Chapter 24
Ice Breakers
Hockey is a sport where two teams made of six players fight over a black puck while they skate on ice holding sticks that are curved at the end. It is a game that requires, speed, agility, concentration, endurance, and strength. It also requires you to stand on two legs, not four. Do you remember how after the baseball game that featured the Phoenix Flames and the Rainbow Flyers, Rainbow Dash wanted to have a rematch against Flareon one day? It turns out a hockey game was the perfect answer. It all began one afternoon at the Ponyville Ice-Skating Rink. Flareon and Twilight decided to bring their friends over to hang out. Everyone was having a great time as they skated around the rink, however, not much could be said for Twilight as she was struggling just to keep her balance.
"Twilight...you're joking right?" Flareon asked as he assisted her back up, "No one ever taught you how to ice skate?"
"No," Twilight muttered as she continued to slide all over the place, "When I was little, I was always reading...all the time. I never really had anytime for, you know...other activities." As Twilight fell down for the hundredth time, Flareon let out sigh as he went to help her back up again. Eventually, after many failed attempts, Twilight gave up and sat down at a table. Soon after, Rainbow Dash and Applejack skated to Flareon, who was still looking at a frustrated Twilight.
"What's so hard about ice skating?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What...does she have four left hooves or something?" As she laughed, Applejack hit Rainbow Dash on her shoulder.
"Oh hush Rainbow Dash," Applejack replied, "Just because Twilight has a hard time skating doesn't mean we should laugher at her. I actually remember that you had a hard time learning how to ice skate when you started out." As Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to argue, Flareon was hit with an idea.
"Hey! Have you two ever played hockey?" Flareon asked.
"Hockey? What is that?" Applejack replied.
"Oh man! It's so much fun!" Flareon exclaimed, "If I taught you how to play, we could play an exhibition game right here! It would be perfect!" At that moment, Rainbow Dash's eyes began to glow in anticipation.
"Heck yeah! This could be our rematch that you promised to after the baseball game we played!" Rainbow Dash replied. Soon after, she and Flareon shared a brohoof in agreement for Flareon teaching them how to play hockey so they could have a rematch. Similar to before, Flareon would take care of the equipment, while he sent Rainbow Dash to gather everyone who wanted to learn hockey and meet him back at the ice-skating rink tomorrow morning at 9am. The next day, Rainbow Dash was seen bringing Shining Armor, Cadance, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Derpy. All in all, they had exactly 12 ponies total, which was absolutely perfect since both teams would have six players. Right away, Flareon moved the mobile blackboard near him and began to teach everyone the game of hockey. Flareon went through the basic, advanced, expert, and pretty much everything he knew about hockey. After Flareon was done, he put on his ice skating shoes, however, Flareon had only put them on his legs, not his arms. He soon took to the ice and began to skate on his hind legs.
"Since this is a human sport, I'm taking it you guys shouldn't be shocked to know we will be playing hockey like humans right?" Flareon asked, but he didn't have to worry as everyone already knew it was going to be like this since they did stand on their hind legs when they batted in the baseball game. Soon after, everyone took to the ice and began to skate on their hind legs too, however, there was one pony who hadn't joined them yet. "Come on Twilight!" Flareon yelled, "You said you wanted to play hockey remember?" A few second later, Twilight put on her skates and reluctantly joined them, but as she was getting into the rink, Twilight tripped on fell on her face. Ignoring the whispering behind him, Flareon rushed to help Twilight back up. "Don't worry Twilight, I'm going to teach you how to skate and play hockey no matter what! As your loyal husband, I promise I will not let you down." As he was assisting her, Twilight gave him a thank you smile. Later on, everyone had successfully learned how to skate on their hind legs, while all Twilight learned is what ice tasted like as her face had hit it so many times that Flareon lost count. Since it was getting late, Flareon told them they would practice playing hockey tomorrow. As everyone was leaving, he saw Twilight sulking on a bench. He then sat down near Twilight and asked her what was wrong.
"Everyone has already learned to skate on their back legs while I can't even skate on my four legs," Twilight muttered. She then turned to a concerned Flareon. "Maybe it would be best if I just gave up and let someone else take my place." Suddenly, Twilight felt something touch her shoulder. It was Flareon's right hoof. When Twilight saw his face, she noticed he was smiling at her. Soon after, Flareon put back on his skates, went onto the ice, and signaled Twilight to come join him.
"How about I give you some personal one-on-one skating lessons?" Flareon asked as Twilight was eagerly putting on her skates, "It'll be just you and me. I promise I will turn you into a skating pro in no time!" In response, Twilight gave him a confident smile as she quickly joined him on the ice rink. It could have been stage fright or the fact she was nervous learning to ice skate in front of others, but now that they were alone, Twilight was finding it very easy to skate. It only took a couple of minutes before Twilight was able to skate on all four legs. Soon after, Twilight attempted learning to skate on two legs and just like before, she was able to master skating on her hind legs in no time at all.
I did it Flareon! I did it!" Twilight exclaimed as she flung herself into his hooves, "Thank you...so much!" A couple of minutes later, Flareon and Twilight took their time skating together around the rink before they finally called it a day and went back home to rest. The next day, everyone returned to the ice rink to find Flareon with a bunch of supplies lying near him such as hockey sticks, pucks, gloves, including hockey masks and pads for the goalie.
"First off...both teams need to have a goalie, so who wants it?" Flareon asked. Soon after, Applejack, and to their surprise Rarity, raised their right hoofs in the air. "Ok...good, now we need to decided on the teams. Of course I'll be the captain of my team and Rainbow Dash will be the captain of her team. My team will be called the Red Barons and Rainbow Dash's team will be called the Blue Barons." A few minutes later, everyone successfully split into two teams. The Red Barons would consist of Flareon as the center, Twilight and Fluttershy as the right and left wings, Shining Amor and Princess Luna as the right and left defenseman, and Applejack as the goalie. The Blue Blazers would consist of Rainbow Dash as the center, Pinkie Pie and Derpy as the right and left wings, Princess Celestia and Cadance as the right and left defenseman, and Rarity as the goalie. "Alright...nice! Things are definitely looking pretty good so far," Flareon said as he picked up his stick and skated onto the rink, "I already set up the nets, so why don't we have a practice game?" Later on, after nearly six hours of practice, Flareon smiled as he looked at everyone's confident faces. "Ok...so that's it for practicing. I think you guys are ready for a real full-length hockey game!" Immediately, everyone began to cheer in anticipation for the first ever hockey game played in Equestria. "The game will be here at 1pm tomorrow afternoon. So go home and get some rest. Trust me...you're gonna need it for all the awesome hockey action for tomorrow!" As everyone began to exit the ice rink, Flareon could hear them whispering loudly to each other. However, instead of leavening with them, Twilight decided to help Flareon put the equipment away, and soon after, they left to go back home and get some well-deserved rest for the big hockey game. The following afternoon, Flareon was surprised to find out everyone had arrived at the ice-skating rink earlier than expected, but considering it was the first ever hockey game played in Equestria, it wasn't that surprising. Right away, everyone got their gear on as Flareon and Twilight set up the goals. A good-sized crowd was already beginning to form along the edges of the rink after they had heard another human game was going to be played. Soon after, everyone got onto the ice as the hockey game featuring the Red Barons vs the Blue Blazers was about to begin. Cheerilee was in charge of keeping score as she was sitting at a table with a scorecard by her. On another note, Flareon decided it would be better when both teams scored, a loud buzzer noise would play after it happened since both teams were technically the home team. Also, Flareon loved hearing that buzzer noise every time a home team scored, it was one of the best things about hockey. As everyone got into their positions, Flareon and Rainbow Dash shared a brohoof in agreement to the start of the game. Flareon then brought a puck over to him from the table and a second later, dropped it onto the ground as he and Rainbow Dash fought over it. In the end, she was able to hit it over to his team's side. In response, the crowd cheered as the first ever hockey game got into full-swing. During the 1st period, both teams were playing very good defense as neither goalie seemed to budge. At 5:08, Flareon passed the puck to Fluttershy, who almost scored a goal, but Rarity's reflexes were too quick as she blocked the puck from entering her goal. At 14:44, Rainbow Dash was able to get past Shining Armor and hit a speed shot towards Applejack, who made a spectacular save. At 19:23, Twilight passed the puck to Flareon, who hit a monstrous shot towards Rarity, but she was able to block another attempt at a score. As the first period ended, the Red Barons and Blue Blazers were tied at 0-0. Both teams then went to their benches and took a break.
"Keep the up good work!" Cheerilee exclaimed. As both teams were resting, Flareon saw Rainbow Dash whispering something into Rarity's ear. He then turned to his team and gave them a pep talk.
"Alright everyone, we're tied and have two periods left to win this game. Shining Amor, Luna, Applejack...you two are doing a fantastic job on defense! Same goes for Twilight and Fluttershy. You're all playing amazing!" Flareon exclaimed as everyone got together, put their hooves together, and quickly raised them up high as they let out a cheer. Rainbow Dash's team did the same. Soon after, both teams got back onto the ice as the second period was underway. At 3:43, the first goal was scored as Rainbow Dash hit a laser shot towards Applejack, who unfortunately, wasn't able to block it in time. Rainbow Dash then made a victory lap around the ice rink as the loud buzzer echoed throughout the arena. The crowd cheered loudly as Cheerilee flipped the scored card for the Blue Blazers as they now lead the Red Barons 1-0. At 8:12, Shining Armor managed to steal the puck from Rainbow Dash, and quickly took a shot at Rarity, but once again, she was able to make another amazing save. At 10:00, Flareon managed to escape double coverage and passed the puck towards Twilight. She hit the puck as hard as possible towards Rarity, who was able to block the score attempt. At 13:55, Pinkie Pie managed to steal the puck from Flareon and quickly took a shot at the Red Baron's goalie. Applejack tried her best, but in the end, wasn't able to keep the puck from getting past her. Once again, the loud buzzer sounded as another goal was scored. As the crowd cheered again, Cheerilee smiled as she flipped the scored card for the Blue Blazers as they now lead the Red Barons 2-0 half-way through the second period. At 17:17, Rainbow Dash once again managed to score on Applejack. As the crowd cheered, Cheerilee flipped the score card for the Blue Blazers as they now lead the Red Barons 3-0. Later on, the second period finally came to an end. As both teams took another break, Flareon could see Rainbow Dash's side celebrating. When he turned to look at his team, Flareon could see the disappointed look on their faces.
"Sorry y'all," Applejack muttered, "It's my fault those goals were scored."
"Don't blame yourself," Flareon replied, "If there's going to be any blame...it's on me." Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. "But it's not over yet! The problem is we're too obvious with our scoring tactics. We need to be a little bit more creative so that Rarity won't be able to predict and block our shots." He then put his right hoof in the middle of the group. "Now...who's with me?" Right away, everyone nodded their heads in agreement. They quickly put their hooves together and let out a cheer as they raised them high into the air. Soon after, they headed back on the ice as the third period got underway. Thanks to Flareon's plan, they managed to finally score on Rarity as Twilight fake passed to Fluttershy and then passed to Flareon, who was able to get the first score at 1:18 as the Red Barons were now down 1-3. As Cheerilee changed the score, the crowd cheered as Flareon took a victory lap while the loud buzzer sounded off. At 2:22, the Red Barons managed to score again as Flareon and Fluttershy kept passing the puck between them until Flareon finally passed it to Twilight, who was able to score a goal on a baffled Rarity. Now the Red Barons were only down by one goal. Later on, at 19:55, Flareon managed to score the tying goal after Twilight had snuck behind Rarity with the puck and quickly passed it to Flareon before Rarity was able to notice what had happened. Through impossible odds, the Red Barons had managed to erase a 3-goal deficit and tied the game within just one period, but it wasn't over yet because they now had to play in overtime. As everyone took a break again, the mood on both sides had completely swapped. The Red Barons were in high spirits while the Blue Blazers were sulking. Similar to what Flareon did before, Rainbow Dash managed to lift her team's confidence after a roaring pep talk. Soon after, the crowd cheered again as book teams took to the ice as the 5-minute overtime period started. Amazingly, neither team was able to score which meant that this game would have to be settled in a shootout. The Red Barons would send Shining Armor, Princess Luna, and Flareon, while the Blue Blazers sent out Pinkie Pie, Cadance, and Rainbow Dash. A couple of minutes later, neither Shining Armor, Luna, Pinkie Pie or Cadance weren't able to score, so it was now up to Flareon and Rainbow Dash. The tension in the rink was so tight that a pin drop could easily be heard throughout the entire arena. Soon after, Rainbow Dash took her turn and on her last shot, was able score a goal on Applejack, who was completely fatigued at that point. As Rainbow Dash moved aside, it was now Flareon's turn. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to land a goal within his three shot attempts as the Blue Blazers defeated the Red Barons in a shootout. Immediately, the crowd burst into cheering as Rainbow Dash's teammates skated onto the rink and hugged their captain. As they were throwing Rainbow Dash high into the air, Flareon went and joined the rest of his team on the bench, who were watching the other team celebrate. "Sorry everyone," Flareon muttered, "Looks like we lost." Twilight then walked over and put her right hoof softly on his shoulder as she smiled.
"It's ok...I still had a great time!" Twilight exclaimed as his team nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Flareon felt another hoof touch his shoulder. When he turned around, Flareon saw Rainbow Dash standing near him. She then held out her right hoof as she smiled happily.
"Great game Flareon!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, great game Rainbow Dash. You guys sure played hard," Flareon replied as they shook hooves. The crowd of ponies that had watched the game now begun to leave the ice rink, but not before they had given both the Red Barons and the Blue Blazers a roaring round of applause for a well-played game. Later on, both teams had taken off their gear and were talking about the details of the game they had just played. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash stood up as an idea had popped into her head.
"Hey! How about we all go out to eat and celebrate?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I mean...we did after all just complete the first ever hockey game in Equestria history!"
"You know what...I could go for some food right now. I'm starving!" Flareon replied as he got up. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as they quickly followed Rainbow Dash outside. Just before Flareon left with them, he looked back in the ice-skating rink and smiled. A few seconds later, he turned around and ran to catch up to his friends. They would have to make the best of their celebration as the final battle against Alexei was slowly drawing near.