Applejack laid on one of the benches in the locker room, groaning in pain from the beating she had taken from the Al Bhed Psyches. The rest of the Aurochs were glad to make it past the first round, but without their captain in the state she's in, there might be no chance for them to win the finals.

"Captain, are you sure you want to keep playing?" Datto asked.

"You look like you can barely move," Jassu said.

Applejack, as stubborn as she was, tried to get up, only to collapse back down on the bench. The locker room door opened, Rainbow Dash entering along with Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike.

"'Sup, guys," Rainbow said. "You guys miss me?"

"Please forgive me, everypony," Fluttershy apologized, bowing her head low.

"Ya'll sure do pick the worst timin'." Applejack managed to sit up, cringing in pain with each movement she made. "Don't let them Al Bhed kidnap ya again. Them ponies are nothin' but trouble." She looked up at Rainbow Dash, panting in exhaustion. "The finals are gonna start soon."

"I'm ready to take on those jerks," Rainbow said with enthusiasm, clapping her forehooves together.

Applejack nodded, slowly standing up and facing Aurochs. "Listen up, ya'll. Ah got an announcement to make. After this game, Ah'm gonna be retirin' from blitzball. So win or lose, Ah'm quittin'." The stallions all mumbled to each other, a little worried about their future matches without her. "Hey, don't be poutin' in front of me! If ya'll are gonna see me off, Ah expect us all to win!"

They quickly changed their attitude, nodding to their captain with a grunt. "Uhh, am I gonna sit out?" Botta asked as they wondered what their lineup was going to be.

"Ah'm gonna warm the bench." Applejack approached Rainbow Dash, resting a hoof on the pegasus's shoulder. "Rainbow Dash is gonna take mah place and be mah co-captain. Ya listen to her and give her the ball, we'll surely win."

"...Wow. A co-captain? Aren't I considered a rookie?" Rainbow asked, sort of honored to help Applejack lead her team, but she didn't feel like it was deserved.

"Not with what ya'll have shown us in the past." A few seconds passed as the two mares stared at each other, Rainbow giving Applejack a determined look, nodding her head.

"Alright. I won't let you down." The pegasus approached the team, ready to begin her first match as a captain. "Ok, boys! You heard the captain! What's our goal!?"

"VICTORY!" the stallions cheered.

"Victory!" Rainbow thrust her hoof forward, the others following suit. "Let's make those Goers goners!"

"YEAH!" they cheered, the team heading out to await the start of the finals match.

Fluttershy and Spike left the locker rooms to find a seat to watch the match, the summoner excited to see how well Rainbow Dash will play, leaving Twilight alone with the beaten Applejack. The unicorn approached her, noticing the exhaustion beginning to affect the earth pony.

"...I saw you get beat up out there...I'm surprised you're still able to stand," she said.

"Ah may not be mah brother, but Ah can take a few hits." Applejack tried to walk closer to Twilight, only to suddenly pass out, quickly being caught in the unicorn's magical aura before she hit the ground.

She laid her down on one of the benches, letting the captain rest. "...You were amazing out there."

Outside in the stands of the stadium, everypony was going wild as the finals were about to start. One pony slowly walked up the steps, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses as she reached the floor she was assigned to, carrying a glass of wine with her in her blue aura. Rarity approached the railing, ready to see the main event unfold, taking a small sip of her beverage. Looking out to the rest of the stands, she was able to spot Fluttershy watching the sphere with eagerness.

"There you are," she whispered, giving a small smile as she fixed her curly mane. "You've grown up, Fluttershy..."

"Hello again, Spira! Welcome back to this years blitzball tournament, the finals already underway!" Echo announced with excitement. "Who would have thought that this year's tournament finals match would be between long time rivals!? The Besaid Aurochs, having finally lost their first round losing streak as they are now in the finals, against our very own Luca Goers!"

"This is quite a historic match we have here," Reverb commentated. "And here we have the teams entering the sphere. It looks like the Aurochs have replaced Applejack with their newcomer pegasus, named Rainbow Dash. It might be because of Applejack's previous beating in the last match, she probably can't move after all that abuse."

The two teams swam into the sphere, meeting in the center of the field to wish their opponents luck. Unfortunately, that respect is thrown out the window with the Goers, all of them with smug grins on their faces, letting their egos overshadow the potential the Aurochs have. Lightning Dust just irritated Rainbow Dash as she looked like she was laughing at her.

Lightning approached the cyan pegasus, holding her hoof out to her to shake. Rainbow didn't accept it, not wanting to give her the respect she doesn't deserve. Rainbow Dash turned around and got into position, the rest of the team following her to their starting points mapped out on the field.

"Well, it seems as though Rainbow Dash is being a bit of a poor sport," Echo said as the Goers got into position.

"Well, for the last few years, Lightning Dust is known to be a bit reckless in her career as the Goers's captain. Sometimes, being too famous can get to your head, and it may end up being your downfall if you can't observe our opponents. And with newcomer Rainbow Dash for the Aurochs, we have no idea what she has in store for us." The teams crouched down on their platforms as they waited for the horn to signal the start of the first half.

Rainbow's ears twitched, counting down the moment the blitzball will shoot up as she and Lightning Dust, being in the center field position, will race to get the ball. The horn blared, and as the ball reached the point where the pegasi would swim for it, Rainbow Dash sped off like a bullet, shocking the Goers, the crowd, even the announcers.

"Holy Tonberries!" Echo shouted over his mic, able to be heard leaping out of his seat in the announcer's booth. "That was fast! Seems like Rainbow Dash has some skill with speed that can rival the fastest of fiends!"

While distracted by her impressive start, Rainbow took the opportunity to swim past the the runners and the defenders. She was met with little resistance as she kicked the ball hard, shooting it toward the goal and scoring, the goalie too slow to react. After only ten seconds on the clock, the Zanarkand star player scored a goal for the Aurochs, earning a delayed cheer from the crowd.

"And Rainbow Dash scored the first goal in ten seconds flat. That has got to be a world record, and Echo is fangasming behind me as I speak," Reverb said as Echo's voice could be heard in the background.

The rest of the Aurochs didn't move from their spots either, just as surprised as their opponents, though they cheered for their co-captain as she swam nonchalantly back into position. She smirked at the flabbergasted Lightning Dust, telling her not to underestimate her during this match. Lightning sneered, not allowing the losing team to score another goal. The timer resumed as they got back into position, this time it was the Goers's ball, the captain speeding off with her left and right fielders swimming on ahead.

She threw a hard pass to one of them, quickly intercepted by Rainbow Dash as she headed back to their goal. Just as Lightning had planned, she swam hard toward the pegasus and rammed into her hard, sending her flying out of the sphere and fumbling the ball. The audience groaned as the cyan mare was thrown out, the game still in play as Lightning took the ball back, shooting a goal as she got close enough, tying the score.

"Ooh. That has got to hurt," Echo said, back to his slightly calm state as the Goers scored at the one minute mark. "The score's tied, one-all." Rainbow groaned, knowing how it felt when she did the same thing to rival team member before Sin attacked, shaking it off and diving right back into the sphere. "Rainbow Dash is ok and is making her way back into position, four minutes left in this exciting first half."

The game was back on, the teams going back and forth for the remaining time in the round. Teams were tackled around, shots were intercepted or blocked, the crowd going crazy as many of them were actually cheering for the Aurochs more than the Goers. As the timer reached the five minute mark, Lightning was in the middle of a last second shot, but the alarm blared as the ball made it to the Auroch's goalkeeper, Keepa, ending the first half at a tie.

"And that does it for the first half. The score is tied, 1-1, and quite a surprising turnout for the Aurochs this year." The teams headed back to their locker rooms to take a momentary break before the second half starts. "They usually never get a single goal, but with their newest teammate, Rainbow Dash, the Besaid Aurochs just might have a chance to turn their losses around. Stay tuned for the final round in just a few minutes."

As the Aurochs entered the locker room, Applejack was up on her hooves as she had watched a little bit of the first round on the sphere inside, Twilight having gone back up to the stands with Fluttershy. "Come on ya'll! We got this! Show some defense!"

"The Goers are tougher than I thought," Rainbow said, still feeling sore from the rough tackle she was given.

"Well then, we're gonna have to use your special shot in order to get us ahead." The pegasus nodded, though she had no idea how the shot was supposed to work when there were several players that would try to stop her if she pulled it off. "Now, get out there! Shoot like crazy, Rainbow!"

"YEAH!" the Aurochs cheered, heading back out to begin the second half.

The teams dove back inside the sphere and got into position. The round began as the ball was in the Aurochs' hooves. Rainbow passed it to Letty as she swam on ahead. The team began to pass it around as Rainbow Dash got in position, the ball whizzing past the Goers' front runners and into her hooves. She turned to the goal, Lightning Dust and her two defender teammates blocked her path. Along with the goalie, she had to deal with four blockers, knowing this was going to be a tough shot.

"Uh oh. Looks like Rainbow Dash is gonna have a difficult shot to make if she's going to score another goal," Echo announced.

Rainbow figured it was now or never, deciding to use the Jet Shot to score another goal. She kicked the ball hard, but instead of heading for the goal, the ball swerved and hit one of the defenders, knocking them out cold. Shocked, Lightning and her other teammate, along with the crowd, they couldn't believe what had happened, only to be reminded as Rainbow punched the ball back as it rebounded off the first Goers's face. The second defender was knocked out, leaving Lightning Dust by herself.

The pegasus headbutted the ball back, missing the captain and bouncing off the rim of the goal, soaring up out of the sphere. "What in Spira is going on!? What is Rainbow Dash up to!?"

As the ball headed back down, everypony watched as Rainbow spun rapidly, unhindered by the density of the water as her tail formed a ring around her spinning body. The blitzball splashed through the sphere, the cyan pegasus slowing down, kicking the ball hard as she released a shockwave of colors that made everyone gasp in awe, a rainbow trail following the speeding ball. Moving too fast to attempt to block it, Lightning dived out of the way, as well as the goalie. The blitzball smacked into the goal, the alarms blaring as the Aurochs received another point.

"The Aurochs score! And with an incredible shot technique made by the pegasus that's wowing all of us! And the refs aren't calling a foul, meaning that was a legal move! That's going to be called the Sonic Rainboom Shot!" The audience exploded in applause, Rainbow able to hear Fluttershy cheering louder than anypony else around her as she bounced up and down in her seat.

The knocked out Luca Goers had recovered and headed back to their positions, Lightning was still frozen solid at the move she pulled off. Her shock soon turned into seething rage, watching Rainbow Dash hoofbumping her teammates as they saw the shot in action on the field. She swam back into her place on the field as the game continued from the one minute mark, Goers's ball.

Lightning passed it to one of her teammates as she waited for the right moment, desperate enough to kick the cyan pegasus out of the sphere, even if it had to be a serious injury. As she predicted, Rainbow Dash managed to steal the ball, heading straight for the goal. While the mare's back was turned, Lightning Dust sped off toward her with a manic grin on her face, sucker punching the back of Rainbow's head, sending the unsuspecting mare spiralling uncontrollably, the audience all gasping in shock at what they had just witnessed.

Lightning was about to grab the ball when the alarms blared, the lights inside of the sphere turning red as a foul had occurred. "Unsportsponylike conduct! Rough contact with the back of the ball handler's head! Foul shot: Besaid Aurochs! the referee announced, the audience booing at the Luca Goers's captain.

"What a dishonorable move made by Lightning Dust," Reverb announced, sounding disgusted at what the hosts had witnessed. "This is the first I've ever seen a foul this severe, especially to whom everypony was rooting for since this morning."

"It looks like the Goers seem to be mad at their captain as well. I wouldn't blame them if somepony was that desperate to try and injure their opponents just to win." As Echo had spoke, the Goers were miffed at Lightning Dust.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bump form from the sucker punch. With a new ball shooting up under her, she grabbed it and got into position for the foul shot, the other players spread out so they don't interfere with her free shot. She had to take the shot from halfway across the sphere, not a difficult feat for her, but she did feel a little bit dizzy, almost feeling a concussion. She shook her head to clear out the cobwebs building up in her head, focusing on making this shot.

She kicked the ball hard, sending it swerving across the field as it got closer to the goal. She managed to confuse the goalie and score another goal, the score now three to one. The audience cheered as the teams headed back to their spots, Lightning Dusts's position switched around for another teammate's, demoting her status as captain. But before the match could resume, starting around the two minute mark, some of the audience members began to chant out Applejack's name.

Soon, the chanting began to grow louder as the entire stadium was up on their hooves, stomping them in rhythm to their chants. "Uhh, what is going on with the audience?"

"Sounds like they're all wanting Applejack. After seeing all of what Rainbow Dash can do, they should be cheering the rookie on." As the teams looked around in confusion, Rainbow knew that she wasn't the real star of the day. They all knew Applejack was going to retire, whether many of them heard it as a rumor or not, and they wanted to see the blitzball player finish her last match, not have a newcomer steal the spotlight from her. The pegasus alerted a referee, calling a timeout as the horn allowed this temporary break. "Rainbow Dash is calling a timeout?"

"Seems like that unfair blow to the head by Lightning Dust must have been harder than we though." The Aurochs watched as she swam out of the sphere, heading straight to the locker rooms.

As she walked into the room, Rainbow was met with the confused gaze of the captain, having seen her leave the arena. "I think I got a concussion, coach," she said, rubbing her head.

"...What are ya doin'? Ya can take a Sinspawn harder than a blow to the head...Why are ya givin' up?" Applejack asked.

"...I'm not," the pegasus answered. "I know you hear the crowd out there. They're calling for you." The earth pony looked back at the screen, hearing everypony cheering for her. "This isn't supposed to be my game, as much as I want to help you win...I at least gave you guys a little head start. Just keep up your defense and go all out with a bang. Make this the biggest sendoff for your last game."

Applejack looked back at the pegasus, her hoof held out to her. She was still pretty sore from the last match, but she figured she had enough rest for the rest of the second half. She bumped Rainbow's hoof, tagging in to replace her and get back in the game, for the crowd's sake.

"Heh...Ah didn't think everypony wanted to see me keep playin'." The mare scratched her head in embarrassment. "They should really be cheerin' for ya instead."

"Hey, I'm just a newbie," Rainbow said. "I can rise up to fame some other time."

Taking a deep breath, Applejack left the locker room and headed for the sphere. Inside the room, Rainbow noticed some writing left on the wall.

Mah best memories are here.

-Applejack, Captain of the Besaid Aurochs

Outside in the stands, everypony was still cheering out for Applejack. "Ok, this is getting a little ridiculous. The crowd is getting restless...Wait, hold on a second." Applejack dove into the sphere, swimming up to her teammates as the audience went wild. "It's Applejack! She's coming back in the game!"

The stallions were all happy to see her back, though they were worried for her injuries. She ignored their concerns, ready to give the crowd what they want. She held out her hoof, the Aurochs doing the same as they gave an underwater cheer, psyching them up for the last three minutes they have left. They got into position as the game resumed, the Goers taking the ball. With their newly promoted captain, it was a rough three minutes for them as the Aurochs put up a good defense.

With only a minute remaining, Applejack managed to swipe the ball and swam out to the goal. She headed straight for Lightning Dust, a complete wreck after her stupid move, failing to tackle the mare as she was easily avoided. Deciding to try her own special shot, she smacked the ball up in the air, turned her back to the goal, and with perfect timing, bucked it hard toward the goalie, slipping it past him and scoring the last goal of the game.

"And it's all over! Ten seconds remaining, there's no chance for the Goers to come back after this! The Besaid Aurochs win the cup!" The crowd went into an uproarious applause, the Aurochs celebrating as they danced around in the sphere at their first tournament victory. "This was a blessing brought to Besaid by Faust herself, folks! The Aurochs have actually won the tournament! No joking or editing have been made, Spira! This is real!"

"And what a surprise it is, Echo. This does it for the blitzball tournament, everypony. We hope to see the Aurochs pull through again next year to defend their title." Reverb closed out the announcements as the audience celebrated.

While the Luca Goers berated their ex-captain, Applejack winced as her injuries came back to haunt her, falling limp in the center of the sphere pool. She opened her eyes, spotting Rainbow Dash diving in and swimming toward her. To show her she was ok, Applejack pumped her hoof up weakly in the air, the pegasus knowing nothing could bring the earth pony down. Their ears perked up when the cheering fans had suddenly turned into screams of terror. Without warning, fiends began to storm the stadium, aquatic fiends splashing into the sphere, Garudas flying in from above, and land fiends from the stairways. Their celebrating will have to wait until they're all safe, though how fiends got into the city was beyond anypony. Next Chapter: Chapter 16: Sin is Who!? Estimated time remaining: 9 Hours, 60 Minutes