Rain assaulted the locomotive with unrelenting force. The bullet storm courtesy of the Weather Pegasi made each window "crack!" when the tempest outside decided it wanted a turn at slowing the train down, and as a result of the barrage. We were driving at a snail's pace towards our destination of Canterlot: where Mom and I would dress up for the Wonderbolt Prep Rally.

It was that time of year again for our family when we had to play "nice" with the Nobility. We only put up with their whiny bullshit for a few days in the year so that we had a steady source of income from the various sponsorships and tributes from the cunts. Mom would get all "touchy-feely" with a few of gold digging creeps while I had to socialize with my high-class peers. It was a drag, to put it bluntly, but like the good girl that I am. I behaved. Mostly.

'Even though I should be gathering incriminating evidence of those four fucks in Ponyville... the Rally is too important to miss.' I let out a sigh with my cheek against the pleasantly cold window. My breath clouding my vision of the black afternoon sky, not that there was much to see. The torrential downpour made it impossible to see more than a few feet beyond my snout. My mood was black as the clouds above, and it didn't help the brooding within the cabin.

"What's wrong, Love?" Spoke the mare sitting across from me on the red velvet couch in our cabin, voice filled with concern. Peeling myself away from the somber sight outside to answer, I saw mother looking at me with a worrisome look. With ears folding back and a twitch of the wings, I sighed again.

"Nothing much. Just...thinking."

Mom raised a brow to that, "thinking huh? About what little dove?"

"Little dove? Really? You've been spending too much time with Red Heart," I chuckled at the pet-name. At least it was a nice pet-name. "And I'm just thinking about Canterlot. I don't want to spend my entire time there with Cadence again."

"Sorry, Kiddo. I forgot that you don't like being babied by your old mare," Mom rubbed her head sheepishly in embarrassment. She knew that spending time with Red Heart would make her all mushy when she didn't like acting that way, however. When you spend your time with a Nurse at a book club every other Sunday, things tend to happen back at home that you didn't think you would pick up. Like complaining about reading the book from the book club. That got really annoying. At least she enjoys it.

"Not all the time, but it's nice to know that you love me enough to keep up with the pet-names," I giggled at her embarrassment. She threw the cushion beside her at me in response. It flew across the cabin so fast that I couldn't dodge in time. The soft, downy pillow collided with my face with an audible "pomf!" ending my life in an instant.

"Boom! Headshot," Mom laughed as I played dead on my couch with my six-inch tongue lolled out. "Now, time to reap the rewards."

"You wouldn't dare!" I gasped as I felt her hooves wrap around my limp body and began the most insidious torture ever invented: Death by tickling.

I never stood a chance.

Elsewhere in Equestria in the town known as Wingshire, twelve Pegasi stretched their wings for the upcoming race. One of the Pegasi was a black-maned-mare named Raven Shadowhoof. Her amber eyes never left the cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane to her right at the other side of the sun-bathed arena, but every now and again. She would shoot a glare to the dark gray stallion that never left Rainbow Dash's side.

Of course, she wanted Thunderlane to know that she was watching him. She would entice the stallion with her more femininely-built dark purple body with gestures that only that Vixen mare named Rose would do. She would even bounce her flanks with more sway whenever she passed him by, making sure that he got a good look at her cutie mark: an outstretched, black, Raven's wing. It was all part of the plan: force Rainbow and the gang together by any means necessary. That includes taking away things that would steer the six from the course of Harmony, and, unfortunately. That also meant taking away any love that they might feel for another that didn't belong in the equation.

Looking past the stallion towards the track, Raven saw a few ponies making the final preparations for the race. They moved a few rings up and around the air in a circular pattern while a Unicorn lit a large bonfire in the center. She didn't understand why there was a need for the fire during a race. Everyone knew that heat would only cause unnecessary lift for the racers, throwing them off and hindering their chances of winning. Her frown at the sight of the bonfire earned the attention from one of the other racers slowly inching his way towards the mare, hoping to be noticed by the wolf in sheep's clothing. She frowned at the gold-furred stallion as well.

"H-Hey, Raven," the stallion greeted with a nervous chuckle. The golden-furred stallion with an equally obnoxious gold mane didn't stand out from the ground by any means, but he still was talking to her for some apparent reason, and she didn't like it. "H-How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine," Raven replied coldly. "What do you want?"

"W-Well, I was wondering if after the race that we could..." he said into a meek mumble at the end, earning him a roll of the eyes from Raven. Her cold heart had no room for petty romance for the time being, and if she did? It would only get in the way of her mission to separate Thunderlane from Rainbow. Plus, the colt shuffling nervously in front of her was way out of his league. Raven only liked stallions that can stand beside her in battle, and the little twerp looked ready to fall over just by being in her presence.

'Pathetic excuse for a stallion,' she thought bitterly. Looking back towards the track where everyone was gathering, Raven gave the stallion one last look with contempt and gave him her answer that will stop him from pursuing her ever again.

"Fuck off you little bitch. The only stallion that can tame this wolf is one that wears the fur of his kill, and you obviously don't." Once those words left her mouth, she snorted and walked away, leaving behind a devastated stallion in her wake.

"Alright, racers listen up! I will only say this once since it's the first Drift in the season!" shouted a gruff stallion wearing the iconic black and white striped referee shirt. He stood on top of a stool holding a small clipboard with authority, drawing the attention of all the racers. Raven found herself standing at the back of the crowd, staring impassively at the stallion of her forced affection. She kept an ear out for the referee at least.

"This venue is one of the hardest in the season. The second hardest are Sprints! Reason being is that you are not allowed to flap your wings and are only limited to gliding. That's why we started that, " he pointed to the fire blazing at the center of the field. "However, that fire will NOT be there for the rest of the season, and as such, you all should consider yourself lucky to be babied for your first Drift race!"

Chatter soon erupted after the announcement, most complaints about the challenge placed before them. Most whined like little bitches about the whole ordeal of having to stay in the air with nothing but thermals and updrafts while others recoiled as if they knew the pain of failure, but Raven? She smiled with giddy glee.

'So this is a Drift? My skills with wing-blades will certainly give me the advantage here. After all: you can't cut while your wings are constantly moving around your opponent,' she hummed to herself. Looking around the field in her deep thought, she saw Thunderlane standing alone and Rainbow out of sight. 'It will be a while before the race starts. The fire needs to be big and hot enough before we begin. I guess it's time to get to work.'

Sounds of moaning can be heard from down a large, stone, corridor with magnificent paintings depicting Equestria's greatest heroes next to their statues and stained windows. Guards, maids, and other castle staff all shared the same red tint upon their cheeks when they walked passed one of the guest rooms currently occupied by whoever is screaming like they have no shame, and it bugged me.

The reason it bugged me because it was not I receiving the pleasure of whoever hides within the room from the whore in pink. I know Princess Cadance was dating Shining Armor, but it saddens me to know that Shining would cheat on Cadence with a random maid. I know we don't like each other, not by a long shot. At the best of days, we were two cats ready to tear the other apart, however. Cadence doesn't deserve such an asshole of a stallion. Her ideas of love may be skewed and biased due to a little bit of tribalism, but her heart is pure as well as her body.

'That maid should be fucking me, not Shining Dick-Face' I growled to myself as I peeled away from the door and continued to my playdate with the aforementioned, Alicorn of Love.

'Now, be nice to Cadence, Rose. I know you two haven't gotten along after the... fire, but please tolerate her?' Mom asked before parting ways with me to prepare for the Wonderbolt Prep Rally this evening. At the time, I wouldn't have listened to her and proceeded to drive the pink mare up the wall about how amazing it felt to have someone else preen your wings, but after walking passed the room of her coltfriend fucking Feather Duster? I'll listen. This time.

Letting out a sigh, I adjusted my collar with my wing. It wasn't every day that I got to spend time at the castle. Long ago, I used to come here to play with... her, before everything went to shit. Now, even as I walk down the hall that was once a blazing inferno that almost killed me many moons ago, I can't help feeling uncomfortable in the palace where I felt so safe growing up.

As I turned the corner down the final stretch of the hall where I was supposed to have tea with Cadence, Sassy Saddles, and Fleur De Lis, I froze. The scent of the morning dew kiss upon freshly bloomed roses hit me like a truck. The sound of laughter reverberated off the walls like a stampede of Buffalo. There, running from room to room giggling with pure joy—Jumping over the red carpet like it was made of lava—Were two, ghostly fillies playing a game of Tag with the Old Captain.

'Hey, Sunny! Wait for me!' one giggled with a flutter of her wings. Her smile pure, eyes filled with love. She jumped over the carpet just as the Old Captain made a leap for the bounding bundle of fur with a youthful chuckle.

'Then don't be so slow, Winny!' the other giggle back even though the other was on her tail. She gasped as the Old Captain teleported in front of them in an attempt to cut them off, and it worked. Both couldn't stop in time and they, in a comical fashion, skidded right into the awaiting arms of the Old Captain. All three toppled over in a mass of laughter.

'Grandpa Fury! No fair!' Whined the Pegasus as the Old Captain pinned her down with a hoof playfully while the other was pinned down by a pillow that the Old Captain found along the way.

'No fair, eh?' he chuckled evilly. 'I'll show you no fair! Here comes the tickle monster!'

'No!' both screamed in absolute horror before the Old Captain began the most insidious forms of execution. Earning bellowing laughter from the two fillies for a few moments before the Old Captain let them free to continue playing. With a withered smile, he watched the two run down the hall and through the approaching Alicorn of Love.

"Rose?" I heard off in the distance, pulling me from my trance. I had to blink a few times to let go of the ghosts still running around in my vision, but that didn't stop the tears streaming down my cheek. With a frown, I quickly wiped away my tears before Cadence saw the state I found myself in.

"Are you alright? You were just standing in the center of the hall," Cadence asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Looking up at her with a strained smile, I straightened my posture to make myself a little taller even though the pink Alicorn was easily towered my smaller frame. I didn't want to cause her any more grief with her insane sense of empathy that was on par with my own. I met her halfway down the hall, and since she was one of the few that knew why I hated coming to Canterlot. I was honest with her.

"I just had a flashback of the good ol' days. Nothing to worry about," I replied with a twitch of the ear. The Princess, who had her mane tied in a high ponytail, cringed in response.

"Are you still mad about that?" Cadence sighed, her ears flat against her skull. "You know my Ascension was out of my control."

"I hold grudges forever, Cadence. Your Ascension destroyed my best friend and almost burned the castle to the ground," I hissed back and shoved passed her. "Now, we have a meeting in the Lunar Lounge with Blueblood and Fleur De lis. Let's not waste any time."

"Alright, Racers! Take your positions!" shouted the ref from high above the track. Raven cracked a smile as she took her spot next to Thunderlane, and unfortunately, Lightning Streak to her left. The stallion from earlier didn't know when to call it quits after his first rejection. It bugged her to no end. For the two hours of waiting for the fire to reach its peak, she had to endure his constant begging for a "chance," to prove his worth.

'Fucking cunt doesn't know when to quit,' Raven groaned inwardly while watching the bleachers fill with ponies that came to watch one of the more boring events of the evening, however. Not all of it was monotonous. The stallion to her right was giving her a few lustful looks her way. 'I wonder if he'll take my offer? Rainbow Dash is a fine mare, but I can be better... for the time being.'

"On your marks!" the ref continued, signaling the racers to dig their hooves into the cloud for extra thrust. Raven's smiled went comically wide, showing her canines to the ponies beside her and most importantly: upsetting Lightning Streak.

"Get set!" the ref shouted with a raised flag in the air.

"Ready to take me out to dinner, Thunder?" Raven asked with a wink. This earned a light blush from the dark-gray stallion tensing his wings for the race. Rainbow who was at the far end of the line saw the blush from whatever they were talking about and didn't like it.

Rainbow frowned at the two, but she couldn't do anything about what that mare was doing with her stallion at the moment. She would have to wait until after the race to tell the mare to "fuck off." Grinding her teeth to stifle her anger, Rainbow spotted a Griffin leaving the arena.

"Go—BOOM!"