//------------------------------// // For The Love of the Game // Story: Ponyville's Annual Superbowl Party // by Garbo //------------------------------// For The Love of the Game Written by Pick-Six Edited by Featherprop Postgame “Woo! Yea! Go purple! Go red! Beat the team! Score the point! WOOOOO!” Braeburn glanced over at the golden-eyed mare with an amused expression on his face. “Miss Hooves, the game's over.” Derpy's frenetic cheering slowed, and eventually stopped altogether. “Um, woo?” She and Braeburn stood alone in front of the television as the Superbowl champions celebrated their victory. The other ponies were milling about in the library, conversing with each other, or grabbing some more food before getting ready to head home. Derpy giggled as the television showed a pony in a black and purple uniform making a confetti angel. Derpy had accepted the invitation to the Superbowl party with absolute joy, and over the course of the night she had become enamored with the game that she and the other ponies were watching. It was like no other sport that she had ever seen; instead of having to put the ball into a net or hit it with a stick, the ponies on the field just threw it around and ran into each other. It looked really fun! Even the ball itself was shaped strangely. Instead of being round, it was a weird pointy shape, and bounced around in random directions whenever it hit the ground. Derpy felt that she could relate to that last bit; her landing attempts often ended in the same fashion. Watching thousands of ponies in the stadium having such fun with a seemingly random and accident-prone sport had given the wall-eyed mare a warm, happy feeling in her chest. Maybe the ponies who gave her a hard time just never watched hoofball! Braeburn had played varsity hoofball in school himself, and continued to follow it with a passion that he would describe as “really passionate.” Braeburn had never been one for fancy word-play. When he heard that his cousin and her friends were hosting a Superbowl party, and that he'd been invited, he was on the next train to Ponyville in a flash. Braeburn's smile grew even broader as he regarded the pegasus sitting next to him. Though they had just met earlier in the evening, they had spent the entirety of the game sitting next to each other. Braeburn would point out rules and formations to Derpy, while she cheered whenever something exciting happened. “I take it ya'll enjoyed th' game?” Derpy gave a grin that stretched from ear to ear. “Yes! It was so fun watching them run around! The crowd was loud and happy and singing and they had signs and it looked like so much fun!” Braeburn blinked at the barrage of words as she continued. “I even liked the in-between parts!” Braeburn raised an eyebrow. “The commercials?” The grey mare nodded emphatically. “Yes, those! They were like little stories that always had a happy ending!” Derpy's demeanor shifted to one of slight embarrassment, scuffing her hoof on the ground self-consciously. “I get a lot of advertisements in my mailbag, and sometimes I like to make up happy little stories about the ponies that are in the pictures.” She stopped fidgeting and grinned again, her unease forgotten. “But I didn't have to make them up this time, because somepony else did!” The Appleoosian stallion chuckled at Derpy's excitement. He had never seen somepony so enthusiastic about a game that they barely understood. It was refreshing, in a way- years of memorizing stats and following each little success and failure of his team sometimes made Braeburn feel like being a fan was a second job. Her energy reminded him of his foalhood, when his Pa would take him out into the fields and toss the ball around with him for hours. Those wonderful days were what had sparked Braeburn's love of hoofball... “Braeburn, are you okay?” The stallion snapped out of his reminiscing to look up at Derpy, who was eyeing him with some concern. “You got really quiet and looked kind of sad for a minute.” Braeburn forced a small smile. “I'm fine, Miss Hooves. Was just rememberin' some... good times.” He decided to change the subject. “So, will ya be watchin' the games come next season?” Derpy's concern for her new friend dissipated quickly. “Please, call me Derpy! Miss Hooves is my father. Wait, that's not right... Anyway, You bet I'll be watching next season! I don't know all of the rules and stuff yet, but I wanna learn them! I think it'll be even better next year, now that you've taught me how to yell at the T.V. properly!” Although Derpy's comment wasn't intended to be malicious, Braeburn felt heat rush to his face. He considered himself to be a very polite pony; though he could get excited at times, it was rare for him to be anything other than a perfect gentlecolt around other ponies, especially the fairer sex. Still, passion overtakes prudence in the best of ponies from time to time. The memory of his reaction to a play earlier that night sprang to his mind. He had jumped to his hooves and began shouting obscenities, flicking his forehoof from his side toward the television, as though he were throwing something at it. Braeburn rubbed the back of his head abashedly. “Er, yeah... I'm sorry about my behavior earlier. It was downright crude of me to act like that. To be honest, though, I still think it should've been called pass interference.” after a moment, he shrugged. “Ah, well. What's done is done. One play certainly didn't lose 'em the game.” Derpy frowned, mad at herself for not taking the stallion's feelings into consideration. “I'm sorry your team lost, Braeburn.” Braeburn flashed a grateful smile to the blonde mare. “Thank ya kindly, Miss Derpy. It's alright. There's always next year.” The pegasus mare brightened at his words. “That's right! And I'll know more next year, too! Like..” Derpy's eyes began to focus on the tip of her muzzle. “The Ravens' helmets! I like their colors, but does the 'B' on the bird stand for 'Bird'? I think that's redundant.” Derpy beamed proudly at her use of the complicated word. Most of the words and phrases on her word-a-day calender at home left her brain as soon as she changed it to another day, but redundant just played in her head over and over again for some reason, so it remained in her vocabulary. Braeburn listened to the wall-eyed mare chatter away with a mixture of puzzlement and admiration. Dear Celestia, I had no idea that a mare could be so confusing and so adorable at the same time. Derpy's eyes widened as they focused, perfectly aligned for once, on Braeburn. “You think I'm adorable?” The stallion's expression froze into one of abject terror as he realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. His mind scrambled for a reply as his mouth stuttered and stammered. “Uh, I-I... Yes! I mean, what? I'm thirsty. Let's go grab something to drink!” He began walking stiffly toward the snack table as a confused Derpy followed behind him. Braeburn swore at himself silently. The Apple family was renowned for speaking their minds, and he was no exception. Still, that particular trait had surfaced at the worst possible time, and then his reaction to Derpy's reaction had been even worse! smooth, Brae, he lamented. When Braeburn reached the table, he poured a generous amount of punch into two glasses, giving one to his marefrie-- friend who was a mare. Derpy accepted it gratefully and began gulping down the sweet, fruity concoction. She finished off the glass with a satisfied sigh, followed by a loud belch. Derpy smiled meekly and set her glass on the table. “'Scuse me.” The stallion laughed and tipped his hat in respect, happy for the distraction from his slip-up. “That was mighty fine, Miss Derpy. Still, I think Applejack has ya beat. At one of our family reunions a couple years back, she actually cleared the field of crows after downing two mugs of cider!” Derpy giggled at the image of the orange-furred mare belching loud enough to scare off wildlife. “I've heard so much about those reunions. So much family together in one place, having fun...” She gave a wistful sigh. “I wish my family had reunions like that.” Braeburn finished his glass of punch and set it on the table. He gave a small burp of his own, careful to cover his mouth with his hoof. He was in the presence of a lady, after all. “Excuse me. Well, if'n you'd like to, you should stop by the next Apple shindig! I'll vouch for ya.” He flashed a smile, happy to have an excuse to see her again. The mare wanted to jump in the air and give a resounding “YES!” but for once, she was cautious and subdued. On one hoof, she was rarely invited to parties by any pony other than Pinkie Pie, and an invitation to an Apple-exclusive event was something that would make anyone excited. On the other hoof, that very exclusivity gave her pause. She didn't want to take advantage of the generous nature of the Apple family, especially since she didn't know any of the Apples particularly well. With the exception of tonight, she had hardly spent any time with any of them. Derpy looked up at Braeburn nervously. “I-I don't know, Braeburn.” The stallion's face fell. Of course she would decline. He mentally smacked himself; how could he have been so forward? “I'm sorry, Miss Derpy. I wasn't thinking. Here we are, just having met tonight, and I go and make a fool of myself. I hope ya can forgive me.” Derpy shook her head vigorously, causing her eyes to spin. “No! You didn't do anything wrong, Braeburn! It's just that... I don't know any of the Apple family well. I've spoken with Applejack and Big Mac a few times, but you're the only one that I've spent any real time with. I'd love to go, I just don't want to impose on a family event.” Braeburn let out a breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding. “Oh, is that all? Shoot, that's not a problem at all! It's not like ya'll are just showin' up outta the blue, I'm invitin' ya! Trust me, the Apple family extends further than just blood relation. You'll be welcomed with open hooves!” The stallion gathered his courage and forced himself to ask hopefully, “as fer getting' to know each other better, well, I don't leave until tomorrow afternoon.” The stallion steeled himself for what came next. “Would ya do me the honor of joining me for lunch tomorrow? I understand if you have prior plans and can't make it,” he added hastily, “I just thought that maybe we could talk hoofball and get to know each other better.” This time, Derpy did jump into the air. “YES! That sounds like so much fun!” Lunch with friends was always fun in the mare's eyes, and doubly so if that friend thought she was adorable! “When and where?” Braeburn blinked at Derpy's exuberant performance. He was a bit surprised that she had agreed so willingly, given her reaction to his previous invitation. Still, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. “How about noon at that cupcake place?” The grinning mare nodded. “Sugarcube Corner? That sounds great! I like muffins better than cupcakes, though.” Braeburn chuckled at Derpy's words. “Then muffins are what we'll have.” Derpy's eyes sparkled at the mention of her absolute favorite treat. “Really?! YAY!” Her right eye shifted its focus from the stallion in front of her to the clock on the wall next to her. She gave a gasp as her vision focused and she saw how late it was. Time must have sped up while they were talking; now, most of the ponies that had crowded the library for the game were dispersing. “Ohmygosh! Braeburn, I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I have work in a few hours! Don't worry though, I'll make sure that I'm done with my route early, so I can meet you at Sugarcube Corner. Noon, right?” The stallion nodded in confirmation, feeling guilty for taking up so much of Derpy's time. “Yes, ma'am. I am sorry that I talked yer ear off tonight. I'll make it up to ya tomorrow, I promise. Let me walk ya to the door.” He took Derpy's glass in his hoof, setting it down next to his, and then walked with her to the door in comfortable silence. In true gentlecolt fashion, he opened the door for her and bowed in respect. Derpy giggled and there was a bit of extra bounce in her gait as she walked out into the brisk night air. The chill of the night air tickled Braeburn's nose, and he cast a concerned look at the departing mare. “Miss Derpy?” The pegasus turned at the sound of her name. “It's mighty cold out here. Would you like me to walk you home?” Derpy was flattered that he was worried about her keeping warm, but gently declined. “It's ok, Braeburn. I may not be the best flyer, but I still have an easier time in the cold than most. I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Braeburn gave a wan smile and nodded silently. “Good night, Miss Derpy.” A commercial from earlier that night flashed in Derpy's head, and she called out to Braeburn as he was closing the door. “Hey Braeburn!” The stallion leaned back out of the doorway, cocking his head in curiosity as Derpy stood on her hind legs and began to circle her midsection with her forehooves. “Discord double-check!” The stallion stood in the doorway for a moment in stunned silence, before bursting into laughter and shaking his head. “I hope you never change, Miss Derpy.” He closed the door, still chuckling. Derpy fell to all fours and beamed happily. It was official; she loved hoofball.