//------------------------------// // Sports, Spending, and Singing // Story: Integration // by CoAlFire //------------------------------// "All right, son!" Hondo grinned. "Here we are." They had arrived at a large field with metal bleachers on either side. The crowd was busy, but not absurd. Ricochet found it slightly hard to concentrate, but tried his best to focus on Hondo, like Echo had said. "You're in for a treat! Today, the Manehattan Manticores are facing off against the Griffonskirchen Talons!" When Ricochet looked out onto the field, his eyes widened. On one end of the field, seven stocky earth ponies, two unicorns, and two pegasi had gathered into a circle. At the other end, closest to where he and Hondo were right now, were eleven positively enormous griffons standing in a similar fashion. "So, here's the way it works, Ricky." Hondo sat down on the bleachers with Ricochet. "Unicorns can't use their magic, and pegasi can't use their wings. Those griffins can't use their wings either. Now, it's going to start here in a few minutes with a coin toss, and depending on who wins the coin toss they'll determine who gets control of the ball first." "Don't those griffons have an unfair advantage? They're huge!" "Well, they have an advantage in some ways, but not so much in other ways. They may be big and strong, but without wings they aren't the fastest. There's more to winning in this game than just being the biggest, even though it does help. You are right though, the Manticores have their work cut out for them today." He nodded. "Anyway, once they've figured out who gets the ball, the teams will go to other sides of the field, and then we'll have the kickoff. Now, once one team has the ball, their goal is to get it into the opposing team's end zone, those areas at the end of the field there and there." He pointed. "That's how they score." He continued to explain all the various rules of the game as they waited for the teams to get into position, but eventually, a pony in a black and white striped shirt brought the two together. When the ponies and griffons stood next to each other, the scale was plain to see. The stallions were easily as big as Big Mac himself, and yet even the shortest griffon was still taller than any of the stallions. They were absolutely massive. Eventually, the coin was tossed, and the griffon quarterback shouted. "HEADS." The coin landed on tails, and the pony quarterback elected to receive. "All right, Ricky, so now the griffons are going to kick off, and the returners back there are going to have to try to move the ball as far down the field as they can." "Are they gonna get hurt?" "Maybe. It happens sometimes. Usually they're fine though. Here we go!" One of the more lanky griffons ran toward the tee and kicked the ball as hard as he could. It flew off directly into the waiting hooves of one of the stallions, who tucked it under his leg and began to run. He made it to the twenty-five yard line before the griffons caught up to him and took him down. "All right, so now, the line of scrimmage is at the thirty-five yard line. They have four tries to get it past that point, or the Griffons will get control of the ball." The game continued, with the Manticores falling behind badly in the first half. The score was Manticores 3, Talons 24. In the third quarter though, the Manticores ended up bringing the score to 10-24. Hondo was absolutely ecstatic as the Manticores fought back like cornered animals. Ricochet had to admit he was getting into it, too. "COME ON, MANTICORES! PUSH IT!" Ricochet shouted at the top of his lungs, standing on his hind hooves and pumping one of his forehooves in the air. Unfortunately, the game took a worse turn halfway through the third quarter, with the Talons scoring again and bringing it to 10-31. There were only eight minutes and seventeen seconds left in the game. It seemed like it was the end for the Manticores' season. Ricochet sat down, dejected. Hondo put a hoof to his shoulder though and patted hard. "Hey, don't give up yet, Ricky. It isn't over until it's over!" "I don't see how they can come back from this." Ricochet was soon eating his words though. It took less than a minute for things to start to change. The Manticores quarterback, number seven, threw a long pass. Everyone in the bleachers stood up and shouted as the receiver caught it and pounded his legs as hard as he could straight into the end zone. Then, number seven made a bold move. Instead of making a pass, he tucked the ball in close and ran all the way from the Talons' forty-five yard line to their 6 yard line before going down. The next play showed similar skill on the part of number seven, as he hammered his way through the defense into the end zone. Manticores 24, Talons 31. On the next play, number seven again ran the ball himself. He took it from the ten yard line all the way to fourty-four. There were two minutes and forty-one seconds left on the clock. The next play came, and number seven backpedaled, looking for a clear pass. The Talons yielded no ground, though, and he found himself forced again to run the ball himself. This time, weaving between angry griffons, he managed to get the ball to the nineteen yard line with two minutes left. "COME ON SEVEN!" Ricochet and Hondo were practically hugging each other as they stood and shouted. "DO IT! DO IT!" During the final play, the Talons had decided they were done with number seven. They pushed through the blocking line in an effort to bring him down before he could pass it, but the ball soared right over the head of the biggest griffin moments before number seven was tackled to the ground. The ball flew, and was deftly caught by another one of the Manticores. The entire set of bleachers Ricochet and Hondo were sitting on stood and roared as the receiver drew closer and closer to the end zone, until eventually he burst through, throwing the ball down in a fit of excitement. Ricochet was a little worried the roar of this crowd would make him go deaf, but at the same time he found himself not caring all that much. The joy in the air was palpable, and for him, quite literally delectable. The game was tied at 31-31 with only one minute and sixteen seconds on the clock. The Talons had their last possession of the ball, and they looked very angry. They barreled for the defensive line, using all the force of their massive bodies to shake the ponies out of their positions, but somehow the Manticores' defense held strong. The Talons were forced to punt the ball with only 14 seconds left on the clock. "GO SEVEN! GO MANTICORES! WRECK THEM!" Ricochet had officially fallen in love with this sport. It was the single most exciting thing he had ever done. "SCORE! SCORE! SCORE!" The kick was sent downrange, and the stallion receiving it, number ten, fumbled when it connected with him at the thirty-five yard line. It fell to the ground, but he retrieved it and began to run. There was an open corridor in the oncoming Griffons, parting like the Red Sea, and he took it. His hooves were blurs under his body, and he brought his head down low in case a desperate Griffon decided to clothesline him. Somehow he made it through the mass of Griffons, past the fifty yard line, and had a clear shot all the way to the end zone. The Griffons were hot on his heels, and even over the roar of the crowd Ricochet could swear he heard number ten letting out a furious scream, as if the sound itself were propelling him forward. Forty. Thirty. Twenty. TEN! TOUCHDOWN! The screams of the crowd were deafening. Ricochet and Hondo jumped up and down, hugging each other in joy. A couple of the Griffons had not taken the loss so well, and were at the opposite end of the field having a tussle on the ground. "THIS! GAME! IS! AMAZING!" Ricochet shouted at Hondo. "I KNOW! I KNOOOOW!" He laughed and screamed out of pure joy. * * * "This. Saddlebag. Is. Amazing!" Cookie giggled, spinning in a little circle and biting her lip. Echo smiled and nodded. "I agree, it matches your coat beautifully. I wish I could find something that worked for me." "Oh, dear, I'm sorry. So few ponies' coats are black, there just isn't very much to match with that color." "It's fine. I don't have a great deal of use for saddlebags anyway, really." "Oh!" Cookie jumped up gleefully. "How about hats, dear?" She almost physically dragged Echo to the back of the store, where the hats were kept. They had everything from Stetsons like Applejack's to bowlers, and quite the selection of mare's hats as well. One in particular that Cookie seemed to think was a good fit for Echo was a wide-brimmed mare's straw boater hat with a black ribbon for a hat band. Cookie picked one in that style from the shelf which had been designed for unicorns, to facilitate Echo's horn. "Ah... I'm not totally sure, Cookie." She winced as she looked in the mirror. It wasn't bad, but she just didn't know if hats were really her style. "Oh, nonsense. In fact... it's my gift to you!" Echo turned, mouth agape. "Are you sure? Nothing here is cheap, Cookie." "Of course. I wouldn't offer otherwise." She smiled and waved a hoof dismissively. "Wow. I think I see where Rarity gets her generosity." "You flatter me." She smiled again. "Now, enough of this, let's get out of here and go do something else even MORE fun!" "What do you have in mind?" She tilted her head as Cookie put her coinpurse on the counter and started paying for their shopping trip. "Ever been to a karaoke bar?" She smiled slyly. "Something tells me you'll have a wonderful voice." "Something tells you that?" Echo asked with a chuckle. "What exactly tells you that?" "I don't know, I have an ear for these things though. What kind of music do you like?" "Classical mostly." "Oh. Well... a good choice, but not much in terms of lyrics, are there? Why don't we try something a little different?" "Like what?" Echo asked, curious. "You'll see when we get there." * * * "No. Absolutely not!" Echo shook her head. "How do you even like this kind of music? How is Rarity your daughter?" They were outside a bar that was crawling with stallions in cowpony hats. "Come on," Cookie chuckled. "Live a little. There's no harm in mixing up your genres once in a while. For example, I can't stand hip-hop, but one night Hondo took me to a hip-hop dance club, and honestly? I had one of the best nights of my life." "I don't know about this, Cookie..." Echo winced. "At least give it a try. If you don't like it, we can always leave." "Ricochet will never think to come look for me here, though. He'll be worried sick." It was a last ditch effort to get out of going in to this bar. "Don't you worry about that, I'm sure my dear Hondo would be able to help your coltfriend find us." "He isn't my co--" "In we go!" Cookie pushed Echo forward through the doorway, and instantly the aroma of cigarettes and the twangy sounds of steel stringed guitars filled her ears. Echo walked in hesitantly and followed Cookie over to the bar. Everyone in the little bar had turned to look at her. It was likely, she assumed, that nobody in this bar had ever seen a changeling walk in. To say she felt out of place would have been an understatement. Eventually she found a stool next to Cookie. "This isn't really my kind of place." "Well, give it some time. It'll grow on you." "Everypony is staring at me." "That'll stop after a little bit." She smiled. The bartender walked over. "Would you ladies like a couple drinks?" "I'll have a double shot of whiskey please." Echo stared incredulously at Cookie. This mare was a hell-raiser. "... all right, and for the other... lady?" He hesitated a bit. "I'll just have water for now please. Thanks. Still nursing a hangover from last night." "Coming right up." A song ended, and the stallion who'd been singing thanked the crowd before walking over toward the bar. Truthfully, he had been singing fairly well, even if the genre was far less than Echo's favorite. "Howdy there. Ain't often that we get many mares in here, and even less often that mare turns out t' be a changelin'." He smiled politely. "Name's Flat Top. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mrs...?" "Miss. Echo. Pleased to meet you as well, Mr. Top." "Oh, please, Flat or Flat Top are both fine. Mr. Top was my pa." "All right, Flat Top. Pleased to meet you." Echo nodded gently. "So, y'all fixin' t' sing tonight, or just here for the show?" "Oh, we'll be singing." Cookie said happily. "She will. I'm still not quite sure." Echo said with a crooked, nervous grin. "Aw, ponyfeathers. You'd do fine, I can hear it in your voice!" "I really don't know about that..." "You're ... what, mezzo-soprano? Soprano?" "Soprano." She smiled gently. "Though I've never really done much singing." "I think I know just the song for you." He hopped down and extended a hoof to help her down as well, which she accepted gracefully. "Come on then." He began to walk back toward the stage, and when Echo started to follow him, Cookie gave her a little hoot of support. * * * "If I know my Cookie," Hondo said, leading Ricochet along the road, "she probably dragged your marefriend off to the Singin' Saddle." "She isn't really my maref--" "It's a nice place, the ponies there are the good, upstanding kind... even if the atmosphere takes some getting used to." He laughed. "We're gonna have us some beers though to celebrate that AMAZING GAME!" He shouted out as the bar came into sight. "Oh, YEAH! That game was FANTASTIC!" Ricochet was immediately swept up again in the excitement of the game he'd just been to. "Come on, let's have a few drinks!" Hondo walked into the bar, and Ricochet followed. It didn't take Hondo long to find his wife, and they sat together. Ricochet Sat on the opposite side of Cookie. "Oh, hello Ricky, dear. Your marefriend is about to start singing." Sure enough, he heard her voice. "H- Hello..." He turned to watch. The pain in his chest returned. Ow... * * * Why am I following him? I don't want to sing, and yet... I feel like I can't say no. He's ... kind of hypnotic. She had reached the stage. The entire bar had gone silent, and all eyes were on her. A few stallions seemed skeptical. She stood in front of the microphone. "H- Hello..." She smiled weakly. The crowd let out a few responses to her meek introduction. Eventually, Flat Top walked up on stage with another microphone, and tapped it. "Check." The crowd nodded 'yes', the second mic was live. He turned to Echo. "The first verse is mine, you should be able to figure out how it goes by the second. There's a prompter right there with lyrics. Oh, and relax... you're gonna be fine." He pushed a button with a hoof, and music began to play. It was a sad sounding tune. He took in a breath and began to sing the first verse. Echo felt her ears perk up; he had a beautiful voice. She listened to try and hear the flow of the song. As he began the chorus, she caught on well enough to start singing too. Once the chorus was over, he motioned to her. It was her turn to sing solo. She took in a breath, and sang through her verse. As it came to a close, Flat Top joined in again. The crowd began to cheer, and Echo smiled brightly out at the crowd as she and Flat Top finished the final verse of the song. She stepped back from the mic a little. "Thanks! I appreciate it. Thank you!" Her eyes scanned over Ricochet. "Ricochet!" She buzzed her wings and landed next to him. "Did you see me sing? How was I?" "Like an angel." He smiled dumbly. "Really? Wow! Thanks!" She turned from him back to Cookie. "You were right, this is FUN!" Ricochet felt that twinge of pain in his chest again as she looked away from him. "Ow..." "Wait, what time is it?" Echo asked the bartender. "2:43." He said after glancing at the clock behind himself. "Oh, horseapples. Ricochet, we have to get going! If we're going to walk Scoot home, we need to be there in about fifteen minutes!" "Okay!" He nodded. Anything to get her out of here. "You take care now, Echo. Come back any time, all right? You're a great singer!" Flat Top called out. "Thanks, Flat Top! You are too!" She waved cheerfully and buzzed for the door. For reasons he did not understand, Ricochet felt very angry with Flat Top. He growled slightly and followed Echo. * * * They made it just in time, with 2 minutes to spare. "So," Ricochet said as they leaned against the fence. "Who's Flat Top?" "I dunno. Just some stallion I met there. He invited me to go sing with him, so I did. You really think I was good?" "Yeah... you were great." He smiled at her, and she smiled back with a brightness he hadn't seen from her yet. "Thanks!" She was extremely excited. "That was so much fun!" "What was?" Scootaloo asked from behind the duo. At that exact moment, the school bell rang. "Before you say anything, Cheerilee let us out a little early. Now what was so much fun?" Echo smirked a little. "This thing called Karaoke. Ever heard of it?"