Forward Motionby totallynotabronyChaptersThe ChallengeResearch and DevelopmentProving Groundsauthor notesThe ChallengeForward Motion “Hey Twilight, are you competing in the Running of the Leaves again this year?” The question had come from a sky-blue pegasus with multicolored stripes in her mane and tail. Twilight Sparkle looked up from the reference book in front of her. The purple unicorn put her hoof to her chin in thought and smiled. “I have a lot of things to do that weekend, Rainbow, but I’ll try to make it. Hopefully with a little practice, I’ll do even better than last year!” “Well, you’ve still got a long way to go to beat me,” said the other mare, grinning. “I’ll try to make it a close race, though.” Rainbow said goodbye to her friend and left the library where Twilight had been working. The pegasus headed towards the outskirts of town, looking for some open ground. As Ponyville was not a very large settlement, it didn’t take long. The road ahead was clear. Rainbow tucked her wings tightly to her sides and pawed at the ground. She bent her legs, getting into a starting stance. Three, two, one… The mare exploded forward into a sprint. While Rainbow usually only did things that somehow involved flying, she reveled in any kind of competition. She was at her happiest when pushing her body to the limit. The sound of her hooves pounding the road grew lighter as her speed increased. Pegasi were meant to fly, and generally their limiting factor in ground speed was staying in contact with the surface. At some point, their lightweight bodies would begin to uncontrollably float. Rainbow’s toned body was denser than most pegasus mares, or heck, even most stallions. Her extra weight kept her hooves planted better, but there was still a limit. She had considered carrying weighted saddlebags for the race, but that would tire her out more quickly. While still considering the problem, the mare spotted a familiar face coming along the road. She coasted down from her sprint, forming up beside an orange earth pony who was pulling an apple cart. “Hey AJ, what’s up?” asked Rainbow. “Just finishin’ up today’s work,” replied Applejack. She pushed her cowboy hat back and grinned. “What are you up to, practicin’ for the Runnin’ of the Leaves? Afraid Ah’ll beat you this time?” “Yeah right,” laughed Rainbow. “I don’t even see you training.” Applejack indicated the cart behind her and flexed her legs. “Everything Ah do helps me prepare.” “You should work on your cardio!” suggested Rainbow, taking off again. Applejack watched her go, a cloud of dust trailing behind the running pegasus. The orange mare turned back to her task, putting a little extra effort into pulling the cart. The race was only a few days away, and there was only so much she could do to prepare. But yes, she had been working on getting her heart rate up, usually late at night when Rainbow was asleep. Applejack pulled the cart into town. The late afternoon sun indicated that her workday was almost done. She backed her cart up to the loading door at the back of Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville’s bakery. There were a lot of seasonal treats being prepared for after the race and its associated festivities. The Running of the Leaves was an important autumn tradition in Ponyville. The wake of running ponies was used to defoliate the forest in preparation for the coming winter. The mare unhooked the cart and turned to go around the front of the building. She caught sight of a tall stallion walking down the street. The pegasus was an interesting shade of blue—a little darker than the sky, a little lighter than water. The mane on the pony's neck was reddish orange and cut short, while his matching tail was bobbed to the extreme. His face was angular and was dominated by a pointed snout. Applejack reached forward to open the bakery door just as it was blasted open by the exit of a pink earth pony with a frizzy mane. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh, is that somepony new?” The pink pony bounced over to the stallion, stopping him in the street. “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie! I haven’t seen you around before, so that means you must be new, and you know what that means!” “Actually, I have no idea,” said the pegasus, looking amused. “I’m going to throw you a party!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Tell me your name so I can make the invitations!” “Call me Vector.” The stallion laughed and started to introduce himself further, but Pinkie was already gone. Applejack walked over and extended a hoof. “We don’t get many visitors around these parts. Name’s Applejack.” Vector greeted her. Now that she was closer, the mare could see his cutie mark was four arrows pointing outwards from a center origin point. The stallion said, “I came to Ponyville to compete in the Running of the Leaves.” “How about that?” said Applejack. “So am Ah.” He smiled. “Maybe you could show me the course. I’m from Neightona, and I haven’t been out this way before.” “Sure,” said Applejack. “Ah got to warn you, though, I’ll be at the front of the pack on race day. You’ll have to keep up.” “It won’t be a problem,” replied Vector confidently. Applejack wondered for a moment how fast the stallion might be. He certainly appeared to be in shape, even more so than most earth ponies. His long legs looked trim and speedy. Still, other than the spat with Rainbow the year before, she was undefeated in the race. “Well then, why don’t we go out later?” said Applejack with a challenging smile. “After your party, o’course.” The blue stallion nodded. “I’d like that. Oh, as I was coming into town I noticed a track built in the orchard to the south. Can I practice there?” “As a matter of fact, you can. It’s Sweet Apple Acres property, but everypony has access to it.” Several ponies from town used the path cut in the orchard for exercise. Applejack figured it would give her an excellent opportunity to find out how fast this pegasus might be. The mare excused herself. Despite the impending Pinkie Party, she had to go prepare for the race. Vector was about to turn away when Pinkie burst back out the door of the bakery. “There you are! Right now, it’s the right time to have a good time!” She hauled him inside. After living with Pinkie for so long, the residents of Ponyville had grown accustomed to her extravagant welcome parties. They greeted the new pony in their midst, offering friendly conversation. Three young fillies pulled him aside. “Where’dja say you were from?” asked a red-maned earth pony. “Neightona. It’s down south.” “What do you do for a living?” the white unicorn asked. “I race.” “Cool, a professional athlete!” squealed an orange pegasus. The yellow filly with the red mane asked, “What’s your cutie mark mean?” Vector glanced at his hip, at the symbol with four opposing arrows. “Have you ever heard of the four fundamentals of flight?” “Sort of,” answered the pegasus filly, scratching her head through her purple mane. “Thrust, drag, weight, and lift,” recited Vector. “I guess it means I’m good at balancing forces to get the most out of myself. There’s a lot of physics involved.” The other two fillies backed off at the mention of science, but the pegasus persisted. “What kind of racing do you do? Air derby? Endurance?” “I hoofrace,” answered Vector. “I’m actually not that great at flying.” “Did somepony say racing?” Rainbow Dash joined the group. Vector offered a hoof and introduced himself. “A professional, huh?” said Rainbow. “You came all the way here just for our Running of the Leaves?” “I like a challenge,” said Vector. “I might as well win as many races as I can.” It was a little presumptuous of him to already consider the Running of the Leaves won. Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. Granted, she probably would have said something similar, but who was this outsider who thought he was so great? “Well then,” said the mare, “how about a friendly little competition to warm up before the race?” “I’m actually going out later with somepony named Applejack,” explained Vector. “She said she’d show me around.” “I know her,” said Rainbow, nodding. “Maybe I’ll join you two.” “How about some cake?” squealed Pinkie, popping up between the two of them. “Ah, no, sorry. Got to stay in shape,” Vector waved a hoof. Rainbow would have said yes, but with the stallion standing there she also declined. She looked at him. “We could get going now.” “Sure.” The two pegasi left the party, somewhat to Pinkie’s consternation. They found Applejack near her orchard, stretching in preparation for an evening workout. “Ah see you’ve met Vector,” the farm pony said. “Thank you both for agreeing to show me the racecourse.” The stallion smiled. “Wouldn’t want you to get lost on race day,” said Applejack. “Hey Vector, the starting line is that way,” said Rainbow, pointing a hoof. “Give me a minute to talk to AJ.” Applejack looked at her friend curiously, but waited until the tall blue pegasus was out of earshot. “What is it, Rainbow?” “Did you know this guy is a professional racer?” her friend asked. “He’s probably pretty fast.” Applejack grinned. “Are you worried?” “No! I just didn’t want you to get third place instead of second.” Rainbow grinned. “Why don’t we take it easy tonight so we don’t give up too many of our secrets? After all, we can’t let somepony from Neightona come in here and win our local race.” The earth pony nodded and the two of them walked to where Vector was examining the race starting line. The three of them set off at a brisk trot. The stallion seemed to be slightly confused by the slow pace, but said nothing. “The racecourse goes up north and weaves through Whitetail Wood,” explained Applejack. “It should be clearly marked,” put in Rainbow. “I made sure of it myself.” The other mare threw her a look, but before she could bring up what happened the year before, Vector asked, “Are there any other pros coming?” “Not that I know of,” said Rainbow. “Oh.” The stallion seemed disappointed. “I was hoping for some stiff competition.” “Don’t count us country folks out,” said Applejack. “Why, even our librarian is training for the race this year.’ The stallion’s attitude grated on the earth pony. He seemed to think the Running of the leaves would be easy. She was tempted to pick up the pace and show him a thing or two, but managed to resist. The three ponies finished the rest of the course review in silence. In the morning, Applejack went into town to retrieve the now-empty cart from the bakery. Along the way, she saw a purple unicorn lugging heavy saddlebags filled with books. “Hey there Twilight,” called the farmer. “Hello Applejack. I managed to get some free time this weekend.” The unicorn smiled. Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “It looks like you’re studying.” Twilight nodded. “That’s right! How else am I supposed to learn more about racing?” “Well, we have a so-called expert in town right now.” Applejack related to her friend everything she had learned about Vector. “He sounds a little full of himself,” observed the studious pony. “Just stay polite and beat him at his own game.” Applejack smiled. “Ah can do that. See you later, Twi.” On her way back to the farm, Rainbow flew by. “Hey AJ, Vector’s at your place using the track!” “Really?” The orange pony hurried back, eager to see the stallion run. She and Rainbow arrived at the edge of the track as Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh, came walking over. Vector was jogging, still warming up. The track had been built to avoid as many apple trees as possible. One straightaway was broken into two shorter segments with a gentle curve between. It turned the track into an isosceles triangle, wider than it was tall. Seeing he had an audience, Vector put on a little more speed. It was clear that he wasn’t pushing his limits, but his comparatively modest pace was probably faster than lots of ponies. Macintosh disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a stopwatch. Applejack seized it. “Thanks, big brother.” “Eeyup.” Big Mac had raced in the Running of the Leaves a few times, handing off the duty of representing the Apple family when AJ was old enough. The first lap Applejack timed, Vector completed the circuit in 55.11 seconds. The mare grinned to herself. The track record was 51.45 – set by her. Rainbow was a couple of tenths slower, using the excuse that the turns slowed her down. Vector glanced sideways as he went by, seeing the stopwatch. His speed picked up a little, and the next three laps were all less than 53 seconds. Applejack and Rainbow glanced at each other. The stallion was pretty fast, they had to give him that. The orange mare glanced at the stopwatch as he came around again and did a double take. Vector's latest lap was 51.96 seconds. Nervous now, the two mares and Big Mac watched from the sidelines. Vector rounded the turn and headed for the timing line again. He was moving faster than before. The stallion stretched his sharp muzzle forward, extending his legs and taking long strides. Applejack clicked the stopwatch. 51.57 – he was faster than Rainbow. As he went by, Vector flashed a mischievous grin. His hooves thundered on the track as the stallion headed into the first turn to begin a new lap. It was a good thing his mane and tail were cut so short, or the breeze would have been blowing them all over. As it was, his ears were forced back flat on his head. Rainbow studied the male pegasus carefully. As he ran faster, his wings lifted slightly, the tips rising above his back. It probably took a lot of muscle effort to hold them there, instead of tucking them to his sides. She noticed something else. It sounded like his hoofbeats were only getting louder, instead of floating. Sure, he weighed more than she did, but he was still a pegasus, right? Down the long straightway, Vector’s legs and torso seemed to almost lengthen and compress as he threw his whole body into running. Applejack’s hooves began to tremble. It was already clear the track record was in jeopardy. How much would he cut off? A couple of tenths? A whole second? The stallion swept into the final turn, his long legs eating up the distance. He pushed himself all the way to the timing line. Applejack looked down at the stopwatch: 47.88 “How in tarnation—” shouted the mare. Rainbow gasped. “What the buck—” Big Mac said nothing, his mouth hanging open. The three of them watched Vector slow to a jog. He took half a lap to cool down, exiting the track and trotting away without looking back or speaking. The tall pegasus didn’t need to say anything. His challenge had been issued. Research and DevelopmentApplejack was quiet the rest of the evening. The Running of the Leaves was two days away, and it was suddenly possible that she would not be competing for first place. It was a terrible feeling to know that she might have lost the race before it even began. The orange mare was no quitter, though. That night, she stepped out onto the track determined to run harder than she ever had before. As fireflies began to light the orchard, the mare warmed up by jogging a couple of laps. Coming back to the timing line, she tried for a fast one. The wind rushing past Applejack’s face was an enjoyable feeling, but the resistance was clearly holding her back. Her mane and tail, both tied to keep them out of the way while she worked, streamed behind. The mare jogged the next few laps, thinking. Vector had a very short manecut. Big Macintosh kept his tail bobbed in the typical workhorse way, but the racing pegasus had gone beyond even that. It was a good thing the blue stallion was athletic, because his unusal grooming and face wouldn't win him any mares. Applejack shook her head. No, she wasn’t interested in Vector for any reason other than beating him in the Running of the Leaves. Still, maybe he was onto something. The mare went over to the barn to find some twine. Taking off her hat, she bound her mane and tail tightly with the string to keep them out of the wind. Leaving her Stetson there, she trotted back to the track to have another go. The darkness made it harder to see the ground passing rapidly beneath her hooves, but she felt faster. Applejack grinned. She could sure put some distance on Rainbow now. Her smile faded as she thought of Vector. There was no way her speed had improved enough to beat him. After the mare retired for the night, the track sat unused until the early morning hours when Rainbow showed up. The pegasus knew Applejack would be hard at work by then, so she was free to practice for the race unsupervised. It would be nearly impossible to actually improve her physical condition significantly in the two days before the race, but darn it, Rainbow was going to try. She took off at a gallop, accelerating until the familiar floating feeling started to make her hooves slip. The mare knew she couldn’t hold her straightaway speed through the corner, but pushed as hard as possible, leaning into the turn. About halfway through, she lost her footing and almost fell, catching herself at the last minute with an instinctive flap of her wings. A sudden thought struck her. Why had Vector been holding his wings so strangely when running? Was he using them to push his body towards the inside of the turn? Rainbow ran down the back straightaway and charged into the next corner. Lifting her outside wing slightly, she felt the airflow generate just enough force to keep her upright. Rainbow grinned, a second idea coming to her. If she could do that, could she overcome the inevitable floating by holding herself to the ground? It took a little trial and error, but the mare reached an effective wing position for the moving air to give her some downward pressure. Then, she could really run. The mare whooped with excitement. She would beat Applejack for sure! Her face fell, however, as she remembered the pony she was really competing against. He would continue to be a problem. Rainbow was still contemplating the situation that afternoon over lunch in Ponyville. She spotted Applejack walking into town. The farm pony came over to Rainbow’s table outside the café. “I was thinkin’ maybe we could go over to the library,” suggested Applejack. “Maybe Twilight has somethin’ we can use to get faster.” “At this point, I’m willing to try anything,” agreed Rainbow. The two of them headed over to the book-filled tree where their friend made her home. When they entered, they found Twilight writing some technical things on a chalkboard. Beside her was Vector. From the conversation, it seemed like both of them understood each other pretty well. “What’s goin’ on here?” asked Applejack. “Hello girls,” said Twilight. “You’ve met Vector, right? He and I were just talking about physics and aerodynamics.” “Uh, yeah,” said Rainbow. “As a matter of fact, that’s what we came to the libarary to learn about!” It was harder to say who was more surprised, Applejack or Twilight. Vector looked amused. “It’s a big field of study. I’ve been doing it for a long time.” “Well, it’s…two days until the Running of the Leaves. Ah’m sure we can learn somethin’ useful,” said Applejack, feeling like she was lying. “I’ll leave you in the very capable hooves of Ms. Sparkle here,” said the tall pegasus. He said goodbye and went out the door. “Have a nice day!” the librarian cheerfully called after him. “Twilight, what are you doin’ being so friendly with him?” demanded Applejack. “Yeah,” put in Rainbow. “Are you trying to help him gain an even bigger advantage over us in the race?” The purple unicorn rolled her eyes. “Girls, Vector really understands what he’s talking about. I don’t think there was anything I could teach him that he didn’t already know about going fast. In fact, some of what we illustrated on the board might actually help you.” “He didn’t seem a little full of himself when it came to racing?” asked Applejack. Twilight frowned. “Not really. In fact, the only time I brought up the Running of the Leaves, he said, and I quote, ‘It’s a shame there isn’t stiffer competition around here. Without that, it's hard to push myself'.” Rainbow pointed a hoof at the chalkboard. “Let’s just try to make some sense of this mess.” Twilight seamlessly slipped into teacher mode. “Okay, what we have here is the most important part of speed: efficiency. There are several forms of that, however. One is economy of movement, which means using the least amount of effort. For example, don’t kick your heels up when you run, because it’s wasted motion.” The unicorn looked at her friends. “Now I know you’re both seasoned athletes, so you probably already understand that one. A lesser known technique to make your running more efficient is streamlining. When you’re moving through the air there is resistance, and there’s more of it the faster you go. You want to find a way to cut through the air more easily.” Rainbow nodded. At sonic rainboom speeds, there was a lot of air moving around. When flying, she’d instinctively tucked her ears, legs, and everything else tight to her body. It seemed simple enough to apply a similar concept to the ground. Applejack, however, had learned the same lesson very well the night before. “There is a limit to how much you can do,” Twilight pointed out. “You’re restricted by the overall shape of your body. I mean, you can’t change your bone structure or anything.” The earth pony and the pegasus thought glumly about Vector’s angular head and silly-looking tail. Both probably helped him cut down on wind resistance. “Wait a minute,” said Rainbow. “What if you could give us a little help, Twilight? Can magic make us better?” Twilight gave her a skeptical look. “You seriously want me to perform a transformation spell? If I did that, it wouldn’t be you running the race, Rainbow, it would just be your mind in another body. And anyway, I can’t. It’s not allowed by the regulations.” “I thought that there were only like three race rules,” said Rainbow. “Yes, but have you actually read them?” Twilight selected a pamphlet from a pile of current events paperwork and showed it to her. 1. Racers must have fun 2. Racers must stick to the marked path 3. Racers may only use their hooves to provide forward motion. Restricted things include, but are not limited to: mechanical devices, wings, and magic. For questions regarding the rules, see the Mayor of Ponyville. Rainbow looked at Applejack. “So last year when you caught a ride on the balloon with Spike and Pinkie, you were cheating!” “There’s a lot I ain’t proud of about the race last year,” said the other mare, blushing. “But at least Ah was right all along: no wings!” Rainbow grumbled. “Great. This means I can’t use that new technique I picked up.” “What’s that?” asked Twilight. “I was using airflow to help keep me on the ground,” the pegasus explained. “It helped everywhere, but especially in the corners.” The purple pony nodded. “Vector talked about that. He calls it ‘downforce’. Isn’t the Running of the Leaves a road race, though? Not many sharp curves.” Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, I guess that does take away some of his advantage, but the stupid ‘no wings’ rule hurts me, too. Now I’m back to where I started.” “Ah don’t know how your mane would respond to bein’ tied up,” said Applejack. “Ah tried it, and it helped with wind resistance.” The multihued mare ran a hoof through her mane. “There’s a reason I go for the windblown look. I can’t get my ‘do to behave any other way.” “Well, it’s a shame,” said Applejack. “Ah don’t have that problem.” Rainbow frowned at her. “No fair!” The earth pony shrugged. “Well, Ah don’t get any advantage from wings.” “I can’t even use them in the race!” the pegasus retorted. “That ain’t my problem!” said Applejack, matching her tone and volume. “Girls, stop fighting!” shouted Twilight over the two arguing mares. “Now if you’re really serious about knowing everything there is about Vector’s techniques, I’ll do some asking around. Derpy’s making a mail run to Neightona soon. Maybe she can find something. You have to realize, though, that you can’t win all the time. Sometimes a pony comes along who is just better.” The two mares in front of her hung their heads. “You’re right, Twi.” “Yeah.” The pair left the library together. Applejack said, “That was kind of a silly thing to be arguin’ about.” Rainbow looked up. “Do you want to…work together?” “How, exactly?” asked the earth pony, tilting her head. “Well, maybe if we ran close together the one in front could split the air for the one behind. That way, the one following could rest a little and then get back in front to let the other take a break.” “Hmm.” Applejack considered it. Running as a team was an idea that she’d never heard of before, but it sounded like it might work. The two of them trotted out to the track. “Let’s do this!” shouted Rainbow, taking off at a gallop. When Applejack caught up with her, the pegasus went faster. “That all you got?” called the farmer. Rainbow put on a little more speed, but not much. The earth pony found herself easily keeping up. Like her friend had predicted, the pressure of moving air she felt on her face was much less. Applejack suddenly had an idea for something to add, though. “Hey, what are you doing?” called Rainbow. “What did you do to my tail?” She chanced a quick peek over her shoulder, seeing Applejack’s mouth closed on her multicolored tail. The slight tension kept it from flapping in the breeze, and Rainbow could feel the subtle drop in wind resistance. Applejack grinned. The faster Rainbow ran in front of her, the faster she could run. Maybe the technique they had developed would work even better with more ponies in line. The two ponies took turns leading and following. It was clear that they’d discovered something big. Maybe, just maybe, they could take down Vector by working together. Proving GroundsThe prerace meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of the day before the Running of the Leaves. Applejack came to town early to check with Twilight again, hoping there might be something else she could learn from the strange mess of symbols and numbers on the library chalkboard. She was also considering going to the Mayor later to talk about the visitor in Ponyville. Wasn't the Running of the Leaves typically an hometown competition? What was a professional from somewhere else doing here? Applejack sighed, deciding that whining would be a futile effort. There was nothing in the rules that stopped the blue stallion from running, and she would likely look bad for complaining to get him kicked out. Walking down the street, the mare encountered a crowd of ponies that seemed to be excited about something. In the center was Vector. “What’s goin’ on?” asked Applejack, joining the outskirts of the group. Derpy was standing there. “Twilight asked me to check into this Vector guy. I found out that he’s really famous in Neightona. He’s won lots of races and holds all kinds of records!” Applejack’s already high anxiety took a jump. She watched the blue pegasus talk to his sudden influx of admirers. “What’s your plan for the Running of the Leaves?” asked one. “It won’t be a serious race,” said Vector, grinning. Applejack bit her lip, fighting back an angry rebuttal. To her dismay, the stallion spotted her and came walking over with a friendly smile on his face. “You’re going to the prerace meeting, right? What time is it?” “It’s er, um…three o’clock,” the mare stammered. “That’s when I thought. Thanks.” Vector turned away. Applejack quickly left the area, trotting towards the library with her head low. When mare thought nopony could see her, she gently bopped herself in the face with a hoof. You almost lied to him so he wouldn’t show up! Shame on you for even thinking about it! Sighing, Applejack continued to Twilight’s place. On the other side of the street, Rainbow glanced out the window of the boutique. She forlornly watched Applejack enter the library without her. The two of them needed all the practice they could get, and that wasn’t going to happen when Rarity had her modeling! “Okay Rainbow, turn around and let’s see how that looks on you.” The white unicorn inspected the fancy gown she had asked her friend to wear. Rainbow groaned inwardly. “I’m sorry it took so long to get this material in,” said Rarity. “The customer was very specific. I must thank you again for promising to help me when I asked you last week. It’s lucky you have a similar body type.” “Yeah, sure.” Rainbow glanced out the window again. “Oh! I forgot the pincushion. Just a moment.” Rarity disappeared into the depths of the store. In the fitting room, Rainbow pulled the gown off and started for the exit. The pegasus stopped, dropping the hoof she had reached out to the door with. Rainbow had promised Rarity that she would help. As silly as the clothing was, breaking her friend’s trust wasn’t something she could do. The multicolored mare hurried back to her position. She was clothed again when Rarity came back. “It’s very good that you helped me get this finished today,” murmured the unicorn as she worked. “If I had to wait on another model, I might miss my deadline.” “Hey, what are friends for?” said Rainbow. Rarity finished up within a few minutes and the pegasus shot out the door, heading for the library. There was an idea that she wanted to talk to Twilight about. Opening the door revealed a very frustrated Applejack and an only somewhat frustrated Twilight staring at the chalkboard. “There has to be somethin’ else we haven’t thought of yet,” the farm pony was saying. “I’ve already explained everything,” said Twilight. “There isn’t anything else regarding race science that we haven’t covered.” “Actually, I came up with something,” put in Rainbow. “You know that chicken costume Pinkie had for Nightmare Night? She had that weird beak thing on her face. Do you think something like that, a pointy mask, could help us cut through the air better?” Twilight frowned. “Well, I suppose it might. There’s nothing in the rules against it, but don’t you think you might be taking this whole aerodynamics thing a little overboard?” “But we have to!” insisted Rainbow. “There’s never been a pony this fast in the Running of the Leaves before,” agreed Applejack. The purple unicorn turned away. “If you really think it’s so important, I’m not going to stop you.” Rainbow and Applejack glanced at each other and headed out to the track at Sweet Apple Acres. Along the way, the earth pony asked, “Do you really think puttin’ a cone on your head would help?” The sky-blue mare sighed. “I don’t know. At this point, I’m willing to try anything.” Applejack thought of something. “Say, what if we do keep up with Vector. How is the finish going to work out?” Rainbow realized what she was saying. “We’re running together to go faster in the race… but we can’t both win.” “Guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Applejack muttered grimly. She and Rainbow reached the track and started running. They kept practicing until the fireflies came out. The morning of the race dawned sunny and bright. Most of the residents of Ponyville turned out for the event, even if they wouldn’t be running. Applejack and Rainbow had decided to show up early. Maybe the extra time could help them come up with a plan. The pegasus stomped her hooves nervously. “Do you feel good about this, AJ?” The orange mare put on a brave smile. “Sure. You?” “I’m good.” They were silent for a moment. Applejack said, “Ah hope we’re good.” Rainbow nodded, glancing to the side but then doing a double-take. She hissed, “Here he comes!” Vector came ambling up, an easygoing smile on his face. His wings were already bound with a piece of rope. The stallion bent his knees a little and shook his legs out. A few other ponies began to show up, Twilight and Applejack’s family among them. The orange pony took a rope from Big Macintosh and tied up Rainbow’s wings for her. “Quit movin’ around,” she told the pegasus. “Sorry,” Rainbow muttered. “Here, let me do your mane.” Applejack gave Big Mac her hat and received a ball of twine in exchange. Rainbow began to bind the other mare’s flowing mane. Vector watched with a curious look on his face as the two of them anxiously prepared. Twilight walked over. “Both of you look nervous. Almost scared, even.” “I think we have a good reason!” Rainbow told her. “Well, I’ve heard that both of you have been training really hard,” said the unicorn. “I know I’ve taught you a lot. It’ll be interesting to see you prove how much better you've gotten.” “I think so, too,” said Vector. “I hope I was able to help.” Applejack and Rainbow looked at him, dumbstruck. Twilight explained, “I told him you were both trying to get faster.” “I hope you didn’t put too much effort into it, though,” said the stallion. “This isn’t a serious race.” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Not serious?” Vector nodded. “Yeah, didn’t you read the regulations? The very first rule is ‘Racers must have fun’. I don’t know about you, but I came here to relax.” The two racing mares looked at each other. Rainbow asked, “You came all the way to Ponyville just to run a relaxing race?” “It isn’t part of the championship. I don’t get points for being here. In fact, nopony gets anything for winning.” Vector looked confused. “Did I miss something?” “Er, no,” said Applejack. She pulled Rainbow away as Vector shrugged and stepped up to the starting line. “I can’t believe we put all that effort into training and preparing just for him to blow it off.” muttered the pegasus mare. “We wasted our time.” “Don’t say that,” Twilight told her. “You’ve both gotten faster, haven’t you?” Both mares in front of her nodded. “You’ve learned to use teamwork, haven’t you?” Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other. “Ah reckon.” “Yeah, I guess.” “I wouldn’t call it wasted, then,” observed Twilight. “Why don’t we all just go out and do our best? The race is just for the fun of it.” “He’s still going to win,” grumbled Rainbow. “And so what if he does?” said Twilight, rolling her eyes. “He’s a professional racer who has been doing this for a long time. From what I’ve heard, a lot of ponies in Neightona would be envious of you just for being able to participate in a race with him.” “But…I don’t know how to not compete!” said Rainbow. She sighed and seemed to relax a little. "I guess I could try." “Come on, we'll figure it out,” said Applejack, grabbing her hat from her brother and shoving it on her head. She and Rainbow stepped up to the starting line. “Are you ladies ready?” asked Vector. He smiled. “I’ll teach you a few things about going faster, but only if you promise to have fun.” The two mares nodded and smiled. “We’ll do our best,” said Rainbow. “Maybe we can even show you a few things,” agreed Applejack, getting into position behind her friend. Vector stared at the unusual formation with interest. “I’m ready if you are.” As the Mayor stepped up to the podium to start the race, Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other and shared a smile. This was going to be fun. The three of them crouched in the ready position as the countdown began. “Three, two, one…” author notesTime to talk about the insane detail I put into things most people probably didn't notice. While this story is about friendship, bettering yourself, and not taking things too seriously, I've also included references to old-school racing. Vector is a loose tribute to the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird NASCAR competitors. History: The Daytonas and Superbirds were Chrysler Corp's entry into NASCAR's early aerodynamics wars. The 1968 Dodge Charger looked great, but had terrible drag. Meanwhile, the Ford Torino's styling was much slicker. Chevrolet, on the other hand, quietly exited NASCAR for a few years and would not win another race until 1972. To gain an aerodynamic advantage, Chrysler's racing department sat down with their missile department (yes, Chrysler used to have a missile department) and designed some pieces that could be adapted to the Charger. The result was the Daytona. Plymouth, another Chrysler division, did the same treatment to their Road Runner, creating the Superbird. The two cars certainly looked strange, but they were effective. Technolgy: The nosecones and tall wings on the Daytonas and Superbirds weren't designed to be pretty, they were designed to work. In fact, the cars had a drag coeffient of just 0.28 - about the same as a modern Corvette! On top of that, the nose and wing developed about 1200 total pounds of downforce, holding the car to the track and improving handling. The wing trick Vector uses is a reference to this. In race form, the cars were typically powered by the Chrysler 426 Hemi. That's a whole story in itself. Legacy: On March 24, 1970, Buddy Baker drove his Daytona to an average lap of 200.447 mph at Talledega Superspeedway. It was an important record, because until that time no car had ever reached an average of 200 mph on a closed course. Not Indy cars, not Formula one. Good 'ol American muscle was the first. Unofficially, at Chrysler's 5-mile Chelsea proving grounds, the cars had run to a top speed of more than 240 mph. Those laps were kept secret. If NASCAR found out, they probably would have banned the cars completly. As it was, the Daytonas, Superbirds, and their Ford and Mercury aero-car competition were forced to run smaller engines during the 1971 racing season. Only one Daytona-driving team opted to do so, instead of using a car with worse aerodynamics. They finished a respectable seventh in the high-speed Daytona 500 race, but it was to be the last battle of the aero war. All the cars involved had been regulated out of competition. As an interesting side note, the #71 Daytona driven by Bobby Issac won 11 races and the 1970 NASCAR championship, along the way breaking Buddy Baker's lap record. In the off season, the team went to the Bonneville Salt Flats and set 28 USAC speed records, some of which still stand today. The "216.945" on the sign in the picture above is the car's speed in the flying mile. When they got done with all that, they put Isaac's Daytona on display with a sign that said "world's fastest car." Nobody argued. Pony: I could think of no better color scheme for a racecar-inspired pony than Petty Blue and STP Orange. Vector's cutie mark is a reference to several things. Vectors, obviously, but also vaguely of a gear shifting pattern in a manual transmission. I came up with it after seeing the white and black arrows used in the logo of Mopar's old Direct Connection department, the place where they sold their racing parts. His time of 47.88 seconds at the Sweet Apple Acres track is also the number of seconds it takes to run a 200 mph lap at Talledega. The pony picture above was based on General Zoi's Pony Creator, but I modified several things. That snout, mane, and tail are not things you will find in the Creator. The wings were also modified to better accomodate the cutie mark. Okay, time to go obsess about something else now. Thanks for reading.
The ChallengeForward Motion “Hey Twilight, are you competing in the Running of the Leaves again this year?” The question had come from a sky-blue pegasus with multicolored stripes in her mane and tail. Twilight Sparkle looked up from the reference book in front of her. The purple unicorn put her hoof to her chin in thought and smiled. “I have a lot of things to do that weekend, Rainbow, but I’ll try to make it. Hopefully with a little practice, I’ll do even better than last year!” “Well, you’ve still got a long way to go to beat me,” said the other mare, grinning. “I’ll try to make it a close race, though.” Rainbow said goodbye to her friend and left the library where Twilight had been working. The pegasus headed towards the outskirts of town, looking for some open ground. As Ponyville was not a very large settlement, it didn’t take long. The road ahead was clear. Rainbow tucked her wings tightly to her sides and pawed at the ground. She bent her legs, getting into a starting stance. Three, two, one… The mare exploded forward into a sprint. While Rainbow usually only did things that somehow involved flying, she reveled in any kind of competition. She was at her happiest when pushing her body to the limit. The sound of her hooves pounding the road grew lighter as her speed increased. Pegasi were meant to fly, and generally their limiting factor in ground speed was staying in contact with the surface. At some point, their lightweight bodies would begin to uncontrollably float. Rainbow’s toned body was denser than most pegasus mares, or heck, even most stallions. Her extra weight kept her hooves planted better, but there was still a limit. She had considered carrying weighted saddlebags for the race, but that would tire her out more quickly. While still considering the problem, the mare spotted a familiar face coming along the road. She coasted down from her sprint, forming up beside an orange earth pony who was pulling an apple cart. “Hey AJ, what’s up?” asked Rainbow. “Just finishin’ up today’s work,” replied Applejack. She pushed her cowboy hat back and grinned. “What are you up to, practicin’ for the Runnin’ of the Leaves? Afraid Ah’ll beat you this time?” “Yeah right,” laughed Rainbow. “I don’t even see you training.” Applejack indicated the cart behind her and flexed her legs. “Everything Ah do helps me prepare.” “You should work on your cardio!” suggested Rainbow, taking off again. Applejack watched her go, a cloud of dust trailing behind the running pegasus. The orange mare turned back to her task, putting a little extra effort into pulling the cart. The race was only a few days away, and there was only so much she could do to prepare. But yes, she had been working on getting her heart rate up, usually late at night when Rainbow was asleep. Applejack pulled the cart into town. The late afternoon sun indicated that her workday was almost done. She backed her cart up to the loading door at the back of Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville’s bakery. There were a lot of seasonal treats being prepared for after the race and its associated festivities. The Running of the Leaves was an important autumn tradition in Ponyville. The wake of running ponies was used to defoliate the forest in preparation for the coming winter. The mare unhooked the cart and turned to go around the front of the building. She caught sight of a tall stallion walking down the street. The pegasus was an interesting shade of blue—a little darker than the sky, a little lighter than water. The mane on the pony's neck was reddish orange and cut short, while his matching tail was bobbed to the extreme. His face was angular and was dominated by a pointed snout. Applejack reached forward to open the bakery door just as it was blasted open by the exit of a pink earth pony with a frizzy mane. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh, is that somepony new?” The pink pony bounced over to the stallion, stopping him in the street. “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie! I haven’t seen you around before, so that means you must be new, and you know what that means!” “Actually, I have no idea,” said the pegasus, looking amused. “I’m going to throw you a party!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Tell me your name so I can make the invitations!” “Call me Vector.” The stallion laughed and started to introduce himself further, but Pinkie was already gone. Applejack walked over and extended a hoof. “We don’t get many visitors around these parts. Name’s Applejack.” Vector greeted her. Now that she was closer, the mare could see his cutie mark was four arrows pointing outwards from a center origin point. The stallion said, “I came to Ponyville to compete in the Running of the Leaves.” “How about that?” said Applejack. “So am Ah.” He smiled. “Maybe you could show me the course. I’m from Neightona, and I haven’t been out this way before.” “Sure,” said Applejack. “Ah got to warn you, though, I’ll be at the front of the pack on race day. You’ll have to keep up.” “It won’t be a problem,” replied Vector confidently. Applejack wondered for a moment how fast the stallion might be. He certainly appeared to be in shape, even more so than most earth ponies. His long legs looked trim and speedy. Still, other than the spat with Rainbow the year before, she was undefeated in the race. “Well then, why don’t we go out later?” said Applejack with a challenging smile. “After your party, o’course.” The blue stallion nodded. “I’d like that. Oh, as I was coming into town I noticed a track built in the orchard to the south. Can I practice there?” “As a matter of fact, you can. It’s Sweet Apple Acres property, but everypony has access to it.” Several ponies from town used the path cut in the orchard for exercise. Applejack figured it would give her an excellent opportunity to find out how fast this pegasus might be. The mare excused herself. Despite the impending Pinkie Party, she had to go prepare for the race. Vector was about to turn away when Pinkie burst back out the door of the bakery. “There you are! Right now, it’s the right time to have a good time!” She hauled him inside. After living with Pinkie for so long, the residents of Ponyville had grown accustomed to her extravagant welcome parties. They greeted the new pony in their midst, offering friendly conversation. Three young fillies pulled him aside. “Where’dja say you were from?” asked a red-maned earth pony. “Neightona. It’s down south.” “What do you do for a living?” the white unicorn asked. “I race.” “Cool, a professional athlete!” squealed an orange pegasus. The yellow filly with the red mane asked, “What’s your cutie mark mean?” Vector glanced at his hip, at the symbol with four opposing arrows. “Have you ever heard of the four fundamentals of flight?” “Sort of,” answered the pegasus filly, scratching her head through her purple mane. “Thrust, drag, weight, and lift,” recited Vector. “I guess it means I’m good at balancing forces to get the most out of myself. There’s a lot of physics involved.” The other two fillies backed off at the mention of science, but the pegasus persisted. “What kind of racing do you do? Air derby? Endurance?” “I hoofrace,” answered Vector. “I’m actually not that great at flying.” “Did somepony say racing?” Rainbow Dash joined the group. Vector offered a hoof and introduced himself. “A professional, huh?” said Rainbow. “You came all the way here just for our Running of the Leaves?” “I like a challenge,” said Vector. “I might as well win as many races as I can.” It was a little presumptuous of him to already consider the Running of the Leaves won. Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. Granted, she probably would have said something similar, but who was this outsider who thought he was so great? “Well then,” said the mare, “how about a friendly little competition to warm up before the race?” “I’m actually going out later with somepony named Applejack,” explained Vector. “She said she’d show me around.” “I know her,” said Rainbow, nodding. “Maybe I’ll join you two.” “How about some cake?” squealed Pinkie, popping up between the two of them. “Ah, no, sorry. Got to stay in shape,” Vector waved a hoof. Rainbow would have said yes, but with the stallion standing there she also declined. She looked at him. “We could get going now.” “Sure.” The two pegasi left the party, somewhat to Pinkie’s consternation. They found Applejack near her orchard, stretching in preparation for an evening workout. “Ah see you’ve met Vector,” the farm pony said. “Thank you both for agreeing to show me the racecourse.” The stallion smiled. “Wouldn’t want you to get lost on race day,” said Applejack. “Hey Vector, the starting line is that way,” said Rainbow, pointing a hoof. “Give me a minute to talk to AJ.” Applejack looked at her friend curiously, but waited until the tall blue pegasus was out of earshot. “What is it, Rainbow?” “Did you know this guy is a professional racer?” her friend asked. “He’s probably pretty fast.” Applejack grinned. “Are you worried?” “No! I just didn’t want you to get third place instead of second.” Rainbow grinned. “Why don’t we take it easy tonight so we don’t give up too many of our secrets? After all, we can’t let somepony from Neightona come in here and win our local race.” The earth pony nodded and the two of them walked to where Vector was examining the race starting line. The three of them set off at a brisk trot. The stallion seemed to be slightly confused by the slow pace, but said nothing. “The racecourse goes up north and weaves through Whitetail Wood,” explained Applejack. “It should be clearly marked,” put in Rainbow. “I made sure of it myself.” The other mare threw her a look, but before she could bring up what happened the year before, Vector asked, “Are there any other pros coming?” “Not that I know of,” said Rainbow. “Oh.” The stallion seemed disappointed. “I was hoping for some stiff competition.” “Don’t count us country folks out,” said Applejack. “Why, even our librarian is training for the race this year.’ The stallion’s attitude grated on the earth pony. He seemed to think the Running of the leaves would be easy. She was tempted to pick up the pace and show him a thing or two, but managed to resist. The three ponies finished the rest of the course review in silence. In the morning, Applejack went into town to retrieve the now-empty cart from the bakery. Along the way, she saw a purple unicorn lugging heavy saddlebags filled with books. “Hey there Twilight,” called the farmer. “Hello Applejack. I managed to get some free time this weekend.” The unicorn smiled. Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “It looks like you’re studying.” Twilight nodded. “That’s right! How else am I supposed to learn more about racing?” “Well, we have a so-called expert in town right now.” Applejack related to her friend everything she had learned about Vector. “He sounds a little full of himself,” observed the studious pony. “Just stay polite and beat him at his own game.” Applejack smiled. “Ah can do that. See you later, Twi.” On her way back to the farm, Rainbow flew by. “Hey AJ, Vector’s at your place using the track!” “Really?” The orange pony hurried back, eager to see the stallion run. She and Rainbow arrived at the edge of the track as Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh, came walking over. Vector was jogging, still warming up. The track had been built to avoid as many apple trees as possible. One straightaway was broken into two shorter segments with a gentle curve between. It turned the track into an isosceles triangle, wider than it was tall. Seeing he had an audience, Vector put on a little more speed. It was clear that he wasn’t pushing his limits, but his comparatively modest pace was probably faster than lots of ponies. Macintosh disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a stopwatch. Applejack seized it. “Thanks, big brother.” “Eeyup.” Big Mac had raced in the Running of the Leaves a few times, handing off the duty of representing the Apple family when AJ was old enough. The first lap Applejack timed, Vector completed the circuit in 55.11 seconds. The mare grinned to herself. The track record was 51.45 – set by her. Rainbow was a couple of tenths slower, using the excuse that the turns slowed her down. Vector glanced sideways as he went by, seeing the stopwatch. His speed picked up a little, and the next three laps were all less than 53 seconds. Applejack and Rainbow glanced at each other. The stallion was pretty fast, they had to give him that. The orange mare glanced at the stopwatch as he came around again and did a double take. Vector's latest lap was 51.96 seconds. Nervous now, the two mares and Big Mac watched from the sidelines. Vector rounded the turn and headed for the timing line again. He was moving faster than before. The stallion stretched his sharp muzzle forward, extending his legs and taking long strides. Applejack clicked the stopwatch. 51.57 – he was faster than Rainbow. As he went by, Vector flashed a mischievous grin. His hooves thundered on the track as the stallion headed into the first turn to begin a new lap. It was a good thing his mane and tail were cut so short, or the breeze would have been blowing them all over. As it was, his ears were forced back flat on his head. Rainbow studied the male pegasus carefully. As he ran faster, his wings lifted slightly, the tips rising above his back. It probably took a lot of muscle effort to hold them there, instead of tucking them to his sides. She noticed something else. It sounded like his hoofbeats were only getting louder, instead of floating. Sure, he weighed more than she did, but he was still a pegasus, right? Down the long straightway, Vector’s legs and torso seemed to almost lengthen and compress as he threw his whole body into running. Applejack’s hooves began to tremble. It was already clear the track record was in jeopardy. How much would he cut off? A couple of tenths? A whole second? The stallion swept into the final turn, his long legs eating up the distance. He pushed himself all the way to the timing line. Applejack looked down at the stopwatch: 47.88 “How in tarnation—” shouted the mare. Rainbow gasped. “What the buck—” Big Mac said nothing, his mouth hanging open. The three of them watched Vector slow to a jog. He took half a lap to cool down, exiting the track and trotting away without looking back or speaking. The tall pegasus didn’t need to say anything. His challenge had been issued.
Research and DevelopmentApplejack was quiet the rest of the evening. The Running of the Leaves was two days away, and it was suddenly possible that she would not be competing for first place. It was a terrible feeling to know that she might have lost the race before it even began. The orange mare was no quitter, though. That night, she stepped out onto the track determined to run harder than she ever had before. As fireflies began to light the orchard, the mare warmed up by jogging a couple of laps. Coming back to the timing line, she tried for a fast one. The wind rushing past Applejack’s face was an enjoyable feeling, but the resistance was clearly holding her back. Her mane and tail, both tied to keep them out of the way while she worked, streamed behind. The mare jogged the next few laps, thinking. Vector had a very short manecut. Big Macintosh kept his tail bobbed in the typical workhorse way, but the racing pegasus had gone beyond even that. It was a good thing the blue stallion was athletic, because his unusal grooming and face wouldn't win him any mares. Applejack shook her head. No, she wasn’t interested in Vector for any reason other than beating him in the Running of the Leaves. Still, maybe he was onto something. The mare went over to the barn to find some twine. Taking off her hat, she bound her mane and tail tightly with the string to keep them out of the wind. Leaving her Stetson there, she trotted back to the track to have another go. The darkness made it harder to see the ground passing rapidly beneath her hooves, but she felt faster. Applejack grinned. She could sure put some distance on Rainbow now. Her smile faded as she thought of Vector. There was no way her speed had improved enough to beat him. After the mare retired for the night, the track sat unused until the early morning hours when Rainbow showed up. The pegasus knew Applejack would be hard at work by then, so she was free to practice for the race unsupervised. It would be nearly impossible to actually improve her physical condition significantly in the two days before the race, but darn it, Rainbow was going to try. She took off at a gallop, accelerating until the familiar floating feeling started to make her hooves slip. The mare knew she couldn’t hold her straightaway speed through the corner, but pushed as hard as possible, leaning into the turn. About halfway through, she lost her footing and almost fell, catching herself at the last minute with an instinctive flap of her wings. A sudden thought struck her. Why had Vector been holding his wings so strangely when running? Was he using them to push his body towards the inside of the turn? Rainbow ran down the back straightaway and charged into the next corner. Lifting her outside wing slightly, she felt the airflow generate just enough force to keep her upright. Rainbow grinned, a second idea coming to her. If she could do that, could she overcome the inevitable floating by holding herself to the ground? It took a little trial and error, but the mare reached an effective wing position for the moving air to give her some downward pressure. Then, she could really run. The mare whooped with excitement. She would beat Applejack for sure! Her face fell, however, as she remembered the pony she was really competing against. He would continue to be a problem. Rainbow was still contemplating the situation that afternoon over lunch in Ponyville. She spotted Applejack walking into town. The farm pony came over to Rainbow’s table outside the café. “I was thinkin’ maybe we could go over to the library,” suggested Applejack. “Maybe Twilight has somethin’ we can use to get faster.” “At this point, I’m willing to try anything,” agreed Rainbow. The two of them headed over to the book-filled tree where their friend made her home. When they entered, they found Twilight writing some technical things on a chalkboard. Beside her was Vector. From the conversation, it seemed like both of them understood each other pretty well. “What’s goin’ on here?” asked Applejack. “Hello girls,” said Twilight. “You’ve met Vector, right? He and I were just talking about physics and aerodynamics.” “Uh, yeah,” said Rainbow. “As a matter of fact, that’s what we came to the libarary to learn about!” It was harder to say who was more surprised, Applejack or Twilight. Vector looked amused. “It’s a big field of study. I’ve been doing it for a long time.” “Well, it’s…two days until the Running of the Leaves. Ah’m sure we can learn somethin’ useful,” said Applejack, feeling like she was lying. “I’ll leave you in the very capable hooves of Ms. Sparkle here,” said the tall pegasus. He said goodbye and went out the door. “Have a nice day!” the librarian cheerfully called after him. “Twilight, what are you doin’ being so friendly with him?” demanded Applejack. “Yeah,” put in Rainbow. “Are you trying to help him gain an even bigger advantage over us in the race?” The purple unicorn rolled her eyes. “Girls, Vector really understands what he’s talking about. I don’t think there was anything I could teach him that he didn’t already know about going fast. In fact, some of what we illustrated on the board might actually help you.” “He didn’t seem a little full of himself when it came to racing?” asked Applejack. Twilight frowned. “Not really. In fact, the only time I brought up the Running of the Leaves, he said, and I quote, ‘It’s a shame there isn’t stiffer competition around here. Without that, it's hard to push myself'.” Rainbow pointed a hoof at the chalkboard. “Let’s just try to make some sense of this mess.” Twilight seamlessly slipped into teacher mode. “Okay, what we have here is the most important part of speed: efficiency. There are several forms of that, however. One is economy of movement, which means using the least amount of effort. For example, don’t kick your heels up when you run, because it’s wasted motion.” The unicorn looked at her friends. “Now I know you’re both seasoned athletes, so you probably already understand that one. A lesser known technique to make your running more efficient is streamlining. When you’re moving through the air there is resistance, and there’s more of it the faster you go. You want to find a way to cut through the air more easily.” Rainbow nodded. At sonic rainboom speeds, there was a lot of air moving around. When flying, she’d instinctively tucked her ears, legs, and everything else tight to her body. It seemed simple enough to apply a similar concept to the ground. Applejack, however, had learned the same lesson very well the night before. “There is a limit to how much you can do,” Twilight pointed out. “You’re restricted by the overall shape of your body. I mean, you can’t change your bone structure or anything.” The earth pony and the pegasus thought glumly about Vector’s angular head and silly-looking tail. Both probably helped him cut down on wind resistance. “Wait a minute,” said Rainbow. “What if you could give us a little help, Twilight? Can magic make us better?” Twilight gave her a skeptical look. “You seriously want me to perform a transformation spell? If I did that, it wouldn’t be you running the race, Rainbow, it would just be your mind in another body. And anyway, I can’t. It’s not allowed by the regulations.” “I thought that there were only like three race rules,” said Rainbow. “Yes, but have you actually read them?” Twilight selected a pamphlet from a pile of current events paperwork and showed it to her. 1. Racers must have fun 2. Racers must stick to the marked path 3. Racers may only use their hooves to provide forward motion. Restricted things include, but are not limited to: mechanical devices, wings, and magic. For questions regarding the rules, see the Mayor of Ponyville. Rainbow looked at Applejack. “So last year when you caught a ride on the balloon with Spike and Pinkie, you were cheating!” “There’s a lot I ain’t proud of about the race last year,” said the other mare, blushing. “But at least Ah was right all along: no wings!” Rainbow grumbled. “Great. This means I can’t use that new technique I picked up.” “What’s that?” asked Twilight. “I was using airflow to help keep me on the ground,” the pegasus explained. “It helped everywhere, but especially in the corners.” The purple pony nodded. “Vector talked about that. He calls it ‘downforce’. Isn’t the Running of the Leaves a road race, though? Not many sharp curves.” Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, I guess that does take away some of his advantage, but the stupid ‘no wings’ rule hurts me, too. Now I’m back to where I started.” “Ah don’t know how your mane would respond to bein’ tied up,” said Applejack. “Ah tried it, and it helped with wind resistance.” The multihued mare ran a hoof through her mane. “There’s a reason I go for the windblown look. I can’t get my ‘do to behave any other way.” “Well, it’s a shame,” said Applejack. “Ah don’t have that problem.” Rainbow frowned at her. “No fair!” The earth pony shrugged. “Well, Ah don’t get any advantage from wings.” “I can’t even use them in the race!” the pegasus retorted. “That ain’t my problem!” said Applejack, matching her tone and volume. “Girls, stop fighting!” shouted Twilight over the two arguing mares. “Now if you’re really serious about knowing everything there is about Vector’s techniques, I’ll do some asking around. Derpy’s making a mail run to Neightona soon. Maybe she can find something. You have to realize, though, that you can’t win all the time. Sometimes a pony comes along who is just better.” The two mares in front of her hung their heads. “You’re right, Twi.” “Yeah.” The pair left the library together. Applejack said, “That was kind of a silly thing to be arguin’ about.” Rainbow looked up. “Do you want to…work together?” “How, exactly?” asked the earth pony, tilting her head. “Well, maybe if we ran close together the one in front could split the air for the one behind. That way, the one following could rest a little and then get back in front to let the other take a break.” “Hmm.” Applejack considered it. Running as a team was an idea that she’d never heard of before, but it sounded like it might work. The two of them trotted out to the track. “Let’s do this!” shouted Rainbow, taking off at a gallop. When Applejack caught up with her, the pegasus went faster. “That all you got?” called the farmer. Rainbow put on a little more speed, but not much. The earth pony found herself easily keeping up. Like her friend had predicted, the pressure of moving air she felt on her face was much less. Applejack suddenly had an idea for something to add, though. “Hey, what are you doing?” called Rainbow. “What did you do to my tail?” She chanced a quick peek over her shoulder, seeing Applejack’s mouth closed on her multicolored tail. The slight tension kept it from flapping in the breeze, and Rainbow could feel the subtle drop in wind resistance. Applejack grinned. The faster Rainbow ran in front of her, the faster she could run. Maybe the technique they had developed would work even better with more ponies in line. The two ponies took turns leading and following. It was clear that they’d discovered something big. Maybe, just maybe, they could take down Vector by working together.
Proving GroundsThe prerace meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of the day before the Running of the Leaves. Applejack came to town early to check with Twilight again, hoping there might be something else she could learn from the strange mess of symbols and numbers on the library chalkboard. She was also considering going to the Mayor later to talk about the visitor in Ponyville. Wasn't the Running of the Leaves typically an hometown competition? What was a professional from somewhere else doing here? Applejack sighed, deciding that whining would be a futile effort. There was nothing in the rules that stopped the blue stallion from running, and she would likely look bad for complaining to get him kicked out. Walking down the street, the mare encountered a crowd of ponies that seemed to be excited about something. In the center was Vector. “What’s goin’ on?” asked Applejack, joining the outskirts of the group. Derpy was standing there. “Twilight asked me to check into this Vector guy. I found out that he’s really famous in Neightona. He’s won lots of races and holds all kinds of records!” Applejack’s already high anxiety took a jump. She watched the blue pegasus talk to his sudden influx of admirers. “What’s your plan for the Running of the Leaves?” asked one. “It won’t be a serious race,” said Vector, grinning. Applejack bit her lip, fighting back an angry rebuttal. To her dismay, the stallion spotted her and came walking over with a friendly smile on his face. “You’re going to the prerace meeting, right? What time is it?” “It’s er, um…three o’clock,” the mare stammered. “That’s when I thought. Thanks.” Vector turned away. Applejack quickly left the area, trotting towards the library with her head low. When mare thought nopony could see her, she gently bopped herself in the face with a hoof. You almost lied to him so he wouldn’t show up! Shame on you for even thinking about it! Sighing, Applejack continued to Twilight’s place. On the other side of the street, Rainbow glanced out the window of the boutique. She forlornly watched Applejack enter the library without her. The two of them needed all the practice they could get, and that wasn’t going to happen when Rarity had her modeling! “Okay Rainbow, turn around and let’s see how that looks on you.” The white unicorn inspected the fancy gown she had asked her friend to wear. Rainbow groaned inwardly. “I’m sorry it took so long to get this material in,” said Rarity. “The customer was very specific. I must thank you again for promising to help me when I asked you last week. It’s lucky you have a similar body type.” “Yeah, sure.” Rainbow glanced out the window again. “Oh! I forgot the pincushion. Just a moment.” Rarity disappeared into the depths of the store. In the fitting room, Rainbow pulled the gown off and started for the exit. The pegasus stopped, dropping the hoof she had reached out to the door with. Rainbow had promised Rarity that she would help. As silly as the clothing was, breaking her friend’s trust wasn’t something she could do. The multicolored mare hurried back to her position. She was clothed again when Rarity came back. “It’s very good that you helped me get this finished today,” murmured the unicorn as she worked. “If I had to wait on another model, I might miss my deadline.” “Hey, what are friends for?” said Rainbow. Rarity finished up within a few minutes and the pegasus shot out the door, heading for the library. There was an idea that she wanted to talk to Twilight about. Opening the door revealed a very frustrated Applejack and an only somewhat frustrated Twilight staring at the chalkboard. “There has to be somethin’ else we haven’t thought of yet,” the farm pony was saying. “I’ve already explained everything,” said Twilight. “There isn’t anything else regarding race science that we haven’t covered.” “Actually, I came up with something,” put in Rainbow. “You know that chicken costume Pinkie had for Nightmare Night? She had that weird beak thing on her face. Do you think something like that, a pointy mask, could help us cut through the air better?” Twilight frowned. “Well, I suppose it might. There’s nothing in the rules against it, but don’t you think you might be taking this whole aerodynamics thing a little overboard?” “But we have to!” insisted Rainbow. “There’s never been a pony this fast in the Running of the Leaves before,” agreed Applejack. The purple unicorn turned away. “If you really think it’s so important, I’m not going to stop you.” Rainbow and Applejack glanced at each other and headed out to the track at Sweet Apple Acres. Along the way, the earth pony asked, “Do you really think puttin’ a cone on your head would help?” The sky-blue mare sighed. “I don’t know. At this point, I’m willing to try anything.” Applejack thought of something. “Say, what if we do keep up with Vector. How is the finish going to work out?” Rainbow realized what she was saying. “We’re running together to go faster in the race… but we can’t both win.” “Guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Applejack muttered grimly. She and Rainbow reached the track and started running. They kept practicing until the fireflies came out. The morning of the race dawned sunny and bright. Most of the residents of Ponyville turned out for the event, even if they wouldn’t be running. Applejack and Rainbow had decided to show up early. Maybe the extra time could help them come up with a plan. The pegasus stomped her hooves nervously. “Do you feel good about this, AJ?” The orange mare put on a brave smile. “Sure. You?” “I’m good.” They were silent for a moment. Applejack said, “Ah hope we’re good.” Rainbow nodded, glancing to the side but then doing a double-take. She hissed, “Here he comes!” Vector came ambling up, an easygoing smile on his face. His wings were already bound with a piece of rope. The stallion bent his knees a little and shook his legs out. A few other ponies began to show up, Twilight and Applejack’s family among them. The orange pony took a rope from Big Macintosh and tied up Rainbow’s wings for her. “Quit movin’ around,” she told the pegasus. “Sorry,” Rainbow muttered. “Here, let me do your mane.” Applejack gave Big Mac her hat and received a ball of twine in exchange. Rainbow began to bind the other mare’s flowing mane. Vector watched with a curious look on his face as the two of them anxiously prepared. Twilight walked over. “Both of you look nervous. Almost scared, even.” “I think we have a good reason!” Rainbow told her. “Well, I’ve heard that both of you have been training really hard,” said the unicorn. “I know I’ve taught you a lot. It’ll be interesting to see you prove how much better you've gotten.” “I think so, too,” said Vector. “I hope I was able to help.” Applejack and Rainbow looked at him, dumbstruck. Twilight explained, “I told him you were both trying to get faster.” “I hope you didn’t put too much effort into it, though,” said the stallion. “This isn’t a serious race.” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Not serious?” Vector nodded. “Yeah, didn’t you read the regulations? The very first rule is ‘Racers must have fun’. I don’t know about you, but I came here to relax.” The two racing mares looked at each other. Rainbow asked, “You came all the way to Ponyville just to run a relaxing race?” “It isn’t part of the championship. I don’t get points for being here. In fact, nopony gets anything for winning.” Vector looked confused. “Did I miss something?” “Er, no,” said Applejack. She pulled Rainbow away as Vector shrugged and stepped up to the starting line. “I can’t believe we put all that effort into training and preparing just for him to blow it off.” muttered the pegasus mare. “We wasted our time.” “Don’t say that,” Twilight told her. “You’ve both gotten faster, haven’t you?” Both mares in front of her nodded. “You’ve learned to use teamwork, haven’t you?” Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other. “Ah reckon.” “Yeah, I guess.” “I wouldn’t call it wasted, then,” observed Twilight. “Why don’t we all just go out and do our best? The race is just for the fun of it.” “He’s still going to win,” grumbled Rainbow. “And so what if he does?” said Twilight, rolling her eyes. “He’s a professional racer who has been doing this for a long time. From what I’ve heard, a lot of ponies in Neightona would be envious of you just for being able to participate in a race with him.” “But…I don’t know how to not compete!” said Rainbow. She sighed and seemed to relax a little. "I guess I could try." “Come on, we'll figure it out,” said Applejack, grabbing her hat from her brother and shoving it on her head. She and Rainbow stepped up to the starting line. “Are you ladies ready?” asked Vector. He smiled. “I’ll teach you a few things about going faster, but only if you promise to have fun.” The two mares nodded and smiled. “We’ll do our best,” said Rainbow. “Maybe we can even show you a few things,” agreed Applejack, getting into position behind her friend. Vector stared at the unusual formation with interest. “I’m ready if you are.” As the Mayor stepped up to the podium to start the race, Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other and shared a smile. This was going to be fun. The three of them crouched in the ready position as the countdown began. “Three, two, one…”
author notesTime to talk about the insane detail I put into things most people probably didn't notice. While this story is about friendship, bettering yourself, and not taking things too seriously, I've also included references to old-school racing. Vector is a loose tribute to the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird NASCAR competitors. History: The Daytonas and Superbirds were Chrysler Corp's entry into NASCAR's early aerodynamics wars. The 1968 Dodge Charger looked great, but had terrible drag. Meanwhile, the Ford Torino's styling was much slicker. Chevrolet, on the other hand, quietly exited NASCAR for a few years and would not win another race until 1972. To gain an aerodynamic advantage, Chrysler's racing department sat down with their missile department (yes, Chrysler used to have a missile department) and designed some pieces that could be adapted to the Charger. The result was the Daytona. Plymouth, another Chrysler division, did the same treatment to their Road Runner, creating the Superbird. The two cars certainly looked strange, but they were effective. Technolgy: The nosecones and tall wings on the Daytonas and Superbirds weren't designed to be pretty, they were designed to work. In fact, the cars had a drag coeffient of just 0.28 - about the same as a modern Corvette! On top of that, the nose and wing developed about 1200 total pounds of downforce, holding the car to the track and improving handling. The wing trick Vector uses is a reference to this. In race form, the cars were typically powered by the Chrysler 426 Hemi. That's a whole story in itself. Legacy: On March 24, 1970, Buddy Baker drove his Daytona to an average lap of 200.447 mph at Talledega Superspeedway. It was an important record, because until that time no car had ever reached an average of 200 mph on a closed course. Not Indy cars, not Formula one. Good 'ol American muscle was the first. Unofficially, at Chrysler's 5-mile Chelsea proving grounds, the cars had run to a top speed of more than 240 mph. Those laps were kept secret. If NASCAR found out, they probably would have banned the cars completly. As it was, the Daytonas, Superbirds, and their Ford and Mercury aero-car competition were forced to run smaller engines during the 1971 racing season. Only one Daytona-driving team opted to do so, instead of using a car with worse aerodynamics. They finished a respectable seventh in the high-speed Daytona 500 race, but it was to be the last battle of the aero war. All the cars involved had been regulated out of competition. As an interesting side note, the #71 Daytona driven by Bobby Issac won 11 races and the 1970 NASCAR championship, along the way breaking Buddy Baker's lap record. In the off season, the team went to the Bonneville Salt Flats and set 28 USAC speed records, some of which still stand today. The "216.945" on the sign in the picture above is the car's speed in the flying mile. When they got done with all that, they put Isaac's Daytona on display with a sign that said "world's fastest car." Nobody argued. Pony: I could think of no better color scheme for a racecar-inspired pony than Petty Blue and STP Orange. Vector's cutie mark is a reference to several things. Vectors, obviously, but also vaguely of a gear shifting pattern in a manual transmission. I came up with it after seeing the white and black arrows used in the logo of Mopar's old Direct Connection department, the place where they sold their racing parts. His time of 47.88 seconds at the Sweet Apple Acres track is also the number of seconds it takes to run a 200 mph lap at Talledega. The pony picture above was based on General Zoi's Pony Creator, but I modified several things. That snout, mane, and tail are not things you will find in the Creator. The wings were also modified to better accomodate the cutie mark. Okay, time to go obsess about something else now. Thanks for reading.
