It was a glorious day in Ponyville. Celestia's sun was shining overhead, warming everything below that its golden rays kissed. Perfectly aligned, puffy white clouds that looked like delicious dollops of whipped cream dotted the vast blue sky. The birds flitterred and fluttered to and fro, chirping cheerily, and the joyous shrieks and shouts of young fillies and colts at play in Ponyville Park filled the air.
"Coming at'cha, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo directed, face stretched into a smile as she quickly postioned herself underneath a descending rubber ball. Crouching, muscles taut with anticipation for the perfect bounce, she knew she had only seconds to aim it toward her friend.
Easier said than done, but changing the direction of the object, along with getting the distance spot on was always tricky. But Scootaloo had every bit of confidence that the ball would follow her direction, as she had called it. Like springs, her legs lifted her body weight right before the rubber ball made contact with her head. Her weight shifted ever so slightly to the left, where a short, white unicorn waited.
Contact!
The ball flew in a long arc, sailing through the air with the perfect amount of spin. The orange pegasus smirked, puffing out her chest proudly, as her ears picked up the awe-inspired "ooh"'s and "aah"'s from her small group of classmate admirers who had chosen not to participate in the game, but instead be content as onlookers.
"I got it! I got it!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, a look of concentration set on her face. Viridian eyes gleamed, locked on her prize as she took a quick step to the right. A little to the left... A bead of sweat formed on her brow, her heart beating in her ears as time seemed to slow to a crawl. She had to connect with that plummeting sphere. But she knew Scootaloo. That pass was no ordinary one. Just as she had developed an eye for detail and precision from Rarity, so too had Scootaloo developed a competitive, yet trickster attitude from Rainbow Dash. The ball was spinning too quickly to descent straight down. A curveball!
"Lickety Split!" Sweetie Belle shouted, as she leapt for the ball, having determined where it would land. Hoof outstretched as far as it could go, she somehow managed to get the toy back up into the air and aimed at the ball-bouncing expert who could give Scootaloo a run for her money.
The chocolate brown colt watched as the ball soared over his head, far too much force put into it. Ears were pointed backward in disappointment, but before he could do so much as frown in Sweetie's direction, he saw where the ball was heading. Blades of tender green grass, and chunks of dirt were tossed by his hooves as he broke out into a gallop toward the spiraling projectile. It was too far ahead of him, he realized, as his legs carried him of their own accord. He wouldn't make it! Frustrated, both at himself and Sweetie Belle, the ground under his hooves erupted a second time as he forced himself to stop.
"Look out!"
Underneath a whitewashed gazebo where a blossoming cherry blossom tree bloomed, filling the air with its lovely floral scent, a lone unicorn filly sat. Head down and muzzle buried in a book, she never saw the danger headed toward her. Ears deaf to the sounds around her that had become mute, only swiveled in the direction of a peircing yell that drew her back to reality, in the same instant a galaxy of stars exploded behind her eyes.
"Uh-oh..." Sweetie Belle gulped, a sense of dread and panic beginning to wrap its ice cold tentacles around her. Frozen in place, she could only watch as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom raced past her toward the gazebo.
Sheets of scattered papers fluttered lazily to the ground around a light lavender filly laying on her side; pages torn and slightly crumpled in the open book that was being read. Wide-eyed, Lickety Split commanded his legs to keep moving, to close the distance between him and his injured classmate; at least see if she was okay. Already, a small crowd was beginning to form around the gazebo, and the blonde-haired colt had to reevaluate his decision. He could try and push his way through the other ponies, or...
"Give her some space!" Taking charge, the little, flightless pegasus hissed at the curious gawkers, some of which were already gaggling and gossiping, eager to control tomorrow's news on the playground. "Hey Star," Scootaloo hovered over her fallen friend, exchanging worried glances with Apple Bloom. "Are you okay?"
"Easy now," The country accent spoke soon after, as the filly began to stir. "Ah' gotcha." Apple Bloom's yellow hoof wrapped around a limp, lavender one, gently pulling the disoriented, disheveled unicorn to her feet.
The world spun, turning and tumbling like a circus acrobat. Hooves clopped unsteadily, gingerly shuffling against the warm wood before body weight was distributed south, and Star Dreams opted for sitting on her rump instead, while her head cleared. Blinking and shaking her head, she tried to quell the painful ringing in her ears, while the world decided on which way it should right itself. "Hnn..." she murmered. "I'm okay..." she said, more to reassure herself than giving confirmation to the ponies around her. A foreleg was raised, tenderly touching her stinging face, then sweeping back her glittering, tri-colored tresses in attempt to make herself look presentable once again.
"Thank Celestia." Sweetie Belle sighed in relief, wriggling her way through the crowd to stand beside Scootaloo. "I'm really sorry. It was my fault that-"
"It's fine." Star Dreams spoke quietly, but abruptly. Her tone held no animosity, but rather an unusually calm indifference. Her expression, unreadable. Hooves moved fluidly, gathering the damaged book and scattered papers littering the floor of the gazebo.
"Let me at least help you with your things!" the white unicorn insisted, reaching for a paper that was farther out of Star Dreams' reach.
'You've done enough.' Star Dreams wanted to say, but decided against it, and held her tongue. Aqua eyes locked with bright pools of green, and a smile to reassure her friend, if only for appearances, briefly touched her lips. Poised, yet polite. Such was the way of her upbringing. The last of her belongings was retrieved, and a light nod of appreciation given to the pink and lavender-haired filly, the flightless pegasus, and the southern-accented apple seed. "I think I'm going to go home, now. I've had my share of excitement for one day." She announced, to the dismay of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Lickety Split pouted as he kicked the ground with his hoof. Though the accident was more Sweetie Belle's fault for overshooting, the ball was his, and he- like the CMC, felt awfully worried when it had hit Star Dreams in the face. His lack of action to help in some way made him feel guilty. Brow creased in confusion and disappointment, an apology dying on his tongue as Star Dreams walked past him.
"Want us to walk you home?" Scootaloo called out after her, showing concern. The ball had been light, and there were no serious injuries, of course. The light-furred filly was already able to walk on her own...but still, asking only felt right.
Star Dreams stilled, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knew the girls meant well, but she didn't appreciate being coddled. "No, thank you." Though the invite was politely declined, her words left no room for argument. She had studied the three, even interacted with them on a few occasion, long enough to ascertain that they wouldn't be hurt by something as insignificant as a declined proposal. It wasn't personal, after all. Having had her say, Star Dreams resumed her gait, retreating toward Ponyille Park's west entrance.
"What a weirdo." Somepony stated.
Lickety Split's ears swiveled, catching the unmistakable voice of Ponyville Schoolhouse's Princess Persnickety, the only pony in the school with a perfect royal tiara on her prissy pink flank. "Diamond Tiara." The words were venomous, leaving Lickety's lips in a hushed growl. The Cutie Mark Crusaders may have gotten the pretend pedigree to see the true meaning behind that cutie mark of hers, but it appeared that already, she was back to her old ways. What was she plotting, this time?