In the Victory's hangar, Joe climbed aboard an F/A–18E Super Hornet that was intended for the war reenactment on Mars. The aircraft was painted the historic blue and gold of the famous 21st century stunt fliers. Tomorrow was the day of the airshow, everything was set to go off without a hitch. The last time Joe had entered a Hornet was during the Martian Insurrection. During the insurrection, the orbiting fleet was wiped out, and Joe had to use aircraft and tanks from a nearby private collection. There were F-18s, F-51s, P-47s, SR-71s, A-12s, A-10s, D/M-21s, X-43Bs, F-35s, F-22s, and Spitfire XXXs in the aircraft section, and Sheridans, Abrams, Shermans, Tigers, Panzers, and T-34s in the tank section. Somehow Joe and his company managed to hold Olympus Mons until the Infinity arrived three weeks later. The insurrectionists were shocked at how much firepower the 21st century had at its disposal. By the time the Infinity had arrived, the insurrection was suppressed. The private collector kept his collection in remarkable condition, and with enough munitions nearby for full war-time loads on the aircraft. After Joe was shot down over Mons, he parachuted back to the hangar, and grabbed a P-47 equipped with: 2x 1000 lbs bombs, 8x .50 caliber Brownings, 10x 5 in. rockets, and one center-line external fuel tank. That Thunderbolt had lost two cylinders and half a wing, yet it still returned him home, despite being on fire. The Thunderbolt, however, was too slow for the enemy radar to track and lock him. Joe targeted the enemy radar stations to clear a path for the MOAB-equipped C-130 they found. The C-130 cleared the enemy stronghold, and later started dropping Sheridans at the enemy's doorstep to back up the Abrams and T-34s. The insurrectionists were overpowered very quickly, and the war was won by the end of the month. Joe and the Victory were on their way to participate in the reenactment, honoring the one-year anniversary of that fateful battle.
Joe came back to his senses, and throttled to max. Once out of the Victory's hangar, Joe started to dive to a height where the engines could breathe a little easier. After Joe pulled out of the dive, he was at 20,000 ft, and Rainbow Dash appeared on his wing. Joe signaled for Rainbow Dash to turn on the radio he gave her, and then to switch to channel 4. “Dash, do you read?” Joe inquired.
“Loud and clear!” the pegasus replied.
“Are you sure you're up to the race? I had to talk to the Rookie to make sure he would give you a chance.” Joe asked.
“I could beat him any day!” RD replied. The Rookie appeared on Joe's 4 o'clock. The Rookie was flying a heavily upgraded F-51 Mustang (the “F” replaced the “P” for the Korean war of 1950-3, they were the same aircraft though). “I think this will be a fair competition. Joe's Hornet can easily break the speed of sound, while you struggle to do so. As a result, I will fly a prop-driven aircraft that has never before broke the sound barrier,” the Rookie told Rainbow Dash.
“Hey, I can easily do a sonic rainboom!” RD responded.
“The rainbow coloration is merely a coincidence caused by you mane and tail color. Breaking the sound barrier and doing a sonic rainboom are one in the same to you, but either way, this will be a challenge,” Joe interjected.
“And what makes you say that?” asked RD.
“I've modified the Rookie's aircraft to match your speed, so it should be equally difficult for either of you to break the speed of sound. The Gs, however, will be a major factor here,” Joe remarked.
“I still can't recall ever having a Mustang break the sound barrier, not even the twin Mustang,” the Rookie informed.
“Then let's make this one for the record books!” Joe said, “Meet up at the rendezvous in 2 min, I'll call out the starting countdown.” The aviators departed for Cloudsdale.
“Alright, you know the rules. First one to cross the finish line wins. Penalties for hindering an opponent’s performance, and for unsatisfactory flying. Impress the audience; this is a people's champion showdown,” the announcer said.
“Rookie, the Wonderbolts are currently warming up near the finish line. You'll need to use the retro rockets I mounted on the Mustang to perform a STOVL (Shortened TakeOff and Vertical Landing) takeoff. Jettison them as soon as they're depleted. You have about four hours of fuel due to the doubled intake I placed in the engine. The WEP (Wartime Emergency Power) has also been doubled. Pop the WEP towards the end, and remember Candelaria's Reversal!” Joe informed the Rookie.
“Got it! STOVL ready.”
The announcer cut in, “We're waiting for your countdown, Joe.”
“Racers ready! Three... Two... One... GO!!!” Joe yelled.
Rainbow Dash quickly took the lead, but the Mustang's rockets were closing the gap. Ten seconds in, it was neck and neck (or fuselage). Dash was ahead by a nose, then the F-51, then Dash again. RD didn't seem to be breaking a sweet so far. The Mustang hit 530 mph, well above its, otherwise, limit. The rockets ran dry, the Rookie pulled the release lever, and everything seemed to be fine. The Mustang's engine sounded like it was on the verge of exploding, as though it was being pushed beyond any foreseeable limits. Dash was starting to strain to keep up, fatigue evident in her eyes. The Mustang was now at over 680 mph, the atmospheric density preventing the once-thought limit of all, from being shattered. Dash was barely keeping pace. The Rookie was straining under such acceleration Gs. The Wonderbolts in sight, the Rookie hit the methanol injection known as WEP. The engine roared like a banshee, and the mustang jumped forward. The Rookie's G-suit was over-pressured. It looked like the Mustang crashed through a cloud. The speed of sound was broken. Shortly thereafter, a similar rainbow-colored detonation followed. Dash wasn't going to let some FNG beat her that easily. Dash took the lead, the Mustang close behind. The Rookie fire-walled the throttled, the G‑suit practically suffocating him. His muscles strained for oxygen. The Mustang held. In a flash of silver and rainbows, the verdict of the race was... a tie.
With her wings sore, Rainbow Dash flew up next to the Rookie. “Looks like we both won!” she said. The Rookie seemed to have blacked out, as no response came. The auto-injectors in the Rookie's hardsuit pumped him full of morphine and adrenaline, but to no avail. A black creature rushed past the Mustang in a power dive, a green hue surrounding it. The Rookie recovered from his temporary nap just in time to witness the bogey. He watched it descend until it impacted the ground, then he looked up. He saw what it was: an armada of Changelings. “Rainbow Dash, we have hostile Changelings in the airspace! Joe, I'm all bark and so are you. Rendezvous with the Victory and rearm a Broadsword for heavy combat!” The Rookie ordered.
Joe responded, “Already en route. Use your reserve rockets to reach the Victory in low orbit.”
To Dash and the others, it looked like our heroes were abandoning them.