//------------------------------// // EHL Part VII - Royal Treatment // Story: Equestria Hockey League // by XFizzle //------------------------------// Equestria Hockey League Part VII – Royal Treatment by XFizzle The following day after the Golden Leafs’ exhilarating victory over the Fillydelphia Flyers, Ponyville buzzed with excitement and fervor despite the freezing temperatures. More and more Golden Leafs signs, merchandise, and other various trinkets were cropping up in each house and shop. Sugarcube Corner began selling Golden Leafs cupcakes, each pastry depicting the team’s logo in delicious icing. Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh painted their apple selling cart to reflect the Golden Leafs’ royal blue and gold colors. Rarity spent her days off stitching up Golden Leafs jerseys, hats, saddles, and even dresses, to sell at the Carousel Boutique. Golden Leafs fever was sweeping through Ponyville and Twilight and company couldn’t have been more proud. Enjoying her day off, Twilight lounged in front of the fireplace. She was reading a new book, calmly flipping through the pages. As she turned to the next page, a loud knock came at the door. Not wanting to leave her cozy spot, Twilight took her time finishing up the current page. Another loud knock came impatiently which finally moved Twilight to her feet. As she approached the rattling door, it unexpectedly flew open, almost hitting Twilight in the face. Loud trumpets rang throughout the treehouse as two royal guards stepped in. “Now presenting her royal highness, Princess Luna!” The guards turned to the side and backed away from the doorway, creating an open aisle. Stepping into the treehouse was Equestria’s other princess and starting center for the Canterlot Equestrians, Princess Luna. Luna playfully shooed the guards away and closed the door after they left. Twilight was greatly puzzled at Luna’s arrival but gave a slight bow in respect. “P-Princess Luna, what brings you here to Ponyville so early? Isn’t the next game a few days away?” Luna motioned for Twilight to stand back up and let out a charming giggle. “Oh Twilight Sparkle, my sister told me you would be a little confused. That’s why she wrote this note for me to bring to you!” Luna made a scroll appear and drifted it over to Twilight. The scroll opened and Twilight began to read. ”To My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle, Please excuse my sister Princess Luna for arriving in Ponyville early for the big Canterlot versus Ponyville game this week. She begged me to allow her a short vacation in Ponyville so that she could visit the town and meet the Ponyvillians properly. Therefore, I am assigning the Golden Leafs to watch over and entertain Princess Luna during her stay and to show her the many wonders Ponyville has to offer. I am greatly looking forward to your game versus Canterlot as I will be watching your game through magical telecast. Good luck. Your Royal Highness, Princess Celestia” Luna rolled up the scroll and poofed it away. She then stared at Twilight with an anxious grin, waiting in anticipation for something to start. Still confused, Twilight stared back at Luna with a contorted, uneasy smile of her own. After several seconds of awkward silence and staring, Twilight finally spoke. “Sooooo, Princess Luna. Since you’re in Ponyville now, what would you like to do?” Luna looked down and poked at the floor with indecisiveness. “I don’t knoooow. What do you want to do?” “Well, for one, you can meet my friends. They haven’t had the chance to be properly introduced to you. Does that sound like a good plan?” Luna shyly lifted her head and looked at Twilight. “I don’t knooooow. I guess that would be okay.” Twilight kept up her uneasy smile. “Okay then. Let’s go meet the rest of the girls.” With a plan in place, Twilight and Luna fled from the treehouse and trotted into town. The Golden Leafs had scheduled a practice for that day and agreed to meet in front of the arena. Twilight thought that now would be a good opportunity for the girls to meet Luna. She led the princess toward Ponyville Pond where the others were already waiting. Twilight’s friends began waving and yelling to her until they noticed another pony walking beside her. Their yells and waves stopped as Twilight and her guest came closer. When Twilight and Luna arrived, Luna was hiding behind Twilight. The rest of the Golden Leafs stared in confusion as Twilight greeted them. “Hey girls! Ready for a fun, tough practice?” Applejack pointed to Twilight’s tail. “Umm, who’s that hidin’ behind ya?” Twilight looked back to see Luna slightly hiding and playing coy. Twilight swiftly shifted off to the side to reveal her guest. “Everypony, allow me to formally introduce you to Princess Luna. She arrived into Ponyville early so she could enjoy the town.” Luna slowly stood up from her hiding position and approached the Golden Leafs. The girls put a smile on their faces and cordially introduced themselves to Luna with a bow. Applejack propped back up and grabbed Luna’s hoof, shaking it violently. “Howdy there, Princess! The name’s Applejack. Nice to officially make your acquaintance.” Luna could only let out a laugh as she was tossed about by the hoofshake. Pinkie Pie was next and jumped at Luna. “Pleased to meet you Princess Luna! Do you like parties? I love to party! There was this one time I threw a party for all of Ponyville and everyone showed up wearing a hat and I was like what a great idea! So we all threw our hats on the ground and danced around them and had so much fun! And there was this other time-“ Pinkie kept spouting off as Rarity pushed her aside to get to Luna. Rarity gave Luna an elegant curtsy and began her introduction. “How wonderful it is to finally meet the other esteemed princess. My name is Rarity, the most regal pony here in Ponyville. I do hope you find my quaint little town a fabulous place to visit.” Rainbow Dash flew down in between Luna and Rarity, cutting Rarity off. “YOUR town? Puh-leeze. My name’s Rainbow Dash! I’m the fastest flyer around here! If you want to spend time with a cool pony, I’m your gal!” Luna shook Rainbow’s hand and looked at the others. She noticed Fluttershy standing in the back by herself. Luna parted the Golden Leafs and approached Fluttershy. Fluttershy, nervous in front of royalty, started to bow but slipped on her hooves and fell to the ground. Luna helped her up with a smile. Fluttershy completed her bow and finally gathered up the courage to look at Luna. “Oh I’m so sorry, Princess. I didn’t mean to fall. My name is Fluttershy. You have a beautiful mane and coat. Please enjoy your time here.” Luna turned to the girls. “It’s nice to meet all of you finally. I’m sorry about all the trouble I caused with the ruining of the Summer Sun Celebration and the battle inside the ruins.” “Ah, that stuff’s ancient history now. You’re a welcomed guest as far as Ah’m concerned,” said Applejack. “Thank you. So, what do you all want to do?” asked Luna. The Golden Leafs looked at her and laughed. Pinkie hopped up to Luna. “We’re going to practice, silly! We have a big game this week against Canterlot!” Luna’s smile faded into a look of disappointment. Recalling Celestia’s letter and not wanting to upset either princess, Twilight butted in. “Well, we don’t have to start right away. Hehe. How about we give Luna a tour of Ponyville? Show her all the shops and houses and Sweet Apple Acres. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity gave Twilight an unenthused, blank look. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy perked up and were excited by the idea. Luna also perked up and regained her happy grin. Twilight saw the mixture of emotions among her friends and started walking towards town. “We’ll do a quick tour of the town and be back here to practice in no time!” With three groans, three cheers, and one paranoid tour guide, the Golden Leafs and Princess Luna began their small journey. --- The gang first arrived at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie took over Twilight’s role and energetically showed Luna every nook and cranny, even down to the nails in the floor boards. “Isn’t this place just neat and delicious?” asked Pinkie. “Oh it’s nice and sweet here. Say, do you have any cupcakes? Celly won’t let me have any. When she does, it’s these yucky, fancy organic cupcakes that the royal bakers make. They taste horrible,” said Luna sticking out her tongue in digust. Pinkie hopped toward the kitchen. “You bet your crown we do! Follow me!” Pinkie led Luna to the kitchen to whip up a quick batch. At the counter, Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity were audibly making their boredom known with sighing, eye rolling, and hoof tapping. Twilight saw this and tried convincing them of her plan. “Look, we’ll show the princess two more places then we’ll go practice, okay? I know this isn’t what we planned but I can’t disappoint both Princess Luna and Celestia. They’re both counting on me.” Applejack and Rarity warmed up a little to Twilight’s plea but Rainbow was still a bit annoyed. “We understand, Twi. It’s just that we wanna get as much practice in as possible so we’re ready to take on them Canterlot folk,” said Applejack. Rarity nodded with Applejack’s remark. “I delayed all my design projects today because I knew we were practicing. But, if this will please Princess Celestia, then it is quite alright with me, Twilight.” Rainbow rolled her eyes again then spoke up. “I don’t see why WE’RE the ones who have to do this. Why couldn’t Princess Luna get dumped onto someone else’s-“ Rainbow cut herself off because Luna and Pinkie had come back from the kitchen. “I mean, we’re SO glad to have Princess Luna here to keep us company and to have some awesome fun with us. Heh heh,” said Rainbow with an overemphatic, fake smile. Luna smiled back and gave each Golden Leaf a cupcake she had made. Twilight and friends gulped their snack down, complimenting the princess for a job well done. They then turned toward the exit but were stopped by Luna. “That’s just the appetizer! I’m going to treat you ponies to a royal lunch because you’ve been so kind and welcoming!” Pinkie Pie squealed in delight. “Oooh! Let me help! Let me help!” “Me too, please!” said Fluttershy excitedly. Rainbow let out a frustrated grunt while Applejack and Rarity turned to Twilight with desperation on their faces. Twilight let out a sigh herself but quickly propped up a smile. Through her teeth, Twilight replied, “What a great idea, Luna! We’ll wait right here.” Luna, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy returned to the kitchen to prepare more food. About ten minutes later, they emerged with a whole buffet full of tasty food. Luna used her magic to dress a nearby table and presented the food with decorative platters and dishes. The Golden Leafs’ mouths watered and were amazed by Luna’s display. Luna sat at the head of the table and tapped a spoon to a glass. “By royal decree from Princess Luna of Equestria……. DIG IN!” The ponies voraciously gulped down every bit of food that was made. Before long, everyone was so full they couldn’t budge from their spots. Twilight looked at the clock then turned to Luna. “Well, that was certainly a delightful meal. How about we head over to Ponyville Pond and have our practice?” Luna looked down in sorrow. With a feeble voice and tears gathering in her eyes, Luna looked at Twilight. “But I was hoping we could have a party. Celestia never lets me have any parties.” Twilight looked to her friends who frantically shook their heads and waved their hooves no. Paranoid about what wrath she might incur if she failed the princess, Twilight blurted out without thinking. “Sure! We’ll have a party! Pinkie Pie, will you do the honors?” “Okie dokie lokie, Twilight! One cr-AAA-zy party coming right up!” Frustrated with another deviation from their plans, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity threw their hooves to the air with a sigh. Luna sparked straight back up and was clapping her hooves while squealing with laughter. Pinkie Pie joined Luna in her squealing as the others covered their ears. Soon after, Pinkie busted out balloons, streamers, a cake, and a record player and the party began. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Luna danced in the center of the room while Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and Twilight stood around the table. Rainbow walked over to Applejack and Rarity and whispered something into both their ears. Twilight narrowed her eyes and tried listening in. Applejack and Rarity’s faces shifted from confusion to surprise to irritation as Rainbow whispered on. Frustrated by the secrecy right in front of her, Twilight yelled. “What are you three talking about?!?” “Rainbow brought up a great point, dear. What if Luna is trying to stall us on purpose so we don’t practice? Maybe Luna is a saboteur sent by the Equestrians to mess us up!” exclaimed Rarity. Twilight rolled her eyes and stomped towards Rainbow who backed down. “Princess Luna is just a normal pony just like you and me. She’s allowed to have a vacation and a little fun just as we can. She is NOT a saboteur.” Applejack stood between the angered Twilight and Rainbow. “I don’t know, Twi. All this waitin’ around and doin’ nothin’ is really cuttin’ in on our plans. I’m startin’ to agree with Rainbow here.” At first Twilight was disappointed in Applejack but her disappointment quickly flared back into anger. She stomped her hooves down hard, causing Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow to cower. “Fine, if you three think this is all some crazy, elaborate scheme to interfere with our practicing, then just go. The rest of us will meet you at the arena later.” Applejack stepped toward Twilight with concern. “But, Twi.” Rainbow walked over to Applejack and turned her toward the door. “Let’s go. Maybe Little Miss Princess Pal here will wake up and realize we were right. Come on, we’ll practice without them.” “Fine! We’ll see you later!” yelled Twilight as she mockingly waved the three party poopers goodbye. Fluttershy saw the group leaving and approached Twilight confused. “Where are they going, Twilight?” Twilight danced angrily, stomping with each step. “Oh, they were just being downers and left for practice. We’ll party on without them.” “Oh, I see. When are we going to practice?” asked Fluttershy nervously. Twilight’s anger level lowered and she let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Fluttershy. Hopefully soon.” Luna danced and bounced all over the room, clearly enjoying herself. Pinkie started to feel tired as she couldn’t keep up with Luna’s dancing. “Oh…you’re…good…you’re…real…good,” panted Pinkie. “Thanks! I guess I have like crazy limitless energy seeing as I have to take care of the moon and stuff.” Pinkie crawled over to Twilight on all fours. “Save…me…Twilight!” Twilight magically stopped the record player and approached the princess. “Okay, Luna. We really have to go practice now. We’ll clean up here and then we’ll take you back to my treehouse-“ Luna began sobbing uncontrollably, interrupting Twilight. Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all sunk with concern and tried consoling Luna. Luna’s sobbing exploded into a river of tears. “You ponies don’t understand! You don’t know what it’s like being a princess! I’m not allowed to do anything I want! It takes so much energy to move the moon and when I’m done, I’m forced to attend stuffy, boring royal ceremonies and meetings. I can’t play with my sister because she never has time for me. I don’t like being a princess anymoreee!” Guilt and paranoia poured over Twilight and she panicked trying to think of a way to stop Luna’s crying. “Okay, okay. There’s no need to cry.” Twilight looked around the room trying to get an idea of what to do. She saw a pillow resting against a chair and it clicked in her head. “How about we have a sleepover next?” Luna’s crying slowly reduced to sniffling. She looked up at Twilight. “R-r-really? Can we?” “Sure we can! The party doesn’t have to stop now!” exclaimed Pinkie who recovered from her fatigue. “We can tell stories and give each other makeovers. It will be lovely and nice,” said Fluttershy in a very comforting voice. The crying came to a full stop. Luna rose to her hooves and flashed a faint smile. Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy let out a giant sigh of relief. They all proceed to clean up and when they were finished, they headed over to the treehouse. --- With the sun lowering as they arrived at the treehouse, Luna vanished to quickly raise the moon. In an instant, the sun fell and the moon was up and glowing. Luna swiftly returned with her pajamas on, ready for the sleepover to which the others dropped their jaws in shock. Luna giggled and happily skipped inside. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Princess Luna began their sleepover and had fun doing so. They told stories, played games, roasted marshmallows, and gave each other makeovers. After a long night of laughter and fun, the sleepover came to an abrupt halt as Luna was the first to crash asleep on the sofa. The remaining Golden Leafs moved her to a bed and went to asleep as well. --- The following day, Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy awoke to find Luna missing from her sleeping spot. In her place was a note. Twilight read the note. ”Dear Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, Thank you very much for the fun party and sleepover! It was a total blast! I’m excited to see you on the ice tonight when we, the Canterlot Equestrians, whoop your tails! Goodbye for now! Love, Luney : ) Finally relieved of the arduous task of entertaining Princess Luna, Twilight and her friends felt a weight lifted from their shoulders. They hung around the treehouse until it was finally time to head over to Ponyville Pond for the game. As they drew closer to the arena, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy heard a loud rumble. When they came over the hill, they saw a mass of ponies pushing their way through the arena doors, anxious for the game. Their faces lit up with excitement and they quickly galloped to the players’ entrance and onward to the locker room. Inside the locker room, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity had already arrived and were in uniform waiting. When the remaining Golden Leafs showed up, Rainbow leapt up and began to boss Twilight around. “Oh look girls, look who finally showed up! Why, how nice of you to join us Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy!” Twilight started growling but was interrupted by Applejack. “Settle down you two, we need ta’ be savin’ our energy for Canterlot tonight, not wastin’ it on each other. What we’re y’all up to after we left anyways?” Pinkie skipped to her locker and began putting her pads on. “Well we we’re partying then Twilight made the princess cry. Luna had a breakdown and started telling us how she never gets to do anything. It was so sad! But Twilight thought up an idea real quick and we ended up having a super fun sleepover!” “How exciting,” said Rainbow with a sarcastic tone. Rarity sat up and spoke to the group. “The important thing is that we’re all back together again. Now Twilight, darling, what is the scoop on the Equestrians?” Twilight looked away with guilt. “I don’t know. We spent so much time with Princess Luna, I didn’t get a chance to scout the Equestrians out.” “Ohhh, whaaaat a shoooock,” said Rainbow mockingly. Twilight quickly looked back up and growled at Rainbow. They went nose to nose until Applejack broke them up again. “Well, there ain’t much to go on, so I guess we’ll just have to go with the basics tonight.” “I’m going to do what I PRACTICED yesterday,” said Rainbow, emphasizing the word practice for Twilight’s benefit. Twilight let out a snarky snort and grinned at Rainbow. “Right, we’ll see how that works out.” Applejack had to step in again. “ENOUGH you two! Geez Apple Louise. Stop yer bickerin’ and let’s play some hockey, alright?” Twilight and Rainbow turned away from each other with a “hmph!” as the other Golden Leafs gritted their teeth nervously. The Golden Leafs filed out of the locker room and headed to the ice with Rainbow in front and Twilight staying far away in the rear. The Ponyville crowd was buzzing louder than ever, anxiously awaiting their Golden Leafs’ arrival and hoping for another thrilling win. The lights dimmed and spotlights circled the ice. Every pony in the arena stood with a cheer except for a small collection of Canterlot ponies who sat in the upper deck. The Canterlot ponies were of higher society and calmly sipped on tea as crazed Golden Leafs fans flailed around them. The doors leading to the ice opened and Spike began his introduction of the Equestrians. ”Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you the opponent for the evening, hailing all the way from the capitol of Canterlot and the owners of the most Celestia Cup Championships in EHL history, it’s the Canterlot Equestrians!” A large throng of boos rang out as the small sample of Canterlot ponies quietly engaged in soft golf claps. A red carpet rolled out onto the ice and camera flashes appeared out of nowhere. ”Starting at center, number 25, Your Royal Highness Princess Luna! At left wing, number 1, it’s Prince Blueblood! At right wing, number 77, Hoity Toity! On defense, number 5, Moondancer! The other defensepony, number 55, Photo Finish! And finally, the captain, starting in goal and wearing number 29, it’s Pony Joe!” The crowd’s noise level remained the same except the Golden Leafs fans changed their booing to cheering as it was time to announce the hometown team. Spike went through the usual introductions but this time fireworks exploded after each pony was called. The arena lights flickered back on and both teams circled around their ends of the rink. From across the ice, Luna yelled to catch Twilight’s attention. “Yoohooo! Twilight! Thanks again!” Twilight cracked an uneasy smile and gave a small wave back. The referee emerged from the bench area with the puck, ready to go. Both teams lined up for the opening faceoff and soon the puck was dropped. --- Game number five was underway and started out with a bang, a bang of the boards and glass that is. Using their pent up frustration from the locker room, Rainbow and Twilight punished any Equestrian who came near them. Within the first two minutes, Ponyville had racked up five hits. Luna had the puck behind the net in the Canterlot zone and carried it up through the center. She slapped it down into the corner were Hoity chased after it. Fluttershy and Rarity ganged up on him in the corner with Rarity trying to poke the puck away. Hoity kicked the puck along the boards to Blueblood who took it away from the opposite corner. Before Blueblood could pass the puck off, Applejack cruised in and landed a bone-rattling hit on the prince. Play continued on but Blueblood got up and immediately skated over to the referee. “Dear sir, did you just see what that brutish earth pony did to me? She completely ruffled my perfectly groomed coat and mane! I demand you punish her at once!” The referee ignored Blueblood and kept watching the play. Photo Finish now had the puck on the blue line, looking for a teammate to get open. Blueblood jumped back in on the play and called for the puck. Photo skipped the puck over to him but Fluttershy closed in. As soon as Blueblood received the puck, Fluttershy gently floated through and nudged him off stride. Instantly, as if he was in a trance, the referee raised his hoof and blew the whistle when the puck landed in Pinkie’s glove. “Penalty Ponyville, number 0, two minutes for roughing.” The Ponyville crowd soured and yelled at the referee as Fluttershy drifted toward the box, upset and frightened that she committed a penalty. The Golden Leafs slammed their sticks down in protest but the referee wouldn’t have any of it. Blueblood laughed under his breath as the teams set up for the faceoff. Luna won the faceoff back to Moondancer who waited patiently on the blue line for her team to get organized. The Golden Leafs skated into their usual penalty killing box formation and moved with the puck. Moondancer passed to Photo who flung it to Hoity in the corner. Photo zipped toward the net for Hoity to pass it back on the give-and-go but the pass slipped right through. Rainbow zoomed up to intercept the puck and was off on a shorthanded breakaway. The crowd stood up for Rainbow’s attempt while Pony Joe stayed put inside the crease. Reliving the game-winning goal from the last game, Rainbow lost focus and rumbled toward the net. Pony Joe braced himself and forcefully thrust his stick at Rainbow. He lodged the puck away and Rainbow skated on, confused she didn’t have the puck anymore. The crowd let out a disappointing groan and soon Canterlot was back on offense. One minute remained in the Equestrians’ power play. Moondancer held the puck on the blue line as Luna, Blueblood, and Hoity buzzed around the net. Applejack and Rarity began to drift toward Moondancer to apply pressure. Seeing this, Moondancer wound up and fired a shot toward the net. With the puck in the air, Luna shifted her grip on the stick to the edge of the handle and braced for a redirection. Moondancer’s shot glanced off the bottom of Luna’s floating stick blade and flew through Pinkie’s five-hole. The goal light illuminated as the crowd commenced their booing. ”Canterlot power play goal, scored by number 25, Princess Luna! Assisted by number 5, Moondancer!” Fluttershy sadly exited the penalty box as the Equestrians finished up their goal celebration. Fluttershy received reassuring taps from her teammates before they reset at center ice for a new faceoff. The rest of the period featured back and forth shooting for both teams. The Golden Leafs also kept hitting much to Canterlot’s chagrin. Rarity checked Photo Finish which elicited an accent-filled rant to the referee. After Applejack gave Hoity a shove down in the corner, he too was in the referee’s ear about the violent hitting. By the end of the period, each Equestrian except Luna and Pony Joe had something to say to the referee about the Golden Leafs’ physicality. Luckily Ponyville escaped the period without another penalty, but still faced a 1-0 deficit. Both teams skated to their locker rooms while the arena lost its loud, energetic buzz. --- Back in the locker room, the Golden Leafs vented their frustrations about Canterlot’s whining. “I just cain’t believe those Equestrians. Bunch a’ cryfillies they are,” said Applejack. Rarity let out a quick chortle. “Please Applejack, what they did was nowhere close to whining.” “Ha, you would know about that,” chimed in Rainbow. “Oh, ha ha,” said Rarity in fake laughter. “Well, we can’t play them close because the referee might call a penalty on us. I mean if he called a penalty on nice, kind Fluttershy here, who knows what we could get!” cried Twilight as Fluttershy quietly nodded in agreement. Twilight and friends tried to quickly come up with a new plan for the 2nd period before the starting horn began. It was too late as the teams were called back to the ice to begin the next period. --- The 2nd period began and Ponyville nervously avoided the Canterlot skaters for fear of being penalized. Canterlot took advantage of the situation and played rougher on both sides of the ice. There was a set-up in the Equestrians zone where Rainbow and Applejack were going to attempt a give-and-go. After Applejack passed off the puck, she was forced into the glass by a Blueblood check, clearly a boarding penalty but it was not called. Right when Rainbow received the pass, she too was nudged and eventually tripped by Moondancer, which again was not called. The Ponyvillians around the arena began voicing their displeasure toward the referee for swallowing the whistle. Back on the other end, Blueblood was up with Luna while only Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were back on defense. Remembering her spoiled evening at the Grand Galloping Gala, Rarity ignited a fire within her and started hounding Blueblood. She stayed on him closely and snuck in an elbow and nudge every chance she got. After more jostling along the boards, Blueblood had enough of the jabs and bumped Rarity in the flank. Rarity’s eyes flashed red as she whipped around and slapped Blueblood in the face with her stick. Blueblood fell to the ice and acted as if he had just been beaten to a pulp. The referee immediately raised his hoof and chirped the whistle incessantly. “Ponyville penalty, number 9, four minutes for high sticking!” Rarity briskly skated up to the referee. “FOUR minutes? Are you crazy? I barely touched him!” “Lock her away! Lock her away I say! She has desecrated my perfect, unblemished face!” yelled Prince Blueblood from the ice. Rarity skated at Blueblood and skidded to stop, spraying him with ice flakes. Blueblood cried in melodramatic agony as the referee skated over to grab Rarity. She then let out a frustrated grunt on her way to the penalty box. The crowd booed louder as Ponyville was set to embark on a four minute penalty kill, their longest of the season so far. Twilight gathered up her penalty kill unit to go over a plan. Blueblood was finally back up on his skates and set up for the faceoff. The puck dropped and the Canterlot power play began. Canterlot flung the puck all over the zone cleanly, snapping passes to each other. Photo had the puck at the point and fired on net which Pinkie stopped. She couldn’t hold onto it and the rebound bounced back to Hoity at the faceoff circle. After a few more passes and shots on net, Ponyville finally grabbed the puck and shot it down the ice. Canterlot retreated to retrieve the puck and came right back. Two minutes remained in Rarity’s penalty. Moondancer passed off to Luna who was on the left wing boards. She tried cutting toward the center but was surrounded by Rainbow and Twilight. Luna noticed Blueblood open on the other wing and passed it off. Applejack read the play and intercepted the pass, flinging it down to the other side. Thirty seconds remained on the power play now and the crowd started to grow louder in their cheering for the Golden Leafs’ penalty kill. Photo Finish had the puck at the point again and skated into the slot to draw a double team from Applejack and Rainbow. Blueblood replaced her spot on the point and slapped his stick for Photo to pass back. With the puck going back to Blueblood, Hoity charged to the front of the net to screen Pinkie. While Photo obstructed Applejack and Rainbow, the center was left open for Blueblood to skate into and fire a shot. The puck was shot like a bullet and came in on the net. Hoity jumped out of the puck’s path but Pinkie managed to see the shot and quickly knocked it down. However, she allowed another rebound and Hoity was there on the doorstep to push it on home. The Golden Leafs lowered their heads and the crowd uttered a giant groan as the Equestrians expanded their lead to 2-0 after another power play goal. Rarity exited the penalty box still miffed about her penalty. ”Canterlot power play goal, scored by number 77, Hoity Toity. Assisted by number 1, Prince Blueblood, and number 55, Photo Finish! Play resumed with the Golden Leafs in a deeper hole. With only a minute left in the period, they managed to fire off a few shots but Pony Joe came up strong in net for Canterlot. The final 2nd period horn blew and Ponyville lazily drifted off the ice, frustrated and confused about how to play against the Equestrians. --- Upon entering the room, Rainbow whipped her helmet at her stall in frustration. The other Golden Leafs shared their own unique ways of venting, although none were as violent as Rainbow’s. While mulling over a way to break through Canterlot and their stranglehold on the game’s tempo, Rarity came up with an idea. “I know what we must do. We must fight fire with fire! If Canterlot can whine their way through this game…” Rarity then flipped her helmet off to cover her face. She pulled it down to reveal an extremely distraught pouty face. “…whyyyy caaaaan’t weeeeeeee? The others liked this idea except for Twilight. “I don’t know, Rarity. Wouldn’t you rather win through hard work and being the better team?” Rarity condescendingly laughed off Twilight’s remark. “Oh Twilight dear, hard work has gotten us nowhere tonight. If we want to win, we…must…whine!” Twilight gave up on the disagreement and reluctantly complied. The Golden Leafs freshened up and headed back out for the 3rd period. --- The 3rd period began and Ponyville had the puck in the Canterlot zone. Applejack held the puck at the right faceoff circle, covered closely by Blueblood. As she turned toward the boards to spin away from the defense, Applejack was crushed by a Luna check and Canterlot skated away with the puck. On her way back down the ice, Applejack went over to the referee and tried her shot at whining, something she never did nor knew how to do. “Owwwww, what A vicious hiiiiiiit. The PRINCESS is a maaaaaniac out there! I was ALMOST killed, owwwww.” Applejack’s feeble attempt at whining didn’t resonate with the referee who skated along with the play. Canterlot was back in the Ponyville zone. Blueblood had the puck and skated down to the corner with it. Twilight met him and poked away at the puck. Feeling his personal space encroached upon, Blueblood wildly bucked away with the puck, knocking Twilight over in the process. Now open, Blueblood ripped a shot on Pinkie but she caught it for a save. When the whistle blew, Twilight tried her chance at whining. “Oh whaaaaaat a nasty plaaaaayyyyy! Prince Blueblood is such a monsterrrrrr! I demand you do something about this at once!” The referee was too busy picking up the puck up from Pinkie to care about Twilight’s complaint. Twilight let out a groan when she realized her whine didn’t work. Luna won the ensuing faceoff back to Photo but she whiffed on a quick shot and was chased down by Rarity. Rarity pinned Photo to the boards, prying away at the puck. Fluttershy skated out of position to help Rarity out. Fluttershy was able to free the puck but was immediately bowled over by Luna who had come over to help her teammate. Fluttershy gently stood back up and drifted over to the referee. “Umm…I was hit toooooo hard…um…please give Canterlot a penalty…if that’s okay with…you.” Once again, a Golden Leafs’ cry went unheard as play continued on. Hoity now had the puck and carried it into the Ponyville zone. He deked around Rarity and passed it off to Blueblood on the wing. Back in her spot, Fluttershy drifted in for a hit but Blueblood was too solid and he easily brushed Fluttershy away. Blueblood passed to Moondancer at the point. Moondancer was challenged by Rainbow and ended up giving away the puck. Rainbow was quickly caught by Luna who fought for the puck back. Seeing Rainbow and Luna tangled along the short boards, Blueblood set his aim for Rainbow and bolted away. Luna heard the rumbling coming toward her and peeled away leaving Rainbow open for a beating. Blueblood closed in and smacked Rainbow into the empty bench. Rainbow yelled as she flipped head over hooves over the boards. The crowd gasped at the hit but their gasp quickly changed into cheers as the referee finally had his hoof raised for a Canterlot penalty. “Canterlot penalty, number 1, two minutes for charging.” Prince Blueblood protested to the referee but he was tuned out for once. Rarity received a helmet bump from her friends for her advice as Ponyville began their first power play of the evening. Rainbow was back and shaking out of her daze as she took the faceoff. However Luna won the faceoff back to Moondancer who shot it down toward Pinkie. Pinkie skated up to play the puck to Applejack. Applejack brought the puck in as the Golden Leafs set up their power play formation. The Golden Leafs worked their strategy to perfection, passing quickly and firing away shots. Not in the strategy, however, was a poised goaltender who blocked and denied every shot Ponyville threw at him. Pony Joe calmly brushed away every power play shot he faced. With just a few seconds left on the power play, Rainbow had the puck and tried deking her way through the Canterlot defense. She broke through the middle and got to the crease but was met by Pony Joe who executed another perfectly placed poke check to knock the puck away. Blueblood scampered out of the penalty box while the crowd’s anticipatory cheering dissipated into silence as Canterlot regained control of the game. Canterlot infiltrated the Ponyville zone and opened up a flurry of shots on Pinkie. She stopped them all but was growing tired. After finally holding onto a shot, play was halted and Pinkie caught a quick breath. Before play resumed, Moondancer skated over to Twilight. “You know, I still haven’t forgiven you for missing out on my birthday party! Then again, we all had a great time without you. You would’ve made it nerdy anyways. When you moved to Ponyville, Canterlot became much cooler.” Twilight tried brushing off Moondancer’s words and waited for the puck to drop. Luna won the faceoff back to Photo who swung it along the blue line to Moondancer who had just gotten to her position. After allowing Moondancer’s words to creep into her mind, Twilight angrily dashed toward the point. Moondancer saw Twilight coming at her and decided to skate toward the net. Twilight went to line up a hit but Moondancer forced herself to stumble. Twilight let up on her hit attempt and stopped when the referee skated over with the penalty call. “Ponyville penalty, number 42, two minutes for tripping!” Down 2-0 with only three minutes left and the Golden Leafs taking on their third penalty kill of the evening, the crowd began heading for the exits. Twilight let out a defeated groan as she entered her temporary glass prison. On the very next faceoff, the Equestrians made quick work of their power play. Luna won the faceoff back to Moondancer who instantly fired on net since Ponyville was not in position yet. Pinkie’s glove was too slow and the shot clanged the top right corner. Moondancer was mobbed by her teammates while Twilight left the box just as quickly as she entered it. ”Canterlot power play goal, scored by number 5, Moondancer! Assisted by number 25, Princess Luna! The remaining Golden Leafs fans booed before making their exit. The last two and a half minutes were spent with Ponyville trying to shoot their way back into the game but Pony Joe came up strong again. When time expired, the score read Canterlot 3, Ponyville 0. The Golden Leafs were shutout for the first time this season in a game where nothing went right. The Equestrians met at center ice to celebrate their win as Ponyville solemnly floated away to the locker room. --- The locker room was silent as Twilight and friends undressed and cleaned up. Rainbow was rough on her equipment as she forcefully slammed and pounded on her locker. No one was in the mood to talk. Rainbow occasionally shot irritated glances toward Twilight, insinuating that it was Twilight’s fault they weren’t prepared tonight. Twilight caught one of Rainbow’s glances and sent an annoyed glance right back. Before long, Rainbow and Twilight were nose to nose again, just like in the pregame. They yelled at each other while Applejack and Rarity tried defusing the situation. “It’s YOUR fault we didn’t win! You spent too much time playing with the princess, who, may I remind you, was the ENEMY tonight! And you didn’t coach us like you should!” “Well if you think you’re so great, why don’t you try reading up on the other team?! Or is the great Rainbow Dash too dumb to pick up a book once in a while?” “Why you!” Before Rainbow and Twilight clashed, Spike and Princess Luna entered the room. Spike was holding a scroll while Luna walked up to Twilight smiling. “I dropped by to thank all of you again for your hospitality and for welcoming me to Ponyville. I had a really great time and I hope to play with you all again real soon!” The Golden Leafs, save for Twilight and Rainbow, appreciated Luna’s thanks although their faces didn’t reflect it. Twilight was relieved on the inside that neither Princess Luna nor Celestia was going to be upset, but she still locked eyes with Rainbow. After Princess Luna left, Spike brought the scroll to the team’s attention and read it aloud. ”From the Offices of the Equestria Hockey League, Since the first half of the season is now complete, the EHL has named their all-star selections. This is a great honor and we congratulate you on this prestigious distinction. The all-star selections for the Ponyville Golden Leafs are: #20 Rainbow Dash #42 Twilight Sparkle Once again, congratulations on the selection and good luck in the second half of the season. Sincerely, Gary Bettpony EHL Commissioner Upon hearing Spike delivering the news, Rainbow and Twilight broke out of their struggle and both looked away from each other in embarrassment. The other Golden Leafs began cheering for their all-star teammates as Twilight and Rainbow faced each other again. Twilight extended her hoof in peace. “I’m sorry Rainbow, I got carried away and I should’ve had us more prepared tonight.” Rainbow accepted Twilight’s peace offering and shook her hoof. “No, I’m sorry. I overreacted and I acted like a real mule. I’m the one who should be sorry.” They embraced in a hug as the others looked on with a relieved smile. Suddenly, an odd smell permeated the locker room air. It was a pungent, perfume-like smell which caused everyone to cover their noses. With the smell becoming unbearable, the Golden Leafs ran out to find the source. When they noticed it was coming from outside the arena, they rushed forward, hoping to remove the stinging odor. When the ponies came upon the source, they gasped in shock. Before them lying on the ground was a stuffed pony doll wearing a Golden Leafs jersey. The doll was battered and torn up, with cotton poking out from its stitches and tears. Driven through the center of the doll was a single stalk of poison joke. The smell was emanating from the dangerous flower. Twilight used her magic to make it disappear and to waft away the stench. The Golden Leafs’ eyes enflamed when they realized who had left this message. They all turned to each other and sternly shouted. “Fillydelphia.” To Be Continued --- Three Stars from Canterlot @ Ponyville * Pony Joe (CTL) ** Princess Luna (CTL) *** Moondancer (CTL) Other Scores Around the EHL (Home Team in CAPS) --- Manehattan 3, CLOUDSDALE 2 (OT) Completed Yesterday APPLELOOSA 4, Fillydelphia 1 EHL Standings --- Appleloosa 4-1 Manehattan 3-2 Cloudsdale 3-2 Canterlot 2-3 Ponyville 2-3 Fillydelphia 1-4