Friendship is Magic

THREE YEARS AGO

Soarin lay back in the grass, hands tucked behind his head, and relaxed in the warm sunlight.  In the field before him, a group of kids played soccer, shouting and laughing as they kicked the black and white ball around.  It was the perfect chance to chill before he and the rest of his team left for France.  The Wonderbolts Elite were in high demand, always being invited to compete and interview with the media, and be at sponsor dinners.  This hectic lifestyle left him little time to pursue his favorite activity: lounging.

Something hard and round bounced off of his head, startling him.  He looked to his side, saw a ball rolling down the hill, and caught it.

He stared at it curiously, “What the...”

“Hey, Slacker!”

He looked and saw a tiny, athletic, girl waving up to him.  Her scarf and hat obscured most of her features.

“This yours?”  He asked, displaying the ball.

“Yeah!  Ya mind tossin' it back?  We gotta game goin' on here.”

“Hey, Daring.  Let's do this!”  One of the other players, a boy, called out.

“Be right there!”  She called back.

Soarin tossed the ball back and watched as she rejoined her teammates.

She dribbled the ball, moving with amazing speed and agility as she jockeyed against an opponent.  Finally in a position that suited her, she kicked the ball high and over the head of her opponent.  In the span of a millisecond, she changed position by about a meter and, with a back-flip, accurately sent the ball into the net.

“Goal!” she crowed, throwing her hands up victoriously.

He was amazed that someone so young possessed such amazing coordination and agility.  That wasn't just skill, that was talent.  He brought his hands together in loud and enthusiastic applause.  “Bravo!  Bravo, girl!  You're amazing!”  He cheered.

One of the boys, her opponent, took on a suspicious scowl.  “Girl?”  He reached over and snatched the hat from her head, revealing the long, sky-blue, strands that had been piled up underneath.  “Hey!  You're that girl who wanted to play with us yesterday!  I thought we told you to get lost.  We don't play with girls.”

“Hah!”  She barked.  “You're just jealous that I beat you, fair and square.”  She made a face.

“You wanna act like a kid, we'll treat you like one!”  Another boy said.

She gestured rudely. “Slowpokes!  You can't catch me!”

One of the boys lunged for her, but she flipped over his head and took off, pumping her little legs as hard as she could.

“She's quick.”  Soarin said to himself as he watched her go. “Good reflexes, great agility, she might have what it takes.”  Getting to his feet, he trotted after her, using his longer stride and greater speed to catch up.

“Hey there!”  He greeted, keeping pace.

She let out a startled yelp, surprised that he had caught up so easily.

“That was pretty great!”  He said.  “I've never seen somebody with such talent win a match like that.”

“Yeah, and I would have kept my victory if it wasn't for you, meddling busybody!”  She replied.

He laughed. “Alright, I screwed up.  Let me make it up to you.  I can help you escape if you just do what I do.”

Without waiting for a reply, he sprinted ahead of her.  A few meters ahead, there was a massive wall.  Building speed, Soarin leaped, bounced off of the wall, and nimbly landed on the top.

The girl nearly stumbled in shock, but her face took on a grim mask as she tried her hand.  Mimicking his movements, she gripped the lip of the wall and struggled up, her short stature proving slightly problematic.

Soarin scaled a building, leaping from window sill to window sill.  She stayed on his heels, slipping only a few times.  On the roof, he cleared the alley to the next roof, clambering up a drain pipe to the next level.  The girl hesitated for only a moment before following, struggling to reach the roof.

He looked down to see the boys pursuing them from the street, occasionally glancing up to check their position.

Taking off again, he leaped to the next roof, gripping the edge and pulling himself up before trotting to the side to give the little girl clearance to try.  She poured on the speed, taking the leap and just barely making it.

Next was the toughest part.  A full street-width stood between them and the next roof.  The difference in the height of the buildings would make judging the distance a little more difficult, but the wind was at his back and he was  confident he could make it.  He leaped, extending to his full length, and flew through the air.  When he was sure he had cleared the distance, he curled up, tumbling to a safe landing.

The girl stood at the lip of the building he had just left, staring at him across the gap.

“C'mon, kid.”  He called out to her.

“No way!”  She called back.

“Look, the way I see it, you've got two choices.  Either you can turn back and see if you can beat both of those boys, or you can jump down and I can show you something new and incredible.”

She scoffed. “You're nuts if you think I'm jumping down there.  It was fun while it lasted, but my daddy didn't raise a crazy girl.”  She spun on her heel. “I'm outta here.”

He stepped back, slightly confused.  He was so sure she had what it took.  Despite her inexperiance, she had kept up like a pro, right on his heels the entire time.

A shriek erupted from above him and he looked up to see the girl leap out into the open air. “I am a crazy girl!”  She screamed as she flailed her arms and legs.

His impressed smile vanished as he realized she had underestimated the distance.  She wasn't going to make it.

A moment later, she came to the same conclusion.  “Oh, God, no!  Why did I do this?!  I'm gonna die!”

He leaped, catching her in mid-air, flipping off of the side of the building she had just left, and landing back on the roof.

She clung to him, trembling.

“Hey, you're okay.  You're okay, Little Pegasus.”  Still holding her, he leaned over the edge and called to the boys below. “Hey, if you two can get up here, I'll give you this girl.”

“What?!”  She squawked.  “What do you think you're doing?!”

Soarin quickly hushed her. “Just wait.”

“No stupid girls worth climbin' all of that!”  One boy said.

“Yeah.  Ya can't stay up there forever, girl.  Sooner or later, ya gotta come down.  Then, you're dead meat.”  Another threatened.

Slowly, shooting glares up at them, the boys dispersed.

Soarin' chuckled.  “See, there's always a way to tell the losers from the winners.”  He said, ruffling her hair.

She shoved away from him. “Get off of me, blockhead.”

“That isn't how we thank people who've saved our lives.”  He scolded, fists pressed to his hips.

“Heh, I wouldn't need saving if you hadn't ratted me out in the first place.”  She shot back.

He nodded. “Touche.”

“How did you know I was a girl?”  She asked.

Soarin shrugged. “I've spent years competing with and against women.  Fundamentally, the fairer sex moves differently.  Why did you try to disguise yourself as a boy?”

“You saw.  They won't play with girls.”

“I thought it was because you're under the age of six.”  He observed.

She glared at him before delivering a sharp kick to his shin.  “I'm ten, numb-skull.”

He gripped his leg and wince.  “Ow, okay.  Sorry, sorry.  But, why don't you go make a team and play with your own friends?”

She shrugged.  “My dad and I just moved to town a few weeks ago.  I haven't really had a chance to make any friends.”

“What about your classmates?”

She scoffed.  “They're all interested in make-up and pretending to be teenagers.  I like sports because I like the feel of achievement through my efforts.”

Soarin began to laugh.

“What the...?  Are you mocking me?  Don't mock me!”

He paused in his laughing, realizing he had just offended her.  “I wasn't laughing at you.  I'm just really happy I heard you say that, Little Pegasus.”

“And don't call me 'Little Pegasus'.  I have a name.”

“And what is that?”

She hesitated for the first time since their meeting. “Ra-Rainbow.”

“Ah, what an adorable name.”

She nervously clutched at her elbow. “You think so?”

“Of course.”  He assured her, crouching down to ruffle her hair. “Y'know what would look good with a name like that?  If you dyed your hair with all of the colors of the rainbow.  That would be perfect.”

She snorted. “You're a nut, ya know that?  Whaddaya think I am, a clown?”

Soarin shrugged.  “That's just my opinion.  I happen to like rainbows.”

“Hey, you haven't told me your name.”

He laughed and stood, posing with his hands on his hips.  “Too right, I haven't.  Where are my manners?  I'm Soarin of the World-Famous Wonderbolts Elite.”

He looked down at Rainbow, who had cocked an eyebrow.  “The what now?”

It was his turn to be surprised.  “Oh, little girl.  You've live in this town and you don't know the Wonderbolts Elite or the Wonderbolts Extreme Sports Academy?  Shame on you.”

“Hey, it's not my fault.  I told you we've only just moved into town.”

He nodded.  “Right, so let me lay it all out for you.  The Wonderbolts Academy is a center of higher learning.  Not only do we prepare students academically, but we're responsible for turning out athletes of the highest caliber.

“But not in the common sports, you understand, only in extreme sports.  Over the years, extreme sports have grown in popularity with the likes of Stacy Peralta and the Bones Brigade, Matt Hoffman, and Shawn White leading the way.  There are events comparable to the Olympic Games.  But the Wonderbolts Academy is only one of many in the world.”

“Awesome, but you said you were with the Wonderbolts Elite.  What's that mean?”

He smiled, always happy to talk about himself. “Even though I'm only sixteen, myself and two other girls are considered the best in the whole school, but we wouldn't be considered Elite if it wasn't for our second job.”

“What's that?”  Rainbow asked, growing more excited by the moment.

“Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and myself make up the Tactical and Rescue Division of the Wonderbolts.”

“Tactical and Rescue?”

He nodded. “For example; if a building collapses, or there's some sort of natural disaster like an earthquake, we use our talents and acrobatics to safely get in to the area and get supplies to those who might be trapped until First Responders can get to them.”

“No way!  So, you're like superheros?”

He laughed. “I guess that's one way of thinking of it.”

She let out a squeal.  “That's like twenty-percent cooler!”

He cocked an eyebrow.  “What did you say?”

Soarin's question was lost on Rainbow, who was hopping with giddiness. “I want to join this academy too.”

“I think you have what it takes, Rainbow.”  He assured her. “All you need is twenty-thousand dollars for one year of study.”

She stopped short and her jaw fell. “There's no way that dad has that kind of money.  Your family must be millionaires or something.”

He laughed again and knelt to her level.  “I don't have a family.  I came from an orphanage, but I entered the school on a scholarship I won at a tournament.”

“At a tournament?”

He nodded. “Every four years, the school holds a tournament in Skateboarding, Snowboarding, Motocross, and Parkour with scholarships going to those who place first in each individual competition.  The Parkour tournament is the best, in my opinion, because the one who wins that is automatically eligible for Elite training.”

“What's Parkour?” She asked.

“What do you think you've been doing with me all of this time?  But, unlike a regular track race, there is no set path, only a time limit.  It's up to you to choose the best path to reach the goal.  This year, in three months, the tournament will be held again.”

“Do you really think I could win?  I mean, I'm still just a...girl.”

He shook his head.  “It doesn't matter what I think.  Do you think you have what it takes?  By entering the tournament, you might find what you've been looking for.”

She made a face.  “What have I been looking for?”

“That's entirely up to you.  However, if you're that desperate for my opinion, I think you have the potential to be one of the very best at the school.  Just look at what you did today, and you didn't even know what you were doing.  When you made that jump, you showed me you have the determination to achieve the impossible.

“You also have to admit that, for those few seconds you were in the air, you felt like you belonged.  Like this was what was right for you.”  He shrugged. “I dunno.  Maybe you were a hawk, or a mythological Pegasus, in another life.

“And, personally, I'd love to work beside you as a Wonderbolt Elite.”

She pumped her fists. “Yeah, I wanna be a Wonderbolt!”

Soarin checked his watch. “I have to catch a plane at eight, so I'll have a little time to teach you a few basic things that will help you in the long run.”

She nodded excitedly. “Yeah, teach me!  I'm a good student.”

He smiled. “Let's see what you've got.”

x----x

“For the rest of the day, we trained hard.  I fell down a lot, but I always got back up.  I think that's what impressed him the most.  I felt so close to him.  Like he was the older brother I've always wanted.”

x----x

Soarin set his bag down as he knelt before Rainbow.  “Alright, Little Pegasus.  You've done good, but it's time for me to go.”

“Already?!”  She whined. “But I was having so much fun!”

“And just think of how much fun you'll have as a Wonderbolt.  All you have to do is practice, and you'll get there.  As sure as I love apple pie.”  He pulled something out from under his shirt, removed it from his neck, and handed it to her.  “Keep this for me.  I'll let you have it so long as you promise to return it on the day you join the Academy.”

She looked down at the lightning bolt pendant he had given her.  “What is it?”

“It's the symbol of the Wonderbolt Elite.  A symbol of our lightning-fast response to any danger.  You hold on to that for me and remember to practice every day.”

x----x

Rainbow gripped the pendant as her eyes held a faraway look. “He left for France that night.  I kept my promise to him, practicing every day so that I could be the best.  Even though my classmates taunted me for not acting like a real girl, the thought of being where I would be truly appreciated kept me going.  I thought he was the only one who could truly understand me.

“That was until I met you.  Unlike my old friend, Gilda, you were never an expert in sports.  You, the shy and fragile Fluttershy.”