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A long line was in front of the Crystal Empire stadium. Ponies, crystal ponies, griffons and hippogriffs chatted and waited to get inside and secure themselves a good seat with a nice view. Near the end of the line and close to the entrance of the stadium, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood, wearing rather annoyed looks. Flurry Heart's guard stood in front of them, stoic as always, and Flurry Heart was in the line right before him. The princess was wearing a large, pale green hat, that was big enough to slightly bend over in the middle and was accentuated with indigo stripes in two different shades. Her face was painted pale green, as well, and around her neck hung a scarf of the same color. The ends of the scarf had indigo-colored fringes and were adorned with an indigo stripe and, right above it, a pale green ocean wave inside an indigo circle. On her back, Flurry was carrying large, brown saddlebags. A pale green foam hand with black outlines was sticking out of the right one.

Flurry Heart was looking ahead of her with a nervous, anxious expression. She bit her bottom lip slightly. Taking a small step to the left, just enough not to leave the line, Flurry Heart peered at the entrance of the stadium. Ten ponies waited before her, the one at the top entering the stadium in that moment. Flurry Heart stepped back in line. She did a nervous glance past her guard and at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

“Gee, why is she so nervous?” Scootaloo asked, lowering her eyelids.

“Heck if ah care!” Apple Bloom blurted from behind her, her face turning angry.

“If painting her face hadn't taken that long, we would have been here even earlier,” Sweetie Belle determined.

Flurry Heart tripped with her hooves on the ground, her face more strained than before. She looked behind her a second time, then back to the front. Suddenly, her facial expression drastically changed. She gave the pony in front of her, a mare with a grey coat that looked almost silver and with a magenta mane and tail, who wore a short, wine-red lady's jacket and a small hat of the same color, a serious look. Flurry quietly ignited her horn. The mare's hat was engulfed by Flurry's yellow aura, then got immediately flung from her head.

The mare looked sharply to the left, her mouth opened for a shocked gasp. “My hat, no!” she screeched and ran after it.

Flurry Heart grinned and zipped forward onto the spot where the mare had stood a moment ago.

Next to the line, the mare grabbed her hat from the ground and put it back on with a frown. She looked back at the line and gasped again, then her face immediately turned angry and sour. She stomped over to Flurry Heart, eyes narrowed. “What are you doing on my place?!” she sneered.

Flurry Heart turned her head around at the mare, wearing a haughty expression. “Your place?” she asked. “I stood here the entire time.”

The glare of the mare became more hateful. “Stop lying, you royal brat! You know that I was standing here before my hat got blown away by the wind! Go back to your place!”

Flurry Heart opened her mouth and eyes wide. “You call me a liar?” she spoke. “How can you dare?! You were behind me!” Flurry Heart started glaring herself now. “You are trying to steal my place in the line, lady, go back to your own!”

The mare's pupils shrunk and she began stammering at this blunt display of cheating. “B-But..... Y-You.....” Dumbstruck, she teetered behind Flurry Heart. For a second, she just stared at the princess in disbelief, but then turned around at Flurry Heart's guard.

The crystal guard looked to the right, seemingly staring at something. Sweat trailed down his forehead.

Her face turned angry again. “Hey, why aren't you telling the princess you're guarding that she should give me back my place in the line?” the mare bluffed at him.

The guard turned around and looked at her. “Sorry ma'am, I haven't seen anything.”

The mouth of the mare fell open.

Scootaloo lowered her eyes in a sobering fashion, looking at the guard. “Seriously?”

Sweetie Belle wore a similar expression. “I think I can't blame him, Scootaloo.” She looked past the guard and the mare at Flurry Heart, who used her magic to pull at the mane of a brown stallion, her tongue cheekily sticking out of her mouth.

The stallion looked to the side for a moment and Flurry Heart zipped past him quickly and pushed him back.

Instantly, the stallion looked at Flurry Heart, flashing her an angry look. “HEY!” he shouted.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo closed their eyes and heaved a deep sigh.
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Inside the Crystal Stadium, Flurry Heart was looking down from a seat in the middle of the tribunes, with a smile of satisfaction on her lips. She had a perfect view of the stadium below her, of the playing field and its lush, green grass and the brown dirt track that surrounded it. Above the dirt track, a parcour consisting of several obstacles; rings, clouds, pipes and poles was located, the race track of the pegasi.

The seat to the left of Flurry Heart was occupied by her saddlebags, the four seats to her right were empty. Around her, the blue-colored seats of the tribunes slowly filled up with the ponies, griffons and hippogriffs who had waited outside. The ponies who trotted past Flurry Heart gave her disgruntled frowns or gritted their teeth at her.

Unphased by the hostile reactions, Flurry Heart looked at the entrance of the stadium, a tunnel between two sections of the tribunes. Her smile grew more eager as she kept her eyes locked on the entrance. After a few seconds, her guard came in, with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in tow. Their faces looked more chill than earlier, a neutral expression adorning them.

Flurry Heart grinned widely. She raised her forehooves into the air and began waving them. “Heeeeey! Come over here! I saved the best seats for you!”

The three mares and the guard turned their heads at her and, instantly, frowns returned to the faces of the former.

The four ponies came closer and sat down without saying a word or giving Flurry Heart as much as a glance, her guard next to her and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, in that order, further on the right.

Flurry Heart opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a deep, sonorous voice full of energy blared from the speakers of the stadium. Flurry Heart looked behind her and up to one of the speakers.

“Ponies and creatures! I hope you're having a good day, because today, it is finally time for the great Crystal Charity Flight Race to help our orphanage! It happens on short notice, but you'll be awaited by some of Equestria's best fliers, with special guests fliers from Griffonstone and Mount Ariiiiiis!”

The ponies and creatures around them broke out in deafening cheers and the voice stopped for a moment. Flurry Heart's eyes were glued to the speaker and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked around, their frowns being replaced by smiles.

The voice continued, ponies and creatures listening in delight. “Every bit you spend in the stadium today will directly benefit the orphanage! That's right, you heard correctly, all the funds of today will go right to the orphans of the Crystal Empire, so make sure to eat and drink until your bellies burst and our food stalls are empty! And make sure to get a good seat, cause we're about to start in a few minutes!”

The ponies and creatures burst into cheers once more. As they were quiet again, a couple of them spoke a few words to their companions, then left their seats for one of the food stalls. Flurry Heart looked away from the speaker. She flashed a cute smile past her guard, at the three mares who came with her. She was about to start speaking as, once more, a voice interrupted her. It sounded sneering and hostile.

“How about you go and remove your saddlebags from that seat here, miss princess?”

Flurry Heart gasped, slightly startled, and her pupils shrunk. She turned to the source of the voice. The mare from earlier glared at her, face distorted in grim anger. She stood in front of the seat on which Flurry Heart's saddlebags lay. The seats to the left were all taken.

Flurry Heart's face relaxed. “Uh-huh, that seat's taken, my saddlebags sit there,” she spoke halfheartedly, then immediately turned back at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. While the mare's expression became darker, Flurry Heart left her seat and trotted away. “Guard my seat,” she spoke to her guard while she made her way to the three mares.

The guard merely nodded, stoically as ever.

The expression of the mare who Flurry Heart left behind eased somewhat. She shrugged her shoulders and shoved the saddlebags of Flurry Heart onto the floor and sat down on the now free seat.

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked up with annoyed faces. Flurry Heart had appeared in front of them. The teenage princess grinned at them eagerly. She started speaking and finally got to say what was on her mind. “Now I'm going to get you snacks and drinks! What would you like?” The grin, that had made room for moving lips and jaws while she spoke, returned.

Apple Bloom looked demonstratively to the side, crossing her arms, while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked past Flurry Heart with blank expressions.

The grin on Flurry Heart's face remained for a few seconds, then it devolved into a smile, then the smile became a slight frown. Flurry Heart looked down for a moment, but back up almost right away and a new smile adorned her face. “Okay, then I'll choose for you!” she shouted. Flurry Heart zipped away from them, not awaiting a response.

Flurry Heart approached a food stall. “Hi!” she burst into the face of the salespony, a crystal pony mare with a blue coat and a blonde mane.

“Hi!” the mare cheered back. “Which snacks do you want?” She pointed at a vast offering of food that looked and smelled deliciously and was placed behind a glass pane. There were bowls filled with nachos and hot sauce on top of them, potato chips in bags that displayed a pony who bit into a potato chip of a massive size, slices of pizza and funnel cakes on paper plates, cupcakes and muffins and, to the right, a large, red popcorn machine. Behind the crystal mare stood a shelf equipped with cans in every color imaginable. The mare gave Flurry Heart a smile. “I have nachos, potato chips, pizza, funnel cakes, cupcakes and muffins!” the mare spoke, pointing at each choice. “And” – she turned away and patted her left hoof down on the popcorn machine – “there is also popcorn here!” She took her hoof down, placed it on the counter in front of her. She looked at Flurry Heart expectantly.

Flurry peered at the snacks behind the glass from narrowed eyes. She slowly moved her eyes over everything, giving each snack a long, scrutinizing look.

The mare inside the stall stayed patient, but eventually, she began to look at Flurry Heart weirdly. A few more seconds passed, then she addressed Flurry Heart again. “Have you decided for something?” She set up a grin.

Flurry Heart did not look up from the snacks. “I am buying snacks for my three friends, but I don't know what they like,” she explained. “I need to make the best choice for each of them.”

The mare's look became a little weirder. “You don't know what your friends like?”

Now Flurry Heart looked up, dumbfounded and with a puckered mouth.

The pupils of the salesmare shrunk. “I mean.....” She coughed slightly. “Maybe I can help you find the right snack? What can you tell me about your friends?”

Flurry Heart's face returned back to normal, then she flashed the mare a smile. “That's fantastic, I could really need your help!” Her voice sounded bright and cheerful. “One of my friends comes from an apple farm in Ponyville, one is a pegasus who can't fly but performed the best scooter stunts in Central Equestria and my third friend has one of Equestria's most famous fashion designers as her big sister and she loves singing!” Flurry Heart closed her mouth and flashed a smile, that spanned from one side of her face to the other, at the mare.

The mare smiled back, friendly. “Okay, let's see.....” She bent down at the food. “You said one of your friends comes from an apple farm, so, how about a cinnamon-spiced apple cupcake?”

Flurry Heart looked at the cupcake and nodded in excitement. The mare took the cupcake and placed it on the counter. She bent down again. “Hmm, your other friend likes stunts, you say? So I'm sure she likes many cool things. Pizza sounds fitting for her, what do you think?”

Flurry Heart nodded again.

The mare grabbed a plate with two slices of tomato-cheese pizza and placed it next to the cupcake, then scrunched her face. “Okay, then we have your third friend who loves to sing..... That's a little difficult.” She held a hoof at her chin and scratched it. Her eyes moved down at the assortment of snacks and rested on one of the muffins. Her face cleared up. “But how about a muffin for them? Everypony loves muffins!”

Once more, Flurry Heart nodded in an excited fashion.

The mare took out the muffin as well and placed it next to the other two snacks. She looked at Flurry Heart with another smile. “Do you need drinks for them, too?”

“Yes!” Flurry Heart shouted in response.

The mare turned around and picked a blue can from the shelf. She held it at Flurry Heart. “Is this one okay?”

Flurry Heart bobbed her head up and down, faster than before.

The crystal mare took two more cans, then carried all three of them over and put them onto the counter next to the food. She looked over everything. “I guess that is all,” she determined.

“Um-hm.” Flurry Heart gave her another nod, this time wearing a satisfied smile. Then she pointed at a bowl with nachos, followed by the popcorn machine. “And I take nachos and a large bucket of popcorn!”

“Okay.” The mare kept smiling and put the requested bowl of nachos on the counter. She pulled out a bucket from underneath it, approached the popcorn machine and filled the bucket to the brim. She added the bucket to the other things. “Something to drink, as well?”

“Yeah, the same, please!” Flurry Heart ordered, still beaming happily.

The mare picked another one of the blue cans and brought it to the front. The counter was nearly completely covered with the snacks now. “Okay, would that be all?” The mare was sweating a little now. She breathed out and wiped her forehead.

“Yes, that's all I need!” Flurry chirped. She hovered a blue wallet that was covered in stickers with silly yellow faces into view. “How much makes that?”

“Let me see.....” The salespony let her eyes wander over everything. “One cupcake, pizza, one muffin, nachos, a large bucket of popcorn and four cans.....” She looked up for a moment, with a slightly puzzled expression, then back down at Flurry Heart. “That makes 43 bits!” She gave Flurry another smile.

Flurry Heart opened her wallet and poured a pile of bit coins onto the counter. Smiling, the mare counted them with one hoof. As she was done, she opened a drawer under the counter and pushed the coins inside. “Thank you!” the mare beamed, eyes closed. She opened them again. “Can you carry this alone?”

Flurry Heart nodded. “Um-hm, not a problem!” She tucked away her wallet and, all at once, the snacks became engulfed by her yellow aura. She lifted them off the counter. “Bye!”

The mare waved after her and Flurry Heart cantered away with a swing in her step, the snacks hovering above her head. Behind her, another pony trotted up to the stall.

Back at the tribunes, Flurry Heart swiftly approached Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “I am back!” she shouted happily.

Apple Bloom gave her a snarky look. “Yeah? Back sounds good, maybe ya can go back where ya came from.”

Flurry Heart trotted past her, ignoring the remark. She looked at Sweetie Belle, a charming smile on her lips. “I got you a muffin!” The muffin and one of the blue cans floated into Sweetie Belle's lap. Flurry Heart turned at Scootaloo. “You like pizza, right? I got you two slices!” She hovered the paper plate and the can over to Scootaloo and gently placed everything in her lap. Lastly, she turned around at Apple Bloom. “And for you, an apple cupcake with cinnamon!” The snack and her can landed in Apple Bloom's lap.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gave the snacks doubtful glances.

Apple Bloom looked at the cupcake with gritted teeth and growled. “Ahm eatin' nothin' of this.”

Now only hovering her own food anymore, Flurry Heart trotted past her guard and aimed for her seat. Arrived in front of it, she froze and gasped. She looked down at her saddlebags on the floor. A glare built on her face and she flashed it over to the mare. “Haven't you heard what I said a few minutes ago? This seat is taken!”

The grey mare with the magenta mane gave Flurry a look from the corner of her eyes, mouth forming a frown, but she looked away again quickly.

Flurry Heart approached her seat and sat down. She put the nacho bowl and can onto her lap and the popcorn bucket between her hindlegs. The princess craned back her head, at an empty seat behind her. Then she looked at the mare. “There's a free seat behind me, why don't you go and sit down there?” Flurry snarled.

The mare's head shot around. “Because that's where I want to sit!” she said, gesturing at her seat in an outraged way. “This seat isn't meant to put stuff on it!”

Flurry Heart's hostile expression did not change one bit. “Why you, how can–”

Above them, the speakers started blaring again, interrupting Flurry Heart. “Fillies and gentlecolts, the moment is here!”

Flurry Heart gasped, fear on her face. “I don't have time for this!” She ignited her horn and wrapped the mare next to her into her magic.

The mare looked around, a slightly panicked expression on her face. “Don't you dare! Ah!”

Flurry Heart hovered her into the air. The ponies around them, including Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, looked up and gasped. Hastily, Flurry Heart flung her into the seat behind her. The shocked eyes of the crowd followed her.

“Ya seen all this?” Apple Bloom looked over at her friends, outraged. “She wants us to be her guards, but that looks more like other ponies need to be guarded from her!”

Wordlessly, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded, with consternated looks on their faces.

Lying in the seat, back pressed against the seat and hindlegs limply hanging down from it, the mare rubbed the backside of her head while distorting her face in pain. “Ruthless brat.....”

The ponies to her left and right gave her sad looks.

Flurry Heart did not turn around again. The voice from the speakers continuing, she reached for a hoofful of popcorn and shoved it into her mouth, while simultaneously hovering her saddlebags back onto the seat to her left and the foam finger out of them and down onto her left forehoof.

“Stand up and cheeeer, for our team of admirable, generous fliers who decided to support this cause today! And remember, the funds from all purchases made during this charity race will go to the Crystal Empire Orphanage, so leave your bits at the food stalls or buy some merchandise of your favourite flier!”

Excited chatter and murmurs went through the audience all throughout the stadium. The ponies and creatures cast their eyes down onto the field. A yellow mare with a fiery mane and tail and a pair of shades in her face entered the stadium. Flurry Heart threw another hoofful of popcorn into her mouth. Then she opened the can, causing it to sizzle, brought it to her mouth and took a sip from it, not taking her eyes away from the field.

“And it looks like our first racer is here! She is one of Equestria's most elite fliers and captain of the Wonderbolts! Give your best cheers, for the fierce, the daring..... SPITFIRE!”

The crowd erupted. Flurry Heart held her forehooves at the sides of her mouth. “YEAH, SPITFIRE!” the teenager shouted.

A few seats to the right, Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Scootaloo looked at Spitfire in fascination, not bothered by Flurry Heart's demeanor.

Spitfire took off her shades, taking up position in the middle of the stadium, and waved at the audience.

“Next up, from beyond the eastern ocean, long-standing participant in the Equestria Games and one of the most well-trained griffons in her team..... Giselle from Griffonstone!”

A black and grey gryphon was flying into the arena below. She only gave the audiences slight glances before she landed at Spitfire's side.

“And now we are setting our sights to faraway lands.....” the voice from the speaker hinted at the next flier.

Flurry Heart's eyes began to glow. She stopped eating, craned her neck and leaned forward, clutching her scarf against her chest.

“A mighty hippogriff, born on Mount Aris, winner of the flight race at the Equestria Games two times in a row, a flight career like no hippogriff had before.....”

Flurry Heart held her breath.

“The one and only..... LAGUNA!”

A pale green and indigo blur shot into the stadium.

“LAGUNA!” Flurry Heart repeated what the voice from the speakers had said and jumped up on her seat. Nachos got sent flying through the air and landed on the ponies that surrounded Flurry. They looked at her with annoyed faces. Behind her, the mare she had tossed away so unceremoniously began to look at her angrily.

The female hippogriff took up high into the air, where she flew a couple daring loopings, before she stopped in the middle of the stadium and waved at her audience. She looked into Flurry Heart's direction and winked.

Flurry Heart's eyes grew to the size of plates and her mouth opened wide. She jumped up, sending more nachos flying. Some of the sauce landed on the hat of the mare who sat behind her. The mare noticed it with a frown.

Flurry Heart looked over at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Have you seen? She winked at me! I know she winked at me, there is no way how she could have meant anypony else!” Flurry Heart squeed in delight.

A grey hoof from behind tapped on her back. “Hey, would you mind if you sit down and take off that ridiculous hat? I can barely see anything from back here.” The mare eyed Flurry Heart with disgust.

“Yeah, whatever,” Flurry Heart responded without turning around. She sat down, however, without taking off her hat. She reached into the bowl of nachos and picked out a large number of them, then put them all into her mouth at once.

“And now we come to the last of our fliers for today..... A fearless mare who braved dangers without shaking a feather..... Former leader of The Washouts, welcome, Lightniiiiing Duuuuust!”

Lightning Dust trotted into the arena, slow and with a stern, cold expression in her face. She looked stressed. The pegasus mare joined the other three fliers without giving anyone a look.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes. “I know who I won't be cheering for,” she said. Absentmindedly, she grabbed a slice of her pizza and bit into it.

Down below, the four fliers went onto their starting positions.

“Get ready, ponies and creatures!” the voice psyched up the crowd. The racers looked sternly and determined ahead of them.

“3, 2, 1..... GO!” the voice blared.

Spitfire, Lightning Dust, Giselle and Laguna took off almost simultaneously. Flurry Heart poured down the rest of her nachos into her mouth and started chewing in excitement. She took a large sip from her can.

“And the race has started! Who are you cheering for? Let me hear your favourite!”

The crowd erupted into wild shouting of names.
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“Spitfire!”
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“Giselle!”
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“Laguna!”
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A few seconds of silence followed, then Lightning Dust's name rang out. Compared to the other three, only very few ponies shouted it. One of them was the mare who sat behind Flurry Heart.

Lightning Dust scrunched her face. She fell behind Laguna and was quickly surpassed by Spitfire and Giselle, as well.

The crowd flashed angry, disappointed faces. New shouting emerged across the stadium. “BOOOOOO!”

Lightning Dust tried to accelerate her tempo and to catch up, but all she could do was looking over the booing faces. She closed her eyes, then suddenly shot up into the air and flew out of the stadium.

Sweetie Belle lowered her ears. “Well, that went horrible.....” she said. She gave Scootaloo a furtive glance.

Scootaloo looked over at her, acknowledging her glance. “Don't worry, Sweetie. We were only supposed to convince her of participating and we managed.”

Apple Bloom agreed with a nod, but Sweetie Belle cocked her head, uncertainty in her eyes.

Flurry Heart watched the development with a shocked face. Her nacho bowl was empty now. She tossed it carelessly aside onto the floor and placed her popcorn bucket on her lap instead. The boos for Lightning Dust increased in volume.

“Well, it looks like we have a loser already.....” the voice from the speakers said with pity. It couldn't suppress a small chuckle. “But don't worry, crowd, our three other racers are still in the game! Now the most exciting part of the race will start, when the racers will leave the stadium to fly around the Crystal Empire!”

The voice had no effect on the crowd. “Lightning Dust, you failure!” a bulky stallion two rows above Flurry Heart shouted, grinning maliciously.

Soon, a couple more ponies started shouting the same thing. The crowd got riled up.

“Why would such a failed pegasus even dare to show up here?!” A green mare laughed, a row below Flurry Heart.

Behind Flurry, the grey mare got up from her seat and began shouting down to the other one. “Oh, will you shut up! Lightning Dust is a better flier than these three clowns over there!” She shot a hoof at Spitfire, Laguna and Giselle who flew out of the stadium in this moment. Laguna was still at the top.

Below, in the arena, a unicorn ignited their horn and a massive screen made of magic appeared in the air. It flimmered, then the three remaining racers appeared on it, flying between the crystal houses.

“And now the holo spells are set up!” the voice from the speakers announced. “Let's see how our fliers do out there!”

The green mare did not pay attention. She got up from her own seat and glared at the mare behind Flurry Heart. “You shut up yourself! That birdbrained pegasus doesn't deserve support!”

The two mares began a shouting match. More ponies around them did the same, as a few scattered fans of Lightning Dust began to raise their voices, as well.

Flurry Heart looked around at the shouting and fighting ponies. The look on her face indicated great attention. She listened to the fights for a little while. Eventually, Flurry Heart stood up on her seat and turned around at the grey mare.

The mare looked at her. “Yeah? What do you want now?” She narrowed her eyes at Flurry.

For a moment, Flurry Heart said nothing, just eyeing the mare with a blank stare. Then her face became hostile. “The other mare is right!” she shouted. “Lightning Dust is nothing but a loser and failure!”

The green mare looked up at her. “There you hear it! Even our princess has actual taste!” A roar sounded out in response, all in support of Flurry Heart.

Flurry Heart flashed a smirk at the grey mare. Then she hovered her bucket into the air and emptied her popcorn over the mare's head. It rained down on her. “That's what a fan of such a miserable flier deserves!” Flurry Heart shouted. She laughed gleefully.

More voices shouted at the grey mare, who now eyed Flurry Heart with unmatched hostility.

The mare's head had taken on an unhealthy, red color, a vein on her neck protruding. She exposed her teeth at Flurry. “HOW CAN YOU DARE?!” she screamed out loud. She reached for Flurry Heart. “How would a prissy princess like you even–” All of a sudden, the voice of the mare cracked and she stopped. Her eyes closed and she fell back into her seat, having fainted from the stress. Ponies around her started laughing, while others rushed up to the mare with concerned faces.

Flurry Heart huffed, then turned around and fixated her eyes on the screen, following the race. She took another sip from her can like nothing happened, not paying further attention to her surroundings.

To her right, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at her with gaping mouths. Only Flurry Heart's guard remained calm.

As the race had ended and the masses left the stadium, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still looked at Flurry Heart with bewilderment and disbelief. Flurry Heart was wearing a cute and happy smile and she clutched her scarf tighter, making clear who had won the race.

None of the three mares could produce a word to describe what they had seen, they were completely speechless.

Flurry Heart's guard stepped at their side. “Now you know why the young princess needs a guard. I really hope for you that you can deal with this better than I did. Good luck,” he deadpanned, then followed after Flurry Heart.

The trio of mares stayed behind, looking after Flurry Heart still with the same expressions. It was Scootaloo who eventually voiced their thoughts.

“What in the name of Celestia did we sign up for?” she uttered.
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Author's Note

Featured Voice Performers
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Ashleigh Ball as Princess Flurry Heart, Green Mare
Michelle Creber as Apple Bloom
Madeleine Peters as Scootaloo
Claire Corlett as Sweetie Belle
Mariee Devereux as Pinot Noir
Andrea Libman as Food Stall Mare
Peter New as Princess Flurry Heart's Guard,
Line Stallion
Sam Vincent as Stadium Announcer
Michael Dobson as Bulky Stallion