Ice Breaker Ch.1 A new Chapter
“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, IT IS TIME, FOR THIS YEAR’S SNOWBOARDING FREESTYLE WORLD CUP!” said the narrator as the crowd cheered in excitement
“WHO WILL WIN THIS YEAR AND GAIN THE RIGHT TO BE DUBBED “THE KING OR QUEEN OF SNOW!!!!”
“WILL IT BE UP AND COMING STAR SERGIO RODRIGUEZ FROM CLOUDSDALE!” said the anchor as the Cloudsdale fans cheered
“OR WILL IT BE THE FIRE PRINCESS HERSELF EMILIA DANNER FROM THE DRAGONLANDS!!!!” he continued as the crowd cheered again
“WILL IT BE THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE’S FAVORITE SON TOBIAS CARSSEN!” he said again as the crowd cheered louder
“OR WILL IT BE THE CURRENT KING OF THE SNOW, SEASON VETERAN, AND THE BEST PRODIGY TO EVER COME OUT THE DRAGONLANDS? WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE ONE, THE ONLY, STEPHAN DRAGOVIC!!!!” he finished as the crowd went crazy as the 4 competitors walked out into the starting line and got ready.
“Wow, my first final, this is so cool, hopefully, I’ll win it,” thought Sergio
“Here we are again… well, excluding the Cloudsdale kid, I know all about Toby and Stephan over there, well, defeating Toby will be as easy as stealing candy from a baby, but Stephan… oh, well, seems like another second place for me,” thought Emilia as she got to her station
“These 2 again? Seriously, Emilia is hard to compete against, let alone Stephan… but if I time my jumps perfectly I should be able to secure a second place,” though Tobias
“Hah! Once again it’s up to us three… well the new guy was strong enough to take out Pharynx in the semis, I should keep an eye on him too… judging by how they’ve angled themselves, Tobias is going to Blitz and Ember is going to Fireball it all the way done… don’t they ever learn? Those tactics never work to win… oh well, not my problem,” thought Stephan
“COMPETITORS, READY!!! ON YOUR MARKS!!!... GO!!!” said the anchor as the 4 boarders started their race
“It’s an easy and simple start for the 4 of them with Dragovic leading the race with Rodriguez and Danner fighting for the second spot as they arrive at the first ramp AND DRAGOVICH SHOW US ONCE AGAIN WHY HE IS THE CURRENT KING OF THE SNOW AS HE COMPLETES A PERFECT TRIPLE CORK AND GAINS AN ADVANTAGE OF 20 SECONDS, while Danner and Rodriguez both go for simple corks and Carssen keeps is safe with a simple Ollie, as he fights to catch up with the pack,”
“Dragovich has reached the zigzag flags and is surfing by as gracefully as a… I’d like to say a gazelle by I doubt they’d do so gracefully… and now Danner and Rodriguez have arrived at the trail with Carssen close behind,”
“Rodriguez and Danner are really at each other’s necks fighting for that sweet second place, AS RODRIGUEZ TAKES THE INSIDE ROUTE AND TRIES TO PASS DANNER… BUT, OH!!!! RODRIGUEZ HAS WIPED OUT, HE LOST HIS BALANCE IN THE SHARP TURN AND SLID ALL THE WAY TO THE SAFETY NET, it is almost impossible for him to come back from that, rookie mistake,”
“And now, It’s a fight between Carssen and Danner, as Dragovich reaches the second ramp and graces us with his special trick “leap of faith”... and another perfect landing,”
“AND NOW THE RACE HAS BEEN DECIDED, AS DANNER AND CARSSEN COLLIDE MID AIR AND LAND HARD ONTO THE TRAIL, ALLOWING RODRIGUEZ TO CATCH UP TO THEM… and Carssen is having trouble getting up…”
“Yeah, he’s out… yeah, nasty fall,”
“Oh, his Board is damaged, that means he can no longer continue,”
“Danner and Rodriguez are once again fighting for dominance as they arrive at the snow bumps… OH, AND ONCE AGAIN RODRIGUEZ IS OUT!!!”
“He lost his balance again and… and it might actually be a foul from Danner as she uses her body to cause him to fall,”
“Nah, he was already going down on his own, that’s a coincidence,”
“Danner peaks up the pace as she tries to catch up with Dragovich who is nearing the halfpipe, once that’s completed it’s a race downhill to the final ramp, after that it’s just a stroll to the finish line,”
“As Dragovich arrives and wastes no time on showboating with a perfect frontside 1080, followed by Marepan Air, as he clears the halfpipes,”
“Danner is going as fast as a bullet, as she arrives at the halfpipe and immediately Allie-oop McTwist… her landing a little out of balance there as she moves in for her 2nd trick… and tries an Air to Fakey… BUT LOSES HER BALANCE AS HER BOARD CLIPS THE EDGE OF THE PIPE AND FACEPLANTS INTO THE SNOW!”
“And she is not getting up from that, not to mention her board has detached from her boots, she’s out from the race,”
“What is going on here, crashes, equipment malfunctions, this has to be one of the worst competitions ever,”
“I have to agree, so far there have been 15 injuries and this tournament only consisted of 36 athletes, almost all of them have been involved in an accident of sorts,”
“Well, we are on our final run… And here comes Dragovich as he races no one but the clock as he descends towards the final ramp,”
“Races indeed, but I must say he is going a bit too fast for it to be safe,”
“Once I clear this ramp I’m golden... again… man it’s been three years since the first time I won, and I’m still better than everyone here… NO! I promised that I’d stop that way of thinking… wait, why am I going so fast?” said Stephan
“I agree, and I think he has realized this himself
“Shit, if I don’t slow down I’ll be ejected out of the track… but no matter what I do I’m not slowing down… DAMMIT, I HAVE NO CHOICE!!!” he thought
“And Dragovich has dropped his body backward in an attempt to slow down, yet it doesn’t look like it’s helping,”
“Dragovich is nearing the ramp, still much too fast for it to be safe, as he puts his hand into the snow clawing away trying to slow down…”
[...]
“... the last thing I remember was me clawing away at the track doing my best to slow down, but it was pointless, the next thing I knew I was soaring through the sky without a single drop of control when I finally was able to get a grip on reality I noticed how close I was getting to the floor, I tried to put my arms forward, but, it was pointless… the last thing I felt was my head slamming onto the track as I landed in a “scorpion” position…”
“It was all so fast… to be honest with myself, I didn’t even realize that I was sliding down the track towards the finish line… I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t hear anything… it was as if my whole world had gone black… the last thing I remember seeing was the sun as my eyes closed…”
“... When I woke up again, I found out that I was in a hospital bed, my neck, both arms and several of my ribs had been broken and were wrapped in casts, yet I was unable to hear anything, so, I decided to look around the room…”
“... it was a normal hospital room, white walls, blueish-green or greenish-blue curtains, then the only difference was the bunch of flowers and “get well soon” cards and letters that were before me… it was at this point that my hearing came back, as a tv show caught my attention…”
“... When I turned back to see the screen, I saw it was the news, the title read “Horror at the Snowboarding Freestyle World Cup final” then I heard the reporter say “Authorities have arrested 15 people linked to the incidents during the competition, including 2 members of the competition's board of directors, apparently they deliberately sabotaged and caused harm to the equipment of foreign competitors in light of all of their athletes being defeated easily, this includes the horrifying crash including Dragonland’s snowboarder Stephan Dragovich, in which they deliberately watered the track causing ice to build up and make it harder to maneuver the already damaged equipment… Authorities also discovered that all of the people are active members of a nationalist movement called “The Patriarchs” a group already involved in many racially infused rallies and disturbances...:”
“I have to admit, when I heard that, I was angry, but, I also realized that what was done was done… At that point, the doctor walked in catching my attention…”
“You were lucky, he said, you almost got yourself killed or you could’ve ended up a quadriplegic, now, I have good news and bad news, which one would you like first, he asked… to be honest, I couldn’t really talk so I winked at him,”
“He understood that I meant “the good news” so he told me that the damage to my body was bad, but fortunately it wasn’t life-threatening anymore and that with the right amount of physio I should be back to normal…”
“Then he told me the “bad news”, which was really just more of the same. You had a nasty fall, to the point that we had to treat your back due to many discs being damaged or fractured, but, since I had been out for a month, my back had healed properly… However, the damage was still bad enough that it had damaged my nerve connection to my legs,”
“At that point, I was terrified, I thought he meant I was never going to walk again, but then I remembered that he mentioned that with some physio I was going to be ok… and that was how my slow journey to recovery began,”
The phone screen then started playing another video, it was a video of a high school graduation, more specifically the end of a high school graduation ceremony
“... And last, but not least, Stephan Dragovich,” said the headmaster as a girl helped a wheelchair-ridden young man to the stairs that granted access to the stage where the headmaster was standing.
Upon his arrival to the steps, people began to whisper amongst themselves, criticizing the venue for lacking a wheelchair ramp.
Now, the principal had ordered for a ramp to be built in, only for the occasion, but it seemed they had ignored her orders
“Well, this is embarrassing,” she muttered “Hang on there Stephen, I’ll head over and…” said the headmaster as the young man in the wheelchair lifted his hand telling her to stop.
The whole crowd then went silent as they saw the young man, with a great deal of effort, stood up and climbed up the stairs, walking with a bit of a limp, but upright and proud.
When he reached the headmaster he came to a stop and extended his arm to shake his.
As soon as he did this, the whole crowd erupted into cheers and clapping, some even had tears in their eyes as he received his diploma and walked down the stairs, slowly, just in case, as the video came to an end.
“... Heh, I can still remember everyone’s faces when they saw me walking again… well it did happen 2 months ago… still, I’d like to say that all that is behind me but… even if I try, I can’t, the memories keep coming back to haunt me… it even forced me to quit boarding in any way or form…” thought Stephan as he plopped his phone down onto his bed
“... But it always makes me wonder… what’s next for me?...” he thought as he looked up at the snow-covered mountains
As soon as he thought this, the front door to his apartment swung open, and in walked a girl.
She was around the same age as Stephen, she stood around 5’4”, had a skinny yet curvy built, greyish shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail, and was dressed in snow gear while carrying snow gear.
“MORNING SPIKE! READY TO GO!!!” she screamed
“Morning Gabby, and while we’re on the subject of asking questions, where to?” he asked as he turned and went pale.
“MT. MAGMA, WHERE ELSE?!!” she said
“Aha… you’re joking right?” said Spike
“Of course not, silly, We are heading up there and YOU are snowboarding again, so come along, before it’s noon,” she said as she opened the closet and started grabbing Spike’s snowboarding equipment.
“Wha- Gabby, I see what you’re trying to do but… I’m done,” said Spike as he sighed
Gabby froze and dropped all of the things she’d grabbed
“WHAT?!!!!” she screamed
“I’m done Gabby, It’s over,” said Spike
“What do you mean “it’s over”?” she asked as she walked over to Spike
“What it means, it’s over, I-I-I can’t board any more,” said Spike
“Still, why?... don’t tell me it’s because of the accident,” said Gabby
“What else would you like me to say? Of course, it is,” said Spike
“Just because of that?” said Gabby, already having enough of Spike’s fear of snowboarding
“Excuse me?” said Spike
“Spike, remember when we were 12 and went skiing and I broke my leg after I slid into the tree?” asked Gabby
“Of course I do, your mom blamed me at first,” said Spike
“Well, remember how I wanted to quit snow sports in general after that?” asked Gabby
“Yes,” said Spike
“And what did you do?” asked Gabby
“I forced you to come up with me to the mountain and ski again,” said Spike
“Well, so now you know why I’m here,” said Gabby
“Gabby, I know you mean well, but… 6 millimeters…” said Spike
“6 millimeters?” asked Gabby confused
“6 millimeters to the left, I’d be dead, 3 I’d be a vegetable…” said Spike
“And I understand that it’s terrifying, but, Spike, you have to put all that behind you, you’re here, you’re alive, and thanks to God and the doctors you are deemed fit to snowboard again,” said Gabby
“It’s not about being fit or not…” said Spike
“Then what is?” asked Gabby getting impatient
“Gabby, you don’t know what it feels like, and I pray to God you never do… I had to learn 16 years of skills over 9 months to try and get my life back… Gabby, I had to learn to crawl, walk, run, write, drive, wipe my ass… I don’t want to go through that again… Plus, I haven’t even skateboarded in over a year, I don’t think I can snowboard anymore,” said Spike
“Spike, this has to stop!... it turned your life upside down, for the worse… you’re skinny as a toothpick, your hair is long and unkempt, you haven’t shave, your apartment is a mess, heck you didn’t even apply for a university to attend to come this fall, which is in 2 months, almost 3, and quite frankly, if it weren’t for me stealing, I MEAN, borrowing your spare key for your grandma, you wouldn’t be socializing at all, and no, Ember’s, Thorax’s and Pharynx calls don’t count,”
Spike went silent
“Spike, I’m scared too, I’ve known you since we were 6 and despite you being a dick, most of the time back then because of your inflated ego, but still, you were always there for me, making me smile and feel better when I needed, but now, when I want to pay you back, you push me away,”
Spike kept looking out the window as Gabby’s words sank into his mind
“You’re going to have to face your past at some point Spike, and it’s better to do it now than later… Plus, you told me once that boarding is just like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it… I’m not asking you to go and be a maniac on the ramps and do impossible tricks… yet, but to go to the free slope and clear your mind… you used to do that when you had stuff troubling you,” said Gabby
Spike didn’t turn, but Gabby’s words played again and again in his brain as his gaze lifted to see the snow-covered mountain.
“Alright,” he said emotionlessly
“Really?” asked Gabby
“Yeah… you’re right, I have to keep putting my life back together, so… let’s go,” said Spike
“AWESOME!!!” said Gabby as she left the apartment to let Spike get dressed.
2 HOURS LATER
“Finally, we’re here, thanks for driving us,” said Gabby as she stepped out of Spike’s truck
“Don’t mention it, but next time, if you’re going to invite someone to do something, at least have the decency to drive,” said Spike
“Sorry, I forgot that my van isn’t 4x4,” said Gabby
“Oh well… what now?” asked Spike
“Time for me to confess,” said Gabby
“Confess? Confess what?!” asked Spike getting nervous
“Despite the fact that I brought you up here to snowboard, in reality, I had to come here to practice,” said Gabby
“Oh, practice what?” asked Spike
“Glad you asked, follow me,” said Gabby as she led Spike to a track at the back of the resort
The track was a bit complex, it had jumps, bumps, and slopes, but what called Spike’s attention, even more, was the fact that there were many people of different ages competing against each other.
“Wow, what is this?” asked Spike
“This, my depressed friend, is Crashed Ice, the next big thing in winter sports,” said Gabby
It was after hearing this that Spike’s face went from amazed to serious as he turned to look at Gabby
“Crashed Ice?... THAT Crashed Ice, seriously?” asked Spike
“Yes, seriously,” said Gabby
“I can’t believe it, 3 years ago this was just the perfect distraction for thugs and hockey rejects to probe they can skate, and now it’s a sport?” asked Spike
“Yeah, it’s even going to be present in the next Olympics,” said Gabby
“Is it really that popular?” asked Spike
“I don’t know, is it?” said Gabby as she pointed to the long line of people waiting to enter the track
“HOW?” asked Spike
“Well, you can thank Ember and the crew… after your incident, they put snowboarding on hiatus, and while they were taking some time off they discovered this and began to show it to people on social media, the next thing you know, it went from being an underground sport to actually being considered one,” said Gabby
“In just 2 years?” asked Spike
“Oh no, it’s been a sport for a long while before but thanks to them it became really popular,” said Gabby
“Really?” asked Spike
“Yeah, there is even a federation for it, and a world ranking, I’m number 22,” said Gabby
“Wow, you must be good,” said Spike
“Yeah, I won a few invitationals over the last 2 years, that’s way… speaking of which, there is an invitational happening this Saturday, why don’t you join?” asked Gabby
“Baby steps Gabby, baby steps, plus, I haven’t skated since I was 12,” said Spike
“And back then you used to be the Hockey team captain, and MVP three years in a row, this is child’s play compared to that,” said Gabby
“Looks complicated,” said Spike
“Spike, you used to make complex Snowboard tricks look like child’s play, and you’re afraid regarding a smaller competition that involves skates, agility, roughness, and a lot of hard falls, now I’m seriously terrified that you’ve lost your mojo,” said Gabby
“I don’t even know the rules,” said Spike
“I can teach them to you, they’re quite straightforward,” said Gabby
“I don’t know Gabby,” said Spike
Gabby was about to answer when she saw the race number and realized it was hers “Listen, it’s my turn to go and race, go and board for a while and think about it,” said Gabby
“If you say so,” said Spike
“Plus, if you join and participate on Saturday, and give a good performance, maybe a university will scout you to join their team and give you a scholarship, just think about it,” said Gabby as she ran off leaving Spike alone.
MINUTES LATER, AT THE TOP OF THE FREE SLOPE
“Ok, here we are… it’s been a while since I was last up here…” said Spike nervously as he looked down the slope
All of a sudden images and memories from the accident started flooding Spike’s brain, this made him so nervous and caused him to start hyperventilating.
“Ok Spike… breath, relax… breathe… you can’t let this stop you… face it…” Spike said as he gave himself a mental pep-talk.
Unfortunately, Spike didn’t realize that during his hyperventilation he had slid towards the edge of the slope and was now a mere inches from beginning the descent.
“... I mean, you have trained countless hours in snowboarding… and mom and dad always said it was a matter of learning how to get up every time you fell, and… is it just me or is the wind picking up?... HOLY SHIT!!” said Spike as he realized that he was racing down the slope, almost uncontrollably.
Spike continued to pick up speed with every second, he knew he had to do something or he’d crash, but no matter what he tried his body was frozen and refused to listen to his brain’s commands.
“Dammit, if I don’t slow down, I’ll crash and get injured again, or worse, I’ll crash into someone else and injure them…” thought Spike as he saw he was getting closer to a group of kids who were learning how to ski
“OH, GOD!!” Spike said as he closed his eyes waiting for the crash
“And that kids, is what a pro Snowboarder does, look at him go, he isn’t even opening his eyes, that demonstrates a high level of confidence in one’s skills, but don’t go doing it yourselves yet,” said the instructor as Spike got away from the class
“What?” said Spike as he opened his eyes
Spike looked back and noticed that he had skillfully evaded the class of kids, without even trying, it was as if his instincts kicked in and had taken over his body.
“Did, did I just do that… with my eyes closed?” said Spike as he continued to make his way down the slope.
It was at this point that Spike turned to face the path before him, and saw that it was crowded with people, many of which were either going so slow or had fallen to the floor, creating the perfect obstacle course.
“Well, time to see if what I told Gabby all those years ago was true,” he thought he began to pick up speed as he neared the rest of the massive crowd of people on the slope
As he got nearer and nearer to the crowd, Spike’s body began to panic and subsequently began to tense up.
“Oh no, not again,” said Spike as he was mere inches from the crowd
Then as his board became parallel with the back part of someone’s skis, Spike’s legs moved on their own, as he steered his way around the crowd, masterfully and gracefully, without invading anyone’s personal space.
He even impressed a couple of people as he passed by them, who cheered at him or clapped, others even tried to race him, but Spike left them in the dust.
Seconds later Spike made it to the bottom of the slope, and came to a graceful stop. For a few seconds Spike stood there, like a statue, but then, he heard people clapping and cheering at him all around him.
This confused him so much, but then he looked up and saw a small crowd standing there, clapping, cheering, some were even taking pictures of him.
However Spike thought they were there for someone else who was behind him, so he turned and saw another pair of snowboarders coming towards him.
“Oh, they must be famous, better get out of the way before we crash,” Spike thought as he got out of the way
To his surprise, however, the crowd’s gaze, and phones followed him, even the snowboarders changed course as they neared him.
“DUDE! It’s so great to have you back,” said one of them as he came to a stop in front of Spike
“What are you talking about?” asked Spike
“Dude, after the horrible accident in the final, we thought you’d never board again, it’s so awesome to have you back, scratch that, it’s awesome to meet you,” said the other one
“Oh… you know who I am?” said Spike confused
“Of course, your board helmet is iconic, I doubt there is anyone in the world, who likes winter sports, that doesn’t know who you are,” said the first one
At this point, Spike’s eyes widened in surprise, as he realized he accidentally put on his competitive helmet instead of his everyday helmet, letting people know who he was
“Oh God, where are my manners, hi, the name’s Dustin Belkin, big fan,” said the first boarder
“And I’m Jack, Jack Greenlish, it’s an honor,” said the second one
“Mind if we take a picture?” asked Dustin
“Uh, I’m not really presentable under the helmet, but if you don’t mind me wearing it then, go for it,” said Spike
“Of course, we’re not going to impose,” said Jack as they both took out their phones and took a selfie with Spike.
“Thank you so much!” said Dustin
“Hey, mind if you sign my helmet?” asked Jack as gave Spike a pen
“Where the hell were you keeping that pen?” asked Spike, confused at the sudden appearance of it
“Oh, I just keep it in my pouch, you never know when you’ll run into a celebrity,” said Jack as he handed the pen to Spike
“Handy,” said Spike as he signed Jack’s helmet
“Mind if you sign mine too?” asked Dustin
“Sure, just let me remove my boots from the snowboard,” said Spike as he bent down. Once he had successfully detached his boots from the snowboard, Spike turned around ready to sign Dustin’s helmet, only to find a long line of people waiting to take a picture or get his autograph.
“Looks like you’ll need my pen more after all,” said Jack as Spike walked over the line and people began to crowd him to take pictures and get something signed.
2 HOURS LATER
Spike had reached the top of the slope once again, his hand hurt from signing autographs left and right.
To avoid catching anyone’s attention again, he had gone over to his truck and changed his helmet, hoping that the people who had seen him earlier had left so he could be another anonymous boarder on the slope.
“Heh, I forgot what it felt like to be crowded by people, I think that was the main reason my dad sent me to practice at the private slops… wonder if they’d be proud of what I have accomplished so far… on another note, It seems Gabby was right, my ability is still there, and my mind seems to be clearing up, I should thank her later,” said Spike as he began to make his second descend down the slope.
“Huh, what have I done… I was so depressed about the accident, and I let my fear consume me… I even threw my ability down the drain and distanced myself from my friends… heck I even stopped caring about my future all together… Luckily for me Gabby and Ember came to see me and keep me up with school work for those 6 months I didn’t attend… It’s basically thanks to them that I was able to graduate with good grades… yet, I didn’t apply for any university… Well, I still can apply to the community college… but once I do, what should I study?... Well, I’m good at math, so maybe I should stick to the family tradition and become an accountant, or business management… or I can take my dad’s family tradition and become a lawyer… decisions, decisions…” thought Spike as he continued to make his way slowly down the slope.
It was then Spike’s eyes landed upon a rather, funny, sight; a couple of feet in front of him, was a girl, she seemed to be the same age as Spike, but, it was evident, by her lack of balance and dexterity that she had never been on skis before, as she was wobbling around, and swinging her arms up and down uncontrollably trying to gain balance, but, it was futile, as seconds later she fell backward hard.
Spike felt bad for her, but he still had to hold in his laughter
“Haha, I remember when that was me, years ago, except, I landed with my face… better go help her out,” he thought as he made his way towards the fallen girl, skillfully turning around her to come to a stop in front of her to avoid throwing snow at her.
“You ok?” asked Spike as he extended his arm towards her, it was at this point that the girl looked up at Spike, and Spike became flabbergasted.
She was beautiful, long, silky, pink hair, a skinny body, greenish-blue eyes, and, most surprising, she had big boobs, a fact which her sweater was failing to hide from the world.
“Yes, thank you,” she said quietly as she took Spike’s hand getting him out of his trance to help her up
“First time skiing?” he asked as the girl got to her feet, which allowed Spike to realize she was fairly short, around 5’1” to 5’3”
“Yeah, to be honest, I’ve never skied before,” she said
“Oh, then, why did you come here?” asked Spike trying to continue the conversation
“Well, they say that it is always good to try something new,” said the girl
“Yeah, but something tells me you’re here for another reason,” said Spike
The girl looked at Spike rather shyly
“Well, to be honest, I’m here with my friend Robyn, but, as you said, neither of us came to ski or snowboard,” said the girl
“Oh, then what was it?” asked Spike
“We came to participate in the invitational,” she said
‘Invitational?... the crashed ice invitational?” asked Spike
“Yeah, that one, Robyn said it’ll be the perfect training for the both of us before we head to university,” said the girl
“Oh, and where’s your friend now?” asked Spike
“Knowing her, she still at the track, racing to her heart’s content, while I was sidelined to be up here on my own since I got bored of being there,” said the girl
“Really?” asked Spike
“Yeah… I wanted to come up here to see if I could see any cute animals but to do that I had to rent a pair of skis and take the gondola, but when I got up here, there were none, and before I knew it I was trying to make my way back down, and then I met you,” said the girl
“Oh, yeah, you’re not going to see any animals around here, they get spooked by the noise,” said Spike
“Oh,” said the girl
“Say, if you want I can teach you how to ski properly, that way you won’t be alone as you make your descend,” said Spike
The girl looked at Spike and said
“Are you sure?” she said
“Of course, no one should be alone, plus, I’m heading down too,” said Spike
“Oh, thank you, by the way, my name is Florence, Florence Sutton, but my friends call me Fluttershy… you can call me that too… i-if you want,” she said
“Sure, my name is Stephan, but you can call me Spike,” he answered
“N-nice to meet you,” said Fluttershy
“Likewise… ok, Fluttershy the first thing you have to do when skiing is…” Spike began as he taught Fluttershy the basics as they made their way down the slope, meanwhile having small talk here and there.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
“... and here we are,” said Spike as they finally made it to the bottom of the slope
“Wow, that was actually fun, thanks, you’re a great teacher,” said Fluttershy
“Thanks, been boarding since I was little so, I know my way around skis and snowboards, what about you?” asked Spike
“Well, I love both winter sports and summer sports, but I’ve never been skiing before, I’m more of a hockey person,” Fluttershy answered as Spike helped her detach her boots.
“Oh, you play hockey too?” asked Spike
“I used to, haven’t played in a while,” said Fluttershy
“What position did you play?” asked Spike
“Goalie, you?” she asked
“Center, why did you stop?” asked Spike
“The armor I had to wear hurt since… well, you can see why,” said Fluttershy as she turned red
“Oh… yeah, I can see who that can be uncomfortable,” said Spike
“And so, my friend Rachel introduced me to the Crashed ice,” said Fluttershy
“I take it you like it,” said Spike
“Yeah, I love it, but, believe it or not, I’ve never won a competition, I always come in second, nevertheless, I still managed to reach 13th place in the world ranking, what about you?” she asked
“I… I haven’t participated in a while,” said Spike
“Oh, are you going to this Saturday?” asked Fluttershy
“Uhm… yeah… yes I will,” said Spike
“Ok, I’ll see you then,” said Fluttershy
‘Ok,” said Spike as he and Fluttershy said goodbye “I have to find Gabby, I need to register… Wait, why am I so exasperated over this?... well, it did seem fun,” thought Spike as he made his way to the track.
AT THE CRASHED ICE TRACK
“RUNNERS!.... 5 SECOND WARNING… GO!!!” said the starter as the four competitors dashed away from the starting line
“It’s a strong start from everyone with Griffin leading the race followed closely by Sandino and Osho while Armand has been relegated to the back as the racers arrive at the jump step and make their way to the first curve, with Griffin still in the lead, followed by Sandino and Osho as they fight over the second place, AND ARMAND JUST SQUEEZED THROUGH THE GAP LEFT BY THEM TO CLAIM THE SECOND SPOT, now it’s their turn to play catch up,”
“Both Griffin and Armand increase their speed as they go under the bridge and reach the second set of jump steps with Osho and Sandino following close behind,”
“Armand has finally caught up with Griffon as they begin fighting for the first place, damn it looks like one of those old roller derbies, as they reach the Goodwin tire turn, AND ARMAND TRIES TO OVERTAKE GRIFFIN ON THE INSIDE, BUT SHE SLAMS INTO THE TIRE CURVE AND FALLS CAUSING SANDINO AND OSHO TO TRIP as Griffin picks up the pace as she reaches the ice mounds and crosses the finish line without no concern,”
“Easy victory for Gabriella Griffin, the North/North-East conference No. 2… as Sabrina Osho, Cassey Armand, and Manuela Sandino arrive to finish the race,”
“Good race,” they all said to each other as they exited the track
“You’re really good at this,” said Spike as he walked up to Gabby
“Spike! I didn’t expect to see you here,” said Gabby in surprise
“Yeah well, I got bored of boarding alone and signing autographs so..” Spike started
“Wait, YOU signed autographs?” asked Gabby in disbelief
“Yeah, turns out I accidentally brought my competitive helmet out instead of my anonymous helmet and people started to realize who I was… I think it’s on social media,” said Spike as they both fished out their phones to see the massive amount of videos, pictures, posts, likes, comments, and shares that had been shared ever since that morning.
“Wow, that’s a lot of love,” said Spike
“THAT’S what you’re surprised about, look at these videos of you boarding, you look like if nothing ever happen to you… except you didn’t go anywhere near the ramps,” said Gabby as she showed Spike her phone
“I am not… yet… but you were right, my abilities are still there, and snowboarding did help me clear my mind,” said Spike
“Glad to hear, well, I’m done for today, wait here while I gather my things,” said Gabby as she walked away towards the lockers
“Sure,” said Spike while he continued to scroll down IG until he had an idea, he went over to the search bar and wrote down “Florence Sutton”
Immediately various accounts appeared on his screen but he recognized Fluttershy’s face so he clicked on her account.
Her account was private, so he wasn’t able to see any pictures, but he was able to access her description
“Wow, she has 8K followers, yet she only follows around 20 people… Thank you for following my account, proud member of the Rainbooms, New Canterlot State University Pony,” Spike read her description
“Ok Spike, ready to go?” came Gabby’s voice
“What? I mean, sure,” said Spike as he walked over to the exit
“Excuse me, at what time does the track close?” asked Spike
“24 hours dude, just come and race,” said the attendant
“Thanks… hey Gabby,” said Spike
“Yeah?” she said
“Mind telling me the rules for Crashed ice,” said Spike
“Why?” asked Gabby
“Well, it seemed fun, plus, I’ve been intrigued by it for a while now,” Spike said
Gabby stared at him but gave in
“Sure, well, first of all, you have to realize that there are 3 types of runners, 1) the Pros, these guys actually know what they’re doing and follow the rules as much as possible, 2) you have the showboats, these riders only care about making a show, either by wearing elaborate kits, or doing crazy stunts to distract the other runners, and 3) you have the bad boys/girls, they only care about one thing, breaking the unwritten rules, they will shove you, punch you, push you, trip you, or find any way to get you out of the race so they win,”
“Next, there are no rules you should be worried about, but, I must warn you, some runners tend to complain about losing so they will challenge any detail that might’ve caused them the race, so anything from what the bad boys due plus blocking will be reviewed and if you are found guilty you will be disqualified, also, for you to win, both your skates must cross the finish line,”
“Lastly, points are given from 1,000 to the first place to 0.5 to the 100th place, depending if there is a 100th place, invitationals also work the same way, but you can also gain points for Good Sportsmanship and time, and you lose points for being a dick, but not many, the more points you get the faster you rank up, the higher rank you have the more universities, professional teams and sponsors pay attention to you,” said Gabby
“Cool,” said Spike
“Yeah… wanna give it a try?” asked Gabby
“Nah, I’m good, maybe some other day,” said Spike
“If you say so,” said Gabby as Spike continued to drive
“Oh, I forgot to mention, you must register to the federation if you want to participate, that way, even this dummy runs I did will give you points, but only 100 for every first 75 for the second, 50 for third, and 25 for fourth,” said Gabby
“Noted, thanks,” said Spike as they neared the city
“Say, Spike, you know what University are you going to apply for?” asked Gabby
“Well… I was thinking of applying to Canterlot State, I’ve heard they have a good Economics curriculum,” said Spike
“Oh,” said Gabby a tad disheartened “But, Canterlot State is a very expensive University,” she said
“I can apply, with my grades, I might be able to win a scholarship,” said Spike
“Maybe, but they are really selective, what about Crystal University?” asked Gabby
“What about it?” asked Spike
“The whole squad is going there, at least you won’t be all alone,” said Gabby
“True, but it won’t be a challenge since I’d fit in immediately thanks to all of you,” said Spike
Gabby looked even more disheartened after she heard that
“But you’re right, Canterlot may be hard, so I'll keep Crystal U. as my second option,” said Spike
“Optimism, now that’s what I like to hear,” Gabby said, trying to hide her sadness.
“Well, here we are…” said Spike as he pulled up to Gabby’s house
“Thanks,” said Gabby as she got out and grabbed her stuff from the trunk
“See you Saturday,” said Spike, not realizing his slip of the tongue
“Sure, why?” asked Gabby
Spike quickly realized his mistake and said “We used to hang out on Saturdays,” with a smile
“Well, no can do ma boy, I have the invitational, but, I can go Sunday,” said Gabby
“Ok,” said Spike
“See ya,” said Gabby as she walked into her home
Spike waited for the door to close and then drove off
“Time for me to remember my skills,” he said as he looked at a backpack on the floor of his truck.
A FEW MINUTES LATER AT THE CRASHED ICE TRACK
“You have skated before right?” asked the track marshall as Spike positioned himself on the starting line.
“Yeah, just haven’t done it in a while,” said Spike
“Well, it’ll come back to ya… a little word of advice, when you reach a curve try to find a way to make swift, close turns, it’ll help you gain extra seconds when computing… ready?” asked the marshall
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Spike
“Runner… 5-second warning… GO!!!!”
As the marshall said go, Spike felt something crawl through his body as everything around him slowed down.
“Odd… I feel like I’ve felt this before, but where?” said Spike as memories from his hockey playing and snowboarding days, and realized that everytime he was moved, everything slowed down as the adrenaline shot up.
“Oh, Yeah!” said Spike as he picked up the pace
“Good strong start, as he reaches the jump steps and clears them perfectly and continues to gain speed as he reaches the first curve… AND CLEARS IT LIKE IF IT WAS NOTHING!... he continues to pick up the pace as he goes under the bridge, and reaches the second set of jump steps… WHICH HE JUMPS OVER AND STICKS THE LANDING.. As he reaches the tire curve, and clears it masterfully, now he only has to clear the ice bumps and… done, OH MY GOD!” said the marshall as he raced towards the finish line.
Spike stood there, looking into the nothingness, his breathing becoming stable once again
“That… was… amazing!” said Spike as turned around to see the marshall running towards him “Oh boy he looks angry, did I break the rules?” Spike thought as the marshall came over and to his surprise, gave Spike a hug
“The fuck?” Spike thought
“Dude! Are you sure you’ve never skated on crashed ice before?” asked the marshall
“Pretty sure, yeah,” said Spike
“Then how do you want me to believe and/or explain THAT!” said the marshall as he pointed to the stop watch
“What about it?” asked Spike
“It says 10.7 seconds,” said the marshall
“Is that a good thing?” asked Spike
“Good thing? GOOD THING? IT’S A FUCKING WORLD RECORD!!!!” exclaimed the marshall
“Really?” asked Spike
“YES, REALLY!” said the marshall
“Cool,” said Spike
“How can you be so fucking chill about it, FUCK THAT!, are you registered on the federation?” asked the marshall
“No,” said Spike
“THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!” said the marshall as he ran of to find his laptop
A few seconds later he came back holding the laptop, which had the federation’s registration site displayed on the screen
“Here, just follow what the website says,” said the marshall as he gave it to Spike.
Spike looked at the marshall and then at the laptop
“Please complete this application to formally join the Crashed Ice Competitive Federation, Family names: Moran Dragovich, Given names: Stephan Alexander, nicknames: Drago, I really should right Spike, then all my friends will know, height: 6’5”, weight: 170lbs, years skating: 17, date of birth: 17/Nov/2002, place of birth, Capital city, Dragonlands… please chose, name or nickname, which one should be displayed when computing, chosen: Nickname, please enter email and new password… welcome to the Crashed Ice Competitive Federation, your current confederation ranking is: 1,248… your current world ranking is: 13,876,” spike read
“Ok, now, let’s upload the video of you breaking the world record and time and see your new ranking,” said the marshall
“Will it really help?” asked Spike
“Yeah, there is always a federation worker reviewing videos and adding tallies from impromptu races and official competitions,” said the marshall as he uploaded the video.
“And this will give me points?” asked Spike
“Yeah, but I have to tell you, they give you more points for competitive time records, or for winning a lot of impromptu races, but let’s see how many points they give you,” said the marshall
“Attention, Drago, you have been awarded, 10,000 points,” said the robotic voice on the website
Spike and the marshall looked at each other
“Your new conference ranking is:100th your current world ranking is: 1,101th,” said the voice
“What the hell?” said Spike
“Wow, I was only expecting you to receive 1,000 points, maybe 5 max, but this is, wow,” said the marshall
“What now?” asked Spike
“I open those doors, let people back in, and you teach them a lesson,” said the marshall
“Why are you doing this?” asked Spike
“First, you’re Stephan Dragovich. Second, I am witnessing the resurrection of a legend in a new sport, OH!, and you better be here on Saturday,” said the marshall as he opened the doors ,to allow people in.
But once they did, they received a notification telling them about the world record.
“Wow, some dude just broke the world record… wait, it happened here?” one of them said as they saw the stop watch, and then at Spike, who was wearing a green and black helmet, instead of his well known green and purple helmet.
“Yo, you Drago?” asked one of them
Spike nodded
“Wanna race?” they asked
Spike nodded as he followed the crowd of racers to the start line
Please tap your Federation IDs to add points to your ranking and make this impromptu race official, you may find it on your email, or you might have it on a card,” said the marshall
“Logan Redvern, conference ranking: 345, Maxwell Atreyu, conference ranking: 890, Sean King, conference ranking: 49, Drago, conference Ranking: 100,” said the computer
“Racers…. 5 second warning… GO!’
“Powerful start from Drago and King as they race off, leaving Redvern and Atreyu behind, as they reach the jump steps, UPS, Atreyu misjudges the jump and falls, losing his balance, as the other 3 racers increase their advantage… Drago and King masterfully take the first curve and race their way under the bridge as they reach the second set of jump steps, which Drago clears by jumping over them, leaving King behind to play catch-up, as Drago reaches the ice bumps and clears them masterfully for an easy victory, as King comes in seconds, followed by Redvern and lastly Atreyu, with the following lap times: Drago: 10.6 Seconds, another world and track record, King 13 seconds not bad, Redvern 24 seconds, and Atreyu with 27 seconds,” said the marshall
“Good race, you coming on Saturday?” asked Sean
Spike nodded
“See you there then,” he said as he left the track
“Yo, Drago, ready for another one?” asked another racer, to which Spike nodded, as he walked over to the gate again
“Dylan Percedal, conference ranking: 165, Frank Threbbs, conference ranking: 134, Drago, conference ranking:87, Bullet, conference ranking: 93,” said the voice as Spike turned to face the marshall
To which he shrugged, as Spike climbed the steps to compete again.
SATURDAY
Spike had spent the last 39 hours competing on the track, until the same marshall had to force people to let him go and have some rest, allowing Spike to leave the track undefeated, which amazed everyone.
However, somewhere through the night, the speaker from the gate got damaged and people weren’t allowed to hear their rankings.
Not even Spike himself knew his ranking, but to be honest he didn’t care much about it, the only thing he cared about was reaching the venue on time, as he had slept in and was running late.
“Dammit, I can’t believe I forgot to turn of “silent mode” on my phone… Come on, come on!” said Spike as he drove his truck into the parking lot of the resort, got off, grabbed his things and rushed inside.
When he entered, Spike was met by a surprising sight, there were only boys at the venue, which confused Spike, since both Gabby and Fluttershy had mentioned they were participating in the invitational cup.
“Drago, you made it,” said the marshall as he walked over to Spike
“Yeah… hey, um, weren’t there going to be female competitors too?” asked Spike
“Oh yeah, they already finished their competition,” said the marshall
“Really?” asked Spike
“Yeah, there were only 16 female competitors, enough for 4 groups, 2 semifinal races, and the final,” said the marshall
“How late I’m I?” asked Spike
“About 30 minutes since the end of the girls race, and just in time for your competition, you’re up after this hit,” said the marshall as he walked away
Spike, however, just stood there, he had missed his chance of seeing Fluttershy again, and made him believe he was never going to see her again.
He kept thinking that until he realized a small detail
“Canterlot State University, if I can get accepted, I can talk to her again… Still, I don’t know why I’m so drawn to her…” thought Spike as he turned around and almost jumped out of his skin
“I knew it was you, what are you doing here?” said Gabby as she gave Spike a surprised look
“Uhm… well… uhm… Shit, I have to come up with a lie right now!” said Spike as he began to sweat
“He’s going to try and lie, even though he’s a terrible liar,” Said Gabby raising an eyebrow
“Shit, she knows I’m a terrible liar,” said Spike as he decided to come “clean”
“So, you saw me race and thought of trying it yourself only to realize that you have a massive amount of potential and then you registered for the race,” said Gabby
“Yup,” said Spike
“Have you even registered for the federation?” asked Gabby
“Yup, here,” said Spike as he showed her his phone
As soon as Gabby’s eyes looked at the screen, they widened in shock
“Spike, are you sure you have the right account?” asked Gabby
“Yeah, it’s the only one I have,” said Spike
“It just makes no sense,” said Gabby
“What doesn’t?” asked Spike as he looked at his phone and had the same reaction as Gabby
“Stephan “Drago” Dragovich, Conference Ranking: 1st, World Ranking 3rd, points: 60,000,” read the website
“What the hell?” said Spike as he opened his email, which was loaded with messages from the federation
“Attention Drago, you’ve been awarded 10,000 points, for breaking the world record,” said Spike
“Attention Drago, you’ve been awarded 100 points for your mock race win,” said Gabby
“There are 3 messages awarding me 10,000 points, and 300 emails awarding me 100 points, HOW?!” asked Spike
“My question exactly,” said Gabby
“Simple really, you were here for 39 hours and 10 minutes, in all that time, you participated and won 300 races, breaking your own record in 2 occasions, leaving it at 9.28 seconds, therefore, resulting in you winning so many points,” said the marshall
“YOU DID WHAT?!!!” screamed Gabby
“Oh yeah, I tried to stay here for only an hour, but before I realized everyone wanted to defeat me, but, I’m still undefeated,” said Spike
Gabby glared at Spike, and before he could react, she grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away
“OUCH!~” he said as they disappeared into the crowd
“What was all that about?” came a male voice
“No idea… MR. CALDREN!!!! What are you doing here?” asked the marshall
“Well, it’s an invitational cup, plus, I received news that someone broke the world record here, 3 times, I just have to meet him,” said Mr. Caldren
“Well, he’ll be running soon,” said the marshall
“Well, I hope he is as amazing as he has been labeled,” he said as he walked over to the seats.
WITH SPIKE AND GABBY
“Care to explain!” said Gabby
“I thought I already did?” said Spike
“You told me you were going to take baby steps before getting back into this, and now, here you are, at a Crashed Ice invitational Cup, regarded as the third best skater in the world,” said Gabby
“Sorry,” said Spike
“I’M NOT ANGRY ABOUT THAT!” exclaimed Gabby
“So then?” asked Spike
“Well, I am irked that you didn’t mention the skating, but I’m even more pissed by the fact you don’t even realize in the position you’re in,” said Gabby
Spike just looked at Gabby with a clueless face, which made Gabby even angrier
“Listen Knucklehead, if you win this cup, you’ll be THE best skater in the world right now, and if that happens, you’d be a considered a prodigy,” said Gabby
Spike, however, did not change his facial expression
“Do I have to spell it out for you? If you’re a prodigy, you will be bombarded with sponsorships and pro-team offers, if you end up joining a pro team, you won’t be able to attend college with me, not to mention, do you really don’t know how the world will react when they discover that “Drago” is Stephan Dragovich, no.1 snowboarded in the world,” said Gabby
“Is it really that bad?” asked Spike
Gabby glared at Spike, she was used to Spike being a blockhead, especially when it came to romance stuff, but, in his defence, Gabby was too afraid of confessing her feelings to Spike, so, her excuse really did sound like she hated Spike’s new fame.
However, this caused her to realize Spike’s interpretation of her argument, and she quickly changed it
“It’s not about it being bad, it’s just… it’s going to be complicated,” said Gabby
Spike was about to answer when they heard
“Skater for hit 8 please prepare for start,” said the marshall
“Gabby, my life’s always been complicated, but you know me… I love a good challenge,” said Spike as he walked away to start the race
“I know… that’s the attitude that made me love you,” said Gabby as she walked over to the track.
RACE
“We have Zoran Bouguxz on start 1, Drago on 2, Hazam Al-Sheera on 3, and Masamune Fujimoto on 4, who’s your favorite?”
“Either Masamune Fujimoto or Zoran Bouguxz, they both know how it feels to win an invitational,”
“Well, we can’t leave Hazam out, he’s won a few himself, granted he is not going through a good moment, but, he is the sultan of comebacks, plus, we have the newblood, Drago, not much is known about him, especially since he never removed the helmet, although we do know, he is the skater with the world record, and is currently holding a record of 300-0 when it come to races,”
“Well, that means that if he win this cup he will be #1 in the combined world ranking,”
“SKATERS… 5 SECOND WARNING… GO!”
“And they're off, powerful start from Drago, who has left his competition behind as he reaches the first jump step, and makes a quick turn on the slope curve adding more distance between him and Fujimoto who is currently on second place, as he goes under the bridge… and of course, he jumps over the steps and heads for the tire curve… ladies and gentleman present, It seems like Drago is about to break his own record… passes the ice bumps… and… OH! SO CLOSE, 10.2 seconds on yet another perfect run, as Fujimoto arrives in second with a time of 11.43 seconds, followed by Bouguxz with a time of 12.46, and Hazam with a time of 12.55”
“Good race,” said Spike as he went over to bro hug the other skaters
“Dude, how do you do it?” asked Masamune
“To be honest, not even I know,” said Spike
“Well, when you find out, don’t tell a soul,” said Zoran
“Why?” asked Spike
“Dude, we all have our quirks and secret strategies, if you share them with everyone, you won’t have the upper hand,” said Hazam
“Right, thanks guys,” said Spike as they all hugged one lat time and exited the track.
“That. was. Amazing!” said Gabby as she walked up to Spike
“Thanks,” said Spike
“Sorry for my outburst earlier,” said Gabby
“It’s ok, better out than in Shrek always says,” said Spike
“That’s not what it means,” said Gabby
“I know, but still, better to say what you think and get it off your chest,” said Spike
“Huh, you’re right,” said Gabby
“By the way, how did your competition go?” asked Spike
“I WON!” Gabby said as she jumped up and down
“Really! Congratulations!” Spike said giving her a hug, making Gabby blush
“Thanks, I finally dethroned Ember,” said Gabby as Spike stopped the hug
“How?” asked Spike
“Well, the final was going to be really close, it was Ember, me, another Rainbow-haired girl called… Robyn Danielssen or Rainbow Dash as she calls herself, and Florence Sutton…”
“Oh, Fluttershy,” said Spike not realizing what he said until it was too late
“Yeah, Fluttershy… how do you know her?” asked Gabby
“Ran into her in the slopes, helped her ski her way down and taught her the basics along the way,” said Spike with a smile
“That’s it?” asked Gabby
“Pretty much, yeah,” Spike answered
“Well, anyway… the race didn’t start well for me, of course, between Ember and Rainbow Dash competing they were going to be the favorites regardless, so, it was just a race between me and “Fluttershy” for 3rd place, and it was like that for most of the race, until we reached the tire curve, and Rainbow Dash tried to one-up Ember by cutting inside, yet, Ember, being her, didn’t take it well and tried to stop her slamming her into the tires, yet, the force sent Rainbow Dash flying backwards and caused Ember to tangle up with her and fall, allowing me and Fluttershy to pass them, and since I was faster than her I crossed first, she came second and Ember came third,” said Gabby
“Cool, you defeated 2 strong skaters,” said Spike
“More like, they defeated themselves… more importantly, your next race is coming up,” said Gabby as she pointed at the screen
“And by the looks of it, we have some familiar faces on this one…” said Spike as he went over to the starting line
QUARTER-FINAL RACE
“And we are back with a new race coming up, hit winners, Drago and Garble, battling it out against legendary skater Darius Bagan and surprise competitor Frank Desmond…”
“You ain’t match for me, I’ll be the one to end your little show,” said Garble as Spike placed himself next to him
“And hello to you to Garble,” said Spike
“Wait? You know me?” asked Garble
“Of course, you’ve been my worst nightmare for the last 6 years of my life,” said Spike
“Cool, I take it… wait, that voice… Where have I…” said Garble
“...GO!!!!” said the marshall as all skaters, minus Garble, skated away
“Oh no, you don’t,” said Garble as he accelerated
“And they are off, a bad start from Gabriel Benson, but he is picking up speed, however, it seems it’s going to be another easy victory for Drago as he speeds up and leaves everyone behind… Benson is literally flying down the track trying to make up time… OH BOY, BAGAN AND DESMOND COLLIDE AGAINST EACH OTHER ON THE HIGH CURVE ALLOWING GARBLE TO SKI BY UNOPPOSED… Can he catch up to Drago?... Drago has reached the final set of Jump steps, and again, jumps over them, man this guy doesn’t change his strategy at all… and he clears the tire curve, and one more easy victory for Drago… HAHAHA! Benson just tried to imitate Drago on the step jumps and screwed up the landing, causing him to face plant… but he gets up quickly, just as Bagan skates by at full speed… and Bagan loses his balance at the tire curve, once again allowing Benson to skate by followed by Desmond, and~... that’s a match, Benson in second and Desmond third, but it will be Drago and Benson who will advance to the semi-finals,”
“Dude, that was awesome,” said Masamune as he and Gabby walked up to Spike
“Yeah, especially the way you caused Garble to lose concentration at the start,” said Gabby
“Thanks,” said Spike
“Well, we’re up next,” said Masamune as he and Spike walked over to the starting line
“Good luck Spike!” said Gabby as she waved at him
“So he is the prodigy, huh, not bad, kid’s got potential… Spike?... Where have I heard that before?... Stephan Dragovich! Oh Tia is going to love this… well, I have to make him accept first,” said Mr. Caldren
SEMI FINAL RACE
“We are now into the toughest race of all, the second semi final race, the race that will tell us all who will join Gabriel Benson and Sebastian Aguilar in the final, will it be Kevin Dante, Elias Montero, Masamune Fujimoto or favorite Drago, well we are about to find out,”
‘SKATERS… 5 SECOND WARNING… GO!!!!”
“Powerful start from Drago and Dante as Montero and Fujimoto start to trail behind as they arrive at the first set of Jump Steps, AND DANTE HAS LOST HIS FOOTING ON THE LANDING AND FALLS TO LAST PLACE AS the rest of the skaters arrive to the high curve with Drago leading the pack as they rush under the bridge towards the second set of Jumps steps, and for the first time in… forever, Drago has not jumped clear of the jump steps but hopped down like the rest, plus he is slowing down quite considerably, but still, Drago win the race by 2.3 seconds as Masamune Fujimoto comes in second,”
“Bro, you good?” asked Masamune
“No, I felt something in my leg snap,” said Spike
“Which leg?” asked Masamune
“Left,” said Spike
“Is that your power leg?” asked Masamune
“Ambidextrous,” said Spike
“Damn, do you think you can still race the final?” asked Masamune
“Yeah, the adrenaline will make the pain go away, for now, I’ll just apply some ice,” said Spike
“Right, don’t act injured, it’ll make you an easy target,” said Masamune
“Thanks Masamune,” said Spike
“Microchips,” he said
“Excuse me?” said Spike
“My friends call me Microchips since I love technology,” he said
“Then, Microchips, between friends, my name is Stephan Dragovic, you can call me Spike,” he answered
“Wait, THE Stephan Dragovich?” asked Microchips
“The one and only… man I hate that catch phrase,” said Spike
“Well, you’ll come up with a new one,” said Microchips
“What’s wrong?” asked Gabby as she reached the 2 of them
“Something on his left leg snapped, maybe a cartilage or just a Muscle spasm do to months of inactivity,” said Microchips
“What if it’s a tendon or ligament?” asked Gabby
“He wouldn’t be able to walk, for now, just hydrate yourself and… here, eat a banana, the Potassium might help the pain,” said Microchips as he grabbed a banana from the nearby snack table.
“Thanks,” said Spike as Gabby placed the ice bag on his knee and another one on his hamstring
“You only have about 3 minutes, then, it’s about 10 to 15 seconds of adrenaline and then a couple of days of pain,” said Microchips
“Dude, I’ve been worst,” said Spike
“If you say so,” said Microchips
“So, Drago is actually Spike, and by the looks of it he injured his leg, ha! Once I take out the toothpick and the string cheese, he’d be my competition, and he is injured, easy win,” said Garble as he walked over to the track to wait for the final.
“Things just got interesting,” said Mr. Caldren
FINAL
“Here we are folks, the event we were all waiting for, who will win this years Capital City’s Invitational Cup, crowd and town favorite Drago, resident track bad boy, Gabriel Benson, level headed Sebastian Aguilar or the calculating Masamune Fujimoto? We are about to find out…”
“So it really is you,” said Garble
“Took you this long to find out?’ said Spike
“Not really, still doesn’t change a thing,” said Garble
“Really?” said Spike
“Yeah, I know that you’re my only competition, and, I also know you’re injured, put too much pressure on that knee and you’re out,” said Garble
“Good for you,” said Spike
“Yeah it is good for me, i’ve got the win in the bag,” said Garble
“We’ll see,” said Spike as the buzzer went off signaling the start, and once again, everyone but Garble was ready.
“Powerful start from Aguilar and Drago, but Fujimoto is not far behind, and once again, Benson has lost the plot, has Drago gotten into his head?... Drago and Aguilar are still fighting for leadership right after clearing the first set of jumps steps and clear the high curve, with Fujimoto close behind and Benson rushing to catch up… Fujimoto has now accelerated and caught up to Aguilar who is losing speed, and Benson is mere inches behind them… OH! I think we are going to have a check up for this, Benson has just shoved Fujimoto and Aguilar to the side causing them to fall, and now he is rushing to catch up to Drago, as they both clear the second set of jump steps, and head for the tire curve…”
“And of the line Spike,” said Garble as he punched Spike’s left knee as they both took the curve.
“ARGH!” Spike screamed as he felt his leg crack and hit the ice.
However, since they were both taking the curve, Garble did not calculate Spike’s trajectory when falling, so when he did, he was exactly on Garble’s way, causing him to lose balance and slam against the wall.
This allowed Spike to incorporate himself and continue towards the finish line
“Well, foolks, that was an interesting turn of events, but Drago is still in first place… and what is this? Both Fujimoto and Aguilar have reduced their speed to allow Drago to come in first, Aguilar in second and Fujimoto in third,”
“Oh, Drago has gone down holding his leg, as both Fujimoto and Aguilar rush to help him, followed by the medic,”
“Bro, you ok?” asked Microchips
“Argh, my leg,” said Spike
“Shit, doc!” said Sebastian as the medic came
“Where does it hurt?” asked the medic
“Hamstring and knee on my left leg,” said Spike
The doctor checked Spike’s leg and shook his head
“What is it?” asked Sebastian
“Well, your leg will be fine, but, you’ve been really reckless, you’ve pushed your body too far without it being ready,” said the doctor
“So, is he going to be able to walk?” asked Gabby
“Yeah, but I recommend that you start going to the gym and work on your muscles,” said the doctor
“So, how long is he going to be out?” came Mr. Caldren’s voice
“About 1 week of rest shall be enough, 2 maximum, but after that you might want to start doing cardio and leg work,” said the doctor
“Oh, good, that way he will be ok to join the University’s winter sports team,” he said
“Excuse me, but who are you?” asked Spike
“Oh, where are my manners, David Caldren, vice-rector of the Canterlot State University, but call me Discord,” he said
“Ok,” said Spike as he shook his hand
“Excellent, welcome aboard kid,” said Discord as Spike opened his hand and saw letter of acceptance for the university
“Wait, what just happened?” asked Spike
“I just welcomed you and your 2 friends to Canterlot State,” said Discord as he pointed at Gabby and Microchips
“What about Sebastian?” asked Gabby
“I’m a senior at Griffonstone Central University,” said Sebastian
“Oh,” said Gabby
“So, are you guys in?” asked Discord
The 3 of them looked at each other and nodded yes
“Excellent, see you all in 1 month for the Opening Ceremony,” said Discord as he walked away
“Wow, Canterlot State, they have the best Tech classes and labs in the world, so many things to learn,” thought Microchips
“I get to be on the same campus as Spike for 4 years! This is my chance,” thought Gabby with a blush
“Isn’t that the same university that Fluttershy is attending… cool, I get to see her again, maybe we can be friends,” thought Spike as he and Microchips got on the podium to receive their medals.