NOTE: Credit goes to the great DoctorXFizzle of deviantART for creating Zippy, Merlin and Jinkie Pie. Iago the Parrot from Disney's Aladdin appears in this story, based off a story "Peewee Returns" written by the talented JusSonic.
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville as Fluttershy with her animals were trying to get some extra apples from a tree for Applejack. Iago, who recently moved in with Fluttershy flew over to see what was going on. He looked up and saw one apple falling down, and he yelped as one got stuck in his mouth. Fluttershy looked over and saw Iago with the apple in his mouth.
"Oh, dear." She said. She tried pulling it out, but no luck. "Angel?" She called her bunny friend.
Angel yelped and tried to hop away, he and Iago did not get along.
"Come on Angel," said Fluttershy. "Iago's a friend to all of us. I know you two don't get along much, but I'm sure that will change later, now can you please help get that apple out of his beak?"
Angel thought for a second and looked at his feet. He smirked and nodded to Fluttershy.
He hopped over to Iago and bounced on his stomach hard which caused the apple to go flying in the air. Fluttershy quickly pulled Iago out of the way before the apple could come back.
Iago coughed a little. "Thanks, I guess." He said.
"That's my boys!" said Fluttershy as she hugged the bunny and parrot. She then saw a mailpony walk up to her.
"Are you Ms. Fluttershy?" The mailpony asked.
"Yes?" said Fluttershy.
"Message." He said giving her a note. Fluttershy opened it up and read it.
Dear Fluttershy, we are going away and your younger brother Zippy is coming to stay with you all the while. Hope you two have fun! Love, your parents
Fluttershy gasped with happiness. "Zippy!" said Fluttershy, happily.
(Cue My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic theme song)
Fluttershy was waiting at the Train Station for her little brother, as she noticed Pinkie Pie there too.
"Hello, Pinkie Pie." said Fluttershy. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for my little nephew, Jinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie said happily. "He's going to spend the week with me!"
"You have a nephew?" said Fluttershy.
"Yep!" said Pinkie Pie. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for my little brother, Zippy." she said.
"You have a little brother?!" Pinkie Pie said, excitedly. Fluttershy nodded. "I should throw him a welcome party!" Pinkie Pie said jumping up and down.
The train then arrived. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie leaned in, seeing who was going to come out. A few ponies came out, followed by a young, yellow pegasus colt with short purple hair. His eyes widened as he saw Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy?" The colt said, grinning.
"Zippy!" said Fluttershy.
Zippy jumped into Fluttershy's embrace as they hugged.
"I missed you, sis!" said Zippy.
"I missed you too," said Fluttershy. "So much."
Pinkie Pie smiled warmly at this. Twilight Sparkle then showed up with Spike on her back.
"Hey, girls!" said Twilight. "What's going on?"
"Fluttershy's brother is gonna spend time here!" said Pinkie Pie.
Twilight looked over at Fluttershy and Zippy hugging.
"Aww," said Twilight. "I never knew you had a brother, Fluttershy."
"Well, I do." said Fluttershy, smiling. "This is my little brother, Zippy. Zippy, this is my friend, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight knelt down to Zippy. "Hi, Zippy." She said, sweetly. "Your sister and I are really-" Before Twilight could continue, Zippy ran over and hugged her.
"Excuse me," said Zippy. "But I'm a hugger," Twilight blushed at this as Fluttershy giggled.
"Jinkie Pie?" said Pinkie Pie, looking around. "Jinkie Pie?"
"Who are you looking for?" said Twilight.
"My nephew, Jinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie answered.
"You have a nephew?!" said Twilight, surprised.
"What's next?" said Spike. "Are we gonna see Rainbow Dash's daughter?"
Pinkie Pie was still looking around until she saw a little grey earth pony colt standing next to her. The colt had dark grey hair and a green fez, and he had Groucho Marx glasses.
Pinkie Pie looked confused. "Who are you supposed to be?" She asked.
The colt took off the glasses. "Gotcha!" said the colt.
"Jinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie said, happily.
"Aunt Pinkie!" said Jinkie Pie happily as he and his aunt hugged.
"It's hard to believe Pinkie Pie has a nephew," said Twilight to Spike. Spike looked and saw Pinkie and Jinkie Pie taking turns giving squeezing hugs to each other. "I believe it." said Spike.
"So, how have you been, nephew?" said Pinkie Pie.
"I've been doing great!" said Jinkie Pie. "I also met this really nice colt on the train! His name is Merlin! He's moving here!"
Jinkie Pie then spotted a small, blue, unicorn colt with dark blue hair. "And there he is!" said Jinkie Pie.
He and Pinkie Pie ran over to him. "Hi Merlin!" said Jinkie Pie.
Merlin looked confused. "Uh," He said, confused.
"It's me, Jinkie Pie!" Jinkie Pie said.
"Oh, yeah!" said Merlin, remembering. "The one who told me the elephant joke,"
"You betcha!" said Jinkie Pie. "This is my aunt Pinkie Pie, and over there is one of her friends, Twilight Sparkle!"
Merlin's eyes widened. He instantly ran over to Twilight, amazed. "Hello," Twilight said, smiling to him. "You must be Merlin."
"You-you're Twilight Sparkle?" said Merlin, in awe. "The Twilight Sparkle? Student to Princess Celestia? Studying in magic? That Twilight Sparkle?"
"The one and only." said Twilight, nodding.
Merlin had a big grin on his face as he passed out. "Is our son okay?" Asked a pony who looked like he'd be Merlin's father.
"Yeah, he's fine. He just passed out." said Twilight. "Well, thanks for telling us." said his mother, smiling.
"My pleasure." said Twilight.
"So, you're Twilight Sparkle." said Merlin's mother.
"Yes I am." said Twilight.
The mother and father smiled at each other.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, you'll find out." said Merlin's father. Merlin's mother picked up her son and put him on her back.
Twilight smiled. "What a cute foal." She said.
Fluttershy and Zippy were walking to her cottage.
"So, Fluttershy," said Zippy, bouncing around her. "Can I help you out with animal work? Please?"
"Well," said Fluttershy. "I don't know, it's a heavy responsibility, and it can get kind of dangerous."
"Please?" said Zippy. "I really wanna help!"
"Hmm," said Fluttershy. "I guess we can give it a try."
"Yes!" said Zippy happily jumping in the air.
The two Pegasuses went inside the cottage and saw Iago just sitting there, looking un-amused.
"What is it Iago?" said Fluttershy. "I'm not supposed to say a word." He said.
Pinkie Pie and Jinkie Pie then popped out wearing party hats as confetti and balloons filled the room. "Surprise!" They both said, happily.
"Oh, you guys." said Fluttershy, smiling.
"Say, Zippy!" said Jinkie Pie, jumping around Zippy, who was first hiding behind his big sister. "Do you wanna play with me, tomorrow? We'd become the best of friends!"
"Well, I was planning to help Fluttershy with her animals." said Zippy.
"It's alright, Zippy." said Fluttershy, smiling. "You can play with Jinkie Pie and you can help me in the afternoon."
"Cool!" said Zippy as he hugged his big sister. "Thanks Fluttershy!"
Meanwhile, Merlin was at his house, trying to play with his brothers and sisters. They were all playing ball while not passing it to him. Merlin then jumped in the air and finally caught the red ball. Merlin's eyes widened as his brothers and sisters got ready to tackle him in a similar way to soccer.
"I thought we were playing ball!" Merlin said while being tackled.
"Things change!" laughed one of his brothers as Merlin was then thrown in the air and onto the ground.
"What a geek!" laughed another one of his brothers.
"Hey, guys!" said one of his older sisters. "Lay off! Remember, he's our little A+ brother!"
Merlin smiled at that, he was very smart.
"As in Accident and up!" His sister then said cruelly at him.
As his siblings laughed, Merlin sniffed a little as he walked away from them. This always happened, every time he wanted to play, they kick him out and insult him. He then sat down on a rock, feeling lonely.
Twilight Sparkle was walking along until she noticed Merlin. She instantly developed a soft spot for Merlin when she first met him, and she looked concerned when she saw him down.
"Merlin, is that you?" She asked, walking up to him.
"Hmm?" said Merlin, looking around. He noticed Twilight looking at him as he then nearly fell off the rock. "Hi Ms. Twilight Sparkle!" He asked, smiling. "What's up?"
"Well, I noticed you looking pretty upset." said Twilight, kneeling down to him. "Is something wrong?"
Merlin looked down stubbornly. "It just isn't fair." He said.
"What isn't fair?" asked Twilight.
"My brothers and sisters always make fun of me, and never let me hang out with them." said Merlin. "I just want to feel more appreciated around them."
"Well, do your parents appreciate you?" Twilight asked.
"Well, yeah." said Merlin. "They love me very much."
"You do have a point, you are very likable." said Twilight, smiling to him.
Merlin blushed at that. Twilight said he was likable, this was one of the best moments of his young life.
"So, just remember," said Twilight. "If your brothers and sisters start picking on you again, just ignore them. What they say may not be nice, but it isn't true."
As Twilight got up, she said one more thing. "And you're welcome to visit me anytime, I seem to be okay with your folks." Twilight winked at him and walked away.
Merlin smiled, he then got up to go inside his house. "Hey, who were you talking too?" said one of his brothers. "Your girlfriend?" As his brothers and sisters laughed. Merlin ignored their laughter as he walked inside the house, smiling. "Who was he talking to?" asked another one of his brothers. His siblings all glared at him. "What?" He said. "I didn't know!"
As Merlin got inside his house, he was filled to the brim with joy. He happily hopped around the house. "Mom! Mom!" He said happily. "I'm gonna be Twilight's apprentice someday!"
"I'm sure you will." His mother said, smiling while ruffling his mane. Merlin hopped over to the window and saw Twilight walking home. "Someday," He said, smiling.
The next morning, Zippy, Merlin and Jinkie Pie were playing tag, while two fillies were watching them. They were none other then Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. This is just what they need...more 'blank flanks'.
"Hey," Diamond Tiara said. "What are you three doing?"
"Playing tag!" said Jinkie Pie. "Wanna play?"
"No way!" said Diamond Tiara. "We don't play with blank flanks!" She waited for a response, but all she got was; "All right, suit yourself."
Diamond Tiara started to get annoyed. "Hey, blank flank!" She said to Merlin.
"It's actually Merlin." said Merlin, calmly.
"What are you doing?" said Diamond Tiara, peeved.
"Ignoring you." said Merlin. "What you're saying isn't nice, but it isn't true. So, I'm ignoring it."
Diamond Tiara growled. She turned to happy-go-lucky Jinkie Pie and smirked, evilly.
"Hey!" Diamond Tiara said.
"Yeah?" said Jinkie Pie, turning to Diamond Tiara.
"Your hat...looks weird!" She said in his face.
Jinkie Pie stood there, speechless. "Thanks!" He said, smiling.
Diamond Tiara's jaw dropped. "I'm trying to get you mad!" Diamond Tiara said on the verge of anger.
"Why you get ponies mad, when you can make them glad?" said Jinkie Pie hopping around.
Diamond Tiara hit her head on the ground in annoyance.
Diamond Tiara then looked towards Zippy. "What about you?!" She said. "You're the brother of that wimpy Fluttershy, are you just a big a baby as she is?"
"I'm actually pretty brave!" said Zippy, smiling. "Whenever Fluttershy needs help when I'm around, I'm the colt she turns to! I can scare off a lion!"
Diamond Tiara then gave up. "Oh, forget you!" She said. "Come on Silver Spoon!"
Silver Spoon stood there. "He scared off a lion?" She said.
"SILVER SPOON!" Diamond Tiara snapped. Silver Spoon quickly caught up with Diamond Tiara as they stomped off.
Zippy, Merlin and Jinkie Pie continued playing, but none of them knew that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were watching the whole thing with Diamond Tiara.
"Hey," said Apple Bloom. "The way y'all stood up to Diamond Tiara was pretty cool."
The colts looked over and smiled. "Gee, thanks!" They said.
"Who are you fillies?" said Jinkie Pie.
"I'm Apple Bloom." Apple Bloom introduced.
"Sweetie Belle," Sweetie Belle followed.
"And Scootaloo." Scootaloo finished.
"Well, I'm Zippy!" said Zippy.
"I'm Merlin!" said Merlin.
"And I'm Jinkie Pie! Born to party and love every second of it!" said Jinkie Pie.
The CMC giggled at that. "Can we play with you guys?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Sure!" said Merlin. "Why not?" "Why don't we go swimming?" said Jinkie Pie "Alright!" said Sweetie Belle. The fillies and colts then jumped in the lake as Applejack watched smiling.
"What are looking at, Applejack?" said Rarity coming up to her.
"Those little fillies finally made some new friends." Applejack said, happily.
"Aww, that's so sweet." said Rarity. She looked over and saw Sweetie Belle hanging with Jinkie Pie. Rarity's eyes widened. "She's with a boy." She said. Rarity then fainted as Applejack smirked.
Later, Zippy was with Fluttershy wanting to help her with her animal duties.
"So, Fluttershy?" said Zippy. "What do you need help with?"
"Well, I'm fine right now," Fluttershy said. "Why don't you go see what animals you can help."
"Really?" said Zippy. Fluttershy nodded. "Sweet!" He said.
"He then walked around the forest, seeing what animal he could help. He then spotted a bear groaning. He then noticed the bear had his paw stuck in a pile of rocks. He ran over to the bear. He then pushed all the rocks out of the way. He looked proud of what he did, but then noticed the bear looking hungry at him. Zippy started to back away a little, but then started running.
"Fluttershy!" He yelled. The bear started to chase him. "Help!" Zippy yelled.
Fluttershy heard that and gasped. She saw the bear chasing Zippy. She instantly flew between them and faced the bear.
"It's okay, Mr. Bear, calm down. This is just my little brother." Fluttershy said, calmly. "Why was he chasing you?" Fluttershy asked Zippy.
"I-I-I got his paw free from a pile of rocks." Zippy said, standing still as stone while looking scared. "See, Mr. Bear?" Fluttershy said. "He was only helping." The bear then calmed down and snorted. He then turned to walk away.
Fluttershy turned to Zippy, smiling. "Feeling better, Zippy?" She asked. Zippy didn't say anything. He still looked scared.
"Are you feeling okay?" She asked.
Zippy snapped out of it. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine."
"Why don't you just stick with me the rest of the time." Fluttershy said.
"Yeah, okay." said Zippy.
That night, Zippy was getting ready to sleep on the couch, but he was still thinking of what happened today. Was he really as brave as he thought he was?
Fluttershy walked up to him. "Zippy? What's wrong?" She asked in a sweet tone.
"Nothing," Zippy said, looking down. But then he looked up to his big sister. "But can I sleep with you, tonight?" He asked.
"Of course." Fluttershy said, smiling. Zippy then followed Fluttershy upstairs to sleep with her. Fluttershy and Zippy got in bed, and Fluttershy pulled the covers over them. Zippy was instantly out when his head hit the pillow. Fluttershy simled as she then wrapped her wing around Zippy and gave him a good night kiss.
"Good night, Zippy." Fluttershy said, as she fell asleep with her little brother.