“98… 99… 100!” The soccer ball bounced one last time off Rainbow Dash’s head before she bucked it hard behind her.
Fluttershy ducked, making a little yelp as the ball flew just over her head.
“Whoops. Sorry Fluttershy. Just so totally stoked that spring is finally here.”
“Oh that’s alright.” Said Fluttershy with a smile. “But I know what you mean. I love the spring too.” She took in her surroundings for a second, feeling the sunshine on her face, smelling the aroma of the blooming flowers, and seeing her animal friends scampering about. Fluttershy knew that Rainbow Dash loved spring for different reasons, mostly because spring was when Rainbow Dash could start taking part in her favorite sports again.
Twilight approached the pair of pegasi, the soccer ball hovering next to her, both it and her horn aglow. “Missing something?”
Dash couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah. Thanks. By the way, awesome job running Winter Wrap-Up this year. Fastest ever by far!”
Twilight smiled. “I just made the plan. It was all you other ponies that made it happen.”
“Yes, but your planning made it all run so smoothly,” said Fluttershy, “and being a princess, I think everyone in town really wanted to do their best for you.”
“I think everyone just wanted to get winter over with. Me being a princess had nothing to do with it. Anyway, what were you two up to? This soccer ball almost hit me right in the head.”
Rainbow scratched the back of her head, “My bad. I’m just excited for spring. Gotta get in top shape. Join a team. Be the best. You know. The usual. Plus, being on a team will be good experience for the Wonderbolts.”
“I couldn’t agree more. So is it the soccer team then? I bet you’d do really well.” Said Twilight encouragingly.
Fluttershy nodded. “Oh she would. I’ve seen her play before. She was the star player back in Cloudsdale.”
Dash put her hoof up to her chin thoughtfully. “I would do well in soccer. But… there’s something about this spring. This year just feels different. I want to try something I haven’t tried before.”
“Like what?” asked Twilight.
Dash shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll see what’s available.”
“Well, whatever you do, just have fun. Fluttershy and me will be sure to come cheer you on.” said Twilight encouragingly.
“Darn right. I need a large cheering section if I want to do my best. I’m gonna go check out the town bulletin board. See if anypony has posted anything. Later!” she flew off into town, not even giving her friends a goodbye.
Her mind was racing as she thought about what sport to try. Basketball could be fun, but it might be a bit late to join a league. She wasn’t really built for football, plus the season didn’t start for a while. Lacrosse was starting to be more popular. Maybe she’d try that.
The spring air was great. The butterflies were fluttering around. Flowers were budding, getting ready to bloom. The smell of freshly cut grass was in the air nearby. Ponyville just smelled of spring and it was fantastic. As she flew past a grove of trees, a possibility she hadn’t thought of showed up in front of her.
Ponyville Park, the town ballpark was there in front of her. The stands were empty, but the park itself looked great. There was a brown earth pony stallion with a pale bluish mane in the outfield, pushing a rotary lawn mower, getting the grass in ballpark condition. He had clearly been at work for a while, as the outfield had perfect looking stripes across it. Dash had to admit, the park looked beautiful.
She also noticed another pony in the infield, pushing a cart down the third baseline, putting down a nice solid white line behind it. This one was a mare. Her fur was a medium grey with a slight hint of blue to it. She had a long white mane with a few red stripes going down the length of it. She had it tied back behind her, sticking out from under a purple billed baseball cap. Dash couldn’t help but notice a picture of a baseball on her flanks.
Dash waited until the mare finished painting the line, then swooped down and landed next to her. “Nice park ya got here.”
The mare looked up at her with a bit of a smile. “Thanks. Rainbow Dash right?”
“Yeah. Heh… never gonna get used to ponies who I don’t know, that know who I am.”
“Well you and your friends are pretty famous around here. I’m Moonshot Striker. Manager of the Ponyville Tornadoes.” She offered her hoof to Dash.
Dash gave her hoof a quick shake. “Nice to meet ya. So, baseball huh?”
Moonshot cocked her head to the side a bit. “Yes baseball. It’s the greatest game there is.”
“Oh really? Sell me on it.”
“How can it not sell itself? It’s the perfect summer game. It takes athleticism, skill, strategy. It’s a thinking-ponies game, but you need to be in top form to succeed. Plus look around you. There’s nothing better than being in a ballpark.” Moonshot moved in closer to Dash with each word. “The smell of the grass, the cheering of the crowd. The only time I ever really feel alive is when I’m here.”
“Alright alright.” She looks around, taking in the atmosphere. “Seems fun. I’ll join.”
Moonshot gives her a wry look “You’ll join? What, you want to be on the Tornadoes?”
“Sure do. Where do I sign up?”
“It doesn’t work that way. Have you ever even played baseball before?”
“Sure I have!” Dash exclaimed with her head held high. Her head then drops a bit “When I was a filly. But I totally know how and I’m the best athlete in town.”
Moonshot shook her head a bit with a bit of a smug grin. “Alright then Rainbow Dash. Let’s see you put your money where your mouth is. Grab a bat. We’ll see how good you are.”
“Bring it on!” Dash flew over to home plate and grabbed a bat from the back stop.
Moonshot turned towards the stallion in the outfield. “Hey, Clipper. We need a catcher. Take a break.”
Clipper nodded enthusiastically. “Anything you want ma’am.”
The three ponies lined up in their positions. Dash grabbed a batting glove and slid it over her hoof. She adjusted the quick-release straps and secured the bat in them. After she swung the bat around a couple times to get a feel for it, she stepped into the batter’s box.
Moonshot stared down Rainbow Dash. Her gaze was intense and Dash couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated. Moonshot picked up one of the balls of the pile she had formed. She then went into the standard pony pitch. She lobbed the ball up in the air, then quickly turned and bucked the ball.
The ball flew at the plate so fast, by the time Rainbow Dash had begun her swing, the ball was already secured in Clippers glove. Dash had to regain her balance, and her composure, after the embarrassing first attempt.
Moonshot gave a smirk. “Little slow there.”
“I wasn’t ready! That was way too fast.”
Moonshot shook her head. “That was a simple fastball. If you can’t handle that…”
“I can handle it! Give me another one.”
Moonshot simply nodded. She grabbed another ball. Dash lined up again and Moonshot gave another pitch. This one was nearly identical to the first. This time Dash swung earlier, but still missed. “That’s strike two.” said Moonshot.
“I know I know. Still not out!” Dash repositioned herself.
The third pitch made its way over the plate. Dash really focused this time and swung the bat. It made a loud crack as it contacted the ball. It was a fast grounder, making its way just past Moonshot and towards the gap between second and third.
Dash beamed. “See, a great hit!”
Moonshot shook her head. “Right to the shortstop. You’d have been thrown out by 20 feet.”
“Oh come on. At least I made contact.”
“Hitting is about a lot more than just contact. Some of the best pitchers try to have the batter contact it to allow their fielders easy plays. Now line up again.”
They went through the motions once again. The pitch this time was much closer to Dash. She swung at it, missing due to it being so inside. Clipper caught it once again and tossed it back to Moonshot.
Dash stomped her hoof on the ground. “How was I supposed to hit that? It practically hit me!”
“You weren’t.” Moonshot shook her head. “That would have been a ball. But, you misread it and instead it was a strike.”
Dash was about to object, but she knew Moonshot was right. “Okay. Just keep them coming.”
They went through about a dozen more pitches. Dash didn’t hit the ball too many more times, as Moonshot started pitching curveballs, change-ups, and more pitches that were balls at her. However, the last few pitches Dash was able to get a few good solid hits.
Dash set the bat down. “Okay, I get your point. Hitting isn’t as easy as it looks. But come on, you were tossing some tough ones at me.”
“That was the point. Now, let’s switch. Toss one to me.”
“Me pitch? Alright. I can toss em with the best.” Dash jogged up to the pitcher’s mound. Meanwhile, Moonshot put on her batting glove and got into a stance.
“Alright Dash. Right over the plate.” She thought to herself. She went through the motions. This wasn’t too hard for her. She could launch a ball with the best of them. The pitch went straight, heading right over the plate. With a loud crack, Moonshot struck the ball with the bat. All Dash could do was watch helplessly as the ball sailed over her head, then over the outfield, and finally, over the center field fence.
“Homerun! Nice shot Miss Moonshot!” said Clipper as he clapped his hooves.
Dash’s mouth hung wide open. “Wha… how?”
Moonshot smirked. “You left a fastball up. I could have hit that out of the park with my eyes closed.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t do anything but sigh. “Okay. You’ve made your point. I guess that means I’m not on the team. I could tell from when you first started that you didn’t think much of me.”
Moonshot trotted up to Dash. “Hey now. I didn’t say that. I was just watching you carefully to size you up. I’d love to have you on the team.”
“What? Really? Why?”
Moonshot looked down at the ground and her ears drooped a bit. “Because. The team is in bad shape. There’s been so little interest that making a team has been difficult. We didn’t even play last season because of a lack of players. The Ponyville Tornadoes haven’t had the best track record. We haven’t had a winning season.”
“Haven’t had a winning season in how long?”
“Ever.”
“But… you’re so good. How can you not have won?”
“We’ve won games. Just never more than we’ve lost. Plus, one pony doesn’t make a team. We’re just a little townball team. The best pony players out there are going to be in the majors. What talent we have has gone to places like Manehattan and Baltimare to play.”
“So why do you stay then?”
“Ponyville is where I grew up. My grandfather built this park. It means something to me. I don’t want baseball in Ponyville to die. So I’m going to stay.” Moonshot looked out over the field. “This is my home.” She shook her head sadly. “But if we don’t get a team together this year, it could be the end of it. Though they haven’t given official word yet, I have a feeling we’re on probation.”
Dash put a hoof around Moonshot’s shoulders. “Well I’m not going to let that happen. We’re gonna get the best ponies in Ponyville, we’re gonna make a team, we’re gonna practice really hard, and we’re not just gonna play, but we’re gonna win the championship!”
“Well Dash, I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm.” Moonshot started to clean up the equipment. “Spring training starts in a week. The season starts in four weeks. I’ll be posting a flyer for tryouts tomorrow morning. Bring anyone you think would be an asset to the team.”
Rainbow Dash had to think for a second. “Yeah, I know a few ponies. And you’re saying I have a whole month to get ready? I’ll be here every day practicing!”
“As will I. If you need to get access to the equipment, you can just find me or Clipper and we’ll get it out for you. Just make sure you put it all back when you’re done.”
“You got it! And uh… I may not be here every day, but I’m going to do my best.”
Moonshot looked pleased. “That’s all I ask. Thanks Rainbow Dash. It was certainly nice meeting you.”
“You too. See you later!” And with that, Dash lept up into the sky, zooming off towards town.
Moonshot gave a bit of a smile to Clipper then started cleaning up the equipment and getting back to her work on the field. Unlike earlier in the day, Moonshot was now working with a smile on her face.