It was surprisingly quite warm on this particular night, all the creatures were getting some well deserved rest after working all day. And then wake up and do it all over again. But for some, they were resting for a special day, for tomorrow was the start of the new baseball season.
But not every creature was resting.
"PLAY BALL!"
In the stadium for tomorrow's game, Canterlot's own baseball team could be seen preparing for the big game tomorrow, with some unusual sorts of baseball equipment.
But why? Why are they playing a practice round in middle of the night, when they should be resting and be wide awake when the day comes? Well, the answer to that lies in the last game of the previous season...
It was a warm September afternoon that fateful day, the final game of the season was well underway. With fans cheering for their favorite teams, shouting things at the players, and right now, the selected band performing the halftime show.
https://m.But most of the fans weren't interested in the show, but to see if the team from Canterlot or the visiting team from Cloudsdale would win this year's season. And right now Sammy, Cloudsdale's star player, was at the bat.
Canterlot's pitcher wound himself up, and threw the ball with as much strength he could muster. Sammy prepared to make his swing, but suddenly jerked his body so the ball wound up hitting him on the elbow, "the your base." The umpire said.
Needless to say, the team from Canterlot was not happy with this...
"He did that on purpose!"
"If he didn't move, it wouldn't have hit him!"
"He didn't even try to get out of the way!"
But their protests fell on deaf ears, and so Sammy was free to move to first base. Now Casey, Canterlot's batter, was at the bat. The pitcher was preparing to throw the ball. When he did, Sammy, despite not receiving a signal, made a run for second base. He made a slide, with the spikes on his shoes held high, and those spikes cut into Charlie, Canterlot's star player.
Charlie's team crowded around him in concern, one of them asked, "You okay man?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a scratch that's all."
One of members turned towards Sammy with a look of anger on his face, "you did that on purpose you jerk!"
Sammy didn't even try to hide the smug look on his face, "oh please, if he dropped the ball, I'd be safe."
"You were beat by a mile and you knew it!" Casey shouted at him.
Sammy shrugged nonchalantly, and the game soon resumed with Sammy at the mound, his team's coach followed him asking, "what happened back there? I didn't give you a steal sign."
"Don't worry about it." Sammy said, "I have a feeling the game's as good as ours."
It was now the last of the 9th, this would decide what team would walk home with the glory of winning this year's season. Two of Canterlot's players were out, while one was on second.
Now, it Charlie's turn to bat. But something seemed off about him, his eyes seemed a little glassy.
"Hey Charlie you sure you're alright?"
"Huh- oh yeah, I'm fine Casey, thanks."
Charlie made his way out to the field, and grabbed his bat, oddly feeling dizzy as he did so.
Sammy wound up, and threw the ball.
"STRIKE ONE!"
The ball flew past the pony and into the catcher's mitt. Only Casey knew something was off... it was like Charlie didn't see the ball fly past him.
Sammy prepared himself again and threw the ball, this time Charlie swung wildly, but he still missed.
"STRIKE TWO!!"
Now it Charlie's last chance to turn things around, if he made this shot, his team would win. Sammy threw the ball...
"STRIKE THREE!!! YOU'RE OUT."
As soon as those last two words were said, Charlie suddenly slumped to the ground in a heap.
And like that, it was over, Cloudsdale had won it all. while Canterlot's team crowded around Charlie, their fans left disappointed that they lost.
Christopher, the team's doctor who had earlier tended to his injury, checked for a pulse, a heartbeat, any sign Charlie was alright, only to look up at the team with a look of regret.
"He's dead."
In the team's locker room, Charlie's body laid on a table, with Christopher fiddling around with his needles, bottles, and rubber tubes. All the while, the team was mourning the loss of their best player.
"Someone has to tell his wife and kids."
"He was one of the greatest players I've ever seen."
"He must've had a heart attack."
"It wasn't his heart."
The team turned to look at the doc with questioning looks on their faces, "I checked his blood, someone had poisoned Charlie, there’s still traces of a fast acting poison in his bloodstream which, when it enters the body, kills in under fifteen minutes."
"B-but that's impossible." Casey said in disbelief, "he was out on the field for fifteen before he died, how could it..."
For a moment, all was silent in the locker room, the team all looked at each other with knowing looks, they were all thinking the same thing.
"Sammy"
The visiting team's locker room was empty, the team had already left, and now Jackie, the team trainer was emptying the lockers when was approached by Christopher and Casey.
"Which locker did Sammy use Jackie?"
"That one." Jackie said, pointing to a locker in the left side corner, "his stuffs still in it."
While Casey kept Jackie busy, Christopher managed to break open Sammy's locker and proceeded to inspect the spikes on his shoes.
"Sammy's our guy alright." Christopher confirmed, "Theirs still traces of poison on his spikes."
The team was understandably not happy to hear this, "We have to call the cops." One of them suggested.
"We can't, they'll probably think we're upset about the game." Casey said.
The team once again sat in silence, thinking about what to do about Sammy, and then it hit them.
The day before opening day, Sammy was lounging in his penthouse apartment rifling through his mail, feeling confident that he managed to get away with his plan.
Oh yes, he planned it all, while his team was at bat he put the poison on his spikes, allowed himself to be hit by the pitch, and when he made the slide it was over. He did this not for the team, but for the sake of his ego. He'd win the game and the pennant, he'd win the big leagues, and he'd be declared a hometown hero, his name would go down in the history of the sport.
And now here was, going through his mail when a certain letter caught his eye...
Dear Sammy
We are a group of your most avid followers. It's our plan to place in Canterlot's ball park, a plaque, with your name on it, to honor you and your achievements in baseball. Please meet us tonight at 11:00PM to help decide upon wording and placing of said plaque.
Sammy went because... why not? He literally killed for the glory he believed he deserved. And so at 11:00PM he was at the field waiting...
"Hello Sammy."
A voice behind him made him turn around, he saw it was only Casey. And then out of the shadows came Christopher and the rest of the team, facing him with menacing looks on their faces. Sammy backed away nervously, not knowing about the player sneaking up behind him with a bat.
So now you know. Now you know why they're playing a game in the still of the night. Using the long strings of intestines as base lines. Two lungs and the liver at the three bases, the heart as home plate. Christopher whisking said base with a mangy scalp. The batter swinging the four legs, throwing all but one away. The pitcher getting ready to throw the head. The catcher with the torso strapped on him. The infielders with their hand mitts. The stomach-rosin bag. And several other pieces of equipment that once belonged to a conniving baseball player.
In the morning, the fans once again packed the stadium, not thinking something was off about the red-stained grass. The hastily substituted pitcher stepped up to the mound, and saw a plaque that was never wanted, but a plaque that was deserved...
Sammy Rose
Pitcher
MurdererR.I.P