Poor Boy’s Greatest Saviors

Chapters

Poor Boy On The Beach
Chocolate Full Of Pure Love
Nature Kindness
Splash War
Honorary Member Of The Rainbooms
Swimsuit Of Generosity And Beach Advertisement

Poor Boy On The Beach

The Rainbooms were enjoying themselves on the beach. The ocean was shining, food stands by the parking lot wafted a wonderful scent over the shores, and there was no end to the tons of activities to participate.

Pinkie Pie was making sand castles with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were surfing by the waves and Sunset, Twilight, Spike and Rarity were laying on their chairs to soak up the sun.

“Is today great or what?” Sunset said, taking off her glasses.

“I know. I made a list of activities for all of us to do on the beach.” Twilight said, as she scanned the to-do list she had on her tablet.

“The fact that we made so much money off of everything is just marvelous.” Rarity commented.

“And I can’t wait for you girls to use that money for dog toys.” Spike jumped.

Down on the beach, Pinkie was finishing up on a sand castle that she had modeled after a bounce house.

“So what do you wanna do after we’re done with sand castles, Fluttershy?’ Pinkie asked, leaning dangerously over her’s and Fluttershy’s sand castles.

Fluttershy protectively put her arms around her tiny sand castle, which she had built for the tiny hermit crabs on the beach.

“Maybe we can go swimming?” She suggested, wanting to keep her crab home safe.

“Or how about we go to the kids playhouse together?” Pinkie suggested next, pointing at the beach playhouse down the shore.

Fluttershy looked, and saw the playhouse full of younger children.

“Do you think we’re too old for that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Aw, come on. It’s like that big trampoline we used in athletics class. Remember how much fun that was?” Pinkie said.

Actually, Fluttershy didn’t find the trampoline much fun. For her, every bounce was like risking an injury on landing. Or worse, a trip into orbit.

“I think I’d rather keep making homes for all the beach animals,” Fluttershy meekly said.

“Don’t be a party pooper,” Pinkie said, taking Fluttershy by her hand, and guiding her to the playhouse full of children.

After they had walked off, Applejack and Rainbow Dash returned from their fun on the waves, and returned to the others on their beach chairs.

“So how was your surfing?” Spike asked.

“Awesome! The waves jumped us in the air, and we landed perfectly!” Rainbow boasted.

“Tell me about it. Surfin’s the best way to spend our summer!” Applejack said. “So what are we doin’ next?”

“We’re going to the playhouse!” Pinkie declared, as she walked by, dragging Fluttershy behind her.

“Really, Pinkie?” Applejack said, with her face in her hand.

“Come on, it’s not like we’re weird.” Pinkie giggled.

“Actually, it kind of is,” Rainbow commented.

“No offense, Pinkie,” Sunset began, as she stood up from her chair. “But, why don’t you take someone else’s sister to the playhouse instead of us? We’re too old for the playhouse, but maybe Apple Bloom or Scootaloo would have fun there.”

Pinkie Pie crossed her arms indignantly after hearing Sunset’s words. “I just wanted to be a kid for five minutes!” She said.

Nearby, another car parked in the parking lot. After a moment, a mother and son departed the car. The mother seemed to be in good spirits, but her son looked too depressed to even walk.

“Oliver, come on.” His mother said.

Oliver looked towards the beach, and almost took a step forward, but stopped before he even started.

“I can’t do this…” The boy muttered.

“But you wanted to go on the beach. It’s the only way to make you feel better.” His mother reasoned. She took his hand and guided him to one of the concession stands.

Sunset happened to glance up toward the parking lot, and saw the mother and child. Normally, she would have paid no mind to it. Only, she noticed something about the boy’s face. Something that was abjectly sad and somber, as if he had no reason to be happy a day in his life.

“Hey, look at that little kid over there,” she said, pointing everyone’s attention on Oliver.

It took only a moment for all of the others to notice what Sunset had.

“Now, why would someone be so sad at the beach?” Applejack wondered.

“I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to his mother.” Spike suggested.

“Good idea.” Twilight replied as the Rainbooms made their way over.

Oliver was still getting pulled from her mother with his legs scraping the sand. Everything seemed hopeless to him in those moments. Even eliminating his will to walk.

“Excuse us,” an unfamiliar voice called.

The boy’s mother stopped, and looked in the direction of the voice. There, she saw seven unfamiliar girls and their dog jogging up to greet them.

Oliver saw them, but paid them no mind.

“Hey, I recognize you kids. Aren’t you that musical group that performed at the school? The Rainbooms?” His mom asked.

“You got it.” Rainbow answered confidently

“So, is this little boy yer son?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, his name is Oliver.”

The other girls waved at him, but Oliver didn’t wave back. He hardly looked at him.

“I’m sorry. Did we do something to offend him?” Fluttershy said.

The mother didn’t want to explain. It was something of a personal matter between Oliver and his schoolmates.

“No. It’s nothing that you’ve done. Only…” She didn’t want to say anything more after that. She looked at the faces of the girls before her, seeing only concern, and a desire to help. With only last look to her son, his despondent face convinced her to gently relay the information. “I know this is hard to believe but,” She spoke more softly to prevent anyone else from hearing too much. “My son has been bullied at school.”

Sunset Shimmer caught on what she meant, since she had been a bully herself years ago. “Oh is that the reason why he won’t talk to us?”

“That’s not all. You see…” This was where things got particularly sensitive, and she took a moment to prepare herself for what she was about to divulge. “He was at home very depressed because of the bullying. Weeks after, the bullying got worse.”

“I’m sorry if I’m prying. But, how?” Twilight said.

“He missed school for weeks, because the bullies have been threatening him with harm,” the mother continued. “It’s been so bad, I don’t know what to do.”

That was where she stopped. She didn’t want to relive the memory of the night her husband found him in his room, bleeding profusely from a self-inflicted wound. A wound that Oliver meant to end his own anguish forever.

Though she had stopped talking, the Rainbooms could tell this no matter she wanted to continue. Choosing not to torment her, they instead decided to tackle the problem.

“How long has this been going on? The bullying?” Twilight gently asked.

“Since November. That’s when the bullies decided to pick on him. They even called him a snitch if he ever told the teachers on them.”

The mother stopped talking again. Her heart ached at the memory of the day her son came home in tears. After him came his friend Tony, who reported the incident.

Apparently, Oliver’s bullies had recorded this session of harassment, and uploaded it to the internet. This was all before that horrible night. It was then that his parents took the matter into their own hands. They reported the problem to the school faculty, and the bullies were expelled. But, he still refused to go to school. And no matter how his friends and family tried to reach him, nothing was enough.

“He use to love going to the beach. It was the last thing I could think to do. If I don’t see him smiling today...I just don’t know how I can help my boy,” The mother finished.

Sunset took one more look at Oliver. He was lonely, and felt isolated. Just as she had at one point in her life. The situation had given her an idea.

“Hey, how about we take care of him for the whole day?” Sunset offered.

“I’m not sure.” The mother answered.

“It’s alright. You can trust me on this. If he gets some quality time with people who genuinely care for his well being. People like us. I bet if he spent the day with us, he’d be back to his old self in no time.”

Her idea had sparked some inspiration in the others, and they all hopped on board with her.

“He’ll have the time of his life, if you’ll let us,” Pinkie Pie said.

“We can take him to see all the fantastic ecosystems,” Fluttershy added.

“I’ll make a beautiful costume for the darling.” Rarity added.

“And I’ll give this dude the best swimming experience of his life.” Rainbow added.

“I made a list of activities and I’ll be delighted if he joins us.” Twilight said, presenting her list.

“And at the end of the day, Oliver will be back to his loveable self again for the rest of his life.” Applejack tipped her hat.

The mother smiled after the Rainbooms are willing to help her son. “Well, alright,” She said, not seeing any reason to turn away such upstanding young women. She handed Twilight her camera, and gently urged her son to join the Rainbooms. “I have faith in all of you, I’ll be back at the end of the day to pick him up. And make sure to record everything. I don’t want to miss it when my son starts smiling again.”

Sunset placed one hand on Oliver’s shoulder, and shook the mother’s hand with the other.

“Oliver will be back to being happy when you come back.” She assured the mother.

Once Oliver’s mother set up her place to stay on the beach, the Rainbooms started their day of fun with the boy.

Chocolate Full Of Pure Love

Oliver didn’t even make eye contact with the Rainbooms once his mother left, but it didn’t stop the girls from trying to cheer him up.

The boy felt his chin lifted up, and found himself looking at the sunny, smiling face of Pinkie Pie.

“Come on Oliver. Turn that frown upside-down. We’re here to have fun,” Pinkie said.

The boy didn’t respond at all. He didn’t even blink.

Pinkie had never been faced with such sadness. So profound was the boy’s sorrow that she could almost feel it just by touching his shoulder. She almost didn’t know if she had the capacity to help this poor child. Not knowing what else to do, she brought him closer to herself for a small hug.

Even with the boy in her arms, letting him hear her heartbeat, she still could not fathom the dark place where Oliver was.

“Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie didn’t even need to answer. Just the look on her face told Fluttershy everything she needed to know: Pinkie needed help. Heeding her friend’s plea, Fluttershy knelt down to speak to Oliver.

“Hello. I’m Fluttershy,” she introduced herself.

Oliver said nothing.

“You can talk to us, if you want. My friend Twilight has a whole list of activities planned. And Pinkie Pie knows all of the fun things to do, and fun places to go on the beach,” Fluttershy continued.

“Yeah. Come on, Oliver. Let’s go over here for a second,” Pinkie said, leading the boy away.

Pinkie led him away to her spot on the beach, where she sat down with him on her pink beach towel. “Okay. I want to know some things first, Oliver. First: what’s your favorite dessert?”

Still nothing from Oliver. No motions. No eye contact. And no answer.

Pinkie was running out of ideas. And after only her first try. Until--

“A chocolate muffin.”

“Hm?” Pinkie said, “Who said that?” She looked around for the source of the answer.

“I like chocolate muffins,” Oliver blandly repeated.

“I know there’s concession stands that sells muffins, but I’ll make one just for you because if there’s one thing the stands don’t have in the muffins is love.”

“How are you going to make a muffin on the beach?” He blinked.

“I’m going to work at the stands so I can make the muffin by myself. And it’s going to be just for you. Wait here a second.”

Pinkie practically ran out of her sandals to go to the concessions stand to make her muffin for her new friend. While Oliver waited, Fluttershy and Spike sat by him.

“Oliver. I don’t mean to make you sad, but: do you want to talk? About your problem?” Fluttershy asked.

“Fine,” Oliver answered.

Fluttershy was taken aback by the drab answer, but carried on.

“Okay. Um...what did the bullies look like?” Fluttershy asked.

“They were four bullies, one who’s strong and scary, one who’s smart and sneaky, one who’s always calls me a snitch and names and of course the leader who always put me down when I try to do the right thing.”

Fluttershy gasped after hearing Oliver. “Wow, those bullies were unstoppable! And you had to deal with four at once!”

“And I never thought the smart bully would record your misery.” Spike called.

“Tell me about it. During my time at home I’ll barely play with my baby, my little sister, my bigger brother and my puppy.” He sobbed.

“Wow, your family is huge.” Fluttershy commented.

“My parents are always responsible, sometimes my uncles come over to take care of everything.” Oliver answered.

Spike noticed that Oliver said he had a puppy at his place, and wanted to know about it. “You had a puppy? Does he feel sad that you always stay in your room?”

“Yes, I wanted to play with him but I was too sad to even think about it,” Oliver answered.

As a puppy, and having known other puppies from around the neighborhood, Spike was given an idea about what to do first.

“Hey Twilight! You should start recording now,” Spike said. “I’m gonna help him.”

Twilight didn’t know what her dog was up to, but took out the camera and made her way to Pinkie’s spot.

“What are you going to do?” Twilight wondered.

“You’ll see,” Spike said slyly.

All puppies had a repertoire of moves they used to bring smiles to human faces. And he knew just the one that never failed.

Quick as a wink, Spike darted in front of Oliver, and started playing in the sand. After rolling around, he put his paws on the boy’s knees and started licking his face.

Oliver smiled a little, remembering back to the old days, before the whole bully situation, when he would always play with his dog.

“Thanks, you know I didn’t notice that you’re able to talk.”

“Trust me, me and the girls went through a lot too.” Spike said. “How about you scratch my ear?”

Oliver nevered scratch his puppy’s ear before, but knew it was something dogs liked. He reached out his fingers to scratch Spike’s ear, making Spike stick his tongue out and kick his leg.

“Ohhh yess, keep doing that.” He said.

Twilight giggled as she continued to record.

The other girls looked on what Oliver is doing.

Soon Oliver was getting used to this. Over the next ten minutes, he scratched Spike’s ears, rubbed his tummy and played with his paws..

“Awwww, look at Spike.” Sunset said. “Oliver is really trying to make Spike happy.”

When the girls continued to watch Oliver, Twilight notice something about him. “I think what he does best is to make his family members proud of him. The way he treats Spike is like what he does to his puppy.”

“Yeah, this boy is making your dog happier than I thought.” Applejack said, putting her hands on her knees as she leaned over.

Finally, Pinkie Pie was done making the chocolate muffin for Oliver. However, she add chocolate frosting and little chocolate sprinkles on the top.

Once she returned to her friends, she saw that Oliver was scratching Spike’s tummy, which brought a smile to her face.

She gave the muffin to Sunset because she wanted to surprise Oliver for making Spike happy. Sneaking up behind Oliver, she put both of her hands on his eyes which caused him to stop scratching Spike.

“Guess who's back with you muffin?” Pinkie asked.

“You?” He responded.

“Yep!” Pinkie answered, as she hugged the boy, and lifted him off the ground. “You’re scratching every part of Spike’s body? That’s very cute of you.”

“Well I do have a puppy, so I wanted Spike to feel happy,” Oliver said.

Pinkie broke the hug to allow Oliver back on the ground. She took the muffin from Sunset and hid it behind her back.

“So, are you excited to eat your muffin?”

“Kind of.” Oliver answered

Pinkie presented the chocolate muffin to him with a plastic plate and a napkin.

“Why is there frosting on top of the muffin?” He wondered.

“Everyone knows that chocolate is never enough, with extra love from me. Go ahead, eat your dessert.”

She paid close attention to Oliver while Twilight was still recording this.

When Oliver picked up his muffin, he took deep breaths still feeling the nightmares from his past. But, when he finally took the first bite of his muffin, he stood still. Never before had he ever tasted a muffin so great. And it was all because of the love produced from Pinkie’s talent. Pinkie worked hard to make more love for his muffin to where she refused to give up.

Oliver eyes went wide as the flavor caught everywhere in his mouth. His toes twitched in excitement as he slowly ate his muffin, savoring every bite full of love.

“Just look at him taking his time with the muffin.” Rarity said.

“Yeah, Pinkie is a pro at making desserts.” Rainbow added.

“We still have tons to do for him, this is just a start.” Sunset reminded her friends.

It took four minutes for Oliver to finish his dessert. During the whole time, he smiled joyful while tasting the unbelievable flavor. He was in joyful tears by the time he finished, and gave Pinkie Pie a warm hug.

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I haven’t eat a sweet in a long time and your muffin was so rare to me.”

As he hugs him tightly, Pinkie Pie also came into tears.

“Oli…. Ol- Oliver that’s the greatest thing anyone has ever told me!” She hugged him tight, to where she took his feet are off the sand again.

Oliver still was afraid she might let go, but Pinkie kept holding onto him.

“Hey I got an idea, how about we go to the kids playhouse together?” Pinkie suggested, pointing down the beach..

“Sure I mean you gave me a muffin so I should return a favor.” Oliver said.

Pinkie’s excitement was through the roof to think Oliver would ever do this for a teen who’s not a little kid anymore.

“Ohhh this is going to be great!” Pinkie Pie said, as she took Oliver to the playhouse.

“Wait for me!” Twilight called, as she trailed behind them with the camera.

“Man, Oliver is really givin’ Pinkie someone to relate to. An’ he doesn't mind that Pinkie is too old.” Applejack said, putting her hand on her hip.

“Yeah,” Sunset agreed. “Hey, Fluttershy. When he’s done with Pinkie Pie, can you take him to the forest to show him some of the animals? I think he’ll love it if you do that.”

“Of course. After seeing him with Spike, I’m sure he’d love a trip to see some animals.” Fluttershy said, as she touched her geode, all the while planning what to show Oliver.

Nature Kindness

Fluttershy had taken Oliver to the forest for their nature walk.

Twilight had tagged along to record everything.

Oliver had a great time with Pinkie Pie from the kid’s playhouse and was feeling a little better about himself. But, there was more that needs to be helped for him.

Before they entered the forest, they saw Oliver’s best friend Tony, who just came out of the pizza restaurant.

“Oliver!” He called, surprised to see his friend after he had been away from school.

Oliver tried to show his friendship to Tony but he only hugged him without being surprised.

“Oliver? Who are these two girls?” Tony asked.

“Twilight and Fluttershy.” Oliver quietly answered.

“Her mother drove him here because he loves the beach so much. And it’s the only way for him to move on from his bully fears.” Twilight answered.

“And we offered to help him. He already had a muffin our friend baked for him. And we’re taking him to the forest to show him natural animals.”

Tony wanted to help too. But, after all those times he failed, the only thing he could do was come with him to see what the girls are going to do with him. “I know this is kind of pushy but can I hang out with you? I tried to help him but it wasn’t enough.”

“Of course you can come. After all, everything is more fun with a friend,” Fluttershy answered.

Tony smiled at the prospect of going with his friend on a nature walk. Seeing Oliver now, he could tell his friend was happier than he had been in days, and wanted to be there to facilitate the efforts.

They walked on the forest path, taking in all the sights and sounds around them. Each moment was painstakingly recorded by Twilight.

When they reached the middle of the forest, Fluttershy put both of her hands on Oliver’s shoulders to show him the meadow of animals. “Oliver, I want you to close your eyes to find your happy place. I’ll promise everything will get way better for you.”

Oliver closed his eyes while Fluttershy took several steps back, as she looked at Tony.

“I want you to close your eyes as well,” she bade Tony.

Tony did as instructed, and listened with his eyes closed.

Fluttershy wanted this to be as peaceful as possible. As for her she used her geode, then animals in the forest came to her voice.

Birds, rabbits, deers and all other species of the woodland joined her, as she prepared to put her mission into great use.

“Okay, you both can open your eyes now,” Fluttershy called.

Twilight giggled quietly, anticipating the boys’ reaction.

The moment when Oliver and Tony opened their eyes, they couldn't believe on what was going on. Friendly animals were getting closer to them.

Oliver tried to get away, but then a deer blocked his way. He may have been good with his puppy but he never thought he would ever encounter so many types of animals at once.

“Don’t be scared. They’re just trying to be friendly.” Twilight called.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Please put your hand onto one of the animals.” Fluttershy said.

Oliver checked on the animals to see who looked the most harmless. He placed his hand onto a small deer who caught it’s attention on Oliver. Oliver didn’t wanted to hurt the deer but soon Fluttershy’s powers made the deer lick his hand.

“Twilight, I don’t know what’s going on but, I think this must be a dream.” Tony replied.

“Trust me, everything's going to be alright.” She reminded the boys, as she continued to record.

Soon the deer walked towards Oliver with it’s mother blocking his way again.

Oliver was starting to freak out, but soon the deer licked his face for a couple times. It was then that the boy realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. So much, that he tried hugging the deer.

Fluttershy smiled warmly. Oliver was coming along further than she could have thought. A far cry from the gloomy boy she met on the beach, now here he was bonding with a deer.

Touching the geode on her necklace, she silently suggested to the animals to come closer to Oliver.

Soon, Oliver found himself surrounded on all sides by all manner of animals in the forest. He and Tony smiled brightly as they greeted each one of them.

“Fluttershy, I really love animals, thank you.” He responded.

Fluttershy was only too happy for Oliver. Never before did she never have the chance to do this for anyone, and was delighted to see such a thing come to be.

Twilight got an idea, but she didn’t know if Oliver’s mother would approve of it. That in mind, she turned off the camera, and used the power of her own geode.

“How about we go for a ride?” Twilight suggested.

“Ride?” Tony wondered

His question was answered when he, Oliver, Fluttershy and Twilight were all magically lifted into the air, and placed on the backs of the animals. Oliver and Tony found themselves on the back of the mother deer, while Fluttershy was placed behind Twilight on the back of a brown bear.

“What’s going on?” Both Oliver and Tony asked.

“Relax, they’re gonna take you to more peaceful place in the forest and it’s great that you both still have your swimsuit on.” Fluttershy and Twilight winked at both of them.

As the animals made there way to the destination, Fluttershy called out to the birds, whistling a song with them.

“How great are these animals?” Tony said to Oliver.

“Yeah, the forest is filled with kind animals,” Oliver said. Slowly, he was starting to get away from his nightmares as he rubbed the deer's head.

They arrived where they were going to. Twilight helped everyone down from their mounts, and presented to them a small, sun-gleaming lake in a clearing. Starting the camera up again, she urged the others over to the water.

Oliver jumped slightly when he felt Fluttershy take his hand.

“I want you and me to join us in the lake, because you were bonding with the animals.” She looked down on him, giving him her green and lovely eyes which made Oliver blush slightly.

“You know Fluttershy, you look really cute when you’re sweet,” Oliver quietly said.

Fluttershy also blushed and knelt down to face Oliver..

“Maybe when you’re old enough, you can help me at the Animal Rescue Center to save more lives of animals. That would be the greatest thing you have ever done for me.” Her voice was like an angel from the heavens that made people feel warm on the inside.

“Maybe,” Oliver said smiling. Taking the hint that he was too young to date Fluttershy, he held onto her hand as they all jumped into the water. That is, after Twilight set the camera down on a tree stump on the shore.

“Man the water is perfect!” Tony cheered.

“Tell me about it.” Twilight commented.

Once Oliver and Fluttershy get their heads out of the water, Fluttershy giggles at him while giving him a hug.

“Oliver, I will never forget this moment. Your the most loveable boy I have ever met!” Fluttershy said.

Oliver closed his eyes, happy that Fluttershy was happy. Twilight and Tony decided to join in and start a group hug.

“Is Oliver getting back to normal?” Tony whispered to Twilight.

“Of course. But, we have a few more hours left, and this is still just the beginning.”

Oliver and the others stayed in the lake for about twenty minutes until they came out and went back to their spot on the beach.

Splash War

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and the others are done with the surfing again. Just when they get back to their spot, Rarity is back with the others. Oliver is hiding behind Rarity because he’s still scared to show his new swimsuit to Sunset’s friends.

“Keep it calm, Oliver, darling,” Rarity said, as they approached her friends.

“Hey Rarity. How is that Oliver kid doing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack. I present you, Oliver’s new swimsuit,” Rarity said. She stepped out of the way to allow Oliver into the girls view. The boy was so nervous his legs were shaking.

The girls refrained from giggling at the adorable sight, and expressed their thoughts as best they could.

“Awwww!” Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie all said.

“He looks like my brother when we were little kids,” Applejack commented.

“And check out that ripped figure,” Dash said, “You’ve been swimming a while now, haven’t you?”

Tony laughed as Oliver covered up his stomach. True, he had been swimming for many years, but never thought anyone could tell by looking at him.

“Hey, why don’t you join our splash party, Oliver?” Pinkie suggested.

For the day he had been having, there was no way he was going to refuse. Even if he didn’t know one crucial detail.

“Let’s do it. What are the rules?” He asked.

Pinke reappeared with a bucket full of water balloons.
“First, we take the water balloons, like so,” she explained. “Next, we divide into two teams of four. We’ve already decided that you’re on my team, with Fluttershy and Twilight.

“And it’s me, Applejack, Sunset and Oliver on the other team,” Rainbow Dash added.

“You’re all on my team?” Oliver asked Pinkie.

“O’ course sugarcube. Nothin’ like spendin’ time with yer new pals,” Applejack said. “Anyway, once the teams are ready, we take these here water balloons an’ go to town!”

“How do you decide who’s out?” Oliver asked.

“Out?” Applejack wondered.

“Don’t the people who get hit have to sit out the rest of the game?”

“Kid, let me tell you something,” Dash began, “Putting players out is for competitions. This is just fun with your friends.”

A week ago, Oliver never thought that he would be playing a game on the beach, surrounded by his friends. And now, he couldn’t believe where he was. It was almost like a dream.

The two teams took their places, and readied a water balloon in each of their hands.

“Don’t worry. We’ve got your back,” Pinkie Pie assured Oliver.

Twilight gave the camera to Rarity, who would be sitting on the sidelines with Spike.

“Make sure you get everything. And I mean everything. Every time you see Oliver laughing or smiling. Every hit he makes on us. I want his mom to see how happy he’s become,” Twilight said.

“Of course, Twilight, dear,” Rarity affirmed, before she sat down on her beach chair. Spike hopped on her lap, and the games began.

“Ready,” Applejack said.

“Set,” Pinkie added.

“Splash!” Rainbow shouted

Over the next thirty seconds, it was utter and complete chaos. Water balloons zipped through the air, pelting their targets with loud, splashing pops. Teams ganged up on each other. Sometimes, a team member was hit by their own teammate. Others, however, were somewhat hesitant to join.

“Come on Fluttershy, throw your balloon at someone,” Pinkie said.

“But throwing is mean. And, what if I hit Oliver?” Fluttershy meekly said.

“Don’t worry about that. I already accidently hit him twice.”

“You what!?” Oliver said, having overheard Pinkie. In an act of retribution, he took the two balloons he was holding, and pelted Pinkie with them both.

“So, that’s how it is, huh?” Pinkie said, mimicking rolling up her sleeves. “This is it! Every Pinkie for themselves!”

Pinkie started flinging water balloons in all directions, not caring who she hit, allies or enemies.

“Looks like we’re changin’ the rules,” Applejack said, gleefully popping a balloon over Rainbow Dash’s head.

“Traitor!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She took her two balloons and popped them on either side of Applejack’s head.

Sunset returned to the ammo bucket, and yelped when she was hit in the butt when she bent over.

“Bullseye!” Tony said, as he high-fived Oliver.

“You little jerks!” Sunset laughed. She loaded up on her ammo and chased after the two boys. “Get back here and get what’s coming to you!”

The boys tripped on the battlefield, and were pelted by Sunset. The only thing that saved them was when Sunset got a facefull of water from balloons thrown by Twilight.

Oliver and Tony crawled through the sand under the firefight. It was almost like they were storming the beaches of Normandy the way they were carrying on. And it became more so when they saw they were a man down.

“Soldier down! We got a soldier down over here!!” Oliver said, when he saw Fluttershy lying down in the sand to avoid the fight.

He and Oliver quickened their pace to crawl to Fluttershy’s aid.

Pinkie, Twilight and Dash all saw the boys and threw their balloons at them.

Oliver saw the oncoming volley, and thought they were aimed at Fluttershy. He quickly rose to his feet and rushed to his friend’s aid.

“NOOOOOO!!!!” Oliver shouted, as he dove through the air in front of Fluttershy.

Three popping water balloons stung his belly, and he landed hard in the sand next to Fluttershy.

“Oliver!” Fluttershy said. She knelt by the boy’s side and lifted his head. “Oliver, speak to me!”

“Say something, man! Tell us you’re still in the fight!” Tony said, after he knelt on Oliver’s other side.

“Oh...I don’t think I’m gonna make it…” Oliver groaned.

“Don’t say that man! You’re gonna pull through it! It’s just direct hits!” Tony said.

“You have to pull through! Do it for you’re mother! She’s waiting for you a few hundred feet down the beach! She wants to know her boy’s become all he can be!” Fluttershy added.

“But, I already did...Thanks to you guys, I’ve remembered what life was like before those bullies...This has been one of the greatest days of my life, and it’s all because of you…” Oliver answered.

Even though they were playing a game, and Oliver was clearly being melodramatic, Fluttershy still felt touched by the boy’s words.

Oliver grabbed both Fluttershy’s and Tony’s hands. “Tell my mom I love her…”

“You got it,” Tony said.

This was not where Fluttershy was going to leave things. Empowered and emboldened by the boy’s words, she stood tall and proud on the field of battle.

The boys looked up, and saw her silhouetted grandly against the sun, which shone behind her head.

“You can tell her yourself!” Fluttershy said.

In the blink of an eye, she whipped around and picked up the half-full bucket of water balloons. She whirled around at blinding speeds, and thrust her arms forth.

Every single balloon in the bucket flew out into the battlefield. Not a single shot was wasted, as every balloon splashed loudly against a target.

The force was too much for any of them to handle. After being hit, everyone else was knocked to the ground, and looked up in a stupor to see Fluttershy holding her empty ammo bucket.

“Holy…” Dash began, but couldn’t think of any appropriate words to finish.

“Where did that come from?” Rarity wondered, as she approached with the camera in her hand.

“It came from Oliver,” Fluttershy explained.

“What do you mean? You were the one holding the bucket,” Sunset said.

“I know. But, it was something he told me that made me want to be as great as I can be. Just like we’ve been trying to do for him,” Fluttershy explained.

“I was only returning the favor,” Oliver said, as he sat up and put his finger in his ear. “Ew...I think I got some sand in there.”

The girls all felt their hearts flutter at what Oliver told them. Now, it felt like they had truly succeeded in helping him remember his life before his problems.

Rarity continued to film as Tony and the girls all crowded around Oliver for a group hug. Once she had established a shot of all of them, she too joined the love, along with Spike who nuzzled his way through everyone’s ankles to reach Oliver and lick his face.

Oliver wanted to do more than say a few simple words and give a hug to express his thanks. He had until sunset to leave for home with his mother. That would be plenty of time for what he had in mind.

Honorary Member Of The Rainbooms

Oliver, Tony and the Rainbooms continued their list of activities to pass the time. They ate their pizza thy ordered for lunch, swam in the ocean, and collected seashells along the shore.

Soon, sunset was upon them. Twilight noticed the position of the sun in the sky, and decided it was time for the day of fun to end.

“Okay. Everyone: I think it’s time for Oliver to go back to his mom,” Twilight said.

“What? But, we were just getting started!” Pinkie protested.

“Yeah! I was gonna teach Oliver how to surf!” Dash said.

“And we were going to go to the tidepools to look at starfish,” Fluttershy added.

“I know. But, it’s sunset now, and he has to go back to his mom,” Twilight said.

There was a wave of moans. It had been fun, but they knew Twilight was right. She always was.

“Alright. Come on, Oliver. Tony. Let’s get you boys--” Sunset began, but noticed something that was now very out of place. “--Hey! Where’d the boys go?”

In truth, Oliver and Tony had hidden behind one of the nearby concession stands. In his bid to convey his feelings about the girls, Oliver had taken a pen and pad of paper from Twilight’s bag, and was feverishly writing down his thoughts.

“Come on, what is it?” Tony wondered.

“You’ll see in a second,” Oliver answered.

It wasn’t hard for the girls to spot them where they were hiding. They weren’t even twenty feet away from where they were standing. Having seen them, they jogged over to where they boys were.

“There you kids are,” Twilight said. “Let’s go. You’re parents are probably on their way to pick you up.”

“In a second. First: I want to tell you something,” Oliver said.

“Yeah? Alright. Speak yer mind, pardner,” Applejack said.

Oliver took a moment to prepare himself. What he was about to convey was going to force him to confront the horrible memories of the bullies who tormented him. One look to Tony and the Rainbooms, and he knew that he was strong enough to overcome it.

“Okay. There was a reason my mom brought a camera to the beach today. She found out on the news that those bullies had posted the video they took of me to the internet, and was afraid it would go viral,” Oliver began.

Tony only nodded grimly. He had seen the video on the internet, and was appalled to see that the view counter was well into quadruple digits. The comment section showed nothing but concern and sympathy for Oliver, and complete disdain and contempt for the bullies. But, it broke his heart to know that so many people had to see such a brutal thing happen to his friend.

The girls didn’t know what to say. But, they would try.

“Oliver…” Sunset began.

Oliver raised a hand, stopping her.

“It’s alright, Sunset. Because of what happened next. You see, it was my dad’s idea to make another video that showed me after the attack. He wanted them to see that I hadn’t changed who I was, just because they didn’t like it. And, well, I didn’t think it would change anything. But, after that day I spent with you guys, I know that it can. Just look at me. Even I can see how I’ve changed since I first got here. I’m going to take this video, and I’m going to upload it. This is going to be the me that people see. And this is what other kids who have ever felt bullied will think of when they see how I could get over it. I want to help those kids, just like you helped me. So, thank you. I never could have done it without you girls.”

The Rainbooms were completely silent. Rarity and Fluttershy both had joyful tears running down their faces. Even Rainbow Dash had to turn away, so nobody could see her crying.

Twilight took one step forward, and placed her hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “Oliver…” She began. She wanted to say something deeply profound and heart touching. But, anything she could say would come nowhere close to what she had just heard. Instead, she only said, “You’re welcome.”

With a beaming smile, Olive embraced Twilight, and again, Tony, Spike and the other Rainbooms joined in for another group hug.

“You know what? I think we should do just one more thing for Oliver,” Sunset said.

“I think yer right,” Applejack said, on the exact same page as Sunset.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Fluttershy added.

“What is it?” Oliver wondered.

“Well,” Twilight said suggestively, “Me and the girls were thinking that we should make you an honorary Rainboom.”

“You mean it!?” Oliver said.

“Of course we do. You certainly have the spirit of a Rainboom,” Rarity said.

“Yes!” Oliver said, as he high-fived Tony.

“And, maybe someday, we’ll take you to meet some of our other friends,” Sunset said, planning to one day take Oliver to Equestria to meet Princess Twilight.

“Oliver!” Came the call of the boy’s mother.

“Oh! That’s mom!” Oliver said. He turned to answer. “Coming, mom!”

He almost started running, until Tony reminded him of something.

“Wait! Your pad!” Tony said.

Oliver quickly turned around, and gave Twilight back her pen and paper pad, while he took back his camera.

Twilight didn’t even have time to reprimand the boys for going through her bag, when they both turned and left to join with Oliver’s mother. She simply stood, watching the boys as they rejoined with Oliver’s mom. Apparently, Tony’s mom had joined up with Oliver’s mom on the beach, and was greeted by her son as well.

“Well?” Rarity wondered.

“What’s it say?” Pinkie added.

Twilight was so busy watching the boys, she had almost forgotten what she had been given.

“Oh. Um,” Twilight said. She lifted the paper pad up, and read aloud what Oliver had written.

“To the Rainbooms: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash , Fluttershy, Sunset Shimmer and Spike.

When my day started, I never thought my life could move on from the nightmare that it had become. I thought for sure that I would be miserable for the rest of my life. But, that all changed when my parents suggested something as simple as a trip to the beach.

From out of nowhere, seven girls and their dog, who I had never met before a day in my life came out of the blue to save me. It was almost like we were meant to meet them that day.

At first, I thought they were weird. Nobody would ever volunteer to look after a kid they had just met. But, they did. It was why I started talking to them, after I hadn’t spoken to almost nobody in a week. They were so different from any of the people, (and especially any of the dogs) I had ever met.

Pinkie Pie baked me a chocolate muffin from scratch. Fluttershy took me and Tony on an amazing trip into the forest. Rarity made me new clothes. Twilight and Sunset helped make the commercial for kids like me. And the splash party, where I remembered fun and friendship.

It was all like a dream come wonderfully true.

The baked sweets full of love.

The wonders of nature shown to me.

The creative ingenuity and intelligent planning.

The simple gestures of a small friend.

The generous gifts given

The spirit of fun shared by two girls.

The Rainbooms were like a savior sent just for me. And that’s how I want people to think of them. Not just as a band, or a group of friends. As the people who saved the future of one little boy who thought he had none. They are my greatest saviors.

“Oh…that’s...” Was all Rainbow Dash choked out, before she turned her back.

“It’s alright, sugarcube. Let it out with me,” Applejack said, hugging Dash and joining her in her tears.

“And to think we only thought today was a trip to the beach,” Sunset said wistfully.

“Yeah. Who’d have thought we’d end up saving a young life,” Twilight said.

She held the note in her hand, knowing she was going to save it for the rest of her life. The message conveyed on it would be one that she would carry with her forever. And she would share it with others in her life. Through her words and through her music.

Back in the parking lot, Oliver and his mother arrived at their car. Both of them were smiling from what had transpired that day.

The car started, and they were on their way home.

“Mom?” Oliver began, “If it’s alright: could I spend another day with those girls some day?”

After the change that had happened in her son, there was only one answer his mom could give. “Of course you can.”

Oliver only smiled. He knew that brighter days were still ahead for him.

Swimsuit Of Generosity And Beach Advertisement

Back at the beach, Sunset Shimmer and Rarity were done swimming in the water and by the time they went back to their spot, Fluttershy and the others were back from their nature walk.

“So Oliver, how was the walk with Fluttershy?” Sunset asked.

“Good I can’t believe so many animals were so nice to me back there,” Oliver answered.

Hearing the boy speaking so enthusiastically and emphatically, and in full sentences no less, surprised Sunset and Rarity.

“Oh darling! I can’t believe you’re not mute anymore.” Rarity smiled.

“Tell me about it. On the way here, he even told us what his favorite color is. He even made eye contact,” Twilight said.

“That’s really great!” Sunset said. She noticed the new boy who had joined the group. “Who’s this kid?”

“I’m Tony. I’m Oliver’s best friend,” Tony introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you,” Sunset said, shaking his hand.

“So what are we going to do next?” Oliver asked.

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were surfing in the waves so the only thing Sunset could think to do was have Rarity make a different swimsuit for him.

“Oliver, this is Rarity,” she introduced the boy. “She makes some of the greatest outfits ever. And I was wondering, do you want a different swimsuit?”

Oliver was confused at first but then Rarity leaned down towards him.

“That sounds marvelous. Tell me: would you like a new pair of swimming trunks to wear?” Rarity asked.

Her sweet voice and beautiful looks mesmerized Oliver. “Well...Uh-huh…”

Tony looked at Oliver, and waved his hand in front of his face. He was unsuccessful to snap him back to reality.

“Oliver, my other friends are surfing, so I think it’s the perfect time to make you something new. And what a perfect way to replace your clothes after those awful bullies ruined them.” Rarity said.

“Uh-huh…” Oliver answered.

“Okay. But, what kind of swimsuit are you going to make?” Tony asked.

“No, no. That would spoil the surprise, darling. You stay with the others, while I get the necessary materials,” Rarity said.

Rarity left, leaving Oliver still staring. He was finally snapped back to reality by someone taking him by the hand. In his half-dazed state, he hoped it would be Rarity. Instead, he found it to be Sunset.

“How about we go to the concession stands while she’s making your swimsuit? You can come along too, Tony,” she said.

“Great!”

While Twilight was recording everything, Oliver, Tony, Spike and Sunset were playing the ring toss challenge.

“So, at your school do you play games like this?” Spike asked.

“Yeah and when I go on field trips with my family, we go to triathlons to give money to our grandparents,” Oliver answered.

“Seriously?” Twilight said.

“Yeah sometimes we won’t able to make enough money for everyone in our family so we do activities for grandparents charity.”

“I always help him because he knows he needs help from his best friend in the world.” Tony said.

“Man, you really did a lot before that bully business happened,” Spike replied.

Sunset was given an idea. However, she needed Twilight’s help.

“Hey Tony, is it okay if you hold onto Twilight’s camera? Me and Twilight need to get something,” she said.

“Sure,” Tony said. He didn’t know why, but obliged anyway.

Twilight and Sunset left to go to the Rainbooms’ bus to get Twilight’s notebook. When they returned to the concessions stands, they met the kids by the tables.

“Oliver, Tony. We wanted to make money off of everything we helped with, and Twilight has this idea of making a commercial about the life on this beach,” Sunset explained.

“The whole idea is to have everyone know everything when they get to this city. I’m talking about people live outside of this state,” Twilight said. When they sat by one of the tables, she handed Oliver a pen and her notebook. “I know this can be complicated but you’ve been on this beach a lot, haven’t you? You should probably get some inspiration. And even if you’re too young for this, we can still help you.”

Twilight was sitting by Oliver to see what he was going to write.

Oliver knew what it was like to be on the beach ever since he was five, and decided to take his ideas into reality.

“Oh! How about this? I know you’re in high school, but how about you take elementary students and have them show off the fun at the beach?” Oliver suggested.

Twilight and Sunset were confused but Oliver continued.

“Think about it, there are a tons of kids here on the beach when I was around and we do so many activities like using twenty kites in the sky, have our older brothers caring for us and we also make a lot of sand castles.”

Tony decided to fill in for Oliver. “And the style should be about the beach shines on the kids…. Sorry that’s all I have.”

But soon Twilight found the idea to take full effect.

“No, no it’s actually good.” She took her pen, and wrote down the ideas. “And when we do the commercial, we can add effects so kids will find the beach really enjoyable.”

“We’re not trying to appeal to a specific age group. We’re just doing whatever it takes for everyone to have a good time. That’s what we do,” Sunset said. “Like I said before, we’re doing whatever it takes to make you feel better, and this project is really big.”

Oliver never thought anyone could be so nice to him. When he first met them, he was broken on the inside, and wanted nothing to do with them. Now, he couldn’t stand to disappoint them. “Okay you can put my ideas down,” Oliver agreed.

“Good choice,” Sunset said, after gently hugging Oliver’s shoulders.

After about forty five minutes of planning, they were all done with the ideas for the commercial they were going to do at Canterlot High.

“Oliver, you may be an eight year old, but you’re smart,” Twilight commented.

“Really?” Oliver responded.

“Of course. It was your idea to add tips about making sure dogs are safe at the beach.” Spike said.

“Well, my puppy makes a lot of mistakes whenever he’s on the beach, so the tips just came to me.”

“Your family gives you life lessons you don’t even need them to tell you,” Sunset said.

“If you put it that way I guess,” Oliver said, as he smiled, which made Sunset giggled.

Then Sunset’s phone was rang. Once she looked at her screen, she saw it was a text from Rarity.

“Hey, Rarity is all done with your swimsuit!” Sunset said, showing her phone to her friends. “She wants us to meet her by our bus.”

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Tony said.

They made it to the Rainbooms’ bus where Rarity was waiting by the bus door.

“Hello darlings,” she called, waving at her friends. Most importantly, she was waving at Oliver. “Oliver, close your eyes and come inside.”

Twilight took the camera back from Tony, so she could follow everyone from behind.

Once they were inside, Rarity removed the curtain that was covering up the swimsuit she had fashioned. “Okay darling, open your eyes.”

When Oliver opened his eyes, he was not only surprised but also shocked. The swimsuit he had on that day were just normal swimsuits. But, Rarity made him a light blue and sparkling trunks.

“How are they, sweetie?” Rarity asked.

Oliver looked pensively at the swimming trunks. They were certainly wonderful, but at the same time, he was reminded of a painful experience.

“Darling, you don’t need to look so apprehensive. They're just trunks,” Rarity said.

“No, you don’t understand!” Oliver said. He almost walked away, but in his time with these girls, he knew that they could be the ones to help him in his time of need. He sat down on one of the seats and conveyed his thoughts. “I’ve always worn this swimsuit ever since those bullies picked on me. The last time I wore trunks was on the day we went swimming. And they kept making fun of me. I tried to ignore them, but they started throwing trash at me.”

“Oh my goodness!” Rarity gasped.

“Yeah. So after that day, I want to the store with my grandma to buy a different kind of swimsuit that isn’t trunks.”

Oliver ended his story with his hands on his face.

Rarity could see the pain he was dealing with, and gently moved his hands so he could look at her.

“Oliver, those bullies were the only ones who would found that funny. All your other friends like Tony didn't care what you wear because they respect you,” she explained.

Oliver didn’t say anything, but he understood what Rarity was telling him. But, Rarity wasn’t finished.

“You see, I make outfits because of my mojo. For every one person I make an outfit for, I think about who they are to make the clothes work for them. You, to me, are innocent and I try my best to improve everything I have in my head. Trust me darling, when you wear that swimsuit in front of not only my friends, but your friends at school, they will find you adorable and cool.”

After listening to her, Oliver came to the realization. He got off the seat and picked up his new swimsuit. He went to the back of the bus, and closed the curtains. After a few seconds, he reopened them to show off his new trunks.

“So when I meet my friends, they will find this okay?” He asked.

From where she sat, Rarity was smiling. Her talents had done so much to raise this boy’s spirits, and with something so simple as a change of clothes.

“Trust me, since the bullies are gone, you will have nothing to be afraid about anymore,” Rarity said.

Twilight, Sunset, Spike and Tony watched as Oliver modeled his new swim trunks, which Twilight recorded. “His mother is going to be so proud of us,” she thought.