Forgotten People

Chapter 8 – The First Events

At around 7:00am another letter arrived from the princess explaning what would happen to the humans in case they wished to take part in an event. As Twilight read it she became a little worried over what Alec and Hamish would say. The letter read,

“My Faithful Student,

I am afraid I have some news that may concern your friends. If either of the boys want to take part in the Olympics, they are more than welcome to, but there is a small change that may have to happen to them. To take part in the running races, they could have an unfair advantage as they walk on two legs rather than four.

However, the events that can be excluded with this ‘change’ are Diving, Weight Lifting and Trampoline. The other events could involve one of them being turned into a pony. If so, please give them this potion, it will randomly choose what species of equine they will be.

I wish you all the most of luck and to try your best in whatever you participate in.

Your loving teacher,

Princess Celestia”

Twilight wasn’t sure of what to say, would the boys go on board with the idea? Or would they decide not to? The choice was theirs. Twilight silently waited downstairs and observed the potion. It was red, with a tint of blue swirl around the bottle. Whatever it was it was certainly powerful magic and she wouldn’t meddle with it. Twilight put the potion on the table, while at the same time Alec and Hamish came downstairs looking fresh.

“…but it sucks though, we can’t play Die Rise! It came out yesterday!” Hamish whispered quietly.

“I know, it really does. Oh well, we’ll have to wait till we’re out of here.” Alec said back. They saw Twilight standing before them shaking nervously. Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Is something wrong?” Alec asked. Twilight shook her head.

“Is it bad?” Hamish asked. Twilight shook her head again.

“Is it life-changing?” Alec asked again. Twilight paused, then nodded her head.

“Princess Celestia has said that for you to participate in any events, for all except 3, the ones that aren’t races, then you have to become a pony. This potion in my hoof will randomly select a species of equine for you. So you could either be a Pegasus, Unicorn, or an Earth Pony. So Hamish, what did you sign up for?”

“Weight-Lifting.”

“Then you don’t need this. Alec, what did you sign up for?”

“100m Sprints.”

Then you need to drink this if you wish to continue on.” She gave the bottle to Alec. It was small, so it would only be a small sip. Alec took the cork off the top and raised the bottle to his mouth.

He drank.

A few seconds later he started gagging and coughing. Whatever was in that drink was very strong.

“What did you put in that, Juniper Berries?! That was as strong as f…” Hamish covered his mouth to spare Twilight’s innocence. But it wasn’t over. White spirals had begun to form around him as they sped round his body. As they got faster, blue beams filled the corners of the room. After a good 10 seconds the flash happened blinding everyone in the room, at which point Rainbow Dash burst through the door.

“Twilight! You okay?” Dash asked as the light receded. Hamish and Twilight picked them selves up.

“We’re okay, just a little accident.” Hamish said roughly. Dash looked around the room.

“Where’s Alec?” she asked. He was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m up here Dash!” he said, as everyone turned round and tilted their heads up to see what had happened. He had been turned into a Pegasus. His body was thin but nimble, with a rough sandy mane and tail much like his human hair, and a green tint to his body and saturated blue eyes. He was flying above everyone else, but came back down to the ground.

“Wow, flying is so cool!” he said, but not while Hamish walked up to him with a grin.

“Oh, so you’re a Pegasus now? Allow me to laugh at your still-puny height!” he said, while Alec’s face went sour. But then he smiled mischievously.

“Maybe so Hamish, but I can fly and you can’t!” Silence between the two friends.

“Stalemate.” Hamish said bluntly. Dash turned to Alec and observed his new body.

“You know, you don’t look that bad for a Pegasus.” Dash said grinning. Alec blushed.

“Well…um…thanks!” he said stuttering. Suddenly Rainbow Dash looked at the time and gasped.

“Oh no! The first 100m Sprint starts in an hour! We’re gonna be late!” she said. Grabbing Alec’s hoof they whizzed out of the door to the stadium to prepare, whilst Twilight and Hamish strolled over to watch them whilst their friends accompanied them on the way.

***

“Name and event?” the security guard asked the two Pegasi. The line to get in was shorter for athletes than it was for equines.

“Rainbow Dash, 100m Sprint.”

“Alec Bishop, 100m Sprint.”

The guard looked at his list and both their names were on it, so he let them into the stadium. There were other athletes who had signed up too, many of which were Pegasus ponies, but then again they were built for speed and agility. Some unicorns were there as well including some Earth ponies.  But it wasn’t going to be a peaceful training session for the two friends.

“Oh look! It’s Rainbow CRASH!” a familiar voice said behind them both. They turned to find the trio of other male Pegasi who used to annoy Rainbow Dash during her childhood. Alec knew who they were too, but tried to act like he didn’t.

“What do you want guys?” Dash asked groaning.

“You’re here now? Please, you’ll probably not win even one measly event!” the dark brown one gloated. Alec clenched his teeth.

“Look guys, I don’t want any trouble here, just go away.” Dash said starting to get worried.

“And wait Dash, who’s that up in the stands? My parents perhaps? And where’s yours? Dead? Aw, what a shame!” The trip laughed. It was true, Dash’s mother had died in a tragic flight accident a couple of years back and her father had been involved in the same incident. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

“Aw, you gonna cry now?” The orange one jeered. Alec suddenly couldn’t take it any longer and snapped.

“GET OUT OF HERE YOU SCUM-SUCKING PEASANTS BEFORE I KILL YOU TOO!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. The trio backed off slightly, but still grinned. They had been goading him to burst.

“So who’s this? A friend? Oh wait, you don’t have any!” the trio laughed again. Dash couldn’t take it any longer, slumped down and began crying silently. Alec, enraged at them, did the first thing he could think of, he swooped straight to a nearby guard.

“What’s the matter sir?” he asked sternly.

“I’d like three people to be excluded from taking part in the Olympics. Those three over there have been making fun of the Cyan Pegasus there for not having parents.” The guard nodded and at which point signalled two others over to him. They marched straight over to them, picked them up by their tails and carried them out of the stadium.

“I’ll get you for this you dirty son of a mare!” the orange one shouted back. Alec stuck his tongue at them and went over to Dash.

“You alright?” he asked helping her up. Her beautiful face was stained with tears.

“Yeah, but they’re just so mean!” she said slumping onto Alec’s side. He put his hoof on her shoulder.

“You’re not the only one. I got bullied for 11 years straight, including Kindergarten, because I was a bit different to everyone else. These things happen, it’s just a part of everyday life.” Dash smiled at him and found the strength to get back up.

“Thanks Alec. That really helps.” She said quietly with a smile. The loudspeaker suddenly went off with a very similar voice on it.

“HELLO PONIES! ARE YOU ALL HAVING FUN?” Pinkie Pie shouted over the microphone. The entire stadium roared “YES!”

“Good! Because we have a load of great events lined up for you! First up, the 100m Sprint with my bestest friend ever, RAINBOW DASH!” The stadium roared again with please. Rainbow began to walk over to the stand, but not before Alec could wish her luck.

“Hey, go get ‘em out there.” He said. Dash’s face went from sad to enthusiastic in a second, waved goodbye and trotted to the starting point. There were other ponies racing as well, some from Manehattan, some from Fillydelphia and some from Canterlot, but one of the racers caught Dash’s eye.

“Guida?!” she whispered to herself. After Guilda had last visited Ponyville she was no longer friends with Rainbow Dash. The only way she would ever become friends with her again is if she ditched her current ones, but Rainbow had said that would never happen. Luckily Guilda was on the other side of the track, so Dash got set up.

“Now Racers!” Pinkie began to yell again, “There is a slight downside for you Pegasi. As the events are mixed with Earth, Unicorn and Pegasi ponies, you aren’t allowed to use your wings nor unicorns their magic. But now, LET’S GET STARTED!” The stadium roared for a third time. Admittedly, Dash was disappointed that she couldn’t use her wings, but on the other hand she had learned her mistakes from cheating before, so this time she would abide by the rules.

“ON YOUR MARKS!” Pinkie shouted. The racers lowered themselves onto the ground and rested their legs on the markers.

“GET SET!” They lifted their flanks up.

“GO!” she shouted. In a flash the racers began to run towards the finish line. Dash was trailing behind at the start, but at 20m she picked up the pace and began speeding towards the group. Guilda was in 1st place and about to obliterate the rest of the group, but with 40m to go Dash caught up with her and slowly began inching her way past her. At 30m to go Guilda realized who it was and began running faster. It was a close call, but in the end with 10m to go, Dash put in one final sprint and hit the finish line first!

“RAINBOW DASH WINS! THE FIRST GOLD MEDAL FOR PONYVILLE!” Pinkie shouted with joy over the microphone. The stadium started a chant of “Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!” Dash’s face lit up with joy after she had won the first race of the Olympics. Guilda slumped off, achieving what she would call a ‘measly’ second place, but she would be back. Alec ran over to Rainbow with a huge smile.

“Well done Dash! I told you that you could do it!” he said, giving her a hug. Dash, a little embarrassed, still returned the favour. The stadium suddenly went from cheering to doing a wolf-whistle. Dash let go, but still was happy that someone had the decency to support her today.

“NEXT EVENT! The second 100m Sprint with Ponyville newcomer, ALEC BISHOP!” The stadium began roaring again, the events were sure to keep them entertained. Dash wished Alec luck as he trotted over to his starting point.

“Applejack?” Alec said, the orange Earth pony was on one of the markers. Applejack heard her name being called and looked up at the sandy-haired Pegasus. Her face went into confusion.

“Who in the hay are you?” she said. Alec suddenly remembered his species transfer and realized she couldn’t recognise him.

“AJ, it’s me, Alec.” AJ’s eyes went wider as she recognised the voice.

“Oh, right! Why is y’all suddenly a Pegasus?” Alec briefly explained how Celestia had sent him a potion to turn him into an Equine. AJ nodded in understanding as Pinkie began yelling again.

“ON YOUR MARKS! Pinkie shouted. The racers lowered themselves onto the ground and rested their legs on the markers.

“GET SET!” They lifted their flanks up.

“GO!” she shouted. The racers went off in a flash. These racers were a lot faster than before, but Alec was a fast runner and picked up the pace pretty quickly. At 60m to go it was AJ and Alec drawing for first place with the other racers going behind. One racer however was determined to win, and that pony was Ace Swift. A high achieving racer, but a cheater too, he would bribe his opponents to let him win anything, so lots of people were frightened of him. However Alec was unaware of this fact, as Ace trailed up behind him. At 10m to go Alec was breaking forward for first place, but right before the end, Ace stuck his foot out and tripped Alec up. He went sliding down the track, but somehow managed to finish in 1st place.

“ALEC BISHOP WINS! A SECOND GOLD MEDAL FOR PONYVILLE! But…oh no, he looks hurt.” Pinkie’s voice began to deteriorate as she ran over to Alec to check on him. The track, being stone, had grazed his entire underside from the sliding. There wasn’t much blood, but he was bleeding. Dash was with him to check on him.

“How did it happen?” she asked in confusion, wiping an anti-bacterial cloth on his cuts. It stung.

“I think someone tripped me, but I can’t be sure. I definitely felt someone’s leg on mine when I tripped over.” Dash knew who he was describing.

“Did Ace Swift happen to be in your race?” she asked.

“Who, him?” Alec pointed with his hoof. Dash nodded.

“Well, he is a cheater and a briber. He tried to bribe me in the past, but it failed. He sees newcomers as a threat to his career, especially if they’re fast runners like you.” Alec nodded as AJ trotted quickly over to them.

“You alright?” she asked worriedly. Alec confirmed. “That was some fall there. But hey, you still came in first, so it ain’t that bad!” The two Pegasi nodded in optimism. A few seconds later Hamish came up for his event, Weight-Lifting. He noticed Alec’s bloody state and ran over.

“Holy crap! What happened to you?” he said shocked. Alec explained the whole story of how he was tripped by a cheater.

“WHAT?! Where is he?” he said cracking his knuckles. He hadn’t done that in a while.

“Hamish, I might be a Pegasus now, but I can still reason. He’s not worth it. Just imagine him as a Camper from BO2.

“That makes me twice as mad!” he said.

“You know what? Let’s drop it before this gets out of hand, we'll sort it out later.” Alec said as they both nodded at that. It was probably best to do that now. Pinkie’s voice came over the mic again.

“Next event!” she shouted, “WEIGHT LIFTING!” The stadium roared in delight. This would be a major game-changer. Hamish looked up and began to walk over to the weight he would be lifting, 200kg.

“Alright Hamish,” He said to himself, “Let’s do this!”

Hamish trundled over to the rest of the competitors who would be doing weight-lifting. There he saw a lot of different ponies each with a different build. Lyra was there sporting 50kg with two hooves, Roid Rage was also there sporting 100kg with one hoof, but then there would be the main challenge. Princess Luna was also taking part! Hamish’s jaw dropped open. Luna was taking part in Weight-Lifting? Was it even allowed? Either way, Hamish curiously walked over to her.

“Lun…er, I mean, Your Majesty?” Hamish asked. Luna dropped her weight and turned to the human. Within a split-second she instantly recognised him. It was the same human who came into the palace about three weeks ago.

“Erm…” she stuttered, “What dost thou want?” she asked sweetly. Hamish was surprised that she was taking this quite calmly.

“Nothing, I just came over to wish you luck.” Luna blushed. “One question though, how much weight can you lift?” Hamish asked out of curiosity. Luna showed Hamish the weight she was lifting, 500kg. He was amazed, but them again she was an Alicorn Princess.

“How much can thou lift?” she asked. Her Old-English certainly wasn’t getting on his nerves. Hamish found a 200kg Weight and dragged it over. Luna watched him intently. Hamish could lift 200kg with his legs, but could he do it with his arms?

“Not bad for a human. But can you do it?” she asked. A trickle of sweat went down the side of his head as he reached for the weight. Grasping both sides of the bar he tried to lift the weight. Hamish’s arms were tensing as he lifted the weight, his veins visible on them. Alec noticed what Hamish was lifting and nudged the others to watch too. After a lot of effort, the bar finally reached above his forehead. Luna was impressed!

“Well done!” she said. Hamish blushed slightly. Pinkie’s voice could be heard once again over the microphone as everyone listened in for the next event.

“Next event, Weight-Lifting! Competitors, take your stands!” Hamish, Luna and all the other competitors went to their stations. There were judges based in front of them to give them a score on how well they lifted the weight.

“First up, Johnson, Hamish.” A judge said. The others got their score cards ready. Hamish had never been that out-going, so when they were stood before him, he felt a little nervous.

“Remember, it’s not about how much weight you can lift, it’s about technique.” That lifted a huge worry from his shoulders. A judge prepared his 200kg Weight.

“Go when you’re ready.” The judge instructed. Hamish took a few deep breaths, and set his hands on both sides of the weight. As he began to lift it, the Adrenaline surged through his body giving him the strength he needed. The weight came off the ground to his knee-level. Hamish clenched his teeth and kept going, the weight now rested at his torso. Sweat began trickling down his head as he made the final lurch of effort to raise it to its highest. Hamish gave one more lurch of energy and got the bar above his head. The stadium roared with cheerfulness as he looked around with a huge grin.

“Here are your scores, Hamish.” Pinkie announced anxiously. The judges gave her their scores. “The judges have scored you…83/100!” All the Ponyville fans cheered loudly in the stands. Hamish was pleased with his score, but knew he could do a little better. Nonetheless he was happy with his result. His friends came over to congratulate him.

“Good score!” Twilight praised.

“Well done mate.” Alec said holding out his hoof. Hamish gave him a hoofbump. Then the next competitor was read out making Hamish go pale.

“Next up, Princess Luna.” Alec jaw dropped open, as did everyone else’s. Luna walked up to the podium as the judge set up her 500kg weight. Her technique however differed from Hamish’s. Instead of taking a few breaths and warming up, she went straight for the weight and lifted. Her teeth didn’t clench, in fact, this was looking too easy for her. After 10 seconds the weight was finally above her head. The stadium praised again, they certainly weren’t being worn out. The judges passed their scores to Pinkie.

“Your Majesty,” she began, “You scored…89/100!” Luna punched the air with joy as Hamish came over to congratulate her.

“Well done, now I can see why you can do so much!” Luna blushed at his honesty.

“Thank you Hamish. I guess that thou is a good person.”  She gave him a last smile and left.

“You okay mate?” Alec asked him, he was staring at his hand.

“I’ll never wash this hand again…” Hamish said glorified. Alec raised an eyebrow.

“You know, you’re gonna have to eventually…”

“Oh, thanks for ruining the moment!” Hamish grunted. Everyone had finished what they had to do, so they left the stadium to go home. Little did they know that two different species were trailing them behind…

***

“Hey, you. Green dude.” A voice came from behind them. Alec turned round and saw Ace Swift ordering him over. Alec told the others to go on ahead without him as he walked over to Ace with a sour face.

“What do you want?” Alec asked angrily. Ace’s face was rather calm.

“Now listen. I know I tripped you up, but that was because I don’t want my reputation ruined by little brats like you. Like your rainbow friend beat Guild here in a race, and she doesn’t want that either.” Guilda nodded, not wanting to say anything.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble. Just go away and this’ll all be over.” Alec said confidently.

“I wish it were that easy, but if you don’t do what I say, bad things will happen. Let’s put it this way. I’ll leave you and your rainbow haired girlfriend…”

“FRIEND.” Alec said coldly. Hamish had already done the same thing to him.

“As I was saying, I’ll leave you two alone until the finals. If you and your so-called skill  make it there, you better let us both win.”

Or what?” Alec said defiantly.

“Or, I’ll spread these photos all around Ponyville and ruin your reputations for good!” he shouted throwing some pictures at him. Alec looked at them and stared in disbelief, how did he get these?!

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh wouldn’t I?”

“You better not!”

“I will if you don’t let me win! You’re only making this harder!” Alec paused as a grin crept across his face.

“What are you smirking at?” he demanded. A few squeaks of laughter came out of the Green Pegasus’s mouth.

“Making this harder? THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!” he bursted out. Guilda and Ace groaned in anger as they chased the laughing Pegasus through the sky into Ponyville. Rainbow Dash and Twilight noticed him in hot pursuit from Ace and Guilda and at once Dash sprang up into the air to knock them off course. She successfully managed to swing her hoof out and send their wings into spasms as they crashed into the river.

“I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS DASH!” Ace threatened. Dash stuck her tongue out at them and continued to follow their friends.

“What were they chasing you for?” Hamish asked confused.

“Um…I can’t tell any of you except Rainbow. Speaking of which, can you and I have a quick chat?” Rainbow Dash nodded and went over to him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Okay, so Ace confirms that he cheated and is threatening both of us. He said if we make it to the finals of the Olympics and we beat him and Guilda, he’ll spread these photos around Ponyville and ruin our lives!” he explained showing her the photos. Like Alec, she stared in disbelief.

“How…how did he get these?” she said anxiously. Alec shrugged,  he had no idea either.

“Well, we’ve got to tell someone!” she ordered, but Alec denied this.

“No, he’s got us pinned into a blackmail. We tell anyone, he’ll spread the pictures. But if we win at the finals he’ll do it. Our only hope is to either drop out before then, or let him win, which if I’m honest I don’t want to do.” Rainbow nodded.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked. Alec sighed.

“I don’t know. But if we’re gonna win, we’ve got to think of something.”