It was a lovely afternoon. Rarity had to be sure to thank the pegasi for doing such a good job on the weather today. Nice weather was always scheduled for the first few weeks after Winter Wrap-Up, but Rarity appreciated it none-the-less. She was sitting back at a little outdoor café watching as other ponies walked by. It was spring now, and she had to keep a keen eye out on what ponies were doing and wearing so she could get some inspiration. Summer was going to be here soon and she needed to have some great ideas if she wanted to continue her climb to the top of the fashion world.
She was drawing out a sketch of a light summer dress, having been inspired by some gorgeous flowers she had seen Roseluck carting by. Rarity looked up for a second from her drawing and noticed two of her best friends walking by.
It was hard to not notice them, as Pinkie was in the middle of telling Fluttershy all about her latest cupcake creation. “.. and it’s also got peanut butter on the INSIDE!” Pinkie looked hard to her left. “Hi Rarity!”
Rarity smiled and gave a little wave. “Hello Pinkie. Hello Fluttershy.”
The two trotted over to Rarity. Fluttershy couldn’t help but take a look at what she was doing. “Good morning. It looks like you’re out for inspiration today.”
Rarity nodded. “I am. Though I must admit, I have some ideas that are alright, but nothing amazing. I was thinking something floral…” she shook her head. “Well, no matter. I know I’ll think of something.”
“You always do!” said Pinkie enthusiastically. “I bet you have a pretty full summer planned.”
“Not as full as I hoped. I just need one good project to get me started. I just wonder if I’m going to find an opportunity here in Ponyville. I may need to take a trip to Canterlot or Manehattan again soon.”
“I think instead of going to the fashion capitals of Equestria, you should make Ponyville a fashion capital. Then the ideas come to you!” suggested Pinkie.
“That would be the dream wouldn’t it. With Carousel Boutique at the center of it all…” she trailed off looking up at the sky dreamily. Then, something caught her eye. “Is that Rainbow Dash?”
Fluttershy and Pinkie looked up and indeed it was Rainbow Dash. She seemed to be grabbing clouds and moving them around. Soon it became clear what her goal was. Words started to form from the clouds quickly, as Dash was flying about as fast as she could.
Pinkie read them aloud as they formed. “Join… the… Ponyville… Tornadoes. Tryouts… today!”
Rarity looked at the words feeling puzzled. “Ponyville Tornadoes? Is that a team or something?”
Pinkie nodded. “Yup yup! It’s the baseball team!”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh! Baseball! So that’s the sport she chose to play.”
“What do you mean dear?” Rarity asked.
“Yesterday Rainbow Dash was talking about wanting to join a sports team, but wanting to try something new. I guess she chose to do baseball.”
Pinkie looked up at the sky. Then she appeared to have a stark realization. “Baseball… Gotta go!” As the words left her mouth, she was gone, a poof of Pinkie shaped dust left in her place.
The two of them stared at the empty spot where their friend once stood for several seconds. Rarity broke the silence. “I wonder what that’s about. You think Pinkie wants to join the team?”
“Maybe. She could certainly run the bases fast.”
“If she doesn’t get distracted by the cotton candy and popcorn.” Said Rarity with a light chuckle.
The two gave each other a look, then giggled aloud for a few seconds.
A second later, Rainbow Dash landed right next to them. ”Fluttershy. Rarity. Did you see the message?”
Rarity shook her head. “Darling. Everypony in town can see the message.”
Dash looked up at her work. “Good! We need all the ponies we can get. You two wanna try out?”
Rarity let out a little laugh. “Me, play baseball? No no no. But I’ll be sure to come watch you play.”
“I’ll try out.” Said Fluttershy quietly. Her two friends looked over at her with surprised looks on their faces.
“You want to try?” asked Rainbow Dash hopefully.
Fluttershy nodded. “I’ve never been on a sports team before. I think I want to try. You said you needed ponies.”
“Uh yeah. We do. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try out. You do know how to play right?”
Fluttershy nodded. “I’ve watched the Tornadoes play before. I like baseball. It’s not so fast paced like other sports. I think I could do well in it.”
“Alright. See you there then. I gotta get over to Sweet Apple Acres next. With the Apples on the team we’ll be sure to win. See you later.” And with that Rainbow Dash left her friends behind to go talk to the best athlete in Ponyville, other than herself of course.
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“Sorry Sugarcube, can’t do it.” Said Applejack with a grunt as she hoisted a barrel of fertilizer off of a cart.
“But Applejack, we need you!” said Dash with a slight hint of desperation.
“Look, I’d love to play, but it’s a big commitment. I gotta tend after the farm. These apples aint gonna grow themselves.”
“Yes they will. That’s what trees do. They grow! On their own! Applebuck season isn’t until the fall anyway. You’ll have plenty of time.”
“Well, can I at least tell you I’ll think about it.”
“Fine. As long as you say yes after thinking about it. Besides, I thought you liked baseball.”
“I do. I played a lot growing up. I just don’t have time for it anymore. Running a farm is a full time job you know.”
“I’ll help! When not practicing for baseball I’ll help around the farm. You need rain water, consider it done.”
“Rainbow, I said I’ll think about it. Now unless you’re gonna help me spread this manure, I gotta get back to work.”
“Okay okay.” Dash looked around. She then saw another potential candidate pulling a large cart full of tools. She flew over to him.
“Hey, Big Macintosh! You want to join the Ponyville Tornadoes baseball team?”
Big Mac looked at the Rainbow pony and though for a second. He then gave his reply with a grin. “Eeyup!”
Dash smiled from ear to ear. “Awesome! Can you make it over to Ponyville Park this afternoon?”
He looked over the farm, trying to determine an answer. He finally looked down at Dash. “Eeyup.”
“Great. See you there.” Dash ran back over to Applejack. “See. Big Mac is going to do it. Why won’t you?”
Applejack was clearly getting annoyed. “Well now I definitely aint doin it. If Big Macintosh is playing I definitely won’t have time.”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll stop bothering you. I was just really hoping to play with you on my team. It would be nice competing with you than against you for once. Whatever.”
Before Applejack could even respond, Dash was up in the air and gone. Applejack couldn’t help but feel a little angry at Dash for trying to guilt her into it. She let out a heavy sigh and got back to work. There was a lot of things to do today, and playing baseball just wasn’t one of them.
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Moonshot looked over the field. A rough count of the ponies there gave her about twenty, and that didn’t include Rainbow Dash. The league allowed a roster of twelve, so for once, she would have to be selective. She certainly hadn’t expected a turnout like this, but she was pretty happy. She made a note to think of a way to repay Dash for the skywriting somehow.
She stood up on the pitcher’s mound and called out to the ponies in the park. “Alright. Everyone line up. Today is going to be a tough day. Both for you and for me. You’re going to have to play your best and prove that you have what it takes to make the team. I can only have twelve ponies on the team and I’m seeing a few more than that. We’re going to do a few drills here. You’ll rotate positions when I say. You’ll all end up doing each position for a while. You’ll end up hitting. You’ll end up pitching. If I tell you to go somewhere or do something, you’ll do it. Understood?”
She got unanimous positive responses from the crowd.
“Good. Now, you, you and you,” She pointed at several ponies. “Grab bats. You all there, to the outfield. You five cover the bases and shortstop. I want you two to start pitching. Get to it!”
All the ponies hurried out to their positions, grabbing the equipment they needed. She watched as the ponies basically started playing a pick-up game. She watched carefully. She had a clipboard and started to make notes. She noticed that Rainbow Dash still hadn’t shown up. She wasn’t too concerned. If not for Dash, half these ponies probably wouldn’t be here.
After a few minutes, she heard Dash’s voice behind her. Dash was talking to another pony. “You really want to join the team? REALLY?”
Moonshot looked back to see who she was talking to. She too was surprised at the pony there to join in on the tryouts.
“I’m just as capable as anypony. After you told me you were going to play baseball last night I decided to read some books on it. I think it sounds fun. I want to play.” Twilight had her head held high, a baseball cap perched atop it.
“Well… I suppose. I mean, you did show off some pretty sweet moves when you were beating up on Tirek. Just remember you can’t use your wings OR your magic.” said Dash, crossing her arms.
“I know. I told you, I know all the rules. I could even tell you all about the founders and the greats of the game. Did you know that a pony named Curveball Swinger once…”
“Don’t bother,” interrupted Dash. “Anyway, this is Moonshot Striker. She’s the one running all this.”
“Pleased to meet you princess.” Moonshot finally said after listening in. She gave a little bow. “It’s an honor to have you here.”
Twilight shook her head. “No need for the formality Moonshot. I’m hoping for the rest of the summer, you’ll be my boss. Rainbow told me all about you last night, so I’m happy to finally meet you.”
Moonshot smiled. “Well, I’m not going to give you any special treatment because you’re a princess. You’re going to have to earn a position on this team just like anypony else.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way. Now, where do you want me coach?” Twilight looked over the field, watching the other ponies play.
“Grab a bat and take a few swings.” said Moonshot. “Also, the leader of a baseball team is called a manager, not a coach.”
“I knew that!” Twilight trotted over and put on a batting glove, then grabbed a bat and started swinging at the air to get loosened up.
Dash stood next to Moonshot. “So, you want me out there even though I’ve already made the team?”
“About that. You did too well advertising and we got more ponies than I was expected.” She looked over at Dash with a wry smile. “Looks like you’re going to have to earn your place.”
“No problem. I can outplay any pony on this field.”
“Maybe.” She looked down at her sheet. “Got some good talent out there actually. That big red pony over there, Big Macintosh. He can hit better than anyone out there. He’s blasted a few over the fence. They were easy pitches, but still.”
“Heck yeah. I recruited him this morning. Big Mac is a good friend of mine. Though his sister is the one we really want. She won’t though…”
“That’s too bad. Still, good job getting him. A few of the pegasi I’ve seen out there seem to be doing pretty well too. There’s some speed. Especially um…” she checked her list for the names. “Thunderlane and Cloudchaser.”
“Yeah, I know them too. They both trained with me at the Wonderbolts Academy.”
Moonshot raised an eyebrow. “Do you know everypony out there?”
“Not all of them. But most of them. Ponyville isn’t exactly a big city.”
“Right. You know that yellow one over there?”
“Um… that’s my best friend Fluttershy.”
“Oh…” Moonshot trailed off, as if she was holding something back.
“What?”
“She’s the worst one out there. Like, she has athletic ability, but she’s afraid of the ball. Watch.”
Dash watched as the pony at bat hit a ball to the outfield where Fluttershy was standing. Fluttershy put out her glove to try to make the catch, but as soon as the ball got near her, she pulled in the glove and stepped aside with a yelp. The ball landed harmlessly next to her.
Dash put her hoof to her face. “I’m sorry. I thought maybe she would be alright.”
“Well, I’m going to go tell her it’s a no go.”
“You’re cutting her already?”
“Yes. I don’t have the time or patience to teach a pony to not be afraid of the ball. She’s going to slow down tryouts just having her on the field.”
Dash sighed. “You’re right. Just… please be nice to her.”
“I’ll try.” Moonshot trotted out to the outfield and walked up to Fluttershy. “Hey. Fluttershy right?”
Fluttershy looked over at Moonshot nervously. “Um… yes. I just got a little nervous there. I’ll catch the next one.”
“I don’t think you will. I’m sorry Fluttershy, but it’s not going to work out. You’re out.”
“But… I’ll try really hard! I can do it. I promise!”
“If I had a year to work with you, I could maybe turn you into a respectable player.” Moonshot shakes her head looking at the ground, then looks up at Fluttershy in the eye. “But for now, it’s not going to work out.”
Tears started forming in Fluttershy’s eyes. “I can’t even finish tryouts?”
“No.” said Moonshot sternly.
Fluttershy dropped her glove on the field then ran off, leaving Moonshot alone in left field. She ran right past Rainbow Dash, who noticed the tears in her eyes. She looked back at Fluttershy, then at Moonshot, debating which to go talk to first. After a second she darted off after Fluttershy.
Moonshot let out a sigh, then looked out at the rest of the ponies, who were all looking at her. “Well? Don’t just stand there. Get back to it. You, Caramel, take left field.”
Practice continued on. Moonshot continued to watch carefully and kept taking careful notes. She noticed that Rainbow Dash still hadn’t returned. This irked her a little. She wasn’t that hard on Fluttershy. At least she didn’t think so.
After about an hour she stood up tall and called out. “Alright everypony. Take a break. Grab some water and hang around. I want to have a talk with each of you one on one, but while I’m not chatting, get to know your teammates.”
Twilight walked up to Moonshot. “Can I be first?”
Moonshot cocked her head. “The Princess must be first huh?”
“No no no.” Twilight shook her head quickly. “I just wanted to talk to you about Fluttershy.”
Moonshot sighed. “Look, she was afraid of the ball. I can’t have someone like that on my team. I tried to let her down nicely.”
“I know. But Fluttershy is really sensitive. She takes things like this really hard.”
“I’m not putting her on the team.” Moonshot said sternly.
“I know. I’m not asking you to. But I think you should still apologize and maybe find some way to make her part of the organization.”
“I’m not going to apologize for what I said. I’ll talk to her and try to make her understand why I had to cut her.”
“And maybe let her help the team somehow?”
“Like how?”
“Well, you need an equipment manager?”
“Clipper takes care of that for me.”
“Well…” Then it hit her. She knew the perfect job. “I know! A personal trainer and therapist. Fluttershy would do a great job keeping the rest of the team healthy and in top shape.”
“Huh.” Moonshot put her hoof to her chin. “A townball team doesn’t usually have a pony like that. Can’t afford it.”
“She would do it for free. Guaranteed. You have my word that she would do a great job.”
“Fine. Go get her and I’ll talk to her. And get Rainbow Dash back here too. I want to see her out there with the rest of you.”
“Will do. Now, about me. How did I do?”
“You did alright. You definitely seem to have the strategy down. You’re playing smart. Not the quickest or strongest out there, but you’re holding your own. I noticed you’re trying to swing too hard. You’re not going to hit home runs every time. Just concentrate on making good contact and getting the ball into the gaps or just over the baseponies heads.”
“You got it. Anything else?”
“No, that’s it for now.”
“Alright. Thanks Moonshot.”
“You’re welcome.”
Twilight trotted off, then headed out of the park to find Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
Moonshot took some time to talk with the other ponies. She let a few more go. She had it trimmed down to 15 ponies now. She had just finished her conversation with the last pony when she heard a loud, high pitched yell from the entrance.
“Heeeeeey! Are we too late?” yelled a bright pink pony from the entrance.
Moonshot trotted over. “Pinkie Pie? You want to join?”
Pinkie shook her head. “Nope!” She stepped aside to reveal a grey pony with a lavender mane. “But my sister does!”
Moonshot looked her over. She seemed like she could be decent. “Alright. You can try out. What’s your name?”
“My name is Maud.” She said as dryly as ever. She looked down at the ground. “Your field has nice dirt.”
“Uh… thanks. Go ahead and grab a batting glove and a bat.” She looked over at the other prospects. “Lucky, I like the way you’re pitching. Can you buck some for her?”
Lucky nodded. “You got it.”
Maud went up to the plate, bat secured. Lucky got to the pitcher’s mound and picked up a ball. Once all the ponies were in place he reared up and gave the ball a mighty kick, sending it fast down the strike zone. Maud didn’t flinch at all, her leg swinging the bat as the ball crossed the plate. It was hit with a loud crack. The rest of the ponies could only watch as the ball sailed over the right field fence.
Lucky was a bit disappointed in himself, but still impressed. He looked over at Maud. “Nice hit. How did you do that?”
Maud just looked back at him blankly. “I swung the bat and hit the ball.”
Moonshot was impressed. “Lucky, toss her a few more.”
Lucky nodded and did just that. He focused, wanting to make himself look good and not let this new mare swing him off the team. He sent out some great pitches, but Maud was solid. She was hitting everything he could throw at her. Only a couple of them were deep, but she was tough as nails.
Pinkie was cheering her sister on hard. Thunderlane was standing next to her. “How did you get Maud to come here? Isn’t she supposed to be studying for her rocktorate?”
“It’s summer. She’s on break and is supposed to be doing independent study. But Maud has always loved baseball. She said she wanted to do a study on the rocks used in baseball field dirt in different regions. Being on a travelling team would be perfect.”
“Well, if she can hit like this, I’d say she’s on the team. I just hope I can make it on.”
“Oh Thunderlane. Of course you’ll make the team. Say, you think they need an organist to play music for the crowd?”
Thunderlane looked around. “I don’t know if this park even has an organ Pinkie.”
“No organ!? Well I’ll just have to fix that!” and with that, Pinkie was off. Thunderlane could only stare blankly.
Practice continued on. Moonshot was looking over the players feeling more and more confident. Finally she saw Rainbow Dash and Twilight retake the field. She trotted over to them. “Welcome back. You two ready to play.”
Dash nodded. “Yeah. You gonna talk to Fluttershy?”
“Yes. I’ll talk to her.” Said with an annoyed tone. “But first I need to make a team. You two are looking good, but I need to see more from you. No more going out to take care of things. No more standing around. Get out there and show me what you can do.”
Rainbow Dash was just about to follow Moonshots instructions when she stopped at looked at the gate to the park “Huh. Who are they?”
Moonshots face took a serious look, and even looked a bit frightened. “The league officials.”
Moonshot composed herself then started to walk slowly towards them. There were three ponies, all of them unicorns. The stallion on the left was Sharp Eyes, the head of the umpires association. He was a tall, stern looking stallion, his fur a dark charcoal grey and his tightly cut mane a pale blonde.
Next to him was a mare with pale green coat and a long white mane that had a long blue stripe down it. Moonshot knew her well. She was Winning Streak, the manager of the Canterlot Royals. Moonshot was curious about why she was here however, as Winning Streak wasn’t a league official.
At the front of the group was Swift Impact. He was a tall and muscular stallion. His fur was a greyish blue and his mane a dark teal color. His mustache covered his mouth, often making his expression hard to read. Swift Impact had been a former player and manager, but now he was the head of the townball league. Everything relating to the ownership and management of the teams had to go through him.
Moonshot approached them and nodded to Swift Impact. “Hello sir. Good to see you here. I assume you’re here for the team and park inspection?”
Swift Impact nodded. “That’s correct. We’ll be doing a more thorough inspection of the park than usual. We’ll also need to be going over numbers and projections of revenue.”
Going over the numbers and revenues wasn’t unusual, but something about his tone concerned Moonshot. “Is there a problem? The park is ready to go.”
Swift spoke clearly to Moonshot, enunciating his words. His tone was serious, but not harsh. “Due to your absence in the league last year, the Ponyville Tornadoes are on probation. You’ll be eligible this year, but your team’s future with our league is in question. The Crystal Empire has constructed a new ballpark and there has been noticeable interest in the team there. They don’t qualify this year, but they have applied to the league. If things in Ponyville continue like they have, they will be taking your place in your division.”
Moonshot felt a hard knot growing in her stomach. She knew this was coming, but the reality of it was still more painful than she was prepared for. “Okay. So what’s it going to take?”
“Yet to be determined. We need to get an idea of projected attendance and revenues. We also want to get a look at your prospects to see if they’ll even be a draw when playing at opposing team fields.” He took a look around.
“Well the last one won’t be an issue. I’ve got a lot of great talent here. One particular mare alone should draw in crowds all around Equestria.” She pointed to first base where Twilight was standing.
Twilight gave a wave and a smile to the group. The three unicorns looked at her and their jaws dropped.
Winning Streak spoke first. “You got Princess Twilight to try out? That has to be against the rules. You can’t have an Alicorn on the team.”
Sharp Eyes stepped forward, smiling a bit. “There’s nothing in the rules about royalty playing in the league. She’ll have to follow the no magic and no flying rules just like everyone else. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you ask Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to join your team.”
Swift nodded. “That should certainly help. At least for a few games.” He looked around at the stands. “What is the current capacity of this park.”
“3,000. 3,400 with standing room.” Moonshot bit her lip, knowing those were the lowest in the league.
“The Crystal Empire park will seat 12,000.” Said Winning Streak with a smug tone in her voice.
“We have plans for expanding seating. We… just don’t have the revenue to pay for it right now. That should change quickly. We have great projections.” Moonshot was trying to hide any desperation or uncertainty there may have been in her voice.
“Sharp Eyes and I will be beginning our inspection now. Please have your numbers ready for us when we’re done.” Swift Impact headed to the stands, Sharp Eyes going to check out the field itself.
Moonshot turned to look at Winning Streak. “So, why are you here?”
Winning Streak brushed her mane back with her hoof, smiling smugly. “Just checking out the competition. I was wondering if you’d even have a team. Must say, glad to see you managed to put something together. Beating up on you is a lot easier than having to play Manehattan or Baltimare more often.”
Moonshot narrowed her eyes. “We’re not going to be as easy to beat as you think. I’m seeing some great talent out there.”
“Doesn’t matter. Ponyville is just too small of a town. The Crystal Empire should make for far worthier opponents. Plus I’ve always wanted to visit there. I hear it’s beautiful. Who knows, maybe they’ll even let you join their team.”
Moonshot had had enough. She didn’t want a fight, and certainly didn’t want to take any more verbal abuse. She walked quickly past Winning Streak and towards the park offices, fuming.
Rainbow Dash had been nearby and overheard most of it. She snuck in right behind Moonshot as the door closed. Moonshot looked back at her, a very angry look on her face. As her and Dash made eye contact her gaze softened.
Dash looked back out the window at the field where Winning Streak was standing. “What was that all about?”
That’s Winning Streak. She’s the manager of the Canterlot Royals. Her and I have a bit of a history.”
“Not a very friendly history I imagine.”
Moonshot stomped on the ground. “She’s always been more successful than me. She always seemed to find her way onto the winning team. She comes out on top every time and she always has to rub it in my face. What’s worse is that I’m better than her. I was always the better player and I know I’m a better manager. She gets all the advantages over me, and then she acts like she’s better than me because she wins. Now she finds out I’m on probation and she just HAD to come to rub it in my face! There’s no other reason for her to be here!” Tears were forming around her eyes.
Rainbow Dash trotted slowly over, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “She sounds pretty awful. Don’t worry about it though. She’s going to eat her words when we’re the champions. We’ll be so great, we’ll sell out every game and every little filly in town is going to want a replica Moonshot jersey to wear.”
Moonshot was able to compose herself a bit. “Thanks Dash. I really hope you’re right. We’ve never sold out though. We’re always close on opening day, but after that it’s a sharp decline and we’re lucky to get even one hundred ponies in the stands.”
“Yeah, but you’re not advertising enough. I’m going to do more sky writing, and then I’ll get Pinkie on the job. With Pinkie advertising for you, everypony in town will know about the games.” said Dash reassuringly.
Moonshot sighed. “I hope you’re right. Even if we get better attendance, we need to at least get some wins. A team as bad as the Tornadoes have been isn’t what the league wants. If we don’t get a winning team together, they might shut us down regardless.”
“They wouldn’t dare shut down a team with a princess on the roster.” Rainbow Dash looked out at Twilight. “Would they? Maybe put her on the team just for the publicity”
“If a princess decreed that the team stay, they’d abide by it, but from what I’ve seen today, Twilight is the last kind of pony to use a position of power to get what she wants. Twilight just wouldn’t do that.”
“Yeah. You’re right. Though sometimes I wish she would. What’s wrong with a little special treatment from time to time?”
Moonshot started getting out the papers that Swift Impact had requested. “I don’t want special treatment either. I want to earn anything I achieve. I’d rather lose everything knowing I tried my best and gave it a fair effort, than to win by cheating or getting an unfair advantage.”
“I don’t know if I would rather lose everything… but I get what you’re saying.” She looked over Moonshots shoulder at the papers she had collected. “So, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to present them what we have, we’re going to play our best, and we’re going to do everything we can to fill every seat. That’s all we can do. You really think you and Pinkie Pie can get people to come?”
Dash smirked. “Of course we can. Everypony in town is going to want to come if we do it right. We’ll need new uniforms and merchandise to sell. We’ll need help to design and produce them, but I think I know just the pony to ask.”
“Well, if we can’t win, nopony will care enough to spend their bits here.”
Dash patted her on the shoulder again. “Then we just have to win, don’t we?”
Moonshot smiled. “I guess so.”
After gathering up all of the papers, the two of them headed outside. Swift Impact and Sharp Eyes continued their inspections. Winning Streak on the other hand was nowhere to be found. Moonshot just sat still, waiting for them to finish. Finally, Swift Impact walked over.
His horn lit up and the papers floated in front of him. “Well, your park is in impeccable shape, as usual. That groundskeeper you hired is the best in the league I think. Looks like you even got some talent to come try out. Good work.”
Moonshot nodded. “Thank you sir.”
“I’m just concerned about attendance and sales.” He said as he started to read through the papers.
“We can make a profit. I have plans in place. There’s a lot to do, but I know I can do it. Several ponies have already volunteered to do positions that would normally be paid.”
He nods as he reads. “You are the only pony in the league who is the owner, general manager, and manager all in one. You’re lucky I let you play as well.”
“I know that. I appreciate it.” Moonshot’s eyes darted around nervously as he continued to read.
Finally, he set the papers back down. “Well, I have to say, it doesn’t look good.”
“What will it take for this team to survive?” asked Moonshot nervously.
He looks around before looking back at Moonshot. “That depends. We’ll have another review at the half season break, then we’ll determine your future once the Equestria Series is over. I’m not going to give you any solid answers right now. I know that’s tough to hear, but I don’t make promises or claims on something I don’t have a definitive answer to.”
Moonshot swallowed hard. “I suppose that’s fair.”
Swift Impact smiled. “Hey, chin up. I like you Moonshot. You have a love of the game I haven’t ever seen in a pony. The Tornadoes are looking better than I expected. I want you to succeed, but my decision has to be based on the raw numbers. You understand?”
She smiled back at him. “I do. Thank you sir.”
“Alright. We have a train to Dodge Junction we need to catch. Come on Sharp Eyes. Let’s get moving.” And with that, the two unicorns headed out.
Moonshot took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Twilight walked up to her.
The princess gave her a close look. “You alright Moonshot?”
Moonshot didn’t respond for a few second. Twilight stared at her and was about to ask again when Moonshot snapped out of it. “Oh. Yes. Fine. Just a little nerve-wracking when the ponies that can make or destroy your future are inspecting you and you barely have anything to show them.”
Twilight was clearly more optimistic than her. “Hey now, everything is going to work out. Promise.”
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to prove that to me then. Get out there and give me a legitimate reason to put you on the team.”
Twilight nodded with a smile and got back to tryouts.
The rest of the day was long and hard. Baseballs were flying everywhere. Everypony seemed to be exhausted as the sun was setting beyond the horizon. There was some talent on the field, but Moonshot could tell there was a lot of work to be done. Especially on pitching. Lucky had some promise as a pitcher, as did Blossomforth, but neither were ace material, and certainly not as good as Moonshot herself. She looked over her list of ponies. She had several names crossed off. Telling a pony they’re off the team is never easy, and she certainly wasn’t used to doing it.
She stepped up on the mound. “Alright. First off, I want to thank you all for coming here today. It means a lot to me that you’re all here. I think we can put together a winning season. I’d like if all of you could be on the team, but we’re only allowed a roster of twelve. If you look around, there’s a bit more than that here. That means several of you aren’t making the team. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. I haven’t made up my mind on the roster yet. Over the next couple days I’ll be contacting you. I may ask you to come over for some drills to help me firm my decision. Once my decision is made, it’s final. If you make the team, you’re going to work hard. You’re going to put a lot of time in. But…” for the first time in her speech she smiled. “you’re going to have a lot of fun. Now, go home, shower up. You’ll all hear from me soon.”
Moonshot stepped off the mound and headed over to the ballpark office. She closed the door behind her, ready for a long night of analysis.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked out of the park together. Dash looked over at the office. “Yeesh. She was a lot nicer yesterday.”
“I think she’s under a lot of stress. She’s trying to put together a team and she doesn’t just want to win, she needs to. ”
Dash looked nervously at the park office. “No kidding. Those officials seemed pretty serious. We can’t let the team get shut down. Yeah, she was a bit mean to Fluttershy, but I like Moonshot. She has passion, and I admire that. I just hope we have what it takes to win.”
“I don’t think we do. The pitching needs a lot of work. I was analyzing the team. We don’t have anyone who can pitch well enough to shut down the opposing players. Maybe Moonshot can. But even then, you usually need a few good pitchers. I wonder if there’s anypony in town who can.” Twilight trailed off.
“Oh there is. Somepony who can buck a ball faster and more accurately than anypony in town. A pony that would be our ace for sure.”
“You mean…?”
“We’re gonna get Applejack on the team. And we’re not going to take no for an answer.”