open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[Dynamo Pad 11,306]

17 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

@Dynamo Pad @Astral Vision @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Pastel couldn't even hold onto the flamethrower properly, and it was still going! This thing had way too much literal firepower.

"Aahh horseshoes horseshoes horseshoes I don't know HOW to stop it!"

Pastel was panicking, still sending the kart in a rapid shot forward, before Pastel was able to force herself up again and decided...

"Funyaaa, screw it!!"

She carelessly kicked the flamethrower off the kart, slowing the forced acceleration, however this also made the overcharged flamethrower a hazard to other racers. The flamethrower spun rapidly, spinning aboug on the track like a ring of firey death.

....If that fire interacted with those potions that the one kart was throwing there may be an explosive outcome. Oh no.

@Pastel Heart @Astral Vision @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Dynamo had to close one eye as the duo were driving too fast from the flamethrower. Hearing Pastel's response caused him to panic. "That doesn't make things any better!" He exclaimed, before he begun to decelerate from the rapid burst of speed. It was then, that Pastel had kicked the flamethrower off of the cart. Allowing the duo to race normally like they had previously been. "Phew. That's a relief. I don't know if our cart was going to make it through that. You'd think our cart would tear itself apart due to how fast we were going from the flamethrower." He sighed in relief, while the flamethrower became a hazard to the racer's behind them. They had a decent lead, but they knew they had to be careful of any opposition. 

5 hours ago, Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 said:

For a moment, there is so much junk on the course, it looks like anything could happen! And thankfully, at the last second, just when it looks like that flamethrower Pastel discarded was about to hit an elixir... The elixir just narrowly avoid it, and the flamethrower get covers in a huge pile of popsicles instead. Looks like one hazard canceled out another.

Speaking of, that magic restoring elixir is headed for Astral and Pencil's kart. Astral could probably use it. They'll have to slow down a little if they want to get it, and there is a narrow window too. If they don't act fast, it'll crash and spill over somewhere else. What are they to do?

Meanwhile, the starting line for the 2nd lap was fast approaching, and Daring Decor is about to catch up to whoever is in the lead. "Hey! Stranger!! I'll let you have free furniture in your next visit to my store if you let me win~!" ...Is this pony out of his mind? On second thought, look at his crazy, disheveled face. He might be.

As Dynamo and Pastel were about to reach the starting line for lap 2, the gamer pony's ear perked upon hearing someone call out to them. He glanced behind him to see it was Daring Decor, who was offering them furniture to allow them to take the lead. It didn't help that he had a crazed look in his eyes. "That's a kind offer and all. However, thanks, but not thanks. We have enough furniture if you ask me." The item he had picked up looked to be a sort of boombox or horn. He placed it in the side of the cart for safe keeping.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

@Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 @Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

Kronos looked wide-eyed in amazement of Samurai’s abilities. 
 

Holy crap, he thought, that’s awesome. 
 

When the assailant was nothing but ashes, Kronos asked, “What the hell was that thing? And why was it here?”

[Jack Baker 698]

Raze's eyes snapped open as he quickly tried to discern where he was. He was sitting on a park bench right outside the arcade.

Huh... must've dozed off... he thought, slowly getting up. His longsword was leaning next to him on the bench, which he took and equipped on his back.

I must've been really tired, I can't really remember what happened to me... As he tried to recall past events, he could hear something in the distance. Signs of... a struggle.

Finally, some action! He dashed off in the direction of the sound.

@Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 @Kronos the Revenant

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@Kronos the Revenant, @Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

When Kronos stops creating a wind tunnel with his halberd, Samurai lands on the ground easily. However, just as he is breathing a sigh of relief, he hears Kronos asking him about it. "That... was trouble. And thankfully, we stopped it." Samurai remembers where the three of them are. The shinobi is defeated, and all his shurikens destroyed. They don't need to be here anymore. "Come on, we should get off the road before the racers get here again." As they walk back, he looks at Kronos. "I'm still not sure what happened, but I hope you don't mind that we're both out of the race now. Even though I would have liked to go all three laps, I must admit, your cart was pretty awesome." Samurai admits with a happy smile.

Samurai walks towards the wreckage that was once the Mach 5. Nothing he can do to salvage it; just push it completely out of the way of the track. After he has moved the cart, he looks at Shadow with a strong yet gentle smile. He takes her hoof in his own. "Thank you again for trying to help. I hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly." Samurai says, remembering she hurt her hoof trying to slap Kronos. He gently massages it. He's not a healer, but hopefully his warm hooves have some kind of soothing touch. He doesn't have to summon fire for that. "Please, let me protect you and the town from now on. Everyone here is precious to me, and I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, especially on my behalf." Samurai says with genuine care in his heart.

@Jack Baker

As Raze got closer and closer to the sound, he was hearing even more things. To his surprises, he finds the whole town has been transformed for the sake of... a kart race! And as he takes in the sights around him, a familiar pony bumps into him. "Hello there, sir! Race merch? I've got t-shirts, caps, and little flags in limited supply!" Trilby says before he looks at Raze a bit closer. "Hmm... You seem familiar. Have we met?"

@Dynamo Pad, @Astral Vision, @Pastel Heart, @ExplosionMare

Though the furniture salespony couldn't quite reach first place, he can still create a smokescreen behind him.

And soon, the line is crossed. Dynamo and Pastel in first, Astral and Pencil in second, Daring Decor in third, and so on.

LAP 2

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Shadow grimaced when Samurai touched her hoof, but she didn't draw back her hoof “Thanks... Sam” she said “I'm still very thankful for your help when i arrived to this town. I would have starved to death if it wasn't for you”

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

@Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Kronos simply looked at Samurai, then darted his eyes the other direction and gave a shameful sigh. It was a job he was given, sure, but seeing how forgiving and calm Samurai was, Kronos couldn’t help but feel extremely guilty about what’s transpired. 
 

“I can, uh, carry your cart back to town,” Kronos offered, “I mean, it’s the very least i can do after, you know, eliminating us both from this race.”

Tears were about to well up in his eyes, but he winced and took a deep breath to keep his eyes from leaking. 
 

@Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

Kronos still couldn’t help but be very curious about this mare. He doesn’t really know that much about her as he hasn’t had any kind of interaction with her barring the previous confrontation. He really wanted to offer some sort of assistance to her, however, given everything going on plus his own assumptions about her and Samurai, he decided to keep quiet towards her for now. 

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart

Pencil drew her kart closer and closer to Dynamo and Pastel’s, hoping she would be just the right length away for what she was about to do.

Hehehe, they may not even see it coming! she thought menacingly.

Suppressing a snicker, Pencil levitated one of the green shells and threw it straight at Dynamo and Pastel. Pencil could only hope that the shell would stay on course and not fly off to a random faraway area.

@Astral Vision

“Hey, Astral! See that shiny block up ahead! Uh, try not to let those guys get it! Just help me drive up to it faster and keep a lookout. If we run into a few more of these we may get into first place!” Pencil directed.

She steered their kart towards the left of the track, digging up a few pieces of rubble from the road. Pencil’s eyes pointed straight at the dice block, not daring to stray away for any reason. All that mattered was that she drove through that block. Hunching forwards, Pencil urged the kart to move faster. She had already hit maximum speed a while ago, but the competitive drive within her told her she could go faster if she just tried.

[Astral Vision 286]

2 hours ago, ExplosionMare said:

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart

Pencil drew her kart closer and closer to Dynamo and Pastel’s, hoping she would be just the right length away for what she was about to do.

Hehehe, they may not even see it coming! she thought menacingly.

Suppressing a snicker, Pencil levitated one of the green shells and threw it straight at Dynamo and Pastel. Pencil could only hope that the shell would stay on course and not fly off to a random faraway area.

@Astral Vision

“Hey, Astral! See that shiny block up ahead! Uh, try not to let those guys get it! Just help me drive up to it faster and keep a lookout. If we run into a few more of these we may get into first place!” Pencil directed.

She steered their kart towards the left of the track, digging up a few pieces of rubble from the road. Pencil’s eyes pointed straight at the dice block, not daring to stray away for any reason. All that mattered was that she drove through that block. Hunching forwards, Pencil urged the kart to move faster. She had already hit maximum speed a while ago, but the competitive drive within her told her she could go faster if she just tried.

@ExplosionMare @Pastel Heart @Dynamo Pad

"You got it Pencil! Let me try something!"

Astral's horn began to glow once again, and the glow of the kart suggested he was using the levitation spell once more, but the latter scene told a different story. Rather than using his magic to lift the kart, Astral was pushing it with extra force, allowing the unicorn team to become neck-and-neck with Dynamo and Pastel.

"Sorry Dynamo, no hard feelings friend, but we intend to be victorious!"

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Emerald Heart (Oops)

Sundae raised an eyebrow “You are not much a talker aren't you?” she asked “I... I understand. I got too much talking sometimes” she lowered her head and snorted. She lifted her head and looked at Fable “Say, do you want some ice cream?” she asked. 

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

@Dynamo Pad @Astral Vision @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 @ExplosionMare

Pastel shook her tail mischeviously at the crazy furniture dude tauntingly as negotiations broke down. That was the least of the worries it seems...

As Astral and Pencil approached, and that green shell started coming, Pastel had to think quick. Like, really quick! And she wasn't a thinker, so she could only act on impulse. She understood what she had to do... and her fate.

She looked at Dynamo, the sun glistening off her pink fur. She had the look of an anime character about to sacrifice themself.

"You cannot die here, Dyny. I entrust the future to you... Sayonara, my prince."

After an intelligible, chuunibyo goodbye, she salutes Dynamo, before...

...Jumping out of the cart like a crazy pony and landing on top of the shell, to her own surprise. She threw its direction off course, and Pastel was now shell surfing across the track, in reverse. After spinning like crazy, she was now riding it like a hoverboard, albeit going the wrong way.

"YAHOO! THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIES!.. OH F-"

It wasn't too long before she met one of the racers, who didn't expect to see a shell surfing filly surfing the opposite way down the track. She managed to shift left, right, even jump over some of the racers, feeling as cool as Marty McFly the entire time. One of the racers she dodged ended up swerving and crashing. Oops... With any luck, she could meet Dynamo halfway up the lap if she didn't crash! What to do with this shell, though?...

[Emerald Claus 24,868]

@Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

She smiled at Sundae, "Are you going to get a sundae, Sundae?" She teased, "I don't mind your talking. I am a much better listener, if that makes sense." She explained, "One of my good friends talks my ear off whenever I see her."

[Dynamo Pad 11,306]

On 5/24/2020 at 3:17 AM, Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 said:

Though the furniture salespony couldn't quite reach first place, he can still create a smokescreen behind him.

And soon, the line is crossed. Dynamo and Pastel in first, Astral and Pencil in second, Daring Decor in third, and so on.

LAP 2

15 hours ago, ExplosionMare said:

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart

Pencil drew her kart closer and closer to Dynamo and Pastel’s, hoping she would be just the right length away for what she was about to do.

Hehehe, they may not even see it coming! she thought menacingly.

Suppressing a snicker, Pencil levitated one of the green shells and threw it straight at Dynamo and Pastel. Pencil could only hope that the shell would stay on course and not fly off to a random faraway area.

@Astral Vision

“Hey, Astral! See that shiny block up ahead! Uh, try not to let those guys get it! Just help me drive up to it faster and keep a lookout. If we run into a few more of these we may get into first place!” Pencil directed.

She steered their kart towards the left of the track, digging up a few pieces of rubble from the road. Pencil’s eyes pointed straight at the dice block, not daring to stray away for any reason. All that mattered was that she drove through that block. Hunching forwards, Pencil urged the kart to move faster. She had already hit maximum speed a while ago, but the competitive drive within her told her she could go faster if she just tried.

12 hours ago, Astral Vision said:

@ExplosionMare @Pastel Heart @Dynamo Pad

"You got it Pencil! Let me try something!"

Astral's horn began to glow once again, and the glow of the kart suggested he was using the levitation spell once more, but the latter scene told a different story. Rather than using his magic to lift the kart, Astral was pushing it with extra force, allowing the unicorn team to become neck-and-neck with Dynamo and Pastel.

"Sorry Dynamo, no hard feelings friend, but we intend to be victorious!"

 

 

Once the starting line had been crossed, Dynamo saw that everyone was now on their second lap. At the current moment, he and Pastel were in the lead. All the while, Astral, Pencil and a few other racers were right on their tails. The gamer pony's ears perked as he heard Astral calling out to him. He glanced behind to see that both he and Pencil were steering their cart to the side. Picking up dirt and rubble from the road along the way. Almost as if they were drifting to try and gain a boost of speed, while trying to cut around him and Pastel to overtake the lead. He wasn't sure what they were aiming for, but he wasn't going to them get ahead of them. "I guess that makes three of us. I'm not going to let you take the lead from us that easily, Astral!" He called out to his friend with a grin. 

11 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

@Dynamo Pad @Astral Vision @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 @ExplosionMare

Pastel shook her tail mischeviously at the crazy furniture dude tauntingly as negotiations broke down. That was the least of the worries it seems...

As Astral and Pencil approached, and that green shell started coming, Pastel had to think quick. Like, really quick! And she wasn't a thinker, so she could only act on impulse. She understood what she had to do... and her fate.

She looked at Dynamo, the sun glistening off her pink fur. She had the look of an anime character about to sacrifice themself.

"You cannot die here, Dyny. I entrust the future to you... Sayonara, my prince."

After an intelligible, chuunibyo goodbye, she salutes Dynamo, before...

...Jumping out of the cart like a crazy pony and landing on top of the shell, to her own surprise. She threw its direction off course, and Pastel was now shell surfing across the track, in reverse. After spinning like crazy, she was now riding it like a hoverboard, albeit going the wrong way.

"YAHOO! THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIES!.. OH F-"

It wasn't too long before she met one of the racers, who didn't expect to see a shell surfing filly surfing the opposite way down the track. She managed to shift left, right, even jump over some of the racers, feeling as cool as Marty McFly the entire time. One of the racers she dodged ended up swerving and crashing. Oops... With any luck, she could meet Dynamo halfway up the lap if she didn't crash! What to do with this shell, though?...

Nearing the next set of dice blocks, Dynamo's ears perked as he thought he had heard something. Almost as if there was a whirring sound. He quickly turned his head to see a green shell was quickly making it's way towards their cart. He gasped slightly as he wouldn't be able to dodge in time, while also confused as to who would deliberately throw the item at them. Was it one of the other racer's, or was it Astral and Pencil, who used magic to make the cart gain speed to pass him and Pastel. If so, then wouldn't that be breaking the rules? Wouldn't the camera's see what was going on? He began to panic as he wondered if he would have to use the super horn he got when gaining that item block, before he and Pastel used the flamethrower. As he was about to use the item to defend themselves, he looked over to Pastel, who gave him a sort of farewell. "P-Pastel-chan? What are you saying? Why would you entrust something like this to me?" His questions were answered with another gasp of shock as Pastel had jumped out of the cart. "PASTEL!" He wanted to reach out to her to try and catch her, or to even pull her back into the cart. Even to use his magic to levitate her back to him. However, the distance between them began to widen for him to reach for her. He wasn't even sure if his magic could reach that far due to him still learning of his abilities. 

He was momentarily relieved that Pastel had managed to land on the green shell, while driving the shell off course back towards the other racers. However, that relief was short lived as she was now a moving target to the other racer's. He knew that he wanted to win alongside Pastel, but he didn't want anything to happen to his friend. Seeing the dice blocks and the slab that Kronos had left earlier, the gamer pony had an idea in store. "Slow down, or get out of my way, you guys!" He called out to Astral and Pencil, before he launched his super horn. The horn made a loud noise, while a couple of circular shock waves extended around him and his cart. The shockwave hit the slab, while trying to send the slab flying sky high. However, he unintentionally made it launch behind him towards the other racer's. He made sure to give his warning, or someone would crash into the sound waves and crash. He quickly lined up the cart with Astral and Pencil's vehicle, so he would gain the dice block they were aiming for. Once he gained his item, he would slow down a bit for Pastel and the shell to catch back up. 

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

After kneading and warming Shadow's hoof, Samurai releases it. "There you go. That should be enough to help you get back to whatever you were doing." He nods and wishes her farewell.

@Kronos the Revenant

As he parts ways with Shadow, he hears Kronos's offer. "Oh, thanks! But I'm sure I can... Uhh..." Samurai stops when he notices the look on Kronos's face. Even if he was trying to hide his face, Samurai could see the shame and welling sadness. "Kronos, buddy?" He puts a hoof on his back. "Are you okay? It's all right, really. It's just a race. It's not the end of the world. And I'm sure you had a good reason for what you did. Some ponies just get lost in the competitive spirit, right?" He offers a caring smile. Samurai can handle his own cart, but since Kronos had a bigger one, he helps him move it as well. "Would you like to join me and my friends after this race is over? We're all going to hang out at my house, talk about puzzle boxes, look at art work, and I'll be serving dinner. ...What's your favorite drink?"

@Dynamo Pad, @ExplosionMare, @Astral Vision, @Pastel Heart

Pastel's crazy stunt was about to prove fruitful!

The green shell she is surfing on trails back to the group of 3 construction kart racers! They were gaining speed on the track, about to catch up to the lead, when they see her approaching. "WAH!! That can't be up to code!!" The leader of the pack panics first. They actively begin to try and reshape the course for protection, but it's much harder to work on the road ahead of you instead of the road behind you. One of them has a crane and begins swinging it wildly! The effect? It'll knock the green shell back in the opposite direction, giving Pastel just enough time to hop back on to Dynamo's kart before it disappears via time out.

However, by swing the crane wildly, it hits and gets lodged into the bulldozer kart. Unable to get unstuck, the two racers crash into the side, and are unable to race. Pastel successfully took out two racers, had time to get back to Dynamo, and hopefully did it all without breaking a rule! ...They might need to see what the judges say after the race, but she did it!

At the same time, Astral and Pencil are doing pretty good. However, as they are racing, something enters into Astral's mind... What is it? Some kind of projection? A memory? It's fragmented... Too rough to fully make out, and yet... It tells him just enough. There is a hidden treasure buried in the race course; one of the missing pages from the book about the mayors! And he'll be approaching it soon. What's the best way to handle it? If he waits til the race is over, he might lose this sudden magical link that is just now speaking out. If he waits til the third lap, he'll risk his and Pencil's chances of losing the race.

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

@Dynamo Pad

She caused quite a mess in the tail pack, including a grand total of 3 crashes... Oops? She was actually quite happy though, that was fun! Sucks for those guys, but as long as she had a good time! Seeing the shell come up upon Dynamo's kart again after being batted by the crane, the shell manages to slip by the kart and vanish; but before then, Pastel hops back on the kart, landing next to Dynamo in a pose.

"Nyaha~ miss me!?"

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

@Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Kronos looked at Samurai and gave a content sigh. He simply nodded that he accepted his offer. 
 

“Water would suffice.” he replied. 
 

This one still forgives us even after the danger we put him in. a voice said. 
 

This one fascinates us, another one replied, We must learn more of him. 
 

He also offers more insight to whatever intel we gathered that night that we saw him with the others, a third voice added, We can’t let this opportunity slip our grasp. 

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@Astral Vision @Dynamo Pad

Pencil was shocked to see the shell had taken Pastel away from the main race as she sped backwards. She seemed to be enjoying it from what she could tell, so thankfully she wasn’t in any harm. 

Turning back around, Pencil put her hoof back on the wheel and began to turn it gradually to the left, gripping it tighter the more she turned.

“Let’s try to create a drift on this corner. Maybe we could pass Dynamo if we pick up enough speed!” she suggested to Astral. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by ExplosionMare
Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to make anyone upset about the green shell, so I edited this to make it look like a random hit.

[Dynamo Pad 11,306]

On 5/26/2020 at 5:00 AM, Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 said:

Pastel's crazy stunt was about to prove fruitful!

The green shell she is surfing on trails back to the group of 3 construction kart racers! They were gaining speed on the track, about to catch up to the lead, when they see her approaching. "WAH!! That can't be up to code!!" The leader of the pack panics first. They actively begin to try and reshape the course for protection, but it's much harder to work on the road ahead of you instead of the road behind you. One of them has a crane and begins swinging it wildly! The effect? It'll knock the green shell back in the opposite direction, giving Pastel just enough time to hop back on to Dynamo's kart before it disappears via time out.

However, by swing the crane wildly, it hits and gets lodged into the bulldozer kart. Unable to get unstuck, the two racers crash into the side, and are unable to race. Pastel successfully took out two racers, had time to get back to Dynamo, and hopefully did it all without breaking a rule! ...They might need to see what the judges say after the race, but she did it!

At the same time, Astral and Pencil are doing pretty good. However, as they are racing, something enters into Astral's mind... What is it? Some kind of projection? A memory? It's fragmented... Too rough to fully make out, and yet... It tells him just enough. There is a hidden treasure buried in the race course; one of the missing pages from the book about the mayors! And he'll be approaching it soon. What's the best way to handle it? If he waits til the race is over, he might lose this sudden magical link that is just now speaking out. If he waits til the third lap, he'll risk his and Pencil's chances of losing the race.

Dynamo was making sure to keep on track of what was in front of him, while also making sure the slab and super horn combo worked. He didn't want to keep racing ahead in fear of Pastel falling behind or getting hurt. However, his ears perked as he began to hear the sound of crashing taking place. He glanced behind him to take notice that Pastel's shell had began running into the other racers, while at the same time, the racer's behind him were trying to knock Pastel out of the race. What he didn't expect to see were the crane and bulldozer carts to knock themselves out. 'Oh, I see. Pastel wasn't aiming at anyone, but she tried to steer the shell off course. That way, we managed to not get hit, but she was out of control going backwards. The other racer's tried to take her down, while gaining the lead, but they only ended up destroying themselves. Intentional or not, that was insane!' Dynamo thought as he was amazed, but he hoped that wouldn't cost them the race. He was having too much fun to pass up on the race ending too soon.

21 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

@Dynamo Pad

She caused quite a mess in the tail pack, including a grand total of 3 crashes... Oops? She was actually quite happy though, that was fun! Sucks for those guys, but as long as she had a good time! Seeing the shell come up upon Dynamo's kart again after being batted by the crane, the shell manages to slip by the kart and vanish; but before then, Pastel hops back on the kart, landing next to Dynamo in a pose.

"Nyaha~ miss me!?"

20 hours ago, ExplosionMare said:

@Astral Vision @Dynamo Pad

Pencil was shocked to see the shell had taken Pastel away from the main race as she sped backwards. She seemed to be enjoying it from what she could tell, so thankfully she wasn’t in any harm. Pencil only threw the shell to win, after all. Thrilled she was able to hit at least one pony with the green shell, Pencil cheered,

“Yahoo! It worked!” She raised a hoof in the air victoriously. When she finished celebrating, Pencil put her hoof back on the wheel and began to turn it gradually to the left, gripping it tighter the more she turned.

“Let’s try to create a drift on this corner. Maybe we could pass Dynamo if we pick up enough speed!” she suggested to Astral. 

 

@Pastel Heart @Astral Vision @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

The gamer pony soon felt a sudden jolt as something landed on his cart, He looked to see that Pastel had managed to make her way back towards the seat of the cart. He used his magic to keep the cart moving at an even pace, before turning and pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're back, but please don't do that without letting me know first. I thought I lost you, or I thought you would've gotten hurt." He almost felt a few tears well up in his eyes, but he pulled back and wiped them away quickly with his arm. "I'm just glad that you're safe Pastel-chan. I didn't want to finish this race without you. You're my teammate and we're finishing this race together." He smiled, before turning back to drive normally. The magic on the car faded, while Dynamo saw Pencil cheering in victory. "Huh? What worked exactly?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion, but a sudden thought had come to mind. "Wait a minute. That can't be right. If she said her plan worked, then was is Pencil and Astral who threw the green shell at us?" He muttered softly to himself, but it was loud enough for Pastel to hear him. His shoulders drooped slightly as he felt a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach. If Pastel could see, then she would see that he was upset and/or bothered. 

"I hope Pencil realizes that I almost lost my teammate, as well as our friend if you didn't act quickly. That, and they were the one who threw that green shell at us. It didn't even look like the shell was thrown at random, but more deliberately at us. I thought this race was to be fun, but it just feels like it's getting out of hoof." He sighed as he wasn't sure what to think at this point. He knew the race was continuing, but he wasn't having as much fun as he initially had hoped for.

[Windy Breeze 15,189]

@Emerald Heart

“I could imagine that” Sundae let out a hearty laugh “So, where are you going?” 

@Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 @Kronos the Revenant

Shadow waved at Samurai, but looked Kronos with wary. He may had tried to assist Samurai during that weird fight, but that doesn't mean he can be a 'free stallion' no, she still needs to investigate him. 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

@Dynamo Pad

Pastel smiled widely, not even hiding her glee as she giggles and squees.

"Hehee, you're not gonna get rid of me that easy, Dyny!~ The heroine can't depart her own story!"

Glancing at Pencil, she smirked at Dyny with an eyelash raised in a devious manner.

"Ooohh, well if they wanna play dirty, then two can play at that game! Dyny, get me close. I wanna have a talk with our friends~"

[Dynamo Pad 11,306]

Just now, Pastel Heart said:

@Dynamo Pad

Pastel smiled widely, not even hiding her glee as she giggles and squees.

"Hehee, you're not gonna get rid of me that easy, Dyny!~ The heroine can't depart her own story!"

Glancing at Pencil, she smirked at Dyny with an eyelash raised in a devious manner.

"Ooohh, well if they wanna play dirty, then two can play at that game! Dyny, get me close. I wanna have a talk with our friends~"

@Pastel Heart @Astral Vision @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Dynamo turned his attention back to Pastel, while giving her a kind smile. While she was talking as if she was an anime character, hearing her reassurance was enough to calm his worries. "I'm glad to hear that. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to any of my friends. I guess if the heroine did depart her own story, then you basically have no story. I remember something like that happened in a story once, but it was kind of different." He took notice of the smirk and tilted his head slightly in confusion, yet worry. "Hmm...I mean, okay. If you say so, but I still want to try and win this race fair and square. I don't mind if you want to have a bit of a chat." He made sure to get near Astral and Pencil, but he made sure to not slow down. He would make sure to defend themselves in case they had a plan in mind. He didn't want to stoop to playing dirty, but he wasn't sure if that was their friends intention or in the heat of the moment.

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

 

Pencil was surprised but relieved to see Pastel back in her kart. She had to admit she felt bad for sending the filly flying. She only hoped to slow the opposing team’s kart down a bit, after all.

@Pastel Heart

“Glad you’re okay, Pastel. Sorry about that, didn’t mean to send you flying,” she said to the filly apologetically.

@Dynamo Pad

“U-Uh, sure, we can talk later. I-If you want,” Pencil replied to Astral. She looked away for a brief moment, regretting throwing the shell in the first place. She would have to be more careful in the future.

Focusing on the path ahead, Pencil aimed to increase her speed, still determined to win by better means.

 

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

@Astral Vision @ExplosionMare

"Oh, no worries! All in good fun, yes~? As much as I'm sure you'd love to put the moves on me we're still racing, so have this gesture of good will! It's super yummy~!"

Pastel tossed a melon to Pencil from their kart to theirs. The melon seemed normal at a glance, but if examined closer there was something... odd about it. It was heavy for a melon.

@Dynamo Pad

Quickly after tossing the melon to Pencil, Pastel rushed to Dynamo and whispered.

"Psssst, move it if you don't wanna be covered in melon juice!"

[Dynamo Pad 11,306]

1 hour ago, Pastel Heart said:

@Astral Vision @ExplosionMare

"Oh, no worries! All in good fun, yes~? As much as I'm sure you'd love to put the moves on me we're still racing, so have this gesture of good will! It's super yummy~!"

Pastel tossed a melon to Pencil from their kart to theirs. The melon seemed normal at a glance, but if examined closer there was something... odd about it. It was heavy for a melon.

@Dynamo Pad

Quickly after tossing the melon to Pencil, Pastel rushed to Dynamo and whispered.

"Psssst, move it if you don't wanna be covered in melon juice!"

@Pastel Heart @Astral Vision @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Dynamo smiled as it seemed that all was back to normal. Save for everyone being in the competitive spirit. "Uh, Pastel-chan? Exactly where and how did you manage to get a melon?" He asks, while raising an eyebrow in confusion at the tossed fruit. His ears perked as Pastel had rushed over to him and heard the whisper. Nodding, he tried to rush ahead, but looked glanced behind him in order to warn Astral and Pencil. "Hey, guys! Toss the fruit back now! It'll slow down the other racers! Please trust me!" While he wanted to win the race. He didn't want to win by playing dirty. He hoped that Astral and Pencil would take his warning, while hoping that Pastel would forgive him. He had to understand that Pastel's plan was all in good fun, but he didn't want to get them, or Astral's team to get disqualified. In retrospect, if they threw the melon behind them, it would most likely slow down the other racers.

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@Dynamo Pad

Pencil was more than happy that everypony was calmed down, save for the adrenaline they probably all possessed now that they were nearing their final lap. She smiled at the racers and her teammate. Letting the wind drift through her mane and the sound of roaring engines whoosh through her ears, Pencil allowed herself to enjoy the thrill of the drive.

Pencil was quickly awakened from her daydreaming when Dynamo shouted at her about fruit. From what she heard, she was somehow supposed to throw whatever fruit was in the air back. As it was flying towards her head...

Acting fast, Pencil utilized her magic and halted all of the fruits in midair. Letting out a soft grunt, Pencil forced the fruits back to where they had originated. Sitting back in her seat to breathe out the rest of the air she had been holding in, Pencil took a moment to relax herself she pushed the kart to its speed limits once again.

@Astral Vision

“Let’s think together on how we’re gonna win this final lap. Do you have any suggestions?” Pencil asked Astral. She looked at him inquisitively to see if he had any good plans.

[Astral Vision 286]

3 hours ago, ExplosionMare said:

@Dynamo Pad

Pencil was more than happy that everypony was calmed down, save for the adrenaline they probably all possessed now that they were nearing their final lap. She smiled at the racers and her teammate. Letting the wind drift through her mane and the sound of roaring engines whoosh through her ears, Pencil allowed herself to enjoy the thrill of the drive.

Pencil was quickly awakened from her daydreaming when Dynamo shouted at her about fruit. From what she heard, she was somehow supposed to throw whatever fruit was in the air back. As it was flying towards her head...

Acting fast, Pencil utilized her magic and halted all of the fruits in midair. Letting out a soft grunt, Pencil forced the fruits back to where they had originated. Sitting back in her seat to breathe out the rest of the air she had been holding in, Pencil took a moment to relax herself she pushed the kart to its speed limits once again.

@Astral Vision

“Let’s think together on how we’re gonna win this final lap. Do you have any suggestions?” Pencil asked Astral. She looked at him inquisitively to see if he had any good plans.

 

On 5/26/2020 at 5:00 AM, Samurai Equine 🔥🔥 said:

@Windy Breeze ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

After kneading and warming Shadow's hoof, Samurai releases it. "There you go. That should be enough to help you get back to whatever you were doing." He nods and wishes her farewell.

@Kronos the Revenant

As he parts ways with Shadow, he hears Kronos's offer. "Oh, thanks! But I'm sure I can... Uhh..." Samurai stops when he notices the look on Kronos's face. Even if he was trying to hide his face, Samurai could see the shame and welling sadness. "Kronos, buddy?" He puts a hoof on his back. "Are you okay? It's all right, really. It's just a race. It's not the end of the world. And I'm sure you had a good reason for what you did. Some ponies just get lost in the competitive spirit, right?" He offers a caring smile. Samurai can handle his own cart, but since Kronos had a bigger one, he helps him move it as well. "Would you like to join me and my friends after this race is over? We're all going to hang out at my house, talk about puzzle boxes, look at art work, and I'll be serving dinner. ...What's your favorite drink?"

@Dynamo Pad, @ExplosionMare, @Astral Vision, @Pastel Heart

Pastel's crazy stunt was about to prove fruitful!

The green shell she is surfing on trails back to the group of 3 construction kart racers! They were gaining speed on the track, about to catch up to the lead, when they see her approaching. "WAH!! That can't be up to code!!" The leader of the pack panics first. They actively begin to try and reshape the course for protection, but it's much harder to work on the road ahead of you instead of the road behind you. One of them has a crane and begins swinging it wildly! The effect? It'll knock the green shell back in the opposite direction, giving Pastel just enough time to hop back on to Dynamo's kart before it disappears via time out.

However, by swing the crane wildly, it hits and gets lodged into the bulldozer kart. Unable to get unstuck, the two racers crash into the side, and are unable to race. Pastel successfully took out two racers, had time to get back to Dynamo, and hopefully did it all without breaking a rule! ...They might need to see what the judges say after the race, but she did it!

At the same time, Astral and Pencil are doing pretty good. However, as they are racing, something enters into Astral's mind... What is it? Some kind of projection? A memory? It's fragmented... Too rough to fully make out, and yet... It tells him just enough. There is a hidden treasure buried in the race course; one of the missing pages from the book about the mayors! And he'll be approaching it soon. What's the best way to handle it? If he waits til the race is over, he might lose this sudden magical link that is just now speaking out. If he waits til the third lap, he'll risk his and Pencil's chances of losing the race.

@ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine 🔥🔥

Astral was about to respond to Pencil's plea for suggestion, but suddenly, enough quick jolt pierced his head. Astral wondered if his magic usage was the cause, but soon the image became clear... There was another missing page close by, seemingly beneath the very racing track! Astral didn't know how long this vision would last, though he couldn't very well leave Pencil alone for a second time; what could he do? Astral's mind raced in panic, should he help this mare win the race, or risk her position to try and help the town...

There was a way he could assist both, but it would more than likely drain the rest of his magic. No matter the personal damage at stake, Astral was willing to take the risk for others.

"Listen Pencil, there's something I need to tell you. In order to help Samurai save this town, I have been searching for pages that may reveal the origin of its divide. I don't know why, but I suddenly have the location of a page beneath this very course. I need to find that page for everyone's safety, including yours. I don't know how fast I can be, and teleporting back to our kart will mostly be guess work. I know this is a lot of last minute information, but I'm asking you to trust me. And whatever you do, don't slow down; win this race like I know you can."

Astral smiled sincerely as his eyes glimmered in slight fear, hoping that Pencil would be able to comprehend what had been said.

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart

(Forgive me if this part seems a bit impatient, but Astral can stay in the cart if preferred) Astral turned to Dynamo and Pastel who drove alongside them.

"Dynamo, my greatest apologies for the shell stunt before, but I must ask you for a favour. Please protect Pencil and Pastel, as well as yourself. Here's the most I can offer in support, the rest is up to you!"

Astral's horn soon glowed at its brightest, nearly as strong as the sun itself. As soon as the light disappeared, something incredible had happened; the karts' exteriors had been outfitted with prismatic armor! (Kind of like the hair pattern on Crystal Ponies)

"This armor should protect the karts from excessive damage, but I wouldn't suggest testing their endurance."

Astral nearly lost his breath. This spell was one of the most advanced in Equestria, and using it was very costly, but the unicorn had to hold out for just a little longer.