Keep smiling, Fluttershy. Keep smiling. The pegasus slowly backed away from the metal beast. When Rainbow Dash had asked that she join her at a car derby, Fluttershy had imagined something in the vein of the Ponyville Derby—slightly extreme, but well within her tolerance level. Instead, she had found herself smack in the middle of a sea of people who had gathered to observe the equivalent of the great dragon migration.
"Umm, it's very nice." Fluttershy turned to Rainbow Dash. "It really is, but maybe we can go back to the nice hotel and..." Her words trailed off. Rainbow's expression was between a squint and a frown.
Fluttershy gulped. Oh, why did I promise to spend the day with her. Her ears drooped down. The problem wasn't that she didn't like spending time with her friend, it was that Rainbow Dash seemed to have had her common sense gland removed and always insisted on the most intense of activities. Forcing a smile, Fluttershy turned towards the human car.
Maybe it'll be okay? Drops of sweat trickled down her face. The car glared at her, like a dragon eyeing a ruby. It was twice bigger than any carriage Fluttershy had seen in her life, made entirely of glass and metal, growling like a timberwolf ready to pounce. Maybe it's just purring?
A sharp shove thrust Fluttershy forward.
The pony spanned her wings and planted her hooves, bringing herself to a complete stop. Hesitant, she looked over her shoulder. Rainbow Dash was a few steps behind, waving her hoof an unmistakable "go on" expression on her face.
Why did I promise to do this? Fluttershy bit her lower lip. Swallowing, she faced the metal monster once more. The nice people at the stadium had explained that the car was perfectly safe, until it entered the race track. There was absolutely no way, they claimed, it could cause any harm. If the last days were any indication, however, such assurances meant little. One step at a time, Fluttershy struggled forward.
"Err, you're a nice...shiny car." Fluttershy tapped the side of the car with the tip of her hoof. She could feel Rainbow Dash's stare on the back of her neck. "I'm sure you're very fast." She glanced over her shoulder then smiled nervously. "And not at all scary."
Rainbow Dash facehoofed. I’ve upset her. Fluttershy shut her eyes and ears. Every fiber in her body screamed for her to fly away, to escape back to the hotel room where it was safe. Would Rainbow forgive her if she did? No! I won't let her down again! Her eyes popped open. If she wants me to have a good time with this car, that's what I will do!
Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy took a step back then leapt forwards, right at the open window. If the closed carriages she'd seen were in indication, even such a creation would be scarier on the outside than on the inside. Half way there Fluttershy felt a strong tug—her hips refused to pass through the small space, leaving her stuck.
Ooh! Fluttershy flapped her wings furiously. Her backhooves scratched all over the polished exterior of the car in an attempt to get inside. Yet, as much as she fought and wiggled, her hooves would only slide off, unable to find even the slightest traction.
"Rainbow Dash!" the pony squeaked, face flustered at the thought that a stadium of people were staring at her backside. "Help me!" She grabbed the driving wheel with her forelegs. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. A yell came from outside—maybe it was Rainbow Dash, maybe it was someone else. Fluttershy didn't care. The only thing she could focus on was getting herself unstuck. Gathering every ounce of strength she was capable of, the pegasus pulled on the wheel.
The window had no intention of letting its prey go. The pressure on Fluttershy's hips increased, as if she were the cork or a bottle trying to struggle herself loose. Then came the pop—an instant of freedom and weightlessness, before she was thrust into the seat of the car.
"Umph!" Fluttershy smacked down, wings and legs hitting against anything in reach within the confined space. Her rear hoof pressed against the pedal at full strength. The car's purr became a growl, then a deafening roar propelling it forward.
"Heeeelp!" Fluttershy squeaked from the belly of the metal beast, moving at speeds that would make hurricanes tame. "Rainboooow!"
"And we're off to a wild start!" A voice boomed over the roars of the crowd. "I tell you I'm all my years I've never seen moves like those! How does that feel, NASCAR veterans? I can't speak for anyone in particular but if I had my ass handed to me by a novice, who's also a pony, I'd start considering a new kind of work!" More cars roared onto the track. "The question now is, will the pony challenger remain in front?"
"Save me!" Fluttershy screamed. To this day she had only steered a chariot twice, and never one that drove itself.
Twilight always told her in moments of crisis to remain collected, take a deep breath, and tackle the problem logically. Yet that would hardly work when she was racing at the speed of a thousand wings with giant metal cars zooming left and right.
"Somepony!" Holding the wheel with both forehooves, Fluttershy popped her head out of the window. "Please," she pleaded, as another car moved beside her.
For the shortest of instants the human driver turned towards her. Fluttershy could see the reflection of her face in his helmet—her mane waving in the wind, her ears drooped, her lower lip trembling as a single teardrop fell off the corner of her eye grabbed by the insane speed. She could also see the driver's confusion as he swirled left crashing into the car on his other side.
"Eeek!" Fluttershy pulled her head back in. Steady breaths! Steady breaths! She told herself, glued to the seat. Yeh sound of another crash echoed behind her. It's just like a hurricane. The pegasus leaned to the right. Rainbow Dash will rescue me. I just need to stay away from the other cars.
"And the track is clogged!" The voice boomed once more. "I haven't seen this since the two-thousand and nine race. Just looked at that pile. Four of the favorites are already out. Good, the catch fence did its job."
Why did Twilight ask me to join her on Earth. Fluttershy covered her eyes with her wings. This world was no place for a pony to live. Showers were strange, brooms were pushy and obnoxious, letters were vain and unhelpful, and now this? First thing tomorrow I'm packing my things and going home!
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash's voice sounded nearby. "Move your hoof off the pedal!"
"Rainbow?" Fluttershy peeked through her wings. Please let this be real. Please let this be real! She glanced out of the side window. Her friend was there, flapping her wings wildly so as to keep up with the car. "Rainbow!" Fluttershy jumped onto her seat. "Rainbow, save me! I'm sorry I ruined our day together. I really, didn't want to. I know how much this means to you, but I..." she paused, eyes brimming with tears once more. "I just want this to stop! I'm scared of giant metal cars and hurricane speeds and noise! I just want to stop and—"
"Err, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash arched a brow. "You have stopped!" She pointed forward.
Fluttershy blinked, then slowly looked around. She was still in the belly of the car, but the metal monster had stopped. The engine that roared like a manticore was now completely silent.
"Oh." The yellow pegasus blushed. How did this happen?
"Do you know what you just did?" Rainbow asked, moving closer.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't—"
"You won!" Rainbow Dash cut her short. “The cars behind you crashed and blocked the track, so they had to pause the face to fix this and start again. Well, you they won't exactly give you a trophy, but everyone knows you won. Sweet, right?”
Huh? Fluttershy's ears perked up. Slowly, she turned to looked through the back window. A short distance away there were several clumps of cars, some smoking, with a whole lot of agitated people around them. One took off his helmet and throw it to the ground.
"You were awesome!" Rainbow Dash went on. "The way you jumped in the car and just went off! Mare, if I had known you were this cool...not that I didn't think you were cool before. Guess you have more than a few surprises in your wings, eh?" She winked. "So what do you want to do now? I mean it will be difficult to top that, but hey, we can try."
"So. Umm, I won?" Fluttershy asked. Rainbow Dash nodded eagerly. "And I get to choose what we do next?"
Rainbow Dash nodded again.
"Take me home." Fluttershy smiled weakly. "That's all I really want."
