"I wanta see your Airship the moment the race is over." Gerardo said flying beside Star Swirl as he walked through a hanger where all the racers were putting last minute touches on thier chariots.
"Patience, my feathered friend. You'll have your winnings before the sun sets, and we'll be far away from here." Star Swirl said assuringly
"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think..." The griffin said with a laugh. "I warn you, no funny business."
"You don't think Sombra will win?"" The Unicorn asked rasing an eyebrow.
"Don't get me wrong. I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race." Gerardo said stopping infront of an orange and red chariot. "But Alduin there is going to win, I think." he siad mostaining to the Drake who was getting a massage from female griffins.
"Why do you think that?" Star Swirl asked.
"He always wins." The griffin laughed. "I'm betting everything on Alduin."
"I'll take that bet." The unicorn said casing Gerardo to land in suprise.
"You'll what??!!"
"I'll wager my new Chariot against... say... the boy and his mother." Star Swirl said off handedly.
"No chariot is worth two slaves." Gerardo said disgruntled. "Not by a long shot."
"The boy, then..."
"Um... Well... We'll let fate decide, huh." The griffin said pulling out a small cube with two colours on it. "I just happen to have a chance cube here. Blue it's the boy, red his mother." He said rolling it on the ground as Star Swirls horn glowed slightly and it landed on blue.
"You won the small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race, so it makes little difference." Gerardo said angirly, flying over to the hanger enterence where Sombra, Puledro, Shadow Flame, Wa-waush-ka'-ehe and Sombra's blue earth pony friend were brining Sombra's Chariot in. "Better stop your friends betting or I'll end up owning him too." He said before flying away as Star Swirl walked up to them.
"What'd he mean by that?" Sombra asked looking up at the Crystal Knight.
"I'll tell you later. Goodmorning." He said noding to Shadow Flower.
"This is so awsome Sombra! I'm sure you'll do it this time." The blue earth pony colt said encouragingly.
"Do what?" Puledro asked listening in on their conversation.
"Finish the race, of course!" The colt said looking up at him.
"You've never won a race?" The young adviser asked.
"Well... not exactly..." Sombra said sheepishly
"Not even finished?!"
"Shad's right, I will this time." He said optimistically.
"Of course you will." Star Swirl Said walking up to them as Puledro gave him a concerned look.
A large semi-circular amphitheatre that held hundred of ponies and other beings cheared reastlessly as they waited for the race to begin.
"Welcome one and all to the Summer's Eve Chariot Race." The anouncer said using a spell to amplify his voice over the crowd. "And it looks like we have a big turnout here, from all corners of the Outer Kingdoms. I see the contestants are making their way out onto the starting grid."
On the left side of the track across from the grandstands, a line of Chariots emerged from the large hanger, surrounded by several crew members as the anoucer continued naming off diffrent racers.
"You all set?" Star Swirl asked as Sombra looked over his chariot making sure everything was in order.
"Yep." The black colt said finishing his inspection.
"All right." The elder unicorn said helping him into the chariot. "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel. Don't think. Use your instincts." He said giving him some last minute advice.
"I will." Sombra nodded.
"May Harmony guide you." Star Swirl said before walking away as Sombra put on his helmet.
As Alduin walked over to his chariot he passed by Sombra's. Pausing for amoment, he then looked around to make sure no one was looking before lossening one of the bolts on one of the wheels of Sombra's chariot before contiueing on his way laughing to himself.
"Now a word from the race's main sponser and our glorious leader, Sultan HiSaan!" The anouncer said as the crowd roared as a large brown horse moved out to the edge his private box to greet the crowe.
"Welcome!" Sultan HiSaan said in to a crystal that made his voice boom over the roaring crowed. "Begin the race!"
"Is he nervous?" Shadow Flower asked nervously as Star Swirl entered their veiwing platform.
"He's fine." He said as the platform rised like an elevator.
"You Knights are far too reckless. The King is not..." Puledro begain before being intrupted.
"The King trusts my judgment, young adviser. You should too." Star Swirl said moving to get a better view of the race.
"You assume too much." The red earth pony said glaring daggers at him.
All the crystal chariots started to glow and hum as the racers got ready for the signal to start the race. Sultan HiSaan then noded to pony standing by a gong, who then struck it signaling the start of the race and the chariots shot forward, Sombra's the last to get going. The chariots fly across the desert. Alduin was running neck and neck with a minotaur racer as they rounded the first turn in the track.
"FUS RO DAH!" Alduin shouted at the other racer, unleashing his Thu'um and pushing him into the wall of a large rock formation.
Meanwhile Sombra, being much faster than the back-end stragglers began to pass them easily moving up in the race. One of the drivers, however wouldn't let him by. Sombra tried to pass him on one side but was cut off. He then tried to pass him on the other side and was once again cut off. As they come up on a small drop-off, Sombra backed off before guning it as the racer went over the cliff causing him sails right over the top of the other racer and speed away.
All the racers filed in to a line as the track narowed into a large ravine. Being in a smaller chariot Sombra managed to manover around some of the chariots as the track lead into a cave. Being the first into it, Alduin came up with a sinister idea.
"VEN MUL RIIK!" The drake shouted as the Cave began to fill with a thick fog causing some of the racers to cash into unseen obsticals.
Alduin exited the cave onto a clear streach of track the finish line visable in the distence, a few of the racers still behind him, Sombra amung them.
"At the end of the first Lap Alduin is in the lead and it looks like Sombra is moving up in the field." The anouncer noted as he crossed the finsh line with Sombra not far behind.
Lap two. Alduin lead the pack past the main arena as the crowd stands and cheers as the Chariots drive off into the distance. Sombra powered around corners and over hills and small cliffs, passing the other racers right and left as he worked his way through the dense mass of racers as they zoom over a dune sea, kicking up dust. His wheels shakes violently as he went over a jump.
"Ven Gar Nos!" Alduin shouted causing a cyclone to appear and send a racer that pulled up beside him swerving into a large rock alowing Sombra to catch up as they pulled into the streach of trake before the main arena.
"Here he comes, yahoo!" Wa-waush-ka'-ehe cheered seeing he was in second place as the two racers came into view
"At the start of the third and final lap, Alduin is in the lead, closely followed by Sambra!" The Anouncer said as the crowd roard in exitment over the intence race.
Sombra finally caught up with Alduin, and they ran neck and neck over the rough terrain. Alduin tryed to use the spikes on his wheels to try to cut through Sombra's but he managed to avoid the attack but was forced off course and up a service ramp. Thinking fast Sombra made an L-Turn and used a secondary service ramp to cut a corner and take the lead.
Furious, Alduin stayed right on his tail, crowding him and pushing him through the turns. As the drake pushed Sombra harder, and the young colt had a difficult time keeping control. Suddenly one of Sombra's wheels began to shake loose before coming off and rolled away, alowing Alduin to pass him.
Thinking quickly, the unicorn colt leadned to one side balencing the chariot on it's one wheel so it wouldn't tip over. As he struggled to keep his chariot going an idea poped into his head as he fired up his horn consentrating and praying his idea would work. Sudenly the axle with the missing wheel was covered in a red arura as a new wheel grew out of it.
"It worked!" Sombra exclamed as he quickly caught up with Alduin, pulling up beside him, moving much faster with his new wheel as they arived at the home stretch.
Alduin veered towards Sombra and banged into him just missing him with the spikes on his wheel. He continued to crash into him over and over again as the young colt struggled to maintain control. Sudenly Alduin's spikes made contact with Sombra's wheel but instead of cutting through it the spickes became fused with the magicaly prodused wheel.
"That little colt's out of his mind. They're side by side!" The Anouncer said as they got closer to the finish line.
The two racers foght to pull apart by trying to pull away from each other. The strain on the two wheels was tremendous.
"Wuld Nah Kest!" Alduin shouted in a last dich effert to break free. Unforchantly the suden burst of speed caused his wheel to snap off from his chariot and he skidded off cource. "Damn it!" The drake cursed as Sombra flew by the crowded stands crossing the finish line in first place.
"The winner is Sombra and crowds are going nuts!" The anouncer exclamed not believing it himself.
As Sombra stoped his chariot, Shad, Star Swirl, Shadow Flower, Puledro and Wa-waush-ka'-ehe rush over to him.
"I won?! I won! Yeah!" Sombra Cheered as the reality of the situation kicked in and fans began to carry him and his chariot into the hanger.
Sombra waited in the hanger as everyone but Star Swirl walked up to him
"Great job, Sombra!" Wa-waush-ka'-ehe said giving him a hoof bumb.
"We owe you everything, Sombra." Puledro said greatfully
"It's so wonderful, Sombra. You have brought hope to those who have none. I'm so very proud of you." His mom said giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Ah. Mom." Sombra said embarrassed
Meanwhile Gerardo was sadly paying off one of his bets as Star Swirl walked up to him.
"You!" The griffin said angerly flying over to him. "You swindled me! You knew the boy was going to win! Somehow you knew it!" he said acusingly before landing sadly. "I lost everything."
"Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll lose." Star Swirl said mater of factly. "Bring the parts to the main hanger. I'll come by your shop later so you can release the boy."
"You can't have him! It wasn't a fair bet!" Gerardo said half-heartedly.
"Would you like to discuss it with the Sultan... I'm sure he can settle this." The unicorn said off handedly
"Take him!" The griffin said sadly as Star Swirl noded before leaving.