White Zinfandel

"Magnum, 'The Boom', and his Canterlot Chevaliers are scheduled to play against the Baltimare Ravens this evening John. This is surely to be a game to see, I tell you what." A voice is heard on the radio coming from atop a wooden dresser.

"That's right Tom. Magnum is known to be a household name when it comes to hoofball season. The stallions hate him, the mares love him, the fillies want him and the colts want to be him. He averages a good 189 rushing yards per game and he. Is. Known. To. Penetrate. This guy is a league legend, especially early in his career when he pulled that crazy 72 yard run from 4th and 19, in his first year!"

Here is a filly's bedroom, adorned with posters and pictures of her father on the walls. She looks into the mirror as she begins to practice her levitation magic to lift a hair brush to her mane. As she attempts to pick up the brush, more voices are heard from the radio.

"Oh, I believe we all remember that one John. A suicide play that ended up being a touchdown run. They managed to get into the playoffs thanks to that one. But sadly their chances of earning the Prince Lambardi Championship Trophy was held off until two seasons ago, where Magnum, for the first time of his career, held that Prince Lambardi Trophy in his hooves."

The filly smiled in delight as she managed to stabilize her mental wavelengths long enough to concentrate them around the handle of the brush. As she began to brush her mane with her new-found ability, the radio continues it's broadcast.

"Yep. That guy rushed a full 319 yards in that game to win that one 42-19. And he continued his amazing performance last season to bring the trophy back to Canterlot for a second, consecutive season. That game had Chevalier fans in a scare as he went down in the first half with what appeared to be a leg injury that turned out to be a serious cramp. He came back in the fourth quarter to rush an unprecedented 152 yards to lead his team in a come-from-behind victory against the Cloudsdale Chargers, 49-45. I still have the picture where he was holding both the trophy and his little daughter in his hooves. He's a good guy, and a hell of a hoofball player."

The filly looked up on the wall behind her bed. On the wall was a poster of him holding the trophy and her as he smiled for the camera while she kissed him on the cheek. The young filly looked down from the poster and smiled to herself. She turned to the radio as it continued it's mindless chatter.

"And tonight, he has the opportunity to earn his team a spot in the playoffs for this season. If anything could possibly go wrong tonight, it's if he was taken off the field for the season due to an injury. But it's unlikely for that to ha-" *click*

The young filly with a white coat and royal blue mane styled into a large curl cut off the radio and makes her way to the door. She pauses to look back at the poster above her bed and whispers to herself.

"Go get 'em, daddy."

"And just what might your name be little one?" A tall stallion with a handlebar mustache asked the filly as she was about to board the train with her mother.

The Ponyville train station was rather busy tonight, thanks to the 'town hero' that was scheduled to play in a few hours. The cheers and cries of many of the ponies there were that of excitement and anticipation. Members of the Crown, Rich, and Apple families would often gamble their money against some of the Canterlot elite and other elitist from other cities and regions across Equestria. While the rich would flaunt their bits around, the others would leave there to cheer their hero onward. Many of the ponies called him "the stallion who put Ponyville on the map" because of his upbringing.

Magnum was a hoofball player for most of his natural-born life. Earning his cutie mark at a very young age, he displayed the speed and finesse of a prominent hoofball player by dismantling every defensive line he went against. Soon, he found that he became the talk of many high schools in the central region. Cloudsdale High made him an offer to be specially trained in his school, but he turned it down for obvious reasons. Offers from the mighty Appaloosa High, known for it's three consecutive regional titles, came in song and dance, but he denied it due to the fact that it was too far away. Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns sought his talent by offering him a stipend just for his daily attendance, but he denied it stating that he would be teased and tourmented due to his social class. Even the prestigious Canterlot Heights Private Academy opened their doors, but they would do so on a partial scholarship. Either way, his decision was to attend the school closest to him, Ponyville High.

Ponyville High was not at all impressive nor was it even on-average when it came to sports. Many times, the school would schedule a cupcake game at the end of the season, just so their battle-weary and heavy-hearted team could relieve themselves of their much more abusive league. In his freshman year, they lost to all the major schools and their senior QB was ineffective as he could never stop trying to run the plays himself, leading to a humiliating loss to a cupcake team at the end of the season. They were win-less that year. But his sophomore year, their record improved to a 3-7 season, knocking out the schools of similar circumstances to their own. Their new QB/Receiver duo knew the plays they could run with Soarin as the QB and Magnum as the Receiver. Junior year was a drastic reversal, leading to a 7-3 season getting them into playoff contention and finally ending with a playoff loss to Appaloosa, who managed to avenge their mid season upset. That year, they pulled an upset on every team except for Canterlot Heights. Senior year was the year that Ponyville became the loudest. And they would go on to rack up a winning record of 9-1, letting their cupcake team take the win. They went far into the playoffs that year, avenging their loss to Appaloosa in last years second round of the playoffs. They managed to run straight into the championship game, that sadly ended in a loss against their once-upset rivals, Canterlot Heights. They came back to Ponyville discouraged from the loss only to find that the town was in cheers and screams for the town heroes. They threw a celebration for Magnum and the team in honor in what was called by Mayor Mudd of Ponyville "the best damn hoofball that Ponyville ever did see."

Months after, Soarin graduated a year early, alongside Magnum who hoof bumped his fellow class pony and thanked him for "being the best play calling QB in the business." After that, the two parted onto separate paths. Magnum received a full ride to the elite University of Canterlot. Soarin would go on to enlist in the Equestria National Guard, to carry on his family tradition of being an elite flyer. Magnum entered the university in the fall, with much scrutiny. The initial tension, however, subsided as he continued to drive the team to an undefeated season, that ended with a championship title in his hooves and offers from the Professional Hoofball League. Though he rejected the offer initially, it was needless to say he accepted after a consecutive title in his hooves. That draft season, he was inducted into the Canterlot Chevaliers.

It would not take long for the coaches to take notice of a pony with natural born talent who took his practice seriously, so he was brought out in his rookie season and made his debut with a play from a punt fake on 4th and 19 out to deliver a touchdown run of 72 yards. Since then, he's been a household name in most of the Hoofball world, and also a driving force to which all of Ponyville rallied behind. And continued to be a driving force as his wife gave birth to a healthy young foal that had an unusually white, pristine coat, aptly named Rarity.

Rarity, who was ten now, always supported her father by being his personal cheerleader. Whenever he went down on a play, Rarity could be heard from inside of the press box, cheering him on to a speedy recovery. The louder she cheered, the faster he healed and ran back into the game. She was soon noticed by the team and in some games, she had sideline access in order to keep her father going. When he won a game, she hugged him and tells him how much faith she has. When he losses a game, she scolds him for not playing his hardest and tells him that she does it out of love as she gives him a kiss on the cheek. Sometimes he even tells his teammates that he can't wait for the next game he loses. Win or lose, Rarity has always been there for him to cheer him on.

"And just what might your name be little one?" A tall stallion with a handlebar mustache asked the filly as she was about to board the train with her mother.

"My name is Rarity, and I am the head coach of the team. That means I get to tell my daddy what to do!" She swiftly responded.

"Really? I wish I had your job little one. But you seem to be doing a good job. Keep up the good work, ya hear?" He says with a smile and a wink.

"YES SIR!" She screams loudly, gaining the attention of the whole town.

"Rarity Andalusia Belle! Where ARE your manners?" A scolding voice from inside the train calls out. "Stop yelling and get in here, this instant!"

"Yes mother." She responds as she looks down to the ground in shame before trotting inside the train cart.

Inside, her mother awaits with a serious look on her face. "You know how I feel about you yelling out loud in public..."

"Yes, ma'am." She looks down with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Rarity begins to prepare for the worst, when suddenly she feels a set of hooves sweep her off the ground and raise her to eye-level "...But you also know that your father needs to hear that lovely little voice of yours in order for him to play well tonight. I really would rather you save it for later tonight."

Pearl snuggles Rarity with a smile and gives her a kiss on her forehead. Rarity, in return, begins to giggle and squee in delight as her mother begins to torture her with tickles and hugs. But Rarity looks down in sadness and begins to ask her mom.

"Mother, do you think father will be able to spend time with us after the game?"

Pearl looks down at her daughter and begins to ponder the possibilities of what all her husband may have to do in terms of his post-game press conference, the media in general and his agent. Looking to the window that showed a mountain with a city built to it's side coming into view, she sighs deeply and begins to look to her daughter to give her an answer.

"Sweetie dear, I have no idea. Maybe he will have time to spend with us tonight. Just remain hopeful and it just might happen." Pearl answered the filly with a faint smile.

The young filly smiled at the answer she received. Shortly after she began to hug her mother and look to her in admiration. Pearl, however, looked away from her daughter in fear of the possibility that she might have lied to her own daughter, just to see her smile. A small amount of guilt began to grow in her heart as her daughter continued to look at her, smiling with the liveliest expression. She looks back to the window and sees that the city of Canterlot was steadily approaching in the distance. She whispered to herself.

"I hope that your father may have time for us as well."

The city of Canterlot was known to be one of the crown jewels of all of Equestria due to the unicorn-based architecture that adorned the buildings. Many of the building were clad in purple and ivory towers, adorned with domes gilded in gold. Many of the streets were well lit with magical lamps that would automatically light themselves with the sun's setting. The roads were made of smooth cobblestones that were patterned into mosaic swirls that led into intersections that began to create patterns of roses, tulips, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, even the sun and moon themselves. The city was often rather busy due to the nightlife that Canterlot had to offer. On every city block, there was a soldier located to its center to insure that peace and order was maintained. And there was also a very large stadium at the end of the cobblestone road that soon turned into marble-slated walkways.

Rarity and her mother, Pearl began to approach the stadium to it's main entrance, that is until a blue unicorn guard walked up to them.

"Hello ma'am. My name is Orion Sparkle. I am your assigned officer for tonight and I will be escorting you to the VIP entrance." He stated with gusto.

"Orion Sparkle? THE Orion Sparkle?" Pearl asked in complete shock. "The Captain of The Royal Guard!?"

"Heheh, I guess you could say that." He responded while blushing a bit behind his armor, while Pearl was struck dumb.

"Bu- I ah- wha- you- you're... But why yo-" She finally found the words to ask, but she could not finished as she was interrupted.

"Because I wanted to take my son to see his favorite hero. Believe it or not, my son is a big hoofball fan and an even bigger 'Magnum' fan. So when I made a request to let my son see the team, the manager and I struck a deal."

"Which was..." Pearl inquired.

"Which was that my best trained guards would be the team's security for tonight. So needless to say that your husband is in capable hooves." He continued as he looked to the stadium entrance, where another guard signaled him.

"Now come along, we haven't much time before the paparazzi shows up wanting to ask questions." He advised.

"Yes, lets." Pearl agreed while hoisting the young Rarity on her back. Soon after Rarity was positioned, Pearl was given a evening coat to wear over her back to hide her daughter.

The three begin to navigate their way through the crowd, reaching the other side of the street and ultimately finding out that one of many secret routes were congested by ponies in trench coats holding cameras. Upon seeing this, Orion looked to an alternative route in case this one was compromised. He looked to an alleyway that had a guard standing by it, who signaled him to come on over. Orion and Pearl took to the alley as Pearl held on to her coat.

Some time later, the three managed to get to the stadium undetected. To Pearl it was the first time, in all her years of her husband being a professional athlete, that she wasn't harassed or pressured to answer questions before she managed to arrive to the game. Surely, as she thought that this feat was amazing, she also thought to herself 'at last she could get rid of that stuffy coat'. Rarity took the opportunity to escape her sweaty prison and seek the attention of one of the guards, asking where the fillies room was located. Pearl took notice to where her daughter was headed, when suddenly...

"M-m-m-May I t-t-take your c-coat, m-ma'am?" A young male voice called out to Pearl.

Pearl turned around to see a young colt standing behind her, holding his hoof out to her. He had a rare, pure white coat, the same as Rarity except that he had a two-toned blue mane. He also appeared to be very nervous as he was blushing. He continued to shake until Pearl spoke out to him.

"What a fine, young gentlecolt we have here. You have exceptional manners. I say, what is your name?"

"Um... Sh-Shining ma'am. S-s-sh-Shining Armor." He responded nervously while keeping his hoof out and his head low. "May I take your coat?"

Pearl saw that he was used to catering to the nobles, who often scolded young colts on their approach to their guests and hosts. But she also saw that he was terrified of the possibility that he would be refused or worse, rebuked. But she was not like the Canterlot Elite, who would tear apart free expression and youth in order to see them hold their muzzles high into the air as they tread on those of a financial and/or social disposition. So she accommodated the young colt in front of her.

"Dear me, if you think I'm one of those stuck up pricks, then I hope that you are not disappointed in the fact that I take the well being of ALL citizens into consideration." She says as she removes her coat and approaches him slowly until she gets close enough in his ear to whisper to him.

"And between you and me, those fillies are often left with seven year itches anyways. Why do you think the political leaders are always caught in infidelity? Because those fillies that they marry are so 'prim and proper' that they don't know how to ~~properly~~ please a stallion like a real mare should."

Shining held his hoof, now adorned with the coat, to his mouth as he tries to withhold his rambunctious laughter.

"How old are you, young lad?" She asks, seeing that she has indulged in his sense of humor.

"*snicker* Sixteen, ma'am."

"In that case, you should be old enough to know that these fillies as so miserable that they wish to see others suffer in their place. Which is a reason why they are left tending to their hooves during the estrous season."

Shining gasped at Pearl's statement, whispering to her. "But I thought that they would seek the attention of-"

"Oh please those mares are nowhere near hiring a stallion, they see it as a means of carrying themselves in highest regard." She interrupted. "Though most of them are left humping their bedposts like savage beasts."

Shining began to crack. His lungs could no longer contain the auditory assault to which he was to give. He lost his composure and began to laugh loudly. Shining buckled over and laughed as his hooves were suspended in the air as he desperately gasped for air to take in. He continued until a small voice interrupted him.

"Mommy, why is he laughing so loudly."

"Mommy told him a funny joke while you were away sweetie." Pearl responded to her daughter.

Shining looked up and saw that a small filly with the same white coat was looking at him. And he saw that she one of the cutest fillies he has set his eyes upon. Shooting back up to attention, he began to speak.

"Aww. You're the second cutest, little filly I've ever seen."

"...What?" Rarity deadpanned.

"Sorry little one, but the title of 'cutest' belongs to my little sister."

"...SERIOUSLY!?" She exploded. "I can be way cuter than your little sister."

"Can not." Shining rebutted.

"Can too." Rarity said while trotting up to him, trying to get in his face.

"Can not."

"Can too."

"Can not."

"Can too."

"Can too."

"Can n- AHAA! I CAN be cuter." Rarity dances around the defeated Shining Armor.

"Dang, I thought I could really win that one with a reverse." He admits while looking down in shame.

"Well it didn't work. That means I can be cuter." Rarity declared triumphantly.

"*tch* You just got lucky." Shining tries to argue.

"No. I just outsmarted you in your own game." Rarity uppercuts Shining's previous statement.

"Alright you two, that's enough." A third voice enters the war of the words. Shining and Rarity looks to the source of the interruption and they both are surprised on who they see.

"Magnum, sweetie. How's the warm-ups treating you tonight?" Pearl asks while giving him a hug.

"Oh, I feel really loose tonight. Loose enough to evade an entire defensive line."

"You show those ruffians what for!" Rarity screams out.

"Ah, there's my little darling. How ya been kiddo?" Magnum asks as he sweeps his daughter off her hooves, planting kisses on her cheeks and tossing her into the air, both of them laughing all the while.

"The ritz was out thick tonight, so I found a few routes we could take on the way out to avoid them. Also you can assure that your family won't be harassed like last week." Orion spoke up.

"Thanks, Captain. Don't know what I'd do without ya." Magnum replied while putting his daughter back on the ground as she begin to tap his shoulder. "What is it, sweetums?"

"Daddy! That colt over there said I am the cutest filly he ever seen!" Rarity declared loudly.

Shining began to blush profusely as he tries to find an escape route for himself. But before he could think of a way out, his father pushes him to the heavy-framed unicorn stallion in front of him.

"Yeah, you lost fair and square on that bet. Now introduce yourself. Don't be rude." Orion instructed his son.

Shining began to shift his hooves and look away as he quietly spoke his name out. "My name is Shining Armor."

"Louder." His father commanded.

"My... Name is Shining Armor."

"I can't hear you cadet."

"MY NAME IS SHINING ARMOR, SIR!"

Both Orion and Magnum look at the stallion with surprise and awe. Shining Armor stood tall at attention. His eyes remained forward, and his chin held up high. Orion spoke up first.

"...Well damn, son. I didn't know you had it in you. You'd make a fine commander one day."

"That... was the best, damn introduction I've ever seen. You raised that boy up right, Captain." Magnum stated. "When I grow up, I wanna be just like you, Shining Armor."

Orion took a moment to laugh as Shining looked to his favorite athlete in confusion. Before he could speak, Magnum cut in.

"And since you seem like a good, young lad, I want you to keep an eye on my little cheerleader right here. Make sure nopony gives her a bad time, ya hear?"

Shining tried to process what Magnum just asked. Not only was his idol approving of him, but also trusting him to look after his own flesh and blood. With little to no thought, Shining responded. "SIR, YER SIR!"

"At ease, cadet." Orion called out.

Before long, Magnum's family made their way to the press box alongside Shining Armor, who was their 'escort' for the evening. Shining looked over to Pearl and Rarity and questioned himself on how did he manage to receive such an opportunity. As he continues his thoughts, a small voice calls out to him.

"Bet you can't cheer louder than I can."

Rarity called him out on a challenge, and Shining wasn't the one to refuse a challenge either. He looked at the young filly with a smirk on his face as he gave his answer.

"You're on!"