As Singer lay on the ground, being held down by Thunder Clap, he began to get very peeved. What right does this guy have to come after all of the years of bullying him, to begin harassing him yet again? Hadn't he done that enough already? This dude seriously needs a hobby!
"Clap, I'm going to give you to the count of three to get off my-" he was cut off when Clap's left front hoof hit him on the head.
"What are you going to do, Singer? Sing me to death? Or are you really foolish enough to try and stand up to me again?"
Singer fell silent.
"That's what I thought." Clap remarked.
"Who is that?" inquired Gentle to Star Chaser, as they both pondered what to do about this, or if there was anything they could even do.
"Thunder Clap." he informed. "He was a brutal bully in our earlier years of school in Cloudsdale. And it appears that he hasn't changed one bit."
"That's not good, what are we going to do?" Gentle asked frantically, while trotting in place. "We can't just stand here and do nothing!"
"We're not!" said Rainbow Dash standing ahead of them, adding to the conversation before flying over to the bully, who was still currently pinning Singer down. "Hey Clap! Why don't you pick on some pony who can take it? I'd like to take you on a few rounds!" She said hovering above them, making punching and kicking motions with her hooves.
"I don't think that's quite the 'do something' we were thinking about." remarked Star Chaser to Gentle. If Dash had heard it, she didn't respond.
"Bug off, Dash! This has nothing to do with you! This is personal business between me and Singer." Clap said as he hit Singer in the head again.
"Will you stop that?" protested Singer.
"Shut up!" Clap said as he again hit his head.
"It does if one of my friends is involved!" she said defensively. "Don't make me come over there and rearrange your face!"
"You and what army?" Clap said, as he signaled Mocha and Taffy to fly and hover in front of Dash.
"Give me a break, am I supposed to be afraid of these clowns? They're nothing more than mere tag-alongs to make you look like you matter!" Dash said.
"You wanna repeat that, Clown Hair?" said Taffy, who was showing signs of anger when Thunder Clap was being brought up, and when their status as Clap's loyal sidekicks was being questioned.
"Ha! I've seen better comebacks on my breakfast cereal box!" snarked Rainbow Dash. Now Taffy's blood was really beginning to boil.
"Listen here, Rainbow Crash! I've put mares like you in the hospital for lipping back! I won't hesitate to do the same to you. I don't care how popular you are. All the more reason for me to put you in a head lock!"
"Bring it, powder puff!" said Dash as she laughed. "How about I pull that mane over your eyes even more!"
Taffy made the first move, flying over and hitting Rainbow Dash in the face while she wasn't paying attention. Rainbow slightly flew back and rubbed her face where Taffy's hoof had made impact. "You got me when my guard was down..." said Rainbow. "It won't happen again!" Dash said as she came back, and gave Taffy a punch of her own.
"Better back out, while you still can. Wouldn't want to smear your mascara!"
"Rainbow Dash!" she shouted angrily as she charged at Rainbow and rammed into her. Rainbow, however, was able to counter this by turning her body sideways, sending Taffy sliding off of her, heading straight down to the ground and making some hard, yet comical impact, causing a hole in the shape of her body when she did. "Screw you, Rainbow Dash...." said Taffy from inside her bodily shaped hole in the dirt.
Dash sniggered and held her stomach as she burst into laughter as she celebrated her victory. This was short lived, however, when she noticed that Mocha was charging from below her with every bit of speed he had, which was surprisingly fast considering his weight. She flew to the right to avoid him, successfully doing so, causing Mocha go upward with too much speed, making it harder for him to stop and fly back down. After struggling for a few seconds, he finally was able to regain himself and hover back down to face off with Rainbow Dash as Taffy had just done.
"You're going to pay for that, Rainbow Crash..." Mocha bellowed with his deep voice.
"I doubt it." said Rainbow Dash. "But you're welcome to try and collect your fee."
"Very funny..." he said.
"Will that be cash or credit?" she continued to satirize.
"Shut up!" said Mocha as he charged at her, yet again.
"Oh, they never learn!" said Rainbow Dash as she too charged at full speed.
Once they made contact, something unexpected happened. Unlike when she made contact with Taffy, it wasn't her pushing back, she was being pushed back by Mocha's weight. She didn't think that this was going to be a problem. Evidently it was, because upon impact she was immediately deflected off of Mocha's thick stomach, and sent careening back in the direction of a tree a tree, on which she made contact with, where Taffy had been waiting with a rope and took advantage of Rainbow Dash being stunned and tied her to it, so she wouldn't interfere anymore.
Upon realizing that she had been duped, Dash cursed and ranted. "Come on! I want a rematch!"
Her ranting was ignored as the duo of Mocha and Taffy only chuckled maniacally as they did their own awkward hoof shake in celebration.
Singer saw this and was even more agitated. "Let her go, now!" he commanded sternly.
"You're not in any position to make commands, you idiot! Now shut up..." Clap hit him on the head again, then held it up so he could watch. "And enjoy the show. Your time is coming."
Upon defeating Rainbow Dash, Mocha and Taffy set their eyes on Gentle and Star Chaser, who did not look like they were in any mood to fight. They narrowed their eyes at the couple, and smirked, followed by maniacal sniggering. They then looked back at Clap to make sure they'd have permission.
"What are you two standing around for? Just get them!" he commanded. "Get them out of here so that way I can handle this in private!" That's all they needed to hear, as they ran after them, flapping their wings as if they were preparing to take off. Gentle and Star Chaser turned in the other direction and fled in an attempt to lose them.
"What have we.... gotten ourselves into?" asked Gentle, as she breathed heavily while running.
"I don't know..... but we gotta get rid of these guys!" returned Star as they continued on. "Any ideas?" he asked.
"It's dangerous, but we could try to lose them in the Ever Free." she said, pointing with her eyes, noting that they were in fact approaching the forest.
"Let's try it" he said as he flew ahead and led his marefriend into the everfree with Mocha and Taffy behind them in persuit.
The bullies halted when they saw that they had entered the Ever Free. Just the very edge of the forest stopped them in their tracks, and scared them.
"Are you freakin kidding me?!?" shouted Taffy. "They had to go into the Ever Free?" Taffy deadpanned.
"They must have a death wish!" said Mocha. "This place is scary!"
"Just shut up and get them!" forced Taffy as she pushed back the brush and rushed in after them.
"I really don't like this..." said Mocha as he followed his companion.
.....
"It really stinks that we've had to wait this long to get down to business, little Singer." said Thunder Clap smugly. "But I do prefer a little entertainment before I commence a royal beating!" he chuckled.
"You're insane, Thunder Clap!" said Singer. "What the heck happened to you? I mean, yeah you've always been messed up, but this. This is a new level of insanity! Why come looking for me after all these years? What business could you possibly have with me?"
"You just don't get it, do you?" sneered the vengeful stallion. "Allow me to sum it all up. The day you stood up to me, was the day that ponies began to question my stronghold of dominance on the weaker members of the student body at school! I had other bullies that I had fought off, were coming back to challenge me to try and regain the turf I took from them."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" said Singer. "Seriously, that's not-"
"But wait, there's more..." he continued. "After showing that I was the top dog in school, I was able to reclaim my place at the top of the 'food chain'. But it didn't come without a price. Word had gotten to some of the parents and they crowded the principal's office... apparently. They deemed me too belligerent to be around on school grounds, so they sent me away to a boot camp. A boot camp!"
"I heard you the first time..."
"Shut up!"
"Boo hoo!" shouted Rainbow Dash, still tied up on a tree. "You got what you deserved, ya psycho!"
"Shut up!!!" he shouted. "Or you're next!"
"I still don't see how this is my fault..."
"It's simple. Had you not challenged me, I wouldn't have had to pick up the pace on my daily routine and put some other wannabes in their place."
"You were trying to take an innocent colt's bits. How could I just sit there and let you do that? Anypony who just sits by and watches is just as guilty as the pony committing the act! I had no choice!"
"Don't buy into that bull!" said Clap. "That's just what teachers tell us to keep us from doing stuff that we stallions are supposed to do. Fight for dominance!"
"We're civilized ponies, not feral ponies... wow, if I get any more 'civilized', I'm going to start sounding like Dusk..." During chats with Dusk, Singer had learned of his reservations toward fighting and violence, and how he preferred not to partake in it. And he could respect that, but even he had moments where he needed to stand up for himself and kick some flank. But only if needed. Singer wished he could do better at taking that cue. It would have saved him a lot of trouble, sadly Singer's impulsive anger outbursts weren't as easy to control as Dusk's were for him.
"What the heck is a 'Dusk'?" inquired Clap, immediately dismissing it afterwards.
"Ha ha, yeah." agreed Dash, still listening. "You are starting to sound a little like him. Just need to throw in some more pacifistic ideals at him."
"I told you to shut up!" said Thunder Clap.
"Make me!" said Rainbow Dash.
"I'd love to oblige, but I'm currently bus-"
This distracted Thunder Clap long enough for Singer to push one of Clap's legs out from under him, causing him to collapse and allowing Singer to push him off and regain his footing, or hoofing if you will. Finally free, Singer took this opportunity to distance himself from him a bit. Just enough to where he was within eye contact range.
"So... you're free now." he said. "I see you've gotten a bit better at fighting since our last dust-up."
"You could say that..." said Singer. "But I'm just getting warmed up... Hey is that a piano? What's it doing out here?"
Clap, surprisingly, fell for the 'monkey see' trick as he turned around and quickly turned back to see that Singer had flown off, while screaming for dear life.
"Get back here!" Thunder Clap growled. "I'm not near finished with you!" He took off angrily after Singer, starting a cat and mouse chase.
Meanwhile, Rainbow remained tied to the tree. "Don't mind me, just hanging around... I hate bad puns..."
But a stroke of luck fell upon her as a familiar face happened to be bouncing by.
"Pinkie! Hey Pinkie!" shouted Dash.
"Hi Rainbow, what are you doing tied to a tree?" asked Pinkie Pie. She then gasped excitedly. "Are you protesting for 'Save The Trees Day'? I didn't think you were into that sort of thing!"
"Never mind that! Just please climb up here and untie me!" she snapped. "And no, I wouldn't be caught dead at one of those meetings!"
"Okie dokie lokie!" she said as she bounced happily up the tree to aid her friend. "So, how'd you get up here anyway?"
"Ugh...."
.....
After several minutes of being pursued, Star Chaser began to notice that Gentle was getting exhausted from running. He knew they had to do something and fast. He led her through a thicker part of the forest where many trees and vines were hanging, and flew directly in front of her while they tried to elude their chasers.
Star moved up over a log, and Gentle in turn, attempted to jump over it. Though she didn't quite make it over it so she had to jump off of it, and continue on. She then followed him as he kept swerving right and left to get around the trees that were in their way. He then spotted a jumbled mess of vines and signaled Gentle back in front of him and to keep running straight. As Gentle ran under them, and he flew under them. He stopped and bit one of the vines, causing the whole mess to start falling and right on the dot it landed on Mocha and Taffy, causing them to get entangled.
"Aw crap!" moaned Mocha.
"This is all your fault!" said Taffy.
"My fault? I believe it was your brilliant idea to keep chasing them. I wanted to just turn around and go back, but nooooo..."
"And risk disappointing Clap? Don't you remember what he usually does to us when we botch our tasks?" countered Taffy.
"That's a lot better than being tangled up in a forest filled with those wooden beasts that attacked us...."
"Oh well excuse me for trying to...."
Happy with their victory, and ready to get away from the bickering duo of lackeys, Chase grabbed Gentle in a warm and loving embrace, and lifted her up so they could get above the trees to figure out see where they were. Just as he had feared. They were deep into the forest. They were lost. Chase flew along the tops of the trees, far enough away away from where they previously were and gently placed Gentle down on the ground so they could at least rest a minute.
"What are we going to do, now?" asked Gentle, with a hint of fear in her voice. "We can't stay here forever, and those two might find us again before long."
"Don't worry, we'll get out of here..." comforted Star Chaser as he nuzzled her. "We always do."
His reassuring smile did ease her nerves a bit, but it wasn't enough to keep them from being alert of any potential danger in the area. They stood close to each other, hoping to be able to keep away from any of the beasts of the forest. The dwindling sunlight would soon warrant the use of Gentle's horn for light. They hoped they wouldn't be in there that long.
Suddenly a snapping twig got their attention. Had it been Mocha and Taffy? Or worse, a predator?" they both gulped and stood back to back in order to keep themselves looking in both directions. Foot steps became more audible, as the two braced themselves for contact of any sort.
"Hello?" said a voice. Hopefully the voice of someone friendly.
"Hello there..." said Star Chaser. "Are you friendly?"
"That depends." the stranger said. "Are you hear to poach animals or to steal from me?"
"N-No sir." said Star Chaser. "Merely trying to escape a couple of pursuers that meant to hurt us, and now we are lost."
"Oh, well in that case. I'd be happy to guide you home, and offer any protection necessary." The figure emerged from the shadows of the tree. He wasn't a pony, but a griffin. A large male griffin with blue feathers, and black markings on his face. He also wore a compass around his neck. He appeared to be an explorer of some sorts. "My name is Steve. Steve the Griffin. I'm an animal observer who lives in the Ever Free forest."
"It's nice to meet someone friendly." said Gentle. "Especially in a place so scary..."
"It's not so scary once you get the hang of living here. Though it does have it's hazards." he stopped to check them both out to make sure they were on the level. "Would I be safe to assume that you are from Ponyville?"
"Yes, sir. We both live there." replied Star Chaser.
"Alright then." he replied with a friendly smile in his beak. "Let us be off to Ponyville!"
.........
Singer didn't know why, but fleeing seemed like the best course of action. Strategic withdrawal is what he'd called it to make himself feel less cowardly. But apparently his strategy wasn't really getting him anywhere or doing him any favors as Thunder Clap continued to chase after him.
He flew through clouds to try and confuse him, but Clap just used his skills as a former weather pony to move the clouds out of the way with strong winds from his wings, revealing where Singer had been hiding. Clap lunged at him, but Singer ducked low by ceasing the flapping of his wings just in time for Clap to miss him. Clap fought back hard to keep from flying off in that direction too far. He turned himself around and continued the chase.
He flew around chimneys and over roof tops, and even ducked through an alley once or twice in an effort to lose him. But to no avail. Clap was persistent, and he was bent on getting his revenge on Singer and working out the beatings he'd received from his master to take them out on Singer. But Singer wasn't having any of that! When Thunder Clap was chasing him, Singer seemed to finally give him the slip as he lost him down one of the alley ways. Singer checked to see if the coast was clear, and as soon as he confirmed no sightings of Thunder Clap, he darted back up into the sky near a small patch of clouds.
Fear struck him though, as Thunder Clap had been hiding in that small patch of clouds. Unable to react in time, Thunder Clap once again had a hold of him and began to push him back down to the ground. As they got closer to the ground, Singer tried to muscle his way back out of Clap's grasp, but couldn't do it. They wound up both crashing down on an empty field, that looked to have already seen some action some time before this, due to the pushed back dirt and other marks looking like slash marks. Though they looked to be months old. Their impact made a small crater into the field, adding to the damage on the ground.
"Now... are you finished running?" said Thunder Clap. "Because I'm ready to beat the living snot out of you!"
"Thunder Clap, listen to me. You've got to stop this right now! You're letting this whole revenge thing consume you and driving you mad!" begged Singer.
"So be it. As long as I get to pound you in, that's fine by me!" he lunged at Singer, who moved out of the way to avoid getting punched. "Hold still you rodent!"
Singer finally had enough of dodging and made an offensive attack on Thunder Clap's nose. "Dude, I'm serious! Stop! It's not worth it!"
This proved to be a bad move as Thunder Clap became more motivated than ever to pound him. "NEVER!" he shouted in fury. Singer knew at this point, that he was probably fighting for his life, so it was now or never. Singer then made his own charge and pushed Thunder Clap back. Clap collected himself, came right back up, and clobbered him right in the face, causing Singer to careen back a couple of feet, knocking him flat on his back.
"Nuh uh uh..." said Clap. "You didn't really think a weak punch like that was going to stun me, did you?" he mocked. "Because it clearly wasn't enough. You're weak just like any of those other weak colts. Yet somehow you stood out above the rest."
"Probably because I was the only pony brave enough to stand up to you."
"And look how well things are turning out for you..." Clap stopped talking when he noticed Singer pulling what looked like a small speaker out from behind him, and pressed play on it, starting the acoustic guitar music.
"Well I know what's right
I only got one life
In a world that keeps on pushing me around
I'm gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down
Hey, baby
There ain't no easy way out
And hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down..."
"Very touching..." said Clap insincerely. "You can not back down all you want, but that's not going to stop me from sending you to the Emergency Room!"
"Bring it!" said Singer, the words to the song, still playing in his head, as he lunged forth again to try and land a blow to Thunder Clap, but Clap was able to grab him and slam him down on the ground. He grabbed him again and threw him across the field as far as he could throw him.
Singer caught himself, and was able to land on his feet, sliding dirt behind his hooves as he stood to face Thunder Clap again.
"Resilient aren't we?" Clap chuckled. "Alright then. Let's see how long it takes to break you, Singer!" Clap announced as he attacked yet again. Singer dodged and grabbed Clap by the lower torso and swung him once towards the ground behind him. Clap immediately got back up and round house kicked Singer in the face, nearly knocking him out. Singer was now in trouble. He was stunned, and for the moment unable to get back up as the impact with his head from Thunder Clap's back hoof made his head feel light headed, and it became harder for him to get up.
Thunder Clap approached the barely conscious form of Singer, and prepared to strike another blow. This, however was interrupted by a very familiar face who came out of no where and rammed Thunder Clap, knocking him over, causing him to roll a bit until he came to a complete stop, landing on his right side.
Singer couldn't believe it. He was now staring at his older brother, Brawn. How the hay did he get here? Singer thought, as he tried to regain his strength.
"Why don't you pick on some pony who's got years worth of fighting training under his belt?" asked the orange pegasus stallion. "Or do you prefer the smaller, weaker ponies who can't defend themselves? Sounds like the makings of a coward to me."
"Y-You? But how did you get here?" inquired Thunder Clap. "How did you know where to find us?"
"You should really work on the volume of your voices during your conversations with each other, practically the whole diner could hear your stupid plan..." said Brawn. "I hope you're happy. I'm missing my wife's best dinner for this."
Brawn had never cared about Singer's well being before, or at least as far as he knew. He'd wondered if he was dreaming. Had that much really changed back home in his absence?
"Back off and let us finish our fight!" said Thunder Clap.
"The fight's over, he's almost knocked out cold. And if you want to inflict further harm on my little brother, you're going to have to come through me!"
Brawn was a little taller as well as more built than Thunder Clap was. Yeah, Clap was strong, but he couldn't hold a candle to Brawn if the two of them were to get in a fight.
Beginning to realize his defeat, Clap snorted and begrudgingly flew off, leaving Brawn and Singer alone on the open field. Singer was beginning to regain his consciousness as Brawn towered over him. "This is far from over, Singer!" he murmured to himself as he flew off.
"Brawn?" said Singer.
"Hold still, Singer." he said in the most comforting tone he could muster without sounding too compassionate and concerned. He picked Singer up, and put one of his front legs around his neck and shoulders, in an effort to help him fly home. "I'm gonna get you home. Where are we going?"
"The northern outskirts of Ponyville. My house is just a few miles away from a place called Sweet Apple Acres." Singer replied as clearly as he could. "Do you think you know how to get there?"
"I'm sure I'll figure it out."
"Brawn?" Singer said.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks..."
"Don't mention it. Really, it's cool."
.......
As Steve, Gentle and Star Chaser neared the edge of the forest, they were met by a dazed and exhausted Mocha and Taffy.
"Alright, Mocha... we got 'em..." Taffy said as she tried to swipe at them, but fell down due to how much energy she'd used. Mocha fell over on his first step to aid Taffy, deeming their efforts to all be in vain. But it wasn't exactly something that Gentle and Star would be upset about. They took this opportunity to get away from them before they came back to it, and tried to nab them again.
Steve, with his wings out stretched, to warn off any other animal or dangerous characters not to mess with him, giving Star and Gentle the Ever Free equivalent of a police escort, as Steve was sort of the unofficial animal cop of the forest.
"Thank you so much, for helping us get back to Ponyville." said Gentle.
"Not a problem, mate!" said Steve. "Don't hesitate to come back, now."
"We shall see." replied Star Chaser.
"Oh my gosh, Singer!" exclaimed Gentle. "Hurry, let's go see if he's alright!"
......
Singer lied down on his couch and rested his head on his pillow, once they had reached his house. Brawn, for the first time was standing in his house and looked around at it. He seemed to be impressed with how nice the interior was inside. But having him there was still a bit awkward considering how everything went down the last time, they'd met.
"So, you came to save me?" inquired Singer. "Why?"
Brawn sighed. "I don't know. I guess when I heard those goons talking about it at the diner in Cloudsdale, the instincts as an older brother that should have been kicking in all these years, finally did."
"So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I sucked as a brother, growing up. And what I said to you the last time I saw you, sucked as well." Brawn sighed again, feeling really guilty. "I regretted saying all of those things that I said to you not long after it happened. I figured, I'd just get back to celebrating my wedding, then talk to you when I got a break. It wasn't until I'd gotten back from the honeymoon with Lovie, that I found out that you'd left home and followed Uncle Fender to Las Pegasus. It was then, I began to feel really guilty. I never meant any of that stuff I said. Not even the part where I told you that you weren't supposed to be born."
"Are... you apologizing to me?" Singer asked, almost in disbelief.
"I am..." he responded. "It was stupid of me to act like that. And not just at the wedding. But my attitude towards you growing up. I should have taken Grandma Joy's advice that one day. I'm really, really sorry, brother."
Singer's eyes began to water again. He mentally told himself not to cry, but there was no holding back the tears. "What you said really hurt me, and sent me down a dark path of denial...." Singer said glaring at Brawn sternly.
Brawn only hung his head in shame in response to this. "But..." His ears perked up and he looked at Singer again. "What's past is past... There's really no need to dwell on it anymore. I learned that today while dealing with Thunder Clap. I don't want to end up like him."
"And you won't." said Brawn. "You're stronger than that, Singer. You always have been. I guess that's partially why I've always been a little jealous of you."
"You were jealous of me?" Singer was awestruck.
"In certain respects, yes. Everypony at first, seemed to like you better because of your upbeat personality. All I was ever able to do was intimidate, not necessarily bully, but intimidate most every pony I came across. I didn't have many real friends growing up, but you had Violet. Who, if you are wondering, is still doing quite well."
"So you know about what happened in Canterlot?"
"I heard, yes." he said quietly. "Looking back I wish I would have faced my fear of facing you again, and just apologized. I really wanted to help you through that, but I didn't think you'd want to read anything from me."
Singer thought that over, and it seemed logical to him. At the time, he was still miffed at Brawn. Anything Brawn would have sent him a couple of years ago, would have likely ended up in the trash. "I understand, Brawn."
"In short, I didn't realize what a wonderful brother that I had, until you were gone. After a while, I actually found myself missing having you around. Do you think that we can try to start over and be real brothers?"
"We can definitely try." Singer smiled. It seemed surreal to him. Brawn was actually making an effort to mend fences with Singer and actually trying to spend time with him. "I've always wanted to have you around to talk to, Brawn. I never stopped believing that we could actually get along. I'm more than willing to give it a shot."
"Thank you." said Brawn with a smile on his face. The burden of guilt he'd quietly carried over the last few years was finally falling off of him. "I know two other ponies who'd like to see you again. Mom and Dad."
"I don't know about dad..." said Singer.
"Trust me, dad feels just as bad as I did about what happened that day. And mom misses you, especially after you stopped writing to her."
"I do feel bad about that. It's been over a year since I last sent her a letter." Singer admitted, though it wasn't really a secret to begin with.
"As soon as you can, you need to come back to Cloudsdale for a day or two. There are some of us who really miss you."
"I will. I promise. As soon as I gather my wit and grit." Singer chuckled lightly.
"With that said, I really must be getting back to Cloudsdale. It's getting late and Lovie's already going to be mad enough as it is for me being late for dinner."
"Understood" Singer smirked. "Wouldn't want to end up in the doghouse."
"Ha ha, yeah..."
"I can't wait to meet your kids, and get to know Lovie better as well. It's been a long time since I've seen any of you."
"It'll be cool to have the whole family back together again for sure. Maybe even Uncle Fender can make it too."
"Hopefully..." he said. "Well I don't want to keep ya."
"Ah, yes. Of course." Brawn said awkwardly as he started toward Singer's front door. "Good evening, Singer and bye for now."
"You too." He said as Brawn walked out and shut the door behind him.
Singer rolled over on his side, pulled up the covers, turned off the lamp and began to drift off into slumber.
Later on that night, he'd get a visit from Gentle and Star Chaser, both checking in on him to make sure he was okay. Both were relieved to see that he was. He spent the next hour explaining to them what had went on before they'd gotten there, and he told it proudly.
"It was at that moment, I began to feel my life coming back together. Having my brother come and defend me like that, and then to come back into my life because of it was unbelievable. How could I not forgive him? I knew that us trying to get along would be a bit of a challenge, but if we both really worked at it, we'd be okay. But the next step is what scared me a bit. Getting back together with my parents, namely my dad. Part of me was still bitter thinking about him, but the other part of me really hoped that what Brawn said was true, and that I'd have similar results with him as well."