Tales Of Friendship

by Bluecatcinema


Loss

Quibble Pants was walking down the streets of Whinnyapolis with a definite spring in his step. He was on his way to see his girlfriend Clear Sky. Their relationship had been going from strength to strength, and after finally gaining the approval of Clear's daughter, Wind Sprint, Quibble felt like everything was perfect. And today, he planned to surprise his two favorite girls with a picnic in the nearby park, a basket full of goodies held in one hoof.

'Got all of Clear and Wind's favorites.' Quibble mentally went over his checklist. 'Picked out just the right spot in the park, scheduled the exact time of the trip in order for us to enjoy optimum sunlight... Yep, this is going to be the most perfect picnic ever.'

Reaching Clear and Wind's house, Quibble knocked on the door. Moments later, the door opened, and the mare Quibble thought of as the most beautiful in all of Equestria stood before him.

"Hi, Q." Clear beamed.

"Morning, Clear." Quibble kissed her on the cheek.

"What's with the basket?" Clear asked, a knowing smile on her face. "Got some laundry that needs doing?"

"Very witty." Quibble smirked. "I was thinking we could all go on a picnic together. Just you, me, and Wind."

"That does sound lovely." Clear admitted. "But Wind might not-"

At that moment, Wind walked into view, having picked up an apple-based snack from the kitchen. She had an odd look on her face, almost like she was lost in thought.

"There she is." Quibble smiled, failing to acknowledge Wind's expression. "Hey there, Wind."

"Hi." Wind said flatly.

"Guess what?" Quibble held up the basket. "We're all going on a picnic. My treat!"

"Oh." Wind replied, sounding not at all enthusiastic.

"What's the matter?" Quibble frowned. "I thought you'd be a little more excited than that."

"I'm... Not all that hungry right now." Wind replied.

"Hungry enough for a snack, though." Quibble pointed out. "Well, there's plenty of snacks in here. Plus we'd all get some nice fresh air."

"I don't feel like going outside right now." Wind muttered.

"Who doesn't like going outside?" Quibble frowned. "Come on, I picked up your favorites: cherry pop tarts!"

"I said I don't feel like it!" Wind yelled.

"Wind!" Clear gasped, horrified.

Quibble was shattered.

"But I... I thought..." He stuttered.

"Just... Leave me alone!" Wind yelled.

Quibble stared in shock as Wind rushed upstairs. The silence was only broken by the slamming sound of the door to Wind's room being forcefully closed.

"I don't get it." Quibble frowned. "I thought everything was okay between Wind and me. But just now... it was like our trip to Appleloosa never happened."

"Oh, Q." Clear placed a hoof on Quibble's shoulder. "It's not like that at all."

"Then what's wrong?" Quibble asked.

"You just... Picked a bad time for a picnic." Clear sighed. "Today is the anniversary of the day Wind's father... Left us."

"Ohhh." Quibble nodded in grim recognition.

"She's been down all week." Clear said sadly. "And it just kept getting worse with each passing day. I've tried to talk to her about it, but she just wants to stay in her room, with old pictures of her father. She only comes out for the bathroom, or food. You were actually lucky to catch her."

"I don't feel so lucky." Quibble noted.

"Neither do I." Clear admitted sorrowfully.

"Maybe I could help?" Quibble offered.

"I don't know, Q." Clear frowned. "I'm not saying Wind doesn't need help, but maybe you're not the best pony to give it... No offense."

"None taken." Quibble said fairly. "I know it's a long shot, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway. For Wind's sake."

"Of course you are." Clear smiled lovingly. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Quibble smiled back. "Think I'm gonna need it..."

Stopping only to leave his picnic basket at the foot of the stairs, Quibble marched determinedly upstairs, and rounded a corner, heading toward Wind's room. The door was covered with sports stickers; Buckball, aerial relay, and several other sports were represented. For the second time that day, Quibble found himself knocking at a door.

"Go away!" Wind's voice emanated from within.

Ignoring Wind's words, Quibble opened the door. The interior of Wind's room was covered in sports posters, littered with sports equipment and sports magazines. Wind was sitting on her bed, holding a photo frame in her hooves, and wearing an annoyed expression on her face.

"Hey, kiddo." Quibble said warmly.

"I said go away." Wind pouted.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Quibble shook his head. "Your mom told me all about, you know... What today is."

"Oh." Wind's eyes narrowed.

"Look, I get it." Quibble assured her. "You miss your dad. And today is the day he... Well, you must really be hurting."

"Mm." Wind nodded sadly, clutching the picture frown to her chest.

"Is this... Him?" Quibble asked.

"Yes." Wind muttered.

"Can I see?" Quibble inquired. "Please?"

Wind grudgingly held out the picture frame. The photo within featured Wind riding on the back of an indigo-coated, blue-maned, silver-eyed Pegasus stallion as they flew through the air. Both father and daughter wore happy grins on their faces.

"Wow. He looks like a really great dad." Quibble noted.

"He was." Wind nodded wistfully.

"I know how you're feeling, Wind." Quibble declared, giving her back the photo.

"No, you don't." Wind turned away disbelievingly.

"Oh, I think I do." Quibble insisted. "Can I sit down?"

"Whatever." Wind growled.

Quibble sat down beside Wind.

"When I was your age, my absolute favorite pony in all the world was my grandma." Quibble revealed. "She was just the best. She'd bake me cookies, play cribbage with me, teach me how to paint, tell me stories about when she used to be a police officer..."

"She was a cop?" Wind gaped.

"Oh, yeah." Quibble nodded. "But that's a whole other story. Anyway, when I was a kid, I'd use to go round her place all the time. Every day after school, I'd visit her, and we'd spend hours talking and having fun. Those were some of the best days of my life."

"That's nice, but... Are you going somewhere with this?" Wind frowned.

"Don't worry, I'm getting there." Quibble declared. "One day, when I was about twelve, I was headed over to Grandma's place for some after-school fun. But then I saw the ambulance outside her house..."

"She... She'd" Wind whispered.

"She was gone." Quibble bowed his head. "One of her neighbours had a habit of dropping by, just like me. When she didn't answer the door, her neighbour got worried, and called for help. But it was too late. The paramedics told me that, from what they could gather, she'd passed away in her sleep."

"I'm sorry." Wind said quietly.

"Not as sorry as I was." Quibble sighed. "After I heard the news, I just... Shut down. I wandered home in a daze. A part of me didn't want to believe it, told me it couldn't possibly have happened, that it was all some sick joke. When I got home, my parents were waiting. They comforted me, told me how sorry they were, that they'd miss Grandma as much as I did... And that's when it finally sunk in. Grandma was gone, and I was never going to see her again. I started crying, and I kept crying for what seemed like hours."

Wind didn't say anything, but the look on her face made it clear she sympathised with Quibble.

"The pain was so terrible, I felt like my heart had literally been broken in two." Quibble admitted. "I barely ate, barely did anything outside of school (with my grades getting a serious drop, by the way). Just shut myself up in my room, staring at old photos of grandma. ...Sound familiar?"

"...Yeah, it does." Wind glanced at her own photo of her father. "I guess you do know how it feels..."

"I wish I didn't." Quibble sighed. "But I do. I know how much it hurts to lose somepony you care about so much."

Wind sniffed.

"Does... does the hurt ever go away?" She asked.

"I want to say it will." Quibble answered. "But it doesn't. Not completely."

"Then how did you get over losing your grandma?" Wind inquired.

"It wasn't easy." Quibble admitted. "And it didn't happen overnight, either. A few weeks after grandma's passing, all her belongings were sent to us by her landlord. While I was looking through one of the boxes, I found one of the paintings she helped me make, her old cribbage set, and even a picture of us from when she took me around the neighborhood one Nightmare Night when I was eight." He chuckled. "I was dressed as a wizard, and she was dressed like a fairy godmother. I got a ton of candy that night. Grandma told me not to eat it all, but I snuck some home and ate it after bed. I got a pretty bad tummy ache the morning after. Lucky for me, grandma had some ginger root to settle my stomach... And a side order of 'I told you so'."

Wind giggled a little.

"Looking at all that stuff reminded me of all the good times I'd had with grandma." Quibble continued. "All the fun, all the stories, all the cookies... The more I remembered, the less it hurt."

"I don't get it." Wind frowned.

"The truth is, you never really get over losing somepony." Quibble acknowledged. "But as long as you focus on all the good memories you have of them, they're never really gone, because they'll always be in your heart."

"Really?" Wind smiled weakly.

"Really." Quibble nodded. "And the last thing they'd want is for you to miss them so much that you shut yourself off from the world. They'd want you to be happy."

"Dad always did like seeing me smile..." Wind mused.

"And I'll bet you've got a ton of good memories of your dad, don't you?" Quibble suggested.

"I sure do." Wind agreed.

"Called it." Quibble grinned. "You just hold on to all those good times, you hear me? Keep them close to your heart, and your dad will always be with you."

"I will." Wind looked at the picture again, no doubt recalling the moment it was taken. "Thanks, Quibble." She smiled as she hugged her mother's new beau gratefully.

"Anytime, kiddo." Quibble patted the filly on the head. After their hug ended,he got back on his hooves. "Now, I'm sure you've got plenty of memories you'll wanna make sure stay fresh inside your heart. So I think I'll just leave you to it."

Quibble started walking out of the room.

"Wait." Wind said suddenly.

"What is it?" Quibble asked, turning around.

"...I was thinking." Wind declared. "Maybe I could go on that picnic with you and mom after all."

"Are you sure?" Quibble asked, trying to hide his burst of joy. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I do want to go." Wind declared. "Besides, I've already got lots of memories of my dad, but not so many of you. I want to be able to remember you if... Y'know..."

"Thanks, Wind." Quibble smiled. "But I'm not going anywhere just yet. Not if I can help it."

"Still, I really do want to go on that picnic now." Wind insisted.

"If that's what you really want, then let's not keep your mother waiting." Quibble urged.

Wind followed Quibble out of her room and downstairs, where Clear was waiting.

"Are you feeling better, sweetheart?" Clear asked.

"I am now, mom." Wind nodded. "Thanks to Quibble."

"Really?" Clear gaped. "Q, you are amazing!"

"It was nothing." Quibble said humbly. "We just sat down, and had a little talk, that's all."

"If you say so." Clear kissed him on the cheek.

"So now that everypony's onboard, whattaya say we get to picnicking?" Quibble picked up the basket.

"Sounds good to me." Clear nodded.

"Yeah!" Wind cheered.

"Music to my ears." Quibble smiled.

The three of them departed from the house, and started making their way to the park.

"I don't know what exactly you said to Wind, but it definitely worked." Clear told Quibble as she looked at Wind, happily trotting a few steps. "Great job, Q."

"I'd do anything to make you happy." Quibble nuzzled Clear. "Both of you."

Quibble knew he would never fill the place in Wind's heart that the memory of her father resided in, but he didn't want to. He was well aware could never replace Wind's father, but he was perfectly fine with being her second favorite stallion in the world. And he was going to do everything in his power to be there for her through thick and thin, no matter what.

'I may not be her father, but I'm gonna be the next best thing.' He promised himself.