//------------------------------// // Afternoon activities // Story: Generations // by Pippington Britishhooves //------------------------------// The afternoon was welcomingly long, seemingly in stasis as the sun sat back and relaxed in the sky, letting the earth below bathe in its heat without fear. Almost everypony in the town was out enjoying the warmth, although 'bustling' wouldn't have been an apt word to describe the scene; with the sun so high-set in the blue expanse above and the seemingly infinite supply of tender warmth, there was no hurry or sense of urgency. A small crowd milled through the market, larger groups attended the various spots in the parks and swimming spots, and the streets remained mostly clear. This served to make Pipsqueak all the more anxious to find out why nopony had been responding to his knocks. Cocking his head to listen, he thought he heard some noise from behind the door, and so knocked again. It seemed to be taking them a while, and he was certain that he'd heard activity in the house, unless he'd simply missed them. The only remedy to his situation seemed to be to knock again, the subsequent click of the lock and the turn of the handle telling him that he'd been right in making this decision. He stepped back with a beaming smile to greet the bewildered face that popped out from the gap as the door opened. "Hey, Feathers!" he welcomed enthusiastically. "How are you buddy?" "Uh, fine, thanks," Featherweight replied, opening the door fully. "What's going on?" "Just seeing how you are, you know." "You don't usually come around to see how I am, Pip," the pegasus pointed out. "If you come to see me, it involves doing something or another." "True, I guess," the pinto pony acknowledged, nodding his head. "Well, I suppose that asking for your company on this fine day wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?" He stepped aside to allow the pegasus an unrestricted view of the street. "We've got the swimming hole, the park, you name it." "And the bag?" "It's just some stuff," the earth pony dismissed, rolling his eyes at the mention of the duffle bag next to him. "What sort of stuff?" Featherweight asked suspiciously, his eyes shifting over the bag to try and analyse its contents. "Necessities," he insisted. "Beach ball, towels, some sandwiches and cakes from Sugarcube Corner. Just the things we'll need." "The things we'll need?" the pegasus questioned before the gears in his mind clicked. "You're planning a picnic, aren't you?" "Bingo! I knew you'd get there sooner or later," the earth pony cheered, beaming at his friend. "Now come on, the others will get impatient if we don't get a move on." "The others?" "Uh-huh," Pipsqueak confirmed, picking up the bag and walking away. Featherweight shrugged and pulled his door closed, locking it and catching up to his friend. The earth pony was humming to himself, taking in the scenery as he walked. "Just who have you invited?" asked Featherweight. "You'll see when we get there," replied the pinto colt, turning to face his friend with a wide smile. "What have you been up to since I last checked up on you?" "Getting stuff done," came the reply. "I've actually managed to raise interest in the Foal Free Press thanks to a bit of time to actually spend working on it. We're genuinely making money this time around." "Good job," Pip congratulated absentmindedly. "What did you do differently?" "I didn't have you as a distraction," the pegasus responded with an accusatory glance. Pipsqueak looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Me? I can't think of a single way-" "Three weeks ago," Featherweight interrupted. "You suggested going roller-skating." "That was a special offer, I couldn't just say-" "Bowling with five other ponies." "I think it's important to go out with your friends." "Begging and pleading for an interview with Princess Twilight." "Surely you of all ponies know how important grasping an opportunity-" "Visiting Canterlot for the Hearth's Warming play." "It's a cultural highlight of the year, what sort of ponies would we be if we-" "Reminding me constantly about how we should save up for a boat." "Look here," Pipsqueak broke in, moving closer to the pegasus and waving his forehoof in an arc in front of them. "What do you see?" The other pony blinked and looked around, eyes flicking from pony to building to sky as he tried to grasp his friend's meaning. "Ponyville," he answered with a questioning look. The earth pony nodded. "Exactly. The town of Ponyville. Outside. When was the last time you went outside and spent time doing something you enjoyed?" "Working for the Foal Free Press is something I enjoy," Featherweight protested. "Maybe," Pip conceded. "But you've been locked inside working on it by yourself. You haven't been outside interacting with anypony else, and that's why you're so sour right now." "I'm not sour!" The sharp protest drew a satisfied smirk from the earth pony, who continued trotting silently forwards with an 'I-told-you-so' look. "Fine, I'm a little sour," he conceded. "But that's because, when I'm finally getting something done, making progress, you come along and drag me away for another inane adventure." Pipsqueak shook his head and rolled his eyes, smirking to himself, slowing down to wrap a forehoof around his friend's neck. "Come on mate, let's backtrot a bit, shall we? You've been working on a private hobby for three weeks, without giving yourself time to relax. Even your playtime has been work-oriented. You said yourself you were doing well, so why not allow yourself some time off, eh? Congratulate yourself on a job well done and let yourself be a foal again." He moved in front of the pegasus and looked him in the eyes. "No inane adventures, just some time with friends. We can work up to Captain Spot and First Mate Feathers when we finally get that boat." They held the eye contact for several seconds before Pip's grin became infectious, a crack of a smile beginning to break across Featherweight's muzzle too. He looked down and let out a sigh, exhaling the last of his disgruntled attitude. "Yeah, you're right, Pip." He looked up and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about all that." The pinto pony gave him a pat on the back. "No problem at all," he chirped happily, turning to continue on. "Glad I could help you out. Wanted to make sure you were okay, thought this would be a good time to get you out and about." The duo made their way through the streets of Ponyville, the conversation now much more bubbly and two-sided. The buildings thinned out as they reached the park, crossing over a bride and stepping into the greener space on the other side, trees adorning the lush lawn. The sunlight gave the grass and leaves a vibrant gleam, and the smell of flowers filled the air, wafted over by the occasional breeze. A lot of the space had been taken up already by groups of ponies. A waving hoof drew their attention to one of the groups lounging about, and Pip and Featherweight sauntered over. "Finally, about time you two showed up," Scootaloo jibed, making a show of checking her leg-watch. "I thought we'd have to go and buy something to eat before you got here." "You wouldn't go and spend your own money when you know full well that we've already bought food for you," Pipsqueak returned as he and Featherweight settled down onto the mat that had been laid down and upon which Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom and Dinky Doo were already sat. Scootaloo pondered his statement before nodding her concurrence. "Sometimes I feel that you know me too well," she confessed. "What took you so long?" "Featherweight was being Feather-wait, if you catch my drift," he responded, opening up the bag and laying out the contents; lemonade, foil-wrapped daisy sandwiches, a bowl of salad, fruitcake, angel cake, lemon cake, carrot cake, all wrapped in cling film or foil, or carried in a plastic container. More than a few of the ponies present licked their lips in anticipation, the mouth-watering display of goods sparking their appetite. As soon as everything had been laid out and the plates dispensed, the teenagers dug in, taking as much from the attractive selection as was polite. Apple Bloom supplemented the supply with cider from Sweet Apple Acres, as well as a few apple pies fresh from the oven that morning. After several minutes of concentrated eating, the initial urgency of guzzling food faded into a more comfortable relaxation, and the group began talking again. "This is the best apple pie I've ever tasted," Dinky chirped, swallowing the last of her slice and finishing her mug of cider. "I'm not going to be able to eat anything but apples from now on. You should set up a bakery, AB." "Ain't nothin'," the country mare replied nonchalantly, though one could see the subtle indication of pride in her eyes. "Ah'm happy to do it again if y'all like it so much though." The others replied in the affirmative, and she smiled happily, pushing the praise onto Granny Smith, who she claimed made the pies what they were with a special recipe. Conversation moved on around the circle, the mass of food diminishing as they talked and laughed and joked, until at last they'd cleaned every plate of its delicious contents, sipping on lemonade and cider with contented sighs. "This is going to make me so fat," Sweetie Belle lamented as she floated her sunglasses onto her face. "Totally worth it," smirked a very satisfied Scootaloo, forelegs folded under her head as she laid back on the mat. "Best picnic this summer, hooves down." "Ah think we've got a good while t' wait before all this settles down," Apple Bloom commented, leaning back on a foreleg. "Seems like we need somethin' to do in the meantime." "How about a story?" Sweetie suggested, looking at Pipsqueak. The other ponies looked at him expectantly as well, drawing a pleased smile from the earth pony. "Sure thing," he happily assented, tilting his head to think of one. "Which one haven't I told you yet? Have you heard the one set about five hundred years in the future, where the planet has become overpopulated and space has been colonised?" "We heard that one last time," Apple Bloom told him. "The United Equestrian Space Command fights a losing battle against a superior foe, super soldiers are involved, and one of those soldiers saves the day while stoppin' ancient space weapons built by a long-gone species in their war against a parasite from bein' used against the UESC." "Right, okay," Pipsqueak reconsidered. "What about the story of a group of friends trekking across the world to destroy a powerful and evil item by dropping it into the volcano in which it was forged?" "I liked that one," piped up Dinky. "You told it to us a few weeks ago." "Hmm, this is trickier than I thought," the stallion said, rubbing his chin with a hoof, eventually looking up at Featherweight with a spark in his eye. "How about that idea I told you?" The pegasus thought for a few seconds before shaking his head. "It's too long." "What story is this?" Sweetie asked. "Pipsqueak told me an idea he'd had, and over a few weeks we developed it as a story," Featherweight explained. "It's good, but it's so long, and even when you think it'll end, something else comes up. We're thinking of making it into a comic for the Foal Free Press, or maybe a small independent comic book sort of thing." "What's it about?" Dinky inquired, sitting forward more intently. The pegasus looked like he was struggling to find the words. "It sort of starts a thousand years ago...no wait, before that...well, the story itself starts a thousand years ago, then the narrative jumps about all over the place, and it goes back to the time when the three tribes were still fighting, and then the migration, then all the way up to modern times." He looked over at the earth pony, who nodded and took over the explanation. "Feathers was probably right when he said it'd be better as a comic," he admitted. "In essence, there was a precursor race of immense power who used ponies as slave labour. During a civil war between the precursor race and ponykind, there was a great disaster, and civilisation was destroyed, requiring ponykind to build up to the state it is now." The pinto pony paused for effect before adding, "The twist is that throughout history, the remnants of the precursor race were found, their technology and the like, and groups fought over them for varying reasons, but there are two main groups with opposing ideologies, one who wants to use the technology for the purpose of power, creating a perfect world by building an empire of control, while the other wants to keep the technology safe so that it can improve society without being used to influence them, thus preserving free will. These two groups fight secretly throughout history, and the historical events which we think took place are actually these two groups covertly trying to beat the other in some grand scheme." Pipsqueak had to fight hard to keep the satisfied smirk off his face at the expressions of the others as he revealed the backstory, more than happy that it'd been received so well. "That sounds awesome," Scootaloo commented at last. "I really want to hear it." "You should definitely publish that as a comic!" Dinky encouraged them excitedly. "I know I'd read it!" "If it does get off the ground, we'll let you know," Featherweight told them. "But as of yet, we can't just tell the story like we would other things, because Pip managed to cover each time period in meticulous detail." "Thank you kindly. I especially enjoyed working on the pirates." "Of course you did," the orange pegasus grinned. "It sounds similar to your other story," Sweetie Belle added. "The one about the griffon bodyguard who was wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and escaped with the help from a supernatural entity, and then went around the city and removed all the corrupt officials of Griffonstone from power." "I told you that one too?" "A few weeks ago." The earth pony fell silent for a moment, his brain ticking over as he struggled to find some new material. "Have I told you...no, I've done that one. How about...no, that was last Thursday. What about...Equestria's best gang of criminals?" "Ah don't think ah've heard that one," Apple Bloom responded, prompting a relieved nod from Pipsqueak. He sat up straighter and wiggled into a more comfortable position, letting the others lean in intently, waiting for him to begin. "Good, good. Then gather around, fillies and gentlecolts, and listen in as I reveal to you the story of a young group of ponies just like ourselves. A group of the most feared, most respected, most capable crew. Far and wide across Equestria, their name would strike fear into the hearts of the corrupt and greedy, resonating the core of any pony who knew of their existence. And who didn't know? Not a single soul in the land hadn't heard of this particular crew and their exploits. They were untouchable, unreachable, unbeatable, and they were known as...the Ponyville Gang." The rest of the group followed his story intently as the pinto pony laid out the plot skillfully, altering his tone and pace to keep them all captivated. None of them paid any attention to the noises of the park and the others around them, their eyes and ears glued solely to the earth pony as he gestured and grinned and whispered and spoke to them, their minds awash wish visions he crafted and brought to life. Minutes passed unnoticed, and soon an hour had crept by, the earth pony falling silent in his own time once the story had finished. "That was good," Dinky murmured in awe, the first to speak after the story. Scootaloo nodded her agreement with a wide, sloped smile. "Ah feel like ah've relaxed enough," Apple Bloom announced, stretching. "Are y'all up for a walk?" "I'm in," Pipsqueak announced readily, getting up onto his hooves. "Feathers is too." The grey pegasus shot him a flat look, which the earth pony ignored with a happy smile. "Where to?" Sweetie Belle asked. "The lake?" Scootaloo suggested, receiving nods of agreement from the others. With their destination determined, the group packed away the remains of their picnic and set off, leaving the bustle of the park for the streets of Ponyville. Idle chatter consumed the company, keeping them busy as they walked and talked. "Have you thought about writing about Captain Spot and First Mate Feathers?" Dinky asked. "You've have all these awesome stories, and it'd be good to have one of your originals." "Don't get him started," Featherweight groaned, shoulders slumping as he looked over at Dinky with tired eyes. "He won't shut up if you get him going." "I have," Pipsqueak confirmed, a proud glint in his eye. "At the moment I'm not sure whether to keep it as a standalone story or use the characters for the comic strip. Speaking of which, have I told you about the boat?" "You've gotten him going." "No," Dinky replied, curious. "What boat?" "Please don't ask. For the love of Celestia, please don't do this." "Me and Feathers have an idea-" "You had an idea, and you convinced me to go along with it. I had no idea how persistent you'd be about it." "-We had an idea. Namely, we'd buy a boat and sail the coasts of the continent!" This raised a chorus of murmurs and "Ooh's", and Pipsqueak shot a sly wink to his pegasus friend, who returned a wan smile of equal parts amusement and ire. "We'll get to see Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehatten- maybe even Griffonstone- all by sea!" "Now that sounds awesome," Scootaloo intoned. "It does, doesn't it?" Pipsqueak nodded, smiling. "We can even swing by Trottingham for a visit. Nip in, see how chaps back home are getting on." This was met by an excited murmur from the rest of the group. "It sounds excitin'," Apple Bloom grinned. "How much do we need for the boat?" "A fair amount," the earth pony admitted, shrugging dismissively. "But if we put a bit aside here and there, then we can save up. I'll front it all, and anypony's who's interested can help finance it if they'd like." "I didn't know you could buy a boat before you turned eighteen," Dinky mused. "We can't," Pipsqueak clarified. "Not yet, but if we save up, by the time we're allowed to buy one, register it, gain a sailing licence and find insurance, we'll all be old enough." "No kiddin'," Apple Bloom chuckled, smilingly amusedly as the earth pony listed the steps of the procedure. "Before we all retire would be nice," Scootaloo jibed playfully, to which the pinto pony smiled and kept on walking, cresting the hill and at last coming into view of the lake. There were already a bunch of ponies gathered on the sand, sunbathing or otherwise occupying themselves with summer activities. Several ponies were engaged in a game of volleyball, and many were splashing about in the lake itself, a couple tossing a ball between themselves. A few minutes later, the group stepped on the beach and found a spot to lay down their picnic blanket, claiming the spot for themselves. "Who's up for what?" Pipsqueak asked as the bags were settled down onto the four corners of the blanket to keep it taut against the soft, warm sand. "Volleyball? Swimming?" "Volleyball," came the simultaneous call from the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, followed a half second later by Dinky. The pinto pony looked over at Featherweight, giving him a knowing glance. "Swimming," they sighed to one another, accepting the majority decision begrudgingly. Picking out the ball from their belongings, the six of them headed over to the volleyball court, happy to see that no one was occupying it at the moment. The teams were easy to devise; the Cutie Mark Crusaders were indivisible, and Pipsqueak's first choice would have been Featherweight, so it stood to reason that Dinky should join them against the three teenage fillies. Featherweight started with the ball, ready to serve. Clenching his tongue between his teeth, he analysed the court ahead of him, the positions of the three fillies and their potential responses, working out the best place to direct the ball. After a few seconds, he threw the ball up in the air, raised his hoof- And ducked to the side, letting Pipsqueak punt it in the opposite direction to where he'd been looking. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did a double take as they began to move where he'd feigned his serve, their hooves sliding in the sand as they abruptly tried to change direction. Only Scootaloo's reflexes and agility prevented them from scoring outright. The orange pegasus darted backwards and ducked down low, smacking the ball up in the air long enough for Apple Bloom to tap it over to Sweetie Belle, who had taken position by the net. The unicorn bumped it over the top with a quick tap. Featherweight was ready. He had the quickest reactions and the keenest eye out of himself, Pip, and Dinky, and he had taken up position next to the net. Sweetie's hit was swiftly returned, the ball heading for the middle of the court. Once again, Scootaloo dashed forwards and bumped it back, sending the shot over Featherweight's head and past Dinky. Pipsqueak whacked it forward, clipping the top of the net and slowing its momentum enough to offset its path. Apple Bloom stepped in to hit it up, but it didn't look like it was going over until Scootaloo jumped and smashed it diagonally down over the net. Featherweight managed to block it with a hoof, sending the ball hurtling backwards, and Dinky's quick intervention lobbed the ball skywards. With enough to time to prepare, Pipsqueak thumped the ball forward, just high enough to get it over the net, but not high enough to land anywhere near the three fillies. It counted for naught, as Sweetie flicked the ball almost directly down onto their side of the court as it came over the net. With an adorably innocent smile, she shared a celebratory hug with her team. Regarding the three, Pipsqueak called the other two over, directing them into a huddle. "It seems that Scoots is the backbone of their team," he whispered to them. "Every time we make a shot, she's the one who's first to react. The serve fooled the other two, but not her." "So we need to remove Scoots from the equation," Featherweight deduced, looking thoughtful. Pipsqueak nodded at him. "Exactly," the pinto colt confirmed. "If she's unable to return our shots, then we can score much, much easier. So what we need to do-" "-is tire her out-" "-so that she can't reach the ball in time-" "-and making our job easier," the pegasus and earth pony finished together, sharing a knowing grin. Dinky smiled at their display, but her expression quickly turned uncertain. "How are we going to do that?" she asked. "Scoots is really athletic. She won't tire easily." "We keep playing the ball to her," Pipsqueak stated simply. "So crazy that it might actually work," Featherweight pondered, rubbing his chin as he thought it through. "Elementary, my dear Trotson," the earth pony replied without missing a beat. "Aim every shot directly at her, then when she begins to flag, play it just far enough away from her that neither she nor the other two can reach it." With nods of understanding, the trio dispersed and returned to their positions, Featherweight throwing the ball over his shoulder to Pip, who caught it skillfully. "About time you three got back in the game," Scootaloo replied cockily, her early victory already triggering her competitive streak. "We thought you were discussing terms of surrender or something." Responding to her taunts with a confident smirk, he slapped the ball forwards, sending it rocketing towards the orange mare, which she easily returned. As it crested the net, Featherweight hit it towards her again, watching her deflect the ball to Apple Bloom, who knocked it over the net to Dinky. The unicorn sent the ball flying up, where it was tapped over again by Sweetie and then knocked by Featherweight over to Scootaloo. The game progressed in this manner, Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Dinky not struggling to score against the Crusaders, but instead treating Scootaloo almost like a fourth teammate, volleying the ball to her whenever possible. The near constant possession of the ball had an unintended effect on Scootaloo, and as she passed shots to her teammates or returned a volley, she became more and more self-assured, throwing in a sideways toss to pass the ball to Apple Bloom or a rear punt to knock it back over the net. The effect only became more pronounced when they scored, rising from 1-0 to 5-0 within ten minutes, and then eventually to 8-0. It became apparent, though, that this was all taking its toll on her. As great as she was, even Scootaloo wasn't immune to fatigue. She began to sweat, wiping her forehead every few minutes, sweat accumulating as she continued to show off. Soon after, everypony could see her running short on breath, couching low in between shots to try and regain energy. At first she shrugged it off, no doubt taking it as a challenge, but before long she couldn't maintain her efficiency, the physical exertion affecting her skill. She struggled to return shots, staggering as she hit the ball, and then, as Pipsqueak had planned, misfired entirely, sending the ball careening to the side. Dinky and Featherweight shared a look with Pipsqueak, and he nodded at them, letting them know that they'd achieved what they had intended. He went and fetched the ball and when he returned, he served without hesitation. He had been right about Scootaloo supporting the team. Within a few minutes, they had risen from 8-1 to 8-5, and a couple of minutes later they had closed the gap to 8-7. The greatest asset to their progression was Scootaloo herself; although she was not at her physical peak, she seemed to insist on 'helping' her team, while in actuality, her returns resulted in unpredictable curves to the ball's path, which hindered Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as they tried to prevent it from landing on their side of the net. Admittedly, they managed rather well, adapting to fill in for Scootaloo's recession of skill and gradually stemming the equalisation of the score. The Crusaders managed to score another point, but this was followed by a concession of two, bring the score to 9-9. Featherweight looked at the Crusaders as he handed the ball over to Pip. Scootaloo was exhausted, her coat damp with sweat and patched with sand, and her hoofsteps heavy and laborious. Sweetie and Bloom were both beginning to feel the effects of stepping up their game to make up for their loss of a teammate, too. By comparison, the other three were a little winded, but definitely ready to continue. The earth pony's serve sent the ball towards the rear of the court, with Scootaloo only just tapping it over to Apple Bloom, who knocked it just over the top of the net. Featherweight returned it almost immediately, causing Apple Bloom to deflect it awkwardly over to Scootaloo, who smashed it up in the air. Sweetie rushed back to save her team, managing to reach it in time to fling it over the net. Unfortunately, Featherweight was ready, tapping it just enough to let it drop down onto- -Sweetie's hoof, the mare dashing forward surprisingly quickly and knocking it back to her team, calling out Apple Bloom's name. The earth pony mare thumped it straight to Dinky, who backhoofed it to Pipsqueak. The stallion powered it over the net, the ball spinning up in the air as it deflected off the tip of Apple Bloom's hoof, and then up again as Sweetie knocked it just far enough over the net that it would fall down to Featherweight. Pipsqueak knew what would happen; Featherweight would drive it down into the back of their court, just far enough away that Scootaloo wouldn't be able to reach it in time, and they would win the match. Sweetie and Apple Bloom were close to the net, expecting him to tap it left or right, and Scootaloo was beyond tired out. Everypony locked their eyes onto the falling ball. Pipsqueak watched it fall from the base line. Dinky watched it fall from the attack line. Featherweight watched it fall with his hoof ready to strike. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched Featherweight. Nopony watched Scootaloo. As the ball fell down to the cream pegasus, a call of "Now, Scootaloo!" reached his ears, and he looked down to see the orange mare leaping towards him, her left hoof already speeding forwards to preempt his strike. As he hit the ball over the net, it rebounded off her hoof with a surprising amount of force, and sailed past him before he could react. Neither could Dinky. Pipsqueak blinked several times as the mare landed with a thud in the sand, collapsing onto her knees. The ball had struck Dinky straight in the horn, impaling itself on the confused unicorn. She looked around, feeling the light breeze on her forehead of the air pressure escaping the punctured ball. The pinto earth pony was the first to start laughing. "Are you okay, Dinky?" he asked her in between a chuckle. "I'm fine," she confirmed, sitting down and trying to corkscrew the ball off her head. "I can't say the same about your ball, though. Sorry about that." She looked at him with an apologetic expression. "Don't worry about it," he said, waving away her concern with a hoof. "I can buy another." "That was impressive," Featherweight murmured to the collapsed Scootaloo. "D-did w-we w-win?" she panted, pushing herself up and looking around. "You managed to stick the ball on Dinky," Featherweight informed her. "She's okay, I think." "Eh, w-we won th-then." She collapsed back down onto the ground. "I'm g-gonna sleep h-here..." Featherweight chuckled and looked back at Dinky, who had finally managed to remove the ball from her head with the help of Pipsqueak. "Now that we've lost the ball, how about swimming?" he suggested, receiving a nod from Dinky and Pip, the former rubbing her horn. "And you guys?" he asked the Crusaders, who were dragging the inert orange pegasus back to the picnic blanket. "We'll join you in a few seconds," Sweetie told them. "Sorry about the ball, Pip." "So," Dinky commented casually as the two mares carried the third back to their blanket. "We're going swimming now. I think we should have a race to the water's edge." "Yeah," Featherweight agreed. "That sounds like-" "Go!" The unicorn called, giggling as she galloped off, leaving the two stallions behind. They shared a look before running after each other, dodging the the other ponies in their way. Dinky reached the water first, splashing in and diving beneath the surface. Featherweight leaped into the air and soared up before tucking his wings in and diving straight down, spearing into the water as Pip dove beneath the surface himself. The three gave each other a wave and a smile as the water's coolness seeped into their coats and muscles, refreshing them. They stayed under, challenging each other to see who would rise first, and eventually the unicorn kicked her way to the surface, then pegasus gave his wings a flap to bring himself out of the weightless world. The earth pony casually floated up, grinning as he came up, his mane clinging to his eyes. "Don't worry chaps," he said, brushing his mane to the side with a hoof. "Earth ponies have sturdier lungs, you had no chance-" He was cut off as Featherweight splashed him, shortening his speech and causing him to have to clear his vision with a hoof. It was the pegasus' turn to grin. "Whoops." "Don't you give me 'whoops', you-" He was splashed from the other side, turning to see Dinky smiling overly innocently at him. "Whoops," she copied. Pipsqueak raised his front hooves so that they were half out of the water, one for each of his friends. Featherwieght and Dinky mirrored him. "Draw," he announced, a challenging smirk of his own plastered on his face. "How does water always find a way in your ear but never seem to be able to find a way out?" Dinky complained as she rubbed the inside of her ear with her towel. The sun had all but disappeared from the sky, and although it was still light, the ponies knew it was time to get home. After a few hours in the water, they were more than ready for a meal, and then bed. "It hasn't got a map," Pipsqueak replied, smirking as she rolled her eyes at him before returning to scrunching up her face and wringing her ear. "Ah'm gonna say it now," Apple Bloom chimed in after a moment of silence. "Today was a barrel of fun, and ah'd like to do it again sometime." The others voiced their agreement, a couple of them yawning, including the farm filly herself. "But right now, ah don't think bed would go amiss. Ah'm gonna take a shortcut home." With a wave and a smile, she set off, trekking across a field towards the farm. Sweetie, Dinky, and Scootaloo lived near each other, and so left together, letting Pipsqueak and Featherweight walk home. "I'll see what money I can put aside," Sweetie called out to them as the three departed. "For the boat, I mean." Pipsqueak nodded and waved goodbye to them, noticing Featherweight's frown. He chose not to say anything. By the time they got back to the pegasus' house, it was nearing dusk, and the warmth of the day was fading from the air. Luckily, the summer nights were warm, and both the ponies knew that there was no danger of getting too cold. Featherweight turned to face his friend as he stepped inside. "Are you going to be okay to get home?" he asked. The pinto stallion nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he assured his friend. "Besides, it's nice to walk about at night. One of the best bits about winter is that it's night for longer. At least in the summer it's more comfortable to go outside and enjoy it. I guess I can stay out for a bit, see if I can walk under Luna's moon and stars and bask in their lonely warmth." "Poetic," Featherweight smirked. "Would you expect anything less from me?" the earth pony replied with a smirk of his own. "Somepony has to weave words for those unheard." "Well, make sure you get home before the sun comes up," the pegasus told him. "Goodnight, Pip." He paused for a couple of seconds, and smiled. "Thanks for today. It was good to get out and see ponies. I didn't realise I wanted to do it so much." "Don't mention it, mate," Pipsqueak told him. "I'll see you soon." As he turned to leave, he looked over his shoulder. "I'll let you think over the money. I won't push you or rush you any more." "The money?" "For the boat." "Pip..." "Just think about it," the stallion urged him with a smile. "That's all. Think about how much you don't realise you want to do it, and how much fun it'll be. Goodnight, Feathers." With that, Pipsqueak turned and walked away, looking up as the first brave star twinkled into life weakly in the darkening sky. The pegasus watched him go for a little bit, then closed the door with a click. As he made his way up the stairs to his room, he thought about the paper he was writing. It shouldn't take much effort, and if the comic strip found its way into the paper, or he and Pip actually did manage to start up a publication business of their own...well, there was an exponential income for them. Plenty of things to do with that sort of money. He grit his teeth to fight back the unwilling smirk, impressed and irked by that stallion's brilliance. It seemed like there was only one true option, and so he made a mental note to visit the bank tomorrow and set up a high interest account. He'd need a hefty amount if he wanted to chip in for that boat.