The Band of Loyalty

"That's not at all what I was expecting," said Rainbow, looking over the track. It was absolutely covered in countless obstacles, many of which seemed to be deadly if mishandled. There was no waiver for her to sign, as they had no insurance. At least there were paramedics on standby. "I imagine injuries happen around here all the time."

Lightning shook her head. "I only had them come out in case you decided to grow a pair and face me on the big circle. Honestly, I was half-expecting you to bail out."

"Hardly," huffed Rainbow. "A chance to beat your tail in once and for all is enough to draw me in."

Lightning chuckled. "Fine. Let's talk terms. If I win, you leave the Wonderbolts to be the Washout's new mobile towel rack."

Rainbow scowled. That was a step too far. She had no intention of leaving the Wonderbolts. "And when I win, you have to perform the sexual favour of my choosing."

"My, my, so confident in your abilities. Or is that perhaps cockiness I hear? Don't forget that this is my house, Dash. I know the track inside and out. I've broken and repaired nearly every piece on this course."

"And that's only going to make losing hurt that much more for you."

Once more, they were glaring into each other's eyes. This had been an intense rivalry, but it was all about to end.

"You can use the stallions' locker room," smiled Lightning. "I made sure to have it cleaned and deodourized just for you. I even left a white jumpsuit in there, in case you don't want to ruin the Wonderbolt's reputation when you inevitably lose."

Rainbow made her way to the locker room to prepare. As she stepped inside, she saw the jumpsuit, and next to it was an adult diaper, with a sticky note attached to it. "For when you piss yourself in fear," read the note. Rainbow immediately chucked it in the trash.

"You're sure you can do this?" asked King. "She does know the track exceptionally well, and you've never touched it before."

"I don't need you talking shit to me too, King," growled Rainbow. "I'm clearly the faster pegasus. You've seen what I'm capable of, I don't want to hear your derision."

"There's no derision here," said King. "Merely concern. You heard her terms: If you lose, you leave the Wonderbolts. How are you supposed to feed me if your entire job is to carry sweat rags?"

Rainbow sat down on one of the benches. "I don't know. I'll find something for you, for sure. I do everything to keep my promises."

King had no response. Instead, he just quietly retreated into his own realm to watch the race from Rainbow's perspective. With the room now silent, Rainbow stripped out of her civilian clothes. Beneath it, her Wonderbolts jumpsuit was almost ready, she just had to finish zipping it up so that it covered her neck. If this was to be her last hurrah as a Wonderbolt, then it would be her greatest show ever.

Thousands of ponies had gathered to watch this event. They'd brought in more ponies than the stadium had seats. Unicorns and earth ponies were encouraged to stand in order to allow more room, and the pegasi were encouraged to fly so that everypony could see the show. There weren't nearly as many ponies as the largest of Wonderbolt shows, but this was a very big event by Washout standards. They'd never drawn this big of a crowd before.

The master of ceremonies called for Lightning Dust first, and the crowd roared in excitement as she circled the arena, a crackling bolt of lightning chasing her as she went. She landed at the starting platform and encouraged the crowd to be as loud as they could. Then it was Rainbow's turn. As she rounded the first corner, she heard the crowd's volume rise. They weren't cheering for her, they were booing her. Performing a few aerobatics, the rainbow trail following her depicted hearts, stars, and even spelling out DASH in the air. As she came to a stop at the starting line, she pulled her hoof out of the way just in time to avoid being hit with an egg.

The two took their places at the starting line, and with the sounding of the airhorn, they took off. Flying along the course was quite a bit more difficult than flying over it. More than just following the sharp turns, they also had to watch out for several obstacles. From long rods that swung at them to actual blades that popped out of the ground to batons swinging from the ceiling. They weren't just popping up at random, either. There was a group of three stallions controlling the traps, and it was heavily weighted in Lightning's favour.

As they rounded the far corner, Rainbow was two body lengths behind with a bruise forming on her shoulder. She'd taken a hefty blow from a baton literally punching a hole in the floor. If this had been a fair and even treatment, she was sure she'd be ahead, but nothing had popped up in Lightning's way yet. This wasn't meant to be a fair game.

Rainbow took a deep breath as she finished the first lap. Her heart was racing as fast as she was, and she'd managed to almost catch up to Lightning. She was only a head behind. She was starting to find her footing, figuratively speaking. However, her injuries were starting to pile up. A few cuts, some nasty bruises, and yet nothing was stopping Lightning Dust.

"Bet it's real easy taking the easy route," taunted Rainbow, tossing aside a free-floating obstacle. "What's the matter, too much of a pussy to play fair?"

Lightning nodded to the group operating the obstacles, and they put a baton in her path. Just a single baton. Meanwhile, Two more popped up on Rainbow's side. While the crowd was expecting her to leap over and hoping for a collision, Rainbow knifed through it with ease. A few of the audience members were starting to come around.

Halfway through the final lap, Lightning Dust was dodging just as many obstacles as Rainbow had on her first lap. Meanwhile, Rainbow was navigating a near-impossible maze. Just before the final turn, so much of the path had been blockaded that the only path through was a small hole right in the middle. There was no other path around or through. Yet, As Rainbow dove towards the hole, A final baton came up to block her sole path. There was to time to stop or turn, she had no way to stop herself from planting her face into the wall. She did all she could to brace herself for impact, but it wasn't much. In the next instant, everything went black.