If The Scarf Fits
Written by ZekeOfTheFreaks
For Josh Garza, the one with whom I shared the experience that created this story.
I was out on a walk on a typical evening in Las Pegasus, my hometown. I had learned to become accustomed to these evening strolls, and they have become an outlet for me to reflect on what has gone on throughout my days. Some days were uneventful, so I was just alone with the few thoughts I had, and others were vivid and exciting, so I could easily strike a conversation with myself in my head, sometimes walking until my hooves felt sore. It was what happened during this walk in particular that changed my life in more ways than I care to admit.
The winds had picked up, and the breeze pattern was nothing like pegasi had been told to create. Never had the wind blown in multiple directions at once, until this point. I looked around to see if anypony else was the reason for this, and noticed a pegasus colt, probably at an early adolescent age, flying towards me. He appeared to be wearing some sort of ninja suit. I had never seen him before, but something about him compelled me to stop where I was and let him catch up. He finally descended towards me, and he poked me on the back of my head.
"Hey, I don't like being poked," I said to the pegasus.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said with a giggle. This colt seemed particularly child-like, even given his apparent age. He immediately climbed on my back and seemed to fall asleep. Usually if this happened, I'd throw them off right away, but he seemed tired, and I wasn't about to harm a defenseless colt, so I just kept walking.
I was headed back home at the time this happened, so at least I knew where I was going. I made a little stumble with my hoof on the way, and the young pegasus woke up. I was concerned for him, as he obviously still looked tired.
"Don't you need sleep, little guy?" I asked him.
"I'm sorry," he replied, "I'll get off your back. I do that a lot." He flew off of me, and I tried to not upset him any further.
"No, no, I don't mind. If you want to sleep on my back, go ahead." The young pegasus flew back onto me, and started playing with my ears. "Hey, that tickles," I said with a chuckle. "You know, I never got your name."
"I'm Spectrum Winds."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Source Code." Spectrum smiled at me, then took a look at the sky above us. It was perfectly clear; not one cloud in sight. "Nice, clear, starry sky we have tonight," I commented, "it makes me glad Princess Luna raises the moon for us." I then thought about where Spectrum could possibly come from, and it dawned on me that he must have family somewhere. "Does your family know you're out here, Spectrum?"
"I'm sure my brothers think I'm doing fine." he responded.
"Brothers? I see. I have a brother, myself. His name is Braeburn. He lives in Appleloosa, and I don't really get to see him that often, but he's perfectly happy with working on his farm. Anyway, what are your brothers like?"
"Well, there's Fever, Brim, and Blackout. I'm the youngest of us, and although we're not related by blood, we care for each other as if we had been."
"That's quite fascinating," I said back with a smile.
The two of us were about halfway to my house, and Spectrum got off of me. I saw him waving at the sky, and thought maybe his brothers were flying overhead, so I looked up, but didn't see anypony up there.
"What are you waving at. Spectrum?" I asked. He didn't even look at me, as he said,
"Hi, Mommy and Daddy." I assumed that if he waved at the sky to greet his parents, but nopony could be seen, his parents must have already passed away. I then remembered how my own biological parents passed away when I was merely a yearling, and decided to follow Spectrum's suit. I waved and the sky, and said,
"Hi, Mom and Dad." Spectrum looked at me, and realized that we must be in the same situation.
"I bet my parents are happy," he said.
"I'm sure both of our parents are." I noticed another unusual breeze coming by, this time lifting up the grass around us. I wondered if maybe Spectrum was the one controlling the winds that puzzled me. Without any other explanations coming to mind, I assumed that had to be it. I mean, it's not unusual for a pegasus to be able to control the weather, but I just didn't know any pegasi that did so on a whim. He started to look sad, so I said, "Hey, Spectrum, want to see something cool?"
"Sure," he said with a smile. I pressed the buttons on my watch, or TATTHoW as I liked to call it, since I customized it to have many different uses. The monitor on it showed a map of all the stars in the sky.
"See, with this, we can see which stars form which constellations."
"That's cool," he said with intrigue. Spectrum hopped onto my back again, and I started walking once again.
We finally made it to my house, and Spectrum got off of me again, as I took the key out of my vest, unlocked the door, and let myself in. Spectrum sat at the door, and I said,
"If you want to come in, you can." He nodded, and stepped inside my house, as I closed and locked the door behind him. I told him that he could sleep in the bedroom to our left. He smiled, and walked into the bedroom, as I walked into my room and sat at my computer (yes, I have a computer). I got the idea that I might want to make a log about meeting him, in case it could be useful later. I started typing an entry, which eventually said,
"Day 1.
I was out for an evening walk, when I met up with a young pegasus named Spectrum Winds. He seems to have this child-like demeanor about him, even for his age, and he tagged along with me for the rest of my walk. I learned that, like me, he has no parents, although he does have three brothers. He seemed tired, so I decided to let him stay the night with me, and maybe tomorrow we could try to find his brothers to bring him back to them. I'll be making these logs until he's finally reunited. Until then, this is Source Code, signing off."
I quickly saved my log onto my computer, and turned it off. I was happy to hear Spectrum snoring quietly, as he must have been sleepy. I then decided to go to bed myself, so I took off my hat, vest, and glasses, and got into bed, falling asleep within minutes.
I woke up the next morning, to see that Spectrum was still here, and examining everything around my home. He noticed me walking in, and I promptly greeted him,
"Good morning, Spectrum. How did you sleep?"
"Pretty good," he replied. He got on my living room couch, and started bouncing on it. Now, one of my pet peeves has always been when ponies jump on my furniture, especially my beds or couches, but he's a pegasus, so he was naturally light-hooved. Plus, I wasn't about to get angry at a colt who I met not even 24 hours ago, so I let it slide. I took a seat next to where he was bouncing, and he settled down and sat down next to me.
"It's a beautiful morning," I commented, "and now that I'm done with high school, I can finally have some time to myself." In fact, I had just graduated from Las Pegasus High School the night before Spectrum and I met. Spectrum smiled, as if he was happy for me. He playfully took my glasses off of my face, and tried them on. "Careful with those," I said, "I'm really nearsighted, and don't want you getting dizzy."
"I can see the universe!" he said with a gasp. I don't know if he was serious, or just playing around, but I chuckled at his reaction either way. Still with my glasses on, he walked into my kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
"Can I have my glasses back now?" I asked. He came back with the coffee, and gave my glasses back to me. Luckily for me they weren't scratched at all. Spectrum stared at the coffee cup for a few seconds, then picked it up, and gave it to me. "Oh, for me? Thanks." He smiled, in recognition of my appreciation, and ran to the back door, opened it, and went outside. I wanted to make sure he wasn't in any danger, so I followed him out, and saw him rolling in the grass.
At this moment, something dawned on me. I hadn't even known this pegasus colt for a full day yet, and I was already treating him as if he was like a little brother to me. I had never known what having a brother was really like, since the only time I saw Braeburn after our parents passed away was that time we went to the Apple Pie Contest back in Ponyville. Learning that I was Braeburn's brother all this time was mind-blowing for me, but after I came to accept it, I never thought much of it, but now that Spectrum Winds was here, acting like the playful little colt I never got to be with my own brother, it made me think about how much I really miss Braeburn, and I realized that I never knew how much he meant to me, even if we spent 16 years apart. I watched Spectrum play around on the grass for about 10 more minutes, before I went back inside to go on my computer again. He must have noticed me coming back inside, because I heard him walking behind me almost immediately after.
We both got back inside, and when I sat at my computer, he came up to me and showed me some plush dolls he had brought with him. Three of them, to be exact. I couldn't tell who they were supposed to be, but it seemed rather cute that this tough-looking pegasus had some plushies with him.
"Spectrum, where did you get these plushies from?" I asked him.
"Places," he responded. His reply was rather ambiguous, because his context gave me the feeling that he may or may not have obtained these plushies fairly. Sure his ninja outfit made him look questionable, but his demeanor said otherwise, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. It seemed like he was starting to get bored, and he started playing around with my tail. Having my body touched without my permission is another one of my pet peeves, but he seemed to enjoy it, so I gave my tail a wag, and he started giggling and chasing it like a cat. I found it impossible to not smile at this, I could barely hold in my own giggles.
Suddenly, Spectrum started rushing towards the window, opened it up, and waved to the clear sky outside. I followed him to make sure nothing was wrong, and just heard him say,
"Good morning, Mommy and Daddy!" Now I knew it was true. His parents must have passed away at some point. I didn't want him to feel upset or alone, so I did the same thing. He must have noticed me, because he said to me, "I do that every morning."
"You did it last night, too," I replied, "It's actually really nice." He smiled at me, and looked back outside, saying,
"I'm not mad you left me in a box. Please come back." My heart dropped. Now I had evidence to a new theory. Maybe instead of passing away, they simply abandoned him at a young age. Perhaps both were true. I wanted to try to cheer him up, so I said,
"I'm sure that wherever they are, they're with you in spirit, watching over you." Spectrum gave my hoof a hug, and asked me,
"Why do ponies have to go?" Never had I imagined myself telling a child about death, and given his young mindset, I wasn't sure how he'd take it. All I could say is,
"It's just part of life. It will happen to us someday, too. That's the beauty of life, though, it only happens once, so you have to make the best of it." Spectrum grinned a bit, but still had his head low, as he said,
"I never got to meet my parents."
"I never got to meet mine either," I replied, "Braeburn and the Sweet Apples are all I know of my biological family."
"I did get to see them once, though. My friend and I... we traveled outside of Equestria." I wasn't sure if he was just spewing wishful thinking, or if he was being honest; at his age, who could tell? I humored him, and said,
"That's cool. I couldn't do that."
Things were silent between us for a while, until I heard a letter come through my front door. Spectrum eagerly went to fetch it for me, and when I opened and read the letter, it turned out to be a letter from the Apple family, sending me congratulations for graduating from high school, and they all contributed some of their money to give me a check for 5000 bits. I couldn't help screaming in appreciation, and Spectrum said,
"Congratulations, Source."
"Thanks, Spectrum," I said with a chuckle. I noticed that he had a plush of a blue stallion in his hooves, as he looked up to me and said,
"I'm happy for you." He went into the guest bedroom that I said he could sleep in, and brought out two more plushies. I couldn't tell who they were supposed to be, but he started voicing them, as if he was trying to be somepony else. Maybe they were his brothers, but I couldn't know for sure. I decided to walk outside, and get some fresh air, and Spectrum followed behind me. He flew up, and said, "Until now, I've never been to Las Pegasus."
"It's quite the place, isn't it?" I replied, "Hard to believe this whole city is built on a layer of clouds, huh?" He nodded, and flew towards me, and gave me a hug. He then put on his ninja mask, which was apparently hanging around his neck, and the wind current suddenly changed. I now had no doubt that he was the one controlling the winds all this time. I decided to take a seat on the chair I had outside, and watched him play around for a while.
I must have dozed off, because a couple hours passed when I took a look at my watch again. I noticed he had put on a scarf, because it was hanging around his snout. "Having fun?" I asked as I got up and walked onto the grass.
"Yeah, Source!" he replied. He flew right into me, and tackled me. I fell on my side, but it didn't hurt.
"Oh, you little rascal, come here!" I said as I chased him. I didn't notice it at the time, but I was starting to treat him more and more like a brother than a friend as time went on. He eventually went back inside, and walked into my room. That's another one of my pet peeves: when other ponies walk into my room without my permission. "Hey! Don't go in there. All my tech stuff is in there." I must have frightened him, because he immediately went into my closet. I walked to the closet door, and he peeked his head out.
"Here I am," he said playfully.
"Spectrum, get out of there," I said with displeasure. He walked out, and looked sad as he said,
"I'm sorry." I didn't want him feeling bad, so I replied,
"Hey, don't worry about it." Suddenly, he disappeared, and a breeze was left in his place. Maybe his ability to control wind also gave him apparition abilities. Anyway, he reappeared on my back, picked up my hat, and placed it on his head. It was a little big for him, as it blocked his eyes. He said with delight,
"I'm a farm pony!" I let out a chuckle, and replied,
"Alright, give me my hat back." Spectrum put it back on my head, and giggled, as he ran downstairs.
When he came back up, he showed me a picture that he must have drawn himself.
"I drew my brothers," he said. Looking at the picture, I saw four ponies' heads. I figured his is the one in the center, and surrounding him were three other stallions. One was an earth pony, one was a pegasus, and the other was a unicorn. He told me that they were Fever, Blackout, and Brim, respectively.
"Wow!" I said in amazement, "That looks fantastic." He blushed, and I commented, "Want to see a pic I drew of me and my friends as foals?" He nodded, and I walked to my room, found an old drawing of mine, and came back to him and showed him.
"Cool! Who are they?" As I pointed to each one, I said,
"The one with the computer is me, the one with the sword is Sabre Silversmith, the one with the paintbrush is Visual Spectrum, the one with the jackalope is Krystal Vaportrail, and the one flying above us is Aqua Flare."
"That's awesome!"
"I treat them like they're my siblings, because we all get along so well together. That, and Braeburn and I are always so busy, we never get a chance to visit."
"That's cool. I live with my brothers," he said, holding his plush of who I now assumed to be Fever.
"Lucky," I replied.
"My brother gave me this scarf." I looked at his black and white scarf, took off my hat, and replied,
"I go this hat from my cousin Applejack. It used to belong to her grandfather." I looked at my vest and continued, "As for my vest, I don't even remember where I got it from. I've had it for so long."
"I keep my ninja suit on a lot," Spectrum responded with a smile.
"It looks good on you. Sometimes when I go to work, or out to a fancy dinner, I wear this tie that I have."
"I wear my ninja suit because... it reminds me of my friend... or sensei. He's one of my best friends... and I don't get to see him that much, since he lives in a hidden village. I miss him a lot."
"I don't get to see my best friend much either. Mine lives on some faraway island, and he's an amazing musician."
We spent a while talking about our best friends, and even learned that we had one in common, as if by coincidence. Spectrum started to look sad again, and I wanted to make sure he was alright.
"Is something on your mind, Spectrum?" He looked out the window, and replied,
"If I keep waving to my parents, are they gonna come back?" I didn't want to break his heart by telling him that when a pony dies, they can't return, so all I could say was,
"I don't know, Spectrum. Maybe." I hated having to lie to him like that, but I'd hate it even more to see a sad little colt feeling depressed and alone.
"But... they gotta," he said as he started to cry, "I miss them."
"Well, I wouldn't know. I miss my parents too. All I have to remember them by is this picture of them and me as a colt." His tears started flowing even more. I patted him on the back, and said, "I'm sure that they're thinking about you, wherever they are." Spectrum tried to give a smile, wiped his tears, and started to walk into my living room. He then went outside, and started playing around with the wind, which I still couldn't believe he could do.
A couple hours passed, and I decided to cook each of us up some dinner. Now, to this day, I'm still not the most experienced cook, let alone chef, but I've always known my way around a kitchen knife. I ended up making a casserole with apples, oats, and some Parmesan cheese. I certainly enjoyed it, and by the look on his face, Spectrum really loved it. I was humored when I noticed that Spectrum was quite the fast eater, just like I'd always been, and still am to this day. When both of us finished, I took both of our plates to the sink to wash them, and he quickly found his way to the couch, and let out a yawn. I figured he was getting sleepy, so after I finished doing the dishes, I went to my room, and got back on my computer. Not long after, I heard him walking in, and he went onto my bed, and fell asleep almost immediately. His snoring did kinda bother me, so I though quietly playing some of DJ Pon-3's music would help. Surely enough, it did. I looked back at him, to make sure he was still asleep, and noticed his ears and wings twitching. I thought to myself,
"He must be dreaming about flying." He gave a quiet yawn, and I thought that was the perfect moment to write my second entry into my log. I started typing, and soon enough, I had an entry finished.
"Day 2.
The pegasus I met yesterday, Spectrum Winds, has been staying with me for two nights now. It was cool to hear about his three brothers, Fever, Brim, and Blackout. Speaking of them, I really want to tell Spectrum that I can't keep him here much longer, but having him here has helped me learn what it's like to have a little brother. They may annoy you, and test your patience, but there's something charming about having a younger colt living with you. Maybe I'll wait until he's ready to take off, then give it to him straight. Until I decide what to do next, this is Source Code, Signing off."
I saved the log to my computer, and quickly turned off my computer.
"I hope he doesn't see this," I whispered as I looked at him. I heard him mumbling in his sleep,
"I love you, Source Code." My heart warmed more than ever at that moment. No longer was I just a friend to this young pegasus. He actually said he loved me. Maybe he was starting to think of me as a brother, just like I was with him. I took a seat on the bed next to him, and placed my hoof right by his head. He gave it a hug, and I just sat there for a few minutes, admiring how much this little colt means to me now. I still wasn't quite ready to sleep with somepony else in my bed, though, so I eased my way out of his grip, walked into the other bedroom, and fell asleep there. I whispered to myself,
"Good night... little brother."
I woke up the next morning, and went into my room to see if Spectrum was still asleep. To my relief, he was. I was about to take a seat at my computer, when he opened his eyes, and jumped onto me with a giggle, saying,
"Good morning, Source Code!"
"Morning, Spectrum," I replied. Spectrum found his way to the living room, and started jumping on the couch. This time, it didn't even bother me that he was jumping on my furniture; I was just happy to see him so cheerful. The night before I received a notification from my boss at work that said the company building is being fumigated, and all employees were given the next few days off because of it, so with no plans for the day, I asked Spectrum,
"So, want to go somewhere today?"
"Sure, Source!" he replied with a huge smile. He ran towards me, and looked up at my face.
"Did you have anyplace in mind?"
"Anywhere you wanna go."
"I think you should decide. I've already been everywhere I've wanted to go."
"I don't know... I think I'll stay here." I felt disappointed that I couldn't excite him any further, until he continued, "Actually, can we take a walk around Las Pegasus?" I did need to get some exercise for the day, since I always walk to work, plus it was better than letting a little colt sit around and do nothing.
"Sure, why not?" Spectrum flew onto my back, and I made my way out the front door, as the two of us set off to see the city.
I figured that. since Spectrum hasn't seen the city, it would be more of an adventure if he decided where we went.
"So, which way do you want to go, right or left?"
"Right!"
I took a right from my house, and started walking along the sidewalk. The thought that I'd have to tell him I can't keep him forever was still in my mind, so I tried to ease into the topic, by starting to ask questions about his brothers, who I didn't know much about other than their names and species, anyway.
"Say, Spectrum, how are your brothers doing?"
"Good, I bet."
"Where are they right now?"
"Probably Ponyville."
"Oh, that's nice."
"Yup, it really is." He started looking up at the sky, probably to greet his parents.
"You know, you've been staying with me for a while now. I'm sure your brothers must be missing you."
"Maybe. I'm sure they're thinking I'm training or something." I assumed that by 'training', he meant his wind control.
"Perhaps. How old are your brothers, anyway?"
"Blackout is 14, Fever is 22, and I don't know how old Brimstone is." I thought Brimstone must be Brim's full name.
"Alright. How about you? I'm 17, but in a couple months, I'll be 18."
"I'm 13, but I'm gonna turn 14 in two more months."
"Ah. When's your birthday?"
"Two months from now."
"Ooh, mine is as well. That means our birthdays must be close together."
"That's awesome!" he said, looking at the scenery. I hadn't even noticed how far I had walked until that moment, and I had already passed by two whole streets.
I began to realize even I hadn't seen this much of the city, even after living here for the past 16 years or so. I figured Spectrum was getting bored, so I said,
"You know, I've been living here for as long as I can remember, and I still never get over the fact that this city was built on a layer of clouds."
"It's amazing!" Spectrum replied.
"Plus I'm an earth pony living in the clouds. It makes me glad they built these roads, because I'd fall to my demise if I were to step onto a cloud." Spectrum started to look scared. I thought it was because my words might have spooked him, but I noticed a crowd of ponies walking by just then, and thought maybe he doesn't get much of a chance to see other ponies, and he's just shy or afraid. "Don't worry about these ponies," I said, "I know a lot of them, and they're nice to strangers." Spectrum finally got off my back, and started walking, seeming to feel more assured of himself.
"It's a beautiful day," he said as he flew up to a cloud above us. "I've never been here before. It's been fun." I thought that maybe he was realizing that it was time for him to go soon as well, but he quickly flew back to me, and got on my back again.
"Yep," is all I could respond with. He put my hat on his head again, and I couldn't help put giggle at how silly he looked.
I took a look at the street we were coming up to, and noticed that it was right around midday. I remembered that this street is famous for its restaurants, and was starting to feel a little hungry. I asked Spectrum,
"Hey, you hungry? There's a diner just around the corner." I heard his stomach rumbling, and said, "I'll take that as a yes."
"Yay!" I walked up to the diner, and Spectrum got off, and opened the door for me. I promptly thanked him. When we walked up to the mare at the reception, I recognized her. I'd been to this diner several times before, and this mare was always at the front desk. She wasn't the kind to speak much, so I said to her,
"Table for two, please." She smiled at us, and led the two of us to a booth by the window in the back of the restaurant. Spectrum and I both took a seat, and he looked out the window, while I looked at the menu, even though I knew I'd be ordering the same thing as always when I got there. "So, what are you hungry for?" I asked Spectrum.
"Hay fries?" he responded, after he gave the menu a quick glance.
"Alrighty then, I guess I'll just have my usual order." A waitress came to us, and asked,
"What will you two gentlecolts be having this afternoon?"
"I'll have a daisy caesar salad and some water," I said.
"I'll have the hay fries and a milk shake," Spectrum replied.
"Perfect!" she said as she wrote down our orders, smiled, and left. Spectrum looked absolutely ecstatic to be at the diner with me, as I could tell by his beaming grin.
"Thank you, Source," he said to me.
"No problem, Spectrum." I noticed Spectrum looking around the restaurant, taken by how many ponies were around. I even gave in to the same temptation. "The diner seems busier than usual today. I wonder what the occasion is?" I commented.
"I hope everypony is happy."
"They all seem that way to me." Spectrum took off his ninja mask, probably because he didn't want to look too intimidating.
"It's really nice here. I'll bet the food is expensive." This was one of the more high-price places to eat, so I leaned over to him, and whispered in his ear,
"Don't tell anypony, but I come here so often that I usually get a discount on the food here."
"Oh, you're lucky," he whispered back at me. He then looked out the window, and waved outside. I like to think he was waving at other ponies who were walking by. When he looked back at me, I noticed that the waitress had arrived with our food. We both said thank you to her, and spent about half an hour or so eating.
When we were both finished, Spectrum looked eager to leave.
"Hold on, Spectrum. We can't just leave without paying," I said.
"Oh yeah. Sorry, I haven't been to a diner in a while."
"That's alright," I said as the waitress returned with the bill. I looked at it, and left 100 bits on the table, telling her to keep the change as a tip.
"Thanks for coming, you two," she said as she left. Spectrum and I got up, and I said,
"Okay, now we can go." Spectrum walked with me out the door, then flew on my back when we got outside.
"Thanks for taking me to a diner."
"Hey, it was my pleasure."
"The food was great." He looked around and continued, "I can't thank you enough, Source."
"No problem, kid." I had just addressed Spectrum as 'kid'. I knew I was really starting to see him as a brother, even if I wouldn't say so out loud at the time. He gave my neck a hug, as I made my way back home on hoof.
We finally arrived back at my home, and Spectrum, who looked rather tired, went to my couch and just fell asleep there, smiling. I took this chance to get on my computer, and write another entry in my log.
"Day 3.
I took Spectrum for a walk today, and we ended up going to the diner right around the corner. I ordered my usual thing, and he had hay fries and a milkshake. I'm really starting to appreciate having Spectrum around, but I know I'll have to give him back to his brothers at some point. I'll miss him for sure, but his brothers would miss him even more if I kept him. Until I decide what to do, this is Source Code signing off."
I saved the log, turned off my computer, and went to check if Spectrum was still sleeping. Surely enough, he was out like a light, so I gently pet his mane, put a blanket over him, and whispered,
"Sweet dreams, Spectrum." He started to mumble in his sleep,
"I... love... you... Source Code." My heart warmed hearing him say he loved me again. He continued to mumble a few unintelligible words, as I walked back to my room, so I could get some sleep myself.
I woke up the next morning, and walked into the living room to find Spectrum waiting for me with a box by his side.
"Good morning," I said to him.
"I got you something," he replied, shaking his tail.
"What's in the box?"
"Open it." I did want to know what it was, after all I always thought a present is a present, regardless of who it's from. I opened the box, and inside was a light-blue, striped scarf, similar in style to the one Spectrum was wearing.
"Wow!" I replied. I immediately tried it on, and not only did it feel very comfortable, but when I went to the bathroom mirror to take a look, it looked great on me.
"I spent all my bits on it," Spectrum commented. Now, I didn't know where Spectrum was getting money for himself, but the fact that he'd use it all on a gift for me was quite flattering.
"Where did you get the time to get this?"
"Actually, I left into town early this morning. You were still asleep." I looked at my watch, and surely enough, it was almost midday. I must have really slept in. I gave a sheepish giggle, and Spectrum happily got back on the couch. "I'm really happy that you like it."
I looked at my new scarf attentively, and thought about Spectrum's brothers. I remembered him saying that his brothers all wear scarves as well. I then realized that his brothers must be worried sick about him, and I couldn't stand the thought of worrying them anymore. I had to tell him how I really felt.
"Spectrum, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes?"
"Why have you been staying with me so long? It's not that I don't appreciate your company, but aren't your brothers worried about you?"
"I don't know..." he replied with a sad look on his face. I thought that if he didn't want to say goodbye here, maybe he'd rather do so at home.
"You said your brothers live in Ponyville, right?"
"Yeah."
"I can take you there, if you want."
"I don't know..." He was obviously hesitant to explain his feelings, but I didn't want to force him into it.
"Was there a fight between you and your brothers?"
"No."
"Did something happen to one of them that you didn't want to see?"
"No."
"Well, why do you seem so hesitant to go to Ponyville?"
"I... really don't know!" he said anxiously. I then heard a roll of thunder outside, and saw that it had started to rain.
Spectrum opened a window, and flew outside for no explained reason. I wasn't about to let him do anything dangerous, so I quickly ran outside my house and followed him. I finally caught up to him, and shouted,
"Spectrum, what are you doing? Where are you going?!"
"Home!" he replied. He must have been upset by the fact that I wanted him back with his brothers.
"Spectrum! Don't go! Not without me!" I shouted as I chased him. He took flight, and all I could do is run after him. He eventually started to look exhausted while flying, and collapsed. My heart was pounding at a mile a second, as I caught him in my hooves before he hit the ground. I tried to figure out what was wrong with him, and felt his head.
"Sweet Celestia, you're burning up!" I got him on my back, and immediately rushed towards the hospital. I had already been there for panic attacks twice before, so I knew where it was. He was muttering nonsense as I ran as fast as I could to the hospital. I could feel his temperature rising, and his breathing getting heavier, as I finally made it to the hospital doors. "Darn it, Spectrum, stay with me, buddy!" I saw a mare at the reception, who looked shocked to see us like this. "Ma'am, this colt needs medical attention immediately!" Spectrum started hyperventilating. "There isn't much time!" She signaled for the paramedics, who arrived with a stretcher, and placed Spectrum on it, as they brought him down the hallway. I followed behind them, concerned for the ailing pegasus. I was thinking to myself, "Oh, what can I do? I don't have anything that can help reduce his fever, so I'm useless now!" We arrived in the ER, and the paramedics left to get supplies. I was alone with this colt, and unable to help. Or so I thought. I noticed a sink nearby, and remembered that I hadn't taken off the scarf Spectrum gave me. I went to the sink, poured cold water on my scarf, and placed it on Spectrum's head. Within minutes, his breathing was starting to slow down. I sighed in relief, and said, "Don't worry, Spectrum. You'll be alright." Spectrum turned his head towards me, and I thought he must be coming to. I felt his head again, and the temperature seemed to be going down, but with no sign of the paramedics returning yet, I had to act fast. I then realized that I had a way to help all along, and it was on my hoof the whole time. I got my TATTHoW ready, and used it to teleport to the one place where ponies who could help would be: Ponyville, home of his brothers.
I immediately looked around town frantically, and came upon two unfamiliar stallions, a unicorn and an earth pony, each with scarfs on their necks. I remembered Spectrum telling me his brothers' names, and that Fever and Brimstone were each an earth pony and unicorn. I noticed them looking up at the sky, and saw that a pegasus was flying above them. I knew that this must be them.
"Excuse me, but is one of you Fever?" The earth pony nodded. I assumed that must mean the unicorn is Brimstone. "Please don't freak out, but I need you to come with me. Your brother, Spectrum, is in critical condition." The pegasus must have heard me, as he came flying down immediately, and stood by my side. Judging by the fact that he was also wearing a scarf, I assumed he must be Blackout. "I'll need you all to grab ahold of me. No time to explain, just do it." The three grabbed me with their hooves, and I teleported us all to the emergency room, where Spectrum was still lying there, feverish. They all ran up to him, seemingly panicked. I asked them, "Is there anything you can do for him?" Even they seemed puzzled. Suddenly, Spectrum started to utter some words under his breath.
"Mommy... Daddy... don't go..." He must have been experiencing delusions. I knew we didn't have much time. A breeze suddenly came by, even though the room had no windows. It must have been Spectrum's powers. I felt his head, and noticed my scarf was warm. I grabbed it, put more cold water on it, placed it back on his head, and Spectrum mumbled,
"I'm gonna be with you, Mommy...? Really, Daddy...?"
"Spectrum, get ahold of yourself!" I screamed in panic. "You're gonna be fine, just don't leave us. Your mommy and daddy would want you to keep going!" I saw Spectrum's eyes quickly open.
"Source Code!" he shouted.
"Don't worry, kid, your brothers are here. Your four brothers."
"...Four?"
"I'm here, aren't I?" I looked at Fever, who stayed silent, as his mane turned into some sort of white flame.
"What are you doing?" I asked him, "Wait, you're not... mad at me, are you?" I started feeling nervous, thinking Fever just might be about to attack me. His eyes turned silver, and his tail turned to white flames as well. He then touched Spectrum on the cheek. "Wait, can somepony tell me what the hay is going on here?" I looked at Spectrum, and a faint white glow surrounded him. When it faded, I felt his head. His fever was gone. "My goodness!" I said to myself, as I took my scarf off of his head. Spectrum looked at Fever, and shouted,
"Big brother!" I looked at the two, and Spectrum gave him a hug.
"So you three are his brothers after all." Fever then glared at me, and walked off with the rest of them following behind him. I tried to process the scenario, and when I finally snapped out of my confusion, I followed them, and said,
"Wait, Fever!" He looked back at me. "Look... your brother was in trouble, and I tried to do what I could." He looked displeased with me. "I knew... if he was with me, and I let him die... you wouldn't forgive me." Blackout then crouched, and Spectrum got on his back, and they walked out. I followed behind them to the door, and I said, "I'm sorry he ended up this way, sirs. It was all my fault. Please forgive me." Brimstone then nodded, and opened up a portal (which I didn't know he could do), and the brothers all walked through.
Here I was, standing outside the hospital entrance in the rainy weather, motionless, trying to process the entire situation. I just helped save the life of a pony who just wanted to go home, and I witnessed two ponies using powers I couldn't explain. Yes, I knew they were all elementals, but until now I had never seen them use their abilities. I couldn't help but think that they were mad at me for the whole situation, especially Fever, who looked especially displeased. I then realized how it was my fault this all had to happen. If I just waited a little longer to tell Spectrum how I felt, I could have noticed that he was sick, and helped him out back home. It was my fault he nearly died from his fever and exhaustion. It was my fault his brothers had to save him. It was my fault that I just lost my one chance of having a true brother, one that I cared for and vice versa. When I snapped out of my trance, I felt pure depression. I deserved it. I never even fully processed the fact that the paramedics never got to help the poor colt. At least the rain had stopped by this point. I didn't even have the energy to use my TATTHoW to get back home, so I just walked the whole way.
I finally made it back home, let myself in, and closed and locked all the windows. I just wanted to be alone, so I couldn't put even more lives at risk. All I could think to do was write on my computer about everything that had happened.
"Day 4.
I woke up this morning to find that Spectrum was generous enough to use all his bits to buy a special present for me. It was a sky blue scarf. I love it. It feels great on my coat, and looks great on me. I asked Spectrum why he wanted to stay with me, and he just took off out the window. It's a good thing I followed him, because he collapsed with a fever mid-flight, and the rainy weather was no help. I caught him, and rushed him to the hospital, and treated his fever by pouring cold water on my scarf and placing it on his head.
I then used my TATTHoW to go to Ponyville, and was able to bring his brothers, Fever, Brim, and Blackout with me back to the hospital. They were shocked to see their brother in this condition, but they seemed upset that I tried to help. None of them said a word, as I tried to explain my feelings to them. Fever luckily healed Spectrum, and they went home together. I'm glad I helped save Spectrum's life, but at the same time, I feel like I angered his brothers. I don't know whether to feel proud or ashamed, but either way I helped save Spectrum's life.
Is this what being a brother is like? I felt like it was my responsibility to help him, but to bring in total strangers to me, and show them what happened, maybe it was better if they didn't know. But darn it, I knew they'd know their brother better than I would. If any of those four ponies ever read this, I just want to say that I'm sorry this had to happen to Spectrum. I'm sorry I let him get sick and nearly die. And I'm sorry I didn't find you guys and tell you sooner, when I could have the whole time. Until I get my emotions in check once again, this is Source Code, signing off."
I quickly saved it, turned off my computer, and went to lie on my bed. I wasn't at all tired, but I had no energy. I felt empty inside, like all the life force in me was sucked out. All I could do was just lie there, barely even moving.
A few hours later, I heard a breeze coming from outside my bedroom window. I looked towards it, but saw nothing. My eyes started to get misty, as I said to myself,
"I'm sorry, Spectrum. For everything. I tried to be a good friend, no, a good brother, and I disappointed your real ones." I then heard a familiar giggle outside. "Please, don't come back. Not without your brothers. I don't want you seeing me again without their approval. I don't deserve it." A breeze started flowing through my mane, and then through my house. I wanted to believe it was just the air conditioner, but in the back of my mind, I knew what it really was. "Hmm? What's going on?" I said as I looked out the window. This time, there was a pegasus out there. One with a ninja suit on. I couldn't deny who it was anymore. "Spectrum? What are you doing here?" I looked away, trying to force the image of him out of my mind. "Oh, never mind. I said I don't want to see you anymore. Not unless I know your brothers are okay with it." I looked back, and the pegasus had flown away. My eyes started to flow tears, and I said to myself, "Spectrum, you taught me what it's like to have a brother. Responsibility, patience, tolerance, and life-saving. I knew all along you'd be back with your brothers eventually, but the way things happened, it feels like you were ripped from me. I know you're back where you belong, but I feel like I just lost the closest loved one I ever had."
After about half an hour of wallowing, I heard a pony coming into my house. I wanted to get up, but felt too depressed to do anything. They came to my room's door, and knocked.
"Whoever you are, just come in," I said flatly, "I've got nothing to lose." The pony stepped in, and I could see his wings spread out, his ninja suit on, and his face looking happy to see me. "S-Spectrum? You... came back?" I couldn't say anything else before he came to me and gave me a hug, before trotting out of my room. I got up, and followed him. "Wait, just let me ask you one thing before you go." He walked back to me. "We're... brothers, right?"
"I don't know..."
"Spectrum, I feel horrible for what happened to you. If you want to go back with Fever, Brim and Blackout, I understand. They deserve you more than I do." I gave him a hug, crying over him shoulder.
"Are you... mad at me?"
"No, I'm not. How could I be mad at you when it's my fault that this all happened? Really, I should be thanking you. You taught me what it's like to care for a younger pony. To help them when they need it. You gave me the opportunity I never had with Braeburn."
"I'm... sorry I flew away. I thought you were mad... and you didn't want me to stay with you anymore."
"Don't be silly. I love having you here. I just wanted to make sure your brothers weren't too worried." Spectrum tried to smile, but his eyes started to tear up as well.
"I... saw my parents. In the hospital..."
"Is that so? Did they say anything?"
"They said... they wanted me to go with them."
"Oh. I... had no idea."
"But I didn't wanna go with my mom and dad..."
"You didn't? Why?"
"My parents looked scary, and I could walk away." I was left speechless. In Spectrum's delusion, he had a vision of his parents, and chose not to go with them. He ended up helping to save his own life. All I could do was hug him tight, unable to talk. He finally wiggled out of my grasp, and started walking away.
"Wait. Where are you going now?"
"Home." I thought this was it. This was the last time I'd see the young pegasus colt. He was about to leave my sight, until he stood there, and said, "Also, my brothers aren't mad. They're grateful."
"Thanks. I needed to hear that."
"You know... actually, I think they'll let me stay for one more night..."
"Really?"
"Yes..."
"I'd love that, Spectrum."
"...Brother." My tears of sorrow had become tears of joy, and my heart warmed more than ever before. He had just called me his brother. I had considered him one for a few days at that point, and I then knew he felt the same way. "I love you... brother."
"I love you too." Both of us were crying rivers at this point. All we could do is look into each other's teary eyes and smile.
That night, I had gotten myself into bed, and I noticed Spectrum walking into my room.
"Hey, brother," he started, "can I sleep with you tonight?" Usually I'd have said 'no' to a pony asking to sleep with me, but this was my last chance to spend the night with Spectrum, so I simply replied,
"Sure." He smiled, crawled into bed with me, and snuggled right against me. He got himself comfortable, and I said, "Good night, Spectrum."
"Good night, brother." I smiled, and yawned, as I turned out the light, and quickly fell asleep. That night was my best sleep I'd had in years.
I opened my eyes the next morning, and Spectrum was still sleeping by my side, snuggled up to me.
"Wake up, Spectrum," I said in a pleasant voice. He opened his eyes, and replied,
"Morning, brother." I then got myself up, put on my glasses, and went into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of us. Spectrum came in when I finished making oatmeal, and quickly took a seat at the table.
"So," I said, "today's the day." I put a bowl of oatmeal on the table for him.
"I know... but I bet you'll be happy you don't have me running around here..." He quickly ate his oatmeal, and started walking to the front door.
"Spectrum, listen, you mean a lot to me. Sure, you're a little troublesome sometimes, but I'm going to miss having you around, for sure."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. But your brothers in Ponyville need you."
"I know," he said opening the door.
"How about one more hug, for the road?"
"Sure." He walked back to me, and I gave him a really tight hug.
"Now remember, if you ever need me for anything, you know exactly where to find me. The same goes for your brothers."
"I know. And thanks for taking care of me. Goodbye... Source Code."
"Goodbye... brother." I started to shed a tear.
"Don't cry, Source..."
"I'm not crying. It's... liquid pride." Spectrum chuckled a bit, and turned around. "Well, get going, kid. You're needed in Ponyville." He walked out the door, and we waved at each other.
"It's been fun," he said, as I continued to smile and wave, trying not to cry. He finally took flight, looking happy, as I walked back inside and closed the door.
I immediately looked out my window to see how he's doing, and he was gone. My little brother was flying back home, and I couldn't have been happier to know that he'd be back where he belonged. And yet, it felt like my home was missing something. Something... lively, and youthful. I figured that moment would be the perfect time to write an entry into my log. My final entry.
"Day 5.
Well, I did it. I got Spectrum to return home. He ended up staying with me one more night, even after everything I said yesterday. It's good to have closure when you have to part with somepony special. I got to see Spectrum off as he flew back home, and I got to do it on good terms, not bitter ones. Sure, it feels weird not having him here anymore, even if it was only for 5 days. I know this is going to sound weird, and probably even cheesy, but I haven't even known Spectrum for a week, and yet it feels like we've been brothers for years. I suppose if I'm lucky, he might return for a visit, but only time will tell, and I think I'd rather not use my TATTHoW to find out. Anyway, Spectrum's on his way back home, and I'm finally back to living alone. This is my final entry into this log, so for the final time, this is Source Code, signing off, and signing out."
I spent the rest of the day catching up on the work that I fell behind on taking care of Spectrum. It was long and tedious, but the feeling of ease that came with knowing he's finally back home safe and sound motivated me to keep going, getting it all done by that night. I was happy, and I knew in my heart that Spectrum was thinking about me, also smiling at me. I didn't get to sleep until late that night, but knowing my little brother was safe, I fell asleep easily and happily.
The next morning, I woke up, put on my vest, hat, scarf, and glasses, and walked to my front door to check on the mail. I was happy to find a letter from Spectrum in my mailbox. I opened it up, and it read,
"Dear Source Code,
I miss you a lot. I bet it's quiet in your house without me around. I hope you're having fun, and keeping that bright smile on your face, brother. I'll try to visit from time to time. I added something on the back of this letter, and I'll think you'll love it.
--Spectrum Winds"
I turned the letter around, and what I saw was nothing short of adorable. Spectrum had apparently drawn a picture of me giving him a hug. I was almost about to cry again, but I remembered to stay strong, because that's what my brother would want. I went back into my room, placed the picture on my corkboard, and looked down at my scarf.
"Thank you, little brother, for everything."
