One pair of eyes bobbed back and forth between two bodies present. With nothing to do, Sweetie Belle took to waiting and watching her elder sister and her new boyfriend as they worked on the uniforms for her and her fellow cheerleaders. Childishly, Sweetie Belle swung her legs back and forth while twiddling her thumbs to kill time. All signs pointed towards this being a dream come true for Spike, but something seemed off. Something noticed by her friend, Scootaloo.

“Something seems off about Spike. He seems more... aggressive, or at least, more possessive of your sister,” Scootaloo muttered as she viciously sunk her teeth into a Golden Delicious apple, her eyes staring across the cafeteria. “He never used to be that kind of guy.”

With a glare, Scootaloo attempted to read his mind, brainwash Spike, anything so she wouldn’t be stuck guessing based on the subtle movements. Whenever Rarity spoke, Spike’s fingers caressed her shoulder. Whenever she glanced elsewhere, Spike turned to face her, drawing her attention to him. He was all over her, and Scootaloo seemed to notice more than anyone else.

“Maybe he’s unsure if it’s real,” Sweetie Belle responded.

“Oh it’s real, and I wish it wasn’t,” Scootaloo snarled, crossing her arms. “Spike just doesn’t seem like himself, and I don’t know why.”

“Right, because you know him sooo well,” the light-haired girl responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t patronize me,” her friend frowned irritably, pouting her lip.

It seemed a little more believable now that Sweetie Belle was able to watch Spike and Rarity in the privacy of her elder sister’s home. It seemed normal at first, Spike turning to watch Rarity now and then. Just a boy with his mind focused on the girl of his dreams. It wasn’t long before Sweetie Belle clearly understood what Scootaloo meant.

“The other day, I was talking with one of my clients, dear woman she is,” Rarity started, pausing as she fed a thread through a needle. “And her son just happened to be someone I used to—”

“I have a question,” Spike interjected abruptly.

Rarity’s voice was silenced and she resumed working. Sweetie Belle watched her sister closely, seeing nothing obvious. Just the usual annoyance at being cut off. Spike didn’t seem to take a moment to think about it, continuing.

“Um, w… what was it like transitioning from dressmaking as a hobby to, uh, professional design?” Spike stumbled on his words, clearly having no question prepare. “Well, um, I, I’m curious.”

Sweetie Belle almost cringed at the attempt, remaining as stoic as she could. Rarity responded as naturally as one would expect her. Eyes opened wide, her mouth curved into a smile and she seemed to bounce in her place.

“Oh, well, it was unnerving considering I had only willingly made dresses for my closest friends and family, when I was approached by the head of the drama department with a request to not only pay me for some items, but utilize them in a drama department’s production, I was ecstatic!”

Rarity rambled on for a few more minutes, Spike smiling and nodding. There was nothing deceptive about his reaction nor was there any trace of deceit or anger, just interest. That was one thing she liked about Spike over other boys; he always seemed honest and legitimately interested in Rarity’s wellbeing. Even if he could be jealous and possessive.

Yet it was the little things that threw Sweetie Belle off. Things like the way he would cut her off or hang on her or follow her around like a puppy. And those little things were what told Sweetie Belle that, to an extent, Scootaloo was on to something. This did not seem like the Spike they knew, something had changed.

“Spike, I was invited by Twilight and her older brother to go see a movie with them the day after the game; Twilight said you declined to come with us. Why is that?” Rarity asked curiously.

“I hate movies in groups of more than two,” Spike muttered, his glum attitude returning. “I’d rather just go see with you.”

“Don’t be such a sourpuss, there’s nothing wrong with going with friends,” Rarity insisted, an urging in her voice. “Come with us, it’ll be fun. It’s not just friends, it’s your loving girlfriend and your two siblings. There’s no reason to be shy.”

“I’m not shy,” Spike replied, grumbling. He swallowed once, shaking his head. “Besides, I have my own reasons. I’d… just, rather go with just you.”

‘Is this sweet? Or just whiny?’ Sweetie Belle contemplated. She frowned, glaring at Spike’s somber expression. ‘Why doesn’t he ever stop whining and just do something? It seems easier than being so gloomy.’

“Spikey, I won’t force you. But, it’d be nice to step out of your comfort zone now and then, really try and get used to some things. Who knows, maybe you’ll come to love it? Twilight certainly managed.” Rarity’s hands seemed to stop motion and Sweetie Belle was unable to see Rarity’s eyes, her usual, stylized head of hair obstructing her face. “Please.”

Spike’s response was null. His hands continued weaving and sewing and unlike Rarity, Sweetie Belle could see his face clearly. A tense expression broken only by moving lips; either fumbled words or rolling his tongue over his teeth to occupy himself. Rarity seemed to have no response either and returned to working.

“I’m sorry,” Spike finally said after a long pause.

“No need to apologize, dear. Nothing wrong,” Rarity responded in her usual singsong voice. It was always the one that her friends could recognize happiness or comfort had been planted in her mind. “Maybe you won’t get used to it, that’s alright. You’ve only just started adjusting to having more friends than usual, and to a sports team.”

“I’ll go with you guys,” Spike accepted the proposal at last. His eyes turned towards Sweetie Belle, a grin adorning her face. Spike returned the smile. “Sweetie Belle can come too, why not.”

Rarity let out a little squeal of excitement and joy, once more bouncing in place. “Ooh, you won’t regret this choice, Spike. I’ll make one-hundred percent certain that there is not a shred of regret on that night, trust me.”

“I trust you, but, please don’t make this a habit. I’d rather just be alone with you,” Spike said, mock pleading in his voice.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” Rarity purred.

“Love is weird,” Sweetie Belle muttered.

“Game time, cunts.” Rainbow Dash started, twirling a football over her fingers absently. “Cloudsdale Griffons; my ol’ hometown, and perhaps the largest threat we have aside from the Wondercolts. We win this game and we’re in the clear until the finals.”

Rainbow was right to be apprehensive, the Griffons were often quite the threat in the tournament. Until she had turned five or six, Rainbow Dash had lived in Cloudsdale, and seen the Griffons play and win several times; though she didn’t remember much of it. She had hoped that Scootaloo could have told her something about the team, but she was rather quiet about her time in Cloudsdale.

Scootaloo was present, yet nobody bothered to mention the night at the donut joint. The tension was high yet Rainbow trudged on, continuing the small briefing. The locker rooms of the Cloudsdale High School were far more clean than Manehattan in its peak cleanliness, and it made everyone feel uncomfortable being there.

Scrapping the thought, Spike’s eyes glanced towards Scootaloo. She seemed to be the same as she was before; eager to play… but she didn’t seem to enjoy listening to Rainbow, and she also seemed oblivious to the judgmental eyes on her. Spike knew the truth, though. He knew how easy it was to mask the feelings of pain and ignore those assaulting his mind. He saw every little movement she made and heard every word she spoke and saw her face during conversations. She was good, but she wasn’t good enough to hide it from Spike.

“Special eyes, huh?” Spike muttered, a conversation from years past appearing in his mind.

He kicked the tiled floor, eyes unable to focus on Rainbow. Several of the boys were excited yet frightened at the prospect of sharing a change room as they arrived, realizing that staring at Applejack would result in a beating from Rainbow, and Rainbow would be pissed if they stared at her… and at the moment, nobody really wanted to mess with Scootaloo. The excitement had died down quickly. Even so, Rainbow didn’t seem the least embarrassed to be half-naked in front of the male audience. Applejack, however, could be considered a lady compared to Rainbow, keeping to a stall.

“I seriously don’t know what the fuck was in my drink, but I coulda swore there was a man dressed as a bat flying around earlier. Regardless, we’re here, we know nothing of the enemy team since we’re not the team that gives two fucks about other team strategies. But we do know that the Cloudsdale team has two things that are gonna be a huge bitch to get around.” Rainbow paused, sliding her armour on over her smaller frame and sports bra. The rest of the team watched intently, focusing on her face as to avoid what could be brutal murder for glancing.

“Go on,” someone asked, and Rainbow dutifully did so.

“They’re fast, and light. Which is awful, since I genuinely believe that most of the offensive line is almost as fast as me,” Rainbow said, putting aside her pride for a brief moment. “I’ve seen them last year and from what I can tell, most of the team is the same. They had little muscle in their defense so we only really have to worry about the running backs and the receivers. They jump high… and I mean seriously high. I’d say a national high school record for their best wide receiver, so for the game, we’ll be taking it a little easy on the throws. And they’ll be expecting that, so our defense will be all that’s protecting me and Apple Bloom from being trounced. If we have to pass, we’re gonna have to hold out a lot longer for Scootaloo and Snips or Snails to get out there. Scootaloo is fast, but she’s small.”

Taking a swig from what was presumably an energy drink, Rainbow gargled it for a moment before spitting it towards the drain.

“Linebackers, safety and cornerbacks, you’re our mandatory positions for defense. Spike and Pipsqueak are safety while Featherweight and I are cornerbacks. We’re both fast and can jump high, making us potentially the best covers for the wide receivers. The Dumbbells, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo make up our defensive line while Applejack and Snips or Snails are our linebackers; specifically, Applejack as Mike linebacker, and Snips or Snails taking up one of several outside linebacker roles. Our positions have been cemented long ago since believe it or not, while I don’t take into account enemy strategies, I do make some for our team. Do any of you remember the Manticore Thorn play?” Rainbow asked, her jersey now on.

Applejack stepped out of her stall in full uniform and several of the less-dressed guys in the room instinctively turned away or covered themselves up. Spike merely stood at full attention as his mind still raced with thoughts.

‘Felix, why is she with Felix?! Why him? To spite me because I wouldn’t go out with her? Or, is it for something else? To spite Rainbow if only by dating someone she’d hate?’ Spike grit his teeth as he wanted to avoid that one thought process… but it still came. ‘Is she willing to do anything to feel loved?’

Spike winced as he contemplated what she’d do and looked at her from behind. Her face seemed concentrated and focused, her hair shifting as she bobbed her whole body back and forth. Some could consider this innocence displayed via contentment, but Spike knew she was merely trying to hide the shivers. Something about Cloudsdale was scaring Scootaloo, and she seemed to know that she’d have to face it today.

“Seriously? No one remembers? You people are fuckin’ useless,” Rainbow said, slapping Score with his towel, leaving him without something to cover up with. “The Manticore Thorn was specifically made for this game. Defense, when I call out MT, you just split the line so Applejack has a beeline towards the Quarterback. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Big McIntosh stepped into the room, almost hitting his head on the top of the doorframe.

“Game time in five,” he said before pulling his head back out.

“Alright, suit up, ladies. I’ve got a boner and I need a fine selection of asses to choose from. Your job is to knock those asses to the ground any way possible,” Rainbow remarked, setting her helmet on her head.

“So say we brought an UZI to the field,” Snips started, halted by a hard slap from Dumbbell.

Spike glanced to the side, spotting Featherweight. He blinked for a moment, facing forward as he felt embarrassed.

“Wow… I kinda forgot he was on the team,” Spike whispered to himself. He wondered what else he had not been noticing, staying in his head for so long.

The cheerleaders, in the same fashion as the boys, spent the rest of their time getting ready before heading out to the field. At the same time, the two teams burst onto the field of the Cloudsdale High School. The stands were far more packed than the Manticore’s own field and the population of Cloudsdale residents dwarfed the Manticores fans. Spike still managed to spot his group of friends along with around twenty to fourty other Manticores fans as well as various parents. As usual, he spotted Rarity as close as she could to the field, sitting on the bench next to Big McIntosh and Shining Armour as usual. Snips sat next to them as the Manticores ran out next to the Griffons.

An announcer called out the teams, stating the name of each member yet the faulty systems happened to make many names inaudible, the screech causing neverending headache for many in the audience. Spike still managed to find himself staring at Scootaloo but averted his eyes quickly, seeing that everybody else was determined and focused. The teams converged on the centre of the field as they prepared the coin toss. Eyes met eyes, glares met glares, and glares also met uncertainty.

“Yo, Dash!” Rainbow Dash perked up to hear her name called, and glanced around for the source.

“What the—?” She turned to face the enemy team, and spotted a somewhat familiar girl waving to her. Though she was decked in Cloudsdale gear, upon closer inspection, Rainbow Dash recognized the short, white hair and the contrasting overly-tall body. “Gilda? That you?”

“Look at you, you're a shrimp! Haven't grown a fucking inch!” the girl shouted in a laugh, and the two came together on the centre line.

“That's the first thing you say to me, you damn Amazon?!” Rainbow Dash snorted, but extended her hand and bumped fists with the girl before her roughly. “Fuck, G, you haven't changed either!”

The two mirrored each other's grins, snickering as the memories flooded back. There wasn't much from when Rainbow Dash lived in Cloudsdale, since she had moved when she was five or six, but she did remember the girl from seeing her at summer camp a few years later. When Scootaloo had transferred to Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash had told her to see if Gilda was still around, and tell her she said 'hi', but never heard about the two meeting at all. Gilda sure had changed: grown several inches in stature, bulked up, and had a much more mature and menacing expression. Not that it bothered Rainbow Dash, a friend was still a friend to her.

“You're playing football?” Gilda raised her eyebrow in disbelief, and Rainbow Dash spread her arms to show off the fitting uniform. “How the hell did that happen, you have a death wish or something?”

“I'm the fucking captain, thank you very much!” Rainbow Dash snapped back. “What about you, playing a team sport? How does that work?”

“Whatever,” Gilda muttered, flipping her bangs and running her hand through her hair.

“Come here, let me introduce you to someone,” Rainbow slapped her on the arm and waved for her to follow. Glancing around a few times as they got nearer to the sidelines, Rainbow could not find the girl she was looking for. However, there were others to name for her, “Okay, that's Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, they're good friends of mine.”

Gilda looked over at the Manticore's cheer line, noticing the two girls in question as they spoke with the rest of the group. She snidely frowned at them, “Cheerleaders? Really?”

“Yeah, and there in the stands, the girls next to our coaches?” Rainbow directed her attention elsewhere, pointing to a pair of girls. The girls noticed her and cast simultaneous waves. “That's Rarity and Twilight, our tight end's girlfriend and sister. And speak of the devil... there he is,” Rainbow turned and took in a deep breath. “Yo spiney pipsqueak!”

“Pipsqueak?” Gilda noticed who she screamed at, and did not understand how such a title could fit.

“Spike!” Rainbow called his name, though he was already on his way to their position with an irritable frown. “This is my friend G, knock her on her ass, would you?”

“Hah! Let him try, I'll break his neck.” Gilda cracked her knuckles and narrowed her eyes at the boy, who got a good look at her.

'Oh damn, for a woman, she's huge,' he thought, trying to hide his surprise. The nearer he got, the larger she seemed. He could guess that she was somewhere on her way to reaching Pipsqueak's size, though her muscle mass was not quite there. Seeing Rainbow Dash standing there beside her, she sure did look a lot less intimidating than when she was screaming and cursing.

“Rainbow, I don't need you making enemies for me,” Spike told the shorter girl with a glare. “Not like the bitch could stop me either way,” Spike whispered.

“Oh grow a pair.” Rainbow waved her hand passively, and Spike just rolled his eyes and took off to find somewhere more pleasant. Rainbow frowned, continuing her search, looking around the field. “But where is...”

Gilda stared at her nails blankly in boredom as Rainbow Dash frantically looked around once more. She couldn't care less about these Manticores, she just wanted to slaughter them on the field. Finally, Rainbow Dash spotted her target and her face lit up. The girl had been talking to her brother on the sidelines, and the boy's large size had blocked her from view initially.

With a great intake of air, Rainbow Dash called out in a surprisingly booming voice, “AJ, baby! Over here!”

“Jeez, fucking deafen me,” Gilda flinched at the volume, glaring at the back of the shorter girl's head as she waved the quarterback over. Following Rainbow's gaze, Gilda looked over at the blonde girl, noticing something particularly enticing about her, “I bet you made her run just to see those tits bounce.”

“They're better bare, trust me,” Rainbow murmured as the girl in question got closer, and Gilda returned Rainbow's perverted grin.

“Rainbow, wha's up?” Applejack asked as she got within earshot, slowing down as she approached the pair.

“Hey, Applejack, this is my old friend Gilda, we met like ten thousand years ago, but I haven’t seen her since summer camp when I was still in elementary school.” Rainbow Dash grabbed Applejack and pulled her nearer, introducing her to the taller girl, “G, this is Applejack, she's my...” After a quick reconnaissance, looking for eavesdroppers, she went on, “Girlfriend.”

“No shit, seriously?” Gilda's face contorted into a wicked grin, and she slapped Rainbow Dash hard on the shoulder. “Hah! I always knew you were a dyke. You sure weren't one for subtlety. I remember when those boys invited us over to play spin the bottle in their cabin, hah, and you said, I believe your exact words were...”

“I'd rather cut off my left tit!” the two said at the same time, laughing as they finished.

“Not my best line,” Rainbow Dash admitted to Applejack.

“Especially considering there's not much to cut off,” Gilda added in an obnoxious tone.

“Shut up!” Rainbow snapped back, pointing an accusing finger her way. “I seem to remember someone kissing every boy at camp.”

“And a good lot of the girls, but who's counting? We can't all be dedicated cunt-chasers like you were.” Gilda shrugged like none of it bothered her in the slightest. Applejack felt rather uncomfortable being there, but said nothing. Gilda, however, went on, “I totally knew it all along. You were always going off about that girl back home, it was annoying as shit.”

“Who the hell do you think this is?!” Rainbow grabbed Applejack around her shoulders and pulled her close, giving her a kiss on the cheek despite the death glare it earned. Applejack couldn't, however, hide the pleased smile that crept on her face from hearing such a thing.

“Wait, this is the chick?” Gilda blinked in surprise, and took a good look at Applejack, objectifying her with her piercing eyes. “Seriously? Dude, she looks really dull and boring.”

“Hey, don't talk to her like—!” Rainbow immediately got aggressive, balling up her fist to start something, but Applejack's arm came out in front of her, halting her advance.

“Rainbow, it's fine,” Applejack said simply, her tone easy. Looking over at the girl from behind the bar of her arm, Rainbow Dash quietly admired her level-headedness. Applejack laughed lightly, pleasantly agreeing, “Ah reckon Ah do look none too special, don' Ah?”

“At least she's not a total idiot, even if she sounds like one,” Gilda praised, crossing her massive arms after pointing at Applejack with a thumb.

“Hope y'play as well as y'talk.” Applejack smirked, her own expression settling into a friendly competitive gaze.

“Glutton for punishment, eh?” Gilda laughed loudly, continuing with something less than innocent in mind, “I guess you really must have fun with her, Dash.”

“Uh, yeah,” Rainbow Dash absently nodded, still uncertain how to proceed. She glanced over at Applejack protectively again, but the farmer did not seem bothered by the remarks.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” the Cloudsdale player pushed past Rainbow Dash and took a look at another Manticore, someone even smaller in stature than Rainbow Dash was. “You didn't tell me you had a fucking chicken on the team! That's hilarious!”

Rainbow followed her gaze and found the small girl, who was doing her damn best to keep from looking over and acknowledging the enormous woman. “Who, Scootaloo? You know each other?”

“Yeah man, she just transferred out of Cloudsdale this year, the little cunt,” Gilda snorted before shouting over at the younger girl, “Come say hi, you fucking chicken!”

Scootaloo flinched as she heard that nickname, but found it impossible to ignore the girl who had called it. Trembling as she turned around, Scootaloo forced a smile to the surface and took several numb, reluctant steps towards the girl. As Gilda went off towards the girl, Rainbow Dash and Applejack followed after her, a few paces back, of course.

“AJ,” Rainbow Dash started in a quiet murmur, avoiding Applejack's eye-line. “I'm sorry, I didn't think she would—”

“Nothin' doin', she jus' jokes a lil' rough,” Applejack warmly let it slide, pinching Rainbow Dash in the ribs to give her a sharp tickle. “Like someone else I know.”

Rainbow's eyes widened as she heard that, and she looked up at the taller girl as she grabbed Scootaloo off the turf and squeezed her nearly to death. Rainbow frowned sadly, noticing the pained expression on the kid's face as Gilda crushed her against her breasts. “I'm not like that... am I?”

In the grasp of the larger girl, Scootaloo was doing her best not to start shivering. She failed. Gilda grinned down at Scootaloo before taking on a more stern glare.

“Hey, lil’ cunt, how’ve you been?” Gilda said, gently releasing the girl.

“F-fine, Gilda,” Scootaloo responded, the girl seemingly shrinking in her stance.

Rainbow walked up from behind towards the duo and merely patted her hand on Scootaloo’s back. The girl responded by screaming and spinning around, her eyes wide and her face contorted into a horrible expression that resonated with Rainbow immediately.

“R-Rainbow!?” Scootaloo asked, her voice cracking.

Gilda’s larger hand was set on Scootaloo, stalling the girl. She quit shivering and went dead still, slowly turning towards the larger girl.

“Man, the girls miss you, fuckin’ chicken,” Gilda responded, slapping Scootaloo’s shoulder. “It wasn’t cool of you to run off without saying goodbye, was it? I mean, we did show you around and punched that one teacher who was giving you shit.”

Rainbow seemed surprised. “Woah, you punched a teacher? Man, I wanted to do it so many times, but I kinda had to stay off the principal’s shit list to play football.”

“She was asking Gilda to stop smoking in class,” Scootaloo responded meekly.

Gilda merely paused, glancing down at the shorter girl as her arm slid around Scootaloo’s head, locking her in a headlock.

“C’mere, you fuckin’ little chicken, hehe,” Gilda teased, very roughly rubbing her knuckles into the back of Scootaloo’s neck as the head was shielded.

“Smoking in class? That’s pretty hardcore, I guess,” Rainbow murmured, starting to feel unsure.

Applejack saw the instant Rainbow started to doubt Gilda, the way her fists clenched instinctively. Rainbow merely watched while Gilda continued to neck-noogie Scootaloo as the younger girl… wasn’t enjoying it at all.

“G-Gilda, please, s-stop,” Scootaloo responded, desperately grabbing at Gilda’s far stronger arm.

“Aww, c’mon, I didn’t think you were actually this sensitive of a cunt,” Gilda said, stopping the noogie yet continuing to hold.

Rainbow’s arm immediately reached forward the same time Applejack’s did and grabbed onto Gilda’s arm. The two of them yanked back, allowing Scootaloo to quickly squirm away and the younger girl, rather than stand behind Rainbow and Applejack, stood next to the two parties, glaring at both.

“She said stop, G. C’mon, smack talk is fine but there has to be a line somewhere,” Rainbow responded, softening up as she stared at her friend.

“Aww, I was just having fun with the fucking chicken, I could do a lot worse,” Gilda suggested, shrugging innocently with an even more innocent grin.

“Ah’d watch out what Ah was sayin’ if Ah were you,” Applejack said as the situation’s atmosphere grew heavy.

Gilda stood up at her full height, towering over both Rainbow and Applejack, her face turning to an aggressive glare. “Or else what, redneck? I decided to be the better person and let Scootaloo live after the little cunt tried to shank me, after we so graciously invited her into my home.”

“Bullshit!” Scootaloo shouted, throwing her hands down. “You threatened to break my scooter if I didn’t go with you!”

“What!?” Rainbow shouted, her face lighting up with intense lividity.

“Break it? Naw, we weren’t really gonna break it. If anything, we would have made it better, and not look like such a child’s toy,” Gilda responded, becoming more lax as she folded her arms.

“Pfft, maybe you have changed, G.” Rainbow Dash glared at the girl, stepping forward and tilting her head back to retain eye contact.

“Me, changed? Where's your sense of humour, Dash?” Gilda asked in a false innocent voice, which dropped lower and more menacing as she went on, “Don't forget, I could easily break your little bitch legs, doesn’t take a lot of barking to rile me up.”

“What's with you, man?” Rainbow was unaffected by such a threat. “Were you always such a bitch?”

“At least Gilda stays true to herself,” Scootaloo piped up, and the three other girls looked over at her, Rainbow and Applejack incredulously. Rainbow Dash scrunched up her face, wondering what that could have meant.

“See? Chicken knows what's up.” Gilda smirked confidently and placed her hands on her hips.

“Squirt, go on and make sure the others are ready to play.” Rainbow Dash gestured with her head back towards the team. However, the younger girl did nothing of the sort, causing Rainbow to glare over her and repeat, “Go on.”

“You're not the boss of me,” Scootaloo scoffed in a growl, but turned and did as she was told anyway.

Gilda laughed obnoxiously as the girl left, and remarked, “Trouble keeping your pet in line?”

“You better watch yourself, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash glared back over at her fiercely. “No fucking way I am standing for your bully shit, not with me, not with AJ, and not with Scootaloo.”

“Bully? What are we, still in fucking elementary school?” the Cloudsdale player sarcastically teased and rolled her eyes. “Oh, trust me, I am much worse than any school-yard bully.”

“I'm not going to tell you again:” the Manticore's captain was dead serious now. “Either fuck off with that bullshit attitude, or stay the hell away from my friends.”

“I used to think you were tough shit, Dash.” Gilda shrugged, the threat not bothering her in the slightest. “Now you're just as much of a pussy as the carpet you chew; trying to protect those losers like you think you actually could.”

Turning around as clasping onto what little self control she had, Rainbow took the high road with another step or two and a farewell, “Later, G.”

“It would be a shame if that chicken accidentally, I don't know, broke a leg during the game,” Gilda mused casually, and Rainbow Dash stopped. Applejack swallowed hard, knowing what was next as the captain's fists clenched up tight. “A real shame.”

Rainbow Dash whipped around and slammed her hands against Gilda's shoulders, shoving her but a half step back with all the force she had in her small body. “You want a fight?!”

“Rainbow!” Applejack wrapped her arm around Rainbow's midsection, holding her firmly right below her breasts in the loop of her muscular arm.

Anxiously looking at the girl in her arms, Applejack could tell just how furious she was. But still, this was no way to deal with it, and Rainbow Dash sure didn't stand a chance against the much larger girl. Gilda just flipped her bangs back again and smirked, satisfied with the reaction she had drawn out of the girl.

A whistle sounded as a referee ran up from the sidelines, waving a yellow flag towards the two.

“Hey, Captain Rainbow Dash! I’ll only ask you once; keep your hands off other players until the game!” he shouted at the smaller girl, Rainbow gritting her teeth. “For this incident, we’re going to overlook it, but allow the Griffons to choose who kicks, no coin toss.”

“Hey, what the hell!?” Rainbow shouted, stepping towards the referee before Applejack quickly held her back once more.

“Naw, the Manticores can kick first. After all, I’m a nice girl,” Gilda lied, smugly grinning at Rainbow and Applejack.

“That is not your call, Grai-fawn,” the referee said, turning his head towards her. “That’s the captain’s call.”

“Griffon,” Gilda corrected in a growl.

“What was that?” the referee asked, leaning closer.

“The name’s Gilda Griffon, you know, like the team,” Gilda explained, rolling her eyes.

“Go to your team before we pull back the penalty choice, Griffon,” the referee said as the Griffon’s team captain jogged up.

With a casual shrug, she let the incident slide, and turned her back on the pair.

“See you on the field, Dash.” Gilda waved over her shoulder and strode back over to her team.

Rainbow growled, leaning over towards Applejack’s ear as the quarterback released her.

“I’m gonna get that fuckin’ bitch,” Rainbow muttered, gritting her teeth.

A more respectable boy walked up towards the team, wearing the Griffon’s colour and uniforms. He sighed deeply as he walked up to take the coin toss.

“Due to the attitude of the Manticore’s captain, Griffons automatically get first pick,” the referee said, folding his arms as he waited for the call.

“The Manticore’s captain?” He seemed surprised to hear that, but obediently made his choice, “Manticore’s kickoff,” the boy chose. The referee nodded as he turned away, leaving for the two to get ready. He shrugged towards Rainbow. “Sorry. Gilda can be a bit of an instigator, and to be quite honest, nobody on the team likes her.”

“Then why keep the damn bitch? She’s dangerous, I just know it. She clearly isn’t the same friend I knew,” Rainbow grumbled, clenching a fist.

“She’s the best player a hundred times over. I’m not compromising manpower just because she’s got a shitty attitude,” the boy said, turning away to walk away. “Regardless, if I were you, I’d protect that Scootaloo girl. Gilda seems to have something out for her.”

With that, the boy left towards his team. As Rainbow Dash shook with frustration and anger, the quarterback calmly stared at the smaller girl. Applejack tugged on Rainbow’s shoulder, turning the captain’s body as her gaze stayed locked on the her.

“Rainbow,” Applejack spoke softly.

Said girl turned to face Applejack with astonished eyes and her teeth grinding together, clear rage registering in her expression. Applejack gulped as she briefly looked towards the enemy team captain as he walked away, before shifting to Gilda. She turned to Rainbow once more, sighing.

“Gilda is large enough and has the attitude to seriously injure one of us, and if she’s targeting Scootaloo, I’m going to give it my best to protect her, Applejack. I don’t care if Scootaloo is seemingly mad at me, but I’m not gonna let that bitch take out the little squirt as long as my body functions. But for that, I’ll need you to watch my back.” Rainbow set both her hands on Applejack’s shoulders. Any other time, one could interpret this as Rainbow teasing Applejack or attempting to get physical, and many probably did… but Applejack stared directly into Rainbow’s eyes, seeing the fire and rage in them. “If there was ever anything such as a personal vendetta, it’s this fucking thing. I know you hate it when I get so angry, but... I’m not gonna let some old-friend-turned-bitch get away with hurting someone like squirt. I… I just,” Rainbow stammered, stopping as her eyes shifted around. “She’s kinda like a sister to me, y’know?”

“Ah understand,” Applejack said gently, understanding protective instincts very well herself.

Both smiled at each other and Rainbow quickly pressed two fingers to her lips, kissing them before pressing her fingers against Applejack’s lips through the facecage. Rainbow quickly ran towards her team as the referee blew the whistle to signal the teams to get into formation

“I fuckin’ love you, you gorgeous little walkin’ pair of tits,” Rainbow shouted without shame.

Applejack visibly saw the Dumbbells snorting, turning away from the duo as they approached to hide their laughter or mockery. The quarterback’s face glowed red and she scowled, letting out a grunt. Even when Rainbow Dash was trying to be serious, she’d slip back into that same old perverse nature. But honestly, it was comforting to Applejack that the girl could still make jokes like that.

“All that rope and not a damn thing t’ shut yer mouth with... yet,” Applejack muttered, a sly grin on her face as she inserted her mouthguard.

As the pair reached the rest of the team, they finished falling into position to begin the kickoff. For once, Spike was not nervous, not about himself anyway. The way Scootaloo seemed to cower and tremble, however, did make him uneasy. Something was definitely going on with her, and he had a hunch it had something to do with the larger girl who had been grabbing her a few moments ago.

“Did we even do a coin toss?” Spike asked unsurely, as he hadn’t been paying too much attention to the interchange between Rainbow and Gilda other than the distant arguing and shove.

“Nah, the Griffucks gave us the kick out of the kindness of their bloody hearts,” Rainbow growled and scuffed the grass, glaring across the field at the largest girl on the Cloudsdale team, eyes briefly locked onto the 99 on her jersey.

“I’m sure they did,” Spike murmured skeptically as he set up to begin the game with as accurate of a kick as he could muster. With a condescending sneer, he added to himself, “Surrounded by the idiot team, ain’t I?”

The ball launched into the air, soaring in a clean arc, and landed in the hands of someone who indeed had made what looked like a record breaking jump. The entire team huddled together briefly before spreading once more as the teams charged towards one another. The Griffons all ran, looking as if each of them had the ball. Who held the ball wasn’t clear, but majority of the team ruled out most of the linemen.

Rainbow’s eyes locked onto Gilda yet she knew that trying to tackle her would end miserably. Unanimously, the group mentally decided that Pipsqueak was the one to cover her when prompted. Reaching centre line, the teams clashed, Spike thrusting his arms forward as if to knock the ball out of the other player’s hands. There was no ball, and he settled for a bump. Rainbow was correct as the opposing players seemingly bounced off them similar to a ball hitting a wall. Extremely light, lacking real muscle… excluding one.

Pipsqueak ran forward, lagging behind the group yet keeping his stance firm as he found Gilda effortlessly slipping by the other players. On top of being fast and strong, she was apparently nimble, avoiding all hands that had meekly tried to stop her. Pipsqueak grunted, not having any experience in stopping someone fast and nimble. Remembering Rainbow’s words to Spike and various others, he slowed a bit and kept himself low, ready to lunge out. Gilda immediately altered her angle as if to swerve entirely around and avoid Pipsqueak. For the briefest of moments, Pipsqueak had noticed the ball in her hands. He stepped to the side, only for Gilda to slightly change her momentum once more; directly towards Pipsqueak. With a barely noticeable motion, she checked Pipsqueak in the chest and knocked him over with ease.

Gilda ran forward regardless of her primary position, spurring Rainbow, Scootaloo and Applejack to abandon their positions. The three took off after Gilda before Applejack and Scootaloo immediately slowing down. Gilda was faster than the two and had a head start, indeed being matched only by Rainbow.

“Aw, shoot,” Applejack grunted, kicking the turf as groaning occurred behind her, the two teams continuously trying to take down each other.

Rainbow found herself sprinting full speed already, slowly catching up to Gilda. The larger girl held the pigskin loosely now as the yards flew by. Even still, Rainbow felt rage swelling up as already she failed; she knew that she wouldn’t catch Gilda before the end zone and Rainbow slowed down to conserve energy. The horn blared and immediately they found the Griffons with points. Rainbow scoffed, biting her lip. Gilda was a running back, it seemed; the same position as Rainbow Dash herself.

Spike glanced up at the counter before his eyes were drawn to the bleachers. They had set up a card stunt, showing a two-frame image of a Griffon smacking a Manticore. Ignoring it, Spike looked towards the cheerleaders and Rarity, smiling.

“It’s just the first point of the game,” Spike told himself, shrugging.

“The score is now 21-9, Griffons’ favour,” Rainbow barked irritably. “We’ve got just less than half the game left, and that stupid bitch Gilda isn’t going down.”

“I’m tryin’ ma best, boss,” Pipsqueak panted, hunched over with his hands on his knees in exhaustion. Apple Bloom frowned but opted to be compassionate, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Well it’s not good enough!” the captain snapped back at once, though she was immediately grabbed and yanked away from the huddle by her quarterback. “What?! AJ, let me go!”

“Hey, honey, look at me. Look at me.” Applejack pulled her another step back and placed a hand under her chin, turning Rainbow’s face to look at her. She could see the violently furious tears crawling to the surface, but made no mention of that. “Keep your head on straight, you’re losin’ focus here.”

“I really want to beat her, but she’s just so much fucking bigger than me,” Rainbow growled as she looked at the girl across from the field, tensing her fists up. “Do you know what it’s like to be so damn small? It’s like I can’t do fuck all, I’m useless.”

“You can do me,” Applejack murmured with a wink, and Rainbow’s attention came back to her without fail. Applejack grabbed her hands and held them, trying to keep her calm with a fond gaze and a few teasing words, “Ah like y’the way you are: m’little pint-sized Rainbow. Ah could carry y’round in ma pocket if Ah wanted to.”

“Shut up, I’m trying to be angry,” Rainbow grumbled, a blush floating to her cheeks.

“B’sides, Mac’s got his eye on ya, bein’ all noisy like that,” Applejack added as she glanced at her older brother, who was standing by the side lines, watching them carefully. “He’s just itchin’ t’ put Snips in instead.”

“I can’t help it, she’s pissing me off, man,” Rainbow pouted her lips out, squeezing Applejack’s hands.

“She ain’t doin’ nothin’, nothin’ but playin’,” Applejack frowned, trying to reason with her.

“Exactly, what’s her deal?” Rainbow scoffed, suspicious and paranoid of her old friend. “I know she’s up to something, I just know it.”

“We’ll handle that if it happens, but f’ now, we gotta focus on our team. C’mon now, they’re waitin’,” Applejack guided the girl back to the rest of the huddle, which widened back up to accept them. “Al’right, Ah know y’all ‘re tired, but bad as it looks, we ain’t spent yet. Captain’s right, the biggest threat is Gilda, blastin’ past us an’ all.”

“What do we do about it?” Dumbbell asked with a snort.

“You do your damn job in the line, Dumbfuck.” Rainbow pointed at him with a deep frown. “Make sure you stop her if she tries to make a break for it, they’ve been almost exclusively giving the ball to her, which tells me the rest of them aren’t much to write home about. So all we have to be is keep her from getting to the ball, and we’re golden. Apple Bloom, you think you can keep on Pipsqueak’s tail and double team that bitch?”

“Uh, sure tha’s th’ best idear?” Apple Bloom wondered worriedly. “That leaves you an’ AJ without much of a block.”

“S’cool, kiddo, just keep your eyes on Gilda, got it?” Rainbow told her firmly, and she nodded a few times. “Scootaloo, since you’re our smallest player, I want you to keep way outside the scrimmage, kay? You’ll need a head start to outrun Gilda, so make sure you keep far away from her and the rest of the team.”

“Why don’t you just bench me, then,” Scootaloo snarled in a low whisper, rolling her eyes irritably.

“Find the Stud,” Rainbow called the play name, which she had colourfully named to tease Spike about his sexual exploits, as the play was all about Applejack tossing the ball to Spike. Not that the others knew about the origin, or perhaps thought it was ironic rather than true, but the captain found it quite amusing. “Our ball, first and ten, let’s turn this thing around already.” Rainbow clapped at once and the others followed suit.

The team lined up once again, noticing the scoreboard just a ways in front of them, taunting them with the losing score. Rainbow’s feet twitched and flinched, bouncing her weight anxiously from side to side as she watched the calm and collected Gilda just past the Cloudsdale line. It made her furious, so furious in fact, she hardly noticed the error in her planning.

Applejack called out some numbers or words as she looked out over the scene, her eyes following Apple Bloom as she kept herself aimed to Pipsqueak’s aid. If anyone could stop Gilda, it was one of them, even if it made Applejack nervous to see her younger sister potentially in a dangerous position. Scootaloo kept out of the fray as she was told, knowing well enough not to piss off Rainbow while she was in a mood like that. Spike was the only one looking ahead, his eyes dead set on the end zone. From his position, he couldn’t see Scootaloo or Rarity at all, so his focus was unhindered. Besides, he had to prove to himself that he was better: better than this enemy team, better than how he used to be, better than Felix.

The sides clashed as the ball was snapped, and Applejack went to set up for the throw almost immediately. As she did, Pipsqueak chased down Gilda and locked arms with her, having Apple Bloom by his side to hold the force and keep them locked tight against the rest of the line. There was no way Gilda was getting through, not this time. Of course, that was of little concern.

Unfortunately, as Rainbow Dash had sent Apple Bloom to check Gilda and Spike to catch the ball, the right side was less than adequately manned. And due to her inattentive play-making, she was left at the brunt of the mistake. Before it could be clear to the enemy team whether Applejack was making a hand-off or a toss, the Griffon's outside lineman noticed his chance and took it without a second though, sprinting past the Manticore's line and storming right towards Rainbow Dash: a supposed threat. Said Manticore's captain was too focused on watching Gilda try to make her way past the line, she didn't even see any sort of obstacle coming.

Though she tried to keep herself upright from the hit, which was a brutal shoulder check, the force was far too much for her to handle. Her cleats dug into the ground strongly, but being stationary and surprised by the breakaway, they did more to hinder her than help her. As her ankle twisted and cracked against the grass, the rest of her body was overcome.

With a loud tumble and shout, Rainbow Dash hit the turf hard, her lithe body sliding and crashing over it. By then, the ball was already half out of Applejack's hands, and she forced herself to follow through before sprinting away from the line. Her hesitation was apparent in the pass, but it released well enough and soared over the line. Spike turned wildly in his direction to catch the awkwardly spinning ball, but managed, and took off down to the end zone.

'What was that throw? That's not like Applejack, what happened over there?' Spike thought to himself as he sprinted mostly unopposed down the field, making it a good ten or twenty yards before he was taken down.

“Fuck, fuck fuck!” Rainbow Dash groaned obnoxiously, kicking and squirming as Applejack knelt down to her side to try and help her, though she had to negotiate through flails and twists to get close.

“Quit cussin’. Y’al’right, Dash?” Applejack tried to act tough, checking on the smaller girl up and down her body.

“My goddamn fucking ankle, AJ, my ankle,” Rainbow growled, bending her knee and sliding it across the grass uselessly. It didn’t look too bad, but there was an unsettling feeling in her stomach, and it stung to even think about moving.

“Shoot, think you can stand on it?” the farm girl asked carefully, helping her captain sit up and lean near her.

“Let me just—!” Rainbow tried to move it, but cringed and cursed another few words between any cognitive sentence. “Damn, why my fucking leg? Why can’t we just be in bed? I don’t need my ankle for that.”

“What ‘appened?” another voice cut in, and the two girls looked up to see Big Mac finish jogging up to them, kneeling into the grass beside the injured captain.

“Uh, Rainbow hurt her ankle pretty bad,” Applejack hurriedly explained, looking at the injury closely, making sure nothing was broken.

“Can y’stand?” the boy asked blankly, more for the sake of the team than any compassion.

“Oh yeah, of course, I just prefer to sit on the goddamn grass—of course I can’t fucking stand!” Rainbow’s voice jumped up into a loud yelling, and by then the rest of the team was looking over, and several of the Cloudsdale Griffons too.

“Stop y’belly achin’, y’ain’t bein’ a good leader,” Big Mac growled at her, resisting the urge to reach over and pinch her ankle.

“Oh fuck off,” Rainbow scooted away from him and further into Applejack’s gentle arms, which Rainbow grasped onto for dear life. “Come on, get me up already, I have a game to play.”

“No,” Applejack defied her and her wounded struggles. “Y’clearly ain’t fit t’ play, y’can’t even stand. You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“Ah say let ‘er go, then,” Big Mac muttered, and he and Rainbow Dash glared at each other bitterly.

“Mac,” Applejack warned with serious eyes.

“...Yea’, you ain’t playin’ no more,” he finally agreed, folding his hands onto his knees in his crouched position.

“What?! Whose side are you two on?!” Rainbow barked back. “The team needs me, you can’t tell me what to do, you fucking bull-brain.”

“What’s that? Ah should bench ya f’ th’ whole season!” Big Mac argued back, though Applejack tried to intercede.

“You don’t have the authority!” the football captain’s voice cracked at the height of her pitch.

“Be quiet! If th’ refs ‘r th’ stands hear ya, it ain’t gonna reflect too good on us,” Applejack reminded them, letting her thumb draw circles onto Rainbow’s waist, something she knew from experience often relaxed her in their more intimate moments. It earned a defiant glare that time.

“Damn it,” Rainbow groaned, bending her good leg to give herself some leverage. “I can’t believe I have to sit out, this is so humiliating and lame.”

“Be glad you’re still in one piece,” the quarterback spoke quietly, putting her head under Rainbow’s arm and draping it over her shoulders.

Following another few curses and groans, Rainbow Dash was helped mostly to her feet. However, the chill at the back of her neck caused her attention to cross the once-was scrimmage line. There, she noticed the pleased and arrogant expression of a certain white-haired girl, just staring at her. Rainbow Dash gripped at Applejack’s shoulder pad furiously before she retaliated.

“What the fuck are you looking at?!” Rainbow Dash shouted at her enemy from several yards away, and the girl opposed to her simply acted completely innocent. “I know your game, you planned this, didn't you?!”

“Who, me?” Gilda asked pleasantly, pointing to herself and shrugging. “How could I? I was all the way down the line from you, Dash.”

“Goddamn fucking Griffon cunt,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath as Applejack helped her stand, letting her captain use her as a crutch.

“Heh,” Gilda laughed lightly, eyeballing the team member responsible for the injury. He was looking at the ground with a frown, rattled that he could have done such a thing, and to a girl. Before he could sulk any more, Gilda came right up to him and slapped him approvingly on the shoulder. “Nice work out there, guess you aren't a total loser.”

“I didn't mean to hurt the girl, honest,” he defended himself adamantly, but Gilda just laughed again.

“Whatever, take a damn compliment you bitch,” she spat before shoving him and walking off.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t even look back at the team as Applejack helped her off the field, passing Snips as they went to the bench. She glared at her own feet, the things that had let her down. Grinding her teeth, Rainbow Dash tried her hand at speaking more clearly.

“Applejack,” came out almost pleadingly. “You’ll take care of her, right?”

“Y’don’t even hafta ask,” Applejack whispered back, a smile on her features. “Anythin’ you need.”

“Just keep an eye on the squirt, she’s not as tough as she likes everyone to think,” Rainbow added quieter.

“Neither of you are.” Applejack chuckled, placing her friend down on the bench and brushing some grass off her elbow from the fall.

Rainbow Dash placed both her hands on either side of the helmet and pried it off her head, lifting it up and putting it beside her on the bench. The two looked at each other for a moment, sharing a mutual expression of determination and understanding. Applejack glanced over her shoulder and stood back up straight, noticing that she had to get back to the game to keep it going. Rainbow tugged at her shirt though, and commanded her attention. Following the gestured instructions of her captain to lean closer, Applejack listened carefully.

“Kiss for good luck?” Rainbow asked in a sing-song tone, tilting her head to the side and puffing her lips out to show what she meant.

“Uh,” Applejack just nervously chuckled, noticing the looming shadow of Big Mac hanging over her shoulder as he glared daggers into the already wounded player. “Rain check.”

As Applejack jogged back to the team, the rest of the players felt the unease due to Rainbow’s absence. To have hit the girl so hard as to injure her, this team sure could be trouble. Though removing the captain from the field did seem to spell disaster (no matter how much more pleasantly quiet it got), somehow they knew that they had to play on.

The lines were reset, this time with both Snips and Snails. A quick shift in positions landed Spike in a spot that was far less than ideal; he was removed from safety and replaced Rainbow’s cornerback position as Snails replaced his. Meaning, Spike was now half back as well. Gulping once as the teams set up, Spike found himself staring at two Apples; Apple Bloom seemed to be shaking and uneasy and Applejack seemed to be more tense than usual. He couldn’t see, but he bet their faces expressed the team’s rage collectively. Gulping once, he glanced towards the sidelines.

“What are we here for!?” Pinkie screamed, throwing a pompom in the air.

“The Manticores!” the other cheerleaders shouted.

“To do what!?” Pinkie shouted again, catching her pompom as the cheerleaders proceeded to do what seemed like a poorly practised routine.

There was brief hesitation before they spoke up.

“... To fuck some whores!” the cheerleaders shouted, Fluttershy the only one stuttering.

“Thanks fer th’ suggestions, Rainbow,” Applejack murmured to herself, though she smiled, as even just hearing Rainbow’s perverted banter made her heart flutter. “Jus’ what th’ cheerleadin’ squad needed; yer lovely insight on lyrics.”

That, combined with Rarity’s own words of encouragement, managed to make Spike relax a bit more.

“What does a dragon have that a manticore doesn’t have!?” Rarity shouted out across the field.

‘Two dicks,’ Spike thought, smirking.

Even if she wasn’t there physically, the cheering as well as words previously stated by the vulgar captain still seemed to echo in most of the Manticores’ minds, giving the feeling like she actually was there. In spirit, as most of the players thought. And in boisterous obnoxiousness, perhaps, as she was never one to go unnoticed.

“Barbeque!” Applejack shouted.

Another play coined by the team captain. The goal was to ‘cook the ball until medium-rare’; or in other terms, suicidally carry the ball in such a way that makes it a prime target while the rest of the players attempt to take down members of the opposing team. The reason? Rainbow specifically coined it for an instance where she may have been unable to play. Applejack scoffed initially, yet now she was beginning to see why. Usually Applejack would take the ball, but there was another player that needed to feel needed and motivated, so the responsibility fell upon her tiny shoulders.

Spike heard numbers being called out and flinched, glancing forward. Rather than rely on conventional numbers, they were merely a decoy that most teams utilized. They were typically more surprised if they were utilized in the traditional way. Scootaloo took a deep breath, slightly shaking. A quick glance to the running back showed Gilda’s eyes locked directly on her. She quickly leaned back to her position, staring nervously directly at the player in front of her… and her opposing player seemingly understood the look on her face.

The hut was called, the ball was snapped and the lines clashed into each other. Immediately, no running, Applejack shot the ball like a bullet towards Scootaloo. Effortlessly, the girl caught the ball and darted between the gap created by the mere shock of the player, having expected Scootaloo to curve out.

Another player picked up the slack, breaking off from the linewar against the Manticores’ Dumbbells. With a swift motion, they shot an arm out in front of Scootaloo, hand latching onto the midsection of her jersey. He wasn’t strong, but he could be considered Heracles in comparison to Scootaloo. A bit of pressure and the girl was shoved to the side, ball instinctively clutched to her chest. She rolled to a stop, laying on her back as her eyes were clenched shut, her body trembling. After a few seconds, she stopped shivering and opened her eyes to see that the boy who just took her out extended a hand to Scootaloo. Taking it, she was yanked to her feet and tossed the ball towards Dumbbell.

Sticking to the original play, though the ball carried was swapped, positions were reset, numbers called, hut was shouted and the ball was snapped. Spike found the ball being quickly chucked towards him and he almost fumbled it, grasping it as he darted forward, holding the ball out in a clearly visible position for the other team to see. Rather than see a Griffon running towards him, Spike spotted Scootaloo darting in front of him, attempting to take out a player she saw coming through the line… only to immediately regret it. As luck would have it, Gilda tore through both lines, gunning towards Scootaloo and Spike.

Immediately, Scootaloo’s body seemed to lock up but rather than be hit with the full force of Gilda’s strength, she merely got shoulder-checked… which was like being smashed with a plank of wood. Scootaloo went down as Gilda’s right arm lunged forward, latching onto Spike’s midsection. Unlike Scootaloo, he wasn’t greeted with the bare minimum of her force. Strength gained or not, Spike found his legs buckling under the severe strength put forward from this girl. She wasn’t dumb muscle nor was she timid muscle like Pipsqueak; she knew how to use her physical superiority, and that plus her aggressiveness made her perhaps the most dangerous player on the field at the moment.

With seemingly little effort from Gilda, Spike crumpled towards the ground like a pop can, barely latching onto the ball as Scootaloo did to keep from fumbling. The amount of pressure put on his gut from that single grab was enormous, and he nearly lost his lungs to a harsh cough. The whistle was blown and yet again they had gained absolutely no ground.

Grunting, Spike randomly tossed the ball to his team and rolled onto his front, looking at the younger player beneath him. Scootaloo seemed paralyzed but with one quick slap on her lower back, she snapped back to attention and glanced over at Spike as he gave her a reassuring smile.

“That was my ass, Spike,” Scootaloo said, unable to hold back a chuckle as he helped her up.

Spike looked over to his hand which was indeed set against Scootaloo’s well-shaped rear. Immediately, his face reddened and he retracted his hand. Scootaloo stood up tall, seemingly more loose and lax than she was before; the moment exactly what she needed to find more humour and solace in the somewhat grim situation.

“Lucky little slut,” Gilda muttered as she turned away, walking back to her position.

Spike felt his arms shivering, fists clenched as his pupils slitted. Several of the Griffons glanced over at him to see his and Scootaloo’s response only to double-take upon spotting Spike’s eyes. Rather than comment, they turned away, not wanting to anger Gilda in some way. Spike’s hand involuntarily landed on Scootaloo’s body once more, his fingers latching onto her as he withheld the urge to hit Gilda.

“Uh, Spike, it’s fine if you do this, but I’d assume you’d wait until Rarity was with us before grabbing my ass,” Scootaloo said, uncontrollably giggling once more.

Spike grit his teeth, attempting to keep a straight face as his cheeks reddened once more and he retracted his unfortunate (or very fortunate) grip.

“Stop molesting the squirt, you fucking pipsqueak,” Rainbow shouted from the bench, guffawing at his unsettled expression.

“Ugh, sorry, I’m not terribly smart,” Spike muttered an apology.

Plus, he was starting to get excited as he took in the feeling on his hand. He immediately decided that Scootaloo was most likely feeling the same, hence the laidback response. Retaking their positions, Spike grunted as his eyes darted towards Scootaloo briefly, seeing her rear before snapping back to reality.

‘She’s with… fuckin’ Felix, and I’m with Rarity.’ He bit his lip. ‘Guh, temptation… Stupid boner, stupid adrenaline!’

“Jesus, your boyfriend seems really taken with Scoot’s ass,” Rainbow muttered, rubbing her chin.

Rarity merely snorted, folding her arms as she let a brief stint of jealousy flush by. Big McIntosh merely glared at her from the side, unnoticed by the object of his irritable attention, Rainbow Dash.

Whistle. Numbers. Hut. Snap. Toss.

Spike latched onto the ball, darting straight as they attempted the Manticore Thorn instead of the Barbeque. The linemen clashed with the Griffon’s weaker team, instantly attempting to separate the line. Success opened a small gap and their team’s wide receivers and tight end (Snails, not Spike) immediately darted around the clash of linemen… with the exception of Scootaloo. She rounded back, standing behind Spike as Apple Bloom and Applejack ran forward, Spike and Scootaloo following. The safety and linebackers on the opposing team converged on the opening created and Applejack outstretched her arms. She caught the two safety, falling down with them as Apple Bloom lunged forward, impacting the outside linebacker directly in the chest. Apple Bloom wrapped her arms around the girl as they tumbled to the ground as well. Spike hopped over Applejack, chucking the ball back to Scootaloo as he ran directly towards Gilda. She hunched forward low and wide, grinning through the facecage as they approached.

Spike thrust his hand forward, allowing his least dominant hand to be the weapon of choice. Expectedly, Gilda slapped his hand using her left, Spike’s arm swinging over his chest as he launched his right hand towards Gilda. Her right hand came under her left arm after slapping Spike’s away, twisting her hand before planting it on the back of Spike’s shoulder; her limbs had a length advantage, causing Spike to cuss mentally. The pressure applied to his shoulder combined with his momentum making Spike tumble to the ground. He clenched his eyes shut briefly, quickly opening them as he turned his head to look at Gilda and Scootaloo.

The younger girl immediately slowed down as she was now directly faced with Gilda; a real reason for Gilda to take Scootaloo down in her arms. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen and immediately stood up, stumbling back down to the ground due to her ankle. Scrambling to try to get to her feet over the mess of players at her mercy, Applejack found herself far too distant from Scootaloo to have even hoped to make it to her in time. She ground her teeth in frustration, horrified to watch it all happen before her very eyes. Gilda’s body was twisted from the slap and shove she gave to Spike and flexing her arm, she twisted back towards Scootaloo, the gap closed due to the younger girl’s momentum.

An intentionally violent elbow found its way into Scootaloo’s epigastrium, stopping the girl dead. Scootaloo felt all air in her lungs leaving completely and the ball flying out of her hands to the side. Pain shot throughout Scootaloo’s chest and her body instantly felt weak from the impact. Stumbling back as Gilda retracted her arm, Scootaloo attempted to keep her balance before clutching her chest as she fell onto her back, tears flowing down her cheeks as she attempted to cry out in pain only to have dry heaves escape.

Several gasps from the crowd came out as well as the referee whistle blowing numerous times. The play stopped and the lines broke apart as Spike’s eyes widened. Rainbow and Sweetie Belle had the same reaction: a breathless gasp and a shaky call.

“Scootaloo!” the duo shouted.

Sweetie Belle immediately dropped her pompoms and ran out onto the field along with Big McIntosh and Shining Armour. Rainbow took a step on the ground, feeling pain shoot throughout her leg before she grit her teeth and barred the pain, jogging with a severe limp towards the field. Slamming her fist into the dirt, Applejack glared down at herself. She had failed: failed herself, failed Rainbow Dash, and failed Scootaloo. And now, the poor girl was terribly injured, and it was all her stupid fault.

“Ooh, sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Gilda said with an false innocent voice.

Spike crawled towards Scootaloo as did Apple Bloom. Seconds later, Sweetie Belle, Big Mac, Shining Armour and, shortly thereafter, a limping Rainbow arrived at the scene. The referee had knelt down next to Scootaloo as her helmet and mouth guard were removed. Scootaloo’s face was bright red, her coughs still dry and tears flowing down her cheeks. Her body was tense, legs brought close to her chest as she attempted to cope with the pain.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,” Scootaloo managed to mutter with dry, quiet whispers.

“Mmm, accidents are awful,” Gilda muttered, folding her arms as she watched the Manticores’ reaction.

Immediately, Rainbow’s face turned red as she ignored her leg, limping towards Gilda. Many furious eyes of the Manticores turned towards Gilda as well as some of the players on the own Griffons’ team.

“Accident!? Are you fucking kidding me!?” Rainbow screamed, her voice cracking numerous times.

The referee stood up and shouted directly at Rainbow. “Back off, Dash!” he bellowed once.

Applejack ran forward and wrapped her arms around Rainbow, knowing fully well that she wasn’t going to let Gilda get off. With a quick heave, Applejack lifted Rainbow off the ground much to her protests, kicking and cursing. The referee now turned to Gilda who merely had a meek innocent face.

“I’m sorr—” Gilda was cut off by a louder voice.

“Cut the bullshit!” the referee shouted, standing merely an inch from her face. “You know damn well that was intentional. If that wasn’t supposed to hurt her, than the goddamn Nightmare in the Moon is real!” The referee pulled out a red flag and waved it at Gilda’s face. “You’re out of this game. Get the hell off the field, Griffon.”

Rather than retort, Gilda merely sniffed, walking by as she bumped into the Griffons’ team captain and several of the Dumbbells as she removed her helmet.

“Meh, what the fuck ever. We already won the game, thanks to me,” Gilda gloated with a chipper voice.

“Th’ fuck did you say!?” Pipsqueak shouted, catching many of the players off guard. “You just come right in here, mess up my mates an’ expect that this is somehow a gosh darn win fer ya!?” he shouted, his older accent coming through.

“Dash is out, that fucking dumb chicken cunt is out, and you no longer have the required amount of players. Lose by forfeit,” Gilda shouted, walking away as she held a middle finger over her head.

“Like hell,” Score shouted, attempting to run after Gilda.

Hoops and Dumbbell latched onto Score’s shoulder, stopping him. Spike almost wanted to tell them to let the guy go, but he knew that even Score stood no chance against the superior strength of Gilda. A deep sigh came from the referee as he hung his head, hands placed on his hips.

“A… Are… um, is Scootaloo okay?” Fluttershy asked meekly, hiding behind Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow grit her teeth as Applejack put her down, both their eyes locked onto the retreating Griffon. Once she left the field, Rainbow spun around to see the school’s medical staff placing Scootaloo on a stretcher, lifting her up. Rainbow almost ran over there, but something inside her head stopped her. She let her head hang as she shivered, rage radiating in the atmosphere.

“D-dammit, I should have been there,” Rainbow whispered, withholding tears from her face. Spinning around towards Applejack, Rainbow raised a fist for a moment before realizing who she was thinking of hitting. “Goddammit, you should have been there, AJ!”

Applejack didn’t respond, averting her gaze. A hand was set on Rainbow’s shoulder and Rainbow spun around, swinging her fist at the person. She assumed and hoped it was Big Mac, coming to defend her sister… but instead, it was Spike as well as Shining Armour. Her fist collided with Spike’s jaw as he had removed his helmet, merely causing his head to twist to the side. Rainbow briefly felt horror flash through her mind before regret and guilt took over and she immediately went to trying to wipe her eyes of the nearing tears. And as if to mock them…

“Griffon’s right. If your team captain doesn’t rejoin the game, you automatically forfeit and are kicked from the tournament,” the referee stated.

“R… Rainbow,” a light voice wheezed.

Ignoring the referee, Rainbow spun around and limped towards Scootaloo as the medical staff hoisted the stretcher up. She looked even smaller than usual, laid out like that across a blank white stretcher. She wanted to reach out and touch the young girl supportively, but felt less than worthy to do so after allowing her to get hurt like that.

“Squirt!?” Rainbow cried out, looking at the younger girl compassionately.

“I… I’m a fuckup, aren’t I?” Scootaloo said, covering her eyes with her forearm as she wept, stifling her cries as the medical staff carried her off the field.

It broke her heart to hear the little girl say something so self-loathing as that, but though the captain tried to open her mouth and deny it, she found no words or time to express it. After a distraught and helpless expression crossed Rainbow’s face, she settled into a much more determined mood. Rainbow spun around yet again and limped back towards the referee, glancing at him as he waited for an answer.

“I’m playing again, injury or not,” Rainbow responded, wiping her damp eyes once more.

Though Applejack would have normally intervened and told her that she ought not to, she was silent. After letting Rainbow Dash down like that, she really had no authority over her decisions, and she could not let Scootaloo’s sacrifice be in vain. Placing a hand on her captain’s shoulder, Applejack nodded slowly.

Up in the bleachers, one boy took the bus to see that very game, and he was not disappointed. With a whistle, he watched Gilda leave the field and grinned.

“Woah, what a fuckin’ babe,” Felix praised as he watched her practically tear off her jersey and armour, revealing a sports bra underneath.

He climbed over the edge of the bleachers and dropped down, chasing after the girl. As he ran up from behind, he slowed down and whistled before stopping as Gilda turned around to notice him. She glared at him briefly before speaking.

“Th’ fuck do you want?” Gilda demanded aggressively.

“Just wanna know what the poor girly did to deserve that,” Felix started without a hint of true concern in his tone, slowly walking forward.

“Why the shit do you wanna know?” Gilda asked, staring at him with a bemused grin.

“She was my fucktoy. Kinda useless now, was maybe hoping for a more advanced replacement. Someone that isn’t a total inexperienced whiny cunt that I have to babysit,” Felix responded suggestively.

Gilda stared at him for a moment, walking towards him until she was only a foot away. The size difference was huge as well as the muscle difference, Gilda being larger than Felix. They stared at each other for a moment before Felix spoke up again.

“If you suck my cock, I’ll let you ride it after,” Felix told her as if it was some prize.

Gilda’s jaw hung open slightly before she seemingly scowled. Though she did not seem entirely taken by the boy, she also did not seem repulsed. A hand reached down, grabbing onto his crotch area before yanking him off the path towards several dumpsters.

“You lick my pussy, then maybe I’ll let you try to handle this ass,” Gilda shouted, tossing her jersey and armour aside as the two retreated behind a garbage bin.

Back on the field, Rainbow glanced down at her bandaged ankle as she sighed, taking a deep breath. It wasn't enough, that stupid wound on her leg. Just a menial sprain or twist, as it seemed to be. Scootaloo had got much worse than that, and the thought of it brought a great lump to her throat. The rest of the team was just about set back up already, though their heads hung just the same as hers and their eyes flashed red. Even if the cause of such rage was not on the field, her team was there to take the brunt of the fury.

Rainbow went to take a step, but faltered a bit in it. She nearly fell to her knee, but someone caught her by the arm. With a glance to the side, Rainbow identified the girl, though she didn't have to look to know who it would be. Silently allowing Applejack to help her back up, Rainbow Dash took a firmer step and walked beside her teammate.

“You can do it, y'know,” Applejack spoke up from her side, though neither of them made eye contact. “Ah know y'want to.”

“Do what?” Rainbow mumbled questioningly, her anger bubbling in her voice.

“Hit me,” the quarterback simply stated, unfazed by the prospect. “Ah deserve it, after all.”

“I'm...” Rainbow looked over at her and sighed, trying to deal with the guilt in a more productive way. “I'm not going to hit you, Applejack. I’d never do that. I can't blame you for what happened.”

“Ah told you Ah'd do somethin', an' Ah screwed th’ pooch,” Applejack went on, her own regret very apparent in her voice.

“I fucked up, too,” Rainbow looked back to the exit through which Scootaloo had been carried out and chewed at her lip incessantly. “If I had just... just been more, I don't know, careful. I was the one who egged Gilda on, I was the one who screwed up the plays, I was the one who got hurt, and I was the one who wasn't there. I was totally... a hot-headed loser.”

“Maybe you were,” Applejack exhaled slowly as they reached the rest of the line. “But who're you gonna be now?”

Rainbow Dash met her eyes at once, and she nodded slowly and calmly. She had been a lot of things: she had been mean, foolish, aggressive, and absent, all these things even before the game. But she could change, she didn’t have to be like Gilda, the way Big Mac must have thought of her. She could be that leader he spoke of.

“Al’right, jackoffs,” Rainbow Dash raised her voice and her fist, commanding their attention in her own particular and peculiar way. “For Scootaloo.”

The others glanced around at each other firmly, their mindless rage turning to directed determination. Even those who had not been too fond of Scootaloo or Rainbow Dash could understand the sentiment, their team being brutally ravaged by an enemy. Their nods agreed, and with the affirmation hanging in the air, Rainbow Dash raised her thumb, projecting a confident gesture of victory to the Manticores.

“For Scootaloo!” The Manticores rallied, stomping on the field so hard it shook beneath their feet.

With such a chant, a second wind came in full force. The Manticores stormed the enemy’s field and raced them to the end zone time and again. Besides their own morale increasing, the lack of a dominant force on the Cloudsdale side significantly handicapped them. And with a good while left in the game after the so-called accident, even without the full abilities of their captain, the Manticores left the scoreboard at 50-48: Manticore’s victory.

Spike nearly ripped off his jersey and armour once he reached the changing room. Though they had managed a win, it was nothing like the way they had hoped to achieve it. The running water from one of the Dumbbell’s showers sounded like rain, and it fit the mood all too well. Even Rainbow Dash, who would normally be cracking jokes and complaining about Applejack checking her ankle once the cleats and socks were off, was silent.

It didn’t take long for the room to empty, the Manticores exhausted and ready for the long drive or bus back home, which waited for them outside. Spike stared down at his bag, which was stuffed up to the zipper with supposedly protective gear. All the weight of that uniform had failed Scootaloo, who no one had heard from yet. He didn’t even flinch as his cell phone lit up, as it was sitting on top of the bag waiting to catch a ride in his pocket. It shifted around over the fabric and tipped off a wrinkle, but Spike reached down and snatched it up.

He recognized the name, though it pained him to read it. The text message, however, did not seem to be from the sender. The first text was a line of numbers, which had an odd area code he did not know. A second message followed, though, a legible one.

Felix:

‘That’s my number. Call if your balls ever drop, faggot,’ Spike frowned at such a rude word, but read on. ‘I could do a lot with a big man like you. -Gilda.’

He gripped at the piece of metal, wanting to snap it right in half. But he restrained himself, dropping his thumb onto a single button on the phone. Delete.

Author's Notes:

Allllllrighty, so we get another new character here, and... well, crap luck for Scootaloo.
Don't forget to head on over to http://arby-works.deviantart.com/gallery/35609794 to see some Hail Mary Artwork!