//------------------------------//
// Arctic Rush 
// Story: The Cloudsdale Underground 
// by Stratocaster 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4: Arctic Rush


Rainbow awoke in a bleary haze. She pulled her heavy sleep-encrusted eyelids apart and looked up, trying to fight against her swirling head. The glow against cabin wall showed that Celestia's sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon outside the window. She opened her eyes wider with confusion, having no memory of the night before. Then, as her sense began to reactivate, she felt something weighing her down on her body. Rainbow became even more baffled to see an extra lump underneath her covers. She quickly removed the blanket, and suddenly the memories came flooding back. Soarin' was fast asleep, happily cuddling against Rainbow's soft chest, like a mare against her stallion.

"Son of a-" Rainbow cursed to herself, wiping her eyes in disdain.

Immediately, she wanted to get up out of bed. But the satisfied stallion holding her like a teddy bear was not making it easy. With minute, subtle movements, Rainbow slowly slid herself out of Soarin's clutch and instantly replaced her presence with her pillow. Fortunately, Soarin' only moaned in his sleep, and squeezed the pillow. Rainbow slumped out of the lower bunk and wobbled on her hooves. The feeling of being airborne was no help at all, as her legs felt like jelly and her head was light as a balloon. She looked in the mirror. Her messy mane was flayed in all directions, and her blue fur was matted from frantic movements in bed. With a tired groan, Rainbow grabbed her towel and prepared to make her way to the bathroom, when she then heard a friendly voice.

"Morning!" Soarin' awoke, lying on his side and staring at her with an affectionate smile.

Rainbow spun around in a fright. "Oh! Uh, hey...buddy!" she said sheepishly.

Soarin' gave a long yawn. "How'd you sleep?"

"Uh...pretty good." She couldn't say for sure. "How about you?"

"Oh man, last night was amazing!" he rolled onto his back, reminiscing. "I've never felt more alive."

Rainbow scratched her mane. "Wow, uh, what time did we get to sleep?"

"Heh, probably not for a few hours." Soarin' smiled giddily. "You really let me have it last night. It was like you were hooked on the adrenaline from racing. I didn't know you had it in ya." He gave her a knowing wink.

Rainbow began to feel queasy. She recalled that the only reason she made that kind of jump on Soarin' was because she had sampled the steroid known as Shift, and the reaction caused her to go into an adrenaline-induced heat. Everything else was still a blur, but it quickly dawned on her that she had gotten herself into a big misunderstanding.

"Yeah well," she said, trying to find an excuse. "I better go freshen up. Mind if I step out?"

"Take your time." Soarin' said with a wink. "The next race doesn't start until later today, so I think I'll sleep in." He looked at her suavely. "See ya later, hot stuff."

Rainbow forced a chuckle then exited the cabin, filling with regret.

...

She took her time with freshening up and decided as well to head to the dining room for some breakfast in solitude. Rainbow rested her face on her hoof with a mug of coffee, extra sugar no cream, and mulled over her rash action last night. It was true that she cared about Soarin' and felt close to him, but had never planned to get that close to her friend any time soon, especially since she wasn't in the right mind. She didn't have the heart to tell Soarin' that she only seduced him because she was under a drug-filled tirade. But it was the truth, and she didn't want her dear friend to be fooled by false love. If this was the kind of affect that Shift had on her, then she never wanted to go through its influence again. It was simply too dangerous.

"Somepony had too much fun last night, huh?" came the voice of Volt, as he sat in the adjacent table.

"Ugh, I am so not in the mood to deal with you right now!" Rainbow dropped her head on the table.

"Relax, sweetheart," he grumbled. "I'm not in the mood for hazing you either. I just want to enjoy my coffee and relax before the race."

Rainbow sat back in her chair. "I bet your ego's pretty shot after that whole mess in the jungle."

"Mess? Pfff!" he rolled his eyes. "A mess is getting a stain on your flight suit. That was a travesty."

"So you lost your title on that course." Rainbow shrugged. "What's the big deal? Records are meant to be broken, aren't they?"

"You don't understand." Volt said flatly. "This underground is a hierarchy. If you do well in a few races, Falcon makes sure you live like a king. But if you screw up, he treats you like dirt. He makes his lowest contenders either train like dogs or work like 'em. You either try to improve yourself on a dangerous course, or you become one of his servants. If you choose neither, well, let's just say it's not likely for you to leave the circuit. Alive, anyway."

"Jeez, I thought he was bad before," said Rainbow. "But this Falcon guy is a real tyrant."

"Try not to say that too loud, now." Volt replied. "The walls have ears, you know?"

Rainbow then thought for a second with a nagging question. "Volt, why did you join the underground anyway?"

Volt took a long sip from a scolding hot mug and replied reverently. "That's a little personal for you business, new girl. But I will say this. I made a promise to somepony special. I told them that I would help them avoid shame and punishment by becoming the best racer here. So I'm not just in it for myself. And I'll do whatever it takes."

"Wow," she was genuinely surprised at the tough punk's sincerity. "That's too far off from why I'm here."

"And what reason is that?" he asked.

"I accidentally hurt one of my closest friends," she sighed. "And now I'm responsible for paying for her recovery. I'm pretty much just in it for the money. And I just need enough of it to get her out of the hospital."

Volt cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well this is a pretty extreme solution to that."

"Say what you will." Rainbow sulked. "I'm gonna help my friend no matter what."

"Assuming Falcon will let you leave after you get your money." Volt remarked. "In that case, you better hope to win the next couple races. And I doubt you'll have much of a chance today."

"I thought you were done with the hazing." Rainbow sneered.

"I'm just telling you this for your own good." Volt glowered. "Have you noticed all the snow outside, all of a sudden?"

Rainbow looked out the window. For the past couple hours, the zeppelin had crossed over the cold tundras of the north, and the terrain began to poke out in snow-covered crags. Flurries of snow blew by, indicating high altitude and wind speed.

"We're coming up to the Crystal Mountains." Volt continued. "Instead of a circle, the track we've built there starts at a base camp, works through some icy crevasses, and ends at the summit of one of the tallest mountains there. You can't fly too high, or else the winds will drag off to nowhere. And if you stay still for too long in those mountains you'll freeze to death. I've lost some pretty decent rivals here before."  Volt then stood up and prepared to leave. "If you have any way of helping you win, even if it's cheating, I suggest you use it."

Rainbow gulped as he left. She was able to endure the blistering heat of the desert and the jungle. But she hated cold. She absolutely dreaded every time winter came around. And she was not excited about speeding through near-zero temperatures at a blinding velocity. But it suddenly occurred to her. She had a way of beating the cold as well as the competition. Rainbow told herself that she would swear off using Shift again. But as the zeppelin cruised ever closer to the towering peaks of the Crystal Mountains, she began to have second thoughts.

...

The zeppelin was soon heavily anchored down on a mountaintop base amidst the blistering northern winds that rocked it from side to side. This time, Falcon would watch the race from a large luxurious tent, with a fur coat, cappuccino machine, and a space heater. Rainbow saw the crime lord in his comfortable state and wondered how such a spoiled old goat managed to pull off a series of speed records in his day. She joined the other elite racers at the designated starting line, which overlooked an ice-covered crevasse that plunged down to an unseen bottom below. Rainbow gulped; if her wings were to suddenly freeze up in mid-flight, it would be a long way down. It became apparent that the trick to winning was staying ahead and keeping warm at the same time.

"If any of you can't take a little chill in the air," announced Falcon. "I suggest you leave right now."

Flare took her time with donning a pair of fuzzy earmuffs and a scarf. "No reason to sacrifice warmth or fashion."

"Prima-dona." Volt rolled his eyes, as he put on a ski jacket that zipped up all the way over his mouth.

It quickly dawned on Rainbow as she adjusted her goggles that she should've packed better prepared for the cold. Her slim flight suit would not be enough to protect her body from the frigid temperature. Now seemed like an even better time to use her secret weapon. After double-taking to check if nopony was looking, she discretely pulled the vile of Shift from her sleeve and quickly downed the lot of it in one gulp. She knew the risks taking the steroid potion would have on her body, but she was willing to make that sacrifice to not only win, but also survive.

"Racers, on your marks!" called Falcon.

The pegasi leaned over the crevasse.

"Get set!"

Rainbow suddenly felt a leap in her heartbeat as it began to pump over a hundred times a minute. She quickly had the urge to put her entire body into motion and seemed to involuntarily shoot off from the ground and into the freezing air, before Falcon could say go.

"Hey! She got a headstart!" complained Flare.

Falcon looked off at the blue pegasi as she soared off early, then to the rest of the competition. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go and beat her you idiots!" he commanded. "I never said you had to wait for me to count you off!"

Immediately, the racers spread their wings and took off into the unforgiving cold.

Rainbow felt more on top of her game than ever. The effects of Shift was coursing through her veins like steam in a locomotive. Surprisingly, the cold barely even phased her, as she plowed through it at nearly five hundred miles an hour. The amount of heat emanating from her body was enough to practically melt the snow smacking into her. Now that she was immune to the cold, the snow-covered peaks in front of her were just giant white obstacles for her to focus on. Rainbow had already pulled way ahead into first place, leaving the other pegasi to eat her multicolored dust. It seemed that the Crystal Mountains would be an easy win for her.

The same couldn't be said for Flare and Volt, as they struggled to push forward through the harsh headwind. Although they were still ahead of the rest, they were nowhere near catching up to Rainbow.

"Damn that little tomboy!" exclaimed Flare over the howling wind. "How did she get so fast all of a sudden?!"

"I don't know, but I don't care!" Volt grimaced. "I'm not gonna be humiliated on another track."

"Are you seriously still mad over the jungle thing?!" glowered Flare.

"You know exactly why I'm doing this!" he replied soberly. "Just stay behind me and-"

"Volt look out!" shouted Flare.

The blinding snowdrift had been distracting Volt from noticing. Trailing close behind him was Soarin' riding on his drift and attempting to overtake him. With a quick reaction, Volt turned upward and looped back, preparing to come down on his foe's back with a kick. But Soarin' saw the attack coming and rolled out of the way.

"If you think you're gonna send me to last again," glared Volt. "You got another thing coming, wonder boy!"

"I don't need to waste my time with you!" replied Soarin'. He then managed to catch an updraft from the wind, which gave him an extra push of speed forward.

Flare looked at Volt discerningly. "Are you going to catch him or what?!"

"Relax will you?" responded Volt with a devious grin. "I'm not going easy on him this time!" He quickly produced another method of cheating from his flight suit, an air horn, and let it sound.

Soarin' continued on a part of the track that led down a steep mountainside, the barrier markers dropping him low close to the ground. His downward velocity was giving him an increasing lead over the competition. But the blaring sound of the air horn resonated through the mountain range, and the earth suddenly began to shake. Immediately, the deafening sound caused an avalanche to erupt. A great wave of snow tumbled down the mountain at the speed of a bison charge.
Soarin' gawked at the avalanche. His reaction was to fly above the cascade, but the track markers, which arched over the track and kept the racers flying through them, prevented him from avoiding it. Soarin' figured that this leg of the race was intentional for racers to beat each other with the advantage of an avalanche. The despicable methods of Peregrine Falcon knew no bounds.
The far-from-home Wonderbolt dug into his energy and gave his wings everything he had to stay ahead of the snowy torrent. But nature was beginning to gain the upper hoof, as the avalanche followed inches behind his blue windswept tail.

"Come on, come on!" he urged himself to avoid a collision. But his hoping didn't stop his right wing from cramping up in mid-flight. "Youch!" he yelled as his wing ceased up from strain.

The cramp caused Soarin' to drop in speed, and before he knew it, he was enveloped in a shroud of powder. He tossed and tumbled violently in the snow for nearly a minute, choking and gagging on the powder all the while. At last, the avalanche came to a stop, and Soarin' lay underneath in a heap. He tried vigorously to scrape and push the snow out of his way to escape. But the blanket was far too thick; Soarin' couldn't move.

"Oh no. Help! Help!" he cried out to nopony. He imagined the other pegasi speeding over him that very moment. "Ugh, you bastards!" But as Soarin' lay there in the silence, quickly feeling hopeless, he heard a new sound.

"WOOF! WOOF!"

Soarin' heard a faint plodding coming from the surface above, which then turned into the sound of digging through the snow. He smiled with hope. "Oh thank Celestia! Rescue dogs!"

Before long, Soarin' saw light peer in from above, as a small hole was dug into the snow. Fortunately, he now had room to move his hooves and climb up through the surface. But as he poked his head out, he came face to face with one of his rescue dogs.

"GRRRRRRRR!"

"AAAAAHH!" screamed Soarin' as he looked upon a snarling timberwolf, who had migrated north along with its brethren.

Soarin' panicked and scrambled out of the snow while a trio of timberwolves were ready to pounce on him. His hooves moved in a spastic gallop as he hurried down the mountain. But the ferocious canines howled and bounded after him, ready to sink their fangs into their prey. Still in the mindset of racing, Soarin' continued to run through the arch markers, although he was quickly considering throwing aside the rules and escape somewhere else. He tried to flap his wings to take off, but the cramp was still persistent. Then, as the timberwolves were about to snatch the pony by his tail, Soarin' heard a frantic voice approaching.

"Fast! Fast! Outta the way!"

"What the-?!" Soarin' suddenly felt himself being swept off the ground, as the adrenaline junky Turbo knocked into him. With fast reflexes, he grabbed a hold onto the crazy pony's back.

"Gah! Get off get off! Need to win!" sputtered Turbo as he tried to shake his straggler off.

But Soarin' clung on. Without his right wing in action, he would surely not survive the mountains before finishing the race. So he decided to use Turbo as a lifeline. "Hey buddy," he called, gripping onto his shoulders tightly. "If you let me finish the race with you, I'll give you a hundred bits!"

"No! No! Alone! No partner!" exclaimed Turbo, continuing to try to wriggle him off.

"Okay then," continued Soarin'. "How about this? I got some Discord Energy Soda back in my cabin. I'll let you have the whole case!"

"Energy?! Soda?! Fast?!" queried Turbo.

"Very fast."

"Yes! Yes! Fast! Wanna go fast! Yes!" Turbo let Soarin' ride along with the promise of sweet sweet energy drink.

Throughout the rest of the race, Soarin' tagged along hoping that this violation of the rules would be accepted by Falcon. However, his added weight caused Turbo to drag and lose his edge in speed. Still, the two of them managed to get ahead of the other pegasi at twelfth place, as they approached the final mountain, which towered up ahead. The markers were placed so that the racers would have to hover over the mountainside upwards at a steep eighty degree angle. As Turbo approached the mountain, he surprisingly became exhausted from both the altitude and carrying Soarin' on his back. Eventually, Soarin' had to hop off and the two of them found themselves scaling the mountain on hoof.

"Fast! Not fast! Too slow!" Turbo shouted in desperation as he climbed the rocky side.

"Oh give me a break!" Soarin' scoffed as he followed alongside. "I thought you were one of the best in the circuit!"

"Shut up! Can't...breathe!" panted Turbo.

"Quit complaining!" said Soarin'. "I think I see the top!"

As the mist of the mountaintop cleared, the summit finally came into view. Soarin' thanked his lucky stars. He had survived freezing temperatures, an avalanche, a pack of timberwolves, and of course the misdeeds of the other racers. It was a race for survival, and to him, he still won.
At long last, both he and Turbo poked their heads up out of the clouds and saw the mountaintop. The first thing they saw in the flat craggy summit was Falcon, sitting by his cozy tent with all his amenities, staring at them bemused. Several other racers sat nearby nursing their wounds and freezing their tails off.

"Huh? How did you get here?!" Soarin' gawked at Falcon.

"I have wings too, dumbass." Falcon snorted at him. "Hmm, twelfth place. Seems more fitting for you, Wonderbolt. Although I expected much better from you, Turbo. Maybe I should keep you locked in your cage."

"GRRRAAAAAHH!" shouted Turbo in anger. He then pointed accusingly at Soarin'. "Your fault! Too slow! Dragged me down!"

"Ah come on, buddy." Soarin' urged. "You still want those energy drinks or not?"

"No! No charity!" Turbo huffed. "...Yes please."

"Wait a minute, where's Rainbow?" asked Soarin'. "Did she finish first?"

"What do you think?" Falcon pointed upward with disdain.

High above, Rainbow was circling over the mountaintop in hyper elation, burning off the last remaining fumes of Shift. "Whoo hoo! Ah yeah! That's right!" she gloated as she circled like a drunken bee. "I'm the alpha pony here! Nopony beats me! Come and get some!"

"She's been celebrating for half an hour." Falcon growled with annoyance. "And she still won't shut up! It's like watching a griffon chase its tail! Freaking griffons."

"Man," Soarin' stared up at her stoked friend. "I didn't think Rainbow would handle a cold track so well. She seems different now."

"Why are you telling me this?" glared Falcon. "Go get some water or whatever, before you fly back to my zeppelin."

"Wait, you're making us fly back?!" blurted Soarin'. "Haven't we suffered enough?!"

Falcon stared down at Soarin' with narrowed eyes, like a drill sergeant looking at a house fly. "You should try the kinds of races I've done in my time." He seethed. "Then you'd know what suffering is."

"Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! I'm the queen of the sky!" cheered Rainbow, still buzzing around.

"Will somepony shut her up?!" bellowed Falcon.