Chapter 86 – To Rescue a Friend

"Aaaaaand we're back Folks!" the announcer said into her microphone, "With the Call of the Race once again ringing through the air, that means that the race is back on!" the crowd exploded in cheer as they waited for the contestants to approach the line, "After that little episode of blatant disregard for the rules by none other than the Sunik Mirikka, the Council has mysteriously allowed her to keep racing! I don't know about you all but I can't help but feel a little disappointed." The crowd started booing at the mention of Mirikka's name, the anger radiating from each individual that watched the race. "Still, the race must go on, and because we once again get to start from the beginning, a new special rule will be chosen, but first a bit of good news. Does everyone remember the racer that was destroyed, the Pilot from another world? Well, she's OK, in fact, it looks like she's ready to race with a brand-new racer!" At the mention of this, the crowd cheered even louder than before, trying to make it so that the racers could hear them cheer for their favorites. "So, let me introduce to you; the one, the only, the Legend! The Pony from beyond the system, RAINBOOOOOOOOOOW DAAAAAAAAAAASH!" At the mention of her name, Rainbow couldn't help but blush, it was as if she could hear the cheers of a crowd that once felt that she couldn't measure up, the energy from all those counting on her filling her with confidence and determination. She noticed that her face was once again on display for others, and all she could do was wave her hoof and show off a large confident grin. "And now, onto the special rule!" the announcer called out as the roulette once again appeared, spinning and changing until it landed on a picture of a circle inside of a larger circle, "Looks like Targets is in play."

"Meh, second best!" Tri-Tinner said as he shrugged his shoulders.

The track then began to shake a little, small targets popping up along the edges and over their heads, "Racers are tasked with hitting as many targets as they can during the race, and the winners will be decided on the most points instead of who comes in first." the announcer said, "Remember, your opponents are targets too, however since they can fight back, they are worth more if you can knock them out of the race entirely."

"You hear that, Breeze?" Rainbow asked.

"Did I?" he asked with a smirk, "This is MY time to shine!"

"Red Targets are worth one point, blue targets are worth five and if you find the elusive purple target, you get a whopping ten points. We won't tell you how much you get for knocking an opponent out. That you'll just have to risk it to find out. Ready?" the announcer asked, and let the racers answer by revving their engines. She heard the call of the Egas, and the moment she did, she started the race, "GO!"

The racers pushed their throttles hard, Mirikka and Rainbow Dash quickly gaining the lead on everyone, "WHAT THE?" Syls asked in shock as she watched the two racers take off, "Are you sure you want to use your magic right out of the gate?"

Rainbow Dash's video came up on her screen, "I'm not!" she said with a grin, "This thing is just faster than the old one, Pilit and Writch are the best designers ever!"

"Don't go easy on her like last time, R.D." Applejack said.

"Oh, don't worry Applejack." the pegasus said, "I don't plan on making that mistake again." The two ships began firing on each other, just as they once again hit the first gate and disappeared around a corner.

"This is insane, just how fast is that racer?" Honor asked as he dodged the fire from the other racers.

"Don't know, but it's clear now." Sselekk said, "This race is between them, and none of us can get involved."

"But…" Syls asked in worry.

"We can only trust in them, and do our part to help." Tris said to her pilot, "Besides, it's not like they have another spear to launch at Rainbow Dash, I doubt she could hit her at that speed."

In the front of the pack, Rainbow Dash and Mirikka both focused on each other, the bolts either sailing past the other or getting blocked by the shots the other had taken, "Hah!" Breeze said, "Gonna have to do better than that!" The two waisted very few of their shots. Though some sailed by, they made sure they were hitting targets instead of hitting nothing at all. The small pops of confetti and colored smoke signified the target's destruction.

"Ok, so you're fast, but you still won't win!" the Sunik lady said and pressed her throttle even faster. It seemed to her like she was leaving the pony behind, and her laughter echoed that thought, until Rainbow Dash, in her unpainted ship, sped right by.

"Like he said." Rainbow announced, "Gonna have to do better!" Mirikka growled and looked to the cliffs.

"Are you sure this will work?" Twilight whispered to Twiggs, he simply nodded to her. He preferred to stay quiet at the moment and showed her that by placing his finger to his lips. To comfort her, he placed his hand on her head and smiled before giving a thumbs up. The two of them now knelt outside the garage door of Mirikka's team, hidden behind a large pile of scrap as the Treeopon watched the Suniks move back and forth from here to there. Suddenly, he moved, darting from the pile he was into another at some distance, he weaved across the parts strewn across the floor silently, picking his steps carefully as he went. Once he was hidden again, he held up his hand, telling Twilight not to advance, until he waved her forward. To keep from making noise, she used her wings to soar quickly across the gaps, this not only kept her from touching the garbage on the ground but also allowed her to keep from letting her hooves from giving them away. The silence was key for this mission. Luckily the area forward was wide open, leaving enough room for her to maneuver. She didn't have to be Rainbow Dash for this, but she knew that she had to be careful. She came up to Twiggs, and gently landed, crouching down so she was harder to see. They did this several times, Twiggs controlling the timing of each move, and they even had to use Twilight's flying to keep from being seen at a few points. They quickly reached the wall they had seen earlier, several guards standing in front of it chatting away. Twiggs simply pointed up, Twilight following his gesture with her eyes, not really seeing what he was trying to say.

'Maybe there's no ceiling?' she thought to herself and waited for the right opportunity to fly up and check. He was correct, but she could not see Lady Kiane, instead, she could see the old case that they had initially placed the spear in, and what looked like scratches on the floor. She quickly and quietly flew back down and tapped Twiggs on the shoulder. With determination in her eyes, she made her way silently to the far side of the wall, and around the outside. Using her magic, she moved an item that she remembered seeing in one of the piles, causing the entire pile to topple over. The noise caused a small number of the guards to leave their posts, to check the noise. With most of the guards distracted, Twilight pointed herself around the corner of the wall, and with a quick spell, made another nose somewhere in the garage. Once the guards were down to only a few, Twiggs snuck up behind them and pressed down on a spot on their necks, close to the skull. They tensed, and then slowly fell asleep. Twilight then pointed to the scratches, and the two of them followed them. They were not light scratches either, deep scratches that gouged into the metal floor in erratic lengths and intervals. They led to one of the back rooms, not even a normal one. If the layout was the same as their garage, this was nothing more than a bathroom at best. They entered, the scratches disappearing as soon as they did. Twiggs and Twilight silently looked around, until she came across another door in the bathroom. Now she was getting mad, and with vigor, she opened the closet door. There, among the brooms and mops was a very weakened Lady Kiane. She had scratches and bruises all over and seemed to be bleeding from her forehead, just under her hairline. Wordlessly, Twilight used her magic to levitate the Hylop out of the closet, accidentally knocking over a few of the brooms, "What was that?" they heard from outside the door.

She flinched, Twiggs grabbing the back of her neck, "Now!" he whispered to her, "Go now!"

She quickly moved Lady Kiane to her back, and with a little bit of concentration, all three vanished, right before several Sunik warriors burst in, "What?" one of them called out, "Lady Kiane is gone! Sound the alarm!"

Back at Tusks' garage, Twilight and Twiggs appeared in a flash of light with the councilor on her back, a small band of medics waiting for her arrival, including Hulon and Fluttershy. A square had been drawn on the floor in chalk, the perfect spot for Twilight to appear. The moment the medical team saw Twilight appear, they rushed in, moving the weak Hylop from Twilight's back onto a cot before they moved her quickly to the medical room of the garage. "Are you two, OK?" Fluttershy asked in worry.

"Just fine Fluttershy." Twilight said.

"Is she going to be alright?" Twiggs asked.

"We've got the best here." the yellow pegasus nearly sang, "She'll be just fine."

Suddenly, there was a screeching noise that came from the Sunik's garage, "And there's the signal." Twilight said, "Using the Sunik's own alarm to signal the capture of the Chemelios and the rescue of Lady Kessel was a brilliant idea if I do say so myself."

"We were lucky that Pilit was able to hack into the Sunik's garage and turn the alarm off of silent." Writch said as she patted the back of the little girl. Pilit responded with a wide grin. "The team out in the field should be rounding up those snipers as we speak as well." she continued, "Boy, I bet Mirikka is just fuming right now!"