//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: A Dash to the Finish // Story: Soarin to Victory // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// There he was, soaring through the sky. Practicing for the Equestria Games qualifying tournament, Soarin looped around Rainbow Falls, dazzling the ponies down below. Rainbow Dash had just finished talking to Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy, trying to get them psyched for their chance. She knew that their hopes of qualifying were slim. She made the two of them look up at Soarin, hoping that they would learn a thing or two. Soarin was up there flying just above her, sounding like a jet engine shooting across the sky. It was the first time since the royal wedding, the night that he kissed her, that she had seen him. Even though she wondered for months why he never went back to see her, feeling like a fool for falling for a famous stallion who might not have even cared for her at all, she was still somewhat pleased to see him once again. He was fast, energetic, and on a roll as he flew around in the sky. Maybe he went a little too fast, though. Or maybe he got distracted by two cheerleading mares spurring him on, because it resulted in him taking his attention from where he was going. As he looked down, his wing snagged on an elevated hoop, injuring it, and sending him directly for a nosedive. The stallion Rainbow loved, the stallion that stole her heart, but also crushed it when she never heard back from him after the wedding, was falling directly to his death. There was nothing else for the mare to do other than do what she did best: be a hero. Her wings shot out behind her, and she dashed into the air, catching Soarin soon before he hit the ground. It was all worth it for thanks she got from the stallion she admired. "You're the best, Rainbow Dash." But trouble soon came for the Ponyville pegasus. She took the offer to train with Fleetfoot and Spitfire, practicing for the rest of the day with them, and even getting offered to replace Soarin in the Cloudsdale team for the games. What would it be? Represent the town she was born in, or race with the town she made her home? It was her decision, and only hers to make. It was the greatest test of her loyalty, because nopony could blame her for her decision either way. After all, she would technically still be loyal no matter what choice she made. What was she to do? Naturally, she chose the best way: fake an injury and procrastinate the decision. She was taken to the hospital and given amazing attention from her closest friends. Little did she know that faking the injury helped her make one of the most important decisions of her life. If it wasn't for Fluttershy coming in and offering Dash her gold medal if would end up winning it, things may have gone so much differently. Right then and there, Rainbow knew that her heart was in Ponyville. Getting surprised by Soarin, who was in the next bed beside her, was quite the reward for her cowardly decision. Him telling her how amazing her friends were meant so much to Dash, as she saw how fickle Spitfire and Fleetfoot were, not even visiting their stallion friend and wanting to replace him right away. It assured her to stay with her friends. After fessing up that she wasn't injured after all, and telling everypony that she wanted to represent both teams, she decided to choose Ponyville, much to her friends' excitement. She was happy in heart about her decision, and even got Spitfire to admit that she taught her a lesson. The only thing that was left to do was practice for the final qualifying race the next day. The Ponyville trio had their work cut out for them. Four hours passed, and the Ponyville relay team were spent. But it seemed like they could actually have a chance to qualify in the end. 'Good nights' were said as the ponies all went their separate ways for the night to rest up and return the following morning. Dash went to where her bag was in order to pick it up and go home. She looked over the mountainside, and watched as the sun descended. She picked up her bag and put it on her back. "Hey," came a voice from behind her. Dash turned around, looking directly at Soarin, who was also tired and soar from the hard day of practice. "Hey, Soar. What's up?" "I just wanted to say thank you once again for saving my life." "No problem, what are friends for?' Rainbow replied with a smile. "I really, really mean it, Dashie. You mean so much to me." "Uh-huh," she said with a nod, not really convincingly. "Hey, why is a mare as amazing as you not going out with a stallion like me?" "I don't know, Soarin, I should ask you the same thing," she replied with a snippy tone. "Well, what about now? Will you go out with me?" "Will you ignore me for another year if I say yes?" "Dashie, I'm sorry. I promise I won't. Life just got in the way. I didn't have time to come visit you or anything, with all the training and shows getting in the way. But I had a lot of time to become a better stallion. I set my priorities in order. And now I know what I want in life- a mare like you by my side." "Soarin, you got my hopes up so high last time that when I never heard back from you I fell so hard. I cried for weeks. I felt like you played me." "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry from the bottom of my heart. Can you give me a second chance?" he asked while putting a hoof tenderly on her shoulder. "I don't know," she responded while looking down. "I have to think about it." -------------------------------------- There she stood, looking at the track ahead of her. It was the second aerial race that she qualified for at the Equestria Games, the ten lap dash. There she stood beside Soarin, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and four other ponies from different cities in the kingdom, including Lightning Dust. Dash looked out to the crowd. Her parents and friends were there yet again, cheering her on. Rainbow stood in her lane beside her coltfriend of a few months. They shared a smile together as they bent down to stick their hooves on the starting pedals, getting ready for race to begin. She had the honour of facing, and potentially beating, her coltfriend to win the gold medal, as he did in the first race the day before. "You know, Dashie, I can't just let you win. But I think you do have a good chance," Soarin said as they waited the word from the announcer. "Ha, like I need you to let me win," Dash responded in her typical confident fashion. They arched their backs as the gunshot to start the race was about to go off. -------------------------------------- The big day came- the qualification day for the relay race at Rainbow Falls. Because of the events the day before, most of the ponies there wanted Ponyville to take the final qualification spot for the flying relay race. Four of the five spots were already filled. Rainbow looked around to see the cheering faces of her friends. She felt joy when she saw Pinkie Pie, and even the normally reserved Twilight Sparkle, in their cheerleading outfits. She could hear Soarin, the stallion she partially turned down the night before, cheering for her team to make it, which meant a lot. Dash looked over to the larger-than-life white stallion holding the baton to start the race. The nerves on his face could be clearly seen. He knew that there were a lot of ponies depending on him to get off to a good start. The timer began, and Bulk Biceps was off. He ascended to the sky, approaching the hoop, which was barely even bigger than him. In practice he had the quite the trouble trying to make it through while still holding on to the golden horseshoe. He approached the ring that he feared. Yet, somehow, someway, perhaps even by a miracle, he made his way through, handing off the baton to Fluttershy, who was able to hold onto it after stumbling. The shy mare flapped her weak wings as hard as they could go as she went further and further, going through the hoops. She could hear the cheers from the ponies down below. She knew how badly Rainbow wanted to qualify, and she needed to give her multi-coloured friend a fighting chance. Fluttershy made her way through the hoops gracefully and at her best time yet. She handed the baton over to Rainbow, who made a mad dash into the hoops at the fastest speed she could go, while still keeping the accuracy she needed. She knew the time was running short, and she had to make it up. Rainbow darted perfectly through all the hoops as she ascended, and it was just directly upward to go. She switched into the maximum speed she could go without breaking the sound barrier yet again. The tears streamed from her eyes from the wind as she made her way closer to the top, the finish cloud getting bigger and bigger as she made her way up. The seconds ticked on. She blasted through the cloud, not knowing what their final time was. She slowed down, feeling deep fear in the pit of her stomach as she awaited the verdict. It was going to be close, agonizingly close. "Ponyville qualifies!" shouted the games' aerial races timer stallion. Those two words- so simple, and yet they meant the entire world to Rainbow as her friends swarmed her in celebration. But that was only one of the three races she was trying out for. Two more race qualifications followed in the next two days. This one meant the most to her, though, by far. It meant that she could compete with two of her friends. Nothing else could compare. Rainbow said goodbye to her friends later that evening, who had to return to their normal lives while she stayed for the next few days to qualify for the ten lap dash and the cross-country race. It was bittersweet saying goodbye. Her friends were all so proud of her, and she wouldn't have experienced this moment if it weren't for them. Them leaving also meant that she would not have anypony cheering her on for the final two race qualifications. Or at least it felt that way, for a time. Being situated on the side of a mountain, Rainbow Falls had a stunning view of Equestria. After the sun set, Dash went to the edge of the cliff and sat down with her legs dangling off, staring out at the beautiful night sky. The sound of the falls was calming, and the sky was full of the little luminaries that lit up the night. It was a busy day for the young mare. She proudly helped Ponyville's relay team qualify for the games, but she still had a long road ahead of her. The sound of the falls was calming on this spring evening. She let out a sigh while staring at the beautiful sight ahead of her. "Mind if I come and sit beside you?" Rainbow turned to look at Soarin upon recognizing his voice. "Yeah, I guess so." Soarin carefully sat down beside the mare and let his legs dangle off the side of the cliff. After letting out a sigh as well at the stunning sight of the stars, Soarin said to the mare beside him, "I'm really happy you qualified, Dashie. Being with you at the games will be an honour and a privilege." Dashie. He still calls me Dashie. Maybe he still cares. "I'm happy I'm going too. And I'm happy I made the right choice to represent the town I love at the games. But don't talk too much, Soarin- even though I am pretty awesome and the games would be very different without me, you don't have to pretend like you're this excited to see me there." "No, Dashie, I mean it," Soarin replied while looking outward still. "Even though I've been busy and a little insensitive to your feelings-" "A little?!" "Okay, very insensitive to your feelings, I still care about you. As Spitfire said to you yesterday, you really are something else. You're a special mare; one that doesn't come around very often anymore." Great, how can I stay mad at him now? "I may talk a lot about myself being amazing and all, Soarin, but I'm not really that great. I just try really hard to be the best I can be." "Hey, you should be proud of who you are. And if you brag about yourself, so be it. You deserve to do so.' Dash could feel her heart being softened by his kind words. "Soarin, why? Why are you saying these nice things?" "Because you deserve to hear them," he replied. He let out a sigh once again. "Listen, I know I may not deserve you, but I really wish you would give me a chance." He looked to the mare beside him, who was looking down at her hooves, lost in thought. The stallion picked himself up, now standing beside the mare. "I just want a chance to make things up to you." As Dash kept quiet, Soarin began to trot away, back to the place he was staying for the night. But he didn't get too far. "Okay," Rainbow said quietly. Soarin stopped in his tracks. "What was that?" The mare turned her body to face him. "I said 'okay'. I'll give you a chance." "What? Really?" Soarin asked with an eager grin from ear to ear. "Yep. I think you've earned it," Dash replied, smiling back. "Sweet!" Soarin replied while coming up to her. "Thank you, Dashie. I won't let you down," he said while reaching down to hug her. Closing her eye that was closest to Soarin, she returned the hug as well. "Don't worry about it. So, I'll see you tomorrow at the next qualifying race?" "You bet! Good night, Dashie." "Good night, Soarin." And a good night it was. The next morning came, and Rainbow waited for her chance to qualify for the ten lap race, the second one of the aerial races. She watched as Soarin was the first stallion to qualify, taking up one of the eight available spots out of the fourty ponies competing. He flew as fast as he could around the set up sky track around the mountain, which was set up to be four thousand metres, equivalent to the ten laps on the track. Dash cheered on the stallion, though quietly, not wanting to make a scene and have everypony know that they just started dating the night before. As he heard the good news that he qualified, he went up to the mare and gave her a hug, which she returned. They watched as ponies filled the final qualification spots. Spitfire and Fleetfoot, as expected, also qualified. Eventually, the time came for her qualification run. As she stood at the starting line, Soarin shouted out, "You can do it, Dashie. I believe in you!" So much for keeping it quiet. The referee representative from the games committee held up his hoof, signaling Rainbow Dash to get ready. She bent down, spreading her wings upward, awaiting the call to go. She watched the referee's hoof closely, wanting to get the best head start that she could. She licked her lips as she prepared herself. "Go!" the stallion shouted, lowering his hoof quickly. Like a lightning bolt, she shot out. The referee had to hold onto his cap so that it didn't blow away from the wind made by her wings. "Go Dashie! I believe in you," she heard Soarin shouting as his voice faded away when she flew out, following the aerial pathway set up for the qualifiers. Dash made her way in the air, far above the river from the falls down below that went through the forest. The smell of the fresh air, the wind in her mane, the adrenaline of competition; there was nothing quite like it. The mare had to push hard to keep her focus, though. She couldn't get distracted by the view and the incredible feeling of flying and end up slowing down. She frowned as she went forward, determined to keep going. As she made her way around the mountain, she was bolting as hard as she could. If her chances of winning the relay race were thin, she had to make it to at least one individual race to hope and get a medal. She sped up to nearly Sonic Rainboom-like speed. She could see the air bending around her as she started to nearly break the sound barrier. But she also needed to keep control. The mountain was just to her left as she flew along the space allotted. If she went too fast, she raised the risk of creating a near-fatal situation for herself. The best thing for the dashing pegasus to do was spread out her wings horizontally and glide for a few seconds, lowering her speed and increasing her stability. She glided along the mountainside, making the large turn. She held her pose as she turned one more time, now facing the finish line dead ahead of her in the flat plateau. With one final heavy push, she darted directly for the finish line. She could hear Soarin's supportive voice getting louder and louder as she got closer and closer. Dash pointed her nose and hoof downward as she descended a few degrees down toward the finish. The mare crossed the finish line at a high speed, blowing the manes of everypony standing nearby. She spread out her wings and went upward a few degrees, slowing down so that she could come back to get her result, "So, how'd I do?" she asked the others as she came back. All of their mouths were wide open. "What're you guys staring at?" "Rainbow, that was amazing," Spitfire said, admiring the Ponyvillians' time. Rainbow felt joy inside as her hopes raised. "So, did I qualify?" she asked the referee, whose mouth was still ajar. The stallion shook his head to rattle some sense back into himself. "Um, yes, yes you did." "Yes!" Rainbow screamed as she flew into the air. She was instantly hugged by Soarin in the air. But what the games' referee didn't tell her was that her qualification time was the fastest in the history of that event's qualification. -------------------------------------- The gunshot was heard around the stadium. The ponies were off like a bullet. The crowd noise shot up as the excitement of the competition grew. Rainbow kept up with the other Wonderbolts as they made their way around the four hundred metre track. One lap passed. The crowd noise died down as they watch the race unfold. Two laps passed. Rainbow Dash still kept up with the three Wonderbolts competing. Three laps. Spitfire took the lead, with Soarin and Rainbow just behind. Fourth lap. The ponies kept their positions. The same for laps five, six, and seven. Eighth lap. Fatigue started to creep its way in. The ponies competing had to swipe the sweat from their faces. The summer sun started to take its toll. Ninth lap. Spitfire started to slow down while Soarin and Rainbow caught up. Tenth lap. The final one. The crowd noise got louder as they anticipated the finish. Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin were now neck and neck coming up to the final curve. Soarin pulled slightly ahead of the other two as the bend started. "Come... on," Rainbow pleaded with her body, flapping her wings as fast as she could, trying to fight off her tiredness that was rapidly increasing. With Soarin just up ahead, Rainbow and Spitfire were tied. It looked as if a photo finish would be needed to determine second place. Soarin passed the end of the curve and had just the finish line ahead. All of his fans started to rejoice as they saw him approaching the end, especially because he wasn't even expected to make it onto the podium. Spitfire and Dash made it to the end of the curve with the fiery-coloured pegasus on the inside of the track. Dash could smell the finish. With a little bit of a push, she could reach the silver medal. She flapped her wings as hard as she could in on final attempt to get a boost ahead. "Uh-oh," she said as she felt a sharp pain in her left wing. Her pupils quickly became small as worry consumed her. She looked over to her right into the section cheering her on, picking out Scootaloo. The filly, wearing a Rainbow Dash shirt and wig, was cheering her heart out for her hero. But the filly's smile quickly became a face of shock as she watched Dash's left wing jolt, bending sideways. Dash let out a loud yell as the pain of the cramp consumed her thoughts. She quickly lost balance, flying into the side, cushioned wall. But the pain that was even worse than the wing cramp was watching all the others pass the finish line ahead of her, including Fleetfoot in third. Cloudsdale was well represented in the race as Wonderbolts took all three medals. "I'm a failure," Dash said, resting her head on her front hooves as she lay down there on the track.