Race to the Finish

by DGJabberwocky

Left in the Dust

Around the second week of March, and it was officially race week. That Monday though, she had other things on her mind. Slipstream noted her downcast mood, "You alright, buddy?"

She mused, "I'm just thinking... It's now been three weeks since school began. If I hadn't met you and Rara, my life would have been miserable. By now, Anon-A-Miss would have been wreaking havoc in the school. If I'd been there, I would have probably endured a lot of abuse. Maybe it would have targeted the rest of my former friends or expanded to the whole school. My life would have been ruined forever."

He wheeled over and rubbed her back, "Best not to think about it too much. I'm just glad that luck or fate allowed our paths to cross. By the way, I had a brief glance at your phone the other day. You're still getting a lot of hate, because your messages have been blowing up like crazy. Some of the insults are a little creative, let's just leave it at that."

Sunset whistled softly, "I still can't believe you're going through all my hate mail for me?"

He waved her off nonchalantly, "Nah, this is nothing! You should have seen me in my championship-winning season. We were at Mexico, which is sadly not on the calendar this year. The year before, I dove down the inside of this fellow, Slick Shifter at one particular corner. Lost the front end of the bike, and he happened to get caught up on the outside with nowhere to go. No hard feelings between us and the bloke was very understanding, but the fans... were a different story. Got death threats from all my social media, because he was a local boy. Fast-forward a year later, the Thursday before we were supposed to leave for the track, bunch of crazy fans actually kidnapped me."

Her eyes widened, "Seriously!"

He laughed, "Dead serious! Was ransomed for 10 million dollars and some of them even ordered me to deliberately lose the race. Luckily, my team called the cops and launched a massive rescue operation. Got back in time for the race weekend, and since then, I never travelled without bodyguards, and neither does anyone else. Heck, why do you think Fetlock sticks close to you? Did you think he was merely one of Rara's backup dancers?"

She changed the subject, "By the way, I checked the race timings, and it starts at 10:30 at night."

Slipstream slapped his forehead, "Damnit! I knew I forgot something! Yeah, Qatar is the calendar's only night race, and its pretty self-explanatory. So far, you've only been riding in the afternoon, where the temperature is pretty high. So at night, the temperature drops dramatically, and that lowers the on-track grip. Oh, by the way, if you want, you can also come early on Sunday and watch Hitch and Zipp's race. It'll give you an idea of what to expect."

Friday arrived, and the first practice session wrapped up. Most of the Ducatis were in top form, but the big surprise for everyone was Sunset Shimmer ending the session in P3! She did get a small scare when she leaned a little too far to the inside of Turn 1. She overbalanced and her left leg dangled briefly before she got a foothold. Admittedly, Gearwrench, her engineer, was not too thrilled when she lost one of her brake protectors.

Sometime later, Slipstream was called to the media pen. He said with a broad smile, "I gotta tell you! She just jumped on the bike and rode it almost like a natural. I'm still pinching myself, wondering how we managed to luck out with her. Look, no disrespect to the other riders, they are all top talents and world champions. You may call me biased, but I firmly believe that there is something special about Sunset Shimmer."

The second practice session saw a lot more eyeballs on Sunset, and she delivered with another third place finish. The next day, during the qualifying session, a bunch of teams turned up the wick. In the last five minutes of the session, Sunset found herself 9th fastest, around seven tenths slower than the fastest lap. Her final lap saw her jump up, to fifth, but a few other riders were going quicker still. In the end, she was classified in eighth place for Sunday's race.

Sunset trundled back into the pits and walked inside, very downcast. Gearwrench and Slipstream surrounded her and pat her back comfortingly. The latter asked, "You okay, buddy?"

She mumbled, "I don't understand it! Yesterday, we ran so well! Could have even stuck it on pole! I don't know, the lap felt decent. Nothing seemed wrong with the bike. So, why are we so far down the pack?"

Gearwrench calmly said, "Shimmer, I'll give it to you straight. We're still a small team. No one is expecting miracles from you. Maybe the conditions yesterday, suited your bike better. I can't control the weather, kid. Just cause you got two Top 3 finishes, it kind of made you a touch overconfident, didn't it?"

Slipstream nodded sagely, "He's right. The silver lining is that we are in the Top 10. So there is a shot for a good points haul. Listen, it's too early to think about gunning for the championship, and a little bit arrogant. Let's just take everything one step at a time. We might not challenge for the title, but we can still prove to be a nuisance for the front-runners. Now, chin up... We've got a long race ahead of us tomorrow. I'm sure Hitch and Zipp would appreciate it, if you watched their races."

Finally, it was race day, and Sunset woke up with butterflies in her stomach. As she sat up in the bed of her hotel room, she heard a knock, "Sunset? Rise and shine kid! It's Slipstream! You decent?"

She called back a little shakily, "I'm up! You can come in!"

Sunset heard the sound of a key card being inserted and the door opened. Slipstream wheeled inside, "Morning! Thought I'd let you know, a bunch of us are going sight-seeing for a while. We won't be needed at the track until around 4 o'clock. You game? Powerslide and a few others are tagging along. I believe he heard from another rider, that the lamb kebabs are to die for!"

The group enjoyed themselves for a while, until they all turned back at around four in the afternoon. Powerslide explained that there would be a 10 minute warm up session at ten past 6, followed by media appearances. Then at seven thirty, the junior-most division, where Hitch and Zipp would be competing, would kick off.

The warmup ended with Sunset in fifth place. Just before that race began, Powerslide dragged Sunset to the pit wall, where they all leaned out. She asked, "So, what are we doing here?"

He grinned, "Well, there are three big reasons for this. Firstly, the 250cc division is easily the most entertaining class. Since these guys are rookies, the battles are pretty much no holds barred. The second reason is that everyone is watching to see how the lights work. It helps us time our starts better. Lastly, much like your boss, Slipstream, there are some riders who own a race team and want to monitor their progress."

He pointed, "Look! They're off on their final sighting lap before the race! Now the fun starts."

About half an hour later, Sunset Shimmer's eyes were wide, "Holy crap! That was freaking intense!"

Powerslide smirked, "Told you so! Unfortunately, we can't watch the whole of the second race because we have to get ready. Good luck and I hope you give us a good fight!"

At around 10PM, Sunset rode out onto the track and gauged the conditions. She spoke to Slipstream, "Can you let the guys know that I want a medium front and medium rear tire combination."

He glanced at her, "Are you sure? Wouldn't a medium-hard combo last longer?"

She firmly nodded, "I'm sure! If I'm wrong, so be it. At least we would do our best in this race."

Slipstream smiled, "Cool, I'll let the guys know."

As Sunset waited on the grid, Slipstream was back, with a pensive expression on his face. He casually sidled up next to her in his wheelchair. He spoke, "Hey kid, does the name Flash Sentry ring any bells?"

She frowned a little and murmured, "Ex boyfriend. We parted on pretty bad terms, back when I was still a bully. But after my change of heart, we're back as tentative friends. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Oh nothing... Your old phone has been frantically blowing up for the past few minutes, thanks to him. I checked the messages, and it seems that he's figured out that you're innocent. I'm betting that he's either finally noticed your absence or he's seen you on TV. I think he also tried to call, a couple of times. Do you want a quick word and hear his apology, or do you want to focus on the race? Just so you know, I believe it is 12:15 in the afternoon back in Canterlot, thanks to the timezones."

Sunset Shimmer agonised for a couple of minutes, "I just want to focus on the race, for now. I'll talk to him after the race. Any word from the girls?"

He winced, "Most of them are still angry at you, sorry kid. Though I think some Fluttershy lass is starting to have doubts. Do you want to call her too?"

"No. They hurt me the most. I'll probably take some more time to work up the nerve to talk to her. And that's only after she apologises and knows that I'm innocent."

Slipstream smiled softly, "Okay then. Good luck, kid. Stay safe. Remember, no heroics into turn one. I don't want to have to deal with an angry principal Celestia. As I often say-"

"To finish first, first you have to finish"

"To finish first, first you have to finish"

The two of them spoken in unison, though Sunset sounded more robotic, as though she had heard this a thousand times already. Slipstream mock-scowled at her grinning face under the helmet, "Cheeky brat... Just do your best and bring us a nice points haul, though we certainly won't complain about any silverware."

He patted her helmet, where her cheek was, before leaving the grid. From there, Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes and began to focus. As the non-essential personnel cleared the grid, she tuned out all the noise and focused on the lights. The lights turned and they set off for the final sighting lap. She had been told that there was no need to worry about overtaking during this phase, as long as she found her correct grid slot after the lap. She and the other riders rode slowly, occasionally weaving to get some temperature into their tires.

As soon as the lights went green, Sunset Shimmer got an average start and immediately swerved to the right to fend off an attack from the inside. Unfortunately, she got bundled down a position, heading into the first turn. She lost a few more, finding herself down in 10th by the end of the first lap. The good news was that, at the start of the next lap, a rider ahead of her, fell off the bike, promoting her up a place. She soon followed that by by overtaking another and snatching 8th place.

Two laps later, Sunset began a steady climb up the order, and was up to 6th place by the end of lap 4. The best part was that she was two-tenths faster than the race leader. During her next tour of the track, Sunny Starscout and Zipp Storm relayed some information, and egged her on. With 17 laps remaining, Sunset was up to 5th place on the track, and marching up the pack. On the pit wall, Slipstream pumped his fist with a big smile on his face.

Unfortunately, five laps later, Sunset Shimmer made her first big mistake. She was at the back of a 4-bike battle for 2nd, when the 4th-placed rider ran wide, and she ran wide as well. Fortunately, she held her position, and on the next lap, Sunny and Hitch urged her to calm down.

10 Laps remaining, and Sunset dove down the inside to snatch 4th place. Unfortunately, she botched up a couple of laps later, when she ran wide and dropped to fifth. Things got worse when she started losing ground and slipping back into the clutches of P6 and 7. Later on, she ran wide for the second time, and dropped down to 7th.

The red and blonde-haired girl shook her helmet in frustration. By the pit wall, the mood was much the same, with Slipstream clutching his head in disbelief. As the laps ticked by, it was clear that Sunset Shimmer was struggling. Slipstream moaned, "Ayeyeyeye! I warned her about tire wear! She's dropping like a stone."

Sure enough, her pace continued to drop, and she fell down to 9th place. The good news was that the torture was not going to last much longer, as there were two laps left. What made it even better was that P10 was too far behind to make an impression. Finally on the last lap, the final message to Sunset was "P9, OK. Bring it home."

Soon, Sunset Shimmer saw the chequered flag and ended the day in 9th place. On the cooldown lap, she made sure to congratulate the winner and podium finishers, which also included a delighted Powerslide in 2nd. Sunset trundled back into the pits and walked to the back of the garage. Inside, Sunny, Pipp, Zipp and Izzy hugged her, while Hitch squeezed a shoulder. Then Slipstream wheeled inside and smiled, "It was a good run kid, but at least we salvaged some points. We're off to a good start. Don't worry about the result too much, you did good, for a rookie. Come on, we can bounce back from this. Now I believe you have a call to make."

Sunset looked up at him, with a morose expression. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled, "Okay... I can do this."

They exited the garage, fielded a few questions from the media, and returned to the motorhome. The first thing she did was pick up her old cell phone. She was about to open her messages, when a thought struck her, did she really want to do this? Was Flash being genuine? Did he really believe her? Or was it all a ruse to accuse her again. Slipstream, Pipp and Izzy also waited, as her internal debate raged. Finally, Sunset took a deep breath and fished out her new phone.

FS: "Hey... uh... Sunset... Are you free to talk? I just want to say that I believe that you're innocent."

SS: "Hey, it's Sunset here. I changed my number because I didn't want to get bombarded with hate messages or death threats. Sorry, I was a little caught up with something. I'm free now."

FS: "That was a smart move, to be honest. I was there during that dramatic little showdown with the girls at the Sweet Shoppe. I'll be frank, I didn't know what to think about the accusation. I doubted that you would suddenly change back into that mean girl you used to be. Unfortunately, that blow-up spread like wildfire, and everyone in school is at each other's throats, and some are out for your blood. In a way, I'm kind of glad that you're not here."

SS: "I just had to get away from it all. By the way, how did. you come to the conclusion that I was innocent?"

FS: "Like I said, I doubted that you would throw away that friendship so quickly. So you can imagine my surprise and vindication when I'm just flipping channels and suddenly I see your name and face on TV. Participating in a motorbike race... You've been holding out on me, Shimmer. ;)"

SS: "That's a long story. Are you the only one who's figured it out?"

FS: "Immediately after I saw your face, I got a text from Bulk Biceps, Micro Chips, Derpy and someone called Wallflower Blush. I was a bit surprised about that last one. That girl's quieter than Fluttershy, I almost forgot she existed. Anyway, Bulk and Micro also just happened to see your face on TV and tuned in for the race. Derpy and Wallflower, are apparently closet motorcycle racing fans. In Micro's words, 'There's no way Sunset Shimmer can be Anon-A-Miss, if she's halfway across the other side of the freaking globe!'"

SS: "I just hope that my name gets cleared, by the time I finish the season. I'm on a one-year contract."

FS: "Micro Chips has a plan. He's going to talk to VP Luna so that he can 'legally' hack into Anon-A-Miss and expose the culprit. Your former friends are convinced that it is you, though Fluttershy and Pinkie are a looking a little iffy. I think when you didn't turn up to school on the first day after vacations, a lot of them chalked it up to you being too chicken to own up. That day itself, some more secrets were exposed. I think that's raised Fluttershy's suspicions, because how can you post someone's secret, if you're not showing up in school. Took a week for Pinkie Pie to also catch on. It's been three weeks since school has begun, and no one else seems to have figured it out. Of course, Pinkie and Fluttershy are too scared of airing those suspicions to Applejack, Rarity or Rainbow Dash. Those three are on a warpath"

SS: "I'll wait for Shy and Pinkie to apologise. I'm not making the first move. Anyway... Changing the subject, do you want to catch one of the races, live? I can talk to my boss and ask if he can hook you up with some tickets. If you're not up to travelling abroad, Round three is at Texas in April."

FS: "Awesome! I'd love to be there! I'll be rooting for you, Sunset. Man, you were so close."

SS: "Yeah... my tires ran out of grip, so I was struggling towards the end. Listen, I've got to go. We have to pack up and leave the track shortly. Good night, Flash."

FS: "Night? It's 1:45 in the afternoon."

SS: "11:45 in the night, here in Qatar."

FS: "Oh right... time zones. I'll text you later."

Comments

[The Unseen]

Where's Round 2 gonna be held?

[DGJabberwocky]

11882515

You'll see

[Speedy Silverstreak]

Is Round 2 Road America? Would love to see a bike race at my home state track.

[JCY2k16]

FS: "Micro Chips has a plan. He's going to talk to VP Luna so that he can 'legally' hack into Anon-A-Miss and expose the culprit. Your former friends are convinced that it is you, though Fluttershy and Pinkie are a looking a little iffy. I think when you didn't turn up to school on the first day after vacations, a lot of them chalked it up to you being too chicken to own up. That day itself, some more secrets were exposed. I think that's raised Fluttershy's suspicions, because how can you post someone's secret, if you're not showing up in school. Took a week for Pinkie Pie to also catch on. It's been three weeks since school has begun, and no one else seems to have figured it out. Of course, Pinkie and Fluttershy are too scared of airing those suspicions to Applejack, Rarity or Rainbow Dash. Those three are on a warpath"

Ah Flash, don't you worry your pretty head about those five bimbos and the rest of CHS. They'll learn and realize how royally and utterly they fked up soon enough.