Need For Speed

Lightning Dust slammed into the wall, spiraling downwards at a high speed. The world began to spin rapidly around her, with specks of the blue and white sky dashing across her eyes.

Alright, any second now...

She could tell that she was getting closer to the ground now. She had purposely hit herself on the wing to have something injured with a high speed collision (a unicorn doctor could fix it before the race if it was that bad, which it most likely wasn't) to simulate what would actually happen during Adrenaline itself. At this point in the fall she could estimate she was coming up on thirty feet to the ground and rapidly descending.

Alright, Lightning, pull up!

That she did, but it was futile; her wing,sporting a mere bruise that would be barely noticeable when unused, refused to work at such high speeds and triggered a pain which made lighting grunt. That pain, she knew, was nowhere near the pain that would follow next when she hit the ground.

She did. Hard. Somewhat akin to a slapstick cartoon she would watch early in the morning, Lightning Dust slid for about ten feet before finally stopping.

This was the fifth time she had tried the drill; she was hoping, with time, that she could build her Stamina and strength so that she wouldn't have to worry about it. She only had two days left to train, and so far the results were not satisfactory. Growling with rage, Lightning slowly climbed out of her dirt trail.

Her wing was fine, as usual. She would still have to see a doctor, however, as it would hurt immensely the next morning. She did the drill more than once per day, in doing so creating a different level of pain for a different situation every time, and thus went to the doctor yesterday to get it healed; she would need to go to another one to avoid suspicion today.

Ponyville was how Lightning Dust always remembered it, with the greenest grass in Equestria and the quiet rural energy the town always seemed to emit. It was very big with very little residents, as usual, so it was a little difficult finding things. Once or twice, she came across the house of the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle, and made sure to get past the house undetected. However, Lightning had finally made the decision to see an Element of Harmony while she was here; the reunion would be a cold one, but she needed flight lessons now more than ever.

* * * * * *

Sunset Shimmer sat at the very far table of a Canterlot restaurant, cloaked in a black hood that did it's job well; no pony knew who she was, and no pony had too. As far as the ponies who did know who she was were concerned, she was still stuck at that blasted high school in whatever universe it was, and she wished to stay that way.

Shimmer had tried. She wanted to fit in with the universe, and make the friends that had been assigned to her. She tried to change her ways, become saintly in character, but she couldn't. The world in her eyes had always been exactly that; hers, and nopony else's. It had become a habit, and like any habit, it was hard to break. That universe was not her home; Canterlot was, and that persona was not her own either. Just doing enough, and not the right way. Being dealt three's and seven's, and doing something with them, was who Sunset Shimmer was.

The wallpaper that lined the restaurant, elegant floral patterns among a violet backdrop, assured her that she was home. the checkerboard floor only sought to remind her of her lifestyle; in a world of Pawns, you must strive to be the Queen. Adrenaline, with the money it would present her, would put her on top. With bits like that, she could make a name for herself; having just entered Canterlot, Shimmer barely had any funds at all. Certainly, she didn't have the 700,000 bits she bet on one Lightning Dust.

That, not her hunger, was the reason Sunset Shimmer sat in a restaurant in Canterlot.

* * * * * *

The house of Rainbow Dash, the element of Loyalty, was massive.

The cascading waterfalls of multiple colors, the clouds stacked in multiple arrays, it was unbelievable. How much something akin to this would cost was beyond Lightning Dust. Having lived in a house in shambles when she was a child only helped to boost the image of the giant home. It seemed to be the only thing in the air for miles!

"You havin' fun there?" a familiar voice suddendly said.

That's right. Lightning had knocked on the door.

There stood Rainbow Dash, with an unamused look on her face. Lightning could already tell that this would be difficult. She cleared her throat before speaking.

"I need flying lessons." Lightning explained. "I need to have whatever it was that let you stay at the academy. I need it in two days."

Dash still looked unamused, something that worried Lightning greatly.

"You're an excellent flyer, Lightning, and you don't need any lessons. What I had at the academy was all mental. That being character, timing, and knowing when you're pushing it too far. Now, I have no idea why you would need flying lessons in two days, but you're not going to get them from me. Maybe Twilight can help you with your issues or whatever." Rainbow began to close the door on her when Lightning spoke up.

"The Rainboom."

Dash stopped in her tracks. It took her a moment to open the door again. Since she wasn't too keen on saying anything, Lightning decided to continue.

"You say my problem is going too far, my mental state, all that. But look at the Rainboom. How do you not go to far? What mental state is that? You know better than I do that flying isn't an activity; it's a state of mind. The Rainboom is a perfect blend of skill and character. Sense, and prowess. I have that skill, Rainbow. I think I have an idea about what state of mind I need to have...after a few days ago, I have nothing I need to prove. I have to succeed in the situation I'm in, but it's no longer for my self esteem or to prove them wrong; if I can't do this, I'll have no one I can prove anything to anymore. I have the skill. I think I have the mindset. I need to combine the two!"

Dash stared at her for a moment. Lightning stared back.

"Come inside." Dash remarked, breaking the silence. "You're just in time for lunch"

* * * * * *

It's lunchtime, Fleur. Aren't you hungry?

Sunset Shimmer still sat in wait. She looked at the clock. It was twelve twenty five. Any minute now.

It's your favorite restaurant. I even know what you order here.

Shimmer was getting impatient now. It was short lived, as her target waltzed through the door. Fleur De Lis had arrived.

There we go. Go ahead. You have reservations, I made sure of it. You'll sit down at table four, as always. There you go.

With her husband Fancypants, Fleur sat down. That was Shimmer's cue.

The Bannered Mare of Canterlot operated their waiters in shifts. At twelve thirty, the waiters and waitresses were cycled out and in. At twelve thirty, Sunset Shimmer took on her first, and last, shift at the Bannered Mare in Canterlot.Removing her cloak revealed standard uniform.

It didn't take much to get the job. The restaurant needed new waiters to meet the demand of the customers, and she was willing to work. what they didn't know was that Sunset had obsessively studying Fleur De Lis and her habits for four days; where she worked, where she like to hang out, who her friends were, all of it. All in preparation for a heist.

Quickly grabbing a notepad, Sunset walked over to the couple at their table.

"Welcome back, Fleur! I'm Glow, you're server for today. What can I get you?" Shimmer mental kicked herself for saying "Welcome Back" but Fleur seemed to take no heed of it. Instead, she sat upright in a classic Canterlot manner before ordering.

"I would like a daffodil and daisy sandwich-" Fleur began. the rest of her order, along with Fleur's voice, was in Sunset's head.

-with a slice of pickle and half a tomato. Water will be fine.

"Let me get that down for you!" Sunset enthusiastically remarked, using her magic to bring up a pen. However, unknown to Fleur, the pen wasn't the only thing affected by magic. As the spell was being performed,Sunset ran over all the details in her head for utmost concentration.

I'm running three spells at once-the first is to write with the pen, the second is to mute the sound of the third and the third is to make Fleur's checkbook disappear from her purse. I need to envision what it looks like so I can transport it to my room in the inn I am staying in. This will require magic talent and concentration beyond that what a normal unicorn would practice- you are not a normal unicorn. I will not know if this spell fails unless the book appears at my bedside when I get to my room-

"Alrighty! And you, good sir?" Sunset finished. She had to use all she could to make it appear as if she wasn't extraordinarily fatigued by such a high level spell in combination with two others.

"Ah, yes, I would like-"

* * * * * *

"-water, if that's okay." Lightning answered. Rainbow Dash had offered her a variety of drinks but, in preparation for the race, the only thing Lightning would drink was water.

They sat at the table in Dash's living room. It was a round table, made of cloud like everything else in Dash's house, but the still seemed to manage sitting as far away from each other as possible. Lighting took a sip from her glass before speaking.

"Did the academy work out well for you?" Lightning asked her. Lightning had quit the academy even though she wasn't dismissed after her tornado stunt. She had no idea if Dash had stayed or not.

"First in class, actually. You know how Spitfire is about Wonderbolt selection, so I doubt that she'll be making a decision anytime soon. Especially after the whole incident which I still didn't get an apology for." Dash explained.

"Oh, you know I'm sorry." Lightning said, rolling her eyes. "Or else I wouldn't be here. You're the best, Dash. I'm here to learn. If we have problems, we can talk about them now." Lightning said. Dash rolled her eyes.

"Listen." she began. "I don't like you. You almost killed my friends, who mean more to me than anything in the world. You held total disregard for anyone but yourself, even when we were "friends" for that short time. That being said, you're a really good flyer. You have talent that rivals mine. It's your personality and mindset that needs work, as I already explained. You fixed that, as you already explained. I'm going to tell you what I know. I have never taught anyone in this field before, save a filly in the middle of grade school. Now, I ask you this; are you ready?"

Lightning looked into Dash's eyes. She could sense hatred in them, though she didn't know why. Her countenance revealed that she was determined, however, and that was good enough for Lightning Dust.

"Yes. I'm ready."