Author's Note
Rewritten so the football positions and stuff make more sense. Many thanks to Artichoke for helping me out!
Go team!
"Okay, guys!" Coach Rock Wall called out, the locker room door swinging shut behind him as he strode in in his customary blue tracksuit. "Listen up!"
Immediately, the chattering from the twenty-odd boys in there ceased. All eyes gazed up to their coach in anticipation of what he had to say to them, the players of the Canterlot High Cavaliers football team. The boys were certainly built for football, with large muscles and chests ruling the day for everypony present. At the front of the group, pride of place went to the two undisputed star players of the team. One was Spearhead, the team's top quarterback. With his powerful arms and barrel-like chest, he certainly made for an imposing physical appearance.
However, he was nothing compared to the specimen next to him—Shining Armour, the team's top defensive tackle. If Spearhead's physique was imposing, then Shining was downright intimidating. Standing at least a head taller than Spearhead and weighing in at close to 300 pounds, Shining not only possessed muscles the size of grapefruits in his arms and legs, but also a large, round belly which hung out from the front. It was all of that extra padding which allowed Shining to make the most risky tackles without fear of injury, the kind of tackles which sent opponents flying and laying in a daze on the grass. His propensity for knocking aside any player who dared to challenge him had earned him the admiring nickname of "Impenetrable Armour" from his teammates... and the nickname of "holy crap, I just got flattened by a truck" from his opponents.
"We're listening, Coach!" Shining called, grinning eagerly. This sentiment was echoed by the rest of the team, all of them straining to hear what their coach had to say. Rock Wall had once played at the professional level for the Canterlot Manticores, before a crushed kneecap in a messy offensive play had forced him to retire. This made him about as close to a living god in the team's eyes as it got, and the brace around his left leg was seen as something akin to a badge of office.
"Enthusiasm," Rock smiled, groaning as he leaned on his walking stick. "Good, that's what I like to hear. Now then, here's the situation." He began to pace back and forth in front of his team, in the same manner of a general giving his troops advice before they were sent into the trenches.
"As you know," he said, raising his voice enough to make sure everypony could hear, "this Saturday, we have our big game against our arch-rivals, Canterlot Technical High. I need hardly add that a great deal of school morale is on the ropes here... not to mention bragging rights."
"We'll crush those eggheads easily, Coach," Spearhead promised. "Especially with Impenetrable Armour here to send 'em flying." The team laughed and agreed with that as Shining blushed modestly.
"Enthusiasm is all well and good, guys," Rock said, shaking his head, "but enthusiasm will only get you so far. So, I'm sorry, but... it's time we talked about tactics."
Ah, tactics—a term so often synonymous with "boring us out of our minds" for the team. Still, they knew how important it was, so they all listened carefully as Rock used a pair of Sharpies to draw an assortment of crosses, circles and arrows on the whiteboard behind him.
"Alright offence, let’s start with you. Spearhead, you’ll mostly be starting from the pistol to begin. It’s very important we’re able to get the run-game going strong early, that way play-action will actually be worth a damn later on. It’s also important to note that Canterlot Tech is notorious for their subpar linebackers. Normally, their outstanding DBs make up for that deficiency, but it does lead to one weakness. Basically, they can’t blitz for shit."
This brought out a subdued chuckle from many of the teenage boys.
"This means that on anything less than third and three, I want you,” Rock Wall said as he pointed directly at Spearhead, “to run the option. If, that is, you think you can handle a couple measly yards with your own two feet."
"I won't let you down, Coach," Spearhead promised.
"Now, for the defence. We’ll mostly be running our usual 3-4, but depending on what kind of a night their wideouts have we might switch to nickel-zone to eliminate deep plays, so be prepared. Shining Armor, your orders are to find the ball, and to make whoever is carrying it wish they played baseball instead."
"Oh, I can do that," Shining grinned, rubbing his palms together.
"Don’t underestimate these players, boys. Canterlot Tech is a very good team, and they will guarantee that this game is a fight to the end. Kuberi," Rock said looking towards the tall, lanky zebra who was the team's placekicker, "we may very well be relying on your right foot to get us through this. You up for that?"
"I got ya covered, captain," he said confidently.
"Excellent. I think that just about covers it. Good luck, guys."
As the team filed out of the locker room, Shining found himself having to squeeze out the door sideways, as usual. His immense girth simply made any other form of exit an impossibility.
"Still having trouble getting through doors, big man?" a female voice giggled. Shining turned his head and smiled when he saw Cadance, his quintessential high school flame, giving him a playful look.
"I could ask the same of you," he replied, giving her own yoga ball-sized belly a slap and sending it off wobbling. Most other guys shunned Cadance for her morbid obesity—it had already earned her the nickname of "Decadence"—but it was far from a deal-break for Shining. In fact, he loved her looks, from her second chin to her cankles. The other guys on the team respectfully gave them a wide berth—even they knew better than to disrupt the sanctity of a moment between a guy and his girl.
"You coming to the game on Saturday?" he asked.
"Of course!" Cadance replied. "Who isn't looking forward to seeing Canterlot Tech get annihilated?" She smiled, tracing a sausage-thick finger along his chest. "Besides, I've gotta go cheer my coltfriend on, right?"
"I bet you'll be louder than any cheerleader could hope to be," Shining replied, kissing her on her plump cheek. "I'll be sure to put in a good performance for ya."
"Looking forward to it," she whispered, kissing him back.
"Mom?" Twilight Sparkle asked, staring at the huge plate of steak and eggs before her brother. "How come Shining gets so much more to eat at dinner than we do?"
"Because he's on the football team, sweetie, remember?" Twilight Velvet replied, her fat cheeks creasing as she smiled proudly over at her son. "He needs to keep his strength up so he can be in top shape for the game tomorrow. Right, son?"
"Mhm," Shining nodded, swallowing a large mouthful of food before smiling at his sister. "And you're gonna be there to cheer me on, right, Twily?"
"Yeah!" Twilight beamed. "I'm gonna cheer so hard that they'll hear it all over the city, BBBFF!"
Shining chuckled, reaching over to tousle her hair. "Thanks, Twily! I won't let you down."
Twilight giggled, pausing for a moment to look at her brother's sizable stomach. Both of the Sparkle siblings were kept very well fed by their pair of obese parents, but rather than being round and jiggly like Twilight's tummy was, Shining's was taut as a drum thanks to the rock-solid layer of muscle below. His belly was still soft enough to have some bounce to it, but it was impossible to push your hand too deep into it before being forced back.
"Twilight, it's rude to stare," Velvet admonished her.
"Nah, it's okay," Shining assured her. "Let's be honest—at my size, it's kinda hard not to stare."
"Are you gonna score a touchdown?" Twilight asked eagerly.
Shining shook his head. "That's the quarterback's job, sis, not the defence's. My job is to make sure the other team’s quarterback doesn’t score a touchdown."
"And you're gonna win!" Twilight added.
Shining smiled widely. "Yep. And we're gonna win."
Saturday, the day of the big game. Parents, teachers and students filled the grandstand on one side of the Canterlot High football field, cheering and hollering the Cavaliers as they stood at one end of the field, dressed proudly in their blue and white uniforms. At the other end were the green and gold-clad players of the Canterlot Tech Warriors, eyeing up their opponents. Shining smiled as he noticed how nervous some of them looked when their gazes drifted over to him. His reputation preceded him, it seemed. Up in the stands, Twilight watched on eagerly along with Twilight Velvet and Night Light, both of whom had squeezed their 500+ pound bulks into Canterlot High T-shirts to show their support. Behind them, Cadance watched on with a Cavaliers pennant in her fat hand.
Having won the coin toss, the Warriors elected to receive the opening kickoff
"Okay, guys!" Spearhead called, as the team crowded around him. "Time to show these Canterlot Tech douchebags how football is played. Remember, Special Teams, the further up field they are when you take ‘em down, the faster the defence can get back to sitting on their lazy asses. Got it?" The quarterback shot a coy grin towards the imposing nose tackle standing across from him. Shining’s only response was a small smile and a subtle wink.
Raising his fist into the air, Spearhead addressed his team. "Alright, Cavaliers, bring it in!” Almost as one, every other player raised his fist alongside their quarterback's.
"Dominate on three! One, two, three..."
"Dominate!" they all shouted as loud as they could. Breaking the huddle, the special teams players took their positions on the field, while the rest got comfortable on the bench.
Zuberi lined himself up for the kickoff, feeling the air for any crosswind that could affect the ball’s trajectory. After jogging on the spot for a second, he broke into a run and sent the ball flying with the satisfying thwack! of football boot on pigskin.
A lone Canterlot Tech corner back stood at the left edge of the five yard line, watching attentively as the ball soared towards him. As soon as it was in his hands, the corner back simultaneously ducked and cut inside, deftly avoiding the Cavalier gunner who could only manage to brush a finger against his jersey as he flew by in a blur of white and blue.
Bracing his back leg, the return stallion broke into a dead sprint for the other side of the field. Dodging and weaving through players, the Warrior was sure that he’d cleared the second line…
...until a white-furred semi-truck slammed into him at the thirty yard line, sending him flying backwards about a foot before landing painfully on his back. The referee's whistle coincided with a roar from the Canterlot High supporters.
"Uuughhh..." he moaned, blinking dazedly as a white hand reached down and pulled him up.
"You okay?" Shining asked, dusting his hapless opponent off. "Nothing broken?"
"Uhh..." the corner back mumbled. "No... I-I don't think so."
"Good," Shining said, patting him on the back. "You didn't have somepony covering you, man. You always need somepony covering you." With that advice, he moved to take his place at the defensive line.
As the opposing offense huddled, Shining went over the situation in his head. It was first and ten from the thirty, pretty good field position for the Warriors. A quick three-and-out would show these pansies what real footballers looked like.
He psyched himself up as the offense congregated along the line of scrimmage. As the only defensive tackle on the field, he was the nose, the front line of the defence, and he was the biggest stallion not just on the field, but on either team.
He looked to ensure the two defensive ends had lined up alongside and slightly behind him. They would handle the left and right guards, his assignment was the centre.
Taking his position, Shining bent over and thrust his right hand into the turf, his fingers digging impatiently at the dirt. He stared daggers towards the opposing centre, waiting for the snap. This was his prey, and he was hungry.
The ball was snapped, and both teams surged forward, pressing up against each other as they fought to keep their opponents from gaining any ground. Seeing nopony to pass the ball to, the Canterlot Tech quarterback settled on moving it back instead.
"Hammerhead, catch!" he yelled, throwing the ball back to a grey pegasus behind him. Seeing the ball on the move, Shining broke away from his assignment and rushed towards the running back. Catching the pass, Hammerhead quickly stepped to the side in an attempt to find a gap.
Unfortunately for him, all he found was a large pile of muscle and fat descending upon him.
"Mommy," he mumbled, before he was crushed beneath his assailant.
"And Canterlot Tech will lose yardage on that play!" the commentator announced amid the cheers of the crowd. "It's second and thirteen!"
"That's my boy!" Night Light called, echoed by his wife.
"Go Shining! Go Shining!" Twilight whooped, leaping up and down in her seat.
"Nice work, Shining," Spearhead said, slapping him on the back. "Keep doing what you do."
"Oh, no objections, captain," Shining laughed.
As the ball was snapped on second down, Shining immediately noticed that something was wrong with the centre. Due to a moment of hesitation after the snap, the Warrior wasn’t able to set his legs to take on the immense mass of the hard-hitting nose tackle opposite him. He crumpled like a wet paper towel, allowing the hulking beast a straight shot at his quarterback.
Shining smelt blood in the water, and he was in a frenzy. The speed with which he charged down the enemy play-caller was more akin to a lithe sprinter than to a stallion of his stature. As he made contact with his most prized target for the first time that night, smothering him under his huge, fat gut, an evil grin broke across his face.
Too easy.
Third down. This time, the centre was able to provide some actual resistance, but it wasn’t enough. As the quarterback looked from receiver to receiver, finding nopony to throw to, Shining pushed the offensive linestallion back, collapsing the pocket and squeezing the enemy. Yelping, the panicked quarterback flung the ball away towards both a griffon wide receiver and the Cavalier’s best cornerback in tight coverage, a pegasus named Flying Gale. Both leaped upward, but Gale was the one to catch it.
"Run, you asshole, run!" Spearhead roared. Gale needed no second invitation, breaking into a sprint and deftly dodging a desperate tackle before whooping as he danced into the end zone.
"TOUCHDOWN CAVALIERS!" the commentator yelled, almost drowned out by the cheers and roars of the crowd. The scoreboard changed accordingly—Cavaliers 6, Warriors 0.
"Yeah!" Shining whooped, pulling Gale up onto his shoulders. "Those light feet of yours never let us down, Gale!"
"Just don't drop me, man!" Gale laughed, as Shining set him down in midfield. Canterlot High were now on the offensive. Thanks to a combination of Shining's prowess in defence and Spearhead's talent in offence, they wasted no time in getting another score in before the end of the first quarter with a fantastic field goal. By the end of the first quarter, it was Cavaliers 10, Warriors 0.
"Excellent work, guys!" Rock Wall said proudly. "Absolutely excellent work!"
Many would have believed that that was that for the game with how dominant the Cavaliers were. However, whatever was said in the Warriors' locker room caused them to emerge from the second quarter with fire in their eyes and their bellies. To everypony's surprise, they actually managed to get a touchdown in the second quarter, before getting a second one late in the fourth.
"So, with the score at ten-fourteen and just twenty seconds remaining in the final quarter," the commentator said gravely, "the Cavaliers need to score on this drive."
As the offence huddled, Shining stood anxiously on the sideline.
"Armour!" a gruff voice called. Looking over his shoulder revealed its owner to be head coach Rock Wall. "You’re in at right. Get us into that damn endzone!"
"Yes, sir!" Shining yelled before excitedly jogging to join his teammates in the huddle. On his arrival, a slight nod between the hulking defensive tackle-turned right tackle and his quarterback was all the communication they needed.
Staring at the play clock, Shining once again took stock of the situation. It was fourth down and just four inches from the goal line. He knew the plan, Spearhead was going to QB sneak i. The only problem was they had only one more chance to score, or the Warriors would actually win.
"We won't let ya down, Spearhead," Shining said through gritted teeth. "We've got this."
The tension in the air as the two teams lined up could have been cut with a knife. Even the crowd was almost silent, watching with bated breath for the moment which would decide whether this would be the Cavaliers' triumph... or their humiliation.
The ball was snapped, and Spearhead immediately charged forward, expecting his centre to push forward himself, creating a clear path into the endzone...only to run head first into the back of his centre, stopped cold just an inch from the goal line. Now, Spearhead was forced to watch, helpless, as the opposing defensive line pushed them back farther and farther from victory. He was sure it was over, until he was pushed into something that felt vaguely like a giant pillow.
Shining Armour stood stalwart at the back of the pile, his powerful legs stopping its backwards momentum dead in its tracks. He could feel Spearhead sinking slightly into his soft, fuzzy belly as he pushed towards the endzone as hard as he could.
As more defenders added to the front of the pile, Shining felt the backwards force increase again and again. He was at his limit, every muscle was bulging obscenely. That is to say, every muscle that wasn’t entirely covered by his thick layers of fat. He could feel his legs about to give, he was losing it...
And then, in an instant, his well trained mind refocused at the task at hand: score a touchdown, no matter what!
Taking a single, sharp breath, Shining lifted his left foot up and brought it forward in a short, but earth-shakingly powerful step. He then repeated with his right foot, and then his left again. Slowly, surely, he pushed the pile back towards the endzone; back towards victory. For a single moment, he thought about poor Spearhead, sandwiched between his hulking frame and the centre.
And then, the entire pile collapsed forwards, with Shining following suit, landing face down into a collection of squirming body parts. Rolling over onto his back, he looked over to see Spearhead lying on the ground, still holding the ball, with his whole torso over the goal line!
"TOUCHDOWN CAVALIERS!" The announcer yelled amongst a chorus of cheers. The grandstand rocked on its very foundations as the most deafening roar of triumph yet went up. The final score was displayed for all to see—Cavaliers 16, Warriors 14.
Soon, the entire bench was surrounding the night's heroes. "We did it!" Zuberi hollered, punching Shining in the arm. "Impenetrable Armour strikes again!"
"Man, you're getting all the pizza at the party tonight," Spearhead beamed, pulling his friend into a brohug.
Shining smirked. "Like that would be any different from the usual."
END
