//------------------------------// // Hurricane Fluttershy // Story: Sugarcoat Interferes In Pony History // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// "Whoa, girl, take it easy!" Fluttershy suddenly found herself face-first in a cloud. Of all the things to end up face-first in, she supposed a cloud was one of the better options. She'd seen Rainbow Dash end up face-first in things far less optimal than a comfy cumulus, and frankly she wanted no part of that. "Whuh, what?" Fluttershy asked. "Did we do it?" Absence of pain notwithstanding, the sudden stop still took her by surprise. The last she'd known, she was hurtling through the sky at speeds she didn't know she was capable of, working in tandem with Rainbow and the other Ponyville pegasi to create a funnel strong enough to propel a supply of lake water to Cloudsdale. Things had looked bleak for the group when Thunder Lane, Blossomforth, and a number of other pegasi came down with a sudden bout of the feather flu, prompting Fluttershy to finally join in despite her earlier reluctance. "Yeah, we did it!" Rainbow said, a proud smile on her face. "You did it!" It was rare for Rainbow to pass the praise for something she was involved in to another pony, but it was warranted here. It was Fluttershy's extra wingpower that had finally pushed them over the top; without her, the entire effort would have been for naught. It was no record like Rainbow was aiming for, but they had succeeded, and that was all that mattered. A timid high wing shared between friends finished the deal before the two touched down. "Great job, Fluttershy!" Flitter exclaimed as Fluttershy and Rainbow landed beside them. "That was awesome!" "Yeah, we couldn't have done it without you," Cloudchaser agreed. To hear this praise from two mares who had earlier been giggling at her efforts was cathartic for Fluttershy, and while she wasn't usually one for basking in attention, a little piece of her was admittedly starting to enjoy it. "Nice job, Rainbow Dash," Spitfire said as she flew up behind them. "You may not have set a new record, but you showed a lot of guts." Spitfire had come to town to observe the goings-on, and Rainbow was more than happy to see one of her idols. Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but a voice made whatever she was going to say get caught in her throat. "You're in no position to talk." All the color drained from Rainbow's face as Sugarcoat's voice cut through the air. She quickly looked to Spitfire, terrified over what her reaction would be. For her part, Spitfire held her calm, relaxed demeanor, raising a brow at the unicorn. "What was that?" Spitfire asked. Rainbow found herself unable to speak, and was left trying to silence Sugarcoat through sheer mental force of will. Shockingly, it didn't help. "I said, you're in no position to talk," Sugarcoat repeated. "Remind me again why you were just standing there instead of helping them out?" Rainbow tried once again to say something, but her throat had gone completely dry. "I'm here to record the team's top speed," Spitfire replied simply. "And yet when the team didn't look like it could make the minimum wingpower needed to funnel the water, you just stood there," Sugarcoat said. "You'd think the captain of the Wonderbolts would get off of her rump and help if it meant actually getting the water that Cloudsdale needed. Your wingpower could have easily covered the gap, instead of making Fluttershy push herself. Maybe Fluttershy should be the captain of the Wonderbolts instead of you." Rainbow silently began preparing for life without being a Wonderbolt. If Spitfire knew that she was friends with Sugarcoat, then her chances at joining the team were dead in the water. The silence was deafening as Spitfire and Sugarcoat glared at each other. It was a good ten seconds before the tension was lifted by a tiny upturn of one corner of Spitfire's mouth. "You know, you're right," Spitfire said. "Probably should have helped. Good that Fluttershy was able to show her stuff and help out, but I shouldn't have put her in that position when I could have easily done my part." She gave a salute to Sugarcoat. "Thanks for that, and sorry, everypony. Good to know even an experienced pony like me can still learn something here and there." With that, she spread her wings and took off. "She seems cool," Sugarcoat said casually as she walked past Rainbow, who was still trying to pick her jaw up off of the ground.