"They're rounding the final bend, and Swift Spinner is pulling ahead!"
The crowd roared its approval as the bicyclists came into view. The massive crowd clustered at the finish line at the fourth leg of the Tour de Prance, the most illustrious cycling race in the world. Ponies from all over he world pressed together, trying to get just a little closer to the track, and the sounds of the light rain were drowned out by the raucous cheers of the crowd.
Tom Ink, a small, powder-blue unicorn colt with a white mane, weaved between the legs of the adult ponies all around him. His flank was empty, and his stature was small, but as long as he kept moving his head, he could catch glimpses of the racetrack through the colorful legs of the adults. His heart pounded, and his fear of being trampled – or of breaking his new camera – was overshadowed by his desire to get just a little closer. He'd come so far to see his favorite race in real life, and nothing could deny him the view of his favorite competitor's victory.
The announcer boomed again. "But Iron Lung is coming up behind him! He's closing the gap! Will Swift Spinner be able to maintain his lead?"
Tom sucked in a breath. His eyes felt dry, but he refused to blink. He trained his vision on the finish line. Time felt like it was slowing down. Tom could feel every pump of his heart, and each one felt like it could break out of his chest. The crowd swayed around him, shifting from leaning towards the racers to focusing on the finish line.
Suddenly, on the track, Tom saw them: a grey pegasus and a copper earth pony, neck and neck. They were just a flash of color, but Tom know: this was it. He held his breath and shook with excitement. The world felt like it was spinning, and the crowd took a breath together as the two ponies pushed for the finish line.
For a moment, all anypony could hear was the light buzzing of spinning bicycle wheels. And then…
"Swift Spinner wins!"
The crowd erupted in cheers! They jumped at once, yelling towards the sky, and their hoof stomps felt like an earthquake. Tom dodged out of the way, squealing with delight along with everypony else, and he didn't even feel it when an adult hoisted him up to see Swift Spinner pass by with a victory wave to the crowd.
Tom's heart fluttered, and his nerves buzzed. He said to himself, under the cheers of the crowd, "I've got to meet him!" As soon as the stallion put him down, he raced off and away from the group. The crowd kept cheering and stomping in approval when the third, fourth, and other finishers crossed the finish line, and many of the attendees cheered louder when ponies from their own countries posted personal best times.
Tom weaved through the crowd, and as it thinned out towards the back, he said, "I have to get an autograph! Swift Spinner is the best!" He rubbed his chin and looked around. Security guards were posted everywhere, but if there was one thing he knew, it was how to use a cute face.
Tom galloped towards the area reserved for the competitors, and as he approached a velvet rope, one of the security guards stepped in front of him. "Whoa, there, little guy. This area is for the racers." Another guard stepped up beside the first.
With a happy flick of his tail Tom said, "Can you pleeeeease let me through? I wanna interview Wispy Whirl for my school paper!"
The first guard shook her head. "Sorry, but the racers–" She raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Wispy Whirl? The one that always comes in last place?"
Tom nodded emphatically. "Uh-huh! He's so inspiring! He never gives up!"
The second guard looked to his compatriot. "Well, I mean… He never really gets the chance to get interviewed."
The first guard nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. He might be up for it. I'll go check real quick." She turned and walked to the right, towards Wispy Whirl's tent.
The second guard waved to her with a chuckle. "Sounds good. He'll sure be surprised." He sighed and turned back towards Tom. "So we'll just wait here for a bit and–"
Tom was already gone.
The guard's eyes widened. He gulped and took off running after his partner. "Uh, Sentinel? We've got a problem!"
From behind a nearby bush, Tom snickered and headed in the opposite direction, towards Swift Spinner's tent. In no time at all, he snuck to the behind it, where he was obscured by trees or other tents. Giggling with excitement, Tom stuck his head through a flap at the back of the tent.
Inside stood Swift Spinner in all his magnificent glory. He stood tall, barley breathing heavily. The front flap of the tent was drawn closed, and the tent was lit only with a dim gem lamp. Swift Spinner's manager, a grizzled-looking pegasus, looked him up and down. "Nice work out there today, kid. You really had 'em going."
Tom smiled broadly. He could already feel that image, the moment at the finish line, burning itself into his memory forever.
Swift Spinner tossed his mane. "Thanks, but one of these days I'm just going to let loose and really smoke all of them."
Tom's eyes brightened, and he thought, 'Swift Spinner could do even better! He's going to break all the records!"
The manager held up a hoof. "Slow down there, hotshot. We got lucky that they didn’t call you back for testing today, but word is you're on the docket for tomorrow. We need to modify the treatment schedule."
Something tickled the back of Tom's brain. It felt… odd, like something was out of place, but he was having trouble imagining what it could be. His legs bent just slightly, and his smile faded.
Swift Spinner flicked his tail. "What, so I'll have to actually try tomorrow? That sucks!"
Tom's ears folded down. He didn't like hearing his hero use such harsh language.
Swift Spinner whinnied. "And you want me to risk all our sponsorships? What if I come in second? Or…" He shuddered and stuck out his tongue. "…third? I'm not going it alone, boss."
The manager cackled softly. "Well, I didn't say that. I just said we'd need to change the schedule. You ready for your treatment?"
Swift Spinner stood taller. "Juice me, boss."
Tom's stomach dropped, and his mouth hung open. The manager reached into a hidden pocket in his jacket and pulled out a small vial full of red, glowing liquid. Tom thought, 'Oh, no. No,no, no!'
With a swift motion, the manager uncorked the vial and passed it to Swift Spinner. "Make it quick. I need to stash this back with the rest of it before anypony comes looking."
Swift Spinner nodded and downed the vial in one gulp. His face twisted. "Yuck! Don't tell me we can't afford cherry-flavored or something. I'm a star!" He passed the vial back, and his body glowed for a moment. His muscles bulged out just slightly, and instead of breathing heavily, Swift Spinner looked good as new. "It does the trick, though. Got any more?"
Tom felt tears well up in his eyes, but even so, he instinctively lifted his camera.
The manager said, "Sure. That was just for recovery. This one'll get those legs pumping like machines for a whole day." He cackled. "Beauty is, it's untraceable after just a couple hours." He pulled out a purple vial and passed it over.
It all happened so quickly, too quickly for Tom to understand. Swift Spinner lifted the vial. He drank. Without thinking, Tom clicked the shutter button on his camera, and as soon as Swift Spinner's ears perked up, Tom dashed out of the tent. All he heard was his former hero shouting, "Somepony's there!"
Tom's heart hurt. His hooves hurt. His stomach felt like it would turn itself inside out. He dashed away, without watching where he was going, and he didn't care. He felt like a fool, like everything he'd believed in was a sham, and his eyes stung.
"Halt!" a pony near him boomed.
Tom froze in his tracks and turned to see the two guards from earlier.
"There you are," the female guard said. "Young colt, you're in a lot of trouble." She trotted up to him.
Tom's ears were down, and he shivered. His head was still spinning.
The guard lowered her voice and stared daggers at him. "Now just what do you think you're doing back here? We've got half a mind to–"
"He's with me," a smooth voice called out. The ponies turned to see Swift Spinner marching quickly up to them, his characteristic smile broken just slightly. "Little guy just wanted a picture. I don't blame him for being over-eager."
Tom snarled quietly.
The guard nodded. "He's not allowed back here, Mister Spinner. We can't allow ponies to come and go as they please. It's for your own safety."
Swift Spinner stepped up next to Tom and put a wing around him. Despite his feelings, Tom couldn't suppress the thrill of such a famous pony paying this much attention to him. "Aw, don't be that way. He's just excited. What's your name, colt?"
Tom looked shakily up at the radiant pegasus, awe-struck. "T… Tom."
Swift Spinner nodded and smiled. "Well, Tom, I'm glad to meet you. You're a good colt, and I know you weren't trying to hurt me." Swift Spinner's eyes narrowed. He smile was warm, but tinted with malice, and his voice grew heavier. "I can trust you, right?"
Tom's mouth gaped.
Swift Spinner laid the charm on even harder. He pouted cartoonishly. "It would be terrible if something bad happened, after all. Everypony would be so disappointed. Think of all those fans!" He squeezed Tom a little harder with his wing. "I mean, how would you feel if a little colt hurt your favorite cycling star? I be a lot of ponies would be angry."
Tom's whole body felt like it was full of ice. He shook. "Uh… Uh…"
Swift Spinner perked up. "Tell you what, Tom: why don't you give me that camera, and then the two of us can take a selfie, just you and me. I'll make it extra special, and then we can all forget about this whole big mess. How does that sound?"
The guard creased her eyebrows. "We have protocols, Mister Spinner."
Swift Spinner gave a hollow laugh and shook his head. "Aw, it's okay, ma'am. If he's willing to forget all this and move on, then so am I." He turned back towards Tom, and with acid in his voice, he said, "So you can hang out with me, or I can leave you with my friend here. What'll it be, Tom?"
Tom felt on the verge of tears. 'How can this be happening?' The whole world spun around him, and he wanted nothing more than to give in. He wanted to hand over his camera, knowing full well what would happen to it. He would meet his hero and get the photo of a lifetime, and nopony would have to know.
But as beautiful as that dream felt, something inside Tom felt wrong, and he knew he had to make it right. With a deep breath, he looked up at the guard and said, "Ma'am, I have evidence that Swift Spinner's been cheating."
It was a beautiful morning. The paper was spread out in front of Tom and his mother on the kitchen table. On the front page was the picture, in full color, with the headline, "Cycling Star Falls From Grace Amid Potion Scandal." And just beneath that were the words "By Big Scoop, with contributions from Tom Ink."
Tom's mother patted his head. "I'm proud of you, Tom."
Tom sulked.
His mother held him close. "I know it's rough finding out your hero is no good, but it's not really fair to the other competitors if Swift Spinner keeps racing. You did the right thing."
"I know," Tom sighed. "It's rough, Mom, but I'm glad I did it. It was nice of Iron Lung to take that picture with me, too." He nodded over at the signed, framed picture that sat on the counter.
His mother smiled. "It sort of makes it all worth it, right?"
Tom shrugged. "I guess. But that's not why I did it." He looked at his mom. "The truth is important, even if it isn't very nice. And sometimes, it takes somepony who's not afraid to find out the facts the hard way. That's why I did it."
His mother opened her mouth, but as she did, a blinding flash of light filled the room. Tom tensed and wrenched his eyes closed. "Mom? MOM! What's happening!?"
She beamed back at him. "Son, look! Your flank!"
The light died down, and Tom turned to see his flank. His eyes widened, and he gasped. It wasn't just a blank powder blue anymore. Now, there was a picture of a red pencil, furiously taking notes. He felt as light as air, and he turned back to his mother. "Mom? Is this…?"
His mother nodded.
And Tom leapt into the air, cheering louder than he had at the race. "I got my cutie mark!"
