The voice within is screaming out,
filling my heart, surrounding.
Rainbow flapped her wings and threw herself forward. She felt that she never left a starting line as fast as she did today. She thought she left all of her feathers behind.
"Sonic will try to overpass you, but remember he's not good in curves," Twilight told her friend.
As she expected, when the hedgehog entered Yokohama-S, he almost drifted out of the track and onto the sand, he corrected himself at the last moment, but it cost him the first place. And as Rainbow was overpassing Sonic on the curve, Vettel took his chance and swifted right in front of the pegasus, scaring her for a second. Later, rage ocurred, and she gave him chase.
"So much for Yokohama," Twilight said as Rainbow was chasing Vettel through the Mercedes Arena. "Stay focused, do not overtake unless I tell you to, just keep your position."
Everyone was coming out of the seventh curve, and into the Michael Schumacher-S, Dash was following Vettel very closely, and Sonic was keeping up after his mishap. This was a very fast section, and he had the upper hand in those.
Vettel took away the first place from Rainbow because he is better at curves, Yokohama-S and the Mercedes Arena had many, where he took his chance.
Rainbow was in between the two, if not on free-fall, her speed is not the best around. And ever since she was a filly, she had difficulties on her control, as she frequently spinned out of corners and curves. But because her speed is reduced, she can steer without problems.
The Michael Schumacher-S was left behind, and they were now heading for the Warsteiner-Kurve, Vettel took it so swiftly that he got a few feet away from Rainbow. The pegasus hurried her pace but her steering turned harder for her, she barely touched the soil after leaving the curve.
"You're entering now a fast zone Dash, hold Sonic off until you reach the chicane, after that he won't be bothering you for some time," Twilight's voice warned her about the ADVAN-Bogen.
Vettel stopped getting away and now Rainbow was getting near him, but she stood her ground and didn't overpass him. Trying to slip-stream from just the sides of the car was mighty difficult, specially because you couldn't change sides just like nothing to confuse him. The fan was another obstacle.
Everyone reduced significantly their speed as they reached the chicane, and quickly dashed again as they entered the Nordschleife. Rainbow quickly noticed the difference between each tracks:
"Twilight!" she screamed through the intercom. "The track here is narrower than before!"
"But of course! What did you expect?" the unicorn replied. "The part of the track you're running on now was built almost a century ago!"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Do you think I know?! This is my first time in the racing industry, you just focus on the race!"
"But you said..."
"RAINBOW WATCH OUT!"
"Wha- WHOOOA!"
Rainbow got caught up in the talk, that she forgot the slow curve before Hocheichen, with her actual speed, she missed turning to the right and ended up on the grass.
"Remember the handicap! You can't use your wings outside the pavement, trot back to the track!"
She did so with little conformity, and returned to the race. By the time she did, Vettel has gone out of her reach, and Sonic overpassed her, he only got away for less than a second though.
"Go a bit faster now Dash, but do not overpass. Don't overpass," Twilight repeated, who was answered with a grunt.
Entering Hocheichen fast was hard for the pegasus, especially since the other two were leaving her behind because this and Flugplatz were very fast zones. Sonic overtook Vettel and the latter was slipstreaming the hedgehog, and all of this was putting Rainbow in a very difficult position because she was out of the draft range.
Reaching Schwedenkreuz, both of the others slowed down, but not Rainbow who stretch-braked and caught up in the Aremberg corner. The next section was a fast one, but she managed to hang onto the others, putting a fight whenever she could despite not overpassing due to the tightness of the track.
"Keep like that Rainbow, you're doing great! Remember to be careful behind the German."
"I feel like I can't overtake him if I slow down and approach from the other side just because of that fan, he's not giving me space!"
"That he does. But that's only to worry in this part of the track, you won't have trouble on a straight part: you're faster than him."
The track now made a zig-zag, Rainbow wanted to make a surprise and dashed in front of Vettel, closing on him and taking over the second place.
"Serves you right," Rainbow smirked.
"RAINBOW! I thought I told not to overtake! I don't want you to tire yourself before the last lap!" Twilight yelled. "These oncoming turns are mighty dangerous! Specially the Metzgesfeld you are about to enter!"
"Chill out Twi, I don't plan on crashing today."
"Nopony does Dash, but you scared everyone in the pit box, please be careful."
That said, Rainbow slowed her pace. Mostly because the oncoming parts were slow, but she also didn't want to worry her friends.
Kallenhard's first turn was very slow for her liking, Vettel almost overpassed her but she was barely able to stand her ground. The German took another chance at Wehrseifen but he failed again. He went for a last try at Einfahrt-Breidscheid and as they entered Exmühle he overtook her and Sonic in a swift, elegant motion. The Blue Blur was taken aback after leading the race for these last sectors, fizzling his running when the car's fan was just in front of him, a moment Rainbow took advantage of and recovered the second place.
Meanwhile on the pits, everyone was cheering after such a maneuvre their friend made-out.
"Woohoo! That was amazing! Rainbow really handled it!" Spike rooted over the intercom.
"Let's just hope Rainbow can still put up such a fight," Twilight said.
"Why, don't you think she'll win with a rhythm like that?" Rarity asked.
"Not with how she warmed up she won't."
The way to Kesselchen was fast again, and Sonic overtook Rainbow once more, she could only press on her pace and use the draft during Klostertal.
"Rainbow, don't go too fast now. You haven't warmed up properly before, the next section is quite slow, so..."
"Screw it Twilight."
"Wha-?"
"I'm tired of switching positions, I want to lead the race for once!" the pegasus affirmed.
"But Rainbow! This is just the first lap, and..." the unicorn tried to discuss.
"Sorry, but I had enough. I'm going all-out!"
"NO! YOU CAN'T..."
Rainbow pushed a button on the side of her head, and threw herself forward, to take her rightful place.
"Rainbow?! Rainbow!" Twilight yelled to her tiara intercom, but it was no use, her pilot turned the transmission off. She grabbed her device and smashed it to the ground. "Ugh the nerve!"
"Relax sugarcube, I'm sure she'll win the race," Applejack cheered.
"Of course you're sure, because you haven't bust your flank thinking about strategies to do so," the unicorn snapped.
"Hey calm down will ya'? It's her that you're mad at!"
"Well you're not helping me calm down either!"
"Girls quit it!" Rarity intervened. "The last thing we need now is to be mad at each other!"
"I can't believe I wasted my time thinking about strategies, only to be cut-off by the cockiness of that mare!"
"Twi, why don't you see the standings on the screen?" the farmer asked.
The unicorn turned around and looked, and so far, Rainbow was true to her word, she was now leading the race. And by the cameras' point of view, by a good margin.
"Spike, zoom out the cameras, I need to see Rainbow," Twilight ordered through the microfone.
The dragon did so, and locked the camera on her. Twilight compared the images of Rainbow and the others before entering Hohe Acht, and she calculated that her friend had an advantage of two seconds, and rising.
"See? She's not doing bad," Applejack reaffirmed.
"Not now, but if she keeps that rhythm the rest of the race, they will overpass her before the third lap starts," she said hopelessly.
"How are you so sure?" Fluttershy asked.
"By know she must be at the optimal temperature and her adrenaline must be at her max. If she warmed up in the pace lap like I told her to, she'd maybe have a bit more chances of winning under this same circumstances."
"Why is warming up so important?" Applejack asked.
"Despite it can be a waste of time, it has its reasons to exist," Rarity explained. "If somepony doesn't warm up properly before doing strenuous activity, they will tire faster."
"Rainbow is a pegasus, and I understand she can endure a lot," Twilight continued. "But even her stamina has her limitations, she won't be able to endure the pressure to keep the first place along the pace she's making. Not for over 10 minutes straight."
The earth pony was beginning to understand the problem, she identified herself too because whenever she had to buck apples, she had to stretch and warm up.
"If only I supervised her training sessions," the unicorn said in a sigh. "She only trained to be fast, but never tried to see for how much time she could bear with it."
"Do you think she still has chances of winning?" Rarity asked.
"Maybe if she came to her senses and turned on the transmission again, but I don't think she'll be doing that until she tires out and loses her position at the end of the second lap."
"What can we do until then?" asked the shy pegasus.
Twilight just looked at the monitors, seeing as Rainbow broadened the distance for one more second: "Wait. That's all we can do," she said.
Rainbow was free, finally. She was free to do as she wished, and if she managed to keep like that until the end of the race, the feeling of accomplishment would feel as double as good. No problem, no problem at all.
When she finished the first lap, she looked back. No sign of the human or the hedgehog, good, but she wouldn't take a rest until she finished this and the next lap. Everything was becoming a bit of a blur now, she was going faster that she should.
No, it wasn't time to think what she should do and what not. The race was the only important thing now, she couldn't let anything else get in her mind and distract her.
But there was no use, she started to think about her friends. They were all awesome ponies that helped her many times, and they proved that point today. Nopony else in Equestria would have supported her, except for the Wonderbolts who gave her the opportunity. And she shunned them, just for a little taste of glory. But what was glory if you didn't have somepony to share it with?
Such an Element of Loyalty she was.
She arrived at Döttinger-Höhe for a second time, as she watched at the landscape, she pictured them again in her mind, and let a tear fall from her eye. What happened back there? This wasn't the same old Rainbow Dash.
Mid-way through the long straight line though, something she didn't expect happened. Sebastian Vettel and Sonic overpassed her from each of her sides with ease and drove off her reach. She pressed her pace even more, but it was not making any difference, they were already far ahead.
So she did something she'd be mostly ashamed of, but it was her last choice. She pushed again the button on her helmet.
"Twilight! Twilight!" she yelled.
"Well, well, well. Fancy hearing from you RD." her friend greeted.
"Save that for later will you? I need to get back in the race!"
"Oh I don't know Rainbow. You hurt me back there, you know?"
"Stop teasing me! I know I was selfish, I know you've put much effort into this race with your strategies, which may not be usable now that I'm losing, and I'm very sorry. But please, I need your help!" the pegasus pleaded.
"Actually, I made out another strategy you can put to use. You're not gonna like it, and I make no promises, but it's the last thing we can try."
Rainbow finished the second lap, and she looked at the pit stop, where her friends were watching. She looked at them, for a while, before saying: "Let's do it then."