Football?

Sleep wasn't easy to obtain as my worry about Applejack being discovered filled my head. As soon as morning arrived I shook Applejack gently to wake her up.

Her ponytail had nearly fallen apart as she yawned and sat up. I let her clean her face and hair before I helped her up onto the window sill of my fire escape.

I waved from my room as she jumped out of the hole and started looking for a place to hide. Once she was gone I quickly ate breakfast and waved goodbye to my mother before sneaking around to the back of the house.

At first look I had no idea where she was hiding and a small part of my mind worried that she had left. But my concerns were quelled once I felt two forelegs wrap around me from behind.

"Woah! You surprised me there." She laughed and let me go to adjust her hat.

"So what are we gonna do Jordan? I don't exactly know this place."

"I have practice in an hour, would you like to come watch?" her eyes showed a small sparkle when she heard my offer.

"Sure thing Jordan! I was hoping I'd get to see what y'all do!" I waited for her to calm down and walked with her down the back alley of our neighborhood.

School was a few miles away so it took a while since we had to duck in and out of cover whenever somebody appeared in the alley but we had fun talking as we did so.

By the time the school came within view I had to show Applejack a little spot where I would hide my extra clothing if I was in too much of a hurry to go to my locker. Surprisingly she was just the right size to hide comfortably in the bushes and still had a good view of the field.

I then waved and ran to the track for my warmup laps. Once I was breathing deeply I walked to where a group of players was forming quickly.

In the center Coach Weir stood with a clipboard filled with our names. Role call was quick and it was only a minute before the players split off to their positional drills.

I jogged ahead to a set of five dummies laid a few feet away from each other. Our running back coach was a young man who had just graduated from Kansas State. His body still showed off his large calves and biceps in particular.

"Let's go people you know the drill."

I most certainly did as I quickly picked up a ball and dashed through the obstacle while making sure to touch both feet in each gap before continuing.

Immediately after I got past the bags a player with another bag swung at me which caused me to spin out of the way. A coach then hit me with another bag which I just hit back at him.

While I took a breather I watched as the other backs went through at their own pace. We then went on to practicing handoffs and formations.

Then came my least favorite play to practice... the option. Our QB was a good player that was fast and strong but was rather sporadic on pitches.

He could keep the ball with three defenders in front of him but pitch it while dashing down the sideline.

I waited for the snap which came in an instant. As soon as it did I ran straight towards my right while staying behind my QB.

He shot across the field and almost ran into the tight end before pitching it when the corner went after him. I barely caught the ball and tucked it in when I had to juke a linebacker and race for about twelve yards.

I was about to rush for more but I felt a brush on my arm and a whistle blew to signal the end of the play. We all jogged back to our huddle and continued to practice for about an hour.

I would occasionally glance at where Applejack was hiding and every time I saw her head just barely over the little hill of her spot.

Team drills ended with the third string players so I took a seat on a nearby bench a long with my friend Maurice. He was also a running back and my main back up last year.

Being a year younger meant he was most likely going to start as a senior when I leave. Well, I still have to try my best so he doesn't take the job sooner...

"I see you working man! Ain't nobody gonna catch you this year!" He smirked and patted me on the back.

"I don't know about that, I can't seem to out run those damn safeties." I grunted in slight frustration which made him laugh again.

"Safeties? Shit man you're so strong you just truck 'em anyways." His enthusiasm made me smile as well and eventually I was laughing too.

Practice concluded with the usual amount of running and everyone headed inside for the showers. I rushed through my shower and quickly headed towards where Applejack sat in a daze.

"So what did you think? This is just summer camp so we don't get to wear pads and hit but this is the basic practice." She snapped out of her stupor to jump up and down with excitement.

"That was the best thing I've seen since rodeos back in Equestria! I don't know how long I'll be stayin' here but I hope I'll get the chance to see ya' play for real!" It brought a smile to my face when she spoke with such enthusiasm.

"Well now that practice is over I want to show you something..."

"What is it?"

"You'll see when we get there." I kept quiet until we reached home which made her anticipation.

As soon as we reached the house I led her to my car. I only used my car for long distances to save on gas.

She seemed pretty calm when I started the car and explained that it wasn't that different from a carriage. It kind of amused me that they still had horse drawn carriages for other ponies.

After about ten minutes of driving we found ourselves near the outskirts of town and a small farm house was becoming visible.

"We're going to a farm?! I was hoping I'd get to see one while I'm here! But who owns this land?"

"My great grandfather, I like to come up here sometimes when I'm taking a break from football since hr let's me help his hand in caring for the livestock." She nodded and continued to stare at the growing farm...

"Why Jordan, why didn't you call to tell me you'd be coming over? I would have had Ma' make some extra lunch!"

"Sorry Grandpa, something came up and I thought you might like to see." He gave me a curious look that turned into pleasant surprise when I stepped back to give him a look at Applejack.

"Well what is this? How did you come across such a cute little thing?"

"It's kind of simple yet hard to believe..."

"Yeah, it's really just coincidence mister."

My grandfather's eyes grew slightly when he noticed that I wasn't the last one to speak. Other than that he was calm though.

"Well I'll be... I never thought I'd live to see the day that animals could talk! Where did you find such a creature?"

"Oh she's not from here, she's from either another planet or another dimension. I'm not completely sure which it is."

"Well it's nice to meet you Miss..."

"Applejack, and the pleasure is mine." She lifted her hoof which my grandpa shook with a hearty laugh.

"Now then, I take it you want me to let her stay here don't you boy?"

"If it's alright with you. I can pay for anything and take care of her." She gave me a light punch in the shoulder.

"I can take care of myself! Y'all won't need to worry about a thing if you let me stay." He laughed at our bickering which made us quiet down.

"Of course you can stay! I can't expect you to live in his basement after all! Jordan can show you around and you can sleep wherever you wish."

"Thank ya' kindly, I don't suppose ya have any spare beds or hammocks do ya?" The question confused him for a second.

"If that's what you want we have a guest room upstairs that Jordan can show you as well." Applejack smiled and thanked him as I led her back out and around the house towards the barn.

The farm wasn't as neat as it used to be but Grandpa's aide kept the place clean enough to remain respectable. The barn in particular emitted a special gleam from a fairly new coat of paint.

A fenced off pen that held a few goats and pigs next to the barn was in a slightly worse condition as the wire fence had various holes that covered the screen and the rusty gate required immense force to open on its rusty hinges.

I led Applejack through the barn so she could get to know her way around but she seemed to have understood the layout before we even went inside.

I glanced towards her from a nearby stall when a small sigh escaped her lips.

"Is everything alright?" She removed her hat and placed it on her chest while still not looking at me.

"It's fine, it just... Reminds me of home..." She continued to look around while still not making eye contact.

"Don't worry Applejack, we just need to believe that your friends will find you." I tried to get closer but she only allowed me to be a few feet away.

"But what if they don't? I have a family to take care of! I can't imagine how my little sister is feeling and Granny Smith must be worried sick! She can't take much more stress Jordan!" She looked at me with teary eyes which glistened in the light.

She tried to keep away again but collapsed into tears on a small bale of hay. Feeling a feeling of sympathy I sat down next to her and pulled her close.

"Please don't cry, remember that I'll be here for you until they find you." I rubbed her back which seemed to calm her down slightly.

We sat there together for awhile until her sobs stopped all together from exhaustion. She laid her head on my shoulder before speaking.

"Why are ya doing all of this for me? We just met literally yesterday but ya've given me a place to stay, introduced me to ya grandparents in a world where only humans speak, and even kept me company since we met. Why do this all for me?" I hesitated before replying.

"To be honest I'm not quite sure, when you appeared in my world the shock seemed to fill my brain and I was trying not panic at first. But after I got to know you I couldn't just throw you into the world by yourself."

"But ya done so much more than that. Ya could have just hid me in a corner somewhere but instead ya took me to practice just so I could get to see what it's like to play football. Then ya bring to an amazing farm like this! Ya just so amazing Jordan..." I laughed lightly and patted her on the back.

"Well of course I took you somewhere. It's unmanly to just leave a friend in a fix so you can have fun. Besides, it really isn't that big of a deal, I just happened to be a guy with the right resources like this farm." She smiled softly and closed her eyes.

"In truth, deep down I don't really care why ya did it. I'm just happy that ya did. Thanks Jordan..."

"No problem..."

We sat there awhile longer just staring into space when I heard the barn door open again and somebody stepping inside.

"Well I'll be, I didn't believe it when your Grandpa said you had a talking pony!" I turned to see Grandpa's aide smirking at me.

"How much did you Sean?"

"Oh, just enough to know Gramps wasn't lying." His tan face glowed with a smile that told me heard a lot more.

"Nice to meet ya'. My name's Sean Newland and I run this here farm with Jordan's grandparents." He walked over to Applejack and shook her hoof vigorously.

"Um, nice to meet ya too. Ya seem to be takin' me talkin' pretty well." He let go of her hoof and scoffed at what she said.

"Please, almost nothing surprises me. Mainly because I don't care of course." Both Applejack and I laughed at his remark while being helped up by Sean.

"Alrighty then, you two move on along so I can get to feeding the animals. I'll talk more with you later Miss Applejack." He tipped his hat to us as we headed outside and back towards the house.

On the way I stopped by another long stretch of fence that surrounded a large field. The land was populated by various cows and horses.

Applejack's jaw went slack as she watched the much larger versions of herself graze on the field. One became curious and trotted over to us slowly.

"This is the kind of horse we have here. They can't talk and mostly live off the land." The horse neighed at us and shook it's mane.

"That's kind of sad... But I guess that's just how this world is..." She sighed and continued to trot over to the front porch.

I led her through the kitchen where my Grandma was making biscuits. She looked up and shined with joy.

"Jordan, how nice of you to stop by!"

"Hey Grandma, this is-"

"Grandpa already told me. I hope you enjoy your stay Miss Applejack." She smiled while still mixing the dough with a sodden spoon.

Applejack bowed her head in thanks as I led her upstairs and down the hall until we reached a small white door. Inside was a small guest room made up of a simple white bed stand, a six-drawer dresser, and another door to the guest bathroom.

"This looks mighty nice Jordan. Ya family is really kind to let me stay here."

"I suppose, they've always been the laid back kind people. Well, except when it come to football." We both chuckled and hopped onto the bed.

Applejack undid a string on the back of her head that let her hair fall apart and rest on the bed sheets when she lied down.

"I'm so sorry ya have to put up with me though. I know ya didn't ask for this."

"Oh shush with the apologizing. I'm happy to meet a brand new friend and of course I'd help you. Now don't worry and just enjoy yourself while your here." I ruffled her hair which made her giggle.

"Alright, but will you come visit me?" I gave her as if she was crazy.

"Of course I will! I wouldn't just leave you here on your own! I'll be stopping by as often as I can after school and practice. All you have to is be good while I'm gone." She smiled again and brought me into a hug.

"Ok..." we both laid there silently as the weight of everything the day had brought came crashing down on our weary minds...

Friday: Game 1 vs. East High School Hawks

I stood outside the locker room door and peered at the immense crowd that was filling the stands to an almost dangerous level. The away section was just as packed with their slightly smaller bleachers.

It wasn't surprising considering we were the only two teams in Kansas that was ranked nationally. This also meant this was one of the few high school games playing on television tonight.

I took in a large breath of the night air which was still warm from the afternoon sun. A felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see another friend of mine named Tyshawn.

He was another starter who played a mixture of TE and fullback. I nodded as he led me back inside so the team could lineup before heading to the field.

We had already warmed up before hand so the coin toss quickly followed both teams entering the field. East had won but decided to kick the ball to start things off.

Maurice, Tyshawn, and I took our positions for kick return with Maurice being back to return with me and Tyshawn being in the front line.

The kick was powerful and just barely made it to our goal line where I caught it and instantly followed Maurice as we found the hole.

I burst past two defenders at the 20 which gave me room to reach the 35-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.

The home crowd cheered and waved red and blue flags to show their support as I jogged back out to the huddle. On the way I heard a loud whistle that came from beyond our endzone. I glanced behind me to see Applejack waving from a small group of trees. My grandparents sat next to her in lawn chairs with smiles on their faces as well.

The QB snapped his fingers to bring me back to the game.

"Focus Jordan, we're going with Left 21!" We broke off and set up with our receivers close for a modified I-Formation.

Once the ball was snapped, I was given the ball and followed Tyshawn this time as he almost trucked a linebacker. With the new opportunity I jukes another backer but was brought down from behind when the corner caught my leg.

Despite the lost chance I still earned a good 8-yards on the first play.

The next few plays involved a few passes that went for medium gains and I found myself with the ball again on East's 24-yard line. The QB pitched me the ball to the right and I sprinted ahead of the outside backer who ran too narrow of a route and was immediately burned.

It seemed like the safety was going to get me but suddenly Tyshawn came barreling ahead and knocked him clear out of my way.

He wasn't only strong but incredibly fast as well. I was determined to make his block count and outran everyone else to the endzone for a touchdown.

As soon as the whistle was blown I saluted towards Appljacks general direction and tossed the ball to the referee...

The game went on in the same manner with each side scoring almost every other drive. By the halfway point of the 4th quarter the score had us in the lead 29-24.

I was confident we would be able to hold them off for the last five minutes but I was quickly proven wrong. The defense seemed to just collapse and allowed over 50 yards in just two minutes.

Before we knew it East had scored and we were behind 31-29. I gazed at the team and was glad to see that nobody had given up yet as we set up for the kick return once again. This time Maurice caught the ball so I turned and sprinted ahead until a defender hit me head on.

I dug my feet into the ground with each step and vegans pushing him out of Maurice's way. He was in no way slow and instantly hit the hole for a gain of atleast 20 more yards.

I ran after him when I saw two players try and pull him to the ground around the 40. I smashed into one which caused the other to loosen his grip enough for Maurice to slip out and run up to midfield.

As soon as he went down the offense hurried to the line and just looked for the coaches signal. Once it had been read the lineman got into their stances and I set up on the hash right to the ball.

When the ball was snapped I dashed ahead of my defender and made a sharp turn inside. Both outside receivers ran fade routes so I only had a linebacker to go against when the safeties were occupied.

The QB saw I was wide open and shot the ball towards me where I snatched it out of the air and turned on the jets when I turned upfield.

To even my surprise there was a clear opening in the middle of the field for the receivers caught their defenders so that they could keep them outside.

Unfortunately the hole closed before I could break past the safety but I was still able to reach just inside the 30 when I was dragged down.

The next play had similar results and we were at the 5 yard line with less than a minute to go. The crowd was going insane on both sides as we setup in our goal line formations.

Three TE's set themselves up with one on the left and two on the right. Instead of having a receiver setting up behind the tight ends we added an extra fullback for increased inside blocking.

Instead of handing me the ball our second fullback took a small toss and tried to run around the edge but was stopped at the 3 when the backer hit him head on.

Since we had used our first two timeouts for minor injuries Coach Weir was forced to make the final timeout with 45 seconds to go.

We could still kick a field goal and send it to overtime but Weir knew the team probably couldn't survive another quarter.

"Alright men, we have one shot left to win this game; two if we're lucky. Jordan, this is what we talked about before. I want Right Over 28 on 2!" We all lifted our hands in the air and broke off with an "Eagles!" call.

We then all slowly jogged to the line and set up before the call.

"Down... Ready Set! Set!" the ball fired out to the QB in the shotgun and it was immediately handed to me.

I dashed around the tackle like practiced and again tried to juke the backer but got tripped up at the line. I stumbled at first and was hit in the side just before reaching the endzone.

Despite this a sophomore lineman rammed into us from behind; sending to the ground just inside the endzone.

"Touchdown! The Eagles take the lead!" The home stands shook with roars as the crowd attempted to storm the field.

Before I could stand up again I was jumped on from behind by Maurice and some other teammates that rushed to me. We lied there cheering and all stood up together so we could hurry and head home.

"That was amazing Jordan, I really wasn't sure if you would make it!" Another player commented and patted me on the back.

"It was all thanks to that lineman who pushed me in. What's his name again?" I looked around in an attempt to spot him but to no avail.

"I think his name was Austin or something. He got moved up at the last minute when Josh broke his toe."

"Well, we'll need to give him so recognition later." We smiled at each other and boarded the bus home...

It was a pleasant ride to school with everyone still cheering and laughing about our victory. Some were even talking of Austin already.

As soon as we entered the locker room Maurice and Tyshawn started quieting everyone down. Once everyone was silent I broke with a chant...

"Who house is this?!"

"EAGLES!"

"Who's house is this?!"

"EAGLES!"

"RAAAH!"

"RAAAH!"

We broke off with more hooting and hollering while getting ready to leave...

Some Time Later...

"Wow Jordan, that was one of the greatest things I've ever seen!" Applejack was jumping all around me as we walked down the road towards the farm.

My grandparents offered to give us a ride but I wanted to show Applejack what the town looked like at night since the road went through some beautiful sections. We stopped every few minutes so Applejack could take in everything.

"I just knew ya would win too. Ya had the look of determination all over ya." She patted me on the back but stopped when we approached a small park.

There wasn't much to it though in the center stood a simple jungle gym surrounded by benches arranged in a square. The rest of the park included a few trees with small picnic areas in between.

"Is something wrong Applejack?" She closed her eyes and shook her head gently.

"No, this just reminds me of Applebloom. We used to play together at the park all the time when I had time off from the farm." She smiled in rememberance of the good times she hd with her little sister.

"Want to take a look around? It's so late I doubt anyone woould be there." She hesitated at first but nodded all the same.

I led her down the path until we reached to small playground. A smple slide was connected to a supension bridge and a set of monkey bars. Across the gravel playset a large swing set sat with its swing gently moving with the breeze.

"It's so beautiful here. Do ya come here at all?" She looked at me with her big green eyes.

"I used to when I was little, but when I joined the football team I didn't really have time."

"That's too bad..." she kicked a stone that laid on the ground, "I guess ya' take those special moments for granted when ya don't know they could end just like that." She sighed and laid down on a small hill behind the benches where I joined her.

"I suppose so, but maybe now's a good time to think of making new memories while you're here. For all we know when you go back we might never see each other again. I don't you to forget me..." I leaned in closer so we were looking each other's eyes.

Her iris's glowed in the starlight along with her smooth orange coat. I wasn't sure what I was feeling but it somehow felt natural and right.

"I don't want ya to forget me either... maybe we can make some memories together..." With that she again pulled herself closer and I wrapped her up with both of my arms.

"I'd like that..." I could no longer hold myself back as I quickly kissed her lips...