After Pipsqueak's move to Ponyville, he hopes to begin adventures in this new town. But after his first Nightmare Night turns out very different to what he expected, he may find that the real adventure is about the friendships made along the way
Pipsqueak is an adventurous young colt, and energetic at that! He's lively and curious, and never says no to adventure. After his move to Ponyville from Trottingham, he has his first Nightmare Night and finds it quite different to what he expected. Nevertheless, he pushes forward in the world to achieve his dream. His dream of having wild, endless adventures.........
So, I found an image on the internet and thought I'd make a story out of it. I love Pipsqueak and I'm so glad to be writing some much needed stories for the little guy. Enjoy. :)
The little pinto colt lay dejectedly on the mat in the town square, which was strewn with litter and debris. The entire town was a mess after the incident with the Princess, and the adults were cleaning up whilst the foals sat down either on the grass or the mat and tried to deal with the situation. Most of them were gathered around the little colt, listening to him as he moped.
"Gosh, I didn't think my very first Nightmare Night would be my very last." The colt hung his head down and pouted into the floor. Just how had all this happened? It'd had been great at first, trotting around the town with the others and getting candy from the adults. Even the Nightmare Moon scare had been amazing, making the whole thing just that bit more exciting. Who'd have thought that the Princess herself would turn up? But then somepony had panicked, made the Princess angry, and everypony had blindly run into everything, wrecking it all. To make it worse, she'd stormed off, announcing haughtily that Nightmare Night would be cancelled forever. It all made him so very sad.
A hoof raised his face slightly, and he looked up to see the zebra from before, Zecora, smiling down at him. She'd been their guide when Nightmare Mo- the Princess had first appeared.
"Come, little Pip, now don't you fret. Nightmare Night's not over yet." She always spoke in rhyme like that, but he wasn't sure if it was a setup for Nightmare Night or whether she genuinely spoke like that all the time. Whichever way it was, it comforted him, and he found himself smiling and standing up as the zebra mare stepped around him and continued. "We still have candy left to give, so Nightmare Moon might let us live."
Zecora was strange, but not in a bad way, Pipsqueak thought. She was mysterious and slightly spooky, although her costume may have caused her to appear spookier than she normally was. To him, she was a bit like the Princess; both were met with distrust and fear when they first came into the town (one of the fillies had whispered the story to him when Zecora was leading them into the forest before the Princess had arrived), both were strangers to the the Ponyville way of life, and both spoke in strange ways. If the zebra had managed to integrate herself into the town, then maybe it was possible that the Princess would be able-
"Yes, come on little ponies!" The voice broke Pipsqueak's train of thought, and he turned to its source. The mayor trotted towards them, apparently overhearing Zecora's words. "What's Nightmare Night without the annual candy offering?" She leaned towards the nearest filly and lowered her tone slightly. "You don't want Nightmare Moon to gobble you up, doooo yoooouuu?"
"Uh, the rainbow wig just kills it for me."
Looking at the mayor, staring at the cowering filly with wide-eyes, Pipsqueak found himself silently agreeing with the baby dragon who walked past, dragging a line of skull decorations; the clown outfit didn't really suit Nightmare Night, particularly if trying to scare somepony.
"Come on kids, doesn't that sound like fun?" called another enthusiastic voice. The group looked towards its owner, an orange earth pony dressed as a scarecrow. Two fillies in the group glanced at each other uncertainly, something that went unnoticed by the orange mare. "Come on then, let's get a-hustlin y'all."
The orange pony- Pipsqueak vaguely remembered her introducing herself to him as Applejack at some point earlier that night- shepherded the foals towards the edge of Ponyville, ushering them towards the Everfree forest. The statue was just a little way inside, making it an ideal location for the Nightmare Night candy offering; a naturally scary environment which was devoid of any real danger. However, the foals didn't feel scared as they trudged dejectedly away from the market and along the path that would take them into the little clearing.
"What do you think got her so upset?" asked one of the fillies as they passed the last of the buildings in the town. "She swooped in and started shouting. I thought we were meant to run and scream."
"Maybe she's just playing the part of the villain?" another filly, dressed in a ladybug costume, suggested hopefully. "Maybe she'll tell us tomorrow that it was all a joke or something?"
"Did you hear what she said?" demanded a third filly, her tone matching the wolf outfit she wore. "She said that Nightmare Night was cancelled forever. She's not just going to un-cancel it."
"But why?" pondered the first filly. "What did we do? Did we offend her by not complimenting her costume?"
"Maybe she felt left out because we kept running away from her," Pipsqueak spoke up. The other foals looked at him.
"Left out? Why would she feel left out? She kept doing scary stuff, like shouting."
"And the lightning!" added the ladybug filly.
"And the eating you thing!" remarked a squeaky filly dressed in a vampire costume. Pipsqueak blushed as he remembered running away in a panic after the group when the Princess had grabbed him from the barrel. He'd run off shouting that his backside had been gobbled, to which the Princess had shouted angrily after him that he was ungrateful and called him a 'whelp'. He still needed to ask somepony what that meant.
"But she saved me," he objected. "I fell into the barrel and she pulled me out. If she didn't I'd probably still be trapped in there."
The filly in the wolf costume seemed ready to retort when a voice from behind them cut her off. "Wait everypony!" The group turned to see a purple unicorn trotting from the town, the baby dragon in tow. She smiled as she drew close to them. "I wanted to give Spike a chance to take part in the candy offering."
"But I don't want to give up any candy, Twilight," huffed the little dragon. The purple mare glanced disapprovingly at him.
"Now Spike, you've already eaten enough for tonight, and you know what I've told you about sugary foods. If you eat much more you'll get stomach aches and won't be able to get to sleep for days."
"But Pinkie can eat so much and still not get ill."
"Pinkie is...well, Pinkie. She's an exception."
"An acception to what?" The foals jumped as a pink mare in a chicken suit seemingly appeared from nowhere, leaping out from behind Twilight, who only looked mildly surprised at this occurrence. "Are we accepting something now? Is it more candy? I love candy! I mean, I know everypony loves candy, but I really really love candy! Is that where we're going now, to get more candy?"
"I wish," muttered Spike.
Pinkie looked around expectantly, eventually spotting the group of foals. "Oh, hey Pip."
"Hey Pinkie," Pip replied unethusiastically.
"Can't we just get this over with?" asked the wolf-costume filly in a slightly irate tone. "Standing around here isn't going to get us our candy back."
"Yep, that's a good idea," chirped Pinkie happily, apparently missing the disdain in the young filly's voice. "If we want candy, we're going to have to go and get it!" She started to bounce towards the forest, getting a good distance before pausing in mid-air and somehow bouncing in reverse back to where she'd started, as though she were a film reel being played backwards. She glanced at all the foals and the candy bags around their necks. "Hang on a second. You already have candy." She gave them suspicious glances. "Are you all being greedy?"
"Pinkie, we're not going to the forest to get candy, we're going there to give it," Twilight explained to the pink mare who was currently leaning towards the ladybug filly with a rigid look of mistrust locked on her face. Pinkie's head whipped round at this revelation.
"Give candy away? But who are we giving it to?"
"The statue of Princess Luna," Twilight reminded her. Pinkie continued to look at her with confusion. "The candy offering? The tradition where everypony goes to give some of their candy to Nightmare Moon so that she doesn't gobble them up?" No reaction. "Pinkie, you were there when Zecora explained the tradition to you. Didn't you listen to what she had to say?" A mote of annoyance crept into the purple unicorn's voice, something the foals knew to be more from Pinkie's disregard for learning the history behind the legend rather than her lack of recollection of the event itself. Twilight had been around Pinkie enough that she had garnered a large amount of patience for the mare's antics and usually dismissed them with a shrug or a roll of the eyes.
"Oh! THAT candy offering!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, breaking off into a giggle. "Silly me!" Twilight gave Spike a glance, to which he shrugged in response. Without speaking, the group set off once again, Zecora leading them into the forest and towards the clearing. The foals followed closely behind, with the mayor, Pinkie, Spike and Twilight bringing up the back of the line.
Before long, the statue came into sight, looming menacingly out of the darkness like a spectre, rearing up on the pedestal. It looked very lifelike, Pipsqueak noted, shivering slightly. The craftspony had clearly put their heart and soul into their work, managing to capture the fierce look that he remembered from the Princess' face, although maybe that was the way the shadows played across its visage. Either way, some amazing talent had gone into producing it. It was just a shame that he'd never be able to come here to see it again, or at least not during Nightmare Night. He wondered if the townsponies would have to remove it at the Princess' behest, but that train of thought dug him deeper into his pit of sorrow, so he tried to stop thinking at all.
The filly in front of him deposited her candy into the pile before stepping back glumly, not turning to look at him but merely staring straight ahead. He stepped forward and placed his bag on the ground, looking up at the imposing figure of Nightmare Moon for what he realised would be the last time. It sneered down at him, offering him no remorse, no compunction.
"Goodbye Nightmare Night," he whimpered, lowering his head and closing his eyes despondently as the disappointment crashed down on him. "Forever." He turned to walk away, not wanting to stay any longer than he needed to. He was leaving it all behind, and he'd only had the chance to experience one. It seemed brutally unfair to him, but his gloom gave him no room to feel annoyed or angry.
A sudden crash of thunder brought him back to his senses, and his head shot up, his eyes springing open. The wind picked up, whistling around him. Leaves whipped at his coat as they were dragged along in the sudden gale. He didn't move, his mind attempting to register the spontaneous change from stillness to the billowing storm, uncertain of what he should actually do.
"Citizens of Ponyville!" a powerful, authoritative voice called out, easily drowning out the whining of the wind. Pipsqueak looked around in terror, searching for a source to the commanding tone. The others were searching too, and even Zecora was backing away, something which frightened the little colt; this wasn't some setup like when she had first lead them here. Nopony knew what was going on this time. "You were wise to bring this candy to me. I am pleased at your offering."
The wind picked up in strength, howling as the ponies clutched themselves tightly in an effort to both prevent themselves being snatched up in the ferocious squall and to fight off the bitter cold it brought. Applejack barely noticed as her straw hat was swept from her head and dragged along the ground, bouncing along the dirt. Pipsqueak followed its path with frantic eyes.
"So pleased that I may just eat IT...." The hat was lifted up by the currents and floated several metres before passing in front of the statue, where a sudden gust propelled it upwards and....
Pipsqueak's breath caught in his throat as he found himself gazing up into the face of the now animate carving of Nightmare Moon. She leered hungrily down at him, eyes glowing a fierce white as though possessed, ethereal mane fluttering placidly in spite of the wind whipping around her, and teeth bared.
"...instead of eat YOU!"
The foals screamed in unison, turning and fleeing as quickly as their legs could carry them. Pipsqueak leaped hurriedly behind them, trying to keep up and just managing to do so. Sparing a terrified glance backwards as he ran, the little colt espied a bright glimmering light emanating off Nightmare Moon. She seemed to shrink, her dimensions changing into something far less intimidating and familiar. In fact, it almost looked like....
"Everypony, wait!" he called out to the others as he pattered to a halt. The group looked back and ground to a halt too, frantic expressions carved into their faces.
"Run!" one of them shouted back to him. "What are you stopping for? We have to get away!" Pipsqueak didn't move.
"I think it's okay," he replied, peering back to the plinth where Princess Luna had started conversing with the purple unicorn. "I think it was all an act." His eyes widened at the possibilities. "It's an act! She just wants to scare us! It's all in the spirit of Nightmare Night! If somepony just talked to her-"
He felt a pair of hooves spin him around, and found himself inches away from a disconcerted orange pegasus. "Are you mad or something? It's Nightmare Moon! You don't stop and talk to her, you run!" The colt pulled away slightly.
"But it's not Nightmare Moon, it's just Princess Luna, look." He stepped aside to allow the filly to look where the statue had been not long before. The rest of the group slowly trotted forwards to join them, trying to listen in on the conversation. The orange filly's expression loosened slightly, but she still bore a look of deep suspicion. "If she really was Nightmare Moon, would she really be standing there talking to another pony like that?" A small murmur of agreement passed through the foals at this.
"Okay," the filly conceded. "But even if she is just Princess Luna, how does this help us?"
"Because we don't need to be afraid of her. If she is a Princess, maybe she just wants to fit in."
"Why would a Princess want to fit in?" asked the ladybug filly. "She has power, she doesn't need to fit in."
"Maybe she's bored or something. But if she is, and we don't want Nightmare Night to be cancelled, maybe we can still have her come and scare us every year. Even if we don't have Nightmare Night to look forward to, we would still have this."
"But how are we going to get her to come along and scare us every year?" squeaked the white unicorn in the vampire costume. The pinto colt took a deep breath.
"I could just ask her."
Silence fell across the group for a few brief seconds in which they all stared at him. Finally, a small voice spoke up from the back.
"Maybe somepony should go an' talk ta her. After all, that's how I...we met Zecora, an' she's really friendly. What if this is the same?" The foals shifted their gazes to her, uncertain of how to respond.
"She does have a point," agreed the squeaky filly slowly. "Nightmare Night is meant to be scary, and we were scared tonight." The other foals readily nodded their agreement. Pipsqueak smiled.
"I'll go and ask her if she can keep coming to scare us each year, and hopefully she'll say yes." Turning around, he heard a rustling from behind and gave a quick glance over his shoulder, seeing that all of his friends had immediately choose to hide behind a bush. Facing forwards, he gulped audibly and started his walk towards the towering Princess. Each slow, small step seemed a risk, as though she would turn around and see him approaching her, and angrily banish him to the moon, or smite him down somehow, but despite his nervous disposition clawing at him as he made his way forwards, the purple unicorn was apparently holding her attention enough get close to her without her noticing. She leaped down from the plinth, turning to face the unicorn once more and raising a hoof in scepticism.
"For what? For...for them to scream some more?" she asked in a disappointed tone. The little colt was close to her now, and he thought about how he should address her. What should he say when talking to royalty? Whatever the procedure, he needed to get her attention first, and that was his biggest hurdle. He was the youngest foal in the group, a good year younger than the rest of them, and on top of that, his frame was smaller. He couldn't do a throaty cough like he had heard Filthy Rich do to gather attention, and he couldn't catch her eye with a gesture either. Left with little other choice, he decided to tug on the nearest thing he could reach of hers- her mane.
He was surprised that he had even managed to grasp it, expecting it to be some sort of gas. Instead, he pulled down gently, and tugged the mane of royalty to get her attention. His nerves doubled when he took hold.
"Ummm, Princess Luna," he began uncertainly, releasing her mane as he did so. She looked down at him in surprise. "I know there's not going to be any more Nightmare Night, but do you suppose maybe you could come back next year and scare us again anyway?" Excitement crept into his voice as he continued, and, despite himself, he finished his question with a wide beam of a smile. The Princess looked up towards the bush, spotting the nervous heads peaking around it.
"Child, art thou saying that thou..." she began before trailing off momentarily, bewilderment evident in her tone. "...likest me to scare you?" She gave him an astonished gaze, her eyes narrowed and her head pushed forward, as though unsure of what she had just heard.
"It's really fun," Pipsqueak confirmed, nodding excitedly. "Scary, but fun!"
"It....is?"
"Yeah. Nightmare Night is my favourite night of the year!"
"Well then," the Princess replied with a small intake of breath and a wide smile, apparently as happy about this as Pipsqueak was. "We shall have to bring NIGHTMARE NIGHT BACK!" The sudden use of the Royal Canterlot Voice blew the colt back several metres, but he immediately jumped back to his hooves, giddy with the news that his new favourite festival wouldn't be cancelled after all.
"Woah! You're my favourite princess ever!" He ran up and wrapped his forelegs around one of hers as a quick gesture of thanks before darting back towards the group, who now wore similar giddy expressions as his. He didn't wait until he reached them to share the good news, shouting out to them as soon as he had turned away from the princess. "She said 'yes', guys!"
The group cheered as he raced towards them, moving out from behind their hiding place to bounce about in their excitement. It took a few minutes before any of them thought to stop for a moment to go and share the news with the others in town, or even to go back to celebrating the festivities.
Their hectic arrival into town brought them a lot of attention, and so they were quickly able to spread the word about the reinstatement of all Nightmare Night festivities. When Princess Luna herself walked into the town, none of the ponies cowered away, and although some remained at a cautious distance and held a wary gaze, she was welcomed into the celebrations warmly, particularly after she helped repair and reset some of the damages and decorations. Alicorn magic had many uses, and renovations were no tough task for those who wielded it. Within half an hour, the festivities were back on in full swing as though they had never deviated from that state.
"Hey, Pipsqueak." The little foal pulled his head out of the bucket, giving up on trying to catch the apple for the meantime. Three fillies were approaching him, and although he'd spent the night going around the town with them, he hadn't caught their names. The white unicorn in the vampire costume, the orange pegasus in the wolf outfit, and a yellow earth pony dressed as what looked like, well, some sort of zombie. Bolts in the side of her neck? Looking as though she was stitched together? He certainly hadn't heard of anything like that before, but he did feel impressed by her creativity.
"Hi there," he responded chirpily, dropping down to the ground. They stopped in front of him.
"We just came to say thanks for sorting everything out tonight," the unicorn told him. Pipsqueak smiled.
"It wasn't a problem. I'm just glad that Nightmare Night's still on."
"So are we, an' that's our point," the earth pony interjected. She had a strong accent that he usually associated to farmers and rural workers, although his parents had always taught him to never judge a pony by their outward appearance. He realised at that point that it had been her who had spoken up for his idea to just speak to the princess. "We like it, you like it, an' everypony likes it. What you did took guts, and we wouldn'ta had this ever again if it hadn'ta been fa you."
The colt blushed profusely. "Um, thanks."
"Well, we wanted to say thanks for saving Nightmare Night-"
"I could have done it if I hadn't have been held back," the orange filly interjected.
"Nopony was holdin' ya back, Scootaloo," the earth pony responded with a sigh, rolling her eyes.
"-and we thought that the best way to say thanks was to invite you to hang out with us," the unicorn continued, apparently used to these sorts of interruptions. She smiled brightly at the smaller colt.
"I think that would be nice," he replied. "I'd need to ask my parents, but that sounds awesome to me."
"Well, just tell your parents that you'd be hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, there's no way they could say no!" the pegasus told him confidently. The other two shared winces.
"Or," the unicorn suggested, "maybe just say that you're hanging out with Sweetie Belle," she indicated herself, "Apple Bloom," she motioned towards the earth pony, "and Scootaloo," pointing a hoof at the pegasus who was, at this point, striking a pose. "We're never sure how ponies will react to hearing about the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Pipsqueak nodded happily. "I will guys, thanks for the offer."
"Thank you for the heroism."
With a final wave and a smile, the three of them turned and walked away, Scootaloo whispering to Apple Bloom that she did too have somepony holding her back. The colt smiled. This night really had turned out great. He'd been excited for it when he was getting ready, and in the days and weeks before the event, but now everything seemed even better. Nightmare Night would remain a public holiday, he had potentially made three new friends, and he'd met the Princess of the Night herself. With a smile that would impress even Pinkie Pie, he clambered back up the side of the barrel, ready to try to get at least one apple before the night was over.
The bow of the ship cut through the waves, splitting them effortlessly as it relentlessly pursued its target. A beautiful vessel, made from the hardest timbered oak, not a dent or a scratch to be found on her, crafted with absolute love and admiration for sea-faring folk, and manned by the bravest crew a fearsome captain could ever ask for. The sails were woven from the elaborate silks of distant lands, hoof stitched and presented proudly at the top of the masts, carrying the ship forward like Celestia herself had charged them with that duty. There was no doubt that it was a prize of itself, having been a custom design built from the most luxurious materials afforded to him, and everything had been afforded to him. He'd made sure of it, and his contractor had agreed, knowing what was at stake.
"Faster, you scurvy dogs!" the captain bellowed. "This fine vessel can go fifteen knots on an off day, and it's only going twelve at the moment! If you want to eat tonight, I suggest you put your backs into it!" He turned away from his crew as they scurried about, hastening to his orders, and pulled out his spyglass. Putting it to his eye, he sought out the other ship, a smirk crossing his face. Aye, it would make for good plunder, that was certain. Not only that, but his contractor would be mighty pleased.
"Cap'n!" came an urgent voice from behind him. He turned to see an orange pony scurrying towards him, jumping over an obstacle in her way. She stopped just in front of him, and gave a quick salute. "The crew is ready to act on your orders." The captain smiled. The other vessel stood no chance.
"Tell 'em to ready the cannons and prepare to board!"
"Aye aye!" She scuttled back across the deck, barking orders to the rest of the ponies hurrying over the smooth wood of the deck as they prepared the ship. The captain turned back to the bow, eyeing his prey greedily. It was only a matter of time now, and then the threat would be removed forever. Stashing his spyglass away, he checked his gear over, already preparing for the upcoming battle. There was more than just his wealth sitting on the line here, and he needed to be ready.
They were closing in now. Their prey had slowed and was attempting to turn, inevitably trying to avoid approaching the land that was just visible on the horizon. Many ponies were unhappy with them, and it wouldn't do any good to be caught near sovereign territory. The open seas were much safer, lending the chance of freedom and relative peace, except for the pirates and bounty hunters.
And unluckily for them, the captain thought to himself, smirking as he did so, I'm both.
"Swing to port!" he shouted back to his crew. "I want us nestled firmly in their side before we board. Nopony walks away unscathed today!" There was a cacophony of shouts and cheers to this, and the captain set his face in a look a confident determination. The moment was upon them. They were fast approaching, hurtling towards their helpless quarry like a wolf cornering its next meal, and indeed, the captain could almost hear the ship growling in carnal anticipation. Maybe it was just him. The other vessel had almost completed its maneuver, but it didn't matter. They were already close enough that the captain could see the other crew glancing at him fearfully. A few more seconds, and they would collide. Perfect.
"Hard starboard!"
As quickly as it could muster, the ship swiveled to the right, turning away from its target and leaving the two sides to meet a moment later with a muffled bang. As soon as the wood came into contact, there was an almighty roar as the crews of the ships leapt to engage their foes. It had started.
The captain drew his cutlass out of his belt with his teeth and eyed the scene greedily, trying to pick out the best route to his target. Spotting it, he grinned around his sword and galloped forward, jumping from the safe familiarity of his ship and landing smoothly on the deck of the other. It sent a delicious chill up his spine, a familiar feeling he always looked forward to when plundering a ship. Darting forwards, he weaved in and out of the skirmishes breaking out all over the deck as his crew pushed further onto the vessel, paying none of them any attention as he pursued his objective. Ducking low to avoid an incoming attack, he bounded up the stairs to the stern of the ship, stopping as he spotted his nemesis. His eyes narrowed.
"Hiding away at the back, are we? That doesn't surprise me in the slightest, Captain Feathers."
The other pony looked across and snarled, dropping away from the wheel and fixing him with a glare.
"Unlike you, Captain Spot, I actually understand how to sail a ship, being competent enough to not have to rely on other ponies to do it for me."
The two circled each other, not breaking eye contact. Spot looked his opponent up and down, taking note of the athletic build. Feathers always had been thin, and, being a pegasus, found himself able to slip into any area that took his fancy, frequently returning with bulging pockets and more than a few valuable items.
"I caught up to you," Spot replied. "How's that for competence?"
"It was only a matter of time," Feathers responded dismissively. "You would have found me sooner or later."
"Well, it's sooner. And now that we're here, I have a message for you." Spot brandished his cutlass menacingly. "You're going to pay for your crimes against Equestria, against Princess Luna..." His voice dropped to a low, throaty growl. "...and against me."
Feathers snorted derisively. "Finally caved into pressure did you? Gave up a life of freedom for a life of wealth? I expected better from you than to cuddle up to those we once called our enemies."
"And I expected better from you than to steal from me, and from the Princess herself! You betrayed your friends, your family, and your homeland! I once called you a friend, Feathers! I trusted you with my life, and you repaid me by framing me for stealing jewels from Princess Luna and trying to have me arrested while you took off for the Forgotten Island in my ship, to steal my treasure!"
"And just how is Princess Luna?" Feathers asked with a patronising snigger. Spot clenched his teeth tighter around his sword and tensed his hind legs.
"I wouldn't know. I'm not here on her orders. I'm here for your bounty, as well as some swift retribution." He grinned as he saw Feather's malicious smirk slide off his face, replaced quickly by a look of confusion.
"Who put a bounty on me?"
"Lady Rose herself!"
In a lightening quick motion, Spot shot forwards, thrusting his cutlass forward. He expected it to make contact, but Feathers dodged to the side, drawing his own cutlass as he did so. The two ponies stepped back from each other, trying to gauge the other's weaknesses. It shouldn't have been hard, given that the two were previously very close acquaintances, but the one thing that they had learned about each other in that time was that they were both very unpredictable.
"You don't understand, Spot," Feathers spoke up. "This isn't how it seems."
"Oh, I know how it is," Spot replied. "And I'm not going to let your honeyed words get in the way of my revenge."
"Just listen to me! You're making a grave mistake here-"
"The only mistake I made was trusting you!"
Spot darted forwards, taking a wild swing at Feathers, but the pegasus was quicker, leaping into the air with a speedy flap of his wings. Twisting himself around quickly, Spot jumped and grabbed ahold of Feather's ascending legs, pulling him roughly down to the deck and breaking the pegasus' grip on his cutlass, which fell with a clunk to the floor. Landing in a crumpled heap, the earth pony clambered atop his foe, swatting away the desperate forehooves that tried to push him off and pinning him down firmly, holding the cutlass in front of his face. Spot grinned.
"It's over, Feathers. You're coming with me, and you're clearing my name." The pegasus glared up at him with wide, desperate eyes, a ferocious grimace dominating his face.
"You're a fool, Spot! You think Lady Rose will allow you to clear your name? She's only using you to clear up loose ends!"
"What are you on about?" Spot demanded, brandishing his cutlass menacingly. "Speak sense, or don't speak at all!"
"Lady Rose hired me to frame you and steal the jewels! She told me you'd make the perfect scapegoat!"
Spot froze and his eyes widened in disbelief. That couldn't be true. A noble, lying to him, responsible for framing him, and then contracting him to take care of the only pony capable of revealing the truth? No. He couldn't just be a pawn in some giant game. That wasn't the life he had chosen for himself, and he would never allow anypony to control him like that. Feathers shifted slightly underneath him.
"I should have figured she'd come for me some day. Seems fitting she'd use you to get back at me, seeing as you'd ask no questions." He gulped as the earth pony tightened his grip and leaned in closer.
"I think you're lying," the captain growled, narrowing his eyes. "I think you're trying to bluff me into letting you go. What do you say to that?"
"I say you're every bit the fool I once knew, gullible and brash to the end!" His words were fast paced, his eyes maintaining their nervous lock on the blade inches away from his face.
"It's brashness and vigour that defines us. And besides, if, if, what you say is true, then it appears that you are just as gullible as I."
"I should have known she'd send somepony after me. It was inevitable. She always was a slippery one, and I was wrong to assume she wouldn't cross me to tie up a loose end."
"You were wrong to assume that you could get away with crossing me, and that isn't even-"
Something caught his eye in the corner of his vision, and he quickly turned his head to look. It was a ship, sailing straight towards them, and from the look of its speed, it would soon be upon them. The sight sent an uncomfortable tingle along his spine. He looked back to Feathers and glared menacingly down at him.
"What's with the other ship?" he demanded angrily, growling deep in his throat. "How did you direct it to follow us without my knowledge of it?" In all honesty, he wasn't sure what good the information would be- it hardly mattered why the ship was here, how it had come to be here, or even really who was steering it, because it was here now, and it was approaching fast. He had expected a smug grin, a sarcastic, insincere, or otherwise cocky comment, or even a obstinate silence from Feathers, but the response was none of these. The pegasus gave a confused frown, sending a quick jolt of uneasiness through Spot.
"Ship? What ship?"
"THAT ship," Spot replied, roughly dragging Feathers into an upright position and looking in the direction of the oncoming vessel to indicate it, which was now so close that both captains could observe the cutie marks of some of the foremost crew. The pegasus' breath caught in his throat, and Spot breathed out a quick sigh of resignation. It was going to be like this.
"No running away, no flying away, no trying to get away, and no backstabbing until we have this sorted," the earth pony commanded, standing up and allowing the pegasus to do the same. From the looks of it, they were going to get rammed, and it would be within the next five seconds. Feathers plucked his cutlass from the deck and dropped into his fighting stance, flaring his wings out and facing the oncoming ship and its crew.
"Brace for impact!" Spot shouted behind him, hoping to warn his crew before-
CRUNCH
The resounding impact reverberated through the entire ship, staggering the two captains. Spot recovered first, looking up in time to see the first pony leap onto the deck, a cocksure grin already forming on her face. She rushed forward all too readily, drawing her head back for a rapid swing with her cutlass, preparing to end the fight before it had even begun. She brought her sword through the air in a wide arc, slicing towards-
Spot ducked, and the cutlass passed harmlessly overhead, leaving him to swipe the mare's legs from under her and let her tumble heavily to the deck. As soon as she had fallen, another pony rushed up, swinging his blade downwards at the earth pony captain, who just stepped quickly to the left, letting the blade bounce harmlessly off the wooden planks. Bringing his own cutlass round, Spot smashed the weapon from his opponents mouth and butted him away with a shoulder barge. The pony stumbled backwards and knocked over another pony who didn't get out of the way in time, causing them to both fall awkwardly to the deck. Yet another pony galloped in, charging straight for the captain. He really wasn't going to get any breaks today, was he? Charging forward to meet his adversary, he raised his sword and-
Slid under the slow pony, whose attempt to slash low left him unbalanced and struggling to regain his equilibrium while still moving. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the grounded mare who was getting up, and tripped over her, causing the two of them to collapse into a heap of groaning pirates. It was almost art the way they had so eloquently smashed into each other.
A thunderous cry snapped him out of his little daydream, and he winced, spinning to meet the newcomer. The pony charged at him, already far too close for his liking, and Spot made to step backwards. A cream blur barreled into the advancing pony, throwing him sideways over the ship. Feathers settled down just in front of Spot, occupying the space just taken up by the would-be attacker, giving the earth pony a quick nod. At least he knew where the two of them stood...for now.
"Leave the captains, they're mine!" called a firm, barking voice of a mare. The pegasus and earth pony looked around, and stared. This was not the voice they were used to, not from her. The rest of the crew marched past them, both parties ignoring the other. When all the ponies had cleared out of the way, the mare hopped delicately onto the ship, striking a pose as she looked to her two spectators. "I wondered if either of you would manage to take care of the other, but it appears I need to do all the work myself. Tut tut, it really isn't befitting of a gentlecolt to disappoint a noble." She was using her high society accent again, taunting them with her false persona.
"I fail to see the problem here, Lady Rose," Spot responded curtly. "We're no gentlecolts."
"Evidently," the pink mare laughed. Her visage dropped its smile slightly, and her voice dropped back into its previous cold detachment. "You've both served your use, and you two are now nothing more than a couple of thorns in my side."
"Do you believe me now?" muttered Feathers to Spot under his breath. The latter had to refrain from rolling his eyes.
"Yes, I believe you. This doesn't change what you've done, though." He turned his attention to the mare in front of him. "Why did you do this? What do you gain from us battling each other?"
"That's quite simple," she answered, a sinister smirk creeping across her face. "You two are the scourges of the sea, plundering the treasure from all across the globe, gaining riches and living a life of unrestricted luxury. Pitting you two against each other would not only occupy you both, keeping you from taking everything you wanted, but hopefully remove one, or both, of you from the equation entirely."
"But why?" Feathers cut in demandingly. "Why you, of all ponies?"
"Because you're competition, that's why! I was once the mistress of the sea, taking enough jewels and goods to set myself up as a noble in Canterlot. Since you two popped up, however, I've been unable to make any gains, and covering up my activities, hiding my secret lifestyle, making ponies forget- it all costs. You're bad for business, and that just can't be allowed to stand."
Spot and Feathers shared a quick glance, their faces twitching in imperceptible ways that conveyed nothing to an outside observer, but held as much information in it as a five minute conversation. Together, they looked back to the pink mare, their plan fully fledged and ready to go. It had taken less than three seconds. Feathers shifted his hooves slightly.
"I'm sorry that you feel that way," Spot told her disingenuously. "It's most unfortunate that our transaction was merely a one off payment, as I was rather looking forward to repeat business." He paused to look sad for a moment. "It's such a shame that you should lose somepony of my skill set."
Rose laughed. "I don't need somepony like you when I shall be the pony ruling the high seas. I won't need to hire anypony to my cause; they will come to me, and if I don't want them, I can turn them away. Your days of hindering me and my plans are over, Spot. There is nothing that you can do to stop me now. I hope you enjoyed your run as much as I'll enjoy mine."
"I'll tell you myself once it's over," the earth pony grinned. "Now!"
The pink mare had to duck in order to avoid the cannonball that was Feathers, springing towards her so fast from the side that if it had been anypony else, it would have been a guaranteed hit. This mare, however, had an incredible reaction time, flattening herself to the deck as the pegasus blurred overhead. Spot's distraction had allowed Feathers the time he needed to shuffle slowly to the side, but the surprise attack hadn't worked, and now she was drawing her sword. Not wanting to give her a chance to ready herself, Spot started forward, galloping as quickly as he could. Either the thud of his hooves clattering across the deck or the sudden movement out of the corner of her eye alerted her to his plan, and she turned to look at him, running full throttle towards her with a determined glint in his eye.
He must have been within a metre from her when she bounced into the air, bounding over his charging form as easily as one might step over a small rock on a casual morning stroll. He tried to keep track of her, straining his head back to watch her path, but it was no use. He couldn't see her any more than he could see the incoming cream blur.
Feathers, coming back around to try ramming the pink mare once more, had been equally caught off guard by her sudden leap, and had been unable to stop as he piled straight into Spot. The earth pony staggered, reaching out towards the closest, sturdiest object he could find.
That just happened to be Feathers.
The momentum of the two ponies sent them lurching haphazardly above the deck, flying rapidly towards the stern of the ship. Before either of them could make a move to stop themselves, they had tumbled over the side, dropping sickeningly towards the water which was lapping mockingly against the wood of the ship.
The plunge slowed them down quickly, leaving them suspended in a weightless, muffled world, the sounds from above diminished greatly, as though coming from far away. The light refracted from above was tinted blue, throwing a strange eldritch hue over the two ponies. The whoosh from their impact had faded away, the bubbles floating back up to the surface, and Spot let go of Feathers, the pegasus immediately fanning out his wings and flapping to head upwards. Spot quickly followed, paddling towards the surface, breaking it and taking in a quick breath, looking around to see where Feathers had come up, finding him treading water just to his left, his light brown mane matted to his forehead.
"You two okay?"
They both looked up to see the pink mare gazing down at them with a small amount of concern. She offered her hoof to them, and they both climbed out of the water, back onto the raft.
"We're fine, thank you Pinkie."
"Oh, good." A smile quickly made its way back onto the mare's face. "I saw you crash into each other and then fall into the lake, and I wanted to make sure you were both okay. That was some really good flying, Featherweight."
The pegasus blushed and looked down, a gentle smile creeping across his face. "Thank you."
"You're a really convincing actress, Pinkie."
"Thanks Pip! I had fun there, even if I did have to be a big old meanie pants, but somepony had to do it right? Well, that's not actually true, you could have a story with no big old meanie pants, but then there would be no need for a super awesome special supreme amazing hero like you!"
The little pinto colt beamed up at her. "You really think so?"
"Yes indeedy!" She looked across to the other raft, where the other colts and fillies were busying themselves fighting, swinging toy cutlasses and wooden sticks at each other. "Got to go, looks like 'Lady Rose' needs to make an entrance!" She gave Pipsqueak a wink and bounced over in a great leap, seemingly effortlessly. He watched her for a second, then sat down and sheathed his little sword, turning to face Featherweight.
"That was fun," the pegasus spoke up cheerily. Pipsqueak nodded.
"Sure was. I'm glad you agreed to come today, I know that you can be shy sometimes."
"Thank you for inviting me."
"It was my pleasure. I knew I couldn't just have fun here without inviting at least some of my friends, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were nice enough to let me ask you all to come." He looked over to the other raft, seeing Scootaloo, his 'first mate', courageously fighting off two attackers.
"How does the story end?"
The earth pony thought for a moment before he answered. "I was thinking something along the lines of...Captain Spot and Captain Feathers capture Lady Rose, expose her crimes to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, are rewarded for their services to Equestria, then sail away to the Forgotten Island to get their treasure, and then they become rich and live happily ever after!" Pipsqueak's tone had grown more and more excited as he recounted what he saw in his head, and his voice increased in volume. He finished the sentence with positive beam of joy etched onto his face.
"What about Feathers and Spot?"
"They got over their differences and became friends again."
"Really? But Feathers betrayed Spot."
"Yeah, but friends forgive each other."
"Even in this case? Wouldn't it be more likely that Feathers and Spot split up afterwards, and that Spot got his ship back and continued on his way?"
"Maybe, but doesn't that seem rather sad and unnecessary? Couldn't they each take what they were owed from the Forgotten Island?"
"I don't know, Pip. It seems like neither of them can trust each other."
The two of them fell into a thoughtful silence, pondering a solution to this conundrum. Pipsqueak knew that Featherweight had a point, that most ponies would feel betrayed and would likely end a friendship with someone who had betrayed them on such a massive scale, but wasn't reconciliation possible? From what he understood, it was that which had saved Nightmare Night just a week ago, and how life was supposed to work. What was the correct answer when both possibilities were equally plausible?
"I know!" he spoke up excitedly. "The characters are based on us, so why don't we figure out what we'd do in that situation, and that's the obvious answer!" Featherweight nodded at his logic.
"That sounds good."
"So, what would we do if we betrayed one another?"
They looked at each other expectantly for a few seconds before they both fell back into a ponderous silence. It didn't particularly help them at all, seeing as neither of them had any intention of doing any such thing.
"Well...I would never betray you, Pip," Featherweight replied.
"Me neither," the colt agreed. "If there was something we both wanted, I'd share it with you, and if both of us couldn't have it, I would just give it to you."
"I would do the same." They offered each other a smile, before the pegasus gave a quick chuckle. "We probably shouldn't be pirates, then."
"Even pirates have friends," Pipsqueak countered. "I would never steal from my friends, or anything like that. In fact, if I were a pirate, I would help other ponies with my sea faring abilities, and donate my treasure to help ponies in need. All the treasure I took would be discovered in exotic locations or taken from evil creatures, never stolen from honest ponies."
"That sounds like a good pirate to me."
"So are you saying we should become pirates?"
"Maybe...Captain Spot."
The earth pony laughed. "I liked that, it was a good name for me."
"I wouldn't even have to change my name much."
"Yeah, I sort of couldn't think of any names at the time," Pipsqueak confessed ruefully, rubbing the back of his head with his hoof. "Did you like it?"
"It worked well."
"Yeah, it did." The colt looked up at the sky, seeing where the sun was. "I should probably go home now, I need to have my dinner sometime soon, and it's nearly evening."
"Oh, right." The pegasus seemed a little disappointed. "You're probably right, I should be doing the same." He got up to grab one of the makeshift oars, sitting by the side, ready to row. Pipsqueak shouted over to the others as he picked up his own oar.
"Bye guys, see you all tomorrow!"
The other ponies responded with a chorus of farewells, pausing in their activities to wave the pinto earth pony and the pegasus goodbye. Sitting down opposite Featherweight, he began to paddle, slowly pushing the raft into motion and towards the bank where they could disembark and go home...away from the adventures and fun of outdoors. He sighed, before realising something. He was still outside, with one of his best friends. He should know better than to sigh.
He should know that he was Captain Spot, one of the most proficient pirates ever to sail the seas, sailing away from what should have been an easy ambush. He looked across to his nemesis, the pony he thought he'd be sailing home in binds, not as his only remaining crew member. The rest were captives of Lady Rose, the devious pirate disguised for years as a Canterlot noble, and they were lucky to have escaped her when they did. Still, they were two of the most skilled sailors, and with their combined effort, they were certain to rescue their respective crews and take down the evil Lady Rose. Just like old times...
"It's a good thing we were able to acquire her ship," Spot called over to Feathers. The pegasus broke from his morose trance and looked over to him.
"Huh?" he responded. Clearly he was still numb from the loss of his ship, crew, and that last battle.
"Thanks for flying me up onto the deck, I appreciate your assistance."
The pegasus blinked a couple of times before something clicked in his mind. "Oh, right, of course. I needed you to help me sail this ship."
"Likewise. In fact, it seems we need each other for quite a lot."
"What do you mean?"
"We need each other to sail her ship away, we need each other to take her down and clear our names...we seem to be tied pretty closely together, you and I." He paused, and then gave a small sigh. "To be honest, Feathers, I need my friend back."
Feathers gave him an incredulous look. "After what happened, after everything between us, you still want me by your side?"
"You are a great sailor, a fantastic crew member, and you were one of my closest friends. We've both had everything taken away from us, and now we've been thrown together again to flee once more. Everything we've had, our past, has been stripped away, leaving us bare. Why not start again, a fresh slate? You and me, building a crew, taking back what's ours, plundering and living our lives the way we wanted to from the very beginning? We get our lives back, but leave the animosity behind. We've gone down that path, and what we found down there wasn't something that we liked, but we were given a second chance. One that I'm willing to take. Let's start with the treasure on the Forgotten Island. Half each, once we've dealt with Lady Rose, then back to the high seas, together, like we were always meant to."
The other pony shifted uncomfortably. "I...I don't know what to say. Yes, I accept your offer...but why are you trusting me?"
"Sometimes all it takes is a little forgiveness and trust, and I don't think you're stupid enough to repeat your mistakes of old, not having seen what they earned you." He fixed the pegasus with a stern glare. "Just take that as a warning."
"Right, of course." A brief pause. "I didn't realise, up until now, how much I missed you, Spot."
"I missed you too, Feathers."
They sailed onwards in silence, finally finding peace as they moved towards the distant shoreline, where they would dock, disembark, and set about restocking and supplying. There was a future to build, using the foundations of their old ways. The bow of the ship passed through the waves, parting them peacefully as it calmly sought out its destination.
The afternoon was welcomingly long, seemingly in stasis as the sun sat back and relaxed in the sky, letting the earth below bathe in its heat without fear. Almost everypony in the town was out enjoying the warmth, although 'bustling' wouldn't have been an apt word to describe the scene; with the sun so high-set in the blue expanse above and the seemingly infinite supply of tender warmth, there was no hurry or sense of urgency. A small crowd milled through the market, larger groups attended the various spots in the parks and swimming spots, and the streets remained mostly clear.
This served to make Pipsqueak all the more anxious to find out why nopony had been responding to his knocks. Cocking his head to listen, he thought he heard some noise from behind the door, and so knocked again. It seemed to be taking them a while, and he was certain that he'd heard activity in the house, unless he'd simply missed them. The only remedy to his situation seemed to be to knock again, the subsequent click of the lock and the turn of the handle telling him that he'd been right in making this decision. He stepped back with a beaming smile to greet the bewildered face that popped out from the gap as the door opened.
"Hey, Feathers!" he welcomed enthusiastically. "How are you buddy?"
"Uh, fine, thanks," Featherweight replied, opening the door fully. "What's going on?"
"Just seeing how you are, you know."
"You don't usually come around to see how I am, Pip," the pegasus pointed out. "If you come to see me, it involves doing something or another."
"True, I guess," the pinto pony acknowledged, nodding his head. "Well, I suppose that asking for your company on this fine day wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?" He stepped aside to allow the pegasus an unrestricted view of the street. "We've got the swimming hole, the park, you name it."
"And the bag?"
"It's just some stuff," the earth pony dismissed, rolling his eyes at the mention of the duffle bag next to him.
"What sort of stuff?" Featherweight asked suspiciously, his eyes shifting over the bag to try and analyse its contents.
"Necessities," he insisted. "Beach ball, towels, some sandwiches and cakes from Sugarcube Corner. Just the things we'll need."
"The things we'll need?" the pegasus questioned before the gears in his mind clicked. "You're planning a picnic, aren't you?"
"Bingo! I knew you'd get there sooner or later," the earth pony cheered, beaming at his friend. "Now come on, the others will get impatient if we don't get a move on."
"The others?"
"Uh-huh," Pipsqueak confirmed, picking up the bag and walking away. Featherweight shrugged and pulled his door closed, locking it and catching up to his friend. The earth pony was humming to himself, taking in the scenery as he walked.
"Just who have you invited?" asked Featherweight.
"You'll see when we get there," replied the pinto colt, turning to face his friend with a wide smile. "What have you been up to since I last checked up on you?"
"Getting stuff done," came the reply. "I've actually managed to raise interest in the Foal Free Press thanks to a bit of time to actually spend working on it. We're genuinely making money this time around."
"Good job," Pip congratulated absentmindedly. "What did you do differently?"
"I didn't have you as a distraction," the pegasus responded with an accusatory glance. Pipsqueak looked around and raised an eyebrow.
"I think it's important to go out with your friends."
"Begging and pleading for an interview with Princess Twilight."
"Surely you of all ponies know how important grasping an opportunity-"
"Visiting Canterlot for the Hearth's Warming play."
"It's a cultural highlight of the year, what sort of ponies would we be if we-"
"Reminding me constantly about how we should save up for a boat."
"Look here," Pipsqueak broke in, moving closer to the pegasus and waving his forehoof in an arc in front of them. "What do you see?" The other pony blinked and looked around, eyes flicking from pony to building to sky as he tried to grasp his friend's meaning.
"Ponyville," he answered with a questioning look. The earth pony nodded.
"Exactly. The town of Ponyville. Outside. When was the last time you went outside and spent time doing something you enjoyed?"
"Working for the Foal Free Press is something I enjoy," Featherweight protested.
"Maybe," Pip conceded. "But you've been locked inside working on it by yourself. You haven't been outside interacting with anypony else, and that's why you're so sour right now."
"I'm not sour!" The sharp protest drew a satisfied smirk from the earth pony, who continued trotting silently forwards with an 'I-told-you-so' look. "Fine, I'm a little sour," he conceded. "But that's because, when I'm finally getting something done, making progress, you come along and drag me away for another inane adventure."
Pipsqueak shook his head and rolled his eyes, smirking to himself, slowing down to wrap a forehoof around his friend's neck. "Come on mate, let's backtrot a bit, shall we? You've been working on a private hobby for three weeks, without giving yourself time to relax. Even your playtime has been work-oriented. You said yourself you were doing well, so why not allow yourself some time off, eh? Congratulate yourself on a job well done and let yourself be a foal again." He moved in front of the pegasus and looked him in the eyes. "No inane adventures, just some time with friends. We can work up to Captain Spot and First Mate Feathers when we finally get that boat."
They held the eye contact for several seconds before Pip's grin became infectious, a crack of a smile beginning to break across Featherweight's muzzle too. He looked down and let out a sigh, exhaling the last of his disgruntled attitude. "Yeah, you're right, Pip." He looked up and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about all that." The pinto pony gave him a pat on the back.
"No problem at all," he chirped happily, turning to continue on. "Glad I could help you out. Wanted to make sure you were okay, thought this would be a good time to get you out and about."
The duo made their way through the streets of Ponyville, the conversation now much more bubbly and two-sided. The buildings thinned out as they reached the park, crossing over a bride and stepping into the greener space on the other side, trees adorning the lush lawn. The sunlight gave the grass and leaves a vibrant gleam, and the smell of flowers filled the air, wafted over by the occasional breeze. A lot of the space had been taken up already by groups of ponies. A waving hoof drew their attention to one of the groups lounging about, and Pip and Featherweight sauntered over.
"Finally, about time you two showed up," Scootaloo jibed, making a show of checking her leg-watch. "I thought we'd have to go and buy something to eat before you got here."
"You wouldn't go and spend your own money when you know full well that we've already bought food for you," Pipsqueak returned as he and Featherweight settled down onto the mat that had been laid down and upon which Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom and Dinky Doo were already sat. Scootaloo pondered his statement before nodding her concurrence.
"Sometimes I feel that you know me too well," she confessed. "What took you so long?"
"Featherweight was being Feather-wait, if you catch my drift," he responded, opening up the bag and laying out the contents; lemonade, foil-wrapped daisy sandwiches, a bowl of salad, fruitcake, angel cake, lemon cake, carrot cake, all wrapped in cling film or foil, or carried in a plastic container. More than a few of the ponies present licked their lips in anticipation, the mouth-watering display of goods sparking their appetite. As soon as everything had been laid out and the plates dispensed, the teenagers dug in, taking as much from the attractive selection as was polite. Apple Bloom supplemented the supply with cider from Sweet Apple Acres, as well as a few apple pies fresh from the oven that morning.
After several minutes of concentrated eating, the initial urgency of guzzling food faded into a more comfortable relaxation, and the group began talking again.
"This is the best apple pie I've ever tasted," Dinky chirped, swallowing the last of her slice and finishing her mug of cider. "I'm not going to be able to eat anything but apples from now on. You should set up a bakery, AB."
"Ain't nothin'," the country mare replied nonchalantly, though one could see the subtle indication of pride in her eyes. "Ah'm happy to do it again if y'all like it so much though."
The others replied in the affirmative, and she smiled happily, pushing the praise onto Granny Smith, who she claimed made the pies what they were with a special recipe. Conversation moved on around the circle, the mass of food diminishing as they talked and laughed and joked, until at last they'd cleaned every plate of its delicious contents, sipping on lemonade and cider with contented sighs.
"This is going to make me so fat," Sweetie Belle lamented as she floated her sunglasses onto her face.
"Totally worth it," smirked a very satisfied Scootaloo, forelegs folded under her head as she laid back on the mat. "Best picnic this summer, hooves down."
"Ah think we've got a good while t' wait before all this settles down," Apple Bloom commented, leaning back on a foreleg. "Seems like we need somethin' to do in the meantime."
"How about a story?" Sweetie suggested, looking at Pipsqueak. The other ponies looked at him expectantly as well, drawing a pleased smile from the earth pony.
"Sure thing," he happily assented, tilting his head to think of one. "Which one haven't I told you yet? Have you heard the one set about five hundred years in the future, where the planet has become overpopulated and space has been colonised?"
"We heard that one last time," Apple Bloom told him. "The United Equestrian Space Command fights a losing battle against a superior foe, super soldiers are involved, and one of those soldiers saves the day while stoppin' ancient space weapons built by a long-gone species in their war against a parasite from bein' used against the UESC."
"Right, okay," Pipsqueak reconsidered. "What about the story of a group of friends trekking across the world to destroy a powerful and evil item by dropping it into the volcano in which it was forged?"
"I liked that one," piped up Dinky. "You told it to us a few weeks ago."
"Hmm, this is trickier than I thought," the stallion said, rubbing his chin with a hoof, eventually looking up at Featherweight with a spark in his eye. "How about that idea I told you?" The pegasus thought for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"It's too long."
"What story is this?" Sweetie asked.
"Pipsqueak told me an idea he'd had, and over a few weeks we developed it as a story," Featherweight explained. "It's good, but it's so long, and even when you think it'll end, something else comes up. We're thinking of making it into a comic for the Foal Free Press, or maybe a small independent comic book sort of thing."
"What's it about?" Dinky inquired, sitting forward more intently. The pegasus looked like he was struggling to find the words.
"It sort of starts a thousand years ago...no wait, before that...well, the story itself starts a thousand years ago, then the narrative jumps about all over the place, and it goes back to the time when the three tribes were still fighting, and then the migration, then all the way up to modern times." He looked over at the earth pony, who nodded and took over the explanation.
"Feathers was probably right when he said it'd be better as a comic," he admitted. "In essence, there was a precursor race of immense power who used ponies as slave labour. During a civil war between the precursor race and ponykind, there was a great disaster, and civilisation was destroyed, requiring ponykind to build up to the state it is now." The pinto pony paused for effect before adding, "The twist is that throughout history, the remnants of the precursor race were found, their technology and the like, and groups fought over them for varying reasons, but there are two main groups with opposing ideologies, one who wants to use the technology for the purpose of power, creating a perfect world by building an empire of control, while the other wants to keep the technology safe so that it can improve society without being used to influence them, thus preserving free will. These two groups fight secretly throughout history, and the historical events which we think took place are actually these two groups covertly trying to beat the other in some grand scheme."
Pipsqueak had to fight hard to keep the satisfied smirk off his face at the expressions of the others as he revealed the backstory, more than happy that it'd been received so well.
"That sounds awesome," Scootaloo commented at last. "I really want to hear it."
"You should definitely publish that as a comic!" Dinky encouraged them excitedly. "I know I'd read it!"
"If it does get off the ground, we'll let you know," Featherweight told them. "But as of yet, we can't just tell the story like we would other things, because Pip managed to cover each time period in meticulous detail."
"Thank you kindly. I especially enjoyed working on the pirates."
"Of course you did," the orange pegasus grinned.
"It sounds similar to your other story," Sweetie Belle added. "The one about the griffon bodyguard who was wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and escaped with the help from a supernatural entity, and then went around the city and removed all the corrupt officials of Griffonstone from power."
"I told you that one too?"
"A few weeks ago."
The earth pony fell silent for a moment, his brain ticking over as he struggled to find some new material. "Have I told you...no, I've done that one. How about...no, that was last Thursday. What about...Equestria's best gang of criminals?"
"Ah don't think ah've heard that one," Apple Bloom responded, prompting a relieved nod from Pipsqueak. He sat up straighter and wiggled into a more comfortable position, letting the others lean in intently, waiting for him to begin.
"Good, good. Then gather around, fillies and gentlecolts, and listen in as I reveal to you the story of a young group of ponies just like ourselves. A group of the most feared, most respected, most capable crew. Far and wide across Equestria, their name would strike fear into the hearts of the corrupt and greedy, resonating the core of any pony who knew of their existence. And who didn't know? Not a single soul in the land hadn't heard of this particular crew and their exploits. They were untouchable, unreachable, unbeatable, and they were known as...the Ponyville Gang."
The rest of the group followed his story intently as the pinto pony laid out the plot skillfully, altering his tone and pace to keep them all captivated. None of them paid any attention to the noises of the park and the others around them, their eyes and ears glued solely to the earth pony as he gestured and grinned and whispered and spoke to them, their minds awash wish visions he crafted and brought to life. Minutes passed unnoticed, and soon an hour had crept by, the earth pony falling silent in his own time once the story had finished.
"That was good," Dinky murmured in awe, the first to speak after the story. Scootaloo nodded her agreement with a wide, sloped smile.
"Ah feel like ah've relaxed enough," Apple Bloom announced, stretching. "Are y'all up for a walk?"
"I'm in," Pipsqueak announced readily, getting up onto his hooves. "Feathers is too." The grey pegasus shot him a flat look, which the earth pony ignored with a happy smile.
"Where to?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"The lake?" Scootaloo suggested, receiving nods of agreement from the others. With their destination determined, the group packed away the remains of their picnic and set off, leaving the bustle of the park for the streets of Ponyville. Idle chatter consumed the company, keeping them busy as they walked and talked.
"Have you thought about writing about Captain Spot and First Mate Feathers?" Dinky asked. "You've have all these awesome stories, and it'd be good to have one of your originals."
"Don't get him started," Featherweight groaned, shoulders slumping as he looked over at Dinky with tired eyes. "He won't shut up if you get him going."
"I have," Pipsqueak confirmed, a proud glint in his eye. "At the moment I'm not sure whether to keep it as a standalone story or use the characters for the comic strip. Speaking of which, have I told you about the boat?"
"You've gotten him going."
"No," Dinky replied, curious. "What boat?"
"Please don't ask. For the love of Celestia, please don't do this."
"Me and Feathers have an idea-"
"You had an idea, and you convinced me to go along with it. I had no idea how persistent you'd be about it."
"-We had an idea. Namely, we'd buy a boat and sail the coasts of the continent!" This raised a chorus of murmurs and "Ooh's", and Pipsqueak shot a sly wink to his pegasus friend, who returned a wan smile of equal parts amusement and ire. "We'll get to see Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehatten- maybe even Griffonstone- all by sea!"
"Now that sounds awesome," Scootaloo intoned.
"It does, doesn't it?" Pipsqueak nodded, smiling. "We can even swing by Trottingham for a visit. Nip in, see how chaps back home are getting on." This was met by an excited murmur from the rest of the group.
"It sounds excitin'," Apple Bloom grinned. "How much do we need for the boat?"
"A fair amount," the earth pony admitted, shrugging dismissively. "But if we put a bit aside here and there, then we can save up. I'll front it all, and anypony's who's interested can help finance it if they'd like."
"I didn't know you could buy a boat before you turned eighteen," Dinky mused.
"We can't," Pipsqueak clarified. "Not yet, but if we save up, by the time we're allowed to buy one, register it, gain a sailing licence and find insurance, we'll all be old enough."
"No kiddin'," Apple Bloom chuckled, smilingly amusedly as the earth pony listed the steps of the procedure.
"Before we all retire would be nice," Scootaloo jibed playfully, to which the pinto pony smiled and kept on walking, cresting the hill and at last coming into view of the lake. There were already a bunch of ponies gathered on the sand, sunbathing or otherwise occupying themselves with summer activities. Several ponies were engaged in a game of volleyball, and many were splashing about in the lake itself, a couple tossing a ball between themselves. A few minutes later, the group stepped on the beach and found a spot to lay down their picnic blanket, claiming the spot for themselves.
"Who's up for what?" Pipsqueak asked as the bags were settled down onto the four corners of the blanket to keep it taut against the soft, warm sand. "Volleyball? Swimming?"
"Volleyball," came the simultaneous call from the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, followed a half second later by Dinky. The pinto pony looked over at Featherweight, giving him a knowing glance.
"Swimming," they sighed to one another, accepting the majority decision begrudgingly. Picking out the ball from their belongings, the six of them headed over to the volleyball court, happy to see that no one was occupying it at the moment. The teams were easy to devise; the Cutie Mark Crusaders were indivisible, and Pipsqueak's first choice would have been Featherweight, so it stood to reason that Dinky should join them against the three teenage fillies.
Featherweight started with the ball, ready to serve. Clenching his tongue between his teeth, he analysed the court ahead of him, the positions of the three fillies and their potential responses, working out the best place to direct the ball. After a few seconds, he threw the ball up in the air, raised his hoof-
And ducked to the side, letting Pipsqueak punt it in the opposite direction to where he'd been looking. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did a double take as they began to move where he'd feigned his serve, their hooves sliding in the sand as they abruptly tried to change direction. Only Scootaloo's reflexes and agility prevented them from scoring outright. The orange pegasus darted backwards and ducked down low, smacking the ball up in the air long enough for Apple Bloom to tap it over to Sweetie Belle, who had taken position by the net. The unicorn bumped it over the top with a quick tap.
Featherweight was ready. He had the quickest reactions and the keenest eye out of himself, Pip, and Dinky, and he had taken up position next to the net. Sweetie's hit was swiftly returned, the ball heading for the middle of the court. Once again, Scootaloo dashed forwards and bumped it back, sending the shot over Featherweight's head and past Dinky. Pipsqueak whacked it forward, clipping the top of the net and slowing its momentum enough to offset its path. Apple Bloom stepped in to hit it up, but it didn't look like it was going over until Scootaloo jumped and smashed it diagonally down over the net. Featherweight managed to block it with a hoof, sending the ball hurtling backwards, and Dinky's quick intervention lobbed the ball skywards. With enough to time to prepare, Pipsqueak thumped the ball forward, just high enough to get it over the net, but not high enough to land anywhere near the three fillies.
It counted for naught, as Sweetie flicked the ball almost directly down onto their side of the court as it came over the net. With an adorably innocent smile, she shared a celebratory hug with her team. Regarding the three, Pipsqueak called the other two over, directing them into a huddle.
"It seems that Scoots is the backbone of their team," he whispered to them. "Every time we make a shot, she's the one who's first to react. The serve fooled the other two, but not her."
"So we need to remove Scoots from the equation," Featherweight deduced, looking thoughtful. Pipsqueak nodded at him.
"Exactly," the pinto colt confirmed. "If she's unable to return our shots, then we can score much, much easier. So what we need to do-"
"-is tire her out-"
"-so that she can't reach the ball in time-"
"-and making our job easier," the pegasus and earth pony finished together, sharing a knowing grin. Dinky smiled at their display, but her expression quickly turned uncertain.
"How are we going to do that?" she asked. "Scoots is really athletic. She won't tire easily."
"We keep playing the ball to her," Pipsqueak stated simply.
"So crazy that it might actually work," Featherweight pondered, rubbing his chin as he thought it through.
"Elementary, my dear Trotson," the earth pony replied without missing a beat. "Aim every shot directly at her, then when she begins to flag, play it just far enough away from her that neither she nor the other two can reach it." With nods of understanding, the trio dispersed and returned to their positions, Featherweight throwing the ball over his shoulder to Pip, who caught it skillfully.
"About time you three got back in the game," Scootaloo replied cockily, her early victory already triggering her competitive streak. "We thought you were discussing terms of surrender or something."
Responding to her taunts with a confident smirk, he slapped the ball forwards, sending it rocketing towards the orange mare, which she easily returned. As it crested the net, Featherweight hit it towards her again, watching her deflect the ball to Apple Bloom, who knocked it over the net to Dinky. The unicorn sent the ball flying up, where it was tapped over again by Sweetie and then knocked by Featherweight over to Scootaloo.
The game progressed in this manner, Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Dinky not struggling to score against the Crusaders, but instead treating Scootaloo almost like a fourth teammate, volleying the ball to her whenever possible. The near constant possession of the ball had an unintended effect on Scootaloo, and as she passed shots to her teammates or returned a volley, she became more and more self-assured, throwing in a sideways toss to pass the ball to Apple Bloom or a rear punt to knock it back over the net. The effect only became more pronounced when they scored, rising from 1-0 to 5-0 within ten minutes, and then eventually to 8-0.
It became apparent, though, that this was all taking its toll on her. As great as she was, even Scootaloo wasn't immune to fatigue. She began to sweat, wiping her forehead every few minutes, sweat accumulating as she continued to show off. Soon after, everypony could see her running short on breath, couching low in between shots to try and regain energy. At first she shrugged it off, no doubt taking it as a challenge, but before long she couldn't maintain her efficiency, the physical exertion affecting her skill. She struggled to return shots, staggering as she hit the ball, and then, as Pipsqueak had planned, misfired entirely, sending the ball careening to the side. Dinky and Featherweight shared a look with Pipsqueak, and he nodded at them, letting them know that they'd achieved what they had intended. He went and fetched the ball and when he returned, he served without hesitation.
He had been right about Scootaloo supporting the team. Within a few minutes, they had risen from 8-1 to 8-5, and a couple of minutes later they had closed the gap to 8-7. The greatest asset to their progression was Scootaloo herself; although she was not at her physical peak, she seemed to insist on 'helping' her team, while in actuality, her returns resulted in unpredictable curves to the ball's path, which hindered Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as they tried to prevent it from landing on their side of the net. Admittedly, they managed rather well, adapting to fill in for Scootaloo's recession of skill and gradually stemming the equalisation of the score. The Crusaders managed to score another point, but this was followed by a concession of two, bring the score to 9-9.
Featherweight looked at the Crusaders as he handed the ball over to Pip. Scootaloo was exhausted, her coat damp with sweat and patched with sand, and her hoofsteps heavy and laborious. Sweetie and Bloom were both beginning to feel the effects of stepping up their game to make up for their loss of a teammate, too. By comparison, the other three were a little winded, but definitely ready to continue.
The earth pony's serve sent the ball towards the rear of the court, with Scootaloo only just tapping it over to Apple Bloom, who knocked it just over the top of the net. Featherweight returned it almost immediately, causing Apple Bloom to deflect it awkwardly over to Scootaloo, who smashed it up in the air. Sweetie rushed back to save her team, managing to reach it in time to fling it over the net. Unfortunately, Featherweight was ready, tapping it just enough to let it drop down onto-
-Sweetie's hoof, the mare dashing forward surprisingly quickly and knocking it back to her team, calling out Apple Bloom's name. The earth pony mare thumped it straight to Dinky, who backhoofed it to Pipsqueak. The stallion powered it over the net, the ball spinning up in the air as it deflected off the tip of Apple Bloom's hoof, and then up again as Sweetie knocked it just far enough over the net that it would fall down to Featherweight. Pipsqueak knew what would happen; Featherweight would drive it down into the back of their court, just far enough away that Scootaloo wouldn't be able to reach it in time, and they would win the match. Sweetie and Apple Bloom were close to the net, expecting him to tap it left or right, and Scootaloo was beyond tired out. Everypony locked their eyes onto the falling ball.
Pipsqueak watched it fall from the base line.
Dinky watched it fall from the attack line.
Featherweight watched it fall with his hoof ready to strike.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched Featherweight.
Nopony watched Scootaloo.
As the ball fell down to the cream pegasus, a call of "Now, Scootaloo!" reached his ears, and he looked down to see the orange mare leaping towards him, her left hoof already speeding forwards to preempt his strike. As he hit the ball over the net, it rebounded off her hoof with a surprising amount of force, and sailed past him before he could react.
Neither could Dinky.
Pipsqueak blinked several times as the mare landed with a thud in the sand, collapsing onto her knees. The ball had struck Dinky straight in the horn, impaling itself on the confused unicorn. She looked around, feeling the light breeze on her forehead of the air pressure escaping the punctured ball. The pinto earth pony was the first to start laughing.
"Are you okay, Dinky?" he asked her in between a chuckle.
"I'm fine," she confirmed, sitting down and trying to corkscrew the ball off her head. "I can't say the same about your ball, though. Sorry about that." She looked at him with an apologetic expression.
"Don't worry about it," he said, waving away her concern with a hoof. "I can buy another."
"That was impressive," Featherweight murmured to the collapsed Scootaloo.
"D-did w-we w-win?" she panted, pushing herself up and looking around.
"You managed to stick the ball on Dinky," Featherweight informed her. "She's okay, I think."
"Eh, w-we won th-then." She collapsed back down onto the ground. "I'm g-gonna sleep h-here..." Featherweight chuckled and looked back at Dinky, who had finally managed to remove the ball from her head with the help of Pipsqueak.
"Now that we've lost the ball, how about swimming?" he suggested, receiving a nod from Dinky and Pip, the former rubbing her horn. "And you guys?" he asked the Crusaders, who were dragging the inert orange pegasus back to the picnic blanket.
"We'll join you in a few seconds," Sweetie told them. "Sorry about the ball, Pip."
"So," Dinky commented casually as the two mares carried the third back to their blanket. "We're going swimming now. I think we should have a race to the water's edge."
"Yeah," Featherweight agreed. "That sounds like-"
"Go!" The unicorn called, giggling as she galloped off, leaving the two stallions behind. They shared a look before running after each other, dodging the the other ponies in their way. Dinky reached the water first, splashing in and diving beneath the surface. Featherweight leaped into the air and soared up before tucking his wings in and diving straight down, spearing into the water as Pip dove beneath the surface himself. The three gave each other a wave and a smile as the water's coolness seeped into their coats and muscles, refreshing them. They stayed under, challenging each other to see who would rise first, and eventually the unicorn kicked her way to the surface, then pegasus gave his wings a flap to bring himself out of the weightless world. The earth pony casually floated up, grinning as he came up, his mane clinging to his eyes.
"Don't worry chaps," he said, brushing his mane to the side with a hoof. "Earth ponies have sturdier lungs, you had no chance-" He was cut off as Featherweight splashed him, shortening his speech and causing him to have to clear his vision with a hoof. It was the pegasus' turn to grin.
"Whoops."
"Don't you give me 'whoops', you-"
He was splashed from the other side, turning to see Dinky smiling overly innocently at him. "Whoops," she copied. Pipsqueak raised his front hooves so that they were half out of the water, one for each of his friends. Featherwieght and Dinky mirrored him.
"Draw," he announced, a challenging smirk of his own plastered on his face.
"How does water always find a way in your ear but never seem to be able to find a way out?" Dinky complained as she rubbed the inside of her ear with her towel. The sun had all but disappeared from the sky, and although it was still light, the ponies knew it was time to get home. After a few hours in the water, they were more than ready for a meal, and then bed.
"It hasn't got a map," Pipsqueak replied, smirking as she rolled her eyes at him before returning to scrunching up her face and wringing her ear.
"Ah'm gonna say it now," Apple Bloom chimed in after a moment of silence. "Today was a barrel of fun, and ah'd like to do it again sometime." The others voiced their agreement, a couple of them yawning, including the farm filly herself. "But right now, ah don't think bed would go amiss. Ah'm gonna take a shortcut home." With a wave and a smile, she set off, trekking across a field towards the farm.
Sweetie, Dinky, and Scootaloo lived near each other, and so left together, letting Pipsqueak and Featherweight walk home. "I'll see what money I can put aside," Sweetie called out to them as the three departed. "For the boat, I mean." Pipsqueak nodded and waved goodbye to them, noticing Featherweight's frown. He chose not to say anything.
By the time they got back to the pegasus' house, it was nearing dusk, and the warmth of the day was fading from the air. Luckily, the summer nights were warm, and both the ponies knew that there was no danger of getting too cold. Featherweight turned to face his friend as he stepped inside.
"Are you going to be okay to get home?" he asked. The pinto stallion nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he assured his friend. "Besides, it's nice to walk about at night. One of the best bits about winter is that it's night for longer. At least in the summer it's more comfortable to go outside and enjoy it. I guess I can stay out for a bit, see if I can walk under Luna's moon and stars and bask in their lonely warmth."
"Poetic," Featherweight smirked.
"Would you expect anything less from me?" the earth pony replied with a smirk of his own. "Somepony has to weave words for those unheard."
"Well, make sure you get home before the sun comes up," the pegasus told him. "Goodnight, Pip." He paused for a couple of seconds, and smiled. "Thanks for today. It was good to get out and see ponies. I didn't realise I wanted to do it so much."
"Don't mention it, mate," Pipsqueak told him. "I'll see you soon." As he turned to leave, he looked over his shoulder. "I'll let you think over the money. I won't push you or rush you any more."
"The money?"
"For the boat."
"Pip..."
"Just think about it," the stallion urged him with a smile. "That's all. Think about how much you don't realise you want to do it, and how much fun it'll be. Goodnight, Feathers." With that, Pipsqueak turned and walked away, looking up as the first brave star twinkled into life weakly in the darkening sky. The pegasus watched him go for a little bit, then closed the door with a click.
As he made his way up the stairs to his room, he thought about the paper he was writing. It shouldn't take much effort, and if the comic strip found its way into the paper, or he and Pip actually did manage to start up a publication business of their own...well, there was an exponential income for them. Plenty of things to do with that sort of money. He grit his teeth to fight back the unwilling smirk, impressed and irked by that stallion's brilliance. It seemed like there was only one true option, and so he made a mental note to visit the bank tomorrow and set up a high interest account. He'd need a hefty amount if he wanted to chip in for that boat.
