The Cloudsdale Underground

by Stratocaster

Desert Rumble

Chapter 2: Desert Rumble

Rainbow Dash found herself lying on her bunk in her assigned cabin onboard the roaring zeppelin. The thundering of the propeller engines outside resonated through the helium-filled gas bags above, and made the entire cabin feel alive and moving. While the other racers of the illegal Cloudsdale Underground mingled and partied in the lounge, bar and dining room, Rainbow quietly read a Daring Do novel she had brought with her, invigorating her mind for adventure. Ironically, in this edition, Daring Do was sneaking aboard a zeppelin in pursuit of the Holy Chalice of Luna, while running from evil griffon gangsters. Rainbow's mind was soaked in the heart-thumping story, until the silence was broken by the cabin door opening. She had been told that she had a bunk-mate, and had been waiting for whoever it was.

Without looking from her page, she said, "What's up? I'm Rainbow. I already called top bunk, so tough luck."

"Rainbow Dash?!" came a familiar voice.

Rainbow slammed the book shut and looked down in utter shock. "Soarin'?!"

The quirky champion of the Wonderbolts looked back up at her the same way. "What in the name of Celestia are you doing here?!"

"I should ask you the same thing!" she jumped down from her bunk. "A Wonderbolt taking part in an illegal racing circuit?! I think that deserves an explanation!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" urged Soarin'. "I don't want anypony to know who I am."

"I'll say!" she rolled her eyes at him. "If these guys found out you're a Wonderbolt, they'd probably tie your wings up and throw you off this ship."

"Don't remind me!" he gulped.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" she asked.

Soarin' sighed heavily. "Look, things aren't going well with the Wonderbolts, okay? Thanks to half of our members getting injured and low ratings, we've been getting budget cuts left and right. Spitfire was getting stressed and I had to do something to help. When I heard that the Underground was giving away a cash prize, I decided to join under a false name. I'm just thankful they didn't recognize me without my uniform."

"Soarin', that's completely hair-brained!" said Rainbow.

"Well why are you here then?!" he interrogated. "I know you're crazy, but you're not a lawbreaker."

"I'm trying to get that money to help my friend, Applejack." She admitted. "I accidentally injured her, and her operation is too expensive. I have to do this for her."

"...Wow. That kinda blows my reason out of the water." Soarin' scratched his head awkwardly. "I guess you'll be really trying to beat me out there, huh?"

Rainbow sulked. "Look, I'm sure a rich thug like Falcon has got plenty of money for the both of us. If I win the money, I mean when I win the money, I'll share enough of it with you to help the Wonderbolts."

"Wow, really?" he looked up in hope. "That's actually pretty generous of you, Dash. It's a shame you couldn't stay with us."

"Someday, my friend, but not today." She shrugged. "By the way, what's your false name anyhow?"

Soarin' puffed out his chest proudly. "Zeus Lightninghooves!"

Rainbow snickered. "Really?! How lame can you get?!"

"Hey, it worked for Falcon!" he retorted. "And please please PLEASE don't mention this to Spitfire. She'll have my tail on her mantle! That is, if these ponies don't first."

"No skin off my nose." Rainbow winked at him. "So where is this big balloon taking us?"

"The heck if I know." Soarin' shrugged. "Falcon's racetracks are in classified locations."

"And we hope to keep it that way." Flare said, who appeared leaning against the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt you two lovers, but I'd just like you to know that Falcon is hosting his pre-victory dinner in half an hour."

"Lovers?!" glared Rainbow, blushing a little. "What is your problem, you crazy hussy?!"

"I should smack that rude mouth off your pretty little face!" sneered Flare.

"I'd like to see you try!" Rainbow stood off.

"Kiss." Soarin' said, absentmindedly.

"Shut up, you!" the two mares both shouted.

"See you at dinner, newbie," huffed Flare, walking out. "It just might be your last."

Rainbow pulled a face at the snippy mare as she left.

"I don't know about you," said Soarin'. "But all this zeppelin travel is making me hungry. You coming to dinner?"

"I guess." Rainbow looked pensively. "I mean, I don't want to sound chicken or anything, but...I'm starting to think maybe it will be my last dinner. What if this race is the one where I kick it?"

"Eh don't talk like that, Dash." Soarin' smiled at her. "I've seen you fly. It'll take a thousand or more races to kill ya."

"Thanks, Soarin', that's...kind of nice." She smiled back.

Soarin' then sniffed the air. "Ooh! Daffodil loaf! If you'll excuse me!" he then rushed out of the cabin to chase after his grub.

Rainbow decided to spend the half hour she had left reading. She knew that after dinner she would have to get some much-needed sleep, as tomorrow held her fate.

...

The next morning, Falcon's zeppelin loomed over the vast, sun-baked wasteland of the San Palomino Desert. The stagnant heat of the sandy ground was stirred up by the wind from the propellers, as the airship descended to a makeshift landing platform. In the observation lounge, the Underground racers looked down at the desolate desert, awaiting their first challenge in the cutthroat circuit. Rainbow managed to get herself out of bed earlier than anypony else, to stretch out her tired muscles and psych herself up. She only grabbed a slice of toast for breakfast, as she didn't want to be weighed down by heavier foods.

While the zeppelin was being tied down by Falcon's crew, the racers stepped out and onto solid ground, shaking off their air legs. But they wouldn't stay on their hooves for long.

"Racers," announced Falcon, standing a few yards away from the landing platform. "I give you the first leg of the circuit!"

The rogues looked down over the edge of a high sandstone cliff. Stretching beyond where they stood was a wide canyon carved into the earth, where massive rock structures had formed into arches and spires over millions of years. Metal posts with flags on them on the canyon walls marked what appeared to be the boundaries of a laid out track, which stretched out beyond sight.

Rainbow gazed at the sprawling canyon. She wasn't afraid, yet she wasn't too eager to smash into a rock or get dunked in the sand. And she could've gone without the racer next to her.

"Fast! Fast! Wanna go fast!"

Standing to her left was a ratty-looking green pony, with a completely messy blond mane, an exceeding speedometer as a cutie mark, and an uncontrollable tic in his neck. He looked down at the racetrack with a twitching eye, and sputtering words in a hyper tone. "Fast! Fast! Speed! Go! Fast! Hee hee!"

Rainbow looked at him puzzled. "You alright, buddy?"

"Turbo! Want fast! Need speed! Need to go! Nrrgh!" The pony named Turbo was one of the most dangerous members of the Cloudsdale Underground. Ranking high alongside Volt and Flare, he was known for bowling aside opponents with his lust for speed tests. That, and he was generally insane. "Need speed! Want go! Fast fast fast! Whoo!" Turbo spat.

"Okay, good luck with that." Rainbow decided to pay the psycho no mind, or not get in his way so soon.

"As you can see, I've spared no expense for these courses this year." Falcon spoke. "Here in the desert, you will make your way through the crags and canyon walls. Then you will enter an underground cavern that will steer you back toward the starting line. And from there, it's just miles of open salt plains where only the fastest will prevail. Of course, I still employ certain rules and regulations to keep sportsmanship alive." He sneered at some of the racers as he said this. "Forging shortcuts or flying too high above the obstacles will have you disqualified. And no artificial means to win whatsoever."

"They still have rules?" Rainbow muttered to herself. "Pretty lame syndicate."

Falcon then approached and looked down at her with a devious smile. "I hope the intense heat won't be too much for you."

"Piece of cake." Rainbow grinned back.

"I hope the rest of you will show the same bravado." Falcon prattled on. "Prepare yourselves. You'll start in a few minutes."

As the racers gathered together their flight clothes, Rainbow found Soarin' peering over the edge of the cliff, looking nervous.

"BOO!" she shouted from behind him.

"Gah!" Soarin' stumbled, sending rocks tumbling down the canyon. "What is wrong with you?!" he yelled at her. "Don't scare me like that!"

"What are you so afraid of, Mr. Lightninghooves?" shrugged Rainbow. "This doesn't sound all that bad."

"This is no cloud race, Rainbow." Soarin' frowned. "All the rumors you heard about this circuit are not rumors. Ponies die out in these races. I'm starting to think this was a big mistake."

"You know something, Soarin'?" she spoke to him sincerely. "I've been thinking that too. Maybe Applejack and Spitfire wouldn't want us to do this just for their sake. We could probably turn our tails back now, and nopony would care. Then what? Would we just say that we almost fought, not just for a friend, but for ourselves? I don't know about you, but I was made for this. I never back down for a challenge. And neither should you."

Soarin' thought for a moment, then sighed. "There's no convincing you otherwise, is there?"

"Probably not." She said flatly.

Soon, the twenty-four total racers lined up at the edge of the cliff, sporting their own unique colored flight uniforms, goggles, earplugs and bandannas over their mouths. Soarin' wore a Wonderbolts uniform, but with the blue and gold switched, which surprisingly eluded the others. Rainbow wore her own Wonderbolts uniform, however it was an unofficial one. All was silent except for the feint wind whistling over the desert, as the contestants narrowed their eyes and tensed their hooves, with nothing else on their minds but finishing first. The fear of death was no longer a factor.

Falcon watched from a lounge chair under a cabana, while wearing sunglasses, drinking hard cider, and having his servants cater to him. "Racers, on your marks!"

The racers knelt down, preparing to spring off.

"Get set!"

Rainbow's heart pounded. She wasn't just doing this for Applejack. She was doing this for herself.

"GO!"

Like a deafening rocket blast, the entire line of pegasi released a sonic wave as they took off into the canyon bellow. Falcon sipped his cider, and brought up footage of the race on a magic viewscreen.

Rainbow honed all of her skills and willpower as she zoomed through the rugged terrain, achieving speeds of well over two hundred miles per hour. She was feeling confident, just like it was any other race back in her academy days. But she still had roughly half the competition's flanks back in front of her. Rainbow knew she had to catch up, but suddenly lost her focus as a sandstone monolith came barreling toward her. With quick reflexes, she dodged it and continued. Yet there were still many more rock formations up ahead bearing in at range. Like a great terrifying slalom, Rainbow ducked and weaved around the twisting arches and mounds, shaving just inches away from a brutal crash each time. The difficulty of the circuit suddenly began to dawn on her.

As she swerved around the obstacles, trying desperately to keep her opponents in sight, something caught Rainbow's eye to her right. Even in the bright sun-lit desert, there was a strange flashing, buzzing around the rocks like an ecstatic firefly. She glanced and saw a lightning yellow streak making tight, straight turns around the boulders and monoliths, like a direct current of electricity. Rainbow thought for a moment that maybe the heat was making her hallucinate. But upon closer approach, she could see that leaving the electric streak was Volt, zigzagging in all directions to avoid the obstacles.

"Having trouble keeping up, sweetheart?!" the yellow pony could barely be heard over the rushing air.

Rainbow couldn't believe the smug racer's handling. It was as if he already knew the terrain like it was engraved in his memory. She had yet to learn that Volt was one of the top contending members of the Underground, because he had extraordinary reaction skills, able to cut turns at nearly ninety-degree angles without faltering. To add to that, his blinding streak was known to disorient other racers, distracting them from the course ahead, and causing crashes. He was definitely no novice, and Rainbow knew she couldn't forget that.

Changing tactics, she ascended slightly to get a better view of the situation ahead, without pushing the regulation boundary above. While dodging only the tops of the spires, Rainbow spotted her closest opponent and swooped in behind. She tailed behind the pony and drifted on his air, taking time to build enough potential energy. After a few seconds, she launched herself over the opponent and zoomed over until she was in front. Satisfied that drifting hadn't failed her, Rainbow continued to bypass the competition.

A few minutes passed, and Rainbow had already managed to clear seven or eight ponies from drifting alone. She wondered why nopony else was thinking of trying it. Then again, she figured that most of them were simply giving their ace Volt the lead out of respect. If she didn't think they were cowards before, she did then.

Then, up ahead, the rock structures dissipated, and the next length of the track loomed in. Before Rainbow was a massive cave entrance with nothing but blackness emanating from inside. She nearly halted in disbelief that that was part of the course, but entered the darkness nevertheless. Fear ran up Rainbow's spine as she descended the gloomy cavern, as she had little to no visibility. She had to come to a complete stop when a large stalactite appeared in front of her; she had just avoided a face plant by mere inches. With her lungs trying to keep up, she quickly continued around and tried to adapt her eyes to the vast blackness.

It was practically suicide. Like several other pegasi, Rainbow couldn't avoid a cave structure without screeching to a halt, which drastically altered the competition. She even was nearly knocked aside by a hurdling racer who had just been clonked by a hanging rock. She could only hope that this nightmarish stretch of the track would end soon.

Then, several meters ahead, a warm glow grew as she flew closer. Rainbow followed it curiously, and became baffled when she saw the source. It was Volt, carrying a pair of headlights on his shoulder which greatly lit his way through the cavern. Rainbow stared in disgrace, remembering that the main rule of the race was no artificial means.

"Son of a mule!" she shouted. "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

"What, you didn't bring any?!" taunted Volt. "Not very...bright are we?! Ha ha ha ha ha!" he cackled as he zoomed away.

Now with anger searing, Rainbow almost caught up with the cheating stallion in a drift. But her troubles quickly worsened when the cavern was illuminated again. A ghastly line of fire slithered in front of her and grew into a bright flaming wall. Rainbow stopped quickly, as the flames simmered on the cavern floor. Hovering above the firewall was a familiar, boasting face.

"I always make the competition a little hotter!" smirked Flare. "Don't forget that, new girl!" She then took off just as quickly as she appeared, leaving behind a blazing fiery streak.

Volt's position as top racer was only shared by the violent red mare. Flare's reputation on the track was not only due to her incredible top speed, but she also used her streak to create a deadly blockade for her followers, not only slowing them down but also posing a hazardous threat. Racers tended to stay a distance away from her to avoid third degree burns.

Rainbow couldn't let the flames keep her at bay. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and burst through the firewall, coming out the other other side patting down her singed fur. She continued on through the bleak cavern until finally, a light appeared up ahead that wasn't meant to beat or kill her. It was the exiting cave, which let out into a wide and open flatland. Rainbow shielded her eyes from the rays of the blinding sun, as she readjusted her eyes. When her retinas finally healed, she looked in front of her with elation that there were only four ponies left speeding over the salt plains in front of her. She figured that the others must have gotten discombobulated back in the cave; she also worried for Soarin's safety.

Out in the open terrain, Rainbow now had freedom to push her speed to the max, exceeding the three-hundred mark. She managed to catch up to the fourth-place holder and drift behind him. Then she had an idea; if the others could play dirty, then so could she. After sailing on her drift, Rainbow popped above her host and used her momentum to slam into the third-place holder, sending him spiraling down into the dirt in a heap. Now she only had two left to go, the rival top contenders.

Hoping that he would be gullible enough, Rainbow sailed up behind Volt getting ready for yet another drift. But Volt was expecting such a tactic, and suddenly put on his brakes to smack his hooves into her face. Rainbow turned at the last minute to dodge, but still got clipped on the cheek by his front hoof. Then she suddenly began to lose acceleration, as Volt clung onto her tail.

"Get off me you creep!" she barked at him.

"Gladly!" he gave a mocking salute then yanked her underneath as he catapulted forward.

Rainbow could feel herself spiraling, but she quickly turned her blunder into an advantage. Inverting herself upside down, she ascended and turned her face toward the track ahead as she executed an arc with a multicolored streak. She gathered the energy from her trademark streak and used it to propel herself even faster through her arc, until she finally found herself barreling down on Volt from above. Rainbow tackled onto his back, clinging to him like a bad bull, and quickly made a grab for one of his mounted headlights. She ripped the lamp from its strap and stuck it straight into Volt's face, turning the intense beam on in his eye.

"Gyaaaaaaah!" he screamed. "I can't see!" With his sense of direction completely lost, Volt now flew in a beeline as Rainbow pushed off him and rocketed ahead. Volt plummeted into the gravel, his head spinning and his eyes burning.

But Rainbow's victory would not be complete yet. She suddenly felt the wind get pushed out of her already strained lungs, as something slammed into her left side. Rainbow rolled twice to the right in pain before she could see what had hit her.

"So, you like to fight don't ya, you little runt!" cackled Flare. Her elbows were equipped with metal bracers with a pointed bulge on each. It seemed she was also breaking the "no artificial means" rule.

Rainbow steeled her nerves. This was not only a race to the finish, but it had also turned into a midair brawl. Flare rose above and came down to dig her bracer into her meddling opponent. But Rainbow instantly decelerated back a bit to dodge the blow. Now back behind the deadly champion, she tried to think fast for a way to get the upper hoof on Flare, so she could have clear reign until the finish line. There was only about a mile left on the course. Rainbow tried in vain to swerve around or drift behind Flare, but the fiery fighter managed to block her way with every turn. It seemed pointless to try and claim the lead now.

Then, an idea came to her as she glanced toward the ground she sailed over. Rainbow noticed the large patches of salt on the desert surface and carefully lowered herself until she was inches over it. At the risk of swallowing bugs, she removed the bandanna from her mouth and gently scooped up some salt into it. If she couldn't win through artificial means, maybe she could through nature.

With her sack full of salt, Rainbow climbed back up near Flare's left side. Now all she needed to do was get her attention.

"Hey Flare!" she yelled above the wind. "Those goggles make your face look fat!"

Flare gritted her teeth and, without slowing, turned toward her pesky opponent. She removed her goggles, intending to throw them at her out of rage. "I am going to beat you into the-"

Without a moment too soon, Rainbow hurled the bandanna full of salt at Flare's now unprotected face.

"My eyes!" she screeched in pain. "Ah! You bitch! What is with you and blinding everypony?!" She tried desperately to rub the debris out of her eyes.

With Flare now losing speed, Rainbow pushed ahead. At last, she could see the bulbous zeppelin that marked the starting line where the racers would also finish. Giving every last bit of energy left in her body, and spirit, she pushed her speed up to near four hundred miles an hour, not taking any chances that could ruin this opportunity. Here eyes were closed, so she couldn't see that she had crossed the checkered banner first.

"I'm gonna make it! I'm gonna make it!"

She also couldn't see the huge bag of helium in front of her.

POW!

Rainbow unwittingly flew straight into the canvas hide of the zeppelin's hull, and tore a gaping hole in the side. Like the force of a hurricane, the helium rushed out of the zeppelin's gas compartment in an ear-splitting hiss. Falcon, whose attention was fixed on the viewscreen, lifted his shades and turned to see his beloved airship deflate like a giant punctured hoofball. His eyes narrowed into a spiteful glare.

"I hope victory tastes sweet." He muttered hatefully.

One by one, the rest of the racers crossed the finish line, gradually slowing down until they landed bruised, battered and beat. But their exhaustion was quickly forgotten as they turned their attention to the leaking zeppelin. The enormous gas bag finally collapsed into a pile of canvas, the last of the helium comically squeaking out like a whoopie cushion. A long silence followed as everypony stared with hanging jaws at the ruined airship. Then, something within the canvas began to squirm and struggle to get out. Rainbow finally appeared, ripping open another hole to escape the mess and gasp for oxygen. Miraculously, she was uninjured, but the massive amount of helium exposure had a small consequence.

"WHAT HAPPENED?! DID I WIN?! AM I DEAD?!" She shouted in a high pitched voice.

The other ponies broke out in wild laughter. They were not even jealous of her victory since her voice, which now resembled that of a Breezie, was simply too funny to ignore. But not everypony was laughing; Volt and Flare grumbled with hatred as they nursed their stricken eyes.

"WHAT ARE YOU GOONS LAUGHING AT?!" Rainbow yelled at them like a filly having a tantrum. "CUT THAT OUT! DID I BEAT YOU OR NOT?!"

"You sure did," said Soarin', chuckling along as he dug her out of the wreck. "And with an awesome entrance!"

Rainbow's face became alight with joy. "AW YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT!" she boasted as she mooned the losers. "KISS MY FLANK, SUCKAHS!"

But the pegasi took no shame, as they were too busy rolling on the ground in laughter at her voice.

"Here," Soarin' gave her a paper bag. "This ought to put an end to this bit."

As Rainbow breathed into the bag to expel the helium in her lungs, Falcon approached her with a dark scowl. "It looks like you're today's champion." He grumbled lowly. "Not the most graceful finish, but it'll count."

Rainbow finally took a deep breath, feeling her voice return to normal. "Well it's your fault for parking your balloon so close!" she defied him with a roll of her eyes. "And by the way, I got a little complaint about your so-called champions!" she pointed to Volt and Flare. "Those two jerks were sneaking tools onto the track to try and win! They should be disqualified!"

Falcon strangely returned his calm smirk, and laughed to himself. "Aren't you noble." He taunted. "I'll have you know that my rule only applies if you are caught with foreign objects. If you manage to conceal a weapon or tool until you're on the track, then it's free game."

Rainbow glowered at the unfair rule, as she saw Volt and Flare snickering and taunting her.

"But I see it'll take a lot more than that to take you down, my dear." Falcon said, begrudgingly. "So, without further ado, you win the first cash prize of the Cloudsdale Underground." He then presented her with a silk bag full of bits.

Rainbow gleamed as she peered into the sack full of beautiful coins. But she then became a tad disappointed when she read the amount: ten thousand bits. The money for Applejack's surgery was five times that amount. "Uh, is that all?" she asked meekly.

Falcon scoffed. "Really, I would think a small town pony like you would be delighted to see that kind of money." He then stared down at her angrily. "Now you can use that prize to fix the damages to my zeppelin!" he seethed.

Rainbow thought blankly. There was no way she was going to pay for anything for this gangster. But then she came to a realization; for each race in the circuit, the cash prize must increase in value every time. If she stuck around long enough, she could accumulate enough bits to help her injured Applejack. For now, she decided to use the money she earned now for something else.

"I got a better idea." Rainbow smirked as she dropped the sack into Soarin's hooves. "I think my good buddy Soar- I mean, Zeus Lightninghooves deserves this more than I do."

Falcon raised his brow. "And just how do you two know each other?"

"Oh you know, he comes from a broken home and all." She lied on the spot. "I try to help him whenever I can." Rainbow then winked at her pal.

Soarin' grinned widely, deciding to thank her later as not to look even more foolish in front of the crowd.

"Fine." Falcon snorted. "But thanks to you, everypony will have to make do with the desert heat for a while. Because it'll take hours before my beautiful ship can be repaired."

All the rugged racers groaned and mumbled curses under their breath, as they would have to suffer without their air-conditioned cabins. They all walked past Rainbow, each giving her a vengeful eye and an uptight huff.

"You got lucky, newbie!" hissed Flare, with bloodshot eyes. "Thanks for leaving us out to die of thirst."

"You're gonna pay for my contact lenses, you psycho!" grumbled Volt, walking off with Flare.

"Fast! Fast! Again! Fast! Wanna go fast! Again! Whoo!" sputtered Turbo, his mind elsewhere.

Strangely, Rainbow began to feel embarrassed, crashing into the zeppelin. The hurtful name 'Rainbow Crash' came back to her as she stood there awkwardly among the rubble. But she immediately felt a pair of hooves wrap around her, as Soarin' cheered her up with a thankful hug.

"Wasn't so bad, was it?" he smiled at her.

Rainbow blushed and smiled back. "Piece of cake."

Comments

[Dusk_Writer]

The first race was AWESOME