Hoofball
Spike followed the dirt trail in a brisk canter as he approached Sweet Apple Acres. The orchard glowed in the last few minutes of the orange sun. This spring was very kind to the Apple family, whose orchard seemed to be filled to the brim with fruit and other crops. The barn stood tall over the grounds and cast a shadow that stretched all the way to the entrance gate. Spike let himself in, walking past the gate and finding his way to their home.
“Well howdy Spike,” he heard from his left. He wheeled around and searched for the source of the voice, but could not find where it came from.
“Hello?” he said timidly.
“Over here,” said the voice. It seemed to emanate from a haystack. Spike looked as closely as he could, but did not see anything resembling a pony. Suddenly, one of the hay bales opened up on its side like a trap door. Hinges squeaked as the door opened up and a orange pony walked out and smiled at Spike.
“Woah!” he said in surprise and regained his composure. “Hi Applejack. What’s with the . . . hay thing?” he said and gestured to the fake hay bale.
“It’s a disguise,” Applejack said in a hushed tone and smiled. “There’s this vermin who keeps getting into the cabbage patch and I can’t seem to catch’em. I set traps, laid out some repellents, and nothin’ is workin’!” she said and gestured to the garden beside her. Sure enough, plenty of cabbages were gnawed down to the roots and only a few stood untouched.
“So the hay thing is to catch it?” Spike asked.
“Yessir, that’s right. I’m gonna stay up all night watching the garden till that creature rears it’s head, then I’m gonna lasso the beast and mail’em to Saddle Arabia!” she said and showed a proud smile as she tapped on her disguise. Spike laughed and admired her handiwork. It was a convincing hay bale, considering it fooled him.
“I take it you’re here to watch the new telethingy with Big Mac?” she asked.
“Eeyup,” he mocked her brother, which made her giggle. “Big Mac says you can watch a hoofball game in Las Pegasus with it. We’re betting Phillydelphia takes it home tonight,” he said with a smirk.
“Well, I have no clue how it works. Big Mac nearly fell off the roof puttin’ that there antenna up. But we got a good picture of some news thing in Manehattan. It works just like a projector only it’s all in the box instead of behind you,” she explained. He looked where she pointed and noticed the roof of the barn had a thin metal structure bolted on the far side. Spike got excited at the concept and could not wait much more to meet Big Mac inside. Apparently his excitement showed.
“Y’all go ahead and have fun. I’ll be right here if you need anythin’,” she said and turned to her hay bale disguise again.
“Thanks Applejack!” he said and trotted towards the house with a smile on his face. He made his way to the door, knocked once, and a small yellow filly opened up to greet him.
“Hey ya Spike!” Applebloom said happily. “I keep expectin’ to see a dragon around my size. It’s not fair y’all grew so quickly!” she said and stomped a hoof down with a scowl.
“Hi Applebloom. Yeah, it’s still a little strange for me too. But don’t worry. You and I will be back at eye level someday,” he reassured her, and she smiled. She turned around and called out towards the living room.
“Big Mac! Spike’s here!” she hollered, and a second later the big red stallion appeared wearing a green athletic jersey with the Phillydephia hoofball team logo on it. He wore and intense smile that he only ever seemed to have when they talked sports. Spike mirrored his smile and approached him.
“You ready for some hoofball?” Spike asked.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said simply, letting his eyes narrow. It was game time. Big Mac turned and led Spike to the living room, where the couch lined one wall and faced a wooden box that had a large piece of glass on one side. It had a few knobs, much like a radio, and a wire that led to the wall.
“Cool,” Spike said. Then he noticed the sodas and snacks laid out on the table in front of the couch. Spike’s mouth watered as he saw a pile of nachos as tall as Applebloom in the center. Big Mac smiled as he took one and tossed it towards Spike, who caught it in his mouth with quick reflexes.
“You know I love some Apple family nachos,” Spike complimented. “So how does this thing work?” he asked and pointed to the box. Big Mac squinted as he reached for one of the knobs. The glass flickered to life as grey and white lights started to flicker from it. He turned another dial and the black and white dots on the glass began to form shapes before dissipating again. After another moment, Big Mac let out a grin and showed his work to Spike. A faint but moving picture formed of hoofball players gathering on a field, along with an announcer’s voice calling out the names of players. Spike grinned and watched closely as the game started.
“Woohoo! This is awesome,” he said and took a seat on the couch next to Big Mac. They both opened up a bottle of sarsaparilla soda and clanked them together, before digging into the snacks and occasionally cheering for various players.
After about 3 hours, the game was drawing to a close. Spike’s belly was full of chips, cheese, and bubbling soda. He held back a burp, considering he did not want to accidentally light the house aflame. Big Mac was in a similar state of satisfaction. He sat back comfortably and quietly watched the television as the final few plays began.
“Whew, looks like we creamed them. 48 to 12, and with about a minute left? They have no chance” Spike said calmly.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac echoed and smiled to himself.
Just then, the picture on the screen went a little hazy. The announcer’s voice phased in and out in static. The picture got steadily worse until there was nothing but grey static and white noise.
“Aww what happened?” Spike said.
“Hmmm,” Big Mac pondered. He walked over to the box and jostled the cable around in the back. The picture did not improve any, and he soon gave up. “It’s the Antenna,” he said with disappointment in his voice.
“Something wrong with it? I’ll go check,” Spike offered and got up from the couch. The big red stallion stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder.
“You’re an Apple family guest, so you sit tight,” Big Mac said sternly.
“Applejack told me you nearly killed yourself putting that thing up there. I’ve got wings, so it’ll be safer if I go check it out,” Spike said and shook his wings a little. Big Mac frowned and looked as if he wanted argue.
“Relax, Big Macintosh. I can get up and down faster anyway. Just holler if the game is back on,” he said and turned to the door. Big Mac sighed and took a seat, watching Spike walk out the front door. Spike’s eyes adjusted to the night quickly. The moon was up and nearly full, lighting the entire orchard up nicely. He looked up towards the roof, spread his wings, and heaved a few strong flaps until he was on the roof. He looked around for a moment, balancing skillfully on the tip of the pointed roof, and observed the antenna.
Sure enough, Spike saw a few birds perched on the antenna and were resting peacefully. They chirped a little as Spike approached. He was about to simply shoo them away with a wave of his claw, but then he thought better of it. What would Fluttershy do? he asked himself. He thought it over, and decided to try the gentle approach.
“Excuse me, uh, birds?” he asked quietly. Two of them piped up and looked at Spike up and down. “Could you please uhh . . . uuuhuuuhh . . . aaAAHCHOOO!” Spike sneezed loudly and a puff of green flames spouted out from his snout. He was careful to turn his head to the side to avoid the birds, but when he looked up, the birds had all scurried away into the night. So much for the gentle method, he thought. But at least it worked.
“Got it!” Spike heard Big Mac call out from inside. Spike sighed and opened his wings again. He was about to take off again and join Big Mac inside when a faint sound caught his ears. It wasn’t very loud, but he could hear a the repetitive ‘hunnk-shoo’ of a certain pony snoring. He looked over towards the garden where the cabbages were planted and rolled his eyes.
“Applejack,” he whispered to himself. He splayed his wings again and pushed off of the roof. Spike glided down gently and silently to the cabbage garden where the fake hay bale rested. He quietly touched down and gently sneaked to the disguised hay. He tapped on the one Applejack was resting in, but received no response. He dug his claws into the bottom of the trap door and lifted it quietly, trying not to startle her.
“Hey, Applejack,” Spike said in a hushed voice. The orange mare lay on her side and snored softly. A small puddle of drool seeped out her mouth and her hat covered her eyes and forehead. Spike gently nudged her shoulder and cooed her softly.
“Duhh . . . Spike?” she said drearily and rubbing her eyes. Her senses returned to her quickly as she piped up and looked out the eye holes she made and peered out over the cabbage patch.
“Did I miss’em?” She asked quietly. Another moment of quiet passed as she gazed over her garden, before she sighed in relief. “Nah, the rest of the cabbages are still there. Darn’it AJ, don’t be fallin’ asleep on the job like that,” she said and nudged her own head with her hoof. “Thanks Spike.”
“No worries. Mind if I join you for a second?” he asked with a smile.
“Don’t y’all need to watch the game?” she said.
“The game’s nearly over and we clobbered them, so I’m not missing anything. Besides, I only need to talk to you for a minute,” he said and laid down next to the open trap door in Applejack’s disguise.
“Well, alright, but I’m gonna keep lookin’ out for that vermin while we talk, alright?” she offered. Spike nodded and she smiled and reassumed her lookout over the grounds. “What can I help you with, Spike?”
“Me and Twilight have been planning to re-stock the library at the castle to replace the ones we lost in Golden Oaks. But the problem now is that most ponies won’t be comfortable using a royal palace as a local library. So Twilight told me earlier that we should look into building a new library in town,” he said in a low hushed town, carefull not to scare any creatures that might come wandering in.
“That sure sounds like a great idea,” Applejack whispered back, keeping her eyes on the garden.
“We’re planning a book-drive and fundraiser in town, but we need some help for the actual construction and planning and whatnot. Twilight mentioned that you know how to raise a barn well enough, so we were hoping you could help us with the construction of the new library,” Spike said and peered out over the grounds as well. Nothing was moving in the darkness.
“I’d love to help y’all Spike, but I don’t think I’m the right pony for that job,” she said flatly. Spike cocked an eyebrow and waited for more explanation. Applejack was usually the most dependable and helpful of ponies, so to hear her refuse was somewhat of a surprise.
“See, raising a barn is easy as pie. It’s just four walls, a roof, and a hay chute. But a Library in town has gotta have plumbing and electrical work and a cellar and all other kinds of complicated stuff that I just don’t know how to do. Sorry Spike, but y’all are gonna need a professional on that one,” she said softly.
“It’s alright, AJ. I think you’re right anyway. We just thought we’d ask,” he said on behalf of Twilight.
“Ah shoot, Spike. I hate not being useful when somepony asks for my help. I feel just like a FOAL OF A FISHBRAIN!” she cried out loudly and scurried on her hooves. The sudden noise shook Spike to his attention and he shot up on his feet. Applejack galloped out of the disguise and ran towards the grounds, where Spike followed. Spike saw a small creature moving near one of the cabbage heads. Two of them had been chewed completely barren.
“Mah Cabbages!” Applejack angrily shouted, which got the creature's attention. Whatever it was, it scurried away from the angry mare with lightening speed. It rushed towards the fence and the two of them followed quickly behind. Applejack skillfully leapt into the air and planted her hooves on the edge of the fence before leaping off and bounding after the scurrying animal. Spike simply lifted himself up and over it using his wings and gliding down into a run next to his friend.
“I got him!” Spike called out and lunged for the little creature. The vermin jumped to the left quickly and bobbed to and fro dodging all of Spike’s lunges. It turned to the right and Spike tripped over his own leg and tumbled to the ground. He got up, snorted angrily, and chased after Applejack who stayed hot on its trail.
“He’s makin’ a run for the forest!” Applejack called out. “Spike, I’m gonna corral him towards the creek. Fly ahead and cut him off. See if you can surprise him,” she said and barrelled forward.
“Got it!” he called out and spread his wings and quickly rose into the air. He watched as Applejack expertly bounded from side to side, herding the animal towards the creek that ran between a lake on the orchard all the way to the Everfree Forest. He soared forward into the night and found a spot at the creek where he had a good view of the chase. He landed and hid quietly behind a large boulder. Soon enough, he could hear the frantic clopping of hooves coming towards him. He peeked and eye out towards Applejack and saw the shadow of the creature running towards him. The blurry shadow was so fast Spike could barely track it. Soon, it was almost upon him and he geared himself to pounce.
“Now Spike!” Applejack called out and Spike kicked on his hind legs and lunged forward at the shadow. Like before, the creature bounced back and dodged Spike’s pounce easily, but the animal was caught by surprise. It scurried away from Spike and backwards toward Applejack, who dove for the creature and tackled it like a professional hoofball player.
“Got ya!” she said and wrestled with the squirming devil until she had it pinned between her hooves. It continued to struggle when Spike walked over to the two of them and squinted at the creature.
“Hang on,” Spike said in suspicion. He breathed in and let out a slow breath of flames that curled around his mouth like smoke and lit the air in a green glow. Once Spike got a good look, his suspicions were confirmed.
“Angel Bunny,” he said like a parent scolding a child. At the sound of his name, the bunny finally quit struggling and slumped in defeat.
“Wait, you mean Fluttershy’s Angel?” Applejack said and looked down at the rabbit in her hoof. “Oh my stars, you are in a heap of trouble! Just wait until Fluttershy hears that you’ve been devouring my crops at night,” she said and let the bunny out of her grasp. The little white rabbit did not flee anymore.
“I see. He was making a run for Fluttershy’s place. This creek goes right past her place right?” Spike deduced and looked down the stream towards fluttershy’s house.
“She’s probably asleep right now. He’s been sneakin’ out and having a late night snack in my crops. Y’all make your way back to Fluttershy’s before she gets worried about you,” she said to the bunny who slumped down in shame, giving Applejack some pleading eyes of a puppy-dog.
“Scram!” she bellowed and the bunny scuttled back towards the creek and quietly bounded towards Fluttershy’s. “I’ll have a word with Fluttershy tomorrow. Thanks for yer help, and sorry about this whole mess Spike. Y’all missed the rest of your game,” she said and lowered her head. Spike smiled and waved her off.
“Don’t worry about it. That game was all tied up anyway. This was way more fun,” he said honestly. The two of them began to walk back towards the orchard in the darkness of Luna’s night.
“I’m also sorry again for the library and not bein’ much help,” she said softly.
“You already apologized for that, Applejack, and don’t worry. We’ll find somepony else,” he said confidently.
“Actually, there was a contractor that helped us with the carrot-house. He’s a mighty-good building designer and he lives right here in town. I’ll introduce you if y’all want,” she offered.
“That sounds like a great idea. I know Twilight would want Ponyville ponies to be the ones to build this new library. It won’t be as special if somepony else builds it,” he explained. “But if you still want to really help out, we might need some catering at the book-drive,” he offered.
“Y’all can count on the Apple Family to feed the entire town, Spike. I’m at yer service,” she said and gratefully bowed her head.
“Thanks Applejack. Twilight is gonna be so glad,” he said earnestly.
“Speakin’ of Twilight, how have y’all been? Has anypony given you trouble?” she asked politely.
“Well, not too many ponies know about us yet. I think it’s just you five still. But we’re gonna go on a date pretty soon and I’m not sure how ponies will react,” he said.
“Aww that’s sweet. Where y’all goin?”
“I was thinking of taking her to dinner somewhere, probably Arty Heart’s,” he answered.
“That’s mighty kind of you Spike to take her out like that. I happen to know Artichoke Heart. He’s a regular customer of ours. I can get you a reservation if y’all want something special,” she offered and gave Spike a coy smile.
“Really? Wow that would be great!” he said excitedly. His wings flapped a little with enthusiasm and Applejack let out a hearty laugh.
"When do y'all want it?" she asked with a big smile.
"3 nights from now," he said happily. "Thank you so much!"
“Consider it my thanks for helping me catch that vermin tonight. Or as a present for you two love-birds,” she said and tousled his spines with her hoof.
“Thank you Applejack. Your support means a lot to us,” he said honestly and smiled.
“Y’all just remember the Apple Family catering services when the wedding bells start ringin’. We’ve done one royal wedding before, remember?” she teased. Spike blushed and fumbled about at the mention of weddings.
“We’re not anywhere near . . . I don’t think that . . . grr, Applejack!” he scolded and continued to blush.
“I’m just pullin’ your scales, sugarcube. Why don’t you get back to the castle? I’ll tell Big Mac what happened. It’s getting late, and I don’t want to be responsible for keepin’ a princess’s dragon . . . friend lover thing away from her. Goshdarn’ it, what do we call you?” she asked a little flustered.
“I don’t know. Drake-friend? Drake is an easier word for dragon,” he said and shrugged.
“I like that. Drake-friend is easy to remember. Anyways, go on home. Tell Twilight I say goodnight and that she can count on us,” she said and winked at him.
“Thanks Applejack, I will. Goodnight!” he called back and began trotting back towards the castle. The news that he could get an exclusive reservation at a restaurant in town got him very excited for his date in a few days. He knew that Twilight would not want to use any royal status to get special treatment, so getting a nice table through Applejack would be a nice surprise. He smiled and blushed to himself at the thought of his new title fluttered around in his head. I kind of like drake-friend too, he thought and happily trotted home in Luna’s beautiful calm night.
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My thoughts? Update moar
Oh and I loved it
You did this to yourself.......
This is an amazing sequel. Gotta figure that "Angel" Bunny was behind the cabbage issue.
Never really liked that little [insert explicite noun here].
Seriously Angel really needs a girlfriend.
5968287 You want a horde of those running around? No thanks.
5968287
SILENCE YOUR HEATHEN TONGUE! WE DON'T NEED THAT HELL!
It would be princess' dragon. Any time that you have a possession and word ends with an s you don't add another s.