was floating away from the dragon's cave. "The robbers!" said the dragon "who else could it be?", then he took off into the air and went after them. Rainbow Dash and Wind Burst are now half way into their race. they had already went though White Tail Woods and they just exited the Ghastly Gorge, both of them avoiding the thorns and Quarry eels easily. Although Wind Burst was able to catch the lead, Rainbow Dash boasted her speed allowing to get ahead of her. "WHOA! THIS IS SO AMAZING!" yelled Pinkie Pie. "Ah know Pinkie Pie" said Applejack. "Twilight darling, can you please slow this hot air balloon down?, the wind is ruining my mane" said Rarity. "BUT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH RAINBOW DASH AND WIND BURST" yelled Pinkie Pie. "well we do still have our binoculars" Twilight said " maybe I can slow it down a litt--" "RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR" "What was that?" asked Applejack. The four ponies looked behind them and are shocked when they see a dragon flying right at them. "DR... DR...DRAGON!!!" screamed Rarity. Wind Burst was pushing her speed trying to catch up to Rainbow Dash until she heard a loud roar fallowed by five screams. At that moment she stop to look back to see what was going on. Even Rainbow Dash stop to look, both pegasi dropped their jaws at the sight of the dragon attacking the hot air balloon where the other five ponies were. Rainbow Dash flew towards her friends with Wind Burst following not far behind. The other five ponies were screaming as the dragon got closer to them. Twilight was trying to get the propeller to go faster. "COME ON... YOU PIECE OF JUNK!" screamed Twilight. When Twilight saw the dragon open its mouth, she froze, she couldn't do anything no spells, she couldn't think. All she could do was sit there biting her lip, tears running down her cheeks. The dragon was about to shot fire at the balloon until he felt something hit his head hard causing him to miss his target. He searched for what hit him but just then he felt another hit to the back of his head. The dragon saw two blurs flying around him, one was multicolored, like a rainbow and the other purple. He tried to swat at them with his claws but he kept missing. Rainbow Dash and Wind Burst continued attacking the dragon giving the others time to escape. Wind Burst dodged another claw swipe and head budded the dragon in the stomach. Rainbow Dash avoided the flames that the dragon shot at her, then attacked him on the snout. Twilight had snapped out of it, and when she saw Wind Burst and Rainbow Dash fighting the dragon she came up with a plan. She turned off the propeller and called out to Rainbow Dash. "RAINBOW!... CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" yelled Twilight. "TWILIGHT?! ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "She's Right Twilight we need to get out of here!" said Rarity. "We won't make it the balloon is not fast enough!" said Twilight. "I HAVE A PLAN BUT I NEED YOU AND WIND BURST TO KEEP THE DRAGON BUSY, THEN WHEN I MAKE MY MOVE YOU AND WIND BURST FLY OVER TO THE BALLOON!" yelled Twilight. "WHEN WILL THAT BE?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "TRUST ME YOU'LL KNOW" Twilight replied. "You hear that Wind Burst?!" said Rainbow Dash. "Pretty much!" said Wind Burst. While the two continued to distract the dragon, Twilight charged up her horn and waited for the right moment. the others were scared and were holding each other for dear life. "Twilight, Ah sure hope ya know what you're doing" said Applejack. So do I Twilight thought. With her horn glowing, Twilight waited for her chance to act. Then when Rainbow Dash and Wind Burst were away from the dragon's face Twilight saw her opening and fired a huge bolt of magic at the dragon's face. The dragon was hit by something bright that blinded him, angry he swiped at anything within arm's reach trying to hit what attacked him. After Rainbow Dash saw the bolt hit the dragon she knew what Twilight meant. "WIND BURST, WE GOT TO GO!" yelled Rainbow Dash. Wind Burst was stunned, she had never seen a bolt of magic that big before. Then out of nowhere she felt a force hit her on her right side, the dragon though blind was able to hit Wind Burst with his claw. Wind Burst tried to fly but she could not move her wing, all she felt was pain. Rainbow saw what had happened and flew at high speed to save her. The others could only look in horror as they watch Rainbow Dash try to catch the other Pegasus. Rainbow Dash caught up to Wind Burst and grabbed her. "Are you alright Wind Burst?!" cried Rainbow Dash. "It... Hurts... so bad" said Wind Burst with tears in her eyes. "It going to be alright! we're getting out of here!" said Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash reached the hot air balloon and at that moment Twilight used her teleportation spell. In seconds all of them along with the hot air balloon were gone in a flash of light, by the time the dragon regained his vision they were all gone. In a flash of light the hot air balloon reappeared on the ground in the middle of Ponyville. "WE MADE IT! cheered Pinkie Pie. "We need to get to the hospital! yelled Rainbow Dash. Twilight took a look at Wind Burst's wing and turned pale, she was bleeding so much from the lacerations. They hurried to the hospital as fast as they could, When they got there Wind Burst was put into the E.R.. All the Mane 6 could do was wait, Fluttershy was crying with Twilight trying to console her. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie sat next to them with sad faces. Pinkie Pie's mane was no longer curly, it was straight and Rainbow Dash was sitting alone at a corner, she still had some of Wind Burst's blood on her. They waited and then a tan unicorn with a brown mane wearing glasses and a lab coat entered the waiting room. All six of them turned to him, Rainbow Dash got up and walked up to him. "How's Wind Burst?! is she going to be okay?" said Rainbow Dash. "Wind Burst was just released from the E.R. she is stable and she will recover" said the tan unicorn. They all looked relived, Pinkie Pie's mane returned to its curly state. "That's so great!" said Rainbow Dash "when will Wind Burst get better?, we still have a race to finish". "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash but that not going to happen" said the tan unicorn. There was a pause, then Twilight walked up to Rainbow Dash and the doctor."What is it Doctor?" asked Twilight, the doctor then responded . "Wind Burst's wing sustained major tissue and nerve damage. We have done that we can... but I'm afraid she may never fly again".