“They’re very bruised, but they’re all fine,” Nurse Redheart informed the crowd outside the hospital. “High Note needs a bandage and Thunderlane will have to stay the night to rest his head.”
“What about Rainbow Dash?!” chorused the crowd.
“The swelling in her eye should be down by sunrise,” said Nurse Redheart. “She’ll be perfectly fit for the rally tomorrow.”
The cheering that followed threatened to break the hospital windows, and yet somehow, Nurse Redheart’s immediate “Shh!” drowned it out.
When dawn broke, ponies who hadn’t spent the night in any Rainbow Falls inns were now making their way towards the town for the Wonderbolts Millennium Rally. Scootaloo took a lot of convincing from her parents to accompany them. She knew perfectly well what Redheart’s verdict had been, and upon hearing that Rainbow Dash most certainly was in good condition for the rally, her spirits were lifted and she agreed to come along. But as she rode her dad’s back as the family flew to Rainbow Falls, she was still scared that the event would be jeopardised by her mere presence. She was constantly fighting the urge to jump onto a cloud and stay behind; she knew her parents wouldn’t allow it. They drew level with other pegasi who weren’t travelling by train to Rainbow Falls, and Scootaloo was soon surrounded by speculative talk. The topic of which of the three contenders would take the victory and change the Wonderbolts’ rules had not died, but Scootaloo noticed that no one was talking about the last evening’s accident. It sounded like no one outside of Ponyville had been informed. Not yet, at least. The odds were good that the word would spread as the town became full of spectators. And Scootaloo couldn’t help but dread what would happen when this took place. This would be the second time within a month that her actions affected the whole of Equestria.
It was one of those times when you had to yell at the top of your voice in order to be heard by someone standing right next to you. The crowd was making a large noise, and there was little to no free space in the town of Rainbow Falls. Bleachers and balconies lay everywhere along the race track. It was pointless to try and pick the best spot, because no matter where you sat, you would not be able to see the entirety of the race. Even if you parked yourself on a cloud right above the course, the three competitors would be obscured several times during the event.
“In one hour, the Wonderbolts Millennium Rally will begin!” Twilight had been recruited to cast the volume spell to magnify Miss Harshwhinny’s voice. “This event will comprise of several courses and obstacles! First, Captain Spitfire, Miss Dash, and Miss Dust shall complete an oval circuit! Then they shall each go through an obstacle course, each of which is set up in exactly the same way as its fellows! Each competitor must make a split second decision so as not to join one of her opponents in one set of obstacles! If two pegasi find their way into one course, the second one in shall be disqualified!”
Harshwhinny paused to let the crowd absorb this possibility.
“All three obstacle courses terminate at a straightaway that leads to one pipe that runs through Prism Hill!” Miss Harshwhinny continued. “The three racers shall then pick an arch to pass through under the Rainbowduct! There are no restrictions on which arch the racers choose! More than one pony may pass through any one arch! A slide lies beyond the Rainbowduct, followed by a free-fall down to Spectrum Gorge! The competitors must run the length of the gorge, passing markers as they go!”
There were no bleachers in the gorge. A draft ran through it; not as strong as the one in the Abysmal Abyss, but still a tough one. Rainbow, Spitfire and Lightning would have to run a quarter mile against a current.
“At the end of the gorge sits a springboard, which will propel them up to where they started! The racers are forbidden from pumping their wings after they’ve bounced on the springboard until they pass over the top of the gorge! They may then fly back to the starting line and begin all over again! This rally shall run for six laps!”
Somehow, Nyx’s tiny voice reached Scootaloo through all the shouting and cheering. Scootaloo made her way to where Nyx was standing, the official rally flag clenched in one of her wings.
“I brought your scooter!” Nyx called over the crowd. “You left it at school yesterday!”
Scootaloo said nothing. She just reached out and took her scooter. Nyx saw the scooter shake in Scootaloo’s grip.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Scootaloo sat down.
Nyx remembered she had to raise her voice. “Are you alright, Scootaloo?!”
“Nyx, you wave the flag!” Scootaloo forced the flag into Nyx’s hooves. “I’ll just distract Rainbow Dash again if I’m there to watch her!”
Scootaloo immediately mounted her scooter and zoomed away, weaving around spectators along her way.
“Wait!”
But Nyx quickly lost her in the crowd. She took the flag to Twilight, who told her that she might as well wave the flag in Scootaloo’s place. She then sought out Scootaloo’s parents, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle.
“She did a runner, huh?!” groaned Scootaloo’s dad.
“We’ll find her!” promised Sweetie Belle.
The four ponies looked all around for the whole hour leading to start time. During their search for the paranoid filly, they caught glimpses of conversation despite the din of the crowds.
“Is it too late to change my bet?!”
“Come on! A black eye won’t change this race!”
“Sabotage! That’s what this is!”
Scootaloo heard bits of conversation like this too. She was out of sight beneath the bleachers that overlooked the straightaway. A deflated raft sat by a pillar, and she rested there, scooter parked nearby, not bothering to question why this raft was here.
“Surely I won’t cause any damage down here,” she said as a few pieces of popcorn rained down on her head.
Scootaloo stayed hidden and unfound when the time arrived. Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Lightning Dust, resplendent in their Parachute Pinafores, stood on a wooden beam stretched between the oval track’s walls. Rainbow’s black eye was hardly noticeable, and both her eyes were as full of determination as her rivals’. On a gantry a few yards ahead of them stood Nyx, flag in mouth.
“Scootaloo not coming?!” asked Lightning Dust.
“I saw her an hour ago!” replied Rainbow Dash. “I hope she’s not freaking out about having to make decisions again!”
Spitfire pointed to Nyx, and both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust returned their attention to the impending race.
Nyx waved the flag, and off they went. There was no commentary. No adequate means of doing so was brought forth. Three crates of inflated balloons were stationed close by the finish line, each with a pony standing next to it. One crate was loaded with blue balloons to represent Rainbow Dash, one with green to represent Lightning Dust, and one with yellow to represent Spitfire. The appropriate crate would be opened to announce to those in the crowd who could not see the finish line who the victor was. As the three racers rocketed along the oval track, their slipstream upset one of the crates. It fell from its perch, plummeted down to the ground below, and fell apart. All but four of the yellow balloons inside it popped. If Spitfire claimed the win, some in the crowd would be left in the dark for a while.
“Is that booger so sure Spitfire won’t win that he thinks he can get rid of her victory balloons?!” Scootaloo heard someone in the stands above her yell.
There were no slip-ups at the entrances to the obstacle courses. Each was being traversed by only one racer. Rainbow Dash had reached one first, and the other two had entered their respective ones at the same second. The spectators present watched with agitation until the first pony emerged from the course of pillars, tires, and slanted obstructions. Spitfire erupted from the course, closely followed by Rainbow Dash, then Lightning Dust. The straightaway saw Spitfire reach the tunnel through the hill first, Lightning second, and Rainbow third. At the Rainbowduct beyond, Rainbow Dash was the first to pass under. Lightning Dust was the second, but Spitfire was right catching up to her and beat her to the top of the slide. Lightning had a strategy here. Rainbow Dash and Spitfire both slid on their stomachs, but Lightning Dust slid on her back. Her wings were wrapped around her ribs, her tail was between her legs, and her hind hooves were pointed downwards. She gathered tremendous speed, overtook Spitfire, and then overtook Rainbow Dash seconds before the slide ended. At the end of a slide was a large steel box hanging from a crane arm. An arrow pointing down was painted on it to indicate the direction the contestants were meant to go. Lightning Dust judged her moment, left the slide, bounced off the bottom of the crate, and shot downwards. Rainbow followed and watched Lightning Dust get slowly smaller. No matter how far Rainbow Dash went, Lightning Dust wouldn’t come back into focus. She was definitely going extremely fast.
Rainbow gasped. “She’s gonna make a sonic rainboom!”
Lightning Dust came close. The air around her felt like water and as she approached the bottom, she began to slow down. The air pocket she’d created seemed liable to burst. For a second, Lightning Dust, not moving in midair, feared that she would be propelled backwards. But Rainbow Dash and Spitfire came down and passed her so quickly that the pocket ripped and Lightning Dust neither reversed nor pushed forward. She immediately pumped her wings and tore after Rainbow and Spitfire. The wind in the ravine made the running portion of the race a long one. When at last the three racers reached the springboard and shot upwards to the top of the cliffs, Spitfire first, Lightning Dust second, and Rainbow Dash third, the words “sonic” and “rainboom” were heard amongst the cheering crowd.
She almost did it! thought Rainbow Dash and Spitfire.
The leader board never stayed the same. There was no clear forerunner. The positions of the three racers changed with every stage of the rally. The second round saw Rainbow Dash and Spitfire attempt to adapt Lightning Dust’s sliding strategy. They both had everything tucked in nicely, but they were still outstripped by Lightning Dust, who could have passed for a cheater given how well she was traversing this course. And she never even caused her Parachute Pinafore to rip or sustain any damage when sliding on her back. When they got to the crate with the arrow on it, Lightning used it again to give her a boost. Rainbow missed, and was forced to let gravity slowly but surely carry her down into the gorge. Spitfire didn’t bother with the crate. Lightning Dust came close to causing a rainboom again, and the second air pocket was also torn by the other two racers. After a complete circuit leading to the third round, Lightning Dust’s method of sliding was again attempted by all three racers. Lightning still took the lead, but this time, Rainbow and Spitfire were neck and neck.
“We’ll push off of each other when we get to the bottom!” Spitfire suggested with a grin.
Rainbow caught on at once. Neither of them tried bouncing off the bottom of the crate this time. Lightning zoomed down, and once again, nearly broke the sound barrier. Nothing broke the air pocket she made this time. By pushing away from each other at the top of the gorge above, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire had created enough distance between them to avoid breaking the air pocket. Lightning Dust shot backwards up towards the sky. But she hadn’t forgotten the small amount of academy training she received. Her spinout lasted only two seconds before she stretched, straightened, and arched down to the ground inside the gorge. When Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were propelled up by the springboard, Lightning Dust wasn’t far behind them.
“If Rainbow Dash doesn’t win this rally, I will never be able to hold my head up high again!”
“What are you wailing about?! You don’t have to sign your kite factory over to your Go Fish buddy anymore! Princess Celestia…!”
“I know, I know! I heard Miss Harshwhinny say that any bets made good on after this rally would be vetoed by the royals!”
“So then what are you throwing up about?!”
“I’ve been a Rainbow Dash supporter for years! I was in Junior Speedster Flight Camp with her!”
“Oh, so your whole world will come tumbling down if she loses?!”
“Yeah, just like yours would if Spitfire loses!”
“Well, happily, that won’t happen!”
“And when it does?!”
“I have total confidence in her! Unlike you in Rainbow Dash!”
“It’ll be a lot of fun watching that confidence crumble!”
“Oh, you wanna watch me suffer, do ya?! The snake has shown its fangs!”
Scootaloo caught whiffs of conversation of this nature during her time sitting on the deflated raft under the bleachers by the straightaway, but she wasn’t really paying attention. She was trying to decide whether or not she should show herself to the competitors. She had begun to worry that Rainbow Dash might be worried about her because she couldn’t see her in the crowd, and that this would affect her performance.
“I’m coming up!” she decided.
She grabbed her scooter and made her way up the gradient. She looked around for a good spot. It was difficult. All the bleachers and balconies were loaded. Other landmarks were occupied too. Scootaloo wanted to be in a spot by herself so that Rainbow Das could easily spot her. But she didn’t want her to have to look over her shoulder in order to see her like she did last night before bruising her eye.
“The Rainbowduct!”
The arched stone bridge wasn’t very wide, and it was because of this that nopony was standing on it to watch the race. In her haste, Scootaloo didn’t think it might be off limits to spectators because it was part of the race course. She quickly scooted up the slope to the walkway, and once she reached it, the racers appeared from within their obstacle courses. From a distance, Scootaloo could make out the worried expression on Rainbow Dash’s face as she approached one of the arches.
“Go, Rainbow Dash! You can do it!”
Upon spotting Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash’s face brightened instantly. She waved energetically before passing under the Rainbowduct, not losing velocity at all. Spitfire and Lightning Dust were right on her tail. Scootaloo was still worried.
“What was that noise?”
She could swear she heard a crack as the racers passed under the bridge. She took a step onto the walkway, knelt down, and pressed her ear to it. She could hear the technicolour liquid surging through the pipe the bridge carried. Nothing out of the ordinary. Scootaloo was still concerned as she straightened up.
“I hope it’s not gonna collapse. Should… should I tell somepony?”
She didn’t want to cause alarm; especially with nearly every pony in Equestria present. She looked around. All eyes were either on or in the general direction of Rainbow, Lightning, and Spitfire. No one seemed to be paying any attention to Scootaloo, which she took to mean there would be no objections to her standing there. But now she wasn’t sure she wanted to watch the race from up there.
The expression Scootaloo had seen on Rainbow’s face had nothing to do with not seeing her in the crowd. She had only been battling with a decision. Down the slide. Lightning Dust out in front, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash side-by-side. Spitfire caught Rainbow’s eye.
“Uh… not this time!” said Rainbow Dash.
Spitfire made no reply. They watched Lightning Dust leave the slide and bounce off the bottom of the crate. Rainbow Dash tried that again, and this time, she did a decent parkour. She was now able to keep quite close behind Lightning Dust. But Rainbow didn’t come close to making a sonic rainboom because Lightning Dust was taking up all the resistance. The air pocket she made had barely formed when Rainbow ripped it and sped into the currents of the gorge. This time, Spitfire was the last to reach the springboard. She had decided to try bouncing off the crate this time. And so, the penultimate round began. Lightning took the lead in the oval track, no two ponies entered one obstacle course yet again, and Spitfire was the first to reach the tunnel after the straightaway. Before reaching the Rainbowduct, Rainbow overtook Spitfire, waved to Scootaloo, who didn’t wave or cheer this time, and the three pegasi passed under the bridge at top speed.
Scootaloo heard it again, and this time it was louder and longer.
“It is gonna collapse!”
Scootaloo picked up her scooter, but stopped.
“If I’m wrong, there’ll be a panic over nothing! I don’t wanna be responsible for any more damage!”
Scootaloo battled with herself until the final lap started. Her decision was made for her when another crack erupted from the bridge. As this one wasn’t caused by anypony flying through the arches, that could only mean it wouldn’t hold for long.
“Danger!”
Scootaloo zoomed away on her scooter and yelled at the top of her voice. She rolled down the embankment and zoomed onto the bottom bench of the bleachers by the slide.
“The bridge is collapsing! We gotta get outta here!”
Those around her nudged their neighbours, and as more and more ponies got the message, the bleachers began to empty. When the spectators on the other side of the slide saw this, they began to evacuate too.
CRACK!