Rainbow Dash sat at the bottom seat of drab, worn out bleachers. She sipped her smoothie while a chilly mist drizzled down from the dreary gray sky. Her brow furrowed and she sipped more forcefully through her straw, finishing her drink as a cold gust of wind pelted tiny droplets against her cheek.

"Hey!" Sunset Shimmer called out as she jogged to Rainbow's side holding an umbrella. "I didn't know it was supposed to be so chilly."

"Don't tell me you're wussing out already." Rainbow stood up and snatched Sunset's umbrella away, then tossed it onto the bleachers.

Sunset stomped her foot and shook her head. "I'm not. Ready to get started when you are."

"Good! That's what I like to hear. Drink this and follow me." Rainbow punched Sunset's shoulder and handed her an extra smoothie, then jogged out towards the center of the practice field, where a soccer ball sat in waiting.

Sunset took a sip of the smoothie and cringed, then quickly gulped the rest of it down. She then tied on her cleats and followed Rainbow onto the practice field, the cold droplets of mist dampening her hair. "Aren't you worried we'll catch a cold?"

Rainbow chuckled under her breath and shook her head. "With all the nutrients packed into these smoothies I made us, there's no way we can get sick!"

Sunset scratched her head and skeptically glanced towards the empty containers.

"Now listen up!" Rainbow snapped Sunset to attention. "First thing's first: Your dribbling is terrible, and by that I mean it looks like something a hyperactive kindergartner would do. We seriously need to work on your form before you can gain any headway during our practice sessions."

Sunset felt a muscle twitch in her forehead, but she forced down her rising anger. "Alright, I can accept that. So tell me what to do to get better."

"Duh, where did you think I was going with this?" Rainbow rolled her eyes and tapped the ball past Sunset, then quickly twirled around her and kicked the ball from side to side through a line of small orange cones spaced out in front of her.

Sunset watched closely as Rainbow gracefully weaved through the cones, lightly tapping the ball with each pass. She then seamlessly turned around and darted through the cones twice as quickly, never missing a beat.

"That's how it's done. Quick controlled kicks are the key moving the ball exactly where you want it to go. I can easily run this drill blindfolded because I'm so used to how the ball moves. It's important to at least try to gain that sense, so you can keep an eye on the players around you instead of watching your feet all the time." Rainbow Dash rolled the ball up onto her shoe and launched it into the air, then stepped to Sunset's side. "Now you go."

Sunset gulped while the ball bounced in front of her. "Okay, that makes sense. I'll do my best."

Rainbow nodded and blew on the whistle that hung around her neck. "First, run the drill using only your right foot. Reach the end, then come back as quickly as you can with one-hundred percent accuracy and control."

Sunset took a quick kick and carefully followed it to the left, then instinctively used her left foot to kick it to the right.

TWEEEEEE

Rainbow blew into her whistle. "Right foot only, Sunset!"

"Yeah yeah! It was an accident." Sunset huffed and resumed her drill.

Rainbow placed two fingers on her forehead while she watched her friend with a crooked smirk. She noticed the way Sunset hesitated before each kick, then focused on lining up the next kick while the ball petered to a near stop before kicking it again.

"Sunset, try picking up the pace a little. Don't be afraid to hit the cones," Rainbow called out. "Remember, the point of this drill is work on controlling the force of your kicks. If you're barely kicking the ball, then you're only teaching yourself bad habits."

Sunset groaned and nodded. "Got it."

"The key to completing the drill quickly and correctly is to kick the ball hard enough so that you have just enough time to get ahead of it, then kick it back the other direction at the exact same speed so you develop a rhythm. Kick it too softly and you'll end up not going anywhere. Kick it too hard and it'll get away from you. Find the sweet spot in the middle." Rainbow knelt down and let her hands dangle while she watched.

Sunset acknowledged the advice and did her best to heed it. Rounding the last cone, she kicked the ball more forcefully and chased it to its destination before smacking between the next set of cones.

"Nice!" Rainbow called out. "Just make sure the ball never stops moving."

Sunset smiled, invigorated. She continued the drill with deep determination, then as she went to round the last cone, she involuntarily kicked the ball with her left foot.

TWEEEEEE

"Come on!" Sunset shouted and turned around as the ball rolled away. "I'm standing right in front of you. Is that really necessary?!"

Rainbow stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Yes. Now go fetch the ball and run the drill until you get it right!"

Sunset felt her anger boiling up in her chest, but instead of shouting back she turned around and chased after the ball.

Rainbow let a knowing smile slide across her cheeks and crossed her arms. "You're getting better already, Sunset. Remember: Tough love!"

Sunset sighed and nodded to herself, then dribbled the ball back to the cones to resume her drills.

"So run through the drill with your right foot, then your left foot, then both using cross kicks. Then we'll repeat all three until class starts." Rainbow gave a stern nod and stuck the whistle in her mouth.

"Got it." Sunset reattempted the exercise while the cold mist quenched her fiery emotions.

Not far from the scene, Cloud Kicker walked next to Raindrops sharing an umbrella. "Wow," she said, bumping Raindrops with her elbow. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

Raindrops held her hand against her forehead as she stared across the practice field. "I dunno. Looks like Rainbow Dash is coaching Sunset Shimmer."

"And that's okay with you?" Cloud Kicker crossed her arms and paced ahead.

Raindrops scurried forward with the umbrella and stuck to her side. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you think our coach will be at one-hundred percent during practice after school today if she's exhausting herself trying to train that lost cause every morning?" Cloud Kicker spat as she rounded the corner towards the entrance to the school.

Raindrops shrugged and collapsed her umbrella before stepping indoors. "Rainbow's pretty resilient. I think she'll be fine."