//------------------------------// // Ch.6: Sponsorship and secrets // Story: XGRA: Ultrasonic Rainbow // by Brotato //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Sponsorship and secrets After the awkward interview Rainbow Dash followed Mr. Cawley and several security guards to a long and sleek black vehicle beside the stadium; away from prying eyes. A man in a tuxedo held the door for her and they both climbed inside before the door shut behind Mr. Cawley. The inside had black and shiny seats that annoyed Rainbow Dash whenever she shifted, causing small squeaking noises. The man who had held the door entered through the front and could be seen behind tinted glass in his own room. His attention was held for several moments until a feeling of vertigo filled her senses as the vehicle lifted from the ground. Cawley opened the small window that separated the passengers from the driver. "Back home Jenkins, and step on it. We have quite the busy schedule today." "Right away, Sir," he replied before Cawley slid the window closed. The lavish vehicle began moving forward as Cawley took this moment to help himself to a drink. Sitting against the wall were an array of bottles of varying colors. He helped himself to pouring a clear liquid in one of the small glasses and rested back in his chair. Rainbow Dash took it upon herself to stand up and look outside at the city. Beyond the tinted windows other vehicles and buildings zipped by as the driver traversed the city, the occasional horn honking as he angered other drivers. Even with the wisps of orange dust hindering the view, it still left Rainbow in awe. She never seen the city this close before as she watched other humans walking through the streets and various shops. Looking up she could see skyscrapers reaching towards the orange sky. Every street had lights and signs that lit up the streets as darknest began to creep across the red planet. Her face was so concentrated on looking outside that she didn't hear Cawley attempting to gain her attention. "Rainbow Dash!" Both of her ears tilted towards him before her head turned. "Yeah, what's up?" "Please return to your seat. We need to discuss something." Rainbow frowned, but followed his request begrudgingly by forcefully sitting back down. "Thank you," he took a sip of his beverage before continuing. "Tell me, Rainbow. What do you know about violence?" Rainbow wrinkled her muzzle in distaste. "Like, hurting somepony? I've got into fights with my friends before, but we never actually hurt each other," she said with a shrug. "Just the occasional bruise, cut or scrape. Why?" "Because of your interview, that's why," he said with a hint of agitation. "This event isn't more of a race then a battlefield. You need to realize that this race isn't meant to gain friends. Katarina has been racing for years now and she has a short fuse when it comes to being outpaced. She will be coming for you next race. "But... why?" Rainbow asked. Cawley sighed. "Katarina lives and breaths every moment to rise above her fathers expectations, and will stop at nothing to do so. The other racers are no different as they all have their reasons for being here." He stared at her for a moment as if searching for something. "But the real question is: How far will you go to achieve your own goals?" "I-" Before Rainbow Dash could finish the vehicle came to a halt upon reaching their destination; the tall black spire waiting for them to enter. The driver left his position to open the door pointing towards the building and waited for the passengers to exit. Cawley left first with Rainbow following behind. From street-view the building looked taller than before. A small sign next to the front doors showed the only proof of it being the XGRA building. The sleek dark structure prevented the mars dust from finding crevices to hide and collect, making it stand out among the surrounding orange city. While the outside held an ominous feel to it, the inside was the complete opposite. "Hello Mr. Cawley," one of the woman behind a large oval desk greeted, the other two only looking up and giving warm smiles to the both of them. Rainbow's hooves and Cawley's sleek black shoes left small tapping sounds in the room as they walked forward. Cawley greeted the raven haired woman. "Hello, Edna. I assume they are expecting us in the meeting room?" "Of course," she responded simply. "Is there anything else you need?" Cawley shook his head and looked at Rainbow, expecting an answer. Instead of her speaking he got an answer when her stomach rumbled, followed by blushing in embarrassment. "Maybe some refreshments," he added while entering the elevator already waiting for them. "And please... No meat." He pressed the button that would take them to the meeting room and the door closed shut. The elevator ride lasted a bit considering the meeting room had been built on the 152nd floor. How they built such tall building eluded her. Even Manehatten couldn't compete to such wonders of construction. When the door finally opened they were greeted by a short hallway and two guards in black uniforms standing beside a double doorway. As they both strode towards the doorway both guards reached for the nearest doorknob and opened it for them. "Mr. Cawley, Rainbow Dash, so glad you could join us!" A man standing near the doorway offered his hand to Cawley. The room wasn't any different than the discovering of Equestria. Except instead of lackeys filling the seats there were seven affiliates who worked with the company. Mr. Cawley eyed the grinning man standing near the doorway, his brown slicked back hair not helping the air of distrust he emanated. He looked better off on the streets haggling illegal goods then working for one of the eight sponsors. "Edward," he greeted coldly and keeping his hands behind his back. Edward pulled his hand back with a grimace and focused on the pony. "I look forward to hearing who you will be choosing." With that said he took his seat with the others. "Considering the next race will being tomorrow on Earth," Mr. Cawley began, "I hope we can make this decision as smoothly as possible. So please keep introductions short." He waved his hand froward for Rainbow Dash to step towards the table. "I'm sure Rainbow Dash would appreciate it." Edward stood up first from his chair. "Since you already know my name, I am sponsoring Scarecrow. We were once a weapons manufacturing company, but saw much interesting in joining with the XGRA. Our weapon systems are the best in the world." The man next to him wore a business suit, but his red, white, and blue tie stood out from the other sponsors. "Name's Rick, and I represent Terranova. The United States takes pride in our bikes being the most reliable and durable in the XGRA. Don't let anyone else say otherwise." It continued from there with Vixen, whose sponsor was the only woman in the room. Their company focused on speed, and just the mention of the word perked up Rainbow's ears. The others were Palus, Starcom, Talon, Manta and finally Templar, who received glares from the others. Thought the man didn't either care or notice. He wore a suit as white as the clouds in Equestria, pressed and stain-free. "My name is not important. All you need to know is I am sponsoring Templar, and we only want the best because we are the best." He returned to his seat and rested his hands on the table with his fingers weaved together. By now a butler had dropped off a platter of vegetables for Rainbow Dash along with ranch dip, which she gladly thanked the servant. "Have you come to a decision yet, Rainbow? Cawley asked. "Hang on." Rainbow Dash helped herself to another ranch dipped carrot before speaking. "I'm gonna have to go with Vixen. Speed is what I'm good at after all.. And Templar?" Earning the attention of that sponsor. "I'll take your comment as a challenge." The white suited man peered at Rainbow Dash. "Then you'll be left in the dust just like the others." Mr. Cawley Tapped a button on the table and the screen next to it lit up, followed by a pen standing up. "Alright then, if that's your final decision..." He plucked the pen from the table and kneeled down to show it to Rainbow Dash. "A simple signature will do." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Fine." She took the pen in her mouth and stood on her hind legs to face the table screen. Cawley watched in amazement as she wrote out her name in perfect cursive using only her mouth before placing the pen back in its holster. The panel gave off a small beep as if to approve her signature before shutting off. "You may leave, Rainbow. I have some catching up to do with my... Friends. I'm sure you're still famished so I'll have dinner served in your room. We have a busy day tomorrow. Goodbye, and goodnight Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash looked at the sponsors for a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah, see you tomorrow." Rainbow Dash flopped down on her bed with a sigh of contentment. It felt amazing to finally relax after such an exciting first day in the XGRA. Thought the thought of going to this planet called 'Earth' and what would come next kept her awake. "I wonder what earth is like," she muttered to herself. Before she could delve further into her thoughts, three knocks came from her room's door. "It's open!" The door slid open to reveal the waitress she had met during breakfast today. "Oh! hey uh..." The waitress laughed. "Name's Sally, dear," she stated while pushing in the cart with a covered platter in the center. "We were all watching you on the holo-screen in the break room you know. Some of the guys don't think you'll get any further than the invitationals, but I've seen how you handle that bike. The way you hug those turns. Albeit you stumbled during those high-G spirals I think you'll surprise a lot of people." Rainbow tilted her head. The way Sally said that made her start to wonder about her past. "Have you using a hyper-cycle before?" Sally bit her lower lip as if deciding if she should say anything. "Y-Yes. I have." "Wow, really?" Rainbow said with wide eyes. "How fast are the other bikes? Were you really good? Why did you quit?" Realizing she started to sound like Twilight when it comes to science, she chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to overwhelm you like that." "It's quite alright, but let's focus on your dinner." Sally picked up the platter and two legs fell from the bottom. Rainbow got the clue and sat up on the bed as the platter rested above her back hooves and lower chest. With a silly flourish of her hand, she revealed pasta in a creamy white sauce that smelled cheesy. "Angel hair, or Capellini if you prefer, pasta with a parmesan Alfredo sauce. A little heavy for my tastes, but..." she shrugged to finish her thought. "It looks delicious!" Rainbow grabbed the nearby fork and helped herself to a bite. A quick hum of approval brought a smile to Sally's face. "Just let me know if you need anything else. I'm just a phone call away." Sally began pushing the cart outside, but a frantic grunt from Rainbow Dash made her head turn. "What?" Rainbow swallowed the mouthful of pasta that kept her from speaking. "You don't have to leave. Besides, you haven't told me about your past in the XGRA." "Oh! I-I didn't, huh?" she stated with hesitance and a frown. "Well the thing is..." she mumbled the rest while tapping the tips of her fingers together. Jeeze, this woman does a good impersonation of Fluttershy, Rainbow thought. "Look, whatever it is I'm sure you're just overreacting." Sally shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I just cant." With a heavy push she rolled the cart out to the hallway before Rainbow could even react. "Hey! wait—Ah, ponyfeathers. What's with that girl?" Rainbow crossed her hooves, her urge to eat dissolved after seeing Sally leave in such a rush. She's hiding something, but what? Did she lose a race? Is she just lying about the whole thing? Knowing better to jump to conclusions, she dropped the subject for now and focused on enjoying it in silence and privacy. After the heavy meal she decided to contact Twilight again to keep her up to date on things. "Twilight Sparkle." The reflection wavered like usual and she soon found herself staring at a surprised Twilight who had a brush in her mane. "Rainbow Dash?" Her brow furrowed with confusion in her voice. "What time is it over there?" "Uh... wow, ten after nine in the afternoon on my alarm clock," Rainbow answered after a quick peek at said device. "Wow it's been a whole day for you? The last time you contacted me was seven in the afternoon yesterday, and now you're here at four in the morning. How curious." Rainbow rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Focus Twilight. We can talk about science stuff later." Seeing the sheepish smile Twilight usually gave after drifting off in thought, she changed subjects. "How's everypony? I hope they don't miss me too much." Twilight shook her head. "Everything is fine back here. Fluttershy does miss watching your stunts and Pinkie has to handle pranking on her own, but everypony else is handling it rather well," she finished with a smile. By the way, how did your first face go?" "First place of course!" Rainbow stated with pride. "The crowd loved me, Twi. I really like it here." A clap from Twilight's forehooves stated her approval. "Congratulations! I'm sure the others would love to hear about it. You should contact them with the mirror." Rainbow frowned. "I'd love to, but I've got to get some sleep. The next race takes place on Earth. Can you tell the others what I told you?" "Yeah, no problem. You have a good night." "And you have a good morning." Rainbow laughed as the mirror rippled once more, leaving her alone. Setting the mirror on the bedside table, she eyed the trey still sitting next to her on the bed. "Might as well call to have this tray picked up." Picking up the receiver for the phone, she looked over the numerous buttons on the device. The controls were simple to figure out since there were a list of labeled buttons on the side; one of them being "Room Service". A dull ring came from the reciever once before someone on the other end answered. "Room service. How can I hope you?" A friendly voice asked. "Hey, can Sally come to my room? I have leftover dishes." "Of course Ms. Dash. Is there anything else you need?" "No, that's about it. Thanks." She hung up the phone and waited for several minutes until a knock came from the door. Instead of letting her open it, Rainbow jumped off the bed and opened the door herself. "Hey Sally." "Hello again, Rainbow." Her voice not as chipper as usual. She let herself in and grabbed the tray before leaving without a word. Rainbow watched as the door slid shut once more. With a heavy sigh, she hoped Sally would be back to her happy mood in the morning. As she jumped back on the bed she noticed a small folded piece of paper on the covers. "What's this?" Unfolding the parchment, her eyes furrowed while reading the hastily scribbled message. Destroy this message as soon as you read it Don't trust Cawley, the XGRA or SINN. XGRA controls with contracts. If you signed anything, it's possibly already too late. Was once a rider, but lost. Now work for Cawley forever. Whatever you hold dear, do not let Cawley get a hold of it! Cannot meet you again else risk suspicion. Good luck in the races. I'll be cheering for you. Too late for me.