David Starlyre loves most sports, including some rough sports. Even so, the noise of a great crowd can cause some serious sensory overload. And this can make him frightened.

A big basketball game had just started. But Starlyre was feeling frozen in place. And Blazey Blue's attempts at cheerleading weren't having quite the right effect, either. She was adding more noise. Moreover, it made Starlyre even more nervous about letting down his friends.

Meanwhile, Wingfire was learning to be a cheerleader. He himself was feeling shy. In his case, the problem wasn't sensory overload -- it was the fear of making a fool of himself in front of the crowd. Also, he felt a little quiet and reserved, not so much into loud displays of motivational speech.

Because all of Wingfire's friends participated in sports, he would have felt left out if he didn't find a way to join. Unfortunately, even basketball felt too rough for him. In the Starpony Kingdom, male cheerleaders were a familiar concept, though they still drew some laughs at times, from both boys and girls. Still, this felt like his best bet to fit in with everyone else.

Because of his nervousness, Wingfire almost caused a fatal mistake for his cheerleading team. Starlyre almost caused a fatal mistake for his basketball team. This became an unexpected bonding moment for the two. Feeling validated by each other's struggles, they stopped worrying much about what others thought. Each knew they would stand up with the other, in the case they got bullied or something.

In the end, Starlyre and Wingfire managed to overcome their fears just enough to pull through. Their erratic movements might have become an unexpected advantage. To avoid failure, they had to stop fearing it -- and accept the uncertainty of life.

Art by Tsitra360. "Starponys" and related characters (TM) and (C) of M. Wayne Howell.