Rainbow Dash and her squad sat at their usual table in the mess hall. This morning they were the recipients of quite a few looks and the topic of numerous whispered conversations for more than just one reason.
It was bad enough that Rainbow Dash was the new hero in town after being “responsible” for taking out a major enemy Frost Wolf but the sight of a lieutenant eating with the normal troops was quite unusual too. Actually it wasn’t just unusual—it was unheard of. You weren’t supposed to do that. The officers had their own sleeping quarters and their own offices and everything. And yet Crescent Moon was eating oats with his squad while one of his squad also happened to be the mare from Equestria.
It was a special table in the mess hall.
They had had to requisition yet another chair for elsewhere so Crescent Moon could sit with them but after that the eight had gone about their business as if nothing was different.
“So is this the same kind of food they feed you officers or do you get some deluxe meal or something?” Rainbow Dash asked the Lieutenant.
“No, we all eat the same food as you. It all comes from the same farm and the Commander isn’t a fan of anything “fancy”. He wants pegasi to eat simple foods that are as nutritious and plain as possible,” Crescent replied.
“That guy gets more boring with every new thing I learn about him,” Dash frowned as she took a bite out of a potato.
“Could you not say such bad things about him all the time?” Skychaser asked in a hushed whisper as he looked around in worry that the other tables might have heard.
Flashbolt rolled his eyes at his cousin. “I say stuff like that all the time.”
“But not normally around so many other ponies!” His cousin put his head down and covered it with his hooves.
“I’ll admit it makes me a little uncomfortable too but I don’t really know what to think lately,” Crescent Moon said as he stared down at his oats. “Well, I’m not afraid of anyone here doing anything at least. Complain away, Rainbow Dash.” He lifted up his bowl of oats and started directly scarfing them down from it.
“Gladly,” Dash grinned.
“I’m happy that we’ve at least decided to eat and everything this morning, and having the Lieutenant around should protect us from any immediate punishment, but what else are we going to do now? I can’t imagine we’re sitting in the mess hall all day doing nothing?” Wild Wind asked.
Summer Rains nodded. “Yeah, I suppose this is the best time to talk about that. I wouldn’t even mind getting some kind of exercise or something in for today before lunch. Right now it’s not like we have anything planned or something else to do.” His eyes drifted over to Rainbow Dash. “Although there was something formerly forbidden to us that I don’t think is anymore that I’m certain we’re all curious about.”
Rainbow Dash saw his look and quirked an eyebrow at him. “What?”
“Equestria,” he elaborated. “You can tell us all about Equestria now. No one here is afraid or cares that we weren’t supposed to learn anything about it anymore, right?” He asked, looking around the table.
Only Skychaser and Crescent Moon were a bit hesitant. Wild Wind, Clear Skies, and especially Fierce Current eagerly nodded. Rainbow Dash’s very existence and how abnormal she was always made Equestria something interesting to them even if they were formerly too loyal and too worried to ask about it. But the history it shared with the Empire, how different it was, just what was it like in general, all of it was far too enticing now. Rainbow Dash could teach them everything. More than that they wanted to learn, wanted to hear about how pegasi lived down there and how great it was. Equestria was a taboo world of mystery that any pegasus would be curious about and here they were with the perfect pony to tell them all about it. And the possible consequences no longer held them back.
Even the two who were more worried couldn’t deny how much they wanted to hear about it. Which came as a shock to Crescent Moon, he thought he had made himself not even want to know anything about Equestria. He had considered himself a firm believer in the Empire and its ways, so much that even a word about Equestria would be treated as dissent to his ears and there was no point to learning about their wrong ways. But now with the way things had gone recently it held a grasp over him too.
Rainbow Dash looked to the seven others. Fierce Current’s wide smile, the small grins on the faces of Summer Rains and Clear Skies, Wild Wind’s expression was more neutral but the way he leaned forward betrayed his curiosity, finally Skychaser and Crescent Moon despite their more apprehensive looks were still clearly intrigued as well.
“So you guys really want to know all about Equestria?” She asked.
“Yes,” Summer Rains answered for all of them.
Rainbow Dash smiled, a sudden thought overtaking her. “Well… I can tell you about Equestria whenever. But weren’t we also thinking about what we could do lately? And for exercise and stuff?”
“That’s right,” Wild Wind nodded.
“And wasn’t there something I had already told you about that was from Equestria? A certain sport?”
“Buckball?” Clear Skies said.
“That’s right!” Rainbow Dash punched a hoof onto the table. “Let’s play! Or I’ll at least show you how to for real this time. I mean, we’ve got the space out there on the clouds and we don’t need that much, let’s do it! It’s literally perfect! You guys can learn about and do something from Equestria at the same time as we all get in some good exercise.”
“That does seem to be a good idea,” Wild Wind thought about it.
Flashbolt agreed. “Yes, and honestly if anyone else wonders about what we’re doing we could just say we invented the game on our own.” He grinned. “Although it would be more fun to tell them that yes, we are indeed playing a game from Equestria.”
“Er, I’m sorry but I’m a little lost,” Crescent Moon said as he raised a hoof to get their attention. “What’s Buckball?”
Rainbow Dash had been more than happy to explain how the game was played to her lieutenant while the eight of them left the mess hall in search of what they needed to get started. He was a bit uncomfortable (as expected) with it being a game originally intended for unicorns and earth ponies as well but at this point he figured he might as well go all in. Now, after gathering up some things, they all stood in an empty area of the training grounds close to the barracks. Buckball didn’t really need much space or any actual court or arena to be played on, unless you wanted things really official, so Dash thought this was fine.
It also put them in plain view of basically every other group of soldiers and the sergeants out doing their normal training exercises. Rainbow Dash hoped they would get curious. Let them.
“So is this all we need to play?” Clear Skies asked as he dropped a sheet bunched up into a ball on the ground while Flashbolt and Skychaser did the same with two buckets they had taken from the mess hall.
“Well we would definitely want, like, an actual ball. That bounces,” Rainbow Dash said flatly as she stared at the poor excuse for a ball.
“This was the best I could do on short notice!” Clear protested. “I bet one of my little brothers has a ball like that, next time I can take it from my house.”
“Alright, well I guess we weren’t really gonna play a big game today or anything,” Dash sighed and shook her head as she picked up the “ball” and unceremoniously dropped it on the ground. It plopped down with a depressing thump and sat there. “Whatever. I’m gonna divide you guys into teams now.”
Rainbow Dash flew up and held her chin in her hoof, thinking about how the teams should be made up. Clear Skies and Fierce Current were the most athletic, they should be on separate teams, the cousins were usually paired together already so they probably had good teamwork, Wild Wind seemed like he’d be good with anyone, Summer Rains too.
“Okay, so this is how we’re going to do it,” she said after a moment of thought. “Clear Skies, Flashbolt, and Skychaser are gonna be one team and Wild Wind, Fierce Current, and Summer Rains will be another. Maybe we can switch things up later too.”
“You’re not going to play?” Summer Rains asked.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I’m gonna be coaching you guys. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair if I played.”
“What am I going to do?” Crescent Moon asked.
“You’re going to be the referee. Sorry that the game’s meant to be played with six ponies, so something like this was always gonna happen,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.
Crescent Moon didn’t seem to mind, making a meh face. “It’s probably a more fitting role for me anyways. Better to let my squad all play together. But just one question?”
“Yeah?”
“What is a referee?”
“Eugh...” Rainbow Dash dragged a hoof down her face. “Give me a second. I guess you guys wouldn’t know about that, you don’t even have any refs or officiators at your coliseum. Do you know what a judge is at least?”
“Yes,” Crescent Moon nodded.
“Well a ref is kind of like that. You just watch the game and the players and you make sure nobody breaks the rules or anything like that,” she told him.
“But I barely know the rules,” he didn’t seem very confident in his ability to be referee.
“It’s fine,” Rainbow Dash tried to reassure him. “Just make sure no one hits anyone or goes out of bounds… uh, I’ll make a circle and you guys just try to remember the limits and play inside it, okay?”
A few grunts of acknowledgment was all she needed to hear and Rainbow Dash flew in a tight circle close to the ground, trying to mark the clouds as best she could. She was pretty sure she had made it as large as a normal Buckball field. Either way it would be plenty of room for them. Now there was just one more thing to go over before they could actually play.
Rainbow Dash flew up to float between the other ponies and gazed intently at each of them. “So what position should each of you guys play?” She asked herself. “I guess we can just change things at any time too but who would be the best for what?” She looked to the first team. “Okay, I think I’ve got it for now at least. Clear Skies is gonna be the Defender, Flashbolt will be the Catcher, and Skychaser will be the Attacker. I think you guys will have the best synergy like that. Uhh, and for you guys!” She zipped over to the other three. “Fierce Current will be the Attacker, Wild Wind the Catcher, and Summer Rains is the Defender. That’ll be how you do your first game, got it?”
“Considering our unfamiliarity with the game it would probably be best to listen to you no matter what,” Flashbolt shrugged. “If we lose ten games in a row we can just change positions ourselves.”
“Good attitude!” Dash high-fived him with her wing.
“Should I stand in the circle or watch from outside while they play?” Crescent Moon asked.
“Outside!” She directed him, a growing smile on her face as the game was soon to begin.
“Uh, so who gets the ball first?” Clear Skies asked as he grabbed the very sad ball back off the ground.
“Oh yeah. Crescent, don’t go out yet, at the beginning of the match you throw the ball into the air and both of the Attackers will go to fight over it. And I don’t mean actually fight. Whoever can reach it and grab it first gets it. This isn’t a gladiator fight or whatever,” she explained. “Now, Flashbolt and Wild Wind, get your buckets and go to opposite sides of the circle and then Skychaser and Fierce can get to the middle and I’ll have Crescent throw the ball up.”
It was practically like directing children in their first sports game but Rainbow Dash was so enthusiastic about it she couldn’t help herself.
Finally everything was ready and every pony was in position. The first game of Buckball in the Empire. A game from Equestria that had been made by the three tribes of ponies working and playing as one. She wasn’t exactly the sentimental type or anything like that but even she thought it was cool. Twilight would probably have a field day with documenting it even though she didn’t really care all that much about sports. Applejack was gonna be super jealous about this when she got back too, Rainbow could hardly wait to rub this in her face.
“Shoot, I wish I had a whistle to blow or something,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered off to the side. “Crescent! Just throw up the ball whenever!”
“Alright,” the officer shrugged and prepared to throw. “Get ready!”
He tossed the ball high into the air between the two Attackers and then fluttered out of the circle so they could fight over it.
Fierce Current got to it first and kicked the ball to the ground… where it plopped like a sack of clothes and almost fell apart.
“Ugh,” Dash facehooved.
The two Attackers still went after it, regardless of if they could bounce or dribble the ball, with Skychaser getting to it just a bit faster. He grabbed and held onto it, flying over to Flahsbolt holding up his team’s bucket. Skychaser just attempted to throw it inside but Summer Rains swooped down and kicked it away. He was probably trying to kick it to Fierce Current but the balled up sheet wasn’t exactly aerodynamic. It waffled around in the air for a second before coming to a rest in the middle of the circle.
“Something tells me this isn’t how it’s supposed to be going,” Crescent Moon glanced at Rainbow Dash.
“It’ll be better when we have the right equipment...” she grimaced.
This time the ball was still closer to Fierce Current so he flew over to get it while Wild Wind brought his bucket around and tried to make it as easy as possible for his teammate to get the ball in. The cherry pegasus grabbed the ball off the ground and quickly tossed it in the general direction of Wild Wind, letting the corporal try and adjust on his own.
Wild Wind gawked at the fairly off-target throw and held his bucket out to try and make sure the ball went in. But they had both forgotten about the other team’s Defender. Clear Skies flew down and blocked the ball with his wing before juggling it to his other wing and slinging it towards Skychaser. Fierce Current tried to be a little more proactive and intercept the slow-moving projectile in mid-flight but he was just a fraction of a second off and Skychaser was able to grab the ball.
Skychaser was a little more careful with how he handled the ball and perhaps it was a certain intuition that came from them being cousins and always working together but Flashbolt had already started to move before his cousin threw the ball to the bucket. Skychaser tossed it towards the bucket with as much strength as he could but the cloth ball started unraveling on its way, considerably lowering its speed.
Summer Rains saw his chance and went down to block it and knock it away with a kick. But the moment his hoof came in contact with it the sheet unfurled completely and covered him. The pegasus soldier inside let out a muffled yelp as he collapsed to the ground with his wings getting caught in the fabric. The others watched as he struggled to get out of the sheet, unsure of what to do.
Slowly, they all turned their eyes to Rainbow Dash.
The rainbow pony from Equestria scratched her mane as she too watched the still struggling Summer Rains. “Uhhh… we can call that a tie. Next game will go better, let’s shuffle positions!”
While that had been going on there were plenty of other pegasi soldiers flying about and working out in the training area. And more than just one or two squads noticed what Rainbow Dash’s squad was doing. They didn’t quite know what was going on but they could tell it was something different and that it had to do with their new arrival from the mystical land of Equestria and their new hero. So naturally it gathered quite a bit of interest. While practicing flight formations one corporal stopped the rest of his squad in the middle of their routine.
“What are they doing down there?” He tilted his head, puzzled.
“I have no idea,” another one said as they all started floating down to get a better look.
One of the sergeants was about to yell at and reprimand them when he followed their line of sight and saw what was going on too. Then he was about to fly over to them and chew them out, right up until he saw Lieutenant Crescent Moon already there.
“What the… what’s going on?” The perplexed sergeant asked himself as he found his wings moving on their own and carrying him over to Rainbow Dash’s squad.
All across the base soldiers were having the same reaction as they caught sight of the Buckball game. Rainbow Dash, the special hero from Equestria, was doing something interesting and different. And her lieutenant clearly didn’t have a problem with it so it must be okay, right? The curious pegasi slowly gathered more and more as the next game was played, eager to see and learn about what was happening.