//------------------------------// // Part Two: Competition // Story: Eyes on the Road // by Art Inspired //------------------------------// She floated through the opening curtains and into the blinding light that shined non-stop. Before her, hundreds upon thousands of ponies cheering, shouting, yelling, chanting and screaming either for her or the others that had already been introduced. She warily looked up at the stadium, at the black tracks made of asphalt, the clouds above head holding even more attendees, and heard some praise mixed in with insults. It was no surprise to Lightning Dust that some still chose to show resentment towards her, it’s what came with the package of past mistakes. No matter how much Lightning Dust would try, others would never even consider letting that day slip from their memories. But, at the same time, she still had a good amount of fans sticking by her side. It’s one of the things that helped her keep at it, really. Not only did the loathing from others push her even further, but the praise also made all the difference. Once she had her few moments filled with applause and outbursts, Soarin settled everyone down. “Now, for our final flyer. This mare is unlike anypony I've ever met. She’s got attitude, vigor, looks, charm, and a flight pattern unique to anything we've ever seen. Her reputation has been built from the mere rumor of the Sonic Rainboom, said to have been pulled off at only filly age, all the way up to just recently breaking through a tornado! Let’s hear it for Rainbow Dash!” The audience erupted with the phrase, “Rainbow Dash,” being celebrated by almost everypony in the stands and clouds. If the other racers didn't have sore ears by then, they sure did once contestant number five entered. Unlike Lightning Dust, who glided her way out, Rainbow trotted through the opening, her mane shielding her eyes, and an intimidating aura surrounding her whole frame. She turned her head right at Lightning Dust, and the two locked sights. With both mares giving each other the angriest of expressions, Soarin’ rallied the crowd, “Look at those sparks fly!” Lightning looked away, facing forward, and Rainbow did the same, but said, “No holding back.” She was just loud enough that Lightning could tell what she was telling her. “Understood.” Soarin’ resumed, “It’s no secret to anyone around these parts! These two have a grudge unlike anything we've seen in a long time, folks! Lightning Dust herself almost brought infamy her way when she put Rainbow’s friend’s lives at risk, and ever since then, the two have kept at arms length. It’s even been spread around the others that Lightning hasn't quit trying to rejoin the recruits. Rainbow Dash on the other hoof has thrived in favor of her superiors, and talent, giving Lightning Dust a run for her money the whole way here.” At that, the crowd exploded with even more excitement. Rainbow tilted her head to say, “You hear that? They’re rooting for me.” Lightning nodded. “I know, but after this, it’ll be the other way around.” Once again, Soarin’ spoke up. “But let’s not forget how much effort Lightning Dust has put forth. She’s done her fair share of jobs, too! Escorting traders, and repairing windmill after windmill with nothing but her sheer speed and determination. I don’t know about you ponies down there, but that deserves some recognition in my opinion. And that’s not all she’s done for the land, but if I took the time to tell you all about every little deed done through these years, we’d be here forever! So, without any further delay, let’s get this race started already!” Down and off the stage the pegasi went, lining up at the starting point. Raindrop stood on top of the yellow line that blinked in and out of sight. Over their heads, the lights that shone could be seen going for what looked like miles. That’s probably exactly how far this race track stretched, long enough for everyone to gather speed, and then slow way down for that first turn. After that, not even Rainbow Dash knew where it’d take them. Up, down, looping in circles? It was unpredictable. The course always changed every year, to keep things fresh. Thanks to unicorn magic, the structure could be realigned in over a thousand different ways. Only the audience knew for certain what to expect, but the recruits down below would have to figure it out for themselves on their first lap. After that, it was up to memory and skill, strength and cunning. One false move, and they’d be out of the race. There was no room for flaws in this. Soarin' began explaining the rules while Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust bowed down at the start, spreading their wings a bit. “After each of the four laps, the one who is left behind in last place will be disqualified, and the remaining racers will have just one less pegasus to worry about. By the last lap, there will only be two left, so let’s cheer them all on so we've got a nice, thrilling race!” Rainbow scuffled her front hooves on the pavement, looking at Lightning Dust as she did. “You ready?” Once the announcer spoke again, she reluctantly returned her gaze at the road. “The losers of this event will have no choice but to train that much harder for next year’s instance. Either that, or give up and go home! Shortly following this will be the returning racers from last year; same rules will apply, but due to such a huge, clustered crowd we've got this time around, that will have to be postponed so everyone who doesn't wish to stay can take their leave.” Finally, Spitfire took control of the mic. “Is everyone ready? Get set… Go!” In a fury of speed, enough to bring a barn flying into the air, all five racers were off. Rainbow immediately took the lead while Lightning Dust decided on the strategic approach, falling behind, just like Thunderlane did. He came close to her, smiled, and then sped back up. She followed suit, but remained in perfect alignment, right behind his body. A little something she learned a few month back was how to use and manipulate force that’s exerted along the route another is going by. This way, Dust could go just as fast without even giving half the energy. Even that was a dangerous action to take. Fifteen minutes into the straight, dark road, the turnabout came, and Lightning Dust almost didn't make it. Curving way up and going for a loop in the air, widening every second of the way, the road didn't seem to ever turn back into a straight path. Instead, it wound the opposite direction. Again, and again, Lightning soared in circles, almost getting dizzy. If it wasn't for the practice she’d gotten with the dizzatron, She might’ve been unable to keep going at such a high velocity. The course finally stabilized into a slanted slope, descending towards the surface below. Now was Lightning’s chance to catch up with the others. She flapped her wings more vigorously than before, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her line of sight, and saw hundreds of ponies to her right sitting at the stands quite a ways off. When she looked forward again, she was stunned to see the road going straight up, into the sky. That was new, they’d never tried that before. Nearly scraping her torso along the rough edge, Lightning flew right along the yellow line. There wasn't much lighting to help her see what was to come next. She seemed to just keep going up, and up, ascending into nothingness. Soon, however, jumping out of the void was the road again. In order to prevent herself from slamming face first into the oncoming street, Lightning barely made the cut without breaking her back in the process. Down again, a dead drop into what looked like pure nothingness save for a few spaces dots of light, almost invisible thanks to the shadows. Just then, things started to feel out of place. Lightning scraped the left portion of her waist along the road, and came to the realization that the road was twisting. She adjusted her flight pattern to cope with the change, and twirled three times total before, yet again, noticing the ground coming at her. Straightening out combined with a pair of zig-zags later, and she finally caught up to one of the other ponies. It was Cloudchaser, panting with exhaustion already. Lightning zoomed by with little regret, and took fourth place, but Cloudchaser wasn't finished with the mare yet. She streamed right next to Lightning Dust, muzzle to muzzle. Until now, Lightning had been doing her best, holding back for as long as possible, but she had little choice by this point in the race. Taking a deep breath and squinting her eyes, Lightning Dust stormed on, leaving her current rival in the dust. A few more turns would catch her by surprise, though the rest of the course turned out to be fairly memorable. Just before reaching the place where they all started, Lightning took a chance and checked to see where the last place pegasus was. She couldn't even see her by then, so lap one was her’s. Cloudchaser had been disqualified. That left three more to beat. Raindrop, Thunderlane… and Rainbow Dash. Who knows where she might've been. More than likely at the very front, cruising along like this was nothing, but Lightning Dust would fix that. Now was the time to find the next place holder, and pass them by, just like what she did with Cloudchaser. So far, this was no stroll through the park, either. A lot was riding on this victory, and it wasn't just that way with Lightning Dust. The conditions of losing weren't bad, but they weren't good, either. Another whole year of training and doing piddly errands any pegasus in this race could do doesn't sound all that horrible. Not at first, but when they've already been doing them for two years straight, adding yet another twelve months isn't bringing much joy for the future. That’s how the Wonderbolts weeded out the strong roots, though. No matter what, if one sticks with it, even if they lose every stadium race year after year, they’ll be welcomed once putting up with the conditions for so long. There’s a total of five races, four of which are made for the returning pegasi that lost last time. Eventually, if somepony just can’t win for some reason, and the leaders think they put their all into every single match, they’re brought in by default. It’s happened before, and it can happen time and time again. Snapping out of the thought, Lightning assured herself she wouldn't be beaten, and then have to wait another year just for another shot. Eventually, with enough work exhausted, she reached Raindrop at the turning point. She didn't seem too winded, but there was definite signs of her inability to keep up her forced speed. During almost all of the second lap, Raindrop and Lightning Dust maintained momentum until the final run. To Lightning’s surprise, Raindrop fell back at the last few minutes, and was disqualified. She’d made a good attempt, but in the end, she just wasn't fast enough. Thinking about how now, Raindrop would have to wait another year before trying this again, Lightning gave even more willpower to catch up with the last two. She did not want the same thing happening to herself. Nopony wanted that, but as stated before, that’s how everypony’s tested, and it’s proven to be quite efficient, too. Just ahead, riding along the lamp posts that illuminated her way, Lightning Dust could just barely see what looked like a tail waving in the gusts of wind. Was it Thunderlane, or Rainbow Dash? From where she flew, Lightning Dust couldn't tell. She was betting on Thunderlane, but with being so far behind throughout the entire race, the possibility of it being Rainbow was still very high. A few seconds before the lap’s first sharp turn, Lightning Dust was finally able to reach far enough ahead to distinguish who it belonged to. It was, indeed, Rainbow Dash. But, what was she doing in second place?