//------------------------------// // Shocking Revelations // Story: The Equestria Games: Flight of the Pegasi // by Cerulean Voice //------------------------------// It was not out of disloyalty that concern for Fluttershy’s well-being remained absent from Rainbow’s mind. Nor was it selfishness that gripped the mare as she zoomed towards the enormous mass of clouds hundreds of metres above her. No, the only thing present in Rainbow’s consciousness was her pursuit of victory. We’ve worked so hard for this, trained day and night for months. I will not let my team down. I will surpass any obstacle. I will weather any and all challenges thrown my way. She cast a quick glance to her right; Spitfire—her hero, her idol, her trainer—accelerated towards the same cloudy congregation, eyes on her own prize. Spitfire: her opponent, her rival, her competition. With the wind whistling through her ears and her mane billowing out behind her, Rainbow barely heard the next announcement from Shining Armor: “The final leg of the Aerial Relay is now underway! Each team member must fly into the centre of that giant, completely unmissable cloud above us and hunt down a particular, smaller cloud within its interior. The first to touch this cloud and return to the ground with their own tuft of it will be rewarded with the golden prize!” “Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow shook her head and gave Spitfire her attention, even as the clouds drew ever closer. “This is it! Just the two of us, flying together, the way you’ve always wanted!” “I’m going to enjoy this, Spitfire! But don’t you think for one second that I’m gonna take it easy on you!” Spitfire smirked. “That’s the spirit I expect from the fastest mare I know! You really should be with me instead of against me. Perhaps you will be after this race!” The ghost of a smile briefly slid across Rainbow’s face before she held out a hoof. Spitfire mirrored the gesture as the two mares slowly drew close to each other. For the briefest of moments, their hooves connected… then they were off, both willing themselves skyward as they rocketed towards the dense, billowing cumulus above. *  *  *  *  * “...will be rewarded with the golden prize!” “Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Oh, please excuse me, dear. Applejack!” Rarity weaved through the dense crowd, searching for her friends while apologising to anypony she inevitably jostled. “Oh, I just know my mane is going to need an extreme work-over after this. At least my dress is still gorgeous.” “Oh, Rarity, don’t be silly. Your mane is always gorgeous.” Spike, seated comfortably astride Rarity’s back, ran his claws through the mare's gentle, elegant locks. “Oh, gosh, Spike—excuse me, madame—stop it, you’re making me blush!” Rarity batted her eyelids, a faint pink tingeing her cheeks. “Why, whenever I look at any of these delightful crystal ponies around us, I feel quite inadequate.” She sighed, eyeing a sparkling, crystal Earth pony mare as she walked past her. “What I wouldn’t give to have my own shining, crystalline coat once more…” Spike rolled his eyes then suddenly stood up on her back. “Applejack! Over here!” he yelled, waving his claw wildly above his head. Three rows below in the crowd, near the other vendors’ carts, Applejack looked up and waved them down. “There she is, Rarity.” Spike pointed his mount down the rows. Rarity nodded and continued to part the crowd with many a “pardon me, sir.” “Hey, you two. What’re you doin’ here? Why ain’t y’all up with the others?” “We came down to see how your investigations were coming along, darling. That, and we’re on our way to check up on Fluttershy.” “Yeah.” Spike nodded. “She’s been through a lot. Were you watching at all?” “I reckon I missed most o' the action—I've been searchin' for leads about Carrot Top's cart.” Applejack shook her head. “I heard some roarin’ but then everypony was all up on their hooves, yellin’ themselves crazy. Couldn’t see nothin’ after that. Why?” “Maybe if she ever wakes up again, she’ll tell you.” Rarity sighed. “So, located any ‘bad apples’ yet?” “Nah, everypony here so far seems to be telling the truth. No shifty behaviour at all, anywhere. Maybe Pinkie’s havin’ better luck—why don't you try her?” “I think I’ll leave the detective work to our pink pseudo-investigator, if you don’t mind. In the meantime, we’ve got a friend to console. Come along, Spike!” Spike lightly grasped Rarity’s neck as they set off towards the medical area. “Say hi to her from me, you two!” Applejack waved as they departed, before turning back to the crowd. “Now, surely one of these ponies musta seen somethin’—” Before she could finish, she felt something rush past her, sending her into an uncontrollable spin. Two seconds later, a pink hoof reached out and grabbed Applejack, steadying her. With her eyes still rolling madly, Applejack quickly shook her head and glared at her hyperactive friend. “What’s your darn hurry, sugarcube?” “Applejack! Come quickly! I have a lead!” yipped Pinkie over the spectator’s racket. “You gotta come quick, or she’ll escape!” “Er, escape?” “Uh, leave, I mean. Yeah, that’s right. She’ll leave. Anyway, let’s go!” She grabbed Applejack’s hoof and pulled her along, rushing back down the lines of ponies to her ‘lead’. *  *  *  *  * Rainbow narrowed her eyes, bracing for the expected dampness that followed from passing through a cloud. What she didn’t expect was the saturated sensation that she likened to taking a dive into Lake Ponyville. “Whoa! What the?” she yelled as she passed through the outer layer. This is some cloud. I’ve never bucked one anywhere near this dense before! While she shook off the offending substance, Spitfire, Cloud Kicker and Rainbow Swoop blazed past her, the Wonderbolt leading by a comfortable margin. It doesn’t matter that she’s in front. This cloud could be anywhere in here; all I have to do is find it first and team Ponyville is home free! Rainbow zipped around inside the murky sea of white, searching in every direction for her target. As she shot through cloud after cloud inside the super-sized cumulonimbus, flicking glances around, two strange sounds reached her ears. Momentarily abandoning her search, Rainbow flew towards the site of the sounds. When she parted a pair of light and fluffy nimbus clouds, she froze in midair, her wings barely keeping her aloft. A strangled gasp wormed its way out of her throat. Cloud Kicker, captain of the Las Pegasus team, lay unconscious on a bed of stratus clouds, slightly darkened with what resembled residual scorch marks left by— “Lightning?” Her eyes widened, her flaring nostrils taking in a familiar singed smell. “But why? This arena is supposed to be lightning-free!” As Rainbow breathed deeply and pondered the nonsensical situation, trying to regain control of her hammering heartbeat, an identical sound thundered from the opposite direction. Now shaking lightly, Rainbow set off towards the noise... and found a bolt-struck Rainbow Swoop in much the same condition as Cloud Kicker. Her worst fears confirmed, Rainbow abandoned all plans of winning the race. Somepony was disabling the competition—worse, hurting her fellow pegasi—and she intended to find the culprit. But first, I gotta find Spitfire. I hope she’s okay. Changing her course, she raced at top speed to the centre of the cumulonimbus. As she neared her destination, a flash of rainbow light stole her attention. There it was: the rainbow stratus cloud she sought after. Turmoil entered her mind as she considered her options. “This is it! Just the two of us, flying together, the way you’ve always wanted!” Spitfire had said. To which she’d replied, “I’m going to enjoy this, Spitfire! But don’t you think for one second that I’m gonna take it easy on you!” Did locating her competitor and friend, ensuring that she was safe count as “going easy on her?” Would she really enjoy her victory knowing that two pegasi had already been knocked out of contention? Most importantly, could she ever forgive herself if she did so? Her mind made up, Rainbow flew up to the rainbow cloud and swiped a tuft of multi-hued fluff. Immediately upon her touch, it vibrated rapidly, becoming a solid blue like her coat. Tucking it between her rear legs, she flew away from the crowd, resuming her search for Spitfire and the Griffon captain. “Spitfire! Giselle! You girls okay?” she yelled into the plush white abyss. “Rainbow! Have you located the target?” Rainbow released the breath she was unaware of holding in relief at Spitfire’s muffled reply. “There’s something weird going on up here. I’ve already had two close calls with some rogue thunderclouds. Where are the others?” Spitfire flew out of her position into Rainbow’s sight, emerging from behind a nearby cumulus. “Not too far from here, back behind me. I haven’t seen Giselle yet, but I found Cloud Kicker and Rainbow Swoop knocked out on some frazzled nimbuses. That isn’t just rogue lightning, Spitfire, and these are definitely not random strikes. Somepony must be out to get us." “But we’re the only ones up here—” Spitfire’s mouth and eyes opened in shock as a bolt of lightning zapped her left wingtip from behind. With a fleeting glance at Rainbow, Spitfire mouthed the words behind you before her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted. Rainbow attempted to turn—far too late. She found her wings gripped in a spear-sharp hold. “Did you miss me, Lamebow Crash? I missed you.” That voice…