Jet Wing

Accompanying Soundtrack:

Youtube Video

The chilling wind roared through the pegasus’ ears as snow, dirt, and grime sped through her vision, a few errant pieces of residue impacting upon her helmet’s visor. Ignoring the growing fatigue and pain in her muscles and feathers, the pegasus accelerated, her wings splayed out as dagger-like airstreams passed through them. The pegasus was intent on victory, her mind set on the first place finish—nothing would stop her, and nothing would stand in the way of her path to triumph!

A turn, left, sharp and steep, doubling back, stood before her. The pegasus tilted, angling herself for the critical rotation. Her muscles screamed in protest as g-forces pressed down on upon her body, shouting at her to yield, and yet the racer pushed forth, the futuristic contraption on her wings seemingly grappling the turn as the pegasus spun. In an instant, the pegasus was righted, speeding up the icy path on her way forwards. Behind her, she could see a multitude of her opponents, pushing this way and that way for an attempt at bronze. Ahead, another racer, her rival, sped forth, in first place.

The pegasus intended to change that.

Extending her wings, her ears were rocked by a booming roar as the pegasus suddenly raced forwards, snow and ice kicking up behind her in a fog of white. The pegasus smirked, the air to her front almost seeming to swirl into a raging maelstrom as she zoomed up the course, quickly gaining ground on her rival. Like the shrill cry of an electric guitar, the sound of her wings cutting through the air marked her descent upon the final stretch.

The thunder of the crowd, stomping their hooves and shouting their glee and praise, reached the pegasus’ ears, yet she ignored all of it—her main focus, her driving stimuli, was still ahead, flying forwards. The pegasus’ rival looked back, eyeing her, and he seemed to step on a metaphysical accelerator, attempting to widen the gap between them.

She was not going to let that happen.

Zooming forwards, the racer grimaced and narrowed her eyes, icy pebbles and hail striking her visor as her helmet rattled in seeming excitement. Quickly, quickly, quickly, she thought, faster, faster, and faster! Chills rang through the pegasus’ body, the fabric of her suit stretching and distending as a slightly visible shell of air and wind formed ahead of her, narrowing down into a cone of haze.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, she was beside her rival, who had likewise formed a windy cone in front of him. The two racers were single-focused, intent on victory at all costs, life or death. Though she had rapidly closed the gap between them, she could not pull ahead any further—not at this speed! Through ice and snow, sleet and hail, the thin air of the mountain providing little oxygen, she knew she had to burst forwards, and break the barrier of sound! Ignoring the shrieking pain, she willed her wings to extend even further, the contraption upon them screeching as it pushed harder and harder, the small blue flames leaping out of their engine sockets. Yet still, the pegasus pushed forwards, nudging ever so slightly ahead of her rival. Faster, faster, faster, quickly, quickly, quickly!

Boooom, CRASH!

With a sudden, guttural scream, the cone of air and wind broke, a wave of pressure and sound breaking upon the onlookers as the pegasus raced ahead, leaving her rival in a cloud of icy white dust. The ponies in the crowd, unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony alike, fell in droves, their eardrums all but shattered.

The racer broke past the finish line, an electronic buzz sounding off as it marked her victory. Not a second later, her rival also passed through, and yet the pegasus didn’t care. Pushing past all limits and barriers, even that of sound, she had snatched victory from those who doubted her! On and on, she flew, rising higher and higher into the sky as she performed her victory lap, a streak of color matching her furry coat rushing behind her within the contrails of her flight.

She had won!

Twilight Sparkle pursed her lips, raising an eyebrow as she looked curiously upon the silent form of her friend Rainbow Dash. The rainbow-maned pegasus sat inert in her seat, her face abound with excitement and wonder as her eyes rolled upwards. Comically, her tongue had fallen out of her mouth during the exchange, and Rainbow Dash seemed to be in a state of relative unconsciousness. She looked around the bakery, looking to see if anypony else had noticed her friend’s state.

Sugarcube Corner was relatively empty, save for Mrs. Cake at the counter polishing a couple of dishes, a pegasus named Ditzy Doo, though commonly known as Derpy, eating a muffin at a nearby table, and finally another pegasus, though Twilight’s view of him was blocked by several pieces of the bakery’s furniture.

“Uh, sugarcube? Is RD alright?” Twilight Sparkle turned her head, noticing another one of her friends, Applejack, staring at Rainbow Dash with a strange gaze. Twilight sighed, putting her head in her hooves and rubbing her face.

“I think so, Applejack. Rainbow Dash was just telling me about the end of the 24th Jet Wing Series.” Twilight responded, somewhat exasperated. “Though, I think she may have gotten a little bit excited.”

“Jet Wing?” Applejack asked. “I think I’ve heard of that. Some race where pegasi fly ‘round real fast?”

Twilight nodded in response, taking a sip of the coffee that sat in front of her. It had been a simple matter, overall, to persuade Rainbow Dash to spend some time with the scholarly unicorn. After all, Twilight had wished to socialize with her closest friends outside of their regular hijinks—normal get-togethers that did not, for once, entail fighting some evil creature from the Everfree, or some inane matter that would absorb Twilight and her friends into a wild goose-chase across Equestria. The tomcoltish pegasus had simply been next on the list, after the demure Fluttershy and the genteel Rarity.

At first, after she had somehow managed to rouse the near-hypersomniac Rainbow Dash, it had begun with a simple walk or, in Dash’s case, hover, to Sugarcube Corner. There, the two mares had purchased a selection of morning beverages and pastries from another of their friends, Pinkie Pie. Of course, actually conversing with the rainbow-maned pegasus had proven to be a difficult matter as Twilight’s friend was rather restless, constantly fidgeting in her seat, preferring the open air of the sky. Sitting still, quietly and patiently, was by no means the purview of Rainbow Dash’s personality.

Despite that, however, Twilight had utilized the many hours she had spent pouring through her guidebooks on conversation and socialization, and had eventually driven the conversation to a point where Dash was comfortable—namely, where the pegasus was talking about herself and her own hobbies and loves.

After a multitude of different topics, including matters such as the Wonderbolts, wing power, the Wonderbolts, high-speed aerial pursuit methods, and finally, the Wonderbolts, they had finally reached the subject at hoof. Namely, the triennial Jet Wing series. It was a matter that was near and dear to her dear friend Rainbow Dash—not so much as the Wonderbolts, maybe, yet still very important to Dash.

Returning her mind back to the matter at hoof, however, Twilight addressed Applejack. “From what I can gather, the Jet Wing Series is a pegasus racing event that happens every three years.” The unicorn took another sip of her coffee, preparing herself for the semi-lecture that was sure to follow. “Competitors use small contraptions on their wings to propel themselves at much higher velocities than their natural flight would allow them. After several initial preliminary and qualifying courses, thirty-two finalists race each other in teams of one to four through a gauntlet of dangerous courses spread throughout Equestria. The finale, a celebratory race, is held in the skies over Canterlot, where the winner is finally determined through point-totals. Apparently, it’s a widely-celebrated sporting event all over Equestria, where ponies come from all corners of the world to watch each individual race before the racing season’s end.”

Casually, Twilight set her cup of coffee down to nibble on a small biscuit. Looking back at her earth-pony friend, she noted that Applejack was, indeed, still more focused on Rainbow Dash’s peculiar state.

“Did you even listen to me, Applejack?” Twilight asked pleasantly, an unnerving smile creeping up her face.

“Huh? What?” The country pony snapped her gaze back to Twilight, guilt evident on her face. “Uh, sure. ‘Course I was.. I just got one question, though.”

Twilight merely fluttered her eyebrows, silently gesturing for Applejack to ask. Applejack cleared her throat, obviously still distracted by their pegasus companion.

“You said it was viewed by ponies all over the world, right? Then do earth-ponies or unicorns do anything? Seems like it’d only be fun for pegasi.”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash snapped back to her senses, her wings flared as she took flight. “Only fun for pegasi? Are you kidding me? Everypony loves it!” The pegasus glided through the air, tracing small, tight loop-de-loops and figure eights. “They race hard, they race fast, and it’s the biggest rush to even watch it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed before stopping suddenly, hovering over Applejack as she continued. “Besides, unicorns and earth ponies help out too. Lots of them make up B-Spec teams for every racer.”

Applejack’s face, however, remained confused and unimpressed, ignoring the new, unknown element of such “B-Spec” teams. “And you like watchin’ it?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, pumping her hoof. “Yeah, totally! My pops took me out to watch one of the races in person way back when, ‘cause they had one of the main races set in Cloudsdale.” The pegasus flipped backwards through the air, flailing her hooves. “It was radical! They were going so fast that every time they passed us in the stands, my mane would get all messy and my ears seemed to explode!” Rainbow Dash proceeded to make whoosh noises as she pantomimed the racers with her hooves, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack staring at her with blank expressions.

“But sugarcube, do you only want to watch it? I reckon that if I liked a sport enough to watch it, I’d want to play it myself,” Applejack asked, scratching her head with a hoof. “Wouldn’t be satisfied with just watchin’ it.” Twilight nodded in agreement, despite her relative lack of athletic knowledge.

Rainbow Dash, in turn, looked incredulously at her friends. “Are you kidding me? Of course I want to compete in one! It’s always been my dream to race in a Jet Wing series!” Her head started to nod furiously, her excitement clear. “Maybe not as big a dream as getting into the Wonderbolts, but it’d still be amazing!

However, Rainbow’s head began to hang, doubt growing in her mind. “Problem is actually getting to race in one. There’s a whole bunch of stuff in the way—you need money for a team, a sponsor, you’d need to buy the jet wing equipment itself.” Rainbow Dash slowly grew glum, disappointment filling her face as she landed back on the ground. “Kinda impossible, really, unless you have all of that stuff. And the training, too. At least with the Wonderbolts, you can try out.”

Twilight frowned, not wanting to see her friend in such a state. “Oh, don’t worry Rainbow Dash. A pegasus as awesome as you could totally compete in a Jet Wing series.” She glanced briefly at Applejack, a plan starting to grow in her mind. “When’s the next one? I’ll bet all of us here in Ponyville would be willing to help you get closer to your dream. Right Applejack?”

In response, Applejack nodded her head vigorously. “Yeah, ‘course. Friends help each other, right?”

Rainbow Dash’s face grew brighter, as if a small measure of hope had entered her. She opened her mouth to speak when, suddenly, a new voice interrupted her.

“Don’t ever compete in a Jet Wing series. It’ll only lead to misfortune.” Twilight gaped, snapping her gaze up to look at the newcomer. Standing above the three mares was the pegasus stallion Twilight had noticed earlier, having somehow approached their table without Twilight and her friends noticing. The stallion looked older, although not too old, and bore a dark red coat, his short grey mane fading slightly as it flowed back across the back of his neck. The stranger spoke once more, his voice gravelly, yet with an air of exhaustion and fatigue.

“Someponies get hurt, to the point where they can’t fly no longer. They become cripples. Others burn out, can’t keep up with the fame, and become bitter—they cut off all of their friends.” He took a moment to pause, looking straight at Rainbow Dash with a severe gaze. “And yet, quite a few ponies have died racing in the Jet Wing courses. Broken necks, broken bodies, drowning, freezing to death—or worse. Trust me, you don’t wanna mixed up in any of it. I don’t think you’d even be able to keep up, anyways.”

While Twilight and Applejack stared at the pegasus with aghast expressions, Rainbow Dash jumped closer, her face nearly touching his. “Oh yeah? What do you know? I think I could race pretty well—I could probably even get first overall!”

Not wanting the situation to escalate, Twilight Sparkle jumped up from her seat, her hooves spreading the two pegasi apart. “Alright, Rainbow that’s enough.” She looked at the pegasus stallion, a curious expression on her face. “But it sounds like you’re speaking from experience, sir. What do you mean, ponies have died?”

The stranger looked at Twilight glumly, a frown spreading across his mouth. “For sure, ponies have died racing in a Jet Wing series. Some of them were my friends.” He turned away, looking out the window of the bakery with a solemn expression on his face. “I apologize, I’ve forgotten my manners. My name is Blackjack Gunner, and I was the captain of Team Manehattan K1.”

While Twilight and Applejack looked on with confused expressions, Rainbow Dash let out a gasp of surprise and disbelief, her hooves flying to her mouth. “Manehattan K1? You guys were the best back when I was just a filly! Came first, second, or third in a whole bunch of series.” Her face fell once more, however, as she remembered another fact. “But then, you guys kinda, fell out of the limelight. Nopony knew what happened.”

Blackjack shifted his gaze back to Rainbow Dash, and the pegasus mare shrank under his solemn stare, as if he was looking into her soul.

“Exactly.”

He turned around without another word, leaving Twilight and her friends confused, bewildered, and shocked. Applejack turned to look at Rainbow, whose visage had become rather comical, her eyes bugged out as her mouth hung open. “Sugarcube, are you alright?”

The pegasus did not answer for a few moments, before her eyes narrowed and her mouth closed into a grimace. “Yeah, yeah, I’m alright. But,” she muttered, watching Blackjack take flight through the window of the bakery. “I’ve gotta find out more. He’s not telling us something.”

Twilight and Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, worry detailing their faces. “RD, I don’t reckon that’s a good idea,” Applejack cautioned. “I don’t think Mister Blackjack Gunner would take to that kindly.”

Rainbow Dash did not respond, slowly returning to her seat opposite Twilight. She took a bite of the unattended pastry in front of her, as the three mares regressed into silence. The pegasus’ mind was dead set—she needed to know more!

It was decided. She would find this “Blackjack Gunner” later. Even if he did not want to give her the answers she wanted, she would get them. Somehow.