Chapter 0

Big thanks to Totallynotabrony for proofreading the story.
Hope everypony likes it!

Flight of Hurricane Fluttershy

Chapter 0 – Prologue

Fluttershy awoke in the night and made sure not to canter too loudly as to wake Angel or her other animal friends. She tipped-hoofed over to her closet, opened the door, and grabbed a duffle bag by the straps with her teeth. She quietly made her way downstairs and carefully opened the front door. The cool night air began to wash over the yellow pegasus pony as she cantered away from the cozy-looking cottage and took off into the sky. Princess Luna’s silver moon shone brightly, and it provided her more than enough illumination for her flight.

Lately Fluttershy had grown accustomed to nighttime flying. She loved it, as long as she was careful not to drift too close to the Everfree Forest. She had grown to like flying at high-speeds, ever since she helped bring water up to Cloudsdale. It was because of her animal friends, Angel included, and friends like Twilight and Rainbow Dash that helped her realize that she could do anything as long as she put her heart and mind to it. Their acts inspired her to do this, just to prove that she was a good flier. Just as good as Rainbow Dash, and all the other pegasi that helped with the rainy season.

Her flying eventually brought her to Baltimare, located in the western parts of the kingdom. The town was relatively small, not as small as Ponyville, and had a population primarily comprised of pegasus ponies. She landed just outside the city limits and opened the duffle bag. Inside was a blue jumpsuit decorated with pictures of hurricanes across the fabric. Rarity had designed it for her. She had to come up with a reason beforehand to avoid suspicion.

After putting her jumpsuit on, and placing a pair of white-tinted goggles around her neck, Fluttershy continued further until she reached a large building in the centre of town. The structure was made almost entirely of bricks, and muffled cheering could be heard from inside. Fluttershy cantered up to the door and knocked, and then stepped back and waited until it opened to a white muscular pegasus pony with very tiny wings, a blonde Mohawk mane and tail, and one gold ear ring on his ear. His cutie mark, or stallion stamp, was a barbell.

He looked down at Fluttershy with hardened red eyes, and then he smiled. “Well if it isn’t Hurricane Fluttershy!” he let out a raspy laugh and gave her her on the back, accidentally making her stumble inside. The buff pegasus apologized and helped her to her hooves. They started trotting down the hallway of the building. “So, are you ready to advance into the qualification rounds? It’s all gonna be tough, just so you know.”

“Oh, I’m more than ready, Coach Snowflake,” says a semi-confident Fluttershy, “although I am a bit nervous.”

“Don’t be,” replied Snowflake. The two of them arrived at a door. “Like I told you before when you first started racing in the Eagle Division: Nervousness is absolutely all in your head. You’re a talented little rookie, and nothing will ever change that.”

Fluttershy smiled and hugged Snowflake. “Thanks, Coach.” She hurried through the door, inside her team’s locker room. Her team was named the Hurricane Trio. They were one of the leading teams in the Eagle Division, rivaled only by the Three Air Hawks, another team vying for the first place trophy. Fluttershy never trusted their methods. They always resorted to “dirty” tactics aimed at injuring their opponents, usually before major races. But all they had to do become victorious during the qualification rounds and they would be in the semi-finals, and that would give them a straight shot to the trophy.

There were two other pegasi inside the locker room. One was a mare with a violet coat and spiky cerulean mane and tail. The second was a light-blue-coated stallion with green mane and tail. Both were wearing the same type of jumpsuit Fluttershy had on.

“Hi, everypony,” Fluttershy greeted them in her quiet-like subtle voice.

They said their hellos. The mare walked up to her shy teammate. “You ready for the qualification rounds, Fluttershy?” she asked.

“I sure am, Cloud Chaser. We’re gonna rock,” Fluttershy said before letting out a soft, enthusiastic, “Woo-hoo.”

“As long as we got you on the team, Fluttershy, there’s no way we can lose,” said the stallion, Neon Cloud, in a southern accent.

Fluttershy blushed from the comment. She never realized how much she meant to her team. She loved racing in the Eagle Division, especially racing alongside them. And with this suit covering her entire body, she did not have to reveal who she was to the public (the only ones who knew who she was were her team, Coach Snowflake, and Cloud Chaser’s sister, Flitter). It gave her more confidence without a bunch of ponies in front of her trying to crowd her and get her autograph . . . just like what happened with Photo Finish. She shuddered at that thought. She was happy with being just an regular pony barely known by the rest of Equestria.

A knock on the door sounded, and a cream-yellow pony poked his head in. “You got three minutes before the race starts,” he told them before shutting the door.

Neon Cloud placed a pair of goggles over his eyes, and then Cloud Chaser, and then Fluttershy.

“Do you think anypony will recognize me?” asked the very shy pegasus.

“Nopony’s recognized you since we started this competition,” Cloud Chaser commented, “I doubt anypony will recognize you anytime soon.” She put a hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulder. “You ready?”

With a determined smile from Fluttershy, the team headed out of their locker room and down the hallway backstage. The sound of cheering ponies could be heard, growing louder as they approached the arena. There were a million things going through Fluttershy’s head as she continued towards the arena with her team. So far they had managed to beat every opponent they faced. They were undefeated, but she knew that could change with this one night if they made a mistake. She was the team’s secret weapon, and she needed to stay focused.

They soon reached an entrance that led into the arena. The announcer could be heard getting the audience riled up for the upcoming race. His voice was amplified by the speakers that hung from the ceiling. Then he announced the first team; and the crowd cheered as the three pegasi flew out.

“And now the opposing team!” the announcer said.

“Here we go. Get ready,” Neon Cloud said.

“Representing Ponyville; the Hurricane Trio: Cloud Chaser, Neon Cloud, and the rookie Hurricane!”

Ponies throughout the arena began cheering at the top of their lungs for the team from Ponyville, mainly for Fluttershy, chanting, "Hurricane,” repeatedly. Fluttershy could not hold back a smile. She had so many fans, and she didn’t even have to show her face.

Fluttershy – Hurricane – and her teammates took their positions at the starting line with their opponents. She held her breath as a pony in a black and white striped shirt trotted to a stop in front of them. “You all know the rules,” he says; “The race is finished in three laps. The first pony on either team to cross the finish line first wins the race for their team, and they’ll go onto the qualification rounds two weeks from now. Do you understand?”

The racers nodded, acknowledging the rules. The referee pony stepped off to the sidelines and picked up a green flag with his teeth. “Racers ready!”

The racers stood ready, their wings flared, ready to take off.

“Set!”

Fluttershy was focused on the track ahead. Her heart was beating rapidly, and time seemed to slow down as she waited for the referee to hurry and scream—

“Go!”

At that moment the racers were off, speeding down the track amidst the screams and cheers of ponies in the stands. Fluttershy quickly made her way up to third place, just behind Cloud Chaser in second and a pony on the opposing team in first. Neon Cloud was in fifth place, trying to catch up with his teammates.

Fluttershy and Cloud Chaser flapped their wings faster as they tried to catch up with their opponent. They rounded the first curve in the track and continued. Fluttershy’s mane flowed in the wind generated from the speed. A go around the second curve in the track and eventually they made their first pass over the checkered line.

Second lap . . .

Cloud Chaser and Fluttershy were still holding their place in second and third, respectively. Out of the corner of her eye, Fluttershy could see one of her opponents slowly passing her. She could not let it happen.

Determined to win, the yellow pegasus pony began to speed up, retaking her spot and inadvertently passing Cloud Chaser.

“You can do it, Fluttershy!” Cloud Chaser yelled after her as they passed the finish line again.

Third and final lap . . .

She was in second place now. She was focused on taking first, focused on taking her team to the top. They passed the curve. The crowd cheered Fluttershy on, chanting her name – or rather her stage name – as she began to catch up to the pegasus pony in front of her. They rounded the second corner and began their approach to the finish line to end the race. Fluttershy tried her hardest to catch up. She inched closer and closer to the pony.

Her wings flapped faster, harder. She saw the finish line approaching quickly, and she was just centimeters away from taking first. Two unicorn ponies with levitating cameras approached on the sidelines, ready to snap a picture in case of a close finish. Fluttershy was closer than she ever was. She found herself just neck-and-neck with the pony beside her. There was no way she could go any faster. They quickly came up to the finish line until—

Flash!

They crossed the finish line amongst flashes from the cameras. Fluttershy landed and stumbled on her hooves, breathing heavily to get the air back in her system. She never flew so fast in her entire life. She had no idea how Rainbow Dash could deal with this type of speed with ease. Cloud Chaser and Neon Cloud landed next to her and helped her up.

“How’d I do?” asked Fluttershy.

“You did great but it was a close finish,” said Cloud Chaser, pointing over to a trio of referees who were checking the pictures in a large telescope.

“It’s all up to those three now,” said Neon Cloud. He tapped Fluttershy on her shoulder. “But hey, ya did yer best, and that’s all that matters.”

Cloud Chaser nodded in agreement.

The entire arena was at a stand-still as the referees checked on the pictures from the photo finish. A deep aura of uneasiness could be sensed. It was quiet, save for few whispers echoing throughout the arena. Everypony was nervous as to what the decision could be; not as nervous as Fluttershy, obviously.

Finally the announcer pony cantered up to a microphone on a pedestal in the middle of the stadium. “Ladies and gentleolts, the winners of the race and advancing to the qualification rounds are . . .” he paused, letting anticipation linger heavily throughout the building, “The Hurricane Trio: Cloud Chaser, Neon Cloud, and the Hurricane!”

The crowd showed their excitement, cheering on the winning. Cloud Chaser, Neon Cloud, and Fluttershy could finally breathe again. They were going to the qualification rounds!

The moon began to lower behind the horizon as daytime prepared to replace the night. Majority of the sky was still a midnight blue colour, yet hints of yellow could be seen rising from the mountain range. The night was still perfect, in Fluttershy’s opinion, for a bit of nighttime flying in celebration of her team’s recent victory. Maybe another time, she thought.

Her team had been escorting her home through the starry night, and eventually they landed in front of her cottage. Her animal friends were still asleep, to her relief. She was not scheduled to wake them for another few hours. This gave her enough time to catch some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

“Thanks so much, you two. I really had a blast,” said Fluttershy.

Neon Cloud strolled forward and dropped her duffle bag, which he had been carrying since their departure from Baltimare, down in front of her. “Yer welcome an’ all, Fluttershy, but could either ‘a’ you tell me again why I have to carry both ‘a’ your bags?” He was also carrying Cloud Chaser’s bag as well as his saddle bags.

“Well just think about it this way, Neon: it teaches you resistance training when you’re flying,” Cloud Chaser remarked in a joking manner. “You need a lot of it.”

Neon smirked and rolled his eyes. “Ha ha . . . very funny. You may be team Capt’n, but you sure stink at tellin' jokes.”

Fluttershy giggled. It was always nice to see her two teammates joking around and having fun. “Well, goodnight.”

“Night, Fluttershy. Seeya tomorrow.”

Neon and Cloud Chaser took off into the sky towards Ponyville. Fluttershy watched as they left, and then retired back into her cottage. She tip-hoofed upstairs to her room and lay down in her warm, soft bed. As she began to drift asleep she thought about the events that happened this night, from the start of the race to their advancement into the next round. She just hoped they would be able to keep their streak going. But she had confidence that, along with her team, she could accomplish anything.

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