> Scootaloo's Race
>  by RushingWind-01
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Scootaloo got kidnapped!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a nice day in Equestria. The sun was shining, the sky was free of clouds, and everypony was happy. And some distance away from the peaceful Ponyville, two young fillies were in quite a hurry, looking for help.

It was Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, two ponies of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They ran through Ponyville, looking for the Mane 6.

"Do ya think they're gonna help us, Sweetie Belle?", asked Apple Bloom. "I'm sure they will if we explain what happened.", Sweetie Belle responded. The two were desperate since just recently, a Pegasus kidnapped Scootaloo and took her away to an unknown location. Since they were flying so fast, the two had no idea where the kidnapper could've taken her...

Soon, the two found Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity.

"Rainbow! Applejack! Rarity!", screamed the two fillies, and the three mares instantly reacted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! What happened?", asked Rainbow Dash, seeing as the two appeared to be out of breath.

Apple Bloom started: "It's Scootaloo! She's..." - "She got kidnapped!", Sweetie Belle bursted out. The three mares gasped. "Have y'all seen where the kidnapper took her?", asked Applejack, sure in worries.

"We have no idea! Whoever it was, he flew so fast we couldn't see where he went...", said Apple Bloom.

"Did he fly into a specific direction? Like towards the sun or anything?", asked Rainbow Dash. She knew much about directions since she was a Pegasus herself and that was like basic knowledge.

"Now that you mention it...", said Sweetie Belle, "He flew towards the sun. It looks like he was racing it."

"And you two came from the direction of the sun, which means..." Rainbow Dash knew what to do and where to go. "I'll go get Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy, and then we'll get going! Let's save Scootaloo!"

Rainbow Dash flew off to get her friends. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were relieved that the Mane 6 were always there to help them. That would be one quick trip to save their friend and they would be home in time for dinner...

Or at least, that's what they thought...
> Chapter 1: Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo opened her eyes and found herself in trouble. She was tied to a metal plate with shackles around her hooves and she couldn't get out.

"Wh-what's going on here? Where am I?", she asked herself before she noticed all this modern machinery. Whoever was behind her being kidnapped must be a mastermind. Obviously, it looks like the kidnapper is up to harm Scootaloo.

"HELP ME!", she yelled, hoping anyone would hear her.

"It's no use, little girl.", said a newcomer. It was the kidnapper himself, a two-tone grey Pegasus stallion wearing a red hoodie and with a wild black mane and tail. His cutie mark resembled a white checkered flag. He was wearing a chrome mask so Scootaloo couldn't see his face. "You are trapped here in one of the most remote places in Equestria, far away from Ponyville."

"What do you want from me?", asked Scootaloo, obviously terrified.

"I came here to help you.", responded the kidnapper. "As you may know, I have heard of your inability to fly long ago. It was ever since I decided to move to this world. And now, I have decided to help you get rid of that problem..."

"I... got over it... Why do you want to do this now?", asked Scootaloo.

"What you have is a rare genetic disorder, in which your wings wouldn't grow and you would never be able to fly.", said the kidnapper in response. "Pegasi are born to fly, to be free... But you are different... And so... I want to help you."

The kidnapper pushed some buttons, and grappling arms grabbed her small wings and spread them out. Then, two devices looking like laser pointers came down.

"Are you familiar with something called the 'Sombraverse'?", asked the kidnapper.

Scootaloo had no idea, and responded: "No. What do you mean?"

"I knew that nobody told you about it. It's an alternate timeline that Twilight went through. As far as she told me, Rainbow Dash was there as well. Apparently, technology was so advanced in the Sombraverse that Rainbow Dash was fitted with a prosthetic wing after losing her real one. She was still flying fine with it.", explained the kidnapper before making some final adjustments.

Then, he looked at Scootaloo, his red eyes shining bright through the mask. "And now... You're gonna fly too!"

Scootaloo was getting more terrified by the minute. "Wha-wait! What are you up to?"

The kidnapper turned back to the machine. "Don't worry. It's only gonna hurt for a short time."

And with those words, he turned on the machine. The laser pointers were charging up before they unleash high-power piercing rays, that yet again weren't able to pierce the metal.

Scootaloo now knew, he wanted to cut her wings off!

"No! Stop! Please! I want to keep my wings!", she yelled desperately, hoping that the kidnapper might have a big heart and listen. However, he responded with: "Calm down. You won't die from that. It will be over soon..."

The laser rays were closing in to her small wings, and Scootaloo was now more scared than back when Rainbow Dash told her those spooky stories. As the rays reached her wings and began to cut them, she screamed very loudly in pain as the lasers relentlessly continued their path to cut off her wings with surgical precision.

After her wings were cut off, the grappler machine put them away. Scootaloo was whining in pain as blood ran from the place where her wings were cut off.

"I must say, if you really liked a life without flight, can you even call yourself a Pegasus? Pegasi aren't meant to be doomed to live a life like that. Soon, you will fly as well..." The kidnapper shortly giggled in a serious manner before he operated a different machine. This was a machine that made prosthetic wings.

Based on several data that the kidnapper must have collected on Pegasi, the machine created wings that were big and powerful enough to make a Pegasus filly take off the ground. The creation process went off very fast and the machine even scanned Scootaloo's fur color, so that the prosthetic wouldn't stand out. A very advanced machine, it is.

Once the prosthetic wings were done, they were applied to Scootaloo by stitching them on via a different machine. Then, another machine injected Stim Shots into both sides where Scootaloo's prosthetic was stitched on, and a few seconds later, Scootaloo soon felt her own wings again.

"Whoa..." Scootaloo was amazed at how powerful those wings were. They sure were more powerful than her previous ones.

"Impressed?", asked the kidnapper. He then tilted the metal plate so that Scootaloo was looking up. "Don't rejoice yet, kid. We're not done. You have to test the new enhancement out... With these wings, you should be able to go up to 82 miles per hour. And there's one way to test that..."

Scootaloo had no idea what this stallion was up to, but she knew one thing: It couldn't be worse than cutting her wings off...
> Chapter 2: The Race
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The kidnapper unlocked the shackles and Scootaloo got up. "Good. Turn around.", he said. She did what he told him. Then, the metal plate was rising up. "Get ready, kid. Show me what you got..."

Up on the surface, Scootaloo stood at the starting line of a race track. Suddenly, eleven holograms of young Pegasi were loaded in and placed in front and behind Scootaloo, having her to start in seventh place. A starting light came down. It had three slots, possibly for red, yellow and green. Scootaloo saw the holograms taking starting positions.

FIVE...

She tried to get into a launching stance as well. The moment the race would start, she would take off at a high speed.

FOUR...

The yellow light turned on. Scootaloo and the holograms watched the light very carefully to not miss the start.

THREE...

Now, Scootaloo spread her powerful wings and got ready to take off...

TWO...

She buzzed her wings to get a bit of a startup...

ONE...

At the very moment the light turned green, Scootaloo and the holograms took off. For the very first time, Scootaloo felt the rush of speed and the feeling of flying. She felt free, and started to laugh in euphoria.

"Hahahaha! Awesome!!" She couldn't help but scream loud of joy. She never flew before on her own. Usually, Rainbow Dash had to carry her, but for the first time, she was able to fly into the direction she wanted. She had some starting problems, typical for a rookie in flying, but she got used to the speed and gained more control as she flew over the track.

Scootaloo had no idea how fast she went, but after passing some contestants, she knew that she was flying fast enough to match up with them. Although she couldn't help the feeling that she felt like she was going faster than she thought...

The kidnapper said she could fly at 82 mph max. And even though she had no idea what that speed was in wing power, she felt like she flew at a speed way higher than that.

The first lap was done, and she saw three more holograms in front of her. And even though Rainbow Dash always kept telling her that winning wasn't everything, she thought to herself: "That's my first race... I want to win this!"

Scootaloo flew with all the power she could and felt like she was going so fast that she would actually beat fast Pegasi in a race. She knew she would still lose out against Rainbow Dash, but she was faster than other Pegasi of her age.

And then, after a quick two lap race, Scootaloo finished up in first place. She flew to her kidnapper, who, now Scootaloo knew, didn't mean to harm her in any way.

"So... did you have fun?", asked the kidnapper, sure impressed about Scootaloo's sheer speed she was able to hit.

"I sure did!", said Scootaloo in excitement, "I'm actually amazed myself! Can you believe that I went so super fast? I feel like Rainbow Dash all of a sudden..."

"Not only did you leave the competition far behind, but you have done something only few Pegasi of your age were able to do.", said the kidnapper. "And what exactly is that?", asked Scootaloo.

"You were able to smash the limit of 104 mph, allowing you access to the Rookie Class."

Scootaloo had no idea what her kidnapper was talking about. "Rookie Class? What is that?", she asked in curiosity.

"Well...", he started, "you may not have heard about it, but I have started a huge competition for some of the best flyers in all of Equestria. Pegasi that can hit specific speeds can access various speed classes to prove themselves and show who's best. Back in the other world, some people were actually playing a game that was just like this... It was called 'Wipeout'..."

Scootaloo has neither heard of her kidnapper's origin, nor has she heard of such a video game, but she kinda knew what he was talking about...

"And I want you... to take part in this racing tournament.", he finished.

"Really?", asked Scootaloo.

"Of course.", said the kidnapper. "You may not be able to fly this fast yet, but as you train harder and harder, you will gain more and more speed, and maybe... You might even prove yourself against me, the reigning champion of the annual Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament, EPRT for short."

For Scootaloo, it felt like a dream coming true. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash landed right next to the two.

"Hey, you! Hand Scootaloo over right now!", she said, while looking angrily at the kidnapper. She is soon joined by Twilight, Fluttershy, and the rest of the Mane 6 as well as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

"Scootaloo! Are you okay?", asked Sweetie Belle in a worried voice.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine.", Scootaloo responded. Rainbow Dash checked her sister-like friend from all sides, but couldn't find any deep wounds. "So... nothing's wrong? And the kidnapper didn't harm you?", she asked, a little bit puzzled. She looked to the kidnapper. "What kind of a kidnapper are you even not harming your victims?", she asked him.

"It seems like you worry way too much. And it also seems like you never heard of this..." The kidnapper handed Rainbow Dash a poster that shows Pegasi flying very fast on a race track, with a logo on top.

"Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament... Starting tomorrow at 2:30 PM...", she read out. "You should know, there's a reason why I picked her.", said the kidnapper.

"And that is?", asked Rainbow Dash.

"I want her to follow you in your hoofsteps one day. And the best way to do this is to have her attend at a racing tournament for Pegasi.", he said.

"But... But she can't even fly! How would she be able to attend a tournament like that if she's not even able to lift off the ground?", Rainbow Dash asked, not believing what the kidnapper said.

Then, Scootaloo interfered, and said: "Hey, hold up! You have no idea how this nice guy helped me. Look here!" And then, she buzzed her wings and lifted off the ground with grace. Rainbow Dash and the others couldn't believe what Scootaloo was actually doing.

"No fricking way!", said Rainbow Dash, certainly surprised that Scootaloo was able to fly now. She turned to the kidnapper. "How did you do that?"

"That was easy. I utilized something from the Sombraverse called prosthetic wings. Your Sombraverse self had a prosthetic wing and you were able to fly fine with it.", he explained.

"Sombraverse? You mean that alternate timeline Twilight went through trying to stop Starlight?", asked Rainbow Dash, flashed about the knowledge that this kidnapper knew about the Sombraverse timeline.

"Exactly." The kidnapper looked at Rainbow Dash. He actually was surprised that she didn't recognize him.

"Say, Rainbow... Don't you know who I am?", he asked her.

"You have a mask. How would I know who you are?", Rainbow asked in return.

"Look at the poster.", he just said. Rainbow Dash looked at the poster of the EPRT again. She recognized two of the Pegasi.

"There's Rushing Wind... and Spitfire... but what is up with that? Why did you tell me to look at the poster?", she asked.

"Well, here's the thing...", said the kidnapper. And as he took off the mask, he said: "I... am Rushing Wind."

The Mane 6 gasped. "Rush... that kidnapper was you!?" Rainbow Dash was shocked because of that discovery. She never would've thought that the Pegasus who went through hellish nightmares with her would do such a thing.

"Yes. It was me. But as you now know, I did this with good intentions. I would never try to harm any of your friends, you know." He had a serious glance on his face. Rainbow Dash knew he only meant well, even though she helped Scootaloo get over her flightless nature.

"Oh, Rush. You always have some sweet plans up your sleeve. I never know what your next move is, and only see it if you tell me about it.", said Rainbow Dash, laughing a bit.

Rushing Wind laughed a bit as well. "Thank you. That's just me." And everyone else shared a good laugh as well.

"Well, Scootaloo...", said Rushing Wind, "Are you ready for your first tournament race?"

Scootaloo couldn't wait to start. She would prove that she was a solid flyer and racer. And soon, she would follow Rainbow Dash into her hoofsteps...
> Chapter 3: The Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo entered the yard where fellow Pegasi were stretching and training hard. She couldn't believe that she actually took part in the Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament. All the Pegasi looked way older than she did, so she became a little bit insecure. But due to the training with Rushing Wind yesterday, she knew that she could stand a chance. Although she couldn't help it but feel a little bit of soul pain from the stuff that happened, with her original wings being cut off...

Thankfully, Rushing Wind told her not to worry about it that much, but the shock was still there, even if not that much. And Rainbow Dash also came with them, as mental support.

"Now, Scootaloo," Rushing Wind started, "this is where it begins. You will compete in four races against 15 other contestants. They all tested their max speed, and some of them fly faster, equal your speed or go slower. But one thing is sure - everyone around here can hit at least 104 miles per hour. So it will be a fair competition."

"I'm... not so sure...", said Scootaloo, "All these Pegasi here look way older than me. Do you really think I stand a chance?"

Rushing Wind couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Trust me, if you do well like in training yesterday and match the perfect flying line during this 3 lap race, then I'm sure you can gain some positions."

"Yeah. Don't worry, Scoots. I believe in you, and so does Rushing Wind.", said Rainbow Dash, and this gave Scootaloo a bit of courage.

"Thanks, you two. I'll see you at the finish line!", Scootaloo said, and ran off. She took a good look around. This tournament was well-organized. There were places to test your speed, training areas and even snack booths that gave out delicious stuff to both the spectators and the competitors.

Scootaloo soon went to the starting line of her very first tournament race. There, she ran into a light blue Pegasus mare with white hair, who was a bit older.

"Why hello there, little one.", she said, "You're new here, aren't you?"

"Uh, yes, I am.", said Scootaloo, "And who might you be?"

"The name's Wind Cutter. Judging by my name, you'd think I'd fly perfectly, but I'm actually a bit slower in flying than other mares.", said the mare.

"I'm Scootaloo, and I recently started to fly. I'm still a bit weak, and this is my first day in the tournament.", Scootaloo explained herself, "I got some help from a fellow Pegasus named Rushing Wind. Do you know him?"

"Rushing Wind? You mean the reigning champion of the tournament who challenges the best flyer of the Elite Class?", asked Wind Cutter, surprised that Scootaloo heard about him.

"Yes, exactly him!", Scootaloo said. Wind Cutter was excited, and said: "Oh, I've seen this guy fly, and he truly knows the best lines to maintain a high flying speed! Word has it that he was clocked at 12.7 wing power, and that sure is ridiculously fast."

"Twelve point seven!?" Scootaloo was surprised to hear such a high number of wing power. She was just a filly, so how would she ever be able to hit a speed of this value?

"I know, right?", said Wind Cutter, "He sure is way faster than your typical pro flyer. Not even any of the Wonderbolts are as fast as he is."

"Oh yes, there is one.", Scootaloo said in response, knowing that what Wind Cutter said was a lie, "I assume you don't know Rainbow Dash, do you?"

"Rainbow Dash? You mean THE Rainbow Dash?", asked Wind Cutter in amazement, "Who has not heard of her? Those colors, her amazing Sonic Rainboom... I mean, I was there when she pulled it off! Left those two jerks behind by a huge distance!"

Scootaloo couldn't believe what she heard. Wind Cutter actually was there when Rainbow Dash pulled off the Sonic Rainboom. She remembered the story that Rainbow told her, but never mentioned any other Pegasi besides herself and the two jerks she raced to defend Fluttershy.

Suddenly, a siren sound went off, and Wind Cutter knew, this was the signal to take starting positions.

"Well then, have a good race!", said Wind Cutter as she went to the starting line and took her position.

Scootaloo started the race in ninth place out of 16. She was the first in the second half of the grid, similar to the race against the holograms. Only this time, she was racing real Pegasi, and who knows how fast they were? She hit 104 mph, maybe a bit more, but she didn't know if this was enough to win.

Once again, she watched the light, buzzed her wings to build up a flight and waited until the green light turned on in order to take off. The track was almost as easy as the one Rushing Wind had her race on. One difference was that this track had magic rings that the competitors could fly through to gain a short burst of speed. As Scootaloo completed the first lap, she only was in seventh place. But those contestants she was racing against were no holograms which were easy to beat, but real opponents. However, Scootaloo got used to the flying line and ran way better over the track.

After Lap 2, Scootaloo was behind Wind Cutter, who was in third place. She knew that she wouldn't be able to catch up to the leading flyer, but at least this one! This had to work!

Utilizing the perfect flying line and slipstreaming behind Wind Cutter, Scootaloo was able to gain decent speed and was actually able to pass Wind Cutter on the final turn, finishing up in third place.

For her first race against real Pegasi, Scootaloo felt like this finishing position was actually a triple win. Wind Cutter approached her.

"Wow, Scootaloo! For someone as young as you, you sure are pretty fast. And I see you got used to the track very quick.", Wind Cutter said to her.

"Ha, thank you, Wind Cutter!", said Scootaloo happily, "But you were pretty fast as well. I just got lucky."

"Seems that way. You were a bit luckier than me.", Wind Cutter admitted. It was clear, Wind Cutter found a worthy opponent in Scootaloo and vice versa.

"So... where will the second race be held?", Scootaloo asked. She couldn't wait to continue on with the tournament.

"In Canterlot. There's a new race track specially built for the Equestrian Pegasus Racing Tournament. It will be held at night time, so take some rest before heading there.", said Wind Cutter, "See you there."

Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash came up to Scootaloo, sure excited for the next race and happy due to the compliment from Wind Cutter.

Rushing Wind was beaming from amazement: "Hey! Good to see you made it! For your first race against real Pegasi, I'd say you did fantastic! I mean, which Pegasus filly could say that they placed in a podium position on their very first race?"

"I can!", said Rainbow Dash, "You know that story, right? That very first race I did, I beat those two bullying jerks Score and Hoops and won that race! And not only that, that was also the day when I earned my cutie mark!"

"I get it. We heard of that.", Rushing Wind responded and turned back to Scootaloo. "Now, what do you say we take some rest before we head to Canterlot for Round 2?"





The same day, Evening...

Scootaloo, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash were in the train leading to Canterlot, along with some other competitors. Scootaloo recognized one of them.

"Hey! That's Wind Cutter over there!", she exclaimed. Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash looked over to the blue mare talking to some other competitors.

"Looks like you made yourself a worthy rival in that previous race. No wonder you were dying to pass her in the final lap.", said Rushing Wind.

"Erm, what exactly is a 'rival' per se?", asked Scootaloo. She wasn't as much into racing as Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash were, so she could need all the information she could get.

"You know, Scootaloo," Rainbow Dash started, "having a rival is the best way to test yourself against someone else. And trust me, nobody grants their rival a win. If you win, they'll try harder to beat you, and if they beat you, it is you who has to try harder to beat them. One thing I learned from rivalry, though, is that it might not be the best way to show that you're better than someone else..."

Rainbow Dash looked concerned. She remembered the time when she was in the Wonderbolts Academy and met that Pegasus named Lightning Dust. For the time the two were paired, one tried to be better than the other, and that almost got her friends killed thanks to a tornado that Lightning Dust created. She was kicked out of the academy shortly after the incident, and since then, the two were arch rivals.

Rushing Wind also saw that look on Rainbow's face and said: "Yeah... Lightning Dust..." He has also heard about the heavy rivalry between the two and how Lightning Dust flew off on a rocket. Shortly after that, the Washouts, Lightning Dust's stunt team, was disbanded, seeing as their leader disappeared into Celestia knows where.





One hour later, the train arrived in Canterlot, and everypony got out of the train. Scootaloo hasn't been to Canterlot that much, only one time, when she helped Sweetie Belle to right a huge wrong that she almost couldn't avoid. This big city looked amazing, with all those noble buildings around and the castle of Celestia and Luna.

Not that far from the castle was the race track. An easy track with several stretched turns, but also some challenging K-turns. Speed rings were at some exits of turns as well as on some straight lines. And with 16 contestants, this race sure promised to be interesting.

"One tip, Scoots." Rushing Wind gained Scootaloo's attention before she headed off for the starting line. "What is it?", she asked. Rushing Wind said: "If you approach a turn from the outside and move into the inside when turning, you will be way faster. I know from experience."

"Impressive, Rush." Rainbow Dash certainly hasn't heard of such a race strategy. "You sure have learned a lot on the other side of the mirror." "Thanks, Rainbow. All years of experience as a GT3 race driver.", Rushing Wind responded.

Full of enthusiasm, Scootaloo went off to the starting line. "Good luck, Scoots!", Rainbow Dash called out to her.

At the starting line, Scootaloo took her position, which was third place this time. Rules stated that in the next race, the competitors start in the position they last finished in, meaning that Wind Cutter was right behind her.

Scootaloo repeated the routine of taking a launching stance, watching the light and taking off when the light goes green. The start went off without a hitch, but as she watched the two in front of her, she saw the Pegasus in the lead get away. "This one might me way too fast for me...", she knew. However, she was shortly off the competitor in front of her, and she knew that she could catch them.

In Lap 2, she attempted the technique that Rushing Wind told her - approaching a turn from the outside and flicking into the inside when taking the turn. This allowed her to pass the competitor in front of her in the second K turn. She was now in second place, with one more lap to go, and no visual on the leader.

As Scootaloo raced over the track in Lap 3, she felt herself go a little bit faster than before. She now went at the same speed as the competitor behind her. And thankfully, she kept her position until the finish line because of that.

After the race, Scootaloo flew to Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind.

"Cool flying, squirt! You almost won!", Rainbow Dash praised her sister-like friend. Rushing Wind joined in: "She's right. Second place for your second race really is something to be proud of. And I noticed that you were going a bit faster back there."

"Really?" Scootaloo became excited. "How fast?"

"116 miles per hour, to be exact. The one who was behind you was going about the same speed, 115, if I'm correct.", Rushing Wind responded.

"Erm, can you tell us what that speed in wing power is?", asked Rainbow Dash. Rushing Wind knew that the two weren't familiar with the speed units from the other side of the mirror.

"About 6 wing power. Scientists in my world did the math - one wing power equals 19.5 miles per hour.", Rushing Wind explained.

"Seriously, Rush, I have no idea what your world is like, but it sure must be very advanced and organized.", Rainbow Dash said.

Rushing Wind smiled. "Thanks, Rainbow. That's also the reason why I made all this modern machinery as well as the race track you saw. I LOVE tinkering! Nothing is as refreshing to me as tinkering on a nice machine."

Then, he turned to Scootaloo. "As for you... What was that like, going way faster than before?"

"Amazing! Although... If I'm going way faster as time passes, how can I react fast enough to take the turns without bumping into the walls?" Scootaloo was actually worried about flying so fast that she would lose control very soon.

Rushing Wind pat her on her back. "Don't worry, little one. I know just the thing for someone who's terrified of high speed."

"Another one of your 'tinkerings', I assume?", asked Rainbow Dash.

Rushing Wind smiled and raised an eyebrow as he looked to the two. "Just you guys wait..."
> Chapter 4: Get in the Zone, Scootaloo!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind entered a room that held some kind of advanced modern device. Obviously, neither Scootaloo nor Rainbow Dash have seen or heard of such a device. But Rushing Wind knew the drill with it.

"This, Scootaloo, is a VR Simulation device. It is used to simulate a race track and has the competitor fly over the track automatically.", Rushing Wind explained. Suddenly, the three heard a voice.

"Exactly. That's for the Pegasi to test their reactions while they're in the Zone." Scootaloo startled, and asked: "Wh-who is that?"

"Relax.", said Rushing Wind, "This is Hanzal, a fellow Pegasus. He's not really into flying, but he loves history and has a big interest to read."

Hanzal, a green Pegasus stallion with a blond mane and a cutie mark resembling a history book with a bookmark in it, came in and instantly recognized Scootaloo. "I have been waiting for this moment to meet you, Scootaloo.", he said, a little bit enthusiastically.

"You've been waiting... to meet me?", Scootaloo asked, a bit nervous.

"May I know how exactly you know about her?", asked Rainbow Dash.

"I have heard about the tournament, and Rushing Wind asked me to help him with something. He asked me if there was a way to have a Pegasus experience incredible speeds without them even trying to reach it. Like a simulation to test reflexes and accuracy on the track with increasing speed.", Hanzal explained.

"So you heard about the tournament...", Rainbow Dash said sceptically, "So why don't you take part in it yourself?"

"The reason why I don't take part in it is..." Hanzal showed his left wing. It was crippled, some feathers were missing and the bones of his wing didn't look too good. The three gasped.

"So... you're unable to fly too?", Scootaloo asked in shock.

"No, no, I can fly... But not as well as a normal Pegasus can.", said Hanzal, "Actually, I was born with this crippled wing, and I was always struggling to fly with it. But soon, as I got older, I gained more and more control. I may not fly this good, but I am very smart and know a lot about problems going on in a Pegasus."

Scootaloo smiled. Somehow, Hanzal reminded her of Twilight Sparkle, who also was very smart and had a huge interest in books.

Rushing Wind still was a bit shocked. "That's unbelieveable. And here I thought Scootaloo was the only one who had problems with flying. Guess she's not the only one..."

"I know. I think I can't even hit like 2 wing power in speed...", Hanzal said, a bit brought down. Rainbow Dash knew that this was about the same speed that Fluttershy hit on her second try to show her wing power count. But Rushing Wind only said: "The only thing that matters is that you can do it, even if it means you don't race. I mean, Rainbow Dash knows Fluttershy, another Pegasus, and she doesn't like flying fast as well."

"Really?" Hanzal couldn't believe what he heard. He knew that fellow Pegasi can hit speeds over five wing power. But hearing that a Pegasus doesn't even like to fly sure caught his attention.

"It's true.", Rainbow Dash said, "The only time when she flew fast was the time when she was forced to help create a tornado to get water to Cloudsdale. It was so long ago." Rainbow Dash remembered that time, gathering every Pegasus together, getting Fluttershy to help, and in the end, she was the finishing touch for the tornado to hit the necessary wing power.

"And after that, she never flew fast anymore. Heck, she tries her best to just avoid opening her wings.", Rainbow Dash finished.

"I guess that your friend is both afraid of heights and of high speeds. Which would also explain why this tornado incident was the only time when she flew fast. How fast was she back then?", asked Hanzal, curious about what happened.

"About five wing power, maybe a bit more.", said Rainbow Dash, "I know, Rush and I may think it's not fast, but for someone like Fluttershy, it's like... erm..."

"Having the wind in her face while she's riding on a hypercar that's going 290 miles per hour.", Rushing Wind finished.

"Jeez, you always find comparisons or examples that relate to your world, right?", Rainbow Dash said in a slightly bugged voice.

"Yeah. Sorry about that.", Rushing Wind said, knowing that Rainbow Dash didn't know much about his original world, but it was the best he got. "Now, let me show you this device here, Scootaloo." He picked her up and strapped her to the device.

"What does it do?", Scootaloo asked, her fear returning from the moment where her wings were cut off.

"Calm down. This is not like the laser machine." Rushing Wind's statement calmed Scootaloo down a bit. "This is a VR machine. It will put you onto a simulated race track and send you in the Zone."

"Zone?" Scootaloo had no plan what that was supposed to be.

"To put it simply," Hanzal explained, "the Zone is the part of the simulation where it would increase your speed every ten seconds. It may only be a small difference, but the longer you last, the faster you will be."

"Exactly. And the faster you go, the faster your reflexes need to be in order to survive. If you sustained too much damage, the simulation will end.", Rushing Wind continued.

"Right. I also customized the device so that the knockback from the wall will be simulated.", Hanzal finished.

Knowing that she won't get hurt in the simulation, Scootaloo became a lot calmer. "Hey, kid. Remember to breathe. Just don't let the fear get to you. You'll be fine." Rainbow Dash tried to help her the best she could as well, and it worked. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash.", she said to her.

"Alright, Scootaloo. Are you ready?", Rushing Wind asked.

"Yeah, I am!", she responded in excitement.

"Then, let's go!" Rushing Wind started the device. VR goggles were put on Scootaloo's eyes and a simulated environment loaded up.

"This is Syncopia, the perfect place for the ones who make first contact with the Zone. A very easy track, but if you go too fast and screw up, well, you're outta luck.", Rushing Wind said over the microphone into the simulation, "Are you ready?"

The 3-2-1 signal came up, and when the race started, Scootaloo started off flying slow in the simulation. She flew almost as fast as the speed Rushing Wind told her she would originally reach - at least, that's what she felt...

SUB-ROOKIE...

Scootaloo startled slightly when she heard that computer voice. "Relax. This voice only tells you what speed class you're in. Keep in mind that you will go faster every ten seconds.", Rushing Wind said, and Scootaloo became calm again. "And, just as a warning, if you reach a new speed class--"

Rushing Wind's further sentence was interrupted by a WOOSH! and a change of color in the simulated environment.

ROOKIE...

"...the color of the environment changes.", Rushing Wind finished. "Thanks for the warning.", said Scootaloo, unsure if Rushing Wind could hear her in the simulation. Now she was going 112 miles per hour, the speed of a regular Rookie Class flyer, and she still managed to keep accurate on the track.

A WOOSH! changed the color of the environment again.

SUB-AMATEUR...

Scootaloo felt herself going faster. May only be a small difference, like Rushing Wind said, but it's still noticeable. As she approached Zone 5, Scootaloo started to sweat a little bit, knowing that she would go faster and faster the longer she lasted...

WOOSH! AMATEUR...

Scootaloo went faster. She knew that it was only simulated, but the increased speed gave her a slight feeling of losing control.

ZONE 5 CLEAR.

The voice of Rushing Wind letting Scootaloo know that she passed Zone 5 gave her a bit of confidence. She wanted to try to get as far as she could get. She didn't want to let Rainbow Dash nor Rushing Wind down.

As Scootaloo went faster and faster when the next Zones came, she started to lose control more and more. Knowing that she would crash any moment, she tried to stop, but she couldn't. The simulation would keep going until her energy meter is dry. The only thing that Scootaloo was able to do was to maneuver away from the walls, which was a lot harder than it sounded.

Soon, Scootaloo reached Zone 12, the Pro Speed. And at this point, Scootaloo couldn't maintain any control whatsoever. She bumped from one wall into another, over and over, and then, she saw the simulated environment fade to white and finally explode, meaning that the game was over.

The VR goggles were lifted up from Scootaloo's terrified eyes, and she was panting heavily. "Scootaloo! Are you okay?", asked Rushing Wind in a worried voice.

"Yeah... Just vigorously shaken up...", she brought out during her heavy panting.

"I saw what happened. You sure need to learn to maintain control when you're going this fast. I can show you later how it works.", Rainbow Dash said. Then, Rushing Wind exclaimed: "Though I have to admit, reaching Zone 12 on your very first shot at the simulation is something I never thought a filly of your age could pull off."

"Whew, thanks, Rushing Wind...", said Scootaloo, still a bit out of breath. But knowing that the only thing she'll have to learn is to maintain control at high speeds and to stay away from the track walls when racing, she thought it may be easier to win if she manages to do it.

But first, she would have to compete in the last two races of the Rookie Tournament to see if she's a worthy adversary. Those two races that will take place the next day will show who the best Rookie is...
> Chapter 5: Who is the best Rookie?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day of the last two races in the Rookie Tournament has come. And Scootaloo was more than keen to get started and show the crowd what she can do. Once again, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash were with her, as mental support.

"Scootaloo, I know you're not leading in the Tournament right now, but if you manage to win the next two races, you should be able to catch up.", said Rushing Wind, knowing that Scootaloo can win her very first tournament if she fares well in the last two races.

"The thing is...", Scootaloo said, a bit in worry, "There's this Pegasus in first place, and he won every race so far. How am I supposed to catch them?"

"This track here in Appleloosa is not easy.", Rushing Wind explained, "It has its fair share of tight turns as well as hairpins. Someone who loves going fast might have problems in turning. Thanks to the training you took on yesterday, you know how to react when taking such turns."

"Yeah. And if they screw up and you get through those turns clean, you might have a shot at winning!", Rainbow Dash said, giving Scootaloo courage. She knew what the two were talking about. Thanks to the training in the Zone Simulator that Rushing Wind and Hanzal created, her reflexes and discernment in turns have improved, and that may help her win.

"Good luck, Scootaloo! Show them what you got!" Rushing Wind cheered Scootaloo on as much as Rainbow Dash did, and she did as well. "Yeah! Take it to them!"

Encouraged, Scootaloo went to her starting position, which was second place. Suddenly, someone called out to her.

"Hey, Scootaloo!" It was Wind Cutter, who started right behind her, in fourth place. Scootaloo turned her head and saw her rival behind her.

"Hey, Wind Cutter!", she called out to her.

"Good luck today! I hope that you take it to that Pegasus in front of you!" It appeared like Scootaloo's rival also believed in her and knew that she could win.

To be a fair sport, Scootaloo said to her: "Thanks! I hope you do well too!"

And then, Scootaloo faced forward again, took a launching stance, and watched the light. As the light turned green, Scootaloo took off, as well as the Pegasus in front of her - the leader of the tournament.

The leader got away from Scootaloo further and further, but as they reached the first hairpin, she noticed that they suddenly slowed down heavily. That was her chance - she approached the turn from the outside, turned in at the right moment and got through the turn without losing too much speed, putting her in first place!

The crowd cheered seeing as someone else now took the lead. Even Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind, who also sat in the crowd, cheered!

"Go, Scootaloo! Go!", shouted Rainbow Dash, surely excited that Scootaloo has taken the lead.

"Yeah! Go, go, go!", screamed Rushing Wind, so loud that the ponies next to the two heard that and looked to them. Rushing Wind just responded with a "What? She's winning."

Scootaloo kept racing over the track at the best she could do and at the fastest speed she could hit while also trying to go faster than she could hit. Suddenly, the Pegasus who was in first before her, rushed past her, and he said: "Ha! You're too slow!"

And just in that moment of overconfidence and not paying attention to the track, the rival ran into the wall of the upcoming hairpin and bonked off of it, causing him to lose so much speed and control that he had to stop and let Scootaloo zip by again, who, once more, took the turn flawlessly.

As Scootaloo completed Lap 1, she was now the leader, but the race was far from over.

Scootaloo raced over the track with grace, and as she approached the hairpins once again, she repeated her motions of approaching the turn from the outside, turning in at the right time and exiting the turn accurately. As she completed Lap 2, the rival who is after her got closer, but he's still not behind her.

When the rival got near her, Scootaloo got a little bit scared, seeing as he was way faster than she was. But, they were getting closer to the second hairpin, so Scootaloo knew that she had a chance. She swerved to the outside to give the rival room to pass, and when they hit the hairpin, the rival had to slow down heavily, while Scootaloo passed the turn with grace and finished up in first place!

The crowd was going wild - the fiercest flyer of the Rookie Tournament has lost the lead to a newcomer! Even Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind were very excited about Scootaloo's win.

"Yeah! I knew you could do it! Awesome flying, Scoots!", Rainbow Dash said to her, surely proud about that win.

Rushing Wind soon joined them. "Yeah, you were amazing! You passed that rival really nicely!"

Looking at the tournament table, they saw that the leader, who goes by the name of Silver Bullet, now has 19 points, and Scootaloo has 18. Whoever would win the next race before the other, wins the tournament.

"If you win the last race, Scootaloo, you'd have 26 points... and he would have 25.", Rushing Wind said, "This may well be your chance to win your first tournament."

"You can do this! I believe in you!" Rainbow Dash also encouraged her sister-like friend with the best she could, and Scootaloo appreciated the help from both. However, she knew that Silver Bullet was an amazing flyer, and he'd do anything for the win, which made her a bit unsettling...





The last race took place in Baltimare, and Scootaloo was both excited as well as unsure. She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up with Silver Bullet, the leader of the tournament. But it was fine as long as she finished in front of him to win the tournament.

Rushing Wind saw the track and said to Scootaloo: "This track here is awesome. It has its fair share of speedy sections as well as tough turns. The perfect all-round track."

"Are you guys really sure I can match up with Silver Bullet? You saw him fly, and he's way too fast for me..." Scootaloo felt her insecurity come back as they approached the track.

"Rushing Wind told you that several times, squirt. Match the perfect flying line, approach the turns from the outside, swerve through the hairpins and you're golden.", Rainbow Dash encouraged her.

Filled up with courage from her friends, Scootaloo smiled and went over to the track. Before she went to the starting line, she ran into Wind Cutter again.

"Hey, Scootaloo.", she said to her.

"Hey, Wind Cutter. How are you?", Scootaloo asked.

"Doing fine, thanks. Good luck for the race. I hope you're taking it to that super fast Pegasus, Silver Bullet!" Wind Cutter also believed that Scootaloo was able to win, and this filled her with confidence even more.

"I'll do my best! This guy won't stand a chance!" With these enthusiastic words, she went to the starting line, onto the Pole Position.

Scootaloo's heart was pounding, her breath was fast... Victory was so close...! But first, she needed to win the duel against Silver Bullet. She buzzed her wings and watched the light. Red... yellow... and green!

Scootaloo took off, and Silver Bullet did the same. As they approached Turn 1, Scootaloo had the inside, causing Silver Bullet to take the outside, which slowed him down a little.

That was just one turn - next was a whole 3 lap race.

When Scootaloo approached the first long straight line after a series of tight turns, she made sure to pass as many speed rings as she could to get a distance to the competition - but Silver Bullet still was right behind her.

But then came his biggest weakness - a hairpin! Scootaloo moved to the outside, let Silver Bullet pass so that he gets problems with the hairpin and swerved through the turn with grace. The crowd was cheering - nobody has ever seen a flyer go through these turns very fast before.

After another K turn, one lap was done, but there were still two more to go, and Silver Bullet wouldn't let up until he wins.

Scootaloo repeated her flying line in Lap 2. Nobody was behind her, and nobody will catch up sooner or later. But there came Silver Bullet, over the long straight line! He wanted to slipstream her to get more speed. As the two approached the hairpin, she knew that he wanted to copy her flying line. So Scootaloo did what nobody would've predicted - she stayed on the inside until the very last second in which she would enter the hairpin. Then, she quickly turned away, then back towards the turn.

In an attempt to dodge this unpredictable maneuver, Silver Bullet crashed into the wall. He was hurt, but not out of the race yet.

However, in Lap 3, Scootaloo was way gone from the competition. After that crazy maneuver in Lap 2, she felt like she was on fire, and for that matter, also faster. She took the hairpin one last time, went through the K turn and finished the race in first place.

Scootaloo was filled with joy. "Yeah! I did it! I did it!", she yelled to the crowd, and everypony cheered for her.

The award ceremony followed not too short after the race, and Scootaloo stood on the top of the podium, with Silver Bullet and Wind Cutter next to her. Silver Bullet looked up to her.

"Well, I guess I can't avoid saying that, so... Congratulations. I didn't think you would swerve away and then back into that hairpin. I wasn't prepared for that kind of thing.", Silver Bullet admitted.

Scootaloo smiled. And then, she happily took the Winner's trophy and lifted it up in the air, and everyone cheered for her while Wind Cutter and Silver Bullet clapped their hooves.

After the award ceremony, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind came to Scootaloo. "Hey, Scoots! Congratulations on your win! I just knew you could do it!", said Rainbow Dash, surely proud of her friend.

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash.", Scootaloo responded.

"You know, Scootaloo..." Scootaloo looked to Rushing Wind. "That maneuver in Lap 2 was amazing. I have not seen a Feint in years."

"A feint?", asked Scootaloo.

"It's a technique that's featured in Rally Racing. If you're on the inside of a tough turn like a K turn or a hairpin, and want to take it quickly, you just turn away then back towards the turn. In my world, a technique like that is called a 'Scandinavian Flick'.", Rushing Wind explained.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Looks like Rushing Wind will always come up with racing experience from his home world.

"Say, Scootaloo...", Rushing Wind said, "Now that you won the Rookie Tournament, how about you take on the Amateur Tournament next? It's the second speed class, in which Pegasi with speeds of at least 136 mph - or 7 wing power - can show what they got."

"Seven wing power?" Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised, and a bit unsure. "Are you sure that Scootaloo can hit that kind of speed? And do you think that her little heart can handle that?"

"Aw, come on, Rainbow Dash.", Scootaloo said, "I may be small, but I have a really powerful heart."

"Scootaloo is right.", Rushing Wind confirmed, "Even if she still is a small filly, if her heart can handle speeds like that, I'm very certain that she could go even faster. All it takes is a bit of training before the Amateur Tournament starts in two weeks."

End of the Rookie Class...
> Chapter 6: Not A Rookie Anymore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days after the Rookie Tournament, Scootaloo wanted to see Rushing Wind for some training to prepare herself for the Amateur Tournament. She also asked Rainbow Dash to come along.

"Is it true that you also raced Rushing Wind once?", Scootaloo asked.

"Of course I did. Beat him by a huge distance. He may swerve through the turns gracefully, but when it comes to sheer flying skill, nopony is matched up with me.", Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"Sure you beat him...", Scootaloo thought and rolled her eyes. There was no challenger that Rainbow Dash couldn't defeat. Actually hard to believe that Rainbow didn't participate despite her awesome speed.

The two soon got to Rushing Wind. "Ah, I've been waiting for you two. Especially for you, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo expected this, but she saw a strange look on Rushing Wind's face. "Are you okay?", she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go.", he said, and the three went into the underground facility. Rainbow Dash looked around.

"Jeez, this is very advanced. I never thought someone like you would pull this off..." She had a surprised look on her face.

"Well Scootaloo, are you ready for training?", Rushing Wind asked.

"I sure am!", Scootaloo said. But she saw that Rushing Wind kept looking back. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's okay, and we can get started soon." Rushing Wind made sure that Rainbow wasn't watching. "But first... I have to do something..."

He grabbed Scootaloo, quickly took her into a room and shut the door. Rainbow Dash saw that in the last blink of an eye and wanted to open the door, but it was locked from the other side.

"Hey! What are you doing in there?", Rainbow Dash asked in severe worries.

Rushing Wind strapped Scootaloo to a machine, grapplers grabbed her wings, and instantly, her trauma from the time where her wings were cut off returned. "No... No! What are you going to do to me this time?", Scootaloo asked terrified.

"Relax.", Rushing Wind said, "I have to enhance your wings a little bit. You built up the flying muscles to go faster, but with enhanced wings, you can go even faster."

Some welding arms came down and worked on Scootaloo's wings. The process went off very fast and when it was over, Scootaloo was relieved. For a second there, she thought that Rushing Wind would cut off her wings again.

Scootaloo flapped her wings. They felt a bit more powerful than before.

"Combined with your flying muscles and these enhanced wings, your top speed has increased to 141 miles per hour, a bit more than 7 wing power. How about we test that right now?" Rushing Wind knew that Scootaloo couldn't say no to a speed test.

"Sure! I can't wait to see how I'm doing!", Scootaloo said excited.

"We have to do one more test, though. Come with me.", Rushing Wind said. The two left the welding chamber, and Rainbow Dash instantly checked her sister-like friend from all sides. "Are you okay, Scootaloo? Did he harm you too much? What happened in there?"

"Relax, Rainbow.", Rushing Wind said, "I only enhanced Scootaloo's wings a bit, so she can fly faster. We're going to the Wind Tunnel to test that. Wanna come along?"

Rainbow Dash has never seen a Wind Tunnel before, so she said: "Yeah, of course."

The three Pegasi went into a huge, silver room with a huge fan on one end of the room.

"Alright, Scootaloo. This here is the Wind Tunnel. The perfect place to test your balance. When we start the test, a wind blow which is as powerful as your top speed will blow from upfront, and soon, other fans around this room will simulate sudden wind gusts.", Rushing Wind explained.

"Isn't this a bit... dangerous for someone like her?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Aw, Rainbow, you worry way too much. I'll be fine.", Scootaloo responded.

"Right. The other fans are covered with solid gratings so that she can't fall in. Safety first, you know?", Rushing Wind said.

And then, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash left the testing room and went into the control room. Over a microphone, Rushing Wind said to Scootaloo: "Are you ready?"

"I am! Start this thing up already!", Scootaloo said in excitement.

Rushing Wind started the fan in front of Scootaloo. It spun up faster and faster, and Scootaloo flew against the powerful wind as fast as she could. She evenly matched with the speed of the wind in front of her, and the feeling of the rush of speed was amazing.

"Watch out for the gusts, Scootaloo!"

Since Scootaloo was lost in thoughts, she totally overheard Rushing Wind's warning, and then, a sudden gust from the right threw her out of balance and she crashed on the ground.

Rainbow Dash rushed over to her sister-like friend. "Are you okay, Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... What was that?", Scootaloo asked, still a bit dizzy.

"That, Scootaloo, was a wind gust. A wind gust can always come out of nowhere, so you need to be prepared for that.", Rushing Wind explained.

"He is right, Scoots. If you feel a sudden wind gust, then try to stay in balance.", Rainbow Dash told her, "Just focus on keeping a straight line, okay?"

"Okay, I will.", Scootaloo said. And then, the second run started like before with Scootaloo matching the speed of the fan in front of her. Then came the sudden wind gusts. When Scootaloo felt the first one, she tried to countersteer against it, and it worked! Scootaloo maintained her balance and was still flying straight. Even from the other directions, the gusts couldn't get her out of balance.

"Watch out, Scootaloo! I will increase the gust power!", Rushing Wind warned her.

The first gust came from the left, and it came so sudden that Scootaloo had slight trouble keeping her balance. But as she got used to those powerful gusts, she managed to stay straight.

A few moments later, the test was over, and Rushing Wind said: "Not perfect, but that was really good. You should also know that this throw out of balance can also happen when a competitor bumps into you. The most important thing is that you always keep your balance when you're coming in hot."

Then came the test track. "Remember this track, Scootaloo?", Rushing Wind asked.

"I do... But it looks different.", Scootaloo responded.

"I added a few more obstacles to make the track tougher. And some tracks are a bit tighter than before.", Rushing Wind said, "Some tracks in the later tournaments will be tighter than the ones you raced on, and you need to get a feeling for that. So, get out there and show me what you got!"

Scootaloo went to the starting line and waited for the signal. When the light turned green, she took off. A few seconds in, Scootaloo realized that Rushing Wind wasn't joking - the test track sure got tougher with all these obstacles and tighter tracks. The first 4 lap run she did was abysmal. Rushing Wind came to her.

"Okay, Lesson One: You're not a rookie anymore. Live with it. Lesson Two: Every obstacle you face on the track can be dodged, you just need to memorize where they are. And if you do, your time will be better.", Rushing Wind explained.

With those tips, Scootaloo tried it again. While she used Lap 1 to memorize the position of the obstacles, she raced like a whirlwind over the track in the following three, although she scratched the walls a bit trying to move super fast. Her time was way better, though.

"Nicely done, Scootaloo.", Rushing Wind said, "Though I saw that you scratched the walls a bit when you were trying to move faster. What happened?"

"I think I lost the balance a little bit... There were two tight turns in a row.", Scootaloo said.

"Taking tight turns fast is key.", Rushing Wind said, "But it's even more key to keep your balance. It's all about weight shifting to take your turns quickly, and normally you do this by doing a technique called 'Air Braking'."

Both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were puzzled. "What in Equestria is Air Braking?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"This is a technique in which you can stop one of your wings to slightly shift your weight to help you turn into the direction you want to. This is also helpful when taking hairpins.", Rushing Wind explained.

However, both fellow Pegasi still couldn't figure it out. "Alright. Watch this."

Rushing Wind took off and gained some speed. Then, as he flew, he stopped one of his wings and instantly took a tight turn. Another stop, and he showed off an almost instant 180 turn. Then, he came back to the two.

"And that is something where Air Braking will help you.", Rushing Wind said.

Feeling brave, Scootaloo wanted to try the track again. Utilizing the technique from Rushing Wind, Scootaloo was able to finish the first lap way faster and was also able to improve in the three remaining laps. Rushing Wind was impressed.

"Wow, nicely done. Any other Amateur would have to practice a lot to beat that time you just pulled off. And keeping your performance consistent is not easy when you do more than three laps.", Rushing Wind said.

Scootaloo was excited. She got better and better at flying, and she felt ready for the next tournament.

"Just a bit more training, and you will sure place very high in the tournament. I hope you're up for that.", Rushing Wind said.
> Chapter 7: A Fierce Rival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day finally came. The day of the start of the Amateur Tournament. Scootaloo felt ready to take on stronger competitors. She was training a lot with Rushing Wind for the past few days and Rainbow Dash even taught her more about how to maintain a stable line when going at high speed.

Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind arrived back in Canterlot, where the first race was held. And this time, the track looked a bit tougher thanks to the tightened parts of the track.

"Hum. Looks like they made this track a bit tougher. Some parts of the track are now tightened.", Rushing Wind noticed.

"Probably the perfect place to test out everything you learned.", Rainbow Dash said, and Scootaloo knew what the two meant. This track really looks tougher than before.

"Try to get used to the obstacles, and react to them as quickly as you can. Just remember your training on the test track.", Rushing Wind said.

"Yeah. And also try to maintain your balance in case something goes wrong.", Rainbow Dash added.

"Thanks, you two. I'll be careful.", Scootaloo said and went off to the starting line. She knew that the two meant well, but sometimes, they worry way too much. But it made sense - she was still just a filly, attending a tournament where mostly adult Pegasi are racing, and she is the youngest of them all.

She entered the race track, and someone called out to her: "Hey, you!"

Scootaloo turned to the left. A red and white Pegasus with a wild, brown mane and tail came up to her. "You're quite young for an Amateur contender. What's your name?", he asked.

"I'm Scootaloo. I won the Rookie Tournament.", she responded.

"Ah, so you're the one who beat that braggart Silver Bullet.", the Pegasus said, "I mean he's an amazing flyer, but he sometimes tries to just show off when he wins."

"You know Silver Bullet? Are you two, like, siblings?", Scootaloo asked in curiosity.

"Nah, he's just a friend of mine. I'm Maverick, by the way. Like a speedy plane cruising above your skies."

When Scootaloo heard him talking about planes, she was slightly surprised. Has he been to the other world as well?

Out of pure curiosity, Scootaloo asked: "Say, have you heard of a different world behind a gateway mirror?"

Maverick shook his head. "No, not off hand. Did you?"

"A fellow Pegasus named Rushing Wind originally comes from that other world.", Scootaloo explained.

Maverick was surprised. "Really? He came from that other world? Wow. This guy must've seen a lot then."

"He did.", Scootaloo said, "From what Rainbow told me, he was plagued by several nightmares until he decided to stay in Ponyville. He just rarely goes back to the other world from time to time."

"A true dimension traveller, indeed.", Maverick said, "Now, ready to race?"

"I am!", Scootaloo said in excitement, "See you at the starting line!"





Scootaloo went to the starting line, this time to Position 12. Once again, there were 16 Pegasi, all with the one in the know: Winning the tournament. But this time, it wouldn't be as easy as the Rookie Tournament, and Scootaloo knew that. She took a launching stance and waited for the light to turn green.

The light turned green and Scootaloo took off, along with the others. Everyone was sure able to hit a decent speed, some faster, some slower than she is. But the one thing she was worried about was the changes in the track. Some sections were a bit tighter, and taking some turns requires fast thinking as well as quick reactions.

As Scootaloo raced over the track, she noticed some Pegasi ahead of her lose control a bit because of their sheer speed. When they entered Lap 2, Scootaloo was already in 9th Place, but she still had eight to go before taking the lead.

Suddenly, after the second K turn, three Pegasi crashed into each other. Scootaloo could quickly dodge them in the last split second, and thanks to her training, she was able to maintain her balance while keeping her speed.

When entering Lap 3, Scootaloo passed another contender, leaving her in 5th Place, with four more ahead of her. In the K turns, she utilized the Scandinavian Flick technique from the Rookie Tournament to flick through the K turns with a lot of momentum. Then, as she approached the final lap, she saw the three leading Pegasi ahead of her.

Lap 4 - Scootaloo put herself behind other Pegasi, slipstreaming them, taking the Speed Rings for extra speed, passing the  first of the three, then came a K turn! Scootaloo quickly flicked through that, passing the second one! And then, it came down to the last K turn. Another quick flick, a sprint to the finish, and then, Scootaloo won the race!

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Scootaloo lifted her front hooves in the air as she screamed to the cheering crowd. After she left the track, Maverick came to her.

"Hey, that was awesome flying! You certainly are way faster than I thought you'd be.", he said, "But that was just Race 1, so I still have a chance to win. And I guess you know from experience, am I right?"

Scootaloo remembered that. That Pegasus in the Rookie Tournament, Silver Bullet, was leading the tournament in the first two races, but lost the lead to Scootaloo twice and ended up in second place in the total standings.

"Yeah, I do.", Scootaloo responded.

"The next race will take place in Las Pegasus. Word has it that this race track looks really cool at night. See you there.", Maverick said and flew off.

Las Pegasus... Scootaloo has never been there before. "Maybe I even get to see more of the world very soon...", she thought.

Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind came to Scootaloo. "Ha, another win! Nicely done, Scoots!", Rainbow Dash said to her.

"Yeah, and a good start into the championship. If there's something I learned in my homeworld, it's that a good start to a championship is one condition to win easily.", Rushing Wind said, "And it looks like your rival is pretty feisty."

"You mean Maverick? Yeah, he sure is.", Scootaloo said, "He also told me that the next race takes place in Las Pegasus."

"Las Pegasus?" Upon hearing the name of that town, Rainbow Dash became excited. "I haven't told you this yet, but I actually was in Las Pegasus!"

"Really? How was it?", Scootaloo asked.

"Totally awesome! I was riding the Wild Blue Yonder during my visit there, and I loved it!", Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Ha, that must've been good. Too bad they tore it down, I would've liked to see for myself what experience that is.", Rushing Wind said, a bit brought down.

"Hey, if you want, I'll tell you everything about that when we're going there, okay?", Rainbow Dash said to cheer her partner up.

"Yeah, sounds good to me.", Rushing Wind responded.





The same day, Night...

On the train headed for Las Pegasus, Rainbow Dash told Rushing Wind and Scootaloo everything about her trip to Las Pegasus. "...and then, finally, I got to ride the Wild Blue Yonder along with them! And I can just say, that was such an awesome ride! It's going so high up, it's so fast, it has so many loopings...! It was just so awesome! And guess what - I became a honorary member of the Gold Horseshoe Gals. Once a year, we go to Las Pegasus to have a lot of fun together!"

"Seems like your companions had a lot of fun in Las Pegasus as well. I guess Applejack really IS over-worrying.", Rushing Wind said.

"Yeah, not to mention that one time when she was so overprotective to Apple Bloom, always in fear that something bad happens to her.", Scootaloo added.

Both of them shared a good laugh.





The three Pegasi soon arrived in Las Pegasus, and Rushing Wind was filled with amazement as he took a look at this lively night city. So many lights, wherever they look.

"Whoa. I guess your rival was right. This city DOES look awesome at night.", Rushing Wind said. A lot of attracting buildings, everywhere. Casinos, Shops, the whole district was filled with lights.

As they were looking for the race track, Rainbow Dash spotted something in the distance. "Hey, look at that! Isn't that the Wild Blue Yonder?"

Rushing Wind looked into the direction Rainbow Dash was pointing. There was a huge rollercoaster which looks just like the one Rainbow Dash described, just... bigger.

The three Pegasi flew over to the entrance. Rushing Wind asked the bouncer: "Hey, wasn't the Wild Blue Yonder supposed to close permanently from what this mare here told me?"

"Yes, it was. But now look here." The bouncer pointed to the sign.

"'The Wild Wonderbolt Ride'...", Rainbow Dash read out aloud, seemingly amazed.

"Since so many Wonderbolts were riding the Wild Blue Yonder," the bouncer explained, "it was closed down so we could improve it. And so far, this is one of the most popular attractions in Las Pegasus, especially at night. Just look at the waiting line."

Rushing Wind, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looked at the line. It was very long. The sign next to the line read: Waiting time - 1 hour 20 minutes.

"What do you say we three take a ride after the race?", Rushing Wind asked.

"Oh yeah!", Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash said at the same time.





Soon, they found the race track. Rushing Wind flew up and took a good look. It had its fair share of tough turns and tight sections, with some Speed Rings in fast turns and long straight lines.

"Surely a tough track, with some tough turns and tight sections, but also with some straight lines and fast turns. Paired with the colorful night around here, this race will promise to be interesting.", Rushing Wind said.

The two Pegasi wished Scootaloo good luck and she headed for the starting line. On her way there, she ran into Maverick again.

"Hey, Scootaloo!", he said, surely excited for this race, "Have you ever raced at night before?"

"No, just twice in the evening.", Scootaloo responded.

"Oh, trust me, racing at night is so different. You can hardly see the track ahead of you, which is only lit by the lights around here. And you never know when to turn in to not mess up the turn.", Maverick explained.

Scootaloo became excited. Racing at night sure is different than at daytime. The environment, the lights, everything is different to the prior races.

She took her position, in the lead of the pack, and took the launching stance. Then, she waited for the light to turn green.

As the light turned green, Scootaloo and the Pegasi behind her took off. For the first few seconds, Scootaloo maintained her lead, but as she hit the first complicated set of turns, she became slightly surprised. Maverick wasn't joking - racing at night is sure different, so taking the turns was way more difficult if you didn't know the track.

Scootaloo had a hard time in Lap 1, and got passed by three other contenders. In Lap 2, though, she got way more used to the track at night. She didn't get her position back, but she could use her current knowledge about flying and the track to catch up to the leading three.

Lap 3 - now was the time to catch up! Scootaloo utilized the techniques she learned so far, including the Scandinavian Flick as well as Air Braking in order to race through the hairpins and K turns fast without losing too much speed, allowing her to pass two out of three, leaving her with Maverick in front of her and one more lap to go.

Scootaloo kept herself behind Maverick in order to slipstream him for increased speed and tried her best to get past him. She got very close in the hairpins and K turns thanks to her techniques. And then, Scootaloo was right next to Maverick as they approached the finish line. Both of them passed the finish line at the same time, and now it came down to the time that the two hit.

In the end, Maverick was .005 seconds faster than Scootaloo, evening out the score between the two.

"I have to point this out, little one...", Maverick started, "Considering that you had a hard time at the start, you sure caught up very well. Good job."

"Thanks. But you knew the track better than I did, especially at night.", Scootaloo responded.

Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind came to the two. "Hey. So you're Maverick, right?", Rainbow Dash asked.

Maverick gasped. "Whoa. No way! Are you THE Rainbow Dash?"

"Yep, that's me. I get that you heard of me, right?", she said.

"Heard of you? I was there when you pulled off that Rainboom! You left your two rivals behind by a very large distance. That was one race I sure remember!", Maverick said.

"So you were there as well when Rainbow pulled off that Rainboom? Wind Cutter told me that she was there too.", Scootaloo said.

"I know. We both were in flying camp and saw Rainbow Dash fly. That race was straight-up awesome!", Maverick said in excitement.

"I see that there are many Pegasi that saw you pull off the Rainboom, Rainbow Dash. First Wind Cutter, now Maverick, and probably a lot more that were watching that race.", Rushing Wind said.

"I know, right? But the biggest coincidende is that both of them are Scootaloo's rivals from the tournament. And Scootaloo also idolizes me ever since she saw me fly.", Rainbow Dash said.

"As for the race, Scootaloo, for your first night race, I'd say you were really good.", Rushing Wind said.

"Thanks, Rush. Racing at night is very different to the day.", Scootaloo said in response.

"True. I also had my fair share of night races. But unlike that race you did, the tracks that I raced on were lit by nothing but the headlights of my car.", Rushing Wind said.

"Say, Maverick. Now that we're already here in Las Pegasus, what do you say you join us three to take a ride in that new rollercoaster?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"You mean the Wild Wonderbolt Ride? Oh yeah, I'm with you!", Maverick said excited.





After nearly an hour of waiting, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Rushing Wind and Maverick were all riding the 'Wild Wonderbolt Ride'. It was a huge and super fast rollercoaster, and it has its fair share of loopings and fast turns, and since it was night time, several lights could replicate lightning storms, making the ride even more exciting.

The ride went for about three minutes before the car finally returned to the station. The four Pegasi exited the attraction, and Rainbow Dash was simply beaming from excitement.

"Oh my Celestia, that was SO AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash was so excited, she just couldn't hold it back.

"I can figure, Rainbow Dash.", Rushing Wind said, "I haven't been to rollercoasters this much, but that sure was one truly amazing ride."

"I also think that this rollercoaster is really awesome. I didn't have such a good time in years. How did you like the ride, Scootaloo?", Maverick said.

"I sure found this ride awesome as well! I can figure why Rainbow Dash also loved the 'Wild Blue Yonder' back then.", Scootaloo said.

"You know, Scootaloo, I don't say that about all my fiercest rivals, but you are actually the first rival that I consider as a friend. I had such a good time here, and I'm also looking forward to duel with you in the last two races of the Amateur Tournament.", Maverick said.

Scootaloo couldn't believe what he said - a rival being friends with another rival? Even though she knew it wouldn't make the championship any easier, she somehow felt that this guy meant it.

"The next race will be held in the Crystal Empire, early afternoon. I'll head back to Baltimare and hit the bed. You should do that too if you want to be in good shape for the last two races. See you there.", Maverick said and went off.

Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash had a smile on their face as they looked at Scootaloo. "Lucky you, you having a rival as a friend. That was something I never had in my entire time as a racer.", Rushing Wind said.

"Yeah, having a rival as a friend is such a rare sight. But be careful, even if you two are friends now, doesn't mean he will go easy on you in the championship.", Rainbow Dash said.

"I know, Rainbow, I know.", Scootaloo said.

"Come on, let's go home and get some sleep.", Rainbow Dash said, and Scootaloo and Rushing Wind followed her. The day of the last two races of the Amateur Tournament will come soon, and then, the best Amateur will be revealed.
> Chapter 8: Amateurs Among Themselves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Empire, early afternoon.

The day of the last two races of the Amateur Tournament has arrived. Scootaloo and Maverick tied in points, so the one who wins the race will take the lead again.

Rushing Wind took a look at the track. Then, he returned to Scootaloo and told her: "This track is amazing. It almost looks like a smaller version of Moa Therma, with the looping as well as the quick turns. It's an easy track, but it still requires balance and technique to get through it quickly."

"A looping? How is that going to work?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"They used a transparent pipe to create borders so that everyone hits the looping safely.", Rushing Wind explained.

"I never tried out a looping before outside of my dreams...", Scootaloo said, "But yeah, back then, I couldn't fly."

"Too true.", Rushing Wind said, "Okay, we bid you good luck! Take it to Maverick!"

"Yeah! Show him what you got!", Rainbow Dash cheered.

With the newfound courage, Scootaloo went to the track, to starting position 2. She started behind Maverick, who won the last race. Said Pegasus looked to Scootaloo.

"Looking forward to this amazing race?", he asked.

"I sure do! I hope you're ready!", Scootaloo said to him.

"I am! Let's do our best!", Maverick responded, and both took a launching stance, looking at the light.

The light turned green, and Scootaloo and Maverick took off, along with the others. The first turn was tough to take, but then came the looping. Scootaloo buzzed her wings as powerful as she could to maintain a high speed through the looping, and she actually did and managed to stay behind Maverick.

Some other tough turns were nothing to write home about, and after a hilly section with another glass pipe and two more tough turns, the first lap was done.

Scootaloo tried her best to keep up with Maverick, and she got closer in Lap 2. Then, in Lap 3, she optimized her route to take especially the tough turns way faster, and got even more closer to him.

"It's now or never...", Scootaloo thought as she entered the final lap. She took the first tough turn perfectly, the looping went off without a hitch, the next tough turns were fast, but still, as they closed in to the finish line, she still was in second place.

"What's the air like back there?", Maverick called out to taunt her.

"Oh, you're gonna see what it's like once I PASSED you!", Scootaloo responded, filled with determination.

And suddenly, Scootaloo did something that no one could've predicted - she used the slant near the finish line to take off and performed a barrel roll, giving her an extra burst of speed and passing Maverick at the last possible second, winning the race.

The crowd was going wild - they certainly did not expect such a turn of events, and everyone was cheering for Scootaloo.

Maverick came up to her. "I have never seen a trick like that before. How in Equestria's name did you do that?", he asked.

"I have no idea. I performed a Barrel Roll and went super fast all of a sudden...", Scootaloo responded.

Suddenly, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash came to the two.

"That's exactly it, Scootaloo.", he said, "A Barrel Roll gives you an extra burst of speed if you successfully land it. But here on this track with all these flat sections, it's incredibly hard to pull one off, but you, Scootaloo, you showed that it was not impossible."

"Yeah! That was an awesome move, squirt!", Rainbow Dash praised.

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash.", Scootaloo said.

"The last race of the Amateur Tournament is in Fillydelphia. And I've been racing there already. It will be another night race, so get used to the dark before heading there.", Maverick said and went off.

"I know Pegasi from Fillydelphia. Back when Twilight got visited by her future self, the team there had to look out for any disasters. Thankfully, there weren't any.", Rainbow Dash said.

Scootaloo was excited. She has never been to Fillydelphia ever, so this would be her first.





When Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind arrived in Fillydelphia, they were surprised at how big this city was. Rainbow knew, it wasn't as big as Manehattan, but it was still bigger than several other cities in Equestria.

They found the race track quickly, and Rushing Wind took a look at it. In the meantime, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looked around.

Soon, Rushing Wind came back. "This track is nasty. It has its fair share of super tough turns and tight sections. Paired with the dark of the night, this is probably the hardest race you'll tackle this far."

"No worries. I'll accept any challenge, as long as I emerge successful.", Scootaloo said in enthusiasm.

"Ha, that's what I want to hear! Good luck out there, Scoots!", Rainbow Dash said.

Scootaloo went to the track and ran into Maverick once again.

"Hey, Scootaloo. Good luck for this race.", he said.

"Thanks. Good luck to you too.", Scootaloo responded.

After everyone took their starting position, Scootaloo and Maverick watched the light. Scootaloo started in front of Maverick, but he had more experience with night races than Scootaloo. Also, Scootaloo didn't know the track, so this seemed like fuel to the fire.

But when the light turned green, the contenders took off - but surprise, the hardest turn, a 180 turn, came right at the beginning, and Scootaloo bumped against the boundary and lost a lot of speed, ending up in fifth place after just one turn.

In total, this track is a true hoofful to handle, because the track was so tight and the turns were tough to take.

After Lap 1, Scootaloo fell down to seventh place. But then, she remembered the Air Braking technique Rushing Wind showed her, so she tried it out in the 180 turn, and lookie here, she got through the turn way faster. And utilizing this technique, she was also able to rush through the other tough turns.

Overall, the race has turned into a round of Catch Up for Scootaloo.

At the start of Lap 3, Scootaloo was now in fourth place, with a visual on the next two contenders. Using the technique and repeating her flying line from the previous lap, she caught up to the two Pegasi and passed them before this lap ended.

The last lap - Scootaloo was in second place and had Maverick in sight. She used all techniques she knew, slipstreamed the leader, and got very close...

However, Maverick won the race by a split second, .01 seconds, to be precise.

In the end, Scootaloo and Maverick tied in points, so it's up to the officials to decide who gets first place.

At the award ceremony, Maverick came up to Scootaloo. "Hey. You did good! I never thought that someone like you would be this fast. You almost got me after falling down to seventh place."

"What can I say? It's all good training.", Scootaloo responded.

Suddenly, there was an announcement.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, we have a score tie between two contenders, but we've come to a decision. The winner is..."

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the decision.

"Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo was so happy that she jumped into the air and pulled a backflip without the need to use her wings. But Maverick was shocked. "What? How is that possible!?", he asked in disbelief.

Scootaloo, on the other hand, saw why. She had a better total time in all four races than Maverick. "I think I know how. Look up there.", Scootaloo said to Maverick, and pointed at the table, where the total tournament time was shown. Scootaloo was more than a second faster than Maverick was.

"Well, I guess you deserve the win then.", Maverick said in defeat.

And then, they took their places on the podium, with Scootaloo on top. After the best three took their trophies, Maverick said to Scootaloo: "You should take on the Pro Tournament that starts in two weeks. I heard that some of the Wonderbolts will participate as well, and also, that's eight races instead of four."

Scootaloo's eyes widened. The Wonderbolts? Rainbow Dash's flight team? She could hardly believe she would face her mentor, but she made sure to ask her after the ceremony.

Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind came to Scootaloo. "Nicely done, Scoots! That's your second tournament win!", Rainbow Dash said in excitement.

"Yeah, you're getting better and better at this. Tie up in the score but win by total time, that's a rare sight. I wonder if you're interested in the Pro Tournament which starts in two weeks...", Rushing Wind said.

"I am.", Scootaloo said, "But... Can I ask you something, Rainbow Dash?"

"Sure, what is it?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"I just heard from Maverick that some of the Wonderbolts will take part in the Pro Tournament. Did you sign up for that as well?", Scootaloo asked.

"No, I didn't. I'm way too fast for the Pro Tournament. Those flyers can only hit more than 9 wing power, from what Rush told me.", Rainbow Dash explained.

"Exactly. If you can't maintain a stable line at a speed like that, then that's an auto-loss. You could use some training before you get started.", Rushing Wind said.

The best Rookie, the best Amateur... And now, Scootaloo has the chance to be the best Pro. She sure couldn't wait to get started...

End of the Amateur Class...
> Chapter 9: Too Fast For You?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day of the start of the Pro Tournament has finally arrived, and Scootaloo surely was excited. She would face even faster contenders, even tougher tracks and maybe even bigger rivalry than in the previous two tournaments. After receiving another enhancement from Rushing Wind and some more Zone Training with Hanzal, in which she reached Zone 29 this time, Scootaloo felt ready.

The first race was held in Detrot, a city to which neither Rainbow Dash nor Rushing Wind or Scootaloo have been. But just like many other cities, this one looked fantastic as well. They soon found the track and Rushing Wind took a look at it.

"A nice speedy track with some tight sections and some turns to take. It's kinda like an imperfect speedway with some waves in it. It reminds me of another track from 'Wipeout', I think it was Anulpha Pass...", Rushing Wind explained.

When she heard the word 'speedy', Scootaloo was a bit worried. She was only able to hit slightly more than 9 wing power, and that's the requirement for the Pro Tournament. But, she knew a lot of techniques, so she thought that it may be possible to win.

"Hey. You can do it. Just focus on everything you've learned so far, from both Rush and me, okay?", Rainbow Dash said.

"I will! Bid me good luck!", Scootaloo responded and went to the track. Then, she saw three Pegasi with blue flightsuits, obviously those were the Wonderbolts that Maverick was talking about. She saw Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot, and from what Rainbow Dash was told, those three ARE really fast.

When Scootaloo went to the starting line, she knew that it would be tough. This time, there were 24 contenders, and she started in Position 15. Once again, she took a launching stance and waited for the green light to take off...

As she did and got to a high speed, she noticed that several Pegasi were just getting away from her. Scootaloo tried to slipstream them, and that helped for most of the bit, but she could only slowly catch up to the contenders in front of her.

At the start of Lap 2, she was only able to pass one contender, so Scootaloo knew that she needed to play riskier, taking the turns way faster than she usually would. But that also accomplished little, since she needed to stay in the slipstream of the Pegasi in front of her to not fall back. The track was not the problem, it was easy to master - the problem is the sheer speed of the other contenders.

She managed to pass two more Pegasi, but at the start of Lap 3, she only was in 12th Place, with two more laps to go. Scootaloo truly gave it her best she got, but there is almost nothing she could do. She got two more positions as she entered the final lap and even got another one before she passed the finish line.

However, all that she was able to achieve was ninth place. She knew it was still the first race, but Rushing Wind said to her that a good start into a championship makes a path for the win. But every contender was just so fast, and Scootaloo had problems keeping up.

After the race, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind came up to Scootaloo. "Damn, you had a hard time out there, didn't ya? Your opponents seemed super fast compared to you...", Rainbow Dash said.

"And considering how risky you raced during laps 2, 3 and 4, I can only tell you did your best out there.", Rushing Wind said.

"I know... but how am I able to go this fast like the other contenders? They're so much faster...", Scootaloo said in worries.

"Remember your training, and the techniques me and Hanzal taught you.", Rushing Wind said, "You could need them for the next race, which takes place in San Pranciscolt. Word has it that the track is a tough one, so this might be a chance for you to take the win."

Despite the initial defeat, Scootaloo was filled with courage again, and felt ready for the next race.





San Pranciscolt, later that day...

Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind looked at the amazing city, and like the other cities, another great sight. Just like Detrot, neither of them was here.

Although Scootaloo was still nervous because of the other contenders in the races, she didn't want to give up just yet.

The race track was near the town hall, and it was like Rushing Wind described - with a lot of tough turns.

"Now, Scootaloo... We believe in you. Just don't give up and take as many positions as you can.", Rainbow Dash said.

"Yes. Just make sure that you place high in order to still stand a chance in winning the overall standings.", Rushing Wind said.

"Okay, I'll give it my best!", Scootaloo said and went off to the track. As she wanted to head for the starting line, someone spoke to her.

"Hey. You're Scootaloo, right?" It was Spitfire.

"You... You're Spitfire.", Scootaloo realized.

"Yes. Before we start... I know that the first time we met wasn't as gracious, but I'm still surprised that someone as you takes place in a tough competition like this one. Also how you won the Amateur Tournament, honestly, I'm impressed.", Spitfire said.

Filled with courage, Scootaloo went to the starting line, Position 9, and waited for the light. When the light turned green, she took off, and so the others in front of her.

Rushing Wind was right - the track had a lot of tough turns, and utilizing the techniques she learned so far, she was able to get through all of the turns quickly and without losing too much speed.

However, the same problem arose once again - everyone in front of her was way faster than she was. And even with slipstreaming, she was not able to get even one position in Lap 1.

But, by repeating the flying line and going a bit riskier, Scootaloo passed one contender and was now in eighth place. That was just one contender, next were seven even faster contenders, with about 2 laps left.

Scootaloo tried as hard as she could, perfected the flying line, but whatever she did, it was only so much she could do to get closer to just ONE contender. None of the techniques she learned could get her this one position...

In Lap 3, at least. By repeating this line and risky flight style, she was able to pass the contender in front of her, and Scootaloo still wasn't satisfied with it.

The second race wasn't much better - Scootaloo ended up in seventh place. She was exhausted, and felt the strange feeling of defeat in her heart.

One of the Wonderbolts walked up to her. It was Soarin.

"Scootaloo, why do you even bother trying? Someone as young as you shouldn't be messing with veterans like us.", Soarin said.

Scootaloo could tell that he was upset, but she said: "But I still have a chance, and with enough practice..."

"You're too slow for the Pros, little one! You're a nobody!", Soarin scolded her.

Scootaloo couldn't believe what she heard. A Wonderbolt actually scolded her for being too slow. Instantly, this destroyed all of her confidence as well as self-trust.

Defeated, Scootaloo went away from the track. Just two races in, and things looked very dire for her. Everyone was just too fast for her, and she saw no possibility to win.

These fast contenders may be the end of the tournament for her...
> Chapter 10: Training with Rainbow Dash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind haven't seen Scootaloo ever since the second race of the Pro Tournament, and Rainbow Dash decided to go and look for her. She was certainly worried - if anything terrible would happen to her, she would never forgive herself for that.

Soon, she found Scootaloo, who wore a big frown on her face. She was striding away from the track in San Pranciscolt, where the last race was held. Rainbow Dash flew over to her.

"Hey, Scootaloo! How did the second race go down? You don't look so happy...", Rainbow asked, with a worried look on her face.

"I... I don't wanna talk about it right now...", Scootaloo said.

Rainbow Dash tried again. "Hey, come on. I'm your sister. You can tell me if something's wrong."

Now, Scootaloo felt something inside her. Something that told her to tell the truth.

"Well...", she started, "Those two races I did didn't go so well... Everypony is just way too fast and I'm struggling to keep up. I'm just not able to hit the speed necessary to pass everyone... And most importantly... How am I ever gonna be able to become as fast as Rushing Wind if I can't even pass those fast contenders?"

"Damn...", Rainbow Dash said, shocked about that explanation, "What in Equestria happened back there?"

"Soarin scolded me, he said I was way too slow to become a Pro...", Scootaloo said.

"He did WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash was hit with a shock when she heard that, "Why would he do something like that? That's not like him at all."

"It's true... He won those first two races... I'll never be able to catch him...", Scootaloo responded.

"But didn't you recently have training with Rushing Wind and Hanzal?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"I did... But it looks like it didn't do me much good...", Scootaloo said in defeat.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say. The training with those two fellow Pegasi got Scootaloo through the Amateur Tournament as well... But now, it looked like she needed some kind of special training... Special training with the best.

She flew over to Scootaloo, and said: "Look, Scootaloo. If training didn't do much good, the only thing you can do is... get more training."

"Well, then tell me how to go faster than a Wonderbolt who obviously is racing over the track like a rocket!", Scootaloo said in disbelief. She couldn't see how more training would do any good to get her through the tournament.

"You know... Rushing Wind can't teach you how to get faster. But I... I can show you how to. I used to be a slow Pegasus as well when I was as young as you until I earned my Cutie Mark. And do you want to know how I did that? With a lot of training." Rainbow Dash's explanation met the ears of a curious Scootaloo who now was keen to do training with her mentor, hoping that she will get faster.





Later that day...

The night sky above Ponyville was beautiful, and normally by this time, everypony was asleep. But not Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. They were on the field with the oval track where Rainbow Dash used to test the speed of Pegasi for the tornado.

"Alright, squirt. Show me what you got!", Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo buzzed her wings and took off, flying as fast as she could. Then, she hit the speed calculator.

"9.1 wing power...", Rainbow Dash read out. Scootaloo was flashed of the sheer speed she was able to hit, but she knew that it was still slower than Soarin.

"From what I've heard from Rushing Wind, Soarin is able to hit about 10.2 wing power, and so do Spitfire and Fleetfoot. They almost cross the line to the Elites, who hit at least 10.5 wing power.", Rainbow Dash explained.

"Ten point two? That's more than one wing power faster than me!", Scootaloo said.

"Don't worry, there is a way to get this fast. I'll tell you, it's not easy, though.", Rainbow Dash responded. Then, she positioned herself next to Scootaloo.

"Don't worry, I'll only fly as fast as Soarin would, so... try to keep up!", Rainbow Dash said and gave the signal.

"Ready, Set, Go!", she called out and took off along with Scootaloo. The little Pegasus was close thanks to slipstreaming, but the only thing she could do was hit a speed which was slightly lower. After three laps, the two stopped.

"Okay, here's the thing. Speedy flying is nothing fancy. It's all about the sheer speed that comes from muscle.", Rainbow Dash said.

Scootaloo flapped her wings. She knew that her flap was powerful thanks to built-up muscle as well as the enhanced wings from Rushing Wind. But knowing that she needs to build up more muscle, she said to Rainbow: "Can you show me how to get that 'muscle' you're talking about?"

"Sure thing, Scoots. That's why we're here.", Rainbow responded.

For several hours, Scootaloo repeated the routine of wing-ups and other training programs Rainbow Dash set up for her. And every time after those programs, they would try the catch-up training again. Soon, Scootaloo was able to barely pass Rainbow Dash within three laps - but only when they started next to each other.

"Now for the next training. What place did you get in the second race?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Seventh. Why do you ask?", Scootaloo asked back.

"That means Soarin will start six positions ahead of you, and you start on the same side as he does. I'll give you four laps to pass him.", Rainbow Dash said.

"I should gain six positions within four laps when everyone is faster than me? Okay, I'll try!", Scootaloo said in enthusiasm.

And then, more training followed, with Scootaloo always getting stupid close when the two Pegasi reached the finish line. More training programs and more testing, and everything resulted in better outcomes, but still not in the win.

The next morning dawned. Scootaloo was training with Rainbow Dash all night long, but she didn't think about giving up. When she hit the speed calculator once more, she hit a speed of exactly 10 wing power, and after another catch-up attempt, Scootaloo emerged successful with a split second to spare.

"Good job, squirt!", Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo felt exhausted after training all night, but she knew that it would be worth it in the end. Her speed has increased, she managed to complete her training, and she felt ready for the next race.

But first, she needed to take some rest before the next race began...
> Chapter 11: Back in the Action
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saddle Arabia, early afternoon...

Scootaloo felt good and ready to race. She took a full 8 hours of relaxation, and Rainbow Dash took her to Saddle Arabia, for Race 3 of the Pro Tournament. So far, Scootaloo only had 8 points, and was therefore 42 points behind Soarin, who won the two races before that. But there were still six races to go, so Scootaloo knew that she had a chance. And after the training with Rainbow Dash, there was no doubt for her that she would win.

"Alright, Scoots, show me what you can do now!", said Rainbow Dash to encourage her.

"I will! See you at the finish line!", Scootaloo said and went to the start, to Position 7. Like Rainbow Dash said in the training, Soarin started six positions ahead of her, and on the same side. And she had four laps to pass him.

However, Rushing Wind wasn't there now, so she didn't get any info on the track she was racing on. And this track was far from an oval where she trained with Rainbow Dash. But at this point of racing for some time, Scootaloo has learned enough techniques to get used to any track she would race on. She took a launching stance and waited for the green light...

And when it came, she took off and instantly felt the difference in speed since the takeoff was so much faster now. Coming into the first turns, they were quite average, fast yet tough. Soon came a long straightway, and Scootaloo knew, that was her chance to show her speed. She slipstreamed the contenders in front of her and was able to pass two of them by the end of the straightway.

Then came a hairpin - one of Scootaloo's strong points. Using Air Braking, she swerved through the turn with grace and passed another contender. By the end of Lap 1, she was now in fourth place, so she knew that she finally stood a chance.

But she couldn't rejoice yet, since that was only one lap, and there were three to go - as well as three contenders in front of her, and all of them were from the Wonderbolts.

After getting used to the track, Scootaloo attempted to perfect her flying line in order to maintain a faster speed through all turns. On the long straightway, she got past Fleetfoot, and coming into the hairpin a second time, she passed Spitfire.

At the start of Lap 3, Scootaloo was now behind Soarin, the tournament leader. And every time she tried to pass him, Soarin would simply try to block her line. Every attempt to pass Soarin was futile - he was a smart contender and always knew when someone tried to pass him.

The final lap - that was the last chance to pass him. And just like in the previous lap, every attempt in taking first place seemed useless... Until Scootaloo had an idea for the hairpin...

Just before they hit the hairpin, Scootaloo made a risky attempt to pass Soarin on the left. In an attempt to defend his position, Soarin swerved to the left - that was the moment Scootaloo was hoping for! She slowed down, swerved through the hairpin and left a Soarin grinding the wall to take the hairpin, having him to lose so much speed, in her tailwind.

And that allowed her to finish the race in first place, and Scootaloo was not only filled with joy, but also beaming with pride as the crowd cheered for her!

Soarin placed second, followed by Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Scootaloo knew that she couldn't leave those skilled flyers far behind because of their sheer speed, but for once, Scootaloo was happy that she actually won a race.

Soarin walked up to Scootaloo, and he had a defeated look on his face, which then turned into a serious glance again.

"Beginner's luck. Try to take me in the next track.", he just said and walked away. Scootaloo could tell that the Wonderbolts still didn't know that Soarin scolded her the day before.

When Scootaloo left the track, she flew to Rainbow Dash. "Hey, Scootaloo! I see that you made it!", she said in excitement.

"Yeah! I finally won a race! And did you see how I left Soarin behind?", Scootaloo asked, excited as well.

"You mean that move where you made him think you pass him on the left but you intended to do that so he would grind the wall in that hairpin?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Exactly that.", Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, that was awesome!", Rainbow Dash said.

"So... Where do you think the next race will be held?", Scootaloo asked.

"I just had a word with one of the flyers. And guess what - we're going to Cloudsdale!", Rainbow Dash said.

"Whoa! Really?", Scootaloo asked. She hasn't been to Cloudsdale much, only at certain times when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to slingshot her up there because she couldn't fly back in the days. But now that she was flying fine, she was able to go there whenever she wanted.

Also, Scootaloo was excited to see the race track in Cloudsdale. She couldn't imagine racing on the Cloud Derby Racetrack that Rainbow Dash raced on with her vehicle when she was a filly, but she knew that it would be an amazing one...





Cloudsdale, Evening...

This big town up in the clouds is a beautiful one, and it's the home to many Pegasi in Equestria. On this gorgeous evening, the race was held.

Rainbow Dash led Scootaloo through Cloudsdale and showed her everything - the town highlights, the house of her parents, even the Historical Museum of Cloudsdale. While doing so, they ran into Rushing Wind.

"Hey, Rush!", Rainbow Dash called out. Rushing Wind turned around and saw the two Pegasi.

"Rainbow! Scootaloo! Good to see you're both fine. I haven't seen you two since Race 2 of the Pro Tournament. What have you been doing in that time?", he asked.

"Let's just say I trained with Scootaloo on that night and helped her to become competitive in the tournament.", Rainbow Dash responded.

"And it actually worked! I placed first in the third race, and there's still five to follow with this one.", Scootaloo said.

"No way, really?", Rushing Wind asked in disbelief. Since he didn't see Scootaloo after that day, he thought she would've given up. But seeing that his little competitor decided to continue on, he gave her a smile.

"That's a true competitor's way of thinking. Never giving up and keeping on, no matter what happens. Very nice.", he said.

Together, the three headed to the track, and Rushing Wind took a look at it. Coming back, he said: "This is an easy track. It has its fair share of fast sections and tough turns, similar to another track from a 'Wipeout' game called Arc Prime."

Fast sections and tough turns - both of them things where Scootaloo was able to shine at.

"If you don't mind my asking, what's the standing? I haven't been to Saddle Arabia for Race 3, so I'm not quite up to date.", Rushing Wind said.

"Scootaloo now has 33 points. And the leader, Soarin, has 68.", Rainbow Dash responded.

"I'm not sure if there's a chance to still win the overall standing if you keep winning the races, but all I can say is, give it all you got!", Rushing Wind said to encourage Scootaloo.

"I will. See you after the race.", Scootaloo said and went off to the track.

Scootaloo took her place at the start, the Pole Position. Behind her was Soarin, the tournament leader.

Soarin was saying something to her, but Scootaloo didn't listen, because she was focused on the light that just came down. He just wouldn't shut up...

And as the light turned green and Scootaloo took off, she looked back for a short time and noticed that Soarin missed the launch.

"Serves him right...", Scootaloo thought, and now she focused on the track.

Rushing Wind wasn't lying - the track sure had its share of fast sections as well as tough turns. Most of the turns were round K turns, so it was easy for her to swerve through and maintain her speed. There was one square K turn in particular, but nothing that Scootaloo can't handle thanks to the Scandinavian Flick.

After one lap, Scootaloo was still in the lead, with Spitfire behind her, but no sign of Soarin. However, Scootaloo knew that Spitfire was an amazing flyer and that said Pegasus was faster than she was. But as she raced over the track while being pursued by that Wonderbolt with a mane that looks like fire (hence the name Spitfire, she figures), she still kept her lead at the end of Lap 2...

But Soarin was nowhere to be found.

Scootaloo was able to get a bit of distance to Spitfire, but still, there was room for zero mistakes or she would get passed by her pursuer right away. And at the end of Lap 3, there was still no sign of Soarin.

In one of the straight lines, Scootaloo looked back shortly and saw Soarin on Position 4. Seems like the missed launch did way worse to his position than she thought.

And after one heck of an amazing race, Scootaloo ended up winning the race with a bit of distance to Spitfire.

Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash were watching the race. When Scootaloo crossed the finish line, Rainbow Dash looked to him and asked: "Well, Rush... Did I promise you too much?"

"I have to admit, it seems like your training worked. She sure is way faster now. Mind if you tell me how you did that?", Rushing Wind asked.

Rainbow Dash told Rushing Wind everything about the night where she trained Scootaloo all night long for the next races of the Pro Tournament. He hasn't heard anything about all-nighter sessions, but it sounded like it was very effective, considering that this was the first race in the Pro Tournament where he saw Scootaloo win.

After the race, Scootaloo stayed at Rainbow Dash's Cloudominium for the night before the next race began tomorrow, which was held in Vanhoover. And she needed to be in perfect condition for that race since Rushing Wind told them it would be a tough one. As Scootaloo drifted off to sleep, dreams started to build up in her mind...





Scootaloo flew through the clear, blue sky with astounding speed, so fast that the world around her went blurry. She didn't know how fast she went, but she absolutely liked the feeling. Going so fast was something she could only dream of in the days where she couldn't fly, and now, she was free...

Suddenly, the blue skies turned into a grim orange, and Scootaloo startled. "Wh-what is that?", she thought. Then, she heard a voice.

"Ha, nobody there to cover you now, eh, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo knew that voice. It was Soarin. And next thing she knew, she stood next to him on a race track in... "Vanhoover? But why are only we here? Where are the others?", Scootaloo asked.

"Oh, they had to mind their own business. This is a fight between you and me.", Soarin responded.

As the light came down, Scootaloo was filled with enthusiasm, but was also scared of what might happen next... Is she really going to die like this?

She shook off those dark thoughts and waited for the green light. When it came, the two rivals took off and raced over the track. There were many super tough turns and long straightways where everyone could play their advantage, so it was an even playing field.

But then, one of the seemingly endless straightways got tighter and tighter and TIGHTER... And Soarin was right next to her, so he had no choice but to grind her into the wall, causing the prostethic wings to malfunction and not work properly. Scootaloo was on the ground, unable to take off, and full of scratches on the left portion of her body.

"No... I can't let him win...", Scootaloo thought. But the moment she said that, she heard Soarin again: "Now I got you!"

Scootaloo looked up and saw a big, dark blue explosion of color as Soarin headed straight down for her and--

"AAAAAAAH!" Scootaloo startled awake. What in the heck was that? She never had a nightmare like that before, except the one about the headless horse. The fear was going through her entire body, causing her to shiver slightly. This was probably the worst out of all nightmares she ever had...

Scootaloo examined her wings and was thankful that they were still in one piece. But thinking about what would happen if they failed to function and she would never be able to fly again...

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash bursted into Scootaloo's sleeping room. "Scootaloo! Are you okay? I heard you scream!", Rainbow Dash said in worries.

"Yeah, I'm fine... somewhat...", Scootaloo said.

"What in Equestria happened? Was it a nightmare?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah...", Scootaloo responded, "About Vanhoover... I was on the race track, and I..."

"You're worried about the race... And about Soarin, am I right?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah... On a seemingly endless straight line becoming tighter and tighter, he pushed me into the wall, and my wings were falling apart and failing to function... What if... What if this happens to me and I'll never be able to fly again?", Scootaloo asked in big fear.

"Scootaloo... If the prosthetic is malfunctioning, Rushing Wind can repair this easily. But I think that still wasn't everything, right?"

"Yes..." Scootaloo's eyes filled with tears. "Then I saw a big, dark blue explosion of color in the sky, and Soarin charged me from up there, and... and..."

"Damn... That sounds just awful...", Rainbow Dash said, "But don't worry about it... It was just a terrible nightmare. That didn't happen. You're here, breathing, in front of me, and not dead..."

"I know... But I'm just so scared of the next race...", Scootaloo said. She was still shaking with fear.

"You'll be fine. Rushing Wind and I will come along, and if something happens to you, we'll come and get you. And I'm gonna have a word with Soarin after the race, okay?" Rainbow Dash's comforting words calmed Scootaloo down a bit. "And hey, if you still feel anxious, you can come sleep with me, yeah?"

Scootaloo couldn't say no to that and followed Rainbow Dash into her room. There, the two jumped into Rainbow's bed and both drifted off to sleep...





Vanhoover, the next day...

Scootaloo was worried as she, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind arrived in Vanhoover and found the race track. Not worried because the race would be tough, but worried because her nightmare might become reality.

Rushing Wind took a look at the track and returned with this information: "Now, this track is pretty long, and it has every kind of turn you want. Fast turns, K turns, a 180 hairpin, and even tight, long straightways."

When Scootaloo heard 'tight, long straightways', the memory of her nightmare returned, and she began to slightly shake. But Rainbow Dash calmed her down.

"Hey. Remember what I said - don't worry about your nightmare, just focus on surviving the race, okay?", she asked.

"Okay, I'll try.", Scootaloo said and went off to the track. She knew that she was starting in first place, but holding it with a Wonderbolt who wants to take her out on her tail doesn't make things easier.

She watched the light, and when it turned green, she took off. The first few turns were easy to take, like Rushing Wind said, and after one long straightway in which Soarin caught up to third place, there was the 180 hairpin, in which Scootaloo used Air Braking to take it perfectly and without too much speed loss.

After some more fast sections and K turns, one lap was done. Just one - next came three more.

In the next two laps, Scootaloo repeated and perfected her flying line in order to maintain her fast speed through every possible turn, and also to go as fast as possible to minimize the lap time. In Lap 3, on the straight after the hairpin, she looked back and saw Soarin catch up - he was right behind her!

Scootaloo would not allow him to win. Never. And she would never allow that nightmare to become reality.

The final lap - and Soarin was very close. He was slipstreaming Scootaloo perfectly, and she got more worried the closer he got. On the straightway heading for the hairpin, he was directly on her left.

And now, Soarin tried to ram Scootaloo into the wall - but Scootaloo noticed this intention and forced herself into a huge slowdown so that Soarin missed her. Instead, he clipped the very right edge of the hairpin, lost control and crashed into the wall with almost top speed.

"Contender eliminated!"

The sudden call of the Announcer startled Scootaloo a bit, but there was no time to lose - she still had the race to finish, and she was still in the game. But what does that call "Contender eliminated" mean? Is Soarin out of the race?

But Scootaloo didn't think about that - she just pushed on over the track and raced through the final lap with grace. Finally, there was the checkered flag, the safety of the finish line!

"Yes! I survived!", Scootaloo thought with relief, thankful that the nightmare didn't become reality. Behind her came Fleetfoot and Spitfire, both about 4 to 5 seconds behind.

"Have you seen Soarin, Spitfire?", Fleetfoot asked.

"I don't think I did... Where is he?", Spitfire asked as well.

This was Scootaloo's chance!

"I think I know where he is...", she answered, "He tried to ram me into the wall in that 180 hairpin, but he missed me and crashed into the wall. And also, he scolded me for being a nobody after the second race."

"Soarin did that!?", Spitfire asked in disbelief, "That's not like him at all. I think we need to talk to him when we get to visit him in the hospital."

The two Wonderbolts flew off. They want to find Soarin, obviously. Scootaloo, on the other hand, flew to Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind, who were eagerly awaiting her.

"Hey, Scoots! Good to see you made it!", Rainbow Dash said, "I told you not to worry, everything will work out."

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash.", Scootaloo said. But she looked a bit brought down.

"Something on your mind, Scootaloo?", Rushing Wind asked.

"I think that Rainbow Dash didn't tell you about it," Scootaloo started, "but I had a nightmare last night, in which Soarin pushed me into the wall on a long, tightening straightway, rendering me unable to fly. Now it seems like the complete opposite has occured. Did you see him crash?"

"No... We were only focusing on you. And in that hairpin in the final lap, we noticed you were forcing yourself into a slowdown...", Rushing Wind said.

"Then can you tell me what the call 'Contender eliminated' means?", Scootaloo asked.

"That's a phrase from the 'Wipeout' games, in which it signalizes that a ship has been destroyed.", Rushing Wind explained.

"So are you trying to say that Soarin crashed when you tried to dodge him?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes. And not 'crash' like you did, Rainbow. Like, really 'crash'.", Scootaloo said.

"Whoa... That's nasty. Where is he now?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"From what I heard from Spitfire and Fleetfoot, they're taking him to the hospital right now. It seemed like a really severe crash.", Scootaloo said.

"Ha! That should be my chance to give a bit of a talk to him.", Rainbow Dash said with a grin on her face.

"Just don't get too hard on him, okay, Rainbow?", Rushing Wind asked.

"I'll only do as much as needed. See ya.", Rainbow Dash said and flew off.

"Whew, I'm just thankful that your nightmare didn't become reality. And it's also good to know that you survived the race and even won it.", Rushing Wind said.

"Yeah, that was a thrilling ride.", Scootaloo said.

"The next venue to see is Whinnyapolis, near Cloudsdale. I've seen the track there, and this might be a bit tougher. But I'll tell you when we get there.", Rushing Wind said.

On one side, Scootaloo was thankful that she survived the race and that her nightmare wasn't a reality. But on the other side, she kinda felt sorry for Soarin. She saw him crash, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

One thing was for sure - with him out of the race, she maybe had a chance of winning the tournament...
> Chapter 12: Scootaloo vs. Spitfire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whinnyapolis, later that day...

Now that Scootaloo survived the last race and was relieved that her recent nightmare didn't become reality, she felt way better and ready for the next race. Rushing Wind took her to Whinnyapolis, where Race 6 of the Pro Tournament took place.

"This track. Remember when I told you it might be a bit tougher? Well, tougher isn't the right word, but this track is half high-speed and half technical. This is actually the GP variant of the renowned 'Horseyard Speedway', known for some of the most important races in Equestria.", Rushing Wind explained.

Whatever track would await her, Scootaloo was ready to tackle it. "Bid me good luck!", she said to Rushing Wind and went off to the starting line, where she ran into Spitfire again, who looked brought down.

"Scootaloo, I need to apologize.", Spitfire said.

"What for?", Scootaloo asked.

"About Soarin. He was wrong about you. You are way better than I thought. And way faster than he thought you would be. I guess it's all training with our best flyer, wasn't it?", Spitfire asked.

"It was.", Scootaloo said, "Also, how is he doing?"

"Soarin? Oh, he won't be flying more for today. The injuries he suffered from the crash were too heavy. But he'll be back in the action tomorrow. Though I doubt that he'll catch up if we keep racking up points like that. Especially you, since you won the last three races.", Spitfire said.

"Have you... at least talked to him... About what happened two days ago after the race in San Pranciscolt?", Scootaloo asked.

"I did. And I should tell you from him that he's awful sorry and that he just wasn't thinking. Poor guy must've been desperate because he was losing to a filly of your age.", Spitfire said.

"Was Rainbow Dash there as well?", Scootaloo asked.

"Just when we left Soarin's room, she came in and had a word with Soarin recently.", Spitfire said, "And you can just tell how mad she was by how much Soarin winced back when she yelled at him. You really mean a lot to her, am I right?"

"You got that right.", Scootaloo said, "Well then, let's do our best in this race!"

And then, the contenders went to the start, with Scootaloo once again starting from the Pole Position and Spitfire and Fleetfoot behind her. Looking at the standings table, Scootaloo was just 2 points ahead of Spitfire, with 83 points, so whoever wins the next race will take the lead.

Scootaloo knew, there was almost zero room for mistakes. But she knew that winning was not impossible anymore. She took a launching stance and waited for the green light...

The green light came and Scootaloo took off. Since the Start/Finish Line is on the straight line leading to the technical half, Scootaloo made sure that she tried to keep up with Spitfire's speed before taking turn 1.

Then followed the technical half of the track that Rushing Wind mentioned. The track featured a lot of tough and tight turns, but nothing Scootaloo can't handle thanks to several techniques she already learned.

After one short straight line and more technical turns, the contenders came into the high-speed half which featured the half of the Speedway Oval, allowing Scootaloo to just boost forward and see how fast she could get.

Spitfire was close, but she could only approach slowly with her slightly higher top speed. As they entered Lap 2 and came into the technical half again, that was Scootaloo's chance to get more ground again.

Repeating her flying line and perfecting the moments to turn in, Scootaloo was able to get through some turns faster and was able to get some more fractions of a second to Spitfire, who is still close by as they entered Lap 3. With Soarin out of the race and Spitfire being slightly faster, she could become a fierce rival for Scootaloo - even fiercer than Maverick.

On the final lap, both rivals did the best they could, but still, Scootaloo was able to stay ahead and finish 0.2 seconds in front of Spitfire.

As the two came to a stop, Spitfire said to Scootaloo: "I gotta give it to you, I don't know what kind of training Rainbow Dash did with you, but considering that you placed first four times in a row, I can only assume it's was helpful."

"It sure was!", Scootaloo responded in excitement.

"Today's races are done. The last two will be in Baltimare and Las Pegasus. Try to get some rest before the next day. Fleetfoot and I will stop by the Vanhoover Hospital again to check on Soarin.", Spitfire said.

"Alright. See ya tomorrow.", Scootaloo said and went away from the track.

Rushing Wind came to Scootaloo. "Hey, I see you made it. You used your advantages in the technical sections and always gained a bit of time to Spitfire. But I see it was close in the end.", he said.

"Ha, it sure was. But it was also really thrilling having someone almost as fast as me behind my tailwind.", Scootaloo said.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came flying and asked: "Hey there! What did I miss?"

"Only the most thrilling battle between Scootaloo and Spitfire, in which Scootaloo was the winner.", Rushing Wind said.

"Nice!", Rainbow Dash said.

"By the way, Rainbow, how was your session of 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' with Soarin?", Rushing Wind asked.

"It was rather 'Bad Cop, Rainbow Cop'. Trying something like that to hurt a little filly, that's just low and dishonorable and could've gotten her killed!", Rainbow Dash said upset.

"Spitfire already said that Soarin just wasn't thinking about what he was doing. He was just afraid of losing to me.", Scootaloo said.

"That's still no excuse for what he's done!" Rainbow was still heavily upset, but Rushing Wind just said: "Hey, just calm down for a bit. How about we get some sleep now and watch Scootaloo in the last two races tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. I'd love to see those races!", Rainbow Dash responded.





Baltimare, the next day...

Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind returned to the track where the final race of the Rookie Tournament was held. It looked like the same track, but just to be sure, Rushing Wind flew up and took a look.

"There are no changes this time, though I can imagine that the higher speed WILL get problematic, especially with those hairpins.", Rushing Wind said.

"So you're saying it just takes faster reactions to get through the track with ease, yes?", Scootaloo asked.

"Exactly. You've been here before, so show us that you still got it.", Rushing Wind said.

"Yeah! You can do it, Scoots!", Rainbow Dash cheered for her.

Filled with enthusiasm, Scootaloo went to the starting line, to the Pole Position. She started in front of Spitfire.

"Hey, Scootaloo!", Spitfire called out to her. Scootaloo turned her head and saw the Wonderbolt behind her.

"Good luck for the race!", she called out.

"You too!", Scootaloo said back, "By the way, how's Soarin?"

"Better. He's just at the far end of the pack. He's gonna have a lot of ground to cover if he wants to mess with us!", Spitfire said.

"We'll see how it goes for him!", Scootaloo said. Then, she faced forward again and waited for the signal to take off...

The green light came, and Scootaloo took off. Since she has been on this track before, she knew the way it went, but like Rushing Wind said, now she was a lot faster, and so was the competition.

In Lap 1, Scootaloo had slight trouble to get used to the higher speed on a track she used to race when she was slower. She got passed by Spitfire and Fleetfoot, ending the first lap in third place.

However, amidst Lap 2, Scootaloo was now way faster throughout the entire race and even utilized the technique she always mastered where she would race through the hairpins without losing too much speed. At the end of the second lap, she was just behind Fleetfoot, so she knew that she could pass her.

In Lap 3, on one turn, Scootaloo had the inside line and Fleetfoot had to slow down a bit, putting her in second place. Scootaloo was thrilled because of this, but there was still one contender to catch - and one lap to go.

Scootaloo tried her best in the final lap, and while she always got closer to Spitfire due to her amazing cornering speeds, Spitfire always got away a bit with the straight lines.

In the end, Scootaloo was just behind Spitfire, who won the race.

The two came to a stop, and Spitfire said: "Whoa, you really were close behind me. I think if it wasn't for that trouble in Lap 1, I'm sure you would've won this."

"Yeah...", Scootaloo said, "I guess I was trying to get used to racing on this track with higher speed, so I was kinda sloppy at the beginning."

"Well, but you still got me.", said Fleetfoot, who just joined the two, "And look at the score - there's just a difference of two points between you two!"

"Heh. Seems like this is going to come down to the last race. I see, we're gonna make it an exciting final to a championship, don't we?", Spitfire said.

"Ha, you can count on that.", Scootaloo said, "By the way, where did Soarin place?"

"Eighth. This was not his best race, seeing as he got held up by a lot of traffic on his way back to the top.", Fleetfoot said.

"Well, you can't win a race every time. There's also times where it's just enough for the top 10. Or sometimes, a race completely blows and you just end up at the back of the pack.", Spitfire said.

Scootaloo couldn't put her hoof on it, but why did all of this what the two said sound very similar to the stories Rushing Wind told her?

But she couldn't think about that. First, there was the last race of the Pro Tournament to cover.





Las Pegasus, later that day...

This was it. The final race of the Pro Tournament.

The decision about the fastest Pro Flyer would come soon. And so far, it looked like it would come down to either Scootaloo or Spitfire.

Scootaloo, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash took another stroll through the lively city. Once again, the race takes place at night, so this was kinda familiar territory to Scootaloo, but the fact that she was flying faster didn't make things better.

After a whole 30 minutes of sightseeing, they went to the track. Rushing Wind took a look at it from up above before he returned to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.

"Seems like this track got a little upgrade in terms of length. Unlike the Amateur Course you raced on, the former turn 5 now has a section which is a long 270 degrees circle leading onto the straight line to turn 8. I have seen such changes in other tracks. And the end section is also a bit extended.", Rushing Wind explained.

"The perfect venue for a final race.", Scootaloo knew.

"Don't forget, Scoots - you already raced at night before, and we also trained at night. Remember all of that, and I'm very certain that you can win the race!", Rainbow Dash said.

"And also the championship. It's either you or Spitfire. If you finish before her, you win.", Rushing Wind said.

The thought of beating a Wonderbolt, an elite flyer, in a race filled Scootaloo with determination. Determination to race, and determination to win. She had a determined look on her face as she went to the starting line.

Scootaloo started behind Spitfire, on Position 2. The adrenaline built up in her veins, and she was ready to win the race.

When the green light came, Scootaloo took off. But this time, it was a different launch. It felt a bit faster than before. As she made her way through the first few turns, she knew that she needed to play riskier to get past Spitfire.

Soon, they reached the circle. Scootaloo tried to find the best speed to race through the circle with ease, but she realized that she could just try and race through it as fast as she could without touching the wall. She just needed to find a speed in which she wouldn't drift to the outside when turning, that would be possible.

The rest of the track was basically the same, except for the end section, which received a little technical section, which Scootaloo also had to get used to.

But, by the end of Lap 1, she was just behind Spitfire, so catching her was not out of her reach.

Scootaloo repeated her flying line up until the circle. Now, she tried to find the speed she wanted. In the end, she found it, and on the straight line, she was right next to Spitfire. But something was different...

Was she actually slightly faster than her rival was? It may be a very slight speed difference, but it was enough to pass her on the straight line!

On the next few turns, Scootaloo had the inside, causing Spitfire to slow down. Seeing that she was actually able to pass Spitfire and even get in front of her made Scootaloo believe even more that she got what it takes!

She just needed to fly perfectly. One mistake, and it was all over.

A second shot at the technical section at the end, and Scootaloo got through it way faster. But Spitfire was right behind her, ready to pass her if she blows one turn.

Lap 3 - now, things got serious! Now that she got used to the track, Scootaloo went through every single turn with ease, and even hit the circle with the same speed again. And every technical section that she went through, she always gained a slight amount of distance to Spitfire, but every time they hit a straight line, that was Spitfire's call to slipstream her. But Scootaloo still remained in the lead, even with a worthy rival in her tailwind.

The final lap - everything had to be perfect... After three laps, Scootaloo knew the pattern to every turn and took it with the least speed loss possible. Even the circle was no big deal. But closing in to the technical section at the end, Spitfire was right behind her. Both of them took it with the same speed and ended up next to each other as they headed for the finish line... But Scootaloo was slightly faster!

And with mere split seconds to spare, Scootaloo won the race!

"Yes! Yes! I did it!", she yelled out to the crowd, and everypony cheered for her. She looked at the table. She was just 27 milseconds ahead of Spitfire, so this was a very close race.

At the award ceremony, Scootaloo stood on top of the podium, with Spitfire to her right and Fleetfoot to her left.

"I need to hand it to you, Scootaloo. Not only did you recover after the first two races, but you did so well that you actually took the win in the tournament. You are the fastest flyer I have ever seen aside from Rainbow Dash.", Spitfire praised her rival.

"Aw, thanks for the praise.", Scootaloo said. And then, the three best flyers happily took their trophies.

"Hey, now that you're one of the Pros, how about you take on the Elite Tournament? Word has it that the winner of that one will get to face Rushing Wind. And so far, none of the winners of that tournament could beat him.", Spitfire said.

"I already heard that Rushing Wind is the reigning champ... But is he really so undefeated?", Scootaloo asked.

"Trust me, I saw this stallion race, and every time it ends up 2:2, it's always the final track that grants him the win. From what I've seen, only Rushing Wind survived that track.", Spitfire said.

Scootaloo was unsure. Knowing that Rushing Wind always won the Showdown, and considering he's the only one who survived the final race, she started to imagine what the final track must be like and where it was held...

But she would find out someday... When she wins the Elite Tournament.





After the award ceremony, Scootaloo went to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, who were eagerly awaiting her.

"Hey! I see that you made it! Very well done, squirt!", Rainbow Dash said.

"Thanks! It was a very close one.", Scootaloo said.

"I saw that. Just 27 milseconds ahead, that's almost a photo finish.", Rushing Wind said, "Thankfully, with digital timers, we can measure the time of racers on the milsecond. Like I say in my homeworld - You think you're fast? Numbers don't lie."

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo laughed. Then, Scootaloo asked: "Say, Rushing Wind, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?", Rushing Wind asked.

"Spitfire claims that you are an undefeated champion, and that there is a track that only you survived so far. Is that true?"

"Yes. I truly am undefeated. Every winner of the Elite Tournament challenged me, and everyone failed to beat me. And every time it ended up 2:2, we raced at this track only I survived. Trust me, it may be the toughest you'll ever see.", Rushing Wind said.

Scootaloo turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow? I could use some training before the Elite Tournament begins. Maybe you can show me some more tricks to fly faster?"

"Of course. I can show you everything.", Rainbow Dash said.

"And I can give you another enhancement for your wings as well as another shot in the Zone Simulator.", Rushing Wind said, "Also, I think that Hanzal wants to know how it went so far. I think he'll hardly believe that the little filly he knew as a flightless Pegasus is now the winner of the Pro Tournament, and maybe soon, a rising star in the Elite..."

End of the Pro Class...
> Chapter 13: Intensive Training
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash followed Rushing Wind into his training facility. The target was to get Scootaloo ready for the Elite Tournament in two weeks. And it would be tougher than everything else she faced so far.

First up, they went to the Wind Tunnel. "Although you won the last race of the Pro Tournament and showed that you're the best Pro flyer, I need to run a little test. Did you notice... a slight increase of speed during the last race?", Rushing Wind asked Scootaloo.

"Yes. I felt like I was slightly faster than Spitfire.", Scootaloo said. Then, in the Wind Tunnel, they ran the test. Scootaloo topped out at 10.4 wing power.

"Ten point four... Almost crossed over to the Elites... They fly at least 10.5 wing power, six slower than you, Rainbow Dash.", Rushing Wind said.

"Well, from my guess there will be at least one Pegasus who's gonna fly faster than 10.5 wing power. How will you do that?", Rainbow Dash asked him.

"A finishing touch to her wings and some training might just do the trick.", Rushing Wind said, "And since I kept you from seeing the enhancement, how about you watch it with me?"

"I'd love to see how you do that, Rush!", Rainbow Dash said. Then, Rushing Wind enhanced Scootaloo's wings once more. Compared to her original ones, they looked a lot more aerodynamic and powerful, while still maintaining the same size.

"Now for a test of speed.", Rushing Wind said.

"Wait!", Rainbow Dash interfered.

Rushing Wind looked at his partner. "What is it?", he asked.

"Let me take the part of the test of speed. Maybe I can get to increase it a little more.", Rainbow Dash suggested, "Is there an oval track nearby?"

"Sadly, no.", Rushing Wind said, "Do you have an idea?"

"Well, we could set up a large oval in the clouds and have Scootaloo charge towards... this!" Rainbow Dash got out the speed calculator from her saddle bags. "This device calculates Scootaloo's wing power when she hits it with top speed."

"Rainbow, that's a brilliant idea! And on top of that, we enjoy the nice weather outside! Why didn't I think of that?", Rushing Wind noticed.





Said and done! The track in the clouds was built in no time, and everyone was ready. Scootaloo was ready to launch off, Rushing Wind swung the flag, and Rainbow Dash was at the speed calculator.

"Ready... Set... Go!" Rushing Wind swung down the checkered flag and Scootaloo took off towards the speed calculator. She hit it with the highest speed she could so far.

"10.9 wing power! That's a good increase in speed!", Rainbow Dash said, filling Scootaloo with courage.

"As far as I know, there's going to be one Pegasus that can hit 12 wing power, so he almost matched up with me.", Rushing Wind said.

"You hear that?", Rainbow Dash said to Scootaloo, "We need to get your speed up a bit more."

Scootaloo was willing to do anything, as long as it would get her through the Elite Tournament. After that followed a way more intense training than the one for the Pro Tournament. It was more intense this time because Rushing Wind had ideas for training as well, with the aim at increasing Scootaloo's speed.

Another shot at the speed calculator, and the speed increased to...

"11.2 wing power!", Rainbow Dash said.

"One thing will be sure, Scootaloo - compared to some Pegasi who are in the Elite Tournament, you will be pretty slow. But you mastered several turns at super high speed and can react to them if they come up, so your handling is the only advantage you have.", Rushing Wind explained.

"I won't give up! Maybe we can get even more speed out of me!", Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Are you sure about this, Scootaloo? I don't want you to overdo it...", Rainbow Dash said in worries.

"If you can hit such a high speed in my age, I can too!" Scootaloo felt on fire, and she wouldn't interrupt this fire streak.

Scootaloo trained as hard as she could, already sweating when she did the exercises with such intensity. The next results on the speed calculator were only a slight difference... 11.3... 11.4... 11.5...

She went to her limit. Her target is to get a speed that makes her match up with the Pegasus that can hit 12 wing power. It was probably the most intense training she ever went through.

She hit the speed calculator for one last time with all the power she got, and managed to hit...

"11.7 wing power!", Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Scootaloo was exhausted, and said to the two: "Yeah, that's all I got..."

"It's okay. After all, your amazing handling traits may not require a speed this high in order to win a race. I only said you would be slow because I knew you'd be able to make up the lost time in sharp turns.", Rushing Wind said.

"Yeah, but look at her now! She's almost as fast as that 12 wing power Pegasus you mentioned!", Rainbow Dash said.

"True, true. And this might get her through the tournament after all, and maybe to her win.", Rushing Wind said.

Still out of breath, Scootaloo was filled with enthusiasm, hearing that she could stand a chance against the Elites. That would be possible, and she wouldn't let both of them down, even if it meant pushing herself to the limit.

"Okay, take a little rest, and then we get to the last phase of training for today.", Rushing Wind said.





Hanzal was already waiting with the Zone Simulator as Scootaloo, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash came in. "I was kinda waiting for the moment you come back, Scootaloo.", he said.

"Yeah. She's getting ready for the Elite Tournament. Let's have her do one more run in the Zone Simulator, shall we?", Rushing Wind asked.

"Sure thing. Everything is ready.", Hanzal said.

Scootaloo flew into the contraption, and Rainbow Dash strapped her to it. "Good luck, squirt! Let me see your skills now!", she said.

"I won't let you down, sister!", Scootaloo said in response. The VR goggles were put on her eyes, and once again, Syncopia loaded up. But now Scootaloo knew, she could do it. She could reach a Zone much higher than before. Her reactions would allow her just that. She once reached Zone 29, 2 zones into Super Elite, but she felt like she would do better now.

Within five short minutes, she got to just that zone, Zone 29. And this time around, she managed to keep stable on the track and maneuver away from the walls quickly. All the training obviously helped.

As she reached Zone 35, the color of the environment changed again.

ZEN...

Scootaloo had no idea how fast Zen Speed was in wing power, but she felt herself go faster and faster every ten seconds.

Zone 42 had her enter the Super Zen Speed Class, which was even faster than before. Scootaloo got into slight trouble keeping herself under control, but she managed to maintained her speed.

Upon reaching a speed of 287 mph, which was almost 15 wing power, she entered a new speed class in Zone 50...

VENOM...

Scootaloo felt way too fast for this kind of speed, but she wanted to keep going. The only thing she had to do was focus and keep herself away from the walls as she gradually got faster and faster.

The struggle to control herself got higher the faster she went. And then, she reached Zone 65...

FLASH...

What speed was Flash? It sure felt extremely fast, but Scootaloo was unsure if she was ever able to control such a ridiculous speed. It felt like 30 wing power to her, but it actually was something around 17, which is even faster than Rainbow Dash is when she's flying straight watch.

A bit more than two minutes later, Scootaloo closed in to Zone 75. "Jeez, how much faster still? I can't control it anymore...", she thought.

A change in the color of the environment into gold stated that this was the last speed class to access with this technology...

RAPIER...

So fast, so uncontrollable... Scootaloo kept slamming into walls like crazy. She managed to keep stable at times, but this sheer speed was way too much for her to handle. After some more slams into the wall, the simulation ended, and Scootaloo truly felt at her limit, heavily exhausted from the shaking due to the simulation.

Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash stood there with dropped jaws as Scootaloo looked at them.

"Sweet Celestia, you actually made it...", Rushing Wind said in amazement.

"Whoa... I made what?", Scootaloo asked, still dizzy.

"You actually reached the speed class I never reached. You beat Zone 75 and even reached the 78th before the simulation ended.", Rushing Wind said.

"H-how fast did I go?", Scootaloo asked.

"More than 21 wing power.", Hanzal responded.

"21!?", Scootaloo was so surprised that her dizziness instantly faded. "21!!", she exclaimed in surprise again.

"Yep, 21.", Rainbow Dash said, "How fast is that, Rushing Wind? You said it's a speed class you never reached in the simulator."

"It's true. When Hanzal and I developed the Zone Simulator, I decided to integrate three speed classes from Wipeout HD into it. And those classes were the final three in the simulation, Venom, Flash and Rapier. They may not look fast in the actual game, but as a Pegasus, if you hit a speed like that, control will be difficult unless you fly straight watch.", Rushing Wind explained.

"Well, I never tried that simulation before, but what do you wanna bet I can reach Zone 75 too?", Rainbow Dash challenged Rushing Wind.

"I won't bet. You're probably the best flyer in all over Equestria, so there's no doubt you can reach Zone 75 no problem.", Rushing Wind responded, knowing what would happen.

Rainbow Dash smirked. She knew that he would say that.

"As for you, Scootaloo...", Rushing Wind said, "You're ready now. But still, be advised that the adversaries you will face are probably some of the fastest in the entire tournament. I cannot foretell what will happen, but we will be with you from within, no matter what."

"I know. And thanks for believing in me.", Scootaloo said in response.

"Hey, if you want another advice from a fellow Pegasus... One thing you need to keep in mind all the time. Never, ever, ever, EVER give up.", Hanzal said in a serious tone, "If you recall, my crippled left wing kept me unable to fly for a long time, until I started to learn how to still fly with it. I only learned it because I never gave up and believed in me, and I want you to do the same when you hit the track against the tough competition, you hear me?"

"I will, Hanzal. And thanks for your help too.", Scootaloo responded.

"You're welcome, Scoots. I hope you'll take it to 'em!", Hanzal said enthusiastically.

Scootaloo felt awesome. She trained hard, maxed out her speed, her reaction, and received help from three fellow Pegasi, and all three of them believed in her. And so did she in herself. She only knew, this would be one heck of an exciting tournament.

But only time will tell if she wins...
> Chapter 14: The Best of the Best
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo felt very determined when she entered the yard of the race track in Seaddle, where the first race of the Elite Tournament was held. She trained long and hard with Rainbow Dash and Rushing Wind, and now was the time to show what she was made of.

The competitors in the background were all very excited too, and they sure looked very experienced, that's what Scootaloo knew.

Rushing Wind came back to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. "Now, this track has its fair share of tough turns, but also some speedy sections. Point is that you remember your training, Scootaloo. You may not be as fast as some competitors around here, but your amazing handling traits should be more than sufficient to win.", he explained.

"Don't worry, Rushing Wind. Those other Pegasi may look fast, but they won't know what sleeps inside me...", Scootaloo said.

"Yes! That's the spirit! Now get out there and show them what you can do!", Rainbow Dash encouraged her.

Scootaloo nodded, with a determined look on her face, and went to the track. This time, she was starting rather in the back, Position 17 out of 24. But like Rushing Wind said - she may not be as fast as others, but she mastered every single kind of turn at such a ridiculous speed that she was now ready to take them on.

Once again, the starting light came down, and Scootaloo watched it carefully to not miss the start.

Taking off at green, Scootaloo had no idea how chaotic and tough this championship was going to be. And within the first few seconds of racing, it was all in the book. Those fellow contenders knew how to race, and how to move through turns without losing too much speed.

But Scootaloo didn't want to give up just yet. She needed to try getting some positions before calling it impossible to win.

In some of the more tougher turns, Scootaloo races through the turns with such speed that she was able to pass some contenders, and even in the speedy sections, she used slipstreaming to get past faster contenders or to close the gap to one so she can pass them in a tough section.

The first lap ended, and Scootaloo was in seventh place. She made up 10 positions from the starting line onward. And knowing that there were four more laps to go, Scootaloo knew that it was indeed possible to win. All it took was S-tier flying skill...

She repeated her flying line and maintained a solid speed through the turns. She even went into the tough turns a bit braver and tried to go through them faster. While this worked, Scootaloo nearly missed the wall, so she knew that too much risk might be too much speed to get through. But, as she raced over the track, she made up three more positions.

Lap 3. Now, Scootaloo was used to the track, and knew how and when to take the turns. Going even faster in the speedy sections, but a bit slower in the tough turns, she passed two more contenders and was now in second place. The last rival to pass was a dark grey Pegasus with halfway orange front legs, and he sure has seen his share of fast-paced races.

In Lap 4, Scootaloo used the same flying line as before, and managed to get closer and closer to him. Near the end of the lap, she was right behind him. And then came the final lap, and the last chance to take the win.

Scootaloo used all of her courage to stay in the rival's slipstream. And since her encounter with Soarin, she knew that no one would let the other pass. But then, Scootaloo found a gap, used the slipstream to just barely snag through and took the tough turn with such grace that she almost lifted off. It looked like she flew along the border of the track.

And after a fast-paced, heart-rushing race, Scootaloo finished the race in first place.

"Yes! Yes! I did it!", she screamed and lifted her front hooves up in the air. The crowd was going wild and cheered for her.

As Scootaloo was heading for the exit of the track, a dark grey Pegasus with halfway orange front legs landed next to her. "Hey, little one. I have to admit, You truly know your flying business. I guess I didn't see that gap where you managed to pass through...", he said.
"Thanks. And you are...?", Scootaloo asked.

"The name's Flame Arrow.", said the Pegasus, "I'm one of the fastest Pegasi in the entire tournament, if not the entire world."

"Of the world? Then you probably never saw Rainbow Dash fly, am I right?", Scootaloo smirked.

"I did. She really is super fast. I was at the wedding of Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza, and I saw Rainbow Dash fly up into the sky and perform a Rainboom in the process. I guess she accelerates so fast that she can hit, like, 38 wing power in mere seconds. I would never catch her, so thank Celestia she doesn't participate.", Flame Arrow said.

"How fast do you go?", Scootaloo asked.

"About 12 wing power.", was the response from the grey Pegasus.

Scootaloo realized that this must be the Pegasus that Rushing Wind mentioned during training. "I think Rushing Wind mentioned someone who goes this fast. So I can only guess that it's you, right?", she said.

"Exactly. And Rushing Wind, I know that Pegasus. I also heard about his relationship between him and Rainbow Dash, but I don't know his origin. He just appeared out of nowhere...", Flame Arrow said.

"Let's not worry about that, let's worry about where the next race will be held.", Scootaloo said.

"Right.", Flame Arrow said, "We're going to the race track near Hilltop, in the Saddle Horn Peaks. The track goes through the rocks, but we won't race without bounds. Rushing Wind always likes to say, Safety First. Anyway, see you there."

Flame Arrow went off. Scootaloo became excited to see what she could do against him. He was fast, but being a smaller size, Scootaloo could be faster than him.





Saddle Horn Peaks, later that day...

The sunset looked beautiful as Scootaloo, Rushing Wind and Rainbow Dash arrived at Saddle Horn Peaks for the second race of the Elite Tournament.

Before taking a look at the track though, Rushing Wind said to Rainbow Dash: "Hey, do you know about the battle between Celestia and Discord that was held almost a century ago?"

"At least not until Twilight told me and my friends about it...", Rainbow Dash said.

"Far over there in the South are the remains of this battle, and even nowadays, it's a quarantine zone.", Rushing Wind said.

Scootaloo was listening closely. She did know about Discord, but the history of the first battle, that's what she didn't know.

"Now for the track...", Rushing Wind said, "I hope you're ready for it, because creating this one was a thrill. A lot of swerving corners, two long straight lines, and the thrilling environment of the Saddle Horn Peaks. So it's a high speed circuit with some difficulty to it."

Swerving corners. Scootaloo remembered, she was a smaller size than all her competitors, and this could give her an edge in handling. Regarding speed, she knew that Flame Arrow was faster, but if the swerving corners went well, she could easily beat him.

Scootaloo looked determined. "I got this. Let's do it!", she said.

"Whoa, that's some enthusiasm right there! You're excited for the race, aren't you?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"I sure am, Rainbow Dash!", Scootaloo said and zoomed over to the start line, taking Pole Position. Her rival, Flame Arrow, was right behind her. Taking a launching stance, she watched the light carefully, like she has done so many times to nail the start.

She perfectly reacted to the green light and zoomed ahead of the field.

Already moving into the first few corners, Scootaloo knew that Rushing Wind wasn't joking. Here came corner after corner after corner after corner, and the only downtime she got was on the straights. While she did lose some time on the straights, she was able to compensate with her superior cornering ability. Shooting through these corners, it's so satisfying at a speed like that.

The first lap went well, and she maintained her lead.

Lap 2 - again, she repeated her motions of racing through these corners with ease, and without losing too much pace. She knew that Flame Arrow was gaining on her on the straights, but her strong point were corners, and there's a lot of them here.

The following laps were uneventful. Flame Arrow slightly gained on Scootaloo, but on the fifth and final lap, she was still ahead by a few yards. And even though Flame Arrow pushed her to the absolute limit, Scootaloo was not at all affected by the pressure that went through her mind, and she crossed the line first, winning another race!

"Yes, yes, yes!", Scootaloo screamed into a cheering crowd.

Flame Arrow came up to her. "I must admit, for a Pegasus of your age, you certainly have insane talent and strength. Whoever trained you, they must be incredible.", he said.

"I know, right?", Scootaloo said excited, "But I had some help during my training, from three mentors that I can not thank enough for what they did for me."

"Three even? Well, they certainly did a great job with you, kid.", Flame Arrow said, "But the next races, you better watch out for me. Those are my favorites."

Then, Flame Arrow went off. His favorite tracks. She wondered what these could be. But for now, she enjoyed the fact that she got two wins in a row. Scootaloo was certainly on a high, and she was looking to carry this momentum into the following races.

However, she also knew that it won't be simple...