//------------------------------// // Through the Fire and Flames // Story: The Equestria Games: Flight of the Pegasi // by Cerulean Voice //------------------------------// “Ready, Fluttershy? Ready, Bulk?” Rainbow gave her team a final appraisal as the twin whistle sounded above the background roar. “Ready as I can be… I suppose?” Fluttershy eyed Spike coming in with the green flag. She turned to the muscle-bound stallion on her left. “How about you, Bulk?” “Yeah! Let’s go!” His enthusiastic roar almost blew Fluttershy away, the mare clinging to the ground tightly. Rainbow grinned and fixed her concentration on the flag in Spike's grasp, her tail high in the air with anticipation. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt... This is it. All or nothing. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt… Games gold, here we come! *  *  *  *  * Brrt! Twelve pegasi and three griffons shot forward, generating enough backdraft to blow Spike over as they whooshed past. Bulk flapped his minuscule wings as hard as he ever had, yet he saw that he’d immediately fallen behind. No problem! he thought, concentrating on his airborne targets. Through the rings. That’s it. Ahead on their own sections of track, he witnessed Soarin taking the clear lead, with Sunburst and Rainbowshine hot on the Wonderbolt’s heels. Soarin weaved through his rings with grace and expertise, his superior training on clear display. Heading for his first ring, Bulk saw Gaston pull further in front of him. The giant griffon was only slightly smaller than him, yet his larger wingspan allowed him to cover ground that much faster. As he peered up above him, he saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash rushing to their positions, higher in the sky at each of their checkpoints. “This event is made up of three sections,” Shining Armor announced to the stadium in the background. “Each section will have rings throughout the course. Stage One consists of five rings, positioned one after the other. The first competitor must complete eight laps by flying through the rings in the correct order and back again. On the ninth lap, the competitor must pass their team's horseshoe on to the next, who will continue through the second stage. “In this first leg, race favourites Cloudsdale have taken an early lead, with Soarin already completing his first lap!” As the announcement ended—only to be replaced once more with cheers—Bulk sharpened his focus and worked his way through the first rings. With them being larger, he definitely found it easier to manoeuvre through them than during the qualifying round, although he still had to twist his body to fit through. He stole a glance to his left, observing Gaston pulling still further in front. Remember the advice Rainbow gave you, he thought. Don’t think about anypony else, just complete your laps and pass on the horseshoe. Pumping his wings harder than ever, he zoomed towards the fifth ring, preparing to turn around. Up above him, Fluttershy cheered, “Go, Bulk! You can do it!" Bulk smiled as her cheers gave him new vigor. Completing his turn, he noticed the other pegasi already beginning their third lap; Soarin had almost completed his fourth. “Yeeaahhh! Let’s go, Ponyville!” He darted back through his final ring, approaching the end of his first lap. *  *  *  *  * “Still leading the pack, Soarin is making decent headway over his closest opponents,” blared the speakers again. “Sunburst and Rainbowshine follow behind, almost neck and neck, with Gaston and Bulk Biceps bringing up the rear. Those two will be focusing exclusively on just finishing their leg, with their faster teammates picking up the slack later. But don’t count your griffons before they hatch, Game fans, because we have a special surprise for you all: at the beginning of the third lap, our competition is really going to ‘heat up’!” Miss Harshwhinny looked to Celestia and nodded. Celestia smiled, her horn igniting a brilliant gold. “What are you doing, Princess?” Twilight's eyes bored into Celestia's own. “What surprise?” Celestia simply looked at Twilight and smiled as her magical power peaked in intensity. “I am going to cast a complex spell that will make the competitors' rings seem like they are on fire. A completely harmless illusion of course, but the competitors don't know that.” She turned to her flame-hued partner. “Ready, Philomena?” The phoenix nodded, leaving Celestia’s shoulder and coming to rest in midair before her. Wide-eyed, Twilight stared as Philomena opened her beak and shot an intense stream of fire at Celestia, which engulfed her horn in a swirling inferno. Rising from her crystal throne, Celestia flapped her enormous wings and released her flame-imbued magic in twenty-five separate beams of light, each one striking a ring on the stadium grounds. The rings promptly burst into flames. The crowd gasped as one while the competitors faltered, noticing their new obstacle. Even Soarin looked nonplussed at the unexpected development. “Are you crazy, Celestia?” Twilight gaped at the flaming rings. “Worry not, Princess Twilight.” Miss Harshwhinny moved to stand next to the smaller princess. “I assure you, everypony will be quite safe.” “And supposing the competitors feel differently?” Rarity trotted up to Twilight's other side and placed a leg around her friend. “What if they fear to pass through the rings at all?” “That is a decision each will have to make on their own,” Celestia said sagely. “This event is about more than just speed and teamwork; it is also about bravery and self-sacrifice. They are both necessary elements of an elite team.” She looked Twilight directly in the eyes. “Just have faith in your friends.” “I hope you’re right, Princess…” Twilight trailed off, casting her gaze back onto Bulk and the others. Stay safe out there, guys. All of you. *  *  *  *  * Bulk’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting sharply at his new, unexpected obstacle. Flitting in place, he stared at the inflamed ring before him, watching its tongues perform their wild dance. He cast a look around, realising that each and every ring shared the new status. A moment later, though, the flames dissipated. “Go, Bulk, go!” Fluttershy’s continuous cheering reached his ears with the absence of the crackling flames. Steeling his resolve, he plowed on through two rings, completing his second lap. As he turned to begin his third, the rings re-ignited themselves. Getting as close as he dared, Bulk felt the intensity of the conflagration before him. It was certainly hot enough to be intimidating. Maybe… that’s all it’s supposed to be. Taking a deep breath, he plunged towards the ring, expecting to feel searing pain and for the flames to scorch his pure white coat. Passing through it quickly, he opened his squinted eyes and turned around. Aside from a slightly uncomfortable heat, he was completely unscathed. His scarlet eyes brightened at his success. Quickly, he looked around at the others. Soarin had recovered from his initial disbelief and soldiered on rapidly, approaching the end of his sixth lap. Sunburst, surprisingly, remained hot on his tail, completely unperturbed by the flames. Rainbowshine still stared in fear, hovering on the spot. As for the griffon… Bulk watched as Gaston shot towards a ring. The flames perked up again, roaring loudly. Appearing to act on instinct rather than trained reflex, Gaston veered away from the ring—directly into him. Thud! With the breath knocked from his lungs, Bulk gasped and collapsed to the ground, Gaston’s heavy, winged form covering him. He landed heavily, slamming his back and knocking the rear of his head on the ground as the griffon’s weight added to the impact. With stars in his vision, Bulk coughed, wincing as he sat up and pushed Gaston’s frame off himself. As he struggled to regain his breath, Fluttershy landed lightly next to him. “Oh, goodness! Are you okay, Bulk?” Through his disorientation, her compassionate voice drew his attention. Staring into those soft, concerned aqua eyes calmed his mind. “Yeah! Just let me… catch my breath.” “Team Ponyville!” Fluttershy and Bulk jumped at the sound of Shining Armor's voice. “Return to your race positions within ten seconds or face disqualification!” As his voice died away, Fluttershy gazed into Bulk’s eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay? Derpy's ready if you can’t continue.” She looked over at the reserve bench, where Derpy caught her gaze and waved vigorously. Bulk shook his head. “No! I’m okay! I can do it!” He took a deep breath and stood, exhaling. From within his shadow, Fluttershy nodded and took off back to her official race position. “Yeah! I can do this!” Casting a final look at the stunned griffon, Bulk rose up and resumed the race, still panting slightly. As he began his sixth lap, he saw a team of griffon medics attending to Gaston, patting his head and checking his wings while he sat up. No time for him now! Just get the horseshoe to Fluttershy. With only a little more difficulty, Bulk worked on completing his remaining laps, ignoring the flames as he glided through the warm rings without fear. Soarin had already completed his nine laps, having passed the horseshoe to Fleetfoot with an additional hoofbump between them. Sunburst and Rainbowshine weren’t far behind, Rainbowshine evidently having worked up the courage to navigate through the flames. Behind him, Gaston had recovered and was gaining ground rapidly, now also unafraid of the blazing rings. “Bulk Biceps!” Bulk looked up to the voice as he flew, seeing Rainbow Dash far above him with her hooves cupped to her mouth. “You get that horseshoe to Fluttershy right now, you hear me?” “You got it, captain!” With a final burst of speed, Bulk navigated the final ring and swiftly pressed the gilded horseshoe into Fluttershy’s waiting hoof. “Good luck!” he bellowed as she winked at him and took off. His job completed, Bulk lowered himself to the ground and dropped onto his belly, wheezing. While he rested, a shadow covered the sun, prompting him to look up. “Here you go!” Derpy grinned as she emptied a bucket of cold water over his body. Numbed from shock, a dripping Bulk Biceps stared at the substitute mare. “Thanks, Derpy!”