Kona found refuge on a low-hanging tree branch in the middle of the dandelion meadow. She hid among the leaves and sniffled. Her halo of magical flowers sagged.
Part of Kona was ashamed of herself for yelling at Andy. But another part of her felt misunderstood!
“What’s so wrong about wanting to win?” she murmured to herself tearfully. “I mean, isn’t that the whole point of playing?”
“Kona.”
Kona jumped as a voice rumbled up from beneath her. She used her front legs to part the leaves on her branch and peered downward.
It was Thelma! The mare was standing beneath the tree, gazing up at Kona with a mixture of irritation and compassion.
“Soccer is just a game,” Thelma said. “Isn’t that what you’ve been telling us?”
“Well, yes,” Kona responded, fidgeting uncomfortably. “But I didn’t say that winning the game doesn’t matter! Didn’t you want to beat them as much as I did?”
“You mean Sumatra, Brisa, Benny, and Fluff?” Thelma asked.
“Of course,” Kona said. “It was us against them, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Actually, to me, Kona,” the mare said, “it felt a lot like all of us … against you.”
Shaking her head, Thelma loped away to graze next to Andy, Benny, and Fluff. Fluttering above them, Sirocco, Sumatra, and Brisa cast worried glances at Kona’s tree, but gave Kona her space.
Feeling lonely, Kona sighed and looked around. She noticed an acorn resting on the end of her branch. With a shrug, she kicked the nut toward a knot in the tree’s trunk.
Plunk. A hole in one!
But Kona just sighed. Scoring a direct hit wasn’t fun without friends to share it with.
And now that I think about it, she realized, just playing with my friends is a lot more fun than beating them at a game.
Kona snuck a glance at Sumatra, Brisa, and Sirocco. They were chasing each other through the air now, and giggling. They seemed happy.
Slowly and shyly, Kona flew over to her friends, wondering if they’d turn their flanks, tails, and cold shoulders on her.
But instead, the Wind Dancers gathered around her, their halos bright. Down on the ground, the big horses clustered together expectantly as well.
“I … want to be an ‘us’ again,” Kona declared to her friends sheepishly. “And to forget about the ‘them.’ And…”
“Hey, Kona,” Sumatra interrupted her.
Startled, Kona watched as Sumatra swooped down to the ground, scooped up a pinecone in her teeth, and tossed it toward her.
“Catch!” Sumatra yelled playfully.
Instinctively, Kona dashed for the pinecone and caught it in her teeth! With a laugh, she tossed it to Sirocco, who bopped it to Brisa.
But Brisa missed the pinecone. She was too busy admiring the magic gems in her halo! All the horses laughed—and none louder than Kona.
Sumatra flew closer to the violet filly and grinned at her.
“I kind of like playing catch, don’t you?” she said. “No rules. No winning. No losing.”
“Me, too!” Kona agreed, shooting Sumatra a grateful look. “I’m ready to say good-bye to soccer!”
“Oh, let’s not do that!” Sumatra said, looking horrified. “I like soccer! We all do. It’s just the crazy competitiveness that we don’t like.”
Once again, Kona felt embarrassment wash over her.
“But don’t forget,” Sumatra added kindly, “without you, we never would have started playing soccer. So we owe you a thank you.”
“Really?” Kona said, looking hopefully at Brisa, Sirocco, and the big horses.
“Really,” Sirocco agreed, swooping over for a nose nuzzle. Kona nuzzled him gratefully.
“So,” Thelma said, now kicking the Jolly Ball off the ground and lobbing it up to Kona. “No more bullying your players, particularly my little foal?”
“No more!” Kona assured her, as she kicked the ball to Brisa.
“And no more gunning for every goal?” Brisa asked, as she knocked the ball back to Kona.
“Definitely not,” Kona said with a laugh. This time, she kicked the ball to Sumatra. Sumatra caught it between her forelegs and looked at Kona hard.
“So how about for the next few days, we just kick the Jolly Ball around?” Sumatra asked. “No pressure. No points?”
All the horses held their breath. Would Kona be able to give up this part of the game?
“Deal!” Kona neighed happily.
“Yay!” Sumatra cried, tossing the ball down to Andy, who’d picked up a twig with his teeth and was waving it around. Accidentally, the foal knocked the ball with his stick and sent it sailing!
Kona watched the ball fly away, with a thoughtful smile—which quickly morphed into a sly grin.
“You know,” she proposed to her friends with a twinkle in her eyes, “while we’re taking our little break from competitive soccer, what do you say we try our hooves at baseball? I bet I could score more home runs than any of you!”
“KONA!” neighed every horse in the meadow.
“JUST KIDDING!” Kona giggled. Then she scooped another pinecone off the ground and gently tossed it to Andy. The little colt snapped the cone up in his teeth, then galloped away, whinnying mischievously with every step.
