One Lonely Bridge

by Milo_Chalks

2: Coming down

“And then he just left… He threw that bombshell on me, and I froze. Rightfully so, might I add. I tried to think of something to say, but he just left. He huffed and heaved and told me his Dad had a freaking brain aneurysm, and then left.”

Pip’s mum had been diligently weeding away, listening to her son’s story as she ripped the pesky plants from their malicious roots. Pip leaned against the side of the house, holding the hose in the direction of the garden, looking dejected and confused. His Mum got up slowly, arching her back and tossing another cluster of weeds into the wheelbarrow nearby.

“I mean, how was I supposed to know? What was I supposed to do? Drop everything and just see him? What could I have done to make it better?” Pip continued, throwing the hose into the direction of another pile of plants along the side of the house this time. “And he could have just plonked him into a care home where he would be looked after. Feather should have thought about his future, he had options, and he should have used those options to come to me. I can’t believe he is guilt tripping me into thinking it’s my fault. I-”

“Pip.” His mother said curtly, ripping another weed from its roots. Pip may have been frustrated, he may have been angry and upset, but he knew never to play around when his mum was being sharp. “If you want to pin this argument on Featherweight, then take a good look at yourself first. You talk about this like he hasn’t just been through hell and back! Imagine being in his shoes, everyone is always around him, he has friends, a family that looks after him. Then he graduates and he loses both at once. How can you say that he could have just plonked him in a care home like he is a dog’s breakfast? Is that how you’d treat me?”

“No! Of course, I wouldn’t. why would I ever do that?” Pip whined.

“Well, why would Feather then? Stop looking at this from your perspective and start looking at it from his. I know you’re busy, and I know you just want to move on with your life and leave Ponyville behind, but don’t leave your friends with it,” Pip’s mum ripped up a dirty root and threw it at his face. Dirt and grit sprayed his face as the root smacked him square on his chest. “That’s for giving up on a friend.”

“Pfffbtth” Pip tried to spit the dirt out of his mouth, grimacing at the taste. “Alright! I’ll talk to him, just don’t send anymore dirt bombs my way.”

His mum smirked, and returned to the weeding, “good, but have a shower first, you’re dirty and stinky. Best to clean one mess before cleaning another.”

---

Wine. The perfect way to formalise an event. Whether that be a dress party, a corporate sprawl, or a teenager who wants to look like they have it together. Often found in some of the higher-end joints around town or for the particularly tasteful patrons of Berry’s bar. It was less likely to find the grape product sitting in a slightly raised clump of grass in one of Ponyville’s many parks. This one being the lakeside, with the glistening red water reflecting the late afternoon sun.

Pip gently poured the red liquid into the wine glass, filling it just over the mark, twisting the bottle and stopping the pour with an eloquent flick, before starting on the second glass. His hooves were crossed as he sat on the ground, looking out over the river and holding his glass with both hooves close to his chest.

“What do you want Pip,” Came a tired voice just behind his spot. Pip twisted his back and looked over his shoulder to see Featherweight, standing just a few meters away with what was almost a glare on his face. From what Pip could tell, it certainly wasn’t the face of amusement.

“You got my letter?” He asked, shuffling over and patting the spot on the grass next to him.

“Well… duh, I’m here aren’t I?” He retorted, walking up to Pip and standing above him. Pip rubbed his foreleg and put the wine beside him.

“Feather, I’m sorry… I didn’t know what was going on, and…” He trailed off, looking down to the ground. “I don’t know, I’m just sorry.”

Featherweight raised an eyebrow, and began turning around, “that was the shittiest apology ever, but whatever, just, have a good life Pip.”

“I was an idiot, I thought I was better than you, I thought I was better than Ponyville, that it wasn’t worth looking back at,” Feather stopped, and turned back around. “Sure, I was busy, but I could have visited, I could have written, I could have helped you. I lost contact on purpose. I thought because you didn’t leave that you were a nobody. I didn’t know about your dad, even if that hadn’t happened I was wrong.”

Featherweight came and sat beside Pip, grabbing the wine glass that Pip had laid for him earlier. He gazed off towards the lake and watched the leaves float gently into the water dyed purpley brown from the constant flow of leaves that rested in the water. “Yeah well, I’d like to say apology accepted. But you’ve been a bit of a shit head,” he replied, taking a sip of wine.

Pip sighed and turned to Feather. “I want to reconnect, y’know?”

“Yeah, well, that’s on both of us dude. I guess I could have at least made some time. Ever since I started looking after Dad I’ve been really hard on myself,” Feather put the glass down and laid back onto the grass, letting the blades scratch against his coat. “We had just finished school, I was young and ready to just leave. We were gonna have so much fun in the city together. The two scrawny kids, living big. It would have been the best. Then it all happened so fast. It was a big scare, they nearly lost him Pip...”

Pip sat silently, twirling what was in his glass and shuffling in his position awkwardly as he let Feather continue. The quiet ate away at him, thinking about all the things he could have done differently as to not abandon the one pony that needed him the most.

“Then he came out of the hospital, and it was like a whole new stallion. He just… He was gone, and I had to look after him. I still do, I’ve had to grow up so fast, and with everyone leaving, it was hard.”

Pip put down his own glass, turning back to face Featherweight looking up into the tree above them. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What?” Feather lifted his head to look up at Pip.

“Why didn’t you tell Rumble and I about your dad? I still read your letters, even if I didn’t reply to them. You didn’t once tell us what had happened. We assumed you just didn’t want to be around us anymore. That you had changed plans on us last minute.”

Featherweight shrugged, lying back down in the grass, “I guess I felt like I had already lost you guys. Neither of us have been very transparent recently. I’m sorry to Pip.”

“You should have come to me man, I’m not heartless. I guess we were both in the wrong here. I lost touch, and you just didn’t communicate. If you got stuff going down, please, tell me, dude. I got your back from now on, and I’m sure my mum could have gone over for a couple of days and look after your dad whilst you came over and stayed with Pip and I,” Pip finished. Feather smiled looking over to his friend pouring both another glass.

“Hey, Pip?”

“Yeah Feather?”

Pip handed Feather his wine. He looked queasy for a second and put it to the side. “Firstly… how do you drink this stuff for the flavour? Secondly, did you ever miss this?”

Pip turned his head and frowned. “This? What do you mean?”

Feather made hurried gestures to the lake, fanning his forelegs out and looking around, “this, everything… Ponyville, school. Everything we used to have.”

Pip shifted uncomfortably, turning to face Feather and hunching his back. “I guess, there were bits. I missed you, that’s for sure. It’s complicated, like, when I’m in the city I just feel so free and happy and busy. I’m too busy to feel like I miss home, but then I come back and remember how much fun we had and long for that still. I do and I don’t, I’ve moved on but I still go back to it. It’s more nostalgic, I guess.”

The sat in silence for a while, feeling the shiver of the night. It was a cooling breeze, rustling the leaves that were scattered around the tree by the lake. Moving around it would have been fine, but the two colts still sat there, just beginning to shiver. The sun was now further down the sky, reaching the tip of the tree, it was gently slithering into early evening, sending the crisp blue sky into a slightly silkier, darker hue. The smell of rain hit their nostrils as clouds begin to gently drift in their direction from beyond the lake.

Feather turned back to Pip after “Do you remember when we went to that abandoned maze some guy tried to set up years ago?”

Pip frowned, straining his memory as he lowered the wine glass from his mouth. “Uhhh… OH! I think I do! It was really overgrown right?”

“Yeah! And Sweetie Belle shat herself when Rumble crawled out from under the maze bush,” Feather had a huge smile on his face now, Pip laughing along merrily.

“That’s right! She wouldn’t trot near large bushes for weeks. She was sure Rumble would be hiding in one of them. Or, what about the time we all got drunk down at Berry’s and went down to the bridge-” Pip cut off and looked over to Featherweight, who was now looking a bit more uncomfortable.

“Pip, I’m sorry about yesterday, I wasn’t thinking, I just saw you and went…” Featherweight began, bringing his legs up to his chest.

“It’s okay dude. Look, we both were stupid, and I say we forget it happened. But I reckon we need to sort out what we are gonna do moving forward.”

Featherweight began, idly playing with leaves on the ground. “Well, for starters, I’m gonna write every day. Who knows, I might even come up and visit you guys.”

Pip smiled, and screwed the lid back onto his wine, leaning back and laying onto the grass. “That sounds awesome! I’ll reply to all your mail, and you can totally stay with Rumble and I. We have a spare couch always; when Sweetie Belle isn’t hogging it.” He smirked. “My mum can look after your dad and You’ll be able to see the gang again! A lot of us moved there, so we still do stuff, we grew up in Ponyville, but we are still having a hell of an adventure. You’re more than welcome to join it,” He smiled, sitting up and extending his hoof.

Feather went in for a hug, slapping his friend on the back, “Sounds perfect. I’ll come around, soon. We can all go out and do something.”

“Sweet! But I’m beginning to freeze here, and this red isn’t helping much, wanna go back to mine or yours?” Pip asked, hugging himself in an attempt at getting warmth back.

“Good to see you recognising the difference between fortified port and red wine by the way,” he said, eliciting a groan from Pip.

“Shutuuuuuup dude! We were so cringey. I still have that stupid bottle of port. I kept it at Mum’s though I was never gonna drink that, anyway.”

Featherweight got back up and plucked the now full wine glass off the grass and took another sip. “You still have that? Well… I actually have a bottle of some crappy coconut rum, wanna go get drunk at my place?”

Pip smirked, getting up and lending a hoof to help Feather up, “I wouldn’t have it any other way..”