Outside the School of Friendship, Silverstream was practicing her flying at the school's sports field, her friends watching.
"Watch this, guys!" She called, as she circled around the Buckball hoops with ease, then finished with a loop-de-loop.
"Nice moves!" Smolder cheered.
"Awesome!" Sandbar added.
"Hippogriff best at flying!" Yona whooped.
"Yeah, not bad." Gallus added nonchalantly.
"That was pretty impressive." Ocellus admitted, as Silverstream landed in front of them.
"Thanks, guys." Silverstream beamed. "Practice makes perfect, y'know?"
"And you've been practicing a lot lately." Sandbar noted. "Not to pry, but is there any special reason?"
"Well..." Silverstream said awkwardly. "Promise not to laugh?"
"Why would friends laugh?" Yona asked.
"Because you might think it's silly." Silverstream fretted.
"Not any more silly than anything professor Pie usually comes up with." Smolder deadpanned.
"Besides, we wouldn't laugh if it really means something to you." Ocellus added.
"Come on, don't leave us in suspense." Gallus urged. "Just tell us already."
"Okay." Silverstream smiled. "For a while now, it's kinda been a dream of mine to... Well, be the first non-Pegasus to join the Wonderbolts."
"Wow, really?" Sandbar gasped. "That's great!"
"You really think so?" Silverstream grinned.
"Sure, why not?" Smolder shrugged. "If it's what you wanna be, I say go for it."
"Yeah." Gallus smirked. "You go and break down that barrier. Our professors would love that."
"Silverstream pursue dream." Yona nodded. "Be best Wonderbolt ever!"
"If it makes you happy, we'll more than support you." Ocellus said encouragingly.
"Aww, you guys are the best!" Silverstream hugged all her friends.
"We are, aren't we?" Gallus grinned.
"Oh, yeah." Smolder agreed.
"Hey, you know what would really help me with my dream?" Silverstream said suddenly. "If I had some training partners up there!"
"You want us to practice with you?" Ocellus frowned.
"Sure." Silverstream nodded. "It'll be way more fun with you guys by my side. Whattaya say?"
"Count me in." Smolder nodded.
"Eh." Gallus shrugged. "Beats doin' homework."
"Um... Yona no fly." Yona pointed. "Neither can Sandbar."
"We can still get in the team spirit." Sandbar declared. "We can cheer everycreature on from the ground."
"Ooh, Yona can do that!" Yona beamed. "Cheer for friends like only yak can!"
"That's the spirit!" Sandbar nodded.
"You up for this, Ocellus?" Silverstream asked.
"I don't know..." Ocellus mumbled. "I'm not really what you'd call an athlete..."
"That doesn't matter." Silverstream assured her.
"Yeah, it's not like we're all angling to be Wonderbolts." Smolder added.
"It's just a little fun." Gallus smiled. "The non-book kind. You remember what that's like, don't you?" He teased.
"Ha-ha, very funny." Ocellus deadpanned. "I guess a little flying would be fun."
"Great!" Silverstream pulled Ocellus into a one-limbed hug.
"So, miss future Wonderbolt, what's the game plan?" Gallus asked.
"I was thinking we could start off easy." Silverstream declared. "A few quick ascents, a couple of even faster descents, some sharp turns... Nothing too complicated."
"I guess that sounds easy enough..." Ocellus said half-heartedly.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Silverstream grinned. "Let's get to work!"
Silverstream took off back into the sky like a rocket. Smolder followed after her. Gallus was not on their heels.
"Here we go..." Ocellus took a deep breath, then opened her carapace, her wings buzzing into action. The young changeling brought up the rear as the group ascended above the Buckball hoops.
"Try and stay in formation, guys." Silverstream urged. "Just like the Wonderbolts do."
"Whatever you say, Spitfire junior." Gallus snarled.
"Don't be surprised if I happen to fly ahead." Smolder teased, her natural competitive zeal shining through.
"It's not a contest, Smolder." Ocellus admonished her. "...Is it?" She asked Silverstream worriedly.
"'Course not." Silverstream giggled. "It's just for fun."
"Winning's fun..." Smolder pouted.
"Okay, here we go!" Silverstream instructed. "Up!"
Silverstream angled her flight upwards, her friends following suit.
"Now down!" Silverstream led them in a dive. "And again!"
After rising and falling again, the group found themselves being cheered on by their groundborne friends.
"You go, guys!" Sandbar whooped.
"Friends best at flying!" Yona yelled.
"And now... turn!" Silverstream instructed, veering off to the right sharply.
Smolder matched Silverstream's maneuver with ease. Gallus had a little trouble, but stayed in line with the others. Ocellus, however, was unable to keep her equilibrium, wobbling awkwardly as she tried to follow the others' moves.
"Whoa..." Ocellus said nervously, struggling to keep her balance.
"You okay back there, Ocellus?" Silverstream asked, a look of concern on her face.
"Looks like you might be having a little trouble." Gallus frowned.
"I'm fine!" Ocellus said quickly. "Just miscalculated my flight angle. Nothing to worry about!"
"If you say so." Smolder shrugged, unwilling to wrap her head around the technical aspects of the exercise.
"Sure you don't want a do-over, or something?" Silverstream offered.
"That's okay." Ocellus declined, not wanting to spoil her friends' fun. "I just needed a second to get my bearings back. Now I'm good to go."
"In that case, let's get back to it." Silverstream smiled. "Some more sharp turns, then maybe a corkscrew or two. Sound good?"
"Sure..." Ocellus smiled weakly.
"Works for me." Smolder nodded.
"Nothin' to it but to do it." Gallus smirked.
"You took the words right out of my beak!" Silverstream nodded. "Let's go!"
The four fliers continued with their practice (Ocellus hiding a brief sigh of resignation). To her credit, Ocellus handled the next couple of turns a little better. But the corkscrews weren't nearly as kind to her. As the four returned to the ground, Ocellus teetered dizzily, before landing awkwardly."
"That was awesome!" Sandbar smiled.
"Friends fly great!" Yona added.
"That was pretty fun." Smolder noted.
"Definitely better than homework." Gallus agreed.
"Just like everything in life, flying is so much more fun when you're with your friends." Silverstream chuckled. "Right, Ocellus?"
"...Right." Ocellus smiled.
"Maybe we could go for another round." Smolder suggested.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Sandbar chipped. "The sun's starting to set. We should get back to the school. You know how Headmare Twilight is when we miss curfew."
"That's right." Ocellus nodded, secretly relieved. "We really should call it quits for the day."
"I guess we should." Silverstream sighed. "Still, if we head back now, we would have time left to finish our homework."
"Yay, homework..." Gallus said sarcastically.
"We can always practice more tomorrow." Smolder declared. "Right, Silverstream?"
"We sure can." Silverstream nodded. "Maybe we can even make it a regular thing. Won't that be fun?"
"Yeah, fun..." Ocellus said quietly.
"Fun to watch, that for sure." Yona smiled. "Yak can't wait to see friends practice again!"
"Me too." Sandbar agreed. "It was almost like a Wonderbolts show... Except we didn't have to buy a ticket."
"The show's only just beginning." Silverstream grinned. "With a little more practice, we can put on a real show."
As the group made their way back to the school, chattering excitedly about the events of the day, Ocellus found herself envying Sandbar and Yona for their lack of wings.
The next day, following their lessons, the six friends returned to the Buckball field for more practice.
"Okay, we're going to try something a little different today." Silverstream announced.
"Different?" Ocellus said nervously.
"I was thinking we could work on stamina." Silverstream declared. "Professor Dash told me that a great flyer needs to be able to go the distance, and handle long flights. So that's what we're going to do. We're going to do laps around the field, and see how long we can keep it up for."
"That sounds a little less fun than yesterday's practice." Gallus said skeptically.
"Okay, then let's make things interesting." Silverstream suggested. "How about the one of us who stays in the air the longest gets a nice, ice-cold smoothie at Sugarcube Corner? My treat!"
"Yeah, I can get with that." Smolder smiled.
"Me too." Gallus agreed.
"Ocellus, how about you?" Silverstream asked.
"...Yeah, sure." Ocellus nodded.
"Great!" Silverstream grinned. "Then on your marks, get set... Go!"
Once again, the four winged creatures took off into the sky.
"Sandbar want to bet on which friend can fly longest?" Yona suggested.
"That depends." Sandbar mused. "What are we betting?"
"Tomorrow's dessert at lunch." Yona answered. "Yona say Smolder stay in air longest. Sandbar in?"
"Yeah, sure." Sandbar nodded. "I'll bet Gallus stays up there the longest."
"Sandbar on!" Yona shook his hoof.
Up above, the others were beginning to circle the circumference of the field. Silverstream, Smolder and Gallus still had plenty of stamina to spare, but Ocellus was already starting to tire.
'I can't be running out of steam already...' Ocellus struggled to stay aloft. 'Come on, Ocellus. You've got to keep going...'
Try as she might, Ocellus couldn't keep going for much longer. She found herself returning to the ground, exhausted.
"Guess Ocellus is the first one out." Sandbar noted.
"Yona glad she not bet on her." Yona declared.
One by one, the others returned to the ground. Smolder managed to stay aloft the longest (to Yoga's delight). Silverstream and Gallus followed soon after.
"What happened up there, Ocellus?" Silverstream frowned. "You barely got in any laps at all!"
"Sorry. These wings of mine aren't really built for speed." Ocellus pointed out. "They're better suited for hovering."
"Maybe you could just shapeshift into something with bigger wings?" Sandbar suggested. "That would totally help with your stamina."
"I could do that..." Ocellus mused.
"I'm pretty sure that would count as cheating." Smolder pointed out.
"Especially if she turned into something with really huge wings, like a Roc." Gallus snorted.
"Besides, then it wouldn't really be Ocellus doing the flying." Silverstream added. "That's no way to hone your skills."
"Oh." Ocellus said, crestfallen. "I guess you have a point there.."
"Don't worry about it." Silverstream assured. "Practice makes perfect, remember?"
"Right." Ocellus nodded.
"Okay, Smolder, since you stayed up there the longest, I owe you a smoothie." Silverstream recalled.
"To the victor, go the spoils." Smolder said smugly.
"Yona's thoughts exactly." Yona grinned at Sandbar.
"Looks like I gambled and lost." Sandbar said contritely. "Still, there's better things in life than dessert..."
"Like chasing your dream with your best friends by your side!" Silverstream declared. "Same time tomorrow, guys?"
"Sure, why not?" Gallus shrugged.
"If it snags me another smoothie, I'm all for it." Smolder added.
"I guess more practice wouldn't hurt." Ocellus shrugged.
Over the next few days, the friends continued to fly together. With each new training idea of Silverstream's, Ocellus found herself struggling more and more. Naturally, the others noticed her struggles.
"Maybe you should sit this next one out." Sandbar suggested, just before their next practice. "You look a little... wiped out."
"I'm fine, really." Ocellus insisted.
"Ocellus no look fine to me." Yona observed.
"If you don't want to be up there, just say so." Sandbar pointed out. "Silverstream won't hold it against you."
"But she likes having me and the others up there with her." Ocellus pointed out. "If I just turn around and tell her I'm not interested in practicing anymore, she'd be crushed."
"And that's worse than always lagging behind?" Sandbar asked. "Wearing yourself out?"
"Friends are willing to sacrifice for others, remember?" Ocellus countered. "Please don't tell Silverstream or the others, okay?"
"Well..." Sandbar and Yona chorused.
"Please?" Ocellus pleaded.
Sandbar and Yona shared a look.
"Okay." Sandbar nodded. "We won't tell."
"But Ocellus should." Yona said sternly.
"...I'll think about it." Ocellus said non-committedly.
With that, Ocellus joined her fellow flyers.
"Okay guys, I've thought up something really cool for today." Silverstream smiled, indicating a set of cobbled-together rings, tunnels and various other objects on stilts. "An obstacle course! Wanna give it a try?"
"Just watch me." Smolder grinned.
"Is it safe?" Gallus cast a wary eye at the course's construction.
"Sure it is." Silverstream nodded. "I tested it myself earlier. Who wants to go first? Ocellus?"
"Oh, I don't want rob anycreature else of the honor." Ocellus said awkwardly.
"And that honor will be mine, thanks." Smolder grinned. "Watch and learn..."
Smolder took off, ducking and weaving around the various obstacles. She dived through the wooden hoops, maneuvered through a makeshift tube (made from some old cardboard boxes), and went up and under some barriers.
"Ta-daa!" She bragged, as she landed back where she started.
"Dragon start things off strong!" Yona called.
"Yeah!" Sandbar cheered.
"Nice work." Silverstream smiled. "Okay, me next!"
Silverstream performed even better than Smolder. While being the one who actually put the course together gave her an edge, she moved almost like the obstacles weren't even there.
"Way to go, Silverstream!" Sandbar cheered.
"Show obstacles who boss!" Yona added.
After Silverstream finished, Ocellus let Gallus go next. The Griffon did well, though he almost knocked one barrier over by misjudging his movements.
"Gallus still do great!" Yona cheered.
"Nocreature's perfect!" Sandbar encouraged his friend.
"Okay, Ocellus, it's just you left." Gallus declared. "Go for it."
"I will..." Ocellus said nervously.
Ocellus took of, and headed into the obstacle course. She wasn't nearly as successful as the others. She wasn't able to fully work her way around any of the obstacles, bumping into and jostling them as she tried to negotiate her way through.
After what felt like an age, she planted her hooves on solid ground again.
"That was... good." Sandbar announced.
"Ocellus... finish!" Yona said awkwardly.
"Sorry." Ocellus cringed. "Guess obstacle courses aren't my strong suit."
"Not yet, at least." Silverstream declared, a determined look in her eye.
"W-what do you mean?" Ocellus asked.
"You can finish this course as well as the rest of us." Silverstream stated. "And I'm going to help you. A little one-on-one coaching is just what you need."
"It is?" Ocellus gulped.
"That's right." Silverstream nodded. "I'm gonna help you get better, like friends do."
Ocellus briefly glanced in Sandbar and Yona's direction, the two silently urging her to speak the truth.
"...Okay." Ocellus returned her focus to Silverstream. "I guess I could use a little help."
"And you're going to get a lot of help." Silverstream nodded. "You take the course again, and I'll coach you. Ready?"
"Ready." Ocellus said through false bravado.
As Gallus and Smolder joined Sandbar and Yona in spectating, Ocellus took the course once more, with Silverstream giving her advice.
"Okay, when it comes to the hoops, try a zig-zag maneuver." Silverstream instructed.
Ocellus tried to follow Silverstream's words, but she still wasn't good at turning quickly; she managed to move around two of the hoops, but came in too close on the third, catching herself on the edge.
"Whoops!" She yelped.
"Okay, that was close." Silverstream declared, helping Ocellus to free herself. "Let's try that again."
Again and again, Ocellus went through the course, and each time, made some manner of mistake that kept her from completing it. Silverstream kept on encouraging her, though she was growing more and more frustrated.
Meanwhile, Gallus and Smolder were watching events unfold with bored looks on their faces. Sandbar and Yona had actually fallen asleep, resting against each other, oblivious to what was happening.
"Okay, let's try it one more time." Silverstream said through a gritted beak after yet another failure. "Remember, the key is to think as you fly, but also go with flow and stay loose."
"I don't think it's possible to do all that at once." Ocellus pointed out.
"Wouldn't hurt to try." Silverstream insisted. "Now, go for it!"
Nodding, Ocellus tried the course again, repeating Silverstream's advice to herself.
"Think as you fly." She muttered. "Go with the flow, stay loose, zig-zag at the hoops..."
As she moved through the hoops, she attempted to "stay loose" as Silverstream said, only for one of her dangling hooves to catch the underside of one, tripping her and sending her out of control.
"Ahh!" She yelped, spinning out.
"Ocellus!" Silverstream yelped.
"This can't be good." Gallus observed from below.
"Ya think?" Smolder said sarcastically.
Unable to right herself, Ocellus hid the side of the side of the tunnel, bouncing off of it and colliding with one of the barriers. She bounced off that barrier, and, like a pinball, struck another.
"Whoa!" She helped, ricocheting back towards the hoops.
All the noise woke Sandbar and Yona from their slumber.
"Whuzz goin' on?" Sandbar asked, still sleepy.
"Yona think she still dreaming..." Yona remarked as she saw Ocellus flying out of control, Silverstream in hot pursuit.
"Trust me, this is no dream." Gallus deadpanned.
"More like a waking nightmare..." Smolder added.
"I got you, Ocellus!" Silverstream reached for one of the Changeling's flailing limbs.
Before Silverstream could grab hold of Ocellus's hoof, Ocellus crashed into one of the hoops, which tipped over from the impact. The grass provided a cushion, but it still was a painless landing.
"Owww..." Ocellus groaned, as her friends gathered around her.
"Are you okay?" Sandbar asked.
"I think so." Ocellus gingerly stood up, nursing a bruise on one of her front hooves. "Nothing broken, at least..."
"That's a relief." Smolder sighed gladly.
"Lucky break, huh?" Gallus noted. "Or not-break, when you think about it."
"Gallus pick bad time for joke." Yona shook her head.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Silverstream smiled at Ocellus.
"'Okay' being a relative term." Ocellus rubbed her bruised hoof. "That was a close one..."
"Don't worry, you'll do better next time." Silverstream smiled.
"Next time?" Ocellus frowned.
"Oh, yeah!" Silverstream nodded. "You almost had it that time! One more oughta do it!"
"But... But..." Ocellus spluttered.
"Maybe if you tightened up your turns around the hoops..." Silverstream mused.
"Silverstream..." Ocellus mumbled.
"...tucked in your legs more to lower wind resistance..." Silverstream continued.
"Maybe we should just..." Ocellus said, a little louder.
"...And maybe pick up your speed a little." Silverstream shrugged. "Whatever the problem is, we can just keep trying until you get it perfect. Right?"
"...No." Ocellus declared.
"Great!" Silverstream grinned. "So let's get back up there, and- wait, what?"
"I said NO!" Ocellus yelled. "No more practice, no more flying, no more obstacle course! I'm sick of it!"
"But, but I thought..." Silverstream said meekly.
"Did you?" Ocellus growled. "You just kept pushing me, and pushing me, making me run the course again and again, and look what happened! I could've gotten a lot more than bruised hoof!"
"I... I didn't mean to..." Silverstream said weakly, then spoke up. "I just wanted to help you be a better flyer!"
"Maybe I don't want to be a better flyer." Ocellus retorted. "Maybe I'm just fine the way I am! Didn't think of that, did you?"
"Ocellus, I-" Silverstream started, unnerved by her response.
"I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment!" Ocellus, blinking away some tears, flew away.
For a moment, Silverstream stared in shock, almost unable to believe what had just happened. She then shook her head, and followed after Ocellus.
"Come back!" She yelled.
Silverstream gave chase, but as she rounded a corner, she couldn't see any sign of Ocellus, who seemed to have disappeared.
'She can't have outflown me.' Silverstream reasoned. 'So she must have changed into some other creature I wouldn't have noticed. Smart thinking, Ocellus. But not smart enough...'
Silverstream started to look for Ocellus in the most likely places, such as her room, or the school library. When those possibilities proved false, she headed over to the only other place she could think of: the Treehouse of Harmony.
"Please be here..." Silverstream whispered.
Silverstream searched the treehouse, finding Ocellus in the study area (the same place she had once used to finish her study on Cockatrices), determinedly reading a book.
"There you are." Silverstream smiled.
"Go away." Ocellus said coldly, not even bothering to look up from the book.
"You don't have to look at me." Silverstream declared. "Just listen, please."
"I think I've listened to you enough for one day." Ocellus retorted.
"I'm sorry, Ocellus." Silverstream bowed her head. "I know what I did wrong now. I got so caught up in my dream that I forgot what's important. I shouldn't have kept pushing you. I should have realized you weren't having fun anymore."
"Yeah." Ocellus said sullenly. "You really should have."
"If you didn't like all that practice, why didn't you just say something about it?" Silverstream asked.
"Because..." Ocellus sighed. She put down the book, and finally turned to face Silverstream. "Because I didn't want to let you down. You were so psyched about practice, so insistent that I push forward and improve myself... It just got harder and harder to speak up and say it wasn't fun anymore. So I bottled it all up inside, until it boiled over, and I exploded."
"You sure did." Silverstream admitted awkwardly. "Like Professor pie's party cannon..."
"I should have told you sooner." Ocellus admitted. "Like Professor Applejack always says, it's best to be honest with your friends, even if it means telling them something they might not like."
"Ocellus..." Silverstream sighed with shame. She placed a talon on her friends' shoulder. "You don't have to worry about disappointing me. And don't act like this is your fault. I'm the one who let you down. I'm the one who wasn't being a very good friend. And I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted." Ocellus smiled. hugging her friend.
"Thanks." Silverstream gratefully accepted the hug. "We should probably head back. The others'll be wondering what happened to us. ...And I'd really like to get back up in the sky."
"More practice for the future Wonderbolt, right?" Ocellus grinned.
"Yep." Silverstream nodded. "But don't worry, you don't have to be up with me. You can cheer us on along with Sandbar and Yona, if you like."
"Of course." Ocellus agreed. "It'll be good practice for the day you do become a Wonderbolt. Because I'll be cheering for you louder than anycreature."
"And I promise, I'll let you cheer the way you want to." Silverstream pledged. "No pressure there."
"Thanks." Ocellus smiled. "And you know, I think I read a little something about flight techniques in some of these books. Maybe I can give you a little coaching?"
"That's be great." Silverstream nodded. "Practice makes perfect, but a little help from your friends is even more perfect."
The two departed from the treehouse. Silverstream was no less determined to one day achieve her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. But now, she was equally determined to not lose sight of the importance of friendship along the way, because she had been reminded that her friends were worth more than any dream.