The Fastest Mare in Maretropolis
"2! 4! 6! 8! Maretropolis is really great!" I cheered, swirling around in the air as my fellow cheerleaders and I performed our routine. Cheerleading was one of my favorite things to do. I was so good at it, too.
"Gooooooo Maretropolis!" I yelled at the end of our final cheer. I stood on top of a pony pyramid, carefully balanced so I wouldn't crush the ponies beneath me. Several spectators cheered for us, but most were glued to the final race of the track meet.
I longed to be a sprinter like those ponies. I wanted to run. But if I did run, ponies would think I was some sort of freak.
I'm Fili Flip, and I have a unique ability. I can run almost as fast as light!
"Nice routine, Fili," my friend Brilliance said, walking up to me after I flipped off the pyramid.
"Thanks, Brill," I replied. "Hey, you want to stop and get some ice cream on the way home?" Brilliance shook her head, causing her dark blue Pringles to bounce.
"Sorry, Fili, I have to go to my jewelry store," she told me. "But I'll see you later, okay?"
"Alright!" I agreed. "Bye!"
After she had left, I had a sudden urge to run. I looked around. There were still many ponies around. I hopped on my hooves. I was suddenly so energized! What was that about?
"Think, Fili Flip, think,"I told myself, racking my brain, trying to find a place where I could get the energy out. "The fields!" Maretropolis was a bit city, but it was detached from the rest of the country. For miles around there were fields and hills and open grassland that nopony really visited.
But, of course, there was a matter of getting there. Like I said, Maretropolis is a big city.
"Just walk," I told myself. "You can think on the way." It seemed like a nice plan. A decent one.
As I walked I thought about my older sister Flitter Flip. I shared my green coat with her, actually. She was the only one who knew about my power. I smiled, thinking about the story she told me. How she had been watching me while our parents were out, and I had suddenly started zooming around the house. It sounded so cute.
Flitter was currently out of Maretropolis, doing business of some sort.
I looked up to see I was suddenly at the edge of the city.
Have I been super speeding and not knowing it? I thought in alarm. What if somepony saw me? When I checked, though, nopony was around. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I turned and I ran.
Suddenly, I was at the top of a hill, about a mile away. I ran again, a longer distance this time.
"This is so awesome!" I whispered. I must have run about fifty miles by now!
I suddenly noticed a bright flash out of the corner of my eye. I immediately doubled back to check it out.
"Wow," I breathed. I was looking at a Pegasus mare, flying in the storm clouds that hung in the sky that day. She had a pale blue coat and spiky lavender hair. The amazing thing, though, was what she was doing. The Pegasus wasn't even touching the clouds, but some of them thundered, some of them rained, and some of them snowed.
"Hey!" I called. "What are you doing?" She looked down at me.
"Beat it!" She called. "This is Pegasus business!"
"How were you making those clouds snow?" I asked curiously. "You weren't doing anything to them, and besides, it's too warm for snow!"
"I said scram!" She shouted at me. I knew if I was a regular pony I should leave, but hey, I was the fastest mare in Maretropolis. I could outrun her if she tried to hurt me.
"Please tell me what you're doing!" I shouted back. "I promise I won't tell anypony!" The Pegasus suddenly shot down from the sky until she was nose to nose with me.
"I. Said. Go. Away," she said through gritted teeth. I couldn't help but giggle.
"You want me to go away? Alright."
I had no idea why I revealed myself. Obviously she knew what I looked like and could contact the Government about me. But maybe my gut told me I could trust this pony.
Anyway, I ran at full speed away, then zoomed right back twelve feet away from her.
"Is this good?" I asked. "Or do you want me to go farther?" I sprinted to the next hill.
"Am I good now?" I shouted, waving my hoof.
"Come back!" She yelled. I rolled my eyes and smiled.
"How did you do that?" She asked when I returned. I shrugged.
"Tell me what you were doing with the clouds," I answered, tilting my head. She folded her hooves. I narrowed my eyes.
"Fine," she grumbled. "I... I was born with that ability. To manipulate weather however I want. Sometimes I come way out here and do that. When I'm stressed out. Now, what about you?"
"I was born with it, too," I told her. "And today I was feeling really energized and I had the exciting idea to come out here and run, to get the energy out of me. I'm Fili Flip, by the way."
"I'm Zap," she told me. "This is so cool, actually. Do you think we could be superheroes? I've always wanted to be Zapp, with two p's."
"That would be exciting!" I agreed. "I could be... Fili-Second!"
"That's a cool name," she commented. We began to walk back to Maretropolis. I suddenly giggled.
"What are we doing, Zap?" I asked. "We meet, find out we both have superpowers, and two seconds later we're a superhero team?" Zap laughed.
"That does sound pretty outrageous, Fili," she admitted. "Hey! We'll need costumes if we're gonna be superheroes!"
"You're right!" I exclaimed. "My friend Brilliance has a jewelry store, but she also does some sewing in her free time. I'm sure we could get outfits from her."
"Sounds like a plan!" Zap exclaimed.
~
I pushed open the door of Brilliance's store.
"Brilliance! It's Fili Flip!" I called, letting Zap in behind me. "I need to ask a favor-" the sentence died as I looked into Brilliance's sewing room, right in the back. She was holding a pair of giant glowing scissors and was standing next to a grey Pegasus who looked a little shy.
"Fili Flip!" She exclaimed, hiding the scissors behind her back. "How are you? Who's your friend?"
"Why were those scissors glowing?" I asked.
"Oh, these?" She asked, holding up the glowing object. "Why it's just... oh dear." The scissors had been replaced with a glowing bracelet!
"Brilliance, what's going on?" I asked. Brilliance's smiled crumbled.
"I admit it!" She wailed. "I'm a menace to society!" Both the Pegasus and I rushed to her side.
"I was just telling Garden Mist here how I can change my jewelry into any object!" She explained sadly.
"Why would you keep your superpowers hidden from me, but tell a random customer?" I asked, feeling slightly betrayed.
"I came to Brilliance because I have a superpower too," Garden Mist explained quietly, poking at her long brown hair. "I... I turn really big when I get angry, so I needed some clothes that would fit me when I changed. Decently, at least. I felt like I could trust Brilliance."
"Well, Fili has a surprise for you two!" Zap spoke up for the first time since we arrived.
"I haven't been entirely honest either, Brilliance," I admitted. "I have a superpower of my own. I can run really really fast. As fast as light, almost!"
"And I can manipulate weather!" Zap added. Brilliance stared at me in shock.
"You mean, we could have been honest with each other this whole time?" She asked. The notion made me laugh. I had been friends with a fellow superpony practically my whole life- and I didn't know until now!
"Zap and I decided to form a superhero team!" I explained. "Wannna join us?"
"That sounds wonderful!" Brilliance exclaimed. Garden Mist just nodded.
"My alter ego is Zapp, with two p's!" Zap exclaimed.
"I'll be Saddle Rager, then," Garden Mist piped up. "You know, since my powers activate when I'm in a rage?"
"Perfect," Brilliance agreed. "And I shall be... how about a synonym for Brilliance? Radiance?" I clapped my hooves.
"I'm going to be Fili-Second!" I announced. "Group hug!" We all closed in and hugged.
"I'll get started on our costumes right away!" Brilliance, a.k.a. Radiance, exclaimed. I grinned. Superhero business would be so fun!
Author's Note
This isn't the story of how the Power Ponies were formed. This is the story of Fili Flip, who learns of others who have superpowers. She didn't meet Mistress Marevelous or the Masked Matter Horn in this time frame.
I don't usually do first pony perspective, so don't kill me because it's horrible.
Yay! Headcanon! I've been wanting to do a story about Fili-Second for a long time. She's my favorite Power Pony!
