The Heroic Foal Wonder
Chapter 1
“No matter what we try, we always end up without our cutie marks. And surprisingly often, covered in sap.” Scootaloo sighed and looked at her fellow crusaders, defeated again. The three of them turned and head back towards town, never noticing the tiny foal watching from the brush.
Pipsqueak frowned slightly as the Cutie Mark Crusaders ambled back to Ponyville. He sighed, glancing at his own bare flank. He knew he had several years before he even had to think twice about his cutie mark, but still felt a certain empathy for them. He glanced at the broken zip line dangling from a nearby tree as a thought came into his young mind. The frown transformed into an eager smile and a twinkle came to his eye. He had a great idea and he knew just who could help!
A gentle chiming bell rang as the door to Sugarcube Corner opened. Pinkie Pie popped up from behind the counter, her ever-present smile brightening the shop. She bounced over towards the new customer. “Hi Pipsqueak!”
The little foal looked up at his older friend. “Hi Pinkie-”
He was cut off by questions that exploded around him like fireworks. “Whatcha want, Pip? A cupcake? I love cupcakes, even though they're not really cups. I mean you can't really drink out of them. The paper doesn't hold a drink very well. It spills all over your hooves and then you have to get down like this and lick it up off the floor.”
As if she'd completely forgotten about her young customer, she immediately pressed her face to the floor and began to lick vigorously. After a second, she popped back to her full height, her face twisted in disgust. “Yuck! See, proof that they're not REALLY cupcakes. More like small cakes. But good things come in small packages, right? Like jelly beans, or gumballs, or ooh, ooh – chocolate fountains! I really like chocolate fountains, you can drink them. Or swim in them! Or swim in them while drinking them!”
Pinkie Pie began to bound around the room as if she were swimming in a great pool, all the while pantomiming taking deep dives and drinking deeply of the imaginary chocolate. She paused and glanced at the bewildered foal, as if she were just taking notice of his presence. “Oh, hi Pipsqueak!”
Pipsqueak smiled politely at Pinkie Pie. “Hello, Miss Pinkie Pie. Can we talk?”
She waved her hoof dismissively, “Of course we can, silly. We're doing it right now!”
“Oh,” he said, considering her reply. “I guess we can.”
Pinkie paused, hoof on chin, pondering his request before throwing her arms up into the air. “Sure! I'd be glad to help!” She turned and dashed into the back room of Sugar Cube corner before returning with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. A grin slipped onto Pip's face as she sat the plate down on the table. “There ya go!”
He didn't ask twice, but eagerly took a cookie from the plate and began to devour it. He was on the sixth cookie by the time he heard the chime of the door opening again. Turning at the sound of a gentle trot, he saw Twilight Sparkle walked in with a polite smile on her face.
As she leaned down to greet the young foal, Pinkie bounced over. “Hi Twilight! How about a cookie?”
With a soft shake of her head, the magenta filly declined. “No thank you, Pin-”
“Oh no! You don't want a cookie? What's wrong Twilight? Do you have a tummy ache? Did you eat too much already?”
“Pin-” she started, but was cut off.
“Do you want oatmeal raisin instead of chocolate chip?”
“No, Pin-” Twilight tried to interject.
“Oh no,” Pinkie suddenly cried out in horror. “You've sworn off cookies haven't you?! Say it isn't so Twilight!”
“PINKIE!” Twlight finally snapped. “No, I don't have a tummy ache. No, I don't want oatmeal raisin and no, I haven't sworn off cookies! I just stopped by to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake.”
“Oh,” Pinkie said in surprise. “Why didn't you say so? They're not here right now. They went down to Sweet Apple Acres to get some more apples for the turnovers.”
“Fine,” Twilight replied through gritted teeth before turning her attention back to Pipsqueak. “Now, what brings you here, Pip?”
Chomping down the last of his sixth cookie, Pip offered a shy smile to Twilight. “Well, you see Miss Twilight, I wanted Miss Pinkie Pie's help with something.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, “That probably won't end well. But, what's the trouble?”
“You see,” Pipsqueak began, looking from Twilight to Pinkie Pie, “I was walking through the woods and I saw Miss Scootaloo and her friends in the woods. They were covered in tree sap and seemed very upset by something. And, well, I'm only a little foal and all, but I wanted to see if Miss Pinkie Pie knew what was bothering them since she's friends with everypony in Ponyville.”
“Sure I am!” Pinkie interjected. “Why just yesterday-”
Twilight cut her off quickly, “Well that's nice of you Pip. I suspect they were involved in another crazy scheme to earn their Cutie Marks. They're always trying to do something to earn their Cutie Marks, no matter how insane it might be.”
“Well,” Pip said after a moment of thought, “they seemed awfully brave to me, sliding down a line and crashing into the brush like that.”
Twilight glanced over to see that Pinkie had gotten distracted and was now making silly faces at a nearby balloon tied to the counter and was rather enjoying the distortion of her own expressions. She turned her attention fully to young Pipsqueak. “Well, I guess you could say it's brave.”
“I want to be brave like them! How do I earn my Cutie Mark, Miss Twilight?”
Twilight smiled softly and ruffled Pipsqueak's hair with a hoof. “Give it time, Pip. I'm sure it'll come to you in a few years.”
“But, Scootaloo doesn't have hers and she's older.”
“That's true, but-”
“Oh! Oh, Miss Twilight!”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, passing his interruption up to youthful energy.
“What if I helped them find their Cutie Mark?”
Pinkie's eager voice broke Twilight's moment of awkward silence as she searched for a reply. “That's a great idea! Did they lose them?”
“I don't think so, Miss Pinkie.” The idea of losing your Cutie Mark had never crossed Pipsqueak's mind, but he supposed it was possible.
Twilight spoke up, firmly confident that her logic would put some sense in both ponies. “Well, technically you can't lose your Cutie Mark. Once a pony gets one, its there forever. Every grown pony has one.”
“Silly Twilight!” Pinkie cried, “That's not true.”
“Really, Pinkie? Name one grown pony who doesn't have a Cutie Mark?”
Pipsqueak looked to Pinkie, now interested in this hidden gem of knowledge.
“Easy! The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!”
“Umm, Pinkie-” Twilight was about to speak to the fact that the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was in-fact several ponies who kept their Cutie Marks hidden beneath a flowing outfit, but Pipsqueak suddenly cut her off.
“Oh yes! The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well is my favoritest pony ever. Well, except for Miss Princess Luna. I want to be just like her!”
“Me too!” Pinkie replied.
“But Pinkie Pie, you are-” Twilight started.
“Really, Miss Pinkie Pie?”
“Of course, Pip! You see, I'm already kinda like her.”
Pip sat down on the floor and put hooves to chin, eager to hear more. Pinkie gladly obliged him. “Want to know a secret, Pip?”
Pinkie looked from side to side dramatically to make sure that no one was listening, completely oblivious to the rolling to Twilight's eyes. “Well, you see Pipsqueak, I know Mare-Do-Well and she's really neat! She's got a big flowing cape that goes woosh when she runs and a really neat floppy hat and she's got all kind of super powers, but she can't be everywhere at once! She can only show up when least expected! All Mysterious Mare-Do-Wellish like!”
Pipsqueak's eyes grew wide in wonder. “That makes sense, I suppose. I wonder if the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well ever needs help.”
“Pinkie-” Twilight tried to pipe in, but Pinkie Pie was on a roll.
“Sure she does! I'd imagine she needs help all the time. I mean she has to save ponies all the time and keep her costume looking nice. Oh, and she has to eat! I mean, everyone needs to eat right? Well, I suppose plants don't need to eat and I've never seen butterflies eat. I wonder if Fluttershy has ever seen them eat. I'll have to ask her!”
Pipsqueak suddenly leaped to his hooves, a sparkle in his young eyes. “Oh, thank you Miss Pinkie! You're the best!” He suddenly threw his tiny forelegs around her in a hug which she gladly returned. With a cheerful good-bye to Twilight Sparkle, he darted from Sugar Cube Corner and made his way down the road.
Twilight watched him go before she turned back to Pinkie Pie. “What do you suppose that was all about, Pinkie?”
She shrugged. “I dunno? Want a cookie?”
Twilight let her shoulders sag in defeat and accepted the treat.
Pipsqueak looked at himself in the mirror. A thin band of red cloth was tied around his eyes with crude eye holes cut out so that he could see. An old white blanket was tied in a knot around his neck in a large, awkard knot. It was far to large for him, and dragged on the ground. He pranced back and forth in front of the looking glass for a second before striking what he believed to be a heroic pose.
“The Foal Wonder! ”
He turned and dashed out the door, his blanket-cape flapping in the wind. Maybe Pipsqueak was too young to help the Scootaloo and her friends find their Cutie Marks, but the Foal Wonder has powers beyond the ken of normal ponies! He'd be a real hero and help all ponies in need, all across Ponyville. Now, if he could only stop tripping over the hem of his cape.
