Chapter One
“Breathe...”
Rainbow Dash inhaled slowly. She breathed in, filling her lungs and puffing out her chest, then held it for a moment, and then released it in a slow, controlled, relaxed exhale. Her mind was clear. She was focused, relaxed, ready.
All around her, ponies were in a flurry of motion. Unicorns casting spells, Earth Ponies lifting tools and registering equipment, fellow Pegasi and Wonderbolt technicians helping along as they fastened augments to her wings one piece at a time. She could feel herself sweating under the skin-tight latex suit, her legs feeling like they were about to buckle under the added weight.
She returned her focus to her breathing, trying to ignore them as another wing plate levitated past her side, and tried to keep still and allow her crew to do their work. At any other time she would’ve hated to be put in such a ridiculous outfit, even now it took most of her concentration to resist the urge to preen, but she was assured that it would help her in the long run.
These races were like nothing she’d ever experienced before, she remembered Spitfire’s warning at sign up. It was a challenge, both mentally and physically. She’d be competing against members from all over Equus, not just other Pegasi, many of which were stronger, faster, and more devious than she.
Of course, none of that stopped Rainbow from volunteering and, complain though she might, the wings did improve her flying. She still regretted almost biting that poor mare’s ear off during the first fitting, Rainbow was so livid.
A loud click brought Rainbow back to the present. She opened her eyes to find an orange visor set in place over her ears. The unicorn who had set it in place, a pink mare with a two-tone purple mane— made distinct by the bandage wrapped around the base of her right ear, Cherry Jubilee rotated the visor and set it to the side. She then secured it in place with some straps over the back of Rainbow’s head.
Cherry gave her a smile whilst she worked. Rainbow caught glance of a flicker of magic at the tip of her horn, and the change was immediate as the extra weight lifted from her shoulders, allowing Rainbow to stand back to her full height. She didn’t even have the chance to thank the mare before she had trotted behind her and out of sight, turning her attention to the pair of ponies still fumbling with a pair of wires and wing blades at her side.
Only a few minutes longer, and her right wing was completed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she allowed her wing to fall to its neutral position and spread the left, looking around at her surroundings as she did so.
They were in a kind of communal area, a dark enclosed space reserved for all the racers to do their pre-flight checks. The floor was a plain marble with painted lines demarcating the different spaces, and lighting was provided by way of glowing gems set along the walls and floor.
They’d come in earlier with their crews through the back tunnel and set up a working area in their designated lot, and would later head out towards the starting area through the open wall ahead.
To her left she could see the Griffonstone team already finished and fawning over their champion, Gordon Graff— a tall, strong-built griffon. Rainbow recognised him as the long running champion, though, showing his years—his feathers were tattered and his plumage dotted with grey streaks. None of that stopped him from strolling out with confidence.
Beyond that were the Hippogryphs with their top racer, Broxze, a strapping young lion yet to fully grow in his mane— arguing with his pit crew about the correct aileron arrangement.
And then there was—
“Well isn’t it Rainbow Crash,” Rainbow wince upon hearing the familiar, harsh voice. Even before the mare came into view, she could already tell who it was going to be.
“Lightning Dust,” Rainbow snarled, watching as the dusty turquoise mare with an orange-streaked mane trotted into view, peacocking as she did so. She had already donned her racing wings and had them spread wide to show off their brilliant red paint job, with orange flames and dust sparks licking up the sides all the way to the wingtips — a stark contrast to Rainbow’s plain light blue.
Rainbow resisted the urge to spread her own, getting so far as a minor twitch before one of the Unicorns working at her side pushed them back down, “What are you doing here?” she seethed.
“What?” Lightning Dust put on a face of mock surprise, lifting her visor to get a better view of Rainbow. She leaned in closer, her muzzle inches from Dash’s face, “You didn’t think the Wonderbolts were the only Equestrian team to get this far, did you?”
“Lightning, that’s not what I—”
“But it doesn’t matter anyway, and it’s not like you’re going to win or anything,” Lightning spun around, slapping Rainbow Dash with the tip of her tail, “We all know who the better flyer is, after all.” She teased, flashing a smug grin as she trotted out towards the exit.
That last comment grated against Rainbow’s nerves particularly hard, but she chose to hold her tongue anyway, silently seething with her wing still trussed up in group of Unicorns as they fawned over getting the attachments right. She was unable to do anything to keep Lightning Dust from getting away from her.
She was so taken up in herself that didn’t even notice when Soarin came slinking in behind her, and wrapping a wing around her free side, “Don’t listen to her...” he cooed.
Rainbow bristled, and looked to see the stallion staring at him with a wide grin, “Soarin?” She gasped, “What are you doing here?”
“Snuck in to see you,” Soaring nuzzled into her side, expertly avoiding the metal wing dangling beside him.
“But”— Rainbow dropped her tone to a whisper— “You’re not supposed to be in here, this is for racers only.”
“Relax, I just wanted to wish you luck.” He pointed over his shoulder. “The rest of us will be rootin’ for you, and I’ll be waiting at the finish line when you win.”
Cherry reappeared at Rainbow’s side, levitating an energizer gem in her aura. She pulled Rainbow’s ear making her yelp, and screwed the gem into its socket on the side of her visor. “You’re good to go.” She patted Rainbow on the side and waved for the rest of the crew to move back.
“Well,” Soarin began, “it looks like I’d better be going.” He ruffled Rainbow’s mane, making her blush. “I’ll see you at the finish line, kid.”
~ ~ ~
The roar of the crowd, once distant and faded, now rolled over Rainbow Dash anew as she stepped out into the open. She was forced to squint and hold up a hoof to shield her eyes from the bright sun. Casting a quick glance around her, the stadium slowly came into focus.
It was truly a spectacular sight. Ponies, Minotaurs, Griffons, and possibly many more she couldn’t see were watching right now. This was a worldwide event broadcast live to every home in Equestria and beyond. It was simultaneously invigorating, and terrifying.
She put on a smile, a face of confidence for all the viewers and her friends that would be watching now, and waved a hoof.
“Out of the way,” a grizzly voice sounded from behind and Rainbow was bumped out of the way as Broxze stormed past.
Rainbow steadied herself and, taking a deep breath, followed him towards the starting area to take her place between Lightning Dust and Gordon Graff.
Graff sneered, a grin spreading across his beak as he spotted the pair of ponies fitting into their blocks beside him. “Little ponies,” he spoke with a thick Germaneic accent, adding far too much weight on the word ‘little’. “You do not have any place out here.”
Rainbow ignored his comment, rather choosing to focus on the race. She took her ready stance, mirroring Lightning Dust next to her with her chest lowered, wings spread, eyes pointed ahead, and awaiting the go ahead.
~ ~ ~
All the racers were ready at their starting blocks, patiently waiting for time that the race could begin. Each of them held their wings aloft, reflecting the light off of their metallic wings.
The cheers of the crowd dropped low, the entire stadium becoming deathly silent as a deep voice bellowed out over the intercoms, Ladies and germs, mares and stallions, griffons and griffoneses, we welcome you all here today to the seventy eighth First Equestrianapolis Nine Thousand!
Rainbow felt herself tense up at the sound of the announcer, his voice particularly loud for them right there in the heat of the moment. The roars of the crowd returned in a wave around her and whatever the announcer had to say was lost amid the commotion as engines revved to life around her.
To each side she saw wings extend, metallic feathers spreading out and glowing a hot orange, green, red, some blue, as their energy built.
Glancing to her right, she saw Lightning Dust staring at her, a thin confident smile on her face, and green eyes staring straight through her. Lightning winked, lowered her visor, and turned away from her.
Rainbow swallowed, lowering her own visor, shifting her wings slightly and getting a feel for them inside their metal casings. Feeling the dirt beneath her front hooves, she pressed forwards against the back trigger of her starting block and strained her ears for the starting alarm.
Silence descended around them, Rainbow focused on the rapid beating of her heart, aching for release. It was just her, and the sky—and several hundred tonnes of snarling Griffon but who’s counting?
She focused her eyes ahead, towards the open track extending far into the distance, the dirt trail leading off towards the first turn at a ninety degree elevation to the right.
Looking above, she could see the starting signal suspended above the track, hanging from an enchanted stone to keep it at a safe distance.
Only the top light was lit, a red light. As she watched, she heard the deafening beep echo across the void, and the light changed to orange.
Another eternity passed and, with one more, longer beep, it turned green.
It was her time. She pressed back against the block, feeling the switch engage. Beside her the other racers were doing the same, and their mechanical wings burst to life, shining brightly in their team colours as they took off.
And they were gone. Rainbow Dash found herself face planting into the dirt, her back hooves still secured firmly to the starting block. “Eat my dust, Rainbow Crash!” she heard Lightning Dust scream as she sped away, leaving a lightning trail in her wake.
Oh, it looks like the Equestrian team has run into some technical difficulties.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Rainbow swore, kicking repeatedly against the starting block. Adjusting her stance, she craned her neck to reach the secondary release, all the while listening to the mixture of disappointed and excited yells from the crowd. “Come on.” She kicked one more time at the block, hearing a loud crack as something broke loose and the deafening, high pitched scream as her wings kicked in.
There is no way she could possibly recover from that.
Rainbow huffed, blowing a stray hair out of her face and returned to her ready position. “I’ll see about that.”
She took a deep breath and kicked off, pulling the trigger in her hoof and feeling the track fall away behind her as she picked up speed. “Faster,” she grunted. Pumping her wings, she kept her eyes focused ahead, the track around her turning to a blur and the speedometer on her visor ticking away like the second hands of a clock.
She could feel the energy buzzing around her as her inherent magic intermingled with the web of enchantments surrounding her wings, the slow humming of her wings turning into a blaring cry as she broke past the sound barrier.
The end of the dirt track passed her by, now onto the clean linoleum section and following it upward into the sky towards the first turn. “Dash, first turn coming up,” a female voice shouted in her ear. It was Cherry from before, talking to her over the intercoms.
“I see it,” was all Rainbow Dash could grunt out. Hugging the centre lane, she kept parallel to the track as it twisted and turned vertical into the turn.
“Slow d—” Cherry was heard panicking over the intercom and was off as Rainbow clicked her ear across a switch beside her visor. She wasn’t going to let them tell her what to do.
She focused ahead, to where the track vanished around the corner, the lighted guides flashing to show the way. She counted the seconds— three, two, one— and pulled in a wing to twist around the corner.
The right walls boomed in her ear, a sudden echoing whoosh as it passed her by and the echoes of her own wings blared in her ears. Over the noise she faintly heard a screeching behind her, and saw the flash of sparks flying from where her wing etched a deep groove in the track.
Then, just as fast, it was gone. She was out into the open again with other racers jostling round her for position. She passed one of them cleanly, then a second. Rainbow smiled upon hearing their fading voices, cursing, behind her.
An explosion sounded ahead, shaking the track. One of the racers spiralled uncontrollably across the lanes, taking out three other contestants in his wake, knocking up clouds of smoke and dust, and showering the track in debris.
Pieces of metal flew past Rainbow, forcing her to swerve to avoid them. One piece— a wing blade— flew directly at her. She flipped over, twisting her body, to avoid the projectile, watching as the razor sharp piece of metal flew past inches from her face. It took off a lock of hair as it passed.
She heard some racers cry out behind her, but refused to look back. She kept her head low, focused ahead with narrowed eyes.
They passed through the cloud of smoke, and then the track was clear. She was getting close to the head of the group, with only two more racers blocking her way.
Rainbow gasped, and pulled back sharply, just barely dodging as two racers, a Minotaur with artificial wings and an eagle-type beast, crashed together in front of her. They fought for what felt like ages, pushing and pulling against each other. It looked like they’d gotten their ailerons tangled. Serves them right, Rainbow thought to herself and searched for an opening.
Other racers were closing in around them, slowly cutting off Rainbow’s escape routes. What’s more, they were now entering the corkscrew section of the track: a series of fifteen rapid loops in quick succession.
She shadowed the feuding pair, keeping low to the ground and following the track as it turned into the first screw. The world spun around them, turning upside down and then right side up and again as they passed into the second screw.
A flying pig was nipping against her hooves, begging to get past. Rainbow Dash was running out of options. Rainbow pulled up suddenly, kicking her wings into high gear, and flew directly over the fighting racers as they left the corkscrew.
Her earpiece started crackling loudly and Cherry’s voice returned in her ear. “Good job, Dash. You’re in the home stretch. After this is just the loop and the labyrinth. Whatever you do: Do. Not. Stop.”
Rainbow shook her head, a grin tugging at the corners of her face, “I don’t plan to,” she shouted into her earpiece and looked up.
The track continued straight ahead. In just a few hundred meters more it turned into a sharp incline that curved up, and backwards into a loop soaring overhead. Above her and in the distance she could see the leaders, Lightning Dust and Graff already at the apex of the loop. Though she couldn’t quite tell what they were up to from all the way out here.
~ ~ ~
Graff the Griffon was in his position, holding strong. There was only one other racer left between him and first place, and he had her right where he wanted her.
He feathered his wings, dropping speed as they rolled out of the loop and began the long descent down towards the labyrinth. Lightning’s trail was still bright ahead of him, and closing in fast. All he had to do was get past her now. Once they were into the maze he was home free.
Down below the maze was spread out before them, a vast span of twisting and turning corridors, enchanted to change every fifteen seconds. Most racers would find themselves lost in there. It was only the best of the few that could ever find their way out in time and still hold their position. Griff was one of those. He knew this track like the back of his claw.
He closed in behind Lightning Dust, poised to make his move. So far the mare had not noticed him, too focused on winning the race. He sneered, “Good bye, my little p—“
“Lightning Dust! Look out!” Rainbow Dash’s voice screamed in his ear, breaking Graff’s concentration. He swerved and missed, only righting himself at the last moment as the walls closed in around them.
Ground level passed them by with a swooping woosh and the air was filled with the deafening whine of enchanted wings as they sped down the tunnel into the maze. “What’s the matter, Crash?” Lightning sneered over her shoulder. She turned one eye back to see Rainbow Dash closing in behind her with a look of concern, “Afraid I’m going to beat you?”
“No!” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s—”
The world exploded around Lightning Dust, and the rest of Dash’s words were lost to the ringing as Graff slammed into her from the side. “Gah!” Lightning screamed and attempted to pull ahead but Graff had her pinned against the wall. “What are you doing!? Get off!”
“Good bye, little pony,” Graff snarled. He pressed Lightning against the wall— sparks flying as her wings scraped along the hard surface— and then pulled away at the last minute leaving Lightning to crash headlong into an out cropping in the wall.
Rainbow Dash watched in horror as the mare spun out of control behind them, sliding to a halt at the side of the track.
“What you goin’ to do, little pony?” Graff returned to the middle of the track, puffing out his chest as he flew beside Rainbow Dash. There was a smug grin painted across the side of his beak, “Win the race, or you going to be a weak pony loser and help your friend?”
“You—” Rainbow was at a loss for words. She glared at Graff, shooting daggers.
~ ~ ~
Lightning Dust was lying at the side of the track, her wings smashed, broken, and lying in pieces around her. She lay helpless, watching as the remaining racers passed her by one by one. “Buckin’—” she spat and fumbled with her hooves, trying to get a hoof hold.
The whine of wings met her ears, likely another racer that wouldn’t stop to help her. She attempted to roll over off her belly, and had only managed to pick up her head when she saw a pair of cyan hooves set down in front of her.
“Hmf,” Lightning huffed, keeping her eyes to the ground. “You come back to gloat, Dash?”
“Not a chance.” A third hoof reached down out of the top of her field of view, turned up and cupped in a helping gesture. Lightning turned her head up to see Rainbow Dash, leaning over her holding out her foreleg to help her get up.
Lightning gulped, grabbed a hold, and found herself pulled up free from her wreckage. “Are you okay?” Rainbow asked, looking over the damaged equipment. “Can you fly?”
“Y- yeah,” Lightning nodded meekly, “but my augments are toast, I’ll never catch up.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, lowered her visor— “Then we’ll finish this”— and put a wing over Lightning Dust’s back to pull her to her side. “Together.
~ ~ ~
The cheering of the crowd grew to new heights as, one by one; the racers crossed the finish line. The first to pass was Graff. “...and Graff takes home the trophy once again!” The announcer screamed over the intercom over the waves of hooves, claws, and paws stampeding in the cloisters.
Soarin stood on the sidelines, waiting anxiously at the side of the track. The excitement was lost on him as he watched every racer pass him by, his hear sinking with each one when it became clear that they were not who he was looking for. “Wh—” Soarin felt a pang of regret. “Where’s Dash?” he finally choked out, and looked between the ponies behind him.
Rainbow’s friends simply looked back in silence, their faces low. Spitfire removed her glasses and stepped up, casting a glance to the track. “I’m sorry.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I know how much she meant to y—”
“Look!” Pinkie Pie suddenly screamed, knocking Rarity and Fluttershy over as she rushed past them and pointed over Soarin’s shoulder.
He turned around, casting his eyes over the track to see, just appearing over the distance— his heart leapt— Rainbow Dash flying at half speed, with Lightning Dust stretched out over her back. They were both looking ahead with a silent determination, with Dust clinging to Dash like an old friend.
They wobbled and bobbed as they crossed the finish line, the last two to complete. Then, with Dash’s energy reserves depleted, they collapsed. Soarin rushed forward, throwing himself in front of them before they could hit the ground, and joined the two as they tumbled into a heap of dusty metal, feathers and fur.
He pulled Dash up, almost knocking Lightning out of his way as he did so, and into a hug, tears running down his face as he squeezed her tight to his chest. “What happened? I thought I’d lost you!” He hiccupped.
Rainbow simply smiled and patted the convulsing stallion on the back, letting the tears mat her fur. “Well...” She shared a glance with Lightning Dust. “Sometimes, there are more important things than a race.”