//------------------------------//
// THE THIRD DOWN 
// Story: Ten More Yards 
// by 5aszs 
//------------------------------//

The countdown to the beginning of the EHL season was in the last two days, and Atomic found himself being more and more excited with each day that passed, his excitement being heightened by all of the preseason predictions that he had been listening to on the radio for the last week. His school life had gone back to normal and Atomic was now used to the regular flow of lessons each day. However, he couldn’t focus on what Ms Ivory was writing on the blackboard in the last lesson of the day, his thoughts dominated by hoofball and the prospect of seeing the Fillydelphia Dragons live.

How should I ask for Nick Foals’ autograph? 

Should I say his name when he’s going in at the end of the game?

Or should I ask Dad to go to his interview after the match and get it for me?

“MASTER ATOMIC TANGERINE!”

Atomic jumped in his seat and looked up to the front of the class, which a furious Ms Ivory was standing in front of, glaring harshly at him.

“For the third time, come up to the board and answer the question,” Ms Ivory ordered, gesturing to the blackboard, which had a question written on it.

Atomic slowly got out of his seat and walked up to the front of the blackboard, taking the chalk from Ms Ivory. He stood in front of the blackboard and scanned through the question, his face falling.

“Ms, I can’t-”

“Master Tangerine, do you want to fail your end-of-year Maths exams?”

“No, Ms Ivory.”

“Then attempt the question. Now.”

Atomic sighed and tiptoed to reach the top of the blackboard, trying his best to write a convincing method to answer the question. Two minutes later, he wrote the answer at the bottom of the blackboard and turned around to face the rest of the class.

“Your answer is wrong because you made a mistake in the last step. Find the mistake and fix it,” said Ms Ivory.

Atomic nodded and went through his method, searching for the mistake. 

“Have you found it?”

Atomic blushed and nodded, and he stepped aside to show his corrected division of 60 by 2, which he had previously answered with 25.

“Sit back down.”

Atomic went back to his seat and as he sat down, the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson and the school day. The colts and fillies slowly closed their books but none of them dared to get up out of their seats, having learnt that Ms Ivory was a teacher that shouldn’t be crossed.

“Dismissed.” 

The class quickly left the room and joined the crowd of students leaving the school.

“Hey Atomic, did Coach Tornado tell you to come to training today?” asked Thunderhoof as the two walked through the school gates.

“No, is there training today?”

“Yeah, he told our group last time to come every Thursday.”

“It's probably only for the ponies on the team,” replied Atomic, and Thunderhoof nodded. The two walked together silently through the Fillydelphia high street, passing through the crowd of ponies heading towards them. They stopped next to some ponies standing near the crossing and waited for the road to clear up. Once the green pedestrian light flashed on, Atomic and Thunderhoof crossed the road.

“Look, up there,” said Atomic, pointing to the large billboard as they reached the other side of the road, showing a picture of Nick Foals and his teammates, the date and time for the Dragons’ first match written underneath.

“I’m actually so pumped for the season to start, it feels like forever since the last pre-season game was played,” said Atomic, still looking at the billboard.

“You’re so lucky that your dad got tickets for the game. It would be so cool to see the Dragons live,” said Thunderhoof enviously.

“Yeah, it's gonna be fun. Oh crap, I just remembered something!”

“What, what’s wrong?”

“My Dragons kit is too small for me, and I need a new one to wear to the game. But my dad’s at work right now, and he’s gonna be coming back late, so I don't know when we can go! How can I support the Dragons and get Nick Foals’ autograph when I’m not even wearing his jersey?!”

“Ask your mom when you get home, you can just tell her the shop you need to go to and she can take you.” 

Atomic opened his mouth to reply but stopped and realised that Thunderhoof’s suggestion made sense. “Oh yeah.”

Thunderhoof sniggered and Atomic gave him a sharp look.

“Mommy, mommy please buy me the Nick Foals jersey or I’m gonna cry,” teased Thunderhoof, and Atomic pushed him as he began to snicker.

“Ms Ivory, please, you’re scaring me! My mommy and daddy never taught me my left and right!”

Thunderhoof laughed and pushed Atomic back, and the two colts continued laughing as they reached their road.

“Thunderhoof, inside this instance! Your room is an absolute mess and your aunt is coming over in less than two hours!” yelled Thunderhoof’s mother, standing on the front porch of their house.

Thunderhoof stopped laughing the instance he heard his mother’s voice and he quietly said goodbye to Atomic before walking towards his house, and his mother quickly ushered him in.

Atomic headed into his own house and greeted his mother and younger sister before heading up the stairs to his bedroom to put his bag away.

“Mom, we need to go shopping!” he yelled as he came back down the stairs.

“What did you say?”

“I said, we need to go shopping Mom,” Atomic repeated, walking into the living room to his mother.

“Last time we went shopping, you said it was almost as bad as being banned from watching hoofball for life, and that you never wanted to do it again,” Tea Rose remarked, looking curiously at her son.

“Yeah, yeah, I know but this is serious. I need to buy a new Dragons kit for the game, my old one’s too small.”

“Ask your father when he gets home,” Tea Rose said, shaking her head.

“Please, Mom, all the shops are gonna be closed.”

Tea Rose shook her head again and turned around to tend to Butterscotch.

“It’ll be a chance for us to spend some quality time together!”

Tea Rose turned around and stared curiously at Atomic.

“You know, we don't get to spend enough time together Mom, and I wanna be closer to my mom. This’ll also be a chance for you to get whatever you need from the shops. If I don't get a new kit, then I won’t have the best time ever at the game with Dad, and I don’t wanna disappoint him. Please, Mom. you know how much this means to me.”

“.......Now that you mention it, I could pick up a few things that I need.”





Ninety minutes had passed since Atomic, Tea Rose and Butterscotch had arrived at the mall, and Atomic was seriously regretting his suggestion to his mom that he could pick up whatever she needed from the mall. The mall was gradually beginning to empty and a clock hung up in the middle of the mall indicated that there was only an hour left before the mall closed. Tea Rose had spent most of their time in the mall browsing different shops.

“That blue scarf was amazing, I’m definitely coming back for it another day, it will go great with my new navy blue dress,” Tea Rose declared as the family left the dress shop.

“Mom, can we please go to MD Sports now, we’ve been looking at the stuff you like for hours,” whined Atomic.

“Shush, you’ll wake your sister,” Tea Rose said, gesturing to Butterscotch, fast asleep and breathing lightly in the buggy, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took.

“Please, Mom?”

“I’ve got everything I need. We can go to your shop now.”

“Yes!” 

Tea Rose shushed Atomic again and they set off towards the sports shop, which was only a few metres away from the dress shop.

“Mom, should I get a Nick Foals jersey or should I get my name written on the back?” asked Atomic as they entered the shop.

“Get whatever you want sweetie, but just remember that this is coming out of your pocket money,” warned Tea Rose, but Atomic had already run off to the back of the store to find the team jerseys. Tea Rose sighed and pushed her buggy through the store. 

Atomic skidded to a stop in front of the jerseys, which was next to the till  and took a step back, craning his neck so that he could see the jersey at the top.

“Where is Nick Foals’ jersey? There’s the Cloudsdale Eagles, Canterlot Knights, Manehatten Mustangs……”

“Can I help you?” asked a shop attendant from the till who had spotted Atomic, putting a clothes hanger down and walking over to Atomic.

“Yeah, I’m looking for Nick Foals’ jersey. Do you know where it is?”

“Nick Foals, um….oh! It's just on the other side, lemme get it down for you.”

Atomic followed the assistant around the till to another set of jerseys, which were the store’s most popular jerseys. The assistant used her magic to slowly bring down the Nick Foals jersey to Atomic. As she passed the jersey to Atomic, Tea Rose joined them and quietly scolded Atomic for running off.

“What size do you need?”

“Your last shirt was a 10-11, so he’ll need a 11-12 one,” Tea Rose answered, giving the jersey back. The assistant nodded and checked the tag, which had 9-10 written on it. She put the jersey at the back of it's row and brought down the next one.

“Yep, this is the size you asked for,” the assistant affirmed, checking the tag and handing the jersey to Atomic. “The colts’ changing rooms are over there, next to the sports equipment. You can’t miss it.”

Tea Rose thanked the assistant and followed Atomic to the colts’ changing room.

“Don't take too long. Your dad will be coming home for dinner and this shop’s closing soon as well.”

Atomic nodded and pulled the curtain back of the closest cubicle to the changing room entrance, and he closed the curtain behind him. He put down the jersey onto the bench and he looked into the mirror, Atomic cringing slightly as his eyes wandered to his blank flank.

I should ask Dad how he got his cutie mark, maybe that’ll give me some ideas.

Atomic picked up the jersey and pulled it on over his head, pushing his arms through the first two holes and lifting his hind legs one by one to push them through the last two holes in the jersey. He patted down the jersey to remove the few specks of dust that had appeared on the front. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

“And it's down to the last thirty seconds of the Sugar Bowl, and the Dragons are trailing by five on their fourth down. What are they gonna do? The ball is snapped, and…..oh my word, they’ve called a ‘Hail Celestia’! The ball is flying towards Nick Foals but he’s flanked by three defenders! He can’t, there’s no way, HE CAUGHT THE BALL! And Nick Foals barges past the first defender and his teammates are there to take care of the other two defenders. Nick Foals is in the clear and he makes a dash for the end zone! Twenty yards, ten yards, HE’S DONE IT! Nick Foals makes the touchdown and wins the Sugar Bowl for the Fillydelphia Dragons! This is the greatest-”

“Atomic? What’s taking so long?”

Atomic quickly slammed his hooves over his mouth and he cleared his throat before replying to his mother.

“I’m fine, Mom. I’m coming out right now!”

Atomic checked himself in the mirror one more time before opening the curtain and leaving the changing rooms.

“That fits you perfectly Atomic. Let’s go to the till and buy this quickly, the shop is closing in fifteen minutes.”

Atomic took off the jersey and handed it to his mother, and they set off for the till, joining the back of a short queue right behind a colt and a stallion.

“Dad, did you get the seats on the away side for Saturday’s game like I said?”

“Yes, and they’re right between the goalposts, so we’re gonna get a really good view.”

Atomic listened in on the conversation between the father and son in front of him, and he was curious as to why they were sitting in the away stand for the Dragons-Eagles game.

“Are you going to the Dragons’ game on Saturday?”

“Yep, are you?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to watch the Eagles destroy the Dragons!”

“What?!” 

“Yeah, I’m from Cloudsdale,” the colt answered, and he unfurled his wings as proof.

“Well, you’re gonna be disappointed because the best team is gonna win, and that’s the Dragons!” Atomic retorted.

“That’s what idiots think! When the Eagles win, you better get ready to cry home to your-”

“Sky Chaser!”

The colt turned around and was met with his father’s stern face.

“Just because he doesn't support the same team as you doesn't mean that you can get angry and argue with him!”

Sky Chaser huffed and stayed silent.

“Atomic, the same goes for you, you can’t get angry over somepony having a different opinion to you!”

Atomic grumbled and the two colts silently glared at each other. Butterscotch began stirring in her buggy and she slowly opened her eyes and yawned before falling asleep again.

“Honestly, saying one bad word about their favourite teams is as bad as their house burning down,” Tea Rose declared, and Sky Chaser’s father chuckled. The father and son stepped forward to place their items onto the till, and Atomic and Sky Chaser glared at each other one last time before the former turned to his mother.

“Why did you have to embarrass me like that?”

“That’s what happens when you misbehave in public. If you don’t like it, then you have to be on your best behaviour when we’re shopping.”

Atomic muttered under his breath and turned back around to see that the till was free. He walked up to the till and Tea Rose placed the jersey onto the counter. As the assistant told his mother the price, Atomic looked behind the till and spotted some items that would go well with the jersey.

“Mom, can you buy me that Dragons hat? And the Dragons scarf as well?”

“You told me you only needed a Dragons kit, we don't have time to get anything else.”

“Please, Mom! I won't have as much fun at the game if don't get this as well, and you know that I don't wanna let Dad down!”

Atomic widened his eyes and stuck out his bottom lip, desperate to convince his mother.

“Alright then, but remember this is coming out of your pocket money.”

Atomic hugged his mother and pointed at the hat and scarf that he wanted the assistant to bring down. She brought them back and calculated the new total price, and Tea Rose paid it.

“Now let’s go home.”





“We’re home!”

Atomic was surprised when he didn’t hear his dad reply.

“Your father should’ve been home by now, he’s normally never this late,” Tea Rose pointed out worriedly. She unfastened Butterscotch from her buggy and picked her up, carrying her into the living room. “Atomic, turn the light on, I can't see where I’m going.” 

As Atomic turned on the living room light, Syracuse jumped up from behind the sofa.

“BOO!”

Atomic and Tea Rose screamed, and Atomic stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor whilst Tea Rose almost dropped Butterscotch, and she was just able to pull her back up before her head hit the floor.

“You should’ve seen your faces!” Syracuse threw his head back and chuckled as he came around the sofa.

“Syracuse, that’s not funny! I almost dropped Butter and you scared Atomic senseless!”

“I wasn't scared!” Atomic jumped up and charged his father, tackling him onto the sofa.

“Okay I’m sorry, it won’t happen again!” Syracuse cried as Atomic held him in a mock headlock.

“Stop that you two! Now, set the table and I’ll warm up the vegetable soup.”

Syracuse and Atomic got off the sofa and Syracuse took Butterscotch from Tea Rose as Atomic began to tuck the chairs into the table.

“How come you only came home now?”

“We went shopping to get me a new Dragons jersey. But Mom decided to ‘pick up a few things’ before we went to MD Sports.”

“So, excited for the match on Saturday?”

“I can't wait to see the Dragons win and get Nick Foals’ autograph after the game!”

Syracuse was about to tell Atomic that the chances of getting Nick Foals’ autograph would be unlikely, but he thought better of it and closed his mouth. He carried Butterscotch over to her high chair at the dining table and sat her down.

“Let me help you out Atomic.”

Syracuse went to the kitchen and came back with a pile of napkins and he gave them to Atomic, who placed one at each seat on the table. The two sat down in their seats as Tea Rose came in with the family’s dinner.

“Syracuse, how come you didn’t heat up dinner for yourself when you came home?”

“Oh, I forgot about it,” Syracuse sheepishly replied.

“Oh well, at least you can sit and eat with us,” Tea Rose said, and she sat down next to Butterscotch and began feeding her.

Once she had finished her soup, Tea Rose took her bowls back to the kitchen and brought a plate of brownies, explaining that she had made them earlier in the day. She gave Atomic and Syracuse four brownies each, taking two for herself.

“Your brownies are actually amazing, maybe you should consider opening a café or something,” Syracuse complimented as he ate.

“Thanks, but I’m only gonna start looking for work when Butterscotch starts going to school.”

The family ate their brownies silently, and Atomic and Syracuse were the first to finish, with Syracuse taking both of their bowls to wash and dry in the kitchen.

“Atomic, come here.” 

Atomic left the kitchen and came back into the living room, his mother looking at him with a familiar stern expression.

“Yeah Mom?”

“Bedtime. You have school tomorrow and I don't want you yawning in school.”

“Can I turn the radio on and see if there’s any news about the game on Saturday?”

“Fine, but it's straight to bed for you after that.”

Atomic sat down next to the radio and turned it on, and he turned the knob to find the right station. Once he found the right station, he turned the volume up and listened intently.

“So Blaze, who do you think is gonna win?”

“Ah, I’ve gotta give it to the Dragons, I feel like Nick Foals is gonna have a huge game this weekend, and he’s gonna be driven by what he did in the semi-finals last year. 

“Are you trying to say that Nick Foals is gonna go off in every game?!”

“Don't be surprised if he puts up MVP numbers this year.”

“I’m gonna disagree with Blaze, I feel like the Eagles will take this one. They have arguably the best cornerback in the league in Slate Gray, and when he’s matched up against Foals, he's gonna keep him on lockdown. The other Dragons players won't be able to step up.”

“Mom, why'd you turn the radio off?!”

“Because your time is up. Bed, now.”

Atomic grumbled and pushed himself off the sofa.

“Excuse me, is that attitude you’re giving me right now?”

“No, Mom.”

Atomic kissed his mother’s cheek before leaving the living room and heading up the stairs to his room, not bothering to brush his teeth. He headed over to his calendar and picked his marker, taking the lid off and crossing through today’s date. 

Just tomorrow left, and then I get to see Nick Foals and the Dragons live.

Atomic closed his curtains and blew out his lamp, leaning back and closing his eyes, hoping that the weekend came quickly.




“You’re actually so lucky that you get to go watch the Dragons live!”

“I know.”

It was lunchtime at Atomic’s school and news of his outing tomorrow had spread like wildfire amongst the colts and fillies in his year group, leading to the seats at Atomic and Thunderhoof’s usual lunchtime spot quickly filling up.

“You’re so lucky you got tickets! My Dad tried getting them last week but they had already sold out!”

“Atomic, who do you think is gonna win?”

Atomic looked pointedly at the colt who had asked the question.

“Obviously the Eagles, they’re the best team in the league and the Dragons are terrible. It's gonna be a blowout.”

Thunderhoof and the others stopped their conversations and stared at Atomic in stunned silence.

“I'm joking, obviously the Dragons are gonna win, why would I ever support the Eagles?!”

The table remained silent for a few moments before the conversations resumed. Atomic took the last bite from his lunch and got up from his seat to put his plate away, motioning for Thunderhoof to do the same.

“Tell us how the match was on Monday, okay?!”

Atomic and Thunderhoof said goodbye to the colts and fillies as they left the canteen, and Thunderhoof laughed as Atomic leaned against a window and groaned, letting his head drop.

“I thought they were never going to leave me alone! Is this what Nick Foals feels like when journalists keep asking him questions all at once?!”

“This must be what it feels like to be popular,” Thunderhoof remarked. Atomic lifted up his head and looked at his friend.

“Do you wanna be popular all the time or something?”

“No, I’m just saying, that it's not that bad.”

Suddenly the end-of-lunch bell rang and teachers came out onto the field, ushering students back into school for their last lesson.

“Are you kidding me?! We wasted all of lunch inside answering all of their questions?!”

“Come on Atomic, we might as well go inside,” Thunderhoof said, heading back into school.

“We didn’t even get time to trade a few cards!” Atomic whined as they went back into the school.

“You can come over to my house after school, it doesn’t matter,” Thunderhoof said, and Atomic took out their timetable to check which classroom they were in.

“We’re with Miss Lily upstairs in room 17.”

Thunderhoof nodded and the two headed upstairs to English. They turned the corner and saw their classmates going into the classroom. Thunderhoof continued walking forwards to join the back of the queue, but he was suddenly pulled back by Atomic.

“What if we could trade cards right now outside?”

“What are you talking about?” Thunderhoof stared at Atomic’s grin for a few seconds before his eyes widened.

“No, we are not playing hooky! We’re gonna get caught and then we'll get in so much trouble!”

“Oh come on, it'll be fun and besides, Miss Lily never does the register, she won't even realise that we aren’t there.”

“Atomic, I don't care. I'm not risking it and you shouldn’t either.”

Thunderhoof walked away from Atomic to go to their lesson. Atomic called out his name but was ignored, and he ran after Thunderhoof, pulling him back just as he was about to open the door.

“You’re honestly telling me that you’d rather be in English than trade cards with me on the field? Really?”

“It's no that I don't wanna trade with you on the field, it's just that I don't wanna get into trouble.”

“You’re not scared...are you? You’re actually scared of skipping English!”

“I’m not scared!” 

The opposite classroom’s door opened and a teacher stuck their head out.

“Why are you two making so much noise? I have students doing a test in here! Get to your lessons, now!”

The teacher slammed their door shut and Atomic pulled Thunderhoof across the corridor.

“Come on, it's not our fault that we never got to trade today, and you know it.”

“Ugh......okay, let’s go. But if we get caught, it's all your fault.”

“We won’t. Let’s go.”

Atomic grinned and opened the door for Thunderhoof to pass through.




“It feels like we’ve been here for ages, when does school end Thunder?”

“I left my watch at home today. Don’t have a clue.”

Atomic and Thunderhoof were currently sat at the back of the field, their hoofball cards scattered on the grass between them. Atomic sighed and lay back onto his satchel.

“Told you nopony would find us here. Maybe we should make this a regular thing.”

“That would make the teachers suspicious, this is just a one time thing,” Thunderhoof replied, and he began to organise the cards into his cards and Atomic’s cards. He accidentally knocked one of the cards away and he stretched his arm to reach it, he looked up and saw a teacher staring at them from a classroom window before moving away.

“Atomic! Atomic!”

“What?” he wearily replied.

“There’s a teacher looking at us. I think he’s coming down to us!”

“What?!” Atomic jumped up and looked at the window that Thunderhoof was pointing at. “There’s nopony there, what are you talking about?!”

“I'm telling you, he was looking straight at us and then he went. He’s gonna come for us, we have to run, now!” cried Thunderhoof, throwing his cards into his bag and pushing Atomic’s pile to him.

“He wouldn’t have been able to see us from all the way up there anyway! Relax!” Atomic reassured, but the nervous tone in his voice betrayed his calm appearance. From where they were sat, Thunderhoof saw the teacher come out onto the field and place a hoof on his forehead and squinted his eyes.

“Are those students sitting on the field when they’re supposed to be in lessons?!” he called out. 

The teacher then began to walk quickly towards the back of the field.

“What do we do, what do we do? We’re finished!”

“You’re the one with a horn, magic us to the school gates and then we’ll make a run for it!”

“My magic isn't that good, but I’ll try a teleportation spell. Stand next to me!”

“Quickly!”

Thunderhoof nodded and shut his eyes, desperately trying to conjure up the image of the school gates in his mind. A pale blue aura surrounded his horn and the two colts disappeared from the back of the field.

“Aha! So my suspicions were correct!”

Atomic and Thunderhoof turned around to find the teacher glaring at them.

“Why aren't you in lessons?”

Atomic and Thunderhoof remained in stunned silence, neither answering the question.

“You heard me. Why are you both on the field during lessons?”

“Sir, there’s someone in trouble! Behind you!”

The teacher turned around to where Atomic pointed and the colts took advantage of the distraction, sprinting into the school building. The teacher immediately realised what had happened and he galloped after the colts, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“COME BACK HERE!”

As Atomic and Thunderhoof ran through the school, a few students and teachers came out of the classrooms they passed, with some students even cheering them on. The teacher however, remained on their tails and as the colts turned past another corner, he began to gain on them, his heavy breathing getting louder and louder with every second that passed.

“I told you, to take us to the gates, not, right next to the bucking teacher!”

“I told you that my magic wasn’t that good! This would’ve never happened if we’d just gone to the lesson!”

The bell suddenly rang and almost instantly students began to pour out of classrooms that Atomic and Thunderhoof had just galloped past, eager to get home. Atomic and Thunderhoof slowed down and joined the crowd of students leaving the students, looking behind them every few seconds to check they weren’t still being pursued.

“He’s not there, is he?” asked Thunderhoof.

“Nah, can’t see him. I think we’ve lost him.”

Thunderhoof pushed open the door for himself and Atomic and they quickly walked past it, now approaching the school gates.

“When we look back on our school days, we can at least say that we have skipped a lesson at least once.”




Atomic rinsed his mouth and spat out the water into the sink, checking his teeth in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

“Atomic remember, I’m gonna wake you up at eight o’clock tomorrow, okay?” Syracuse called out from the bottom of the stairs.

“Yes, Dad.”

Atomic closed his bedroom door behind him and headed straight for his calendar, crossing through the last day before the fourth of September, which Atomic knew would be the most exciting day of his life; a chance to see his hero and his favourite hoofball team live.