//------------------------------//
// Son? 
// Story: Friendship: a new type of animalism. 
// by MetalBrony823 
//------------------------------//

Spook was having a nice, relaxing morning with Pip. His encounter with Fang, the wolf that they helped Fluttershy treat his injured leg from hurting,  was an extraordinary encounter, yet a little terrifying. He knows that wolves are not like a domesticated house dog, although they did originate from their wild, tough ancestors a really long time ago. He actually thought that it would kill Jessie along with Muriel and Benjamin, but perhaps he realized that you can make some type of friend from any species. Wild or tame, smart or stupid, they would be comrades nevertheless. 

"So, what was this 'Fang' like?" asked Pipsqueak with curiosity

"He was.... quite a bit surly at first, lad." Spook replied gently. "But, he was truly grateful for helping his injured leg from hurting too much, thanks to Fluttershy. With that, he became our newest comrade to all of us."

"That's awesome!" Pip exclaimed. "Will you see hm again?"

"I'm pretty sure that we will Pip. He has heard of Fluttershy even before we helped him to her." Spook replied. "Well, what would you like to do now?"

"Umm, wanna play hide and seek?" Pip asked

Spook was silent for a moment, but he finally said at last "I don't know, lad. I am not one for playing games."

"Oh come on, Spook. Pleaaaaasse???" Pip begged. He didn't give him the puppy dog eyes to change the bulls' mind, but he still looked innocent after all.

Spook chuckled and he smiled at him "alright alright. I guess I can play with you for a little while." He said to.him in a humble voice. 

Pip smiled more widely and lept with joy. "Yay. How about we play in the forest."

"Sure. As long as it's not the Everfree Forest." Spook reminded. 

"Oh of course. I would never go in there. I'm smart I know what's in there."

"That's wonderful to hear." Spook got up and lifted his large, muscular body in a standing position, looking like a giant to the colt. "Let us be off." He said. He and Pip walked side by side as they went into the fields and a small pat h of forest on the outskirts. 

Before they went off however, Pool had to inform Pip's parents the they will be playing a little far away from the house. Spook told them about it, and they were both alright with that. The only.warnings she said to both of them was to.not hurt themselves while doing that and to be careful. Now they went to a part of the forest surrounding Ponyville, and it was not quite as far as they both thought. 

When they reached it, it was all but quiet, except for the sounds of birds singing and crickets chirping loudly. It was not scary of course, for it looked nothing like the Everfree Forest. "Soooooo.... Who will count?" Pip asked.

"I'll do it if.you like." Spook volunteered. 

"Okay."

Spooked closed his eyes and counted from one and then two. Pip was quietly walking away from the bull to.find a perfect hiding place.."Coming! Ready or not!" Spook called. He searched high and low for Pip and no luck.."hmm, you're good, boy." He thought. Out in The open, he saw something in the distance. He used his eyes to get a.better look. He still couldn't see however, so he decided go over to the small white figure. "Hello?" He called to it as he was walking. "Is anyone there?"

Finally, he got a closer look at it but not so close for he might startle it and run off like a chital deer prancing in a field full of flowers. The creature turned his head, and it looked very much like a calf, and it was a little furry. Spook froze and could hardly believe what he saw. A baby white calf. Why it surprised him was because he had a son that looked just like it. His son was one of the best things that ever happened to him. Sadly, Mr. Jones sold him to make some money to buy some whiskey for himself and his henchmen, like Clover and her foals that were also sold from Jones.

"Ghost?" he said in disbelief. He inched a little closer to him, a little more slowly, trying not to scare the little calf. "Is that.... is that you?" he felt like being on the verge of tears right now, believing that he has found his long lost son

"Ghost?" the calf said to him at last in reply. It was like a little boy's sound, like Pipsqueak's voice, except it was a little higher, and it was not in a British accent. "Who's that?"

Then Spook's spirit became low again. "Oh." he said in sadness. "I... I am so sorry little one. I... I thought you were someone else. I'll be on my way now and leave you be." He was about to turn away and find Pip in his little game of Hide and seek again. However he was stopped by the calf's voice.

"Hey wait." he said. "Are you okay, mister?"

"Yes. I am alright." Spook replied in a sad voice. He says he is alright, but on the inside of his large body, he is not alright. He was about to walk away and leave the calf be again, but was once again, stopped by him.

"Wait." he said a little. "Who did I... remind you of?"

Spook realized that the colt won't leave him alone, and turned out to be quite relentless with his curiosity. He was just a child so he couldn't blame him for having such a big curiosity like a lot of children have. He decided to tell him his little problem anyway because of that. "Very well." he finally replied to him. "I might as well tell you." Then all of a sudden, he remembered Pip, probably still hiding from him during the game. "Oh my god, Pip." he said out loud in remembrance. "Come with me." he said to the calf. The boy didn't say anything but nodded in agreement to the larger bull and followed him back.

The bull searched high and low for the small colt. No luck. That boy must be really good at this little game of Hide and Seek. Spook gave him a lot of credit for that. "So, who are we looking for?" Asked the calf

"A colt named Pip. We were playing hide and seek together and then I got a little....." He looked away from him in sadness. "Turned around." And then he gave a sigh of melancholy.

"Hide and seek?" Said the calf kind of excited. "Can I play with you?" 

"We'll see." Spook continued his search for Pip, and still no luck. "Pip." He called. "Where are you? I really need to speak to you. Please, Pip, come out."

"What is it?" Said Pip's voice from behind. "I though we were playing hide and seek."

"We are, we are, I just..... Became.... Distracted as a light way to explain." Spook said, a little embarrassed.

"About what?"

The bull looked back at the calf again and then Pip looked at him. Pip smiled and looked happy to see an I the resting creature like him. 

"Oh, hello there, friend." Pip said in a polite voice.

"Hi." The calf replied.

"What's your name?" Pip asked

"Babe." The calf replied. "And yours?"

"Pipsqueak, but you can call me Pip." The colt replied, and then the calf smiled at his response. He looked at Spook again and he asked him "why were you.... Distracted by him?"

"It's... Ridiculous. I shouldn't tell you." Spook replied in slight shame.

"Come on, Spook. What is it?" Pip begged.

"Spook?" Said Babe

"Yes, that is my name." The bull said. "Aright. I thought I.... Saw my son at last, but.... I thought not." He looked at the colt again. "You... Just look like my son. I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable about that."

"That's okay." Babe replied to him. "What happened to your son?" He didn't want t see him suffer more for asking that question, but he also did want to know more about this little..... Miscalculation.

Spook said "He got sold from my owner so that he can make money, and then I never saw hm again." He was about to she'd a tear again, just thinking of the thought of losing his one and only son. "I... I just need to be alone." He was abo to walk off, but was stopped yet again, by Babe.

"Wait, please wait, Spook." The calf said. "I'm sorry about that, really, I am."

"Yeah, so am I, Spook. Terribly sorry." Pip added. Alas, it did not make Spook feel better. Then he thought of an idea. He walked up to the bull and said "I'm pretty sure he is doing just fine with his new owner. I know it."

Spook then thought of how kind the new owners were to him, unlike the drunken Mr. Jomes and his cronies. A small smile appeared on his face. "You're right. Thank you Pip." Then he turned his attention to Babe again. "So, Babe, what is a calf like you doing out in the middle of the forest? And... Where are your parents?"

The calf's face turned into a frown. "They..... They..." He turned away from the two in shame. "They are... Dead."

Spook and Pip gasped with shock. "What?!" They both exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah um they.... They got killed during a timberwolf attack." Babe admitted

"Oh you poor shield." Spook said, walking up to him. "So you live by yourself?"

"Yeah, and... It can get really scary out here, and especially when it's dark at night. Predators can try to pounce on me and then eat me, or a blizzard can come anytime soon since it's winter right now."

Spook and Pip felt their hearts shattering from his tragic life he just endeavored. Finally, Pip then said to him at last "you can stay with me and my parents if you like."

"Really?" The calf asked, touched by his idea.

"Of course, let me ask me mum and dad and see if they at an help you with your problem." Pip replied. "I am pretty sure they wouldn't mind."

Babe smiled at his kindness "oh, well, that's very kind of you, Pip. I... I don't know what to say." Then he hugged the colt as a thank you gift.

Pip hugged him back and responded "you're welcome."

"Well, not that that's over, would you like to play hide and seek again?" Spook said, more happier now.

"Yeah." The boys exclaimed. Spook closed his eyes, and began counting again while the two kids went out to hide in the snow.