Patch's Adventures in Puppy School

chapter 13: Welcome to the Pound Puppies

The men who ran it were busy in their office, so they could sneak by and make it inside without being seen. Patch pulled apart the iron bars, allowing him and Lucky to get through and Patch squeezed them back, still following the older dog who was like a mentor to him. The other dogs had put their decoys up. Once Lucky and Patch were in their old pound cell, they jumped through the hole and went in without anyone knowing or noticing.

"All right, now cover your eyes." Lucky told the puppy.

Patch covered his eyes with his ears and he gently bit on Lucky's tail so he could take him in.

"Okay buddy, you can look now." Lucky told Patch once they were done walking.

Patch uncovered his eyes to reveal they were in their HQ of the Pound Puppies with all of the dogs and puppies that were members of the Pound Puppies there. This must have been something big.

"SURPRISE!" the Pound Puppies called.

Lucky smiled to him.

"Surprise for what?" Patch came to them, but still smiled, they were like the dog family he missed back on the farm. "It's not my birthday."

"We know, but we wanted to give you an offer you can't refuse." Strudel smiled.

"You deserve it, baby." Cookie added.

"What is it?" Patch felt honored for whatever this surprise might be now.

"We were wondering if you'd like to become a Pound Puppy too," Lucky smiled to him. "Of course, since we both have homes now, we can still meet the other Pound Puppies and go on missions. I mean, your boy is in school most of the day, pretty lonely."

"Yeah... Maisy's there, but it is a bit lonely, that's why I came to Puppy School." Patch had to admit.

"How would you like to become one of us, kiddo?" Squirt asked.

"I'd love to and my Equestrian Medallion can be able to make it easier for me and Lucky to get here without being spotted." Patch said, showing his medallion.

Strudel took a look at it. "You have an Equestrian Medal? I thought those things were a myth!"

"Nope, I've been there, especially to help Twilight Sparkle win the Element of Harmony Crown when Atticus was accepted to Canterlot High." Patch explained proudly.

"Interesting... You think maybe I could convert this medallion into an Equestrian one and a Pound Puppy one for you?" Strudel offered with a smile.

"Sure," Patch said, taking it off. "I just hope convert means copy."

"Actually, I'm going to make it both," Strudel explained. "It'll take you to Equestria and it will still be part of the Pound Puppies medal collection."

"So I'll have two in one?" Patch asked.

"Yes," Strudel smiled. "Excuse me a moment." she carried the medallion in her mouth and went to visit the squirrels to get Patch his new trinket.

"Cool." Patch said as he waited for Strudel and squirrels.

"You will become one of us, right buddy?" Lucky smiled to the puppy.

"That's right." Patch smiled to the older dog before playfully tackling him.

Lucky laughed, he was a grown dog now, but still had the spirit of a puppy in him.

"That's so sweet!" Niblet laughed.

"It looks like those two are like a father and his son playing together." Squirt said, seeing of how happy the older dog and the Dalmatian puppy were.

"Yeah... Lucky's never had a puppy of his own and Patch probably misses his daddy..." Cookie agreed. "You know Patch's dad is The Pongo."

"The Pongo!?" the other dogs got excited and intense.

"You guys know my dad?" Patch looked to them.

"Oh yeah," Lucky smiled. "We haven't met, but we've heard of your parents. Also your brothers Lucky and Rolly and sister Cadpig came back home and they decided they should go back to the family on the farm, so we had to help in the Twilight Bark to reunite them back."

"They ran away from home?" Patch frowned.

"Probably very homesick." Niblet assumed.

"Yeah and they probably got to learn that home is where the heart is after being alone in the old house." Patch said.

"Nice that you handled it maturely though." Cookie soothed.

"Yeah, but I like it with Atticus... I do miss my brothers and sisters sometimes..." Patch shrugged. "But, I can visit during the summer with Anita's niece, Amber."

"I'd like to meet her and this family of yours, so then I can meet the famous parents, not of only of the Twilight Bark, but also the lucky ones that gave birth to such an extraordinary puppy." Lucky said, ruffling the top of the Dalmatian puppy's head.

Patch chuckled, this was great fun.

Strudel came back with the new medallion. "Here you go, Patch, it's all ready."

"Thank you, Strudel." Patch smiled as he slid it back on around his neck where it belonged.

"Now, remember." Strudel said before the others joined in to say their classic motto.

"Once a Pound Puppy, always a Pound Puppy." they all said together with glee.

"Thanks everyone." Patch said, feeling proud that he was a member of the Pound Puppies.

The Pound Puppies smiled. Patch sniffled, putting his paw over his face.

"Patch honey, are you okay?" Cookie asked.

Patch sniffled as he started to cry. "I'm sorry... It's just that I didn't think this would be happening... Thank you all so much!"

The others comforted him as he cried tears of joy. This was a moment that Patch would never want to forget ever.