Those Who Sport With Giants

by lord_steak

The First Half

The lower ref threw the stormball up, dead center of the field. Buckham knocked it behind him and quickly advanced past Rainbow Dash, Reinaldo gathering up the loose stormball and slowly moving forward. Dash edged forward apprehensively, lowering her altitude to be slightly above Reinaldo, her focus momentarily disrupted.

Dammit, dammit, dammit, I can’t stop play now! What was that mist?

Steeling herself, Dash closed on her Reinaldo, wearing number 7. He began trying to fake his way around Dash, who wasn’t falling for any of it. Forced to back up some, he grinned, and shamelessly...sensually, even...said with half-lidded eyes, “Ah, you must be Rrrainbow Dash, a bonnita young mare. Were I not old enough to be seu pai, your fat’er, I would say we must have a rrrrendezvous to rrremember, yes? Maybe we should anyway, no?”

Dash blushed a deep crimson hue, pausing a moment.

Wha...did he just...?

Reinaldo knocked the ball upward, where McNimbus swooped in and started down the pitch. The Cavalonian winked at Dash as he rushed forward. Rainbow grunted angrily as she wheeled about to catch up with the ball movement.

Doofus! Did you really just fall for that old trick, Dash?

With the play in front of her, Dash saw Thunderlane and Lily Blossom struggling to keep up with the Wonderbolt leaders on the wings, and Buckham had already turned back, about ten meters from Twilight. Reggie and Sassaflash both closed on McNimbus, trying to pinch off a central approach. Tom passed to his left as Sassaflash just could not match Spitfire’s speed. Ms. Cirrus dropped down and to her own left, cutting off Spitfire’s better approach angle. Dash caught up with Reinaldo, but not enough to slow him down. Reinaldo wheeled upward, taking the pass from Spitfire and quickly sending it to Soarin’. He kept going forward, drawing both Thundercracker and Reggie too far from the center, appearing as though he intended to force a corner kick. Soarin’ delayed a wingbeat, dipping underneath both of them as he turned toward the goal.

Crap! He’s...!

Charging for Buckham, who had turned toward the open area of the field, Rainbow screamed, “Twi! He’s getting open!”

Twilight moved, but not enough as Soarin’ sent the centering pass. Buckham, pulling a sharp turn, tucked into a spinning advance as the ball came his way, making a solid connection. The shot bent, and then bent again! Blossomforth gasped, unable to quickly enough tell where the spiral was headed in time. She got a hoof on the ball, but no more than that as it went sailing into the net. The scoring siren sounded, and Cloudsdale’s section of the stands hooted and hollered delightedly. Dash turned toward the clock, which read 4:12, counting the seconds upward. Buckham bounded as if on a springboard, then pantomimed a jackknife dive into the lower cloud layer, followed by him portraying the crawl stroke, complete with turning his head to “breathe,” heading back towards midfield. Twilight tapped Dash on the shoulder, asking, “What happened up there?”

Rainbow blushed again, stammering, “Reinaldo went, uh, and he said, um, he...he said...he hit on me! He said he thought we should have ‘a rendezvous to remember!’ I froze up! Nopony’s ever made a pass at me before! I didn't know what to do or what to say!”

“Annoying, isn’t it? Bet you my copy of The Last Idol it was a distraction,” replied Twilight.

Dash nodded emphatically. “I see why Reggie gets under your skin.”

Twilight shook her head, and solemnly said, “At least Reggie’s not that blunt. That was tasteless of Reinaldo. Besides, he’s way too old for you.”

“I’m quite aware of the age difference, thank you! And I’m not gonna fall for that again!” shouted Dash as she turned to retake her spot at midfield.

Twilight answered, “Good!”

Rainbow looked around at her team. Their faces were of shock, disbelief, and/or disheartened. Bicycle Kick shook his head with disappointment. She turned between them, shouting, “Chin up! That was my fault, not yours! Don’t make the same mistake I did! Don’t let them distract you! And as my dad liked to say, ‘don’t let your mistakes compound themselves!’ Keep a short memory! Let’s even this up!”

Ponyville had taken their positions again, with Dash at the center of the middle circle, and Buckham just outside of it, with a self-satisfied, goading grin curling his lips.

Give me a reason, buddy! I beg you to give me a reason to slam you to the dirt!

The lower ref tossed the ball up to Dash, who very suddenly took off as fast as she could from a full stop at Buckham. The palomino backed off and upward. Rainbow lowered her approach, finding Reinaldo with a dallying expression. As the Ponyville Striker and Cloudsdale Stopper jockeyed for position, advantage, and control of the ball, Rainbow spoke first. “I have to wonder, what would your wife say if she knew you were hitting on a filly half your age?”

“She has the open mind, and would want to join in. This does appeal to you, no?” answered Reinaldo with an uncouth smile, reaching for the ball.

No. Just...eugh!

Dash knocked the ball up and forward, ducking around to his left, giving her unamused, terse retort. “You’re a bad liar, sir!”

Noticing the shadow, the cyan mare tucked into a hard left, narrowly evading Buckham’s attempt to steal from behind. Letting the stormball roll down her back, but carefully so that she didn’t give Cloudsdale a free kick for a wing ball, she turned back to see where Cloudchaser had advanced. Her eyes lingered in the stands for a split-second, noticing a pony walking around in a burnt orange and dull purple cloak, and seeing a second in the same style and color of hooded cape in a very different part of the stadium. As the stormball bumped off her rump, she rear-kicked it straight to Cloudchaser, who then passed it to her bow-wearing sister. Sassaflash had Spitfire boxed out, at least for the moment. Lily Blossom, though, could not contain Flurryfeather, who kept herself between the two. Dash was double-teamed by Buckham and Reinaldo, though the latter was breaking off to go after Flitter. Rainbow looked and saw that Thunderlane was simply too far for Flitter to attempt a pass; the real question was if it would be Reinaldo, Buckham, or Soarin’ that’d get to the ball first. Dash withheld a wingbeat before turning toward Flitter, easily passing Reinaldo on route. Flitter passed to Dash, not more than two meters above the lower cloud layer. Veering upfield, she motioned with her head to Lily Blossom, who cut in and forward. Dash led her forward with a hard pass, just enough ahead that Flurryfeather couldn’t get there, and low enough McNimbus was just as unable to stop the kick. Tom, however, just cut towards his own goal, already increasing the pressure on Lily Blossom. Rainbow started to raise her altitude and advance, shouting, “Thunderlane! Help her out!”

He looked over at Rainbow, then responded, taking a moment too long to process what little of her shout he heard over the crowd’s roaring. Lily was in an aerial scrum with Rapidfire, and Flurryfeather would be there before long to lend him a hoof, though Buckenbauer held back, covering the most probable escape angle if the Ponyville forward emerged with the ball. Dash sunk again, catching Ms. Blossom’s eye. She knocked the ball downward. Dash scanned above her, motioning toward the goal. Thunderlane picked up the pace as Dash gave the stormball a bump as if she were playing volleyball instead, though far harder and vertical than anypony would in that game. Right on cue, Thunderlane came in with a hard forehoof smack of the ball from underneath Buckenbauer, a good clean shot directed away from the bunched players. Fleetfoot had already dropped her position and started for a diving save, but she just stopped and let it sail out of bounds, just under the net; any higher, and it would’ve clanged against the net’s lower bar. The crowd groaned in near-unison as the back ref blew his whistle and pointed his flag at Cloudsdale’s net. Dash flew over to Thunderlane, giving him a hoofbump as they retreated for the coming goal kick. She said, “Don’t worry about it. I forgot how fast she is.”

Thunderlane scoffed, “I’d never seen Fleetfoot’s speed up close before.”

Turning to find a spot in wait of the coming goal kick, Dash saw another of those cloaks in the colors of persimmons and under-ripe eggplants. This one was on the opposite side of the field, and a good ways from a fourth that Dash noticed in the stands, though this last one was getting behind something.

You’d think ponies of the same culture would sit together, but who wears those colors together? I think Rarity would have a conniption if she ever sees those cloaks.

Both Dash and Thunderlane stopped at their respective parts of the field as Buckenbauer lined up to deliver the ball. He made a series of complex signals with his forehooves, waited another wingbeat, then launched the yellow ball down the pitch, sending it high. Thunderlane tried to get a hoof on it, but the goal kick went a good meter and a half above his outstretched hoof. McNimbus took the ball less than a meter from the upper cloud layer, nearing the middle circle.

Same old McNimbus, staying well-above everypony else.

Dash tore back toward her own goal, pointing to Cloudchaser to keep McNimbus from freely moving over their territory. Cloudchaser had to retreat as she elevated, forcing McNimbus to stay in the highest area of play, each dribble dangerously close to being called a meteor. He continued down the pitch much further than expected, enough that Clouchaser was actually fifteen meters above Thundercracker, while Reggie kept Soarin’ from getting open, just outside the penalty box. Flitter kept Buckham from having a clean lane to receive a pass as Dash got back to the action, resuming guarding Reinaldo. Each of them put a forehoof on the other with some light pushing, mostly to probe the other’s intention. Dash sarcastically said, “Fancy meeting you here.”

While Cloudchaser continued to keep McNimbus from any feasible descent or pass, Reinaldo snickered, “I enjoy your company as well, Rrrainbow Dash. Your flank is easy on the eyes, no?”

“I thought you and your wife had a son,” said Dash with growing irritation.

Reinaldo laughed, pushing Dash a bit harder, but still unable to get decent separation from her. He suggested, “Yes, and I will teach him, too, the way into a marrre’s love, and her bed.”

...ew....

Cloudchaser had begun closing in on McNimbus, somewhat pushing him into the top corner as he tried to maintain distance. Dash moved into Reinaldo’s push, knocking him back over a half meter. “You’re repulsive.”

“Says the filly who simply cannot keep her hoof off me, no?” teased Reinaldo.

Dash merely growled angrily. McNimbus had moved closer to Cloudchaser, vying for a way around the mare. Somewhere in the crowd, a group shouted, “Get on with it!”

No, keep it together, girl...!

Rainbow, from that far away, saw Cloudchaser’s hoof move toward her mouth as she flushed. McNimbus tried ducking around her, but she brought enough of her senses back before he passed, and got a rear hoof on the ball, knocking it out of bounds. The ref nearby below his whistle and pointed at the corner of the pitch. Reinaldo moved into the penalty box, near to Buckham, while Soarin’ set to take the corner kick. McNimbus retreated near to the middle circle, while Dash awaited outside the penalty box. Buckham hovered in front of Twilight, exchanging words with Reinaldo, and both chuckled as the princess flattened her ears. Dash looked at the scene, noticing that Spitfire had both eyes on Buckham instead of Soarin’, as he sent the corner kick sailing towards the gathered ponies.

Dash gasped, and saw the same reaction from Spitfire, as Buckham full elbowed Twilight in the face. A series of boos sounded, but when no whistle came, these boos massively increased in number. Bicycle Kick immediately was haranguing a ref for doing nothing. Twilight reeled, clutching where he hit while the same pony flew up and headed the ball at the goal. But Blossomforth had the aging legend’s movements down this time, and caught the header, to the cheer of the crowd. Rainbow zipped toward Twilight. Noting the princess’s eye watering and slightly bloodshot, she protested, “I saw that from back there! Where the hell is the damn red card!?”

Twilight’s voice took a dark tone as she said, “So he wants to play rough, does he!?”

A glow of her horn, and the watering of her eye ended as did its redness. Dash asked, “Healing spell?”

“Yes. Never thought I’d ever have a real use for it.”

“I saw black mist coming out of his eyes for moment just before the game started,” Dash said as she looked back up the pitch. Spitfire was giving Buckham an earful as they retreated, but were too far away to hear exactly what was said.

Twilight scoffed, saying, “Well, I can’t scan him now! I’ll be red-carded! See what we can do about capturing him afterward; I want him back at my lab where I can be thorough. I have to know what’s going on.”

Blossomforth said, “Your Highness, we need to continue with the game.”

“Of course. Get going, Dash. And you three,” started Twilight, turning to her fellow defenders and goalie, “cover your ears once the ball’s on its way. I’m gonna spoil that trick they used on Rainbow and Cloudchaser!”

Huh. I don’t see those cloaked ponies anywhere now.

Dash zipped down the pitch as Blossomforth punted the ball. She noticed Twi’s horn glowing again, and watched her goalie, Thundercracker, and Ms. Cirrus stuff their hooves in their ears as the princess’s voice boomed louder than the Royal Canterlot Voice, or even the crowd noise, “Girls, I heard Buckham and Reinaldo; their stallions are flirting with our mares just to be a distraction! It’s not real! Reinaldo already did it to Dash, and it looks like McNimbus tried charming Cloudchaser! Do not fall for it!”

Reinaldo did not look pleased that the cat was out of the bag in such a way. McNimbus just looked a bit sheepish. Spitfire, Flurryfeather, and Cometeer, though, glowered at their teammates for a moment, as well as some of the female substitutes on the Cloudsdale sidelines. The crowd’s reaction was a mix of some stallions laughing, and the rest of the crowd booing. Bicycle Kick just rolled his eyes.

Of course it’s only the stallions laughing. The difference between colts and stallions is how tall they stand.

Sassaflash brought in the punt and used Spitfire’s berating of Buckham to move forward unharrassed, until the captain moved against the young mare. A jostle over the ball did not last long at all, as Spitfire emerged with the ball, motioning hard to her other forwards. Buckham was back near the penalty box in a flash. Swerving inward and upward, she found Puffy Cirrus blocking her path toward the box. Contending her every attempt, Spitfire struggled to gain any sky against Ms. Cirrus. Sassaflash approached, eager to make up for her mistake, and the twins were closing as well. Soain’ had Reggie and Thundercracker boxed out. Pressing, Dash rushed to get back to help her defenders as Buckham advanced towards Twilight, the two pushing on each other. Just then, Spitfire faked to the outside, getting just enough room to take a shot on the goal.

I think Feathermay could get that one.

Twilight winced in pain again, holding her chest where Buckham’s hoof was as he went towards the ball, swinging hard with his forehoof. Blossomforth moved, but Buckham did not even touch the ball with the hard swing. As it passed over him, he lightly tapped it upwards with a rear hoof, just high enough that the quick and ever-flexible Blossomforth could not bend and stretch enough to get more than a hoof on the ball, as it lightly went into the net. The siren sounded again, to the groans of the crowd. 27:51 read the clock. Dash went over to Twilight again, her horn glowing again as she straightened up, asking, “What happened?”

“He tensed all his muscles at once,” explained Twilight, as the Cloudsdale team went amongst themselves in a series of polite, subdued hoofshakes. “It’s like a full punch, but barely not touching me, less than the length of his fetlocks. He growled as he did it, too.”

“Do you know any spells that make your coat or clothes like armor?” suggested Rainbow.

Twilight mulled over this for a moment, then said, “Actually, yeah. Get back up there. I’ll starting casting it on myself.”

Dash started back towards the middle of the pitch again, looking at her teammates. Their faces explained plenty, that she need not say a thing. These expressions were hardened, unamused, the look of ponies who would not let this happen again. The fire in the bellies grew; Dash noticed her own doing the same. Bicycle Kick motioned Sassaflash over as he patted Paper Moon on the shoulder. As he came out onto the pitch, everypony noticed Cloudsdale declined a substitution. Ponyville, however, shifted formation to a 3-1-3-3: Reggie was now Defending Stopper, and Paper Moon took Center Midfield. Behind Rainbow glowed something magenta for a brief moment.

Good, let him hurt his hooves on you now.

She reached the center of the pitch, watching the lower ref glide up to underneath her with a fresh stormball. He paused, apprehensively looking around.

Gee, it got quiet in here.

The entire stadium felt different. This wasn’t the deflated, “all the air left the place” sort of feel from a home team losing badly. Most of the fans in the stands stood, no small number leaning upon the seat in the row in front of them. Even the Cloudsdale contingent had stopped clapping. Stadium noise was at a perfect zero. The silence was not the only distinct change. The only significant movement anywhere was a pink blur that moved around Greasy Mack’s stand behind Cloudsdale’s goal. There was tension. There was unease. All the color in the crowd appeared subdued, but not enough to tell if it were a trick of the light. Twenty-five thousand-plus ponies stood with piercing, judging expressions and not a word, hoot, holler, cheer, jeer, cry, shout, or even murmur. Subs on both sides warily looked around the stands, and even some from the ponies on the pitch wearing red jerseys did, too. Such was the quiet that few seemed to have any difficulty in hearing Cometeer remark, “A silent crowd. That’s a first.”

“We’re ready,” said Dash, looking down at the lower ref.

“So are we,” declared Buckham.

The ref threw the ball upward. Dash took it forward, then sent it back to Paper Moon. The crowd suddenly came back to life, enough that it startled nearly everypony on the pitch. But this, too, had altered: the cheers were angry. Angry fans were by no means rare, although there seemed to be no clear reason. Fans angry at a given call could be found in pretty much every single game ever played. Fans angry at how their team handled a given play was also fairly common. Fans ready to, and sometimes did, throw things at the visiting team? Check any time Whinnyapolis won in Detrot, or vice-versa. No, this was new. Angry fans, no matter the stimuli, usually booed or shouted obscenities. Not here, not now. The stands themselves even seemed darkened beyond the flattened hues, as though a shadowy haze hung over the seats and those who refused to use them. Something in the angry cheering whispered of seeking blood, in a very real sense.

The tan stallion had to drop down to collect the ball before they gave Cloudsdale a stone. Dash was pushing near Reinaldo, eyeing her team, deciding how to direct traffic. He said, “I do not like this change. This is not norrrmal. You see it too, yes?”

“Yeah. What happened?” Rainbow asked, looking around. Whatever it was, was in every section of the stands.

“I do not know. And I am sorrrry for earlier; that was not in good sport,” answered Reinaldo.

“Suppose we could worry about the right and wrong of that later? This crowd looks ready to fight, or worse, if they don’t get what they want,” pressed Dash, still vying for position and opening lanes.

“I see that in theirrr eyes. Da’fid had eyes like those,” said Reinaldo. He looked around, noting, “The haze stops at the edge of the stands.”

Dash turned an eye briefly, before motioning at the twins about altitude, and to her forwards about centering ever so slightly. He wasn’t kidding; the darkening shown a clear delineation where the poles separated the fans from the pitch. “You’re right. I see it too.”

Reinaldo sighed, “What do we do?”

What was that group Spitfire mentioned yesterday? This could be their work.

Rainbow growled to herself, then said, “Keep playing, and see what happens? I’m trying to remember something.”

“Ah, but yes, we arrre on the pitch! We each have a job,” remarked Reinaldo, as Paper Moon slipped past Buckham and advanced. The brief rise in crowd cheering sounded appropriate this time before resuming its sinister tones.

“Speaking of, see you!” announced Dash as she gave a slight push off of him, breaking to her right. She motioned Lily Blossom higher, moving between McNimbus and Flurryfeather. Paper Moon passed to Flitter, who faked out Spitfire on a double move and sent the ball on to Lily. Flurryfeather rose up to meet the attacker as McNimbus and Rapidfire cut off Dash’s clear approach. Another contested possession ensued, though neither had the clear advantage. Players on both teams positioned themselves around the struggle, watching for a loose ball.

They took a number for their name...was it eleven, twelve? Somewhere in there. Spitfire clearly thought their goal had something to do with who’s here.

Popping out away from the sidelines, three ponies converged toward the ball, though Spitfire backed off and let Reinaldo struggle with Flitter this time. The struggle did not stay in one place, as each tried to gain advantage, a way to move toward scoring, and prevent the other from doing the same. Bicycle Kick was near the embattled pair, shouting something indistinct against the crowd. Dash looked around, examining who was where to gather up a loose stormball if neither could advance. She motioned Reggie to an unguarded post near Buckham.

Buckham! He’s after Twilight! That what it was; the Elevens, or Twelves, or whatever they call themselves, are after Twi! He’s only used the game as an excuse to hit her twice already! But, but...that wasn’t the only thing...what was the rest?

Rainbow Dash examined her surroundings again while Reinaldo and Flitter continued winding around, still just as embroiled over whose possession it was. Reinaldo broke loose, and was met by Paper Moon in a jiffy, starting the whole process over, again. The crowd’s patience with the repeated scrums began to fade, and fast. Looking through the dulled hues around the stands, Dash noticed a certain three did not seem affected. One of them just exited The Hayburger’s concession stand and zipped over to Sugarcube Corner’s booth in a pink blur. The other two had a private box, above the others, one’s mane sparkling and drifting around as though it was submerged, the other’s tri-colored coif hung in neat and crisp curls, both aunt and niece giving each other worried glances as they spoke to each other as their diadems glittered in the alabaster one’s sunlight.

That was it! Spitfire said they wanted one pony race under one princess. I wonder if they’ve picked which one they want, or if they don’t care.

Reinaldo’s face took on frustrated expressions as Paper Moon proved much better at this than he was expecting. The crowd was getting louder.

Guess it’s a good thing Princess Luna’s holding that conference in Detrot today. She’ll be...wait a minute....

Dash’s eyes widened, as she put both her forehooves to her mouth.

Luna isn’t here, but the other three princesses are! Shit! If the crowd’s this riled, the enemy could get what they want here and now!

Dash found Flitter close to Spitfire. Imperatively she directed to switch places, much to the confusion of the bow-wearing twin. Rainbow zipped to Spitfire, who met her with a displeased voice, but not directed at Dash. “I’m beginning to think we should’ve canceled this game, Ensign! It didn’t need to be played, if not for the economics of all those major business and Ponyville vendors trying to get their names out! Only they and Buckham were really pushing for it!”

“Ma’am, we have a serious problem!” shouted Rainbow.

Spitfire scoffed, “Tell me something I don’t know!”

“Luna’s the only princess who’s not here!”

Spitfire gawked at Dash, incredulous, alarmed, and even a hint panic. She ejaculated, “What!?”

Rainbow leaned into her captain, pointing towards the top of the stadium. “Look!”

Spitfire followed Dash’s foreleg up to the private boxes at which it pointed. Her face and shoulders slumped, eyes still wide, almost bugging out, jaw agape with a slight shake. She continued staring, and uttered, “…fuck.”

Withdrawing her forehoof and giving Spitfire a little shake, Dash asked, “Is this the Elevens, or Twelves, or whatever the hell they call themselves at work? I saw four ponies earlier in dull orange and purple cloaks.”

“Elevens,” answered Spitfire. “And yes, that would certainly be them.”

Dash furrowed her brow. “I think Princess Celestia can clear the mist, ma’am!”

“Ensign, if you have a way to get in touch with Her Majesty, now would be a good time!” replied Spitfire as she began to hyperventilate.

Dash frantically searched around, scratching her head as Reinaldo almost broke loose. She perked up. “Spike!”

“Her Highness’s pet dragon?” asked Spitfire, not following at all.

“He’s not a pet, but he can send scrolls to Princess Celestia!”

Spitfire’s eyes widened again. She grasped Dash by both shoulders with a shake, demanding, “Is he here?”

“Yeah, on Ponyville’s sideline,” replied Rainbow, gesturing towards Bicycle Kick. “But we’ll need to knock the ball out of bounds by the team, so that one of us can tell him to send Celestia a note!”

“Good thinking, Ensign!” said Spitfire, with audible relief flowing over her. “Come, let’s get that ball!”

“Yes ma’am!”

The two Wonderbolts made their way over to the contested ball and joined the fray, extracting the ball from Reinaldo and Flitter, scrumming it over to the sideline. The captain hit the ball into Dash’s shoulder, and it went out right in front of Bicycle Kick. Rainbow gave Spitfire the look as if to say really?, to which the captain innocently shrugged. The ref flagged for Cloudsdale to throw it in. Both Wonderbolts in unison shouted, “Spike!”

Spike ran to Dash, perplexed, “What is it?”

“Go listen to Captain Spitfire!” ordered Rainbow as she retook her usual place in the field, ignoring the baffled, astounded, and angry look from her coach. She watched from afar as Spitfire spoke to Spike, unable to hear a thing, while Bicycle Kick walked up. While the coach clearly understood the first time and walked away, Spike stopped to scratch his head in confusion. Only a blind pony could not have lip-read Spitfire shouting the word “now” at him. Coach gave Spike some loose paper and a pen while Spitfire directed her team.

Now that’s the first thing that’s gone right today.

Spitfire threw the ball over her head with both forehooves to Flurryfeather. She took it down the sideline as Spitfire moved ahead of her, into a gap. A pass, and the captain quickly pressed the ball toward the goal. Buckham had slipped forward while Ponyville hadn’t fully restored its formation, nearing Twilight again. Spitfire elevated herself over Puffy Cirrus, and centered the ball. Buckham tried kicking Twilight with his rear hooves, but himself winced. Twilight moved away from the goal before the ball arrived, and at the same time, Buckham moved forward. He kicked the ball at the goal, but Blossomforth didn’t even move. As he started to celebrate, he turned to Blossomforth, she eyeing him back with a smug look on her face. Furrowing his brow, the Cloudsdale Striker questioned her with just an expression. All she did as a response was lightly gesturing to the sidelines, where he saw the ref had a flag out and pointed at him. He spun about angrily and moved back, frustrated with being caught offsides.

Ha! And it looks like her armoring spell is nicely intact, too.

Blossomforth ordered her midfielders to close in as she drove the free kick straight to Reggie. The young stallion eluded Reinaldo’s first attempt to steal, and his second, then passed the ball before his opponent could stage a third. Paper Moon received the pass and drove upfield, Dash still open for the moment, but not long enough to warrant a pass. That, and McNimbus closed in on him. Faking right, he passed to the left, where Cloudchaser easily pulled it in. Misty Fly cut off her advancement. Dash came back for the ball, but soon found Buckenbauer had pursued her outside the penalty box, and that their forwards were equally well-covered. Dash turned to the clock, seeing 43:01.

We’re getting too close to stoppage time! I do not want to go into the half with a blank!

Some yellow light caught her attention. Looking around, she saw Princess Celestia over the stands, casting a wide-area spell of some kind. Waiting a moment, Rainbow examined the area of effect. It appeared lighter, brighter, better contrast of color for a moment, but then the haze leaked back in from the surrounding darker sections. Celestia kept at it. Buckenbauer pushed past Dash. She turned to see Misty Fly had taken the ball while her back was turned.

Crap! Takes a doofus to make that mistake, Dash!

Rainbow hurried to catch up with the others. Misty passed to Reinaldo, who gave Reggie the slip, and began directing his team. The young Mr. Stormkicker came in from behind, interrupting the orders, but Reinaldo still maintained possession. Referees indicated two minutes of stoppage time.

Come on! Get it out of there!

Dash rushed to return to the action as Buckham neared Twilight yet again, center of the penalty box. Reinaldo sent the ball to Spitfire, who immediately centered. Buckham tried raising his hoof into an uppercut to Twilight’s chin, but she didn’t seem affected. He just flapped himself above the others and tried to bicycle kick the ball into the goal. Blossomforth’s lithe movements got a hoof on the ball, knocking it over the net.

I will never tell her she’s too flexible again.

Soarin’ moved out to take the corner kick, while Buckham grimaced, shaking the hoof that attempted that punch. With a few hoof directions, Soarin' belted the ball toward the middle. Buckham punched at Twilight, but she evaded him, disappearing in a purple flash. Soarin’s face went slack as Twilight rematerialized in the way of his corner kick. She laid into the ball hard, making several ponies take off full speed down the pitch.

Come on! Let’s go!

Thunderlane was in exactly the right place, taking the ball and immediately sending it to Dash. Rainbow gathered up the sent stormball, seeing only Buckenbauer and half the pitch between her and Fleetfoot, and a point. She burst forward as only she could, directly at the Cloudsdale Sweeper. As he moved for the ball, she tipped it to the left while zipping around his right. Gathering it up, the crowd cheered, roaring the loudest it had been all day as Rainbow Dash got a fast-break. Rainbow zoomed straight up the middle, only the goalie to beat. She lined up her shot, screaming, “This is why they call me Dash!!”

A wind-up with her rear left leg, and she delivered the heavy blow from just inside the penalty box. The ball broke two hundred kilometers per hour. Dash’s shot did not go toward a corner; it went straight up the middle, straight at Fleetfoot. She caught it, but was forced back...enough that the goal siren sounded. Fleetfoot looked around and discovered Dash’s shot knocked her and the leading third of the stormball past the plane of the net’s opening. She angrily threw the ball down as the crowd’s cheering, sounding very real, drowned out all other noise. Elation flooded Dash’s mind as she tore down the pitch towards her teammates, pumped her hoof, and hollered, “YYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!”

As Rainbow flopped onto the lower cloud layer, pretending to make a snow angel, most of her team piled on her with hugs and ecstatic praises, albeit indistinguishable. Joyful laughter echoed all around the happy heap. A few more cheers, and the glorious moment ended as they got off, prompted by the refs that the half was over. They rushed back to the locker room, the cheers of the crowd very real, and very loud. The haze was partially lifted, and Celestia was very much still at work on it. Cadance had also been involved, sending red hearts from her horn at couples around the stands.

Dash received a series of pats on the back, hoofbumps, and hugs from her teammates. Bicycle Kick closed the door behind them. He smiled briefly as he said, “Good work, but we’re still down a goal, and a player, and they are not going to take ending a half like that lightly.”

The team’s faces sobered up quickly. The coach turned to Rainbow. “Go. You know what you need to do. She’s hasn’t moved.”

Oh, good. That’ll make the first part of this easy. The second part...? Well....

Nodding, Dash shed the jersey, and started for the door. Twilight protested, “But if she’s seen out there, she’ll be considered a late player! She’ll have to wait for an injury before she’s allowed to play!”

“Then she’d best not be seen, and as far as I’m concerned, that’ll make us square with the refs not red-carding Buckham,” answered Bicycle Kick firmly. “You’ll need to fly, and very close to the ground. It’s your best chance to go unnoticed. Twenty-five minutes. Can you do it?”

“Sir, have you met Scootaloo? She’s like a little sister to me, and I’ve learned a few things from her!” laughed Rainbow as she opened the door. Twilight walked up to the entry to close it behind Dash. The two examined the outside.

“Now,” whispered Twilight.

Looking downward, Dash took a step out the door, and began freefall toward the town below.

Author's Note:

So...first half of the game is complete, Cloudsdale leads 2-1. A very important confrontation is up next; it doesn't take a genius to determine what that is, though. Then, the second half, and the aftermath.

Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Okay......now we've got the HARD part: making nice with Best Pony.

[Dusk_Writer]

Ooohhooo this is gonna be good