Friendship is Magic

A tiny shadow darted from rooftop to scaffolding, silhouetted against the setting sun.  Like a monkey, it scaled the scaffolding, leaping to another rooftop swiftly.  It tumbled over the edge and flung out its arms, gripping a tree branch, swinging to the grass, and tumbling back to its feet.

“Time, Rainbow!”

Rainbow slowed to a trot and turned, coming to a stop next to Fluttershy where she doubled over, breathing heavily. “How did I do?”

Fluttershy held up the stopwatch. “Congratulations, you've broken your previous record by one whole second!”

“One second?  That's it?!  I need to be faster!”

Rainbow's sudden outburst startled Fluttershy, who brought up a defensive arm. “Is that bad?”

“Well, no,” Rainbow admitted. “But I need to be better if I want to be accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy.  The competition's next Spring, and if I don't get it this time, I'll have to wait four more years!  I have to impress the judges this year, Fluttershy.  I just have to.”

Fluttershy grinned. “Are you sure it's the judges you want to impress?  Maybe you're actually looking to impress Soarin.”

Rainbow jumped as if she had been kicked. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Fluttershy sighed heavily and looked off towards the sunset.

“What's on your mind, Flutters?”

“Do you mind that I'm your friend?  I mean, you're not just tolerating me, are you?”

“What are you talking about?  Of course I like you.  How long have we known each other?”

“Three years.”

“And, in all that time, when have you ever known me to be mean to you?  And teasing doesn't count 'cause you do that too.”

“Never.”

“Uh-huh, so what's with the sudden loss of confidence?”

“It's just that...I feel like I'm a burden to you.”

Rainbow rubbed her temples in irritation.  As much as she loved her friend, Flutters' lack of confidence could be trying at times.  They had to have had this conversation at least once a week. “You're not a burden to me.  It was you who approached me, remember?  If you hadn't had the confidence to approach me, I'd probably still be alone.  Although I have to admit, I would have never imagined having a shy and quiet girl like you for a friend.”

“I'm not shy.” Fluttershy objected, weakly.

“Oh, please.  You're afraid of your own shadow.”  Rainbow threw an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders and pulled the taller girl down to her level.

“Rainbow, no matter how long we're together, you'll always be my friend, right?”

“Always!” Rainbow gave Fluttershy a fist bump.

“Ow!  That hurt.”  Fluttershy yelped and massaged her wrist.  She glanced at her watch. “Oh no, I promised my mom I'd be home before dark.  She's going to kill me if I'm late.”

“Go ahead.  I'm going to train a little longer before I head home.”

“Okay. Don't strain yourself and, remember, you promised to meet me in the park tomorrow to help out.”

“Don't worry, I'll be there with bells on!”

Fluttershy gave a final wave over her shoulder and jogged in the direction of her apartment.

x----x

Fluttershy took another look at her watch and nearly fainted.  At the rate she was going, she would almost certainly be late, and if she was late her mother would ground her and she wouldn't be able to go to the park as planned.

She stopped at an alley she knew to be an almost direct route to her house.  Normally, she would go up the street another block and come across before coming back down to her house, essentially making a giant u-turn.  Her mother had warned her to stay away from the alley but she was never specific as to why.

Flutters didn't want to disobey her mother, but she didn't want to be late either.  Quickly, she started down the alley.  She was vigilant of her surroundings, watching every little detail for any sign of trouble.

“Hey girl, what are you doing on our turf?”

Fluttershy, suddenly confronted with two large men, let out a squeak.

“There's a toll for coming through here, y'know,” one said.

“I-I'm sorry.  I don't have any money.”

The other clicked his tongue and shook his head before giving her a leer. “I guess that means you'll have to work for us in...other ways.”

“Think again, losers!”

Something small and green launched past Fluttershy, startling her, and smashed against the ground near the two gangsters, enveloping them in foul-smelling green smoke.

A boy, a few years younger than her, ran up and grabbed her wrist. “Let's get out of here!” He immediately turned and ran back they way they had come, dragging her along with him. “What were you doing down there.  It's dangerous!”

“I'm sorry.  Who are you?”

“Name's Spike and I'll be your rescuer-” Spike's words were cut off with a grunt as he ran into a third gangster.

“Where do you think you're going, kid.  Nobody moves through Diamond Dog territory without paying the toll.”

Fluttershy knelt and helped Spike sit up. “P-Pl-Please, don't hurt us.”

A shrill whistle from the alley's entrance caught their attention. “What are ya'll doin', messin' with them kids?  Wouldn't ya rather mess with someone yer own size?”

Fluttershy looked and saw the muscular farm-girl from school.  The same one who favored the Stetson hat she was wearing and who all of the boys wanted to have.  She had never spoken with the girl but she knew her name.

Applejack.

“Scram, girl.  This isn't any of your business,” one of the gangsters snarled.

“Don't worry, boss.  I'll get rid of her.” A second gangster, the smaller of the three, approached the blonde.

“That so,” Applejack asked, cocking her head.

“Hey, doll.  Why don't you learn your place and show us men some of your southern hospitality.”  The gangster leered at her and stroked the underside of her chin.

Applejack's grimace turned into a grin...

...as she drove her knee into his groin.

The gangster let out a strangled groan as he curled up and fell to the side.

“How ya likin' my 'southern hospitality' now, boy?”

The first gangster balled up his fists and charged her. “You're gonna pay for that, you stupid bitch!”

Just as he swung, she dropped into a crouch and planted her hands on the ground.  Rotating upward, she straightened her legs, placing a powerful kick into his chest and launching him back several feet.  As she stood and turned, the third gangster was on top of her.  She raised her hands and gripped his, blocking his attack.

“Let's see who's the strongest here, girlie.”

“I reckon,” she said in a strained voice, “that would be me.”

She flexed her hands, crushing both of his in her grip.  She spun and leaped, using a combination of her momentum and strength to fling him over her head and into a nearby dumpster.  “Never used a dumpster to get ridda trash before.” She said with a snort, “Kinda obvious, now that Ah think about it.”

Fluttershy helped Spike to his feet. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.  I'm fine.”  He looked about for the mysterious girl with the amazing combat skills and spotted a blonde ponytail vanishing around the corner.  “Hey!  Wait up!”

It took only a moment for them to catch up with her.

“You're amazing!” Spike gushed. “Thanks for back there.”

“Don't worry about it, kid.  Just make sure ya stay outta trouble from now on.”  She turned to glare at Fluttershy. “An' you, just what kinda stunt were ya pullin' back there?”

“I-It was a mistake.  I won't go back there again, I promise.”

Applejack let out an irritated groan. “That ain't what Ah was talkin' about.  What if this kid got hurt or somethin'?  Whatcha gonna do then, eh?  Cryin' and beggin' ain't no help to nobody.  What if one of yer family got hurt?  What's yer plan then, bein' paralyzed by panic?”

“I-I'm sorry.”

Applejack turned and adjusted her hat. “Ya'll best get on home now.  It's late.”  She said as she began to walk away.

“Th-thank you, friend.”

She froze mid-stride. “What did ya just call me?”

Fluttershy began to tremble. “F-f-f-friend?”

Applejack spun and marched back to Fluttershy, who squeaked as she was grabbed roughly by her collar and pulled close. “Now you listen here, girl, and listen good.” She spoke slowly, over-enunciating each word. “Ah am not, nor will Ah ever be, yer friend.”  She shook Fluttershy. “Ya got that?”

Fluttershy nodded, terrified and on the verge of tears.

Spike intervened, breaking the two of them apart and shoving Applejack away. “What is your problem?  She only called you a friend.”

She turned her ferocious glare on the boy, who stood his ground, meeting her gaze levelly.  For a moment, her countenance changed from seething wrath to...vulnerability.  There was terrible pain behind her eyes and it became obvious to Spike that the anger was just a facade she hid behind and used as a barrier to keep others away.

With a final sigh, she turned away. “Friendship ain't nothin' but a joke.  Ya want mah advice, son?  Don't let any friends close.  Don't trust anyone.  You'll only get hurt in the end.”

x----x

It was well past dark when Rainbow decided on a final run.  As she began with a sprint to build up momentum, another runner cut across her path.  She pulled up short and was ready to rebuke him when she noticed what he was doing.  He vaulted a wall and made a perfect precision leap to the railing on the other side before flipping off and rolling backwards to his feet.

“Woah,” Rainbow whispered in awe.

She watched him dart across the lawn and scale a building's front with the ninja leap, alternating sides of a crevice to climb to the roof.

“No way,” she cried. “Only Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soarin, the Wonderbolts' Elite, can do that.”

The runner turned and beckoned her up behind her.  She had never done a ninja leap before, convinced it was well outside of her ability but, “If he can do it, so can I.”

She began her run, cutting across the lawn at a full sprint before making her first leap.  She gathered her strength and leaped to the second point, then the third, then the fourth.  Finally, with a fifth leap, she was within an arm's reach of the edge of the roof.

But there was a problem.  She had run out of energy.

She struggled to claw her way up.  Her grip was slipping and she was certain she was going to fall when a hand reached out and grabbed hers.  She looked up to see the stranger gazing down at her.

“I've got you, Rainbow.”