Hoofball Mania!by SterlingCChaptersPrologue - The Birth of the Equestrian Champions LeagueChapter 1 - Apples and RainbowsChapter 2 - Getting more Recruits!Interlude - The Ponyville Hoofball League RostersPrologue - The Birth of the Equestrian Champions LeagueHoofball. A sport much loved by Equestrians. A sport that was invented soon after Equestria was founded as a nation. Legend has it that Chancellor Puddinghead found what looked like a large orange. Out of spontaneity, she kicked the orange between two tree stumps, gleefully cheering at the strength of her kick. When she ran back to the orange, she dribbled it with her hooves back to the tree stump, having realized that an entire game could be made out of a single ball and two marker posts a sufficient distance from each other! Nowadays, not many ponies thought to question the origins of such a loved sport in Equestria. Many a time, one could see abandoned street corners and open grassy fields filled with ponies playing hoofball. Hoofball fields in educational and recreational facilities were even set up across Equestria, the teachers and government officials encouraged at what was the easiest way to exercise. After all, a pony only a ball and two posts to play hoofball. Sporting ponies of all shapes and sizes would play together across the fields and alleyways, dreaming the prospect of shooting the hoofball past the opponent’s net with a volley or the famed bicycle kick, regardless of where they played. Such dreams were widespread across Equestria, their hopes of a nationwide hoofball competition growing to fever pitch. At the headquarters of the Equestrian Intranational Hoofball Association, or EIHA, several ponies wearing black and white-striped EIHA hoofball jerseys convened in a large room painted with a mural potraying a panorama view of grassy hoofball fields. There were ten ponies on each field, with colours so diverse that they featured the hues of the rainbow, and then some! There were ponies ready to line up for a shot on goal, ponies clumped together inside the penalty box with a green stallion waving his hoof up by the corner flag, and ponies flailing their hooves about with a Pegasus who had just tucked in a beauty at the low-left corner of the net. Such artistry set the mood for the meeting, as the ponies inside the meeting hall talked in excitement and joy, as if they themselves had scored the winning goal for their team! Among the ponies inside the board room were Red and Yellow Card, twin brothers with gelled brown manes who were raised with the game of hoofball since they were foals. The red stallion and yellow stallion spent much of their time refereeing high school and collegiate hoofball before being called upon to the EIHA board. The two ponies retained their refereeing positions, but were now a part of the organization that handles all hoofball proceedings in Equestria. Now that they made it to the top for their exceptional conduct as referees, Red and Yellow Card and were now free to propose new ideas to advance the game of hoofball. For them, it was their once-in-a-lifetime chance to take hoofball to the competitive level, where ponies would sign up and play hoofball within their towns and then send the best teams to play at the Equestrian stage. It was a chance to make hoofball the official sport of Equestria and an opportunity to spread the game to the rest of the world and promote Equestrian tourism! For this particular meeting, Red and Yellow Card were proposing their plans for Equestria to host what they called the “Equestrian Champions League”, a tournament where the best five-a-side teams travelled from all over Equestria to pit against each other annually in the famed capital Canterlot. “With this tournament my friends and fellows, we can ensure that hoofball gains the national recognition it so deserves!” the yellow stallion exclaimed and pumped his hooves. “Yes brother Yellow! Hoofball is fast becoming a popular sport among school boards and recreational organizers. Now it’s time we encouraged some healthy competition and spirit in Equestria with an event that will bring ponies together from all sectors of life!” Red Card agreed, his eyes beaming at the opportunity they simply could not let slip. The EIHA board members deliberated among themselves. The whispers in the room were a stark contrast to the booming voices Red and Yellow projected to the other board members. The brothers were jittering in place. It was the first time they proposed such an idea to the EIHA board. The two ponies took so much into account in the weeks they planned the idea and prepared the 150-page document, from the proposal to the Princesses to the execution at the municipal scale. They conducted detailed local surveys and reported on the growing passion of some of the ponies to do all sorts of hoofball-related tasks, from manning the scoreboards to setting up stands for each of the games. The board members continued to chatter among themselves, some speaking brashly and others merely nodding their heads in agreement. The two ponies tried their best to hide their nervousness, but their hooves continued to shake about without their consent. Thankfully, the board members were focused on their document and the proposal and not on the brothers’ jitters. After what felt like an eternity for the brothers, the other board members nodded and turned their heads to Red and Yellow Card. The two brothers were left with eyes wide open and a gasp, for the board members turned their heads to them not with derision, but with a pleased smile on their faces. “Red and Yellow Card. We are at a time where hoofball can finally develop into Equestria’s national sport. It’s a sport that unites pegasi, unicorns, and Earth ponies in the same playing field. We have the Wonderbolts who can soar to the skies and unicorns who can play games with their magic, but nothing for Earth ponies. We at EIHA believe that hoofball is that sport,” one of the board members explained with a grin. “What you have proposed here is something that all ponies can enjoy. It’s an inclusive sport that I’m sure the royal princesses will approve of for competition. Everything has been well-thought out and well planned. In short, we are delighted at this proposal from you both. We’re putting you both in charge of preparing the referees for the games. As for us, we’ll be sure to have an audience with Princess Celestia and the mayors of every town who will participate,” The board member continued with an assuring voice. The brothers quickly bopped their heads up and down and nudged each other’s sides. “This is wonderful news sir! We have already listed eight cities who wish to participate: Ponyville, Manehattan, Canterlot, Crystal Empire, Fillydelphia, Cloudsdale, Baltimare, and Our Town. I know the last city has an unusual name, but they were recently rescued from evil and have strove to make their own league to celebrate the occasion!” Yellow Card beamed. The board members nodded in turn. “Alright, then I think everything is settled. Once we train the referees, they can teach the basic rules of the official sport and then start setting up stands for ponies to watch each other play!” Another board member spoke out. The other members nodded with Red and Yellow Card. “Wonderful! We’ll have an audience with Princess Celestia in the coming days. In the meantime, you and Red Card can start announcing the wonderful news and getting the word out to Equestria! The interest is clearly there based on your survey, so I don’t think you’ll have a hard time with it!” The board members agreed. Yellow and Red Card bowed their heads down in thanks and trotted out of the room. Once the board room doors were closed, the two ponies gave each other high fives. “Yes! We actually got them to come along with our plan! Once the princess approves of this unifying competition, we can start advertising for positions!” Yellow Card exclaimed. “Yeah Yellow! We can start hiring referees, announcers, and even get ponies to sponsor the event! Just imagine the possibilities! We’ll be famous! And hoofball will become a national sport!” Red Card rapidly clapped. The two ponies laughed together as they trotted down the long hallway to the elevator. The birth of hoofball as a national sport was imminent. Chapter 1 - Apples and RainbowsIt was a bright spring day in Ponyville, a month after the board members at EIHA headquarters in Canterlot accepted Red and Yellow Card’s proposals for a nationwide hoofball tournament. In Ponyville, the one item that struck ponies’ minds for conversation was the local Hoofball League that was set to begin in a month’s time. Ponies all around were talking about what they wanted to do to participate in the league. There were calls for setting up a team, refereeing the games, commentating the games through radio, and even ponies calling for sponsorships from local businesses! There was so much to think and talk about regarding the Ponyville Hoofball League that word spread quickly from one house to the next! Talk of hoofball soon reached Applejack and her family at Sweet Apple Acres, who were enjoying a delicious apple pie dinner. “Well, what do you know? There’s this new sport called hoofball that everypony’s been talking about,” Applejack remarked and took her first bite her apple pie slice. “It ain’t a new sport Applejack!” Applebloom teased. “I play hoofball during most recesses with my fellow Crusaders and classmates! It’s so much fun!” Applebloom flailed her hooves around the table. “We get to kick this ball around and whack it past the goal! It feels amazing to score when you buck the ball into the net!” continued the excited filly. “Well, this hoofball game of yers sounds fun. I might get myself involved with it sometime,” Applejack replied with a chuckle. “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh complied. “Well there’s a new competition called the Ponyville League or somethin’ like that. Apparently the top two teams in the league get to compete in Canterlot against ponies from all over Equestria! There’s great prizes to be won too!” Applebloom scooted around on her seat. “Well, this ‘ere sport of hoofball reminds me of a game we used to play all the time with our fellow Apples! We were usin’ oranges instead of this ‘ere hoofballs you young’uns have now! And those oranges were as hard as nails!” Granny Smith retorted. “Well we ain’t using oranges now Granny Smith. These balls are much nicer to hit with, and we play with 5 ponies per team! No wings allowed, and no magic either! So it’s basically a game suited for Earth ponies like us!” responded the cheery filly. “Eeyup!” Big Macintosh affirmed. The family then descended into a brief moment of silence before Applebloom asked the question that plagued her mind ever since the dinner began. “Well can we make a team of five then?! We can promote family bondin’ and we can compete against the others in Ponyville and Equestria!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Plus, Ah can try shootin’ fer a cutie mark on hoofball! Just imagine how cool that would look on mah flank! A bona-fide hoofball!” Applebloom jumped up from her seat, trotting circles as if her cutie mark had already appeared! “I like the idea, but we only got three ponies who can play,” Applejack responded. Applebloom scratched her head with her right hoof, while Granny Smith jumped up from her seat and raised her right hoof upwards! “What you talkin’ about having only three ponies who can play?! Ah can play me some hoofball as well if I wanted to! I still have the moves from my olden days!” Granny Smith slowly climbed on top of her wooden chair and extended her bottom hoof out, as if to balance herself on the chair. Applejack and Applebloom looked up in fright as Granny Smith jumped up from her seat and tried to extend a kick with her back hoof. “Granny Smith, get down from that chair! We don’t want you gettin’ ‘urt!” Applejack and Applebloom shouted to their granny. But just as Granny Smith had balanced herself on the chair, her right hindleg wobbled, causing the granny to fall onto the ground with a loud thud! Applejack slapped her face with her right hoof, got up from her seat and helped Granny Smith back up with her hooves. “Granny you all right?!” Applejack asked with fear in her eyes. Granny Smith slowly brushed the dust off her pale green body before she responded with a frown, “Ah’ll be alright Applejack. But mah body ain’t what it used to be… In mah old days, Ahd be able to kick an orange ball between the two trees that served as our goal line!” Applejack nodded back, but then came up with an idea! “Should we form a team, you could be our coach, since it sounds like you know yer hoofball!” Applejack encouraged her granny. She didn’t want Granny Smith to be left out of the action, and she was the perfect choice to be their head coach because of her valuable years of experience. Applebloom in addition was also getting fired up about the prospect of making their own hoofball team. Knowing Applebloom, she couldn’t get her away from something she wanted to do when she was this fired up. “Does that mean we’re gonna have a team Applejack?! Big Mac wants to play along too! Like you said, we already have three ponies in our team! Now we just need two more!” Applebloom hollered, she too now getting up from her seat and trotting to Applejack and Granny Smith! “Eeyup! Ahll be pony number three!” Big Macintosh pumped his right hoof upward from his seat! Applejack chuckled and scratched her chin. “Ah guess we could try to get Pinkie Pie and Braeburn involved. After all, they’re both family to us!” Applejack shrugged. “Ahll see what I can do about gettin’ Pinkie Pie to join us, and Granny Smith, you can check up on Braeburn! See if he wants to play with us in Ponyville this season!” Applejack continued with a determined smile now. ‘Yeehaw! Cutie Mark Hoofballer go!” Applebloom cheered! “Ah can’t wait to tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo the great news!” Applebloom jumped around again, eager to form the team as soon as possible! “Eeyup! Ah can be the defender buckin’ the balls out of our territory and up to the forwards!” Big Mac hooted and hollered! “And Ah got lots o’ trainin’ exercises Ah can show y’all so we can be the best Equestria’s got to offer!” Granny Smith slapped her right hoof onto her left hoof, ready for battle. Meanwhile, Applejack quickly realized that their apple pie remained largely uneaten because of the hoofball season! “Hey, we gotta be eatin’ this ‘ere apple pie, or we’ll really get hoofball fever!” Applejack chuckled. The rest of the family laughed along as well as they all sat back down to indulge on their delicious, crusty apple pie. As the ponies enjoyed their apple pie, Applebloom brought up one other question about hoofball to the rest of her family: “Hey… we never named our team! What should we name ourselves?!” Applebloom and the rest of her family scratched their chins, contemplating on a catchy name for their team… But Applejack already came up with a team name, “Well, why don’t we name our team the Sweet Apples? We’re apples forever, and sweet together!” Applejack chuckled. The other family members smiled and nodded warmly to her suggestion. “That’s a great team name Applejack! This is so excitin’! Ah can’t wait to get our team set up!” Applebloom munched on another apple slice with a loud gulp. “We sure are! We’ll be the sweetest and the winningest Apples in Equestria!” Granny Smith slammed the wooden table with her left hoof with fire in her belly. “Eeyup!” Big Macintosh enthusiastically added. The Sweet Apples were in business. Up above the clouds, a light blue Pegasus was just finishing off her last weather duty for the day. The weather ponies had called for some clouds into Ponyville, expecting a slight chance of rain through the evening. Rainbow Dash has just shoved in the last of the clouds with the rest of the pegasi. Having completed her work, Rainbow Dash flied back to the ground to see two pegasi trotting together as the day turned into dusk. Rainbow Dash trotted to the two ponies, who were startled by her blitz to the ground from above. “Oh hey Fluttershy! Hey Bulk Biceps!” Rainbow Dash waved her hooves to both of the pegasi. “Hey Rainbow Dash! Bulk Biceps and I were just going to trot to my home and practice some weights together!” Fluttershy meekly greeted the rainbow-maned Pegasus. “Yeah!!!” shouted the bulky Pegasus enthusiastically, pumping his hooves upwards! “We were also planning to start working out for the Ponyville Hoofball League! Bulk Biceps encouraged me to learn how to be a goalkeeper. I don’t have to move around too much, and he said that being a goalkeeper’s like trying to protect my critters from any flying objects thrown at them!” Fluttershy giggled cheerily. “Yeah!!!” Bulk Biceps shouted out again. Rainbow Dash shook her head in place. “I heard about the hoofball league that’s coming up. I don’t have a team to join since most ponies here aren’t that competitive,” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Well why don’t you join us then? You can help us be competitive, and we only have two players so far! We can find two more really good players so we can have a team of five!” Fluttershy squeed. “Yeah!!!” The bulky white Pegasus shouted again. Rainbow Dash scratched her head momentarily. She didn’t have much choice at the moment. Perhaps Fluttershy could be a good goalkeeper. Perhaps they would find two really good hoofball players to become the best representative for Ponyville. Perhaps she could be the heroine who pushes her team through for the victories! Oh how much Rainbow Dash relished that possibility! “You know what?! Sure! I don’t have any team I can join, and you guys seem the closest to a real team I’ve found!” Rainbow Dash chuckled with a confident pose. “Plus, I can get us pumped up for the game and teach you guys some new tricks along the way! Before you know it, we’ll be the best Equestria’s got!” Rainbow Dash pumped her fists upward in excitement. It was time to get back in the spirit of competition! “Yeah!” Bulk Biceps clapped aloud. “We now have the fastest athlete in Equestria! This is so wonderful! Before you know it, we’ll have a team ready to play!” Fluttershy giggled in delight. “So do you guys mind if I joined you for your exercises?” Rainbow Dash offered with a smile. “Sure! Come with us!” Fluttershy giggled, waving her hoof for Rainbow Dash. “Before we keep going though, what should we name our team?” asked the yellow Pegasus. “What about the High Flyers?! We’re all Pegasi, and we’ll be flying above the rest in the standings once we get playing!” Rainbow Dash offered confidently. “Yeah! Great name!” Bulk Biceps responded with his characteristic bellowing voice. “Woohoo! That’s a great name Rainbow Dash! The High Flyers it is!” Fluttershy cheered as the three pegasi trotted back to her humble abode for their fitness routines. Chapter 2 - Getting more Recruits!Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. Bulk Biceps. The trio were a strong group of pegasi ready to do battle for hoofball glory. Rainbow Dash represented the element of speed, agility, and guts. The three pegasi agreed that Rainbow Dash would start as the team’s primary strike force, her abilities to sneak past the defenders unmatched by any pony in Equestria, let alone Ponyville! Bulk Biceps represented the element of strength, possessing the ability to snuff out any attacks the enemy would attempt at their territory. Finally, Fluttershy. While meek and mild at first sight, her experience at protecting her critters from flying projectiles made her the perfect goalkeeper, a brick wall and the last line of defense for the fortress of the High Flyers. The three pegasi hovered eastward through the town and towards Fluttershy’s animal abode. With Rainbow Dash on their team, it was expected that Rainbow Dash would have dominated the conversation with hopes and ambitions for Equestrial glory. But the topic of discussion for the three ponies was not their chances of winning the Ponyville Hoofball League. “Well it’s great to hear that you’re joining our team Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy squeaked and clapped. “I considered joining the Cloudsdale Rebels, but since I’m living in Ponyville now, I could only join a team taking part in the Ponyville League,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I heard that Gilda joined the Rebels since the organizers allowed one non-pony in each Equestrian team. I wanted to catch up with her after we made up in Griffonstone,” Rainbow Dash grinned. Even now, she couldn’t believe that she and Gilda were rebuilding a broken friendship after she and Pinkie Pie were called to Griffonstone. “Oh, I thought you and Gilda didn’t want to see each other again on account of me and Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves. Rainbow Dash gently patted her back, the three ponies still hovering towards Fluttershy’s house. “Gilda was a jerk then Fluttershy. But things changed since Pinkie Pie and I visited Griffonstone. Maybe I can face Gilda and her rebels if they play well enough in Cloudsdale!” reminisced Rainbow Dash. “Well that would be pretty neat! But I think we should focus on winning in Ponyville first before we think about the Champions League,” murmured the yellow Pegasus. “Yeah!!!” Bulk Biceps shouted and pumped his fist! “Yeah, yeah, we’ll get this league thingy down pat!” dismissed the confident Rainbow Dash. “Well, we still need to decide on two more players to join us!” Fluttershy giggled. Rainbow Dash’s confidence was amusing for Fluttershy to see. “Right! Anyway, have we decided on the two ponies who’ll fill our roster? I think we should get Thunderlane and Scootaloo to join us!” Rainbow Dash opined. She could have chosen Flitter or any other Pegasus, but she really wanted this to be a chance to form a sister-like bond with the orange filly. Bulk Biceps scratched his head and twitched. “Ummm… Thunderlane’s a good choice, but why Scootaloo?” asked the bulky stallion. Fluttershy patted Bulk Bicep’s back with her hoof. “In a way, Scootaloo sees Rainbow Dash as her mentor, somepony to look up to! I actually find it very loyal of you to welcome Scootaloo to our club Rainbow Dash! She can play in the midfield with the big mares like you!” Fluttershy cheered with her mouth turned into a wide smile. “Well duh! Plus, it’s a chance for me to teach her the tricks of the trade! If this doesn’t help her find her cutie mark, I don’t know what will!” Rainbow Dash pumped her fists in the air! “Plus, I’m sure she’s played a lot of hoofball at school! One time, I saw Scootaloo score this wicked bicycle kick goal at school while I was performing my daily flying exercise! She’s got good stuff!” Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof out to her two teammates. “Yes, I’m sure Scootaloo has great skills, don’t you think Bulk?!” Fluttershy asked as she completed a loop-de-loop in the air. “Ummm… yeah!” Bulk Biceps shouted, but held some reservation to her decision. Before the three ponies knew it, they reached the hill that led up into Fluttershy’s home. The hill and its surroundings was serenely quiet as the sun turned a bright orange and began to make way for the rising moon. “Well, we’re here Rainbow Dash! At my basement, there’s a fitness area where Bulk and I regularly exercise! He’s since strengthened his wings and hooves!” exclaimed Fluttershy, doing another loop-de-loop in the air. With that, Bulk Biceps ran up the hill and towards the door, leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy behind at the bottom of the hill. “Well you seem to be really excited about this hoofball business Fluttershy. I was surprised when you expressed so much enthusiasm about hoofball! What’s the deal? It’s impossible for me to get you involved with any sort of sport!” interrogated Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy giggled sheepishly. “Well, with the way Bulk Biceps described it, I thought that being a goalie would be really neat!” said Fluttershy. “Well I’m glad you’re on our team Fluttershy, but I expect you to be the best goalkeeper anypony will ever see in Equestria! Got that?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, punching Fluttershy on her sides. Fluttershy let out a soft “Ouch!” and gently rubbed the place where Rainbow Dash punched. “Ohh sorry about that Fluttershy! I just have really high standards for our team!” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Oh it’s ok,” Fluttershy quivered. It was one thing to see her passionate about competition, but it was another thing to see it overcome her abilities. Hopefully the latter wouldn’t come to pass… It was a long night of exercising for the three ponies, so long that Rainbow Dash couldn’t spend much time to sleep as all because her muscles were aching from the weights Fluttershy made her lift. Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head on her bed, wondering why in Equestria she thought to be so cocky as to lift a weight 50 kg heavier than what Fluttershy was lifting. Rainbow Dash slowly arose from her cloud-shaped bed, rubbing on her back and her front legs. The throbbing pain on her body eased momentarily, but soon returned like a boomerang. The Pegasus groaned as she slipped off her bed. Whispers of warning from a teensy voice boomed on her mind like Pinkie Pie’s party cannon. “Don’t lift such a heavy weight that early Rainbow Dash! You’re not warmed up yet!” The high-pitched voice desperately cautioned. Last night, the brash Pegasus eagerly ignored her warning. But now, Rainbow Dash grunted and winced in pain, cursing the voice. But her train of thought soon sped up, realizing that she still had to invite Scootaloo to her team! She wanted to speed off like she always did anywhere she went, but she couldn’t fly with agility and guts like she used to because of the pain on her body. At least her wings were still flexible enough for gliding to and from her home up on the clouds. “Never again will I make myself lift such a heavy weight when I haven’t warmed up,” Rainbow Dash declared and slowly trotted out of her blue-walled bedroom. “Thank goodness my wings are still intact,” the rainbow Pegasus lightly grinned. Rainbow Dash gently ate her breakfast and glided from her dining room and out her front door. Rainbow Dash hovered through the cloudy sky and towards the town below. As she traversed closer to the ground, she immediately spotted an orange Pegasus trotting through the town by her lonesome self. It was Scootaloo! Rainbow Dash gently glided down in front of Scootaloo. The orange Pegasus, her head hung downwards, felt a whiff of air fly past her on her furs. Scootaloo slowly lifted her eyes from the grey asphalt and up to the pony who glided past her. Scootaloo’s eyes beamed; it was none other than Rainbow Dash, her lifelong idol! “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo frantically jumped to Rainbow Dash’s side and tightly squeezed the mare with her hooves! “Ouch!” Rainbow Dash groaned! Scootaloo jumped away from Rainbow Dash and tumbled to the asphalt! “Oh, sorry Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo chuckled with an embarrassed look on her face. “I’m just really happy to see you as always!” the young filly continued with a warm smile. “It’s great seeing you too Scoots! Just be careful with my back right now; I lifted too many weights last night,” explained Rainbow Dash. Ever since their first camping trip, Rainbow Dash saw Scootaloo more and more like a younger sister. She never had a younger sister she could call her own and train to be as awesome as her! Rainbow Dash wasn’t the type to become affectionate, but towards Scootaloo, that was a different story. “Anyway Scoots, I noticed you weren’t your happy self until I came by. What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked. Rainbow Dash slowly trotted to her side and crouched to her level. She was still fairly new to the business of being an older sister, but one thing she remembered to do was to do anything to not appear superior to whoever she was mentoring. “Well… you see…” Scootaloo mumbled and stuttered. “See what?! Scoots, you can tell me! I’m your friend!” Rainbow Dash awkwardly smiled. Scootaloo shook her head and sighed. “It’s not about you Rainbow Dash! Anyway, hoofball season’s going to start soon. Applebloom’s already making a hoofball team with her family and Pinkie Pie, and Sweetie Belle and Rarity joined up with Button Mash’s family! And I’m all alone, without a team to join!” Scootaloo’s eyes began to release small droplets of tears onto the ground. Rainbow Dash frowned, feeling downtrodden for Scootaloo as the young filly started to sniffle in place. But then, Rainbow Dash quickly remembered why she wanted to talk to Scootaloo in the first place! This was sure to cheer her up! “Scootaloo… you know, I still need a few ponies to join my team! Do you wanna join us?! With us, you’ll be part of the High Flyers, rising to the top as the best team in Ponyville and beyond!” Rainbow Dash offered. She performed a gentle loop-de-loop in the air while Scootaloo oohed and ahhed! Scootaloo’s sniffles immediately turned to cheers of joy as she jumped up and down in place! “Yes I’ll join your team! Thank you so much Rainbow Dash! I can’t believe you’d accept me in your team, especially with how awesome your team is and how small I am!” Scootaloo fluttered his wings and shouted gleefully. She quickly hugged her idol and rushed away. She gave out a quick wave goodbye while Rainbow Dash shouted, “Hey! Our first practice is tomorrow Scoots! Be there or be square!” Rainbow Dash smirked. That wasn’t so bad for a sisterly act. The throbbing pain still resonated on her back and her hooves, but this act of loyalty made her feel much better. All that was left now was to find one more teammate. But who in Ponyville would be available and worthy of such a position?! Interlude - The Ponyville Hoofball League RostersAuthor's Note CHOOSE YOUR TEAM!!! By the way, this will probably be the TV intro for the Ponyville Hoofball League. Interlude - The Ponyville Hoofball League Rosters A few days after Rainbow Dash recruited Scootaloo into her ranks, a piece of paper was struck upon the front doors of Ponyville's Town Hall. The piece of paper read as follows: Here are the list of teams in the inaugural Ponyville Hoofball League (PHL) season. There are a total of 16 games, with a team playing each opponent twice over the course of a single year. Games occur biweekly. Wins are 3 points, draws are 1 point, and losses are 0 points. Top two teams advance to the Equestrian Champions League, and the top team takes home the PHL trophy. • High Flyers SC o Rainbow Dash o Fluttershy o Bulk Biceps o Scootaloo o ???? • Sweet Apples FC o Applejack o Big Mac o Applebloom o Braeburn o Pinkie Pie • Muffins Beaucoup! o Derpy Hooves o Dr. Whooves o Bon Bon o Lyra o Sunshower Raindrops • Elegant Mashers o Rarity o Sweetie Belle o Love Tap o Button Mash o Button’s Bro • Ourtopy City o Party Favour o Sugar Belle o Night Glider o Double Diamond o Another Our Town resident • FC Tiki-Taka o Octavia Melody o Vinyl Scratch o Torch Song o Toe Tapper o Cheese Sandwich • The Showstoppers o The Great and Powerful Trixie o Discord o Tree Hugger o Silver Shill o Maud Pie • FC Pegasi o Thunderlane o Rumble o Flitter o Cloudchaser o Blossomforth Now you all may be wondering why Twilight Sparkle and Spike aren't on a team. They have a very special task ahead of them in this season.
Prologue - The Birth of the Equestrian Champions LeagueHoofball. A sport much loved by Equestrians. A sport that was invented soon after Equestria was founded as a nation. Legend has it that Chancellor Puddinghead found what looked like a large orange. Out of spontaneity, she kicked the orange between two tree stumps, gleefully cheering at the strength of her kick. When she ran back to the orange, she dribbled it with her hooves back to the tree stump, having realized that an entire game could be made out of a single ball and two marker posts a sufficient distance from each other! Nowadays, not many ponies thought to question the origins of such a loved sport in Equestria. Many a time, one could see abandoned street corners and open grassy fields filled with ponies playing hoofball. Hoofball fields in educational and recreational facilities were even set up across Equestria, the teachers and government officials encouraged at what was the easiest way to exercise. After all, a pony only a ball and two posts to play hoofball. Sporting ponies of all shapes and sizes would play together across the fields and alleyways, dreaming the prospect of shooting the hoofball past the opponent’s net with a volley or the famed bicycle kick, regardless of where they played. Such dreams were widespread across Equestria, their hopes of a nationwide hoofball competition growing to fever pitch. At the headquarters of the Equestrian Intranational Hoofball Association, or EIHA, several ponies wearing black and white-striped EIHA hoofball jerseys convened in a large room painted with a mural potraying a panorama view of grassy hoofball fields. There were ten ponies on each field, with colours so diverse that they featured the hues of the rainbow, and then some! There were ponies ready to line up for a shot on goal, ponies clumped together inside the penalty box with a green stallion waving his hoof up by the corner flag, and ponies flailing their hooves about with a Pegasus who had just tucked in a beauty at the low-left corner of the net. Such artistry set the mood for the meeting, as the ponies inside the meeting hall talked in excitement and joy, as if they themselves had scored the winning goal for their team! Among the ponies inside the board room were Red and Yellow Card, twin brothers with gelled brown manes who were raised with the game of hoofball since they were foals. The red stallion and yellow stallion spent much of their time refereeing high school and collegiate hoofball before being called upon to the EIHA board. The two ponies retained their refereeing positions, but were now a part of the organization that handles all hoofball proceedings in Equestria. Now that they made it to the top for their exceptional conduct as referees, Red and Yellow Card and were now free to propose new ideas to advance the game of hoofball. For them, it was their once-in-a-lifetime chance to take hoofball to the competitive level, where ponies would sign up and play hoofball within their towns and then send the best teams to play at the Equestrian stage. It was a chance to make hoofball the official sport of Equestria and an opportunity to spread the game to the rest of the world and promote Equestrian tourism! For this particular meeting, Red and Yellow Card were proposing their plans for Equestria to host what they called the “Equestrian Champions League”, a tournament where the best five-a-side teams travelled from all over Equestria to pit against each other annually in the famed capital Canterlot. “With this tournament my friends and fellows, we can ensure that hoofball gains the national recognition it so deserves!” the yellow stallion exclaimed and pumped his hooves. “Yes brother Yellow! Hoofball is fast becoming a popular sport among school boards and recreational organizers. Now it’s time we encouraged some healthy competition and spirit in Equestria with an event that will bring ponies together from all sectors of life!” Red Card agreed, his eyes beaming at the opportunity they simply could not let slip. The EIHA board members deliberated among themselves. The whispers in the room were a stark contrast to the booming voices Red and Yellow projected to the other board members. The brothers were jittering in place. It was the first time they proposed such an idea to the EIHA board. The two ponies took so much into account in the weeks they planned the idea and prepared the 150-page document, from the proposal to the Princesses to the execution at the municipal scale. They conducted detailed local surveys and reported on the growing passion of some of the ponies to do all sorts of hoofball-related tasks, from manning the scoreboards to setting up stands for each of the games. The board members continued to chatter among themselves, some speaking brashly and others merely nodding their heads in agreement. The two ponies tried their best to hide their nervousness, but their hooves continued to shake about without their consent. Thankfully, the board members were focused on their document and the proposal and not on the brothers’ jitters. After what felt like an eternity for the brothers, the other board members nodded and turned their heads to Red and Yellow Card. The two brothers were left with eyes wide open and a gasp, for the board members turned their heads to them not with derision, but with a pleased smile on their faces. “Red and Yellow Card. We are at a time where hoofball can finally develop into Equestria’s national sport. It’s a sport that unites pegasi, unicorns, and Earth ponies in the same playing field. We have the Wonderbolts who can soar to the skies and unicorns who can play games with their magic, but nothing for Earth ponies. We at EIHA believe that hoofball is that sport,” one of the board members explained with a grin. “What you have proposed here is something that all ponies can enjoy. It’s an inclusive sport that I’m sure the royal princesses will approve of for competition. Everything has been well-thought out and well planned. In short, we are delighted at this proposal from you both. We’re putting you both in charge of preparing the referees for the games. As for us, we’ll be sure to have an audience with Princess Celestia and the mayors of every town who will participate,” The board member continued with an assuring voice. The brothers quickly bopped their heads up and down and nudged each other’s sides. “This is wonderful news sir! We have already listed eight cities who wish to participate: Ponyville, Manehattan, Canterlot, Crystal Empire, Fillydelphia, Cloudsdale, Baltimare, and Our Town. I know the last city has an unusual name, but they were recently rescued from evil and have strove to make their own league to celebrate the occasion!” Yellow Card beamed. The board members nodded in turn. “Alright, then I think everything is settled. Once we train the referees, they can teach the basic rules of the official sport and then start setting up stands for ponies to watch each other play!” Another board member spoke out. The other members nodded with Red and Yellow Card. “Wonderful! We’ll have an audience with Princess Celestia in the coming days. In the meantime, you and Red Card can start announcing the wonderful news and getting the word out to Equestria! The interest is clearly there based on your survey, so I don’t think you’ll have a hard time with it!” The board members agreed. Yellow and Red Card bowed their heads down in thanks and trotted out of the room. Once the board room doors were closed, the two ponies gave each other high fives. “Yes! We actually got them to come along with our plan! Once the princess approves of this unifying competition, we can start advertising for positions!” Yellow Card exclaimed. “Yeah Yellow! We can start hiring referees, announcers, and even get ponies to sponsor the event! Just imagine the possibilities! We’ll be famous! And hoofball will become a national sport!” Red Card rapidly clapped. The two ponies laughed together as they trotted down the long hallway to the elevator. The birth of hoofball as a national sport was imminent.
Chapter 1 - Apples and RainbowsIt was a bright spring day in Ponyville, a month after the board members at EIHA headquarters in Canterlot accepted Red and Yellow Card’s proposals for a nationwide hoofball tournament. In Ponyville, the one item that struck ponies’ minds for conversation was the local Hoofball League that was set to begin in a month’s time. Ponies all around were talking about what they wanted to do to participate in the league. There were calls for setting up a team, refereeing the games, commentating the games through radio, and even ponies calling for sponsorships from local businesses! There was so much to think and talk about regarding the Ponyville Hoofball League that word spread quickly from one house to the next! Talk of hoofball soon reached Applejack and her family at Sweet Apple Acres, who were enjoying a delicious apple pie dinner. “Well, what do you know? There’s this new sport called hoofball that everypony’s been talking about,” Applejack remarked and took her first bite her apple pie slice. “It ain’t a new sport Applejack!” Applebloom teased. “I play hoofball during most recesses with my fellow Crusaders and classmates! It’s so much fun!” Applebloom flailed her hooves around the table. “We get to kick this ball around and whack it past the goal! It feels amazing to score when you buck the ball into the net!” continued the excited filly. “Well, this hoofball game of yers sounds fun. I might get myself involved with it sometime,” Applejack replied with a chuckle. “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh complied. “Well there’s a new competition called the Ponyville League or somethin’ like that. Apparently the top two teams in the league get to compete in Canterlot against ponies from all over Equestria! There’s great prizes to be won too!” Applebloom scooted around on her seat. “Well, this ‘ere sport of hoofball reminds me of a game we used to play all the time with our fellow Apples! We were usin’ oranges instead of this ‘ere hoofballs you young’uns have now! And those oranges were as hard as nails!” Granny Smith retorted. “Well we ain’t using oranges now Granny Smith. These balls are much nicer to hit with, and we play with 5 ponies per team! No wings allowed, and no magic either! So it’s basically a game suited for Earth ponies like us!” responded the cheery filly. “Eeyup!” Big Macintosh affirmed. The family then descended into a brief moment of silence before Applebloom asked the question that plagued her mind ever since the dinner began. “Well can we make a team of five then?! We can promote family bondin’ and we can compete against the others in Ponyville and Equestria!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Plus, Ah can try shootin’ fer a cutie mark on hoofball! Just imagine how cool that would look on mah flank! A bona-fide hoofball!” Applebloom jumped up from her seat, trotting circles as if her cutie mark had already appeared! “I like the idea, but we only got three ponies who can play,” Applejack responded. Applebloom scratched her head with her right hoof, while Granny Smith jumped up from her seat and raised her right hoof upwards! “What you talkin’ about having only three ponies who can play?! Ah can play me some hoofball as well if I wanted to! I still have the moves from my olden days!” Granny Smith slowly climbed on top of her wooden chair and extended her bottom hoof out, as if to balance herself on the chair. Applejack and Applebloom looked up in fright as Granny Smith jumped up from her seat and tried to extend a kick with her back hoof. “Granny Smith, get down from that chair! We don’t want you gettin’ ‘urt!” Applejack and Applebloom shouted to their granny. But just as Granny Smith had balanced herself on the chair, her right hindleg wobbled, causing the granny to fall onto the ground with a loud thud! Applejack slapped her face with her right hoof, got up from her seat and helped Granny Smith back up with her hooves. “Granny you all right?!” Applejack asked with fear in her eyes. Granny Smith slowly brushed the dust off her pale green body before she responded with a frown, “Ah’ll be alright Applejack. But mah body ain’t what it used to be… In mah old days, Ahd be able to kick an orange ball between the two trees that served as our goal line!” Applejack nodded back, but then came up with an idea! “Should we form a team, you could be our coach, since it sounds like you know yer hoofball!” Applejack encouraged her granny. She didn’t want Granny Smith to be left out of the action, and she was the perfect choice to be their head coach because of her valuable years of experience. Applebloom in addition was also getting fired up about the prospect of making their own hoofball team. Knowing Applebloom, she couldn’t get her away from something she wanted to do when she was this fired up. “Does that mean we’re gonna have a team Applejack?! Big Mac wants to play along too! Like you said, we already have three ponies in our team! Now we just need two more!” Applebloom hollered, she too now getting up from her seat and trotting to Applejack and Granny Smith! “Eeyup! Ahll be pony number three!” Big Macintosh pumped his right hoof upward from his seat! Applejack chuckled and scratched her chin. “Ah guess we could try to get Pinkie Pie and Braeburn involved. After all, they’re both family to us!” Applejack shrugged. “Ahll see what I can do about gettin’ Pinkie Pie to join us, and Granny Smith, you can check up on Braeburn! See if he wants to play with us in Ponyville this season!” Applejack continued with a determined smile now. ‘Yeehaw! Cutie Mark Hoofballer go!” Applebloom cheered! “Ah can’t wait to tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo the great news!” Applebloom jumped around again, eager to form the team as soon as possible! “Eeyup! Ah can be the defender buckin’ the balls out of our territory and up to the forwards!” Big Mac hooted and hollered! “And Ah got lots o’ trainin’ exercises Ah can show y’all so we can be the best Equestria’s got to offer!” Granny Smith slapped her right hoof onto her left hoof, ready for battle. Meanwhile, Applejack quickly realized that their apple pie remained largely uneaten because of the hoofball season! “Hey, we gotta be eatin’ this ‘ere apple pie, or we’ll really get hoofball fever!” Applejack chuckled. The rest of the family laughed along as well as they all sat back down to indulge on their delicious, crusty apple pie. As the ponies enjoyed their apple pie, Applebloom brought up one other question about hoofball to the rest of her family: “Hey… we never named our team! What should we name ourselves?!” Applebloom and the rest of her family scratched their chins, contemplating on a catchy name for their team… But Applejack already came up with a team name, “Well, why don’t we name our team the Sweet Apples? We’re apples forever, and sweet together!” Applejack chuckled. The other family members smiled and nodded warmly to her suggestion. “That’s a great team name Applejack! This is so excitin’! Ah can’t wait to get our team set up!” Applebloom munched on another apple slice with a loud gulp. “We sure are! We’ll be the sweetest and the winningest Apples in Equestria!” Granny Smith slammed the wooden table with her left hoof with fire in her belly. “Eeyup!” Big Macintosh enthusiastically added. The Sweet Apples were in business. Up above the clouds, a light blue Pegasus was just finishing off her last weather duty for the day. The weather ponies had called for some clouds into Ponyville, expecting a slight chance of rain through the evening. Rainbow Dash has just shoved in the last of the clouds with the rest of the pegasi. Having completed her work, Rainbow Dash flied back to the ground to see two pegasi trotting together as the day turned into dusk. Rainbow Dash trotted to the two ponies, who were startled by her blitz to the ground from above. “Oh hey Fluttershy! Hey Bulk Biceps!” Rainbow Dash waved her hooves to both of the pegasi. “Hey Rainbow Dash! Bulk Biceps and I were just going to trot to my home and practice some weights together!” Fluttershy meekly greeted the rainbow-maned Pegasus. “Yeah!!!” shouted the bulky Pegasus enthusiastically, pumping his hooves upwards! “We were also planning to start working out for the Ponyville Hoofball League! Bulk Biceps encouraged me to learn how to be a goalkeeper. I don’t have to move around too much, and he said that being a goalkeeper’s like trying to protect my critters from any flying objects thrown at them!” Fluttershy giggled cheerily. “Yeah!!!” Bulk Biceps shouted out again. Rainbow Dash shook her head in place. “I heard about the hoofball league that’s coming up. I don’t have a team to join since most ponies here aren’t that competitive,” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Well why don’t you join us then? You can help us be competitive, and we only have two players so far! We can find two more really good players so we can have a team of five!” Fluttershy squeed. “Yeah!!!” The bulky white Pegasus shouted again. Rainbow Dash scratched her head momentarily. She didn’t have much choice at the moment. Perhaps Fluttershy could be a good goalkeeper. Perhaps they would find two really good hoofball players to become the best representative for Ponyville. Perhaps she could be the heroine who pushes her team through for the victories! Oh how much Rainbow Dash relished that possibility! “You know what?! Sure! I don’t have any team I can join, and you guys seem the closest to a real team I’ve found!” Rainbow Dash chuckled with a confident pose. “Plus, I can get us pumped up for the game and teach you guys some new tricks along the way! Before you know it, we’ll be the best Equestria’s got!” Rainbow Dash pumped her fists upward in excitement. It was time to get back in the spirit of competition! “Yeah!” Bulk Biceps clapped aloud. “We now have the fastest athlete in Equestria! This is so wonderful! Before you know it, we’ll have a team ready to play!” Fluttershy giggled in delight. “So do you guys mind if I joined you for your exercises?” Rainbow Dash offered with a smile. “Sure! Come with us!” Fluttershy giggled, waving her hoof for Rainbow Dash. “Before we keep going though, what should we name our team?” asked the yellow Pegasus. “What about the High Flyers?! We’re all Pegasi, and we’ll be flying above the rest in the standings once we get playing!” Rainbow Dash offered confidently. “Yeah! Great name!” Bulk Biceps responded with his characteristic bellowing voice. “Woohoo! That’s a great name Rainbow Dash! The High Flyers it is!” Fluttershy cheered as the three pegasi trotted back to her humble abode for their fitness routines.
Chapter 2 - Getting more Recruits!Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. Bulk Biceps. The trio were a strong group of pegasi ready to do battle for hoofball glory. Rainbow Dash represented the element of speed, agility, and guts. The three pegasi agreed that Rainbow Dash would start as the team’s primary strike force, her abilities to sneak past the defenders unmatched by any pony in Equestria, let alone Ponyville! Bulk Biceps represented the element of strength, possessing the ability to snuff out any attacks the enemy would attempt at their territory. Finally, Fluttershy. While meek and mild at first sight, her experience at protecting her critters from flying projectiles made her the perfect goalkeeper, a brick wall and the last line of defense for the fortress of the High Flyers. The three pegasi hovered eastward through the town and towards Fluttershy’s animal abode. With Rainbow Dash on their team, it was expected that Rainbow Dash would have dominated the conversation with hopes and ambitions for Equestrial glory. But the topic of discussion for the three ponies was not their chances of winning the Ponyville Hoofball League. “Well it’s great to hear that you’re joining our team Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy squeaked and clapped. “I considered joining the Cloudsdale Rebels, but since I’m living in Ponyville now, I could only join a team taking part in the Ponyville League,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I heard that Gilda joined the Rebels since the organizers allowed one non-pony in each Equestrian team. I wanted to catch up with her after we made up in Griffonstone,” Rainbow Dash grinned. Even now, she couldn’t believe that she and Gilda were rebuilding a broken friendship after she and Pinkie Pie were called to Griffonstone. “Oh, I thought you and Gilda didn’t want to see each other again on account of me and Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves. Rainbow Dash gently patted her back, the three ponies still hovering towards Fluttershy’s house. “Gilda was a jerk then Fluttershy. But things changed since Pinkie Pie and I visited Griffonstone. Maybe I can face Gilda and her rebels if they play well enough in Cloudsdale!” reminisced Rainbow Dash. “Well that would be pretty neat! But I think we should focus on winning in Ponyville first before we think about the Champions League,” murmured the yellow Pegasus. “Yeah!!!” Bulk Biceps shouted and pumped his fist! “Yeah, yeah, we’ll get this league thingy down pat!” dismissed the confident Rainbow Dash. “Well, we still need to decide on two more players to join us!” Fluttershy giggled. Rainbow Dash’s confidence was amusing for Fluttershy to see. “Right! Anyway, have we decided on the two ponies who’ll fill our roster? I think we should get Thunderlane and Scootaloo to join us!” Rainbow Dash opined. She could have chosen Flitter or any other Pegasus, but she really wanted this to be a chance to form a sister-like bond with the orange filly. Bulk Biceps scratched his head and twitched. “Ummm… Thunderlane’s a good choice, but why Scootaloo?” asked the bulky stallion. Fluttershy patted Bulk Bicep’s back with her hoof. “In a way, Scootaloo sees Rainbow Dash as her mentor, somepony to look up to! I actually find it very loyal of you to welcome Scootaloo to our club Rainbow Dash! She can play in the midfield with the big mares like you!” Fluttershy cheered with her mouth turned into a wide smile. “Well duh! Plus, it’s a chance for me to teach her the tricks of the trade! If this doesn’t help her find her cutie mark, I don’t know what will!” Rainbow Dash pumped her fists in the air! “Plus, I’m sure she’s played a lot of hoofball at school! One time, I saw Scootaloo score this wicked bicycle kick goal at school while I was performing my daily flying exercise! She’s got good stuff!” Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof out to her two teammates. “Yes, I’m sure Scootaloo has great skills, don’t you think Bulk?!” Fluttershy asked as she completed a loop-de-loop in the air. “Ummm… yeah!” Bulk Biceps shouted, but held some reservation to her decision. Before the three ponies knew it, they reached the hill that led up into Fluttershy’s home. The hill and its surroundings was serenely quiet as the sun turned a bright orange and began to make way for the rising moon. “Well, we’re here Rainbow Dash! At my basement, there’s a fitness area where Bulk and I regularly exercise! He’s since strengthened his wings and hooves!” exclaimed Fluttershy, doing another loop-de-loop in the air. With that, Bulk Biceps ran up the hill and towards the door, leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy behind at the bottom of the hill. “Well you seem to be really excited about this hoofball business Fluttershy. I was surprised when you expressed so much enthusiasm about hoofball! What’s the deal? It’s impossible for me to get you involved with any sort of sport!” interrogated Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy giggled sheepishly. “Well, with the way Bulk Biceps described it, I thought that being a goalie would be really neat!” said Fluttershy. “Well I’m glad you’re on our team Fluttershy, but I expect you to be the best goalkeeper anypony will ever see in Equestria! Got that?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, punching Fluttershy on her sides. Fluttershy let out a soft “Ouch!” and gently rubbed the place where Rainbow Dash punched. “Ohh sorry about that Fluttershy! I just have really high standards for our team!” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Oh it’s ok,” Fluttershy quivered. It was one thing to see her passionate about competition, but it was another thing to see it overcome her abilities. Hopefully the latter wouldn’t come to pass… It was a long night of exercising for the three ponies, so long that Rainbow Dash couldn’t spend much time to sleep as all because her muscles were aching from the weights Fluttershy made her lift. Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head on her bed, wondering why in Equestria she thought to be so cocky as to lift a weight 50 kg heavier than what Fluttershy was lifting. Rainbow Dash slowly arose from her cloud-shaped bed, rubbing on her back and her front legs. The throbbing pain on her body eased momentarily, but soon returned like a boomerang. The Pegasus groaned as she slipped off her bed. Whispers of warning from a teensy voice boomed on her mind like Pinkie Pie’s party cannon. “Don’t lift such a heavy weight that early Rainbow Dash! You’re not warmed up yet!” The high-pitched voice desperately cautioned. Last night, the brash Pegasus eagerly ignored her warning. But now, Rainbow Dash grunted and winced in pain, cursing the voice. But her train of thought soon sped up, realizing that she still had to invite Scootaloo to her team! She wanted to speed off like she always did anywhere she went, but she couldn’t fly with agility and guts like she used to because of the pain on her body. At least her wings were still flexible enough for gliding to and from her home up on the clouds. “Never again will I make myself lift such a heavy weight when I haven’t warmed up,” Rainbow Dash declared and slowly trotted out of her blue-walled bedroom. “Thank goodness my wings are still intact,” the rainbow Pegasus lightly grinned. Rainbow Dash gently ate her breakfast and glided from her dining room and out her front door. Rainbow Dash hovered through the cloudy sky and towards the town below. As she traversed closer to the ground, she immediately spotted an orange Pegasus trotting through the town by her lonesome self. It was Scootaloo! Rainbow Dash gently glided down in front of Scootaloo. The orange Pegasus, her head hung downwards, felt a whiff of air fly past her on her furs. Scootaloo slowly lifted her eyes from the grey asphalt and up to the pony who glided past her. Scootaloo’s eyes beamed; it was none other than Rainbow Dash, her lifelong idol! “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo frantically jumped to Rainbow Dash’s side and tightly squeezed the mare with her hooves! “Ouch!” Rainbow Dash groaned! Scootaloo jumped away from Rainbow Dash and tumbled to the asphalt! “Oh, sorry Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo chuckled with an embarrassed look on her face. “I’m just really happy to see you as always!” the young filly continued with a warm smile. “It’s great seeing you too Scoots! Just be careful with my back right now; I lifted too many weights last night,” explained Rainbow Dash. Ever since their first camping trip, Rainbow Dash saw Scootaloo more and more like a younger sister. She never had a younger sister she could call her own and train to be as awesome as her! Rainbow Dash wasn’t the type to become affectionate, but towards Scootaloo, that was a different story. “Anyway Scoots, I noticed you weren’t your happy self until I came by. What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked. Rainbow Dash slowly trotted to her side and crouched to her level. She was still fairly new to the business of being an older sister, but one thing she remembered to do was to do anything to not appear superior to whoever she was mentoring. “Well… you see…” Scootaloo mumbled and stuttered. “See what?! Scoots, you can tell me! I’m your friend!” Rainbow Dash awkwardly smiled. Scootaloo shook her head and sighed. “It’s not about you Rainbow Dash! Anyway, hoofball season’s going to start soon. Applebloom’s already making a hoofball team with her family and Pinkie Pie, and Sweetie Belle and Rarity joined up with Button Mash’s family! And I’m all alone, without a team to join!” Scootaloo’s eyes began to release small droplets of tears onto the ground. Rainbow Dash frowned, feeling downtrodden for Scootaloo as the young filly started to sniffle in place. But then, Rainbow Dash quickly remembered why she wanted to talk to Scootaloo in the first place! This was sure to cheer her up! “Scootaloo… you know, I still need a few ponies to join my team! Do you wanna join us?! With us, you’ll be part of the High Flyers, rising to the top as the best team in Ponyville and beyond!” Rainbow Dash offered. She performed a gentle loop-de-loop in the air while Scootaloo oohed and ahhed! Scootaloo’s sniffles immediately turned to cheers of joy as she jumped up and down in place! “Yes I’ll join your team! Thank you so much Rainbow Dash! I can’t believe you’d accept me in your team, especially with how awesome your team is and how small I am!” Scootaloo fluttered his wings and shouted gleefully. She quickly hugged her idol and rushed away. She gave out a quick wave goodbye while Rainbow Dash shouted, “Hey! Our first practice is tomorrow Scoots! Be there or be square!” Rainbow Dash smirked. That wasn’t so bad for a sisterly act. The throbbing pain still resonated on her back and her hooves, but this act of loyalty made her feel much better. All that was left now was to find one more teammate. But who in Ponyville would be available and worthy of such a position?!
Interlude - The Ponyville Hoofball League RostersAuthor's Note CHOOSE YOUR TEAM!!! By the way, this will probably be the TV intro for the Ponyville Hoofball League. Interlude - The Ponyville Hoofball League Rosters A few days after Rainbow Dash recruited Scootaloo into her ranks, a piece of paper was struck upon the front doors of Ponyville's Town Hall. The piece of paper read as follows: Here are the list of teams in the inaugural Ponyville Hoofball League (PHL) season. There are a total of 16 games, with a team playing each opponent twice over the course of a single year. Games occur biweekly. Wins are 3 points, draws are 1 point, and losses are 0 points. Top two teams advance to the Equestrian Champions League, and the top team takes home the PHL trophy. • High Flyers SC o Rainbow Dash o Fluttershy o Bulk Biceps o Scootaloo o ???? • Sweet Apples FC o Applejack o Big Mac o Applebloom o Braeburn o Pinkie Pie • Muffins Beaucoup! o Derpy Hooves o Dr. Whooves o Bon Bon o Lyra o Sunshower Raindrops • Elegant Mashers o Rarity o Sweetie Belle o Love Tap o Button Mash o Button’s Bro • Ourtopy City o Party Favour o Sugar Belle o Night Glider o Double Diamond o Another Our Town resident • FC Tiki-Taka o Octavia Melody o Vinyl Scratch o Torch Song o Toe Tapper o Cheese Sandwich • The Showstoppers o The Great and Powerful Trixie o Discord o Tree Hugger o Silver Shill o Maud Pie • FC Pegasi o Thunderlane o Rumble o Flitter o Cloudchaser o Blossomforth Now you all may be wondering why Twilight Sparkle and Spike aren't on a team. They have a very special task ahead of them in this season.
