My Little Pony: Will Of Fire

The Fire Element Alicorn

Chapter 20

Play Ball

Flareon had always wanted to be on a baseball team back when he was a human. Unfortunately, Flareon was never able to make the baseball team in high school. He tried out every year and never made the cut. Flareon had always dreamed of being the guy who hit a homerun and won the game for this team. Luckily for him, he would soon get that chance. It was a normal, sunny morning in Ponyville. Flareon was near his house holding a bat, while he was using his magic to float a ball in front of him. He soon starts talking like an announcer at a baseball game. "It's the bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, with two strikes and two outs. The road team is up 6-3. All the pressure is on the captain Flareon. The pitcher winds up for the pitch and throws the ball," Flareon then throws the ball at himself, "He swings and...it's gone! I can't believe it...it's a grand slam! The home teams wins 7-6...it's a miracle!" As Flareon hit the ball high into the air, he pretends to run around the bases, and soon crosses home plate. Unfortunately, the ball he hit was heading right for Rainbow Dash, who happened to be flying right into the ball's path. After the ball hit her in the face, she soon lost control and began to fly directly towards Flareon, who was still pretending to celebrate winning a baseball game. Eventually, she crashed right into Flareon, knocking him over. After she recovered from the crash, Rainbow Dash looked around and noticed there was a wooden stick and a ball near him. "What's the big idea Flareon?" Rainbow Dash said as she figured out that he was the one who hit her with the ball, "Why did you hit me in the face with that ball? Wait...what are you doing anyway?" After he got up, Flareon replied, "I was just playing baseball by myself." When he looked at Rainbow Dash, she was completely dumbfounded. "Come on...you know? The great American pastime? The sport that built America? Take me out to the ballgame?" Even though she still had no idea what he was talking about, Rainbow Dash became interesting in learning how to play. Suddenly, Flareon remembered the promise he made to Twilight a couple of weeks ago about teaching her how to play baseball. "Hey Rainbow Dash listen...I had promised Twilight I would teach her how to play baseball. Since you want to learn in to, I came up with an idea. Get our friends and everyone you know and tell them to meet me at the Ponyville Schoolhouse at 2pm after school ends." As Rainbow Dash left to tell everyone, Flareon went inside his house to tell Twilight the good news.

Later on, everyone was eventually able to meet up inside the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Flareon picked up some chalk and wrote on the chalkboard 'Baseball 101'. After he turned around, Flareon was still surprised on how many ponies Rainbow Dash was able to find that wanted to learn how to play baseball. Along with Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and their friends, Cheerilee, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadance, and some other ponies also had come. "Alright...listen up everyone," Flareon said, "I'm here to teach you what baseball is and how to play it. There is a lot of stuff I'm going to go over today, so if you have a question, do not hesitate to ask." Flareon began to tell them the basics of baseball such as line-ups, the positions, pitchers, innings, strikes, balls and outs. He then got started on teaching everyone simple baseball terms such as types of pitches, single, doubles, triple, and home runs. After the basic terms, Flareon started to teach them advanced terms such as double plays, triple plays, infield fly rule, balks, and inside-the-park home runs. It actually took longer than he thought to explain everything, because when Flareon looked at the clock, it was already 10pm. Even though they wanted to learn more, he decided to call it a day. "Ok everyone, remember...we'll meet up in the open field near the school at 2pm. Get some rest because tomorrow is going I'm going to put you guys through the ringer." As everyone began to leave, Flareon could hear them talking about how excited they were to learning how to play baseball. Soon after, he and Twilight went back home for the night.

The next day, everyone arrived at the open field right on time. They noticed that had the field had four white bases in a diamond shape on it. After Flareon opened two bags on the ground, he took out baseball glows, balls, and bats. "Ok everyone...I got the equipment ready, "Flareon said. Soon after, Flareon picked up one of the gloves and began to explain the changes he made on them. "Now since no one here has hands or fingers, I had to modify the gloves to have a band on them that will fit around your waist. To throw the baseball, you're going to have to swing your hips in the direction you want to throw the ball. This is how you will catch the ball too. I know it may be hard at first, but please bear with me. Also, to swing the bat, you're going to need to stand on your hind legs." Right away everyone started to give him baffled looks. "Other than that...there is no way you're going to be able to swing the bat. To help you, I've put bands near the bottom of the bats for your hoof to go through so that it will be easier for you to hold onto the bats. Soon after, Flareon smiled and said, "Now...get's get started!" After they split into teams, one team would practice batting, while the other team would practicing throwing and catching the ball. Right away, Rainbow Dash quickly got the hang of catching as she caught every ball Flareon sent her way. "This is so awesome!" she said as Rainbow Dash tossed the ball back to him. While there were some ponies learning quickly, there were also some that were struggling, but Flareon did not give up, and tried his best to help them.

After a long, hard day of nonstop practice, Flareon finally decided they were ready to play a real game against each other. "Everyone, you have done an amazing job today. I'm surprised on how fast you guys learned how to play baseball. I was actually expecting this to be a three-day thing, but you managed to get it perfected in just one day. I'm proud to say...we are ready to play an actual game!" Soon after, everyone began to cheer. "Now...we first need to split into two teams and decide on the team captains. Of course, I will be captain of my team, so who wants to be the captain of the other team?" Right away, Rainbow Dash raised his hoof high in the air while screaming "Me...pick me!" After he agreed to let Rainbow Dash be the captain of the other team, Flareon and Rainbow Dash then decided on who would be on their team. Flareon chose Twilight, Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Luna, Shining Armor, and 3 others. Rainbow Dash chose Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Celestia, Cadance, and 3 others. "Ok, so we got the teams ready...now for the team names. My team will be called the Phoenix Flames, " Flareon said as he looked at his teammates, "Everyone ok with that?" As they nodded their heads in agreement, Rainbow Dash said, "My team will be called the Rainbow Flyers." Flareon then replied, "Ok...so we got the teams and team names set, now all that's left is the actual game." He then looked at everyone and said, "I'm going to get some construction ponies to build a baseball field and put up some bleachers for us. Since it shouldn't take them too long, I think we should be able to have the game tomorrow. How about we agree on the game being at 6pm?" After everyone agreed on the time of the game, Flareon decided to call it a day. After everyone left, Flareon went to the construction yard to ask them to put together a baseball field near the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Soon after, he decided to find some announcers to call the game so that ponies everywhere could hear the game on the radio.

As fast the next day came, ponies from Ponyville, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, and even Fillydelphia, arrived at the new constructed ballpark called 'Friendship Field'. As 6pm finally arrived, everyone was very excited for Equestria's first ever baseball game. In a radio booth that was high above the stands looking out onto the field, two earth ponies were preparing to start announcing the game. "Hello and welcome to the first ever baseball game in Equestria. We are at Friendship Field in Ponyville and it's almost time to get the game underway this evening. My name is Bob and my partner beside me is Bill, and we will be the announcers covering the baseball game today featuring the Phoenix Flames and the Rainbow Flyers. How excited are you this history making game Bill?" "Well Bob," Bill replied, "I'm almost dying with anticipation. We are talking about the very first baseball game ever played and not to mention the chosen one is also competing in this game. Without him, this game would have probably never happened." Suddenly, both teams began to take the field. Bill then said, "It looks like we are about ready to start the game as the Rainbow Flyers take the field. It seems that they will be playing as the home team. Here how the captain Rainbow Dash put her team together. Rainbow Dash in the center field, our Princess Celestia will be in the right field, Pinkie Pie as the shortstop, Rarity at 2nd base, Applejack as the catcher, Kelly will be at 1st base, David at 3rd base, and Lilly in left field. The pitcher for the Rainbow Flyers will be Cadance. A job well done if I do say so myself. What's your take on this Bob?" "Overall...I would say she did a very nice job with the positions. This is defiantly going to be a challenge for the Phoenix Flames," Bill replied. "Speaking about the Phoenix Flames, here is their line-up presented by their team captain, the chosen one Flareon. The leadoff batter for the Phoenix Flames will be the teacher of the Ponyville School Cheerilee, followed by Megan, Flareon, Shining Armor, Mike, Princess Luna, Fluttershy, and Tyler. This line-up will defiantly be a tough challenge for the Rainbow Flyer's pitcher Cadance," said Bob. "You've got that right," Bill replied, "Cheerilee is a very speedy and reliable leadoff batter, but the biggest threat is that power in the middle of the line-up. That one-two combo of the chosen one Flareon and the captain of the royal guards Shining Armor is very dangerous indeed. You do not want the bases loaded with these two powerhouses coming up to bat next." After Bob and Bill were done announcing the teams, everyone began cheering as the umpires signaled the start of the game.

The top of the 1st inning went smoothly as the only hit Cadance gave was a leadoff single to Cheerilee. As the teams began to switch side, Bill said, "Well, no trouble for the Rainbow Flyers for the 1st inning as Cadance only needed 7 pitches to end the side. Next up...here is the field positions for the Phoenix Flames. The captain Flareon will be at 1st base, Shining Armor as the catcher, Princess Luna in left field, Cheerilee at 3rd base, Fluttershy in right field, Megan in center field, Mike at 2nd base, and Tyler at shortstop. Flareon's wife, Twilight Sparkle, will be the pitcher for the Phoenix Flames. Just as expected from Flareon, this team is very well put together." Bob replied, "I agree Bill, there are no glaring weakness I can see in this team. It will be very interesting to see how the Rainbow Flyers do against Twilight Sparkle. There isn't anyone around that has such a fine control of magic as she does. I wouldn't be surprised if Twilight could pitch a complete game shutout." "Speaking of the Rainbow Flyers, here is their starting line-up, presented by their team captain Rainbow Dash. She will be the leadoff batter, followed by David, Applejack, Princess Celestia, Rarity, Kelly, Pinkie Pie, and Lilly. A very dangerous line-up indeed," Bill said. "Most defiantly Bill, especially with Rainbow Dash as the leadoff batter. She could easily turn a single into a double very quickly. I also like David, Applejack, and Celestia as the power hitters. They nearly rival the combo of Flareon and Shining Armor," Bob replied. Soon after, everyone began to cheer loudly after Twilight was able to strike out Rainbow Dash. The rest of the bottom 1st inning featured Twilight striking out both Rainbow Dash and Applejack, while David grounded out to Cheerilee. Bill then said, "That's it for the 1st inning of tonight's ballgame as the Phoenix Flames and Rainbow Flyers are tied 0-0." The ponies in the bleachers once again cheered as the 1st inning of the first ever baseball game came to an end, but it was just the beginning as there were eight more innings of baseball left.

The 2nd and 3rd inning both went by without any problems as both Twilight and Cadance seemed untouchable. It wasn't until the top of the 4th inning where Shining Armor hit a 2-run home run off a misplaced slider by Cadance after Flareon had hit a 1-out double. Thanks to Flareon and Shining Armor, they helped their team scored the first two runs of the game giving the Phoenix Flames an early 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, in the bottom of the 5th inning, Applejack and Princess Celestia both scored on a 2-out triple hit by Rainbow Dash which tied the game at 2-2. Throughout innings 6-7, both Twilight and Cadance struck out 5 batters. Luna almost had a triple, until she was tagged-out by David at 3rd in the top of the 7th inning, while Rarity hit into a double play after she grounded out to Tyler at shortstop at the bottom of the 7th inning. Everything seemed to going great for both teams, that is until, Rainbow Dash hit a 3-run home run off Twilight after she gave up two straight singles to Pinkie Pie and Lilly in the bottom of the 8th inning with 1 out. "Going...going and...gone! Rainbow Dash with a 3-run home run giving the Rainbow Flyers a 5-2 here in the bottom of the 8th inning," Bob said. "That has to hurt badly if you're the Phoenix Flames. Twilight had been pitching great up until this point. It looks like they will have the 9th inning to get the lead back or its game over," Bill replied. After Twilight managed to get the last 2 outs finally ending a terrible 8th inning for the Phoenix Flames, she walked slowly back to her team's side with her head down. As she sat down on the floor, he went over to comfort her. "Hey Twilight...it's ok," Flareon said as he rubbed her back, "We still have one more inning left. It's not over yet!" As Twilight lifted her head, she looked at him and said, "Thanks Flareon...I feel better now." As the 9th inning began to get underway, it was now or never for Flareon and the Phoenix Flames.

As the Rainbow Flyers took the field, Bob said, "We are just about set to start the 9th inning here tonight. The Rainbow Flyers lead 5-2 and only need three more outs to win the game. It looks like Cadance will be facing up against Luna, Fluttershy, and Tyler." As the top of the 9th inning started, Cadance quickly got into trouble as Princess Luna, Fluttershy, and Tyler all hit singles. It was now bases loaded with 0 outs. "Would you look at that...Cadance has given up three straight singles and now the Phoenix Flames are threating with bases loaded and no outs. Will Cadance be able to get out of this mess? We will soon find out!" Bill exclaimed. "Come on Cadance!" Rainbow Dash yelled from her team's side, "You can do it!" As Cadance took a deep breath, she stared seriously at home plate. She knew it was all up to her now to end this game. Soon after, Cadance was able to strike out Cheerilee and got Megan to hit a fly ball right to Rainbow Dash in center field. It was now bases loaded with 2 outs. "Just after getting herself into trouble, Cadance has now regained control after getting two straight outs. It is now bases loaded with 2 outs and the captain of the Phoenix Flames Flareon is next up to bat. If Cadance can get him out, the Rainbow Flyers will win the game!" Bob said. After a strike and a foul ball, Flareon had quickly dug himself into an 0-2 hole. Suddenly, he heard cheering coming from his team's side. When Flareon turned his head, he saw everyone cheering for him. "You can do it Flareon! We believe in you!" Twilight yelled. "Come on man! Don't give up!" Shinning Armor exclaimed. Right away, Flareon felt a huge surge of confidence. He then looked directly at Cadance and held the bat firmly in his hooves. Soon after, Cadance threw a slicing curveball. Flareon swung at the ball with all his might. Everyone in the crowd, including his team, stood up as the ball flew high into the air. Unfortunately for Cadance, Rainbow Dash, and the Rainbow Flyers, they could only watch as the ball flew over the fence.

Flareon had done it...he had hit a monstrous grand slam and was able to give his team the lead. As Flareon rounded the bases, he wasn't able to hear anything, not even the loud cheer from the crowd, except for the sound of his hooves hitting the ground. For what seemed like forever, Flareon finally made it to home base as he was quickly surrounded by his ecstatic teammates. "I can't believe what I just saw Bill. Flareon was able to hit a 2-out grand slam to give the Phoenix Flames a 6-5 lead. That was simply amazing!" Bob said. "You've got that right Bob, that was truly a sight to see. Now all that is left is to see if the Rainbow Flyers can win the game in the bottom of the 9th inning." After Cadance gave up a double to Shinning Armor, she was able to strike out Mike, and finally ended the top-half of the inning. Now it was the bottom of the 9th and the Phoenix Flames were leading 6-5. If Twilight was able to get three outs, her team would win the game. "Next up for the Rainbow Flyers is Princess Celestia, Rarity, and Kelly. Let's see if Twilight can end this inning and give her team the win!" Bob said. Soon after, Twilight was able to strike out Celestia, Rarity, and Kelly, finally ending the game. As Flareon and the rest of the team went over to congratulate her, the crowd cheered loudly while chanting both Flareon and Twilight's name. "Well that should about do it here tonight. Me and my partner Bill hoped you enjoyed today's game. The Phoenix Flames defeat the Rainbow Flyers 6-5," Bob said. As both teams got together to congratulate each other on a well-played game, Rainbow Dash walked up to him and said, "Hey...great game. You guys played hard and never gave up. Especially you Flareon, that grand slam you hit was awesome! I hope we can have a rematch someday." As she held out her right hoof, Flareon began to shake it. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him say, "Hey Flareon...over here!" As he turned around, a cream pie hit him in the face. As Flareon wiped the cream off his eyes, he saw Twilight and everyone smiling at him. She then said, "Here's to the hero of the game! Flareon!" As everyone began chanting his name, Flareon began to smile. Victory had never tasted so sweet.