The voice of life is screaming out,
surrounding everything in.
Nürburg, Germany, home of the globally reknown motorsports complex. The one that demands every pilot to it's fullest, and considered by some, a Green Hell.
Nürburgring. Many have ran across it, but not all of them have come alive. Such are the demands to conquer this devious track. And today was no different, for this day, the event that the racing world always wanted to see was about to take part.
The sun was coming out of the horizon, slowly lighting the track, and showing its magnificence to the world. Every passing hour, people entered and took a place to watch the race. Many preferred the stands near to the starting/finishing line, others ventured deeper into the track and placed themselves near the forests. Only a few had the privilege to watch the race from inside pit facilities, and also the opportunity to meet the racers one by one.
The teams were getting ready making all the preparations, their pilots were in their resting area, and sooner or later they would come out to meet their teammates and chiefs to review strategies. However, despite the number of teams was three, there was only one car in the whole garage. Since the other two were racers on their own, they didn't need a car to keep up.
The first one to come out of those rooms was Rainbow Dash.
She looked around the garage, watching her team and the other two prepare everything or wait for the race to start. Since nobody noticed her, she resolved to approach her friends and talk before the race. She first approached Applejack.
"Hey there," she greeted.
"Oh howdy partner'!" Applejack replied, she was in charge of providing food to her team, and she also acted as a security guard. "How are ya' feelin'?"
"I'm kinda nervous," the pegasus confessed.
"Ah understan' ya' sugarcube, but don't worry. Ya'll do mighty fine out there, ya' always do."
Rainbow slightly laughed, and smiled. "Thanks AJ, I feel better now."
"No problem. Oh yeah, I think Twilight wants to talk to you, she's very obsessed about getting everything right." she said.
Rainbow nodded and ventured deeper into the garage, she then approached Pinkie and Fluttershy talking together.
"Hey girls, what's up?"
"Oh Rainbow! There you are!" Fluttershy said relieved, she was the team medic, and was ready to assist anyone in her team if she ever was needed. "I thought you'd never leave that room!"
"C'mon, why would I miss this chance?" Rainbow reassured herself.
"Well, maybe you'd feel afraid just like in the Best Young Flyer competition."
"That was before I showed off those jocks," she insisted. "Now that I have shown everyone what I can do, all I need is to not panic."
Fluttershy dropped her head in embarrassment, how could she doubt her friend? "I'm sorry." she apologized.
"Ugh, again? You don't have to feel sorry, you just worry about me," Rainbow cheered her up. "But I'll be fine, I promise," she reassured, to which Fluttershy raised her head again and smiled.
"Yeah Flutters, do not worry. She can take care of herself," Pinkie assured with a hoof on her friend's shoulder.
"I hope you like the sight from above Pinks," Rainbow mentioned.
"Oh believe me, I'm already excited to watch you race! It will be super awesome!" she confirmed with a big smile. Pinkie was in charge to oversee the race from above alongside Spike, giving information to their chief so she can take the right actions.
"Cool then, I'll see you in the track!" the pegasus said and turned.
Rainbow looked around, now with those two it was three down and two more to go. She sat on a nearby chair and waited for a while, until Rarity approached.
"Here you are finally!" she said.
"What's up Rarity? Anything wrong?"
"We need you to put this on," she simply said and with her magic grabbed some clothes and waved them in front of Rainbow.
"Oh come on, can't I race without that thing?" Rainbow protested.
"Oh goodness no! We have to keep the looks!" the unicorn said. "Besides, it's protective gear, it may help if something goes out of hand."
"Ugh, fine."
Then Rainbow reluctantly grabbed the clothes and trotted back to her room to change. She returned wearing a suit resembling the Wonderbolts', but the lighting in addition to being yellow, it also had blue and red, just like her Cutie Mark.
"Well, how do you feel it?" Rarity asked.
"It's... different, I don't find it hindering anymore!" Rainbow said happily.
"But of course darling!" Rarity affirmed. "I was giving it a few last touchs so it doesn't trouble you to fly like before. But you still have to wear the helmet."
"Oh yeah, that thing too," Rainbow then looked at her friends surprised. "Wait a minute, I don't remember anyone wearing those shirts!"
As Rainbow just said, her team was now wearing t-shirts, which resembled Rainbow's suit, and had written in them "Prancing Pony" in big letters on the backs. And on the shoulders they had a symbol of a lighting with wings, accompanied with little letters in orange in which one could read "The Wonderbolts".
"We wanted to give you a surprise when you were finished on putting that suit on, dear," Rarity said
"Did you design them?"
"Of course! Who else would?" Rarity asked surprised. "Now go dear, Twilight has to speak to you."
"Darn, I almost forgot."
But just as Rainbow was heading for Twilight, the latter was already coming to her.
"Ah, there you are!" she said.
"Did I miss anything?" Rainbow joked.
"Pretty much, I want you to go over the stuff I told you for the race."
"Chill out will ya'? I remember all that."
"As the chief of the team, I recommend that you review the strategies we have prepared," Twilight insisted.
Rainbow sighed and tapped the ground with impatience. "Even if I go through that stuff again, you'd just tell me what to do on the intercom right?"
"Well, yes."
"Then what's the point?"
"The point is that if you go over the strategies again, it will take you less time to react while you're racing."
"Twilight, if you don't think I don't know anything, why don't you test me?" the pegasus invited.
"Alright then," Twilight thought for a moment, and then asked. "If you are slip-streaming, what is it that you have to be careful of?"
Rainbow thought for another moment, and calmly replied: "To not stay right behind that car, because it's fan on the rear will make me lose control."
Twilight was about to retort something, but seeing as Rainbow responded correctly, she kept silence.
"Told ya' I knew," Rainbow bragged.
"Don't get too cocky Rainbow. It would be awesome if you overviewed the strategies again, just to make sure," the unicorn said seriously.
"Don't worry, I will."
Twilight then turned around and headed again for the control station, Rainbow just stared at her as she left.
Another door opened now, and it revealed that the room it was concealing, was Sonic's. He headed for his team and started talking with each one of them before heading to Rainbow.
"Hey there," he greeted handing a clenched fist for her to bump.
"How are you?" Rainbow asked returning the greeting. "Nervous?"
"Nah, not really, I've been in many races before. But this is a little different," the hedhehog claimed. "What about you?"
"Well, I kind of am."
"You've never been on a race before?"
"Of course I have silly. But not a race of this magnitude."
"Ah yeah, I see what you mean. I once was in a fighting tournament with a lot of public too," Sonic remembered.
"But you don't fight. Do you?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, I do fight a little bit, but it still isn't my strong point," he added. "Anyway, I have to get back, see you on the track!"
"Yeah, you too!" she said as he walked away.
Rainbow was left alone now, her friends were still talking to each other, or working, everypony around her. She just sat on the chair and waited for a while, she grabbed her helmet and looked at it's visor, which returned the gaze with her reflection. She stayed like this for a while, lost in thoughts, nervous, but decided.
Twilight approached her: "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just nervous for the race, that's all." Rainbow replied.
"That's normal, I'm very nervous too."
"You seem fine."
"I gotta keep the looks too you know?" she said as she turned "Walk with me."
Rainbow hopped off the chair and followed. Twilight then started talking to her, explaining again the strategies and tips for her to remember. The pegasus wanted to make her friend know that she already knew everything, but she left her phrase unfinished due to the next sight she witnessed.
The public roared in excitement as they saw Rainbow Dash come out of the garage and into the pit lane, Twilight stopped talking when she saw her stunned at her reception.
"It makes you feel small, right?" Twilight murmured.
"Whoa..."
Rainbow looked to all of the stands, adorned with many colours, the blue being the most prominent in every team; everyone was rooting for their favourite of the three. This was the event that the whole racing world was waiting for, and she was taking part in it.
"I can't believe it." she continued.
"Well you better believe it. Because if you win, everyone will know about you."
This made Rainbow smile, all she wanted was to be renowned, whether it was her flying, her charm, it didn't matter much how. But she always wanted fame.
"So then, I will give the best of myself today!" she said with all resolve.
Twilight kept walking and reached the control station, re-checking statistics, weather and pilots alike. And was taking note of every new plausible strategy that came into her mind.
"Wow, you got a lot new strategies in there."
"These are last-minute," Twilight explained. "Just be sure to remember those I made you study, I will dictate these while you're running."
She kept touching buttons and taking notes, moving here and there without rest. Meanwhile, Rainbow only looked at her, in case she took notice of something that could come in use later in the race.
Twilight pressed a button on a keyboard and talked into her headset's microphone: "Spike, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear Twilight, what is it?" the baby dragon's voice spoke through her headphones.
"Is the baloon ready for take-off?"
"Yes, ready and awaiting."
"Pay attention, any minute now the racers will abandon the pit area, remember that I need you and Pinkie to provide me a view of the track from above, you got that?"
"10-4."
"Out."
Twilight turned around in her chair, with nothing else to do. She triple-checked all statistics, came up with many new strategies, and Spike was warned. These were many preparations for a 3-lap race, Rainbow thought.
The third door opened, Sebastian Vettel came out of his room, now everybody was ready. He approached his vehicle and discussed strategies with his teammates, some of which were still checking the car's configuration and adjusting parts.
"Those guys seem to have everything under control," Rainbow murmured.
"They've been in the racing industry for a bunch of years now, it would surprise me if they didn't," Twilight pointed. "Plus, mechanichal devices are a bit more delicate sometimes."
"Okay, now I know you're joking," the pegasus said. "How can that thing be delicate? It's huge!"
"Maybe, but it's still small and frail for racing vehicles standards; and that car has the finest engineering in the whole world. You can't find pieces like those in Sugarcube Corner."
"Well duh, that's where you buy candies and stuff, not spare parts."
"That's not-... ugh, I won't even bother," Twilight concluded.
A member of the track's staff approached them, they were about to launch the event, and the racers had to take their positions after the pace lap. Rainbow prepared herself, she put on her helmet and waited in her pit lane, which was ahead of Sonic and Vettel's respectively. They followed soon enough, with the hedgehog wearing a suit and a helmet, and the F1 champion inside his car.
Again the guy who approached before was signaling them to get out from the pit lane, and onto the track. They had to switch places, as Vettel was the one with the most renown, and Rainbow was relegated to exit last from the pits. Even so, the starting grid would be with the three in the same line.
"Rainbow, can you hear me?" Twilight's voice came inside the helmet.
"Yeah I can." Rainbow said.
"Good, I checked if the communicator was functional before, but I had to make sure you could hear me outside the pits.
"Don't worry, I hear you really good."
The racers were now in the pace lap. Rainbow turned right in the first curve, following the other two from not very far.
"Be sure to warm up now Rainbow, once you arrive to the starting grid, the race starts." Twilight reminded her. And Rainbow complied, only for a few moments. This didn't please her chief, but she warned her.
Rarity joined Twilight in the control station, the white unicorn not only was responsible for the team's uniforms, she also had to check on Rainbow and her suit's stats. Whether she had warmed up properly, or if the suit was damaged, among other things.
"Spike, give me visual on Dash," Twilight ordered through a microphone in front of her.
In the control panel, an image appeared, a camera in the sky was following Rainbow's movements.
"There you go, I'm turning on the other cameras now," the baby dragon answered.
"Make sure at least one of each takes images of the other two, I need to know what the others are planning to do."
"You got it! Over and out. Not you Pinkie! Get back in the basket!"
Everyone made their pace lap through the Grand Prix side of the track, getting acquainted with their surroundings and it took them a few minutes to reach the starting line. Once there, Rainbow felt a rush.
She was in the middle of the starting line; she looked at her right and saw Sonic scratching the ground with his feet, preparing his start.
She looked to her left, and she saw Vettel as he was revving up his engine, he had his face covered in his helmet adorned with bulls, but the pegasus knew that he was completely focused.
For her part, Dashie was still nervous, maybe even more than before, this was her first race to have such renown, and the chance to be either praised or mocked was in her hoofs.
The traffic lights switched on their reds, the race was about to start. Rainbow only felt that every second to the start was longer than the last one. She felt bounded, chained to the ground, it was irresistible, she couldn't take it anymore.
And then the lights turned green, and she was finally set free.