Burning Rubber

Chapters

Burning Rubber Part 1
Burning Rubber Part 2
Burning Rubber Part 3
Burning Rubber Part 4
Burning Rubber Part 5
Burning Rubber part 6
Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 1
Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 3
Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 4
Burning Rubber (Duel Saga)-Finale
Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 2

Burning Rubber Part 1

A new sport is spreading across the underground scene. Fast paced and thrilling, it is spoken of highly in some circles as the world's next big event.

It all began a year after the incident the world now knows as the She-Demon Effect. After that, the world came to know what magic was.

Luckily, it was found and made use of before the government could get their grubby mitts on it. And those who found it, were none other than us.

Teenagers. The bringers of the next generation. We had our own ideas for how this magic should be used, and we were gonna make them a reality. Soon, the world would know of what we created.

And that, was exactly what happened.

There was a report on the news of a teenager, like us, finding and using, some sort of crystal as a power source for his new motorcycle.

The adults believed it to be a hoax, a painted gem used to fool us into thinking that he wasn't actually just using the engine like normal.

But us kids, we knew it was real, and even if we didn't, we didn't care, because we believed. That news report sparked the single most enormous treasure hunt in history, all for the sake of something that, before then, would've been considered a mere fairy tale, complete fiction.

Fast forward a year, and the world of Magi-Cycle racing is born and booming. Kids are utilizing magical gems to enhance their riding experience and test their skills on the track.

Racing teams are popping up in every school in the nation, and tournaments are held every year to see just who the best of the best is.

And one particular bacon-haired individual is about to get a taste of that world.

Sunset shimmer sat curled up against the wall. Her body was shaking despite it being well past winter, and soft whimpering sounds could be heard if you listened closely enough. She was crying.

They had done it again. Another game of torture the She-Demon, it seemed. She had those words plastered all across the school, everywhere she went. On her locker, on her notebook, on all her desks in all her classes, on her table at lunch. Heck, even on her laptop, and that one was done in permanent marker!

Trixie and her lackeys had done it again.

Sunset looked up slightly, allowing her to see just above her arms, which she wrapped around her knees when she had first started crying. 'It's been a whole year. It's not like I haven't been trying to change. Could those three leave me alone for once and actually look at what i'm doing?' She sighed.

'What's it matter? The only reason i'm still here is because Vice Principal Luna made me swear to change my ways. And not even that's been working. I don't even belong here. I might as well leave and never come back.'

Sunset stood up slowly, sniffling as she did so. She struggled visibly, her whole body shaking from weakness and exhaustion.

When she finally managed to get to her feet proper, she waddle-walked her way to the door before pushing it open...

and getting shoved back inside of it.

She landed on her back with such force that she actually bounced up a bit before finally settling on the ground, coughing from the impact.

She barely had the opportunity to open her eyes and see who it was that pushed her, when she felt a foot stomp her further into the ground.

"Going somewhere, Sunny?"

She knew that voice anywhere. She struggled against the force a bit, only getting further pushed as a result. When she finally opened her eyes she could see...

"Tri-xie" She managed to say through a small catch in her throat from the dust that had been kicked up at her fall. There the showboat stood over her, a wicked smile on her face as she pressed her foot down onto Sunset's stomach.

"That's right, sunny. I've come to play with you again! Oh you must be so happy, seeing as no one else wants to be your friend after what you did!"

"I said I was...sorry. I've apologized already." Sunset managed to get out as she resumed struggling against Trixie's weight.

"Oh, yeah? Well sorry doesn't cut it, sugar!" Trixie said as she pressed hard down on Sunset's stomach, making her scream out in agony.

"Aaaaaaghhhh!" With a cry of pain Sunset let go of Trixie's foot, opting to let her finish tormenting her rather than fight back. After a few moments, the tears started again.

"Aww, she's crying!" Trixie mocked. "Now do you understand?

Sunset looked up at Trixie, her eyes filled with tears that slowly began to fall down her cheeks. "But I...I'm trying. I'm trying to change. I promised Vice Principal Luna I would."

"Aww, you hear that, girls? She promised. YOU IDIOT!" Trixie pushed down even more, and Sunset could swear she heard a rib break.

"No amount of 'I'm sorry' is ever gonna make what you did alright. And no amount of good deeds will make us forgive you. Ever. You are a she-demon, and that's all you'll ever be. You'll never change. Just like a leopard can't change it's spots, you'll stay the same. you'll always be a walking pile of-"

"Trixie!" A voice called out suddenly. Trixie looked away for only a moment, not removing her foot from Sunset's stomach.

"What is it? I'm busy teaching this bacon-haired bitch a lesson."

"It's...It's Principal Celestia, she's coming this way!" The voice called again. In her now hazy vision, Sunset could barely see who the girl was.

"You dummy!" Trixie called. back to her. "You were supposed to be keeping a look out!"

"I was, I promise!" The voice whined.

"Ugh...whatever!" Trixie took her foot off of Sunset, and walked away. When she spoke, she didn't turn around. "Let's go. We'll leave her to Celestia to deal with."

Before they left, Trixie turned around and looked at Sunset one last time. "Goodbye, demon girl." They all giggled as they walked away, leaving Sunset to lay splayed out on the floor.

The last thing Sunset saw before passing out, was a blurry outline of white. Andthe last thing she heard, was a familiar, soft, kind voice in her ear saying,

"Stay with me, Sunset!"

Burning Rubber Part 2

Sunset woke up to the sound of beeping. It was soft and muffled at first, but it soon became more and more clear as her hearing returned to her.

The next thing to come to her was her sight, as she opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. She could barely see, and so everything was blurry, but she could just make out a white ceiling.

The sound of the beeping was getting a little too much for her to handle, and so she grabbed the pillow she felt under her head and pulled it over her ears.

"Someone make it stop." she said aloud, not recognizing her voice, as it cracked with how dry her mouth felt.

Then, she heard another voice, this one, right next to her.

"Oh, I see you are awake."

She could recognize that voice anywhere, she knew. Even in a crowd of noisy people her voice stood out above them all.

Principal Celestia.

She would be happy to see her, if it weren't for the fact that she currently couldn't. All she could see of the woman was an outline covered in yellow. That is until her vision cleared and she could fully make out the Principal of their school, who smiled down at her.

"I'm afraid we can't stop the heart monitor, dear, it is meant to tell us if you're still with us after all."

"H-Heart Monitor?" Sunset said in surprise as she realized where they were. "Is this the...Hospital?"

"Indeed it is." Principal Celestia said. "You gave us quite the scare. You were unconscious all of fourth period. We were afraid you'd be out all day."

Sunset's expression changed from confusion to sadness as she said, "Would've been better than going home."

"Why, what do you mean, Sunset? Surely you can't be suggesting the school is a better place for you to stay than your own home after all that's happened?"

Sunset tried to sit up, but found that she was having trouble doing so."Of cour-" She coughed at the pain and laid back down.

"Be careful now, Sunset. The doctor said you had a few bruised ribs. "

Sunset allowed herself a small smile at that. 'Well, at least they aren't broken.'

"Now, what were you going to say?" Celestia asked, giving her a reassuring look.

"I was trying to say that of course the school's not a better spot. But I feel safer here than getting caught out in the street by...them."

"Are you referring to Trixie and her friends?" Celestia asked, surprising Sunset.

"Yeah...how'd you know?" Sunset asked in astonishment.

"As a principal it is my job to get to know all of my students personally, names and all." She responded.

"So you know what they did to me?"

"No. i'm afraid I had no idea what they were doing to you in there. I only saw them leave, and then I found you lying on the ground. I'm afraid it is yet another shame I will have to bear on my shoulders." Celestia looked down in sadness.

"I see..." Sunset said, her eyes downcast

"Sunset, what exactly did they do to you in there?" Celestia asked.

Sunset said nothing, not wanting to relive those horrible moments.

"Sunset, you can tell me. I'm your principal. It's my job to keep my students safe, and to make sure that they are alright."

Sunset seemed to think on this for a moment. She bit her lip, mulling it over in her mind. Oh, how she wanted to tell her everything. To finally tell someone of the suffering she's had to endure all this time. To feel some kind of relief after a full year of pain. But what would happen if she spilled it all? Told her of all Trixie's torture. Would it all just get worse?

Before she could decide however, she was cut off by Celestia. "If you don't want to tell me, then that's fine. I understand if it's too painful for you."

Sunset watched as Celestia stood and left, walking towards the door. This was her last chance to be free. She just had to take it and it would all be over. There was no time to worry about the consequences. Before she could grasp the doorknob, Sunset spoke,

"It...It was...horrible..."

Celestia lowered her arm and turned to face her student. "What was? What did they do, Sunset?"

"They found me. The gym storage tent was my only safe haven and they found me. I was just about to leave school and never return, so I suppose in a way you could say they stopped me, but that's not all they did."

Celestia simply sat back down in her chair and listened.

"Trixie, she...she pushed me down onto the ground and stomped on me, pressing her foot into my stomach over and over again. And this was after I had hit my head from being push the way I did. The pain was terrible. TJey called me a she demon. Not to mention earlier this morning..."

"What happened then?" Celestia asked.

"They happened. Those same words were on my locker again. She-Demon, in bright red marker. They wrote it on my notebook, my desk, my laptop, everything they could find. As long as it belonged to me, it was fair game. They'd been doing this for some time now, and...well..."

Celestia's mouth hung open in slight shock. "Why did you not come to me about all of this?"

"I thought I could handle it. I thought that if I showed them I was different, that I could change, that they would stop, and we could all be friends." Sunset sighed heavily.

"Maybe Trixie was right." Sunset suddenly said, surprising Celestia.

"About what, may I ask?"

"She told me that no one will ever forgive me for what I did, That i'll never change. That i'll always be a she demon at heart." Sunset started to tear up. She looked at her Principal and asked,

"Is that true?" Sunset looked up at her principal, tears threatening to stream down her face for the third time that evening.

Celestia looked at her for a moment before saying, "No. But it can be, if you let it be."

Sunset was confused by this. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean that if you believe you cannot be forgiven, You will not be. Forgiveness must first be given to the self, before others can forgive you. If you continue to let your past haunt you, you cannot move forward to the future. If you truly want to change, leave your past behind and show the world who you are now, not who you were before."

Sunset stared in awe at the woman before her. She was so wise. So knowledgeable. So...inspiring.

"How?" she said in a whisper.

"I'm sorry?" Celestia said, "I'm afraid I couldn't quite hear you."

"How do you know so much about this? It's like...it's like..."

"Like i've been there before? Trust me I have, Sunset. More times than you can count. I know how you feel. And I know you feel lost, like you have nowhere to go, no one to turn to. No one to tell you that everything is gonna be alright. That it's not your fault."

"That's the thing, though. It is my fault. I'm the one who hypnotized the students, i'm the one who blew up the school, I'm the one who was mad with power to the point where I tried to kill six of them. That was all me." Sunset said, hanging her head down.

"You may have made some mistakes, Sunset, but you don't have to let those mistakes define who you are. You can move past them, redefine yourself. You are the only one who can make people see the real you."

"The real me?" Sunset repeated.

"That's right. The real you. Now, are you going to sit here and mope around in a clinic bed, or are you going to go out there and change yourself for the better!" Celestia smiled at her.

"I'm going," Sunset wiped her eyes and looked up at the principal. "to change!"

"That's the ticket, Sunset! Now get out there and show the world the real you! ...After you get patched up first, of course."

Sunset looked down at herself to see she was sitting up again, and the bandages on her stomach were slowly coming off, revealing her bruise.

They looked at each other for a moment, before laughing hard, Sunset doubling over a little each time.

"Oh, sunset? By the way, I think I have a way we could get you started down this new path." Celestia suddenly says.

Sunset looks up at her expectantly. "How?"

Celestia's smile widens to a grin."Have you ever heard of...Magi-Cycle racing?"

Burning Rubber Part 3

"So how do you know about Magi-Cycle Racing?" Sunset asked for the second time that evening. Last time she asked, she had gotten a vague answer. Something along the lines of "Oh, I have my sources."

This time, she hoped to get a definitive answer

"Let's just say my sister is a bit of a superfan." Celestia says.

"You mean...Vice Principal Luna is...?!"

"Yes. My sister does participate in the races. She just can't seem to get enough of them. She even made me take her to the first tournament. I must admit, it was rather entertaining."

"You don't mean you actually...?!" Sunset quickly backpedaled,

"What? Adults can't have fun, too?" Celestia smirked.

"No, no! That's not what I meant, I swear!" Sunset quickly backpedaled, apologizing profusely for her outburst. Celestia however, simply laughed.

"Relax, Sunset. I was only joking. Do forgive me. I suppose I do have a little too much playfulness in me, after all!"

"Not at all, Principal Celestia, its fine, I promise!"

"And don't call me Principal right now, Sunset, okay? I'm not at work, and you're not at school. Right now, we're just two girls out on a drive. In my car, I might add. Whatever happened to your license, Sunset?"

"Got suspended. Turns out destroying a whole side of a school building on live TV makes people question what other things you could break."

" I see. I suppose they would, wouldn't they?" Celestia asked, honestly curious.

"Are you still mad at me about that?" Sunset asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"Sunset! No! Why would you ever think that?"

"Well, I did, you know, kinda...destroy the school?!"

"That is true...But you've tried your best to make up for it, and that in itself shows how much effort you're putting into improving. And that's all the apology I need."

"I see. Thanks, Celestia."

"You're welcome, Sunset. You're welcome."

Some time later, after a visit to a fast food restaurant, the two found themselves parked just outside of a dead end alleyway, looking into its depths.

"Celestia? I don't feel so good about this..." Sunset said, gulping as she looked into the sea of black that seemed to block off all outside intruders.

"Oh, come on! You're young, you can handle it!" Celestia said before excusing herself.

"Forgive me, I seem to be prone to outbursts tonight. Perhaps my sister and I share more of a love for this sport than I first thought. That was definitely something she would say."

Sunset simply stared at her principal. Celestia was acting different from her usual self. Was she really that excited for this race? She would have to see what was so good about it herself then.

They went into the alleyway, and Sunset was surprised to see that there was a door in what had previously been a normal, if completely dark, trash filled passageway.

Celestia knocked three times, and was let in only moments later. She turned and gestured for Sunset to follow her in, and when she did...

She was immediately assaulted by copious amounts of leather. The sheer amount of black around her almost scared her, and the many different Magi-Cycles set her head spinning.

Or maybe it was just the smell of new tires in the air. It reminded her of a garage. Which was strange considering the place looked more like a bar than anything else.

Hundreds of eyes landed on her the moment she entered, and like a sea full of hungry sharks they followed her wherever she went.

In her fear induced panic, she made the mistake of making eye contact with one of them, who snarled at her, causing her to jump.

Celestia noticed this and placed her hand on her student's shoulder. "Pay them no mind, Sunset. They're just wary of new arrivals is all."

Sunset could only nod as she kept her eyes forward. But, inevitably, her vision wandered again, and this time, it landed on something she wasn't expecting.

Six girls, all chatting and laughing like nothing was wrong. She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of them. They felt so out of place to her, and yet, they seemed like they belonged there just the same.

Their magi-cycles were the only ones with any color to them. Unlike all the simple black ones she had seen since stepping inside, these had personality, and she could somehow just tell which ones belonged to which girl just by looking at them.

Unfortunately, Celestia caught her staring. "Ah, I see you've finally noticed them. I was wondering when you would. They are quite literally the loudest ones here after all."

"W-who are they? I've seen them around but..."

"You mean you don't recognize them?" Celestia smiled at her.

Sunset looked at them for a bit longer, finally understanding what her principal meant. "They're the ones who defeated me..."

"That's right." Celestia smile changed to a knowing smirk. "Why don't you go and say hello?" She nudged her student towards them,, winking at her.

"Um...Hi." Sunset said, finally announcing her presence to the six girls. All six of them looked at her for a moment before one of them, the one with the styled hair, finally spoke up.

"Why, hello there, darling! To what do I owe the pleasure?" the girl smiled at Sunset. It was a friendly, almost seductively sweet smile.

"Well, My name is Sunset Shimmer, and well-"

"Hold on a minute, Rares. What did you just say your name was?" Sunset was cut off by a girl with rainbow hair. She was sure those had to be highlights right? But who in their right mind would spend countless hours on a hairstyle like that?

"Um....well, I'm Sunset, and-"

"Sunset Shimmer? As in the girl we had to stop from taking over our school?" Rarity asked.

"Well...yeah..." was all she said in response.

Rainbow Dash bolted up, rolling up her sleeves."Oh, I've been waiting to give you a good thrashing since you first showed up you-"

"Calm down, Dash. She's here for a reason. The least we can do is let her tell us what it is." Rainbow was cut off by AJ.

"Ugh...fine!" Dash grumbled as she sat back down.

"Go on, sugar cube. We're listenin'." Aj said, gesturing to her.

Sunset blushed from embarrassment and began to speak. "W-well, I've been trying to change myself, and Principal Celestia seems to think that becoming a Magi-Cycle Racer will help me."

"Well, it's certainly good to hear that you would like to change, but I'm afraid I fail to see how participating in the sport would be of any use to you, darling." Rarity said, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Rarity on this one. Principal Celestia is wise and all, but I just can't see where she was hoping to go with this." Aj spoke her agreement.

"Ooh, ooh! Maybe it'll help her change into a new swimsuit!" Pinkie suddenly said, popping up out of nowhere with CHS' brand new swim team uniforms. How did she even get those? And did she just pull that out of her hair?

"Oh! But that doesn't mean we won't try and help you!" Fluttershy quickly said when she saw Sunset with a downtrodden expression.

"Thanks girls, but...you're right. I don't think joining you would help me. I guess i'll just have to find another way."

"The way is right in front of you, Sunset. You just can't see it yet."

Sunset jumped at the sound of a voice from right behind her.

"Do not be afraid, Sunset. It is only me." Celestia places her hands on Sunset's shoulders. "And I must say, I am hurt to know that my own student has lost faith in me."

"That- What- No, I-" Sunset stuttered before straightening up. "I could never lose faith in you. If anything, I'm losing faith in myself." Sunset looked down.

"Oh, you poor dear!" Rarity said as she suddenly got up and hugged Sunset.

Apple Jack spoke up. "Look, why don't you just give it a try? I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for before you know it!"

"Apple Jack's right." said another voice that Sunset almost didn't recognize. She had been so quiet that Sunset had forgotten she was there. The small surprise was enough to make her look up from the ground...

And see Twilight Sparkle. The resemblance to her own world's version of the girl was uncanny. Everything down to her cutie mark, although on her skirt, instead of her hips, was exactly the same. The only differences she could see were the glasses and the hairstyle. Now all she needed was the personality, and they'd be the exact same person!

When she spoke, it was with Twilight's voice, and what she said was so much like her that she had no choice but to know. This was her counterpart

"why don't you come with us? I'm sure there's something we can do to help you find your way."

Sunset looked on from Twilight to all the others. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie. All of them were willing to help her change for the better, and here she was moping about like a crying child.

No more. She would use this chance to become a better person. She couldn't let Celestia down. Not when she just found a way to show everyone that she was different from before.

She looked at all of them, a smile spreading across her face as she said, "Alright. When do I start?"

Burning Rubber Part 4

"Well, Sunset, now i'm gonna introduce you to the girls. Let's see if you can make some new friends!" Twilight said as She and Sunset walked together through one big room. They had long since left the bar behind

Turns out there was a reason why the place smelled like a garage.

It was one.

The room was just one big parking space surrounded by a box of metal. Everywhere she walked, Sunset could hear the echo of her shoes in the distance. It made her feel like a little kid again, and the whole experience was making her feel a little giddy.

"But what about Rainbow Dash? She didn't seem to like me too much." Sunset asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, please. Don't worry about her. She's like that with everyone she doesn't know."

"But she does know me, remember? Back in the bar? I'm the girl who blew up the school?" Sunset said, giving her a fist bump.

"That was the old you, Sunset. You've changed since then. Right?" Twilight stopped walking, turning around to stop Sunset in her tracks.

Sunset could see the slight distrust in her eyes. It wasn't there before, but it was now. "Y-yeah, of course I have."

"Good, then there should be no problems." Twilight smiled.

"I'll...take your word on it. Ehehehe..." Sunset laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head.

"So...why do you suppose Celestia wanted me to get involved in Magi-Cycle Racing?" Sunset asked Twilight as they walked.

“I don't know. Perhaps she thought that getting you involved in something popular would allow you to open up and make friends?”

"Maybe. She could be thinking that joining up with you girls could help me in some way." Sunset gave a small smile.

"So what do you all do? What are the rules to this 'Racing'?" Sunset asked. "To be honest i'm a little scared for how well i'll do."

“Trust me. You’ll have it all down in no time, I guarantee it. Now, let’s go meet the girls, shall we?” Twilight said with a smile.

“Right!” Sunset smiled back, and the two make their further into the room.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re saying you think Celestia wants her to join our team?” Rainbow Dash asked, still eyeing the bacon haired girl.

“Yep!” Was all the purple girl responded with.

“And what makes you think we’re just gonna let her on just like that?” Rainbow challenged.

“Rainbow Dash, come on!” Twilight begged. “It doesn’t matter what she did in the past. What matters is that she’s trying to change, right?”

Rainbow Dash seemed to be deep in thought at that.

“Please let her stay. Look, if you’re still so upset by it, then... I’ll watch over her for you, how’s that? I already volunteered to train her anyway.” Twilight said, pleading with her friend.

Rainbow Dash seemed to have finished thinking, as she, groaning and crossing her arms, said,

“Ugh...Fine!” But if she gets any funny ideas...” Rainbow Dash rolled up her sleeves to indicate her point.

"I won't! I swear!" Sunset quickly says, sweating a little at the thought of Rainbow Dash hurting her.

"You'd better not..." Rainbow Dash, said, still glaring at her.

The two walked away, opting to move on to the next member of their team.

“Well she was...friendly.” Sunset said, surprising Twilight with how sudden it was.

“She’s just like that. She turned it up to eleven because...well, you know. She’ll get used to you in no time, don’t worry.” Twilight said, hugging Sunset as they walked

“I hope you’re right...” Sunset said, looking down.

“I hope so, too. But enough about her. Come on! I see Apple Jack!”

The two made their way over to a wooden work stall with a copious amount of Apple juice on the counter. Behind all of that, Apple Jack stood sweating. A quick look behind the counter revealed several well used and well taken care of tools. And there seemed to be a set up for even more tools placed on the wall behind her. Sunset was a little surprised to hear the orange girl say,

“Howdy, partner, what can I do ya for?”

“I’m hoping to have her join our team, so i’m introducing her to the girls!” Twilight said, catching the country girl’s attention.

“Well i’ll be!” She looked over to sunset and held out a hand. “Welcome aboard, Sunset! I'm the teams mechanic! I'm also plenty good with other things besides cars, so if ya ever need somethin' fixed, ya know who to call.”

Sunset accepted the handshake “Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.” She smiled a happy, genuine smile.

Soon the two girls left AJ’s stand and went over to Pinkie, where sunset could see her...tying balloons to her Magi-Cycle?

“Hi there, Sunset!” She called out, causing the girl to jump from fright.

Pinkie seemed to sober up at that. “Um....sorry. I can get a little over-excited sometimes.”

Sunset recovered and smiled at her. “It’s fine. I just...wasn’t expecting it, is all. So, what do you do?”

Pinkie smiled and proudly puffed out her chest. "I'm one of the teams main riders! Also, you know that bar you walked into when you first got here? I own it! Or, my foster family does. This little place is just our garage though. Nothing too big."

"Nothing too big?" Sunset suddenly blurted. "Look at all the space around here!" She gestured to how big the place actually was. "You could fit thirty different Magi-Cycles in here and still have space! And this is your family's personal garage?"

"Yep!" Was all Pinkie said.

Sunset nearly fainted.

Then she remembered something Pinkie said, "Wait. What do you mean, main rider?"

Twilight spoke up in Pinkie's place. "You see, Sunset, every Magi-Cycle team has five main riders, or people who race on the track, and out of those five only one can race at a time.. Our main riders are Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, and Myself. There is a rule that allows for a reserve rider, in case someone gets hurt, though."

"Wait. I thought you said that only five riders could participate in the races? Where's your fifth?"

"We don't have a fifth rider." Twilight said. "We're still looking. We're the only Magi-Cycle Racer team without another rider."

Pinkie suddenly gasped. "Hey! Maybe you could be our fifth rider!" she screamed, causing sunset to take a step back.

"Uh...no, I don't think I could do that. I'm a newbie. There's no way I could-"

"Don't sell yourself short, Sunset. You very well could be a great Racer. All you have to do is put in the effort." Twilight said.

Sunset looked over at Twilight with a shocked expression. "You...You really think i could do it?"

"Of course I do!" Twilight grinned wide. Sunset stood in shocked silence for a moment before shaking her head to clear it of distraction.

"Wow. Thanks, Twilight. That means a lot." Sunset said with a grin of her own.

"You're welcome!" Twilight giggled.

“So, if you guys are the main riders, then what do they do?” Sunset pointed to Rarity and Fluttershy off in the distance, one of which was looking at tools, the other at what looked to be a roll of medical gauze.

"Well, why don't we go see for ourselves?” Twilight said, walking over to the two girls and leaving Sunset behind.

"Hey, wait!" Sunset ran off to catch up to her.

“Why hello, there darlings!” Rarity said when she saw who was coming. “To whatever do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m thinking of making Sunset a member of our team, so i’m going around making introductions. Why don’t you introduce yourself, Rarity?”

“Oh, i’d be more than happy to do so She lookedd at Sunset with that sexy, seductive smile again. She was even blushing this time. Sunset had to wonder what was going on in that girl’s head whenever she looked at her. It couldn’t be anything good.

“Did you see those vehicles behind you, dear?” Rarity asked, her expression finally going back to normal, to the relief of Sunset. But she could swear she still heard her voice take on a more sultry tone when she said dear.

“Y-yes.” Sunset answered, her nervousness causing her to stutter.

“Well, I'm proud to say I'm the one who did their paint jobs! There is a certain art, a certain style that comes with making each vehicle match their rider in every way. See for yourself!"

Sunset turned as Rarity gestured toward all of her creations. Sunset was once again assaulted by a sea of color. Six Magi-Cycles, covered from front to rear and down in the most dazzlings displays of color combination skills imaginable.

The one that caught Sunset’s eye however, was the lead one, awah with purple in two different shades that were so well put together that she was sure it would win an award if a judge saw it.

It was so pretty, with little splashes of white here and there to accentuate its form.

Combine that with the six pointed star on either side of the great vehicle, and it would be an aesthetic masterpiece. A feast for the eyes if there ever was one.

Sunset walked up to it and moved to touch it...

But she was broken out of her thoughts by a single sentence. “You like it?”

Sunset jumped in fright again, but recovered soon after, placing her hand over her heart and breathing heavily.

Twilight saw this and immediately apologized. "Oh! Did I scare you? Oh, Sunset i'm so sorry!"

Sunset looked over at Twilight with a smile, surprising the purple girl. "No, it's alright. It's fine. It was only an accident, after all. So, who's Magi-Cycle is this?"

"It's mine!" Twilight said, puffing out her chest as she beamed with pride. "I call her Hyperia."

"Hyperia..." Sunset parroted. "Nice name. I like it."

"I know right! Rainbow Dash said it sounded too nerdy."

"Well, what does she know?" Sunset said. The two locked eyes for a moment, then turned away, blushing

“Um...” Twilight said, trying and failing to figure out what to say in this situation. When she finally mamaged to think of something she said, “Let’s go see Fluttershy?”

"Yes, let's!" Sunset quickly agreed, eager to stop the awkwardness of this situation.

The two made their way over to the manila skinned girl, who smiled at them. It was the most sincere, pure, gentle, and genuine smile Sunset had ever seen, and her heart melted just looking at it.

“Hi, Twilight! Hi, Sunset! How may I help you?” Fluttershy said, in a voice that would make angels cry tears of joy.

“Hi, Fluttershy!” Twilight said. "I'm introducing Sunset to the team in the hopes of getting her to join us." Would you like to introduce yourself?"

“Introduce myself? Well, let's see, um...oh right!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she seemed to remember something. “Well, I’m the team medic. And my job is to patch everyone up when they get hurt or injured!”

Fluttershy’s smile widened into a grin, and Sunset found herself clutching her heart as tight as she could. She had to look away.

When she did, something on Twilight’s motorcycle caught her attention. A big purple button placed just in the center of the hood of her vehicle. She went over to it.

“Hey, Twilight? What’s this do?” She asked, pointing to it.

When Twilight saw what she was pointing to however, she bolted towards her and grabbed her hand before she could press it.

“You aren’t ready for that button. Please, don’t press it.” she said, her tone serious.

“Why? What’s it do?” Sunset asked, giving Twilight a questioning look.

“There’s a reason why we call them Magi-Cycles, you know? Magic isn’t just used to power these things. Along with the use of magic gems, now, there’s actual magic in them. Pressing that button, will release it.”

Sunset’s eyes widened at that, and she stared at the button for a long moment. Then she turned to Twilight and said,

“Understood. I won’t press it.”

Twilight smiled. “Good. Now, Let’s get you some practice, shall we? Follow me.”

The two girls returned to where their friends were, Sunset thinking of all the things this new way of life could mean for her along the way.

Burning Rubber Part 5

Author's Note

Hi Guys! It's me again! I'm back with another chapter. Luckily, someone informed me of the problems with this fic early on before they got any worse. I wanted to give Twilight's personality a little something special to make her seem more suited to this sort of lifestyle, and I had a way to justify it, but I decided against it and made some minor changes to how the chapter played out in order to fix that. Go read it again if you want the edited version. Then again you guys never read what I put up here so why am I wasting my time. However, if some of you are reading this, then go do that, then put down below in the comment section what you think the button does. That'll be fun to see.

Burning Rubber Part 5

"Are you ready, Sunset?" Twilight said as she sat on her motorcycle, looking down at the bacon haired teen.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Sunset gave a mock salute and giggled, watching as Twilight got off her motorcycle and walked up to her.

"Hey!" Twilight giggled as well. "I know I said i'd be training you, but there's no need to be so formal, you know?"

"Understood, Ma'am. Will do, ma.'am." Sunset continued despite Twilight's wishes, making her laugh uncontrollably. Sunset soon joined her.

"Oh...oh, my. Well, then, I suppose we should get started. Feel free to get on, Sunset."

Sunset did as she was told, and got on, revving up the great beast of a vehicle. She smiled at the sudden feeling of shaking caused by the engine turning on.

"Are ya'll startin' without me?" called a voice from Twilight's right side. She looked to see Apple Jack coming up towards her, her stetson hat tied around her neck and hanging behind her back as she unscrewed the top off of a water bottle and proceeded to drink from it.

"We wouldn't dream of starting without you, Applejack. Thanks again for letting us use the track behind your barn, by the way." Twilight said, smiling

"Don't worry about it. What are friends for?" Applejack said, returning her smile.

Twilight turned to Sunset and, raising her voice to be heard over the engine of the motorcycle, said, "Okay, when I say go, start racing the track. Go at your own pace. And remember to try not to crash! This is Applejack's Magi-Cycle after all."

"Okay, got it!" Sunset said as she readied herself to start the track.

"3...2...1...Go!" Twilight yelled. She watched as Sunset peeled off. kicking up a small amount of dust on her way. She watched for a while longer as she made the first turn, then turned to Applejack when she heard her ask the question,

"So what is all this trainin' for again. If we're trainin' 'er, then why are we just letting her take off like that?"

"We're not just letting her take off, Applejack. We're trying to see what she needs to improve on so that we can help her work on it. It's just like Principal Celestia always told us, 'You can't know what you need help with, until you actually try something yourself'."

"Oh, I see. So this is somethin' like a pre-test? To see what she knows?" Applejack said, finally understanding why they decided to rush so quickly into getting her on a Cycle.

"Exactly." Twilight says, just as soon as she turns around to see Sunset make the first turn of the track. She watches for a while, taking note of her turn style and balance in her mind.

"Well, seems to me like she's doing pretty well so far." Apple Jack said, turning to watch her as well.

Applejack was right. So far, so sunset was doing really well. She didn't seem to have any issues at all. Her speed was well beyond what one would expect from a newbie, and she seemed to be taking the sudden acceleration pretty well. Her balance was surprisingly well managed, and her handling was top notch.

"Yeah! You're right AJ! It's almost like she's a prod-." Twilight gasped. "Sunset, slow-"

"Whoa-Whoa!....Whooaa!" CRASH!

"Me and my big mouth!" Twilight and AJ both said at the same time.

"Sunset!" Twilight yells, going over to her and seeing her dazed form laying sprawled out on a now crushed bale of hay.

"Ugh....did anyone get the number on that truck?" Sunset said as she began to see stars.

"What?" Twilight asked, confused even as she lifted Sunset up and draped her arm over her shoulder. "Come on, Sunset. Let's get you inside."

With that, the three girls made their way into Applejack's barn, where they sat Sunset down on the couch, unconscious.

Sunset's eyes fluttered open as she regained consciousness, her vision slowly returning to her. She could barely move, and her body felt so heavy that she thought she wouldn't be able to get up if she tried.

When her vision finally returned, she was surprised to see that she wasn't outside, but in AJ's barn.

"How did I get here?" Sunset asked to no one in particular. Surprisingly, she got an answer.

"We brought you in after you crashed. Don't you remember?"

Sunset looked over to where she thought the voice came from only to see Twilight sitting next to her.

"T-Twilight? Oh, yeah, that's right. I crashed." She clutched her head and groaned. "Ugh...that hurts." She tried to sit up, only to feel Twilight's hand as she helped steady her.

"Careful now, you're still in pain. You need to be careful." Twilight said.

Sunset frowned. "I can't believe I crashed."

Twilight smiled and looked up at the pain ridden girl. "Well...look on the bright side. At least we know what you need to work on."

Sunset laughed. "Yeah. Paying attention."

The two girls chuckled to themselves. That is until Sunset started clutching her stomach and coughing.

"Oh! Here, let me help you." Twilight said as she led Sunset back down onto the couch, helping her relax.

Twilight removed her hands from Sunset's back and was about to put them down to her sides when suddenly, she felt a hand grasp her own. She looked up to see Sunset, her fingers clasped around her own.

"Can I do this, Twilight? Can I really become a Racer?" Sunset asked, and Twilight could see the worry in her eyes, hear it in her voice.

"Sunset." Twilight's expression showed compassion. "Sunset, you just started today. You're not gonna become a pro in a day, you know?"

“I know that...” Sunset said, “but if I’m already crashing on my first day then what hope do I have of getting any better?”

“Sunset...” Twilight simply stared into Sunset’s eyes. She could see that this was a truly deep worry for her. She truly believed that she might not amount to much here. That’s it. Her mind was made up.

“Sunset, I...No one’s perfect. Even I started out the same way you did.”

“R-really?” Sunset asked. “But you’re the leader of your team. You’re...different.”

“No, sunset, i’m not. I wasn’t always the leader of this team.”

“You...you weren’t?” Sunset asked.

“No, I wasn’t. Just two years ago, I was just like you. Fresh, new, excited. But most of all, nervous. I had no idea what I was doing, and I, like you, believed that one crash, one loss meant everything was over, that I couldn’t hope to make it in this sport.”

“So, what did you do?” Sunset asked.

“I didn’t do anything. It was the leader who pulled me out of my sadness and told me what I needed to hear. Just like I’m doing with you right now.”

“Who...who was the leader?”

“She was a wise and beautiful woman. A pillar of hope for her entire team. She held them up when they were down, and kept them grounded when they aimed too high. She led them into an age of fame that has lasted to this day. Her smile, as well as her ride, was said to shine like the sun.”

No. It couldn’t be. There was only one person she knew that even warranted that kind of praise from anyone.

“You-you mean…?”

“That’s right, Sunset. You know who I mean.”

“P-principal Celestia?”

“Yes. Her and her sister led this team long before I did.”

“What happened to make her stop?” Sunset asked, genuinely curious to find out more about her school’s principal.

“I don’t know, Sunset. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask her that yourself. But my point is, that while you won’t get better right away, over time you’re sure to grow stronger and stronger, just like I did. Do you understand?”

Sunset looked about ready to burst into tears by the time Twilight finished her tale. She had tears threatening to roll down her face, and her lip was quivering.

“Whoa...Sunset...I-I didn’t mean to make you cry, I was just...”

Her voice trailed off as she saw Sunset smile. “S...Sunset?”

Sunset sat up slowly, trying not to agitate her now forming bruise.

“Whoa! Sunset, what are you-...?”

Sunset wiped her eyes and threw herself onto Twilight, hugging her close, as tightly as she could.

“Sunset...” Twilight said as she returned the hug.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. I mean it.”

Twilight smiled. “I know you do, Sunset. And you’re welcome.”

“Ahem!”

The two girls were broken out of their moment at the sound of a voice. They looked up to see Applejack standing just outside the door.

“Applejack! Wh-what a surprise! Where’d you come from?”

“I just came from the kitchen. And If you two lovebirds are done talkin’, Granny Smith says lunch is ready.”

“L-lovebirds?!” They both said in unison. “We’re not-”

“Oh, please. Anyone could tell that from a mile away. I’ll leave you two alone to talk some more.”

She turned and walked away, stopping just before she left sight to say, “Don’t forget to come get lunch, you two!”

With that, she left, leaving Twilight and Sunset alone in each other’s arms. They looked at one another before letting go of each other quickly and tearing their eyes away, blushing.

“L-let’s go, yes?” Twilight asked.

“Y-yeah. Let’s go.” Sunset agreed.

The two of them walked into the kitchen, blushing like mad and trying as hard as they could to not look at each other.

But despite their best efforts, they couldn’t resist, and locked eyes with each other, smiling and letting out small giggles as they did so.

Burning Rubber part 6

"So what was wrong with it?" Sunset asked, as she, Twilight and AJ ate their lunch.

"What was wrong with what, Sunset?" Twilight asked as she took a bite of apple pie.

"I think she means her ridin' Sugar Cube." AJ explained, clearing up the confusion for them.

"Oh, that's right! Well, about that..." Twilight trailed off.

"You don't even have to tell me. I was bad, wasn't i?" Sunset asked as her gaze fell to her knees.

"No! No! Sunset, that's not what I meant!" Twilight frantcially yelled. This caused Sunset to look up at her, her eyes hopeful.

"That's the thing, Sunset. I've never seen someone take so well to a magi-cycle before. Your riding was top notch, almost near perfect even. Well, that is until..." Twilight blushed and looked away.

"Don't remind me..." Sunset rolled her eyes.

"However, I did just so happen to notice a slight imbalance when it came to the turns. Every time you'd make a turn, you'd shift your weight almost to the point where the thing tipped over. I consider it a miracle you didn't get thrown off the Cycle."

"Was it that obvious?" Sunset blushed herself, scratchign her head nervously.

"What do you mean, Sunset?" Twilight asked.

"Every time I made a turn, the danger of falling always made me tense up. I would lock my legs onto the cycle and pull upward as best I could. But apparently, gravity had other plans."

"Sounds like a handling issue. I'll see if I can make it a little easier to maneuver in the future." AJ said, smiling at her.

"I couldn't ask you to do that just for me." Sunset said.

"Uh, Sunset? It's my magi-cycle?" AJ gave here a quizzical look. "And the thing's been sittin' in the barn for years, its bound to need a tune up sooner or later. This isn't just a favor, you know?. Think of it as a...precaution, for future trainin' sessions."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I tend to grow attached to things I like." Sunset said.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't go gettin' attached so soon." AJ smiled. "Granny'll tan my hide if she founds out I let ya go and wreck it."

Sunset blushed and looked away, playing with her hair. "Rub it in my face why don't you?"

"Oops! Sorry, Sunset. Hey, look on the bright side. Big Mac and I are buildin' ya yer own Magi-cycle. Soon you'll be able to join the rest of us on the track!"

"Really?" Sunset exclaimed excitedly. "Can I go see it?"

"Sorry, Sugar Cube. 'Fraid it wouldn't be much of a sight as it is now. We've still got quite a few things to do before we can debut this baby. And you still need your training.

"Aww..." Sunset sighed and looked down at her feet, disappointed that she couldn't see her future vehicle.

"Speaking of training..." Twilight suddenly said, rejoining the conversation after a whole two minutes of not speaking.

"What is it, Twilight?" Aj asked as she turned her attention to her.

"Yeah, Twi. What was that about my training?" Sunset asked, eager to know what her mentor was about to say.

"I was thinking...Perhaps we should let Sunset race a Duel."

"A Duel? Twi, I don't think Sunset's ready for a duel just yet." Aj cautioned.

"Not ready? Did you see her out there, AJ? She was dominating the track!" Twilight exclaimed, pride oozing from her words to the point where Sunset was blushing like mad.

"But what about the handling? I still have to fix that, ya know?" Aj tried to reason with her, but she was too far gone.

"You can still fix it. It's not like it's going to happen right away, you know? Plus, we can set up a meeting time in advance so that Sunset can practice. It's perfect!"

AJ thought hard about it, but she couldn't find any reason to argue with her logic. "Alright, fine. You win, Twi." She smiled. "I suppose if Big Mac and I work together, we can fix my Cycle, and have it up and ready before the date of the duel."

Twilight clapped her hands and danced in place. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes ,yes, yes ,yes! This is wonderful!"

"BUT!" AJ suddenly said, prompting Twilight to calm down. "On one condition. You," She pointed to Twilight. "train her," She pointed to Sunset. "every day until the duel."

"Okay, AJ, i'll do it!" Twilight said.

"Then ya got yerself a deal, Sugar Cube." She put out her hand.

Twilight did the same, and they shook on it.

Sunset, having been swept along for the ride, could only stare in confusion as the two sealed the deal. "Um...do I get a say in this?"

The next day, at 3:00 after school, Sunset and Twilight were outside AJ's barn, Sunset riding Hyperia, Twilight's Magi-Cycle.

"So, what exactly is this 'duel' thing you two were talking about, and why was AJ so against me doing it?" Sunset asked as she sat atop the vehicle.

"A Duel is just a race between two Magic-Cyclists. There's a tiny bit more involved in it, considering, but all in all its just a race."

"So AJ was right. I'm not ready." Sunset said, holding her head down.

"Don't listen to AJ. She's just being a worrywart. You have the skills, Sunset. I know you do."

"But that's just it! I don't have the skills! I just started! I can't hope to compete against others yet! Especially not if i'm crashing on my first go!"

"You're still worried about that?" Twilight asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"Why wouldn't I be? I was doing so well, and then all of a sudden i'm landing on my face in a bale of hay! I still have strands of it on my tongue Twilight! My tongue! Not to mention I wiped out in front of the both of you..."

'So that's what this is about...' Twilight thought to herself before walking over to Sunset.

"Sunset, listen-"

"No! You girls didn't even give me a vote in whether or not I was ready for this! You just went along with it like you know what's best!"

Twilight was cowed. Sunset was right. They had made a decision about her without her input, and now she was paying the price for it.

"I'm sorry Sunset, I...I didn't mean to disregard you, it's just, I've seen your talent. I know you have it in you. You just need to be willing to take a risk."

"You're just saying that. And what if that risk doesn't pay off, huh? What if, this time, I race, and I don't get lucky enough to just pass out? Did you think about that?"

She hadn't. But there was still one thing she could do. She went over to Sunset, and hugged her.

"Sunset, that wasn't your fault. AJ herself said it was a handling issue."

"So what?! It still happened!" Sunset screamed.

She was right. It did still happen. Nothing would change that.

"Sunset, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I didn't consider that you might really not be ready. Or that even if you are ready skill-wise, that didn't mean that you were ready mentally. It takes a lot more than skill or talent to be a magic rider. You have to have the confidence to face challenges, the fortitude to adapt to changes in the situation and the strength of will to never give up. I let myself be blinded by your skill, and my own enthusiasm to have a new member, and forgot that. Not to mention I could teach you by myself? I was over the moon. I guess I let that get in the way of your true feelings. I didn't see the fear you felt, deep in your heart. you're still new, and you don't know much about this sport. And now here I am just throwing you out of the nest and expecting you to learn how to fly on your own. I'm so so sorry."

Sunset stood there for a moment, shocked by her mentor's words, and left in silence after her own outburst. Twilight stopped hugging her, and pulled back, putting her hands on Sunset's shoulders.

"But you have to understand, Sunset. You have more raw talent than you know. I've seen it. You have more skill than most others at your level. You have what it takes. You just have to believe in yourself. Trust in your skills, have faith in your cycle. And don't you dare think that something as small as a loss is gonna make me, my friends, or Principal Celestia, any less proud of you. You're making progress Sunset. It may be slow, but it's there, and that's all that matters. Understand?"

Twilight smiled, and Sunset smiled back.

"Good. Now, lets get to training. You're good, but you still need to sharpen your skills. A good Magi-Cycle Racer never stops trying to improve their skills!"

"Right! Just...two questions first." Sunset said.

"Shoot." Twilight said.

"When's the duel gonna start?"

"In three days."

"And, why are we using your Magi-Cycle?"

"We can't use AJ's because she needs to tune it up, and we can't use yours because it's not done yet."

"Right. I get it." Was all Sunset said before she straightened up, settled herself on Hyperia, and revved the engine.

'Alright, Sunset.' she thought to herself. 'Let's show the world who you really are.'

Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 1

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 3

After the race with Trixie, it seemed that everything was okay. Sunset had gotten out of the infirmary some ten minutes later, and was now walking back to the room she shared with Twilight.

The race was in twenty minutes, and needless to say, Sunset was feeling rather proud of her first win.

"Now, now, Sunset. Calm down. We don't want your head to get as big as Trixie's, now do we?" Twilight smirked at her joke, her hands on her hips.

"Aw, Come on, Twilight! Let me keep racing! I know I can do it!" Sunset begged

"And I believe you, Sunset. But just because you beat Trixie doesn't mean you're ready to face other racers. There are racers much better than Trixie out there. Are you really saying you're ready to face them after just one win?"

Sunset opened her mouth as if to say something but was cut off by Twilight.

"Besides, I only arranged for one duel." Twilight crossed her arms and sat down.

Sunset opened her mouth as if to say something, only to close it and sigh in defeat. "Fine. You're right. I got ahead of myself. Sorry."

"It's fine, Sunset. Just remember to never bite off more than you can chew." Twilight said with a raised finger.

"Okay." For a moment, Sunset stood there in contemplative silence. Only to burst out into Pinkie-esque excitement.

"Did you see me out there! I was on fire. Literally! I've never felt anything like it! It was like power was just coursing through my body! Radiating out of every pore!"

Suddenly Twilight's expression changed to one of deep thought. "That reminds me...what was that light we saw up there? It was as if you had just spontaneously combusted. We didn't know what to think."

When Sunset finally managed to calm down, she spoke. "I don't know. I thought you guys would."

"Try and explain it." Twilight said, still deep in thought. "What exactly happened to you up there?"

"Like I said I don't know." Sunset shrugged. "I remember wanting desperately to win, and then...and then nothing."

"Nothing?" Twilight gave Sunset a look. "As in you don't remember anything?"

"Nothing as in...nothing. I couldn't even see the track anymore, it was all a black void. And then she showed up."

"She who?" Twilight was standing by now, and was now directly in front of Sunset, her hand on her shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Sunset looked down at her feet.

"Try me." Twilight said.

"I...it was..." Sunset stuttered, she didn't know if she could really say it out loud. What she saw was just... she was sure no one would believe her.

"Come on, Sunset. Tell me what happened." Twilight insisted, placing her other hand on her protege's other shoulder.

"It was Maple." Sunset finally said. "I saw Maple in the void. She's real. Just as real as you or me. She's the one who gave me the power to win the race. Well, that and my own confidence, according to her."

The two stood there like that for a moment before Twilight thought to herself, 'That's odd. How could Maple, AJ's magi-cycle, be a conscious being. It's just a vehicle.'

"Hmm...how strange..." Twilight suddenly said, catching Sunset's attention. She had been almost too busy looking down at her feet to notice that words had been spoken.

"What's strange, Twilight?" She asked.

"Say, Sunset? Did you ever..." Twilight was immediately cut off.

"No! I didn't press it, I swear!" Sunset screamed, knowing what her mentor was thinking before she even said it.

Twilight smiled. "Relax, Sunset. No one's in any trouble." Twilight turned away from Sunset and began pacing, her mind racing with possible scenarios as to what could have happened up there.

'Interesting. So, if she didn't activate the magic manually, then how could she have done it? The only way I can see that happening is if...' Twilight suddenly mentally gasped. 'Could the magic be stronger than I thought? So strong that it's managing to leak through the confines of the cycle and affect the world around it? No, that doesn't seem possible. The Cycles are made specifically to contain and regulate that power. As far fetched as it may sound, it would make more sense if Sunset was somehow connecting to the magic in the cycle, and allowing it to manifest itself in some way. For her to say she saw Maple... And then there's the matter of Maple sharing her power with Sunset. In order for that to happen... Does Maple perhaps have a will of her own? Do all Magi-Cycles have a will of their own? If so then, this could be a huge discovery! I have to run some tests!'

"-wilight? Twilight? Twilight!"

Suddenly, Twilight was shocked out of her thoughts by a voice yelling her name. "Oh! Uh...yes, Sunset?"

"What happened to you? It was like you were in a trance or something?" Sunset said, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, that? It was nothing. Just got lost in thought is all. Nothing to worry about." Twilight had spoken a little too fast for Sunset's liking. Nevertheless she decided to let it go.

"If you say so. Come on, the others are waiting for us." With that, Sunset turned around and began walking away, Twilight catching up to her and walking by her side.

Once Sunset and Twilight had caught up with the rest of their friends, Sunset was surprised to find them all smiling at her.

"Hey, girls. We're here. Sorry to keep you waiting. Twilight got a little distracted." Sunset looked over to Twilight to see her smiling sheepishly at the comment.

"Sorry..." Twilight said, a blush on her cheeks.

"Nonsesne, darling! It was no trouble at all!" Rarity said as she ushered the two of them over.

"Speak for yourself. I thought they would never come out of there." Rainbow said, a bored expression on her face.

"Rainbow Dash! You simply must learn to be more considerate of others!" Rarity admonished her friend.

Rainbow sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm sorry."

Sunset chuckled at the display of the two friend's small back and forth. It was comforting to know that she was now apart of a group of such good friends.

"No worries, Rainbow. I completely understand."

"Uh, not to rain on anyone's parade, but I think it's time we left." Aj said, her arms crossed.

"Apple Jack is right!" Rarity said in her usual fancy tone. "Come, everyone. We must make our way to the exit!"

And so, the group left the Racers building behind, saying their goodbyes and heading back to their respective homes.

There were two of the group that stayed behind, however.

Twilight and Sunset stood facing each other as the Sun slowly fell below the horizon.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about, Sunset?" Twilight asked as she looked at her friend.

For a moment, Sunset didn't say anything, but after a while, she turned around. Twilight was surprised to see a hint of a blush lining her cheeks.

"I...I just wanted to say..."

Twilight said nothing, simply allowing the silence to give Sunset the strength to say what was one her mind.

"I just wanted to say thank you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have won that race."

Twilight stood for a moment, thinking. Sunset looked up at her, expectantly, as if waiting for an answer.

Then Twilight spoke, her voice filled with compassion. "No need to thank me, Sunset. I'm your mentor, and you're my student. It's only natural. Besides, if what you said is true, Maple helped you more than I did."

"That not true!" The words were out of Sunset's mouth before she could stop them, and they were so loud that Twilight was taken aback by the volume alone.

Sunset seemed to realize her mistake, and quickly covered her mouth, only to lower her hands and avert her eyes away from Twilight's gaze as she kept speaking.

"That's not true. Sure, Maple helped me win the race, but if it wasn't for you, I don't think I would've had the courage to even participate in it. Your words of encouragement, and your belief in me gave me the confidence to step up to that starting line. If it wasn't for you, I would still be on that couch at AJ's, wallowing in my own failure and self pity. If it wasn't for you, i'd...i'd..."

Twilight noticed that Sunset had begun to cry, and so she went over to her and wrapped her arms around her, laying her head gently on her shoulder. "It's okay, Sunset. Let it all out. Besides, if anyone deserves credit, it's Celestia. She's the one who set you on this path in the first place."

Sunset pushed away from Twilight, her mentor's hands still resting on her shoulders as she gave her reply. "That may be true, but it was you who kept me on it. Your story about your ascension to leader of the Elements of Harmony gave me the strength I needed to never give up on myself."

This time it was Twilight's turn to start sobbing. She could feel her eyes watering as they blurred up with tears of joy. "Oh, Sunset!" She brought her in for another hug.

Sunset rested her head on Twilight's shoulder, silently breathing in her mentor's natural lavender scent. Her calming smell, combined with the warmth of her embrace were the only things keeping her from breaking out into tears all over again. "I was bullied by Trixie for a long time, and one day it got so bad that I had to go to the hospital. Celestia gave me a chance to show the world that I had changed for the better, and not for worse. She sent me to you knowing that you could help me get my act together. And she was right. You gave me the courage to stand up to her after all this time. So thank you, Twilight. Thank you so much."

Twilight couldn't help the smile on her face as she said, " You're welcome, Sunset. You really are."

Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 4

"Aww, come on! Please?" Sunset begged, clasping her hands together, even getting on her knees in front of her mentor.

"For the last time, Sunset, the answer is no. I told you this back at the duel site and i'll tell you again. You're not ready. That victory against Trixie was too close for comfort and you know it. It was entirely a lucky win."

"That may be the case but, I truly think i'm ready this time. I can do it, I promise, just let me show you, please! Aren't we friends?" Sunset had tears in her eyes at this point. It was almost enough to make Twilight give her what she wanted. Almost.

Twilight sighed. "Nice try, Sunset, but no dice. I may be your friend, but right now i'm your mentor first, and no matter how much you beg, the answer's still the same. You're just not ready."

"But I did so good when I was riding Hyperia! You said I was ready for to duel!" Sunset argued back, desperate now.

"I said you were ready to face Trixie. I didn't say anything about any other riders. And hyperia is only one Magi-Cycle. Not to mention it's my Magi-Cycle. I can't just lend it to you whenever you need it. I'm sorry Sunset, but my answer won't change."

Sunset cried for a bit, but soon she was back on her feet, wiping her eyes. "Hmph! Fine, I get it." She turned around and walked away, mumbling under her breath, "And here I thought you believed in me."

Unknown to her however, Twilight had heard her, and her choice of words caught the girl's attention. She turned and reached a hand out to her student. "Sunset, wait!"

The flame-headed girl stopped in her tracks and turned to her mentor, looking back at her out of the corner of her eye. "What? Did you wanna tell me no to my face this time?"

Twilight walked over to Sunset and put a hand on her shoulder. "No, please. Please wait and listen."

Sunset turned around to Twilight, crossing her arms. "I'm listening."

"Sunset, I...I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. I know how much this means to you and I know how much you want to do this but-"

"But what? Why can't I go? What can I do to prove to you that i'm ready for this?" Sunset glared at Twilight, her eyes shining with genuine tears this time.

"You've already proven yourself Sunset-"

"Then why can't I take on another duelist? Twilight, I just want to make you proud of me."

"I'm already proud of you, Sunset! It's just that-"

"It's just what? You don't think i'm capable? You don't think I can handle it? Or is it because you never believed I could do it in the first place? That's it, isn't it? You never believed in me to begin with. You just spouted a bunch of pretty words to get me to join up with your group. Well, guess what? I don't need you anyway. I don't need any of you! I'll strike out on my own If I-"

"It's because I'm scared!" Twilight suddenly screamed, causing Sunset to calm down and stop crying all at once.

"W-what do you mean?" Sunset said, her voice trembling a bit from her previous crying fit.

"A long time ago, back when Celestia and Luna were the leaders of the Elements, I was in the same boat you are. It was my first win ever. I was excited. Absolutely over the moon about it, you know? Had a celebration party and everything." Twilight looked up at Sunset from her position on her knees-having fell there due to her sobbing as well- and stood up to look her in the eyes.

"Yeah sure, but what does this have to do with-"

"But soon after that, I started getting a little...too excited. I was so happy that I kept begging and pleading, even praying, to whatever god would listen, that Celestia would let me ride just one more time. And someone must've heard my prayers because the very next day, she let me duel again. I was so happy I could've died.

"She told me she had already set up my next opponent. A girl named Moon Dancer. When we got to the duel site that day, I was more than a little nervous. Was Moon Dancer better than me? Would she beat me in front of Celestia? Well, I couldn't let that happen.

"Well, we got our Cycles ready and stood at the starting line. I looked over to Moon Dancer and shot her a smile. She just blushed and looked away without saying anything. I chalked it up to her being shy and just went on ahead with the race.

"Everything was fine at first...until tragedy struck..." Twilight looked down again, obviously dreading the memory.

Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder this time. "What is it? What happened?"

"Well Sunset, the answer is simple. I did. We were on the track, blasting our way past trap after trap while suspended several feet in the air When...when...when it happened. I was on the side wall of the track, trying my absolute best to catch up with Moon Dancer-turns out we were both equally inexperienced and she was just there to try it out for the first time, much like I had been- when, out of nowhere, she turned up, and clipped her back wheel against my front one, spinning them both out of control. Moon Dancer managed to get her Cycle under control, but I...well, I wasn't so lucky. The cycle spun around so suddenly that I lost control and was thrown off. I hit my head on one of the wall traps and fell unconscious."

Sunset gasped in shock "Oh, Twilight i'm so sorry..."

"But that's not the end of it.When I finally woke up, I was in the hospital. Turns out, Celestia had to take me there. The doctors told me I had a concussion, not to mention a fractured skull.

"I was upset at the news, but it was nothing compared to how Celestia felt. When I looked over to her, I saw her crying her eyes out, sniffling and trying desperately to wipe away tears that just kept coming. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was a mess, and she looked like she hadn't eaten for hours. I was shocked. To reduce Celestia, our school's beloved Principal and my favorite mentor, the strongest woman I knew, to tears just because I wanted to ride in a stupid race? And what? So I could blow it all and spend the night in the hospital? And don't even get me started on Moon Dancer. She was a stranger to me, but she might as well have been my best friend with how much she cried when she saw that I had woken up from my impromptu nap. She thought it was her fault I was hurt. She believed that if she hadn't been so eager to step out of her comfort zone, then something like that wouldn't happened. She thought that if she wasn't so inexperienced, knew more about how the race worked, she never would've hit my wheel and this whole mess could've been avoided. I tried to tell her it was okay, and taht she didn't have to worry, but she just kept blaming herself. We haven't been in contact since. I think it was because she felt she couldn't face me. I swore to myself that day that I would do everything I could to prevent something like that from happening again. And when I took over as leader, I swore to never let that happen to any of my teammates. Ever."

Sunset simply rubbed her mentor's back, trying to soothe her pain.

"Because of my arrogance, because I wanted to prove myself, Because I wanted so badly to make Celestia proud of me that it blinded any other thoughts, I got hurt. I hurt myself, I hurt my teacher, and I lost a potential friendship before it could even happen." Twilight looks at Sunset now, directly in her eyes. "So, yes, Sunset. You did prove yourself, I am proud of you, and I do believe in you. I'm just...scared. I don't want you to get hurt like I was. But if you keep going like this, I don't think i'll be able to stop you in time."

By this point, both the girls were sobbing their hearts out, their bodies trembling with each shaky breath they took, their hands gripping each other's arms tight, as if afraid to let the other go, lest they break down in sobs all over again.

"So, please. Please, Sunset. Don't do this. We just had your celebration party two days ago. Don't let it be your last."

"Don't worry. I won't." Sunset said through her sobs as the two girls hugged each other tightly.

When the two finally let go of each other, they pulled away, their hands on each other's shoulders. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, just staring into each other's eyes. That is until...

"Oh, just kiss already."

Immediately the moment was broken by a voice to Twilight's right. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all standing there, watching them, holding each other...

They immediately pulled away from each other, turning away and blushing like mad. Twilight was the first to speak up.

"Oh...hi, girls! When did you get here?"

"We've been here ever since Sunset started yelling." Rainbow Dash said.

"You...you mean..." Sunset asked, not finishing the sentence.

A sentence Applejack was happy to finish for her. "Yep. We heard everythin'."

"I must say it was quite the emotional display. It even brought a tear to my eye." Rarity wiped away a tear from her eye, even as she chuckled lightly from behind a hand.

This only made the two girls blush harder.

"I'll say! Talk about Cheeeeeesy!" Pinkie said, earning glares from the girls for her antics.

"Ehehe. Sorry..." Pinkie shrunk under their gazes.

"You know, Sunset. If you really want to duel again how about dueling us?" Fluttershy asked.

Everything stopped at that question as Sunset fired back one of her own. "Dueling...you? As in...all of you?"

"Not all of us, silly. Just one at a time. We'll all race you, and if you can beat us, then you can start dueling on your own again."

Sunset visibly paled. "N-n-no way. That's...not possible. There's no way i'll beat you guys. You're pros!"

"It's either that or training. You did say you beat Trixie already, right?" Applejack said, a smirk on her face.

"aaargh...-"

"Wait, girls! It's okay, she's-" Twilight tried to step in, but was cut off by Sunset.

"Fine! If that's what you want, I'll do it."

Twilight's eyes widened as she rounded on her student. "WHAT?"

The others were honestly shocked as well. "We'll, I'll be..." said Applejack.

"I never thought she'd actually say yes..." Rarity whispered, her mouth agape.

"That's' what i'm talkin' about! You got guts, dont'cha newbie?" Rainbow Dash said, pointing to her.

"Wow! I never expected that! She said yes, she said yes!" Pinkie yelled as she bounced around the group in a circle, only to stopped by AJ.

"That's enough o' that now, Pinkie. Just calm down."

"Sorry."

"So...wait. You guys...don't...want me to race you? This was all...just a joke?" Sunset asked, looking confused.

"Oh, darling of course it was!" Rarity said in her signature over the top style. 'We would never be so brutish as to make you face us when we knew you weren't ready."

"Although you do need to face us eventually." Rainbow said.

"That's right. I for one would love to see what you're made of before the tournament starts." Applejack said, stretching her arms by crossing them over her chest one at a time.

"Tournament? What tournament?" Sunset asked, now more confused than ever.

Suddenly Twilight spoke up, her voice full of surprise. "Oh no! The tournament! We're not even close to ready!"

"Oh, darling, no! Don't tell me we never told you!"

"If you did I don't remember." Sunset said, shrugging her shoulders and giving Rarity a blank look.

"The Magi-Cycle tournament? The single most awesome event to ever grace the world of Racing? Are you sure we've never mentioned it to you? Like at all?"

"I'd be surprised if ya haven't heard it from Rainbow Dash. She loves the tournament. It's all she talks about this time o' year."

"Nope. Still have no idea what you're talking about." Sunset said simply.

"Huh? Well then." Rainbow said, her excitement dropping back down.

"It's like Rainbow Dash said, Sunset." Twilight's voice rang out once more. "The Tournament is the single most important thing for Magi-Cycle Racers everywhere. People come from all over to participate, not to mention watch, the races that go on there."

"And when and where is this tournament held?" Sunset asked.

"It's held every six months...at CHS, I believe."

"You mean I have to face the students of the very school I just destroyed? And In less than two months?" Sunset brought her hands to her face and sank to her knees in shame. "I am so doomed."

"Oh, nonsense, darling, it's alright. I'm sure everyone would love to see you out there!" Rarity said, placing a hand on Sunset's shoulder.

"Yeah. Love to see me fail." Sunset looked up from her hands, but didn't quite get up just yet.

"Hey, hey! Who cares what they think? Even if they don't accept you, we will." Rainbow Dash said, placing her hand on Sunset's other shoulder.

"Yeah, but there's a problem with that. The reason I started this whole thing was to get people to see that i've changed. If I come back so soon, all their gonna think is that I was planning another hostile takeover or something." Sunset crossed her arms and glared at nothing in particular.

"That's not true and you know it." Twilight said, placing her hand on Sunset's back. "You have changed. Look at what happened with Trixie? I'm sure she won't bully you anymore."

"Yeah, but someone else might. They might see that my usual tormentors gone and try to come and take her place."

"Let 'em try! I'll show 'em what for!" Rainbow Dash punched her palm with an angry look.

Sunset laughed at that. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash, that means a lot, but I don't want you guys to get labeled as 'The she-demon's pawns' or whatever."

"Rainbow Dash! You simply must learn to not be so violent! ...But, I do understand where she's coming from. If you're ever in any danger, or need any sort of help, don't hesitate to call us. We'll be sure to help you."

Sunset smiled this time. She had the most wonderful friends. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me to have friends like you. And don't worry. Should anything bad come around, i'll be sure to come get you. We're in this together, right?"

"Right!" They all said at once, raising their fists.

"Good. Now let's go inside. I need a bath and a nap."

At that, everyone laughed, including Sunset herself. Twilight spoke up in response,

"You got it, Sunset."

Burning Rubber (Duel Saga)-Finale

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Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 2

Author's Note

Phew! An extra-long chapter! Enjoy, Guys!

Burning Rubber (Duel Saga) Part 2

"So what was it you meant when you said that a Duel was just a race? You said it was normal save for one thing right?" Sunset asked as she revved up Maple, looking down at her mentor.

"That's right Sunset. Although it's actually two things." Twilight smiled sheepishly.

"Well what are they?" Sunset asked, growing a little impatient.

"One is that there are traps along the track." Twilight said, one finger raised as if to make a point.

"Traps. Like pits or something?" Sunset looked a bit nervous.

"Nope. Just spikes, walls and other obstacles." AJ said as she stepped in on the conversation.

Sunset gulped. "And what about the second one?"

"Well, the second is...well..."

Suddenly the track, that just a moment ago was straight, began to curve in on itself, becoming more tube like in appearance until it finally looked more like a tunnel than anything else.

"It's...omni-directional."

Sunset stared in disbelief at the track for a moment before looking back to Twilight. "Are you sure I can handle this?"

"Don't worry, Sunset. It's basically the same as the course we had you practice on. Just...in 3D." Twilight chuckled, and Sunset gulped again as she stared down the tunnel, moving her bike to the starting line.

She met up with Trixie and got a smirk as a silent reply. "What's wrong, She-demon? You scared? The big, bad, Sunset Shimmer, scared of a little race. How pathetic."

"I am not scared! Am I?" Sunset was actually unsure herself.

"I don't know. How about you ask your hands? They're trembling you know?" Trixie pointed down to Sunset's hands.

She looked down at them and saw that yes, they were trembling. 'Wow. I am scared!'

"Don't worry, Sunset. I'll be sure to put you out of your misery when I win. Wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself too badly, after all!" Trixie started to laugh, and Sunset growled in anger as she got on her cycle.

'We'll see who embarrasses who!'

With that, it was time for the race to start. The announcer started the countdown...

"3...2...1...GO!"

And the two shot off like rockets, Trixie in the lead. After a while of racing down a straight lane, Trixie looked back to smirk at Sunset.

"What's wrong, Sunny? Can't keep up!" She started to laugh maniacally, pressing a button on her cycle to release a smoke screen as she rode around in circles along the first leg of the track. When Sunset finally managed to clear her vision, she was able to make out Trixie's cycle just passing the first turn.

'What? She's already that far ahead of me?!' Sunset revved up her cycle and started to close the distance as best she could, but right as she was about to reach the turn, she shifted her weight a bit too much and ended up riding parallel to the side of the transparent track wall, and she was still just behind Trixie.

'I have to catch up! I have to- whoa!' Sunset screamed as she narrowly avoided a wall rising out from the side of the track.

Meanwhile, Trixie was still in front, dodging barrels and winding around blockades as she went. She didn't even look back as she cackled at Sunset's misfortune. "You fool! Everyone knows not to use the walls so early in the race. You really are green!"

Sunset ignored her and continued her drive, revving her speed just to close the distance between her and Trixie. And, while she was gaining on her, there was another problem she had to attend to.

'What's with this? I can't lean down at all! If I try, the cycle will flip over! I can't slow down either or else i'll fall, and she'll get even further ahead of me! Guess I just have to push it even harder!' She revved up Maple again, pushing the limits of her acceleration.

'Come on, come on!' She chanted to herself as she gained on Trixie. 'Come on, come on... Come on, come- Waaah!' She mentally shouted as she pulled herself down as hard as she could to avoid another wall. However, she was too terrified to notice that she had both turned down without falling, and passed Trixie by now, even if by just a little.

'That little newbie thinks she can outrun me, huh?' Trixie thought to herself as she gritted her teeth and revved up her own engine, speeding forward to catch up with Sunset.

Meanwhile, Sunset was just basking in the fact that she had survived. "I'm alive?" She looked around and spotted Trixie behind her, trying to catch up. She couldn't help but smirk. 'Looks like I passed her too.' She turned to face forward and revved up Maple, pouring on the speed again.

Trixie, having seen Sunset's smirk was now fuming with anger. 'You little...!' She sped up even more, but she still couldn't quite catch up. Then she spotted a ramp coming up to her right. 'How dare you mock me. This'll teach you.'

She smirked and changed lanes, taking the one with the ramp. Sunset was passing her by even more distance, but...

'Not for long.' Trixie thought to herself as she sped up the ramp and flew into the air, sailing upward long enough to just miss hitting her head on the top of the tunnel. But she wasn't done yet. She flipped herself over, taking her cycle with her, and rode on the ceiling, pouring on the speed to pass Sunset once again.

'This may put me in first, but it's a risky maneuver. If I slow down at all before I get a chance to turn down, I'll fall, and then its over for me. I could just do it now, but the resulting speed loss would help her catch up with me. Ah, i'll just have to risk it. There's a rise coming up anyway.'

Trixie turned down, going first to the side, then to the ground, returning to following the straight lane. She looked back and saw Sunset just behind her.

'I knew it, she caught up. But it doesn't matter. As long as I make it up this rise first, she won't be able to pass me.'

Trixie revved up her cycle again, increasing the distance between them as she made her way up the rise. 'Yes! With this, my victory is secured!'

'No, she's ahead of me again! Just how did she get so much air that time?' Sunset thought to herself as she watched Trixie pass her on the rise. Then she remembered.

'Was there a ramp back there?' Sunset tried to recall seeing one. 'Yeah, there was one! i passed by it when I first overtook Trixie! Oh, well, it wouldn't have worked anyway. It just would've given her more time to catch up. But how am I supposed to pass her now? There as to be some way...'

She looked around for a moment before noticing the button in the center of Maple's handles. She was about to press it when she remembered something Twilight had told her.

'Pressing that button will release the magic in these cycles, and you aren't ready for that power.'

She lowered her hand. 'I can't. i'm not ready. Guess I have to look for another way.' She looked around again, making sure to keep an eye out for any traps along the way. Then, some distance down the track, she spotted it.

'A slope! If I can just wait it out until we get there, I can pass her in a snap!' Sunset laughed to herself. 'She'll be too busy with all her tricks and performances that she'll try something risky, and when she does...she'll eat my dust.'

She silently pumped her fist and poured on the speed some more, closing the distance between them just a little more.

Trixie on the other hand, had noticed some thing was wrong. 'Why isn't she trying to pass me? Did she give up already?' Briefly, she allowed herself to gloat. 'Poor pathetic sunset. Guess I was too much for her as a first opponent. So sad. Looks like her dreams of being a Magi-Cycle Racer are about to be crushed. Sorry! Not!'

With that, Trixie sped off, cranking up the speed. But then another thought came to her mind. 'But, what if she has some kind of plan? What if she's plotting something behind my back? I can't let that happen!'

And so, Trixie activated her nitro, speeding down the track and past the next turn with ease, leaving Sunset in her dust.

'No! She must have guessed I have a plan to pass her! I have to catch up!' Sunset yelled in her mind. She revved Maple up, pouring on more and more speed as she did so. But even then, she still couldn't catch up.

Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends were watching the race, cheering her on.

"Oh no! Trixie's activated Nitro!" Twilight exclaimed biting her fingernails.

"It's over for her now..." Rainbow said as she watched. 'It was nice while it lasted.'

"Rainbow Dash! How dare you show such distrust of our newest member!" Rarity yelled.

"How else am I supposed to react? Sure I believe in her, but the facts are the facts. Sunset's a newbie, albeit a talented one, but she's still a newbie. Trixie's been at this for months! There's no way she can win like this!"

"I have to agree with Rainbow on this one, sugar cube. Sunset just wasn't ready." AJ looked at Twilight. "I told you a duel was a bad idea, Twilight."

"Well I for one believe she can do it! Isn't that right, Twilight?" Rarity looked over to her friend.

"Y-yeah, of course I believe in her! There's no way she'll lose!" Twilight said. But in truth, she was just a bit nervous. 'Come on, Sunset! Don't make us out to be liars!'

'Ugh! I have to find a way to overcome her nitro! But how! How! She's so far ahead that I can't even think of catching up, not even with Maple going as fast as she can! There's nothing left that I can do...'

'You have to believe, Sunset.'

'Huh?' Sunset could've sworn she heard a voice just then.

'Never stop moving forward, Sunset. There is always a way to win. And there is a way to beat Trixie.'

'Easy for you to say, whoever you are...' Sunset kept her eyes on the race, but her heart was no longer in it.

'Easy for me to say, and easy for you to do. Sunset. You just have to believe in yourself.'

'And what exactly will believing in myself accomplish if I can't go any faster, or have the skills to win this race?'

'Your skills are not the problem, Sunset. You have all the training you need to win.'

'Then what? What is it i'm missing?'

'The Magi-Cycle and the rider are one, Sunset. If you do not believe in yourself, the Cycle cannot display it's true power.'

'Wh-who are you?' Sunset asked to whoever the voice was.

'Look up.'

Sunset did as she was told, looking up from the road just enough to see around her, but not enough to lose sight of the path....which wasn't even there anymore.

'Wh-what's going on?' She looked up to see... 'A-appleJack?'

'No, Sunset. I am Maple. Though AppleJack is my master.'

'Maple? You're real?'

'As real as you or Trixie. And I need your power.'

'M-my...power? But what power do I have? I'm only a rider.'

'You are not just any rider, Sunset. Every rider is special, with their own skills and abilities. You have power. All you have to do is believe.'

'Fine. I believe you. Not like I have a choice If I wanna win this race.'

Maple giggled. 'If that is how you wish to see it.'

Soon, the road returned, and Sunset found herself the same distance behind Trixie as she'd always been. The only difference was, now they were getting ever closer to the slope.

Trixie had turned to look at her, and was gloating. "Last leg of the race, Sunny? Let's see if you have what it takes to beat me." She poured on the speed and widened the distance even further.

Sunset actually slowed down and took a moment to breathe. 'Alright, Maple. Show me my power!'

"Hey, Trixie!"

The cocky Performance Duelist turned around to look at her opponent, a smirk on her face. "What? Finally giving up?"

"Nope! Just wanted to warn you."

"Warn me? Of what?" Trixie laughed. "It's not like you can do anything. The race is almost over!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Sunset shot back.

"And why not?" Trixie was slightly annoyed. What was she talking about?

"Because I....believe!!" Suddenly, Sunset's body, and her cycle, began glowing orange, flames thrashing about all around her.

"What? What is this?" Trixie screamed. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

"To be honest," Sunset said, "I don't even know myself! All I know is...with this....I feel like I can win!"

"We'll see about that!" Trixie said as she sped off down the slope.

"Yes, we will!" And with that, Sunset shot off. She couldn't believe how fast she was going. It felt as if everything around her was in slow motion. She saw herself shoot off form the slope, then fall, only to blast forward and overtake Trixie, as well as gain some very good distance in what felt like less than ten seconds.

'No! I can't let her beat me! Anyone but her. Anyone but her!' Trixie revved up her cycle, and all of a sudden, she couldn't see Sunset anymore. Instead, all she saw was Twilight, beating her again for the fourteenth time in a row.

"I won't let this...happen again!!!" Suddenly, Trixie was covered in a pitch black flame. Similar to Sunset's, only much more sinister.

She blasted down the track at breakneck speeds, closing the distance between her and Sunset with ever second that passed.

When it came time to finish the race, the two seemed to be neck and neck, but...

"And the victory, by a nose, goes to....Sunset Shimmer!"

"Nooooo!" Trixie yelled as she finally calmed herself down enough to think straight.

Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends were in shock.

"What...was that light?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know rares, but it was sure somethin' wasn't it?"

"You can say that again! Sunset was all..." Rainbow went throught her repertoire of sounds as she described the battle between the two. Her friends face palmed at her actions, while Fluttershy smiling despite herself, and Pinkie Pie saying,

"You're so funny, Dashie!"

Twilight on the other hand was just amazed. 'I knew you could do it, Sunset. I knew you had it in you.'

The seven girls all met up at the infirmary, as Sunset had fallen unconscious by the time they found her. She was now waking up.

"Oh...my head." Sunset said as she finally opened her eyes.

"Hey, she's awake!" Came a voice out of nowhere. Sunset could understand who it belonged to, however.

"Rainbow?"

"That's right, Sugar Cube. She's right here with you. I am too." came Apple Jack's voice next

"We're all here for you Sunset!" Fluttershy.

"We all saw what you did. It. Was. Awesome!" Pinky.

"Indeed. I must admit those special effects were quite entertaining." Rarity.

'Special effects...' Then Sunset remembered it all. The black space, Maple, the rush of power. It was all too much and she immediately woke up from the shock, screaming,

"Maple!"

"Don't you worry about her none, sugar cube. She's perfectly fine. You took real good care of her after all."

"That's right. Calme down, Sunset. Everything's okay. Everything's okay." And lastly, there was Twilight. Her mentor, the one who brought her here.

Sunset smiled. Everyone was okay. "Good. That's good. But...did you guys not see that?"

"See what, Sunse-" Twilight's question was cut off by someone bursting through the door, a scowl on their face. It was Trixie. She stormed over to Sunset's bedside, and received glares from all in the room, Sunset included.

"What do you want, Trixie?"

Trixie grit her teeth and growled before trying to speak. "Sunset, I...you..." She sighed, her expression becoming sad. "I'm sorry. I should've never doubted your skills on the track. Forgive me. A-and also..."

"Also...?" Sunset prompted her.

"And also...! I'm sorry for treating the way I did all this year! There I said it. You happy now?"

Sunset thought for a moment before smiling and saying, "Yes, I am. And don't worry. It's fine. I forgive you."

Trixie was shocked. "Wh-what? You'd forgive me just like that?"

Sunset looked at Trixie. "Yep! All I ever wanted was for you to see what I was doing to change. To see that I wasn't the same evil girl who blew up the school. That's all I ever really wanted."

Trixie blushed at this and looked away with a "Hmph!" to which they all laughed. But there was one thing going through Sunset's mind that stuck there no matter how she tried to disregard it.

'What was all that?'