Authors Notes: Sorry for the incredibly long delay for this chapter. I recently had a family member pass away so... I've been very depressed. But these things happen so, no point in sulking forever. Anyway, here's the longest chapter to date. Enjoy!
Chapter 8
The Cloudsdale 500 Part 2
Forge snored loudly as he slept in the barn. After yesterday's dramatics, he was glad to be able to just sleep the day away. However, something was still bothering him. He didn't know what it was, but he had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen. "I'm probably just a little on edge because of that stupid griffon." he thought to himself. "No point in worrying about it." He pushed the thought aside and continued to sleep.
He suddenly felt something warm and wet brush across his face. He cleared his face of the excess slobber and sat up. As he sat up he was greeted by a small fury creature staring right at him, panting dog breath in his face. Forge gave his head a shake and looked back at the creature. He eventually recognized it as Applejack's dog; Winona.
"Sup' dog." he said sleepily. "What are you doing here at... 5 AM?" Winona began to bark. Forge groaned and buried his face back in his pillow. "Come on Winona, it's to early for that crap. Come back in like an hour or two." Forge yawned and reached for the covers. As he began to pull them back over his body, he felt something tugging against him. He sat back up and saw that Winona had one end of the sheets in her mouth and was attempting to pull them off of him. Forge sighed and looked down at the dog. "Your not going to let me go back to sleep are you?" Winona released the covers and sat down across from Forge. She stared at him with pleading eyes, until Forge groaned and began to climb out of bed.
Forge sat on the edge of his bed and wiped the crust from his eyes. He got up and stretched, arching his back and flexing his wings until a satisfactory snap was heard. "You know you better have a good reason for waking me up this early in the morning." Winona barked and began running in circles. Then she ran towards the entrance to the barn and barked at Forge as if she wanted him to follow her. Forge grudgingly followed after Winona and the two began to walk out towards a nearby pasture.
"5 AM, this is ridiculous! The sun's not even out yet!" Forge grumbled as he walked. He then turned to Winona who was casualy strolling beside him. "This is all your fault. Crazy dog. What compells you to wake me up this early?" Winona looked at Forge and tilted her head a little. "You don't understand a word I'm saying do you? I could say anything right now and you wouldn't even care." Winona continued to stare at him with that confused puppy dog look. "I'm talking to a dog. I'm so tired, I'm having a conversation... with a dog." He sighed and continued to follow Winona farther out into the pasture.
"You know in some places they eat dogs." Forge snapped. "I just thought you'd like to know that."
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Winona led Forge out into the pasture where Applejack was waiting. Winona rushed to meet her master, while Forge followed slowly behind. He was still half asleep so he had no energy to run. He was just tired and cranky. Applejack gave Winona a pat on the head before looking up at the exhausted pegasus. "Good mornin' Forge! Did ya' get a good sleep?"
"Yes... until Winona woke me up." He glared at Winona who was now sitting down beside Applejack wagging her tail.
Applejack giggled at little at Forge's frustration. "So ahm' guessin' yer' not a mornin' pony are ya'?"
"No AJ, I love getting up at 5 in the morning." Forge said sarcastically. "Why'd you get me up this early anyway?"
"Fer' trainin' a' course! You gotta' be in perfect condition fer' the race if ya' wanna' win!"
"And you couldn't have waited until the sun was up at least?"
Applejack thought about this for a moment. "No." she said giving Forge an evil smirk.
"Oh, you're just a cruel mare you know that."
"Yeah, yeah. Come on now. We're headin' ta' Sugarcube Corner first ta' get ya' somin' ta' eat."
"Fine." As they made there way towards Sugarcube Corner, Forge couldn't help notice that Zephyr and Rainbow Dash weren't around. "Hey AJ, where are Zeph and Rainbow? They're training too."
"Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy went ta' get Rainbow, while Twi and Rarity went ta' get Zephyr. Don't worry, they'll feel the joy's of wakin' up early too."
Forge smiled at this. "Good. If I have to suffer, I'm not doing it alone."
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Applejack and Forge arrived at Sugarcube Corner where Twilight, Rarity and an exhausted looking Zephyr were waiting.
"Good morning Forge!" Twilight chirped.
Forge grunted in acknowledgement before taking a seat beside Zephyr and slamming his head on the counter. Zephyr looked at Forge and chuckled. "You look like crap Forge." he said with a smile.
"Says the pony with the bed-mane. You look like you got caught in a wind tunnel." Forge shot back. Zephyr's smile immediately went away and he became fully aware of the look of his mane. His royal blue mane was extremely messy, with strands of hair sticking out in all directions. He licked his hoof and attempted to fix it up, much to Forges entertainment.
"Now what?" Rarity asked.
"Now we just wait fer' Pinkie and Fluttershy to get here with Rainbow Dash and we can begin." Applejack answered.
"Woohoo..." Forge and Zephyr said dryly. Just then, Pinkie burst through the door dragging Rainbow Dash by her tail with Fluttershy close behind. Rainbow Dash was clinging to a cloud as Pinkie dragged her in and sat her down beside Zephyr.
"Ugh..." Rainbow faintly said as she clutched the cloud closer. Forge and Zephyr stared at the cloud. It looked so soft and inviting. Zephyr moved his hoof closer to the cloud in an attempt to take some for himself. As he placed his hoof on the cloud Rainbow's eyes shot open. "Take it off or I break it off." she muttered. Zephyr immediately recoiled his hoof and looked down at the ground.
"Huh. And I thought I wasn't a morning pony." Forge stated.
"Great now that everypony's here... and partially coherent, we can begin!" Twilight said enthusiastically. She turned around and pulled on a string that was hanging from the wall, which brought down what appeared to be a map.
"What's that?" Zephyr asked sleepily.
"This is a map of the race course for the Cloudsdale 500! I wrote to Princess Celestia about you guys and she sent me a copy of the map to help us out a bit!"
"Cool." Rainbow said. "So, what exactly are we gonna be going through with this race?"
"Well, the race starts off here in Cloudsdale." Twilight said, placing her hoof over Cloudsdale to accent the location. "Then you'll enter a free-fall towards the ground where you'll fly through Ghastly Gorge. Avoiding the bramble bushes, and quarray eels along the way. You'll then have to get past the windy cave. The air currents in that cave are unpredictable, so you'll be thrown all over the place if your not careful."
"Gee, is that all?" Forge said sarcastically.
"No."
"Of course."
"The cave has multiple passageways that will lead to the next part of the race. But determining which one is the shortest distance to the next part is impossible. Your just all going to have hope the air currents will push you in the right direction."
The three pegasi looked at each other with concern. The idea of depending on a lucky break to decide if they won or not didn't sit well with them. They wanted their skills to determine who was the winner, not luck.
"Once you get out of the cave, you'll be shot out here: in the glacier-carved alpine valleys between the mountains. Your going to have to rely on your maneuverability here to avoid the glaciers scattered across the valley. The G-forces from the tunnels leading out to the valley will increase your speed drastically."
"So once we're in the tunnels, they will speed us up and shoot us at high speeds towards a bunch of glaciers!" Zephyr exclaimed.
"Yes."
"Sweet." Forge said.
"Once you slow down however, you should have no trouble maneuvering past the glaciers. The only problem afterwards is the cold. The temperature will drop drastically once you enter the valley. If your unable to get past this part of the race in time... you'll freeze. Finally, you'll travel up the valley and over the mountains where it's going to be a mad dash towards the finish line at Canterlot Castle! Any questions?"
They all remained silent as the sudden realization of the severity of this race began to set in. This race would push all of them to their limits and beyond.
"Well guys, It looks like we have our work cut out for us." Forge stated. He then leaped from his chair and began walking towards the door.
"Forge, where do you think your going." Rainbow asked.
"To Sweet Apple Acres! Obviously if I'm going to stand any chance of beating Gilda and winning that race, I'm going to need to start training now! Are you guys coming with me, or are you having second thoughts?"
Rainbow and Zephyr looked at each other and then back to Forge. They got up form their seats and approached the black pegasus.
"I'm in!" Zephyr said.
"Me too! I can't let Gilda win! And I sure as hay can't let one of you two numb-skulls beat me!" Rainbow added.
Forge gave each of them an approving smirk before turning to Applejack. "AJ, get everything ready for us. We have some training to do." Applejack nodded and galloped off towards Sweet Apple Acres. With the qualifying race approaching, Forge, Zephyr and Rainbow Dash would need to be in the best shape of their lives if they were going to compete.
****
Gilda watched as the whole thing unfolded. For the first time in a long time, she was worried. "Hmm. I may have underestimated them. Oh well, all I need to do is 'remove' one of them and their whole plan will come tumbling down around them." Gilda grinned evilly as she took off. All she had to do know, was determine which of the three was the biggest threat to her... and crush them.
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"Alright Applejack, the qualifiers are in two days. What are we gonna do to help us be better fliers?" Forge asked.
"If yer' gonna stand any chance in that race, ya'll need ta' be faster, more agile, and able ta' withstand the strain it's gonna put on yer' wings. Here's how we're gonna do that." She put her hooves in her mouth and whistled. Big Macintosh came out form the barn soon later with three yokes in his mouth. He walked up to the three pegasi and placed one on each of their backs.
"What are these for?" Zephyr asked.
"Well how else are ya' gonna' be able to drag the Crusaders around." Applejack replied.
"Huh?" Forge responded. He suddenly realized the ropes tied to the yoke. He looked down the ropes and noticed that they were tied to what seemed to be a type of wagon. He looked at the other two, who had similar looking wagons attached to their yokes.
Applejack whistled again and suddenly Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were standing right in front of the three with an excited grin on all their faces. "Yer' gonna choose one of these girls and they're gonna' ride in that wagon yer' draggin."
"Why?" Rainbow asked.
"Resistance training." Zephyr said. Rainbow and Forge looked at him quizzically. "The added weight from the Crusaders, will slow us down. But it will make our wings work harder in order to counteract the sudden change in weight."
"Oh, I get it!" Forge announced. "With our wings working harder, they'll become stronger. Then we'll be able to fly faster right?"
"Exactly!" Applejack exclaimed. "Plus it allows the girls here a free joy ride."
They looked down at the three fillies who were still smiling away. "We wanted ta' help you guys." Apple Bloom exclaimed.
"Yeah! And maybe by helping you, we'll finally get our cutie marks!" Scootaloo added.
"Alright then. I guess I'll go with... Scootaloo." Rainbow said.
"Yes!" Scootaloo shouted, pumping her hoof in the air and climbing into the wagon behind Rainbow.
"Alright, my turn." Forge said.
"Oh, pick me Mister Forge!" Apple Bloom shouted, as she jumped up and down in front of Forge.
"No way! I wanna go with Mister Forge!" Sweetie Belle argued.
The two fillies continued to argue over who would go with Forge. Forge rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, while the girls and Zephyr tried to contain their laughter.
"That's enough!" Applejack shouted. "Since ya'll can't decide who's going with Forge, I'm gonna decide for ya'. Apple Bloom, yer' with Zephyr. Sweetie Belle with Forge."
"Ha!" Sweetie Belle shouted in victory.
"Awww." Apple Bloom sighed. She walked over to Zephyr's wagon, climbed in and crossed her forelegs in frustration.
"Now fer' yer' agility trainin', Fluttershy and I have set up this here obstacle course fer' ya'." Applejack said pointing to the obstacle course set up nearby.
Rainbow looked it over for a bit. "That course looks very familiar..." she said.
"It should Rainbow." Fluttershy said. "It's the same course we used during the competition to find you a pet. Only um... we made a few changes so it'll work for you all. I mean... if that's okay with you."
"It's fine Fluttershy, thanks for setting it up." Rainbow said.
"Okay, so that covers speed and agility. What about endurance?" Zephyr asked
"You'll get yer' endurance training from jus' doing the track. By the time yer' done one lap, you'll be wishing you stayed in bed this mornin'. Now are ya'll ready?"
"Yeah!" The three pegasi said in unison.
"Good. Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie Pie will time each one of ya' while you do the track. It'll give ya' ideas of where you can improve. Now get going!" Applejack demanded.
Without another word, Rainbow, Forge and Zephyr took off with the three giggling fillies towards the track. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie started their stop watches and waited for them to come back around.
Forge flew through the first few obstacles with ease. But as he progressed further in the course, he felt himself slowing down form exhaustion and the added weight from pulling Sweetie Belle behind him only made it worse. "Applejack was right..." he huffed. "I haven't even finished the one lap and I'm exhausted." He looked back to see how Rainbow and Zephyr were doing. Zephyr was sweating bullets while Rainbow seemed to be struggling to keep herself in the air. Forge looked back ahead of him and noticed he was nearing the end of the track. He sloppily landed next to Applejack as he crossed the line. Zephyr and Rainbow followed soon after, with Rainbow just face-planting her landing.
"That... *huff* was... *huff* tiring..." Zephyr managed to say. His face was beet red, and his mane was soaked with sweet.
"Oh good... *huff* So it wasn't just me..." Forge said as he tried to catch his breath.
"Ah' told ya'll you'd be exhausted from just one lap." Applejack said. She then looked towards her friends. "What were their times?"
"Four minutes and seventeen seconds for Forge!" Twilight said.
"Four minutes and twenty-three seconds for Zephyr!" Rarity added. Forge and Zephyr bro-hoofed each other as the girls announced their times.
"Six minutes and thirty-four seconds for Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Rainbow lifted her head off the ground and gave her a confused look. "What?! That can't be right!" she argued.
"Yeah. She was right behind me." Zephyr added. "That can't be her time."
Forge thought for moment. "Pinkie, did you remember to stop the watch when Rainbow crossed the finish line?"
"Ooooooh...oopsie." Pinkie said. Rainbow buried her face back into the ground while everypony else facehoofed.
"Let's just say it was four minutes and twenty five seconds for Rainbow." Forge suggested.
"Alright." Applejack said. "Not bad for yer' first go." Forge, Zephyr and Rainbow forced a few smiles due to them being exhausted. "But you'll need ta' do better. Do it again." Their smiles quickly vanished and they groaned as they made their way back to the starting line and began the track again.
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(Two days later.)
Forge stretched out his wings and yawned. The past two days were rough. He, Rainbow, and Zephyr had spent the past two days training. While they were all tired and sore from it all, they all agreed it was worth it. Forge's wings never felt better and he definitely noticed that he was flying faster than he was before. He gave his wings one last look over and smiled. He was ready.
"Forge!" Twilight shouted back at him. "Come on, we're going to be late!"
Forge turned and hopped onto the train where Twilight and the rest of the group were waiting. The qualifiers were today and were being held in Canterlot.
"Sorry guys." Forge said as he took a seat next to Twilight.
"Don't worry about it." Twilight said. "Everypony's here now so were good."
"Great!" Rainbow shouted. "I can't wait to show them my moves! I'm gonna leave everypony there in the dust!"
"Easy Rainbow. Remember, in order to qualify you'll need to beat a Wonderbolt in a one on one race." Twilight reminded her.
"Don't worry about a thing Twilight." Forge said. "The Wonderbolts are nothing more than a bunch of glorified pegasi! We can beat any of them, no problem."
"Hey! Watch what you say Forge!" Rainbow spat.
"Oh right, your a fan... My bad."
"Sounds like somepony doesn't like the Wonderbolts very much." Zephyr said. Rainbow gave Forge a murderous look.
"Not at all Zeph. I personally like the Wonderbolts. In fact, I used to know two ponies in Flight School who ended up in the Wonderbolts."
Rainbow's murderous look was quickly replaced with a massive grin. "Really?! Who are they?! Are they still there?! Can I meet them?!" Rainbow excitedly asked.
"Yes, really." Forge chuckled as he shoved the pegasus away from him. "We were best friends in Flight School. They were some of the very few ponies who knew about my abilities and didn't run and hide in fear." Rainbow listened in awe as Forge continued his story. "We used to get in trouble a lot for skipping classes or messing with the teachers. Despite that we were the best fliers in the school."
"What happened?" Rainbow asked. The rest of the group looked at Forge and awaited his answer.
"Eventually the Wonderbolts began to scout the school for new recruits. Since the three of us were the best fliers in school at the time, we were the top prospects. But they only had room for two new recruits on the team."
"So they didn't pick you and chose your two friends instead." Twilight finished.
"No. I was their first choice."
"What? Then how come you're not a Wonderbolt?" Zephyr asked.
"I didn't want to be a Wonderbolt. I took naps while my friends worked their flanks off trying to impress them. So when they drafted me, I told them I didn't want it and they drafted my other friend instead. They were taken to the Wonderbolts training camp and I haven't seen them since."
"Well that was mighty noble of ya' Forge." Applejack said, tipping her hat.
"Indeed." Rarity added. "And who knows? You may just see them at the qualifiers."
"Yeah. I hope they're there."
"So you can reunite with them after all these years?" Fluttershy said.
"That... And one of them owes me five bits."
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The train pulled into the station with a hiss. One by one the group got off the train and made their way towards race track. They entered a large room overlooking the track which was crowded with multiple pegasus ponies, griffons, and a few young dragons.
"Ugh, what are all these ponies, griffons and dragons doing here?" Rarity huffed.
"I'm guessing these are the contestants for the race." Twilight stated.
"I thought your book said that only fifty racers could participate in the race. There's easily over a hundred here."
"Well we do have to race a Wonderbolt to qualify." Forge said. "Most of these guys probably won't beat them."
"I wonder how many have qualified?" Twilight said quizzically.
"I don't know. But we better find a way to get past this crowd or all the spots will fill up before we can even enter!"
"Let's just push our way through." Zephyr suggested. He began to push his way into the crowd. Soon he disappeared from sight as the crowd seemed to swallow him up.
"He's going to get trampled!" Rainbow said. She started towards the crowd but was stopped by Forge. "What are you doing? Zephyr's going to get-"
"No he won't. Watch. He'll come back outta the crowd in 3... 2... 1."
Zephyr suddenly fell out of the crowd in front of them all. "Ha! It worked! I made it!" He stood up and noticed Forge and the girls staring at him. "Huh? How'd you all get here before me?"
"We didn't move Zeph. You're right back where you started." Forge said, trying to contain his laughter.
Zephyr looked back at the crowd and then began to look at his surroundings. "Wha- But I- How did-" he stammered. He rushed back into the crowd and attempted to push through again.
"3... 2... 1." Forge counted. Zephyr fell out of the crowd once more and quickly stood up. He brushed himself off and looked up. He looked from Forge to the girls with a shocked expression. "Damn it!" he shouted. "How does that even work? I pushed straight through the crowd!"
"I think we're going to need a different plan." Rainbow suggested sarcastically.
Forge began to look around the room. "There has to be something that'll clear this room out." He scanned the ceiling when he noticed multiple familiar silver objects hanging from the room. A smile crept across his face as he realized what they were.
"I've got an idea. I'll set off the sprinklers in the room and they'll all have to leave."
"Are you sure that'll work?" Twilight asked.
"It worked in Flight School." Forge scanned the crowd to make sure their focus was elsewhere. Once he saw that the coast was clear, he shot a fireball past one of the sprinklers and the fire alarms went off. While all the contestants were looking for the fire, Forge and the others had left the room and were now waiting outside the door. "Now we wait. In about five seconds the sprinklers will go off and they'll all come running out the door. After that the sprinklers will turn themselves off, and we can walk to the front of the room without having to push through the crowd. Problem solved."
They waited. Soon the sound of running water and screams of shock and discomfort could be heard in the room. The doors flew open and every single contestant in the room came running out. Once they were all out, the group snuck back into the room. "Works every time." Forge said.
"So it was you who set the sprinklers off."
The group turned around and saw two members of the Wonderbolts approaching them. Forge noticed that Rianbow's eyes had gone wide and she had that same excited grin she had when he told her about his Wonderbolt friends. The yellow pegasus spoke up first. "Well well, if it isn't Rainbow Dash. How've you been kid?"
Rainbow shook her head in attempt to regain her composure. "Oh f-fine. Just... trying to enter the Cloudsdale 500." she said nervously.
"That's great! I was hoping that you'd enter. Your a great flier!"
"Y-you think I'm a... a..." Rainbow began. She suddenly collapsed onto the ground with a big grin on her face. They rushed to her side to check on her.
"Oh my gosh! Is she okay?" the azure pegasus asked.
"She's fine. She just fainted due to an overdose of pure excitement." Fluttershy explained.
"Ooookay." The yellow pegasus said. She turned back around and faced Forge and Zephyr. "Now who might you two be?"
"I'm Zephyr. I've been to a few of your shows."
"Well, nice to finally meet you Zephyr." she said as she shook his hoof. She then walked up to Forge and began to speak to him. "And you a-" she began to say. But once she looked at Forge her mouth dropped open and she backed up towards the other Wonderbolt. The girls and Zephyr looked on in confusion as she whispered something into the other Wonderbolt's ear. He turned to look at Forge and his mouth dropped open as well.
Forge began to nervously look around the room. He occasionally glanced at the two as they continued to whisper back and forth to each other. Something about them seemed... familiar.
The yellow mare walked up to Forge and looked him right in the eyes. She removed her hood, fully revealing her face and Forge's eyes went wide. "Forge. Is it really you?" she asked.
Forge's smile grew as he remembered her. "It's been a while. Hasn't it Spitfire."
Spitfire's eyes went wide and her smile beamed from ear to ear. "It is you!" she beamed. She wrapped her forelegs around Forge in a loving embrace. "I don't believe this! Soarin, come here! It's him!"
The azure pegasus removed his hood and stared at Forge. "Hey buddy! Long time no see!"
Forge smiled as he recognized the pegasus. "Soarin! It's great to see you!" He gave his old friend a bro-hoof while the others looked on.
Spitfire stopped hugging Forge and rejoined Soarin. "It's great to see you again Forge! I can't believe your here!"
"It's nice to see you again to guys! Honestly, I was really hoping you guys were still Wonderbolts."
"Not just Wonderbolts dude! We're the leaders!"
"Seriously! That's fantastic!"
"Ehem." The trio turned their heads and noticed Twilight and the rest of the girls looking on. "So Spitfire and Soarin were the ones you mentioned on the train." Twilight stated.
"Yeah! Spitfire. Soarin. These are my other friends."
"We've met before." Soarin said. "It's nice seeing you all again. Are you all here for the qualifying race?"
"No. Jus' Forge, Zephyr and Rainbow Dash." Applejack said, motioning towards the still fainted blue pegasus being tended to by Fluttershy.
"Well, your lucky Forge pulled that stunt with the sprinklers. Otherwise, you'd all be waiting around for hours." Spitfire said. She then raised an eyebrow at Forge. "You just couldn't help yourself could you."
"Hey, we needed to get through and I saw an opportunity. It was just coincidence that the opportunity was something I used to do a lot back in Flight School."
"Rrrright. Well I'm glad you remembered. Get Rainbow Dash and then follow us. We'll get you set up for the race."
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Forge, Zephyr and the girls made their way to the front of the room. Rainbow had snapped back in to reality after Pinkie blasted an air horn into her ear. Forge was still wondering where in the world she got the air horn from but decided not to question it. It was Pinkie Pie after all. When they arrived, Soarin and Spitfire were waiting by what looked like a slot machine.
"Glad to see your awake Rainbow." Spitfire said.
"Y-yeah thanks." Rainbow said. She looked away blushing from embarrassment.
"So how does this work? Do we get to choose who we race or what?" Zephyr asked.
"No. We place a piece of paper with your name into the machine here." Soarin said, directing his hoof towards the slot machine. "Then we pull this lever and it'll match you up with a Wonderbolt. Whichever one your matched with is the one you have to race. So... who wants to go first?"
"I'll go first." Zephyr offered. He wrote his name on a piece of paper and placed it into the machine. Spitfire pulled the lever and the machine sprung to life. The machine whirred and clanked for a few minutes until it spat out another piece of paper. Spitfire picked it up and inspected it. "Alright Zephyr, It looks like you'll be going up against Rapidfire."
Zephyr nodded and turned around to rejoin his friends. "Me next!" Rainbow shouted. She pushed past Forge and placed her sheet of paper in the machine. The machine spat out Rainbow's opponent moments later. "Rainbow, you'll be facing Fleetfoot."
"Sweet!" she said excitedly. Forge approached the machine last and placed his piece of paper in the machine. He awaited the results for what seemed like hours. The machine eventually spit out his results which Spitfire quickly took. "Forge, your going to be racing against... oh my."
"What?"
"Forge, your racing Soarin."
Forge looked over a Soarin. Their expressions filled with shock. They stared at each other for a while before their expressions changed from shock to determination. "What a way to catch up with an old friend, eh Soarin?"
"I'll say. Don't expect me to go easy on you."
"Good. It'll be just like old times." They nodded each other before turning to Spitfire. "So when do we begin?"
"Well, if you want you three can go right after the next race. They're just finishing up down there."
"Great! I'll go first!" Zephyr said.
"I'll go after him." Forge added. "Which leaves Rainbow and Fleetfoot for last."
"Fine with me! It'll give me time to practice my moves!" Rainbow shouted. "Do you have like a practice track I could use until these two are done."
"Yes. It's out back. Follow me and I'll take you there." Soarin said. He turned to Forge. "As for you. I'll see you later."
"Count on it." Soarin nodded and flew off towards the practice track with Rainbow.
"I better get going. I'm next." Zephyr said.
"Alright. Good luck Zephyr."
"You to." Zephyr then took off towards the track, leaving Forge and the girls in the room.
"We'll be in the stands cheering for you guys." Twilight said
"You'll know it's us when ya' here us. Pinkie brought her megaphone." Applejack added.
"THIS WAY I'LL BE ABLE TO CHEER EXTRA LOUD FOR YOU!" Pinkie shouted into the megaphone. "GO GET EM' FORGE!"
"Thanks Pinkie! Why don't you go down to the track and start cheering extra loud for Zephyr."
"OKIE DOKIE LOKIE!" She grinned at Forge before bouncing off towards the track. The rest of the girls followed soon after.
"I better get going to." Spitfire said. "I've got to prepare Rapidfire and Fleetfoot. It was great seeing you again Forge."
"You too. Before you go I have a question for you."
"What's that?"
"Did you happen to see a griffon by the name of Gilda participate today?"
"Hmm. I do remember a Gilda today. She raced against Lightning Streak."
"Did she win?"
"Yes. Why?"
"No reason..." Forge felt a surge of anger and frustration sweep over him. He had hoped that Gilda would lose her race and be unable to enter the Cloudsdale 500. Now she'd just be an even bigger problem than she was before. But there was something more to it. The way she threatened them... Forge had a feeling that she was planning something. Something that he feared would involve one of them getting hurt.
"Forge. Are you okay?"
"Huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine Spitfire."
"...Okay. Good luck out there." She gave Forge one last hug before flying off to get her Wonderbolts prepared. As she flew she glanced back at her old friend. Something was wrong with him. She could tell by his voice. He had been her closest friend for years... so why did he lie to her?
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Forge stretched his wings. His race with Soarin was about to begin. Zephyr had just barely won his race against Rapidfire and was now off celebrating. The last time Forge saw him, he was surrounded by endless empty beer bottles and was face down in what looked like his own vomit... or maybe it was somepony else's vomit. Either way, he was celebrating in his own 'unique' way.
"Hello one and all! Welcome to the Cloudsdale 500 qualifiers!" boomed the annonucer. The crowd cheered and clopped their hooves in excitement. "We've all seen some pretty exciting races today, and with only two left left in the day you can bet your flanks that they're going to be top-of-the line, grade A awesome! So let's not keep you all waiting! Our next loser... I mean victim... I mean challenger is from Edmaneton. Please welcome, Forge!"
Forge flew out of the gate and zoomed around the track. "Call me a loser will ya! I'll show you!" he spat. He flew around the track a few more times, doing some occasional flips and barrel rolls thrown in before flying up to announcer and flaring his wings right in of his face. The announcer stumbled back startled and fell on his flank. The crowd laughed a little while Forge hovered in midair, giving the announcer a smug look.
"Smart ass." he whispered angrily at Forge. Forge pushed him back on his rump again before flying off to where the girls were sitting.
"Was that really necessary Forge?" Twilight chastised.
"Don't listen ta' her Forge. He had it comin'." Applejack said. Twilight shot her and disapproving glare before turning back to Forge.
"Relax Twi, I didn't hurt him. I just made sure that he knows who he's talking to.
"Well wasn't that exciting! It seems that Forge over there is faster than he looks!" the announcer said. He was clearly struggling to not say anything nasty about Forge at that moment. "However, is he faster than his opponent! Let's find out! Introducing, the second-in command of the Wonderbolts! The one! The only! Soarin!"
The crowd went crazy as Soarin flew in from overhead, leaving the signature Wonderbolt smoke trail behind him. He began flying in a zig-zag pattern in the sky. Once he was done, the smoke trail he had left behind had formed the Wonderbolts symbole and Soarin hovered in the middle of it as he posed. Forge simply shook his head.
"He's kind of a showoff." Rarity said.
"Yeah, he is." Forge added. Suddenly a smile crept across his face. "But so am I!" With that Forge flew towards the giant smoke Wonderbolt symbol. He tore through the smoke, causing it to break apart. Soarin watched as Forge rearranged the smoke to take the shape of his cutie mark. When Forge was done he hovered in the middle of his masterpiece and crowd cheered. He looked down at the girls who were all cheering at the top of their lungs for him. He glanced over at Soarin who just smiled and shook his head.
"Oh, it looks like these two are ready for a race!" the announcer shouted. "Gentlecolts please head to the starting line!"
Forge flew with Soarin towards the starting line. "So, what did you think of my re-design of the Wonderbolts symbol huh?" Forge said, smirking.
"Lame. Mine was much better." Soarin shot back.
"Yeah, yeah. Where's Rainbow?"
"She's still at the practice track. I told her I'd come and get her after I kicked your but."
"Wait, you left her alone!" Forge panicked. He knew Gilda was still around and he didn't want her getting anywhere near Rainbow or Zephyr. If Rainbow was alone, it was the perfect opportunity for her to do something.
"Yeah, what's the big deal? She's a tough mare. She can take care of herself."
"Yeah. I guess your right." Forge knew he was right. Still, was she tough enough to protect herself against Gilda if she tried anything. He pushed the thought aside as he and Soarin arrived at the starting line.
"Racers! Are you ready?!"
"Ready!" they said in unison as they readied their wings.
"You all know the rules. The first one to complete ten laps around the track will be declared the winner! On your marks..."
Forge's eyes narrowed and he arched his back slightly.
"Get set..."
Soarin placed his racing goggles over his eyes and lowered himself to the ground.
"Go!" Forge and Soarin took off from the starting line like rockets and began zooming around the track. The girls tried to keep up with them, but their eyes weren't fast enough and all they say were black and blue blurs.
Forge trailed closely behind Soarin as they entered the 3rd lap. He made a move on the inside, only to be cut off by Soarin.
"Your going to have to do better than that Forge!" Soarin shouted over his shoulder. Forge sneered and began to move in on the outside. Soarin cut him off there as well. Forge growled in frustration as they entered the 7th lap. Forge suddenly had an idea, he began to move in on the outside again. Soarin looked behind him and noticed Forge attempting to pass him. "Come one Forge! I expected more from you! I guess I just know all your tricks!" Soarin moved to cut him off, only to have Forge dive underneath him and appear on the inside as they entered the final turn.
"Not all my tricks Soarin!" Forge shouted as he passed his friend. Forge was grinning from ear to ear as he crossed the finish line before Soarin.
"I-I don't believe it! Soarin has lost the race! Forge is moving on to the Cloudsdale 500!" the annonucer shouted in disbelief. The crowd cheered as Forge did a victory lap around the track. He came to a skidding halt in front of a defeated Soarin. Soarin simply looked away in defeat. Forge grabbed his friends hoof and held it up high along with his own. The crowd cheered even louder than before at Forge's show of sportsmanship. Forge looked over at the girls. Pinkie Pie had taken hold of Fluttershy and was making her jump with her in excitement, Rarity was clopping her hooves together, Applejack was tossing her hat in the air in celebration and Twilight was cheering as loud as she could. Soarin soon let go of Forge's hoof and began to clop them together as he watched his friend celebrate.
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"That was a nice move you pulled during that last turn Forge." Soarin said as he and Forge made their way into the stands to join the girls. "I could of sworn that I had you beat."
"You almost did! You've gotten a lot faster since the last time I saw you."
"Yeah, but that's only because of the Wonderbolt training that you turned down! Thanks again for what you did by the way."
"Don't worry about it Soarin. Like I told you and Spitfire before, I didn't want to be a Wonderbolt. You two worked your flanks off trying to get on their good side. I just gave you an extra shove in the right direction."
"Still thank you. I owe you big time."
"Yes, you do! Spitfire too. She still owes me five bits!" They laughed for a while as they reminisced through the times the three of them had in Flight School.
"You know Forge... Spitfire was pretty upset when we left. I mean you two were-"
"I know..." Forge said quietly as the memory returned to him. "Can we not talk about that..."
"Sorry. I-I didn't mean to get you upset."
"That's okay Soarin. Me and Spitfire... we had some good times and we'll always be friends. But I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't wish that we were more than that."
"Yeah... I think she thinks the same way." The two remained in silence for the rest of the walk to the stands. They eventually arrived at the stands where the girls were waiting.
"Forge! That was an absolutely spectacular race! Congratulations!" Rarity said.
"Hoo wee! That was some mighty fast racin' you two!" Applejack added.
"Yes. I got so excited I just felt like shouting... Woohoo..." Fluttershy quietly said.
"Hoof-biting action overload! You were like a super-speed superstar! Flying around the track at those fast speeds--zoom--and then you swooped down--swoosh--and then you passed Soarin and you two went around and around like fwoom fwoom fwoom fwoom fwoom fwoom fwoom fwoom!" Pinkie said, giving them her signature toothy grin.
"Yes Forge that was... a-amazing. You're a really good flier." Twilight said blushing slightly.
"Aww, thanks girls." Forge began to look around. "Hey, where's Zephyr?"
"He's probably still passed out at the bar." Twilight sighed.
"Well he better get his butt over here soon or he'll miss Rainbow's race!"
"All right mares and gentlecolts! It's time for the final race of the day between Fleetfoot of the Wonderbolts and Ponyville's resident speedster and winner of the Best Young Flyer competition: Rainbow Dash!" The crowd cheered as Fleetfoot made her way to the track. Forge and the rest of the group cheered for her but kept their eyes on the gate where Rainbow was supposed to make her entrance. They waited and waited... but no Rainbow Dash.
"Could Rainbow Dash please make her way to the race track." the annonucer said. By now the crowds cheers were turning into silence and they all began to talk or whisper among themselves. Even Fleetfoot was confused and had no idea where Rainbow Dash was. "Is Rainbow Dash here?"
"It's not like Rainbow Dash to miss a race." Twilight said.
Forge got up from his chair and looked up at the sky, hoping for any signs of his cyan colored friend. "I don't get it. Where is she? She couldn't have-" Forge suddenly realized what must have happened. He quickly turned to Soarin. "Soarin... where's the practice track..."
"It's over behind the stadium. Why?"
Without another word Forge took off towards the track. "Forge? Hey, Forge where are you going?! Forge!" Soarin called out to him, but Forge was to far ahead to hear him. Forge flapped his wings as fast as he could. He hoped that he was wrong about what happened to Rainbow. He arrived at the practice track and began searching for Rainbow.
"Rainbow!" Forge called out. "Rainbow are you here?! Rainbow!!!" Forge frantically looked around for her until he heard a sound that made his heart sink.
"Ugh..." came the voice. Forge looked down at the track and noticed a familiar blue wing sticking out from beneath a broken cart. "Oh no..." he breathed. He rushed down to the ground and began pulling the pieces of the cart off of Rainbow. Once he had her uncovered he looked her over. What he saw was much worse than he imagined.
Rainbow was lying in a crater. Her left wing looked like somepony had snapped it in half and she was covered in what looked like claw marks. Some of her feathers were torn out and she was barely conscious. Forge picked her up gently and moved her away from the crater. "Forge..." Rainbow said weakly.
"Yeah Rainbow. I'm here. What happened?"
"G-Gilda... " Before Rainbow could say anymore she passed out. By this point Soarin and the girls had arrived and were quickly approaching the scene.
"Forge, what happened? You just took off. Did you find Rain-" Twilight began, but stopped once she saw Rainbow. The girls slowly approached their fallen friend. Fluttershy began sobbing uncontrollably, while Rarity attempted to comfort her. Twilight looked at Forge and placed her head on his shoulder. She began to cry while Forge watched Applejack and Pinkie Pie carry Rainbow off to the medical wing.
"Forge what happened?" Soarin asked.
"Gilda happened... I knew she was up to no good."
"But why Rainbow?"
"Because Rainbow wanted to enter the Cloudsdale 500 more than any of us. She knew that she would cause the most damage if she got rid of the one who wanted it most."
Soarin stared at Forge. His friends once calm and friendly demeanor was replaced with hatred and anger. "Forge... Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. And once I get a hold of that griffon... I'm going to make her wish she was never hatched!"