Chapter 3: The Race Part 1

Morning came quickly as the sun rose into the sky above Ponyville. The light from the sun shined down on the small town as its citizens woke from their slumber and started their day. The twelve teams that had qualified for the race were preparing themselves while other ponies were getting excited at seeing the event. The teams that did not make the cut were still in Ponyville but they were disappointed that they had lost. Each pony was eager to see the race that would begin in a few short hours. The twelve teams made their way towards the track and inspected their vehicles. All of the karts had been stored inside of a garage to prevent other teams from sabotaging their competitors. The racers were inside of their vehicles and were waiting to be allowed onto the track. Slowly the stands began to fill with excited spectators and the race was close to starting. Though the rules for this race were the same as with the qualifier, the track that would be used was much different from the other track.

This track was not just a simple oval. Instead it twisted and turned all over the place. It was much longer than the track that had been used for the qualifying round. Many unicorns had used their magic to set it up and it was very obvious why that was necessary. Portions of the track were covered by tunnels and there were several large gaps that the karts would have to jump over. If a team failed to clear a gap they would fall into the pit below and their position would suffer immensely. They wouldn't be out of the running but they would fall way behind. There were very few guardrails along the edges of the track so it was quite easy to go off road. There were also several times were the track would split into separate paths and then rejoin later on. Thankfully the teams only had to drive around the racetrack one time instead of three laps. The magic of the unicorns provided the audience with the ability to watch the teams race through every section of the track. Everypony in the stands was excited to see how the race would play out.

An official entered the room and told the teams to drive their karts onto the track. The twelve vehicles left the garage and pulled out onto the track. The audience roared in excitement as they watched the twenty-four competitors pull into their positions. The front row was occupied by the teams that had taken first place in the qualifiers. Rainbow Dash and Gilda sat in their blue kart at the far left end of the row while Twilight Sparkle and Trixie pulled up next to them. The team of Lightning Dust and Applejack was positioned right next to the two showmares and the kart on their right held Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Spitfire and Soarin pulled in right behind Rainbow Dash and Gilda while Rarity and Spike drove up next to them. Flim and Flam were positioned behind the daredevil and the cowgirl while Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed were on the far right of the second row. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were situated behind The Wonderbolts and they were right next to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Vinyl Scratch and Octavia drove their neon blue go kart behind Flim and Flam's yellow vehicle while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were positioned behind their friends. All twelve teams were ready to race and they were waiting for the official to step onto his podium and begin the race.

After a few moments, the audience went wild as the official pony walked onto his raised platform.

"Ponies." he shouted into a microphone. "Start your engines."

He stepped up to a machine and pressed a switch. The lights overhead flashed a bold bright red and the many racers revved their engines. Their eyes were fixed on the lights as they turned to yellow. Determined grins grew on the faces of Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Lightning Dust, The Wonderbolts, and The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The other racers were excited as well but Flim and Flam had different emotions. They were grinning but there was something odd about the way they smiled. Instead of grinning in anticipation like the others, the two stallions were smiling mischievously. The teams gave each other cocky glances and then the lights turned to green as the audience roared. Instantly twelve go karts sped from the starting line. Huge clouds of smoke were left behind as the teams quickly began the race. The audience cheered and watched the progress of the teams.

The twelve teams were speeding down the track as they battled for the lead. After a few moments, Rainbow Dash and Gilda had managed to take first place but Lightning Dust and Applejack were right behind them. Twilight Sparkle and Trixie were in third place and the three teams that made up The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in fourth fifth and sixth respectively. The Wonderbolts were in seventh but Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were right behind them. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were in ninth place with Rarity and Spike following close behind. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in eleventh while the team of Flim and Flam was in last place. The twelve teams came to the first split and half of the teams took the left path while the other six teams went to the right.

Rainbow Dash and Gilda were in first place but Twilight Sparkle and Trixie were right behind them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and The Wonderbolts had decided to follow the two teams down the left path. The other path was blocked from view by a tunnel so there was no way for them to tell what was happening with the other teams. Suddenly their path was lit up as they were outside and their path was crisscrossing with the other path. Rainbow Dash and Gilda drove fast and they barely avoided colliding with the teal kart driven by Lightning Dust and Applejack. The other teams were also narrowly avoiding collisions as they sped through the many intersections. An extremely close call caused Gilda to utter a Grifforian exclamation. What it meant Rainbow Dash didn't know but she kept driving. Finally the two paths ended with a ramp that Rainbow Dash and Gilda used to get to the other side of the gap. The rest of the teams jumped the gap with ease and their positions hadn't changed in the slightest since the start of the race.

The track widened to allow a lot more room for passing. Pinkie Pie drove her kart surprisingly well as she sped into second place. Flim and Flam passed The Princesses but they were still behind the team of Spike and Rarity. The team of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were right next to The Wonderbolts. Despite having no interest in joining the team of fliers, the purple clad pegasus couldn't help but be a little starstruck. Being next to the ponies that her idol Rainbow Dash worshipped was definitely an experience for her. Spitfire smiled at her which made Scootaloo blush furiously. She was a fan of The Wonderbolts and Spitfire happened to be her favorite. Scootaloo might have idolized Rainbow Dash but Spitfire was a legend among Equestria's pegasus population. The young pegasus made a mental note to try and get Spitfire's autograph when the race was over. The track split into several separate paths and the teams went their separate ways as they continued the race.

"How are we doin' G?" Rainbow Dash asked as she pressed down on the gas pedal. The track had no guardrails so Rainbow Dash was doing everything she could to make sure that their kart didn't go off course.

"Can't see the others but Lightning's ahead of us." Gilda replied as they tried to pass the daredevil and the cowgirl who were barely ahead of them. "And I've got Pinkie on my tail." she said. "Literally." she added in a slightly irritated tone as she turned around. "Get off my tail!"

Pinkie Pie shook her head which only annoyed Gilda even more. The party pony was so close to the griffon that her tail was right in her face. Pinkie Pie solved this problem by grabbing Gilda's tail in her mouth. After a few moments, Gilda managed to get her tail out of Pinkie Pie's grip and then Rainbow Dash drove away from the party pony. Their path rejoined with the other paths and they saw their competitors. Twilight Sparkle and Trixie had taken the lead with Lightning Dust and Applejack behind them. Rainbow Dash and Gilda had dropped to third place with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy trailing behind them. The Wonderbolts were in fifth place and they were being tailed by Flim and Flam. In seventh place was the team of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia and they were being followed by The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The Princesses were in eleventh place still and they were barely ahead of Rarity and Spike. The dragon was driving as fast as he possibly could but their kart was built more for handling than it was for speed.

Twilight Sparkle and Trixie were still in the lead several minutes later. Neither of them wore their stage outfits since they weren't very aerodynamic but both of them were having the time of their lives. Trixie used the booster and their lead increased. Lightning Dust and Applejack as well as Rainbow Dash and Gilda used their boosters too and they were quickly catching up with the two showmares. The rest of the teams were behind them and they were all trying to get into first place. At the very back of the back was the yellow go kart being driven by the two stallions Flim and Flam.

The two stallions were grinning to themselves. Sure they were in last place but that would change very soon. They looked at each other and smiled. The brothers' grins were of a mischievous and troublemaking nature. What they were planning was of a sinister sort of nature.

"Time to put our plan into action eh brother?" Flim said with a smirk as he slowly gained ground on The Princesses.

"I think you're right my brother." Flam replied with a chuckle as his hoof moved to press a switch.

Grinning broadly to themselves, the stallions prepared the wide variety of illegal weapons that their yellow go kart was equipped with. They set their sights on the team that would be their first target and they quickly started gaining on the team of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The Goddesses of Sun and Moon were completely oblivious to the two scheming stallions behind them. Both Flim and Flam laughed a little bit as they waited for just the right moment.