Equestria Hockey League

by XFizzle

EHL Part V - Shootout at the Appleloosa Corral

Equestria Hockey League Part V – Shootout at the Appleloosa Corral
by XFizzle

CHOOOOOOO CHOOOOOOOOOO

The westward train chuggled along at great speed toward Appleloosa. The landscape gradually transformed from the white, winter wonderland of Ponyville to the brown, dry desert of the Western lands. On board the train were the Ponyville Golden Leafs, awaiting their arrival at their next opponent’s city. In the lodging car, Twilight, Spike, and friends sat around bored with not much else to do.

“Ugh, it’s so boring on this train. I knew I should’ve brought my books,” said Twilight with a sigh.

“I know what we can do! We can braid each other’s manes. It would be soooo fabulous!” Rarity exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue in disgust. “I think I’d rather watch paint dry than do that frilly girly stuff.”

“Ah’m with Rainbow on that one,” said Applejack. Rainbow then gave Applejack a hoof bump.

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down from her seat bubbling with excitement. “Ooh! How about another game? Let’s play ‘I Spy’! I’ll go first. I spy with my little eye something pink!”

In monotone unison and with glazed eyes, everyone answered, “Fluttershy’s mane.”

“Nopey dopey! Guess again!”

“Your mane.”

“Nooooooooooo. Guess agaaaain!” said Pinkie in a musical tone while her smile widened more.

Still unenthused, everyone guessed together, “The streak in Twilight’s mane.”

“Right! How did you all know?”

“Because you’ve only said that for the seventh time already! There’s only like three things in this train car that are pink!” snapped Rainbow Dash.

Twilight’s magic conjured up a muzzle that clamped itself onto Rainbow’s mouth. “Calm down, Rainbow. She was just trying to help cure the boredom. There’s got to be other cars on this train with something to do. Let’s go explore!”

“B…but I like it here, Twilight. This cushion is so soft and warm,” said Fluttershy with a mix of hesitation and laziness in her voice.

Spike let out a giant yawn and plopped himself down on a bed. “I agree with Fluttershy. It’s fine right here. I think I’m going to get some shut eye. Hauling everypony’s equipment is tough work.”

“That’s fine, Spike. Everypony else, let’s go. Exploring is better than doing nothing.”

Fluttershy reluctantly rose from her comfortable seat and joined her friends in walking to the other train cars. They trotted through the dining car, the luggage car, the freezer car, and ended up in another lodging car. Disappointed in what they had found, the girls turned back around. Suddenly, a loud thump came from the door leading to the next car. Twilight and friends whizzed back around to see what might have caused the noise. Twilight slowly slid the door open while the others looked on. When the door was fully open, flashing lights and loud ringing and buzzing noises erupted at them. Before them was the gaming car, filled with various arcade games and fun activities. There was whack-a-parasprite machine, skee-ball, a ring toss, and a basketball toss. Sensing that their boredom was now destroyed, each pony rushed into the car with a squeal. Everypony hopped from machine to machine, playing with each other and laughing. In between the merriment, Twilight noticed a peculiar game off in the corner. When she approached, she saw that it was a shooting game. Plenty of colorful targets hung lifeless while a toy gun lay at her hooves. Twilight pressed a big red button on the near wall and the game came to life. The targets moved about in random directions while lights flashed in distraction. Twilight’s horn glowed and soon the gun was hovering up to her eye, firing at the targets. The other ponies saw Twilight’s game and walked over to watch. When the round was over, Rainbow shoved Twilight out of the way and took over.

“Haha! Yes! Now this is a real game. Take that! And that!” yelled Rainbow as she shot.

Applejack’s eyes lit up as Rainbow knocked down a flurry of targets. “Yee-haw! I call next after Dash!”

“No, I’m going next after Rainbow. I was here first!” said Rarity as she bumped Applejack with her flank.

“Oh no you ain’t! I called it!”

Twilight stepped in between them. “Girls! There’s plenty of time for everypony to play. We’re nowhere near Appleloosa yet.”

When Rainbow finished, Applejack rushed up to take the gun from her. Rarity pushed the button to begin and used her magic to claim the gun. Applejack let out an angry snort as Rarity began her round. Rarity, with her knack for precision and detail, knocked out every target in succession. Her friends cheered louder for each target she busted. Rainbow was the most impressed and flew around Rarity as she finished.

“That was so cool, Rarity! Betcha you can’t do it again!”

Rarity let out a laugh. “Oh Rainbow, darling, I can beat this game with my eyes closed.”

Rarity pushed the button to restart the game. With her eyes closed, she began to miss. Sensing she wasn’t hitting anything, Rarity clenched her teeth and tried focusing harder. Rainbow was laughing as Rarity finished up her round with only a couple successful hits.

“Haha! Told ya you couldn’t do it again. Allow me.”

Rainbow took the gun and started her round also with eyes closed. Rainbow shot wildly, and by pure chance, she hit all the targets. Rarity’s mouth dropped in shock and the others cheered for Rainbow’s perfect round. When Rainbow opened her eyes, she turned toward Rarity and stuck her tongue out. Redness flashed across Rarity’s face and she tore the gun away from Rainbow.

“What luck! That wasn’t skill! I’m the better shot.”

Rainbow got in Rarity’s face. “Oh yeah? Well I wasn’t the pony who couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn!”

While Rainbow and Rarity continued their spat, Twilight began crafting an idea. She remembered passing a freezer car on the way to the arcade. She then thought of a way to hold a practice on the train. When it all came together, she separated Rarity and Rainbow and announced to her friends.

“I just thought of a great idea! Remember that freezer car we walked through? I can turn it into a miniature rink and we could practice. Since we’re all enjoying the shooting game, how about we have shooting practice with our sticks and pucks?”

Pinkie Pie looked back at Twilight in disappointment. “Awww, but we were starting to have so much fun here!”

“Those two weren’t,” said Twilight as she pointed over to Rainbow and Rarity who were still wrestling the gun away from each other.

Having enough of their quarrel, Twilight poofed the gun away so that neither Rainbow nor Rarity could have it. She told them of the new plan and they complied. Twilight led her friends to the freezer car where she changed the floor into ice and teleported everyone’s sticks from their luggage.

Using the targets from the shooting game, Twilight had them magically affixed to the walls of the freezer car and made them randomly appear and fade quickly. She gave each of her friends their stick, a puck, and a section of the car to shoot at. Not before long, each pony was facing a wall and firing away at the magically moving targets. When a target was hit, a number appeared on the wall indicating that pony’s hit count.

During the shooting practice, Rainbow occasionally glanced over at Rarity’s score. Each time she looked, Rarity’s number had increased by five or six. Rarity had 35 while Rainbow was at a measly 14. Not wanting to be shown up, Rainbow increased her output. She shot quicker and wildly, hoping to catch up to Rarity. When her wildness wasn’t helping her score out, Rainbow flew over and stole Fluttershy’s puck. With two pucks, Rainbow shot even faster. Everyone but Rarity stopped to watch Rainbow’s determined display. Finally, Rainbow was getting some hits and her score started to inflate drastically. 14 quickly turned into 32 and she was hot on Rarity’s trail. Rarity noticed everyone had stopped to watch Rainbow. When she saw Rainbow’s score rocketing, Rarity stole Applejack’s puck and began firing off wild shots of her own. Both sides of the freezer car were rattling from the multitude of shots it was absorbing. Both Rarity and Rainbow’s scores were climbing up into the 40s, then the 50s, then 60s and so on.

After a few more minutes, Rarity and Rainbow was getting visibly weak. They were panting and letting out a grunt with each shot. Tied up at 99-99, both ponies tried their hardest to hit the next target. The targets flashed and faded on the wall in front of them. Simultaneously, Rarity and Rainbow reared back for a shot. Rainbow slapped the puck swiftly without thinking while Rarity waited for the right moment to shoot. Both pucks were in the air, zooming at a fading target. In a one-two flash, Rainbow and Rarity both hit a target and their scores illuminated to show 100-100. Both shooters started celebrating until they noticed the other’s celebration. Once again, Rarity and Rainbow were nose to nose.

“I scored first! I won! You were too slow I’m afraid,” said Rarity through her teeth.

Rainbow pushed her nose into Rarity’s. “Me? Slow? I don’t even know what slow is. I scored first! I won!”

“We’ll see what the others think. They saw it.”

Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie turned to each other in confusion, trying to come to an agreement as to who won.

Twilight spoke first. “I don’t know you two. It was awfully close. Wouldn’t you just be okay with tying?”

“NO! NO TYING!” yelled Rarity and Rainbow Dash together.

“I couldn’t tell neither. Both of ya shot so fast, it was hard to keep track,” said Applejack with an uneasy chuckle and her hoof behind her head.

Rarity walked up to Fluttershy and snuggled up next to her with a smile. “Fluttershy, be a dear and tell everyone I won.”

“Um…uh…I-I don’t know, Rarity.”

Rainbow swooped in and pulled Fluttershy away from Rarity. “No, tell them I won! Come on, Fluttershy. We’re friends. Pegasi stick together!”

“Well…um…Rainbow.”

Twilight stepped in to save Fluttershy. “Enough! It ends in a tie. You’re both good shooters. Besides, we are a team. It’s not about who’s better than the other. It’s about being good together.”

Pinkie put down her popcorn she had been randomly eating during the dispute. “Twilight’s right! Besides, I think Rainbow won. But it’s okay. Let’s go back to the games!”

Rainbow flew over to Pinkie and gave her a thank you hug. Rarity stomped over to them and tried to get Pinkie to change her mind. When more arguing broke out, the freezer car door exploded open and in stepped the train conductor.

“JUST WHAT IN EQUESTRIA IS GOIN’ ON IN HERE?”

The arguing ceased immediately and quickly the girls hid behind Twilight. Twilight stammered before answering the angry conductor’s question.

“We’re very sorry, sir. We were just practicing our shooting for our big game against Appleloosa.”

The conductor still looked upon Twilight and friends with ignited eyes. “Well no more shootin’ in here! You better hope I don’t find any major dents in these walls! You’re lucky we arrived in Appleloosa. Now ‘git!”

Swiftly, the Golden Leafs exited the freezer car while offering their apologies to the conductor. They returned to the lodging car to grab Spike and their things. After boarding off the train, the girls walked about the station, looking for a familiar face. Off in the distance, a yellow pony in a brown hat and vest started charging toward the group. When the pony reached them, everyone recognized who it was and was happy to see him. It was Applejack’s cousin Braeburn. He gave Applejack a hug and shook hooves with the others.

“Well hoooooowdy, everypony! Welcome back to AAAAAaaaaAAAAAppleloosa!”

“Howdy right back at ya, Braeburn. How y’all doin’? asked Applejack.

“Doin’ mighty fine, cousin. Now who’s ready to head into town?”

Applejack and company happily agreed and they were off on their way.

---

Strutting into town, Braeburn began talking up his plans for the evening.

“Sorry I can’t hang ‘round with you folks too long. I have a game to play tonight. I’m on the Appleloosa Black Apples, the best team in the Equestria Hockey League!”

Everyone gave a slight snicker as Applejack answered back. “Oh yeah? That’s pretty great. Say, do you reckon who y’all are playin’ tonight?”

Braeburn gave Applejack a large, smug-filled smirk. “We’re playin’ some poor expansion team who just started in the league. The somethin’ Golden Lakes, or Golden Leafs, whatever. All’s I know is that we’re gonna kick their flanks.”

The Golden Leafs all laughed at Braeburn’s oblivious remarks except for Rainbow Dash who narrowed her eyes in slight irritation. Before Rainbow could correct Braeburn, Applejack put her hoof up to Rainbow’s mouth to calm her down and to get her to play along.

“So why did y’all come to Appleloosa anyways?” Braeburn asked.

Twilight answered him. “Oh you know, for a little vacation and to get away from the snow.”

“And to visit ol’ Bloomberg. I’ve been wonderin’ how he’s been getting’ along here in Appleloosa,” Applejack said.

“He’s been great. He’s also playin’ with me tonight.”

Everyone stopped in their tracks and stared at Braeburn completely puzzled. Seeing the confusion glaring back at him, Braeburn continued.

“He’s our startin’ goalie. Boy howdy, he’s one sturdy tree! Almost nothin’ gets past him. We don’t let too many shots get to him in the first place neither. Chief Thunderhooves and Sheriff Silverstar run a pretty tight defense I’ll tell you what.”

The Golden Leafs broke out of their confusion and smiled slyly to each other as Braeburn was unknowingly handing them a full on scouting report on his team.

Rarity walked next to Braeburn and batted her eyes. “Please, do tell us more! We’re just dying to learn about the great Appleloosa Black Apples!”

“Aww shucks. Well, if y’all really want to know.”

Before Braeburn could reveal more inside information, the clock tower in the center of town struck, echoing out into the mountains in the distance.

“Oh shoot, it’s gettin’ close to game time! I gotta run. Hey, maybe y’all should come watch me! It’ll be a real hoedown tonight when we wreck the new team!”

Applejack stepped up to her cousin. “Oh, I have a feelin’ we’ll be there,” she said with a wink to her teammates who smiled back.

“Great! See y’all later then!” yelled Braeburn as he raced off.

After he had left, the Golden Leafs and Spike looked at each other and cracked up with laughter. They settled down and continued their walk through the city, discussing the valuable information Braeburn had given them. After walking a few blocks, they saw a large building looming ahead where a throng of Appleloosans were gathering in front. Upon a closer look, the Golden Leafs saw it was indeed the Black Apples’ arena, the U-Neighted Center. With a strategic advantage in their possession, they confidently strolled into the team entrance and made their way to their locker room.

---

When the Golden Leafs entered their locker room, they saw that their locker stalls were shut and had a bunch of tiny little circles sticking on them. The circles were targets Twilight had Spike install. When her teammates were questioning what was on their lockers, Twilight explained.

“Those circles are targets. I wanted to drill it into your heads that our accuracy needs to be top notch if we want to win. In order to get to your uniforms, you need to hit each target with something. A puck, a hoof, a marshmallow. Anything!”

Thrilled for a new game, Pinkie Pie leaped toward her locker and started slamming her hooves all over, trying to hit her targets. She did so successfully and was already putting on her pads. The others made it to their respective lockers and did the same. All the stalls were soon unlocked and the Golden Leafs were in uniform. Twilight reviewed with her team what Braeburn had told them and together they came up with a strategy: to find a way past the Appleloosa defense and fire away. With their strategy set and game time approaching, they filed out of the locker room and headed out to the rink.

The U-Neighted Center provided a much different atmosphere than Maredison Square Garden or Ponyville Pond. The scene resembled an old western saloon, with Black Apples fans hollering and throwing items around without restraint. The rowdiness made the arena a loud, unbearable asylum. When it was time for the Golden Leafs’ introduction, the girls had to dart around to duck objects thrown at them. The Black Apples’ introduction resulted in more yelling and gunshots being fired in the air. A stagecoach rolled its way onto the ice and came to a stop. The door was kicked open and a carpet unfurled for the incoming Black Apples players.

”Now put yer hooves together for the wildest, rootin’-tootinest team in the whole E-H-L! Heeeere’s your AAAAAaaaaaAAAAPPLELOOSA BLACK APPLES!! First, playin’ left wing, number 16, APPLE FRITTER! Playin’ at center, number 7, LITTLEEE STRONGHEART! At right wing, number 2, BRAAAAEBURRRRRN!! On defense, number 40, CHIEEEEF THUNDERHOOVES! Also on defense, the cap’n, number 11, SHERIIIIIIIFF SIIIIILLLLVERSTARRRR!! Finally, in goal, number 30, BLOOOOOOMBERG!!”

The Black Apples stepped out of the stagecoach when their name was called and skated around the ice. When Bloomberg was called, a hoist lowered Bloomberg down in front of the net. Braeburn looked over to the Golden Leafs’ lineup and nearly fell over when he saw his cousin Applejack and friends. He skated up to them, barely containing his laughter.

“Wait! You’re tellin’ me y’all are the Ponyville Golden Leafs? What a riot! I was lookin’ forward to this game already but now I’m even more excited to whoop some flank. Have a good one gals!”

It was now the Golden Leafs started to become a bit miffed at Braeburn’s arrogance. They kept to their end of the ice and skated around until the referee was ready to drop the puck. Eventually, both teams drifted to center for the opening faceoff. After Pinkie Pie signaled she was ready, the puck dropped and the Golden Leafs’ third game was underway.

---

Appleloosa controlled the puck early using a combination of adept passing and aggressive back-checking. Ponyville had a tough time getting the puck through the neutral zone because the stiff defense of Chief and Sheriff. They were either stepping up to either steal possession or block an outlet pass. After a few missed shots and a couple of saves by Pinkie, the Golden Leafs brought the puck into the Black Apples zone for the first time. Appleloosa stuck close to their pony, knowing that they could not afford to give up open shots on their inanimate goalie. At the 6 minute mark, Rainbow had the puck behind the net. Rarity and Applejack tried shaking their defenders loose for a pass but nothing was working. Chief closed in fast on Rainbow as she scrambled to find an open teammate. Seeing that all the passing lanes were closed, Rainbow skated to the side boards where Chief followed her and pinned her. Braeburn also closed in to get the puck away. Squeezed along the boards with Appleloosa fans tapping on the glass furiously, Rainbow whipped the puck between her legs, hoping it would find a teammate. Rarity saw the trickling puck coming from the boards and tried her hardest to get to it. Apple Fritter nudged her a bit as they battled toward the floating puck. Rarity got in one last shove to break away and gained control of the puck. She gave a quick glance to the goal to see Bloomberg guarding nearly every inch of netting. Despite the small holes, Rarity slammed a shot toward the stout tree goalie. The puck glanced off Bloomberg’s trunk and ricocheted just enough to catch the left post and re-direct into the net. Rarity jumped with joy as Rainbow escaped from the boards to celebrate with her. The remaining Golden Leafs joined in as the Appleloosans booed mercilessly and threw bottles toward the ice. Luckily a magical barrier had formed at the beginning of the game, bouncing the debris back to its thrower.

“Goal Ponyville. Scored by number 9, Rarity. Assisted by number 20, Rainbow Dash, and number 0, Fluttershy.”

For just the second time this season, Ponyville held the lead. Excited with their quick goal, the girls quickly set into faceoff formation with eagerness. Braeburn, standing side by side with Applejack, kept up his talk.

“Well whoooop-de-doo. Y’all think that scares us? We’ll be back, jus’ you wait.”

“Then put yer money with yer mouth is, cousin,” snorted Applejack in reply.

The puck dropped and play was back underway. With four minutes left in the period, Appleloosa tried pressuring the Ponyville defense. Apple Fritter had the puck on the left wing and shot it around the boards behind the net to Strongheart. Strongheart cycled it on around the boards to Braeburn. With Rarity on him and poking at the puck, Braeburn did a quick step to the right and curled back left, spinning away from the boards and passing Rarity. In the slot, Braeburn wound up to shoot. As the puck flew off his stick blade, Fluttershy dove right in front and blocked it. The puck skipped off to the side where Rainbow picked it up and carried it out of the Golden Leaf zone.

With the massive frame of Chief and the agility of Sheriff in front of her, Rainbow decided to speed up and split the defenders. Chief and Sheriff pinched together to cut off Rainbow but her momentum carried all three of them forward. Zooming in on Bloomberg, Rainbow released a shot. The puck hit Bloomberg straight on and bounced back to strike Rainbow in the visor. Knocked for a loop, Rainbow gave up on the play and Appleloosa brought the puck back. Apple Fritter held the puck on the wing as she waited for Sheriff to pass the blue line. She passed it toward the blue line, allowing Sheriff to step into a one-time shot. Strongheart had parked herself in front of Pinkie and lifted her stick to deflect, but she missed the angle, deflecting the puck wide. With only six seconds left to go, Fluttershy tried firing a shot all the way down the ice. The puck appeared to be on its way past Bloomberg on the lower left corner but time expired. The net budged slightly as the puck hit the back of it, but the horn had already sounded.

Down at the end of the 1st period 1-0, the Appleloosa fan base voiced their displeasure and tried again to throw objects toward the Golden Leafs. Like before, the objects bounced off the barrier and Twilight and friends entered their locker room with the lead.

---

In the locker room, the air was filled with gleeful chatter as everypony was fixing up their equipment. Applejack sat up and addressed her friends.

“Can y’all believe Braeburn? He still thinks his team is gon’ win. He’s a funny one.”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Yeah, he’s pretty silly alright. He told us all about his team not even knowing we were the Golden Leafs! I mean, even I know not to do that!”

“Does anyone else feel a bit dirty? Like we’re cheating?” Twilight asked with a tinge of guilt in her voice.

Rainbow flew up to her. “No way! It’s not like we pressured him into talking. We’re fine!”

“Yeah, you’re right. Alright team, let’s stick to our plan and have a good second period!”

The Golden Leafs left their locker room and made it back out onto the ice. Appleloosa was already skating and waiting for them to arrive so they could start the 2nd.

---

Play was back on and Rainbow won the faceoff for her team. Twilight took the puck and passed it to Applejack who stood at the blue line. Applejack skated in to the corner and passed back to Fluttershy who now stood where Applejack was. With Strongheart charging at her, Fluttershy panicked and let off a wild shot. The puck hit Bloomberg and appeared to be headed to Sheriff but Rainbow sniffed out the angle and intercepted the rebound. Rainbow passed it right back to Fluttershy along the blue line who now had an open lane. Fluttershy took in a quick breath and shot. The puck skidded along the ice toward the lower right corner. With Apple Fritter on her, Applejack worked her way to the front of the net in case of a rebound. Unaware of the shot, Apple Fritter skated backwards into the crease trying to cover Applejack. Fluttershy’s shot knocked against Fritter’s skate and wound up in the net past Bloomberg. Applejack started cheering as she watched the puck slide in and dashed toward Fluttershy. Even though the goal light spun furiously, the Appleloosans booed heavily, and her teammates closed in and smothered her, it took Fluttershy a few seconds to register what just happened. When it finally clicked, Fluttershy flew up into the air and squealed for herself. Frustrated by the weak goal that just went in, Chief Thunderhooves rammed the boards to send a message.

”Goal Ponyville. Scored by number 0, Fluttershy. Assisted by number 20, Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight had to corral the happily bucking Fluttershy so that the referee could drop the puck. When play resumed, Ponyville had the puck again. Rarity controlled the puck in the Appleloosa zone. She was on the left faceoff circle looking for an open teammate. Rainbow zipped in and out but she was still covered. Behind the net, Chief saw Rarity’s stalling and pawed his hoof onto the ice to indicate an upcoming charge. As Rarity struggled to pass the puck off, Chief began his thunderous stride. With Rarity locked in his crosshairs, Chief Thunderhooves flattened Rarity with check fit for a steamroller. Rarity groaned in pain as her teammates tended to her and the referee blew the whistle.

“Appleloosa number 40. Two minutes for charging.”

The crowd cheered with loud applause at the hit but then soured into booing and hissing when the referee made the penalty announcement. Chief Thunderhooves chuckled as he entered the penalty box. Seeing Rarity sprawled out upon the ice awoke something within Fluttershy. Her eyes began to spark and her nostrils flared. She slowly turned toward the Black Apples penalty box where Chief was still laughing and giving hoof bumps through the glass to the fans sitting around him. Fluttershy was appalled by Chief’s lack of concern and remorse for his hit.

Under her breath, Fluttershy whispered “How dare you...you’re next.”

Braeburn skated up to Applejack to pitch in his two cents. “Whew nelly! That was a big ol’ hit wasn’t it? Hope your friend is alright. If y’all don’t watch yerselves it might be you on that ice next.”

“Would you just get on outta here?” snapped Applejack.

Braeburn gave out a laugh as he skated away. The referee called the teams together for the faceoff. Rainbow won the faceoff and it came to Twilight. Twilight shuffled the puck back and forth in front of her as the power play unit set up in their usual spots. Once her teammates were set, she passed to Rarity on the left who shoveled it to Rainbow behind the net. Sheriff and Braeburn started to close in but Rainbow noticed and pushed it to Applejack on the right wing. Applejack stepped in toward Apple Fritter in front of her and faked a shot. Fritter hit the ice to block but Applejack pulled back, skated to the side and let a shot rip. The shot was off target and deflected off of Bloomberg. The long rebound slid out of the reach of Strongheart and was back to Twilight. Behind the net, Rainbow broke away from Sheriff and circled to the front of the crease. Seeing Rainbow’s move, Twilight quickly fired the puck to her. Gliding toward the left side of the net, Rainbow picked up the puck. With a short flick of the stick, Rainbow snapped the puck past Bloomberg for a power play goal. The crowd erupted with more disdainful hollering as Chief Thunderhooves exited the penalty box. The Golden Leafs tapped Rainbow on the helmet and reset at center ice.

”Goal Ponyville. Scored by number 20, Rainbow Dash. Assisted by number 42, Twilight Sparkle.”

At the faceoff, Fluttershy locked her sight onto Chief. She didn’t look at anything else when play resumed. Ponyville won the faceoff again and brought it in on offense. Rarity received a pass from Twilight and shot but Sheriff jumped to block it into the corner. Appleloosa took control and brought it up and into the Ponyville zone. Fluttershy skated backwards, still following Chief Thunderhooves’ every stride. Braeburn took the puck down into the corner where he was met by Applejack. They tussled and pushed in the corner, fighting for the puck. Strongheart swooped in and poked the puck free toward the blue line. Sheriff received the puck and passed it along the line to Chief. It was payback time. With the fire still in her eyes, Fluttershy bolted full speed at the giant buffalo.

“THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU DID TO RARITY!”

Chief looked up to see Fluttershy charging at him which caused him to pause in disbelief. Fluttershy roared out a war cry as she flew elbow first into Chief. SLAM! The Appleloosa defender was smashed into the boards. The force of the hit and the mass of Chief Thunderhooves caused the glass to give in and shatter. Chief spilled out onto the ponies sitting in the first row as broken glass rained down after. The fans instantly stood up and collectively let out a large gasp as they witnessed the most brutal check they’ve seen so far. Fluttershy proudly strode away from the boards with a smirk on her face. The other 9 skaters stared at Fluttershy with their jaws dropped. Fluttershy hummed a sweet tune to herself as she voluntarily entered the penalty box. The referee made his announcement.

“Uh…Ponyville number 0. Two minutes for boarding?”

Fans sitting around the Ponyville penalty box angrily shook their fists at Fluttershy who kept her eyes closed and her smile beaming. Applejack was the one to skate up to Braeburn.

“How do y’all like them apples?” she said with a grin.

Braeburn shot an angry look right back. “That was a darn dirty hit, Applejack. Y’all know that. Shame on y’all.”

“Dirty schmirty. We’re still winnin’. Take that back to yer farm and buck it!”

Still irritated, Braeburn got into Applejack’s face. “At least my farm ain’t a rundown dump.”

Applejack’s eyes expanded in shock then quickly narrowed and her grin flipped into gritted teeth. “What…did…you…just…say?”

Seeing that he struck a nerve, Braeburn smiled. “You heard me. A rundown dump. ‘Tis a shame Granny Smith let the place get so bad. Maybe she should retire and sell it off to ponies who are actually good at apple gathering!”

“Oh, you little rascal!”

Before Applejack could do anything, the referee skated in between them and sent them to the faceoff circle.

The Appleloosa power play began and Sheriff had the puck at the blue line. Down a defender, Applejack took over Fluttershy’s spot on the penalty kill. Sheriff faked a shot and passed to Braeburn down in the corner. With Rarity pressing toward him, Braeburn passed to Apple Fritter who was barreling down the center. The puck found its way through a forest of skates and sticks onto Apple Fritter’s blade. Fritter shifted to the right to which Pinkie leaned but Fritter then shifted back to the left to complete the deke. With an open net, Apple Fritter slapped the puck in. The goal horn exploded throughout the rafters and the Appleloosans finally had a reason to cheer. “Chelsea Flanker” by The Foaltellis magically played in the arena as the Black Apples celebrated their power play goal.

“GOOOOOOAAAALLLL! Scored by number 17, APPLEEEE FRITTERRRRR!! Assisted by number 2, BRAEBURRRRNNNN!! And number 11, SHERIIIIFFF SIIIIILVERSTARRRRR!!”

Fluttershy left the penalty box feeling calm and relaxed. Her friends were still shocked at her rageful check and were afraid to talk to her. Fluttershy laughed at them and assured them she was feeling better.

With only thirty seconds left in the period, the puck bounced back and forth between the two teams with no shots being fired. When the second period ended, a heavy amount of insults were hurled toward the exiting Golden Leafs. They ignored the crowd’s yells and headed for the locker room.

---

During the 2nd intermission, Rainbow Dash sat next to Fluttershy and gushed about her hit on Chief. Fluttershy kept smiling and basked in Rainbow’s praise. Meanwhile, Applejack stewed angrily at her stall. She briskly reapplied tape to her stick as she grumbled to herself over Braeburn’s comments. Twilight noticed Applejack’s mood and tried talking to her.

“Is everything okay, Applejack?”

Applejack kept to her taping, not looking at Twilight once. “Sure ain’t. That Braeburn’s insultin’ my family and runnin’ his mouth. He’s gon’ get his next period. You can count on it.”

Finished with their rest, the Golden Leafs were back out on the ice for the 3rd period.

---

The 3rd period began with a flurry of physicality. Appleloosa and Ponyville exchanged hits trying to gain control of the puck. In the Ponyville zone, Apple Fritter passed the puck to Strongheart but Twilight intercepted. Twilight quickly pushed it to Applejack who was now part of a three-on-two with Rarity and Rainbow. Applejack crossed the blue line on her wing and passed to Rainbow. Sheriff lined up a check on Rainbow but she had already passed to Rarity on the left wing. Rarity was waiting for the pass and ripped a one-timer. She focused the shot up into the top left corner where it whizzed past Bloomberg’s trunk and into the net. Rarity once again jumped with exuberance for her second goal of the evening. She and Rainbow laughed together as they realized their shooting practice earlier that day had helped them greatly now.

”Goal Ponyville. Scored by number 9, Rarity. Assisted by number 20, Rainbow Dash and number 88, Applejack.

The Golden Leafs were now running away with the game. On the ensuing faceoff, Strongheart won the faceoff but the puck ended up skipping over to Fluttershy. Fluttershy passed it over to Applejack who took the puck into the Appleloosa zone. Applejack hammered a shot from the faceoff circle which bounced in off of Bloomberg. The Golden Leafs once again celebrated another goal with tons of cheer and laughter. The Appleloosan crowd moaned and ponies began filing for the exits. Only a small smattering of Black Apples fans stayed for the current 5-1 blowout.

”Goal Ponyville. Scored by number 88, Applejack. Assisted by number 0, Fluttershy.”

Greatly disgruntled by the developments of the game, Braeburn growled and formulated a plan in his head. When play resumed, Ponyville had the puck again. Rarity had the puck on the left faceoff circle and passed it to Rainbow behind the net. Rainbow saw Applejack open for a second and passed it over. Applejack retrieved the puck and skated into the slot. While Applejack wound up for a shot, Braeburn snuck up behind her and landed a devastating elbow to the back of her head. Applejack fell forward in hit her face on the ice with a thud. The referee relentlessly blew his whistle as Applejack’s friends gathered around her.

Applejack got back to her hooves and shook out of a short daze. Immediately she bolted over to Braeburn.

“Oh you wanna throw down, Braeburn? LET’S THROW DOWN!”

“BRING IT!”

Applejack and Braeburn shook off their front leg skates and helmets and began circling each other. The small Appleloosa crowd stood up and cheered for the fight that was starting. Applejack and Braeburn kept circling each other, with each pony occasionally drifting in to try a move. When Applejack moved in again, she was able to grab a hold of Braeburn’s collar and began wailing away. Braeburn punched back and the Apple fight was officially begun. Applejack landed two right hooks but Braeburn fought back and landed a stiff shot to Applejack’s cheek. They then locked legs and twisted side to side, trying to gain leverage. In a flash, Applejack built up her strength and powered Braeburn to the ice. The referee skated in to separate the fighters. Applejack skated off to the Golden Leafs’ locker room to heavy booing and hissing while Braeburn slowly drifted off toward the Black Apples’ locker room.

Applejack’s teammates were not sure what just happened and didn’t know what to do next. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy expressed their concern over Applejack while Rainbow was giddy and overexcited over the whole ordeal. With only a few minutes left, time played out and Ponyville notched another goal. Rainbow had the puck and deked out both Chief and Sheriff. Not extremely confident about her shot, she kicked the puck back to Twilight who waited at the blue line to fire a shot. The puck glanced off Bloomberg and pounded the back of the net. Twilight hopped about happily as she struck the final blow of the tension filled game.

The puck dropped again and for the Golden Leafs, it was now a waiting game.

0:03

0:02

0:01

0:00

BZZZZZZZT

When the clock struck 0:00 and the final buzzer rung out, the Golden Leafs whipped their skates and sticks up into the air in pure bliss. The skaters dashed toward their net and mobbed Pinkie Pie to celebrate their very first victory. The leftover Black Apples fans booed and left the arena as the Black Apples skated toward their locker room with their heads hanging in disappointment. Each Golden Leaf shared a hug and a headbutt before making their way to the locker room.

---

Upon entering the locker room, the Golden Leafs’ whooping and laughing quickly halted. Braeburn and Applejack were in the center of the room facing each other. The team suddenly grew concerned and stepped in.

Twilight rushed up to the two Apple kin. “Oh no, not again! Please stop fighting! The game’s over now. There’s no need for violence.”

Braeburn and Applejack looked at Twilight and shared a laugh.

“It’s okay, sugarcube. We just had a tiny scuffle on the ice out there. We talked and made up while y’all finished up.”

Braeburn put his leg around Applejack. “Even though we might argue and fight, at the end of the day we’re still family.”

Twilight and the others let out a sigh of relief. Braeburn apologized to Applejack and her team for his actions earlier and congratulated them on their first win on his way out. After Braeburn left, Pinkie Pie retrieved seven bottles of cream soda and handed them out to her teammates and Spike. They knocked their bottles together while Twilight started a toast.

“To the Ponyville Golden Leafs! May tonight be the first of many more victories to come! To good friends, teamwork, and having fun!”

“Here here!” everyone shouted as they clanged bottles. Pinkie shook hers up and popped the cork to spray it at everyone. Rarity did the same and soon all seven of them were laughing and splashing each other with cream soda. Twilight and friends cleaned themselves and the locker room up before leaving the U-Neighted Center.

---

The girls and Spike boarded the last train to Ponyville late into the night. The train rumbled on toward home as the Golden Leafs slept and replayed the night’s victorious game in their dreams. When everyone awoke from their exhausted but peaceful slumber, the morning sun was waiting to greet them. After drowsily grabbing their belongings, the Golden Leafs trudged out from the Ponyville station. Even though it was the morning, Twilight and company couldn’t believe what they saw before their eyes.

With congratulatory signs and banners, a large number of Ponyvillians gathered at the train station to welcome their hockey heroes back home. Ponies cheered and hollered as the Golden Leafs thanked each and every one of their fans with hoofshakes and autographs. The warm reception brushed the fires of confidence and pride within Twilight and her friends. With their hockey future shining brighter than ever, they happily trotted to Twilight’s treehouse to go over the week’s schedule.

When everyone reached the treehouse, a strange basket was sitting on the doorstep. Twilight curiously picked it up and inspected it. Pinkie Pie noticed a note tag hanging from the handle and alerted Twilight. Twilight snapped the tag off and read it.

”Dear Ponyville Golden Leafs,

Congratulations on your first win last night. Enjoy it now while you still can. See you losers in six weeks.

Love,
The Great and Powerful Trixie”

In the basket were six small bouquets of bright golden flowers. Rarity’s eyes sparkled at the shining plants and gladly took one. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy quickly grabbed theirs and admired their smell and color. Twilight was skeptical at first but eventually accepted the gift.

“I wonder why Trixie went through the trouble to send us this,” said Twilight thinking out loud.

“Who cares, darling? These flowers are just divine!” replied Rarity.

Twilight took a closer look at the flowers and gave them a quick smell. “I don’t know, something about this just doesn’t feel right.”

“Whatever. I’m just glad to be home and I can get some more sleep,” piped up Rainbow.

As Rainbow went to fly away, Twilight grabbed her by the tail. “Don’t leave just yet, we need to plan for practice and our next game. We have the Fillydelphia Flyers coming here next.”

After the girls discussed their schedule for the week, they each departed for their respective homes. Twilight placed her golden flowers in a vase and set the vase on the table in the common room. Still exhausted from playing and the traveling, Twilight and Spike went upstairs and resumed their sleep.

The Ponyville Golden Leafs finally crossed their first hurdle, winning an EHL game. Twilight and her friends were able to experience the joy and satisfaction that comes with victory and now having tasted it, they would begin thirsting for more. With hard work and perseverance, the victory of the previous night will certainly not be the last.

Back in the common room, a cold breeze blew in through a slightly opened window. The wind brushed against the golden flowers and gently rustled them. Large golden flakes peeled away from the plant and fell to the table. Patches of light blue peered through the chipped golden façade. After another breeze swirled through the room, the flowers that were once a brilliant shade of gold were now a shade of blue. A familiar, treacherous shade of blue.

Poison Joke.

To Be Continued

---

Three Stars from Ponyville @ Appleloosa
* Rainbow Dash (PGL)
** Fluttershy (PGL)
*** Pinkie Pie (PGL)

Other Scores Around the EHL (Home Team in CAPS)
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Canterlot 5, MANEHATTAN 3
Cloudsdale 4, FILLYDELPHIA 1

EHL Standings (W-L)
---
Appleloosa 2-1
Cloudsdale 2-1
Manehattan 2-1
Fillydelphia 1-2
Canterlot 1-2
Ponyville 1-2

Comments

[Cobra 1]

Great a fight, Next someone needs to write a "Slap Shot" crossover.