Chapter 7- The Big Race
Slowly, I follow the four Wonderbolts who I will be racing against. I block out all sounds around me in attempt to get myself pumped up, ready for the race ahead. Never before have the stakes been so high. If I lose this race then my whole dream of being a Wonderbolt will be made even more difficult to achieve. However, if I win, then I can show them what I’m made of and perform in a show with them. I can become a Wonderbolt faster than I ever anticipated.
Around us, crowds of ponies have gathered to watch the big race between boring old weather pony Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts. The air is thick and silent. I feel all eyes on me. Surely enough, there are ponies behind the scenes making bets on who they think will win this race and I know that I’m the least likely to win, even if I have performed many Sonic Rainbooms before. I’m racing against Fleetfoot, she’s the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria.
Beside me, Soarin’ puts a soft wing around me and pulls me close to him. “It’s going to be okay, Dashie.”
I nod slightly, not really listening to his words. I watch as spitfire turns around and glances at Soarin’ then at me. “Okay, so we’re going to race to the mountain at the far end of Sweet Apple Acres then back to here. There will be no cheating.”
Fleetfoot, Wave Chill and Rapidfire all get into their starting positions as they pull their goggles over their eyes. Soarin’ passes me the goggles which Rarity made for me and I place them over my head too, smiling at him in thanks. My heart pounds in my chest and adrenaline begins to pump through my veins as I listen out for the three words which tell me to fly as fast as I can.
Spitfire takes her place beside me, and very quietly whispers, “Good luck, Rookie, I really do hope you win this.”
I look over at her in shock. “You want me on the team that bad?” I whisper back, surprise evident in my voice.
“Of course I do, we’ve all wanted to accept you since the Best Young Fliers competition, but we have to go through general procedure, meaning going through your application thoroughly, putting you through the academy then making you do the final test,” she sighs sadly, “hopefully we won’t have to worry about waiting another year to have you on the team.”
“But that means you have to have completely different judges on the panel, since you’d all be biased towards me.” I frown slightly, forgetting about the race.
Spitfire laughs slightly. “I know, we’ll have to get a couple of Ex-Wonderbolts to be the judges.”
I’m not sure if that makes the whole thing more or less scary, but the more I think about it, the more frightening it seems. Ex-Wonderbolts who are far more experience and know a lot more about flying than any pony of my generation will be judging me. Still, I need to stop thinking about that; I need to focus on this race first.
Soarin’ steps out in front of us, and looks at me, his emerald eyes full of sadness. “Okay guys, we know the rules, no cheating. Are you all ready?”
The five of us nod; I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment in attempt to calm myself down. Come on Rainbow Dash, they call you Dash for a reason. You’re going to win this. A voice in my head tells me as I open my eyes and prepare myself for flight.
“On your marks...” I glance over at Fleetfoot who is standing beside me with a determined look on her face. “Get set...” I look straight ahead again, past Soarin’ as I analyse the path ahead of me. “GO!”
Then we’re off. I give my wings a powerful flap as I shoot up into the sky. The crowds cheer below me, causing my wings to waver in fear. Still, I quickly gain control over them as I attempt to push the flashbacks out of my head.
Fleetfoot has shot ahead of me, but she is not too far away to make it impossible to catch up. Spitfire is gaining speed as
she closes in on my right side, I quickly flap my wings harder than I have ever before as I push myself forward, towards Fleetfoot. My heart is pounding as I close in on her; I’m only a nose behind her now. I can actually do this; I can actually win the race.
No. I push that thought out of my mind instantly. It is too soon to be thinking that, I don’t want to jinx myself. I can’t afford to get too cocky with the stakes this high.
A cone begins to form around my body and Fleetfoot actually stops in shock as she realises that I am about to break through the sound barrier. I don’t allow it to happen though, we aren’t even a quarter of the way through this race and if I do a Rainboom I will tire myself out, especially when I’ve already done a Rainboom this morning. I continue to push my body as we begin to fly over Sweet Apple Acres. Fleetfoot has begun to catch up with me again and Spitfire is closing in on me too. Wave Chill and Rapidfire aren’t the fastest of the ‘Bolts so they are slightly behind us, but I know they are saving their full speed until the last leg of the race.
Behind me, Spitfire yells over the wind which is rushing through my ears. “Do a Sonic Rainboom, Dash, you need to win this!”
I shake my head. “I can’t, I’ll lose if I do one this early on because I’ll be too tired to carry on. Plus, I’ve done one today already, I’m still too weak from the accident. I know my boundaries.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Spitfire and Fleetfoot share a glance before nodding. “Okay, fine. But please, at least keep it up your sleeve as a last minute thing.”
I nod before turning my attention back to the path ahead of me as I continue to push my wings as hard as they can go. The mountain at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres is still far away, probably another ten minute flight if we continue at this speed, so I need to be careful and not waste my energy too soon.
Still, if I slow myself down too much I will not be able to catch up with the others once it gets near to the end. We will all be tired after this race, but the Wonderbolts must go through hours of endurance exercises in their training, they’re well prepared for something like this.
Continuing to push myself, I go slightly further ahead of Spitfire and Fleetfoot, trying to gain as much distance as possible. I can tell that they’re not going as fast as they can go either, we’re all saving it. My plan is once we get around the mountain, I will push myself as hard as I can, to a speed just under the speed needed to perform a Sonic Rainboom. I know that every pony is going to push themselves after we reach the mountain, so I need to prepare myself for the intensity ahead of me.
Gradually, the mountain grows bigger as we get closer to the halfway point of the race. A bead of sweat rolls down the back of my neck as I glance back quickly to find Spitfire has now been over taken by Rapidfire. My heart skips a beat as I realise that he is now deciding to make his move, which means I am in a lot of trouble.
Before I know it, the mountain is right beside me as I curve around it. This is it, the halfway point. It’s time to push it more than I ever have before. I straighten my legs out and push myself as hard as I can, my wings burn and my head begins to pound as I slice through the wind which is attempting to push me back.
Fleetfoot has begun to use her full speed, and she starts to catch up with me, fast. My eyes widen in shock as I begin to focus back ahead of me, trying to forget that I have 4 Pegasi closing in on me fast. I just need to get to the end of this race, and then it’ll all be over.
A warm liquid begins to trickle out of my nose and onto my lips. I frown in confusion as I cautiously lick my lips to find that my nose is now bleeding. I’ve never pushed myself this hard before, especially after an accident. Nonetheless, I continue to fly forward, I can do this. I cannot afford to lose.
Behind me I can hear Rapidfire curse as Wave Chill and Spitfire overtake him, all of us are pushing ourselves now. Even the ones who don’t want to win the race are pushing themselves.
My wings feel as if they’re on fire as the cheers of the crowd begin to fill the air around us. I attempt to block out the sounds of their cheers as I fly over the far field of Sweet Apple Acres. We still have a long way to go yet, I can’t give in, not yet.
Fleetfoot begins to draw up beside me, and she sends me an apologetic look followed by a look of horror. “Dash, your nose!” she gasps in shock.
“It doesn’t matter, I need to win this! I can’t risk my dream being crushed like this,” I say proudly, making it evident that I’m not going to back out. “Now, give me a good race.”
Fleetfoot hesitates for only a second before flying ahead of me. I flap my wings painfully as I follow close behind her. The cone of the sound barrier has begun to wrap around me, and I know that I will most likely need to use it to win this race. Still, I need to hold back a little bit longer, just a little bit.
“Are you serious, she’s gonna do a Rainboom?” Rapidfire asks in shock, he knows that if I use perform a Rainboom I have the race in the bag.
We are now leaving Sweet Apple Acres and entering the main part of the town, I know that this is the right time. I give myself one last, shaky push as I break through the sound barrier and begin to speed ahead of Fleetfoot. Fleetfoot grins and salutes me as I fly past her. Almost there, I’ve almost done it.
Screams of the crowd begin to fill my ears and I am unable to push them out anymore. My head is now pounding as the screams ring through my ears. I freeze dead in my tracks, suddenly unable to move. Boulders are suddenly falling around me, stopping me from going in any direction.
Fleetfoot zooms past me, going too fast to actually realise that I’m there; she probably thinks that I’ve already reached the finish line. Spitfire, Rapidfire and Wave Chill follow close behind as they drag my dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt along with them.
The screams echo in my brain, constantly, never stopping. I try and fly forward but I am stuck, the screams are holding me down. Behind me, the remainder of my Sonic Rainboom slowly and sadly fades away, leaving an empty space in its place.
Tears begin to fall but are caught by my goggles. That’s it, I’ve blown it. I have to wait another year. I can’t believe I let my fears get the better of me.
Suddenly, the screams begin to subside and are replaced by the calling of my name. I try and fly forward again, but I’m still being held back. More tears begin to fall as I wonder how long that single night is going to haunt me. Will it haunt me for the rest of my life? Will it stop me from ever being in the Wonderbolts? I hope not.
A light blue Pegasus is coming towards me along with an orange mare. I blink back the tears in attempt to hide the fact that I’ve taken this fail really badly.
“Hey, Rookie, are you okay?” Spitfire asks once she gets close enough.
I nod, and swallow back more sobs threatening to escape my lips. “Sure am, Ma’am. Just a race, right?”
Spitfire smiles sadly, “C’mon, let’s get you back to the ground.”
“I can’t, my wings aren’t working,” I whisper and look away, embarrassed.
Soarin’ is now by my side and he very gently takes off my goggles before placing them around his neck to keep them safe. He uses a single feather on his soft blue wing to carefully brush away any tears which unwillingly escaped my eyes.
“I’m sorry, the screams, they were too much,” I collapse onto his chest and throw my hooves around his neck.
He gently strokes my mane as I sob into him, letting all of my pain out. “I’ve blown it, Soar. I’ve lost the chance.”
Soarin’ turns to Spitfire and whispers, “Get rid of the crowds, will you?” Then he returns to comforting me.
He takes me over to a stray cloud and holds me as I continue to cry. My eyes burn as the tears fall down my face, onto his warm chest causing his light blue fur to turn dark. Soarin’ gently takes my face in his hooves and he tilts my head up.
“You really pushed yourself, Dashie. You made your nose bleed pretty badly,” Soarin’ gingerly begins to brush away any more tears. “Let’s get you back down and cleaned up, okay?” He says, just as Spitfire returns and gives the sign that all the crowds have left.
Soarin’ scoops me up in his forearms and flies us back towards the library. Fleetfoot is the first pony to run over to me.
“I’m so sorry, Dash! I didn’t know you had stopped, I’m so sorry. You should have won,” she suddenly throws her arms around me in an embrace.
The other Wonderbolts all seem to be fairly upset; I frown as I wonder why they seem like this. It’s not like they needed me, they have an amazing team already.
Twilight Sparkle walks over to me with a clothe floating beside her, surrounded in her purple aura. “Come on, Dash. Let’s clean up this blood.” She begins to dab away at the blood around my nose.
I sigh sadly as I allow Twilight to nurse me. Wave Chill walks over to me and sits beside me.
“Hey, Dash, are you alright?” He asks in concern.
Smiling, I turn my head slightly to look at Soarin’s brother. “Course I am, it was only a silly race, after all.”
Wave Chill shakes his head. “We all know it wasn’t, Dash. Don’t worry, there’ll still be a place for you on the team next year, I can promise you that.”
I roll my eyes. “Thanks, I’ll just have to work harder, anyway, it’s not like I’ll never see you guys around. I can catch you in between tours I suppose.”
Unfortunately, that’s the thing that hurts the most. I now have to wait a whole year before I get another chance of getting in the team, which means a whole year until I get to be with Soarin’ permanently. I’ll only see him between tours which are probably only a couple of weeks at a time.
“Listen, I know you’re upset about this. At least talk to Soar about it,” Wave Chill smiles and walks away.
Twilight finishes cleaning my nose up, “All done, try and rest, Dash. I know you don’t want to end up in the hospital again.” She walks away, leaving me alone with Soarin’.
I glance up at the Pegasus beside me. “I’m sorry, Soar. I really blew it this time, didn’t I?”
Soarin’ smiles and shakes his head. “No, it wasn’t fair, Dashie. It wasn’t your fault.”
“But, it’s going to be another year before we get to be together properly,” I say sadly as I rest my head on his chest.
“Hey, we can handle that. I’ll see you as much as I possibly can, and maybe I can convince Spitfire to let you travel with us
occasionally, just so we can spend some time together. Anyway, it’s only a year; we don’t have to wait long. Okay?” He wraps his forelegs around me and holds me close to him.
Sighing in defeat I move so I can look up at him. “Okay, we’ll be fine. Let’s make the most of the three weeks you have left here.”
Soarin’ smiles and kisses me gently as he wraps his soft wings around me.
Although I’ve pretty much pushed the race to the back of my mind, it is still there. Constantly reminding me of what I’ve lost, what I could’ve had. The only thing keeping me sane is the Pegasus holding me in his arms. All I can hope is that he’s right when he says that we’ll only have to wait a year.
I’ll be back, and I’ll be better than ever. Just wait and see.