AlwaysDressesInStyle's Ponyville CiderFest '23 Interactive App Stories

by AlwaysDressesInStyle

Nopony Beats The Whizz

Hook: Whizzer gets asked to throw a race.

Story #322
Title: Nopony Beats The Whizz
Keyword: Zoom
Character: Whizzer
Chaos/Villain

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Football may be the number one sport in the United States, and the other football might be the most popular sport globally, but amongst Earth’s pony population, horse racing is the favorite.

Ponies are tiny compared to Earth’s native horses. Very few ponies have what it takes to compete with their longer-limbed cousins, but that hasn’t stopped a few from trying. Whizzer is a speed demon. If it can be done, she can do it faster. She flies fast. She talks fast. She drives fast. But most importantly, she also runs fast.

She’s one of the few ponies to make a go at Thoroughbred racing, and the only one to be successful at it. Despite her size disadvantage, Whizzer is almost always the odds-on favorite whenever she shows up at the track. Unlike her competition, she has no jockey. There’s a weight break for fillies compared to colts, and she’s significantly smaller than a Thoroughbred filly. Jockeys tend to be petite, but on Whizzer, even small riders look comically oversized. Instead she wears her saddlebags, loaded with however much weight the officials tell her she needs to carry. There’s a lot of math involved, and math isn’t her strong suit.

She’s way too old to try for the Triple Crown. No pony will ever have a shot at the event for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. Ponies grow much slower, and a foal would never stand a chance against almost fully grown horses.

While she may never get to the pinnacle of the sport, she makes a good living going from track to track, participating in a variety of different races, including steeplechases and even harness racing. The latter is her least favorite, as the sulky is one-size-fits-all and she’s at a disadvantage compared to her competitors.

Today’s race is at the Meadowlands, a one-mile dirt oval. As she’s warming up a few men in suits walk up to her.

“Hi there. My associates and I have a business proposal for you.”

That’s nothing new, she’s given endorsements to companies before. She has long-running sponsorship deals with Mane ‘n Tail and RC Cola.

“We’d very much appreciate it if you were to not do your best in tonight’s race.”

“Huh?” Whizzer asks, perplexed. “It’s a race. Shouldn’t I give it my all?”

“Normally, yes. But you see, there’s a Ferrari in the parking lot. Now, I’m not saying you should intentionally lose, perish the thought. All I’m saying is that should you not finish first; the car is yours as a consolation gift. Of course, if you should happen to win tonight… Well, sometimes bad things happen to good ponies. Consider a loss tonight to be an insurance policy.”

The men leave without a further word and Whizzer mulls over their offer. She doesn’t care about gambling, but she knows a lot of people take it very seriously. She also knows that if they’re bribing her with such a lavish gift, they must stand to win a lot of money if she loses. It might be dangerous to win.

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[CHOICE]Does Whizzer throw the race?

>No. (chaos)

>Yes. (villain)