//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Team // Story: Long Shot // by Lightning Sprint //------------------------------// Baltimare Varsity's victory in the Bright Sparks Cup semifinal was followed by a two week wait period in the lead up to the final, the first week flying by in no time at all. Training sessions went along as planned as the Baltimare Varsity players were put through their paces, refining their techniques and efficiently putting it into practice in order to prepare themselves for the upcoming final. The latest session was finished after its two hour duration and the players would head back to their respective locker rooms to get changed. Stepping through the doorways, a small beam would ping off the unicorns' horns in order to restore their magic to them, this was the same disabling and enabling spell that was used in stadiums for matches, being utilised at practice fields for all players in all teams. The pegasi and bat ponies would also have to deposit their wing braces in containers that had been placed out for them. Once inside, the players were able to get themselves cleaned up and get their gear squared away. They all also took the opportunity to shower and wash the sweat off, taking it in turns to do so. "Clinical as always, ladies." Radiant Shine said as she pulled off her practice jersey and neatly folded it before sitting down in her designated spot. "Coming from the prodigy, that means a lot." The earth pony opposite her commented with a smile as she adjusted her blonde mane into a ponytail. "Oh come on, Honeydew, it's a team effort." Radiant Shine replied, smiling back at her. "Shine's right." Diamond Ace chimed in, drying off her cyan and black mane as she walked over to her locker. "As long as we're all doing our jobs, we have nothing to worry about." "If you can put the ball in the net as much as you agree with each other, we're going to win every single game we play together." The team's goalkeeper, Hopscotch Palette, said as she pulled her gloves off her two front hooves. "That is if they're not immediately snapped up on Trial Day." Honeydew commented, the entire locker room then falling silent for a few moments, all eyes on the light green earth pony. "...What?" "You don't think our star strike force is going to be taken away from us after just one year together, do you?" Hopscotch asked, looking at the others one by one. "There's no way it would happen. Are they good enough to be picked? Of course, but when have you ever seen a freshmule-sophmule duo getting selected from the same school at the same time?" Another voice sounded, getting the attention of the other mares. All eyes turned to the far side of the locker room where two bat pony mares, Cinder and Sienna, were sitting. Cinder, the mare to the left with the dark red coat and bright yellow mane, had been the one to speak. "That doesn't mean it can't happen." Honeydew said. "Plus you have to actually be invited to the Trial Day. They have to want you to make that next step." Cinder added. "If I may interject?" Diamond Ace spoke up. "Anyone think to ask us on our opinion? Since our adoring fans are so focused on our futures." A few giggles followed soon after. The conversation had gotten Radiant Shine thinking about each of their comments. Being the younger of the two BV strikers, she technically had more room to grow but with both her and Diamond Ace being such a pivotal part of the team's attack, it really was only a matter of time before they would be getting swarmed with potential offers, especially considering how well their regular season had gone. Her mind then turned to the upcoming final and how it would play out. The second semi-final had not been played yet, so the Baltimare team would be able to watch the match and find out who they would be playing in the final. She could imagine the venue, her down on the field alongside her team with the trophy in their grasps and raising it high for the crowd to see. She could hear the sound of the fans calling out her name. "Shine. Shine. Shine. Shine. Shine!!" Her body, however, would soon jolt slightly and she would snap out of her daydream. "Hello?! Equestria to Radiant Shine." Diamond Ace's voice followed. "H-Huh? What?" Radiant Shine shook her head, shaking herself back to reality. "What did you say?" "Sienna asked who you think is going to win the other match. But you wouldn't have known that, being away with the parasprites." Diamond Ace teased. "Oh shut up." Radiant Shine retorted, playfully shoving Diamond in retaliation. "So, who do you think is going to win it?" Sienna asked again, this time being heard. Taking the question on, Radiant Shine began thinking on the two teams that were in the running to be their opponents for the final. Dodge Junction vs San Franciscolt. Both teams had deserved to be in the semi-final and Baltimare would take the game seriously regardless of who their opponent would be, putting in 110% would be a given. "Well, Dodge Junction are having one heck of a run. A real underdog story. Although, San Fran have always been a strong team, all over the pitch. It'll be a memorable game that's for sure." she said, getting nods of agreement from the majority of the locker room. "I'm going 3 - 0 San Franciscolt." A voice from the showers said as out stepped another bat pony mare, drying her face with a towel as she walked to her seat. "Nice of you to join us, Bloom." Cinder said, shuffling over to give the mare room to sit down. "You really think they'll sweep them like that?" Radiant Shine asked, watching as the mare put her towel into the locker above the seat she had sat down on. The locker itself had Bloom's full name, Bloom Moonshine, as well as her jersey number, 25, printed on it. All of the others in the locker room had their own matching lockers with their own names and jersey numbers on them. Each player had their own individual space for their hoofball boots, both practice and matchday jerseys and anything else they would need to have at a moments notice. The room itself was mostly purple, the official Baltimare team color, as were the lockers that the players were going in and out of to grab their belongings. "If you've seen the system that they play, you'd understand why that is my prediction." Bloom Moonshine answered, her attention turned towards Radiant Shine. "I was thinking it would be closer, maybe more like a 2 - 0." Radiant Shine responded. "4 - 1 San Fran." Diamond Ace chimed in with a confident nod of her head as she sat down beside her strike partner. "I actually think that Dodge Junction might surprise a few creatures. I think they'll steal a 1 - 0, y'know, defending all game but then have one chance and they'll score it." Honeydew predicted. "You think a front three of Caliban, Swift Serenity and Gem Stone aren't going to score against Dodge Junction?!" Cinder exclaimed in shock. "Stranger things have happened. Don't you remember last year when Canterlot Tech lost 2 - 1 against Appleloosa? Upsets are possible." Honeydew shot back. "That's true, I'll give you that, but I'm pretty sure the Blazers will do just that and blaze through the Tumbleweeds." Cinder responded. "I agree with Honeydew on the scoreline but I think it'll be the other way and San Franciscolt will actually find it hard to break through. Dodge have got nothing to lose by going for it but San Fran will win it 1 - 0." Sienna said. Whilst the discussions and disagreements continued, Radiant Shine turned her attention to the two mares who hadn't contributed anything to the discussion just yet. Looking towards the furthest corner of the locker room, her eyes fell on the only non-ponies in the room, who were minding their own business. "What about you, Zela? Ximena? Any predictions for the game?" she asked. Upon hearing their names, Zela and Ximena picked both of their heads up to look at her. Once their eyes met, her striped furred teammates gave her a kind smile. "I actually agree with Honeydew that Dodge Junction will be victorious. However, I do think that both teams will score goals. My prediction is 3 - 2 to Dodge Junction." Zela answered. "A five goal thriller, huh?" Diamond Ace said, a smirk on her face. "Now that would be a game I'd like to see." "I personally that it will be really close. I would say it will be decided by one goal. I think it will be 2 - 1 but I really cannot decide would win." Ximena added. "Hey, speaking of which, when is the game on?" Radiant Shine asked, turning back to look at the rest of the group. "In a couple of hours, why?" Diamond Ace answered her. "Well, Onyx and I were going to go and eat together before watching the game with you guys. I just wanted to check we had time." Radiant Shine replied, getting all of the mares looking her way at once. "Ooooooooooo~" They all cooed, even Zela and Ximena joined in, resulting in Radiant Shine getting quite red faced. "Giiiirls!" she whined. "It's not like that!" Laughter from the mares all followed as they enjoyed the moment of teasing the unicorn before going back to their own things and finishing up packing their lockers away. Once they had all finished up, they would grab their bags and make their way outside and into the hallway. Radiant Shine would be one of the last to leave grabbing her rucksack, which had her jersey number stitched into the material, and stepping through the locker room door and out into the hallway. The walls of the hallway were the same shade of purple as the locker room interior. On both sides of the walls was the phrase 'One Step Forward, Against All Odds', the motto of the school. Looking down the hall, she could see a few of her teammates at the far end, chatting with a few of the other half of the team. She was able to see both Enenra Typhoon and Lockdown, as well as the other stallions of the team. Seeing them laughing and joking with one another made her smile. It wasn't often that mares and stallions mixed in terms of sports but in the case of Hoofball, it had been that way since its founding. As well as making friends with both mares and stallions, training with them allowed her to improve her game more, especially her endurance and physicality. The time she'd spent with them, even though she'd only spent a year at the school, was some of the most fun that she'd had in a long time. She continued to watch as the group at the end of the hall would soon disappear around the corner, the sound of their voices getting quieter until she could no longer hear them. That was when a new voice greeted her ears. "You weren't waiting too long, were ya?" Quickly spinning around, Radiant Shine was greeted by a dark grey unicorn stallion with a short silver mane and tail and purple eyes.... oh the most stunning purple eyes. "Onyx Spear, there you are." She said, smiling up at the stallion as he walked over to her. "No no, I haven't been waiting long at all. How are you doing? Good?" "Yes, Shine, I'm doing well." Onyx Spear chuckled. "Ready for some grub?" "Boy, am I?! All that shooting works up an appetite." Radiant Shine answered. "Can't have our prodigy not eating now can we?" Radiant Shine paused upon hearing him call her that, something about the way he said it just hit differently and gave her a warm tingly feeling that wriggled its way down her spine. "N-Nope." She stammered. "W-Wonder what's on the menu today." As the two unicorns walked through the halls, the number of voices and faces grew exponentially as whilst they were at practice the other Baltimare students were going between classes and going about their daily business, whether that was talking to friends, heading to the library to cram in those last minute studies or heading in the same direction as Onyx and Shine, towards the cafeteria. The two of them would continue to make small talk as they walked together, chatting mostly about that morning's practice session and how it had gone, the highlights of which included a top corner strike from Radiant Shine, Diamond Ace's exceptional chip over Hopscotch Palette and Onyx Spear's goaline clearance. "We really have got something special this year, Shine." Onyx Spear said, turning to look at her. "We sure do. The team has really been gelling together well." Radiant Shine agreed with a nod of her head. "Let's just hope we can get the win in the final." "Now Onyx, you and I both know that whoever we get in the final we'll beat, or my name isn't Radiant Shine." A flurry of confidence seemed to take her over in an instance as she gave a swish of her tail and a determined smirk made its way onto her face. Onyx Spear had clearly noticed one of the two actions as a small hint of pink had found its way onto his cheeks. "W-Well, who do you think will win?" he asked as he composed himself. "I had this discussion with the girls earlier actually, I'm going for a 2 - 0 San Franciscolt win. What about you?" Radiant Shine answered. "I'm actually thinking 2 - 1 San Fran. I think that Dodge Junction have got a goal in em. You should've heard some of the predictions from the guys." "Like what?" "Enenra thought it would be 5 - 3 San Fran, for a start. Crimson Strike said 4 - 0 San Fran and Iron Bison actually said 3 - 1 Dodge Junction. The rest of the guys were pretty straight foward with theirs." "Now those are some predictions." Onyx gave a small chuckle at her response, which Shine happily reciprocated. ◇◇◇◇◇ After finally arriving at the bustling cafeteria, the unicorn pairing immediately made their way towards the counter to see what was on offer. Making her way over to the cool section, Radiant Shine took a look at the different sandwiches that were on display. "See anything you like?" Onyx Spear asked from beside her. Hmmmmmmmm. "I'm not sure, I had the daffodil sandwich last time and it was so good but I'm feeling something different. What about you?" Radiant Shine returned. "Pastaaaaaa." Onyx answered with a grin on his face. Well that answers that. Unable to choose between what sandwiches she wanted, Radiant Shine levitated the daffodil sandwich as well as another one at random. I shall let the sandwich gods decide my fate. Following Onyx towards the line of other students, standing at the counter, Radiant Shine patiently waited with him as the line slowly went down with each waiting student getting their own food and paying the small some of bits. Soon enough, Radiant Shine and Onyx Spear got to the front of line where the lunchmare was patiently waiting for them. Sporting a warm smile, as she adjusted her hairnet, she looked upon the two Hoofball players and seemed happy to see them both. "Ah, Onyx, Shine, lovely to see you both! How was practice?" she said to the pair with a wave of a hoof. "Hey, Mrs Ladle!" Radiant Shine said with a smile in return. "Nice to see ya, practice was good, thanks for asking." Onyx Spear added. "Big game next week, huh kids?" Mrs Ladle asked as she rang up the items one by one before then making Onyx's pasta, placing it in a pot so he could eat it on the go. "Looking forward to it?" "Yes ma'am." Radiant Shine replied as she pulled out her bits to pay for her two sandwiches. "We're working really hard and can't wait to get started. We're gonna watch the other semi-final with the rest of the team to see who our opponent will be." "Well, all the best kids, you two take care now." Mrs Ladle said as she finished up Onyx's order and both he and Shine paid for their food before turning to walk and find a table. Waving back towards Mrs Ladle as they walked, the brief search for a free table soon followed. Looking around, there wasn't many options to pick from. That was until a voice caught their attention. "Onyx! Shine! Over here!" Turning in the direction of the voice, they'd see a light green hoof waving at them. Honeydew's hoof. She was sitting on a table a short distance away with Enenra Typhoon and two other stallions, Vertigo Peak and Side Winder, both pegasi and also members of the Hoofball team. Waving a hoof back, Radiant Shine made her way over with Onyx Spear following just behind. Exchanging pleasantries as they arrived at the table, the group shuffled over so that everyone had a seat each that they could sit on. "Didn't realise y'all would be in here." Side Winder spoke up, his bright yellow eyes beaming as he spoke. His fur was a similar dark grey to Onyx Spear, but his dark blonde mane contrasted that of his friend. "Oh, yeah, they're on a lunch date~" Honeydew teased. "No we aren't, we were just getting something to eat before watching the game." Radiant Shine retorted. "Well, whatever it is, glad you decided to join us." Vertigo Peak, the red pegasus, said with a smile. "Thanks for the invitation." Onyx Spear said with a head nod. "So, what's on the menu for you guys? Better be good." Radiant Shine enquired. One by one, the four of them lifted up their meals to show the variety of what they had. From Enenra Typhoon's fruit salad with extra....fruit, to Honeydew's daisy salad and hay fries and Side Winder and Vertigo Peak enjoying their own pasta and sandwiches respectively. Showing off their own meals, Radiant Shine opened up the random sandwich that she had picked up earlier for the grand reveal. Now I wonder. Turning the tasty treat over and using her magic to pull off the packaging, she lifted up the bread to look at the contents on the inside. Well, looky here, carrot and cucumber! With the conundrum of the mystery sandwich finally solved, the group happily dug into their food whilst chatting amongst themselves, jokes and banter aplenty. ◇◇◇◇◇ Their conversation went on for the better part of an hour, each of the group having finished their respective meal before standing up one by one. As they made their way out of the cafeteria, Radiant Shine cast her gaze in the direction of a large clock on the wall. 1:15pm. "What time is the game starting?" she asked, following the others out. "Around 2." Enenra Typhoon answered her. "Why?" "We got around 45 minutes until kick-off then, we should probably head to the film room and meet up with the others." Radiant Shine informed the group, quickly getting nods of agreement from each of them in turn. With their plan set, the group would walk in the direction of the Baltimare film room. The room itself was around a 5 to 10 minute walk from the cafeteria, the walk there taking barely any time at all. Moving through the halls once again, making idol small talk with one another, the group would soon come up on the technology section of the school. At the far end of the hallway was the largest room, behind a set of double doors. On the left hand door, a sign read: Media/Film Suite 1 Reserved: 1PM - 5PM "Hopefully the others are here already." Honeydew said. "Well, let's have a look." Radiant Shine said as she pushed open the door slightly with her hoof. Poking her head into the room, a smile found its way onto her face as half of the room was taken up by some of the members of the team. Pushing the door open the rest of the way, she walked inside with a wave of her hoof. The rest of the group she was with promptly followed her into the room and greeted those that were sitting in the room. On the wall opposite where they were sitting was a large screen that the game would be viewed on. The seats that the group were sitting on were made of a comfortable fabric that allowed for a pleasant seating experience whatever the seating position. Each seat also had an adjustable desk that they would be able to rest on when writing notes down as they viewed matches in designated film sessions. However, for today, they would just be watching the match as onlookers. Looking around the room, Radiant Shine's gaze fell on each of her teammates in turn. The group they had joined consisted of; Cinder, Bloom Moonshine, Sienna, Hopscotch Palette and Diamond Ace. With several seats free, Radiant Shine took the available one beside Diamond Ace, Onyx Spear sitting in the chair the other side of Radiant Shine. Diamond Ace and Radiant Shine gave each other a hoofbump as the others took their own seats. "So crew, who we waitin' on?" Enenra Typhoon asked, turning to face the others, as several looks around room followed. "By the looks of it..... we're seven short." Hopscotch was the one to answer, moving her black mane fringe out of her face. "So that's.... Zela, Ximena, Iron Bison, Crimson Strike, Lockdown, Mystic Arrow and Desert Storm." Onyx Spear listed before looking up at the clock up on the wall which read 1:25pm. "They're going to have to hurry, the coverage starts soon." Honeydew said. "Turn it on, it'll be rolling when they come in." Onyx said. Being the closest one to the screen and remote, Cinder stood up from her seat and pushed the power button on the remote, the screen buzzing to life as she sat back down. The visuals and sound of the match coverage burst into life, getting everyone's attention. The competition logo flashed up on screen with a wonderous graphic, displaying the Bright Sparks Cup , followed by the two logos of the competing teams, for all those watching at home. VS (Click Boxes To View) After the logos pulled away, the broadcasting team came into shot, 4 ponies and a zebra sitting around a table. The pony furthest to the left, a unicorn stallion wearing an all blue suit, turned towards the camera. "Good afternoon Hoofball Fans and welcome to our live coverage of the Bright Sparks Cup Semi-final. My name is Chase Spotlight and with me, as usual, are my three esteemed colleagues; Harmony Wave, Billboard Analogue and Birdseye View." he began, gesturing to the unicorn mare, earth pony stallion and pegasus stallion sitting by him respectively. "We are also privileged to be joined by Zenobia, former Zebrica national team defender and captain. A pleasure to have you with us." "The pleasure is all mine Mr. Spotlight." Zenobia replied. "Now, we are here to bring to you the second semi-final of the BSC, the first being decided late on between Baltimare Varsity and the Trottingham Rangers, the Varsity taking the win 2 - 1 with a goal in the 88th minute from their prodigy of a striker, Radiant Shine." Chase continued, the compliment getting Radiant Shine a few nudges and a cheer from her team. "Before we look at our two teams tonight, let's get all of your thoughts on last week's match." "If I may jump in first here?" Harmony Wave said, tossing her mane over her shoulder. "What a game that was, it really was a match that could've gone either way but Baltimare did just enough to get through. I have got to say, I am loving what this Baltimare team is doing at the moment, they really are going to go far." "I'm in total agreement with you, Harmony." Billboard Analogue began. "This partnership of Radiant Shine and Diamond Ace is like nothing that we've ever seen in the Brights Sparks Development League before. "I actually have the combined stats of the two of them following their semi-final, remember they both scored in that game. 61 goal contributions between the two players in all competitions, both league and cup. Looking here there are 20 goals and 10 assists for Diamond Ace whereas Radiant Shine is coming in with 17 goals and 14 assists. These are unreal stats for a duo that only started playing together this year." "A real chemical reaction between these two, huh?" Chase Spotlight chimed in. "You can say that again." Billboard chuckled. "It's very true that they are a menace up front for the Varsity." Birdseye View spoke up with a nod of his head, giving his wings a flap. "But at the same time, you have to give their defence some credit too." "Yeah defence!" Onyx Spear exclaimed, pumping his hoof into the air, Side Winder and Vertigo Peak letting out a cheer too. "Looking at their results in the league alone, 16 clean sheets is impressive enough but what impresses me most is that when they do concede, their are barely any goals conceded at all. They have only ever let in more than 2 goals twice this season. One of the two teams this happened against? The San Franciscolt Blazers in that 2 - 2 draw right at the beginning of the season. "Still bucked off about that penalty decision." Sienna huffed. "Well, let's hope it doesn't happen again then." A voice said from the door, getting the attention of those in the room. Standing in the doorway, leaned against the door to prop it open, was a dark green earth pony stallion with a short black and bright green mane and tail. "Lockdown!" Most of the room exclaimed. "Yes, yes, my adoring public, it is I." Lockdown joked, bowing to them all before moving out of the way to let in the others who were with him. The next to step through the door was a crimson red pegasus stallion with a spiky blue mane and tail. "Has it started yet?" the stallion asked. "No Crimson, you're good, they're talking about our game." Enenra Typhoon answered him, hoofbumping him as he came over to sit beside him. Following Crimson Strike into the room next came another stallion, this time a dark brown earth pony with a short silver mane. "Time to watch me some Hoofball!" The stallion exclaimed with a chuckle as he sat in the seat beside Crimson Strike. "Hey, Bison, you missed em talk about our defense." Onyx Spear said, turning around to look at the earth pony behind him. "What? Aw, come on!" Iron Bison groaned. Zela and Ximena were the next to enter the room, the two zebras giving small waves to the others before taking a seat on the front row. Many would usually struggle to tell most zebras apart from one another, however, if their different colored manes and tails weren't the biggest giveaway, the fact that Ximena was predominantly black with white markings and Zela was the opposite would be the clear tell. They would quietly talk amongst themselves but promptly stopped to both marvel at and give their full attention to Zenobia, who was on screen, as she talked about the comparisons between the Equestrian Hoofball League and the Zebrica equivalent, the Zebrican Hoofball Division - or ZHD as Zenobia referred. The final two to enter the room were a sand colored bat pony stallion who was accompanied by a pale blue unicorn mare with a pink and purple mane and tail, the mare was hobbling slightly and keeping weight off of her left foreleg. "At last, our glorious captain and his fair maiden." Lockdown announced, taking his own seat and getting a few chuckles from the others in the process. "Shut it, Lock." The stallion smirked, looking towards him. Seeing the mare hobbling, Radiant Shine looked her way. "Mystic, how's the recovery going?" The unicorn looked over at Radiant Shine with a soft smile. "Well, the pain isn't constant, it's only when I try and put my hoof down and put weight on it." "So it's a definite that you won't play the final?" Honeydew asked, leaning over the seat in front of her to look towards Mystic Arrow. Mystic Arrow quietly sighed as she looked between them all. "I'll be lucky to get on the bench. But I've got faith in you guys." "That means that when coach comes up with the team for the game we won't have Mystic on the right. It'll be a shift from what we're used to but we'll make it work, or our name isn't Baltimare Varsity." The captain said with a smile on his face, several smiles being returned his way. "Leave it to Desert Storm to motivate you without even trying." Onyx Spear said. "Now, if we're all here it seems like we have a game to watch." Desert Storm added, grabbing the remote and turning up the volume so they could hear what was being said. The rest of the team all turned towards the screen in response. "..... but looking at these two teams, I'm looking forward to seeing a match to remember." Chase Spotlight trailed off. "Before we head down to the pitch and to our commentry team, let's get some predictions from you all. I'm thinking a goal fest. 4 - 2 Blazers." "I'm going for a solid performance from the Blazers and they'll win 3 - 0." Harmony Wave started off. "I'm on a similar page to Harmony, that San Franciscolt will win, but I do think that Dodge Junction have got the ability to score a goal." Billboard Analogue continued. "I'm thinking 2 - 1 Blazers." "As much as I know the quality of the Blazers, I'm going for a shock Dodge Junction win. 2 - 1 Dodge Junction after extra time." Birdseye View said. "Going the distance?" Harmony Wave asked. "That's right." Birdseye View nodded. "What about you, Miss Zenobia?" Chase Spotlight asked her. "I would like to see an upset if I am completely honest." Zenobia answered with a smile on her face. "My prediction is 3 - 2 to Dodge Junction." "Just like my prediction!" Zela exclaimed with a smile. "Great minds think alike, Zel." Radiant Shine said, smiling back at her. "A wide range of predictions as you can see folks." Chase Spotlight said. "We're just about ready to move down to the pitch, so without further ado, let's move down to our commentary team; Lens Focus and Brace Blush." The coverage would soon turn to the pitch, looking down at the players taking their positions following the hoofshake. As they ran into position, the crowd in the stadium began to grow in volume as they awaited the teams to get the game underway. "Good afternoon everyone, Lens Focus here along with my co-commentator Brace Blush and we're here at the Blazers Colosseum for this Bright Sparks Cup semi-final to see who will join the Baltimare Varsity in the final being held a week from now. We're sure to be in for a treat between these two teams." Lens Focus announced, his voice playing out over the broadcast. "That's right, Lens, it's going to be a memorable semi-final for a variety of reasons. Not only is this the first time that the Tumbleweeds have reached this stage but it's the first time they've gotten past the last sixteen in over ten years." Brace Blush followed up, her voice loud and clear. "The Blazers, however, are in their fourth semi-final in a row but we know that anything is possible in this competition." "That's right Blush, now before we get under way with the match, let's see how both teams are looking. Taking a look at the visitors first, Dodge Junction have gone for a 3-4-3 formation with a twist. Going for a diamond shape in midfield in order to try and win that battle and overcrowd the middle of the field." Lens Focus began as a graphic with the Dodge Junction Tumbleweeds appeared on the screen, allowing viewers to see the lineup. One by one the name of the player would flash up on the screen. "Playing a back three against the Blazers?" Radiant Shine asked. "Where's their width in defence going to come from?" That's a bold choice. "Seems like they're trying to win the ball in midfield before it even gets to their back line." Diamond Ace commented, tapping a hoof on her chin. "Wonder if it'll pay off." "Paradigm Shift starts in goal for the Tumbleweeds, the unicorn's outstanding performance in her team's last match, a 1 - 0 win versus the Hoofington Stampede, one of the main reasons that they're in this match." Lens Focus announced. "The back three consisting of Curb Stomp, Springboard and Bite Size has versatility to it as the three can be interchanged within this system. The midfield four ahead of them is in that diamond shape, with Tan Shackles sitting at the base of it and he'll look to carry the ball out from defence to get attacks going. The two ahead of him, on either side of the diamond, Caramel Crunch and Solid Dozen will look to give this team the width in midfield but will tuck in when required on defence. Ahead of them in the attacking midfield spot is their main creative outlet, their bat pony star, Buckeye. The Dodge Junction number 7 has been one of their standout players throughout this cup and we'll look to see what he can do throughout this match. Finally we come to the front three who will be looking to score the goals for the Tumbleweeds in this match. Out on the left wing we have Stonethrow Slingshot and out on the right we have the Dodge Junction captain, Chestnut Roundup. She'll be hoping to lead her team to victory. Rounding out the team is the main striker Red Alert. The top goalscorer for the Tumbleweeds this season so far with 11 goals in all competitions, he's going to hope to add some more throughout these 90 minutes." After a few moments of silence, allowing viewers to look at the lineup, the Dodge Junction lineup would disappear and the lineup for the San Franciscolt Blazers would take its place. "The Blazers have reverted to their 5-2-3 formation for this match, the same formation they used in their last 16 match against Canterlot Tech, coming out as 4 - 1 winners. Starting out in goal for the Blazers is the ever present goalkeeper, Clean Sweep. Having kept the most clean sheets in the Bright Sparks Development League this season, he'll want to continue that form in the cup too." Brace Blush began. "The Blazers central trio in this defence is their usual zebra-unicorn-bat pony combo, consisting of Zen, Shoreline Seaboard and Kylen respectively. Out in the wingback spots are Ezra and Crescent Blade, a bat pony and pegasus pairing who notched up 16 assists between the two of them in the league this season." "We better end up getting this kind of brown nosing when our game is being played." Side Winder commented, scrunching his nose. "Yeah!" Vertigo Peak chimed in. "Moving ahead of that five and into their midfield pairing, Snakeskin comes in for the injured Shadow Blitz, who was deemed not at full fitness yet. Snakeskin is partnered up with the Blazers captain and influential presence on the field, their changeling workhorse, Juniper." Brace Blush continued on. "Now one of if not the most dangerous front threes in the entire Bright Sparks Development League rounds out this team. A combined 47 goals between the three of them during the regular league season. On the right is Gem Stone, chipping in with 10 goals. On the opposite flank is Swift Serenity, who had a return of 15 goals and it is all rounded out by their talismanic striker Caliban. The bat pony number 9 notched up an incredible 22 goals, pipping Baltimare Varsity's Diamond Ace to the Golden Hoof award for top goalscorer." "Tell all of Equestria why don't you?!" Diamond Ace groaned from her seat. "Don't worry Ace, we know you're the superior forward." Radiant Shine told her, getting a smile in response. "We are the superior forwards." Diamond Ace replied, turning to face her and raising her hoof in order to give her strike partner a hoofbump, which she happily reciprocated. Soon enough, everything was set in place for the match to begin. The referee gave one final check with both teams in order to make sure that everything was good to go. With everything all set, the referee brought the whistle up to his lips and blew, the whistle sounding out across the stadium. A cheer rung out through the stadium as Dodge Junction got the game under way, Red Alert passing the ball backwards to Buckeye. With the game kicking off and the next 90 minutes deciding their opponents for the final, the Baltimare Varsity team all locked in on the screen. Radiant Shine had a small smirk on her face as she watched the Dodge Junction players pass the ball around and the San Franciscolt players doing their best to win the ball back. Come on challengers, prove you have the right to come face us for the cup. Game on!