Chapter 28
There was a small moment of silence before RainbowDash flew a little higher from her normal hovering level. "BlackJet? What did he do?" Dash asked intently.
All eyes strained on FastBall, seeming everypony else wore the same question on their mind.
"He's just an annoying braggart is all" FastBall shrugged, trying to make his team members see that it wasn't much of a big deal. "Boy do we hate them folk" Applejack retorted, slightly resting her gaze on one of her own friends in particular.
"Humph! I told you Fluttershy! I knew he didn't sound right... Euugh... Even just the sound of his hideous name!" Rarity rolled the name around on her tongue a few more times before shaking her head in disgust.
"W-What did he exactly do?..." Twilight couldn't help but press the manner, but before FastBall even had time to think about answering her, the Referee pony trotted out onto the court, the whistle in his mouth again.
"No time... You'll find out soon enough. What I need you six to do is get out there and warm up a bit before we start. We have about... Fives minutes on the clock so hurry and get to it" FastBall's voice was louder than usual, seeming he still was quite pissed from his recent encounter with the opposing team's coach...
Twilight only nodded in understanding and hared out onto the court. FastBall lent her and her friends a basketball from the sidelines so that they could practice with it.
Applejack was a bit hasty now. She didn't want to show anypony that her ankle hurt. Stubborness and annoyance began pricking at her though once everypony trotted on out to the court.
She then braced herself and began making her way herself, not dare trying to show that her hoof was hurting more than she could possibly withstand at the moment... but that didn't stop her.
"Ok, let's try our layups again. Two lines, now" Twilight ordered, causing everypony to get into a perfect formation. Sure, Rarity was hesitantly slow, and Fluttershy was just... well... slower than slow... but Applejack was the pony that for some reason caught Twilight's eye. The orange earth pony had hesitated a bit too long than she normally knew her friend would, before heading out here.
What's up with Applejack?...
The others were fine getting into place on the other hoof though.
RainbowDash suddenly then stepped out of line though, her wings flapping slowly and her head tilted upwards, to see over the heads of her friends.
This quickly began to agitate Applejack, seeming she had to still deal with her hoof pain at the moment as well, and she didn't want to also have to deal with her stubborn pegasus friend Rainbow at the moment to put some more pressure on top of that! "And just what are you doin'?" Applejack snapped, getting a bewildered and yet slightly angered glare from Rainbow in reply.
"Uh hello? I jut wanted to see who we're up against... If that's alright with your snobbish attitude, AJ" Dash mocked, slightly confused though at why AJ had treated her like that.
This made Applejack lower her head and her ears droop. "Oh... I-I didn't know. Sorry"
Rainbow only shrugged it off as she continued looking though. She instantly caught sight of a yellowish golden pony and a cream colored pony at first. Course they were both mares, and they were both earth ponies too.
She then spotted a maroon colored pony who she definitely identified instantly. "C-Cheerilee?" She asked in a quite shocked manner.
"W-Well? What do ya see?" Applejack then asked to the cyan pegasus.
"Well I see Cheerilee... Odd... but then I see... I think it's Bon Bon?" RainbowDash began awkwardly guessing, causing Twilight to suddenly realize their not so focused attentions.
"Excuse me you two, but what are you doing? Don't you realize we have to warm up?" Twilight warned, making Applejack nod but Rainbow just continued guessing out names. "And I think that's...-"
"RAINBOW!" Twilight yelled, finally getting the pegasus's attention.
"Geez! Gosh! Sorry!... I was only trying to see which ponies we're up against" RainbowDash explained, yet again to her dismay.
Twilight instantly pricked her ears in interest. "Oh?"
Rainbow just chuckled. "Yeah. How about we go meet them?" She offered, getting a small nod in agreement from Applejack and Twilight both. "Okay" Applejack huffed.
Anything to stop warm ups... I don't think my hoof could take it..
Twilight then turned to the rest of her awaiting friends. "H-Hey um. Everypony, how about we head over to the other side of the court to see who we're up against? You know... Let's try to make friends with them and be nicer than what we did last time..." Twilight suggested, making Rarity fluff out her long curls in reply. "Well... I guess the last team we faced WAS a bit... uncouth... so in that case, alrighty then" Rarity finally agreed.
"OKIE DOKIE LOKIE!" Came PinkiePie's.
"S-S-Sure... I-I don't mind" Came a muffled sound from Fluttershy's hiding face.
Twilight nodded. "In that case, lead the way Rainbow" She turned to the friend of hers who suggested the brilliant idea. Dash beamed with pride as she began flying slowly towards the opposing team's ponies.
"W-Wonder what they're going to be like..." Fluttershy couldn't help but ask her friend Rarity.
Rarity sighed dramatically. "At least their bound to be better than that last team we faced... AUGH!" Rarity huffed in reply as they all approached the newer unknown ponies.
"H-Hello... M-My name is Twilight Sparkle. And this is my team- or.. friends that will be facing you all" Twilignt began simply as they had gotten close enough to start a conversation with the opposing team.
Cheerilee instantly turned her head to face the friends, along with her team members. "Oh hello there Twilight! Mighty fine to see you here!" Cheerliee greeted with a smile.
Twilight beamed back, grateful that Cheerilee was one of the ponies they were facing. She was always so nice.
"Hi Twilight! I'm GoldenHarvest" The golden pony that Rainbow had pointed out earlier came to stand beside Cheerilee.
"Hi!" Twilight greeted back.
"And I'm Bon Bon" Dash had guessed correctly when Bon Bon stepped up next.
Next a yellowish pony with green pigtails on each side of her neck came trotting up next. "Hi, I'm AppleFritter" she introduced, causing Applejack to suddenly shove her way to the front. "I-I thought I recognized you!" Applejack beamed, getting an also shocked yet excited look back from Applefritter in reply. "Oh hey Applejack!"
Twilight only felt more and more pleased as she learned these ponies names. They seemed really nice...
Now we don't have to fret over versing the other team so harshly... this team will be nice and easy going with us... As we will with them...
PinkiePie suddenly bounced up to Applejack. "Wow! One of your own cousins! Cool!" Pinkie yipped, making Applejack nod in reply.
"And I'm Octavia" A darker colored pony then stepped up nicely and lastly.
"Cool. So now that we know each other-" RainbowDash began but Octavia suddenly cut her off. "I-I don't know your name" she remarked, quite daringly.
RainbowDash only dropped to the gym floor in sudden shock from her raised tone and cocky attitude. "W-Well duh, I'm RainbowDash" Rainbow answered back, half glaring and half smiling.
"Oh. Ok then" Octavia flicked her tail, making Dash just stare after her, menacingly.
Twilight quickly caught onto this sudden rising challenging state between the two and instantly began introducing the rest of her friends.
"U-Um Octavia I'll also introduce you to... PinkiePie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy!" Twilight nodded to each named pony as she did so.
Octavia nodded but didn't say anything.
"So... I guess we're going against you all?" GoldenHarvest then asked.
"Yes. Believe so" Twilight answered back.
"Well we better-" Cheerilee began but the buzzer suddenly went off, causing everypony to gasp and panic in unawareness.
"O-Oh no! We forgot the five minute warm up!" Applejack turned to Twilight and RainbowDash quite aggitatedly.
"W-Well... A-At least we... were able to meet our new opposing team right?" Twilight defended herself.
Bon Bon nodded hurriedly before she then began nudghing her friends off towards the awaiting and disapproving BlackJet. "C-Come on, let's go" Bon Bon muttered.
Octavia and Goldenharvest hurried away, followed by Applefritter.
"T-Thanks I guess..." Cheerilee mumbled before following her friends.
RainbowDash didn't know about any pony else but she could kinda predict what was coming.. Twilight though, didn't...
"Well they seem nice" Twilight admitted.
"Nice? I saw something more than just nice..." Rainbow confessed, her head lowering slightly. "Something tells me that FastBall might have said something about Blackjet that also might have meant for his team" Dash growled, getting a stubborn look from Twilight.
"How could you say that?"
"Yes, They seem nice enough to me! I personally think they're way better than what Coach SwiftHoof had to offer" Rarity agreed with Twilight instantly.
Rainbow felt guilt prick her. "Y-Your right... I guess. Maybe I'm wrong" She corrected herself.
"Well that's not new" Applejack taunted her beaten friend, causing RainbowDash to stare daggers at the orange earth pony in reply.
"I still cannot believe one of your cousins are here! Playing Basketball! In FoalMountain on the exact day like this!" PinkiePie screeched happily, making Applejack nod. "Yeah me neither..."
Rarity then turned to the outcasted pony of the team. "Fluttershy, what's your opinion on them?" Rarity then urged.
Fluttershy hesitated as they all approached their benches. "I-I think they were ok..." She admitted, yet again striking a mark at Rainbow.
"Well we'll just see about that once we start this game..." Dash retorted.
"We will.." Twilight narrowed her eyes...
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