Chapter 4: Aces High
After the classroom work that accompanied the day’s flying exercises, the campers were free for the day just as dinner was being served in the mess hall. There was a lot of clamor amongst the campers about the next day’s activities. Two campers in particular were excited about the next day.
“So, you excited for tomorrow?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking a bite of her fruit.
Gilda was sitting across from her, slightly annoyed with the salad and fruit on her tray, “Other than that I’m looking forward to breakfast in the morning, yeah, I am.”
“Individual time trials, this is what I’ve been waiting for! A chance to prove I am the fast pegasus around!” Rainbow’s excitement and energy caused her to bounce slightly in her seat.
“Heh,” the griffin chuckled softly.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow, “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing, nothing….just what you said is all,” Gilda took a bite of her salad.
“What about it? I am going to be the fastest!” Dash proudly claimed.
“Fastest pegasus, sure. By a long shot you will be,” Gilda spoke with her mouth full, “but fastest over all? That honor will be going to me and me alone, pintsize.”
“Hey, you’re only a little bigger than me! And what makes you say that?” the pegasus was trying to figure out what her friend was hinting at.
“Come on, you know that we totally beat everyone else today, but going one on one, it’s a different game. It’s only yourself against all the other racers,” Gilda stated.
Dash wouldn’t back down, “That doesn’t mean you are going to win!”
Gilda got up from her seat, placed her talons on the table and leaned forward, “Is that a bet I smell?”
“Totally! I’ll take you on!” Dash did the same, getting up from her seat and leaning forward towards Gilda with her hooves on the table.
“Winner gets eternal bragging rights?” Gilda set the wager.
“You’re on!” Rainbow put her hoof forward to meet with Gilda’s talon and the two shook on it, “Just don’t cry when you lose.”
“Pfftt….as if.”
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The next day came quicker than either of them expected. The two roommates had spent the night arguing who would be faster and other sorts of bickering topics. Among the other campers, Gilda and Dash waited for the camp counselor to announce the day’s event.
“Okay, good morning, campers. Today, we will do the ever-popular individual speed test. Now, I know most of you think this is all that matters. Well, it’s not. In fact, don’t stress about it. The important thing to do is get through this test. At the end of the week, we will have another individual test to see how much you have improved,” the counselor explained, looking down at his clipboard, “The track is pretty straightforward. The starting stretch is from the line to the end of the runway, then a sharp lefthoof turn along the camp border, then through the group of buildings along the far side of the camp, then over to the mess hall and then zig-zaging through the dorm fields as the cones indicate and straight back to the starting point. There will be plenty of markers along the way. And remember, while it is about speed, it is not about first place.”
“Hmph, well, see about that!” Gilda was itching to start flying.
“All campers to the starting line and wait for the signal!” the counselor announced as he directed the mass to the beginning of the track.
Along the starting line, the campers were all ready to start their flying through the course. Some were very relaxed about the time trial while others were nervous that they might not do well at all. At the front of the mass of campers, Gilda and Rainbow Dash were at the starting line, crouched down and ready to take off.
“Go easy on your little wings, Rainbow Dash. They might not be able to keep up with your mouth!” Gilda mocked with a laugh.
“Let’s see if you really are as good as you think you are, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash gave a determined smile as she stared down the runway.
“Ready?” the counselor’s word caused all of the flyers to ready their wings, “Go!”
At his word, the entire crowd of flyers left the starting line. Some were going at an easy and nonchalant pace. Dash and Gilda, however, were not one of those. The two were already far from the rest of the group.
The two barreled down the runway at a fast speed. The two were trading off first and second place frequently as they started coming up to the first turn at the end of the runway. Dash eased up on her speed to make the turn a simple glide and then gain more speed. Gilda, on the other hoof, kept her speed high and recklessly turned left at the corner. Her speed gave her the lead, but it almost caused her to crash into the fence that surrounded the camp. The griffin used her front talons and her back paws to run along the fence to allow her to not lose momentum and to keep her rank.
Rainbow Dash saw the maneuver that her roommate did. She was really shocked with how careless she was with her speed. ‘She’s crazy with her speed….’ she thought.
Not to be outdone by speed alone, Dash quickly caught up with Gilda and even past her along the border of the camp. The pegasus smiled happily as she gained the lead. “Hey, Gilda,” she yelled out behind her, “how does my dust taste?”
The two kept their pace as they reached the next marker where they turned sharply into a building courtyard. The two followed the marker toward the mess hall and dorms. Dash and Gilda were comfortably ahead the pegasus who was in third place. But to the two friends, this race included the both of them and no pony else.
Rainbow’s lead was still the same amount as it was before, however, as she reached the dorm field, she saw the cones and markers laid out in an odd formation. Undaunted, she sped up and began her sharp turning amongst the cones. These turns, however, caused Dash to lose a lot of speed. With each turn, she could feel Gilda right behind her.
The griffin was not far behind. In fact, she was not losing as much speed as Rainbow was with each turn. Her wild flying style was helping her catch up with the blue pegasus.
The two finished the maze of cones and markers as close as they were at the start of the race. Again, they were trading off the lead by the tip of Dash’s nose and Gilda’s beak with every millisecond. The finish line was only a little further ahead.
Dash’s body was beginning to hurt. She had pushed herself before, but for some reason she did not know, her wings were reaching its limit and fast. Letting out a squeal in pain, she pushed herself more in an attempt to gain the lead.
It was in vain. Gilda won by a few milliseconds.