Bill Shankly once said that football was more important than life and death. And for Dinky and Derpy Hooves, that quote becomes all too true after Dinky is taken away by Foal Protection Services and moved to - of all places - London. When Twilight Sparkle attempts to intervene, the director sets a condition that seems impossible, and in doing so intertwines the two's fates with the upcoming Premier League season.
A season of away days and European nights awaits Dinky and her new human guardian, and the stakes have been raised through the roof. Can Chelsea Football Club, up against a resurgent Manchester United and the top teams in Europe, pull off a feat only achieved once before by an English club and reunite mother and daughter?
Chapters (50)
NIce to see another author doing the foal protection idea with Dinky. Makes me curious who her father is and how it came to that in the first place
9420012
It was originally planned as a sequel to "Today, Tomorrow and Forever", and there will be the odd reference. However, it's also mainly a football (the British kind) story, and there will be numerous references to British football culture in the mid-2000s. (The initial short description, which had to be scrapped, was former Liverpool FC Manager Bill Shankly's quote that football is much more important than life or death.)
The football season, which plays a major role, is inspired by the video game UEFA Champions League 2006-07 (although I've ideas for an MLP fanfic centred around a football match with extremely high stakes where the ponies are concerned for quite a while now), although rather than simply retelling the game with ponies (a no-no), the season will be seen through the eyes of the supporters. There will also be references to events which happened during the real-life 2006-07 Premier League season.
It's also not Foal Protection Services per se, but the director, who has broken every transparency and ethics rule there is and nearly caused a diplomatic incident with Great Britain to boot; it's just that nobody can prove it yet. In addition, the story is told mainly through the eyes of the main human character, with the circumstances being a U-rated (British version of a G-rating) equivalent of how Kimihito was landed with Miia. (And that will be the ONLY parallel to Monster Musume.) Of course, if that doesn't work, I can always scrap the initial idea and retcon the setup to have Dinky participating in an exchange program.
9420546
I see. Eager to See how this goes with my favorite Background filly
Sunderland forever
Haway the lads!
Sunderland forever
Haway the lads!
Nice. I think he would make a good surrogate father for Dinky and maybe a good husband for Derpy. No shipping intended.
Nice Work as always! And don't feel bad, Rainbow, you don't have to worry about sound that Way.
9429767
She's more frustrated with Chelsea's failure to beat a side that in her view, they should be beating easily. After all, when this story is set, Chelsea had won the title in the two previous seasons.
9431166
Yeah, i just meant on tv you hear it Better than live if you get what i mean
Good idea with derpy's reaction
9431595
Here's a link to where I got the idea from:
Shouldn't there be an OC tag, for the humans?
9432921
I see
Good thought about Derpy, understandable as she misses dinky. But Really, i Think her caretaker would be Welcome by her. Dinky's 8?
9433268
Good point. Probably for the pundits as well.
Very nice! No offense but the more I read it, the more it reminds me of my own stories with Dinky.
9433508
I'd say 7 and turning 8 at the beginning of October. The prologue starts in mid-to-late July as the two of them board the sleeper train to Scotland where it mentions that Dinky's been in London for around 6-7 weeks. This would put Dinky's removal and relocation as being around the beginning of June.
Another well made chapter! Looks very good for Dinky, expect the foal caring service would cheat
9435803
Belladonna's made more enemies than she realises though; including the British embassy in Equestria. And even she knows that she has no jurisdiction in Britain, nor can she influence the football results. That doesn't mean she won't try something...
9438043
Indeed.
Nice. Still, how old is she here? And I am surprised to see you put Germany at top
9438072
7 (same age as Conan's friends in Detective Conan), turning 8 early in October.
9440359
Sounds Good, given her size. My headcanon is also that's she's 8
A close victory but still a Good one
Nice. Dinky mentioning a birthday party, is that a reference to that story where Derpy did exactly that before Dinky was taken?
9442067
Yes (Pretty depressing to read, and I come from the country that gave the world Eastenders. Where's Shinichi Kudo when you need him?). Like I said, this was intended as a sequel, but I chopped and changed a few things around - for one thing, Derpy can speak coherently, but has a problem with speaking too quickly, although that's getting better. In addition, Dinky and her caretaker guardian are both singing from the same songsheet here - both proverbially and at the matches.
Incidentally, the British Association of Social Workers lodged a complaint with the BBC about two years later over a similar storyline in Eastenders.
9442340
Indeed, its a sad Story
Nice what do you did with kahn
Okay normally I don't comment on these. But I'm going to since I used to like the Premier League. Why lump the two together?
Derpy's thing with F.P.S. could be used without dragging real world stuff into it.
Things look Good for dinky.
9444406
Part of the basis for this was the extremely-depressing "Today, Tomorrow, and Forever", but another part was the Sky One drama "Dream Team", where the fictional football team often had to play for extremely high stakes; one season had the club having to qualify for the Champions League to avoid ceasing to exist. The story itself begins "after the fact", as it were, with Derpy being thrown a (very slim) lifeline, and the F.P.S. aspect adds tension which wouldn't be there if Dinky was simply in London on an exchange program. In addition, I've always liked the idea of writing about extremely high stakes; one of my favourite adverts was Nike's "The Last Game" which was made for the 2014 World Cup.
Another well-made chapter. Can't blame Derpy, better have some evidence.
Nice work once again
Pinke pie. Wonder what dinky would Think of fish and Chips
9451501
I seem to remember Hondo Flanks was shown fishing in "Sisterhooves Social", so Fish and chips might not come as too much of a surprise.
As for the rest of the food offered by Scottish chip shops, however; I've been to Scotland quite a few times and numerous chip shops offer Pizza, Haggis, Black Pudding, White Pudding and Red Pudding deep-fried and served with chips.
9451736
I see.
Will backfire, for Sure. Great Work as always!
Is this based on the 2005-06 Premier League season?
9452554
2006-07: Sheffield United, Reading and Watford have all featured and the prologue mentions the World Cup and Zidane's infamous headbutt.
Another well Made chapter
Looks like Dinky has good chances to be reunited with her mother
Close Call but good
They earned it
Good point my friend
Great as always!
Good idea with lyra
That's it, don't give up, hope dies last
Nice work as always!
Good thought with the reference
Great work as always!