Smoldering It Over

by Turtlehaus

Chapter 6: Racing Hotshot

I had never seen so many ponies in one place before. Mayflower must have reached out to every pony in Equestria about this race. Viewing stands were built all the way down the path of Sweet Apple Acres. Although, there were so many ponies that had shown up for this race that every pony began to line up even further down the edges of the path.

Fortunately for me, Hotshot McFlash was entertaining the crowd with idioms and autographs. I decided to stretch at the starting line. It didn’t stop any pony from taking pictures of me though. I could understand that Flame Ponies were all but unseen for many years, yet the amount of pictures being taken almost blinded me.

"Blaze! What are you doing? There will be time for stretching later!" Hotshot cried trotting up to me.

Hotshot waved to all the paparazzi ponies with cameras to keep their lens pointed at him. He walked up next to me, flinging his arm over my shoulder, smiling wide for the sea of sudden camera flashes to wash over us.

"Come on, squeeze in close so that every pony can get a picture of us together! Our faces will be on every magazine, newspaper, and billboard from here to the end of Equestria! I'm so excited I feel like I can fly! Watch out Wonderbolts, you may just have your newest recruit!" Hotshot said waving to the crowd.

I decided I wasn't going to humor him with a conversation. The flashing of the cameras were still very blinding, I could already see spots in front of my eyes. Several minutes had gone by before the flashes came in short bursts; allowing me to focus my eyes again.

"Well tie my hooves together and call me a pogo stick! If that isn't Mama Hotshot in the first row! I tell you I have the best mother in the world, Blaze! Excuse me for a minute." Hotshot informed me before trotting over to the stands.

I watched Hotshot head over to the stands to an older pony, he flung his hoofs around her without hesitation and Mama Hotshot did so as well. The sudden barrage of flashes began once more as the two embraced and I found myself wondering what a hug from a mother would be like.

"Smolder! Hey, Smolder!" A voice cried out over the noise of the crowd.

A few more shouts of my name turned my head towards the left side of the stands where Twilight Sparkle and Spike stood behind the roped off side of the path to keep ponies from getting too close. Spike motioned for me to come over. I did so cautiously as ponies began trying to lean in, and take pictures. Some even seemed to have marshmallows on sticks trying to hold them out near my flames.

"Hello Twilight, Spike." I said with a smile.

"Are you ready for the big race?" Spike asked curiously.

"As I'll ever be." I replied, looking back at Hotshot.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"Like I'm Equestria's most wanted; with all the pictures ponies have taken." I replied with a chuckle.

There was a sudden flash of a camera. I blinked rapidly and looked down to see that Spike had taken a picture. He smiled apologetically and I nodded with a smile. We heard the speaker come on and Mayflower's voice boomed out.

"Welcome every pony to our Sweet Apple Acres Race Across Ponyville! Your racers today are the three time Equestria Race Champion Hotshot McFlash!" Mayflower announced, allowing the crowd to applaud and cheer for him.

"His challenger, coming straight out of legends, a pony rarely ever seen outside of the Ashen Fields, Blaze the Flame Pony!" Mayflower continued.

I was surprised to get the amount of cheers that I did from the crowd. It might have been just ponies being polite, but it was better then not having any pony cheer.

"Racers! To the starting line!" Mayflower announced with cheers still roaring from the crowd.

"Are you going to use your secret weapon?" Spike asked excitedly.

"They don't call me Fireball for nothing." I replied, giving Spike a wink.

Spike seemed excited by my remark as I walked away feeling pretty cool about that quip. The feeling quickly changed when I got to the starting line, Hotshot McFlash was no longer goofing around. His face was full of confidence, he wore smile of a winner and looked me over.

"This is it, Blaze. I know this is just a friendly race, but if you think I'm going to go easy on you, you're in for a big surprise. I've waited my whole life to race against a Flame Pony and at long last I can finally live out that dream." Hotshot said pulling down his goggles.

"There's something you should know, Hotshot." I said rolling my shoulders.

"Oh right, your name was Smores or something?" Hotshot asked, with a chuckle.

Raising my forelegs up, I brought them back down onto the ground with great force. My flames erupted, engulfing me with fire. With the screams from the crowd, Hotshot McFlash jumped to the side in surprise at my sudden transformation. Every last pony had their eyes trained on me, the flames flourished and danced all around me as I turned to Hotshot.

"I will be winning this race." I stated confidently.

It may have been the reflection of my flames from Hotshot's goggles, but I could see the fire in his eyes. The smile he wore was from ear to ear, he positioned himself at the starting line ready to race and I followed suit. The crowd roared with anticipation, I could feel my heart beginning to race as we both stared at the checkered flag whipping in the wind.

"On your mark! Get Set!" Mayflower announced, pausing for a dramatic effect.

"GO!" Mayflower cried.

The checkered flag had no more than a ripple from being waved before we took off. A trail of fire and a dust cloud were all that was left at the starting line. The delayed passing of wind blew the crowd sideways, mixed with the cheers and excited chatter that the race was officially on.

---

"Do you believe it? I said, do you believe it! This is Pinkie Pie as your eye in the sky broadcasting the race to you live from a hot air balloon. With me, to help bring you all the breaking news, is my good friend, Fluttershy. Fluttershy, say hi!" Pinkie Pie said holding the microphone to her.

"Hi." Fluttershy said softly.

"Moments before the race started, Sparky, Ponyville's very own Flame Pony, had erupted into a raging ball of fire! Much to the surprise to every pony, Sparky exploded off of the starting line and is currently keeping neck and neck with ol' Hotshot McFlash! A fan favorite to win this race today. Sparky is the underdog, who is quickly winning the hearts of so many ponies here for his unbelievable performance! Wouldn't you agree, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked holding the microphone to her.

"Yes." Fluttershy said softly.

"What clearly should be a race of fortitude and endurance, that would normally take a pony a few hours to finish, these two ponies are moving so fast that it may only take a half hour at most! First they'll have to run around the outside of Ponyville, cut through the canyon and then race through the Everfree Forest before cutting back into Sweet Apple Acres! Can you not feel the excitement, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie cried.

"Yes." Fluttershy replied softly.

---

I had never used the Flash Step in such excess, only for short bursts, but never for racing. The faster I ran the hotter I seemed to burn, the fire under hoof propelled me forward and thanks to Rainbow Dash's coaching I could pace myself without trouble. Even so, Hotshot was already ahead of me, he took turns tight, sped up on straight paths, and slowed down to take hard turns. I had no such experience in racing. I would run full tilt, slide into a turn in hopes of maintaining my speed and it showed how much of a better racer Hotshot was.

We had already reached the canyon in no time at all. A few ponies had set up along the edge of the canyon to cheer as we barreled through. Luckily, this terrain was more my speed, the jagged rocks, gravel, displaced stones all reminded me of the Ashen Fields. This was no place for a seasoned race pony, and I used it to my advantage.

Leaping over loose dirt, vaulting off of set rocks, I was able to navigate the canyon with little difficulty. Much to Hotshot's dismay he could not read the surroundings as well as I could, he lost his hooves on loose gravel, and slid on loose stones. It gave me the chance to pull ahead slightly; no more then a few seconds between us.

"It seems that Hotshot McFlash has had some difficulty traversing the canyon, giving Sparky a momentary lead! Even though Sparky does not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down, Hotshot McFlash is still just a cupcakes throw away from taking back the lead! Let me hear you scream every pony!" Pinkie Pie cried.

"Yay." Fluttershy cried softly.

---

"This can't be happening, no one can beat Hotshot! He's the best! He's the champion!" Mayflower whined tapping her hooves together.

"What if Hotshot loses this race? He'll lose all his supporters! All his sponsors! Every pony will want to market the Flame Ponies for new products! Hotshot will pass into obscurity! I can't let this happen!" Mayflower hissed under her breath.

Mayflower slipped out from the announcers' box, quickly making her way out from the stands. Carefully sneaking her way through the crowds, Mayflower was able to duck behind Sweet Apple Acre's barn. Checking to make sure no pony was following her, Mayflower rounded the corner and bumped into Applejack and Rarity carrying barrels of cider.

"What are you doing back here?" Applejack asked in surprise.

"What? Me? I was just, uh, going for a walk. Whenever Hotshot races my nerves get the best of me so I just have to excuse myself." Mayflower said nervously.

"I get that way sometimes, whenever I'm up against the best designers in all of Equestria; it can be so overwhelming." Rarity said levitating a barrel of cider with her magic.

"You'll have to excuse me I really can't let Hotshot see me in such a dire state." Mayflower said quickly.

Mayflower trotted off, glancing over her shoulder a few times before making her way down the dirt path.

"Now where is she off to?" Applejack asked suspiciously.

"I'm sure she just wants to have a bit of space, some ponies can't handle the stress sometimes." Rarity suggested.

"That's what I'm worried about. I think we should follow her." Applejack said, placing the barrel of cider down.

"Why, whatever for?" Rarity asked curiously.

"She's up to something, I can feel it." Applejack replied.

"What makes you say that dear?" Rarity asked.

"Call it a hunch." Applejack said.

Applejack took off after Mayflower down the dirt path leaving Rarity behind.

"Applejack! Wait for me! Really, all this running and we're not even the ones in the race." Rarity said placing the cider down gently and taking off after her.

---

"Okay every pony, our racers are just about out of the canyon! They'll be entering the Everfree Forest, and our eye in the sky will be temporarily blind from the action, but we'll be able to pick it up when they cross the river. In the meantime I have an exclusive one on one with our very own Fluttershy. Fluttershy, thank you for joining us today." Pinkie Pie announced, turning to face Fluttershy.

"It's nice to be here." Fluttershy said softly.

"So Fluttershy, what sound does a butterfly make?" Pinkie Pie asked.

---

We stormed out of the canyon. Hotshot had made up some time. I didn't think he could adapt so quickly to the terrain but he managed to close the gap between us considerably. Fortunately, he could not slip stream behind me due to the amount of fire that was trailing from my Flash Step. He would have to push up on his own power and to my amazement he was doing just that.

"I had no idea you were this fast!" Hotshot shouted to me.

"That makes two of us!" I hollered back, noticeably tired.

Through the forest tree tops the sunlight disappeared due to the thick canopy of tree branches that soared overhead. We had entered the Everfree forest, shafts of light poured through splits in the canopy, but my fire seemed to light our way.

"I have to say, I'm impressed you've pushed me this far, but this is the part where you find out why I'm called McFlash!" Hotshot yelled to me.

To my disbelief Hotshot galloped past me, not only did he over take me, but he was slowly pulling away and I was already starting to feel fatigued. I could feel my heart beginning to race, the aspect of winning was slowly slipping away from me and with the race being close to being over I knew that if I were to give it everything I got I could maybe take back the lead. With the possibility of my fire burning to hot, spreading to the trees around me, I decided that I would have to wait until the final stretch to make one final push. All I needed to do now was keep as close as I can to Hotshot and not let him pull away any further.

---

Applejack and Rarity went racing down the dirt path, entering the edge of the Everfree Forest to look around for Mayflower.

"Applejack dear, I don't see Mayflower anywhere. Could you have been wrong?" Rarity asked curiously, doing her best not to step in the noticeable mud on the path.

"Nope." Applejack said coming to a hard stop.

Applejack and Rarity arrived at the river where the bridge that connected the two sides of the river bank rested. Mayflower was found apple bucking the bridges supports on the opposite side. It would seem that she was attempting to collapse the bridge.

"Ms. Mayflower!" Rarity gasped in shock.

Mayflower jumped in surprise, looking across the river at the two of them; she seemed very embarrassed, face racked with guilt.

"Of all the no good dirty tricks, you're trying to sabotage this race!" Applejack yelled.

"This isn't what it looks like! I was just... uh, fixing it! Yes! I was coming out here to check the stability of the bridge and saw that it was rather loose. So I took it upon myself to try and fix it before they got here." Mayflower said hastily.

"Horse Hockey!" Rarity cried.

Applejack gave her a surprised look and Rarity shrugged it off.

"You were trying to collapse that there bridge and force Ash to drop out of the race!" Applejack accused her.

"You don't understand! Racing is all Hotshot has! If this Flame Pony actually beats him he'll be ruined! Every pony will want everything Flame Pony, no one will want to see Hotshot race anymore." Mayflower protested.

"Every pony has his time in the sun, Mayflower! What if Hotshot saw you doing this? Do you think he'd feel the same way? Racing is all he talks about, and I can bet you he wouldn't want to see you trying to cheat for him." Applejack argued.

"Applejack is right, we can't win all the time, but it gives us a chance to learn from our mistakes and grow as a pony. It breeds healthy competition and we can learn from each other." Rarity agreed with her.

Mayflower hung her head low. Having been caught, there was no way of getting around it. She started back over the bridge looking very ashamed with herself. The race would continue with the possibility of Hotshot McFlash losing.

"I-I-I- I've been Hotshot's manager ever since his first race. I wanted to see him live out his dreams of being the fastest racing pony in all of Equestria. I'd watch him day after day train harder than any pony out there to get to where he is, and I fought to give him the chance to show the world how great he is." Mayflower confessed.

"I'm sure your heart was in the right spot but-"Applejack stopped short.

Smolder and Hotshot rounded the bend, charging up and over the bridge flying past Mayflower who turned her head to avoid the wind and flames. Just as they had crossed the bridge a low groan was heard coming from the bridge beneath her. The wood planks began to snap as the bridge started to implode on itself, Mayflower struggling to keep her balance.

"Mayflower! Get off of there!" Applejack shouted in panic.

It was too late. The bridge collapsed into the water taking Mayflower with it. The river carried the bridge down stream with Mayflower trying to keep her head above water with the sudden shrieks of terror from Applejack and Rarity.

---

I looked over my shoulder, wondering if I had seen Applejack and Rarity when crossing the bridge, and to my shock I saw the bridge collapse under Mayflower. I couldn't imagine why or how she had gotten there.

I dug my hooves deep into the dirt, coming to a hard stop and bolted back towards the river. I raced around the bend. Rarity and Applejack were already giving chase along the edge of the river after the wreckage calling to Mayflower. The current was picking up speed with Applejack and Rarity struggling to keep up.

"Applejack! Rarity! Get ready!" I cried.

I bolted past them. Racing alongside the wreckage and leaped onto the largest part of the destroyed bridge. The water splashed me, causing my flames to hiss, forcing me out of my Flash Step and sending a very strong stinging sensation throughout my body. I tried my best to use the wreckage as a raft to move up towards where Mayflower was fighting to stay above water.

"Mayflower!" I called out to her.

She was too panicked to hear me. I closed my eyes for a brief second. I took several deep breaths. I tried hard not to think about it as I jumped down into the water to help her.

---

"Sparky has just jumped into the water to help that pony! This is just horrible! Flame Ponies can't swim! They hate the water! Rainbow Dash! Twilight! Princess Celestia! Gummy! Some pony do something!" Pinkie Pie cried into the microphone.

"Oh dear!" Fluttershy gasped.

---

So this is what swimming was like. The pain was almost unbearable. I fought the current, kicking at nothing, trying to turn myself right side up. Eventually, I kicked against part of the bridge and propelled myself towards Mayflower. My head came above water, I gasped for air as I took hold of her.

The flames on my hooves were doused, my hooves were rapidly cooling, I wasn't too worried about burning her at this point. I tried dragging her towards the edge of the river. I was essentially trying to gallop in the water, and it was working to little effect as we inched closer. A great amount of steam was rising out of the water, my body was trying to defend me from the water by turning up the heat, but it wasn't helping much. I could see Rarity and Applejack running alongside us. I dragged Mayflower up onto a beam of wood and kicked off the wreckage. The beam cut across the water bringing us closer to the shoreline.

"Look out!" Rarity cried in terror.

The river was quickly becoming more dangerous. Large rocks under the water began to break up the wreckage. At this point, I had gone numb all over. I slipped off the beam and disappeared under the water. I'm pretty sure I hit a rock or two. I felt myself roll over some wood that was being pulverized from the rocks below.

This had to be a Flame Pony record, submerged under water for almost a minute? I could almost see myself being lifted into the air by my fellow Flame Ponies, cheering me for setting such an incredible reckless feat. Another rock struck me, jarring me from my pain induced delusions. I couldn't find the strength to try and resurface anymore.

I felt an arm come around me. Tugging me hard through the water, my body had already gone limp, my vision fading quickly. That's when I felt myself being dragged out of the water.

"Come on Blaze, stay with me buddy." Hotshot said coughing up water.

I passed out at this point.

---

"Is he going to be alright?" Rarity asked sounding concerned.

"I'm not sure, his flame is out." Applejack replied nervously.

"Maybe we should build a fire! Like, right on top of him!" Spike offered.

"Would that even work?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm not sure. We don't know anything about Flame Pony medicine." Twilight remarked.

Their voices were coming in much clearer now, my head seemed to pound out of my skull, and my eyes began to open. I exhaled through my nose, which caused my mane and tail to flicker back. I choked on some water that was caught in my throat. I could hear sighs of relief all around me. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike were standing over me.

"Hi." I mumbled.

"Hi." Every pony responded.

"I'm Smolder." I mumbled once more; not fully aware of my surroundings.

"Hi Smolder." Every pony replied.

"Are you going to be okay?" Spike asked sounding worried.

"You took the plunge mighty deep, Ash." Applejack said.

"I'll be okay." I said, trying to reassure them.

I paused for a moment to sniff the air.

"Do I smell smoke?" I asked curiously.

"Well… we tried to cover you with a towel." Rarity said sadly.

I looked over my shoulder to see that my mane had already burned away much of the towel.

"Sorry." I said getting to my hooves.

"Whoa, take it easy there, Matchstick. You're in no condition to be moving just yet. I think. Do Flame Ponies recover faster? I mean you did just go swimming." Rainbow Dash asked unsure.

"I'll be alright." I said confidently.

That was a huge mistake on my part, the moment I put pressure on my hooves my body rejected the idea and I slumped to the ground with a thud. My muscles were strained, joints inflamed, and I think I finally knew what a sun burn felt like, but with water. In any case, I decided that resting for a bit longer may be the best idea.

"Hey there, Blaze." Hotshot spoke up.

I looked up to see Hotshot McFlash standing over me, beaming at me and Mayflower by his side. She looked very solemn, hanging her head low and not making eye contact.

"I've seen some crazy things in my day, but watching a Flame Pony jump in a raging river to save a friend of mine just topped my list." Hotshot said looking over at Mayflower.

"Don't mention it." I mumbled weakly.

"I guess that there bridge must have been on its last legs before deciding to collapse. What I don't understand is how you ended up on that bridge, Mayflower?" Hotshot asked glancing at her.

Mayflower shook nervously. She began to stammer trying to get the words out while every pony waited.

"Well you see, Mayflower was worried about that bridge collapsing on you fellas during the race. So she asked Rarity and I to come help her check it out." Applejack spoke up.

"She did? Yes! That's right! She did! Mayflower was deeply concerned and went out to inspect it. Turns out the bridge was rather rickety, fortunately it didn't collapse on either of you two, but Mayflower wasn't so lucky." Rarity chimed in, trying to spare Mayflower from the truth.

Mayflower looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong, May-" Hotshot began but was cut off by Mayflower's sudden wailing.

"It was me! I did it! I tried to knock the bridge down to stop Blaze from finishing the race!" Mayflower sobbed.

"Say what now?" Hotshot asked confused.

"I tried to knock down the bridge, but Rarity and Applejack stopped me before I could finish! I ended up falling in and ruined the race anyways!" Mayflower wailed covering her face with her hooves.

"Now why would you go and do a thing like that, Cindy? You always played it by the book." Hotshot asked sounding surprised.

Mayflower sobbed quietly to herself, unable to speak coherently, and I found some strength to try and stand up.

"I don't know..." Mayflower mumbled through her sobs, wiping her eyes with her hooves.

"I think she likes you." I said, trying to keep myself up.

There was a loud gasp from every pony, Mayflower immediately stopped sobbing and looked completely horrified; blushing furiously.

"Say what now?" Hotshot asked again but looking my way.

"I think she wanted to make some pony's dream come true today. To have Hotshot McFlash live out his dream of beating a Flame Pony in a race. Because I believe she wanted to see that pony be truly happy. I'm sure her heart was in the right place; right with Equestria's fastest race pony." I explained.

Hotshot looked at Mayflower who continued to hide her face from him. He smiled warmly before nudging her with his nose. Mayflower looked up slowly, her face a bright red.

"Is this true, Mayflower?" Hotshot asked quietly.

Mayflower whipped her mane back, her face still red but she seemed to be trying to hide a smile.

"Maybe." Mayflower mumbled.

Hotshot planted a kiss upon Mayflower's cheek that instantly turned her redder than an apple. Every pony gasped aloud, a few cat calls from Rainbow Dash and I even found myself smiling. Mayflower quickly hid her face from every pony behind her mane, giving Hotshot a playful push.

"You're not going to believe this Ponyville! It looks like Hotshot McFlash just kissed Cindy Mayflower, his manager! Things are really heating up in this race and I'm not just talking about Flame Ponies! This has been a day full of surprises! Wouldn't you agree, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked into the microphone.

"Yes." Fluttershy replied.

We looked up to see the hot air balloon slowly sailing overhead much to Mayflower's dread of hearing Pinkie Pie's announcement as she sunk low covering her head. Every pony tried not to laugh, not wanting to embarrass Mayflower further, but we had more control then Rainbow Dash who laughed aloud. Hotshot turned to me.

"Thanks for the race partner." Hotshot said holding out his hoof to me.

I nodded, tapping his hoof with my own.

Author's Note:

These last three chapters were originally a single chapter as well.

Comments

[Rammy]

Some even seemed to have marshmallows on sticks trying to hold them out near my flames.

Now if only there was a graham cracker and chocolate bar seller in the crowd...

[Robot Sparky]

right this chapter took a little longer to read (phone restarted twice)
but still i enjoyed it otherwise <--sp?
Now sleep, then on the marrow, more awesome story reading!