//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Ponyville Predators // Story: The Equestrian Grifball League // by Wind Shear //------------------------------// Equestrian Grifball League Chapter 2: The Ponyville Predators  Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,       It has come to my attention that the sports of Equestria have taken a turn for the boring side, sports have become bland and repetitive without showing signs of improving in flair and showmanship that ponies often crave these days. With this in mind I have decided to bring back one of Discord’s many sports, the one in particular being Grifball. However, have no fear as I have made the sport much safer since the days of Discord’s rule, nopony is harmed during the sporting events and nopony will continue to be harmed as long as the sport remains established. Due to this, I’m tasking you and your friends to learn about the magics of friendship through valued team-work and companionship in sports. The new season of the Equestrian Grifball League will start in the next two weeks, take this time to study different Grifball plays and tactics and become a team worth fearing and supporting in the League. The Ponyville Predators will join in the next season and it is tasked of your own accord to assign players, positions and uniforms. I have assigned your first two matches to be played away from home in order to allow the Ponyville Grifball Stadium’s construction to be completed without hindrance. I wish the best of luck to the Ponyville Predators in the upcoming season. Your Mentor and Teacher Princess Celestia “...upcoming season.” Spike finished reading to Twilight, as she raced all around the library desperately searching for a lost book. “Grifball!?” Twilight exclaimed, “What does the Princess expect me to learn from Grifball!?” She finished her rhetorical question, her purple eyes were set in a mixture of fear and shock, why would the princess include her and her friends in a sport so...so... barbaric? Can it even be called a sport? What would the rest of the gang say?... What would Rarity say? Fluttershy?!? Oh, this could only end horribly. “Apparently team-work and companionship in sports.” Spike snickered, he stopped however when he saw the concern etched on Twilight’s face. “Aww come on Twilight, it can’t be as bad as any book makes it out to be, it’ll be fine.” “Fine?” Twilight responded, taking her hooves out of her face finally “How could any ‘sport’ be fine when it involves flinging ponies across a stadium with explosive hammers?!” She finished by re-burying her head in her hooves as she lay on the floor. “Yikes,” Spike started “that does seem quite bad... anyway the Princess said she made it safe and you’ve ran head on at a hydra in order to protect your friends! So if anything happens you know the rest of the girls got your back, right?” Twilight stood up, her resolve hardened through her friend’s reassurance, she sighed “I guess you’re right Spike.” She smiled and rubbed the baby dragon on his emerald green scales. “I’ll go round up the girls and bring them back here, can you get the blackboard and some seats ready for a sports presentation please?” Spike saluted and immediately began to work, fetching Twilight’s required equipment for her upcoming speech about Ponyville’s new Grifball team. Twilight levitated her copy of ‘A Coaches Guide to Grifball’ by H2O Camper off the shelf and immediately scanned the pages as she walked out the door in search of her friends. ‘I’m gonna need this if I’m gonna make mane or tail of what I’m gonna say to the girls.’ She thought as she exited the library, heading to Carousel Boutique in search of Rarity.                                      *                                  *                                   * The bell at the top of the door to Carousel Boutique jingled merrily as Twilight walked through the door, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique,” an elegant voice rang out, “Where everything is Chic, Unique and Magni-” Rarity was cut off as she realised who she was addressing. “Oh it’s you Twilight darling,” the white unicorn said happily, “What can I do for you on this fine morning?” “No time to explain,” Twilight replied, beginning to sound stressed already, “Can you go over to library please? and if you see any of the others on your way can you bring them with you... big meeting, Princess Celestia wants us to try a new sport, and as Pinkie would say it’s one heck of a doozy” “Oh gosh, I hope this one is better than Baseball, how can an Earth Pony stand and hold those things... so brutish.” Rarity stated as she rushed out the door, her fabulous mane flowing behind her as she left. Twilight winced at her last word before following her out the door and off to Sugarcube Corner.                                      *                                  *                                   * Twilight met Pinkie on the way over however, she rushed into the pink pony and toppled her over leaving them both upside down against a hay-cart. “Ah Pinkie!” Twilight beamed “Just the party pony I was looking for, I need you to- “Why? Is someone throwing a party without me? I just couldn’t miss one out, I’d miss all the games and cake and streamers and balloons and dancing and-” The pink pony cut off Twilight in a flurry of mad party related words, Twilight’s patience ran thin all too quickly as she found her eyes turning red. “PINKIE PIE!” Twilight shouted, unable to control herself and letting out her rage at the pink pony. “Whoa Twilight, you seemed stressed out, maybe you need one of my relaxing parties?” Pinkie replied, thinking of the next party as always. “There’s no time Pinkie, Princess Celestia wants us to try out a new sport and I need everypony at the library so I can explain what’s going on.” “Ohhhh, well why didn’t you just say so Twilight?” Pinkie said, giving Twilight one her happiest looks, “If I see Rainbow Dash I’ll bring her along, she loves sports!” Pinkie continued. She began to bounce away toward the library before stopping abruptly and turning to look at Twilight. “Hey Twilight, one last question, What sport is it?” “Grifball,” Twilight responded. Pinkie gasped, similar to the one she did when she first met Twilight on her first arrival in Ponyville, with that she sped off toward the door of Sugarcube Corner. A pink blur could be seen rushing past the windows inside all the way up the stairs to the top of the building, Pinkie’s Room. “Found it!” Pinkie sang as the balcony windows burst open, Pinkie stood triumphantly on her back legs, leaning on her forehooves on one the most frightening pieces of equipment Twilight had seen. Pinkie was leaning on a bright pink, covered in a blue and yellow swirl-style to look like streamers, Gravity Hammer. “Ya wanna see how it works?” Pinkie had asked, and before Twilight could even hazard a guess at what ‘it’ was, Pinkie leaped off the balcony holding the hammer in her mouth. Twilight gasped as Pinkie plummeted toward the ground, Pinkie was close to hitting the ground before raising her head and hammer and slamming it into the air just centimetres away from the ground. Twilight’s ears were met with a huge explosion, a blue aura seemed to envelop the end of the hammer and forced itself away, ending in a ball before detaching itself completely and igniting as Pinkie reached the maximum arc of her swing. The explosion lifted Pinkie and stopped her fall, the pink party pony somersaulted and landed in front of her friend enacting the same pose she had before she leaped. Twilight sat on her haunches in wonder and amazement, what did Pinkie Pie just do? What the heck is that thing? Is THAT a Gravity Hammer? Twilight stared at the Gravity Hammer in both fear and awe, she wanted to get her hooves on one of those things, but she didn’t want to be on the receiving effect of its blast. “I see your impressed.” Pinkie said with a smirk, “I’ll see you at the library Twilight.” and on that note Pinkie strapped her bright pink, yellow and blue Gravity Hammer to her back and trotted down the street merrily in the direction of the library.                                      *                                  *                                   * Twilight began to move in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, her mind still wondering on Pinkie’s tool, if that was a Gravity Hammer, (which according to the diagrams in A Coaches Guide to Grifball it was) then that means everypony on each team wields one each and one Energy Sword each, whatever that was, Twilight’s observation and analysis of the diagrams was interrupted when she heard a call from a familiar workhorse. “Howdy Twilight!” Applejack called, “Pinkie said yah might be stopping by, Ah’ll be with y’all in just a minute.” She finished before rushing and bucking a cluster of trees, shaking the red delicious apples down into baskets. Not before too long Applejack was finished with her section of the orchard for the day, and sat down next to Twilight who was lost in analysis of Grifball’s tactics and rules. “Uhh, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. Twilight’s eyes lit up, she got so lost in her studies she ignored Applejack and the whole reason she came to her in the first place. “Oh yes, Applejack. The Princess has requested that Ponyville joins in the upcoming season of Grifball, and I’ve come to gather everypony at the library so I can explain how it’s going to work,” she said before shaking the book in her field of levitation. “Thanks to this handy little guide I’ve started to figure out how the sport works, and I’m much more prepared to give everypony their positions, if you wouldn’t mind could I get you to find Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and bring them over to the library for the presentation please?” “Sure thing Twi’” Applejack said, giving a tip of her hat “I’ve always wanted to get my hooves on one of those Gravity Hammers anyhow, this’ll be as good a chance as ever.” She finished and galloped off in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage.                                      *                                  *                                   * Applejack opened the door to Twilight’s Library with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in tow, naturally Rainbow Dash showed great enthusiasm for the upcoming sporting matches, and the chance to use a hammer and sword that can send ponies flying on impact? Now that’s awesome! Fluttershy responded in her usual way, she squealed and protested but came along all the same to help out her friends in the best possible way she could. ‘With friendship I can overcome any fear’ Fluttershy thought as she entered the library. “OK Listen Up!” Twilight announced, causing all conversation to stop immediately to look at her, her blackboard, and the old projector Spike managed to find, (she could just use her magic but it was still nice of him.) “I’d just like to start by saying welcome, everypony... to Grifball,” the projector showed a huge image of an earth pony wearing heavy onyx black coloured armour, hints of frost blue streaked over the pony’s torso, back and legs but left his helmet bare, the deep onyx clashing with a brilliant gold, the helmet’s visor. The armoured pony seemed to look out amongst the ponies sat in the library, his pose was one of grace and danger, he was at full leap into the air, except he was drawn up, nearly full vertical, wielding a tool of grotesque proportion, the same tool that Pinkie Pie had used outside Sugarcube Corner, except this one was a deep black that matched his armour. The backdrop to the whole image was a spectacular explosion of fire and...icing? “They don’t really hold ‘em like that,” Pinkie began, bringing a confused stare from everypony in the room. “It’s actually a mouth-brace and you use your head to control the swing, see?” with that, the pink pony seemed to pull her custom Hammer out of nowhere, bringing it full swing indoors at an empty chair to the left, the explosive impact sent the chair flying across the room where it shattered into fragments on the wall on the opposite side. Pinkie returned the Hammer into its holster on her back, staring blankly at the projection board and blackboard, awaiting Twilight’s next Grifball topic without any look of boredom. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stared at her with grins and starstruck eyes. Twilight looked appalled as one of her chairs was crushed against the mighty power of the ‘sporting equipment’. Rarity looked stunned at Pinkie Pie, horrified at the brutish tool and it’s destructive, messy way of handling things, if she was going to be in any part of this Grifball, it needed to have a touch of class and style added. Fluttershy was terrified by both the explosion and the Hammer’s effect on the chair, she could still be seen shaking as she hid behind Rarity, the nearest pony to her. In the midst of the confusion, terror and childlike amazement, shockingly, it was Fluttershy who spoke up first. “P-P-Pinkie Pie,” she stammered, the terror still openly clear in her voice, “W-What is that thing?” “Oh, this?” Pinkie replied, glancing at the hammer on her back, “Standard issue Gravity Hammer of the EGL, given out to all teams within the league, my hammer however has been around for at least... well nopony really knows, Mrs. Cake said its been handed down for generations amongst the Pie family and I’m next in line, I was just so happy it gets to have a good return to the sport after all these years of being locked in a dusty old chest. It’s a good thing the EGL allows custom paint jobs too, I’d wouldn’t trade this baby for all the cupcakes in Canterlot!” Now everypony else looked confused, everypony stared at Pinkie, shocked at her knowledge of the sport before Twilight had said even the first thing knowledgeable about it apart from it’s name; this time it was Rainbow Dash who spoke up first, “Uhh Pinkie Pie... you are so random.” Twilight cut off the confusion by clearing her throat, “If your finished destroying my furniture Pinkie,” Twilight said as she pressed a button to show the next image of the presentation, “We should probably talk about when we’re going to practice and what we’re going to practice.” As if right on cue, a certain grey pegasus pony crashed through the window, upending all the remaining ponies and chairs in the room, Rainbow Dash was thrown furthest, ending up at the opposite end of the room while Derpy Hooves was upside down on top of her, “Oops, sorry Rainbow Dash,” she said, before turning to the rest of the group “Oh yeah, sorry everypony else,” she said with a wide smile, her bright yellow eyes shifting in opposite directions as she turned to face each pony. “What are you in such a hurry for Derpy?” Rarity asked, before picking herself up off the floor and dusting herself off. “Big package, came with free muffins so I said ‘Yeah’ and came here straight away! Oh, they also said I can’t have the muffins until the box is open, so can you open the box please?” Derpy’s words quickened as she told the tale, ending in hyperspeed speech that no-pony was able to decipher apart from Pinkie Pie. “Okey Dokie Lokie,” Pinkie announced with her usual grin, before re-wielding her Gravity Hammer and trotting out the door, everypony followed Pinkie to see the size of Derpy’s delivery... and to see the Hammer’s effect on a much larger object.                                      *                                  *                                   * The delivery in question was at least two ponies high, wide and long. It was larger than the amount of objects dropped on Twilight’s head by Derpy while she was researching the Pinkius Pieicus in its natural habitat, larger than all the objects combined in fact. Pinkie bounced up to it, Hammer-in-mouth and let loose on top of the crates top using the handle of the weapon. After three hard knocks the crate’s lid popped off, showing an elegant red box wrapped in a golden bow with a card attached saying in beautiful writing, For Derpy. “MUFFINS!” Derpy announced happily, picking up the box in her mouth and flying away with amazing speed. “Such a shame,” Rarity huffed “I had the perfect idea for that ribbon.” Everypony else had gathered in front of the crate, Pinkie was upside down burrowing into its contents, tossing them out behind her as she went, by the time she had reached the bottom (only stopping herself from falling by clinging to the crate’s ledge with her back hooves) she had tossed out a collection of Gravity Hammers, and Energy Sword handles, as well as a collection of different armour suits varying in styles and size. Rainbow Dash picked up a sword in her right hoof and clicked the ignition, instantly the sword sprung into life with a dazzling ‘ZAP!’ Everypony apart from Applejack and Rainbow Dash let out a frightened yelp. “Oh yeah, this sport I’m gonna like.” Rainbow Dash said, smirking at the destructive weapon in her hoof. “Whoa!” Came a cry from somewhere to the right of Rainbow Dash and the Energy Sword scene, Pinkie Pie had finally fallen into the crate, she failed to arise though and simply lay there upside down. “I’m OK,” came a call from the bottom. Twilight giggled as she looked into the crate at her friend, offering a hoof in help. Twilight stopped however when she spotted a letter with the official EGL seal of recognition stamped onto the front of the envelope, the letter had been tossed to the side of the crate during Pinkie’s digging and was crumpled at the edges. Twilight gasped and levitated the letter to eye level, proceeding to read the front address, leaving Pinkie Pie upside down in the crate. “Twilight?.. Twilight?” Pinkie asked as she watched the purple unicorn walk away, mesmerized by the parchment she held in front of her face. Twilight opened the letter and began to read; To the Ponyville Predators, Welcome to the League! Shipped with this crate are the required weapons and equipment you will need to use during the course of the season, if however you are having trouble actually using the equipment, please consult the reference guide also included. Twilight stopped, searching the crate for the book, A Coaches Guide to Grifball by H2O Camper was the reference guide, already owning a copy Twilight tossed the book carelessly into the crate, wanting to return to the letter. “Ouch! Hey!” Pinkie called from the bottom, rubbing her nose under the book now covering her face. Due to your team being new amongst our already seasoned teams, try to aim for a mid-table position this season, build on your teams strengths and cover each others weaknesses. Remember, only through teamwork is victory achieved in the Grifball field of play. I trust that your team’s positions and colour schemes for your armour variants will be decided before your first game, spend more time on the quality of your tactics, not the quality of your looks. Best of luck to The Ponyville Predators this season. H2O Camper Head Commissioner, Equestrian Grifball League The Ponyville Predators fixture list is as follows: Match 1: Ponyville Predators vs Manehattan Maulers           (A) Match 2: Ponyville Predators vs Fillydelphia Frenzy             (A) Match 3: Ponyville Predators vs Canterlot Capitols             (H) Match 4: Ponyville Predators vs Cloudsdale Storm Hawks  (H) Match 5: Ponyville Predators vs Appleloosa Assassins      (A) -----------------Mid-Season Rest & Relaxation (2 Weeks)----------------- Match 6: Ponyville Predators vs Fillydelphia Frenzy           (H) Match 7: Ponyville Predators vs Cloudsdale Storm Hawks (A) Match 8: Ponyville Predators vs Appleloosa Assassins     (H) Match 9: Ponyville Predators vs Manehattan Maulers        (H) Match 10: Ponyville Predators vs Canterlot Capitols         (A) Equestrian Grifball League Registered Teams for Upcoming Season: Appleloosa Assassins Canterlot Capitols Cloudsdale Storm Hawks Fillydelphia Frenzy Manehattan Maulers Ponyville Predators