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?'