The party at the top of Mount Kiryu was kicking into full swing.  All the party goers were there for what they were told was going to be the ‘Race to End All Races!’  All around the top of the mountain, cars of all shapes, verities, makes, and years were parked on the only two lane road at top of this small mountain.  In the middle of the road were hordes of people jamming to music and killing time in anticipation for the race to begin.

The racers they were expecting to watch however were not there at the moment.  One hasn’t even shown up on the mountain yet and the other was in a parking lot at the far end of the mountain top sitting alone.  The white suit wearing multicolored haired girl named Celestia wasn’t interested in participating in the party as she was now reaching the ripe age of thirty-nine and wouldn’t feel comfortable with the very young teenagers ranging from sixteen to twenty-one.

Celestia sighed as she sat on the guardrail separating the parking lot from the two lane road as she looked at her old white NSX with a custom spoiler parked before her with the right door wide open.  This car was now over twenty years old but it was still known as the fastest car on the mountain and even the fastest car in the entire region with no one seeming to even coming close to breaking its record time and speeds with newer more advanced cars.  It was even speculated to be the fastest car in Equestria.  The fastest car wasn’t a lightweight European Supercar or a high powered American Muscle car but an twenty year old Asian import that still had old pop up headlights.

“Yo guys…this is corner three…uhhh…I didn’t actually see anything but I heard a loud car zoom by…it’s probably Moon coming up…so everyone might want to get out of the way.”  A voice on the car’s radio said.  The volume set loud enough so Celestia could hear it from where she was in front of the car.

The multicolored haired girl chuckled and shook her head before looking to her right at the large group of people.  The message clearly hadn’t been received or wasn’t spreading fast enough as people were still clogging up the road.  Suddenly a faint sound of an engine was heard from where Celestia was sitting and the sound was quickly rising by the second.  The middle-aged girl turned her head to the right at the source of the rising sound and saw nothing.  Suddenly the sound of the loud engine’s roar flew past her, leaving a gust of wind that made Celestia’s suit flail and her shoulder length hair to kick up.

She quickly turned her head to the lit end of the road and saw a pitch black car suddenly appear from under the street lamps.    The tires of the car screeched as it braked to avoid hitting the large crowd of people.  It just barely stopped in time before hitting some poor teen who was at the edge of the crowd.  The partying quickly died as people rushed away out of the street to clear the way for the black Nissan Skyline R34.  

Once the path and road were completely clear, the R34’s engine quickly roared again as the tires squealed against the pavement and smoke kicked up from underneath the tires.  The car started to take off and swerve slightly before quickly doing a one-eighty degree turn followed by another one as it started to do random quick turns and tricks barely missing all the parked cars and people still on the road.  As the engine roared and the smoke under the tires picked up, the crowd erupted in cheers at the black Nissan burning rubber before them, skillfully managing her car and avoiding all the other parked cars on the road.

Celestia shook her head again before the black car with its headlights off made one last turn and got off the road.  It was now in the parking lot where Celestia and her car were in.  It turned towards her direction and quickly sped up to her and then eventually past her.  The magenta eyed girl watched the car pass her and saw it eventually race to the very edge of the parking lot before it did another spin complete with the engine roaring and smoke picking back up.  It didn’t continue to do so like last time and the car’s engine quickly died down as it headed back to Celestia.  It then turned and parked on the left side of the old girl’s white NSX.

The car’s engine immediately shut off before a door opened.  Out from the car came a dark blue haired woman that look slightly smaller and noticeably younger than Celestia.  Her stern face and cyan eyes quickly glanced at the older girl as her lips curved into a gentle smile.  She quickly shut the door and walked around the front of her car, her baggy black looking clothes and jeans looking completely opposite of Celestia’s formal looking white suit.

“You know one of these days you’re going to hit someone and I’m not bailing you out of prison.” Celestia pointed out teasingly with a smile as she watched her much younger sister walk up to her.

“Hey they got out of the way…” The paler girl defended with a slight chuckle as she reached the older girl sitting on the guardrail.  “Plus when you hear a car coming at an event like this…you should probably get out of the way…I mean it’s not like my car is on silent or anything.” She then said a bit jokingly as she turned around and sat next to her older sister.

“Yeah but you can’t run from something you see can’t Luna.  I mean I know you’re trying to go with this whole ‘Princess of the Night’ image or whatever but don’t you think when you’re not racing that you should turn on your headlights?” The multicolored haired girl suggested still in a joking manner as she smiled and got off the guardrail rail.

“And ruin the one thing that will make me famous?” Luna asked, faking offense as she blinked and raised a hand to her chest, watching her sister wide eyed as the older girl walked over to the open door of her car.   “Doth hath to be joking…The Princess of the Night hath no need of normal mortal vision…Nightmare Moon need only feel the road and her car to ensure her dominance in any race.” She then said in a fake royal accent, trying to simulate old English as raised her head proudly and gestured her hands in a sweeping manner.

“Until she goes plummeting off the side of the mountain…” Celestia added with a laugh as she reached into her car and pulled out a small cooler.  “You know it’s illegal to drive with your headlights off right?” She then teasingly asked as she turned around and started to walk back with the cooler in her hands.

“Yes and it’s also illegal to go over the speed limit and race against other cars down dangerous mountain passes.” She countered nonchalantly as she shook her head and chuckled slightly.

“Point taken…” The middle-aged woman simply replied, nodding her head as she put the cooler down and opened it up, revealing a whole bunch of soda cans in ice.

“I honestly wasn’t trying to bust your chops or anything…what you do is very special…and unique considering that your vision during the night is scary good…like you have night vision.  Being able to see that clearly in the dark is not something anyone can do.  Plus if you’re good at it and then refine it!  I encourage you to sharpen that skill to make you the kind of racer you want to be.” She then said sincerely as she grabbed two and raised one up for her sister to take.  She looked at it suspiciously and then looked at the person holding it with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t worry…I drove smoothly and slowly all the way up here…I mean I have to…I’m driving down Dead Tire’s End tonight…so I can’t afford to lose any grip whatsoever until the start of the race.” Celestia then said after a few seconds, knowing what was going through her sister’s mind.  Luna nodded and smiled as she took the can out from her sister’s hand and held it up to her face as she opened it up.  Immediately afterwards she was sprayed by the contents soaking her face, hands, her relatively long hair, and the top of her clothes.

“Ah you freaking liar!” She shouted at the top of her lungs as she shook her soaked hands to get some of the liquid off, shaking them towards the still hysterically laughing Celestia to try and get her wet as well.

“No…I drove…I drove safely like I said…” She responded in between laughs as she raised her can and opened it without any problems whatsoever. “I just shook that can up after I got here.” She then explained still chuckling as her angry younger sister chucked the mostly empty can at her which Celestia easily dodged.

“You know for a middle-aged business woman in a formal white suit…I wouldn’t expect for you to be pulling the same crap from back when I was like five!” She then declared in an irritated tone as she reached into the cooler and pulled out another can.  This time when she opened it she made sure to point it away from her just in case she picked up another booby trapped one.

“Ah Luna…the day I don’t get you with that old gag is the day I start to feel old.” Celestia responded happily as she sat back down on the guardrail, taking a quick sip of her soda.

“You’re not that old…thirty-nine isn’t that bad...” The younger girl commented encouragingly as she sat down on the guardrail next to her older sister.

“Luna…if I were in that large group of people over there…I would probably look like a lot of people’s mother…hell I came here after I got off work and I’m tired as hell despite it barely being midnight…I’m more concerned about going home to bed and waking up at a decent time for work tomorrow than anything else...” The suit wearing woman replied with a chuckle and a smile before taking another quick sip of her drink.

“And yet you’re still the fastest racer around!  The Racing Goddess Equestria!  And you’re still rolling around in a twenty year old car!  Hell that alone probably makes you the best racer in the world and not just Equestria!” Luna almost shouted as she pointed at the white NSX right in front of them.

“The world?”  Celestia repeated a bit surprised as she looked curiously at her younger sister before shaking her head at her, “No…there’s always someone better…I have just yet to meet them yet…and when I do and I’ll lose…then I’ll start to look more like a women going through a mid-life crisis then the Racing Goddess of Equestria.” She then said a bit reluctantly and sadly as she looked down slightly and started to move her thumb around the outside of her can.

“Sister, there’s no one that will ever beat you…I mean you taught me everything about racing since I was little…I even learned my own tricks and technique…yet I still can’t come near you in a much superior car…what makes you think someone else can beat you?” The dark clothes wearing girl pointed out as she looked at her almost in disbelief that she was saying such things about herself.

“Oh Luna…you’re still young at twenty two…and I said earlier you’re still finding your way…you still have a lot to learn about racing and even life…” The older sibling responded with a chuckle as she looked over at the other girl and smiled at her.

“Yo guys…Twilight’s coming up…she’s not barreling through with her headlights off like Moon was so you should have enough time to get out of the way before she gets here.” The man over the radio warned in a calm voice.

“Everybody loses in life eventually…and when it’s your turn to lose you’re going to lose no matter what you do…and sooner or later…it will be my time too…” She explained as closed her eyes slowly.   “And…I’ll actually be happy…because then I can retire with the satisfaction that a newer generation of more skill racers than me will take my place…” Celestia went on in a warm understanding tone as she opened her eyes and looked up at the star filled sky with a look that Luna didn’t like seeing on the older girl’s face.

“Sister…” She called softly starting to feel a little depressed over what she was saying, which made the older girl look back at her with a smile back on her face.

“Oh don’t worry, I don’t plan on losing anytime soon and when the time comes I’m not going to go easy or pull any punches…I’m going to make sure I give it my all to make sure that whoever beats me…truly is better than me…” She then said much happier and livelier than before as she reached over and put her hand on her younger sister’s damp sticky shoulder still wet from the earlier soda can incident.  “I don’t see that happening today…and that’s why…I really want to go home to go to bed…” She then finished as she removed her hand and took another sip from her soda.

“Who’s your opponent tonight?” Luna asked curiously as the faint sound of an engine was heard approaching from down the mountain.

“Random person number ten thousand and thirty six…the same kind of person that thinks they can conquer the world after a few lucky wins or flukes…I don’t even know her name…all I know is that she called me and said that tonight’s match was on a week ago before I could even reply…” Celestia answered rather annoyed and unenthused as the engine sound got louder and louder.

“I’m pretty sure this is all of her doing as well…”  She then said in a loud tone as she turned and pointed to the crowed of people as a purple third generation Subaru WRX STI sedan slowly drove by and up to the large crowd of people, stopping immediately upon reaching the massive group of people. “Going around hyping something up and bragging about something online that hasn’t happened yet…I swear it’s a monthly thing…it’s never any different…” She then finished in a frustrated tone as people began to move out of the way for the car to pass through.

“Yeah I had like six hundred messages over the past week about this event…it was crazy…and honestly if I were you I wouldn’t have shown up.” The younger girl responded as the four door sedan had enough room to maneuver into the same parking lot as Luna and Celestia.

“I kind of have to…my pride as a racer and what not…” Celestia responded as the car started to approach where the two where conversing.

“Well that’s very admirable of you and…”  Luna began to respond before stopping and going wide eyed at the purple WRX turning to park in the same parking space her black R34.  “Oh hell no!” She shouted as she immediately jumped off the guardrail, tossed aside her drink, and rushed up in front of the purple car before it hit her Nissan.

“No!  No!  No!  What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” The furious girl screamed as she raised both her hands and aggressively slammed the hood of the purple car with them.  “You almost hit my car!” She then yelled as she gestured her head behind her towards her Nissan as the purple car’s driver side window was being rolled down.

“I’m sorry I was distracted and wasn’t paying attention!” A purple haired girl frantically replied as she stuck her head out the window and fearfully looked at the girl she thought was going to dent her head.

“I’ll be saying that when I run your ass down for denting my ride!” Luna responded angrily as she pointed the frightened girl with her right hand. “Now park your ass as far away from my wheels as possible!” She then threatened as she moved her right hand and pointed to a spot on the other side of the parking lot.

“Alright alright!  I’m sorry I’m sorry!” The terrified teenager replied as she moved her head back into the car and then started to back away from the menacing looking older girl.

Luna groaned as the car started to back up and then started to walk back to where Celestia was. “Damn…you see that?” She asked the older sibling as she pointed her thumb behind her at the car that was heading towards the space she directed her to. “Girl almost drove into my trunk!” She then shouted as she took her spot next to Celestia.

“Don’t you think you were being a little harsh on Twilight?  I mean your car is pitch black to the point where I can barely see it and I’m sitting like ten feet away from it!” The formal looking woman replied as she tried desperately to see Luna’s R34 but could only make out the outline to it.

“Heh…and if you can barely see it while it’s parked…imagine the feeling of a rival driving against me…imagine them as they hear my loud engine but can’t see me no matter how hard they look.” The younger girl then boasted, taking that as a compliment instead of what it intended to be.

“Until you stop and your brake lights make you clearly visible.” Celestia teased as she saw Twilight parking into the space and now getting out of her car, wearing what looked like a fancy high school uniform.

“That’s why I don’t strike until the end…I instill as much fear as possible…to the point where they’ll be having nightmares for weeks…then I overtake them by complete surprise scarring them for life… that is how Nightmare Moon drives!” She responded more sure of herself than ever as the thin somewhat pale girl ran rather slowly from her car all the way over to where the two where conversing.

“I’m so sorry Luna!  I swear I didn’t see your car there!” The purple haired girl frantically apologized as she reached them.  She now seemed exhausted from that brief sprint as she was panting heavily and she had to raise a hand to brush her purple hair out of her eyes, revealing two strands of two different shades of purple in her hair.

Luna looked at her angrily and intimidated Twilight as she gulped and started to back away in fear, “Oh don’t worry about it Twilight…you can dent that thing up as much as possible…she’s getting a new car next week.” Celestia happily declared as she raised her half empty can of soda, wanting to break the tension before it reached ridiculous stereotypical teen levels.

“Really?  You are?” Twilight asked in shock as her she blinked in surprise and looked at Luna with her purple colored eyes which made the older girl go from anger to pride in that single instance.

“Yep…I’m upgrading to the Nissan GT-R…think of it like a college graduation present to myself!” She confirmed with a smile as she leaned back and folded her arms.

“You mean the ‘They forgot to give put in my full name and I’m really a Skyline R35?’” The magenta eyed woman teasingly asked with a smirk.

“Yeah the ‘I’m totally not a Skyline but I’m really so totally a Skyline!’” Luna jokingly confirmed with a chuckle.

“Wow…that’s like…your sixth car in like two years!” The younger girl declared as she recalled all the cars she saw Luna driving around before the one she currently had, which made the slightly older girl nod as if taking it as a compliment.

“Yeah how many street corners did you have to work to pay for all this little sister?” Celestia teasingly asked with a smirk as she arched her eyebrow slightly at her younger sibling.

“Not as much as you did sister to get your car because unlike you I don’t work for cheap!” Luna responded as she unfolded her arms and tapped her older sister's arm the back of her hand, turning the insult around back at the older woman.

“Oh if only you were that fast when racing against me…then maybe you could actually keep up with me!” Celestia replied chuckling as she shook her head and then raised her soda can to take another drink.

“Hey like you said…I’m still finding me way…and finding my way involves finding the perfect car made for me…I can’t get lucky like you and find my match on like the third try.” Luna said back as she raised both her hands and innocently shrugged in a playful manner.

“Yeah I’m surprised you found a car to fit you so well…have you ever thought about trying out other cars or at least upgrading to a newer NSX?” Twilight suggested as she started to walk past Luna and Celestia.

“No because the newer model doesn’t have flip up headlights…and I like flip up headlights…they’re so cool!” The NSX owner denied happily as she raised her right foot and pointed to the car in front of her, cutting off Twilight from passing her for a brief moment.

“Really?  That’s the reason you stick with this car?” Twilight asked in disbelief as she curiously looked at Celestia who was returning her foot back down to the ground.

“No she’s lying…there’s a deeper reason than that…” Luna replied instead in a more serious manner as Twilight walked past Celestia and sat next to her on the guardrail.

“Yeah there’s no way I’m abandoning this car…over three hundred thousand miles and countless wins…Lulu and I have been through a lot.” Celestia added now sounding serious herself as she got off the guardrail, bent over, and picked up a soda can from the cooler.  She then sat back down on the guardrail and handed the drink to Twilight, who was looking more confused than ever.

“Lulu?” She simply repeated in bemusement as she opened up the can of soda.

“Ugh!  I still cringe when you call it that!” Luna shouted in annoyance as she winced in fake pain.

“Awww that’s because it’s named after you my dear little sister!” Celestia teased in a cutesy tone as she leaned over towards her younger sister.  “I’d call you that if you let me!” She then went on as she wrapped her arms around her little sister and brought her into a very embarrassing hug.

“Get off of me!” Luna demanded as she tried to push her sister off of her.

“You named it after you sister?” The youngest girl of the trio asked with a laugh as she watched the two older girls in front of her.

“Yeah…I got this car literally a few days before she was born…and when she was, I named it after her.” Celestia quickly explained as her younger sister continued to try and pry her off.  “My Little Lulu!” She then shouted as she rubbed her head against her sister’s arm which only made Twilight laugh even more.

“K-Knock it off Tia!  You said you wouldn’t do this crap anymore…especially in public!” The poor younger sister almost shouted as she looked around to make sure that e everyone else was still at the massive party down the street.

Twilight continued to laugh in amusement as she shook her head and then raised her soda up to take a quick drink as she looked at the car named after her sister, then suddenly realizing something as her eyes widened slightly. “Wow so that car is as old as Luna?” She then asked as she looked at the two girls again.

“First car she’s even been in…and there are a few stains in the passenger seat to prove that!” The older sister jokingly confirmed as she smirked and looked up at her younger sister.

“H-Hey that was your fault not mine!” The younger girl shouted as she finally pushed her older sibling off her, now blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“Oh don’t be ashamed…you were such a little thing at the time…you couldn’t take that kind of speed at that age…and think of it this way…maybe it’s because of that moment that you’re even here in the first place…that this car gave you the love of speed that you have today.” Celestia then said warmly as she moved back to her original position and looked at her younger sister.

“Yeah…I know…I guess I should say thanks for that shouldn’t I?” The dark haired girl agreed with a sigh as she looked back with a small smile.

“Yeah…you should…and you should probably do it by cleaning my car…and try removing those stains again.” The elder sister suggested teasingly as she pointed to her car and specifically the passenger seat.  Immediately afterwards Luna’s face started to turn red again as she reached over and smacked her sister across the arm which only made Celestia laugh and Twilight as well.

“Oh you two…” Twilight said after laughing before taking another drink.  After doing so she looked around briefly and finally noticed that there wasn’t anyone around Celestia aside from her and Luna.  Normally if someone is going to be racing in a highly anticipated event they would be crowded by fans and spectators, but instead it felt like they were being completely ignored.

“Actually…now that I think about it…I’m surprised it’s just you and Luna here…normally when people are here to see a race they swarm the drivers participating in the race…” The high school student pointed out as she looked back at the large crowd of people that seemed to be partying wildly without one of the people they all came to see race.

“I told them some generic excuse like I was mentally preparing myself for the race tonight and didn’t want to be bothered…” Celestia explained in a thankful tone before she took a quick sip of her drink.

“What about the other racer…is she here?” The Tri-colored haired girl then asked curiously as looked at the crowd to see anyone that would stick out and be the other racer.

“Nope…” Celestia dully responded with a shake of her head before taking another quick sip. “And from experience I know she’s waiting for the last possible second to make a grand dramatic entrance and show off…it’s happened so many times it’s practically routine for me now…hell I don’t even know her name or what she looks like…” She then said apathetically before making an annoyed groan.

“Her name’s Rainbow Dash…” Twilight informed, as she remembered the name of the other racer from all the messages and posts on the internet she read.

“Whatever…sounds like the typical name for a smug little girl who thinks she can do anything if she boasts about it enough…” The Racing Goddess of Equestria responded uncaringly as she moved free hand up dismissingly. “All I needed to know about her was that she challenged me to the hardest course known and that she’s running late on purpose to be extra dramatic…just like every other smug challenger I’ve faced.” She then said as she waved her free hand around.

“But she’s actually good…really good…I mean I heard she beat Trixie…and I mean totally beat her to the point where it was sad instead of funny.” The youngest girl warned seriously as she informed her of the last time she raced somebody.

“Wow she beat her that bad?” Luna replied in surprise as she moved her head back and widened her eyes slightly in shock.

“Yeah…I heard she’s still shaken up over the whole thing…hasn’t got back in her car since the defeat…it was pretty bad…”  Twilight confirmed with a nod before she told her about some rumors she heard.

“Yeah and Luna beat her pretty badly too…during a bright day and I can beat Luna on the darkest night of the year when she does her no headlight technique…so why I should be intimidated by someone with a loud mouth and a meaningless accomplishment?” The middle-aged woman declared as she pointed at her younger sister, who looked back unsure of how to respond to that.

“I don’t know…Dash might be a loud arrogant person…but she most likely has to skills to back them up…” The young high school student insisted, concerned about her mentor’s upcoming race.

“Holy crap…guys this is corner three…uhhh a blue car just zipped by at a freaking unbelievable speed…I swear I’ve never see a car move that fast before on that turn…seriously guys it was insane…I couldn’t even tell what kind of car it was or anything…I think it might be the challenger!” The guy on the radio frantically shouted in disbelief.  Almost immediately the crowd started to get anxious and turn to face the direction the car was coming from.

Celestia looked at her watch after hearing the statement to check the time.  “Yeah…about five minutes until the race has to start…seems about the usual time they show up.” She said in a dull tone as the sound of a loud engine began to be heard.  

“Alright I guess we’re going to see where my opponent lands on a scale of one to ten in stupidity.” She then declared as she got off the guardrail and turned around to face the road just in time for a blue car to go zipping by her with the engine blazing.  She turned her head and watched as the car stopped in front of the large crowd of people.

‘Oh a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR…with a custom spoiler and what sounds like a tuned engine to give it at least four hundred and fifty horsepower.’  Celestia thought upon witnessing the car drive by her, immediately judging her opponent’s car and capabilities and still seeming unimpressed.  ‘Huh…I was honestly expecting like a Ferrari or something…not like it would matter…I’d still win without any problems.’ She then thought in a disappointment as the crowd of people started to get the way and clear the road.  

“Hey Twilight…you want to take this race for me?  I mean she’s using your car’s nemesis after all!” Celestia teased as she briefly looked at the younger girl who merely stared at her in bewilderment.  “Just kidding…” She then said with a chuckle as she looked back at the blue EVO.

The Lancer was blue but it had rainbow themed stripes going across the hood and towards the trunk.  On the back fenders was a picture of a cloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt coming out of it. As soon as the road was clear the car’s tires started to squeal as took off. It began to perform some turns and spins more drastic and extreme then Luna.  The ear piercing sound coming from her tires and engine combined with the extreme amount of smoke made the crowd erupt into loud cheers and whistles.  It was quickly followed by a roar of applause that was easily overshadowed by the car’s loud engine as it continued to do tricks in the center of the road.

‘Yeah…that’s right…burn those tires up…waste all that grip…make things even easier for me.’ She commented in her mind as she struggled to retain a sigh of disgust as the car finally stopped in the center of the road.  ‘Well at least she didn’t do a burnout…or worse…so on a scale of one to ten that’s definitely a solid eight.’ She then judged as the window rolled down and a tan athletic looking girl with rainbow hair popped out from the window.  She looked around with sunglasses on and then raised her gloved fist into the air, causing another round of cheers and excitement from the crowd.

‘Nope scratch that…the sunglasses and the fist pumping instantly turn it up to eleven.’ Celestia immediately retracted in her mind as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her car keys.

“Here Luna…take my keys and drive my car up when I give you the signal…Twilight and I are going to go up to hopefully have a polite conversation with the challenger.” She instructed seriously as she tossed the keys over to Luna, who easily caught them with one hand.

“Yeah Alright…” She agreed nonchalantly as she went over to the white car and closed the open door.

“Let’s go Twilight.” Celestia then said as she put her hand on the guardrail and leapt over it.

“R-Right!” The student replied with a stutter as she did the same and started to follow her mentor to the challenger.  “So what happens now?” She asked curiously as she followed side by side with Celestia towards the blue EVO.

“Now we meet her…she acts tough and stupid for a while…then she gets impatient and demand we start.  We line up our cars, wait for the guy to say go, and then I humiliate her.” She explained jokingly before she took a sip of her now mostly empty soda can.  

“Trust me it’s like the standard…and after you graduate from high school in a few weeks you’ll see so much of this that it will start to become tedious…then imagine dealing with the same stuff for twenty more years…then you’ll know how I feel.” She then said bitterly as she sighed and shook her head.

“I-I don’t even think I’ll last one year…” Twilight nervously said as she looked down slightly.

“Believe me you’ve got raw talent…I wouldn’t have taken you under my wing if you didn’t.” Celestia encouraged as she reached over and patted Twilight on the shoulder with her free hand which made her look at the older girl and smile. “Now watch and learn.” She then said happily as they were closing in on the blue Mitsubishi.

“Hey…I assume you’re the challenger?” Celestia called loudly which caught the girl’s attention as she sat in the open window of her car.  She quickly turned her head around and looked at the person who called her and looked at her through her sunglasses.

She then smiled and took off her sunglasses to reveal her cerise colored eyes.  “Yeah that’s right…the one and only Rainbow Danger Professionalism Dash…the fastest racer in all Equestria!” She replied in a rough scratchy voice and in arrogant tone as she moved her legs out from her car and fully got out revealing her blue jacket, jeans, and a white T-Shirt.  On her shirt was the same picture of a cloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt coming out that was on the back fenders of her car.

‘Geez…the stupid sunglasses are one thing but this isn’t Pro racing or the Dukes of whatever…there’s a thing called a door…use it!’ Celestia mentally grounded as she looked over the blue car, eying it over before realizing something about it that slightly shocked her.

“Well that’s surprising…” She said out loud in a genuinely interested tone which instantly made Dash’s smirk turn into a very wide grin.

“What my awesome performance or just how awesome I look?” She boasted arrogantly as she folded her arms and leaned against her car.

“No…your license plate…” Celestia replied as she pointed at the front end of her car which made Rainbow’s smile instantly disappear from her face.  “I was expecting something like ‘Dash2Win’ or ‘MadDash’ or whatever…”  She went on before looking at again and attempting to read off of it.

“But instead it’s ‘Fi1y F01r’” She struggled to say as she had difficulty saying compressed or mashed words.  Then she shook her head and looked at the owner with a confused look on her face.  “What’s a Filly Fooler?” She then finished as raised up both her hands in what seemed like defeat after failing to understand the meaning behind the two words.  She felt a tug on the sleeve of her suit and looked over to see Twilight leaning up towards her.

“Ummm…it’s a slang term for ‘Lesbian.’” She explained in a whisper to the much older girl which only confused Celestia that much more.

“What?  That’s dumb…how do you even make a connection between those two words?  I mean seriously!” She shouted in response as she looked back at the Rainbow haired challenger before realizing what kind of girl she was and shaking her head, “Kids these days…the next thing you know they’re going to call gay men Colt Cuddlers or something…” She finished with a slight sigh as she continued to shake her head in disappointment.

“Anyways grandma…” Rainbow started, wanting to get back on track and to the point of why she came, “I’m looking for ‘Racing Goddess of Equestria’…I’m here to trounce her on the hardest course around…” She informed once again in her arrogant tone which started to make the crowd whisper and even make a few make ooo-ing noises.

“Yeah...that’s me…” Celestia informed as she tilted her head slightly and raised both her arms.  The announcement left Dash speechless for a while before she finally burst out into laughter.

“Seriously?  It’s you…I mean…I heard you were kind of old but…damn.  You know racing isn’t an old person’s sport right?  I think knitting is more up your alley…or Bingo perhaps…”  The thin athletic looking girl insulted as she held her gut and continued to look at the girl as she continued to laugh.

“Yeah but it’s also not a kid’s sport…you barely look old enough have a license.  I think being behind a desk at school is more up your alley…that or behind the counter of some lousy minimum wage job perhaps.” Celestia teasingly said back with a smirk which made the younger girl stare at her begrudgingly.

“Alright grandma…let’s put that little theory to test…” Dash confidently responded regaining her confidence and grin. “I hope you remember to turn your blinker off after making the first turn…” She then quipped as he pointed at the older girl in front of her.  

“Whatever…let’s get this over with.” The multi-colored haired woman said back not amused as she simply nodded her head back at her.  “Since you’re the challenger do you want to take the inside or the outside for the starting position?” She then asked wanting to know what position she wanted to take.

‘Knowing what kind of person she is…she’s going to be stupid and take the outside…only assuring my victory.’ Celestia mused internally as she watched girl smile brightly again.

“I’ll take~” She began in a playful tone as she put her hand to her chin; then, stopping to give more dramatic effect. “The outside…” Rainbow then finally answered smugly which made the entire crowd start to making noises again that only led to Rainbow looking at the crowd and nodding.

“Whatever…you want to lose that badly its fine by me…the faster I win the faster I can go to bed tonight.” The middle-aged woman replied still not amused as she turned and raised her free hand up.  She looked at her car and waved her hand towards her, gesturing her little sister to start it up and bring it towards her.  The white car’s engine instantly came alive and started to back out of its parked position.

“Oh trust me…you’ll be getting plenty of rest because when I beat you, you’ll never want to show your face around here again!” The young challenger brashly declared as she pointed at the much older and experienced woman.

“Uh huh…and you’ll prove that you’re the fastest racer in the universe and nobody can possibly defeat you yadda yadda yadda…heard all that before…” Celestia dully replied as she turned around to look at the bold girl. “Just get into the starting position.” She then instructed as she pointed her finger over to where she needed to be.

“If you insist.” Rainbow smugly replied with a smirk before turning around and hopping into her car through the open window.  Immediately her engine started and her blue EXO X started to drive off heading towards the started position.

Celestia sighed and shook her head as she turned to look at the young girl next to her, “Well that was…informative…” She hesitantly commented with a forced smile on her face which made Celestia warmly chuckle slightly.

“It was actually pretty short…most face to face conversations like that go on for like tens of minutes…it’s ridiculous.” Celestia replied with a smile as she looked down at her mostly empty can of soda. “That’s good because that means this is going to be over fast and then I can go home.”  She then declared in a relieved tone before she took one final drink of her soda.  She then tossed the empty can in a nearby waste basket as her white car rolled up next to her.  The window rolled down to reveal Luna behind the wheel looking up at her curiously.

“So what’s going on?” She asked rather seriously as she looked up at her older sister.

“She’s taken the outside position.” Celestia informed as she turned to face her sister in the car.

“What?  Really?  Is she trying to lose or what?” Luna replied in disbelief as she moved her head back in shock and blinked a few times.

“I really don’t care…that only means my victory is assured and I go home to bed at a decent time….just the park the car where it needs to be and I’ll be there shortly.” The older girl said back as she pointed to where the blue car was as it was starting to be lead into position by a guy in front of her car on the part of the road where the pavement turned into dirt.

“Alright…” The younger sister simply agreed with a quick nod before driving off.

The NSX drove down the street to the small fork in the road and turned left down the short two lane road towards the blue EVO.  The Mitsubishi was in the right lane on what was considered the outside position, so the white NSX wheeled itself into the left lane and approached where the blue car was stationed.

The guy standing in front of the blue EVO looked up and noticed the white car coming and side stepped to the center of the road.  He had his left hand up towards the Mitsubishi signaling it to stay put.  As the NSX approached it slowed down where upon the guy raised his right hand gestured for her to creep forward, waving his right hand towards him.  

“Twilight I’m going to need you to pay extra close attention to this race.” Celestia called as she started to walk over to where her car was.  Following the flocks of people rushing towards the cars and to the wall overlooking the course they were going to race on.

“My opponent is using a four wheel drive car like yours…it’s very close to your car in fact…so watch her closely...how she moves compared to you…what she does wrong…what she does right…you’re going to learn a lot from this race.”  She instructed seriously as people where rushing past them.

“Y-Yeah of course…” Twilight merely said with a quick nod as she continued to follow the older woman.

The NSX slowly inched forward as the guy continued to wave his hand towards him.  Once the NSX was side by side next to the EVO X to the point where their bumpers where perfectly aligned the guy turned his hand around and stopped waving gesturing her to stop.  The white car immediately stopped and the guy looked at both cars closely.  He looked back and forth between the two with both his hands raised.   After checking a few times, he closed both his hands, smiled, and gave two thumbs up to each driver where upon both cars shut off.

Celestia and Twilight separated as soon as they turned and headed down the road towards the cars.  Twilight headed into the crowd to find a good place to watch the race from while Celestia walked towards her white NSX to actually do the race.  As soon as she reached the back of her car the driver’s side door opened and Luna got out of her car with the keys in her hand.

“Here.”  She simply said as she tossed the keys over towards their rightful owner.  Celestia merely raised her right hand up and easily caught them.

“Thanks.” She then said gratefully as she passed her sister and headed to her car.

“Alright…we’re almost ready to begin…we’re still waiting for each person to get into position at their respective corner and give us the ok to start.” The guy in front of both cars announced as Celestia reached her car and started to get in.

“Are you freaking kidding me?  Who the hell cares?  Let’s just start this thing and get this over with!  Damn!”  The impatient rainbow haired girl shouted as she stuck her head out from the rolled down window of her blue EVO X.  The guy didn’t respond and merely just shook her head at the young teenager.

Celestia sighed as she got into her car, sat down in the black leather bucket seat, and shut the door.  Immediately, she buckled up and made sure she was fastened and secured for the downhill race.  She then took a deep breath and moved her head around to get into proper mindset.  Once that was accomplished, she slipped the keys into the ignition and kept it there as she tried to relax herself for the start of her race.  Unfortunately a tap at her window broke of her this short lived comfort as she looked out to see her younger sister right outside gesturing her to roll down the window with her hand.

Celestia sighed as she rolled down the window to talk to her sister.  “Sorry I don’t pick up hitchhikers…especially when they’re scary and unfriendly looking.” Celestia teasingly greeted with a grin as her sister bent over and placed her hands on the car door.

“That’s ok, I don’t hitch rides with grouchy old women in twenty year old cars anyways…that’s just weird.” Luna joked back with a smile as she poked her head into the car. “In all seriousness though…are you going to run this race?” The dark haired girl then inquired in a stern tone.

“Oh I’m going to use the long thin pedal to go faster…the pedal next to it to brake when needed…the third pedal and stick like thing right here to switch gears…this large round thing to steer…with that I’m going to avoid hitting stuff, stay on road, and…well…generally everything you should do when drive normally basically.” The older sister teasingly replied in a very serious tone as she moved her foot over the pedals, her right hand to the stick shift, and her left hand to the steering wheel as if demonstrating it to her younger sister.

“Right…” The younger girl replied dully as she nodded her head in understanding; then biting her lip to avoid saying anything crude.  “Ok let me rephrase this…what is your strategy to win tonight’s race?” She then asked, this time being more specific to avoid a sarcastic answer.  Celestia immediately gave a couple of laughs in response, finding what she said legitimately funny.

“That is my strategy basically…I’ll just drive like I normally do…if she can at least keep up with that I’ll be impressed…” The driver explained still chuckling slightly as she shook her head.

“Seriously?  That’s it…you don’t have some specific strategy or anything just in case?” Luna persisted as she arched an eyebrow at her older sibling.

“Why, do you think I’m going to lose?” The magenta eyed woman asked back curiously as she looked at the dark haired girl.  “Please…I promise you she won’t even get a pass me much less beat me.” She then reassured with a stifled chuckle and a shake of her head.

“No…I just want to get inside your head and learn as much as I can whenever I can…” She truthfully answered in a sincere tone which made Celestia smile and close her eyes for a few seconds.

“Luna…I’ve taught you everything I know…everything else has to be gained from experience…you can’t expect me to do everything for you right?” The middle-aged woman pointed out softly as she opened her eyes and looked at Luna with a gentle expression.

“Yeah, you’re right…” The younger sister agreed with a smile and nod as the guy in front of the two cars got a car on his cell phone, to which he answered and put on speaker phone.

“Hey, we’re set up at the end of the course…all the corners have checked in and there’s no traffic coming whatsoever…you can start whenever you want to.” The man on the other end of the phone said in a rough sounding voice.

“Alright…we’ll be starting soon then…be sure to tell everybody to be ready to clock those section times.” The guy replied before putting his fist up into the air, signaling both the drivers and the spectators that the race was going to start soon.

“Thank you…it's about freaking time…let’s just do this already!” Dash shouted impatiently as she sat fully in her car and rolled up her window.

“Alright…don’t humiliate her that much…you’re the Racing Goddess of Equestria…not the Racing Demon of Equestria…show some mercy ok?” Luna said softly as she tapped her older sister and moved away from her car.

“That’s still a dumb nickname…whoever thought that up has a lack of imagination!” Celestia honestly shouted back as her sister started to clear away from the road.

“You should’ve picked your own nickname like me!  Better luck next time!” The young girl shouted back teasingly as she got off road and started to walk back up towards the fork in the road.  Celestia chuckled slightly and shook her head as she rolled her window back up.

“Alright…we’re starting…” The guy announced as he took a deep breath.

“Wait!” I frantic high pitched voice shouted as everyone looked to see a tall slender pink haired girl jump out from the crowd.  “Wait!  Wait!  Wait!” She hysterically shouted with a smile as she sprinted up to the guy in front of the two cars.

“I’m doing the countdown!  Please let me do the countdown!  I need to do the countdown!” She pleaded as she grabbed the guy by the collar and pressed her face up against his to the point where her nose was touching his.

“Uhhh…o-ok…” The guy replied uncomfortably as he blinked a few times which made the pink haired girl’s face light up like a Hearth’s Warming tree.

“Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!”   She quickly shouted out as she got behind the guy and pushed him away causing him to stumble a bit before he slowly walked off the road with a confused expression on his face.

“Who is that girl?” Twilight asked herself out loud as she looked on from the crowd of people, wondering who this mysterious hyper girl was and where she came from.

The energetic girl took a deep breath and faced the two cars before raising her left hand and pointing it at the blue EVO X.  “Lady and…” She declared before stopping and raising her left hand to point it at the white NSX.  “Other lady!” She then shouted with a grin as started to frantically look between both cars.

“Start your engines!” She then shouted at the top of her lungs as she jumped and threw both of her hands down.  Instantly both cars came to life and their engines started to roar with ear piercing intensity.  

“Oh yeah!  I’m so super excited right now!” The girl enthusiastically squealed as she balled both her fists and held them up to her face.   The Mitsubishi’s engine continued to rev and garner attention as its high roars overshadowed the low roars of the NSX’s engine.

“Oh man…that freaking Lancer’s engine sounds insane!”  A male commenter said upon hearing the EVO’s engine continue to gain intensity.

“I know, I can’t even hear the NSX!  It’s being completely drowned out…is it even on?” Another guy agreed excitedly as both cars started to shake ever so slightly from the engine’s power.

“Over four hundred and fifty horses man isn't something to scuff lightly at man…I don’t know if the Racing Goddess has a chance!”  A female voice shouted as it was clear which car had the more powerful engine.

“You kidding me?  All that noise is thanks to the muffler!  It just makes it sound loud to make idiots like you impressed!  Besides I’ve seen her beat cars twice as fast as her car…that Rainbow chick doesn’t have a chance!” Another guy chimed in in a dismissive tone.

“Oh wow…this is…going to be amazing.” Twilight commented as she watched the two cars. Then she was cut off as a Luna passed her, continuing to head back to the fork in the road.

“Luna…where are you going?” The younger girl as she turned her head to look at the older girl. “Aren’t you going to watch the race?” She then asked as Luna stopped and turned around to face her with an unenthusiastic look.

“What race?” She simply replied in a dull tone, “There is no race…the moment she gave Tia the inside is the moment she lost any chance of even passing her…” She then went on as she pointed to the white car down the street, getting a very skeptical look from the younger girl.

“Trust me…this is what’s going to happen.” She then said seriously as she raised both her hands and put them side by side to each other, simulating the two cars next to each other. “They’re to take off from the starting line…hit the dirt road and then after thirty or forty feet they’re going to come to first turn which is a sharp left…since my sister’s in left lane she’s going to have the inside line and pull ahead into the lead…and then it’s over…race decided.” She explained as he moved both her hands before moving them both sharply to the left, which put her left hand in front of her right hand.

“Is it really going to be that easy?” Twilight asked in disbelief as she blinked at the dark haired girl.

“Yeah…now if you excuse me…I’m going to be sitting comfortably in my car listening to the radio and how badly my sister is dominating the race.” Lune replied before turning around and heading back to her car.  Twilight watched her for a few seconds before returning her attention to the cars revving their engines.

The pink hair girl shook with excitement with her smile as wide as it could possibly go. “Five!” She then shouted as she raised one of her hands with the corresponding number of fingers held up.

‘Oh yeah…let’s do this…I’m ready…my car is screaming to get started to tear this course up’ Dash thought to herself as she licked her lips and pressed hard on the accelerator over and over revving up the engine and getting the crowd that much more excited.

“Four!” She then shouted as she held up both hands each holding up two fingers.

‘Oh come on…do you really have to drag this out…just say go already so I can win and go home…I’m tired as hell and have to work tomorrow.’ Celestia complained internally as she gently applied pressure to her accelerator to get the car in its RPM sweet spot.

“Three!” The hyper girl yelled as she held up three fingers.

‘Once I beat this old fossil and dethrone her…Spitfire will have to let me join her Racing Team…she just has to…who else could be better qualified to join the Wonderbolts than the newly crowned Racing Goddess of Equestria?” Rainbow excitedly thought as she moved her right hand over to the stick shift and impatiently tapped it.

“Two!” The pink haired girl shouted as she raised both her hands and held up both her index fingers.

‘Freaking long!  You’re not even doing it right…it’s actually been like twenty seconds…you’re dragging this out too much!’ Celestia continued to mentally gripe as she reached over and turned her headlights on which caused them to pop up on the hood and light up the area ahead of her.

“One!” She then shouted holding both her arms up together, trying to make herself a giant number one.  The entire crowd held their breath and leaned forward in anticipation, all undivided attention to the two cars at the starting line.

“Go!” The girl screamed at the top of her lungs as she swung both her arms down and bent down to touch the ground.  Immediately the white NSX jumped off the line while the blue EVO X spun its wheels to get some grip before taking off itself.

Both cars shook a bit as the terrain suddenly changed from pavement to dirt but kept going straight.  It didn’t take long for the sharp ninety degree turn to creep up and the Acura reached it first.  It braked and turned sharply as the Mitsubishi turned shortly after as well, following right behind the white car.  The crowd cheered at the event and everyone instantly began rushing to the edge of the small cliff to watch the spectacle below.  The pink haired girl in the center of the road giggled hysterically and then cartwheeled off the road in glee.

“Man did you see the way that NSX took off?  I’ve never seen a car take off like that before!  It’s like she perfectly popped the clutch and told the Lancer to eat her dust!” One male commentator declared excitedly as everyone was rushing to the small wall overlooking the pass.

“Yeah but remember the EVO wasn’t far behind after its poor start!  Did you see how fast it accelerated?” Another guy added as Twilight swiftly moved in-between them to get as close to the wall as possible.

‘You were right Luna…Celestia took the lead at the first turn...it also didn’t hurt that Rainbow’s start was…well…terrible.’ The young girl praised internally as she continued to squeeze and slip past people.  ‘But that’s definitely not a stock engine and set up given the amount of acceleration it had after its poor take off…’ She then thought as she managed to get right up to the wall in the front to look down at the race.

“Will Celestia even be able to hold the lead against that car?” She said in a whisper to herself as she looked around and eventually spotted the two cars on the dirt road.  The NSX leading as it made a sharp right turn with the EVO X following close behind with a small gap separating the two cars.

Celestia turned the wheel to straighten her car out exiting the turn and then moved the car into second gear.  Her left foot managed the clutch while her right foot was sideways managing both the brake and accelerator to keep the car stable on the windy unpredictable dirt road.   She looked in her rear view mirror to spot the blue EVO X’s headlights exiting the turn right behind her car.

‘Well I’m surprised…’ She began to muse as she looked back forward and came up fast to sharp hairpin turn. ‘You’re actually keeping up with me…’ She went on as she braked and turned her steering wheel into the turn, downshifting back to first gear as her car moved through the turn.

‘And knowing that I’m convinced that poor start was done on purpose…are you really that confident in your abilities that you’re willing to give me a head start?’ She scolded in her mind as exited the turn, gently pressing on the accelerator to gain speed without losing control of her car out of the turn. ‘That overconfidence is going to quickly come back to hurt you later in the second section…’ She then mentally thought as pressed down on the clutch and moved the car into second gear.

‘Damn she’s actually pretty decent.’ Rainbow complimented reluctantly in her thoughts as she released the clutch and feathered the accelerator to keep up with the white car ahead of her. ‘Then again I did give her a head start…so maybe I shouldn’t be that impressed with the gap she’s maintaining…’ She then reassured herself with a smirk as she saw the car ahead her brake for the next sharp ninety degree turn.

‘Then again I should be more or less impressed she didn’t wipe out after like the first two turns…’ Dash then mused as she braked as well and turned the steering wheel to follow the white car ahead of her.  ‘That old girl can really hold her pace…especially in a crap car like that…’ She then smugly commented as she downshifted into first gear and followed the white car through the sharp turn.

‘That’s ok though…I’ll just follow her throughout the first section.’ She reassured herself as they exited the turn and began to pick up speed again, Rainbow needing to upshift to second gear after a few seconds.  ‘Once we get into the second high speed section I’ll put that old fossil car of hers to shame…’ The rainbow haired girl confidently thought as she saw the NSX’s brake lights light up as it turned left into another sharp hairpin turn.

“Gah…if I don’t go insane before then…” She vocally complained as she braked and turned, needing to downshift yet again.

Both cars turned at a slow pace through the violently sharp turn, kicking dirt up behind them as they past some spectators on the outside of the turn.  One of them held a stop watch and clicked as they passed.  He looked at the time as the other spectators cheered and nodded at the time that was shown before he held up the small hand held radio in his other hand to his mouth.

Luna had finally reached her car after some walking and opened the driver’s side door.  She sat comfortably in her black R34 that blended into the darkness and closed the door.  She didn’t even bother putting her seatbelt on, turning the car on, or even putting the keys into the ignition.  Instead she just turned on the radio and set it to the frequency that all racers listened to during race events like this.  

“Alright guys they just past the second hairpin…Celestia’s NSX is ahead but the EVO X is not far behind…but the pace they’re at isn’t really impressive…they definitely won’t be setting any records tonight.” She heard the guy announce over the radio as she turned up the volume enough to clearly hear what was going on.

“Ha…figures…” Luna said loudly with a slight chuckle. “My sister isn’t even taking this seriously…she’s just driving leisurely…and even with that she’s still outpacing the car behind her…it’s kind of scary now that I think about it…” She then murmured to herself as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms.

“I’m disappointed…” A girl next to Twilight said as she saw the cars turn another corner at a slow pace.  The high school student looked over and saw the pink haired girl who started the race next to her looking out with a unenthused expression on her face.

“It’s you…” Twilight muttered softly as her eyes widened slightly in realization that the crazy she saw start the race was somehow next her.

“The white car looks bored and uninterested…and the blue car just looks frustrated…they’re both not having any fun whatsoever…it’s really sad actually…” She explained out loud, not directed at anyone in particular.  

‘What the…what is she talking about…and who is this girl?’ She asked herself internally as she looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow.  She shook her head and shrugged that thought off as it wasn’t important and instead turned her head down to watch the race below her.

“Damn it…”Rainbow swore out loud as she stopped and downshifted back into first to make the upcoming sharp ninety degree turn.  ‘This is pissing me off!  I can’t even get full ways into second gear before I have to stop and slow down the overly sharp corner!’ She complained mentally as she turned left as sharp as she could as she followed the white Acura.  She turned so sharply she went off the dirt road and hit the uneven grassy terrain causing her car to shake violently for a bit before she got back on the dirt road.

‘Getting irritated are we?’  Celestia commented in her mind as she noticed the car behind her go off road for a bit and saw the blue car’s headlights shake uncontrollably.  ‘I don’t blame you…the first part of this course is infuriating because of how many turns there are and how hard it is to find a comfortable grove…’ She sympathized as she looked forward and accelerated her car, shifting into second gear.

‘Ok Rainbow…calm down…it’s not like you didn’t anticipate this!’ She scolded herself as she bit her lip and followed the white car ahead of her, shifting into second gear as soon as the RPMs hit the redline. ‘You just got to keep the pressure on her…be aggressive and get under her skin!’ She reminded herself as she saw the car ahead of her brake.  She braked a little later then she should have and was right on the NSX’s bumper.

Celestia downshifted and turned to the right before looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the car directly right behind her. ‘Being aggressive and trying to put me on the defensive right?  Not a bad idea…but it’s not going to work…’ She thought as she looked forward and began to accelerate out of the sharp hairpin.

‘I’ll stay on her six and remind her of what kind of car I’m driving…that should spook her until we get to the second section…then she’ll relax thinking she has the advantage…but that’s when I’ll get her.’ Dash confidently mused with a smile on her face as she shifted her car into second gear following the NSX out of the turn.

‘You have the right idea being persistent this early…I mean you’re driving an all-wheel drive car…those kind of cars perform better on these dirt roads…and normally I’d just let you pass me to spare my tires of the stress of trying to block you and then take you on the next section.’ Celestia detailed in her mind as she braked for the next tight corner and down shifted the car back into first gear. ‘However I know you can’t do a thing to pass me no matter how much you threaten me.’ She then thought as she turned the steering wheel hard left.

‘There’s something about my car that you don’t know about…and it’s going to shock you to your core…’ Rainbow boasted internally as she turned her EVO X and followed the white car through the turn.  ‘It’s been tuned for the high speed section coming up.’ She then thought as both cars exited the curve, beginning to accelerate.

‘I may not have been blessed with god like vision like my sister…but I’m not blind…I saw what your plan was the first moment I got a good look at it…’ She scolded internally as she braked and turned hard right to the sharp ninety degree turn that immediately followed the last sharp curve.  ‘You’re car is outfitted with high performance tires…I should know because I have almost the same exact brand on my car.’ Celestia mentally explained as she turned the car through the sharp curve at a low speeding, remembering the surprise she had from looking at the car.  

‘Not only that, but your car has been lowered to the ground…it’s as low as my NSX, if not lower!’ She went on as looked up into her rear view mirror to see the Mitsubishi behind her and the small space separating her front bumper and the dirt ground, ‘I can even tell that by looking in my rear view mirror!  It’s that obvious!’ She scolded with an audible groan as she stepped on the clutch and moved the car into second gear.

‘I’m also assuming the suspension and calibration has been adjusted to compensate for the height reduction and the power increase on wide high speed curves…making your car a monster of a street car even without your stupid muffler making it sound obnoxiously loud…’ She theorized as she looked back at the road and saw the next sharp hairpin curve coming up.

‘The moment this baby touches pavement I’m going to completely humiliate you and your outdated car…’ The rainbow haired girl happily commented in her mind as she saw the white NSX in front of her brake.  This made Rainbow brake as well and shift the car into first gear.

‘Seriously…I should have just raced her at the start if I knew it was going to be this easy…then I would’ve dethroned this old has been and immediately made my way to the top…man I feel kind of embarrassed for saving this girl for last…’ She then thought as she turned sharply to the left imagining how simply this would’ve been for had she just challenged this old has been first.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl so confident her car’s set up…that or she’s seriously underestimating my car’s capabilities…knowing her type of character its most likely both…’ Celestia thought as she pressed down on the accelerator as she exited the corner.  ‘However…after tuning your car perfectly for pavement you’ve crippled the one advantage your car had over mine.’ She reprimanded internally as she shifted the car into second gear and continued to accelerate with the blue Lancer still right behind her.

‘Even with your all-wheel drive car, if you don’t have the proper tires on you won’t be getting that much traction on this kind of road…better than me but not to the point to where it’s a major threat.’ The formal looking woman thought as she looked at her dash and saw her RPMs approaching the red line, letting off the accelerator slightly not bothering to shift up since the next turn wasn’t that far away. ‘However even with sufficient tires you still couldn’t pass me…” She continued to think as she looked back in her rear view mirror and back at the small gap between the car and the ground.

‘With your car so low, you can’t push it too much with fearing of hitting a pot hole or some big rock that would damage the undercarriage of your car, your tires, or the worst case scenario hitting a large bump at the right angle or speed that will cause you to spin out or worse flip your car…’ She thought as she imagined her car hitting something and losing control. ‘Because of that your car is restrained by the terrain…just like my car is.’ She then mused as she looked forward at the upcoming turn and pressed down the brake pedal to stop.

‘However, if I truly wanted to I could push my car without any fear and leave you in the dust…I know the course perfectly to know the best lines…I know where to perfectly brake, accelerate, shift, and most importantly balance my car to make it seem like I’m driving on regular paved road…’ She reminded herself as she downshifted back into first and then turned the car sharply to the right for the ninety degree turn.  

‘But if I did that I would wear out my tires faster than I like…and in this course tire management is the ultimate key to winning in the end…they don’t call it ‘Dead Tire’s End’ for nothing…’ She then thought as went through the turn, gently feathering the accelerator to preserve her tires as best she could when coming out of the turn.

“So until then enjoy looking at my rear end for the next couple of turns…because once I hit the public two lane road you won’t ever be seeing it again…” She said out loud to herself as she accelerated and shifted the car back into second, knowing that the second section was coming up soon.

“I can barely see them now…” Twilight muttered to herself as she squinted her eyes to try and see the two cars continuing to swerve and turn through the tight mountain pass.  After a while she smiled and closed her eyes, raising her hand to her school uniform.

“Luckily though…” She then said as she unbuttoned the first two buttons and reached down her shirt, “I’m always prepared!” She happily finished as she pulled out a small pair of binoculars.

“Oh it looks like they’re coming up to the high speed section!” Twilight heard the girl next to her comment as she was adjusting the sittings on her binoculars.  She was curious to though how she could see the cars from this distance when she herself couldn’t really see them anymore.  She looked up and about dropped her small pair of binoculars.

‘W-What the hell?’ Twilight shouted in her mind as she saw the pink haired girl looking through a long hand held telescope; through, the wrong end no less.  ‘Wh-Why is she looking through the wrong end?  Where did she even have that long thing to begin with?  Where could she possibly hide it?’ She questioned in her mind as she stared at the happy girl with her right eye twitching.

“I hope things pick up soon after that…because both those cars look very unhappy…” The girl then said a bit sadly with a frown as she followed the cars through her telescope.  Twilight shook her head and decided to focus back on the race.  She raised her binoculars up to her eyes and quickly saw the two cars entering a very sharp corner.  Both cars were now two turns away from the spot where the dirt road enters out onto the paved public road.

At the spot where paved road and dirt road meet were a large mass of people gathered on both sides of the dirt road and even the upper part of the paved road.   The cars had to turn left and go downhill so they weren’t going to interfere with race if they were on the upper part which is why there were a lot of cars parked on the shoulders of the road.   The people gathered there were idly chatting and checking their phones until the faint sound of two car engines started to be heard in the distance behind all the trees.

“I hear them coming!” One guy declared excitedly as he turned around to face the direction of the noise.  Soon everyone was facing the same direction and moved as close to the dirt road as possible without interfering with the race.

Soon after the corner light up from the headlights of the lead car and then soon the light began to turn towards the direction of the crowd gathered at the end of the dirt road.  Then finally the source of the light revealed itself as the white Acura peered from the corner followed by another pair of headlights belonging to the blue Mitsubishi.  The crowd cheered as both cars quickly raced up to them and then passed them onto the hard paved road.

The cars shook slightly from the sudden shift and terrain and turned left heading down the mountain with the NSX still in the lead with the EVO X right on its bumper.  Both cars left behind tire tracks from the dirt on the tires but they quickly faded.  The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as the cars passed them.  A guy holding in the crowd with a stop watch in his hand clicked it as they passed.  He then held up the radio in his other hand to his mouth as he looked at the stop watch.

“Alright they just entered the second section…the NSX is still leading but the Lancer is right on its six…there times are still lackluster though…” The guy said over the radio which made Luna start to laugh and shake her head with a wide smile on her face.

“Of course not…she’s not even trying...if she was the EVO X wouldn’t be anywhere near her...” Luna commented out loud before taking a deep breath and calming down and leaning forward.

“Now I wonder how big the difference will be by the time they reach the next checkpoint…” She then questioned herself as folded her arms on top of the steering wheel and put her head on top.  “Knowing my sister she’s going to have at least a four or five second difference…” The dark haired girl then guessed as she shut her eyes and awaited the next check in.

‘Hell yeah!  It’s about time we reached the high speed section!  I almost forgot my car had more than two gears!’ Rainbow mentally cheered with a grin as she for the first time since the race started shifted her car into third gear.  ‘Alright Old Timer…let’s rock…this is where the real race starts!’ She then mused as she gripped her steering wheel tightly and pressed down on the accelerator more.  She followed the white car through the wide left turn, getting close to the guardrail that separated the road from edge of the cliff that led down the mountainside.

Celestia yawned as she exited the wide turn, moving close to the right of the road and next to the rocky wall that was the mountain. ‘Alright…this is where the real humiliation starts.’ She then thought unenthusiastically as she shifted her car into fourth gear.  She then turned the steering wheel left to the next left corner and didn’t bother braking as her car moved to hug the inside close to the guardrail.

Rainbow stepped on the brake lightly before turning to follow the Acura ahead of her, “What the hell?” She almost shouted out loud as she saw the car ahead of seem to increase the distance between them, “I…I got to be seeing things…she…she’s pulling away from me!  That’s impossible!” She tried to reassure herself as her breathing started to become more frantic, stepping on the accelerator more than she probably should as both cars came out of the turn.

‘It’s time for a history lesson…’ Celestia began in a serious manner moved her eyes and looked into the mirror to see the blue car wobble slightly behind her.  ‘When this car was made it was a true sports car…even considered a super car by many…’ She went on as she looked forward and saw the next left turn quickly coming up.   She let off the accelerator lightly and turned her wheel to the right, hugging the guardrail throughout the turn.

Rainbow saw the upcoming wide turn and lightly pressed on the brake before turning to the left following the now escaping from her bumper NSX.  ‘Damn it I guess I’m not seeing things!  She is pulling away from me!’ She reluctantly confirmed in her mind as she noticed the white car was a now a good car length away from her.

‘With its mid-engine layout and light-weight all aluminum design…it was designed for circuit courses and sections like the one we’re in now…’ The middle-aged woman continued as the exited the turn and then immediately came up on a right turn. ‘And at the time it could outperform every other car on the street even putting Ferraris and Porsches to shame…’ She went on uninterrupted by the surprise turn as she sharply turned the wheel to the right and pressed on the accelerator, getting her car as close to the rocky wall as possible as the blue Lancer struggled to keep up behind her.

“H-How…How the hell is she pulling away from me!?” The much younger girl questioned out loud as braked and entered the right turn, seeing the white car ahead of her continue to gain distance between them. “Is there something wrong with my car?” She then asked frantically as she looked at her dash to see if there were any emergency lights on and if everything was still operating smoothly.  There was nothing wrong with her car, everything was running perfectly.

‘I wish I could see the look on your face right now…it’s probably the same look as the CEO of Ferrari when he was told that a less powerful foreign car was driving circles around his more powerful and overpriced piece of junk…’ The long haired girl the mused almost cruelly as she stepped on the clutch, switching the car into fifth gear, and accelerating out of the corning as fast as she could.

“Damn it even I make no errors in my braking and turning she pulls away!” The short haired girl swore as she stepped the accelerator aggressively to try and desperately catch up the car outpacing her.  “I’ve got the faster car!  It’s supposed to be better in every way!  How can she be pulling ahead in an outdated piece of junk like that?” She questioned in disbelief as she watched the white Acura ahead of her seem to glide away from her and then turn left into the next wide high speed corner.

‘Even after twenty years, this car is still a competitive fighting machine that can easily take on the likes of your overpowered Lancer and even my little sister’s R34…’ The NSX owner continued to lecture in her mind as she held the steering wheel firmly to keep the car cornering perfectly throughout the turn as she gently left off the accelerator slightly to not understeer the car.

“This has to be some kind of screwed up nightmare!”  Rainbow continued to shout as she aggressively turned the steering wheel to the left and didn’t brake for the left turn.  The blue car started to move away from the guard rail and slide to the mountain side forcing her to brake to avoid hitting it.  “I cannot be outperformed by her underpowered car!” She yelled as she could barely see the white NSX’s rear bumper as her EVO X returned closer to the inside line near the guardrail.

‘True by today’s standards the engine is a little unpowered and its top speed is nothing to write home about…but this isn’t a drag race or sprint to the finish race…top speed and overall power don’t matter…’ Celestia then conceded as straightened the car out of the wide turn. ‘It’s all about braking, handling, and most importantly balance...with the proper skill and technique to use it…which…I’m sorry, I have over you in spades…’She then reminded herself as she braked lightly, shifted back into fourth gear, and turned sharply to the right going onto the shoulder and almost grazing the rock wall.

“I’m supposed to be the fastest racer in Equestria!  How can someone like me I be losing this badly?” Dash angrily berated herself as she gripped the steering wheel furiously and braked as she turned right not even seeing the white car ahead of her anymore.

‘And so the next time you see an NSX…you’ll know what it can be capable of, especially in the hands of a skilled driver like me.’ The white suit wearing girl thought almost harshly as she exited the turn at high speeds after doing so, looking up at her rear view mirror and not even able to see the rival car’s headlights anymore. “Lesson over…” Celestia spoke out loud as she looked back at the road with an unamused expression on her face.  

The white car exited the corner at a high speed and straightened out before stopping a little and turning right again for the next corner.  Once it vanished around the turn, the headlights of the chasing car came around the corner.  Its engine flared as it accelerated out of the turn and then stopped harder than the car ahead of it before turning around the corner desperately trying to chase the car out of its sight.

The next checkpoint was a very sharp right turn that was immediately followed by two left turns and then another sharp right turn.  At the first right turn there was a turn off to the left that lead to a small parking lot that was also a look out spot for tourists to look out at the city below and the landscape.  Tonight, however, it was packed with high performance cars and spectators eagerly awaiting the racing cars to pass.

As the faint sound of an engine began to be heard, the crowd of people in the parking lot began to swarm to the guardrail to see which car it was that would be passing and leading the race.  One guy pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and held up a stop watch as the engine sound quickly became louder and fiercer.

Suddenly the light of headlights began to peak around the corner and then instantly a white NSX flew around the corner at fast pace hugging the inside close to the rocky wall.  As the car cleared the turn the crowd cheered and the guy pressed the first button on the stop watch.  The Acura then accelerated out of the turn, stopped briefly, then glided through the two left turns before accelerating again and turning into the right corner.

“Man did you see that?  That car was like literally flying through those turns!” One guy commented in shock upon witnessing the cars incredible pace through the corners.

“She barely used any braking as well…that’s some incredible skills right there!” Another person added seemingly also impressed by the sight he just saw.

“Where’s the Lancer though?” One girl then asked curiously.

Immediately, as if on cue, another much louder engine was heard.  As the crowd turned back to the first turn another pair of headlights where quickly seen followed by the blue car coming around the turn.  It wasn’t as close to the wall or as fast as the white car ahead of it and as it passed, the guy pressed the second button on the stop watch.  It then quickly increased it’s speed out of the turn before stopping and turning as hard as it could around the two left turns before accelerating wildly to desperately try and catch up to the car ahead of it as it turned right.

“Man that Lancer got left in the dust!” One of the guys commented in a joking tone.

“Yeah but that car isn’t slow…the way it moved through those turns was not only aggressive but fast…I can’t even do those kind of moves!” One of other guys defended in a serious tone as he shook his head.

“Yeah that car is fast but…man…there’s just no way she can keep up with that NSX…it’s just too damn fast!” The girl agreed as she shook her head.  The guy with the stop watch looked at the times before he raised his other hand to his mouth which held a small handheld radio.

“Alright the NSX is still leading…and it’s not setting any records at the moment but the gap between her and the Lan Evo has significantly increased…” He informed seriously as Luna began to chuckle and nod her head.

“Of course it has…now tell us how badly she’s beating the other car!” The dark haired girl shouted back at the Radio almost as if he could hear her.

“The time between the two is about seven to eight seconds…at this rate there’s no way the challenger will even come close to her much less beat her.” He then said telling the listeners about the time difference between the two cars which made Luna start to laugh hysterically.

“Damn, seven or eight seconds?” Luna repeated in between laughs as she hit the steering wheel with her left hand.  “I told you to go easy on her!  At least give her the illusion that she might catch up to you sister!  Don’t blow her doors off that soon!  It’s just depressing, not to mention boring to watch!” She then said as she calmed down and leaned back in her seat.

“Ah man…I knew that girl couldn’t come close to match Celestia’s skills…” One of the spectators where Twilight was watching from said in disappointment.

“Yeah this isn’t a race anymore but a one sided embarrassment…” Another person agreed in a low tone as Twilight turned around to see people behind her start to turn and leave…not interested in seeing the rest of the race.

“Oh this isn’t fun whatsoever…” Twilight heard the girl next to her whine in a low tone as she looked over to see her slumping down on her knees.  “I was hoping for some really joy and excitement but instead we have this…” She then said disappointingly as she leaned forward on the small wall hanging her arms and her telescope down over the other side.

“Ummm…excuse me…but…who are you?” Twilight asked the girl curiously finally asking her about her identity.

“The saddest sad person around that’s who…” She weakly replied which made Twilight raise her eyebrow at her.  She was obviously lying but not out of spite or privacy but rather out of sheer indifference at the moment.

“I see…” The standing girl simply replied, thinking it would be pointless to ask her for her real name.  “Did…Did you come here on your own or are you with somebody?” She then asked thinking that she was driven up here by someone and that she could possibly ask them who she was.  After all, this girl didn’t look like a racer and if she was she certainly wouldn’t have that impressive of a car.

“Nope, I drove here by myself…” She continued to quietly reply as she raised one of her hands up and pointed behind her.  “My car is the big bright pink one over there somewhere…it’s parked between a yellow car and a green car…” She vaguely described, not even bother around to turn around to clearly point at it.  Twilight looked at the vague direction she pointed out and moved her head around to look past the crowd of people leaving the area.  Eventually she did catch a glimpse of the car that fit the simple description and was where the girl was pointing.  When she did her eyes went wide and she loudly gasped almost stepping back and falling over in shock.

“A-A Lexus LFA!” She practically shouted in disbelief upon seeing the bright pink car with party balloons on the rear fender horribly parked between a green RX-8 and a yellow S13.  “H-How….w-what?” She muttered almost unintelligibly as she stared at the pink car.  Then she quickly looked at the girl next to her who was now resting her chin on the small wall.

“W-Who are you!?” She demanded seriously wanting to know who she was and how she came to have that rare and expensive of a car.  The pink haired girl didn’t say anything and blankly stared in front of her for a few seconds.

As Twilight opened her mouth to ask her again, she stopped when she saw the girl’s eyes widen in surprise. “Ohhhhhhh!”  She excitedly cheered as jumped back up to her feet and looked through her telescope again. “I think something’s going to happen!” She predicted gleefully with a bright smile as she started to watch the race again.  Twilight wanted to say something but instead shook her head and looked back through the binoculars and at the race to see what she was talking about.

“Damn it…at this rate I’m going to lose…badly!” Rainbow admitted bitterly as she gripped the steering wheel tightly and gritted her teeth.  ‘If that happens, I’m going to be the laughing stock of Equestria instead of the Fastest Racer in Equestria…’ She thought as she braked and turned right through a wide turn, hugging the rocky wall.

‘I was told that my car could beat that NSX no problem…was she lying?  Is her car in fact upgraded to the point where I can’t come near it?’ She asked herself as she accelerated out of the turn and straightened her steering wheel. ‘Or did she purposely sabotage my car instead of upgrade it?  I didn’t like that funky looking wing she put on the back of my car!’ She theorized as she looked into her rear view mirror and looked at the custom black spoiler on her trunk.

‘No…she wouldn’t do that to me…’ She shrugged off as she looked back at the road.  “So let’s calm down and think about this seriously and logistic…logic…umm…very seriously.’ She then said in her mind as she took a deep breath.

‘When we entered the high speed section we were both going at the same pace…it was when we entered the first corner that she started to get away from me.’ She began as she remembered when exactly the white car began gaining distance from her. ‘After we exited the corner she didn’t start getting away from me again until the next turn…so on the straights I can accelerate fast enough to match her pace…so I do have the faster car.’ She concluded as she saw a sharp left turn coming up.  She braked and turned as hard as she could, shifting down to forth gear.

‘But I couldn’t match her pace in the corners…her cornering was much better than mine and because of that she easily could pull away from me.’ She mentally went on as she exited the corner, pressing down on the accelerator.  ‘But when I tried to go in at the same pace and line as her...my car couldn’t match it…I almost hit the wall…’ She continued as she remembered how she almost hit a wall trying to match the NSX’s steering in a wide turn.

‘Damn it…while I have more speed and power in my engine, her car can take these corners much better than I can…it’s no wonder she left me in the dust!’ She admitted as she bit her lip and shifted back up into fifth gear.  “So if I’m going to catch her, I’ll have to try something a little different!” The rainbow haired girl said out loud as she approached another wide left turn.  

She braked and shifted down into forth gear before turning sharply to the left, more so than she had to, over steering her car as she moved the bottom of her right foot over to the accelerator and moved her left foot to kick the clutch.  She then suddenly turned her steering wheel quickly to the right and ended up sliding the back of her car out as she went through the turn.  The rear end of her car stuck out as she started to go through the turn.

“Oh wow!  Her car’s drifting!” The pink haired girl declared at the top of her lungs in excitement as she saw the car slide at an angle through the turn, leaving behind a white trail of smoke from her tires.

“I-Incredible…a perfectly executed four wheel drift…and in an all-wheel drive car no less!” Twilight commented in shock as she saw the car exit the turn at much faster pace than usual.  She watched it take the next sharp right turn in another drift, going in with much more speed than before and exiting with more speed.

“Oh this is so exciting…it looks like her car is finally having fun!” The girl next to Twilight declared happily as Twilight kept focusing through her binoculars to look at the car drifting through the next corner.

“Amazing…she’s going at a much faster pace than before…and she’s making it look like it’s the easiest thing in the world to do with that kind of car…what incredible technique…” The high school girl praised sincerely before lowering the binoculars from her eyes and turning around to look back at her purple Imprezza. ‘C-Can my car possibly do the same thing…can it even come close to attempting that?’ She asked herself internally as she stared at her car on the far end of the parking lot on the other side of the road.

“Oh wow she practically went sideways during that drift!” The pink girl next to her cheered excitedly which made Twilight turn around and raise her binoculars up to focus back on the blue Mitsubishi.  The Lancer drifted out of the tight, right turn and sped to the next left turn which it preceded to drift through.

‘If she keeps that pace up….she…she’ll…’ Twilight began to contemplate in shock as she continued watching the car.

Celestia barreled through the sharp corner and pressed down on the accelerator as she exited the turn and entered the straight away.  She didn’t even stop for the next wide left turn, and continued; barely letting of off the accelerator as she sharply turned through the corner and hugged the guardrail.  She then saw something reflect in her rear view mirror and looked up at it.  In the mirror was a pair of headlights that she thought she’d never see again.

“Oh…catching up are we?” She said out loud in slight surprise as she raised one of her eyebrows up.  “I guess I did go through those last two turns a little too slowly…that should be fixed after this next sharp turn.”  She then reassured herself as she looked forward at the tight right turn.  She braked and downshifted into forth gear before turning sharply almost touching the rocky mountain side as she went through the turn.

When she exited the turn, she accelerated again and shift back into fifth gear.  Celestia then looked back up into her mirror and to her shock, confusion, and almost elation; the pair of headlights were now closer to her.  “What the-?  I went through that turn perfectly!  How did she match my speeds much less pass them to close the gap?” She said in surprised tone before looking forward again and turning left through the wide turn.

As she went through the left turn, almost grazing the metal guardrail, she looked back up at the rear view mirror and saw the blue EVO X not only getting closer to her, but also taking the turn at an angle with her rear end out, leaving behind a small trail of smoke from underneath her tires.  Her jaw dropped and eyes went wide as the turn emptied onto a straight.  The blue Lancer behind her straightened out as well and continued to come closer to her white NSX.

“Are you kidding me?  She’s drifting?” She yelled as she looked forward to watch the road, seeing a sharp left turn coming up.  She bit her lip, braked, downshifted, and turned as hard as she could, entering the turn at an incredible speed.  The side of her car was literally inches away from the guardrail and as she exited the turn she looked back and once again saw the blue Mitsubishi behind her drifting through the corner and continuing to catch up to her.

‘I don’t know if I should be impressed or disgusted…’ She mused as she once again looked back at the road.  ‘I’m impressed she managed to catch up at me but disgusted she resorted to that tactic…drifting through a corner does yield her more speed but doing it on this course is literally suicide…your supposed to conserve your tires as best you can…not burn them out drifting like a moron!’ She mentally detailed as she saw a wide left turn coming up.

Celestia didn’t bother braking and took the turn as fast as she could, getting even closer to the guardrail than before, literally almost millimeters away.  Once again she looked back in her rear view mirror and saw the blue car behind her drifting closer and closer to her rear end.  She bit her lip lightly and focused back on the road before shaking her head in disappointment.

‘She must really be desperate to catch up to me…but in her desperation she’s going to lose it all…’ She reassured herself as she pressed further down on the accelerator more. ‘Because I’ve still won…but for different reasons…all I have to do is stay ahead of you and let you waste all the grip in your tires…after that you won’t even make it past the forth section…’ She then concluded in her mind as she imagined her not being able to turn when she really needs it later in the course.

“Hell yeah I’ve finally caught back up to you!” Rainbow cheered out loud as she continued to chase the white NSX downhill as it turned sharp left for the next turn.  Rainbow pressed down on the brake and moved the bottom of her foot to the accelerator as she kicked the clutch again and turned the steering wheel to initiate another drift.  She moved her car at the angle she wanted and drifted through the sharp corner, holding the steering wheel to stay on her line and working the pedals to keep the car under control.  When she exited, her front end was practically touching the NSX’s back bumper.  

The rainbow haired girl chuckled to herself. ‘This car feels perfect.   Too bad the cowgirl that set this thing up and tuned it can’t drive worth a shit…she’s so bad she can’t even get her license…but in any case…thanks AJ…this is one hell of a car!’ She mused to herself as she pressed down on the accelerator to gain more speed.

The next checkpoint was quiet with barely anybody there.  It was a small dirt path to the side that didn’t allow that much room.  It also wasn’t the best viewing spot compared to others, so this was mostly the place people went to when all the other spots were filled.  Soon enough the small group of people heard the faint roar of two engines.  They all turned to the direction where the cars would be coming from and soon saw headlights appear.

Suddenly the NSX shot around the tight corner at almost full blast with the blue EVO X drifting at a steep angle right on its bumper all throughout the turn and into the straight away.  The crowd didn’t erupt into cheers like the previous crowds, they were completely stunned instead.  The last thing they heard was that the NSX was blowing the doors off the blue Mitsubishi.  Now suddenly the EVO X was practically in the NSX’s tailpipe.  The sight was so shocking the guy almost forgot to clock the times as they passed.  As soon as they did pass he slowly raised his shaking hand that held the handheld radio up to his mouth as his eyes were still glued on the two cars racing up to another corner.

“I…I don’t believe what I’m seeing…the…the NSX is still in the lead but the Lancer is eating its bumper off!  Seriously it’s right on its tail!” He frantically tried to explain over the radio.

Luna’s eyes practically popped out of her skull as she immediately looked at the radio in disbelief.  “W-What?” She simply uttered in a whisper as she held her breath, waiting to see if that was just a mistake or if she was just hearing things.

“The EVO X was like right behind her…drifting the whole way…it was crazy!  I’ve never seen anything like it!” The guy informed sounding shaken up by the sight he witnessed before him.

“Drifting?” The dark haired girl repeated as she raised her eyebrow slightly.  “She’s drifting?  Is she crazy or something?” She asked the radio as she shook her head slowly before looking at her steering wheel.

‘That girl is wasting all of the grip in her tires by drifting to desperately catch up to my sister…that alone is a crazy move…knowing that it worked is an accomplishment…but through that she’s going to lose anyways because she won’t have anything left at the end of the course...’ She then thought as she began to calm down by taking a deep breath.  ‘Just hold on Tia…or let her pass you…either way you’ll still win if you remain the calm skilled driver I know you are…’ she then reassured herself as she folded her arms and awaited the next check in.

Celestia turned the steering wheel hard left and took the next corner in her normal style.  As she turned, she looked up in the mirror and saw the blue Lancer drifting right behind her.  ‘At this rate she’s going to pass me no matter how perfectly I execute these turns…’ She admitted to herself as she exited the turn, pressing down on the accelerator as the blue car behind her straightened out, seeming mere inches away from her bumper.

‘I’ve got two options now…’ She began to calculate as she looked back to see the blue car moving left and right, threatening to pass her on the next turn.  ‘I could let her pass me and then pressure her to keep drifting so she shreds her tires more and then get her on the final section of the race or even the third section most likely…’ She thought imagining how bald the Mitsubishi’s tires would be if she kept this up.

“But…” She then said out loud as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.  ‘I can’t remember the last time I let somebody pass me almost midway through a race…or being passed period…and I promised Luna I wouldn’t let her pass me…and I never break my promises…ever…’ She explained in her mind, remembering the promise she made to her little sister before the start of the race.

“So…” She once again said out loud as she looked at the road, ignoring the Lancer and looking at the next sharp right turn.  ‘That leaves only one option for me…’ Celestia concluded as she turned her right foot sideways and moved her left foot over to the clutch.

“Alright this is it!” Rainbow cheered happily as she moved the steering wheel back and forth to move the car from the left and right, pressuring the woman in front of her and hopefully intimidating her.  “Just one or two more corners and I’ll take the lead…” She happily boasted as she saw the next turn quickly coming up.  

She pulled out to the left of the NSX ahead of her to pass from the outside since she knew it was going to hug the inside.  When she applied the brake, downshifted, and started to turn the wheel; she was shocked to see the white Acura in front of her start to move strangely.  As her blue car’s rear end began to slide out, the NSX’s front end started to move in while its rear end slid out causing some white smoke to appear from the squealing back tires.

“What the hell!?” Dash shouted almost at the top of her lungs as she saw the car ahead of her attack the corner in the same manner as her car.  “You’re countering my drift with a drift?” She asked in disbelief as she held the steering wheel and kept the car sliding at that angle while the car ahead her did the same and kept its lead as both cars went through the turn.

“Great Gummie!  A double drift!” The pink haired girl squealed in delight as she began to jump up and down in a bouncing manner.

“A-Amazing…” Twilight merely muttered in amazement as she watched both cars exit the corner through her binoculars.

As they exited the turn, Rainbow straightened her Lancer out at the same time as the NSX and came directly right behind it, not gaining or losing any distance from it.  Rainbow’s mouth was hanging open in shock as she continued to follow the white car ahead of her.  Then her mouth slowly closed and in its place a small smile began to form followed by a chuckle.

“I get it now…countering my strategy with the same strategy…I shouldn’t be surprised now that I think about it…but…the way you did it was….very impressive…” She began in a soft tone as she accelerated, stepped on the clutch, and shifted the car into fifth gear once more.  “Awesome!  Let’s do this then!  A drift on drift battle!” The rainbow haired girl practically screamed passionately with a smirk on her face as she gripped the steering wheel in excitement, pressing down on the accelerator as hard as she could to chase the white car ahead of her.

The NSX’s pace was increased due to the greater speed it received from the high speed turn, and went into the next left corner with much more speed than usual.  Its tires squealed as it swerved to get its rear end out.  The EVO X did the same as it followed the NSX, though not as easily as the NSX thanks to the Lancer’s all-wheel drive layout.  Both cars went in at the same angle and speed, managing to get within feet of each other as they went through the turn.  When they exited, the Acura came out first and straightened itself out with the Lancer following and once again getting right behind it.

A sharp left turn immediately followed and both cars once again went in at the same angle and speed, barely using their brakes.  When they exited the corner there was an immediate sharp left and both cars swerved to immediately change their angle.  They didn’t even straighten themselves out or use their brakes.   They just changed the angle of their drifts and went into the next corner once again getting within feet of each other as they drifted through the sharp left turn.

“Oh wow!  Parallel drifting!  And not only that, but they’re chaining their drifts!  Oh it’s so exciting!  And on top of all that, both cars are looking like they’re having an amazing time!  It’s so wonderful I can barely contain myself!” The pink haired girl cheered excitedly as she looked like she was going to burst.

“In…In…Incredible…” Twilight whispered in a stutter as her hands shook, making it difficult to look through the binoculars and keep track of the cars drifting through the mountain pass.  ‘I…I know Celestia told me to pay attention to the rival car…but…but I can’t…I…I can’t take my eyes off of her car…the…the way it’s moving…I haven’t seen it do that since…’ She thought in admiration as she focused on the white NSX hanging onto the lead as it exited another corner and straightened itself out of a drift.

“There’s no way I’ll ever match her level of skill…I won’t even come close...” She said softly to herself as she started to feel ashamed of herself and her lack of driving skills.

“Oh goodie!  They’re getting ready to enter the third section!  I’m so excited!”  The girl next to Twilight exclaimed which made the high school girl shake her head and focus back on the race.

Rainbow fought against, her growing more resistant by the second steering wheel as she drifted through the corner behind the white NSX.  ‘Damn…she’s still holding up really well…’ She praised internally as she looked at the Acura ahead of her and how it started to exit the corner, looking specifically at the front tires and how little they moved.

‘The way she moves her car…she’s using as little steering as possible to keep as much speed as she can…it’s the only way she can stay ahead of me and my car…and the way she flawlessly does it…’ She mentally congratulated as she exited the corner, straightening her car out as she exited corner. ‘I was wrong about her…she’s a top notch racer…the fastest and toughest I’ve ever gone up against…and how she uses that twenty year old  car…it scares me to think what she could do with a more modern and powerful car…’ She imagined as she thought of how threatening she could be in a car like her own Lancer.

“Celestia…” Rainbow muttered as she stepped down on the accelerator and followed the white car ahead of her.  “Win or lose…I feel as though I have to make an apology to you after this is over…you have skills that far surpass anything I could’ve possibly imagined…” She said rather shamefully, remembering how she acted at the start of the race as she saw the NSX ahead of her brake and turn for the next corner.

“She’s really good…” Celestia commented out loud as she looked to her left, out the window to see the blue Lancer drifting alongside her car.  ‘Drifting is no easy feat…and being able to drift that exceptionally well is practically a miracle in itself…but she’s doing it in an all-wheel drive car…’ She reminded herself as she looked back forward and kept hold of the starting to resist steering wheel.

‘My front tires are starting to more lose pressure than I would’ve hoped…not to mention my grip is fading…if there’s one thing about racing tires that’s a universal truth is that they don’t last long…if I keep this up the understeer is going to start becoming an issue soon and turning the steering wheel is going to feel like turning a big rusty valve…’ She cautioned herself as she instantly knew how her car was reacting under the current conditions.  

‘She must be having the same problem…more so than me since she abused her tires before the race even started…so the understeer must already be an issue…especially since she’s using an all-wheel drive car…those cars have a natural tendency to understeer and are difficult to drift…that’s why a lot of drifters convert their all-wheel drive cars to rear-wheel drive cars…’ She then mused knowing the difference between her car and the EVO X as she exited the corner.

As she straightened the car out, she once again looked in her rear view mirror to see the blue Mitsubishi right on her bumper.  ‘Yet so far it doesn’t seem to be affecting her yet…that’s amazing skill and technique…to think such skill resides in someone so young… and with such arrogance…it kind of irritates me…’ She went on as she looked at the road again, stepping slightly harder on the accelerator.  ‘However…there’s something about her that feels…nostalgic …that raw talent…it’s so familiar…it’s nothing like Twilight…she has yet to discover her raw talent and find her wings…but this girl has…and is using them quite effectively, if very recklessly…’ She thought as she struggled to remember who it was she reminded her of.

“Rainbow…Dash…” She said out loud in a quiet whisper upon recalling the name of the girl she was racing, “I’ll be sure to remember your name…” She then said as a smile started to appear on her face.

The next checkpoint was much more crowded and alive than the previous one.  It was especially active after receiving the news that the EVO X had caught up to Celestia’s NSX, and that it was aggressively drifting through all the high speed corners.  They were all gathered near the turn off where the public road had a turn off that led into a much narrower two lane side road.  Most of them where still on the public road with cars parked down from the turn off to not get in the way of the race.  Soon the faint sound of two engines began to be heard in the distance from up the hill along with the sounds of tires screeching against the pavement.

“Here they come!” One person shouted excitedly as they all started to gather as close as they could to the turn off, watching uphill at the corner eagerly awaiting for the cars to appear.

The roar of the engines and the screeching of the tires got louder and louder as time passed.  Soon the headlights of the lead car could be seen poking out of the corner until they disappeared again. The people got confused as the sounds only got louder, but everyone gasped when all of a sudden a white car appeared out from the corner with the front end pointed inward with the headlights lighting up the rocky mountain side.  Almost immediately after it appeared, the blue Mitsubishi appeared directly right next to the white Acura drifting alongside it in almost perfect synchronization.

“Holy crap it’s a Drift versus Drift!” One guy shouted in shock as the NSX straightened itself out with the EVO X doing the same and getting right behind it.  The crowd watched in awe as both cars flew by them and into the turn off, whooshing past them and leaving behind a strong gust of wind.  

The girl holding the stopwatch and handheld radio was so stunned by the sight she forgot to time them, and merely stared at the cars driving by with her mouth hanging open.  Slowly, she raised her shaking hand that held the handheld radio in it and put it next to her open mouth.  

“Both cars…have…have just entered the third section.  They…They both came out of the corner…they were both drifting!  They came out of a corner and…and flew by!  It was incredible…I don’t think I’ve ever seen cars move that fast!  I tell you I got chills!” She tried to comment, informing everyone about what she saw as best as she could.

Luna was now speechless.  She even stopped breathing as she stared at the radio blankly, as if what the announcer said sucked all the life out of her and left her as a soulless husk. “Sister…” She finally whispered as she kept staring at the radio.  “What are you doing?” She then asked it seriously as if asking her sister directly.  

‘You know as well as I do that you shouldn’t be drifting…it’s not that your car can’t drift properly…in fact it can be a wonderful drift car when tuned properly…but the way you set it up yesterday…definitely wasn’t for drifting…’ She mused as she turned her head to the left and looked out the window, remembering her sister toiling hours yesterday to set her Acura up for tonight’s race.

‘You can’t keep this up for long…your tires will wear out and make the race that much harder for you…why couldn’t you just let her pass you and then pressure her to continue to wear out her tires?’ She asked herself mentally as she desperately tried to think of why her sister would do such a thing.  Then she gasped slightly and went wide eyed for a moment when she remembered something from earlier.  ‘Is it because of what you promised me earlier?  Do you have that much pride that you’re forcing your car to stay ahead of her?’ The younger sister thought as she knew that when her older sister makes a promise she always keeps it.

‘Tia…you have more pride and respect than everyone in Equestria combined…nobody would’ve faulted you for letting her pass you and then passing her later…’ She thought as she moved her head forward and leaned against the glass window.  “I just hope you’re ready for the upcoming difficulties later based on your decision…though I’m sure you already are…” She went on as she closed her eyes, awaiting the next call in from the next check point.

“Oh they’re entering the third mid-speed section!  I’m so excited on I’m cloud nine and feel as though I’m being dangled above a large chasm!” The pink haired girl shouted as loud as she can, as she leaned in as far as she could over the drop that lead to the road below.

“That’s because you are!  Now stop leaning over or else I swear I’m going to let you fall next time!” Twilight yelled in annoyance as she held the back of the girl’s shirt and pulled her back to safety.  The energetic girl took no notice of this or anything for that matter, and continued to watch the race with glee through her telescope.  Twilight sighed and looked back through her binoculars at the two cars.  The cars were no longer in the open area and were now entering a forest so the trees were obscuring their vision.

‘I can barely see them now…all those trees are getting in the way…and the road is much narrower and treacherous than before…this is going to get rough on them…especially on what little grip they have left on their tires…’ The high school girl commented as she bit her lip and continued to try and watch the two cars starting to drift through another corner.

Rainbow fought with her steering wheel as she tried to control the car through the drift.  She tried to stay as close to the car as possible until she felt her car start to slide beyond her control.  “Damn it!” She swore out loud as she bit her lip and continued to fight the steering wheel, still skidding slightly out of her line but remaining close to the NSX ahead of her.

Celestia looked to her left and noticed the blue car start to slide in a small jerking motion out of her line. ‘I see someone’s foolish decisions are finally starting to catch up with her.’ She thought in slight amusement before she felt her car jerk once slightly and slide a few centimeters out of her perfect drift line.

Celestia bit her lip and struggled to control her steering wheel as she exited the corner, straightening her car out.  ‘Mine are as well…my tires are already starting to give and my steering wheel is starting to cramp my arms up…if I would’ve known this would be a drift battle, I would’ve fine-tuned the suspension settings and readjusted the tires to make them last longer and make the steering feel like butter…’ She mentally scolded herself as pressed down on the accelerator, pressed down clutch, and shifted up into fifth gear.

‘Instead my tires are going balder than I would have wanted and my steering wheel might as well be made of cement…’ She continued as she looked in her rear view mirror to see the blue Lancer still on her tail.  ‘It doesn’t matter though…all I have to do is adjust my line and alter my entry speed a little bit and I’m fine…it will slow me down somewhat but the next section will force us both to do just that anyways so the situation is in my favor and I can let up a bit to save my tires somewhat…’ She thought as she looked forward to see a very tight narrow left hairpin turn coming up.  She moved the car to right towards the outside and stepped on the brakes very hard, downshifting to forth gear.

“What the…she’s going to the outside?” Rainbow commented out loud in shock as she saw the white NSX veer to the outside and brake much sooner than needed.  “Perfect…I don’t care why she did that…but this is my chance!” She cheered as she pressed on the accelerator and sped up alongside the NSX before breaking for the upcoming turn.

Celestia looked to her left and saw the blue EVO X right outside her window and merely shook her head as she downshifted into third gear.  ‘I knew you were going to do that…anyone who’s never been on this course would and it’s going to cost you dearly...’ She thought rather smugly as she turned her steering wheel hard to the left then right to initiate the drift, pressing her heel against the accelerator and toes against the brake to balance the car as she let off the clutch.

“I got the inside!  I’m going to take the lead!” Rainbow shouted excitedly as she drifted just to the inside of the NSX, starting to inch her front end ahead of it thanks to the advantage of the inside line.  “I got this!  I’m going to-” She began to say before being cut off by her car suddenly violently shaking.

“Told you…” Celestia mocked in a whisper as she saw the Mitsubishi shake upon touching the rough worn out road and slow down.   Celestia chuckled a bit as she pressed her heel down on the accelerator slightly, and then moved passed the blue car as she came out of the turn.  The blue Lancer struggled as she it moved behind the NSX and started to regain speed.

“Wha…What the hell was that?”  Dash asked in shock as she was once again staring at the back end of the Acura, as it had gained a little bit of lead thanks to Rainbow’s poor turn in the hairpin.

“Well you didn’t pass me but at least you can say you got alongside me…that alone should make you feel good about yourself…” The magenta eyed woman said out loud as she looked in her mirror at the car behind her.  ‘I wonder what you’re going to do for the next corner coming up.’ She asked mentally as she looked back forward at the next sharp right hairpin turn.   She then once again moved her car to the outside and braked earlier than she needed to.

Rainbow saw this and once again went to the inside.  She began to accelerate until she felt her car start to shake slightly.  “Damn it!  What the hell?” She swore bitterly as she braked and turned to get behind the white car.

‘That’s right…there’s nothing you can do but stay behind me…’ Celestia practically mocked in her mind with a grin on her face as she turned her steering wheel to initiate another drift through the corner with the EVO X following right behind.  ‘This was once the main road up the mountain…but once they built that newer two lane road, this one was abandoned…the only ones who use it now are us racers…and after years of wear and tear, it’s now a mess...bumps and potholes all over the place…dirt and grass in the cracks to throw off your rhythm and even huge tree branches that fell off at some point in the middle of the road…’ She explained to herself as she remembered when this road was in its prime and how amazing it was to find the best lines.

‘Sure it looks unassuming but get in close and you’ll see its teeth…all those perfect lines you think you can find are just an illusion…’ She went on as she straightened her car out of the turn with the Lancer now even further behind her.  ‘Here the worst lines are the perfect lines…and keeping your speed and control consistent through these turns are hell on your tires, making this the worst part on your tires compared to the dirt road in the first section and high speed corners of the second…’ She concluded as she saw the next sharp right hairpin coming up.

‘And I know where all those lines are…and only those lines are useable…anywhere else will slow you down or damage your car…basically you have to walk along a thin line…and I wonder if you can do that?’ She challenged the girl behind her mentally as she braked, downshifted to second gear, and turned her steering wheel violently.

‘Damn it!  I feel like I’m being forced to play follow the leader!  And I’m not the leader!’ The cerise eyed girl complained internally as she held onto the steering wheel, and followed the white car ahead of her in a drift.  She felt her car jerk more and slide out of the line which only increased the distance between her and the car ahead of her.

‘And on top of all that, my car is moving really weirdly…damn it at this rate I’ll lose her again!’ She thought as she straightened her car out of the drift and saw that there was now a sizable gap between her and the NSX ahead of her.  ‘Ok…calm down…don’t think about the car ahead of you…don’t think about the path she’s taking…just focus on the road and let it tell you what line you should take!’ She then thought as she took a deep breath and loosened the grip on her steering wheel.  She narrowed her eyes and blankly stared at the car ahead of her as she felt the vibrations in her steering wheel trying to visualize in her mind how rough the road was and where it was going to rougher.

She widened her eyes and moved her steering wheel to the right. “There!” She shouted as she looked past the NSX and at the upcoming sharp left turn.

Celestia looked in her rear view mirror and saw the Lancer move out of it.  She then turned her head left and looked into her side mirror to see it moving to the inside.  ‘Did we not learn our lesson yet or are we desperately trying to find some way to get past me on a terrible line?’ She asked mentally to herself as she shook her head.  She looked back forward and stepped on the brakes, downshifted to second gear, and turned her steering wheel.

The blue Lancer did the same as its rear end came out and started to shake from the increasingly rough road.  “Come on!” Rainbow shouted as her whole car started to shake violently as she held the steering wheel.  The White NSX began to make its turn as the EVO X started to jerk from its lack of tire grip and started to slide towards the outside.  With one final small jump it got off the rough inside and out to the smoother outside much close to the rear end of the NSX, closer than when it entered.

“What the?  D-Did that really just happen?” Celestia almost shouted in shock as she continued to make her turn, seeing the Lancer drifting to her left much closer to now than before.  ‘No way…that was clearly a fluke…just luck and nothing more!’ She reassured herself in her mind as looked forward and focused on exiting the corner.

Both cars exited the sharp corner and straightened out as they accelerated.  Rainbow took a deep breath and focused on feeling the steering wheel as they came up to another sharp right hairpin turn much narrower and smaller than the last couple of turns. “There!” She shouted again as she moved the car to the inside as the white NSX moved to the outside again.  Both cars slid their rear ends out at the same time and went into the turn.  The blue Mitsubishi shook violently again, and like before slid to the outside much closer to the white Acura and following right behind it in its drifting line.

“How…How is she doing that?” The magenta eyed woman asked in disbelief as the car behind her was now close to its rear bumper again.  The woman pressed down on the accelerator a bit more as the next sharp left was coming up.  The Acura went to the outside and the EVO X went to the inside.  The end result was the same but this time Celestia watched the car very intently as it came right up to her and behind her bumper, mere inches away from her.

“I get it now…” She said in understanding as she looked in her rear view mirror and saw the blue car behind her. ‘She’s moving in on the inside, and then using the lack of grip in her tires to her advantage to understeer and skid to the outside back into the right line...essentially making a shortcut…and I can’t copy her maneuver because my tires aren’t as worn as hers yet…essentially giving her a small advantage…’ She mentally elaborated as she looked back forward with a small smile on her lips.

‘I can still pull ahead if I really push myself…I wasn’t before when I thought she would be sticking behind me…but now I have to in order to stay ahead.’ She continued as she saw the next sharp left turn coming up.  She went into the turn with much more speed than before and braked lightly with her toe on the accelerator and heel on the brake.  Then she reached her hand down to grab the emergency brake to pull it as she stepped on the clutch to lock the back tires up, making it sharply turn more compared to normal braking and getting her into the correct line faster.

The white Acura started to rapidly accelerate through the tight turn as the EVO X shook violently across the rough terrain of the inside.  It slid out right behind the NSX, but wasn’t as close to it as before, as there was a little bit more distance between the two cars as they continued to go through the turn.

“What?” Rainbow said out loud after noticing the gap between them widen as both cars came out of the turn.  ‘How did she gain some distance on me?  What kind of trick is she pulling now?’ She asked herself as she pressed down on the accelerator and gained some speed, upshifting to third gear.  

She followed the white car ahead of her into the next sharp right turn. She braked, downshifted back into second, and cut to the inside as much as possible and started to slide on the road as her car once again shook uncontrollably.  When she got back into the better line she found that she didn’t gain any ground, or lose any ground between them.

‘Damn her!   She’s managing to stay ahead of me!  She was just toying with me earlier wasn’t she?’ She mentally griped as she bit her lip, and held the steering wheel to hold the drift while exiting the turn.  “I will not lose to you!  No matter what I will freaking pass you!” She shouted out loud in determination as she pressed down on the accelerator and gained more speed, shifting up into third gear again.

Both cars barreled into the next sharp right turn at an incredible pace.  The NSX used its emergency brake again to lock it’s tires and spun the car into the angle it needed to drift through the tight turn while the Lancer didn’t bother braking and went as far into the inside as she could.  The car shook more violently than usual as it slid to the outside again.  It overshot the line the NSX was on from its extremely fast entry speed, and almost hit the guardrail separating the road from the trees.  It barely avoided the guardrail with the rear end coming within inches of the small metal wall.  It accelerated widely away from it and out of the turn, getting right back on the bumper of the NSX as it straightened itself out coming out of the turn.

“Oh wow they’re really going at it at full force now!”  The pink haired girl commented as she moved around desperately to see the cars racing through the tree line.  “But I can’t see them anymore!” She grumbled frustratingly as she collapsed her telescope.

Twilight sighed as she put her binoculars back under her high school uniform. ‘They’re going to enter the forth section soon…and that means our spectating is over thanks to the density of all the tress.’  She thought upset as she turned around with a frown on her face.

‘That means I’m going to have to return to my car and listen on the radio for when the checkpoints call in.’ She mused as she began to walk back to her car. ‘But it was really starting to get intense…I…I really think this girl has what it takes to beat Celestia…but…I don’t want her to…please Celestia…don’t lose…’ She continued to think as she looked down at the ground.

“Pinkie Pie!” The girl behind Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the purple haired girl to stop and turn around to look at the energetic pink haired girl.

“What?” She simply asked in befuddlement as she looked at the happy girl with a bewildered expression on her face.

“That’s my name!” She simply explained as she pointed to herself with her free hand and winked at her.  “You asked for it didn’t you?” She asked as she titled her head a bit at the girl in front of her.

“Like ten minutes ago…why didn’t you-”

“I like you…you’re fun!”  Pinkie Pie declared happily, cutting Twilight off as she literally jumped and bounced pass her.  She then turned around to face the even more confused girl with a bright smile on her face.  “I can tell we’ll be seeing a lot of each other soon...meeting up at parties like this…watching a lot of fun racing!  Oh it’s so exciting I don’t think I can wait for the next time!” She predicted in a high pitch squeal that almost hurt Twilight’s ears.

“Bye!” She then finished as she turned around and started to bounce all the way back to her pink Lexus LFA

‘Yeah right…you’re one weird girl…I don’t think I want to see you again…and I certainly hope we don’t see a lot of each other like you think we are…’ Twilight mentally scoffed with a shake of her head before starting to walk back to her car again.

Celestia let go of the emergency brake, and gripped the steering wheel with both hands as she exited the turn, the EVO X getting right back on her bumper.  She bit her lip and looked in her rear view mirror at the car behind her. ‘I can’t believe she can keep doing that…it’s got to be wrecking her suspension and tearing apart her already worn tires…she could lose control at any moment or seriously damaging her car from how hard she’s forcing it to keep up with me…it’s incredibly risky…it transcends desperate and moves right into stupid!’ She mentally scolded as she watched the car swerve back in forth in her mirror, looking like it was going to try and make a move at least give off that impression.

‘And her aggression is through the roof…she’s clearly angry from not being able to pass me, and normally that would make you drive worse…but for her…she’s pulling moves off that are close to professional, rivaling my technique even.’   She thought, noticing the behaviors of the car behind her as she looked back at the road and at the upcoming sharp right.  

She braked with her toe, and pressed on the accelerator lightly with her heel.  She then she reached down and pulled the emergency brake as her left foot stepped on the clutch.  The car swerved violently into a drift, and moved through the turn skidding and sliding, struggling to stay on the line.  Celestia had to pull the emergency brake a few times to keep the car under control, and to keep it from hitting the guardrail.  She heard the overly loud engine behind her move from her left to her right before returning to directly behind her, letting her know that her opponent took the same maneuver as before, and not losing any ground in the process.

‘I’m reaching my limit more and more…my arms are killing me from struggling with the steering wheel…especially when I have to hold it one handed while my other hand uses the emergency…my feet are starting to hurt as well…these business shoes definitely weren't made for delicate pedal control in the middle of race…it’s starting to take a toll on me…and I’m sweating like crazy from pushing myself and my car this hard…’ She thought as she started to exit the turn at a high speed.  After she straightened her car out, she quickly raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead as she took a deep breath.

‘I can’t remember the last time I was this rough on my suspension and tires…I can’t even remember when I had to use the emergency brake to help with my cornering…it must’ve been years…and to be honest it’s exhausting…I can tell when I get home tonight I’m passing out the moment I touch the bed…’ She continued in her mind as she struggled to recall a situation in her recent past that was similar to this.  She couldn’t think about it long as she saw another sharp right turn coming up.  

She moved her head and looked into the rear view mirror for a brief second, not to look at the opponent’s car, but at herself and more accurately her smiling face.  ‘Though…despite all this…why am I smiling?  Why am I enjoying myself in this race?  Is it because I haven’t had this tough of a race in a long time or is it…something more…’ She questioned herself as she looked back at the road and once again moved her car into another drift, using the emergency brake a lot more throughout the drift due to her wear on her tires increasing.

‘Throughout this race I felt a sense of eerie familiarity with her…like I’m glimpsing into the past at someone I once knew…’ She mused as she let go of the emergency brake, and exited the turn pressing down on the accelerator.  She looked up at the mirror briefly again to see the blue Mitsubishi right on her six once again swerving back and forth aggressively.  The way the car was moving struck an epiphany in her mind, causing her eyes to slightly widened in realization.  ‘Now I remember…’ She thought with the smile on her face growing.

‘She reminds me of myself…arrogant…stupid…but having an insane amount of innate skill that will one day mold into something legendary…’ She realized as she looked back in the mirror for a brief second to look at the car behind her, desperately looking like it was trying to find an opening.

“Rainbow Dash…” She said out loud as she looked back at the road and at the small wide left turn coming up.  ‘You may one day win against me…but not today…today you’re too inexperienced and you don’t have the right vehicle…your all-wheel drive car doesn’t fit your technique well enough and it can’t bring out your true potential…and likewise you can’t bring out your car’s true potential…you two just aren’t made for each other…and that’s why you’re going to lose…’ She thought gently as she slowly struggled to move her steering wheel slightly to make the turn.  The blue Lancer behind her followed directly behind her as there was no point to cut to the inside on such a wide turn.  A wide right turn followed, and both cars once again went in single file through it.  When they came out, the road was starting to narrow drastically to the point where it was a one lane road.

‘It’s over now anyways…we’re heading into the forth section…even though it’s a dirt road, which might give your car a slight advantage, it’s so narrow that you’re going to be forced to follow me throughout it.  Then once we hit the fifth section, it’s going to be back in my area of asphalt and high speed corners…’ She thought happily, confident of her victory as she looked to both sides of her car to see the guardrails gone and being replaced by bushes and trees.  She looked and saw a small wooden bridge coming up.  ‘After we cross that bridge, my victory is certain…’ She concluded with a grin as she looked back at the car moving around erratically and frantically.

‘Damn it!  I won’t lose!  I can’t lose!  No matter what I will not lose!  If even the slightest hint of an opening presents itself, I’m taking it no questions asked!’ Rainbow shouted at the top of her lungs as she hit her steering wheel in frustration. “Just one small split second opening…that’s all I need!” She practically pleaded as she gritted her teeth and tightly gripped the steering wheel, moving it back and forth to see if there was any room to pass on this now narrow road.  Instead, however, finding only small spaces that not even a motorcycle could get through without hitting a bush or a tree.

The blue Mitsubishi got right behind the NSX as they reached the bridge.  Both cars shook lightly as they got on the wooden bridge.   The old bridge creaked and shuttered as both cars zipped across it.   When the white Acura reached the end, it hit the small bump and bounced slightly, its tires very briefly leaving the ground.  When it touched back down on the now dirt surfaced road, it swerved out of control a bit from the sudden shift in terrain.

“Agh damn it!  Seriously this needs to happen now?” Celestia cursed in frustration as she fought with the wheel, her car sliding to the right very closely to the trees and bushes.

The rainbow haired girl behind her watched the car move to the right, noticing that there was now a sizable opening to the left that seemed just big enough for her to make her move.  “Now!” She shouted as she stomped her foot down on the accelerator as hard as she could, taking advantage of the small opening she had been given.

Celestia had finally regained control of her car despite it still shaking slightly from the dirt road, and immediately looked in the rear view mirror.  Her eyes went wide as she couldn’t see the EVO X behind her, but could hear the loud roar of its engine louder than ever before.  She slowly looked to her left, gasping in shock as she saw the blue car’s front end start to pass her window literally a few inches away. “No way!  You’ve got to be kidding me!”  She screamed in disbelief as she gripped the steering wheel tightly to remain perfectly still as possible to not hit the car next to her.

“That’s right!  I’m tired of seeing your ugly rear end!  It’s time for me to take my rightful place in the front!” Rainbow shouted in glee as she saw herself coming closer and closer to the lead she so desperately wanted.  Her car stared to get pelted by bushes and small tree branches as she brushed up against the edge of the road.

“What are you doing!?  This isn’t a two lane road!  There isn’t enough room for you!” The magenta eyed woman continued to scream as she looked to her right, seeing nothing but bushes and branches scrapping against the outside of her car.  She could barely see her side mirror that seemed to pop in and out of her sight depending on how far into the bushes she was.

“Come on!  Just a little further!” Rainbow declared as she leaned forward, seeing her bumper line up with the car ahead of hers before she failed to move any further, making it anyone’s race where either f them could still pull ahead.

“She’s out of her freaking mind!  You just immediately went from stupid to insane!  Does she want to win that badly that she’ll risk her own life?  I think even daredevils would find this reckless!” Celestia continued to yell in complete shock as she looked back forward to see a slightly left turn coming up.  She gritted her teeth as she carefully turned the steering wheel that felt heavier than ever, hoping that wouldn’t mess up, and hit the trees to her right or the car to her left.  

Rainbow meticulously turned her wheel to the right in tandem with the car next to her, and both cars entered the wide turn side by side.  They both didn’t move an inch closer or further way from each other as they went through the turn.  The turn eventually led to another long straight with both cars not gaining, nor losing a centimeter on each other.

‘We’re so close I could roll down my window reach out and easily touch her car!’ Celestia angrily thought as she looked to her left to see the blue car next to her, but not able to see through the window thanks to how dark it was outside.  She groaned and looked to her left back at the trees and bushes whizzing past her car.  ‘And I’m close to the trees; I wouldn’t be surprised if lost my side mirror!  It has to be the same for her as well!’ She continued to complain as she looked back forward, and watched the dirt road ahead of her.

‘Damn it!  We’re still in a dead heat!’ Rainbow mused in disbelief as she looked to her right to see the white NSX’s front bumper lined up with hers.  ‘I just have to keep going!  If I just keep up my pace, I’ll take the lead sooner or later!’  She reassured herself with a grin as she looked back ahead of her car to watch the road.

The checkpoint just before the forth section was the second least crowded section of all the checkpoints.  The road was too narrow to park any cars, and so the only way you could reach there was by parking in the parking lot a little ways off, and then walking down a hiking trail to it.  The trek would be worth it because this would be the last time anyone could see the cars until start of the fifth section.  The fourth section was all windy roads on the cliff that couldn’t be viewed from any direction, and so this would be the last place you would see the cars for a while, and possibly the last time you would see them period should something tragic happen.

The people gathered at the checkpoint on both sides of the road at the very edge.  They were standing just outside the trees and foliage so their view of the race could not be blocked by obnoxious plants.  Eventually, the sound of two loud engines began to be heard which caught everyone’s attention and excitement as they looked down the road in anticipation to see the cars coming.

“Hey here they come!” A guy shouted happily as the white light from headlights began to be seen coming up the road causing everyone to cheer excitedly.

“Man who’s in the lead?  Is it the EVO or the NSX?  I can’t tell!” Someone else commented, trying to make out the two headlights only to realize the two pairs of white light where directly right next to each other.

“What the-?  They’re…they’re side by side!” A girl declared upon seeing both cars alongside each other.

“What?  That’s insane!” The guy holding the handheld radio shouted as both cars approached closer and closer at high speeds.  Leaves kicked up from the sides of the cars as it was now obvious they were both rubbing against the foliage on the edges of the road, which is where the spectators were standing.

“Holy crap!  Everyone get out of the road!” He then shouted in terror as he jumped as far as he could into the trees as he could.  People screamed as they ran into the forest to get out of the way of the two incoming cars.  Everyone managed to get out of the way as both cars sped past with their engines roaring and leaving behind a trail of dirt and leaves.

“Man they’re both crazy!  One wrong move in any direction and they’re both toast!” The guy holding the handled radio shouted as the crowd started to return to the road, looking in the direction of the speeding off cars still locked in a dead heat side by side.  He wasted no time and quickly raised the radio up to announce the latest news on the race.

“This…This is the checkpoint at the start of the forth section…I…they…both cars just passed by…side by side on this narrow one lane road!”  He struggled to say as he still had difficulty describing what he just witnessed happen right in front of him.

Lune stared at the radio in her car more shocked than probably ever before in her entire life.  It was as if she just witnessed a brutal murder before her eyes, all she could was sit and look at the radio completely speechless.  She didn’t move, blink, or even breathe, and just lifelessly looked at the radio.  After what felt like an eternity of staring, she slowly looked at her steering wheel and raised both her shaking hands to grip it.

She looked ahead and started to move the steering wheel.   In front of her eyes, and in front of her car, she imagined the EVO X and NSX ahead of her.  They racing next to each other and she turned her steering wheel to follow the two cars as they both turned slightly right in a wide right turn.  Luna then moved her feet to the pedals of her car, and imagined working them as she kept up with both cars in front of her as they continued to race side by side down the dirt road.  

The foliage on both sides began to quickly vanish and be replaced by a rock face on the right side and nothing on the left side.  Eventually the left side began to shrink and in its place was the edge of the cliff that led the bottom of the mountain.  The first sharp right came up and both cars stopped to make their turn.  Luna’s eyes went wide as she let go of the steering wheel and shook uncontrollably in fear no long able to imagine the cars ahead of them.

“If they keep going like this to the first corner….they’ll…” Luna struggled to say as her cyan eyes quivered in complete terror.  She closed her eyes and moved her head onto the steering wheel.  “I just hope you have the inside dear sister…otherwise…” She whispered in desperation, knowing that if she had the inside she would be alright…the outside however…

“This is ridiculous!  We’ve been neck and neck for so long I’m surprised we haven’t collided yet!  We could both die from this you idiot!’ Celestia thought in disbelief as she gripped her steering wheel as hard as she could and carefully moved her car out of the turn with the EVO X still right beside her.  She looked to her right and saw the amount of plant life start to seriously decrease.  She sighed in relief and looked back forward with a smile on her face knowing that meant.

‘Thankfully it’s not going to last much longer…we’re in the fourth section now and I’ll be in the lead after the next sharp turn coming up…I have the inside…she has  no choice but to slow down or else she’ll go right off the side of the mountain!’ She mused in relief as she looked to her left to look at the Lancer next to her to see when it will slow down.

“Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X…” Rainbow Dash said out loud in a low tone, focusing on the road in front of her and nothing else.  “From what I’m guessing…that X in your name isn’t a letter but a Ramen Numberal or whatever…so basically I’m driving car number ten…that must mean there were nine cars before this…and each one of them had to be awesome in some regards to warrant a successor…you don’t keep making the same kind of car if the previous ones were garbage…” The cerise eyed girl then said as her voice’s tone steadily rose from a soft whisper into a determined one.  She pressed down on the pedal more trying to get as much possible, risking everything to get ahead of the car next her in the upcoming turn.

“What the hell?  How crazy are you?  I have the inside, you have to slow down!” Celestia shouted in disbelief as the blue Mitsubishi next to her started to pick up more speed and slowly inch itself ahead of her car.

“So prove to me that you are just another awesome car in an awesome line of cars…prove to me that you’re worthy of that X at the end of your name…” She continued, her voice growing louder and louder by the second as the sharp turn approached closer and closer.  “Prove to me that you can win and beat that outdated relic of a car!” She then shouted at the top of her lungs as she moved her right foot from the accelerator to the brake.

“This isn’t going to end well!” The middle-aged woman shouted in frustration as she looked forward at the turn and moved her right foot to the brake.

Both cars entered the turn at the same pace with the EVO X slightly ahead of the NSX.  Both cars braked at the same time with the tail lights lighting up in the exact same moment.  Both drivers lifted their left foots, pressed down on the clutch, and moved their right hands over to the gearshift to downshift from third gear to second.   They both then turned the steering wheel with all there might, causing both cars to start to turn on the dirt road.

Both cars shook as they struggled to turn on the rough terrain; they began to slide to the outside with the EVO X coming dangerously close to the edge of the cliff that was unguarded by any type of wall or guardrail.  The Lancer stopped slightly at just the right time as it started to pull ahead of the white car next to it as the NSX struggled to stay in its line.

‘Come on!  Come on!  Just a little more!’ Rainbow shouted in glee with a smile as she could feel herself finally getting ahead of her rival and into the lead.

“Damn it!  My car is slipping! I can’t hold it!” Celestia yelled as she continued to fight with her steering wheel, feeling her continue to jerk and slide to the outside closer and closer to the EVO X’s side.  “I’m going to-!” She began to scream before stopping abruptly and closing her eyes, not wanting to see what was going to come next.

“Just a few more feet!  Just a few more-!” The ecstatic girl cheered before being cut off by the sound of a thumping noise coming from the side of her car.  Her eyes went wide as she felt the back end of her car slide out from under her and move to the outside towards the edge of the cliff.

Her breathing immediately stopped as her car continued to spin; she stared forward at the rock face in front of her car and eventually saw the white NSX pass by her safely without a scratch.  That was the last thing she saw before the back end of her car sunk and her view immediately shifted upwards at the starry sky.  “…No…” She whispered to herself as she forced her eyes shut and gripped her steering wheel not wanting to see what was going to come next.

Celestia immediately stopped the car close to the edge and unbuckled herself.  She flew open the door and literally jumped out the car as the sounds of  metal being twisted and glass being shattered rang out across the mountain side.  She rushed as close to the edge of the cliff as possible and looked down to try and spot the blue Lancer that she accidentally hit and pushed off the side of the mountain.  

She desperately turned her head and searched for the car, but couldn’t find a single trace of it despite still hear sounds of the car tumbling down the side of the rocky cliff.  She couldn’t find the headlights or anything despite her best efforts and then soon enough the sound stopped, either from finally hitting the bottom or being out of her range.  She stood there still frantically searching with her breathing erratic in a vain attempt to try and spot the car.

It must have been ten or so minutes before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  She briefly opened her teary magenta eyes to look at the black abyss below her before turning around and starting to walk back to her white NSX.  She sat back down in her seat and closed the door.  Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes and took another deep breath.  The middle-aged woman then buckled up and drove off slowly away from the spot where the racer known as Rainbow Dash made her last turn.

~2 Months Later~

“Yes dad I’m unpacked and settled in…” The pink haired teen happily said over her cell phone as she straightened some knickknacks on her shelf.

“Yeah I’m ready for school to start in a few weeks…” The girl sweetly said in a soothing voice as she turned and walked to the table at other end of the apartment that had a small cage with a rabbit in it.

“No dad I’ll be fine…Rarity’s next door and I just know we’ll be fine…” She reassured with a slight chuckle as she reached under the table and got out a small carrot.  The small white rabbit immediately took notice of that and happily went to the edge of the cage trying to poke his nose and paws through the small openings in the cage.

“Oh please stop worrying about my dad…if you could…I mean...it will just be like High School…I’ll blend in…not cause a fuss and generally be overlooked…” The girl continued her conversation with a smile as she gave the small carrot to the rabbit who happily took it and started to devour it.

“Yes I’m sure…I’ll be ok…” She went on, trying to convince her overprotective father of her safety as she turned around and started to head to the window.

“No dad…you’ve done enough…you’ve already paid for my classes, my apartment, and practically every other expense…I couldn’t ask anything more from you…” She refused with a shake of her head as she went to her window and pulled aside the curtains to look out into the night filled parking lot.

“Though I do have a…slight itsy bitsy little concern…” She admitted very reluctantly and softly as she looked in the parking lot to find her car as she switched the phone from her right hand to left hand.  “Well it’s about the car you gave me…” She said as he put the phone to her left ear and finally found her white car in the parking lot.

“Yes I’m really grateful for it but…”The girl said hesitantly as she reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her keys.  “It’s…not really going to suit my needs…I mean a college student like myself should have like a sedan or a van or something…not a…whatever that car is…” She explained as she looked at the fancy key on the key chain and then back at the white car sitting in the parking lot.

“Ok an NSX…” The cyan eyed girl corrected with a nod of her head.  “But still….a sports car…isn’t really going to help me dad…” She went onto explain with a shrug of her shoulders as she looked at the car and how the light from a nearby street lamp reflected off of the visible fixed headlights.

“Yeah I know it’s a present that you’ve wanted to give me for a long time but…I’m…not that kind of girl…a small four door or a hybrid would’ve worked…” She struggled to say, hoping that he would see her point of view and what kind of car would fit her in this situation.

She sighed as she heard the voice on the other end of the phone disagree. “Yeah I guess you’re right…as long as it can drive and get me to place to place it really doesn’t matter what it is…” She gave up as she shook her head, not wanting to argue any more and more or less just wanting to go to bed now.

“Yeah alright…I’ll talk to you tomorrow…bye dad.” She finished as she hung up her smart phone and gave one last sigh.

“I really don’t know what I’m going to do with that thing…” She began in a low whisper as she looked at the white Acura in the parking lot one last time.  “Oh whatever…it’s not like matters…a car’s a car after all and it’s not going to be life changing…” She then shrugged it off with a sigh as she closed the curtains.  She turned off the lights and then headed to her small bedroom to head to bed.  She shouldn’t worry about what kind of car she has.  She was more worried about the changes college life would have on her, living on her own would have at her, and whatever changes she had yet to experience.

A certain kind of car is nowhere near as life changing as that right?

“I get to do what?”

“I get to talk about one of the cars used in the story?  Oh yippee!  I can’t tell you how excited I am!”

“So which one am I talking about?”

“Ohhhhh Dashie’s car!  The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X!”

“I like the letter X!  X is my fifteenth favorite letter out of all the forty-seven letters in the alphabet!”

“Wait?  There’s only twenty six?  Hah…maybe in your alphabet Twilight, but not mine!”

“What?  It’s not even an X to begin with?  It’s actually supposed to mean the number ten?  Then why don’t just call it the Lancer Evolution Ten?  They do?  Then why did they put an X instead of a ten?  Oh whatever…”

“So since it’s the Evolution Ten then…that must mean it’s the tenth car in a long line of super awesome cars doesn’t it?”

“What?  It’s technically the eleventh?  Wait the original pioneer car of the Lancer was actually a sixth generation Galant VR-4 released back in 1988?   And when the first Evolution was released in 1992, they just took the engine and drivetrain of the VR-4 and put it into the new Lancer chassis with barely any changes?”

“Ok so it really should be called the Evolution XX or X plus one right?  Wait no?  Because of the name change, it’s still the tenth generation car despite all the cars using a four-wheel drive system, a turbocharged engine, and essentially having the four door sedan layout?  I’m so confused…”

“Right…back on topic…ahem…the model that Dashie uses is the GSR model which is only available in five-speed manual here in Equestria and has an engine output of less than three hundred horsepower…”

“Oh but that wasn’t good enough for Dashie…she popped the hood, grabbed her car expert friend Applejack, and made her crank that engine up to about four hundred and fifty horsepower…making it a speed demon on the mountain roads!”

“To compensate for the power Applejack had to change the suspension in the car and even give it a new spoiler to better perform in the corners…though despite the changes it still can’t corner as well as other cars and due to its four-wheel drive layout out,  which makes it incredibly hard to drift…”

“It’s still not impossible to drift the car if it’s set up right and if you have the skill…which of course Dashie has.  Anyways, to complete the changes Applejack put on the best pair of racing tires money could buy for the race against Celestia…and oh did all those modifications and changes cost a lot of money…Dashie spent her entire life savings and even the money her parents set aside for her for college into that car…just so she could be the fastest…”

“Wow she spent all her money on that car?  Geez I hope she takes really good care of it then…wait what…huh?”

“…Oh dear…” Next Chapter: Act 1 Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 35 Minutes