Episode 6: "The Dangers of Buckball"
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Rainbow Dash had always been a big fan of buckball. It was the sport she thrived on and washer third main obsession (after the Wonderbolts and Daring Do of course). So it seemed natural that on today of all days, she was given the opportunity to attend a buckball match with some of her companions. "Thanks so much for coming with me to watch Appleloosa take on Las Pegasus," she said as they watched the pregame festivities taking place. "I can't wait to see my favorite buckball player take the field, Buck Luck!"
"Buck Luck is quite a natural there," Applejack remarked, looking back at her rainbow maned friend. "Although I can't help but wonder how long he can keep this kind of playin' up."
The sounds of the crowd cheering then signaled that the game was about to begin. A few moments later, a unicorn and a pegasus emerged under a cover of smoke as the female announcer made their presence known. But there was still one member yet to be introduced. "And now, fillies and gentlecolts," The announcer boomed into the microphone. "It's the player you have all been waiting for…the greatest buckball player in Equestria…B…b…b…Buck Luck!"
A brown coated earth pony with a black beard and brown mane ran out of the tunnel to the delight of the crowds, especially Rainbow Dash!
"The crowds certainly are active today," One of the Las Pegasus players. "Let's use that to our advantage and get the season off right, shall we, Buck?"
"Yes, let's," Buck agreed. "On three! One, two, three…"
"Win!" The players all cried out as they took their positions on the field. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but geek out over the transpired stimulation.
At the sound of the referee's whistle, the game began between the six ponies on the field. Buck Luck did his thing, managing to defend, intercept and conquer every single time he had the ball. "Omaha!" He called out to the unicorn player, who used her magic to throw the ball into the bucket, giving Las Pegasus a point.
"What's an 'Omaha'?" Fluttershy wondered, looking over to Rainbow Dash.
"It's a play call that the pros use, Fluttershy." Rainbow explained.
"But we never use those kinds of words." Fluttershy meekly replied as Buck Luck defended another pass.
At that moment, Buck spotted one of the Appleloosian players bypassing the Pegasus player from Las Pegasus. "Not so fast!" He yelled, running to intercept the player. However, he was going so fast that he didn't even realize that he was about to be blindsided. "You ain't getting in!"
Even Rainbow Dash knew that something wasn't right. "Buck, watch where you're going!" She yelled as loud as she could! The warning came too late, Buck and the Pegasus player collided with one another causing the cheers of the crowd to turn to gasps!
"NOOO!" Rainbow Dash screamed in horror as her favorite buckball player lay unconscious on the field.
…
…
Immediately after the collision, several paramedic ponies raced onto the field to tend to Buck Luck! Loading him onto a stretcher, they took the unconscious star player off of the field and right to the hospital.
"What…just happened?" Applejack confusingly wondered. "Didn't he see the other player comin' his way?"
"Of course, he didn't!" Rainbow Dash cried, shaking Applejack wildly. "Buck Luck has gotten several injuries like this before!"
"Looks to me like he won't be playing anytime soon after this," Pinkie Pie remarked. "He looked down for the count from what I saw."
A look of deep concern came onto Rainbow's face upon hearing these words.
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…
Opening his eyes weakly, the dazed star buckball player found himself lying in a bed in a hospital room "Mr. Luck?" He weakly heard a male voice talking to him, revealed to being a green coated unicorn stallion in a white doctor's coat. "I'm Doctor Peter, I've been assigned to your care."
"Ohh," Buck moaned, feeling a sharp pain in his head. "What happened?"
"Easy now," The doctor advised. "You've just had a concussion. I'm afraid your season is going to be on hold for a few weeks. Standard concussion protocol."
"A few weeks for a concussion?!" Buck Luck groaned. "Man, so much for the start of a good season. What about Drew Breezy and Magical Game?"
"They've been waiting outside while we looked you over, Mr. Luck," The doctor as he held up an x-ray. "It appears to me that you have suffered broken bones in what appears to be a few of your ribs and even near the base of your spine."
Buck refused to believe what he was hearing. "Tell me something, Mr. Luck," continued the doctor. "This hasn't been the first time you have been injured on the Buckball field, you know."
"Of course it hasn't." Buck nodded and then groaned.
"And it occurs to me that at this rate, your injuries are going to have long lasting effects unless something is done," Doctor Peter informed him. "The next time you go down you may not be so lucky."
Right away, Buck realized that he was going to have to face his greatest fear. Something he'd been putting off facing for some time now.
…
…
The morning after the game, Rainbow Dash could only wonder how and why her favorite buckball player could once again be injured in such a manner. Even during the weekly breakfast with the rest of her friends, Rainbow was wondering.
"This isn't the first time that he's been hurt, Rainbow," Fluttershy remarked while Rainbow Dash looked over at a picture of Buck Luck on the cover. "It's like he was only focusing on the ball and not on the player with the ball."
"How could he be so foolish, though?" Rainbow Dash sighed, pushing the newspaper to the center of the dining room table. "I mean…the player was right there! He should've seen him!"
"It's the focus of the game, Rainbow," Twilight interrupted, removing the newspaper from the center of the dining room table with her magic. "Sometimes players are 'in the zone' that they ignore the basics. And after an injury like that, there's usually a time and a place for a pony to make a decision to step away from the game."
Rainbow Dash felt shocked at such a saying coming from her friend and supreme ruler. "Twilight, are you insane?!" She cried. "Why would anyone Buck Luck want to retire?! He's roughly my age! And, don't forget, he's got his whole life ahead of him!"
"Right now, if he's smart he's thinking about his career," Celestia commented as she sat at the table with a cup of tea held in her aura. "Something that he should put behind him for the sake of his health. Believe me, as a sports fan, I have seen players of all games end their careers because they couldn't take the punishments anymore. And those are the lucky ones. Some players have their careers ended for them by injury, or sometimes even scandal."
"But, when you retired…" Rainbow Dash started to say.
"-I retired because I felt that the time was right," Celestia interrupted. "You may not want to believe it, Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid that Buck Luck may be ready to call it quits. It's been speculated for some time now that he'd retire. He's been injured and hospitalized many times."
"What if I talk to him?" Rainbow suggested. "Maybe have him play another year? I mean, he did shake off all those other injuries he had before."
"Rainbow Dash, I think Celestia might have a point," Twilight shook her head. "If there is a time to walk away from the game, it's probably now."
"Well it won't be official until he says something," Rainbow retorted. "You'll see, I bet he's probably itching to get back on the field right now."
…
…
Lying in his hospital bed, Buck Luck spent the night trying to come to terms with his life as a professional sports pony. As he awakened from a deep sleep, the sound of the door knocking was heard. "Come in!" He groggily called as his fellow teammates came into the room. "Oh, hey guys. Guess you got told of my condition."
"What do you think?" Drew Breezy bitterly remarked. "Let me tell you something, Buck. Magical Game and I were thinking…this is the latest in a series of bad injuries for you. The more you get hurt, the more damaged your body is becoming."
"I know what you're gonna say," Buck Luck sighed. "But how in Equestria do you think that this is in any way an easy decision? Playing Buckball is my life!"
"And so is your overall life in general," Magical Game frowned. "Drew and I sacrificed a lot to be a part of this team and even we both wonder when is enough going to be enough."
"Easy for you to say," Buck Luck scoffed while turning his head away. "You've won six Buckball titles over the course of your career and yet you're older than me."
Taking to the air, Drew flew to the other side of his teammate's bed, knowing that he needed to keep reasoning with him. "What difference does that make?" Drew Breezy wondered. "The team can go on without you. It was around before you and it won't stop existing if you go away. One player doesn't magically make a team good or bad."
Buck felt his eyes widened upon hearing this. "Why would you say that, guys?! Are you implying my talent is all for naught!"
"No, we're saying it because we care about you, Buck!" Magical Game declared. "But it's not our place to decide, it's yours. Why don't we let you think about this for a while? It's a very big decision you need to make."
Watching his teammates leave, Buck realized that they were right. "One more injury and my career is done forever! But what am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I can't just retire out of the blue like that! What would my fans think?!" Then it came to him. "Home!" He thought to himself. "I'll go home and sort out what I'm going to do there."
To that end, Buck boarded a train as soon as he was discharged from the hospital. He knew that there was only one place he could go and think about what needed to be done.
"Mr. Luck," The conductor greeted as Buck hoofed the conductor his ticket to be punched. "An honor to have you aboard, sir. My little colt is a big fan of yours."
"Well, thanks," Buck chuckled before taking the ticket back. "I don't know when I'll be back on the field, but when I do your son is welcome to come watch me play." Filled with giddy the conductor walked away, leaving Buck alone.
The train soon neared its intended destination for Buck. "Now arriving at Ponyville Station!" The conductor called from the back of the car. "All those travelling to Ponyville, you may depart now. And watch your step leaving the train. Thank you for traveling with us."
Slowly rising to his hooves, Buck felt the pain of his broken bones as he walked off of the train. It was going to be a long healing process. Doctor Peter had said as much.
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…
Meanwhile at Wonderbolt Headquarters, Rainbow Dash had arrived to work on a new flying routine. But, her mind was still on her favorite player. She had gotten so distracted that she was unable to pay attention to the routine in front of her. "Oops, sorry!" She said meekly after bumping into her teammate, Fleetfoot, who responded with a glare of irritation.
Just as they landed, Fleetfoot wasn't the only one to show displeasure at Rainbow Dash.
"Crash, what is going on with you?!" Spitfire commented while looking down at the young Wonderbolt. "You need to be paying attention to the routine here. We only have a few days until the show and your mind is off in Lala land!"
"Sorry, it's just that I've been thinking about my favorite buckball player," Rainbow Dash nervously replied while rubbing the back of her neck. "You know how it is."
"He'll be fine, Crash. Right now we need you on the same page as us," Spitfire scolded. "Understand?"
Nodding in reply, Rainbow Dash returned to practicing with the rest of her team. Later after practice, She was putting her gear back in her locker when she heard a voice from behind her.
"Worried about Buck, huh?" Turning around with a sharp jerk, Rainbow saw Soarin' standing behind her! "Soarin'! Uh, I didn't even notice you come in."
"Look, I know that we need to focus on the routine for our next aerial show, but…even I can't help but think of Buck," Soarin commented. "Do you really think he'll retire at such a young age? It'd be like if you dropped out of the Bolts after a bad flight incident. It just wouldn't be right."
"I hope he doesn't, Soarin'," Rainbow sighed as she put on her jacket and shut her locker door. "I mean, he's my favorite player and buckball won't be the same without him. I don't know, I'm just not ready for him to walk away, I guess."
Soarin' draped a wing over his fellow comrade in a show of solidarity and support.
"I mean, I thought he would be loyal to the game," Rainbow nervously commented. "I thought that it was something he would stick to. Buckball is his life, Soarin'."
"And so is his true life, Rainbow. And you know it," Soarin' replied. "That was why Fire Streak stepped down. In fact, why don't we pay a visit to him and see what he thinks? Maybe he can clear things up for you?"
Rainbow nodded, and she and Soarin' set off to find the retired Wonderbolt.
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Down in Ponyville, Buck was trotting up to the house where he'd spent his childhood. He knocked on it, hoping for a quick response. A few moments later, the door opened and an older looking brown coated earth pony stallion answered the door.
"Hey Dad." Buck greeted.
"Son," Mr. Luck chuckled, motioning for his son to come inside. "This is quite a surprise! It sure is nice to see you again." He tried to hug his son, but Buck pushed him away.
"Sorry dad, I still have those broken ribs," Buck nervously chuckled. "Not to mention a mind still not at a hundred percent."
"I understand, Buck. You've been through a lot. No need to rush things." Mr. Luck encouraged.
Putting his stuff down on the couch, Buck trotted over and sat down, promptly rubbing the area where his ribs were hurting in an effort to ease the pain.
"What happened this time?" Buck's dad called out from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water in his mouth.
"It was a player to player collision, Dad," Buck sighed, groaning slightly due to the pain he had. "I collided with another player while trying to get the ball back. I mean, didn't you do the same thing when you were playing the game?"
"Yeah, got me knocked up for a few weeks," Buck's father sighed, sitting down next to his son. "Actually, Son, there have been rumors going around since before the accident…"
"What rumors?" Buck's eyebrows arched upward in surprise.
"That you should be considering retirement," Mr. Luck explained. "Apparently, there have been quite a few ponies in town who believe you should retire now. After seeing this latest headline, I can't really blame them. And from what I hear it's not just Ponyville where ponies are worried."
Buck looked at his picture on the front page of the Ponyville Chronicle and sighed deeply. The more he looked at his picture on the paper, the more he became conflicted with his thoughts on retiring.
"Son, when is enough going to be enough?" His father sighed. "Buckball is a sport that we eventually decide to walk away from when the time is right. Why don't you consider maybe trying something else?"
"If only it were that simple, Dad," Buck unhappily sighed in reply. "I've been playing buckball since I was in grade school. And I'd hate to have to hang it up when I'm still in my prime."
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Rainbow Dash accompanied Soarin' across the grounds of Wonderbolts Academy, trying to gain some perspective on her buckball hero possibly retiring. Approaching a classroom at the end of a long corridor, they saw a group of young pegasus ponies exit the classroom.
"Hey there Rainbow Dash, Soarin'!" A familiar dark blue coated stallion greeted. "What brings you 'round here?"
"Is Fire Streak available to talk, Sky Stinger?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I've been meaning to ask him about something."
"Um, sure, it's not like he has anything else to focus on, actually." Sky Stinger nodded.
Rainbow Dash and Soarin' approached the classroom and peaked inside, seeing a reddish orange coated pegasus pony with a slightly grayed mane and tail preparing to leave his classroom.
"Oh...uh, F-first Lieutenant Soarin', Rainbow Dash, w-what a surprise," Fire Streak stammered upon spotting the two. "Is there something I can do for the both of you?"
"Actually, I've come seeking your advice, Fire Streak," Rainbow Dash replied, sitting down at a desk in front of the stallion. "You see, there's this buckball player I like and I saw him get hurt really badly. It's not the first time he's been injured like that either."
"This is about Buck Luck, isn't it?" The retired Wonderbolt asked, much to Rainbow Dash's surprise. "It's been on everypony's mind at the academy. Can't really blame you for being worried about him, we all are." Then reaching into his desk, Fire Streak pulled out an autographed picture of Buck Luck for Rainbow and Soarin' to look at.
"Fire Streak, how long have you had this?" Soarin' asked the retired bolt.
"Do you remember when we did one of my performances for my farewell tour in Fillydelphia?" Fire Streak questioned.
Soarin nodded. "Yeah. It was during a halftime show for a game between Las Pegasus and Fillydelphia."
"Well after the game, I wanted to get an autograph from Buck because my grandcolt loves him to death," Fire Streak somberly explained. "I saw Buck had just been hurt with a broken leg, but was more than willing to give me an autographed picture of himself in spite of it."
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but admire the dedication that Buck had for his fans just from listening.
"Ever since then," Fire Streak sighed. "I couldn't help but ask myself: 'When is the right time to walk away?' Buck was young, but what he was continuing to do was dangerous. I knew that it would probably be only a matter of time before he got an injury that would impact him for the rest of his life. It really helped convince me that I was right to retire when I did, leave on my own terms before something bad I couldn't recover from happened to me."
Fire Streak then reached into his desk again, this time pulling out the same newspaper that Twilight had shown Rainbow earlier in the day. "Now that Buck has hurt himself again, I think now is the time to move on, regardless of what everypony thinks. He's taken too many beatings, and even for someone so young that's not a good thing. One more injury like the one he just had, and he may not walk again. He'd be in a full body cast, drinkin' through a straw."
Rainbow pushed the paper away, not wanting to relive the story again. "I get what you're saying, Fire Streak, but this isn't easy for me to accept," Rainbow declared with tears in her eyes. "As the Princess of Loyalty, I can't help but try and convince Buck to keep playing the sport he loves. So who cares what a few of his fans think? If the doctors and his manager think he's still okay to play, he should play. He knows the risks, I'm sure he'll be more careful and won't put himself on the line as much."
"Rainbow Dash, being a princess amd a Wonderbolt means setting an example for others," Soarin' advised, placing a hoof on Rainbow Dash. "Even if that means doing something that isn't popular with everypony…including yourself. Sometimes you have to make the tough decisions, decisions that'll cost you personally."
"You make a good point, Soarin'" Fire Streak nodded. "When we first heard that Celestia had named you as Princess of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, we knew that we had a Wonderbolt that was going to be setting an example for all of us. And now it's time for you to set that example. Whatever you choose, you need to think not just about what you want but also what Buck wants and what may be best for him."
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…
"Dad," Buck Luck asked, placing the newspaper back on the coffee table. "What do you think I should do? Everypony is going to give me a severe backlash if I decide to retire now. I'd hate to disappoint my fans."
"And who says they won't be disappointed if you come back and get injured again, Son?" Mr. Luck declared, motioning for hi son to come to the window. "Look at all the ponies we live amongst, do you think they would understand if you retired now?"
Looking out the window, Buck watched ponies going about their business and began to wonder just why his father would show him life in his hometown. "Look at them, Son," Mr. Luck, motioning for him to look closely at Lyra and Bon-Bon as they were walking by, their heads resting against one another. "They all have more important things in life to worry about than just buckball."
"What about them? That's Lyra Heartstrings and her special somepony, Bon-Bon." Buck commented.
"They have been married for some time and are focusing on their relationship more than anything," Mr. Luck explained. "They've hardly kept up with the news."
"But Bon Bon used to be a secret agent in Canterlot, or so they say. What's your point, Dad?" Buck questioned.
"She decided not to return that life even when offered the chance, and instead she chose to spend time with the love of her life," Buck's father replied. "Being an agent was too much on her psyche, going after dangerous creatures only to lock them up in Tartarus personally."
"Look, Dad, must you tell me things like this?" Buck groaned. "Bon Bon probably got a ton of angry backlash because of her decision to retire from being an agent. I don't want to get that kind of backlash!"
"Buck…" Mr. Luck began.
"No, Dad!" Buck shook his head. "This injury will just be like the others, a minor speed bump! I get the lesson but why teach it to me now? This isn't simple, you know! It's not just my sake I have to think about!" Groaning, Buck ran upstairs, leaving his father to stand there and wonder where he'd gone wrong in argument.
Meanwhile, having returned from Wonderbolt Headquarters, Rainbow Dash could only lay down in her bedroom and stare up at the ceiling, trying to process Fire Streak's words to her about Buck. Sooner or later, she was going to have to help Buck with his situation one way or another.
"What do you think I should do, Tank?" Rainbow asked, looking over towards her pet tortoise. "I can't just force somepony to retire from something that they're loyal to. It's against my character, against my element."
The tortoise merely blinked his eyes at this statement.
"Supposedly I should just go up to Buck and tell him that he's getting hurt too much, and by my command he should retire while he has a chance," Rainbow Dash declared in a confident voice while leaping into the air before landing back on all four hooves. "Okay, maybe that seems a little too much."
She then looked over towards one of her many pictures with her friends, particularly Twilight. Looking closely at the picture, Rainbow immediately began to think back to Twilight's most recent mental health crisis, of how she was forced to deal with Twilight's mental health crisis head on. Just like that, Rainbow realized in that moment that she had to confront this issue with her favorite buckball player head on.
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For a full day and night Buck Luck sat up in his old bedroom, the pains of his recent injury still bothering him. He wouldn't come out of his room, not even for breakfast with his own father.
Mr. Luck sitting down at the breakfast table by himself the next morning when he heard a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" He wondered, getting up from the kitchen table and going towards the door. Opening it the elder stallion was greeted by two royal guards who looked down at him. "Who…who are you?"
"Have you seen the pony known as Buck Luck?" One of the guards asked.
"He…he's my son, and he's right here with me," Mr. Luck stammered. "Why do you ask? What has he done?"
But the guards just stood aside. In swooped Rainbow Dash, wearing her royal crown and horseshoes, landing right in front of Mr. Luck. "Because I'm here for him, Mr. Luck. And he hasn't done anything… yet," She greeted as Buck's father immediately bowed down to her. "Hey, just because I'm one of a the new princesses doesn't mean that you have to bow in front of me. Rise and Relax."
"Oh, uh, sorry, Princess Rainbow Dash," Buck's Father stammered while rising to his hooves. "It's just, I wasn't expecting you and…what do you want with my son?"
"Kust to talk to him about retiring," Rainbow answered. "Where is he now?"
"He's upstairs, your highness. In his bedroom," Mr. Luck acknowledged. "I've tried to convince him to retire but it's no use, he just won't listen."
"Leave it to me, I'll sort this out." Rainbow Dash replied as she flew up the stairs in search of Buck's room.
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…
Still trying to process what was in front of him, Buck's solitude was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. "Go away, Dad!" he shouted while turning his head away from said door.
"Buck, open up!" Rainbow Dash called on the other side. "I…I just want to talk to you about what's going on here."
Realizing that it wasn't his father, Buck got up and proceeded towards the door. Upon opening it, he was surprised and shocked at who was on the other side! "Princess Rainbow Dash!" He gasped! "What…what are you doing here?! How did you know where I was?!"
"Um I'm a princess now and I have my ways of finding out where ponies live, duh!" Rainbow answered So, uh, can I come in or not?"
Being polite, Buck allowed for Rainbow to enter his room. He was relieved when she shut the door behind her.
"Now, Buck," Rainbow began as she and him sat down on the edge of Buck's bed. "I know what you're probably thinking right now: You want to retire, but your gut tells you not to retire. Trust me, I was at your recent game in Las Pegasus. I saw what happened."
This made Buck's eyes widen in shock! "You…were?! I had no idea royalty was in attendance!"
"Yeah, me and a few of my friends were there. We're all pretty big buckball fans… except for Rarity and Starlight," Rainbow explained. "We all saw what went down between you and that other player. But tell me something, why didn't you see the other player coming?"
"I guess I was so focused on getting that ball back, I didn't even stop to think about anything else," Buck replied while looking down in shame. "I'm always a pony who has two goals in buckball: To win, and to set examples to fillies and colts everywhere. Sometimes everything else just becomes background noise that I have to block out."
Rainbow said nothing, she busy look over at several pictures of Buck with some of his youngest fans. The more she looked at them, the more she began to understand the conflict from Buck's side of the story. "Those pictures you're looking at are some of my personal favorites, your highness," Buck remarked, catching Rainbow's attention. "They're the fillies and colts who look up to me as their idol, and I promised them…that I would never quit doing the game I love for as long as I was able to keep playing."
Sighing deeply, Rainbow picked up on of the pictures with her left wing and brought it back to Buck for him to look at. "Do they know that you got hurt again, really badly too?" She asked, passing the picture onto Buck.
"Yes, but I always tell the colts and fillies that when you fall, you get back up again!" Buck declared. "Isn't that what you and the other princesses did when you defended Equestria time after time?"
"Of course we did, Buck! When a bad guy kicks us down, we get back up! But sometimes…we can be…our own bad guys." Rainbow commented.
"What do you mean by that, Princess?" Buck nervously inquired, even as he dreaded what was to come next.
Rainbow Dash once again began to think back to what Fire Streak was explaining to her. The same sentence that struck out at her the most was playing over and over again: When is the right time to walk away?
"Because," Rainbow answered. "If you keep playing and keep getting hurt, then you're sending a bad message to your fans: That it's okay to disregard certain loyalties."
"And what loyalties are those?" Buck questioned further.
"Loyalties to your health, to your loved ones, and especially to your friends," Rainbow explained while draping a wing over Buck. "As a matter of fact, there are two other ponies who share the same feelings as I." Before Buck could say anything, Rainbow flew out of the bedroom and went downstairs. A few moments later, she returned with Buck's two teammates, Drew Breezy and Magical Game.
"What are you two doing here?!" Buck gasped as his eyes went wide!
"We were asked to accompany Princess Rainbow Dash to help her convince you that enough is enough," Drew Breezy answered, hovering over Buck with what appeared to be a large bandage on his front left hoof. "Look, I hurt my hoof in practice and that's going to keep me out for at least a few weeks."
"How did you hurt it? What happened?" Buck asked.
"I stupidity tried to block the ball with my hoof and ended up hitting Magical Game's hoof instead," Drew Breezy grunted. "This is my fifth injury in my long career and right now, even I'm trying to think about walking away. I can't keep doing this."
Buck felt shocked at such a confession coming from his own teammate. "But buckball is your life, Drew."
"So's my family, Buck," Drew shook his head. "Buckball is merely something I do to pay the bills, put food on the table for my family. I don't play the game for the trophies, I do it for the groceries."
"Yeah," Magical Game added with a nod. "Ponies call me 'The Goat' because I've set all the buckball records in my nearly twenty year career. But records don't matter to me and my status doesn't matter to me. What does matter is what's in front of me right now, off the buckball field."
Buck turned to Rainbow. "Did you tell them to say these things to me?"
"I didn't. They've had this on their own minds as well." Rainbow answered.
"But… but… surely you're not serious!" Buck cried out!
"We are serious!" Drew Breezy angrily shouted back! "In fact, both of us have decided that this will be our final season playing the game too. Like we said, enough is enough. The time has come to close the book on one chapter and open up a new chapter in our lives with our families and friends by our side! And we think it's time you did the same, before you get hurt so badly you never fully recover and become half the pony you used to be!"
Those words seemed to touch something deep inside Buck. Because he trotted down the stairs a short time later, and faced his father with only Rainbow Dash's assigned guards for company.
Seeing his son, Buck's father rose to his feet. "Buck, what's going on here?!" He asked his son.
"Dad…" Buck started to say, only to be given a sense of encouragement by Rainbow Dash and his fellow players. "We've…we've all talked it over and I've decided that... now is the time for me to walk away from buckball."
Touched by his son's words, Buck's father ran over and hugged his son tightly. "Thank Celestia you came to the right choice, Buck," He cried. "Thank Celestia! I was worried you'd end up like so many others, carted off the field, never to recover fully!"
"So, what happens now?" Magical Game asked.
"I tell everypony in Equestria," Buck answered as he and his father broke apart. "Tell them that there's more to life than just sports," And he then instructed. "I want a press conference put together as quickly as possible, the sooner the better."
…
…
In the days that followed, word of Buck Luck's planned press conference spread like wildfire! On the day of the conference itself, Buck Luck stood in front of the entrance to the Buckball Hall of Fame in Appleloosa, feeling like he needed to get this announcement out as soon as possible. "It is with some regret," Buck announced through a microphone behind a podium. "That I have decided to step away from the game of buckball effective immediately."
The reporters in the crowd murmured in shock and surprise by this announcement.
"This was a decision that was made based on the status of my overall health," Buck continued speaking. "My recent injury made me fully understand why I had to do this: There is more to life than just playing buckball. I've had my fun, but now is the time to move on with my life. Of course, I thank the support of her royal highness, Princess Rainbow Dash, my teammates and…" He paused considerably before finally adding. "My dad, Sheer Luck!"
Directing the audience towards the ponies who had helped him, Buck took in the feeling of being a retired buckball player deeply.
"So, what are you going to do now that you are retiring?" A reporter pony asked Buck, catching his attention again. "Are you going to stay within the game of buckball even though you're not playing?"
"I can't make any guarantees right now," Buck answered. "For now I need to relax and reflect on my time playing the game."
With those words, Rainbow Dash looked on and knew that her first act as Princess of Loyalty was a success.
…
…
A few days after the announcement, Rainbow Dash was back at the Castle of Friendship, having breakfast with the rest of her friends.
"Well, you've done it," Twilight remarked as she sipped from a teacup. "You've done your first act as Princess of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash. You taught a pony that it's better to be loyal to your health and those closest to you, than continuing to do something you'll forever regret doing when it ends horribly."
"Well it wasn't easy, I saw a lot of myself reflected in Buck," Rainbow Dash confessed. "But, I can't help but wonder, Twilight. Do you think that, at some point, all of us are going to have to face the same position that I was in?"
"Yeah," Applejack added, looking over at Twilight. "Are we all goin' to have to face our first acts as princesses, acts that'll involve settin' an example and helpin' others make the right decisions?"
"More than likely you all will face your first acts as princesses much the same way I did and Rainbow Dash did," Twilight answered. "Equestria looks to all of us now as its leaders and it's up to us to make sure we set an example."
"Okie dokie, we can do that!" Pinkie Pie remarked, before randomly producing a roulette wheel in front of the table. "So which one of us will be next to face her big challenge? Hmm?" Spinning the wheel, Pinkie waited patiently for the ball to land on a pony's spot, only to see it teleported away by Twilight. "Aww, come on, Twilight!" Pinkie whined. "I wanted to be the next pony to solver her biggest problems."
"It will come when the time comes," Celestia advised. "You just have to be patient."
Pinkie pouted at this remark, but Rainbow Dash was relieved, knowing that she had done what a Princess of Loyalty should have done.
…
END OF EPISODE
…
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Not really a sports fan, but I understood the emotional conflict of the episode all the same. It's the same as a writer deciding whether or not to keep writing.
Injuries like concussions and stuff are part of why I never got into sports. I never want to experience the pain that Buck and his teammates probably experienced here.
Neat how Rainbow got to perform her first act as a princess. It makes me curious what the others are going to do for their first acts, and who is going to be next to do so. The cameo from Sky Stinger, one of my favorite map mission guests, was a nice touch, and I appreciate seeing Tank again too.
I'm excited for next week's episode. We're going to get answers about Cozy Glow!
9932941 We are going to get answers but we're also to be introduced to the Real Grogar himself!
9933139
Ooh, fun! I wonder how mad Grogar would be if he found out Discord pretended to be him. See you next week!
this, while short and a bit fast-paced, is very well done, and deserves to stand alongside the best RD episodes such as top bolt and wonderbolts academy, I applaud you good sir.
also, a suggestion, maybe later in the season we could see luck as a celebrity buckball announcer?
9933808
In my case, Evil Anger Tantrum Explosion
When you first bring up Rainbow Dash is a princess and wonderbolt, you spell and wrong as amd.
Another great chapter/episode ! Just like the other , I found a few faults in it that I think could be fixed :
You forgot a space between "was" and "her"
The M should be an N in "amd"
The K of "Kust" should be a J
It should be "Stupidly" and not "Stupidity" .
Buckball is RECENT as a pro sport in Equestria. We're talking around 2 years, maybe three years old, depending on the length of S8/S9. It's pushing it to have 6 titles. It's completely unreasonable to have two generations of players or 20 years of play.
Typo, Just.
Well, continuity aside, this is a decent episode. There's a lot of people in high school or college that want to say "Pro sports is for me!", and won't do the work/study needed to have a fallback when the sports inevitably run out.
Not sure what I think about saying about all the princesses that their first act will be something along this personal intensity. I agree that they will have to face this -- explaining to others what they have found out themselves -- at some point (blame Harmony, but it will happen), just not that it will magically be their first job.
Missing S in his.
I hope rainbow dash and the others acsend into alicorns