Chapter 6: Common Ground
"Highlights in the world of sports! Buckball fever has swept Equestria! What started as a backyard hobby for fruit farmers and the like has blossomed into a literal phenomenon, with something for everypony. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies alike can't get enough of this breakthrough sport." A newspony's voice said with a newspaper showing in the black background as fan ponies at a stadium watch a game of buckball and Pinkie's team plays against another team.
The coach tosses the ball in the air as the Earth Pony player kicks it with his hind legs to score the bucket, only for Fluttershy to catch it with her right wing, spins around a bit, and throws the ball to Pinkie Pie, who kicks it toward the opposite team's bucket as Snails was holding it with the crowd cheering as they were going wild.
Around all over Equestria, ponies have been buying gifts, shirts, hats, and necklaces to represent Buckball. In a part of Appleloosa, a big Buckball stadium was built as well as a Hall of Fame.
"And with it's popularity still on the rise, buckball fans want -nay, demand-and institution catering to their new obsession. And the ponies of Appleloosa answered the call, delivering a state-of-the-art locale where fans Equestria over can celebrate their passion: the Buckball Hall of Fame. Though given the game's recent nature, the only inductees so far will be the members of the current championship team from Ponyville. And to bring the guests of honor, the Elite Ninja. Consisting of Chase Young and his family." The Newsponys voice concluded as we switch the screen to see Fluttershy passing the ball to Pinkie, who kicked it into the bucket for the final score.
Then it showed Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio being the guests of honor to announce the game.
In a theater, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Snails were watching a short film of the latest buckball news.
"Do you think they know we're here?" Pinkie whispered loudly to Fluttershy. "And what about Chase, Jade, Surnay, Trini, and Antonio?
"I think they have a pretty good idea." Rainbow said from behind a row.
All around them, the entire room stares at them excitedly.
"A pretty good idea about what?" Snails asked, eating a bag of popcorn.
Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy glanced at each other. Then Pinkie and Rainbow looked at Snails, a little annoyed as Fluttershy shrugged with a nervous smile.
*Main theme*
In the mountains of Appleloosa, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio were all racing each other along the rocky edges. They jumped off one, then on a boulder one by one. The five ponies had their horns lit, aura hands replacing their front hooves, and they ran on their hind legs.
They made it to town as they jumped on one of the buildings with Antonio using his nunchucks to zipline on a wire. They leaped over to another building while they kept on running to head for the Buckball tournament. They jumped down onto a smaller building before they kept on going as Jade slid on a clothesline, standing on her hind legs with Sunray doing the same as the two jumped off one by one.
The five eventually jumped off a building, landing on an awning as they bounced onto one of the mountains to which they eventually saw the Buckball stadium and the Museum.
"There's the stadium, guys! We made it just in time." Chase said to his family with a smile as they had the same expression.
"It's a good thing too, Chase. Otherwise, we would've missed the time to announce the game to begin." Jade said in agreement with her brother.
"And it wouldn't be a game without a nice sunny day to begin with either." Sunray said with a grin.
"Especially all of the food is gonna be there too!" Antonio added, only for him to notice Chase, Jade, Sunray, and Trini looking at him with flat looks as he became nervous. "And Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Snails are gonna be there too."
"They were supposed to be done watching the history theater. Maybe we can meet up with those four so we can have a chance to look at Buckball history." Trini said, getting back on track with a smile.
"Then let's get going." Chase said as he slid down the slope with his family following behind him.
(Scene changes)
After the film was over, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Snails headed outside. Accompanying them was Snips as he tagged along.
"I can't believe the ponies of Appleloosa built this place." Fluttershy said.
"Yeah, especially after their team lost to us." Pinkie agreed. "They must really love buckball."
"And where's Chase at with his family?" Rainbow asked, a little impatient. "They were supposed to be here about half an hour ago. It's not like them to be late."
It was then that Pinkie noticed something.
"Looks like they already made it!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at something offscreen as Rainbow and Fluttershy turned to see Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio sliding down the slope as they laughed and whooped about excitedly.
They flew into the air and landed in front of the three girls in crouching positions. The crowd of ponies cheered excitedly for the Elite Ninja as the five stopped using their magic and went back on all fours.
"Well, look who decided to show up." Rainbow said with a smirk on her face as Chase smirked back at her.
"Hey, guys. Sorry we're a little late. We had a few errands to take care of." Chase said to the four.
"You really know how to make an entrance like that with your family, Chase. That must be fun." Fluttershy said with a smile.
"Mountain sliding was always our number one favorite on our list, Fluttershy." Jade replied back with a grin. "Mom and Dad have been teaching us how to do it when we were younger."
"Anyway, we hope we're not too late for the ceremony." Sunray said with a smirk.
"You guys are just on time." Rainbow replied back with a smirk of her own.
"Oh, my gosh!" A young Earth Pony colt said as he chuckled and appeared behind the Elite Ninja, making them and others turn to face him. "It's you! I can't believe you're you! I mean, here! I mean, Team Ponyville and the Elite Ninja! Yeah!"
"Yep, it's us." Snails said casually.
"Hi there." Trini greeted the young one with a smile.
"How much for an autograph?" The fan asked and brought a poster.
"Bits for autographs, eh?" Snips says as he has an idea of getting bits and then turns to Snails. "Snails, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"What is the sound of one hoof clapping?" Snails asked with a dopey look.
"Yeah! I mean, uh, no!" Snips protested and turned to a crowd. "How many of you would pay for an autograph from my best friend Snails? YAAAH!"
Snips yelped in pain as he felt somepony pinching his ear and looked to see Chase the one doing it as he gave the colt a stern glare.
"No. Scandals." Chase said sternly as Snips moaned with a pouty face and the ponies brought some bits out while they approached Snails.
"Wow! That's a lot of writing." Snails said as Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio had blunt looks on their faces.
"You're telling me." Sunray said sarcastically as he, Chase, Jade, Trini, Antonio, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie went off elsewhere.
"I'm so proud they decided to honor us." Fluttershy said. "I never thought I'd get to be in anything like a Hall of Fame. Ooh! If Sokka can see me now, he would be so proud of me."
"I'm sure he would be proud of you, Fluttershy." Chase said with a smile. "I never thought you guys were gonna be famous just like us for a sport."
"Me, neither!" Pinkie said. "Unless you count a Royal Order of Party Planners Memorial Library, which I don't, because every party planner gets one of those eventually."
"Yeah, if you can make it to become full champions." Antonio said as he noticed a few ponies playing a buckball match which were from the other team as the others noticed as well.
They turn over to Snails autographing several things.
"You guys probably won't be able to make it to the games if Snails continues signing autographs for everypony." Chase said with a concern look. "From the looks of things, I'd say there might be more challenges to come."
"You're telling me, Chase." Rainbow said in agreement with the alicorn stallion.
"I hope Snails finishes signing autograph soon." Fluttershy said hopefully. "We can't play without him. And if we lose or forfeit 1 game, we'll be out of the tournament."
"The sooner he gets those done, the faster we head for the stadium." Jade added with a stern look.
"Well, he better get his flank over here then!" Rainbow said. "You have to win the first few games without me cheering you on."
"Oh, why?" Fluttershy asked with a worried look.
"Is there something wrong, Rainbow?" Trini asked with concern as Rainbow sighed and turns to them.
"Not really, Trini." Rainbow said as she brought out a Buckball brochure. "Applejack and Clay were too busy to come, so they made me promise to go to all the museum exhibits and tell them about them. I'm gonna try to get in first and beat the crowd so I can get back to the tournament faster."
"You wouldn't mind if we tagged along with you, would you, Rainbow?" Chase asked with a smile. "We'd like to see the exhibits ourselves."
"Anything for you, buddy." Rainbow replied back with a smile.
"Ooh! Then you'd better hurry." Pinkie advised. "Looks like there's already a line."
"What?!" Rainbow shouted in surprise as she looked behind her.
Rainbow flew over and saw a tent that had a familiar compass on it as a chair was next to it. She tries to pull on the doors only to find them locked.
"The doors aren't even open yet!" Rainbow said and then landed to the tent closest to her. Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio joined her. "What kind of sports fan camps out for a museum?"
"The real question is what kind of sports fan doesn't?" A familiar pony said, coming out to reveal himself to be Quibble Pants.
One good look at him and Rainbow gasped with Sunray.
"Quibble Pants?" Rainbow and Sunray asked in shock.
"Rainbow Dash, Sunray Steel, fancy meeting you guys here." Quibble said to the two respectively and placed a cap on. He then noticed Chase, Jade, Trini, and Antonio. "And Master Chase Young! It's an honor to finally meet you and your family!"
"Pleasures all ours, Quibble Pants." Chase said as he shook his hoof with Quibble's.
"Fancy meeting me?" Rainbow said as she confusingly frowned. "I'm a sportspony. Of course I'd be here. What's fancy is you being here. If "fancy" meant confusing."
"There's nothing fancy or confusing about it." Quibble said and began to look really nervous. "Y-You can't keep me away from that... that buckball rink. I'm... I'm the biggest fan there is."
"Uh, it's a buckball field." Rainbow corrected. "And you are?"
"Oh... sure." Quibble said with a nervous stutter as he sat on his chair. "What w-with all th-the bucking and the balling, uh, uh, on the buckball field, w-which is where they play buckball. I-I-I wanted to be first inside to experience the grand history of the sport. I-I mean, I guess only a fan would understand that."
Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and Rainbow were left confused by this.
"Whaaaa...?" Rainbow asked as she and the Elite Ninja frowned.
"What are you talking about?" Sunray asked, not understanding of what's going on when Quibble noticed something.
"Oh, perfect timing." Quibble said with a smile.
Rainbow, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio turned to see who Quibble was going over to.
Arriving at the scene was a Unicorn mare with a pink coat, a lighter pink shade mane with some white and a light blue streak, aqua eyes, a Cutie Mark of a sun and gust of wind while wearing a light blue scarf around her neck.
With her was a little Pegasus foal with a light purple coat, blue mane that sort of resembled Twilight's style with two pink streaks, purple eyes, and Cutie Mark of a flaming horse shoe.
"Rainbow Dash, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, I'd like you all to meet Clear Sky, the most amazing pony I've ever met." Quibble introduced her to the six ponies.
"Um, you've met Daring Do, so that's probably an exaggeration." Rainbow said as she and the Elite Ninja approached the group before she turned to Clear Sky. "No offense."
"None taken. When it comes to describing your special somepony, a little exaggeration's normal." Clear Sky assured and she turned to Quibble. "And I feel the same way about you."
They nuzzled each other's noses together and the foal had a disgusted look. Then Clear Sky turned to Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio.
"And you five must be Chase Young, Jade Young, Sunray Steel, Trini, and Antonio. The Elite Ninja. It's a pleasure to meet you." Clear Sky said as the five ponies smiled toward her. "We've heard so much about you defending the world from Zhao and his Quinkan army."
"The pleasure's ours." Chase replied back with a modest smile as the rest of his family smiled too.
"And who's this?" Rainbow asked as she turned to the pegasus filly, who looked back at her.
"This is my daughter Wind Sprint." Clear Sky introduced and she turned to Chase, who came over to join Rainbow, as Wind Sprint smiled at him excitedly. "She's been wanting to meet you and your team after hearing all of the adventures you guys have been doing to save the world, Chase."
Chase looked visibly surprised by that as he felt something holding him. He looked down to see Wind Sprint holding his front right hoof and she smiled at him excitedly.
"It's true. You're my most favorite ninja of all time! Can I have your autograph?" Wind Sprint asked as she held out a picture showing Chase Young in a fighting stance with lightning surrounding him.
This made Chase chuckle as he couldn't let this filly be disappointed and he signs it with a pencil while using his magic. Wind Sprint giggled excitedly as she hugged it, which Jade giggled and turned to Chase.
"You sure are popular for the foals, Chase." Jade said with a teasing smirk as Chase smiled back at his little sister.
"And she is pretty amazing, too!" Quibble said and placed Wind on his shoulders.
"Wind, did you thank Quibble for camping out so we'd be first in line?" Clear Sky asked as Wind Sprint, however, looked annoyed.
"Thanks." Wind said unenthusiastic.
"No problem." Quibble said. "I-I-I probably would have done it anyway." He placed her down on a chair. "I mean, I... I can't wait to see the..." He looks through a brochure. "...evolution of the buck basket from farm to field"! That... That sounds just, I mean, oh, wow! There... There is a lot to see!"
He shows the brochure to her as Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio shared a puzzled look with each other.
Wind then looked over to the crowd of ponies on the highest platform of the stadium watching the game and then back to the Elite Ninja.
"I'd rather see the game." Wind said as she walks over to the Elite Ninja. "And be by Chase's side."
"Oh. Well, I... I mean, sure." Quibble said a bit uneasy. "T-T-That makes sense. We could just go to the tournament and stand next to Master Chase instead."
"No!" Clear Sky protested as she brought Wind back over with her magic and spoke firmly. "Quibble planned this whole thing for us, and you could be a little more appreciative!"
The mother and daughter shared a stink eye with each other when the doors of the Hall of Fame opened.
"Well, the doors are open. Let's get going into the Hall of Fame." Chase said to the three as Quibble smiled nervously in agreement.
(Scene changes)
Soon, they were inside and they looked around the exhibits as Rainbow went up to Wind.
"I kind of wanted to skip the museum, too." Rainbow said as she chuckled and then she noticed Quibble looking back at her with a glare which wasn't helping. Rainbow saw this and acted on while bringing out her brochure. "But I promised some friends that I'd check out all the exhibits."
"Ugh! All of them?" Wind complained as the others turned to face her and Quibble felt very nervous.
"You know, I-I'd like a chance to catch up with Rainbow Dash." Quibble said as he approached her. "Why don't we split up? We'll... We'll cover more ground that way, and..."
But he was cut off when Wind Sprint walked off as her mother went with her and Quibble looked upset. It was enough to make Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio turn their attention to Quibble as they indeed noticed his sorrow look.
"Is there something wrong, Quibble?" Chase asked, gaining Quibble's attention. "You look a little upset."
"Oh, uh, no. I'm fine really." Quibble replied back with a nervous smile as came over to him.
"So... you and Clear Sky, huh?" Rainbow asked as she nudged him teasingly.
"You really love her, don't you?" Trini asked with a smile.
"Oh, yeah, she's great. Honestly, I've never been happier..." Quibble said and then he suddenly panicked as he grabbed the six ponies. "Which is why I need your help!"
He zips off with Rainbow, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio behind an exhibit.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, Quibble. What's gotten into you?" Jade asked Quibble with a concerned look.
"What's wrong?" Antonio asked with a confused look.
"I'll tell you guys what's wrong! I don't know what any of this stuff is!" Quibble gesturing to the exhibits.
"What?" Chase, Jade, and Sunray asked in unison with confused looks.
"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked.
"See this?" Quibble asked the six as he grabbed a buckball. "I-I don't know what it is."
"A ball?" Rainbow said obviously as she, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio curiously frowned.
"W- And this?" Quibble said again as he grabbed a basket. "I-I- No idea!"
"What're you talking about? It's a basket for pony's sake." Antonio said, thinking this was ridiculous.
"Antonio's right. It's a basket." Rainbow said, agreeing with Antonio. "How do you not know what these are?"
"I'm not even 100% sure what bucking is." Quibble said. "I literally know nothing about buckball or any other sport!"
"You don't?" Sunray asked in shock just like the rest of his family were upon hearing this from Quibble.
"Well, I figured you weren't the sportiest pony in Equestria." Rainbow said with a smirk as Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio glared at her annoyingly.
"But Wind Sprint is, and her dad was some big athlete, too." Quibble remarked as he tossed the ball into the basket, but bounced away and Rainbow went to get it. "I-I can't compete with that. I really want things with Clear Sky to work out, but if Wind doesn't like me, I-I might as well give up."
"Why would you wanna do that?" Jade asked Quibble with concern and the ball landed on the basket. "If you like Clear Sky so much, why couldn't you just tell her?"
"Because they're a family, Jade." Quibble said. "Even if it's okay with Clear Sky, I wouldn't ask them to make me a part of it if Wind Spirit isn't on board." Clear Sky glanced over to him waved to him as Quibble smiled back and waved. "I thought if I could convince Wind I was a big buckball fan, we'd have something to bond over, but I'm... I'm pretty sure she's on to me."
"Here." Rainbow tossed a ball to him and Quibble struggles but caught it.
"Give it a shot." Rainbow said, holding a basket up. "It's easy."
Quibble got up as he readied to throw the ball, but then he lost balance and then fell back into a basket, causing him to struggle to get out. Chase and Sunray used their magic to pull him out.
"Yeah, I don't think she's fooled." Rainbow said as Wind glanced over to them, and narrowed her eyes at Quibble.
"Now we know why she is having doubts about you, but would it be helpful if you could talk with her about it?" Trini asked Quibble, who flinched in panic before he faced the six.
"Not really, Trini. If I do, she'll never like me." Quibble replied back with a sad look before he perked up a bit as he turned to Rainbow. "Could... Could you talk to her? I-I mean, you're a famous sportspony. Y-You'd know what to say. Maybe you could talk me up a little."
"Ha! No problem." Rainbow assured. "I've totally got your flank."
She flew off to Wind as Clear Sky joined Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and Quibble. Meanwhile, Wind looks at some balls as Rainbow joins next to her.
Meanwhile, Wind looks at some balls as Rainbow joins next to her.
"Trust me, the game's a lot harder to play with apples." Rainbow said.
"You play?" Wind inquired with an interested and curious look.
"Who do you think taught them?" Rainbow said, gesturing to a photo frame of Pinkie, Fluttershy and Snails. "Of course, being a Wonderbolt takes up most of my time, so I don't get a chance to practice as much as I'd like."
"Wait. You're Rainbow Dash?" Wind asked as she excitedly beamed. "The Wonderbolt? Whoa, my dad was a great flyer, too. Now I have six heroes!"
"Hmm, you don't say." Rainbow said. "You know, Quibble's pretty sporty, too."
They turned as they saw Clear Sky and Quibble Pants talking with the Elite Ninja.
"If you say so." Wind said skeptically and Rainbow smacked herself with her left wing.
(Scene changes)
Sometime later, they were looking at the gift shop as Quibble bought something. Jade bought a Buckball hat while Trini bought a cup to represent the sport and the boys each had bought their own t-shirts.
"I think I've seen enough of this museum for three Applejacks." Rainbow said. "Let's go watch some buckball!"
"That sounds awesome!" Quibble beamed. "Oh, but first, I got you a little surprise." He said singsongy to Wind.
Clear Sky sets the bag down as Wind Sprint reached in and brought out a big book.
"Oh. A book." Wind said, unimpressed.
"Oh, not just any book." Quibble said. "It's a buckball almanac. This thing has every buckball fact and statistic ever recorded!" He looks through the book.
"Wow." Wind replied sarcastically.
"I know!" Quibble said. "I never realized there was so much math in buckball. I-I mean, this game's got more numbers than Ogres and Oubliettes." He laughed a bit.
"Thanks?" Wind said as she frowned.
"I think it's a slight improvement." Chase whispered to Rainbow.
"Maybe." Rainbow whispered back to the alicorn master.
"I-I-I guess I could hold it for you." Quibble said. "You know, so you don't have to carry it."
"Can we go to the game now?" Wind asked Clear Sky with slight impatience in her tone.
"Sure, honey." Clear Sky said as Wind Sprint walked away to the stadium and Quibble Pants looked ashamed.
Chase turns to Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio.
"You guys do the same, I'll meet up with you in just a bit." Chase said as his family nodded in reply before they went to the stadium as Clear Sky walked over to Quibble.
"Listen, Q, this trip was a lovely idea, and the book was sweet, but you don't have to try so hard." Clear Sky said. "Everything's gonna be fine."
She then kissed his cheek and heads off to catch up.
"Not even my presents are in the ball court." Quibble said sadly.
"Uh, do you mean "ball park"?" Rainbow corrected.
"Don't you think mixing up words might make it silly?" Chase asked as Quibble turned to him and Rainbow.
"Do I?! I don't know!" Quibble exclaimed almost in frustration. "One thing's for sure: Wind is never gonna like a pony like me."
He then drops flat on the ground as Chase flinches in place of seeing Quibble about to give up.
"You won't give up on Wind Sprint, Quibble. Once she sees that you try to bond with her in a different way, I'm sure she'll like you." Chase said with an encouraging smile.
"Of course she will." Rainbow said and helped him up. "She just needs to see the sporty side."
"I don't have a sporty side." Quibble remarked.
"Everypony has a sporty side, and we're gonna find yours." Rainbow said. "By the end of the day, I am gonna turn you into the sportiest pony in Equestria!"
Quibble then quivered nervously as Chase turned to Rainbow with an unsure look.
"You do know it probably won't be what I think you're thinking, right?" Chase asked Rainbow as she turned to him with a smug smile.
"Oh this plan of mine will work, Chase." Rainbow said with a smirk as Chase looked to the side with an unamused look.
"Well, if you need me, I'll be joining my family." Chas said as he flew off to catch up with his family, leaving Rainbow and Quibble alone together.
(Scene changes)
Later, they caught up with the others as Wind Sprint excitedly flew ahead.
"Look, I'm not saying it's a terrible idea, but it's a terrible idea!" Quibble said. "You can't turn me into an athlete, it's impossible! Chase might kill you for this."
"It's either that or be yourself and bond with Wind over comic books and role-playing games." Rainbow said before she shuttered. "And yeah, I don't want Chase to kill me."
They turned to Wind as she flew up and over before landing behind a line as she laughed.
"While we agree with not letting Chase get mad at you, uh, I have a 17 charisma, all right?" Quibble said. "Don't you think I tried? She doesn't even like Daring Do. She thinks she's not athletic enough."
"What?!" Rainbow exclaimed in shock and disbelief. "Wow. We need to get started on "Operation" Sportify" ASAP."
Then she and Quibble walked off somewhere to get started.
(Scene changes)
They were soon on a buckball course.
"To figure out what your sporty side is, we just need to see what your skills are." Rainbow said balancing a ball on her left wing. "Everypony's got something. Speed!"
And then she quickly flew around Quibble.
"Strength!" Rainbow appeared next to him as she lifts Quibble up in the air and hovered. "Agility!" She over some cactus and then joins back near Quibble. "Heh. Of course, some ponies can do it all."
"You're amazing, but what about me?" Quibble asked, wanting to get back on track.
"Right." Rainbow said, getting back to the subject. "We should probably start small. I'll pass the ball to you, and you just pass it back to me, okay?"
"Okay. Uh-huh." Quibble replied.
Rainbow then got to the ball, and she simply gently kicked the ball as it rolled over to Quibble. As soon as it was close, he got ready to kick it back.
"And... buckball!" Quibble swung his hoof, But he missed, and fell to the ground. "Ow."
"Okay. Maybe agility's not your thing." Rainbow said.
(Scene changes)
Later, Rainbow rallied up Snips for a race.
"Ready?" Rainbow asked.
"If I say no, do I still have to run?" Quibble asked.
"Yep." Rainbow replied.
"Can we get on with this?" Snips asked. "Snails and I did so well with the autographs, we decided to expand." He then groaned as he felt a slight sting on his right ear that had a red spot. "Not to mention Chase lecturing me again."
Close by, Snails was still signing some autographs.
"And these souvenirs are not going to sell themselves!" Snips said.
"Remember, think speed." Rainbow said.
"Got it." Quibble said.
"On your marks, get set..." Rainbow said.
"Speed. Speed." Quibble said, getting into the zone.
"Go!" Rainbow yelled and blew her whistle.
"Speed! Speed! Speed! Speed! Speed! Speed! Speed! Speed!" Quibble sprinted down the track as a dust cloud formed and came to a stop. "Whew!" He then laughed. "Okay! What a race, right?"
He looked back, but then he noticed that he didn't even move an inch and Snips was at the other end of the track.
"Oh. So much for speed." Quibble said with a sad expression.
"Eh, this was fun, but I've gotta get back to work." Snips said as he and Snails walked off.
(Scene changes)
Later, Rainbow was routing Quibble as he was lifting.
"Come on, Quibble." Rainbow cheered. "You got this!"
"I... got... this!" Quibble said, strained as he lifted and then it was revealed he was lifting two books.
But in a few seconds, he dropped the act.
"I... Ugh!" Quibble said as he drops the books tiredly. "This is hopeless. I... I don't have any skills. Not agility, not speed. I-I can't even lift more than one book, and I love books!"
"If we had time to train, I know I could mold you into the perfect sportspony." Rainbow said.
Quibble then got up and some books slipped off.
"Or at least a sportier pony." Rainbow said as she groaned.
"Who knows how long that would take?" Quibble said. "I-I need to get Wind to like me now."
Suddenly, they heard a crowd cheering as they glanced at the stadium.
"Let the tournament begin!" Chase's voice said coming from a microphone.
"Maybe you're not the best athlete in Equestria, or the most coordinated, or the fastest, or... even a little bit strong." Rainbow said.
"I-I'm sorry, wait." Quibble said, not getting it. "Is this supposed to be making me feel better? Because it's not. I wish Chase was here to help out right now."
"He's not here at the moment with his family. But none of that matters because I just figured out how to sportify you!" Rainbow said.
(Scene changes)
Later in the stadium's field, Pinkie passes and bucks a ball over to Fluttershy as she gets it with her tail. Fluttershy threw the ball over and it lands in the basket as Snails held it while sniffing a flower.
Watching the view in the upper part of the stadium from their better seats was Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio.
"Looks like those three are doing better than ever." Chase said while observing the team.
"Yeah, and it's a good thing they've been practicing well." Jade said in agreement with her brother. "From the looks of it, Pinkie's been doing well to keep her hooves in shape."
"Well, Rainbow Dash better get her act together and be done with Quibble Pants. If those two don't make it back in time to cheer Ponyville, it will be too late." Sunray said to his family as he noticed Rainbow was nowhere to be seen.
"And hope she doesn't miss the food cart. This popcorn is great!" Antonio said while eating some popcorn from his large bag as his family turned to him amusingly.
"And with that score, the stars of Ponyville advance to the next round. If they keep winning like this, they'll never get off the field." The sports reporter's voice said as Clear Sky and Wind Sprint where sitting on the bleachers to get a better view.
"Wow!" Wind excitedly beamed. "The players from Ponyville are so good!" She took notice of Chase and his family watching the game as well. "I still can't believe that Master Chase and his family are here."
"Looks like we picked a great day to come here, honey." Clear Sky said, smiling at her daughter.
"They sure are!" Quibble said, approaching them. "Well, Team Ponyville is as well as the Elite Ninja."
"Quibble, where have you been?" Clear Sky asked. "I was hoping we'd all watch the tournament together."
Rainbow peaked her head behind a wall as Quibble turned to her and she gestured to him to keep going.
"Oh, I've just been arranging for us to hang out with a few of my close friends." Quibble explained. "From Team Ponyville."
That actually sparked Wind Sprint's interest.
"That is, if Wind's up for it." Quibble said.
Wind and Clear Sky glanced at each other as Quibble smiled. Unknown to them, Chase saw what was going on and he was starting to get suspicious of this.
"Hmm."
(Scene changes)
Shorty later, they were brought to the field as Rainbow opens the gate.
"This is wonderful, Q, but I still feel like you're trying too hard to get Wind's approval." Clear Sky said a little concern.
"This is so great!" Wind beamed. "Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are the best players out there!"
"Well, you can thank Quibble." Rainbow said. "Wonderbolts, buckball stars... He's friends with the sportiest ponies around, so he must be pretty sporty, too, right?" She playfully nudged her shoulder.
"Ooh, so this is Quibble Pants." Pinkie beamed and rushed over to Quibble. "Rainbow Dash told us all about how you two spent a whole Daring Do convention geeking out together about books!"
"And even though at first she thought you were the most annoying fanpony she ever met, you two eventually became friends." Fluttershy said joining them as Wind Sprint frowned a bit confused by that.
"Uh..." Quibble said modestly as he scratched the back of his head.
"I guess even sportsponies agree." Clear Sky said. "Quibble's a pony you like more and more over time."
She placed her hoof around Quibble as he smiled at her.
"Ugh." Wind groaned as she rolled her eyes. "Knowing sportsponies isn't the same as being one." She turns to Pinkie and Fluttershy. "What's it like playing in front of all those fans?"
"Um..." Fluttershy said, trying to think.
"I'll guess you'll find out." Rainbow said.
"What do you mean?" Wind asked.
"Yes, what do you mean?" Quibble asked, arching a brow.
"I think it's time we told Wind about your next surprise." Rainbow said.
"Q, Wind really doesn't need any more surprises." Clear Sky said.
"Is it another book?" Wind asked with an uninterested look.
"A - books are awesome." Rainbow stated. "And B - this is way more awesomer than that! For the tournament halftime show, you and Quibble are gonna play a game of buckball against Team Ponyville!"
"We're WHAT?!" Quibble exclaimed.
Spying on them from a pair of binoculars, Jade had witnessed and heard what she saw as she lowered them down with a worried look.
"Uh oh." Jade said with concern as she turned to Chase, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio. "Looks like he's about to get himself into a whole lot of trouble, guys."
"Please tell me you're kidding, Jade." Chase said to his little sister pleadingly.
"I wish I was, Chase." Jade replied back.
"Well, whatever Rainbow's got in mind, it looks like she's gonna let Quibble participate in the game." Sunray said, following his siblings' concern.
"If he gets himself humiliated, there's no way Wind will like him." Trini said with worry.
"And now Rainbow's gonna mess this one up big time." Antonio added in agreement, not liking this one bit.
(Scene changes)
Sometime later, a practice round occurs as Quibble was nervously sweating. He waved to Wind and she threw a ball over to Snips as he caught it in a basket.
Wind grabs every ball and then twirls around like a top as she throws the balls up as well before Snips caught all of them.
"Wow, Wind Sprint is really good at this." Jade said to her family, impressed by the pegasus filly's skills.
"Uh, you should probably stretch." Rainbow said to Quibble.
"No amount of stretching is gonna make this okay!" Quibble said nervously of this idea. "What were you thinking?!"
"Look, you wanted to impress Wind Sprint, and this just made sense." Rainbow said.
"Really?" Quibble said. "How does me making a fool of myself in front of her, Sky, and a billion buckball fans make sense? Especially infront of the Elite Ninja?"
"Is Dash even sure this is a good idea, guys?" Trini asked her family as she was observing everything.
"To be honest, Trini, I'm not so sure it is anymore." Chase said, knowing this will not end well.
"Don't worry, I've got your flank." Rainbow assured. "I already talked to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. They're totally gonna make you look good."
She glanced back as Pinkie waved.
"Oh. Okay, well, maybe this isn't the absolute worst idea ever." Quibble said a little better.
"If you're sure, Rainbow." Echo said. "I still have my doubts with this."
"Relax." Rainbow said assuring. "Everything's okay."
"Mares and stallions, foals and colts! Put your hooves together for today's halftime presentation, as buckball's biggest stars take on a team of fans just like you!" The sports reporter shouted and the crowd cheered on.
Soon the referee blew his whistle and tossed the ball as they waited as the ball came falling down. Pinkie quickly pulled Quibble's leg up and the ball bounced over as it landed in Snails' basket with the crowd cheering.
"And that's one of Ponyville champs! Looks like these fan don't know what they signed up for!" The sports reporter exclaimed.
Soon the next round came, and the whistle was blown.
Fluttershy quickly caught the ball in her tail, swung it fast over to Pinkie with her mane caught and tossed it towards the basket. But Wind quickly caught it, and saw Quibble waving out.
"Oh, no." Fluttershy said flatly. "Quibble's wide open, and I'll never get there in time to block."
Wind tossed the ball to Quibble, and he nervously shut his eyes as he readies himself to buck. But he missed the ball by an inch, and it rolls over to Rainbow.
"Ooh! Looks like our fan team needs more work on their passing!" The sports reporter shouted as Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio were starting to get worried for Quibble.
(Scene changes)
Soon, the next round starts as Fluttershy twirls like a top and throws the ball as Wind quickly bucks it up into the air.
Quibble sees an opportunity, and quickly rushes to the right spot as the ball falls.
Fluttershy gasped, and Pinkie squealed a bit as Quibble readies to kick as the ball got closer. Then he bucks the ball leaving Fluttershy and Pinkie gasping as the ball landed in the basket.
"And the fan team finally scores! ...For the other side." The sports reporter said with his tone ending the last part flatly. Quibble winced and glanced back as Wind narrowed her eyes. "That makes 3! Team Ponyville wins!"
Wind Sprint shook her head.
(Scene changes)
Later Quibble discusses with the referee with the buckball almanac.
"It says very clearly on page 647 of the buckball tournament rules that "a goal is scored when an Earth Pony sends the ball into a basket"." Quibble said, looking through the page. "But it doesn't say which basket!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure everypony knows you're not supposed to score in the other team's goal." Rainbow said.
"But the rules don't say that!" Quibble said gesturing to the book. "If that goal is ours, it's only 2-to-1, and we can keep playing."
"I don't want to!" Wind angrily said. "You're not a sportspony! It's not fun playing this game with you!"
Then she runs off away, and Clear Sky turns to Quibble.
"I was just... trying to get her to like me." Quibble said.
"I know!" Clear Sky said. "But I told you you didn't need to. You and I have to rethink all of this."
She turns and leaves as Quibble whimpered before sighed, sadly leaving. Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio walked over to Rainbow.
"I guess Wind Sprint finally gave up on Quibble?" Chase asked Rainbow as she turned to the alicorn stallion with a defeated look.
"Can you blame her? This is all my fault." Rainbow said ashamedly. "I probably should've asked for you guys to help us out, but I completely lozed this one."
"Yeah, we kinda figured that out." Jade said while giving Rainbow a flat look.
"I get it, Jade." Rainbow said to the unicorn mare. "But like I told Chase when Fluttershy didn't get over her fear of flying, I'm not good at cheering somepony up."
Rainbow sighed as she turned to Chase, who was looking down at her with a calm look on his face.
"Go talk with Quibble and I'll catch up with you guys soon enough. Please?" Rainbow asked the Elite Ninja pleadingly.
Chase looked at Rainbow still calm before he sighed.
"Alright. But meet up with us back at the Hall of Fame. We just witnessed Wind Sprint heading there with Clear Sky following after her." Chase said as Rainbow nodded in reply.
(Scene changes)
Later, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio were looking for any sign of Quibble before they found him outside the stadium reading the almanac. They walked over to Quibble as he heard the sound of their hoofsteps coming his way.
"Rainbow, I appreciate you trying to help me out, but I don't think-" Quibble said, mistaking the Elite Ninja to Rainbow.
"I thought we'd find you here." Chase said, getting Quibble to snap out of his mood as he turns to see the five ponies walk in front of him.
"Oh, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio." Quibble said as he chuckled nervously. "I wasn't expecting to see you guys."
"What are you doing out here?" Jade asked with concern for the Earth Pony stallion.
"Well, Jade. Apparently this book is as close to sports as I'll ever get." Quibble said sadly.
"Come on." Sunray said. "That goal you scored for the other team was amazing."
"Yeah, and what's important is that you gave it your best shot!" Antonio added with an excited grin as Quibble sighed.
"Tell Rainbow Dash that I said thanks for trying to help me, but I think we can both agree the whole sportify idea was a big flop." Quibble said as he placed the book down.
"Come on, Quibble. You can't just give up on Wind Sprint and Clear Sky right now." Trini said, trying to get Quibble to change his mind, which was easier said than done.
"Wind's already made up her mind, and so have I." Quibble said as he sighed. "Time to throw up the towel."
"It's "throw in the towel"." Sunray corrected with a flat look before he recomposed himself. "And that's ridiculous! You can't just give up!"
"Wind and Sky deserve a pony they both like in their lives, Sunray." Quibble said as he walks down the staircase and stops with his head low. "Besides, Sky wants to "rethink things", so I'm just beating her to the lunch."
"It's "beating her to the punch", and it's barely a sports reference." Chase corrected as well. "How do you not know that?"
"Because it's just like I told you, your family, and Rainbow Dash, Chase." Quibble said as he faced the five ponies. "I don't know anything about sports. And pretending I did just made things worse."
Chase looked at Quibble with a sympathetic look as he understood what he was going through.
"Yeah, but mostly it was Rainbow's fault to make you mess up. Right?" Sunray asked Quibble as Jade looked at her younger brother annoyingly for not helping out.
"Yeah, pretty much. So there's no reason I can face Wind Sprint and Clear Sky now, guys." Quibble said sadly. "No matter how hard I try, I guess the only thing I'm good for is just books and that's all I'll ever be. A bookworm."
Then Chase thought of something as he smiled.
"You know, Quibble. Maybe that's just the problem. Beating yourself up isn't gonna make you like Wind." Chase said calmly as Quibble turned his eyes to the alicorn master.
"And that's supposed to make me better how?" Quibble asked with a blunt look before looking away.
"Because you remind me of yourself when I was trying to honor Grandpa's place as the new leader of the Elite Ninja." Chase said, causing Quibble to widen his eyes from hearing that.
"What?!" Quibble asked in shock as he now had his attention on Chase.
Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio knew where their leader was going.
"The same was with us too. We thought that if we were capable enough to carry on our grandfather's role so that we wouldn't let those snobby ponies in Canterlot tear us down." Jade added in agreement with Chase.
"But-but you guys did earn your ranks in the Elite Ninja for Darius Hisomi." Quibble said, not understanding what the five ponies were talking about. "I mean look at you. You five have saved Equestria plenty of times when the Quinkan attacked. Why are you telling me this now since you guys are the heroes of this world?"
"Because it was difficult for me to try so hard to make it right." Chase answered Quibble's question. "When I was still a kid and after Grandpa was destroyed by the Storm King, I've almost been nothing but a failure since the bullies I knew in Canterlot were mocking me. But after gathering enough courage, I finally took responsibility in my own hooves to accomplish the dream my family and I did."
Quibble then understood on where this was going.
"Oh, right." Quibble said, realizing. "And when you were getting picked on, you just didn't give up and quit. I guess this is why you and Princess Twilight married each other when you guys became alicorns."
Chase nodded in reply.
"And by the way Clear Sky was thinking, maybe she is still having feelings about you." Chase said to Quibble with a confident smile, but the Earth Pony stallion was still nervous.
"But what if she doesn't want me in her life with Wind Sprint?" Quibble asked really nervous.
"Well, that's too bad if you're thinking the opposite. Because we know what you should be doing and I think you do too." Sunray said with a smirk.
"And maybe Rainbow Dash wasn't the pony you should've come to for help." Jade added with a smile.
"Oh." Quibble said, feeling a bit better as he smiled at the five ponies. "Thanks, guys. I really needed this from you."
Chase and his family smiled in reply.
"So what do you say we go over to Wind Sprint and set things right with her? And don't worry, we'll be with you every step of the way." Chase said to Quibble, who smiled gratefully.
(Scene changes)
Meanwhile, Clear Sky and Wind were in the Hall of Fame as the pegasus filly was still angry about Quibble messing up.
"I wish we didn't even come here." Wind said very disappointed.
"Quibble thought you'd like it." Clear Sky said.
"Well, I don't, and I don't like him." Wind said angrily before she turned to her mother curiously. "Why do you like him?"
"Because he's kind, and smart, and his friends certainly seem to care about him, which is always a good sign." Clear Sky said.
"I don't care how many ponies care about him." Wind said as she turned away and looked down at the ground. "They're not gonna make me forget about Dad."
"Oh, Sweetheart." Clear Sky said gently with a smile as she placed a hoof on her daughter's shoulder. "I know Quibble's trying too hard, but he doesn't want you to stop loving your dad. He just wants you to like him. And I think maybe there's enough room in your heart to do both."
It was then Quibble appeared with Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and the new arrival of Rainbow Dash.
"Hey, there." Quibble said. "Glad I found you, because I have a confession to make. I know it's to hard imagine, but I'm... really not all that sporty."
"No!" Clear Sky gasped in mock horror as if she knew.
"I'm sorry I was trying so hard to convince you otherwise." Quibbled apologized. "I just really wanted us to get along, but I guess it backfired. Do you think we could start over? Maybe we could watch some of the tournament together, and you could teach me some sports stuff?"
Wind turns to her mother, and she nodded as Wind turns back to him with a smile. Then Rainbow came up to Quibble with a guilty look.
"Quibble." Rainbow said as Quibble turned to her. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for all of this. I guess I wasn't thinking straight to help you the right way and now I know that this was pretty much my fault as well."
"Hey, don't worry about it." Quibble said with a smile. "I know you were just trying to help, but I guess hearing Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio about their past really helped me out. So, friends?"
Rainbow smiled in reply as she shook Quibble's hoof with hers.
"Friends." Rainbow said as the seven ponies smiled at the sight.
(Scene changes)
On the field, Pinkie bucks a ball over and lands a score in the basket. Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Wind, Clear Sky, Quibble, and Rainbow were watching from the bleachers.
"Okay. That's their ball." Wind said.
"I'll try to remember that if I ever decide to play buckball again." Quibble said. "But I probably won't. Oh, look. Pinkie Pie's gonna flip and triple bounce the ball into the goal."
Pinkie did a front flip, bounced on her tail and hit the ball against her head. The ball flies through the air and into the basket.
"How did you know that?" Wind asked, completely surprised.
"It's right here." Quibble brought out a section of the almanac. "Pinkie flips and triple-bounce bucks over 80% of her shots from the northwest section of the field when the wind is blowing from the east."
"Huh. I guess this book's kind of cool after all." Wind said now interested.
She takes a look at the pictures as Quibble forms a tear in his eye and then he turns to Clear Sky.
"Look, Sky, I know you're thinking of calling it quits between us, and after today, I don't blame you." Quibble said. "But Wind and I just made a connection!"
"Calling it quits?" Clear Sky asked as she frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You said you wanted to rethink things." Quibble reminded.
"Yeah!" Clear Sky said. "Things like having your friend help you pretend to be a sportspony so Wind would like you. And I guess Chase and his family were also the ones that needed to help you out as well."
"Wha- I-I don't- I- Oh!" Quibble nervously stuttered with a smile. "I-I didn't... What?!"
Then Clear Sky turns to Rainbow, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio.
"Say wha-?" Rainbow stuttered nervously and laughed. "Wha...?! Hah! Nah!"
Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio glanced at each other before they innocently whistled.
"Mom, look what Quibble showed me!" Wind said and shows her the almanac. "When Fluttershy flies higher than the other Pegasus, Pinkie scores 92% of the time," and it just happened!"
"Wow!" Clear Sky beamed impressed. "You better watch out, or you're gonna start to like books."
"I guess that wouldn't be so bad." Wind said and Quibble beams happily from that.
"Huh." Clear Sky said. "Looks like you didn't need sportiness, famous ponies, or lavish gifts to bond with Wind after all."
"Technically, he still needed to buy her the book, but that's it." Rainbow remarked.
SLAP!
"OW!" Rainbow yelped as she saw rubbed the back of her head in pain before seeing Chase give her a firm glare and she laughed nervously.
Then Quibble, Clear Sky and Wind started laughing at Rainbow's words as well as her predicament. Then they continued to watch the game with Quibble holding Wind Sprint to close to him.