It's finally at the end. See how things turn out and enjoy!
A/N: I was thinking this over and I wanted to make a few minor edits.
It was two months before Sonic was fully recovered. Two whole months of nothing but mental and physical pain for both Sonic and Rainbow Dash. Physical because of the many agonizing hours of physical therapy Sonic was forced to go through. And mental for Rainbow Dash who forced herself to witness her friend only slowly get better everyday. But the two friends toughed it out as they usually did and stuck through it side by side. And with the magic of friendship and willpower Sonic was back on his feet and ready to go.
It was only after Sonic had fully healed that they told the others about their final race. And, as they had expected, their friends had immediately tried to talk them out of it. Reminding them greatly, much to Rainbow's dismay, about how 'well' that went before. But their stubborn minds were already made up leaving their friends to just sigh and go with it. So one 'Congrats on your full recovery' party later, all of Ponyville was rounded up to witness this final event. And while some were excited to see how this would all wrap up, many still had remaining doubts from last time.
"Are you sure you want to do this Sonic?" was the question that ran through everyone's mind, but only Tails was bold enough to go out an ask
"Oh course!" Sonic responded as he did his usual warm up stretches
"I was stuck in a smelly hospital and boring therapy for two months. I need this!"
"I know you do" Tails said, putting his hands up in defense
Tails then cuffed his hand near his mouth as he leaned in, his voice a whisper "I was referring to Rainbow Dash"
Sonic rolled his eyes and looked over to his pony friend. There was a major change between the Rainbow Dash from the last race and this one. Instead of a pile of hatred with eyes that could kill, there was a smirking juiced up Pegasus. Wings buzzing, and unable to be still with her every fiber full of anticipation.
"She'll be fine. She's even more excited than I am" Sonic assured
"You bet I am!" Rainbow confirmed "I haven't had a decent race in two months!"
Sonic chuckled and looked to the still unsure fox. Hand out in a 'see?' gesture.
Tails sighed "Okay. Just remember to be careful!" he said with much emphasis
"Yes sir" Sonic replied, he and Rainbow standing straight and saluting.
As Tails rolled his eyes their attention was turned to a call from above. Just as they expected they saw a purple princess high in the air with a green flag.
"Alright everyone!" Twilight called out so all could hear her
"Since the last race did not count due to 'certain events', this race shall be the final in determining who is the fastest between Sonic and Rainbow Dash!"
Said two shared a quick glance and exchanged smirks before they continued listening.
"Now as for the rules-"
"We already know the rules Twilight!" Sonic called from below
"Yeah! Just start the race!" Rainbow followed
Twilight was about to shout back why she had to explain the rules, mainly a certain rule in particular, again. But she didn't want anypony else hearing so she bit her tongue and groaned.
She raised the green flag high with her magic and called "On your mark..."
"Ready?" Sonic asked his cyan friend, his eyes not leaving the path ahead of them
With her eyes also glued to the path Rainbow nodded and replied with a solid "Ready"
"Get set...GO!"
The flag went down and the two were off. Leaving behind Tails who soon flew up to join Twilight in the sky.
They exchanged worried looks "How do you think this will turn out?" Tails asked
Twilight frowned as an unpleasant outcome played itself in her mind.
"Rainbow looks okay now, but I'm not sure how she'll react when she loses"
Meanwhile near the finish line all the ponies were as excited as ever. But as said before the worry still lingered in the back of many of their minds, even though they chose not to show it. That was all except for Pinkie as her mind thought only of the celebration to come. Making her party bones ached to start the fun. Pinkie looked over to Amy to see if she shared in the enthusiasm but frowned when she saw her friend with a worried expression.
"What's the matter Amy?"
Amy sighed "I'm just worried about Sonic and what will happen"
Pinkie chuckled and patted Amy on the head.
"Don't you worry nothing Amy. I read ahead in the story and the outcome is gonna be better than you think"
Amy smiled a little at Pinkie's words, even if they didn't really make sense to her.
"I guess that you're right Pinkie"
"Of course I am. And when this is over we can have a triple extra special party for the winner!"
Amy's smile was now big and pure as the two began chatting about all the things that will happen at the party.
While that was happening Knuckles and Applejack were once again selling drinks and snacks for the crowd. But just like Amy, Applejack was also unease.
"You okay AJ?" Knuckles asked, seeing the worry on his friends face
"I'm fine. Just worried about how this race will go"
"Yeah, this race doesn't sound like the smartest idea the two have ever had" Knuckles agreed. But he smiled as he tossed several bits into the air.
"But it has been good for us in profit"
Applejack smiled as she thought about the amount of bits they had been earning with these races. Her smile grew even more when the bag of bits from earlier entered her mind.
"Yeah, at least one good thing has come out of this mess. And ah wanna thank you again for-"
Knuckles put his hand up to stop her.
"You've thanked me a thousand times. Enough is enough. All that matters is that our dilemma is now wrapped up and a thing of the past"
Even though Applejack wanted to smile wide for her friend, once again her smile dropped.
"But I'm still a little worried about how this will all wrap up"
Knuckles was about to give a reply when he squinted his eyes and looked over to the race path.
"Well it looks like we're about to find out"
"Here they come!"
Just as before by the time everyone got around to looking at the finish line a cloud of dust obstructed any view they could have possibly gotten. But what they were able to hear was the sounds of coughing from two familiar voices. Once the dust cleared the coughing was confirmed to be from Sonic and Rainbow Dash. Who soon replaced their coughing to cheering as they went back and forth complimenting each other.
"That was so awesome! The way you did those tricks off that hill was amazing!"
"Not nearly as cool as when you looped around those clouds!"
"You seriously need to show me how you did that quickstep!"
"Hey! Who one?" Bonbon shouted over them and the silent crowd.
Rainbow turned to Bonbon and with the big smile she replied
"That's easy! Sonic totally won!"
"Actually Dash you won this time" Sonic said behind her
Rainbow turned back to Sonic confused.
"What are you talking about? You've won the other races with out batting a eye, of course you won this one as well"
"But you obviously crossed the finish line first"
Everyone else was now both confused and annoyed. Annoyed because they were doing this again but confused at how it was actually going. Soon Twilight and Tails arrived to witness the scene as well.
"What's going on here?" Twilight asked, stepping up
"Tell him(her) that he(she) won!" They both shouted at Twilight
Twilight stepped back at their shouting before she quickly regained her composure. Once she did she once again summoned Featherweight with his camera. And once the photo finished developing Twilight looked it over and her eyes widened.
"Well who won?" Rainbow asked, the suspense getting to her
"Rainbow Dash is the winner"
Many jaws dropped with Rainbow's being one of them.
"Let me see!" Rainbow said as she snatched the photo away from Twilight
Even seeing it with her own eyes Rainbow couldn't believe it. The photo had revealed Rainbow Dash a foot ahead of Sonic as her head had already passed the finish line.
"See I told you Dash"
Rainbow looked to her blue friend as he leaned on her back and smiled.
"Congrats"
Before Rainbow's brain could fully process what was happening Twilight turned to the crowd and announced.
"And the winner and true fastest thing alive is...Rainbow Dash!"
It took everyone a moment to make sure they heard correctly but when they were sure cheers, claps, and stomps filled the air for the Pegasus.
Rainbow Dash watched the crown dumbfounded by it all. And while everyone expected her to start flying around to soak in all the cheers, she just stood there.
'There! I'm the fastest on the ground but you still rule the sky. We are on two different levels that we can call our own'
Before anyone got a chance to question her behavior Rainbow took a deep breath in and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"EVERYONE STOP!"
Just like that the crowd grew silent and all eyes looked confused at her. Rainbow flew up so that everyone could see her before she continued.
"I do not deserve the title of Fastest Thing Alive"
Twilight and Tails exchanged glances. She didn't mean...
"I don't deserve that title for one reason and one reason only...Because I can fly"
Everypony found new waves of confusion at her words, giving Rainbow the chance to explain.
"It isn't fair to call me the fastest when I use my wings while Sonic only has his feet. It's not a fair match to have two who have two different means of getting around to go against each other. Cause I know if I ever raced Sonic on my hooves he'd win before I could even take three steps"
Rainbow then looked down in shame as she started to descend.
"And I guess of late I've been so worked up trying to be faster when I should have know that we weren't on equal grounds. But thanks to Sonic I realized that with us it's not about the title...
Rainbow looked over to Sonic and smiled at him.
"...but the fun you have racing a good friend"
Sonic nodded in approval and Rainbow turned back to the crowd.
"Now I don't know about all of you. Cause now instead of trying to see who can beat the other at what they both love, I'm going to appreciate that I have someone who can match my speed"
Rainbow flew over to Sonic and put her arm around his shoulder.
"Forget the title and forget who's faster. I'm just happy for the best race of my life"
When Rainbow finished speaking all was quiet. Out of the silence came the clopping of hooves from Applejack who was then followed by Knuckles clapping with her. Soon Amy and Pinkie joined in and it didn't take long for everyone and everypony to start applauding the two. And as usual the applaud turned to an full out cheer as chants for both Sonic and Rainbow Dash filled the air. Finally satisfied, Rainbow smiled and looked to Twilight, who nodded at her as if to say 'You did good'. Rainbow's smile grew wider and she took off into the sky, did several loops, before stopping above the crowd.
"Common Ponyville! Let's here it for Sonic!" she shouted, and the cheers grew louder
"And don't forget Rainbow Dash!" Sonic shouted as well, making the cheers go to the maximum
But even through all the cheers Pinkie still managed to make her voice heard.
"Hey everypony!"
The crowd slowly quieted down and all eyes were now on the pink mare.
"You know what this all means?..."
"Fastest Things Alive Party!" Pinkie shouted, causing all the others to start cheering in return
With Rainbow's words and Pinkie still wanting to have the party for Sonic's wins, everyone had decided to have one big party celebrating the two fastest things alive. And a big party it was.
It was one of the biggest parties Pinkie has ever thrown. So big that it had to be celebrated outside just so that everything could fit. Decorations of cyan blue, rainbows, and Sega blue were seen at every turn. And everything that Pinkie was allowed to paint was painted shades of blue. In the center of it all was a gigantic banner that read "The king and queen of speed" with a smiling Sonic and Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow smiled wide at the banner, admiring it greatly its. She watched it proudly until her ears heard cheering from behind her. When she turned she saw Sonic at one of the many food tables packed with sweets, drinks, and pastries all shades of blue. There he was being swarmed by many fillies and colts as he looked like he was telling a thrilling story. Her curiosity made her give in and she walked over. When she was close enough she was able to hear exactly what tale Sonic was speaking of.
"...and Rainbow was just waiting for the right moment. And when she found it she did what I did the first time and zoomed right past me" Sonic explained, smacking his hands together for sound effect.
"Taking the victory for herself" Sonic concluded, soon being drowned out by the kids cheers.
Rainbow smiled warmly. Her smile only grew bigger when one of the kids noticed her, called her out, and caused all the others to surrounded her. And while Rainbow enjoyed the many cheers and compliments they were giving her, her target was the blue hedgehog watching in amusement.
"Hey, run along, I need to talk to Sonic"
The kids gave a sad unison 'aw' before taking off and seeing what the party had to offer. Except for one filly who took the chance to get her attention.
"Hey Rainbow Dash"
Rainbow turned to face Scootaloo, who bashfully shifted her hoof.
"C-can I still say yes to the offer you gave me the other day? You know, the one about teaching me some new tricks"
Rainbow smiled down at the young filly.
"Sure kid" she replied, ruffling Scootaloo's mane
Scootaloo smiled, cheered, and ran off with the other fillies and colts.
Rainbow waved her off before turning her attention to Sonic, who was sipping his punch amused. Walking over to him she popped a blue cupcake into her mouth, swallowed, and wiped her lip before starting a conversation.
"You know I usually hate losing, but with you I'll tolerate it"
Sonic smiled and gave a small laugh "Well that's good to hear"
Rainbows smile then briefly lowered as she sighed.
"And I guess the lesson to take from this is that even though I may lose sometimes, I can't let it get to my head as bad as it did earlier. I am gonna lose sometimes, and in those sometimes I just have to learn to look past it and move on"
"You gonna write that off to Celestia?" Sonic joked
Rainbow's smile re-appeared and she replied with "Yeah just let me find Spike real quick", while pretending to search the crowd
The two shared a good laugh before sighing and watching the party continue to unfold. That went on for while until Rainbow asked the other question that burned a hole into her mind ever since she saw the picture.
"So, why'd you let me win?"
Sonic looked taken aback "What? I didn't let you win"
"Like hay you didn't! I saw you stop briefly at the finish line"
Sonic smiled and put his hand up like a criminal about to be arrested "Okay, you got me"
Rainbow chuckled in triumph "So why'd you let me have the victory"
Taking another sip of his drink Sonic replied "It's like you said Dash, everypony thought you were second best. And I wanted everypony to know that Rainbow Dash was the fastest and most awesome pony in Equestria"
Rainbow looked away and blushed at his words.
"And besides, how could I upstage you on your turf?"
Sonic then got a look of mischief on his face "Now if we ever raced in Green Hill Zone, don't expect me to hold back"
The blush disappeared from Rainbow's face and was quickly replaced with a smirk.
"Is that a challenge I hear?" she asked, dramatically putting her hoof to her ear.
"Am I not speaking loud enough? Or do your ears need to be checked as well?"
By this point the two had their noses just centimeters from each other's. Eyes locked in a playful battle.
"You and me, tomorrow, Green Hill Zone at noon. Don't be late" Rainbow declared
Without Rainbow noticing Sonic reached over and scoped up some blue icing with his finger.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world" Sonic replied, dabbing her nose with icing
Rainbow laughed and licked the icing off her nose. She was about to get her revenge when...
"Hello Sonic, Rainbow Dash"
The two turned to see Fluttershy approaching them.
"Oh hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow greeted
"What's up?" Sonic followed
"Oh, it's just that I heard that you and the others kept mentioning me, and I was wondering if you needed me for something"
Sonic chuckled "Sorry Flutters but the story is almost over"
Rainbow raised an eyebrow "What story?"
Sonic smiled smugly at his blue friend "You think Pinkie is the only one who can break the fourth wall?"
The name instantly turned on a light bulb in Fluttershy's head as she followed with.
"Speaking of Pinkie, she's been calling for the both of you"
As is on cue Pinkie's voice was heard from the crowd.
"Sonic! Rainbow Dash!"
They looked to see Pinkie, who was continuously jumping up high so that she could be seen.
"It's time to see who's the best party game player alive!"
Sonic and Dash looked at each other with a similar mindset.
"Oh you are so going down" Sonic said smirking
"We'll just see about that" Rainbow replied as they started to head over
But before they got far Rainbow fell behind before she stopped Sonic.
"Oh and Sonic, one more thing"
Before Sonic had a chance to fully turn Rainbow leaped up and wrapped her hooves around Sonic's neck in a hug.
"Thanks" she said quietly
When Sonic got over the shock he wasted no time in returning the gesture.
"No problem Dash"
"Hey are you two coming for what?" Pinkie shouted again
The two rolled their eyes "We're coming!" Sonic called back
And thus, the two friends went off to enjoy the party they had both earned. Fully set on having the fun they always have as friends. The races now behind them, and another experience in the never ending tale off friendship.
Well that's the end folks. Thank you all for your support with this story. It took a long time to write but all of you here made it worth it. Thank you all again and I hope you had fun reading.