Braeburn tried to shrug it all off, pretend that it was nothing. Sure, maybe he'd been slowing down a little in the past couple of weeks and his reflexes weren't as sharp as they used to be. But the stallion had convinced himself that he was just tired. Overseeing construction of the Buckball Hall of Fame (as well as a museum and a new stadium) in Appleloosa would take a lot out of anypony. But with the sport growing in popularity it had to be done (even if at the moment only the undefeated Ponyville team was going to be admitted into the Hall of Fame proper).
And there was the matter of what Shining Armor was doing. Ever since the unexpected return of King Sombra and the sudden return of Twilight's students from summer vacation, it was hard not to notice how beyond serious the prince had become when it came to the subject of security. And all throughout Equestria there was a heightened sense of security that hadn't been seen for years.
So with all of these worries keeping him up at night, Braeburn thought nothing of the fact that his buckball performance seemed to be getting sloppy. "I'm just a little out of shape," He thought to himself. "Once the Buckball Hall of Fame is complete and these security concerns blow over, I'll be able to rest and get my strength back."
But fate had different plans in mind, and it all came to a head during a routine practice game with the Appleloosa buckball team. With the first official tournament coming up in the near future, Braeburn wanted his team to be at the peak of their game. With any luck this would be the time when they would finally defeat Ponyville and prove their worth!
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Braeburn could see the ball coming towards him and knew where he needed to be to catch it and bounce it toward the basket for a goal. So he dove for it like he had done so many times before. But this time something was different. He felt something give way and the next thing he knew he was face first in the dirt as pain rocketed through his entire body! Everything blurred, he could faintly remember hearing his panic stricken teammates cry out for a doctor and then it was as if he went to sleep.
He woke with a sudden start sometime later, not on the field but in a humble room in the only general hospital Appleloosa had despite its growing population (another one was planned, and construction was slated to commence once the Buckball Hall of Fame and accompanying new stadium were finished and opened to the public). The pain from earlier had dulled but not entirely faded away. His brilliant green eyes darted all around as they adjusted to his surroundings.
"Good, you're finally awake," An unfamiliar voice spoke up, soon revealing itself to be a dark brown coated earth pony with a light, dusty brown mane and tail and blue eyes. "You're definitely lucky to have such dependable teammates, Mr. Braeburn."
"What happened?" Braeburn asked the doctor. "How did I get here?"
The earth pony adjusted the glasses on his face as he declared. "I'm afraid you dislocated a hoof during practice. The good news is that because your teammates got you over here so quickly, we were able to quickly pop it back and it should heal in a matter of days. But there are 'other' complications."
"Like what?" Braeburn questioned even though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.
With a frown on his face the doctor answered. "Your collapse on the field was partially fueled by exhaustion. And your hoof dislocation was in part fueled by the intense physical labor you've been subjecting to yourself over the past several weeks. It is my understanding that not only do you play for the Appeloosa buckball team, but you've almost singlehoofedly been supervising and overseeing construction of the Buckball Hall of Fame and the accompanying museum and stadium. The combination of a demanding job and lack of proper sleep have been taking a tole on you. You're lucky it wasn't worse."
Braeburn had a pretty good idea of what was being told to him. Even so he still asked. "So, what exactly do you want me to do, doc?"
"Well, with a sprained hoof I'm afraid you won't be playing very much buckball anytime soon," The doctor explained as he stood at the side of Braeburn's bed. "In fact, I'm advising you to avoid any strenuous activities for at least two to three weeks. Cut back on the more physically demanding aspects of your life right now and get plenty of bed rest. I know you like to pride yourself on your natural endurance and adrenaline, but you're not getting any younger and your body can only take so much punishment. I would strongly suggest making changes even after your sprained hoof fully heals. Otherwise, your next collapse could be far worse."
"But Doc, I'm sure I'll be fine. I just gotta not overtax myself so much." Braeburn protested.
The doctor's frown only became more pronounced. "I know how you feel, but you're hardly the first pony who's felt that they can keep doing what they've always been doing. It might be time to reconsider some life choices and realize that you can't do everything you used to be able to do. You're still young, and I'd hate to see a life filled with such promise be cut tragically short," He hung his head. "I'm sorry, I wish I had better news to give you. But as your doctor I'm advising you based on what I've seen and experienced."
Just like that, Braeburn felt his entire life be upended. If what the doctor said was true his entire life was going to have to change considerably, at least until his injury healed.
The very next day, Braeburn was released from the hospital and the first thing he did was call an impromptu meeting for his teammates. He told them what the doctor had told him and that meant having to step away from the sport that he'd been partially responsible for elevating from an Apple Family pastime to a full fledged profession that could now give hoofball a run for its money.
He waffled on the idea of training a successor in the long term. "I'd rather not give up my spot permanently just 'cause of an injury. But if I get back in the game and I find I can't keep up the way I used to I may have no choice." He answered, trying to sound confident but ultimately sounding rather unsure.
Well since he couldn't play the game, the earth pony stallion decided he would devote the free time that he now had to continuing to oversee construction of the Buckball Hall of Fame. While he couldn't help out on the actual construction as much it still gave him something to focus on. The next few weeks ticked by as the Buckball Hall of Fame and its accompanying buildings neared completion.
The Appleloosa Buckball team continued to practice with a substitute for their injured team member, usually whatever able bodied earth pony stallion they could press into service. But none seemed likely to be a viable long term successor.
It didn't help that Braeburn himself was feeling the itch to get back into the game, even for just one final game. Little did he suspect that he was going to get his wish in the most unlikely and unexpected of ways.
It came about like this: The Buckball Hall of Fame had just opened to the public roughly two days prior and the lines were still incredibly long just to get inside. Having still not fully recovered from his injuries, Braeburn took it upon himself to manage the crowds and try to get everypony (and many nonponies) through in a reasonable amount of time so the lines wouldn't get too long.
Much to the stallion's surprise, a somewhat bulky earth pony stallion with the same coat color as Daring Do stood in the line, wearing a white buckball uniform and matching. Standing beside him was a pale, light grayish-pink coated unicorn mare with the most beautiful blue eyes Braeburn had ever seen. And a light grayish-blue coated pegasus filly with white freckles stood close by the unicorn, appearing the most excited to get in.
Yet it wasn't until this trio had made their way through the Hall of Fame proper and were touring the gift shop that Braeburn was approached, surprisingly enough by the stallion. "Hey there," The hat and uniform wearing earth pony answered in what sounded like an anxious tone. "You're a buckball player, right?"
Braeburn frowned at the statement. "I was a buckball player, up until a few weeks ago. Now, I don't know if I'll be gettin' back in the game ever again. Doc says it may only be one more unfortunate accident and I'm history."
The other stallion frowned right back. "That's not good! I really need your help right now!" And he explained. "I'm Quibble Pants, probably the biggest nerd there ever was. Which is a bit of a problem when I'm trying to impress somepony very important." He turned back to the unicorn and the pegasus as he nervously smiled and waved at them.
Braeburn's frown let up for a moment. "Oh, I see. You brought 'em here on a family vacation. They've been sayin' this sport's got somethin' for everyone."
But Quibble Pants protested. "They're not my family, not yet anyway. The unicorn is Clear Sky, currently just my girlfriend. When I started dating her I didn't know she was a single parent. That's her daughter standing next to her, Wind Sprint," He gestured to the pegasus filly who seemed to be eyeing him with suspicion. "Her dad was a big buckball player, destined to be the greatest."
"What happened to him?" Braeburn nervously asked.
Quibble Pants' voice took on a mournful tone. "I don't know exactly. Apparently he just passed away unexpectedly. He was fine when he went to bed one night and the next morning he never woke up. Clear Sky doesn't like talking about it, and if it's hard on her I can only imagine how hard it is on Wind Sprint to know that her mom's dating again so soon," And he admitted. "So I... may have talked up how I was more of a buckball player than I actually was cause I wanted Wind Sprint to accept me. If she's not on board with it'll just be too awkward every time I'm on a date with Clear Sky, no matter what she might say. That's where you come in!"
At that the stetson wearing stallion blinked in surprise. "Me?"
Quibble nodded his head quite firmly. "I read everything there was to know about buckball, and I learned that it's because of ponies like you that the sport took off in the first place. You're even on the only team that's ever been able to be a match for the undefeated champion team from Ponyville. And since Wind Sprint really wanted to come here and see the Buckball Hall of Fame, I figured 'If there's any pony who can make me look like a buckball pony, it's the father of the sport himself.' So will you please play against me in a friendly match? You don't even have to throw the game, just make me look convincing but you know not too convincing so Wind Sprint doesn't get suspicious. She and Clear Sky are gonna be on my team."
Braeburn was still a bit hesitant at the offer. "Well..."
"Please!" Quibble all but pleaded. "Do it for her!" He turned to Wind Sprint. "If nothing else, maybe she'll at least be able to enjoy playing against one of the sport's best players. It's every fan's dream come true to be part of the game, right?"
Unable to argue with such logic, Braeburn reluctantly agreed. One friendly match would hopefully not aggravate his condition too badly.
Since the new stadium was still not finished just yet, Braeburn decided to host the "exhibition" match on the practice field a ways away from the Buckball Hall of Fame.
Quibble was indeed not very good at the sport, but Wind Sprint and Clear Sky seemed to more than make up for it. Wind Sprint in particular was all over the ball and seemed to know how to stop it every single time it came her way.
As he played, Braeburn felt something begin to stir inside of him. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. He no longer cared about being the best or beating some kind of record. It was all about having fun. Now he remembered, that was why he'd pushed so hard for buckball to become a sport in the first place. He'd wanted to find a way for others to join in this fun, much like Pinkie Pie spread laughter and joy through her parties. Sure, winning was nice and playing competitively had its perks. But it felt so good to just get out there and play with nothing at stake for a change. In that moment Braeburn forgot all about his injury, about the Hall of Fame and the stadium, and about the security scares. Nothing else mattered but having a good time even if it was just for a little while.
The game ultimately ended with Quibble's team scoring only one goal and that was largely thanks to Wind Sprint. The stallion became a nervous wreck afterward, fearing that his little "ruse" had been exposed.
It seemed to be the case when Clear Sky trotted up to him and opted to pull him aside. "Listen, Q, it's sweet that you wanted to do this with Wind Sprint. But you really don't have to try so hard to be somepony you're not."
Wind Sprint seemed to agree as she bluntly commented. "I know a good buckball player when I see one. And you're not a good buckball player."
Quibble gulped as he tugged at the collar of his uniform. "It's that obvious, huh?"
Wind Sprint nodded quite eagerly. "You were making the kind of mistakes only a rookie would make. Besides, I kind of clued into who you really were when you got me that buckball almanac from the gift shop. My dad wouldn't have needed something like that to prove he was a good buckball player," The words she said next were unexpected, but ultimately reassuring. "But I know you're not like my dad. And I don't expect you to be."
Clear Sky nodded as she reassuringly stroked her daughter's mane. "I'm not dating Quibble because I want him to be a replacement father for you, Wind Sprint. He doesn't want you to forget about your dad, and neither does anypony else. He really wants you to accept him for who he is."
"Well, I'm still not entirely okay with you dating him, Mom," Wind Sprint remarked. "But I guess I can see why you like him so much. Dad would've never embarrassed himself to the level Mr. Quibble did just to try and get along with me."
Quibble tried hard not to blush. "It's not too late for us to start over, right? I know I could never be the kind of stallion your father was, but I can see why you like buckball so much. You think maybe we could spend some time together and you could teach me more about it?"
"Only if you're willing to teach me about stuff like Ogres & Oubliettes, all my classmates are playing it and none of them want to teach me." Wind Sprint offered.
"Sounds like a plan," Quibble smiled and then he turned to Braeburn. "Sorry for roping you into all of this. I guess it kind of worked out okay in the end, though."
Braeburn simply smiled. "Hey, it's alright. You gave me a chance to remember and realize why I founded buckball as a major sport in the first place. It was all supposed to be for fun."
Quibble Pants then commented. "Well, I hope you won't retire completely just yet. For somepony who hadn't played in weeks, you sure gave me a run for my money. And I mean that sincerely."
The stetson wearing stallion realized then and there that Quibble was right. His formerly sprained hoof hadn't bothered him in the slightest while playing, and he felt refreshed and good as new. "Maybe a full time retirement isn't in the cards for me just yet," He thought to himself. "Should still look into training some back-ups, though. If the Appleloosa team is ever going to stand a chance we can't depend on the same three players always being able to compete." But he could worry about that once he returned to the field.