Untitled

HURRICANE

Hurricane left the palace in an orderly and quick fashion. In the arms of two members of the Royal Guard.

       For the first part of her unexpected arrest she kicked and put up a fight. Now she simply lay limp in the arms of the guards in protest. Perhaps they would grow tired and simply drop her, then she could fly back in as quick as sound. But no, they were a persistent pair. They carried her through the gardens and out the main palace gates before finally dropping her on the dusty floor. Hurricane landed on her chin and looked ahead of her, clearly unamused. One of the guards said something to her about never coming back, you are banned from the palace until furthur notice... Hurricane just grunted in response as she stood up and dusted her chest off. She looked back as she heard the large wooden doors close angrily behind her.

Jerks... Hurricane thought to herself as she began walking off, That's democracy for you. Hurricane had never been particularly ecstatic about the goings on in the royal council chambers of Canterlot Castle but at this point in time some hard hitting pegasus had to try and interfere and get some answers for the people who were suffering the consequences of the poor job the monarchy was currently doing. Hurricane had always thought she had presence when she entered a room. She was absolutely there, there was no doubt that as she entered that chamber she would be given the answers she so desired. Not one of her questions was answered. She had never pleaded in her life for anything more. She just wanted answers.

Maybe she had been too forwards. You know, entering a heavily guarded event like that... uninvited. Everything seemed to go so smoothly. Zipping over the walls so quick no one would see her. Shooting past the guards silently and entirely undetected. Sneaking her way past the catering staff and butlers. Oh, it was so sneaky and perfect that Hurricane thought she was going to burst. A regular, real-life Daring Do. But she was more of a master of stealth than a wordsmith, that much was apparent.

Hurricane entered a nearby bar. A strong drink might ease the dissapointment of her lack of political talent. She pushed open the door. It was brightly lit with colours splashed all over the walls. Reds, blues, greens, yellows, purples. Very rainbow-esque. The bar was situated to the right of the large room, with various seats and tables standing on the left. Ponies were littered throughout, sitting with friends and colleagues, laughing merrily and drinking eagerly. Hurricane had never been one to indulge in alcohol, but now seemed like a better time than any. She had gotten drunk once when she was much younger and had never been able to forget the headache the following morning. She trudged over to the bar. It was lit up by fairy-lights which were securly fastoned to the edges of the wooden frame, emmiting a bright blue glow. It was very appealing.

She took a seat at the bar and waited a couple of minutes for the barmare to come over. When she did, Hurricane noticed she was quite attractive, a piercing in her left ear with long, flowing hair. Hurricane smiled at her as she gave her her order, a smile which quickly dissapeared as she turned to satisfy her newest customer. She wasn't in the mood for smiling, and certainly not with strangers. Although, maybe she wouldn't be a stanger for much longer. Hurricane grinned to herself at her sly thoughts. There was music playing in the bar. It suited the atmosphere quite well, slow and cool with a two beat gallop and heavily distorted, fuzzing guitar riffs. The lyrics were fairly profound, and one line in particular caught her ear... He pulled the mirrors off his cadillac, because he doesn't like it looking like he looks back. Hurricane appreciated good music although she never indulged in it as much as she would have liked. Before becoming a weather controller, a musician seemed like a much more promising and exciting idea of a career. But alas, her flying skills kept indicating at her to pursue a more useful and fulfilling career. Not that it mattered much now. For the past three years the weather over Equestria had gotten to a point where it was beyond control. Her along with her entire squad were laid off, completely without work. That was why her trip to the Castle mattered so much. It wasn't just out of curiosity. She needed help, as did hundreds of other ponies in Canterlot and beyond. She thought for a moment that maybe the monarchy and politicians were totally ignorant to that. The baremare returned with her drink.

"That will be two bits please, m'dear." She had a warm smile which made Hurricanes heart-rate increase.

" 'Course," She replied eagerly. She reached into her satchel and felt around for some coins. All she could find was a sweet wrapper. She groaned to herself as she came up empty hooved, "I'm so sorry, I... Don't have..." She felt so foolish.

"S'alright love," The baremare maintained her smile and reached into her apron pocket, pulling out four bits, "This one's on me." She then proceeded to pour herself a glass of the same drink and leant over the bar, face to face with Hurricane. "So what's ya name?"

"H-Hurricane," Hurricane was slightly taken aback. No one had been this forward with her... That's my thing, she thought to herself.

The baremare's smile widened, "I've read about you. Second fastest flier to ever grace Equestria?"

Hurricane rolled her eyes, "Well, I'd rather be first, but no one can beat Rainbow Dash's times on the course. One of these days though and I'll put that damn pony's name in second place." Hurricane boasted as her confidence increased.

"Oh, I have no doubt. Well, you're certainly the fastest around at the minute, that's something to be proud of. I daresay I'm almost honoured to meet you. Almost. So what brings ya here?" The baremare inquired.

"Ah, no, no, no. Tell me your name first." Hurricane insisted, aiming to take a little more control of the flirting. The baremare grinned.

"Mel. Stupid name, I know. Let's just get Mel Smells out the way first, can we?" They both laughed graciously. "So, question time. What brings you to the most colourful bar in Canterlot?"

Hurricane held back the urge to say she'd seen more colourful. That would have been rude. "Eh, broken dreams and eccentric fatigue." Very poetic, Hurricane. Nice. Do you even know what it's supposed to mean? It didn't seem to matter as Mel expressed an inquisitive look.

"Broken dreams? Eccentric fatigue? You'll have to forgive me I don't have a degree in language or interpretation so you're going to have to dumb that down a considerable ammount." She gave Hurricane a joking grin.

Hurricane wondered if she should mention the Castle, so she thought of something else to stir the conversation. "I'm unemployed, I have no money and frankly I'm starting to lose hope in Canterlot." Nice. Very pessimistic. You're a keeper.

Mel looked genuinely surprised. "But a flier like you should surely be on her way to becoming a Wonderbolt. Why in Equestria havn't they taken ya under their wing yet?" A looker and a flatterer. Hurricane inspected her closely. She had a relaxing face, petite and sweet. Peachy and rosy cheeks with a dinstinct jawline and soft lips. She certainly was beautiful. Hurricane realised she had been silent for about ten seconds as she stared at Mel. She blushed, embarrassed but Mel simply giggled.

"Well, I... Uh. I... You see, ya have to go through rigourous training to become a Wonderbolt, and with everything that's happening in Equestria lately it's seemed like the least of my worries. Not only that, but they'd often rely on inspectors of the weather ponies to try and decide who has potential to even be considered for the Wonderbolts and... well, since there's no weather team anymore, that method has... well... kind of been slammed. Anyway, I'd much rather help others than chase my own dreams, at least for now, with all the shit that's happening... That sounds dumb, right?" Hurricane stammered.

"No, not at all Hurricane. Very noble infact... downright Loyal. You sure you're not related to Rainbow Dash?" Mel inquired jokingly.

"I pretty damn sure, Mel." Hurricane smiled.

         A silence held for a moment before Mel finally spoke again. "Sorry Hurricane,  got to dash, there are customers waiting. You going to be hanging around?"

"Hey, listen. If you want a job, just a temporary one, there's a placement in our new bar opening in Ponyville next week. Just a baremare job but the pay is good. You should apply. I'll even recommend you if you like." Wow, that was... Kind, considerate, generous. Hurricane couldn't quite speak for a moment.

"You know, I've never even thought about a bar job. I... I could do that, yeah. Ponyville you say? I was never particularly fond of that place, too quiet, too boring." Hurricane pressed.

"Not so much the case anymore. A lot of ponies from Canterlot have moved there expecting better work, it's expanded quite a bit over the past few years, that's why we're also expanding there. Good business opportunities, ya know?" Hurricane thought for a moment.

"Sure, I could do that. At least for a while, whilst I save up a bit more money. I wouldn't have to move either, I can just fly there and back each day. You know what, it actually sounds perfect for me. Where do I sign up?"

"Just leave it to me sweetie. I'll make sure you get the job." Mel grinned and Hurricane gave an unrelenting smile of appreciation back at her. What a mare, she thought.

*****

What a mare indeed, Hurricane thought as she returned back home from Mel's cottage. Her and Mel spent hours together after she got off of work. The sun had been shining for about seventeen hours now and it was still high up in the sky, which was for once quite welcoming. Mel had treated Hurricane to a brilliant night out, (well, more of a day out but... details details), they drank together before Mel dragged Hurricane to a disco in Central Canterlot. Hurricane was overwhealmed by the atmosphere, the dancing, the music, the sights and sounds. It was a wonderful experience. She was more than glad she entered that bar when she did, her and Mel seemed to click perfectly. The perfect combination of friend and stranger. She hadn't felt so madly attracted to someone in quite some time. Around her she felt... amazing. Like she had been punched in the stomach but in a really wonderful way, a sensation that almost tickled and sent pleasent sensations all through her body. Her and Mel danced late into the day and when the venue began to quiet down, she invited Hurricane back to her place before treating her to a fantastic meal and... well, some other treats. They were both sweaty from the dancing afterall, why take a shower seperatly? Hurricane was smiling madly as she left.

She walked around the streets of Canterlot for a while, the bright, sunlit streets practically empty as ponies tried to recover their confused sleep patterns but Hurricane couldn't imagine sleeping at this point in time. Her heart was racing too fast, her brain was filled with ideas and emotion. If she didn't stop smiling she would certainly feel it in the next few hours. Mel's cottage was situated in the middle of Canterlot, quite a walk away from Hurricane's apartment. It would only take a moment to get home should Hurricane fly, but she felt an incohesive sense of awe at the sight of Canterlot now. Mel showed her how wonderful it could really be.

Hurricane couldn't help but think about the job offered to her my Mel. A job in Ponyville? Would that suit me? I've lived my entire life in the city, it would be quite a step forwards. But that was just what it was. A step forwards. Hurricane had been unemployed for longer than she can begin to remember. At this point in her life, a job, no matter where it was, was a step forwards. She would make sure she still saw Mel, without a doubt. She wouldn't be seeing the last of her. The concept of a new was brilliant. A barmare aswell. That would suit her, she was talkative, confident and hardworking. It would be nice to have an excuse to get out of bed aswell.

Almost without warning, memories of her failed attempt at a direct interview with the council at Canterlot Castle entered her head, and she began contemplating on it for a while. She soon found herself desperate for someone to talk to about it. Hurricane began to become fraustrated that none of her questions were actually answered, and soon Canterlot seemed a lot bleaker.

Hurricane entered the square. It was incomprehensively large. It was circular, with buildings skirting the outside. Moving furthur into the circle was neatly trimmed grass until it reached stone slabs which occupied the rest of the square. In the centre was a large set of circular steps, moving upwards from all directions. On those step were large marble statues. Those statues were dedicated to ponies who had displayed great courage throughout their lives and benefited the cause of Equestria relentlessly. She approached the statues. They towered over her, each about fourteen foot tall, with the ponies standing on their hind legs reaching well over twenty feet in height. One of these ponies Hurricane recognised instantly. Shining Armour, the former Captain of the Royal Guard. Hurricane had always admired the royal guard, even now regardless of her little scrape with them earlier. They displayed a profound sense of duty and loyalty which Hurricane admired deeply. Shining Armour was no exception. Even though he was getting on in his years when Hurricane was just about old enough to understand his position, she still admired his passion for his work. His body aged but his spirit stayed young, and his love for his Alicorn wife remained powerful and unwavering. Something all ponies should admire really. There were twelve statues in total. Several of them were ponies from centuries ago, all worthy Captains and brave ponies. All the same, Hurricane didn't recognise any of them from the time when she was alive. But there were five others which Hurricane absolutely recognised. Each one standing tall and proud, the statues carved ever so beautifully. These five statues were situated closely together, much closer together than the others. Each statue stood on a stone plymth. Five statues... six stone plymths. One of them was empty.

Hurricane spent the next half an hour standing at the hooves of these brilliant statues. She examined them from left to right. On the furthest left was Rarity. Probably better known for her booming clothing business. Seriously, that mare could design. She started a line which was simply called Rarity which started in Ponyville. It produced an entire range of products which anypony could afford but were simply stunning. She would often charge less for an item of clothing than it cost to make. Celestia knows how she made any money. Hurricane had never been a fan of clothing, but she admired clear talent when she saw it. But Rarity was most fondly remembered for being an Element of Harmony. The Element of Generosity, to be more specific. Quite a feat. When Celestia relinquished her power of the Elements, she bestowed it into six close friends, Rarity being one of them. The Elements of Harmony was Equestria's most powerful defence against evil. Countless times these six mares defeated countless evils threatening to destroy Equestria, they were hailed as some of the most important ponies to ever walk Equestria. It was bizarre to think that they were all alive not very long ago. Yet here they were, praised and respected above all other ponies.

The next statue was of a short mare with thick curly hair. It was amazing that large mound of marble standing precariously on the mare's head didn't topple the entire statue. Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. Well, her name certainly made Hurricane laugh. She was never quite as commercially successful as Rarity, infact she ran Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville for quite some time. Hurricane always wondered why she never expanded the business, it was very successful and held in high regard all over Equestria for it's quality of cakes and other various confectionry. But she was always told that Pinkie Pie was a strange pony, which may explain it. Almost quite obsessive and... quite mad. Engaging in very strange but completely harmless behaviour. But oh, did she ever make ponies laugh. There was a legend that Pinkie Pie once stood in the face of Discord himself and laughed. Hurricane shuddered at the thought of meeting Discord. She understood he was long gone from these lands but she would have been flying home as fast as she could with her tail between her legs if anything she had read about Discord was true.

Next there was the empty stone plymth. Besides that there stood the largest mare of the five. She stood tall and proud, her right forehoof folded elegantly over her left. Applejack, The Element of Honesty. If Hurricane was going to be as honest as Applejack she might have said that she looked a little pudgey. But her athletic ability was never underestimated. Winner of the International Rodeo for ten consecutive years, which was entirely unheard of before her. She was actually regarded as one of the finest and most successful athletes in the world. She was offered many endorsements but chose not to take any of them. She was a simple farm pony, a pony of simple pleasures and ran Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. She was quite the master chef aswell, creating some of the the most incredible pies in Equestria. The recipe was passed down over the generations. Hurricane salivated as she imagine taking a big bite into one of those pies, still steaming and warm with perhaps just a dash of vanilla ice cream and skimmed cream poured over the top. Forget being an Element of Harmony, those pies were what Hurricane was most thankful for.

The next statue along was a timid looking pony. She had a shy stance, her head hung low but she wore a very sweet and comforting smile. Around her feet were small stone animals, birds, otters, rabbits... Hurricane couldn't help but notice that one of the rabbit's ears had been broken off. She surveyed the area breifly for it but came up empty-hooved, which was a shame. Still, it was no less impressive. Each of the animals looked up at Fluttershy with confidence and admiration. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Probably the most valued of the six, certainly the most adored. Fluttershy wrote a very successful series of foals stories which launched her into fame, much to her dismay. Hurricane remembered the story of the naughty bunny 'Angel' who refused to go to bed. Her mother had read it to her. Hurricane had always thought Angel sounded like an absolute spoiled brat. Fluttershy led a quiet life from what Hurricane had heard. Not liking to be disturbed too much. Her cottage is still standing in Ponyville, but it is now used as an animal sanctury ran by one of her grandchildren. Fluttershy actually set up many animal sancturys around Equestria, about seven to be exact. There's even one right here in Canterlot. Fluttershy's Home For Lonely Animals. Animals certainly didn't stay lonely for very long in that building. Thanks to Fluttershy and her shelters, almost every pony in Canterlot had a pet, including Hurricane.

And finally, there stood Rainbow Dash. The Element of Loyalty. Hurricane's legs shook. Her hero. Although she didn't like to admit it, she never really wanted to beat Rainbow Dash's flying times. She truly was the fastest Pegasus to ever fly through Equestria. The dominator of the Sonic Rainboom, the youngest mare to ever win Flier of the Year, winner of countless flying competitions. But more importantly she was a Wonderbolt. The leader of the Wonderbolts infact, one of the youngest ever. Rainbow Dash certainly lived life to the max, which Hurricane admired deeply. Like her, Rainbow Dash was a simple weather control pony, in Ponyville. Hurricane was always inspired by that. Weather control pony to leader of the Wonderbolts. Of course, Rainbow Dash was absolutely dedicated to what she wanted to achieve, but that never got in the way of what she believed to be her duty. The Element of Loyalty, afterall. That inspired Hurricane, and to some extent she used that inspiration as an excuse to never persue anything greater. Although she admired herself for it, staying behind because of a concern for her fellow ponies, she also felt she was letting herself down. She could achieve more. She just needed to reach out for it. Hurricane wasn't lazy. Just cautious. One day she would become a Wonderbolt, that much she knew. Like Rainbow Dash.

Hurricane saluted the tall statue. It almost came to life as she did. She could see the bright flowing colours of Rainbow Dash's mane shine through, brightening up the area even more than the sun was already doing. Hurricane gave a sorrowful smile and turned to walk home.

As she exited the square, she felt a cold breeze. Her shadow before her extended at her feet and she looked back at the setting sun, before the night covered the land.

Ponyville. They all came from Ponyville. All six elements. Maybe there is something for me there.

The eye's fixed on Hurricane from some distance away never left her as she began walking home.

Everypony will one day die.