So, Dirty Bit’s epilogue for our first chapter gave me an idea: We have a lot of fillies and colts, most of which are quite popular, but barely any larger roles for kids in the manga. So how about we mix the Coby and Helmeppo story from the manga up a little more. I assume that Dirty Bit’s idea was to have Pipsqueak join the Marine like Coby did, so let’s go from there.

My idea is to have a small epilogue after every one of the next chapters/arcs (possibly all written by Dirty Bit, because I have little experience with Pip’s accent) in which Pipsqueak reaches the islands in his small boat shortly after the Straw Hats leave. On each island we have one of the kids that will tell him what happened and then be asked to join him.

Here are my suggestions for the East Blue Arc:
• Alvida’s Ship: Pipsqueak (obviously)
• Marine Base (the one where Rainbow Dash is being held): Scootaloo (also taking the role of Rika – the little girl Zoro rescued who brought him the rice balls)
• Orange Town – Buggy/Trixie Arc: Featherweight, Twist, Ruby Punch, Snips+Snails or maybe nopony in that town.
• Ussop/Spike Arc: Dinky Doo (I thought about changing the Ussop Pirates into a friendly rivalry between Dinky and Spike; Spike claims that his father is a great pirate – because he can’t reveal his relationship to Twilight (Nico Robin) – while Dinky’s mother is a high-ranking Marine and she wants to follow in her footsteps. I’d like to take that chapter if no one minds)
• Baratie: Apple Bloom
• Cocoyashi Village/Arlong Pirates Arc: Sweetie Belle
• And lastly Logue Town: Babs Seed; I thought that in Logue Town the group would finally catch up with the Straw Hats. Babs Seed would lead them around town and Pipsqueak would watch Pinkie Pie almost get executed. Finally when the Straw Hats are running away from the Marines Pipsqueak and his friends try to block their way, but the Straw Hats just run past them (there’s a short moment of recognition, but the Straw Hats only get a short look at them and can’t stop to look into it). After the Straw Hats escape, Vinyl/Smoker approaches the group and offers to let them join the Marine and take them to Marineford to train.

After that we can see which of the remaining kids they might meet there, but we have a recurring side role for most of the kids and I don’t have to listen to some completely off-character suggestions for the Crusaders.

2150671 how will this work with sweetie belle though? Her being Rarity's sister and stuff. Even though this is alternate universe, how will that work?

2150802

That's why she is in Cocoyashi village (instead of Nami's sister, maybe?)

2150831 I mean would she join the marines in pursuit of her sister? I do like the idea though, showing another small group of characters to follow

2151082

Luffy was practically Coby's first and best friend in years, and he joined the Marine and vowed to defeat Luffy, because Luffy and the other Straw Hats wouldn't have it any other way.
It's a friendly rivalry and a motivation for the kids to become stronger.

2151152 hmmm, very true there. I can see that idea now,

2150671 I still say that the Crusaders and the Usopp Pirates make magnificent Paralells of one another. Scoots and Carrot are quite similar, and the same could be said of Sweetie and Onion, and Apple Bloom and Apple. Heck, Apple wants to be a master carpenter for cryin' out loud!

D
I like the Pipsqueak idea, though he DOES have a pre-established love of pirates. Perhaps Rumble could be used in his place?

Berry Pinch would work better as Rika tha Scootaloo, heck their mothers even have similar jobs!

2152335

I thought about the Usopp Pirates, but they have so little screen time and I felt like it would just be a waste of great characters.
Ruby Punch (that's the name I know her under) might fit for working in a bar, but I wanted to combine the Crusaders with their respective sisters/idol.
I know that Pipsqueak is usually portrayed as a pirate... I thought about that, and I thought maybe we could keep that up for the first chapters, having him change his mind when Vinyl offers them the opportunity to become stronger at Marineford.

2155275 I'd prefer to think of the Usopp Pirates as a cameo for the CMC, rather than a waste of characters.

While I can understand your desire to put the Crusaders with their sisters, I think that would seem a bit forced, and they don't quite fit the roles of those characters in the first place. Besides, the CMC are often put in fics with Spike, so they make a better fit for the Usopp Pirates than anypony else.

Also, Ruby Punch is not a name I've heard her called before. I've heard Ruby Pinch and Berry Pinch, and I only recently learned that Berry Pinch is her supposedly-official name, so I called her Berry Pinch. Plus, it fits with a Japanese naming scheme, which I find humorously relevant.

2156048

I don't want to put them with their sisters, I rather want to give them a side plot so they're not forgotten, and so we can still give them some screen time from time to time.
They're going to have their own adventure, and while they will go a similar way like Coby and Helmeppo, they'll be their own characters, without any roles to fit.
We are going a good way away from the Manga anyway, this would just be one more original piece to the story.

Also...
Huh...
You're right, her name is Ruby Pinch... Must have gotten that mixed up. Oh well.

2156223 I know what you meant, I just phrased my response poorly.

Anyway, who do you think is a better fit for the Usopp Pirates, then? Hm? Who goes better with Spike? What three fillies or colts should be the Usopp Pirates if the three who are most often set up with him aren't?

What's that?

You don't know?

Exactly.

Besides, if we aren't sticking to the manga, why not just have the Usopp Pirates leave Stirrup Village, then meet up with the other foals in the side-story? Would that not also work?

2156275

It would work, of course. I just wanted to have the Crusaders have some relationship to their sisters/Rainbow Dash, rather than being some kids who follow Spike around.
They only had a few minutes of interaction with Spike in the series (unless I'm forgetting something); they are set up with Spike in several fanfictions, because they are Spike's age and the other fillies and colts from their class are usually in their own specific pairings.

I already have a good idea for Spike-Dinky interaction in the version I suggested. I don't get any ideas when I think of the Spike and the Crusaders in your version - or at least nothing remarkable beyond what you can find in the manga. If by some miracle more people start commenting in these threads, and want to see your version, I'll accept that; in that case someone else will have to write that chapter, though.