Just as a note, I know that this chapter looks incredibly long. But trust me, the second half are introductions. You'll know when you'll see them. Trust me, this chapter isn't as long as you think.

Secondly, like I said last chapter, I'm going to need OCs for the soon to come season finale! So if any of you want to have an OC be in the finale, then send a PM! Because I'm going to need help making OCs. And like a wise Pink pony has once said...

Pinkie Pie: It's only fun if every pony's involved!

Yep! So if you want to enter in an OC, send a PM and we'll find a place for him/her!

Finally, this next pert of the short story continues where the last on left off. With swordknight115 being the one writing this part. So I hope you all enjoy!

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Written by: swordknight115

Human Disease (Part 2 of 12)

Zeke's POV

Once I got outside, I saw Theo and Dino waiting outside for me. Both of them seeming worried and tired.

"Since you were the one with author powers, we managed to escape it and make it back here." Trixie said in her most casual voice.

"Wait, what do you mean escape? Escape what?" I asked wondering what in the name of Celestia she was talking about.

"Oh. Twilight tried to use one of her useless spells to get rid of Tom for good, and instead she made it grow into a huge rampaging monster that's destroying the town." Trixie answered leaning on my front door. Just as she finished her sentence however, I spotted the gigantic rock out of the corner of my eye with huge human arms and legs. Running in this direction towards us.

"I think this bat isnt big enough..." I said nervously, now turning around to face the rock that was fifty stories tall.

"Dino, you ready?" I asked Dino who just nodded his head as i jumped on his back, Theo pulling out his wooden katana and Trixie's hands glowing blue with her magic.

"Lets get him Zeke!" Trixie called out. All of us charging forward to try and take down the rampaging Tom.

Tom then grabbed the top of a nearby tower and ripped it off before we could get to him. He then used the tower as a bat and swinging at us. First, he swung it towards Dino and I, Dino used his quick speed and agility to jump onto the tower. Running up to the arm, then shoulder, but before we could get close enough to where the head was supposed to be Tom simply flicked us off.

"Zeke!" Trixie yelled out catching us with her magic as Theo tried to get close to Tom. When Theo got within Tom's range, Tom slamed the tower on top of him, but before the tower could hit Theo, I spotted a black blur zip by right by him.

Trixie didn't see it though and simply broke down. Losing focus of her magic and dropping me and Dino. "T-Theo..." Trixie fell to her knees. Not paying attention to Tom, who slammed the tower on top of her next. Only to have the same black blur appear before the tower could made contact with her.

"T-Trixie..." Dino had begun to lose it as well, not seeing the blur either. Tom took advantage of this and kicked Dino, who I was no longer on. Thankfully, the blur showed up again to save him as well...Could it have been Blitz?

I ran over towards Tom, hitting him in the left leg with the bat I still had in my hands. Knowing it wouldn't do anything with my strength alone, I used my author powers to strengthen the bat. Taking out a good chunk of his leg with one swing.

Tom, who was now very angry, took his anger towards his next attack, punching right where I was standing. Just like all the others before, a pegasus with a black cloak on flew towards me and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt with his mouth. Saving me before I was crushed.

When he put me down, we were a good distance away from Tom. Trixie, Dino and Theo all hugging in front of the two of us. Thankful to be alive right now.

"Blitz is that you?" I asked, trying to know just who this mystery pony was. He then revealed himself by taking off the cloak. Revealing a tan pegasus, with a black and red mane/tail. He also had golden eyes and a necklace with a red crystal inside of it.

"Nope!" He said with a proud expression. "The name is Sol Fire! Twilight called me and said you guys might need help taking care of a little problem." Sol said looking toward Tom. "Twilight gave me a map, on it is the location of an ingrediant she needs for a spell that will turn Tom back to normal." Sol instructed us, handing me the map. "Good luck!" Sol said before walking away.

"Wait, you are just going to leave us here to take care of that?!" Trixie said pointing towards Tom, who was now holding Rarity in his newfound hands. "Yep. I have other more important things to do. I did give you the map, besides I think you got this..." Sol walked away.

"Okay guys we can still save the town, what does the map say?" Dino asked, coming over to look at the map. I passed the map to Trixie so they could all read it at once.

"So Trixie, you said Twilight tried to get rid of Tom?" I asked Trixie while she read the map along with the others.

"Well Rarity asked Twilight if she could destroy Tom, but Twilight said she was sick and didn't know if she could do it. That's when she sneezed on the rock and used the spell. I wonder what kind of cold she had that would tamper with Tom this much..." Trixie explained sitting down besides Theo. As they read the map, I went over to try and figure it out too.

It seemed that the ingrediant comes from apples. Which was apple juice to be exact! "Okay guys, we need three apples." I told them. Only for Theo to run off for a minute and came back with the apples in record time. "Okay, that was quick. Now we need to get them to Twilight." The three of us then ran to Twilight's house, where Sol met up with us again.

"So you guys have the apples? Sol asked. A smirk on his face.

"Yes, they're right here-" Trixie was cut off by the apples floating over to Sol.

"Thanks." Sol ate the apples, enjoying them in front of our angry expressions. "I needed something to eat. I had to take care of everything, but now I am feeling great." Sol said as all three of us glared at him. "What? I can fix this thing up easy... Watch." Sol's necklace started to glow as he looked toward the giant Tom.

Tom started to shrink down to size and ran over to us. "Well that wasn't hard at all..." After I said that, Sol shot a fire ball at Tom and continued to eat his apples.

"Well Twilight's inside but she is really sick. It could be serious, so watch out." Sol said, flying away to leave us to go and talk to Twilight. She might've been sick, but maybe she knew something about Trixie...And Tom, becoming human like.

Disclaimer: Zeke does not own MLP all he owns is Blitz, Dino and Theo.

---

Sweetie Belle's POV

"Uh, Scootaloo...I think this is goin' a bit too far..." Applebloom said hesitantly, not sure about Scootaloo's new idea to earn their Cutie Marks.

"Ah come on, it's so obvious! Obviously our special talent has to be dare-deviling!" Scootaloo argued as she turned towards us. "Think about it! We're always doing crazy dangerous stuff, and we always get away without any kind of harm! Nothing keeps us down for long! So if that's true, then maybe our special talents have to do with doing crazy stunts!"

"I don't think that makes much sense..." I argued, just as unsure as Applebloom was. "I mean, is this really the best way to test out earning our 'dare-deviling' talent?" I then looked towards the stunt Scootaloo had set up behind the school in the middle of the playground. There wasn't any pony around, namely Cheerilee, so they basically had the school to ourselves at this point. Which I was starting to be afraid of.

"Totally! Besides, if we want our Cutie Marks, we gotta go big on this one! And Pinkie's Party Cannon is the best way to do it!" Scootaloo said, checking over the cannon in question. It might've been tight, but it could probably fit all of us snugly. And as far as Scootaloo could tell, it was angled well enough to launch them over the schoolhouse just like she wanted it to. Give or take a few feet anyway.

"Oh what's this? Another lame attempt to get your Cutie Marks?" Oh dear Celestia...

We all silently sighed as we turned around slowly and saw Diamond Tiara walking up towards us with Silver Spoon. Right on queue as usual. If we weren't at our clubhouse, and none of our sisters or their friends were around, then these two always snuck up on us. By this point, we considered them stalkers more than bullies. They didn't make us sad or depressed anymore, instead they made us borderline annoyed. They would never leave us alone. Sometimes, we even wonder what they're going to do when we finally do get our Cutie Marks.

Scootaloo spoke up first though. Not faltering like me and Applebloom. "Actually, it's probably our best idea yet!" She said confidently. "We're going to get our Cutie Marks in Dare-Deviling! And this idea's a winner for sure!"

"Win? Ha! You three can't win anything!" Diamond Tiara argued with an evil grin.

"What about the talent show?" Applebloom asked, reminding her how they got an award while they didn't get one at all.

"Err...I meant an award that actually means something!" Tiara countered, mad that Applebloom just made her look like a fool. "That was just some lame talent show for no-talented Black Flanks like yourselves!"

"Hey, is that a cannon?!" A British voice asked towards the left of the five fillies.

When the five of us looked over at the other side of the playground, we saw two other classmates. Pipsqueak and Button Mash. Coming right over towards us. Looking at the cannon in surprise. Pipsqueak just in awe because of just what it was. "Cool! How did you get your hooves on this?!" He asked as Button stayed silent. Not really sure what all was going on as he looked ahead to where the cannon was pointing.

"Pinkie Pie let us have it. We're thinkin' about gettin' Cutie Marks in Dare-Devilin'." Applebloom explained to him. Scootaloo just stood up straight with confidence, waiting for Pipsqueak to be even more impressed.

Only, Button spoke up next. "You plan on getting your Cutie Marks by shooting something at the school bell?" He asked us with a confused look.

"What? No...We were trying to go over the school." I told him, now confused myself. What was he talking about?

"Well with where it's pointed, you're going to hit the bell. You aimed it wrong." Button told me, earning snickers from Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara.

"Wow, even the 'Vid-your-games' colt knows how stupid you three are!" Tiara mocked, both of the bursting out into laughs.

"What do you mean?! I set it up myself! It's aimed right above the school!...Isn't it?" Scootaloo asked, looking it over again.

"Okay one; It's called 'Video'! Not Vid-Your, Gordot!" Button Mash corrected, calling her a 'pig' in Humgonian. "And two; it's not a magic blaster, this is a cannon. And if I've learned anything from Flutter Cell: Bucklist, it's that stuff like this has an arc to it. You gotta aim higher if you wanna jump the school. Like...Here!" Button said, adjusting the cannon so it would fire.

And just to make sure it was right, he picked up a rock and loaded it into the cannon. Firing it and making the rock arc over the school and down to the ground in front of the entrance just like he guessed.

"Woah! Button, thanks for the help!" Scootaloo said, forgetting that he had called her out on the aiming.

"Wait a second, how's come we didn't hear a thud from the pebble?" Pipsqueak asked, confused about that. And after we all exchanged nervous glances, we all ran towards the front of the school to see-

"Oh no! Big Mac!" Applebloom called out, running over to her brother's side as he was still out of it. "What happened?! You okay?!"

"Eeh...Nope..." Big Mac said groggily as his head swerved from side to side. Earning a frown from Scootaloo as she turned towards Button.

"Way to go Button Mash. You just hit Big Mac with a rock!" She told him, earning a few looks from the others.

And freaking out, he turned towards the closest pony there was. "N-no I didn't, it was her!" He said, pointing towards Tiara.

"No it wasn't! I'd never hurt any pony!" She said with a shake of her head as Big Mac started looking towards her. But instead of some pony calling her out on that, Mother Nature decided to scold the brat herself.

Because as soon as she finished speaking, a bush started running out of the tree line. Heading straight for Diamond Tiara. "What t-AH! Get away! T-take her instead!" She said, getting behind me and shoving me forward. Making me collide with the bush and fall to the ground.

"Ugh...Why did that hurt?" I asked, confused from just why running into a bush hurt me so much. But after raising my head and massaging the spot on my head that rammed into the bush, that luckily not being my horn, the leaves just blew away along with the wind. Revealing Spike underneath the leaves. Breathing heavily for some reason. One that had to be besides me winding him by push Tiara gave me.

"Spike? Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked, going over to check on him next along with Pipsqueak. Seeing as how they were pretty much the only ones left to help him in the first place.

"Huh...What is...WOAH!" He said, suddenly jumping up and looking around frantically. "Balloon!-Boat Race!-50 minutes!" He said as quickly as possible and with a quick breath between breath, still out of breath to really say anything.

"A, balloon?" "Boat Race?" "Why fifty minutes?" Applebloom, Scootaloo, and me all asked, in that order. All eight, counting Big Mac, were now listening to the hyperventilating dragon.

"Rarity and Blitz are making boats!" Spike said in between breaths, trying to calm down. But with all of them looking at him, and his exhaustion wasn't letting him catch his breath any time soon. "Others are racing!-No rules!-Need to announce!-Gottagetballoonbeforeit'staken,OKAYBYE!"

Before they could even stop him, Spike took off again. In a hurry because...Well, your guess is as good as I mine. I mean, I had no idea what he was saying because it all sounded jumbled and too fast for any pony to understand.

"What is that weird...Lizard's problem?" Silver Spoon asked, trying to come up with an insult for Spike. Although it wasn't a very good one at all.

"Weren't you listening?" Button Mash asked. "He told us that they're having a boat race and that Rarity and Blitz, whoever they are, were building boats for some boat race in fifty minutes. And it's so interesting because there're no rules, so he needs to announce it."

After he finished, we all looked towards him with mixed expressions. Each of us having different ideas about how he figured that out. Seriously, if this is from another video game I think I need to play a few of them!

"Pfft! Who would want to try to win a stupid race?! It sounds like a waste of time to me!" Diamond Tiara said, putting her nose into the air like an annoying high-society pony does...That not including Rarity obviously.

"Boat race?" Scootaloo asked herself. Going over the thought in her mind. "No rules?...Win?...Wait a second, that's it!" She said, realizing it after a good ten seconds...Flat.

Scoots then turned towards Diamond Tiara with another confident grin. "Just you wait Diamond Tiara! We'll make you eat your words soon enough! Because when the three of us win that race, it'll prove that we can win anything we try our hooves at!"

She just rolled her eyes at what Scootaloo said though. Not fazed in the slightest. "Oh please, like a race is going to make you Blank Flanks look like winners. It's boats. They float on their own. If you think any pony's gonna actually care about that, then-"

"Neva! Me an' Button 'ere are gonna win this race!" Pipsqueak said, looking more than excited right now about it than any of us. "Come on Button! We got a pirate ship ta build!" He said, taking off to build their own boat.

"Cool!" Button agreed, running off behind him. Leaving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon confused and stunned about what just happened. While it did the exact opposite for Scootaloo as her smirk widened in victory.

"W-whatever! No pony else cares anyway! Your all just Blank Flanks, right Diamond Tiara?!" Silver Spoon tried to recover the two of them. Too bad they forgot about a certain some pony that was here with us.

"Nope." Big Mac said, getting up and frowning at them. Making them look terrified since an 'adult' was sticking up for us too. "I think it's a great idea. And just to prove how much I think so, me and my little sister are both going to enter this race. Right Applebloom?" He asked, looking to his little sister with a friendly smile.

"Eeyup!" Applebloom said, using Big Mac's own word in response. Hugging her brother in response as the two bullies just looked even more surprised that they had just been topped again. "Y'all don't mind if I race with my brother, do ya?" She asked us.

"Not at all! See you in the race Applebloom!" I said with a smile and wave. Scootaloo only able to agree as they smiled some more and started off towards the farm to start on their own boat. "Let's hurry Scootaloo! Now that we're in this, we can't lose now!" I said, determined to win this race too. Besides, it sounded like loads of fun to me.

"Yeah! Let's hurry! Maybe we can find some stuff at the clubhouse to build the boat with!" She agreed, both of us taking off and leaving a stunned Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon behind. It didn't matter what they thought, because now we only had one thought on our minds!

"We are/I am, going to win this race!"

---

Blitz's POV

"Okay. Still got a little less than fifty minutes to finish the boats. I got them all planned and designed already, but I still need the materials."

As I was walking towards the Construction Hall, going to get the materials needed, I went over everything to myself. I may have had a storm cloud to help wake me up by this point, but that didn't mean I was completely awake. Plus, I had to be sure that I had everything since it was just me building the boats. Rarity was going to meet back up with me after she had gotten some decorations and work on 'something else' that she waned to leave a surprise for me along with the others. I was fine with that though since it just meant we were splitting the work so it'd be done quicker.

"Blitz, is that really you? The times I've met you are quite few."

Hearing that familiar foreign accent, I turned towards my left and spotted some pony I haven't seen in what I guess was a few weeks. Or should I say, some zebra? "Zecora! Nice to see you again."

She simply smiled towards me as she walked over. Some ingredients overflowing her saddlebags. "What is it you'll do today? From Pinkie Pie, at the river I heard you would all play."

"That's just it. I'm getting a few things so I can build them some boats. We're having this boat race along the river." I told her, gesturing ahead to the Construction Hall. It let all builders use any of the materials there for a smaller price. And I was out of my own lumber to use.

"Ah, yes. A simple boat race for your friends, am I correct? With ideas from your homeland, amazing boats I'd expect." Zecora told me, walking on her way to go on with her own day. "I think I'll come too after a while. Just don't expect me to stay single file."

I smiled and waved as she left. "Alright, well I'll tell the others you're coming then." After she was already gone, going a little quick for some reason, I started making my way once again to the...Hold on, what did she mean by homeland? I never told her about...

Oh...Whatever. Zecora literally speaks in rhymes and riddles. She could've meant anything from that. There was no point in trying to decipher that zebra anyways, right?

"Okay, now it should be right around the corner." I said out loud, focusing back on getting those boats finished. I walked forward and made it to the shopping district of Ponyville. At least, that's what I called it anyway. It sold all the non-food stuff every pony needed. The Sofa and Quills pony was towards the side I was on, as well as other random stuff that didn't fit in the marketplace.

As I walked through the shopping district, I spotted another familiar pony as they saw me and came over to talk. This one I have met more recently than Zecora. Try 'today' as being recent.

"Hold on a moment. You were that pony that Miss Rarity had brought in." Aloe said, reminding me of just how desperate I was to get away from Prince Blueblood. "By the way, the Prince came in since you and Miss Rarity left. He won't leave..." She told me worriedly, talking about him as if she had read my mind.

"You didn't...Tell him, where I went did you?" I asked, concerned about him finding me again. If one of the spa ponies had told him that I went to the river, the others were going to lose it just as much as me and Rarity had.

"Oh, not at all. In fact, we are so grateful that you were happy enough to test out our new acupuncture session!" She told me, smiling at how I had helped them. I should've been a little freaked out by the idea that they actually tested out a new massaging technique on me, but since it worked and my back felt better than it ever did, I couldn't really complain.

"Well, glad I could help you with that." I said with a nod, before realizing something else. "Did-you say that Prince Blueblood wasn't leaving? If he's there, why are you here? I think some pony that...High-maintenance, would need at least two ponies to keep him from complaining." I noted, probably underestimating how much he was complaining. He probably drove those castle servants to insanity by now.

"My sister, Lotus Blossom, is giving him a steam room treatment to keep him occupied. We had gone through all of our shampoo and conditioners trying to please him. By the time we had found one he would accept, we didn't have enough." She told me with a sad look. With a sigh, she continued. "I'm not sure if we can make it much longer like this. The usual customers like Miss Rarity and her friends are nice to see, but we don't have much business other than that. If we can't find a way to draw more attention...We may have to close!"

"Close?" I asked, only to receive a sad nod. Luckily she wasn't bursting out into tears over this, apparently not that emotional or dramatic like some might think, but she was still upset. "Well...From what I've seen, it's not so bad." I told her, not sure what else to say about it.

I mean, I had gone once, and that was when I was knocked unconscious from falling down that steep hill. Actually, now that I mention it, I didn't even know that spa was there to begin with. It was out-of-the-way and down a steep hill.

"Electric Blitz? Is that you?"

As both of us were talking we heard a voice from above, and a little bit to the right, call out my name. And a second later, another familiar pony came over and landed beside me and Aloe. Geez, why is every pony finding me all of a sudden? Do I have some kind of tracker attached to my ear or something?

"Oh, hey Ginger. What's up?" I asked Ginger Star as she joined our small little group.

"Nothing much. Bored to tears right now trying to find something to do. Of course, with all the stuff you and your friends do you're probably never bored are you?" She asked, looking towards me with a bored look. Every pony always knew that if something was going on, it had to do with us about something. Was that really our fault though? I mean, we don't exactly ask for any of that stuff to happen to us, it just does.

"I-uh...I guess not..." I said awkwardly, again not knowing what to say. She had a point, and talking about one of the things that happened to our group wasn't going to help my problem here. So I quickly decided to change the subject before it got worse. My weaseling getting me out of that mess. "Hey, my friend Aloe here was talking about her spa a moment ago. Do you ever go there?" I asked, that being the only thing I could think of to get out of here.

"We have a spa?" She asked, confused. But that was quickly replaced with an amused look. "Wait a second, you go to the spa? Bwahahaha!" She busted out laughing at how the 'Tough Cypony' Blitz went to the spa. "What do you even do there anyway? Facemask? Hoofacure? What, do they do your make-up in there?!" She just kept on laughing. Drawing some attention, but not much considering one of the Mane Seven were involved.

"Actually," I started with a smirk. "I just go for the acupuncture." I finished, with my calm smirk still on my face. That was enough to make her stop laughing and look back at me. She still had an amused attitude, but it was less than before.

"You mean, they pin you with needles?" She asked, a little confused about how that actually worked.

"Yeah. They used, what, about fifty needles?" I asked Aloe, purposefully keeping the number low so she could correct me and have the idea set in a little better.

Luckily, she caught on and just smiled innocently as if she had no idea what my plan was. I guess she was a pretty good business pony too. It's a wonder how her spa's having bad luck right now. "Actually Electric Blitz, it's more around the number of one-to-two hundred needles." She told me.

"T-that many?" Ginger Star asked, caught off-guard by that number. That was on the back alone too. Again, I'm not complaining with the results. My back never felt better. "Yeesh, what is it with weird treatments?"

"Yes, well I think I speak for all of us when I say that none of us want to talk about our luxurious treatments for now." Aloe said, both of us agreeing as she changed the subject herself. "So Electric Blitz, weren't you supposed to be spending today with Miss Rarity and the others at Track River? Why are you in the shopping district instead?"

Not wasting a second, I spoke up with a small grin. Fine with talking about that. "When they told me that it was usually pretty boring there, I came up with the idea to have a boat race. So, I'm going to build them some specialized boats for the race. Not only that, but the race goes all the way around the river, with the prize being just simple 'fame' and bragging rights, and it's no holds barred. So anything go-"

Before I could even mention anything else about it though, the clock tower rung out all over Ponyville. Showing that it was the new hour. When me and Rarity left to build the boats, we left about ten minutes ago. But still, it was a reminder to me that showed I didn't have much time left.

"I gotta go. See you later!" I called out telling them about how I had to get going. I still needed to get the materials for the boats, carry it all back, build, sand, make sure all the mechanisms, pulleys, and levers worked, and make sure there were no holes that would make the boat sink. All without testing any of the boats or placing them in the water.

Still, as I left the two of them behind they just went over what I had told them. A race that would mean getting all the glory of winning and filling up what would be a boring and peaceful day.

For Aloe, to her she thought it would mean that she and her sister could try and win. If they could, or at least did a pretty good job in the race, then that would probably drum up some pretty good business. And with more business, they could put that money into restocking the better and Canterlot-society approved supplies. Not to mention some stairs for that steep hill that leads down to their spa.

For Ginger Star, that would mean one day of not being bored what-so-ever. It was common knowledge that the 'Mane Seven' always had interesting lives in boring old Ponyville. And with something that wasn't life threatening for a change that would keep her from being bored? Not to mention, all she had to do was build a boat and win a race that had no rules? That victory was as good as hers.

Just like the others before that had heard about the news, Aloe and Ginger had the same exact thought on their minds:

"We are/I am, going to win this race!"

---

Rarity's POV

As the bell struck two in the afternoon, it showed me just how much time was left. Luckily for me however, I was making impeccable time with my designs. I had told Blitz before we went our separate ways for the time-being that I would think of the themes for each of our friend's boats so I would have a plan going in to all five boats.

Some were as easy as every pony probably thinks it would be. Pinkie's theme would be revolved around sweets, Applejack's theme would be, you guessed it, apples. Sadly, some wouldn't be quite as easy to make themes for. Rainbow Dash couldn't simply be a rainbow theme because most of a boat is always underwater. And paint won't dry that quickly so, that was out. And it had to be decorations that weren't a hindrance and get the boat caught on any branches, so suspending stars off of Twilight's boat was out of the question as well.

For the time being, I was just focusing on themes that would work as I worked on something else I was able to envision that Blitz approved. A flag for each of their boats. Their emblem, if you would like a more appropriate term for a race. And no, it wouldn't just be their Cutie Marks like most ponies would think. I wanted to make emblems that would fit the theme along with they're personality.

Each one took no time at all. Just make the emblem itself then stitch it into a solid color fabric. I was just taking my time so I wouldn't be sitting there and distracting Blitz from building the actual boats. I know as well as any pony that important projects take full concentration. And since he can not test any of the boats, that point is even more important.

However, as I was working on Twilight's emblem, which was the only one left besides Pinkie Pie's, I was interrupted by a slightly annoyed clear of the throat from directly ahead of me. The type that was meant to get others attention. "Hello, Rarity. What are you doing?" A slightly ticked off and professional voice asked me.

I looked ahead, Twilight's flag levitating besides me in mid-air as I was sitting on a public bench. That's when I saw Swift Lightning, the stallion that I made that 'AC B-hood' outfit for, frowning towards me. All while Cloudchaser, another resident of Ponyville, was standing besides him. Watching Swift as he was talking to me.

"Oh, hello Swift. And hello to you too Cloud. To what do I owe this pleasant conversation?" I asked with my polite smile. Trying to stay in an up-beat attitude as I thought up my marvelous designs for my friends.

"Well, it's about what you're doing." Swift said, staying with a focused, officer persona. "You're waving those needles around like crazy." He said, making the most ridiculous accusation I had ever heard in my life.

"And just who am I bothering with my sewing?" I asked in confusion, trying not to sound rude in any way at all. Even if what he was saying was foolish, he was still a Ponyville officer after all. "I'm keeping the needles besides me on the opposite side of the bench I'm resting on. And no pony is near me." I waved my hooves around me to gesture to him what I was talking about.

"I don't care! It's disturbing the peace, so knock it off!" He said, now getting an attitude with me. Well, I am perfectly within my right to sew in public! And if he wants to make a show about this, than who am I to deny him one?

"She does have a point. She's not doing anything wrong..." Cloudchaser said awkwardly, having a calm attitude to her voice and her personality. She was raising an eyebrow towards Swift, and was trying to figure out just what he was talking about.

"..." He said nothing as he just kept staring me down with a frown. I didn't back down as the needle he was referring to kept working on Twilight's emblem. All that was left was the main part of her emblem, and it would be Pinkie's flag left to work on.

Finally, as I put the last thread through the fabric and completed Twilight's emblem, Swift finally sighed and gave up. "Fine, you're free to go." He mumbled towards me. And when exactly was I taken under custody? "What are you doing anyway?" He asked, obviously bored of nothing happening. I guess that's why he tried to arrest me for sewing.

"I'm sewing these flags for my friends. You see, we had all decided to have a boat race along the river that was made from Winter Wrap-Up. So, I'm making flags for each of their boats, while Blitz is making a boat that works in a way that fits them perfectly. You know, boats that work with magic, wing-power, sails, any way possible."

"That...Actually sounds safe. At least, coming from you seven." Swift told me with a deep thought look on his face. Normally, I would be offended by such a remark, but he did have a point. We did get into trouble at times.

"Well, thank you Swift. But yes, that's why I need to hurry. So I'm afraid I can't be distracted by anymore-" At that moment, whether coincidence or me jinxing it, I was silenced by the instant sound of...Wubs...

"Will you knock that off?!" A local Ponyville citizen, Doctor...Who was he again? Oh whatever, The Doctor had yelled out at Vinyl in anger from his peaceful day being ruined by the sound of, I think it's called Dubtrot...Dubgallop?...Dubwalk? Ugh, what was it?! Why am I drawing such a blank on everything so suddenly?!

"Ah come on dude, this track's the best I got!" Vinyl argued with a relaxed smile as she just kept nodding along to the beat of the song. "Every pony else likes it! If you don't, then don't listen to it."

"Ahem...Swift?" Cloudchaser nudged the P.L.E.A.S.E. officer in question. Snapping him out of his head-bobbing enjoyment. "Shouldn't you be stopping stuff like that?" She asked, reminding him about what exactly was wrong with all of this.

"Uh...Well, I would, but...She does have a point, that beat is pretty good." Swift said, not sure whether or not he wanted to have to ask her to turn it off. And even though that was completely unfair against me and my sewing, I couldn't help but agree with him. Even I liked this pleasant, though very loud, music.

Luckily for him though, some pony else came in to stop Vinyl's music. Some pony with just a little more power than him that would be listened to more than him anyway. It was Mayor Mare.

"Vinyl Scratch! Please turn off your-uh-wubs!" Mayor Mare asked her, having to yell because of how close she was to the loud music and bouncing speakers. "Every pony may find it enjoyable-" "I DON'T!" "-But you're waking all the animals in the park!" She told her, gesturing to a tree that was nearby as two squirrels bounced out from the vibrations that rung up the tree.

"Ah, but these wubs are rockin' this park!" Vinyl tried to argue, only to get an acorn thrown at her head in response. "Okay, okay, fine!" She gave in, turning the music off completely. "I was just trying to give every pony something in the park to listen to."

"Well next time, just give them some music that's a little quieter!" The Doctor yelled at her, not realizing that we could all hear him perfectly now since the music had stopped.

Mayor Mare, now at ease that the problem was handled, spotted the three of us and walked over. "Hello every pony. How are all of you doing today?" She asked, hopping we could all just forget about Vinyl's music. Which is a little hard to, given how it was still ringing in our heads. Good thing for me I had just finished Twilight's flag before the music started and didn't ruin it.

"We're just fine Mayor." Cloudchaser told us. "In fact, we were just listening to Rarity talk about some 'boat race'. Weren't we Swift?" She asked, hoping he would catch on. If he didn't there might've been a chance Mayor Mare would realize that Swift had done nothing to stop Vinyl.

"Yeah, we were." He answered, not missing a beat. Good thing he didn't have to think that over either, because I think I saw Mayor Mare spotting his P.L.E.A.S.E. badge a second ago.

"A boat race? Where's this?" Mayor Mare asked, now looking towards me for an answer.

"Well, it's the moat we dig around that area in the forest where we put all of the excess snow from Winter Wrap-Up. It creates a river that me and my friends usually go to so we may enjoy it. Only this time, Blitz was around to see it. And he gave the idea for us to use boats to go around Track River. So in about forty-five minutes, we're all going to have a race for 'bragging rights' as Blitz had called it."

"That's it? Just bragging rights? Come on, there's gotta be something better for a reward than that!" Vinyl argued as she walked over to join in the conversation. The Doctor walking over to keep from being ignored.

"She does have a point. It's such an odd kind of race to have, but it sounds promising enough. But with no publicity or real reward, than I'm afraid it won't be seen with as much success as it might get." The Doctor told me. His talk of publicity and success making the Mayor come to attention.

"Publicity? Success?" She went over those thoughts to herself. Oh dear, we're going to get one of those reactions from her aren't we? "I think you have an idea there! If this were to become a well known event, Ponyville might get quite the boom in attention!" Mayor Mare said to herself more than any pony else.

"Well speaking of the race, I'm afraid I should be going." I said, getting up from my seat, and placing the finished flags in my saddle bags. Which I then placed over my back. Leaving the materials for Pinkie's flag out to finish on the way to Blitz manor to help start decorating the boats for our friends.

"Goodbye every pony. See you later." I told them politely. Although when I said that, I didn't know just how soon that would've been.

Because as I left, Swift and Cloudchaser went over all of what I told them to the others. Vinyl Scratch couldn't help but approve of the idea and run off to do something about it. Same with Mayor Mare, although she announced there be a public announcement that was delivered to every pony via Pegasus Express w/fliers.

The Doctor, even if he had originally wanted a calm evening in the park, liked the idea of a relaxing boat race. But knowing that he couldn't build his own boat in less than forty minutes, he ran off to look for a friend to help him with this sudden challenge.

This left Swift and Cloudchaser. Who had both, even before explaining it to the others, had the exact same thought. That same thought now going through all five of their heads now.

We are/I am, going to win this race

---

Spike's POV

"Do you see either of them yet?!" Pinkie asked from below.

"Nope...Nothing..." I said, using the telescope I picked up from Twilight's place along with the megaphone I was going to use for announcing the race.

"You know Spike, we're the only ponies here." Twilight reminded me. Almost as if she could-hey wait a second! "I doubt that we're going to need any reminder about what's going on. You don't have to announce anything."

"Aw, come on Twilight! Just let me have this? Please?" I asked, looking away from the telescope and down at her for a moment. Giving her a pleading face, that I know would work even this far away.

"So, is this the place?"

"I think so..."

"I wonder who all's racing."

"Don't know, don't care! I heard that it's going to be great whatever it is!"

"I really hope there're a concession stand around here."

"Don't worry, I brought my cart to sell something."

"Alright! Bonbon came through for us!"

"Uh, Spike?...What's with all them voices?" Applejack asked, looking around as she heard so many ponies talking just out of view. They weren't Blitz an Rarity's voices either. Plus, it was more than just two. It sounded like a few of them...

Or...A whole town of ponies, coming to see the Boat Race.

I quickly pointed my telescope towards the group and saw every pony coming from Ponyville along the path. And when I mean all of them, I mean all of them. There were even a few coming that didn't exactly look like racing fans. It didn't stop them though, as they all came to either cheer for whoever was racing, or just curious as to how this was going to go.

"O-oh...My...There are. So many of them..." Fluttershy said, lowering into the water to hide from the army of ponies all coming towards them.

"Not only that, but look! Some of them are dragging something along with them!" Rainbow Dash pointed out, seeing how ponies like Vinyl, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, even Aloe and Lotus, were all carrying something behind each of them. Something that was hidden underneath a draped white cloth.

"Where did all of them come from?" Twilight asked, looking at the nearing crowd.

"Does it matter?!" Pinkie asked, jumping out from underwater and balancing herself perfectly on Twilight's head. "We have enough ponies to turn this into the biggest party in the forest ever!"

I kept using my telescope to look at the group. Out of all of them, I counted seventeen pieces of cloth that were being carried around. All of them big enough to fit one or two ponies each. And it looked like there were only one or two ponies for each covered object.

"Never fear friends, we have arrived!"

I then angled the telescope towards the left where there was another path that led from the outskirts of Ponyville, and spotted-the most beautiful of sights ever to behold...Oh, and there was Blitz walking too. Followed by a small group of Construction Ponies. All of them, even Rarity, carrying something that was each draped with white fabric as well. Blitz, if you forced Rarity into pulling that thing, I swear that I will light you up like a match!

"Uh, Rarity? How's come every pony and their family's are comin' 'ere?" Applejack asked as she and the others came out of the river to meet Blitz and Rarity, along with the Con. Ponies, halfway.

"Why, whatever do. You. Mean?..." Rarity asked, looking ahead to see just what AJ was talking about herself. In fact, as she looked ahead, she saw Mayor Mare coming out of the crowd and towards them. Seeing this, I went ahead and started lowering the balloon so it would land near them. It was actually way easier than you'd think too.

"Hello there Rarity. I'd like to thank you again for telling me about this great idea all of you had." Mayor Mare told her, earning awkward glances and even a glare or two from the others about how she had told the mayor about this.

"Oh...Well, um...I-I had no idea that any pony would come for a simple race along the river...Just out of curiosity, why are you all coming to watch our little race?" Rarity asked, not sure how to think about this just yet.

"On the contrary, they have come to see what I like to call, The Ponyville Races!" Mayor Mare said cheerfully. "After hearing just how much can be gained out of this-In fun of course- I brought this news to every pony in Ponyville as quick as I could. Some of them were so excited, they even built their own boats to compete!"

"C-c-compete? As in, a competition?" Fluttershy asked shyly, hiding behind the cloths from the crowds. By this point, those ponies that helped Rarity an Blitz had left to join the crowds as they started to thin out. Most of the crowds were now walking alongside the river. Wanting to find a spot where they could see the race that wasn't so crowded. A lot of them just stayed near the start/finish line area. Perfectly fine with just seeing the start and hearing the play-by-play by yours truly.

"That is so awesome!" Rainbow Dash said, trying to keep in all of her excitement. "Now every pony will know when I win this race!"

"Wait, you're racing too?!" A surprised filly's voice asked in shock. "Oh man! It'll be so great to race against you, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said, running over to see her 'big sister' and talk to her. Not even realizing that she was dragging an un-expecting Sweetie Belle and another object with a white cloth of it with the scooter she was riding on.

"Hold on there a sec, you two are racin'?" Applejack asked confusedly. "What about Applebloom? Where's she?"

"I'm over here!" Applebloom announced as she, along with Big Mac, walked over. She was on top of Big Mac, waving to all of us as Big Mac pulled along another clothed object. "And me and Big Mac are gonna race too! Right Big Mac?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac answered with a simple nod of the head.

"Wait a second, I thought that Big Mac and you were going home because of how Big Mac got hit over the head by a rock from But-uh, I mean-Diamond Tiara!" Scootaloo said in surprise.

"When did that happen?" I asked, landing the balloon and jumping out to join all of them.

"Righ' after ya came through tryin' ta get that balloon behind ya." Applebloom told me, gesturing towards the balloon behind me.

"Oh, right..." I said, suddenly remembering hitting my head on a branch and stumbling into a bush. Next thing I remember was waking up around a few of them.

"Well, what do you think every pony? What should we do about this?" Twilight asked all of us, the mayor right besides her as she looked to us hopefully. We all stayed silent, not really sure what to do exactly. Some of us like Rainbow, Pinkie, and Scootaloo were excited, but some like Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle weren't so sure. Still, all of us were silent about it.

That's when the pets came back. RJ, Angel, and Opal, along with Gummy and Owlowiscious, who Pinkie went to go get while we were gone, all came back. Coming over to their respective owners to rest.

RJ stopped in front of Blitz and pulled out his ear from under his backwards hat, pressing it so we could understand him. "It's all set up Blitz. Anything else you need?"

Blitz, thinking it over, looked over towards Twilight. Getting all of our attention on him. "I think we should have the race. I mean, we've gone this far setting it up, right?" He asked.

"I second that." Rarity added with a nod. "We've gone through all the work. Why not let every pony enjoy it?"

"I think it's a great idea too!" I joined in quickly, trying to show Rarity that I was right there with her. Besides, it mean a crowd for me to announce to.

"Come on Fluttershy, this'll be great! You gotta say yes!" Rainbow Dash pleaded with her. Hoping she would agree.

"I know I do!" Scootaloo added.

"Me too!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Me three!" Applebloom jumped in.

"Eeyup." Big Mac said with his usual nod. Again.

"Well...If every pony wants too..." Fluttershy caved in, coming out from behind the cloths of, what I guess I could say were the boats now.

"Oh yeah! River Racing Party is a GO!" Pinkie announced, earning some cheers from the crowd that was left.

"Alright then, I'm glad you all agree." Mayor Mare said, trying to stay calm at how we were all agreeing with her plan. "Spike? You're the one announcing every thing right?" She asked me.

I couldn't help but smile as I puffed out my chest confidently. "Yes! Yes, I am!" I answered with a nod, keeping my pose. Even if the CMC were snickering a bit.

"Perfect. I'll have every pony come to you so they can register their teams and boat names." She told me, letting me know that I might need to write these done. So I quickly pulled out a quill and some paper to get ready and enter everything. "Good. And before I go, I'll go on and make my entry before I set up my own raft."

All of us gave a questionable look for a few seconds, but she just gave a sort of sly smile to us. "What? You didn't think I would miss out on this race, now did you?" She asked. Earning a few laughs from most of us. "Now then. My Team: Mayor Mare. What I'm Riding: The Political Floater."

---

After what had to be ten minutes of registering, I was now floating above the river. Looking down as I started bouncing all around the balloon's basket in excitement. It was finally time, and every pony was listening. And I knew exactly what to do.

I made sure the megaphone and telescope were both set-up just right and cleared my throat. Finally ready to start announcing:

Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to the first annual: Ponyville Boat Races!

I gave a few seconds to myself to take in all the cheering as even the racers cheered for me. All eighteen racers were lined up on their boats in the water. All of them keeping their boats steady as they waited for me to go on. And tell them when Rarity and Blitz would tell them to go.

Blitz and Rarity were in their own kind of craft. Just like the rest, Blitz had made it. But it was way different from the others. It was a flattened out piece of cloud with a railing along the sides of it that were just cloud material shaped liked fencing. Rarity was able to rest on it thanks to Twilight using that whole 'Walk on Clouds' spell on her. It also had a picnic blanket laid over top of it where the two rested so they could watch the race from above while doing whatever.

They originally had brought something to eat while watching our friends race, but now they had an even better show to watch while they ate. Both of them had their own reasons for not wanting to get in the water, so following the others in a normal boat was out of the question. And they didn't want to walk alongside the river either. So Blitz instead installed a winch in the middle of the cloud that had a piece of thick wire going down and into the water, where a buoy was resting. When the race starts, Blitz was going to power it up with a lightning so the buoy would go forward and peacefully follow the racers without getting in the way.

They weren't in the race though, just simple spectators. So that meant that I didn't have to talk about them at all. Every pony knew who they were of course. So after the cheering stopped, I spoke up again.

Since this is the first ever race, I'm going to just go over the few rules in this. That way, you'll know why some pony's out of the race.

Rule 1: Your boat is not allowed to leave water for more than five seconds. So if you fly up in the air, or run a ground for five seconds, YOU'RE OUT!

Rule 2: You can't leave your boat for more than ten seconds. If your not touching, or riding your boat for ten seconds straight, YOU'RE OUT!

Rule 3: If your boat is destroyed to the point where it's not able to work-say it with me every pony!

"YOU'RE OUT!"

That's right! And those...Are the only rules in the race! Which means for the racers, that all of your competition can do whatever they can to take you out!

Some of the racers in their boats couldn't help but cheer along with some of the crowd as they started opening hidden traps and other things they had planned to use against the other racers. Some had a pile of rocks or water balloons, others had hoof-built contraptions. Some didn't have anything sadly. That including all the mane six that were racing. And even though Rainbow Dash was mad about that, none of them said anything.

But that's not all! A fair warning to every pony racing today! Watch yourselves! Because thanks to a few of our furry little friends, the river has tricks and traps set-up at random points to keep you from winning! And they can be anywhere!

So with all of that said, let's get ready to introduce the racers!

Once again, just like the first time, the crowd all broke into cheers and some started cheering for particular racers! Some wanting to cheer for their friends, others making friendly bets with who was going to win the race.

For our first team, we have The Fastest Flyer in Equestria! The only one who can do a Sonic Rainboom! The pony who was knocked off her pedestal by not only Mare Do-Well, but also a herd of buffalo from Appaloosa!

"Hey!" She cried out in annoyance.

Rainbow Dash! Riding: The Fog Rider!

Despite what I had told them, they all cheered for her anyway. Making her quickly recover and take in all the cheering fans from her own boat. Her flag was actually simple compared towards the others as it was a rainbow that went from the lower middle of the flag and curved up towards the top right corner of the flag. The background being a sky blue color. The rest of her boat, however, was something more than just rainbow colors.

The boat of hers worked by her using wing power. And after Blitz was done explaining that, the others got a little mad that he was giving her an easy win. But when he showed them the boat, they stopped arguing immediately. Because the boat was the heaviest out of all. He said it was based of an iceberg, with how most of it stayed underwater and it was extremely heavy. That way. Rainbow would have just as good a shot at winning.

The design, made by the lovely Rarity, was based around the sky itself. The sides of the boat were made to look as if it was a cloud floating on water. Which is how it blended in with the name. Of course normal clouds can't touch water or they just melt into the water in a weird 'ice cream melting' way...Yeah, it's hard to explain, so Rarity used cloth and other material to make what looked like clouds. Along with the inside of the boat being cushioned white to give it that impression.

The second team, is a local from Ponyville! She's known throughout the Construction Crew! She's determined to win this race no matter what! And...And, she's right there...

"Yeah, great introduction. I'm grateful, really I am..." She said sarcastically, shaking her head but still smiling at how stupid my improve was.

Right, sorry. Ginger Star! Riding: The Snarf Surfer!

Just like Rainbow, Ginger was met with cheering fans herself. Most notably from her friends from the Con. Crew as they were the majority of pony rooting for her. Even going as far as to bring a sign or two. Her flag was the hilt of a sword with a red jewel in the middle with some sort of cat figure on it. And dark orange as the background color.

Her boat was a simple sail boat, with a hoof-built catapult that was just the right size to launch something the size of a watermelons. Which, she had actually brought three along. The rest of the boat was simple though, and was painted with a pale orange as the main color. But had a sort of camouflage look to it too.

After the cheering started to subside, Ginger relaxed on a beach chair she had put onto the deck of her ship. Relaxing as she waited for me to finish announcing the others.

Team three, we have not only one but two ponies that have teamed up! The first likes referring to himself as 'The Doctor', who no pony really understands. While the second one has built up his reputation of being a little bit, well Jumpy!

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Doctor Whooves said with a nod of approval. "Jumpy, you entered in the name we agreed on, right?"

"Uh..." Jumpy wide-eyed as he chuckled weakly. "...Maybe?..."

Jumpy J and Doctor Whooves! Riding: The Wave Jumper!

"Wave Jump-ugh..." The Doctor sighed as he facepalmed. "Well...I guess that'll do." He reluctantly agreed, earning some friendly laughs towards the audience to the two racers. The two of them relaxed and took in the cheers and laughter humbly.

Their flag was a clock with twisted arrows that curved in different directions. While the background of the flag was dark brown. The rest of their boat ran on, at least as far as I could tell, the big clock that was on the back of the boat. Their boat was only painted the solid, lighter than Rainbow Dash, sky blue just like Jumpy's coat was.

The only real thing about their boat was the giant clock that was set up on the edge of the boat. And it was actually moving like a normal clock would. Only, instead of the normal minute and hour arrows, it had the minute and second arrows. Every time the second arrow moved, the gear sticking out from behind the giant clock spun. That gear wasn't in the water yet though, so the boat stayed in place. Not being propelled forward at all.

On team number four, we have two familiar brothers! The bigger one working on the P.L.E.A.S.E. Force, while his brother is a great enough flyer to help out in creating hurricanes!

"Do you hear that Thunderlane, he's about to say our names!" Thunderlane's little brother, Rumble, said with an excited look on his face.

"Yep! And one race later, he'll be saying it again!" Thunderlane said confidently. Earning snickers from Rainbow Dash and Ginger Star.

Thunderlane and Rumble! Riding: The Rumble Speeder!

A ton of foals from Ponyville cheered for their friend Rumble, while a few pals of Thunderlane cheered him on too. Both of them just waving towards the crowds that were cheering.

Their flag was a simple three lightning bolts that struck downwards. The background being completely black too.

They hadn't paid much attention to the look of the boat. That didn't matter much to them since they didn't have much time. So it was unpainted, and undecorated. The only thing noticeable about it, was a few buckets of water balloons on the deck of their small boat. That, and the small stand in the middle where one of them could steer the boat with wing-power. Just like Rainbow Dash's boat. Still, they weren't nearly as strong as her with wing-power, so it was still even.

The fifth team, is a certain Zebra straight from the Everfree Forest! She's prevented more than enough Ponyville natural disasters herself! And, she makes a mean stew!

"Why what a nice little intro, doing so with such a pleasant memento." Zecora remarked with a small smile towards what Spike was announcing.

Thanks! Anyway, it's Zecora! Riding: The Swimming Bayou!

Every pony cheered, but couldn't help but be taken in awe by what her boat looked like. To start with the flag, it was a black cauldron with a light green liquid inside of it. Followed by a murky green background.

How her boat looked, certainly lived up to it's name. The boat was covered in plants, leaves, and vines to make it look like an actual swimming bayou. And if that wasn't mysterious enough, she had a small cauldron half the size of her usual one. And it had a good smelling brew inside that was steaming to the point of having the steam cover the entire boat. She didn't seem to mind though as she just took a sip of the brew. Showing how it was just something for her to enjoy during the race.

"Woah! That boat is so cool!" Rumble said, just as hypnotized by it's 'coolness' like the rest of the crowd watching.

"You got that right..." Jumpy said, mesmerized by the look of it too.

Team six is up, is one pony that all of us know as our closest friend! She makes sure to have a party every chance she gets, and is probably planning a victory party for whoever wins as we speak!

"AH! Spike, stop reading my mind!" Pinkie Pie said, holding her head in fear that it was what Spike was actually doing.

"Pinkie, I don't think Spike's reading your mind." Rainbow deadpanned.

"Oh! Alrighty then! Well, back to party planning!" Pinkie said, sitting back on her boat in thought.

Pinkie Pie! Riding: The Sweet Sailor!

Every pony broke into a cheer as a lot of them started holding up signs with Pinkie's name on them. Even if she wasn't paying attention to them as she kept planning out that party for the lucky pony, ponies, or zebra.

Her flag was a bright colored cupcake with a birthday candle on top of it. The background colored a bright pink color. Her boat, much like Zecora's, lived up to it's name and then some!

Her boat was in the circular shape of a cake, with cookies, candy, and cupcakes decorated all around the side as well as sprinkles and frosting. Her boat was made by Blitz so it was a paddleboat. All four of Pinkie's hooves able to be used to propel the cake boat forward and maneuver it all at once or only one or two at a time so Pinkie wouldn't have to tire out all of her hooves at once while she raced all the way around the river. Even though that seemed unlikely.

Team seven is another group of two! One loves video games, and helps make those Shadow comics! And the other is an expert when it comes to boats and pirates!

"You ready fo' this First Mate Button?!" Pipsqueak asked excitedly as he stayed on his boat. Standing on the bow of their ship.

"You got it Captain Pipsqueak!" Button told him with a smile. Not really caring that Pipsqueak was 'Captain' of the ship.

"Aw come on Button, ya gotta sound like a pirate!" Pipsqueak told him. "Try one more time!"

"Right...Aye Cap'n Pipsqueak!" Button Mash corrected, the two of them laughing at how stupid it was.

Pipsqu-

"CAP'N!" Pipsqueak yelled up at me.

Uh...Cap'n Pipsqueak and First Mate Button! Riding: The Scurvy Gamer!

Their ship had to be the...most different looking one, of all. Starting with their flag, it was a...Blocky pirate sword that looked like it was made out of diamonds. With the background of the flag being a sea blue color. The ship itself resembled a small pirate ship that worked with sails. Even though some of the boards were out of place and looked like it had exactly 90 degree angles to make it look like blocks. It was still able to go on water, but it looked a little off.

Not only that, but from another racer's perspective they couldn't really see what else was inside the ship. So I decided to keep it a secret for now.

"Uh, hey? You want some help with your ship real quick?" Blitz asked from above. "It's not all that aerodynamic."

"Quiet landlubba', are ship be a winner! Clear as the high seas!" Cap'n Pipsqueak told him with a pirate accent. Earning an applause from Button Mash. Clearly, he was learning from the master of pirates.

Team eight is up with two more ponies! One's another officer of P.L.E.A.S.E. and the other is a trainee officer! They're both Pegasi, and they're both ready to win!

"Wow, he's doing even better at this than I thought..." Cloudchaser said, impressed.

"Well, he got one thing right. We are ready to win!" Swift Lightning said, ready himself.

"Yeah?! Well good luck getting past me!" Thunderlane said, now defending his own team.

"You?! You'll both have me to worry about! Good luck trying to keep up!" Rainbow Dash countered.

Swift Lightning and Cloudchaser! Riding: The Storm Privateer!

Their ship was, coincidentally enough, much like Rainbow Dash's. It was, like hers and Thunderlane's teams, a wing-powered ship. Instead of being a normal cloud though, it was made to look like a storm cloud instead. The inside, outside, and everything else covered grey with what looked like grey storm clouds. This also matching their cloud, which was a storm cloud with lightning bolts emitting from it towards all four corners of the flag. The background of it being a dark, storm blue.

Of course, that wasn't the one thing about they're boat that caught every pony's attention. It was what they had brought with them on the boat. A few small storm clouds that Cloudchaser must've gathered up. And they looked like defective ones too. If they were moved suddenly, like some pony throwing them for instance, then it would go off and probably shock anything it touched. Perfect for wooden boats they were going against.

Next up is team nine with one magic pony that every pony here, and Canterlot, should know! She's Celestia's faithful student! And has saved Ponyville and Equestria more than a few times! Some of those times being her fault to begin with...

"Spike!" Twilight said, now embaressed as the cheering audience had now turned into laughter. Along with Blitz and Rainbow Dash, who were probably laughing just as much as any pony. And Pinkie, who was probably laughing just to join in.

Twilight Sparkle! Riding: Magic Speed!

Out of all boats, hers was actually the first one that had a room in it. It resembled a 'steamboat' as Blitz had called it, with the giant wheel that Twilight was going to use her magic on to move it forward, at the back. It was just the wheel and the small room though, so there was no place outside to stand. But Twilight didn't seem to mind as she stayed in the room, which had a few shelves and a steering wheel for added measure. But since Twilight was in control of the paddlewheel in the back, the steering wheel was pretty much useless.

Her flag was, keeping it simple enough, the same as her Cutie Mark. Though the background, instead of having Twilight's usual light purple, looked like a night sky with small stars in the background. This resembled the rest of her boat as the roof of the room was lined with night sky fabric so it look Twilight was looking up into the sky.

The outer part of the room Twilight was in, was painted to have an aurora of colors to make it look like the northern lights. Still, it fit with the whole 'Magic' part of the boat.

Now at team ten, we have-

"WUB-A-DUB-DUB EVERY PONY! The name's DJ Pon-3, and I'm on the boat who's gonna cross that finish line! This thing doesn't just ride waves! NO! It rides them with WUBS! Say hey, every po-neigh, to the Bass Cannoneer!

Before I could even introduce her next, she went ahead and did it herself. Getting every pony to cheer as she played a little intro music for her and her boat. This even making some of the fans change who they were voting for and throw away their old signs. Holding up new ones for Vinyl. She had her own sound system hooked up to her boat, and she was planning on playing her music the whole time. Of course, not just to entertain every pony, but to make her ship go forward.

Her flag was a stereo blasting music out from the speakers, which you could see because the sound waves were put onto the flag too. The background of the flag was an electric blue color...Wow, how many ponies had some color blue as their background for the flag?

Her boat matched up with the flag too. Like I said, it was a simple but sturdy raft that was strong enough to hold her and her sound system. The one noticeable thing though, was that the raft wasn't the only thing in the water. She had two records on each side, much like a wagon's wheels. They weren't spinning yet, but it was a safe bet that those spinning records were what was going to propel her raft forwards.

"Of course you would make your boat run on loud music. And when I thought that I could get away from it..." The Doctor said, not waiting until the intro song ended.

When it did, Vinyl just smirked. "Oh don't worry, you won't hear it for long. Not when I leave you in the dust with my-

WUBS OF DESTRUCTION!

As more fan kept on cheering, I went ahead and cleared my throat loudly. Getting all of their attention so I could introduce the last nine teams.

Thank you. Now for team eleven, we have two certain fillies! One's family owns Barnyard Bargains, and the other's family works as the assistant manager to that very business!

"Just get on with it!" Diamond Tiara yelled out in anger.

"Yeah!" Silver Spoon agreed, backing up her friend with just as much annoyance.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! Riding: Silver Jewels!

Despite the name being relative to Silver Spoon's, the actual boat didn't resemble anything like it. It was a small, simple pink raft with a single sail. It was still made expertly and paid for by Diamond Tiara's Dad. Which was pretty obvious with the flag underneath the Emblem said 'Barnyard Bargains' on it.

And speaking of their flag, it was simple as well. It was a necklace that came in from the top left corner, and curved back up to come out of view at the top right corner. At the middle of the necklace was a lone purple gem that resembled the same gem on Tiara's...Tiara.

"Well...It's a boat, to say the least..." Blitz mumbled quiet enough so only a few racers nearby could hear. Earning a silent nod from Twilight and Rarity with how simple it was compared to the rest.

Moving along to team twelve, we have some pony who is probably the reason most of you are here right now! The one who has kept running Ponyville for seven years in a row now! And the one who isn't the best at picking scary Nightmare Night costumes...

Ignoring the laughs, she only smiled. "Trust me, it's scarier than you think. Just ask any pony that's afraid of clowns." She defended, although not stopping the laughs.

"Who's afraid of clowns?" Blitz asked, not remembering any pony in Ponyville that was actually that scared.

"Her." Pinkie said simply, pointing to the now cowering Rarity that was on top of the cloud, scared to death by the mere mention of the word.

"Oh, so that's why you never come out on Nightmare Night..." Blitz said towards himself.

The mayor, Mayor Mare! Riding: The Political Floater!

Her boat was the shape of a normal raft, but by looking at it you could tell there was more to it. First off, she was positioned on the middle of the boat, at her podium that she had put onto her boat. And along the side of the podium was a large novelty Key to Ponyville. Which was being used like a wind-up key to power the boat. She kept one firm hoof on it to keep the boat from going forward, but you could tell that the small wheels along the side were ready to go forward already.

As for the rest of the ship, it was decorated with banners and other 'political decorations' to make the whole thing seem like a mayor parade float. But that was all as she also had a slingshot mounted on the front of her podium. Showing the other racers that she wasn't playing around on this race either.

Finally, was her flag. It was her signature podium with a light brown background.

"You know...I'm almost concerned about how our mayor somehow put together that boat, figured out how to fight off the competition, and managed to give a small town meeting about the race in less than an hour." Twilight listed off, earning nods from most of the other racers.

"Not to mention, dress up as that hideous clown every year..." Rarity included with a shaky voice. Still, Blitz was trying to calm her down best he knew how. Which obviously wasn't working well enough.

"Hey, look at it this way! We have the coolest mayor, ever!" Pinkie Pie cheered, having the crowd cheer along with her for the mayor.

You got that right. Anyway, onto team thirteen! Known around town as two thirds of the mischievous group! One that is Rarity's sister, while the other is Rainbow Dash's sister! Most of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in one boat!

"Get ready Sweetie Belle, because we're about to burst out of this starting line right along with Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo told her, obviously ready.

"And Rarity!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Sweetie Belle, Rarity's not in the race." Scootaloo reminded her with a frown.

"And you two don't have a chance..." Diamond Tiara told them with the same 'obvious' tone Scootaloo used.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo! Riding: The Crusader Crafter!

Their boat...If you could call it that, was even simpler than Diamond Tiara's. It was a few pieces of logs put together with some railing along the sides for good measure. And on one of the pieces of railing, which was really just some small fencing they had...found... was a stick glued to it.

Snap! Or...Not anymore.

"Oops, I got it!" Sweetie Belle said, picking up the stick and putting more glue on it before sticking it back to the fence post. On the other end of that stick was their flag. Which was just 'CMC' stitched into it amateurly, with a dark red background.

One thing that was noticeable about their boat though, that wasn't broken or messed up anyway, was where Scootaloo was standing. She was resting on top of her scooter, which was actually installed into the boat kind of expertly. Underwater was where the bottom of scooter, and more specifically the wheels, were located. Except the road wheels were now replaced with paddlewheels like Twilight or Pinkie Pie's boats. Scootaloo was mixing wing-power and paddle wheels so they'd work both at the same time.

"Oh, just you wait Diamond Tiara...Just. You. Wait..." Scootaloo said, ready to go forwards already.

Holy Guacamole! Sounds like the racers are already pointing out their rivals! Well to hurry this along, next up is team fourteen! A familiar two colts that are...Arguing with themselves?...

"It's called the Snip Waver!" Snips yelled.

"Nu-uh! It's the Snail Ship!" Snails argued.

"Snip Waver!"

"Snail Ship!"

"Snip! Waver!"

"Snail! Ship!"

It's Snips and Snails every pony! Riding: Uh...W-what they said!

After my quick intro for their team, they kept arguing and ignored the small amount of applause towards them. Their ship...How do I explain this? Their ship was literally two ships mixed into one. On the left side, we had the smaller side and was the same color as Snips. It was slimmer and more aerodynamic. Much like scissors, I guess you could say.

Snails part of the ship was bulkier and was in a circular shape. Much like a snail shell would be. He was on the right side with his ship, and in the big sized sail in the middle was in the middle. Their flag at the top of it. It was a pair of opened scissors, but had an orange background. It was like everything was split in half for their ship, and it wasn't so good.

"Ahoy there, fellow racers! Why ye be fightin' wit' yer own crew?!" Cap'n Pipsqueak tried to ask, only he was ignored.

"Give it up Cap'n Pipsqueak. Aye don't think that they're going to listen to ye..." Sweetie Belle told him, snickering along with Scootaloo with how stupid the pirate talk sounded.

Going to teams fifteen and sixteen, we have three members of the Apple Family! One being on a team of her own, while competing against the younger and older siblings!

"How's come he's gotta say us both at the same time? Every pony else got their own intro..." Applebloom said, a little disappointed about that.

"It's probably because all of these intros are making the chapter so long. So this is to help speed it along." Pinkie told her, confusing Applebloom and some of the other racers who weren't used to her craziness.

"Uh...What Pinkie said." Applejack said with a shrug not minding at all.

On team fifteen is Applebloom and Big Macintosh. Riding: The Speed Juicer!

And for team sixteen is Applejack! Riding: The Ripe Cruiser!

Applejack's boat had to be smallest out of all the others, but it was the only one of it's kind at being a kayak. The bottom of the kayak was wood. To make sure that it wouldn't fall over, of course. The rest of it had a wooden frame, but had been covered in a 'soft plastic' of some kind. It's design was made to look like it was an apple slice, with Applejack in the middle and the flag sticking out at the back end of the kayak. Her flag was a simple one red apple with a leaf green background.

Applebloom and Big Mac's boat was a little similar. It was an apple half instead, and was painted green unlike Applejack's who had a red apple slice kayak. They're boat didn't have a sail, but instead had a treadmill hooked up in the middle. Where Big Mac was ready to run, and Applebloom was ready to help Big Mac stay hydrated so he could keep running and propel the boat forward the whole way.

Their flag was on a small pole at the front. The flag was had the initials 'BMB' Except the second half of the 'M' had a line going through it to make it look like an 'A'. That way, the initials were a combination of both Big Mac's and Applebloom's. Finally, the background was a simple red color.

"Best a luck to ya, Applebloom. You too, Big Mac." Applejack said with a nod.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said with a big grin. Applebloom nodding in agreement.

Now moving onto team seventeen, we have two Pegasi! One is our third and final officer of P.L.E.A.S.E. racing today, and the other is on of our extremely reliable mail mares!

"Oh, this is going to be so exciting!" Derpy said, smiling forward without a care in the world.

"YEAH!" Snowflake-WHO I REFUSE TO CALL BUILT BICEP READERS-agreed.

Derpy Hooves and Snowflake! Riding: Strong Fiber!

"D-Derpy?!" The Doctor asked in surprise.

"You're here?!" Jumpy asked, joining in with The Doctor.

"Huh? Oh! Hey guys! You're here to ride the river too?!" Derpy asked excitedly.

Derpy and Snowflakes ship was a little confusing, but made sense at least. It was an upside down muffin with a few painted blue spots to make it look like a blueberry muffin. Snowflake was in the middle, standing at four peddles just like Pinkie's boat. Ready to start paddling to victory. Right beside him was a flagpole with their flag on top. Which was just a normal muffin with a grey background. I guess Snowflake was just happy to help Derpy.

That, or liked muffins just as much as her.

"Oh, why didn't I ask her to be my partner?..." Jumpy said with a frown, The Doctor silently thinking the same thing.

At team eighteen now, we have one pony...Who is missing?...

All attention towards the next boat in question, they saw the boat to be empty. Except for Rainbow Dash who flew over to see for herself.

The boat was actually the most impressive of the others. Because like Zecora's it also had some plant life on it. But instead of vines, it was a little more neater. The floor of the raft-like boat had a section of grass over top of it as if it was carpeting or something. Along the flagpole, which also had the sail on it ready to open up, had small vines and flowers curling around it. And mentioning the flagpole, the flag was a lone butterfly with the background being a pale yellow color. But to help make it interesting like the others, it

Also on the raft rested Angel, RJ, and a few random squirrels and birds. All of which had come to help the certain pony get to the finish line.

"Here she is!" Rainbow Dash announced, picking up a suspicious lily pad that was besides the boat. Revealing.

Fluttershy! Riding: Floating Nature!

"Oh...Um...H-hi..." Fluttershy managed to say to the cheering audience as Rainbow Dash set her down and went back to her own boat to get ready. Fluttershy was still scared and soaking wet, but hey not clueless right? She still had the animals to help calm her down though, so that was something. And while her boat probably wasn't the fastest or the best one, she still had Angel and RJ to help steer clear of the traps laid out.

Now finally with team nineteen, we have two sisters! Both of them working together at the local Ponyville spa. And, both of them ready to beat all the other teams mentioned before...

"Yes, we are. Right Lotus?" Aloe asked, smiling over at her sister.

"Yes Aloe. We are ready to win this. For the spa!" Lotus cheered, a few ponies of the audience cheering, despite almost none of them knowing anything about the spa in the first place.

Aloe and Lotus Blossom! Riding: The Luxurious Drifter!

The Drifter was actually interesting to look at. It looked a little small for the two sister, but they didn't mind. It was decorated with colorful types of decorations, with their spa's emblem along both sides of the boat and back. All to help advertise the spa further. Along the sides were small sealed bottles of insta-bubble shampoo. Ready to temporarily distract and confuse those racers that came up beside or behind them.

How they made their boat go was also original. They brought a ton of hot rocks and had made a container to put them in. One that lead out towards a paddle wheel that was in the back just like Twilight's boat. Only this one ran on steam power from them using the hot rocks just like a sauna.

Finally, was their flag which was set up on the back. It had a lotus like both of their Cutie Marks, but was a mixture of both blue and pink colors. With the background being a soothing, lavender color.

Alright every pony! Now that all the racers have been introduced, let's finally start this race off!

Once again, every pony broke into cheers. Now ready for the race to begin as the racers all got ready. Getting to their positions and focusing on the race ahead.

...Ready...

All racers with sails got ready to loosen the sail and take off. Those with wing-powered sails got their wings ready to propel them forward. And those with paddleboats and the other random types of boats were ready to use the contraptions they had set-up.

...Set...

They all gave quick glances to each other. The crowd now silent as they waited for who would take off and who would be left behind.

...G-

"WAIT!"

"Oh, what now?!" Almost every single racer asked in annoyance as all of them, plus most of the audience that was at the starting/finish line turned around to look behind them on the path to see-

"Prince Blueblood?!"

"Now wait just a moment!" He said, walking forward as two ponies behind him, both royal guards, were bringing along another boat. "To think that all of you uncouth ruffians would just all leave town at once and abandon a royal prince! I should have this whole town imprisoned for it!" He then turned towards the guards. "Put it in the water then take the prize out."

"Wait a second, you're racing too?" Twilight asked her...Uh...Cousin...Wait, if Twilight's basically my sister...Does that make Blueblood my cousin too?! Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick now.

And surprisingly enough, Blueblood acted much more respectful towards Twilight. Probably from relation. "Yes, I am. I may not stoop so low as to want to be near any of you, but it seems that you're creating a rather large race. Something that most Canterlot nobles, such as myself, always appreciate. So of course I'm racing, what did you expect?"

As soon as the guards put the boat in the water, Blueblood walked over and got in as the guards levitated over something that was in a box as big as me! "Now I'm guessing that since you're all rustic commoners, you don't have a worthy prize for whomever wins?" He asked.

As they all heard this, Rarity and Blitz were getting angrier and angrier by the comment. Still, not wanting to be spotted by the prince, they stayed out of sight up in their cloud. Not wanting him to see them.

"No, we don't. But with every pony here, 'bragging rights' seem good enough...Don't they?" Mayor Mare asked, asking him in a slightly timid tone.

"Maybe for those in Ponyville, but for a noble, it's not. So knowing that you wouldn't have anything for a prize, be lucky that I was charitable enough to donate something." Blueblood answered, striking a regal pose as he got ready to use the boat himself.

I won't go into about his boat because he doesn't deserve it. Not after everything that he's done to Rarity. But it was basically a combination of Twilight and DJ Pon-3's ships. He had four paddle wheels on the sides as if they were wheels to a wagon, and he was planning on using his own magic to make it go forward. I guess Canterlot Nobles don't play around when it comes to races, because he wasn't acting like his usual stuck-up self. He was acting like a braggy, confident racer. Still kind of stuck-up, but not as much as usual.

That wasn't what every pony was focusing on by this point though. What they were all focusing on, me included, was the object the two royal guards removed from the box. Showing every pony the-

"Solid." Rainbow Dash started, drooling at the sight.

"Gold." Rarity included, not even hiding anymore as she was awe-struck by what was ahead.

"Trophy..." All three CMC said in unison, finishing up the observation.

It was a trophy the size of me. Completely gold, and ready to be given to whoever wins the race. The only thing missing from it was the small plaque at the bottom with the winner's name on it.

As they all kept gawking at that trophy, Blueblood just ignored it as he looked forward. Ready to start the race. Already looking kind of impatient because of how I was staring at the trophy too. I bet I could've traded that in for a horde's worth of delicious gems...

"Um, Spike?" Rarity asked, one of the first to pry herself away from the trophy. Namely since she wasn't racing. "You still need to start the race."

"Oh, right!" I said, turning towards the megaphone to start this already.

Alright every pony! With nothing else in the way, let's do this!

Ready!...

Just like last time, they all got ready to take off. With no more distractions, there was nothing stopping this race anymore. Not to mention, they were even more ready than before with the new prize waiting for them at the finish line after they went a whole lap around Track River.

Twilight and the others, although not expecting this much in their friendly race, were perfectly ready to win this race themselves. Even Fluttershy, who just kept her attention towards her animal friends and away from the crowds watching her along with the others. While Rainbow Dash was taking in every second of the attention, by standing proudly on her boat. Ready to take off at any moment.

The crowd itself was silent now. Looking as all the racers got back to their positions and were ready to take off whenever I said so. A few food vendors had brought their carts to take this opportunity and sell some food. While others brought hay rides so they could ride the ponies along the river. That way, every pony wins.

But with all that said, it was time this race started.

...

...

...

...

...

Set-GO!

In that instant, multiple racers took off. All at different paces, but in different groups. At the very front was Mayor Mare, Rainbow Dash, Vinyl, Derpy/Snowflake, and surprisingly enough, Sweetie Belle/Scootaloo, and Big Mac/Applebloom. Of course, they were all going as fast as they possibly could, so they were sure to slow down later on down the river.

Mayor Mare had let the Key to Ponyville go and let it spin like crazy and make gears that were underneath the boat propel the boat forwards. It didn't show signs of stopping either, so it was sure to keep up that speed for a good few minutes or so.

For Derpy and Snowflake, Snowflake looked like he wasn't going to tire out so easily as he paddled on for the boat to go almost as fast as Mayor Mare. Still with how much energy he was using, it wouldn't be long until he was worn out.

Vinyl was tied with Big Mac/Applebloom. While Big Mac was keeping a steady pace and Applebloom was ready to help him keep him hydrated, Vinyl didn't have any problems going fast at all. By just playing Wubs on her Bass Cannoneer, she made the four records on the sides of her boat spin like wheels propelling her at a decent speed indefinitely. But not as fast as any of the others that were ahead of her.

Finally, was Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo/Sweetie Belle tied for first. Because Rainbow Dash had a heavier boat, it was harder to go as fast as she was right now, and it was a little straining. For Scootaloo, she had the same problem. Just on a smaller scale. So she was probably going to get a little winded before Rainbow at the best.

Behind those six teams, were most of the others in an equal group. Slowly picking up speed, trapped behind slower racers that they were trying to pass, or just pacing themselves in the meantime. Nearly all teams, except for two certain teams that were still at the starting line. Crashing already.

"AH! Look what you two did to our boat!" Diamond Tiara yelled out in anger towards Snips and Snails. Furious at them for destroying their boat.

Right as I had said go, Snips and Snails opened up the sail to go forward. But since their ship was two different ships put in one, the mast was just jammed in between the two sides of the boat. So with the sail picking up the wind, it snapped the boat straight down the middle in half. The mast just falling over to the side and falling onto Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's ship. Taking it down with it.

And with the race just now starting, it looks like two boats are already down! Putting The Snip Waver in 20th place! Along with the Silver Jewels falling behind them at 19th place!

"What?! NO!" Diamond Tiara shrieked in utter enragement. Silver Spoon just gawking at the damage that was done. This leaving Snips to fall into the water while Snips was still safe on his side.

While they start to make their way out of the river, it looks like most of the ponies in the middle are starting to split up even more!

After making that announcement to keep from hearing Diamond Tiara's yelling, I moved the balloon over towards the crowd to check on most every pony that was still in the main group.

---

Twilight's POV

"Woah! This race is gettin' mighty intense!" Applejack said, looking back towards the two teams that had already crashed behind us. Still, she only focused on it for a second before turning around and rowing again. Hoping to get further ahead. Only as she did, she accidentally hit a small floating buoy in the water with her paddle. Making it pull on a rope that was holding back part of a tree.

"Woah Nelly!" Applejack said, ducking just in time as a long tree branch that was pulled as far back as it could go was released. She was just barely able to keep from the branch hitting her head, or her hat for that matter, as it swung right over her. The branch, however, didn't stop there though as it kept swinging forward. The end of it scraping the top of my boat and taking off the roof and upper part of the walls.

"AH!" I yelled out in surprise as the very tip of the branch tapped the tip of my horn. Disrupting my magic and slowing down my boat temporarily. Quickly not wanting to fall behind or hit some pony else that was behind me, I used my magic again to start turning the paddlewheel.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry 'bout that Twi! That trap came outta nowhere!" Applejack said, looking over to see if I was alright. "It didn't hit ya, did it?!"

"No, I'm fine. Besides, I guess that was one of the traps that Spike told us about. We better be careful about those." I said, seeing as Spike was starting to float over above us.

"Howdy-Do Captain Zecora!" Pinkie said as she slowed down to be beside Zecora as the race went on. "So what's a brewin' with the stewin'?!" She rhymed for the fun of it.

"Why hello there, Pinkie Pie. It's not much, just Carrot Stir Fry." She said with a smile as she ladled some into a bowl. Taking a sip of it as she let her boat go forward on it's own. Going at a surprisingly decent pace for the fact that I couldn't notice how it was operating.

"Carrot Stir Fry?! I love Carrot Stir Fry!" Pinkie said, jumping in her boat as she kept paddling. "Can I have some? I even brought my own bowl!" Pinkie Pie said, holding up a bowl that...Hold on, where did she get that?!

"Ugh! Move it! Come on, you're all in the way!" An annoyed Swift Lightning said from behind us. Angry that he was stuck behind the four of us that were pacing ourselves.

"Calm down Swift, there'll be plenty of time to catch up later." Cloudchaser told him, relaxing on the boat as she just waited for the others.

"But they're literally trying to block us from getting past them!" Swift told her, obviously mad that he was trapped behind them.

"Hmm...I wonder..." I said to myself as I picked up the last book on the floor of my boat. Seeing how it was turned to a certain page.

"Wonder what?" Applejack asked, looking up to see what Twilight was reading from her own boat. Only to see. "Oh no! Twi, you know what happened last time you used that spell! You caused an avalanche of snow ta fall over the farmin' land!"

"Well yes, but I gave that snow free will when I brought it to life. But if I can just bring this paddlewheel to life without that free will..." I said out loud, focusing my magic on the wheel to start it up.

"Altering spells leave a bad affect. Know this well, for that spell is not perfect." Zecora said with her wisdom. But it was too late as I was already mid-way into finishing the spell. And just like Zecora said, it did have a bad affect.

Because having no free will, left the spell strong enough to accidentally give the paddlewheel a personality. And when it heard that it wasn't perfect according to Zecora, it spun suddenly. Making small waves of water hit Zecora in the face. And because of that freezing water hitting her all of a sudden, she flinched. Making her bowl of Carrot Stir Fry go up into the air. Landing behind her and right into Cloudchaser's face.

"Oh! My sincerest apology. I did not mean that, honestly." Zecora quickly apologized. But it was too late as Cloudchaser slowly took the bowl of her face and wiped off the discarded Carrot Stir Fry.

She then turned to Swift with a eerily calm facial expression. "Hey Swift? You know when I told you to calm down and not worry about them being in front of us?" "Yeah..." She then turned her face into a glare as she calmly instructed him: "Forget I said that."

"Already done." He said, quickly picking up a small defective storm cloud and throwing it towards Zecora. She saw it coming and quickly ducked, but instead of it missing her boat completely, it landed in her cauldron of Carrot Stir Fry.

What happened next could only be described as...The tastiest boat explosion in Ponyville history. The defective storm cloud went off like a grenade in Zecora's cauldron. The Stir Fry coming out of the top like a geyser. This also rocking Zecora's boat violently. Making Zecora fly forward and off of her boat as it flipped over and stayed upside down before sinking down underwater within an instant.

And Spike, almost hit by the Stir Fry geyser himself, was ready to react.

And due to a Stir Fry geyser erupting from Zecora's cauldron from another team who I will keep anonymous...*cough*Storm*cough*Privateer!

Zecora is out of the race! Taking 18th Place! Uh...No rhyme intended...

"Full speed ahead, Swift!" Cloudchaser told him, now jumping up to her hooves as she saw me, Applejack, and even Pinkie glaring at her and Swift. She knew it wouldn't be a good idea to stay near us for so much longer, so soon enough they were too far for us to catch them right away.

"Why them no good...I'd sooner eat rotten apples 'fore I let them win!" Applejack said, paddling quickly to catch up.

"I'm so sorry about this Zecora...If I hadn't used that spell on this rude paddlewheel, you might still be in the-RACE!" I said, falling backwards as my boat suddenly picked up speed. Curtsey of the crazy paddleboat still being alive with it's attitude. And now unable to control it, I was driven forwards into a large rock that was sticking out of the river. Crashing into it and destroying my boat instantly. "Shoot!"

And apparently because of some technical difficulties from Twilight trying to rig her boat, she's now out of the race! Due to ramming into a rock! This putting her in 17th Place!

With four boats taken out of the race already, how will the other racers last?! Who will win?! And who else is going to crash their boats?! We'll just have to wait and see every pony!

---

Dang it Spike! I'm supposed to say stuff like that!

Well, I guess now is time we stop this chapter. About time right? Yeah, sorry it was incredibly long, but I just couldn't avoid introducing all twenty racers without seeming lazy. But hopefully this makes up for being so late on this chapter, right?

Probably not. Well, since this chapter is so special, I'm going to go ahead and put the leader board up! Until tomorrow every pony!

20: Snips/Snails-Snip Waver *Out of Race*

19: Diamond Tiara/Silver Spoon-Silver Jewels *Out of Race*

18: Zecora-The Swimming Bayou *Out of Race*

17: Twilight-Magic Speed *Out of Race*

16: Pinkie Pie-The Sweet Sailor

15: Applejack-The Ripe Cruiser

14: Swift/Cloud Kicker-The Storm Privateer

13: Fluttershy-Floating Nature

12: Thunderlane/Rumble-The Rumble Speeder

11: Aloe and Lotus Blossom-The Luxurious Drifter

10: Jumpy J/Doctor Whooves-The Wave Jumper

9: Button Mash/Cap'n Pipsqueak-The Scurvy Gamer

8: Ginger Star-The Snarf Surfer

7: Prince Blueblood-Royal Racer

6: Derpy/Snowflake-Strong Fiber

5: Big Mac/Applebloom-The Speed Juicer

4: DJ Pon-3-Bass Cannoneer

3: Mayor Mare-The Political Floater

2: Scootaloo/Sweetie Belle-The Crusader Crafter

1: Rainbow Dash-The Fog Rider

QotC: Who do you think will win?