Ten More Yards

by 5aszs

PISTOL

“Have a great time Amber!”

“I will!”

Amber rushed out of her home and jumped into the back of the carriage waiting outside, sitting in the empty seat next to the door.. As the carriage set off, she yawned and leaned back into her seat.

“Did you guys have to wake this early as well?”

Atomic and Thunderhoof nodded. Both of the colts were wearing their Dragons jerseys, Nick Foals’ autograph scribbled over the front of Atomic’s jersey in black marker accompanied with a few brown drops of old blood. The late November weather had also brought in colder weather, and the three males were each wearing a woolly hat. In the front of the carriage, Syracuse was sitting next to the driver, and the two adults were chatting amicably.

“The other kids were so jealous when they found out I was going to Almerald Centre,” Amber said as the carriage turned into the high street.

“You guys alright back there?” Syracuse asked, and the foals nodded.

“Where are we gonna be sitting?” Thunderhoof asked.

“Let me check.”

Syracuse opened his wallet and took out the tickets, reading the bottom of the slip of paper.

“Looks like we’re gonna be sitting at the end zone this time.”

“So if we score, they might throw the ball to us!” Atomic said excitedly.

“That would be so cool!” Amber agreed, before her eyes fell upon the writing on Atomic’s jersey.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Atomic looked down and grinned when he saw what Amber was pointing at. “Remember when I told you that Nick Foals signed my jersey?”

Amber read the note and sighed. “So you were telling the truth.”

“Told you.”

Thunderhoof had brought a large bag with him and he stuck his head into it, trying to find something. A few moments later, he closed his bag and took a deep breath. “Did anypony bring a pen?”
Amber and Atomic shook their heads, and Thunderhoof began to panic.

“I can’t believe I forgot my pen! How am I gonna get my jersey signed?!”

“Don't worry Thunderhoof, we can buy a marker from the train station,” Syracuse said, and Thunderhoof calmed down.

Amber took out a book from her saddlebag. “I found this this morning.”

Amber opened the book and showed her friends its contents. She explained that she had compiled some pictures of the Dragons over the last year and hoped that one day, the book could be signed by her favourite player.

“I really like the picture at the end,” Thunderhoof pointed to the picture on the last page. The picture displayed a few members of the Dragons with the team’s motto (‘FEEL THE HEAT’) written in capital letters with a bold font underneath.

For the rest of the journey, the three friends talked about school and the Dragons. The carriage stopped outside Fillydelphia Station. The foals got out of the carriage as Syracuse paid the driver.

“Let’s get the train.”

The group entered the station and they stopped in front of the train timetable. Their train (Baltimare to Manehatten) was due to arrive in four minutes, so the four ponies quickly went to the nearest desk to pay for the train, joining the back of a short queue.

“Since when did I have to pay for my foals?!”

“The new rules came into effect last week, sir. Nothing I can do about it.”

As the mare in front paid for her three children (who all looked at most seven years old), Syracuse suddenly remembered leaving the envelope containing the extra money in his study.

“Guys, I don’t have the money to pay for you,” he whispered.

“Next, please.”

Syracuse took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Four tickets for Baltimare to Manehatten, please.”

“What are we gonna do?” Amber whispered, and the colts shrugged their shoulders.

“Thirteen bits, please.”

“Oh, my kids can ride free. They’re all under nine.”

The pony behind the glass; a dark blue mare wearing red glasses that were low on her face) peered at the foals.

“Are you sure?”

“Daisy, Daisy’s going to the moon!”

Amber continued singing, her voice a few pitches higher to help make her seem younger than she really was. The song she was singing was the theme tune of a foals’ travelling show that was very popular nationwide.

“My kids love her as well,” the blue mare said, before reaching down and passed four pieces of paper through to Syracuse, and he passed the five bits the other way.

“You can't tell anypony about that,” Amber demanded as the four ponies walked away, and she grumbled when the colts burst out laughing.

“Thanks to you, we can get the train, so just ignore them,” Syracuse said.

The Baltimare-Manehatten train had already pulled into the station when the group had reached the fourth platform, and they quickly got onto the train, Syracuse showing their tickets to an employee on the train.

“This train is ready to depart.”

The four ponies settled into their seats as the train departed, and Syracuse took a copy of the day’s newspaper from the stand, flicking to the back of the paper.

“Are you guys friends with Pablo?” Amber asked, and the colts shook their heads fervently.

“No way! He’s so annoying and he thinks he’s so cool!”

“It's just, after yesterday’s match, he asked me if I wanted to come to his house, just to hang out. Should I go?”

“It's up to you, but if I were you, I wouldn’t go,” Thunderhoof replied.

Amber got up to find the toilets, and once she was out of earshot, Atomic turned to his friend.

“Why the hay would he ask Amber to go to his house?!”

“Cause he probably has a crush on her.”

Atomic sighed and Thunderhoof smirked.

“Is somepony jealous?”

Atomic shot up from his position.

“No! Why would I have a crush?!”

Atomic’s outburst had drawn the attention of most of the other passengers sitting in their carriage, and the light blue colt’s face burned bright red as he sank back down into his seat.

“I don’t have a crush on her, seriously. You know what Pablo’s like, when has he ever asked a filly to hang out with him?.”

“True.”

The colts fell silent as Amber returned to her seat.

“What were you guys talking about?”

“Nothing important,” Atomic replied instantly.

Amber raised an eyebrow, but decided it wasn't worth questioning, and she rested her head against the window and closed her eyes.

---

“This is Glider Square on the Baltimare-Manehatten train. Please make sure you have taken all of your belongings with you.”

“Come on guys, this is our stop.”

Syracuse, Atomic, Amber and Thunderhoof got off the train. Platform 1 of Glider Square Station was situated outside, and the platform was soon crowded with ponies that were getting off the train and those who were waiting to get on. There were two set of stairs at the entrance of the platform, and the group quickly went up them.

There was a small shop in the main area of the station, and Syracuse quickly bought a pen for Thunderhoof. At the exit, Syracuse checked the large clock hanging on the wall and told the foals that since they still had nearly two hours until kickoff, he wanted to find the nearest bank and withdraw some money from his account.

“Woah, is that Cloud Glider?!” Thunderhoof exclaimed, pointing at the large statue.

The group had stopped in Glider Square, which was a few hundred yards away from the train station. Syracuse told the foals to stand in front of the statue as he took a small, portable camera out of his saddlebag, snapping several pictures of them.

Once he had shown them the pictures, the group walked away from the square and towards a pedestrian crossing. When the traffic light turned red, the four ponies crossed the road and turned left, walking straight ahead to the bank that was forty yards down the street.

“Wait for me out here,” Syracuse said before he entered the bank, joining the back of the line.

Five minutes later, Syracuse carefully placed the notes into his wallet as he left the bank.

“Right, do you guys wanna get some food now or wait till the game starts?”

“The burgers they had at the stadium were really good,” Atomic told the others, and the three foals told Syracuse they would wait until the game started.

At the end of the street, there was a line of carriages waiting at a carriage station, and there was a long line of ponies waiting to et one, and by the time Syracuse and the foals had joined the back of the line, there were only two carriages available.

As two stallions got into the last carriage, Syracuse sighed. “Looks like we’re going to be waiting here for a while.”

It took twenty minutes for the next carriage to pull into the docking station, and at the forty minute mark, Syracuse and the three foals were at the front of the line just as another carriage arrived.

The driver rolled down his window and stuck his head out. “Where d’you need me to take you?”

“Almerald Centre, please,” said Syracuse, climbing into the passenger seat as the foals got into the back.

“There’s a lot of traffic, so it’s gonna take longer than usual,” the carriage driver warned as he started the carriage’s engine.

“It's fine, we still have loads of time before the game starts,” said Syracuse.

“You guys rooting for the Dragons then?” the driver asked as he stopped at a red light, and sighed when all four passengers nodded.

“I’m originally from Canterlot, so I’m gonna be rooting for the Rams today.”

“Are you from Detrot originally?” Syracuse asked.

“Yep. Moved here last year.”

Syracuse and the carriage driver engaged in casual conversation about hoofball, and in the back, Amber put her book back in her bag.

“I’m gonna say yes.”

“Yes to what?”

“Hanging out with Pablo. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“When are you guys gonna meet up?” Thunderhoof asked.

“Monday after school, he told me to wait for him at the school gates.”

Atomic stared out of the window, until he realised that both Amber and Thunderhoof were staring at him. “What?”

Amber continued looking at him, before telling him it was nothing. As Thunderhoof asked her about how she was finding school, the pale yellow filly looked at Atomic.

Is he mad that I’m gonna hang out with Pablo?

“You should buy a jersey from the stadium,” Thunderhoof suggested, snapping Amber out of her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“I said you should buy a jersey.”

“I don’t have any money to pay for it though.”

Syracuse turned around. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll pay for you.”

“Okay then, I’ll get it.”

With an hour left until kickoff, the carriage finally arrived at Almerald Centre, and the foals quickly got out as Syracuse paid the driver.

“Woah, look at how many ponies are already here!”

The front of the stadium was completely crowded with Dragons fans, and there was another crowd waiting at the entrance to be let inside.

“Come on, the quicker we get inside, the quicker we can get our stuff signed!”

Amber sprinted ahead towards the stadium’s entrance, and the others quickly followed after her.

“I’m actually gonna see the Dragons live! Like they’re gonna be on the field and I’m gonna see them play!” Thunderhoof cried as he ran.

Eventually, the four ponies were reunited and Syracuse gave each goal their ticket, telling them to be careful with them.

“Look, it says Dragons-Rams here, and the kickoff time is underneath! Now can you let me in?!”

The mare glanced down at the paper, which was the fan’s pathetic attempt at trying to trick his way into the stadium. “Do you really think I’m gonna fall for that? Security!”

Inside the building, the unruly fan was dragged out by two large security guards, and they ignored his threats to assault the mares working behind the desk.

“Ponies must be really desperate to watch the match,” Syracuse commented, stepping aside to let the security guards escort the fan out.

When they reached the front of the line, Syracuse handed in the four tickets, and the mare at the desk told him their seat numbers. As the next ponies gave in their tickets, Syracuse pointed out the kit shop to Amber and they quickly entered it.

Amber headed straight for the fillies’ jersey aisle and picked up a Nick Foals jersey. She checked the age tag and put it back for another jersey, eventually finding her size at the back of the rack.

Amber checked the tag and held the shirt on her chest. “This is my size.”

At the till, Thunderhoof remembered that he needed a pen and he quickly put it on top of the jersey just before the sales assistant began to calculate the price. Once they had bought their items, Amber put the shirt on and the group went up the stairs that led to the seats.

A few changes had been made to the interior of Almerald Center since Atomic had last attended a Dragons match; the number of seats in the stadium had been increased and on both banners above the field goals the team’s motto had been replicated with ‘DRAGONS DEN’. The stadium was also mostly full now, and Syracuse, Atomic, Thunderhoof and Amber struggled through the ponies in the middle to get to their seats next to the players’ tunnel.

Once they got to their seats and had settled down, two ponies carrying trays of hot dogs, hayburgers, fries and drinks around their necks came down the steps and began serving the fans.

Syracuse opened his wallet and took out a few notes. “What do you guys want?”

Atomic and Thunderhoof bought hayburgers and fries, whilst Amber got a hot dog and a large soda. As they ate their food, the Dragons came out onto the pitch to resume pre-game practise, and Nick Foals waved to the fans as he came out of the tunnel.

“Nick! Over here!”

“We love you Nick!”

The Dragons’ star receiver joined his teammates and the fans that had been cheering for him were disappointed, but they soon distracted themselves watching their team practise.

“Woah, look at how big he is!”

Atomic pointed to the large brown pegasus wearing a light blue uniform that was talking to his coaches. In the last few years, the Detrot Rams had focused on beefing up their defense (especially the defensive line) and this tactic had culminated in the drafting of Rocky Mountain. In his four years in the league, the edge rusher had quickly developed to become the best at his position and he posed as the biggest threat to the Dragons’ high-flying offense.

“Imagine going up up against him, he probably eats bricks for breakfast,” a colt sitting next to Atomic commented.

The fans watched the two teams practise, with Atomic’s attention particularly on Nick Foals catching passes from Cartwheel with one hoof. Ten minutes later, Cartwheel pointed to the fans next to the tunnel and they made their way over.

“They’re gonna sign our stuff!”

The fans quickly got their pens and items out, and as the players came closer, they all tried to get their attention.

Cartwheel was the first to start signing jerseys and ponies tried passing their items forward to be signed. Nick Foals decides to handle the other side and he immediately recognised Atomic.

“Hey, I remember you!It's….Atomic, right?”

Atomic nodded eagerly, shocked that his favourite player still remembered him from the first match of the season. “You remember me?!”

The wide receiver nodded with a grin, and he finished signing another jersey before Amber gave him her scrapbook.

“What’s this?”

“It’s just a scrapbook of the team,” Amber explained, her voice noticeably quieter than usual. As Foals flicked through the pages, she nervously awaited his response.

“This is awesome! You’ve got some great pictures in there!”

Amber gave her marker to Foals and he sighed the front of the book, before giving it back to her with a smile.

“Cartwheel! Cartwheel!”

Thunderhoof called the quarterback’s name for a third time, and he finally got his attention. But just as Thunderhoof tried to get his jersey signed, the Dragons’ head coach called the team to come together.

“Sorry, I gotta go. Don’t worry, I’ll come back at the end of the game.”

Cartwheel galloped back to his team and Thunderhoof sighed.

“Don’t worry, he’ll come,” Syracuse said, trying to reassure the colt.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, are you ready?!”

The stadium erupted into cheers, the fans eagerly waiting for the two teams to come back out onto the pitch (the two teams had gone inside to get changed).

Suddenly, the smoke machines on both sides of home team’s tunnel cane to life, billowing smoke so fast that within two minutes, most of the tunnel was foggy with smoke.

“Here come the Dragons!”

The home fans cheered loudly as figures broke through the smoke in the tunnel.

When the away team came out from the other tunnel, the cheers were noticeably quieter except for the other side of the stadium where most of Detrot’s fans were watching, and they rallied together to make as much noise as they could.

Cartwheel and Rocky Mountain met with the referees in the middle of the pitch, and the head referee announced that the Dragons had on the coin toss and decided to receive the ball.

---

“This isn’t what I expected.”

Seven minutes into the first quarter, the promise of an exciting match up had mostly faded. The Dragons has been forced to punt the ball away after having possession for only five minutes. It was immediately clear that Detrot’s offense was not as talented as their defense, and with the ball on the forty-eight yard line on a second-and-six, the quarterback let the clock run down before catching the snap and tossing the ball to his running back.

“And the Rams have got another first down!”

“I thought this game was gonna be fun,” Amber complained, taking a long sip from her soda.

“Defensive games are entertaining to watch as well, you know,” Syracuse countered, but his argument fell on deaf ears as Amber had started talking to Atomic.

The Rams resumed play at the forty-yard line, and a short pass over the middle to an open receiver awarded the Rams with yet another first down.

“Why can't we stop them, we’re better than them!” the colt sitting next to Atomic cried, clearly frustrated that Fillydelphia’s defense were letting the Rams advance down the field.

For the first time in the match, the Rams’ offensive line were unable to hold back Fillydelphia’s front four, and they pushed through the gaps to sack the quarterback. The Rams’ number 12 saw some space to his right and quickly sprinted towards it, dropping back a little when he got there in preparation for a long pass into the end zone. However, the Dragons’ edge rusher was only a few yards away from the quarterback. Spotting one of his receivers running back towards him, the quarterback threw a soft pass to him just before he was brought down by the defense. The receiver jumped up to grab the ball and turned around. A few of his teammates had began blocking to create a path to the end zone, and just before he was pushed out of bounds at the one-yard line, the receiver was able to stretch his right foreleg out, ensuring that the nose of the hoofball crossed the end zone line.

“Touchdown, Detrot!”

As the Rams celebrated in the end zone, the receiver that scored the touchdown ran to the home fans sitting at the end zone and taunted them, grinning when the fans booed in response. As the security guards tried to stop a stallion from throwing a punch, the receiver walked away, but he had not realised that the Rams’ special team were already in formation for the extra point attempt, and whistles ad yellow flags were blown and thrown onto the pitch respectively.

“Too many players on the field, offense. Five yard penalty.”

The home fans cheered as the Rams moved back, and the receiver that had scored the touchdown was lectured by his coach as he came off the pitch.

From the twenty-yard line, the Rams’ extra point attempt was good, and two minutes later, the head referee announced that the first quarter had come to an end, with the Rams leading 7-0.

---

“Pass interference, defense number 26. The ball will be placed at the spot of the foul. Automatic first down, Fillydelphia.”

Fillydelphia’s offensive struggles continued into the second quarter, and if not for a defensive foul on Nick Foals, then they would’ve most likely have to punt the ball away for the second time. The foul allowed them to move twenty yards downfield for a first down at the thirty yard line.

“We’re gonna score, trust me,” Atomic stated, and a few ponies sitting near him agreed, cheering louder to try and encourage their team to score.

The Dragons ran a short pass play, with Nick Foals and another receiver running slant routes across the middle of the pitch whilst the third receiver and tight end provided extra pass protection for Cartwheel. The ball was thrown five yards to Nick Foals, and the receiver caught the ball. As he ran towards the sidelines, Foals saw some space between two pursuing defenders (a few yards separating the two), and he quickly juked the first defender and sprint through the gap, giving him a clear path to the end zone.

“YEESSS!”

“I told you he was gonna score, I told you!”

Nick Foals threw the ball into the crowd and celebrated with his teammates. The recipient of the ball quickly tucked it into her chest to avoid having it being taken away from her.

“I got it! I actually got the ball!”

Amber held the ball up and grinned. “I’m keeping this for the rest of my life.”

“If I were you, I’d try and get that signed at the end of the match,” Syracuse suggested, and Amber agreed with him.

With the score tied 7-7, the Rams got the ball back at the twenty-five yard line with six minutes left in the half. They were held to a 44-yard field goal at the end of their drive, and both teams headed into their locker rooms at the end of the first half, the Rams holding a slim three-point lead.

---

“And with the ball in the red zone now, the Dragons will be looking to stop the Rams from scoring what would most likely be the game winner. Do you think they’ll be able to manage it?”

“I’m not sure, Meteor. The Rams have been very good today on both sides of the ball, and the offense in particular has kept the Dragons’ defense on the field for most of this match. The fatigue will get to them and the Rams are going to take advantage of that.”
The third quarter had been scoreless for both teams, and the fourth quarter featured two Dragons field goals that brought their score to with one behind the Rams. But the Rams, sticking to their offensive game plan, had kept the fatigued defense on the field for as long as they could, and the Rams’ offense prepared to score the winning touchdown.

“Number 12 takes the snap, he’s looking to his left, he’s looking to his right. He scrambles to the five yard, looking, looking…..CAUGHT BY SORBET! TOUCHDOWN, RAMS! And that may have just ended the Dragons’ playoff hopes!”

“We can’t miss the playoffs! We can’t!”

Some disgruntled fans got out of their seats and made their way out, clearly not in the mood to watch the Dragons’ season come to an end.

“One minute and forty seconds. We have time, we just have to have faith,” Syracuse said.

The Dragons’ kick returner let the ball bounce through the end zone for a touchback, and the offense quickly came onto the field.

“And with forty seconds left, can the Dragons score a miracle to ensure that they play post-season football?”

The first down at the twenty-five yard line saw the Dragons attempt a running play that only brought them to the thirty-yard line, and the second rushing attempt did not gain the Dragons any yards, which left them at the thirty-yard line on a third-and-five.

“Hut!”

Cartwheel dropped back and stepped into the pocket once he was sure his offensive lineman could keep him open. He spotted Nick Foals breaking past his cornerback and the quarterback threw the twenty-yard pass, expecting Nick Foals to catch it at the fifty-yard line.

“The ball is headed for Foals, it's gonna be a first down…..HE DROPPED IT!”

The Dragons’ number 9 hung his head low as he entered his team’s huddle, and a chorus of boos rang out throughout the stadium.

“Hey, why are you booing him?! We still have a chance to win this!” Atomic cried, trying to get the ponies next to him to stop.

“This is the second time he’s dropped it in a big game! Face it, we’re not going to the Sugar Bowl this year,” the colt next to Atomic retorted, before resuming his booing.

“And the Dragons are gonna go for it on 4th-and-five, which doesn't surprise me at all. They’re gonna let the snap clock run down, I believe.”

“Their entire season relies on this play.”

The stadium had become the quietest it had been all day; the home fans hoping that their team would find a way to move the chains, and the Detrot fans hoping that their defense could stop them one more time.

“And Cartwheel takes the snap. He fakes the handoff, he’s looking, looking….Rocky Mountain has broken through! Cartwheel is scrambling to his left, still looking for an open teammate….and he’s able to throw it downfield!”

Come on Nick, you got this!

The ball flew high and far through the air- Cartwheel had put a considerable amount of power behind the hoofball before he had been brought down. At the ten-yard line, Dragons and Rams players pushed and shoved each other, each pony desperate to be the one that came down with the ball.

“AND NICK FOALS COMES DOWN WITH THE BALL! UNBELIEVABLE!”

Nick Foals had somehow managed to rise up above all the other players, and he quickly covered the ball with his forelegs to protect it. The whistle was blown and two referees ran onto the pitch to break up the defenders on top of Foals that were desperately trying to rip the ball away from him.

The clock continued running as the Dragons’ offense quickly went into their huddle, and as the defense waited for the offense to break from their huddle, they believed that Cartwheel was going to spike the ball in order to stop the clock.

The Dragons quickly lined up on the ten yard line, eight players lined up on the scrimmage and Cartwheel and the two running backs waiting behind the ball.

“And they’re gonna spike the ball- hold on!”

Instead of throwing the ball intentionally onto the ground as expected, Cartwheel quickly threw the ball to Nick Foals, and he was able to take advantage of the defense’s confusion to score the touchdown.

“TOUCHDOWN, DRAGONS!”

The stadium erupted into raucous cheers, and Nick Foals once again ran towards the fans in the end zone and jumped into the stands.

“How d’you like that, huh?!”

The receiver was eventually pulled down by security guards and celebrated with his teammates in the end zone.
The Dragons’ extra point was good and the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the game; the Dragons coming out with a 18-17 win to give them the fourth seed going into the playoffs.

---

Monday at Sycamore Elementary had progressed as most Mondays normally did; the pupils spent the morning complaining about how tired they felt and the teachers took a slower approach in the morning, eventually returning to teaching at their normal pace as the day went on. This did not apply to Ms Ivory, and she showed no signs of fatigue as she began first-period fifth-grade Maths.

“For your starter, you are to complete the questions on…..”

At the back of the classroom, Atomic was reliving Nick Foals’ winner on Saturday, but instead it was Atomic who had scored the game-winning touchdown for the Dragons.

“You have ten minutes. You may begin.”

Atomic quickly snapped out for his daydream. Fortunately for him, the pages containing the starter questions had been written on the blackboard, and the light blue colt quickly turned his thoughts onto his work, his focus only breaking when the lesson ended.

Atomic caught up to Amber as she left the classroom. “Did you tell Pablo you wanted to meet?”

“Yeah, but I don't know where we’re going.”

“Tell me what happens, yeah?”

Atomic said goodbye and went upstairs for Science.

“Hey, Amber.”

Pablo shyly smiled at Amber.

“Hey,” Amber replied, surprised that her greeting sounded nervous. There was a long silence, before Pablo suddenly cleared his throat.

“...What lesson do you have next?”

The two foals compared timetables, and realised that they both had English next with the same teacher. Pablo led the way, the conversation between the two stilted and awkward.

“Why do you wanna hang out with me after school?” Amber suddenly asked.

“Cause…..I just wanna get to know you. Nothing wrong with that, right?”

Amber shook her head, and another question popped into her head.

“Are you and Atomic…..friends?”

Pablo’s face broke into a frown.

“Nope, never have been and never will be.”

---

After school, Amber and Pablo had met at the school gates as agreed, and the two had decided to go to the local fast food restaurant, which was only a few blocks away from their school. Pablo told Amber that he would pay for both of their meals, and Amber accepted his proposal. She was currently sitting at a table at the back of the restaurant, waiting for Pablo to bring their food.

“Here you go.”

Pablo set the tray down in front of them and sat opposite Amber.

“Thank you.”

As they ate, Amber decided to break the silence.

“Did you listen to the Dragons’ game on Saturday?”

Pablo shook his head. “I’m a Hawks fan.”

“You support Cloudsdale? But you live in Fillydelphia!”

Pablo unfurled his wings as an explanation. “My family’s from Cloudsdale originally. We moved here when I was four.”

“What was it like in Cloudsdale?”

“I don’t remember a lot, but I do remember my dad used to fly me around the city on the weekends, before I could fly.”

“That must’ve been cool.”

“It was.”

The foals fell silent again as they ate.

“What about you? How come you’re going to Sycamore now?”

Amber coughed loudly and slowly swallowed down her food. Whilst Pablo seemed nice, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him about her past.

“My, uh, mom got relocated here. She works in a bank. When we moved here, I had to transfer schools, and Sycamore was the closest to our house.”

A few minutes later, the two finished their food and exited the restaurant.

“Is your house nearby? I really need the toilet?” Amber suddenly asked.

“Er, yeah, it’s…..just down here.”

The two foals crosses the road and began heading down the street.

“We could always check if any of these ships have a toilet,” Pablo suggested, but amber shook her head.

“They’re gonna be dirty.”

Amber noticed that Pablo was reluctant to show Amber his house, and as they turned onto another road, she wondered why.

Pablo’s house was a product of the large salaries that his parents earned as accountants. Amber could count at least three storeys and the neighbouring houses all appeared to belong to ponies with high-earning jobs.

Pablo pointed at one of the houses at the end of the street. “It’s just down there.”

Pablo knocked loudly on the door and stepped back when it was opened.

“You’re late.”

Pablo’s father was a tall, intimidating dark green pegasus, with grey eyes that seemed to peer into the soul of anypony they looked at. He looked at Amber for a few moments before turning his attention back onto his son.

“Where were you?”

“Revision, with Amber. She needs help with Maths so I thought it would be easier if she came with me.”

Pablo’s lie came easily to him, and amber suspected that it wasn’t the first time that he had five dto his father.

The stallion stepped aside to let the foals come inside, and Amber was blown away by the house’s interior. A large, crystal chandelier adorned the ceiling and the scent of lavender hung heavily in the air. On the wall next to the flight of the stairs, the maroon wallpaper held framed pictures of the family, the frame in the middle depicting the entire family.

“Your house is really cool,” Amber whispered.

“It’s alright,” Pablo replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Pablo’s father closed the front door and told Pablo to come to the garden after he finished his work.

“Why do you need to go to the garden?”

“Hoofball practise.”

---

Amber winced as Pablo took a hard hit and dropped onto the grass.

“Do it again.”

Pablo slowly got up and picked up the ball, moving back to his starting position. Opposite him, the two defenders crouched.

“Hike!”

The ball was tossed to Pablo and he quickly sprinted out wide, hoping to beat his defenders with his speed. Whilst one defender couldn’t keep up with Pablo, the other shifted to his right and hit Pablo hard, sneering down at the colt.

“Stop being such a baby, I barely hit you!”

Pablo’s father instructed his youngest son to get up, and Pablo eventually did, though he was clearly shaken up.

From what Amber understood, Pablo’s older brother were both linebackers that played for Canterlot University’s Wondercolts, and they were spending their off week at home. Amber had also learned that Pablo’s father had instructed them to not go easy on their youngest brother.

“Can we…..take a break?” Pablo panted.

“Excuse me?!”

Pablo’s older brothers winced when their father confronted Pablo.

“You want to take a break?”

“It’s just…..I’m tired, I had a long day at school.”

Amber decided to stick up for her friend.

“If you don’t mind sir, I can sit inside with him.”

Pablo smiles gratefully at Amber, and his father eventually relented, warning Pablo that he would have five minutes to rest.

Inside the kitchen, Amber poured out a large glass of water of Pablo.

“Is your training always this hard?”

Pablo nodded, and he took a large sip from the glass.

“Dad wants me to go pro. Even before I got my cutie mark, he would make me practise in the garden for hours. Instead of being happy for me when I got my cutie mark, he started making my brothers practise with me, and you’ve seen how rough they are.”

“Doesn’t he know that you won the game for Sycamore?”

“I told him. He just made our practises longer.”

“Time’s up.”

Pablo slowly made his way back outside, and his father instructed him to run the same plays from before the break. As Pablo tried to get past his older brothers, his father walked over to Amber and stood next to her.

“What do your parents do?”

“Her mom works in Fillydelphia Central Bank,” Pablo answered, before slowly getting up.

“She does? What’s her name, I might know her.”

“Vanilla….Ice.”

“Never heard of her.”

“My mom’s new, we recently moved here, maybe that’s why.”

Amber suddenly noticed the setting sun, and realised that she hadn’t told her care worker that she would be coming home late.

“I’ve gotta go, my mom doesn’t know I’m here.”

Amber quickly picked up her saddlebag and sprinted through the back door and into the kitchen, looking for the front door.

“Let me show you out.”

Pablo had ran after Amber, and she had reached the hallway when she heard his voice.

“My dad probably locked the door. Lemme find the key.”

Next to the front door, there was a table that held three plant pots, and Pablo reached into the middle one, pulling out the small key.

“That’s our secret.”

Pablo unlocked the front door and opened it.

“Pablo, get back here now!”

Upon hearing his father’s voice, Pablo sighed and stepped aside to let Amber pass.

“See you tomorrow?”

Amber nodded, before suddenly hugging Pablo. The colt was taken aback for a moment before returning the embrace.

“See you tomorrow.”

As she made her way down the street, passer-bys would notice the small smile on the yellow filly’s face. As for Amber, she made her way home believing that for the first time in a long time, things were looking up for her.