Pipsqueak remembers his most beloved family member... and the tragic feeling of knowing he's gone...
A year after Pipsqueak loses his brother in an accident, he is now living in Ponyville and approached by the CMC to join their Camping Crusade for cutie marks. Despite his apprehensions, he joins them, while the memories he and his brother shared plague him. Can Pipsqueak get over the pain and have fun with his new friends? And when danger approaches, will he have the strength to get himself and the CMC to safety?
A/N: The huge inspiration for me writing a Pipsqueak story came from reading Pipsqueak the Valiant (http://www.fimfiction.net/story/4532/Pipsqueak-the-Valiant). If you did enjoy this story, jump on over to the link and give it a read. A must read for all Pip fans!
Last note: I understand that in DawnFade's story 'Eternity,' there is a character named Patch. As much as I enjoyed that story, the Patch in this fic is not a direct reference to his story. I actually had this story up before his, but due to my extensive editing, it shows that this story came after his. Also, his Patch is not a reference to my Patch, this was just a case of freaky coincidence. Do read his story too, (www.fimfiction.net/story/6295/Eternity) it's another great Pip story that you are sure to love!
“Yeah Patch…? What is it?” Pipsqueak said as he looked up at the older pony before him. The stallion was a full-grown pony; and like the younger colt, his pinto coat was a pure white, splotched with brown spots, slightly darker than Pipsqueak’s shade of spots. While the speck around his eye matched that of the colt’s, it was instead surrounding his right eye.
“I’ve been thinking…” The stallion, Patch, said as he scratched his dark-brown mane gently with a hoof. “Well… I think… I wanna join the Royal Guard…”
This news stunned Pipsqueak as his started to stammer. “J-Join the Royal Guard…? B-But… if you join them… y-you’ll have to leave…”
Patch let out a small smile. “I talked with the recruiter… he said that I would be able to stay locally… I wouldn’t be moving too far from you, baby bro.” He looked over, seeing that his younger brother had his head down, still frowning. “Hey… c’mon kiddo…” He rubbed a hoof atop the colt’s head gently, messing up his mane. “You know me… I’ll come by and see you every chance I get.”
Pipsqueak laughed slightly as he stepped away from Patch’s hoof. “You promise?”
Patch’s grin got wider. “You know it, Pip! Can’t leave my baby brother alone for too long!” He let out a chuckle as Pipsqueak ran to him, wrapping his hooves around his body in a brotherly hug. “… You know… I haven’t told mum and dad about this yet… I wanted you to be the first to know. You think I’d be a good soldier?”
“I think… you’ll be the best soldier!” Pipsqueak exclaimed, smiling wide.
“Thanks a lot, Pip…” Patch said as he brought the colt closer with his own hug. “That means a lot to me… that you have faith in me… I won’t let ya down!”
“Pipsqueak? Pipsqueak…!”
“Huh?” Pipsqueak said as he snapped out of his daydream. He found himself in Miss Cheerilee’s classroom, the magenta coated teacher looking at him with a concerned look on her face. Most of the students were staring at him as well, something that he didn’t welcome at all.
“Pipsqueak… I wanted you to read out loud the next page of the book.” She said. “We’ve been waiting.”
“Oh… uh…” Pipsqueak looked down at his opened book and started to read out loud the page it was turned to.
“Pipsqueak…” Unfortunately for him, it was the wrong page. “Archer already read that page for us…”
“Oh! S-Sorry…” He said as he looked away, embarrassed. The several students laughing didn’t help matters either, but they immediately stopped when Miss Cheerilee commanded them to. He looked up as the school bell started to ring, silently cursing it for not going off just a few seconds early.
“Well, children… it looks like class is dismissed.” Cheerilee smiled as she walked back to the chalkboard. “I want you all to have a fun and safe weekend, but don’t forget to finish the math homework I assigned you all. I’ll see all your happy faces on Monday!”
There was a collective cheer from the students as most of them raced for the door. Pipsqueak, however, simply dragged himself out of his seat and trudged along, head down. “Pipsqueak, wait…” He heard Cheerilee call for him. “I’d like to speak with you for a moment before you go…”
“Oh…” One filly, Diamond Tiara, sneered as she walked past the colt. “Pipsqueak is gonna get it…” She laughed meanly as she walked out the door.
“Like, totally!” Her best friend, Silver Spoon, joined the laugh while she followed the pink pony.
Pipsqueak turned and looked up at the teacher with fear of what she would say to him. “M-Miss Cheerilee… I’m really sorry for not paying attention in class today…”
“You don’t have to apologize, Pipsqueak…” Cheerilee frowned as she shook her head. “Your parents told me about what happened last year… and I’m proud that you still came into school today.”
“…” Pipsqueak couldn’t help but lower his head again. One year ago to this day… it was the worst day of his life… and here was his own teacher bringing it up.
“I understand that you’re still really upset… and you may not want to talk about it… but if you ever do need somepony to talk to… I’m here for you, my little pony.”
“Thank you, Miss Cheerilee…” He turned away and started to walk off. She was right… he didn’t want to talk about it… he hatedtalking about it. All it did was remind him of that day. It reminded him of the pain of knowing that no matter how hard he wished and hoped, nothing could change that day.
And yet, everypony from his mom and dad, to his relatives, and just now his teacher, wanted to discuss it. It was as if nopony wanted him to forget it. Why couldn’t they leave it alone? Why were they so interested in making his heart hurt? He and his family moved from Trottingham to Ponyville just last summer, and he was enrolled in the elementary school when autumn rolled around. He would spend most of every day just paying attention to the lessons and taking notes. He hardly ever answered any questions unless called on. He didn’t like being put on the spot, especially when facing the classmates he knew so little of. His hope was just to skate by school without being noticed by anypony other than the teacher.
That was about to change.
“Look at me! I’m Scootaloo! Cluck-Cluck-Cluck-CLUCK!” Pipsqueak’s thoughts were interrupted by the commotion he saw as he made it outside. Silver Spoon was up on her rear hooves, flapping her fore hooves as Diamond Tiara watched and laughed. He noticed the three fillies standing in front of them, and saw that the white unicorn and yellow earth pony were trying hard to hold back the orange pegasus, who seemed intent on knocking out her tormentors. He recognized them from his classroom… Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
“Let… me…go!” Scootaloo scowled as she tried to free herself from her friends’ hold. “I’m gonna… knock some sense into these… stuck-up brats!”
“You can’t Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle said, struggling to keep a tight hold on the pegasus’ legs. “If Miss Cheerilee catches you fighting again...!”
“Mm’ll ruin our mmeekend mmf crusadin’! Apple Bloom managed to say despite the fact she was holding back Scootaloo by the tail using her teeth.
Pipsqueak watched the scene for a bit longer before he decided to attempt to walk off unseen. He didn’t want to catch the bad end of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s teasing, so he walked past them, head down and careful not to draw attention to himself.
“Hey Silver… the runt is back from getting yelled at by Miss Cheerilee.” Diamond Tiara said as she looked at him with a malicious grin.
“Drat…” Pipsqueak muttered to himself, knowing what to expect from the two bullies.
Silver Spoon walked over to him. “That was fast… did Miss Cheerilee see how dumb you are and send you back to kindergarten?” She said, poking at him with a hoof.
He knew that she was just setting Diamond Tiara up for the next taunt. He was one of the brightest students in the class, but also the smallest.
“It makes sense.” Diamond Tiara added. “He’s ALMOST as big as a kindergartner anyway. Isn’t that right, runt?”
“Well, shorty? What have you got to say for yourself?” Silver Spoon said, pushing Pipsqueak to the ground.
“Leave him alone!” Apple Bloom shouted. “He didn’t do nuthin’ to you guys!”
Pipsqueak closed his eyes and covered his head with his hooves, expecting the two to start beating him up. It was an all too familiar scene to him. Soon, his mind found himself back in Trottingham School, and the two spoiled fillies,
Were now a pair of larger bullies, taking delight in punishing Pipsqueak just for being around them at the wrong time.
“Look at this little runt!” A brown colt cackled as he pointed at the fallen Pipsqueak. The colt was about a head taller than Pipsqueak, and he wasn’t shy about pointing out the pony’s small stature. Standing next to him was a dark grey colt, laughing as he pressed a hoof firmly against Pipsqueak’s head.
“He’s like a little baby pony!” The grey bully said as he hit the smaller colt in the head with the same hoof. “You gonna cry, baby pony?! Huh?!”
Pipsqueak covered his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard to hold back the tears building. He knew that the moment he started crying, the real torment would begin. He thought that by holding back this time, the bullies would get bored and leave. It seemed that this time they had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
“C’mon!” The brown colt kicked Pipsqueak in the stomach, getting a pained groan from his victim. “Cry! Show us how much of a baby you are!”
“Hey!!” An older voice shouted from the distance. They looked over and saw Patch, in his Royal Guard armor sans the helmet. The stallion had an angry look on his face. “Leave him alone!” He started to rush over.
“Ahh!” The brown colt shouted as he bolted away. “Let’s get outta here!”
“You’re lucky your brother is here to babysit you, Pipsqueak!” The grey colt scorned as he ran off. “We’ll seeya tomorrow, runt!”
Patch ran next to Pipsqueak, still looking at the bullies with a growl. “Tease him again and you’ll be sorry, punks!” He looked at Pipsqueak, softening his tone and dropping his scowl. “Pip… are you okay…?”
With the bullies finally gone, Pipsqueak sniffed and let his built up tears free. “U-Uh huh…” He said, wiping his eyes.
Patch knelled down and hugged Pipsqueak closely. “Listen Pip… you can’t let those guys pick on you like this… there are times when you need to stand up for yourself…”
“B-But…!” Pipsqueak started to sob. “They’re bigger than me! A-And their punches really hurt! And I’m…!”
“You’re small… I know that, Pip.” Patch shook his head. “They pick on you because of that… they would never do what they did to you to a pony bigger than they are or even one their own size… it’s because they’re cowards…”
“W-What?”
“They only take on ponies that are smaller than they are… you saw how fast they ran when I showed up… but I can’t be there to save you all the time, Pip… you need to learn to stand up for yourself and show them how much braver you are than them. You’re stronger than you think you are, you know…”
Pipsqueak let out a sob as he pressed his face against his brother’s chest, still crying his eyes out.
Patch smiled slightly as he rubbed Pipsqueak’s mane gently, trying to comfort the crying colt. “C’mon… let’s go home, baby bro… mum made us a very special snack for my visit. Some honey-nut treats.”
Pipsqueak sniffled again and looked up at Patch with a small smile. “T-Those… those are my favorite…”
“Attaboy…” Patch picked him up and set him on his back. “We'd better hurry before dad eats them all!” He started to walk off, carrying Pipsqueak carefully as they made their way home. Pipsqueak could almost forget the beating he received by the bullies. For now, his brother was home and that was all he needed to smile.
“Are ya okay? You can open your eyes now.”
Pipsqueak slowly opened an eye, seeing Apple Bloom standing over him, holding out a hoof. “Diamond Tiara an’ Silver Spoon left just now… Ah guess they got bored and went home…”
“Next time I see those spoiled jerks…” Scootaloo fumed as she sat with her fore hooves crossed. “I’ll tear their manes off!”
“That’s so mean!” Sweetie Belle said, however, she did giggle a bit, more and likely at the thought of a bald-headed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
“Um… thank you…” Pipsqueak said as he took the filly’s hoof and stood up straight. “I thought they were going to hit me, so I…”
“Hit you?” Scootaloo looked over. “You were afraid of those two hitting you? They can barely kick the ball more than two feet at soccer! You wussed out big time!”
Pipsqueak lowered his head, remembering gym class last week. “Oh yeah… they weren’t very good at all…”
“They drive us up the wall too…” Apple Bloom groaned as she looked at her flank. “Always calling us Blank Flanks…”
“And saying that we’ll never get our cutie marks…” Sweetie Belle lowered her head sadly.
“And calling me a chicken!” Scootaloo stomped on the ground. “I am NOT a chicken!”
“They make fun of me because of my height…” Pipsqueak sighed.
“You are pretty small even though we’re the same age…” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “Do you have Dwarfism? “
“Uh… no, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo shook her head. “Otherwise he’d have a really bushy beard!”
“Oh yeah…” Sweetie Belle said with a sudden nod. “Oh! If he had Elfism, he would be the tallest pony in the class!”
The exchange made Pipsqueak feel even worst about his height. He didn’t have any medical reason to be the way he was, at least not that he knew of. He was just... small… the runt of the family.
“Hey! Ya got a blank flank just like we do!” Apple Bloom said as she pointed a hoof at Pipsqueak’s backside. He wasn’t sure if they were deliberately trying to make him feel worst about himself, but they weren’t exactly making him feel better either.
“Oh my gosh! You’re right, Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle seemed to light up at the news. “You know what we should do?”
“Ah reckon Ah know what yer gonna say.” Apple Bloom smiled at her. “And Ah think it’s a great idea!”
“Uh… what are we gonna do?” Scootaloo asked, confused almost as much as Pipsqueak was at that moment.
“We should take him cutie mark crusading with us!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed with a cute little hop.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom said with equal excitement. “Why, with four ponies, we just might be able to get our cutie marks even faster!”
Pipsqueak was surprised at the two fillies’ announcement. He barely knew any of the ponies in his class, and yet they wanted him to go ‘cutie mark crusading’ with them? He wasn’t even sure what ‘cutie mark crusading’ was… let alone if he even wanted to join them.
“Wait a minute…” Scootaloo said in a slightly protesting-tone. “Can we have a Cutie Mark Crusader huddle here?”
In what seemed like a flash, the three fillies gathered together in a huddle, leaving Pipsqueak to watch in puzzlement. He could see them conversing with one another, but couldn’t make out what was being said. Despite his curiosity, he dared not approach them, dreading what they could be saying about him.
“Are we sure we want this guy to crusade with us?” Scootaloo said in a whisper. “He doesn’t seem like the ‘crusader’ type…”
“There’s a crusader type?” Sweetie Belle said out loud, receiving a harsh hush from Scootaloo. “Sorry…”
“Look… you saw how he spaced out during Miss Cheerilee’s reading lesson today… not to mention how scared he was when the jerk pair was picking on him. How’s a pony like that supposed to help us get our cutie marks?”
“Well, Ah think he deserves a chance.” Apple Bloom said adamantly. “Ah’m sure that after a while, he’ll be just as determined as we are to get a cutie mark!”
“We don’t have a while, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo argued. “We can’t just wait for him to become crusader material… a crusader is born brave and always focused on the task at hoof!”
“Hey, Scoots! What’s that over there?” Apple Bloom pointed a distance away.
“Where?” Scootaloo quickly turned her head towards where Apple Bloom was pointing. “… I don’t see anything.” She couldn’t hear Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trotting away, giggling. “… I still don’t see it. What am I looking a… hey!” She turned, seeing her two friends standing in front of Pipsqueak.
“So it’s settled!” Apple Bloom said to him with a huge smile. “We’d like to invite ya to join us on our Cutie Mark Crusade this weekend!”
Pipsqueak looked away and kicked his fore hoof in the dirt. “I don’t know… I kind of just want to stay home all weekend…”
“But it’ll be so much fun!” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “We came up with a fool-proof plan that’s sure to get us our Cutie Marks!”
Scootaloo joined the others, a sour expression on her face. “That was a dirty trick, Apple Bloom… but if you insist on him being a part of this plan, then fine…”
“Well…” Pipsqueak looked up at the three. “What exactly is the plan this weekend?”
Immediately, the three fillies perked up as they raised their heads high and shouted at the top of their lungs. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CAMPING TRIP!”
“Ahhhhh!” Pipsqueak winced as he covered his poor ears. “C-Camping trip?”
“We’re gonna rough it in the Whitetail Wood and do as many things as possible, so we can earn our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom declared. “Makin’ Smores’!”
“Star-gazing!” Sweetie Belle declared after her.
“Telling Ghost Stories!” Scootaloo grinned, unaware that her statement made Sweetie Belle whimper a little.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little camping trip!” Scootaloo narrowed her eyes at him.
Pipsqueak shuddered a little at her glare. “N-No… I… I used to go camping a lot back in Trottingham…”
“See! He’s already an experienced camper!” Apple Bloom said to Scootaloo. “He’s perfect for this trip!”
Pipsqueak kept looking at the three fillies. Why were they so insistent that he’d join their trip? He supposed that it would be helpful having what they considered an ‘experienced camper’ around. And maybe sitting at home wasn’t the best way to spend a whole weekend anyway.
“…I… If you really want me to go… then I’ll come along then…” He nodded hesitantly.
“Yay!” The crusaders cheered in unison. However, it was obvious that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were much more enthusiastic than Scootaloo.
“I’ll… I’ll talk to my parents and…” Pipsqueak started to say before Scootaloo got really close to him, prodding a hoof against his chest.
“Be there at six o’clock… just outside the Whitetail Wood. Don’t be late… we don’t wait for stragglers… Oh! And you better not hold us back from getting our cutie marks… got it?”
Pipsqueak swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. “G-Got it…”
“Alright then…” Scootaloo gave a slight smile, which would have been almost comforting were it not for her still narrowed eyes. “I’m gonna go pack for the trip. I’ll see you girls later!” She said as she walked off.
“I'd better pack too!” Sweetie Belle nodded. “If my sister packs for me, I’ll probably have nothing but soap and fancy clothes the entire trip. Bye Pipsqueak! Bye Apple Bloom!” She galloped off happily.
“We’ll seeya there, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom smiled at him. “Ah can’t wait! It’s gonna be so fun!” She said as she ran off to prepare as well.
“Yeah… fun…” Pipsqueak said as he frowned sadly. “Can’t wait…” He turned and started the short trek home. He wished he could feel excited about this experience. At one time, he loved camping… it was one of his favorite things to do during the weekend.
It was one of Patch’s favorite things to do too, and just another thing that he and Pipsqueak would never get to experience together again.
“Alright Pip… I’ll hold the deck of the ship steady while you glue on the foremast.”
Using his teeth, Pipsqueak carefully grabbed the foremast piece of the model ship he and Patch were building together and placed it atop the deck in its appropriate spot. He leaned back in his seat and looked at his work. “I did it, Patch! It looks perfect!”
“That it does.” Patch smiled as he set the ship down on the table. “We’ll be finished with this thing in no time! Maybe you’ll even get a cutie mark for ship building when we’re done!”
“That would be nice…” Pipsqueak nodded as he looked at his brother’s cutie mark: a light gold shield. “But I want my cutie mark to be as cool as yours!”
Patch chuckled a little. “Yeah… I guess it is pretty cool… but I think that yours will be a lot more special when it comes.”
Pipsqueak let out a slightly upset sigh. “All the other ponies in my class already have their cutie marks… I’m the only one without one…”
“Sounds a lot like me when I was your age… I had to wait a long time before I got mine.”
“Really?” Pipsqueak looked over at him. “You didn’t get your mark until you were older?”
“Oh yeah…” He nodded as he started to work on the next part of the ship. “I remember I used to go out every day and do a bunch of things to try and find my special talent and get my mark. I’d do as much as I could each day as fast as I could get them done.” He picked up the deck again and inspected it closely. “Bird watching… tightrope walking… break dancing… and so on. Seemed like every other day, I had nothing to show for it except coming home covered in tree sap.”
Pipsqueak laughed at the thought. “But… you were able to find the thing that got you your cutie mark by doing that, right?”
“Well… no… after a few years of trying to force myself to find my mark, I just stopped… I guess I realized that a cutie mark is more special when it isn’t rushed and it’s allowed to show up when it was time. Then one day… I was in town and saw the Royal Guards marching in a parade. They seemed so cool and looked really brave. I pictured myself marching along with them… in full armor. That’s when this thing finally showed up.” He looked at his cutie mark with a smile. “That’s how I knew that I wanted to join the Royal Guard one day... and it felt so great knowing that I found what would be my special gift…”
Patch looked over at his brother, who was glancing down at his blank flank with a sad look in his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, Pip!” Patch quickly added. “I want you to go out and try and find your mark. But make sure you have fun doing it. Oh… and do be safe while you do it… I don’t think mum wants to pick up another one of her boys from the hospital…”
“Huh? Hospital?”
“…Let’s just say I’m really glad I don’t have a cutie mark for makeshift catapult testing…” Patch laughed as he rubbed Pipsqueak’s mane.
Pipsqueak snapped back into reality when he accidentally bumped into Scootaloo and knocked himself down. “Gah!”
“Ow!” Scootaloo turned and glared at him. “Watch where you’re going, Pipsqueak! That hurt!”
“Sorry…” Pip said, smiling sheepishly. “I… I guess I spaced out…”
“You do that WAY too much you know… if you want to get your cutie mark, you need to focus!” She snapped as she started to walk off to join Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle a few feet away. Pipsqueak pulled himself up and nervously walked after her.
“Ah’m just sayin’, Sweetie Belle…” Apple Bloom drawled out, pointing at Sweetie Belle’s head. “Seems really funny to be wearin’ that on a camping trip…”
“Rarity said I have to wear this to keep the bugs from biting my face…” Sweetie Belle was sporting a light-pink gardening hat, complete with a mesh mosquito netting surrounding her face.
“But Ah packed some bug spray that works just as good! Ya don’t need that silly thing.”
“I guess that would be better…” Sweetie Belle said as she used her hooves to throw off the hat. “It’s really hot and stuffy in there anyway.” She let out a grin when she saw Pipsqueak and Scootaloo arrive. “Scootaloo! Pipsqueak! You both made it!”
“We ready, Crusaders?” Scootaloo said proudly as she slammed a hoof to her chest. “Tonight’s the night we get our cutie marks!”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom jumped up. “We’re gonna find our talents an’ show the world just how awesome we are!”
“Uh…” Sweetie Belle seemed stumped for a moment, but quickly recovered. “Ditto!”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CAMPING TRIP! YAY!”
Pipsqueak removed his hooves from his ears. They could at least warn a fellow before they shout like that. “Umm… right!” He half-heartedly cheered.
“Ah’m really glad you could make it, Pipsqueak.” Apple Bloom said as she walked over to him.
“Yeah… my mum and dad said it was okay, long as I’m home by noon tomorrow…” He said, looking away from her shyly. He was still getting used to the idea of going on a camping trip with these strange ponies. He started to nervously fidget with his saddlebag.
“Mah big sis told me the same thing…” Apple Bloom said with a sigh. “Says that a campin’ trip is no excuse for shirkin’ off the chores. She treats me like I’m still a lil’ filly sometimes!”
“Yeah…” Sweetie Belle nodded. “My big sister told me I couldn’t play in the mud, dirt, bushes, trees, or anything that’ll get my coat dirty. She kept saying,” Sweetie Belle put on her best Rarity impression. “’It’s improper for a lady to engage in such barbaric activities when she doesn’t have to.’”
Apple Bloom laughed. “That was pretty good, Sweetie Belle!”
“I’ve been practicing!”
Now Pipsqueak was nervous. There they were, talking about their siblings. Would he have to do so next? He was worried that the very moment he mentioned Patch, they would try to delve deeper into the subject. Then the bad memory and the pain would come back, followed by tears.
Luckily for him, before the two fillies had a chance to speak up, the third, most impatient filly, called out to them. “Let’s go! We gotta go hike out for a good spot while there's still light out!”
“Oh right!” Sweetie Belle said as she raced up to Scootaloo.
“Let’s get goin', Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom flashed a smile at him and ran after her two friends.
Pipsqueak attempted to chase after them, but the saddlebag he carried was a bit heavy. “Wah!” He tripped and landed face first in the dirt.
“Argh.” Scootaloo let out a groan as she facehoofed. “So not cool.”
The hike to search for the perfect camping site had been mostly uneventful for Pipsqueak. All four ponies, each carrying their own fully packed saddlebag, cantered along a lone trail leading deeper into the woods. While the three fillies were ahead of him, he was trailing behind and looking at the scenery of trees and leaves that surrounded the path. He could hear Scootaloo chatting up a storm about something incredible she saw a certain rainbow-maned mare do a few days ago. Something about an ‘Atomic Rainboom’ or whatever she called it. He didn’t really care. Right now his mind was focused more on the trail they were walking on. In his mind, the forest of Whitetail Wood was now a smaller forest just outside of Trottingham. The three fillies in front of him were nowhere to be seen,
And walking alongside him was Patch.
“Just a bit further, Pip!” Patch said with a grin. He was carrying the bulk of the camping supplies, while his younger brother just had a smaller saddlebag filled with snacks. “I think I found us an even better spot to camp at from now on!”
“We’re going pretty far this time, Patch…” Pipsqueak said, looking around at the unfamiliar landscape. “Are you sure we won’t get lost?”
Patch let out a chuckle. “Navigational Training at Boot Camp. We’ll be fine, baby bro!” He looked ahead, seeing their destination just a few yards away. “There it is!”
Pipsqueak looked over and his eyes lit up with excitement. “Wow!” The site Patch had chosen was a rather large clearing in the forest, but the thing that caught Pipsqueak’s attention was the mid-sized lake that was nested calmly in the middle of the site. He raced ahead as fast as he could.
“Careful, Pip!” Patch followed him. “Don’t trip!”
Pipsqueak stopped before the lake, looking at his reflection in the water. The lake was crystal clear; he could easily see the fish swimming beneath the surface. He decided to make a funny face at his reflection, laughing at the image. “I didn’t know there was a lake here this whole time!”
Patch set down the gear and dug into a large saddlebag. “I didn’t either… but I was thrilled when I found it. Means we get to test these things out!” He pulled his head out of the bag and was carefully holding with his teeth two pirate ship toys.
“Cool!” Pipsqueak ran over to him. “Can we try them out right now?!”
Patch walked over and set the two ships along the shallow edge of the lake. “The breeze is just right… one good nudge and these things are sure to make it all the way to the other side of the lake.”
Pipsqueak ran over to the edge and pressed his nose against the rear of one of the ships, careful not to send it sailing too soon. Patch followed suit and took control of the other ship. The two brothers looked at each other with big smiles. “What do ya say, Pip?” Patch asked. “Last one to the other end collects the firewood?”
“You’re on, Patch!” Pipsqueak declared with determination.
“1…2…3… Go!”
Both brothers nudged their ships and sent them coasting over the water, the gentle wind catching the sails and pushing both ships farther and faster. Pipsqueak started to jump up and down with excitement as his ship passed Patch’s. The older brother smiled warmly, happy to see the colt having such a wonderful time.
“Pipsqueak? Hello? Anypony home?!”
“What?” Pipsqueak snapped out of his day dream and looked around. He was back on the Whitetail Wood trail, and a pair of large amber eyes was staring at him. “Oh! I did it again…” He frowned. “Sorry…”
“No need to apologize!” Apple Bloom said with a comforting grin. “Ah saw you were starting to fall back so Ah figured Ah’d walk along with ya. Frankly, Ah think Ah heard enough about Rainbow Dash for one day…”
“Your loss!” Scootaloo shouted at her. “Right Sweetie Belle?”
“Uh… right…” Sweetie Belle fibbed. Now she was trapped in dealing with Scootaloo’s fangirl ramblings.
Despite having a pony his own age to talk to, Pipsqueak remained silent. Conversations with fillies weren’t something he had much experience with. Back in Trottingham, he went to an all-colt school, and he could almost easily have a good chat with the few friends he had at the time. This would be his first real one-on-one conversation with a filly, and he was at a complete loss for words.
Apple Bloom seemed to sense this and decided that she would bring up the first topic. It would take her a moment to come up with a good subject to start with. “Uh… so! Nightmare Night is coming up soon! What are you gonna be this year, Pipsqueak?”
“Nightmare Night?” He looked at her, slightly confused.
“Well, ah course! Ya know about Nightmare Night, right?”
“…I never really celebrated it before… my mum and dad didn’t want me going out after dark back in Trottingham…”
Apple Bloom was a bit stunned. She thought that everypony celebrated Nightmare Night when it rolled around. That’s when she came up with an idea. “If ya never celebrated it before, then ya need to this year! Ya can go Nightmare Nighting with us!”
“What’s Nightmare Nighting?” He asked her.
“It’s when we go door to door all over Ponyville in our costumes and get candy!” Her excitement started to grow just talking about it. “Then we’ll head over to the Nightmare Night Festival an’ play games like apple bobbin’, spider throwin’, an’ pumpkin catapultin’!”
Even though these games were all new for him, Pipsqueak did think they sounded fun, even if the spider throwing game made him a bit hesitant. The whole going door to door getting candy thing had him excited the most. Who doesn’t like free candy?
“And there’s gonna be dancing and costume contests!” Sweetie Belle chimed in.
“Not to mention some awesome pranks!” Scootaloo grinned. “Nightmare Night is the best night of the year for pranks!”
“… If my mum and dad are okay with it… then maybe I’ll go.” He said with a small smile.
“Maybe my sis can make you a costume!” Sweetie Belle suggested. “She made mine last week! I’m gonna be a vampire!”
“Ah got some monster make-up!” Apple Bloom said. “I’m gonna be that monster bride character!”
“I’m gonna paint myself blue and…” Scootaloo suddenly stopped. “No… my parents told me I couldn’t do that… I dunno what I’m gonna be this year.”
“Well, it’s a shame that Pinkie Pie is goin’ as a chicken this year…” Apple Bloom started to tease. “That woulda been perfect for ya!”
“Ooh! Ooh!” Sweetie Belle immediately joined in. “Maybe she can be her chick!”
“I’m not going as a chicken!” Scootaloo growled out.
Pipsqueak remembered his days in Trottingham. His parents placed him under a strict curfew and rarely was he allowed out of the house after the sun went down. Not to mention that the ponies of Trottingham never did hold a festival for Nightmare Night so he and his family had no real reason to celebrate it. He did wonder for a moment if Patch ever knew about it.
But after what he’d heard from the crusaders, he admitted that he was starting to look forward to it. Perhaps even excited. Plus, ever since moving to Ponyville, his parents had loosened up on the curfew. They had once explained to him that since Ponyville was much so smaller than Trottingham, it would be much safer.
“Maybe I should go as that dragon that was holed up in that mountain!” Scootaloo proposed.
“Or how about one of the parasprites that devoured half the town!” Sweetie Belle said to her.
“Why not a Smarty Pants doll? That would be pretty scary!” Apple Bloom added.
“Scary for me! The entire town would be fighting themselves just get near me!”
Pipsqueak returned to the chosen campsite with a small bundle of dried twigs and branches in his mouth. He had been asked, or rather commanded by Scootaloo, to gather up some wood for the fire they planned on building. It was almost time for Princess Celestia’s sun to set and Princess Luna's moon to take its place in the sky. He returned just in time to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle step away from the small tent they had finished putting together.
“All finished!” Scootaloo grinned proudly. “Not too bad, if I say so myself!”
“Uh… shouldn’t we have put the stakes in first?” Sweetie Belle asked. Not one second later, a strong gust kicked up and blew the tent away, carrying it off into the distance and trapping it in the tall branches of a tree.
“… Looks like we’ll be sleeping under the stars tonight…”
“I’m back.” Pipsqueak said as he set down the bundle of sticks on the ground.
“What the… how is that puny pile supposed to give us a huge fire?” Scootaloo complained.
“Well…” Pipsqueak looked away. “These sticks are really dry and will burn a lot longer…” Scootaloo gave him a look that suggested she was not satisfied with his response. “Sorry…”
“Ah got the rocks!” Apple Bloom wandered over, balancing a tall stack of rocks atop her head. With one hop, the rocks bounced off her head and landed on the ground, which the others quickly arranged into a small circle. Pipsqueak set the sticks in the center, along with some dried leaves he had gathered for tinder.
“Now all we need are the matches and this campfire will be blazing!” Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom. “Did you bring them, Apple Bloom?”
“Uh… about that… Applejack wouldn’t let me take the matches… she’s worried Ah’d burn the whole forest down…”
“Seriously?” Scootaloo frowned, but perked up with an idea. “Sweetie Belle! You can use your magic to light these babies up!”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I can’t even lift a spoon with my magic yet.”
“Argh!” Scootaloo facehoofed. “So much for getting a cutie mark in campfire building… I don’t suppose you brought matches with you, did you Pipsqueak?” She turned to him.
“Um… I don’t have any matches… but I think I got something that will work just as good…” Pipsqueak walked over to the saddlebag he left leaning against a tree and dig inside. Within moments, he pulled out a flat board with several holes cut along the edges and a wooden spindle.
“Pipsqueak! We’re trying to build a fire, not make it bigger!” Scootaloo groaned. “We don’t even have a fire to make bigger!”
“I know…” Pipsqueak walked over and set the board down, placing a bit of his tinder underneath one of the holes. “But this will make us a fire for sure!”
“This I gotta see…” Scootaloo leaned in over his shoulder, along with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.
Pipsqueak sat down, making sure to put a rear hoof on top of the edge furthest from the hole. He took the spindle and set it atop of the tinder. After a moment, he started to vigorously rub his hooves together while they held onto to the spindle.
“You want to hold the spindle steady, Pip…” Patch said, carefully watching as his brother was trying to make his first campfire using the hoof drill technique.
Pipsqueak nodded as he tightened his grip on the spindle. He’d had seen his brother start the campfire every time using this method. Despite how difficult Patch said it was, Pipsqueak had always wanted to learn. Today was his chance.
“H-How will I know if I’m doing it right?” Pipsqueak asked, his hooves getting tired already.
“Do you want me to do it?” Patch asked, concerned.
“No! I can do it!”
Patch looked down with a chuckle. “Okay, baby bro… you’ll know when the smoke starts rising…”
After a few minutes, the result of Pipsqueak’s hard work finally showed. “Patch! It’s smoking!”
“Carefully place the tinder under the wood pile.” Patch advised. When Pipsqueak did as he was told, he gave him the next instruction. “Okay… now without getting your face too close, blow on the tinder.”
Pipsqueak leaned down and placed his hooves over the sides of his face, blowing on the tinder. Within moments, the embers spread out and ignited the firewood slowly. Pipsqueak jumped back and admired his work. “I did it, Patch! I started the campfire!”
Patch smiled and rubbed the colt’s mane. “You did a great job, baby bro! That’s the hoof drill technique. Practical… primitive… and a huge pain… but worth it.”
“Wow!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she looked upon the now roaring campfire. “That was amazing!”
“You started a campfire without even using a match!” Apple Bloom beamed, making Pipsqueak look down slightly embarrassed. “How did ya do that?!”
“Well… it was the friction from the spindle and flat board…” Pipsqueak smiled slightly, still bashful from the praise. “It generated enough heat to start an ember on the tinder… and it became this fire.”
“Uh…” Scootaloo was flabbergasted at what she had just witnessed. After a while, she shook it off. “I… I knew that… I just… didn’t have one of those contraptions to start my own fire. Where on Equestria did you get this thing?”
“Uh… it… it was a gift…” Pipsqueak mumbled out. What he neglected to add was it was a gift from his brother. He looked over and saw Apple Bloom inspecting his flank, making him even more embarrassed than before.
“No cutie mark.” She said. “Ah don’t get it! Startin' the fire that way shoulda been a guaranteed cutie mark for ya.”
“The night’s still young, crusaders!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “I say we roast up some marshmallows and tell ghost stories!”
“Or…” Sweetie Belle started to say. “We can roast marshmallows! And not tell…” She covered her face with her sleeping bag. “… ghost stories…”
Pipsqueak sighed in relief. It appeared like all the attention he gathered from starting the campfire had waned.
“Ah still think what ya did was really impressive…” Apple Bloom whispered to him with a sweet smile.
His cheeks flushed slightly… who would have thought being praised by fillies would be such an embarrassing thing?
“… and just when the last pony thought she was safe…” Scootaloo said in a low, creepy voice, her evil smirk growing as she completed her ghost story. “…there… standing right behind her… just inches away was… the Headless Horse!” She quickly ran to her saddlebag and pulled out a sheet, throwing it over her head and waving her fore hooves frantically at the other campers.
“… Uh…” Apple Bloom simply looked at her and blinked. “Why do ya have yer Wonderbolts bed sheet over yer head?”
“Huh?” Scootaloo removed the sheet and examined it. Sure enough, it was blue with the Wonderbolts’ logos patterned all over it. “Darnit! I grabbed the wrong one!” She threw it aside. “But wasn’t that story super scary?!” She said with an eager grin, waiting to hear her friends’ remarks.
“... How can a headless horse chase after a whole group of ponies?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Wouldn’t he just bump into things since he can’t see?”
“Yeah…” Apple Bloom nodded. “Plus why did the ponies in the story keep tripping over everything? Ah can understand trippin’ once or twice… but some of them tripped at least a dozen times.”
“You mean to tell me you weren’t even scared a little bit?” Scootaloo said as her smile dropped.
“Well… the creepy voice was kinda spooky…” Sweetie Belle said with an unconvincing smile. “Oh, and the part where you stumbled on the word ‘apparition’ was scary too!”
“I didn’t mean to make that part scary!” Scootaloo groaned. “I just forgot that word in the story!” She turned to Pipsqueak. “What about you? You thought it was scary, right Pipsqueak?”
Pipsqueak looked at her after he finished roasting a marshmallow. “Uh… I… I thought it was pretty good…”
“Pretty good?!”
“Well… you did miss some parts of the story… and got some of the parts mixed up… and kept changing the ponies’ names… and...” He jumped slightly as Scootaloo stomped down a hoof in fury. “Wah!”
“So you think you can tell ghost stories better than me, huh?!” She leaned in towards his face, her eyes glaring right into his.
“I-I didn’t say that…” He said meekly.
“I think that Pipsqueak should have a turn!” Sweetie Belle raised her hoof. “I’m sure he’s heard lots of ghost stories from his last camping trips!”
“I… I don’t really like ghost stories… but I do know a really cool pirate story…”
“A pirate story?” Scootaloo said as she backed away from him. “That’s not scary… you can’t tell pirate stories at camping trips!”
“Now where does it say that we can’t tell pirate stories?” Apple Bloom questioned.
"'Camping 101: All you ever wanted to know about camping but were afraid to ask.'" Scootaloo said matter-of-factly.
“… You made that up.”
“Well if that book did exist… that rule would definitely be in it.”
“Ah say that Pipsqueak should be allowed to tell whatever story he wants!”
“I agree!” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Go for it, Pipsqueak!”
Pipsqueak started to shudder a little as he swallowed the pesky lump in his throat. “I… I…” Once again, he found himself the center of attention, and it wasn’t doing any wonders on his nerves.
“Don’t be afraid, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom smiled. “We really wanna hear it!”
Scootaloo sat down and started gnawing on a marshmallow. “Yeah Pipsqueak… tell us your ‘awesome’ pirate story…”
Pipsqueak closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. After a few moments, he opened them and observed the awaiting ponies. “… A-A long time ago…”
“…there lived a pony who went by the name Captain Ironhoof…” Patch said as he began telling his story to Pipsqueak, who was listening attentively as they sat by the campfire. “A fearsome pirate king and the leader of over 100 ruthless pirates who terrorized the seas of Equestria. Using his powerful ship, The Grim Ark, he would travel from port town to port town, attacking the innocent ponies and stealing all their valuables. Many ponies were hurt thanks to him and his crew, and many of the towns were completely destroyed…”
“W-Why would he do that?” Pipsqueak asked, wide-eyed.
“Because he could… no one dared to challenge him or his crew. Not even the Princess’ Royal Navy had the power to stop him. He was feared by all… and he took great pride in that. He thrived off their fear and used it to get whatever he wanted. And because of that… he and his crew lived like kings while the rest of Equestria suffered…”
“…but there was one thing Captain Ironhoof couldn’t anticipate…” Patch started to grin. “…while he was the most fearsome pirate in all the seas… there was one pirate who had no fear. A good-hearted pirate who had the courage to challenge Ironhoof and his crew.”
“Who was that, Patch?” Pipsqueak said as he leaned in, getting engrossed into the story.
Patch looked at him and his grin grew. “Pipsqueak the Pirate…”
“Pipsqueak the Pirate?! Really?!” Pipsqueak lit up with excitement at the name reveal.
“That’s right! One day… Captain Ironhoof was counting his ill-gotten coin in his cabin, when one of his crew members busted into the room…”
“’Captain!’ The startled lackey exclaimed. ‘There be a small ship off the starboard side! And it be heading right for us!’”
“’Harharharharharharhar!’” Patch let out a deep laugh to emulate what Ironhoof would sound like. “’Tis a mere merchant ship that lost its way. Steal all the goods aboard and set it ablaze!’”
“The crew did as they were ordered and boarded the small ship. All the crates and barrels aboard were taken and placed on the deck of The Grim Ark. But just as the pirates were about to set the merchant ship on fire…”
“’ATTACK!’ A young pirate popped out of one of the barrels, brandishing his sword proudly in his teeth. All the barrels and crates broke open and out came a small number of pirates… it was Pipsqueak the Pirate and his loyal crew, ready to take on the pirates of The Grim Ark!”
“The wicked pirates were taken by surprise and were unable to prepare themselves for Pipsqueak and his crew’s sudden attack. Swords clashed and punches were thrown as the two crews engaged in battle. Pipsqueak fought his way through Ironhoof’s pirates to reach his true target… the pirate king himself.”
“Ironhoof hissed as he drew his own sword before Pipsqueak approached him. The two pirate captains were caught in a deadly duel atop the ship’s bow that seemed to go on for hours. Both evenly matched and equally skilled, their fight soon found its way to the ship’s bowsprit. Their swords locked and Ironhoof, who was at least three times Pipsqueak’s size, used his greater strength to push the hero towards the end, leaving him just inches away from plummeting into the shark-infested waters below.”
“’Ye be a fine meal for the sharks, colt!’ Ironhoof cackled evilly as he charged ahead, ready to strike down Pipsqueak. It seemed like it would be the end of the young pirate…”
“No way!” Pipsqueak shouted anxiously. “Pipsqueak the Pirate must have gotten out of that somehow!”
“Just as Ironhoof was about to swing his blade, Pipsqueak made the deciding move. He jumped… launching himself over the pirate king’s head and landing safely back on the ship’s bow. Ironhoof, however, couldn’t stop in time and ran out of ship to run on. He fell off and grabbed on as hard as he could to the bowsprit, just dangling over the ravenous sharks!” “’P-Pirate Lad!’ The once dangerous Ironhoof was now at Pipsqueak’s mercy, pleading for his life. ‘Y-Ye wouldn’t let a fellow pirate fall, would ye?!’”
“Pipsqueak looked down at the pathetic pony and ordered one of his crewponies to fetch him some rope…”
“The next day… a Navy ship sailed past The Grim Ark and noticed a white flag of surrender waving in the place of the ship’s jolly roger. They found that all of Ironhoof’s pirates had been tied up to the masts of the ship and the pirate king himself was tied down on the bowsprit, struggling to break free. Pipsqueak the Pirate and his crew had won, helped themselves to all the pirates’ treasure and were gone without a trace. Do you know what they did with that treasure?”
Pipsqueak thought for a moment. “I bet he bought himself a bigger ship! Maybe he buried it on a deserted isle!”
“Nope. He returned it to all the port towns that Ironhoof had attacked. With all the valuables returned, the ponies were able to start rebuilding and bringing their homes back to their original beauty… you see, Pip… the good pirate Pipsqueak didn’t attack Ironhoof for fame, glory, or the treasure. He did it for the innocent ponies that had suffered the most from the pirate king. They all hailed him as a hero… and they titled him the greatest pirate in all of Equestria. But nopony could ever thank him, for he and his crew kept sailing the seas, looking for the next great adventure.”
Pipsqueak was grinning from ear to ear. “Alright, Pipsqueak the Pirate!” He cheered excitedly. “That was a great story, Patch!”
“That was a great story, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom grinned. “And ya told it so well!”
“Pipsqueak the Pirate sounds like a real hero!” Sweetie Belle chimed, smiling happily. “I can’t believe he did all that for those ponies!”
“… Did they really have a sword fight on the bowsprit?” Scootaloo said in wonder. “And they tied that bad guy to it after they kicked his flank?”
“Well…” Pipsqueak smiled a little as he looked away. “It’s just a story so I don’t know if it really happened or not…”
Scootaloo was silent for a moment before she recomposed herself. “It… It wasn’t a bad story… even if there weren’t any ghosts…”
“Maybe Pipsqueak the Pirate’s next adventure can be fighting ghosts!” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“…Maybe…” Pipsqueak said as he looked at his roasting marshmallow. He hadn’t heard any new Pipsqueak the Pirate adventures… he just may have to make a new one up himself. He had gone from never sharing a story in front of strangers before to having a group of ponies hanging off his every word as he recited the tale. Although his blank flank suggested that this wasn’t his special talent, he probably wouldn’t mind another story telling session… as long as it was these three fillies as his audience.
It was getting late and the stars were shining high above the forest. Princess Luna had raised a full moon, which gave an ever so soft light to the land below. Pipsqueak was busy unfurling his sleeping bag over the grass. He wasn’t really all that tired, but figured that lying down for a bit wouldn’t hurt. He noticed a second sleeping bag unroll next to his, a distinctive apple image on top of it.
Apple Bloom looked over at Pipsqueak as she finished setting up her bedding. “Ain’t this been a fun camping trip, Pipsqueak?” She asked with a cheery smile.
“Y-Yeah…” He nodded a bit. “I… I haven’t had this much fun in a good while…”
Apple Bloom sighed and laid down atop her sleeping bag. “Ah know… Ah’ve really been enjoying it too. Even if we didn’t get our cuties marks yet…”
Pipsqueak looked at Apple Bloom and saw that her sleeping bag was right near his. If he was to lie down right now, she would be pretty close to him. He felt butterflies building up in his stomach. “I… I guess that this isn’t really our special talent then…”
“But Pipsqueak… you have that cool fire building technique… and you told a very entertaining story. Those are definitely special talents but it didn’t get your cutie mark to show!”
Pipsqueak sighed as he laid down on his sleeping bag. Yes, he was still nervous being close to Apple Bloom, but he really wanted to relax at least for a little. “Well… maybe there’s something else I have to do… do you really think doing all these things will get you a mark?”
“At this rate… Ah may never get my cutie mark…” Apple Bloom frowned. “We’ve been tryin’ different things for so long, and we don’t have anything to show for it. We’re gonna run out of ideas one day… then what happens? We just gonna be blank flanks forever?”
Pipsqueak could tell from the tone in her voice that she was really upset. He could see where she was coming from though. A lifetime of being a pony without a cutie mark. It was enough to shatter anypony’s confidence. Was this happening to the usually cheerful Apple Bloom?
He didn’t know how to, but he had to do something to bring her spirits…
“I… I knew a pony who wanted his cutie mark really badly too. He did the same thing you three are doing. He kept trying different things so that maybe it would finally show up. He did this for years…”
“Years?!”
Pipsqueak immediately regretted using that word, but he continued to speak. “B-But… he stopped one day! He quit trying to force it to show!”
“Why? If he wanted it so badly, wouldn’t he have kept tryin’?”
“Well… he said that he thought it would be more special when it came on its own. He figured that… when the time is right, it would show up. Then one day… he was watching the Royal Guards marching in a parade… now he wanted to do that. He wanted to join them and march along with them. That’s when his cutie mark showed up…”
“… But thinkin’ about it doesn’t make it show up… does it?”
“I don’t think so… but even after it appeared, he still joined the Guards. His cutie mark represented what he wanted to do in his life… and because he really wanted to join the Guards, it showed up.”
“… So once Ah decide what Ah want to do for the rest of mah life… it’ll show up?”
“Yeah… I think that’s how it works…”
“… But Ah don’t know what Ah want to do…”
“He didn’t either… but I’m sure when you do decide, no matter how long it takes… your cutie mark will appear.” He finished and looked aside shyly. “…Did that make you feel better, Apple Bloom?”
“… Ah think it did…” She smiled slightly. “But… Ah won’t stop crusading for my mark! But it’s still nice to know that no matter what… it’ll come eventually.”
Pipsqueak smiled when she said this. He felt better knowing that the sadness in her voice was gone. He didn’t know why, but that sadness just didn’t suit her.
“So… who’s this pony you were talkin’ about?”
Suddenly, his smile dropped. She wanted to know about Patch. She would wonder what happened to him, and then Pipsqueak would more and likely be in pain from the memories. He felt himself shake a little and was praying for a way to end this conversation.
“Argh! Dumb telescope!”
His prayers had been answered.
“I’ve been staring into this telescope forever and I can’t see any constellations!” Sweetie Belle fumed. She had in her hooves a small telescope and had it pointed up into the starry sky.
“Maybe you’re doing it wrong.” Scootaloo took it from her and took a peek herself. “Hmmmm… I can’t see any either! This thing is broken!”
Pipsqueak got up and decided that maybe he could lend them a helping hoof in their search for constellations. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to help them or if it was just a convenient excuse to get away from him and Apple Bloom’s conversation, but he knew a little about the stars that he was willing to share.
“Well… if you really want to see constellations…” He started to say. “You don’t need a telescope…”
“Huh?” Sweetie Belle looked over at him. “But how can we tell them apart from all the other stars?”
“Well… to be honest…” He said as he started searching for a constellation he was familiar with. Once he spotted one, he pointed up at it. “You need to use a little imagination. Like that right there is Leon the Lion…”
Scootaloo looked up and only saw a cluster of stars. “I don’t see any lion up there…”
“I do! I do!” Sweetie Belle jumped up. “There!” In her eye, the stars all connected together to form a lion shape.
“…” Scootaloo looked up again and blinked. “Hey… there it is! It is a lion!”
“What else is out tonight, Pipsqueak?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking all over the sky.
“That right there is Drako the Dragon…” Pipsqueak pointed at another constellation. “And a little bit higher up is Hercoltes… he was…”
“…the son of a Thunder Alicorn.” Patch explained as he pointed out the constellation of a large pony carrying a club in the sky. “And he had the strength of 20 stallions.”
“Oh wow!” Pipsqueak said in amazement. “He was super strong then!”
“Very.” Patch nodded with a grin. “So was his VERY distant relative, Pegaseus...” He pointed at another constellation, this time of a pony holding the head of a gorgon. “He slayed the evil Maredoosa using more of his wits than his strength.”
“They taught us that story in class a few weeks ago. I didn’t know he had his own constellation!”
“A lot of the great heroes of legend did, Pip. Having a constellation is said to make sure that nopony ever forgets their greatness.” He then pointed at a star that shined brighter than all the others. “That right there is the North Star… since it’s always in the northern direction, sailors would use it for navigation while they traveled the seas.”
“Pirates too?” Pipsqueak looked up at him with an excited smile.
Patch laughed and rubbed the colt’s mane. “Pirates too, baby bro.”
“I can’t believe how many constellations you were able to find, Pipsqueak!” Sweetie Belle said. “It’s like… you’re a star chart or something!”
He looked away bashfully. “I… I can only find the ones I know about…”
“How do you know so much about stars?” Apple Bloom asked as she approached him.
“My brother…” His eyes shot wide. Without thinking, he just mentioned his brother to the fillies. “… t-taught me…” He hoped that they would leave it that. Already, the sharpness in his heart was building.
“Ya have a brother, Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah didn’t know that. He must be something special if he taught ya about constellations!”
“H-He is…” He said meekly. He wanted it to stop. But now he was trapped. He knew that the wrong thing said would be it.
“I bet he taught you how to build campfires and told you that cool pirate story too!” Sweetie Belle chirped.
“H-He did… yeah…” In his mind, he was begging, nay, pleading for it to end.
“Hey! Think maybe we can meet yer brother sometime?” Apple Bloom asked. “If he’s your brother, then he must be really awesome too!”
“You can’t!” He said quickly. “You can’t see him!”
“Huh?” Apple Bloom looked at him in puzzlement. “But… we just want to…”
“I said no! You can’t meet him! Just drop it!”
“…Oh…” Scootaloo suddenly turned and faced Pipsqueak. “I get it… we can’t meet him because he’s too good for us. Isn’t it?”
“What?!” Pipsqueak exclaimed. “N-No! It’s not that!”
“You have this amazing brother who taught you all this cool stuff and you won’t even let us see him. Afraid that he’ll teach us all his tricks so you can’t show off anymore?”
“Just what the hay are you talking about, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said, trying to defend Pipsqueak.
“This entire trip, Pipsqueak has rarely talked to any of us except when he’s showing off his camping skills! I think the only reason he agreed to this camping trip was because it was a chance to make himself look good and to make us look bad! Like we don’t know what we’re doing! Now we know that it’s because of his brother that’s he’s such an experienced camper! Is your brother a showoffy jerk too? Huh?!
That was it for Pipsqueak. He shut his eyes tight and using all of his might, shoved Scootaloo to the ground in anger.
“Ahh!” She hit the ground, though not hard enough to bruise or break anything, it still hurt. “Ow…!”
“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle ran over to her. “Are you okay?!”
“Pipsqueak… w-why did you…” Apple Bloom started to ask, her voice quivering. But Pipsqueak interrupted her with a sharp tone.
“You really want to know why you can’t see my brother?” He said, tears escaping his eyes as he grit his teeth. “It’s because he’s gone, okay?! He’s gone! Nopony can see him! Not my mum or dad… not even me! He’s… he’s never coming back!” He turned and started to race away as fast as he could from the camp site, into the forest.
“Pipsqueak! Wait!” Apple Bloom called out. She then turned to Scootaloo, glaring at her. “Look what ya did! Why did you have to say those things?!”
“I… I didn’t know…” Scootaloo whimpered out, shaken up and filled with guilt. “I… I swear… I… I didn’t mean to…”
“Come back, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom ran off to chase after the colt. “Don’t run away!”
“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle called out as she helped Scootaloo back to her hooves.
If Pipsqueak could hear Apple Bloom calling for him, he wasn’t going to acknowledge it. He had shown his potential friends just how much of a crybaby he believed he was and even hurt one of them. He felt terrible at that moment, guilty for how he acted, and the pain in his heart was so severe it felt like it was never going to end.
Pipsqueak had no idea where he was going, or how far he would run. All he knew was that he just wanted to get away from his family right now. He didn’t bother to fight against the tears flowing from his eyes. He had no reason to. Why suppress the sadness he felt at that moment?
“Pip!” He heard Patch calling out for him. Despite how distant it sounded, he knew that his brother was chasing after him as fast as he could run. “Pip! Wait! Don’t run from me, please!”
“Go away!” Pipsqueak shouted out. “Leave me alone!” He didn’t want to see his brother. He didn’t want to see anypony. However, it seemed that fate and his small hooves thought otherwise. He tripped and fell to the ground, his body suffering a rough landing to the ground.
“Pip!” Patch exclaimed in great concern. It was now his chance to finally catch up with the colt as he sped forward. He stopped next to Pipsqueak and held him gently in his hooves. “Are you okay?! You’re not hurt, are you?”
Pipsqueak started to sob loudly as he tried to push his brother away from him. “Let me go! I just want to be alone!”
“I’m not going to do that, Pip…” Patch frowned as he tried to calm Pipsqueak’s crying. “I can’t leave you upset like this…”
“It’s your fault! You… you’re going away! Why do you have to go, Patch?! Is it because you don’t want to be around me anymore?!”
Patch shook his head. “That will never be a reason, baby bro… I have to go… they need me over there…”
It was the day after their camping trip and Patch had to share some shocking news with the family. He received orders to deploy to a small village on the other side of the planet. Harsh storms had more or less torn the village to near famine. All the crops that once grew there were destroyed and several homes were in need of extensive rebuilding. Patch, being an earth pony, would be a part of the crop growing force to help get the village back to a stable state.
Patch would be away for an entire year with no possibility of returning home until the job was done.
“But I need you here!” Pipsqueak wept. “It’s not fair!”
“I know, Pip… I really was hoping that a deployment would come up much later than this… but it can’t be helped… if we don’t help out, then that village will not be able to survive.” He hugged Pipsqueak gently, rubbing the colt’s back to console him. “We all have to do our part… including me… and especially you.”
“W-What do I have to do…?” Pipsqueak said, laying his head on Patch’s shoulder.
“You need to be strong… mum hasn’t stopped crying since I told her. Dad is shaken up about it too… they’re both really upset, Pip. You may be the only source of strength in the household for a little while…”
“H-How can I be strong, Patch?” Pipsqueak said over his sniffling. “I’ll miss you too much…”
“I’ll miss you too, believe me Pip… but just remember and remind them that I will come home when the year is up. You’ll see… a year will fly by and before you know, we’ll be camping and building model ships and spending a lot time together again. But you need to promise me that you’ll try to tough it out for mum and dad’s sake. Can you do that, Pip?”
Pipsqueak let out another sniffle as he wrapped his hooves around Patch for a hug. “I… I’ll try, Patch… but you need to promise me that you’ll come home!”
Patch smiled and rubbed a hoof against Pipsqueak’s mane. “I promise, baby bro. Now let’s head back home. Mum and dad are no doubt worried about you…”
“… Can I ride on your back?”
Patch nodded as he broke the hug and lowered his body. “Climb aboard, kiddo.” Pipsqueak gave a small smile as he, with a little help from Patch, climbed up on his brother’s back and held on tight. Patch started to walk towards the direction of their home, his pace slow so that Pipsqueak would enjoy every moment of the ride.
“…Patch…?” Pipsqueak spoke up.
“What is it, Pip?” He answered.
“… When you get home… can we build a real ship and go sailing?”
Patch let out a little laugh. “Sure thing, baby bro. We’ll go sail all of Equestria.”
Pipsqueak found himself deep in the Whitetail Wood, thanks to all the running he had done. He finally stopped when he was sure that he had lost Apple Bloom. He looked around, nothing but tall trees and eerie silence. It seemed that no pony or animal was nearby. He was finally alone.
Alone.
It was the emotion he experienced for the last year. An empty feeling in his heart where it felt like he was the only pony left in the world. As supportive as his parents were, they couldn’t change what he felt at that time. His teachers? Most didn’t care or know what to do to pull him out of his loneliness, at least back in Trottingham. Miss Cheerilee did her best to offer an ear to listen to him. She cared for him like she did all her students, never wanting any of them to suffer even the slightest bit of sadness. He turned away her help. Sure she wanted to talk about it, but he wondered if she could truly understand what he’s experienced?
Then he met the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
For the first time in a long while, his loneliness was gone. That empty space was filled with joy. He truly enjoyed having the camping trip with them. They had accepted him into their group with no questions asked. He was given a chance to make new friends. Ones who perhaps could have brought him the same amount of happiness that his brother once had.
He felt that he had ruined it all.
Now his joy was replaced with pain. He could still feel the tears stinging his eyes as he thought about the moment that led him to running off. What did they think of him now, he questioned. Was he still just a showoff? Was he a bully in their eyes for pushing Scootaloo? Or was he just a little foal crying out for his big brother.
“Patch…” He whispered to himself, setting down in the grass. He closed his eyes and allowed a fresh set of tears to fall to the ground. He had managed to fight off the urge to start sobbing out and held it back to a slight whimper, hoping that nopony would hear him.
However, somepony did.
“Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom emerged from the brush. Her mane was disheveled, her bow slightly ruffled, and her coat had several stray leaves over it. Even with only the dim light of the moon shining, her concerned frown could be seen clearly.
Pipsqueak opened his eyes and looked at her. The sight of her felt like a sharp puncture in his heart. He remained silent for a few long moments before he finally spoke. “Are you here to get back at me for hurting Scootaloo?”
“… She’ll be okay… Ah’m more worried about you right now…” She walked over slowly so as not to startle him. Now that she had him in her sights, the last thing she wanted was for him to run off again. She sat herself next to him, never breaking eye contact with him. “She shouldn’t have said all that mean stuff to ya…”
“I shouldn’t have pushed her…” Pipsqueak replied, looking down. “I guess you think inviting me along was a bad idea after all…”
She shook her head. “Ah don’t think that at all… you made this trip so much more fun for all of us… Ah just hope you were able to have fun too…”
“I did have fun… I really did up until now… I just…” Pipsqueak choked back a sob. “I just let my dumb emotions get in the way…”
“… You were thinkin’ of yer brother… weren’t ya?”
“…” He nodded. “This entire trip… I’ve been thinking about him and all the fun we used to have… usually… I get really sad thinking about him.”
“Sumthin’ happened to him… right?” Apple Bloom hesitantly said.
Pipsqueak shut his eyes. Once again, somepony was going to ask him what happened.
Or so he thought.
“You don’t have to talk about it if ya don’t want to…”
“Huh?” He looked at her, seeing that she was staring down at the grass before her.
“Ah mean… Ah know that Applejack always says that talkin’ is the best way to handle yer emotions. But Ah can’t force ya to do that… otherwise… you'll just be more upset than you were before. Ah just don’t want you to be alone, Pipsqueak… that’s even worse than not talkin’ at all…”
Pipsqueak couldn’t believe what he just heard. Despite his outburst, the pony next to him wasn’t trying to press him to explain himself. All she wanted was to be by his side so he wouldn’t be left alone with his thoughts. As strange as he thought it was, it felt comforting. He could finally be allowed to keep his painful memory a secret from somepony.
Any other day, he would have done just that.
“… Patch…” He started to speak again, his tone soft. “He was my big brother… he was my favorite pony in all of Equestria… he taught me so many things and looked after me. He would always have time to play too… we would build model ships… go catch fireflies… skip stones… a whole bunch of stuff… then… he joined the Royal Guards.”
“He had to move away… but he always came home every weekend or so to see me. He never changed… he kept doing all the things that made him a great big brother.”
Apple Bloom looked at him. After thinking it over for a moment, she decided to take a chance with her next words. “…Sumthin’… happened to him though… right?”
“…” Pipsqueak hesitantly nodded. “My parents and I were having dinner one night… it was exactly one year ago…”
“Patch is gonna come home in 231 days, mum!” Pipsqueak said excitedly at the dinner table. “I’ve been keeping count!”
His mother smiled as she took a sip of the vegetable soup she prepared for dinner. “That’s wonderful, sweetie. He’ll be here before you know it.”
“The letter he sent last week said he was doing just fine.” Pipsqueak’s father said as he chewed on a piece of bread. “He can’t wait to see you, Pipsqueak.”
“I can’t wait to see him either!” Pipsqueak grinned. “Maybe we can all go camping together, dad!”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” His father nodded. Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. “Hmm? Now who could that be at this hour?”
“I’ll get it, dear.” Pipsqueak’s mother rose from her seat. “You two finish up your dinner and I’ll bring out the dessert when I get back.”
His mother walked over to the door and opened it for the unexpected guest. Standing before her was a white pegasus pony in formal guard attire. Unlike the steely look most guards carried on their faces, this guard had a soft look in his eyes and a frown that couldn’t mean anything good was about to come.
“I’m sorry for the disturbance…” He started to say, his voice hinted a tone of sorrow. “But are you… Patch’s mother?”
“… Oh my…” The mother’s pupils shrank in fear. “H-Honey? C-Can you come here, please?”
Pipsqueak’s father looked over and saw the guard pony at the door and his wife’s unmoving stance. He looked at Pipsqueak. “Son… g-go to your room…”
“But why, dad?” Pipsqueak asked, not knowing what was going on.
“Please… just go.” He ordered.
Pipsqueak let out a frown as he pulled away from the table and made his way upstairs to his bedroom. The door was wide open and ready for him to enter. However, he simply closed the door, loud enough for his parents to hear, and snuck back to the top of the stairs. He made sure to remain as silent as possible so he could listen in on the conversation that his father for some reason didn’t want him to hear.
“…” His father approached the guard pony, standing next to the mother and wrapping a comforting foreleg around her shoulders. “This is about Patch… isn’t it?” He said, his frown growing with each passing second.
“… We received an urgent letter from the guards at the village Patch is stationed at.” The guard started to explain, his eyes remaining on the worried couple. “…Earlier this morning, the village was caught in a lightning storm. The pegasus guards did everything they could to push it out to sea, but a bolt of lightning struck one of the houses and started a fire. The house was engulfed in flames and trapped a small family inside… a family that Patch had gotten to know. He immediately rushed inside and started dragging each pony out one by one. Soon, only one pony was left and he ran inside to rescue her. That was when… t-the house collapsed…”
“Please… no…” Pipsqueak’s mother whispered, tears building as she shook.
Pipsqueak kept listening in, his eyes widening and mouth agape. “P-Patch…?”
“Please…” Pipsqueak's father said gently, almost pleading for the news he knew would not come. “Tell us our son is okay…”
The guard was unable to keep his eyes on the couple anymore and looked away, tilting his head down. “The guards all did an immediate search among the rubble. By some miracle… the pony he was rescuing survived. She swears that Patch had protected her as the house fell. As for Patch himself… well… h-he wasn’t so fortunate…”
“He… he can’t be!” The poor mare started crying out, her husband instinctively hugging her close. “No! Please tell me this isn’t happening!”
“I’m sorry…” The guard closed his eyes and lowered his head. “But… Patch is… is…”
“NO!” Pipsqueak screamed as he ran down the stairs, shedding his tears uncontrollably. He raced towards the guard as fast as he could.
“Pipsqueak!” His father caught and picked him up, trying to settle the flailing colt, who was screaming at the guard pony.
“You’re lying!” Pipsqueak shouted furiously, his glare fixated on the still somber guard. “Patch is coming home! He told me himself! He promised!”
“Pipsqueak… please…” His father said sadly, crying as he pulled Pipsqueak closer to him.
“We’re going camping! And we’re going to build a real ship! We’re going to sail all of Equestria! He said we would! He said we would!” He started bawling into his father’s chest.
For a moment, the usually stern pegasus guard shed a single tear. “I’m so sorry…”
Pipsqueak continued his loud sobbing. His mother wrapped her fore hooves around both the colt and the stallion and pulled them in for a hug, her own tears running down her face. The family was motionless, remaining in their tight embrace as they wept for their lost Patch.
“They gave my mum and dad a box with all the things Patch brought with him…” Pipsqueak said, fresh tears falling from his eyes. “And a medal… they said he earned it for his selfless act…”
Apple Bloom watched Pipsqueak, crying silently as she wiped her tears away. “T-That didn’t matter to you… did it?”
“… We used to have it in a case on the wall… every time I saw it, I would start crying, so mum and dad put it away… I couldn’t even stay at the ceremony the Guard Ponies had for him… one of them kept shouting his name and rank, like he was going to come back and answer. But he never did…”
“Then it got to where I can’t even think of the happy moments without thinking of that night… it makes my heart hurt so much! I just wanted to forget Patch… I wanted the pain to go away!”
“But it never did… and it never will…” Apple Bloom whispered sadly. “Ah know…”
“What do you mean, Apple Bloom?” Pipsqueak looked over at her, seeing that she too had some tears of her own.
“… Ah lost mah ma and pa when I was really little… Ah only have vague memories of them… and it hurts me too…” She sniffled a little. “Ah had Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith to comfort me when Ah was sad… and after a while, the pain didn’t hurt so much… but it’s still there when Ah think of them…”
Pipsqueak was speechless. He had no idea that Apple Bloom had experienced much of the same ordeal he had. Yet she had acted so strong over it. Or she had until now.
“Ah think…” She continued. “Because Ah had the rest of mah family there for me… and they were so upset about it too… it helped a lot. So… Ah guess what Ah’m trying to say is… if ya ever need a pony to listen to… a pony to cry with… Ah can be there for you… no matter what…”
“… But… won’t that make you sad again…?”
“It’s not good doing anything alone… and that counts for crying too…”
Those words struck Pipsqueak hard. For the longest time since that day, he had always cried alone. It was those moments that his heart hurt the most, when he felt like he was the only pony left in the world. But now he had somepony to share his sorrows with, because she too had lived in the lonely world he lived.
“… Apple Bloom…” After a few sniffs, he wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at her. “…Can we go back…? I want to apologize to Scootaloo…”
“You don’t have to…” A voice said, startling both Pipsqueak and Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both walked over from the darkness. “I… I should be the one apologizing…” Scootaloo lowered her head.
“Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom looked at the two fillies. “H-How did you find us?”
“We followed you guys after you ran off, Apple Bloom.” Sweetie Belle explained, frowning. “We found you just as Pipsqueak was talking about what happened to his brother… we didn’t want to interrupt.”
“I really had no idea that was the reason you were so quiet today… and every other day…” Scootaloo said, shaking her head. “And I was a real bully to you too… I guess I was just jealous of how good a camper you are… I really am sorry, Pipsqueak…”
“… I… I forgive you, Scootaloo… sorry for pushing you…” He said, smiling a little.
“Water under the bridge!” Scootaloo pepped up and held up her hoof. “Up high!”
“…Um… okay…” Pipsqueak bumped his hoof against hers, making a small clop sound.
“Alright!” Apple Bloom cheered, smiling. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are all together again!”
“Awww… isn’t this a touching moment…” A new voice hissed in a low tone as the sound of brush being rustled was heard. “Who’s there?!” Scootaloo looked over in surprise, along with the rest of the foals.
Scootaloo probably wished she hadn’t asked. Emerging forth were three large black-furred wolves, each one had piercing yellow eyes that were fixated on the four little ponies. The one in the center was practically drooling as he licked his chops noisily. The message was crystal clear. They were hungry.
“See, Nate…” The wolf on the left said with smug smirk. “I told you that if we waited, all four of them would bunch together…”
“That’s good for us, Barnes…” Nate, the center wolf and leader said with a nod. “There’s plenty to go around now.”
“W-What does he mean by that, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked fearfully.
“It’s very simple…” Nate looked at her, licking his lips again. “We’re three hungry wolves and you’re four little lost ponies… do the math.”
“But I don’t like math!” Sweetie Belle cried out as she ducked behind Scootaloo.
“Oh? Well you won’t have to worry about that anymore!” Nate cackled wickedly, showing his sharp, yellow teeth. His ears perked up when he heard the loud sobbing of the wolf standing to the right of the pack. Immediately, he dropped his smirk and shouted at the crying animal. “Cletus! What are you blubbering about?!”
The largest wolf of the three, Cletus, wiped his eyes with his paws as he sniffled. “Well… I was thinking of that little spotty pony’s story… about his b-b-brother!” He said, blubbering at the word. “A-And then… and then… the little… yellow pony was talking about her mommy and daddy… and it’s just so sad! D-Do we really have to eat them, Nate? They’re been through so much already!”
“Argh!” Nate slammed a paw atop Cletus’ snout, getting a pained whine from the wolf. “Focus! This is the reason we left the Everfree Forest… the hunt hasn’t been so good and I’m TIRED of eating bark and berries! And I’m not trying my luck with that yellow pegasus pony we ran into… that stare of hers is gonna haunt my dreams for weeks! ”
“Yeah…” Barnes growled in agreement. “And besides… we’d be doing the little colt a favor. Once we’re done devouring him, he’ll be reunited with his brother…”
“R-Really?” Cletus said as he rubbed his nose. “I… I guess that makes it okay…”
“Good…” Nate smirked as he faced the ponies. “Now let’s dig in, boys!”
Slowly, the three wolves crept towards the four frighten ponies, mouths now dripping with saliva over the thought of their upcoming meal.
“I want the yellow one…” Barnes said with a low hiss.
“I’m taking the orange one…” Nate said, baring his fangs. “I bet she tests just like chicken…”
Scootaloo narrowed her eyes angrily and growled. “I’m not a… chicken!” She kicked a small rock forward and struck Nate hard in the nose.
“Ow!” He stopped in his tracks and yelped in pain as he held his nose.
“Run for it guys!” Scootaloo commanded. In less than a second, the four foals ran as fast as they could away from the wolves, staying together.
“Nate? You okay?” Cletus asked. “She got you really good, huh?”
Nate brought his paws down to the ground and started to snarl. “After them! I am NOT going to lose this meal!” The wolves all charged ahead, dead set on catching up to the retreating ponies.
“They’re after us!” Apple Bloom shouted as she took a quick glance behind her.
“But what if we don’t!?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “We don’t even know where we’re going!”
Pipsqueak panted as he kept up with the three fillies. He was frightened. More frightened than he had ever been in his life. He may had finally made three new friends, but they were now the desired dinner for three ravenous wolves. He cursed himself for running off. He felt responsible for getting them into that mess. He wondered to himself what he could possibly do to get him and the fillies out of it.
He also wondered to himself, just what would Patch do if he was there?
“I-It’s this way… it has to be…” Scootaloo said as she led the foals in their speedy trek through the Whitetail Wood. Knowing that their pursuers would no doubt still want to find them, they decided the only course of action left was to get back to Ponyville and find help.
“We’ve been going this way for a while now!” Apple Bloom said, occasionally looking behind her back. “Ah don’t think we’re any closer to Ponyville!”
“We have to be! I just know it! A-At least… I think I know it!”
Pipsqueak looked around him. Trees, and more trees, maybe a bush now and then, but still he saw trees. He and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were desperately trying to find the way back to Ponyville. Back to the safety of their hometown and away from the danger of the pack of wolves chasing after them. He thought they had at least lost them at some point in the forest. The howling had ceased and with the exception of the ponies’ hooves beating against the soft grass, all was quiet.
The Whitetail Wood may not have been as dangerous as the Everfree Forest. But at night, just as dark, and to a lost pony, just as scary.
Scootaloo started to slow down. All the running had taken a toll on her, as well as the others. With no sign of the wolves in sight, they figured it was safe, at least for that moment. “Okay… let’s just… take a breather…” She panted slightly.
“E-Everything looks the same…” Sweetie Belle whimpered out. “It-It’s like a maze! I want to go home!”
“Calm down, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo looked at her. “We all want to go home… but we won’t get anywhere by panicking.”
“Staying calm hasn’t helped either!” She cried out.
“Shhhh!” Apple Bloom said, pressing a hoof against Sweetie Belle’s mouth. “We don’t want those wolves to hear us…”
“I think we ditched them a while ago.” Scootaloo informed the ponies. “They’re probably just as lost as we are…”
Pipsqueak shivered a little. It was the early autumn months, but it seemed that the cold was coming earlier than expected.
“Are ya okay, Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom looked at him with concern in her eyes.
“Y-yeah…” He nodded. “Just a little cold…”
“Me too…” She frowned. “Ah had no idea the woods were this frightenin’ at night… what if… what if we never get home?”
Pipsqueak had that thought too. Ever since he started to notice the seemingly endless trees, he questioned on whether getting home was a possibility. “W-We’ll be okay…” He whispered quietly, although he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince Apple Bloom or himself. “We’ll find our way home… y-you’ll see…”
Apple Bloom nodded as she let out a brief smile. Brief because she noticed something in the darkness just behind Pipsqueak. “P-Pipsqueak!”
Pipsqueak turned and faced the darkness, seeing two very beady, very threatening yellow eyes glaring at him. The pair was joined by another set, followed by another, until finally three sharp rows of teeth appeared.
“They found us!” Pipsqueak shouted in alarm. “Run!”
All four ponies started to scream as they ran forth, the wolves jumping out and snapping their teeth at them. “Grr…” Nate grinned malicious as he watched them run. “They’re scared… I can smell them a mile away… dinner will be served soon…”
Pipsqueak and his friends continued racing through the forest. Knowing how close the wolves were, they were using all the speed and breath they had left to escape. Every moment seemed more and more hopeless for them. No end of the forest was in sight.
“Where is it?! Where is it?!” Scootaloo shrieked, referring to their hometown. “Somepony! Help!” Suddenly, her hoof caught a tree root and she felt herself propel forward. “Ahh!” She hit the ground hard, letting out a pained cry.
“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she dashed to her side.
Apple Bloom wasn’t too far behind and ran to her other side, trying to help her back to her hooves. “Ya have to get up! We can’t stop now!”
“I… I can’t… run anymore…” Scootaloo said, tears coming from her eyes. Every muscle in her legs was sore. She just couldn’t find the strength to move them another step. “I can’t…!”
“You have too!” Sweetie Belle pleaded. “We’re not going to leave you behind!”
Pipsqueak stopped before them, panting and watching the scene in silence. Had she given up? And what about the other two? He knew they would never leave her to those wolves. What about himself? Was he willing to keep running to save himself?
“Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom looked over at him. “You can still make it! Run!”
“I… I…” Pipsqueak was panting, exhausted from all the exertion. He knew that he could keep running and maybe even have a chance. It was probably his last chance to safety. “I… I won’t!” He shouted firmly. “I’m not leaving without all of you!”
“… Pipsqueak…” Apple Bloom whispered. Her eyes widened in fear. “N-No!”
Pipsqueak spun around and saw the three wolves approaching slowly. Their low, satisfied growls escaped their gnashed smirks as they were perched in a hostile stance. They stopped and observed the frightened foals, finding amusement in their predicament.
“I never had to work so hard for a meal…” Nate said with a low laugh. “I must be so hungry…”
Apple Bloom closed her eyes and wrapped Scootaloo in a tight hug. “Ah… Ah’m gonna miss y'all…”
“Me too…” Sweetie Belle said as she followed suit, tears peeking out of tightly shut eyes. “C-C-Cutie Mark Crusaders…”
“Cutie Mark… Crusaders…” Scootaloo was the last to close her eyes. All three had succumbed to the fear and were now left with the tension of waiting for the end.
“Adorable…” Nate licked his slobbering lips greedily. “Now who wants to be first? How about you, small fry?” He looked over at Pipsqueak, who was now ducking down with his fore hooves over his head, shaking violently.
“I-I-I want… P-Patch…” He whimpered out as he started to cry. “I… I want… Patch…”
“Look at that, boys!” Nate said as he laughed wickedly. “He’s crying! He’s so scared he can’t stop crying!”
While the other two wolves were initially hesitant of joining along, they soon started to laugh as well. The laughter grew louder until it was to the point of uproarious. The sound seemed to pierce Pipsqueak’s ears. He wished it would stop. He was being laughed at like he was just an amusing toy. He just wanted it to be over.
Then, all was silent around him.
“… Pip…”
“W-What?” He shot his eyes open.
“Pip!”
“W-Who’s there…?” He said with a quiet weep.
“You can’t let them do this! You need to stand up to them!”
That voice.
“B-But… they’re bigger than me… a-and scary… and I’m… I’m…!”
“You’re small… I know that, Pip! But that doesn’t matter right now! You need to stand!”
“No!” He shouted out. “I-I can’t!”
“Yes you can! You have to! You don’t any other choice right now! I’ve always said you’re stronger than you think you are, because it’s true!”
"... P-Patch?"
“There are times when you need to stand up for yourself… and this is one of those times… look behind you…”
Pipsqueak turned his head slightly and looked over. He saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo… all huddled close together and whimpering quietly.
“You’re not just standing up for yourself… you’re standing up for them as well. Those fillies gave you their friendship… they gave you comfort… and now… you need to give them something in return…”
“W-What is that?”
“A chance for all of you to escape… Pip… stand up…”
Pipsqueak waited a moment. Should he trust this voice? He looked up at the wolf, who was still biding his time as he stopped laughing. Slowly, Pipsqueak rose to his hooves, standing, albeit shakily.
“What the?” Nate let out a snarl. “The little crybaby wants to be a little hero now… take a break, boys… I want the first bite…”
“Just wait a moment, Pip… I’ll tell you what you need to do… I’m not going to leave you until it’s all over. I promise…”
“O-Okay…” He nodded slightly, the tears now slowing down.
With a loud growl, Nate charged forth, ready to strike.
“Just a little longer…”
Pipsqueak could see wolf’s eyes clearly, and every last one of his teeth as he opened his mouth wide.
“Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom screamed in terror as her eyes shot open.
“Now! Give him a good buck in the jaw!”
Pipsqueak quickly turned around. “Ahh!” Using all the strength he had, he shot his back legs up in a buck, praying they would hit their mark.
And did it ever.
“Ow!” Nate was practically knocked off his paws as he fell onto his back, holding his aching jaw in pain. “Ow! Ow...! Y-You little ru-Ow!”
“I-I did it…” Pipsqueak said in disbelief. “B-But how?”
“Strong back-legs run in the family, Pip… well… on mum’s side at least…”
Barnes snapped his teeth as he let out a low growl. “Let’s see you try that stuff on me! Ragh!” He jumped forward, attempting to pounce on the colt.
Pipsqueak spun around and let out a frightened yelp. “Ah!”
“Just take a big step to your left, Pip.”
Pipsqueak did as ordered and quickly jumped to the left, missing Barnes as the wolf slammed face-first into the hard ground.
“Gah!” The wolf said as he lifted his head, dazed from the impact. “Argh…”
“Now it’s my turn!” The last wolf, Cletus ran up to Pipsqueak and swung a clawed paw at his head.
“Duck down.”
Pipsqueak nimbly lowered his head and body into a crouch, dodging the paw completely. Barnes, however, felt the full force of the attack on his own head and yelped in pain.
“Hey!” Barnes snapped at Cletus. “What’s the big idea hitting me like that?!”
“S-Sorry!” Cletus snarled out. “You got in the way!”
“I’ll show you getting in the way!” Barnes threw his own paw at Cletus’ nose. After a quick yip from the struck wolf, both snarled and snapped at each other as they started to fight.
Pipsqueak backed away from the tussle, not wanting to be a part of it. He looked over and saw the first wolf getting back to his feet, apparently recovered from the strong buck.
“Grrrrrrr… you little…” Nate gritted his teeth and glared at the colt. “I’m gonna get you this time!” He reared back and pounced forward.
“He’s jumped too high to get you… just run underneath him.”
Pipsqueak nodded and charged ahead. Just as the voice said, he easily ran underneath the wolf and was safely behind him.
Nate landed on his feet and looked over. “I missed?!” Suddenly, he felt something bite at his leg. “Yeow! What the?!” Soon, a paw slapped him in the face, followed by a good snap on the ear. He had been involuntarily dragged into Barnes’ and Cletus’ battle.
“Now’s your chance, Pip. Go to your friends and keep running the way you were going. I’ll guide you.”
“Uh… o-okay…!” He ran over to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had witnessed the entire event in awed silence. “A-Are you all okay?”
“Y-Yeah…” Scootaloo spoke up. “That was… awesome!” She said with an excited smile. “You really taught those stupid fur balls a lesson or two!”
“We have to keep running! J-Just follow me!” Pipsqueak said with a little determination. “I think I can get us home!”
“Right behind ya, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Are ya okay to run now, Scootaloo?”
“I think so… I think I’ll be fine…” Scootaloo said as she got back to her hooves. “Let’s move!”
“Lead the way, Pipsqueak!” Sweetie Belle chirped. With that, the four resumed their escape, leaving the wolves in their ongoing fight.
After a while, the wolves’ battle ceased, with Nate’s back leg trapped in Barnes’ teeth and his neck locked in Cletus' fangs. With a loud snarl, he shook both wolves off him and gave them each a well-deserved slap on the nose. “They’re getting away! We can still catch them! C’mon!”
With a new-found fury, the wolf pack resumed their chase. The foals may have had a good head start, but it wouldn’t last for long.
Pipsqueak was leading the ponies through the woods, following the directions given to him by the voice without a moment’s hesitation. They were no longer running as fast as before, making sure not to overexert Scootaloo’s still sore leg muscles.
“Alright… you’re about to come up to a rock. Stick to the right of it and keep going.”
“We’re going past the right side of that rock!” Pipsqueak announced to the fillies.
“Okay, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah think we can make it… we’re goin’ home!”
Pipsqueak nodded. “We have to be almost there!”
“Pip… it’s not going to be that easy…”
“Huh? B-But you said you’d guide us home…” He said softly. The three fillies looked at him, puzzled.
“Who are you talking to, Pipsqueak?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“You mean you don’t hear him?”
“Who?
“I can only show you the way… the rest of the work will be up to you. Just don’t be afraid… okay, Pip?”
“Afraid of what?” Pipsqueak whispered. Suddenly, he brought himself to an abrupt stop, the fillies screeching to a halt as well. They saw what the voice was warning Pipsqueak about.
Before the ponies was a river. A wide river, its current traveling fast, its source no doubt coming from a waterfall some distance away. It would be impossible to swim across without being swept away. Pipsqueak saw no shallow part to it, nor an end to the flow. All he saw was the rickety rope bridge that stood feebly before him. With several planks missing, the ropes old and rotted, and the structure having seen Celestia knows how many years of disrepair, it seemed like their luck had run out.
“M-Maybe…” Sweetie Belle said meekly. “Maybe if we go one at a time…”
“There’s no way that thing can support even one pony!” Scootaloo protested. “We have to find another way across!”
“But we might not have time!” Apple Bloom frowned. “Who knows how close those wolves could be!”
“Pip… all four of you can cross it together…”
“What?!” Pipsqueak exclaimed loudly. “B-But… it can’t be strong enough for all of us!”
“If you go carefully, but quickly… you all will make it across… I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t think you could do it…”
“T-There has to be another way…”
“I wish there was… by the time you find one, it’ll be too late. The wolves are getting closer. It’s now or never… please Pip… trust me…”
Pipsqueak shook a little as he looked at the bridge once again. His entire body was full of fear knowing that one wrong step would be the end of the bridge, and him and his friends. His head told him no. His nerves told him no.
Yet his heart was saying otherwise.
“W-W-We have to cross…” He announced to his friends. “… Together…”
“What!?” A collective shock was among the crusaders.
“You can’t be serious!” Scootaloo argued. “What makes you think that thing can hold all four of us!?”
“I… I don’t know…” Pipsqueak closed his eyes. “I just know that right now… it’s our only hope…”
“It’s hopeless then!” Scootaloo shouted at him. “No matter what you say… we can’t cross it!”
“…” Pipsqueak walked forward, placing a hoof on the first bridge plank. As he predicted, it shook and creaked. The sound made him let out a panicked yelp.
“Don’t do it, Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom yelled.
After a moment, he continued on, taking a step onto the next plank, and then the next, and then the next. With all four hooves on the bridge, he looked over at the crusaders. “W-We can do this… if we go carefully enough… we’re all going home… I… I promise…”
Sweetie Belle looked at the bridge with concerned eyes. She let a small whimper and approached it, setting hoof on it. After a little hesitation, she started to walk atop the planks, slowly and careful not to make any sudden movements. “I… I trust you, Pipsqueak…”
Scootaloo glanced at Apple Bloom, then at the bridge. Despite every last part of her screaming it was a bad idea, she took the step. After the initial shake, she took the next step and was finally crossing the bridge as well. “Me too, Pipsqueak… c’mon Apple Bloom!”
Apple Bloom was the only one left. She was also the one who was the most frightened. She feared that her simply stepping onto the bridge would break its fragile hold. For a while, she debated with herself on whether or not to attempt it. It wasn’t until she saw her friends waiting for her that she knew what had to be done. She cautiously walked forth and stepped onto the bridge. She quickly stepped back. “A-Ah can’t!”
“Apple Bloom!” Pipsqueak shouted. “We’re not leaving without you! You can do this!”
Apple Bloom looked right at Pipsqueak, the fear on her face evident. Gritting her teeth and practically shutting her eyes, she took the step and began the treacherous trip.
Pipsqueak looked forward. “Everypony… just keep it slow…” He resumed crossing, the creaking sounds answering each step. His stomach in knots and heart beating a mile a minute, he remained as careful as he possibly could.
“That’s it, kiddo… just keep it slow and steady…”
This voice he kept hearing, that only he could hear. Somehow it gave him the confidence to continue. “W-We’re doing okay so far…” He looked behind him, seeing the three scared fillies also doing their best to keep going forward. “T-That’s it, guys… j-just a bit further…”
The trek seemed like it would go on forever. However, Pipsqueak felt his hoof hit solid ground. It was the other side of the river. He fought the urge to simply jump across, knowing that it could endanger his friends. He stepped onto the stable ground and watched as the crusaders were getting closer to the end as well.
Sweetie Belle was the first of the fillies to make it, breathing a breath of relief as she stepped off the last plank. Scootaloo would be next, closing her eyes and panting as she tried to bring her heartbeats back to a normal rate. That just left Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom was taking the most time out of the four, her fear keeping her pace slow. She glanced down at the river below and froze. “Ahh…”
The howls from the distance signified that the wolves were close.
“The wolves!” Scootaloo shouted. “Apple Bloom!”
Apple Bloom panicked and took an immediate step onto the next plank. The plank behind her let out a sudden creak, followed by a loud snap as it broke beneath of hooves. “Ahh!” She let out a scream as she felt herself falling off the bridge. She used her fore legs to latch onto the plank before her, holding on with all her might. The rest of her body was attempting to drag her down into the river below. “No!”
“Apple Bloom!” Without a second thought, Pipsqueak stepped back onto the bridge, racing over to her as carefully as he could. He held out his own fore legs and wrapped them around hers, grunting as he tried to pull her back up. “H-Hold on, Apple Bloom!”
“Apple Bloom! Pipsqueak!” Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo called out, watching the scene in pure terror.
“Pipsqueak!” Apple Bloom looked up at him, eyes soaked with tears. “A-Ah can’t get back on! Go save yerself and the others!”
“Ahh…!” Pipsqueak reared his body back as he kept his hold on her legs. He felt himself making no progress whatsoever. “I won’t let you fall! We’re ALL going home!”
Pipsqueak legs were beginning to feel numb. He knew he had exhausted every last bit of his strength and the best he could do at that moment was keep her from falling. But that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to pull her up. He wanted her on the other side with the others. He wanted to save her.
Slowly, the numbness started to fade. He felt something new, like another set of hooves pressing gently against his. He opened his eyes to see what it was he was feeling. Nothing. There was nothing there, yet he could still feel it.
“You can do this, Pip… I’m right here with you… use everything you have left to pull her up…”
“…” Pipsqueak let out a small nod and pulled harder. Whatever it was he felt seemed to be giving him strength. With all the effort he could give, he pulled Apple Bloom back onto the plank, holding her close.
“He did it!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Hurry back over here, guys!”
“It’ll be alright, Apple Bloom…” Pipsqueak told her gently, feeling just how shaken up she was after the ordeal. “I’ll stay close to you…”
Apple Bloom let out a sniffle as she nodded. “Right…”
The two ponies resumed their crossing of the bridge, thankful the safety of the end was not too far. After a few more steps, they made it to the ground and stepped off the bridge. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo quickly ran over to them.
“I can’t believe it!” Scootaloo said. “You’re both safe!”
Apple Bloom immediately wrapped up Pipsqueak in a tight and thankful hug, the colt blushing slightly. “Y-You saved mah life!” She sobbed.
“Not yet!” Sweetie Belle cried out, pointing to the other side of the river. “They’re coming!”
The three wolves were racing towards the river, a fiery rage burning in their eyes. “If those foals can do it, we can too!” Nate barked out. “Let’s go!” Without even slowing down, they all started to cross the bridge.
Pipsqueak’s eyes widened as he saw the wolves get midway across.
“It’s okay, Pip… they can’t hunt you anymore…”
As if on cue, the brittle ropes on the ponies’ side snapped, no longer able to keep the bridge over the water. The wolves let out panicked howls as they fell into the cold river, frantically trying to swim out as the current swept them away. Soon, they were out of sight and their howls faded into the distance. As the voice had said, they could no longer hunt the foals.
“Talk about a lucky break…” Scootaloo sighed in relief. “They’re finally gone for good…”
“Yeah…” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Do you know the rest of the way home, Pipsqueak?”
“…Um…” Pipsqueak looked away. He was unsure where to go from here. But the corner of his eye caught something. Rather it was somepony.
Standing a few yards away was what Pipsqueak thought was a pony, a stallion to be exact. However, he seemed transparent and had a strange pale light around him.
Pipsqueak glanced over at the form in shock. “Guys… do you see that…?”
“See what?” Sweetie Belle looked over. She saw nothing out of the usual. “I don’t see anything…”
“Me neither.” Scootaloo shook her head.
“Is something the matter, Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom walked over to Pipsqueak. He already knew that she couldn’t see the stallion either.
Without a word, the stallion started to slowly walk ahead. His steps left no sound, nor disturb the grass beneath his hooves.
“…E-Everything’s fine… I think… I think I know the rest of the way home…” Pipsqueak walked ahead, intent on following the spirit to wherever it was going. The fillies remained close to him, following along.
Pipsqueak knew that by following whatever it was that he was seeing, they were sure to make it back to Ponyville.
“… Pip? Are you awake, kiddo?” It was the last night of Patch and Pipsqueak’s camping trip. Princess Luna’s stars shined in the dark sky while her moon loomed peacefully amongst them. Patch was relaxing atop a blanket he laid out for himself and his younger brother. He looked down at the colt, who was comfortably curled up close to his fore hooves. Pipsqueak’s eyes were shut and his chest was slowly rising and lowering, showing the stallion that his brother had fallen asleep.
“…” Patch gently rubbed the colt’s head, careful not to disturb his slumber. “…Pip… I know that when I come home, I always talk about how great it feels being in the Royal Guard... and I really do think it’s a wonderful experience in my life… but there will always be one thing that tops that… one thing that I know can never be outdone…” He gave a slight smile as he pulled his hoof away from the colt’s head. “And that’s having you as my little brother…”
Patch lowered his head slightly and started to frown. “When we get home… I have something I need to tell you and mum and dad… something I know you won’t like… and it really upsets me too.” He glanced up at the moon, admiring it for a brief moment. “… I have to go away for a while… I found out about my orders before I came home. I knew that I would have to deploy one day… but so soon… and while you’re still growing up… it… it really hurts me, Pip…”
“Knowing that I’ll be missing a full year of being with you…” He continued, his voice filled with sadness that he normally would try to hide. “So much could happen that I won’t be able to witness. By the time I get home, you could very well not even need me around anymore… you’ll be building your own campfires, telling new friends the stories I shared with you, showing them all you know about the stars and the constellations... You’ll be your own pony, Pip. But I’ve always known that would happen. When I look at you… I see a colt who will grow up into a strong stallion.”
“You’re going to do so many outstanding things, things that I could never accomplish. You’ll be earning your cutie mark and showing all of Equestria just how great you are. And one day… you’ll meet that special girl who you’ll gladly give your love to… and she’ll give hers back to you. If I was to miss seeing all that…” He stopped momentarily to allow a small tear to escape his eye.
“Pip… no matter what happens… you will always be the most important pony in my heart. Nopony can or will take your place. Thank you so much for being a part of my life… and letting me be a part of yours...” He closed his eyes and lowered his head to Pipsqueak’s, nuzzling his brother gently. “I love you, baby bro…”
Pipsqueak shook his body a little, but was still deep in his slumber. After a few moments, he let out a whimper and said in a quiet whisper. “I love you too… Patch…”
Patch smiled once more and lowered his head to the ground. The two brothers remained close to each other as the stallion slowly drifted to sleep.
Patch continued to make his way through the Whitetail Wood, knowing that his brother was close behind along with his new friends. He had no idea what strange phenomenon had brought him there, whether by magic, fate, or something else. All he knew was the moment he heard Pipsqueak saying his name, he understood why he was there.
A smile formed on his face as he continued on. He had no idea what would come next after they made it to Ponyville, but all that mattered to him was that Pipsqueak was safe.
He looked ahead, seeing that soon his task would be complete. He stopped and simply stood still, closing his eyes. He felt his spectral body start to fade away. Soon, he would be as he was for the past year. Simply a memory.
“Huh? Wait!” Pipsqueak cried out as he raced forward. “Don’t go! Don’t go!”
Patch’s form had completely vanished just before Pipsqueak could make it to him. Pipsqueak was standing where the stallion stood moments ago, a small hill overlooking Ponyville. The sight of the town was well welcomed by the colt, yet it was not enough to bring forth a smile.
“I… I didn’t get a chance to thank you…” Pipsqueak whispered to himself sadly, unsure if the spirit could hear him.
“Look! It’s Ponyville!” He heard Scootaloo exclaim excitedly. “We made it!”
Pipsqueak looked over and saw the three fillies rush over to him, smiling huge grins. “You did it, Pipsqueak! You got us all home!” Sweetie Belle chirped.
“Yeah… I guess I did…” He nodded.
“Pipsqueak?” Apple Bloom walked over and looked at him in the eyes. “What’s the matter? You should be proud of yerself…”
“I… I saw him, Apple Bloom…”
“Saw who?” Scootaloo asked.
“…Patch… it was like he was here… He told me how to take on those wolves… guided me to the bridge and to Ponyville… and I felt him when I was pulling Apple Bloom back onto the bridge. I even saw him just now… then he vanished… I know it was him…”
“But there’s no way…” Scootaloo shook her head. “We didn’t hear or see a thing… how come you did?”
“…” Apple Bloom smiled slightly. “Ah think Ah know what happened…”
“Huh?” Sweetie Belle looked at her, confused. “What happened?”
“Well… Granny Smith always says that ones we love don’t really go away when they leave us… they stay… here…” She placed a hoof on Pipsqueak’s chest, where his heart was. He looked at her in stunned silence. “You had Patch in yer heart the entire time… so it was like he was really there… helping you…”
Pipsqueak looked at her and smiled a little. “Y-You think that really did happen?”
“Argh!” Scootaloo groaned and stuck out her tongue. “That’s enough sappiness for today! Who knows what really happened back there? All I know is that Pipsqueak…” She grinned. “Was really awesome! Like… almost Rainbow Dash level of awesome!”
“You’re a real hero Pipsqueak!” Sweetie Belle beamed. “We’re proud to call you a crusader!”
“Crusader? Really?” He said, blushing a little from all the praise.
“Ya bet!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Ya are one of us now!”
Scootaloo let out a sigh. “And after all that… none of us got a cutie mark… but I did get a wicked costume idea for Nightmare Night!”
“Yeah… the camping trip was sorta a bust…” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Well… it’s not that late…” Pipsqueak spoke up. “Maybe my parents will let us finish the camping trip in my backyard.”
“That sounds way safer!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Let’s get goin’ Crusaders!”
The ponies all started to rush towards the town, laughing and cheering along the way. Pipsqueak trailed behind, but suddenly stopped as he reached the bottom of the hill. He felt a familiar hoof rubbing his mane. One that he knew well.
He spun around and looked up. Standing before him with a huge grin was the spirit who remained with him throughout the ordeal, his older brother Patch.
Pipsqueak stared up at him in awe for a few moments, before a smile formed on his face. “Patch… I knew it was you… thank you… for everything!”
“I’m so proud of you, Pip…” Patch said in a gentle voice. “Don’t worry… I’ll be watching over you…”
Pipsqueak felt tears building up as he prepared for what would be the final thing he would get to say to his brother. “I… I love you…”
Patch nodded as his grin softened to a warm smile. “I love you too… take care… baby bro…” Patch slowly turned and started to walk off; his form vanishing under the light of the full moon.
