ECRL: The Wonderhawks

by WildFire15

ECRL Round 2: Baltimare - Build Up

Lightning Dust sat in the team’s VIP room above their stable as the supporting kart race started outside. Twelve karts were competing and the high pitched whine and the roar of their magic and gas powered engines respectively was aggravating as she wanted to review overtaking tactics for the race. There was no doubt in her mind she was going to pass everyone, but she figured it may be useful to find the best way to do it so she didn’t have to mess around with them for too long.

At present, only she, Rarity, Coco and two members of the Red Hawks team who had been brought in to do a pre-race display after the Wonderbolts were forced to cancel, Tupolev and Caterham, occupied the room and they were watching out of the window to see the cars come past on the first lap. The rest of the Wonderhawks, Red Hawks and their guests were on the pit wall to watch the karts as they screamed and roared off the line behind the buildings, wheels spinning like crazy.

The ponies at the window watched the TV as the karts got away, two karts locking up their brakes and going down the escape road at turn one. In the turn three hairpin, two of the karts in the middle of the field collided with one of them going straight on into the air fence, breaking front suspension. Rarity and Coco both gasped and covered their mouths as the driver hit the wheel in anger before climbing out unharmed.

“Here they come!” Caterham cheered as the karts turned out of turn four and headed for the chicane, drawing their attention back out of the window.

While streamline, the karts were lethargic and twitchy, having to nearly free-wheel through the corners without power to avoid spinning around. Those watching gasped as the leader came out of the chicane onto the pit straight, opened the throttle and the back end started to come around, being knocked back into line when it glanced the wall.

“They must be insane.” Rarity commented as the rest of the field went by, the engines propelling the karts out of the corners quickly, but not as quickly as the cloud racers.

“Well, you have to be to strap yourself into what may as well be a mobile coffin.” Caterham chuckled. The emerald green mare and her pure white friend Tupolev were the Red Hawks’ latest members and were both quite young. Tupolev was very quiet, but Caterham loved to talk.

Rarity and Coco exchanged worried glances as the rest of the team came back up the stairs.

“You should have seen him when we were leaving Whitbay.” Concorde was saying to Ratchett as they entered the room. “He obsessed over the Mallard train and needed reminding I was leaving on it.”

“I bet he was more disappointed you got to ride on that train then the fact you were leaving.” Rainbow Dash remarked, which caused Fleetfoot behind her to laugh.

“Could have gone either way, aye.” He smiled.

Leader of the Red Hawks Hurricane followed Fleetfoot in, who was in turn followed by his highly experienced team mates Reggiane and Messerschmitt.

The blood red stallion with canary yellow mane and tail of Reggiane, or Reggie to his team, winked at Rarity and Coco, both of whom smiled in return. He was likely twice their age, but he was still probably the most charming and handsome stallion they’d ever met, which was saying something.

Messerschmitt, a silver stallion with white mane and tail, looked somewhat serious but was anything but. Known as Smitty by the team, he was potentially more experienced even then Hurricane and Spitfire but seemed to have a million strange little interests, mainly in obscure B-movies and near useless trivia.

They did have a sixth member of their team, Radio Phone, but she was taking advantage of being able to access the commentary booth and was watching the kart race from there while preparing for the team’s performance.

“Right, Red Hawks.” Hurricane addressed his team. “Are we ready?”

“We are ready, yes.” Smitty said as Reggie went to have a quick chat with Rarity.

“Got enough post cards now, Smitty?” Caterham asked, smirking.

“You can never have enough post cards.” He smiled back.

“You’ve got to have at least a million post cards by now.” Maffett remarked.

“Three thousand and sixteen at last count.”

“Enough.” Hurricane cut in, sounding serious. “This is our first major performance that’s also going to be televised so I want you all fully focused.”

“Looking forwards to your new theme song, Hurri?” Concorde asked, sitting on the table and grabbing his guitar

“What are you talking about, lad?” Hurricane inquired.

Here I am,
Rock you like a hurricane!

Concorde sang loudly in response, playing his guitar in sync with the music in his head.

Hurricane just looked at the grinning Concorde as he played the tune. The timing was right but the notes were completely wrong, though the unamused and enthusiastic looks on Hurricane's and Concorde's faces respectively were still funny.

“I don’t have a theme song.” Hurricane said simply.

“You do now.” Concorde, Maffett, and the rest of the Red Hawks said in unison before laughing.

“Go get ready.” Hurricane ordered his team after a moment, who just laughed before doing as he said, wishing the racers luck before leaving.

“Try not to do anything stupid.” Hurricane said to Concorde before following them out.

“Might be asking a lot there.” Concorde remarked as he played around with his guitar.

“Do you have to play that in here?” Maffett asked.

“Does it make much difference where I play it?”

“What happened to those headphones I bought and left with your guitar, anyway?”

“What headphones?” Concorde asked, surprised. Dust opted not to say anything.

“I bought you headphones so we didn’t have to listen to you playing.”

“Really? Thanks, but I haven’t seen any.”

Maffett sighed, annoyed as Concorde played around with the strings and tuned them slightly.

“Come on, Maffett, any requests?” Concorde mocked. She just rolled her eyes and heading for the stairs down to the stables.

“Erm, Mr Concorde?” Coco asked, raising her hoof. “Do you know anything by Bridle Adams?”

There was a moment of silence before Concorde stood up on his hind legs and belted out the opening of Summer of ’69, still completely out of tune but at least vaguely in time as he sang.

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-bit
Played it 'til my hooves bled
It was the summer of '69

“You mad mare.” Maffett sighed to herself as she past Lightning Dust, who was starting to get bored of the shenanigans as well and opted to follow Maffett down into the stable below while they waited for the kart race to end.

***

Dust considered the flight from the pits around to the grid to be somewhat pointless, what with the cut through they could use. Spanner insisted it was useful to get a feel for the track ahead of the race, but besides the small breeze on the main straight, which she could just feel while standing on the grid, she felt nothing new.

Roughly an hour after the kart race had finished, the grid was filled with racers, their pit crews, TV crews and plenty of celebrities and sponsors, more so then Cloudsdale now they were on the ground. Baseball players, mayoral officials, actors, a load of ponies who wanted to be seen at a sporting event. She wasn’t particularly interested in them, just as she wasn’t interested in the Red Hawks above as they went about their performance. They weren’t anywhere near the same league as the Wonderbolts after all, so why waste the energy to look up? She had her race to think about and how she was going to beat everyone.

Dust closed her eyes and visualised the race, her lightning start that would be raved about for years to come. She’d reviewed her qualifying lap several times as well so she’d be able to repeat it lap after lap.

She’d made adjustments to it in her mind after watching Rossi’s pole position lap. He was confident enough to start flapping his wings mid-way through the infamously tricky chicanes and so far as she could tell was practically rubbing his belly along some of the walls on corner exit. She knew she could emulate that for the full eighty laps and then she’d be on top of the podium, an invite to the Wonderbolts practically waiting there for her.

Dust opened her eyes noticed the EBC commentator DC walk by, talking to camera and also indicating to her for a moment before carrying on. He’d probably thought about asking her how she was going to win before deciding against it for whatever reason, though it didn’t really bother her much, though she did notice there wasn’t much going on in the sky.

She looked up and wondered why only one of the Hawks was in view. The white trail suggested it was Tupolev as he hurtled over her head. Barely any time later, Caterham hurtled by in the opposite direction, fully banked over and following Tupolev’s trail in the other direction as the crowd gasped in awe.

Perhaps that was the famous Syncro-Pair she’d been told about by Concorde in the few moments she hadn’t gotten bored of his stupid voice. Still, she might just look into the move if the TV were recording it, see just how impressive it really was.

She checked her goggles and helmet while the activity on the grid quietened down, the celebrities getting shepherded off track as Spanner helped Dust get her helmet, googles and mouth guard on.

“I want you to take the start carefully. Jorge and Blitzen are fast starters so watch out for them.” He informed her, before stepping back and turning his headset on. “Radio.” He asked as a test.

“On.” Dust replied, confirming it was working.

He smiled as he offered his hoof, which she half-heartedly bumped. He seemed satisfied though.

“Good luck.” Spanner said before heading off the grid.

Finally, she was largely alone with her thoughts, on a grid of twenty three losers she was about to beat. She was confident she could replicate her qualifying lap and she’d been studying overtaking techniques so she could get past the other racers quickly without worry. It was her chance and she was going to take it.

As soon as the marshal waved the flag to send the racers on their warm up lap, Dust shot off down the straight. Now was her time to shine.

Comments

[Piano pony]

I took a break from reading fics for a while but I'm glad I started again! This fic is amazing! I can't wait for the next one