//------------------------------//
// At the Races 
// Story: Wings of Friendship 
// by DemonBrightSpirit 
//------------------------------//

In the clouds above Equestria, a cheering crowd of dozens of pegasi filled cloud-carved stands as several fliers gathered at a starting line. Behind the eager racers was a gigantic scoreboard with their portraits next to a score. At the very top of the scoreboard was a picture of a pony with a rainbow colored mane. This exceptional pegasus appeared to have a score of 135.

Back on the starting line, Rainbow Dash was digging her hooves into the clouds with her wings outstretched beside her. She was already set to take off at a moment's notice. You can do this Rainbow Dash! she psyched herself up as she sent sideways glances at her competition. Most of them were just mulling about. These chumps don't stand a chance!


Rainbow's air of confidence was dampened as she spotted one other pony prematurely in the start position: Lightning Dust. A glance over at the scoreboard showed that her Wonderbolts Academy rival securely held the number two position. Looking back to the turquoise pegasus, she managed to lock eyes with her. Lightning Dust smirked as she took a deep breath and exhaled it forcibly through her nose as if to say "Bring it on!"

Not one to be shown up, Rainbow Dash gave her wings a couple of powerful flaps. It wasn't enough to lift Rainbow from her position, but it surely gave the message of "Oh! It's on!"

If possible, Lightning Dust's smirk widened even further as she leaned back ever so slightly. Then, in a sudden burst, she took off! Rainbow Dash coughed in the dust left by the other pegasi. "Hey! Wait!" she uselessly shouted as she realized that she had been so caught up in her back-and-forth with Lightning Dust that she had missed the start of the race! By the time she had gotten up into the air, most of the other fliers were already nothing but dots in the distance.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy worried a bit as she watched Rainbow Dash take off last. Although from her spot in the middle of the roaring crowd, nopony, not even Fluttershy, could hear the soft-spoken words. She briefly wondered just why Rainbow Dash would give everypony else a head start like that. It just didn't seem like the competitive pegasus she knew.

By the time it occurred to Fluttershy that she was supposed to be cheering for her friend, Rainbow Dash and the other competitors were already zooming away into the sky. They were all just tiny dots against a bright, blue background, yet the crowd was still roaring. As it turned out, several pegasi hovered above their seats, using binoculars to get a good view of the race. Fluttershy tried to hear what was going on, but couldn't make out any single voice over the raucous crowd.

Finally, a voice rang out loud and clear. "The lead racers have just reached the first checkpoint!" the announcer called out. "It's Lightning Dust in the lead! Cloudchaser passes the checkpoint just behind her with Thunderlane rounding out the top three!"

Fluttershy didn't pay the announcer much mind as he rambled on about the other dozen or so pegasus ponies in the race. She was busy trying to remember what Rainbow had explained to her about how the race worked. There would be seven checkpoints evenly spaced apart. No, wait...six checkpoints with the finish line as the seventh. That still left Rainbow Dash a lot of room to make up for her delayed start. Fluttershy only stirred from her thoughts when the announcer mentioned her friend's name.

"…and, trailing behind the pack, Rainbow Dash brings up the rear! Could it be that this spunky contender's winning streak is finally at its end!?"

"No! It's not!" Fluttershy defended her friend as if the announcer could actually hear her. The yellow mare proceeded to cheer for Rainbow Dash, even if her shouting voice was quieter than some ponies' speaking voices. "Go Rainbow Dash! I know you can do it!"

"Lightning Dust holds a commanding lead at the second checkpoint! She really is leaving her competition in the dust! Next through the checkpoint is Thunderlane with Cloudchaser just a feather behind him! Wow! The top three are really ahead of the pack! It looks like it will be a few seconds before any of the rest reach checkpoint two! Wait! What's this?! Rainbow Dash has finally caught up to the pack and it looks like… Yes! She is starting to pass some of the other ponies! The pegasus from Ponyville is really something else! At the second checkpoint she is already at the middle of the pack even after her delayed start!"

With the announcer's help, Fluttershy was able to keep track of Rainbow Dash as she zoomed past the other little specs in the sky. At the third checkpoint Rainbow had firmly secured fourth place. By the fourth, she had caught up to Thunderlane and Cloudchaser. Halfway to the fifth checkpoint, Rainbow Dash was already in second place and putting sky between her and the two ponies she had just passed. Unfortunately, while Dash was halfway to the fifth checkpoint, Lightning Dust was already well on her way to the sixth and final checkpoint before the finish line. Being faster than Lightning Dust wasn't going to be enough—Rainbow Dash would have to be nearly twice as fast as her competition to win. 

Of course, Fluttershy didn't have a single doubt that Rainbow Dash could do it. She was just ferociously gnawing at her hooves with a panicked expression on her face because…because she thought she left the stove on at home! Yes. That was the reason.

In no time, Lightning Dust was finally coming into clear view as she made her final descent towards the finish line. Rainbow Dash hovered just behind her, right on her tail. Dash kept trying to get around the determined flier, but at every opportunity Lightning Dust swung into her path to prevent her from passing. After a few seconds, Rainbow finally managed to psyche out her rival and slip beside her. The two pegasi flew neck and neck for all of half a second before they zoomed through the finish line. They skidded to a halt in the clouds, kicking up an obfuscating mist into the air.

"Amazing!" the announcer exclaimed with genuine excitement as the mist started to settle. It revealed Rainbow Dash striking a triumphant pose while Lightning Dust stood looking a bit anxious. "It's way too close to call! Definitely a photo finish mares and gentlecolts! Wait… I'm getting word from the officials now and, yes! We have a winner! Rainbow Dash defeated Lightning Dust by a hair!"

Rainbow bolted into the air as she gave a triumphant shout, unaware of Fluttershy doing something very similar. In a much, much less jubilant fashion, Lightning Dust hung her head in defeat until an official shouted at the two to get clear of the finish line. Lightning dragged herself over to the nearby rec room reserved for contestants, while Rainbow Dash shot over to Fluttershy in an instant. The ecstatic mare couldn't help but to relish in her victory.

"Did you see me up there!? That was so awesome!..."

While Rainbow strung sentence after sentence together all about her tour de force, Fluttershy scooted over enough for her friend to sit next to her. As soon as Rainbow Dash started to settle down and her adrenaline crashed, she plopped down in the newfound space to give her burning wings a rest.

"You really were amazing up there," Fluttershy fed Dash's ego. "I never doubted you."

"Thanks Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash appreciated as she gave her wings a stretch. She would never admit it, but she was glad there would be a nice, long break before the next and final event. It took everything she had to catch up to Lightning Dust and her wings weren't about to let her forget it anytime soon. "I'm really glad you came to cheer me on," she genuinely thanked her friend after giving her wings a lazy flap and finally folding them at her sides.

"It's just too bad that everypony else couldn't make it," Fluttershy lamented.

Rainbow donned a self-satisfying grin, "Yeah! They just missed one hay of a show!"

"That's it for the long-distance flight competition!" the announcer boomed, distracting the two mares from their conversation. "There will be an intermission while we set up for today's final event: the obstacle course!"

"Oh! Look!" Fluttershy urged as she pointed a hoof towards the scoreboard. Several pegasi in uniforms were rearranging the scorecards. The top few positions had already been changed out. Rainbow Dash still held the top spot, though her score had increased to 150. Underneath Rainbow's portrait was Lightning Dust's. Her score was 138 and the only one anywhere close to Rainbow Dash. Cloudchaser only had 121 while Thunderlane had 117.

While Rainbow wore a triumphant smirk, Fluttershy wasn't so sure her friend understood the implications. "You are sure to win, Rainbow Dash," she insisted. "Even if Lightning Dust comes in first in the next event, you will still win! You would only need to come in...seventh place to keep your score higher than her's."

The competitive pony seemed to consider the news a moment before dismissing it with a wave of her hoof. "Of course I'm going to win! I'm gonna come in first place and blow everypony away!" she boasted. As her thoughts drifted to her prize, Rainbow couldn't help but to squirm and giggle like a star-struck filly. "I'm gonna get to spend a whole week training with the Wonderbolts!"

"I thought the grand prize was just a pair of all-access passes to the Cloudsdale Coliseum for a week?" Fluttershy pondered, earning a glare from Rainbow Dash. The yellow mare's ears folded down as she offered a sheepish smile and leaned away from the seemingly angry mare. "I-I could be m-mistaken."

Rainbow Dash sighed her ire away. It was impossible to stay mad at the shy pegasus. "No, you're right, Fluttershy," she relented as her hopes and dreams settled back down into reality. "But that week is gonna be the week that the Wonderbolts will be training there for their show. And the passes are even good on the day of the show! I can't wait!"

"I'm so happy for you," Fluttershy enthused.

Rainbow was about to reply, but her stomach beat her mouth to the punch as it let out an immutable growl. A tinge of pink crossed the mare's cheeks as she ran a hoof through her mane. "Hey, why don't we get a bite to eat?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "All that flying really works up an appetite!"

"Is it really okay?"

Pointing a hoof to the sky, Rainbow Dash nodded, "Look. They're gonna be setting this stuff up for a while. We have plenty of time to grab a bite."

With a smile and a nod, Fluttershy let her friend lead the way. "I'm a bit hungry myself."

As the two pegasi hunted down a food vendor, Lightning Dust just sat in front of the scoreboard looking positively forlorn. She had long since come to the same conclusion Fluttershy did, except the realization filled her with despair instead of hope. Even if she beat out Rainbow Dash and came in first place, she would still lose overall if Rainbow Dash finished any better than eighth. And that just wasn't going to happen. So far Rainbow's worst performance was in the slalom and she still came in third!

Lightning Dust grit her teeth as she felt a seeping anger stir inside her. Why couldn't that stupid, rainbow pony just stay out of her life!? The Wonderbolts loved her enthusiasm and skill until Rainbow Dash somehow turned Spitfire against her. If it wasn't for Rainbow Dash, she would have finished in the top spot at the academy! If it wasn't for Rainbow Dash, she would still be in the Wonderbolts' good graces! Hay! If it wasn't for Rainbow Dash, she even might have been an official Wonderbolts trainee by now! Even now…even now her last hope of ever redeeming herself in Spitfire's eyes had been stolen away. And, of course, it was Rainbow Dash that shattered that dream, too.

"I hate her," Lightning Dust growled as she lowered her head.