Crash!
"You stupid MORON!"
"Go to hell, Sophie! Why are you even here!? To walk your mentally disabled ponies?"
"To kick your butt, Britt the turd!"
"Eat my dust, mole face!"
This last qualification race couldn't have started any differently. Brittany, Hemlock, and Nightshade got gate number one, and Sophie, Morning Star, and Moonlight got gate number two. As soon as the race started, the two carts slammed violently into each other without causing any serious damage. It had to look like an accident, or else both teams risked disqualification.
Of course, Brittany had instigated the contact because she had a perfect reason to do so. Her team was already qualified for the Triple Crown races, and today's race would only determine what gate number she would get during the three events, which wasn't that big of a deal. However, in Sophie's case, if they wanted to have a chance to be part of the Triple Crown, thanks to their average performances so far, they would have to finish fifth today, or their dream of saving Penny's stable would be over. So, obviously, it was only fair that Brittany wouldn't help them with their quest.
Being the least experienced pony, Moonlight had lost her cool and immediately fell out of sync, distracted by the word war between the two anger-filled drivers. While Brittany followed the pack with her focused pink ponies, Sophie's team quickly fell behind.
"Moonlight! Focus! Forget about them! Follow Morning Star! Remember what I taught you."
The young pony wasn't a veteran by any stretch of the imagination, but she had made outstanding progress since her little trip in the desert and her improbable rescue. After what Tiantang Zhi Ma had put her through, she was left with the impression that she could achieve anything, including learning. Even though it was very late in the game, Sophie had trained her relentlessly between each exhibition race to bring her to a more professional level.
Like a sponge, Moonlight had absorbed every fluid ounce of knowledge that Sophie had made her drink without arguing a single time. She had placed all her trust in her trainer and her racing companion, Morning Star. She had fully accepted her absence of racing knowledge and that her body would be used as a machine in any way Sophie would see fit.
It was no longer about herself. It was all about the reason she had been lent to Penny's stable, winning for a cause bigger than herself.
After the humiliating performance of their first exhibition race, and after Penny had miraculously convinced the board to let them run again, things only went uphill. Sophie and her two ponies had finished last in the two next races but ran with the pack all the way to the end. And then they finished third, fourth, fifth, and third again, which was consistent enough to accumulate enough points to be eligible for the final three Triple Crown races, the one that counted the most.
But today, they were in trouble very early in the race, which wasn't part of the game plan. There wasn't a single weak team ahead of them, and catching up after falling behind so soon was almost impossible, particularly because they would have to pass all the other ponygirls from the outside lane.
Yet, Moonlight got back into it and resynced her hooves with Morning Star's, which allowed the team to regain its cruising speed.
"Good! Good! Moon! You got it! We are not dead yet!"
Thanks to the 3000 meters race, there was still plenty of time to attempt catching up. And since that giant single lap race was extremely demanding, it was certainly possible that some of the teams would suddenly drop behind because they had tried too hard too early and exhausted their athletic legs.
Still, they were in trouble. Being this far behind so early in the race meant that, overall, it would take a lot more energy if they wanted to finish fifth and qualify for the Triple Crown.
As they entered the first long turn, things didn't seem too bright.
"Crap! They are all so good. I hope you had a good breakfast this morning because we will need to make an early sprint. I know you want to go faster right now but don't. Keep that pace, Morning Star. Moon, conserve as much energy as you can. It's going to be a tough one. I'm counting on you."
It was a surreal experience, such a dramatic moment, and they felt like they were alone on the track. The others were too far ahead to be heard, and it didn't feel like they were competing in the same race.
As they exited the first turn, Sophie observed what was going on with the other teams. The leading ponies began to slow down as they had engaged in a useless early battle for the railing. That was one team they would potentially manage to beat, placing them in the seventh position. Then there was the last team who actually seemed to have a very bad day. Their two ponies seemed nervous, and they, too, needed to finish in the fifth position to qualify for the Triple Crown races. It seemed that the pressure was too high and that their ponies were struggling to keep their emotions at bay. Sometimes wanting something too much could bring the opposite result. If Sophie managed to beat those as well, then she would be in the sixth position.
She only had one more team to identify in order to implement a final strategy. But while using her expert eyes to analyze the remaining racers, she noticed something bad... really bad. Something that made her blood boil.
"That creature of hell! I'm SO going to punch her in the face!"
It was as shocking as it was unsurprising. Brittany and her pink ponies were locking the fifth position, the one Sophie needed. On purpose, she slowed down the team in the sixth and seventh positions to create a gap with the teams in fourth and up. Since Brittany was already qualified, it was understandable that she wouldn't push her ponies too hard, but doing what she was doing was totally to prevent Sophie from qualifying.
Hemlock and Nightshade were the strongest competitors on that track. As soon as Sophie would get close to them, which would be toward the end of the race, Brittany would push hard to prevent Penny's stable from achieving their mandatory objective. This scheme was motivated only by hatred and vindictiveness.
But it was fair.
It was a competition. Without fully realizing it, Sophie and Brittany had provided each other with those ridiculous challenges founded on ill intentions during all their careers. Doing this over and over, increasingly intensively, had made them better. Much better. It made them the best. Nobody raced for a medal. Nobody raced for a trophy. Outside the necessity of making money, nobody ran for that either.
A true race had no relationship with the final prize or a position number. It was all about the challenger and the will to beat it. No. It was only about reaching deep down to find the strength to achieve the unachievable and accept a rational challenge.
And this one was exactly that, a real challenge. Brittany may have been the rough driver on the track, but she wasn't stupid. She knew very well that Sophie would quickly discover what she was doing and understand that there was no way around it. This confrontation had to take place, no matter what.
"Star, Moon. Forget about the race. We are going to beat Brittany and her slut ponies! You got me?"
Not too sure about the why of this sudden statement, Morning Star and Moonlight briefly looked at each other and nodded. Moonlight thought it was actually simpler that way, no matter what the reason for this decision was. She knew Sophie had a strategy, and it was as easy as listening to what she wanted. Doing so should be enough to provide a good winning chance.
Sophie passed the team in the seventh position as if they were nothing more than an invisible enemy and then shared her plan.
"Listen... We are going to trick them. When I say go, you will sprint, but no more than ninety percent of what you can do. That should be enough to throw them off balance, and at the very end, you'll give all you've got to surprise them. We only have one shot at this, so be patient and don't mess up."
Neigh!
The long straight line leading to the second long turn was long. As expected, the cart in the first position had slowed down and headed toward the end of the pack, but it was inconsequential. Brittany still firmly locked the fifth position and wouldn't change her strategy in a lifetime. Keeping her ponies fresh, she allowed Sophie to get closer, but not too close. They were not at an insulting range just yet. She hugged the railing as she had no intention of letting Sophie take the inner corridor. Every little thing she could do to exhaust her enemies would have to be applied. There was a risk in allowing Sophie to get closer to achieve an ultimate humiliation, but she was not a fool either. Brittany knew very well how strong Morning Star could be and how much potential the elusive Moonlight had. Were they stronger than Hemlock and Nightshade together? That was unlikely, but it was still worth considering in terms of risk management.
Halfway in the last turn, Sophie unleashed her ponies, hoping that they would remember what she had asked from them. On purpose, clearly wanting Brittany to hear her, she yelled as loud as she could to make her react to her trap.
"GO GO GO! MORNING STAR! MOONLIGHT! GIVE ALL YOU'VE GOT! LET'S BEAT THAT STUPID TEAM!"
Right away, Sophie noticed Brittany turning her head to see if that early sprint was really happening or if it was just some bait, and then yelled at her ponies in return once she had confirmed that the threat was serious.
"YAAA! HEMLOCK, NIGHTSHADE! GAME ON!"
Using her head start, Penny's team rapidly reached Stardust's team. They weren't side by side just yet, but now they were definitely within insulting range.
"Die, Sophie! Die! You'll lose your job, and we are going to purchase Morning Star so we can send her to the slaughter plant!"
