XAVIER POV
PARKDALE, TORONTO
HOME
“Ready for an adventure?” I announced excitedly, rushing in through the door.
“Yes!” everyone exclaimed, even my mom.
“Then let’s head out! Just… I need to do something important. Don’t worry, shouldn’t take long.”
Running into my room, I reached far back into my closet and pulled out a unique board – one with 9 plies instead of the typical 7. I slapped grip tape on it and attached a set of Independent trucks, Bones wheels and bearings. This would be Tempest’s board. I wasn’t sure if she would actually like skating, let alone be able to given she’s a pony, but at least I had made an attempt to share my world with her.
I then took a spare board and slapped grip tape on it, then grabbed a few tools, just in case my current board broke – I was planning to go all out on the extreme tricks and feats I’d attempted at the pinnacle of my skating prime. With a small package of wax in my pocket, I scooted back up the steps and outside, where everyone was waiting. Twilight had brought along a notepad and two pens, Rarity had brought a sun hat with a pretty flower band, and Fluttershy had a first aid kit and a few small towels. On the other hand, Rainbow Dash and Applejack hadn’t brought anything.
And Joyce, of course, had her jump rope, bottled water, and lots of containers of delicious food.
“Is that all?”
“That is all, darling!” Rarity declared humbly. “Now… SWEET CELESTIA THAT LOOKS DIVINE!” she suddenly exclaimed, her head turned to look up the street and her mouth fully agape in awe and shock.
I turned to look too, and smiled with pride. “Well, it’s official – the Integra’s gone for good. That’s our new whip – a Subaru Forester. Do you like it?”
“Like it?!” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Are you kidding me that thing looks AWESOME!”
“A well-conducted trade and a match made in heaven,” I replied, grinning at Dash’s adorable mid-air hover of excitement. I fished the keys out of my pocket and tossed them to Mom. “You drive. I wanted more room for my friends, but honestly I bought this for you.”
Joyce blushed a little. “I…well, thank you, son. For everything you’ve done so far and what you’ll continue to do.”
We took our stuff and piled into our new car. I sat at the front with Spike in my lap, while Twilight and Rainbow Dash sat on one side at the back, and Applejack and Fluttershy on the other. Rarity sat back in the middle, and Tempest laid down in the boot, out of sight. Even with all the moral support Twilight and I had offered her, she seemed to still prefer being alone – which I feared would be something I couldn’t change.
Joyce turned the key, bringing the flat-four-cylinder engine to life, its low resonant header rumble resonating through the cabin.
“Nice sound,” Twilight complemented.
With a well-conducted U-turn, Joyce smoothly shifted into second gear and we sped off to the skatepark.
ZACK POV
SKATEPARK
“I think you’ve just made your presence really known,” Zack mused, catching up to Skystar. “Looks like we’ve got some explaining to do for everyone.”
“Hehe, they were so caught up in their skating, scootering, and biking that they only noticed when the wings came out!” Pinkie giggled.
Zack nodded. “Truey true, Pinkster. Hey, keep an eye on our stuff so no one takes ‘em.”
“Okey dokey loki!” she replied.
I can’t get enough of your cute pitched-up voice, Zack muttered, leaning against the Prius’s door and sipping some lemonade. Pinkie had some too, while Skystar – rather unusually – opted for some apple juice.
“I thought she’d prefer water,” Zack thought out loud. “Guess it’s the sweetness – apple juice is very sugary.”
“Exactly,” Pinkie replied with a hoof-gesture of agreement.
After drinking their fill, Zack, Pinkie, and Skystar all began to make their way back to the center of the park where they’d left their bikes – but a crowd was quickly forming, full of enthusiasm. Zack had to act fast.
“Hey hey hey, back it up!” he barked loudly, trying to get their attention. “Give her some space.”
Skystar felt enclosed and tense, shaken from the surge of people surrounding her. The words of Xavier echoed in her mind about how foreign she was and how much attention would be given.
But maybe I can use this attention to bring forth more joy and bliss, instead of letting it overtake, she thought. Turning her full attention to the crowd in front of her, she flew over to her bike, hopping on as the crowd rushed over.
“Hi everypon – I mean, hehe, everybody! My name’s Skystar, daughter of Queen Novo. I’ve come here to have fun with my best friends,” she began, gesturing to Pinkie and Zack. “Haven’t ever ridden a BMX bike before, let alone seen one, but I’m willing to learn from Zack.”
“Neither of them are from around here, let alone Earth or this dimension. They’ve landed here, and now they’re in the caretaking hands of me and my mom. I hope you all will learn to love and respect them. Now let’s go have some fun!”
As the crowd dispersed, Zack caught sight of a little girl holding her hands out in plea as her mom tried to pull her away. Eventually she broke free and pushed off on her scooter, heading straight for the trio.
“Ummm…” was all Zack could get out, unable to figure out how to deal with the situation. Before he could work it out, the little girl slowly walked over to Skystar, now looking nervous. After what looked like a stand-off, she finally spoke.
“Uh…h-h-hi.”
Skystar’s wee little beak opened slightly with a smile. Right away, she dismounted her bike and sat down. Now more level with the child, she gently held out her hand. “Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Skystar.”
“I’m Lily,” the little girl replied in a soft, low tone. Slowly and gingerly, she took Skystar’s scaly bird hand in her little, human one and gave it a tiny little shake – which only amplified Skystar’s joyful smile. Just as Lily’s mom caught up, the little moment of affection reached its peak with the kind hippogriff’s offering.
“You can give me a kiss and a hug, if you want to…”
Lily didn’t need to be asked twice. She ran up and wrapped her arms around Skystar’s soft, feathery, warm neck, before delivering a big, soft kiss to the hippogriff’s beak, causing Skystar to let out a tiny chuckle.
“You be good. It was nice meeting you,” Skystar said with a smile as Lily ran back to her scooter and her mom. All this time, Zack just stood in awe and joy at such a brief but adorably positive connection.
“That was cool,” Zack exclaimed as they all rode off to the far end of the park.
“A great opportunity to – woah!” Skystar gasped as they suddenly approached down a gentle incline.
“Lean forward, then as you reach the bottom, lean back just a little into your regular riding position,” Zack instructed. “But don’t straighten your legs all the way. Let’s go.”
Zack rode down the incline, gently urging Skystar to come down as well. She extended her neck and subtly brought her chest forward, before cycling down the incline. However upon reaching the bottom, she pulled back quickly, causing the front wheel to almost lift up.
“Whoa, not so fast, we haven’t tackled balance enough to try wheelies!” Zack chuckled. “Nice save. Say, would you like to learn that next, or the hop?”
“I guess the hop first, since this park is about elevated surfaces and inclines,” Skystar shrugged. “Then we can move onto other tricks.”
“I think you actually have better balance than I originally thought you had,” Zack replied, pointing to her wings. “Being a flyer with those, you have to maintain control properly in the air to avoid spinning or tumbling, so it makes sense. Now let’s keep going!”
Zack then went through the basics of the bunny hop - how it worked, the pull-up and push-forward method, and the all-important details of foot angle and shifting body weight. For all her exuberance, Skystar was a fast learner – and a tough nut. After some twenty hard falls, she got up and landed it right. Just as she managed to successfully clear a single small curb, Zack heard a distinct deep rumble from the road. Looking up, he noticed a white station wagon with chrome rims.
What a flashy car, he thought, and continued riding. But upon landing an air-to- 360-to-barspin, the crowd suddenly got louder – a mixture of awe, joy, and shock.
“It’s Breezy X!” one kid shouted.
“Hot Mohawk,” came a whisper.
Then came Pinkie’s bodacious shout.
“HEY, IT’S BREEZY X AND TEMPEST!”
XAVIER POV
ASHBRIDGES SKATEPARK
I can’t recall anytime I felt happier to be back in an environment I knew so well. Pushing down the trail I soon entered the skatepark, with some ten kids all cheering my name. One 15-year-old I recognized from another skatepark two years ago even gave me a hug, which I gladly returned. Tempest rode her thick 9-ply board, using her left feet to push while balancing on her right. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were right behind in tow with a picnic basket, a first aid kit, and a few towels. Down the street, Joyce had already begun her running routine. I only hoped she’d run into Zack’s mom sooner or later.
Zack found his feet pedaling towards his friend before his mind could catch up, and in a matter of seconds he was already face-to-face. “What’s up Breezer? Glad ya could make it.”
I dug my toe into the ground and skidded to a stop. “Had to wait for the new whip to arrive but yeah, we made it. Turns out Mom likes the turbo spool, so needless to say we got down the highway in no time. I brought a skateboard with a specialty deck for Tempest to ride on. She said she’s not really into tricks but will simply observe as she rides around by herself.”
Zack smirked as he caught sight of several teens already backing up from Tempest as she made her way to the other side. “Yeah, that’s gonna be real easy for her.”
I rode up a mini ramp and pulled a quick shuvit as Zack caught up on his bike. “What else have you been up to while I was at the shop?”
“Taught Skystar the basics of pedaling, going up and down small ramps. Introduced hopping just now, and it looks like she’s got balance already built-in. Heck, probably even better than me.”
“I forgot about all the fans I had here at Ashbridges,” I confessed. “In fact, I forgot how popular I was, before it all went down.”
“And now it’s gonna come back up, faster, stronger, and better than ever before.” I looked behind to see Twilight, along with Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and even Fluttershy all standing straight up and eager. Their eyes were full of hope, love, anticipation, and motivation… like they wanted me to skate…
“Alright,” I simply stated. “Let’s do this. Zack, make sure Skystar gets the basic tricks down so she doesn’t get in the way. It’s a little crowded here now, but I’ll still try.”
I ran out and pushed off down an incline, performing a little tailslide along a ledge before dropping down two stairs’ height. Back in flat ground, I flicked hard, sending the board spinning fully – a 360-shuvit. Further down the park, in the center, Tempest was getting back up on her feet, practicing how to properly lean to turn. All along the side, several BMX and scooter kids stood in silence, their faces full of anxiousness and fear.
“Relax!” I called out. “She won’t hurt you!”
Quickly rushing up a 5 stair, I stood in line with the tall ramp, trying to mentally perceive the trick I was trying to pull off. After three minutes of contemplation, I pushed off as hard as I could, cruising down a short incline and speeding straight towards the ramp. Pressing down on the tail slightly, I scooted up the ramp quite well, reaching all the way to the top, but only just. Right as I reached the bottom, the board somehow slowed down a little, throwing me forward. My hip slammed straight into the concrete, and I pulled my head up to avoid knocking it too hard, but it still hurt. For a moment I was in a daze, before eventually coming to my senses with the soft caresses of a yellow hoof on my head.
“Are you okay Breezy?”
“I… I’m fine, Flutters. Honestly.” I slowly pushed myself upright and wiped the grit off my slightly bruised arm. “I’ll go again. I’m positive I can get this.”
I pushed off again and gently raised the nose to get up the steep ramp better. This time I reached the top a little faster, and was able to pull off a quick rock-to-fakie. I powered down at incredible speed, wiggling a little before transferring that energy to ollie up three stairs, but barely making it before I slid backwards. Catching myself, I pushed back upright, grabbed my board, and pushed off hard again, this time to do a couple trials runs to get a feel for the board at such speed and vertical positioning. My goal was to land a frontside half-cab, and a fakie to frontside rock. More complicated tricks would have to be done in the pool – when it was empty.
ZACK POV
ASHBRIDGES SKATEPARK
“How do you guys recover so well from failed attempts?” Fluttershy asked, biting back a gasp as Xavier tripped and slammed into the bottom of the steep ramp.
“Practice at a young age and endurance,” Zack stated simply. “I’ve broken my leg, my arm, and had a minor knee surgery before. Every time my mom would visit me in the hospital, I’d always give her that face of ‘I’m never going to quit’. She soon realized how serious I was, and that there wasn’t anything that could stand in my way to being the best BMX rider in Ontario.”
“I totally connect with these guys!” Rainbow Dash boasted. “I may not be able to ride wheels, but I can pick out all the details of every move, every trick! And they’re just like the Wonderbolts, only independently.”
“Zackie, dear, I have to say, these moves are divine!” Rarity exclaimed. “Even though I don’t like moving at high speed and having all that concentration to jump, flip, and spin like that, I can appreciate the artistic beauty that it exhibits. It’s… like watching ballet.”
“Oh…” Zack’s voice was barely more than a whisper as he realized what he was secretly hiding underneath – and which was probably all wet from his stinky boy sweat. “Um… could you give me a second? I gotta get something from the car, I’ll be right back. Make sure Pinkie doesn’t get into any trouble!”
Zack quickly pedaled back to the car, where he slipped into the back seats and stripped down. Fortunately his ballet outfit wasn’t too wet, and with a bit of water, a hand towel, and the car’s A/C, he was cool and reasonably dry.
Slipping back into the puff sleeve top, pink tutu and tights, and the purple ballet shoes, Zack tied his BMX shoes to his handlebars and headed back to his friends.
“What the… pffft. Hahaha! I…” Rainbow Dash was lost for words as Zack emerged from the trail in his ballet outfit. So was Twilight.
“I, um… wow. Why?”
“Shut it, Rainbow! Friends don’t mock each other,” Applejack growled, yanking the cyan pegasus’s tail hard, causing her to squel in pain.
“Ow! Hey, AJ! Knock it off!”
“Not until you apologize to Zack!” Applejack replied, her teeth still holding a firm grip on Dash’s tail.
“Fine.” Rainbow Dash groaned and flew up to Zack. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mocked you for being different. But seriously though, what’s with this outfit?”
“None taken, Dashie,” Zack replied, blushing a little. “I… also do ballet. Out in public like this seems silly, but that’s the point. I want to prove to myself if I still like doing it; if not, I’ll ditch it for good.”
XAVIER POV
ASHBRIDGES SKATEPARK
Having completed my ramp routine, I hobbled over to the sidelines to get some water from the picnic basket. As I approached my friends, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Right next to the big bowl, stood Zack, in a girls cute ballet outfit, performing a pre-performance exercise routine.
“I know you can be an entertaining and silly guy sometimes, Zack, but honestly I thought you moved past this era,” I muttered, taking a swig of water. “Now you’re going to be the center of attention…wait.”
I looked back at the main area of the skatepark. Tempest had finally broken the ice and was chatting with a few skaters. I smiled as she performed a shuvit and a handstand roll, much to everyone else’s awe.
“I think Tempest might actually like skating,” Twilight noted, having also taken notice of her friend’s moves.
“Shall we eat?” Fluttershy offered, holding up the mat.
“Sure.”
Rarity opened up a bowl of cherries, Twilight peeled two bananas, and I chowed down on some peanut butter sandwiches, sharing a few with Fluttershy. Zack eventually came over and gobbled up a few cupcakes with Pinkie, while Skystar had three granola bars. Tempest eventually arrived, rolling up on her board, skidding to a stop and flipping it over, then using the single foot motion of the impossible to bring her board right side up, shooting me a wink.
“Looks like we finally have something we enjoy,” I said excitedly, looking straight at her with hopeful eyes of love.
“I can’t say this is definitely for me, but it’s quite the challenge to enjoy,” Tempest replied simply. “How’s Skystar?”
“Doing well. Beat up, but well,” Skystar confirmed herself, breaking off a chunk of granola. “I love biking now!”
“I find using opposite legs works quite well to balance,” Tempest noted, chewing some strawberries and grapes. “I’m going to try use this technic next to try and get on top of ramps.”
“Just one truck over is called rock to fakie,” I reminded her.
“Got it. Now, what will you be up to?” Tempest asked, looking a little cute as she tiled her head in curiosity.
“Everything I can remember about vert. I don’t have any pads, so this will be pretty risky,” I warned.
With our meal complete and washed hands, we decided to split up. Zack would be performing a full-on ballet routine, the details of which he’d all planned out mentally. I had my own mental plan of performing thirteen different vert tricks, with little to no margin of error – otherwise I’d face a painful six-foot tumble. Pinkie, of all ponies, decided to take it easy and just watch me and Zack, along with Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. Skystar, however, wanted to keep riding around, though I suspected she had other plans.
Zack and I stood at opposite ends of the big bowl, readying for the off as an eager audience gathered.
Looking down into the bowl, I gulped and sighed. “Let’s do this,” I declared loudly, getting my feet in position. Squatting a little, I pushed off and slid down the edge at high speed. In seconds I was at the bottom, heading to the other side. Keeping my feet firm yet a little slack for adjustments, I pushed hard and shot up the opposite wall, pulling a little ollie as I did so. As soon as I was in the air, I squatted a little, grabbed the board with my back hand, and turned. Extending my front foot a little, I landed about two feet from the bowl’s lip and landed… and the board shot out from under me. My hips hit the bottom hard and I slid down as if on a playground slide. A few gasps were heard from above.
“It’s okay!” I called out. “Just a slight foot mishap.”
Running after my board, I started on one side and pushed off hard, riding up one side, then the other, trying to gain height. Finally I reached the lip and Twilight pulled me up using all the magical power she had in that wee little horn of hers. Back up top, I pushed off down into the bowl and tried again, ollieing near the top, grabbing and turning. Landing was successful, albeit with a bit of hand assistance, which led to some palm scrape. I winced from the pain, but kept going, pushing a little to gain more speed. After performing a backside varial, I soon pushed hard to attempt other tricks I knew:
360 Varial
Stalefish
Fingerflip
Frontside Lipslide
Gymnast
Cab Nosegrind
Cabellarial
Cab Smith
Backside Heelflip Body Varial
Shuvit Blunt-to-Fakie
Ollie 540
McTwist
Given the differences between an actual half pipe and a big bowl, the Cab Smith, Shuvit Blunt-to-Fakie, and McTwist were the hardest, taking several tries to achieve. The McTwist in particular very nearly caused me to have a sprained ankle and a broken wrist, but after six tries I finally landed it.
As I rolled across to the other side and stepped off my board, a pair of furry yellow arms wrapped themselves around my torso and a pink cloud of telekinesis gripped me tightly, lifting me right out of the bowl.
“What the!” I squealed, quickly grabbing my board, but soon fell silent as I realized it was just Skystar and Twilight offering a pair helping hands. The instant my feet touched solid concrete, a wave of cheering and shouting erupted all around. Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight, Spike – everyone was full of energy, excitement, and joy. Joy for me and what I’d accomplished. Even some of the kids were there, holding their scooters and boards up in supportive cheering.
“GO BREEZY X!”
“BREEZY! BREEZY! BREEZY!”
“AND BREEZY SUCESSFULLY COMPLETES THIRTEEN TRICKS IN A ROW!” Rainbow Dash’s shout bellowed across the park. “WOOOOOO HOOOOO YEAH!”
“This is… by far one of the best moments in my journey as a skateboarder,” I declared under a rainbow of tears, finally finding my voice. “And I gladly give it up for Twilight Sparkle and her friends for all their moral support, joy, and love!”
From the opposite side, Tempest Shadow just stood silent, a mixture of awe, contentment, and bliss on her face. The next thing I knew, she rose up under me stealthily, so I was now practically riding her.
“Yes I am a bit broken and sore and exhausted, but I am happy,” I whispered in her ear, holding up my board in a victory pose, before a row of flashes rang out. It was a photographer – someone I hadn’t really thought of, but lo and behold, he was here. Hopefully this publicity would be a positive one for Twilight and her friends.
“I’m so proud of you, Breezy, she whispered, lowering me back onto the ground and planting a big smooch on my lips, cradling my back with her hoof. “You pushed past your pain, fears, and doubts, and you fully embraced the world of skating that you left behind too soon. I may still struggle to rediscover my identity and purpose, but I don’t ever doubt that such a journey will be easy with you by my side.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, sweetie Fizzy,” I replied, kissing her back.