Kickflips for Friendship


                                            >Electric was in the air as Ponyville prepared for its first ever extreme sports competition.

                                            >Ponies from all around were flocking to the small town, and it was the busiest it had been in ages.

                                            >The Cakes and the Apples were making a killing off food sales, Rarity spent her days fixing up torn clothing, Fluttershy had offered to house and care for the animals of the competitors, Twilight was keeping everything organized, and Rainbowdash was supervising Scootaloo as she trained.

                                            >The filly had decided to enter the youth division scooter street race, and Dash was there to catch her should she wipe out.

                                            >Which she had done thrice today.

                                            >But she was getting better day by day. Dash was even thinking she could maybe place in the top 10!

                                            >She watched as the filly raced down the last stretch of road where she normally wiped out, and her body tensed as she prepared to rocket in for another save.

                                            >But instead Scootaloo leaned forward, and launched the scooter up and over the barrier that marked where the edge of the road was, and the rainbow maned pegasus beamed with pride.

                                            >Scootaloo hopped off her ride and started stamping in place excitedly before Dash swopped down and put her hoof up.

                                            >”Pretty awesome stuff there, Scoots,” she congratulated.

                                            >The filly’s toothy smile seemed to envelop her whole face as she bumped her own hoof into Dash’s and nodded.

                                            >”You know, you should enter the competition too Dash! I bet you’d smoke everyone else there!”

                                            >Dash looked a little taken aback.

                                            >”Me? Compete in the Equest Games? I don’t know kiddo. I’m more of a flier than a biker or a skater.”

                                            >”C’mon! Just think about it, okay? Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?” Scootaloo’s eyes grew wide as her lip protruded forward in a pout.

                                            >The mare tried to resist the temptation for as long as she could before she finally caved.

                                            >”Alright, alright Scoots,” she replied, rustling the filly’s helmet. “I’ll check it out just for you. I did ride a skateboard when I was a filly, so maybe I can find something to d-hrk!”

                                            >Dash’s posturing was interrupted by Scootaloo wrapping her in a bearhug and pulling their bodies close together.

                                            >”Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! I can’t wait to see you out there!”

                                            >Scootaloo then picked her scooter up, and rode it off into the distance.

                                            >”Best of luck Dash!”

                                            >”I don’t know if I’ll compete yet silly!” Dash called back, but she couldn’t help but walk away smiling at her protege’s enthusiasm.

                                            >When Dash got to the sign-up area, she scanned over the available events.

                                            >Her heart sank slightly as she saw all the slots filled up while she scanned, but then at the very bottom there was room for two more teams in one event. The triathlon.

                                            >She frowned slightly, knowing that her friends weren’t the most athletic bunch out there, save Applejack, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask them to join her.

                                            >After all, it was for a good cause. At least to Dash it was.

                                            …

                                            >”And that’s where you come in, Anon!” Dash finally finished explaining.

                                            >You are Anon, the resident human of Equestria.

                                            >And before you stood six ponies, each of which were looking for your guidance in training for the Equest Games.

                                            >You’d been chummy with all of them since arriving in this strange land filled with talking equines, especially since you’ve mainly been helping out on Applejack’s farm.

                                            >You were also the only one they knew that did extreme sports.

                                            >The six of them stared at you with a strange mixture of excitement, intrigue, and terror, depending on the pony.

                                            >Poor Fluttershy looked like she was about to shake out of her skin.

                                            “Alright, I can try to help you. But with the competition only a week away, I doubt I’ll be able to get you ponies good enough to where you’ll win. I can only really teach you the basics and maybe a couple of tricks.”

                                            >”That’s fine,” Dash retorted. “We’re just doing it for a friend of mine anyway.”

                                            “Alright, so with that in mind, I guess we can get started now if y’all would like. You got skateboards?”

                                            >Dash produced hers, which was fairly old and beat up. The others just shook their head.

                                            >”It’s okay girls, I got this,” Twilight commented, before her horn started growing a brilliant purple. The board levitated in the air, before a cloud of smoke appeared around it.

                                            >Suddenly the board appeared good as new, and five more hovered alongside it.

                                            “Perfect! Thank you Twilight.”

                                            >You then dropped your board on the ground and planted a foot on the back of it.

                                            “Alright, first thing’s first. Let’s make sure you can get on without slipping off.”

                                            >You then put your other foot on the board, and stood straight up.

                                            “The key here is confidence. You start with one foot, or I guess two hooves in y’alls case, and then make sure you plant your other firm enough to be equally balanced on both sides. Now y’all try.”

                                            >The mares all spent a good bit trying to get the hang of it, and they all seemed to be having a good time all the while. Rainbow Dash seemed to be the one to adapt the quickest however, and the first one to start to get testy, but she seemed to get that under control relatively quickly.

                                            >Finally, after about a half-hour of effort, they all managed to stay upright on the gear, including Fluttershy, though she still quivered like a leaf.

                                            “Perfect! Now then we’re gonna get to push-offs.”

                                            >The next couple of days seemed to go by pretty quickly as the mares learned how to accelerate, break, and even started to figure out how to ollie.

                                            >Ponies seemed to have an uncanny ability to pick up new skills incredibly quickly, you realized. Far quicker than most humans, as a matter of fact.

                                            “Remember,” you instructed Fluttershy. “Push down on your back hooves, and jump into the board with your front hooves!”

                                            >She stammered quietly for a minute, but then she gently kicked against the ground, and pushed off into the air as she performed her first ollie.

                                            >Her friends cheered her on as she sailed through the sky but for a moment. However the second the board hit the ground, she lost her balance and toppled off onto her side.

                                            >As everyone gathered around to check on her, she started giggling uncontrollably, which turned into a laughing fit for everyone else.

                                            >Everyone except Dash, mind, as while she chuckled with the rest, there was a certain air of impatience about it.

                                            “Great job Flutters! Now, let’s all work on these for a little bit longer, and then we can move on.”

                                            >”Oh come on!” Dash grumbled. “We need to move on to the next thing. Otherwise we’re never gonna be good enough in time to win the games!”

                                            >You stared up at Dash puzzled, as the other ponies all scraped their hooves against the ground below them and looked about disgruntled.

                                            “Dash, remember, y’all are entering to have fun first and foremost. If you place decently, that’s great, but the only reason you signed up was because you knew Scootaloo wanted to see you compete.”

                                            >The rainbow-maned horse blinked a few times, and then looked down in a mix of annoyance and shame.

                                            >”She’d be really impressed to see us win though…” Dash muttered.

                                            “And if you do, that’d be amazing. But if you don’t get the basics down pat first, one of you could wind up injured, or worse. Scootaloo’s view of you won’t change because you’ve lost one competition that you told her you weren’t prepared for.”

                                            >Dash signed, and fluttered to the ground.

                                            >”You’re right Anon. I’m sorry. Let’s keep practicing then.”

                                            >You smiled encouragingly at the pony, and then instructed everyone else to get on their boards.

                                            >Just as you suspected, the lot of them were still fairly incompetent at the maneuver.

                                            >Poor Fluttershy wiped out a good five times while she slowly gained consistency, but each time she bailed she did so with a smile and a small giggle fit.

                                            >Dash was noticeably calmer, though still on edge. It was clear that the drive for competition was still coursing through her veins, but she was managing to keep it suppressed.

                                            >Finally however, the six of them found their footing with the trick, and were able to do it multiple times in a row without issue.

                                            >Applejack even managed to grind across the top of a bench, though she lost her balance and fell off her board the second she touched the ground.

                                            “Easy there cowgirl!” you called. “I love the spirit, but we’re not quite there yet. Now, who’s ready for the next lesson?”

                                            >”Oh! Oh! Memememememe!” Pinkie cried, while darting close to you.

                                            >The rest followed in suit, staring up at you eagerly as they crowded.

                                            >You then pushed your board to the ground, and kicked the dirt a few times to gain speed, before your made your board fly into the sky as you performed a kickflip.

                                            >Your small audience gave a slow, audible “wow” as you hit the ground, and skirted to a stop in front of them.

                                            “Y’all ready to learn how to do that?” you stated confidently, and all six of them cheered in response, though Fluttershy was noticeably quieter than the rest.

                                            >However, teaching them this trick would prove to be difficult to say the least.

                                            >Applejack was the first to give it a shot, and after your careful explanation, she still managed to smack herself in the face with the board a few times as she tried to get enough force in the liftoff to spin it in the air.

                                            >”Why in tarnation do we need to learn this again?” she grumbled after her third hard crash into the ground.

                                            “This is mostly to garner better board control. This’ll probably be the last trick we learn, but the more you get familiar with your board’s weight and feel, the better you’ll be in the competition.

                                            >The farmgirl continued grumbling to herself, but went back to the task, determined to get it right.

                                            >Twilight was able to do it perfectly the first time, however after she ollied into the air, she used her magic to spin the board around below her.

                                            “That’s… kinda defeating the whole purpose of the trick there hon. Plus, I’m pretty sure magic use is barred in the tournament.

                                            >Twilight looked at you puzzled.

                                            >”But this is supposed to be a test of natural skill, right? Well my magic is a natural part of me!” she argued.

                                            “Right, but the playing field also needs to be level so that everyone gets judged fairly. Make sense?”

                                            >Twilight’s eyes brimmed with understanding, and her face soon turned rosy as she blushed while she grinned bashfully.

                                            >Pinkie just kept doing ollies, and surprisingly the board made the exact same springboard sound that she did whenever she jumped.

                                            >Rarity had a similar issue to Twilight, though she used her magic to plant the board on the ground firmly when she came down so she wouldn’t wipe out.

                                            >Even then, she still lost her balance a couple of times and fell off on her side.

                                            >”You’re doing this for Dash, darling,” she muttered in annoyance each time as she used magic to dust herself off. “Just remember that it’s for her and all will be fine.”

                                            >Fluttershy, the poor girl, was back to being scared stiff of her board, not willing to try the trick as she watched her friends fall on their faces and skid a few inches each time they landed wrong.

                                            >As you tried to coax her to try the trick, Dash dramatically sighed, and put her own board down.

                                            >Her mouth curled into a confident grin as she pushed herself forward a few times before she perfectly mimicked your instructions from earlier, and successfully performed a kickflip in front of you.

                                            >As she slid to a stop, she looked back at her friends and her expression soured.

                                            >”See?” she stated condescendingly. “It’s really not that hard. What’s going on with all of you?”

                                            “Dash-” you started, but AJ soon interrupted you.

                                            >”Now wait just a second sugarcube. We’re here doing this for you and you alone. Not one of us have ever ridden a skateboard outside of you, and not one of us had any interest in this competition. Y’all need to have a lil’ more patience with us, and get yourself a lil’ more perspective, because we’re all out here just to have some fun, and you’re taking this too seriously.”

                                            >Dash let out an over dramatic sigh, and raised up into the air before folding her forelegs across each other.

                                            >”Look, I know we’re all trying to just have a good time out here, but this competition is really important to me! It’s my chance to really wow Scoots! I’m pushing you guys because I want to make her day, that’s all! If you guys would just focus up a bit more, then we’d be unstoppable by the time the Equest Games roll around!”

                                            >”We’ve been over this Dash!” Twilight chimed in. “Scootaloo’s seen you perform dozens of times now! Why are you so obsessed with this one thing in particular?”

                                            >”That’s… that’s none of your concern!” Dash practically shouted back. “The fact of the matter is that this is important to me. I’ve helped all of you do important things before at a moment’s notice, so I’d really appreciate you all doing this one solid for me.”

                                            >”Well we certainly didn’t demand perfection of you!” Rarity fired back. “We didn’t ask you to be masters of our craft when you did us a favor. But now here you are, roping us into this mess by saying you just want to have fun at a silly competition that’s in town, and then turning around and chastising us for not being flawless our first time trying some of these maneuvers. Just look at Fluttershy!”

                                            >She gestured over to the mare who was practically trembling in place and biting her lower lip as she held back tears.

                                            >”You know she doesn’t like sports. You know she’s self-conscious about her abilities. But she came out here because she does, in fact, know that this is important to you. We all do! And yet you belittle her anyway because you’ve become blinded by your own desire to win!”

                                            >Dash looked taken aback for a moment before her shock was replaced by a glare.

                                            >”Hey! Don’t pin Fluttershy’s actions on me! She’s more than free to leave if she doesn’t want to be here! Heck, you all are, if you’re just gonna complain all day!”

                                            >Fluttershy averted her gaze from the rainbow-maned mare, and she stared down at the ground utterly defeated.

                                            >”Fine then,” Applejack remarked, walking away from Dash. “For the record, the only one complaining here is you. Not a one of us was having any problems making fools of ourselves so we could lend you a hoof.”

                                            >”Indeed,” Rarity remarked as she followed behind AJ.

                                            >Pinkie also took up the rear of the other two, but looked up at Dash as she walked away.

                                            >”Just so you know, you’re still invited to Gummy’s half-birthday party on Saturday!” she called out to Dash, barely managing to fake a smile. “Hope to see you there!”

                                            >Twilight was the next to leave, flashing Dash a sad look before staring ahead dejectedly.

                                            >Fluttershy stayed in place for a while, half-heartedly pawing at the dirt before she finally sighed, and took off towards her house while studying the ground apathetically.

                                            >Regret panged Dash’s face that only deepened as all her friends walked away, before she vigorously shook her head and stared daggers at the group.

                                            >”Y’know what, fine! Leave then! I don’t need any of your help! I’ve got Anon here, and I’m sure I can find somepony else around town who’d be happy to join my team! Right Anon?”

                                            >You put a hand to the back of your head and gingerly rubbed it. A massive headache was starting to build.

                                            “Sorry Dash,” you replied. “I’m not really much for competition myself. And I don’t really want to get in the middle of this. Good luck finding a team Dash. And I hope you do well in the games.”

                                            >You couldn’t stand to look at the tiny horse as you walked to your own house. The sound of hooves on the ground sounded behind you, followed by them stepping closer to you, pausing, then then heading towards where the other ponies walked off to.

                                            >Again, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, and you could practically taste the defeat running through Dash as you heard her take a seat on the ground.


                                            >It took you a couple of days to really get your groove back. AJ was polite enough while you were working, and it was clear she wasn’t upset at you for what went down.

                                            >But it was obvious she was still hurting from what Dash said.

                                            >Usually you’d be provided lunch and supper for working hard with her throughout the day, and typically you’d stay for some nice long stories from Granny Smith afterwards, but this time you took off immediately after you finished your food.

                                            >You stood at the edge of the pool, board hanging out into the air, one foot still on solid ground, as you stared into its welcoming depth.

                                            >It felt far bigger than it actually was, and in a way imagining it as some deep chasm made the experience more thrilling.

                                            >Finally, you could resist its allure no longer as you dropped into the pool and started flying around its walls.

                                            >All your troubles and all your cares whipped off your back as the air around you pushed against your face.

                                            >You watched the sky grow closer as you vaulted off the side of the structure, and then felt the familiar lurch in your stomach as solid ground caught you once again.

                                            >Time lost all meaning to you, and only when you saw orange on the horizon did you realize how late it was getting.

                                            >You made your way back up the side of the pool, and picked up your board to head home.

                                            >”C’mon guys! This isn’t as easy as you think it is!” you heard a familiar voice protesting behind you.

                                            >As you turned, you saw none other than Rainbow Dash arguing with two stallions, both of which looked mildly amused at her antics.

                                            >”We can win this thing if we work together, I know we can! I just need a little more time to really nail these curves.”

                                            >The stallion on the left chuckled, and put an arm around Dash’s neck.

                                            >”Sorry bud, but we don’t gots no more time to waste on you,” he said, his tone strangely relaxed and carefree.

                                            >”’Cha bra,” the other one agreed. “We need someone who’s. Like. More athletic than you.”

                                            >At this, Dash’s blue face reddened, and her wings flared out.

                                            >”I’m the most athletic pony in Ponyville! I’m the best flier within five-hundred miles of here! I’ve won more races than you can count!”

                                            >”Yeah, but like. You can’t skate bra,” the left one retorted with an annoying chuckle. “So like. Who cares what other things you can do. Later bra.”

                                            >The two of them skated off while Dash stared at them both utterly bewildered.

                                            >You started walking over to her while her face scrunched up in frustration.

                                            >”Wait!” she cried in a mix of desperation and anger. “Get back here! I- we’re not finished yet! I just! Need a little more… time…”

                                            >Her voice trailed off as she slumped back down to the ground in defeat.

                                            >”Great. Now what am I supposed to do?” she asked aloud.

                                            “You could try talking to your friends,” you stated, which made her entire body tremble in shock. She leapt up and turned around to face you, only to let out a relieved puff when she recognized you.

                                            >”Oh. Thank goodness, it’s just you Anon. What’re you doing out here so late?”

                                            “Needed to clear my head. Skating does that. Looks like practice didn’t go all too well, huh?”

                                            >Dash huffed, and pawed at the ground.

                                            >”It’s not fair Anon. They’ve been skating a lot longer than me, and expected me to be perfect the first time! Plus, they said they weren’t gonna take the competition seriously, but then started getting testy with me while I was trying to learn!”

                                            >You smiled as you patted her head.

                                            “That all seems a bit familiar, doesn’t it?”

                                            >”Yeah, you’re right,” Dash admitted with a sigh. “I was pretty harsh on the girls, wasn’t I?”

                                            “Just a smidge.”

                                            >”And I acted like a pretty big hypocrite, didn’t I?”

                                            “I think so, yes.”

                                            >”Do you think they’ll still want to compete if I apologized to them?”

                                            >You smiled and ruffled her mane some.

                                            “I’d be surprised if they didn’t.”


                                            >The following morning, all six Elements of Harmony were gathered around your practice spot, looking noticeably grumpy and annoyed at this little meeting.

                                            >Dash stepped forward, and rubbed a foreleg with her hoof.

                                            >”Look, I’m not great at apologies, but I know when I owe one. And I want to say I’m sorry. Scootaloo isn’t exactly like a sister to me, but I still care about her a lot, and I want to see her really grow and prosper. She’s always raving about how great I am, and how much I inspire her, and I wanted to do something nice for her for a change, y’know? I really wanted to indulge in something she likes instead of making it all about me. But I got blinded by that desire pretty badly, and also I let my competitiveness get the best of me. I never should’ve pushed you guys as far as I did, and I’m sorry I belittled all of you. Can you all forgive me?”

                                            >Applejack was the first to step forward without a moment of hesitation.

                                            >She stared Rainbow Dash square in the eye wearing a slight frown before she extended a hoof forward.

                                            >”C’mon now,” she stated with a smile. “We’ve got a filly to impress.”

                                            >Dash’s face lit up as you handed out everyone’s boards. Each mare took theirs without complaint. Even Fluttershy, who looked the more determined than she ever did before.

                                            “Alright everyone,” you called out. “Who’s ready to learn how to kickflip?”

                                            >The ponies cheered in delight, and you once again demonstrated the technique.

                                            >It didn’t take too long for everyone to finally get the trick down. With renewed spirits they all took their harsh landings and smacks to the face with pride, and worked twice as hard to really nail proper board control.

                                            >The next two days were spent briefly teaching the ponies how to ride a bike and how to roller skate.

                                            >Those went about as poorly as one would expect, given that you had to cram years of practice and effort into just a handful of hours.

                                            >Dash didn’t mind, however, and even laughed along with the rest of the ponies as she made some mistakes.


                                            >Then finally, the day of the Equest Games came.

                                            >The Triathlon was technically the main event of it all, but the foal’s competition came right after the grown ups were done.

                                            >You saw as eight teams stood at the top of four ramps, waiting for the signal to start blading down the large structures.

                                            >The Elements had broken up into two teams of three. Dash, AJ, and Rarity were on one. Pinkie, Twilight, and Fluttershy were on the other.

                                            >Despite knowing they were going to lose, they all looked pretty determined.

                                            >Spike sat beside you, wearing a novelty drinking cap and a foam finger with the Element’s cutie marks on it.

                                            >”Go Twilight! Go Rarity!” he shouted over the crowd.

                                            >You watched in anticipation as all the ponies bent over, ready to take off at a moment’s notice.

                                            >Then, the pistol fired, and the race started.

                                            >Instantly Twilight’s team fell behind, with them struggling to keep their balance on their skates (with the exception of Pinkie), but Dash’s team managed to steadily take third place.

                                            >You watched as they weaved around sharp corners and bends, Rarity nearly wiping out a couple of times as they moved, but they managed to make it to the biking section.

                                            >They very quickly fell behind as they peddled along the trail, none of them having a whole lot of experience with the two-wheeled wonder of transportation, but they didn’t slip behind seventh place.

                                            >Finally, they made it to their skateboards, and tried their best to make up for lost distance. Though, sadly, they weren’t quite quick enough to catch up to the others, and finished the race in fifth.

                                            >Twilight’s team came in dead last, but as they finally crossed the finished line, their friends gathered around each other and cheered for managing to complete the race.

                                            >They made their way back to the bleachers, chatting the whole time, and sat down around you.

                                            >Things seemed peaceful enough as the crowd dispersed for a break, before Scootaloo suddenly latched onto Dash and squeezed her tight.

                                            >”Omigosh that was amazing!” she shouted excitedly. “You were so awesome taking those curves and you went so fast on that skateboard! And then when you-“

                                            >She continued to prattle on excitedly, while Dash rubbed the back of her head as her face reddened.

                                            >Soon however the fillies were all called to the staring line, and you all cheered on Scootaloo as she hopped on her scooter.

                                            >Dash looked over at Spike, noticing he was a little too preoccupied with cheering at the moment, and then turned over to you.

                                            >”Anon, could you please write a letter for me?” she asked.

                                            “Oh yeah, sure,” you stated, as you pulled out your planner and a pen from your pocket.

                                            >”Dear Princess Celestia,” she began. “Sometimes we can get so focused on one specific task or hobby that we lose sight of why we were doing it in the first place, and that can lead to us really hurting those around us. Today I learned that it’s important to keep everything in perspective. While there’s nothing wrong with indulging in our favorite things, it’s important to remember that at the end of the day they’re just hobbies, and that they shouldn’t hurt the people you care about. I learned that to be the best version of myself for my friends, I need to not fixate on being the best at everything, and that they’ll love and accept me if I’m not perfect.”

                                            >You scribbled down the last few lines and tapped Spike on the shoulder.

                                            >”Huh, what?” he asked, before he saw the paper in your hand. “Oh, got it!”

                                            >He then took the letter from you, and breathed a small plume of flame around it, which completely engulfed it and sent it right to the princess.

                                            >Perfect timing too, because you all got to watch as Scootaloo crossed the finish line in first place.

                                            >The crowd cheered as she was handed her trophy, and Dash beamed in pride at her pupil.

                                            “So, you think you’ll compete in next year’s games?” you asked Dash.

                                            >She chuckled in response, and leaned back into the bleachers a little bit.

                                            >”I’ll think about it,” she responded half-jokingly.