The Ponyville Sluggers

by Master_Twig

Chapter 4: Preseason Preparations

The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and the smell of the snacks Sugarcube Corner had donated for the team made Ponyville Park one of the best places to be in the town. It was only a week until opening day and the team was really starting to come together.

“Alright, we’re going to choke up on the bat a bit. Swing it nice and smooth. Don’t try to kill it.” Moonshot adjusted the strap on Cloudchaser’s batting glove. “There.”

She gave a look to the pitcher’s mound where Applejack was waiting. The two exchanged a nod, then Moonshot stepped back. Applejack reared up and bucked a fastball towards the plate. Cloudchaser gave the bat a swing and made good contact with the ball. It sailed to the right, going just over Twilight’s reach at first base and landed in shallow right field. Thunderlane charged the ball, scooped it up and bucked it to Candy Mane at second base, who quickly relayed it back to Applejack.

“Alright! Great hit Cloudchaser!” said Twilight, clapping her hooves together.

Moonshot walked back up to home plate. “That’s good. Now, do it again.”

Cloudchaser’s smile turned into a determined look as she set up to swing again.

Applejack pitched yet again, sending a curveball towards Cloudchaser. With another great swing, Cloudchaser made contact yet again. It was a line drive towards third. Maud dashed forward and leapt towards the path of the ball, spreading her hoof out as far as she could. It hit the glove squarely. She tucked her hooves in and rolled, before standing up straight and bucking the ball back to Applejack.

The rest of the team stood staring at her, jaws open.

The silence was broken by the sound of a short, upbeat tune from an organ blasting over the park, followed by Maud’s sister cheering loudly. “Yeah Maud! Woo Hoo! What a catch!”

Moonshot turned quickly, looking up at the back of the stands behind home plate where the sound had been coming from. “Pinkie Pie?”

Twilight walked up to Moonshot? “I thought this park didn’t have an organ.”

Moonshot shook her head. “It doesn’t. Or at least, it didn’t.”

Pinkie spoke into the microphone again. “Hey everypony! How does the organ sound?” she followed up her question by playing a quick series of notes.

“It sounds great,” answered Moonshot, “but where in Equestria did you get an organ?”

“It’s pretty cool huh? I went to the Everfree forest and checked out the organ there…”

Twilight took flight, hovering up to the room where Pinkie was. “Pinkie. You took the organ from the castle?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nope, I went to the castle and took some very detailed notes. I went back to town to try to make a new one just like it. Then I realized I didn’t know how to build an organ, so I went to the music store and got a new one. Vinyl Scratch helped me hook it up to the sound system, and here we are!”

“I suppose you’re going to play it during games as well?”

“Only if I can be the announcer and if Spike can be my assistant.”

Twilight turned back to Moonshot and shrugged.

“I don’t see why not. You two were a good pair at the Running of the Leaves.” Moonshot hopped into the stands and trotted up to the press box where Pinkie was.

Pinkie was waiting there with a smile. “You like it?”

Moonshot looked around, checking out the setup. “I do. But I have some questions for you.”

“Okay, shoot!”

“You’ve put in an organ, you’ve brought food for the team, and you’ve been going around town telling everypony to come see the game, and you haven’t asked for a thing in return. Why?”

“Is it making you and everyone else on the team happy?”

Moonshot nodded. “Well yes. You’re efforts have made us all very happy.”

“Then that’s all the reason I need silly.” Pinkie booped Moonshot on the nose with her hoof.

Moonshot rubbed her nose. “You don’t want anything in return?”

“Just smile more. You don’t smile enough.”

Moonshot obliged. “You got it.” She walked over to the microphone and spoke into it. “Everypony, take a break. I’m going to be meeting with you each to talk about your assignments, so stick around.” She turned off the mic and looked over at Twilight who was still hovering nearby. “You first.”

Twilight landed and trotted into the room. “So what’s my assignment?”

“I’m thinking first base. You’ve got a good eye and can catch pretty well. I want you to focus on your hitting for the next week. You’re lagging behind the rest of the team.”

Truth was, she was the worst player out there. She had good game knowledge, but she wasn’t great at throwing, didn’t have a lot of speed, and wasn’t much of a hitter. She wasn’t terrible, and could certainly hold her own. She managed to get on base enough due to having an excellent eye, but getting walked a lot isn’t exactly a great stat to have. She could catch the ball well and rarely made errors. First base was a safe location for her. Twilight was alright, but one of the ponies Moonshot had cut was probably better.

The real reason Twilight was on the team was because she was a princess, but Moonshot wasn’t going to let anypony else know that. Twilight was going to bring in fans, and more importantly, money. It hurt Moonshot to make a move like this. She thought she would never compromise her integrity, especially when it came to baseball, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If Twilight being on the team could be the very thing that saves it, then it was worth doing.

“I’ll do my best.” Said Twilight cheerfully.

“Great. Send Maud up next.”

Twilight gave a nod and headed down to the field.

Pinkie got right up next to Moonshot. “Ooh! You want to talk to Maud. She’s the best isn’t she?”

“She’s good, yes.” Moonshot looked over at Pinkie with an eyebrow raised. “Are you sure you two are sisters?”

“Are you kidding? Maud and I are practically twins!”

Moonshot just chuckled to herself while shaking her head.

Maud entered the room. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes. Maud, you’re a great fielder and may be the best hitter on the team.” Moonshot waited for Maud to reply, but was met only with a blank stare. “Right. What I’m concerned about is your level of enthusiasm. You’re not showing any passion at all. Do you even care if we win or lose?”

“Not really.”

Moonshot’s jaw hung open for a second. She had never heard a pony on a team say they didn’t care about winning. “Then why are you here?”

“I told you. I want to study the dirt of various ballparks.”

“You could do that without me. Why did you join the team?”

“I like baseball.”

“You like baseball, but you don’t care about winning.”

“That is right.”

“So if you’re not going to try to win, why should I keep you on the team?”

“I said I don’t care about winning. I didn’t say I was not going to try to win.”

“But if… then why…” Moonshot rubbed her head. “Ow.”

Pinkie stepped forward. “What my sister is trying to say is that she’s not in it for the glory of winning. She wants to make the team happy and support them, so she’s going to try her best. To Maud it’s just about going out there and being the best Maud she can be.”

“Alright.” Moonshot sighed “Just try to show a bit more enthusiasm, alright?”

“I will try.” Said Maud. “Is that all?”

“That’s all. You two head out. Send Rainbow Dash in next please.”

“You got it!” said Pinkie as she bounced out the door with Maud walking close behind.

Moonshot rubbed her head again. She wasn’t sure what to think of the Pie sisters, but they were proving to be a valuable asset.

Rainbow Dash jogged into the room. “Hey Moonshot. What’s up?”

“You’re in center field. Think you can handle it?”

“Heck yeah! Putting the speed where it’s needed. I assume you want me first in the line-up too?”

“We’ll see. The most important thing for a lead-off hitter is to get on base. You can hit pretty well, but you swing at everything. You almost never take walks in practice. Your job is not to get RBIs, it’s to get runs. You have one job when we’re on offense. Get on base. The others willl get you home.”

“Alright. I’ll work on it.”

“Twilight has a great eye. I want you two to work with Applejack and Big Macintosh over the next week and practice hitting.”

Rainbow Dash saluted. “Yes ma’am!”

“That’s all for you. Keep up the good work.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Thanks.”

Moonshot met with the rest of the team. She talked to the rest of the pegasi next. Blossomforth, Cloudchaser and Thunderlane were going to be in the outfield rotation with Rainbow Dash. One of them would be sitting out each game, but they’d all be valuable as pinch runners. Moonshot felt a bit of humored embarrassment that she pulled the cliché of having all of her outfielders as pegasi, but they were the fastest players on the team and it’s where they were needed.

Big Macintosh was the catcher of course. He and Applejack seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking and they made a great team. Lucky was a decent pitcher as well, and he kept showing improvement. He’d never start unless there were other issues, but he would do great as their closer.

Maud was going to play third, and first was the best fit for Twilight, so that left her Caramel and Candy Mane for second base and short-stop. They were both about equal, but Caramel had just a slightly better kick, so she decided to put him at short and Candy Mane at second.

Her final interview of the day was going to be Applejack. The blonde pony walked into the room and looked around. “So we’re doing meetings in the announcers booth now?”

Moonshot chuckled. “No, it just kind of worked out that way today. So, how are things going?”

“I’m feeling great. It’s been a hoot and a holler I tell ya. I’m really glad I decided to join.” She took off her ball cap and put on her Stetson. “So, how do you think we’re doing?”

“Against each other, pretty good. When we play the Dodge City Rangers next week we’ll see how good we really are. But… “ she grinned. “I think we’re the best team the Tornadoes have ever put together.”

“You think so?”

“Well, certainly the best since I took over. Definitely the first team to have a princess on it. I just hope the Canterlot Royals don’t hear about it and try to recruit Celestia or Luna.”

Applejack chuckled. “Knowing Princess Celestia, she might just join if they asked her.”

“So, how is Clipper doing?”

“Oh I’ve got him working hard. He’s learning quick. I don’t think he realized how tough Granny Smith was going to be on him. Poor boy didn’t know what he was in for. Though I think with Granny Smith keeping an eye on him I’ll feel confident that the farm is in good hands. Though I’ve been wondering. Where did you find him and why is he willing to do all of this for you?”

“Clipper and I grew up with each other. He lived right next door to me. He’s like a little brother to me. A few years back we lost touch. He ended up bouncing from job to job. I happened to run into him during one of his unemployment streaks. He was in need of some help. I had just taken over the ball park, so I asked him to come help take care of it. Turns out he’s really got a knack for lawn care. He just needed something to focus on.”

“Well he talks about you a lot.”

Moonshot raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s he saying?”

Applejack put up a hoof defensively. “Nothing bad! Don’t worry. Mostly he was thanking me for helping you out.”

“It really means a lot to me. You have a lot of talent. You said you played in school, why didn’t you keep playing?”

Applejack walked over to the window and looked over the field, her gaze softening. “I liked playing a lot, but I guess I just didn’t have the drive for it. The Apple farm was where I belonged. I played a few ball games here and there, but I didn’t have time for a league.”

“Well, thanks for making the time this year.”

“I’m looking forward to it. So, you got the positions figured out?” Applejack took a look at Moonshot’s clipboard.

“I think so. There’s just one decision for opening day that I haven’t made yet.” She pointed at the spot on the paper that was blank, right after the letter P.

“Ah. Well, if ya don’t mind, I’d prefer you pitch the first game.”

Moonshot cocked her head to the side. “Why is that?”

Applejack smirked. “Cuz the second game we play is here and I want to pitch the home opener.”

Moonshot laughed. “Alright, deal. I figure I owe you one.”

“Thanks Moonshot.” She looked out over the field watching her teammates. A small white unicorn caught her eye. She watched as the filly ran right to Twilight with a bounce in her step. Applejack smiled broadly. “Hey, Sweetie Belle is here!”

Moonshot perked up. “That’s Rarity’s sister right?”

“Sure is. Let’s see what she wants.” Applejack and Moonshot left the announcer’s booth and trotted down to the field.

Sweetie Belle ran right up to them, with Twilight close behind. “Applejack! Moonshot! Rarity told me to come get you. She says they’re ready and wants your approval right away!”

Moonshot grinned broadly. “Are they really?”

Sweetie nodded rapidly. “They are, and they’re perfect!”

Twilight turns and smiles at Moonshot. “We shouldn’t keep Rarity waiting.”

Moonshot nodded. “Agreed.” She then turns to the rest of the team. “Everyone, you can stay here as long as you like. Free practice for the rest of the day. Whoever leaves last better have this place cleaned up.”

The team gave their approval and went back to drills, none of them wanting to have Moonshot see them stop practicing. Twilight and Moonshot followed Sweetie Belle back to Carousel Boutique. The three headed inside.

Rarity trotted up quickly to them. “Oh thank goodness you’re here. Thank you for getting them Sweetie Belle.”

“You’re welcome!” said Sweetie with a hop.

Moonshot was more excited than she had been all day. They hadn’t gotten new uniforms in years. “Well, let’s see them.”

Rarity smiled at her. “Right this way Miss Moonshot.”

Rarity led them to the display mannequins. She pulled aside a curtain, revealing them. Each mannequin had a jersey, ball cap and custom batting glove on it. There were four of them, two sets of two. Two in one color scheme, two in another. The matching sets had minor differences. The colors were the standard Ponyville Tornadoes colors of red and white.

The first jerseys were white across the chest and collar, accented by black pinstripes down their length, with bright red sleeves. They were accompanied by white hats with red bills. One set had a jersey for an earth pony or unicorn, the other with some slight alterations to accommodate Pegasus wings. The ball caps had the Ponyville PV logo on the center, with one of them containing a hole above the bill to allow a unicorn’s horn to fit through. The other two jerseys were similarly fitted, but were red on the chest with black sleeves and a few white stitches for contrast. The caps for these jerseys had the logo of a black twister on a red cap, with a black bill.

Moonshot couldn’t help but grin. “Wow. They’re great.” She walked up to them and took a really close look, admiring the craftsmanship. “You really did a fantastic job Rarity. How did you get this done in just a week and a half?”

Rarity soaked in the compliment. “Oh thank you dear. I guess I was just motivated. I’ve never done sports apparel before, so it was a great and fun challenge. Just the kind I’ve been looking for. Just inspect the stitching. These will be durable, and comfortable. I have fitted uniforms for everyone on the team ready to go. The material is just lovely too. It will be soft, but most importantly it will breathe so that you’ll be comfortable even on those really hot days.”

Moonshot smiled broadly. “We’ll take them. You really did a great job.”

Twilight agreed. “No doubt you were the perfect pony for the job.”

“How soon can we have them?” asked Moonshot.

Rarity put a hoof on her chin. “I still need to make a few alterations to the pegasi uniforms. Probably by tomorrow afternoon. Will that be alright?”

“Oh that’s perfect. Much sooner than needed. So, how much do we owe you?”

Rarity looked at Moonshot with a raised eyebrow and her head cocked to the side a bit. “What do you mean dear? I’ve already received payment.”

“What? But I haven’t authorized any funds to…” things clicked and she looked over at Twilight, who was averting her gaze.

Twilight noticed Moonshot looking at her and looked back, acting surprised. “What?”

“Did you pay for this?” Moonshot asked.

“Um, maybe?” she gave a guilty grin.

Moonshot was astonished. “Why? You didn’t have to. I never asked you to…”

Twilight smiled lightly. “Because we’re a team, and I need the money a lot less than the team does. Plus, Rarity gave us a great rate.”

Rarity stepped up. “Well, I got you that rate because I’m getting a good deal in our merchandise contract.”

Moonshot looked over at Rarity. “Merchandise contract?”

Rarity nodded and her horn lit up as a stack of papers floated in front of her. “I have a contact in Manehattan who is going to mass produce these for selling to your fans. They’ll have a fee per item, then there’s my designers fee on top of that. The rest of the profits will be yours. We’ll keep it simple. There will be t-shirts at a lower cost, basic replica jerseys, and lastly the genuine replicas. Three price points for everyone to afford. Then we’ll sell batting gloves, ball caps, and all sorts of little accessories with the team logo on them. Most of those I’ve based off of old merchandise that you sold before. Based on the market value, you’ll be able to sell them up with a 200% mark-up on average. With a margin like that you can have special sales. Like, say 30% off with a ticket to a game.”

Moonshot looked at the papers and at Rarity with an astonished look on her face. “Wow. You… have this all taken care of. I hadn’t even thought about how to get all this going yet. You’re quite the businessmare Rarity.”

Rarity was flattered. “Oh you just have to know the right ponies. Read it over, and if it’s to your satisfaction, sign it and we can get the order placed. We won’t have a lot to sell opening day, but a couple weeks into the season we should have more than enough. Plus we can always take orders, especially on the authentic jerseys. For an extra fee I can put any number and name on a jersey. We’ll of course also have a line of jerseys with the player’s names on them. We’ll have everyone available, but I’ve ordered extras of you two, Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Why the four of us?”

Rarity shook her head. “Oh come now Twilight. Anypony could predict you four will be the most popular. If anypony else rises as a star we can put more into production. Turnaround time is only about a week.”

Moonshot was still astonished as she read over the contract. “This is unbelievable. I just hope we have the demand for it. This is almost what the big leagues do. What if nopony buys?”

Rarity sighed. “Well, that is the risk. But it’s one we must take.”

Moonshot nodded. “And I’ll take it.” She grabbed a pen in her mouth and signed on the bottom.

Twilight smiled. “So, we have a team, we have uniforms, we have merchandise. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash have the advertising pretty well handled. I think all the details are taken care of. I’ll have to check my list of course. But what else is left?”

Moonshot gave Twilight a smirk. “What’s left is to play ball.”

Comments

[Rox]

Oh, Baseball, how I love thee. Nice so far, interested to see where you take it. I think you also have some golden chances for real-world references.