Lightning Dust arrived had arrived at the garage late in the day after finding no other races that night. Unfortunately for her, McClare had drifted into nap after coming to terms with the loss of Neon. Lightning decided to go home that night and sleep in her own room, something she hadn’t done in nearly a week. Unsurprisingly she didn’t sleep well, but it was enough to keep her awake the next morning. She arrived back at the garage not too much later. When she pulled inside she was greeted by McClare who looked like he managed to sleep off his troubles.

“Well, at least your still here. Where did you go last night exactly?” He questioned Lightning.

“Had to get started somewhere, I don’t want to let my emotions getting the better of me and make me fall behind.”

“You aren’t doing one of those personal crusades are you? I wouldn’t blame you honestly, though I don’t want you putting yourself in danger.”

“McClare I get that your upset, but don’t treat me like a filly because of what happened. I’m going to make this right for you, me, and Neon but I need you to be at your best in case I need you. You know more about these cars than me, if you can take care of that then I’ll do my job.” Lightning reassured. McClare closed his eyes for a sec and sighed.

“Yeah, I know. Neon was hard headed sometimes but she had a good heart in there. I can see it in you too actually, you’re like Neon if she was a pegasus.” He stifled a giggle.
“Right, if you’re taking the wheel i’ll make sure the wheel stays there.”

He stuck out his hoof for a bump, but Lightning instead embraced him. After a moment he returned it… until Lightning realized what she did and backed away blushing. McClare just chuckled.

“She used to do that too when we were younger.”

He opened the garage door for Lightning as she climbed back into her Supra. She decided to check the leaderboards for the league. She found her name on the lower half of the list passing through some names that already had 15 or more points. She would need to catch up if she planned on making a top 20 exempt spot. She then checked the GPS, but strangely found no available races in the immediate vicinity for the moment. With an annoyed sigh she decided to drive around to see if anything available was just outside of her reach. She pulled up to the light at the corner waiting for it to turn green so she could continue onward. As she waited for the light another car stopped across the street from her. She glanced towards it and immediately recognized it, a blue Subaru BRZ with lime green tires and a medium sized wing on the back. She attempted to recall who it was but came up with no answers. She knew the car, that much was obvious, but she didn’t know the pony in it. The Subaru on the opposite side of the road activated it’s turn signal, as if tempting Lightning to follow it. The street light turned green and the Subaru peeled left in front and across from Lightning’s Toyota. Lightning quickly followed behind attempting to keep pace with the BRZ in front of her. It was heading for downtown along the coast of the bay. It didn’t go far though, stopping just shy of the intersection and peeling right. The Subaru did a 180 in place and stopped in front facing the Supra head on.

Lightning was unsure about the situation, on one hoof she could easily just back off if needed, not to mention the Subaru’s driver had pinned themselves between Lightning’s Supra and the end of the road, but something in the back of her head that told her to follow the BRZ was also keeping her there. She shut off the engine of her Supra with the BRZ following suit. Lightning got out of the Supra and walked up to the Subaru in front of her, assuming that if she recognized the vehicle than the occupant likely knew her and that she was a pegasus. Lightning didn’t go up to the window, instead she opted to wait until the other pony came out to talk, propping herself against the hood. She didn’t wait long as the driver door to the Subaru opened revealing the driver.

It was a blue earth pony mare with a green mane and tail of similar color to the wheels on the Subaru. She also had shades of aquamarine in her mane and tail giving it an ocean like look with her eyes being a similar kind of green to her mane. Her cutie mark appeared to be a tire that left a tidal wave behind it. She didn’t move any further than her door before Lightning interrupted her.

“Do I know you?” Lightning said curiously and in harsh tone.

“Personally? No. Practically? More than you think...”

“I don’t want you taking me long, I got things I need to do. Why have you been following me?” Lightning interrogated. The pony in front of her looked off to the side slightly and sighed before looking back at her.

“Because I think I can help you with your issues involving Rogue. I’ve been keeping my eye on you since the heats two nights ago and..”

“Did I ask for your help?” Lightning cut her off. “Because I don’t think I did. This is supposed to be my battle to fight for my friend and I don’t want other ponies getting in the way of this.”

“What about what Hotshot said then?”

Lightning had no argument for that, all she could do was stare blankly at the pony in front of her.

“Yeah I was there too, just uninvited. You know where I also was? At the heats, racing. You remember right, you beat me that night. I was that Subaru you were racing.”

A sudden realization hit Lightning in the face like a head on collision.

“You’re.. Aqua Streak, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me, and you must be Lightning then from what I know?”

“Pretty much, you never left after the race did you?”

“No, I was there the whole night.

League Heats, Two Nights Ago

“I had actually parked not too far from where you were after our heat. I was a little distraught honestly. I thought I had that race in the bag, so I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you. Nobody knew who you were that night except that you were with Spark and only stayed to watch her race. As I heard her and Rogue come around the corner I decided to watch the finish. Everyone saw what happened that night with Rogue but no one really saw what happened after. While everyone was paying attention to Rogue as he finished, I took a double take at your Supra just in time to see you jump out after your friend.”

From the Subaru, Aqua watched Lightning as she sprinted up towards Neon’s GT-R only to see it engulfed in flames. In the background sirens are beginning to be heard.

“I didn’t have time to hesitate when the cops got there so I booked it, but I made sure you made it back. I just managed to see you drive off the opposite way of me with a tail. I lost my heat going through the backroads and tried looking for you, only being able to just in time. I had to make sure you made it out of the city.”

Crossing the bridge, Aqua raced to catch up with Lightning. She turned in, made contact with the patrol car and floored it heading north, checking to see if her distraction paid off. Perfect, Lightning’s heat is now on her. making break for it, she drives away from the scene towards a safe house in Bayview Park.

Lightning wasn’t sure what to do with what she just heard. Aqua was willing to help her, but Lightning wasn’t trusting her fully. She would have to prove her to be trustworthy first.

“Okay I understand now, but how do I know I can trust you?”

“I know every back road, shortcut, and alley in this city. I know hiding places from the cops and I have locations for races that most ponies never find., if you got any heat, I can help you beat it. I can give my contact info if you want.”

Lightning hesitantly handed her tablet over to Aqua who put her number in the contacts list before handing it back.

“By the way, if you need a race I know of a place in Bayview Park. Group of racers take their rides around the city once in a while. I can show you the place, but just be careful because the area is crawling with authorities at the moment. They're expecting a race tonight.”

“Anything works right now. I'm not occupied with anything at the moment.”

“Good, alright i’ll take you there… I’m going to need to get out though.” Aqua spoke, glancing at the Supra between the road and her BRZ.

“Oh, right.” Lightning realized, quickly jumping in the Supra and pulling out of the alley. Aqua followed in her Subaru and headed north with Lightning following her.

Lightning didn’t trust Aqua Streak as much as she would have liked, but she felt good that she had some help other than McClare around. The only problem was Lightning didn’t know how she could help, Aqua knew many of the quickest ways in the city but that wasn’t much help at the moment and Lightning hadn’t run into cop trouble since the heats. She had an inner feeling though that there would be trouble that night, and that she would need Aqua Streak’s help with it.

They began to head north, passing over the central bridge. If Lightning knew where she was going she would have been tempted to race Aqua to the location. Not only would it be good practice but she had a good chance of winning. Her competitive nature was what made her get along with Neon so well in the first place. The had similar attitudes towards competition. Aqua, she was much more laid back. She played street racing like a game, and didn't care much for winning or losing. What Lightning did give her credit for was her drive to help. It had already been made obvious, Rogue didn't work alone and it was only a matter of time before he brought the rest of his crew down on her. She needed to build some allies, McClare had been a start and now Aqua was willing to join her cause.

A couple of turns brought them through Westside before making a right and crossing the bridge that lead to the northwest island of Bayview Park. It was familiar to Lightning, being directly north of her home, but she never bothered to memorize the roads for the most part. Once they were on the other side they headed straight for the shoreline . On a path off the main road They found the meet up location and there were three cars present. One stood out much more than the others, a black and red Ford Fiesta ST. It was heavily modified, sporting a massive wing, golden painted tires, and multiple vinyl paints adorning the entirety of the car including a white skull laying diagonal on the hood. It would make an artist awe at it's creativity, but Lightning was just i basic awe.

While Aqua spoke with a pony in the MX-5 parked off to the side Lightning eyed the window of the Fiesta, the heavy red tint blocking any view of the driver at the wheel. She must have been staring forever because she was still looking by the time Aqua had returned and even took the time to set her GPS while she was occupied.

"I see you spotted Zephyr, he's the pony to beat around these parts. Been on a winning streak, the silent assassin type. Never stays around for the celebration as if he always has somewhere to go. I think its likely he's from out of town. you're up in ten so you better get ready."

As if on cue, The Fiesta's engine roared to life. It may have well had a Mustang engine with how loud it was. What the pair didn't expect was for the window to come sliding down revealing Zephyr. A pure black unicorn stallion with a dark red mane and matching eyes which flashed for just a moment. Lightning did a double take, ponies eyes didn't do that but there were other creatures she knew of that did. What came to mind didn't make Zephyr seem any less intimidating.

"Don't focus on him, that's just what he wants. You, him and two others. I'll be waiting back here when your done. Good luck, Superstorm."

Soon Lightning was lined up on the starting grid, Zephyr to her left with a White Nissan Silvia in front of her and a Yellow Pontiac Solstice in front of him. Those two didn't stand a chance. A signal was given and soon they were off heading westbound off the island. Zephyr's Fiesta was quick off the line and easily took point with Lightning tailing him followed by the Silvia as they crossed the bridge. Just keeping pace with the stallion was pushing Lightning hard but keeping her opponent behind took priority. a shallow left was followed by a dive move from the racer behind her, she closed the door as they took a much sharper left now heading south. Lightning blocked but the Silvia stuck it in and clipped her ever so slightly. It was just enough to wiggle her free and get the advantage for the moment.

"Oh, you want to play hard ball then?"

Now that Lightning knew clean wasn't and option she sent it hard on the next left basically door slamming the Silvia and forcing it wide. It may have cost her time but it got her the position back. Now the only problem was Zephyr. He was already exiting the bridge by the time she was halfway down. It was a matter of catching up, she had to play it cool now. Another sharp left completed the circuit. Two laps, one down and one to go. Lightning took a glance to locate Aqua who was no where to be seen.

"No matter, let's get this done. Come on!"

The long bridge once again carrying her Supra she manage to make some ground on Zephyr before making the first left all over again. He made no mistakes, neither did she. they took the left in train formation, Lightning taking a more reserved line so she didn't lose time like with the previous lap. They crossed the bridge a final time, Lightning finally catching the Fiesta and running side by side with it. She had the preferred line on the final turn. They made the final run to the finish, Lightning had the edge across the line. She had no time to celebrate the upset. There were sirens in the distance.

Neither Lightning nor Zephyr had much time to react to the SUV unit blaring its lights head on towards them. They split the gap and continued on. By the time they crossed the bridge Zephyr pulled a near u-turn onto an adjacent bridge platform heading back the way they came. Lightning continued onward. Some units pulled off to give chase to the Fiesta while the remaining ones began chasing after the Supra. It was on, but company was about to grace Lightning's presence. Her tablet went off, it was Aqua contacting her. She barely even took her hoof off the wheel.

"Mind explaining why you left me out here!"

Suddenly and without a moment to spare Aqua's BRZ came sliding out from the adjacent road. She immediately took point for Lightning.

"Did you really think I would leave so soon? Follow me, we'll make a break for the freeway. I know a place we can lie down for the night."

Lightning really didn't have a choice in the matter, so she silently complied. The freeway intersection was dead ahead, Aqua pulled south with Lightning hot on her tail. Units began to converge on the freeway after them, one set its sights on Aqua and another went after Lightning.

"We need to shake these guys! They aren't going to let us go."

"I have an idea, and its quite simple too."

Aqua suddenly door slammed the pursuing vehicle knocking it of course. She followed with another more powerful hit sending the vehicle into a spin. Lightning reacted with just enough time to avoid the pursuit unit which collided with the vehicle tailing Lightning's Supra. It was a classic defensive move, one she had practiced before.

"That should give us some time, come on!" They continued onward, pushing limits and dodging light midnight traffic. It didn't take long for another, more serious problem to come up.

"Roadblock, break left!"

Lightning was quick on her hooves and swiftly changed course tucking in behind Aqua once again as they dodged the blockade and made their way down a twisty back road. It lead straight back to downtown heading south. Aqua pulled a right at the first intersection.

"In here, we can hide out while the heat calms down."

They quickly pulled into a hideout garage on the corner on the street. Aqua quickly jumped out and pulled down the large door to cover their tracks as Lightning exited her Supra. She began to catch a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Aqua began to inspect the paint on her Subaru where she made contact with her pursuer. Lightning in turn glanced at the spot where she bruised up the Silvia during the race.

"That's going to need to be buffed out when I get the time. You good?"

"Yeah, thanks to you. Nice moves out there."

"Authorities don't pull punches at night, with the public eye blind in the dark they are relentless. The only way to keep on racing is to punch back. I have a room in the back, you can rest up there..."

Without warning the vehicle entrance opened once again, lucky for them instead of police they found another pony. One they had already seen earlier.

"Zephyr?"

"Aqua, you seem tense. I need to pack my things and head out."

He gave a glance towards Lightning who had began to open the door to the room, the same room that Zephyr was approaching. He stopped at the entrance next to her.

"Good race, I like a challenge once in a while."

Without another word he entered the room, grabbed a bag that Lightning presumed belonged to him and left in silence. The last thing the pair heard was the sound of his Fiesta peeling out. They stared at each other for a second before Aqua closed the entrance once more and made her way to the door.

"I would stay, but my friend would be worried if I was gone all night."

"Alright, just keep it cool tonight. Try not to get into any more trouble and I will see you again soon."

"Yeah thanks."

"Don't mention it. It's nice to have a pony you can trust when you're in this business."

They didn't say another word. Lightning took her Supra and headed back to the garage luckily not finding any more trouble on her way back. She glanced at her tablet which flashed a notification and opened it up.

League Race, 2:00 PM
Restrictions: Muscle Cars Only

Author's Note

Finally its back. This chapter took days to finish with trying to figure out both the race and chase plus adding in some character development for Lightning at the end.

Thanks to Akula966 for letting me use his character Zephyr in this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed. Next up, Muscle time.