Hey guys! Just wanted to make up for the short chapter I posted last time! I hope this makes up for it and you like this. Enjoy!

🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁

Two weeks later, just a day before her debut, Sunny Blaze was up and at it when she got to school. When she was preparing her things for class, though, a hand slammed a paper right on her stuff. She flinched and looked up. El Condor Pasa and Flower Flash were there, smiling at her excitedly. “Blaze-Chan, did you see?” El asked.

Blaze looked at the paper and read through it. She gasped, “I'm number 11?!” Flash held a thumb up, “Yep! Bracket 8 on turf! Isn't that great?”

“Yeah it is!” Blaze held up the paper. “I can't believe I'm already going to have my debut race.” El added, “And you still have to race in your first unranked races before you can officially be a junior class. Junior classes can race in bigger races.”

“So I still have to race in at least four more races to get to Junior Class to compete in the Horse Girl Taikyu Competition?” Sunny groaned. “At least.” El Condor Pasa confirmed. “Hey, I gotta go to class, bye!” She jogged away.

Seiun Sky looked over at the two and walked to them. “You're the newest member on Team Rigil, right?”

“Yes, I am.” Sunny Blaze replied. “Ah, I heard you're a tough cookie.” Flash added, “She sure is! She'll beat just about anyone on the track!”

Sky looked at Sunny and chuckled, “I guess that's a challenge? I hope we can race together someday, Blaze-Chan. I'll be in the crowd, cheering you on tomorrow in your race.”

The two horse girls smiled at each other. Flash hugged Sunny, “Hey, I have to go to my class, see ya!”

“Bye, Flash-Chan.” Sunny waved. Seiun Sky turned away and went back to her desk. Special Week came to her desk. “Hi, Blaze-Chan.”

Sunny glanced at her. “Hey, Spe-chan.” She avoided eye contact, though. Special Week shrugged that off and asked, “Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

Sunny did feel nervous, but she couldn't let anyone know. “No, not really.” Special Week looked up, “I remember my debut race. I was really nervous...then again, I did only have one week to prepare for it.”

“One week?! That's nuts!”

“Yeah, I was scared. But once I started running, I didn't feel so scared. All I could do was run.” Special Week turned to her again, “Suzuka told me that. ‘All you can do is run.’” Sunny nodded and smiled, looking at the paper on her desk with her name on it.

All I can do is run.

The next day, Sunny's big race was going to start. Trainer Hana prepared her in her room, putting her red and white coat over her shoulder.

“Remember, don't put it on you, but drape it on your shoulder so you can take it off easier at the paddock.” Sunny nodded. “Keep the strategy in mind.” Hana pointed to a board with a drawing on it. She tapped her pen on an area.

“At the starting gate, don't start off too fast. Knowing how you run, I don't want to risk tiring you out too soon. You have to go around this area once.” She traced the track that was the second widest. “Don't stay too far behind. I know you can easily recuperate that, but I don't want to try anything especially with the other new racers. I heard there are plenty of horse girls to watch out for.”

Sunny Blaze nodded. “Okay.” Hana sighed, “You know when to fake them out, right? Just like we practiced.” Sunny looked to the door. “Got it.”

Hana stopped her before she left, “One more thing, Sunny.” She stared at her trainer with a ready look. The woman pushed her glasses up and instructed, “Don't freeze on me. I know it might be frightening out there, but that doesn't mean you lose all confidence. We've been training hard for this.”

Sunny Blaze nodded with a determined expression. “Thank you, Trainer.” She opened the door and stepped out.

“Blaze-Chan!!” Flower Flash cried and embraced her roommate. “Oh, thank you, Flash-Chan.” Sunny groaned as she was stifled. Almost all of Team Rigil was there with supportive looks on their faces.

Hishi Amazon patted Sunny's shoulder. “You've got this, Blaze-Chan.” Grass Wonder added, “We're gonna be watching right at the front row!”

El Condor Pasa smiled, “You can do it, Blaze-Chan!” A few others gave their compliments and best wishes to her.

“Thank you, everyone. I won't let you down.” Sunny beamed at them. She looked to the long tunnel ahead and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and looked focused.

Once she saw the sunlight and heard the booming crowd, her expression faded away into a startled one.

Backstage at the paddock, she got quite jittery.

“Hey, are you number 11?” A squeaky cute voice came behind her. Sunny gasped, turning around to see a short horse girl. Her hair was cyan colored, put into two buns right below her blue capped ears. She had a purple flower pin on her left ear and wide violet eyes.

Sunny Blaze nodded, “Yeah, I am. I'm Sunny Blaze.” The other horse girl gasped, “Team Rigil!”

“Yeah.” Sunny chuckled in a friendly manner. The girl chimed, “I'm from Team Altair! My name is Daisy Bullseye. Most everyone calls me Bullseye.”

“Nice to meet you, Daisy-San.” Daisy chuckled, “Can't wait to see you out there. I'm sure you're something to look out for. Team Rigil is a top notch team!”

Sunny grinned and looked back when she heard her name called. “Well, that's my cue see ya.” She waved and stepped away.

The two announcers Akasaka and Junko Hosoe noticed Sunny Blaze coming out on paddock stage. “And there is Team Rigil's newest member, Sunny Blaze!”

Blaze grabbed her jacket and hesitantly flung it off her shoulder like she remembered she was supposed to do. The crowd cheered even louder. She didn't lose focus though.

Hosoe commented calmly, “I heard that she is going to be one of the ones to look out for. She looks well built too.” Akasake agreed, “Absolutely! The crowd is waiting to see who'll be their new favorite horse girl of the unranked and Sunny Blaze looks like she will be.”

Sunny walked off, taking her jacket with her and waving.

Flower Flash was at the first row, cheering. “Go Blaze-Chan!” El Condor Pasa waved at Sunny, “Good luck, Blaze-Chan!!!” Seiun Sky was right by them, waving happily.

Even President Symboli Rudolf was there. She stood there, examining the other racers with her arms crossed.

Sunny smiled a little and went onto the backstage again. The other horse girls were announced one-by-one, the announcers commenting on their appearances and impressions. She couldn't psych herself out with how many other horse girls were racing, though. She kept her mind on the finish line.

She thought about the time she would cross it, how she would win. She was confident in herself that she would win. She had to be.

Suzuka and Special Week from Team Spica appeared behind their Trainer. He looked back at them and reminded, “Don't draw too much attention to yourselves.”

“Thank you so much, Trainer-San. I really appreciate you taking us with you to see Sunny Blaze in her debut race.” Special Week bowed repeatedly. Trainer waved his hand at her, “Okay, okay. Just calm down. You two really shouldn't be here anyway.”

Suzuka grabbed Special Week's arm gently. “Spe-Chan.” She stopped and looked to the calm and collected face of Suzuka. “It's okay. Let's just be here to support our friend. We have to be rivals. There to support each other but also challenging one another.”

Special Week nodded. “Right. Sorry, I forgot.”

A while later, after stretching and making sure everything worked, Sunny stood in front of the starting gate. Multiple horse girls were still warming up nearby and then getting into their starting gates.

“In Bracket 8, Sunny Blaze from Team Rigil.” Akasaka announced. “Right next to Sunny Blaze in Bracket 9 is Daisy Bullseye.” Sunny sighed, stepping into the gate slowly. Pretty cozy in here. She thought.

Daisy got in position in her bracket. She looked at Sunny and mentioned, “I should warn you, don't get your hopes up. I'll be crossing that finish line first.” Her face was very different from her first impression. Sunny guessed she must have taken races seriously.

“Not on my watch.” Blaze murmured evenly, narrowing her eyes. The gate behind her closed, almost making her jump. She moved her tail out of the way and gulped.

Hana stood a few feet from the supporting horse girls. Thoughts raced through her mind. She needs to win this. She needs to be able to help the team. She needs to impress the crowd. Hana swallowed a little and mumbled, “I believe in you, Sunny Blaze.”

Team Spica's trainer watched from a distance, clenching his jaw a little. He knew Sunny Blaze had talent. She would be a tough opponent.

Special Week and Silence Suzuka glanced at each other, then turned to the starting gates.

It became dead silent, the whole crowd quieted, the horse girls froze, waiting for the call to go.

Click.

The gates all simultaneously opened, the horse girls busting through. “And the race has begun!” Akasaka boomed into her microphone.

Daisy noticed all the horse girls trying to find a comfortable spot. She took the chance to weave through the other girls like obstacles and got to the front of the race.

“The girls quickly get their spots, the small but feisty Daisy Bullseye takes the lead, while Sunny Blaze stays in the middle, trying to find a good position. The lovely Stay Gold stays in front of Sunny, staying at a good pace.” Junko reports.

A short haired slender horse girl with a hold earring in her right ear covered Sunny. She knew that she would waste her energy too much if she tried to get around everyone. She had to stay where she was for now.

Sunny noted that Daisy stayed dangerously close to the rails. She got a smoother run, but one small mistake and she could injure herself.

The horse girls made their first curve, some of them speeding up a bit.

Silence Suzuka watched intently, making notes in her head. “She needs to risk that speed if she's going to get there first.”

Team Rigil cheered her Blaze on, shouting encouragements toward her. Trainer Hana clenched a fist, sighing deeply. “Come on, do something.”

Seiun Sky stared at Daisy with an impressed look.

Daisy slowed her pace a bit, still leading the whole pack. Many horse girls started separating more and running faster. Sunny flicked her ears, going a bit faster and barely making it between two horse girls in front of them.

“Sunny Blaze has just moved up to fifth place! The horse girls seem to be ganging up on Bullseye as she starts to fall back a little.” Akasaka said.

Daisy kept her eyes locked forward. She didn't look back. Stay Gold was right behind her, almost charging into her. Sunny Blaze was staying toward the outside, keeping her place in fifth.

Stay Gold suddenly rammed through Daisy, causing the small one to stumbled to the side and yelp. She still kept running however. Gold was able to pull ahead.

Sunny looked at Stay Gold and suddenly slowed down. She found her to be intimidating.

Akasaka gasped, “It seems Stay Gold is fighting her way through to first place! Daisy is still standing, running at second now! Sunny Blaze seems to be falling back, now!”

No, don't cower from her. Hana placed a hand on her own face, grunting. “I should've warned her there were girls who did that.”

The girls made their second turn, some already making their move and getting ahead. Daisy kept going, though she didn't change anything. “Daisy keeps the lead, the girls make their second round with 600 meters left!”

Sunny Blaze got to third place, right behind Daisy. She could feel the pressure behind her of bunches of horse girls ganging up. She didn't want to make her move get, especially since Stay Gold would throw her off.

Gold's ears pointed back for a second and she glanced back to see the two horse girls coming up. She growled lowly, running.

Sunny approached next to Daisy, leaning in closer to her. Daisy took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. I've got this!! Daisy made her move, causing Sunny to gasp. Stay Gold growled, “I'm not letting her pass!” She threw herself to the right to keep Daisy from passing.

Suddenly, Daisy went to Gold's left, right by the rails, sprinting past her. Sunny gulped, knowing she had to make her move for it to work. She saw the crowd as she ran. This is for Team Rigil!

Sunny stepped forward before taking off right past Stay Gold. The crowd cheered wildly, Team Rigil gasping, their eyes getting big.

Suzuka looked to her Trainer, mouth open in shock. He looked just as surprised. “Wow! She timed that perfectly!”

Akasaka screamed excitedly, “Bullseye and Sunny both take off ahead of Stay Gold! They just made their move!” Junko agreed, “Yes, they have just made their moves and seem to be battling it out for first place as they get closer to their third turn.”

Sunny and Daisy were going neck and neck at the lead. Daisy ran pretty swiftly for a shorter girl. Sunny glanced to Team Rigil. They were cheering her on, smiling and screaming. Sunny couldn't help but grin.

I'm not gonna lose this. She promised herself. She knew they were close to finishing. She guessed it was time to show her full speed off.

Daisy finally got ahead, lowering herself to gain more speed. She definitely didn't expect Sunny Blaze to step up and shoot like a bullet. Daisy gasped, her eyes widening.

Sunny got far ahead of the race.

Akasaka shrieked, “And Sunny takes off again!! Turns out she was faking us out!!” The crowd screamed, jumping up and down and waving their hands in the air.

Silence Suzuka leaned forward, gasping. In her years of experience, she had never seen anything like that. No horse girl she has raced against could do something like that.

Special Week jumped up and down, squealing. “Did you see that?!!!”

Trainer nodded. “She did that in her first race when she was trying out for Team Rigil.”

Hana nodded, pleased. “Good job, Sunny.” She smirked a little.

Meanwhile, Sunny felt like a free bird. She was smiling, eyes big and bright and running to her full speed. Daisy Bullseye was falling even farther behind, trying to think how she could've pulled it off. The other horse girls looked ahead, thinking they had no chance of winning.

Sunny Blaze was first to cross the finish, Daisy coming in almost 10 seconds after.

The announcers celebrated at the same time, “Sunny Blaze wins!!”

The whole place went wild with cheers and screams. The Trainer looked back to Suzuka and Special Week, both in complete shock, turning to him. “She's good!!” Special Week marveled.

Trainer nodded, “Really tough. She has a lot of energy.” Hana looked back to the three with a confident smirk. She was sure Sunny would be the new favorite horse girl.

Akasaka continued announcing the horse girls that crossed. Sunny Blaze finally stopped, bending down, holding her knees and panting hard.

Daisy collapsed to her knees, catching her breath. Sweat was dripping down her face as she panted. Sunny Blaze stood up, looking to the crowd.

They were all cheering and screaming for her. “Sun-ny Blaze! Sun-ny Blaze!!” They chanted. Blaze couldn't fight the smile that was forming on her lips. She bowed to the crowd and waved excitedly to them.

“Yes! She did it!” Flower Flash jumped up and down. “That's my roommate! That's my roommate! She's my roommate!” She exclaimed to any people near her.

The rest of Team Rigil were proudly smiling and raising their hands at her. Special Week and Silence Suzuka were still awe struck but cheering Sunny.

Trainer nodded, “She's good.” Special Week asked, “Good? She's amazing!!”

Sunny took a moment to stop and glance at her trainer. Hana grinned and gave an approving nod.

Blaze laughed in joy.

Daisy came up behind Blaze and tapped her shoulder. “Blaze-San.”

“Hmm?” Sunny Blaze turned. Daisy smiled, “You did awesome! You deserve the win.” Sunny blushed, “Why, thank you.”

“But don't think you'll win next time.” Daisy pointed a finger at her. “I'll be ready next time we meet on the track.”

Sunny smirked, “So will I.”

A few other horse girls lined up behind Sunny Blaze and all greeted the audience. Stay Gold was kicking the dirt in frustration as she walked away.

Blaze noticed this and jogged over to her. “Hey,” she stopped her.

Gold looked at her with a taken aback look. “I just wanna say, you're a great runner.” She complimented.

“Thank you.” Stay Gold accepted and smiled back.

The top three racers stood together, waving at the crowd and greeting their companions and teams.

🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁

Ooh Sunny Blaze won her debut race! Not so bad after the mess up in the friendly race with her friends, huh? Now what? Find out in the next chapter what happens next after this.