//------------------------------// // 8 - Wing Racer // Story: Top Wings // by Outlaw Quadrant //------------------------------// Race time. Thousands of spectators rose up for the Equestrian national anthem, its singers a collective group from various nations whose voices crafted an energetic masterpiece about how the power of friendship helped unite the various pony species into creating a benevolent nation. After the last stanza, the crowd roared their approval, as did the competitors waiting on the platform attached to the Cloudiseum’s side. Gone were the awning and the supporting pillars, giving the spectators a clear view of all the brave souls that would go around the track for two hundred laps under the radiant sun. Already, the heat was working its way beneath feathers and coats, pilfering valuable strength not just from those ready to race, but also the ones watching from the stands. For Blaze Peregrine, however, the balmy weather was a minor nuisance compared to what ate at his psyche inside. On his claws was the sheet with his racing number, seventeen, a symbol that had represented his own hopes and desires. Now, it was cruel failure staring back at him, so he turned his attention down at his friends. Already, he could see himself standing by them, giving them another speech on how they should ignore the poisonous words given by Gilda and Gecks, plus some additional guidance on flying formations, tactics, and whatever else came to mind. Yet, on this day, he was not a racer, simply a helpless observer, just like the mauve unicorn sitting next to him. “You want to be down there, don’t you?” The avian nodded in return. “You are correct, Twilight. Rainbow and Swift would benefit with my presence, but I must admit that there are selfish reasons as well.” Selfish, Twilight’s ears twitched at the word. “What do you mean by that?” Blaze contemplated his words with a beak rub. “You see, while I am pleased to have met an old friend, and made new ones in Equestria, my main objective for this trip was to compete against the best, and to represent my land of Falconia. While my country produces great fliers, our fortunes in actual competition have been limited. This was the prime opportunity to demonstrate that falcons can indeed perform at a high level. However, the fact that I’m standing here is…” His claws ripped into the sheet. “…frustrating, as I do not know if I will get another opportunity like this!” He took a deep breath, and exhaled his temper away. “Is it wrong to feel this way?” “There ain’t no shame in that,” replied Applejack, pausing to swallow some popcorn. “It’d be like me hurtin’ myself practicing for the rodeo, and I can’t defend my medals. I don’t earn them just for me, but for my family, and for Ponyville. Sure, knowing myself, I’d be moping about it, but I know my friends will cheer me up. Besides, there’s always another rodeo.” She then used her Stetson to point across the grandstands, packed with eager fans. “And by the look of things, you’ll get your chance too.” “I just hope that next time isn’t so hooooot,” whined Rarity, leaning back on her seat in dramatic fashion. With an “Ahem!”, a handkerchief wiped a bead off her forehead, courtesy of Spike. Ignoring the sweating fashionista, Blaze held up his shredded number, as a light breeze wanted to take it from his grasp. Disappointment was something the falcon would have to live with, but given what he gained by coming to Equestria, that was a small price to pay. “You are correct, Applejack…” Blaze finally let go of his number, wishing it goodbye with a confident smile. “…and I must make myself ready for that day. For now, though, I rely on Rainbow and Swift to finish on my behalf.” His smile faded away. “However, that will be an arduous task, even with allies to assist them.” Said allies had congregated around Rainbow and Swift, the multiple conversations going on resembling a chaotic marketplace, with topics ranging from aerodynamics to each one’s wingspan. While Swift listened in the best he could, his rainbow friend found the noise annoying, so she made an even more aggravating one with her lips. Once she was satisfied, she ceased the whistling, and began pacing around with authority. “All right! We all know the basic plan for this race, right? Swift leads the rear pack, and I’ll head the front group, of course. Now, at the start—” “Nein!” growled Wolfmacher with a paw stomp. “My group is the largest, so it makes sense that I should take command!” Before Rainbow could respond, a male griffon emerged from the crowd. “And you come to support this pegasus, Lionheart?” said Wolfmacher, raising an eye. “I must, mate,” replied the griffon with a heavy accent. “Don’t take it personally, but you have had enough trouble controlling your own squadron as it is. That’s where your focus should be. Besides, Blaze has vouched that Rainbow is a capable leader. I’m sure you can provide her with some guidance, if that becomes necessary.” From anyone else, Wolfmacher would’ve refuted every word. However, he had raced with Lionheart enough times that he had developed a high level of respect for the honorable griffon. It was enough that when Blaze brought him out earlier in the day, it took all of three minutes for Lionheart to convince him to join this temporary alliance. This time, Lionheart didn’t have to wait as long. “Very well,” was the wolf’s answer, standing firm while his squadron did the same. “We will follow Rainbow’s commands, but I expect superior results.” “Of course,” said the mare, puffing the chest. “Like I was trying to say…” She pointed at the wolf pack, and a squadron of pelicans numbering five. “We must challenge Gilda and Gecks right from the start. Now, I know that…” Rainbow stared right at one of the pelicans adorned with grayish feathers and bluish wing tips. “Um—” “McPecks!” protested the pelican. “Do I need to wear a name tag for you?” Rainbow softly groaned, not appreciating the bird’s interrupting her thoughts. “Well, McPecks. Your team’s gotta catch up to us so you can defend our rear. You never know who else wants to take us out. Lionheart, back them up.” The griffon gave a salute. “As for everyone else—” She swiveled toward Swift and his assembled group. “—you get your orders from Swift. Just remember not to go a lap down. If everything goes right, we won’t have Gilda and Gecks to worry about by the end of the race. Then, we can settle who’s truly the fastest between all of us.” “You mean all of us, Crash!” Coming towards Rainbow was Gilda, alongside the trickster lizard. Behind both were their force, five crows, and ten geese, strutting as though they had already won, especially the golden-feathered goose. Like an inspector, the bird walked around Rainbow’s group with a scrupulous eye, rubbing his bill in the process. “I don’t see what the big deal is about these losers,” said the bird in a nasal, demeaning voice. “All I see are flabby ponies and also-rans. They’re not even worthy of a speech.” “Hermes Goossens!” barked Wolfmacher. “So you did join these two! Are you that afraid that my Flying Wolf Squadron will, once again, silence that beak of yours?” He took the taunt with a screeching laugh, annoying everyone within earshot. “All bark and no bite! That last race we had together was pure luck, so go back to your kennel where you belong, dog!” Wolfmacher displayed his fangs, while making a move at the goose. Hermes stepped forward as well, but Lionheart jumped in between the two, pushing them apart. “Back off, both of you! Settle this on the track! Don’t embarrass yourselves now!” “You already have,” Gilda sneered. “For a griffon, you’re such a pansy. Why, I should—” Suddenly, a nearby speaker shrilled, followed by a voice commanding all racers to line up for the start. Gecks’ frills flickered in delight, while his tongue moistened his lips. “Enough talk! Let’s see how… successful your little partnership will be.” “See you at the finish line,” Rainbow paused on purpose, “tomorrow!” Gilda stuck out her tongue. “As if!” Standing by the platform’s edge, race officials guided the competitors to their respective positions with their batons. Rainbow and Swift stayed behind a moment, reflecting everything that had occurred. Neither envisioned that both would be at opposite ends of the field, with the possibility that they won’t see each other again, until the end of the race. That presumed both would finish, something the stallion began doubting. After all, Rainbow was supposedly the best flier in all of Equestria, with many races under her belt. He might as well slap a “rookie” note on his hindquarters. Swift cleared his throat, getting her attention. “By the way, if something happens to me, I want you to keep—” Rainbow tapped her muzzle. “Don’t want to hear it, Swift.” “But—” “No buts,” she snapped, poking his chest. “Once you get a chance, I want you to join up with me, got it?” He took the order with a nose tap of his own. “Gotcha. I’ll see you on the track, then.” Swift turned around to leave. “One last thing,” added Rainbow. Swift faced her again. “Yeah?” In an instant, the rough and tumble Rainbow Dash disappeared, replaced by a pony whose concerned eyes could be mistaken for his own mother’s. “Watch yourself, okay?” Hearing that certainly resembled the tone coming from a parent, but the feelings inside were different. Certainly, his heart skipping beats was unexpected, although Swift didn’t mind at all. In fact, he couldn’t help but unleash a smile. “You too,” he responded. Once they split up to find their spots in the field, the announcer came back again, this time, addressing the entire audience. “This is Burning Chicane, inside the press box above start-finish! It’s a warm and beautiful day here in Cloudsdale, and let me tell you how grateful I am to have the honor of being the voice of the inaugural Equestrian Grand Prix! For the command, here is somepony that doesn’t need a microphone, Princess Luna!” Right on cue, the pony responsible for raising the moon emerged from one of the Cloudiseum’s corridors into the bright sunlight. Immediately, she winced, as though she had stepped into a boiling shower. Sensing another presence, Luna glanced behind, spotting Celestia in the shadows, chuckling in her direction. Thy sister having merriment for my distaste of warm, sunny days? Thou will have equal retribution someday! Her irritation carried over when she gave the order in her traditional royal Canterlot voice, set at maximum volume. “Fliers! Spread your wings!” Appendages opened, but only because everyone’s eardrums throbbed in agony. It was so loud, that Fluttershy scurried down into a familiar spot. “C’mon, Sugarcube,” said Applejack, peering below the cloud bleacher. “You can’t see the race from down there.” “But…” she blubbered. “It’s Nightmare Night!” A hoof slammed into Applejack’s face. “Look, she’s gone now. You can come out now.” The shivering pegasus replied that she would, eventually. With a shrug, the cowpony reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a sealed cup of delicious cider. Even if it was a tad warm, she preferred a homemade creation to the bland, outrageously priced drinks, although Pinkie Pie thought differently. In fact, she had bought the largest cup available for not only herself, but also the Cutie Mark Crusaders, so it was no surprise they soon disappeared without an explanation. By the time they came back, Chicane had already called out the majority of the starting lineup. “—Echo and number ninety-six, Derpy Hooves, makes up row twenty-eight. Finally, Swift Flying, Number thirty-seven, will start at the rear alongside number eleven, Thunderlane. That makes up the grid for the inaugural Equestrian Grand Prix! Get ready, race fans, because we’ll display the green flag, next time they come around!” By now, everyone was up on their hooves, claws, or whatever limb kept their bodies upright. A fervent energy spread like wildfire throughout the Speedway, as eager eyes followed sixty-five fliers travelling around the track in rows of three at a leisurely pace. First, they went through the long, round bend identified as Turn One and Two, then into a darkened corridor lined with gray clouds. Within, the competitors got a much-needed break from the heat, thanks to mist spewing out at random intervals. Finally, they left the tunnel for another long turn, where the contagion had made its full travel, making the crowds’ ruckus visible via pieces of the cloud hoops falling off its foundations. Furthermore, the flagpony mare stationed in a small box above start-finish held onto the railing on the structure’s edge, fearing the whole thing would topple over before she could fly off. Once Fleetfoot led the pack through Turn Four, she brought out what became the most watched object in all of Equestria, and waited an eternity for the first row to reach a line marked on the track’s sidewall. As the crowd noise reached its zenith, the flagpony swung down her hoof. Green flag. All at once, the fliers took off, creating a thunderous rumble loud enough that ponies as far away as Manehattan looked in Cloudsdale’s direction. The combined wingpower generated a gust, which spun the poor flagpony around, and flung into the air hats, wrappers, and whatever object their owner did not hold onto with an iron grip. In the span of three seconds, the entire field had crossed start-finish, with the Wonderbolt polesitter demonstrating her prowess in raw acceleration. However, Gilda had stuck behind her tail, as did Rainbow Dash, while everyone else were littered around the track, save for a golden goose, his companions, and Gecks. They sliced through the chaos, and then shifted upwards as they approached Turn One, carrying momentum like a locomotive. That didn’t stop Rainbow from swerving in their path for a block, but that prove futile, as the pack split into two heading into the backstretch tunnel, one led by Goossens, the other by the trickster lizard. The rest of the field stormed inside without incident, save for a collision between a crow and a blonde-mane pegasus near the back. She twirled out of control, right in front of Swift. “Oh—” He banked hard left, avoiding the tumbling Derpy Hooves, at the expense of forward momentum. While Derpy regained control, she ended up facing the wrong direction, and began travelling backwards, despite the track workers in orange garbs trying to get her attention. Reluctantly, they pulled out their yellow flags, triggering a stop to the racing action. “Looks like we have a pegasus going the wrong way,” said Chicane through his microphone. “That will bring out the first safety period of the day.” From the Turn 4 Grandstands, Blaze scrutinized the backstretch tunnel’s exit with his binoculars. The flags had come out before anyone came out, so the order became a mystery, until track officials on the infield scribbled it out on their whiteboards. As the field lined up, the falcon screeched at what he saw. Fleetfoot, the polesitter, was already down to tenth, right behind her two fellow teammates. Gilda had assumed the lead, followed by Rainbow Dash, Gecks, Hermes and his geese minions. More surprising was that his stallion friend was in the same position as he started. “This is odd,” remarked Twilight, looking through her own binoculars. “I thought he’d get a great start.” The falcon shrugged in response. “Is it possible he was involved in the incident? Either way, this is the start I was expecting.” “That ain’t our only problem,” added Applejack. “Look!” The cowpony pointed at Rainbow, whose mouth was competing with Gilda for most words spoken in a minute. Accusations flew about the griffon shoving the pegasus from the lead in the tunnel. “Don’t blame me for you being a klutz, Crash” said Gilda, rolling her eyes. “You better take that back!” Rainbow barked. Gilda’s beak curved up, pleased in watching the pegasus grit her teeth. “Why should I? You know it’s true.” She passed under the Start/Finish banner. “Oh, look at that. I led lap one. Too bad, Crash. Well, you better get used to watching my tail all day, that is, if you can keep up.” “Just you wait! I haven’t even begun to show my stuff! Besides, when Swift gets up here, it’s gonna be game over!” Cackles erupted from Gecks and Goossens, both hovering behind Rainbow. “Such confidence in such a, small, insignificant pony,” the lizard slithered. “They really shouldn’t allow newbies on the track,” added Goossens with a nasal laugh. “Do you suppose he can even make it to the front, Gilda?” By now, Rainbow was leaking flammable fumes, and Gilda was eager to strike a match. “Maybe just in time to get hurt again saving her flank again.” Rainbow immediately lunged at the griffon, but Lionheart had bitten onto her tail. “Let me…” She swung at Gilda in vain. “…go!” Lionheart held on tight. “Why must you young pups be so impatient?” he muttered. “Oh, and I do appreciate your assistance, Wolfmacher.” The wolf looked away, indifferent at the quip. “You did say to settle our conflicts on the track, didn’t you?” Then, the announcer’s voice finally could be heard over the ambient noise, “…with a, oh my! Looks like we have a disagreement between two competitors! Number thirteen and six should be careful, though, or they risk disqualification!” At the rear, Swift covered his face with both hooves, unsurprised, but disappointed Rainbow was getting herself into trouble. Once he cleared his vision, all his allies had surrounded him, although the enthusiasm they had before race start was gone, replaced by pale faces. “Umm, something wrong?” said Swift, scratching his mane. “Did you see what those crows did to us?” sputtered Echo the bat. “The moment we tried lining up, they went after us, and took out Derpy.” Joining them was the pony in question, her pupils in the correct position, until she bopped her head. “I’m okay!” Thunderlane whipped up a cough out of nowhere. “Uh oh. I think I’m…” He added a faux sneeze. “…coming down with the feather flu again.” Swift moaned, not buying the act. He went straight to the point. “Don’t tell me all of you want to quit already? We just started.” Others joined in their doubts, including three owls, and a green gargoyle. All shared a similar theme; they were slow, weak, scared, and came to Cloudsdale more for the sightseeing than for the race itself. Already, cracks in this new alliance threatened to shatter it, and worse, Swift didn’t have Rainbow to turn to for help. Natural-born leader was not a trait ponies affixed to him for most of his life, and yet, on that one fateful day in Saddlecloud, he had to take command in order to save a town. Dominos began falling after that. He was gifted the job of Weather Patrol Leader at Brayside Beach, he temporarily took Rainbow’s position a month ago, and now, he led another unit. While he found the leader’s jacket tight around his body, Swift got the impression that life would only make him don it from now on, so it would make sense that he’ll have to stretch it out. Otherwise, he would always be uncomfortable in it. “Heads up, everyone!” Swift bellowed. The competitors ceased their chatter. Closing his eyes, the pegasus searched for the right tone, like an artist choosing what to put on canvas. Authoritative was Rainbow’s style, not his, and Blaze’s professorial diction lacked passion. He went with what he knew best, plain honesty with a touch of optimism. “I know that most of you aren’t the best racers in the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a great race. The thing is, though, if someone out there wants to give us trouble, we can’t just back down. If we let that happen, then it’s going to happen again, not just them, not just here, but anytime someone thinks they can pick on you, or anyone else. Today, you can make your stand, and better yet, you don’t have to do it alone...” He pointed at himself. “…because I got your back.” Swift then went through the crowd. “And so does Echo, and Thunderlane, and Hoots, and everyone else! We all have our backs!” They all crossed start/finish, which had a banner stretched out over it. How it stayed up with that powerful start was an unsolved mystery, although Swift directed his group at it for a different reason. “You see that?” He glanced at the crows, which were having their own little get-together. “I don’t care if a tornado gets in our way! We’re going to finish this race, and on the lead lap!” Hoots, a dirty brown owl, raised his wing. “Do you really think we can?” With a grin, Swift replied, “I know we can! It’s gonna be tough, so we’ll have to stick together. First, we gotta deal with those troublemaking crows. At the green, fall back and get in line behind me. I’ll find a way to distract the crows. Once I do, Thunderlane, that’s your cue to lead them through undetected.” Echo raised his claw. “But what about you?” “No worries. I’ll catch up with all of you once there’s a large enough gap.” He placed his hoof in the middle. “C’mon! Finish on three!” Everyone else joined in, while glancing at one another. They could tell that Swift was still learning the nuances of leadership, but he made up for it with his charisma. More so, they got the impression that Swift believed in them more than Rainbow, her battalion, and even themselves. Whether he was being genuine or otherwise delusional, his group chose that they weren’t going to quit just yet, not while their leader had faith in them. “One, two, three—” The group shouted “Finish” before lining up for the restart. However, the second they did, the crows turned back to unleash some insults. That prompted Swift to put his body in between, acting as a shield. The black birds turned their attacks on him. “Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work!” “Silly colt. This track is for big stallions only!” “There’s a stretcher with your name on it!” His reaction was anything but expected. Swift began to laugh, almost in a mocking tone. The gears within his mind had clicked on an idea to draw the crows onto him, one that required acting like his brash friend. If Rainbow was good at something, it was talking smack. Whether he could pull it off was the million-bit question. “Shoot. Is that all you have? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I really do feel sorry for ya.” A well-built crow, the leader, narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?” He kept going in a matter-of-factly way. “It’s all talk and no show. I mean, all of you qualified in the back, you were silly enough to get played by Gecks into this deal that gets you nothing, and so all you have left is running your beaks about things you won’t be able to back up. How about you all pull off to the sidelines, before you get eggs on your faces?” “Oh, you’re gonna get it, pony!” The other four crows yelled similar words, but Swift shrugged them off. “I’d like to see you try,” he replied with a sly smile. Thunderlane had watched the exchange unfold, which made him jittery. As Swift passed on by, he blurted out, “You sure got their attention! Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” “Not exactly,” Swift replied, adding a gulp. “But I’ll be good. Just get everyone through once you see an opening, all right?” With a salute, Thunderlane focused on the approaching flag stand, as did everyone else, now lined up double-file. Like before, the entire complex trembled with the combined force of restrained wing power and crowd noise. As for the flag pony, she had one hoof on the railing as a precaution, so she wouldn’t be spun around a second time. Once the field whizzed on by, she ended up facing the sky, the scant few clouds swirling around. The moment the crowd gasped, however, she pulled herself back up, expecting to see something that needed another yellow flag. Instead, it was the duo of Rainbow Dash and Wolfmacher tangling with the trio of Gecks, Gilda, and Goossens for the lead. Then, the other geese aimed their sights at the duo, and barreled through them, sending the pegasus and wolf into a sideways spiral. With some evasive moves, they avoided the walls and rejoined the action, only ten spots worse, but surrounded by allies. Rainbow saluted them with a snort. “Lionheart, McPecks!” she shouted over the wind noise. “You two were supposed to hold up those geese on the restart!” The male griffon pointed at their adversaries, now ahead by two cloud loops. “They went too early, but the officials did not flag them!” “Irrelevant!” snarled the wolf. “You should’ve expected that from those cheating geese!” “Never mind the reason why,” interrupted the pelican. “We can’t let them get away!” With a nod, Rainbow’s squadron powered toward the front, while in the rear, another group was ready for a charge of their own. They just needed a distraction, and the group’s leader was ready to give them one. Swiping his forehead, Swift placed himself in the empty space between his group and the waiting assailants, all keeping one eye on his position. In his head, he told himself “What in Equestria am I doing?” although he kept a lid on his nervousness. Through the backstretch tunnel he went, trailing the crows before he went full throttle, making a kamikaze run at the leader bird. “You’re mine, shrimp!” the crow cawed at the incoming missile. He swiped his claws, except he shredded a transparent blue streak, which soon vanished. His eyes darted around for the stallion, but there was no need. Swift, just above him, swung his hoof over his eyes. “Yo, over here!” The bird swung at his position, finding nothing but air. “Oh, too slow!” Swift teased, now parked a few inches below the bulky crow. He went after another crow, with the leader chasing his tail. A third bird decided to make a go for it as well. “I got him, boss!” A moment later, feathers scattered all over, all black, with the owners of the plumage tangled in their own wings. Meanwhile, Swift was ahead of them, giving them a friendly wave. “You crows should really watch where you’re going. Someone could get hurt.” With his trembling claw, the strong crow pointed at the responsible pony. “Get… him… nowwwww!” With a rallying cry, the murder of crows dove at the grey pony, confident that all five could take Swift down. Instead, what the spectators witnessed was a display of what they could interpret in two ways. The crows had no idea how to fly, as they crashed into each other, missed cloud hoops, and attacked harmless air. The alternative was that the birds were no match for a pony that could turn on a dime, accelerate with a burst, and had reaction times that a stopwatch would have trouble measuring. Either way, the aerial display proved distracting enough, that Thunderlane led the group past the action while going through the tunnel, hoping the shade would give them cover. As Derpy, the last in line, made it past the crows, one of them wised up to their presence, only to find a juicy fruit too hard to pass up. Above him, Swift was hiding under the leader crow, seemingly distracted by Thunderlane and company’s progress. Curling his beak, he dove at the stallion, striking not fleshly grey, but a brick wall. “What are you doing, featherbrain?” yelled the leader crow, shoving his underling out of the way. Once the stars disappeared around his field of vision, his minion thought it was a good idea to point out the obvious, literally. Everyone that had been behind were now ahead by five cloud rings, while their ringleader waved goodbye, before speeding away. “I think he tricked us,” said the subordinate. “That… that… pony!” Flames sprouted within his crimson eyes. “All units! After them!” All the other crows lined up in a row, and then chugged ahead like a train pulling out of a station. As Swift reached his group at the second turn, a head turn sent a shiver through his body. The crows might’ve been slow on their own, but together, they began nibbling away at the gap, four cloud hoops, then three and a half, and finally down to three. “They’re not happy with you, are they?” said Echo, who was ahead of Derpy in the formation. Swift gave his lip a hearty bite. He had fooled the black birds once, but his tactics wouldn’t work again a second time. Worse, the plan, while effective, proved costly in terms of track position. The next closest competitors, the gargoyles, were just entering turn one, as they went past start-finish. As for where the leaders were, he refused to look at the timing board put up on the platform. He didn’t want to know how bad it was just yet. He went through his group to find his second in command. “Thunderlane, hate to break it to you, but we’re gonna have to go faster!” “You’re kidding me! Are you sure?” Once he looked back, the stallion understood Swift’s urgency. “Okay, but we need to change the plan! I think we need the best up front, dontcha think?” Swift got the message. The original idea involved rotating the lead position with everyone for maximum energy conservation. After all, the overarching goal was finishing the race, and these fliers, including him, would need every drop of stamina to pull it off. It would be all for naught, however, if the crows caught up to them. Now they needed maximum space, which meant the fastest would have to slice the air, so everyone behind would benefit. With a nod, Swift got ahead of his fellow stallion. “Thunderlane, you hang right behind me! You keep the line together! If I swing my hoof, that means we should switch for a while!” “Ten-four!” Thunderlane yelled instructions to everyone else on staying in proper formation. Meanwhile, Swift nudged his speed higher, knowing that increasing it too much would split his group apart. In two laps, Swift got his group to fly just enough to maintain the gap at three cloud hoops. However, the speed he carried was surprising, about three quarters of his limit. Already, he could see some distressed faces, all who drifted to the rear where the air resistance was the least. Swift didn’t have that luxury, although his textbook form made cutting through the air easier, more so for the stallion on his contrails. “I could follow you all day!” Thunderlane chirped with a smile. “Don’t get used to it!” Swift replied. “I can’t keep this up for…” He looked up at the narrow, tall scoreboard, which had the number of laps on the top. It read fifteen laps. “…one… eighty five more! We’re going to need a yellow at some point, so we can all catch our breath!” “Why? Those crows will tire out before we do! Besides, we’re only…” Thunderlane’s eyes focused on the open platform. On another scoreboard, the track workers put up split times for those that had lost the leader’s draft. When their number came up, the pony’s jaw dropped. “Uhhhhh, twenty seconds behind?” No wonder Swift couldn’t see the leaders. The race may have just started, but his group was already half a lap down. The crows no longer were their major threat; the lead pack was. Whatever was going on up front, Rainbow and her group were not controlling the pace, which meant it would only be a matter of time before Swift would see Gilda, Gecks, and the geese bearing down on them from behind at speeds even he couldn’t pull off. His only friend would be a yellow flag, and that would only bring the crows right up to their rears. There was no telling what they would do to him, or his group. Worst of all, unlike Rainbow Dash, the only time he swung hooves at something is clearing clouds. A fighter he was not. “Oh, shoot.”