Speed

Chapter 2: Keeping Up

        Throughout the entire flight home, Dash struggled to figure out if she wanted to ask Wave Chill about that injection she had seen Fire Streak give to himself. There was something vile about it, something that made it feel wrong, so she was wary about bringing it up.

        “Is this a real nice apartment?” she asked Wave Chill.

        He gave her a smile. “The nicest around. Wait ’til you see the interior. You’re gonna love it!”

        When the apartment complex came into view, Dash was in awe. The building was tall enough to pierce the sky. Wave Chill ascended upwards with Dash following in her wake until they reached the penthouse.

“Before we head inside, I wanted to show you something,” he told Dash as he landed on the roof.

        Dash landed next to him on the cool surface. She immediately noticed the huge pool laid out in front of her. The water was as blue as her coat of fur, and looked so warm and inviting. This pool is awesome! Way nicer than any we had in Cloudsdale.

        “You want to go for a swim, don’t you?” Wave Chill asked.

        Dash looked at him with an eager hopefulness in her expression.

        “You can test the waters if you want. I’m gonna go grab a towel so you don’t track water in the apartment.”

        Dash didn’t need to be told twice. She threw off her saddlepack and leapt straight into the water, which was as warm as she had imagined. She kicked her hooves and traveled across the length of the pool. Just as in her other athletic pursuits, Dash was an excellent swimmer. She was still doing laps in the pool when Wave Chill returned with the towel.

        “And I thought I was a good swimmer!” he said. Dash dunked her head underwater to wet her mane, but she came back up to address Wave Chill. “I was on the swim team in flight school,” she said. “I won a few meets.”

        “I don’t doubt it,” Wave said. “How long are you gonna stay in there?”

        “Not too much longer,” she said. “You don’t have to wait up for me. I’ll be down in a flash.”

        “That’s fine,” Wave said, leaving the towel behind as he flew down to the apartment again. Dash launched herself off the wall of the pool to do another lap. Her specialty was the breaststroke, using her wings to help her propel across the water. The physical exercise went a long way in clearing her head, and when she finally left the pool, she felt cool and refreshed, the water evaporating from her fur, and her earlier doubts evaporating with it.

        She toweled off and returned to the apartment.        When she stepped inside, she was once again overwhelmed. She could feel the sleek, metallic surface of the floor underneath her hooves. She touched the walls and found they were made of the same material, cooling to the touch. The couch in the living room looked to be made of a luxurious fabric, and Dash jumped onto it. It felt as familiar to her as the surface of a cloud, bringing her a sense that she was home.

        Still, there was a lurking sense of anxiety that was creeping into her mind. She tried her best to keep it at bay and wait for the right moment to ask her questions.

        “You look a little distracted,” he said, giving her a smirk. “Everything cool?”

        “Yeah, I’m cool,” Dash said with a grin. “The couch is pretty sweet.”

        “You haven’t even seen your bed yet. Trust me, once you lie down on its pillow top mattress, you’ll forget all about the couch.”

        “Well, show me then,” Dash replied.

        Wave led her into the guest room to a bed adorned with Wonderbolts sheets. Dash stood staring at it for a few seconds, and Wave laughed.

        “Well, aren’t you gonna try it?” he asked.

        Dash sneered and sank into the bed. The sheets were soft but firm, in a way that supported her back and soothed her tense muscles. It was like resting on the perfect mixture of a cumulus cloud drifting across the sky and a firm bed providing the best support for her aching muscles.

        “Oh, Celestia, this is awesome…” she said as she put her head on the pillow and pretended to doze off. Wave laughed, causing her to throw the pillow at him.

        “Do you want me to make dinner or not?” Wave asked.

        “You cook?”

        “Well, I’ve been living by myself up until now, so I hope I could cook. Let’s get you fed, and then you can grill me about anything you want to know about the Wonderbolts.”

        Dash felt another wave of anxiety pass through her. Her curiosity from earlier was beginning to creep back, now that she had become accustomed to the apartment. She blushed a little as she followed Wave into the kitchen. He was already chopping up vegetables.

        “Need any help with that?” Dash asked.

        “Not tonight I don’t. This is your welcoming party, so to speak, and I don’t want you to lift a hoof for the sake of helping me cook. I suppose you can get a few questions off now if you really want to.”

Well, here goes nothing, Dash thought as she took a few calming breaths. She knew what she wanted to ask, but her words felt like they were stuck in her throat. How the heck am I gonna bring this up?

        “Okay, look,” Dash said sternly. Wave gave her a curious glance. “I saw Fire Streak doing something funny today, and it threw me off guard a bit. It feels really weird to say anything but I just have to say it. He was sticking a needle in his wings and injecting them with some kind of fluid. What the heck is that about?”

        Wave deflated, focusing his attention back to the vegetables while he thought about what to say. He cut up red peppers, celery, red onions, and broccoli and put them all in a frying pan. He turned on the burner and set the pan on the stove. It sizzled while he started to prepare the sauce for the stir fry.

        “Well? Are you gonna answer me?” Dash demanded.

        “It’s called speed,” Wave said with a grimace, looking uncomfortable about discussing it. “We use it to...give us an edge.”

        “What? What are you talking about?” Dash already had a feeling she knew what this was about, but she waited for Wave to explain himself instead of flying off the handle.

        “Look, you haven’t been a Wonderbolt for very long. You don’t understand.”

        “Okay, smartaleck,” Dash remarked. “What don’t I understand?”

        “The pressure to perform is everywhere,” he explained. “In the locker room, from Spitfire, but most of all from our fans. They demand the fastest flyers, the most dangerous tricks. You need speed and focus, and this elixir helps with both.”

        “Elixir?” Dash asked mockingly. “So what’s in this, um…‘elixir,’ exactly?”

        Wave took a deep breath. “I don’t actually know.”

        “Well, what the heck? Why would I take something if I don’t even know what’s in it? Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

        Wave Chill raised an eyebrow. “What made you think I was asking you to take it?”

        Dash froze for a minute. She had made that assumption on her own, she had to admit. “I mean...what happens if you don’t take it?”

        “You might not be able to keep up,” Wave explained. “I mean, I know you’re you, but we’re not talking about the Ponyville weather patrol here. This team’s all about speed. Without this boost, you’re just a little slower, your vision’s just a little blurrier, you have a little less attention, and that puts you at a disadvantage. If you want to compete with the big colts, you have to do everything in your power to get faster, stronger, better. Otherwise, you’ll likely be thrown off the team.”

        “Right,” Dash said. “I’m already one of the fastest flyers around. I’m the only living pony who can perform the Sonic Rainboom.”

        “Did you hit it in practice today?”

        Dash opened her mouth to reply, but she stammered and then fell silent, staring gloomily out the window.

        “When’s the last time you hit it?” Wave asked.

        “I think it was Twilight’s coronation.”

        “It’s been some time, then,” Wave said. “Look, I don’t want to be the one to tell you you have to use this elixir, but I think you need a reality check. You’re not gonna make it if you can’t keep up, and it’s going to be a lot harder for you. In my opinion, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

        “Great! Glad to see you’re looking out for me! As if I needed it!”

        Wave was done mixing the sauce, but the vegetables weren’t quite cooked enough, so he stepped away from the stove and sat across from Dash. “I’m sorry. Fire Streak’s usually the one who tells the new members about this, but since you asked…”

        “What does Spitfire have to say about all this?” Dash asked.

        “Spitfire doesn’t take it,” Wave said. “She’s got insane talent, she can still keep up with the guys that use speed. Absolute legend.”

        “Whatever,” Dash mumbled. “And what would happen if I ratted you guys out?”

        “Well then what’s stopping one of us from ratting on you?” Wave remarked with a scowl, pointing a hoof at Dash like a dagger.

        “But I’m not doing it!” Dash objected.

        “Yeah, but it’s gonna be our word against yours, and you are the newbie in the group, so who do you think she’ll believe?” He lurked over to her and stared her in the eye beadily.

        Dash stared right back without even blinking. “Have you forgotten I’m the Element of Loyalty?”

        “Good for you,” Wave said with a sneer. “Doesn’t make a difference when you’re flying in the air with the best in the world.” He poked her with his hoof. “You’re super competitive, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that you’d do anything to get an edge. And even if you did rat one of us out, that’d be one less pegasus on the team. We’re all in this together, so you either get with the program, or you don’t.” He snorted in her face and turned his back on her.

        “Are you threatening me?” Dash asked, pounding her hoof on the table.

        “No,” Wave said, peering back around and glaring at her. “I’m just warning you. You don’t have to take speed if you don’t want, but butt out of what everypony else on the team does or doesn’t do.”

        “Do you do it?”

        Wave sighed and closed his eyes, as if willing himself to calm down. “I do. Have been for quite a while.”

        “Thanks for owning up to it.” Dash sighed and put her head on the table. “This really stinks.”

        “Hey,” Wave said, putting a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. She wanted to jerk away from him, but she let him stroke her shoulder instead. “Not everyone takes this stuff. Just do your best in practice, then make your decision once you’ve got a feel for your place on the team. Did you do the Sonic Rainboom today?”

        “No, I didn’t,” Dash griped. “I can’t hit it every time, you know. It’s really tough to pull off.”

        “Well, keep trying,” Wave said. “Whatever you do is fine, as long as it works for you.”

        “Yeah,” Dash muttered. “I guess that’s okay for now. I’m still ticked off, though.”

        “I don’t blame you.”

        The aroma of the vegetables was making Dash’s mouth water. Wave went back to the stove and poured the sauce over them. It took only a few more minutes of simmering before the stir fry was ready. He gave a generous helping to Dash, leaving only a little for himself.

        “You gave me way more than half,” Dash said, refusing to lift a fork at the moment.

        “That’s one of the side effects of speed,” Wave said. “You kinda start losing your appetite, but the elixir makes up for whatever energy you lose.”

        “I thought you were gonna stop,” Dash said. “And will you stop calling it an elixir? That’s really getting on my nerves. Call it what it is: a drug.”

        “I don’t like doing that,” Wave informed her. “That makes it sound illegal.”

        “Then I’m definitely not taking it. Now can we just shut up about it?”

        “Fine. We don’t have to talk about it any longer. Let’s just enjoy dinner and then go to bed.”

        “I can get on board with that,” Dash said with a grimace. She took another generous bite of the stir fry and savored it as it melted in her mouth. Wave ate efficiently, like a machine being fed oil, and he was done long before Dash was. He stayed at the table out of politeness, which made Dash relax a bit.

        “Wave rose from the table and pat Dash on the back. “Have a good night.”

        “See ya,” Dash said. The two of them each headed to their respective rooms.

        Dash unpacked her luggage haphazardly and then lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She could see a distorted reflection of herself, so she shuddered and turned on her side. She was now facing the windows and staring outside into the sky as the sun set. Dash smiled and shut her eyes, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

        “Rainbow Dash?” Wave asked, banging on the door.

        Dash was still sound asleep, groggily mumbling to herself.

        “Rainbow Dash!” he shouted again, banging harder. No response. Wave finally kicked open the door, which woke Dash with a start. She rubbed her eyes groggily as she sat up out of bed.

        “Our morning training starts in half an hour!” he shouted. “You gotta jet or we’re gonna be late!”

        “Oh, Celestia!” Dash said, zooming into the bathroom and turning on the shower. It was freezing cold, but Dash let the chilly water blast her as she scrubbed soap on herself. In about five minutes, she considered herself clean, and she zoomed out of her bedroom ready to leave.

        “Here’s some toast for the road,” Wave said, tossing her a few slices of bread without even looking at her.

        “Thanks,” Dash said through a mouthful of toast. Wave turned to look at her and his jaw dropped.

        “You’re soaking wet!” he shouted.

        “I’ll dry off on the flight there,” Dash said. “No time to talk about it now!”

        “You’re right,” Wave said. The two of them rushed out of the balcony and took off, soaring through the sky in the direction of the training facility. Wave pulled ahead of Dash, who was straining to keep up, but he reached the facility a few seconds before Dash. When they landed, it was clear that Dash was more winded than Wave. She was staring at the ground with a slight tinge to her cheeks.

        “Still not there yet,” Wave reminded her.

        Dash and Wave shot like rockets into the facility, through the halls, and finally onto the field. Spitfire saw them coming and took a glance at the clock.

        “One minute to spare,” she said. “Consider yourself lucky, Dash.”

        “Sorry,” Dash sputtered.

        “Just get in line.”

        “Yes, ma’am,” Dash said, following Wave to the end of the line. There were a few other ponies there that Dash hadn’t seen yesterday in the locker room, but Spitfire called everypony to attention, so her questions would have to wait. Spitfire paced in front of the line of fifteen, eyeing each of them carefully.

        “We’ve got a few new recruits today,” she barked to the team. The veterans tried to look from the side of their eyes at the new blood, but couldn’t see much except Dash’s bright mane.

        “Fast Clip’s been with us before as staff, and Bluebell and Thunderlane are here on reserve,” she said, as if checking them off a list. “You already met Rainbow Dash, of course. She’s a starter.”

Spitfire paced over to Dash and stood directly across from her, staring her in the eye. “So, starter, you ever do warm-ups, or do you just take off and fly without limbering up first?”

        “I just get up and go, ma’am,” Dash said smugly.

        “Wrong!” Spitfire shouted, and Dash’s cheeks tinged red a bit. “If you don’t do your warm-ups, you’re gonna stiffen up quick and won’t be able to complete a vigorous show routine!” She then called out to all the Wonderbolts. “Get down on the ground and do your wing-ups!”

        Dash quickly laid down, propping herself up on her hind hooves and her wings. The other Wonderbolts laid down as well, looking far more determined than Dash felt. Spitfire blew on the whistle she had draped around her neck.

        “Up! Down! Up! Down!” she hollered. The Wonderbolts lowered themselves, bending their wings while keeping their hind legs straight, then pushed back up at the pace set by Spitfire’s shouts. Dash was able to keep pace for the first few sets. She counted the wing-ups in her head and kept up the aggressive pace Spitfire was setting. After around fifty wing-ups, Dash strained, gritting her teeth and pushing with all her might. At ninety-six, she was starting to break a sweat. By the time they reached one-thirty-seven, Dash collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

        “Get up, Dash!” Spitfire barked. “Did I say you could quit?”

        “N-no, ma’am,” Dash stammered, and her fear fueled her to return to Spitfire’s pace. Bluebell and Fast Clip had gone down, too, but Spitfire had said nothing. After one-fifty, Spitfire blew the whistle again, and the Wonderbolts rose from the ground. Some of the Wonderbolts were unfazed, most were getting the kinks out of their wings but didn’t look too worse for wear. Dash, though, was gasping for air.

        “We’re gonna do some laps now,” Spitfire ordered, passing out stopwatches for the other Wonderbolts. “Fifty around the field!”

        “Fifty?” Dash blurted before catching herself.

        “Did I stutter?” Spitfire hollered at her.

        “No, ma’am,” Dash said as Spitfire approached her, “but I mean, come on. You can’t even call this a warm up.”

        Spitfire smacked Dash in the head. “I’ll call it whatever I damn well please. And if you back-talk me again, I’ll send you home with your tail between your legs!” Spitfire shouted. “Is that understood?”

        “Yes,” Dash said.

        Spitfire smacked her again. “Yes, what?”

        “Yes, ma’am.”

        “Good,” she said, suddenly softening her voice and tousling Dash’s mane. The other Wonderbolts were chuckling, and Dash glared at them.

        Spitfire took her position in the center of the track. “Everypony line up at the starting line. When I blow the whistle, you’ll take off.”

        The Wonderbolts positioned themselves at the starting line, all of them poised and ready to take off the moment Spitfire blew her whistle.

        The whistle blew. Dash took off as fast as she could, zooming at what would normally be a good pace, except some of the other Wonderbolts pulled ahead almost immediately. The air rushing past her ears made it impossible to hear Spitfire, but Dash looked over at her and saw her glaring back. Dash pushed herself to go faster, but soon a few of the other veterans passed her, and the ones in the lead were now more than a lap ahead.

        Dash kept track of the laps in her head, but she noticed some of the other Wonderbolts finishing well ahead of her. Fire Streak finished first, but a few of the others were not far behind. Once Dash saw the last veteran finish, she still had three laps to go. She was, however, still ahead of the other new recruits, but she wasn’t thinking about that right now. She kept her eyes away from her teammates, as the faster ones were snickering at her. Her cheeks burned bright red. When she completed the last lap, she tried to touch down, but her legs gave out and she crashed to the ground, sliding a few inches before coming to a stop.

        “Pathetic, Dash,” Spitfire called out, “absolutely pathetic. Did you think you were gonna walk in impressing everypony with a Sonic Rainboom and rising through the ranks quicker than any Wonderbolt in history? Well, with this kind of performance, you’ll be lucky to make it past the first day! We’ve got a routine to learn in a week for a show in Rainbow Falls, and if you can’t keep up, you won’t be flying with your teammates. Is that understood?”

        “Y-yes, ma’am,” Dash gasped, pushing herself up from the ground and returning to line. A few of the other Wonderbolts looked a bit winded, but not nearly as bad as she was. Bluebell was the last to finish the laps, and she looked exhausted as well as she lined up next to Fast Clip and Thunderlane. Again, Spitfire said nothing.

        Dash was still trying not to look around, but she caught a look of concern from Wave, which was worse than any smirk she had gotten earlier. Spitfire went down the line and marked the flanks of all of the starters with individual letters.

        “You know the drill,” she said. “The letters correspond to the routine I’m mapping out on the chalkboard, so you’ll be able to tell exactly where you’re flying.” She reached Dash and gave her the letter ‘F.’

        “Fitting,” she said, causing Dash’s blood to boil. The entire morning, she had been reminded of the Spitfire she had met at the Wonderbolt Academy, and she didn’t know if she could tolerate that for as long as she was here.

How am I gonna get through an entire day of this? Dash thought to herself as she watched Spitfire map out the routine on a chalkboard. The diagrams looked confusing, a bunch of letters and lines criss-crossing each other and forming loops all across the chalkboard.

        “Dash! Who are you flying in sync with at the beginning of the routine?” Spitfire shouted.

        “Misty Fly, ma’am!” Dash said.

        “At least you’re paying attention,” Spitfire said. Dash looked around at the other Wonderbolts with a smirk. Only Wave smiled at her. Dash smiled back, but then he beckoned towards the chalkboard. She quickly turned her head and studied it as meticulously as possible.

Lucky guess, she thought. How’s anypony supposed to remember all this? Dash figured she’d just learn while they were practicing and hope she had seen enough of the Wonderbolts to get the gist of what they wanted out of a routine. All she knew was that Misty was her partner at the beginning.

        “All right, that’s the first minute,” Spitfire said. “We’re gonna practice the positions and map it out slowly before drilling at full speed. Dash, consider this a chance to catch your breath before we get back to the real work.”

        A few of the Wonderbolts chuckled under their breath. Wave was straight-faced.

        “Now find your partners and get in position!” Spitfire ordered. She blew her whistle. Dash followed Misty, hoping she knew where they were starting.

        “You really aren’t cut out for this, are you?” Misty asked her.

        “What are you talking about?” Dash muttered.

        “Whatever, if you don’t know…” Misty chided. Dash was going to object, but she grimaced and looked straight ahead.

        Spitfire flew past her and Misty, staring Dash down carefully. Dash glanced at Misty hesitantly.

        “What am I supposed to do again?” she asked.

        “You’re just flying in unison with me for the first minute,” Misty said. “Just follow my lead.”

        “Thanks,” Dash said.

        Spitfire blew the whistle, and Dash and Misty moved slowly through the routine. They started in a straight line, flying head on towards Rapidfire and Silver Lining. Dash knew they’d be pulling away at the last possible moment, but didn’t know where to turn.

        “Which way?” she muttered.

        “Right,” Misty said, and when Dash was close to colliding with Silver Lining, she pulled right. She kept an eye on Misty to match her flight pattern, and the two of them reunited and looped up and around. They were flying upside down towards Rapidfire and Silver, and this time Dash was sure where she was going. She arced to the right and down, following Misty through the loop and meeting up with her. Misty then arced upward towards the clouds, and Dash saw the other Wonderbolts following suit. She strained herself to keep up with them, but she could feel her wings giving out at the higher altitudes and she had to stop.

        “Damn it, Dash, what is it this time?” Spitfire hollered.

        “It’s nothing. I can keep going!” Dash pleaded.

        “I can’t have you flying if you’re gonna fall. I’m benching you for the rest of the practice. We’ll talk later to discuss your role in this team.”

        Dash felt as though she had been kicked in the gut. She flew down to the ground and sat on the hot bench directly under the sweltering summer sun. She had deliberately sat away from the other new recruits to avoid the embarrassment, and none of them approached her. They were afraid of bothering her. Dash wanted to get some water but was afraid of leaving the practice. She was left staring at the diagrams on the chalkboard, studying them to try to learn the routine.

What does it matter? she thought. I’m not even gonna be onthe team. Dash was feeling glum as the Wonderbolts came down to ground level for a break.

        She saw Fire Streak taking a few sips of water, and a part of her felt compelled to give in and ask him to hook her up with the drugs. But then came a defiant voice in the back of her head that quelled her temptations. So you had one bad day of practice, so what? It’s your first day. You aren’t conditioned like the others who have been on the team for a long time. Give yourself a chance to get ahead the right way before you cave.

        With that decided, Dash spent the rest of her time at the field studying the flight patterns of the other Wonderbolts. Trying to place herself in the sky with her teammates from the ground level proved more difficult than she thought, and the chalkboard wasn’t helping matters either. I’m just gonna have to figure it out tomorrow when I’m more rested.

        Spitfire flew back down to Dash during the team’s next break and looked at her grimly.

        “You getting anything out of this?” she asked, sounding peeved but not quite as insulting.

        “No, ma’am.”

        “At least you’re honest,” Spitfire said with a chuckle. “Go home and rest up so you don’t make an even bigger ass of yourself tomorrow. Got it?”

        “Yes, ma’am,” Dash said dejectedly. She lifted herself from the bench and began flying towards the doors leading out of the field when Spitfire stopped her.

        “Hold on a minute, Dash,” she said as she cut in front of her. “I know I was a hard-ass today, but you have to be that intense to do the kind of things we do. I know I’m being harder on you than I am the other newbies, but you’re a really good flyer, and I’m yelling at you because I know you can do better.”

        “Thanks, ma’am,” Dash said, still looking glum but feeling a bit better. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

        “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Spitfire said, flying back to the team to resume practice. Dash didn’t look back as she flew away from the field, but Wave looked at her with deep concern.

I hope she’s doing okay, he thought.